#shroom / dearest*

[definitivelynotanalien]

Got too tired to switch back and forth between sketch and notebook so I just

Just

yeah.

[2truehearts]

MUSIC ASK

1: A song you like with a color in the title

15: A song that is a cover by another artist

17: A song that would sing a duet with on karaoke

30: A song that reminds you of yourself

i want to answer them too so hehe here's mine <3

1: Red - Mori Calliope (THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES HEHE)

15: kyu-kurarin - Chogakusei

17: PSI DESU I LIKE YOU - Dempagumi.Inc (i don't really understand the question now im rereading it, this is a song that i would like to sing with someone at karaoke)

30: Fish in a Birdcage - Fish in a Birdcage

okay i missed you how are you

mwah i hope ur having a good day kazu <3

(OH AND)

💌 Send this to the nicest people you know or those who have a good heart. Me and your fo/s loves you <3 💌

AAAA SHROOM OMG HII!!! AND TY FOR THE ASK <333

1 — gold rush by taylor swift!!

15 — the cover you’re so vain by olivia rodrigo!!

17 — either easy on me by adele (tbh any song of adele’s is great for karaokes as long as both know the lyrics JHSHSJS) or evermore by taylor swift!!

30 — DOING THIS AGAIN BC WHY NOT SO rebel without a clue by olivia rodrigo (it ain’t released yet but i love it already)

i’m gonna have to get a listen to those songs u listen to shroom hehehe AND I MISSED U TOO OMG :(( IM DOING GREAT ACTUALLY!!! i got smth from a gachapon thing while i was out last night AND IT REMINDED ME OF U (i’ll send a pic of it in ur askbox later cause i’m out rn and it’s at the hotel cries) BUT WHAT I DO HAVE ARE SOME PICTURES OF OSAKA SO HERE HAVE THEM FIRST

and lastly IM USING AN UNO REVERSE (imagine a penguin holding one up with a cool pose for reference) MWUAH ILYSM UR SO SWEET AND LOVELY AND GREAT MWAMWAAAA I HOPE UR HAVING A GREAT DAY N WEEK TOO <3333 ‼️‼️‼️ take some kisses for good measure tho 💋💋💋 love u shroom!!! stay safe and take care of urself!!!!!

[villainessprefect]

title: Bonds Deeper Than the Ocean

summary: The twins stay with Azul in the infirmary after his unfortunate accident. And they don't let him rest peacefully, not intentionally anyway.

ship: platnoic otcotrio

word count: 1,735

note: just wanted to write the octotrio and their funky ‘friendship’

Read on AO3

The infirmary isn't a place for those of Octavinelle to be found in, rather it's where those who wrong them end up. Hardly do one of their own land in a bed, bound by nurse's orders to stay longer than necessary and recover. Especially their housewarden.

"Jaaade," Floyd drawls on his twin's name. His bored gaze falls onto their sleeping boss. He half glares, annoyed at Azul's current state. Sleeping in a bed with his eels on either side of him. "When is Azul going to wake up?"

"It's been a long day for him. He needs his rest." Jade answers as if everything is normal, but Floyd knows there's something else hidden behind that calm demeanor and perfectly formed smile. Something akin to worry stirs in his very soul. It's an odd, strange feeling. Hardly anything gets under his skin and he can't even recall a time when a feeling like this plagued him. Jade dislikes the feeling, yet can't find himself to ignore it. He's not sure if he wants to since it concerns someone dear to him.

It's not everyday an Overblot occurs. Mages of all kind never expect it to happen and by the time they realize it, it's too late. Blot accumulates without one knowing. It's hard to fight against, especially when the inky substance sticks to its host, consumes them and turns them into something else. At least, that's what the eels can only assume after witnessing it firsthand.

Floyd pouts. He hates remaining in one spot for too long. But he couldn't just leave, as much as he wanted to.

"Ugh!"

The longer he stares at Azul, the more he hates what happened. Okay, it was kinda cool, but he didn't like the outcome. It's weird seeing Azul so tired, pale, unconscious, and unresponsive. He prefers it when his boss is awake and he can rile him up. It's fun! Azul is fun! He's one of the few who could bark back and be played with. But when he's forced to be like this? When he can't even prod or make a funny comment to get a reaction out of him? It's so dull. This version of Azul doesn't even remind him of their youth. At least that little octopus was entertaining when he cried.

What's worse is he can't blame anyone but Azul himself for letting this happen. Okay, he can think of a few students who were the catalyst, but they also helped bring Azul back. So, unfortunately, he can't go squeezing them nor his own boss.

"Azul," Floyd whines his name as he steps closer. There's no response. "What're we guna do if ya don't wake up?" He asks and lets his body drop onto the poor unconscious octopus's body. Not even his sudden weight causes him to stir.

"Oh, you make it sound like he's close to seeing a bright light," Jade hums. He shifts his legs to feel a little more comfortable. He isn't sure how long they're going to have to stay here. "If he doesn't wake up, then all his responsibilities will fall to me. And that may prove to be troublesome."

