The Canopy
MARKINGS AND COLORATION
In terms of coloration, Canopians are natural mammalian colors. If it cannot be found on a cat, dog, or horse, it cannot be found on a Canopian. The above image is just an example of the kinds of colors Canopians come in--you don't have to eyedropper from it and can use any natural mammalian color!
Canopians do dye their crests and, rarely, other body parts. Please see below for information about dyes.
MARKINGS
Canopians must have naturalistic markings. Any unnatural shapes are the result of dyes.
Markings below are merely examples and may vary widely in shape--a ventral marking may be narrow or very broad; a patched Canopian may have many small patches or only two or three big ones. Additionally, they can be layered as freely as you wish--if you want a Canopian with piebald whose colored patches are dappled with stripes on top, with a ringtail, socks, and points, go for it. They can be stacked, as well--you can layer two kinds of tips to get a two-colored sock such as you might see on a horse. Markings can also have an ombre/fading color effect to them so long as they look mostly natural--for example, a piebald Canopian may have darker edges on its colored spots; a striped Canopian may have stripes that fade from black to grey.
Markings that appear on multiple parts of the body below can be used in just one place if desired. You can use just a tail tip or just tipped ears; you can also apply stripes to just one area of the body, etc. Basically just keep it fairly natural looking and you’re fine, we’re easy to please.
Face markings such as snips, blazes, freckles, and eyebrows are freely available as long as they do not mimic rarer markings. All markings below are freely available to layer and mix and match as you wish, except for those marked uncommon and rare, which take up the appropriate trait slot. For example, if you have one rare trait slot, you may use it on rosette markings.
SKIN COLOR
Canopians have exposed skin on the muzzle, around the eyes, on the hands, and on the bottom of the hind paws (“toe beans”). This skin can be any color that human skin can be found in, as well as blue-black. It can be spotted or freckled, and may be different colors on different parts of the body, but should look mostly natural.
EYES
Canopians have rings of expressive fur around their eyes. This must always be one solid color unless your Canopian has piebald, in which case it may also have white patches.
Canopian eyes are freely available in all natural mammalian colors. Glowing eyes are the exclusive domain of Ritualists and are the result of excessive ingestion of luminescent and psychedelic fungus.
Piebald grants you free heterochromia provided one eye is over a white patch and one is not, and may also exhibit partial heterochromia (two colors in one eye), but the Canopian MUST be otherwise visibly piebald--otherwise please just buy the heterochromia trait :)
You are free to draw your Canopian with whatever style eyes you like--limbal rings, ombre eyes, etc.! That’s not a trait, that’s an art style :) While canonically Canopians have solid colored eyes with a large round pupil, you are free to draw their eyes however you like to draw them in whichever way suits your style.
DYES
Dyes are available in the rarities below.
Glowing dye cannot be applied around the eyes or on the palms of the hands as this is exclusive to Ritualists. Glowing dye is not a bright light--it is a faint, sickly, fungal glow. Feel free to stylize it however you like in your art, however!
Crests and tail crests in common dye colors are free to every Canopian as this is a widespread cultural practice to aid in communication and expression. Crests can be dyed in a solid color or in stripes/patches/fades.
Dye should never cover more than 25% of the body. Over-dyed Canopians may occasionally be for sale from Rejam or guest artists, but will remain rare.
Dyes are considered rare if the color is rare, and uncommon if the placement is anywhere but the crest in any common color.
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Dyes can be “painted” onto the body to make symbols and shapes, but these should still be relatively naturalistic and reflect the setting--skulls, leaves, handprints, etc.
COMMON: Crests/tail crests
UNCOMMON: Any other placement.
