#the locked tomb
The painted face and her hands
the thing about that john gaius tragic hero thing is that to speculate which specific tragic figure taz muir might be referencing via him is, i think, beside the point of her comment, which is not just that she sees him as a tragic figure, but that he sees himself that way and is kind of fashioning himself in that generic line. for me that’s much more interesting than speculating specifically who he’s supposed to be – i don’t think he’s supposed to be any pre-existing tragic figure, i think he’s making himself into a new one. his relationship to his lyctors (and their cavaliers) and alecto, not to mention his kind of “aw shucks i guess i have to commit necromantic atrocities i’m so sorry about it but also not sorry enough to stop” approach to imperialism, sure it might resonate in certain ways with existing tragic characters, i certainly won’t deny that, but i think that’s because of the tropes of tragedy that surround john and that muir has hinted he’s crafting his image in reference to. this isn’t john gaius starring in the tragedy of oedipus or lear, this is, in his mind, the tragedy of john gaius.
i think that gets most interesting when it comes to the ~tragic downfall~ aspect, or the requisite reversal of fortunes that aristotle talks about in the poetics re: tragedy. if john is fashioning himself as someone who is doomed to fail in some way, i think that speaks to the way he treats his approach to empire-building as a kind of pseudo-solemn pseudo-apology. he’s boundto do this, it’s just the kind of guy he’s predetermined to be. in that way he’s not dissimilar to agamemnon putting on the yoke of necessity to sacrifice his daughter. one popular reading of that moment is that it (at least to some degree) absolves agamemnon of full responsibility for the violence he goes on to commit, that he was choosing the best out of a bunch of bad options. of course, even in the tragedies that agamemnon appears in, it’s much more complicated than that, but it feels like john is trying to garner the same response re: his own violence. he wants you to think he’s been damned if you do, damned if you don’t-ed into leading a wide-scale galactic colonialist death cult. the sun will go out if necromancy dies! the nine houses will be lost!! (nevermind that they could be evacuated reasonably enough that it theoretically formed a part of augustine and mercymorn’s plan)
idk this is really just rambling at this point i just feel like it’s more interesting to think about the forces at play within tragedy as a genre and how john models himself as a victim of those forces, potentially as a way to try to evade moral responsibility for what he’s doing. maybe as a way to convince himself? most likely as a way to convince those closest to him? idk???? i don’t think he’s an agamemnon dupe though
“But if you ask me two’s a whole lot lonelier than one”
Save yourself, I’ll hold them back
“Save me, Jody”
The greatest
The Locked Tomb Tarot
The Moon
- Harrowhark Nonagesimus -
Upright: unconscious, illusions, intuition
Reversed: confusion, fear, misinterpretation
The Locked Tomb Tarot
The Sun
- Gideon Nav -
Upright: joy, success, celebration, positivity
Reversed: negativity, depression, sadness
Judgement
-Commander Awake Remembrance of These Valiant Dead -
Upright: reflection, reckoning, awakening
Reversed: lack of self awareness, doubt, self loathing
The Locked Tomb Tarot
The World
-Dominicus System-
Upright: fulfillment, harmony, completion
Reversed: incompletion, no closure
“How does it feel, Captain, to have a King bowing before you?”
A matching set
“Like what you see, Jody?”
Neon genesis evangelion AU
Chaotic girlfriends getting ready for Valentine’s day
