Oracles of S.E.A

I'm so excited to be announcing the new project that I'll be working on for the next year!  

Oracles of S.E.A

Oracles of S.E.A is an Oracle deck and book that features folklore, mythology, and legends from all 11 countries in South East Asia. With this project, we hope to highlight the diverse and marvelous legends from S.E.A. This deck will be illustrated & designed by me and it will be written by Sha Roose. (more collaberators to come in the future.)    

A little about Sha!

Sha Roose is PWD living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and is a Creative. Her primary field is Interior Design and Architecture, a labour of love which involves a lot of creation of narratives within the built environment to create habitable space. This helps her visualise the use of spaces more effectively and is a process that she feels can be implemented in more than one discipline. She plays a lot of Dungeons and Dragons as well as dabbles in many creative pursuits which include this project! You can find her here: Twitter | Instagram  

 

 

Here's a preview of the new project:

Tales of Kusu Island

It was an early morning where two fishermen, Abdul and Kong, were being spoken to by the Portmaster and neither men were happy at the choices they were given -- share a sampan or forgo their livelihood for the day. Both men were outraged at having to share the boat as it meant having to split their bounty but after arguing for sometime, they begrudgingly took the sampan and headed out to sea, bickering continuously.

 

Deep beneath the water, a colossal turtle was awakened by the loud noises of the men fighting as they approached its resting area. It shook its head at the commotion and went back to rest, hoping the men would leave as soon as it sensed that a storm was coming. The pair above the ocean were so entwined in their argument that they did not notice the weather changing rapidly before them

 

Minutes pass and the winds get stronger, pushing the waves higher and violently rocking the boat as heavy rain cascades down onto the two men as they continue their petty arguments. Suddenly, an angry flash of lightning descends nearby bringing a thunderous roar. Both stop, pale and frightened, finally understanding their predicament. Too late were they in working together to get back to safety and unable to fight against the raging waves harried by the thunderous calls.   With one forceful swell, the small wooden boat was crushed by the heavy waters and capsized. Kong had managed to hold onto a pitece of wreckage during the chaos and stay afloat. He searched around for his fishing partner and found him tangled in the fishing nets, slowly sinking into the depths.   Despite their previous disagreements, Kong dove down into the ocean in an attempt to rescue Abdul. He painstakingly unraveled the nets and finding himself tangled in the process. Once freed, Abdul noticed that Kong was in the same situation as he was prior and proceeded to help Kong. Both of the fishermen struggled hard and their lungs ached from the lack of oxygen.

 

The turtle below watched as the situation played out above him. Moved by the pair’s willingness to help each other despite their initial animosity, it decided to save their lives. The turtle carried the men on top of it’s ancient shell, bursting through the waters and bringing the men to safety, slowly transforming into an island. The fisherman gulped in the salty air as they surfaced, passing out immediately from fatigue.  

 

When the fisherman awoke, both found themselves stranded on a beach, the sun now shining on their faces and a boat slowly coming towards them for rescue. From then on, the Island was named after the turtle and many still go there to give thanks in their own way.