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Two Twisted Crowns: Book Club Reactions Pt 1 | Mythic Mirror Ep 29
15 Plays13 days ago
Read this dark fantasy along with us. We dive into the first half of Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig. We chat about consent, blood sport, best ways to incorporate your shadow and other light hearted topics.
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
What happens when the monster wins? And who are you when control is lost? And does every book have a contraceptive tonic?
Introduction to Mythic Mirror
00:00:21
Speaker
Welcome to Mythic Mirror, the podcast for lovers of myth and fantasy who want to live magical and fulfilling lives. I'm your host, Mary C. Kehoe. And I'm your co-host, Carolina Carter.
00:00:32
Speaker
And today we are giving our first reactions to The Twisted Crown, book two of The Shepard King duology.
First Impressions of The Twisted Crown
00:00:40
Speaker
So first off... What do you think?
00:00:43
Speaker
but do you How do you like it so far? I am enjoying the heck out of myself. I was thinking to myself earlier that this might be a reread in the fall, um just because atmospherically it's blazing summer outside. And I'm wanting to cozy up by the fire, especially, I mean, this was in book one, but no, there was a part in book two where they're coming in just soaked from the rain and freezing and need to be by a fire. Meanwhile, I'm sweating and I'm like, it's going be a fall reread, I can tell.
00:01:14
Speaker
But um lots of things coming to light. I do want to say that I am am likely... probably wrong about the shepherd king being a love interest disappointing very disappointing um but yes the i feel like the writer has been quite intentional and beautiful in the way that they interact um and it not being romantic in any way shape or form
Themes of Consent and Choice
00:01:45
Speaker
Yeah. So speaking of the way they interact, the shift in dynamic of now the nightmares on the outside and she's trapped inside the mind. Yeah.
00:01:56
Speaker
Yeah. What do you think about that? I do enjoy that the themes of consent and choice are still very heavy in this book. Um, when he finds her on the black shore of his mind and tells her he can bring her up to the conscious basically, but you know, he's very clear. He's like, now you will be in my mind.
00:02:17
Speaker
You will not have choice. You will not have a say. You will just exist there. And he waits, even though there's the absolute bedlam going on outside, he waits for her to say yes before bringing her up.
00:02:31
Speaker
And my favorite part of that part is he says, please don't leave me with these idiots. yeah Yeah. And how he can't find her for a little bit because she leaves the shore and goes back it like swimming through the ocean of memory and consciousness, I guess. so he's He gets really concerned when he can't find her.
00:02:52
Speaker
Right, which I that was the part two, where I think that really shows like he truly does care about
Character Relationships and Depth
00:02:59
Speaker
her. Yeah. And I think that showed Raven to that, like, he might be scary, and you might not trust him, but he does genuinely care about her. He genuinely doesn't want her to come to harm.
00:03:11
Speaker
Yeah, so and also interesting to find out that he is the shepherd of the trees. Yeah, that was cool. That was a really cool part. And so we're finding this out because we're going through his memories with Elspeth.
00:03:26
Speaker
And i've it's it's so it's interesting and just so sad and tragic to watch him... I mean, we are realizing that the cards became an addiction, pretty much.
00:03:38
Speaker
And like trees had warned him all along that each each one that you get, it'll never be enough and you'll always want more. And then you see it outplay and what that does to him and his kingdom and his family.
00:03:54
Speaker
And it's really sad. And that, you know, we in the first book, we find out that his children get killed. And in the second book, we find out that he had already lost them through his own actions. You know, emotionally, he had already cut himself off.
00:04:12
Speaker
And what I think I'm a little farther than you in the book, but his sister just said, there are 11 versions of you and each one colder than the one before. Hmm. Right.
Moral Ambiguity and Betrayal
00:04:23
Speaker
And most interestingly, finding out that his sister married Brutus Rowan, who we know is the betrayer, but are getting to meet him as the concerned captain, who is very good friends with him and was concerned as he sort of dips further into madness.
