LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City – HOSAB / Episode 25: Teleporkin'

Release Date: November 25, 2025
Hosts: Natalie Jean & Jackie Zebrowski
Book Discussed: House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas (Crescent City, Book 2), Chapter 47/Part 2

Episode Overview

In this episode, Natalie and Jackie return to their Crescent City HOSAB deep dive, dissecting pivotal chapters following a traumatic and action-packed sequence in the book. The hosts discuss how major losses affect the characters, interpret emotional dynamics, and tease out the larger mysteries and themes at the heart of the series. Much of the discussion centers on grief, rebellion, morally grey decisions, and the sexual/romantic entanglements that define Maas's world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Penny Talk, Holiday Nonsense, and Warm-Up Banter (03:05–11:10)

• The hosts riff on pop culture and holidays, joking about pennies being discontinued, holiday inflation, and Christmas creeping into Thanksgiving.
• Notable comedic improv includes an extended riff on Abraham Lincoln and Scrooge (“You better watch out, or I’m taking slavery away again.” – Jackie, 05:20).

“If you have two nickels together and you rub them together, you got a dime piece of a brain in these two bitches.” — Jackie (03:56)

2. Where We Are in the Book: Chapter/Plot Recap (11:12–15:29)

• Sophie’s death: Cormac is mourning over Sophie’s body; it’s confirmed she did not survive.
• The hosts set the emotional tone: the group is coming down from a wave of danger and loss, with several characters (Bryce, Ruhn, Tharion, Cormac) processing the fallout.

“Regardless of what happened and how she was almost saved, Sophie did not make it, it turns out. Although, who knows with these magical creatures?” — Natalie (12:24)

3. Grief and Emotional Fallout (15:30–19:36)

• Cormac’s devastation: He’s not only grieving but recounts how he met Sophie, emphasizing their genuine connection.
• The tone is alternately sincere and irreverent, with jokes about “teleporkin’” (teleporting sex).
• Discussion of Sophie’s self-inflicted carvings: hosts speculate on the pain and purpose.

“If you try to bring the dead back, it doesn’t usually work out well. But sometimes, maybe it does, but not in the way that you want it.” — Natalie (13:06)

4. Carved Mystery & Trauma Analysis (17:22–19:36)

• Focus shifts to the code carved into Sophie’s arm, its significance, and character reactions.
• Both hosts relate this device to themes in other Maas series (Throne of Glass).

“It looks as though Sophie did this to herself. Possibly. But another mystery. Cormac doesn’t know what the letters and numbers are or what they mean.” — Natalie (18:30)

5. Comic Relief & Costume Commentary (20:14–22:43)

• Extended banter about costumes, office attire, and the imagined politics of Preacher’s Wives (“I have a shell phone!”).
• Comic riff on the sexual symbolism of fish and ocean royalty.

“I just realized… it’s my shell phone. Guys. Are you laughing so hard that you had to stop the episode? Guys. Shell phone.” — Jackie (21:39)

6. Ship Politics and Revolutionary Allegiances (22:43–32:30)

• Cormac vows to protect Emile, raising the question of who will take care of Sophie’s brother.
• Bryce worries the Hind may target their families.
• Tharion interacts with mer leader Sendes, learns about secret marine technology, and that the Ocean Queen may want fair elections (a rare benevolent motive?).

“Sendes tells him that the Queen does not want to be the new ruler. Tharion kind of scoffs at this, which is fair.” — Natalie (28:26)

7. The Bruised Heart of Tharion (32:30–34:18)

• Tharion’s attempts to retrieve Sophie’s body are shut down; hosts discuss the power dynamics and the River Queen's possible motives.
• Brief, pointed commentary on misogyny and ownership related to the disposition of Sophie’s body.

“He realizes with resignation that Cormac will never sign off on giving his love’s body to another lady.” — Natalie (32:30)

8. Ruhn & Day: Intimacy and Storytelling on the Mind Bridge (34:18–46:42)

• Ruhn, anxious and exhausted, seeks comfort in a mind-link with ‘Day’ (mysterious rebel leader).
• Day and Ruhn’s conversation: They debate morality, the cost of revolution, and Pippa’s dangerous extremism.
• Day tells Ruhn a symbolic bedtime story about a witch pursued by a prince, transforming to escape—clear allegory to her own trauma, hunted-turned-monster as survival.
• Intimate gestures—touching hair, lap resting—signal escalating emotional (possibly romantic) intimacy.

“She was a brave agent, far better and braver than Ophion deserved.” — Day (35:34)

“So, the allegory is sort of representing this witch lady who was attacked and prodded by a man for so long that she becomes a monster herself. Obviously, she’s to some extent speaking of herself.” — Natalie (46:44)

9. Transition to Part Three: The Pit (47:46–48:41)

• End of a book section; the hosts predict the narrative will now shift back into Lunathion and new dangers.
• Jackie compares Day’s story to “Lysandra” in Throne of Glass, noting Maas's recurring themes of women forced to change for survival.

10. Back in Lunathion: Threats, Codes, and Schemes (49:04–59:56)

• Bryce, Hunt, and Ruhn regroup in her apartment, still stuck on the mystery of the arm code and worried about Hind's next move.
• Baxian reveals himself as a rebel sympathizer—or does he? He wants “in,” arguing he’s already risked himself for them.
• Debate: Can he be trusted, or is this a long con?
• Hunt and Bryce’s romantic chemistry flairs until Hunt presses Bryce about the missing Emile and the revelation that he’s currently with the Viper Queen.

“How about you tell me what the fuck you know about Emile?” — Hunt (59:13)

“Are you fucking insane? Sending that kid to the Viper Queen?” — Hunt (59:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Grief:
  “Cormac is with… the body of Sophie. Sophie is deceased. And not, like, in the fun way.” — Natalie (11:10)

• On Teleportin’ and Teleporkin’:
  “You can’t stop love. Or at least you can’t stop wanting to get in those pants.” — Natalie (16:05)
  “Teleportin’ Porkin’. Yeah, teleportin’.” — Jackie (16:44)

• The Allegory of Day’s Story:
  “She doesn’t want a prince or a kingdom, only wants to be free… Are you trying to say something?” — Jackie (42:57–43:09)
  “So the allegory is sort of representing this—this witch lady who was, you know, kind and had, like, a good heart, who was attacked and prodded by a man for so long that she becomes a monster herself.” — Natalie (46:44)

• On The Hind:
  “Hunt thinks it’s because the Hind is playing mind games with them.” — Natalie (51:46)
  “She’s waiting to see what they do next... she wants to know where you will lead her to essentially let them hang themselves.” — Baxian recounted by Natalie (56:27)

• Comic Relief/Meta Moments:
  “I just realized… it’s my shell phone. Guys. Are you laughing so hard you had to stop the episode? Guys. Shell phone.” — Jackie (21:39)
  “Anything can be a chess piece if you stick it on a board.” — Jackie (57:59)

Important Timestamps

• 03:05: Ocean Queen/Ween song riff, intelligence as ‘one man’
• 11:12: Beginning Chapter 47—Sophie's death; emotional fallout
• 16:44: Teleporting/Teleporkin’ joke and Cormac/Sophie’s relationship
• 18:22–19:07: Carvings on Sophie’s arm discussion
• 34:18: Ruhn and Day’s midnight “mind bridge” conversation; themes of trust and guilt
• 40:05–45:45: Day’s allegorical fairy tale
• 47:46: End of Part Two; shift to “The Pit”
• 49:04: Back at Bryce’s apartment, regrouping, code investigation
• 54:21: Baxian confronts group, reveals rebel intent
• 59:04: Hunt presses Bryce about Emile’s location—meat market reveal

Episode Takeaways

• Grief and Loyalty: The hosts highlight Cormac’s heartache and the depth of connection in Maas’s world—all with the irreverence only LPN can bring.
• Revolution and Rebellion: Conflicted allegiances, deep cover agents, and ethical ambiguity rise to the forefront, especially in the Day/Ruhn dynamic and Baxian’s surfacing as a supposed ally.
• Romantic Tangling: Romance gets tangled with secrecy (Day & Ruhn; Bryce & Hunt), often providing both tension and comic release.
• Comic Flair: Jackie and Natalie maintain LPN’s signature humor, balancing serious literary analysis with jokes, innuendo, and wild improv.

Next Time

Read up to Chapter 52 for the next episode. The unraveling web of secrets, danger, and sexual tension continues…

Summary Prepared For:
Fans who missed the episode or want a recap before diving into the next explosive Crescent City deep dive!