diminishcap-blog

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Shadowboxing [Closed]

The last thing Link expected to see when he went out for a walk today was someone wielding what looked like the long-lost object of his quest.

The fact this person looks like him, albeit with different hair and clothes, is something Link hasn’t realized yet from the distance he notices him.

“(The Four Sword...!)” Link whispers under his breath.

“(And he’s using it to clean his teeth!)”

Ezlo can’t believe it either. To think he’d live to see the day when the Picori Blade — the sacred gift of his people — was used for such a despicable act!

Apparently, Link’s whispering at a less-than-subtle volume, as the figure starts to turn towards him. Link hides behind a nearby tree.

The hero finds himself low on defenses, wielding only the Sword of Nerf. His current substitute shield is a cardboard box labeled Angelo’s Pizza; he’s given it a cardboard strap.

When he thinks he hears the figure approaching, Link jumps out with his sword raised and swings it in down in a dramatic attempt to knock the Four Sword out of their hands!

“Hyaaaahhh!”

@dxrkestmirror​

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flynni‌:

Blink.

Blink.

“Kid, I think your hat is broken. Might want to get that checked out.”

“I’m not a hat, I’m—!! ...” Ezlo stops himself partway. To explain himself to a random person is just too long a story to tell.

“It’s okay,” Link replies for him. “I’m taking him to the cleaners today."

Ezlo quips, “Very funny, Link. Like I’d get in a machine with a ‘spin cycle’ mode...”

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“Really! Well, I’ll have you know I was quite the playboy in my day. Not many a Minish could resist my wit and whimsy at singles’ night!”

Link groans loudly. He doesn’t see why he has to be part of this conversation. He’s probably going to take Ezlo off his head so he can stomp off somewhere else.

“It’s almost the day of hearts and may I just warn you all,”

“I’ll win.”

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zhantirii‌:

zhan tiri needs to commit and make a quick judgement to who she shall frame herself to be. no doubt she could wear many masks, none of them too laborious to put on and presume. in part, its not far enough from the truth: zhan tiri was a worshipped dark cult figurehead on a level higher than nobility– zhan tiri was akin to a demonic go͖d͓̰ͅ of chaos and suffering.

playing royalty would be simple.

“fear not, i believe in your enthusiasm and encourage you to provide the love that i cannot. as for the rest: i was a princess, once. long ago.”

she lied and put on her best performance, a master in her craft.

“as it may appear, it’s been long since i’ve stood in court.”

Ezlo squints at her for a second, but then he lets out a sudden gasp, as though he just remembered how to act in the presence of royalty.

“Your Royal Highness!” He bows his head as gracefully as a bird-hat can. “(Go on, Link. Be a gentleman!)” he mutters under his breath to the lad.

Link, who had been continuing to stare breathlessly at the noble ghost — almost as though he’d been projecting Zelda’s face onto her own — remembers himself, his duties as a hero, and his duties to Zelda’s family. He bows his head as Ezlo does in addition to taking a knee.

Ezlo says, “I’m afraid a darkness has befallen the kingdom of Hyrule, Your Grace. My wayward pupil aims to drain the light force from your family.” 

“Surely, being a former member of Hyrulean royalty, you’re familiar with the legend of what they call the Picori?”

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goobuster‌:

Their new aquaintance doesn’t seem to think that a “gob of slime” is a very good gift, and Gooigi looks somewhat self consciously at the new, gooey plane in Link’s hands. …the boy still seems to be enjoying himself, though, so Gooigi doesn’t see anything wrong with giving out slime. He wants to meet a Chuchu. Unless– maybe they’re like ghosts? A little mischievous? Shocking people doesn’t sound very nice. Gooigi’s been hit by King Boo’s odd energy before– it doesn’t seem like this blue creature is much different. Gooigi thinks that maybe there will always be a bully or two around, no matter what species you are.

