Osiris: 1 revision: Discworld import 2

2012-09-24T00:07:21Z

1 revision: Discworld import 2

← Older revision	Revision as of 00:07, 24 September 2012
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TC01: I think it's supposed to be Men at Arms, not Guards! Guards!, but Men at Arms happens after Moving Pictures anyway...

2009-12-26T16:19:09Z

I think it's supposed to be Men at Arms, not Guards! Guards!, but Men at Arms happens after Moving Pictures anyway...

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'''Octo-cellulose''' is the Discworld equivalent of {{wp|celluloid|celluloid}}, invented by [[Thomas Silverfish]] of the [[Guild of Alchemists]]. This stuff plays a pivotal role in the events of {{MP}} and in the development of the Moving Pictures industry. It is ''very'' flammable, and burns ''very'' quickly, and this is something that is used to [[Victor Tugelbend]]'s advantage when it comes time to stop the showing of [[Blown Away]]. This flammability also causes the denizens of the [[Dungeon Dimensions]] who break into reality during the showing to fear fire- even magical, illusory fire.

It may or not be related to a later development by the Alchemists- that of synthesizing ivory into billiard balls- when a [[Roundworld]] reference is taken into account (see the annotation). During {{MAA}}, the Alchemists are found by [[Cuddy]] and [[Detritus]] playing Billiards. The billiard balls- which they have created themselves, without the use of ivory- are notable for their volatility: during the game they accelerate frighteningly, explode into flame, and whistle around the room.

==Annotation==

In the late 1860s, the then-phenomenal prize of $10,000 was offered for anyone who could produce a substitute for ivory, specifying that it had to conform exactly to the propensities of a '''billiard ball'''. An American named {{wp|John_Wesley_Hyatt|John Wesley Hyatt}} created arguably the first industrial plastic. Whilst experimenting with Parkesine, a material first created by Alexander Parkes (from Birmingham, England), he came up with a commercially viable way of producing Celluloid which he patented in 1869. He coated composite billiard balls with it and entered for the $10,000. This added considerably to the excitement of playing billiards - when two balls connected, there was a sharp crack! just like the report of a pistol. If that isn't a Pratchettism...

[[Category:Discworld concepts]]
[[Category:Discworld culture]]
[[de:Okto-Zellulose]]

Octo-cellulose - Revision history

Osiris: 1 revision: Discworld import 2

TC01: I think it's supposed to be Men at Arms, not Guards! Guards!, but Men at Arms happens after Moving Pictures anyway...