Gideon Nav and the motherless child
(A post I promised at Wiscon in May that I'd write, and am finally getting around to.)
Gideon does not come off as a severely abused and neglected child, and I think there's a reason for that.
Both she and Harrow have full on The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog-calibre childhoods. Harrow acts more like it, from her extremely low thresholds for sensory overstimulation to her entire social... everything. Those are all things kids raised in neglect are way more likely to deal with.
When I first read GtN I was in my habitual "Look self, not everyone works in your field, SFF authors give their characters these kinds of horrible childhoods all the time, nobody else cares about the realistic consequences of bringing a child up that way" mode. Like, it was nice that Muir seemed aware that the Ninth House's children generally would be more sickly and have higher fatality rates, but I also didn't want Gideon to be one speck less herself, so I could live with the slight implausibility.
And then we got Harrow the Ninth. We got the slow revelation of the Sleeper. The revenant. Wake's immense rage.
"I hated that damned sword for years. I don’t know why; it just felt strange—rancorous."
"Where the hell have you been hiding for nineteen years?” “Where—you—fucking—left—me. In my bones. Then a blade. In—that—fucking—hole.”
I immediately remembered: Gideon loved her sword so much she could frigging marry it.
Here's my theory: Gideon is Gideon in part because her mother has been haunting her for years.
Children need love if they're going to grow up. I don't mean that metaphorically. Babies that aren't held, rocked, touched, and soothed don't release the same mix of hormones that tell their bones it's time to move outwards. The steady attachment of baby to the adult who takes care of them is the central pillar around which children construct everything from control of their faculties to their senses of self. When babies are not cared for and able to attach to loving, reliable caretakers, they struggle in so many ways. I know this sounds really vague and ~vibes~-y, but I mean it in the sense of, "here is a curated reading list of scientific research on the topic, which I provide because I can't condense it while also shouting about Griddlehark on Tumblr"
So in GtN, Gideon just seemed like this ridiculously optimistic outcome for a severely maltreated child. She's optimistic and self-confident, brazen but moral, outgoing but centred. She's smart enough to hold her own against Harrow, to make complicated plans for the future, and to cope when her plans encounter hiccups. She knows that she wants to leave the Ninth House, and when she finally manages it, she doesn't panic or find some new miserable hole to shove herself into; she gleefully steps out and stretches her wings. And yet, her less-than-stellar relationships with people back home don't prevent her (in any way other than a little shyness) from forming new, varied, complicated connections with all the different people at Canaan House.
That's all... like, it is wildly optimistic to think that a child whose closest adult attachment figure from twelve months old was as distant and limited as Aiglamene would be like. That is winning the child development lottery.
That, or...
Maybe when she was seven, and her biggest emotional attachment (besides Harrow) was to the imaginary skeleton mother in her head, Aiglamene broke it to her that her mother wasn't out in rotation yet. Maybe Aiglamene led her to the niche where Wake's bones lay. Maybe when Aiglamene left, Gideon sat down there and said, Hello, mother. I love you.
Maybe it was then? Or maybe it was before? As a revenant, Wake's closest link to the living world was her own body, her own bones. But she also had thanergetic links with things like her murder weapon. Her murderer. The baby she'd died delivering to the Tomb. That made it possible before, certainly, but physical proximity counts for something, so maybe it was then, that Wake first tried possessing a living soul.
Wake whispering tiny inaudible suggestions into her daughter's ear like: Fuck this place. Fuck these bones. Light this place on fire. They don't own you. You don't owe them shit. Get up, get out, escape. Blow this place apart. Fight, defy them, make them pay, and remember that ten thousand years of history brought you here to stand against them. Here is what it's like to be a human being, to throw your shoulders back, to fight with people you trust, to gauge your enemies clearly, to know the power you punch with. And if there are no other standing orders: Live. Live. Live.
You cannot tell me Gideon's first act upon receiving a real sword, a soldier's sword, was not to take it down to her mother's niche and show it off. It was probably like offering her an open backpack to hop into.
Maybe all Wake's "mothering" was just her trying with singleminded rage to program instructions for detonation into her bomb. Even still: At least Gideon had a mum who wanted her to be as explosive as she was, and backed her up for every step of it.
Harrow didn't even get that much.
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20 questions for writers
got tagged by @clementinecoastline thanks clem <3
1. How many works do you have on AO3?
84!
