#they flirt by murdering palamedes

[local-falsettos-obsession]

My favorite sillies

[beguilingcorpse]

one of the genius things about the way gideon the ninth (and the locked tomb as a whole) is structured is the way that it continues to emphasize gideon as the pov character. we see the world through her eyes. we interact with characters only as much as she interacts with them. and when she blatantly misses things going on. she has no interest in the politics that are occurring and no basis for any of the existing relationships between the scions of the other houses. her priorities are (1) piss off harrow, (2) let the hot old sick girl flirt with her, and (3) sword. and that is mostly it!!

so especially during the third act, gideon - and by extension, the reader - is hit with WAVE AFTER WAVE of epic climaxes and denouements to plots that she literally was not aware were occurring. she stumbles into the aftermath of a bloody and lethal confrontation between teacher and the second house. she trips into babs’s murder and ianthe’s ascension into lyctorhood. she nearly ruins the crucial pull-back-the-curtain reveal between palamedes and cytherea because she literally tries to run into the middle of it to apologize because she didn’t know that she had been flirting with his almost-fiancée.

when you read the book for the first time, all of these things feel as overwhelming to you as they do to gideon. the uptight military commander is injured and the slightly less uptight military lieutenant is dead?? that prick with the quiff got cannibalized by his evil stick figure bully??? harry potter BLEW UP???

and then you go back to everything on reread, knowing the context for where things will eventually go, and go ohhhhh. all of the information was there the first time. you just never had any reason to care about it. it’s such a brilliant way to hide information in plain sight and play with an unwittingly unreliable narrator

[lastflowerofyourhouse]

i love palamedes sextus with my whole entire heart btw. the whole thing. you meet him in gtn and he seems pretty helpful and maybe cool but also kinda pretentious and a little annoying. and then you get to know him better and he's like. falling madly in love with his much older pen pal of 15 years and dedicating his entire life and scholarship to her. he's doodling in the margins of his notebook, he's being really nice about it when "dulcinea" and gideon start flirting, he's literally trembling with rage when people pick on camilla, he's giggling about doctor sex, he's befriending the reverend daughter, he's dabbling in erotic fiction, he's offering nona choices whenever he can and answering her questions thoughtfully no matter how often she asks them, he's eating cam's shitty breakfast so she doesn't have to, he's fully trusting camilla to murder whoever she wants, he's so so emotionally intelligent and so so unhealthy, he likes those little outfits that nurses wear and he doesn't plan to die.

i want to put him in a jar and shake it shake it shake it shake it shake it shake it shake it shake it shake it shake it shake it shake it shake it shake it shake it shake it sha

[near-dareis-mai]

Much has been made of the Palamedes and Harrow friendship (and rightfully so!) but i do think the Palamedes and Gideon friendship is so wonderful and underrated.

Palamedes, who's loved Dulcinea since childhood, who's "made a war of his whole life in order to prosecute his desire to marry this woman", sees Dulcinea flirting with hot butch Gideon and his reaction is not some nice guy bullshit or to shun Gideon or Dulcinea but instead to be as polite and helpful as he's ever been to both of them. It must be killing him inside to see "Dulcinea" act like she doesn't even know him while openly flirting with Gideon, and his only response is to watch over Gideon when Harrow asks him to, and to even send his own cavalier away from him to tend to Gideon, despite a murderer being on the loose.

Gideon, who's grown up on the Ninth House and doesn't know what real friendship or open communication is, finds one (1) woman who's kind to her and pays her attention and yet her response the moment she realizes Palamedes likes her too is to step aside and take steps (ALBEIT AWKWARD STEPS) to communicate to Palamedes via Camilla that she'll 100% step aside for him and even introduce him to Dulcinea if that's what he wants. When she finds out they've known each other since his childhood, she's out here wailing about being a homewrecker and even when she's dashing off to what she's aware might be her death, she makes sure to leave a message with Camilla telling Palamedes how sorry she is.

Just... their friendship is so awkward and precious and wonderful and I'm devastated they didn't get a proper re-meet before Paul happened.

