The Minish Cap: A token of your sacrifice

 A token of your sacrifice

Nayru’s Charm: Nayru, one of three traveling oracles, is looking for a home in Hyrule Town. If Link ensures Nayru is given one of the two new homes built in the town, he is rewarded with Nayru’s charm. This charm significantly improves defense for a short time after consumption and if Link ever needs a new dose, he need only bring an empty bottle to Nayru in her new home. 

Odin sacrificed himself to himself, hanging by the neck from a great branch of the world tree for nine days, his side pierced by his own spear, so that he could gain great wisdom. You sacrificed yourself to your corporate self, hanging a little noose around your neck for nine years, your soul pierced by the hollowness of your work, all so that you could gain great wealth. On this first day of your tenth year, you aren’t rich enough to feel whole, but you gained the wisdom to know this is not the path you should be walking, but what are you willing to sacrifice to find the right path?

----------

I struggled to feel at home in corporate or office jobs. I still struggle feeling at home in my work, but that probably comes from always having felt like I am a bit different than everyone else. Not better or worse, just different in an isolating way.

Another isolating experience has been living in Minnesota during the continuing ICE surge. ICE is still snatching people and causing fear. Don’t look away and please demand the US government stop its attack on those arbitrarily deemed undesirable.

How to support me:

Ko-fi: Pay What You Want links 

Patreon: Shop and sustaining support 

Red Bubble: Buy a sticker or magnet

See my latest releases on Linktree

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

The Minish Cap: A token from an important day

 A token from an important day

Farore’s Charm: This boon is given to Link if he can secure a home for the oracle Farore, one of three visiting oracles interested in settling in Hyrule Town. This charm moderately increases Link’s attack and defense when consumed. Once Link helps Farore move into her new home, he can visit her with an empty bottle whenever he needs a new dose of her charm.

You don’t really wear bowties, but you keep this one because it was from the day you said, “I do”. Everyone said you all were crazy for having lime green for your colors, but it suited you just fine. It will probably never get worn again, but every time you bump into looking through your closet for something else, it reminds you of that day and all the days that came after.

----------

If you aren’t a fascist, things are pretty heavy here in Minnesota. If you are a fascist, Minnesotans are doing a great job you know you aren’t welcome. Please don’t look away and ignore what is happening here in Minnesota. Face the history we are living through directly.

How to support me:

Ko-fi: Pay What You Want links 

Patreon: Shop and sustaining support 

Red Bubble: Buy a sticker or magnet

See my latest releases on Linktree

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Four Swords Adventures: A shielding charm.

 Four Swords Adventures:  A shielding charm.

Blue Bracelet: This bracelet offers brief magical protection to any Link that can find it. Having the bracelet halves the damage that Link takes in the stage the bracelet was found in. Like all power-up items in Four Swords Adventures, the protection offered by the bracelet only lasts for a single stage. 

This shielding charm’s enchantment is entirely contained in its polished piece of fossilized shell. While the nature of the fossil resonates with the abjuration magic of the spell, there is a limit to what the spell can intercept. If the blue glow dims, the protective shield has been spent, leaving the wearer vulnerable to attack.

----------

Welcome to the items from The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures. There aren’t many items, but I did end up drawing quite a few cards as the theme for the set was dual/duel which meant most cards had a second version or at least a partial color swap.

Check back in every Sunday for more item cards to tickle your imagination and spice up your inventory.

If you enjoy my work, please consider donating:

Make a one-time donation with Ko-Fi:  https://ko-fi.com/theeasyspeaker

Become a sustaining supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ItemCardswithTheSpeakingSquid 

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Wind Waker: A commander’s whistle.

 Wind Waker: A commander’s whistle.

Command melody: The command melody is inscribed on a monument in the Tower of the Gods. Its placement in such a hidden holy place ensured that only a true hero would learn its power. Such precautions are reasonable as conducting the song allows Link to take direct control over constructs, animals, and even people. Link uses this power to gather the Sages back together, but a less heroic person would surely use the power for evil.

When you hear the whistle you drop and give me twenty! Is that clear? I can’t hear you!

----------

I wanted to draw the actual sort of whistle used on sailing ships, but I had no idea what they looked like before doing research for this drawing and I didn’t think anyone else would have either. Maybe I do that whistle for another whistle or instrument in a future Zelda game’s drawings.

Make a one-time donation with Ko-Fi:  https://ko-fi.com/theeasyspeaker

Become a sustaining supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ItemCardswithTheSpeakingSquid 

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Drewly 2023: The head of a fallen witch doctor.

