Naydra has really long nails... fingernails? ...toenails? ...or maybe just claws. Or claw nails. 

.

Is there any au specific info about the golden goddess’s or hylia and demise (I really like your btw)

I got stuff the golden goddesses’ dragon counterparts hope that’s ok

With Dinnral, the gorons and rito view her very highly.

The Gorons refer to her as Mother Earth, as their legends spoke of her creating the land of Hyrule. Before she finished her job, she shed tears on the ground of Death Mountain, and the first Gorons emerged from the ground.

With the Rito, she is the spirit of wind who granted the Rito the ability to fly. The legend goes that a courageous young Rito must climb her and extract a scale off her body, granting Rito the ability to fly.

Farosh is viewed very differently by Gerudo, Southern Hylians, and Minish

The Gerudo see her as a symbol of strength; in many of their illustrations, her appearance takes the form of lightning. This is because Farosh is a speedy dragon, and none of the Gerudo have ever seen her up close. The legends go that Farosh blesses future leaders with her ability to cast lightning like Farosh. Her horn is also a symbol of power.

South Hylians perceive Farosh as a terrifying creature, far more terrifying than any monster. In their legends, it is said that Farosh stalks the jungle in the dead of night, causing fright for anyone who dares to dwell deep into the jungle. Only her piercing red eyes are seen. South Hylians don’t like swimming in deep water lakes as Farosh could be taking a swim, making the water unsafe. These stories are told to children to stay away from Faron's dense jungle and rivers.

Finally, the Minish has a strong connection to Farosh; the legends speak of her as she once took the form of a Minish before transforming into a dragon. It is said she is the root of all forest magic of Hyrule, along with the creation of the Monsters that live across Hyrule. The Minish see her as the source of life and magic.

Now Nayrda is viewed only by Zoras (maybe Hylians also).

Naydra is a symbol of elegance and royalty to the Zora. Legend says that Zoras viewed her as a monarch and followed her wherever she went (Like on rivers or the ocean). Eventually, the Zoras created their monarchy and viewed Naydra as a divine being. Even encountering her, the Zora considers it a fortune coming your way.

Hylians, aside from the Hylians in the south, don't really view these dragons as nothing but mythical beings. However, they listen to the legends the other races have of the dragons and go and explore to see them for themselves. Many omit the Hylians to do so, especially when the dragons inhabit places that are either hard to reach or an increase of monsters in that area.

Tears of the Kingdom: The Final Analysis

Part 13: The Finale

Part 12 here

So, Sidon's tear.

I backed up a few frames to see if I could get a better look at the etchings on it while it was close up.

It looks...like an eye?

Almost like an Eye of Truth, but not quite. Given that Zelda's tear had Recall on it, I wonder if this tear gives a power unique to it, as well.

When we zoom out, we can see that Sidon, at this point in the game, is wearing a fitted version of his father's crown.

Which, of course, begs the question—what happened to Dorephan? When last we saw him, he was in good health and spirit, if mourning his daughter. Is he hurt? Did the Calamity injure him? Did Sidon prove himself mature? What is going on?

Tulin comes into view. He's only here very briefly, so it was hard to catch him properly, but-

Right here, he's now holding the Great Eagle Bow instead of his old Swallow. Which, if you didn't know—in order to make the Great Eagle Bow in Breath of the Wild, after you've broken the original, you need to take Harth a Swallow Bow, five bundles of wood, and a diamond. Little buddy possibly crafted the upgrade himself.

Now let's look at his tear.

This one is much more abstract than Sidon's, so I haven't any guesses as to what it could mean.

Once Tulin flies by, Link races to fight an enemy, a HUGE shard on his back.

Despite its size, however, he wields it as a one-handed weapon, fused to the hilt of a Rusty Broadsword:

The material doesn't look like anything I've seen before, and given its glow and the fiery Gleeok he's about to face-

I'd say it's embued with the power of ice, if not outright made from the interior of one of Naydra's horns.

Speaking of Gleeok! For those unfamiliar, Gleeok is a classic Zelda boss. And by classic, I mean actually classic.

This guy, from the original Legend of Zelda, has made so many appearances.

Oracle of Seasons had Gleeok like this.

In Phantom Hourglass, it was a two headed water serpent.

This isn't even counting the variants and spinoffs, Gleerok from Minish Cap or Gleeokenspiel from Cadence of Hyrule. This guy is recurring, just like Dodongo is.

The number of heads Gleeok has varies—even in Legend of Zelda, the boss showed up twice, first with two heads and then with four. And in its official art from back then

He has three.

This guy has three huge, unhinged jaws, fire blazing out of the crest of its heads, and its eyes are all malice slits.

Despite the fire, though, the background is a dull teal, with snow falling. The only other place in the trailer we've seen this environment is in the Thunderhead that we've explored with Tulin.

We're reaching the end now. Zelda holds the Master Sword, says that Link is "our final hope."

"Our last line of defense will be Link."

After what? What is Link a contingency for? Plans falling through? Ganondorf breaking free?

Tears of the Kingdom. The filled in, red edge of the mural we saw in the last trailer.

Ganondorf commands his forces, a towering figure above the rest.

Soldiers stand bravely against him in battle.

There are enemies new long with the old.

And among the chaos, right at Ganon's feet, one person has managed to slip past the hordes, with no weapon or shield to protect them.

Zelda, scuffed from battle, calls our name-

The Master Sword clutched tightly in her hands, hilt barely visible.

"You must find me," she says, seated on her altar

Her face toward the southern sea

From a place we've seen before.

I'd like to bring your attention to one last thing, before I end this analysis.

We've encountered five tears thus far in the trailer, each with different colors, each different significance.

We're still missing two.

hey so what happened to the hero of the breach link?? because i am like, 99% certain that our Wolf Boy Link is different from the poor kid who had to kill Great-GrandGan

first of all, 'Great-GrandGan' is now how I'm going to refer to him in my brain forever so thank you -

secondly, you're correct! They're different characters! A couple notes on our assorted Previous Links (tm) and their statuses so far in the story below!

--

admittedly a good chunk of the backstory for the Hero of the Breach is coming up in the next chapter of the fic, which has. well, it's a work in progress. However, some stuff that has been speckled around the fic and the snippets I've posted around here and on Twitter -

The Hero of the Breach, were he alive, would be only a few years younger than Rova - he was a kid when she was getting into her teens.

