I'm not artist: Six items from Ocarina of time made by Turtle Shell Ablatives, a ProtecCo company.

Six items from Ocarina of Time made by Turtle Shell Ablatives, a ProtecCo company. 

Deku Shield: I think the Deku Shield is the game’s most thematically interesting shield as it is made from the bark of the Great Deku Tree and inscribed with the Kokiri symbol. Those two facts really ground the shield in the lore of the world. It's only usable by child Link and is extremely vulnerable to flame so it is often relegated to being a basic or starter shield rather than a memorable item.

I remember really liking how this came out when I drew it but looking at it now I'm not impressed. I guess that is the march of progress. 

For the holy warrior more concerned with venerating the gods of nature then personal protection there is the Ironwood Buckler. Bark harvested from sanctified ironwood trees is inscribed with the symbol of your choice and then treated with resins and holy oils to keep it as hard as iron. Don't let prohibitions against metal armor keep you from safely spreading the will of the gods to even the most hostile of audiences. 

Holiday Hat for the Holidays

Wishing everyone a nice holiday.

-Ceph

I'm not an artist: Five items from Ocarina of Time forged by three master smiths.

Five items from Ocarina of Time forged by three master smiths.

Megaton Hammer: This hammer is swung with an even greater force than its already incredible mass would suggest. The strike of this hammer can shatter stone, flatten steel, or even cause a small earthquake. Legends speak of a Goron ancestor hero wielding the hammer in battle with Volvagia, the fire dragon. The ancestor hero sealed the dragon’s spirit in the burning heart of a volcano.

Training under a master smith, three apprentices bickered bitterly over who was the greatest smith. When the master decided to retire, they challenged their three pupils to craft a flawless forging hammer. The smith that crafted a perfect hammer would inherit the master’s entire workshop. Each of the three apprentices poured all their skills into a hammer they hoped was the equal of the challenge. The master rejected each of the hammers for a different reason. They became resigned to close their shop instead of passing it to a new master. The apprentices realized that individually, they could not succeed, but together they were more than capable. Working together, the apprentices forged a truly flawless hammer. When they went to present the hammer to their master, the master had departed. The former master left three pairs of golden tongs, signifying each smith as a master.

I'm not an artist: Five items from Ocarina of Time you could find in a curious shop.

Five items from Ocarina of Time you could find in a curious shop.

Lens of truth: In Ocarina of Time, Link can recover the lens of truth from Dead Hand’s cold dead hands. The glass allows Link to discern illusions, perceive the invisible, and gaze inside sealed chests. 

Having gotten turned around walking the city at night, you find yourself on an unfamiliar street. It is lined with small shops offering all sorts of wares. Without realizing it, you find yourself drawn to Lil’s Trinkets, an outdated store with a cat sleeping in the window. The shop is illuminated by an army of candles that can only manage to make the interior dim at best. A disembodied hand covered in wax stands on a shelf with a small flickering flame hovering above each finger. The tag reads, “Glorious Hand, a guiding light against the darkness of ignorance.” You can’t seem to find the price on the tag.

I'm not an artist: Five items from Ocarina of Time you could see during ajourney to the shining temple.

Five items from Ocarina of Time you could see during journey to a shining temple.

Light Arrow: Link’s arrows are empowered with the goddesses’ light after he frees all seven sacred sages. The arrows allow Link to dispel magical barriers and strike lethal blows against Ganondorf. As an added bonus, monsters slain by light arrows almost always drop a bunch of rupees. Mechanically it is a nice way to provide the player more rupees in the endgame, but I also think that the hero of time being able to abuse the sacred power for personal gain is an interesting unspoken complication to the narrative.

From atop the temple of the triple goddess, a ceaseless light shines out onto the lands of the people. Even during the darkest night, the lands of the people are held in a twilight by the presence of the sacred light. The light shines from the crystal head of a spear that was once wielded by the greatest evil to ever rule over the people. The Hero of Song, the greatest of all the people’s heroes, defeated the great evil by securing three blessings from the three-that-are-one. Only after the hero received all three blessings were they able to defeat the great evil. Modern incarnations of the Hero’s Song tell that the hero slew the evil with their own spear and then triumphantly sang the three blessings into the once accursed weapon. Placing the newly hallowed spear atop the greatest temple on the highest rise so that its light might act as a ward against suffering for the people and their lands. The hero than left the lands of the people to pursue the corrupting force of evil in far off lands and have many great adventures. Recently rediscovered verses written down long ago say the hero defeated the great evil, but was reluctant to partake in the people’s revelry when they learned of the victory. The last act of the hero was to sing a mighty barrier around the spear's resting place that could withstand almost any force. The effort robbed the hero of their voice and led them to a life of solitude hidden away from the people.

12/9/18 post will be late

Life has been crazy this month. I will be posting today's post as soon as I can. Thanks for your patience. 

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Edit: Post is up. Find it here.

I'm not an artist: Six items from Ocarina of Time you could find in a pulp hero story.

Six items from Ocarina of Time you could find in a pulp hero story. 

Bomb: Bombs only become available to Link once he obtains the bomb bag. After that, Link can blow open cracked walls, destroy weak stones, and give giant lizards heartburn as he sees fit. 

During the gala celebrating the newly unveiled Park City hazardous waste containment and neutralization center, a clockwork automaton crashes through the glass ceiling bringing the party to a standstill. The machine announces that the infamous Doc Clock has directed their minions to place bundles of dynamite all over the containment facility. If the waste stores at the plant were to be released, it would quickly wash down river and render the entirety of Park City unlivable for a generation. With the facility on the outskirts of town, no one is sure the bomb squad will make it in time.