#ugh how inkheart of him

[thedevilsfamiliar]

Mf sprouts from his ashes like a phoenix

think of how different the batman plotline would be if they cremated jason

[olenvasynyt]

Does anyone else ponder on why they are so obsessed with a certain type of fictional man? Because I love Lucien. So much. I think about him 24/7. And ages ago I was trying to put my finger on why I’m so obsessed with him and then I remembered who my first book crush was as a little 8 year old reading fantasy.

And that is Dustfinger from the Inkheart series.

And I swear to god. These two men are so similar it’s not even funny.

A little summary with spoilers for Inkheart for those who haven’t read the series:

Facial scars. Lucien lost his eye and has a scar ofc, and Dustfinger has three scars on his cheek and eye area

Fire powers. Lucien is from Autumn and Dustfinger is a fire-eater

They are both redheads. Dustfinger is technically a strawberry blonde, since there are some descriptions of his hair leaning more to the ginger side. When he had a shruff it was described as ginger.

They both have very sly and snarky senses of humor. They often trick other characters.

They are both compared to foxes. Dustfinger’s first pov chapter ends with “the night swallowed him up like a thieving fox”

They are outcasts from their home in some way which is essential to some aspect of their character development. Lucien ran from Autumn, and then ran from Spring. Dustfinger was read out of his book and found it impossible to be sent back

Worked with the enemy at some point, either as a morally grey character or because they thought it was the right thing. And they eventually discover that they made a detrimental mistake and have to learn from it. Lucien worked with Tamlin to try to save Feyre from Rhys and in turn worked with Hybern. Dustfinger worked with the antagonist Capricorn to get the book so he could get back home.

They have a very dark and sad inner dialogue. Both are described to be hopeless and filled with regret and mourning, but they both hide them under a charming and snarky humor

Had a loved one they lost and are constantly thinking about. Lucien’s lover Jesminda was murdered, and Dustfinger had a wife named Roxanne who he hadn’t seen in years after he was read out of his book.

I count this as a similarity: they both pine over a woman but they keep their distance and let that woman make her own choice. Lucien lines over Elain ofc, and Dustfinger loved the main character Meggie’s mother Rita, but he still thought of his own wife Roxanne and he discovered that Rita was Mo’s wife. (I don’t know how to explain it if you haven’t read the book I’m sorry if it sounds confusing or weird lmao)

Lucien is very loyal and often sacrifices himself for others. And Dustfinger was not like that at all in the beginning of the series, and in fact he was very selfish and did not often want to put himself in danger. But then he makes the ultimate sacrifice (no big spoilers) and then he changes to a person who is very loyal to the main characters.

They both like to travel

Main differences:

Lucien came from a prestigious family and Dustfinger was an orphan who was homeless for the majority of his life. We can sort of apply that homelessness to Lucien but Dustfinger very much thrives in that sort of environment while Lucien feels disheartened by it.

Lucien has daddy issues with Beron being a shitty father and Helion being his true father. And Dustfinger does not have any parental figures but he is the daddy issues: he had two daughters, and the oldest daughter hated him for disappearing for years.  Wasn’t his fault for leaving, he didn’t have a choice, but it still formed into daddy issues for his daughter.  He was essentially the dad who went to get milk at the grocery store and never came back.  

Lucien has no animal companion, unlike Dustfinger who has his horned marten Gwin! But maybe Lucien can get a Pegasus in the future 👀

I love both of these characters so much and ugh man. It’s rare to find fictional characters that are like them. I recommend the Inkheart series for those who love Dustfinger and also to those who love fantasy and reading in general!

[erawls-themaskedstoryteller]

The Winner of the Most Wayward Soul Silmaril 2023!

Winner of the Most Wayward Soul character from #fantasybooks! #bookcharacters #gollum #tolkien #Draco #Moash #Dustfinger #lotr #Athelas #citybetween #Kylegreenember #Silmawards2023 #harrypotter #inkheart #stormlightarchives #brandonsanderson

Gollum made his way along the gloomy cobblestone street of London, the smog dimming the late afternoon light nicely around him. You’d almost think it was night. Yes, precious, how lovely! But, ugh, precious–it was difficult to breathe in this place! He half coughed, half gagged to clear his airway. Why was he doing this, again? Coming all this way to such a foreign land to hand over some…

[takahero]

some descriptions of Basta in Inkheart if you’re interested!! spoiler warning just to be on the safe side, in case u haven’t read it. and my unsolicited commentary here and there

“‘Naturally I recognised them at once. Capricorn had sent his best men. Even Basta was with them.’” — pg.99

“Rasping cat’s-tongue voice” pg.125

“(Basta’s face) was thin, sharply angular, with close-set eyes…Basta was not a tall man, and his shoulders were almost as narrow as a boy’s, but Meggie held her breath when he took a step towards her…He had an aura of fury about him, or something keen and biting—” pg.126

“Only Basta wore a snow-white shirt, just as Dustfinger had said, with a red flower in the buttonhole of his jacket, a red flower like a warning.” pg.131

“He caught her eye, and with a twisted smile kissed the blade of his knife.” — pg.173 (I JUST HAD TO ADD THIS)

“‘Oh, Basta can’t write,’ replied Capricorn calmly. ‘None of my men can either read or write. I’ve forbidden them to learn.’” — pg.176 (literacy rights for Basta 2k21)

“She could see the trepidation even on Basta’s face, although he was doing his best to hide it by assuming a particularly bored expression.” — pg.185

“‘Abduction!’ Basta savoured the word. ‘Sounds good to me. Really good.’” — pg.192 (ok but if u read it a certain way. unofficial evidence that basta would enjoy reading if he could LMAO)

“‘Where’s our luggage?’ she asked.

“Dustfinger looked at her with amusement. ‘I expect Basta’s divided it out among Capricorn’s maids. He likes to ingratiate himself with them.’” — pg.213 LMAOOOOOOO OH MY GOD

“Basta was still standing in the road. His face was sharply outlined when he lit a cigarette with a lighter.” — pg.215

“And he bent down to cut through the leather thong that Basta wore around his neck. It had a little bag tied with a red drawstring hanging from it.” — pg. 231

“‘Ah, Basta!’ Fenoglio smiled. Each of his separate wrinkles expressed self-satisfaction. ‘One of the best villains I ever thought up. A rabid dog, but not half as bad as my other dark hero, Capricorn. Basta would let his heart be torn out for Capricorn, but his master is a stranger to such loyalty.’” — pg.264

“‘You know, if you were to ask me which of those two I was prouder of, Basta or Capricorn, I couldn’t tell you! Even though some critics said they were just too nasty!’” — pg.265

“Basta emphasised the word, putting his foxy face so close to Meggie’s she could see herself reflected in his eyes.” — pg.301

“‘You’ll do no such thing!’ he spat at Flatnose, as the grey cat disappeared under the wardrobe. ‘Killing cats is unlucky. How often do I have to tell you?’” — pg.303 (friendly reminder that the last time he appeared, he kicked a dog in the ribs 😐)

“Basta was walking just behind her, and she heard him quietly cursing the rain.” — pg.304 (irrelevant but i kind of hc basta to like the rain, since it would dampen dustfinger’s showbiz LMAO)

“Basta’s eyes always narrowed when he smiled.” — pg.305

“‘You wear long sleeves,’ Fenoglio continued very slowly, as if giving Basta time to take in every single word, ‘because your master likes playing with fire. You burned both arms right up to the shoulders when you obeyed his orders and set fire to the house of a man who had dared to refuse his daughter to Capricorn. Ever since then, someone else has laid the fire, and you confine yourself to playing games with knives.’” — pg.308

“‘Oh, I know all about you, Basta,’ he said. ‘I know you’d give your life for Capricorn any day, and you’re always hungry for his praise. I know you were younger than Meggie when his men picked you up, and ever since you’ve loved him like a father. But shall I tell you something? Capricorn thinks you’re stupid, and despises you for it. He despises you all, his devoted black-clad sons, although it’s his own doing that you’re still so ignorant. And he wouldn’t hesitate to set the police on to any one of you if it was to his advantage. Are you quite clear about that?’” — pg.308 (FENOGLIO…..RUTHLESS)

“Basta winked at Meggie.” — pg.310 (wink 1)

“Every cruel deed with which he had ever credited Basta was probably going through his head. Basta relished the fear on his face for a few delicious minutes.” — pg.312

“Basta’s car had not been in the car park at all since they’d come here. It was unusual for it to be gone so long, because Basta didn’t like to be away from the village for any length of time.” — pg.318 basta is a homebody guys

“‘Save your tongue for later, scribbler!” Basta interrupted. ‘I don’t like whispering.’” — pg.324

“Almost all the women in the village kept away from Basta, but he didn’t keep away from them.” — pg.337

“‘Take him, for instance,’ he said, pointing to Basta. ‘I always knew he was a very unhappy boy before you picked him up. As it says in another very fine book, it’s terribly easy to persuade children that they are worthless. Basta was convinced of it. Not that you taught him any better, oh no! Why would you? But suddenly here was someone to whom he could devote himself, someone who told him what to do — he’d found a god, Capricorn, and if you treated him badly, well, who says that all gods are kindly? Most of them are stern and cruel, wouldn’t you agree? I didn’t write all this in the book. I knew it, that was enough.’” — pg.345 (this is really the part that made my stance toward basta change. like PHEW. that’s a lot to unpack)

“Basta was notorious for his silent tread.” — pg.363

“Basta’s breath smelled of mint, fresh and sharp. Apparently a girl he’d once wanted to kiss had told him he had bad breath. The girl had regretted it, but ever since then Basta chewed peppermint leaves from morning to night.” — pg.364

“He whistled softly through his teeth, then held the book close to Meggie’s face.”— pg.374 (i was rendered speechless)

“Basta’s lips quivered with annoyance, but he bit back his reply and, without a word, put his hand under the black cloth.” — pg.377 (ugh I loved this. like we know he worships capricorn like a dog, but earlier fenoglio flat out told him capricorn couldn’t care less about what happened to him. more than that, capricorn asked basta to bring meggie and fenoglio — prisoners — into his home. later dustfinger says that basta would’ve slept on the threshold of capricorn’s room if he could but none of the men sleep there. so with all of this fresh in his mind, you can imagine him feeling quite hurt and betrayed. UGH I wish he had a greater arc surrounding capricorn…like even if we saw a few hints that his loyalty was starting to show cracks…idk what his arc is in inkspell so maybe I’ll sit tight for that)

“He was in a hurry to get back to the light of day, away from the dead and their ghosts. His hand shook as he hung his lantern on a book and opened the grating over the first cell.” — pg.409

“Dustfinger was always surprised to find how easily you could scare the man with a few words.” — pg.409 LMAOOOOO

“‘That notion of burning us isn’t a very new idea, Basta, but then you were never fond of new ideas.’” — pg.422

“His teeth were almost as white as his shirt.” — pg.442

“Meggie saw from his face that everything in him felt revulsion, but he came closer and took the creature. He held the scaly body well away from him as it wound and twisted in the air.

“‘As you see, Basta doesn’t care for my snakes!’ said the Magpie, with a smile. ‘He never did, not that that means much. As far as I know Basta doesn’t like anything but his knife. He also believed that snakes bring bad luck, which of course is pure nonsense.’ Mortola handed Basta the second snake. Meggie saw the viper’s tiny poison fangs when it opened its mouth. For a moment, she almost felt sorry for Basta.” — pg.446

“‘Basta likes to use snakes to scare women who reject his advances. It didn’t work with Resa. How did it go exactly — didn’t she finally put the snake outside your door, Basta?’” — pg.446 (10/10 resa & snake well-deserved)

“Basta did not want neighbours. Indeed, he wanted no other company but Capricorn’s. Dustfinger knew Basta would have slept on the threshold of Capricorn’s room if he had been allowed to, but none of the men lived in the main house.” — pg.478

“Basta was probably the only man in Capricorn’s village who locked his front door.” — pg.480

“They said in the village that whenever Capricorn had a house set on fire Basta took away a brick or stone, even though he feared fire at other times, and clearly that story was true.” — pg.480

“(Everything in Basta’s house was scrubbed clean, as spotless as his snow-white shirt.)” — pg.481

“Once or twice, footsteps approached, but each time they passed by the house. What a good thing Basta had no friends.” — pg.482

“Basta was not in a good way. Whenever they looked at him they saw his hands clinging to the bars, knuckles white under his sun-tanned skin.” — pg.503 (BASTA’S SUNTANNED?!?!)

