Final Bets & Predictions for Onyx Storm

Summary

Fantasy Fangirls Podcast Episode Summary: "Final Bets & Predictions for Onyx Storm"

Episode Overview

In the penultimate episode of the season, titled "Final Bets & Predictions for Onyx Storm," hosts Lexi and Nicole delve deep into their anticipations and theories surrounding the highly awaited release of Onyx Storm, the third installment in Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series. Scheduled for release on January 16, 2025, this episode promises a comprehensive exploration of potential plot developments, character arcs, and overarching themes based on their extensive rereads and community interactions.

Spoiler Warning

Before immersing into the discussions, Lexi and Nicole issue a stern spoiler warning:

Lexi [00:20]: "So today's episode is bringing up a few last-minute points before this pre-Onyx Storm end of an era... Spoilers for all things Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, plus the Onyx Storm excerpt from Cosmopolitan as well as other teasers from Rebecca Yarros herself."

Main Theories and Predictions

1. Poromiel and Griffin Flyers Alliance

   Lexi predicts that due to the longstanding 400-year opposition between Navarre and Poromiel, a fragile alliance is inevitable to counter a common enemy. She anticipates severe tensions arising from this partnership, paralleling the historical conflicts between the Orisha writers and Flyers.

   Lexi [06:07]: "Assuming our crew is going to the Isle Kingdoms, I believe they will need to leverage Poor Mill's connections to the islands..."

2. The Fate of the Second Squad

   Nicole foresees a perilous fate for members of the second squad, particularly Marin and Cat, expressing concern over their survival in the upcoming battles.

   Nicole [07:04]: "I'm not going to lie, I don't know if Marin is going to make it out of this book alive, because I hate that because I love her so much."

3. Navarre's Role and Internal Strife

   The discussion touches upon the potential for Navarre's loyalists to target Griffin Flyers, leading to increased instability within their ranks.

   Nicole [08:08]: "Are going to murder Griffin Flyers. Like, because we know from the first two books that Navarre is pretty blasé when it comes to murder..."

4. Violet's Second Signet: Intensive vs. Knowledge Weaver

   A significant debate emerges around Violet's elusive second signet. Nicole champions the "Intensive" theory, suggesting it revolves around mastering her innate powers, while Lexi introduces the "Knowledge Weaver" concept, emphasizing Violet's role as a truth-seeker and information aggregator.

   Nicole [70:59]: "I do think that they're going to learn more about that. I think we are going to learn the whole story because Brennan is back at this guy, the secret's out, he's alive." Lexi [75:41]: "This means that Violet can identify what is factual and what is false, like a true sayer, but it applies beyond what someone says."

5. Character Arcs and Relationships

   • Brennan and Naolin: The hosts speculate on Brennan's resurrection and his possible unawareness of Naolin's transformation into Venin.

     Lexi [24:52]: "I think he knows what Naolin did to save him, and he's really grappling with that."

   • Daddy Atos' Allegiances: Nicole posits that Daddy Atos might be a puppet for external Venin forces or harbor his own sinister agendas within Navarre.

     Nicole [49:20]: "I think he's connected with the Venin outside of Navarre. I think he's one of their puppets..."

6. The Seventh Dragon Den and Dragon Politics

   The sisters anticipate an intricate portrayal of dragon politics, especially concerning the elusive seventh Dragon Den. They discuss the possibility of new dragon characters and the historical grudges that may influence current alliances.

   Lexi [21:42]: "I really can't take any credit for that. That was all from our Discord member back in March..."

Rapid Fire Bets and Predictions

Lexi and Nicole engage in a series of rapid-fire bets, presenting their personal predictions with playful stakes:

1. Character Deaths:

   • Prediction: Both believe Mira will die saving Brennan.
   • Stakes: Loser must wear a funny, embarrassing shirt or accessory provided by the winner during a recording episode.

2. Zaden's Cure:

   • Prediction: Lexi bets Zaden will be cured in Onyx Storm, while Nicole disagrees.
   • Stakes: Winner can make the loser perform a designated task (e.g., add Malort to a smoothie).

3. Seventh Dragon Den Riders:

   • Prediction: Lexi contends there will be riders in the seventh Dragon Den; Nicole agrees, especially with tentative sightings.
   • Stakes: Loser cannot use a common word chosen by the fan club during an episode.

4. Violet's Leadership Role:

   • Prediction: They believe Violet will step into a prominent leadership role, embodying the "reluctant leader" trope.
   • Stakes: If their predictions hold, Lexi might have to wear a chosen outfit, or Nicole adopts a specific hair color.

Notable Quotes

Throughout their discussion, Lexi and Nicole intersperse insightful quotes that encapsulate their predictions:

• On Violet's Leadership:

  Nicole [116:45]: "I am 100% convinced that Arik is going to get discovered as Cam."

• On Signet Theories:

  Lexi [75:41]: "This means that Violet can identify what is factual and what is false, like a true sayer, but it applies beyond what someone says."

Community Engagement and Closing Remarks

The episode concludes with heartfelt thanks to their growing community of listeners and fan club members. Lexi and Nicole extend a warm welcome to new Iron Squad members, encourage ratings and reviews, and tease upcoming live events, including a Barnes and Noble midnight release party in Glendale, Colorado.

Final Thoughts

"Final Bets & Predictions for Onyx Storm" serves as both a culmination of the hosts' year-long engagement with the ACOTAR series and a springboard into the next thrilling chapter of their podcast journey. Lexi and Nicole adeptly balance spoiler-laden theories with engaging discourse, ensuring listeners are both informed and entertained as they await the release of Onyx Storm.

Transcript

[Lexi]

Foreign.

[Nicole]

Welcome to the Fantasy Fangirls podcast where two sisters dive deep into beloved fantasy lore, characters, themed series and more.

[Lexi]

I'm Lexi, I'm Nicole and we are so excited for the second to last episode in the lead up to Onyx Storm's release in just a few days. Over this past year, Nicole and I have shared so many thoughts about what's next in the Empyrean series. So today's episode is bringing up a few last minute points before this pre Onyx Storm end of an era. And at the end we are going to share our final bets. In case you're new, Nicole and I made quite a few bets with each other last year before Iron Flame and it's been so much fun getting this community involved with them. So of course we are doing it again before Onyx Storm. Before we dive into this final theory thoughts madness, we got to do our due diligence with a spoiler warning because we are theorizing for the third book of the Empyrean series. Spoilers for all things Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, plus the Onyx Storm excerpt from Cosmopolitan as well as other teasers from Rebecca Yarros herself. No multi chapter previews though.

[Nicole]

Okay, the most minute details that you Forgot about in chapter 31 of 4th Wing, I will be talking about it today. This literally could not be more spoiler heavy. So if you have not finished the first two Empyrean books then please do that and then come back. We will be here when you're done.

[Lexi]

Next, we a Fantasy Fangirls are adults who say adult things about adult books. In other words, friends, this podcast is rated R. One of our bets is.

[Nicole]

About the amount of sex scenes we will be getting in Onyx Storm, which led to a discussion of defining exactly what a sex scene is. With the Iron Squad in our Discord as well as our friends, we really branched it out and made sure we covered all our faces. So please be mindful of those little listening ears.

[Lexi]

Additionally, we are so excited to see what upcoming live events we are partnering with Barnes and Noble for the Onyx Storm Midnight release party on January 20th in Glendale, Colorado. In just a few days here. Then we will be at Rebecca Yaris Onyx Storm Tour in Denver, Colorado on February 2nd.

[Nicole]

We have so much in store as podcasting partners at Romanticy bookcon both in LA in February and in Orlando in October.

[Lexi]

We'll also be featured guests at Enchanticon in St. Louis, Missouri August 15th through 17th. And we will be back at the Dragon Gauntlet in Boyne City, Michigan September 12th through 13th.

[Nicole]

Check out our website's full calendar for more information links to all of these in the show notes. Or you could check out our website's full calendar for more information Tickets plus our podcast episode and Fantasy Fan Club virtual events.

[Lexi]

And lastly, if you love Fantasy Fangirls, if you can't wait for this empyrean journey we're about to embark on together again. If you are so excited for Onyx Storm and want more empyrean content plus a community to share this passion with and so much more, please check out the Fantasy Fan Club, our new official Fantasy Fangirls membership.

[Nicole]

We have three fan club tiers that you can join. First the Cadets, which includes access to our insanely active Discord, live Q&As from Lexi and I, book club, exclusive author interviews, trivia, community events, promo codes for live events plus 20% off all merch. That's for $6 a month. Or you can join the Dragon R which includes everything from the cadet level plus early access to ad free episodes. Our full episode outlines special voting privileges and that's for $10 a month. Then we have our Iron Squad which includes everything from the first two tiers plus more behind the scenes content, a welcome gift, giveaways, private Discord Channel name shouted out on the podcast and that is for $25 a month.

[Lexi]

Join the party at fantasy fangirls.com fan club. The link is also in the show notes and really and truly, thank you so much from the bottom of our making this podcast our livelihood. It means everything and we appreciate you so much. Before we dive into this highly anticipated episode, let's talk about the weather. Winter is definitely here in lovely Colorado and as much as I love it, this dry weather does quite the number on my skin. Feeling confident in your skin starts with getting expert care. That's why we're so excited to be partners with Apostrophe. Whether you're dealing with acne, signs of aging, or dark spots, Apostrophe helps you get access to the right treatments for for your skin.

[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

I've always struggled with acne, even now as an adult and I love apostrophe and how how well it works for my sensitive skin. I also love their face lotion. That is also a great sunscreen. It is so nice and light and I don't feel like I'm wearing a whole bunch of, you know, like sunscreen on my face. It is absolutely wonderful. I love it so much and it's so good for my skin.

[Nicole]

We have a special deal for our audience. Get your first visit for only $5 at apostrophe.com ff when you use code ff that's a savings of $15. This code is only available for our fantasy fangirl listeners. To get started, just go to apostrophe.com and click get started. Then use our code ff@signup and you'll get your first visit for only $5. Thank you so much Apostrophe for sponsoring this episode. And now it is time to discuss the big, the small, the head scratchers, the hills we're willing to die on as we go into Onyx Storm.

[Lexi]

Bets, bets, bets, bets, bets. Yeah, friendly reminder that we do love each other at the end of this episode, but I can already tell you things are about to get feisty.

[Nicole]

Oh, I'm so exc.

[Lexi]

Lets start with some of our overarching questions and speculations, especially about storylines and topics we haven't talked about at considerable length yet. Starting with what's next for Poromiel and the Griffin flyers. There are 400 years of opposition between Navarre and Poromiel, and while I see them needing to ally to have a chance at defeating their common enemy, it's not going to come without severe tensions. And I think that will be a major subplot theme of the book. Not unlike we experienced between the Orisha writers and Flyers and Part two of Iron Flame, but now on a much bigger kingdom wide scale. Assuming our crew is going to the Isle Kingdoms, I believe they will need to leverage Poor Mill's connections to the islands, because up until a few years ago when things got bad with the Venin, Poor Meal still traded with the Isle Kingdoms. I also don't think we've seen the Last of Dakaris, and maybe we'll even meet Queen Mariah.

[Nicole]

Oh, I hope so. I also think that if second Squad goes to the Isles, which I'm pretty convinced they are going to to find the seventh Dragon Den. And again, because I'm convinced that's where the seventh Dragon Den is, I see them taking every flyer in the second squad which is six flyers. Like, I think that, you know, in the second part of Iron Flame, we really got to know two of them, Marin and Cat, pretty well. Bragan, I'll also throw in there as well. But there's a whole bunch of other ones. And I'm not going to lie, I don't know if Marin is going to make it out of this book alive, because I hate that because I love her so much. But I don't think every flyer from second squad is going to make it out, which sucks.

[Lexi]

I see where you're coming from and I unfortunately agree.

[Nicole]

Oh no.

[Lexi]

I also see poor Emiel and Navarre reaching a temporary truce. And while Griffin flyers don't hide behind the protection of the wards where they can't wield magic, I do think they're going to use Navarre as home base between missions again, kind of like how Arisha was that home base for both the flyers and for writers as they were going out and fighting the Venin.

[Nicole]

Well, so with that home base being Navarre, I wonder if Navarre Buzgaeth. I'm going to call him Purists or Loyalists. There we go. Are going to murder Griffin Flyers. Like, because we know from the first two books that Navarre is pretty blase when it comes to murder. They weed out the week and that's just how it is. And I see that being a huge source attention that unfortunately I don't see them getting passed in one book.

[Lexi]

Yeah, I definitely agree with you. And I could even see after maybe one specific murder that the Griffin flyers are going to be like, we're not going to stay here. And I could see them going back to Arisha. At least some of them are currently at best Gyeth. But I think that they will be returning to Orisha where it's at least partially warded for a little longer. We know that is very temporary, but at least they can use their magic there. I would be surprised if the flyers permanently stay at best Guy. They just aren't safe there from some of the best guys writers, like you were saying there. No matter the alliance they're supposed to have.

[Nicole]

I wonder how. Because we know from Lilith that the erasure boards are like falling slowly. I do wonder how long they'll hold. Like, are we talking a few months? Are we talking a few more days? Because if I was a Griffin flyer, I would be like, fudge this shit. I'm out. Like, I'd be so over it. But speaking of Oracia, what is next for Erasure and specifically also the assembly, because they were Pretty prominent in Iron Flame and I don't think we've seen the last of them.

[Lexi]

While I agree with you on that, I'm going to go out on a limb and say I don't think that the assembly will play a huge role in Onyx Storm. I think that they, excluding Xaden and Brennan, are going to prefer to stay in Orisha and Violet won't spend as much time there as she travels to find the seventh Dragon Den and we explore more of the map. I feel like Iron Flame was where we really got to Arisha and now we're going to be continuing to expand on all of that. I'll also say this, I don't think all of the assembly members are going to make it out alive as long as Felix lives though.

[Nicole]

As long as he lives.

[Lexi]

I do love him being Violet's mentor, so perhaps she'll continue practicing what he taught her and we'll get a few more training sessions whenever we do see him because he won't be as prominent in the story. Does that mean that she will have to find another mentor? From one of the teasers we got, it seems that Xaden might be a more active mentor for Violet with her signet power, not just with shielding and hand to hand combat like we got in the first two books there.

[Nicole]

You mean her second signet of one intrinsic to another?

[Lexi]

Oh my gosh.

[Nicole]

That's what it could possibly be.

[Lexi]

That's not what the teaser was about.

[Nicole]

That's my headcanon.

