take my sword and shield and listen.

"You got the Earth Element! The power of the earth is the source of all living things. The Earth Element is the embodiment of that power."

"You got the Fire Element! Flames bring light to darkness and warmth to all. The Fire Element is the embodiment of that power."

"You got the Water Element! Water quenches thirst, ends drought, and nourishes life. The Water Element is the embodiment of that power."

"You got the Wind Element! The wind carries the seeds of flowers, scattering life across the land. The Wind Element is the embodiment of that power."

i was going to respond to this with a list of quotes from him that really show how he's the grumpiest grandpa ever but then i remembered this one quote from him that goes:

"There are some strange creatures on Mount Crenel… Creatures I've never seen before, and your sword alone won't beat them! Don't give up hope, though! Try your other items on them! Well…you don't need me to tell you how to do your job. Just deal with those monsters, and I'll take care of everything else."

i think the "Well...you don't need me to tell you how to do your job" is funny and interesting in equal measure because it's such a stark contrast from other companions for links who were on the younger side (think oot link with navi and ww link with the king of red lions) at the time whose purposes were definitely more aligned with, at the very least, helping link to do his job as a hero (navi with z-targeting, the king of red lions with helping link get around and also kind of. manipulating him into becoming The Hero™). but ezlo is canonically fucking clueless about damn near everything that doesn't involve his niche realm of being a "famous minish sage" who is "renowned for his amazing creations" (according to his figurine description). like:

"A strange nut that will allow us to understand the Minish language… The Jingle Nut, did he say…? No, wait… That's not it… Ah, I remember now! It was the Jabber Nut. That's what it was… Come on, my boy! We've got to find the Jabber Nut!"

"Have you ever visited Hyrule before? What? You have? …What's it like? Not that I… I mean, I've seen it before! Of course I have! I'm very well traveled. I just wanted to see…what you thought of it!"

"So! We must infuse the White Sword with the elemental power. That means we must find the elemental sanctuary. And the way we do that is… Um… Well, I'm sure we'll figure it out!"

"So there are three books that we're supposed to return, right? Link, I'm sure you can handle it! Don't get me wrong! I'd love to help! But I'm a great Minish sage! I don't understand your big, human ways! So…I'm counting on you!"

there are a BUNCH more examples but you get my point. i just think it's really, really funny that out of the few companions that younger links had at that point in time, it's in the minish cap that said companion is like "ehhhhh i don't need to tell him what to do he's smart enough to deal with it himself. he just needs to be yelled at to stop dawdling and GET A FUCKING MOVE ON sometimes." which is also kind of exemplified by this line of ezlo's near the end of the game, too:

"We will get through this! We have all of the techniques and power you've gained in your journey! And we have your wisdom and courage as well! Link! I believe in you!"

it says a lot that he attributes not only courage to link but wisdom as well. link has so so so so so SO much personality in this game and between his own flavor text/internal dialogue when interacting with things and ezlo's running commentary on link's attitude/words/expressions/reactions to things it's SO plain to see (ex: "Link, I know this may not be a great time for it, but... I wanted to say thanks for everything you've done. I'm very grateful for-- Hm? What? You're freaked out? You're not used to me being nice!? Fine, then! Forget I said anything!"/"You're so energetic all the time… Not that I'm saying you're hyperactive or anything! I meant it as a compliment! Like…you've got a special talent for being WAY too peppy or something."). and i love it so much. it's also exemplified by this line of dialogue which is absolutely hilarious to me:

"Do you have to ask me about every single little thing?! Just figure it out for yourself, you big baby!"

anyway. for the sake of not going on a 500-year tangent about how ezlo is my number one favorite companion and the hero of the minish is my number one favorite link and how much i adore all the dialogue in it. i'll end it here. <3

BUT ALSO FUN FACT DID YOU KNOW THAT LINK ACTUALLY CANONICALLY DIDN'T BELIEVE IN THE MINISH PRIOR TO THE MINISH CAP:

if you're cold, he's cold. bring him inside!!!!

((started playing ALttP! I'm bad at it! 👌))

Not sure what happened to Navi in the end. My headcanon is that fairies for quests + healing "move on" after they fulfill their role for angst (but also because I can't imagine Navi leaving unless she had to?? that's her boy??), but regardless, I imagine Navi would dance around the topic of her departure.

my favorite thing to do in tmc is to put link and ezlo to sleep every so often

and personally i am not someone who necessarily "likes" the minish cap manga all that much. like yes i think it's a cute little story and it's fun to read for sure but it doesn't actually add anything of value to the game's story as a whole (unlike, for example, the fsa manga) + (it doesn't even include the splitting mechanic?????) so it's absolutely not something i regard as anything to draw characterizations from. HOWEVER. i did remember this line that actually really fucking reinforces my point:

Ezlo: Link! Attack him now! Link: Vaati, it's not... ...your body that makes you a monster. It's that you... ...use other people to strengthen yourself. Me? I rely on my own power!