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Sunday, April 13th, 2008 10:31 pm
So, someone submitted a Pratchett quote to the [livejournal.com profile] sg1friendathon as a prompt and it got claimed by [livejournal.com profile] suzannemarie, and then we were trying to remember the citation for the quote:

"It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. This is true. It's called Life."

So far, I've found one citation, a bit of dialogue between Rincewind and Death from The Last Continent.

"Is it true that your life passes before your eyes before you die?"

YES.

"Ghastly thought, really." Rincewind shuddered. "Oh, gods, I've just had another one. Suppose I am just about to die, and this is my whole life passing in front of my eyes?"

I THINK PERHAPS YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. PEOPLE'S WHOLE LIVES DO PASS IN FRONT OF THEIR EYES BEFORE THEY DIE. THE PROCESS IS CALLED "LIVING."
It's not identical to the one used in the prompt, and not quite as I remember reading it myself. It's possible that there's more than one, of course - pTerry refers at least twice to multiple exclamation points as a sign of a diseased mind. :)

There is no real point to this post, although the idea of Teal'c and Vetinari engaging in a battle of  unblinking stares is only slightly less delightfully engaging than the idea of poor Sam's brain imploding at standing on a world that is a disc, supported by four elephants, on the back of a giant turtle, or Daniel arguing in Ook with the librarian. Or Death, for that matter, when his lifetimer gets even more twisty than Rincewind's.

And Granny Weatherwax and Hammond, for some odd reason.

And Angua. I want Janet and Sam and Angua to go down to Biers and get seriously drunk.

And Mitchell must meet Carrot! Carrot can quote laws and ordinances while Mitchell rattles off SG-1 missions!

If a crossover like this was written as slight cracky fic rather than crack!fic? I think it would be delicious.
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 07:40 pm (UTC)
Oh, man, I read this post thinking "yes!" and "yes!" because the staring contest (and can Jack meet Vimes? PLEASE?) and Daniel would totally argue in Ook and Janet and Sam and Angua at the Biers (though I think Vala would want to come too) and Mitchell and Carrot would so work!

I would so read this!

[I definitely remember that quote too, and I'm not sure if I've read The Last Continent. I swear it's from Night Watch - might have to reread it. Oh, drat :) ]
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 07:51 pm (UTC)
Vimes would arrest Jack on sight, on suspicion of being Just As Nasty As He Is.

It might be Night Watch at that. I've only read Last Continent once or twice, I think. I remember it more for the wizards creating the platypus than anything else. :)
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:01 pm (UTC)
Is the quote "Good Omens"? Although a search of wikiquote has turned up nothing, I swear it (probably) is. I only read it a couple of weeks ago, but it's been "borrowed" by helpful family members.

Although I'd hanker for Carrot and Jack. Carrot can throw off one of those innocuous sounding quotes and Jack can be confused and suspicious. Or Nanny Ogg being around when Mitchell's trousers go bye-bye. Or Nanny Ogg being around, well, anyone. Terrorising some poor innocent, preferably.

(Ponder Stibbons and Sam could completely empathise)
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:04 pm (UTC)
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Oh, yes, PLEASE!!!
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:14 pm (UTC)
Is the quote "Good Omens"?

Daniel/Aziraphale's bookshop = OTP! (Although probably not for Aziraphale. Daniel would try to buy books. It would be terribly traumatic.)

Meanwhile, Vala and Crowley size each other up, and there are cross-purposes conversations about "snakes" ...
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:17 pm (UTC)
Heh. I wrote a Daniel-meets-Death story once. :)
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:22 pm (UTC)
Pratchett love!

On a quick skim, no one on the internetz seems to have an exact citation. It may be one of these things he's said in various versions at various times, including interviews. That'd be my guess.

I've now spent the past twenty minutes reading the Pratchett Quote File. I always get caught up. :)

Sam dealing with Discworld science! Lovely.
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:24 pm (UTC)
I don't think it's Good Omens, although you might be right at that. Haven't read that one in quite a while.

Or Nanny Ogg being around when Mitchell's trousers go bye-bye.

Hah, yes! For the win. She'd probably have an active hand in it, too!

And ooooh, Ponder and Sam muttering together over Hex would be delightful.
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:25 pm (UTC)
Daniel/Aziraphale's bookshop = OTP!

Hah! YES!

And Vala would totally trash the Thieves' Guild.
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:25 pm (UTC)
Another vote for someone to write this! :)
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:26 pm (UTC)
Yep, I remember that one! Daniel watches the team drag his body away, yes? And there's another one out there, too, with the priceless line: "Shroedinger's Archeologist."

There really is huge potential is this!
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:28 pm (UTC)
Sam going insane with Discworld science, hee!

(Especially if the wizards helpfully tell her about the failed Roundworld experiment.)

I'm wondering if it's an interview quote, too. We can always read all his books to find out properly... :)
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:32 pm (UTC)
Daniel would try to buy books. It would be terribly traumatic

Haha! There'd just be a sense of barely contained rising panic emanating from Aziraphale as Daniel got more and more excited. This is assuming that Daniel gets over the shock of the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter when he realises that people have written in it.

Sam could grab a bike and join in with the Apocalypse...
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:39 pm (UTC)
I've got Good Omens open, but I've not spotted it. My first thought was that it was from the bit in the end of Colour of Magic / beginning of Light Fantastic, where Rincewind falls off the Discworld. But my copies of those are at my dad's.

The Roundworld experiment would blow Sam's mind. Hee.
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:39 pm (UTC)
Yep, that's the one! :D
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:40 pm (UTC)
Also, I have two Schrodinger's Archaeologist icons. ;)
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 08:51 pm (UTC)
And ooooh, Ponder and Sam muttering together over Hex would be delightful.

Their poor, poor bosses. Although the ants may finish Sam off.

Although Jack would be horrifed that when Ridcully goes fishing, he actually catches stuff.

She'd probably have an active hand in it, too!

Magic should not be used lightly, except for cheap tricks.

Sam's teasing would be like bits of remembered heaven, comparitively.
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 09:04 pm (UTC)
He might. I could also see them recognizing each other as...kindred spirits who will never stop keeping one eye on each other while being careful not to appear to be doing so. And possibly swapping stories over beer. Probably depends on how they meet, I suspect.

Could be. I'm not as big a fan of the Wizard-focused books, so my memory/knowledge of them is limites.
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 09:04 pm (UTC)
Daniel/Aziraphale's bookshop = OTP! (Although probably not for Aziraphale. Daniel would try to buy books. It would be terribly traumatic.)

Oh, man, YES! Though Daniel might be convinced to just stay there and read. Forever. And discuss them over tea.
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 09:08 pm (UTC)
There'd just be a sense of barely contained rising panic emanating from Aziraphale as Daniel got more and more excited.

While on the other side of the bookshop, Vala makes a series of increasingly inappropriate and competitive remarks about the really weird things she can do with her tongue ...

And somewhere else, Jack and Adam share grumpy thoughts about all these supernatural forces messin' around in people's lives.
Monday, April 14th, 2008 07:25 am (UTC)
never stop keeping one eye on each other while being careful not to appear to be doing so

Yes, definitely. But c'mon, you know Vimes would arrest Jack if he possibly could, because he recognized a kindred spirit and he knows just what he himself is capable of doing! :)

No beer, though. Sybil wouldn't approve. But maybe Jack could teach young Sam how to play baseball...
Monday, April 14th, 2008 07:30 am (UTC)
Magic should not be used lightly, except for cheap tricks.

Bwah! I can so see Nanny Ogg having that exchange with Granny!

It's not just that Ridcully catches the things. It's also that Ridcully is much more interested in the catch than the act. Blasphemy! Someone should tell Ridcully's brother.
Monday, April 14th, 2008 07:30 am (UTC)
Hee hee! And thanks for including both. :)
Monday, April 14th, 2008 07:32 am (UTC)
I don't think it's from there, because Death is very different in those two books - he hasn't quite developed his personality yet. He's actively trying to kill Rincewind and is hugely frustrated every time he misses.

On the other hand, isn't Twoflower the only person they ever meet with glasses? Would everyone automatically assume that Daniel is from the Agatean Empire?
Monday, April 14th, 2008 12:30 pm (UTC)
I think Ponder Stibbons is usually pictured with glasses? Although whether that's in the actual text, I don't remember. That may be one of those things - like Death being different - that changes when it doesn't fit any more.

Yeah, I guess that's not a very early Death thing to say. It might not be Death saying it, though - it could just be a footnote. *shrugs*
Monday, April 14th, 2008 12:31 pm (UTC)
*has fallen in love with both your brains*
Monday, April 14th, 2008 02:22 pm (UTC)
You may be right about Ponder. Hmmm. I just listened to Nigel Planer reading Moving Pictures a few nights ago, which is when Ponder is introduced. I don't remember glasses.

The thing is, though, that we can more or less handwave anything in Color of Magic because the Ocatavo could've changed it when it rearranged the universe to keep Rincewind alive. So Twoflower, for example, went from being insanely skinny to insanely fat from the first book to the next. And anyway, once Twoflower introduced inn-sewer-ants to Ankh-Morpork, it caught on quickly enough. So did dentures, most likely. So why not glasses too? :)
Monday, April 14th, 2008 05:12 pm (UTC)
I'm going to just echo Abyssis, here and say "Oh man!" to alla this. Because...yeah.
Monday, April 14th, 2008 05:23 pm (UTC)
Bwah! That icon is made of win.

Knew you'd like it! :)
Monday, April 14th, 2008 05:27 pm (UTC)
Except Vimes might also recognize that Jack could be Very Annoying (TM) while imprisoned and possibly difficult to keep there and, also, is possibly traveling with people who could cause even more trouble.

But teaching baseball to young Sam would DEFINITELY distract Jack while Vimes figures out how to get SG-1 out of the city as fast as possible. Maybe Klatch wants them - that guy with Jack seems fond of deserts :)
Monday, April 14th, 2008 07:15 pm (UTC)
Yes, I think you're right. Much as he'd like to arrest Jack, he'd like him OUT of the city even more!

::considers Daniel's opinion of Klatch::

::dissolves into sniggers::

::wonders if sheep eyes taste like chicken::