[Lexi]

Like I think that she is going to be taking what she learned from Felix and really learning to hone that craft and really master it. Do I think that she is going to master her lightning wielding or pure power signet? I think that she is going to greatly improve with it. Especially for instance, I think that she will be able to wield inside and she will get good at that. But when you think about someone being a master at their craft, I don't think that she will be with probably until the very end of this series. And even then there will always still be more to learn. There's always a learning curve when it comes to your signets.

[Nicole]

Yeah, because. What's that line? I think it's Professor Kaori who says the only people who think that they've mastered their signet are dead. Basically, I'm assuming that there is going to be a huge theme of this book and we're going to talk about this later of Violet stepping into her own. And I think that part of that means stepping into her own power, literally as her power signet. And I don't see a world where Felix isn't a pretty close mentor for her. I love the idea of it being Zaden. However, Zaden's got his own problems and I need him to focus a little bit on himself right now. Assembly members, however, that I do think we are going to see again. I think we're good with Ulysses. I don't see Kylan or Trisa coming back in. However, Suri, I don't think we're done with her. Suri is one of the people in this world who has that streak of silver in her hair. Now it could just be her hair coloring. Absolutely. But silver is a very specific word used there. So maybe her and Violet have this silver hair connection somehow. She is also one of the co commanders of the Oration army along with Ulysses. And she also has an emerald ring. And I don't know why I can't get this of my head, but it has to mean something. I'm thinking gem watch. Yes, gem watch. I think it's one of the crystalline gems that amplify minor magics that are found in Poromil that Violet actually talks about pretty passively on her traips across the parapet in Fourth Wing Chapter two. Now, Suri is also one of the most powerful riders in Oratia, in addition to Felix. When Violet needed all six of the most powerful riders in Orisha, it was her. Brennan, Zayden, Bodhi, Felix and Suri. And I think that those six are going to be pretty prominent.

[Lexi]

I agree with you that Suri and Felix would be the two most prominent assembly members in Onyx Storm. I'm willing to make a bet that Suri's hair is just silver just to illustrate that she is an older writer.

[Nicole]

So she has a streak of silver which is not unheard of for like for someone in their hair, but really you think? Okay, are we doing this?

[Lexi]

We are doing this.

[Nicole]

All right. Wow, that happens.

[Lexi]

I feel like our audience from the live show in the December.

[Nicole]

This is so much faster than I thought we would have this. I have that one written down. People figure out what loser has to do at the end of this episode. Okay, moving on. Are we going to continue classes at best Gaieth, Is this going to be like Harry Potter where up until the seventh book we're still in school?

[Lexi]

No, I don't think so either. Genuinely, I don't see how classes could continue after the battle and the waging war against the Venin. Instead of being a more formal class Setting like we have received so far, I think it'll be more of a on the job military combat and signet training, debriefing and strategizing. I realize that is a little bit of like a fine line difference, but it is a difference. For instance, I don't think that War Games and the final test in RSC just, just fit into the story anymore. It's definitely possible, but with such bigger problems, it kind of feels like every able bodied writer will be needed for the war efforts. Like, why play war games when we are literally at war right now?

[Nicole]

I totally forgot about the RSC final exam.

[Lexi]

Yeah, there's that. Right? So the way I see it is book one was a setup, the introductory story to the Way Things Are. Then book two disrupted the normal and book three will embrace the current state of war, moving further and further away from the routine of best guy War college as all hell breaks loose. But it's nice because we already know how it should be as we move further and further away from it.

[Nicole]

Yeah, I think we're actually in agreement on this. I will say one, however, is that the back of the book blurb? Zaden is demonstrating what seems like a class at bestgaeth. However, it does not say bisga. So maybe it's at Oracia, maybe it's somewhere else, who knows? But there is the word cadets. So it is a demonstration of swords. So it could be what you're saying here with like, it's that signet training. I will say if there is going to be classes, which I don't think there are going to be, I don't see it being more than like a third of the book before we venture beyond, especially since we just finished a huge battle at bestgaeth. I don't see them being like, all right, Wyvern carcasses still burning on the outside, but let's go back to class. Like, I just, I don't see that happening. So for that reason, and I do think we're done with RSC war games, at least for now. However, I do not want to be done with the professors because I need my dude, Professor Grady, back in my life. I love him. Why? I have no idea.

[Lexi]

No, I remember that from her Iron Flame coverage. Like, we both were really riding hard for Professor Grady.

[Nicole]

Like, I don't know. I think, I do think a part of it is how Rebecca Solaire, the audiobook narrator for the Traditional audiobook for 4th Wing & Iron Flame, I think she just portrays him as just such a Remus Lupin sounding Guy. Yes. Even though he's not. But I just love him. Yeah, I do. I do love him a lot. So I hope we get more of.

[Lexi]

Him as we're talking about professors rather than being professors in a classroom setting. Again, I think that it's going to be pivoting to more of military training there. And so, like, I see Devera really stepping into much more of a leadership role. She just got promoted and I just love her so much. She's one of my favorites. And I also just gotta say I want Violet to tell Card to fuck off for how bad of a teacher he is. Like, I could see her absolutely refusing to work with him. And he is trying to because he is so, I'll say, enamored by her power and all of that. And I could just see her being like, no, you don't get me.

[Nicole]

I think we're gonna make a bet about Professor Carr later because I have a different theory about him. I definitely think to Vera, if there are any professors that go on this mission beyond. Devera is my number one pick.

[Lexi]

You know who I could see?

[Nicole]

Who?

[Lexi]

Kaori.

[Nicole]

Oh, my God. I want that for him. Like, I just want that for him where he gets to go off and learn about the seventh Dragon dead. Like, he will be just, like, foaming at the mouth. Like, he'll be dripping saliva everywhere. Just so happy. Oh, my God.

[Lexi]

I could also see him not being able to because he really does feel, I'll say, bound to bestgaeth and to specifically the Veil. However, if the seventh Dragon Den secret does come out, then I don't see a world in which he is not jumping, being like, me, me, me. I'm gonna be on this mission. Yeah, Yeah.

[Nicole]

I think De Vera and Kaori for teachers who would go make the most sense, and then Felix for assembly, who would go, oh, my God. Ah, I miss this world.

[Lexi]

That's quite a big mission we got there. N. Yeah. All of second squad, including the fires and like, half of these professors.

[Nicole]

Listen, I've never said we're trying to be sneaky.

[Lexi]

All right, well, as we are talking about dragons and all of that, let's discuss the role of the Empyrean. Because the Empyrean is the Dragon government, the Dragon leadership, and nobody really knows a whole lot about them yet. We got a little bit about them in both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. But I think that we are going to learn a lot more about the Empyrean as well as the actions that they are going to be taking now that the Veil has been threatened like this. After learning more dragon secrets in Iron Flame, I feel like the Imperium is going to play a bigger role in Onyx Storm. They were previously divided on taking action against the growing threat of Venon. Now that the Venon almost overtook their sacred hatching grounds, I don't think the Empyrean is going to be divided anymore, and we're going to see decisions and action from them. Now, how are they all going to react if they find out about a seventh dragon den? Only the elders know, but now Hair knows, and we can obviously assume that it's a gale, too. And so I think that it's going to get around among the Empyrean. It's like we're seeing history repeat itself. Where the humans and dragons originally came together, leading to the first Empyrean. And now the state of the world is making another big pivot, which means the Empyrean will undoubtedly play a big role in this war as well. Especially now with the existence of a seventh dragon den at play. Depending, again, who learns it.

[Nicole]

I definitely think Taryn told Sigel, because if Taran had his moment of anger at Sigail for feeling betrayed that she did not tell him about Zaytan's second signet, I don't see a world where Taryn holds this information in. I don't remember where I said this, but I do think that at some point, Violet is going to be in on a meeting with the Empyrean. But I don't see that happening until, like, book five. Like, I don't see that happening next book. I said that also about Dane's redemption arc, and he. He had it in book two.

[Lexi]

I was gonna say that is why I think that Zaden is actually gonna be cured in Onyx Storm, because as we're prepping for all of these episodes here, we were going back to our old Iron Flame predictions, and there was so much that we were like, no, like, that can't possibly happen in book two. And then it did happen. So we have learned from Rebecca Yarz that things move way faster than we could ever expect. So that is why I'm really pausing when I say, oh, I think that'll happen in a later book. Now it's like, wait a second.

[Nicole]

Okay, wait, hold on. Do we have bet number two? So you think Zaden's going to be cured in Onyx Storm? Because I do not. I think he's gonna stay venom.

[Lexi]

Yes. I'm just gonna say yes.

[Nicole]

All right, here we go. Okay. All Right. We'll have that bet for later. That'll be fun. So, okay, Back to dragons though. I think this is going to be the biggest of the dragon politics book. But we're definitely gonna learn more about the seventh dragon den. I think we're gonna learn why they left Navarre, which I want that so bad. Like, oh my God.

[Lexi]

So I think that we are also going to meet another seventh den dragon or. And this is the sad thing, but I just have to throw this out here or we will learn what happened to them. And none of them are around anymore. So it really is all Indarna.

[Nicole]

What the fuck?

[Lexi]

Like, I could really see that. I don't like saying that because of course I want to meet more seven dragons and all of that. But yeah, like, it's like Aang from.

[Nicole]

The Avatar the last Airbender. Like the third episode when he goes to the southern air temple and everyone's dead and he realized he's truly the last airbender. How dare you? I'm crying. I think that they are still out there in a kicking. I don't think it's gonna be a very kind meetup though. Like, I don't think that the seventh dragon den is gonna be like, welcome, we're so happy you're here. I think they're going to be be reserved. If not, like, get the fuck off our land. Like, we did not want you here. I do think Indarna is going to be the bridge between the two of them that gets them to finally listen and maybe bring them together. But I see there being some tension. Tension, Hard tension. I just. I can't wait to meet new dragons. Because they're alive, Lexi. They're alive. How dare you.

[Lexi]

I'm sorry.

[Nicole]

So, like, I don't know why I'm so angry at you for that.

[Lexi]

So I believe that the first six bonded the six dragon breeds because they were the ones willing to bond. The seventh dragon den was not willing to bond to humans. Whether it's because they didn't want them to have that kind of power, or maybe there's something special about the seventh dragon den that make them not feel part of this mutual partnership. They change colors and Andarna roasted Venan after all. So perhaps because they are more powerful than the others, they don't trust working with humans. So I think that if we do meet them, they are going to be anti human.

[Nicole]

Interesting. Because I. I kind of see them if they're on the isle kingdoms, which I'm pretty sure they are. I see them having bonded with the Island Kingdom natives. Bet I'm unconfident. I'm feeling unconfident. Sure, why not?

[Lexi]

Okay.

[Nicole]

I can't wait for us to be reading this book together in a hotel room and literally have this shit printed out in front of us so we can rem what the bets are and, like, just look at each other at three in the morning being like, I won.

[Lexi]

Oh, my God, this is gonna be so crazy. Like, I am so excited. I feel so bad for whoever is having to have a room next to our.

[Nicole]

How are they doing? All right, pivoting slightly, the full story of what happened with Brennan, his resurrection. Him getting shot with an arrow by Fen Ryerson. Here's what we think happened. We assume that Brennan was badly injured, if not fully killed. We were leaning more towards, like, on the absolute brink of death. And Naolin saved him by siphoning Brennan's power and siphoned that mending power right back into him. But we know that he did not fail. However, it cost Naolin everything. We both theorize that as Naolin was siphoning mending energy back into Brennan, Brennan didn't have enough. So Naolin pulled from the source, thus turning to save Brennan. But does Brennan know? Because he woke up on a cliffside near the Ryerson house. Oh, actually, that's a question. Do you think that Brennan knows Naolin is Venon if Naolin is Venom?

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

Oh, you do.

[Lexi]

The way he said it cost him everything.

[Nicole]

Okay, that's true.

[Lexi]

I think he knows what Naolin did to save him, and he's really grappling with that.

[Nicole]

Yeah, I can hop on that train. I think we both agree that Naolin and Brennan, they were an item. They were in a relationship. And I think that's interesting because originally when I was writing this part of the outline, I didn't think Brennan knew that Naolin is alive. Actually, you know what? No, I am going to stick with that with my later theory. I do not think Brennan knows Naolin is alive.

[Lexi]

All right. I do want to bring up something else that's related to this that stood out to me on a reread. Taran is known as a battle experienced dragon. However, he has only had one previous writer, which was Naolin. So. So I'm thinking Naom was pretty high up in the ranks and a little bit older as well. Taryn has quite the reputation. And with Naolin being his only other writer, what did the two of them achieve before this battle at Arisha?

[Nicole]

Let's say Naom was. I could see him Being like five years older than Brennan. Like I think that's a. That's an age that like in your 20s, like if you're five years older, who knows? They also could have pulled my in laws and done a 10 year gap. So.

[Lexi]

Yes, definitely. And of course Taron could have been going into previous battles before he had a wr. However, I just really found that wording interesting and it makes me really curious about Naolin and Taryn's history. And then we have to talk about how records show that Finn Ryerson shot and killed Brennan with an arrow. So we need to know what happened on this battlefield. Were these two truly fighting each other or did Finn convince Brennan to join their cause beforehand? How would that have gone down? Did Finn prove there are Ven? And I do think that as soon as Brennan would find out that there truly are Venin and he under this rebellion was happening, it wouldn't have been a difficult switch over for him. However, did that happen before this battle or after this battle?

[Nicole]

I think after.

[Lexi]

In Violet's narration there is a pointed inclusion of quote, according to battlefield reports about how Finn shot him. With that note there about according to battlefield reports, I assume Finn did not actually hit Brennan with an arrow. Which makes me wonder how Brennan did almost die. Was the arrow fired from someone on the loyalist side actually? Like what if Daddy Atos shot Brennan? He's becoming my catch all. But seriously, what if it was him?

[Nicole]

Oh my. Yeah. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Check now convinced what that means for.

[Lexi]

Brennan and all that. Maybe that's another reason why he's mad at their mother. Because you know, she let somebody on their own side. I don't know. I have no idea what those details would be, but I really don't think it was actually then who shot Brennan. I think that it was somebody on the loyalist side who shot Brennan actually.

[Nicole]

Yeah, I can I. Yeah. Honestly, at this point Daddy Atos is he sent assassins after Violet. He would not be out of the question. Now I do think it wouldn't have been him personally, but it would have been. He told someone to take him out on the battlefield and it was.

[Lexi]

He doesn't like doing the dirty work.

[Nicole]

Yeah, no, he likes being the pretend organizer. But as we suspect he thinks he's a lot more important than he actually is. We have to bring up this rune shaped scar on Brennan's hand because I want to first know how complex this rune shaped scar is. Because there is a popular theory that Brennan was resurrected a la wyvern, a reanimation style by someone who is Venon? I love this theory, but it would two things. One, if Neolin had just turned Venin. That is one hell of a complex rune. That is just as we assume taught through the Venin that he would just suddenly know how to do so. I don't know how that would work.

[Lexi]

There's also the whole thing that runes are not allowed. Like no one is supposed to even know about making them.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Lexi]

And it is very much a tearish.

[Nicole]

Culture thing, which would make Naolin, I believe, tearish.

[Lexi]

What if it was naolin who convinced Brennan to go to the other side?

[Nicole]

You're on it today. I love this.

[Lexi]

This is good.

[Nicole]

Yeah, Yeah. I vibe. Yep, yep, yep. Okay, back to this wyvern. Wyvern reanimation theory. I do like this theory. However, it would make Brennan a accomplice to the venom, for lack of a better term. Because all wyverns have hive mind to their creat. So basically anything that Brennan knows, Naolin, the Venin, if he is Venin, would also know. So this is why I don't think that Brennan would be knowingly bad. I could see him being connected to Naolin a la this scar, but he doesn't know how much information he's dropping in Naolin's lab or the venom's lab. Or maybe Naolin is keeping it to himself because he still loves Brennan and he wants to protect him.

[Lexi]

Maybe.

[Nicole]

Maybe.

[Lexi]

I believe the similarity between Brennan's rune shaped scar and the wyvern runes that animate the them stops at both of these runes serving as life forces. The fact that it's a rune scar makes me think the magic may have already been used, which was to help bring Brennan back. And it really is a scar. But again, how would that fit into the story of Naolen saving him with his venom power? So here's my new theory. Naolin saved Brennan, turned Venin, and Taryn broke the bond. I think that's how we will learn. It is indeed possible to break a bottle bond. And when Brennan was found, he was still in rough shape as the dragons helped hide them. Then someone in the assembly ensured he would indeed live with the rune in his palm. Although I say all of this, but I still think it was Naolin. And this is all Brennan has left of him. And maybe Neolin even has his own scar shaped thing too. And they have their rune scars together. And it's like a life force. Not meaning to hive mind with a creator and things like that. That.

[Nicole]

But I love how you're high fiving as if these two are high fiving their runes together.

[Lexi]

I just don't know how it would have worked in the moment between siphoning and creating a rune. Now I'm not saying that's not possible, but I don't know how that magic would equal out that way.

[Nicole]

Okay, so do you think that we're gonna learn the significance of Brennan's rune shaped scar in Onyx Storm? Or do you think that'll be a book four or five thing?

[Lexi]

Yes, I definitely think so. I think that we're going to learn more about that. I think that we are going to learn the whole story because Brennan is back at this guy, the secret's out, he's alive. And so there are a lot of questions about so Brennan, what happened? And I think that we are going to finally get the full story.

[Nicole]

Yeah, I think, I think you're right.

[Lexi]

Moving on to why Violet's hair is silver. So as we are talking about Violet silver hair, now that we have the Cosmopolitan excerpt, we can't not talk about the silver haired Ven and who makes an appearance appearance and then a disappearance. Some readers wonder if she is Violet's sister. Although I'm more inclined to believe this is proof that Violet's silver hair is somehow connected to the Venin. However, I have a hard time believing Violet is part Venin. Maybe my brain is too rigid to believe that someone can be part Venin. I feel like it's either you pull from the source or you don't. But if you can turn Venom from within the wards, what the do I know, right? Do I believe Viol Violet's silver hair is directly related to the Venom? Yes. Especially after Rebecca Yars said in an interview that Violet will have to grapple with the truth of why her hair is silver. Does this automatically make her part Venin, though? Not necessarily. It's interconnected to her mother's sickness while pregnant, which I think she was attacked by Venin and almost killed her. And maybe even connected to why the Venin want Violet, though I think that is more about her powers. So knowing that Violet's hair is silver because of either a Venin attack attack from her mother, or maybe her mother was drained or something along those lines. I do think that there is some kind of Venin, I don't want to say influence, but some kind of connection that is running through Violet, but that does not make her part Venon.

[Nicole]

I, I, I'm sticking with the theory that when Lilith was pregnant with Violet, she was partially drained. Much like how Jack fucking Barlow partially drained Dane at the end of Iron Flame. He put his hands on Dane and started pulling from the source. And Dane's like what the fuck? And it hurt like an iceberg. And that's what happened with Lilith. But instead of it pulling Lilith's life force, the first fuel that they started draining was the baby inside her, Violet. And that actually logically that just makes the most sense to me. So I'm leaning towards that option.

[Lexi]

And then we also can't forget that in Indar's download about yes, she is the seventh Dragon Den and when she decided to hatch was because she had heard her elders talking about this silver haired girl who was supposed to be the head of the scribes. And Andarna knew that was going to be her writer. So Andarna knows some kind of connection with this silver. And I don't want to say necessarily exactly a prophecy, but I do think something along the lines of a prophecy between Violet's silver hair, her being extremely powerful with commanding the skies, and why Andarna decided to bond her, they're all going to come together.

[Nicole]

I agree. We all know the phrase New Year new me. Well this year I'm going to go with New Year, new new wardrobe, Refreshing. My closet has always done wonders for my self confidence, especially as we go into a season with so many in person appearances this year. And with Quint, I know I can get quality pieces and stay on budget. Huzzah.

[Lexi]

Honestly, everyone needs Quince's cozy Mongolian cashmere sweaters that start at $50. I am absolutely obsessed with mine. I wore it on Christmas Eve actually. Plus there's no better workout motivation than new active wear spots, especially like really comfortable ones. Quince's moisture wicking bras and leggings are designed to move with you during your workout, however you choose to refresh your look. This year all Quince pieces are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. They're able to do that by partnering directly with top factories, cutting out the cost of the middleman and passing the savings on to you.

[Nicole]

I was talking to my sister in law recently and she was wearing this super cute outfit and I was like oh, I complimented her outfit and she goes thanks, it's all from Quince. And I was like oh no way. I know them. I love my Quint stuff. So after being so jealous of Lexi's Quints leggings for so long, I finally got my pair and I live in them. I basically live in them now. They're amazing and my husband even got a gift card to Quince because he's been wanting some comfy clothes this year. And of course Quince is our go to place for that.

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

Through some of the bigger thoughts that we haven't really covered on the show, we wanted to jot down some small things that we just can't get out of our head. And specifically on our rereads into Onyx Storm. And the first one I've got is it will not Leave My Head Liam wielding Ice in case you missed it or forgot, there is a half sentence in the battle of Resin quote, Taran put us into position, hovering about 20ft above ground as Liam flies for the griffins above us wielding spears of ice into the injured wyvern's throats. Now, a lot of people have mentioned that this was an editing error and Rebecca has said it's an editing error and it has since been corrected. I searched the Internet high and low for the confirmation that yes, it is a editing error and I couldn't find it anywhere. So if you know where that is, please send it to me. I'd love to see it. And. And I've also checked my recent copies of 4th Wing that I've gotten like literally in the past month or two, and all of them still have the exact same sentence phrased the exact same way. So I am going with it is still canon and part of the story. Also, Day, Liam's red daggertail means ice in Scottish Gaelic. Now, is it possible that Day gave Liam his powers? Yeah, sure. Because remember, all dragons have baby powers when they're young and then adult powers when they're old. Old. So it is possible that's what happened. But I think it's more possible that Day was bonded to a direct descendant of Liam's. And then he wrote about this connection and thus his second signet of ice wielding in his letters to Sloane. And that's why she spilled the beans about second signets and dragons and the lineage to Violet in the caves before Solas attacked.

[Lexi]

There's even a line from Violet about how Sloane's dragon shouldn't be telling her these things. So what if Sloane's dragon talked to her about it? Because Sloane already knew from her brother.

[Nicole]

Yes, now, will it have a whole darn lot of consequences? No. Liam is dead, in case we forgot. But it would be a nice little extra information for that boy we love so much. Next point, Something I cannot get out of my head is something I actually found on my most recent reread of Fourth Wing. When Violet and Zaden are cleaning up her room and she picks up the Fables of the Baron. The pages flutter as I flip through the stories of an ancient kingdom that spanned from ocean to ocean. And a great war among three brothers who fought to control the magic in this mystical land. Some of the fables tell stories of the first riders who learned to bond with dragons and how those bonds could turn on the writer if they tried to consume too much power. That was a lot. So let's break this down. Number one, an ancient kingdom that spanned it from ocean to ocean. At first I was like, ocean, ocean. I think isle kingdoms. And maybe this is what. What's left over of this ancient kingdom. Because let's also not forget the mention of an ancient king. When Violet is translating a book for Justinia in the beginning of Iron Flame, she spells out the quote, the name of the ancient king who lived a thousand years before Navarre existed. So I do wonder if it is the same ancient king, which. Yes, that would mean Navarre is the ocean.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

Okay, well, keep going.

[Lexi]

I also can't help but remember Violet saying. Saying it's not necessarily true that no writer has ever been king. Could this ancient king have been the first rider to bond with a dragon? This would have been long before the first six and then didn't survive. The timeline doesn't match, though, so I'm guessing that's actually foreshadowing for history within the past 600 years and that Arik will eventually become king as a Dragon Rider. But just again, like those king mentions, they're all coming together.

[Nicole]

I think you and I are both in agreement that Arik is going to end this series as King of Navarre, as Dragon Rider.

[Lexi]

Yeah, definitely.

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Lexi]

And I do think that this ancient kingdom that you know, was ocean to ocean, that included poor Emil Navarre and the barons that was ruled by this ancient king from a thousand years ago.

[Nicole]

Yep, yep, yep, yep. Secondly, the great war among three brothers who fought to control the magic in this mystical land. Great War was very interesting because it is the same capitalization as the great war that we learn about in Iron Flame. And remember, this is from the Fables of the Baron. This is the great war that the first six fought against General Daramor and His group of Venin from the Barrens. This means that General Darrymore is quite possibly the third brother from the prophecy. So one of the first six Dragon riders was quite possibly a lightning wielder in this case. And I'm leaning yes. But I do not think it was Lira or Warwick. I think it would be one of the different, different ones.

[Lexi]

I could also see it being Lyra though. Really the reason that I say I could see it being Lyra is because Lira wanted to share the information about the wards and all of that. And that feels very close to what Violet wants as well. So there's like that mirroring between them as well.

[Nicole]

See, I'm sticking with my crack theory that Lira is actually the silver haired Venin because we know that there was that same language of it cost her everything. And I just. I feel like that was beep beep Venin. I don't know why. I just. I think that she's a silver haired venom for no other reason other than my gut is telling me.

[Lexi]

See, I take the. It costs her everything as it cost her the relationships with the other first six. Because there is a text about the interpersonal relationships between all of them and the drama. And I think that. That it caused a huge wedge between them. And it cost her everything. It cost her her livelihood, it cost her her friends. It cost her love. It cost her everything in that sense, not in a then and cost her everything sense. Like I think that applies to Naolyn.

[Nicole]

We do also have to note that there is some pretty heavy foreshadowing that Lira and Warwick were together. Because there's that nothing kills like passionate love than opposing ideologies. And that's from War's journal. So we. We think that means between him and Lira, but it could be him. In another verse six, number three quote. Some of the fables tell stories of the first writers who learned to bond with dragons. And how those bonds could turn on the writer if they tried to consume too much power. What?

[Lexi]

I thought that was a warning about burnout.

[Nicole]

See, I took that as like turn if they tried to consume too much power like from the source. Oh, you think it's like a cautionary tale of burn?

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

Interesting. Well, going with for a second. If we know that the first six are some of the first riders, but not the first riders. They're just the first ones to survive. So does this mean that General Daramor was a dragon rider and then he turned Venon and that's why he's a Possible distance wielder. Because we do see him pop in and out of existence at the battle of Ressin. Yes, Lexi.

[Lexi]

But the silver haired Venon can also disapparate. So I think it's more of a super high level venom pack power.

[Nicole]

What if.

[Lexi]

Oh my God.

[Nicole]

Okay, yeah, that's fair. Okay. But I don't know why I feel like some of the first six are one of the first six turned Bennett. Like I just. I feel like it's lira. This to me sounds like if they try to consume too much power, they lose their souls. AKA they turn Bennett. So I'm going with one of the first six or one or two of the first six. Six turned Venin and one of them was lira.

[Lexi]

Bet.

[Nicole]

Okay, fine.

[Lexi]

If this is my. If this is my.

[Nicole]

Jack Barlow is still definitely dead. I don't care.

[Lexi]

While we're talking about the fables, we can't forget about the line that we really haven't dived into much about how some of the stories quote, warn against the lure of magic and even demonize dragons. Dragons. What if the demonized dragons are the seventh den or dragons under venning control because they are lured by the magic? In that same sentence.

[Nicole]

I like the latter. I think that there have been way more dragons under Venon and control than we could have thought. Because we know of Bade and we're strongly assuming Solas. But what if it's Daddy Atos's dragon? We don't think he's Venom. But what if. And I think that there's definitely going to be a few more that we meet this book while we are on the fables and the folklore and the three brothers and all that kind of stuff. I want to talk about Violet's connection to this, the prophecy, for lack of a better term. Because there is that note of the one who commands the sky. As I was listening to 4th Wing at 2 in the morning because I couldn't sleep, the thought popped into my head. If Violet's signet is power and she is a well of power, this is why the Venin want her.

[Lexi]

Yes, that's what we've been saying for the whole time.

[Nicole]

Hold on. There's more to the theory. Because for example, let's say the earth's power they drain from or they pull from is like a normal level of power. It's like it's mid. But then bodies are the extra power boost. And because you know there's a soul, there's a power within that person. Like for instance in the cosmopolitan Excerpt where there's just a hallway of dead husks of humans because the venom drained from them. But Violet's signet is power, so draining from her would be like the ultimate super power boost. So what if they want her for that entirely new power vessel for them to tap into, but it's like slowly draining Violet, like that's how they want to win the war, is having this super extra power boost. We also know that she commands the sky and they command the power within the earth. So it's almost like tapping into this. The opposite. Well, for lack of a better term, yes.

[Lexi]

I said this to a text message.

[Nicole]

Between you and Lauren, and you guys thought I was genius, so don't you.