00:04:42
Speaker
hmm. Yes. And. I think this conversation, I just read it. So, so I don't think you've read this one either, but I, cause I was thinking about that too. Cause because in the beginning, in the first half of this book too, you start to wonder like, oh, did he, was he forced to, to betray him because he's like pretty much going mad and and not being a good King anymore because the cards are consuming him.
00:05:11
Speaker
And then you remember like, oh, but wait, his children get murdered. Like there's no reason for that. No matter how mad the king gets. there Yeah. the the The rush on the home and murdering the children is not...
00:05:25
Speaker
Not what a concerned friend does. It's an indefensible indefen position. Yes. Yes. And then in this last conversation where they start to, this is the first time you kind of see antagonism between the two.
00:05:37
Speaker
And he mentions that he knows what he's been, the king knows what Rowan has been doing with the scythe card. And he says, you know, if you grow too comfortable with pain and and and pretty much lays down a boundary of You know, if you kill with the scythe again, you know, I'll take it from you from your cold, dead hands, pretty much. Also interesting to find out that the Rowan family does not have all the scythe cards.
00:06:07
Speaker
Yeah, that there's one missing. There are two things that make me very uncomfortable that this writer does, in a good way.
Tension in Plot Devices
00:06:15
Speaker
um as I should say that creates tension for me, not just makes me uncomfortable. One, just ah she'll I feel like she'll casually drop these little things And you're like, is that a really big deal? Or is that just like sort of an aside?
00:06:32
Speaker
Yeah. And the one missing scythe card seems like it can't possibly just be a random aside. The other one is when Elm goes and finds Ion's marriage contract to Hoth.
00:06:45
Speaker
And it says because he's a ah like a not a great prince and a piss poor destrier he leaves the contract document room unlocked i know i i know what ah and i'm been like what could possibly be in there that like does this get him in trouble like just leaving it unlocked what does that just get him in trouble or does someone find something that's gonna be a really big problem i've been stressing about it all night All week. Yeah. oh you Yeah. And you're like, or was that just like another of his game?
00:07:22
Speaker
Exactly. Is it just his character where it's like he goes in locked doors and he leaves them unlocked? no big deal, Zio. Yeah. feel I feel like it's going to be bad. Yeah.
00:07:34
Speaker
I don't know how. also just really don't want Hoth to wake up ever.
Magic System and Character Dynamics
00:07:46
Speaker
Oh, no. He's already woken up. Oh, you're the worst. You look like a little bird who ate a canary. but but Hopefully that's a hawk or something. Yeah, you look like a hawk.
00:08:02
Speaker
Blink. A very, very cheeky hawk. Blink, blink, blink. Well, I will say I haven't heard him speak yet. Yeah.
00:08:13
Speaker
ring Great. Great. I'm just giving you spoilers. I'm not even that far ahead of you. Okay, I do have something. I do have... Not a negative.
00:08:23
Speaker
a But I do need to talk about it. want to it's one as me. I'm sure it's not. I'm very excited for yours, though. um Okay, so here's the thing. The maiden card. Super interesting, and I think we have more to talk about, that it has healing powers that nobody's known about for centuries because they're just like, well, this just makes women pretty, so here you go. Like, that's your card. Mm-hmm.
00:08:44
Speaker
And I also love the thought that like probably every single woman who's ever had this card has figured out that it has healing powers and it's just not told anyone. Yeah. yeah Very funny to me.
00:08:56
Speaker
If men learn that this is important, we don't get it anymore. This will be taken from us. So everybody like, you know, they can't just all tell each other that they've just all come to this conclusion on their own, which I i love. um Okay. The maiden card taking away all emotions except for desire.
00:09:13
Speaker
Is that, is there, can you, is there a defensible reason or is, is that just getting a little bit like Wattpad fictiony? You, do you know what Wattpad is?
00:09:25
Speaker
Yes, I do. Um, yeah. ah Dirty little birdie.
