I didn't read many amazing books this year to be honest, but still! Blacktongue Thief was a lovely surprise, fantasy of the classic kind that I missed without falling into mediocre white guy nonsense! I'm excited to read the prequel
Rebel Blade was a great conclusion to the series, and I need to reread them all soon
The Spear Cuts Through Water is the most challenging and complex narrative I've read in a while. Layers upon layers.
The City in Glass is my favorite of the year: a demon and an angel vying for control of a city over centuries
Oathbound was masterful, I cannot wait to see how this series conclude!!
Among all the things that eat away at me about orufrey is how wrong Olruggio is about Qifrey's feelings for him, due to the repeated memory wipes. How he probably thinks that Qifrey isn't interested in him (while Qifrey actively pines and yearns for him), that Qifrey doesn't like to be held close (while Qifrey constantly holds himself back from touch out of caution and not aversion to touch), that Qifrey doesn't know or doesn't acknowledge how Olruggio feels for him (while Qifrey fights to live in order to honour Olruggio's sacrifice for him).
Like just the fact that Olruggio genuinely wants to be with him and after all this time he's convinced Qifrey doesn't and will never reciprocate, and still stays by his side because just being allowed that is enough. And just how wrong that is. How Qifrey is determined to make a fulfilling life for himself and be free of the silverwood so to not let Olruggio's multiple sacrifices go to waste. Olruggio knows nothing but respects Qifrey enough to not impose unless other people are put at risk. Qifrey knows everything but cannot speak out of risk of death. His way of honouring his sacrifice is by letting him think his love is unrequited. And that is something Olruggio consented to, but forced himself to forget.
How relieving it must have been for Olruggio, to know Qifrey feels the same, but also how devastating to know this love is what kills him. And so he chooses to forget that. To carry a burden of feeling that his love is unrequited, as a mere sample of the burden Qifrey carries. Partners in pain.
been a minute since ive updated people but hetty and i are slowly but surely making progress through the immigration process. we are creeping up on her interview, which will be scheduled soon. i am ....cautiously optimistic this means she can move here by the end of the year and then we will get legally married asap. and then two ish years down the road we will plan a ceremony. so progress is happening and i will be married ..... i think in under a year.
They are not so secretly my fave. They're a year above Rae, and when Heart of Stone takes place, they're a little bit of a manic pixie nb, ngl. Rae likes them overall but is also really irritated with their inability to give straight answers and connect with people. She has her own stuff to deal with, so she doesn't really go out of her way to spend time with Nehja.
Nehja is a follower of Asynos, the divine of Knowledge and Balance, but at that point in their life they're essentially lost. They're taking every elective they can, and hoping something will stick. They like to pretend they know where they're headed, but really they just avoid connecting with others because they worry whatever they'll end up doing won't be their decision if they get too close.
Thanks for the ask!! 14 is Rae during her second year of school
(art by @areyousanta 💜)
This is probably the happiest time for her over the course of Heart of Stone: she is finally getting her bearings and no longer constantly afraid of failing out, and possibly for the first time in her life she feels like she's truly fitting in with her peers, not just pretending to.
She's still picking practicality over raw aesthetics when it comes to clothes, but she's also determined to look the part of a mage and allowing herself more color and fancier fabrics ✨
Olruggio's Mannerism's as a Reminder of the Tassel Swap, Witch Hat Atelier Analysis
(Spoilers through chapter 93)
So Olurggio has this nervous thing he does where he rubs or scratches at the back of his neck. Fun little character quirk that does a lot to let us know whenever something is making him uncomfortable, stressed, nervous ect. Here are some examples.
(In order these are Chapter 8 after Qifrey says he should erase his memory if they erase Coco's, Chapter 40 need I say more, Chapter 88 after lying to the Knight's Morales) There are so many more examples he is always pulling this move.
We also see him do this right before confronting Qifrey about the tassel swap.
Whenever we see Qifrey and Olly arguing as adults, Olly usually rubs his neck either after relenting the argument, or if he's about to say something confrontational. This is exactly what's happening in this scene. But what's also fun here is that the first panel looks to me a bit like hes grasping for where his ribbon would be, and given his reaction afterward he hadn't noticed the switch until this point.
My initial theory from this is that Olruggio's nervous habit of reaching for his neck, was originally a habit of fidgeting with his ribbon. I still believe this, however there is no other point in the flashback ark where he does this, which could mean nothing but could also be extremely intentional.
It's significant that the first time we see him do this is after he's had his memories erased. He is grasping for something that is not there, both literally and figuratively.
Transphobia is about to be signed into law in the UK. We can fight this.
I am begging the UK trans community and its allies to attend the Mass Lobby at Parliament on June 25th, 11am-4pm, organised by Trans Solidarity Alliance.
Last year we broke the record for an LGBT+ mass lobby of Parliament. Will you help us break it again? Join us on 25th June 2026 to demand be
The new EHRC Code of Practice pushes trans people out of toilets, hospital wards, and community spaces. It normalises gender policing based on appearance and stereotypes. It becomes statutory guidance in the UK by the end of June.
Trans people are now legally their assigned gender at birth and must join gendered spaces accordingly, but if they are perceived as their lived gender, they can also be ejected from those spaces. The guidance says: either break the law, or don’t pass too well.
A mass lobby is where you invite your MP to discuss your concerns with you in-person. Ask your MP to:
Demand full parliamentary scrutiny, debate, and use their free vote on the EHRC Code of Practice.
Support any motions rejecting the EHRC guidance. As of June 4th, Labour MP Nadia Whittome has submitted a prayer motion - Early Day Motion 240.
Write to Bridget Phillipson, the Minister for Women and Equalities about our concerns
Your MP does not have to be an ally, they do not have to respond to your email for you to show up and greencard them (details below the cut.) What matters is that as many people as possible show up.
I cannot stress this enough: Showing up in person matters. It is much more effective than petitions, emails, and letters.
It is a horrible, stressful time, and I am so sorry if you're trans and live in the UK. But I was at last year's mass lobby and the line for greencarding alone stretched around the back gates. It was a record breaking mass lobby and made us impossible to ignore. Let's do even better this time. Details under the cut:
Worried about what to say?
Bring your personal worries about transphobia being signed into law, and trans friends being excluded from public spaces. You are a living person who deserves dignity. Remind your MP of that. You will also get guidance and brochures from Trans Solidarity Alliance that outlines our demands. This is mine from last year.
Money issues?
Trans Solidarity Alliance provides a travel bursary that you can sign up for via the link.
Got a refusal or no response from your MP?
Come anyway! You can request a same-day appointment with your MP through a process called greencarding. They will come and see you if they’re already in Parliament. Even if they don’t, they’re made acutely aware of your cause because you showed up in person. This is my greencard from last year.
Here is the EHRC Code of Practice in full. It's a tough read, but some highlights are:
Organisations can’t provide trans-inclusive, single-sex services, or they risk being sued for discrimination.
e.g. domestic violence support for women including trans women, men’s rugby group including trans men (12.68).
Trans people will have nowhere safe to pee.
If you’re a trans man, businesses can't allow you to pee in the men's, and you can also be ejected from women’s bathrooms if you’re perceived as a man. Vice versa for trans women. EHRC suggests a ‘third space’ bathroom, which is discriminatory and unworkable for most businesses. (13.130-133)
Sports organisations must exclude trans people from single-sex competitions (13.73).
A women’s only sports competition must exclude trans women because of their biological advantage or face potential lawsuits (13.74), but a trans man who has undergone testosterone treatment can also be excluded based on fairness rules (13.81).
Trans women are stripped of the legal definition of ‘lesbian’, and therefore no longer have legal protections if they’re discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation. (2.50, 2.92).
Here is the Good Law Project's better explanation of the EHRC Code.
I have also made a PDF printout of QR codes for the government petition, email your MP tool, and mass lobby link to pass around your communities. DM me and I'll send it to you.
see unfortunately I have this condition where if I am not explicitly told that I am a part of the ingroup then I will assume I must be part of the outgroup
