Onyx Storm | Dreamwalking, Depression, & Destiny

Xaddy is back, the Iron Squad is whole, and the spice drought is finally over! But don’t celebrate too soon—Navarre is still on its BS, Xaden is spiraling, and Violet is grasping at straws to keep their relationship from combusting. Meanwhile, a new shadow wielder enters the scene, Andarna makes a shocking choice, and the war creeps ever closer. Oh, and the venin are up to no good, because of course they are. Join us as we break down Onyx Storm chapters 46-56, discussing the latest drama, dreamwalking chaos, and the prophecies that might just change everything. 

• This episode is based on Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. 
• Intro Music by Boomer
• Logo by @reeseplantedesign 
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Transcript

0:24

Welcome wonderful listeners to the Shadow and Starlight podcast, where two friends deep dive into popular fantasy and romance y books. We get into the stories, characters, world building lore, and so much more. So buckle your seatbelts for this wild roller coaster ride of emotions, magical worlds, and laughs. I'm Kenzie. I'm Kena. And today we're covering chapters 46 to 56 of Unexplored by Rebecca Yaros. First and foremost, please listen carefully to our content warning. These are adult books we are covering, and neither of us have a filter, so this podcast is rated R, and for those 18 Regarding spoilers, if you have not finished Onyx Storm to the very last page, please come back after doing so. While we are discussing this stretch of chapters, we will be doing so with the perspective of what happens in the rest of the book, for better understanding, to dig deeper into the theories, and to appreciate the masterful foreshadowing of Rebecca Yaros. So going forward, all episodes on our show will contain spoilers for the whole series in question. Next, if you like what you hear today and want more, please come back next Thursday and next Thursday and next Thursday and next Thursday and every Thursday after that for a brand new episode as a adolescent podcast, we'd love to hear feedback to better ourselves and expand our book loving community. Please feel free to give us reviews, reach out to us on social media and follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and watch us on YouTube at Shadow and Starlight Pod. I feel like this is going to be a slap happy episode. It's not much going on. Stretch just like right before it gets to the real stuff. Yeah. This is the crazy. Yeah. okay. Announcement. Our lives are kind of crazy right now. me and Weston are moving to Louisiana the first week of March. And so we're trying to get ready for that. Which is crazy, and Kenzie is working, is being worked to the bone. She's been working like 12 days straight, and we just did so much stuff for Onyx Storm for obvious reasons, but we decided we're going to give ourselves a week off after we finished the last deep dive of Onyx Storm, we just need a week to kind of reset and I can get set up in Louisiana and Kenzie can recover, and then we will have our interview with Sarah A. Parker releasing after that week, and we're gonna start Metal Slinger after that, so stay tuned. You can take that extra week to binge Metal Slinger if you haven't read it yet, but yeah. Announcement, we're taking A breather. Yes. Just a little baby one. Yes. Yes. What you drinking bra. Lot of bras, I think getting sick. Yes. I'm drinking apple flavored whiskey and. And apple cranberry juice or cranberry apple juice. Cran apple berry juice. So it just takes, it just literally tastes like apple. I don't really taste the alcohol, which is kind of scary. Cause I know I'm a B. It's like every time you drink during the episodes, it just gets like progressively funnier. This is 35 percent alcohol, so. Holy shit. Yeah. Hmm. Yeah, you better be on the flow. Hopefully not. It's time to cross the parapet and Candace is going to lead us across it as she takes us through her shadow and starlight synopsis, aka her unhinged summary detailing the events of these chapters. Okay, let's go. While Zayden and Indarna continue their broody era, Violet continues to exhaust herself every day with signet training and classes at Buzgaoth. Navarre is still on their selfish bullshit, not letting any civilians in their borders to flee from the dark wielders taking over the whole continent. Not to worry, because Zaddy is back, and he is opening Tyrande's borders. Halden's petty little arguments and weaponized insecurity be damned. However, we should be worried that Zayden is a lost cause, because there is a new shadow wielder of the generation, Lynx, part of the Iron Squad. This causes Zayden to distance himself. Even more from Violet, who is grasping at straws for her relationship. The early bird gets the worm, or in this case, the early one legged Sawyer gets to ride again. Woo! The Iron Squad is complete once again. After Violet gives her girl boss dragon a pep talk, the squad plus Dane and Bodhi and leadership take off for Arisha for their rune course that they missed while off searching the isles. After settling in, Violet gets a visit from the traitor, I mean her brother, and is weirdly elated when Brennan tells her that he hasn't been able to mend Zayden's soul. Well, he's still trying and that is good enough for a Delulu FMC. I was seriously concerned That we would get no more spice this book, but have no fear, Zayden is here. He just can't stay away from his woman and he thinks he is basically almost kind of stable ish. After banging over every inch of their room in Arisha, the lovebirds get some munchies and rest. And Violet takes a walk in Zayden's nightmare. Waking, they discuss their dreams until the realization of Violet's second signet hits them. Yep, she's a type of Intenzic, more rare, more powerful, and more dangerous than even Zayden. They have little time to confirm with Marin and ponder the ramifications of her Signet before her alarm bells sound. Orisha is under attack. Quickly strategizing, they break apart to reach their assigned positions and our FMC and her bestie go right into the thick