Mark Reads ‘Carpe Jugulum’: Part 7

In the seventh part of Carpe Jugulum, Agnes and Nanny begin to put the pieces together. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Discworld. 

This might be the “slowest” section so far, but that’s not a bad thing by any means. The story still moves forward, and I’m just as eager to see what’s gonna happen next. LET’S DISCUSS.

Magpies

Okay, maybe I’m just imagining a connection between the Magpyrs and magpies but COME ON, THEIR NAMES ARE SO SIMILAR. Instead, the magpies picked up Granny’s invitation because it was shiny. Hey, we don’t get too many magpies around here, so this wasn’t a thought I had in my head. I’ve only seen them in person a few times! Still, maybe the Magpyrs had something to do with it because… well, I’ve never heard about magpies in the Ramtops before, you know???

Mightily Oats

HE IS SUCH AN INTERESTING CHARACTER! I’m glad that my attentiveness paid off for once, and now we know that like Agnes, Mightily Oats can resist the mind control of the Magpyrs. His “dual” nature is more… uncertainty? This aspect isn’t as obvious as it is with Agnes, whose Perdita persona provides an explanation for her resistance. Instead, Oats seems stuck between what his religion used to be and what it is now. Throughout this part of the book, he speaks of the Omnian religion with a reluctant reverence OR with a quiet regret. That same dichotomy is turned on himself, too! There’s a fascinating scene where he talks about why he doesn’t think he’s cut out to prosthelytize to others, which he immediately follows up with AN UNBEARABLY AWKWARD CONVERSATION ABOUT WITCHES. He goes from talking about how literal everyone is in this part of the Disc to… well, basically saying Omnians got witches wrong? Which is great I suppose, but it’s not much in the face of hundreds of years of witches being burned alive by Omnians. (Or dropped in vats of treacle.)

Then there’s his connection to Granny, which is mostly nonexistent, aside from the fact that he specifically sought her out, the only person from Lancre to do so. I chalk most of this up to circumstance and ignorance, actually. The man knows very little of this part of the Disc, and he just heard about Granny and assumed she was an old, frail woman who needed his spiritual guidance. (SHE DIDN’T.) He also had no idea that there was any mind control going on. HE TRULY BELIEVED THAT VAMPIRES WERE JUST HANGING OUT AND BEING OPEN ABOUT THEIR VAMPIRISM IN LANCRE. BLESS.

So in that sense, it’s fun watching all of his preconceived notions about everything get torn apart. Take the scene where he’s in Nanny Ogg’s cottage. The guy can barely handle it, first of all, but he adjusts. Quickly, I might add. And he also stops making comments about witches and their lives as he spends more time with Nanny and Agnes. It’s almost like… seeing others as whole people with their own lives is a good thing!

I’m into this, y’all. Agnes and Oats are going to try to rescue Magrat and her child, which sounds like a dangerous mission AND WHICH I AM 100% INTO, BY THE WAY. I’d be excited for more Magrat anyway, but Mightily Oats intrigues me. I need to know more. I also need to know how the hell they’re gonna sneak Magrat out without attracting the attention of the Magpyrs, who most likely can hear the thoughts of everyone in the castle.

I NEED MORE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vppwT6r0828

Mark Links Stuff

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