#sorry i kinda made harrow look like a corpse

[captainpingulin]

The ghosts at the foot of my bed

(only one of them is dead and it's not the one you think it is)

[empty-pizza]

thoughts on gideon the ninth chapter thirty-five

lmao that's rough gideon. i'd feel like shit if i did that to someone too, even if it's not actually a bad thing to do and not your fault.

okay, it was dulcinea who killed people. yeah, that's better than ianthe. sorry for jumping the gun and blaming ianthe, last chapter. i did realize she wasn't implying it was her who did the killing midway through, though.

i maintain that this still isn't wholly surprising — the sick one, the one you'd never suspect, did it? wow, exactly what i'd expect — and making it harrow could have been a really bold and interesting move, but it works.

ohhh, it wasn't dulcinea septimus. okay, i see. not following why abigail's interest in history made her a threat, but we can keep going. the details of who she is (someone from the same family) are a bit hard to follow, but okay — she kept the corpse around and burned it with protesilaus's.

okay. this person wanted to get the emperor to come back to the system and fuck with him. who are the Hands? and now she wants to get rid of the houses while he waits, and then do... something to him?

oh this is a lyctor, huh. interesting.

oh and palamedes is already killing her

did palamedes just blow himself up?

that's a shame. he was my favorite character.

damn she really did vomit up a lung.

Cytherea the First, huh. soon to be Cytherea the dead, I hope.

Okay. I'd appreciate if any of the people who have been commenting on my post could tell me the foreshadowing for Dulcinea being the murderer, and Dulcinea not being Dulcinea. By the way, I appreciate all of your comments a ton, even though I haven't been replying (because apparently tumblr doesn't let you reply with your sideblog and using my main while mentioning I'm OP just kinda seemed like a hassle).

From a mystery perspective, I don't love this answer. I want two things for a mystery answer: One, to feel like it ties together so many pieces of evidence and foreshadowing that I realize I should have realized it all along and feel dumb. Two, ideally, for it to expand my perception of what is even possible as answer, which is pretty rare. Something like Knives Out, that treats the entire role of culprit in a unique way.

This is why I got really hyped up for the Harrow theory; I feel like her plot role was one you'd never expect to be the culprit and thus it'd be mindblowing if it was. I think it being not-Dulcinea is considerably more... regular, as a thing for a mystery story to do. I mean, I kind of called it early on that it could very well be her, since it would cause the most emotional pain for Gideon. I don't get credit for being right, because when it came time for me to put my money where my mouth is, I didn't say it was her. But like I said earlier, the sick, unassuming character? Kind of becomes just plain old assuming.

But that's just my preferences and personal expectations being projected onto a book that didn't necessarily need to conform to my ideas, and it works narratively nonetheless. I mean, clearly it does. And I hope that knowing what the foreshadowing is will enhance my appreciation. Plus, I don't even know what she did to kill Jeannemary and Isaac yet! Hope that's interesting.

From an entirely different perspective, though, this reveal is awesome. I love stories that start as one thing, only to unfold into something much bigger and more complex. That's something I like even more than the answer to the mystery being something I never would have considered — when the direction of the plot itself is like that. This started as a story about a bunch of people solving puzzles in a facility, but Dulcinea actually being Cytherea, a Lyctor, suddenly thrusts this story into something WAY bigger. There are so many questions I don't even understand well enough to ask, about the Houses, the history here, the emperor, the hands, the Lyctors, everything that's going on! This is a huge game that's being played and I am seriously looking forward to all the insane things I'd never expect that the next book will likely do. The possibilities are genuinely endless in my mind, of what this story will even be about, and that's a feeling I love. That, more than anything else, is the best thing you could take in inspiration from Homestuck and Umineko.

I'll hopefully finish the book tomorrow, but I seriously need to sleep now.

[harrowharks-iliac-crest]

38

Seventh skull, whole.

Are we bout to see Cytherea with the steel chair again -

The path was cleared for you to die, and the lovely woman lying chained to the marble had not been able to bear to watch your progress on it; or perhaps it was just that she had never existed, except within a ten-year-old’s fever dream.

