4: When the Moon Hatched, ch. 42-59

Diary entry, Lauren, age 31, 28 Aurora cycles after episode 1. If the text from Con this week are any omen, and Gods, there were many. Then I fear she's already claimed the gilded crown for biggest cryer, and honestly, I can't fault her. There are pages in this book that bleed a sorrow, passages that ache in a way only the best stories can. Perhaps the only reason I didn't drown in my own tears that first read was because confusion anchored me to the shore, keeping me from being swept completely away. Then John, predictably smitten with Convegor, because of course he is, the man strode into battle, like sin and salvation intertwined, and John had the audacity to call him impressive. I'm beginning to wonder if John's reigning champion for best male character and fiction might finally have a challenger knocking at the gates of his smug little throne. As for Kyle, I have no words, or rather none fit for polite company I confided in him, confided mind you, about a certain scene in another book, a scene dripping with eight legged horrors that shall not be named, and what does he do? Turns my trust into a weapon, and sets it loose on me not a day later. He thinks this is over. He thinks wrong. My vengeance will be ice cold, and he will choke on it. Oh Kyle writes these two, which is funny. Wow. Welcome back to Between Pages and Friends, a book club podcast hosted by Conn and Lauren, two besties who read a lot of books, and John and Kyle, their gamer turned reader husbands to a greed to read with them. I'm Lauren. I'm John. I'm Kyle. And I'm Conn. Welcome to episode 4 of the Moonfall series by Sarah A. Parker. Today we are talking through When the Moon Hatched Chapters 42-51. This is a book club podcast, meaning there will be no spoilers here for future chapters. So if you've only read through chapter 51, this is a safe space to try and figure out what the heck is going on while we discuss. And before we get down and dirty, we need you to know that when the moon hatched is rated for adults, which means we'll be quoting some spicy scenes, exploring grown-up themes. So if you're listening at work, pop in those earbuds before we start talking about sex, this person is listening to people talk about sex stuff! And speaking of sexy stuff, did you know that for five dollars a month that you could join the book bestie tier of our Patreon and gain access to our discord monthly book talks, live events, and so so much more. The discord itself has just so many things to do and discuss, it's figuratively insane. I don't think I'd take a breath during all that. *laughs* *sighs* Next paragraph. But if you want even more, you greedy little minks, you could join our found family tier for ten dollars a month, and get all the above plus early ad free episodes, merch discounts, voting power, and a special discord channel just for you baby girl. See you there soon! All of this wouldn't be possible without all of the amazing friends we've made since the start or the ratings and reviews that you give us, like this five star review on Apple podcasts, from our new bestie, a Hobbit at Heart titled Besties and Book Club. Since my sister and I had already been loving John's reactions to reading the Avatar series, we were over the moon, when the crew announced a podcast. It's been an absolute treat to hear these book besties talk about some of my favorite books and get to know them along the way. From having Kyle make me literally LOL over a candle commercial and ridiculous ability to call what will happen in a series, Lauren's amazing laugh and love for ships, Con stellar pronunciation guide, and rockin' out the design slash merch, and John's hilarious weekly recap. Y'all are my fav and we look forward to listening every week. Thank you, Hobbit at Heart, Watt. Thank you! That was so nice. Before we dive into this episode, if you are watching on YouTube, you may have noticed that I am recording in a different location this week. That's because I am in Colorado for a work trip and my dear friend Cassie offered to host me for a few days beforehand. She let me take over her home office for this recording so I wanted to give a huge shout out to Cassie and tell you how amazing she is at planning special events for readers. Cassie owns a business called Book and Gather where she organizes curated bookish events in the Colorado Springs area. If you're not local to Colorado though, she's hosting her first virtual event on October 2nd that you can get tickets to for just $10. This event is in collaboration with another amazing shop called Sparrow and Wilde, Hyarin, and it's a virtual friendship bracelet workshop to celebrate the release of Taylor Swift's new album on October 3rd. Go check it out on Instagram @bookinggatherco, give Cassie a follow, and Cassie if you're listening to this. Thank you for being such a sweet friend and hostess this weekend. And now welcome back to Con's declassified fantasy pronunciation guide. This is the part of the show where we highlight all the new names and places mentioned in this chapter section. I will once again be calling on my trusty lore expert Loren for a few glossary checks so let's get into it. First up in places all I have for you this week is the loft. Loren can you tell us about the loft? Yes, according to the glossary, the loft is a vast body of water that halos the saber-cythnesting grounds like a turquoise iris. It is renowned for being home to ancient beasts and unpredictable weather patterns, which we see a little bit of in this chapter section. And then when I was searching it in the book, I noticed the loft is actually mentioned in the prologue and we just all kind of skimmed over it when the world pronunciation guide I just did know it was at the time. So proud of you. When the world was being created, it says unable to stand reins somber still, clothes gusty howls often churned the loft into a heavy mass that dumped upon the shore like a drum. So I assume that's part of its unpredictable weather patterns. So interesting. All right, cool. All right. In characters we have Oanaq the current Owa of the Jocol clan. Veja is con sister. Agni is a runie and sister to Bea a previous, are they called healers? Why am I messing that up? Just runies. She's the runie who healed. What's it called? Stitch slush threaders? Flush threader. Yeah. Okay. She healed her bag. I think it's just flesh thread. I don't think there is an error, but either way. Okay. Let me try it again. Agni is a runie and sister to Bea who helped heal Raive earlier in the book. Khan's middle name is Luke. That's fun. And then we meet Pyroch. Lauren, can you give us the description for Pyroch? Yeah. So the book has little descriptions of each of the characters that we meet in this section. Some of them are spoilery. So I'm not including them. But Pyroch's just made me laugh. It says all it says in the glossary is a not very helpful member of King Khan's imperial court. So silly. I'm going to be devil's advocate here because it sounds like he was quick to action when they told him to go get whatever. I mean, and he takes Raive to the curly quimps one too. He's a little helpful. He gets it to the peasant who wrote this glossary. He's helpful. It does not very helpful. He clearly wasn't the one who wrote the glossary. And then we also meet Rowan and Grimm to other members of the court. Gron is Austin's saber size. Run was the mind-weft from the curly quill in Dom. Jogo was the dragon that belonged to Khan's ma. Blom was chief thrones dragon. And then Navout was Lane's dragon. And then in world building we have Roscarr meaning greater in the Jocole clan's tongue. We learned that Khan is Hawks greater. The word Roscaray means the greatest and we throscar means second greatest. And then we get the word for Raidie in this section. Lauren, can you give us the definition? Yes, the definition from the glossary for Raidie. The dotted tattoo on the back of a warrior from the Boltenic plains. Each dot represents a victory one and a heavily tattooed back is a show of great strength and honor. Very nice. Thank you. Black uca blooms. These were Khan's mom's favorite flower that are all over the imperial stronghold in Dom. Then there are some like food and drink things mentioned, molten meat, dapa bread, jumplin bulb, frost fruit, troughling cream. Earlier I put this in the pronunciation guide and I just realized in this section that I had said it wrong. So there is this game and it is pronounced "scryppy" not "scryppy". But these scryppy, I just did it again. The scryppy tables are in this section and we get a description of the game that includes some other creatures. So some of the ones mentioned in this section are floaty, fog slug, enthue, hushling, buzz and bee hive, huggin, volley serpent and herky beetles. Yes, the scryppy is a luck strategy game played throughout the world. The shards that they use are similar to playing cards but boasting pictures of different creatures. AKA, gotta catch them all. I love it. And lastly in this section we have the great flirt. Is there a description of this? Yes, the great flirt is so cute. It's a celebrated phenomenon where the aurora duplicates and it's in quote in the glossary but doesn't explain what that means. And ribbons of light spill all over the sky. This does not happen often but when it does, the dragons will dance together and mate. After the great flirt, there will often be an influx of fertilized eggs. So they just litter is a great flirt. Usually happens after a great flirt. Really great flirt. For audio listeners of this book, flirt is spelled F-L-U-R-R-T but it is pronounced like F-L-I-R-T so that is really cute. All I can think of is this is like the dragon version of ski. Maybe we don't put that in the podcast but uh Oh, flirt, flirt, motherfucker. - But it's gotta stand in the mirror. - Oh my God. - That's good. - To the bones. (laughing) - Oh my God, amazing. - Okay, well, that's all I have for you today. So here to give you all the dirty deeds on this chapter section, here is Juan. - Thanks Juan. We jump right back into the excitement with Con and Honk, teeth and chests, Baird, a con is saying that he should accept his victory and that Raive is not part of their customs. Honk and turn straight up challenges Con, big mistake, huge. We get a whole thing about how this culture doesn't necessarily follow the whole Kinghood thing that they followed their own hierarchy, chest pounds included. Meanwhile Raive is barely hanging on after being poisoned by the old pocket python, size of giving her a play-by-play and finally giving her an antidote of sorts. Then our rock witch comes into the ring to share what I can only interpret here as a hear ye, hear ye moment. And you know what that means everybody? This is gonna take a minute. So just hold tight. - Yes! I'm so excited. Here, here, here, here. (laughs) Oh yeah. (laughs) - He's excited. - Oh wait. - Oh, there's makeup on. (laughs) Do you have blush on? - Yes. - Oh, that's what it asks me for. - That's amazing. That is amazing. - I didn't practice my voice, so this is just, you know, this is my take-sick. - Yeah, well, hold on for all of our audio listeners. John, will you let us know about your lovely outfit? - Well, yes, so I have on my shawl. - Which is a blanket. - But he's tied in a her. - Yeah, and being a-- - A plaid fleece blanket. - No, being the soul, I figured she would have something like this on, like a building cape, right? - Yeah, some sherpa. - I don't know, man. I got the little peace sign going on. I got the wig. She's looking all say-oncy kind of thing. I don't know. - She's ready to hear me. - She's looking a little eccentric here for her prophecy. - So hard. - All right. I don't know what I'm doing with my voice. This is really good. - Yeah, to hear before you can hear me. - Just think of Barry's in Cronium, I think, I think, is the way to-- - Oh, that's good. That's good to start. That's a good start. - That's great advice. - Cool, blue blood already spilleth in thus divine battle ring. She must claimeth unto a victor, less more moons, don't fall in thus, are blessed sanctuary for our clan would perish thus, and will remaineth no more. My word is final. - Here yeee! Here yeee! - Here yeee! - Hurd yeee! - Hurd yeee! (laughing) - Hurd yeee! - You heard? - Oh. - All right, what hope. - You're gonna-- - Yeah, you got me going for her. - No, no. - No, no, no. - The whole episode, he's got blush on. I think there is some moji rata come. Maybe he would be blushing. - Maybe, yeah. - Just really appreciate the fact that he went through all of that for literally three lines of text. - Yeah. - That was pretty great, pretty committed. Good job, John. - I don't know, I just pictured her as like this old gypsy fortune teller woman. That's kind of what I was going for there anyway. - Okay, yeah. I'm here for it. - Her proclamation rings out and Khan walks over to Rave and places his own mom or down at her feet. And as she looks upon it, she is struck with a vision, but not just a vision, folks. As we debut a brand new mini segment called Dream Oji Radica. - In your dreams. (laughing) - So creepy. - That was perfect, Kyle, thank you. - Wow. Is this like, okay. - All right. - Was it like what, Lord? - I was gonna say like Kyle's taking over 'cause it's like a different, whatever, but. - Oh, he's got the things that's. - You need a little gliss. - Can we get like a, I know that I'm asking for you to create things, but like, is there like a, like a dream, like a moji-radica graphic that we can start putting across the screen? - Oh, like a moji-radica. - A little intro. - And it has like a little, it does have like a little song and something, something. - Maybe. - Yeah. - A little jingle. - Yeah. - Yeah. - I picture like some very 70s vibes just. (laughing) - And there's either a man or a woman going like, - And it's a picture of John. (laughing) - And the family sign on his forehead. - Oh my god. (laughing) - I'll work on it. - I would envision like a female voice being like, - Emoji-radica. - You know, very impressive. - That was really good. - I'm sorry, I used that sound bite. - And it's sitting in like a eggplant emoji. The words are. - Nice. - Yeah. - That's great. - Yeah. - And like comes across the screen. - Nice. - We should have brainstorming sessions more often. We're really getting something. - Or it would, so the eggplant emoji, it'd be kind of an, at an angle, but it would sweep down. - There's an an awful sweep. (laughing) - Oh, that was good. - I walked right into that one. - Yeah, you're so cute. - Anyway. - Oh yeah, yeah. I'm sorry, did you say lucky you? (laughing) Here we go. - What we gonna say though, it goes down. - Well, it sweeps down. There's this glittery kind of trail to it. And that's when the text of Emoji-radica, like, sort of like the more you know, shooting stars, shits in and the more you act. - Yeah, yeah. - It's coming so fast. - So it comes across about it. - Yeah, shooting this. - When it goes away though, it goes away, like the little water square emoji. - Oh my God, look at that. - He shits the wow. - So just saying that makes sense. (laughing) - Are children here? - Oh my God. - Sex, these people are talking about sex. (laughing) - Oh, why is that? - Try to avoid it. - Use that exact emoji in the emoji. - Do you want to sound effect with that too? Does it shoot starscreen? (laughing) - Oh my God. - Oh my God. - Oh my God. - Oh my God. - What have we done? Literally. - It always happens. - We're in my first paragraph. - My emoji too bad. - It's into the recording. (upbeat music) - Emoji-radica. - In your dreams. - All right. All right, here we go. I tried to keep it, I was trying to keep it under, at least like 10 emojis. I was trying to do like less than five, but then one time I did it, I was like, I don't think that's gonna work. Anyway, our first one. The ying yang sign, chess pond, chess pond, leg, leg, hand, tongue. And that's our first mini segment of DREAMOGE-EROTICA. - Perfect. - In your dreams. - I was so glad you did it. I wasn't expecting to do it again, but that's perfect. I love it. - Every time, he's like, "Are you gonna get it at the end?" - I'm gonna make that sound like. All right. Well, he stays crouched in an act of respect, which also basically gives her the right to make her own decision, even if he dies here in the ring. She gives him a bloody hand print, he beats his chess six times and heads into the ring. And we still don't really know why six. They do five for the OWA and Siza says six is unheard of. So I don't know, man. As the battle begins, Rave has to like kind of hide her body, because for some reason it's illuminating with all the runes, size of notices, and gets recovered with a blanket. When it seems that Khan is at a disadvantage in getting soundly beaten, he gets the upper hand with a slash to honks by Siza, getting around him with a fistful of his hair, wrenching it back, and sewing off his freaking head. Yikes. Then Saunters over to Rave and plops the head down in victory. She places his mom around her neck and promptly passes out. Khan catches her on her way down, picks her up in his arms, and as she spies the fate-hurt her, leaving the ring, he tells her to don't scare him like that again. And you may be surprised by my next comment, if you followed my Aqatar reactions, but Khan vegaard, what a man, am I right? (screaming) I can't believe it. - The harem. - I love that. - In the outline, you just have, (screaming) - Three lines of e. - It's like four lines of capital E. - That's a social media clip right there. You just like nothing. - Yeah, for sure. And then we get our next diary entry. Eloen is still on the dragon being taken to the burn. Slotcher trying to keep up, but being burned and injured from the climate and the sun in this new atmosphere and she plummet. But it sounds like they either went and got her, or she eventually made it to the stronghold, because Eloen is with Slotcher, bundled up with her in the hutch under heavy guard. Back with Khan and Rafe, a top-regan, racing to Dom. And we finally get a conchapter, people, how exciting. This is only the second one, right? Is this the second one? - We get his first one with Kazari. And I think that's the only conchapter. So this is only the second conchapter, yo. Let's go. - Oh yeah. - Phone it in and call it fruit strike gum, 'cause it is juicy. Khan gets her down and is greeted by someone named Vaya, clearly recognizing Rafe as well. They get her inside to the feasting hall, where we meet what I'm now referring to as the family. Pyrach Agni and Grim with a fourth rowing, off doing some book research. Vaya sends Pyrach to get some supplies and asks about the blood. And when Khan responds that some of it is coke blood, his, and another males, she launches herself at him as she quickly puts together that she was part of a tuk-a-trial, assuming she knows what that means and what that entails. Outraged due to the fact that she already knows who Rafe really is, Khan tells them what happened and not so many words, actually, about as few words as possible. Pyrach returns, Khan cleans up Rafe's face a bit. And when Pyrach sees who's on the table, he blurt's out, who the F is that? And why does she look like Eloen Nivan and oh. Oh my god. Khan explains that she does not know herself as Eloen and has no memory of what happened prior to the last 23 phases or 23 years. Then we find out Raive is her middle name. Vea asks him some questions. He doesn't know the answer to. We get a little hint here at Pyrokin Agnes' relationship. Wingwink. He confirms that she can still hear Claude and Boulder even with the Nolmark, but not sure about the other two, alluding to the fact that she can hear all four at one point. Vea asks about Tyra, about whether Eloen would remember Tyra and leave Khan again, and if the note was true, what even then he says that there's someone else out there that needs her more than any of them. What? What is happening? As Khan leaves to get some air, Vea mentions that no one can go through. What Eloen has gone through and not have a "well of dragon flame" assuming this means that however she was healed, was with dragon flame or like it was used in some way to put her back together or for the runes or something. I don't know man. I don't know. Grim follows Khan to a sparring ring as they get out some frustration. Agni is finished up healing Raive and her and Vea are alone. Agni tells Vea that because of her dragon sight, once she cleaned up Eloen, she sees the "layered stain of runes" all over Eloen's body, but that one wound she has glows a shade of silver that Agni has never seen before, right over her heart. Vea tells Agni not to tell Khan until they know more. Vea goes to leave and notices Pyrach rounding the corner at the end of the hall, clearly having overheard some of their conversation. We get some insight from Vea here that Eloen was stabbed to death, contrary to what they were all told. They play screppy while they chat. Vea knows that Eloen used to keep a journal and thinks that they might get some answers if she finds it. So she plans to set off to the shade. Vea wins the card game and now Pyrach owes her a favor. Another Eloen diary entry, sleeping curled up with slatura, when who we can assume to be Khan shows up and asks her about slatura's eyes and when was the last time she ate, and she dozes off again. Back with Raive, and a sort of dream state here, and she pops up from her dream, trying to remember what happened and where she is as she reaches for the momma around her neck. She gives herself a once over in a mirror, noticing that she's been healed, and she gets another vision here, one of her moving the mirror to the side and pulling a book out of a secret compartment. Vea surprises her as they size each other up, Vea motioning to the momma, stating that it's not just some piece of jewelry. Vea gives a little story here of what Khan has been through and threatens Raive. As she heads down the hall, something comes over Raive and she shouts Vea's name. This obviously stops Vea short, and she tries to get her to like, recognize her, but Raive shifts the door in her face. Raive cracks open a window, looks out upon the city of Dom. She finds some clothes, snatches up a candle stick, and leaves the room to head out into the city. She passes Pyroch in grim playing cards. She tries some of their snacks. They give her a bag and director to the fastest way to the city center. She trades with one of the guards at the door as well for a weapon, LOL, and she asks a few questions about getting fed to dragons, the young elementals in the city and noles, just kind of how the culture works here compared to the fade where she's coming from. Pyroch catches up to her at the door and takes her about town, leading her to a merchant to pawn off the gold candle stick, a curly quill, in fact. Pyroch buys some meat along the way, paying with gold. We find out that they use gold instead of dragon blood stone here, and any in the city has found its way here, and it has not been mined here, which is kind of important for her. He guides her to the quill and the merchant named Roon, as she looks at his milky white eyes, she is hit with another vision, a creature with similar eyes, looking at her, blowing an icy breath and nudging her. Interesting? She comes to as Roon welcomes her and reads her intentions, quickly discovering him to be a mind-wept. He reads pretty much everything that she's thinking, basically, and like what she needs. Also seeing her lose Essie and Ne, he looks deeper than maybe she wanted him to and sees that she's lost something special and offers to help her drain her. But she cuts him off, assuming he was about to say "lake." Roon hoax her up and tells her to come back for the other stuff that she has to, like get altered or whatever. Another diary entry from Ellowon, getting a visit from Vea this time after Khan had taken her up and plopped her into a bathtub, then she offered Ellowon some combat lessons and she usually agrees. And we're back in Dom. Rafe and Pyroch found a spot where she's trying to get the iron shackles off with failed attempts. Pyroch mentions her and Vea getting off on the wrong foot and Rae replies, "I hadn't eaten in a while and she ate fruit in front of me." Relatable girl, relatable. They have a great view of the city, but her attention is drawn to the western point covered in jungle. She asks what's there and Pyroch answers a "hushling," which is a thing. Pyroch goes to get more drinks as she looks onto some dragon swooping around, finding a molten mull that she decides is her ticket out of here. Returning her attention to Pyroch as he returns, only it's not Pyroch, it's Khan, in a deft movement. He grabs her wrist and the tools and gets her shackles off. She feels clothe return in like a funny moment. She starts to ask him whether he knows what life is like in the fade. He replies by saying they've been building their forces and his brother's time will come, but it will cost a lot of innocent lives that an assassination is out of the question based on their culture and just how they deal with all of that stuff. It will either end in a war or two O is fighting on the battlefield and his brother's not going to agree to that. And then he tells her that he and Rigen are "Daga Mork." Oh, shit. And also that Tyra thing-catdock are twins that they forged a bond in the womb. I'm assuming this means that they were twins. He asks to share a meal with her and she declines, hands back his mom and takes off. As she rushes off, she gets hit with some rain drops, trying to keep rain out of her head, but the droplets come faster as a wall of it comes racing toward her, fighting to keep it out, but unsuccessfully she yells for rain to stop as Khan comes to her rescue, blocks her pressing close as he mentions that he wants new someone who cried when it would rain. And her name was, she finishes his sentence with the name "Eloon." And he then begins to sing her song, struck with surprise, asking him how and he replies with "There's something I need to show you." He takes her to a set of chained doors which turns out to be like his living quarters. He takes her through another set of doors to a garden and a hidden path leading down. She's a bit apprehensive, but Khan tells her to listen and as she does she can hear boulders song from the stones. Finally, convinced they wind down, down, down. The air getting colder and colder. Rave being drawn to whatever is here, they emerge to a cavern with detailed moon plume carvings. As her attention finally rests upon a massive silver moon. It's Slaatra with one piece missing. Rave comes around to where Slaatra's wing is shooting a small hollow as though cradling something, and Rave gets a familiar feeling of Slaatra cradling her. Slaatra's nose knusled against her like the tough to her tail against her chest, noticing this and how she's getting emotional. Khan asks if she's familiar with it. And Rave is struck here with another vision, something like an awakening or a waking. Rists shackled, a cart being wheeled away illuminated by shards of something within. Khan tries to push her for answers, but Rave denies claiming Eloen to be dead and storms off, despite the pull back to the cavern. She goes to the house of his room when he cuts her off, gives her some blood stone for her journey and says, "Chase death Eloen Rave kisses her softly and leaves." We get another diary entry. Eloen returning to Slaatra's locked hutch, Khan outside with food and a key. She goes for the key, but he snatches her wrist and tells her to eat first. She does, has flaming diarrhea, and when she returns, Khan is gone. The hutch unlocked. She returns the next night to the same. Khan lists some food at the door of the hutch. He plays his instrument while she eats and earns the key to go see Slaatra, and she starts to look forward to it night after night here as they get into like a little routine. Then we get a veia chapter. Hello! She's preparing to leave for the shade to find Eloen's diary. She runs into Khan, also preparing to head out due to a rabbit dragon torching villages around the area. Veia berates him for taking Rave to his "trine" and it of course not going well. She voices her concern about Tyraht and Katak getting a hold of her. Continues to give him a hard time when he tells her that Rave was seen headed toward the western point, but that Eloen is still in there somewhere. Then veia tells Khan that she's off to find her diary, and we're back to Rave. She sees Raagon fly off with Khan, his last words ringing in her mind. She comes up to a tree where there's a secret cavity behind like a smoothed out knot and snatches up a 3D replica of sorts of Khan's momer, as she continues into the jungle tracing a path that she is somehow familiar with, coming up to a stone wall behind the foliage, discovering a hidden path beyond. Making her way through the tunnels covered in the same flowers that Khan has like grow rampant across the city, she finally comes to a space not unlike the stone home where Khan took her. Claude urges her long and she follows. She opens her mind to bolder song, as he hums and makes her way to a similar cavern where Khan showed Slahtra to her. With what is basically a makeshift bed on the other side as she gets hit with another vision, and if I did at once I got to do it again, we have round two of Dremogirotica. "Emogirotica" "In your dreams." Laughing squinty face, side eyes, two fingers. Lightning bolt, like the red lipstick, smooch, like the stamp, not the kissy lips, but like somebody wore lipstick and smooched. Quashamart and like this finger, like pointing it. You know what I mean? You know what I mean for me. That's round two of our many segment of Dremogirotica. in your dreams. - Oh. (laughing) - Hey, okay. - And the vision fades as she drops her knees realizing that this place is not of someone else's love, but theirs. And then I have a gift here from Tommy Boy when he's the car's on fire on the desk and he goes, oh my God. (laughing) - It's exactly like this moment. - It's appropriate. - Yeah, exactly. - You're welcome. - Well, as always, John, thank you for the recap. Let's moonfall on in. - Nice. Thank you. (laughing) - My words. - All right, chapter 42 starts with Rave. Thank you. And it says, "I begin to tremble. "My teeth clinking together so hard. "I'm surprised they don't shatter." So starting off strong with a drink, first thing. - When? - When you're drinking for a drink. - I don't think that's ever happened. - Well, we've literally first known, it wasn't been a drink. - I know. Look at us. I'm already out of water. Hello. - My next note here is Rave's point of view and she's kind of thinking back to the whole battle circle thing. She says, "Guess nobody saw, I'm sorry, they're still here." Wow, I'm like way ahead in my brain. This is Rave's point of view. She says, "Guess nobody saw a honk flick his pocket python." I mean, I just wrote, "Pocket python." - Pocket python. - Pocket python. Oh my God, this was so funny. Especially after when I said last week that it seemed like he just pulled it out from his crotch. - Yeah. - 'Cause the reason I said that is because, like in my mind, they're wearing just like, this like, loin cloth type of thing. It's basically what they're wearing. So it's like, where else, they don't have pockets. Where else is he gonna pull it out of? I don't know. Pocket python. - Yeah. - Maybe it was pocket because of the size of it, not necessarily because of where it came out of. - Yeah. - Yeah, but where did it come from? - Exactly. - That's the question. Put that on a list of questions. We're gonna ask Sarah. First, we got a request. - Welcome to the podcast. - Where does the pop python come from? - Tell me now, dammit. - The pocket's are not. - Where did it come from? - How do we do pockets? It's a sock elf. - It's the only one he got. - The everywhere in there. - Oh my God. - Okay, well, Conno sexily walks across the whole entire place and is, got the sun glistening off of his amazing muscles and all the things. And it says, he falls to his knees before me and lowers his head between his shoulders, bowing so deep his back is bared. His cuffed hands outstretched, cradling, his beautiful, murmur, and my note is just on his knees. Oh my God. So good. - Yes. And this was crazy because I was, what a vision. I was just saying in the last episode how cute it would be for Rafe to wear Con's momma at some point. And then we started this chapter and I was like, it's happening right now. And then Rafe has this sudden vision of her wearing it before and my note was just, ah. Oh, I was so excited about this. And then Rafe asks Saiza what he's doing. And she says, he's asking for you to place your print upon his raidi. He's saying that he respects you above himself and most importantly, above his honor. He is announcing you as his Roscar, his greater, which is just everything to me. And then in Rafe's pheovia, it says, "I look at the mural painted across his back "at the wonky moon half the size of my fist, "like I could sweep it into my palms and cradle it. "I fall toward it heart first, "pressing my hand upon the moon. "I love so much." And I love all of this so much. This was so sweet. Especially after the end of this section with the wording of like, "Slatra being cradled by the earth "and all of the mentions of that. "I just love it so much." And then Con strikes his chest six times, which takes us into chapter 43 because they talk about it a little bit here. This is chapter 43, still a Rafe pheovia. (coughing) And she says, "Why six?" And Sizes says, "I'm not certain. "5 for Oa, 6 is on her to. "So 5 is for their queen, "and 6 is for Rae." I know, John said he didn't know what that meant in his recap. And I was like, it's because he respects her more than even the king and queen or whatever. Okay, that makes sense. It's like one more than everybody else. - She was number one. I don't know what that means. - It's probably something that I'm just. - Is it weird though that she was like, six is on her to, like even, she wouldn't have thought that. She was just like, "Much a bit of a mistake." I don't know. (laughing) - Mr. Biscount is. (laughing) - Maybe he meant to count to five. - He's, I don't know. - Oh my God. And then in Rae's point of view here, as he like is kind of walking back toward the center of the ring, it says, "Binding myself into a ball as my skin illuminates with the remnant of a million wilted runes." And I just wrote, "Moon Plume." Like something's happening here. - That's the whole note, I love it. - I also had a note about this where it says, "The light emitting from the old etchings rivals one of the moon-plume moons perched within the shades otherwise gloomy depths." And I highlighted this freaking out initially, but it is especially interesting after finishing this chapter section where they talk about the wound in her heart and then the little hints and language about her being or having the missing piece of slatra. So that was really cool. Also, it says, "The residue of runes sketched across my skin at the layers upon layers of tiny etchings used to stitch me together more times than there were moons in the sky to count." So I'm still curious about this. Like is this because she shattered also when slatra fell or was she being pieced back together over and over from something else, like being tortured in the cell that she woke up in? Like we still don't know anything about that, but it just keeps saying she was like pieced back together so many times. So I still wanna know what that's about. But then I love this line from Siza after she notices Raeves' current state where she says, "No wonder you laughed. The unbreakable always do." It was just a sweet one from her seeing, I would assume she could see, I know she could see her glowing, but I don't know if she could also see some of the runes specifically or the wounds or things like that, but that was sweet. - I had assumed that she recognized what the glowing was and knew that there was more to her, like because of the runes. I don't know, she knew something else was going on there. - Yeah. - Or that she couldn't like. - I mean, it seems like to. - Not necessarily that she couldn't die, but like, I mean kind of that. - It seems like all of these runes or whatever she was flushed through it or however is, is fairly common to have one or to see that happen to someone. It's just the amount that she has that is like super rare. And then obviously the one across her chest that her heart seems to be the one that nobody knows what it is. So I mean, she would at least recognize that the girl's gone through a lot, whether or not it's all happened at one time or she could think it's happened over her whole life or something for all that size of nose, but I don't know. - Yeah, that was a cool line though, I like that. - Speaking of cool lines, there's a lot of like, very poetic text in different wording to describe what seems to be a normal sentence, but I really thought this one was interesting how it was written and so it says, "Snarling, Khan reaches into the swinging mass of lethal force, eating a spiked blow to the chest in order to snatch Hawks' arm. And I think another sharp sound wrestles up my throat. I think it might be his name. I think I might have ordered him to live." And so instead of just like writing the dialogue where she's like yelling, "Khan, no, live," like whatever. It's like, it's almost like she's having this like, weird out-of-body experience. Like, did she just say that? I think I just said that, like, did that just come out of my brain? And it's like just written in a really cool way to like, - Yeah. - Make that scene even better, I guess, just from the way it's written. So shout out to Sarah for that one. And then this one is like, the fight is happening and it's just like intense, intense, intense, and it says, "Hawk roars, Khan roars louder." And I was like, "Yes, get it, go Khan Khan!" Freakin' out. So that's cool. And they're like, just describing them like, running at each other like two massive bowls or animals or whatever it was, and as they would like clash. I don't know. The whole fight scene was cool. - Who was epic? - Why were you shaking your head just now, Joe? - I'm just disappointed, you know. - And, but she said "Hawk" instead of "Hawk." - Yep. - Oh, sorry. - It's "Hawk." - I thought you were like, "Hawk, hawks." - It's the proving of them roaring. - Yeah. - No roars. - Khan, hawks louder. - No roars. - They're hawks. - Mendo-Hawk. - Roar. - Katy Perry does, and you're gonna hear it. - That fruthers is point, honestly. I mean, like, that's just a thing. (laughing) - Exactly. - Alright, thank you. - Thank you. Okay, speaking of this fight being super epic though, I just was losing my mind at this part where it says, holding my stare, Khan lifts his to the bloody weapon to the stretch of flesh and sauce in italics sauce. And my note just said, "Oh my God." - Yeah. - When it's the whole-- - Oh, my stare part. Like-- - Yeah. - Yeah. - Intense. - I got you bestie. - I know. - I know you girl. - You watching this? - And then he does that. He brings the head over. She pretty much passes out or she's on the verge of as he gets her up and picks her up, starts walking kind of righun. And she's kind of looking around, but it says, "My eyes prying open just in time to see a silver smudge, clawing up the crater side, leaving." And I was like, "Oh, it's the fate, herder." And she had mentioned it sometime within this fight or like leading up to it before they start. She's like, "Well, I don't see the fate, herder." So we can like kind of do whatever we want 'cause it's not gonna intervene. But I think it was like waiting, it's definitely waiting for this moment to happen. And before I-- - Yeah, for like, kind of-- - For sure. - For sure. - Yep. - I'm gonna give that. - That was pretty cool. - And I just thought this was cute where he says, "Move." be and she's like half passed out so he's like "hmm, he's like, please don't scare me like that again!" She's so cute! I know! He was so weird! It was like that! She thought he showed up, you know, like maybe I should compliment his tracking skills, oh no, he's here to drag me back, like all the things, but he comes and he's just so scared about like that she ran away and the situation she got herself in and whatever, so cute. So cute! Well this takes us into a diary entry and my only note from this short little entry is that I just am so so sad for Slotra here, they're flying to Dom, right? They're flying to the burn and Slotra can't do that, like she can't be in the sunlight like that. Ellyn was like pleading for them to help her or let her help Slotra and it says the writer ignored every word, every plea, every fucking scream. She followed me all the way to Dom, her silver flesh bubbling and bursting, flying until her wings had too many holes to maintain her sore. So sad. Is that what you said? Like to add on to it a little bit later she talks about how her eyes have gone like milky, like has a milky sheen from staring at the sun while she's screeched over and over again and how she doubts that a healer would be able to regain her sight. So now she's like unable to fly and she's blind. Just trying to follow Ellyn and so sweet. She's like Slotra, I love her so much. But every episode we get to make our little usernames or whatever for our recordings and minus justice for Slotra because of this moment right here. Love her. Okay, chapter 45 is a con POV. There was a passing description here of the view of the sky from Dom. I knew that the earth, like their planet doesn't rotate, like I got that and the oracical thing made sense to me. But the way he describes the sky here it like just finally occurred to me that they would be seeing completely different moons there because the planet doesn't spin and the moons are not an orbit. So this was just like a moment where I was like oh this isn't even bigger deal that constatue is of the view from Raeves room like that she's seen before. That was just a wild little aha moment for me. Yeah, I didn't put that together either I guess. So my next note here, this is the first time it's mentioned but it says "Rygun aims for the Imperial Stronghold that oversees it all." And I missed everything else that like happens in this chapter section or really the first few chapters you're leading up. I was just like "Give me answers, like you're giving me all the information but no answers." We get a little bit of answers but this one with everything that was happening and then heading to Dom I was like "Oh my gosh, I just need I just need something Sarah. Give me something." Yeah, give me more. Yep. Well they finally land at the Imperial Stronghold and all of cons like people I guess come out to greet them and I think it's Faya who says "Who's that talking about Raeves?" And he answers "My salvation and the very reason you're probably going to gut me with your pocket blade before I even make it into the Stronghold." But he calls her his salvation so cute. And then I just put the highlight that we learned his middle name is Luke LLUK. Just because I think it's fun. I don't feel like we get like middle names for all of our fictional characters. Sometimes we don't get last names for our characters. Or even first names actually. So the fact that we get Raeves and Cons first middle and last name is like so rare and special. Big deal. It is special. And then Conn, this is his POV while he's looking at Raeves and he notices a gash that follows the same trail as the scar I saw via Dragon Flame. So we know now that he's a Daga Mork but does wielding Dragon Flame also give him the same abilities as someone with Dragon's sight? I don't think so. I'd have to go back and look because I thought there was a point in it may have been the last chapter section where I asked I had a question on whether he had Dragon's sight. Right. But I know when he looked at her scar in the prison cell, he had his wield up with the Dragon Flame. So I don't know if he, I don't know if he- Maybe that's what that means. If it's he can use Dragon Flame to see stuff like that. So not quite Dragon's sight. Okay. I don't know if it's just that Dragon Flame can expose runes. Yeah, maybe it illuminates stuff like that so he can see it even if it's not like a power that he has. I mean, Dragon Flame definitely shows the runes on her whatever. That was that whole interaction with Mia and her making him throw that thing down the hallway or whatever so that he couldn't see her runes or whatever. She made him throw the little, whatever that cool light thing that he has, whatever that one was called. I didn't catch that. And then I assume he saw her scars when Rhaegun roared at the battle that just happened. And she was literally like lighting up like a Christmas tree and everybody saw her. And she tried to like curl down a tie. That would be my guess when he actually saw it. I mean, maybe he has Dragon's sight and he's like hiding it, but I think that's what you see. Okay. Yeah. That makes more sense. I didn't piece that together before. And then this is Kahn's POV here when he says after I tore a pause head from his shoulders and took the city haunted by the ghost of her and her. I had to write like this is Rhaeth, Ellen, obviously like no doubt. Yeah. And it is. Now you know that. Now we know. Yeah. And then about. Yes. Bring it. I totally forgot about that. And then about Agni here says more than 20 gold silver or diamond buttons lining the middle seam of her robes or whatever. And I was like, Oh damn, she talented. Like go girl. And then it continues. It said, both of her vassakalades, even more than her sister, Bia. And I was like, Oh shit. They. Hey sisters. Oh my God. It was just like one thing after the other here. I was just like, Oh, I was just. I was getting super excited here just for like meeting all of these new characters with Kahn coming in. Like it was given me. This is this is definitely my favorite part of this chapter section. But it was given me, you know, Aqatar and meeting like like the Bat Boys and more and Amor and I don't know. Meeting the inner circle. You the inner circle. Thank you meeting the inner circle. You're good. Yeah. But that was like super exciting. That's kind of what it reminded me of. Yeah. Part of this conversation with Agni just the descriptions in this book, man. Agni says, I'll have to melt her skull smooth again before I thread her flesh and I just wrote ah. Yeah. That's what it's going to be. This is like so. This is scary. I'll have to melt her skull smooth again before I thread her flesh. That description was just like, ooh. Like setting up. Yeah. But in her skull. Melt her skull really just really caught me. So it's a good thing she is so talented because that is pretty intense. And then a tick in grim square jaw pulses. I'm out of water though. I need to go get some more. I'll do a little. We can't continue to you. Okay. And then go get some water. Okay. I'll just go do it real quick. I'll be right there. Why are you still sitting there? Go get her host houses. Just like get back in the room. Yeah. You told us you'd be gone for this long. This is Ali. Oh, he's a pig boy. Yeah. He's so sweet. And we've been little besties when we started recording Cassie sent me a picture of him just sitting and like looking toward the door because he really wanted to be in here. So I'm going to let him hang out in here if he's loud. We'll kick him out. But he's just he's so sweet and very gentle. I got my water. So proud of you. Good. It honestly wouldn't be you if you didn't have a pet on camera at least at one point. You can't have mini this week. So I got ours. Okay. How she been? Yeah. She's been great. He just laid down under the desk. He just wanted to be in here. He's out of like the weather report from family. How's my man? She's good. How's the weather out there, Ali? Go rain. Spray the noise. Spray the noise. So Grim holds Vea back with his big hand wrapped around her wrists and the other arm across her chest. And after she calms down, it says she was quote no longer wrestling Grim, not that he lets her go, not that she asks him to. And I wrote, are they in love? Yeah, they are. No, my note literally just says couple. That's fine. Highlight of the whole thing. Couple. Doc Master Lora reporting for duty. Sheep it. Calcify it. Calcify. Calcify. And then Pyra comes back with some supplies. And it says that like either Conor Vea kind of like wipes down her face and pyroxies more clearly who they have here. And he says, who in the creators damn fuck is that? And why does she look like Eloen Nivon? She's dead. Am I the only one that thinks I'm going mad right now? And Con says she doesn't know herself as Eloen to her. She's rave. And she has no recollection of anything prior to the past 23 phases. And I was just like, oh my God, here it is. This was so shocking too because it's like we get such a it's like, yep, it's her. And you're like, wait, hold on. Wait, wait a minute. And you're like, what? But yes, so that was very fun to learn. Calcified. Very, very. So proud of you guys. Absolutely. I'm sorry that we just like denied you so many times. It's sort of your it's sort of your job to gaslight us through this. It really is. I do. I think as you said, it's not very. Often that you get that character reveal from another character. It's usually that character themselves finding out, this is who I used to be. Not like, like, we're finding this out before she did, basically. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, and it changes the whole rest of the view as she's like figuring it out and stuff. So yeah, I also put the gift in here of Captain Holt from Brooklyn, Brooklyn 999 going The indication. But this was a chance. John's theory someone added a bunch of like fire to Really add some feeling. That's what it felt like. I know you like screenshot it and texted it to the whole group chat like whatever time late at night. You're like, what is So proud of you. And then they kind of continue the conversation here. Vaya says if she has no recollection, how do you explain the fact that she calls herself by her middle name and the Ridd that they just keep rolling out was like, oh my god. And then Vaya finally loosens from Grim's grip the ladder crossing his arms over his brush. Jess gaze firmly cast on my sister, stalking toward me with war waging on her bloodshot eyes. And this is where we get confirmation that Vaya is Consister and I'm just like, oh my god. I'm loving this entire group right now. Just the dynamic between everybody. I was just like a Lovenette. I was eating it up. And then Pyrox says Agni, you know perfectly well. How good I am at multitasking. Flashing her a grin. Agni's cheeks flush and she shakes her head, muttering beneath her breath. And I was like, oh, we're getting, we're getting so many Teenie tiny like micro dynamics in all of the relations like all of the cross relationships here. And I'm here for it. Yeah, I know here just as couple called it. No, I do like like just those little tiny sentences. I feel like we've been with this group for so long already. Even though we've been with them for half a chapter. Yes. And then there's this little snippet here where Vaya and Con are talking and Vaya says so she doesn't know about and then Con cuts her off and says no. She opens her mouth closes it, shaking her head. And then she says and you're certain you watch Slatra and he like cuts her off again. And my note here says, oh my god am I right. This is before we got the Slatra reveal later in this section, but I also think that this plays into some of my thoughts and theories for later. So I'm excited to talk about that. And Vaya is still asking Con some questions about her trying to get some answers here because he clearly doesn't have any but she's still asking him anyway. She says she bears the southern earmark of a no no beads. Not even a hole for them to hang off. Do the creator still speak with her and Con says, Clodon Boulder, though I'm not sure about the other two. And I was like, is he inferring that she can hear the other two or just that he doesn't know if she can at all. Like that was my question here. Obviously we kind of like figure that out later. But at this point I was like, I don't know what's going on here. I think you were right because in I think it was an episode one, you were saying that you were wondering if Raive was actually able to hear all four if she could hear three of them or something because she was in all, but we knew she could at least hear Clod. Yeah. So I think you were right. I think this means she can hear all four. Yeah. Yeah. And then they says, are you afraid that she'll see him and remember him leave you again that the note was true. And I was like, oh my god, if she left con for Tyra, I'm going to absolutely lose my shit. I am going to lose it. But I was just thinking this like just right before the podcast. If she did, I have a feeling that it was to like, either protect Con specifically or just like the people of Dom or something. Yeah. I had in my notes for this part, first of all, I wrote, oh shit. Oh, yeah. But I feel like Austin found out that Ellen was in love with Con and forced her to maybe leave a note saying that she didn't love him or something to leave him for Tyraath because he wanted Tyraath to be king. So I feel like it was Austin maybe manipulating her to do that by threatening to like hurt Slotra or Con or something like that or kill them or something. That's where my mind went with that. My note was more about the fact that Con was saying like, yes, yes, fucking yes, like in his own POV, like he didn't say that out loud, but like he gets asked this question, are you worried or are you afraid of that? And he's like freaking out, which is so sad for Con. He's gone through it. It is so sad. But then Con says, oh, this is part of my theories for later to Con says to Vaya here, she is so much more than she being rave is so much more than a power play. So much more than the love of my existence. There's someone out there who needs her more than any of us do and it's not our fucking brother. And that like really started sending me into some theories by really thoughts. So I will talk about that later. But that was one of those lines where I was like, excuse me, because she doesn't have, she like her whole family was dead. And we know that she had a friend Fallon, but she remembers her like that was after she, you know, woke up again or whatever that looks like. So that that line really sent me into a tailspin. Yeah. And there was a brief sentence here in the book. It's like sort of random, but it's after Con says, I will slowly gently ease her into her truth painful as it is. Then she can choose her own path, make her own choices. And this is kind of like he says is in his head. It's an italics. It says, come what may. And I wrote you in. I had a very similar note. Thank you. It was funny. We actually, we randomly sang this on the way to Enjantagon or either on our way or yeah, on our way to Enjantagon. I was like, what a throwback. Because I probably haven't. I've totally forgot about that song. You were talking about Mulan Rouge for anyone who doesn't know about Mulan Rouge. You and McGregor. And if you don't know, please go watch that immediate stop this episode. And then come back. Welcome back. So that song I love singing in the car. And Lauren will never sing with me because she doesn't know to cool kidman's part. She'll be like, I don't know the words. I like it's come away. It's not even like. How do you know the words? First of all, calm down. Second of all. The first time I ever heard about this was con talking about it in college because she loves you and McGregor. Because I love it. I know. And then I think the first time it was nice. Was a Kyle made me watch it was the first time I'd ever seen it. And I think I've seen it. You still don't know all the words. Introduce her to you. I'm saying I don't know the words. He said that. You always say, I don't know the words. Okay, hold on. They're come with me. In my defense. And this is a horrible defense. I am a music teacher. However, when I listen to songs like my brain just doesn't lyric. And I can know a song for like a bajillion years. And I'm still making up the words or like I get them wrong. I just I'm so bad at that. When we started dating, just driving around listening to any genre of music. And she'd be singing along. And I would like randomly turn it off and be like, what? Did you just say? Because it's so far off from what they said or anything that would ever make sense. And I'm so passionately singing the wrong lyrics in all of these moments. I'm still getting it. I just know it's super wrong. And I'm still like, I don't know this about you. I just accepted it at this point. But we've become subtitles people when we watch TV. So now I feel like when I watch musicals or like K-pop demon hunters, those kinds of things that are like newer. And I'm like, oh no, I got all those lyrics because the words are right there for me. I just can't hear them for some reason. Your homework is to go watch, come on, my hair. Go watch the Mulan Rouge. Go watch, go watch it. With subtitles. Yes. Got it. Perfect. I don't know. Sorry. Go ahead. We'll wait. Yeah. Go and come back. Wow, guys. That's such a great movie. Now say something. Recommending it to me. Oh, one man. Lily Armstrong, personally. In the style of rock. She might have watched the. Oh, no. Go and win me. That's Roxanne. Lauren, that's the wrong. Oh, my bad. Which I literally, when we watched Mulan Rouge, I was like, oh, it's that song from that community episode. It's when Britta sings it from the bathroom. Great association. Great episode. My last note from this chapter is when Vea says and John mentioned this earlier, nobody can suffer what she meaning "Eleven has been through and not be pitted with a well of dragon flame," whether she remembers her past or not. "Tread carefully, Con, or she'll incinerate herself and turn to ash in your fucking hands." First of all, this is really sad. And I love Raeveslash, Eleven, and Vea so much. But also, what the heck do these comments about dragon flame mean? I'm still really confused by this. Do we know what this means? Is this a metaphor? I don't know. I feel like it sounds like a metaphor. No one would suffer what they go through and not have all this anger built up. And if you're in their path, you're going to get burned. That's what that feels like to me. Okay, thank you. I believe just because there's like dragons blood and dragon flame and dragon sight, I like never know. And the only thing not- The four ten permits of a dragon. Exactly. Okay, all right. Well, thank you for clearing that up. Yeah. Well, speaking of dragon flame, don't you just hate it when your adventuring party is about to be incinerated and turn to ash while the one dice has you covered? Every role tells a story with the one dice your game night becomes an adventure full of wonder. With over 50 handcrafted animations lighting up your table, brilliant colorful faces at a premium familiar feel in your hand, each role is alive with character. Choose your class. Shape your fate. It's not just a die, it's your companion. Your rolling ritual reimagined. Your way to make every encounter unforgettable. Join the circle of dice bearers and discovery just have fun, exciting and magical your game can be. The One Dice, for your legend, one role at a time. Check out @WildEarthDice on Instagram or search for the One Dice at www.backerkit.com to learn more. Okay, well that takes us into chapter 46, which is another con chapter. And the only note that I have from this chapter was just that there's a cool, like, magic and world-building detail here. So this is Con's POV. It says, "A candlestick flame will stretch and squirm in the presence of anyone who wanders by screaming for more sustenance to burn, desperate to grow. Ignos doesn't like being small and unimpressive. He craves rugs to sing forests to obliterate fields of dry grass to rip across." I just thought this was so cool, the whole way that he talks about flame, almost having like a desire or like a personality. Like the God is like wanting it to burn more. It was just really cool. And not something we would have gotten from anyone else's POV probably. Yeah, because we hear how clothe is. And then we get a little bit of what rain is like. So this is our first, and I guess, bolder too. So this is our first insight into Ignos, which was interesting. Yeah, that was so cool. If you love flames that love to burn, I need to finish writing my book for you. Ooh, please do. Put that on the back of the book. If you love flames, I love to burn. This is a book for you. Instant bestseller. Yes, amazing. Okay, well, we're rolling right into chapter 47, which is a VAIA POV. And I highlighted this and wrote, "Aha, new POV has entered the villa." Unexpected. Unexpected about this. Yeah, definitely unexpected. So we start off in, she is just noticing some things about rave. And it says, "Posing, I take in the ravaged skin down the sides of her nails, my brow pinching together." And I was like, "Okay, thank you. I've also been wondering about this because it's been mentioned. I feel like it's been mentioned so many times in passing." Yeah. Yeah, but there's no explanation for that yet. Like why rave is constantly like using her fingernails to kind of ruin this skin on the sides of her nails. So that was just, I was just happy somebody mentioned it. I still don't know why she does that. Then she's looking at her head and it says, "Not even a trace of the scar she would have forever worn like a fucked up version of the diadem she wants bore." And this was like a click moment for me because I was realizing that the head injury they keep referring to that's like not there. Like when Confer saw her and he was like, "It healed." And people seem to be really confused about that. I'm wondering if they think that, because obviously whatever they were told about her death was not true. So I'm wondering if they think that she like killed herself trying to remove the diadem. Like if that's what Austin told her that it like drove her mad and she basically ended her own life by trying to remove it. That was the only thing I could think of in terms of like a scar that isn't there anymore unless there really was something there and it's gone. But yeah. Okay. So I think one of the things that we maybe forget is that when Ellyn talks about her parents or like her whole family dying, that her mom, like her whole body like shriveled up or whatever because of the etherstone. So maybe this scar or maybe like the diadem was doing that to Ellyn or something and that's what the scar is that they're talking about. Because that would, I mean, they would be direct with her saying like the one that the fucked up version from the diadem she wants bore. So it would be. So the ring could start at the forehead is what you're saying. The shriveling starts there. Gotta have a good like, you know, moisturizer for your face or that's what happens. But it does say the scar she would have forever worn. Like it almost sounded like if that was true but again we still don't really know. That was just sort of a clicking moment for me there. I was gonna say something else about that. Oh, I also wonder if maybe that would have healed because it was before Slatra like curled up with her and took her up to the sky and if Slatra was able to prevent her from dying then and like healing that wound that was not supposed to be able to heal. What? Why are you shaking your head? What are you shaking your head for? Go on. Slatra was able to somehow like give her life like that and heal her. Then I don't know if maybe any wounds that she had before she went up there would have been healed and then the piecing back together would have happened after she came back down. Oh, I see which I mean. That's what I mean. I don't know. The boys started doing like baseball, hands, signals, back and forth. So each other during all of that. I got some secret code. That's rude. I was also wondering here if all of these wounds are maybe part of the reason her memories seem to be like locked away because they do it does seem like they're there. Like she's getting flashes of things and remembering things slowly. But I guess it would depend on who kept her in the cell or who healed her or something like that. But that was just something that I was thinking about. And then I was calcifying my Austrian theories here though with this observation that Raeve has a stab wound in her heart that she shouldn't have been able to heal from and it glows a shade of silver. Agni has never seen before. So that's where I was kind of thinking about the moonshard situation and that was even before the slatrap part. So I feel pretty calcified on that. Even though I don't really know details. And then I wrote OMG Vea won her own Tukotrial and has 178 battles. SLEE. I hate that she had to do that, but I love her. I don't know what she looks like, but she sounds hot. So I'm going to go find her. She does. Yeah. One of my notes was just a interaction between Pyrook and Vea where they were sort of just chatting, playing their game and Pyrook said, "You said I was pretty." And Vea said, "Yeah, pretty annoying." And I just put the chip of someone going, "Ooooh!" Because that's the very close family thing to do to each other. Gotcha. That's so good. This image of Vea is literally amazing and they just sent it to us in the group chat. So we've been like, "Oh, you're gonna see me?" But she's freaking hot. Way hotter than I thought she was going to be. And they also, the same artist has other ones of the other characters. "Ooooh!" Hello. I know. It's not at all what I was picturing, but I am here for it. And we continue. Yep, yep. And in the same conversation, Vea says to Pyrook, "If you try to pry the information from poor vulnerable Agni with your charm stick, I'll murder you in your sleep." And that took me out when she said charm stick. Oh my gosh. That's even better than Pocket Python. It really is better than Pocket Python. It's pretty solid. Yeah it is. It's just reference. Oh yeah, oh yeah it is. Oh man. And then sort of talking about the diary, Vea says that she thinks she, she being Rayver, Ellowyn took it to Arithia. And then thinks in her own head, "Luck, it seems, is licking my ass." And I was like, "Is that a thing that people did?" I feel like that's, as she said it out loud, and she's like, "Do you mean kicking?" Like, "No, it's just a weird phrase." It's just a good thing, is this a bad thing? I'm confused. Oh my gosh. And then she, yeah, she just states out loud and a most clear thesis statement. I guess I'm going to the shade. Period. It's like, "All right, we know what you're doing." Yeah. You're for it. You've got a mission. Yep. And then I just was so intrigued by the end of this chapter in Vea's POV about wanting to go find Ellowyn's diary. She thinks what she did was in many ways completely unforgivable. Perhaps the diary will shed some light on the black hole she punched through my heart when she left without a word to me and a single pathetic note to the male she supposedly loved. There is some tea here. I'm just like surprised they waited 123 years. Like, you see your brother's diary? Yeah, like, you see your brother going through it, and you obviously have feelings too, because they seem to have been friends at least. And you wait until this moment to think, "I'm going to go get the answers now." I don't know. Yeah. Maybe it was just because they thought that she was dead. I mean, she died. Just moved on. So maybe it was just, yeah, like there was no point then, and they were just grieving her loss, I guess, or I don't know, thinking they would never get any resolution. But yeah, that is interesting. That takes us to another diary entry. And this is the first time that, assuming it's gone, and Ellowyn see each other. And it just says, "He looked right at me through eyes like crackling embers. And I think my heart stopped. His feet stopped too." And I was like, "Oh, love it first sight." They're so in love. They're so in love. All right, chapter 49 is a rave chapter. Think you. And Vaya is like going off in her little ways. She's not like yelling, but she's very stern with rave here, and says, "Break him again, and I'll break you." I was like, "Oh, what a good little sister." She's fierce. Yeah, she is. I love her. But then after a short conversation with rave, where Vaya doesn't even tell her her name, Vaya starts to storm off, and Vaya calls out her name, Vaya, which was so wild. I was like freaking out about that. And in Rave's POV, she just like waves it off. Like, "Oh, maybe I know another Vaya." And it's just like screaming through the whole interaction that was so well written. She actually says, and I quote, "My brain just belched in the right direction." Because apparently that's also a saying. Yeah, luck was really looking at her ass. She just got her right. Belched in the right direction on that one. There was another phrase later that I wrote, "BRB adding to my phrase library." Yeah. A lot of good ones in this section. All right. So chapter 50 is another rave POV. I'm not good at that. So I haven't been doing it, but the boys have been too slow. Okay. Yeah. They have a little more bass to it. Yeah. That's nice. So Rave is putting. She's kind of piecing together a little outfit here. And she looks in the mirror and she is like, "This is adorable." And I wrote, "This sounds adorable. This is so cute." She has black knee high boots with thick soles and laces down the front. And then a robe made of sheer black fabric with a floor length hem and long bell sleeves tied with a belt over her sheer black shift. And I just had to put that in here because this is so cute. I'm all about it. Yeah. But what's funny about it is she probably picked that out for her. herself. She was probably her brother herself and it's here already which is waiting for her. Like whoever put this in here has great taste. Exactly. I am adorable. It just reminded me that just yesterday our daughter Faye was walking around in knee high boots because they were a little too big for her and they princess dressed and just came up to us and said these boots mean I'm happy when I don't have boots on I'm not happy. And she has storms off and this little thing. That's the scene. I love that. I was also cracking up when Rae asks where the front door is and I think this is Pyroc who says that way 18th door on your right is the fastest route to the city center and I was like 18th. It's so wildly specific for where they were in the building. And she's just like oh yeah okay no big deal. Great thanks. It takes her snacks down the hall. Amazing. Well and then she does get snacks from the guys as they're playing their little game and stuff and the most John way ever. But oh you're not eating those? Okay I'll take those. All right thank you. She says you don't need me to kill anyone in exchange for do you and they're just like look at each other. I'm like no we'll pass. She's like okay that's kind of weird like that's usually what it's for. Cool all right. Well she makes it outside finally and she asks one of the guards in a very funny like it took me a little bit with that interaction with them to realize that he saw the Malmer like cons Malmer for them to like you know just take the bowl of empty snacks and give their dagger whatever it was like whole interaction was really funny. That she does learn that Con runs his whole entire country or part of the world completely different than the rest where like young elementals aren't hurt or anything they just get to go to an academy and learn and then the knolls are allowed to like get an apprenticeship or maybe have an affinity with runes and it's just like a lot more peaceful and stuff and so it's just my note here is all cast good job Con. I'm a fan of you. I'm doing it. You go girl. I did have a note here in my Kindle app that this is the point in chapter 50 it was like I think it was right at this part where she like goes outside and there's a little break but this not for any particular reason was the point where my sad new theory hatched. I was really upset about it for a long time and I texted Lauren about it at this point and she was like what is it and I was like I'm gonna save it for the recording. Eveola. So then of course I screened that conversation and put it in the spoiler chat and discord and was like what does she know and everybody's been trying to theorize what you figured out but we don't know so it is it's very in depth it's pretty long I am still gonna save it for thoughts and theories because it wasn't specifically about anything here I just had paused in the middle of the chapter and I was actually in my daughter's room like rocking her back to sleep and was just thinking about the book and then I was like oh no I got so upset my gosh anyway so that's coming later but this was the point in the story like in the chapter section and then there were some things that were calcifying it for me so we'll talk about it when we get there. All right chapter 51 Rave. I was so glad that we got back to having like Q.R. in the book because it's been a couple episodes since we've had that I think it was when she was in the wall before that we actually saw like the curly quill and like a couple of things like the little poster or whatever but I think we get two different times here one for this other curly quill and then another where it's like just like random things and markings on something that she sees but anyways I was just glad to have that back because I think it's a neat add-in to books in general and then we meet the mind-weft which is Vrune and she says I thought your lot were hunted and forced to work for the imperial family and he goes painfully aware I know it's well the quayer Rave. There's the same energy. Yeah that's the best. And as he is basically reading her mind as to everything that she needs and is going to ask for he finally kind of he gets to a certain point where he's like getting into a lot of her past and he gets into that there's something like special within her and he says the answer is within you in the place where you hide everything I could help you drain the and she cuts them off and I was like Lake Lake it's Lake it's Lake. Yes I thought this was so interesting too because like I said I don't know if it is the runes that are locking away her memories or if it really is just from whatever injuries that she's had but like they're clearly in there like if he's able to still read her mind I feel like he wouldn't be able to do that if she truly had lost them all so that was interesting and then he gives her a black leather bound book with a pearly moon plume embossed on the cover and I just wrote this is certainly not a coincidence and then this is also where he says you'd be able to hear he's talking about the rain and he says you'd be able to hear it coming if it weren't for the iron cuff and if you bothered to listen and this is where I was also like she totally can hear all of them John was right. I'm so excited. Yeah and he goes on to talk about like hearing them but he mentions rain specifically he says rain is power half a world coated in powdered power no one is strong enough to wield though you could if you did not tuck sadness into that icy lake within you along with and I think he gets cut off again but when he was talking about this I was like I feel like this kind of somewhat proved that she could hear all four because he's basically and coming after that previous comment I think he's alluding to the fact that he knows that she has the ability to hear all four she's just like kind of like choosing not to which we get a little bit of later when she talks about how she like heeps it airtight or whatever but does this mean that she could control like the whole ocean I guess if that's what they have half a world coated in powdered power no one is strong enough to wield though you know sounds like like that would be epic well and he says if you did not tuck sadness into that icy lake within you along with and I was thinking that he was referencing slatra like the like the other that is under the the icy lake but if she and slatra were good dog or more then maybe that could be part of it too like I don't know like because she's currently shutting out rain and ignoce yeah but then we get another diary entry next and eloen is talking about how she met vea and at the end of their first interaction it says vea quote tucked my hair back off my face told me she teaches combat at droke academy I forgot to put that in the pronunciation guide and asked if I'd like some lessons the word lit something in me and I felt more alive than I have in a very long time and I just love vea for this like everything was just confirmation over and over again of how much I really like vea's character so this is just cool and I love this for eloen yeah I love vea and this just made me really sad for her yeah because we get all these like con POVs or moments where it's you know sad that con has lost eloen and like all the stuff that he had to do with his father but we get all these little bits of vea's life too like her father didn't want her and this is like a friend that she made assuming they maybe be the best friend if she's been around their family and stuff and then she also loses eloen and all of that so just it's rough all around for those they know all right chapter 53 is a rave POV when con shows up to the little spot like she's hanging out with pyroch and he just like shows up out of nowhere and he says are you going somewhere moonbeam and when she doesn't answer he says I've got all slumber the rest of my life actually swooned and in a rave's point of view here she says the corner of cons mouth curls into a half smile that makes me want to squirm in my seat picturing his face between my thighs right here on this table for everyone to hear me scream and I wrote yes and then she finally gets the iron cuffs off the shackles off right and says a smile graces my lips while I relish in the melody of clothes fluttering giggle welcome back you crazy bitch and I was kind of hoping that this was what clode said to her but that wouldn't make much sense yeah that would have been funny but yeah this is what rave says about clode so still pretty great nice all right well this is setting up future turmoil trauma issues plot whatever the word we want to use where they what do you say tromboil yes trauma in turmoil yes where it says a war with kudok or tyroth will be catastrophic but it's only a matter of time my brothers deserve the same mercy my paw received and it will be served so guess we're going to war what gods of war war to clear your hammer be my team nice please comment if you know what that's from that's one of my favorite movies I do only because of you yeah same your welcome all right well my next note is that the ticket cons jaw pulses align forming between his brows why is water big draw tick of it forms between his brows honey what I'm at a higher altitude I'm trying to say I'm trying to okay your honor here is that con confirms that he and ragan are dog a mark and I just wrote boy now that we know this it it seems kind of obvious almost are you okay yeah I just read you just sorry yeah but in rave's point of view it says my eyes widen browse rise as my heart skips a beat another that explains the wheeled the strength the and I finished her sentence and wrote girth You're welcome. I think one of you theorized that they were gonna be dogamort when we first learned the term. I think I- I've been con maybe. Well, I think I said I can't wait for that to happen to rave. I don't think I officially thought that it was con. I think it was John. I think for both rave hearing everyone and the dragon work thing it was one of those things where you were like, it was like nobody's heard of that. And you were like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're definitely gonna see that. And then in rave's bind like in this moment in her POV she says, I've actually decided that his death being cons might be one of the greatest losses this world could suffer. So it's like this whole time she's like, I'm gonna kill you, I'm after you, watch your back, whatever. And now she's like turned it all around and seeing all the good that con is doing in the world and hopes for the future and stuff. So a big moment for rave and con, even though we know she's also eloen, but like for her and her rave POV literally, it's a big moment. So yeah. And lastly from chapter 53, con leads forward, elbows resting against the stone, fingers sliding beneath my chin and tilting my head, forcing me to me as softening stare. My note just says hot. Yeah, fanning myself. I love that. Yeah, which takes us into chapter 54, another rave chapter here. And she is talking about her internal like being able to block the elemental songs a little bit. And I just thought this was super interesting here. It says grappling with my internal sound snare. I make sure it's the right taughtness that I've got the right sieve tucked over the opening. And the one that allows clothes to slip through but prevents rains frosty snow falling subs from penetrating my brain keeps her out. And I just thought this was like a great way to explain how you would kind of like taper your mind off to one while leaving it open for another. So this is kind of a cool way to explain this. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's also just like a really interesting world building, I guess, because assuming this is how it works for other people. Everybody. Yeah. And she did whatever tributes still be its whatever because she also says that when it starts to rain, she has to again check her mental snare sound snare. And she finds no flaws, none, meaning that the song of rainfall must be different frequency than I'm used to blocking. So she's using like when it's sound snare, she's talking about like the frequency levels of things, which is just like super its own level of deep. When we're talking about literal sound frequencies and how high or low you're blocking off something and yeah, it's just a really unique and neat way to look at like a magic system or the world and stuff. Yeah. Hi, John. You're muted. That's you. I'm making a joke. You're muted. I'm sorry. You just kind of just like John is talking. My bad. This is a cool moment too because it says the raindrops for Lauren Wimper cleaving a crack through my chest and raves POV. And this reminded me of just like a few chapters earlier that she had said something about run's tears, like the sound that they were making or something. So I went back and looked it up and it in her POV in chapter 51. It said that she like doesn't want to look at him crying and it says not when I can already imagine the sad sounds his tears are making just by looking at them. And I thought that was kind of odd in chapter 51 and then we get here and I was like, oh, that is crazy. So that was a really cool little description too. And then so obviously she's heard rain before at some point as rave and just blocked her out. But then in her POV it also says hindsight my least favorite way to learn. Same girl. And then as she's freaking out about the rain, Con like hugs her really close and he starts humming her song. And that was just so sweet. He's really skyrocketing up through the ranks. I've been trying to figure out what this song is though this whole entire time on my reread and I think I figured it out and I will tell you about it when we get there. Amazing. I have a theory. I'm so excited on my reread. I'm calcified in this moment. Oh wow, look at that. It's that one. That's the song. It's like a whole boy band comes out. Yeah, where in no world is going to be a go. Nice. Or it could be the song from its boys don't cry from SpongeBob because she doesn't like to hear their tears. No, it's the one from Frankie Valley. The big girls don't cry. That one. Or Fergie. That one. Oh yeah. Really all of these are solid options. And I figured it out. Mystery song. Thank you, Chauder. Appreciate that. All right. Okay, chapter 55 is another rave POV. And they finally make it into like Con's house, I guess. It's like the place that he has above Slotcher's tomb as I think how they described that. And she's like walking through and observing things and she says her stare glides to a map of the world that stretches across a large curve of the wall. The yellowed parchment is littered with a tiny black crosses, most of which are the south of Gore. Thousands of them. And I sat here and revert the sentence a couple times because I was like, what is this pointing at? Is it like Ty Roth and is like, you know, army movements or something? But I think this is a map of the moon shards. And this is him like trying to collect all the moon shards because there's thousands of pieces. And him like checking off when he found each one. Is that what I think this map is? Which is really insane. That's crazy. Yeah. That's how he would have had to do it. So. And he called. I know. Why not? Yeah. Even more. And this moment didn't. Yeah. Just fallen. I can see it. That's a cry about it. Yeah. That man. That thought didn't even. That didn't even occur to me too. I figured it was just like a bunch of their forces like Ty Roth and his forces and stuff. And well, because you know, on my reread, I'm picking up new things. And so getting that one where it was like them talking about the war plans and how that's catastrophic and trying to figure out where's this story going, that kind of stuff. And so that's why I sat here with this one and just was like, what is this? Because they talk about how they have a tiny army or it's like way smaller and stuff. And yeah. And I'm pretty sure. And it makes sense in being above Slotcher's tomb quote unquote. That this is the map of the bridge. Oh, yeah. And that he chained it. He's like chained the doors or whatever. It's like locked off. No one can get in. Yeah. For sure. Right. Yeah. Wow. Okay. So I just found two, it says a fallen moon plume quote, forever tucked in a sleeping curl. Head half nudged beneath the fan of a frayed membrane. Before I read any further, I was like, is it Slotcher? And then as Khan goes on to describe and he literally says her name was Slotcher. I've drawn us to his voice that I've never heard before. And I was just like, oh my god. This was insane. It was so crazy. Like you assume that once it got colder and stuff and they were headed down that you're like, okay. That's probably what this is. It's either going to be a fallen moon. It's going to be something that relating to rave. So this was pretty cool. It is really cool, but it's also like this was just so wild because we've seen the saber side that fell that didn't shatter. So like we know, you know, we've seen that that they preserved it or whatever, but this made me cry. I'm on the cry counter this week where it says I trace a hairline fissure with the tip of my finger looking up to see many more webbed across the metallic beast proving she smashed into thousands of shards upon impact. Shards that have been painstakingly pieced together in this rounded tomb. And then just hearing that there were thousands is crazy and she says you did this. I asked my voice wobbly. I did. Yes. And she says why? And he said because it hurt to knowing she's not whole. I was crying. God. This really got me. Well, it goes on to say as she's like exploring slotter there says ignoring the sounds of splitting ice ratcheting through me. So this is like her inner lake, I guess. So she's ignoring the sounds of it shattering. It says I ease up onto my tiptoes peering over the cleft of her wing to the small hollow it's shielding not sharp and jagged like the bits are still missing, but a smooth ingress close to the tip of the beast's wide nose. As though slotter gave her final breath cradling da da da something bundled within the silken tendrils of her once soft tails shielded by her cupped claw. And then later she puts together that it was cradling her cradling me. So it's just interesting though that slotter gave her final breath to Rae and I am guessing that's what kept Rae alive. Or however that works in the hundred years that she was up with the moon before it fell. Yeah and what was the note that you highlighted earlier in this section? Something about was it something you highlighted where it was like a little vision that she had maybe that was drawn about like like milky eyes and like nudging her or something. And if slotter's eyes were white because she was blind at this point and that was like her memory was like the little nudge of her nose and that could have been one of like her final memories. That's so sad. So sad. But it also is maybe why like she has that icy lake and that all that stuff that's going on all that stuff is because like that final breath is slotter or whatever. Yeah. Cosify. Cosify. Yeah and it kind of continues. She's like still going down this whole thought process and she says because those shards I saw when I first opened my eyes to the world I now understand they were scavenged at the same time as me. That's why the cart was lugging them past my cell. They'd just been snatched from the snow dragged inside a mountain of stone and ice that had a belly full of fire. And I was like at this point I have a little bit more of this. thoughts and theories, but at this point I was like, so Slotra maybe did take rave with her like when she calcified Yeah Probably I that's what I'm assuming but the phrasing scavenged at the same time as me is really interesting And I still am just dying to know who did that and like kept her in a cell Yeah, but I it does seem like that your next note we kind of get confirmation because Khan basically says it Yeah, yeah, so Khan says I think this beast cradled you for a hundred phases Breathing life back into your broken body until you both fell from the sky I think you broke from Slotra's tombstone like a hatching dragon and then I think she cuts him off here But I was like number one when the moon hatched because the moon fell and he said that she broke from it like a hatching dragon And then this also is just such a deep parallel with the ballot of the falling moon So I'm I'm excited to see more of like how that please into the story Mm-hmm crazy. Well, yeah, so like Khan is telling her this and she's trying to cut him off And I feel like he just keeps getting more I imagine him saying it just like quicker or like just trying to get it out He's trying to cut him off. Yeah, and he's like getting really desperate in this and he says because I knew a female who died tragically whose lifeless body was sailed into the sky by an adoring beast at your back with my torn out heart and her fucking fist Her name was Eloen. She laughed with the wind cried with the rain She angered with fire and bellowed with the ground her heart thumped with synchrony with and then she gets like cut off again and stuff So yeah, we get so much in that though like first of all of his emotions and stuff But he says laughed with the wind cried with the rain angered with fire bellowed with the ground So to me that's confirmation that she has all four. Yeah, yeah Even if we haven't seen her talking with ignos But we do get from rave like really early on in the book where she's like scared of fire and like being burned again And like all of these things that she has so clearly something happened with ignos or with at least fire Somehow that she's obviously keeps pushing that away. She does say like two words or something earlier in the book with ignos Well, she says that she was like burned by him or something. Yeah, but she actually like oh like she speaks to him Yeah, she's yeah, well, yeah, she keeps trying to cut off con here and he finally says don't lie to me moon beam Lie to the world, but please don't lie to me. He just wants her so bad He just wants to be that person for her and Yep, I agree with vea in the sense that he did not take it slow and probably screwed that up a little bit In this situation because she clearly wasn't ready for some of that. Yeah, but it will definitely speed up that process I suppose Yeah, doesn't that