So I adore Nahida as character, but especially as a southasian I always wished she would have more cultural motifs in her design. I really wanted to see something that could be realistically in the game, that adds to the original, while retaining the few great details hyv put in her design so I thought why not do it myself!
I based her dress on the lehenga instead of having the basic dress, as it's closest to her silhouette (missed opportunity!!!!!!). Its traditional wear, yet not as ancient as the saree which i thought fits nahidas youthfulness. Tbh I just split the dress in 2 lol, as i love her patterns
These prominently feature the bodhi leaf, which in buddhism symbolizes enlightenment and wisdom. So it was important for me to not alter those elements, and I changed almost nothing else on the dress.
What I did change are the sleeve things (?) To an actual dupatta, which is a type of long scarf. Put even more bodhi symbols there. Sorry for bad pic
Additionally I added a maang tikka (head jewelry) and earrings. I kept her bangle and the ghanta bell (used in hindu rituals) on the back as these are the other cultural elements she has.
The Mehndi design is a Lotus to reference one of her inspirations: Anahita, persian goddess of wisdom and flowing waters and where Nahida's name comes from. She is also inspired by hindu goddesses like Saraswati (also goddess of wisdom and more), Aranyani (forest goddess) , a forest fairy from the buddhist Kusanali Jataka tale, and likely even more.
And for the last detail: I gave her anklets, in reference to Aranyani/Rukkhadevata.
One of Rukkhadevatas title was Queen Aranyani, and the actual real goddess is said to have worn anklets with bells that were heard in the forest. Tho I removed the bells, since Rukkhadevata is dead and forgotten now, and so you can't hear her anymore. :')
Bc of it's purpose it's not the flashiest design, but I had so much fun researching, learning so many new things and trying to incorporate them back to Nahidas design! If someone educated has more to add or something I can correct I'd love to hear :)
Since I’m back on tumblr I thought I’d repost my old comic from 2018. A lot of things have changed since then and sometimes a dried out ‘never give up’ doesn’t quite hit anymore. But even when burnout sometimes feels less heavy, this brings back some hope.
areudirty
origamiaround
tangentwithtanner
ellievsbear
prguitarman
2087
gamechangershow
