http://wiki.lspace.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Tassilo&feedformat=atomDiscworld & Terry Pratchett Wiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T06:11:35ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.40.0http://wiki.lspace.org/index.php?title=Mr_Fusspot&diff=31756Mr Fusspot2021-05-17T18:24:33Z<p>Tassilo: </p>
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<div>Quite possibly the most important, and certainly the richest, dog in [[Ankh-Morpork]]. His mother was a pedigreed spoon hound. His father was, due to the nature of Discworld [[genetics]], all of the dogs that his mother met after getting out one night. This dog is of such importance that there are [[Lavishes|quite a lot of people]] who want to see him dead, and the sooner the better. He was formerly owned by [[Topsy Lavish]] who, in the will dictated from her deathbed to [[Mr. Slant]], in the presence of a legally binding number of witnesses, bequeathed him into the care of the [[Master of the Royal Mint]].<br />
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The double whammy, for the [[Moist von Lipwig|Master]], is that the dog is personally worth $AM20,000 (to be paid in arrears) for every full year he remains alive. The dog is ''also'' worth $AM100,000 to the [[Assassins' Guild]], who are under orders to inhume the Master, should any unfortunate accident befall the dog. Fortunately the Assassins have a code of conduct, or the general Ankh-Morpork ethos might suggest, to an Assassin of a certain turn of mind, that to kill the dog himself and thus activate the deferred contract would be worth a cool hundred grand. Indeed, as [[Vetinari]] points out, somewhat acidly, Moist has been done a great favour here, as the Guild of Assassins will not accept a second contract on his life.<br />
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Mr Fusspot is notable for being the only small lapdog to '''''ever''''' tree [[Angua von Überwald]] in her werewolf form. The strange and unique circumstances in which he manages this are related in {{MM}}. <br />
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At the conclusion of the book, Mr Fusspot leaves his temporary abode with the Master of the Mint, and finds another home with a kind and appreciative new [[Vetinari|Master]].<br />
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==Annotation==<br />
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Bizarrely, on [[Roundworld]], New York hotelier and real estate billionaire {{wp|Leona Helmsley|Leona Helmsley}} left $12m (£5.97m) to her pet dog, Trouble. Good name. The pampered pooch received the largest bequest from Mrs Helmsley's will. Mrs Helmsley, who died in August 2007, was dubbed the "Queen of Mean" by the US media, and was known for her tough approach to business. She and her late husband, Harry, built a company which managed some of New York's most prestigious addresses, including the Empire State Building, as well as hotels across the country. The money for Trouble's upkeep was left in the hands of her brother, Alvin Rosenthal, who himself inherited $10m. See more here: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6969648.stm].<br />
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There is also a German movie with Heinz Rühmann from 1953, where Rühmann as Briefträger Müller (Postman, sic Miller) inherits a small dog owning a fortune, bequeathed by a rich lady. See more here: [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045577/]<br />
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[[Category:Discworld characters]]<br />
[[Category:Discworld Flora & Fauna]]<br />
[[Category:Making Money]]<br />
[[de:Herr Quengler]]</div>Tassilohttp://wiki.lspace.org/index.php?title=Biers&diff=31755Biers2021-05-17T18:08:56Z<p>Tassilo: Added "No change" sign</p>
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<div>[[Image:Igor_biers.JPG|thumb|240px|right|Igor by Matt Smith]] [[Ankh-Morpork|Ankh-Morporkian]] [[Pubs|pub]] where various "people" can show their true forms and nobody will give a second glance. Perhaps one of the few locations where, when asking the bartender for a Bloody Mary, he won't simply mix you a metaphor... Clientele include [[vampires]], [[werewolves]], [[zombies]], [[bogeymen]], [[ghouls]], [[Tooth Fairy|Tooth Fairies]], and [[Mrs Gammage]]. Mrs Gammage is purely human, a blind old widow living alone who had been patronizing this pub for decades since it was still an ordinary human pub named the Crown and Axe. The differently alive clientele of Biers look after Mrs. Gammage (see ''[[Book:Feet of Clay|Feet of Clay]]''). The undead customers are not exactly friendly with each other, more that they leave each other alone. On the other hand, if an ordinary human barges into the bar and makes unmeasured comments, even in solicitation for the famous Ankh-Morpork any-kind-of-service-for-money, there will be trouble from just about every drinking customer (see ''[[Book:The Truth|The Truth]]'').<br />
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Although were-creatures of all sorts are welcomed, animals are not. In {{H}}, Igor explains to [[Susan]] "If it ([[Quoth]]) can't turn back into human on demand, it's out."<br />
However a "No change" sign (see ''[[Book:Feet of Clay|Feet of Clay]]'') is present, probably to avoid inconveniences including were-creatures.<br />
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Biers is a nickname for the pub, it is unknown whether the owner has a formal name for it. The monobrowed bartender is called [[Igor]], but is not one: just try asking him to sew your head back on (see ''[[Book:Thud!|Thud!]]'').<br />
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==Annotations==<br />
Biers is a multi-level pun: it has an assonance with the well-known bar "{{wp|Cheers|Cheers}}" ("where everybody knows your name" - Angua points out that Biers is '' where everybody knows your shape''), and ''a'' bier is a stand used to hold a coffin prior to burial or cremation. This last is particularly appropriate considering the undead clientele. It may also be a reference to {{wp|Ambrose_Bierce|Ambrose Bierce}}, a 19th century humorist and author of various Gothic / horror novels (his best known work is "The Devil's Dictionary"). Bierce disappeared under mysterious circumstances in his 70's. while following Pancho Villa's army through Mexico and Texas, which may explain why the owner of Biers is never seen. Finally, the word "Biers" also refers to the German word "Bier" which means simply "beer".<br />
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And if you consider the original name of the pub in context with the [[Stoneface Vimes|monarchy]] of Ankh-Morpork...<br />
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[[Category:Ankh-Morpork Businesses]]<br />
[[de:Bahre]]</div>Tassilo