Tales from the Drum

The title of this episode is a nod to my dad. That was one of his favorite expressions.

We start out with Ponder Stibbons’ list of the necessary elements of fantasy fiction (via clacks), which led us ultimately into a discussion of the Disc’s gods and religions. I haven’t been hit by lightning, so I think we’re good. 

Shoot me a clacks at [email protected] with whatever’s on your mind.  Support Medieval Gnome Productions (that’s us) however you bloody well choose. Join Friends of Ponder’s Wizardly Portal on Discord, and get the straight skinny before the crowd. 

And yes, Apple seems to have de-listed the show because I changed its name. I’m working on fixing that, but there are still a ton of ways to find the Portal. This includes word of mouth, so please tell a friend about us.

This episode was created harm-free.

The Turtle does Move, dammit.

GNU Terry Pratchett 

Copyright 2020 Medieval Gnome Productions 

Creativity on the Disc takes different forms, just as it does on our Roundworld. We consider the forms created by Ponder Stibbons, Leonard of Quirm, Bergholt Stutley (Bloody Stupid) Johnson and Dick Simnel. We also ponder the fact that we meet the Disc’s first tourist in the first Discworld book, and the Disc’s first engineer in the penultimate book. 

Oh and let’s not forget Dactylos Goldeneyes Silverhand… or C.M.O.T. Dibbler.

Shoot me a clacks at [email protected]. Support Medieval Gnome Productions (that’s us) however you bloody well choose. Join Friends of Ponder’s Wizardly Portal on Discord, and get the straight skinny before the crowd. 

And yes, Apple seems to have de-listed the show because I changed its name. I’m working on fixing that, but there are still a ton of ways to find the Portal. This includes word of mouth, so please tell a friend about us.

This episode was created harm-free.

The Turtle does Move, dammit.

GNU Terry Pratchett 

Copyright 2020 Medieval Gnome Productions 

This second (!) one-hour special for September focuses on the Chronicles of Amber, the ten-book fantasy series by Roger Zelazny. Specifically, we examine the protagonist, Corwin, one of the Princes of Amber, and an individual with a burning desire to rule the one true city, Amber. 

As usual, [email protected] will get whatever you want to say right into my inbox. Remember that I am looking for people to share their thoughts about the Disc and/or the Portal in a short (30 second) audio clip. All you have to do is record the clip and send it to me as an email attachment. The format of the audio file doesn’t matter. So don’t be shy. Let’s hear the voices of you who travel through the Portal. 

The times continue to get uglier, and it becomes more and more important to hold on to the true beauty we find in our hearts. We can be kind, and have hope. We can strive to express love as fully as we are capable of. We can stay well. And we must do all we can to counter that ugliness, as millions are doing, in myriad ways. 

The Turtle Moves, in other words. 

GNU Terry Pratchett

From the Disc, to be precise. 

Remember to check out Friends of Ponder’s Wizardly Portal on the Discord server. You can get exclusive content there, as well as discussing all things Discworld with fellow fans.

I want to put you on the show! Just record a short clip (30 seconds or less) talking about Discworld, Sir Terry, the Portal… just about anything that’s not off-color or offensive. 

I am also still in search of people to voice Discworld characters. Again, as long as you have the ability to record the audio and email it to me, I can take care of all the editing stuff. And I would love to have a listener create the new cover art for the show. Wonderful as the picture of my staff is, it doesn’t really say “Discworld” to the person searching for Pratchett or Discworld-related podcasts. 

You can check out my new podcast, The GEM Show (Gnomic Explorations and Musings) s on Buzzsprout at   https://www.buzzsprout.com/1366630.  You can also find it on Spotify, and in the iTunes store (or just by using https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gem-show/id1532745170.) 

If you’re interested in classic 19th and early 20th century English language fiction, The GEM Show is the place to go. The first author I’m reading is Arthur Conan Doyle; specifically, of course, some of the Sherlock Holmes stories. But I will be doing more than just reading. Think the Portal’s Pratchett Podcasts. This will be an hour-long show once a week, and I plan to take my time on each author, so you can expect several months’ worth of Doyle (A lot of Mr. Sherlock Holmes and a little of The Lost World).

And, as always, you can reach me at [email protected] with whatever’s on your mind, including those audio clips that’ll get you on the show! 

The Turtle Moves

GNU Terry Pratchett 

Just sharing the wealth. I have an extra hour's worth of time for September on my Buzzsprout account, and what better than to use it to share a one-hour special episode of the Portal with you?

In this show we take a high-altitude look at the lands around the Circle Sea, explore names some more, and consider character's driving force in the Discworld novels.

I'm looking for short (30 seconds or less) recordings about the show or the Disc from you the listeners. I can take care of the technical stuff. All you have to do is send me the recording. 

I would also love to find an artistic listener who would like to design a new logo for the show. If you're interested, send me an email. Likewise if you have any interest in voicing a Discworld character for the show. 