2. What's your total AO3 word count?
313,665 (bitch. what)
3. What fandoms do you write for?
i've written for so many different fandoms over the years...these days it's mostly just life series, haikyuu, and qsmp though
4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
5. hands, knees, please, tangerine (come on back to me)
4.scar's magical emporium for lost grians
3. i never get bored looking at you (because every time i see something new)
2. i'm in your bed, why are you in your twitch chat?
how to get over heartbreak
5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
almost always!
6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
ooh i don't write a lot of angst (and also i barely remember anything posted before 2021) but. and we're gonna let it burn is pretty tragic like whenever i reread that one i'm like who the fuck let me write that.
7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
i typically write fluff so...pick literally any of my haikyuu fics! or emporium
8. Do you get hate on fics?
nope...fingers crossed it stays that way too
9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
only once. it's friends with benefits.
10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?
that would all the shit i wrote back in 2013. we don't talk about those days.
(it was frozen/rotg/tangled/brave/httyd if you didn't know)
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
as far as i know, nope! fingers crossed it stays that way too
12. Have you ever had a fic translated?
yes!
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?
YEAH me and @huiplash wrote a fic together but alas it remains incomplete. and probably always will LOL
14. What's your all-time favourite ship?
god. i don't know. tokomaru from udg will always be special to me, these days i'm completely insane about griddlehark and scarian, bokuaka was really special to me when i was deep into haikyuu...oh and runayachi is now my personality trait on my hq sideblog. this is hard.
15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?
GOD like all of them?
realistically it's the desert duo idol/exes with benefits au, but i'm loathe to delete the project because i'm obsessed with the ideas i've created for it. also maybe the goshihina six swans au, desperate as i am to finish that one...it's been sitting in my wips for two years now :,)
16. What are your writing strengths?
i write good dialogue i think!
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
WORLDBUILDING i am so bad at worldbuilding. the characters are in there for the PLOT which is KISSING. also setting i suck at setting. but that's related to worldbuilding i think.
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?
honestly it's not something that i ever thought much about until the qsmp but i feel like if it's true to the character and you're comfortable writing in that language then yeah why not?
19. First fandom you wrote for?
first ever fandom was frozen, but on ao3 the first thing i ever published was actually for toradora!
20. Favourite fic you've ever written?
and i'll never go home again is probably my all-time favorite thing i've ever written, but the pissever hs yuri au is a close second (even though that one is three fics. emotionally they are one though).
tagging @astrowaffles @strawberryclementine @verytendou and @reineyday
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Rating the Books I read after Gideon the Ninth (in order) by how well they made me forget my Gideon the Ninth angst
I starred the ones that I actually recommend if you want something similar to gtn.
I was bored so I made this. Mostly just so I can look back at this and laugh at myself in a few months and remember what I’ve read.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -
**Harrow the Ninth -Tamsyn Muir
Summary: A depressed girl has to navigate murder attempts by both the mom and the dad of her dead ex-girlfriend who she can’t remember. She tries to make soup and writes fanfic to cope.
How well it helped me forget: -100/10 but also 10/10
Rating explanation: This one gets a 10/10 because it did make me feel better about a *particular* GTN plotpoint which I was very angsty about, but tragically it did make me more feral. After reading it I reread both books so I don’t think it helped me forget my angst.
Similar themes to GTN: all of it, plus more memes
I Want to Be Where The Normal People Are - Rachel Bloom
Summary: Rachel Bloom who wrote the world’s most relatable song: “You Stupid Bitch,” and starred/created in Crazy Ex Girlfriend, writes about having anxiety, feeling like she’s not normal, and Harry Potter fanfic.
How well it helped me forget: 8/10
Rating explanation: For a few minutes I actually did forget about my griddlehark angst while I learned more about Bloom’s life and laughed at the painful relatability of it all.
Similar themes to TLT: ummm depression, feeling very out of place, memes
Fingersmith - Sarah Waters
Summary: The book The Handmaiden was based on. A girl is sent to become a Lady’s handmaiden to con her out of some money. She falls in love. Many plot twists.
How well it helped me forget: 5/10
Rating explanation: I was sadly still thinking about TLT the whole time I read this. I liked it but I actually like the Handmaiden better because the women spend more time together. Like in this book, I wish that Harrow and Gideon could spend more time together.
Similar themes: wlw enemies to lovers, at some point you realize the main character’s love interest understands what’s going on way more than the main character
Kindred - Octavia Butler
Summary: Very dark book about slave narratives. I cannot make a joke here, but this book is excellent.
