#kota botb

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 23

Time to find out exactly what flavour of antagonist Guthrie is!

To start by building on what we already know, she's a fucking manipulative one. Even when she's called out on how she's over played her hand trying to drive a wedge between Kota and Nadani, she still tries to paint herself as acting in kindness, trying to take the reasonable and less painful route for Nadani.

This comes in juxtaposed against her callous disregard for the children that had lived on Bodeya's estate and everyone caught in the fire she ordered set in the semidaem ward, and so doesn't sway Nadani for a moment.

She's also a cultist and not just some basic bitch assassin or grunt either. She's trusted enough to be left to choose her approach for reclaiming Nadani, and has clearly been granted a lot of power.

The undying thing was a very fun and sinister twist. Really helps hype up just how powerful Nadani's dad is that even while trapped he manages to mess with the scales of life and death to make sure his minion can do his bidding.

No wonder Pyter has always been so ready to throw down whenever her undead ass rolled up on a scene.

The reveal that Nadani's dad is the big bad was very well foreshadowed with one of the most obvious examples being Kota wondering if the purity/recency of Nadani's heritage might be a motive for why she is so important, and the title of the fucking book. When Guthrie started being all "haven't ye ever wondered about your parents" spiel it wasn't an out of nowhere "Oh Fuck For Real?" moment or an impatient exasperated "Oh Of Course She Is" moment it was more like a grimly satisfying "Unfortunately For Nadani This Is The Natural Conclusion" moment.

I liked how Kota didn't play into Guthrie's hands or insult Nadani's intelligence by trying to deny she wanted to kill Bodeya and instead just went "Yeah, but her, not innocents like a psychopath."

Even if it is probably likely, I refuse to believe that Nadani's mother is dead until I hear it from a source that isn't someone with a vested interest in trying to control how much Nadani knows about her past and how she views that information.

The fight scene was phenomenal. Poor Nadani is good enough at violence to survive but its definitely not an activity that works well with who she is. I hope all of the fighting she is gonna have to do to survive what her father wants from her and thwart him (you know she's likely to take on that responsibility) doesn't end with her being hardened by all the violence. I think it'll be more interesting overall if Nadani takes the Lucy Lawless route of Do It Good Quickly So You Don't Have to Do More and then avoids it like the plague wherever possible.

I'm gonna find it very satisfying when Guthrie eventually learns that Death catches up, and that one doesn't have to re-kill a dead thing, only give Death an opening to take what its owed. In the mean time, there are plenty of unpleasant situations to be undying in...

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 8

Nadani: You cracked your skull open.

Kota: I didn't mean to.

Nadani: *EERILY HIDDEN RAGE*

Which honestly, fucking mood. There is rage that comes with people getting hurt and being powerless to do anything about it, and it only intensifies when the person either downplays it or acts as though it was their fault. Anger because you couldn't help and they're giving you know avenue to meaningfully help even now, anger because they can't point you in a direction of someone to fuck up over their pain.

I am a giggly mess over how fucking adorable Pyter was keeping Kota laying down on the bed by glomping on her and saying "Nadani said!"

Darracie is a fucking card and I love her. Cranky medics really do just do something to my brain.

Also lol at Kota's first meeting with her new boss being while she's in a hospital bed with a cracked skull getting called a reckless idiot.

Lou is also a delight so far, though we'll see how this goes. I'm hoping it goes in a direction of "too old for this gay pining shit, just fuck already, here look I only made one bed." That or just entirely unhelpful over their relationship troubles and just sitting there with popcorn.

Fully fair that Norga won't be covering for Kota over more shit, but also, I don't give a fuck that the macguffin got a little banged up in the process of Kota going to help Pyter, so it doesn't mean too much to me that she covered in the first place, and so not super impressed by her "I covered for you" comment in the first place.

Welp these couple of chapters have been an excellent activity instead of doing the prep for the game I'm GMing tonight but gotta help make dinner before the game starts so off I go.