[Lexi]

Dare try to be like I've been.

[Nicole]

Saying this the whole time.

[Lexi]

I thought we were all in agreement with that for a long time.

[Nicole]

No, I said it differently. Sorry.

[Lexi]

Excuse me. Violet is also uniquely able to defeat the venom with her power, so they want to take her off the board. Not to kill her yet, but instead use her because she is such a valuable source of power. On this same note, note, like I mentioned earlier, I think a prophecy is really going to come into play. The third brother who commands the skies now Violet does, and darn, a new Violet would be hers. I'm just so convinced that a prophecy or something along those lines will enter our story in Onyx Storm and connect some dots.

[Nicole]

I think some dots is the operative word here, because I don't think we're going to get like a Order of the Phoenix level. Oh, here's the prophecy download. I think I agree.

[Lexi]

Yes. Yes. All right, we got to talk about Zayn's mom. There is the big question about what happened to Zayden's mom. Let's go through the four top contestants here. Number one, Zaden's mom is from Poor Meal. After all, Finn Ryerson had friendly relations with Paramil, and this marriage served as an alliance bridge. But I can't see a situation where the king, or most others in Navarre would accept such a union between the head of Tyrandor and an aristocracy aristocrat from Poor Meal, especially for how formal the marriage seems to have been. So I think, number two, his mother was actually loyal to Navarre, and this contributed to the friction between her and others, including her husband in Orisha, which leads me to wonder if his mom has returned to Caldir. And the plot twist will be that she's part of King Tyres Court. There's also that line about Cat that Violet's like, oh, like she has the beauty of being like inside somebody's court, you know. So Zaden probably got his good looks from his mother and she is in the court.

[Nicole]

Yes, I. I totally see where you're coming from and I don't think it's a fun theory. Like I think that actually has like definitely some legs on it. I can't get it out of my head that it's number three, which is.

[Lexi]

That his mom is on the Isle Kingdoms. There's even the theory that she is a writer of the seventh Dragon Den. Nicole, take it away.

[Nicole]

Yes, I'm sorry. So here for this. I do not think she's originally from the Isle Kingdoms, but that's where she is now. And she left Fen and Xaden for, you know, going off into the beyond. She's giving me major free spirit vibes and I just have this nagging suspicion that she's there. Do I have any evidence? No. Is it much more likely that she's in poor Emile or like Lexi saying call dier? Probably yes. But I love this crack theory and I'm going to stick with it.

[Lexi]

Number four, and this is a very popular one with our listeners owners that Xaden's mom is a Venin. This theory gained more momentum after we got the Cosmopolitan excerpt with the silver haired Venin. People speculate that this silver haired Venin is Xaden's mother since she was lurking in the shadows. But then she left right before he arrived. And a big reason the Venin wants Xaden is because his mom is a Venin.

[Nicole]

For Xaden's sake, I hope she's not Venan. Like homeboy is going through enough without being like my mom becomes also Venon. I also hope she is someone who he can grow to have a relationship with like the Allies Isle Kingdoms. But like, I just don't see her being evil. I see her being complicated.

[Lexi]

Me too.

[Nicole]

While we're on the subject of who's a villain and not a villain, Daddy fucking Atos. Let's talk about what the hell he's up to.

[Lexi]

So I don't think he's working alone. He has his Navarrean network and he has his own motives and agenda. I have two final ideas of what Daddy Atos is up to. Number one, he's working with the Venin and he thinks he's getting something out of this partnership with these dark wielders. Probably more political power, but really the Venin are pulling the strings and he's just their puppet.

[Nicole]

I see this being the end of book reveal or one of the end of book reveals and he like walks out with the Venin and then he's immediately, immediately killed by the Venom because they don't need him anymore. Wishful thinking probably.

[Lexi]

I don't care.

[Nicole]

I want him dead. I want him off. I want him off the table.

[Lexi]

Or number two, and this is what I'm leaning more toward is that Daddy Atos is not working with the Venin outside of Besgaeth, but he is using the Venin within Best gaeth to his advantage. Like the assassination attempt or setting Zaden up to face off the Venom in version. But there's no partnership with the big bad Venin outside of Navarre. And again, he's doing this for his own political gain and strength and because he just sucks.

[Nicole]

Interesting, because I think he's part of the let me help you become Venin within the wards leaders mainly because of the assassins and their whole secrets die with the people who keep them.

[Lexi]

But he has his own agenda to use these Venin. It doesn't mean that they are automatically associated with the Venin outside of Navarre. So yes, two to using Venin within the words and potentially even part of the experimentation and all of that to control them for his own gain.

[Nicole]

I think he is connected with the Venon outside of Navarre. I think he's one of their puppets, for lack of a better term. But he thinks he's like some big head honcho. Okay, bet it is. I don't mean to speak for both of us, Lexi, but I feel like we both resolve to live healthy lives. But we're not super like hardcore parkour about it. We just want to find new ways to promote healthy life, but in a way that fits into our routines. Well, today's sponsor Orgain helps you do just that.

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

So when we brought Orgain on as a sponsor, I kid you not, I jumped for joy. I have been using Orgain superfoods protein powder for I kid you not, not seven years Seven years. I love them so much every single morning. So seven days a week for seven years. That's a lot of sevens. I have been using them in my smoothie every single morning. I use a scoop of chocolate. I use a scoop of vanilla. I blend them together. It is my favorite protein powder. It's the only one that does not make my tummy hurt. I could talk about organ for hours. I love this protein powder so much.

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

On the subject of Daddy Atos, when Slash, do you think he's going to come back into play? Play?

[Lexi]

Never. He got eaten by a wyvern that wandered off to the coastal outpost.

[Nicole]

What's your real answer?

[Lexi]

So I believe that there's going to be a lot of shakeup in leadership and among the political players in the continent. And Daddy Atos is power hungry enough to try and weasel his way into a promotion or position of importance. Will Melgren promote him? Maybe. I feel like he's just not like he's a colonel, so I definitely cannot discount count his military prowess. However, I think there's a reason that he's not a general yet. And I feel like he has been Lilith's, you know, right hand man for so long, but he has not personally been in his own independent position of leadership yet. I don't see him being stationed at Bisgaeth, but he's also not going to be staying at the coastal outpost. The person who punished him is now dead, so he's definitely not going to be staying there. I think he'll probably cozy up to King Tari and kiss his ass even more than he already does.

[Nicole]

I definitely think he's going to cozy up to King Tari. I don't think he's going to stay on the outpost. I think a lot is going to be forgiven given the state of the world right now. I could see Melgren promoting him and I could see him being, for lack of a better term, the new Lilith, which is horrifying.

[Lexi]

I'll say this, I think that King Tari is more likely to promote him than Melgren.

[Nicole]

Well, that's because King Tari the Wise is maybe not the wisest. Exactly.

[Lexi]

Exactly. Well, I think that Melgrin. I don't think that Melgren is a villain, so to speak. I think that he is his own. Exactly. He's an obstacle. I think that we are going to get a little bit more from him in Onyx Storm, though. Not like he'll be on any of the missions or whatnot, but I think that he will not be as much of an obstacle and a little bit more of a partner in Onyx Storm.

[Nicole]

Melgren. Okay.

[Lexi]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

Okay. Yeah, I. I can see where you're going with that. That. I don't know if I'd use those exact words, but I can see where you're going with that.

[Lexi]

Yeah. Do you think we're going to learn what Daddy Atos's signet is in Onyx Storm?

[Nicole]

I. I think, yeah. I think yes.

[Lexi]

I'm going to say yes too. Part of me thinks it's a mind signant because that could be useful as the General's aid. But at the same time, they keep most writers with mind signets in intelligence.

[Nicole]

True.

[Lexi]

He doesn't seem like someone with a super impressive or powerful signet. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it was generic. I like the idea of whatever his signet is being super useful in his position he has been in as Lilith's aide.

[Nicole]

He's a really good scheduler. He can take a busy schedule, touch it, and suddenly it's organized.

[Lexi]

So he's like those new AI Planner things, huh?

[Nicole]

No, I. I think we're gonna learn his signet. I want to say that it's something that complemented Lilith, not necessarily that it like, complimented her stor. Complimented her position. Like you were saying, Nicole.

[Lexi]

You know, this next one, it literally keeps me up at night. What is the significance of the second Crowblin uprising?

[Nicole]

Watch this just be never solved. And you have to like, like interrogate Rebecca Yarrows after the series is complete and be like, tell me everything you know about the second Kremlin uprising.

[Lexi]

I really hope I end up being right. That there is more to the second Kremlin uprising than we currently currently know. And it'll somehow play into our story and Papa Sorrengail's research. Before the second Crovlin uprising 200 years ago, healers, infantry, and even scribes could be the generals of army. But afterward, only the commander of the riders commanded all of Navarre's forces. And Papa Sorrengail was researching the second Crovlin uprising, but also something about feather tales.

[Nicole]

I have an idea. I have an idea. Okay. What if all parts of the Bisgaeth war calls College quadrants could be leaders. What if something happened, like, power corrupts. Like, what if something happened within the writers that made them so corrupted with power, that said, no, we have to be the leaders of all Navarrean forces. And papa Sorrengill, part of why he was researching that was like, why. Why do writers feel like they need. Like, why are writers needing to. And maybe there was some kind of big, under the table, sneaky secrets of, like, how the writers got into that ultimate position of power. And papa Sorrengail was about to uncover it. And then thus, by almost uncovering it, he uncovered this other huge secret that they had, including the seventh dragon den.

[Lexi]

I like where your head's at.

[Nicole]

I think I do too.

[Lexi]

Well, going back to the feather tales, now, the hundreds of years old reference about the power of feather tales is missing from the archives. I think that hundreds of years old reference is 200 years old. Something from the second Corvin uprising. And also that missing tome. It's definitely with Papa's Norgale's research. I believe the power of feather tales and their gifts. Gifts are somehow related to the shift in power structure. I don't know if that means that the writers were, you know, taking that power from the feather tales. I also want to say, though, because dragons live a long time, so someone like Coda could have lived back during this second crowd uprising. So I don't know how feather tales fit into this, but there is some connection between. Between the second Crovlin uprising and feather tales.

[Nicole]

Yes. Yes, let's talk about this. Burning everyone's belongings so that they're commending their souls to Melek. I have no idea how this is going to come into play, but I do feel like there's something to the people who died and all their belongings were not burned. We have Liam's, whose letters were are now in Sloan's hands. We have Lilith, who I'm sure Violet and Mira and maybe even Brennan are saving some of her stuff. We actually know from Rebecca Yaros's post that we are going to get some journal entries, I'm assuming as epigraphs. Captain Lilith Sorrengail. So way before the timeline of our story. And then, of course, we have papa sortingale's research, and that's just to name a few. But what does it mean? Is their soul on some kind of connection bridge between life and death. And Malik can send them in in times of need. Like he did with Liam. I don't think so. Because I really don't think that gods are going to play. I'll call it a sentient role in the story. And they're instead more of a world building role in the story. Just getting given the fantasy. And I'm feeling out the fantasy that this world is bringing up. But is this something I'm going to keep an eye out for in Onyx Storm? Yes, absolutely.

[Lexi]

See, I believe it's part of Navarrian culture to burn belongings because it helps the leadership control knowledge from spreading. It's ingrained in their religion not for any magical purpose, but to stop the spread of truthful information in anything that anyone leaves behind behind. We've already talked so much about the Venin, so we won't get into too much of that right now. However, I'm so curious about the serum that was introduced only this past year to the second years. And it's assumed to be because they created the serum for Jack. But if Biscaya has been experimenting on Venin for longer, as we believe from the epigraph with Lt. Col. Nolan's missive for Lilith versus his current position as Colonel. Is this serum truly new? New? Why have they been using it on the second years? Was that a bearish Initiative? Someone, and I'm so sorry, I can't find who sent this to us. Mentioned that the poison from the Ven and Dagger has an eerily similar effect as the best guy serum. So what if they are made up of the same ingredients? All I can say is I hope Violet gets her hands on more of this antidote, which we know that Bisga is in possession of.

[Nicole]

I'm so excited to learn more about that. Something that keeps me up at night is this damn carrot character Nasia. I need this mystery solved. Why was Nasia always asleep outside of the archives? Is there a possibility that he is narcoleptic? Yes, absolutely. It would not be out of the question for Rebecca Yaros to write an archerleptic character in this book for sure. But I still feel like I'm leaning towards him being drugged so that the Venin or Venom sympathizers were able to sneak in and out of the archives. Which paused because we know that the archives lock and are basically airless at night, preventing, you know, disruption of the text and, you know, preserving the text. Can Venon survive in that?

[Lexi]

I'm going to be very curious to learn more about what Venon can and cannot Survive. Because my personal understanding is that initiates can die. For instance, the would be assassin who tried to kill Violet, she killed him with a regular dagger. Yes, she killed him that way. However, we also know a whole mountain falling on Jack did not kill him. So I need some answers about how and when Venon actually die.

[Nicole]

Is that guy still dead though? Like, is he for sure dead or is he just perceived dead like Jack fucking Barlow? And he's gonna come back.

[Lexi]

She stabbed him like 10 times in the kidneys.

[Nicole]

A mountain fell on Jack fucking Barlow.

[Lexi]

I am not touching that with a ten foot pole. I learned my lesson.

[Nicole]

Okay, fair. Fair enough.

[Lexi]

Completely pivotal. Fitting. Zaden's grandfather is recorded in the Writer's quadrant as, quote, a great uncle. Which makes us wonder what in the world happened with that. Xaden says that according to Best guys records, Sigail's previous writer was his great uncle, which is how he was able to play off having one signet that is extra powerful like Quinn, remember, Instead of two signets. So let's talk through this, shall we? Let's assume Xaden's grandfather is on the Ryerson side. We don't know that. But I feel like the way Zaden said, you want to ask about my father, my grandfather and Sigail, and then how his mouth ticks when Violet asks about his mom right afterward. I don't know. It all just makes me lean toward his grandfather being Ryerson. Anyway, assuming that this is on the Ryerson side, we have Great Grandma and Grandpa Ryerson who have Son 1 and Son 2. Son 2 is the Ryerson who bonds with Sigale because Son 1 is older and therefore heir to the Ryerson and House. Heirs traditionally go into the infantry, not the Writers Quadrant, because the monarchy does not want writers with magical abilities to be in high positions of power like that. We know that Grandpa Ryerson, who is Son 2, bonded with Sigail and died in the quadrant before Grandpa Ryerson's death. He fathered Finn Ryerson either before conscription or while in the Quadrant. And then of course, Finn Ryerson will go on to have Xaden. This introduces Mystery Grandmama to this hypothetical then.

