#jsamn watching

[good--merits-accumulated]

Childermass I need you to unseam Lascelles' head from his wretched little shoulders. right now. let's go. chop chop chop

[lacnunga]

I'm gonna be so sad when the jsamn readalong is over ;-;

[quatregats]

Finally finished watching Lady Parts! And also started reading Piranesi yippee :D

[thesparkthatlightsthemoe]

Seeing Vinculus terrorizing everyone in the flesh is a special experience. I needed this in my life.

[puddinginthemix]

Since I finished watching The Terror I've been thinking about "The Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell to The Terror Pipeline" (cf. Tumblr user pudentilla). I came to the show because a number of people I followed for JSAMN posts were also posting about The Terror, and naturally I was like, dudes on ships looking very cold and rather gay, what is this. Of course, I liked it immediately, but the reason for the "pipeline" still seemed fuzzy.

I joined this conversation about Tuunbaq's role in the story--how The Terror would still be a great show without the demon bear, but his presence definitely adds a certain whatsit--but things didn't really crystallize for me until I was reading an article that discussed speculative fiction as a form of resistance to the Western, colonialist, capitalist, masculinist model of literature that is often unfortunately dubbed "realist" fiction.

It would be easy to write The Terror as a "realist" narrative about the doomed Franklin expedition. All you do is take out Tuunbaq. It would still be excellent. And yet Tuunbaq--the entity that turns the story into speculative fiction--is the force that overwhelms the entire Western, colonialist, capitalist, masculinist enterprise.

I was fascinated by the end of Mr. Hickey: on the one hand, he appears to reject his native culture in favor of reinventing himself as a wild cannibal shaman of the frozen north. On the other hand, everything about what Hickey wants/tries to do is colonialist, exploitative, and driven by the urge to dominate. He fantasizes that he's connecting with Tuunbaq, but he doesn't understand it at all. And then it eats his face.

That was the fantasy moment that made me think ohhhh, what a beautiful connection. Magic in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is always and forever the enemy of colonialist, capitalist, masculinist domination. Lots of other people have blogged about this (recently @fluentisonus, good stuff), and I won't rehash that in detail here. But in JSAMN, magic puts itself into the hands of a Black man, servants, women, people who reject conquest and domination as a way of living. It rescues and sustains those people (like Tuunbaq brings Silna a nice fat seal). But those who would use it to dominate others, it utterly crushes.

tl;dr: 1) The Terror isn't The Terror without Tuunbaq; 2) I rode the JSAMN to The Terror Pipeline and I think I get it now

[uskglass-mirror-house]

Thoughts about chapter 21: the cards of Marseilles

I have been reading bits and pieces from the book as part of the 20th anniversary read-along. I wanted to join in once it reached chapter 29 (where I left the book on my third re-read), but then I remembered how cool chapter 21 was and went through it and ho boiiii I have so many thoughts. I am definitely going to make a massive breakdown of the fortune-telling and why it is so genius, but now I'm just sharing random thoughts I had while reading. Enjoy (and mind the spoilers)!

The start of the chapter reminded me of my old theory about the author of the book. The first time I read jsamn I had this theory that the author of the book was either a magician or a fairy and when Jonathan Strange met that one fairy in the brugh I became convinced that it was her. I had this impression because of the footnotes and some descriptions, including the one of the ale-house at the start of this chapter. Why? Well, the footnotes can be divided into two categories: the academic ones, which cite specific in-universe texts (or real ones from our world); and the folklore ones, which usually inform us of some magical event, fairy culture, stories from in-universe folklore, and so on. Now, I always assumed that while many scholars would know the former, the latter was mostly the domain of fairy/ magicians that had first knowledge coming from the Otherlands. But the curious thing is that some descriptions within the story are narrated in the same way as the folklore notes, giving me the impression that these places exist at a junction between reality and the Otherlands and also that the knowledge about some specific events was obtained through magical means. Page 197 is a perfect example of this kind of narration.

I love how this is basically a date between Childermass and Vinculus. This is the first convo between the Book and its reader and it went exactly as well as you could imagine.

