History Fridge / FeetofClay

* The Rats Chamber in the Patrician's Palace features a painted ceiling, in which rats dance in a ring with their tails intertwined at the center. Go read ''Discworld/TheAmazingMauriceAndHisEducatedRodents'', and then re-think the implications of ''that'' image being displayed in a room where ruthless conspirators meet. [[spoiler: Have mind-controlling Rat Kings secretly ruled Ankh-Morpork in the past? Is '''that''' why its previous kings and Patricians kept going insane?]]

* The Rats Chamber in the Patrician's Palace features a painted ceiling, in which rats dance in a ring with their tails intertwined at the center. Go read ''Discworld/TheAmazingMauriceAndHisEducatedRodents'', and then re-think the implications of ''that'' image being displayed in a room where ruthless conspirators meet. [[spoiler: Did a mind-controlling ''Rat King'' secretly rule Ankh-Morpork at some time in the past? Is '''that''' why its previous Patricians kept going insane?]]

* The revelation that the golems are morally-culpable individuals rather than clay machines, possessed of real feelings and (as ''Going Postal'' would verify) a soul, isn't as much of a surprise if you consider the testimony of the one character who'd know '''for sure''' if they're people or not. In his conversation with the late Mr. Hopkinson, Death himself refers to the bread-expert's killer as the man's "murderer" rather than his "killer", and soulless machines can't commit murder. Death's surely collected the souls of destroyed golems before.

* The revelation that the golems are morally-culpable individuals rather than clay machines, possessed of real feelings and (as ''Going Postal'' would verify) a soul, isn't as much of a surprise if you consider the testimony of the one character who'd know '''for sure''' if they do or not. In his conversation with the late Mr. Hopkinson, Death himself refers to the bread-expert's killer as the man's "murderer" rather than his "killer", and soulless machines can't commit murder. Death's surely collected the souls of destroyed golems before.

* The revelation that the golems are morally-culpable individuals rather than clay machines, possessed of real feelings and (as ''Going Postal'' would verify) a soul, isn't as much of a surprise if you consider the testimony of the one character who'd know '''for sure''' if they do or not. In his conversation with the late Mr. Hopkinson, Death himself refers to the bread-expert's killer as his "murderer", and soulless machines can't commit murder. Death's surely collected the souls of destroyed golems before.

* Very minor tidbit of Brilliance: when Angua finds the discarded matchsticks, she notes that they haven't had their inflammable tips applied yet, and wonders if one of the golems worked in a match factory. Later, after Dibbuk's suicide, one of the foundry-workers suggests that a replacement be purchased from the sawmill, which wants to get rid of its golem: reputedly, it'd sawed a valuable trunk into matchsticks. Rebelling-by-working ''and'' acquiring something it needed, all in one go?

--> '''Dorfl:''' I Could Take No Notice Of That Command, But I Obey Out Of Earned Respect.

* If slavery is illegal in Ankh-Morpork, and this novel establishes that you can be a magically-created lifeform that's incapable of speech and still be protected from enslavement by this stricture, then why are imps (which could ''always'' talk) still being bought and sold for use in {{Magitek}} cameras, tape recorders and [=PDA=]s?

* If slavery is illegal in Ankh-Morpork, and this novel establishes that you don't have to be a biological species or capable of speech for this stricture to apply to you, then why are imps (which could ''always'' talk) still being bought and sold for use in {{Magitek}} cameras, tape recorders and [=PDA=]s?

* Way back in ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'', the dragon King's demand for maidens to devour specified that they be of the highest social rank: a requirement that Wonse says has something to do with flavor. This makes perfect sense in retrospect, as [[spoiler: Dragon King of Arms has been manipulating the upper classes' marital selections for many, many centuries, and he never ''did'' specify '''in what respect''' he was trying to "improve the race". The blood-sucking S.O.B. may well have been breeding the nobility to have ''better flavor'' as victims, and the great dragons had caught onto this before they vanished!]]

* Way back in ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'', the dragon King's demand for maidens to devour specified that they be of the highest social rank: a requirement that Wonse says has something to do with flavor. This makes perfect sense in retrospect, as [[spoiler: Dragon King of Arms has been manipulating the upper classes' marital selections for many, many centuries, and he never ''did'' specify '''in what respect''' he was trying to "improve the race". The blood-sucking S.O.B. had been breeding the nobility to have ''better flavor'' as victims, and the great dragons had caught onto this before they vanished!]]

* Way back in ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'', the dragon King's demand for maidens to devour specified that they be of the highest social rank: a requirement that Wonse says has something to do with flavor. This makes perfect sense in retrospect, as [[spoiler: Dragon King of Arms has been manipulating the upper classes' marital selections for many, many centuries, and he never ''did'' specify in what respect he was trying to "improve the race". The blood-sucking S.O.B. had been breeding the nobility to have ''better flavor'', and the great dragons had caught onto this before they vanished!]]

** Not necessarily--Mildred Easy is sent for to go home the day before the funeral, presumably because her family members are already dead or taken ill, meaning that she'd taken the poisoned [[spoiler:candles]] to them at some point before that. Her absence from the palace is only revealed as Detritus and Vimes question the servants in a scene immediately following Vimes being summoned back because Vetinari's condition has worsened. Since Vetinari doesn't actually allow himself to continue to be poisoned once he figures out the source, he clearly hasn't by that point, meaning that in all likelihood, Mrs. Easy and William died before he knew.

* Way back in ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'', the dragon King's demand for maidens to devour specified that they be of the highest social rank: a requirement that Wonse says has something to do with flavor. This makes perfect sense in retrospect, as [[spoiler: Dragon King of Arms has been manipulating the upper classes' marital selections for many, many centuries, and he never ''did'' specify in what respect he was trying to "improve the race". The blood-sucking S.O.B. had been breeding the nobility to have ''better flavor'', and the noble dragons realized this before they vanished!]]

* The effect of Carrot putting his receipt for Dorfl the golem in Dorfl's head is obvious when you look at the ExactWords of the receipt: "I Gerhardt Sock give the barer '''full and totarl ownorship of the Golem Dorfl''' in xchange for One Dolar and '''anythinge it doz now is his responisbility''' and nuthing to doe with me." Dorfl was given new words to obey, words telling him that ''he owned himself'' and that ''he was responsible for his own actions''. This sudden introduction to the concept of philosophical agency is a Disc-shattering revelation to someone who's been unable to do anything but take orders from a master for his entire existence, so it's no wonder [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Dorfl went a little crazy]] and raised a ruckus.

** Yet it also adds a heartwarming element to his later actions (and sums up TheAntiNihilist trope perfectly): You own yourself, and your only obligation is to take responsibility for all your actions. Therefore, Dorfl chooses to take actions for which he will be ''proud'' to take responsibility - sparing lives, freeing his fellow golems, and existing 'To Protect And Serve'.

** Yet it also adds a heartwarming element to his later actions (and sums up TheAntiNihilist trope perfectly): You own yourself, and your only obligation is to take responsibility for all your actions. Therefore, Dorfl chooses to take actions for which he will be ''proud'' to take responsibility - sparing lives, freeing his fellow golems, and living ToProtectAndServe.

* The effect of Carrot putting his receipt for Dorfl the golem in Dorfl's head is obvious when you look at the exact wording of the receipt: "I Gerhardt Sock give the barer '''full and totarl ownorship of the Golem Dorfl''' in xchange for One Dolar and '''anythinge it doz now is his responisbility''' and nuthing to doe with me." Dorfl was given new words to obey, words telling him that ''he owned himself'' and that ''he was responsible for his own actions''. This sudden introduction to the concept of philosophical agency is a Disc-shattering revelation to someone who's been unable to do anything but take orders from a master for his entire existence, so it's no wonder [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Dorfl went a little crazy]] and raised a ruckus.

* Vetinari admits to Drumknott that he had the poisoned candle trick figured out ages before anyone else... meaning that he is directly responsible for the deaths of William and old Mrs. Easy, and could have spared them at any time if he hadn't been so patronizingly intent on letting Vimes "have his fun". But there is no indication that he knows or cares about their deaths, while the fact that Dragon and Carry didn't know or care about the deaths of little people inadvertently caught up in their schemes is used to illustrate how monstrous they ultimately are.

