To celebrate the end of 2025, AKA the year of DEAD HAND RULE, let's do a deep dive into the legend herself: Belladonna gottsverdammt Albrecht. She's an icon. She's a legend. She is the moment. And she has a war hammer. www.thehiddenschools.com/articles/belladonna-albrecht-icon-legend-moment

To celebrate the end of 2025, AKA the year of DEAD HAND RULE, let's do a deep dive into the legend herself: Belladonna gottsverdammt Albrecht. She's an icon. She's a legend. She is the moment. And she has a war hammer. www.thehiddenschools.com/articles/belladonna-albrecht-icon-legend-moment

NEW VIDEO ALERT! Today on Bar Cart Bookshelf we're talking about THE EVERLASTING by Alix E. Harrow. A time looping fantasy of ferocious lady knights & the nervy chain-smoking scholars who love them: folklore amid fascism. Fierce, clever, & impassioned. Our drink is Valiance, beneath the yew tree.

No doubt her mother was off having opinions about how her daughter should be taking best advantage of this educational opportunity, but Donnie’s own priorities were clear. It would not do to let word get round that people she was dancing with might be shot. DEAD HAND RULE

Random Craft Sequence detail of the day: Belladonna Albrecht attended Schadelberg University. "Schädel" means skull in German, "schaden" is a verb meaning doing harm or damage, and "schade" can mean something like "what a pity/shame." Excellent word choice, no?

No doubt her mother was off having opinions about how her daughter should be taking best advantage of this educational opportunity, but Donnie’s own priorities were clear. It would not do to let word get round that people she was dancing with might be shot. DEAD HAND RULE

This is only reinforced in WICKED PROBLEMS on an exchange between Caleb and the King in Red: “He’s back in town, Mr. Altemoc.” “Cinder-claws? He’s early. A couple of months ’til Solstice.” “Your father.” “I mean, the shop-window lights aren’t even up yet. Not that I’m complaining."

In the same book Temoc refers to gift giving: “The King in Red has waited decades for an excuse to kill me, and you ask me to offer him one as a solstice present.”

Yet it is in Dresediel Lex that winter solstice seems particular analogous to our own Christmas. When Elayne captures Temoc in her Craft in LAST FIRST SNOW and his glyphs flare, she says “But you look so impressive lit up like a solstice tree.”

3 days late buuut have a thread about solstice in the Craft Sequence.

RIGHT. This is the kind of discussion I LOVE to have. First, I confess to not knowing much about Tarantino's 'verse, but the name Red Applies tracks so that works for me. I also know nothing about cigarettes and the difference between brands and filters etc. Yet, I still have THOUGHTS.

@hiddenschools.bsky.social Do you think the Church of Kos has its own brand of cigarettes? I can't stop thinking about Abelard buying smokes: what brand? filtered? For some reason, I imagine he smokes Red Apples. The brand Tarantino created for his movie universe. cc: @maxgladstone.bsky.social

Finally got a paper copy of DEAD HAND RULE!

Posted this and immediately came down with a horrible cold and felt too cruddy to do anything non-essential. Am I back? Who knows. Does anyone care? Prob not. Is my cold better? Not entirely, but enough to be able to function.

Ok, I think I am in the mood to get back on social media. Hi friends. Will reply to messages ASAP! Also my paper copy of DHR is FINALLY on the way. At least, one of them is. I ordered three...

NEW POST: a loving ramble about many of the things I love about Dead Hand Rule, a month in! www.thehiddenschools.com/articles/one...

NEW POST: a loving ramble about many of the things I love about Dead Hand Rule, a month in! www.thehiddenschools.com/articles/one...

When Caleb reached Armillary Square he was not surprised to see Kai and Abernathy. They seemed to have a knack for getting into trouble even greater than his own. He was surprised to see them running scared, but only until he saw what they were running from. DEAD HAND RULE

Tara was reheating half a cup of coffee over a lab burner, and pondering regicide. Of course, not all those present were kings. Bureaucraticide? Just-fucking-killing-everyone? She needed a dictionary. So she could throw it at them. DEAD HAND RULE

In a long civilian career, Elayne had perfected the art of seeming to drink. Belladonna was not, at the moment, seeming. Elayne did not think it was possible for Belladonna Albrecht to get drunk, biochemically speaking, but the psychosomatic effects were powerful. DEAD HAND RULE

It's 2150, and 2wai is the largest corporation in the world. The first ancestors they manifested are now worshiped as deities, but 2wai keeps raising prices. 7 million a month, now, or we deactivate your gods. The recently deceased are still 29.99 of course. 2wai knows how to play the long game.

My dad grew up in Kendal and spent his childhood clambering around these ruins! I did the same, with somewhat more supervision and safety, when visiting my grandma as a kid. Great pictures and history here ❤️

Tara was reheating half a cup of coffee over a lab burner, and pondering regicide. Of course, not all those present were kings. Bureaucraticide? Just-fucking-killing-everyone? She needed a dictionary. So she could throw it at them. DEAD HAND RULE

"Full text of the Open Fae License Agreement" is a good short story prompt.