“Basta in particular was the object of enough scorn and derision for ten men, and from his failure to react at all one could only guess at the depths of his despair.” — pg.503

“For the fraction of a second life came back into Basta as his former lord and master stopped by the bars; he raised his head, his eyes pleading silently, like a dog begging for forgiveness…Basta only bowed his head and stared at the floor. Elinor thought he looked like an oyster with the flesh and life sucked out of it.” — pg.504 (i honestly still can’t wrap my head around his behaviour in this chap. i mean yes, the gladiator-style death sentence looming over his head can’t be understated. but i think for me it was how rapidly his spirits deteriorated from screaming for help in the cell to becoming a husk of a man before he even saw capricorn again? how?? was it all because of dustfinger spooking him so bad in the crypt?? 🤔🤔)

[incorrect-inkworld-quotes]

Three Lost Morons

Hey there! This is my inkheart exchange gift for @gingerbreadbasta! I hope you like it, I tried really hard to write something fluffy, but I am incapable, sorry ^^ It’s the first time in my life I wrote fan fiction, so I hope it turned out well. It’s about Basta, the Piper and Firefox getting lost in the wayless forest + some milde angst. @inkheartexchange thank you so much for organizing this!

-

The wind was finding its way through the forest like a snake slithered through a labyrinth. It made the leaves rustle, and to many it would have been like a song that would have brightened their day. But as for the three men who tried desperately to find a way where there was none, it was more like torture.

“None of this looks familiar”, Firefox mumbled and kept hitting the bushes and plants around him with his sword.

“Perfect. Now we are late and lost”, the Piper added, not even trying to hide how disgruntled he was. One or two faeries lurked behind a big tree, wanted to catch a glimpse, but then quickly hid as the three men came closer.

“I told you before, I spent most of my life in this forest – I know the way”, Basta kept arguing just for the sake of it.

“As if. You’re way too short to even see what’s beyond the bushes”, the Piper whispered, only so that Firefox could hear it.

“Didn’t you spend most of your life in jail though”, Firefox asked and got an angry look for it. They were waking for two days already and still hadn’t found back to Capricorn’s old ruins.

“I still don’t get why we are even walking there”, the Piper kept complaining which was annoying for itself, but double annoying with his squeaky voice.

“We go there, because Mortola said that Orpheus said that he read a box full unicorn blood there, so we will get it and bring it back to the Adderhead-”

“Yeah, yeah we get it, Basta, we’re not senile!”, the Piper shrieked and pouted.

“If it was for me, we’d just return empty handed so he’d die sooner. But not fast enough to not give him the chance to kill that stupid Moonface”, Firefox grumbled and the Piper burst out in laughter: “Why is that even a three man job?!”

“Listen, there are a lot of white women-”

“Oh that’s what this is about, I get it. You don’t dare to go there alone. You’re so afraid that you can’t even dig up a stupid box on your own. You can’t even find the way on your own!”, the Piper’s voice rang in their ears even if it didn’t go far through the forest. “So you drag both of us along this stupid task to tell you that everything is going to be find or what? You-”

“Pipes, let it be”, Firefox interrupted him and put a hand on his shoulder which shut him up instantly. Their hands getting entangled behind Basta’s back.

“Ugh. You two get flirty again. I will try to get us a way out of here”, Basta said and tried as hard as he could to actually swallow the blank panic he got when thinking about the white women, the ghosts and all the bad luck Capricorn’s old ruins held for him.

It wasn’t the first time he saw this. This fear of everything, this fear of death that kept reminding him of the Adderhead. Would he turn this way as well once he got that old? Rotting? Disgusting? No, Basta didn’t want to reach such a day, he’d rather die before it. He didn’t want to die.

He wouldn’t even dare to think about the implications.

Just as he thought it, the trees parted a little and the burnt ruins showed up before them. They were completely left. Maybe he was allowed to be lucky for once after all.

