The Speaking Squid

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, April 5, 2026

The Minish Cap: A tragic wishing well

A tragic wishing well

Blue Rupee: This lustrous blue rupee is worth 500% the value of its simple green cousins. Five rupees can’t get you much, but they quickly add up for Link during his travels since he finds them in grass, dirt, rocks, chests, rewards, and gifts.

This used to be a wishing well that folks from all over would come to and try to sway the whims of fate. One tragic night, a person was drowned in the wells auspicious waters. Ever since that night, the well has been cursed and the surrounding lands haunted by vengeful spirits.

New child adjustment continues. Not a lot of sleep over here. If you want to help, find someone who is going through a difficult transition and offer them help without the expectation of a thank you.

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Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, March 22, 2026

The Minish Cap: A hut perched atop a chicken leg

A hut perched atop a chicken leg

Big Wallet: Big wallets are upgrades to the total amount of rupees Link can hold at once during his adventures in the Minish Cap. He can buy one, earn one through kinstone fusion, and is given one as a reward from a Great Fairy. After Link gathers all three, he will be able to carry a total of 999 rupees.

All the people living along the edge of the forest know the story of the witch and her hut that stalks through the woods on a great pair of chicken legs. When the hut settles on a new roost, it settles down onto the ground, hiding its great legs and appearing like an unassuming refugee nestled in the darkness of the deep woods. While the witch is not necessarily evil, she is rarely kind, and her gifts always come with conditions, so it is often wisest to avoid the house entirely if you spot it in your travels.

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If you were to randomly draw this from a loot deck, I’d probably say it was a carved token in the image of the hut or I would say you haven’t found any item, but something or someone has noticed you and then find a way to introduce the baba yaga or another witch or hag into your game.

I love hags as characters and influencers. Ravel Mazewell was one of my favorite parts of Planescape: Torment. I always look for ways to sneak hags and covens and witches into my games and worlds.

Speaking of hags, Kristi Noem did immeasurable harm to families, one very impactful way to help ease some of the suffering she directed is to donate funds to rental assistance programs helping people pay their bills while hiding from the government. You can donate to a community assistance fund supporting neighbors in Minneapolis here.

How to support me:

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Sunday, February 15, 2026

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.

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