Spoil Me! Dandelion Dynasty

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!I can't believe that it's the end of the series, and I also can't believe that Ken Liu managed to tie off such a sweeping, massive story off in a satisfying way. I'm really delighted with the ending, and I'm so glad that I got to experience this series. Thank you all so much for listening, and I hope you enjoyed the ride!

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!I can't believe we're almost at the end of this series. It has gone on for SUCH a long time that it feels like one of the OG commissions for Spoil Me! at this point. And I'm really curious how this is going to wrap, because the sheer scale of everything is so immense that it feels overwhelming.Thank you so much for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!These chapters are the ones in which Zomi and Fara have a conversation about Phyro and whether he would have bene a good Emperor, and I'm surprised to hear how little faith they both seemed to have in him despite all his growth. I am willing to concede that what Jia has done has worked, but I can't help but wonder if it may have worked another way too.Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!If you'd like to talk spoilers, come join the Discord! https://discord.gg/rEF2KfZxfV

Thank you very much Kyle for commissioning this episode!These are the chapters where Jia seems to finally be bringing her huge, long-played game to a close and is bringing everything to its conclusion. I will be honest, I wasn't really convinced she was going to be able to pull this off because I worried she'd gotten too used to power...but damn if she didn't do that shit. Well well well.Thanks so much to you all for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!If you'd like to talk spoilers, come join the Discord! https://discord.gg/rEF2KfZxfV

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!These chapters are the ones where Noda Mi finally gets got, and it's the ingenuity of Timu who winds up taking him down even after death. Meanwhile, Lady Soto writes a whole treatise on the sins of Jia and distributes them to as many parties as possible.Thanks so much to you all for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!These are the chapters in which it seems like we saw Phyro fail but NOT die. I really didn't know what to think at the time, but evidently no body has been found and Jia is refusing to say that he was involved at all! What the heck is going on?Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you so much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!I am losing my mind over how well Phyro has anticipated the way that everyone was going to react to his attack, and how he's managed to find a way around all of their precautions. Despite all that, I have a hard time imagining the confrontation between him and Jia.Speaking of which, Jia's plan of taking down the Lyucu seems to have worked flawlessly but I'm feeling left kind of flat. What do you all think?Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!In these chapters, I'm getting my hopes up that Phyro is not actually attacking Pan the way that everyone is expecting, but I'm not sure whether I'm just seeing what I want to see. Also there's a whole thing with Thera getting reunited with her children, and me feeling kind of let down that we don't actually get to see that moment. Idk, I'm side-eyeing you Mr. Liu.Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!These chapters are the ones in which it looks like Phyro maybe is going to war against Jia??? I'm not sure what to think is happening here, but that certainly seems to be the case. Meanwhile, we get to see the havoc that Jia's engineered berries wreak among the Lyucu, and I have trouble feeling as bad as I expected to feel about the whole thing.Thank so much to you all for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!This is the section where we learn what Kinri's new name is now that he's become a member of Rufizo Mender's monastery devoted to repairing and renewing instead of war and destruction. Brother Thasé-teki is getting involved in the daily life and chores, trying to find his place, and hits on an idea for "printing" books automatically.Meanwhile, Théra's facing the fact that her plan has utterly fallen apart and decides to flee to a place that nobody would agree to live in if they were still part of the old traditions...which means she's very likely going to see her children again soon.Thank you so much for listening, and I will see you all soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!These chapters deal a lot in the concepts of pacifism and the sanctity of human life and prevention of suffering, but there's a lot of conflicting feeling in them which I will say I think is appropriate. These are not easy topics to discuss and there are easy arguments to be made against all the perspectives. Ultimately, though, we get a pretty badass death scene and confirmation that Thera is never going to go home again, and that bummed me out.Thanks so much to you all for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!I'm so mad that Tovo is still alive. I was really hoping that there would turn out to be catastrophic damage from the battle that caught up with him despite him surviving the explosion of the coffins, but NO. He's still here and he's leading the assault against more crazy war machines that Dara and Agon people have built, and ALL I WANT is for him to DIE pretty please?Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thanks so much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!The best way for me to summarize these chapters is to say, "Oh, Jia. What the fuck are you doing."I'm really tired of this bitch acting like a martyr when there are plenty of other options on how to handle things and she's just got no faith in people so she acts like those options don't exist. She's decided that Phyro's too much of a threat and she's going to allow Soto to tell him who killed his mother in order to inflame him. She's SO SURE he's going to completely flip out and plunge the whole country into war, and I'm looking forward to her realizing her mistake.Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning these episodes!In these chapters, we're still in the midst of a battle and we're seeing even more of the technological advancements Dara (namely Ruthi) has come up with, which include what amounts to a light-seeking missle.This is a wild ride.Thanks so much for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!So we've got another installment of the battle between Goztan Ryoto's forces Phyro's forces, and we get to see how these ornithopters work. Turns out that Rati is a genius and the whole setup has many varied outcomes that are all pretty effective.Thank you so much for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!We're in the midst of the battle and getting to see the way that technology has advanced for the sake of winning this battle, and yet it will probably go on to affect everyone in a much more everyday way because Rati has discovered how to automate making a lot of the same item at the same time. It's an industrial revolution!Thank you all so much for listening, everyone, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you so much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!In this pair of chapters, we meet a new character named Zen-Kara from Tan Adu and who experiences a lot of bigotry and microagressions when she moves to Dara and tries to pursue an education. We ALSO get the start of the battle against the Lyucu, which I hadn't expected to see as soon as we do.Thanks for listening, and I will see you again soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!In these chapters, we get to see how Phyro's planning for going to war has grown more subtle and more about what's right and wrong rather than mere rage. He has gotten the Blossom Gang to brainstorm and perform a sort of guerilla information technique that results in the people of Dara supporting the idea of attacking the Lyucu. By the end of this section, Jia is argued into a corner and calls for Phyro, and I'm genuinely surprised that she decided to honor her alleged ideals.Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!These chapters go from some incredibly high highs, to some incredibly low lows. We have the successful resolution of the slave rebellion, both rescuing (some but not all) of the Dara and Agon, while also destroying the city-ships the Lyucu would have used to invade Dara. But we also have a horrific, drug-fueled murder of a shipful of slaves at the hands of enraged and frightened Lyucu, steered by the maniacal Cutanrovo.Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!In these, we get a very satisfying takedown of a certain Pekyu who I thought was going to be a more ongoing threat. I absolutely cannot wait until we get to see what happens after the explosion because shit's going to be in absolute shambles.Meanwhile, we bid farewell to Takval, and I'm genuinely bummed about it.Thank you for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!These chapters are pretty rough. There are some victories happening, but mostly there's a series of devastating losses. We've got Takval in a coma, we've got Cutanrovo absolutely transcendant with victory, we've got more descriptions of horrific torture and oppression. I'm trying to take comfort in the berries which are definitely going to be a problem for the Lyucu, but they're getting distributed among the Dara people too. UUUGHHHHThanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!In these chapters, we get the betrayal of Thera and Takval, followed by their clever escape and flight to the north, where they team up with the Ice People and begin a revolution. Meanwhile, Tanto is out here looking at the remains of legends, and getting elevated to an almost mythical status himself among his peers.Thanks for listening, and we will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!These chapters see Tanto embarking on a massive quest for a mythical weapon that I can't believe possibly exists, and coming close to dying several times in the process. Then we're with Thera, who discovers some wild stuff about the sounds garinafins, tusked tigers, and crubens can make which humans can't hear but are affected by nonetheless.Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you so much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!I'm really excited to be getting into this book, especially since we get some hopefulness with Thera coming out of her catatonic state and finding out that her children are alive and that Toof and Radia aren't the traitors they seemed to be.I'm really worried about Jia and Tiphan Huto though.Thanks for listening, and see you soon!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!I can't believe this book is already over, but I hope that I managed to do it some kind of justice. I like where things are going with the Blossom Gang, but I'm a little worried about Savo/Kinri now that he's out there in the world by himself. Where is he going to go? What's he going to do? And what the fuck is happening with Jia's drug drop?Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with the start of Speaking Bones.

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode! In these chapters we get a kind of baffling third challenge in the Restaurant Wars, and a real Moment between Kinri and Dandelion. Meanwhile, Mota is up to something with his plan to infiltrate Last Bite, but I can't figure out what that could be. And Thera is grieving while her children fight to live in the City Of Ghosts. Thank for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!This is yet another installment in the Restaurant Wars, which don't get me wrong I *am* enjoying but I'm also a little puzzled? This gonna be the whole rest of the book? Apparently not everyone loved it, and while I can definitely understand why I have to admit that I'm really kind of here for it. Anytime we have a focus on a bad restaurant manager and how a team that actually LIKES each other can work together, I love it.Thank you all so much for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode! In these chapters we get to see how Jia is taking some of the information being sent her way about the pirate problem going on around Unredeemed Dara. But mostly what we get is more of the competition between the Splendid Urn and the Treasure Chest, and I'm starting to get frustrated with our side for their lack of creativity in dealing with this clown.Thank you all so much for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!These chapters concern the complete desolation wreaked by Cutanrovo and her so-called "Purification Packs", and then the restaurant war still going on between The Splendid Urn and The Treasure Chest. Cutanrovo has seemingly backed Tanvanaki into a corner, and we find out that poor little Mozo Mu is being blackmailed to participate in this contest. FUCKING HUTO. Thanks so much to you all for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode! These chapters are each very delightful in their own ways. First, we get to find out that Volyu is not getting the rewards for his betrayal that he was expecting, and is in fact being sent back to his people in such a way that he may wind up getting punished if there's any justice. Also, Toof and Radia are not traitors! They were helping! YAY!But my personal favorite, unsurprisingly, was the first installment of Restaurant Wars. Thanks so much for listening, and I will see you in a couple weeks with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode! I'm so glad that I got a little respite from all the horrific atrocities that have been happening to just chill with the food workers and theatre kids. They're a delightful crew, and I'm looking forward to them managing to at least thwart and possibly take down a man who is not only a selfish greedy piece of shit, but also the kind of scum who agrees to traffic human beings. Thanks so much for listening, and I will see you soon with the next 2 chapters!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode! These chapters are pretty rough. And though things are tinged with some hopefulness here and there, I swear to god I am going to need solid unmitigated win for human decency soon or I am going to LOSE it. We've got Timu being forced to burn priceless historical artifacts and the bodies of nuns and priests, we've got Thera being betrayed and losing BOTH her children, we've got Tanvanaki's refusal to kill a woman who is fucking ALL her shit right up...SOMEONE DO SOMETHING!Thanks for listening.

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!In these chapters, there's far more devastation within Thera's community than I wax expecting. In fact, saying "within the community" is suggesting there's still a community at all after what happens, and that's barely true. Meanwhile we get a really fascinating conversation between Jia and Zomi, and I can't help but be impressed with Jia despite the fact that she's clearly planning on doing something monstrous. Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode! In these chapters, we've got Thera once again doing the thing where she assumes that Dara's way of doing everything is superior to the Agon way, and gets schooled completely by an elder as a voice painting is made for the first time. Meanwhile, Timu decides to find his spine at the exact wrong time and causes a deep division in the Lyucu, resulting in the hardliners being led by Cutanrovo to commit further atrocities. Thank you so much for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode? I put a question mark there because I'm very much not thankful to Kyle for putting me through this. I'm not, Kyle. You're mean. These are some rough chapters, y'all. Like. Ugh.

