"Thank the gods you're awake! It's been months!"

"Oh boy, I'm so excited to walk through Laure under a fractious combo of martial law and Praesi coup!"

It's only fair to assume that the title is a reference to John Darnielle's hit song "Sudden Oak Death" wherein the lyric When the crack sounds in the woods, you will know that I'm down for good. Because this is the chapter where Catherine's pair a' more is down for good.

This is the kind of intertextuality you can only get on PGTEE.

I pledge allegiance

To the Horse

Of the occupied Kingdom of Callow

And to the Knights

For which it neighs

One quadruped

Under the gods

Full of strings

With broken legs and panic for all

I'll be real: it sounds very wrong to me to say "a shambles." It's "in shambles." This is another big L for the Brits, who are also wrong about The Magna Carta. "There's no 'the' in Latin!" Yeah, so? That's not how languages work. Do you not say "the" Kremlin? Grow up.

A short king, a shorter king, and the Bard's thing

Now goblins are cruel, wicked, and bad-hearted. They make no beautiful things, but they make many clever ones. They can tunnel and mine as well as any but the most skilled dwarves, when they take the trouble, though they are usually untidy and dirty.

Getchur amatuer scenia outta here!

BOW, FOOLISH MORTALS, BEFORE THE INEXORABLE MIGHT OF WINTER. ALL SHALL CRACK AS THE ICE ITSELF BEFORE THE BIG GUY WITH THE DEADWOOD CROWN. COWER. SHIVER. BE WEARY AND COOL. READ TO BUILD A FIRE BY JACK LONDON. I GUESS.