The head of a fallen witch doctor.

Head Fetish: The shrunken head of a departed witch doctor. It pulses with a fragment of her power, amplifying magic to contact, summon, and dominate the dead.

----------

This is an orc reskinning of the head fetish I drew for the Oracle of Ages card set. One of my players’ favorite NPC’s was a motherly orc witch doctor. Unfortunately, she died in a mostly avoidable accident when one of my players blew up the tower the entire party was in. All that is left of Maygar is her shrunken head and the guilt for murdering her.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

#Drewly: A shortcut home

A shortcut home 

Hearthstone: According to the lore, these enchanted runestones are exceedingly rare and valuable. They allow the owner to open a portal to a set location of safety. Learning they are supposedly rare is shocking since every character receives one as an adventuring novice in WoW.

----------

Drewly is all about posting art that you have already made. Post as often or as little as you’d like. It is a “challenge” to let you celebrate what you have already done. If you post for Drewly don’t forget the tag #Drewly.

See you tomorrow for more Drewly posts. 

If you appreciate my effort, consider a donation at my ko-fi.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

#Drewly: A gremlin charm

A gremlin charm

Protection Charm: A bone charm crafted by a grateful gremlin family for returning their missing children, the same gremlins who happened to be causing all sorts of mischief for you. Your reward for not butchering the wayward youths is this protective charm that keeps fey creatures from entering the structure it is hanging in. 

----------

Drewly is all about posting art that you have already made. Post as often or as little as you’d like. It is a “challenge” to let you celebrate what you have already done. If you post for Drewly don’t forget the tag #Drewly.

See you tomorrow for more Drewly posts. 

If you appreciate my effort, consider a donation at my ko-fi.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Lucky Charm: A cricket talisman to lure happiness and prosperity.

 A cricket talisman to lure happiness and prosperity.

Lucky Cricket: Crickets have been kept as pets to attract luck and prosperity. Their pleasing songs remind us to be happy and appreciate the small things in life. They have also invited wealth to their owners, either through a beautiful song or victory in violent cricket fights.

----------

In researching various good luck charms from around the world I was not able to confidently connect crickets as good luck charms outside of my memory of Mulan getting one for good luck. Disney isn’t the best at authentic representations, so I didn’t want to rely solely on that.

Cricket fights are a real thing that people bred prized lines of crickets to compete in. Truth is wilder than fiction.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Lucky Charm: A controversial lucky charm.

 A controversial lucky charm.

Figa charm: This charm shows a hand forever frozen in the fig gesture. The gesture is used as a lucky charm in some countries like Brazil and Portugal. Many cultures find this gesture offense. It is apparently similar to flipping someone off in America or the V-sign in the UK.

The charm’s protective powers are actually derived from the offensive nature of the gesture. It is so offensive as to rebuff bad luck or the harmful effects of, you guessed it, the evil eye.

----------

I’m sorry if I offended you, but this is just another situation where I learned something new in the research for a drawing project.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Lucky Charms: Fight fire with fire, or in this case the eye with an eye.

  Fight fire with fire, or in this case the eye with an eye.

Nazar Eye: This lucky charm is another charm thought to protect the wearer from the evil eye, the curse cast through harsh staring due to jealousy or anger. While some peoples of the Mediterranian region fought the evil eye with the hamsa, other cultures in the Mediterranean and Asia combated the evil eye with these blue glass bead charms in the shape of an eye.

The protection offered by the Nazar is not limited to beads. The eye pattern is often painted on objects and buildings to ward them from ill fortune.

----------

I really wanted the blue sections of the drawing to look transparent but they did not in the end of all things.

This is another charm I had seen but had never had formally named before exploring this project.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Lucky Charm: Protect yourself from the evil eye with this hamsa charm.

 Protect yourself from the evil eye with this hamsa charm.

Hamsa Charm: The hamsa, also known as the Hand of Fatima or Hand of other important deific female figures, is a charm that seems to have originated in and around the Mediterranian region. Wearing such a charm wards the wearer from the evil eye, a baleful curse cast by others through their hateful stare.

While predating Abrahamic Religions, this charm has been adopted by members of those religions; conceiving of it as representing the protecting hand of an important female figure of their beliefs.

Hamsa relates to the hebrew and arabic words for five, both referring to the five fingers of the hand.

----------

I had seen this charm often, but it wasn’t until I was doing research for this project that I found out what it was called and why it was work.