“ ! ”

Even more surprising than the idea of other slime-like creatures is the fact that this bird has met Toads. It’s far more specific, and although Gooigi doesn’t know if Toads live in mushroom houses (he’s never been to any of their towns) he knows they’re little mushrooms themselves, and that’s good enough for him.

“ ᑭ - ᴘ - ᑶ ꜟ ⅽ ᑦ ᵒ ﺍ ᵢ    ƒ ᶸ η 𝚐 ի ꜟ !   ҉  ” They hold their hand out flat around the level of their chest, indicating the height of the Toads they had met. “ … ɳ ₒ ᵗ .  ዘ ᵉ ᵣ ₑ .  ദ ᶸ 𝚝  ꜧ ₒ ጣ ₑ .  ധ ᵉ … ⍺ ᵣ ₑ … ⨍ ᵣ ₒ ᶬ …  ﻛ ₐ ጦ ᵉ ….. … .. ⍴ ا ₐ ⅽ ᵉ ?  𐍅 ₒ ᶸ   𐌊 η ᵒ ᐜ  乚 ᓑ ᵢ 𝚐 ꜟ ,  ᥑ η ժ .  𐍅 ₒ ᵤ  ₐ ᵣ ₑ .  ധ ի ٥ ? ”

Ezlo is sure he heard a “Picori” in there, the name humans have for his diminutive kind, though the height they suggest is completely off unless they’ve shrunken to Minish size.

“Luigi? Can’t say that I’ve heard of them before. How about you, Link?”

Link shakes his head. The goo is wearing out again, so he offers it back to Gooigi along with an appreciative grin.

“Ah, but let me introduce myself! My name is Ezlo, and this is Link. We’re actually on an important quest to break a curse upon our land.”

“Have you, by chance, seen a sacred blade or a wicked sorcerer roaming about? We’ll need the first to defeat the second, but, well... we lost the first, you see.”

Link nods sadly, then unsheathes the Sword of Nerf for Gooigi to see. It looks more like a training sword or a children’s toy than a legendary blade.

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badknifedad‌:

He falls a bit silent for a second. It seems like what happened to his ‘apprentice’ was something worse than not talking for a good four-or-five years. And that’s hard to top, even by Robert’s standards. Parenting is hard, no matter where you are on that spectrum– actual familial parenting or some sort of pseudo-parenting. Never gets easier.

When they’re young, they find new creative ways to kill themselves. Then they get older and you have to teach them all the hard morally grey areas. Then they form independent thoughts and learn things and, if you did your job wrong in the first few steps, you’re fucked for life. Because that’s all it takes to make your daughter hate you.

“Doesn’t get easier either. I’m having a hard time being around my kid– turns out being ignored for four or five years doesn’t make talking easier either.” She’s not a kid anymore, she’s an adult, but she still feels like that spunky kid who gave him the oddly-shaped scar on his chest ( the big one, not the other ones ) from a bicycle accident. “I always feel like I’m gonna mess it up. I haven’t been sober in over a week and I can’t talk to her now. She must think I… abandoned her or something.”

He goes to take another sip of the drink, in poor taste, and makes a face when he does. It’s worse now- it’s just funky water at this point. So he puts it back on the table again and makes a mental note to make sure to finish it before going so deep into whittling. “Do you want it? Because I don’t. You can just have it, kid.” 

“Mm.” Ezlo bobs his head, taking Robert’s words to heart. Perhaps if he had been kinder to Vaati, he wouldn’t have turned out the way he did. 

Link takes a sip of the offered drink. They don’t have mocha frappes in Hyrule, so even one that’s watered down is a new experience to him. 

“...! It’s good!” It’s really good! He downs the rest of the drink at record speed, like a potion he’d quaff in the middle of battle when his hearts are running low.

Link wipes his mouth off with his sleeve and gives the stranger a grateful bow. Ezlo is equally appreciative to see his companion in better spirits.

“Thanks!” says Link. “Don’t worry, mister! We can totally help you find your daughter!”

“Indeed!” says Ezlo. “But I think we ought to know both this man’s name and his daughter’s, hm?”