nickname mean so much more now to a little piece of light that fell from the moon Oh, that is so cute. Oh My gosh, that's she yeah Obviously is not ready for some of this and snaps at him and she says saving my life dragging me away to your big bright kingdom Where everybody fucking loves you is not going to reincarnate her. I'm not yours and I never will be and this sucks So bad because from her perspective, this is totally fair like she doesn't remember this stuff But I also just feel so much sympathy for con because he's like because he knows and he I Think there's a lot more that she doesn't know yet about you know her life before and he's just like He just like wants her to understand so badly and I just feel for both of them so much and then I freaking cried again This is my second one from this section because Rape starts backing away from con after after she says that and she's running back up the stairs Ignoring the pain in his eyes and it says I ignore the tugging sensation that tries to lure me to turn around to climb over that Folded wing tuck within the hollow and fall asleep in slatras stony embrace and after this part with like the other The other dragon that like the other moon that had fallen that was still intact and there was that like tugging for Rape to like turn around and And not lean into it like to give privacy almost or like respect But then to feel that tugging to like turn around and go like curl up in her and like go to sleep I just So sad and the I think last line in the chapter is Rape saying I happen to like living in my blanket blivian It's lonely, but lonely people have nothing to lose and I just wrote hi Councillor Kyle here to point out a logical fallacy in this mindset This is a False dilemma mindset that assumes two conditions like having connections means you have something to lose and being lonely means you have nothing to lose But in reality lonely people can still have things to lose like self-worth or opportunities or material goods or potential or feature relationships And she's oversimplifying the spectrum of loss to like an all or nothing Binary but the interesting thing that I actually love about this mindset is like is the possibility of losing something or never having it at all The same thing is losing it because like technically you can't lose something you never had But if we avoid risk in the first place because what we might gain could matter so much that the thought of losing it feels unbearable Then you might find yourself in sort of a constant state of loss even though you don't realize it So when you choose not to reach for something like connections or meaning you protect yourself from pain But also prevent yourself from ever experiencing what you might actually deeply want or unknowingly need and sometimes like I said That's its own kind of loss not what you lost, but what you never let yourself have And I feel like this is the first time we really see that in rave She sort of hinted at like obviously keeping people at a distance, but yeah That's really interesting that you were at the top of those stairs to be able to tell her All that I've whatever She made it out of hold on rave hold on Hi rave, I think I'm for Kyle here I've got a little name tag That's a good word I just like a little mini red flag diary It's like a yellow flag pamphlet pamphlet pamphlet Yeah, I'm just gonna leave this with you rave No, Con and I will text you Here's some information for you Con and I were texting about if there was gonna be any red flag stuff in this book I guess But I'm like is it is it a red flag? Like I don't feel like Con has been doing many of those and I feel like is it a red flag? Because rave just doesn't remember Like that's I don't know I don't know I don't know I think if anything con deserves like a green flag diary for this book he's really I love it I don't think he's done like I mean he's been open and honest he's not done anything non-consensual Hi praise from Councillor Kyle Wow, it's been a flag diary I mean I guess technically Oh my god Oh my god So excited for you Kyle Yeah, thank you Wow, that's amazing I'm so excited Incredible I was actually trying to find that part of the text conversation because Lauren was saying I don't know if there haven't any red flags Like I don't know and then I said are there counseling guidelines for when you die And then you're brought back to life by your dragon but you have amnesia and can't remember That you were previously in love with the person you jumped on top of to kill And then decided sex was a better idea Yeah, I think that's in counseling like 102 It's like the second class, sophomore class But no I was thinking about that earlier today I was like how I think he's done anything that I would be like Whoa, come on like he's been up front he's been generous and kind and willing to like give space Even to the point of like later on where he's just like alright well I've done everything I could so go chase what you need Yeah, and even like let's her death Yeah, I mean that's what she's doing Yeah, yeah, yeah Alright, I'm excited for that Kyle Okay, after 56 is a rape POV It's just me I just thought this line was funny where it says when is following someone into a dark tunnel to the words of it's just down here Ever been a good idea Idiot Funny How she's thinking that she's storming off or whatever That's what she says because it's like italics in her POV to herself Like yeah Funny Okay, so Khan finally takes the hint from Rave that she's not ready to or interested in unveiling more about who she was before So he gives her the freedom and the money to leave and then he says chase death, Eloen Rave Which gave me chills Partially because of the name because it's the first time anybody's ever like said it to her Which partially because this was the only quote from this book This was like the only thing I had heard from this book but I had no idea what it meant I had just seen the quote chase death moonbeam which he says later on And that just like that gave me chills because I just had no I had absolutely zero context for where That was gonna come into play And then this made me cry again you guys among the crack counter three times for this chapter section This is Khan's quote when he's like saying goodbye to her He says spend your life alone forever wondering why you scream in your sleep calling for that very moon plume I've spent the past 23 phases piecing back together hoping it would bring your spirit peace All because you loved that beast so fucking much I knew it would break you to know she was scattered all over the world after scavengers raided her impact zone And then he says chase death moonbeam and I pray your blood less brings you the same sense of peace I feel just knowing you exist So I was crying again during this whole paragraph and then after that last line in my Kindle app in the moment I wrote that's it Khan is number one. I don't care what happens for the rest of this book Whoa bold statement I took so long and said that I took so long and said that that he was like number one and she was like You haven't even finished the book and then I sent her the screenshot where I was like I don't care what happens for the rest of this book You just like your other number one book boyfriends are like you've read two three four five books depending on depending on and this guy you get 50% and you're like Number one, that's it. - It's wild to me. - 'Cause he's so good. - That's green flag, does he? - Green flag, does he? - When you have no red flags. - I mean, yeah, I'm good. - I'm happy for you. - I'm also like over here, and you're talking about you cry counter, and I'm trying to like not smile, but I'm just like, I'm proud of you for feeling your emotions, and sounds so weird. And also like, you're winning the cry count. Like there's so many levels of pride for you over here, and you're telling you're crying, and if anyone's watching the video, and I'm over here like, "Oh, I'm like clapping for you." - I'm proud of you for crying. - Yay! - You're devastating, sweetie. (laughing) - Congratulations. - Oh my gosh. - Yeah, I'm definitely winning for this book. That's for sure happening. So the next chapter is a diary entry, and my only note was just that this whole, like, con and eloen meeting, where he just like, make sure that she's eaten before letting her indices slaughter while he plays in Homs his little tune. And it's just like, it's all so cute, and I love it so much. - Is this her calming song? Is his little tune that he played for her whenever she first moved there while she would eat and stuff? Is that the little song? She's singing this whole dang time? - I hope so. I think that's so freaking cute. That's my theory. - That's really cute. - That is her calming song, this whole entire time. - Yeah. - Up to this point. - She played for her. I think that's so cute. - It is cute. I had assumed that it was the ballad of the falling moon. - Same. - Because of the first couple of chapters, but this is so much cuter. I love those. - I think this is it. I think it would make sense. - I'm here for it. - I say this is it, calcify. - It would be a suicide. - That takes us into chapter 58, another Veya chapter. And at my first note here, Con says, "Navut is the fastest saberside "in the hutch that hasn't yet been turned out "for the great flirt and haste is of the essence." And I wrote, "Ah, yes, the great flirt." - Flirt flirt. - My favorite. - Flirt. - Turned out and turned up for the great flirt. - No way. - When I was reading this part, all I saw was John's note, the only thing he actually highlighted were the words, "Great Flirt." And so I was reading this, I was on this page, and then I saw the yellow highlight. So my eyes had jumped down to it for a second, but all I saw was great flirt. And in my head, I read it like, "Great Scott. Great Flirt. I'm here for that too." - I think it's funny that the people are helping the dragons get ready for the great flirt. Like there's only one that's not been turned out yet, like the rest of them, you know. - They're the fluffers. - Yeah, they're the fluffers. - I was gonna say the wing man, but yeah, I'm sure. - Turn out a lot on the wing man. That's, oh my gosh. - I made it. - They're like sending their dragons out. I was like, "You're so hot, dude. They're gonna love you." - Sleigween. - Do if you push up, just get your muscles going, yeah? - Nice, nice glisten. - Oh my gosh. My next note was another note about how much I love Vea because she's talking to Khan after he tells her that he took her to see Sladra and she goes, "You said slowly ease." He goes, "I did." She said, "This is not that." He said, "It's not." And she said, "I'm assuming by your general demeanor that she didn't throw herself into your arms before the corpse of her dead dragon and thank you for the missing piece of her mind puzzle." - Oh, I love her. I love that we get her piece of the best. - Well, and she's just like, their relationship is everything too. - Yes. - Super cute. - And yeah, she's still talking to Khan here. They're kind of just going through like, how the risk that they're taking, like letting her go, basically. And Vea says, "Where there's a big chance she'll eventually be recognized by either of the twins, both of whom have access to a certain tool, perfect leverage to fold her into submission once they blow the lid off that jar, lovely." And I wrote, "Mhm, what's the tool?" - Charmstick. - What did it do? - Charmstick, hey oh. - I put the gift in here from Shrek of Donkey, like jumping up and down, going, "Oh, pick me, pick me." 'Cause I think I know. But I hadn't decided yet if-- - I thought you were saying that was like, the tool was like, they were gonna-- - Donkey. - I was trying to be like, "What?" I was trying to figure it out, I don't know. - No, 'cause I think I know what it is, but I wasn't sure at this point when I put this gift in here, if I was gonna give my theories of the beginning of the episode or wait until the end. So I'm still gonna make you wait for one more chapter. - Sweet, sweet love that. - Yeah, but Con says here, "I can't just fluff around here when there's shit to do." This was my BRB adding to my phrase library for this episode. - The art fluffer's then, John, you're right. He doesn't have the touch around. - He can't just fluff around here. - It's funny. But even Vaya gets back out of him with, that sounds like a convenient excuse to run away. I was like, "Oh, get him, girl." - Tell him. - 'Cause he was gonna go away for 30 phases or whatever, 30 or more cycles. - Yeah. - He was gonna go away for 30 days. I was like, "Dude, this is not the time for that. Come on." And then this is where we get that sad little backstory in like two paragraphs maybe about how Con had to raise Vaya since their mom died when she was born and the dad just handed her off to Con. - And that whole piece of their relationship and stuff. And I think that also is probably why Con is, as amazing as he is to a certain extent, because he's always been taking care of someone and that just like his role in life is to take care of-- - Also makes their dynamic life even better. - That's true. - Yeah. - Con had this. - Yeah, and he is like, it does seem like he's very, that's such a big part of his personality and like his character is how caring he is and how much he looks after the people in his life and once like loves the things that they love, even just like the little mention when they were flying into the stronghold of how they were the black flowers everywhere because they were his mom's favorite and like his dad always would have them cut down but now that he's gone, Con like lets them growth freely just because she loved them and they were also, they've been mentioned a couple of other times too but just those little details are things that I really love about his character 'cause he, that's just like who he is, is very sweet. And then my last note from this chapter is, Veia's POV, it says, "Eventually he'll have to tell Elluin what Pa somehow accomplished that terrible slumber over an Eon ago when her life came crumbling down when she woke to find her entire family poisoned to death." And I wrote here, I forgot that we didn't actually know this yet because it was so calcified in my head. That Austin had her family poisoned. So calcified. Does this our proof of calcified? Really sad, but it filled into Knailsify. All right, our last chapter, chapter 59 is a rape POV chapter. Bring us Hall of Laws. I know, I was shocked when I got here and none of you had written your notes. I even texted Con like, did you, it's finished your notes? 