The Speaking Squid

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/124bc9e3-b4a6-4cab-bf61-14aca0d35152/

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Made in Photoshop and Procreate.

All background images are from the public domain as linked below.

Cover:

Mori Yūzan - 1903 - Hamonshu

Page 1:

“She is under an evil enchantment and I am delivering her!” - Jay Van Everen - 1922

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/f46cb444-093c-4d2e-9e35-d03f387572d9/

From

Mighty Mikko: A Book of Finnish Fairy Tales and Folk Tales

Page 2:

Villa Mondragone with plans of the pleasure garden. - Georg Andreas Böckler - 1664 - Architectura Curiosa Nova

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/e5465c78-b678-4c5b-8f15-04e558000a19/

Page 3:

Young Shoots of Horse–Chestnut - Karl Blossfeldt - 1928 - Urformen der Kunst

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/625d36b1-a57c-4acc-a8b4-ba1e168542a5/

Page 4:

Crystallized Carbonite of Lime, lenticular-equiaxed (Calx carbonata) - James Sowerby - 1802–17 - British Mineralogy

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/87dd8451-b4b0-4d75-92ec-8b00f6139734/

Page 5:

The Path to the Moon - W. T. Horton - 1898 - A Book of Images

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/e3f4a917-6de6-40f2-816d-ab0e3c35e9bb/

Page 6:

Illustrative plate from Nehemiah Grew’s The Anatomy of Plants (1682). - Nehemiah Grew - 1682 - The Anatomy of Plants

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/2ff14ca8-9fb0-431c-9970-bc917a0265ae/

Back and general background:

Plate 5 - Francis Bertody Sumner - 1911 - Journal of Experimental Zoology

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/2380f44b-5f47-4f24-a2fe-63a84c045801/

Sunday, April 12, 2026

The Minish Cap: A dragon’s fang

A dragon’s fang

Bomb Bag: Link must have a bomb bag if he can safely carry the explosives needed to clear cracked rocks from his path. Link is given his first bomb bag by a Picori after he successfully delves into the first dungeon of The Minish Cap, the Deepwood Shrine.

This dragon tooth was pulled from the melted armor of a would-be dragon slayer. While the adventurer’s corpse is long dead, the tooth remains hot to the touch, imbued with a mote of the immortal dragon flame. Now that you have the errant tooth, you must safely escape the ashen wasteland without earning the dragon’s ire.

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How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, April 5, 2026

The Minish Cap: A tragic wishing well

A tragic wishing well

Blue Rupee: This lustrous blue rupee is worth 500% the value of its simple green cousins. Five rupees can’t get you much, but they quickly add up for Link during his travels since he finds them in grass, dirt, rocks, chests, rewards, and gifts.

This used to be a wishing well that folks from all over would come to and try to sway the whims of fate. One tragic night, a person was drowned in the wells auspicious waters. Ever since that night, the well has been cursed and the surrounding lands haunted by vengeful spirits.

New child adjustment continues. Not a lot of sleep over here. If you want to help, find someone who is going through a difficult transition and offer them help without the expectation of a thank you.

How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, March 29, 2026

The Minish Cap: An unlucky coin

An unlucky coin

Blue Kinstone: When Link meets people during his travels, some offer the chance to fuse kinstones as a sign of friendship. Fusing kinstones brings two broken pieces of a single stone token back together. Link must have the matching kinstones a person wants to fuse. Fusjg blue kinstones often unlocks a great treasure or reward to aid Link in his adventures.

This coin was minted when the gods walked along the people. This coin was given the face of the fierce protector, who eventually betrayed the people to serve his own ends. Now the coins bear a warning against trusting the duplicitous deity.

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Big ole life changes recently. Got myself a new kiddo and a whole lot less sleep.

How to support me: