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ancientannoyance:

A sideways flipped drawing of a inside dustjacket flap cover showing three skeletons done in grey-ish linework on a black-ish blackground, dancing around. The background shows one large planet in shadow near the bottom right and one small planet in shadow near the top left. In between the dancing skeletons are one black key that is decorated with curlicules, one red key with a clover head, one decorative and ornate gold key with no teeth but dimples along the shaft, one plain grey key with a square loop and one long tooth, and a plain white key with a round loop and three plain teeth.ALT
Compilation of quotes from Gideon the Ninth; "- was another, smaller key dangling off to one side, gleaming golden, with an elaborately carved shank and deep pockmarks instead of cuts in the shaft." "Gideon noticed that their ring held a facility key and one other, in black wrought iron with curlicules." "The key appeared in Harrow's other hand, shining silvery white, austerely plain with a single loop for a head and three simple teeth on the shaft." "a thick grey key with unpretentious teeth, the kind you'd lock a cabinet with." "The new key was chunky and solid, and dyed a deep, juicy scarlet." "It was big; the shaft was as long as Gideon's middle finger, and the clover head satisfactorily heavy." "Palamedes drummed his fingers on the table. "Well. Forgive me the explanation, Ninth. I know you've been keeping track of the keys-" (Ha! Ha! Ha! thought Gideon. She hadn't.)"ALT

I’m doing a tlt book dust jacket art swap with a friend and for the left inside flap of the first book i decided to illustrate the facility keys, and it’s very amusing to me that gideon gives such precise descriptions of the keys without once going “wait a minute these aesthetics sound familiar …”