June 2023

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gideoncav69:

Gideon at Canaan House vibes

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addamii:

a drawing in a painterly style, set underwater looking up at Nona who's head is poking through the surface of the water, out of view. she is surrounded by glowing purplish jellyfish. her shirt is billowing out in the water, and her braids float around her. she is swatting away one of the jellyfish.ALT

Nona having a swimmingly good time with deadly jellyfish

Available as a print here :)

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beguilingcorpse:

rating ways to advertise the locked tomb

“lesbian necromancers in space”: 5/10. technically true, except that gideon isn’t a necromancer and for the most part they aren’t in space. can also be tonally misleading; implies a fun space opera adventure and fails to mention the impending emotional devastation. that being said it is iconic and (mostly) effective

“murder mystery in a haunted gothic castle”: 8/10. MUCH better at capturing the tone and plot of the first book, but still a little off. imagine picking up the book because of this blurb and then watching gideon nav make a mean girls reference in the first 20 pages. the whiplash could kill you

“a locked tomb mystery”: 5/10. nondescriptive and a little misleading, but i can’t give this any lower than a 5 because the pun is very good. gideon would love this one and that should count for something

“gay goth among us”: 10/10. i’m not even going to pretend like this one doesn’t nail it. try and argue against this. you can’t. captures the murders, the space-y setting, the queer characters, the tone and aesthetic, AND the contemporary humor. chef’s kiss

“enemies to lovers ‘i hate everyone but you’ slow burn”: 1/10. true if you squint. the relationship between gideon and harrow would make booktok weep

“catholic homestuck”: 9/10. this means nothing and explains everything

this tweet by tamsyn muir:

[Image ID: A tweet by “tamsyn should be writing” @tazmuir: “sure, I edited from 12 o'clock to 4.30, but how much of that time did I spend on the discovery that the basis of my novel is 'what if these two were… teenage girls’”, followed by an image of Skeletor and He-Man. /end ID]

10/10. conveys the pop culture savvy of the series, the complex dynamic between the main characters, and the humor of the writing style all at once. also makes me laugh every time i think about it

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vampiremotif:

i’m not gonna say im surprised but oh my fucking god

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rosiefingereddawn:

One thing that was really fun about Nona was it’s commitment to unreliable narration as seen through a child. Nona is perceptive and clues in on a lot more than others want her to know, yet there are hints of shit going on that Nona doesn’t really get. Like some of it becomes plot relevant so you do get answers but I’m talking about the stuff we don’t get to see again, like what all Camilla and Palamedes’ night missions entailed. If they are trying to save necromancers, did they? And where would they put the escapees? I still wonder why Pyrrha had the job she did and if that was also something important. The fact that Pyrrha was maybe fucking Cam and Pal off screen. Same with a lot of details about New Rho, why was the building Nona lived in so bad, why shouldn’t you leave the house without a jacket and mask, etc etc. New Rho itself is a bleak wasteland where you can’t buy a lot of food but who cares bc Nona doesn’t like most food anyways. I’m OBSESSED with the way we find out BOE is burning necromancers alive is through children who are attending public executions, debating if they helped kill someone the same way you might debate if someone actually did a cartwheel. These are all things Nona takes for granted, as long as her loved ones are safe, they don’t register as noteworthy, that’s just how things are, right? I have so many questions but Nona can answer none of them but she can tell me if Noodle was a good boy today

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bearkunin:

New Rho Under Siege

CW: discussion and a few images of urban conflict some may find disturbing. I’ve tried to avoid any actual depictions of death however.

The Locked Tomb series receives a lot of gushing praise (quite rightly) for its intricate and complex depictions of relationships and love, sexuality and gender. But something I’ve seen less praise for (though I’m sure it exists) is the incredibly rich depiction of what an urban environment during warfare and civil strife looks like.

One of the unfortunate facts of urban warfare is that civilians are almost inevitably present, even in the most dire circumstances. Take the Bakhmut as an example. Despite months of fighting, thousands lived on in the city and region right to at least the very closing moments. This is despite the city being essentially entirely destroyed.

👆 civilians still lived through these conditions.