As always, you can reach me at [email protected]. You can also join our Discord server, Friends of Ponder's Wizardly Portal, easy peasy. 

Change and development, whatever the motivation for it, is necessary for creative work such as the Portal to thrive. Part of that change is the new name for the show, and some other impending changes and developments are outlined in this episode as well.

The episode also considers the question of what is in a name, looking at not only Sir Terry’s skill in devising names for Discworld people and places, but also that of J.R.R. Tolkien, who was of course a professor of philology as well as the author of the Lord of the Rings series.

I invite you to come join us on the Discord server, Friends of Ponder’s Wizardly Portal, which you can do by clicking or tapping on the link below.

https://discord.gg/K9s6BSW

You can also reach me directly by email at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you!

As always, no living things, sentient or otherwise, were harmed in the making of this show. 

The Turtle Moves

GNU Terry Pratchett

A funny thing happened to me on the way to the forum. All's well that ends well though, and here is episode 1 of season 7. Listen and learn what's up with the name change.

If you have suggestions for a new name for the show (The Mystery Portal is just a placeholder) please send them to me at [email protected]. I will take them all into consideration when choosing a permanent name for the show.

Remember, the turtle moves. Don't let anyone tell you different. 

This time we consider the individuals and groups that mentor, safeguard, and assist Tiffany Aching. From the Nac Mac Feegle to Granny Weatherwax. Tiffany finds a lot of help along the way—although of course she always ends up having to do the hardest part all by herself. She is a witch, and that’s what a witch does. 

This does it for season six. We’ll be back on the first Friday in September with a new season. Thank you all for listening to this one!

I will be doing the bonus episodes for our Patron subscribers as usual.The Portal’s Patreon page may be found at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=21210045&fan_landing=true.

There will be new stuff on on our Discord server, “Friends of the Discworld Portal,” where you could also find a fellow Pratchett fan for some conversation. The server should be accessible via https://discord.gg/36c7Sk2.

We’re on Facebook at The Discworld Portal, https://www.facebook.com/TheMedievalGnome/.

Shoot me an email at [email protected] if you have any trouble getting in.

If all that won’t satisfy a Portal fix, I guess there’s always listening to old episodes again.

Congratulations to Luke on winning the second contest (his third win as a listener!) and a shout out to Susan, Jo and Kylie for also giving the contest a go, and a second shout out to Susan and Jo for the wonderful, erudite emails you send me. 

Thus endeth season six. No turtles or other lifeforms in the production of this season’s episodes. 

Thanks again for listening,

Holly (executive producer)

Ivy (co-producer and engineer)

The Gnome (co-producer and host)

n.b. if you have been attentive you will recognize that the above is a change in staff roles. Holly decided mere producing was beneath her, so I made her executive producer, where all she has to do is look fabulous, which she so effortlessly does. Ivy was already carrying the engineering duties anyway. I don’t know whether Holly bribed or threatened her into it. I suspect both. 

GNU Terry Pratchett

The Turtle Moves! 

A passage or three from Soul Music, featuring Fred and Nobby. 

Please visit us on Facebook, check out the show's Discord Server, venture to the Gnomic Musings blog at mindkindle.net, or get adventurous (and generous) and hit out Patreon site and become a supporter. All this should hopefully keep you busy during the remainder of August. If that isn't a sufficient Portal fix, I suppose you could also go back and listen to old episodes. And speaking of old episodes, old Patreon bonus episodes are available via MP3 for 5$ each. There's a list of them (admittedly in need of updating; with any luck I'll get to that today) both on the Discord server and the Portal section of mindkindle.net.

As usual, no turtles, etc....

GNU Terry Pratchett

Over the course of the Tiffany Aching books, we see her grow up as a person and a woman, as well as a witch. It’s never easy, but then she is “a witch down to her boots.” Thus spake Granny Weatherwax, and that’s high praise! 

The Portal’s Patreon page may be found at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=21210045&fan_landing=true.

The 10/10 challenge is still on for one more week. I hope to get 10 new Patreon supporters, and 10 one-time PayPal donations, in honor of  the 10 shows I did in June: four regular episodes, three episodes of the Passages, and three bonus episodes for Patreon subscribers. You can make a one-time PayPal donation to the show (at [email protected]). To sweeten the pot a little, I will send out bonus episode(s) to one-time PayPal donors at the same rate as Patreon subscribers, that is, one for every $5 donated.

We’re on the Discord server as Friends of the Discworld Portal (just search for that name in the “find or start a conversation” box on the Discord home page.)

We’re on Facebook at The Discworld Portal, https://www.facebook.com/TheMedievalGnome/.

Remember, next week is the final episode of season six. The Portal will then be on hiatus until the first Friday in September, although I will produce the regular bonus episodes for Patreon patrons.

Finally, this is not Discworld-related, but it is well worth 10 minutes of your time. And ladies, we'd like our rib back! 

https://youtu.be/l_UegL1R3X8

The Turtle Moves

GNU Terry Pratchett