it has been one year since i first designed ligeia… how.
anyways here’s a slightly revised design of her original outfit! some design philosophy stuff under the cut
her eyes are purposely wider than every other troll design from this universe. the fuchsia spots around them aren’t eyeshadow, though they’re often confused for it. she prefers it that way, as they’re actually ages-old scars obtained from the unimaginable horrors she’s been through.
her sign (in the middle of her wetsuit) is pirius.
the intersecting lines and curves are a repetitive pattern made of the sign of her empress/guardian/captor from her universe of origin, which is pittarius.
the empress’s blood was a significantly brighter, more saturated pink than any other fuchsiablood, which is reflected in the stripes of the suit itself. the lines literally cage in her sign, and wind around ligeia’s entire body. the suit, with a gold collar, indicates mystery and importance with a slightly royal undertone, but also the idea (combined with the literal leftover handcuff) that even if just mentally, she is still trapped with her.
originally, her shoes were flippers. i’ve changed this, partially because they’d just look weird in the homestuck style, but also because… her guardian wouldn’t let ligeia out of her sight when she still had her. why would she make it easier for her to swim? instead, i replaced them with drab, gilded boots with sharp spurs pointing upright from behind them. while not visible, there are actually two of these hooks on each heel. as the assigned executioner, she was expected to harshly kick the prisoner behind her with them if they started getting unruly. tools of violence, permanently embedded in her attire.
as for her body, she has disproportionately long fangs/tusks, whose shape is mirrored in her horns. these horns actually point forward, telling everyone from the get-go to stay away from her. don’t touch me. her long, massively thick hair serves a dual purpose- making her appear much larger than she actually is, and completely obscuring her backside. they also partially cover her fins, but those are too big to hide entirely. those fins are three-lobed, where every other seadweller in her universe has two-lobed fins. they make her stand out, and are the one exposed vulnerability in her stance.
that’s why her pose here is entirely facing the viewer. any turn to the right or left threatens to expose her weak points, and she can’t have that. though she’s keeping her expression neutral, every part of her design is defensive, as she desperately wants to keep herself from being hurt as badly as she was in HER void again.
she tries to make herself look and sound like a god, someone who shouldn’t have to answer to or be helped by anyone. but at her core, ligeia is a scared, cornered animal.
