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William the Conquerors society was shaped with war in mind. A person who doesn't want to draw attention to themselves would dress completely differently today than they would even a few decades ago. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. And right at the heart of it were the leaders of societythe medieval lords. Advertisements. In fact, you should be putting lots of thought and development into protagonists because thats who the story is about.But how much thought have you given to your tertiary characters? Mention the familiar swooshing of the neighbors tracksuit as he runs by the house every morning or how the aunts jacket always smells like cold air and pine needles. Another important function of clothing description in stories is to create an authentic sense of time and place. Do they need a ghillie suit to blend into the natural environment? If you look at popular works of fiction you'll find two trends, one is the simplistic and often tight-fit look and the other is the more over the top and extravagant look. Lets talk about how to use clothing description as a storytelling tool, how to dress your character for their personality and setting, and how to make clothes interesting to anyone. It makes for a more entertaining read. Are they overalls or coveralls? Instead of a nobleman being described as wearing red silk slippers, parachute pants, a bejeweled cloth belt, a flowing blouse and an ascot; you can simply describe him as wear very fancy and extravagant clothing befitting his high status in society. Even things like tattoos, hair colors, eye colors and so on can help with this. Maybe theyre wearing an article of clothing that once belonged to someone theyve lost. Think the previously mentioned Fifth Element and Hunger Games clothing versus Star Trek, Star Wars and so on clothing. Your character might also have a job or hobby that requires protective clothing. Some helmets had chain attached which hung around and protected the neck, called an aventail, and most were padded inside, for added comfort. These detail could suggest that your character is miserly or down-to-earth despite their wealth. The padded material could absorb blows from blunt weapons and provided some protection from cuts, but against well-forged weapons they were useless. Youre still not off the hook. It's also an indirect way to describe their physical appearance by examining how the clothes fit them. To make it futuristic you could change where the buttons are, they're normally quite low and form a v-neck line when buttoned up, how about moving them to the top and creating an upside down V shape at the bottom. Richie Billing writes fantasy fiction, historical fiction and stories of a darker nature. That's why it's valuable to learn these terms. Reddit - Dive into anything Shoes made with bendable displays already exist, allowing you to change your shoe's design on the fly. Trendy: Modern, fashionable, and up-to-date outfits. Non-visual senses are big, too. In one single piece of clothing description (a pink-eyed bundle of shawls), Dickens conveys how timid and ailing Mrs. Gradgrind is in contrast to her bullish, overbearing husband. Borrowed armor wouldnt fit as well as a suit made for the wearer and wouldnt be as well balanced, so someone in borrowed armor would be more likely to have problems moving in his armor. Baggy. Obviously clothing is extremely varied, especially dresses. How to describe scenery ? : r/fantasywriters - reddit.com So sometimes all it takes to create futuristic clothing is to take a trend that has passed, alter it slightly and you're done. So as a way of trying to control them and their behaviour, the code of chivalry and honour was introduced. When shes not writing, Abi is most likely hiking, reading, or texting her mother pictures of her houseplants to ask why they look like that. Get an image of a blank shirt and simply draw the lines on it, it'll form a great base to work with. That decorative belt? They could withstand high-velocity strikes from a javelin or lance, driven home by somebody charging forwards on horseback. This is less important for non-visual arts as clothing isn't always described in writing, but it can still be incredibly helpful to have a fully detailed character in your head or written down somewhere for reference and just to make everything feel more real and alive. A jacket or coat of mail was usually worn with a hood, or coif, of the same material to protect the head and neck. All of these advancements will become more and more common as time goes on, so it'd make sense for them to be part of our clothing in the future. Then this is their category. That fancy Ming dynasty dress looks completely different with exposed shoulders and that medieval set of pants look completely different if you turn them into shorts with exposed legs. But Ive also noticed that artful clothing description does make a character, a setting, and even a moment more engaging. Its about building a life and a world, and that is something you can do. A man's padded undercoat worn under a doublet and over a shirt; a woman's (often padded) under-tunic or the skirt of her riding habit. Youre not infodumping. Again, I don't mean make your character walk around naked, but add elements of covering up or exposing certain areas of the body. This one is simple, right? A knight, by definition, was a lord. We therefore see in the fantasy genre characters equipped with grand helmets and beautiful pieces of plate armor. In this section, Ive included some more guides