Ach, Crivens!

[cherydactyl]

I've been reading Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching story, The Wee Free Men, to S lately. We just finished that one last night, and tonight we started the sequel, A Hat Full of Sky. I'm having a great time doing the pictsie voices. Yes, PICTsies: red-haired, tattooed, woad-covered, kilt-wearing, head-butting picts 6 inches high, the fiercest fairies in the Discworld.

For example, at one point while searching for someone who turns out to be Tiffany, the pictsies invade her dollhouse with assorted inhabitants...

"Hey, see here, it's a hoose! See, with wee chairies and things!"
...
"Hey, hey, hey, we're in the cushy stuff noo! There's a beid in this room. Wi' pillows!"
"Keep it doon--we don't want any o' them ta wake up!"
"Crivens, I'm as quiet as a wee moose! Aargh! There's sojers!"
"Whut d'ye mean, sojers?"
They've found the toy soldiers, thought Tiffany, trying not to breathe loudly.
...
"I got one! Hey, pal, can yer mammie sew? Stitch this! Aargh! He's got a heid on him like a tree!"
"Crivens! There's a body here wi' no heid at a'!"
"Aye, nae wonder, 'cause here's a bear! Feel ma boot, ye washoon!"
...
"Someone bit ma leg! Someone bit ma leg!"
"Come here! Ach, yer fightin' yersels, ye eejits! Ah'm fed up wi' the pairy yees!"


There is no feeling to match causing uncontrollable giggles in your 7-year old daughter.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Love the Pictsies.

I wonder if he didn't make them a bit like Smurfs on purpose - you know, mostly men with one femle. Sort of really grown up smurfs. :)

I always love their assorted battle cries. And the swords that glow blue in the presence of lawyers.

[charliesmum.livejournal.com]

That was me, accidently leaving an anonymous comment. For some reason my LJ logged me out again. Sigh.

[cherydactyl.livejournal.com]

I'm sure the Smurfs thing was at least semi-consious. Pterry is good with grabbing a bunch of disparate cultural threads and weaving a whole cloth out of 'em.