#tlt big bang 2021

[topquarkintown]

[image ID: Three images

First image: Gideon, a light-brown skinned woman with orange hair, stands with her back to us in the center of a cavernous grey tomb, surrounded by stalactites and graves. Harrow is an enormous, looming over her, growing into the cavern floor at the waist. Harrow's ribcage is a cathedral, and her face and arms dissolve into glitches, revealing her skeleton. She glares down at Gideon with one eye and one glowing empty eye socket.

Second image: Coronabeth is a light skinned woman with an impressive mane of golden hair, wearing a skimpy light gold top and decadent red nail polish and gold jewelry. She is hunched over in pain as she plugs a cable into a raw and red bioport at the base of her neck. She is biting her lip hard, and a trickle of blood and spit falls from her lips. The entire scene is lit softly, with Coronabeth's hair dissolving into the golden light at the top of the picture.

Third image: Augustine and Mercymorn are having a conversation in a greenhouse. Augustine is dressed in a cream-colored suit, and has his jacket curled around his shoulders, as he sits sideways in his chair at a mohogany table, flipping through a deck of blank cards. Mercymorn is dressed like a nun, with a transparent veil over her face, and is standing at the other end of the table. They are surrounded by tropical plants, all with monotone red leaves. Beyond the glass panes of the greenhouse there is only golden light. The entire greenhouse background is shredded through with glitches, revealing the empty blue-screen-of-death blue underneath.]

Illustrations I did for @thefaustaesthetic ‘s incredible fic, Movements Inside Light. It is exactly as brilliantly surreal and cyberpunk as these pictures suggest, and I am so delighted that I got to illustrate it, and hope you will also be delighted to read it!

For @tltbb

[nhylluan]

Had the absolute pleasure to work with @enechelon and illustrating their amazing fic, Midnight at the Mithraeum, written for the 2021 Locked Tomb Big Bang! It was a pleasure working with such an amazing team, @decemberiste​, @jpnadia​, @darlingofdots​, @margaret-rhee​, thank you so much for having me. Highly recommend to check them all out at @tltbb​. [Image ID: A digital drawing of Gideon Nav and Harrowark Nonagesimus from the Locked Tomb Trilogy. Gideon is hugging Harrow from behind, both arms around her. Gideon's chin touches the back of Harrow's head, her lips brush her hair while she smiles looking down at Harrow. Harrow is looking at the viewer. One of Harrow's arms is up, holding Gideon's forearm. Gideon wears a white button up shirt, black trousers and a black apron. Harrow wears a black shirt, black tie, a black vest and black trousers. The image is entirely in greyscale, with Gideon's golden eyes being the only colour. The background is black.]

[saltwaterconfessions]

Your dreams are the only chance I get to be separate from you, to see you. I... I don't think you remember them in the morning. You don’t seem to remember me at all. You pause, sometimes, but I can never tell what you're thinking or feeling.

I never realized you had such an imagination, Nonagesimus. Some of them seem like you could have pulled them right out of my comics. (Don’t even try to tell me you haven’t read them, I know you used to go through my stuff. Maybe my soul being tucked in with yours is rubbing off on you too.) Some of them seem like a perfectly regular life in a world that definitely isn’t ours. And others are more familiar, our lives but a little to the left.

Remember chapters 40-42 of htn? Yeah I shoved it in my bag and sprinted into the night. 9 different AUs. one lovely comic. Have fun!

SO MUCH LOVE for the mods and everyone in the @tltbb and especially for my beta @margaret-rhee and artists @bythehalfpint and @seaglass-13/@redheartzone. This project was a blast.

(PS- chapters 2-8 are HTN spoiler safe!)