[pool-of-starlight]

1. Serpent and the dove

2. i’m not really sure

3. SIX OF CROWS HOW COULD U EVEN ASK

4. anything by Sarah J Maas tbh

5. The land of stories, clearly everyone I know had a boring childhood

6. I’d say Kaz in soc

7. None, they are all evil authors who make me cry

8. FIVE FEET APART UGH

9. Shadow and bone books

10. I absolutely loved the fear simulation scenes in Divergent

11. The scene in Serpent and the dove when Lou and Reid fell on stage when he was trying to arrest her, gave me second hand embarrassment tbh

12. soc because KETTERDAM BRO

13. I really loved how casual and like sarcastic the Red white & royal blue narration was.

14. Inkheart (if you read this book i’ll give you a kiss on the forehead)

15. Six of crows, duh

16. not really sure

17. I could list them but it probably wouldn’t end and then you’d end up eternally scrolling and never getting to the end of this tedious post

18. If it was well-written then I probably would have liked it

20. Allegiant, I sort of liked it but I don’t even remember the plot

21. none tbh

22. The fault in our stars

23. Not really sure

24. idk lol stop asking me

25. The fault in our stars, I really liked it but I don’t think i could reread it without getting bored

26. None tbh

30. Enrique in Gilded Wolves makes me wanna get like twenty times smarter than I am know so i can be as elegant as him lmao

Book Discussion Ask Game

A book that drew you in right away.

A book that was difficult to get into, but turned out to be good.

A popular book that you love.

A popular book you dislike.

A book you love that it seems like no one else has read.

A book with one character who stood out from the rest.

A book that left you feeling overwhelmed with happiness.

A book that left you emotionally devastated.

A book that you found yourself thinking about a long time after you finished it.

A book with one really amazing scene.

A book with one scene that really annoyed you.

A book you love for its setting.

A book you love for its prose.

A book you love for its plot.

A book you love for its characters.

A book you love for its themes.

A book that's well-written that you like.

A book that's well-written that you dislike.

A book that's not well-written that you love anyway.

A book that you enjoyed, but barely remember.

A book that improved upon reread.

A book that got worse on reread.

A book where you disagree with one of its messages, but still enjoy it.

A book where you agree with its message but dislike the story.

A book on your B-tier: Not one of your favorites, but one you enjoyed.

An author on your B-tier: Not one of your favorites, but you enjoy their work.

An author whose early work you enjoy more than their later work.

An author whose later work you enjoy more than their early work.

An author you recently discovered and would like to read more of.

A fictional book that taught you about/increased your interest in a real-life subject.

[iggity]

1 5 8 26 48

1. Tell us about your WIP!

I recently started a new fic tbh. It’s untitled (working title is Supergirl Season Three Fix-It Fic), and it’s how I would write season three of Supergirl because I know that it’ll be better than what they end up churning out at The CW. I’m really excited. That’s what the whole “LUCY LANE IS BACK YOU FUCKERS” post was about a couple days ago.

5. Top five formative books?

Ugh this is difficult because like, I had a really long list of things that I read when I was a kid but like, my depressive episodes started really early and with it, I repressed a bunch of stuff so like, I have memories of reading but not remembering the titles and the only things I can remember are Harry Potter, Inkheart, Stewart Little, The Thief Lord, and Heidi, but they honestly didn’t all contribute idk.

8. Do you have any writing buddies or critique partners?

Oh god yes. I pester @playingfetchwithdinosaurs so much I’m sure she knows more of my plots than I do at this point. @ghostsofmyoldideas is a sounding board and ex-writing buddy, as is @oscarextrada but only because I stopped writing in their fandoms. @sunkissed-korra is awesome with doing quick proofs when I’m excited about stuff, and @swyrs is just always like, the most supportive for anything tbh. Just the other day he agreed to proof something even though he’s not in the fandom and I just could kiss him over it tbh

26. What’s the most research you’ve ever put into a book?

Okay, I can’t say that I’ve gone this far yet since my only actually completed book is basically a puff piece. I did a quick google search for bars and BnBs near the city mentioned but that was it tbh.

48. Do you prefer to write skimpy drafts and flesh them out later, or write too much and cut it back?

I honestly do both. I write it in order (I can’t skip anything I can’t do it I have to write it in order) and some times I’ll read through it after and go “oh but what about” and add some stuff, or I’ll go “ew Sam what the absolute fuck were you thinking??” and then cut some stuff out. 