How well it helped me forget: 10/10
Rating explanation: Again, I can’t make a joke. But Octavia Butler is amazing.
Ash - Malinda Lo
Summary: A wlw retelling of Cinderella with fairies and an emphasis on stories
How well it helped me forget:7/10
Rating explanation: This was really quick and fun and I definitely was rooting for the lesbians. Also it was nice it had a happy ending! If you liked Crier’s War (which I did), this was clearly an influence for Nina Varela.
Similar themes: wlw, the magic one + the fighting one dynamic
Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel
Summary: A deadly pandemic wipes out so many people that the world spins into chaos and no one can figure out how to use electricity apparently? But the book is really about fame and wanting to be remembered. Go figure.
How well it helped me forget: -10/10
Rating explanation: Ok that’s not fair. It helped me forget about Gideon and Harrow but it did NOT help me forget about Corona. It was technically good and a lot of people I respect love it, but either because I was still thinking about TLT or because it was about a pandemic, I couldn’t really enjoy it.
Similar themes: post-apocalyptic
Red, White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Summary: The Prince of England and The son of the president of the US are enemies. They are definitely enemies.
How well it helped me forget: 6/10
Rating explanation: This was such a fun read that it almost distracted me! Tragically I was in such TLT headspace that I kept pausing to read fanfics where Gideon and Harrow switch eyes.
Similar themes: Enemies to lovers, queer
Troubling Love - Elena Ferrante
Summary: In true Elena Ferrante fashion, an event spurs an Italian woman to do a lot of internal processing and have some flashbacks.
How well it helped me forget: 7/10
Rating explanation: This book was a bit disturbing so it distracted me in that way. Plus I love Elena Ferrante’s writing so much that it felt like coming home to an old friend. Unfortunately for me, this is Elena Ferrante’s least queer book. I know because I have now read them all. Her most queer book, The Lying Life of Adults, would have distracted me better. Also just using this space to tell anyone who’s still reading this (probably no one) to go read My Brilliant Friend (and the corresponding Neopolitan Novels). They are not similar to TLT except they are vaguely queer and about competitive friendships where the girls are obsessed with each other in maybe an unhealthy way. Ok so a bit similar. Genuinely my favorite books ever.
Similar themes: mommy issues, daddy issues, childhood trauma
On This Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous -Ocean Vuong
Summary: A Vietnamese immigrant reflects on his mother, grandmother, and his own life experience in the US. It is poetic and beautiful and will make you cry.
How well it helped me forget: 10/10
Rating explanation: This book is beautiful. It really changes how you think about the US. Plus really interesting stuff about the western way of telling stories. Cannot recommend it enough, though very little to do with TLT.
Similar themes: queer, stuff about language, childhood trauma, you will cry
**The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon
Summary: OK sorry none of those were good suggestions for what to read after GTN. THIS is what you should read after GTN. It is an incredibly slow burn wlw enemies to lovers. There are dragons, there is magic, there are very cool female characters who I am in love with. This is like Game of Thrones but if it was good, queer, and only one 800 page book.
How well it helped me forget: 10/10
Rating explanation: Enemies to lovers!!!! What more do I have to say? Also very cool world-building, interesting religious themes.
Similar themes: wlw enemies to lovers, religious themes, magic, very old wizard milfs, also mlm
*The Traitor Baru Cormorant
Summary: Baru is a very smart girl in a colonized island. She decides she will play the game of the colonizers, rise up in their society, and destroy them from within. How is that going, Baru?
How well it helped me forget: 100/10
Rating explanation: This DID make me forget TLT. The only book to truly make me. It made me forget so badly that I wanted my Griddlehark angst BACK. GIVE ME IT BACK I don’t wanna feel sad about Baru anymore. I cannot recommend it more, it is so good, but it did make me ugly cry. It also made me majorly depressed about colonization and the state of the world.
Similar themes: wlw enemies to lovers, ending will make you cry
*The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Summary: Baru is depressed, has brain damage, throws up a lot, is sad about (redacted), does some things without remembering them because there’s something going on in her brain. Sound familiar? It’s kinda like Harrow the Ninth but more depressing. Oh also a lot of new characters are introduced, old characters come back, a lot of setup for the next book. Euler’s identity shows up out of nowhere?!
How well it helped me forget: 10/10
Rating explanation: Again, it made me forget but only because I was so engrossed in this story. Also kinda depressed. This book is kinda depressing. But Baru is very fun to be around, and there are some other great characters. Marry me, Yawa.
Similar themes: again, this is just harrow the ninth on steroids, I am in love with every single woman in this series
*The Tyrant Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Summary: Baru makes a new bestie, reunites with an old bestie, and discovers a dead bestie in her brain!
How well it helped me forget: 1000/10
Rating explanation: I loved this book. There were a few scenes I reread >four times. This book makes the other books in the series worth it.
Similar themes: please see my venn diagram comparing tlt, baru, and A memory called empire for more information
*The Ninth House - Leigh Bardugo
Summary: A girl has seen ghosts her whole life and because of that, gets accepted at Yale even though she didn’t finish high school. Yale is like a hotspot for ghosts I guess. It’s dark academia, the girl has a secret, the narrator is pretty funny.
How well it helped me forget: 6/10
Rating explanation: I was trying to get distracted from TLT (and Baru at this point), but it’s hard to forget about Harrow and Gideon in a book called The Ninth House (hello?). It was enjoyable and there was some good humor. I’m curious about the next book in the series when it comes out. It is not wlw unless you squint (which I do).
Similar themes: debatably wlw body posession, nine houses, the ninth one being important, nerd boy who reminds me of pal, woman is revealed to be MUCH older than I originally thought, soul eating, revenants, tombs, necromancy, character named Mercy
The Bone Season - Samantha Shannon
Summary: It’s the future and London is a hotspot for clairvoyants. Paige is a woman who has a special gift and can jump into people’s bodies and possess them briefly (among other things, this is a terrible explanation). Because of this, she is sent to a secret part of the city where clairvoyants are trained to be monster fighters (but also like, kept there in captivity against their will). Unlike every other book on this list I honestly wouldn’t recommend. I know there are other books in the series. If you’ve read on and it gets better let me know. (I know no one has gotten this far reading this but still)
How well it helped me forget: 4/10
Rating explanation: This one was disappointing because I loved Priory of the Orange Tree so much. This book did not distract me from my griddlehark or barhu feels. There’s also a character named Warden so I thought about SexPal a lot.
Similar themes: enemies to lovers, ghosts, possession, queer but only background characters
****The Unspoken Name - A.K. Larkwood
Summary: A girl is in an isolated cult that wants her to die as a sacrifice (sound familiar?). A definitely not evil wizard helps her escape. She meets a cute necromancer who’s also kinda from a cult. She goes on some gay adventures, gets the help of a morally grey older necromancer (who I’m in love with), and fights with her frenemy.
How well it helped me forget: 10/10
Rating explanation: This is the most similar to TLT on this list. Gideon and Csorwe would be friends. Seriously I recommend this! And the second book comes out soon! And it’s not sad like TLT or Baru!
Similar themes: sword lesbian + necromancer dynamic, wlw enemies to lovers, cults, tombs, necromancy, character named “the sleeper”, also mlm
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue - V. E. Schwab
Summary: Adeline Larue made a deal with a demon in 1714 France, because she wanted to see the world and stuff. It backfires of course. She is immortal but no one remembers her. This causes all sorts of problems and makes her very angsty. The narrative flashes between her going through the years, and her falling in love with the only person who will remember her.
How well it helped me forget: 2/10
Rating explanation: I know people loved this book but I did not. I liked the last 50 pages, I’ll give it that. I wish it was more queer (it was a little queer).
Similar themes: as I said, a little wlw, immortality, demons, I guess falling in love with someone and them not remembering you now that I think about it
Sula - Toni Morrison
Summary: A story about two black women in the 1920’s-1960’s in an Ohio town. It is really great and interesting. It is a book about complicated female friendships (among so many other things that better writers not writing a list no one will read about their TLT feels have outlined) which I love. I was told I should read this after the Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante and it did not disappoint. Same vibes.
How well it helped me forget: 10/10
Rating explanation: This was just a great book. Has really nothing to do with TLT
Similar themes: debatably queer
*Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Network Effect, - Martha Wells
Summary: Muderbot is an artificial construct who just wants to be left alone to watch tv, damnit! It doesn’t want to interact with humans, and it definitely does not want to talk about feelings. Too bad some humans want to become friends with it.
How well it helped me forget: 10/10
Rating explanation: These books were so good. They did help me forget! The books are really about having anxiety, making friends, and letting yourself have feelings. Also they are SO FUNNY. Highly recommend. In the way that I love Gideon’s POV, I love Murderbot’s POV
Similar themes: funny narrator, queer characters, space, people who don’t want to deal with their feelings being forced to deal with their feelings
*A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine
Summary: Mahit is sent a dangerous, evil empire to be an ambassador. Lots of beautiful writing about colonialism, assimilation, language, and culture.There is gay angst and funny characters. I am once again in love with a morally grey older woman character.