While there isn't much clear about his earliest years, he was at one point taken in by Great-GrandGan (Phantom Ganon, Demise, however you wanna slice it) and his spouse amid the 'First' of the three detailed 'calamities' in the fic. At some point he received the Master Sword from the last Queen Zelda - and by the end of things, both Great-GrandGan and his spouse wound up dead.

However, the HotB stayed around with Rova as her adopted brother, and they were very close up until his death, sometime in his early teens.

Though of course, as per Legend of Zelda tradition - one 'Hero' being dead doesn't prevent them from having a rapport with another! For better or worse!

Wolf Link - the 'Hero of Fortune' is of Urbosa's generation, around the same age as her, Maz Koshia, Impa, and King Delphinus.

Again, not too much is known about his early years currently in the fic - but he was at least raised in part by the koroks and nature spirits of Hyrule, and the dragon Naydra has a familiarity with him. Wolf Link did not die as a teenager - rather, as a teen he wandered his way into life with Maz and his sister Keo in Kakariko. While he wasn't a servant to the Hyrule royal family like Maz and Keo, he ended up around them quite a bit by association, and eventually got his own hands on the Master Sword. (It wasn't a fun time for anybody, really, but when is it?)

Anyway - as it always does, the Master Sword comes with consequences or otherwise a good dose of fuckery, and at some point along the way Wolf Link began to encounter the Hero of the Breach.

Sometimes bombastically, other times like in a nightmare - and eventually, after he met his own end, perhaps as some kind of companion.

While the extent of his collaboration with Wolf Link, his purpose or truest form as a specter, isn't quite clear for now, what we know for certain - we certainly haven't yet seen the last of the Hero of the Breach.

More Miscellaneous World-Building from my 'Modern' AU

-Twilight isn't allowed to talk about what happened during the war per the Light Spirits, but a few people do still know due to him accidentally blabbing after getting a little too drunk. Time and Malon know there's something and that he can't talk about it. Originally only Midna knew, it wasn't until a few years later when as previously mentioned, he got too drunk. Ilia didn't believe him at first which led to him using the shadow crystal, Wars then woke up the next morning to wolf Twilight in his living room. Legend didn't explicitly know until one night when he, Wars, and Twi were having their 'get drunk in a cornfield & have a bonfire' night when Wars off-handily mentioned fighting with wolf Twi & cursed Midna during the war. Legend always knew there was something with Twilight, just never specifically what (being around enough ancient magical artifacts will do that to a guy). Wind recognizes the marks on Twilight are eerily similar to a wolf he encountered not long after he landed in mainland Hyrule, but has yet to make the conection.

^TDLR: Midna, Warriors, Legend, and Ilia are the only ones who directly know. Malon, Time, and the people in Ordon know something happened during those years but don't ask. Wind just didn't put two and two together.

-There are region specific curses. (The map from my 'modern' au is heavily based on the twilight princess's map)

Example: 'Oh Ordona/For Ordona's sake'

Ordona Province: 'Ordona'

Faron Province: 'Faron, Farore'

Eldin Province: 'Eldin'

Lanayru Province: 'Lanayru'

Desert Province: 'Lanayru, Argorok, Hylia, Sols (Twili specific)'

Peak Province: 'Lanayru, Hylia'

Castle Town: despite being located in the Lanayru Province, most locals don't have as much faith tied to the Light Spirit, mostly just using 'Hylia' in some form or another

Lorule: 'Lolia'

Holodrum: 'Din/Dinraal'

Labrynna: 'Nayru/Naydra, Laruto'

Great Sea Islands: 'Valoo, Cyclos, Zephos, Jabun' (varies from island to island)

New Hyrule: 'Spirits'

-The Zora Race is predominantly from Labrynna. Wild is technically Labrynnian, not Hyrulian (aka he was born in Labrynna and lived a good chunk of life there).

Gorons are from Holodrum. Speculated that is where Hyrule is from (he still doesn't actually know where hes from).

Twili were banished to the Desert Province (that is no longer the case).

Gerudo used to be mainly in the Desert Province/Gerudo Desert but have mostly migrated into other provinces in Hyrule.

Anouki are mainly from New Hyrule, but a good amount is from the Peak Province in Hyrule. Ashei is half-Anouki.

Rito predominantly from Dragon Roost 'Island' (the island is significantly bigger than it is in-game, county sized)

Zora, Rito, Gorons, Twili, and other humanoid races are just human races.

🧊 🔥 ⚡️ DRAGON ORIGIN THEORIES BOTW/TOTK ⚡️🔥🧊

⚠️ SPOILERS FOR TEARS OF THE KINGDOM ⚠️

Gonna talk about Dragon Tears and their associated memories, along with the final boss, you have been warned!

So, everyone’s seen that cutscene where Zelda eats a secret stone and becomes a dragon. This is the ONLY confirmed way that someone can turn into a dragon/how dragons are created in the BOTW/TOTK universe.

So does that mean that Farosh, Dinraal, and Naydra were all human/hyrulian race at some point?

This is the only canon way for someone to become a dragon, or for dragons to be created. So that means at some point in time, 3 people consumed a secret stone, therefore becoming dragons. These dragons are Farosh (Lightning), Dinraal (Fire), and Naydra (Ice).

Transformation Theories

General

As of the time of this post, none of the dragons have been spotted in Rauru’s time, also known as the origin of Hyrule. The most recent spottings have occured in the BOTW game, and at the latest appearance chronologically, was before Link awoke in the Shrine Of Resurrection, 100 years after The Great Calamity. Now, there’s always the chance that the dragons were in hiding during the events of The Great Calamity, along with The Imprisoning War, but for the sake of clarity, im just gonna say that they weren’t around for Hyrule’s founding by Rauru and Sonia.

According to the Hyrule Compendium articles for each of the dragons, they are said to have existed since ancient times. Since there’s a likely chance that these dragons didn’t exist during Hyrule’s founding, the most likely time that they first were created was 10,000 years ago, during The First Calamity, in which the Zonai incarnation of Link (Link with the ancient heroes aspect) and the Zelda from 10,000 years ago, fought off Calamity Ganon with the Divine Beasts and 4 Champions for the first time. That is the most likely era where the dragons were first created.

🧊 Naydra 🧊

I think out of all of the dragons, Naydra would have been the first to become a dragon. Out of all of the 3 core dragons (Going to exclude the Light Dragon and Demon Dragon, since they either became dragons recently, or returned to human form), Naydra has the most emphasis and screen time, to the point where they even had their own side quest to purify them in BOTW, since Ganon himself deemed them as a threat and corrupted them with Malice.

Naydra mainly circles around the Lanayru and Necluda regions of Hyrule, even full on circling Hateno village in TOTK. Im going to assume that they were a Hylian, like Zelda, and perhaps circle their own hometown (Hateno) to watch over and protect it from Malice and evils after their encounter with Ganon in BOTW. Considering the ammount of effort Ganon went through to seal/impair them, Its likely that Naydra was a sage or priest towards Hylia, likely being a person of importance and immense power.

My idea as to why they swallowed a secret stone revolves around the sage idea. Perhaps during/after the events of the Great Calamity, fearing the return of Calamity Ganon, swallowed a secret stone in order to help the heroes in the future against Ganon, or maybe to just watch over their home. Some other ideas is that they were at the brink of death, injured during the calamity, or simply at old age, and wanted to keep fighting. Either way, they were likely a religious figure of great importance who wished the watch over their hometown.

🔥 Dinraal 🔥

Dinraal resides in Eldin and Akkala (along with a bit of Hebra in BOTW), and mostly hangs around Death Mountain in TOTK. I think Dinraal would have been the second dragon to transform into one. While they definitely don’t have as much focus as Naydra, there is an associated side quest involving the leviathan ruins that leads you towards their location.

Obviousl, Dinraal would have been a Goron, hanging around Eldin and Death Mountain, and mostly fire-related areas, except for traveling around Hebra during BOTW. Considering that Ganon himself ignored both Dinraal and Farosh, it’s likely that these two dragons weren’t sages or priests, but there is a likely chance that Dinraal was a sort of protector of Eldin, perhaps even being the Goron Champion during The First Calamity.

The reason as to why Dinraal became a dragon has to do with my theory of them being a protector of Eldin. In order to watch over their home, they swallowed a secret stone and became a dragon, fully devoted to watching over their home. But, as they were a protector of Goron City, it is likely they couldn’t travel far during their days before dragonization, which in turn results in them venturing towards Akkala and Hebra during BOTW, doing the exploring they never could.

⚡️ Farosh ⚡️

Farosh, of course, is the youngest dragon out of the 3. Compared to the other two dragons, Farosh is relatively ignored gameplay wise, with my only discovery of them being when they emerged from Lake Hylia during their route. Compared to the other two dragons as well, Farosh has the most diverse path across both games, from 3 seperate spawns in Lake Hylia, The Spring Of Courage, and the Gerudo Highlands, and later in TOTK circling around the lower Gerudo Desert, leads me to belive that they are the youngest of the 3.

Considering Farosh’s path, it is likely that they were either a Gerudo or Luerlin Village Hylian, hanging around the Faron and Gerudo regions mostly. However, considering Naydra’s Hylian background, along with Farosh’s lightning element, I am more inclined to trust the Gerudo bloodline more. Their inconsistent path, along with being relatively ignored story-wise, leads me to believe that Farosh wasn’t a well known figure during their life before before being a dragon.

Leading on from the fact that Farosh wasn’t well known, there is a high chance that they consumed a secret stone to become well known. Perhaps they wished for the attention and praise they never received, and thus became a dragon in order to compensate for the lack there of. Even if this theory isn’t true, there is a high chance that Farosh consumed their secret stone in an impulsive move, maybe to defend it from the Yiga Clan (If the Gerudo Bloodline is considered fact), or in a bid for praise and recognition.

Feel free to share your own ideas on this theory, along with your interpretations of how the dragons came to be!

Oh no the reason the Gloom Spawn is terrifying isn't because they pop out of nowhere (tho that's part of it) it's because 90% of the time the first encounter is when your just walking along the path and suddenly red goop starts spreading from the ground and the sky turns red and that FREAKY ASS MUSIC plays and your first reaction is to run already, increased by the fact you have a bunch of hands chasing you, and the shots are so freaking fast that the second you run out of stamina they catch you and they start draining your life with gloom damage and most people at that point only have like... 4 hearts and low stamina. My own first interaction with them was climbing Mount Lanayru at 5 hearts and 2 stamina upgrades because I remembered how much I freaking loved the Corrupted Naydra fight and wanted to see if there was something up there as a callback.

I literally jumped off a cliff the moment the sky turned red and shit

LOL that’s fair, if I’d run into them when I just started it would’ve been different. Somehow the gloom hands saw me and were like “she’s weird, let’s stay away from her” until I had a couple sages and lots of light weapons. Phantom Ganon absolutely wrecked me the first time I picked a fight though, I had no idea that was a thing.

Dragon Talk

Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Fanfiction Gen, mild romance. Zelink, Past Link x Mipha.  Link, The Light Dragon  Oneshot / Short  HEAVY SPOILERS  Summary: Link is known far and wide as a silent warrior.  No words slip past his lips idly.  Beneath his stoic exterior insecurities and fears run rampant as well as opinions on everything from food to politics.  He finds himself “conversing” with a particular dragon that he likes to alight on and ride to try to unburden his heart.  Available also on Ao3:  Dragon Talk  

