If you have a moment, thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated--there's some HUGE stuff for The Inklings in the works right now (good stuff) and I'm hoping and praying everything goes smoothly! If everything works out, I'll be able to share the news before the book comes out this fall. We'll see!
I don’t have any specific asks right now, so take this as a free pass to yap!
I had 2 different ideas for this, so I'm going to go with the one I think is less likely to come up in an ask!
*puts on "game show host" voice*
Thaaaat's right, it's time for ...
Yapping About Mer Scales!
At this point, I think it's pretty well-established that young mer in the Linked Seas AU have soft, delicate scales that are prone to damage and disease. That's a big part of why tribes get ultra protective of their young.
But! There are tons of differences in scale types between mer, and the differences come with their own advantages and disadvantages. Similar to how you'd see animal species adapting to their specific habitat over time, certain styles of scales tend to be more common in different parts of the ocean/different tribe lifestyles. The Chain and Wisdom Tribes are unique for their wide variety of scale types/colors. What a mer's scales look and feel like can tell you a lot about them. Two examples ...
Warriors: Metallic, ultra-hard scales are rare, but more common in predator-infested parts of the ocean. Wars's scales indicate that he's a natural fighter, but they require more upkeep than most. His skin/connective tissue underneath his scales is unusually sensitive and vulnerable. Strength on the outside, kindness on the inside. He's also less flexible than other mer and has to work harder to keep up speed-wise because of his scale weight.
Legend: He's a special case because the genetics for his scales do not accurately reflect his habitat or lifestyle. His scales are designed to be flashy and gorgeous, which helps some with making social connections. If his life had gone differently, his scales would have been supple and flexible, great for warm, near-coastal waters with lots of hiding spots. Scales like his also tend to indicate artistic mer (particularly in the performing arts). The tradeoff is that he's more visible to predators and his large fins can slow him down. As he is now, Legend's tail indicates that he is (was) a scavenger; lots of scars, faded color, and brittle/patchy scales that haven't grown enough to support him. His health has improved thanks to the Chain Tribe, but Legend will always look small and tattered around the edges compared to other mer. He grows to accept and even enjoy it--it's proof he survived and made a better life for himself. Plus, his size makes enemies underestimate him and gives him access to more hiding/sneak attack spots.
I just got an ask from someone who said they accidentally reported my account. I haven't noticed anything reported/restricted on my end, and I've never seen this person on my dash before (even in likes). They said they could show me the ticket Tumblr sent them after the report.
Does anyone have experience with this kind of thing, and if so, is it a scam (it feels scam-ish to me)?
Is it more likely that this person had their account hacked, or that they're the one putting out this ask (their account looks legit on the surface, but I know bots/hackers can make things look legit)?
Hey Sprite for no particular reason at all does Sky wear his sailcloth in Linked Seas? (I can't recall if it was mentioned before >-<) I'm assuming most mer outfits are similar to their LU counterparts, but made of seaweed materials... are they simpler in any way, or mostly the same? Any other materials the mers like to use besides seaweed?
In a way, yes! Most of the characters wear the mer-ified versions of their LU clothes, but there are a few things (like Twilight's pelt) that just didn't work for the world and got cut. In LS, Sky doesn't wear his sailcloth like a cape a la LU, but he does have it tucked behind his belt/sash in a neat square. It's a thinner, more mesh fabric, almost like a tightly woven net. He uses it to catch currents like a sail when he's riding Crimson and needs to go fast. He's also used it as an impromptu weapon before!
Seaweeds/kelps are by far the most common textile in Linked Seas, but there are a few other things! Some mer (including the Chain) scavenge human fabrics from wrecks and litter. There is such a thing as undersea leather, too. It's harder to get since you have to be out of the water to process it (i.e. like on a rock island like the one Legend and Aryll found in Little Sister, Big Brother), so it's a treasured resource. Great for armor if you don't like metal (read: Hyrule) or to keep you warmer in colder climates.
Metal armor is a thing with the mer, but other types of armor are just as common, if not more so. Turtle shell armor isn't as durable as metal, but it requires much less care and can't rust.
Permission to ramble about chocolate making because I am so curious how you made those bonbons (and they're sparkly to???) =D
Yesssss! Ok, I'll give you the quick, surface-level explanation for anyone who's casually curious and then put the deep dive under the cut for anyone interested in getting into chocolatiering.
Not gonna lie, chocolate making is tricky. It's more like alchemy sometimes than cooking. XD You have to temper the chocolate to make it work right so it will seal and have a lovely snap when you bite into it. I use stiff plastic molds for my bonbons in fun shapes, but there are more flexible ones people use sometimes as well. The sparkles come from one of my favorite decorations, edible glitter! You can brush it on your bonbons when they come out, but I prefer to brush the glitter on the insides of the molds themselves so the bonbon comes out smooth (and won't get people's hands glittery when they eat it). I also have really neat edible gold and silver leaf that stick to literally anything (this is both a good and a bad thing) that I love to decorate with, too. These are my top 3 favorite fillings I've experimented with so far:
-Maple Nut Dream (maple creme filling with almonds, probably my most popular/asked-for bonbon, I love these sm)
-Hazelnut Hearts (Nutella chocolate truffle and chopped hazelnuts, must always be in the heart mold XD this might be my personal favorite)
-Peanut Butter Bliss: (new to the lineup and I'm in love. Exactly what it sounds like, very similar to a fancy Reese's Peanut Butter Cup or a buckeye.)
One of these days, I'm going to figure out the perfect raspberry filling. Haven't found it yet, but I will! Might wind up doing a raspberry cordial and let the jam really shine at some point. I want to try making a cheesecake one at some point, too!
Ok. Deep dive time.
The truth: you will see people talking about double boilers and fancy equipment and how chocolate must be done a certain way. Nope. I'd probably have people busting down my door with pitchforks for how I do chocolate if I was at a culinary school/fancy chocolate shop, but my way works just as well and tends to be faster than the fancy, frilly methods. I use a microwave and an unreliable meat thermometer (clean) to temper my chocolate, and it's worked for me every time. I can find you the website I learned to do this, but here's the gist:
Pour chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Use special chocolate made for chocolatiering (often called callets, I ask for a big bag of Callebaut for Christmas to get me through at least a couple years), it has the right ratio of cocoa butter to other stuff--chocolate chips and other candy bars do not have that ratio and can't be tempered. Cannot stress this enough: make sure your microwave is always set to 50% power when working with chocolate. Your chocolate will scorch otherwise, and there's no saving scorched chocolate. Also, make sure your hands and equipment are fully dry, even a drop of water can make your entire batch seize, and that's a pain to deal with.
Microwave your chocolate for 60 seconds, stir, then pop it in for 40 second intervals. Once it's up to 100 degrees F, take it out and stir in more callets. Wait until they're fully melted before taking the temperature again and adding more callets (this process is called seeding). Keep doing this until the chocolate is between 86-91 degrees F. If it drops below that, you'll need to microwave it back up to 100 degrees and start the process again. This way, you're getting the molecular structure rigid and cooling it slowly so the rigid structure stays.
Now you have tempered chocolate! Once it fully dries and hardens, it'll snap just right and keep your fillings sealed in if it doesn't crack. It's super shiny and pretty, too. You can also re-temper and reuse any leftover tempered chocolate later.
Take a clean, dry bonbon mold (I like wiping each bonbon out with a paper towel before use, even if it's clean) and pour your tempered chocolate into however many chocolates you want to make. Shake the mold around (without, y'know, flinging chocolate all over the place) to make sure the entire inside is coated and there are no air bubbles. Then flip the mold upside down over some parchment paper and shake out most of the chocolate. You'll have to do some experimenting to know how much to shake out to get the thickness of chocolate shell you want, but once the flood of chocolate out of your mold starts to slow, that's when you want to start checking how thick it looks on the inside.
Then, flip the mold back over and scrape off the excess chocolate from the mold (you can use the flat side of a butter knife, I like using a dough cutter thing that's basically a paddle with a thinner edge on one side). Set the mold aside and let it harden at least 10 minutes, at least until the chocolate looks and feels set. I normally make my fillings while I wait.
Fill your bonbons with whatever filling you'd like, but make sure to leave half a centimeter or so between the filling top and the top of the mold. Re-temper your remaining chocolate and pour it over your bonbons. Scrape away excess chocolate, and let the mold sit for at least 5-10 minutes, plus some extra time in the fridge to really set.
Once the chocolates are set, warn anyone in your house that you are about to make loud, concerning noises. :D Flip the mold upside down over clean parchment paper and S L A M it down. Really. Slam. Have fun. Take out some aggression. I wiggle my molds in between slams to help more of the bonbons come out. Also, move any bonbons that popped out to the side so you don't slam them. Learned that one the hard way.
Congrats! You just made bonbons! Celebrate your accomplishment by completely wrecking any semblance of diet you had and eating fancy chocolates while you watch reality TV. :)
Psst. What would First think of Buckee’s? Or the name Snef?
(Referring to your Road-trip fic with the chain and the possibility that he is as silly as they are!)
Oh, I love this ask SO. MUCH. I hadn't even thought of First in the Road Trip fic! And now there may have to be a cameo, or a nod ... wait. I have the perfect idea. (Insert maniacal laugh here) You'll know it when you read it, anon! Thank you!
Anyway, I think First would be mixed about Buck-ee's. He's got that Link instinct to explore and cause/enjoy chaos, and Buck-ee's has this organized chaos I think he'd enjoy. But he'd also feel the need to be a Responsible, Respectable Hero and possibly be a bit overwhelmed with all the sights, sounds, and smells after being in a dungeon for so long. I think he'd sample some fudge, get a little souvenir (a keychain for his scabbard), and take a break somewhere quiet ... only to discover that Buck-ee's bathrooms are spotless and smell good. Then, he'd get caught in a "conversation" (read: accidental interrogation) with the poor bathroom attendant, trying to find out what cleaner/polish they use to make the stalls so shiny. He wants to try it on his armor.
But the beaver creeps him out.
He'd keep the most neutral face out of all of them over Snef. He's gotten flung hundreds/thousands of years in the future, and he's heard some weird names. He's learned not to react so he doesn't repeat the Hateno Incident--he busted up laughing when the Chain visited it and he heard the name, only to have to apologize to the mayor because "Hateno" is apparently a normal thing to call a town in Wild's Hyrule. The fact that everyone wore mushroom hats did not help First's uncontrollable giggles. Hats! In Hat-eno! Why does Wild not see how funny that is?
