That makes sense!

I don't think I would ever want to take Well Endowed without Hollow Leg and I think I do want the part of Well Endowed where I can move without worrying about my breasts. Especially if I'm going to go on an adventure. Even more talky adventures tend to mean a lot of walking around. The strength and not needing to worry about what I eat are both bonuses. And I'm pretty sure my powers won't mean I'm stronger in ways that make me uncomfortable.

What do you mean by stronger in ways that make you uncomfortable? Powers do do their best about that sort of thing, but I want to make sure.

The power says I'll never be impaired in strength by lack of visible muscle. And you said that could go up to the point of being as strong as a normal human could be but I'm guessing I only feel that strength when I need it. It would feel weird if I could lift a hundred pounds as easily as a body builder outside of a stressful situation.

Yes, that's right. You'll have the right amount of strength for the situation you're in, taking into account your comfort levels as well as practical considerations.

Alright, thanks for confirming that for me.

I think for the moment I'm going to move them down to checkmark though... it doesn't feel aesthetically right to rate things that are convenient as highly as things that speak directly to who I want to be and the kind of story I want to live.

I think the next one like this is Size Difference. I still like the idea of kid mode especially for helping kids who are more suspicious of adults because of bad experiences. It's not something I expect to use every day though so I'll leave it at check.

Undressing Room is absolutely against the spirit of relating to people as a basically normal person but I think I'm okay with that. I do want to be a little careful with it. I don't want to use it in ways that hurt people by making them doubt their ability to perceive reality but I think it can do a lot of nice things even if I stick to that.

I think I might move it down to a normal check mark though. I probably want to take it but it isn't at the core of the life I want to live.

Yes, it does sound important to be careful about what you want from Undressing Room and how you plan to use it. I hadn't considered how it might affect people that way, but I see what you mean now that you point it out.

Thanks, I wasn't thinking much about it either.

Actually, while we're on the topic of Undressing Room I'm a little curious about how it would interact with Signature Style. My first thought is that it would mean no one could perceive me being in an outfit that isn't part of that style. I wonder a little if there's an exception for the bit about interacting with inanimate objects though. Or maybe a bit of an exception for some of the details of how I perceive my clothes.

What kinds of exceptions would you want to make for those cases?

If I don't take Warmhearted then probably something to protect me from bad whether and a layer to insulate me from wet or sticky surfaces.

When I was first considering Signature Style I was trying to find a way to take it without actually changing what I wore or how I lived but I think that's not really the right way to think about it in retrospect. It's about choosing a way to live that I couldn't choose without my powers but that still speaks to how I want to.

Hmm. I think maybe at that point you want something more like...

Name: Cosmetic Equipment - Cost: 2 ☐
(Requires Dressing Room)
You can mix and match the practical and magical effects of your clothing and accessories. A bikini could be as cozy as a winter coat, or as protective as a steel breastplate. A pair of earrings could combine the magic of a dozen enchanted amulets. A bracelet could grant the functions of a full set of scuba gear. As usual, anything you access this way must be either something you've held or examined, or something you understand well enough to tell it apart from a convincing fake. These modifications only apply while you're wearing the items in question; you're not permanently changing how the bracelet works, just letting it serve as a kind of temporary disguise for the diving suit.

Oh that's fun! 

She gives that a check. 

I think that does more what I want than Warmhearted does. I don't need to be perfectly comfortable at all times and this is a lot more flexible.

She flips a page and unchecks Warmhearted and after a moment of thought she does the same to Breath Easy.

Oh, I'm glad I thought of it, then! ♡

Me too! ♡

She looks back at her list of cosmetic powers.

Okay I think that just leaves Like Roses. I picked that initially because I wanted to be more memorable and uh... after seeing all my options I think that's a foregone conclusion.

She unchecks it.

Yes, I think you will be pretty memorable regardless. ♡

Alright, let me try to pick out another category.

She looks back at the list and see What's In a Name as the first power she hasn't looked at yet.

Okay, I think my next category is going to be powers that protect me or maybe a better way of putting it is powers that close of possibilities I don't want.

What's In A Name 1 ✓
Just A Little Longer 1 -
Immunity System 3 -
Making Ends Meet 1 -
Personal Space 3 ✓
Closed Book 1 ✓
Indelible 1 ✓
Iron Will 2 ✓
It Gets Better 5 +
Small Blessings 1 +
Providential Parenthood 1 ✓

I think that's all the powers like that I have marked. I could include Cotton Candy but I'd rather put that with the powers about talking to people and changing the world.

A good category to have! And yes, I think I agree that Cotton Candy is more of a world-changing power than a self-protecting power even though it does both.

Okay, I'm definitely keeping It Gets Better and Small Blessings. Everything else I'm less sure of.

And after thinking about it a little I'm going to increase Providential Parenthood to a + too.

She does that.

I guess I started from the bottom so I might as well keep going from the bottom.

I'm not really sure what I want from the Mental powers. With the drawbacks I'm taking I don't think they really protect me from the worst things that could happen so it's more about shifting the average case.

I think Iron Will could also help with recovering from things the way Small Blessings does but it feels... unaesthetic if it works that way. I like the idea of being more able to recover than most people and being better at putting myself back together but just having trauma erased in time to not disrupt the next episode feels wrong.

I see what you mean! It sounds like the Iron Will powers might not work well for you, in that case.

She nods and unchecks it.

I think without Iron Will I worry a little about the other two mental protection perks they don't have the bit about being able to allow friendly telepathy.

They do also bend for that sort of thing if you really want them to, but not as easily or straightforwardly.

It's cases like this that make me wonder if I just want That's How It Goes. Because I think that might make these work more like I would want them to.

I'm not sure that it would. That's How It Goes is not primarily intended to make your life more convenient.

Yeah... that was probably just wishful thinking on my part.

On another note Inner World says that mental defenses 'guard it against intrusion.' Do you have a sense for what that would mean? Especially if I just took one of the two instead of both? It feels like visiting a place has aspects of perceiving and influencing that place and I'm not sure how you would separate them.

Both of those mental defense powers would interfere with people visiting your Inner World without your permission, but Closed Book also prevents people from spying on it remotely, and Indelible also prevents people from damaging or rearranging it remotely.