Today we are babysitting Perrito. Perrito is the newest member of Kid 2’s family. He is a chihuahua. We will not be sharing videos or pictures of Perrito because he has a face only a mother and Kid 2 would love. Jeaniene Frost, who loves all dogs unconditionally, saw his pic and said, “He is a baby bat. You’re being conned.” And then she said, “Baby bats are probably cuter.”
We love Perrito, and I want to spare poor Mod R from having to delete many comments about his looks. He is so adorable, though. In a cute-ugly way. The German Shepherds love him and Meow Meow keeps trying to let him out of his crate. Apparently, she thinks he is a kitten and tries to keep him clean, which he is not super-down with.
And he hoodwinked Gordon into letting him out of the crate again. Extra cute because Perrito doesn’t have much fur and is wearing a cut up sock as a hoodie.
We’ve been working hard on a new project. We should have news for you either this week or the next week. It requires research. The problem is, it requires very specific research, so I’ve bought 3 books on the subject and can use about 2.5 paragraphs from each. Oy.
It’s funny how researching for fiction produces an incomprehensible mishmash of sources. To entertain you today, here are some things we’ve researched without any context.
Well, I’m off to work. Have fun speculating!
Oh wow, yes, the bit about research is so true! If it’s really obscure you do end up scouring books just to read half a paragraph of not very enlightening text. And when you do see a book on Amazon that would cover exactly what you want to know it’s probably going to be £50 or something.
I’m re-reading Catalina’s trilogy. Alessandro’s Italian is spot on, especially the swearing: it does sound a lot like the topical swearing from the Veneto province. Was your consultant from the Veneto/Trentino area? Just curious.
Indeed! A lovely lady from the area was consulted on all the books Alessandro showed up in ????
Seems to be some research disgust going on from the BDH. I guess it must depend on the research. Sometimes things can seem really uninteresting but further research reveals hidden facets that are fascinating. Not just for work either.
I can accidentally send myself down a vortex if I’m not careful; I’ll be watching or reading, my brain will go hmm, I’ll Google it quickly, I’ll Google it lengthily and next thing you know I’m searching out invariably hard to get or costly books on the subject.
Sometimes it’s a read and done topic; yet others stay (expensively) with me – while making good future gift options from family.
This year my two brothers gifted me LCC London bomb damage maps and Booth’s London poverty maps. (I love the Amazon share wishlist option, my best discovery ever! It’s nice to get something you want).
my husband who’s a delivery driver hates little dogs. anytime he has ever been bit it’s been by a small dog. I feel like we’re playing guess what this means…if you have good posture the sticky grass won’t choke you every moon cycle until you bleed…..
Oh, pshaw ???? My beloved 10lb doggie niece is part small terrier, fruit bat, Yoda, and Irish Wolfhound. Her “mom” never believed the wolfhound part till we watched the dog show. Her eyes got big and I said, NOW you see it. ????????????
Ah, triangles!! I haven’t triangled (or been triangled) by anyone since before the start of the panddemi. I miss BJJ!!
In a related comment, you guys must have a very interesting collection of research material. I love it!!
I love all the research snippets!
Happy writing!
We have a Giant Mutant Chihuahua mix (14 lbs) that we got last year from a rescue. He looks like a deer-head Chi (there are 2 main body types, the deer-head and the “standard” that the AKC recognizes). It’s my first small dog and it’s been …. hmm, an adjustment. He’s also my first male dog, and, holy heck, once outside the house he pees on EVERYTHING that doesn’t move. Fortunately not inside the house.
And research? I loooooove research, if it wasn’t both pointless and expensive, I’d be a full-time student again, taking classes in all the departments.
the variety of pictures makes me think of a writing prompt a friend does. she posts 6 random words and challenges people to come up with the shortest story they can using all 6 words. its interesting seeing what people come up with.
perrito means puppy, and i had a wonderful dog named Puppy! he was a 70 pound, black, golden retriever looking mutt who had boundless freaking energy. at 10 years old he still ran circles around the other dogs at the dog park and no one could believe he was that old. when he was younger, everyone said oh he’ll mellow out after he turns 2. nope! then it was 3, then 5, then 8, all nope. he didn’t really start slowing down until he was 12, and he made it two years beyond that.
a lot of people made fun of me for naming him Puppy. the thing is, he wouldn’t answer to any other name! but as soon as you called Puppy, he came running, every time. so Puppy it was. i mean, who am i to argue with what works. he let me know that was his name.
I saw the hairs on the stalk plant and while it is probably a grain of some kind (are we getting to see some cool fantasy herbal medicine??), my first thought was of the stinging trees in Australia (https://www.zmescience.com/science/what-is-gympie-gympie/) I can definitely see House Andrews writing about a beautiful field in the landscape filled with deadly plants.
Oooh
Moonlighter stings are painful and last for ages. There are many suggested home remedies including waxing the affected area, using masking tape or nail polish remover! Your idea reminds me of a fantasy Y.A. Novel where the characters had to make their way through a field of plants that put them to sleep? Where they fell. I can’t remember the title but it was one of a series.
Well, it’s fairly late in the spring or into early summer because the bloodroot is not in bloom. They are gorgeous. Also, maybe shifters around, because the deer haven’t eaten them, *sigh*.
*No longer in bloom because it’s already gone to seed, I mean. The flowers are so beautiful, until the deer find them.
He he he…you do know how to stir all pot. Nicely done!
I am immeasurably dissapointed that I won’t get to see the new rat … err … dog.
Bat ???? ????
???????????? Harumph.
Bugger speculating, my imagination sucks. We want Perrito!! We want Perrito!! ????
“is wearing a cut up sock as a hoodie.” ❤❤❤❤
My aunt has a cute ugly Chihuahua too. His name is Joker. He is a momma’s boy and hates anyone who distracts my aunt from paying attention to him.
As someone who finds bats adorable I would love to see a picture Perrito but understand not everyone has my refined tastes.
I love my naked fruit bat-dog! Xoloitzcuintli go from looking like naked mole rats to naked bats when their ears stand up.
When I was a kid I read a book about Bunnicula, the vampire rabbit, who would escape his cage at night and drain all the juice out of the vegetables. The cat was on to him, and he heard that you killed vampires with a stake through the heart. So he got a fresh steak out of the fridge and tried pounding the bunny to death with it.
I feel like Meow Meow has caught on to the sky puppy’s secret identity. She knows he’s got wings under that sock. She’s just trying to save you all from the vampire bat, because she knows once he escapes that crate, your steaks are as good as jerky.
ohhh may we the bdh help with the research?
I love this! Could we have more out of context research in the futur? It’s so much fun to try and guess!
{giggle} My google search history gets really creative as well, as I am the crafting designer for an MMORPG. When I am writing quests, I often do some real research as well. Sometimes it is just for naming things via fantasy/historical name generators, synonyms for numerous items, etc. Other times it is stray research into topics like homemade dew collectors, ancient glassmaking, paper making, various exotic metal and gem names and so on.
I will save some of those up for future searches. I like to do random searches of things I don’t care about in google just to see what shows up in my Facebook ads and to generally mess with whatever profile the algorithm is building about me.
I hear you about dogs with a face only a mother could love. Our 19 year old Chinese crested hairless is of a dog breed that consistently wins the ugliest dog award at dog shows. If only she had a sweet personality to compensate, but no such luck. She’s a crotchety, contrary little grump. Good thing we love her most days.
As a dog mom to 8 chihuahuas 2 Japanese Chins I truly understand the face face only a mother could love. ????
That first illustration looks a lot like what often happens with my shoulders when I’m stress.
Iron Covenant book 2?
Muscles, choke holds, moon phases, and weird plants.
Just speculating ????
Peppito makes me think of the Skippy Jon Jones children’s books. A kitten wants to be a chihuahua. Maybe in a tube sock.
Show us Peppito!
Doggy in a hoodie!! Squee!! Many hugs to Perrito and his dog and cat sibs!!
My best friend in jr. high had two long-haired Chihuahuas (mom and son). We used to take them for bike rides in our bike baskets. They were very patient and put up with the “adventures” we took them on.
Off-topic, but I wanted to share this lovely article from the Washington Post about knitters who complete unfinished projects for grieving loved ones: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/02/08/loose-ends-fiber-arts-projects/ (visa Smart Bitches Trashy Books)
*via
Wings! You’re trying to figure out what kind of shoulder structure woulf support wings!
Is that a reference to Puss in Boots: The Last Wish? Because Perrito in that movie was awesome. Puss was great, Kitty was great, the Wolf was AMAZING, just a way better movie than one would expect from the sequel to a spinoff.
Well clearly our hero had been rendered unconscious by a magical choke hold and can only be revived by his true love, who must gather the inflorescence of the blood root flower as it blooms in the light of a waxing gibbous moon. What else could it be? ????