[randombookposts]

Canaan University Au

Ok I thought of a college au for the locked tomb a awhile ago but I never bothered to write it down until now. Anyways I think they would all go to this imaginary university in New Zealand and it’s like the first book but with a lot less murder. Here’s what I think each house would study

Judith- Criminal justice major. Huge stickler for rules and doing homework. If she’s not in the gym reading a textbook while doing push-ups, she’s in the library getting into a heated debate with a Corona. Had a huge crush on Marta and went to the same college as her to hangout, just getting over it, may or may not have feelings for Corona, maybe.

Marta- In law school, was a mentor to Judith when she was in high school and that’s how they know each other. Gently turned Judith down but they’re still friends and study together sometime. Is the DD at every party.

Corona: Majoring in marketing with a minor in fashion merchandising. Doesn’t do great on tests but aces every presentation. President of her sorority. Can and will gaslight frat boys. Everyone wants her but she only has eyes for the stuck up criminal justice major.

Ianthe- Management major with a minor in maybe finance. Commits tax fraud and gets away with it. Sometimes does Corona’s homework for her. Doxxes people online (mostly Babs), smokes in the dorm hallways. Flirts with Harrow during their study sessions, which Harrow ignores.

Naberius- Economics major, and major fuck boy. Makes thirst traps and is doxxed. Hangs out with the twins even though they bully him. Doesn’t do shit during group projects. Will get a job at his dads company post graduation.

Jeannemary and Isaac don’t go to college but are tutored by Abigail at her house. They just silly teens who experiment with makeup and clothes to find their look. Talk loudly about anime in the school hallways. A little cringe but they’re doing their best.

Abigail- Anthropology professor and is really cool. Tough grader but genuinely loves her students and shares trivia with them. Brings donuts to test days. Will accidentally derail class to talk about books or her husband. If one of her students brings up one of the incredibly niche topics she likes, she will talk about it for hours.

Magnus- Not a teacher but visits Abigail's classes often. Nice guy, helps look after Jeannemary and Isaac. I'm not sure what he would do as a job, maybe chef or stay at home husband lol. Regardless, he's the one making all the meals.

Palamedes- Pre-med, wants to become a doctor so he can save Dulcinea save people. Smartest guy in the room always, a go to for anyone struggling with their biology homework. Has a friendly rivalry with Harrow (it's more rivalry than friendly for Harrow but she grows fond of him over time). Is the one derailing class with philosophical debates.

Camilla- Physics major, too cool for you. Really into sports, just not sure which, like gymnastics or soccer or rugby or fencing. Works hard but actually remembers to eat and sleep too. Probably in student government as well. Her and Palamedes are attached at the hip, they later get an apartment together and that's where all the main hangouts with the other characters happen.

Dulcinea- Suffers from chronic illness and focuses her life on learning and traveling rather than getting a traditional job. She's got multiple degrees in stuff like literature, philosophy, and art history. She is active on social media and has a blog, and sells crocheted animals on Etsy. Became mutuals with Pal and Camilla on social media and they met up later when they went off to college.

Protesilaus- Dulcie's caretaker, helps her with her medical stuff. Becomes like a cool uncle figure to her and her friends. Hangs out a lot with Ortus and they share poetry.

Silas- Double major in theology and philosophy. Freaky teen prodigy who graduated high school early and attends university. Little shit who people are either freaked out by or straight up just don't like him. Will snitch on anyone for anything he doesn't like. Really only friends with Colum.

Colum- Silas' nephew, but way older than him, weird dynamic. Not in school but drives Silas to his classes and Silas lives with him during the school year instead of in the dorms. Nice guy, looks out for Silas' well being the best he can but tries to keep him from being too nasty to others.

Harrow- Double major in theology and archeology. Studies at all hours and forgets to eat and sleep. Local cryptid. Autistic with special interests in religion and burial rituals. Went to Catholic school and had a suffocating home life. Trying to grapple with that as she starts to navigate adult life. Also trying to mend her relationship with Gideon after being so harsh in her younger years.