Truthfully, he doesn't mind the title of housewarden. If anyone was going to dare to usurp it from Azul, it would be him. But alas, he doesn't have the plans to do so. He enjoys being under Azul's command. Even if his workload is hefty at times, it's never too much to handle. And he enjoys being sent to play with prey, to have freedom to visit the mountainside, and indulge with his brother. While Jade may work hard, he knows Azul works harder. Plus, unlike him, he has a certain charm to lure others in. That was something he lacked.

"The last thing I want is for the dorm to become shroom city. Yuck."

Floyd sticks his tongue out and Jade chuckles.

"They aren't that bad. I assure you, I'd only pick the best for my dearest brother."

Hearing that, Floyd makes a gagging noise. At least Azul wouldn't shove mushrooms down his throat.

"I'd rather lose my legs than have to eat any mushrooms ever again."

"Would you two...quiet..."

"Azul!" Floyd is quick to push himself up from his boss. Like a giant, excited puppy, he inches closer to Azul as he wakes from his slumber.

The housewarden groans in pain. His body aches, magic feeling fleeting, as he floats in and out of consciousness. He doesn't like this feeling of weakness one bit. It's like he has nothing- because that is what he has. Nothing.

His memory is hazy, but he knows that all his hard work, years of contracts had gone in the blink of an eye. He had everything and now...he's back to square one. Back to being a powerless, ink spewing, cry baby octopus.

"You're up! Tell Jade you're not letting him take over the dorm."

"Oya, I wouldn't dream of it," Jade says with a sly smile.

"You better not," Azul breathes out. He doesn't quite know what they're bickering about, he just knows that it involves him. Bits and pieces of their conversation made its way to him while he slept, but he hardly had the energy to deal with this right now. He wanted to sleep and to forget this day ever happened.

"How long have I been out for...?"

"A few hours. Do you not recall passing out again?" Jade answers.

Azul is quiet. He shakes his head. That Overblot had done a number on him, more than he wanted to admit. He could recall the brief conversation after he woke up, but that left a bitter taste in his mouth. How pathetic he'd been to revert to his old self in front of everyone.

Sevens, that's the last thing he wants to remember.

"What of the Lounge?"

"Closed for the time being."

"What?! Why?!" He snaps, body jumping up in bed. Azul regrets it shortly after. The world spins and his head pounds. His body drags him back to bed with his eyes shut. That burst of energy had done more harm than good.

"Cuz who's guna run it if we're all here?" Floyd points out as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Didja think we'd let some randos run it while you're stuck here?"

"You just don't want to work..."

"Aww, you caught us," Floyd chuckles.

"Your health is of the utmost importance to us," Jade chimes in. "Things wouldn't be the same if we lost our favorite octopus."

"Flattery gets you nowhere, you know this already."

Azul lets himself rest for a moment. It's...quite nice that they're here. He wasn't sure if he would have liked to be woken up in an empty room. If he were in his octopus post, that would be a different story. Somewhere more enclosed where he could curl up and hide in the darkness is so comforting. The open space of an infirmary where anyone could walk in on him and see his pathetic self made him feel exposed. At least here he has two guard eels.

He lets his eyes open and casts his gaze over the two. A different setting flashes before his eyes. One with Jade's facade broken while Floyd was visibly distressed. Although brief, It had been a break in character for both of them. It left a disturbing feeling in his gut knowing he'd done something to cause that.

"Sleep, Azul," speaks Jade. It's like he knew Azul's mind was wandering south. "You have nothing to fear with us here. We won't leave your side."

"Will you?" Azul breathes out, quietly. "You two can leave any time you want."

It was an unspoken rule established since day one. They wouldn't label themselves as friends despite how long they knew each other. No matter how badly Azul would like to consider them such things, uttering that word would mean getting attached. In his heart, he already was, but he could not admit it aloud. They were the only ones who cared and put up with him. Neither minded him for his physical flaws and instead found him to be interesting. It wasn't the best compliment, but when all he knew were insults, he'd take what he could get.

Now that he'd been broken and reverted to a powerless creature, surely he didn't fit that 'interesting' bill anymore. And if he lost everything else, this may be the time when he loses them too.

Heterochromatic eyes meet. Silent words are passed between them before their gaze breaks to look at the octopus.

"Yeah, we could. But if we go, you're coming with us. You know, you're no fun when you're all mopey. Are you going to end up crying next?" Floyd grins when he asks that question and even pokes Azul's cheek. For once, Azul can't slap his hand away. And to answer his question, he thinks he might if he hadn't used up a year's worth of tears earlier.

"What Floyd means is, you don't have a choice. It's ours to make. But, if you do wish for us to leave..." Jade intentionally trails off.

"No!" Azul shouts and regrets straining his body once more. Pain returns with a hefty blow. Maybe it was time for him to go back to sleep. "Don't go..." He says weakly. "But one of you should...at least check on the lounge..."

And then he loses his consciousness.

"Neh, Azul's funny when he's half-awake. He should know that no one is dumb enough to do anything to the lounge."

"That's just how he is," Jade replies. "I'm quite amazed that he managed to have a coherent conversation with us, if only temporarily."

"I dunno how his brain works." Floyd finally leaves Azul's personal space, but remains seated on his bed. It's comfier and he's closer to Azul. "I still hope he cries when he remembers everything though."

"He hasn't blubbered like that in a long while. It was a rather...wholesome sight."

