if noodle is in a list of dogs who may be metaphors for not-dogs, is noodle a metaphor? if noodle is king of dogs in secret, and nona is harrow is alecto, is noodle is kiriona is gideon
is noodle a metaphor for cavaliers over lyctorhood
is noodle?
I was actually thinking Noodle represented The Angel, who was sort of secretly in charge, but the idea of Nona-Harrow and Noodle-Gideon and their partnership and Noodle literally giving Nona-Harrow a reason to live (in the River scene) is precious.
Alternately, Noodle-Gideon-John's-Daughter trying to protect Nona-Alecto and their close yet somewhat fraught relationship while still loving each other very much. Not a part of The Gang representation, but Still Very Good, I think.
For the record, I don’t see the Tridentarii as romantic either, but it’s easier for me to understand Where People See That than Camilla and Palamedes.
Something-something, they’re both codependent relationships but the Tridentarii relationship is Inscrutable to me and thus Weirder. I do not understand their kind of love. It is Alien.
Well, not exclusively Locked Tomb, this time it was like a wild amalgamation of an anime, a TTRPG, and Harrhowhark was mostly just There for Some Reason.
I haven't even read anything TLT since I read Nona twice??? I think I started reading GtN again and half of HtN when I was on Very Long Flights in November, but I stopped when I got back from England.
Wh...
I can't even remember the Plot details, but the POV oscillated wildly between Me (As I Am In This World) watching an animated show, some kind of choose-your-own-adventure movie that you could interact with, and Actually Being Harrowhark In Those Situations.
I specifically remember being like "Ha, that person with black outfit and white accessories looks like Harrowhark-- and SKULL PAINT, WAIT THAT IS HARROWHARK!"
Throughout the dream, I remember being bewildered and delighted that they made Something Locked Tomb into an Animated Series.
(Why must my dreams tantalize me with so many various media adaptions, only for me to wake up and realize they're not real?!)
Gideon made an appearance for approximately 2 minutes to banter with her at one point, she might have been checking peoples' weapons, but mostly it was Harrowhark and... a huge group of people I can't remember anything about.
(random bits I remember and putting a cut because it did get kinda long, even though it's all just Vague Feelings at this point.)
The "plot" involved a lot of running from people, winning competitions, and some kind of threat from the sky where one character stayed out in the open for too long and something dropped on their head that killed them. I was like "Holy shit, they actually killed someone???" But I specifically remember being like, "probably a good thing that was only a side character", I was more shocked by the death being there than upset that That Particular character had died.
(I think that may have been Dream Canon staying true to IRL Canon where I mostly latch onto One singular Character and mostly only have emotional responses to My Favorite. ^^';; It takes a rare and special piece of media for me to LOVE more than One Character!)
I think my brain drew from Pokemon Horizons, because there were scenes that took place in a thing that was a hot air balloon basket sometimes, and others it was a huge airship???
There were also scenes on the ground though, like something happened in a high school locker hallway that had... something to do with people doing crimes I think, I have no idea why my brain decided that was an appropriate place to put that whole thing.
I wish I could remember the plot because it was Adventurous and I was having a GREAT time, totally engaged (or exhilarated in the moments It Was Happening to Me and not a character on a show).
But alas, I woke up to the alarm and it slipped away. it took a solid 20 seconds to transition from Stirring From the Dream to Actually Being Awake. I was dreaming Really deeply, apparently.
Not sure if that's because my subconscious was Inspired by the concert last night (Breaking Benjamin, Disturbed, and Jinjer!) or if it's because, as I told my qpp last night, "I've done more physical activity in the past 48 hours than I have in the entire past 6 months." And was thus absolutely Conked Out.
(Helped Mom move, moved some things into our own place, and then the concert, which is a situation I'm constantly moving in. Even being sore from moving things for 6+ hours, I can't help but sway and dance and slam the rock fist. So yeah, a Lot of physical activity. The most I've done lately is 10-minute walks to bus stops and physical therapy exercises, which are mostly just little muscles in my hips.)
Yeah that explains things but I stand by my original assertions as well.
I'm also mad that I thought I FINALLY understood what was going on from the beginning, usually the ending explains a lot, but this time it's flipped on me and I'm real mad to have the rug pulled out from under me.
We'll have to see how Alecto goes.
Also yeah still stand by that that's not Gideon. I don't think she'd be too happy about her body being necromantically messed with. This isn't the same person who told Ianthe she'd have a bone butt
I mean, we don't know, you could very well be right!
See, I delight in this series making such violent veering twists, but I'm never someone who Forms Dedicated Theories. I mostly just enjoy the ride as it happens! Sometimes I think "Maybe THIS will happen", in the interest of wild speculation moreso than any conviction it'll be accurate, and I'm rarely actually right. So maybe I'm more used to thinking "Holy shit, I did NOT see that coming!"
And in this series, I've come to expect it'll be something unexpected. That's why my main theory was always that Nona was Alecto rather than Harrowhark or Gideon. Because the author throws nothing but curveballs.
See, we do agree on ONE thing: "This isn't the same person." I think Gideon, like you, had the rug pulled from under her and her whole world lurched sideways. She always had reason to be bitter, but she also always had HARROW. She always had it hard, but now she doesn't have ANYTHING she wanted, except maybe a Cohort uniform and battle action. But I suspect even that isn't what she hoped for, what she wanted. Even on the Ninth, she had Aiglamene. Now what does she have besides empty status?
Trauma changes a person, and in my eyes, that's what we're seeing with Gideon. She's different because so much happened to her.
Anyway, I don't mean to say you're Wrong, because there's a LOT that's up to interpretation. And I know the feeling, because after finishing HtN, I needed a few people to explain to me what the hell had just happened.
I have been baffled by the “Free Mustache Rides” shirt in NtN for like 3/4 a year now. I was like “That’s nonsense. That’s why Nona loves it, right? But didn’t Pyrrha say Cam would hate it or something--”
I’m not sure if I misremembered that part, but I just googled “what does free mustache ride shirt mean” thinking there’d be TLT discussion that mentioned it SOMEWHERE on the internet. But no. It is... a slang term, apparently.
A slang term for a thing Cam would very much have NOT approved of.
(If you look it up for yourself, be warned that it’s rated X.)
Oh you misunderstand me, I'm saying THAT'S NOT GIDEON. Our Gideon is still merged with Harrow in Nona. Or half merged. I think on the technical side God took half her soul? The bit that's not merged with Harrow? Anyway
OUR Gideon would slip out into Kiriona's body and then immediately start teasing Harrow about how damn adorable they both were as Nona. Our Gideon would be a little more awkwardly gentle with whoever it is that's still obviously a goddamn baby piloting Harrows body.
I think our Gideon would love Nona the same way Pyrrha does. I think our Gideon would be overjoyed to realize here's a Harrow she can love that loves her back.
I think the last thing Gideon would call John is DAD. At least not offhandedly.
I think Gideon is still in Harrow. At least, she definitely was before that kiss. Ianthe is going to find an entirely different person wearing that friendship bracelet. (Also friendship bracelets? Those two? REALLY?!)
Oh, that's quite an interesting theory! Not taking canon events at face-value, I see.
I will say, I think you interpret Gideon as softer than I do. And less changed.
If you saw someone you'd spent your whole life hating, then became utterly dedicated to, and you lost her... only to have her come back, but find out it is Definitely Not Her? Nona is a total sweetheart, but I know I myself would be very Put Off by that!
But... I won't say much more. Have you read the ending? Do you know who Nona is?
