The Minish Cap: A unique form of identification

 A unique form of identification

Piece of Heart: Link can gather four pieces of heart to form a new heart container and increase his total life by one heart. They can be found as hidden treasure, given as rewards, and, of course, unlocked by fusing kinstones. 

This single crystal slipper is the only proof that the mysterious beauty from the ball even existed. Finding her has become a royal obsession, and every royal servant has been charged with finding out who this girl might be. What if the girl is a servant in the royal household, and doesn’t want to be found?

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I know that isn’t the classic story of Cinderella, but I’ve been through enough retellings of classic fairy tales to know you can change whatever you want, however you want.

I spend July clearing my backlog of unpublished art with Drewly, the art challenge all about celebrating yourself. I spend the rest of the year posting item cards I’ve drawn every Sunday.

Right now I am sharing item cards based on the items in The Minish Cap, and I’m drawing a set of item cards based on the items in The Phantom Hourglass. I don’t know what I’ll draw after I finish drawing all the items in every Zelda game, but I also don’t know how long it will take me to finish every Zelda game. Especially the items in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

Come back next Sunday for another item fit for royalty.

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

Drewly 2026: An additional Pylon

 An additional Pylon

An additional Pylon: To summon that unit, you must construct additional pylons. To start building that robot, you must build additional pylons. You required additional pylons, some more vaspene gas wouldn’t hurt either.

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I have played far too much original StarCraft, but I’ve never played StarCraft II. It came out so long after the first that I had moved on to console gaming. Having kids doesn’t help have enough time to clear out my to be played list of games.

Today is the last day of Drewly. This challenge is about practicing the skill of celebrating your wins, no matter the size. I hope you celebrated what you have been able to accomplish in this crazy world of ours. 

Check back in tomorrow for my annual Drewly retrospective and check in every Sunday for a new item card.

What is Drewly?

Drewly is the month-long art challenge where you don’t make any new art. Just celebrate all the art you’ve already made, finished or not.

How do I join?

Share whatever work you’d like, however you’d like to share. Tag your posts #Drewly #Drewly2026 #Drewly26.

You can see posts of Drewly’s past here.

You can also join me on reddit at /r/Drewly

Get your official Drewly stickers here.

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

Drewly 2026: Emerald Staff

 Emerald Staff

Emerald Staff: A staff topped with an emerald taken from the crystal forests of the Hollow Earth. The crystal harmonizes perfectly with beings native to the hollow earth and has been used as an amplifier for the bellicose mage seeking to raise an army to march out from the secret world and conquer the lands above.

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Atomic Rob vs Dr.Dinosaur is a fun weird romp, check it out.

What is Drewly?

Drewly is the month-long art challenge where you don’t make any new art. Just celebrate all the art you’ve already made, finished or not.

How do I join?

Share whatever work you’d like, however you’d like to share. Tag your posts #Drewly #Drewly2026 #Drewly26.

You can see posts of Drewly’s past here.

You can also join me on reddit at /r/Drewly

Get your official Drewly stickers here.

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

Drewly 2026: Sacred stone of Laputa

 Sacred stone of Laputa

Laputian royal amulet: Carved from the incredible stone that powered their once globe spanning empire, this amulet has been passed down through many generations of your family. With it, a story of destructive pride and a song to sing in the darkest of times.

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Like many millennials, studio ghibli is a hugely important influence in my taste. Laputa is one of my favorites, as it is a part of the “I wish I could fly” cannon of Ghibli films. I really wish I could fly.

Week two of Drewly continues. We are 8 days in and I’ve got plenty of art I’ve never shown anyone. What about you?

What is Drewly?

Drewly is the month-long art challenge where you don’t make any new art. Just celebrate all the art you’ve already made, finished or not.

How do I join?

Share whatever work you’d like, however you’d like to share. Tag your posts #Drewly #Drewly2026 #Drewly26.

You can also join me on reddit at /r/Drewly

See all my Drewly posts here.

Get your official Drewly stickers here.

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

Drewly 2026: The Heart of Te Fiti

 The Heart of Te Fiti

Heart of Tefiti: Stolen by the trickster Maui, the heart must be returned to Tefiti, the great mother, to stop the spread of decay filling the world with monsters and draining life from land and sea.

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My kid loves Moana. I drew this for them. I also made a quick cardboard version with some sharpie and string. They LOVE that 5 minute craft. You don’t have to be great at art to make something someone will love. 