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter Seven

I was half expecting that either Pyter or Nadani would stupidly jump it to intercept the arrow, more Pyter than Nadani, but AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH, my heart when Pyter went for the arrow and then it fucking exploded!

That elf assassin was fucking intense. I got more zealot vibes than I did "she's scared of the person who hired her" which is honestly refreshing and low key more menacing. The idea that they could threaten such a painful death at His™ hands and still feel so loyal as to take the death before dishonour route? Fucking wild. Hope I just didn't notice the fear in the elf.

The fact that Norga prioritised the macguffin box over the fact that my dearest darlingest most beloved Pyter getting blown up and Kota running into danger irks me almost as much as it did Nadani, but like I get it. It's practical. As far as anyone knows the attack could be a distraction or a theft attempt. But like also, fuck you, Kota was in danger, Pyter was scared and injured, and Nadani was worried. Look after my new blorbos not your fucking weird lock box!

Norga does get some points back for swooping in to collect Kota before the building could fall on top of her. It was interesting to see a character (Nadani) admit that she wouldn't have been brave enough to do so.

The magic arrows and the absolute unhinged-ness of the elf assassin was a brutal combo. I was not expecting that literally all three of our main focus characters would end this chapter in need of medical attention.

The medics here better take good fucking care of them all until Kota is recovered enough to finish fixing folks up.

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 3

SHE'S FREE!!!

Kota barely held the gay in for every part of that interaction from the hoof clipping to the brand removal. Very chivalrous. She's got that duty and honour thing going on hard.

Also I fucking LOVED Kota's comparison of her understanding of magic vs. the average mages understanding of magic. A blacksmiths understanding of a sword vs. a knights understanding of a sword.

I do wonder how much of that is related to how she came to be raising Pyter.

Pyter who remains the sweetest lil' dragon in all of fiction. And I saw this as someone who knows about Forta the Second and how she spent the latter half of a Deltora Quest book in Lief's pocket. And watched all the How to Train Your Dragon movies. And remember what Saphira was like as a baby in Eragon.

Pyter outclasses them by a gods damned mile. And I can't help but note my lad hasn't been given a lemon yet.

A truly criminal development.

Meanwhile with Nadani... That woman has one hell of a pain tolerance. Or just a metric fuck ton of self restraint because ooooh boy that brand removal process sounded painful.

I'm pretty sure Kota has just turned Nadani's whole outlook on what is possible upside down. I'm also pretty sure Nadani is gonna claim a life debt while she adjusts to the idea of being free, just so she can stay with the warmth and stability of Kota and Pyter, that's if Kota doesn't just ask her to hang around "for safety reasons" until she's sure the slavers aren't gonna come looking to reclaim Nadani.

The point is they are gonna be together for a while for some very good reasons, and then stay together even longer by stretching those reasons to the max before they cave and admit they just wanna be together.

I will be so happy if I happen to get proven wrong though.

[violetren]

Bloood of the Basilisk Chapter 35

SHE'S BLUE DA BA DEE DA BA DI!!!

Sorry not sorry.

But she issss! And Kota has some white scales now! Colour coordinated inhuman power couple of the century!

I love that Pyter looks the same but can breathe hellfire now.

This little family unit could rule worlds if they were so inclined, and (un?)fortunately for the worlds out there they aren't interested in doing so.

They've got one hell of a journey ahead of them. I wonder if they'll stay on Proximus helping with the clearing up for a particularly long time or if they'll be gone the next time somewhere needs a trouble shooter. Either way I bet they'll have some wild adventures together. And it will be together. Because they are in love and adorable and ahhhhhhhhh.

I loved Pyter jumping back onto the bed at the end like "Done kissing?" Poor lad is already so done (but kinda happy about) his momma and his Dani being too busy kissing to give him cuddles.

It's such a cute ending and best of all it feels like a new beginning. Leaves me a little bitter sweet that there isn't another adventure in this world already waiting for me to jump into. I would 110% read anything from their next/first official case, to Lou and Pyter engaging in increasingly complex looney tunes-esque shenanigans to over Pyter's pantry access.