New Rho in Nona the Ninth feels incredibly lived in. The city supposedly contains ~9 million people, and you can believe it. There are all sorts of people, there are different groups and socio-economic areas, people have different responses to the situation they find themselves under, but they all living complex lives. This goes well beyond the key characters or even the side characters, but is captured by the existence of a barter economy, background vigilante and militia groups, the daily grind of workers desperately seeking ad hoc jobs.

They walked alongside all the other workers - the ones who didn’t get picked up in the morning in the worker vans, or didn’t have a job that merited a worker van, or didn’t have a job but lived in hope - and they all trudged slowly through the street in clusters, parting only when a truck ground through, the driver leaning on the horn if someone didn’t move out of the way quick enough.

I reckon some of the super fans here could pull out all sorts of fascinating little details in the world building of New Rho to discuss here.

[A civilian woman with a grocery bag walks through a levelled market in Grozny, Checnya during the Chechen War]

The Irish Troubles produced a number of iconic photos showing the dichotomy of urban conflict amongst civilians.

A group of school children walk by a heavily armed masked militant.ALT
A little boy stands on the street as an armed man takes a firing position by a building corner.ALT
Civilians walk the street, including an old woman, as an armed man takes a firing position by a building.ALT
A group of young children pose playfully with an armed man on a street corner.ALT

Perhaps one of the best parallels would be life in Palestine, particularly the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip, with a population of >2 million has lived under blockade for many years with frequent intervention/incursion by Israel.

Heavily destroyed buildings in Gaza City following Israeli strikes.ALT

[Aftermath of Israeli strikes in Gaza City, 2021]

One of the interesting parallels with Palestine is the plethora of different actors and resistance groups, just a fractious and secretive as New Rho’s Blood of Eden and other militants, and who often seem to spend more time fighting themselves and civilians rather than their main enemy.

The Marxist-Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) gave us the splinter groups PFLP-SC (Special Command), PFLP-GC (General Command), PFLP-EO (Executive Order), Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Popular Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and had complex intertwined relations with groups like the Black September Organisation, Palestinian Liberation Front, Arab Liberation Front, Palestinian National Salvation Front, the Abdul Nidal Organisation, Fatah al-Intifada, Vanguard for the Popular Liberation War - Lightning Forces, and dozens of others. On the Islamist side there is similarly a plethora of groups, from Hamas, to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade (Islamic State in Gaza), the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the Army of Islam, and Jund Ansar Allah. It’s almost comical to write them out.

New Rho itself is home to many refugees and “re-settled” peoples, which is somewhat reminiscent of Palestinians and the related conflict spilling into Lebanon, Jordan and other neighbouring areas. The complexity and number of groups involved skyrocket.

Bullet ridden and heavily destroyed buildings in a Shatila refugee campALT

[Shatila Camp, Lebanon during the War of the Camps]

Rarely is war as simple as “Good Guys vs. Bad Guys” or even “Bad Guys vs. Bad Guys.” There is almost always a vast number of interest groups and competing organisations at stake, even in some of the more black and white wars like WW2. Muir just hits this nail right on the head in my opinion.

You could also make similar parallels to the Syrian Civil War, which has an equally complex mix of militants and groups. Despite all of that, of course, life still goes on. School kids still attend school, even in bullet ridden buildings.

Students playing in the courtyard of a bombed out schoolALT
A small class being taught in a bare and war-torn buildingALT
Children lining up for school outside a bullet-ridden and missile-blown building.ALT

These kids are your Hot Sauce and Honesty and Kevin and Beautiful Ruby.

Typically the books I’ve read depicting a place under siege or at war (at least in sci-fi / fantasy) have a focus on the main characters leading the war effort. There may be issues of water or food shortages, but they’re largely somewhat abstract political complications being dealt with by key rulers or the like. Often times war is simply sanitised completely (think Star Wars), or it is portrayed through a military lens, or when it deals with civilians it focuses on the destruction and death of civilian life.

I just found Nona wonderful in depicting the mundanity, the boredom, the regularity of life in a war zone, as well as the sudden shocks of change and turmoil and fear, and then as well the glimpses of joy and pleasure that humans still experience. I’m just really quite blown away by Tamsin Muir, and I wonder if she had a specific conflict as inspiration for her writing here.

