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yayacosplay — Blood of the Dragon

Published: 2011-08-24 06:04:10 +0000 UTC; Views: 76809; Favourites: 1098; Downloads: 1644
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Description Yaya's FaceBook: [link]

Thanks, Kevin Green, for shooting with me! It was hard to find a suitable location for Daenerys, so we just looked for a secluded spot without people in the background.

What to say about this costume... the character is Daenerys of House Targaryen, from the book series "A Song of Ice and Fire", which the TV Show "Game of Thrones" is based off of. I've been a fan of the books for about a decade now, and have planned to make a Dany costume since the first time I read the series. She is and has always been the character I love the most, and relate to the most.

Those who haven't read the books may not get my costume, but this is simply my personal interpretation of the character Daenerys, and I tried to be as accurate to the major descriptions as possible, such as the golden silver hair, silver bells and braids, purple eyes, the colors of the dragon, and costume materials/elements.

To explain a bit about the costume:

I always knew that I wanted to dress in Dany's iconic Qartheen traditional dress from "A Clash of Kings", 2nd book in the series, but for a long time debated how to pull off the look without it being offensive. Women in Qarth wore airy silk and/or lavish samite dresses baring one breast proudly, which reminds me of the breast baring fashion of the ancient culture of Minoa. Literally, breasts (aka WOMEN) were a symbol of wealth and power, not just sexual objects. Daenerys in the books (Minor spoiler! Skip if you want!) loses just about everything and puts all her stakes into the city and people of Qarth, who crown her and acknowledge her sovereignty. To pay respect to them, she dresses in the traditional gowns - a young girl near alone in the world brave enough to expose herself to a city full of strangers, and she does it with dignity and pride.
The feminist in me just loves that about her, and it's always left an impact on me.
So no matter what, I wanted to make the Qartheen gown.

I pulled inspiration from the books (obviously), the wedding gown in the TV show, various artworks of Daenerys and my own fantasy artwork style and costuming taste. I thought lavender would really suit the silvery golden hair and the silver accessories, and I wanted the gown to flow because Qarth would have been a sweltering place to live in, and also because summer cons bear similar climates. So a slight color changing chiffon it was! I made the gown in 2 layers so it wasn't see-through bwaha, and there was a bit of a debate which chest strap to omit O_o. I truly think that there is no universal rule which side to expose, so I went the right side - in line with Valyrian Resin's licensed Daenerys statue [link] and the artwork of Dany on Wikipedia [link]

Also, I am right handed and holding the dragon was much easier with my primary hand.

So the dragon came about because I needed something to cover myself with, in order to be legal in public lol. I meant to sculpt a dragon but 2011 turned out to be INSANE so I bought a dragon statue and altered it with the help from Chris Donio and Brian Boling. Chris and Brian cut the beast apart and repositioned the legs and tail, re-sculpting the details and filling the piece for more durability. Thank you both for all the help! I painted the dragon and had to pick which of Daenerys' three to represent. Drogon, the black and red dragon, is the strongest of the three, but black shows every imperfection and would have looked odd on my very light costume. I thought green would complement the colors of the costume the best, so I made the dragon into Rhaegal!

I should add that the dragon was strapped onto me so I didn't have to use any hands to hold him, rather the cradling pose was for show. And as an extra extra precaution, I wore pasties.

As for the rest of the costume - I made a waist cincher after I found a silver dyed leather hide that still had the fur patches on it. I thought it was so interesting, luxurious yet raw looking that I had to spurge the $80 on the hide. Thank you, Kathy of God Save The Queen Fashions [link] for letting me use her industrial machine to sew the leather.
I also wanted a belt and arm bands so I bought upholstery fabric and various trims and forced it all through my machine (breaking several needles along the way). I spent an evening decorating the pieces with beads and chains.

The wig was two wigs sewn together and it has a lace front for a more natural look. I braided a lattice work into it and sewed more beads and bells into it, so I jingle when I walk

The necklace is of Indian heritage because Daenerys as a newly crowned Queen received gifts from all different empires and cultures. Her accessories were diverse and I wanted something decorative on my neck.