'Cause like there is no chapter in a reread where I should be having the entire chapter with the notes but here we are, chapter 59. So here we go. Maybe no, sure. This is when Ray that goes through the little jungle path and finds this little cottage, I guess, out there in the middle of nowhere. And notice is that it is a couple's home packed with relics of their love. And I was like, oh my God, I totally know what this is. Like first read. I was like, I know where this is going. But something I thought was super interesting in this and I think this is why I was surprised Con didn't have notes on it. It's 'cause we get this like interesting look at the gods being super pro. I wrote, "Elewan" or maybe "Callowin"? - I like "Callowin". - Con, "Elewan" because she like notices that this is like somebody's home and she was like, oh, I shouldn't be here. So she like turns around like she's gonna leave. And she says that Claude nips past her ear on a whip of wind that swirls up and says like, come, come see. And it's not often that Claude will speak to her directly. She's too wild and aloof to maintain any semblance of honed sturdy presence. So it's interesting that Claude specifically was like, no, no, no, I want you to keep going, you know, and didn't just like let her turn around and walk 'cause Claude is usually so wild. And then also she opens herself up to Boulder's song deciding he's more likely reliable in situations like these. Though all I hear is a low-drowning hum that pours me full of warm, heavy sense of peace, contentment. Similar to the sound he made in "Salaturas 2" which we didn't really talk about whenever she was going down that she like that con told her like, no, listen and he knew that Boulder would be like, no, this is where he should be. And stuff. So it's just super interesting that at least these two gods are so pro her figuring all of this out, I guess. But also like, I guess in my head I think it's just cute 'cause it's the relationship part that I'm sure there's some bigger world building there. But they're in our mouth. But I think it's cute 'cause they're in a lift. I love this note. This is a great God's watch. Yeah. I know it's such a good God's watch. And then we get the Drememory of Mojirada Cup moment. It's conspioly saying, what do you want, Eloen? And she says, you getting lost in his eyes and she says forever. And it's just so cute of them. And then that's when she wakes up from that memory with a soul crushing finality. The reason I've been drawn to this point since the moment I opened the shutters, this place is a relic of someone else's love, da, da, da, it's ours. And that's where we end this section. Oh, so good. Oh my God. So John, thoughts and questions, characters, places, ideas. Yes, Con is just like Con said. He is rising up the ranks, baby. He number one, he is for Con. So he is for our Con. Right, yeah. He is very, very close. I don't know what exactly I need to push him fully up to the top. We haven't seen him together yet. That's true. We haven't seen them together in a positive sense. It's always been like a present commitment. Yeah, you know what I mean? The enemies before the lovers part. Yeah, right. So. when I see them, once she hopefully comes around, yeah, I don't know, man. But yeah, he's very close. He's very close up there. Like I said before, the whole inner circle, I'm like, I love it so, so much. I really hope we get some action from all of them, whether that's in like some more time or I don't know, fighting some dragons or something. Obviously, Vaya is a badass, because I'm assuming with the whole Tukotrial, like I would assume it's mainly only males that do the fighting, so she would be fighting males, so she's literally killed 78, probably large, massive, talented dudes. So that's impressive in its own right. So I would love to see some of that. I'm loving Rave's character development right now. I think she got hit with some like massive, emotional things, not only with some of those memories, and she's some of those visions are starting to pop in, but also the whole relationship with the new gods, kind of like sprouting up, we're seeing some more of that, that we haven't seen so far, so she's getting a lot of emotional stressors and whatnot, and she's clearly in the denial stage right now. I'm waiting for the anger stage, maybe we'll get that around this next chapter section with like the hushling, and then she'll kind of move from denial and just be like angry about it, but I feel like some of those later steps might move like quickly, or maybe she'll like breeze through anger or something and get right into like bargaining, and we'll see what happens. I think that would be very interesting. I'm getting a, with Tyroff and Caddock, I'm getting of like a very thrown of glass, I'm doing a try not to be the spoilery. Duke, right? - Oh, Peyton. - The Duke, yeah, yeah. I don't wanna say too much, but I'm getting a similar vibe with that, where like they're. - Always made to be the big bad, but they're never on page. - Yeah, I'm scared to even say something like that, because. - Are you trying to explain? - Why do you feel a parallel? Do you think that I think you could explain it without saying the specific character? - Yeah, so like I'm getting the bad guy vibe from them, because they've been talking about them, but they haven't had a lot of page time yet. I feel like we're gonna get to a point, they're gonna be almost, they're getting queued up to be like a main antagonist kind of thing. That's what I'm like waiting for. - Yeah. - Yeah, yeah, there we go. - Thank you. - What about you, Khan? - Do you already know that I am obsessed with this book? I am really loving like the found family vibe with these new characters in Dom. Vea seems a little compulsive and like very blunt, but it also sounds like she's been there a lot that would really harden a person, and I just love her sense of humor and her sarcasm and banter, and that she still very fiercely loves and like protects the people that she cares about. I'm really loving her, and I'm excited for her POV. I'm definitely enjoying that. Convegore is my main man right now. That's really all I have to say. And I am really intrigued by Rae's mental and emotional path to discovering and maybe potentially accepting her path, like Jon was talking about. I'm excited to read, like I'm so excited to keep reading and just see how it plays out. I feel like we're at this stopping point. There are a lot of different ways that she could take this and decide what to do next. So I'm excited to get into that. And there's also just a ton of little subplots or like open-ended passing comments that I think will come back into play by the end of this book. And I love shit like that. Eating it up. - Very fair. What about any thoughts and theories, any calcified things up in the sky for you, Jon? - I know Khan has a lot. One that came to mind for me here was that Rae died either giving birth or someone gave her a huge knock upside the head, knocked off the diadem and maybe stabbed her in the heart because I'm still not convinced that, well, so in my mind, when Vea had said that she was stabbed to death, in my mind, I was equating to that to somebody stabbed her like many, many times instead of like just the once through the heart. I think that's what she was saying. So I'm on board with that because I feel like, maybe this is an obvious like, well, yeah duh. But I feel like Eloen Rae, she had died before Slaatra took her up. Like she died and Slaatra took her up and they calcified. Although at the same time, well, no, yeah, yeah, that's what I think. What that means for how she came back to life is something else. Because if she, somebody had to do that for her apparently with a moon chart, right? Because there's like the one piece missing and she's apparently that missing piece. But in what way, we don't know. I thought that it was just that Slaatra willingly gave that piece of her to Rae or Eloen. Like her final breath, whatever it was. Because it does say that that piece is like, it's smooth. That's not, it's not broken apart. Like there's something missing. I thought it was her physical body in Slaat, like in that rounded out. But it wasn't in the hollow, right? It was a space for her, but it did specifically say something about how it wasn't. It didn't look like there was something that broke off of it. It was just that's like, that was just how it was. And then when Khan sees her earlier in the book, he says he thinks he just found the most important piece or something. Yeah, so yeah. And I keep trying to think of how this came about, how her death came about as well. I got some news from that. Was it like an execution type of thing? Was Khan there when it happened? I feel like he had to have been with Veya mentioning like him maybe seeing Slaatra in like her last moments. It kind of seemed like she was saying, hey, did you see? I know it, like cut it off when they were like talking. I thought there was something about Slaatra falling. Like are you sure that Slaatra falling? Because he was like, this is rave. They knew she was not there. So I was taking that as did you see Slaatra go up with Ella and calcify. I thought maybe that's what that was. Calcify. Calcify. I figured not only because none of them seemed to know how Ella and actually died. It seems like they were told something about her death. That wasn't actually true. Oh, that's a good point. That's a good point. Yeah. So I have some like soft theories there. But I know you got a lot. So get into it. Let's go. I have a whole lot of theories this week. So I typed them in another document. And when he's actually seen this yet, I just needed to like organize my thoughts. And it's pretty long. I'm so sorry. It's very intricate. So here's what I have right now. Oh, this is also what I was referencing that I started thinking through in chapter 50. And it made me really sad. And I almost cried. So I'm going to detach my emotions from this for now. But I feel like if this is true, I will also probably cry again because I'm pretty sure I'm right. So I think Ella and had a child before she died. I think Austin blackmailed her by threatening or harming Slapper or Con's life. And maybe Vaya too, if they were that close. I think he forced her to go be with Tyraath long enough to secure him as a king and produce an heir, maybe even promising her freedom afterward, and then stabbed her through the heart as soon as she gave birth so that he didn't have to fulfill his end of that bargain or whatever that looked like. Before I continue with the second half of this theory, my reasoning is that line in chapter 45 where Vaya or Con says there's someone out there who needs her more than any of us do. And it's not our fucking brother. That was one of the strongest things that made me think that she had a child because I couldn't think of anyone else that we knew of. That would fit that mold. Like that didn't really make sense to me. And then during and after the Tukotrial, Vaya has a very strong emotional reaction to the thought of being forced to reproduce for the sake of peace understandably. But she says things like I'd rather die than be forced to bind with him. And when she's reflecting on like, oh, this day is so great. Nobody called me Kolu or ordered me to stay and breed some world-saving offspring. So I do think she had a child and I think that child was Kazari. I think it would explain why Kazari has been wearing the etherstone since she was a baby. And I think that we were theorizing about Dothaya being pregnant in one of the earlier diary entries and we were thinking like, oh, that's probably Kazari. But I think that it may have been Kazari's brother which was like a random prince that was mentioned earlier in the book. I think his name was like Turin, Turin or something. So I think the timeline could still line up if they were born around the same time. But I'm not 100% sure if the child was Ty Roths or if Ellowyn was already pregnant by Khan and they decided to pass Kazari off as Sadok and Dothaya's daughter because Ty Roth either didn't want her or like the timeline of her pregnancy wouldn't have aligned with their marriage because there's nothing in the book that says anything about Ty Roth having a child. They, it like says that Kazari is Dothaya's. But I do have a lot of very solid receipts about why I think it's Kazari based on chapter 13. So just go back and read through all of chapter 13 if you want those 'cause they are in there. There's a lot. But yeah, based on Rae's response during the Tukotrial, I'm leading more toward Kazari being the daughter of Ellowyn and Ty Roth and that that was like more of a forced situation. I still think Kazari could have been the one to send Rae the parchment Lark that said, I need you. Either on a hunch that she was alive after finding and reading Ellowyn's diary maybe or just because she really needed her mom which also made me very sad. But after this last chapter, I could also see it having come from Khan because of the like pre-made parchment Larks that were sitting on the table in their home. I don't know if that was something that maybe after he saw Slatra fall. I don't know if he had maybe an idea that she might have been alive or was just missing her or something. So I could see that maybe having come from either of them. So anyway, because of all of this, I do believe that Kazari will play a major role in the series. In chapter 13, we learned that she can understand Kailas. She wants to free him and she's in love with him. And then in chapter 40, we learned that Rae's [BLANK_AUDIO] offspring based on this like prophecy will quote "tether moons to the sky and bring great peace." So I don't know what any of that means yet since they think Kayla's being trapped is what's keeping the moons in the sky but I am very excited to find out and I do think she will free him that's up point. And that's the end of my entire document. Wow. You really, you even like went back and reread the whole book? I just reread chapter 13 because I wanted to see what he said to Kizari but there were things about how like conset to her that like her ma wore the ether stone and her ma before that and that was Dothaya never wore it so I feel like it makes sense that that was eloen and like her mom so there's a but there's a lot in there so definitely go back and reread chapter 13. Thank you for wrote a whole essay. Good job. I'm glad I got that off my chest. So proud of you. Thank you. That takes us to the cry counter where our current rating champion Khan is solidifying that lead. Healthifying the lead. Another series. Yeah so I've only cried once in episode one and that was for Essie. I was really more for I guess whenever she sent me back as more for Raven that moment and Khan. Where are you at? I'm crying five times. We're not even done. You cried five times about the book. How many times did you cry writing your own theories that you've calcified in your head? I didn't cry writing those but I almost cried when I first started putting all of it together in my head and I think part of it was because I was literally holding my child while I was thinking about it. It is emotional. Wow five times I was so proud of you. Yeah it was two in episode one and three from this one. Wow. Hard hitter. Well next week we'll be diving in the chapter 60 to 78 so come prepared with your reading done and your theories calcified. If you'd like to discuss speculate or share your reactions with the fellow listeners join our discord community through our Patreon. We've created organized spoiler free and spoiler friendly channels so you can participate at your own pace and don't forget to follow us on Instagram and take talk for exclusive content behind the scenes updates, podcast news and merch announcements. And of course head on over to between pages and friends.com for Patreon perks our newsletter and to open up your mind to our own elemental songs. Don't worry we'll be gentle. Till then stay worthy stay nerdy don't stress and stay blessed. Also drop a comment for which of the elemental songs you think all of us would represent. I was just thinking that. I can already tell you.