diff --git a/automate/resources/blobfox.yml b/automate/resources/blobfox.yml
index 7e792be..df20626 100644
--- a/automate/resources/blobfox.yml
+++ b/automate/resources/blobfox.yml
@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
 name: 'blobfox'
-basedOff:
-  - null # all variants from 'blob' will be imported in this unit, unless they are already present
+basedOff: null
 variants:
   - name: 'base'
     src: '../vector/blobfox.svg'
 
   - name: 'boop'
-    base: 'base'
     objects:
       - type: svg
         src: 'resources/lgbtq_heart.svg'
diff --git a/automate/resources/neugeme.yml b/automate/resources/neugeme.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8169fd0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/automate/resources/neugeme.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+name: 'neugeme'
+basedOff: 'blobfox' # all variants from 'blobfox' will be imported in this unit, unless they are already present
+variants:
+  - name: 'base'
+    overwrites:
+      - id: 'body'
+        color: 0x02FFFD
+      - id: 'hair'
+        color: 0x02FFFD
+      - id: 'blobfox'
+        remove: true
diff --git a/automate/src/data/emote.py b/automate/src/data/emote.py
index e4ce88c..e90c485 100644
--- a/automate/src/data/emote.py
+++ b/automate/src/data/emote.py
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ from data.object import Object
 from data.overwrite import Overwrite
 
 
-@dataclass(frozen=True)
+@dataclass
 class Emote:
 	name: str
-	origin: str
+	origin: list[ str ]  #: the origins in order of definition
 	base: str | None = None
 	src: Path | None = None
 	objects: list[Object] = None
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ class Emote:
 	def load( cls, data: list[dict], origin: str ) -> list[Self]:
 		return [
 			Emote(
-				origin=origin,
+				origin=[ origin ],
 				**entry | {
 					'overwrites': Overwrite.load( entry.get( 'overwrites', [ ] ) ),
 					'objects': Object.load( entry.get( 'objects', [ ] ) )
diff --git a/automate/src/data/overwrite.py b/automate/src/data/overwrite.py
index 00093d7..dcb68d4 100644
--- a/automate/src/data/overwrite.py
+++ b/automate/src/data/overwrite.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ from typing_extensions import Self
 @dataclass(frozen=True)
 class Overwrite:
 	id: str
-	color: str | None
+	color: str | None = None
 	remove: bool = False
 
