augustine the first–saint of patience
genesis 🌏
“Kiriona” is the Māori form of “Gideon”.
In The Locked Tomb, Gideon going by Kiriona (in addition, mind you, to Gideon, since she still remembers and uses that name, as well) is an instance of a Māori woman connecting with an aspect of her Māori heritage she previously wasn’t aware of due to having grown up an orphan.
Gideon getting the name Kiriona isn’t her losing anything; it’s her gaining something. Thematically, Kiriona in the third book has gotten or gets all the things she wanted in the first book (a Cohort officer commission, legitimacy, Crux dead etc), both so that she may know if she truly wants them or not and so that when she gets Harrow in her life, her whole life isn’t just revolving solely around Harrow.
Anyway, I’d encourage members of the fandom to think about how they engage with the name “Kiriona” and how they frame Gideon using it in fandom discussions. Treating Gideon using the name Kiriona as something bad or wrong or lessening risks coming off as really insensitive.
i think there’s also something to tlt and the idea of love and anger co-existing. gideon loves harrow, but is also so very (justifiably) mad at her. mercymorn and augustine love john, which is exactly what makes their (also justified) anger so much more tragic. john loved the world so much he destroyed it in a fit of rage and despair. atn should be about alecto’s anger, but also about “i still love you”, because not only do those two feelings co-exist, in tlt, they might as well be the same fucking emotion.
cosmic horror (god loves you too much and keeps resurrecting you)
nona the ninth is a very funny book but I think arguably the funniest moment is when Ianthe’s like KIRIONA!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP ALECTOS IN L O V E WITH JOHN AND WE’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO FUCKING SAY IT OKAY!?!? not knowing that Alecto’s right there in Harrow’s body not remembering that piece of information and then because she does she immediately starts disintegrating and literally falling to pieces. like way to drop the ball mister girl 😭 way to chuck the ball into the void of space. just. completely lose track of it in spae and time
since i haven’t posted art in a while: here’s some tlt WIPs i’m currently working on [alecto, augustine, a cameo from @drawsderek’s john (one of my absolute FAVOURITE designs), and some john 1:20]