For Dragoncon I plan to add more details to the costume, now that I've worn it once and see what's missing. It was an amazing experience to meet GRRM himself as well as the cast of "Game of Thrones" at SDCC. I will make a separate blog soon about the experience, but leave you for now with a shot of Emilia Clarke and me - Dany x 2! [link] She was so kind and gracious to her fans and I really appreciated the opportunity to show her my costume. <3

More photos coming soon, sorry for the mega long description. XD

Other Deviations of this costume:
Related content
Comments: 66

LETMESEEBEUTY [2016-08-30 13:48:39 +0000 UTC]

Gorgeous and powerfully sexy artwork

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Digimon02 [2015-09-18 17:26:09 +0000 UTC]

I wish I was that dragon right now

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hannahelizabethh [2015-02-05 09:15:55 +0000 UTC]

love this! very awesome!

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psychowolf21 [2014-11-10 22:42:30 +0000 UTC]

the sheer dedication to this cosplay to the book. even with the conservatism is nice. And your resourcefulness is nice

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lady-mermaid [2014-11-05 18:29:27 +0000 UTC]

Looks fantastic! And I didn't even realize you had a breast showing until you said so.

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legendarydragonstar [2014-02-10 22:05:53 +0000 UTC]

thats a really nice dragon statue

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motherfuckinggamzeeb [2014-01-11 06:16:20 +0000 UTC]

fantastic cosplay

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Darkatio [2013-11-07 16:02:47 +0000 UTC]

Wow is not common find cosplay of Daenarys one of my favourites characters from "A song of ice and fire" splendid cosplay

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thexrogue [2013-07-14 02:34:04 +0000 UTC]

Gorgeous. One of my top 3 favourite costumes of yours

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juanito316ss [2013-03-09 20:36:38 +0000 UTC]

That dragon is groping you

The cosplay looks very good, but I'm afraid I don't really know the character so I can't really tell xD

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detenten [2013-01-15 15:36:08 +0000 UTC]

Thanks so much for sharing! I too want to adapt a breast-exposing book version but I'm a little bashful. The idea of a dragon for coverage is great!

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Allendra3 [2012-08-30 16:12:23 +0000 UTC]

You make a wonderful Dany!

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JediWiccan10 [2012-08-28 23:48:40 +0000 UTC]

That is a fantastic and wonderful costume!! I don't even know the series that well and I think this is amazing.

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speakart [2012-07-31 20:49:00 +0000 UTC]

I think this is my favorite of your cosplay, you look so beautiful and you look really like you are that character, you are really comvincing in this costume, I love it.

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LadyMillennium [2012-06-27 19:23:06 +0000 UTC]

Brilliant!

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Kayari-of-Midnight [2012-06-15 01:58:12 +0000 UTC]

This is an absolutely stunning cosplay. the dragon is a wonderful touch. I can't quite recall if I commented on one of the other photos of you before, but regardless of if I have or not, it's such a wonderful costume that it deserves it anyways.

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1348249 [2012-05-02 08:56:24 +0000 UTC]

horny dragon =3

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CraftinSomethinFishy [2012-03-03 19:59:36 +0000 UTC]

I wish my face looked like plastic D:

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dueromcfile [2012-02-05 16:51:17 +0000 UTC]

i admire the dragon.. LOL

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natsume84 [2012-02-05 11:33:01 +0000 UTC]

just one word: AWESOME!!! I really love your cosplays!

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miss-Froyo [2012-01-30 13:45:38 +0000 UTC]

You're right - Deny is wonderful character, and you've made stunning costume! But, as I think, this character not suit you at all)) sorry, but I think she's like 'scandinavian' girl.

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yayacosplay In reply to miss-Froyo [2012-01-30 15:41:06 +0000 UTC]

The Targaryen's are described as very exotic, so I thought Dany would be a better fit for me than most GoT characters. Also, my race will NEVER interfere with my cosplay choices and she is my favorite.

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spirit-of-the-stone [2012-01-19 20:24:57 +0000 UTC]

Daenerys indeed My favourite character also, along with Catelyn Stark. Great work!

