LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City – HOSAB / Episode 14: Creepin' n Reapin'

Date: September 9, 2025
Hosts: Natalie Jean and Jackie Zebrowski

Episode Overview

This episode, titled "Creepin' n Reapin'," continues LPN's hilarious and insightful exploration of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath (HOSAB). Hosts Natalie and Jackie dive deep into Chapters 23 and 24, blending their signature irreverence, cosplay antics, and genuine book nerdery as they follow Ethan and Tharion's investigations, dissect Bryce and Ruhn’s sibling bonding, and provide a play-by-play of a harrowing (and comical) run-in with supernatural reapers. The episode is both a close reading and a rollicking hangout, full of speculation, vulnerability, cultural commentary, and a healthy dose of monster thirst.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Costumes & Reaper Cosplay Shenanigans

[03:01–06:14]

• The episode kicks off with Natalie and Jackie both revealing they’ve independently dressed as reapers for the recording. Much delight ensues over Natalie's “shrimp fingers” and Jackie's “slutty reaper” persona.
• The hosts riff on reaper fashion, mesh robes, and impractically sexy afterlife attire.
  • Natalie Jean: “She was a baddie. Is that she could throw it back." (04:06)
  • Jackie Zebrowski: "You’re a slutty reaper." (04:02)
• They embrace the absurdity, laughing about mesh, glowing eyes, and see-through robes—creating a vivid visual for listeners.

2. Conventions and Fandom Etiquette

[07:21–10:07]

• Discussion shifts to fantasy events and recent controversy at a dark fantasy ball where boundaries were crossed with hired performers.
  • Natalie Jean: "It’s not gropes o'clock ever. Unless you and a person have had a long conversation about doing gropes o’clock… Don’t grab people, please." (08:22)
• Both highlight the importance of community safety and distinguish between fantasy balls and fetish or adult events.
• Natalie and Jackie announce upcoming appearances at Enchanted Realms Book Festival (Los Angeles, Oct. 11), Starfall Ball (San Francisco, September), and Dreamers & Readers Festival (March 2026).

3. The Ethan & Tharion Selkie Crime Scene

[13:49–19:22]

• The book content begins in earnest: Ethan joins Tharion investigating a gruesome selkie murder on the Isros; the team dynamic is tense, and Ethan feels like a tagalong.
  • The murder was especially violent: “She was shot with a Gorzian bullet so she couldn’t shift into a seal and then… repeatedly sliced in the femoral artery…” (19:05, Natalie)
• Tangent on selkies: what they are in myth and in Crescent City, plus a detour into (literal) selkie dresses and fashion.
  • Jackie Zebrowski: "I got lost looking at selkies… I want one of these dresses." (15:22)

4. Pack, Exile, and Powerlessness

[23:57–24:23]

• Ethan’s status as an exiled wolf informs his reluctance to shift—"He can’t bear shifting now that he’s been exiled..." (24:07, Natalie)
• Tharion and Ethan piece together that Emile (the child) and Pippa (the antagonist) were at the scene—a theory reinforced by scent, banter, and Ethan’s growing sense of his outsider status.
  • Jackie and Natalie empathize, discussing how group exclusion shapes character.

5. Sibling Dynamics: Bryce & Ruhn

[34:00–44:06]

• Transition to Bryce and Ruhn walking through hot city streets, bonding awkwardly but deeply as siblings.
  • Riff on sword vs. gun symbolism:
    • Jackie Zebrowski: “Swords could mean hope, resistance, strength. Guns meant death.” (36:17)
    • Natalie Jean: “Guns only exist to kill." (36:40)
• Family traditions are unpacked—postcard apologies after fights, feelings about step/real moms, and what it means to “not peak in middle school.”
• Touching moment as Bryce invites Ruhn to join her for Winter Solstice, extending their emotional bridge.

6. Prophecy, Power, and The Chosen One

[44:06–48:25]

• Discussion on why Bryce won’t wield the Star Sword, her feelings about legacy, and the subversion of “chosen one” tropes.
  • Bryce’s rationale: “I have the star in my chest already. I like Ruhn being the chosen one.” (45:05)
• The conversation speculates on fate, immigration (fae history), and cosmology in SJM’s world.

7. The Reaper Attack – Action & Revelations

[51:05–66:54]

• The episode peaks with Bryce and Ruhn’s ambush by reapers (dragged into a sewer, echoes of Pennywise!).
• They “cosplay” the reapers, hamming up their lines and making light of their own “floppy skeleton fingers.”
• Cormac’s timely rescue and the revelation: Bryce, not Ruhn, can kill unkillable reapers with the Star Sword.
  • Notable reactions:
    • Jackie Zebrowski: “It just sucks because she literally was just like, Run, you behave. It’s yours, it’s your thing… And then immediately it’s like, bitch, that shit is singing for your power." (66:54)
• Plot analysis: What does it mean for Bryce to wield the sword? Speculation on what motivates Prince Apollyon, foreshadowing future conflicts, and the weight of being “chosen” by fate.

8. Humor, Darkness, & Vulnerability

• Throughout the recap, Natalie and Jackie freely mix trauma jokes, horror asides (top 10 most painful ways to die!), and pop culture tangents (Police Academy, Birdemic, xenomorphs).
  • Jackie: “We’re not here to save the earth… we’re here to the earth into a bunch of feathers.” (32:10)
  • Natalie: “I’m just here for giving everyone intrusive thoughts.” (25:48)
• They openly discuss their own familial baggage, boundaries, and how Crescent City themes of pack, exile, and found family connect with their personal experiences.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On cosplay & friendship:
  • Jackie: “We did not plan to both be reapers, but that’s the fun… Natalie and I both went, ah, reaper to you.” (04:50)
• On con safety:
  • Natalie: “It’s not gropes o'clock ever… Don’t grab people, please.” (08:22)
• On sibling bonding:
  • Natalie: “He still needs a mom to kick his ass sometimes. It’s this sad recognition he didn’t have parents." (40:23)
• On fate & prophecy:
  • Bryce (via Jackie): “Maybe the knife is somewhere in the universe meant for her.” (47:45)
• On emotional growth:
  • Jackie: “She’s not really that adept with emotional communication… she was just frozen after such a traumatic experience.” (43:45)
• On power & destiny:
  • “What it can kill the unkillable. That’s so awesome. It just sucks because she literally was just like, run—you behave—it’s yours…” (66:54, Jackie)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:01 – Hosts show off their reaper costumes, riff on cosplay
• 07:21 – Discussion of convention boundaries and dark fantasy ball controversy
• 13:49 – Beginning of book segment: Ethan & Tharion investigate selkie murder
• 19:22 – Forensics scene and selkie lore tangent
• 24:07 – Ethan’s exile and reluctance to shift
• 34:00 – Bryce & Ruhn’s walk: sword vs. gun, family dynamics
• 44:06 – Prophecy, sword, and Bryce’s star power
• 51:05 – The reaper attack: sewer scene, action, and humor
• 63:22 – Cormac’s rescue, Bryce unleashed with the Star Sword
• 66:54 – End of Part One; stunned reactions and implications for the next section

Tone & Energy

Irreverent, heartfelt, and inclusive, Natalie and Jackie balance serious deep-diving and emotional intelligence (trauma, family, pack) with comedy, cosplay, and monster thirst. They keep things accessible to non-readers while offering enough literary insights and world-building speculation to intrigue deep fans.

Summary for the Uninitiated

• This episode covers key emotional and action moments in HOSAB Chapters 23–24: Ethan grappling with packlessness and traumatic memories while investigating a murder; Bryce and Ruhn deepening their sibling relationship amidst threats; and a climactic attack by supernatural reapers, culminating in Bryce inadvertently proving herself as the sword’s true wielder.
• Side conversations center around convention etiquette, trauma, growing up awkward, and the joys and pitfalls of fandom community.
• Humorous cosplay and pop culture references make the darkness fun, but meaningful insights into the book’s themes—and the cast’s own journeys—emerge throughout.
• The episode ends on a major plot twist, foreshadowing even greater challenges ahead as Bryce’s destiny shifts and her power awakens.

Next episode:
Beginning of Part Two, chapters 25–28—"Please read up until chapter 28 for next week!" (67:09, Jackie)