I’m guessing it is relevant to Kate, or possibly Hugh. The wrestling move is obviously research for describing kicking someone’s ass. I’m guessing there is some magical power that is sensitive to the phase of the moon and that same someone likes (or strongly dislikes) blood root and flowers that make a particular geometry. Not sure how the irregular scapula would fit in, but KD is chock full of unusual bodies and how to fight or heal them so that also fits with the territory.
Would it be possible to get a likeness of the cold, wee, baby-bat dog? Quiet the hoard?
Anyway, my guess for the research: the Bloodroot or some fictional bloodroot equivalent only blooms during specific phases of the moon allowing the inflorescence to be gathered which will heal the injury of a dislocated or injured scapula, acquired from a grappling incident. Either that or it’s the technicality of shifting and understanding human shoulder articulation. My hope is Bloodheir or Hugh…because more KD universe is never a bad thing. Wouldn’t be mad about more Hidden Legacy either. Gasp, could it be something new?!
bloodroot picked under the dark of a blood moon to cripple your enemies shoulders? ????
Nope – It is about flying – how wings are attached? Maybe a dark god? The effect of the moon on shifting?
And it is not 2:48 in my universe – it is 10:48 on a rainy morning. And the rain is really needed here.
Inflorescence!!!!!!!
Speculation; This looks like a Hugh book to me. Squee!
The bones look like scapulae, so I am guessing the pic showing the distorted pectoralis muscles is a frontal view of someone with a dislocated scapula… Possibly received from someone performing one of the moves from the video?
Bloodroot can be used as a dye (sellable resource), but also seem like a symbol representing Elara (color imagery = red and white). The spiky grass stuff reminds me of foxtail grass, but I don’t actually know what it is. And phases of the moon are used a lot in Celtic lore–don’t Elara’s people trace their magical heritage back to this?
So… Iron Covenant 2?
+1
Hugh 2?
Hi!! Any word on the next Julie book!? That last chapter KILLED me and I’m dying to know what happens next. I just really need Julie and Derek to kiss. ????
But seriously, their chemistry is AMAZING.
Hello fellow Julie+ Derek Kissy Face enthusiast! 😀
House Andrews touched on Blood Heir 2 during the Q&A release of Magic Tides here https://ilona-andrews.com/2023/magic-tides-qa-and-transcript/ – it’s definitely coming, but perhaps not this year, as some pieces of the puzzle have to be set in before the story can continue 🙂
#TeamMetalRose 4ever!
Oh my, just discovered the cuteness overload of baby bat blanket burritos! Try saying that 5 times really fast 😀
baby bat blanket burritos baby bat blanket burritos baby bat burrito balk…oh no!
Innkeepers please be for Innkeepers! I need the next book now! ❤️
Lol, i hope Kid2 cat doesn’t have leather boots. Plus Perrito is a therapy dog, mocking him is a no no.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWAw5NYIYjQ&ab_channel=UniversalPictures
(Some)Baby bats are the cutest things ever. Especially the small insect eating bats I’ve seen in my ‘old’ country.
Their fur is softer than mouse fur and they are very affectionate. And the membranes of their wings are warm, soft and have a fascinating web of blood vessels you can see when they are spread and you look at it against the light.
When I was a kid, we always had chihuahuas. I love them, and I understand that some of them are not, um, “conventionally attractive.” I think it’s absolutely adorable that the shepherds love him. How sweet!
I hate Chihuahuas. There. I said it. Actually, I am not fond of small dogs except terriers…and they were bred to go down a rat hole with the rat still in it. Gotta respect that. (And there was that utterly sweet Papillon I met, with soft silky almost cat-like fur…and a cat-like tendency to sit in your lap and snooze. She was a sweetie.) Most Chis I’ve met also cannot stop yapping or acting like attack dogs, which I know is also the owners, but it’s also the breed.
I also dispute the “no ugly dogs/animals” statement. Chinese crested are horrendous, especially if the poor things have lost teeth. (I felt that way before Iron and Magic, too; the perfect dogs for the Donkamin.) Some breeders—especially those breeding “teacup” anything—should be shot.
Am I cranky today? Guess I’m cranky today.
Words that give me a wonderful feeling: “We’ve been working hard on a new project. ”
Yea! And Thankyou!!!!
You gave him a sock and no one thought to call him Dobby? I’m a little disappointed.