00:09:32
Speaker
Oh, you do. Yeah. I guess because if It's not taking away the physical
00:09:46
Speaker
like what happens to you physically. So you you don't have an emotion about it, but you still have, um, all the physical triggerings. But then you should still feel that for fear or excitement.
00:09:59
Speaker
You're right. You're right. It's breaking the rule. I just felt like it broke the rule just to have like the sexual spicy tension that is so popular these days.
00:10:10
Speaker
Yes, I totally agree. yeah, The only way, well, the only way she's getting away with it is because I think the hint, well, we already know that Elm, because we got hints of it in the first book, so we know that Elm already liked her, at least, before the maiden card, because or else this would be kind of not believable. Right. um And so, and I do like that when you're in Elm's head, it's like he's always trying to see past the maiden card. He's trying to get a reaction from her. Yeah, I do like that.
00:10:49
Speaker
And to be clear, I'm not complaining. love it. No, but. But I was kind of, when I was reading that part, I was like, I feel like, i feel like you've set up such a good magic system and I feel like this breaks the rule. I'm not mad about it. I'm quite enjoying it, but I'm also like, yeah, I agree. I agree. Cause then you're totally right. You would need to,
Emotional Depth and Narrative Decisions
00:11:13
Speaker
you know, sweaty palms or like your heart beating, even though you're not scared um that and that would have to happen as well. Yeah, and it did feel like that to me and it felt a little, like i felt like the,
00:11:30
Speaker
ah because of that, the scene, like their little spicy scene, i mean it's not very spicy, but you know. It's not not spicy. It's not not spicy. It's mild spice. Mild spice. I felt like that scene came too soon.
00:11:48
Speaker
I wanted, you know, and it's feel that way though. No, I don't. No, I don't. Oh, I do. Oh. um But I think, you know, with the first, with book one, it's been set up as kind of more of the slow burn. You get that emotional connection before, or at least we get to see more of um ah an emotional connection on the page before it goes straight to, um you know, a sexual scene. So now,
00:12:17
Speaker
because she can't feel emotion and only feels desire it's like they go there a lot sooner yeah it's like well i guess the only thing left for us to do is each other it you know like it's just yeah i could use a little more yearning yeah end yeah and you know if if she can't feel it he can and that's fine we can yearn with him yeah Yeah.
00:12:49
Speaker
It's kind of just assuming that because she feels physical desire, when she comes back to herself, she'll still like him. a Dangerous.
00:12:59
Speaker
ah Yeah. And I think that could be explored as a fear for him a little bit more. Mm-hmm. And maybe that could have been what slows down that the that subplot.
00:13:16
Speaker
he But that being said, I still really like both of them and I like how they interact and yeah how Eon tries to um be true to herself even when she can't feel what she would feel. She knows like she still has her morality. She still has her ethics, I should say, and knows what her previous self would do. So tries to do it in terms of like comforting and things like that.
00:13:46
Speaker
And very obviously still cares very deeply for Elspeth. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. That wasn't, you know, like that. And that's an interesting too thing, too, that I could say was breaking the rules. But, like, when she goes to see her and when she finds out she's been captured, she's very upset.
00:14:02
Speaker
here um So there's there's obvious, like, so that is interesting. It's a hard thing to write. They've said a few times, like, there are things that is deeper than magic, even, you know? So ah it's like some of these emotions are just a little too strong for them the magic to totally cover. yeah Like, it kind of, like, breaks through for a moment, and then she goes back to being cold.
00:14:30
Speaker
Right. That makes sense. And usually, other than this physical desire bit, um these emotions that break through usually have to do with love.
00:14:44
Speaker
That it has already, like a strong love that's already built in, which kind of goes to the debate of is love an emotion or something else, you know? and Right. Because emotions go up and down and this and that, and love is a steady.
00:14:59
Speaker
the people That looks upon tempests and is never shaken. My favorite description of love ever. Yes. um And then i I do just have to. I have to because every fantasy book now has it and I do love it every time. They just slip in the net. It's why he'd been taking the contraceptive tonics since blah, blah, blah. okay Yeah. Yeah. I know. In fantasy books, this is such a this is a problem that's just so easily solved.