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texts-from-last-ninth:

[Ianthe Font: (631): i doubt you are even in possession of a crowbar.
Camilla Font: (1-631): I suggest you not find out the hard way]

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felineempress:

No one:

Nona trying to invite all of BoE to her birthday party


Might color this later

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scalierpepper:

Nono and Cam


lineart under the cut bc i just like how it looks a lot

Keep reading

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rapace-mordace:

Just some Griddlehark in a band AU setting!

Where are the instruments, you say? Are those J’S fake? Good questions!

This is an outfit study, I made sure to give Gideon and Harrow the sluttiest and the sleepiest of the looks, respectively >:D

Also, Harrows skelly hoodie :3

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puffywiz:

A digital illustration depicting a prehistoric creature from the precambrian period called a pikaia. It is an aquatic animal with a long slender body and pronged head with two protrusions at the end, resembling a slug. It floats gently in an ocean void, with a few small bubbles framing it. There is a small text bubble at the bottom corner of the illustration which reads "I love you."ALT
A digital illustration of a table setting viewed from above. There is a plate being set out in front of the viewer by someone with dark skin and reddish arm hair. The plate contains two eggs and a few slices of fruit, placed in such a way that resembles a smiling face. There are two cups on the table, one with water, and another with coffee. There is an ash tray full of cigarette butts, a pair of glasses, three multicolored hair elastics and several notes and papers strewn across the table. The plate is being set on top of a children's illustration, drawn in crayon. It seems to depict a crude sketch of a saber toothed cat. There is text in the corner of the illustration which reads "I love you."ALT
A digital illustration depicting an Albertaceretops and its young walking together in a grassy field. The larger animal is a darker brown with gradiants of cream on its underbelly, and striping on its back, face and tail. It has some facial scarring and is missing the end of one of its horns. It's young is about a third of its size, with a paler taupe color palette and less pronounced facial tusks and horns. There is a speech bubble at the bottom corner which reads "I love you."ALT
A digital illustration depicting a little brown haired boy snugged up in bed with his grandmother. They are reading the children's book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" together, while the dim light from an old fashioned lamp illuminates the corner of a bedroom. The little boy is holding a barbie doll in one hand as he looks down at the pages. His grandmother is a round-faced woman with golden hoop earrings, pink nailpolish and a distinct blueish facial tattoo on her lips and chin. (This is called a moko kauae, a traditional Māori tattoo for women) Both characters have a medium brown skin tone. There is text on the bottom corner of the image that reads "I love you."ALT
A digital illustration of a beach scene. The sky is a sickly color of blue, tinged with smog. There is a blue orb in the sky which obscures the natural light. In the foreground there is a character from the locked tomb series - a six legged white dog named noodle. He is looking at the viewer playfully. There is text on the image which reads "I love you."ALT
A digital illustration set in a dark glittering cave. There are strings of glow worm egg trails that glow an eerie turquoise. The foreground of the image depicts a lazily outstretched hand with a tiny glow worm on the end of the persons finger. The figure has a medium skin tone, chipped fingernails, and a rosary of bones wrapped around their wrist. They are wearing a sparkling white cloak that hangs off their forearm. There is text on the bottom corner of the illustration that reads "I love you."ALT
A digital illustration depicting three jellyfish, floating in a blue void. The jellyfish are a combination of blues and pinks, surrounded by bubbles. There is text on the image which reads "I love you."ALT
A digital illustration featuring a character from The Locked Tomb Series. Paul stands with their naked back to the viewer. Their eyes are obscured, and their body is smoking. There is text on the image which reads "I love you."ALT
A digital illustration depicting a creature from the early Eocene called Archicebus achilles. It is a small primate with a hunched back, large round eyes and distinct, long digits on its hands and feet. It is coiled on a treebranch, shaded from a rainstorm. There is text on the image which reads "I love you."ALT
A digital illustration depicting a scene described in The Locked Tomb Series. A little girl in skull facepaint looks down toward the viewer with an expression of shock. She is wearing a black robe adorned with fragments of bone. She is leaning over a stone slab, looking down. The image is framed as if the viewer is looking up from a resting position below her. There is blood under the little girls fingernails. There is a speech bubble in the corner of the drawing which reads "I love you."ALT
A black image with the text "I..." ALT
A digital illustration depicting two characters from The Locked Tomb Series. Kiriona, covered in blood, looks desperately at Ianthe who is feircly focused and looking down at the viewer. The image is distorted, as though the viewer is dizzy and unable to focus. There is text which reads the word "still"ALT
A digital illustration depicting a hand reaching out to stroke the face of a woman. The hand is battered and bloody, and the thumb leaves a smear of blood on the woman lips. The woman's eyes are obscured, her face is pale and cracked, with ice dusting her features. She is haloed by a large swath of blonde hair. Her neck is manacled. The image is distorted like the one above it, as though the viewer can't focus well. There is text on the bottom corner which reads "love y-"ALT
A black image.ALT
A digital illustration depicting Nona from The Locked Tomb Series. She is standing against a background of pale pinks and oranges, illuminated by yellow light. She is turned toward the viewer with her braids billowing in the breeze. She is saying, "I love you."ALT