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NeoGeisha3000 [2011-10-09 16:29:45 +0000 UTC]

your soo beyond words god at this

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Abdeil [2011-10-08 00:36:51 +0000 UTC]

You look absolutely stunning in this costume. <3

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donobowk [2011-09-15 19:58:50 +0000 UTC]

very cool, and the added Rhaegal is a nice touch

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Mae-rye [2011-09-14 19:56:23 +0000 UTC]

You're so beautiful! I love Daenerys, you did wonderful job on this!!

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ChadTheCatman1985 [2011-09-03 18:20:33 +0000 UTC]

love it i think it would be better if u name it mistress of the dragon. but love it anyway.

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Maglyt1 [2011-09-02 00:45:47 +0000 UTC]

AWSOME COSPLAY!!! BEST DANY COSPLAY YET!!!!

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ninjakittypoo [2011-08-31 03:43:47 +0000 UTC]

So you bought the dragon? Was it customized for you or..?

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cerisepuck [2011-08-30 04:16:17 +0000 UTC]

You can't even tell that Rhaegal had to be cut up and pieced back together. And yes the color green that he is does look great with the dress's color scheme! You have a good eye!

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AmaterasuUzumaki [2011-08-30 00:22:39 +0000 UTC]

Aaahh, Danny

It's very beautiful, I've never seen one so nice.

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Zehabix [2011-08-26 21:12:05 +0000 UTC]

You actually look good with that hair color, LoL.

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CatWildAtom [2011-08-26 11:35:34 +0000 UTC]

I Love the Game of Throne! You Make A Perfect Khaleesi

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Rainbows-n-Moonshine [2011-08-25 19:58:06 +0000 UTC]

I love love LOVE the costume It's so pretty, and fits her adopted culture perfectly

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Chrystal-Anne-Books [2011-08-25 06:00:51 +0000 UTC]

I seriously want that chained belt... awe, who am I kidding? I want the whole outfit! I wish I had half the talent you did right now! Must work harder...

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eepalmas [2011-08-25 05:24:12 +0000 UTC]

Gorgeous as Always YaYa.

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eepalmas [2011-08-25 05:23:28 +0000 UTC]

Gorgeous!!!!!

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kwendt43 [2011-08-25 03:28:47 +0000 UTC]

can I just say that A. you are beautiful and B. I totally want to read these books now I love costume ecspecially the belt! Great pic and great work

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MsLovelyA [2011-08-25 02:54:16 +0000 UTC]

I really need to get into that series/books there. I keep hearing talk about ti and it seems interesting. Great costume BTW

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white-mage33 [2011-08-25 02:45:44 +0000 UTC]

Beautiful as always. Lovely dress.

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fum316 [2011-08-25 01:01:20 +0000 UTC]

Theres a lot to read here! I must though I like that dress!

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Saknika [2011-08-24 21:15:00 +0000 UTC]

I was a little startled by the costume at first, because it looks so much like what you would see a bellydancer (which I am one) wearing. After reading your description, it makes me want to definitely read the books. Sounds super amazing!

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jactinglim [2011-08-24 18:08:25 +0000 UTC]

love how the skirt fabric flows

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Ruben-10 [2011-08-24 17:11:08 +0000 UTC]

Beautiful !!!

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Mei-Hoshi [2011-08-24 16:28:22 +0000 UTC]

You look fantastic: I love the accessories! It was fun reading how you developed the character

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bravofox16 [2011-08-24 16:12:28 +0000 UTC]

well done hell of a description you wrote haha

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Ex-Shadow [2011-08-24 15:37:08 +0000 UTC]

I've been hearing a lot of good things about this book series and the show as well. I may have to give it a read later this year when I finally have time. The costume is magnificent as usual though, and I'm highly impressed with that dragon. It definitely doesn't look like it was spliced and repositioned, it looks like it were specifically made to guard it's...erm...treasure, as any dragon would xD

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KPhillips702 [2011-08-24 15:00:18 +0000 UTC]

Flippin lucky ass dragon, lol

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RusstheRab [2011-08-24 14:52:38 +0000 UTC]

very nice

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