THE ACTUAL FORTUNE READING IS SO GOOD AND MULTILAYERED AND AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Childermass copied the card for a sailor and then told him his fortune: "that he would be drowned dead before the year was out." And now I am here wondering... was that a sailor on the Penlaw, the ship that transported Stephen Black and his mother??? That ship also ended up in a shipwreck according to the Gentleman...

I like thinking that the Raven King was watching this whole thing go down in some magical manner. Looking over Childermass' shoulder and being like "bro, you're cooking right now, not gonna lie". Or going "How dramatic." in the most deadpan voice ever when Vinculus changes the cards to look like him.... aaaaa I love Uskglass so much.

It would also be cool if Uskglass followed the events through Childermass' card (since we know that L'Empereur did not go back to look like a regular card but stayed that way). I like to think that this is how Childermass was enchanted when he saved Norrell's life later on. The card acted as a path for Uskglass' magic.

In a similar way, I like thinking that Uskglass was watching over in other scenes like the Genlteman was doing while pestering Strange. It would make it so funny if he were present while Lascelles berates him, or whenever Norrell does. Like imagine:

Norrell: "He abandoned us! He was evil!!"

Uskglass (invisible): "u sure 'bout that? lol"

Norrell: "I foolishly tried to summon him when I was younger..."

Uskglass: "You surely did buddy. Can't say I was impressed, though."

Norrell: "...but it never worked and I think that was fortunate!"

Uskglass: "This is why nobody likes you, Gilbert."

ok, these are all the things that came to mind. For the breakdown of the tarot reading, I'm going to make a separate post one of these days. Definitely going to re-read the whole novel now, my fixation has returned!!!!

[chiropteracupola]

wip words: whisper, weather, worn? :)

foth - first snowfall at ardroy:

Up until the winter of 1753, Keith Windham had never understood what a trouble it could be when one’s lover talked in his sleep. It wasn’t that Ewen’s too-clear whispering was a burden to him — no, though he often sat awake listening to the strange admixture of Gaelic and English, truth and invention, that spilled from Ewen’s mouth, Keith could not say that it drove him from his own sleep over-much. But even so, Ewen’s sleep-talking worried him as it had not in the first years of their acquaintance.

sharpe / jsamn crossover:

John Uskglass knew his own, wood-folk and field-folk as they were — those who spent their lives stepping from shadow to shadow, making their beds in the fallen leaves, their boots the first to break the morning’s new-melting ice. And so, too, the Raven King’s men knew each other, though perhaps they did not see their King in the rough, weathered face and shaggy hair of their new-met acquaintance.

potc two magicians au:

The fox watches him from across the water, head cocked to one side and ears pricked attentively. If Elizabeth had worn her own face, she would have smiled, and there would have been triumph in her eyes. But now she pads a few feet forward, curious and concerned, and waits. He does not move, not even as a higher wave tosses chilly water over his feet. Any motion on his part, any less-than-cautious movement towards her, would surely set their chase going again. As she has granted him the grace of a moment to catch his breath, Norrington will take it gladly, tying their silent stillness fast as if its knot-work might secure some small fragment of hope amid its coils.

[tumbleclub]

let's recapture a little bit of the magic of dracula daily by watching/reading things together at a reasonable pace.

basically just a book club with slightly less structure

Media Suggestion Form. What would you like to read/watch/other(?) with us?

Current schedule:

Link to Calendar

Sept 2nd - Dec 15th: Participating in the Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell read-along! Feel free to use the tag #jsamn 20 readalong to post your discussion as well as #tumble club. Or neither, I'm not your boss.

Sept 2nd - 8th: Chapters 1 - 5 Sept 9th - 15th: Chapters 6 - 12 Sept 16th - 22nd: Chapters 13 - 19 Sept 23rd - 29th: Chapters 20 - 22 Sept 30th - Oct 6th: Chapters 23 - 26 Oct 7th - 13th: Chapters 27 - 30 Oct 14th - 20th: Chapters 31 - 34 Oct 21st - 27th: Chapters 35 - 39 Oct 28th - Nov 3rd: Chapters 40 - 44 Nov 4th - 10th: Chapters 45 - 49 Nov 11th - 17th: Chapters 50 - 53 Nov 18th - 24th: Chapters 54 - 58 Nov 25th - Dec 1st: Chapters 59 - 62 Dec 2nd - 8th: Chapters 63 - 65 Dec 9th - 15th: Finish!

