𝕹𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖆

Day 1 — Americano

The Stranger (a tale of Kathleen "Kitty" Jones)

It was insanely hard to put "meet-up" in there, but I managed! I have all my other works for prompts as WIPs rn, so exuse me If I'm somewhat late with them. All love to this fandom and all its incredible fandom AND all the joy you bring me. So I bring you a little pain, as a proper Bartseq fan, as a treat.

Have actually thought how incredibly cool it is than an alternative use for the word "dismiss" in Bartimaeus Sequence is to "let go"?

Because yes, while it also refers to the magic system — "letting the spirit go to the Other Place" — it also really digs deep into a psychological roots of things. When we say we have to "let someone go" we do not mean it literally, we mean it mentally. To let go off our minds. To stop thinking about them. To let them leave their lifes. To let our lifes go on without them.

Therefore, when Nathaniel struggles with "letting Bartimaeus go", we, as the readers, subconsciously take it as a double-meaning, understanding this both a huge physical (he can't let Bartimaeus go to the Other Place and let him heal) and psychological (he needs to cut ties with Bartimaeus, stop clinging to him as a saving rope, the only close person and the memory of his past self, therefore just letting his life to go on without him and he can't) issue for him. He can't let Bartimaeus go, both figuratively and literally.

And I think it's genius.

Can we talk about Nathaniel's absolutely horrible attempts at flirting? Perhaps that's what happens when you do not have any social communication outside of political circles and your only access to media is contained of propaganda plays, but this boy is atrociously bad at it. Hilariously bad.

"Perhaps I have many answers". No you don't. Stop it please. Just because your depression has suddenly leaped into an urge of doing stupid things, which is pretty much your permanent state, does not give you a reason to do it. She doesn't want to know what the hell you want from her beyond your work alliance and she definitely couldn't care less. You won't find this weird of a replica even in cheessiest teenage journals. Where did you even get this from? Please. Do not. What is this.

Love (noun, verb)

a Bartimaeus Sequence poem

I love how these dumbasses become increasingly more tragic with every my reread.

A torturer, a martyr, a saviour

Hey hello Bartseq fandom long time no see I'm bringing more trauma.

Okay but why being a werewolf in Bartseq is actually so traumatising? I know we all like to joke about how random and cool the Night Police is but taking into account its origin along with the way it works, the werewolfs might also be one of the most fucked up things this magical thinking has ever produced?

You see, before rereading, I was pretty sure the werewolf transformation was, well, a voluntary things — not that you can control whether you will be selected to become a werewolf or not, the books never give any clearance, but I thought that at least the could control the transformation itself, to some extent. No dependence on the full moon and everything.

Upon rereading the Golem's Eye I realised that It is not, in fact, the case. Not even close. While, yes, the transformation itself does not require any reliance on a moon cycle (which is really unusual for a werewolf genre, yet very interesting topic to tackle), the transformation is not controlled by a werewolf.

Even more, Bartimaeus point out that the particular reason the werewolfs are a pretty unstable system — hence why they weren't used before Glandstone's reformations, while being "discovered" centuries before that — is because they are incredibly hard to control. For what he knows, and this is the only source of information we have so here we have no choice but to believe (partially) our good friend Barty, the transformation is fully controlled by two things: 1) the intensity of an emotion the they experience 2) pain

There were even a description of werewolfs switching back and worth between wolfs and humans because of how unstable they felt, whereas feeling either too much or not enough. And while we also see werewolfs changing their transformed body in order to achieve some technicalities (that one werewolf who gave himself elbows and fingers in order to climb the roof where Kitty were standing) we have no reasons to think it's not a part influenced by the system described above or/and only comes through huge trainings relying on those factors, as there were only one, maybe two werewolfs who where able to do this trick. For all we know it's still only emotional damage or pain.

So, not only you're a freaking werewolf, forced to live in this situation, partially tied to the police because no one else in this world needs you like this, not only it's non-reversible and probably really uncomfortable, you are also forced to live in fear of a slightest emotion or hints of pain literally turning you into a beast willing to tear other person's throat, and it was mentioned on more that one occasion that werewolfs are extremely bloodthirsty, am I getting this right? Oh this is horrible.

A Memoir of the Nameless (by Nathaniel John Mandrake)

A boy whose name was not on his own grave

This one took me a lot and it may be slightly less rhythmical but hey, who else would write a poem about Nathaniel from Bartimaeus Trilogy If not me?

Bartimaeus' request to spare Nathaniel and Kitty when being asked by Nouda hits even harder when you understand it kinda goes againts his own life principles.

The sole reason of Bartimaeus surviving for so was knowing his place. Not as a slave for the magician — here he tried to get as much fun as he can, although he also understands the risks clearly — but inside their own spirit hierarchy. He mentiones it in the very first chapter of the Amulet of Samarkand, noting that it's really important to know what place you fill in, who is beneath you by rang and who is stronger that you taking it into account. In some ways, when coming to Earth, spirits are left with no choice but to adopt the worst and the most fundamental of human social structure.

The sole reason Bartimaeus survives for so long is that he knows his strength. He knows what this strength is compared to other, humans and spirits alike. He boasts and exasperates a lot, yeah, but he also knows when to run away or turn around. It's called intelligence, in his own words.

He mentioned that the reason he mostly avoided direct fights with Faquarl because he acknowledges that Faquarl is stronger than him, a good combination of power and intelligence all along. He even gives a separate footnote to note he didn't use any jokes or funny remarks while talking with Nouda because otherwise he risks being burnt to the last spoon of essence at his first blink.

And here this Nouda is, proposing Bartimaeus a chance to ask him anything, to grant his one wish. The spirit of indefinite power, the one he's should be running from, the one he should be kneeling before in order to survive — and definitely take no risks in his words. He could've ask for anything to secure his own position, anything to just let his master dismiss it.

And yet he asks him to spare these two humans. He willingly admits his attachment to humans — a kind of stance that's way better to stay hidden even when talking about imps or foliots, let alone other jinn — to this superpowerful being, letting himself to be claimed a traitor. Bartimaeus knows Nouda has no master now, he knows he can easily forget his promise and get no punishment for it, he knows they can found a loophole, and, most importantly, he knows such a brave request can make him dead.

Bartimaeus knows he should run. He knows it goes against everything he has done before, everything he had lived by. And yet he still tries, takes a mere chance of Nouda being honest — only so their lifes will be spared.

PG Nathaniel is essentially every song about calling your toxic ex except he is the toxic ex who cannot fucking stop calling.

In a face of my PG reread