Hello;
Let me know if this is too personal, or too complex, but I have a question about Dust in your āBetrothalā AU. Is his veil religious based? I assume so from the dialogue, and how modesty often correlates to it in our world.
Iām also curious as to who wears them.
Is it only for those who are deemed more feminine in gender orientation, or are there different garments for all genders? Is it worn by all classes, and if yes, what differentiates it in appearance from the upper class to the lower?
I apologize for my poor grammatical accuracy.
hiya! not too personal at all!
lots of people in Irelith veil, regardless of gender, in many ways. there IS a religious connotation to it, but its one of those things more to do with respect by showing modest to spirits and ancestors. some people veil all the time, some veil for occasions, some dont ever
now, the kind of veiling Dust does is different! Irelithi royals are considered, to be 'too beautiful' for common people to lay eyes on. most people have never seen their royals faces, and they cover head to toe when in public, only identifiable by their crowns! its been a thing for centuries, and some truly believe it, while some think they royals may actually be very ugly and dont want their people to know that.
in royals, theres a hierarchies for who is allowed to see Irlethi royals faces - if that person is below them in status, they are not supposed to see them uncovered, unless they are married or at the VERY least courting, if theyre more lax about it! meaning while Dusts mothers know each others faces, Dust has never seen either of the faces, not have his siblings. showing faces between siblings is allowed, regardless of gender, but a prince shoulsnt show their face to another kingdoms princess, if that makes sense.
so for the scene where Dust is unveiled in from of everyone, Nightmare would have been very much allowed to see if he wanted, entitled, actually, seeing as Dust was being brought over to be wed to him, so would Nym as king. Dream, Killer, Cross and Horror are all princesses and so are on level playing field, which means Dust could show them if he wanted, but is not in anyway forced to. ever single other person in that room should NOT have been able to lay eyes on him - not as royalty, which is why its SUCH a big moment, and insult to Dust. its quite literally saying that the kingdom doesnt see him as royal anymore, even if he kept his title.
common and nobility tend to wear the same styles, the differences being in how they are dressed up and the fabric. a duchess may wear a veil that covers very little and be mostly jewels and silk, and a poor person may wear the same style but made of wool with less gems, for example! the only difference is with the royals who have the full face coverings that are similar to a burqa!
in their own homes, royals often dont bother with the full covering if they know theyre going to be alone or with family, but often carry something like a scar to throw over their face in case a servant comes in!
the ONLY exception to the only royals see other royals rules is with two types of staff: wet nurses and one or two handmaids, whos job it would be to dress the royalty. this is just for convenience of course, but its considered a great honour and therefore a high status job to be one of them!
hope that all makes sense! do send any more questions my way if you have anything else youd like to know! ^^