Gideon- Kinesiology major, butch vibes to the max. Does swordfighting and weight training in her down time. Has kissed both Ianthe and Corona at some point, though it never went anywhere after that. Wears her sunglasses at all times even in class. Finds the worst fashions from thrift stores and wears them to piss Harrow off. Grew up with Harrow in a foster home Harrow's parents ran and also attended Catholic school with her but they rarely interacted beyond antagonizing each other. Reconnected after being randomly assigned roommates. Now they're buddies and hang out alongside the 3rd and 6th, (also the 2nd and Dulcie sometimes too). They all do stupid shit together like sing karoke off key and hit up Taco Bell at 2am after binge watching movies.

[cosmerelists]

If Cosmere Characters were in the Locked Tomb series...

[Spoilers for Stormlight Archive through Rhythm of War AND for Locked Tomb through Nona the Ninth!]

Specifically, I am imagining which pairs of Cosmere characters would be best suited as the necromancer/cavalier pairs we meet in the Locked Tomb series. 

I cannot emphasize enough that if you’re coming here from Cosmere and have not read the Locked Tomb series, please skip this one! I am spoiling MAJOR plot points, and I don’t want to ruin these books for you! 

1. Ninth House: Shallan (as Harrow) and Adolin (as Gideon)

In the Ninth House, Gideon is the big, beefy, lady-loving himbo who really doesn’t know anything but sword fighting and porn mags. And Adolin may not read porn (because Sanderson) but he is a big ol’ devoted swordsman who has his himbo moments. Meanwhile there’s necromancer Harrow who:

Lived as a cloistered nun (=Shallan being shut up at home)

Pretends her dead parents are totes alive (=Shallan pretending her dad is alive)

Puppets dead people (=somewhat similar to Shallan with her Alters)

Gets herself lobotomized to suppress memories of Gideon (=Shallan suppressing, just, so many memories)

Guards the Locked Tomb but is also obsessed with what lies inside (=Shallan and her “mother’s soul” in the safe)

Is forced to leave home to restore her dying house (=Shallan doing, well, the same thing)

So even though Shallan isn’t exactly a bone-obsessed necromancer, she and Harrow have more in common than you may at first think!

2. Eighth House: Nightblood (as Silas) and Vasher (as Colum)

The Eighth House are soul siphoners, meaning that the necromancer uses the cavalier as a big ol’ battery. They’re also deeply religious and inflexible, at least in their Silas & Colum iteration. Now, I was trying hard to think of a Cosmere character who has powers akin to soul siphoning when it suddenly came to me! Nightblood! Nightblood literally does eat souls! Plus, Nightblood is notoriously inflexible in their whole “Kill Evil” standpoint. I could have used either Vasher or Szeth as the cavalier to pair with Nightblood, but I use Szeth below and anyway, Colum/Vasher have the longer history with Silas/Nightblood. 

3. Seventh House: Taravangian (as Dulcinea) and Szeth (as Protesilaus)

Dulcinea is a beautiful and sickly necromancer, having inherited her house’s traditional Blood Cancer, and she mostly lies around being beautiful and flirting with Gideon. However, it is eventually revealed that she’s not Dulcinea at all but rather big bad (?) Cytherea in disguise. And the cavalier Protesilaus is dead and just being puppetted around. This is all reminiscent of Taravangian, who pretends to be a kindly and sickly old man, harmless to all...but is actually a devious mass-murderer who is puppetting Szeth (by controlling his oathstone). 

4. Sixth House: Kaladin (as Palamedes) and Syl (as Camilla)

My love for Palamedes and Camilla knows no bounds, so this one was hard. But in the end, I think Kaladin & Syl fit the bill. Palamedes is incredibly smart and trained in medicine, ala Kaladin, and he and his cavalier Camilla have incredible amounts of trust in each other. They work together seamlessly, as do Kaladin and Syl. And if they ever get separated, say by Palamedes blowing himself up into many little bits, they will nevertheless do whatever it takes to find each other--which reminds me of Syl fighting to get back to Kaladin when he semi broke his oaths in Words of Radiance. Camilla also tries to downplay how smart she is to some extent, and Syl can literally be invisible if she wants to be. Plus, Kal and Pal rhyme, so there. 