Today is International Men’s Day. So here’s to refugee men fleeing abuse, trans men denied healthcare, queer men bullied for being different, Black men racially profiled, disabled men excluded from work, and all the other men who fail at being “real men.” May we continue to cultivate our humanity.

Had a truly wonderful nap in the warmth today. Back home, 4 inches of snow.

Abelard had never been a violent man. As a boy, he had heard tales of war, of heroes and quests, sagas and martyrs, and thought, If I am ever so unfortunate as to be called to join in such a thing, faith will make my duty clear. But here he was, and it was just an awful, evil mess. DEAD HAND RULE

She gathered all her scorn, and laughed. “Is there something . . . funny about all this, Ms. Abernathy?” “You,” she said. “You’re not right, Jax. You’re not even particularly clever. Or else you’d see that you’re being used.” DEAD HAND RULE

She had been dragged to so many functions & at each her dear Mother had laid out her agenda for the night in bullet points: introduce self to skeleton; do not interrupt monologues about plans evil or otherwise, no matter how questionable their taste; compliment host on catering & decor, ditto. DHR

I am not aware of a single author who has a shortage of book ideas. Words, yes. Ways to make the ideas become a book, yes. But I've never met an author who doesn't have ideas just raining down all the damn time.

A week of sun, sangria and stories awaits

@hiddenschools.bsky.social Gotta say thank you for putting together the synopsis for the Craft books. Especially the later ones (Ruin of Angels and Wicked Problems) have SO much going on that even having read these, your synopsis was pointing out details I think I missed the first time!

She had been dragged to so many functions & at each her dear Mother had laid out her agenda for the night in bullet points: introduce self to skeleton; do not interrupt monologues about plans evil or otherwise, no matter how questionable their taste; compliment host on catering & decor, ditto. DHR

Sometimes targeted ads are exactly right. In 2023 I saw a gorgeous musical about Sylvia Pankhurst, and have wanted to see it again ever since. Just got served an ad about a tour next year, and it's coming near meeeee. I would have travelled but this is BETTER. Very happy Hannah. sylviamusicaluk.com

Elayne Kevarian was hip-deep in the usual nonsense when she felt the change. Hip-deep was, regrettably, neither a figurative phrase nor an exaggeration. She had reached the miserable waste in the sky just in time to see Belladonna charge into the forest of mirrors, her war hammer-

Elayne Kevarian was hip-deep in the usual nonsense when she felt the change. Hip-deep was, regrettably, neither a figurative phrase nor an exaggeration. She had reached the miserable waste in the sky just in time to see Belladonna charge into the forest of mirrors, her war hammer-

NEWS JUST IN! A new book will in fact solve all your problems

Society’s like “have a career, get married, have kids,” but my shadow self is like “have an occult library, get a reputation as a powerful sorceress the townsfolk avoid, have an army of giant fire-breathing serpents do your bidding.”

She gathered all her scorn, and laughed. “Is there something . . . funny about all this, Ms. Abernathy?” “You,” she said. “You’re not right, Jax. You’re not even particularly clever. Or else you’d see that you’re being used.” DEAD HAND RULE

“You find yourself in an interesting position.” “In midair, smoking with a wizard?” The King in Red blinked. No, there would be nothing unusual about that for him. DEAD HAND RULE

Semi-regular reminder that the Craft Wars trilogy is now a quartet! As well as Dead Country, Wicked Problems, and Dead Hand Rule, we are getting the as-yet-unnamed Craft Wars #4 next year! (I keep seeing people surprised, and my v short news article about it gets a lot of hits. Spread the message!)

“You find yourself in an interesting position.” “In midair, smoking with a wizard?” The King in Red blinked. No, there would be nothing unusual about that for him. DEAD HAND RULE

People are doing award eligibility lists?? Time for me to be even more insufferable than usual about DEAD HAND RULE and the Craft Sequence.

This is my love language

“Tara’s in there,” she said. “I would trust that woman to handle just about anything in the world. We are, unfortunately, far beyond that capacious boundary.” DEAD HAND RULE

Abelard had never been a violent man. As a boy, he had heard tales of war, of heroes and quests, sagas and martyrs, and thought, If I am ever so unfortunate as to be called to join in such a thing, faith will make my duty clear. But here he was, and it was just an awful, evil mess. DEAD HAND RULE

This is such a helpful graphic, I need to use something like this when training colleagues on comms and accessibility!

“It’s okay,” Izza said. “He’s a friend. One of our faithful, after a fashion. We needed his help to find you.” The vampire tipped a hat he wasn’t wearing. “Raz Pelham.” "Pirate?” “The cards say ‘freelance maritime property consultant.’" DEAD HAND RULE

“It’s okay,” Izza said. “He’s a friend. One of our faithful, after a fashion. We needed his help to find you.” The vampire tipped a hat he wasn’t wearing. “Raz Pelham.” "Pirate?” “The cards say ‘freelance maritime property consultant.’" DEAD HAND RULE

“Tara’s in there,” she said. “I would trust that woman to handle just about anything in the world. We are, unfortunately, far beyond that capacious boundary.” DEAD HAND RULE