Ep. 57 - Eldest: Diamonds in the Night & Under a Darkling Sky (w/ Diego from Tears of Fire)

Happy First Anniversary, Eragon and Back Again!Darien and Lucy take it slower in Eragon chapter 39, “Capture at Gil’ead,” and chapter 40, “Du Sundavar Freohr.” Talking points include creating suspense with the chapter title, acknowledging that readers should be suspicious that Murtagh might be too good to be true (and immediately refusing to entertain such suspicions), confirmation that the woman of Eragon’s dreams (sigh) is the elf from the prologue, and a begrudging acknowledgment that Brom did a good job of training Eragon. Sparks of InspirationDarien celebrates her friend Erica Ito for being cast as Nessarose in the North America tour of Wicked. Catch a show near you! Lucy reflects on the valuable of establishing a physical space dedicated to one’s creative pursuits. Share your Sparks of Inspiration or your Geodes with us on Instagram @EragonPod   Cover art by Luana Pastor  No portion of this episode may be used for AI training purposes or to create derivative works without express written permission from the creators and co-hosts Lucy Hart and Darien Smartt.

12 Juni 202452min

A time for grief. Lucy and Darien get into some dramatic feelings in Eragon chapter 38, “Diamond Tomb.”Talking points include the most memorable image from the book, how often chapters begin with Eragon waking up, the weight of forever when navigating grief, Eragon’s dramatic yet understandable emotional responses, Murtagh still being the best, Darien being completely unable to correctly pronounce “Gil’ead,” and a gift that will outlast forever. Sparks of InspirationLucy and Darien feel their feelings and pay tribute to the end of Rachel Smythe’s Lore Olympus. Spoilers for the final four chapters 2:37-11:00Share your Sparks of Inspiration or your Geodes with us on Instagram @EragonPod   Cover art by Luana Pastor  No portion of this episode may be used for AI training purposes or to create derivative works without express written permission from the creators and co-hosts Lucy Hart and Darien Smartt.

29 Maj 202451min

We FINALLY get some answers. Darien and Lucy feel a lot of emotions in chapter 37, "Legacy of a Rider." Talking points include how "You didn't need to know" is rarely a good answer to "Why didn't you tell me this crucial information sooner?", how if dying makes one realize they need to share crucial information, perhaps that information should have been shared sooner, justified comparisons to Star Wars, and Murtagh joining Chewbacca in the ranks of Ultimate Ride or Die. Spoiler warning: The end of this episode contains spoilers for Cassandra Clare's Queen of Air and Darkness and Sarah J Mass' House of Earth and BloodSparks of InspirationDarien shares a Geode and celebrates the first edits on her draft!Lucy speaks of choosing joy and a very excellent new tattoo. Share your Sparks of Inspiration or Geodes with us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@EragonPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support the show and listen to our bonus episode about Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight on Patreon: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/EABA⁠Thank you to our newest patron, Ronelia Delgrange  Cover art by Luana Pastor  No portion of this episode may be used for AI training purposes or to create derivative works without express written permission from the creators and co-hosts Lucy Hart and Darien Smartt.

1 Maj 202427min

Meet your new best friend. Lucy and Darien try to keep it cool in chapter 36, "Murtagh."Talking points include Eragon probably making things worse with magic and how that's not really his fault cause Brom is just a terrible teacher, sealing a wound not being the same as healing it, how to write a strong first impression, being very happy to see Eragon making a new friend, and Murtagh being a very good boy. Sparks of InspirationLucy speaks about the benefit of establishing a creative schedule. Darien celebrates her friends from Return to Camp Halfblood, who all pursue creative careers, with an extra shout-out to Brayden, who literally just founded a theater company (https://www.instagram.com/nextlifetheatreco/)Share your Sparks of Inspiration or Geodes with us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@EragonPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support the show and listen to our bonus episode about Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/EABATHANK YOU TO CURTIS MOORE, OUR VERY FIRST PATRON!!  Cover art by Luana Pastor  No portion of this episode may be used for AI training purposes or to create derivative works without express written permission from the creators and co-hosts Lucy Hart and Darien Smartt.

