In need of help regarding transforming and clothing... - Writers Forum

Kira the wanderer · 12-21-2005, 07:28 PM

Alright! I've moved onto a story that has plagued my mind for almost a year now, and to finally make it go away I'm writing it down on paper! Inspired by a dream I had from watching way too much Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Wolf's Rain, I have created a world prejudice against humans of a failed genetic experiment passed on through new generations of those tested on. In reult these people has a very unstable DNA and like many superheros in old comic books they can transform into animals, particularly the wolf. Now my problem is...

Would it make sense for them to loose their clothing and if so what do I do about when they change back? I don't want to be bothered by the hassle of explaining how they get new clothing, blah blah blah. These people are in a rebel group and are traveling by foot so its not like they carry their luggage around either. How to I approach this clothing delema?

suzakugaiden · 12-21-2005, 07:51 PM

LEt'em be nakers.

Kira the wanderer · 12-21-2005, 07:53 PM

I'd rather not. I'm being serious here, if your not going to help then don't post.

Verago · 12-21-2005, 08:03 PM

Either have the clothing loose enough to still fit them and not be torn away when they transform, or have them be naked when they reverse the transform.
At least, that's what I'd do.

Kira the wanderer · 12-21-2005, 08:06 PM

The problem is, its not like they can just go back and get their clothing. They're rebels against society... it would also be pointless to write of their retrieving clothes. And I don't think pants would fit at all on a wolf...

Verago · 12-21-2005, 08:20 PM

That's a problem...
Maybe they have clothes at their "bases" or something like that, or they have clothes planted at strategic points throughout the city?
In all seriousness...They might HAVE to be nudists to make it work.

Unless you just let the reader know how they get the clothes back the first time, and the next time the transform, generalize like, tell how they went back to get their clothes in a couple sentences, and the time after that, you won't have to tell it at all, because it'll be understood, and you can just do a jump.

Meh, I don't know.

Kira the wanderer · 12-21-2005, 08:43 PM

I was thinking of something like that... I suppose that could work. Dang... comic people had it easy these things don't have to make sense >.<

Ben · 12-21-2005, 08:47 PM

Just have the clothing change with them. I've done it like that, and it worked well. That way, when the people change back, they're still wearing the clothes they had before.

Kira the wanderer · 12-21-2005, 08:48 PM

That wouldn't make sense! They have faulty DNA, and the last time I checked their clothing doesn't share the same DNA...

Verago · 12-21-2005, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kira the wanderer

and the last time I checked their clothing doesn't share the same DNA...

This made me laugh.
Kudos. ^^

Kira the wanderer · 12-21-2005, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Verago

This made me laugh.
Kudos. ^^

Thanks. That's the first time I said something that actually made someone laugh-- and what do you know this time it was unintentional!

Verago · 12-21-2005, 08:58 PM

Nah, I'm sure you've made people laugh before, they just didn't mention it.

Ben · 12-21-2005, 09:16 PM

Well, those are your options. Let them be naked, make them find their clothes after they transform, or let the clothes change with them.

suzakugaiden · 12-21-2005, 10:55 PM

I was being serious. They can't take clothes with them. And they're rebels, so they probably don't have many inhibitions anyway.

Anarkos · 12-22-2005, 12:18 AM

1) DNA gets blamed for a lot of things it could never do...
2) Read Terry Pratechett's guards novels. Especially, um, Feet of Clay. One of the watch(wo)men is a werewolf, and he goes into great and comical detail about just how annoying it is to have to keep searching for clothing...