* The effect of Carrot putting his receipt for Dorfl the golem in Dorfl's head is obvious when you look at the exact wording of the receipt: "I Gerhardt Sock give the barer '''full and totarl ownorship of the Golem Dorfl''' in xchange for One Dolar and '''anythinge it doz now is his responisbility''' and nuthing to doe with me." Dorfl was given new words to obey, words telling him that ''he owned himself'' and that ''he was responsible for his own actions''. This sudden introduction to the concept of philosophical agency is a Disc-shattering revelation to someone who's been unable to do anything but take orders from a master for his entire existence, so it's no wonder [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Dorfl went a little crazy]] and raised a ruckus.

* The effect of Carrot putting his receipt for Dorfl the golem in Dorfl's head is obvious when you look at the exact wording of the receipt: "I Gerhardt Sock give the barer '''full and totarl ownorship of the Golem Dorfl''' in xchange for One Dolar and '''anythinge it doz now is his responisbility''' and nuthing to doe with me." Dorfl was given new words to obey, words telling him that ''he owned himself'' and that ''he was responsible for his own actions''. This sudden introduction to the concept of philosophical agency is a Disc-shattering revelation to someone who's been unable to do anything but take orders from a master for his entire existence, so it's no wonder [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Dorfl went a little crazy]] and raised a ruckus.

!!FridgeHorror

* Vetinari admits to Drumknott that he had the poisoned candle trick figured out ages before anyone else... meaning that he is directly responsible for the deaths of William and old Mrs. Easy, and could have spared them at any time if he hadn't been so patronizingly intent on letting Vimes "have his fun". But there is no indication that he knows or cares about their deaths, while the fact that Dragon and Carry didn't know or care about the deaths of little people inadvertently caught up in their schemes is used to illustrate how monstrous they ultimately are.

* Vetinari admits to Drumknott that he had the poisoned candle trick figured out ages before anyone else... meaning that he is directly responsible for the deaths of William and old Mrs. Easy, and could have spared them at any time if he hadn't been so patronizingly intent on letting Vimes "have his fun". But there is no indication that he knows or cares about their deaths, while the fact that Dragon and Carry didn't know or care about the deaths of little people inadvertently caught up in their schemes is used to illustrate how callous and evil they are.

* The effect of Carrot putting his receipt for Dorfl the golem in Dorfl's head is obvious when you look at the exact wording of the receipt: "I Gerhardt Sock give the barer '''full and totarl ownorship of the Golem Dorfl''' in xchange for One Dolar and '''anythinge it doz now is his responisbility''' and nuthing to doe with me." Dorfl was given new words to obey, words telling him that ''he owned himself'' and that ''he was responsible for his own actions''. This sudden introduction to the concept of philosophical agency is a Disc-shattering revelation to someone who's been unable to do anything but take orders from a master for his entire existence, so it's no wonder [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Dorfl went a little crazy]] and raised a ruckus.

** Sooner than that, though--''Discworld/GoingPostal'' establishes that every free Golem gets one day off per week.

* Dorfl states that when he is off duty he will debate the existence of gods. A few pages earlier, he tells Vimes that because he does not eat, sleep, or [[RunningGag need to bury his granny]] he needs no time off. Meaning, the next time he will be off duty will be when he is dead and can debate with the gods directly.

* When Sam Vimes thinks of Stoneface Vimes, he quotes from Stoneface's Journal: "In the fires of struggle let us bake the new men, who will not heed the old lies." This is ''exactly'' what Sam Vimes does in the end, telling Carrot to rebuild Dorfl - Dorfl is destroyed in a fight, baked in fire in a pottery oven, and he does not heed the old lies - he knows he can own himself, doesn't need to have a master, and doesn't believe religion to be important even if gods ''do'' exist.

* After hearing details about Cockbill Street, it suddenly makes a lot more sense that Vimes has always been described as short and skinny. Severe malnutrition in childhood does tend to have that effect.