Bartimaeus - comment 5 of more than 5!likesfootnotesSeptember 16 2011, 21:07:55 UTC
Let's face it, he likes life and prefers everyone else (particularly magicians) to face their sunset before he shall. Self-sacrificing acts are the very things he prefers not to indulge in and, when they do occur, his life is better served when the saved party fails to remember who exactly their saviour was. He's a djinni, sworn by summoning to dislike magicians, and he would certainly never be caught dead fashionably protecting one (with the exception of Ptolemy, and he'll eat any spirit that dares tease him about that).
To survive the day to day, Bartimaeus has to abide by a code of honour that makes honour relatively optional. Some might call it conniving or duplicitous, but he would argue it's self-interest at worst. Whether it involves calling down a Detonation to leave a dubiously and temporarily allied rival behind to busy their pursuers or using force against a child to save his own skin, he's capable of doing it. Where his skin is not on the line, you may see a more vaunted display of moral code.
Where that happens, don't bother bringing it up the next day - rather, he'd advise most not to get in a verbal sparring match with him. A battle of wits requires both sides to be armed and Bartimaeus considers himself the master of that armoury. Sharp and quick-witted, he generally has a sarcastic remark, if nothing else, when a statement or situation bears it. There are those that find it humorous and others who find it grating - he finds it quaint, truly.
And should he not have a sharp remark, he may have some way to turn your words back on you, for he is masterful at twisting and misinterpreting what is said until it suits him. This is earned from experience, for there remains that regrettable part of his existence where he is summoned and bound to the will of a magician, forced to set out on tasks that shall earn him ridicule (have you ever tried to make ice cream in the desert?) for centuries to come. Bartimaeus would love to tell each magician to stuff it when they come incanting, but he must obey or face obliteration - he's not about die because some silly magician wants cologne made from the quills of a sea creature in the deepest trench of the ocean, thanks; he has some pride about how he'll go. That does not mean he must fulfill their requests to the intent, only to the letter. Ask him for an extra virgin to sacrifice? He'll bring home a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and proceed to lecture you about the moral depravity of sacrificing such an innocent product for your lecherous means. The art of interpretation runs strong in this one and, depending on his mood, he may take even the most simple request to the literal definition.
That said, when stripped of interpretation and having had the points laid out clearly, he will serve to the best of his ability. When your essence is on the line, you tend to dedicate that extra oomph to the task. There's nothing heroic about it, though he'll take or make kudos about his involvement once the dust has settled and his task fulfilled. This reflection of dedication does extend to those that he cares about, but as the list is remarkably short, he puts little mind to it.
Five thousand years of existence have not served to deliver any particular maturity to Bartimaeus. For all the self-aggrandising and accomplishments, a few sharp words or properly edged threats can deflate him to a petulant spirit sulking in a pentacle. There's bitterness there and he feels it fully earned and sometimes, well, life requires a petty action or two. Did he just fire a Detonation into the ceiling and nearly collapse it on you Faquarl? So sorry about the fact you avoided that.
To survive the day to day, Bartimaeus has to abide by a code of honour that makes honour relatively optional. Some might call it conniving or duplicitous, but he would argue it's self-interest at worst. Whether it involves calling down a Detonation to leave a dubiously and temporarily allied rival behind to busy their pursuers or using force against a child to save his own skin, he's capable of doing it. Where his skin is not on the line, you may see a more vaunted display of moral code.
Where that happens, don't bother bringing it up the next day - rather, he'd advise most not to get in a verbal sparring match with him. A battle of wits requires both sides to be armed and Bartimaeus considers himself the master of that armoury. Sharp and quick-witted, he generally has a sarcastic remark, if nothing else, when a statement or situation bears it. There are those that find it humorous and others who find it grating - he finds it quaint, truly.
And should he not have a sharp remark, he may have some way to turn your words back on you, for he is masterful at twisting and misinterpreting what is said until it suits him. This is earned from experience, for there remains that regrettable part of his existence where he is summoned and bound to the will of a magician, forced to set out on tasks that shall earn him ridicule (have you ever tried to make ice cream in the desert?) for centuries to come. Bartimaeus would love to tell each magician to stuff it when they come incanting, but he must obey or face obliteration - he's not about die because some silly magician wants cologne made from the quills of a sea creature in the deepest trench of the ocean, thanks; he has some pride about how he'll go. That does not mean he must fulfill their requests to the intent, only to the letter. Ask him for an extra virgin to sacrifice? He'll bring home a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and proceed to lecture you about the moral depravity of sacrificing such an innocent product for your lecherous means. The art of interpretation runs strong in this one and, depending on his mood, he may take even the most simple request to the literal definition.
That said, when stripped of interpretation and having had the points laid out clearly, he will serve to the best of his ability. When your essence is on the line, you tend to dedicate that extra oomph to the task. There's nothing heroic about it, though he'll take or make kudos about his involvement once the dust has settled and his task fulfilled. This reflection of dedication does extend to those that he cares about, but as the list is remarkably short, he puts little mind to it.
Five thousand years of existence have not served to deliver any particular maturity to Bartimaeus. For all the self-aggrandising and accomplishments, a few sharp words or properly edged threats can deflate him to a petulant spirit sulking in a pentacle. There's bitterness there and he feels it fully earned and sometimes, well, life requires a petty action or two. Did he just fire a Detonation into the ceiling and nearly collapse it on you Faquarl? So sorry about the fact you avoided that.
7. Previous Game Developments: N/A
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