#bartimaeus text post

[lejay-the-impossible]

My favorite scene in the entirety of Bartimaeus is when Kitty summons Bart for the first time to ask him to be her ally in the revolution against the magicians for a world where spirits and humans can possibly live and fight alongside each other, where no one would ever be oppressed again.

And he says no. Because no matter how much he likes and takes interest in humans he's not willing to risk his life for those who have never done anything for him apart from putting him through endless suffering.

Oh but there was one. A person whose form Bartimaeus has been wearing for more than 2 centuries now. Ptolemy.

And something snaps inside him. Just the sound of that name had awakened the voice of a boy who has been gone for 2000 years. One who's remembered by one living creature.

Kitty said that name so casually, she just took it from a book, like all other magicians who search for new spirits to summon. She had no idea how much weight this name holds until she hears this person talking to her through Bartimaeus' memories. The voice so powerful it makes reality collapse around her.

And then everything disappears. This boy stands in a pentacle in front of her, only it's not Ptolemy, it's Bartimaeus, his eyes filled with grief. A name holds a lot of power, be it human name or spirit's. And you can't say it so carelessly.

He is not going to help her. Her name doesn't hold any weight for him. And Bartimaeus doesn't want that to change. His burden is heavy enough as it is.

He probably said to himself as he disappeared.

[lejay-the-impossible]

Question to my BartNat shippers: when (if) you imagine Nat kissing/doing anything romantically physical with Bart, do you still imagine him as Ptolemy or in some other form? I've made a comic about it as a joke where Nat asks Bart to turn into someone older, but I genuinely think that could be a concern of his, since most people wouldn't be comfortable with kissing a person who looks like a 14 year old (even more so, Bart not being one actually makes it even more weird. For Nat. I don't care). So what form does Bart take in these occasions? Is it a man or a woman? Does that change? Does Nathaniel have a preference towards a certain firm or is he okay with anything as long as it's a human and preferably not a minor? Does Nat like any of Bart's half human forms? IS NATHANIEL A FURRY???

That's a big load of questions but I can't get them out of my head.

Also I think that Nat, knowing that Bart prefers wearing Ptolemy's form most of the time, would try to respect that and ask Bart to age him up a bit, so both of them are happy, but only after he says that he realizes how actually messed up it is, because Bartimaeus gets REALLY upset. Because Ptolemy died at a young age and WHO THE HELL IS HE to imagine what Ptolemy would look like if he somehow theoretically made it to adult age.

I'm pretty sure any romantic gestures would be out of question for some time after that.

I still like them better platonic, but I gotta say I'm fascinated with how WEIRD they would be as a ship. Those ain't the problems your average couple faces

[lejay-the-impossible]

Another Bartimaeus related question: do you think each spirit has a distinct voice of their own or do they change them as often as their looks? Because I remember that in TPG Faquarl recognized Bartimaeus in the final battle because of his voice and I'm pretty sure he also made a comment at some point along the lines of "I recognize that annoying voice". But at the same time spirits disguises have to be convincing so when a masculine coded spirit changes into a woman the voice also should be feminine. So do you think they have control over their voice and can change them freely but just choose one that they feel fits them the most, or it's static and they're just really good at impressions?