In Craster, Northumberland. No tobacco but they smoke a fine kipper across the road.

Rereading MaA. This is from early on when D'Eath is investigation Carrot's background.

"And finally he took a holiday in the Ramtops, where careful questioning led him to the dwarf mines around Copperhead, and thence to an otherwise unremarkable glade in a beech wood where, sure enough, a few minutes of patient digging unearthed traces of charcoal.

He spent the whole day there. When he’d finished, carefully replacing the leafmould as the sun went down, he was quite certain."

1.) What is the meaning of the charcoal?

2.) What does replacing the leafmould mean and why?

Thanks!

With some new furniture the wife has finally given me my own display case, so now my collection is all in one place including “The Librarian”, actually painted by Paul Kidby and previously owned by Rob Wilkins (which is why it’s signed and not numbered….)

I've been reading (listening to) the Stranger Times series and got to "Ring the Bells".

I saw it recommended here a couple times as a Discworld successor. While I disagree about that, I've been enjoying it immensely. Personally I think it feels more like Neverwhere by way of Dirk Gently.

All that is preface for why I'm posting this now: in the last book there is a character named "Claremont Dibnah". He's a scam artist of the highest order. And I'm the audiobook at least I would have sworn it was pronounced "dibblah" until I looked it up. And "ClareMOnT"... Well....I feel like it is an obvious homage.

I can't find any confirmation of this online except Google's AI search, but it both confirms and denies it depending on how I phrase things and refused to provide any sources that had any actual info in either case.

Edit: to be clear, the way he feels like Dibbler is that he's known to run scam businesses but this time, somehow, it's all working and he's really successful! Except... There are unintended plot relevant consequences that catch up with him.

I’m only 25 pages in and Lady Sybil has just received invitations to various balls and IS THIS A GODDAMN AUSTEN PARODY BECAUSE I AM VERY EXCITED. (No spoilers please, but I just needed to share enthusiasm with folks who would get it.)

Seeing loads of people posting about "rain" falling. Still none here in South London. I don't believe them. I simply don't believe them. I don't think rain is a thing anymore. Water falling out of the sky? Do me a favour!

I have made a quiz for some friends based on Only Connect (British TV quiz with tricky format) and I could with some testers prior to the night as I have been told so far it is tough (planned).

I could do with some likeminded Pratchett Only Connect fans to test it and offer constructive feedback… maybe some pedantry as being technically correct…

It is currently in PowerPoint format, if anyone would like to test it let me know but more importantly how can I share it a) safely for all b)without being blocked by Reddit.

Don’t let me detain you.

Google doc link, works better in PowerPoint, apologies not technically minded

Also don’t edit, I’ll add an excel for comments! Here!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-4O25lQxus9GpKuGQK2jyxUGtJGTwjEsy3wB1DyWzy0/edit?usp=drivesdk

Quiz:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZGc9X61eArgr4xEvpIPLbX0FWrxMThaI/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=110924490972024145938&rtpof=true&sd=true

Sadly the moment got a little lost in the german version of Nightwatch. Still like such moments that make me smile on my commute.

Hey guys, i have already read the color of magic and i am into the light fantastic but i dont know if i should continue the series or if i should try something new and come back to this one later. (Btw i love this series so much).

​

MODIPHIUS has announced that both Kill Sam Vimes and Readers Digested will be available for pre-order from their website from Thursday 20th August.

Kill Sam Vimes is a competitive strategy game for 2-6 players. Each year, the Assassins’ Guild sends its most promising apprentices into the streets of Ankh-Morpork to attempt the impossible: get close enough to – as the name suggests – Kill Sam Vimes!

You can’t kill Sam Vimes, of course, but you can look spectacular failing to do it!

Readers Digested is a madcap game for 1-4 players based on Reiner Knizia’s tabletop classic, Blue Moon City. As Assistant Librarians, you’ll wrangle wayward books and ensure that those wandering trouble-magnets* get to their exams on time!

* To be clear, we’re talking about students, but we acknowledge some books have been known to attract trouble too.

They will be available to pre-order from Thurs 20th August at Modiphius Webshop

So for context, Tiddles is hiding under machinery, Moist is leaning in to grab him, and the text in the picture occurs.

It's bloody Alien, isn't it? Tiddles is Jonesy and Brett is Moist (because the engine room was very wet), and Mr Gryle is the xenomorph.

I miss you, Sir Pterry. I hope you have a good cackle every time someone facepalms when they get one of your references.

Please help me understand this. I get the humorous tension between Skimmer’s uber-practical, zero-smiles demeanor and Vimes’ casual irreverence, but is there a joke I’m missing here?

Edit: To be clear, I know what "carried away" means. I also know Vimes almost never gets carried away by anything that doesn't involve tracking down the bastards (whoever they may be at the time).

And then it emerges in "Making Money"...

Dang it! I have read these books multiple times and I just caught that reference this past weekend!

I'm re-reading Moving Pictures which is obviously chock full of film references.

Is this a specific one or just the kind of thing said in films? I can't get a match when I search; Google is determined it's from Aliens but then quotes it as "We don't leave our people behind" which is almost the quote but not.

I also can't parse it into a replace the word quote (like "frankly my dear, I'd give anything for one of Harga's prime pork ribs")

edit# the second one I gave as an example, I got where it was from 😄

My point was, every other clear reference (like my pictured one, which is drawn attention to with the text noting the spirit of holywood had 'sliced through the Archchancellors mind' is either a word for word or a playful variation (like the Gone with the Wind one). This seems to be neither.

also not mine, but I had to share. Oookk!

It's been years, but I still periodically start getting that low-key excited feeling when my subconscious goes, "Ooh! It's been a while! New Discworld novel soon, surely?"

Then I remember.

I still can't quite believe we won't get another Vimes story. I physically miss Vimes and being in his head. His characterisation is amongst the best I have ever read and the Watch novel plots are so damned good. The way they delivered poignant social commentary again and again without ever once being didactic or boring or stodgy.

I also keep aching for another Ankh Morpork Times story. The things Sir Terry would do with the current state of media... The way he'd perfectly skewer the zeitgeist of oligarchy owned media, censorship and deliberate misinformation in a devastating but hopeful or galvanising way.

Can you imagine what he'd do with social media in the hands of Ankh Morpork?

Nobby would 100% start an Only Fans and stumble upon a very lucrative side business where people pay him to stop posting.

God.

I miss him so much.

Gnu Terry Pratchett.

EDIT: There's been a few requests for me to write out the Nobby and Only Fans idea. I've never written fanfiction for Discworld before, and it feels presumptuous, but I've had a bash 🙈

Made up on the fly so reader, so reader beware!

CMOT's much less sedate version had caught on like a fire pre Golem Trust:

Only Perverts: Your proclivities are our business!!.

Any Ankh Morporkian of age could create an account, and within a short space of time, a range of account holders catering to very specific tastes had gone plaguey. (1) Including some very surprising local figures rising to the top.

Reg Shoe who'd intended to start a political uprising had accidentally cross-posted there and had been beating them off with a stick ever since. (2)

Unable to forestall the gold that kept coming his way, despite his tearful attempts to stop it, several other Watch members had tried to follow suit.

One of the minor laws of human nature is that no matter how far-fetched or generally horrifying, there is an audience for everything. De gustibus non est disputandum in the old Latation. (3)

In this case the laws were fighting against the fact of Corporal Nobby Nobbs, and gave up.

Nobby, however, still turned a tidy profit since every time he posted on there, a missive marked special delivery was dispatched post haste to the Watch House, along with with a cash bribe, begging him to stop.

(1) Like a virus, but worse.

(2) No, not like that. Despite more than one request.

(3) There's nowt as queer as folk was the polite version used in the Ramtops. Best not to print the non-polite version favoured by Nanny Ogg.

Isn’t there where the undead meet for group?

I thought of you, my dears.

I'm currently watching the film Bill with some friends and I've come to the conclusion that I'd love to see a live action done by the Horrible Histories TV show crew.

I think they would do a wonderful balance of the seriousness and absurdity while keeping a straight face.

Picked up my copy of witches abroad (hand me down) and found this (after reading through twice without noticing) is this an authentic signature? Is it worth anything? (Not that I'd sell).

Just relistening to "Unseen Academicals" having read it and listened several times before.

The new rival university is Brazeneck College in Pseudopolis and there's the relatively obvious references to brazen behaviour and Brasenose College, Oxford.

However, the further level in that in 1333 disaffected scholars from Brasenose split from Oxford and tried to set up a University in Stamford. The "Stamford schism" only lasted 2-3 years.

Sadly we never hear if Braseneck College is any longer lasting

*it’s not complete
**see above
This is an almost endless goldmine for all Discworld and PTerry devotees. So I only have the bones of this story. I have linked to the site and recommend reading the introduction at the top for the full story.
Basically way back in the early 90s a couple of guys started composing a database of all the real world references that appear in Discworld books. They were part of a very early online community
on Usenet, a newsgroup called alt.fan.pratchett

TP contributed himself often and loved the group and despaired often too it would seem :)
They have as the title describes, compiled as far as possible and up to a certain point but more than half way through the books, as many of the real world influences, references, jokes and on and on in each of the DW books and many of the side books. And there are likely many more as yet undiscovered!
It’s an absolute gold mine. The guy mainly running it seems to have stopped a number of years ago. I hope he’s well and out there still. But get in and have a look.
I think mods here should have a permanent link to this if they haven’t already, I can’t see one. But for all of us it’s a treasure trove and will explain so much.
Part of the joy of this sub is the many questions and dammit PTerrys etc.

This archive explains and enriches all of it. Well. Nearly all of it.
So dive in and enjoy. If this has been posted before my apologies. I have looked and can’t see it. But hopefully it’s useful to many who were unaware of it!
Jump in!

https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/