[Nicole]

Oh, please introduce Mystery Grandmama. We have Daddy Atos Papasauri galano, mystery Grandmama.

[Lexi]

Okay, so Grandpa Ryerson got with Mystery Grandmama before he died. And then Mystery Grandmama ends up with Great Uncle Ryerson, Son one, the older brother and head of Ryerson House or heir to it. Getting with Grandpa Ryerson could have been before she married the surviving brother or it was an affair when she was already with Great Uncle Ryerson. We can speculate about those whole circumstances all day. I'm personally leaning toward before she was with Great Uncle. That would bring up the big question about how mystery Grandmama went from Tyrndor or assumably tyrant or to business guy. So. Actually, no. She would have had to have been Episode two. I bet she was a healer.

[Nicole]

I bet you anything she was.

[Lexi]

Okay, okay. So mystery Grandmama was in the healer's quadrant when Grandpa Ryerson was in the writer's quadrant. They get together.

[Nicole]

I could also see her as infantry. I'll throw infantry in there as well.

[Lexi]

And Great uncle son number one was also in infantry.

[Nicole]

Exactly. So that is how.

[Lexi]

Okay, okay, there we go. So there we go. Bottom line. Mystery grandmama, who birthed Finn by the younger Ryerson in ended up marrying the older Ryerson, perhaps even while pregnant, leading the heir, Great Uncle Ryerson son one to either take Finn in as his own or he thought Finn was his. In any case, Finn is claimed as his and becomes heir to Ryerson house. So everyone thinks son number two was Xaden's great uncle, not his grandfather. And mystery Grandmama is the key to all of it. And she ensured her son Finn knew he was fathered by a writer and then shared this with Zaden. Or maybe Sigail is the one who told Zaden. In any case, Zayden obviously knows the truth, but the general public, at least at Biscayne, don't.

[Nicole]

Bravo. Bravo. So good.

[Lexi]

I cannot take any credit for that. That was all from our Discord member back in March, so I'm finally bringing it up. Almost a whole year later. Wow. SS Archivist. There is also a popular theory that Xaden's grandfather is not actually dead. He's a Venin. Maybe even the general Venin, since this would have been about 50 years ago. Honestly, there's a theory out there that somebody, everybody is Venin, right? I have a hard time believing that Grandpa Ryerson is a Venin. Mostly because Sigail wouldn't have wanted to bond his direct descendant after having to break such a bond. One of the reasons that she bonded Zaden was because he reminds her of his grandfather. So, yeah, I agree.

[Nicole]

I think he's dead.

[Lexi]

I do too.

[Nicole]

Yes. Something that's never not stood out to me. Whenever we read Iron Flame is every book that we come across in the archives heist. So here is every book that we come across in the archives heist. A study of winged creatures, A history of the island wars, which is older than half a century. What I would give for this info. In fact, there's quite a lot of books that pertain to the Isle Kingdoms, which, during our deep dive, that was like the neon sign that we're definitely going to the Isle Kingdoms. And lots and lots of journals from commanding generals of the armies since unification, which includes writers, healers, scribes. No note of infantry, but I strongly assume they're part of it. Tomes on the early wars, the history of individual provinces, mythology of the gods, and mining practices. This last one made my ears perk up because Crystalline gems, gem watch mining practices on its chunks. We also have Tearsh history books and weather almanacs.

[Lexi]

I'm just frantically waving my hands around this room and yelling foreshadowing, foreshadowing at all of the books. Maybe this was all supposed to be a big red herring. I don't know. But I'm leaning toward. No, there is some major foreshadowing here.

[Nicole]

I'm gonna go with, like, some of them are super foreshadowing and some of them will never hear about again.

[Lexi]

Yes, exactly.

[Nicole]

Like the Island Wars. That has to come back into play.

[Lexi]

Well, and if Violet's second signet is what I think it is, this would be such a useful room for her.

[Nicole]

It was never too late for you to find a signet to die on the hill for. Lex, I'm so proud of you.

[Lexi]

I never said I was dying on a hill.

[Nicole]

Are you kidding me?

[Lexi]

I finally have my official second signet vote.

[Nicole]

We're making a bet on it. Regardless. I'm forcing you.

[Lexi]

It doesn't mean I'm dying on a hill. Last one. Before we do get into that second signet conversation on my reread, the magic of the land really stood out more. As we learn more about these dragon dens and explore more of the world, I wonder if we'll learn more about where this magic originates from and how the environment responds to it.

[Nicole]

Yes, especially given the weather changes in Aratia and all that kind of stuff. Like, I don't think that's like some huge, huge, big thing that's going to come into play, but I do think it's really cool world building that I'm excited to track.

[Lexi]

Well, the in Orisha. Because the dragons are there.

[Nicole]

Yes, exactly. But like, more of how the magic responds to the land, like you're saying. Or the magic of the dragons responds to the land.

[Lexi]

See, like I'm thinking about, there is so much magic beneath Misgaith, and it's almost like unmind magic, so to speak.

[Nicole]

You mean mining practices with the Crystalline Gems.

[Lexi]

There's a figure of speech. But.

[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

So Brett and I are both major people pleasers, especially with each other. And having that feature where we weren't able to see the other person's answers until we had answered really actually helped us with our communication with each other and finding out what do I really want versus what do I want to say that will please the other person and that has completely changed our relationship. Parent also helps you talk about the uncomfortable topics like money, sex, and things you don't like in the bedroom or things you love in the bedroom that you want them to do more of. Like like there's so many different topics that come along with Paired and I just. I love how much it has impacted Bright Nice communication.

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

All right, let's lay it out on the table. Second signets. This is our last chance to get our thoughts on second signets out into the world. I have, I'll say not been quiet about my thoughts about her being an intensive, so I'm going to give a major TLDR version of this.

[Lexi]

I could give your whole speech at this point before I heard it so many times.

[Nicole]

You have so in chapter 58 of Iron Flame, when her And Zaden are sparring in Orisha. They have their whole no more secrets conversation and Violet says quote, I am someone who needs information to center myself. This is the only time needs is in italics in the entire book. In chapter 56 when Violet is figuring out what Zaden's second signet is, she thinks quote, xaden's most pressing need is information. This is so in alignment with the Rebecca Yarrow's writing style, putting both of these needs information and connecting it to one side signet. It's so in her style of writing also I think it's manifested which we know it has from Rebecca Yarros in the throne scene. When that shimmering onyx wraps around her mind, Zaden's thoughts come into her head. And whenever they're doing their mind to mind speak on the daily, their words are in italics but with quotations around the dialogue. What does the thrones he not have quotations around his italic thoughts of dialogue? Also Aurora reads on TikTok tagged us in a video and had this expansion of this intrinsic theory. Here she notes how Zane Zaden says, quote, you were just in my thoughts. If I was Rebecca Yarros and I wrote that line and Violet wasn't intrinsic, I would be like guys, it's right there, come on now. Some people think that Zaden was using his powers in the throne room, especially given his super weird reaction of I should like I shouldn't have done that. That's very hagrid from Harry Potter. But as Aurora reads notes, Xaden says his intrinsic powers come across more as pictures. And that's not not how the throne scene thoughts are described. Those are full thoughts and desires sir, not like intentions or pictures. Also, the reason I don't think that Violet's gone crazy from her intensiveness is because she has the best shields in her year. And we know from Xaden's bonus chapter that he cannot use his intensive signet if his own shields are up. So all of this to say I do not think that they're going to be the same type of intrinsic. We know that Xaden can read intentions. I do think that Violet's going to to be some kind of full intrinsic or she finds the truth in someone's thoughts, like it's going to like connect with that but it's going to be way bigger than the truthsayer. So I, I really think that that's where this is leaning. So I'm going intensive while you make.

[Lexi]

Excellent points backed by proof. And to be honest, I think we all learned our lesson from our fourth wing coverage to trust you on the intensic theory train. I'm going to counter with my official second signet guest. Yes. Which has absolutely no concrete evidence. At least that would seem obvious on the page. Unlike your intrinsic theory. That is probably the right answer. But let's have fun with this, shall we?

[Nicole]

We're making a bet. Regardless, I hope you know this. I'm so excited.

[Lexi]

Since the beginning, I've loved the idea that Violet's second signet embraces her scribe nature at her core. She has the heart of a writer and mind of a scribe. We know this because it's been repeated multiple times throughout. Throughout the books. Knowledge and truth center her, and she grapples with historical misinformation as she seeks out truth both from the past with the first six and Venin, and in the present with Zaden and everything else going on. However, this past year, I have not been able to figure out how to articulate that into a signet. It's like a combination of a truthsayer and a historian with a whole lot of extras attached to it. But then Hannah the cat lady shared a video that way better describes what I've been trying to puzzle piece together in my my mind. She and the original creator who brought up the signet Elle's bookshelves call the ability a Knowledge Weaver. What is a Knowledge Weaver? I'm so happy you asked. This signet instantly gathers and connects information, creating a mental web of patterns, truths and hidden connections. They can absorb knowledge from people, objects or locations, instinctively sense the right questions to ask, and even link minds to share knowledge directly. For instance, I've always thought it was a little strange how Violet alone was able to figure out the Venin's true plans to attack Bizgaya instead of Samara. Yes, she is a brilliant fucking woman, but that was actually hard for us to deep dive because it felt like such a stretch. I remember it so well. This Knowledge Weaver is right up my alley. And in fact, I'm going to take this Knowledge Weaver and add more emphasis on truth. Tweak a little bit to be a knowledge truth seeker. Honestly, I'm sure Rebecca has a way better way of describing it. So signet name aside, this is what her signet can do. This means that Violet can identify what is factual and what is false, like a true sayer, but it applies beyond what someone says. Like documents and events. She can connect pieces of information and form a cohesive and accurate understanding of the big picture. Like the Knowledge Weaver she can understand how events truly unfold and innately apply them to the present circumstances. So that is my final answer.

[Nicole]

I love this and I love this second six segment. I respectfully do not agree with you. Just because I. We know that she used it on the page and, well, her figuring out the Venin attack is not the obvious neon sign that I would expect Rebecca to be alluding to throughout this entire year. If she is the second signet, though, I'll be fucking thrilled. Like, I think this is fabulous.

[Lexi]

See, I love it so much because I think it would be fantastic storytelling. If she is an intensic, which she probably is, but I think that it makes it a little bit more difficult from a storytelling aspect because when characters have so much power, it can be hard for them to navigate challenges. Not saying it can't be done, but it does make it a little bit more difficult. So I love this because it is extremely useful for Violet specifically and what her mission is here and. And it really, again, ties in her need for information, her need for truth, all of that. So maybe the line of I need information to center myself still applies to this.

[Nicole]

Totally. I also really like the. I don't think that this is her second signet, but one of the ones that I really would love to see on the page, whether it's from Violet or someone else, is basically the ability. I'll call it like a photographic memory. Where it's like. Which she kind of already has, but, like, I'm talking like, you put your hand on a book and suddenly all of that information is absorbed in you. Yeah, like, that would be amazing. However, I don't think that's it. Just given again, the. It's manifested in iron flame. Rebecca says it's super obvious and all of us are still scratching our heads trying to figure it out. So Violet second signet is an official bet. Lexi believes that it's knowledge weaving. And we're gonna say title aside, like, if she does everything that you described, but Rebecca says it's something different, you still win.

[Lexi]

I think I should also win if it is a mind of a scribe concept there. So his.

[Nicole]

That is way too big of a.

[Lexi]

No. Like, it doesn't have to be these exact points, but if you can gather exactly what I mean by this.

[Nicole]

Okay, okay, okay. I trust you to not abuse that power. I trust you to not abuse that power. And then for me, if it is intrinsic, now, if it falls under the category of intensive, I do not count truthsayer as an intensive. Like, I'm just going to be because truthsayers are allowed to live. Intense or not. Okay, that is on the bet sheet. Let's get into some rapid fire, which I think we're get a lot more. We already have 14 beds. I hope you know this. All right, Rapid fire. Who do we think is going to die? I'm including dragons in this.

[Lexi]

Yeah. I've been pretty open about my concern for Mira, so I won't go into that. I know you're about to hear shortly. I think some of the royalty is going to die. Whether it's King Tari or Hall Alden or Poor Meals Queen or Takaris. I could even see M4rKim dying. But he does have to give some kind of evil villain monologue. Or I could see one of the assembly members dying. And definitely a hundred percent Nolan is dying. Probably as Xaden's hands.

[Nicole]

Oh, okay.

[Lexi]

And this is more wishful thinking, but I really hope Jack Barlow dies.

[Nicole]

I will cackle if he's still alive at the end of this book.

[Lexi]

At this point, I think that if he is still alive, he will be back with the Venin because they're obviously trying to do a rescue mission for him for some fucking reason. I'm sure that we'll find out about it. And I could see him getting back to the Venin. I think that Onyx Storm is going to end with Zaden being captured by the Venom or something along those lines. Or Violet, one of those two will be in Venom hands.

[Nicole]

I definitely think Mira is dying. I also want to throw in time her dragon. We were actually texting with our friend Lauren from Book Huddle, and she said Mira will probably die saving Brennan. And then Violet will find out that Brennan's been helping the Vennon because he still loves Naolin. So Mira's death will be for nothing. Which, like, Ow. Like what the fuck, Lauren. But I could see it. I absolutely see Mira's death being a double whammy. Like she dies. And then there's this extra knife twist.

[Lexi]

Too, because that's not hard enough. Oh, my God.

[Nicole]

Yeah, I think it's gonna happen. Rebecca loves to hurt us.

[Lexi]

I feel like if Mira is to leave us, it might be from burnout as she extends the wards beyond Navarre to save Violet. Although she has already been in that situation and she proved capable. Yeah. I do think that she will be successful, but it'll be even bigger stakes. She'll have to create bigger wards or against more Ven and. Or something along those lines. And while she will be successful in saving her family, she will burn out in the the process.

[Nicole]

Yeah. Definitely. I'm also going to throw in where depend in this entirely. Depends on where the story goes. But I'm going to throw in Dane. I could see him dying in this book.

[Lexi]

In book three.

[Nicole]

In book three, if I've learned anything from Iron Flame, it is what we thought was going to happen in book four actually happened in book two. So what I think is going to happen in book four, I think it could be Dane. I hear you.

[Lexi]

I would also like to see say who is the one who said Lilith is probably going to die in book two. And you're like, no, she wouldn't die that early.

