Radiation and The Locked Tomb: Continued
@beccastareyes @i-need-a-tlt-outlet @the-boring-distopia @oh-jod-dammit and others have added a LOT of great info in different posts, so the SciFi over Fantasy Megatheorum continues! In this section, we'll cover:
If Radiation is the powerhouse of necromancy (thereby allowing us to label it Thanergy), what is Thalergy?
Birth of an Insufferable Witch
Thalergy first! I'm honestly ashamed I didn't think of it first BUT let’s talk about Mitochondria.
In The Locked Tomb there are a TON of references to blood and lineage being especially important, and blood (generally) means Mitochondrial DNA. It's a known meme fact: Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. This is true! Not only do mitochondria produce cellular energy, they are also involved in the process of cell death.
On mitochondria and radiation:
“The effects of radiation on nuclear and mitochondrial structures are not independent; they interact through bidirectional signaling pathways to affect cellular radioresistance.” (says one of my many tabs)
So there's absolutely a chance that Thalergy is produced by living energy, which tracks with our theory.
One of mDNA's biggest selling points is that it accumulates mutations over time, allowing us to effectively track people's lineages over millenia. It's very interesting that the first thing Alecto does after coherence is take a big ol’ chomp of Harrow. Is she performing a blood/mDNA test? "The line of Anastasia remains unbroken." Alecto isn't stupid; she's not just biting for funsies. This is reconnaissance.
Back to Harrow. Oh, Harrow. Why was her creation so very important? Sure, the Ninth is dying, can't let anyone know, must keep up appearances, yadda yadda. Except no one else gives a bone-dry fuck about the Ninth. I'm not buying that excuse for genocide, thanks.
The Reverend Parents murdered an entire generation to get Harrow. They absolutely could have waited to see if any of the 201 children were budding necros, adopt them, and make them the heir. Who would know? Who would care? Harrow Nova's AU shows this could even be possible, as far as she's aware.
But blood DOES matter. Heredity IS important. The Ninth didn't need any old necro; the leader of the Ninth House requires a necromancer of Anastasia's bloodline. It's the only way Alecto can be assured of the Ninth's fidelity. or some shit.
Here's where the REAL red string comes out: I think the Reverend Parents were holding information back from Harrow, possibly until she reached a specific age (like 17/18). This info became unnecessary after Harrow opened the Tomb, so the Entire Point became null and void.
Remember, Mercy met the teenage Reverend Daughter of the Ninth and PANICKED. Maybe she thought Harrow already knew something like, “Your blood is just as important for keeping the Tomb shut/open as Jod and also you Gotta have an heir,” which would be Very Bad for John to know, especially if Mercy was in on it. So The Body demanded she present younger, at which point Mercy relaxed.
This is all important because there's very little reason for Mercy to look at Harrow and think she might be the result of Dios Apate Major. She's a textbook description of a Ninth necro, looks nothing like her or John, and the Lyctors definitely see a strong resemblance to Anastasia (which is pretty nuts after 10,000 years…. unless you have an unbroken lineage). I don't know why Mercy keeps reducing her age when frustrated, but it interests me. (complete sidenote: 86 generations is waaaay too few for 10,000 years, so either the Ninth is a lot younger than we thought, or there's time-fuckery going on.)
Do you remember Harrow's description of the Tomb's antechamber? It's HEAVILY guarded with skelebone necromancy. It took her years to get through, and she claims she's the only osseous necro who ever could. This tells me that Anastasia was just as concerned with the safety of the Tomb as John was: only her true heir could prove the Ninth's allegiance. Only they could fit the other key in that lock.
In short, I have a feeling that it wasn't just Gideon's blood on her hands that allowed Harrow to open the Locked Tomb.
romaincrisis
yousharknotpass
gracieabrams
kianamaiart
tangentwithtanner
germansingergirl
