The Speaking Squid

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, July 26, 2026

The Minish Cap: Hey kid, wanna fuse stones?

Hey kid, wanna fuse stones?

Kinstone: Collecting and fusing kinstones takes the place of the more traditional trading quest in The Minish Cap. Link collects Kinstone pieces of many colors and shapes to match perfectly with various citizens of Hyrule. Fusing kinstones unlocks treasures, areas, and opportunities. Kinstones can only be made by fusing to matching pieces.

The two halves of this stone were passed down as cherished heirlooms for generations. Eventually the families lost touch, forgot their history, and eventually became rivals. Now the youngest scions of the girding houses have found that their stones fit together perfectly, as do their hearts.

----------

Romeo and Juliet can be read as a tragic romance, or it can be read as two foolish lovers go way too far in the tumultuous inflation stage.

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:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, July 19, 2026

The Minish Cap: We are gonna stay BFFs forever!

We are gonna stay BFFs forever!

Kinstone Piece: Kinstone fusion is a mighty force for change in the Minish Cap and Link needs the right piece to fuse kinstones at the right time. Kinstone pieces come in four different colors and various different shapes. Link is gifted pieces, finds pieces, buys pieces, and sometimes earns new pieces for fusing Kinstone pieces.

Others might say they are going to be best friends forever and mean like a really long time. I mean forever when I say forever. These charms link two souls together permanently, or as long as they are intact.

----------

Being a BFF is a serious commitment, but sharing art for Drewly doesn’t have to be.

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:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, July 12, 2026

The Minish Cap: Azure Transformo

Azure Transformo

Joy Butterfly: These rare butterflies can only be discovered after Link fuses Kintstones with the three traveling oracles visiting Hyrule. Fusing Kinstones with each unlocks a unique breed of butterfly that confers a speed bonus to a specific skill when caught. Link must go out into the Castor Wilds and catch the butterflies to gain the bonus.

The only reason this butterfly is rare is because it was hunted to near extinction for its lustrous blue wings. The butterflies’ iridescent blue wings have no special properties, but were a fashion must have for a few seasons. Tastes change and fads fade, but the astronomical demand for butterfly wings was an almost permanent end for the delicate creatures.

----------

Getting heavy handed with my save the planet subtext. Go read the Lorax, but make sure to get it used, there are enough copies out there for you to find one.

Drewly continues, but so does out normal Sunday posting. I post an item card representing an item from a Zelda game every Sunday. Right now we are working on The Minish Cap. Come back tomorrow for more Drewly posts and check in next week for more Zelda items.

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:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, July 5, 2026

The Minish Cap: Undeniable proof of concerning the existence of the divine

Undeniable proof of concerning the existence of the divine

JabberNut: Eating this special nut allows a person to instantly understand and speak the Minish language of the Picori. Link can find it in the Minish Village, allowing him to speak with the small folk discreetly living throughout Hyrule.

This strange fish feeds on subconscious mental emanations and excretes universal gestalt meaning radiation. Practically this means that if someone were to put one of these in their ear, they would instantly be able to understand any language spoken near them by sentient beings. The chances of such a creature evolving into such a specific niche on its own are so astronomically low that some evolutionary philosophers point to these fish as undeniable proof that God exists, but others disagree.

----------

I have still not read the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe. I have a few friends that would probably throw a copy at me if they knew.

Normally, I just post a new item card every Sunday. Right now I am posting the item cards I drew based on the items in The Minish Cap. Once Drewly is over, make sure to check in every Sunday for a new item you can add to your game.

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:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, June 28, 2026

The Minish Cap: A glass casket

A glass casket

Heart Container: Link’s health increases a full heart and heals fully when he picks up a heart container in his travels. Generally, heart containers are only earned by defeating the boss monsters guarding the end of a dungeon, but there is only additional heart containers in the Minish Cap that can be earned through fusing Kin stones.

Returning from another day of toil, the mountain folk found their adoptee dead from a bite of poison apple. Unable to accept the loss of their young ward, the miners crafted a casket of glass and gold placed atop a block of marble scribed with runes that allow it to forestall any decay. The body will stay pristine for as long as the block is unbroken and the casket is left closed.

----------

Here July is Drewly, they rhyme, and Drewly is only 3 days away. 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. Share whatever work you’d like, however you’d like to share. Celebrate yourself and others, and bask in the radiance of all the hard work.

If you participate in Drewly 2026, tag your posts #Drewly #Drewly2026 #Drewly26.

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

See all my Drewly posts here.

How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, June 21, 2026

The Minish Cap: A heart of stone

A heart of stone

Heart: Link gets hurt a lot while adventuring, at least he seems to when I am playing, and so he needs to heal those wounds with these hearts. He can find hearts just about anywhere, cutting long grass, digging a hole, breaking a pot, and anywhere else he might find a small bit of treasure.

Freeing a proud djinn from the thrall of a wicked sorcerer earned the warrior three wishes. Wishing for invulnerability from harm, the djinn made their body impervious to any injury and the warrior's heart hardened against any loss. But a heart that cannot break is a heart that cannot love, so the stoic warrior wanders eternally with their djinn companion who cannot convince the warrior to make their final wishes.

----------

I made my own booster packs! Check them out on my Patreon of Ko-Fi. The process of designing and making the boosters with randomly selected cards that I made was very satisfying.

Drewly is next month. It’s a month-long challenge to celebrate art you have already made. No need to rush to make a bunch of new art, just post your art as is. Finished or not, the act of creation is worth celebrating, so celebrate everything you have already done.

You can see posts of Drewly’s past here.

How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, June 14, 2026

The Minish Cap: A colorful shooting star

A colorful shooting star

Green Rupee: Green rupees are the gold standard of the Hyrulean economy. Almost every transaction is made with these simple green gems. Link can buy just about anything with rupees, if he has enough. It is a wonder the economy functions, since Link can find them in tall grass, loose soil, under rocks, in vases, and just sitting about some rooms.

The shooting star felt lucky when you spotted it and wished for things to change on your boring old farm. It felt less lucky when the sickly green thing crashed into your yard with a mysterious glow. Could be the glow is a malign alien intelligence from beyond the stars, or it could be that it’s just radioactive, but either way it can’t be good for you and the farm.

----------

The Colour Out of Space by H.P. lovecraft is an interesting read. I was pleasantly surprised that the recent-ish Nicolas Cage adaptation felt sufficiently horrible.

Drewly is coming…

How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, June 7, 2026

The Minish Cap: A dandelion gone to seed

A dandelion gone to seed

Green Kinstone: Green Kinstones are the base model for Kinstone fusion. Combing one of Link’s pieces with a person’s piece from around Hyrule usually unlocks a minor treasure or a new opportunity for adventure, often in the form of a rarer Kinstone piece for more fusing. Link can find these Kinstone pieces while by cutting grass. Slaying enemies, digging holes, and anywhere else he’d normally find a rupee or a heart.

Find a flower, gone to seed

Make a wish and fate may heed

Intention’s power, vision’s clear

So many fish and beggars cheer

----------

I often say, “if wishes were fishes…” assuming people know the phrase, “If wishes were fishes, we’d all swim in riches. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” Many don’t, but now you do.

Go find a dandelion and make a wish, you never know if it may came true.

How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, May 31, 2026

The Minish Cap: Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Red Kinstone: Kinstones are found broken and fusing matched pairs of kinstones with the people Link meets on his journey unlocks boons, treasure, and new places to explore. Fusing red kinstones often changes something about the world. A person is inspired, a pathway opens, or a treasure appears somewhere else.

Happy birthday to you

Haaaappy birthday to *insert name of loved one here*

Happy birthday to you

----------

My Kinstone drawings are mostly things to make wishes as wishing is such a core part of fairy tales.

My older kid loves these drawings more than almost any other that I have made because they can play blowing birthday candles out and then they magically relight. Their love for these makes these drawings some of my favorites from this set.

If you can do anything creative. Share it with your kids early, they will be impressed and tell everyone about your amazing skills.

How to support me: