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Dear Fantasy Reader
Ep 4 Hints and Clues Rebecca Yarros Has Dropped About Onyx Storm: PART 1
00:53:42
Join your fellow squadmates Hannah, Kinsey, and Karly as they dive deep into the hints, clues, and breadcrumbs Rebecca Yarros has dropped about Onyx Storm across interviews, panels, Q&As, & social media! From gut-wrenching revelations...
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- [00:00]
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- [01:17]
Hannah
Dearest fantasy Readers, welcome to the Dear Fantasy Reader podcast where we are in our Onyx Storm Prep era. I'm Hannah.
- [01:27]
Kinsey
I'm Kinsey.
- [01:28]
Carly
And I'm Carly.
- [01:30]
Hannah
Today we are unpacking all of the clues we have gathered that Rebecca Yarros has revealed about what we can expect for Onyx Storm.
- [01:40]
Carly
Hannah has curated a very thorough collection of quotes from Rebecca Yarros, publicly accessible interviews, panels, Q&As and even some from her social media. So she is going to walk us through all of the hints and we are going to discuss them quick.
- [01:56]
Hannah
If you have listened to our Season one Fourth Wing Chapters by Chapters Deep Dive, you know that we will always provide citations both verbally and in the show notes when possible. For this episode I will say the name of the city that the interview panel, Q&A etc. Took place in and you can reference our sources for them in the Archives section down in our show Notes. We will also upload a PDF of our collection with all citations over on our Patreon. The screenshots of any comments from social media that we will reference will be available in that PDF as well, I have set it up to give you Rebecca's exact quotes as best as possible because I have seen what mis paraphrasing can do in this fandom. So you get the exact direct quote and then we can tease out what we think it means. If that's unclear, there are some instances where there is no or very limited public footage of an event, specifically Brisbane Writers Festival, Oxford and New Zealand. For these, I cite the notes of fans who attended so that you are aware to take those with a grain of salt as people's perceptions of information can differ.
- [03:05]
Kinsey
And technically, these are all light Onyx Storm spoilers. So if you want to go into Onyx Storm completely surprised, stop listening. This podcast is also rated R in content and in language.
- [03:17]
Hannah
First things first. The Empyrean series will be five books total. So Onyx Storm is is book three of five. This has been shocking news to a lot of people in our comments section on socials lately, but that's a pretty big thing to know going into Onyx Storm because it means we will have a cliffhanger. Now, Rebecca did say in her TikTok she posted back in 2023 that quote, Right now it is fully plotted for five, meaning five books. I'm not saying that won't change because stuff, sometimes when you're writing stories, sometimes they change. They go in a different direction than what you are thinking. But right now it's five, end quote. I was very, very shocked to see that so many people didn't know that. And I can't imagine thinking when you pick up Onyx Storm, it's gonna be the last one. And then she hits you with whatever is coming at the end of that book. So big preface there.
- [04:20]
Carly
That would feel awful if you didn't know that if you thought the book was gonna be wrapping up and then suddenly it's like a huge cliffhanger and then you go look it up and you're like, oh, it's gonna be two years for the next book. And that's not even the last one.
- [04:31]
Kinsey
Where's the resolution? Nothing got solved. There's still gonna be conflict.
- [04:37]
Hannah
Yeah, and stay tuned because we have some hints that I found about how much of a cliffhanger this is going to be. Here are the hints that we have for the vibes of Onyx Storm. So according to Brit in Bookland, who attended Rebecca Yarros Q and A at Brisbane Writers Fest, when asked for three words that describe Onyx Storm, Rebecca said, quote, you aren't ready.
- [05:07]
Carly
It gives me chills. I'M scared.
- [05:11]
Kinsey
I hope that's a positive thing.
- [05:13]
Hannah
Following that up very quickly in a comment in her Facebook group called Rebecca Yarros Fly Girls, someone wrote, quote, I am worried about the potential damage this book will do to my soul. And Rebecca responded, quote, as you should be.
- [05:30]
Carly
Oh, God.
- [05:31]
Hannah
What was that you were saying, Kinsey? What was. What was that?
- [05:35]
Kinsey
Hopefully it's positive.
- [05:38]
Carly
Yeah.
- [05:39]
Hannah
Wow. How's that going to.
- [05:40]
Carly
Definitely the vibes.
- [05:43]
Kinsey
Yeah, that's great.
- [05:46]
Hannah
Really. Just digging this one in there. The next is in Melbourne. When asked how much pain we are in for with Onyx Storm, Rebecca responded, quote, what's your pain tolerance? And in Brisbane, she said, quote, you guys are going to hurt. Sorry. Before she said that, we consented to it after we finished Fourth Wing and decided to keep going by reading Iron Flame.
- [06:16]
Carly
She's not sorry. She's not sorry.
- [06:19]
Hannah
Sorry.
- [06:21]
Kinsey
Isn't this supposed to end on a high note? Like, I thought that she drafted in like a W format so it's like Fourth Wing high, Iron Flame low, Onyx Storm High.
- [06:30]
Hannah
That is not the vibe I've gotten from. I mean, we haven't even gotten into the nitty gritty. It's not the vibe I'm expecting. But on a positive note, when asked which of the Empyrean books was her favorite so far at the National Book Festival, and I'm paraphrasing this first part, she first explains that Fourth Wing will always hold a place in her heart, but says, quote, I really love Onyx, I think the most. One, because I love a morally gray man and two, because I'm at that point where I get to expand and I get to actually know where I am and where my feet are, end quote. And that last part, I interpret that she is referring to her plot points connecting from previous books.
- [07:19]
Carly
And Hannah, can I just emphasize here too, I've actually heard this interview and she really emphasized the part where she loves a morally gray man. And I'm so excited to see what we're going to get from Zaden in this book because of it.
- [07:35]
Hannah
Oh, we have a whole Zaden section coming up, guys. I am very excited for her really leaning into morally gray man of it all. On the topic of connecting plot points at the Emerald City Comic Con, Rebecca said, quote, there are tons of things that I lay into the first book that don't come into fruition in the second book but are coming to pass in other books that I won't point out because that would be cheating. End quote. So if you want to know why we Go this hard for all of the details that right there.
- [08:10]
Kinsey
Exactly.
- [08:12]
Hannah
Speaking of Easter eggs, Rebecca is a huge Swiftie and has given us hints using Taylor Swift albums and songs. In Columbus, Ohio, Rebecca said that Onyx Storm is quote, very rep coded. Now I am a huge Swiftie and if you don't listen to Taylor Swift, I'm going to tell you what I think that this translates to. So Reputation as a concept is the era where Taylor took all of the negative things that were being said about her, flipped it around, said, fuck everyone else. I have the people in my corner who really matter and I'm going to keep doing me. Put very simply and as much as the aesthetic is opposite, Reputation, in my opinion is Taylor's most lovey dovey and romantic album. So to me, this says that Violet is going to embrace herself, her power, all of the shit that she and Zayden are going to inevitably face because they are now traitors, especially Zayden, who is a traitor to both sides and essentially everyone. And that Violet is going to find her own way forward with the people that matter the most in her corner, which is her chosen family.
- [09:27]
Kinsey
I love that.
- [09:28]
Hannah
Me too. Reputation is also my favorite album of all time. So good, very excited about it and Tortured Poets Department is a close second. Speaking of, in Sydney, Rebecca said that so It Goes, which is a Reputation track, and who's Afraid of Little Old Me, which is a Torture Poets Department track, are the Taylor Swift songs for Onyx Storm and that quote, typically I put a playlist out right around release time, but I always have a playlist before I start writing the book. So I knew it was going to be very rep coded and then TTPD came out, end quote. So that playlist should be out very soon.
- [10:16]
Kinsey
We're less than a month away. It's coming, it's coming.
- [10:19]
Hannah
I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't drop it like tomorrow.
- [10:23]
Kinsey
Yeah.
- [10:23]
Hannah
So excited. Now the track, so It Goes specifically is a very sensual song that includes the lyrics, quote, I'm yours to keep but I'm yours to lose. I'm not a bad girl but I do bad things with you. You did a number on me. But honestly, baby, who's counting?
- [10:46]
Carly
I find this so funny because when I was done reading Iron Flame, that's the song I had stuck in my head like that was the vibe I was left off with at the end of Iron Flame and I was just listening to, so it goes on repeat. So I think it's so interesting that that's like the vibe we're going into.
- [11:01]
Hannah
Going into Onyx Storm, especially that. I'm yours to keep but I'm yours to lose. That's actually a scary line. We're not gonna pay attention as much to that part. Guys. Look at the rest of it. Go listen to that song. It's fantastic. But I read 4th Wing and Iron Flame, the series after the Tortured Poets Department came out. That's TTPD I referenced a couple times. That's ttpd. And the whole time I was thinking that who's Afraid of Little Old Me Was Violet's song. And so as soon as I finished, I did not know that she was a Swift, that Rebecca was a Swiftie. And I finished and I started looking up all these interviews. And the first time I heard her say that she used Taylor Swift songs as inspiration, I think my soul levitated out of my body because what in all of my worlds colliding was that.
- [11:49]
Carly
Yeah, I was so excited when she said that because I had been doing these Q&As and talking about where I thought Violet's character arc was going in Onyx Storm. That was one of the questions I get a lot is where do I think Violet is going in Onyx Storm? And I had said that, basically I think that Violet is going to be pushed fully into, like, her villain era and that she is going to become other people's villain, to become the hero of her own story. And that she's going to, like, there is going to be something that pushes her into full female rage in order to get there. And then I heard who's Afraid a Little ol Me. I'm like, oh. She said that's the song. And like, I was like, I'm on track for where Violet's going in Onyx.
- [12:31]
Hannah
Storm, and I strongly recommend listening. Out of all of the songs that she uses for inspiration for the series, who's Afraid of Little Old Me really does encompass Violet. To me, the only other song, if you haven't heard, Nightmare by Halsey, that song is so Violet coded it's not even funny. And that was, Rebecca said, the inspiration for Violet. But I wanted to pull some quotes from who's Afraid of Little Old Me? Kinsey. I don't even know if you've heard this song. So for some context, for listeners, if you haven't heard it, she says, crash the party like a record scratch as I scream who's Afraid of Little Old Me? You should be.
- [13:12]
Carly
Such a perfect song for Violet going into it.
- [13:14]
Kinsey
That sums it all up.
- [13:16]
Hannah
One last one. I want to snarl and show you just how disturbed this has made me. You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me. I said, last one, I'm not done. You caged me and then you called me crazy. I am what I am. Cause you trained me. So who's afraid of little old me? And those are the vibes, guys for Onyx Storm.
- [13:46]
Kinsey
Everyone at Bestgaeth needs to look out. Cause that's where she was raised and shit is gonna go down.
- [13:52]
Hannah
Yeah. I am so ready for this reputation. TTPD era for Violet. Yeah.
- [13:59]
Carly
Yeah. Well, I think it's very much giving that they're a part of this machine that is also making their own monsters to fight the monsters. And that's kind of its own theme for this book is at what point do the ends justify the means and at what point don't they?