Whittle While You Work [Closed]

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Link was similarly mystified by his new surroundings in Spirale. He gawks as he walks, staring up at the — towers? — on either side of the city streets. Save for the Tower of the Wind Tribe, perhaps, Link never seen buildings this tall before, though any building could look this way when he viewed them from Minish size.

Ezlo may be on lookout duty, but he’s a bit distracted as well, and he can’t stop Link from falling over when someone runs right into him.

 “I say!” he squawks, “Does no one else watch where they’re going in this town?!”

“(Quiet, Ezlo,)” Link mutters back. He accepts the stranger’s offered hand. Once back on his feet, he dusts off his tunic and tips Ezlo like a tip of his hat.

“Hmph,” says Ezlo. “And I still say you should be more careful where you walk. Where are you off to such a hurry? I daresay you aren’t on a quest...”

“aah…everything here seems so strange.”

dune was wandering the streets of the city, trying to get a handle on his new surroundings. it was definitely not what he was used to, but to be honest the assortment of strange-looking people reminded him a lot of home. thinking of home made him a little misty-eyed, and he wasn’t paying attention as he turned a corner and ran straight into what looked like a little blond boy with quite the interesting hat. “are you alright? i’m so sorry!” he apologized profusely, offering the child a hand up.

(starter for @diminishcap​)

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Give Me a Sign [Closed]

There were two main reasons Link and Ezlo decided to go to the library today. First, to see if they could discover the whereabouts of the Town Minish, and second, for a book so Ezlo could understand the conversations between Link and his friend.

So far, they’d been coming up short on locating Librari or any of his students. In fact, the library showed no sign of any Minish presence at all. There was no pitter-patter of little feet, no miniature ladders carved into book spines... but, as Ezlo had said before, the Minish people could be hard to find.

On the second front, they found the book they were after: Spiralean Sign Language: A Go-To Guide. However, it appeared that the last remaining copy was in the hands of someone else.

This person is most definitely an adult, so Link’s already under pressure. Ezlo gives Link’s back a nudge with his beak and whispers, “(Well? Go on, Link. Don’t be shy.)”

With a gulp, Link slowly approaches the stranger. He feels less like a hero and more like a kid asking their teacher if he has permission to go use the bathroom in the middle of a test.

“Can... Can I see that book when you’re done?” He manages to get out the words.

“(Good work, lad.)” Ezlo tries to remain still, though his beak moves slightly as he encourages Link.

@paaperboats​​​

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Switcheroo! (it's one of those legendary kids...?)

Ah. Cucuzzi. That one I can almost vaguely remember. Not only was his pants also his boots, but his shirt was also his gloves.

He had a bird, I think. A little thing, not something he could use in heroic duties and the like. I never saw it but they spoke of it from time to time.

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wumpaiism‌:

Crash nods when the other says what he is out loud,the smile never leaving his face as the two had a small convo for a moment before Ezlo straightened himself out to introduce himself properly to the Bandicoot.

Green eyes light up as the other tells Crash about him,a slight look of wonder on his face for a moment before his eyes soon glance over to Link as he spots the other sign over to him. Letting out s quiet snicker,the marsupial happily signs back to him.

‘ A Bandicoot is a animal native to Australia,so not many people know about it! ‘ He signs as a smile formed onto his face. Oh he could talk about his friends for hours and hours honestly…..But for now,Crash thinks it would be best to tell Link about his family to keep the other from getting bored…..As well as not wanting to tire his hands out from signing too much.

‘ I have a brother and sister! My brother is called Crunch while my sister is named Coco….We adopted Crunch into our family a few years ago after some,well lets say misadventure we had ‘

Link makes a concentrated effort to let Ezlo in on the conversation. As fun as it is to have his own thing, he doesn’t want Ezlo to feel completely left out.

“He says he’s from... Aus-tra-lia?” Link only knows how it’s spelled, not said.