Dragon Talk It was the first time he was up here since he had retrieved the sword.  It had not been very long since he’d been to the Sky, but it had been a long time since he had been to this specific place… well, it wouldn’t be fair to call it a “place,” would it? Her body was certainly large enough to be a locale and Link wondered idly if one could make a home somewhere on a dragon, like one might consider a sailing-ship one’s home on a long voyage.  He concluded that any shelter would be unstable, given the undulations as the great body worked with and against the wind like a snake in the sand.   The young knight wondered if using her as a mode of transportation was disrespectful.  He had known all this time that dragons were thought of by believers as holy creatures and perhaps as one of the rare people who could actually see them, he ought to be more reverent.  How many loose scales and bits of horn had he plinked off of the creatures with well-shot arrows by now? Dinraal, Naydra and Farosh were a bit more dangerous, given their respective elements.  Link required no special armors to ride the Light Dragon, a beast who, up until very recently, had kept out of sight in the upper atmosphere, beyond a cloud-barrier that no longer existed.   A dragon’s sacred nature was the least of his worries now.  He had learned her secret and felt like he owed her something.  He certainly couldn’t give her anything he truly owed her anymore.  To receive any of it required being a person.   Link climbed the dragon’s mane and sat down gently on the patch of shimmering white fur on her head.  He rubbed gently the place where the Master Sword had once been stuck.  Given what it had taken to retrieve it, he worried that he had hurt her.  With anything immortal it was difficult to tell whether they reacted with pain and the usual instincts or if they felt nothing and were merely giving him a test of worth.  (Link remembered bitterly how the Master Sword, itself, had nearly killed him the first time he’d encountered it.  He was supposedly bound to it by destiny, yet it still didn’t fool around regarding an assessment of strength).   He sighed heavily, settling himself as he watched the sun hover on the horizon over the Gerudo Desert.  The little hovercraft he’d built to get up here was long gone.  He hadn’t been looking simply to get from Point A to Point B, anyway.   “Some way to get back to the future,” he said, stretching out and giving the fur beside him another gentle rub.  “I don’t know if some part of you is still there – I hope so.  I have no idea if you can understand me.  Anyway, Zelda, the sword reached me.  You did it and now it’s all up to me.”   The young man took a deep breath.  It hitched.  “What did you do to yourself?” He clenched his fist – no, the fist of a long dead king – and grit his teeth.  The world beneath them was waiting on him.  Every one of the people who knew even an inkling of his story – the Sages, the Sheikah researchers, even the Monster Control Crews who only knew him vaguely as the princess’ knight and accepted him as a decent fighter depended on him to be strong, to bear any burden without complaint.  He limited his facial expressions around almost everyone.  He threw back his shoulders and stood tall (at least as tall as he could given his short stature – he was rather small even for a Hylian) and presented himself as stoic.  He could not let people worry – or panic.  He was smart enough to know that he couldn’t bear it all alone, that he had friends, but he had to remain calm, for everyone’s sake.   High above the world, however, where no one could see and where no one could hear him but his charge’s bestial remains – he let tears be lost in the wind, leaving their frigid traces on the sides of his face.  Here and only here, could he allow himself to cry.   ______________________________________________ “So, you know, Sidon’s hitched now.  It’s been a while, but I guess I just left that out of our last little talk…”   It had been roughly a week, a little more, since Link’s last dropping onto the Light Dragon.   “I really ought to update you on everything, right?  So much has been happening.  A part of me thinks that you see it all, what with being a dragon flying around with nothing to do but look down and around… and you’ve certainly had enough time to know everything that goes on in Hyrule.  You would know if the other legends were true or not – you know, the other heroes, princesses, incarnations of demons, that kind of thing…maybe? Maybe you wouldn’t because of the thickness of the clouds?  Or because everything looks like ants from up here?”   Link chuckled half-heartedly.   “What Purah and Robbie would give for the data you’ve been collecting!  Well, if you can remember it, or even think about it.  Dear Goddess, Zelda, do you look derpy!  I came in for a landing right here and… your eyes – it’s probably an illusion from the perspective of someone as small as I am in comparison, but you look like… you aren’t there.  I wonder what it is like to be a dragon.  Do you have stories that you just cannot tell, your language and very thoughts incredibly complex and inaccessible to mortals or are you as dumb as a sheep?”   Link closed his eyes slowly and just as slowly opened them again, mimicking the slow-blink of the dragon.  He tried not to think about Zelda’s mind being absent. He hoped with everything in him that she was still there, inside, that at least some essence remained and this is why he could still talk to her, and did.   “Oh, where was I?  Ah, yes… Sidon… I didn’t peg him as the marrying kind, I guess. I kind of thought that maybe…he was… the way he’d look at me sometimes, but I guess that’s just Zora-manners.” Link sighed again, “Or maybe a simple desperation for a connection to his sister.  Anyway, it turns out that the last time we visited the Domain and he was off at another Domain on official business, he was courting the girlfriend.  Her name is Kona.  She’s very kind.  I think you’d like her.” Link stretched out, letting himself lay down with his hands behind his head.  Dawn was amazing when viewed from this height and angle.   “She’s a healer, like Mipha.  I… I miss Mipha.  My memories of one hundred years ago are still full of gaps, but I remember more about our friends every day.  And, of course, her spirit aided me for a long time… Ever since the Champions’ spirits departed, I’ve felt a lot of loneliness for them – and Mipha especially. I don’t know if you’d want to hear this, but…here goes… you’re…you’re a dragon now, so I doubt you care anymore – you’re beyond such mortal trivialities:  With the memories that have been coming to me, I know that I would have accepted the Zora’s Amor.  I was going to marry her, Zelda.”   He thought he felt the dragon lurch beneath him.  He kept steady.   “Hey! Hey, easy there!” he said, sitting up and gently scratching the fur where her skin joined with one of her glowing, branching horns.  “I’m not an idiot.  Well, I’m not as dumb as I look, anyway.  We… we had something, too, you and I – especially…recently.  I spoke not a word of it… it was improper with my position, wasn’t it? I was your knight – in your employ. I understood the way you looked at me. I felt it in the air between us, and of course… the little gifts you’d make for me.”  He patted the chest of his new tunic. “It’s good armor.  The lacquered leather works well – has saved my shield-arm more than once already. I kind of think of it as your answer to the Zora Armor, just a little.  Something made to protect a reckless man you care about – it’s the same sentiment.” He sighed, thinking about what could have been.     “It wasn’t even a royalty and commoner thing… there were not such rules for the Zora, just some concern about the interspecies stuff and lack of heirs, but, with us… it was different, it would have been different.  Conflict of interest – not a good look in politics for the people.  I mean, after the Calamity, it didn’t matter, did it? After I gave you my place in Hateno and we were just traveling on the rebuild-projects, it seemed like the whole ‘princess’ thing was merely a holdover from the past – not something that was the same as it once was… “Did you know that I decided the outcome of an election?  Yeah – in Hateno.  The challenger backed down – that was Cece, you know her, that odd fashion-designer that moved in right before our… trip back to the castle.  Rede remained in power after they made up.  The whole thing was very silly, but the election idea? That’s how the towns have been staying alive.  I’ve given thought to how it might apply to the rebuilt kingdom as a whole, in time. It’s not to say that you wouldn’t stay in power, I think you’d be elected in a landslide, it’s just… isn’t it an interesting idea for going forward?  Maybe the time for monarchy has passed?  My travels have given me a lot to think about.  I never shared any of this stuff before because I didn’t think it was proper.  In fact, I don’t breathe a word of this to anyone… a dragon makes for an easy conversation partner, I guess.”   ____________________________________________________ Link visited the Light Dragon again and again. Her forehead was the best place for watching the sunrise.  Every time he talked, it was a different subject.  Silent and stoic on the surface-world, he was rediscovering the “chatterbox” days that he’d had when he’d been a child in the gentle, silent presence of this holy creature.  He felt strangely at ease between her glowing horns despite who she’d once been, or perhaps because of it.   He was finally able to tell Zelda everything he’d wanted to tell her, it seemed.  Sometimes, it was something important, his strange theories about the future politics of the kingdom of Hyrule – or at least he thought they were strange – ideas regarding scaling up what had been working for the small settlements into larger plans.  He did not know if the princess would have listened to him as a princess, but he had an audience in a dragon.  One afternoon, he spent hours rattling on regarding his observations on monsters and some studies he’d taken part in with the help of Kilton: “Their power will diminish once I defeat the Demon King, just as with the Calamity, but they’re never absent from the land, are they?  Ever since the days of myths, at least a few of them have been around.  Kilton thinks that a few of them might be classed as animals – they bear a distinction from the class, but it’s… a borderline form of life. I know most people think they are born from evil thoughts and intentions, something that exists in nature, but becomes separate.  Josha, that young Sheikah researcher that Robbie and Purah have been working with I told you about? The one who studies the Depths? She came across some old writing that classed Lynels as mountain deities.  What I’ve witnessed spying on Bokoblin-camps has me thinking that, once freed from influences such as Ganondorf and that Ganon-projection of his, perhaps they could become reasonably peaceful if left alone. They’ll always be dangerous, but some aspects of them strike me as almost… a kind of people.  A lot of monsters are smarter than people think – the Bokos can tame horses and hunt in strategy.  The Lizalfos…” he winced, accidentally moving a fresh wound, “They’re… too good at ambushes.  “I’m…actually afraid that they’re becoming smarter, Zelda, and stronger, and that we will not be able to keep up…” “I’ve got a lot of blood on my hands if they can ever become anything more than servants of evil.  I try not to think about it.  I come down on thinking that there’s really no chance for them to be anything but a plague.  Gotta save innocent folk from being eaten alive.  It’s not a fate that I want, although I can’t say I don’t expect it.” He laughed bitterly.  “One day, the lost princess’ chosen knight screwed up and ended up in the belly of a Hinox. What a headline for the Lucky Clover Gazzette! ‘The Sacred Sword’s Chosen Hero Becomes a Burp!’ I wonder if I could still fight from within.  Sidon has that giant Octorok story of his.  Still… it’s so strange hiding in the bushes, planning a raid or looking for a way to sneak past… just watching a campsite with Moblins and Bokoblins eating around it – just like any Hylian and Gerudo travelers one might see out in the woods.  It’s only when I snap a twig or they get a whiff of me that chaos breaks loose. “I think someday, it might be nice to see peace come even to them.”   ________________________________________ “You don’t eat anymore, do you?”  Link asked, casually taking a small, wrapped warm package out of the data-storage on his Purah Pad.  “I suppose if you did, it would be something like clouds and sunlight. I’ve never seen any of the other dragons go after anything on the surface.”   He sat down cross-legged and pulled apart something stringy and gooey.  He savored small bites and licked sauce off his lip.  “This is something new,” he said after swallowing.  “The people in Hateno invented it.  It’s called pizza.  It’s a little hard to get the hang of making it at first, but once you do, it’s very simple.  It’s basically bread with a stewed tomato sauce covering it and…cheese.  It’s… solid fermented milk.  I know that it doesn’t sound too appetizing, but it’s amazing. I wish… I wish I could share it with you…”   To make good on this, he clambered over to the side of the Light Dragon’s face and leaned over, proffering a slice, dripping with cheese in the wind.  The dragon gave no response and simply did a slow blink.  Link took his slice of pizza back and solemnly ate it.  “I… I suppose you would have to be a person to appreciate it,” he concluded.   “I miss those nights in Hateno, sitting by the cookpot outside the house.  “You had some of those royal recipes that you’d show me how to cook and you were impressed when I took up dinner with my…inventiveness, yeah…that’s what you called it.  I had to survive out in the ruins and the wastes for a full year when I was building up strength to take on the Calamity.  I couldn’t be picky and had to come up with some interesting dishes.  You loved that venison and rice bowl I used to make.  It wasn’t as dainty as a fruit cake, but it was what you frequently requested.  Do you remember that, in this form?  It must be ages past to you, so long ago to you that you would forget… nights on the road, stopped at the stables, cooking and eating under the stars. I remember how your eyes looked in the firelight when the fireflies would come out in Faron.   “Is there a way to bring you back?  Is there a way to have that with you again?... “You’d love pizza, I know you’d love pizza…” ____________________________________________ He landed with a stagger and almost fell over as he alighted on the dragon’s nose.  Clutching his side and watching his latest hovercraft peel off to dematerialize in the distance, Link landed heavily atop his “therapist.”  The Light Dragon, for her part, issued a low groan. It was impossible to tell if she was responding to him, or if it was a random roar.  The clouds carried rain today – an easy disturbance to her scales. “Purah said I shouldn’t be out of bed yet… but I had to see you.”   The dragon was silent once again, slowly blinking and riding upon her never ending path.   Link sat upright and wrapped his hooded cloak around himself.  “Gloom swords…cut me up pretty bad.  Followed that unconvincing puppet of you into the castle.  I was overconfident, I guess, thought I was going to face the bastard down then and there.  The Sages saved my butt.  We won, but… ugh… “I’m supposed to be recovering, but I don’t think we have any time… I’ll apologize to Yunobo when I get back to Lookout Landing. He was on watch over me when he fell asleep and I managed to sneak out.  We… need to find a fifth Sage to add to our power… and… ugh… it’s the only way… I wish I could do this on my own, just finish it…” Link breathed deep, then let out a sharp cry as his movements pulled against some stitches under his clothing.  He winced back tears.   “I… I don’t know if I can do it, Zelda. The sword reached me…through time, but… it might not be enough… I might not be enough.  All of us… we may not win this time.  What if… what if all our friends die again?  What if the Sages fall like the Champions did?  I failed once.  And… and… the Calamity was merely a projection of…whatever that was we awakened beneath the castle.  He might win this time; despite everything we’ve been through.”   Link took a long look at the sky before him, on this dragon-path, it was sunset.   “A hero chosen by the Goddess and by the Master Sword isn’t supposed to doubt himself, right?  I am full of doubt. I cannot tell anyone how scared I am.  If I cannot best him, there isn’t another who can take up this sword.”   Link looked at his right hand, trembling.  “It will be all for naught.  If I am killed, the world dies with me, screaming.  I was just cut to ribbons and nearly killed by a mere shadow of that man! I just… I suppose I came up here to tell you that I’m sorry.  If it doesn’t work out and you are left watching up here as the world becomes bathed in blood and shadow, I want you to know that I will have done everything to spite it – that I fought to my last breath and that… I am sorry that it wasn’t enough and that I wasn’t enough.”   Link looked toward the east.  The moon was rising and it was wreathed in red.  He breathed deeply.  “We have to be enough.”   He shivered in the cooling night. Movement hurt.  Fatigue made his bones heavy.  Purah was right, he really shouldn’t have been out of bed yet.  As the Blood Moon reached its apex, his eyelids fluttered.  Link felt darkness clawing for him and tried to resist it.  He fell in a heap, resting atop the dragon. She adjusted her movements to keep him from rolling off.   Bright light greeted him as he awakened the next morning.  It was well past sunrise. He felt…alive.  Dragon hair and dragon scales shimmered beneath him in the mid-morning glare, but a certain light danced off of them of their own accord.  A glow pulsed along the brilliant horns.  Link stood to his feet.  No stiches pulled and nothing raw aggravated his skin.  He breathed deep and carefully walked to stand on the tip of the Light Dragon’s nose so he could at least try to look her in the eyes.   “Thank you,” he said simply.   _________________________________________ “I don’t really remember,” she’d said.   Everyone who knew what had happened agreed that it was a good thing.  Mineru, before she’d departed, confessed that her spirit had only kept its sanity while it was stored as data through centuries by going into a type of deep sleep. It wasn’t as though Zelda had much to remember of her years holding back the Calamity, either.  She remembered some of it, her power concentrated to hold Ganon back and a bond to Link that had awakened with him in the shrine.  She told him that she politely looked way during certain moments that he’d want to keep private, but he had no way of being sure about that. She was, however, in a type of sleep most of the time.   Centuries trapped in a bestial form went beyond this, however.  It was the kind of thing that could break the strongest mind if one remembered everything. And so, after the whole mess, life tried to resume for everyone who’d survived.     After their return to the surface and parting ways with the Sages, each returning to their lands, Link and Zelda wondered what was next.  Rest, of course, at the Landing.  Hyrule Castle was still in ruins.  Zelda, in the end, had simply wanted to go home - and, so it was, she and Link prepared to set out for Hateno Villiage.   “So, what’s the first thing you want to do when you get back?” Purah asked her.  Link was silent and making the last preparations for their travel by her side, getting bags ready to load onto their horses at the Landing’s small stable. “Oh,” Zelda said, answering quite casually, “I think I should like to try pizza.”   Link’s eyes went wide.  He stared.   She stared back at him.   “Pizza? What is that?  I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it,” Purah said.   Link and Zelda stood shocked and still, unable to take their gaze off each other.   “Is something wrong? Hey, you two, answer me!” “I…can make you some,” Link said softly. “Hey, Linky?  You just SPOKE!  And you look like you’ve seen a ghost!”   “You wouldn’t believe the story if I told you,” he whispered to Purah as he took Zelda by the hand.  