on creating fantasy armor designs that you may find useful. It would have been extremely warm too. For example, headphones aren't really a piece of clothing, but they definitely affect our style. As time marched on, small plates of leather or iron were added to the mail to protect key areas, such as vital organs. A possible source of conflict for a story, perhaps! Similarly, find out (or, if youre creating a fantasy world, create) the garments your characters would wear in a particular time and place. Which of these clothing types is your character most likely to reach for when starting their day? - Change lengths. clothed and we should definitely be using them to portray our characters personalities. Dont worry, thats not a trick question. Designing fantasy armor for your characters can be an awful lot of fun. Those outfits can become iconic. How to describe clothing: 6 simple tips Use clothing to show status and position Build (or thwart) expectations using clothing descriptions Describe clothing to contrast character personalities Show clothing to avoid over-relying on telling Change clothing to highlight character development Use clothing details to create authentic setting Use your first-person narrators senses sight, hearing, touch, etc. Make them earn any sightof skin, Aunt P always said. Heating to the perfect temperature was key. Do they strive to be humble before their god or do they want to spend this one and only life as their bold, ostentatious selves? In a fantasy setting, you may be trying to conjure up a certain feel right off the bat based on how you describe a character's clothing (and the words you use to describe them). Also try searching cool fantasy armor, or epic fantasy armor. I'm talking about the jagged, triangular shapes you find on some stealth planes or the digital camouflage patterns. If all else fails use Google images and find some visual aids and inspiration sources, they can work wonders. Through fashion terms you can understand the fundamentals of the fashion industry. If sturdy is a top consideration, your character might be expecting trouble or adventure. Theyll see it automatically. One reason clothing descriptions can start to feel like a tedious laundry list (see what I did there?) It doesn't exclude those that don't know what a qipao is, nor break immersion for those who do. An owl, a real owl! Particularly in genres such as historical fiction and fantasy, clothing can help to create other worlds (or a long gone era of our own). The rope belt is solely decorative and a status symbol. If you tell your readers about Nanettes light pink cardigan and string of pearls, you dont have to say much about the shoes and skirt and silk blouse. Katerina is affronted by Amalias fine dress because it is new and shows pride. Describing armor and clothing. : r/writing - reddit Troubles with Clothing in Fantasy + Some Ideas - Brielle Andela If it fits your universe it usually works, so don't be afraid of doing something different. Below, well take a look at the armor found in the fantasy genre, covering everything from chain mail to helmets. Or it could be that they want to be charmed by their own image when they look in the mirror. One way is to avoid what we call filter words. Our wardrobes are influenced by our age, geography, culture, hobbies, and a million other aspects of our worlds. Finally there's the aspect of fashion to take into account. Creative Words to Describe Outfit & Clothing - INK Although such armor exists in fantasy worlds, its important to understand how things work in the real world, even at a basic level. Knights were, indeed, hard to defeat in battle. And ninety-nine percent of the clothing descriptions in your first draft are just jeans. I get it. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. I'll allow my fangirl side to shine for a second and use the Legend of Korra as an example of how mixing styles can work amazingly well. Heres a cool video on making leather fantasy armor by YouTuber, Prince Armory. Sci-fi and fantasy don't necessarily have to be futuristic and historic respectively, but they're commonly associated as such, so for the sake of simplicity that's what I'm going with for the purposes of this guide. It took leaving the Midwest to recognize it. Im struggling to properly figure out how to describe clothing for a fantasy setting Im trying to create. So Id say in films its more for cinematic effect and also for clarity so the viewer can see whos doing what. And here are some great concepts for female fantasy armor. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. This pride, though justifiable, displeased Katerina Ivanovna for some reason. But the biggest challenge can sometimes be simply making something look futuristic or historic fantasy-ish, which is the main focus of this guide. As knights became fully armored, so did their mounts. - Taboos and nudity. In a book, none of that is true. Will using real-world cultural vocabulary in a fantasy setting In the historical fiction books Ive read, none of the heroes took off their helmets unless they were knocked off, or bashed in. Or else that she feels shamed by her Aunt and thus decides to be good. You can even use different pieces of clothing to cover up body parts differently. Its something readers definitely appreciate, which I found with Pariahs Lament. Fashion photographer Bill Cunningham said, Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life. Try applying this philosophy to clothing descriptions in your writing and see what happens.
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