LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City – HOSAB / Episode 13: CONCRETE JUNGLES WHERE ANGELS KILL YOU

Hosts: Natalie Jean & Jackie Zebrowski
Date: September 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City delivers a hilarious yet incisive breakdown of House of Sky and Breath, focusing on Chapter 22 and the shifting dynamics among the main characters. Natalie and Jackie dissect the complexities of angelic politics, power games, forbidden communication, and the ever-present undercurrents of sexual tension in Sarah J. Maas’s richly built world. With signature wit and irreverence, the hosts spotlight not only the intense plot developments but offer meta-commentary on consent, workplace power, and the very fabric of trust, all while keeping the banter fast and fiercely engaging.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Cosplay & Mood-Setting Banter

Timestamps: 02:35 – 10:22

• Natalie and Jackie riff on driving to the studio in costume, their nostalgia for teen comedies, and the quirks of public crying in LA vs. NYC.
• They unwind with meta-jokes about baby talk, millennial culture, and YouTube personalities with infantilized affectations.
• Jackie (08:08): "The infantilization of grown men is what we've been waiting for. I can't, honestly, I want more of it. I say put those diapies on, boys... Stop going to the toilet. Make on your own damn self."
• Discussion pivots to the hygiene of fantasy beings ("Fae just smell good all the time" – Natalie, 09:29), with sidetracks into Sookie Stackhouse vampires, drawing parallels between fantasy and modern mundanity.

2. Rune's Mind Bridge: The Mysterious Agent Daybright

Timestamps: 13:36 – 22:44

• The focus returns to the book: Rune prepares to contact Agent Daybright via his mind-speak powers, with Flynn and Declan by his side for support.
• Detailed speculation about the mental visualization involved in mind-speak and Rune’s starry, night-filled astral projection.
• Rune’s encounter: Daybright appears as a flame-shrouded female figure, leading to geeky thrills and wild (sometimes explicit) speculation about the biology of magical beings.
• Natalie (17:08): Reads from the novel describing Rune’s astral form: "He found only a form of night and stars, galaxies and planets, as if his silhouette had been filled by them."
• Notable tension and code-word riddles exchanged between Rune (‘Agent Knight’) and Daybright; hosts posit about Daybright's true nature and SJM’s use of symbolism.

3. Decoding the Riddle, Espionage, and Sphinx Play

Timestamps: 22:44 – 24:33

• Jackie shares a real-life tale of menacing her husband with riddles while in a Sphinx costume, paralleling Daybright’s cryptic communication.
• The code phrase “safe passage is granted under the cover of the waning moon” is discussed—emphasizing the spy vibes and building intrigue about Daybright’s allegiance and possible sexual chemistry with Rune.
• The hosts highlight the tension of “not supposed to understand, just deliver”—mirroring the larger theme of acting under mystery and pressure.

4. Cormac's Obsession, the Bone Quarter, and Coping with Loss

Timestamps: 24:33 – 26:45

• Natalie and Jackie discuss Rune’s next-morning debriefing with Cormac, Flynn, and Declan, exploring Cormac’s growing desperation to locate Sophie, his search patterns, and emotional spiraling.
• Group consensus: bringing in outside help (Rune) is healthy, though Cormac’s behavior borders on unhealthy obsession.

5. Hunt, Isaiah, & Celestina: Institutional Power Struggles

Timestamps: 26:45 – 54:08

• Cut to Hunt in the Comedium, struggling with stress and secrets as he faces a foreboding summons from Celestina.
• Description of Celestina’s redecorated archangelic office: contrast between Micah’s coldness and Celestina’s inviting touches, though Jackie notes, “You can still be a bad person with rugs” (29:10).
• Focus on the fallout from Pollux and Baxian’s violent altercation, with a deep dive into the institutional mishandling of sexual assault and the Asteri’s sinister influence in protecting perpetrators.
• Key moment:
  • Pollux: “The lady, quote, wanted it.”
  • Natalie: “Makes me want to stab and stab.” (39:01)
  • Jackie: “Just want to watch the blood slowly be let from his body.” (39:08)
• Celestina’s forced compliance with the Asteri and the distressing announcement of her mating with Ephraim:
  • Jackie (46:01): “Still on breeding horse. Awesome. Yay.”
  • The “Death’s Day” mating spectacle mirrors real-world systemic abuse, eliciting hosts’ meta-commentary and symbolic readings.
• Celestina’s subtle revelation to Hunt about her history with Shahar and sympathy for the rebellion, creating new doubt and hope for Hunt (and listeners).

6. Trust, Cynicism, and Forced Confession

Timestamps: 54:08 – 64:45

• Celestina asks for Hunt’s trust and friendship, admitting she attempted to free him from Sandriel and regretted her lack of courage during the rebellion:
  • Natalie (57:25): “She tells him she chose not to and regrets her decision every day of these hundred years later.”
• Hunt’s internal conflict about trusting her, mirroring broader themes of trauma, trust, and manipulation.
• Hunt’s warning to Celestina about Sandriel’s Triari—especially the Hind, Harpy, and Hawk.

7. Hunt & Baxian: Enemies, Allies, or Something Else?

Timestamps: 61:19 – 65:16

• Outside the office, Baxian approaches Hunt, both trying to feel each other out, dancing around whether they’re friend or foe.
• Baxian tries to disavow Pollux, hint at personal ethics, and build rapport, but Hunt (overwhelmed and suspicious) mostly wants to leave.
  • Jackie (64:45): “He’s not like the other boys.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jackie (09:17): "I think Fae just smell good all the time... That's why they are able to be seductors."
• Natalie (17:08): "He found only a form of night and stars, galaxies and planets, as if his silhouette had been filled by them."
• Jackie (29:10): "You can still be a bad person with rugs."
• Natalie (39:01): "Makes me want to stab and stab."
• Jackie (46:01): "Still on breeding horse. Awesome. Yay."
• Jackie (64:45): "He’s not like the other boys."
• Natalie (57:25): "She tells him she chose not to and regrets her decision every day of these hundred years later."

Key Timestamps

• Cosplay & Banter: 02:35–10:22
• Rune’s Mind Contact: 13:36–22:44
• Spy Riddles Discussion: 22:44–24:33
• Cormac’s Spiral: 24:33–26:45
• Hunt & Celestina, Institutional Drama: 26:45–54:08
• Celestina’s Confession & Trust Issues: 54:08–64:45
• Hunt & Baxian’s Side-Eye: 61:19–65:16

Episode Tone & Closing

The episode balances earnest literary analysis with zany, unapologetically explicit humor, laced with tangents about modern culture, relationships, and daily life. The hosts’ dynamic is energetic and irreverent, keeping even the darkest plot turns accessible and relatable while not sparing sincere outrage at injustice (both fictional and real).

Next Reading Assignment: Up to Part Two, "The Abyss."