I have some things to tell you! A NEW PODCAST! I’m co-hosting LoveStruck Daily with Alisha Rai! LoveStruck Daily is a new podcast from iHeartRadio produced by Frolic Media that will deliver a true love story and those HEA feels every weekday. Our first episodes are out – we hope you like them!
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Transcript
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[music]
Sarah Wendell: Hello and welcome to part two of The Invisible Goddess with Melody from Heaving Bosoms, episode 497! We’re closing in on five hundred, y’all! It is part two of our recap of The Invisible Goddess by A. C. Dawn, which retells the myth of Hestia with some non-corporeal boning! We’re very excited. Did you read it? Did you like it? Did you pause? Did you go read it between episodes? I’m super curious what you thought of this book. Part two is us, well, finishing and discussing what happens in this very short but very good novella!
Before we get started, I have two things to tell you about: first, I have a new podcast in addition to this one – do not worry. I am co-hosting Lovestruck Daily with Alisha Rai. Lovestruck Daily is a new podcast from iHeart Radio, produced by Frolic Media, that delivers a true love story and those HEA feels every weekday! In fact, I have a trailer!
[trailer music]
Hi! I’m Sarah Wendell.
Alisha Rai: And I’m Alisha Rai.
Sarah: Introducing iHeart’s new romance podcast Lovestruck Daily.
Alisha: Every day, we deliver a new love story straight to your headphones.
Sarah: Real life love stories, one hundred percent guaranteed to bring all the feels.
Alisha: A little bit of danger, a little bit of sexy, and a lot of heart.
Sarah: And for goodness’ sakes –
Together: – just kiss already!
Sarah: Listen to Lovestruck Daily wherever you get your podcasts.
Singer: [Sings] I’m in love with you!
Sarah: I will have links in the show notes, of course, where you can find Lovestruck Daily but if you search “Lovestruck Daily” in whatever fabulous app you are using right now to listen to this show, you’ll find it! I would be absolutely delighted if you subscribed.
Second, this is very cool: in the comments to episode part one, 496, Glauke commented about a book called Goddesses in Everywoman by Jean Shinoda Bolen, which is about goddess archetypes and Jungian archetypes in, well, every woman. And then Valency also commented that they had read it too, and apparently this book was a phenomenon. Y’all, Hoopla had the audiobook, and I am really enjoying it while I’m finishing a quilt. I want to make sure you know that this book was published in 1984, so the gender essentialist language is straight out of 1984, but it is so interesting! So thank you to Glauke and Valency for telling me about this book. I am really enjoying this retro, weird mashup of mythology and Jungian psychology.
I also want to thank TheCraftyGemini on YouTube whose tutorial for hand-finishing a quilt is fabulous. I will link to their channel in case you need crafty tutorials as well.
And thank you, as always, to our Patreon community. Hi, y’all! If you have supported the show, you help me keep going each and every week and making sure that every episode has a transcript. I have a compliment this week, too! [Squees]
To Maureen G.: You are one thousand percent more fun than bubble wrap, a ball pit, and that super slippery slide in the park, and in fact, just like the very best playground, people love to visit and hang out with you because you’re terrific!
If you would like a compliment or you’d like to have a look at our Patreon community, go to patreon.com/SmartBitches.
This episode is brought to you in part by Osea. You made it through 2021 finally. You might be feeling a little burned out or like you need a fresh start and some time to focus on yourself. Osea has been making products that are vegan and safe for your skin and the planet for over twenty-five years. When it comes to beauty, Osea is a pioneer. Their body oil has been a celebrity favorite for years, and I love it. Now, you might be thinking, body oil; if you’ve been using body lotion you might be a little wary, but let me tell you I love this stuff so much. I am so excited to use it. It soaks in easily, it is never greasy, and I like it so much I gave away a gift set as part of Hanukkah this past year. New year? New you! Start fresh with clean, vegan skincare and body care from our friends at Osea. Get ten percent off your entire first order with promo code SARAH at oseamalibu.com. You get free samples with every order, and orders over fifty dollars get free shipping! Now is the time to make small changes that can have a big impact on your day-to-day. Head to oseamalibu.com and find your new routine and use code SARAH.
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This podcast episode is brought to you in part by PrettyLitter. Having a cat is wonderful: the purring, the pets, the thing where they flop over and commence relaxation. The cat litter box? Not my favorite part, especially because most cat litters can make a giant, dusty mess. My cat and I deserve a litter that works for us, not against us. That’s why I use PrettyLitter! PrettyLitter’s crystal formula is lightweight, ultra-absorbent, and long-lasting, and it is virtually dust-free and minimizes mess. Here’s the smartest part about PrettyLitter, though: the crystals change color to help detect early signs of potential illness in my cat, including urinary tract infections and kidney issues. And I learned this week that Elyse uses PrettyLitter for her four cats. PrettyLitter works for me: trapping odors, not clumping, and gives me peace of mind. That’s why I love it. You and your cat will love it too. Go to prettylitter.com and use code TRASHY to save twenty percent on your first order. That’s prettylitter.com, code TRASHY, to save twenty percent – prettylittter.com, code TRASHY.
This episode is brought to you by BYJU’s FutureSchool. BYJU’s FutureSchool is the leading online learning platform revolutionizing education for millions of students worldwide. BYJU’s FutureSchool currently offers coding and music courses for grades one through twelve and math courses for grades one through eight. BYJU’s math and music courses help build a foundation of knowledge and self-confidence, and with BYJU’s coding course – and this was the course that I tried; it is really fun – students explore the fundamentals of coding through their favorite games, like Roblox and Minecraft! They will have tons of fun while learning about the technology that makes the most modern games possible! Students receive personalized attention and a world-class learning experience completely online to supplement their in-person school education. Join the millions of parents accelerating their kids’ learning today. Right now, BYJU’s FutureSchool is offering our listeners their first class free! Just go to byjus.com/podcast to sign up for your first class absolutely free. That’s B-Y-J-U-S dot com slash podcast.
Are you ready for part two of The Invisible Goddess? Let’s bring Melody back for the second half of this very fun non-corporeal conversation.
[music]
Sarah: So she collapses on her bed, and she finally reads this poem from Apollo, and just like Poseidon’s proposal is pretty sketchy in that he’s like, I could have, have a wife on the land! I could have a wife in the sea! What could possibly be wrong with that? Part of Apollo’s poem is, I treasure your purity and long to feel the burn of your fire. Marry me, Hestia, and let us live and love for eternity!
Melody: Mm-hmm.