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 34

Die screaming.

Bitch I might, but I'll be having a lot more fun that Guthrie doing it.

Holy fucking shit. The whole fucking opening sequence of the ceremony, with the chanting and the hammers, and the stomping. Fucking EPIC! The rhythm it gave the whole scene leading up to that final confrontation was perfect.

And right up until the end, the little layers of Guthrie, Yenara, and Meref's personalities in how they tried and failed to fight back! And the fact that Nadani won by that wonderous intelligence and adaptability we've been seeing in her this whole time. *chefs kiss*

What a brilliant victory. I had so much fun reading it!

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 33

It's sweet that Kota and Nadani manage to scrape together a moment that almost feels domestic while trapped in a cell less than an hour away from the big make or break event.

Pyter definitely deserves to get all the cuddles, and shinies, and scritches, and lemon curd that he wants when this is all said and done. That bit about him shifting uncomfortably when mentally cut off from Kota and Nadani fucking hurted.

Guthrie is almost ALMOST clever with the power dampening collars. Except for the bit where she can't even properly maintain a lie about bringing Kota back and is still ultimately gonna have to take off Nadani's collar if she wants her master back meaning I'm pretty sure that whatever Nadani's plan is will still be a go. Ultimately though she is still a power blinded fool if she thinks her boss won't happily interpret setting her free as taking away his magic influence over her, including the magic keeping her alive.

Hehe. Cold Stone Thanage.

Important note, my brain went to the gargoyle before the creamery.

I'm so glad that even on the precipice of what Guthrie thinks will be her crowning victory Kota can still annoy her without even speaking to her.

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 32

Kota done got fucked up. I'm sure Guthrie had a great time kicking her while she was down and all.

Prodigy Nadani is coming in fucking clutch. Girl has got the power of love and anime on her side. It's honestly cool as fuck. And I need to say again what an absolutely grade A top quality fucking narratively consistent clown Guthrie was in that "negotiation" last chapter.

We finally got verbal confessions of love TO EACH OTHER.

WE FINALLY GOT A KISS!

And on top of that I get to giggle at matter of fact Pyter being all "Momma was hurt, had to come get her. Just had ta." and how Nadani is on team Pyter and Kota is feeling SO loved but also so disgruntled because the whole point of her being here was that They Wouldn't Have To Be.

Where is that comic of the two people throwing themselves in front of threat and just constantly bending and twisting over each other. That's these three.

I can't (and conveniently don't have to) wait for next chapter to see Nadani's plan in action.

Pictured above: Me weighing up a dozen different ideas as to how Guthrie is about to get fucked over by her own hubris and Nadani and Kota's brilliance.

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 31

I have a burning need for a cute little pocket sized Pyter. I do have a 3d Printer to help make it happen. I just need to massively improve my 3d modelling skills to make him exactly what I want... might take a while... a long while... But I will be working on it.

The city sounds fucking gorgeous, and I currently want nothing more than to run a game where the party rocks up to a city of corpses shambling through a facsimile of life being ruled over by a small handful of more cognizant undead. I genuinely might have to draft up a one-shot and just tell my table we aren't doing campaign next week because I have a shiny idea.

This has been a very creatively inspiring chapter.

Moving on...

This was my face when Guthrie started talking like she'd already won and giving away SO MUCH info that Nadani is just fucking determined and quick witted enough to be able to put to excellent use:

Guthrie: Unlike ye who can control hellfire because of ye blood, she will burn

Nadani: Huh. No kidding? Magic derived from shared blood you say? So I'm cool to throw her in the fire myself if you let me stay with her tonight and promise that my dad will be cool.

Guthrie: Glad ye've seen reason lass.

The fucking arrogance that comes with zealotry and a prize feeling close at hand. Delicious.