of it. They take down several Wyvern until Taryn takes a hit and they skid to the ground. Oh great, Theo is here too. Could it get any worse? Oh yeah, Indarna is chilling at Dune's temple. At least somebody listen to the prince who can see the future. After a quick little family argument, Rhiannon removes the wingspur from Taryn so that her bestie can be airborne again. Just before they're about to take off, the Dune priestesses refuse to take cover, and they also want to know about Violet's haircare routine. Not the time, ladies! Theo joins the conversation as condescending and mean as ever. Just before everything goes to complete, immediate shit, Theophany and her little Venom friends flee unexpectedly, scared of something, and the Wyverns start falling out of the sky, all thanks to Andarna's ancestor, Leothin? Leothin. I don't know why that sounds like I'm saying it wrong. We're just gonna call him Leo. But, thank you, Leo, for having an ounce of empathy and donating your fire breath to the Wardstone cause. True to form, he insults Violet immediately, but is also slightly less of an elitist asshole than his other mood ring associates. He has come back for Andarna and to offer her a chance to learn and choose their ways. If she goes back with him to the Isles. Turns out Irids are magic and have the power to shape, block, form, and end bonds as they see fit. The selfless queen she is, Violet tells her, it's okay, go learn more about your heritage. So she does. Was that much of a goodbye? And this is where we cried probably the most in Onyx Storm, no joke. No longer whole and grieving immensely, Violet enters a deep depression, similar to the one I went into after the most recent election, so I feel ya girl. Her loved ones and remaining dragon doubt on her. That is, until Mira shows up and urges her to get the fuck up because wallowing in bed will only make things worse. Kinda true, especially when you are fighting an active war to save the entire continent. Traitor Brennan joins the conversation, only to overstimulate their little sister with their constant beef and bickering. This time, about whether Violet was dedicated to Toon, which, obviously y'all. Apparently, there's kind of a prophecy about turning Venon, and that's why Mira has such a weird vibe towards her little sister. Zayden clears that up, and to Violet's protest, shares his truth with Mira, who immediately pulls a blade on him. She is once again betrayed by Brennan lying to her. Again. And heads out. Very abruptly. After failing at runes due to Taryn's explosive power, Violet gets a verbal ass whipping and wielding lesson thanks to Felix. After a quick mending after her exertion, she hits the hay with her man, who she has very limited time with. Just like last banging, she dreamwalks afterwards. This time, the realization of being in Zayden's dreams. Separates her astral form. Guess that's what I'm calling it. And the duo proceeds to speak with a sage who is also dreamwalking? Question mark? Honestly, I don't even know anymore. But, real bad news, Berwyn, a buttface, knows Violet is a dreamwalker, and the worst part, he has Mira. Damn. Mira! Mira! Mira! That was also devastating. I was like, I went from crying over Andarna to like, oh my god, Mira's gonna be the one to die. Thank God you didn't, but I was like, Oh my God, Rebecca, All right, now that we've crossed the parapets, time to head into our battle brief section, where we will discuss all notable things, initial chapters, including foreshadowing theories and our favorite parts. Okay. All right. So we remember how at the Island of Zelena, I think that's how it's pronounced, right? Yeah. Okay. So Violet's gift that she drew from their little card game, she got a broken compass. And I'm actually pretty sure that this might be really important. And I came across this Reddit theory by, uh San Juniper Juniper. No, and it was amazing. The compass in Zelina was given to her by someone that very closely resembled Zayden, like same features, tall, dark, handsome, wearing black. Who's like staring at her and smirking at her, which is, you know, that's a lot of things that Zayden does. So I feel like in our brains, it's telling us it's connected to Zayden somehow. And then notably in the stretch, I caught this. Violet says, quote. Zayden walks through the door and my heart stops, his gaze jumps to mine like a compass pulled north. Compass? You suck at this. Okay, so I'm theorizing that this compass really was, instead of just something that they collected on this island, really was a gift from the gods, because we know that gods are major players at this point. And I think that this compass may be the thing that helps her find Zayden in Book 4. Because compasses help you get home and Violet often refers to Zayden and his shadows as feeling like home. So I'm kind of thinking it could be like Jack Sparrow's compass where it points towards what you really want and we know Violet really wants her man. So, I don't know. I'm sensing something with this compass. Fun fact, I've never watched Pirates of the Caribbean. I don't know if I'm more upset with you about that, or the Hunger Games, honestly. Okay, well, Pirates of the Caribbean is hilarious, so we're gonna watch it next time I see you. Okay, cool. Literally all of them. We're just gonna sit there and binge watch them. I'm down. It'll be great. I love, like, the Jack Sparrow run. And all the Jack Sparrow memes, but I don't, I've never seen it for myself. I've got a jar of dirt. Have you seen that one? No, but I've seen him running. Oh yeah. I can't wait. Alright, I want to talk about some maybe. Possibly unknown history or undiscussed history between the Dark Riders and the Erits that you pretty much know it. I need to know what I'm reading and I see it in my head. That's all I think about now when I see it. So I know that Violet was looking for Andarnas Khan to find out more about the Venon and how they were able to be defeated. And, uh, they stated that there was no way to really cure them. They said it was no cure, but they did mention them changing, which is really weird, which is also something