Ooohh is this a friend of Lyta's? I love her look!! Also how do you pronounce her name? owo

She's more a friend of Alicia, who's Lyta's... mistress? Owner? Not sure what the best word would be, given Lyta is essentially Alicia's magical familiar. Aonbheannach is actually a unicorn who shapeshifts to human form to wander around furry conventions. She'd known Alicia for a few years before Alicia even discovered magic actually existed.

As for how it's pronounced, that depends on exactly which dialect of Irish you're speaking in, but 'Ain-vannoch' is close, with the 'ch' the same sort of ending 'ch' you can get in German where it's sort of ckhh, a stop and then air blowing over it. It's Irish for 'Unicorn', and it's not her actual name, just the name she puts on her badge when wandering around conventions.

Aonbheannach does have quite the mane going here.

So.. the two actually know each other from conventions before Lyta came into the picture? Curious.

Yes. Aonbheannach had commissioned artwork from Alicia before; she could tell that Alicia had some magical potential, but she was undecided as to whether or not she should introduce herself and try 'awakening' it. Alicia on the other hand was completely clueless as to the whole thing until discovering the charcoal pencil and Lyta.

So Alicia's talent happened regardless of any influence by Aonbhennach.

Or ... maybe we haven't gotten to any of that in the story yet.

Yes, and yes. Alicia had some magical talent anyway, she just didn't know about it. Aonbheannach considered giving her a 'blessing' of sorts, but was dithering about how to do it and Lyta got there first, as it were.

That this is in chapter 6 or so, which has been written, but chapter 5 hasn't been so I haven't posted it.

"and Lyta got there first, as it were."

And like any feline, curled up and went "mine now"... :)

*laughs*

Granted, it's Alicia's fault that Lyta is a feline in the first place...

Well the form of the familiar is... I wonder how much of that form alters the mental makeup...

(... nmmmnnmmmh... no. Have patience and read it in its own time, Kereminde.)

I mean, Lyta's mental makeup was defined more by Alicia thinking about her old 'imaginary friend'... so more based on Alicia's personal stereotypes than any general 'being a feline'.

Well, it was more a combination of knowledge and directives from the spell that created her, along with the personality profile Alicia unknowingly generated. But the basic principle applies.

"Is it the mind that makes the body or-"
"Stop overthinking it!"

This. All this...

Well, as we've discussed before, overthinking things is one of the hazards of world-building.

I've always kind of liked this swimsuit design, even though I don't have a character in it.

But the pose and what looks like a slight smirk sells it all the better.

Yes, there's a definite confidence in the pose that works here. Aonbheannach is pretty powerful, and pretty up front about her interests most of the time, so the look certainly works.