5. Fifth House: Jasnah (as Abigail) and Ivory (as Magnus)

I mean, Jasnah pretty much had to be Abigail, since Abigail is a published scholar and the best historian of her generation. That’s Jasnah to a tee...even if perhaps Abigail tends to come across as a bit warmer than Jasnah. Magnus was harder because he’s (a) Abigial’s husband (and Jasnah is unmarried and Wit super doesn’t fit), (b) mostly an administrator / bureaucrat and ( c) a jolly sort who likes to play the embarrassing dad role. I went with Ivory as he is Jasnah’s true partner as her spren, and as a logicspren I think he’d make a good adminstrator perhaps. He’s not exactly a jolly father-figure, but what can you do?

6. Fourth House: Daorn (as Isaac) and Kaise (as Jeannemary)

The Fourth House is hard because their main characteristic is that they are literally children, and then they die. And I was having a very hard time trying to think of any pair of children who die or who even exist as a pair in Sanderson. So eventually I went with the children from Elantris--Sarene’s nephew and niece Daorn and Kaise. Mostly because they’re smart, somewhat sassy children. And Kaise knows some fencing, so that sort of fits for a cavalier. 

[Spoilers for Lost Metal but apparently Kaise grows up to join the Ghostbloods on Scadrial??? I had no idea that was her until I was looking her up in the wiki holy shit]

8. Third House: Siri (as Ianthe), Vivenna (as Coronabeth), and Parlin (as Naberius)

In the Third House we have two beautiful sisters...one of whom ends up being a “spare” who isn’t a necromancer at all (and it’s not the one you think at first). In a similar way, Vivenna and Siri were both tapped at various points to marry the god-king; everyone thought it would be Vivenna with Siri being the spare sister, but it ended up being the other way around. Siri/Ianthe then end up in the house of the resident god and are fiercely loyal to him. Vivenna/Coronabeth meanwhile join up with rebel forces who are opposed to the god that Siri/Ianthe follow. Yet still the sisters do care deeply for each other, even when they find themselves working toward opposite ends. Phew! Oh, and I’m not really sure who should be their (sacrificed) cavalier, but Parlin is there as a protector and then he dies, so...I guess him? Despite them having really nothing else in common; sorry Parlin/Naberius! 

9. Second House: Rlain (as Judith) and Eshonai (as Marta)

The second house is the strictly military one, so at first I was trying to make someone from Bridge 4 work, but it didn’t quite come together. Judith and Rlain do have a lot in common: they both work at gathering intelligence, serve as a spy after being taken in by an organization against their will (Judith with Blood of Eden and Rlain being sent to Bridge 4 which was not originally his mission), and are incredibly loyal through their chain of command. And they both have military training / experience. Meanwhile, Marta is just a star--she rises quickly through the miliary ranks, but then she dies before we get to know her much. Eshonai is a lot more fleshed out, but I am thinking about how she too quickly rose through the military ranks as she adopted Warform and shardplate and Stormform. And then she died, so.

10. First House: Dalinar (as John) and Evi (as A.L.)

John Gaius is, well, god--and he has what could be described as a problematic past (did you know that cows have best friends?). Dalinar may not be god, but he did bond the closest equivalent, the Stormfather, and Dalinar is pretty much the head of the Radiants, must as John is the head of the empire. Speaking of, both John and Dalinar built an empire! Meanwhile, there’s John’s “dead” cavalier A.L., whose name is not to be spoken--which reminds me of Evi, whose existence was literally excised from Dalinar’s head at one point. Now, it doesn’t seem like Evi is going to return and stab Dalinar where he sleeps, but, well, the series isn’t over yet... 