How well it helped me forget: 10/10
Rating explanation: Yes this book is great and did distract me from gtn (mostly. I did end up reading a great fanfic about wake, g1deon, and pyrrah in the middle but otherwise...). It is part of my holy trilogy of wlw books (this, baru, tlt) that I just read recently. The next book comes out on March 2nd so it will be a good distraction from waiting for Alecto. Like Baru, it made me feel like shit about colonialism but unlike the other two books in my trilogy (redacted but if you’ve read those books you know) didn’t happen. It had a not too sad ending.
Similar themes: see my venn diagram, but seriously what is going on with brain surgery in these books...
*The Luminous Dead - Cailtin Starling 9/10
Summary: A woman needs money and to get the money she goes on a risky cave dive. It turns out the only contact she has with the rest of the world is a woman who’s kinda a dick. It’s 400 pages of creepy cave diving and these two women talking to each other. It’s creepy and uncomfortable and I loved it. I did spend the whole book thinking it would be such a good story podcast.
How well it helped me forget: 10/10
Rating explanation: It did make me forget about tlt! There are some kinda boring parts but it pays off. The relationship between the two main characters is very interesting (though a bit fucked up).
Similar themes: wlw enemies to lovers, traumatised characters, shitty moms
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A Locked Tomb Trilogy playlist for our favorite ninth house disaster pair! Tracklist (w/ favorite lyrics and a few bonus thoughts) under the cut.
Shrike Hozier
Remember me, love/ when I’m reborn/ as a shrike to your sharp/ and glorious thorn
Between Two Lungs Florence + The Machine
I have this breath/ and I hold it tight/ and I keep it in my chest/ with all my might/ I pray to God this breath will last
No Children The Mountain Goats
I am drowning/ There is no sign of land/ You are coming down with me/ Hand in unlovable hand
(Is it my favorite lyric in the song for Gideon & Harrow or just one of my favorite lyrics ever? The world may never know)
Sick of Losing Soulmates dodie
Yeah, I'm sick of losing soulmates/ Won't be alone again/ I can finally see you're as fucked up as me/ So how do we win?
(With “ Watch how a cold broken teen will desperately lean/ Upon a superglued human of proof” as a very close second)
Kiss with a Fist Florence + The Machine
My black eye casts no shadow/ Your red eye sees nothing/ Your slap don't stick/ Your kicks don't hit/ So we remain the same/ Love sticks/ Sweat drips/ Break the lock if it don't fit
(Yes, yes, I know. It’s more F+tM but I couldn’t have a GriddleHark playlist without it)
Raise Hell Dorothy
Young blood, run like a river/ Young blood, never get chained/ Young blood, heaven need a sinner/ You can't raise hell with a saint/ Young blood, came to start a riot
(THEY DO BONES, MOTHERFUCKER!)
Saint Bernard Lincoln
Hung pictures of patron saints up on my wall/ To remind me that I am a fool/ Tell me where I came from, what I will always be/ Just a spoiled little kid who went to Catholic school
(A song mostly for Harrow that doesn’t fit quite as well as I might like but I thought was worth including)
Planetary (GO!) My Chemical Romance
You're unbelievable/ Ah, so unbelievable/ Ah, you ruin everything/ Oh, you better go home/ I'm unbelievable/ Yeah, I'm undefeatable/ Yeah, let's ruin everything
(These are the most GriddleHark lyrics in the song but lbr it’s mostly a song for Gideon)
We All Become Darrin Korb & Ashley Barrett
Oh, we all, we all become one
(From the videogame Transistor where, more or less, the main character’s boyfriend is trapped in a sword. It’s a beautiful song and it does fit, but mostly I put this on because it made me laugh)
The Sword & The Pen Regina Spektor
What if the sword kills the pen/ What if the god kills the man/ And if he does it with love/ Well then it's death from above/ And death from above is still a death/ I don't want to live without you
King and Lionheart Of Monsters and Men
And as the world comes to an end/ I'll be here to hold your hand/ ‘Cause you're my king and I'm your lionheart
Taking over this town, they should worry/ But these problems aside I think I taught you well/ That we won't run, and we won't run, and we won't run
(What do you mean I can’t just quote the whole song?)
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