hello.

I want to see the Bolaire-on-Azune mind theater! Show me show me show me

Azune, buddy. You want to maybe give the heads up to the Seekers that House Einfasen is sending aid to the Golden Orchard before they head up the Miller’s Road? Shit’s going to be a big surprise and everyone’s going to need to do some fast acting if/when they cross paths.

Okay really though what the hell is going to happen with the Archanade and the secret Bolaire vault now that Termina-on-Amariya is running around? What does that mean for Hal? How little will it take for Amariya to nudge Termina into simply being just a tool with no need to convince her of anything?

How are the Schemers going to guard the Hallowed Round and the Tintazi Wood from notice? Can Tsul’rekshi cook up more illusory paint to give the place a border of ‘Nothing to See Here!’ nothing-magic? I wonder if Laumey the mold monster Harrow Fae will come skulking up looking for sanctuary if the new Faerie haven is radiating Fae safety…

Also! Tsul’rekshi! Demon lore! Pre-Shapers lore! GO BACK TO THAT PAINT STORE RIGHT NOW AND GET ME A BUCKET OF LORE

Wicander is sitting on a wealth of info about the manner of Tachonis’ very hasty very frantic exit from Obrimus Manor, including the murder of Koral Tachonis. I wonder if he’ll share it with Granny Photarch

Where is Mayali Nayar? Is she still in the city? Heading back to Argosia? Elsewhere? WHERE IS MY SUNSET ASSASSIN SISTER W H E R E

The Amariya situation notwithstanding, we still have no clue what the innards of House Cormoray are like. What is their deal? The fact that all we’ve seen so far is two urbane and elegant players, a connection to the Pentevral, and Flashback Murray making a pretty fountain for their estate makes me even more curious.

Jotunøks for the Einfasen, the Kalystra mines for Cormoray, Bellows Fever for Halovar. Give me info. More importantly, Wic, Tyranny, and Bolaire, GIVE YOUR ALLIES THIS INFO

Azune. My guy. Please go visit your dragon friend napping in the lake. For your health and my heart.

If Murray makes the world's first Sending Stones out of those divining gems I am going to cartwheel. Give the Schemers Araman's first smartphones do it do it

Tyranny's demon tailor shop loot NEEDS digging through yesterday. I wonder where she's going to keep the new soulkini at the Villa Aurora or if that's just on her person forever now

Thaisha: I'm sorry hanging out with me is weird.

Laura: "They never made it to the statues, it was my fault."

Alex: "It wasn't your fault"

Laura: I'm going to go over and hug Occtis.

Alex: He just wraps his arms around you and just starts losing it. "I was so worried about you."

Laura: (chuckling)

Alex: "Why are you big?"

Thaisha: 2

because I think julien is always trying to make the tactical choice. when he’s trying to get occtis to leave, he’s not giving emotional reassurance; he’s telling him the tactical reasons behind why they need to get out when they can. he’s not just being heartless or callous, he’s trying to make the best strategic call. he’ll put himself at risk, but not when it jeopardizes the task at hand.

and why is that? well, as we saw in the flashback, raimond taught him how to do whatever necessary to achieve victory, whether people liked it or not. ‘you will be a booed and living man.’ I think julien has internalized that lesson to an almost damaging degree, and he’s divorced himself enough from any emotion but anger that he can’t really fathom making a choice based solely on feelings. especially not when those feelings put the strategic play in jeopardy.

but at the same time, he so frequently FAILS to make the tactical choice he knows he should. he tries to deny being driven by emotion, because in his mind, that’s why the rebellion failed: acting on emotion, not strategy. but he keeps going back for people. he keeps putting himself in harm’s way when he could run and accomplish his own objectives. he keeps sticking to occtis and the others and he can’t explain why, so he tries to couch it in tactical terms and deny caring.