Ezlo says, “Aus-tra-lia? Never heard of it. But if it’s anywhere that humans are, I’m sure he’s heard of the Minish before. Or perhaps he knows them as Picori?”

“Coco and Crunch,” Link says out loud, “Those’re his siblings.” Ezlo goes, “Ah.” He doesn’t do much but nod in response, so Link goes back to signing at Crash.

‘I don’t have any brothers or sisters. Ezlo’s like an adopted dad, I guess. What’s it like to grow up with siblings?’ He’s genuinely curious.

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 goobuster‌:

The bird-like hat is correct; Link does seem to be enjoying himself, and Gooigi feels a warm rush of pride at the realization. They’ve successfully extrapolated from previous experience and interacted well with a real, living human kid. They never could have done something like that back when they had only been Goo– they’ve come a long way since their creation, and they’re sure that E. Gadd would be impressed if he could see them now.

The plane is holding up admirably, but without Pixelator data to help it keep its form, it’s beginning to get a little runny at the edges. Gooigi hastily makes a replacement and holds it out for Link to take whenever his current toy becomes unusable.

He’s distracted, though, by what the other creature has to say. Kinder than the ones he knows? Does he just mean people in general, or has he met something like Gooigi before?

Gooigi shakes his head. When he finally responds verbally, there’s a note of cautious hope in his tone:

“ Ⲕ η ₒ ⍵ …  ٥ ᵗ ɦ ₑ ᵣ   ᶬ ᵉ ? ”

The goo loses form in Link’s hands fairly quickly, and seeing Gooigi offer a replacement, he’s happy to exchange the worn-out plane for a fresher one instead.

“I do, in a sense. Where I come from, they’re mainly known as ‘Chuchus’ or ‘Zols.’ Though the only gift you’d get from them is a gob of slime upon your back...”

“And that big blue one can give you a shock. Remember that, Link? Real nasty one, that.”

Link is spinning the plane’s propeller. He’s seen these parts in other contraptions, but never one put together like this! It takes him a moment to remember to nod.

Ezlo shakes his head as Link continues to play. He guesses the novelty will wear off soon, but it’s good to see him take an interest in things that children are meant to pursue.

“Ah, the youth. But I digress. If you haven’t seen other Chuchus around, then perhaps you’ve seen small woodland creatures in little mushroom houses, hm?”

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“(Link, is that...)”

Ezlo hardly needs to say it for Link to understand what he means. Link’s jaw drops open and his shoulders rise at the ghostly girl in front of him.

Both Link and Ezlo have encountered ghosts, that part is hardly new to them — they’ve fought with them, fused Kinstones with them, and even met a former king.

But the part that has Link short on breath and makes his heart nearly skip a beat is her noble appearance like Princess Zelda, a friend he thought was almost dead.

Ezlo, due to his age and wisdom, is inherently more skeptical, and he squints a bit at her comment on birds. She can’t be blamed for thinking that way.

“Well, I suppose I’ll have to be a fan enough for both of us.”

“But who might you be, little miss? A royal family member, perhaps?.”

@diminishcap​

children were corruptible, like puddy in one’s hands… but they had their own faults that also made them irrepressible and unmanageable. as tools they were finicky and too unpredictable. in short, zhan tiri was not too much of a fan, herself. much like the 

that being said, she’d taken her form for a very particular purpose: humans trust children as pinnacles of innocence. zhan tiri hardly identified herself– a nearly ageless demonic sorcerer– with childlike play. Instead, she bore her tiny frame with dignity and strange maturity that almost outed her as something that she was not. although her ghost-like appearance was a useful marker of not what she seems.

it mystified her pleasantly.

“im not much of a fan of birds, frankly.” not at all. “it’s quite unfortunate, i know.”

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✎ kids up to trouble!

Send a ✎  and I’ll draw your muse! (Accepting!)

what are you planning to do with those, kids?

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badknifedad‌:

He sets the duck-friend-figure ( who looks rather dashing, he must say ) aside on the table, taking his drink and mixing it around a bit with the straw- some of the ice has melted by now- and taking a sip. It’s watered down as hell but he doesn’t mention it, placing back on the table. The kid is eccentric, kinda like Craig’s kids ( they’re the sport kids, right? ).

“Heh. Yeah. Monster hunting. I wouldn’t call a cryptid a monster, they’re all deserving of love, but she did hunt with me. She was cooler than a block of ice.” The knife goes into his leather pocket and he zips it closed. He reaches for a toothpick he carved earlier ( aptly named “tough guy accessory” by [DADSONA] ) and puts it in his mouth. He can imagine, as the name suggests, that it is making him look like a tough guy.

“She was even cooler than me. We used to do all sorts of things together. Cryptid hunting, drinking, sneaking into movie theatres. We were quite the team.” And a nuisance, as most people would say, but never mind about that. It’s so much easier to talk to children about these things. “We didn’t stop until we had Val, my daughter. Or, uh, I think we didn’t stop even after Val. I dunno, that was years ago. Being pregnant sucks; don’t let anybody tell you having kids is ‘worth it’ when all they do is cry and then go to college and hate you.”

“She doesn’t hate me anymore, of course. My girl is as wild a soul as me when it comes to rebelling. Marilyn’s probably real proud of her for inheriting my… interesting personality, we’ll say.”

Since this isn’t gushy romance stuff in the way most grown-ups talk about it, but a real-life story from a pretty cool artist, Link’s a lot more interested now. Even if, say, he doesn’t know exactly what a “movie theater” is, he knows how to sneak into certain places, so he nods along with an eager expression.

On the topic of rebellious children, Ezlo nods sagely like the elder he is. Though he may not have hands or a beard to stroke, one could get the impression he would if he did.

“Ah, yes. I know too well the ups and downs of raising youth. Quite troublesome, but they’re well worth it as long as they stay on the path of good.”

“My apprentice... well, my boy, in a sense, has gone past the point of what I’d call rebellion. I know not what your daughter did, but at least you were able to make amends.”

Link, who had been trying to avoid the subject of Ezlo’s apprentice — his eager expression had begun to fade some point into the discussion on kids — distracts himself by staring at the fancy coffee this man has. It looks like Link wants to have a taste, if just to take his mind off things.

Whittle While You Work [Closed]

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wumpaiism‌:

The marsupial nods as the other signs his name back,letting out a small giggle at the motion the other made before nodding again. Y’know,Crash never really thought about who gave him that name….Was it Cortex? Aku?Himself? That was a question for another day,for now he might as well make a new friend here!

He looks over to Ezlo as he speaks,a hand rubbing at his chin for a moment. A bomb expert? Well the hat would probably be interested in TNT and Nitro crates so whenever they have the chance to talk about that stuff Crash will defiantly mention them! He then watches what the other was signing again,giving a gentle nod as he understood what the other was saying. 

‘ Friend from a journey? That is pretty cool! I’ve made a few friends from my journeys ‘ And a lot of enemies too…..One of which was on this island too….However as the other mimics a bird,the Bandicoot couldn’t help but mimic it back for a moment before giving a gentle nod at the sign for elf.

‘ That is interesting! To some,I look like a dog apparently. But I’m actually a Bandicoot! ‘

Great. Now Ezlo has two people making bird jokes at his expense. As much as he’s grown fond of the boy, sometimes he drives him up the wall.

“A bandicoot?” Link says out loud.

“Abandon a what now?” Ezlo squawks in response.

“Uh, I mean... Ezlo, this is Crash. I guess people mix him up for a dog?”

“Ah, in that case...” Ezlo straightens himself out and stands up tall for a proper introduction. A cat may be a nuisance to Minish, but a dog was certainly fine company!

“Salutations, Crash! My name is Ezlo, and while I may be mistaken for a simple bird, I’m actually a Minish sage of great renown!” (Cue sparkle effects.)

Link doesn’t want to steal Ezlo’s thunder and say he’s already been introduced, so he just grins and signs to Crash, ‘Tell me more about your friends.’

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wumpaiism‌:

Crash had recovered from worse so shaking off this was no big deal from the Bandicoot. Once he had finished signing,the orange marsupial noticed the others eyes light up as well as the others hat tilt it’s head to the side. The others sudden burst of excitement caused the Bandicoot’s ears to twitch for a moment before a wide grin was on his own face when the other signed back at him.

So there are people here that knew sign language! He didn’t have to worry about having to do hand motions and slight noises to get his message across….Or try to find a pen and paper to write what he wanted to say. He watches what the other signs to him,giving a understanding nod to the motion Link used to describe his name.

His green eyes look back other to the hat-who he now knows is called Ezlo- and lets out a small chuckle at the others description of them.

‘ It is nice to meet you Link and Ezlo! My name is C-R-A-S-H ‘ He too,signs his name individually so it would be easy for the other to catch,his hands gently shaking with giddiness for a moment before continuing to sign.

‘ I’m used to chatty people! My father figure is a talking mask who chats a lot too! Ezlo will not bother me much hah! ‘

‘C-R-A-S-H,’ Link signs back, practicing the motions for his new friend’s name. ‘Is that like,’ he makes the sign for a collision, but follows it up with an explosion-like “plowwww.”

“Are you two talking about bombs, Link?” Ezlo asks from atop Link’s head. Link shakes his head, and Ezlo goes, “Oh. Well, tell me when you are! I happen to be quite the expert, you know.”

Father… figure? Link thinks to himself. It takes him a moment to make the connection between the talking mask and the talking hat. Has Link ever thought of him as a dad? He doesn’t think that he ever has.

‘Ezlo’s not my dad,’ Link signs. ‘I live with my grandpa next to town. Ezlo is a friend from a journey.’ A journey he hasn’t finished yet.

‘Ezlo looks like—’ he cups his hands to his mouth and goes, “Caw! Caw!” for the heck of it, ‘but he is really—’ he makes a sign for ‘elf,’ though to Link’s perspective, he’s not saying ‘elf.’

Ezlo might not know sign language, much less have hands to communicate, but he knows when he’s being talked about. “I don’t respond to bird calls, Link!”

[diminishcap-blog]

goobuster‌:

“ ! ”

That hat is no hat at all! It’s a creature of some sort, one Gooigi hadn’t noticed before, and they lean back slightly as it moves forward. It’s strange, but it’s not the one holding a sword, so it’s probably safe.

Gooigi carefully relinquishes the plane. The separated goo sags a bit at the edges before bouncing back into the toy’s shape, watching the child– Link?– from its place on his trash can lid. It’s this goo’s job to stay in formation, now; Gooigi’s main form takes its newfound freedom from the struggle of shapeshifting to get a better look at the being atop Link’s head.

He can’t make sense of it. In the end, Gooigi decides to simply accept it as a brand new creature, and offers it a little wave. It’s good that this child has someone with him, Gooigi thinks. Maybe this Not-Hat is something like a father? Gooigi’s own creator is not of the same species as they are, after all; it’s not impossible that these two strangers have a similar relationship.

Judging by their reaction to Ezlo, they couldn’t have been native to the Minish Woods. Ezlo should know, having been chased by the forest’s monsters before meeting Link. A Chuchu wouldn’t have expressed such (figurative) shock or self-awareness either, he thinks, as they were rather doddering creatures — but terrifying when encountered at Minish size!

Link tests the stickiness of the goo by tilting his shield from side to side. The plane’s little wheels roll back and forth, putting a smile on Link’s face.

“It looks like you’re having fun,” says Ezlo as Link tests the goo with his bare hand. He pokes it first, then scoops it up and makes whooshing sounds as he waves it around.

“I say, you’re quite the unusual fellow, but you’re much kinder than the ones I know. Are there any more of you folks in the woods?” Chuchumans? Goomen? Whatever you’d call them.