ourg0dsal

[ourg0dsal]

New tlt art! Yep!💀

[ourg0dsal]

;(

[ourg0dsal]

The light Nona casts on the confrontation at the end of Harrow the Ninth changes so much about it. Not what happened, really, but the underlying assumptions. It drives me insane. It's tragic, it's infuriating, and it's also, just a tiny bit, on a meta level, hilarious.

Mercy was wrong. There is no perfect process. John didn't do anything perfectly. He'd flailed his way into godhood with all the control and intentionality of a toddler having a meltdown in a china shop. He ripped his cavalier from her body and never put her back. He did consume her; she persisted because her soul was simply too big for him to contain.

There is no perfect lyctorhood. Mercy was wrong, and John didn't argue with her.

He could have, is the thing. If he'd laid everything out for them, then and there, he could have made a strong case that what he did with Alecto can't be replicated by human beings. That nothing he'd hidden from them would have changed Cristabel's fate, and had Alecto been human, she would have turned out just the same as the others. I doubt he would have really believed it himself if he had, but he's hardly above lying. He didn't even try. Why did he just agree with her and not even try?

That's the kicker of it. Nona had already answered that question before it even inspired the asking. He didn't try because people don’t forgive, not really. He didn't see a point to arguing with her because once people start to doubt, you’ve already lost them. They'll believe whatever they want to. The details would have done nothing. Which is both a fascinating insight into what was going on there, on an interpersonal level, and also.

We stewed on that reveal for years. We built castles of meta on that perfect lyctorhood theory, and all along, John was letting us misunderstand. Because it was easier than telling the truth. Godfuckingdammnit, Tamsyn.

[ourg0dsal]

A HARROW THE NINTH FANMIX

I know I’ve put out a number of fan mixes at this point but this is my favorite one.

Track list:

New York (St. Vincent)

Moderation (Florence + The Machine)

Heavy Cross (Gossip)

How To Be Eaten By A Woman (The Glitch Mob)

Ballad of the Thin Man (Bob Dylan)

Spent Gladiator 2 (The Mountain Goats)

Foreign Object (The Mountain Goats)

Drive It Like You Stole It (Glitch Mob)

Cosmic Love (Florence + The Machine)

Francesca (Hozier)

Wear Black (The Mountain Goats)

I'm about to get VERBOSE under the cut, join me if you want a deep dive on why I chose these songs. Or just listen to the playlist and draw your own conclusions :)

NEW YORK (St. Vincent)

You know how Gideon's death kind of haunts the entire 'Harrow the Ninth' narrative, because you can't stop thinking about it even though Harrow doesn't remember it and the book isn't mentioning it? But it's so present, the negative space in the story creating a very clear Gideon-shaped outline?

This song is first to set the tone for the playlist in the same way. It's a good song about grieving someone who fit with you in a way nobody else did or ever could.

It's about the bits that go:

you're the only motherfucker in the city who can handle me /can stand me /forgives me

It makes me a little crazy. Especially the forgiveness bit. Kind of brings forward the depth of what Harrow lost when Gideon died.

MODERATION (Florence and the Machine)

Like a fine wine, this song pairs excellently with thinking about harrow giving herself a lobotomy.

Want me to love you in moderation? Do I look moderate to you?

I've never heard of anyone loving someone LESS moderately than harrow when she carved up her own brain about a girl. Someone said in a tumblr post somewhere that 'most people just get breakup bangs'. YEAH THEY DO. but that's our mistake for thinking harrow was going to do anything other than the most insane possible thing.

This song is ominous and heavy, evokes religion and fear, the concept of love used as a threat.

It's perfect.

Actually let's talk real quick about the religion part. This isn't going to be hugely cohesive but it's important to me and I think you'll get what I'm going for:

The lines:

Bow your head in the house of God Little girl, who do you think you are

Can be read like the narrative voice is taking on the persona of God, loving in the powerful and unknowable way God might love. Loving in a way you have no say over. Interpreting Harrow's actions with this lens is like a fucked up mirror, consider: Gideon spent her childhood beaten down by a heavily religious society, the figurehead of which was Harrow herself, beating Gideon down sometimes literally but more importantly, figuratively. Now Harrow continues the role of religiously executing power over Gideon's experience, this time with absolutely ferocious love.

Also LAST THING I PROMISE but there's a quiet vein of self-hatred in this song, lurking just behind all of it. A real judgement of the self for having this power and impulse.

So it's perfect.

HEAVY CROSS (Gossip)

Actually you know what lets have MORE songs about harrow's lobotomy. It's a rich vein.

Most of the songs on this playlist make me a little crazy, and this is absolutely one of them. The manic, dangerous, committed tone (and religious undertones) continues from moderation to heavy cross - but what heavy cross brings to the table is the CHOICE.