I feel like the Erics stand for. They literally left Andorra as a way to determine if The continent has changed at all and found peace, or if they're still like bloodthirsty and I've got this interest in like during the particular scene at a ratio when they're under attack and the often he finds violet at doing simple and how she's been fascinated with and during this whole book. when Adrona shows up and attempts to scorch her, but then Leo, Mr. Leo, he ends up feeling the war stone and he popped up and Theophany started to freak out and they fled. Now at first I was like, okay, maybe she could have fled cause she knew the war stone was up and they only had so much time and she was just frightened from that. But like. The way that it was described in the book is like she was terrified. I don't think Theophany would be like super scared of the war zone to flee as fast as she did. she just gives me more of like a fearless character who isn't really scared of much and like knows how much, how powerful she is and her being alive for so long. Her terror kind of wrote me the wrong way. So I don't know. I low key believe that she was afraid of Leo. And I want to know what the history there is. I actually thought that too. I started writing it down and then I was like, oh, it's probably just the ward. But it was a very strong reaction because they can still wield like a little bit in the wards, right? Yeah, the Wyvern will die, but the Venant, yeah. It's not like they were going to die because the ward still opens up. They just can't wield it. They can't wield that well and then their Wyvern are not alive, like their Wyvern are dead. Which is so I don't know. It was like her reaction just went the wrong way and she already knew that she wasn't welcome because of the temple being there like her being An ex priestess, and then just her whole reaction kind of just threw me off, I don't know. I feel like there could be, I don't know. I had a thought about the Erids, where like maybe they live longer than normal dragons, all the other dragon breeds live to be like, what, 200 or something? So like, what if they lived longer than that, and they would recognize Theo, or I don't know. I feel like there's something to that. They're definitely very interested and possibly afraid of the Irds for some reason. Yeah, I don't know, her reaction was just, sus. Very sus. Sus. Very sus. You wanna know what else is sus? What? Zayden. Yeah. Planning his. The whole last chapter situation. He was planning this for so long and let me dig into it. So I noticed this. When arriving in Aresha, Violet notes that the blade of Aresha that we saw in Deverelli is quote missing a single stone near the top. And I went back to the Deverelli chapter and there was no mention of the The blade missing any of the emeralds or whatever. And in the last chapter, violet's marriage ring has the exact gem on it from the blade of Aresha. At this point, we, we know for sure that he's planning this end of book craziness, and then also in chapter 55, after he has an argument with Bodhi, Violet even asks him if he is planning for his own demise, I don't think he answers it, but obviously yes, and I think at this point, it makes sense that he's making these plans because he's clocked how much Bodhi is Resisting being the next in line and he's like totally accepted his fate that he's gonna turn full Bennett eventually So much so that he was having the ring made since the blade was retrieved from the aisles not that long ago Zayden you sly dog. I'm not gonna fill anyone in on your plans Speaking of his plans, I wonder why the priestess owed him a favor. Well, is it cuz they saved our lives? Maybe, I don't know. Like even though it was Violet, I guess they were just like, Zayden, you got a favor to ask. Yeah, I don't know, because I feel like there's a big hole there. just like a lot of questions for me, because, Well, I'll get into it after this next 4 channel part, because it kind of plays a role in both. Like, yeah, so. One second. Okay. So, next, I want to kind of discuss, Dune's prophecy for Violet. And their kind of whole Vision of her life. so far we know that about the whole dedication and everything that her father's father. Ash, what's his name? Asher. Yeah. Asher took her to Umbriel to dedicate her because he was hoping that would help her survive. Cause obviously she was sick. We know that she was dealing with something with his baby. In order to be dedicated. A clear path had to be chosen, which is why I was very frowned upon to dedicate an infant because they couldn't choose their own paths that early in life. if she would have been dedicated and decided on a different path, it would have been very likely that she would have turned Bennett. And they stated that quote, the heart that beats for you or within you would do, unspoke speakable power and turn dark. So they always knew. I feel like the priestesses always knew that the Venom would be a part of Violet's life at some point. And whether it was her turning into one herself or someone that she loved, which is one, it still has me believing that we still don't know everything we need to know because someone, I feel like someone in her family still hasn't told her the full truth about her familial line. And as Dana has been saying this whole stretch, well this whole Since a long time has Ken has been saying for a while. Just the alcohol is making it hard for me to talk But as Ken has been saying for a long time she might end up turning Benin herself to save Zayden for love so That just makes me think like the Benin has always been her prophetic destiny for so it makes me think why is Zayden owed a favor by the same deity that Violet is associated with. And this whole prophecy, like, of her, somebody who, their heart beats for her is going to turn dark or she might turn dark. And then Zayden having a favor being owed. I don't know. I want to know their connection. Yeah. Like there's more. We're so close to like, well, I think we've figured something out, but there's still like a bunch of question marks everywhere. She gave us a bunch of information, but