LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City – Episode 36: "Corm of Fire"

Podcast: LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City
Date: February 10, 2026
Hosts: Natalie Jean & Jackie Zebrowski
Book Covered: Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas (Chapters 72–74)
Episode Focus: Major plot reveals, lore deep dives, pivotal character choices, and a signature blend of riotous tangents and sharp romantic sci-fi analysis.

Overview

This episode marks the “final countdown” phase of House of Sky and Breath. Natalie and Jackie break down the charged final chapters, unravel major lore bombs about the series’ antagonists (the Asteri), discuss character choices with passion and exasperation, and inject the conversation with their signature mix of cosplay, wild humor, and earnest romantic fantasy obsession.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Energy & Cosplay Antics

• Jackie and Natalie are both deep in cosplay—bald caps, mohawks, elaborate costume changes—and reflect on the absurdity and commitment it takes for an "audio podcast" (09:04).
• Opening chatter includes bagel theories, hypothetical wrestler personas, and the ever-present struggle of keeping costume pieces intact.
• Running gag: Jackie barks and howls in character, riffing on Crescent City’s men and monster archetypes (03:26, 23:00).

2. Listener Corrections & Social Media Updates

• The hosts acknowledge their earlier mistake on a character name (mistaking "Cooper" for "Connor"), thanking listeners for their gentle corrections (10:50).

  “You were much kinder than… you had any right to be… because we were like, really wrong and we were wrong for a while.” — Natalie (10:50)

• Plug for their behind-the-scenes content and Romantasy Deep Dives Instagram/TikTok (11:00).

3. Recap – Where Everyone Is & The Abandoned Plan

• The group summarizes where heroes stand:
  • Bryce is delving deep into the Crystal Palace’s mysteries.
  • Hunt and Ruhn are on edge, nervously waiting for Bryce.
  • Cormac and Therian break into an Imperial lab.
  • Ethan is MIA, tending to wolf business back at the den (18:08).
• Everyone immediately ignores the careful plan they’d made:
  • Both Bryce and Ruhn go off-script (“and why do we have the plans in the first place?” — Jackie, 20:13).
  • Natalie: “Of course nobody else is following the plan because they know you’re not gonna follow the plan.” (21:26)

4. Bryce’s Solo Discovery – Dusk’s Truth

• Bryce, ever reckless, investigates a mysterious room titled "Dusk"—a possible connection to earlier series lore and a storyline from Danika and Sophie’s research (25:36).
• Natalie ties this to other Sarah J. Maas universes for cross-series readers (26:21).

5. The Asteri’s Big Reveal – Galactic Parasites

• Bryce discovers the "war room" of the Asteri: walls lined with maps of conquered solar systems, chilling notes about whole planets systematically drained of life.
• Direct quotes from in-book notes are discussed:

  “One planet in the habitable zone had been pinned and labeled Renthar. Conquered. AE14000... Little supply terminated. AE14007. Damn. Seven years. You used it, abused it, and threw it back into the solar system.” — Jackie reading (41:48)

• The hosts reflect on the horror: the Asteri are not gods, but cosmic leeches who migrate from world to world, sucking life energy (43:37)—cue Natalie:

  “These Asteri aren’t these omnipotent beings of godlike origins, as they all believe—they are parasites.” (46:30)

• Bryce discovers that "Hell" was just another planet—defeated, drained, yet the "princes of hell" fought back and once aided Midgard (52:11).
• The “Dusk’s Truth” connection is explored as a major lore convergence for the SJM universe (54:38).

6. Confrontation with Rigelus – The Villain’s Monologue

• Rigelus, the Asteri leader, speaks to Bryce through an intercom (54:38):

  “Even we have forgotten where [our home world’s] runes lie.” Bryce: “I am going to—fly—kill you.” — (54:47)

• He rationalizes the Asteri’s behavior:

  “You eat and drink, don’t you? Anything living takes from its environment. You should see what the inhabitants of some worlds did to their planets… Was it not fitting that we returned the favor?” — Rigelus (55:05)

• Discussion of the Asteri’s manipulation of other supernatural creatures and the “lost history” of the Vanir, shifters, and fae—they’re not native to Midgard, but brought (or lured) here by the Asteri (61:14).

7. Parallel Plots: Cormac’s Sacrifice and The Kamikaze Raid

• Cormac and Therian’s infiltration spirals as Cormac goes on a murder spree, evidently planning to die for the cause since his lovers are both dead or unavailable (35:41, 45:43).
• Pippa and the Lightfall squad arrive; Cormac is shot but unleashes a blaze of fire, embracing a sacrificial end to destroy as many enemies as he can (66:06).

  “Cormac gave no warning as he erupted into a ball of fire.” — Jackie reading (66:29)

• The hosts reflect with empathy and exasperation on these "romantic but self-destructive" choices (65:39).

8. Rune’s Dungeon Peril & Dani’s Allegiances

• Rune descends into the palace dungeon, searching for a possible “Day” rescue.
• He’s immediately caught by Mordoc, the bloodhound villain (31:01), and soon dungeons fill with familiar faces—everyone’s captured.
• Natalie: “No matter… he was just cloaked in shadows. Mordoc knew his scent well now…” (68:22)

9. Harpy Torture and The Hind's Heroic Entrance

• With Bryce, Hunt, and Rune imprisoned, the sadistic Harpy threatens graphic violence.
• The Hind bursts in, potentially saving them, introducing a crucial cliffhanger about allegiances—Is she really Agent Day? (73:11).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Fan Casting Rigelus:
  “I keep thinking about that little butt in Marty Supreme… Timothy Shamalama Ding Dong’s little tiny bow.” — Jackie (04:48)

• On Fantasy Character Recklessness:
  “The thing is that… if you’re not gonna follow the plan, of course nobody else is following the plan!” — Natalie (21:26)

• On the Asteri’s True Nature:
  “These aren’t gods—they’re parasites. Sickened, she wonders if she is just like them, having sucked out all the First Light…” — Natalie (43:37)

• On Sci-Fi/Fantasy Lore Overlap:
  “It’s very comic book esque—yeah, sci-fi kind of stuff…” — Natalie, comparing Asteri/Krypton parallels (60:25)

• On Dramatic Irony:
  “Apparently they knew they were coming. They knew all these things were going to happen. He [Mordoc] seems very proud of himself for having tracked them around Lunatheon for weeks at Rigelus’ command.” — Natalie (70:16)

• Mordoc’s Triumph:
  “He did the thing the daddy told him to do. He was sniffing them out the entire time…” — Jackie (70:55)

• Comic Relief Tangents:

  • Bagel vs. flat bagel science (03:00)
  • The ethics of cloning and peep marshmallows (13:01)
  • Buffet wisdom—never trust a seafood buffet in the desert (47:41)

Timeline of Key Segments

• [02:36] — Show proper intro; diving into Crescent City cosplay and fan banter.
• [10:04] — Correction on “Connor” vs. “Cooper”; appreciation for listener engagement.
• [12:55] — Recap of the group’s situation; everyone abandons their plan immediately.
• [15:01] — Natalie and Jackie bemoan the futility of fantasy plans.
• [18:08] — Keeping track of Ethan and the den plot thread.
• [19:48] — Ramping tension as Hunt and Rune ignore protocol.
• [25:36] — Bryce finds “Dusk’s Truth” chamber.
• [41:48] — Reading Asteri’s parasitic planetary notes; horror and humor.
• [43:37] — What are the Asteri? Full parasite theory.
• [52:11] — The fall of Hell; connections to other SJM arcs.
• [54:38] — Rigelus reveals himself; villain monologue begins.
• [66:29] — Cormac’s self-sacrifice—“erupted into a ball of fire.”
• [68:22] — Rune’s capture and doubts about Day.
• [70:16] — Mordoc gloats about his successful betrayal.
• [73:11] — The Hind’s dramatic, possibly game-changing, entry.

Tone & Flourishes

• The hosts’ banter is equal parts irreverent and insightful. They oscillate between joke-laden tangents (carnivals, wrestling, flat bagels) and genuinely sharp literary analysis.
• Sexual innuendo, wild fan-casting, and in-character riffing punctuate their discussions (“bark bark bark!” “Daddy Rigelus!” “I’ll come at you with my mohawk!”).

For Next Week

Cliffhanger:

• The group is captured and bruised, but The Hind appears—possibly as a long-awaited ally or double-agent.
• Listeners are assigned to read until Chapter 77.

In summary:
This episode delivers major answers about the Asteri, builds dread for the heroes’ predicament, and balances SJM universe lore breakdowns with wild comedic energy, keeping both veteran fans and newcomers hooked—and howling.

For continued connection:
Follow Romantasy Deep Dives on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes clips and cosplay outtakes, because as Jackie and Natalie say, “James is pulling [the clips]… Sometimes you don’t have time to watch the whole YouTube!” (11:14)