[takahero]

in honour of finishing inkspell, here are some basta observations I picked up along the way. also, inkspell spoilers warning! i also have MANY MANY thoughts so i’d love to hear what you guys think to some of the questions raised

“He hadn’t changed: the same thin face, the same way of narrowing his eyes, and there was an amulet dangling around his neck to ward off the bad luck that Basta thought lurked under every ladder, behind every bush.” — pg.138

“Basta’s left hand was bandaged, Elinor noticed when he took his fingers away from her mouth.” — pg.139

“‘I’d have been here much sooner, believe you me, but they put me in jail for a while on account of something that happened years ago. No sooner was Capricorn gone than all the people who’d been too scared to open their mouths suddenly felt very brave.’” — pg.140 (see they never tell us WHY he was in prison, do they? the possibilities are endless. we know he committed atrocious things, like arson, but imagine if he got put in jail for something completely different…LOL)

“‘You wouldn’t believe how often I’ve told him there’s nothing to be ashamed of in going to jail, particularly when your prisons here are so much more comfortable than our dungeons at home.’” — pg.140 (OHHHTMGOD MEME IDEA)

“Basta flung his arm so roughly round Orpheus’ neck that his glasses slipped down his nose.” — pg.141

“‘Hold your tongue, Basta!’ Mortola interrupted him abruptly. ‘You’ve always liked the sound of your own voice.’” — pg.141

“‘Well, Silvertongue, I’m sorry it’s taken some time,’ he said in his soft, cat-like voice.” — pg.180

“‘My son always said revenge was a dish best eaten cold,’ observed Mortola.” — pg.181 (question. did basta find out about mortola’s true identity between inkheart & inkspell? do u think he realised it when mortola cried when capricorn died?)

“Basta passed a finger over his throat and winked at him.” — pg.186 (wink 2 LMAO)

“Basta bent down and picked up a rusty helmet lying at his feet. ‘What do you expect me to say?’ he growled, throwing the helmet back into the grass with a gloomy expression, and giving it a kick that sent it clattering against the wall. ‘Of course it’s our castle. Didn’t you see the figure of the goat on the wall there? Even the carved devils are still standing, though they wear ivy crowns now — and look, there’s one of the eyes that Slasher liked to paint on the stones.’” — pg.190

“‘So Basta was right after all. He’s dead, here and in the other world too.’” — pg.191 (interesting….so Basta knew Mortola’s plan wouldn’t work? he just wanted a ride home?)

“‘I’d really like to know what happened!’ he muttered. ‘I always said Capricorn wasn’t here, but what about the others?…What are we going to do if they’re all gone?’ Basta sounded like a boy afraid of the dark. ‘Do you want us to live in a cave like brownies until the wolves find us? Have you forgotten the wolves? And the Night-Mares, the fire-elves, all the other creatures crawling around the place…I for one haven’t forgotten them, but you would come back to this accursed spot where there are ghosts lurking behind every tree!’ He reached for the amulet dangling around his neck, but Mortola did not deign to look at him.

“‘Oh, be quiet!’ she said, so sharply that Basta flinched.” — pg.192

“‘You’re going to leave them here?’ That was Basta’s voice.” — pg.193 (at first I was like oh so he has a heart….but then he was mean to resa straight after this 🙄)

“‘Sorry, but he must have overlooked me, shut up in that cage as I was,’ purred Basta in his catlike voice.” — pg.377

“‘Wasn’t it Mortola who had you put in the cage to be fed to the Shadow?’ Basta just shrugged his shoulders and flung back his silver-grey cloak. Of course, he had his knife. A brand new one, it seemed, finer than any he’d ever had in the other world, and undoubtedly just as sharp.

“‘Yes, not very nice of her,’ he said as his fingers caressed the handle of the knife. ‘But she’s really sorry.’” — pg.377 (okay so it SOUNDS like he threatened/made some kind of bargain with his knife, but I strongly doubt that considering how afraid he seems of her?? i know he’s technically working for the adderhead but even by the end of the book, it seems he is far closer to mortola than adderhead. what is their relationship? or does he sincerely think she’s sorry/has deluded himself into believing such? UGH SO MANY QUESTIONS)

“Basta had always liked describing his own and other people’s abominable deeds in detail.” — pg.378

“‘But we’re not going to shoot you.’ Basta came a little closer to Fenoglio, his face as intent as that of a stalking cat.” — pg.378 …. living for all the cat references tbh

“‘He wants you to crawl on your belly to him, that’s what our noble lord and master likes. But never mind, he pays well!’” — pg.378 (yes basta all abt getting that bread LMAOOOO)

“He slowly drew the knife from his belt. Its blade was long and slightly curved.” — pg.379