- [14:15]
Hannah
Exactly. And you know, Rebecca has also said this isn't a part of the outline, but she really wanted to emphasize that Bezgaeth being so deadly, really didn't have to be this way. And she showed us that through how the Griffin flyers are trained, that they aren't just like discarded so casually. And so, yeah, I definitely think you're spot on with that. So there you go. That is our Rebecca Yarros. Taylor Swift analysis mini ep. All right, so here are the hints about the setup for Onyx Storm. In a Variety article, an interviewer asked, will they remain at Byzgaeth for book three now that the wards are up in Navarre but not fully in place in Orisha and unable to be fully raised without finding another dragon like Andarna? And Rebecca responded, yes, they're at the college at the end because they have to be. As Zaden states, this is not a spoiler. That's the only place that Violet is safe from him. Jack is the biggest evidence of the weakness in the wards. They feel invincible. I think everyone with a strong military feels invincible. And Jack is absolute evidence that they are not. That there are weaknesses in the wards they aren't aware of. You see it in Fourth Wing when he shoves the energy into her while they're sparring. So it's been set up since Fourth Wing. And I think that you're going to see more of where those weaknesses are in book three. But also, how do you secure the rest of the continent? Because the whole point of Fourth Wing, when I wrote it, was very much, would you give up your shield to become your neighbor's sword? Would you give up your own safety to secure your neighbor next door? And some people would and some people wouldn't. End quote.
- [16:06]
Kinsey
That's a lot to unpack right there. I wonder if Jack was somehow. Because I was aware of the fact that, hey, he did use some type of venom magic within the wards while they were still up. I almost wonder if he used a type of rune similar to like the lure to allow him to use his venom abilities under the wards. But it is a little concerning that they finally, at the end of Iron Flame, got the wards back up to what we want to assume is full strength. And it's like, are they really up all the way?
- [16:36]
Hannah
Right.
- [16:37]
Kinsey
How much can they still use their magic within the wards? I don't like it.
- [16:43]
Carly
You need another question.
- [16:45]
Hannah
So it tells us quite a few things in there, right? Like one we're likely picking up right. At Bazga, which we could infer from the excerpt, but you never really know. Right. That seems to confirm it for me at least, that we're going to start back very similarly to same exact event like we did following fourth Wing into Iron Flame. Like, all right. There's so much to know now. I don't think we're going to get a time jump where Onyx Storm picks up based on this. Do you guys get that vibe as well?
- [17:15]
Kinsey
I feel like it picks up pretty much immediately.
- [17:18]
Hannah
And so they're definitely dealing with that weakness in the wards question that you were just touching on, Kinsey. I think it's really interesting that overarchingly I saw the direction of the books going away from even using the wards because again, they're used as a shield that does keep other people out. But now that I consider, like, how if Violet is somewhat in charge of this, is she going to be able to flip that around and somehow both shield people as a means to an end to defeat the Venin to keep them safe in the meantime, Will she even have time for that? Because clearly they've infiltrated. Right? If it's not an option to ward the whole continent, how do you go about securing the rest of it? I'm surprised that that's a Book three theme and not a later book, but Rebecca's on a roll.
- [18:09]
Kinsey
I'm also curious to know how long the wards will last in Orisha. Because the Flyers can still use their magic in Orisha. And if they can figure out a way to allow the Flyers to still have magic, like near Basgaeth, I feel like that would be a really good advantage because now we know they're actually all on the same side. And it's the Venon who They want to focus most of their energy against. So I'm like, how long's that going to last?
- [18:34]
Hannah
Well, Carly mentioned a really cool theory about that that we'll be discussing in our theories episode.
- [18:40]
Carly
So stay tuned for another time.
- [18:44]
Hannah
A rabbit hole for another time. So up next in Sydney, an interviewer asked Rebecca, quote, are we going to see more of the world in Onyx Storm? And Rebecca replied, quote, yeah, yeah. But the interviewer followed up with quote, and what about the following two books afterwards? Even more and more. And Rebecca responded, yes, and then explains that we will be watching it expand as Violet learns more. I think it's one of my favorite parts. End quote.
- [19:21]
Kinsey
I immediately pulled out the maps to compare between Iron Flame and Fourth Wing.
- [19:25]
Hannah
Yes, yes, because they expanded for. And you know, she refers specifically to the map that they pull out in Orisha is going to be more accurate because Nevar was hiding so much. So Violet's very limited understanding of the world. I cannot wait. I cannot wait to see. There's places, you know, we all want to talk about the Isle kingdoms, but there's other places that we don't even know to theorize about yet. And I'm stoked. In London, Rebecca was asked if there will be family betrayal. How specific? And Rebecca responded, quote, yes, because there are so many families in here that. Yes, end quote.
- [20:08]
Kinsey
Ooh. Ooh. Okay. My initial thought was Brennan, I'm sorry, I still don't trust him because of the rune on his hand. But when she said many families, Bodhi, I'm sorry, that's my next. On the. On the. On the chopping block. Because I'm, like, always a step behind Xaden.
- [20:28]
Hannah
Well, what other families do we got going on here? So we've got, like, dragon families, which we'll come back to. In the dragon section, she does mention dragon families. Arryk and the King, the royal family, the Saurians. Well, technically, that's already betrayal. Right. Because he joined. So does that count? I don't think that's as far as she's taking it.
- [20:48]
Kinsey
I don't know. And then we had Liam and Sloane, but.
- [20:55]
Carly
I think we should just be prepared to be spared by the portrayal.
