#Gideon Navagraha

[toweringclam]

Thinking about how the Tomb would be opened in Harrow Nova. First, I subscribe to the fan theory that it required both John and Anastasia's blood to open the door, so it must have followed Harrow's flogging at the altar. Second, I think that in both universes, this is when she loses her parents, even though they're alive in Harrow Nova.

Here's how I see it playing out:

Up until she was like 9 or 10, Priamhark and Pelleamena were still trying to force the necromancy into her. Forbidden rituals. All-night cram sessions. Harsh punishment if she so much as touched a knife, let alone a sword. They'd already adopted Gideon, so Harrowhark (as she was still known) managed the Doofenshmirtz-esque feat of being an only child and still not her parents' favorite.

Gideon dared her to steal the chain since there was some arcane rule that they couldn't take that away or something. At this confirmation that they had birthed a cavalier, they punished her near the point of death at the altar. Gideon intervened, but only by convincing them to demote her to cavalier instead of killing her.

After this, the truth of her birth came out in an argument, and Gideon decided that this whole rotten house needed to burn. She went to the Tomb and, with hands still stained by Harrow's blood, she undid all the wards, hoping the monster inside would kill everyone.

However, Gideon changed her mind when she got to the corpse. Of all the horrifying realizations of the day, the one that broke her was when its eyes shot open and stared at her. It's faintly luminous, golden eyes.

HER eyes.

Gideon panicked and ran, sealing it all back and never speaking of it to another soul. She realized that her eyes were not those of a savior but of a monster.

This leads into my idea that this Gideon is far less confident than the main universe version. She still projects confidence but is plagued by doubts and imposter syndrome, now with the deep-seated fear that she's actually some kind of demon. (Unaware that those are God's eyes)

[toweringclam]

Gideon in the Harrow Nova AU

[toweringclam]

Gideon Nav was all like, "sorry Harrow you're gonna be really sad about this, but I'm gonna do it before you talk sense into me," then just yeeted herself onto some spikes but you know Harrow Nova would raise her sword to the sky and shout, "I am Harrow Nova, Forsaken Daughter of the Ninth! Scion of Genocide, Last of the Anastasian Line, and cavalier to the Lychtor Gideon Navagraha! Today, I redeem my house's dishonor and reclaim my birthright!" then fall on her blade in the most dramatic fucking way possible.

[toweringclam]

I found a way to split the difference between "Gideon sacrifices herself for Harrow in every universe" and "perspective switch in the second book because previous MC died" in the Harrow Nova AU.

At the end of the first book, Harrow would force Gideon's hand to absorb her soul, but it would be less about self-sacrifice than "this is the only way I'll ever reclaim my birthright as a necromancer." Same outcome, different motive.

However, in the second book, she wouldn't be dead. Only mostly dead. Her soul isn't in her body, but her body is still functioning fine. Better than fine, even. Her death-wounds healed themselves, and, despite being in a vegetative state, her muscles haven't atrophied one bit.

This is because Gideon is hemorrhaging thalergy, just like Anastasia was before they euthanized Samael. Gideon has made Jod promise not to do that and to explore other options, but in the meantime, she's slowly dying just to keep Harrow's corpse breathing. Gideon is still sacrificing herself, but by inches.

[toweringclam]

Excellent ideas!

I think she wouldn't be so much skilled as she is POWERFUL. She doesn't have the focus for necromantic theory, but her Jod-given power means she can do things with a single spell that would kill a normal necromancer. If most necromancers are wizards, she's a sorcerer. She does necromancy like she breathes and fun fact: most people kinda suck at breathing.

I feel like everyone else would be impressed by the stuff she can do, but when it comes to the finesse required for the tests, Harrow would have to walk her through the theory.

Thinking of Nova!Gideon again… Our Gideon training so hard because she knows that it’s her only way out of the Ninth but Nova!Gideon has to be the best necromancer ever because if she isn’t she’d probably be killed. Her skill is the only thing that’s kept her alive and she can see exactly what they’ve done to Harrow, the daughter they killed 200 children for, because of her lack of said skill.

She’s going to be the leader of these people and she’s not one of them. Her eyes are the wrong color, her hair is bright, she probably stands taller and she is more muscular than anyone else. None of the holy relics of the Ninth are connected to her and the only thing on that planet that’s a part of her are her unknown mother’s bones.

[toweringclam]

Canon event: Gideon gets her ass beat on a landing pad.

This happens later in Harrow Nova, now occurring the first night in Canaan House. To lay some groundwork, most Ninth cavaliers carry a pannier full of bones for their necromancer. Most also need at least one full bone to make a new skeleton. Since she could do it from a bone chip, Harrowhark never needed one. Gideon Navagraha's talents are no less impressive in their own way, but still need a whole bone. Unfortunately, as strong as Harrow Nova is, she is still very small. This puts a hard cap on how much she can realistically carry around, so Gideon has to carry her own.

In the excitement of landing at Canaan House, Gideon remembers her pannier but forgets her own personal satchel, including her prayer book (no way she has that shit memorized). After several embarrassing incidents, including Harrow lying that she's taken a vow of silence just to keep her from improvising the invocation, Gideon is in no mood by the time they settle in, especially when she finds out that Harrow knew she left it behind and didn't say anything out of spite. She storms out to go get her belongings as Harrow dozes off.

Gideon gets to the landing pad just as the skeletons are disposing of the shuttles. Thankfully, they haven't gotten to hers yet, so she runs for it before they shove it off the side. This leads to an altercation, and pretty soon every skeleton in Canaan House is dogpiling her. Of course, she left the pannier in her room. Of course she did.

She manages to find one bone that rolled under a seat, and from there makes the biggest, most anatomically inaccurate Home Depot/Spirit Halloween skeleton you've ever seen just to carve her a clear path through the horde. Beaten, bloody, robes torn to shreds, but bag in hand, she stumbles back to the room.

Of course, all of this happened entirely offscreen. From Harrow's perspective, she dozed off, woke up to a commotion up above, went back to sleep, and woke up again to Gideon staggering through the door looking like ten miles of bad road. By morning, all of her wounds have healed and Gideon refuses to talk about it because the last thing she wants to tell Harrow is that she got her ass kicked by skeletons.

Of course, someone probably saw the 20-foot tall skeleton on the landing pad. It's a lot easier to see than like 20 individual skeletons doing their work. They also noticed the shuttles were gone the next morning, and drew some very reasonable but incorrect conclusions....

[toweringclam]

In the Novaverse, her full name is Gideonastasia Navagraha. She was originally given the name Gideon Nav, but when she was officially adopted, both her names were expanded to reflect her station.

Navagraha is a term from Vedic astrology, referring to the nine celestial bodies (not planets). It doesn't share an arithmonym with either of her parents to reflect her outsider status. This is even further reinforced by the fact that it's four syllables, while most Reverand Family second names are 5 or 7 syllables. It's a name that says, "You are very special and important, but we could still replace you if a better option came around."

Gideonastasia is one of those double-barreled names. The suffix, referencing founder Anastasia, is staking claim on her as a member of the Ninth. She absolutely hates it and has been known to lock herself in her room for a week if someone uses her full name instead of just Gideon.

[toweringclam]

In Harrow Nova, Gideon would still end up getting silenced by Harrow. Harrow's goal is to restore her House's honor, the honor she sullied through the crime of being born, and she realizes that if the Reverend Daughter, Necromantic Prodigy of the Ninth, the Undying Child, is allowed to utter a single word before the other candidates, then it will be a total political disaster. Everyone will realize what a massive tool she is, and all the curious pilgrims who have come to the Ninth recently will dry up.

So she steps in like, "My necromancer has taken a vow of silence to remove distractions and demonstrate her utter devotion to her purpose here. I will be speaking for her."

Gideon rolls with it because she's somehow even more shy in this version, being used to the spotlight but not talking to people like fellow human beings.

[toweringclam]

Had a line from Gideon Nova, book 2 of the Novaverse AU, just pop into my head. The bubble scenes would have a very different feel to Harrow's bubble

That night, you had a dream. You were completely certain it was a dream because, despite everything that had happened recently, you were in full control of your faculties and not at all going mad.

[toweringclam]

Still thinking about what would happen in Gideon Nova, but I think I finally got an idea for the third book. Nona wouldn't work for Alecto!Gideon, so I thought of what another ironic name would be. Then it hit me, and it's such a weird idea, but...

Pom-Pom

Maybe Poma, or just Pom, but she gets called Pom-Pom a bunch. It's such a cutesy name, and the association with cheerleaders is a STARK contrast to who Gideon is. It's also kind of a dog's name, and I see Alecto!Gideon having big golden retriever energy.

Also, it means bomb.

It's the name her first mother gave her, and would be foreshadowed by Gideon giving an angry rant to John like, " That's all I am to you, isn't it? That's all I've ever been to any of you. You, my birth mother, even the parents that raised me. I'm just a weapon. I'm a bomb."

[chilly-weirdo-in-a-tomb]

Honestly that’s so much better than the name I came up with while trying to write a Nova au fic.

In the Novaverse, her full name is Gideonastasia Navagraha. She was originally given the name Gideon Nav, but when she was officially adopted, both her names were expanded to reflect her station.

Navagraha is a term from Vedic astrology, referring to the nine celestial bodies (not planets). It doesn't share an arithmonym with either of her parents to reflect her outsider status. This is even further reinforced by the fact that it's four syllables, while most Reverand Family second names are 5 or 7 syllables. It's a name that says, "You are very special and important, but we could still replace you if a better option came around."

Gideonastasia is one of those double-barreled names. The suffix, referencing founder Anastasia, is staking claim on her as a member of the Ninth. She absolutely hates it and has been known to lock herself in her room for a week if someone uses her full name instead of just Gideon.

[toweringclam]

Okay so the way this would play out: Harrow Nova notices that Gideon left her prayer book in the shuttle. Gideon is completely incapable of remembering those prayers, especially when put on the spot. In a petty bit of spite, she doesn't remind her and lets Gideon leave it behind.

It's only when Teacher calls on the Ninth for an invocation that Harrow realizes she made a grave error.

"Harrow realized to her horror that whatever Gideon said would be the most idiotic thing anyone in this room had ever heard in their life."

In Harrow Nova, Gideon would still end up getting silenced by Harrow. Harrow's goal is to restore her House's honor, the honor she sullied through the crime of being born, and she realizes that if the Reverend Daughter, Necromantic Prodigy of the Ninth, the Undying Child, is allowed to utter a single word before the other candidates, then it will be a total political disaster. Everyone will realize what a massive tool she is, and all the curious pilgrims who have come to the Ninth recently will dry up.

So she steps in like, "My necromancer has taken a vow of silence to remove distractions and demonstrate her utter devotion to her purpose here. I will be speaking for her."

Gideon rolls with it because she's somehow even more shy in this version, being used to the spotlight but not talking to people like fellow human beings.

[toweringclam]

Also, I feel like Harrow having a mental breakdown while Gideon is falling apart physically is a good symmetry for book 2

I found a way to split the difference between "Gideon sacrifices herself for Harrow in every universe" and "perspective switch in the second book because previous MC died" in the Harrow Nova AU.

At the end of the first book, Harrow would force Gideon's hand to absorb her soul, but it would be less about self-sacrifice than "this is the only way I'll ever reclaim my birthright as a necromancer." Same outcome, different motive.

However, in the second book, she wouldn't be dead. Only mostly dead. Her soul isn't in her body, but her body is still functioning fine. Better than fine, even. Her death-wounds healed themselves, and, despite being in a vegetative state, her muscles haven't atrophied one bit.

This is because Gideon is hemorrhaging thalergy, just like Anastasia was before they euthanized Samael. Gideon has made Jod promise not to do that and to explore other options, but in the meantime, she's slowly dying just to keep Harrow's corpse breathing. Gideon is still sacrificing herself, but by inches.