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!These chapters are the ones in where Thera tries to pull back on her authority in their little camp and let the Agon people take the reigns a little more. Her uncle-in-law comes to them with a suggestion that I'm highly suspicious of. But by far the most upsetting thing is Jia's creation of a drug that can ruin entire communities. I hate this so much. Thank you for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!These are some fascinating chapters, and also a little saddening for me personally. Because of my personal dislike for Jia, I assumed that her assurances that Phyro isn't ready for the throne were just a ploy for her to retain power. But the more we get to see of this situation, the more correct she seems to be. Even Zomi believes Jia is right. I'm still not loving Jia being in charge tho. Thanks so much to you all for listening, and I will see you very soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode!So we're doing the thing where we jump ahead a few years and we get to see the ways in which cultures clash against one another, and the variety of ways in which value systems that don't match can lead to deep misunderstandings and feelings of superiority that get in the way of effective communication. Also, we go to the palace for the first time in a while and see what's going on with Fara, Phyro, and Jia. Seems like Fara is better at this than anyone is really giving her credit for, but her brother is not inclined to take advice from her. Thanks to you all for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode! In these chapters, a misunderstanding almost results in Thera marrying the head of the clan she's trying to ally with, which would have led to the exile of the man she actually has grown to really care about (and whose child she's carrying, as we find out later). In the end, they manage to manipulate this guy into an allegiance, but WOOF that was close. Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode! We're still out here on the open sea, and we're getting to see the fallout of the attempt by the Dara soldier to sink the Lyucan ship. Takval winds up actually befriending (this may be too strong a word but I'm going to go with it)a couple enemy soldiers because he's moved by their compassion for their dragon. There's a truly moving scene about that. Also, one of the gods decides that he's going to give up his identity and become a mortal stowaway on the Dara ship, and I'm fascinated by this.Thanks so much to you all for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode! These chapters are the ones where the Dara crews assemble an awesome shadow play to distract the Lyucu warriors while they break through the Lyucu ship's hull and attack from within. I'm blown away by the absolute nerve it takes to pull something like this off, and once again some entitled asshole forces his way in and fucking ruins everything. I'm very concerned about Takval. I'm growing to like him a lot, and we don't need to lose him at this stage. Thanks so much for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode! In this section, we get some more time with Goztan as she explains who she is and gets some unexpected backup from Oga about her identity. Things turn a weird corner and it seems like she's about to rape him? Also, we get to see Thera again! She's taking the reins while also taking a step back and letting her fiance get some shine as well. Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much to Kyle for commissioning this episode!I'm finally starting the third book in the Dandelion Dynasty series, and it becomes very clear that I'm going to need to refresh my memory by revisiting the previous book so that I don't get too lost! We jump back in time and meet a new character from the Lyucu people, and we get to see what it was like for her to experience colonization by Dara people. Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this entire series! I can't believe this is it. The last available book in the series until sometime next year has been completed, and I'm sitting here absolutely dying to know what Thera is going to get up to, and dying to know how Phyro does at ruling, and so angry that Jia managed to take the sweet Risana completely off the board. I know that Jia is better at ruling, but I liked having Risana's kind influence as a background presence, and her absence will certainly be felt. Meanwhile, there's the whole thing with Timu still being kept hostage, essentially, by his wife who is now in charge of things. Will Tanvanaki actually team up with those fucking rebels? I hope not. I want them to get a nasty surprise. Thanks so much to Kyle, again, for commissioning this huge series and being so dedicated. I have enjoyed it a TON and I can't wait to see what this author has in store for the final(?) installment in the series.

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode! I can't believe there's only one more episode of this book and then it's over and nothing more until next year! AGHThese chapters are absolutely action-packed and so intensely interesting to read. I love how much time this author devotes to explaining the intricacies of how the weapons used in this battle were formulated and built and what it looks like to actually use them, and I'm SO into the direction things take with the betrayers and that unexpected hiccup. OOPS!Ugh I just love these books. See you soon with a new episode!

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode! In this one, we say goodbye to a legend.

Thank you so much to Kyle for commissioning this episode! So these are some really tough chapters. Well, the first of the two isn't so much, because it's full of good news and some really cool science, including the beginnings of the control of electricity. Which is rad and amazing to read because I am very unlettered in this subject and I have to assume that this isn't a completely inaccurate representation. But the next chapter was...well, it's devastating. Prince Timu is roofied and raped, and the event is so heartbreaking that I don't think I could have borne it if the chapter went on any longer than it did. As it is, to all appearances there will be a marriage between himself and his rapist now, and I hate it all so much and just want her ripped to shreds by her own dragon. So. There it is.

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode! This was a really fascinating set of chapters, because we're getting to see the ways in which war influences the economy and research, which is something I'm so used to associating with WWII that I don't think about it as being a major factor before that era. I loved the way in which they're figuring out the garinafins, and I am eager to see how they implement that info. However, there's a major other issue that I care about even more. THERA AND ZOMI SITTING IN A TREE K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Thank you very much to Kyle for commissioning this episode! So now we're starting to get somewhere. I have been waiting with breath that is bated for Gin to get on the same damn page with everyone else in terms of fighting back and saving Dara, and it looks like we might have finally gotten there. All it fucking took was a barbecue of hundreds of people in front of the emperor, among whom is Zomi's poor mother. Goddamn. Thanks so much for listening, and I will be seeing you again with a new episode!

Thank you to Kyle for commissioning this episode! So these chapters give a whole new perspective to the invasion of the Lyucu people into Dara, and I have to admit that I'm not ENTIRELY on the side of Dara. Not that a whole nation is responsible for the actions of a handful, but like...these dudes were repping for Mapidere, and if he were still alive by the time Tenryo invaded, I would be full-on rooting for the dragons. Anyway, I really like this book but also it makes me feel bad and I'm mad about it. Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon with a new episode!