Next book: Northern Lights (The Golden Compass) by Philip Pullman

Guidelines under cut, but TL;DR be nice and have fun

Posting in the #tumble club tag is an indication that people want to be interacted with and talk about the week's topic together! Please feel free to reach out and discuss with anyone, even if (especially if?) you have no prior interaction

There's absolutely no pressure to keep up with any of this, please follow along as much as it's fun to and feel free to stop if it stops being fun. If you come along late or go slower, feel free to still talk in the tag and discuss with people

It's okay if you're not enjoying something we're engaging with, but please refrain from directly "bashing" the media. It's okay to state a negative opinion, but try to stay civil about it. "I didn't like the way this part was handled, I wish this had happened instead" is fine, "I hated this it was badly written and pointless" is going too far. If you want to post that, that's fine, but please avoid tagging it with the group tag. And of course, feel free to drop out for a while until we move on to something else

Try to stay cool please. If you find someone grating it's okay to just block them, this is supposed to be a chill space and the beauty of the internet is you can just choose to disengage. I'd like this to be a relaxing and fun space inasmuch as is possible.

Try your local library first if you can, but if you're having trouble getting ahold of the topic of the week for any reason, feel free to ask the group for help, I'm sure someone here will be able to track down a copy for you somehow ;)

[lacnunga]

Love to conflate correlation and causation for comedic purposes. Started feeling ill whilst watch jsamn = suzanna clarke has personally given me a fever

[blackhyena]

guysss what series should i watch next. expansive question i know but if it helps i like period dramas just finished rewatching jsamn and it was everythinggggggg to me :)

[mahlikes]

#My little theory #This is based on the idea that the prophecy is actually the Raven King's plan to return magic to England #In which case Childermass must be the one Uskglass chose to spearhead the Restoration after Strange and Norrell affected the Return #We so often talk about how Segundus sees Childermass #But I am facinated by the other side of JohnSquared #Because it is interesting that Segundus was allowed to not sign the agreement when Childermass MUST HAVE KNOWN that he was the only man #in the York Society who might actually do practical magic someday #(Probably it's not as black and white as that but let's say so for our purposes here) #It certainly wasn't Norrell who agreed to let Segundus go - it was definitely Childermass' decision #And in the chapter called Starecross Childermass says “I turned a blind eye” - not “we” or “Mr Norrell” - but “I”; he's been watching #It seems to me that he is been protecting Mr Segundus from Mr Norrell for years - in little ways here and there #Mostly just by making sure Segundus didn't come to Norrell's attention #And then he expresses his regret that the school cannot be! #That's at least a halfpennyworth of pity Sir! You're not supposed to have that for adult or child! #I guess he has pity for baby birds #But they do have that thing in common (along with Vinculus) that they have an affinity for magic #But Childermass has access to the library at Hurtfew while Segundus and Vinculus only get scraps #And Childermass is allowed to do magic while the other two have to wait for the Return before they can control it #And I figure that maybe he can find in himself a little bit of pity for someone in that familiar situation #Not to mention that - being mostly a good man - Childermass is not immune - I think - to Segundus' kind and gentle nature #JohnSquared #Btw I haven't completed my current reread so apologies if I've forgotten something or gotten something wrong #You see how the details disappear towards the end :P #I also owe some of this to the Tor.com reread of JSAMN which is worth checking out for some great observations!

Childermass & Segundus - it sounds very well

So one day the York Society of Magicians receives a new member, and Childermass is like okay, no big deal, those guys never do anything interesting anyway.

But then, right, then the new guy and one of the old guys writes to Mr Norrell and asks if they may have the pleasure of waiting on him sometime, and Mr Norrell is like "No" but Childermass is like "Actually yes" because he's intrigued, or because the cards have told him something is about to happen, or because Mr Norrell is years overdue to go to London and revive English magic and Childermass figures this might jostle him into doing something. We don't know what exactly happened, but it seems likely that it was Childermass who made the visit possible, because the idea of Mr Norrell ever wanting visitors is impossible to accept.