Sarah: So I just want to bone the pure, the pure fire thing. That’s, that’s Apollo’s thing.
Melody: Oh yeah, no. It’s, that is pristine, and I would like to sully it, please.
Sarah: Yeah! Like, this sounds –
Melody: [Laughs]
Sarah: – this sounds great! I would like to, I would like to own all of your fire and take your purity, because apparently that only happens once.
Melody: [Snorts] Yeah!
Sarah: And Hestia’s like, what the hell is happening? Now she’s got two marriage proposals; this primordial, non-corporeal elder god messing up in her business; and then – I love this part – she says, “What she would give to be plain old Hestia again. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew it was a lie.”
Melody: She knew that wasn’t true!
Sarah: Mm-hmm, yep.
Melody: She likes this bit of power she feels in herself. She likes –
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: – she likes the little bit of attention, and I love the fact that she – I don’t remember her ever feeling guilty about that.
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: Like –
Sarah: No!
Melody: She’s definitely conflicted!
Sarah: Yeah, she doesn’t know –
Melody: But I, I never got –
Sarah: – what to do.
Melody: – guilt from her.
Sarah: She doesn’t feel guilty for the choices that she has and the opportunities that are presenting themselves because these things are, a lot of them are happening to her? But she’s also –
Melody: Yeah.
Sarah: – recognizing her own response, and again, instead of thinking about anticipating needs or reacting, she’s also managing –
Melody: Mm-hmm!
Sarah: – her own being, like, oh! –
Melody: Yep.
Sarah: – arousal is a thing! Oh boy!
Melody: Mm-hmm.
Sarah: Whoa, oh, what do I do with that?
Melody: It’s great!
Sarah: So she tries to go to sleep, that does not work, and she conjures a light in her hand and goes out to the garden, and again, there’s Zeus, sneaking through the garden, and he’s like, what are you doing out here? And she’s like, bro, I know you’re –
Melody: She’s like, I don’t know.
Sarah: Am I, am I –
Melody: Are you coming from or going to Io’s room?
Sarah: Right? And then he goes, well, what’s gotten into you? Where did you go? Everyone was looking for you. And she’s like, everyone was looking for me? Really?
Melody: Really?
Sarah: He goes, well, you know –
Melody: Really.
Sarah: – mainly Poseidon and Apollo.
Melody: [Laughs]
Sarah: And then she, Zeus says, they both asked me for your hand in marriage, and I had no idea you wanted to get married. And Hestia’s like, uh, I, I, I didn’t! I didn’t before tonight; I, I don’t know! And she just wanders off to think.
And then there’s Erebus thinking, this is going exactly the way I wanted!
Melody: Right.
Sarah: How could they have overlooked her? She is as bright as I am dark, and of course she’s scared of me and she flinches away. Why wouldn’t she?
Melody: Mm-hmm.
Sarah: I am not a good match for her. Once I was welcome and I was worshiped because the world fears the darkness. So he has a little bit of non-corporeal pain.
Melody: Yeah! There’s a loneliness in him –
Sarah: Mm-hmm.
Melody: – because the world has forgotten about him and/or just made him into this, like, bad darkness.
Sarah: Yeah. Darkness used to be rest and quiet.
Melody: And soothing.
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: Ah. Yeah.
Sarah: Love it!
Melody: I really like how that was reclaimed. It was –
Sarah: Yep.
Melody: – really, really good. Okay.
Sarah: And Erebus also recognizes that she’s the first one to see and recognize him! He’s probably been around –
Melody: Right.
Sarah: – screwing with people for ages.
Melody: Totally.
Sarah: But she’s the one who’s been like, Erebus, I know who you are. And he says –
Melody: Yeah.
Sarah: – she saw me; she recognized me –
Melody: Uh-huh.
Sarah: – no one else has.
Melody: Yeah. Oooh!
Sarah: So then Hestia wakes up, and there’s a bunch of goddesses in her room, sitting on her bed, going, all right, well, you got to choose one! Here’s who we think you should choose.
Athena’s like, you don’t got to choose anybody. And Aphrodite, who does Aphrodite – oh, Aphrodite wants him, wants her to choose Poseidon.
Melody: Choose Poseidon. Hard, yeah.
Sarah: And Hera wants her to choose Apollo, because Hera thinks that if she chooses Poseidon, that she will become more powerful with Poseidon than Hera and Zeus, and –
Melody: And Zeus, yeah.
Sarah: So everybody has very not-well-hidden motivations for champion –
Melody: Yeah!
Sarah: – championing one of these dudes.
Melody: And this, this, like, just keeps happening.
Sarah: Mm-hmm.
Melody: As she, she gets out of there because her, her page comes in, Katrina, and she’s like –
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: – hey, I – she’s about to say, like, can I bring you a tray?
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: Because Katrina is also like Justice for Katrina. And she’s like –
[Laughter]
Melody: – and instead she uses this opportunity to be like, OMG! Is fire in kitchens? Must go!
Sarah: Oh, oh!
Melody: Need to take care of problems! [Laughs]
Sarah: Yep. Kat-, Katrina, without knowing it, becomes her safety phone call. Oh my gosh, I have to go? Bye!
Melody: Yeah, yeah! [Laughs] Somebody’s in the hospital! Oh no!
Sarah: And Athena underlines the thing that you pointed out earlier: marry or don’t marry; just be sure it’s your choice. Like –
Melody: Yeah.
Sarah: – those are the only options here.
Melody: Yep, that’s it.
Sarah: Yeah. It’s either these two –
Melody: That is it.
Sarah: – or nobody.
Melody: It’s very like, oh, someone’s noticed you, but if you don’t take this opportunity right now, you’re on the shelf forever. So she actually leaves her room so fast that she’s only, like, in her sheer nightgown kind of situation.
Sarah: [Laughs] Yeah! She books it! Too many goddesses in my bedroom!
Melody: And so she –
Sarah: I’ve got to go!
Melody: Got to go! And I don’t blame her! Jesus! So she goes into this, like, spice pantry –
Sarah: I love this scene.
Melody: – and very – ah, me too! – and she sends Katrina to, like, go get her clothes, because –
Sarah: Would you go get me a dress, please?
Melody: – she’s not going back to her room for anything! She will sooner walk around buck naked.
Sarah: Yep, nope. Too many goddesses in my bedroom; I can’t go back there.
Melody: Mm-hmm. But guess what, everyone! Boy, not only is that spice pantry, like, soothing and calming and she’s, like, rubbing rosemary oil in her hair and stuff –
Sarah: I love that scene.
Melody: – but it’s very shadowy!
Sarah: [Gasps] What?!
Melody: It’s very shadowy!
Sarah: Ohhh!
Melody: And so all of a sudden, like, this, this shadow starts turning into a slinky man!
Sarah: Oooh!
Melody: And I looove a slinky man!
[Laughter]
Melody: All of a sudden, Erebus is there –
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: – and at first, I think he starts, like, fucking with her, right?
Sarah: Yeah! He says –
Melody: Isn’t he, like –
Sarah: – the Archer and the Earth-shaker only needed a little encouragement; they already desired you –
Melody: Mm-hmm.
Sarah: – and she’s like, you did this? This is all your fault? Then he –
Melody: Yeah! And he’s like, I just did a tiny whisper! No big deal.
Sarah: I just nudged them. They already had like half a boner for you; we just woke it all the way up.
Melody: [Laughs] Truly!
Sarah: And now they’re just walking around like, like they’ve got like divining rods be-, between their legs, and they’re like, ooh, it’s stuck on Hestia! Boi-oi-oi-oi-oing!
Melody: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. And, and he says to her, he says, so how does it feel to be out of the shadows?
Sarah: Yesss!
Melody: That’s how he starts the whole conversation.
Sarah: Yes!
Melody: Oh my God! Because this is also him reclaiming what the shadows are.
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: He’s narratively reframing that –
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: – over the arc of his, his character.
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: Oh, it’s so good!
Sarah: I love it!
Melody: Okay.
Sarah: So much thought goes into making a story this layered and this compact.
Melody: Yes!
Sarah: Like –
Melody: No, yeah!
Sarah: – this, this doesn’t just happen. Like, this takes so much work, and I admire that so much.
Melody: Same! There is, there is a word economy and a, just an efficiency to the way –
Sarah: Yes! That’s the precise word I was u-, would use, yes.
Melody: Yeah!
Sarah: It’s so efficient, and yet –
Melody: And yet still lyrical and beautiful and emotionally impacting and all the things you want!
Sarah: Deliberate, yes. Yes. All of these things are happening for specific reasons, and then when you sort of reflect on them and realize what they are, it’s like, oooh!
Melody: Yeah.
Sarah: Layers!
Melody: Yeah. Uh-huh! He’s like, I’m here to help you! And she’s like, bullshit, first of all.
Sarah: This is not helping, pal! [Laughs]
Melody: Yeah. Like, you’re just turning my life into chaos.
Sarah: Yeah, thanks a lot!
Melody: And then, okay, he does do a thing that drives me crazy –
Sarah: [Laughs]
Melody: – and it kind of creeps me out; I’m not going to lie. He does continue to refer to her as “child,” and I don’t love it! Both to her face and in his inner monologue, one of the things he says is, yes, I know, you do not want my help, foolish child! You’d still be making beds, sleepwalking through your days without me. And, and then it says:
“The darkness shifted and solidified into the shape of a man, allowing dim light to penetrate the room. Featureless and made of shadow, Erebus lifted his hand and slipped his fingers beneath her chin. He ran his finger over her bottom lip, just as Apollo had the night before. Hestia swallowed and shivered. An inferno of lust bloomed in her core.”
Sarah: Fire, fire, fire!
Melody: “She sucked in a breath and her eyes went wide. Erebus leaned his shadowed form close to her and skimmed a light kiss across her lips.”
And then he says, “The why is simple, my flame: you must burn because some lights are too bright to be hidden.”
Sarah: Yesss! That’s one of my –
Melody: Ah!
Sarah: – favorite elements – no pun intended – of romance –
Melody: Yeah, yeah, yeah!
Sarah: – the idea of being seen and being –
Melody: Yesss!
Sarah: – appreciated and recognized exactly as you are.
Melody: Yes.
Sarah: I – that’s one of my favorite parts. And he gets it.
Melody: Yeah, absolutely!
Sarah: And then Katrina –
Melody: It’s like –
Sarah: – bursts in, and he’s like, whoop, gotta go!
Melody: And he slinks away in the shadows! [Laughs]
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: And then – I loved this! – she’s like, you know what? He’s probably a dirty old man; he’s probably going to try to cop a peek in these shadows, and so she flames out and she fills the whole room with, like, blinding bright light so that she can get naked and get dressed. [Laughs]
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: It’s really cute!
Sarah: Yep! No shadows, she changes, and she leaves her veil behind. Oooh!
Melody: Yes! Oh boy!
Sarah: Oh boy! And each chapter ends with Erebus sort of thinking about what’s happening? Like, he’s very –
Melody: Yeah.
Sarah: – present and aware. So much of the text stays with Hestia and her point of view –
Melody: Mm-hmm.
Sarah: – but then each chapter ends with a little bit of Erebus going, ohhh, interesting! So you see his evolution from thinking of her as a helpless, meek child to –
Melody: Yeah!
Sarah: – oh, wait, hold on, maybe I have also, perhaps, underestimated her.
Melody: Mm-hmm.
Sarah: He thinks that this setup that he has created is the only option. She’s going to choose, and I shall go back to my corners and crevices, knowing that she –
Melody: Yeah.
Sarah: – will light the world, revered as the goddess she is. I wonder if she will thank me?
Melody: There’s a line in here that I absolutely love, because he’s really kicking himself.
Sarah: Oh yeah!
Melody: Like, in this moment he’s like, Hestia is far too good for them –
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: – but now they’ve noticed her!
Sarah: Yep! Well, fuck –
Melody: Like, fuck!
Sarah: – now what do I do? [Laughs]
Melody: Oh noes! he’s thinking. [Laughs] So now everybody’s paying attention to Hestia. When she walks in a room, everybody shuts the fuck up. And she walks into the great hall, and everybody’s, like, staring at her, and she’s like, I hope everybody’s loving their delicious meal that I made again, like I have for every day –
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: – the past, you know, immortality that we’ve spent together and you haven’t noticed me – Jesus!
Sarah: Yeah, right?
Melody: [Laughs]
Sarah: Because it’s, there’s a difference between wishing that people would acknowledge and thank you and walking into a room and having everyone stare at you. That’s very vulnerable!
Melody: Yes. Absolutely.
Sarah: That’s very disempowering, because –
Melody: Mm-hmm.
Sarah: – they’re taking away her ability to feel not-self-conscious. And so –
Melody: So –
Sarah: – Zeus is like, hey, you made your choice yet?
Melody: Yeah! And, and Hera’s like, hey, man, be cool. And he’s like, Hera, stop defending her; you don’t even care. Like, don’t, don’t play like that. And then Hestia’s like, I’m standing right here! Because Zeus is –
Sarah: Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!
Melody: Yeah! Zeus is being like, well, Hera, I have to make sure that she knows the consequences of her actions –
Sarah: Mm-hmm.
Melody: – and br-br-br-br-br, and she’s like, I am literally right here! I have lived here for-fucking-ever –
Sarah: Right!
Melody: – and, like, I understand some of the ramifications, good-bye!
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: So she goes and she sits down with Dionysus and Hephaestus because they are her –
Sarah: Friends.
Melody: – like, ride-or-dies.
Together: Yeah.
Sarah: And she says, beside herself, Apollo, and Poseidon, who cared who she wed, beyond having a new piece of gossip to fight over like the kitchen dogs over a scrap of meat?
Melody: Mm-hmm.
Sarah: She’s like, I am not a piece of gossip.
Melody: You’re not going to spend all of the previous parts of my life boiling me down to service and then all the rest of the parts of my life boiling me down to gossip.
Sarah: Yeah, and which, which dude –
Melody: Like, you can’t.
Sarah: – am I going to choose? There’s more to me –
Melody: Right!
Sarah: – than that, yeah.
Melody: Right! And so she’s like, hey, I know that y’all are actually my friends, and so – hah, hmm – what do you think might happen, you know, like, if I were to choose one of the other – like, just hypothetically? [Laughs]
Sarah: Right. But before that happens, Poseidon starts making moves on her, and she stands –
Melody: Oh, that’s right!
Sarah: This, I love this part because she stands up for herself. Poseidon’s like, hey, baby, and she, she, so she teases him. She teases him about sounding like a poet, and he gets his –
Melody: Oh, and he hates it.
Sarah: – and he gets his feelings hurt, and he’s like, do not mock me. And she goes, oh, I, I won’t, I won’t tell anyone that you have the heart of a poet, and she laughs at his fragile ego –
Melody: [Gasps]
Sarah: – and walks away, and then she says, “She realized why the court spent so much time sparring with each other. Putting a pinprick in Poseidon’s monumental ego filled her with a head rush of power, but she wasn’t sure she liked it.”
Melody: I don’t know if I, I’m riding a high right now – [sings] – but I might be flying too close to the sun!
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: [Laughs] She doesn’t like it! Right.
Sarah: Then she sits –
Melody: Right.
Sarah: – with Dionysus and Hephaestus, and they’re like, uh, girl, do you understand what’s happening here?
Melody: Yeah.
Sarah: Do you understand the ramifications?
Melody: Can we just, like, do a quick friend check-in? [Laughs]
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: And she’s like, honestly, not really, but I’m also kind of flying by the seat of my pants.
Sarah: Yeah?
Melody: And so he’s like, hey, so we’re watching it happen, right?
Sarah: Right!
Melody: Like, Hera is for Apollo. Aphrodite is for Poseidon. The whole heavenly court or whatever is going to choose a side, and, like, that’s who they’re going to back in The War. And she’s like, I’m sorry –
Sarah: What?!
Melody: – The War?
Sarah: The what now?
Melody: That sounds like capital T, capital W, The War, as if it’s inevitable!
Sarah: Right.
Melody: And he’s like, yeah, if you choose one of them or the other, it’s war.
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: And she’s like, wait a second!
Sarah: This is completely –
Melody: No!
Sarah: – the opposite of all the things that I would like to have in my household! Tranquility –
Melody: Yeah!
Sarah: – peace, comfort? That is not contained in war! What are you talking about?
Melody: Yeah! And also, this is bullshit because everybody else can bed-hop like motherfuckers and nobody, like, looks twice!
Sarah: Right?
Melody: I’m going to cause a war? Nonsense! And I love Hephaestus because he’s like, hey, Dionysus, like, cool it!
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: She needs to be able to make a, a decision, like, on her own, from her heart. You know, he’s –
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: – just like the sweetest, purest, best-est.
Sarah: Oh, I love him.
Melody: And Dionysus is like, listen: I would, but you know that it’s going to spill over into the mortal realm.
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: Like, this will not just stay –
Sarah: Nope!
Melody: – on Olympus.
Sarah: Nope!
Melody: And she’s like, extra fuck!
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: Oh no! [Laughs]
Sarah: So Amanda loves stories where the world will end if we don’t bone, or the world –
Melody: Yes!
Sarah: – will end if we do bone!
Melody: If we do bone! [Laughs]
Sarah: And this is, the world will be destroyed if you pick one of these two guys and go to Bone Town.
Melody: Yep. Yep.
Sarah: No matter what you choose, it will end badly for the things you value most, which if –
Melody: Yes.
Sarah: – come on, if that’s not a horrible metaphor for the application of virginity –
Melody: [Laughs]
Sarah: – everything you value will end and be destroyed if you go to Bone Town.
Melody: Indeed.
Sarah: Really?
Melody: Indeed. That is –
Sarah: I can’t just have an orgasm and, and, and enjoy it and then get up and make breakfast? Like, that’s not an option?
Melody: Ahhh!
Sarah: Nope, nope!
Melody: Purity culture at its finest.
Sarah: Yep. And if she chooses one of them, there will be war.
Melody: Both of them are coming from a really good place.
Sarah: Yeah, they’re not on one or other team; they’re on Team Hestia, but they want her to –
Melody: Right.
Sarah: – ‘cause they also know that this is going to affect their lives too.
Melody: Of course.
Sarah: Yep.
Melody: Yeah. So she’s like, all right, time to go see Themis.
Sarah: Themis is the Goddess of Justice and Wisdom, and –
Melody: And she’s a Titan. She’s like, I’m going to go live in a fucking cottage where none of you are going to screech in my ear all the time, and everybody needs to leave me alone. Poor Hestia shows up at her door, and she basically gets, like, an open door, NO, and then, like, close door again.
Sarah: Yes!
Melody: [Laughs]
Sarah: Yeah, Themis is like, yeah, I’m not interested in whatever bullshit you have brought to my door. Please go away.
Melody: I know. Yeah.
Sarah: Whoo!
Melody: And, and Hestia’s like, no, no! Duh-dut-dut-dut-dut! Just wait a second. And this is one of my favorite parts: she says, I don’t want to get, like, embroiled in court politics or whatever.
Sarah: No.
Melody: Wisdom concerns itself with the mind, not the heart. And Hestia goes, that’s exactly why I need your help! I can’t sort out my head from my heart. Please, I need someone who doesn’t have their own interests to advance. As you said, you care nothing for court intrigues. That makes you the perfect person to help me. And then Themis, it says, “Themis pursed her lips. ‘You’ve made a logical case.’”
