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Fantasy and craftsmanship
Sometimes, when I enjoy a science fiction or fantasy novel, I want to see the world the characters inhabit. I want to see the dilithium crystals, touch a wizard's robes, all that stuff. In particular, I am definitely not too old to want to play dress-up. I would love to have a replica of Talia's Whites or Rivakonneva's armor hanging in my closet right beside all the other specialty garments I never wear. I'd want them to feel and fit as much like the originals as I could imagine; a polyester-cloth version of boiled leather armor wouldn't cut it.
Childish, in a way, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Fifteen years ago, when I used to go to cons, some part of the dealers' room was usually dedicated to just this sort of fantasy... but it wasn't very good at satisfying any specific yearning. There were people selling generic chainmail, generic cloaks, plastic phasers, and poorly-crafted daggers. I wonder if it's changed much.
If it hasn't, I wonder if there's room for a craftswoman who replicates specific things. Someone who reads the book, researches its universe a little, and can put together an outfit and a bunch of accessories that lets the wearer pretend. Unfortunately, that's probably time-consuming and expensive, so it'd be marketed to the aging wannabes with careers (like me) and not really to the penniless college wannabes (like I used to be).
It does sound a bit too much like work though... especially having to re-fit any given design to a wide variety of sizes and imaginations ("Del's tunic does too have a sash to belt it!"). Maybe I should just whip up one or two for me, twirl around in them, and hang them in the closet next to everything else I never wear.
Childish, in a way, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Fifteen years ago, when I used to go to cons, some part of the dealers' room was usually dedicated to just this sort of fantasy... but it wasn't very good at satisfying any specific yearning. There were people selling generic chainmail, generic cloaks, plastic phasers, and poorly-crafted daggers. I wonder if it's changed much.
If it hasn't, I wonder if there's room for a craftswoman who replicates specific things. Someone who reads the book, researches its universe a little, and can put together an outfit and a bunch of accessories that lets the wearer pretend. Unfortunately, that's probably time-consuming and expensive, so it'd be marketed to the aging wannabes with careers (like me) and not really to the penniless college wannabes (like I used to be).
It does sound a bit too much like work though... especially having to re-fit any given design to a wide variety of sizes and imaginations ("Del's tunic does too have a sash to belt it!"). Maybe I should just whip up one or two for me, twirl around in them, and hang them in the closet next to everything else I never wear.
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Definitely. At risk of sounding stereotypical, female writers seem to do this a bunch. I have a lot of those on my shelves, so I could get started with some of the easier cases. :-)
Maybe this is something where Aging Fans can direct, harness, and fund the penniless Collage Fans. (There might be some lessons to take from SCA teaching and guild efforts, though they may just be "reasons why this is even harder than you imagine" :)
Not sure I know what you're imagining here. I could create a trained cadre of mage-robe-seamstresses, you mean? Hmmm... ponder...
There are probably annoying IP issues for anything published by big houses
Come to think of it, this may be exactly why nothing of this sort has been done. A generic mage-cloak is salable, but a specific one may not be. Grr. Hadn't thought of that. I wonder who owns the rights to use characters' names -- the publisher, or the author? Either way, it sure isn't me. I bet this is a major sticking point.