[liesmyth]

i think we should give palamedes some sort of award for not immediately murdering cytherea when he got to canaan. imagine you've been in love with one person for your whole life, you're about to finally see her in person, then you get here and it's obviously not her, in fact it's someone doing an absolutely terrible and offensive imitation of her, and on top of it she's hitting on your new butch friend. i would not have waited the whole book to give her turbo cancer

Counterpoint: he was so determined to AVOID AVOID AVOID that he didn't clue in the awful imitation of her. However there was no way in hell he could've missed the flirting with Gideon so really he was a hero for still being nice to the Ninth

[saltwater-creature]

Cytherea really was just having a nice vacation at cannan house. Lounging about in sunlight with a wardrobe of softly clinging dresses, flirting with the key to the death of the emperor, drowning in nostalgia and grief over the events that happened there, playing the ringmaster of a murder mystery circus, etc. Up until Palamedes confronts her she was having a pretty good holiday.

[ninthhousedyke]

Nona The Ninth Live Blog #9

Okay yes it has been FOREVER but I can explain: I’m lazy. Also like…I sadly had to do human things like finals and not killing myself so I’m just getting back into everything. I also already do know most of what happens in the end because spoilers exist and I read them, but I still want to finish the book and catch any details I haven’t seen on my dash. Okay let’s begin!

Gideon just….playing dead….while Pyrrha carts her around like a sack of potatoes is such an image and I love her.

No I wanna know what Cam said to Gideon in that truck! Was she yelling at her for stupidly thinking Harrow hates her? Was she asking “bro wtf”? Was she trying desperately to jab more needles into her as Gideon just laughs? WHAT DAMMIT!

Okay so I do know that Pash and Gideon are cousins, but is THIS the moment Pash realizes it? Is her “oh fuck no” because she sees the ginger hair and knows it’s Wake’s DNA?

Nona worried Pyrrha will flirt with Pash is so cute.

“I hate to agree with Pash but she’s right.” “Thank you; fuck you.” Everyday I am more and more glad I wrote a hatesex fic about these two because every interaction proves just how much it was needed.

Wow so BOE cannot control their people at all! Merv Wing is just doing their own thing with the Sixth House basically?

Aweee Hot Sauce and Nona made up!

Hot Sauce being named Hot Sauce because she likes hot sauce is such a non-binary mood.

AHHHH WAKE HAD PASH’S PICTURE ON HER!!

So will Pash ever know Gideon is her cousin? Is that coming next?

Oh never mind there’s a resurrection beast now

I love how the most dangerous thing Nona can think of is Cam

The resurrection beast spoke THROUGH Judith!?!

I know Nona is Alecto but DAMN that conversation with Varun and the “And I never was” at the end are still so damn powerful.

“Is anything ever really truly ready to die?” TAMSYN STOP IT RIGHT NOW

Gideon just taking a nap through all of this lmao

I just read the John chapter and I’m gonna need a minute…..or five.

Okay let’s talk about John!

The moral grayness of the entire backstory to this universe is insane. Blood of Eden are the descendants of the top 1% who fled the climate disaster they caused, and John was one man with an insane gift granted to him by a dying planet’s soul. Is there really a correct way to handle that situation?

So he threatened to set off all the bombs if the trillionaire ships were allowed to launch, and then not only did he actually set the bombs off, but he took the souls of the dead and literally Adam and Eve-ed up a body for Earth’s soul just to try and catch the fleeing ships. And he didn’t even get them all! This man ate the souls of the universe to stop some rich assholes from running away!

That line about John caring more for vengeance than salvation hits harder now that I know HE MURDERED THE ENTIRE SOLAR SYSTEM!

RIP Cristobel

He also watched all his friends get murdered which has gotta take a negative toll on someone. Cassie and Nigella had JUST gotten married!

Like I’m finding it really hard to feel upset at his actions. What was he supposed to do? Let the rich live and the poor die? On the other hand, I’m a huge proponent of murder is always the option but nuking the entire world and building a Barbie doll body for Earth was a bit much.

Alright done with John! Back to my babies!!

“Kind of pretending to be dead here.” Oh Gideon I cried reading that. I’ve missed you so much.