“It’s finished, it’s done. You can’t take loved away.”

- Tamsyn Muir, Nona the Ninth

💝 Thank you for 1k. Special thanks to my lovely friend @sessjudoodles for helping sketch the line work for the Albertaceretops :)

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plintoon:

Finally did some Nona the Ninth sketches (only months after I finished the book)! Noodle is my absolute favourite and Nona is My Girl!! 

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lockedtombmemes:

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kelly-kirstein:

I had the best time at the Locked Tomb meetup at Holiday Matsuri. Is your favorite character in here?

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addamii:

a drawing of Nona in a painterly style. she is standing in front of a blurred cityscape, smiling at the viewer. she is wearing a baggy green coat, a white shirt with a dog on it, and grey gloves. her hair is in two messy braids which are blowing slightly in the breeze.ALT

Happy earth day! Here’s a Nona to celebrate! (Don’t look at the day shhh shhhh it’s earth day shhh)

This is up in my print store now :)

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lockedtombmemes:

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addamii:

Breakfast impressions with Pyrrha

page one of a comic. panel one: Pyrrha, Camilla, and Nona at the breakfast table. Nona is saying "OH OOH! DO PALAMEDES!". panel two: Pyrrha mimes pushing up glasses. panel three: Pyrrha steeples her fingers and says "theorems are so so fun and interesting!". panel four: Nona is smiling and saying "NOW CAMILLA!" while pointing at Camilla, who has a blank expression and is holding a fork with some food on it. panel five: Pyrrha cracks her knuckles and looks suspiciously to the right. panel seven: Pyrrha says "guy on the left. got a gun."ALT
page two of a comic. panel one: nona, very excited, says "ME NEXT!!". panel two: Pyrrha smirks. panel three: Pyrrha puts two hard boiled egg halves in front of her face to mimic Nona's yellow eyes. panel four: Pyrrha, still holding the eggs, says "I LOVE DOGS AND I LOVE EVERYONE!"ALT
page three of a comic. panel one: Pyrrha says, "AND I'LL BE LATE FOR SCHOOL IF I DON'T START EATING MY BREAKFAST!" as Nona watches with a concerned look. panel two: Nona hurriedly picks up her fork and says "OK! OK!". panel three: Nona takes a bite of food and looks very disgusted but determined, with text next to her that says "blegh". panel four, final panel: a wide shot of Nona, Camilla, and Pyrrha at the table. Nona is hurriedly eating, while Camilla and Pyrrha look at her and smile. Pyrrha is eating one of the eggs she held up earlier.ALT

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asparklethatisblue:

Nona is about to go all ice lolly bimbo Barbie. Or chew some pens. She hasn’t decided

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stringcage:

coffee shop au’s evil twin

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eemolu:

i can’t believe tamsyn muir fucking said this. i can’t believe how right she is. i want to take her out for tacos and have an emotional affair with her that ruins me for all other dinner partners.

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litzis-art:

quick drawing of the most loving girl out there and her family