The Speaking Squid

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Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, October 5, 2025

The Minish Cap: A fairy tale

A fairy tale

Legend of Picori: Another of the missing library books Link must recover, Legend of the Picori was checked out by Dr.Left. Dr.Left is obsessed with researching the Picori, the secretive Minish, but is unaware that he shares his home with some of the very Minish he is studying. With the help of the Minish living in Dr.Left’s home, Link can find the misplaced book and return it to the Royal Hyrule Library. Once all three books are returned, Link can finally meet the retired Minish adventurer who knows the secret of entering the Temple of Droplets.

The Complete Tome of Legends, Myths, Tales, and Stories is constantly adding its limitless contents. While the book's indexing is arcane and its numbering esoteric, with luck and persistence, one might find their own story unfolding in the pages of the tome. Most readers fail to find their story and instead discover a tale that the inscrutable intelligence of the book believes will be enlightening or helpful.

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If you are going to use the Neverending Story Book in your world, you need to be ready to answer the question, “What happens when I write in the book with what I want to happen?” I can’t answer that for you, but be ready, because people love messing with fate.

How to support me:

See my newest releases on Linktree

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Friday, October 3, 2025

Cursed Relic: Journal 1

Journal 1

The First Journal: A journal filled with observations of the strange and unexplainable things that happen in and about Gravity Falls, Oregon.

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I love Gravity Falls. We do not need more Gravity Falls; we need more things that end well.

Inktober is a daily drawing challenge to draw something in ink every day of October. The intense and amazing art that came out of Inktober set the bar so high that it now stresses people out. All that stress means there are chiller response challenges for October that ask a lot less of you to participate.

Cursed Relics is one of those response challenges started by Alba BG, an amazing artist with an evocative style.

I don’t have anything new drawn for Curse Relics, but I do have a few odds and ends floating around that are waiting to get shared.

How to support me:

See my newest releases on Linktree

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

The Alethiometer: The complete Golden Compass system

The Alethiometer is a tool for finding accurate and truthful answers to important questions. Philip Pullman created the Alethiometer for his novel The Golden Compass, primarily released as Northern Lights, the first book of the His Dark Materials trilogy.

This system-agnostic TTRPG supplement allows you to add The Golden Compass, a device that is used to answer questions accurately, to your next TTRPG session or campaign. In the kit, you will find a set of print-ready cards that can be used to randomly determine the Golden Compass’ response, a print-ready zine to use the Golden Compass without the cards, a user manual in print-ready and mobile-friendly formats, and zine folding instructions if you’ve never made a zine before.

You can find the zine and the complete kit here:

Ko-Fi Pay what you want

Patreon $3 purchase

The version in my Ko-Fi store is pay what you want, so feel free to try before you buy, and then come back and give what you can.

This is a fan work inspired by Philip Pullman’s Golden Compass.

How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Swordtember: Forgotten sword in the stone

Forgotten sword in the stone

Sword in the Stone: You have got to wonder how much it would cost to get that sword out of that stone.

This is an alt art of an item card from the Minish Cap set that I haven’t actually posted yet.

Swordtember is a month-long sword-themed art challenge created by Faith Schaffer.

How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, September 28, 2025

The Minish Cap: A collection of three journals

A collection of three journals

A History of Masks: Another of the three overdue library books, A History of Masks was checked out by the mayor of Hyrule Town. It has been left at his lakeside cabin near Lake Hylia where the mayor goes to relax while making masks surrounded by natural beauty. Link must retrieve the book and return it to the Royal Hyrule Library if he has any hope of meeting the retired Minish adventurer who knows the secret of entering the Temple of Droplets.

Thank you for visiting the Eternal Archive. The following three memoirs or journals were selected to best assist you with your recent request for information.

Compounding trauma in repeated catastrophe: A time loop case study - Paranormal Psychology Clock Town University

Is it better to have loved and lost? - Connor MacLeod

Am I truly the Hero of Ages? - Alendi

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I am a book lover and a reluctant reader. A quote that helps me stay excited about books even when I’m struggling to motivate myself to sit down and read is as follows:

“My dear,

We need to make books cool again. If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t fuck them. Don’t let them explore you until they’ve explored the secret universes of books. Don’t let them connect with you until they’ve walked between the lines on the pages.

Books are cool, if you have to withhold yourself from someone for a bit in order for them to realize this then do so.

Truly yours,

John Samuel Waters”

How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, September 21, 2025

The Minish Cap: The Octavo is restless

The Octavo is restless

A Hyrulean Beastiary: This is one of three overdue library books Link must find and return to the Royal Hyrule Library. Link needs to return these books to gain access to the second floor of the library, where a retired Minish adventurer lives who knows the secrets of entering the Temple of Droplets. Link can find this book in the home of a Hyrule Town cat owner, who borrowed the book to learn more about her new pet.

The Octavo, the eight great spells of the Disc. Actually, it is currently the seven great spells of the Disc, as one has been missing for quite a few years. Speaking all eight spells is supposed to grant the power to create or destroy worlds, but no one we asked had actually tried to cast all eight.

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I have not read deeply of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, but I have really enjoyed most of the few books that I have read and all of the mini-series I have watched.

The Hogfather is a must if you haven’t read or watched it yet.

How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Swordtember: Uruk-hai Scimitar

Uruk-hai Scimitar

Uruk-hai Scimitar: These mass-produced tools of killing are the antithesis of the meticulously crafted elven blades they were made to fight.

Swordtember is a month-long sword-themed art challenge created by Faith Schaffer.

How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Monday, September 15, 2025

Swordtember: Flameberge

Flameberge

Flameberge: This wavy blade is a colored version of an item card from the Oracle of Seasons set.

Swordtember is a month-long sword-themed art challenge created by Faith Schaffer.

How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, September 14, 2025

The Minish Cap: That’s like, a giant shroom man

That’s like, a giant shroom man

Wake-up Mushroom: This variety of mushroom is known for its foul smell that is supposedly strong enough to wake the dead. Link can buy these mushrooms from Syrup, Witch of the Castor Wilds. If Link takes the mushroom to the sleeping cobbler in Hyrule Town, the smell wakes up the shoemaker, and he gives Link the Pegasus Boots as a reward. The cobbler believes he has the uncanny ability to finish shoes in his sleep, but really, the Minish do all his work.

According to local tradition, these rare mushrooms only grow where someone has attained enlightenment. Eating Pilgrims’ Pillow, as the mushroom is known, induces powerful visions and overwhelming sensations of spiritual awareness. Places where Pilgrims’ Pillow is known to grow naturally become destinations for those seeking enlightenment, either through following the path of the masters or by opening the doors of their own perception.

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These mushrooms sound almost magical.

How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Friday, September 12, 2025

Swordtember: Kubikiribōchō

Kubikiribōchō

Kubikiribōchō: Literally translated, the decapitating carving knife, this is one of the seven legendary swords belonging to the village hidden in the mists. This is also the second most reasonable sword of the bunch, even though it looks like an electric windmill blade instead of a sword used by people.

Swordtember is a month-long sword-themed art challenge created by Faith Schaffer.

How to support me: