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People's Appearance
Unlike many ethnicities throughout the world, there is no ambiguity as to whether one is faced with a Deadbeat; if the individual has undergone deadbeatification, this fact is immediately obvious. An affected individual has a snow-white skin and lighter hair than before their transformation, ranging from platinum blonde to grey and blinding whites, as well as pale pinks for more magically attuned individuals. The iris also shifts towards the red, leading to purple, pink, crimson or orange shades, depending on the person's original eye color.
Deadbeats also have a peculiar relationship with temperature. In warm weather (~30 degrees Claragrade) the average Deadbeat has a thin body, with features such as visibly distinct muscle groups, and a generally lanky appearance. As the ambient temperature decreases, moisture is stored in the Deadbeat's muscles and skin in a tissue similar to packed snow in properties and appearance, increasing their bulk, reaching a maximum around 0C. This has a slight beneficial effect on the individual's endurance and strength, offsetting the added mass which must be carried.
On the other hand, as the temperature increases, the Deadbeat grows more emaciated, reaching a truly skeletal appearance around 40C. Surprisingly, despite this extreme dehydration, there are few adverse symptoms to this condition. As the skin grows taut over rib and bone, the muscles contract to a small volume while retaining most of their strength. This state is commonly referred to as "Skeletalism".
Physical activity on the Deadbeat's part also has an effect. Strenuous effort increases one's internal temperature, and accordingly one's skeletalism. It is expected for Deadbeat warriors to begin a battle with a more mundane appearance and grow utterly skeletal by its end, even if they are still hale and hearty, and even in cooler weather.
Beauty standards, especially among females, trend towards a fuller, colder figure being preferable, as this makes one closer to the ideal of the bodacious Goddess of Death in appearance. For this reason, especially in warmer climates, thick coats are a popular clothing choice. This allows the Deadbeat's body to be warmed less by the hot ambient air, and preserve the cold generated by their internal magic, lowering their temperature. Internal temperatures lower than usual can also be observed in individual with a strong magical attunement; especially powerful Isib may see their body remain below the freezing point even in tropical climates.
I wanted to have some way for deadbeats to turn from a normal appearance to a skeletal form during battles, since Mori does that in a lot of kakkoi art (The skeleton look is her unleashed reaper form). I think I'm pretty happy with this setup. Also the idea of deadbeat ladies putting on big coats so they can stay cold when it's warm out is funny to me.
Plus I love the fashion of thick winter coats, so that's a nice excuse to have them be a thing even if the country is on the equator.