[enechelon]

Fic :: Gideon the Ninth/The Locked Tomb Trilogy :: Midnight at the Mithraeum:: 7/9

Title: Midnight at the Mithraeum, Chapter 7 (/9) Fandom: The Locked Tomb Category: F/F Pairing: Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus Rating: T+ Word count: ~7,800 words this chapter, ~47,200 overall so far Tags: background cam/dulcie/pal, background corona/judith, gideon and corona date a bit, alternate universe - modern setting, bars/pubs, casinos and gambling, woke up married in fake!vegas, heavy drinking, smoking, vegas wedding, kissing, non-linear narrative, marriage, divorce, fade to black, harrow has a dog, the dog is a good girl

Summary:

It'd been two years since Gideon Nav gathered her wine key and her gaming license and escaped The Locked Tomb, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar managed by the hateful Harrowhark Nonagesimus.  Now, dealing tables at The Mithraeum Hotel & Casino, things were really looking up. So when Gideon scored a date with the most beautiful showgirl in the Gilded Halls of Ida, the last thing she expected was to wake up married to her old nemesis and former coworker.

The story starts the night of Gideon's date and alternates between the events leading up to the wedding and the weeks that follow as Gideon tries to navigate life married to someone who claims to want nothing more than to forget she exists.

Notes:

Written for The Locked Tomb Big Bang, @tltbb, which means there’s gorgeous art to go along with the fic!

Decemberiste’s art! | Nhylluan’s art!

Special thanks to Team Capitate for making this all such a great experience! Thank you to margaret-rhee , darlingofdots and jpnadia for the beta and cheerleading. Thank you to decemberiste and nhylluan for the gorgeous art! I feel incredibly lucky and just spoiled all around. And thank you to the mods at @tltbb for making it all possible!

[Midnight at the Mithraeum, Chapter 7]

[evelyn-d-art]

Here's my second piece for the Locked Tomb Big Bang!

This is a scene from @sick-with-lisztomania's fic, But I'm a Necromancer. It was lots of fun getting to combine one of my favorite book series with one of my favorite movies!

[ID: Image 1: A drawing of Harrow and Ianthe from The Locked Tomb trilogy. They are in a dark room. Ianthe has pale skin and long straight blonde hair. She wears an off shoulder purple dress. She faces away from the viewer. Harrow has brown skin, chin length black hair, and black eyes. She wears a pink shirt. She holds Ianthe's arm as they dance, looking wistfully over her shoulder. Other people dance and hold drinks in the background.

Image 2: A drawing of Coronabeth and Gideon. Gideon has brown skin and short red hair. She wears a black jacket. She faces away from the viewer, hugging Coronabeth's shoulders. Coronabeth has pale skin and long wavy blonde hair. She wears purple eye shadow, lipstick, and nail polish. She closes her eyes and rests her head on Gideon's shoulder and hugs her back. People dance in the background. End ID]

[cheruehai]

[ID: A drawing of Gideon from The Locked Tomb trilogy as Link from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. She has brown skin, short red hair, golden eyes, and pointed ears. She wears a tunic, pants, belts, and a sword scabbard on her back. Three large skeleton monsters with one horn on each of their heads surround her. Gideon frowns. She stands in a wide stance and swings a longsword low to destroy one of the monsters’ hands. A cloud of dust and bone shards borders the image. End ID]

gideon battles stalmoblins and saves the nine houses in The Legend of Harrowhark, @brazen-faced ‘s BOTW fic for @tltbb ! team humerus was lovely to work with <3

[heymrpiccolo]

[image ID: A drawing of Wake and Gideon from The Locked Tomb trilogy. On the left, Wake's skeleton reaches out. It wears a cowboy hat, bandana, jacket, shirt, and belt. Gideon's eyes are wide with shock. She wears a cowboy hat and leather jacket. She has short red hair and golden eyes. To the right is Wake mirroring her skeleton. She smiles slightly. She has thick long curly red hair. End image ID]

more art for the @tltbb (:

This is my second piece for and gold to bind by the talented @ecstatichorror​ !