So these two theoretical magicians come to Hurtfew Abbey, and Childermass is in the library waiting for the visit to end and Norrell to show up and tell him what the men wanted, but instead, when the door opens, there they are, the visitors, having been invited to see the library and what the fuck did they say to old Gilbert to make that happen?? Not that it matters, they're not gonna remember anything by the time they get home, the enchantments will see to that.

Mr Norrell introduces Childermass, and the new guy gives him a look like Childermass facinates him, but Childermass is used to that. He figures he'll just hang out until they leave.

Except the new guy, who is a dark, timid-looking little man named John Segundus, keeps looking around like he can sense the spells lighting the room, keeps looking out the window like he's not happy with the orientation of the walls, keeps blinking like the magic is making him a little dizzy. John Segundus is clearly magic sensitive. No one in the York Society is magic sensitive, Childermass knows that for a fact. This is suddenly intriguing.

So Childermass ends up keeping half an eye on Mr Segundus as he explores, until Mr Segundus notices, sensitive as he is, and their eyes meet. Childermass reads longing, need, delight and confusion on the man's face, but Childermass is without pity; by the time Mr Segundus gets home, he won't remember what he's seen. It doesn't matter; no one in the York Society ever did anything interesting anyway.

But then later, the letter from Dr Foxcastle comes, and Mr Norrell is Upset and Offended, and Childermass realises that the Revival is about to start at last. And because Mr Norrell is fearful and Childermass is pitiless, they send a lawyer with their demands.

Mr Robinson the lawyer returns to Hurtfew a little perplexed. Oh yes, they all signed, just like you said they would, every one of them ... except ... except one. Childermass is a little surprised to discover that the timid little man had a spine after all. Mr Norrell wants Mr Robinson to go back and demand the last signature, but Childermass says "Wait". And at this point, we do not know what he is thinking. Perhaps he simply thinks that they will need someone to write to London once the miracle has been done, and Mr Segundus is more likely to be amiable if he has not just been deprived of his calling. But then, Mr Honeyfoot, the other visitor, would definitely be happy to write, even though he WILL be deprived of that same calling. Perhaps, Childermass thinks that this is a strangely fateful twist, that the one member of the York Society who has an actual talent for magic is the one person who refused to give it up. Maybe he remembers a time when he himself was full of longing for magic, when he could sense it all around him but was unable to grasp it, when he too would get dizzy in Mr Norrell's library. He may not feel pity, but he can be intrigued. He convinces Mr Norrell to let Mr Segundus be.

Childermass laughs inside when John Segundus doesn't recognise him outside the cathedral, but then startles when the man almost recalls after all. He is not supposed to be able to break the enchantment. Thankfully, the moment passes, and after the magic is done, Mr Segundus turns out to be exactly as easy to manipulate as Childermass thought he would be. The polite ones are easy, especially when they are full of need and longing, and keep looking at Childermass like he has the answers they are searching for. Maybe Childermass uses a little bit of magic to persuade the man to write to London, or maybe he just smiles, and waits, and lets John Segundus come to him of his own accord.

Childermass returns to Hurtfew Abbey and says to his master "Go to London. Go now." and because Childermass knows about these things, they go.

And nine years pass in London.

But occasionally during those nine years, Childermass turns his attention to York, to see what timid little John Segundus is up to. Mostly it's not much.

Until Jonathan Strange happens. That he happens at all is rather extraordinary, but how interesting that he should come to seek Mr Norrell on the advice of John Segundus? For sure there are many people with an affinity for magic in England, but how many of them are magicians? Too few, thinks Childermass. How likely is it that two of them should meet at random? He wonders if this is another fated twist.

So he continues to keep half an eye on York, just in case Mr Segundus should discover how to actually grasp the magic that surrounds him. But when Strange returns from the war in Spain, his conversation tells Childermass that even with the learning, even with actual spells to hand, their timid little man in York cannot make the magic work.