In looking up the characters’ origins, I was surprised to find out Te Fiti seems to be a whole cloth creation for the movie, but they just used Maui’s existing mythological identity. That isn’t surprising, but it does feel odd.

What is Drewly?

Drewly is the month-long art challenge where you don’t make any new art. Just celebrate all the art you’ve already made, finished or not.

How do I join?

Share whatever work you’d like, however you’d like to share. Tag your posts #Drewly #Drewly2026 #Drewly26.

You can also join me on reddit at /r/Drewly

See all my Drewly posts here.

Get your official Drewly stickers here.

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

Drewly 2026: Plumbob

 Plumbob

Plumbob: For when you want to exert direct control over the lives of others. Be careful if you meddle too deeply, when this gem shines red, the person you are controlling is deeply unhappy and may try to work against your goals.

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Pop culture blind spot. I only ever watched others play The Sims. Never have I enjoyed putting someone in a deep pool and then deleting the ladder out.

What is Drewly?

Drewly is the month-long art challenge where you don’t make any new art. Just celebrate all the art you’ve already made, finished or not.

How do I join?

Share whatever work you’d like, however you’d like to share. Tag your posts #Drewly #Drewly2026 #Drewly26.

You can also join me on reddit at /r/Drewly

See all my Drewly posts here.

Get your official Drewly stickers here.

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: An empty crown for we need no kings

 An empty crown for we need no kings

Big Red Rupee: Here it is, the biggest, baddest, most highly valued rupee of them all. This big red rupee is worth 200 rupees and is almost always found as a reward for solving a puzzle or fusing a particularly rare kinstone.

When the Prophet of Amber stormed the capital and seized control of the bureaucracy, they commissioned this crown and declared themself a king. The fearful and foolish believed the prophet, but most of the people recognized the lies for what they were and rose up. By the time the crown was ready to sit on the head of the king, the land had no king, and the prophet had no head.

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Thinly veiled allegory.

Support families harmed by ICE pay rent in MN here.

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 dragon-sick diamond

 A dragon-sick diamond

Big Blue Rupee: The economy of Hyrule runs on rupees, which is crazy because Link can just cut grass over and over until he can afford anything he could possibly want. Big blue rupees are usually rewards from kinstone fusion of inside chests as they are worth 100 rupees. 

This Diamond was the pride of a dragon’s hoard, not for its size, but for its unique provenance. The gem was the last piece cut by the long dead master jeweler of the glittering isles. The dragon so obsessed over this single gem that it became infused with the dragon's greed and pride, cursing any who touch it with unquenchable greed and self-sabotaging pride.

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

Drewly: Pearl of the Sirens

 Pearl of the Sirens

Pearl of the Sirens: Fashioned by a sea seductress who didn’t want to immediately drown and devour their victims. This necklace allows drylanders to survive beneath the water for as long as the seductress wishes.

We have been going strong with drewly for three entire weeks!

For a random one-off item drawing for my homebrew Pathfinder game, I am very happy with how this turned out.

What is Drewly?

#Drewly is the month-long art challenge for July, where you don’t have to make any new art. Just post art you’ve already made and celebrate all you’ve accomplished.

Rules:

Share art you have already made.

Share as often as you want.

When you share, tag your art with #Drewly and #Drewly2025

I will be posting art every day of Drewly, so check back in tomorrow for something new.

Check out everything I’ve shared for past Drewly’s here: #Drewly #Drewly2022 #Drewly2023 #Drewly2024

Since you’re here, please consider supporting:

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

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

Buy a sticker: SpeakingSquid.redbubble.com

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

The Minish Cap: A Seeing Stone

 A Seeing Stone

Earth Element: To reforge the Picori blade and revive its power to seal away evil, Link must gather the four elemental essences. The Earth Element is guarded by the Big Green Chuchu in Minish Cap’s first dungeon, Deepwood Shrine. Link must wait until he has earned two of the four elements before he can begin the reforging process.

In a crazed display of foolishness, a spiderlike fae tossed this seeing stone in her fire, thinking it destroyed. A fire far greater than a witch’s hearth is needed to shatter such a potent artifact of natural power. The brave young girl escaped The Beldam’s web, but should another young victim find themself in the sinister fae’s domain, a potent artifact awaits them in the hearth’s cold ashes.

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It was deeply disheartening to hear of the sexual assault allegations against Neil Gaiman. It sucks that there is always this sword of Damocles hanging above important and influential male figures.

Today in drewly we are going to focus in on how great Laika’s films are. Go watch some great stop-motion films and support my favorite movie medium.

Drewly today is my normal weekly item card post, where I post drawings inspired by all the items in all the Zelda games. I am currently posting the items from The Minish Cap. I’ve got complete sets for the first 11 Zelda games and a bunch of other item sets already posted here. https://thespeakingsquid.blogspot.com/search/label/Collected

What is Drewly?

#Drewly is the month-long art challenge for July, where you don’t have to make any new art. Just post art you’ve already made and celebrate all you’ve accomplished.

Rules:

Share art you have already made.

Share as often as you want.

When you share, tag your art with #Drewly and #Drewly2025

I will be posting art every day of Drewly, so check back in tomorrow for something new.

Check out everything I’ve shared for past Drewly’s here: #Drewly #Drewly2022 #Drewly2023 #Drewly2024

Since you’re here, please consider supporting:

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

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

Buy a sticker: SpeakingSquid.redbubble.com

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Drewly: A chaotic mask

 A chaotic mask

Loki Mask: Cast out from Valhalla for causing chaos, Loki’s desire to cause mischief and make trouble was woven into a rough wooden mask. Whenever a person dons the mask, they are overcome with the pent-up eagerness to cause trouble.

Drewly today is another drawing that I am not fond of. Drewly isn’t about just sharing your highest achievements, its about sharing what you make, and sometimes you make something that isn’t great.

What is Drewly?

#Drewly is the month-long art challenge for July, where you don’t have to make any new art. Just post art you’ve already made and celebrate all you’ve accomplished.

Rules:

Share art you have already made.

Share as often as you want.

When you share, tag your art with #Drewly and #Drewly2025

I will be posting art every day of Drewly, so check back in tomorrow for something new.

Check out everything I’ve shared for past Drewly’s here: #Drewly #Drewly2022 #Drewly2023 #Drewly2024

Since you’re here, please consider supporting:

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

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

Buy a sticker: SpeakingSquid.redbubble.com

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Drewly: Keening

 Keening

Keening: A crystal knife that can be used, in conjunction with the rest of Kagrenac's Tools, to steal the power of a god.

Drewly day 1 starts with an important moment in my history. I was exploring the depths of a dwemer ruin deep in the Ashlands when I came upon a crystal knife floating in the center of a room. Knowing this was important, I instantly picked it up and equipped it. I then suffered a mortal wound and quickly died. Keening is too powerful to handle without the protection of the Wraithguard, and I had no idea. Morrowing had quite the learning curve.

What is Drewly, you ask?

Drewly is an art challenge for all the people who look at daily art challenges like Inktober or Swordtember and think, “I can’t finish a new piece of art every day for a month. I have responsibilities."

Rules:

Share art you have already made.

Share as often as you want.

When you share, tag your art with #Drewly and #Drewly2025

I will be posting art every day of Drewly, so check back in tomorrow for something new.

Check out everything I’ve shared for past Drewly’s here: #Drewly #Drewly2022 #Drewly2023 #Drewly2024

Since you’re here, please consider supporting:

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

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

Buy a sticker: SpeakingSquid.redbubble.com

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Four Swords Adventures: Acidic sling pots

 Acidic sling pots

Purple Royal Jewel: The final royal jewel needed to enter the Palace of Winds is guarded by a death knight in Frozen Hyrule. Link must defeat the knight to recover the jewel.

These sling pots are filled with acidic concoctions made with water from the marshes of the dead. That foul water is still strewn with the long-dead warriors of the last true army this world has ever seen. It seems their fighting spirit empowers this acidic pot to strike true and seek out any unprotected crevice.

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Elden Ring’s Alexander has been my favorite NPC in any game in a long time and I have not even played Elden Ring yet. These pots are based on the Elden Ring sling pots and the pot people pots.

I appreciate From Software’s beautiful inventory icons, but If I linger on their inventory art too much I might have to start a new project where I draw all the items in the Soulsborne games. I won't even consider that until I am fully done with all the Zelda games, which looks difficult considering two new games have come out since I started the project.

That is a great transition to the fact that this is the last item in the set based on Four Swords Adventures. Next week we will post the collected item set.

Since you're enjoying 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