ah, sorry, i didn't mean to sound aggressive! it's true, though i imagine since some parts of the player sprites are missing from the official art or detailed facial portraits, it could be that the texture isn't visible. or they're just weird aliens.
Really it depends on how an artist draws a Floran. As you see here. There is no canon explanation(Not that there needs to be), to what it is and why it's there, for all races. Even though a theory that involves it being literally cabbages, and it so happens to look like breasts is kinda flaud. It's incredibly coincidentally, and by the way +Sean Mirrsen drew their Floran it really seems unlikely. And when I read their theory, I'm like, "That's not how plants or cabbages work." But hey, It's just a theory.
ah, i think that the theory is referring to the leaf structure of cabbages, with one leaf sheathed by another, rather than literal cabbages.
Still, leaves shouldn't do that. In comparison to actual breasts, the only way for leaves to resemble breasts, is to not be leaves. Those things wouldn't keep shape for more than 3 seconds.
Floran leaves are not "leaves" in the traditional sense. They're layers of their epidermis-equivalent, the surface layer of their skin, that do happen to be shaped like leaves. My comparison to a cabbage was meant with the notion that the further out from the 'core', the looser the leaf becomes - this means that only the very topmost layers will actually seem leaf-like, and deeper in would be so tightly packed as to actually resemble flesh. Also I did say that the only reason they do look like breasts would have to be social - that is, they are physically trimmed to that shape, like one would trim their nails or hair, in order to better blend into humanoid societies. "Unkempt" and un-kept leaves of a wild Floran would make them look rather like a walking bush - excellent for hiding and hunting, less so for socializing. Also with the side-effect of requiring a doctorate in xenobotany in order to tell their gender phenotypes apart. And my sketch is still not finished, in many places it's just the basic bodyshape so far. The glorious chest-bush is still to come.
I should probably mention this, you are a good artist. You have the potential to make amazing works of art. Even your sketches look cool. That doesn't mean I can't find your boob theory as seriously as you do. So I say what I'm about to say, it's not aggression towards you. After this we should probably end the discussion about floran breasts and get to the art again. Mkay? “Oh boy, where to begin? Um okay here is the 1st and 2nd posts regarding your theory. 1."I've developed an interesting theory regarding the Florans' human-female-like "features", and a different example of the same principle you can see on the shoulders. Basically, on a Floran's chest - there's nothing special there. What appears to be a set of 'melons in the leaves', so to speak, is actually more like... cabbage, I suppose. Just layers and layers of Floran decorative leaves, growing over time and accumulating in particular areas, a sign of age and status more than anything. In a way, resembling a rattlesnake's rattle, remnants of old shed skin. The reasons why a "female" of the species keeps their what is basically a tight lump of "chest hair" trimmed to that shape, is primarily social, especially since their integration into the human and human-like civilizations. That's what I like to think, anyway." 2."Floran leaves are not "leaves" in the traditional sense. They're layers of their epidermis-equivalent, the surface layer of their skin, that do happen to be shaped like leaves. My comparison to a cabbage was meant with the notion that the further out from the 'core', the looser the leaf becomes - this means that only the very topmost layers will actually seem leaf-like, and deeper in would be so tightly packed as to actually resemble flesh.Also I did say that the only reason they do look like breasts would have to be social - that is, they are physically trimmed to that shape, like one would trim their nails or hair, in order to better blend into humanoid societies. "Unkempt" and un-kept leaves of a wild Floran would make them look rather like a walking bush - excellent for hiding and hunting, less so for socializing. Also with the side-effect of requiring a doctorate in xenobotany in order to tell their gender phenotypes apart.And my sketch is still not finished, in many places it's just the basic bodyshape so far. The glorious chest-bush is still to come." Now let's begin. Oh, your two posts contradict each other. So apparently, Floran leaves are no longer leaves but extra layers of skin? Post 1 gives the impression that it is leaves. “is actually more like... cabbage, I suppose. Just layers and layers of Floran decorative leaves,” Post 2.”Floran leaves are not ‘leaves’ in the traditional sense. They're layers of their epidermis-equivalent, the surface layer of their skin, that do happen to be shaped like leaves.” You could make the argument that post 2 is what you meant to say, if so than You're terrible at relaying information to your readers. Also, in both posts, you pretend as if the breasts are the only "feature" of Florans. Even in sprites it shows a difference in body type. So Floran sprites show that they're always(mostly) just a big leaf covering cleavage. So this theory really can only be applied to specific Florans? Just Saiyan. “Also I did say that the only reason they do look like breasts would have to be social - that is,” Not to sound like a dick, but I wasn't