John Segundus begins taking on pupils. Childermass keeps it from Mr Norrell. Childermass has been the instrument of many a theoretical magician's destruction, Childermass reads the hearts of men and feels no pity for them, and yet Childermass keeps John Segundus hidden from Mr Norrell. Maybe, just maybe, John Childermass is beginning to feel a little bit of pity after all. He was once the one longing to master the powers that often overpowered him. He too loves magic so much, enough to endure servitude and secrecy to be near it.

But then John Segundus wants to start a school. Well, if he is going to be that silly, then Childermass cannot help him. Mr Norrell finds out, Mr Norrell panics, and he dispatches Childermass to York to put a stop to this evil plan. Business as usual in other words.

Childermass sits quite comfortably on the steps of Starecross when John Segundus comes home. Childermass delivers his message.

"You know me, Sir," he says, completely forgetting that while he has always had half an eye on John Segundus, John Segundus has not seen Childermass for nine years. Maybe, just maybe, Childermass is a little embarrassed at his mistake. But the errand is completed, and Mr Segundus is easy to manipulate, because he is so very gentle and polite.

Childermass may or may not have noticed that he has been manipulated in turn, because he, who has no pity for any man, lets Mr Segundus know that he regrets that the school cannot be, and he is willing to do what he can to keep Mr Segundus' dream from failing entirely. Although of course, he knows that a regular school is not at all the same as a school of magic.

Childermass knows what it's like to long, but he has found, if not the answers to his questions, then at least the tools by which to hunt them down. He can do the magic.

Then Mr Strange and Mr Norrell quarrel.

And then Lady Pole tries to shoot Mr Norrel. The lady walks with one foot in Faerie and one in London, and for a while, so does Childermass. Something is not right with the lady, but Mr Norrell won't tell him what magic he employed to bring her back from the dead. She'll be sent away somewhere where Childermass will have no chance to discover the truth. Unless of course he decides where she goes. Perhaps for instance to one whom Childermass knows will feel the Faerie winds blowing about the lady, someone who will be able to carry on the search for the truth, whether he knows that he's doing Childermass' work or not. Mr Segundus is easy to manipulate.

Childermass recommends to Sir Walter that he send his wife to Starecross in Yorkshire. How fortuitous that the master of that hall has just decided to open a madhouse there. Surely the visions that gave him the idea were entirely coincidental.

Mr Norrell and Childermass quarrel.

Jonathan Strange Returns magic to England. The Raven King returns to England and rewrites his book.

Mr Norrell and Mr Strange disappear into Faerie.

Suddenly, Childermass is the most experienced magician in England. No one has read as much, has practiced as much, or knows the spells he knows.

But he thinks that there is one man who will not be far behind him in achieving similar results. And maybe Childermass wonders sometimes if it was not all meant to be this way, that it was fate, that he himself was meant to come out on the other side as a student of the two great modern magicians of the age, and that he was meant to bring with him, sheltered under his wing, a dark, timid little man with an extraordinary sensitivity to magic. The books may be gone, but through his instruments, the Raven King has made sure that the new generation of magicians are both capable of and eager to read the magic written on the sky. It will take sensitive men, full of longing, and isn't it fortuitous then, that all those years ago, in the library at Hurtfew Abbey, Childermass recognised another like himself in John Segundus, and decided to keep half an eye on him.

[seacollectsrivers]

childermass eyeroll my beloved

[chiropteracupola]

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹 <3

sharpe/jsamn crossover:

“Major Sharpe!” Sharpe clenched his jaw reflexively, and looked down. The lady standing before him had feathers in her hair that nodded slightly as she tilted her head up to him. Sharpe stared. “Good evening, miss,” he mumbled, after a pause too long to be polite. “Do you dance, Major?” “No,” he said with forced finality, and watched the lady’s pleasant expression turn to a moue of distaste. “Oh!” said she, and flounced off. That Sharpe did not dance had been a lie — he was left-footed to a fault, but he had danced, long ago, when he had been married for love and when his leg, only marked with one bullet-wound then, had not pained him so.

[good--merits-accumulated]

Thank you for the tag! Sorry I'm so late.

Favourite colour: Dark green, greyish blue, anything goes.

