Anatomy basics
Smoks are fish-faced, baboon jointed animals with boiling water making up 99% of their blood.
They are about the height of... a human knee. Some fancy feathered smoks are bigger, but most are about the size of a small dog.
While "jointed" may not be the most specific word for them, their arm bends on the same place a baboon one would. They share many anatomic similiarities with primates in matters of movement capacity - this includes bipedal walking, which they prefer to not do since... well, it is pretty weird. Plus it makes water flowing a bit harder for them.
[joint pics]
They have big, expressionless eyes. Actually, their whole face is expressionless. They will always have that suspicious look that everything is going wrong on their faces. It is permanent.
[smok face types - musculo da bochecha como funfa.jpg]
An important note about their faces is that their nostrils are on the sides of their nose. This is so they can breath without inhaling their own steam.
Their lips are always "pouty" and their forked tongues work just like a snake's.
They can not make many eye movements, so they do the bird thing to look at stuff. They also do the hawk/chicken stable head thing.
Another note about their face is that the commonly mistaken for cheek feathers actually come from below their eyes, covering the short-feathered cheek area. Also, most smoks have a visible line on the exact middle of their faces. It just is there, being harmless and cool.
[smok face angles.jpg]
They are about the height of... a human knee. Some fancy feathered smoks are bigger, but most are about the size of a small dog.
While "jointed" may not be the most specific word for them, their arm bends on the same place a baboon one would. They share many anatomic similiarities with primates in matters of movement capacity - this includes bipedal walking, which they prefer to not do since... well, it is pretty weird. Plus it makes water flowing a bit harder for them.
[joint pics]
They have big, expressionless eyes. Actually, their whole face is expressionless. They will always have that suspicious look that everything is going wrong on their faces. It is permanent.
[smok face types - musculo da bochecha como funfa.jpg]
An important note about their faces is that their nostrils are on the sides of their nose. This is so they can breath without inhaling their own steam.
Their lips are always "pouty" and their forked tongues work just like a snake's.
They can not make many eye movements, so they do the bird thing to look at stuff. They also do the hawk/chicken stable head thing.
Another note about their face is that the commonly mistaken for cheek feathers actually come from below their eyes, covering the short-feathered cheek area. Also, most smoks have a visible line on the exact middle of their faces. It just is there, being harmless and cool.
[smok face angles.jpg]
To bone or not to bone
[smok walk.ani]
Smok's bodies have 5 layers:
1. A coat, composed by skin and feathers. The skin part is semi-transparent on most areas and it is very elastic/resistent. It is basically bendable plastic and it is very warm, a temperature most people would consider cozy.
2. A "fat", slimy layer below skin. It is to protect and maintain body temperature, the closer to skin it is the warmer it is, the closer to muscles the hotter it is. It also is a good impact protection.
3. A "muscle" layer ,made to protect is inner exoskeleton. It is a better impact protection than the fat layer,more resistent and thinner.
4. The exoskeleton, that is actually inside and protected by 3 layer of shit. It is as bendable as a calciumless bone, and without blood it is not stiff. In order to move, a smok will fil the area with blood. So, basically, a smok moves by boners. While their exoskeleton is similar to a normal animal's at first glance, it is more of a baloon than a structure made to sustent a body.
5. The organ sack, that is inside the exoskeleton together with neural and vascular systems. Which kinda of are all the same thing.
Despise being boneless squishy things and all, smoks are actually very fast creatures. Thier agility compensates their lack of physical strenght.
A notable thing about smoks is that they will release steam from various pores, mainly the pillow and back ones, when in danger. They can vomit boiling waer in a projectile way, and when doing so, they aim for the eyes. They also can cause a deadly explosion by... exploding themselves. This of course is not something a smok will do out of nothing - it is something rare to see, and when seen it mostly is done by old smoks - that already suffered deadly damage - in order to protect their cloud.
Smok's bodies have 5 layers:
1. A coat, composed by skin and feathers. The skin part is semi-transparent on most areas and it is very elastic/resistent. It is basically bendable plastic and it is very warm, a temperature most people would consider cozy.
2. A "fat", slimy layer below skin. It is to protect and maintain body temperature, the closer to skin it is the warmer it is, the closer to muscles the hotter it is. It also is a good impact protection.
3. A "muscle" layer ,made to protect is inner exoskeleton. It is a better impact protection than the fat layer,more resistent and thinner.
4. The exoskeleton, that is actually inside and protected by 3 layer of shit. It is as bendable as a calciumless bone, and without blood it is not stiff. In order to move, a smok will fil the area with blood. So, basically, a smok moves by boners. While their exoskeleton is similar to a normal animal's at first glance, it is more of a baloon than a structure made to sustent a body.
5. The organ sack, that is inside the exoskeleton together with neural and vascular systems. Which kinda of are all the same thing.
Despise being boneless squishy things and all, smoks are actually very fast creatures. Thier agility compensates their lack of physical strenght.
A notable thing about smoks is that they will release steam from various pores, mainly the pillow and back ones, when in danger. They can vomit boiling waer in a projectile way, and when doing so, they aim for the eyes. They also can cause a deadly explosion by... exploding themselves. This of course is not something a smok will do out of nothing - it is something rare to see, and when seen it mostly is done by old smoks - that already suffered deadly damage - in order to protect their cloud.
Feathers and colours
Smokers have soft, hydrophobic feathers covering almost all of their body. Noses, eyes, hands and feet bottom are the only naturally featherless areas. Their ear insides have long feathers covering its entrance, while a short layer of feathers cover the appearently featherless area.
Their feathers, regardless of type, have a flat end. Not only they produce an oily sweat to protect their feathers from water but also they have a ridiculous amount of feathers in each pore. Which is a nice thing because not only they are soft, but ridiculously soft.
Much like moth's feathers, if you zoom into a smok's coat you will see that their colours are the product of lots of differently coloured feathers. It is posible to see it without microscopes, but it requires some colour training. (ie you need to know the difference between skobeloff and teal to notice the subtle differences)
Smoks have 3 feather types: The flat, most common one; The forked, a more uncommon one that is characterized by its V shaped end, and the Clover, one with 3 tips. Clover usually is longer than all other feather types and clover feathered smoks are usually bigger than the other ones.
Much like moth's feathers, if you zoom into a smok's coat you will see that their colours are the product of lots of differently coloured feathers. It is posible to see it without microscopes, but it requires some colour training. (ie you need to know the difference between skobeloff and teal to notice the subtle differences)
Smoks have 3 feather types: The flat, most common one; The forked, a more uncommon one that is characterized by its V shaped end, and the Clover, one with 3 tips. Clover usually is longer than all other feather types and clover feathered smoks are usually bigger than the other ones.
While a featherless smok is not something possible to happen naturally, you would be able to see through their bodies as most of a smok's inside lacks pigment.
Coming from below their eyes there is a small tuft creatively called "eye feather". This tuft can have a variety of shapes, and is usually composed by 1~3 layers of 4 large feathers. The chart below lists the main feather groups: wide being for everything that is convex, winged being for everything that goes upwards, courtains being for everything that goes downwards, fishtailed being for everything that is concave and ribbon being for everything that has out of proportion feathers (i.e one being long and othes short).
Coming from below their eyes there is a small tuft creatively called "eye feather". This tuft can have a variety of shapes, and is usually composed by 1~3 layers of 4 large feathers. The chart below lists the main feather groups: wide being for everything that is convex, winged being for everything that goes upwards, courtains being for everything that goes downwards, fishtailed being for everything that is concave and ribbon being for everything that has out of proportion feathers (i.e one being long and othes short).
Marking, names and effects
Smokers have 12 marking types which together shape unique markings for each smok. Normal smoks carry at least 3 of those marking genes with them, pure marking smoks being extremely rare.
Some markings use other markings as their "matrix", being visible only inside them or connecting them to other patches.
In the image below you can see the 12 marking types, please only read the text if you are into knowing how each of those genes affect a smok.
Some markings use other markings as their "matrix", being visible only inside them or connecting them to other patches.
In the image below you can see the 12 marking types, please only read the text if you are into knowing how each of those genes affect a smok.
Mango: vertical stripes, underbelly impression, blushed back, horizontal linear face markings, striped ear insides.
Cutia: horizontal lines, loss of markings on forearms/legs/pillow bottom, rounded marking on ear's bottom, semi-circular tail markings, blushed back and head top
Carpa: wavey horizontal markings similar to "fish scales", horizontal tail markings that end in a blush, covered legs, blush on pillow' top, completely covered face and ears. Often using other marking as matrix, quite a fancy marking.
Mineral: "eye" markings, blush on limbs bottom and back of neck, completely covered pillow's back, blush on tail's end, semi-cicular marking on ear's top
Marreco: horizontal lines separating blank area from 50% opacity area, rounded clean area on butt/tail end, upper half of pillow is covered while the lower half is clean, husky-like face marking, T-shape inner ear marking.
Firework: drags all markings to shoulder direction, needle top shape, thich lines, blush mid limbs + clean blush on limbs bottom, pika lower cheek marking, horizontal division on ears, moon shape marking connecting eyes, line that connects middle finger with limb's middleback.
Piebald: irregular splotches, May be clean or filled, showing another "layer" of markings.
Sunburn: Horizontal gradient on butt/face.
Freckles: Small, separated freckles. They accumulate on eartips and face.
Orchid: Blush with drop shaped markings coming from it, usually on tail's bottom, elbows, below eyes, forehead, inner ears bottoms. Outer ears and hands/feet tips will be coloured, also muzzle's end. "petal-like" pillow markings with lines going towards eye direction.
Bandit: "panda" marking, C/drop shaped markings on body, drop-shaped marking on ear's inner bottom, rounded forehead marking, scribbled clean limb bottom, pillow's front completely covered, back and tail's top are covered.
Cutia: horizontal lines, loss of markings on forearms/legs/pillow bottom, rounded marking on ear's bottom, semi-circular tail markings, blushed back and head top
Carpa: wavey horizontal markings similar to "fish scales", horizontal tail markings that end in a blush, covered legs, blush on pillow' top, completely covered face and ears. Often using other marking as matrix, quite a fancy marking.
Mineral: "eye" markings, blush on limbs bottom and back of neck, completely covered pillow's back, blush on tail's end, semi-cicular marking on ear's top
Marreco: horizontal lines separating blank area from 50% opacity area, rounded clean area on butt/tail end, upper half of pillow is covered while the lower half is clean, husky-like face marking, T-shape inner ear marking.
Firework: drags all markings to shoulder direction, needle top shape, thich lines, blush mid limbs + clean blush on limbs bottom, pika lower cheek marking, horizontal division on ears, moon shape marking connecting eyes, line that connects middle finger with limb's middleback.
Piebald: irregular splotches, May be clean or filled, showing another "layer" of markings.
Sunburn: Horizontal gradient on butt/face.
Freckles: Small, separated freckles. They accumulate on eartips and face.
Orchid: Blush with drop shaped markings coming from it, usually on tail's bottom, elbows, below eyes, forehead, inner ears bottoms. Outer ears and hands/feet tips will be coloured, also muzzle's end. "petal-like" pillow markings with lines going towards eye direction.
Bandit: "panda" marking, C/drop shaped markings on body, drop-shaped marking on ear's inner bottom, rounded forehead marking, scribbled clean limb bottom, pillow's front completely covered, back and tail's top are covered.