#Ankh-Morpork City Watch

[elliottjpg]

"Boo."

Happy Glorious Twenty-Fifth of May to all who observe.

Like last year, I opted to do a redraw of an old drawing from 2020; a companion piece to my previous drawing, a redraw from 2019. Night Watch is a good context to revisit the past and look at how I've evolved.

Rise up!

[morporkian-cryptid]

I commissioned the incredible @theshitpostcalligrapher to make me a copy of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch oath, and it turned out amazing!! (and I immediately proceeded to deface it lol)

I had made a copy myself years ago after I bought a Special Constable badge from the Discworld Emporium, and I wanted to update it ^^

[2readiscworld]

Angua in the modern world would be on T

[aetherictree]

Honestly, now whenever I see racism, or prejudice, or general oppression of the poor and downtrodden in fantasy, I can't but imagine Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch in the middle of it.

Just started The Druid's Call, and you *know* Vimes would have suspicion and prejudice against Tieflings -- but also that his recognition of their personhood and citizenship would far outweigh that.

And that at some point the aristocracy would get wind of it, and tell Vetinari that there must not be any Tieflings in the Watch. Which Vetinari would make sure to pass on to Vimes. He would make it very clear that the aristocracy do not wish to see any Tiefling officers and would be very upset with the Commander were he to hire some...

...and as Vimes leaves, he would realise he's been played once again.

[songthursh]

Someone can "Ah, Vimes" his way out of any situation (c) my wife @stupidlynx

[psychuan]

y'know having read them multiple times i don't understand why people say that Night Watch is the darkest City Watch book when Thud! is right there.

like, Night Watch is pretty grim when you focus on the inevitability of it, but throughout the book the whole like... THING of it is "being told something is inevitable, and fighting it anyway." it's a story about hope and inspiring it in others even when you're not sure you're going to make it through either way. right up until the final melee with Carcer, Vimes does what he can to forestall the inevitable, and for most of the book, he *wins.*

Thud! on the other hand is about fighting against the weight of deep ancient grudges, and the outcome of it SEEMS inevitable. Koom Valley Will Happen Again, and throughout the book there seems no way to stop it. the resolution comes right at the very end, although the book 100% earns the reveal. but it's one man and a small team fighting against bigotry and hatred and figureheads stoking war.

that's not even TOUCHING on the actual Events in the book, which include a hit squad armed with flamethrowers very nearly torching Sam Vimes' infant son to fucking death. then there's the whole thing with the Summoning Dark which keeps trying to push Vimes' rage to the point of murder, there's the part where it *succeeds* and drives him into an unstoppable berserker rage, there's people dying slowly in dark tunnels, and the Vurms which feasting on putrefied corpses.

it's also the first time we've seen Vimes in an actual Murderous rage. every time beforehand he's been angry but it's been "oh i'm gonna arrest the SHIT out of you. i might put the boot in for good measure but you're coming with ME, sunshine." but no, this time he's literally chasing down a hitman screaming "i'll kill you" over and over again.

Thud! is a properly dark book. and yet despite it's unrelenting horribleness... Love Still Wins. Love for your fellow "man." Love wins in all Pterry's books, you can tell, it shines off the page when you read them just how much that man loved humanity, warts 'n' all, but in this one it feels like it's the most optimistic ending. it's the one that goes "in spite of it all, the bigots and warmongers and the narrow minded Will Lose, because there are always people willing to go to the ends of the earth for Love, Love of one another."

i think that's why it's my favourite book in the series.

[elliottjpg]

⚔✊All the little angels, rise up, rise up...

This is a redraw of a very old piece, because Vimes deserves better than 2019-me's art skills.

That is not to say I look down on the original, I still love it, and it was one of my best drawings at the time. This redraw is a tribute to the Treacle Mine Road Revolution, to Pratchett's writing, to its impact on my life, to little-me, and to the passage of time.

Rise up!

[oftenoffler]

Someone stop me

[headcanonsandmore]

Thanks for the tag, @serenbex! Deffo agree about Tegan and Nyssa! 🤣😂

Yeah, I'm not gonna have any issues with the entire Ankh-Morpork City Watch around (aside from stopping Nobby trying to nick my wallet). Heck, Reg Shoe would probably end up unionising the zombies differently alive. 🤣😂

Tagging anyone who wants to join in!

I'm bored, so I decided to make another tag game

The last image of a fictional character or person you have is who you find amidst a zombie apocalypse

Here's mine:

Meryl Streep lmao 💀

Tagging: @solaxena @rachi-roo @gonerogue98-official @a-vegemite-addict-from-australia @1tsdanny @clumsyracconking @rae-main @duckymcdoorknob @veenxys @stardustkujo @thecryingbox @haikyuuublog and anyone who wants to join! <3

[espressotrashcan]

Vetinari comes over for his weekly dinner at the Ramkin-Vimes house (estate) and Sybil is running around in work mode and just goes "Havelock dear, will you hold this a minute?"

It's a dragon. She handed him a dragon. It's wheezing little gusts of smoke and chewing on Vetinari's sleeves.

Vimes is looking on in terror, wondering how long his wife has to live.

Vetinari, secretly, is quite pleased. The dragon reminds him of Wuffles.

[oracle-of-moon]

Hi nice people! I've (finally) proper finished an old sketch of His Grace, the Duke of Ankh, Commander of the Ankh Morpork City Watch, erstwhile Blackboard Monitor, one time Überwald Ambassador, Sir Samuel Vimes (!!!)

I recently got myself a box of some beautiful skin tones colored pencils and I thought "well, why not?" 😀

As I never use colored pencils (I do most of my art digitally), I decided to give it a try. Looking at the result I'm kinda proud of it :)

15x21cm.

[noirandchocolate]

Happy Glorious 25th of May one and all, Sam Vimes is the only person alive (who isn’t a History Monk) who remembers the real John Keel’s actions during the original events surrounding the People’s Republic of Treacle Mine Road and that knowledge will die with him.  Wear the lilac and have a hard boiled egg in Keel’s honor because he Did the Job that Was in Front of Him and a man’s not dead while his name’s still spoken!

[thesustainedworldatransverse]

Oh I do love me a trans science nerd.

Cheery Littlebottom is actually the best fictional character ever, demonstrated below:

Got fired from being an alchemist for exploding the guild council

Consequently eyebrowless when we first encounter her

Not only transgender, but arguably the inventor of transgenderism among dwarves

Immediately becomes girl best friends with Angua

Overcomes her prejudices against werewolves, is defended in turn from dwarvish [trans]misogyny by Angua. Girls supporting girls. I love them.

Have I mentioned transgender

Singlehandedly creates & maintains a forensics department

Has to be the person to tell Vimes that spoons can't be made of arsenic

In the face of transphobic vitriol is still able to show kindness and compassion to Dee when she needs it

Is, once again, transgender

[approximateknowledge]

the Watch of Ankh-Morpork is fascinating to me because it's the closest thing ive seen in any fiction to an actually *good* police force

but you know why?

because the thieves' and assassins' guilds and Chrysoprase's gang are the ones who hold the monopoly on violence!

the Watch is just fundamentally a different kind of institution than actual irl police is! and it works!

[vegetarianmorpork]

Cuddy helping Detritus realize he can count (and is actually a savant) is everything to me <3