Sarah: Yep.
Melody: “’Come in, Hestia.’” [Laughs]
Sarah: Fine.
Melody: She’s so mad about it! [Laughs more]
Sarah: So Hestia gives her a quick sum-up of what’s happening, and the minute she mentions Erebus, Themis is like, I’m sorry, who, what now? The –
Melody: Mm-hmm.
Sarah: – Erebus is involved in this? He’s come out of the deep and he’s involving himself in your life?
Melody: Weird sauce. Weird.
Sarah: Ahhh. So, so Themis knew that somebody had started all of this conflict, but she didn’t realize that it was Erebus, and the fact that it’s Erebus means something very big is happening. Hmmm.
Melody: Yeah, and one of the reasons that she was going to just, like, kick Hestia out on her ass is be-, is that, since she didn’t know who was instigating all of this, she thought that Hestia had just, like, succumbed to her stupid-ness and was like, I want attention now! Here are my boobs! And the fact that she didn’t –
Sarah: [Laughs]
Melody: – do that – [laughs] – Themis is like, ohhh, there are machinations that are – oh! – that need to be looked at!
Sarah: Yeah, we need to consider all of the factors at play here.
Melody: Right. So she does like a water scry, and she looks off into the distance for like an hour until Hestia can’t handle it anymore, and she’s like, so is your, is your whole thing like you’re just going to shut the fuck up until I –
Sarah: Right.
Melody: – give up and leave?
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: Like, what’s happening right now? And Themis is like, ooh, I don’t know; I’ve been chatting with my daughters, the Fates, and, like, I can’t see the future, but they’re telling me that, like, if you just choose one of ‘em, it is war.
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: However –
Sarah: However.
Melody: Because, because Hestia’s like, so I can’t get a D at all?
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: Like, for my whole life there’ll be no orgasms involving another person? And she’s like, okay, listen, we’ve got a compromise for you, the Fates and I.
Sarah: Mm-hmm.
Melody: We’re going to give you one night.
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: Throw yourself a masquerade ball. Use a consort for that one night –
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: – and then after that be like, never again, everyone.
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: And Hestia’s like, ugh, I guess. Like –
Sarah: All right.
Melody: – that’s, that’s not the worst thing ever. [Laughs] Also, the last thing that Themis says to her –
Sarah: Yes!
Melody: – is, is you have to choose one.
Sarah: Your choice should be the one who begins where you end.
Melody: Yes! [Squees]
Sarah: I highlighted that too! Hmm!
Melody: It’s a riddle, everyone! It’s a riddle. [Laughs]
Sarah: Hmmm! I think it might be a foreshadow?
Melody: Oooh!
Sarah: Oh? Oh –
Melody: Indeed!
Sarah: A shadow of a fore, foretelling?
Melody: [Laughs]
Sarah: Very –
Melody: So she starts throwing this party, and she works her face off, and –
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: – she, everybody’s, like, showing up. There’s a pack of satyrs that show up, and they’re like, the, the lead satyr comes swaggering up, and she’s like, somebody go get Dionysus, because they’re going to turn this thing into just, like, a, a –
Sarah: Big –
Melody: – just like an orgy if we don’t intervene.
Sarah: Big ol’ fuck-fest. Yep!
Melody: Yeah! Like, I won’t be able to choose anyone, because everybody will choose everybody else!
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: So the satyr comes up, and they just, like, ooze these charm pheromones, and so Hestia doesn’t realize it. She realizes that, like, she’s like kind of an emotional puddle, but then when Dionysus comes and is like, cut it out! Do not influence her! She realizes that she’s, like, plastered to the chest of this satyr? Dionysus is like, get out! You’ve got to go. You’re too mischievous, and she says, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. I said that everyone was welcome, and I meant that, because I know what it’s like to be left out.
Sarah: She handles the conflict in a way that stays true to herself, which is sort of –
Melody: Yes.
Sarah: – the first clue that that’s how she’s going to approach the rest of her problems. She has to figure out a way –
Melody: Yes.
Sarah: – that’s true to her and not what someone else wants.
Melody: Right.
Sarah: And then at the end of that chapter it says, one more crisis solved. And then Aphrodite is calling for her and Hestia –
Melody: Oh!
Sarah: – turns to face her next challenge.
Melody: Now she’s in her room; it’s about time to, like, get ready; and Zeus comes in to be like, I want the inside scoop, and I won’t take no for an answer.
Sarah: Yeah. She can’t really say no to him?
Melody: Right.
Sarah: She wants to, but she –
Melody: She says, I will only do that if you give me what I want.
Sarah: Yes!
Melody: And he says, all right, that sounds ominous. Like, what is it?
Sarah: She, she bargains: I’ll tell you if you give me what I want.
Melody: Yeah! Because in this moment, listener –
Sarah: Yeah?
Melody: – she gets all of the tributes that happen from the mortals, right?
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: But Olympus also does hearth tributes –
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: – except that all of those fucking hearth tributes go to Zeus –
Sarah: Fuck that!
Melody: – and not Hestia right now.
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: And so she literally looks at him and is like, there is a wage gap here that is not okay.
Sarah: Mm-hmm.
Melody: You will pay me what I am owed, and that includes the Olympus hearth tributes. And he’s like –
Sarah: Yes.
Melody: – whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! That’s a lot! And she’s like, yeah! And you have been earning it for all the work I do! Do I –
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: – not work hard enough for you? Do I not keep this house in, immaculately run for you?
Sarah: Yep.
Melody: And he’s like, all right. I guess I can pay you what you deserve. It’s nonsense!
Sarah: And he says, well, this is not a small thing. What are you planning to do with this additional power?
Melody: Yeah.
Sarah: I didn’t think you were power-hungry like everyone else.
Melody: And he tries to gaslight and guilt her –
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: – ‘cause he looks, like, so disappointed in her. I didn’t –
Sarah: I’m so disappointed in you for wanting power –
Melody: Wow.
Sarah: – which is something that I covet and acquire constantly. How, how dare you? I’m so disappointed!
Melody: I had a boss do this to me once.
Sarah: No!
Melody: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I asked for, I asked for a raise.
Sarah: Oh, how dare you.
Melody: I – no really! He was like, wow, Melody. Wow. I was not expecting this coming from you.
Sarah: Oh, fuck off!
Melody: Wow. And I was just like, what?! Like, now I definitely need the raise or I am walking. Like –
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: It was, it was a suggestion before.
