Extended Content Warning Info for The Thread That Binds 

This page is here to expand on the list of content warnings given at the beginning of The Thread That Binds. It doesn’t currently have exact page numbers, as I underestimated how much work that would be (and also, different formats have different page numbers), but I try to list the chapter numbers where I can. Please be advised that there is spoiler content in the list ahead. Personally, there are some things I’d rather be “spoiled” about to reduce anxiety and potentially feeling triggered, so if that’s you, too, I hope it helps!

If you catch anything while reading the book that I haven’t listed here, or you have questions, please use the contact form here to let me know.

emotional abuse, manipulation, and gaslighting by parents to an adult child
Tabby comes from a family with parents who fought often. One of them, Oran, displayed great bouts of rage and anger which were directed at Tabby and the other parent, Lilja. Oran is never referred to as having physically harmed Tabby or Lilja, but there are references to destroying or threatening to destroy property and objects. Lilja harms Tabby both in the past and on the page by guilt-tripping, crying, and gaslighting Tabby into taking a caretaker/protector role that is harmful to em as a child and as an adult. Tabby is consistently placed into a mediator role between eir parents, even as the two of them separate during the course of the book. You can expect these things to show up in basically any Tabby chapter, most notably when the characters of Oran and Lilja are around, as Tabby’s character arc centers on recognizing and recovering from this abuse. Tabby does eventually cut contact with both of them, and they are not redeemed or forgiven.

emotional abuse, manipulation, and gaslighting by a mentor/boss to an employee
Throughout the book, Mairead uses emotional abuse tactics and gaslighting to get Rhiannon to do what e wants—Mairead is Rhiannon’s boss and holds power over em as such. This most notably includes the tactic of building someone up with compliments only to tear them down later, manipulating someone by offering them a promotion and fame they really want, being self-denigrating when called out on inappropriate behavior, and touching Rhiannon after being asked not to (not sexually, but platonically). You can expect these things to appear basically whenever Mairead is around, which is mostly constrained to Rhiannon chapters. Though Mairead does other creepy things or is discussed in other characters’ chapters, it’s generally much more minor. Eventually, Rhiannon does stand up against Mairead after making some mistakes that hurt other characters as a result of being manipulated.

It is revealed over the course of the story, largely in Part 4, that Mairead has “punished” employees, including Rhiannon and Camille, for not doing what e wants or for standing up to em, by casting curses on them. These curses cause severe chronic illness for Camille in particular, and Rhiannon to a lesser degree. It has a similarity to accounts of illness caused by long-term poisonings.

There is some pity and sympathy directed at Mairead, who it is mentioned in Chapter 34, also had a difficult childhood like Aeronwy and Tabby, but eir behavior is not excused for this reason, and there is no redemption arc. In the end, Mairead faces real consequences and is held accountable for eir actions towards Rhiannon and others.

discussion of past emotional child abuse and its effects
Both Tabby and Aeronwy are survivors of emotional child abuse, and a large part of their character relationship arc involves talking about it. You can expect this to come up in basically any of Tabby’s chapters, even when Aeronwy is not there, as it’s central to eir character arc. See the first listing for more information on the type of abuse Tabby experienced and may reference. These discussions typically don’t get into details, but they do bring up how painful it is to recover from such abuse and name it as such. Chapter 16, 19, and 28 have a large focus on these discussions.

a nightmare concerning past emotional child abuse
In Chapter 7, Tabby has a nightmare in which e hides in a closet while eir parents are fighting at night. The violence is only alluded to, but the emotion felt as a child during such an event is described in some detail.

mention and brief threat of domestic violence
When Tabby talks about Oran (one of eir parents) at various points in the book, e sometimes refers to aggressive or violent behaviors being used to scare em and Lilja (other parent). These behaviors are directed at property/objects and Oran does not physically harm Tabby or Lilja, but the implication is there. In Chapter 31, Oran acts aggressively towards Tabby in person, banging fists on a table, shoving stuff off of it, looming over em physically, and slamming a door due to Tabby asking em to leave.