I have been wondering about the Body, now. Since God mentioned that there was no way Harrow could have entered the tomb - whose form does she take? It can't be Gideon's - Harrow would have recognised her from the picture in Camilla's shuttle.

Is the real body, who is buried in the Tomb - is it A.L. then?

And Harrow's hallucination -

Well, the walls are cracking. It's all getting harder and harder to ignore. The Body has been with you as a reminder that you're insane - but if I'm right and that insanity is manufactured, an artifact, then with the reality of everything getting more, well, real, it must be harder to uphold the "insanity".

But on the penultimate night before the Resurrection Beast was due, you dropped your glove down the side of the bed; you had to kneel down to retrieve it. And you found that far beneath your bed—hidden in the darkness where you had once lain, waiting for the Saint of Duty—lay an inert corpse: the missing body of Cytherea.

oh FUCK!!! that's about as bad a jumpscare as a book can give you, honestly.

Is it really her? God said he couldn't detect her body anywhere on the station. (And that would have been before Harrow put up the blood wards.)

You said: “The body, Tridentarius. Cytherea’s body. Cytherea’s body is beneath my bed.” She did not answer. You rattled, mindless: “On its back, arms at the sides, feet arranged at a thirty-degree angle.” Ianthe sat up and brushed down her knees. She looked at you with an expression you could not parse in the diminished light, only it had been made with great care. She said: “I—can’t see anything, Harrowhark.”

Curious -

Harrow can't usually touch her hallucinations, as her experience previously with the Body shows. So this is not a hallucination.

So... is Ianthe lying? She's refusing to humour Harrow and touch the body. She might be lying. It's hard to say.

Or... something else is going on here, again.

You looked at your door. You looked beneath your bed. You went to your sink, and you ran the tap until you could splash the coldest water possible on your face: you took five deep breaths in, and five deep breaths out. You closed your eyelids and rolled your eyes in your sockets. Then you went and looked beneath your bed again. Cytherea was gone. There were cuffs of bone glued to the floorboards.

I'm kinda betting on something else is going on here. Are Harrow's hallucinations intensifying? Is her brain being messed with even more now? Or does Cytherea have powers that none of the others know about?

A fucking mystery, once more - and JUST when I thought we were about to get some answers.

On the last day, for the last time, the Saint of Duty tried to kill you. [...] “Don’t go to the River. End it yourself. Before they breach. Cut off your oxygen. Or however you like.” At your expression, Ortus added as though it were an explanation: “So you don’t … suffer.” “Why do you care if I suffer?” “Because I was the one who failed you,” he said briefly. “I pulled too many punches.” And: “Sorry.” And, most horribly of all: “This wasn’t my idea.”

Oh my GOD.

Yeah, Harrow, I also want to know: Whose idea??

In a way, it helped. Nothing added to your resolution to live so much as someone else suggesting that you die. Ten minutes later you were eating leftover stew in the kitchen with something close to animation, choking down your last lunch before the apocalypse. And you were angry. You were always such a little bitch when you were angry.

Almost certainly Gideon, then.

"You were always such a little bitch when you were angry."

The tone of this is so sad. It seems to imply that Harrow is, in fact, going to die - it's told in past tense. "You were always..." I know we've been in past tense this entire time, but still...

I still really want Harrow to survive. It's not looking overly likely, though.

[thirstofgames]

kitty and the jailbird

#️⃣2️⃣

-IT'S A MATCH-

A blank chat popped open and Damien stared at it for a second. He had honestly not expected it. The girl actually swiped him right. He looked at the clock impatiently; he did not have much time left in the library. There was a loud shout from the hallway, his muscles tensing, ready to hide the phone and bolt at any second.

He regretted that last question right as he pushed send. It sounded so bitter in his head now. It was a dating app after all and she was a good looking young woman.

you there?

...

hello?

busy flirting with your other matches, huh?

And there it was all about to end, the hot topic of his whereabouts. And the swift and cruel rejection that followed. It had already happened one too many times! Could he go through his again? Was it worth it? His palms were sweaty, but he never felt so cold. If the ground could just open up and swallow him whole before she finished asking... 

No, sorry

Just a little surprised we matched

you can unmatch if you want

Well, what I want is to talk with you 😊

Your profile caught my eye

what part?

Your profile pic at first.

Most guys can't pull off the broken, deep and scowling thing

But... looks good on you.

you don't look so bad yourself-

but then I read your description...

and I have to know something

shoot 🙄

It was a simple Yes/No question, but it took Kate way to long to answer. She bit her lip, thinking hard on the possibilities. It was such an unfair question though. She was not going to leave, but was not going to pursue anything with him until she knew what he was in for and how long he was going to be locked up. She'd wasted enough years waiting up on others... 

I'm just a little confused 🤔

Are you really in jail?

you gonna leave if I say yes?

It really depends...

A bittersweet smile spread on his lips. What was he expecting from a girl like her? She probably had a nice job, a supporting family and tons of friends and... an actual future. Why would she even consider wasting her time with him? The little time he had left... Better to just pull off the band aid!

She felt to bad! She hadn't meant to disregard his feelings, but wasn't it fair to let her know what she was getting into? She didn't even know what he was expecting from the conversation they were having... She was curious, but she didn’t want to lead him on.

okay, let's just say...

the orange pants and barbed wire are real

OMG

I have so mane questions 😱

here we go...

What did you do?

Wait, where do you even hide your phone?

STOP!

enough with the interrogation, alright?

I'm just curious...

sure, but i'm more than just a prisoner

a little respect goes a long way

Kate’s heart sank. He was hot, but the prison was a serious issue... She supposed people were not lining up to get to know him. He seemed pretty well rounded and mannered, but he was very defensive about his crime. Did that mean it was something really bad? But he was on a dating app... so maybe he was getting out soon? 

You're right!

I'm so sorry 😓

Let's change the subject

Why don't you tell me what you're looking for

hmmm

What?

i'm thinking...

nobody's really asked me that before

Seriously?

most people stop talking to me when they find out i'm locked up

i don't really blame them. i'm rough around the edges.

She didn't say anything for a while and Damien started wondering if he should just close the damn phone and leave. He should also probably take a break from Lovelink after this... it clearly wasn't doing him any good. Dark thoughts swarmed his mind and he had to close his eyes and head his head back against the bookshelf to get rid of the harrowing feeling. Like he was falling in an endless pit...  

The screen showed him typing and deleting several responses. Kate pursed her lips, impatient. Had she said anything wrong? She’d never spoken to someone who’d been locked up, she was still unsure what could trigger painful memories, or just remind him that he was... not free. But he said he just wanted to chat and his profile mentioned 'deep conversations'... 

Okay, I'm not running away, for now

but...

But I can't really make up my mind

If I don't know anything about you

So...

alright

honestly I'm just looking to talk to someone from the outside

it can get pretty boring in here, just waiting around the clock

Let's be friends then 😊

I'll be your window to the outside world

If that's alright with you...?

Damien sighed on the other end. Beggars can’t be choosers. It was a step in the right direction though. Maybe he was not going to find the love of his life at the very fucking end of said life. He was not living in some fairytale! He was still going to die, alone and forgotten.

But maybe... just a little less alone at the very end of his road. One friend meant more than none and maybe, just maybe... he could tell her his side of the story. Eventually. She seemed patient and understanding enough. Let at least one person out there know he did not murder his own father. 

sure

that's more than most

Of course a pretty thing like her got a lot on attention... She was only chatting up with him because the others were offline- 

but it must have been pretty bad to be such a long sentence

you still can't tell me what the crime was?

look, i've been making my own rules my whole life

you better ask what crimes I DIDN'T do

wow...

i'm no bragging or anything, just letting you know where I'm at

anyways, I'm more interested in what you're all about

what are you doing on an app like this?

Honestly...

I was about to uninstall it right before we matched 😅

Oh

you already found the one?

or no luck at all?

Well, I went on a few nice dates...

i see

Suddenly his experience on the app seemed less awful. Maybe it was not the right place. Or perhaps it was just the place for a misfit like him, here with all the weirdoes and con artists. 

And then they ditched me for their exes

Just my luck 😂

Oh and I swear to god if I see one more vampire 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄

vampires?