Gideon asking Alecto if she loves Harrow is so painful and I just want these two to kiss for real when they’re both back in their correct bodies and states of mind.

Palamedes really is THAT BITCH. He has no formal training in the River or how it works but he’s like “yes this is a good solution”

Cam has two dads AND a sister?! Why is this information I’m just now hearing about! Oh god she’s gonna die isn’t she.

“We were children playing with reflections of stars in a pool of water thinking it was space.” OH GOD TAMSYN STOP THEYRE GONNA DIE

So that’s who Paul is….huh…the spoilers did not prepare me for that one. So we just lose both of them at once? We now have this third thing who is a Lyctor and is neither of them? No go back. I don’t want this. Take it back now!!

So Pash and Aim and Noodle are going to the Nine Houses. So we’re gonna get more Pash in book 4? Please don’t kill Pash. Let one person in this series have a happy ending and get to live without any body-soul fuckery.

WHO TF IS AIM

River time!

Okay I should really go to bed now but hopefully I actually finish this book in the near future.

[darkveracity]

Gideon the Ninth Dating Sim

The Structure

There’s a Taz Muir quote about how The Locked Tomb is a story where any girl could possibly hook up with any other girl and this is an attempt to replicate that. Every character’s relationship with every other character evolves over the course of the game and depending on events it’s perfectly possible for many different combinations to end up together

There are three acts. The first two acts develop the relationships between the characters and achieve various milestones with the lyctor trials. In the third act Cytherea begins murdering people, everything falls apart, and you see whether the decisions you made in the first two acts are enough to let you fall in love and survive.

The Heroine

Gideon: Our heroine. Loyal, true, extremely hot, ready to date any and all of these eligible ladies

The Capture Targets

Harrow: The childhood friend. Her relationship with Gideon has an enormous impact on events regardless of whether or not you’re trying to romance her so she has a prominent role in all routes. By far the hardest character to romance successfully

Ianthe: The dangerous badgirl rival. Flirting with her is a terrible idea but you can’t help but do it anyway. Depending on how events turn out she may end up romancing Harrow (an OT3 ending is also possible!)

Corona: The refined rich girl with a terrible secret. So beautiful and friendly that it’s easy to forget that she’s also kind of a bully. Has a lot of complicated jealousy content with Ianthe where they try to sabotage each other’s relationships (Gideon+Harrow+Ianthe+Corona double dates!). Depending on how events turn out she may end up romancing Camilla or Judith. An OT3 ending with her and Ianthe is possible but very very tricky.

Camilla: The best friend. Extremely cool, shares most of your interests, supports your relationships. Romancing her is easy mode

Judith: The uptight senpai. Neurotic, wildly confident, convinced that she always knows best. Not a great person to look up to but sometimes you just have to bite that bullet if you want a girlfriend

Jeannemary: The little sister. Sweet baby butch. NOT A ROMANCE ROUTE but if you hang out with her enough you can basically adopt her. Depending on events she may end up getting mentored by Abigail, Corona, or Camilla instead (”OT3″ endings are also possible for these).

Abigail: The older woman. Mature responsible adults are extremely sexy or at least they are when they have MILF energy. Has a secret ending where you show her your sword and she summons Wake’s vengeful spirit to wreak havoc

Cytherea: The secret killer. EXTREMELY HOT 10,000 year old war criminal. Like Harrow, she has a prominent role to play in all routes regardless of whether you’re trying to romance her or not. Unlike Harrow this role is murder. The other characters’ good endings require defeating her but her ending is that she murders all of your friends and keeps you as a pet

The Supporting Cast

Palamedes: The central support character who helps you survive all this lesbian romance drama. Plays a prominent supporting role in all routes but becomes a rival if you try to romance Cytherea. Has a secret best friend route you can get if you fail to romance a girl

Naberius: Mostly shows up in Corona and Ianthe’s routes. Rival for Corona’s affections (he may not be able to win her but by god he’s going to sabotage you)

Marta: Mildly antagonistic supporting character who shows up for Judith’s route

Isaac & Magnus: Friendly supporting characters who show up for both Jeannemary and Abigail’s routes

Silas & Colum: Antagonistic characters who cause problems as the game reaches the third act and the murders start

Teacher: Cryptic, twee, unhelpful, occasionally provides a startlingly accurate picture of how everyone feels about each other

[softness-and-shattering]

I like the idea of changing lyctorhood to be more ‘updated’ with the knowledge that murdering your cav isnt necessary......exactly. Because this way they both die but also live on as an amalgam.  I see Pal -> Paul but not really how Cam fits in there. (Also I see Sandra -> Andrew and Benjamin -> Beatrice but not how Sandra might become Benjamin?) I have also been thinking about the renaming in trans terms, and how having this person who is not who you knew but is also the same person kinda parallels I guess coming out and discovering oneself. My initial thought was that eg Nona’s reaction of “I know you but I dont” is sympathetic to family + friends of someone who’s just come out, and Im not sure if I like that. Not because its not genuine emotion but because its often used as excuse to be disrespectful - though I in no way believe Tamsyn would do us dirty like that.  And Paul did say they had been thinking about the name for some time. I wonder if they had some Sixth records of a pre-Resurrection (or post!) Paul that they were referencing, because I dont see any in-universe reason to have chosen that. It does also mirror transition in that a person has usually thought long and hard before coming out, even if it seems sudden to those around them.  Yknow what, it could be like, a reversal of how often people choose interesting names for themselves when they have the chance, whereas parents tend to choose more normal/safe names for their kids. In a world full of Ianthe’s and Mercymorn’s, maybe its super weird and expressive to choose Paul of all things.  I also dont recall what gendered terms if any were used for Paul. I’d be interested in having a non-binary character, though thats in our terms. I absolutely love the genderfuckery of Ianthe and Kiriona being princes, especially. Its just so genderfuck without needing to use any modern terminology. Im actually curious how Ianthe relates to her gender - I wouldn't be surprised if to her it was just one other thing to manipulate and adapt and express in whatever way she thinks will best serve her. Princess of Ida, sure. Prince Lyctor, absolutely. and somehow having Naberius’ name, and us having known Naberius I think gives a much more masculine tint to things than, I mean, Mercymorn Cristabel, Cytherea Loveday and Augstine Alfred, Harrowhark Gideon are all same gendered in the pair. Huh. Only  “Palamedes Camilla”, “Gideon Phyrra”  and Ianthe Naberius of +- Lyctor's we know are two people of different genders.  I lost track if I had a specific point here, I think just observing the genderfuckery.  Also when Phyrra was flirting with the school teacher, Im super curious if she was flirting sapphically or the way a guy/pimp specifically might flirt. What impression was she trying to project and what did the teacher pick up on? And I love that Nona finds both Phyrra and Camillla to be gorgeous in different ways. Unclear if she is attracted to men at all! Its nice that the very soul of earth isnt transphobic lol. 

if she had named them anything else...anything else. the works of shakespeare are right in front of u tamsyn. Did we have to go king james biblical on this one.

[liesmyth]

who of the locked tomb cast would make the best (or worst) lavender marriage?

Palamedes/Harrow obviously! They can talk their little nerd hearts out and bond over old books. The Ninth IS dying out, but it's a whole new gene pool to explore so the Sixth would be thrilled.

(here's a fic about it btw!!)

If we go with the canon factoid that necromancers can't marry out of House, I think Corona/Palamedes in an AU where it's revealed that Corona isn't a necromancer might also be fun. She'd love the Nireids and can hook up with Camilla's half-sister.

Worst: her Divine Highness Gideon and Babs. Like, he's a Prince! He probably was a debutante! He wanted to go home and get married! I see it, but it'd be a disaster.

Also worst: Harrow/Coronabeth. Corona would absolutely hate the Ninth and, like, she's not wrong, spend a lot of time flirting with Gideon just for fun, and Harrow would be swept by a murderous rage.