“‘Hey Basta, I know you like the sound of your own voice.’” — pg.379 (AHAHAHAHA HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE CALLED OUT BASTA ON THIS NOW? IVE LOST TRACK)

“With a regretful sigh, Basta put the knife back in his belt. ‘Yes, very well, you’re right,’ he said in surly tones. ‘I need to take my time with this sort of thing. Questioning people is an art, a real art.’” — pg.380 (LMAOOOOOOO HE IS SUCH A DRAMA QUEEN)

“Basta. The same thin face, the same twisted smile. Only the clothes were different. Basta was no longer wearing his white shirt and black suit with the flower in his buttonhole. No, Basta now wore the Adderhead’s silvery grey, and he had a sword at his side. With a knife in his belt too, of course. But he was holding a dead chicken in his left hand.” — pg. 455

“‘Yes, they are!’ purred Basta. ‘The little witch, and the fire-eater into the bargain. It was well worth the wait. Even though I’ll probably never get that damned flour out of my lungs again.’” — pg.455 (ok….so who’s gonna draw basta sitting amongst the flour AAHHAHA)

“‘Servant? Who’s a servant here? Just listen to him. As bold as if he’d never felt my knife! Have you forgotten how you screamed when it cut your face?’” — pg.457 … don’t call basta a servant…..noted

“‘Oh, don’t look so disbelieving, little witch, I still can’t read and I don’t intend to learn, but there are enough fools around the place who can, even in this world.’” —pg. 457 (i wonder how much capricorn influenced basta’s views on reading. because capricorn said that he learnt how to read from a maid, right? so basta certainly wouldn’t have trash-talked reading in front of him. and even after living in OUR world for nine years, I’m still surprised that he never attempted to learn, given how dependent we are on it. anyway my headcanon is that he secretly wants to, but doesn’t want to give others the satisfaction of knowing they have something he doesn’t. also nobody he knows would be willing to teach him (unless he threatened them) bc of his obviously violent and short-tempered nature…and learning requires so much patience. still, though, would love a fic of basta being taught how to read in secret and having some kind of positive interaction)

“‘You’re even more talkative than you used to be, Basta.’ Dustfinger’s voice sounded as if he found this tedious.” — pg.458 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH IM DYING. honestly the animosity between them was just. A+++

“Basta was in an even worse state. He was sitting close to Mortola, his face so red and swollen that Meggie almost failed to recognise him. But he had escaped death once again. Perhaps the good-luck charms he always wore worked after all.” — pg.526

“The sunlight falling into the room made Basta’s face look like a boiled lobster.” — pg.575 

“Basta put his hand to the amulet hanging around his neck. It was not a rabbit’s paw, as he had worn in Capricorn’s service, but something that looked suspiciously like a human finger-bone.” — pg.581 (THIS STILL IRKS ME SO MUCH)

“The Piper straightened his back, as ready to attack as the viper on his master’s coat of arms…He was a good head taller than Basta.” — pg.582 WHY DO I KEEP FORGETTING HES NOT TALL LMFAO

“The two men were standing so close that the blade of Basta’s knife wouldn’t have fitted between them.” — pg.582 HAHAHAJAHAAJAHAHHAAHAHAHAH PKESJENE I LOVE THIS SO MUCH … IMAGINE BASTA SQUARING UP W HIS NOSE JUST SMACK BANG IN THE MIDDLE OF PIPER’S CHEST OR SOMETHING

“The Piper struck Basta in the face so hard that his head hit the door frame. Blood ran down his burned cheek in a trail of red. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. ‘Take care to avoid dark corridors, Piper!’ he whispered. ‘You don’t have a nose any more, but one can always find something else to cut off.’” — pg.582-583 THIS SCENE WAS SIMPLY……CHEF’S KISS

are you serious is he dead??? WHAT. okay I knew dustfinger’s love for farid would be the end of him and basta being the instrument to rip that away from him was totally heartrending. i WISH it had been more climactic? like dustfinger unleashing his fury and fighting basta, blind with anger and grief. THE DIALOGUE POTENTIAL BETWEEN THEM AS THEY FINALLY TALK ONE-ON-ONE, and then some revisiting of the scene where dustfinger has the opportunity to kill basta but AGAIN withholds because killing is not in his nature….THEN MO IN SHINING ARMOUR SWOOPS IN TO DO THE JOB

now, off to inkdeath!