Yeees

You wouldn't believe some of the things I saw...

OMG, one dude was actually dresses up as a centaur

I...

don't even want to ask

There's also the 'prince' scam going around

Dudes claiming to be the heirs of some  

Made up countries and asking you for money

It wasn't quite a rejection, but it still hurt a little. She already mentioned twice she was only interested in him as friends. She didn't need to spell it out every few minutes! But she was the only one... 

Met some nice people too ☺️

Actually became good friends with some

Which is nice since I just moved here

were did you come from?

Pallay 💜

you're a long way from home

I know 😢

I suppose it was getting kinda lonely

My friends and family come visit when they can

But that's not a lot...

what brought you here?

Got a really good job opportunity

But I didn't quite realize how far away I'd be

So yeah, to answer your question from before...

I'm kinda just chatting with new people

Made more friends than anything else lol

Hope that's aright with you 🤗

A smile crept on his lips. An actual, genuine smile. How long had it been since he had any reason to? God, it felt good to talk to someone! Someone who didn't know him, who didn't shout 'walking corpse' after him, didn't judge him. He almost felt like his old self. Almost. 

i'm cool with that

Great!

Looking forward to getting to know you, Damien 😄

so let's get to it

tell me about yourself

hobbies, favorite food, anything

my hobbies are always changing 🤔

I start something new every month or so

Oh, and I started volunteering at a vet lately

🐱🐶💕

With a friend I made on this app

it suits you

Hmmmmm how would you know?

We've only just met

just a hunch

I could secretly be evil 😈

you couldn't hurt a fly

besides, I've seen evil and believe me

you're not it

I'm guessing you're not going to elaborate on that

Are you?

see, you know me so well already

Smartass 😝

 At lest until she finds out.

And I love food 🤤

Who doesn't? lol

But picking a favorite is like... impossible

I do have one hell of a sweet tooth  🍫🍬🍦

I'm soooo jealous

I miss making my own meals

That's right! You probably just have a cafeteria.

I'm so sorry 😓

it's cool

i'm glad we have something in common

Is there any food you miss?

Wait... was there even steak in that picture? Kate felt her ears burning, the fluffy pajamas studently itching at her skin.

just makin my own in general, being in charge in the kitchen

Damien scrolled quickly through his phone, the memories leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He nearly didn’t send the photo. It felt like so long ago, a different time...a different person. But it felt so good to remember! To be reminded of the more happier moments when he had all his life ahead of him! And showing her a piece of his past may make her curious enough to stick around for a while longer.

He hit Send.

-Tap to download photo-

Oh

Looks... delicious

you like steak? 

Oh yeah, the food 😳

Wish I could have a bite of that hahaha

So not so shy and innocent as she claimed. Good to know. Even if it didn’t lead anywhere, which he had to be realistic about - he was on death row after all - it was still fun. The most fun he’d had in a long while. It felt...nice.

HA!

i wish you could too 😏

The door of the library swung open hitting the opposite wall. The guard in charge could be heard arguing with someone. At least four voices. He had to move fast.

I'm really hungry now 😅

good

Kate stared at the screen, the little green light besides his profile picture going grey. She scrolled through the conversation as if to make sure she hadn’t just imagined it. She tapped the picture he’d sent, a small smile creeping on her lips. He looked so... normal. Well, more like smoking hot, but she expected some kind of dump, or some greasy repair shop, not Greek sculpture level abs. The boy should come with a warning! She was a sucker for bad boys, but had she gotten so bad that she was now considering a fucking convict? What if he was a murderer or something??

shit!

???

someone's coming

gotta hide my phone

talk soon

Be careful! 🙏🏻

Her ice cream, forgotten on the coffee table, had turned to soup.

What had she gotten herself into?

[trashyvirster]

Zombie Dad Viren: Part 1

Just a little ficlet series where I can share my angst for zombie dad viren and his attempts to heal his family. It was originally a script I was gonna draw (still might) and I just added onto the script; so im sorry if the format is confusing.

———————

Viren wasn’t just remembering the day of King Harrow’s portrait: he was there, experiencing the moment as brand new. Feeling the happiness, the love, the confusing mix of both humility and pride as he stood by Harrow’s side. Viren knew he would do anything for this man. He would kill Thunder for him. He would die for him.