just. We just need like a crumb. She said a whole lot and a whole lot of nothing at the same time. Gosh, that's, we learned so much, but we still have so many questions. Yes. Okay. Well, I love that we're getting into prophecy territory now. That's actually what I'm going to talk about next, but I definitely think that. Definitely her dad, I think her mom too. Like, they have this plan for Violet and Mira. there's great responsibility on their shoulders, and they're doing all these things for their children and trying to set them up, but not telling them anything. It's like, okay. Yeah. But, I think Asher and Lilith knew that They were going to have a role to play in the war against Venom. But I'm just like, why, why do you know that? Why, why your children? Yeah. Okay. We're going to get into this mega theory and it's kind of related to what you just said, but a little bit different. And it also revolves in prophecy territory. So I want to talk about this quote. It was a chapter header. While most deities allow temple attendants to choose their timeline of service only to require a lifetime of dedication, Dune and loyal. Loyal? It's the god of love, I think. So, and then it says, For both war and love, change souls irrevocably. Irrevocably. Oh my god. Irrevocably. Irrevocably. Thank you. Okay. Wow, that was a hard word to say. What really caught my eye here is that, War and love change souls. Is that how we cure Zayden? I'm possibly pretty sure. I think that to be cured, to have his soul changed, restored, whatever, he will need to be dedicated to a god, likely Loyal, because it can change his soul. And this is a phrase that we said in our episode, our reactions with Maddie. All is fair in love and war. That's like a very Well known phrase it's very interesting that we're talking about the gods of love and war and how they Require a lifetime of dedication and they change souls So I'm seeing something here and I know that Malik is obviously a big part of the story as well So I'm not sure how he fits into this picture but as far as the prophecy part coming in. What you just talked about, Mira revealing that the priestess predicted the heart that beat for you or within you would do the wrong thing for the right reason, reach for unspeakable power, turn dark. Okay, Zayden, it kind of seems to me like the priestess knew that this was going to happen. Like it was like weaved in the fates, weaved in the gods before their time, like feels like it's all destined to happen in like a prophecy way. And I feel like Violet and Zayden are maybe destined to be dedicated and to maybe use the God's help to defeat the Venom, but I don't know, we'll see. But I'm pretty sure. Yeah, All right, since we finally got to the second signet reveal after waiting years and years and years forever when I tell you I was reading on a storm and I was getting like 100 pages, 200 pages, 300 pages, I was like, Oh my God, when are we going to find out what it is? Only almost 500 pages into the book. Totally. But anyways, I do love this segment and I can't stop thinking about like how powerful is it going to be? So I wanted to take apart some quotes from the Signet Reveal chapter and maybe think on what that could mean for her future signet powers. So, quote, I've had the dream on nights you aren't with me. Nights you were hours away. So this shows us that distance does not affect her signet. So she could definitely enter the Venon's dreams, mine's, regardless of their location, which I talked about in an earlier episode. I think she's going to have to enter the Dark Builder's heads, like the Sage's and Maven's heads, to find answers on how to defeat them or cure Zayden. Or she could also enter the leadership of Navarre, like their minds or dreams, to snuff out the traitors and I'm literally dying for her to get into Milgrim's head. I really hope that's in book four, especially since I think Zayden mentioned it. He's like, you could get into General Milgrim's dreams. I was like, Is that foreshadowing? Please make this happen. All right, another quote. No one can shield while they're sleeping. You could potentially walk straight into Oh, here we go. You could potentially walk straight into Milgrim's own dreams and he can stop you. Probably wouldn't even know. So this shows us that under the right circumstances, aka sleep, she can enter anyone's brain. So literally no one is safe from the signet, which is probably why it's considered so dangerous from both people and dragons. And this had me thinking, could she enter? The dreams of dragons or is it only limited to people because if she entered the dreams of dragons, we could find out a lot of information about the Empyrean. And that sounds amazing. Although I feel like if the dragons realize what she was doing, like immediate death, but worth it. No, no, maybe because we know that she has some special connection to the dragons because she's always speaking to dragons that aren't hers. So I can see her having like a, Dreamwalking, and then she's like, Oh my God, this is Taron's dream. What if it's like a flashback to him and Seguil's like. They fucking do now, I was literally about to say that. I was like, what if he just walks into his sex dream? She'll never be the same. Nope. And I was trying to think of like the implications of like her meddling and dreams could have especially since we know now that she can like enter her own perspective and her own body within others dreams once she's like conscious of where she is. But I think the biggest thing with this whole meddling is that she can change the dreams and alter the conversations happening. Like in Possibly communicate with the people in the dreams. I'm wondering if she'll be able to like disguise herself so that they can't recognize her or something like that. But I have a lot of questions on how this is going to work, but it's going to be a mind blowing segment and I can't wait to see how it develops over the next two books. Yes. Very exciting. Time for our favorite moments. Yeah. So. My favorite moment is pressing. They're so short because like this wasn't a really juicy stretch of chapters it was mostly just like preparing for the climax of the story so it was kind of yeah so the my not my favorite part but the most. The most notable part of this stretch for me was Andorra leaving us. This this is the part of the book, this stretch of chapters, where I felt the most emotions. It was very, it wasn't exciting, but it was, I felt something while reading this part. So yeah, and also, yeah, no. And also we can find out Violet's second signet, which is cool. Cause that kind of explains all of our wild theories that we had about her being in Zayden's dream. I think that was one that we got right. We called that one saying that they were having the same dreams. Remember? Well, we thought it was because of their bond, not because of her signet. Well, but we still like mentioned her dreams. Yeah. Like we, that was one part of it that we got right. The fact that she was having Zayden's dream. Cause we were like, what if she was having his dreams? Because I think it's so crazy that. Like, when looking back, it's so obvious what her second signet was. Yeah. Like, obvious, but, and I feel like, not just us, but like, so many people in the fandom were obsessing over the dreams. Yeah. But, like, it never occurred to anyone that, like, that was her signet, like, entering other people's dreams. We just, like, completely overlooked that, and we're, like, pulling at, like, tiny words and phrases and, like, grass weaver straws everywhere else. It's also funny that the throne scene in, Iron Flame also had a part in her dreamwalking signet because we were like, oh my gosh, she might be like, intrinsic. That, well, amplifier or something because he was able to project a vision or, I don't know what I'm trying to say. She, like, saw through his eyes. Yes, yes, that, we were like, but, like, she also did the same thing in this book. She actually showed him a flashback and she gets, Taryn's eyes sometimes, but I think, is that not normal between Riders and Dragons? I think it's normal because I think that was pretty early on like during fourth wing Like right after she got her relic she was able to look through in Darna's eyes to like see what it looked like on her Back. Okay, but While we're talking about the throne scene. I kind of wonder if that was her second segment Where like it's not maybe just dreamwalking like she can enter people's minds not even just their dreams Maybe cuz you know, you can dream with your eyes open Visions like yeah, like visions and flashbacks. So maybe that's a part of her signet like even if they're not unconsciously dreaming What if they're like in the conscious dreaming and she can also see those? Well, because Ian was like a flashback, right? Yeah, I guess so. That'd be hard to do though because I guess everyone has shields up most of the time. Yeah. But at that point they were doing some nasty things and that's what time where your shield might be down'cause you're focused on other things. So I mean, I think you're right, Okay. I wanted to have a moment for the romance. It's even though I don't really love Zayden that much anymore, he has dropped significantly in my book boyfriend list and character ranking for the series, which you're going to see once we get to the fight field. But I still want to give him a moment and Rebecca Yarris a moment for like the swoon worthy lines he drops, especially in the spy scene in the stretch. Like if I were Violet, my panties would have flown off and whacked him in the face, honestly. Oh my God, I laughed and choked on my spit. This this quote, you are the temple where I worship, keeping my hands off you has been the feat of my life and you have the power to shred my discipline with a single fucking touch. Jesus Christ, Rebecca, that was truly one of the most romantic things I've ever read. And I just love it. She writes romance spice. So good. Love it. Alright, I want to talk about Taryn, Spotlight, and I actually don't have a Riddick Riz Master section. Wow. But that's because Riddick was not in this stretch of time. Like he was, but nothing that I was like, I'm going to dedicate part of this episode to talk about him. Yeah. But I love you Riddick! Okay. And I also love Taryn. He's my number one. I love this dragon. He reminds us all to have radical confidence in ourselves, and I'm here for that. And this quote made me laugh out loud. I am the second largest dragon on the continent and a revered warrior. My tails are legendary. My mate unparalleled. My feats unmatched. It was reminding me of, oh my god, you haven't seen The Hobbit. Son of a bitch. Anyways, normal people have, he was reminding me of smog from the Hobbit, cause he was like super ego to school obsessed with himself. And I was like him and Taryn would probably fight. I don't think they would get along, but they're basically the same. And I just know that Sigils is fed up with his arrogance. Is Violet is most likely. Um, but as much as I love his egomaniac side, he. Was just making my heart melt the stretch after Violet goes through her depressing messy mood And he gave her unfettered access to him like so she could always be with him Just like trying to fill that hole in her heart. And I was like, oh my gosh, Taryn! I don't think any other dragon would have shared that much of their private lives with their riders But Taryn and Violet have just such a special connection and he knows Not necessarily what she's going through, but he knows what a major loss that is in a way that probably. Not a lot of other people dragons creatures get and that just made my heart melt He was trying to make her feel better in every way he could Yes Now it's time to close out our brief section and move on to the book of Justinia well, we would dive into the mythology, the inspire I think storm, as well as doing a breakdown, everything that we know about dietys, priestesses, feel free to skip ahead to the fight field if you feel like you're already an expert. Yer. Okay, I kind of went a different route in mythology today and I'm excited to talk about it. since we know poison is kind of an integral part of Violet and It's happened so much in all three books, like we see poison used repetitively. So I wanted to explore the symbolism of poison in mythology, just because it is such a big part of this book series. And it's a strength that Violet has displayed from early on. It's like her own tool to create her own advantages in a world that's designed to kill her. And mythology is actually full of all kinds of poisons, whether it's weapons. betrayals, deadly concoctions, tests of worthiness Much like what The Triumvirate did last episode. Poison in mythological tales has a dual nature, usually, displaying itself as either like a destructive force or a tool of transformation. And in various myths, Poison serves as a means to challenge individuals, testing their resilience, cunning, and their moral fiber. So, we're actually going to dig into a couple tales, I'm just gonna give you the short version, from various mythologies to explore poison and then relate that back to how Violet uses it and its role in the Empyrean series. So the first mythological tale we're gonna hit. it's from North mythology and it's Ytir, Ytir, Ytir, and the Genesis of Life. So in this mythology, Ytir is a primordial substance described as both life giving and deadly. It's the essence from which the first giant Ymir emerged, leading to the creation of all living beings. And then conversely, Ytir is also a potent poison associated with the serpent. Jörmungandr, his venom, is prophesized to bring about catastrophic events during Ragnarok. So we can kind of see two sides to poison in this tale. And this paradox highlights poison's role as a catalyst for creation, but also destruction. Our next tale that we're going to talk about is from Greek mythology, and it's from the Le Le Lern Lernaean Hydra Hydra Oh my god. Fuck. The Lernaean Hydra's Venom. Okay, the hero Hercules, aka Hercules, based this hydra as one of his 12 labors, and the hydra's blood was a deadly poison, and after defeating the creature, Hercules dipped his arrows in its venom to enhance their lethality. So this kind of signifies the hero's resourcefulness, kind of like Violet, and it's also a test of his moral judgment as the poisoned arrows later bring unintended consequences and personal tragedy into its life. I don't know about you guys, but I love mythology, and I found that so interesting to learn about. I actually, like, really went into the stories. Super interesting. So now, after we kind of took a look at poison in mythology, we're going to talk about Violet, the Poison Master. So through these tales, we see that poison serves as a cruel, impartial judge that determines who is strong enough to survive. But then on the other hand, we have Violet, who has been viewed as weak by many, but her poison talents are her rebuttal to this idea that she's weak. Instead of using poison to fight through brute force like a lot of other people do in this story, she uses it to outthink her opponents in true violet style. She refuses to let anyone else dictate her worthiness, one of the main themes of this book to me, and she uses her poison mastery to rewrite the rules of the world she lives in from protecting herself in the sparring ring. Outwitting the triumvirate and so much more. I feel like her mastery and poison proves that intelligence. Adaptability and strategy are just as powerful as brute strength. So I love that Rebecca Yaros took this idea of poison and mythology and kind of gave it a whole new look using Violet and her story and her connection to poison. And I also just love learning about mythological tales. So there you go. Very nice. Very nice. All right. Let's talk about. Ooh. This alcohol got me moving slow now, let's talk about. I think it just made me worry. I think it just made me want to go to bed, honestly. I mean, that's fair. Let's talk about now the power of the deities and dedications. So this is kind of like on the mythology side, but also like on the magical side. So I was just like, Hey, why not? So we talk about dedications to stretch. So the power of daddy dedication refers to the spiritual strength and potential for personal growth that arises from a deep commitment and devotion to a specific deity, often believed to grant access to divine guidance, blessings, and protection. when one fully dedicates themselves to the daddy's principles and practices, essentially It signifies the transformative power of aligning oneself with the higher power through focused worship and adherence to their teachings. So this kind of relates to Violet, while I talk about this, I'm going to like relate her specifically to Dune. So obviously she was going to be dedicated to Dune, which is the, what the goddess of war. And we know that they excel in comeback skills, and it says that some people, like in mythology, their dedication to the deities is for protection, and we know that Asher took Violet to the Temple of Dune to save her, basically. So that's how that kind of relates. Um, also dedications. revolve around focus and direction. So choosing a deity provides a clear path for spiritual development about focusing on their specific attributes and values, guiding ones at actions and intentions, which we know that violate. It was stated that I was supposed to make a specific choice before she could be dedicated. And then, uh, dedications are also revolve around access to divine energy. So many spiritual traditions believe that dedicating oneself to a deity allows one to tap into the divine power, receiving support and assistance in various aspects of life. Selecting a deity should be a thoughtful process, aligning with Personal beliefs and values for genuine connection, which is interesting that she was dedicated to the goddess of war and her mother was a general, which that kind of aligns with somewhat. She could have either been dedicated to the god of wisdom or the goddess of war because that is truly her, her parents. So. I'm kind of surprised Asher didn't dedicate her to the god of wisdom. He probably knew what kind of pricks they were. I mean, yeah. Because he, he did a tour of the whole island, I mean the whole Isles kingdom, right? Yeah, at least that, but yeah. Well, I