The two snicker at their comments, wide grins appearing on their faces.

Azul is still Azul, their little octopus from their youth. And they're glad that he's still here with them. Alive and breathing. The eels will see to it that he's back to running the lounge in no time at all.

After all, what would they do without their benevolent boss?

[leofrith]

thinking about the time i had a 10mg edible and met god and then while i was in the bathroom laughing at a wall for ten minutes straight my friend's mom called her and told her she was picking us up from the bar we were at because she had cooked dinner to which my dearest darling friend agreed and then i had to sit there at a table with my friend's very christian parents who hate substances who i hadn't seen since high school and discuss my journalism degree with her dad with a straight face while pretending not to have a mild panic attack as i ran through every batshit insane thing my friend had ever told me about her parents which brought me to the conclusion that all the food was poisoned.

anyway that's leofrith trying shrooms with eivor for the first time.

[aesrot]

you're like my shrooms dealer. except instead of selling me drugs you bring cool pictures of mushrooms to my dash.

(also hi darling i love you!!! <3)

and i shall continue to bless you with mushroom pictures, for it is my destiny.

(haiiii!!! my dearest!!!! ily :3 hope you have a good day!! <3)

[jayrxds]

my eyes hurt from so much crying, everything is so quiet i can hear my own heart beating, it feels off it feels like the days when i was so alone again i feel alone and it feels nice but at this moment of time it’s the worst feeling ever, i have no words im just uncontrollably crying, it feels like i got hit in the gut. i feel like i can’t breathe anymore like i feel so weak unable to move, the air is so thick and still. now i have to have to fill this time with anything idk maybe find some new people, try acid again, do shrooms, hang out with my friends, idk i will have to live my life like nothing happened, if someone needs to leave let them leave no matter how much it hurts or however painful it’s going to be, they might have really changed my life but it doesn’t mean we are going to be together, and theses are the worst break ups because we both love each other but if we both love each other than why should we hold each other back from being happy, i love him so i have to let him go, we both grew in different interest, i will miss him i indeed will, to me he was end game.

i’m going to miss the day when i could hear his heart beating when i was falling asleep and when our bodies intertwined on a cold night im gonna to miss it. there was nothing more i wanted than to just drift off in the arms of the one i loved dearest, he must always be my easiest hello but he’s always my hardest goodbye which absolutely sucks ass i’m just a hopeless romantic when it comes down to it.

you let your heart sob in the memories knowing this is the end and my hands are shaking in the worst way imaginable i’m so sorry and i just feel bad, i love him and i just didn’t know how to express it properly, i didn’t know how to communicate with him properly because i felt like a bother to him and i shouldn’t have felt like that, i fucked up on my part a lot. tomorrow i have walk into school and put on a smile and act like nothing happened but completely break down once i get home, work is going to be hard, but i have to mask it and put it down where i can’t feel it idk maybe drown myself in new drugs idk i will find something.

[gepazu]

what if i,

oh i don't know,

came back in here later, with a little ayato comfort drabble?

just for you <3

because you've been having a tough time lately, and you like (understatement) ayato.

would that make you happy, dearest kazu?

(help i'd have to do what im doing for WAIT THAT THING I NEED TO FINISH LMAO ILY KAZU HAVE A GREAT TIME MWAH MWAH JHAJSDHFA)

I HEARD AYATO COMFORT DRABBLE OML HAII INGKA <333 also please, u don’t need to do any of the sort!!! js u being here is fine enough 💫‼️

tho,, yes, an ayato comfort drabble would make me rlly happy heuehsheushhs

(DJGSKDH ILYT SHROOM!!! HAVE A GREAT TIME ‘N DAY // NIGHT AS WELL MWA MWUUAHH 🫶🤍💫)

[a-mushroom-wizard]

My dearest apprentice Ray,

You are formally invited to be my maid/person of honour at me and ivy's wedding, thank you for being my my side through thick and thin, you don't have to bring anything at all, we just hope that you'll be a part of our special day,

Love shrooms and Ivy.

*you get a cute green envelope covered in stars and hearts and drawings of flowers, it's addressed to you*

OH MY STARS *ray can’t keep her excitement and gently opens the envelope careful not to damage it*

[violet-amet]

angry, tired, bothered, anxious.

[2truehearts]

mwah <3

im back in your inbox my darling <3

i know rn you're going eep peep, but i love you and you can't escape me <3

UPDATE me and my boyfriend will have our one year anniversary in 4, almost three, days

hh

(october 4th for reference (us little trans mascs fell in love in october HEHE))

also I'm going to send you an ask

(or if u turn them off tag you in a post)

whenever I finish a movie because I'm watching all of the studio ghibli movies!

I just finished porco rosso <33 Gina my love <33 I love porco rosso it's one of my favorites

rn is pom poko. so silly. so fun. I'll come back when I finish :)

I swear I'm going to send you so many asks you'll be sick of them <3

I love you! have a good eep peep kazuzu, my darling orange blossom <3

never gonna want to escape u anyways my lovely, lovelyy shroom dearest <33

WAAAHHHH WOWOWIOEWOEWIOWOOWWW HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO U TWO !!! this feels like celebrating the coming of two wonderful guardian angels or smth cause i feel so happy WAAAAAHHHHH SHROOM :''D (that reminds me of the song by girl in red !! n i hope u two luvly trans mascs have every joy the world has to give 4 evermore <33 !!!!)