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 30

I think most of my thoughts on this chapter can be summed up as that wild not quite voluntary screaming as you go down a massive drop on a roller coaster and the breathless shellshock that comes with the next five drops two loop de loops and several 5 G turns.

I'm glad Lou basically has her own militia of friendship and favours on hand as a starting point for allied forces.

Nadani came in clutch with getting Pyter back into shape which is good because it was very hard to read with the continuing beat of "My boy! My Poor Baby! HELP HIM!" pounding through my head.

The second we came to how Nadani ended up with Pyter's blood I wanted to slam my head into a wall because DUH! He scratched the shit out of her while bleeding himself. It wasn't even like a subtle event. We were told they were both bleeding. Fucking hell. Why has this felt like a mystery?

I have a whole new appreciation for this soldiers stone Kota made. I'm curious about Lou's eyes getting big over it. Is she just surprised and happy about such a convenient way of finding Kota, or did Kota put some massively fucking gay design/magic signature on it that declares her undying love in a mostly dead tongue? I would not put it past her honestly.

Pyter and Nadani are right from a main character plot progressing perspective, but also they are going to give me and Lou ulcers with this gung-ho lets teleport in and storm the gates attitude.

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 29

Words cannot truly capture the emotional journey I went out upon finding out Yenara was somehow back and whole and in front of the Grimmani agency alongside Guthrie and Creepy Human Man Guy overseeing the ongoing siege.

There was disappointment that her body wasn't frantically crawling through the mountains smacking into trees while somewhere a hundred odd miles away her head tried to blow a piece of hair out of her eyes with mounting frustration and kept yelling for someone to come pick her up. And then a big ball of wibbly wobbly thinky feely stuff. And then just generally being impressed that she/her companions had the power to pull her back to join in the assault so quickly.

Kota is exactly the level of little shit one would expect of a seasoned adventurer and I adore her.

The fact that she and Nadani went up to the roof with the keystone suggests some sort of a plan is in play that the readers aren't in on, but the further this goes along the more I think the plan was draw attention while people teleport to safety and then figure out the next step once that either happens or doesn't.

Often times throughout reading this my brain has gone to the direct comparison of Dungeons and Dragons, and that's definitely in part because of the variety of races doing their thing in this city, but this chapter and the chapter before really hits on the part that really hits on what really reminds me of dnd most of the time, which is the wild plans that work far better than they have any right to and almost exclusively go flying off of the fucking rails at first contact with anything that might cause a complication.

The action is great and the turn in battle is spine tingling.

Gharol deserved better. I finally got a chapter where my first thought wasn't "she gonna betray?" and then she fucking dies.

Kota as it turns out in classic seasoned adventurer fashion IS A MOTHERFUCKING DUMBASS.

Nadani and Pyter are gonna go fucking rabid over this. If she lives, because fucking christ this might be the first time I have been genuinely worried a main character is Dead Dead in one of Molly's books (kinda wild considering Transistor exists and is something I have read) then Kota is gonna be spending the rest of her god damn life making this recklessness up to them. Holy fucking shit. Bitch better have had a teleport ready.

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 28

I wanna be like Oh Shit Yenara really was an undead cave elf, but I'm mostly too budy trying to get my breath back from laughing at Kota punting her head into an exploding mineshaft and then letting the decapitated body run through a portal to the middle of fucking no where. There's some Looney Tunes level bullshit there that I find deeply deeply enjoyable.

I am also imagining Yenara as Death Becomes Her style Meryl Street.

It is very sad that Yenara managed to get the bomb trigger phrase out first. It's a credit to how the fall out is written that it feels like a tragedy despite only one named character only loosing part of an arm, while all the deaths are unnamed workers and a number of family members of those unnamed workers. I think its in the brief glimpses of pain in others (Shandal wailing) and the dry facts that carry haunting implications (a detectives child got out, his husband didn't).

Kota welding the city gate shut feels like peak DnD party shenanigans. How does someone get in the city? They don't. How do we get out of the city? We don't. Ok, but what if we have to get out of the city? Probably dragon. Sure, but what if other people need to get out of the city? Look, can we just deal with the first problem of the assholes trying to get into the city first?

