Not an artist: Five items from Oracle of Seasons needed to save the universe.

Five items from Oracle of Seasons needed to save the universe.

Ember Seed: Mystical seeds fill the place of the useful magical consumable. Each type of seed is unavailable to Link until he harvests them from a mystical tree for the first time. Ember Trees can be found in Horon Village, but only fruit during the Winter. Link cannot harvest the ember seeds until he has the seed satchel.

Ember seeds burst into an intense flame when cracked open. They can be used to light torches, clear brush, harm enemies, and burn the wrappings of mummies to reveal their skeletal forms. 

Each of the stones represents a different fundamental essence. This stone represents the essence of fire, and its true power can only be unleashed by touching it with flame. The powers of all stones must be unleashed together to stop the coming of the great calamity.

Holiday: Listen to me give thanks to all the healthcare workers

I’m celebrating American Thanksgiving with a stethoscope to honor the healthcare workers who have given so much of themselves this year.

Stethoscope: Use this to listen to heart sounds, breathing, or the tumblers in a safe.

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I am very uncomfortable with the candy coated narrative given for the U.S.’s first Thanksgiving. Only focusing on the picture perfect narrative of that day ignores the subsequent violence and trauma visited on Indigenous peoples by colonial powers. In an effort to distance my celebration from the problematic history, I chose to eschew the standard imagery and instead focus on what I am truly thankful for.

This year I am thankful for all the healthcare workers who are fighting to keep our world going.

We are in the middle of a global pandemic. The U.S. has not handled it well and it is putting a great strain on our healthcare system. Our healthcare workers are doing their best to pick up the slack for the increased load and deeply flawed system, but they can only do so much. I hope everyone can take great care to stall the spread of the virus so that our health care workers can eventually take a well deserved break. 

What are you thankful for?

Give the healthcare workers a break. Wear a mask, avoid gatherings, and see sacrifices as a way of taking care of the people you love.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Not an artist: Four items from Oracle of Seasons carried by rival assassins.

Four items from Oracle of Seasons carried by rival assassins.

Slingshot: Link uses the slingshot to fling mystical seeds at enemies and triggers. Like the seed shooter in Labrynna, the slingshot uses different seeds to different effects, such as ember seeds being used for incendiary ammunition. Link finds the slingshot in the Dancing Dragon Dungeon atop the heights of Mt.Cucco. 

The freelance assassin known only as Svarta favors a set of short-range crossbows that can fire a volley of bolts in mere moments. Svarta has been hired to acquire the package by any means necessary. They have also been informed that other operatives have been contracted by rival agencies to acquire the same package, meaning the competition will be deadly.

Not an artist: Four items from Oracle of Seasons used to escape.

Four items from Oracle of Seasons used to escape.

Roc’s feather: Roc’s feather allows Link to leap incredible heights and over dangerous gaps. Link can obtain the feather in the Poison Moth’s Lair, the third dungeon he visits during his adventures through Holodrum.

Sharp eyes will notice the numbers on the two geta images are not sequential. I like to make various versions of items so that I have different options that are various levels of wondrous. As I was putting the final touches on the Oracle of Seasons items, I realized I only had winged sandals, so I quickly made a non-winged version for more mundane or non-flight related items.

These winged geta were made by a cobbler while they were imprisoned by a local lord for being the sibling of a great thief. The cobbler’s great skill and steadfast loyalty to their family so impressed the wind spirits that flitted about the cobbler’s tower prison that the spirits enchanted the sandals to walk on air as easily as a flat road. With their magic geta, the cobbler escaped the lord’s tower and took up a life of robbing the lord to punish them for their unjust treatment of the cobbler.

Holiday: A charm of amplify voice for the US presidential election

Charm of Amplify Voice

I Voted Sticker: Donning this charm increases the power of the wearer’s voice. This increase is multiplied by the number of allies who have also donned the charm recently.

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 So back in 2016 the USA goofed hard when a minority of voters elected an entirely underprepared braggart to the presidency. This weekend, the majority of people said that we couldn’t stand another four years of inflammatory whining. While I believe Biden/Harris has secured the election, I must wait until it is all finalized to “celebrate.” There is also a lot of work left to do in this country as millions of people think he was doing a fine job and that many systemic issues within the foundation of the USA aren’t actually problems.

The fight for good and change is not over. Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Not an artist: Six items from Oracle of Seasons getting the full color treatment.

Six items from Oracle of Seasons getting the full-color treatment.

The Hammer of the Naaru has been imbued with the light and power of the enigmatic and beneficent Naaru. In the hands of the Vindicator Maraad, the hammer struck down innumerable denizens of the demonic Burning Legion.

Not an artist: Six swords from Oracle of Seasons that channel the power of the elemental sovereigns.

Six swords from Oracle of Seasons that channel the power of the elemental sovereigns.

Magical Boomerang: The magical boomerang is recovered from the Ancient Ruins, the sixth dungeon Link explores during his adventures around and under Holodrum. The magic of the boomerang allows Link to control its path after throwing as well as making it fly longer strike harder than the mundane boomerang.

While the magic boomerang is obviously a magical wind weapon, I was struggling to come up with an evocative item to draw. I had already drawn Trueflame and didn’t want to exclude its sister weapon Hopesfire. Since Hopesfire has a shock damage enchantment, I decided to channel the wind theme from the Elemental Fury dragon shout or the Windfury totem. Since I had already drawn two elements at that point, I decided to just finish out the rest of the elemental damage types. I also just included a blank ebony scimitar for good measure.

Given only to the most trusted and skilled warriors in service to the elemental forces, these scimitars are able to channel the powers of the elemental sovereigns the warriors serve. The power of each sovereign manifests differently on the blade, but they all clearly show the bearer's allegiance. The connection to the elemental power is instantly severed if the warrior is slain or if they lose their master’s favor. 

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Brace yourself, election day is coming. 

Please vote.

Voter turnout sucks in the U.S. I feel like a lot of that is to do with the fact that so much is done to make voting hard, but it is so important that you use your power and vote. Take the country's future in your hand. Help guide the ship to better waters.

I don’t want to tell you how to vote, but again, I implore you to remember that all people deserve equal rights and dignity. We should also all have the chance to lead full and healthy lives.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph