In the second half of the third chapter of Making Money<\/i>, I have made a mistake. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Discworld<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Trigger Warning: For talk of death<\/b><\/p>\n
I genuinely did not expect this, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. This wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even the tiniest theory in my mind! I assumed that half the fun of this book was going to be the experience of Moist having to work with someone like Topsy Lavish! Instead, I was actually on to something when I wondered if an external factor would force Moist\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hand and bring him back to the bank. Yep! There would be! And it would all be due to just one<\/i> meeting with Topsy, and it was enough for her to decide to sign over dog to Moist in her will.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But before I get to the chaos that Topsy has wrought in the wake of her death, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s talk about her death itself, because help me??? There have been a number of memorable departures in this series, but what I love about Topsy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s is that it is so quintessentially her<\/i>. And credit, of course, must go to Pratchett for crafting a character this iconic in such a short span of time! Seriously, she was on the page for\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 what? Maybe 3-4% of this book? If<\/i> that? And yet, her lively attitude is there right until the end. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, this is genuinely one of my favorite exchanges in this whole damn series:<\/p>\n NOW? said Death. NOW, YOU COULD SAY, COMES\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 THE AUDIT.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh. There is one, is there? Well, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not ashamed.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n THAT COUNTS.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Good. It should,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Topsy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I love her so much. I will fight all of you for her death because HOW DARE YOU. Seriously, when Mr. Fusspot started whining? All of you are EVIL and I will get my REVENGE.<\/p>\n From that point, though, Pratchett manages to make a character death hilarious<\/i>. Even after she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gone, Topsy still creates chaos and unpredictability, and that is exactly<\/i> as she wanted it. Even in one of her last words to Death, she said that she \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fixed \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcem for good,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d referring to her relatives. The will that she drafted is brilliant, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, but it also reveals so much about Topsy herself. We know that she married into the Lavish family, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a reach to assume that the Lavish family does not like her. I am sure we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll learn that rather shortly! And while she probably did not have much time as the chairman of the bank, I feel like her words regarding her husband\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s policies were actually her distancing<\/i> herself from them. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think she believes the same things as he did! Even if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the case, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear that she doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want the Lavish family to have everything, that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an inherent value in turning over the reigns to Moist.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yet even in that decision, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more insight. She clocked Moist in a heartbeat (as did Mr. Fusspot, though for different reasons), determining that he was a thief and a con artist, that he could manipulate and fool and trick people with little effort. And that<\/i> is the person she wants to go up against the Lavish family, who are probably all thieves and con artists, too! Not professionally, and not in the same context, but they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re apparently awful<\/i> people. Topsy was clever and observant enough to know that setting Moist on these people would be an effective tactic. Who better to deal with rich people than someone who robbed rich people most of his life?<\/p>\n At the same time, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another plot that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clearly about to intersect with this. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m overjoyed at how Moist was brought back to the back, and I also recognize why this is so stressful for him. Even before Angua and Carrot show up to deliver the news, Moist is given a plot twist of his own: someone who knows he is a con man is allegedly trying to con him<\/i>. I feel it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s obvious that this is the unnamed con artist from Big Cabbage. But if he knows who Moist used to be, surely he knows that tricking him is practically impossible? Right? How do you con a con man? No, how do you con a con man like Moist<\/i>? Look at his INCREDIBLY elaborate plan to get out of the Post Office!!! And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not even the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153real\u00e2\u20ac\u009d plan that he has. Someone like that is prepared for practically any scenario imaginable, so what is this person doing??? Maybe they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not setting up a con, though. What if that ominous letter is the truth<\/i>? And if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the case, why<\/i>?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really have any theories at this point. Unless this is someone who wants to get revenge on Moist? UGH.<\/p>\n Anyway: this book is already so chaotic and energetic. After Moist is given the news that he now owns Mr. Fusspot, and that by extension he now represents Mr. Fusspot\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s interests as the chairman, barely any time passes before an arrow nearly hits him and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reminded of Topsy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s demand. Which\u00e2\u20ac\u201dagain!\u00e2\u20ac\u201dis exactly how Topsy wanted it. (Seriously, if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been alive the whole book, pestering Moist? CHEF\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S KISS, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL.) But this chapter alone<\/i> has multiple plot twists, the beginning of the next part of the main story arc, two threats to Moist\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life, and then the arrival of the very first member of the Lavish family. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know what Cosmo does, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m afraid. Moist knew about Topsy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s will for the whole of five minutes (maybe!!!) before he showed up! And he has a black coach like Vetinari? Oh, no.<\/p>\n OH, NO.<\/p>\n https:\/\/youtu.be\/EA3-gULOFrk<\/p>\n Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n – The paperback edition of my debut, ANGER IS A GIFT, is now up for pre-order!<\/a> It comes out on May 7, 2019.\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the second half of the third chapter of Making Money, I have made a mistake. Intrigued? 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