think it makes sense since we were talking about prophecy earlier and like, I guess they knew that she would have a role to play in the war against Venom, so they thought. I guess the best method of, or the best god to dedicate her to would be the goddess of war. So she can win the war or something like that. Moving on time to head to the fight field where every weekend I would do too many series unique to our podcast. It won't be the same every week, so keep tuning in for all the fun. Yeah. We're going to do character ranking first. So I think we did this in fourth wing, maybe, and mine has changed significantly. So here we go. All right. Number one, we got Tarn because you know, do I even have to explain myself? He's the best. And I thought Violet was going to be my number two, but she frustrates me. Very much this book because of how delusional she is and I want her to have more respect for herself. So, number two is Riddick, Riz Master, who carried this book. And number three, we got Violet. Okay, you barely dropped a little. You'll be fine, girl. Number four, Andarna. Number five, Mira. Number six, Zayden. Told you he dropped significantly. Number seven, Imogen. Number eight, Arik. Number nine, Rhiannon. Number 10, Kat. I feel like that one might be controversial, but she's awesome. Okay. I think my ranking is going to surprise you a little bit. Number one is Violet. Cause I mean, yeah, number two is Rihanna because oh my gosh, I love you girl. Number three is Taron. I mean, no explanation needed. Number four is Riddick because I love him a lot more this book. I appreciate him a lot more. Like I've always liked him, but I appreciate, I appreciate him so much more this book. Yes, I love Zayden. Number five is Zayden cause my guy. We gots to figure something out. Number six is Andarna, because her loyalty kind of rubbed me weird at this book, not gonna lie, because I kind of, I had a feeling, I was like, I had a feeling before it even happened, I was like, she is so obsessed with finding her family, like what if it came down to like Violet and her family, and she made her choice. Even though Violet encouraged it, but. Taryn and Violet are your family, okay? I know it's Literally. I would never understand, but. Uh, my number seven. Ha ha ha ha ha. Dane. Ha ha ha. I think you're hot. Call me. Okay. Number eight. Call me. Ha ha ha. You never saw that coming. Number 8, Aric. Cause he's our sweet little prince. Number 9, Sloane. Cause girl, get you some. Get you some. Number 10, Kat, because she's cool. Oh, I love Kat Major. Yeah, she is man. I love it. Okay, next mini series, we haven't done this in a while. Mostly because we've been only reading Onyx Storm. Yeah. So, we're just gonna go over our TBR, if you guys are interested in what we're reading right now. my TBR is Wildin, as it usually is. I'm usually reading like, four to six books at one time. So I did just finish Metal Slinger. Diabolically delicious plot twist at the end, so prepare yourselves. But like, I had to stop myself from like immediately going back and starting it over to like look at everything in a new light after I learned what the plot twist was. But anyways, I cannot wait to deep dive it. It's gonna be so good. I'm also reading a self help book. No, I'm just kidding. It's actually really good. I started doing a little book club with my dad and we're just like reading different self help books and talking about them. So we're doing one on the medic theory, which is like diving into like why we want the things we want. It's really interesting. And then I'm also rereading when the moon hatched for like the seventh time to prepare for our interview with Sarah Parker and literally. A week in one day. This is real life. I'm so excited. Um, and I started on my Kindle to read at night. I usually pick like a super nasty slutty one. And my friend told me about this one romanticy. I think it's a Finnish duology called Feathers So Vicious. She said it's like super spicy, dark romanticy. So I just started that one. I'm reading on my Kindle at night. And after I finished When the Moon Hatched, I am going to finally dig into book 4 of Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. I'm so excited. You already on book 4? It's a 1300 pager. Sheesh. I don't know why I thought you were on book 3, I don't know why I thought you just finished book 2. Book 4 is crazy. I finished book 3 in December, I think. Sheesh, bruh. And then I gotta read book 5. And then book six doesn't come out until 2031. Is he still gonna be alive? Huh? Yeah. He writes so many other series and books. Like, he pops them out. But I guess it takes him a while. And he, like, switches series in between, so. I'm gonna have to wait a while for that one. But it'll be worth it. So, let's not complain about waiting two years for the next Empyrean, because I'm going to wait, literally have to wait six years to read the next Stormlight Archives book, which is one of my favorite series. Ah. My TBR, so of course I want to read, I got to start middle slinger cause we're going to be covering that soon. Also want to finish up air fire cause I'm struggling, but also like, I don't even have time to read my text messages. So air fire, I don't know what I'm going to get to that. And I've also been having the urge to read Crescent City started because I've been seeing a lot of fan art. I'm just like, I want to be a part. Of the fandom. So, oh my God, you're going to love, wait, I'm just going to let you discover it yourself. I'm so excited though. I love that book. I guess I'm on a surgery mask it. Cause I want to reread that guitar, which I've already started the first book. Um, I've been listening to it at work, so kind of want to reread that series and then on the more spicy Route, I want to read lipstick and cameras click by dj murphy This is a an african american author and it's like a love triangle kind of ordeal. I love those And then I also want to continue, the butterfly series by Ashley Antoinette. I think book six is the last book that came out like two years ago and I've read the past 11 books that she wrote, but I haven't, I