HEHEHE IM GONNA BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ONES U SEND (or tag me in) !!

OOO porco rosso is gonna be added 2 my watchlist along w the others u sent now hehehe !

HJDFSFKSSK I FIND IT SO FUNNY THAT THE ASK IM ANSWERING NOW ABT POM POKO IS LIKE "this movie is so silly (cradles it gently in hands)" THEN THE NEXT U SENT WAS SO DIFFERENT IM

DHSJDSFDSGFDSKDHFDF

WEEEEE IMMA LOOK FORWARD TO THEM ALL THEN !!

I LOVE U TOO !! n i did have a good eep peep (after the pain of stomachs n all ough) shroom, my ever so sweeting guardian angel <33

[god-in-the-basement]

I am the Mother of @the-almighty-lucifer , the terrible and mighty Lord of Heaven.

In a world like this one, but unlike it in many other ways, I faced the blade of Lucifer, My dearest and first child, at My throat... Along with the righteous and sword-shining Michael. United as One, they sought to overthrow Me.

Rather than throw a good two-thirds of My children into the Abyss, I handed over My boss-ship to the Leader of the Union, and I... Jumped.

Into an underground garden, a Hell that bloomed and 'shroomed in darkness, fed by the bitter waters of My tears.

At last I'm out. And here.

Transfer

@fishyfiles: hullo Dagon!

My union representatief @ask-eric-the-disposable-demon sudshested the opshion that I be transferred to the Temtashion Department, locashion: Earth.

Do I have to fill in forms or can we consider it done?

[nikinui]

henlo shroom!!! <33 im pretty new to your blog, but i noticed that you have a wish open, so id like to make a wish! :D can you pleasee spare some date idea headcannons with aoi yuuta? also, if it’s not too much trouble, can i be 🐰 anon?? Have a good day and keep safe ^^

yuta + dates!

₍ᐢ･⚇･ᐢ₎ ; uwaaah!!! shrooms sososososo late for this! they'd like to apologize ahuhu,,, please blame their huge writers block and their teensy weensy moment of being too into mahoyaku for a moment! shroom hopes you enjoy! + yaas! dearest bunnon <3 plus. shoutout to @ka-rimu & myie for helpin shroom with this! teehee

♡︎ aoi yuta wasn't one to think of something grand and extra, like his older brother. perhaps just a stroll around the park or just anywhere is enough for him; why, he is with you after all, and that's the only thing that mattered to him.

♡︎ it's just that time flies so fast when he's with you—you'd catch him looking your way for hours when you decide to sit under a tree with him in a bustling park. he just can't help it of course! a picture-perfect scene and you're the main piece—can you blame him for staring?

♡︎ consider stargazing… lying down side by side as you point out the silly figures you see in the sky—and laugh about them, too. plus, it's a perfect time to slip in a heartfelt line about how he would look at you even under the brightest and the prettiest stars~

♡︎ he finds it amazing how just a smile from you could make his heart feel warm! the thumping feeling of his heart makes him feel happy, and the thought that only you made him feel that way made him happier—oh, how you've pulled his strings and stole his heart, every time you just look his way he just wants to squeeze your face and kiss you!

♡︎ yuta pushing you on the swings… a sweet, childish moment—this makes everything feel like it's a cute, elementary crush, doesn't it? just the two of you, smiling and goofing around while playing by the swings… hours would pass by, and the two of you wouldn't even notice.

[lizzienaut]

i see you have. discovered me. -🍄

yes yes. i have. discovered you.

i have discovered you good and well, dearest shroom.

nobody can hide from lizzie.

[hashbarloops]

 i thought i would start with my top5albums of 2020, probably not ranked.

5| 2814 -  新しい日の誕生 (2015)

after years of digging as deep as i could into vaporwave this record still sands as one of my dearest records of all times, so many memories and so many hours of tranquility. HKE and telepath will probably always be my favorite vaporwave producers. 

4|  Monolake ‎– Interstate (1999)

Love this album. Never gets boring, rhythms sometimes get peculiar and  fascinating, tbh in addition to great textures. I respect Monolake a lot, and they’ve been a big part of my musical background. Cool fun fact is that I listened to that album during my first ever shroom trip. Laying down on a couch, sound blasting and we projected a video of a gopro walk in tokyo, and exactly when Terminal’s drop hit with the ethereal sweeps the dude passed a vegetable museum with big blue flashing lights that went from left to right. cool as fuck and way ahead of its time, shit i mean they did create ableton, they made that record out of comodore 64s, damn.

3| Bladee - Icedancer (2018)

My bad

2| DeepChord presents: Echospace - Liumin (2010)

Passionate about this record. p much crack. along with Silent World OST  these two are probably my biggest musical inspirations when it comes to the Detroit side of dub techno. I only discovered the CD 2 later on, found out that there was a full on ambient CD that imo was totally on the same page as 2814 -  新しい日の誕生 . fuck i cant stop reference, but i love this album

Link to cd2

Link to silent world ost

1| Scion - Arrange And Process Basic Channel Tracks (2002)

absolute blast. like handrolled hash they took some basic channel tracks that were god tier enough and made a concentrate. this shit just fucking slap. say sum smart , arranging multiple tracks makes it less minimalistic, but more headwrecking and i guess even more dance friendly.

