Some thoughts on Krovens...
Will try to keep this brief - though knowing my fields of rantmines in my brain, that may not entirely succeed.
Anyway, there is something I’ve been thinking about recently... compared to initial interpretations where the metallic parts were more mechanical almost in appearance and function, in more recent art and design work they’ve been more integrated and more “organic” - as far as metal can be anyway. And this feels more right as well...
Of course, the metallic aspects are a defining part and something that’s always been there - as much as the long tail, double sabre teeth and so on. But I cringe at older stuff where it looks sort of stuck-on rather than a part of the body - which is what it is. Anything resembling cogs or gears was overly complex and didn’t seem to make sense - I guess it was my brain taking the feeling of metallic parts and running with it as I have a thing for steampunk.
But that just wasn’t -right- ; in theory it may have looked cool but it didn’t feel natural or right for any of my Kroven characters and in time I realised that it wasn’t.
As you may have seen, more recent works show metallic parts - though still highly variable - as plates, spikes, scales, spines etc - more organic and believable in shape. Cogs/gears are truly a thing of the past... :’D They’d only get in the way and get stuff stuck in them, and also since Krovens develop their metallic parts during gestation, and also that metallic parts can slowly “heal” or regrow if damaged, it just doesn’t seem believable.
As such, there can still be interesting enough structures and a wide variety of shapes and metal variations, but some things are just a NOPE.
Regarding chains and such though... I feel that these may be perhaps a bit too complicated to grow - but a simple-ish loop itself would not, as it doesn’t have separate unconnected parts but is just one part. It would in theory then be possible for a Kroven to attach a chain to their naturally-occurring loop, or also perhaps be possible to carve some of their metallic plates (also possibly - drilling/cutting holes through some metallic spines/flanges to create a pattern...?) - opening up an avenue for unusual appearance of metallic parts that has been influenced deliberately.
As such - a unique form of body-modification exclusive to Krovens, that can also vary depending on what base-structures are present.
This could explain some of the looks without being biologically off-whack, and also why some appear to have more metal than others. (for example, I feel strongly that moveable spines on the back are “definite”, but less so some other things like the chains on the hindlegs *which I consider editing anyway as these are a bit hazy in my mind* - they don’t feel like “part of...” - so this would explain a lot).
Hope these musings are interesting - they certainly are for me when the proverbial penny kinda dropped. O.o
Anyone have any thoughts on the subject?