I think Kota's right. At this point they should break the keystone. There's no contract, and depending on how much prep has been done on the cults end the only use for it at this point may well be opening a portal to some kind of demon lord prison, and uhhh, no thanks.

I suppose Thilde isn't wrong for her hesitance here. If the keystone CAN be used to reach out to known allied planets then it might be worth a shot using it for that instead, but that's gonna be difficult considering the cult trying to overrun the city and inviting chaos.

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 27

Thilde gets to live. The mayor and/or his assistant get to drink bleach.

Kota and Pyter definitely created quite the impression storming back into that building.

When I took a second to reread it slower for the sake for refreshing myself on what moments I wanted to comment on, the brief few seconds after Kota has got Thilde restrained for questioning and she has to float herself up to be at eye level with her captive, are objectively hilarious. In the moment it flows great and would look dramatic as fuck in cinema. Removed from all context however I fully snorted.

I appreciate how quick on the uptake and understanding Norga and Thilde are once they realise what the fuck is happening.

Nadani's magic training sounds cool as fuck. What she could potentially do with iron and bronze is cool, but also imagine what she could do with glass. And Gold. Honestly even just the candles with the right perfumes added. Sikudhana has taught her one hell of a skill.

I was still very keyed up over the whole bombing thing and so when Gharol rocked up to be like "hey lets go to headquarters" my first thought was kidnapping. I feel like I need to apologise to Gharol because every time she shows up my first thought is "impendng betrayal" and then she consistently just does her job to the best of her ability without betraying anyone.

That is to say I was very relieved when Gharol and Nadani arrived at Grimmani HQ and Kota and Nadani got to hug.

I fully support Pyter's decision to melt Yenara's face off and ask questions later, and look forward to the results after I finish my workplace training thing tomorrow. I do wonder if Yenara is gonna be another undead construct.

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 26

The morning after sequence is so sweet. I loved Nadani's quiet contemplations over Kota as she got dressed, both the observations about how Kota hides the signs of her non-human heritage, and her trying to parse out her own emotions. I interpreted the scene as Nadani experiencing a desire for intimacy. The type that comes from being vulnerable and accepted wholly in return. Sex can be and might very be the most common way of sharing such a feeling, but its hardly the only way.

I'm curious to see if Nadani is going to see sex as a convenient mode of expressing a certain level of intimacy in a way Kota is familiar with; a tool in her arsenal that she gets enjoyment from because of what it allows her to share with her partner rather than because she feels desire for the act itself. Or if she's going to find other ways of expressing intimacy and care without trying to engage in something that she never really wants in the way Kota does. Or if she realises she's demi like Dura. Or if her experience really is a trauma response. Idk. I like imagined options one and two best and frankly think one seems most likely at this juncture.

Especially since it seems like Kota wants to be slammed down big style and Lou has definitely got Kota pegged as someone who likes to get treated rough.

Speaking of Lou, I liked the fact that she's as old as potters wheels and domesticated horses and older than the precursor to ancient Greece/about 1500 years older than the written word was used to be like "QUEER PEOPLE EXIST AND HAVE BEEN EXISTING THE WHOLE TIME KIDDOS!" Truly fantastic.

I also really liked that Lou took the time to make sure Nadani knows that even if she does begin developing feelings of sexual desire or just happens to want sex for other reasons that it will be fine and normal and not make her the same as anyone who has used her before. That's probably gonna be important for Nadani to think on, especially if/when it turns out Kota wants to get fucking railed until she can't walk or form sentences.

Another cool part of that conversation was the acknowledgement that Nadani has some of Pyter's magic and they have bonded in some which way. Perhaps from the moment they met on the Bloody Aether since it was such a charged moment of Pyter and Kota being like "oh fuck no" about Nadani's enslaved status.

FINALLY ANSWERS FOR THE PENDULUM.

