Oppositional and Defiant Women

Chief Imperial Consort Ki and Empress Danashiri, artwork by Two_ii

Two strong willed women, one man.  It's easy to assume, if you haven't watched 기황후 that Empress Danashiri and 기승냥 are fighting over the man, Emperor Toghon, but looks can be deceiving.  They're fighting over what he represents: power, survival, and thriving. Empress Danashiri is under profound pressure from her family to bring forth an heir apparent, which is difficult when she is in a sexless marriage.  Then she has to deal with her husband being head over heels in love with someone who started as a tributary court lady and developed into a high ranking concubine.  It seriously doesn't bode well, and it's a threat to her survival.

 

기승냥 is obviously not in a great position herself. She didn't have a choice when it came to being a tribute, and she did what she needed to do to not only survive in a culture that her own culture of origin had profound disdain for (and there was no way in hell they were going to let her come home unscathed), but she did what she needed to do to thrive.  And so, you have two women pitted against each other due to their respective positions being so precarious. 

Empress Danashiri, artwork by The Bluedevil

기승냥, artwork by Genetovar

Fan art prints are available at: https://www.sageukparadise.com/sageuk.../p/empresskifanart