We can play it safe, or play it cool Follow the leader or make up all the rules Whatever you want, the choice is yours So choose I checked you If it's already been done, undo it

THE CHOICE

And also, oh my god, "it's already been done, undo it". This song made the cut just for that line, and over time I just liked it more and more on here.

I'm skipping over saying a lot of the obvious stuff as I talk about these songs - assuming you're already connecting "whatever you want, the choice is yours, so choose" to harrow making the choice to stop the lyctoral process. And choosing to undo what's already been done. Right? Are we both there already? Cool just making sure.

HOW TO BE EATEN BY A WOMAN (The Glitch Mob)

I'm not done with songs about harrow's lobotomy yet. But this one's a little about Gideon

Ok also I feel the need to say - YES I did put a six minute electronic instrumental in a fanmix, but give it a chance!! It's evocative.

I went to the glitch mob specifically when I was putting this playlist together because I wanted music that felt confusing and dark and bad (the good kind of bad, in the way music can be). Something to mirror the way it felt to read harrow the ninth.

And then I saw there was a song titled 'how to be eaten by a woman' and I added it to the playlist without even listening to it first. And then I listened to it 50 times and now it's going to be on my Spotify top 100 I just know it.

Anyways this one stayed in the playlist as an homage to the confusing and inarticulate things that happened to Gideon and Harrow, as Gideon both was and was not quite eaten by a woman.

BALLAD OF A THIN MAN (Bob Dylan)

Ballad of a thin man is my all time favorite Bob Dylan song and it is exactly the same amount of stupidly ominously confusing as the events of harrow the ninth.

Now could I go on and on about this song?

Yes, and I will.

I’ve never found a source concretely sharing what the fuck this song is actually about. To me, it’s about being confused, outside, and alone. To Wikipedia and opinionated blogs it’s about the mainstream man encountering counter-culture, maybe queer culture. Sometimes theorists think it's about sex but there's not really enough evidence to say concretely.

In the context of this fanmix it’s about not knowing what the fuck is going on because you forgot you gave yourself a lobotomy.

Also frankly sometimes the way this whole series is written feels like one of the interactions described in this song:

You raise up your head and you ask, ‘is this where it is?’ And somebody points to you and says, ‘it’s his.’ And you say, ‘what’s mine?’ And somebody else says, ‘well, what is?’ And you say ‘oh my god, am I here all alone?’

I mean what the fuck is that about??

Like you're trying to have a conversation, but the person you're talking to is clearly having a completely different conversation and is not interested in explaining themselves one bit. Which is something that's happened many times in Harrow the Ninth.

And I mean - the REFRAIN -

You know something's happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mr. Jones.

I love that the song speaks directly at Mr. Jones, that he's a specifically named man rather than a general figure.

It makes the tone of the song so cruel and damning - you, Mr. Jones, are dumb as fuck and alone. You think you're smart, you're used to being smart and knowing what's happening, but you don't anymore. You're a lost idiot now. And nobody is going to help you.

Harrow is Mr. Jones that's what I'm saying. Do you get it. Do you agree. She's Mr. Jones.

SPENT GLADIATOR 2 (The Mountain Goats)

This is the title track because nothing else sums up the wretchedness of harrows existence on the mithraeum like this does:

Stay in the game. Just try to play through the pain Like a fighter who’s been told it’s finally time for him to quit Show up in shining colors and then stand there and get hit

I barely know what else to say about it.

The next song in this playlist is also a mountain goats song. As a best practice I think it’s a little gauche to put two songs by one artist back to back on a playlist, but these two absolutely HAVE to be back to back.

The reason is the joy I feel coming out of this song, and hearing the first couple notes of the next song, and thinking… yeah, it’s time to go fucking crazy.

FOREIGN OBJECT (The Mountain Goats)

This one is about the time harrow stabs someone in the eye with a foreign object

I personally will stab you in the eye with a foreign object

It's about harrow jamming her own teeth into the saint of duty's eyes, and also about the soup thing. This song is about being backed into a corner and fighting desperately with unexpected weapons.

Fun fact, the song itself was written explicitly about wrestling - which means that the term 'foreign object' should be translated in the wrestling context, meaning an object from outside of the ring. For example, a classic folding chair. So, considering this, we must admit that harrow doesn't actually literally use a foreign object. She uses her own teeth and bone marrow. Her objects are downright domestic.

But I think we can all agree she's got the spirit.

DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT (The Glitch Mob)

OK OK I PUT A SECOND SIX MINUTE LONG ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTAL ON THE FANMIX!!!! BUT -

really there's so much general bad feeling happening in harrow the ninth that having chaotic instrumentals feels like the only way to even START to capture it.

