How practical is a female fantasy armor?

Dark_Phoenix_Zaetyk

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I have yet to see a sculpted breast armor. Full-plate cuirass with sculpted or engraved breasts in the style of muscle chest piece of the Greco-Roman world...

The one thing that bugged me the most is that people disregarded the culture/tradition surrounding such blatant displays of flesh in a setting that clearly didn't worship skimpy outfits as much as we modern folk do. If you change the setting accordingly, then I am fine with that. But just take medieval, and put bikini armor into it? Get the fuck outta here.

Everything came down to context, really. If they are entertainer, gladiatrix, sure! But a life or death battle? Hell nah. People often forget how little the brain cares for horniness when a tidal wave of heavy cal shock troop is bearing down at you, or you at them
I agree with you... people forget during life and death mostly no one will care about your skimpy armor and you might find your head flying etc
W
Personally, I like less revealing armors on most characters. Unless they are like a barbarian or amazon. But I won't be giving a pass to that random adventurer girl who goes out and fights dangerous monsters.
Well there are many random girls in skimpy armors trying to do that lol
 

owotrucked

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heavy armor has the side positive effect of increasing weight class, making attacks heavier and more penetrating. Of course it increases fatigue during combat. Some joints does decrease mobility in a trade-off between protection and dexterity. So actually, you can experience being a clunky armored fridge if you want, you just need to ask your local blacksmith
 

Hans.Trondheim

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Someone annoying asked me before about it; more specifically, my armor designs.

My answer: I'm the artist. I'm the author. I make my rules.

If I want someone to be naked and make their bodies impervious to any kind of attacks, it's my call. Logic doesn't need to apply.
 

RepresentingWrath

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Someone annoying asked me before about it, more specifically, my armor designs.

My answer: I'm the artist, I'm the author, I make my rules.

If I want someone to be naked and make their bodies impervious to any kind of attacks, it's my call. Logic doesn't need to apply.
Incomparably, supremely, inconceivably, BASED :blob_shade:
 

Dark_Phoenix_Zaetyk

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I think what a lot of people forget is that armor is only good if you can move in it.
It also depended on where you fought and what your purpose was.
Archers who had to be nimble didn't wear as much armor as the front line soldiers.

Some warriors like the picts fought naked and caused more problems.
Vikings didn't really have much armor either, but since they did a lot of hit and run it didn't make sense to have it.

I don't have a problem with fantasy armor being skimpy.
In history, well decorated armor meant something, and skimpy armor can easily improve moral or distract the enemy.
Well i agree both have advantages a skimpy armor can be used in a distraction way which can make a difference during a fight
Someone annoying asked me before about it; more specifically, my armor designs.

My answer: I'm the artist. I'm the author. I make my rules.

If I want someone to be naked and make their bodies impervious to any kind of attacks, it's my call. Logic doesn't need to apply.
I bow down to you
 

Prince_Azmiran_Myrian

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When I see such fantasy armor I roll my eyes and just accept that people like it. I wouldn't design it that way myself.
 

Hans.Trondheim

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Incomparably, supremely, inconceivably, BASED :blob_shade:
*Flash back to a certain redhead*
Ya know what, I agreed...

Unless I'm writing a historical fiction, or based my settings on earth physics, I will make my own rules for my stories. Those who whine about my system are either nitpickers, or they don't know their limits as readers. They only are making their lives miserable. ??

Go write and design your own, as others say.
 

RepresentingWrath

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Unless I'm writing a historical fiction, or based my settings on earth physics, I will make my own rules for my stories. Those who whine about my system are either nitpickers, or they don't know their limits as readers. They only are making their lives miserable. ??
:blob_gift: :blob_cookie: :meowsip:
 

Dark_Phoenix_Zaetyk

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the too real excuse for skimpy armor is female wage gap: they are too poor to buy plate armor. Do you know how much that shit cost? Not only at purchase but also for maintenance. And who would pay a weaker woman as much as beefy men?
I didn't think it could be like this
 

Seaspecter

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the too real excuse for skimpy armor is female wage gap: they are too poor to buy plate armor. Do you know how much that shit cost? Not only at purchase but also for maintenance. And who would pay a weaker woman as much as beefy men?
Interestingly enough cost was the biggest factor in how much armor a person wore throughout history.
 

BouncyCactus

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Oh yeah, another thing about fantasy female armor is how uncomfortable it is to wear them. Like, really? Form-fitting metal underwear on top of skin? Go on, try wearing a chastity belt, and run me ten laps!

Whale baleen corsets were enough to cause discomfort. But a forged metal one? Yeah, she gonna faint first before any real battle. Or chaffing is gonna be a real bitch to deal with
 

Seaspecter

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Unless I'm writing a historical fiction, or based my settings on earth physics, I will make my own rules for my stories. Those who whine about my system are either nitpickers, or they don't know their limits as readers. They only are making their lives miserable. ??

Go write and design your own, as others say.
To be perfectly fair people will hate no matter what you do, so you might as well enjoy yourself.
 

Hans.Trondheim

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To be perfectly fair people will hate no matter what you do, so you might as well enjoy yourself.
Exactly. And it's not like I care about the popularity of my works anymore (it's not; given up on that).

Also, it's common sense that not all worlds got an earth-like physical laws. This is what many often forget, and always follow rules. And rules in fiction limits creativity. A limited creativity diminishes interesting points in the work, making it boring. ??
 
D

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It depends on what a person considers to be fantasy-like. If you simply add some frills or tassels and call it fantasy armor, not everyone are going to agree with you.

Depends on what kind of fantasy it is. Obviously in low-fantasy people are going to use more realistic armor. What about high fantasy? What about cultivation novels? As for the elephant in the room, bikini armor. Why people never question armor of male barbarians? Conan is ok, but bikini armor is not?

Lastly. If you simply add bikini armor just because, I agree it looks bad. If you give proper explanation on why it exists I'm okay with it. Example. There is a tribe that doesn't have the resources, so they wear stuff like that. It is not practical, and even they know it, but they were fighting like that for centuries, so now they kinda got used to it.
I'll only answer the high-fantasy bit because that's the important question. First, they can make sense. However, the use of armor and weapons doesn't change drastically, whether it is a low fantasy or a high fantasy. Imagine a breastplate that has its center piece exposed (no chainmail). Under normal circumstances, it is nowhere near a good design. Sure, you can argue that the king is a pervert or that the design somehow buffs your level to a stupid degree, but your suspension of belief would find it very difficult to believe. The armor could also be merely a fashion statement, and that's an acceptable justification, but in a real war, it wouldn't fly.

Think of a sword that has spikes in its handle again. They may look cool despite being completely unusable in practice.

This likely wouldn't matter much if you are writing a fantasy comedy, since your suspension of belief already accepts such shenanigans, but for a novel that claims to be a serious fantasy, the practicality of things is going to matter (not saying everything has to be hyper-practical because they don't). Or it should make sense story-wise, as in the tribe example given by you. Of course, authors are going to make mistakes, but we should stop treating them like they come standard with a fantasy story. Because they don't.
 
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