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: Now it’s a mandatory! [Laughs]
Sarah: Oh my gosh! And, and the –
Melody: It was nuts.
Sarah: – the fact that that person, and Zeus, think that they can make you feel guilty for asking for appropriate compensation for your work?
Melody: Mm-hmm.
Sarah: I do not think so.
Melody: I was also the only woman who worked in the office.
Sarah: Oh my God! Fuck that guy!
Melody: Right? [Laughs]
Sarah: Ugh! And isn’t that always the case, that women’s work and things that are assigned as women’s work are deeply undervalued and are never adequately compensated.
Melody: Oh, completely! He literally said, I wouldn’t expect this from you. He would expect any man to ask for a raise, and that would make sense! But not me.
Sarah: How dare you ask for power.
Melody: Uh-huh.
Sarah: And she’s like –
Melody: Yeah.
Sarah: – uhhh, I don’t have to, I don’t have any plans! But I have earned this. This is what I have earned –
Melody: Right!
Sarah: – and then she starts, she starts to light herself on fire.
Melody: Ohhh.
Sarah: Her flames show up ‘cause she’s getting mad –
Melody: Getting mad!
Sarah: – and Zeus puts his hand up. He’s like, okay, okay, okay! You’ve made a point. You, you don’t have to set me on fire. It’s –
Melody: Right.
Sarah: – it’s fine. All right. Now I, I will give you the –
Melody: You, you can have –
Sarah: – hearth offerings of Olympus. Now tell me your plan.
Melody: [Grumbling noises] Yeah, and she’s like, it’s one night, and then I’m telling everybody to fuck off forever.
Sarah: Mm!
Melody: And he’s like, whoa!
Sarah: Ooh!
Melody: Curveball! Did not see that coming! Cool!
Sarah: That’s a good plan! Yep!
Melody: Like it! Really like it a lot! And she’s like, but you cannot tell a single person.
Sarah: And then –
Melody: It’s very important.
Sarah: – a raven is on the window and takes off squawking, and a feather lands on the floor –
Melody: [Growls]
Sarah: – and she’s like, huh. Okay, well, got to get ready for my party!
So it’s time for the party.
Melody: And we talk about her dress for no less than eight minutes. [Laughs]
Sarah: Oh. My God. Yes.
Melody: She – okay, listen. This –
Sarah: I love a good outfit.
Melody: Just this device did so much work!
Sarah: Yes!
Melody: It, like, even this! So it says that a really long time ago, she felt bad for Arachne after Athena turned her into a spider, and so she gave her a, like a closet to live in –
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: – in Olympus, and she took pity on her, and she was like, yeah, I didn’t want anything from her, but then I just went and I was like, hey, can you help me make a dress for this party? I need something special and all the things I have are, like, dowdy.
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: And so Arachne made this dress that’s like, like light as air, and it floats into the shadows, and it’s just, like, gorgeous.
Sarah: She used shadow and moonlight with her spider silk to create a fabric that was lighter than air. Her dress is made of shadows.
Melody: So not only –
Sarah: Ohhh!
Melody: – is the dress she chose –
Sarah: Yes!
Melody: – made of darkness and shadows and moonlight and all the, all the business, but she got it because of goodness that she did for nothing.
Sarah: Yeah. For giving someone a safe home!
Melody: Yes!
Sarah: Yes! She gave Arachne –
Melody: Yes.
Sarah: – a broom closet to be safe in because she’d been turned into a spider and there was no one doing that, and who the hell knew why Athena did that, but –
Melody: Yeah.
Sarah: – she made her a safe home!
Melody: Yep! And she wanted nothing for it. That’s just what she does because it’s right.
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: So she starts slinking into the shadows so that she can watch everyone and, like –
Sarah: Mm-hmm.
Melody: – choose her consort.
Sarah: Yes!
Melody: But then –
Sarah: And she said, this is going to be really hard! She’s like, oh fuck, this is going to be hard!
Melody: Yeah. But then she gets a little tippy-tap on her shoulder, and she turns around, and very clearly, Apollo is standing there in a raven-feather mask.
Sarah: Yeah. He’s not really –
Melody: And a black –
Sarah: – he’s not really –
Melody: – cloak.
Sarah: – hiding himself, no.
Melody: Really not. He starts hitting on her hard, and it’s working, okay, because she, she – she has nerve endings! And a brain! With firing neurons, you know? And so he’s like, he, like, gets her back out onto the balcony –
Sarah: Yep.
Melody: – and –
Sarah: We never finished our dance. And he’s got –
Melody: Yeah!
Sarah: – raven feathers on his mask.
Melody: Yeah.
Sarah: Like, it’s very clear what has happened here.
Melody: Oh yeah. Not to her yet, though.
Sarah: No, she –
Melody: It’s really funny.
Sarah: No.
Melody: And so he’s doing a rub up on her, and he’s like, oh, Hestia, you’re so fiery and hot and pure and stuff, and even if it’s just for one night, I can be content with that, as long as I have you. And she’s like –
Sarah: Record scratch?
Melody: – whoa, whoa, whoa!
Sarah: Whaat?!
Melody: How do you know that? Only Zeus knew that! And then she’s like, God damn it! That’s what the raven was doing!
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: Eavesdropping for Apollo.
Sarah: Yep! And it wasn’t, he says, it wasn’t fair to keep us waiting, and, you know, one night is better than nothing. You know! I’ll, I’ll be really good for that one night. No problem!
Melody: There is no skin off Apollo’s nose –
Sarah: No!
Melody: – about this.
Sarah: He doesn’t care!
Melody: He doesn’t give a fuck!
Sarah: No, he’s like, ah, one night’s fine.
Melody: He’s just like –
Sarah: But –
Melody: – that’s fine!
Sarah: – now the stakes are, you’re not allowed to not choose me.
Melody: Yes.
Sarah: You are not allowed to not choose me because I cannot handle that blow to my ego, but, hey, you pick me, it’s one night, no big deal. The stakes are pretty low for me otherwise.
Melody: We’re all good.
Sarah: Yeah, I’ll just give you a real good night. And Poseidon is like, the fuck you say?
Melody: Yeah. But then stomp, stomp, stomp, Poseidon’s here now.
Sarah: [Stomping noises] Yep.
Melody: And he’s like, what are you talking about, one night? And, and Apollo just, like, spills everything to him.
Sarah: Yeah, he’s like, yeah, Apollo said –
Melody: God, no pun intended.
Sarah: – it’s just one night. We don’t got to marry her; we just got to bone her for one night. You know!
Melody: Right, and, and he’s like, well, it’s not going to be by come hell or high water! It’s not going to be you!
Sarah: Not picking you! Nope!
Melody: God damn it!
Sarah: Nope!
Melody: And so they start, Apol-, or Poseidon’s trident materializes out of nothing, and then Apollo takes off his black cloak, and that turns into his bow and quiver?
Sarah: Yep.
Melody: And then, like, a bunch of, a bunch of dudes assemble behind, behind them, and it’s Sharks and the Jets now, everybody!
Sarah: Yeah, and the gods and goddesses start moving across the ballroom to the side that they are backing –
Melody: Mm-hmm.
Sarah: – and everyone draws swords?
Melody: And everybody’s snapping – [snaps fingers rhythmically] –
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: – and they’re going to do a dance –
Sarah: [Laughs]
Melody: – and it’s a Shark and a Jet!
[Laughter]
Melody: Making it happen!
Sarah: Yep! It’s very well choreographed.
Melody: [Sings] When you’re a Jet – [laughs].
And so Hestia finally – because they’re hurling insults back and forth; they’re doing all the things –
Sarah: Yep.
Melody: – Hestia is done!
Sarah: Yes!
Melody: And so she fireballs out –
Sarah: Yes.
Melody: – until she’s literally levitating off of the ground –
Sarah: Yes!
Melody: – and she says, neither of you deserve me! as she hurls fireballs at them.
Sarah: Yes! I am not a scrap to be fought over. None of you are worthy of me.
Melody: [Gasps]
Sarah: And she cracks the marble of the floor.
Melody: Oooh!
Sarah: And she’s so mad, because now –
Melody: Then –
Sarah: – she realizes she has no choice. Neither of them are worthy of her, and she is not going to get to go to Bone Town.
Melody: And I loved, I loved this moment because she’s like this fireball of rage.
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: And then the moment, like, she says it out loud, and then the moment it clicks for her –
Sarah: Mm-hmm.
Melody: – she just gets, like, almost literally dowsed in disappointment. Like, her flames fizzle out, and she hits the ground, and she’s like, there’s just this desolation in that split second –
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: – where she’s like, you even took this from me.
Sarah: Yeah, you even took away this choice that I thought I had, because it’s really –
Melody: The one.
Sarah: – all about you. Yeah!
Melody: The one!
Sarah: Mm-hmm.
Melody: Okay, I’m going to be honest with you? I was very excited because I did think she was buck naked at this point.
Sarah: [Laughs]
Melody: I was like, surely, surely she has –
Sarah: She burnt off that spider gown!
Melody: Yeah. She hasn’t, though – yet.
Sarah: Not quite yet.
Melody: Mm-mm, not quite yet.
So she goes on a stomp! She’s got to go on an emotion walk again! [Laughs]
Sarah: She has another, a little emotion stomp.
Melody: And this we get because all of, all of Erebus’s passages are in, in italics.
Sarah: Yes.
Melody: The way that his passage starts is something like, yeah, I thought I was going to stay away. I thought I’d be able to stay away.
Sarah: Nope! He was there; he saw the whole thing!
Melody: But I can’t. Yeah.
Sarah: Yep! And just as I thought, no one is worthy of her. They are being selfish. I should destroy them all for how insulted she is, but she needs me.
Melody: But she –
Sarah: She awakened me just as I awakened her.
Melody: I have that highlighted too!
Sarah: Yes! [Squees]
Melody: He’s like, Hestia. She just hears this voice in the darkness. He’s like, Hestia –
Sarah: Mm-hmm.
Melody: – come to me. And at first she’s thinking to herself, God damn it, stop kicking me while I’m down! Like –
Sarah: Yep.
Melody: – don’t just come here to make fun of me and my, my torment, you know?
Sarah: Yeah. Come on, come tell me you were right. Come and tell me I told you so. I get it.
Melody: Yeah.
Sarah: And he says –
Melody: Yeah.
Sarah: – the shadow cannot exist without light, and she says, the flame creates the shadow. He says, come to me –
Melody: Mm-hmm.
Sarah: – Goddess of Fire, Goddess of Kindness, Goddess of Good. Come to me and burn.
Melody: And burn.
Sarah: Whoo!
Melody: How dare you, A. C. Dawn? I’m very impressed.
[Laughter]
Sarah: Come to me and burn! So she runs –
Melody: Ah!
Sarah: – right off the edge of that cliff, deep into the crevice, and becomes flame, completely transforms into fire, burning incandescent as she fills the void, and Erebus rises to meet her and surrounds her with vastness and cradles her as she rages? [Gasps, sighs]
Melody: Oh my God! And it says, he took her anger with a kiss of shadow and quelled it. He absorbed her fury and returned gentle calm.
Sarah: He is giving her all of the things that she values.
Melody: And all of the things she needs –
Sarah: Yes!
Melody: – because she cares for everyone else, and nobody cares for her.
Sarah: Yes!
Melody: Oh my God.
Sarah: And the shadow becomes rest!
Melody: Ah!
Sarah: The shadow gives her calm and understanding and just accepts her fury, and “he stood stalwart, strong, and silent –“
Melody: Ah!
Sarah: “- until she burned herself out. Then, with infinite tenderness, he rocked her.” [Sighs]
Melody: So she’s hanging in this void with him, weightless and bodiless in his infinite presence, he says.
Sarah: Yep!
Melody: Oh my God, and it says, “Without words, in a language older than speech, she apologized.”
Sarah: Yes!
Melody: “’My love, forgive my ignorance and my sharp words. I see you now for what you are, and I will never forget.’” And he says, “’Hestia, fire of my soul and bringer of light, you helped me remember. Hidden away, I became the dark that people fear. I had lost my true self.’”
Sarah: Ah!
Melody: “’Thank you for helping me remember.’” I’m, like, really trying not to cry right now.
Sarah: [Laughs] I know; it’s so good!
Melody: [Laughs]
Sarah: “And in the abyss –“
Melody: This –
Sarah: “ – the shadow and the fire danced in slow harmony.”
Melody: Oh my God!
Then the epilogue is her walk of shame, and I loved it! [Laughs]
Sarah: Ah! This is the best part! She walks back to the garden in the dawn –
Melody: Oh no! Not a care in the fucking world –
Sarah: Yeah! She’s like, yeah –
Melody: – as she’s walking back.
Sarah: Yeah, she’s good.
Melody: [Laughs]
Sarah: And Hephaestus and Dionysus are in the garden waiting like, where have you been? We waited and waited and waited for you! And Hephaestus puts a blanket over her, and she looks down at the remnants of her gown, and Melody, there isn’t much left of this gown.