But the sweet dream ended. Viren woke with a panic in a darkened cave. Next to him lay what was once Harrow’s crown, horribly dented and tainted with his own blood and more. Yes. He remembered now what had happened. He was living in the nightmare of his own creation. He became a monster. He died.

Which thought was twisting his empty stomach now? Knowing he actually tried to murder Sarai’s children, the queen who saved him? Harrow’s children, the man he loved with all his heart? Telling Soren that his life didn’t matter? Or was it knowing that his own sweet daughter, a child, murdered an innocent soul to summon back a monster?

Viren had been so disgusted with himself he had barely moved these past days from where Claudia brought him back. As grateful as he was, he couldn’t fathom why anyone would.

Claudia had gone out to find a suitable meal to toss over a fire. Finally alone, Viren did something he had been wanting to do the moment Claudia had woken him. He went to the cold corpse just on the other side of the rock face. Clutching the man’s shirt, his violent sobs echoed through the cavernous chamber. Viren wasn’t sure who these tears were for. But they all poured over this dead man, a soldier boy, no older than his own Soren.

Claudia was surprised when she had found her dad outside the cave. He was laying flowers on a freshly buried grave. A quick flash of shame flushed her face as she held tightly to the wild xadian mushrooms and insects she had found for their dinner.

Claudia: Are you…..upset with me?

Viren would never shame his daughter for this. This, no, this was all his fault.

Viren: No my sweet. Those mushrooms look fresh and delicious. If you’ll prepare the fire, I’ll prepare the meal.

Claudia smiled at that. She had been nursing her dad alone these past days. It was a nice change of pace that he’ll prepare the meal instead tonight. It felt almost normal. But as he ate, Aaravos squirming in his cocoon spoiled his appetite. These past days had been a heavy blur. But now that he had poured his angst out as tears, he could process much easier all that’s transpired. And the word “asset” burned through him like a fever.

Viren set his meal down harshly: Claudia, you must leave.

Claudia: Uh, what? Do you mean like you need to use the potty?

Viren lifted his gaze so that he could meet Claudia’s eyes: No, Claudia. What are you doing? Why are you doing this? You shouldn’t be here. You should be with Soren.

Claudia: What? No. I’m not leaving you! You’re my family. Not Soren. Soren’s not-

Viren gently grabbed her cheeks: He is your brother and he loves you. Soren is your family and he always will be. And you need to go to him.

Claudia’s eyes started to tear: No….I won’t. You don’t know what he did. I could never forgive him!

Viren: What, what are you talking about? Soren’s done you no wrong.

Claudia: Yes he has! He betrayed us! He left us! He…..He tried to kill you!

Viren should be more shocked by her words, but he wasn’t: His actions are, completely understandable.

Claudia: You’re not listening. Why are you not listening? He hates you! You disgust him!

Viren sat back with Claudia’s words. He had always known. But he did wonder for how long he disgusted Soren and if the vile in her words meant that she felt the same.

Claudia: Don’t you get it? He’s just like mom. You disgust him because you’re a dark mage. I AM A DARK MAGE DAD! I disgust Soren too, he just hasn’t admitted it yet but it’s true...Soon, he would have tried to kill me too.

Viren: No! Claudia, none of that is true! Your brother loves you.

But Claudia was shaking now with tears and couldn’t finish her meal.

Viren: Claudia….

Claudia: He left...and then...

Viren held onto his child and was reminded by her small figure just how young she was. She was still his little girl.

Viren: Claudia, Soren didn’t leave you my love. He left ME. But that’s okay! Soren is a grown man now and he has chosen a different path in life than the one I made for him. And that’s alright. That’s natural. As a grown man, he doesn’t need his father anymore. It’s his choice alone if he desires me in his life. My place, is to respect that choice.

His embrace and words seemed to calm her down. So Viren was at a loss with her next words.

Claudia: That’s not how family works.

Viren: Claudia, I - I’m trying to tell you the truth. Soon you’ll be a woman and you’ll understand. Like Soren, you won’t need your father anymore.

