There’s nothing wrong with a characters outward motivation being Romance and True Love, but it would be pretty sick to have Meeshell have a scientific, obsessive interest in human nature if she’s being exposed to it for the first time.

I love eah as is ofc, but as an artist and writer I think it’d be very fun to dabble in doing an AU with another version of the characters!

Post where I explain my distaste for the original designs. Here

Post of how I would incorporate Holly into the later chapters as a Royal: Here

My Meeshell Mermaid Redesign: Here

Alternate Hairstyles sketches for Special Occasions:

Design Notes:

Holly-I wanted to embrace Holly being a little more simple, and based her dress on high-class regency era gowns; loose fitting, and deliberately plain. With flats, no makeup and no jewellery.

It’s canon that Holly has been homeschooled her whole life, trapped in her castle. Apparently in the books this has left her socially inept, and deeply co-dependant on her sister, but this never comes through in the show.

I wanted to bring that forward by making her value comfort over high-fashion. Her dress resembles a nightgown and her shoes being indoor slippers.

Her hair, obviously, is the main focus of her design, and is the only part she has customised with beads, hoops and jewellery. It is so long she has looped it around herself to the point where it becomes an accessory itself.

In every event when she’s given a new outfit i.e Dragon Games or a school dance, her being black opens the door to new styles and silhouettes that are impossible with weaker, straighter hair. Cornrows, dreadlocks, natural, dreadlocks, wicks, bantu knots etc. She’s the Hair Princess, let her hair be 1000% more exciting than the other princesses loose waves.

(I also like the idea that she can change her hair in a way that is truly incomprehensible. She’s getting ready for True Hearts Day and walks into the bathroom with tight, 50 foot micro-braids, walks out five minutes later with fully-formed dreadlocks. No one has figured out how she’s doing this, and Holly doesn’t understand why no one can do it).

Poppy: I wanted Poppy to both be a matched set with her sister in some cases, and be her natural opposite in others;

In my mind Poppy is the only person Holly has ever known outside of her witch, with Poppy sneaking into her tower in secret. (Whether this is canon in the books, or if Poppy has always been allowed to see her sister, I don’t know). With this in mind, I had ropes and loose fabric acting as a belt around Poppy’s waist, resembling Holly’s flowing hair with hoops and beads; even having them both tied in a bow; by Poppy’s waist and around Holly’s neck.

I tried to keep the flower motif from the original by having Poppy’s bantu knots look like roses, as well as them being dyed white to Holly’s black; an obvious yin/yang.

I also wanted to lean into the ‘adventuring, rebel tomboy’ idea, by giving her loose-fitting pants, and short hair. But still keeping the fantasy world-building in mind by taking inspiration from historical mens fashion; much like her sister Poppy also prefers to be comfortable, wearing breathable fabric and showing more skin. While also embracing her individuality by having dyed hair, and colourful makeup. She doesn’t look like any of the other girls in Ever After High, as she has no reference for the specific gender roles they’ve all grown up under.

Character Re-write:

I really like what I've done here. Might do more of Apple's hair in this colour

Original