Melody: Because she’s burned through it! [Laughs]
Sarah: She burned a lot through it, and she was, you know, burning in the void with the, you know, sexy god dance.
Melody: Oh my God.
Sarah: And she says, I was with my consort.
Melody: Yeah, they’re like, what/har-har. That’s a joke; that’s impossible. You had two choices, and you said neither was worthy, and she’s like –
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: – [laughs] –
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: – I’m, I’m so, I’m a big mystery! Good-bye!
Sarah: Yep! She says, I was with the –
Melody: And she’s like, I have a meal to get ready! [Laughs]
Sarah: Yep! I was with the one who completes me. I need to see about the meal. Thank you for being my friends.
Melody: Everyone to this day thinks that Hestia was the virginal –
Sarah: Yeah.
Melody: – puritanical goddess. Little did they know –
Sarah: Nope!
Melody: – the darkness and the shadows visited her every night.
Sarah: Yes! No one knew that night after night the shadow of darkness joined her, caressing, cuddling, and caring for her, the Invisible Goddess, the one who cared for everyone else.
Together: Ahhh!
Sarah: She’s got a secret, non-corporeal god bone! Woohoo!
Melody: He can be as big as he wants!
Sarah: Yeah!
Melody: Okay! [Laughs]
Sarah: And no one knows! She has this glorious, glorious nighttime companion who understands her and sees her and fulfills her? And nobody knows.
Melody: Mmm!
Sarah: They think, oh yeah, she’s, you know, eternally pure; she’s eternally a maiden.
Melody: She’s content!
Sarah: Yeah, she’s content to care for the home, and she’s like –
Melody: Wow.
Sarah: – yeah, nighttime? Going to shadow Bone Town, y’all. None of y’all know about it.
Melody: That’s right! That’s right.
Sarah: When I opened this up on my desktop Kindle app I had a little, little popup window that said, New feature! Make flash cards! Study and master –
Melody: [Gasps]
Sarah: – the important concept from this book in no time! And I was like, oh, okay! Sure! I don’t usually do romance novel homework, but okay. So then I asked myself –
Melody: [Gasps]
Sarah: – all right, what are the important concepts from this book? And I wrote down, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”
Melody: Yes.
Sarah: And “Creating and managing a welcoming home is real work that is often invisible but does deserve and should have compensation.”
Melody: Yes.
Sarah: Yes. And I am –
Melody: Yeah!
Sarah: – so down with both of those major flash cards from this book. [Laughs]
Melody: Ahhh!
Sarah: It’s so true!
Melody: Wow, Sarah, what a great choice! I’m really, really glad, because I, this was not on my radar! I don’t think I would have found it. At least not, you know, today! [Laughs] I was so excited!
Sarah: I don’t know how I ended up finding this inside the, the churning miasma that is KU. Like –
Melody: Yeah! [Laughs]
Sarah: – every time you look at it, it’s something different. I am so excited that I read this. And I’m so glad we got to talk about it! It puts in the texts things that are very fulfilling when you realize that the book is making me feel seen. The book is saying, yes, you’re right, this is work. This is labor. It should be compensated. It’s not.
Melody: Right.
Sarah: It is invisible, but it has value. And –
Melody: Right.
Sarah: – I mean, when you’re the person who makes the things happen behind the scenes – and that’s a role I occupy in a lot of ways throughout my life, ‘cause –
Melody: Mmm.
Sarah: – I was, you know, I was administrative assistant; I was mom; I, you know, I manage a house. I value that work! I really value being able to make a home. So I grew up in a hoard house; one of my parents is a hoarder, started when I was about ten.
Melody: Me too!
Sarah: No way!
Melody: Me too!
Sarah: And I found, I was going through a binder of all of these things that I clipped out in college, all these things about home and stuff, and I just stuck ‘em in a binder. So about six months ago I was clearing out the binder, ‘cause I had been putting all my recipes in there, and I found all of these clippings, and I looked at them, and Past Sarah, who was probably, I don’t know, twenty? Twenty-one? Had saved so many clippings about how to have a welcoming home. Every single article, when I piled them all up and went through them, was how to host people, how to have a welcoming home, how to have a clean and beautiful environment –
Melody: Wooow!
Sarah: – how to have a stress-free home, and I was like, oh, Past Me clearly had some priorities we hadn’t really outlined, but –
Melody: Yeah!
Sarah: – that was really important to me, and it’s still important to me, especially when the Quarantimes, when we were all in the house. Like, what do I need to do to make our home tranquil and safe? Because everything –
Melody: Mm-hmm.
Sarah: – outside of our home is not tranquil and is –
Melody: Yes.
Sarah: – not safe!
Melody: Yes.
Sarah: And to have this book say, yes, these are important; it’s so important that the most powerful goddess of the pantheon is in charge of this.
Melody: Ah!
Sarah: Ah!
Melody: Ah!
Sarah: I feel so seen!
Melody: Thank you for having me on!
Sarah: Oh, are you kidding?
Melody: I adore you!
Together: Oh!
Sarah: It’s so fun! And I can’t wait to do another one, ‘cause I know what we’re going to do, and it’s going to be awesome!
Melody: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! [Sings] It’s gonna be, it’s gonna be the more usual stuff!
Sarah: Yes!
Melody: [Laughs]
Sarah: Super-bonky-bonky Bone Town.
Melody: Yeah! [Laughs]
Sarah: Well, thank you so, so much. I cannot tell you how much I loved this.
[music]
Sarah: And that brings us to the end of this week’s episode. Thank you again to Melody for hanging out with me to talk about The Invisible Goddess. I will have links to this book and Goddesses in Everywoman in the show notes at smartbitchestrashybooks.com/podcast.
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It is time. It is time for the bad joke. I love this part. Are you ready? All right, get ready to tell all your friends this terrible, terrible joke:
What do you call a woman who is really good at darts?
Give up? What do you call a woman who’s really good at darts?
Aim-y.
[Laughs] So bad! Somebody on a recording I was doing was like, does anyone know any dad jokes? And I felt like I had just been living my whole life for that one moment, and then of course they all rushed to the front of my brain and made no sense. This is my latest favorite. Thank you to /Cinemaking on Redd- – [laughs] – Amy! – thank you to /Cinemaking on Reddit for this one.
And on behalf of everyone here, we wish you the very best of reading! Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend. We’ll see you back here next week.
Smart Podcast, Trashy Books is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at frolic.media/podcasts.
[chiming music]
This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks.