Spoiler Warning:
The rest of this article contains significant spoilers for Tears of the Kingdom about the story, gameplay mechanics, etc. that you might not wish to see. Continue reading at your own risk.
The opening of Tears of the Kingdom shattered our hearts as Link, injured and in pain, used the last of his strength to reach for his falling princess and missed her reaching hand by a fraction. Link failed again; Princess Zelda’s soul was lost to the abyss, trapped in the time of the Zonai when Ganondorf first set his siege on Hyrule. Tears spread throughout Hyrule captured memories left behind but not where the Princess could return… yet. The final tear revealed that the princess was not lost, at least not through the threads of time as we imagined, but rather she sacrificed her Hylian form for the Master Sword, for Link, for Hyrule. The new Light Dragon traversing the sky was not another beast of the ages, but rather Link’s Princess waiting until the time was right.
Zonai Era Zelda and the Light Dragon quickly became a beloved subject for artist and creators alike. Cosplayer Aglaia is one such artist inspired to not only bring Zonai Zelda to life but the Light Dragon as well, combined to make one legendary cosplay.
With a cosplay of such epic proportions with many components and parts, working out where to start can be a daunting process. Aglaia’s journey began at the bottom with a pair of sandals. With the air of Layze Michelle’s accessible patterns, Aglaia crafted her own Zonai accurate sandals from a pair of flip flops. She cut through foam, worked with faux leather, sanded, and painted until she had a picture perfect pair of sandals made to perfect fir her feet. They may just be a pair of shoes but they lay the foundation for the whole look.
Foam work didn’t stop at the shoes. Zonai Zelda’s tabard contains an intricated collections of beads and shapes reflecting the patterns seen throughout Zonai constructions. Layze Michelle’s patterns came in handy once again as Aglaia cut, sanded, sanded again, and sanded a little more before priming, painting and threading every foam piece together. The bead work compliments the Zonai patterning painted into the green tabard, sitting over a white dress and green underskirt further showcasing Aglaia’s crafting abilities as she sewed and pleated it all together. The final touch of Zonai Zelda’s look is the beaded jewelry (more sanding!) complete with the infamous secret stone.
But wait, there’s more. Not everyone is blessed with a Hylian’s luscious hair of the golden hue that reflects the light of the sun. To truly transform into the Princess, Aglaia cut and styled a lace front wig, expertly glued wefts to hide stich lines, and transformed a simple wig into a replica of Princess Zelda’s hairstyle. Dress, wig, sandals and jewelry complete, there was only one thing left to complete, and just may be the biggest task of the them all.
A large creature like a dragon, even scaled down to something a little more manageable, needs a good skeleton if it plans to stand strong. Four and half meters of PVC piped were fused together and began the monstrous undertaking of bringing the Light Dragon to life. Aglaia spent hours of work shaping and cutting cardboard, blistering their hands as they threaded cardboard circles onto the pipes and shaped cardboard strips to form the body of the dragon. Any gaps were filled with expanding foam and that was just the beginning. What’s a dragon without its scales? And even one at this size had many to make… too many to count. The scales worked not only as a design feature but a practical one, hiding seam lines around foam crystals and hiding the LED strip that turned the swirling Light Dragon from a sculpture to a glowing vibrant dragon ready to make us cry all over again.
All of Aglaia’s efforts paid off. Not only did they create a beautiful rendition of our favorite Wild Era Princess, but the full cosplay also scored them 3rd Place in the Swiss Cosplay Competition. Princess Zelda would be proud. In fact, Queen Sonia and Rauru would be proud too. Unlike the Light Dragon, flying through the sky alone for thousands of years, Aglaia did not have to endure this journey alone. They repeatedly thank Layze Michelle for their accessible patterns aiding cosplayers in their journey, @kimon_demetrios for their constant support, motivation, physical strength and their cooking, and for all the photographers that have captured the work of art and the magic within.
Headline Image: Photography by @meishira.photography
