#pallanoph questions

[pallanophblargh]

Are there any real life animals you use as a reference for the pallanoph facial structure? They’re so unique and blocky (mean that in the best way) I love them

I’ve definitely had a range of influences over the years (started with horses decade(s) ago) so I have compiled a little sketch dump so you can see part of where ‘nophs get their looks!

Lions (and assorted big cats) and hyenas do a lot of the heavy lifting, but there’s a solid dose of simian features as well. I borrowed the ‘noph lip flip fairly directly from geladas.

I still need to sculpt a head properly for reference, but I will need to finalize their skull first!

[pallanophblargh]

Now I have the mental image of a Pallanoph on a surfboard, radical style 🏄 it may be unrealistic but it still brings me happiness lmao

Here you go, it’s good to indulge those unrealistic thoughts now and again. How else does one find sanity?

This seems in character for Nok, after all.

[pallanophblargh]

A curious question! Looking at the way pallanophs can make biped arm movements, I'm curious as to how their shoulders work. Based on their skeleton posted a while back, they seem to have longer scapulas than humans. Would they not bump into each other across the back if, say a pallanoph were to have their arms outstretched due to the length? Or do their scapulas have more mobility to stop this from happening? Also unrelated--I'm loving the influx of sketches!

I don't have the pallanoph skeletal/muscular systems re-figured yet, but I'm basing their forelimb flexibility on baboons and bears, so that's where I'll be drawing my research from. I'm pretty sure most of my rough skeletals I've posted previously were not extensively referenced, especially since I still haven't decided on the scapula shape/resting position. (The last time I did real work on them was 7+ years ago I think?)

Thank you! I need to sketch more/do studies, I'm getting extremely rusty even though I did need the break.

[pallanophblargh]

Are Pallanophs capable of swimming?

Also your stuff was randomly recommended to me and I spent hours going through your amazing art!

Pallanophs can swim well enough: I’d been pondering their ability for years (initially I’d thought they’d be poor/reluctant swimmers due to their muscle to fat ratio) but that just doesn’t sound like that would be the case. They do however still sit very low in the water and don’t fair well in any strong current, but they have long strong limbs to propel them and in riskier situations, they make rafts and floatation devices to aid crossings. I imagine they could use something akin to a body/boogie board as well so they don’t need to use as much energy to stay above water. They mostly employ strokes similar to the classic mammalian “doggy paddle.”

However, the density of pallanoph bodies does lend itself to diving and underwater swimming. It’s uncommon that they hunt this way as they’d lack both speed and stealth, but crustaceans/mollusks/vegetation would be gathered this way.

Mostly, pallanophs wade. They do love water; but are very cautious and understanding of dangerous conditions.

I’m sure I’m missing some details/thoughts/conclusions and I’m kind of blaming that on the fact that swimming isn’t my forte, I’m a bit of a rock myself.

[pallanophblargh]

Can I,, Make,, a oc based on your little Pallanophs? I love them, they are so shape! I understand if not!! Also sorry if you get asked this a lot!! I looked for a Q&A link ;w;

Thank you! Pallanophs are deeply personal to me (I've had them almost my entire life in one form or another) so I've limited them to my own personal use only. I do appreciate being asked first!

I really should draw up a pinned post with FAQ, the original iteration is buried on my main page which isn't mobile friendly at all so far as I can tell.

[pallanophblargh]

Recently I've been obsessed with Pallanoph forefoot anatomy and I'm wondering: where does their thumb/dewclaw (dewthumb?) go when they're standing? Is it used for balance like big toes or do they tuck themselves somewhere to avoid catching? Is it a preference thing? 👀

I’ve done a quick sketch to show where their “thumbs” go when standing. It’s a bit of preference vs practicality vs body language, but I’ve broken down the usual poses here. Tucked is the default, but odd terrain may warrant their presence on the ground for additional balance, though individuals may brace their thumbs on the ground for any number of reasons. Lifted with dewclaw unsheathed is a more or less a universal threat, however, which is humorous since I draw them far too often in this pose (mostly for clarity, but still!)

The way the claws retract/protract does still need to be (re)sorted but for the time being this is where pallanoph forefeet are at!

[pallanophblargh]

Kindof a double question about ‘noph culture - what do pallanophs call their parents? Do they have a ‘mom/dad’ equivalent like most human languages, and by extension, what does Neng call his moms?

Second question - your pallanoph character’s names seem mostly phonetically English (completely assuming based on their spelling), but I was wondering if any or all of them sound different/contain non-English sounds when spoken by pallanophs. (And if you have any examples??? :D)

Thanks for your very kind words about my art the other day, it likewise made my week :D

Been trying to think of something approaching a proper answer for this question, but in the event of Continued Brain Mush, we'll just settle for some rough thoughts in the meantime. I'll preface this by saying linguistics is my second largest weakness, preceded by general culture.

I don't know if pallanophs have a proper distinction between "mom" and "dad", since the age at which this would make a difference (nursing age) they'd only be old enough to indicate hunger, which would be, at best, an undefined cry of some sort. At which point, they only want mom. I think by the time they are being weaned is when they might latch onto different words for mom and dad; I was thinking (jokingly, I admit) about "meh" and "beh" because words are hard and those two sounds should be easy to make by a baby 'noph. Regarding Neng, Qiara finds him at between 7-8 years of age, so while he's still quite young, he's long since been weaned and calls them by their names normally. He still probably yells out "MEH!" when he wants attention from either of them, though.

Definitely guilty of pallanoph names being largely phonetically English, since that's usually safe territory and what I know, with some forays into other European languages. Unless I do a lot of research on other languages, I feel uncomfortable knowing I'll undoubtedly step on toes during my linguistic bumbling. In all honesty, 'noph names shouldn't be directly influenced by neighboring human cultures, but... here we are. A lot of this issue could be solved if I bothered to pin down what pallanoph vocalization sounds like. Their teeth and lips enable them to make themselves decently understood by humans in human languages, but I imagine pallanoph language(s) have more capacity for guttural/snapping/popping sounds than English does. It's possible that pallanophs may have two names: one they are given by their parents/peers, and one they share with humans they interact with.

*points at generic high fantasy* "This is all your fault!" (totally nothing to do with me noooo)

[pallanophblargh]

Happy birthday!! I have a worldbuilding question for you: do pallanophs have deities that they worship? I hope your birthday is a good one!

Thank you! I think my day went pretty well, even with me being at work. Definitely had my mood improved vastly!

This is a question I’ve been tossing around for a while: The answer I’ve been leaning towards is pallanophs don’t have deities, though they likely have a sort of belief system, or more accurately, a world-view. Mostly I wanted to make them more distinct from humanity in general by making them non-spiritual, though I still need to work on how they evolved to be that way, and how their sapience and intelligence has diverged from humans. 

They are, however, more or less “practitioners” of nature worship, I suppose: they respect and observe nature’s processes and hold them up as great constant truths. So they aren’t interested in entities so much as forces bigger than themselves. I suppose “naturalism” could be used as a catch-all here, but philosophy isn’t my forte, haha!

Basically, pallanophs never saw the point in actively worshiping or attempting to change events beyond their control. They do keep certain rituals, especially regarding death, but these practices are also practical. (I’ve been meaning to come up with some of these, though I’m fairly decided on pallanophs practicing a form of sky burial.)

Their apparent lack of theistic beliefs likely caused chaffing in relationships with human neighbors on some occasions, and I imagine that some pallanoph ambassadors would “adopt” a human religion to placate their human neighbors, though it’s highly unlikely a pallanoph would actively believe.

I really want to keep mulling this over, especially as I worry I’ve been lazy in certain aspects of pallanoph cultural development. (I think it has to do with me having little understanding of culture in general? People are a mystery to me and I am ashamed, ha!)

[pallanophblargh]

A gentle request for useless Pallanoph facts? I.. may or may not be planning on doodling fanart.... and this definitely isnt a call for inspiration....... nooo....... >o>

Eeee! Fan art! I’m sad to admit that pallanophs have been so far out of my head lately, let me see if I can drag them back in… (rusty headworld gate groans loudly)

Their sense of smell is only a smidge better than ours. They also (for whatever reason?) don’t have prominent muzzle whiskers, though have a couple at points on their chin and above their eyebrows. I chalk this up to not really digging the look aesthetically. (All of my reasons for things are lame, I confess.)

They also practice low key agriculture, though don’t consciously “domesticate” either plant or animal species. False magpies, the corvid species that relate closely to pallanoph settlements, choose to hang around because of the many benefits association with pallanophs afford. Pallanophs do noticeably affect the landscape and ecosystems around where they live: They plant and arrange saplings to add structure to their dwellings, maintain mushroom patches, and grow berries and edible plants where they can. 

And a silly one to finish: pallanophs would have you believe they figured out how to start and use fire before humans. It’s hotly debated (b-dum-tiss!)