[Nicole]

You. You. You taught me well is what I'm hearing. I'm also going to throw in Bode. But I only think. But I only think that would be post brother sibling family connection reveal for him to Zaden, which you are pretty open about in our Iron Flame coverage. So I'm actually leaning Bodhi being more of a book for sacrifice. I think. Hope that second squad, at least Violet's here is safe. I do think we're going to lose some first years, but I'm also. I'm calling Sloan and Arik are safe. I could see Quinn.

[Lexi]

Me too. I'm very worried about Imogen.

[Nicole]

I would riot if Imogen dies. Like absolutely riot.

[Lexi]

I really think that she's going to. Yeah. I'm also really concerned about the foreshadowing about crossbows that can kill dragons.

[Nicole]

Yep.

[Lexi]

It's basically a given. And I want to say book four, but again, if we've learned anything from Iron Flame predictions, it might happen earlier. What if the people on the Isle of Kingdoms are like, fuck, no, we don't want dragons and pull a Game of Thrones on us.

[Nicole]

Which dragon do you think would die? Okay. What a plot twist. We're all like, taryn's going to die. Taryn's going to die. I don't think it's going to die. Book 3. What if Sigail dies? Yeah. And that's how Taryn would die. But I don't think that would happen in book three. I think Taryn and Sigil are definitely both going to die somehow. But I don't think that'll be until book 4 or 5.

[Lexi]

I agree. I don't know which dragon, but a crossbow is going to kill a dragon at some point. How are we going to learn about the truth of Papa Sor Andal's death? This is assuming that Papa Sor Andal died under suspicious circumstances. I. I Think Markham if he gives an evil villain monologue. I don't think Andarna knows she's got secrets about Papa Sor Andale. And his research. But maybe she only suspects what truly happened. I don't think she's holding that specific knowledge from Violet.

[Nicole]

I. I definitely could see M4RKIM. I'm leaning more towards Daddy Atos. I think Daddy Atos is the one who had Papa Sor and Gail killed. Or maybe daddy ATOs and M4RKim gang, like, geared up together. But I think we're going to get the evil villain download from Daddy. A toast over Martha. Will we get an Imogen and Garrick romance?

[Lexi]

Yes. We also thought this for Iron Flame, but I'm definitely saying yes now. Maybe not a formal relationship, but I do think they will have something going on in Onyx Storm.

[Nicole]

I feel like we're gonna see some kind of romance like where I said this for Iron Flame, where like, Xaden or Violet are gonna walk in on them fooling around and that's like the Yay. Like they're at least like. I don't think they're going to be like Violet and Zan. Exactly. Yeah, I think we're going to get something. I hope this more for Imogen's sake because I know she just is so pining after Garrick, and I need Garrick to get his head out of his ass.

[Lexi]

I don't think they'll ever make a big deal out of whatever's going on between them or be all romantic. But yes, they will get together again, not as a formal relationship.

[Nicole]

Let's talk about Garrick signet.

[Lexi]

I know this is rapid fire, but first we must bring up what Rebecca Rebecca Yaros said in an interview at Columbus. She was asked which character she'd want to be stranded on a desert island with, and Rebecca answered, garak. And we don't even know why yet. Which makes me believe she's referring to his signet power being really handy if stranded on a desert island. The only thing we know about his signet is that it is not as powerful as Xaden or bodies because Garak was not selected as one of the most powerful writers at Earth. Orisha. I wonder if his signet has to do with directions, like always knowing his way. That would help with all of their drop offs, for instance. I think that would be a really useful signet there. This doesn't really fall under the desert island idea here, but I have wondered if it's a mind signet because there have been a Few instances where Garak is able to pick up on emotions really well. That could just be his character. But maybe his signet has to do with sensing emotion.

[Nicole]

I think that's more just his character. I think he's a very emotionally intelligent person, especially from what we've seen in the bonus chapters of 4th Wing. I'm absolutely with you on leaning directional. I will say, when Rebecca said her whole, like, I'd want him on a desert island and you don't know Wyatt, I thought that's just because he's a good hang and not like his. His signet would be super helpful. But you got me thinking, because then I was like, okay, what kind of direction directional signet? I think it's much more than just being, like, a human compass, because, like, that would be kind of lame. And I can't help but think of Clairvoyance from. Specifically from Skyrim. And before you're like, what the hell does that mean? It's basically where you're like, I'm setting my objective, and you basically get a glowing trail or a glowing thread between you and what you need. Oh, Hogwarts Legacy. Also, I was just gonna say.

[Lexi]

Yeah, Legacy. Yep, exactly.

[Nicole]

So I'm gonna go with, like, some kind of clairvoyance. Xaden found Violet at the end of part one of Iron Flame in the dungeons when she was on the serum. So she did not have her mental pathway open for him to be able to feel her. Now, could he still maybe feel her? She just couldn't feel him. Or maybe Taryn told him where to go get her.

[Lexi]

Taryn knew exactly where she was, so.

[Nicole]

So I. I think I'm leaning much more towards that. But I'm also gonna say Clairvoyance could have been used to track her, for lack of a better term. However, my big asking masters here, Clairvoyance would be a freaking useful signet. How would he not be one of the most powerful six in this guy? Like that? To me, I think that's a great.

[Lexi]

Signet, but it's not one of the most powerful ones.

[Nicole]

I could definitely see that. And then that would be a useful thing to have on the missions. And basically, like, I'm setting my objective for this drop off with Serena and the flyers, and then it's just basically like a tug between him and that. So I don't know. I think that would be really cool, and that would be really helpful when we're searching for the Dragon Den. I think there would be boundaries around it, though.

[Lexi]

I was just gonna say because when he and Zaden are on their own mission to hunt down the wyvern and then drop their carcasses all over, the reason that it took them so long was because they had difficulty finding and hunting down the wyvern.

[Nicole]

Maybe it doesn't work with dark magic wielders.

[Lexi]

No. Maybe.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Lexi]

All right, Nicole, Are Bode and Zaden truly cousins, or are they actually brothers?

[Nicole]

Brothers. Next question. No, they're like, there's no way they're just cousins. There are so many instances of Xaden saying, I don't have any siblings, or, I don't want any siblings. And there are way too many instances of Violet noticing how close Xaden and Bod look, walk, act. So could this be revealed when we meet Zaden's mom and Bode's there, and she's like, my son. Son. Maybe. Or maybe there was more to the marriage contract that we don't know. Maybe she had Bode and didn't want to stay around longer. Because maybe that was an instance. With it, we know that she had to stay at least until an heir was the age of 10, which would have been Zaden. But maybe there was a secondary. Like, you have to stay until the second son, or the second child is until the age of blank. So to ensure that there's an error or whatever. I don't know. But she didn't want to stay around longer, so she gave Bode to Fen's sister. I have no idea. But, I mean, convinced that they at least have the same mom. Maybe Zaden's mom cheated on Fen and had an affair with someone else, and that's who Bode is with.

[Lexi]

I have literally stayed up at night trying to figure out how this could be feasible where Bode's mom and Finn are not together. Don't pull a Lannister here. I'm with you on all the instances of foreshadowing. It could just be writing. Emphasis on the fact that they are related.

[Nicole]

No way. I don't. If it was one, I'd be like, yeah, sure, absolutely. I agree. But it's like, 10. Like, there's no way. It's not.

[Lexi]

I am so torn on this, because I want to say, yes, that they are half brothers, but I have no idea how. Like, logically, I just feel like maybe they are cousins.

[Nicole]

That tells me so much about you. All right. Speaking of Bode, Bode knows Xaden is an intensive.

[Lexi]

No, I. Maybe he suspects, but I really do think that Violet is the only one who knows.

[Nicole]

I agree. I don't think Bodhi knows. I think Garrick suspects, though, because he is so emotionally intelligent. I think there is no way Garrick doesn't at least have a suspicion.

[Lexi]

Will Violet ride and Darna? I don't think an Onyx Storm, but yes, eventually. I'm sticking to my theory that it will happen happen in a later book at a dire time where Violet will die if Andarna can't bear her as a writer. And they will succeed and there'll be a big moment. But I don't think we're gonna go that in Onyx Storm.

[Nicole]

I do. I'm going with the same bet that I made in Iron Flame and that is yes, Violet will ride in Darna and yes, it will be an Onyx Storm. I agree that it's going to be in a very dire circumstance.

[Lexi]

So okay, all right then.

[Nicole]

It is.

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

All right Nicole, Are Halden and Violet exes?

[Nicole]

I was so against this and now I Don't know. After talking with Kya and Gabriel and flights of fantasy, I'm torn.

[Lexi]

Here's why I am still not a thousand percent convinced of this theory. First of all, their age difference difference and specifically Halden probably was not in the infantry. Like we know Violet's exes are slash were riders are discouraged from holding seats of power. So Novarian aristocracy mostly goes into the infantry. Being the firstborn and heir. It would make sense for Halden to be in the infantry, but he isn't just aristocracy. He's going to be the king, which means he does not have to be conscripted scripted in the first place. Aric, or rather Cam, is supposed to be on his 20th birthday tour of the kingdom. And we know from 4th Wing that the King wears medals for battles he's never been in, meaning he was probably never in the infantry. All of this to say Holden was not in the infantry and therefore he and Violet cannot be exes. I will say, however, I used to be against it because of their age difference. I realized though he and Violet are at least three years apart, which can be a lot for teenagers, but it's definitely not out of the question. We know Halden is at least three years older because the middle brother was in Zayden's year and Zading is two years above Violet. So I am sticking to my version of this theory, which is that Violet had a crush on Halden with him being the older handsome prince they grew up around.

[Nicole]

I think at the end of the day I am planting my flag on he was a crush of Violet's, but I think he knows he was a crush of Violet so that when we meet him it in. If we meet him, I'm assuming we're going to in Onyx Storm there is going to be that cocky swagger. He is going to try to be a little bit more intimate with Violet and she's going to be like, yo, dude, what the fuck? And Zaden's going to be like, oh, what the fuck? No way. Now I will say Kya Fraitz, who plays Violet in Graphic audio, when we interviewed her, which will be coming out this Monday, she mentioned how there are multiple instances where Violet is mentioning mentioning her familiarity, for lack of a better term, with the princes and specifically Halden or specifically just the Tari family line. So that could absolutely be there. But I don't know. I memorized the color of the eyes of the guys I had a crush on when I was 12. So like that could also be very much up that same alley.

[Lexi]

They also just grew up together too. Like she and Aric did grow up together. So I do think that it is a sense of childhood friends and a younger teenage crush. Until, you know, she had eyes on Dane.

[Nicole]

I think I'm going with crush also. Now, follow up question. Are we going to meet an ex of Violets in Onyx Storm?

[Lexi]

I don't think he'll play a big role, but I could see a scene or two with one of her exes. Again, I wish it was going to be Halden, but I just can't believe it.

[Nicole]

I think we're going to get an X because I need. Need Venon Jealous Zaden. Like, I need coffee in the morning and air to breathe. Like, that just sounds delicious. But we've also already done the jealous ex thing with Catriona, so I wonder. I don't know, but I wonder how it's going to be different because I don't think it's going to be a copy and paste by any means. Like you mentioned, we do know that they were infantry. Her two exes were in the infantry, but there's no mention on if they're still in the quadrant or if they have graduated. So as she is in the quadrant and on the battlefield with. If they are in the quadrant with them, I would assume there's no mention of. I see Blank who's an infantry person. Like, and like, I don't know, like, despite. However, I fell out with my exes. If I'm on the battlefield with them, I'd still look over and be like, oh, hey, there's that guy.

[Lexi]

You know which battlefield that they were with the infantry.

[Nicole]

The battle of this guy.

[Lexi]

Yes. But she barely saw any infantry there.

[Nicole]

Okay, that's. That's fair. So. And she also had a lot of other things on her mind.

[Lexi]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

So I. I could see that. But I wonder if they're graduated or if they're still in the quadrant. I guess that's where I'm getting at.

[Lexi]

I think at least one of them just graduated and is Zaden's age.

[Nicole]

Okay. Yeah, I can vibe with that. Yeah. This one is from Alyssa Underscore Diane from our Instagram. And that is VenusScribe stopped Papa Sorengale's heart. We read this and we were like.

[Lexi]

Oh, I've always thought it was leadership, like Professor Markham or Daddy Atos who thought Papa Sorrengail was getting too close to too much truth. But I do love this theory that it was actually Venn Inscribes who killed Papa Sor and Gail now that we know, at least in the present day, Venin disguised themselves as scribes during their Bisgaeth invasion. What if they've been within the scribes, whether pretending to be scribes or actually are scribes, and they are the cause of Papa Sor and Gail's heart finally stopping. While I love this theory, I still cannot let go of my leadership is what stopped his heart theory. The Soren Gale family moved to Biscayth right after the war. And Brennan's supposed death, that's also exactly when Papa Sorrengill's heart started going out. I believe leadership stationed at Visga, like Markham or Daddy Atos, realized what he was poking his head around in and slowly killed him. I believe Brennan's death for their father was still a driving force, possibly even for his research in the first place. But something fishy was going on for sure.

[Nicole]

I agree with you. I should say first, but I do think that there's this interesting twist that if it was a Venom scribe, that what if Papa Sorrengail was getting too close to learning about the seventh Dragon Den being if it's the weapon that killed off the Venom 600 years ago and they didn't want someone to discover what killed off the venom 600 years ago. So again, back to I love this idea. I love this idea of a Venon scribe. I grew that it was leadership at the end of the day though. But I also think that the Venin's dressing up as scribes and being among the best guys people. I feel like that's within the last like 3ish years. I don't feel like I have no concrete evidence for that. I just feel like it's more recent. I'm still team Daddy Atos over Markham because he would like. He just gives I will kill off your husband vibes. In my opinion, given that he's already tried to kill Violet by assassin, fascinating her because she was learning about the Venom and survived. What would Papa Sorren Gail have been doing? Probably learning about the Venin and he was still kicking, so he slowly poisoned him. I will say slow poison though is much more a scribe way of death than a writer way of death. So that is very interesting.

[Lexi]

Speaking of Papa Sorrengail, do we think he is one of the authors of an epigraph?

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Lexi]

There is a theory that Major Effendra is Papa Sorrengel because his guide feels very similar to the book of Brennan. And it appears so frequently between both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame as an epigraph. And the name Ephraimdra is of Greek origin. And people with this name are considered trailblazers, researchers and teachers who show others the way. Now, real quickly, I could not find the actual name meaning, but this is more of traits that really embody that name here.

[Nicole]

So I love this idea that we've been calling him Papa Song Gail for like two years now. And then he just like turn it on ahead like he's Papa Ephendra now. Like that. Just like Papa Ephendra. Like that really rolls off the tongue. I love that.

[Lexi]

I will say this. I don't think his last name is actually Soren Gale. I do think he has a different last name because Mama Soren Gale is like Soren Gaels are always writers. So I don't think that he has the same last name. And when we do find that out, that's really going to throw us for a little loop. But anyway, Major Afrinda wrote the Guide to the Writers Quadrant, the unauthorized edition. And Papa Sorgiel was a scribe. He might be married to a writer, but he wouldn't personally have the inside knowledge to write a guide to the Writer's Quadrant. So I don't think that I can believe that it is him. In fact, when I was initially going through this, back when we were doing our Iron Flame Deep dive, I did not even consider Major Effrenda because he wrote the Guide to the Writer's Quadrant. Looking at the epigraphs, here are my top conditions contenders for Papa Sorren Gail. Number one, Captain Lawrence Medina, who wrote Effective uses of wild and Cultivated Herbs and talks about poisons. Ah. And we know Papa Sorgill taught Brennan and Violet about poisons. Number two is Grotto Brunell, who is the curator of the Scribe Quadrant and wrote United Navarre, A Study in Survival. This epigraph mentions the wards woven by the first six. Ah. And we know Papa Sorrengail's research intersected with with the first six and their creation of wards. But here's the big caveat. Markham is curator of the Scribe Quadrant, so that's not a position Papa Sorengale would have even had. Then the only other likely person that I can think of would be Colonel Daxton, who wrote the Guide to Excelling in the Scribe Quadrant. That fits with the scribe reference. And it's a high ranking. That's a colonel. We don't know what Papa Sorrengail's rank was. I'm just speculating he would have a higher rank because I don't know General sorrengale would want to marry someone with a also high rank. Right.

[Nicole]

I would say, like, you can't be married to Lilith sortingale without also being a more ambitious person. And I feel like ambition in the military normally leads to a higher rank. So I could see that. Yes, Definitely connecting.

[Lexi]

So I would go with this being Colonel Daxton, except there is another theory that Papa Sorrengail wrote the fables of the barons. And I love this theory that he wrote down these stories that he knew of to have a record of it and then teach his daughter. He could have collected this folklore during the years of traveling around Navarre as a military family. It would have been before his research, since Violet grew up with the fables. But I just love that. So I don't think that this is directly related to his research, but I could see him being the author of the fables of the Baron, not the author of the folklore, but the collector of all of it and putting it into an actual book.

[Nicole]

Yes, Abs, I 100,000% agree with you on that. I will say I wouldn't be surprised if we get a mention of an epigraph of a captain or a major or someone who's a little bit of. A little bit of a lower rank who is Papa Sorrengale. And then later on he marries Lilith and maybe he changes his last name to match. Lilith was just sortingale. So I could see that being the thing where it's like we get his former name before he married Lilith. I could see that happening. But I love the idea that we've seen Papa sorting Gail repeatedly in an epigraph prior moving on. Are we meeting Naolin in this book? Considering we don't think he's dead? I'm going. Yes.

[Lexi]

I'm going. No. But we will learn a lot more about their story. Story.

[Nicole]

Okay.

[Lexi]

Yvonne5li says we're going to the Barrens. The first answer that comes to mind for me is no, and we will go there in a later book. But if we again learned anything about Iron Flame is that these books happen real fast. But I do think Onyx Storm will still focus more on the Isle Kingdoms and poor Emile. I'm leaning more and more toward actually the seventh dragon to being on the Isle of Kingdoms. It just makes the most sense. I don't know where else they would be. I don't think that they're in the Barrens. Because the Barrens are barren. Nobody there. That's why the Venin aren't there either. They have no more magic to feed off of.

[Nicole]

Yes. I think that if anything, we would end this book in the Barrens. Like, for instance, the cliffhanger ending that. I don't know if I'm willing to die on this hill, but this is the one that my brain can conceive at this moment, is that Violet ends this book captured by the Venin. I don't think it'll be Xaden. I think it'll be Violet captured. And maybe she's taken to the barrens, but I don't think the barons are going to be the focus of this book.

[Lexi]

See, I don't think she'd be taken to the Barrens by the Venin because again, they can't feed there anymore. The land is drained. I do, however, love that cliffhanger idea. I mean, I don't love it for Violet's sake, but wow, what a cliffhanger that would be.

[Nicole]

I definitely think that Violet and Zaden will not be. Not saying together romantically. I'm saying together like in the same vicinity at the end of this book.

[Lexi]

Yes, I agree with that.

[Nicole]

From SIS C07. Sigail and Zayden will break the bond.

[Lexi]

I don't think so. She's mad at him, but I don't think their bond will break.

[Nicole]

I could see it, especially if Xaden channels again. I'm going to say if Zaden channels again multiple times, which I think he's going to. I think he's going to do multiple times. Is this a hill I'm willing to die on? No, but like maybe a small little pebble that's on the ground. Would I stand on the pebble and dramatically faint? Possibly.

[Lexi]

Next up we have, is Violet fully human? Meaning is she actually a goddess or is she part dragon or part Venin? There's a lot of variations of those theories out there. I'm pretty set on the gods being there for world building versus a big plot reveal for the main character. And I've seen all the conversations about Violet being part dragon, but I'm under the impression she is not unique. Unique in being capable of talking to other dragons. Now, I think that everybody could theoretically do that, but they would just get burned alive. And that's why nobody does that. It's very, very taboo. But because of her role and as her. As an emerging leader and really stepping up to the plate, that is why I think that she is listened to and why she's not torched.

[Nicole]

Right. I want to throw out actually that. Because there's a lot of people who are like, she can talk to Dragons. She can talk to dragons. She is verbally talking to Koda at the end of Iron Flame versus how she talks to Taranin and Darna, which is mentally mind to mind. So I agree with you. I don't think an extra power of Violet's is able to talk to dragons because she just talked to dragons out loud. And he didn't even answer her in her head. He answered her just by like nodding and that's it. So I agree.

[Lexi]

Yeah. And Koda had his own best interest. He is going to work with Violet on that. It's not like she's commanding him or because she's secretly part dragon. That's just our own personal feelings about that there. We do, of course, have to bring up these theories are also based off of Taryn saying, quote, I know exactly who and what you are. I personally have always thought that reference is more to the possible prophecy or something along those lines that I mentioned earlier. And it is more of a reflection of Violet's power. And yes, it is all tied into why her hair is partially silver, but not that she is part dragon or something like that. Now does this mean though, that she is part Venin? I don't think she's part Venin per se, but there is a direct correlation to Venin for her from her mom's supposed sickness while pregnant with her. So something to do with the Venin flows through her veins. Or she was partially drained from from them, but not necessarily making her part Venin, if that makes sense.

[Nicole]

I agree. I'm going with she is full human. Yes, that is my answer.

[Lexi]

That's my TLDR version too. Yes.

[Nicole]

Moving on. Professor Carr is secretly Venon. I was looking back on some of our old outlines. I was a car Stan. You were. And then I just shifted over to Professor Grady. So Grady, don't let me down, my guy. What do you think about Professor Carr?

[Lexi]

I mean, I definitely don't trust him, but he's not on my Venon suspect list.

[Nicole]

Okay.

[Lexi]

I've never gotten Venin vibes from him as he trains Violet, albeit poorly, or when she is punched by Verish. He's actually kind of defending her very, very lightly, saying that. So I consider Carr to be an asshole who narrowly views these writers as just their signets. And that is really his representation in the story as someone who does not see these writers as people. He sees them as the powers that they have.

[Nicole]

There is this line from Felix about how Carr is afraid of Violet and maybe that's why he never taught her to control her power. So I could see if Carr is Venon, that maybe that's one of the reasons why he wants her at a disadvantage. His dragon's name is Brugen, which means lies, which is Sus. He's also a fire wielder, which is a more common signet. And therefore, he could have wanted more. More power, thus pulling from the source. Also, what if he was the professor who was stationed at this Gaieth to tell the Venin through their, like, hive mind. Yo. This is the one who commands the sky. She's finally here. I think I actually convinced myself as I was writing with this out, so I'm gonna go.

[Lexi]

Yeah, okay. Add it to the bets.

[Nicole]

I'm adding it to the bets. I'm. I'm pretty sure that's what I'm gonna lose. But you know what? This is.

[Lexi]

It's only good fun. Yes.

[Nicole]

More thoughts of who's taking what. All right, moving on to some actual rapid fire. Will we see Liam again?

[Lexi]

I don't think so. For Violet's sake, I'm going to say I hope not. I would love to see Liam again, but he only comes in really bad situations, so let's hope not.

[Nicole]

I do want to see him again just because I love Liam, but I don't think we're gonna see him again. No.

[Lexi]

Yeah. Will we meet a new member of the seventh dragon? Dragon Den?

[Nicole]

Yes. Yes.

[Lexi]

Yes. Unless Andarna, it really is the last of them.

[Nicole]

Will we get more dreams? I don't think so, but I am. I'm really standing on the line here because I'm really not confident in that.

[Lexi]

See, I think we will definitely get more dreams. We know that we're going to learn more about these dreams and the connection with Venin. I think that there will be more dreams, and it will make Violet and possibly Zaden. Question. If the Vin in general is still alive.

[Nicole]

Life.

[Lexi]

Because he totally is. And they're gonna have a dream of him and be like, wait a second. And he'll say something along the lines of like, you think throwing me into a river could actually kill me, kind of thing.

[Nicole]

Last but not least, we are going to finally learn that Verish is venom.

[Lexi]

I'm going with yes, because I have worked way too hard on this theory. So if it goes down, I'm going down with it.

[Nicole]

My captain always goes down with the ship. I suck in, like, I'm. I'm right there next to you. Uh, yeah, there's. I. There's no way he wasn't. I just. I can't get it out of my head, especially as I'm rereading Iron Flame right now. Yeah, definitely.

[Lexi]

Yep, yep. Let's go over just a few of the things that we know going into Onyx Storm. There are so many snippets between teasers and interviews and Rebecca Yar's posts. So I can go ahead and tell you that this is definitely not comprehensive. We would be here all day say otherwise. We can gather from Rebecca's recent social media post that the book opens with Violet eavesdropping on the rest of Jack and Zaden's conversation. I read that little excerpt so many times and that is definitely the vibe that I am getting is that she is eavesdropping on the continued conversation from the Iron Flame cliffhanger there.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Lexi]

We also know from the Cosmopolitan excerpt that the Venin are among the scribes. Dun dun dun. And of course Violet still loves Zad Zayden and is not letting him being Venom scare her off. We got a teaser of this in Xaden's POV at the very end of Iron Flame with her sleeping next to him. And then of course in the Cosmopolitan excerpt where she sees him and just still loves him. You know, there's still like that trust and companionship there.

[Nicole]

We do know that we're going to get old journals from Lilith, specifically Captain Lilith, which captain is way lower of a rank than Colonel? Captain is right above second and first. First lieutenants. So the excerpt that we have is, quote, sometimes diplomacy is best served at sword point. That is a tongue twister. And also an epigraph.

[Lexi]

Definitely an epigraph.

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Lexi]

I think we're going to learn from her journals what happened when she was pregnant with Violet.

[Nicole]

Oh, dig, I like that.

[Lexi]

Yes, we know that we will learn more about why the Venin want Violet, her and Satan's dreams, and more about the the whole Jack being Venon situation. I was rereading the Variety article that came out with the Rebecca Yarros interview, like really soon after Iron Flame came out. And she did mention there's room to explore what's happening at Best Guy, while our crew was at Oracia in Iron Flame Part two. So I don't think that we're going to get like flashbacks or anything like that, but we will get caught up on what the Biscaya crew was up to.

[Nicole]

I could see flashbacks.

[Lexi]

Oh really?

[Nicole]

Yeah, I could see flashbacks. I'm not willing to pay bet on it, but I could. It's one of those things where it's.

[Lexi]

Like I could see that I totally random but I need to know what the hell is going on with Caroline Ashton in my reread. She is so suspicious. Something going on with Jack and I don't trust her in the slightest.

[Nicole]

If there was like a short list of this guy of cadets that are vented that doesn't include Jack Barlow, I'm going Caroline Ashton at the top of that list.

[Lexi]

Oh yeah, like that. She was successfully confident, controlled.

[Nicole]

Yeah, I'm going with her. She sus.

[Lexi]

Well, she's sus, but I don't think that she's Venice. We also know from that Variety article that we are going to learn more about the Navarrean royal family. I am 100% convinced that Arik is going to get discovered as Cam. Oh yeah, he's gonna be outed. Yeah.

[Nicole]

Oh yeah. He's gonna face off with his dad. I'm pretty convinced that there's gonna be a not face off but he's gonna like show up. Like I think second squad is going to be called into court or King Tari is going to come to this guy and he's going to have a hey dad, how's it going? Like, I think there's definitely going to be that scene, which I hope for Arc's sake it goes good.

[Lexi]

We'll find out more about Duke Llewellyn and why Arisha was allowed to survive without getting caught. Nicole and I have already pieced together that this Zaden and Liam's foster house secretly was on the rebellion side and that is why they made sure that he was trained really well. We also think that is why there was a lot of leniency going to Arisha and poor Emiel and all of that kind of stuff too. Yeah. We also know that we are going to find out why the Elders were talking about Violet becoming the greatest scribe and just in general, lots more about Andarna. In Onyx Storm, we know that they're going to be searching for the seventh Dragon Den. This book based on the French Editions blurb.

[Nicole]

Oh my God, I'm unwell. Speaking of unwell, according to the Internet, Rebecca Yarrows has said the song Half a Man by Dean Lewis describes Onyx Storm. Specifically Izaden in Onyx Storm. I haven't found the source where she says this, so take this with a grain of salt, but I've seen it enough on the Internet to make me put it in an outline, which is puzzling and worrisome because let me read off some of the lyrics by Dean Lewis. But how am I supposed to love you When I don't love who I am and how could I give you all of me When I'm only half a man? Because I'm a sinking ship that's burning so let go of my hand and how can I give you all of me When I'm only half a man? And then there's the bridge Because I'm made out of stone and I'm being on Help. Don't give your heart to me. Just a word of advice, friends. Things are not looking so good for our characters, especially after hearing this. I was like, I'm not surprised if Xaden leaves like I. And before you're like, oh, my God, he's gonna pull in Edward Cullen. And I really trust Rebecca to make this a very compelling character choice that we as readers might hate because we obviously want Xaden and Violet to be together. But if we were in Xaden's head, it makes sense as to why he does this. I could absolutely see this where the book ends with Zaden not having having left Violet or having something. Yes, Lexi.