 	@classmethod
diff --git a/automate/src/data/variantList.py b/automate/src/data/variantList.py
deleted file mode 100644
index b978e5b..0000000
--- a/automate/src/data/variantList.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,52 +0,0 @@
-from dataclasses import dataclass
-from typing import Final
-from collections.abc import Collection, Iterator
-
-from data.emote import Emote
-
-
-# noinspection PyFinal
-@dataclass(frozen=True, slots=True)
-class VariantList(Collection[Emote]):
-	""" An immutable variant list  """
-	name: Final[ str ]
-	basedOff: Final[ list[ str ] ]
-	variants: Final[ tuple[Emote] ]
-
-	def __init__( self, name: str, variants: list[ dict ], basedOff: list[str] | None = None ) -> None:
-		object.__setattr__(
-			self,
-			'variants',
-			tuple( Emote.load( variants, name ) )
-		)
-		object.__setattr__( self, 'basesOff', basedOff or [] )
-		object.__setattr__( self, 'name', name )
-
-	def __iter__( self ) -> Iterator[Emote ]:
-		return self.variants.__iter__()
-
-	def __contains__( self, item: object ) -> bool:
-		if isinstance( item, str ):
-			for elem in self.variants:
-				if elem.name == item:
-					return True
-			return False
-		return item in self.variants
-
-	def __getitem__( self, item: int | str ) -> Emote:
-		if isinstance( item, int ):
-			return self.variants[ item ]
-
-		if isinstance( item, str ):
-			for elem in self.variants:
-				if elem.name == item:
-					return elem
-			raise KeyError( f'A variant with name "{item}" does not exist' )
-
-		raise ValueError( f'Invalid __getitem__ input: {item}' )
-
-	def __len__( self ) -> int:
-		return len( self.variants )
-
-	def __repr__( self ) -> str:
-		return f'VariantList{{name={self.name}, variants={repr(self.variants)}}}'
diff --git a/automate/src/data/variants.py b/automate/src/data/variants.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e038b8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/automate/src/data/variants.py
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import typing
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Final
+from collections.abc import Collection, Iterator
+
+import util
+from data.emote import Emote
+
+
+if typing.TYPE_CHECKING:
+	from generator import Generator
+
+
+# noinspection PyFinal
+@dataclass(frozen=True, slots=True)
+class Variants( Collection[Emote] ):
+	""" An immutable variant list  """
+	name: Final[ str ]
+	basedOff: Final[ tuple[ str ] ]
+	variants: Final[ tuple[ Emote ] ]
+
+	def __init__( self, path: Path, gen: Generator ) -> None:
+		data = util.load( path )
+
+		object.__setattr__( self, 'name', data[ 'name' ] )
+		object.__setattr__( self, 'basedOff', tuple( data[ 'basedOff' ] or [ ] ) )
+
+		if data['basedOff']:
+			# loading a set based off another, load the base one before this
+			base = gen.load( path.parent / f'{data["basedOff"]}.yml' )
+
+			# additional emotes may be defined
+			additional = [ ]
+			# apply overwrites and append new emotes to `additional`
+			for emote in Emote.load( data['variants'], self.name ):
+				if emote.name in base:
+					base._applyOverwrite( emote )
+				else:
+					additional += [ emote ]
+			# save the newly created set of emotes
+			object.__setattr__( self, 'variants', base.variants + tuple( additional ) )
+		else:
+			# loading a baseless set, just load it directly
+			object.__setattr__( self, 'variants', tuple( Emote.load( data['variants'], self.name ) ) )
+
+	def __iter__( self ) -> Iterator[Emote ]:
+		return self.variants.__iter__()
+
+	def __contains__( self, item: object ) -> bool:
+		if isinstance( item, str ):
+			for elem in self.variants:
+				if elem.name == item:
+					return True
+			return False
+		return item in self.variants
+
+	def __getitem__( self, item: int | str ) -> Emote:
+		if isinstance( item, int ):
+			return self.variants[ item ]
+
+		if isinstance( item, str ):
+			for elem in self.variants:
+				if elem.name == item:
+					return elem
+			raise KeyError( f'A variant with name "{item}" does not exist' )
+
+		raise ValueError( f'Invalid __getitem__ input: {item}' )
+
+	def __len__( self ) -> int:
+		return len( self.variants )
+
+	def _applyOverwrite( self, overwriter: Emote ) -> None:
+		emote = self[ overwriter.name ]
+		emote.origin += overwriter.origin
+		emote.overwrites += overwriter.overwrites
+		emote.objects += overwriter.objects
+
diff --git a/automate/src/generator.py b/automate/src/generator.py
index 0fc70ec..67d686c 100644
--- a/automate/src/generator.py
+++ b/automate/src/generator.py
@@ -4,25 +4,21 @@ import yaml
 from cairosvg.surface import Surface
 
 
-from data.variantList import VariantList
+from data.variants import Variants
 
 
 class Generator:
-	declarations: dict[ str, VariantList ]
+	declarations: dict[ str, Variants ]
 	surfaces: dict[ str, Surface ]
 
 	def __init__( self, declFile: Path ) -> None:
 		if not declFile.exists():
 			raise FileNotFoundError('Declaration file does not exist!')
 
-		self.recursiveLoad( declFile )
+		self.declarations = { declFile.name[:-4]: self.load( declFile ) }
 
-	def recursiveLoad( self, declFile: Path ) -> None:
-		variants = VariantList( **yaml.load( declFile.read_text(), yaml.FullLoader ) )
-		self.declarations[ variants.name ] = variants
-
-		if variants.basedOff is not None:
-			self.recursiveLoad( declFile.parent / f'{variants.basedOff}.yml' )
+	def load( self, declFile: Path ) -> Variants:
+		return Variants( declFile, self )
 
 	def generate( self, outputDir: Path = Path('.') ) -> None:
 		"""
@@ -33,9 +29,8 @@ class Generator:
 		if not outputDir.exists():
 			outputDir.mkdir()
 
-		for variant in self.variants:
-			pass
+		print( self.declarations['neugeme'] )
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
-	Generator( Path('./resources/blobfox.yml') ).generate( Path('./run') )
+	Generator( Path('./resources/neugeme.yml') ).generate( Path('./run') )
diff --git a/automate/src/util.py b/automate/src/util.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dbca3eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/automate/src/util.py
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any
+
+import yaml
+
+
+def load( path: Path ) -> Any:
+	""" Parse the first YAML document in a stream and produce the corresponding Python object. """
+	return yaml.load( path.read_text(), yaml.FullLoader )
+
+
+def loads( data: str ) -> Any:
+	""" Parse the first YAML document in a string and produce the corresponding Python object. """
+	return yaml.load( data, yaml.FullLoader )