The Katabasis chapter I cover.
Katabasis
is an illustrated web serial created by Apex Altra. It was first posted on her website in June 2020, and is also mirrored on Scribble Hub as of June 2022.
Phoebe Ashcroft discovers that she’s immortal after being captured by a serial killer. The attack leaves her bound to Silver, a sadistic, feline monster who becomes sealed inside her body. Phoebe is rescued by an organization–Quill–which tells her that her ability came from a folkloric, wish-granting creature called the Firebird. Quill’s goal is to find others like her and track down the man who tried (and technically succeeded) to kill her.
What follows is Phoebe’s journey of self-discovery as she explores her immortality and her conflicting feelings towards Silver (both of which can involve a lot of gore), meets others who have special abilities, helps Quill uncover the mysteries behind the Firebird, and contends with all the dangers those things bring.
The series is ongoing and typically updates every Saturday. It also goes on hiatus in-between chapters.
Katabasis contains examples of:
- Animalistic Abomination: Silver is catlike in appearance, but has a skull face and malformed, obscenely sharp claws. Yuli and (presumably) other fae also fit this trope.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: In Cat’s own words, “The Firebird rarely gives you what you ask for but people never realize that until it’s too late.” This is true for Kirk, who apparently wished that people would leave him alone and ended up with invisibility that he had no control over. Cat also seems to have regrets regarding his own wish. In contrast, Vinter got exactly what he wished for (wealth), but this caused him to be suspected of fraud which ultimately led to his death.
- Chest Burster: Although Silver is neither an alien nor a parasite, he resides somewhere inside Phoebe’s body, and has a habit of making gruesome exits through her torso.
- Death Is Cheap: Phoebe, partially due to her thrill-seeking nature, has been reckless with her immortality multiple times. In chapter 2 she explicitly asks Silver to kill her out of curiosity (or more) and in chapter 3 she uses her life as a bargaining chip to make a deal with him.
- Dreaming of Times Gone By: Cat’s ability causes him to dream of past events experienced by other fledglings. He can also share these visions with others.
- Familiar: Fae can become familiars by taking part in a ritual called a Rise. Julia and Yuli are the primary witch-familiar duo within the series.
- Functional Magic: There are only two spells, known as binding rituals, and both are conducted using a tool called a binding hoop. Rises energetically bond a human to a fae, while Consumptions physically merge the two participants. The result of a Consumption depends on the forms of life involved, e.g. they’re deadly for humans and other animals but not for plants. Both rituals can also be performed halfway in order to trap someone in a state of paralysis, or to read their energy.
- Good Thing You Can Heal: So far Phoebe has had her hand crushed, had her ribcage ripped open, been mangled in a diving accident, and been disemboweled.
- Green Thumb: Julia is able to use Consumption rituals to manipulate plants, notably using them to subdue Silver and the gunmen who attacked her home in chapter 3. She can also create binding hoops out of plants and fungi.
- Healing Factor: Along with immortality, Phoebe’s wounds heal incredibly fast. This includes injuries that would kill a normal person.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: At first Phoebe just wants to go to college. She didn’t realize that she was immortal until the train ride to Grand Shore, and is disturbed by her newfound ability. She’s even more upset about Silver, which culminates in her attempting to leave him stranded on an island so that she can lead a normal life without him in chapter 2 (this fails almost immediately).
- Interplay of Sex and Violence: While it hasn’t been explicit, interactions between Phoebe and Silver have intimate undertones.
- Invisible Introvert: Kirk.
- Make a Wish: Wish-granting is a core plot element in Katabasis. The Firebird grants wishes, and those who have made a wish are called fledglings. However, the mechanics and motivations behind the Firebird’s power are unknown.
- My Parents Are Dead: At one point, Phoebe mentions that her parents are dead and then laughs it off. Things become awkward when nobody else laughs.
- Mysterious Past: There’ve been multiple times where Bluebell has seemed cagey about his past- namely in regards to his profession. When Phoebe asks if he’s a doctor, all he tells her is that he “[has] a degree.” In chapter 3 when Bluebell is facing off against one of the gunmen, it’s stated that he “may have to take another life” with no further explanation given.
- Non-Human Head: Every human in the world of Katabasis has the head of a bird, (non-human) mammal, reptile, or amphibian.
- Non-Human Non-Binary: On the cast page Yuli’s gender is listed as “fox.” This trope is possibly subverted by Apricot, another fae who is referred to as “she” and “girlfriend,” though her actual gender is unknown. The cast is further rounded out by Asmeret, a human nonbinary character.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Everyone calls Bluebell by his last name instead of his first (Alexis). Cat is the exception to this, but even then he calls Bluebell “Alex.”
- Our Fairies Are Different: Instead of being actual fairies, the fae in Katabasis are a singular species that preys on humans. They take the forms of animals, and are feared for their shapeshifting and voice mimicry.
- Our Humans Are Different: In Katabasis, all humans have “aspects” which manifest as animal heads.
- Our Witches Are Different: Witches can only perform two rituals: Rises and Consumptions. Instead of magic wands, the rituals are performed with tools called binding hoops. Both men and women can be witches. It’s unknown whether they’re born that way, or if one can become a witch.
- Platonic Life-Partners: Yuli and Julia are in a queerplatonic relationship. This is stated on the cast page, and Julia tells Phoebe that Yuli is her partner, but that it’s “more of a platonic thing.”
- Power Incontinence: Kirk is unable to control his invisibility, and disappears whenever someone else is in the room. Subsequently, even after turning visible while diving with Phoebe, he still isn’t able to control his power.
- Prefers Raw Meat: This is what Julia and Phoebe feed Silver.
- Queer Establishing Moment: While fishing together, Julia explicitly tells Phoebe that she’s aromantic.
- Resurrective Immortality: Phoebe’s ability as a fledgling. She can die, but miraculously comes back each time. If her injuries aren’t enough to kill her, they heal within hours.
- Sadist: Silver.
- Sapient Steed: Yuli is able to grow large enough for Julia to ride them.
- Scars Are Forever: The Consumption ritual that Phoebe undergoes leaves her with a large scar running down her torso. Unlike other injuries, the scar remains even after she resurrects.
- Serial Killer: David Connell has been tracking down and violently killing fledglings for an unknown reason. Silver has also caused a fair amount of carnage, but appears closer to a spree killer.
- Shapeshifter Default Form: Like humans, fae also have aspects. Yuli’s aspect is a red fox, which is assumed to be their default form due to them appearing that way most often.
- Skull for a Head: Silver.
- Spree Killer: After he escaped on the train, Silver killed at least 5 people according to Julia. Given how he acts towards Phoebe, this behavior probably isn’t unusual for him.
- Supernatural Sealing: This happened accidentally when Connell tried to perform a Consumption on Phoebe and Silver, but Phoebe’s immortality caused Silver to become trapped inside her body instead.
- The Phoenix: While not actually a phoenix, the Firebird shares similarities with it. In real-world folklore the two are sometimes considered analogous.
- Through His Stomach: Cat uses cooking to get both Phoebe and Kirk to let their guards down. Julia remarks that his cooking is one of the things that makes him a good roommate.
- Touched by Vorlons: Many fledglings suddenly gain powers when they make a wish using one of the Firebird’s feathers. These can be difficult to control (such as in Kirk’s case), or the fledgling may not even realize what’s happened until the power activates (in Phoebe’s case).
- Trademark Favorite Food: Bluebell with maple-syrup-sweetened coffee.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Fae are able to shapeshift at will, though more intensive shifts appear to require more energy.