did u ever share that essay about naydra in ur drafts u mentioned on that one linktober post forever ago

i have 265 drafts and i scrolled through all of them to find this. it also is not getting edited so good luck reading it lol

naydra's corruption is sooooo so interesting narratively in botw especially since she is the only dragon that goes through that and is also the dragon implied to be connected to the goddess of wisdom. Like the implications of this. Zelda faces ganon alone. zelda essentially puts herself into a hundred-year psychic battle with the spirit of ganon to keep it sealed and it TAKES A TOLL and that toll can be felt throughout the world in the ruins of hyrule obviously but it has actual, physical affects on the goddess of wisdom whose power she is drawing from. she and consequently the triforce of wisdom are in this constant struggle and as a result something else has to fall so she can keep going. agh. and naydra being the thing to fall is also super impactful from a gameplay perspective because the other two dragons can be encountered in the wild fairly easily, and their encounters feel so sacred and ancient and godlike. you as the player understand instinctively that these are ancient spirits and that they are more powerful and sacred than you can begin to understand. but you realize at some point that this world operates in threes and there is an obvious missing piece. and you really have to go out of your way to find naydra--she's something you only get to if you're dedicated enough to follow zelda's memories past the cutscenes. you follow her footsteps to the spring of wisdom and you find this ancient spirit and it is so obviously in PAIN. a lot of botw's unspoken narrative is about persistence and healing in the aftermath of war, but naydra is something that HASN'T healed. she is the spirit of wisdom, and in a sense she is zelda. a remnant of the old world that is still corrupted and is still hurting as the rest of the kingdom moves on without her, and it falls to you to liberate her from ganon. it's a teaser to the final battle with ganon (even in its battle mechanics--shooting the eyes mimics shooting zelda's targets in calamity ganon's phase 2), and it's a harsh reminder of what ganon is TRULY capable of, and the suffering that he is ACTIVELY causing.

naydra encounter

squeezing in a little zelda before errands and i found a FAIRY SKY ISLAND....i feel like i've either been here before or found another one of these but this time im marking it so i can come back when i run out lol

i wonder HOW all these koroks get separated from their friends. are they running from monsters? with those backpacks? did one of them stop to look at a lizard?

ITS NAYDRA.......

i guess i see why they fucked the dragon farming. in botw its like oh cool! it's naydra! later i'll come back and get some scales. but NOW uits like. oh SHIIIIT it's naydra do i DROP EVERYTHING to chase her or let this opportunity pass me by.......

adn like currently. i am a bit annoyed bc i do not Want to drop everything. i am busy. and i don't even know yet which armor i'll need her scales etc for so the stakes don't feel real to me. but i know i'll regret it later if i don't go get her when i have the chance :/

WHICH IS KIND OF WHY. I LIKED IT BETTER THE OTHER WAY. i know what they were doing. they wanted to put more weight and excitement on these dragon encounters. but i want to be able to choose how i play!!!

still SO cool that i can ride her tho

ugh i despawned my bike and im only gonna have TWO fans left if i make the new one i refuse to start spending zonaite when my battery sucks so bad im gonna have to go find more fans

i've just seen zelda in the sky too so i'm...off to go shoot her...? eugh.

i hate farming light dragon parts. she is so beautiful and i am so sad and i hate shooting her. she is WAITING for me to pull this sword and instead i just show up and shoot her!!! this is cruel and horrible!!!!!!!

FINALLLYYYY got my boulder breaker. this and my dusk bow are going in my house

okay i have to leave but MORE LATER!!!

OK SO I did have a bunch of vids of it but I think it's just easier to elaborate on it here I FIND THE DRAGONS VERY INTERESTING. As in this game, they appear to be the only reference to the 3 goddesses. The ones we had before Hylia was even a concept.

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This is not that surprising I guess in hindsight since in say WW, they are not touched on either save for the pearls and the statues that are their pedestals. But I think the common ground there is a sort of lost to history situation.

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I have been looking everywhere I can for mention of them, but no one remembers the 3 goddesses, only Hylia. I am dearly hoping this gets touched on in BotW2 in some way

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The dragons themselves are known though. I've met NPCs that refer to them, but don't seem aware of their importance. None of them make the connection. I think its debatable if all of them can even see the dragons, or maybe it's simply the dragons have been quiet until now

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BUT THEY WERE IMPORTANT the dialog with I guess Hylia through the encounter with Naydra outright says they are guardian spirits. So direct servants of deities? like in SS? Probably, and also participated in rituals with the hero too

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idk that the dragons themselves will prove significant in BotW2. MAYBE since now I've heard a lot of theories regarding the ruins and the possibility of a tribe worshiping dragons. But if nothing I'd love to see more mention of the goddesses they represent

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also side note: the fact that Ganon's Malice was enough to corrupt these guys I suppose should not surprise me but at the same time- holy fucking shit Demise' ability to corrupt is crazy strong

DISCLAIMER: NO I HAVE NOT PLAYED LOZ TOTK YET, DO NOT SPOIL ME PLEASE. ALL QUESTIONS AND POSTULATIONS ARE HYPOTHETICAL AND DO NOT REQUIRE ANSWERS!!!

A Minecraft Player is Building the Entire Zelda Breath of The Wild Map

Minecraft and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are two fantastic drinks but do they taste good together? One Minecraft player is arguing 'yes' with a massive project to rebuild the entire map from Nintendo's classic game as an interactive Minecraft survival map. While the project is still in development the results are already very impressive. Homeshare

Creator Dinaeh has posted progress photos on Reddit and the overall topography of the map is very similar to the original. The map is being constructed using the WorldPainter tool at 1:1 scale, and Dineah is planning to collaborate with other creators to create shrines and ruins to fill the map. A playable version of the game is planned to be released eventually.

Dineah posted detailed photos of the Gerudo Highlands as well as the Hebra Mountains. The latter is particularly easily identifiable. The little grassy area that is just before the monstrous snowy climb to the encounter with Naydra made a big impression in Breath of the Wild. It looks just as cool here as it does in the picture above.

HP Fests: Mad Frankenstein Fest 2020

July - September 2020:

All Mixed Up by Pargcool - G, one-shot - You’ve got to be kidding me. Hermione froze, her eyes fixed on the back of the man wiping down the bar counter. Lydia—according to her name tag—didn’t seem to notice her sudden lack of attention and continued her introductory spiel. The words faded into the background, Hermione’s gaze narrowing on the back of the bartender’s head. She’d only seen that bright platinum hair once before, but surely it was just a coincidence. What the hell would Draco Malfoy be doing in a random muggle bar?

Architectural Symmetry by MissELY, Wolfqng - T, one-shot - Draco Malfoy hadn't planned on setting foot in Malfoy Manor ever again. Maybe to set it on fire. So when he and his curse-breaking partner, Hermione Granger, were assigned to go there he dashed off a response to their supervisor "Under no circumstances will we take this bloody assignment, are you out of your mind? -DLM" Hermione, however, had other ideas

Breaking the wall by DaniiiAnn, VGinny - T, one-shot - The prompt was Healers or Co-workers at St Mungo's. It's seven years since the war, Draco is a speciality Healer and Hermione is his Solicitor. His experimental healing has put his career and the hospital in trouble. Would Hermione be able to help the former enemy get out of trouble?

Chrysopoeia by hiyas, monsterleadmehome - T, one-shot - Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy both have their personal reasons for studying Alchemy, but when they decide to work together to develop a new Panacea, they discover more than they bargained for.

Cuando Pienso en Ti by LilithShade, TakingFlight48 - E, one-shot - Giving back to the magical community with her flourishing Philanthropic organization, Rennervate, would have been much simpler if Draco Malfoy would just leave Hermione Granger alone. It's time Draco learned that the Rumba was a dance for two, because although each encounter increased the heated passion between the two of them, Hermione will walk away if he cannot change his playboy ways.

Feint of Heart by Aneiria, hiyas - E, 3 Chapters - ‘Want to make this interesting, Granger?’ Draco said. His voice was low and dangerous and sent a delightful shiver down Hermione’s spine. She forced herself to focus on his words, not how he was saying them. ‘What do you mean?’ Hermione asked warily, not dropping her wand. ‘Winner gets a favour granted by the loser.’ Hermione scoffed. ‘I’m not giving you carte blanche like that, Malfoy.’ Draco watched her with his trademark cunning behind his silver eyes. ‘Alright then. How about a kiss?’

