The Iron Squad Fantasy Draft!!

Your favorite literary chaos agents Abby and Ronnie are back with a FUN twist on their usual deep dives - it's IRON SQUAD FANTASY DRAFT time! We're taking a break from our usual theory-heavy episodes to play a little game. Some of it's serious, some of it's silly, all of it's fun.

For each category, we each get to pick one Iron Squad member, but we can't pick the same person. Our draft pool includes Dain, Rhi, Ridoc, Aaric, Sawyer, Maren, and Cat.

First up: Who's the most powerful member of the Iron Squad? Is Cat more powerful than we thing? And how powerful is Molvic?

Things get juicy when we debate who's most likely to betray Violet. Ronnie picks Ridoc (but only because he'd think it was for Violet's own good), while Abby makes a compelling case for Maren, whose parents were killed in a trap meant for Violet. We also tackle the most unlikely couple in the Iron Squad (Rhi and Ridoc give major sibling vibes) and whose signet would be the ABSOLUTE WORST to accidentally wield during sex (freezing your partner mid-moment? No thank you, Ridoc!).

The laughs start coming when we pick whose signet would be the BEST to accidentally wield during sex (Cat, obviously - emotion manipulation has its perks!), who will play the biggest role in upcoming books, and who our personal favorites are. Poor Sawyer barely gets any picks throughout our draft, confirming Rebecca's admission that she hasn't given him enough attention!

In our wildest Precog Corner yet, Abby dives into the fascinating mythology behind our Iron Squad members' names. Did you know that Aetos means "eagle" in Greek and refers to Zeus's childhood companion who was later the object of Hera’s jealousy? The parallels to Dain, Violet, and Xaden are too eerie to be a coincidence.

Ronnie counters with a theory about the cure for Venin that might just change everything: What if there IS no cure because channeling from the source is simply a choice that Venin have to stop making? What if the entire series is actually a massive allegory for addiction? The implications are chilling!

We wrap up with our current reads - Abby's loving "This Is How You Lose the Time War" (a tight, dense novella about two beings on opposite sides of a time war falling in love through letters), while Ronnie's rereading A Court of Thorns and Roses and discovering all the hidden gems she missed the first time around.

Spoilers for the ENTIRE Empyrean Series (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm)

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Time Stamps:

00:00 - 04:44: Intro - Coca Cola still hasn't called

04:45 - 08:32: Announcements and podcast milestones

08:33 - 12:26: C/O/SM

12:27 - 18:16: Draft rules!

18:17 - 33:32: Who is the most powerful member of the Iron Squad?

33:33 - 41:39: Who is most likely to betray Violet?

41:40 - 46:51: Most unlikely couple in the Iron Squad

46:52 - 50:24: Whose signet would be the worst to accidentally wield during sex?

50:25 - 53:32: Whose signet would be the best to accidentally wield during sex?

53:33 - 59:19: Who is most likely to die?

59:20 - 1:05:05: Who will play the biggest role in upcoming books?

1:05:06 - 1:07:36: Who's your favorite member of the Iron Squad?

1:07:37 - 1:18:18: Precog Corner: Dain's name, what if there is no cure?

1:18:19 - 1:22:10: What we're reading!

The End Of Onyx Storm Part 2 - Violet’s Version

Your favorite literary chaos agents Abby and Ronnie are back with their deep dive into the final chapter of Onyx Storm! Buckle up for "The Ending of Onyx Storm (Part 2): Violet's Version" where we dissect every shocking detail of that cliffhanger ending that left us all shattered!

We kick things off with the an unusual question: how did Violet get to Riorson House ? We discuss distance wielders, siphons, and why Garrick might NOT be Venin after all (or is he?). Then we tackle what that mysterious "shape moving in the shadows" really is—spoiler alert: it's probably not Xaden!

Next, we dive into why Brennan's eyes bulged when he saw Violet. Is her hair fully silver now? Does she have a tattoo? Or is something even more dramatic happening? We explore why Andarna is so confident she can protect Violet from being burned, and what that means about her time with the Irids.

Things get wild when we discuss those missing 12 hours that Imogen wiped from Violet's memory. We start by discussing the timing and location of Violet and Xaden’s wedding - how could they have gotten married in Aretia when Xaden maybe can’t go in the wards anymore? And either way wouldn’t everyone have been looking for him? Did they actually get married in Unnbriel, and if so are Andarna’s time manipulation powers back?! Plus, we identify the four missing riders (our money's on Xaden, Garrick, Bodhi, and... DAIN?!) and debate who murdered those three elders in the valley (hint: it wasn't Xaden!).

Our most compelling theory yet emerges when we analyze that cryptic note: "Don't look for me, it's yours now." What exactly is "it"? We make a shocking connection between Malek, souls, and why Andarna is so determined to prevent Violet from burning. Could Violet now be dedicated to the god of death himself?!

We round it all out with our wildest Precog Corner yet, where Ronnie theorizes that Tairn might have been forced to kill Naolin after he turned, while Abby drops a bombshell about the true name of the continent and what it reveals about the gods!

Spoilers for the ENTIRE Empyrean Series (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm)

Follow us on social media:

Instagram: @dragonsinthedetailspod

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YouTube: @dragonsinthedetailspod

Discord: Dragons In the Details Pod Server

Email us your questions and theories at dragonsinthedetailspod@gmail.com - we love hearing from you! (But come with receipts if you think we're wrong!)

Please remember to rate, subscribe, and review! We REALLY appreciate it!

#onyxstorm #ironflame #fourthwing #violetsorrengail #xadenriorson #rebeccayarros #fantasy #podcast #bookstagram #romantasy #empyrean #rebeccayaros #book #booklover #bookstagram #booktok #bookpodcast #bookpodcasts #irid #romantasy #romantasybooks #tairn #violet #xaden #andarna #venin #malek #gods

Time Stamps:

00:00 - 02:50: Intros and episode overview

02:51 - 07:44: Announcements and social media shout-outs

07:45 - 11:33: Jess's theory about Xaden sneaking into Violet's bed

11:34 - 18:19: Setting the scene for Chapter 66

18:20 - 22:18: How did Violet get to Riorson House?

22:19 - 29:33: What is the shape that moves in the shadows?

29:34 - 35:59: Why do Brennan's eyes bulge when they see Violet?

36:00 - 39:48: Why would they burn Violet?

39:49 - 47:26: The missing 12 hours and time manipulation

47:27 - 52:17: Who are the four missing riders and their dragons?

52:18 - 57:32: Who murdered the elders in the valley?

57:33 - 1:03:22: Where did they get married and why?

1:03:23 - 1:11:14: Why did Tairn need a cycle of rest?

1:11:15 - 1:19:30: What is "it" in "it's yours now"?

1:19:31 - 1:24:05: Why did Imogen erase Violet's memory?

1:24:06 - 1:34:44: Where is Xaden now?

1:34:45 - 1:39:42: Precog Corner: Tairn and Naolin's fate

1:39:43 - 1:44:51: Precog Corner: Amari, Malek, and the continent

1:44:52 - 1:51:41: Reading Corner: Empire of Storms

1:51:42 - 1:54:33: Wrap-up and social media information