[Lexi]

Oh, my gosh. What if he does end up leaving and then Violet gets taken by the venom and then he has to go and save her?

[Nicole]

Yeah. Yep, yep, yep. I'm there. I'm there. I'm so on board with this. That would be delicious storytelling. Like, oh, my God. All right, friends, last but not least, let's discuss the major theme that we believe is going to be happening going into Onyx Storm, and that is Violet stepping into this role as a leader. Rebecca Yarros posted a framed napkin with Soren Gale for Truth written on it, which puzzled Lexi and I deeply. But it turns out that it's a West Wing reference. It's the 10th episode of the third season, which Lexi and I have not watched. This is when a character tries to persuade another character, Bartlett, to run for president by writing Bartlett for Americ America on a napkin and then framing it later in the episode. So we take this as Violet is really about to step into a role as a leader, and Based on the 4 Truth, it sounds like it's a part of the leadership of the Revolution, or even a subsect of the revolution, I'll call it.

[Lexi]

Does the Revolution still technically exist?

[Nicole]

As long as the assembly exists, I'm going to say the revolution exists.

[Lexi]

I mean, it's just not a secret anymore. And that was kind of the Assembly's whole thing was having to fight against the Venin under the radar so that Navarre doesn't, you know, find out and then get mad at them for the secret. And now that everybody knows, it's kind of like a. Okay, next plan of action.

[Nicole]

I think they might have to call themselves something different now, but I definitely think they are still kicking. They're still a kicking. When I think about Violet stepping into a leadership role, whether that's through the revolution or new name insert here or something else, I always think of the lines from Fourth Wing and Iron Flame where she mentions never wanting to aspire to a leadership position. And of course, then my mind goes to Harry Potter when Dumbledore says, quote, it's a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited for power are those who never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them and take up the mantle because they must and find to their own surprise that they wear it well. The reluctant leader trope is here. Here we come. I'm so excited. This is one of my favorite favorite tropes in fantasy. I'm so excited.

[Lexi]

I am too. And I think that Violet will become more of a leader of her generation. So not necessarily for the revolution or for Navarre, because I don't think that she stands for any particular area. She stands for the people.

[Nicole]

I think about a Katniss Everdeen style. Right. Where she didn't really stand with one or the other.

[Lexi]

Yes, exactly. But really stands up for just what is right and follows her heart in that way. I am so here for that too. And it really does track because so far we got book one, which was Violet's setup book, how she becomes a writer and learns she is capable in being a writer and just being one of them. Book two is about her losing her footing and having to find it again. And she's really having difficulty with what is true, what is false, and her relationship. Standing and keeping secrets from people and really just losing that and then having to find that again that there. Now in book three, I believe she's really going to step into her own as a leader and as a doer. She's always been a doer. So not saying that she hasn't previously been, but really taking action upon herself. Not waiting for other people or waiting for permission or anything like that. And she is going to really take action and spearhead a lot of initiatives.

[Nicole]

Yes, yes.

[Lexi]

Openly. Openly. Not in just like the secrets. Kind of. Yes.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Lexi]

Because the secrets are done. Or technically. So I think that. Yeah, I don't. I don't mean it in that way. I mean like the whole like, oh my gosh, like, then in our venom exists Kind of secret. And now that it's all out there, it's all on the table, she's really going to do something about it openly and rally people around her with that. Yes.

[Nicole]

All right, are you ready for some vets? Let's. Lexi.

[Lexi]

I am.

[Nicole]

Got 18 of them, so I hope you are.

[Lexi]

All right, let's do this.

[Nicole]

All right, friends, this is our entire comprehensive bet. I'm sure we're going to release an entire bets post as well, with everything laid out. But let's lay it out all out here. Bet number one, who will fall asleep first at the hotel? Because I, Nicole, think that Lexi will fall asleep first. Lexi thinks I will fall asleep first. And the winner gets to wake up the loser in any manner they deem fit.

[Lexi]

And the loser has to buy drinks downstairs at the beautiful hotel bar.

[Nicole]

Yes, absolutely, that. Number two. How many times will Zaden pull from the source in Onyx Storm? I, Nicole, think three plus times. Lexi thinks Zayden will pull a maximum twice. Yes.

[Lexi]

And if I win, I get to pick an episode of my choice that Nicole cannot cuss. And if Nicole cusses every time she slips, it's an hour of babysitting.

[Nicole]

If I win, I get to choose Lexi's next Christmas theme. Yes. This would be for 2025. I don't even care that it's 12 months later. And your Christmas theme is SpongeBob SquarePants.

[Lexi]

All right, where is Xaden's mom? And slash or where is she from? Nicole thinks that Xaden's mom is, of course, in the Isle kingdoms. And I think that Xaden's mom is loyal to Naval Var. I'm not going to say any specific place, but I would not be surprised if she is in Caldir and the King's court. So if Nicole wins, I have to take a shot of whatever the Dragon Riders and Iron Squad choose on a live Q and A. And if I win, Nicole has to add a shot of Malort into her smoothie three days in a row and video it so we can all confirm it happened. Oh, and this bet also happened on stage at our live show. So the audience wanted to participate because a lot of them were saying that Z Zaden's mom is invented. So if the audience is correct, then both of us have to wear our dragon onesies and take a shot of Malort before a live Q and A or episode.

[Nicole]

That number four, where is Papa soaring? Gail's research? Or as the amended it, where is it supposed to be? I think that it is supposed to be in Violet's room. This is meaning where Violet thinks it is. I think it is supposed to be.

[Lexi]

In Violet's room, and I think that it is supposed to be in his study, slash, office. Office space.

[Nicole]

And if I win, Lexi has to wear a shirt that I choose for the first episode of Onyx Storm, which I'm actually going to amend because I don't know if we'd have that fast of a turnaround. So let's say of an episode of Onyx Storm that we record.

[Lexi]

And if I win, Nicole can't use any heat or styling products in her hair except just washing and brushing it for a week.

[Nicole]

Set number five, the amount of sex scenes in Onyx Storm. I think it's going to be more.

[Lexi]

Than three, and I think it will be less than three to match Iron Flame vibes.

[Nicole]

So if I win, if it's more than three, I get to choose Lexi's shade of purple that she puts in her hair.

[Lexi]

And if I win, I get to choose Nicole's shade of blue.

[Nicole]

However, if it is three on the dot, our hairstylist Whitley gets to choose both of our shades, which, honestly, I'm kind of hoping it's three. I'm not going to lie. I feel like she would make us look fabulous.

[Lexi]

It's so funny because the context behind this is Nicole and I made this bet on stage again at our live show, and she had quite a few other clients that were in the audience. And so when they came back to her, they're like, oh, did you know that you're part of Lexi Nicole's beds? And she texts us and it's like, hey, I want in on this bet. If it's exactly three, this is what I get.

[Nicole]

Bet number seven. Does Mira die? Lexi and I, I both think yes. However, we were on the Flights of Fantasy podcast and they think, no. So the losers have to wear a funny, embarrassing shirt or accessory provided by the winners during one of their own recordings of Onyx Storm, which I freaking love. Bed number eight is actually from our recording with Kya and Gabriel, which will be coming out on Monday. So, spoilers, if you don't want to know what this is and if you want to just hear it on the episode, but it is. Is was Daddy Atos in love or motivated by love when it came to Lilith?

[Lexi]

Think Severus Snape and Lily kind of thing here.

[Nicole]

Yeah, but like, actually evil, not actually good. Like, I don't think it's actually good.

[Lexi]

Exactly. Kya and I both do not think so.

[Nicole]

And Gabriel and I are apparently the hopeless romantics of the four of us, and we think yes. So the winners get to choose a shirt for the losers to wear and they have to film some kind of content with it. We're still hammering out the details of that, but we're going to definitely lean into that. In number nine, Siri's silver hair means something specifically connecting her and Violet. Lexi says no, I say yes.

[Lexi]

And the loser has to learn and perform one of those TikTok dances that we very specifically never do, chosen by the winner.

[Nicole]

I think one of us is going to do a lot better with this than the other.

[Lexi]

And obviously one of us got a.

[Nicole]

Third of a dance degree and the other didn't, so I'm just throwing it out there. But number 10, Zayden will be cured in Onyx Storm. Lexi says, yes, he will be cured. I say no, he will not be cured.

[Lexi]

And if I win, Nicole has to do a newscaster and a call of anything of my choosing. That could be so much fun.

[Nicole]

And if I win, Lexi has to attend an orchestra orange theory class. I will make sure my friend Kara is coaching and I will make sure she calls you out.

[Lexi]

It's okay. Ever since I called them to get your credit for your Christmas present, I. Even though I said no to the promotional stuff, I still get calls from them every single day because they know.

[Nicole]

How badly I want you to come to a class and I think they ignored that, so they're just calling you anyway. They're on my side. Number 11, the seventh dragon den has riders. Lexi says no, I say yes.

[Lexi]

And the loser has to wear a ridiculous outfit on travel day to Romanasy Bookcon. And that ridiculous outfit is chosen by the winner. And yeah.

[Nicole]

Oh my God, I'm so excited for that bet. Number 12, lira turned venin. Lexi says no, and I say hell yeah.

[Lexi]

And the loser has to record an entire segment of an episode speaking in a character voice chosen by the winner.

[Nicole]

Amazing that number 13, Daddy Atos is partnered with the Venin outside of Navarre. Lexi says no, he is not partnered with outside of Navarre Venin. And I say yes, he is.

[Lexi]

And the winner picks a dare from our fan club for the loser to complete during one of our fan club live Q and a's. But number 14, Violet's second signet. I think that she is a knowledge weaver. Or again, the title itself does not matter, but something to that effect. And Nicole says that Violet is an intensive. The loser has to read an excerpt of fan club selected cringe worthy Scene on a live stream.

[Nicole]

As a dyslexic, I feel personally victimized by this one. I am terrified. You know when you're in school and they have you stand up and like read for class? This feels like that, but worse. I'm so scared. Number 15, Violet rides. And Darna. Lexi says no. I say yes.

[Lexi]

The loser cannot say a common word again selected by the fan club during a whole episode. Think something like dragon or. Or Zayden or Zayden or something. Or isle kingdoms or something like that. Oh my God.

[Nicole]

That number 16. We will meet Naolin in this book. Lexi does not think we will meet him. I think we will.

[Lexi]

The loser has to wear an aluminum foil hat for their segment recording. So Nicole for battle. Brave me for archives. During an episode of the winner's choosing.

[Nicole]

That number 17, Sigail will break the bond with Zaden. Lexi again says no. I again say yes. Are you serious? Seeing a pattern.

[Lexi]

And the loser. This is one of my favorites and this one actually came from Brooke. So shout out to you, Brooke for this idea. The loser has to put a life size cut out of the winner in the loser's house.

[Nicole]

I'm gonna even attend that. In the loser's office. Yes. In the loser's office.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

And last but not least, car is a Venin. Again, Lexi says no, he is not Vennon. I say yes, he is.

[Lexi]

And the loser has to eat a bizarre food combination voted on by the fan club.

[Nicole]

Alright, friends, that is the official bets list. That is definitely more than we had for Iron Flame. But I'm so excited. Thank you all so much for being here for today's episode. That's it.

[Lexi]

That's it. Yes. And of course we do have Monday's episode with Kaia and Gabriel. We are so excited for that. And then on Monday evening, Nicole and I are going to be going to the Barnes and Noble midnight release party in Glendale, Colorado. We are so excited to see so many of you there. And then Nicole and I are going to hold ourselves up in a hotel for the next two days and we are also going to be dark on social media. If we do post anything, it will be.

[Nicole]

It will be on Onyx Storm. Plot spoiler related. Like we're not posting any plot spoilers on social media until after our reactions episode has gone out. However, when we do post anything that has any Onyx Storm spoilers, there will be huge Onyx Storm spoiler warnings on those posts. So you know that if you have not finished it or have not read it, you can scroll away.

[Lexi]

Yes, exactly.

[Nicole]

Before we say goodbye, we want to say a huge welcome, welcome, welcome to the newest members of the Iron Squad in the Fantasy Fan Club that is Kayla G. Koresha G. Kayla P. Madison T. Caroline P. Sabrina and Michelle M. Christina S. Annelise N. Amy T. Veronica S. Jackie K. Desiree S. Caitlin, Carly.

[Lexi]

L. Anna B. Samantha D. Jen W. Megan D. Anna May, Hannah Y. Helga.

[Nicole]

Marie B. Melissa T. Dana Rachel H. Meg H. Sabrina, Nicole E. Elena, Alexa.

[Lexi]

M. Lauren B. Caroline S. Alexandra W. Kelsey S. Fatima L. El, Eliza, Katie F. Sierra H. Mary B. Danielle.

[Nicole]

And last but not least, Andrea S. Wow. Welcome. Oh, my God.

[Lexi]

You all are absolutely incredible. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for supporting us as Iron Squad members. Thank you so much for, for being part of this community. We love having you so, so much. And hey, if you're like, I want my name shouted out on the podcast to be showered with all the love, go ahead and join. The Fantasy Fan Club link is in the show notes. And if you're not following us on TikTok and slash or Instagram, what are you doing? Give us a follow. At Fantasy fangirlspod, we have so much empyrean content. We got theories, we got guides, we have a whole bunch of other stuff. We have a countdown going on right now too. It is so much fun.

[Nicole]

And of course, a huge thank you, thank you, thank you to our executive producer and our sanity manager, Hayden. We truly don't know what we do without you right now. Especially, and last but not least, if you have not rated and reviewed the show, please, please, please take a moment. It takes five seconds to hit that five star button to write a little love notes in the review section. And it is so helpful not just for the show, but for any show that you listen to on a regular basis. And of course, please, please, please share this episode with your fellow I'll say Fantasy fan girl specific awaiting Onyx Storm friends, because you know how important bets are to us here at Fantasy Fan Girls.

[Lexi]

All right, friends, we will see you on Monday. Or if you're part of the fan club, we will see you tomorrow for book club and on Saturday for trivia. Otherwise, see you Monday. And after that, see you on the other side. Bye. All right, we gotta talk about Xaden's mom has got it going on as our crew.

[Nicole]

If all stay in my head, stay with me.