Mandatory Electives by DracosQuill, PhoenixDragon111 (Phoenix_Dragon) - M, one-shot - Hermione and Draco are tasked with revamping Hogwarts’ Mandatory Elective curriculum. What will happen when they come together?

The Melody of Touch by magical_traveler - E, one-shot - One of Hermione Granger’s favorite things about playing in an orchestra was when the orchestra began to warm up on stage. Tonight, however, was a different story. The London Philharmonic and guest pianist, Draco Malfoy, were performing together in concert. The program was beautiful but Hermione halted at the fact she would have to sit on a stage and perform music with him. They would be making something together. But all she could think about was the way his fingers caressed the piano keys, and the fact her body knew what it felt like to be touched by those same fingers.

Nontrivial Pursuits by senlinyu, sleeplessai - M, one-shot - Draco had a plan: reach the end of his probation, get promoted, and finally ask Granger out. Unfortunately, as his supervisor in the Ministry Archive, Granger seemed to be resistant to all Draco’s ideas on principle. The last thing he expected her to go along with was a trivia strip competition, and yet, somehow, here they were. “Do you have to?” Granger’s voice was sharp and jumped slightly at the last syllable. Draco glanced up and found that she was staring at him, the hollows of her cheeks a faint pink. He unfastened the cuff on his left sleeve without looking down and watched the pink transform into a stunning shade of red as he folded the fabric up to his elbow. She sucked her lower lip into her mouth and bit down on it visibly. “Have to what?” he said with a lazy grin. She made an incomprehensible noise somewhere in the base of her throat and looked away. “You’ll be losing your shirt soon enough anyway, I don’t know why you need to bother rolling up your sleeves.”

A Promise To Please by hslades, mia_moriarty - E, one-shot - Hermione Granger was great at most things, as such it didn't come as a surprise she was a great Quidditch Commentator. However, after her All-Star Seeker boyfriend, Draco Malfoy gets gravely injured in front of her eyes, she struggles to stay professional and keep their secret. Can Hermione keep her cool while trying to give Draco the healing touch he requires to overcome a grave injury? “You were wicked, love. I’d almost get injured again just so I could justify you retaking the reigns.” “Don’t!” She playfully slapped his chest, “Joke!”*slap* “About!” *slap* “Getting!”*slap* “Injured!”

Rebirth by elithien, senlinyu - M, one-shot - Granger will do almost anything to survive the curse slowly killing her, even if it means reawakening magic that has been dormant for a thousand years. Draco will do whatever it takes to save her “Draco...” she says again, fingertips fondly brushing across his cheekbone. He opens his eyes and finds her staring at him. “Before I do this, I want you to know—“ His heart lurches. “Don’t,” he says before she can say another word. “Don’t say it.” He catches her wrist and pulls her hand away from his face, careful not to smudge any of the words scripted across her skin. “I don’t want you to tell me.”

Roots & Recesses by ExpositorRevan (Naydras), simplifiedemotions - T, one-shot - “Her nephew working with the Mudblood to decommission her wand. Bellatrix must be rolling in her grave.”

Second Chances by PixieKisses - E, 2 Chapters - After years of working closely with Hermione Granger, Draco meets two children who end up changing his whole life.

Small Mercies by JessiRomantic, Kkpwnall - E, one-shot - Draco Malfoy had been working with Hermione Granger in the small bakery that occupied the ruins of the boathouse for eight years. For the last year, they have grown closer. But the 10th year anniversary of the battle racks up the tension to a new high.

A Turn of Phrase by AkaiaOwl, MissyJAnne85 - M, 4 Chapters - “A book deal? I thought the Malfoy inheritance guaranteed you wouldn’t have to work a day in your life.” “Do you write for money Granger?” She snorted at the ridiculous thought. “Of course not!” “Why do you assume I do?” he asked. A story about how Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy turned the page after the war and found each other in the process. Written for the MF Fest - Dramione coworkers challenge. Prompt: Authors.

Tylwyth Teg - Fairies on a Welsh Mountain by Ernestin3, FedonCiadale - G, one-shot -  Draco Malfoy, on probation in the department for the surveillance of magical creatures, is ordered by his boss, Luna Lovegood to collect tears from the elusive Welsh fairies for a much needed potion. Of all people, it is Hermione Granger, the witch from the Department of Law who is to come along. Will Draco finally be able to curb his tongue and tell her all the compliments that are in his head?

Unforeseen by ectoheart, riane_b13 - M, 2 Chapters - Hermione Granger was going to fail something for the first time in her life. Hermione Granger was going to fail something for the first time in her life and it was next to Draco Malfoy of all people. When she decided she wanted to become an Unspeakable she thought that it would take a lot of studying and hard work. She didn't think it would take a drawer full of leather, or a six-inch stiletto. Of course, Draco would be perfect at everything. Of course, everyone would love him. Of course, he would look positively sinful in everything he wore. It should be illegal for a man to look that good at seven in the morning. She needed a cup of coffee, she needed a stiff drink, she needed to get laid and she needed to pass these exams. Hermione Granger did not fail.

Ungentlemanly Behavior by MissELY, morticiahavisham - E, one-shot - After a tipsy hook up, Draco Malfoy has an apology to make. Hermione Granger would prefer not to hear it. But when they're forced to work together on a tricky translation, she's finds she can't avoid it.

Unyielding by Ernestin3, HeyJude19 - T, one-shot - Do you yield? She hated uttering that phrase whenever she bested Draco, but it was the standard protocol for ending a duel wherein both participants remained conscious. Hermione could count the instances on one hand in the four years they’d been partners that one of them had been Stunned. Do you yield? It clawed at her. It ate at her to demand this of another person when her own wand carried with it such a conceptually contrary and dubious description. Unyielding. No, not her own wand, she thought bitterly. The wand of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Your Latest Competition by ahoidraco, theheavycrown - T, one-shot - Hermione ventures into new professional waters after a career start at the Ministry, opening a shop in Wizarding London. Her café is well-received until it quickly becomes the target of Draco Malfoy's personal vendetta. If only Hermione knew why. Written for the July-September Mad Frankenstein Fest 2020.