00:15:32
Speaker
like Yeah, and it's funny No side effects, you know. I personally, i like, I don't, I like don't really need it. and And maybe that's just me being dumb, but it's like, I can just accept that people are not getting pregnant. I don't want them to get pregnant. So I can just accept that it's not happening.
00:15:51
Speaker
um but i do feel like fantasy books especially recently feel like they have to address it in some way and i love all the different way they're like have you drank your moon juice i'd forgotten to take my moon juice this month yeah just like but whatever you don't have to tell me i don't care Yeah, I think the way in, because it did come up in ah in City of Brass, those books as well, but that was done. i think that...
00:16:23
Speaker
worked better because it was a specific action to subvert the will of the king so right it mattered more and they were dealing with herbs anyway yeah yeah so that worked it made sense my last little thing is that now I'm just like how does that work does does Elm have a little alarm that goes off every day and he takes his little tonic at this has to take it at the same time every day is there a page boy dedicated to reminding him at 9 a.m to take his tonic You know?
00:16:56
Speaker
yeah Did it also clear his acne? i don't know. it All right, we can move on from the tonic. I'm done. I'm
Fantasy Tropes and Humor
00:17:05
Speaker
sorry I'm done. Until we read the next fantasy book and they're like, she crushed up wolf's pain.
00:17:10
Speaker
Nobody's had the guts to actually just have them use sheep's guts condoms. so Had the guts, get it? Okay, we can cut that part. I'm going do this you know. Okay.
00:17:26
Speaker
It's just not very sexy, is it? It's like, hang on, a I own. and musteth go killeth a sheep. I willeth be right back. I willeth.
00:17:38
Speaker
Because that's how they talk in this book. That's how she wrote it. That is. Exactly. That was a cool direct quote. That was a direct quote. Okay. On that note, let us pause for a Discworld delight.
00:17:51
Speaker
Good call. Good call, Mary. I was going off the rails.
00:17:58
Speaker
Guesses from last week, my dainty duck. ah Small gods. Small gods. Also, OMG, I need to read Unseen Academicals now. I've been watching so much of the World Cup.
00:18:10
Speaker
Yay! It's a great time to reread. This is a weird one, even for the wizards. And then there's... I feel dumb. I feel dumb that I'm not understanding this. I feel like you gave me a hint and I'm not getting it. But there's three capital X's in parentheses.
00:18:31
Speaker
Oh, nice. Oh, we Tilly Mint did guess the last continent. Yeah. Good job, Tilly Mint. Yes, and the three X's is a correct hint for you there.
00:18:43
Speaker
Thank Four. Four X's. Four X's. Is it still a correct hint? ah Nope, now it's wrong. I feel so... i can See, I got a lot to reread. Yeah.
00:18:54
Speaker
It should come as no surprise to you, my dear listeners, that many of you are smarter than me. Oh, and for those listening and not watching, I held up the book, The Last Continent. a Good call. Good call, Mary Mary.
00:19:07
Speaker
All right. Last week, I gave you a real short one. This one's a little longer because it's funny.
00:19:14
Speaker
"'What are we looking for, actually, sir?' "'Not sure. Now this is good. It was a war axe, and so heavy that Vimes's arm sagged. Intricate etched lines covered the blade. It must have represented weeks of work. Not your actual Saturday night special, eh?' "'Oh no,' said Carrot. "'That's a burial weapon. I should think it is.
00:19:34
Speaker
I mean, it's made to be buried with a dwarf. Every dwarf is buried with a weapon, you know. To take them to wherever he's going.' but it's fine workmanship and it's got an edge like... Ah!
00:19:45
Speaker
Vimes sucked his finger like a razor. Carrot looked shocked. Of course, it'd be no good him facing them in with an inferior weapon. What them are you talking about?