confused with that information. Just a FYI. So I'm gonna go by each post one by one. #1 So in this post, it's just layers and layers growing in particular areas of the chest. So in other words “coincidentally.” And Florans trim it to look like breasts. Sooooooooo? I'm imagining that it's like a leaf sculpture but it's tits? Ummmm, not gonna lie………. That sounds kinda dumb. Really you have to have an IQ below 40 to be tricked by fake breasts. And why would Florans give a shit for social integration? Florans would be the least likely race to do this and even if they did, what makes you think remote tribes that probably haven't had contact with outside races would socially make “chest hair” look like tits? Now I'm imagining a middle aged man shaving his chest hair to And add insult to injury why only Floran breasts be explained? Why not Avians Hylotls and Novakids? #2 So now? "this means that only the very topmost layers will actually seem leaf-like, and deeper in would be so tightly packed as to actually resemble flesh." What about trimming to look like breasts? You still say this in post 2. So if there's already flesh like properties, doesn't that defeat the purpose of your theory? Also trimming almost flesh...... EWWWWWWWW. "They're layers of their epidermis-equivalent," Sooooooooo? The leaves on their head is extra skin? Ummmm? "the surface layer of their skin, that do happen to be shaped like leaves." When your theory relies on coincidences to explain things, its really not that great. All in all I think Your theory is flaud. Nothing against you at all.
You apparently fail to see that they are basically both. They're only "leaves" insofar as they resemble leaves once they're distinguishable from the rest of the body. In practice, these "leaves" are sheets of plant matter that grows outward as a form of regeneration. Human skin does it as well, but ours is designed to die and flake off into dust and dandruff, so that we aren't left with a surface resembling tree bark. Floran skin, in my theory, does largely the same thing, except that in particular areas (the shoulders, the chest, elbows, knees, ankles, maybe others) the outer layers of skin don't completely die, and stay attached and supplied with nutrients even as they mostly lose connection to the rest of the skin and separate, staying attached only by a small section at their base - they essentially become "foliage". Well the Human sprites are shown with underwear on, I don't suppose it also means that underwear is part of every human's body. Also yes, my design is different from the sprite in that regard, because I dislike the giant "palm frond" covering the chest as it makes even less sense than what I can think up - a single sheet of plant matter that size won't survive for long when armor and clothing is involved. So is jumping off of high buildings to maybe gain flight, or creating a galaxy-wide peacekeeping force with exactly one base of operations. Some species are just stupid that way. And do recall, Florans are hunters. Their first instinct in a potentially hostile area is to blend in, camouflage. If they've made the shift to being socialized, they could try to adapt their looks to blend into the society - if they see that females have breasts and males do not, they would try to imitate the look, and they're uniquely equipped for non-harmful body-scuplting. Because either Florans give a shit for social integration, or they wage an all-out war on all non-floran lifeforms as being non-sentient. The whole reason the Florans are accepted into the Protectorate at all, and into populated areas in general, is that they've advanced past their indiscriminate-murder years. Florans without interest in social integration with the rest of the universe, are basically a mix between Dwarf Fortress cannibalistic elves, and Warhammer Orks. The sheer fact that most Florans you meet don't immediately try to hunt you down, means that they're at least trying to be socialized. Because... I haven't gotten to them yet? Novakids I ain't even going to try and explain, they took or were given the humanoid form when they could have taken any form at all (being stellar plasma people), and picked a Wild West aesthetic for themselves. Any part of their appearance is simply the way they want to, or were made to depending on chosen origin theory, appear, breasts and all. They did not evolve as actual creatures even in the broadest sense, there is literally nothing I can explain. If you think trimming what's basically half-dead skin is "EWWW" (despite humans all over the world doing far worse to themselves all the time), one of my less mainstream theories for Avian not-mammaries includes designated areas of body fat acting as breeding grounds for symbiotic larvae of maybe some of their native insect life, that baby Avian chicks can feed on. Try that on for "EWWW". And yes, flesh-like properties. These are layers of "plant skin" growing outward, with real living tissue only at the very bottom, getting more sensitive and more alive as you get closer towards that. Kind of like, say, the heavy skin on the sole of your foot if you walk a lot - the topmost layer of it is almost dead, you can feel it if you scrape it off but unless you actually hit the tender living tissue under the thick surface layer, it's not going to bleed or cause pain. Well, yes and no. It is probably the same sort of material as their skin, but I think it has more to do with how Florans grow. I know the Floran sprite seems to have a navel like the rest of the races, but that's also one of the features you'll note I'm omitting - it just makes no effing sense. My headcanon on the fact, somewhat supported by the respawn animation, is that a floran body grows from a stem that originates on the back of their skull - basically the stem is the spine, and every part of the body therefrom is growing out from it. Once the Floran is formed enough to be self-sustaining, the stem breaks off, but does not die away in most cases - instead the nutrient flow from the now self-supporting body causes something resembling a more typical plant to grow out of it - resulting in flowers, long leaves, and generally any other kind of "living headgear" that we see Florans in the game having. So no, while the hair-leaves are basically the same plant material as the exfoliating skin, it doesn't form by the same principles as the body foliage. Well let's see. My theory is that Floran skin consists of layered segments structurally resembling leaves, due to their origins as a plant species, and that in certain areas determined by phenotype, like hair distribution on humans or color patterns on animals, these segments do not completely detach themselves from the body, accumulating in such ways that allows them to be used as natural concealment aid for hunting, explaining the trait's evolutionary significance, and also allows them to be manually styled or trimmed without inflicting harm on the living body, which further leads to "female" specimens of the species maintaining the particular area of their chest in the semblance of humanoid breasts, in order to ease their social intermingling with the many other existing intelligent species that seem to all have the same features on their females, as the Floran species as a whole attempts to find new friends rather than enemies in the galaxy at large. Honestly, between that and any other available explanation, including "yay tits on a plant" and "the Cultivator made them that way", I consider mine the better one. It's a win in my book. All in all I consider your analysis flawed and your conversation skills lacking. But nothing against you at all. ^_^ Eh. It's world-building. Any discussion that concerns world-building in a way that influences my art, is a discussion I will condone in my art thread. But I don't mind stopping it here, if I'm not getting through to you with what I have then I never will - ergo, any 'discussion' will remain pointless. I should probably amend that. Only my sketches look cool, generally. The further out I go from sketches, the worse things start getting. Color, shading, etc, are all a lost art to me. This is why like 99% of my art collection is sketches.
Its 12:00 right now. All i have to say is, that some of these responses are kinda Strawman. My point with my post was to point out things that aren't explained in all your posts, while also pointing out the contradictions. Until you discided to go into even more detail, and actually explain what the fuck all of this meant. World building aka headcannon. Sorry its headcannon, not world building. The way i format some of my posts is by making it similar in style of a film review(Ex. YMS). I see why a person could misinterpret this kind of post. I need better conversation skills. "biach u dont kno mi" Well, i mean i have a life outside my computer, so I cant perfect using this particular site, especially on mobile.
Mobile would explain the formatting, not the attitude. And yes, it's my headcanon. It's my headcanon for adding details to the fictional world, that are omitted in the source material and attempt to explain or add depth to otherwise bland or nonsensical parts of original design. It builds the inner structure for the world that may otherwise not be seen - headcanon or not, it's world-building. (also , come on now) Pointing out things that aren't explained is fine, and pointing out contradictions is fine. I do like refining my theories, it makes for better verisimilitude in my art and more internal consistency for the version of the universe that I keep in my head for such purposes. But there is criticism, there is being an ass, and there's your unique spin on a combination of the two, neither of which are "constructive criticism" which is what people do when they actually want to help.
Sorry if i came off as being a total cunt, that was not what i wanted. My hyperbolic attitude to some may seem aggressive. And maybe consecutive days of YT rage..... And breaking my toe nail...... Did i mention YT stupidity? Redgardless, If i made you put more detail into theory(Which is completely different from the first post), than I technically helped you. Which to me is some damn good constructive criticism, But Im sorry that I was slightly blunt, slightly cynical, sarcastic and you know not full of kindness and love. Sorry, but welcome to the internet. Didn't I say before that my post wasn't aggressive, anyway?
I shall choose to mostly disregard the above post... I've mostly finished up-detailing the Floran: Contemplating what to do next, since I'm sort of around anyways. Pictures of other races could be interesting to look at, but I never had an appreciation for the others anywhere near what I have for the Florans. Maybe I'll color this... uh. I actually don't know whether he/she is a guy or girl anymore. Darn Floran phenotypes. Well the drawing started out as a girl, at least.
They look great! Personally, I headcanon the Floran race as being agender, but I think your idea is very well thought out. Your art is amazing too, I can tell you have a special fondness for Florans.