Protect others from receiving mean looks by being excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Lucky Charms: Medal of a holy icon

Medal of a holy icon

Prayer Medal: Many cultures and religions believe that it is lucky or protective to carry a medal depicting a great spiritual teacher, prophet, martyr, or saint.

Many of you may not know that the day of the week a person was born connects them to one of seven depictions of the Buddha. All of which are in a different posture and have different meanings.

----------

Starting back up with the last five lucky charms I drew for the mini palette cleanser project I undertook to shake some creative dust out of my system. Expect the rest soon.

The best luck a person could have is knowing others are looking out for them. Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Lucky Charms: Its either a horseshoe or a hand grenade

A lucky horseshoe to ward away some misfortune.

Lucky Horseshoe: Different communities have different traditions on how best to use a lucky horseshoe. Some say it must be pointed open up to catch the luck, while others claim that it ought to be hung pointed down to let the luck fall onto those passing beneath the horseshoe.

----------

In researching lucky charms from around the world I found two explanations as to why horseshoes are lucky. One relies on the iron in the horseshoe to keep the tricksy fey at bay. The other tells a tale of how a blacksmith shoed Satan's hooved feet with such violence that Satan swore to avoid horseshoes ever after.

The US is still punching above its weight class in proving that things are not equitable and just for all people in the country. Fight for racial justice, be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Star Trek first contact day was yesterday

April 5th 2063 is when humans made first contact with aliens in Star Trek.

Comm Badge: Tap to talk, hands free positioning on and off planets, and ID badge all in one. 

Humans didn’t do a great job when they made first contact in 2063. We’ve got 42 years to get to a place where we can do a whole lot better. Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Holiday: Wishing you better luck this Easter.

 Wishing you better luck this Easter.

Rabbit's foot charm: To create the most powerful lucky charm, one must ensure that the worst and unluckiest alignment of omens proceeds the charm's creation. The strongest charms are created from a wild hare’s back left foot, caught atop the unmarked grave of a murderer, in an unhallowed cemetery, beneath a new moon, on a jinx day, by a gambler on a losing streak. Some superstitious cultures say that catching a witch’s familiar is even luckier, but only fools think inviting a witch’s wrath is lucky.

I barely invented or tweaked any of the lore around the rabbit’s foot charm. I’m still not 100% sure where it came from originally as there are some conflicting sources, but the practice may have been independently created across the globe. 

----------

I am not a religious person but I grew up in a home that wanted me to be Christian so I am aware of a lot of those holidays and observances from the point of view of having learned about them only as a child. I have always wondered how we bunnies got wrapped up in the festival celebrating the story of a resurrection.

Bunnies, especially white ones, were seen as symbols of purity and fertility by the early Christian church because rabbits can get pregnant while pregnant with another litter which gives the impression that they conceived spontaneously. A feat that Christians claim also happened to Mary. This immaculate conception connection, in addition to the spring/rebirth/bunnies through-line, explains much of the connection.

Practice your personal beliefs as long as they don’t harm others, but don’t force others to align to your personal beliefs. Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Holiday: Have a lucky coin that is entirely fungible.

Have a lucky coin that is entirely fungible.

Lucky coin: Finding a coin heads up on the ground is an auspicious sign. The free clink in your pocket is a sure sign that you have someone or something’s favor. Remember to use that coin and its luck fast so that it doesn’t have the chance to sour.

----------

NFT’s are for fools. As today is a day for fools, I will waste a bit of my time on them. NFT’s, or non-fungible tokens, are a hot topic right now. I primarily think they are bad because they create a sense of value by creating false scarcity. Digital assets are infinitely reproducible and NFT’s just want to use art as a way to add legitimacy to the token collection craze. This also entirely ignores the real environmental cost of running supercomputers just to maintain a decentralized currency so that people can say they own a URL.

Crypto may be here to stay but I for one am not impressed by its impact on art.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

 

Celebrating the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere with a little charm.

 A preserved Four Leaf clover to start Spring off with a bit of Luck.

Four Leaf Clover: While this lucky charm may not have thousands of years of folk history behind it, many know it as one of the main pillars of the lucky charm cannon. According to Wikipedia, they have about a 1 in 5,000 rate of appearance, which isn’t common by any means, but also isn’t the rarest thing either.

—————

The start of Spring is always an exciting time for me. It marks the beginning of life returning after Winter’s harsh grasp. I’m especially excited for the rains and the general vitality moving water brings into a landscape. 

See y’all tomorrow for some items from Oracle of Seasons.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

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.

—————

 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