00:19:56
Speaker
Anything bad he encounters on his journey after death, said Carrot a shade awkwardly. Ah! Vimes hesitated. This was an area in which he did not feel comfortable. It's an ancient tradition, said Carrot. I thought dwarves didn't believe in devils, demons, and such like that.
00:20:14
Speaker
That's true, but we're not sure if they know. who
00:20:22
Speaker
Now, what is that delightful conversation between Carrot and Vines from?
00:20:28
Speaker
What did you think of their captors who who find them in the wood?
Character Motivations and Flaws
00:20:33
Speaker
I was trying to be understanding, but I was just so irritated that they killed Peter's brother. Mm-hmm.
00:20:41
Speaker
It was like, and especially when Peter told them, like, he's been rescuing you. Yeah. For years, and you just killed him. Yeah. I was just, I was so irritated.
00:20:53
Speaker
I would have liked to have seen more remorse at that point from them. Yeah. And they they were like, oh, well, okay, you're good, but we still can't let you leave because you know about this place, so...
00:21:03
Speaker
Right. There was no like, yeah, and any of that. i i was a little frustrated with them because i was like, what is your plan? Why would you bring these people to your camp anyway? Like, I know you plan to kill the Distriers, but there's other people with them. And why, if you're using a drug to capture them, would you shoot someone in the head anyway? Especially it's not even one of the Distriers.
00:21:29
Speaker
And it wasn't out of self-defense. You snuck up on all of them. Why kill one of them for no reason? Yeah, i was I was just really frustrated the whole time. Either you're drugging everyone and taking them as captors or you're killing everyone. You don't do a little bit of both just for fun.
00:21:44
Speaker
Right. And then following it up with the blood sport, I was like, yes. Okay, so you're just as bad as the king. You're just the same. That's like what I wrote that down to the Hunger Games.
00:21:56
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. That was my question because, okay, so you drugged these people, brought them back to your super secret place that you don't want anyone to know about. So you've created a huge security risk because if they get out, you're all dead.
00:22:10
Speaker
So you created a huge security risk simply to feed them poison and watch them kill each other. like That's it. that's You risked everyone's life so you could drug them and have them kill each other?
00:22:23
Speaker
Yeah, and by the way, your magic is alchemy, and this whole time you haven't been working on a cure. You've just been working on how to knock people out and make them feel only rage. Yeah, and yeah, we've we've given you only hate and rage, and now we're going to watch you tear each other apart because, you know, proving that you are as horrible as we think you are, but you just did that to them with your magic, so.
00:22:48
Speaker
Right, it's that whole part I was just sort of like, I don't care about these people. can wipe out this whole camp. Like, I don't care. Until until the aunt shows up and they're like, never mind.
00:23:01
Speaker
Never mind. Yeah, that was, and I do really love that both the aunt and Ione knew immediately that it wasn't Elspeth. Mm-hmm. That, sad but very sweet.
00:23:16
Speaker
Yeah.
Nightmare's Perspective
00:23:18
Speaker
Yeah, and such a sign of that familial love that just knows. I also really love just how much the Nightmare hates Raven.
00:23:26
Speaker
I wish I had stayed asleep a hundred more years to miss the great disappointment that is you. He enjoys hating him. Yeah, it's what that's what I love.
00:23:38
Speaker
You know, like I feel like at this point he'd kind of miss not having him because it's like the his foil. It's like his son-in-law. Yeah, exactly. I do really enjoy that.
00:23:52
Speaker
And then also just like, Elspeth says you're ugly. Yeah. She did not say that. She did not say that. Yeah. Like you can tell the difference between how he hates the Rowan family line and then what he feels about Raven. And then his special hatred for Raven. Yeah. Speaking of the Rowans and the Nightmare. Yeah.
00:24:13
Speaker
i That is another setup that I think she did really well with Elm where the nightmare who hates all Rowans is like there's like this there's a different path for this one. And he calls him Elm after his first name instead of Rowan all the time.
