December 30, 2023: The Curious Countdown: Number 3 – A-Sworded Accoutrements

Hello, friends! We're deep in our curious countdown, as we begin the "final three" – this time looking at number 3 itself. (And if you missed the previous seven installments, the first post can fill you in on what we're doing here.)

There are certain items we sell for which I cannot do much more justice than literally copy-paste the title and walk away. Like, Octopus Pin – Three Broadswords. I didn't even know we were selling this cutie until I started poking around for candidates for my countdown project. And, look what a search for "three" turned it up. It is – indeed – an octopus pin, and the octopus in question is indeed wielding three broadswords.

You have the image. You have the title. There's nothing I can do to make this more appealing, and honestly my biggest fear is that you'll be unable to click and buy this pin because I will have purchased a jillion of them by furiously clicking "Add to Cart" each time I go back to that tab to research it.

I guess I can give a bit more detail on it: This art is from the exceptionally well-received revival of The Fantasy Trip. It was illustrated by the inimitable Liz Danforth. And it's an octopus that is holding about two or three more broadswords than I can comfortably wield.

Anyway, I'm not sure if the curious countdown can possibly live up to "Octopus Pin - Three Broadswords," because few four-word phrases in my life can compare with that. Still, I'll do what I can, as we wrap up with the final two installments. In the meantime, if this post has inspired you to adopt your own triple-threat octopus, please feel free to share your experiences on the forums.

-- Steven Marsh