Quality sleep can be difficult to come by. Sometimes stress greedily nibbles at the edges of our minds, keeping us just lucid enough to not fully rest. Other times, our brains refuse to calm down and run rampant like toddlers who’ve had too much sugar, causing us to jump at every bump and creak in the night. Deep, peaceful rest can also be ruined suddenly and without warning. Daniel-Link captures Link and Ezlo from The Minish Cap in this tenuous moment between dreams and nightmare in his art titled “Sweet Dreams.”
In the bottom center of the picture, Link and Ezlo lay quietly sleeping on the ground. The green-clad hero is curled into the fetal position, his eyes calm and peaceful. He’s like the Hylian equivalent of an adorable sleeping cat. Ezlo’s positioning only adds to the cavity-inducing cuteness because he’s wrapped around Link’s sleeping form with his head resting on the hero’s little bottom. The way Ezlo covers nearly Link’s whole body from head to rump turns Ezlo into a cozy blanket, keeping Link safe and betraying the love he hides beneath his gruff, nagging exterior.
The most dominant image in this art is the towering toadstool that looms over Link and Ezlo. It arches over the miniature pair, keeping them safe from the thunderstorm that rages in the background. The two most interesting details about the toadstool are actually its coloring and the raindrop dripping dangerously towards Link. The drop is hanging right over Link’s bottom and Ezlo’s top, slowly creeping towards the moment of ruined sleep. This rude awakening is telegraphed by the coloring of the toadstool. It bears the signature colors of Vaati, the evil Minish sorcerer. In the same way that Vaati was once a kind and helpful Minish apprentice before turning to evil, this toadstool appears to be benevolent but hides a slippery sinisterness that threatens to destroy Link and Ezlo’s rest.
Daniel-Link’s art initially appears to merely be a cute picture of the sleeping Hylian hero, but a closer analysis reveals a compelling use of color. Vaati’s influence rages everywhere, threatening both Link’s physical safety and his rest. As the seconds tick by, Link and Ezlo edge closer and closer to a rough night and an early morning.