23 Apr 202441min

Things take a turn for the worst. Darien and Lucy witness everything fall apart in chapter 34, "Worshipers of Helgrind," and chapter 35, "The Ra'zac's Revenge."Talking points include Dras Leona being just an awful place, Eragon's odd visit to appreciate the local architecture, Saphira still playing messenger between Eragon and Brom, a daring city escape that shatters the pattern readers have come to expect, and Darien completely misreading a crucial paragraph. Spoilers for Sarah J Mass, House of Earth and Blood, Book One of the Crescent City at 1:38 — 6:35Sparks of InspirationDarien acknowledges Maslow's Hiearchy of Needs. Lucy celebrates Sarah J Mass' skill at withholding information without making readers feel like they're following a dangling carrot. Share your Sparks of Inspiration or Geodes with us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@EragonPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get support the show and get bonus episodes about other amazing dragon stories on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EABA  Cover art by Luana Pastor  No portion of this episode may be used for AI training purposes or to create derivative works without express written permission from the creators and co-hosts Lucy Hart and Darien Smartt.

3 Apr 202447min

In the shadow of a spooky, scary mountain. Lucy and Darien are creeped out in chapter 32, "The Mire of Dras-Leona," and chapter 33, "Trail of Oil." Talking points include striving for casual queerness in stories, the implications of connecting poverty, enslavement, and religion, Saphira being weirdly judgy about Eragon enjoying an adult libation, and the hunt for the Ra'zac entering the endgame. Sparks of InspirationLucy is inspired by very clear water and very cool mountains. Darien enjoys a swashbuckling, steampunk sky adventure in The Apollo by Grace Ward. (Psst! Go get a copy and read it for yourself: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Apollo/Grace-Ward/9798868926143?id=9077779963236)Content warning: This episode contains mention of alcohol consumption. Share your Sparks of Inspiration or Geodes with us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@EragonPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   Cover art by Luana Pastor  No portion of this episode may be used for AI training purposes or to create derivative works without express written permission from the creators and co-hosts Lucy Hart and Darien Smartt.

21 Mars 202442min

Eragon, what are you doing?!Darien and Lucy find Eragon to be maximalist annoying in chapter 30, "Vision of Perfection," and chapter 31, "Master of the Blade."Talking points include host poses that are underappreciated in an audio-only medium, interrogating why Brom and Saphira insist Eragon was wrong for not wanting to kill Urgals, the struggle of remaining spoiler-free when one of the hosts truly loath an ongoing plot point, and Eragon being a peak 15-year-old.Sparks of Inspiration Darien is forced to confess her latest hyper fixation, Hazbin Hotel. She really, really likes it. (Darien apologizes for singing.)Lucy echoes a previous spark in shouting out how Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+ completely drew her in. And, a bonus Spark, the demo for the video game Tavern Talks!Share your Sparks of Inspiration or Geodes with us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@EragonPod⁠⁠⁠⁠   Cover art by Luana Pastor  No portion of this episode may be used for AI training purposes or to create derivative works without express written permission from the creators and co-hosts Lucy Hart and Darien Smartt.

5 Mars 202451min

Mistakes were made!Lucy and Darien bemoan character (and author) decisions to needlessly withhold information until chapter 29, "A Costly Mistake." Talking points include Eragon's many mistakes, Brom's complete lack of preparation before taking on a teaching position, suffering through unpleasant character interactions that could have been avoided, some peak, unintentional emotional manipulation, and wanting all the moments of Eragon and Saphira caring about each other. Spoilers for The Adventure Zone podcast and graphic novel series at 8:28-15:08. Sparks of InspirationLucy discusses letting yourself be inspired by the real people in your life who achieve goals you have for yourself. Darien hyper-analyzes a single panel from The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal. Share your Sparks of Inspiration or Geodes with us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@EragonPod⁠⁠⁠   Cover art by Luana Pastor  No portion of this episode may be used for AI training purposes or to create derivative works without express written permission from the creators and co-hosts Lucy Hart and Darien Smartt.

21 Feb 202454min