Animalians were becoming more popular in the world of fashion. The Fashion Show at IAC was a good example as the students from the Modeling School showed off new clothes. But it wasn't just clothes that were part of the fashion show. As many a woman can testify, accessorizing is important. This wasn't limited to just purses. Jewelry was also an important part, with rings, armlets, and necklaces being showed off. Earrings were rarer as uplifted Animalians didn't like piercings.
Rarer still were Animalians who were using makeup. Most forms of makeup didn't bother Animalian skin. However, it was often pretty hard to wash off, particularly if an Animalian has fur on their face. Uplifted Animalians didn't see much of a point in makeup and converted Animalians often found they could get along without it. But even so, there were a few Animalian models who specialized in makeup modeling, with photos being shown of how they look with various kinds of makeup.
Probably the most prominent user of makeup at the Animalian School of Modeling was Prisma. As a D'Albertis python, the scales around her mouth and above her eyes were white, giving her distinctive lips and eyebrows. They particularly stood out from the rest of her scales which were black on her head, blackish-blue on her back which faded to grey on her front. Someone made a comment about Prisma's lips and eyebrows being like a blank canvas. This inspired the idea of her going into makeup modeling. The makeup wasn't so hard to remove from her scales, so she could 'put on a new face' pretty quickly. Though there were some things that slowed her down.
"I just can't decide which color to go with," said Prisma as she looked at her makeup case.
"Can't you just go with the same color as your dress?" asked Sabine.
"I'm going to be wearing a black dress," said Prisma, pointing at the black scales on most of her head.
"Oh, I see," said Sabine, "I'm not sure if black is the right color for you."
"That's what I said," said Prisma, "But Maggie says everyone needs to do something outside of their comfort zone."
"I think she's just saying that because someone fumbled the order of dresses," said Sabine.
"Yeah, but at least I only have to wear this dress first," said Prisma, "I can go back and change into another dress after I show off this one."
"You know, maybe you should go with a light purple," said Sabine after studying her friend's head.
"Yeah, that could work," said Prisma as she started fishing out the necessary makeup. It was somewhat strange for her to be so proficient with makeup now. She hardly would have cared for not so long ago.
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Prisma couldn't remember much of her attempted smuggling into the US. Though there wasn't much for her to remember. As a snake, she didn't have the same concerns as humans. All she knew that she was an enclosed, soft space that was cool and warm at the same time. She had no idea why she was being brought into the country this way, or why she was being brought at all. All she knew was that the cooling vest was opened and she was being handled by other humans.
The python was rather indifferent to how she was treated right up until she was brought to the lab. The floor of the changing room felt cold to her and she didn't like the little stab of pain from when they injected her. But she didn't bite back. She was a python, her main weapon were her coils. Biting was far less effective for her kind.
Then the python started feeling strange. It felt like she had more coils than she had before. It took her a moment to realize she was growing. She rose up to see how much bigger she was getting. She found herself rising higher than before, lifting more of her body than she could before. Her body was altering in other ways. New bones were forming, as a pair of hips became defined and new arms started growing from new shoulders. As new knowledge entered the snake's head, her face became more capable of expression, eyelids blinking for the first time. Then her new hands reached up to grasp the breasts that had started growing from her chest. She gasped in surprise as her fingers touched her nipples, the pleasurable sensation completely unknown to her.
Not long after that, Judy entered the room. "Are you finished changing?" she asked.
"I think so," said the snake, "But where am I? And why am I so big?"
"You're at Horizon Labs," said Judy, "And you've just been uplifted and made a member of Animalia, a community of humanoid animals like ourselves. And there are a few men who'd like to ask about how you got here."
"Didn't the humans bring me here?" asked the snake.
"Yes, but I think they're more interested in how someone smuggled a snake in their vest," said Judy.
"In there what now?" asked the snake.
Judy sighed. "This is gonna be a waste of time," she muttered but she said to the snake, "But I'm sure you'll find a way to fit in our community. A snake like you has more opportunities than you'd think."
"Sounds interesting," said the snake who would soon be known as Prisma.