- [21:00]
Kinsey
I just feel like Bodhi can counter signets. And he's always been, like, Zaden's shadow. He's always been, quote, a step behind. And Zaden's second signet, spoiler alert. Is seeing intention. So he kind of technically sees, like, into the future. But if Bode's always a step behind him and he can counter signets it almost makes me wonder, is Bodhi aware of his second signet? And is he like intentionally a step behind him so that he can't read his intention? Like, because that's going forward. I don't know. That just blew my mind a little bit.
- [21:33]
Hannah
Yeah, we're gonna unpack that in the Theories episode because now I'm intrigued.
- [21:36]
Kinsey
There's also Cat and Serena.
- [21:38]
Hannah
Ah. Hmm. I can't see a situation where they would be.
- [21:44]
Kinsey
They also have a cousin, don't they?
- [21:47]
Hannah
Hmm. Well, and they are Viscount Chikarys family. So his family, that could be a big. There's betrayal because his sister is currently the leader. I don't know where.
- [22:00]
Kinsey
Maybe his name off the top of my head.
- [22:01]
Hannah
His aunt. His aunt, yeah. So that is a family that could be. And technically Zaden, I don't know. It would be based on what Zaden perceives him as. But Llewellyn is his foster parent, so is that betrayal there? Ah, there's a lot. There's a lot in there.
- [22:24]
Kinsey
His mom is missing.
- [22:26]
Hannah
Oh, his mom. That's like the best one out of all that could be. I do want our little lover boy to not have deep mommy issue betrayals more than he already has. But I could totally see that sounds about Rebecca.
- [22:45]
Kinsey
Yeah. Now I'm like, who else is a family in this?
- [22:50]
Hannah
Okay, moving on to what I think is a statement about the moral message for the book. In Columbus, Ohio, Rebecca said that Onyx Storm deals a lot with magic requiring balance. When you deal with what it takes to achieve balance, what they are actually kind of up against. End quote. Sounds familiar, right? And Darna, she's been building up for this one for a while now. And of course, what does it do now that the second most powerful, technically most powerful rider of their generation is just turned venom? What does that do to the balance of power in the world now? Or did it even it out?
- [23:37]
Carly
I have so many thoughts on the balance of magic and power in this universe and the dragons and the Venin. And we'll have to get into our Theories episode because this is like a 45 minute long dissertation. So.
- [23:47]
Hannah
But yeah, you will hear that somewhat a lot because we're trying to get a lot of information to you guys today. There's a lot to also continue to unpack after this. So just know we aren't done. We will be here going through all of the theories in the next couple weeks and then with our Onyx Storm season and beyond. So no, no worries. Moving on to Zaden and Violet, here are the Hints that we've collected specifically about their dynamic, but they each have their own section. This first one is general for the remaining three books, but I want to point out that in a comment on Rebecca's Instagram, someone wrote, no way. Zaden and Violet stay together through all five, end quote. That's implying all five books. And Rebecca responded, just remember that at its core, it's a romantasy. End quote. But it did have a red heart emoji. Now, this doesn't mean that she won't rip our hearts out in Onyx Storm with them specifically, but hopefully it quells a bit of your fears there. But if you're hoping for some peace between the two in the meantime, unfortunately, we. I'm not confident that we're getting it. When asked about Violet clearly feeling safe enough to sleep next to Zayden after finding out that he is Venon, Rebecca said, quote, correct. Welcome to conflict. How do you keep a couple together and apart and together and apart for five books? Would you like some conflict? Have some conflict, End quote.
- [25:28]
Kinsey
No, thanks.
- [25:29]
Hannah
No thanks. No.
- [25:31]
Carly
You know, you say no, but a book without conflict is boring.
- [25:36]
Kinsey
I know, but I can't go through them like arguing a million times like they did in Iron Flame.
- [25:42]
Hannah
I will die on the hill. It's not that I don't want them to have conflict. It's that I don't want them to be. I don't want half or the majority of the conflict to be about the relationship. I would rather see there's enough conflict going on in the world. Right. I want to see a level consistent of them always being a team together. Like, I know they always have each other's back, but I want to see them fight standing side by side against the other conflicts. They can disagree on how to do that. I'm really hoping that in Onyx Storm at least we get to see kind of a counterbalance to how much they had interpersonal conflict last book in Iron Flame.
- [26:28]
Kinsey
Agreed.
- [26:29]
Carly
Well, I think that they had a lot of character development and growth in that book in learning to trust in each other, because their core issue in that book was trust, and they just didn't have it. Violet didn't have it in anything. I mean, Zaden doesn't really either, I guess, But I think that their trust in each other is more. Is deeper now. And I think part of Zaden turning Ven in, I think part of that was this need for the characters to have that get to that point where Violet can show that she trusts him no matter what decisions he's making. And I think that's what we're going to get to see here in the beginning of Onyx Storm is that he did this. And she's still going to be like, okay, well you did what you had to do. To some extent, she might not like it, maybe she doesn't completely agree with it, but I think she's. You're going to see that she still trusts him regardless.
- [27:23]
Hannah
And I think that that was symbolized in her sleeping next to him in the last chapter. Like, I think that that actually showed that growth. And yeah, I'm very hopeful that that's where we're picking up with it. Will there still be conflict? Very clearly, because she emphasized over and over now. Welcome to Zayden's section. When asked if Zayden would be okay and if we readers will need therapy, Rebecca responded, I mean, I just feel as though you should, I don't know, visit the temple of your local God and prepare your sacrifice accordingly. And paused for dramatics and said, and what's your definition of okay? Before saying, we will all have one big group therapy session.
- [28:18]
Kinsey
Part of me wonders how much of this is talk just to get us scared and how much of this is legitimate.
- [28:24]
Hannah
She's really like setting us up. Well, I think there's a part of it that she wants us to be aware of what we are in for. You should know by now, as she said, you read about Liam. She set up that she will kill people. We should not be surprised by that. But yeah, you're right. These are, to be fair, interviews to promo Iron Flame and of course the rest of the series. So these are things that get a reaction. Keep that in mind.
- [28:53]
Carly
I also think this is a hint though, for how ruthless we are going to see Zaden being going forward, which I'm here for.
- [29:02]
Hannah
Now, in order to kind of talk about Zaden, we have to talk about his dynamic with Sigail. Especially after the ending at Iron Flame, how heartbroken Sigail was and those few glimpses into her that we get to see and what that means for Zayden is going to be a huge part of Onyx Storm. In Oxford, Rebecca said, quote, you can expect some really mad dragons. Sigale isn't talking to Zaden. He's got to deal with some ramifications of that choice, end quote. Referring to where we left off in Iron Flame, where he made the choice to become Venon for love or not, that is still huge betrayal to Sigeil. To further double down on this in London, Rebecca said Sigale is, quote, absolutely incensed. And yes, it's a huge dynamic shift. At the beginning of Onyx Storm, she's not speaking to Zaden, and it's very like, she's so mad. End quote. And I'm paraphrasing this part for brevity. She says that this will affect Taryn because his mate is unhappy.
- [30:12]
Kinsey
Ooh.
- [30:14]
Hannah
So we are getting ripple effect through the dynamics of this whole messy bond situation from that choice.
- [30:21]
Kinsey
Trouble in paradise.
- [30:23]
Hannah
Mm. Now, in the Entertainment Weekly interview, the interviewer asked, how does that Zaden turning Venon affect his connection to his dragon? End quote. And Rebecca repeats that's a Book three thing twice. She repeated that twice.
- [30:46]
Kinsey
So there's our conflict. Let's hope that it's mostly between Sigail and Zaden and not Zayden and Violet.
- [30:55]
Hannah
I think it boils down to, like, the overarching question of connection is, can a dragon unbond a human rider if they turn venom? Or, you know, clearly they automatically stay bonded, because we know that from Jack and Bade. And so it's a question of whether or not Sigeil chooses to unbond him. It very well could also, you know, that was a broad question affecting the bond in its entirety. Does it affect their telepathic communication? I don't think so. But does it, like, it could branch out way more than we even think with that, like, general question question. But on that general question, we do get some context. In Sydney, when asked if we would get more of Sigayle, Rebecca responded, quote, you do. But holy crap, is she pissed. So she's really, really. I will tell you that about Onyx Storm. She is really, really mad at Zayden and she is not exactly speaking to him at the moment. So it's hard for her to speak into that bond when she's not speaking to him, end quote. She references a bond that is still able to be spoken into. So that, to me, tells me that at least for a portion of Onyx Storm, Sigail did not unbond Satan.
- [32:12]
Kinsey
It makes me wonder if she can choose to stop channeling her magic to him temporarily. Temporarily. Like, they can still have the bond, but she's refusing to give him her power. Like, if she's completely shutting him out, but then that's almost counterintuitive because if he needs his signet and he needs power, then he's going to draw from the source that she's upset at him from drawing from.
- [32:33]
Hannah
We don't know a ton about Sigail, but I Do think she chose a very level headed and discerning mate. They actually do need to defeat the Venon. And if she knows Zaden's heart and his mind, the difference is he turned for love, he didn't turn for power. And so as much as it is got to be huge betrayal and absolutely heartbreaking, I think that there is a level. I don't think she's gonna unbond him at all. I don't even think that she's gonna threaten it. I think that she is going to make sure he knows she's upset, but I think she's gonna be willing to stay bonded and support him with still channeling magic as a means to defeating the Venon. And she does care about him as much as she is ruthless.
- [33:20]
Kinsey
I sure hope so.
- [33:22]
Carly
I think the whole arc with Sigale is particularly heartbreaking and I think it'll introduce some interesting conflict for this book. And I know I've said this so many times, but I can't wait to discuss this more when we're breaking down Sigail and Zaden later on in another episode.
- [33:39]
Hannah
Is it a theory?
- [33:41]
Carly
Yeah, it'll be part of the theories episode.
- [33:45]
Hannah
I'm very, very excited. Well, and I think you and I have talked about this, but you have analyzed Sigail's character herself, which we don't get a ton about. But looking at it from a character's perspective of why this could be so, so heartbreaking that it made me look at this even more in a heartfelt way, which I think we should all go into Onyx Storm kind of being considerate, that that is the biggest betrayal that a rider can do to a dragon before killing it, which is part.
- [34:20]
Carly
Of the danger there, I think when people realize, because I have a whole theory around this, but the level of heartbreak this is for her that I'm foreseeing of how this is gonna go, it makes me really sad for her. Cause I think that this was just a huge betrayal on another level that people will be a twist in Onyx Storm that we will find out later.
- [34:42]
Hannah
Oh, I can't wait to get into that.
- [34:45]
Kinsey
Even through the heartbreak, she still was defending Zaden because she had warned Violet, like, you know, be careful what you say. So even though clearly Sigail's feeling extremely betrayed, she's still looking out for Zaden's feelings. So I'd like to think she still loves him and cares for him.
- [35:00]
Hannah
I think she does. And I think that makes it more heartbreaking.
- [35:03]
Carly
You can't be heartbroken unless there's love, you know, so true.