Currently reading: Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino! Do you ever read some prose that makes you stop every page to Contemplate...

Last song: Right now I'm listening to Glad by Andrew Bird. Very sweet and lovely violin, a myriad of different ways.

Last movie: The astronomy soc at my uni had a showing of The Martian last night! So I went to that. Exactly as good as I remembered (still my favourite movie of all time ngl).

Last series: Still Qi Hun. ...I do not watch much TV at all.

Sweet, savoury, or spicy: Savoury-spicy.

Craving: I have had a terrible fried chicken craving for like... three weeks now. (On a broader level - craving a summer internship at the ESA. However I think the fried chicken is vastly more attainable.)

Tea or coffee: Tea! But good strong milk tea, not the wishy-washy English tea. I haven't had coffee in 3 years at this point so I couldn't tell you how it measures up.

Currently working on: The DPS Martian AU - the Neil-as-a-rockstar AU - a surreptitious slightly JSAMN DPS AU - a boat signal poem for uni (yes, I know) - various letters to various friends - something crochet for another friend visiting from Portugal. [shamefacedly] I like to be kept busy.

No pressure tags: @ndotknees @tthingamajigg @neighbourhoodtwo @judasiscarrots @vinesandvellichor @glitteredbubbles @damnitneilthenamesnuwanda @study-in--scarlett @way-too-indecisive

rules: tag nine people you want to get to know better

Tagged by @indrid-hot - thanks a bunch!

Favorite Color: A nice, warm, sunny orange - but also honestly most other colors of the rainbow and then some.

Currently Reading: The Tevinter Nights Dragon Age short story collection.

Last Song: L'appuntamento - Ornella Vanoni

Last Movie: Ah, gosh. HM. I haven't watched anything that's not a TV show in a while. I semi-voluntarily caught the last fifteen minutes of Scrooged over the winter holidays I guess?

Last Series: Last series I watched any part of is, as always, "Emergency!" because I will never not be stuck in 70's paramedic hell. If we're talking new-to-me shows, a friend's making me watch Grey's Anatomy (early seasons) once a week, probably because observing my growing despair about the characters' poor life choices is fun. I don't even normally watch medical shows, and yet here we are lol

Sweet, Savoury, Spicy: Savory if I had to pick

Craving: Some good spaghetti with olive oil and obscene amounts of lightly toasted garlic.

Tea/Coffee: Yes please, lol

Currently working on: OH BOY WHAT A QUESTION.

Spinning: Gotland on my spindles (4-ply, one single per spindle, for funsies - except I accidentally mixed up which bits of fiber go with which single on which spindle, so that'll be fun to sort out...), 7oz/200g of red Merino on the wheel (for a crochet hat, followed by 9.5 oz of red and black Merino for a woven scarf). But also 24.5oz/700g of grey Merino. And cotton on the supported spindle. And I've got some laceweight viscose on the mini turkish spindle that I should really work on...

Crocheting: Half a dozen things, including a lacy collar that needs buttons and blocking, a gigantic star-shaped wrap-around shawl, an incredibly boring granny square top for my little sister, and too many others to count.

Art: The Emergency! tarot as the eternal never-ending WIP; I also have some Dragon Age Veilguard related plans revolving around the Grand Necropolis and irl Catacomb Saints and I'd love to get some DA-style tarot cards done for all my player characters.

Writing: I still have a couple unfinished fanfics that need another chapter, as well as two deeply self-indulgent OC/Emergency! crossovers that friends are making me write, and I also have some Dragon Age stuff in the works - though if anyone will ever see that is another question entirely.

Music: Practicing various stuff for LARP; also slowly chipping away at Hozier's Work Song because my partner asked nicely.

With no pressure, I will tag: @geminyde, @caseyscraftycorner, @swords-n-spindles, @alpacazappa, @rosesonneptune, @rose-of-pollux, @zooarchaeologyatdinner, @kalikatze aaaaand I can't decide on a 9th person to tag so whoever wants to do this: You're It!

[dolcesuono]

wait.... ELOISE?!?!

[cesaray]

i have finished jonathan strange and mr norrell and feel as if i too have just emerged from 10 years in faerie land