00:24:30
Speaker
Yeah. This one son is assigned a different tree. Yeah. And he's also like, I think internally he has a sweeter side, but externally he's like, this one's already broken.
00:24:44
Speaker
i don't need to hurt him anymore. In his rhyme, it's like he sets up that like there's a fate waiting for elm that's different. You know, like he yeah he says that rhyme about how the Elm towers over both the Rowan and Ewe. Yeah.
00:25:01
Speaker
And you're like, okay, it could just be talking because Elm is very tall. But you're like, there's something there. But yes, back to the camp, that was, I was very frustrated with
Elspeth's Clever Decisions
00:25:11
Speaker
them. Yeah. And you're like, oh, cool, two sisters. And then you're like,
00:25:15
Speaker
either one of you I don't like you. And I did like how Elspeth has the nightmare break her nose because she broke Raven's knees. Like you didn't need to do that. Elspeth asked me to.
00:25:28
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Because it all just seemed so unnecessary. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know that it was. an Yeah. Like I don't mean the writer put in something that was unnecessary, but it's these characters were making choices that weren't necessary.
00:25:44
Speaker
And I know it's like they're showing a harder, rougher side to, you know, your enemies and, you know, maybe they're really nice to the children they rescue. But, you know, you just risk all those children for blood sport. So it negates that.
00:26:02
Speaker
Yeah. And are we bringing the kids out to watch this? Like what? And the fact that you made that potion speaks to a mind that works in ways that are not towards the good of all.
00:26:15
Speaker
Yeah. And okay, so your mom was forced to go into the mist. That's terrible. Plenty of people have tragic stories and they don't do horrible things. So you're going to have to do more than that to make got break the cycle.
00:26:29
Speaker
Yeah. You got to do the work. You got go to therapy. Really examine your whys. Yes.
00:26:39
Speaker
And become wise. And clearly Otho and Clotho or whoever did not do that. No. No. No, no. They have not integrated with their shadow. They haven't. And it's obvious. Elspeth has.
00:26:52
Speaker
Yep. Bless her.
Elspeth's Narrative Journey
00:26:55
Speaker
Speaking of Elspeth, it's been interesting because she has not been a main focus of this book so far.
00:27:03
Speaker
Mm-hmm. You know, we get a few short chapters of her, like, drifting about. in the mind of the nightmare. And now we're getting a little more of her now that she's brought up to consciousness. But for the first half of this book, she's really not the main character.
00:27:19
Speaker
a No, because yeah, whenever, even when we do see her, she's an avenue of finding out more about the king. Yeah, which is a great, I've been really enjoying that.
00:27:34
Speaker
Just, I love a history lesson. Mm-hmm. how she's seeing at first she thinks all of his children are talking to her and she realizes they're not. they're yeah She's just seeing these moments with the king and it's just heartbreaking.
00:27:51
Speaker
Yeah, that is really tough. You see from her point of view of watching the children and you know that, okay, so he was starting to like grow distant, something, you know, something was already going on. And then when she goes into the ocean and really it loses herself in these memories and is and it becomes first person and you then see the same line given from...
00:28:17
Speaker
the eldest son, but from the king's point of view and with all the surrounding events. And it's like, oh, it's even sadder than I thought it was. Yeah.
00:28:30
Speaker
Yeah. So to answer the question of who are you when the control is gone, what are we talking about there? I'm talking about Raven because he's been so carefully curated, so controlled his
Raven's Evolution
00:28:44
Speaker
whole life. And in this book, it started in book one, but in this book, you are really starting to see that unravel. Yeah.
00:28:53
Speaker
where just like his obvious care for Elisabeth, his obvious care for his brother. um He's just like he had a careful plan in book one that he was executing. And now he's like, I don't care what it takes. I don't care what I have to do. i don't care what i have to lose. I'm going to save these people. And i think the nightmare says to him at one point, like the veneer is thinning and who are you underneath?
00:29:19
Speaker
knight highwayman or thief or something like that or so oh it's the it's the rhyme it's um like captain highwayman or a beast unknown something yes thank you for remembering that because that's way better than what and it's very interesting too because it does seem like Is is he revealing what's underneath or is he discovering who he actually is?
00:29:48
Speaker
Probably both. Probably both. Because that's how good works books books work. Good books work. Good books work. Woodwork. woodwork woodwork um and then you do kind of see like the final finality of that when he's given the the rage potion he's just letting everybody have it yeah even his sister which i thought was rude i know and i i mean i guess they didn't come to blows they just yelled at each other so it's like even with this magic overpowering them they're not actually hurting each other they're And they weren't even, i mean, they they weren't as vicious as they could be.
00:30:28
Speaker
No, it wasn't that bad. It wasn't that bad. was a Saturday night for you and me.
00:30:34
Speaker
But, ah tooth yeah, I would have, I i wanted I wanted them to prove these two sisters wrong in that moment of like, yeah even with all the rage and and hate that is like pouring through them and everything else has been taken away through magic. We've already set up that there are things deeper than magic.
00:30:57
Speaker
So I wanted to see them show in some way this like the nobility and love that they have yeah outshine and overpower in some way.
00:31:09
Speaker
Especially Raven, who's been exercising control his whole life to just lose it in one puff of smoke was like, a I agree with the nightmare. It quite disappointing. Yeah.
00:31:19
Speaker
And. Yes, lose all control. Like you're not masking your anger anymore. i like it. it But yeah, yeah.
00:31:32
Speaker
Just would have liked to have seen more between the two of them in that moment. That being said, I did like what the Nightmare says afterwards, after he kills Gorse under the influence of this poison, magical poison. And, you know, he he says that the...
00:31:53
Speaker
it's not just Gorse that died. The captain of the Distriers is dead as well. Like there's no going back death. um What does he say? Death.
Character Development in Conflict
00:32:04
Speaker
Like death brings the truth or like, i can't remember what he says, but it was like you, now that this has happened, it's like, you can't go back to being the cold controlled person anymore. Like that person is also gone.
00:32:19
Speaker
Which as I'm saying that I'm like, yes, but some people kill and become more cold and controlled. But that's not. I think the takeaway here is that if you really want to find out who you are, you should someone.
00:32:31
Speaker
Yeah. Under the influence of a drug that makes you feel things you don't. Right. I think that's really the only journey of self-discovery that gets you like to the point. Yeah. I mean, it really unmasks something.
00:32:44
Speaker
Deeply, truly. Meditation also works, but I guess it's like really up to you. What journey you want to take? ah What happens next? Find out next time on Mythic Mirror.
00:33:03
Speaker
On that note, do you have a spark of the week? My spark of the week is my flowers. I just, every night as the sun goes down and it finally cools off for the evening and I water my flowers, i just feel a sense of deep peace.
00:33:21
Speaker
What about you, Mare? Mine is actually very similar. I walked into the greenhouse that we've put so much work into building and it's taken longer than expected. And, you know, it's just so much work. And then you have this moment of things are actually growing and it was rainy outside.
00:33:41
Speaker
And i went in there and you could just hear the rain pattering down and all the plants are happy. And yeah, it was a moment of peace and me reminding myself to take that moment. So there's a lot to care about and work on, but to remember why we're doing it and that it that it does bring peace.
00:34:05
Speaker
And my hibiscus, which for the past few years has lived outside and then wintered inside, And because we have a short season and it wouldn't get warm enough to really grow until late June. So then it didn't ever bloom until late August, right before it got too cold and went dormant again. um Just bloomed yesterday.
00:34:29
Speaker
Wow. Yeah. The greenhouse does do something. Mm hmm. Please let us know what books you'd like us to cover in the comments. or you can sign up for my newsletter and email me through that email address. I would love to hear from you.
00:34:45
Speaker
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00:34:55
Speaker
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00:35:11
Speaker
And as always, we are so grateful to be spiraling through the universe with all of you. It's not always easy, but no good story ever is