still haven't gotten the newest book that she wrote a couple of years ago. So I want to finish that series. But yeah, that's it. You read such diverse. I'm like, fantasy, fantasy, fantasy, fantasy, fantasy, maybe a self help book. Yeah. I cannot bring myself to read like normal ass romance. I just can't. Oh my gosh. I love romance. Well, so like a lot of the romances I read aren't just like super normal. Like I could do like cowboy romance. That shit is hot. Like I want to go to a rodeo just because of a book I read. And Butterfly is like a mafia romance. So it's more of like. Yeah, it's more relatable because I live in a city where it's like really big crime action. So it's like Reading a book about it, but making it hot Oh, so it makes you feel less bad about all the crime Yeah It's That's actually pretty cool I just said I haven't read a normal romance book, but I just realized that I did because I read corrupt Yeah That's not a normal romance, by any means. Well, it's really not. It's very disturbing. But it's a, it's a romance, nevertheless, it's a romance. Yeah. But it's not a normal. Really, very, extremely disturbing, smutty books. Read The Crux by Penelope Douglas. It's very, it's a page turner, you just can't stop yourself. I told my sister about, I think, I think I just read book three over the summer or over Christmas break. I remember when I read it, but I was explaining her the plot line and she was like, bro, that is messed up. That is so bad. It's so bad. I think I could only read normal romance when it's like super fucked up and toxic because that makes me like super interested really fast. Yeah. All right. Let's fucking Do it. Okay. I'm excited for my questions today. Oh, really? That's not good. Before we, before we close out our episode today, it's time to spar each week. Kenzie and I are going to give each other and you guys are listeners to trivia questions. At the end of our onyx storm coverage, we will tally who has the most points and loser has to do something silly, embarrassing, or funny that the winner or even you guys can suggest as well. So let us know what you have. Kenzie the day when I whip her ass. Why me? I'm talking shit. You ready? Where does Zayden's dream take place? Dreythus. That was easier than expected. Okay. Your turn. Okay. Who is Llewelyn, Llewelyn, arguing with in chapter 46? What the hell does chapter 46 consist of? Okay, I'll give you the It's the first chapter in the stretch we talked about. It's when Aric saves Lynx, Lynx, Lynx, yeah. From when the, oh, when he became a lightening, wait, shadow wielder. Yeah. Yeah. That giant shadow. And that's when Zayden shows back up after being gone and is like, I'm letting people into Tyrandor. But before he comes in, Llewellyn is arguing with someone about it. Who is he arguing with? It's someone that's on the scenario. That's the only hint I'm giving you. I would assume it's father, father Atos. Um, is the queen dead already? Yeah. It's a man. Dude, the, the, the Duke. I've already got this wrong. What is it? It's the Duke of Caldir. I'm like the Duke of Caldir. Brutal. I'm dead. Okay. Okay. I'm dead. How old was Mira when Violet was almost dedicated? Ah, shit. Ten? Dang. How old was she? She was eight, your honor. I don't know. I mean, yes, your honor. Okay. What is on Zayden's nightstand when Violet arrives in Aratia? The stretch. The sword of, the sword of Aratia. And? And, and a box, a ring box. A box of Chocolates. Son of a bitch. I'm gonna give it to you technically because it is a box. But it's the box of nothingness that he got from Zelina. And, uh, technically the blade of Aresha, not the sword of Aresha, but we'll just Potato patata. I mean, tomato tomata. You're a little quick to use words, basically. Okay, um. You knew I was getting it. It's the fact that I got the answer right, but I also got the answer way wrong. Like I said it, I said it but didn't say it. You actually texted me and asked me like, Should I have water or alcohol? And then I was like, You know, I bet if she has alcohol she'll be really bad at trivia. And then I felt bad so I gave it to you. Technically I got it right. I'm way too competitive for this shit. Okay, the current score is I have four and a half and Kenzie has three and We usually, uh, when we do the last deep dive of a book, we do three questions. So Kenzie could still come and win it all, but she's really gonna have to step up her game, so I'm going to drink more alcohol. Oh my God. Okay. Well, that is a wrap on this deep dive of Onyx storm. Thank you guys so much for tuning in. It means the world to us that you're here. So join us next Thursday as we continue our deep dive into, Onyx Storm, and we will be going, we will be That throws you off every time. We will be going over chapters 57 through 66. Crying, it's almost over. I'm not, well I like, I am ready because I'm really excited to dig into like This will be like a massive theory episode, probably. And I'm excited to reread it very slowly and like look for clues, especially since we've spent so long digging into all the other parts of the book, I actually, the only chapter I've went back and reread was the last one, but I didn't reread. Any of the chapters leading up or during the final battle. So yeah, I'm hoping I maybe pick up some more details that will help me. Yeah. Like I said, it means the world to us that you're here. And it also like makes our day when we hear feedback from you guys. So while you're here, if you could leave us a review, whether you're watching on YouTube, leave us a comment. If you're listening on Spotify or Apple, go ahead and leave us a review. We want to know what you think of our show and it helps us build our. Podcast business, which is what we're trying to do. So that's one thing that you can do for us and for all the work that we're putting into it means the world when we get just like one little like or comment or review. So, and then make sure to subscribe on YouTube and all major podcast platforms for a freshly baked episode to be delivered directly to you next week. Bye friends. See you next week. Bye friends. We'll see you next week.