- [35:13]
Hannah
Well, and imagine how much more difficult that is because Zaden does have mommy issues. Like he was abandoned at 10, from what I would perceive, because we don't get a ton of it. She has a layer of a maternal love to him, a guiding light of sorts that is just, like, rough around the edges because that's just their dynamic and who she is. But I think that that dynamic of Sigail and Zaden is going to be so integral to all of Onyx Storm, but especially for Zayden. I mean, this was Zayden's section, but that's just tying it back around. Going to be even harder hitting for Zayden.
- [35:55]
Carly
I'm sad for all of them because I think that for both of them, Zaden and Sigail, I think it's. It's going to be some interesting conflict, and I think it's going to help us learn more about how the dragon bonds work and what happens when you become Venon and you're a bonded writer, which are all things we don't know a ton about yet. And so I think that's important for, like, the story building, but I think how it's going to come across with, like, the character arcs and impacts, it's going to be. I think it's going to be really sad.
- [36:22]
Hannah
God, I cannot wait for this book.
- [36:24]
Carly
I can't wait to have our heart ripped out. So excited.
- [36:28]
Hannah
Put it in a blender, Rebecca. Let's go.
- [36:30]
Carly
Yeah.
- [36:32]
Hannah
On to Zaden's second signet hints. At the Emerald City Comic Con, Rebecca was asked, quote, speaking of his second signet, is he just so mentally strong and in control that it didn't drive him insane? And Rebecca responded, dude, book three. So sounds to me like we're getting a little bit of backstory on when and how his intensic ability manifested. I'm so down for that. I would like a whole novella on that era of Satan's life, please. I'm begging.
- [37:09]
Carly
Agreed.
- [37:10]
Kinsey
What if it alternates POVs the whole book? That would be amazing.
- [37:14]
Hannah
As much as I agree with that, we're about to get some context and some hints about that in just a moment. Staying on the second signet for just a minute longer in London, in reference to Zaden being able to hear Violet's dirty thoughts, she says there's like a couple spots in Onyx Storm where he's like, yeah, I remember you thinking that. I totally did. I used that to my advantage. End quote. So there's room for interpretation here. But that tells me that Zaden reads thoughts, not just intentions. And that is why he added the caveat that he doesn't really know and doesn't really understand it himself, because there's no other intensics alive for him to learn from. Just gonna leave that there. I will die on that hill.
- [38:09]
Carly
I'm just gonna say there's no other intensics alive that we know of. Be pretty easy to be an intensic and pretend to be a truthsayer. Just saying.
- [38:20]
Hannah
Ooh, I didn't think about it like that.
- [38:23]
Carly
Yeah.
- [38:25]
Kinsey
And they're working with Varysh because if.
- [38:27]
Hannah
You'Re smart enough and you don't have that same reaction that Jeremiah did, and.
- [38:32]
Carly
He gave it away and you managed to hold it together.
- [38:36]
Hannah
All right, rabbit hole. Do you think that's because Sigale has actually had a rider with the intensic ability, and she knew how to help him manage it so that he didn't get caught.
- [38:47]
Kinsey
What if that's how his grandfather was killed?
- [38:51]
Carly
Guys, we're gonna get into the grandfather and theories, obviously. Guys, I can't start talking about this now. I'll go down a whole entire rabbit hole of what happened to the grandfather and why. But I think I will just say for now that I think it's very possible that there are other intensives out there that they are pretending masquerading as true sayers.
- [39:13]
Kinsey
I definitely think there's more hiding.
- [39:16]
Carly
I wondered the same thing about Andarna. I'm like, what if there's another Andarna out there just also pretending to be a blue dragon or orange dragon? Because she can chameleon.
- [39:25]
Hannah
But there's always been that sheen of a different color. So I wonder if Violet just hasn't seen one in person to note that sheen on someone else. That doesn't mean they're not out there, but she just hasn't been close enough to note it. Or because she's so young, she hasn't figured out how to fully chameleon like other dragons maybe have.
- [39:44]
Carly
Oh, I love this theories episode, guys. Theories.
- [39:49]
Kinsey
Gonna be a hot episode.
- [39:52]
Hannah
I have a feeling it's gonna be more than one because we have so many. But back to our hints for Onyx Storm. Specifically, that we know. In the Variety interview, when asked to clarify if Zaden is king of Tarandor by birth, Rebecca said, by birth. If it were still a kingdom and not a province. So technically he would be the duke. There's an epigraph where they remove the right to go sit on the council and give it to Duke Llewellyn. And there's so much that got taken out of edits. Hmm. What did she just say? This book, had it not been edited down, would have a lot more in it. So you'll see in book three how it is Arisha has been allowed to survive without being caught. Something got cut out in edits, and I was like, oh, my gosh. Okay, book three, technically, he would be the duke and he would be the person sitting in the seat of Tirindor. So it's a question of Llewellyn, who's the current duke, what he's going to do with the existence of Arisha. End quote. Now, Llewellyn was Zaden's foster parent and prepared them for the riders quadrant. So interesting dynamic there. Especially if we think back on the family betrayal situation. What is Llewellyn gonna do with the existence of Orisha? I think a lot of that depends on his loyalty to the king and his relationship with Zaden.
- [41:45]
Kinsey
I feel like he has to know Oresha exists. There's no way he doesn't know.
- [41:50]
Carly
Well, and there's that foreshadowing in one of the POV chapters from Zaden, and I don't know if it's a bonus chapter or just one of the chapters that was at the end of four Swing and Ironflame where he is talking about Arisha and he says, you know, that essentially, and I'm paraphrasing here because I don't have to quote in front of me, but he is talking about how, you know, if they knew Arisha was, you know, rebuilt and stuff, that there was people out there who would come for Arisha to take it from him, and then they take his head, you know, to make sure there's no more of an error for Arisha. So there's a lot of. There's a lot of foreshadowing of what's going on with that. This will also probably be a fight for him to keep Tyrindor.
- [42:32]
Hannah
Mm.
- [42:32]
Kinsey
That changes things.
- [42:34]
Hannah
Mm.
- [42:35]
Carly
Yep.
- [42:35]
Hannah
Well, then I. Then I wonder how much Auric Cam and his relationship to all of this is going to make Zayden's family dynamics more complicated politically with the royal family dynamics, especially because Zayn killed the older prince. So that's messy. That's like ulterior motives and political motives, you know, like interpersonal ulterior motives and political motives. That's messy. We love to see it.
- [43:10]
Carly
That's what I'm here for. I'm just here for the chaos of it all.
- [43:14]
Hannah
So and, boy, is this not chaotic. Even, you know, me just trying to, like, list out all of this information that Rebecca's provided, which is actually a lot. This is chaotic. The best way to describe it. Now, Kinsey, here you go. On the topic of more Zayden POVs, Rebecca said, you're not really in Zayden's POV until he stops keeping secrets, end quote. And later the interviewer said, we know that he has a lot of secrets when it comes to Arisha and everything, end quote. To which Rebecca responded, yeah. And the interviewer said, quote, he has to have secrets beyond that. And Rebecca responded, naturally.
- [44:06]
Kinsey
She's so sassy.
- [44:08]
Hannah
She's so sassy. But that does tell us it's gonna be a minute before we have more Zayden POVs, because it was not just his intensic ability that she is hiding from us. Yes, there is more, which means more plot twists and revelations and bring it on. I will take it all, but I cannot wait for the point where we will actually be able to more freely be in Xaden's head. Now, Rebecca also added later that we will see the same style of Zayden POVs in the next three books, like bonus scenes and some end chapters and things like that. End quote. Because we need to experience things with Violet or it would be spoiled for us.
- [44:51]
Kinsey
Makes sense.
- [44:52]
Hannah
She's hiding it from us. That's why we're not getting more.
- [44:57]
Kinsey
I was just hoping that if he pulls like an Edward New Moon situation and he goes off and leaves her behind, I'm like, well, maybe we'll get his POV so we'll at least know what he's up to. But if he's being super secretive, then.
- [45:11]
Hannah
Nope, I don't think we will. And unfortunately, as much as I loved the Twilight series growing up, I fucking hated New Moon because of that.
- [45:20]
Kinsey
I don't want a New Moon situation.
- [45:22]
Hannah
I do not. It would be very difficult to get through a New Moon situation after the Iron Flame situation. Yeah.
- [45:28]
Kinsey
I would only tolerate it if we also got Zaden's point of view throughout it. But we can't know.
- [45:36]
Hannah
So that brings us to Violet. So we've gotten some hints about Violet's state of mind. We can make some inferences going into Onyx Storm after what happened in Iron Flame. But in Melbourne, Rebecca said, quote, I think my favorite thing about Violet in Onyx Storm is she has one goal. She has one goal, and she doesn't care what stands in her way to achieve it. End quote.
- [46:04]
Carly
Yeah. So the French publisher Accidentally posted. It seems like an additional part of the blurb to their website that it seems to indicate that Violet's goal is going to be finding the seventh Den. I think that that's probably going to be her goal, but the whole like she doesn't care what stands in her way to achieve it. I mean, this is going back to the who's Afraid a little old me song where I just think we're going to get to see Violet kind of be pushed past the edge and just literally doing anything to achieve her goal. And I am here for her villain era. I want that more than Zaden's villain era, personally.
- [46:46]
Hannah
Oh yes. Oh yes. I wonder if we're actually gonna get like a double reputation era. Like both of them.
- [46:52]
Carly
That would be cool.
- [46:54]
Hannah
Finally on the same page as something.
- [46:57]
Kinsey
Yeah, I definitely feel like here this goal is her going from I will not die today to I will save him. So I feel like it refers to Zaden.
- [47:06]
Hannah
Well, I think it could be both. I think she could technically be looking for the seventh den as a means to eventually saving him. Which I think it's also an umbrella.
- [47:17]
Carly
Right.
- [47:17]
Hannah
Like she needs to raise the Orishan wards again. Right. So maybe she thinks that having him in Orisha is actually safer for actually saving his life and not just saving him as a means to cure him. That could be in the meantime thing. Long term goal is curing and saving Zaden as a whole.
- [47:33]
Kinsey
Send him to the barrens because then he can't use anything at all.
- [47:37]
Hannah
Do you want him to die?
- [47:39]
Kinsey
She can pack him food, but like he can't drain anything. So just send him to the Barrens.
- [47:45]
Carly
Listen, we're gonna send him with a picnic basket. Hannah, we're not monsters. He'll be just fine.
- [47:52]
Kinsey
He'll get regular doordash deliveries. He'll be fine.
- [47:57]
Carly
I mean, it sounds like there's another ribstad chest out there. So we could just put him in there.
- [48:02]
Hannah
That sounds like torture.
- [48:04]
Carly
Yeah, it does sounds horrible.
- [48:06]
Hannah
I bet that they're gonna offer that. As if leadership on either side finds out that Zayden is Venan, I think they're gonna want to do that. And if that is Rebecca's way of conflict and keeping them together and apart by putting him in that fucking chest, I will riot.
- [48:21]
Kinsey
That's also assuming leadership themselves are not Venon, because I am. Nevermind. We're going over this in the next episode.
- [48:28]
Hannah
But okay, keeping on this like, scary theme of this episode, we are in for some rough, rough waters at Emerald City Comic Con. Rebecca Said that grief will play a role for Violet in Onyx Storm. Quote, it's about to catch up with Violet because she's pushed aside everything with Liam and then she's just watched her mother sacrifice everything and it catches up. End quote.
- [48:57]
Kinsey
I didn't even think of her mom as that awful. I was thinking of her dad. Oh.
- [49:02]
Hannah
Oh. Well, I think that revelations from that could also be heavy hitters.
- [49:07]
Carly
There's probably gonna be revelations about his death that is also probably gonna be compounding this and bringing it all to the surface.
- [49:15]
Hannah
I just made this assumption from the very beginning that he was assassinated. So if that comes to fruition, that is gonna compound so much on everything that's already piling up. And if we think about who's afraid of little old me calling back to that, there's a snapping point and it just unleashes. Right. And so it seems like the means of transportation for Violet to get to that point. Is her grief connected to all of these things. Yikes. Our characters just so far, Satan, Sigail, and Violet, all three are going through some shit in this book.
- [49:54]
Carly
There's a lot of trauma.
- [49:54]
Hannah
And us. And us. Hence us. Yeah. Yeah.
- [49:58]
Carly
Lots of trauma happening in these books.
- [50:01]
Hannah
On a more positive note, in Emerald City, on the topic of secrets, Rebecca said that, quote, violet's way better at keeping them in this book. She's in her reputation era. Another callback. But, guys, does that mean that we're actually going to get to know things because she's trusted with secrets because she can actually keep him this time?
- [50:25]
Kinsey
I sure hope so. We're at the halfway point. She has to know something.
- [50:29]
Hannah
But also, I hope it's not this situation of her keeping it from RI all the time. She did the same thing that Zaden was doing to her to RI for a lot of Iron Flame. I hope that that's not what she means. I hope it's just overarchingly she is trusted with more.
- [50:47]
Kinsey
I mean, it almost made her physically ill to keep secrets from her friends. It was tearing her up inside. I don't really see her as keeping things from ri. They're totally on her side. Unless it's the secret that Zaden is a venom.
- [51:00]
Hannah
Well, and this could also just mean she gets really good at shielding. This could maybe be less about Violet's traits of keeping secrets and more about, quite literally, her physical ability to protect the secrets in her mind with her shields. I like that better.
- [51:18]
Kinsey
Me too. Dane and Imogen gotta watch out because they are not taking anything from her anymore.
- [51:24]
Hannah
Well, Dane better keep his filthy hands away from her is all I'm saying. I don't even want him in the room, but if I have to compromise, he better not go near her. Thank you. All right. In London, when asked if Violet will turn Venin for love, Rebecca responded, quote, that's an interesting theory. Importantly, according to Reddit user Distinct Frame, who attended her Brisbane Q and A, Rebecca said that Violet was initially written to turn Venon at the end of Iron Flame and not Xaden. And more context to that is that it was her editor suggested that and she ended up changing it, which could mean a lot of things for Onyx Storm, including that Violet could also turn Venon. If we think about how easy it was for her to just switch out, you know, something that huge happening to this huge of a character, it's easy if you plan to have them both turn anyway.
- [52:28]
Kinsey
So true.
- [52:29]
Hannah
Especially if we consider the Vennans prophesizing using that very loosely in Zaden's dream. And it came true. They also said the same thing in Violet's dream. Hmm.
- [52:41]
Carly
Yeah. I think it's very possible we're gonna see her turn Venon as well at some point.
- [52:48]
Hannah
I don't really think it'll be Onyx Storm.
- [52:51]
Carly
No, I don't think it'll be Onyx Storm either.
- [52:54]
Hannah
I don't want her to turn. I don't think it's as interesting. But I'm going to trust if Rebecca does decide to do that, that I will probably still enjoy that. But I don't think it would happen in Onyx Storm. I think that that would maybe be too fast from what just happened in Iron Flame, maybe a little more predictable. But then again, if she can one up that in book four and five, then maybe she does just go ahead and stick it in book three. Who knows? We can confidently say that Violet will continue to utilize recitation of facts to calm herself. In an interview with Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon, Rebecca said, quote, writing the third book, I think I'm in the middle of something where Andarna's like, oh my God. If we have to listen to you talk about the Treaty of Resin one more time, end quote.
- [53:45]
Kinsey
Darna, she would.
- [53:48]
Carly
Oh, I love her.
- [53:50]
Hannah
This tells me we should also review the Treaty of Russin if it was that important for Rebecca to use in this example. That vile emphasizes a lot. So we should put a pin in that and go investigate what we do know about it.
- [54:04]
Carly
I have it in my notes.
- [54:05]
Kinsey
Perfect.
- [54:06]
Carly
And because Rebecca Yarrows has revealed so many hints about Onyx Storm. We are wrapping up here and continuing over in Part two. Thank you so much for listening and don't forget to check out our PDF of quotes and citations for everything we discuss today over on our Patreon.
- [54:20]
Kinsey
As always, we encourage you to email us all of your thoughts, theories and suggestions. Drop them below if you're watching on YouTube or join us over on our Discord. Don't forget to follow us on our socials.
- [54:31]
Hannah
Until next time. Dearest fantasy readers, prepare yourselves for more Rebecca Yarrow's Onyx Storm hints as we continue our journey through the Empyrean series. See you soon.
- [54:53]
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