THE THREAD THAT BINDS
Chapter 1 is now available to all Patrons on Patreon! Click here!
Chapter 1 will be released publicly as a pay-what-you-like download in or around February 2019, when Chapter 2 is ready for Patrons. Patrons will always be one chapter ahead of the public, which is 3-4 months or about 40 pages ahead.
Follow along on Patreon for the most news and updates on the comic! Otherwise, please follow me on Twitter or Instagram for more info & notifications.
Please enjoy these five pages from Chapter 1 as a teaser:
About the Comic
When Amane Sol was accepted as a Bookbinding apprentice at the Eternal Library, a privilege reserved for a rare few of both artistic and mystical skill, she was absolutely elated and ready to begin the rest of her life among the largest collection of books in the world. Even when she learned that her mentor-to-be, Head Librarian June Suregrove, had passed away shortly before her apprenticeship was to begin, she still had high hopes. However, those hopes are shaken when she arrives to find her new mentor is June’s grieving and surly widow, Aeronwy Suregrove—and her coworkers a found family currently in the process of healing from their loss. But Amane is determined to make the best of things and help out. She quickly becomes close friends with fellow Bookbinder Tabby Weaver and Tabby’s partner, Rhiannon, both of whom are skilled witches with vibrant personalities & quirks. As for her relationship with her new mentor, well, she tries.
Aeronwy Suregrove did not ask for a new apprentice, especially not so soon after losing eir partner of nearly 40 years. Just getting through every day is difficult without the demands of teaching Etheric-Thread Bookbinding: books containing any magical knowledge generally disintegrate after a year or so, but this craft created by the three ascended Founders of the Library allows Binders to create sufficient vessels for the souls of these stories and subjects. But once upon a time, Aeronwy was in Amane’s shoes, and e knows e can’t give up on her so easily. As the present story unfolds, a parallel timeline shows Aeronwy’s journey from a broken and unhappy home to building the loving found family e shared with June.
All of these relationships and bonds become especially important as it becomes clear that June’s death may not have been an accident, and an old friend may be the one to blame…
Some tropes and other things you will find in this webcomic:
Found family
Friends to lovers
Mentor & student pair learning to get along
Emphasis on non-romantic relationships (friends, mentor/student, family, queerplatonic partners)
Multiple ace & aro spectrum characters
Older queer main characters (age 60+)
A society without gender that isn’t all stereotypically “androgynous”
Fantasy w/ magic technology
Book-based theology/witchcraft/spirituality
Solarpunk aesthetic & setting
No depictions of anti-queer bigotry or microaggressions
Loving & healing relationships, optimism & understanding in the face of tragedy/trauma
General content warnings for The Thread That Binds:
Discussion/mention/depiction of grief, dealing with loss, the nature of death
Depictions of toxic & emotionally/spiritually abusive families and friends
Where can I find it?
The Thread That Binds is a fantasy epic expected to be somewhere between 700-800 pages long, in full color. It will be released chapter-by-chapter in PDF form on Patreon and Gumroad, or other platforms as the creator sees fit. Chapters will be posted approximately every 4 months and average 40 pages each. Print volumes will be available in future years if the grace of crowdfunding allows. Patreon Patrons will be able to read one entire chapter ahead of the public. Public chapters will be available for free or pay what you want, possibly with a separate subscription service. Specific content warnings will be given at the start of each chapter.
The Thread That Binds will also have a companion project called The Threadbound Oracle, a 50-card Oracle deck designed by me which Amane uses frequently throughout the course of the comic! More info on that coming soon.
Follow along on Patreon for the most news and updates on the comic! Otherwise, please follow me on Twitter or Instagram for more info & notifications.