LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City

Episode 11: It's Fine, You'll Like It

Release Date: August 19, 2025
Hosts: Natalie Jean & Jackie Zebrowski

Episode Overview

In this episode of LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City, hosts Natalie Jean and Jackie Zebrowski deliver their signature blend of irreverent humor and close reading to Chapters 17–21 of Sarah J. Maas’s House of Sky and Breath (HOSAB). This episode is packed with intense character developments, major plot reveals, and, of course, a heavy dose of sexual tension as the book’s main players spiral deeper into rebellion, espionage, and romance. Natalie and Jackie also riff about cosplaying, their own “deep lore,” and unleash their alter egos—including Jackie’s new Fae persona, Rebecca Lita.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Shifting Identities & The Art of Cosplay

• The hosts open up discussing their evolving styles and personalities (“What if I choose to be relaxed instead of high key all the time?” – Natalie, 04:07), relating it to characters’ growth in the book.
• Costume banter: Jackie’s creation of Rebecca Lita—a stinky, Fae divorcee from “Pitts Guard”—becomes an ongoing gag, paralleling side characters in Maas’s world and illustrating the fun art of headcanoning (07:04).

Recapping Major Plot Points

• Chapter 17 kicks off with Bryce, Hunt, Ethan, Therian, Rune, and Aidas all packed into a tiny apartment, reeling from the recent info dump provided by Cormac.
  • The tension of too many “throbbing men” in a New York-sized apartment gives plenty of comedic banter (13:40).
  • The significance of Danika’s sword—technically supposed to be with the wolves—is exposed when Hunt lets slip that Bryce has it (14:11).
• Bryce’s Determination: Despite high stakes, Bryce insists on returning to her job, contrasting her sense of responsibility with the more aimless men around her (17:17).
• The hosts emphasize the impossibility of keeping secrets in this world—“Even in Fae world, nobody can keep a secret” (17:43)—and riff on their own inability to be spies.

Emotional Fallout & Trauma

• Hunt’s Internal Spiral: Hunt panics at being dragged back into espionage after finally tasting normalcy (19:27). Natalie draws parallels to real-life emotional spiraling and the trauma of being “tethered to reality” by loving someone (20:54).
  • “When you have a thing to love, a person to love, that brings this whole other world...This is both a gift and a prison.” – Jackie, 20:59
• The hosts analyze whether it’s “better to never open yourself up”—relating Maas’s romantic drama to broader ideas of vulnerability and singlehood (21:16).

Steamy Tension & "Alleyway Throbbing"

• Hunt and Bryce have a charged alleyway scene, wrestling with fear about their fate—and the decision to stop waiting for Winter Solstice to get together (29:10).
  • “She’s decided she ain’t waiting... Love this.” – Jackie, 31:16
• The hosts and guest actors provide a dramatic, steamy reading of their climactic moment, delighting in the “romance boner” (30:17) and the surprisingly physical writing—“He could have sworn the fucking world spun out from under him at the taste of her.” – [Hunt as read by Mike Lawrence, 78:04]

Revelations & Character Flaws

• Ethan’s Perspective: Left alone after Bryce departs, Ethan receives the devastating news from Therian about who killed Connor—a gut punch since he wasn’t told earlier. Discussion of trust, loneliness, and wolf biology as a metaphor for delayed emotional maturity (33:29, 35:18).
  • The hosts poke fun at Ethan’s youthful stupidity but sympathize with his isolation: “His wolfiness cries out for a pack that just doesn't exist right now.” – Jackie, 34:35

Discovery of Danika’s Secret Papers

• A comedic mishap (Ethan breaking the coffee table with a sword fight reenactment, 46:18) leads to the accidental discovery of Danika’s hidden, redacted research papers questioning the true nature and vulnerability of the Asteri (55:12).
• The phrase “Dusk’s Truth” surfaces again, deepening the mystery and tying back to Sophie and Danika’s emails (58:16).

Ruhn & Cormac’s Pool Hall Espionage

• In a pool hall, Rune and Cormac negotiate an alliance. Cormac reveals the loss of their “point person,” Sophie, and asks Ruhn to use his secret “mind speak” to contact Agent Daybright—formerly Sophie’s covert contact with potential access to the Asteri (63:31).
  • “If you aid the cause, you could save thousands. But if you get involved, you’ll be aiding in deaths too—because that’s war.” – Jackie, 67:18
• They explore ethical ambiguity: Cormac is loyal to the mission, but distrusts certain extremist members, showing that there is no monolithic “good guy” in the rebellion (68:58).

Humor, Meta-Commentary & Tangents

• Throughout, the hosts infuse absurd humor:
  • Ongoing jokes about pool sharks, the hypothetical dangers of wolf emotional immaturity, and allegories with real-life family drama and trauma (43:41).
  • References to their own family: “I feel like middle school and high school...specifically, [Florida] fucked me up in a lot of ways.” – Jackie discussing what makes a “hometown,” (77:09)
  • Riffs on Kissin’ Cousins diner, fake names, and using comm crystals for “deodorant in Pitts Guard” (71:23).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Picking Your Battles:
  “It’s the life of intel. You got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them. But I would be—that’s why I’d be really bad at being a spy. No one asked me to be.”
  – Natalie Jean, 17:56

• On Emotional Trauma:
  “When you have a thing to love, a person to love, that brings this whole other world...This is both a gift and a prison. Because now I’m constantly afraid that you’re going to be hurt.”
  – Jackie Zabrowski, 20:59

• On the Alleyway Scene:
  “Well, since we’re dabbling in some seriously dangerous shit, now’s probably a good time as any to admit I don’t want to wait until Winter Solstice.”
  – Bryce (read by Jackie), 30:44

• On Character Loneliness and Trust:
  “His wolfiness cries out for a pack that just doesn’t exist right now. And so even though he’s feeling the shock...he feels a little betrayed that no one filled him in.”
  – Jackie, 34:35

• On Ethical Dilemmas in Rebellion:
  “If he will aid the cause, he could save thousands of lives. But Ruhn also knows...if he gets involved, he’ll be aiding in deaths, too, because that’s war.”
  – Jackie, 67:06

• On Handling Embarrassment:
  “You break a chair or two in your day, and, man, you think you’re gonna die of embarrassment, but you don’t. You just keep on keeping on.”
  – Jackie, 49:08

• Alleyway Makeout Reading:
  “He was going to kick that wolf out of the apartment immediately. Hunt twisted, pinning her against the wall and her mouth opened wider on a gasp. He swept his tongue in, tasting the honeyed spice that was pure Bryce.”
  – Hunt (read by Mike Lawrence), 79:21

Timestamps & Segment Highlights

• [13:40] – The entire crew debates packed apartment logistics & the fate of Danika’s sword.
• [17:43] – Why no one can keep a secret in Fae world (or Maassverse in general).
• [19:36] – Hunt’s panic attack, fear of returning to war, and blue wing jokes.
• [22:57] – The emotionally charged and surprisingly comic alleyway scene.
• [32:16] – Ethan and Tharion’s heart-to-heart, Ethan’s sense of betrayal.
• [46:18] – Ethan’s embarrassing coffee table mishap leads to the discovery of Danika’s research.
• [55:12] – Revelation: Danika’s papers question if the Asteri are truly “undying stars.”
• [62:40] – Pool hall meeting: Cormac and Ruhn debate rebellion ethics, mind speak, and the mystery of Agent Daybright.
• [78:04-80:00] – Dramatic, erotic reading of Hunt & Bryce’s alleyway scene by guest voice actors.
• [81:34] – Closing, with reading assignment: “Please read up until Chapter 22 for next week!”

Tone & Structure

Natalie and Jackie maintain a playful, self-aware, and deeply affectionate tone throughout, blending pop culture tangents, personal anecdotes, and insightful analysis of character motivations and world-building. The mood alternates between heartfelt discussion of trauma and loss, gleeful dirty jokes, and genuine fangirl excitement for Maas’s blend of romance and epic fantasy.

For Next Time

Reading Assignment:
Chapters 22 and onward will be covered next week, promising even more intrigue, sexual tension, and possibly some answers to the mounting mysteries of House of Sky and Breath.

In sum:
This episode is both a hilarious, highly quotable romp and an incisive deep dive into some of HOSAB’s most emotionally and politically dense chapters yet. Even if you haven’t read the book, the camaraderie and comedic chemistry of Natalie and Jackie—and their occasional profound insights—make this episode a must-listen for fantasy fans and pop culture aficionados alike.