Ideas for Terry Pratchett novel "Protocol Watchers" (Claude.ai)

Summer of Protocols is presented as "an ongoing research and evangelism effort that aims to catalyze broad interest in the study of protocols as a first-class concept for thinking about the world. The core summer research program, Protocol Town Hall talk and salon series, and research publication stream all aim to advance our understanding of protocols across a wide range of domains, at all levels from practical to philosophical."

In the Forum for Summer of Protocols someone mentioned an hypotethical Terry Pratchett novel titled "Protocol Watchers". Write 5 possible ideas for what the novel could be about.
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Interesting premise! Here are 5 possible ideas for a hypothetical Terry Pratchett novel titled "Protocol Watchers":

- In Ankh-Morpork, a secret society of bureaucrats obsessively monitors and enforces arcane social protocols. When a visiting dignitary unknowingly commits a grave faux pas, the Protocol Watchers must prevent an international incident while navigating the city's chaotic nature.
- Death takes a vacation, leaving his granddaughter Susan to manage the Discworld's passage of souls. She discovers a group of celestial beings called the Protocol Watchers who maintain the universe's fundamental laws. Susan must unravel their schemes before they rewrite reality itself.
- The wizards of Unseen University accidentally create a parallel dimension where all magic is replaced by strict adherence to protocols. As the effect spreads to the Discworld, only the bumbling wizard Rincewind and the Protocol Watchers—interdimensional beings who safeguard the rules of existence—can restore chaos to the realm.
- In a remote corner of the Disc, a group of monks dedicates their lives to observing and documenting the hidden protocols that govern everything from the migration of birds to the flow of time. When a young acolyte discovers a protocol that could unravel the fabric of the world, the monks must decide whether to preserve or destroy their dangerous knowledge.
- The Auditors of Reality, frustrated with the Discworld's chaotic nature, create the Protocol Watchers—automated golems programmed to enforce universal laws. As the Watchers begin to impose order on Ankh-Morpork, a mismatched group led by Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler and Corporal Nobby Nobbs must find a way to return the city to its beloved state of cheerful anarchy.

Would you like me to elaborate on any of these ideas?
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Nice first try. But I have some suggestions:
* Some of those ideas interpret protocols as "laws of nature". I would like you to focus more on the interpretation of protocols as "social tools". They may apply to animals, but in the social aspect. Protoocls require significant intelligence to achieve some complexity.
* I would like you to add some "meta" elements. Like recursivity or self-referencitiality. Example: the structure of the argument defines a protocol by itself. Try to apply that to some new ideas. You can ignore this requirement for a couple of them if the ideas are good enough without it.
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Thank you for the feedback and suggestions. I'll create a new set of ideas focusing more on protocols as social tools and incorporating meta elements where possible. Here are 5 new ideas for the hypothetical Terry Pratchett novel "Protocol Watchers":

- The Ankh-Morpork Guild of Protocol Watchers discovers that their own intricate system of observing and enforcing social norms is itself a complex protocol. As they attempt to document and analyze their own behavior, they become caught in an infinite loop of self-observation, threatening to paralyze the city's social functions.
- A group of trolls develops an elaborate set of protocols for conflict resolution, surprising the human population. The Protocol Watchers, a diverse team of species representatives, must study and incorporate these new customs into the city's social fabric while navigating the meta-protocol of how different cultures adopt each other's norms.
- The Unseen University faculty stumbles upon an ancient tome describing the "Protocol of Protocols" - a meta-rule set that governs how all other protocols interact and evolve. As they attempt to implement this overarching system, the city's social order begins to unravel in increasingly absurd ways.
- In the forests of Überwald, werewolf packs have developed a sophisticated protocol-based society. The Protocol Watchers, led by Angua von Überwald, must mediate a dispute between traditionalist wolves and progressive werewolves while adhering to the ever-shifting rules of engagement that change with each phase of the moon.
- The Patrician tasks the City Watch with forming a new division: the Protocol Watchers. As they attempt to codify and enforce Ankh-Morpork's unwritten rules, they discover that the act of watching itself influences the protocols they observe, creating a Discworld version of the observer effect. Commander Vimes must untangle this paradox before the city descends into protocol-induced chaos.

These ideas focus more on protocols as social tools and incorporate meta elements in most cases. Would you like me to expand on any of these concepts?
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You have incorporated the "meta" level in a diegetic way. Try again but applying self reference in a non-diegetic way.
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I appreciate your push for a more sophisticated approach. You're right that I incorporated the meta elements diegetically. Let's try again with non-diegetic self-reference, breaking the fourth wall and playing with the structure of the novel itself. Here are 5 new ideas:

- The novel is structured as a series of protocols for writing a Discworld novel, with each chapter representing a different rule. As the story progresses, the characters become aware they're in a book governed by these protocols and attempt to subvert them, causing the narrative structure to collapse in on itself.
- The book begins with a "Protocol for Reading This Novel" section, which the reader must follow to unlock the full story. As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that the characters are also bound by these reading protocols, creating a parallel between the reader's experience and the in-world events.
- Each chapter is presented as a different draft of the same story, with footnotes explaining the protocol changes made between versions. The Protocol Watchers exist both as characters and as meta-textual editors, their commentary shaping the narrative in real-time.
- The novel is written in a unique "protocol language" where the syntax and grammar are determined by the social status of the characters speaking. The reader must decipher these rules to understand the story, mirroring the challenges faced by the characters navigating their protocol-driven society.
- The book is presented as a choose-your-own-adventure style novel, but the choices are governed by complex social protocols. The reader's decisions influence not only the plot but also the writing style, genre conventions, and even the physical layout of the subsequent pages, creating a meta-commentary on how protocols shape our perception of stories.

These ideas incorporate self-reference and meta elements in a non-diegetic way, playing with the structure and presentation of the novel itself. Would you like me to elaborate on any of these concepts?