Imryll dressed in pre-colonial Philippines inspired fantasy clothing – specifically for Dalish elves in Dragon Age in this context. The design is based off pre-colonial Tagalog and Bisaya clothing (both ethnic groups I’m a part of). I used the Boxer Codex and the period drama Amaya as references – it can be quite difficult to find pre-colonial references for the Philippines. This design isn’t meant to be accurate representation of the clothing, rather inspired by. While all the elements come from the same time period, Imryll’s footwear (sandals, or bakya) is from a much later time period. I included it because of fond memories of owning bakyas as a child when I grew up in the Philippines.
Including my culture in my works, whether it be fanart or my original works is important to me. When my family moved to the US, it was hard to find proper representation as a young Filipino girl. It was frustrating to me as a child/teen who loved fiction. Creating characters/designs/stories like this is a love letter to my younger self who felt unseen and ashamed of her identity.
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