[lilroroco]

Please click for higher quanlity details! This is my art piece as part of the Locked Tomb big bang 2021 for @girlcommaplease ’s fic: “Talk Derby to Me"

Emma was an absolute delight to work with and I learned so much about derby during this project!! There are so many elements i love about this story, the relationship dynamics most of all!! Please go read for yourself here:

[IMAGE ID: A drawing of characters from The Locked Tomb trilogy in a roller derby match. The necromancers wear blue and black jerseys. The cavaliers wear red and gold jerseys. The front skaters are, from left to right: Gideon, in an orange helmet covered in Sapphic stickers, who looks upset, distracted, and flustered. Coronabeth bends over with a smug look on her face, being purposefully distracting and in Gideon's way. She wears a purple helmet and fishnet tights. Harrow speeds ahead of the group, looking victorious. There is a star on her helmet. Marta pushes forward and keeps an eye on Harrow. Cam is behind Marta, crouched low and smiling.

The skaters in the back are, from left to right: Only Naberius’s helmet is visible, which has a star on it. Protesilaus has his back to the viewer and wears a jersey that says “Pro-Pain” and green helmet. Ianthe is not visible except her blue helmet. Mercymorn wears a peach helmet that says “NO”. Her jersey says "NoMercy".

In the background is Dulcie sitting on the floor in rinkside seating with a caution paper on the floor beside her. She looks determined and holds red and gold pompoms. Next to her is a wheelchair decorated with lights on the wheels and a sign that sign says "Get Wreckt". She has an oxygen tube coming from her nose to a small side bag. Palamedes is dressed as a referee in the back right with a whistle in his mouth. Signs in the back read: “Talk Derby to Me by girlcommaplease", “SNOW LEEK SMOOTHIES" (“So Leeky!", “2.50!"), and “Public Skating Weekdays 2:00-6:00". A blurred audience sits in the bleachers. End ID]

[ace-and-ranty]

Undetonated

Wake’s lips twist up in distaste. 

 “Bomb,” she says. 

 Bomb —by virtue of being a sleeping, cryogenically preserved, day-old infant— does not respond. 

 Hu-fucking-rah.

SUMMARY: The operation to the Ninth House has been a failure to all involved. Commander Wake failed to deliver her bomb, and Gideon the First failed to kill her.

He did succeed, however, in stranding her broken shuttle.

Alone, drifting without thrust or communications in deep space, Wake has dwindling options. There’s a limited supply of oxygen and food. There’s no way to tell if rescue is coming.

And the cryochamber housing her undetonated bomb had to go and fucking break.

READ ON AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32124961

My beloved betas to whom I am eternally grateful: @saltwaterconfessions @ecstatichorror

And the companion pieces by my amazing artists: @youweremyridehome and @melli4uhbees

[decemberiste]

my contribution to the 2021 Locked Tomb Big Bang, this time for @rnanqo’s amazing fic, THE NECROMANCY GOSPELS! 

Ten thousand years ago, the world ended and was reborn by the grace of the Resurrector, the King Undying. His most devoted disciples have gathered at Canaan House to worship in thanks, rebuild the wrecked world—and plumb the depths of their newfound necromantic skills. 

There is no way this could possibly go wrong.

mercymorn is one of my absolute favorites, so of course I jumped at the chance to illustrate this fic. bree’s writing, in true TLT fashion, is by turns heart-wrenching and wickedly, memeingly funny, and I’m so impressed by this fic’s depth—for all of my fellow original lyctor fans craving pre-canon content, you will not want to miss this!

shoutout to @winged​, @redheartzone, @jmbeaubier, and @darlingofdots, who also collaborated on this fic! you can check out all the other fabulous big bang fics and art here!

image IDs under the cut:

[Image #1 ID: A digital drawing of Mercymorn the First from the Locked Tomb trilogy, done in monochromatic pink tones. Mercymorn, who has light skin and long straight hair, is seen from the chest up, behind a table. Her elbows rest on the table’s edge as her hands frame a small succulent plant sitting on the table in front of her. She looks downward at the plant with a focused expression, and the space between her hands appears to glow as color drains from the succulent’s petals.]

[Image #2 ID: A digital drawing of Mercymorn the First and Cristabel Oct from the Locked Tomb trilogy, done in monochromatic pink tones. They are shown in profile, facing each other on a staircase. Mercymorn is shorter, with light skin and light hair in a bun, and wears a translucent robe over a white dress, with the hood up. She stands on a step with her hands at her sides, frowning as she looks down at Cristabel. Cristabel kneels on the stairs a few steps down, looking up at Mercymorn with her hands clasped in front of her. She has long, dark wavy hair, medium skin, and wears a white dress. The sky sparkles behind them and tall buildings rise in the background.]

[cal-adia]

[Begin ID: A digital illustration set in a cave. The lightning is darker and has a blue tinge. In the middle is a tomb door with a design of Anastasia the First. She is holding a key in front of her and at her feet are two skeletons on either side. Their arms form a triangle together and in the middle is the number 9 in Roman numerals. Behind Anastasia on the door is ocean waves and a sun behind her head. The border of the door has a chain link on either side, and on the top in an arc are the skulls of the nine houses carved in the stone. There are two light sources coming from the left and right to create a glow of the tomb door. At the bottom center are Gideon and Harrow looking at the door. End ID]

My last piece for the Locked Tomb 2021 Big Bang. This illustration is done for @corpsesoldier ‘s fic, Empty Graves.

@tltbb

[a-home-to-what-consumes-me]

Gold Rush

I participated on @tltbb! It was really fun, @tirkdi was such a great beta (thank you for helping this fic make sense) and I loved @worteltje7 and @ihasafandom‘s pieces for this so much!

The whole fic is about 12 200 words long and it has spoilers from GTN and HTN

Rating: T

Ships: Griddlehark and background Magnus and Abgail

Tags: Alternate Universe- Royalty, Harrow’s canon AU, Arranged Marriage

Summary: The Empress Gideon called the heirs of the Nine Houses to her home so she could choose one of them as her life partner. Harrow has no interest in marrying a stranger, but her house needs the money. She goes and tries to persuade Gideon to choose her as her apprendice instead. (or Abgail doesn't stop the Royal AU when she is supposed to).

Link to the fic here!

[evelyn-d-art]

Here's my first piece for the Locked Tomb Big Bang!

This is a scene from @punkwixes fic, Murphy's Law, where all your faves try to make it through tech week in their college production of Hamlet. It's a great read for all the theatre kids out there!

[ID: A drawing of Gideon and Harrow from The Locked Tomb in a modern setting. They are in an auditorium. Harrow has brown skin, short black hair, and black eyes. She wears a black turtleneck, jacket, pants, and boots. She stares at her laptop on her knees and holds an annotated script open. She is holding a headset up to her ear. Gideon has brown skin, short red hair, and golden eyes. She wears an orange t-shirt, green jacket, jeans, and boots. She lounges next to Harrow and rests one arm on the seat between them. End ID]

[enechelon]

Fic :: Gideon the Ninth/The Locked Tomb Trilogy :: Midnight at the Mithraeum:: 5/9

Title: Midnight at the Mithraeum, Chapter 5 (/9) Fandom: The Locked Tomb Category: F/F Pairing: Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus Rating: T+ Word count: ~7,800 words this chapter, ~33,000 overall so far Tags: background cam/dulcie/pal, background corona/judith, gideon and corona date a bit, alternate universe - modern setting, bars/pubs, casinos and gambling, woke up married in fake!vegas, heavy drinking, smoking, vegas wedding, kissing, non-linear narrative, marriage, divorce, fade to black, harrow has a dog, the dog is a good girl

Summary:

It'd been two years since Gideon Nav gathered her wine key and her gaming license and escaped The Locked Tomb, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar managed by the hateful Harrowhark Nonagesimus.  Now, dealing tables at The Mithraeum Hotel & Casino, things were really looking up. So when Gideon scored a date with the most beautiful showgirl in the Gilded Halls of Ida, the last thing she expected was to wake up married to her old nemesis and former coworker.

The story starts the night of Gideon's date and alternates between the events leading up to the wedding and the weeks that follow as Gideon tries to navigate life married to someone who claims to want nothing more than to forget she exists.

Notes:

Written for The Locked Tomb Big Bang, @tltbb, which means there’s gorgeous art to go along with the fic!

Decemberiste’s art! | Nhylluan’s art!

Special thanks to Team Capitate for making this all such a great experience! Thank you to margaret-rhee , darlingofdots and jpnadia for the beta and cheerleading. Thank you to decemberiste and nhylluan for the gorgeous art! I feel incredibly lucky and just spoiled all around. And thank you to the mods at @tltbb for making it all possible!

[Midnight at the Mithraeum, Chapter 5]

[corpsesoldier]

Empty Graves -- TLTBB 2021

Fandom: The Locked Tomb Pairing: Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus Rating: M Tags: alternate universe - canon divergence, secret identity, slow burn, emotional manipulation, suicidal ideation, both gideon and harrow bc they have issues, canon-typical violence, you messed up a perfectly good child. look at her. she's got a death wish, tfw your worst nightmare is really just a sad teenage girl

“You can do this,” the Commander said with the kind of conviction that made people believe they could beat back the monsters, that made them take up weapons and fight and die in the name of a future only the Commander could see. If the bomb did her job right, she could put an end to all that. “You can save us.”

“For sure,” the bomb said with an ease she didn’t feel, a lopsided grin splitting her face. “I was born for this.”

Summary: Gideon enters the House of the Ninth for the first time when she is eighteen years old. She has a sword, an alias, and a mission. She needs to win the Reverend Daughter’s trust if she’s going to make her way into the depths of Drearburh and free the monster chained there. But Harrowhark Nonagesimus is cagey and haunted and, frankly, kind of a bitch. The Ninth House is a nest of horrors poised to swallow her whole. And Gideon is off the leash for the first time in her life, with everything resting on her success.

Read on AO3 >>>

---

I'm so excited to share the first chapter of my @tltbb fic, Empty Graves! Huge shout out to the mods for running the whole event, and very particular thanks to Team Lumbar Vertebrae for all their support and encouragement - @margaret-rhee my amazing beta as well as@secretevening and @cal-adia my incredible artists. I had such a great time participating, and look forward to going through everyone else's excellent fic and art!

[lilroroco]

[begin ID: a digital, colored drawing depicting a backyard scene, with Wake, Pyrrha, and toddler Gideon. Wake is a brown-skinned woman with long, curly red hair, wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Wake is in the background, leaning against the back door frame of the one-story, white cottage house, with her arms crossed, with a brooding expression. A small, brown fence separates the threshold of the house from the vegetable garden. Pyrrha is a dark-skinned person with their back to the viewer. Pyrrha, in the middle-ground, is wearing a red, plaid button down underneath grey overalls, and is hunched over the vegetable garden, digging up one of the vegetables. There is a small scarecrow next to Pyrrha. On the left is a log supply hutch, and on the right is a tool shed. The vegetable garden morphs into a large backyard with lush, green grass. Toddler Gideon is in the foreground, sleeping in the shade of a large, white umbrella, on the grass of the backyard, with an old hound dog. Gideon's head is resting on the dog's side, using the dog like a pillow. Gideon is a brown-skinned child, with short, curly red hair. She's wearing a white tank-top and grey shorts. In the upper right corner, a small wood fence, and footpath lead off into the tall trees that shade and tower over the house and backyard. end ID]

My art piece as part of the Locked Tomb big bang 2021, for @themorikelife ’s fic: “Your Mind Must Be on Other Things Like What the Setting Sun Will Bring," which you can read on AO3 Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32091907

This was so much fun and KT was such a delight to work with!!! This story has truly become one of my favorite Locked Tomb fics. Please go read it for yourself, you won't be disappointed!! ❤