Sorta.

Is it a fucking bomb? Did Thilde give my baby a bomb? Bitch better hope not, and if she did then gods above and below it better have been an accident or I'm tearing down the walls of reality to make her drink bleach.

I need to go read the next chapter immediately to resolve this cliff hanger.

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 25

Pyter is the bestest boy for helping to keep Nadani grounded as best he could while she was in shock and waiting for his momma. I hope he gets plenty of lemon curd with dinner tonight.

Also it is cute as fuck that he seems to make himself weightless as people change positions in order to make things easier. I wonder how many times Kota stumbled or fell before he got into that habit.

Kota did pretty good helping break through the shell of Nadani's shock between the story of her own reaction to her first kill, and giving her a physical outlet to help get things moving.

“I’m used to hearing children curse the fire for being hot.” is such a baller line and Lou is fucking great throughout that entire conversation. I like that Kota knows it even if its begrudging recognition in the moment.

If it weren't for the very sleepy cat in my lap I would have been bouncing in my seat the moment the door knock sounded, because ofc it would be Nadani in this situation.

Kota handled this situation like an absolute champion and I adore her for it. She's so gentle with Nadani and so kind and concerned without being at all condescending. The gift she gave Nadani letting her feel just how loved she is damn near made me cry.

Pyter is the funniest lil dude in this scene huffing and grumbling about while these queer dumbasses finish their big emotional conversation and finally pick a sleeping position so that he can get cuddled in and sleep himself.

The three of them cuddled up and sleeping soundly together is the most adorable chapter ending.

[violetren]

Blood of the Basilisk Chapter 24

I did not breathe for the entirety of the first paragraph waiting for the teleportation spell to go through.

The second it did though I heaved a big sigh of relief and then laughed a little as I realised half the Grimmani agency was about to have a very stressful day at work thanks to both Kota's entrance and the information she had uncovered.

I'm glad Pyter is staying with Nadani, because given that they are up against a cult I am suspicious of literally everyone that isn't an established ally that Pyter has been chill around. This may have more to do with my ttrpg experiences and expectations of cults than anything the text has promoted. Gharol seems fine. Probably. Just glad Pyter is staying.

It's also probably good for him to be there to help Nadani deal with her shock too. Girl needs some love after being taking a life for the first time.

This Mayor's aide Yenara. I am happily following all of the narrative cues to not like her. I mean come on. Norga barely bit out the scripted pleasantries. Norga might not strike me as a social butterfly but she's a professional, a fixer if not an outright trouble shooter, she knows how to play the game and she doesn't fucking wanna for Yenara. Conclusion, Yenara is a bitch.

Lemme guess. In classic mayor fashion the mayor is worried about his upcoming re-election campaign? Or given how accessible he wanted that gate to be, the mayors office is in on the cult bullshit.

Poor Thilde getting thrown from bullshit city micromanaging bureaucracy to Kota without so much as a biscuit in between.

I swear to the gods I am so fucking close to getting a cork board and red string over this pendulum. What's the connect with the toffee jar lid? Why have they got the same patterns. Does Thilde just know a really cool smith? Do she and Pyter just share an aesthetic taste? How fucking wild would it be if that were true and Molly was just trolling by bringing the pendulum and its designs up to make folks think it was important. It's not generally how stories work, and I wouldn't call that particular kind of subversion Molly's style, but it would be funny in how rabid I would get over it.

My theory is that the keystone portal magic and probably some blood magic type shenanigans are what the cult intend to use to open a gate for their master to return to the world. I mean you have a magical artifact that connects places and a guy in a place he doesn't want to be. Doesn't feel like rocket science even if the magic would probably be complicated as hell trying to get spatial magic to reach somewhere that is probably outside of our reality.

I am very aware that Kota doesn't give a token "she's not my woman" protest at the end of this conversation. Not because she thinks she has any claim to Nadani, but because she knows she has fallen for Nadani and cares as much as the implication that Nadani is hers implies.