#essos

[karuselii]

Viserys and Daenerys in the streets of Essos

[soncee]

The Dothraki follow only the strong.[15]—Jorah Mormont to Daenerys Targaryen, A Game of Thrones

[tinyjackalope23]

"the Naathi girl gazed at her with eyes like molten gold and said, “It is not too late to tell them that you have decided not to wed.” ADWD Daenerys VII

When you're so wise everyone needs to take note of it every time you speak. Missandei is such a cool character.

So, first time rendering, or just really painting on digital, I did not give up halway through which is rare and I guess it sorta paid off. Cloth is bad tho.

[helaenarts]

Nymeria of Ny Sar, future princess of Dorne leading her ten thousand ships 🌊

Loveeee her and I have to draw more Martell omgggg

[ladyylynx]

Melisandre - Women in Dragonstone

Melly design for @fierystagfiles 's dragonstone week 2026! crazy how she just pulled up got involved in a polycule popped out a shadow baby and didnt break a sweat... MY rockstar

kofi | commissions

[whatsupidontknow]

A WIP that I’m ACTUALLY working on? Unheard of

A little Dany in Meereen. Still looks rough, but hopefully I will clean it up soon 😚

[hollowwhisperings]

writing about hanfu: a guide

so! you have learned what "hanfu" is! congrats!

now i have to tell you, very politely, to forget the word "hanfu".

in most xianxia or historical chinese settings, where characters are assumed to be speaking in chinese, &/or have never been outside of china? all "fu" (clothing) is "hanfu" by default.

because most chinese people (mainland AND diasporic!) are han chinese and han chinese have been the ruling majority for pretty much all of china's history.

(primary exceptions are the mongolian-lead yuan dynasty & the manchu-lead ming dynasty but, in chinese fiction, it is always non-han chinese garments that are specified as such)

with this history in mind, it is almost always anachronistic to specify to chinese characters that something is chinese: the term "hanfu" was only invented when western dress became the assumed default!

so, when incorporating traditional chinese fashions in your english language work?

use descriptors such as "wide-" or "long-sleeved" when meaning these kinds of top garments

"frog-buttoned" or "wide-collared" when referencing manchu shirt styles (such as the modern qipao/cheongsam)

"trousers" is valid (if you're worried about being misunderstood, you can specify that they're "silk" or "wide-legged")

"robe" or "dress" for a single layer of full body hanfu; "robes" for multiple layers.

underwear is anachronistic pretty much everywhere, historically: historical dress uses an "inner layer" or "inner robe" for hygienic purposes. "shift" works too but is more associated with medieval european dress.

if looking up the history of sanitary napkins or loincloths feels daunting, you could sidestep the issue entirely with "undergarments".

"boots" or "slippers" for shoes (but you can also just say "shoes")

no one is wearing heels unless they're from a video game

"stockings" for socks

fabrics can be safely assumed to be "silk" (rich elite/inner layers of the middle-class); "cotton" or "linen" (commoners/inner layers/when exercising). you can also just say "cloth" or "fabric".

(other fabrics did exist historically, wool & hemp for example, but stereotypical hanfu moves like silk and most xianxia characters end up rich enough for it)

most closures will be tied, buttoned or belted. hooks are plausible and so are clasps. zippers do not exist.

(unless you're in a modern setting where characters are regular people buying off taobao)

generally speaking, you only need to use another language's terminology when there is no english equivalent or there is a strong cultural nuance that would be missed. the latter is only true of hanfu when worn IRL, in the modern era, by real people (typically at graduations or weddings).

for more specific terms and insights on traditional chinese dress (hanfu & otherwise), i recommend checking out @ziseviolet and other dedicated chinese-by-chinese fashion bloggers.

if you've been hesitant to write in a historical chinese setting, i hope this post has reassured you that you don't need to learn pinyin to do it. it's scary to write a culture you're unused to! these tips are chinese-specific but the same logic broadly applies to all non-eurocentred cultures.

(the big exception is the names of people and places: don't translate these into english until you have a REALLY strong justification for it. even then, don't treat machine translation a being a reliable source when it really isn't.)

i am but one person with approximate knowledge of many things: these tips can help ENG writers keep readers immersed in CN settings. that's all.

[ilreleonewikiart]

Essos Fashion Studies: Ghiscari Empire

The Green Grace of Astapor  - a noblewoman from Yunkai - Dany in Meereenese attire - One of the Great Masters of Meereen - a City Guard of Yunkai - a Slave Master

"Although little Ghiscari culture survived the Old Empire's collapse, the modern people of Slaver's Bay take great pride in their Ghiscari heritage, referring to themselves as "the sons of the harpy" or the "harpy's sons". The cities each use a harpy as their emblem, similar to Old Ghis. Where the harpy of Old Ghis grasps a thunderbolt in its talons, the harpy of Astapor has a chain with open manacles at either end hanging in its talons,and the harpy of Yunkai grasp a whip and an iron collar in its talons. Although Meereen also uses a harpy as their emblem, it is currently unknown what their harpy has in its talons. The Old Ghiscari tongue has been largely forgotten. Most modern Ghiscari speak in the language of their conquerors, High Valyrian. The dialects of Astapor and Yunkai contain a growl of the old Ghiscari tongue, whereas in Meereen they speak a bastard form of High Valyrian blended with Old Ghiscari tongue. The modern Ghiscari do continue to write with Ghiscari glyphs. Descending from the Ghiscari of old, most Astapori have amber skins, broad noses, dark eyes, and black or dark red hair, or a mixture of red and black hair which is distinctive to the ancient Ghiscari. Astapori warriors of noble birth oil and twist their hair into fantastic shapes like horns, wings, blades, and grasping hands, giving them a demonic look, while other Astapori men might only oil their hair and beard. In Yunkai and Meereen, other nobility oils and twists their hair into multiple shapes as well, using combs, wax, and irons.  The Yunkai'i wear tall helms in order to preserve the stylings. In all three of the slaver cities, freeborn men and women wear tokars, which is a sign of power, as the wearer is required to hold onto the fabric with one hand whilst wearing it.  The fringe on the tokar signifies a person's status."