minor character death/death of a mentor (off page, peaceful, assisted death) and mention of terminal brain cancer diagnosis (not explored further beyond one line)
The minor character Rose, the Head Librarian, dies between Chapter 6 and 7. In Chapter 6, e tells Amane that e’s dying of recurrent cancer, including a specific mention of brain cancer, and has chosen to have an assisted death. Rose is at peace with this decision and at 85 years old, feels e doesn’t want to suffer more cancer treatment. Rose is a brown-skinned, indigenous character who uses a wheelchair, which may make some people feel more sensitive about eir death. The death is not shown in the text, and Rose shows up again later as a spirit/ghost.

characters attend a memorial service/funeral
In Chapter 7, Tabby, Amane, and Rhiannon attend a large memorial service for Rose. There is no body or burial involved, but death customs are a focus. I tried to make this chapter more bittersweet rather than straight-up sad, but either way it still may feel sensitive for folks who have recently lost someone and attended services. As Rose is a well-known public figure in the story, it may also remind some people of real life celebrity losses that have affected them.

discussion of toxic friendships
In Chapter 18 and Chapter 22, Aeronwy talks about a past friendship with Mairead which was toxic due to Mairead’s emotionally abusive behavior, which you can find more details about in the “emotional abuse, manipulation, and gaslighting by a mentor/boss to an employee” explanation . In Chapter 14, Mairead gives a short account of eir side of the story which suggests Aeronwy abandoned em for being “too much,” with the implication that Mairead’s core being was shamed and hurt by the interaction, with no acknowledgment that e may have done something wrong.

descriptions of anxiety, panic attack, and PTSD symptoms, including dissociation
Throughout the book, Tabby experiences a magical form of dissociation in which e falls asleep and starts dreaming (often having nightmares) when triggered or highly anxious. There are also references to feeling of anxiety and panic, usually when eir parents (Oran and/or Lilja) are in the scene. There are some particularly strong reactions in Chapter 25, when e feels betrayed by Rhiannon lying about stealing a book and giving it to Mairead, and in Chapter 31 when e stands up to eir parents. Chapter 16, 19, and 28, where e discusses eir experiences and feelings with Aeronwy and/or June, also have a lot of this.

use of spiritual/religious beliefs to manipulate people and accrue power
Mairead belongs to a branch of Scriptivism, the main religion in Caspora, called Authorism. Scriptivism’s main premise is that the spiritual purpose of humanity is to collect and record knowledge, and that the universe is or is like a book. Authorism takes a literal stance, claiming that the universe is a story written by an omniscient Author, and that all living beings, especially humans, are characters in that story. As such, everything the characters do is predestined to happen. Another major tenet of Authorism, which Mairead uses often to eir advantage, is that some people are “Protagonists” while others are side characters or villains. Thus, some people’s lives are literally more important than others. Mairead, as a part of the Authorist clergy, uses this logic to justify many of eir behaviors and to manipulate others.

weight loss due to illness
In Chapter 29 and Chapter 32, Rhiannon notes that Camille and Tabby (respective to each of those chapters) have lost weight due to illness. This is framed as a negative thing and does not go into a lot of detail.

historical figures who were victims of murder or were murderers, and idolation of said historical murderer
Throughout the book, Amane reads a story about the Founders of the Eternal Library—Eirlys, Daryn, and Isylwyn—which includes the fact that Isylwyn is historically suspected to have murdered Eirlys in order to claim power over the Library. A similar historical story is referenced in Rhiannon’s visions about The Founding, in which a Head Librarian is once again murdered by someone else in order to take the position. Isylwyn is also known as the founder of Authorism, and so is worshiped by characters like Mairead, who either claim that the murder charge is false or that it was justified.

expressions of grief
Given that there are various deaths and their effects discussed in this book—Rose, Eirlys, Llewella—there are also expressions of grief depicted in response. Sadness, anger, and in the case of Rose, moving forward with life and cleaning out space once belonging to that person. There is also some expression of the grief that comes with Tabby acknowledging eir parents’ abuse and deciding to let them go, most notably in Chapter 28.

minor innuendo
In Chapter 22, Siobhan makes a joke directed at Aeronwy that implies e has masturbated to a photo of em. Though it’s not mentioned in the text, the two of them are sexual partners and the joke is not unwelcome.