#the most likely to wear braids would be Lyra... Audun would be okay with a small braid here and there if she wanted to braid his hair

[bleaksqueak]

hello hello, it's been a while since i asked a question so i'm back with one about...hair! can you tell us anything about the soli cast's hairstyling habits? ranking them from least to most effort put into maintaining it every morning, who's the most likely to wear braids, how attunements (feathers or anything else) play a part in this and what accomodations/products the veil makes for these mages.

Always a pleasure to see you show up in my activity feed or inbox, so the questions are welcome! Ranking them, funny enough but Maia would be at the top of the list for how much effort is put in. Her hairstyle is, by all means, simple. Behind the scenes, though, there's a lot going on to make it look effortless... and of course, when hair reaches a certain length it does become quite a task of love. This goes beyond just styling, as we're talking potions, serums, perfumes and maintenance.

Lyra easily comes after Maia... though she enjoys looking Nice Enough (it might be more accurate to say she likes looking "Cute, in a Mad Scientist Hippie sort of way"-- her own words), her haircare routine is more out of necessity than Maia's labor of love. It wasn't always as difficult to tame, but as her manifestation's overgrowth peppered in between her already wavy, loose curls, that changed. Thankfully detangler potions and specialty combs made for her exact type of manifestation come in quite handy... having a husband willing to help tame the nest, even as it got more out of control, also helps. It's difficult to see due to mostly seeing her from the front during chapter 2 and the post chapter omake, but she clips part of her thick hair back with a fused crystal lotus barrette. Etched into it is a simple sigil that aids in helping to keep things in place. It can't work miracles, but it can help keep her hair and feathers from tangling due to day-to-day activities. Audric follows after them. He wears a tidier, shorter hairstyle unless you count for the length of feathers that he ties back and tucks away under his uniform coat when on duty. There's nothing overly special in his haircare routine, though that changes when it comes to taking care of those silver-grey feathers that rest beneath his dark hair. Maintaining them to prevent breaks and fraying is where most of his efforts go. As they're a product of a rare phenomenon where a manifest trait is passed to a child from both parents sharing the same manifestation, though, he's been doing this since he was a small child... there was considerably more fraying and breakage as a child despite everyone's best efforts, especially as new growth and pin feathers are going to cause enough itching that a child isn't going to be able to resist. As an adult, though, it isn't much of a problem... and feather manifestations being a more common one in the veil means there's plenty of resources for taking care of them. His preening is now spot on. Audun follows soon after... Though his feathers are fine and small, much more flexible, and aren't quite as finnicky as his wife's and eldest son's. His hairstyle is simple, shorter, with the side lengths clipped back, it isn't difficult to maintain. His biggest task is (or was...) helping Lyra with hers or praying that-- Elias would probably never bother if his family didn't insist. This insisting generally comes from Audric, who will Cut If For Him If He Won't Get it Cut. He takes minimum effort in day-to-day upkeep, only keeping it free from tangles so Willow won't get caught when she's slithering about. There's a brief moment when it's freshly cut and styled by his older brother that it looks neat, intentional and styled... that probably lasts as long as one shake. Audric doesn't fight it anymore. Neither does Audun. Life's too short to keep rolling that boulder up the hill.