So here's a song about Gideon waking up in Harrow's body and trying to figure out that weird and upsetting event while also fighting some fucked up bees and learning some weird stuff about her parents and also dying like at least 4 times while all this was happening.

COSMIC LOVE (Florence and the Machine)

I like my playlists to be a bit chronological - it's an urge I can never quite thwart, I love to mirror a narrative. So all the songs about Gideon are at the end of the playlist, when she shows up. Man, we all missed her. I missed her. Didn't you miss her??

The stars, the moon they have all been blown out you left me in the dark

I don't have that much to say about this one, I find it incredibly self-evident. I'll make up for how fucking long-winded I was about 'Moderation' and 'Ballad of a Thin Man' by cutting this short.

FRANCESCA (Hozier)

Some of these songs are so exactly what I want on this playlist that I actually have LESS to say about them, because I think you can interpret the same things I'm interpreting just by listening to the song.

So listen to the song and then lets be insane about it together!!

This is about Gideon's sacrifice, and Harrow's rejection of that sacrifice. And Gideon's butthurt feelings about that.

My life was a storm, since I was born How could I fear any hurricane? If someone asked me at the end I'd tell them put me back in it (Darling) I would do it again.

I mean

"I gave you my sword. I gave you myself. I did it while knowing I'd do it all again, without hesitation, because all I ever wanted you to do was eat me."

Are you insane about it yet? I'm insane about it.

WEAR BLACK (The Mountain Goats)

The playlist is coming to an end.

Let's let ourselves be gently outro'd by the soft waves of John Darnielle sharing with us what it means to carry mourning with you throughout your life.

Wear black wherever I go Wear black wherever you are

[ourg0dsal]

Love without Sex

I’m doing a Philosophy paper on Asexuality. Please reblog if you think Love without Sex is possible! I really need the data. Like if you think love has to have sex.

[ourg0dsal]

We need to talk more about Ianthe and Kiriona's fucking best friends forever secret hand shake, and their friendship bracelets. What the hell was going on between them for those six months? They're like two 12 year olds in the middle of a weirdly intense friendship at summer camp. It's fascinating.

[ourg0dsal]

person trying to get out of a timeloop but they keep getting brutally murdered by the other person stuck in the timeloop, who is having the most amazing vacation of their life and refuses to leave

[ourg0dsal]

Reblog to make him lose another 200 billion, like to make him lose 1 billion

[ourg0dsal]

Stolen from reddit. But I knew us tumblr girlies would be here for it.

[ourg0dsal]

God I wish I could go back in time before I started reading The Locked Tomb and had the knowledge of live blogging, because I would have had some of the off the top posts to make. My theories and speculations about the books, and literally knowing nothing about the books besides walking past GtN in booksamillion and seeing a hot woman on the front would have made for some truly notable interactions on this hellsite.

Sadly, because I knew nothing about the books before reading the first pages of GtN, and the fact that the Alecto Pause is what got me to start using Tumblr (dont shame me but I was on reddit before I migrated- still great for reading theories but not as much fanart or fan fiction) we will never get to witness my raw reaction to being a lonely lesbian that somehow stumbled about lesbian necromancers in space

(Fr didn't even read the tagline, I useless lesbianed to hard and saw Gideon on the cover and bought it without hesitation)

[ourg0dsal]

You fools. Gideon Nav isn’t Orpheus. She’s Eurydice. Harrowhark Nonagesimus is the most Orpheus-coded character that has ever existed

[ourg0dsal]

ashes to ashes, dust to dust, reeses to pieces

[ourg0dsal]

my first ever harrow 🤲

[ourg0dsal]

Well i believe it's more contempt for Gideon at this point early on. Because if I remember correctly I believe after the events of Harrow's childhood the body stops showing up and she doesn't see the body again until the events of Harrow the Ninth.

So if im right I think it's just that Gideon is enjoying the Chaos and seeing Harrow out of control of her attack dog that is Crux and Harrow clocks that. And makes a show of her power and "control", as she often does in front of Gideon.

Just started a new read through and this stood out to me. At this point everything is going to Harrow's plan, the concern here seems unwarranted. Begs the question, was the body sitting with Gideon? What was it doing?

[ourg0dsal]

I love the implication that Tamysn Muir knows what memes are gonna be prevalent in the 2030s and 2040s. Like yeah, ofc she sees the future duh. We have more things to worry about- like-we can't see the future and are missing out on some absolute zingers.

for the last time john is NOT a millennial. hollywood hair barbie (his mother's toy) came out in 1992. the world population is projected to reach 10 billion in 2058. this man is gen z at the oldest

[ourg0dsal]

[ourg0dsal]

I love how gideon is always described as wearing sleeves but everyone in the fandom collectively decided she actually exclusively wears sleeveless tops to show off her shockingly impressive muscles. gay