Claudia: So what? I love you and I’m not leaving your side.

Viren: YES YOU ARE.

Oh, Viren has felt anger like this before. But never has he SCREAMED like this at Claudia. Except now. The fierceness of his voice shocked Claudia stiff while making Aaravos cocoon wiggle quite a bit. A tense quiet settled after.

He can’t afford for his daughter to be so childishly stubborn. Aaravos is a threat to her life; he would know, he died. Having had enough, he grabbed her by the arm and led her out of the cave.

Viren: You are leaving and you are leaving now child because I have said so.

Claudia: No!

Viren: You will find Soren and you will keep each other safe.

Claudia: No!

Viren had vastly underestimated just how weak his body was still. With just a twist of her wrist he lost his grip and balance, tumbling down several rocky steps.

Claudia: Oh no! Dad!

Claudia was quickly by his side, helping him up: I’m so sorry.

Viren: No Claudia, it’s fine. I’m fine. I just lost my balance. But I am serious Claudia. Please, you must leave me here. Please, go find Soren.

Claudia: Why are you suddenly obsessed with this idea that I abandon you here in some cave, in the middle of Xadia? Dad, come on. Stop this.

Viren: Because I am a MONSTER! And worse than me, you can not be here when that monster crawls out from his cocoon.

Claudia looked back into the cave, where Aaravos’ cocoon glowed softly.

Claudia: Why? What’s up with your bug pet anyways? He’s grown huge.

Viren: He’s a monster Claudia. One that could destroy the world with all his rage and power. And I am the horrible monster that unleashed it. Do you understand? I am a horrible monster. A murderer. Betrayer. You should have never brought me back and please my love, you shouldn’t be burdened with my mistake. Only I should be here when that thing wakes.

Claudia: Oh, so that’s what this is all about.

Her voice was colder, colder than Viren had ever heard before. He hated to admit that his own daughter somehow, frightened him.

Claudia: You think I’m a little girl that you need to protect from a monster? I admire your nobility dad. But you’re mistaken.

She walked over to fresh grave and played with the warm dirt.

Claudia: Do you know that when I found you, your brain was all over the place, like spilled jelly. I put it back in your skull best I could. Most of it was there at least. Hopefully you’re not suffering too much memory loss, I mean if you are, you wouldn’t know.

Your organs were a different and unique problem though. A good portion of it was, unsalvageable. So whatever you were missing, I had to take from something else.

I admit, I was terrified I was running out of time and rushed the process. Sorry dad, not all of you is exactly human. There’s a bit of xadian critter in you! I mean, that’s kinda neat when you think about it! I’ve been meaning to ask you if you feel, magical!

But putting all the organs where they need to go was only the first part. There still was the blood loss that needed to be accounted for. After much sacrifice, your body was ready to host your soul.

Dad, this one, he was the last step. I didn’t need him for your body, I only needed his life energy to summon down your soul. You think a little girl who needs your protection can do this?

Viren could scarcely breathe. For all the evil he had become, he could not conceive of doing what she had done. Even as a dark mage, blood and guts still bothered him. It took him a moment to realize Claudia was stroking his cheek.

Claudia: Dad, you are a monster. You’re the monster that I made. So you should realize now what that makes me. Actually, I know you realize what I am. I’ve seen it in your eyes for days now. You’ve just been too afraid to say it. It’s okay dad, you can say it. I’m a murderer. And a monster too.

Before Viren could process and say or do anything, Claudia had already retreated back into the cave. She grabbed the rest of her dinner and squatted next to Aaravos’ cocoon.

Viren: Claudia….the cocoon.

Claudia: Dad. Seriously, it’s okay. Your monster pet doesn’t scare me.

She gave the cocoon a few good pats.

Claudia: You hear that monster pet! We’re family! And we're sticking together forever! Oh, I wonder what kinda pretty wings you’re gonna have when you come out.

Viren could swear he could feel Aaravos smile from within his cocoon. But he supposed Claudia was right. He can’t fight what he is forever. Or what Claudia is. Or what Aaravos is. Or whatever…..this life is. So he sat next to his daughter and Aaravos and ate the rest of his dinner too.