There is also the glory of Hogfather's villain, Teatime. In both the English and French version, he gets irritated because people mispronounce his name. But in French, Teatime translates to "L'heure du thé", which he insists is pronounced "Le Redouté" (The Dreaded One)
I deeply appreciate the fact that Discworld translators add their own terrible, terrible puns.
would be fun if for once characters in a scifi story landed on a planet and it was like desert or whatever and theyre like ooh... a desert world.... and the people who live there are like what? no? this is just a desert. planets are very big. they have multiple biomes
I've recently read What If 2, and since my brain has been pointing true IWTV for a few weeks now, I couldn't help but get stuck on this question:
Link to the entire thing:
This has two possible explanations: The first (most likely) is that vampires in IWTV don't get drunk on the actual alcohol in people's blood, they get drunk on the drunkenness. The second, much funnier explanation is that when you become a vampire you also become a lightweight who gets incredibly drunk on a pint of beer.
Our Flag Means Death Reductress headlines (1/?)
I've started Master and Commander, and 2 hours in I have the following to report:
They're doing the fastest Enemies to Friends to Shipmate Speedrun.
Each of them infodumping in turn, then talking about music.
They have the following DELIGHTFUL exchange, about Castillan and Catalan (as best as I can remember it):"But they're quite similar? A putain, as they say in French? - Oh non, they're different languages. And a patois, if you please. - Oh ? I'm sure the other word exists, I think I've heard it."
A guy who Jack is talking to for the first time snitches on another by saying that he's gay. Then asks what Jack thinks of this "buggery business".
For the record, Jack is against it, but doesn't like to see a man hang for it. It turns out that Lt Snitch doesn't really have anything concrete, it's more of a vibe-based accusation.
I'm letting all nautical talk gently flow through me without making any impression. I think Maturin is doing the same.
I have some extra audible credits. Would you recommend using them on the Aubrey-Maturin serie?
always
I was right
I am not trying to ruffle any feathers, but I have to say this before Season 2 comes out, so I can act smug when I’m right. Here is my number one prediction for Good Omens Season 2:
There won’t be a voice-over.
Now hang on. I know it’s a controversial opinion. Let me explain.
I have noticed that virtually every adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s books has some sort of voice over, either diagetic (like Going Postal, where it’s part of the framing device) or non-diagetic (Hogfather). And I get it ! If you’ve read any of the Discworld book and have this weird brain quirk where a part of you is always thinking about how this would translate on screen, you’ve probably noticed two things:
1. There’s visual humour in text form. How ? This man was a genius and a will be missed forever.
2. There’s so much that just can’t be translated on a purely visual level. The footnotes! Should we just leave the footnotes out ? They’re so great! They add so much to the world in general. There are running jokes that only appear in the footnotes ! Should we just accept that it won’t make it to screen ?
Yes. I’m sorry, but yes. Some things will be lost. Maybe you can integrate one of these jokes as recurring background events ? A lot of people are not going to notice though. There’s an expectation that the reader will read all of the words, while the viewer may not see all that’s happening on screen (although, to be fair, you will be noticing new puns on every re-read for years in the case of the Discworld).
(In comparison, adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s work are less prone to voice over. If I remember correctly, Coraline didn’t have one. Sandman starts with a bit of voice-over from the main character, but nothing more after that. I don’t remember any in American Gods. MirrorMask has left me nothing but the memory of a fever dream, so I can’t be sure. )
This is not to say that the voice-over in season one was pointless. It establishes the tone, to start with. If you remember, the opening narration is about the age of the Earth, in which we learn that it was created on the 21st of October, 4004 B.C., and therefore learn its star sign. It’s a good way to show that yes, there are angels in this, and demons, and the garden of Eden, and if you want to think too hard about this, they’ve got you covered. But if you think that these depictions are either blasphemous or religious propaganda, it might be a good time to learn to take a step back (and a joke, in my personal opinion).
But there are definitely instances of narration that would never have happened if season 1 wasn’t a book adaptation. I am thoroughly convinced that Dog’s experimentation with chasing and being chased by cats would have been screen only. Maybe a scene. Maybe something happening in he background. Who knows.
And here’s the thing. Season 2 isn’t the adaptation of a novel. I remember a tweet by Neil Gaiman about how he and Pratchett had a sequel plotted out, but even that isn’t season 2. According to the same, tweet, Season 2 is how we get there.
My number 2 prediction is that there will be a an intense heist scene during which Sadie and Dottie both try to steal some incriminating letters unbeknownst to each other.
“‘To be sure. I have here another complaint of over-enthusiastic clamping. I’m sure you know to what I refer.’ ‘It was causing serious traffic congestion, sah!’ ‘Quite so. It is well known for it. But it is, in fact, the opera house.’”
— Terry Pratchett, The Fifth Elephant
I got arrested for beating someone up and Aziraphale from Good Omens was my lawyer. He was so bad at being a lawyer he got me more jail time instead of less.
Reminder that Jeffrey Combs is the #1 top Vorta apologist