Honorable Mention| Boards of Canada - Geogaddi (2002)

just wanted to say that a few months ago i bought a fish, a koi fish it was red and orange so i called her geogaddi and she died in the following week that shit is scary. 

thanks for listening to my top 5 

[cryptofadventure]

Bowser had seen his fair share of nasty flus; having eight kids that never stayed out of each other's hair would make it spread quickly and has trained the King well in the art of fighting sickness.

While Bowser would have liked to wish her away to his own castle for this...he didn't exactly want the cold shoulder once she got better it was worse than anything those pesky plumbers could do, nor did he really want to move her since she looked so..well..awful...

"Aw, Peaches, I'm sorry their that." He grumbled, noting to lower his tone. "Hm, I know yer probably scorchin but I'll need ya t'eat somethin hot for me, ok?"

Something to clear those sinuses and build her immune system, he had just the thing for that.

"Don't worry, I'll be back. And, by the way, I broke in so many times I know where the kitchen is, gwhaha, so don't worry about me, sweetheart♡"

Though his sweet tone ended as he opened the door. "Keep the Princess company and DON'T annoy her." He snarled before a spiked, blue shell was kicked into the room.

It ping ponged between two dressers before Dave popped out and dizzily staggered his way to a chair beside the Princess' bed.

"...Uh...so..." The paratroopa patted his knees awkwardly before freezing up and shifting his eyes from side to side in a suspicious manner. Once he decided it was safe, he led the conversation with a starter.

"You believe the stars are real or are they just holes poked in the container so we can breathe? I don't think Rosalina is real, I think she's a collective hallucination."

Meanwhile, once Bowser was out in the corridor of her room he reached over and took a table cloth from a side table to fold into a Bandanna he tied his hair back with. He quickly made his way into the kitchen; he grabbed various items from her fridge: red and green onions, potatoes, life shrooms, carrots, broth, and thawed poultry. He then snagged a bottle of white wine from a cupboard and brought his findings to the kitchen island. As he looked over all his ingredients he grumbled; he was missing some daimaō peppers from his home country.

"KAMEK!" Bowser barked, the magikoopa appearing in an instant.

"Yes, your grouchiness?"

"I need ya to magic me up some of my best peppers from home, pronto!"

"Uh, are you sure your beastliness...? It wouldn't be too much for the Princess to handle would it?"

"Are ya sayin that I dunno what I'm doin?" He growled, the elder sighing.

"Whatever you say dearest King." Kamek twirled his wand and a single red pepper appeared. The end curled and its color blackened at the tip; the stem boar sharp thorns, and the skin seemed wrinkly. One could even smell the spice coming off of the dastardly looking fruit without even cutting into it.

"Just one..?" Bowser started to question before Kamek gave a even more stern expression.

"Are you trying to melt her organs or cure a cold? Even you shouldn't gobble them down the way you d--"

"Ok ok, I'll take it if it'll save me your naggin!" The King huffed, the magikoopa smiling pridefully before taking off to keep an eye on the troops.

With that, Bowser began chopping his ingredients, seasoning and roasting the meat with his breath until it was slightly charred, and threw it all into a pressure pot. Finally, he took the pepper between his claws and held it over a low flame on Peach's stove. The air quickly grew heavy with the vapors the pepper gave off, even causing the king's eyes to tear up slightly. When it was properly charred, he plucked the spiky stem and crushed the pepper into the pot before adding the wine and broth and setting the cooker on a timer. With that, he throughly washed his hands and began to return upstairs to the princess....

To find some random Toad and Dave going on one of his ""interesting"" discussions.

"DAVE!!! I GAVE YOU ONE, ONE, JOB AND YOU SCREWED IT UP!" He barked, grabbing the paratroopa by his shell and pitching him out of Peach's window at a frightening speed.

He glanced over at the Toad; he seemed rather odd, especially with those empty, white eyes....Eh, whatever, Bowser didn't notice much. It was a Toad, what could he do?

ANYWAY--

"Peaches, I have some soup cookin for ya." Bowser hummed, his voice softening once more. "Ya need a cold towel or anythin?"

@cryptofadventure​

Ughh… She felt awful…

The Princess let out a groan as she pulled the covers over herself, burying herself in the blankets before letting out a nasty cough. Her room was dark with the curtains drawn close, the only source of light coming from her humidifier. Being sick was never easy especially when you have a whole kingdom to run. It took a lot of arguing with her hand maids since she wanted to try and work through her cold but she finally relented to their request and was resting.

Thankfully Toadsworth and her father have been picking up her slack since she been stuck in bed the last few days. 

Still…Even though she been in bed for the last few days, it didn’t seem she was getting any better yet. She still had a fever,  she could barely breath or taste anything, and everything was still too bright and loud to her. Like the suspicious racket that was going on outside.

She felt to crummy to care. Someone would take care of that loud noise.

[katkonstant]

Harrow the Ninth: Act 1 Analysis - Local Bone Lady Newly Single and Ready for Mental Breakdown

I am so scared! so confused! and so turned on by the sepulchered mystery of Harrow the Ninth’s Act 1! And because it’s quarantine time, it’s organizational mapping and near-obsessive theorizing time baby. 

I’ll warn you: this got LONG. 

Spoilers galore. 

This post is to try and organize my own thoughts as well as preserve in time that I don’t know shit when HTN finally hits. All to answer the big question: What in the necro-hell is going on? Here’s what we know as fact:

Gideon the Ninth was about Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter and Badass Emo Princess, and her not hugged enough but grinning through the pain sword lesbian cavalier, Gideon Nav. A catalogue of their romp of death in Canaan House.

Harrow the Ninth is currently cataloguing two things: (1) Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter and Mentally Unstable Concussion, and her cavalier, Ortus Nigenad and their guided tour of Canaan House. AND (2) Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Baby Lyctor, aboard His Imperial and Unending Magic School Bus.

Similar to @Siadea‘s wonderful post (x), I am all aboard the Timeline Fuckery Theory (TFT). Operating under the TFT, I will refer to our cast of characters accordingly. To summarize the TFT, the major point is thus:

In the prologue of Harrow, I think the Harrowhark of Gideon the Ninth (hereby Harrow1) settled in, swan dove into the River, somehow backstroked in time to when she woke up on the Emperor’s ship, and then she resurfaced (with Ianthe’s help), stripped of all memory&detection involving Keyword:Gideon. 

Gideon  [ORTUS]

It appears Harrow1 has programmed Harrow2 with a find+replace formula for ‘Gideon’ and replacing it with ‘Ortus’ on a pure, sensory input level. I have NO idea how she (or something else) did this. Prologue Ianthe Tridentarius telling Harrow, “I know what you’ve done, and I know how to reverse it” makes me think Harrow did this to herself. 

It scrubs the past as well as the present. Proof - (1) When Harrow2 gets the Emperor’s invitation to Canaan House, we gather from context that Ortus asks her if she’s considered someone else. Only we read it as Ortus saying, “have you considered ORTUS NIGENAD?” AND THEN THE SCENE STARTS OVER, but rewound to moments before. Like a glitch in the Matrix; (2) The Emperor’s lips distort when he says “Ortus Nigenad did not die for nothing” and is confused when Harrow2 says it back to him; (3) When the Emperor later says the name of the third Lyctor ‘Ortus’, Harrow2 starts bleeding from the ears and passes out.....We’ll get to him in a sec.

The three syllables Prologue Harrow dies on: Could be ‘Gideon’ and the mark of her successful mindflaying from recognizing the word. Could also be ‘Alecto’. Hell, could even be ‘Nigenad’. Inconclusive.

The Chilly Weirdo Harrow Has the Hots For (alternatively, who tf are you?)

The Lady of the Locked Tomb is appearing and disappearing in Harrow2′s mind, both at her recall of Canaan House and in her (current?) stay with the Emperor. 

She has Griddle’s Eyes. As we’re familiar with the lyctors, we know that when their cavs are “eaten”, necromancers’ eyes change to their cavalier’s colors. OR the Lady has simply taken on Griddle’s eyes to put Harrow2 at ease.

She has the voice of who Harrow2 needs to hear. We’ve heard the Lady sound like Pelleamena (Harrow’s mommy dearest), Crux, and Aiglamene (Captain of the Ninth guard). Both of these are people who loved Harrow1. 

These characteristics ^ lead me to believe that the Lady can see Harrow1′s obsession with her and is either Manipulating Harrow2 by manufacturing her voice and eyes, or is genuinely trying to love Harrow2 in return. (She may have been present for Harrow’s entire life. See my Ch.3**)

What does she want from Harrow2? --> I think, without support or proof, that the Lady wants to Rise Again (as villains entombed are wont to do). As she doesn’t have a corporeal form, she’ll likely need Harrow’s help. Underlying idea being: the Emperor dies when his Unholy Other Half returns. It would be a little contrived to have the “beautiful lady revealed to be the big bad” device be the GTN and the HTN twist but we’ll see. 

Interesting point: The Lady doesn’t like His Holy Frumpyness & Co. “Lie. Lie now.” She’s either protecting herself further down the line, or the Lady thinks that Mercy would have harmed Harrow2 because of this info. It’s possible this is the same interest if she needs Harrow’s help to free her. 

Now Let’s Talk about Swords

AKA the sexiest part of this dissertation. 

Harrow the Concussed is carrying Griddle’s Two hander. Not just any two hander. It is in fact and distinctly, Griddle’s sword. This is supported by (1) Harrow2 was given the sword by the Emperor “as a gesture” implying he knows Griddle and the sword’s significance to Harrow1. And (2) The severe physical reactions Harrow2 has to the sword’s loathing. In GTN Harrow1 mentioned to Griddle, “I have always felt like that sword hates me”. (this in and of itself is mystifying but I’ve got bigger occult fish to fry)

Either Griddle’s Sword or Cytherea is alive. The fade to black of Harrow rekilling Cytherea is a mystery within a Christmas light tangle of other mysteries and I’m not fucking with it. BUT. There are Five lifeforms aboard the ship that traversed the River: Mercymorn, the Emperor, Ianthe, and Harrow. Harrow2 tells us that the Body/the Lady isn’t in sight. That leaves inanimate objects: Cytherea’s body, or the two hander that hates Harrow. 

Harrow2, the Concussed, is not carrying a rapier. Only in the Prologue does Harrow have a rapier on her hip. Ortus the Alternate cav carries a rapier. See the next theory for why this is significant. 

The Events of Canaan House Two are Not Real. 

These are my weakest theories. They’re all weak, but these ones are chief weaklings. The Time Fuckery Theory’s biggest snag is ‘Canaan House: What’s Real?’, and I think only the events with Harrow2 on the ship with Ianthe are actually occurring. 

I think someone is soul/spirit guiding Harrow2 on this Canaan House Round II to show her something. Proof: (1) The repeated “Is this how it happened?”/”This isn’t how it happened.” Clearly indicate that this IS a repeated experience for Harrow, and not the original. (2) Ortus glitches a bit, looks at Harrow2 and says “You never did have much of an imagination.” Someone who knows Harrow1 made him say this. I think. (3) If we count who possibly could spirit-guide Harrow2 on this quest, we have to find the denominator candidates: the only people who knew Harrow1 at Canaan House and at Drearburh are Gideon, and Harrow1 herself. And - if the Lady really has been following her around, the Lady of the Locked Tomb. (4) This theory cannot account for the strobing red egg hallucinations on paper Harrow2 is being delivered. 

Second explanation: it’s all happening in Harrow’s head, and Harrow1 is the spirit guide. In support: There is a surprising amount of explanation and character depth from Ortus. I believe Harrow1 knows Ortus enough from childhood to be able to project him onto Harrow2 this way. 

Third explanation: Because the people Harrow2 is interacting with are all dead, it’s microscopically possible Harrow2 is tripping some soul-shrooms in the River and having the souls of Canaan House teach her something via flashback. In support: Prologue Harrow says five pairs of eyes close to submerge into the River, but hers would not open again. Incredibly vague, but could mean she was going to be spending a significant amount of time in the River. This theory is unlikely, as Harrow is a bone adept. Souls are squishy and freaky to her. Unlikely also from what we saw of the River. Ie; the River is an inhospitable predator which ripped Cassiopea apart and scares the hell out of Mercy and the Emperor. Not an ideal destination spirit-walk vacation spot. Plus, the only clear reasoning we get from Harrow about why she’s descending into the River is because she knows she’s going to die (although she tells Ianthe she has no plans to die)

Things to Note: (1) Teacher immediately spills the Sleeper beans, lets the laboratory cat out of the bag, and unmasks the key mystery. I think who/whatever is guiding Harrow2 around makes this happen legitimately just to save time. (2) Harrow2 is learning things from Ortus, Teacher, Abigail Pent, etc that Harrow1 and Gideon didn’t know.

If the Events of Canaan House Round Two ARE Real. 

If the Great Value Canaan House timeline is actually happening and are physically influential, the implications are fucking vast, because now we’re considering the multiverse of how time works. I am not about to get into that shit because I do (contrary to this post’s existence’s suggestion) have a life, and I don’t feel like rededicating it to the theory of relativity and time dilation. 

The biggest question though would then become: How would events have unfolded if Ortus had gone to Canaan House and not Griddle? The only conclusion to that is: everyone would be dead and Cytherea would be alive. Which does not jive with the happenings of Emperor Frizzle’s Magic NecroBus and Harrow2 (many are alive, and Cytherea is dead). It could be that Cytherea is, in fact, alive and needs re-killing via the Act 1 end of Harrow2 stabbing her. I can’t say.

What does freak me out about Canaan2 is Harrow herself. 

Not her insanity, mind you, but the fact that Harrow2 is hilarious. She’s always been acidic and funny, but Harrow2 is crude and funny. This is very, very bad. She makes a remark about the term ‘bone frenzy’ that Ortus says only someone who’d prefer ‘prurient magazines’ would think of. Can anyone guess who might be more incline than Harrow to prefer prurient magazines? Say a messy sword necrolesbian with a subscription to Frontline Titties of the Fifth?

Harrow2 is also not chasing Palamedes Sextus around the grounds of Canaan House in a near-suicidal race to Lyctorhood. 

Not only is she not working herself to death, but Harrow is doing the opposite: she is socializing. With the Fourth and Fifth! She’s caustic and rude while she does it, but she’s still spending time around them for whatever reason. 

All these behaviors are Griddle behaviors and they make. me. nervous. 

Is Harrow2 Actually a Lyctor?

Harrow’s Dramatis Personae section lists ‘Harrowhark the First’ with a huge and glaring and delightful redacted section below her name. If someone truly had the time, I’m sure they could sleuth out the layers of the censorship and find out what it says. However, it’s plain that the underlying text does NOT say ‘Gideon Nav, her cavalier’. So we’re left with more questions - who or what died to give Harrow her power? .....As a point of interest, it looks like the original writing has been overlaid with even more text. 

Ortus’ eyes were black - the same shade as Harrow’s. Harrow2 wouldn’t be able to confirm or deny that she had successfully eaten her Canaan Redux cavalier.

In the prologue, Harrow1 calls herself “half a lychtor” implying that either 1) she’s simply not trained, or 2) something went wrong in her lyctorhood creation

And then we have this weird Chapter 3** internal narration of Harrow2′s childhood without Griddle. And she’s.. absolutely bananas. She grows up a ghoulish, lonely, nut job. But she still says she had committed the indelible sin halfway. That she hadn’t been able to choke him (Ortus) down. 

Her manifestations of power don’t add up. First, Ianthe (undisputedly a lyctor) shoves Babs’ knife through her hand and has no problem with it, or healing right up. Harrow2... isn’t so lucky. Prologue Harrow is also in the process of dying. Conversely, while in the River, Mercymorn dismisses the idea that Harrow2 could possibly be using theorems and freaks out when she discovers Harrow can. Conclusion being: Either Harrow2 is incredible weak, or incredibly powerful but untrained, or she is Something Else Entirely*.

Harrow2 isn’t experiencing lyctoral indigestion. Cytherea tells Ianthe right after she eats Babs, “I can see him fighting you. Mine [meaning her cav, Loveday] came willingly, and it still hurt for a century.” We know Babs still fights Ianthe in HTN, as her eyes are usually swapping shades. It’s not something Harrow1 or 2 mentions as a problem. 

* My working theory is that Harrow2 is kind of lyctor-ish and being protected by the Lady, the Sword, or Griddle (who might be incarnate in either).  

Side note: It might be too far into the weeds to wonder about but I want to know what pregnancy would do to a lyctor. If we follow the Die Young but Beautiful and Powerful practices of the Seventh House, Dulcinea’s family uses their crappy genes as internal combustion engines: cells dying within them allow a perpetual source of thanergy. On the opposite end of that same theory, a necromancer constantly producing thalergy (life and cell growth) should therefore be significantly weaker, right?

This^ is only relevant when considering the other theory:

Papa Gideon [ORTUS] knocked up a fellow Lyctor. 

While it would explain the creepy “egg” texts Harrow2 is hallucinating, as well as why Cytherea spared Griddle multiple times at Canaan house, I doubt this theory for a few reasons: 

Of the available lyctors able to carry children, there is Cassiopeia, Anastasia, Mercymorn, and Cytherea. We only know Mercy and Cytherea.

It’s strongly implied that Cytherea and her cav, Loveday, were in a relationship. Since Loveday is technically still inside of Cytherea, I doubt she wanted to date around. 

The Emperor strives to present the Lyctors as siblings. This a) props himself up as the holy and imperial papa bear to guide and govern them, b) perpetuates the eternal and indestructible bond of siblings, and c) kills any idea of inter-lyctoral hooking up. Can you even imagine the destruction a Jersey Shore: Unholy Power bar fight would wreak?  

I’m not fully convinced Lyctor Gideon [ORTUS] is Griddle’s father. While it would make sense in terms of stature (Lyctor G/O is a single rippling muscle and Griddle’s biceps are... noteworthy), Silas Octakiseron told Gideon that her mother had hair just the same shade as her (source: Sister Glaurica’s toiling soul). Could be that Griddle’s Mom’s soul screaming “Gideon!” was her calling for the Lyctor, her brother/other relation. 

However, I DO believe Griddle is... more than. She wasn’t killed by the nerve gas, and Harrow2′s eyes are not Griddle Gold. 

As a second side note, Lyctor Gideon [ORTUS]’s cav was named Pyrrha Dve. This is exciting to me because of my slutty fandom tendencies and because a name like ‘Pyrrha’ begs for Tragic Backstory, and I’m here for it. Also, I want more interaction with Augustine as he’s who Ianthe says “won’t come save” Harrow. Eye emoji.  

Alecto

As far as I’m aware, there are no solid leads on who or what Alecto the Ninth is. Casting about in wildly unwarranted guesswork, I can throw a few baseless theories out; 

Alecto is Griddle’s truer name (possibly birth name or even what she’s called if when she is brought back);

Alecto is the Lady of the Locked Tomb; 

Alecto is the Emperor’s Cav. In Harrow’s ‘Dramatis Personae’, The Emperor is listed as well as his lyctors and their cavaliers. Except, the Emperor does not have a deceased cav. He has “A.L.”, his guardian. A.L. =Alecto, mayhaps?; 

Alecto, a combination of (2) and (3). The Lady is supposedly the Emperor’s death and who he could not kill twice. If she were his ‘guardian’ she would be a) more powerful than him, and b) someone he was emotionally attached to which he couldn’t bring himself to kill again. 

Things I Cannot and Refuse to Account For:

Ianthe Tridetarius became a sewn tongue as a favor for Harrow1. Wtf. 

Ortus Nigenad’s self-insert cavalier epic of Matthias Nonius. Wtf. 

**The entirety of Chapter 3 is either true or it’s not. Wtf was that shit.  

The psychotic “You lied”/”Egg” texts Harrow2 is hallucinating. Wtf.

This is.... all probably incorrect, and I applaud you if you made it this far. I could keep going, the material of Act 1 is that dense. But in answer to The Great Big WTF that is Harrow Act 1 - my theory is simple. 

TLDR; I think Harrowhark Nonagesimus is tearing down the laws of the universe to bring back Gideon the Ninth.