#picantis

@witherandwane I usually don’t do dynamic poses like a sipped so this was a very fun challenge

(SPOILERS AHEAD, YOU WERE WARNED ONLY ONCE, read at your own risk.) So I played Bugsnax and like Octodad, I’ve got a theory to render. Smaller theories about the Grump’s lives off the island may follow, IDK.  My theory is about what Bugsnax actually are. The game presents the following batty nonsense about them: 1. Bugsnax are kinda bugs, kinda snacks. (Just by looking at them)  2. They’re bloody delicious. (Everyone) 3. There’s no internal organs or even seeds to them, so you can’t grow them, you can’t breed them or strip out their guts and make a new recipe. None of that. (Wambus) 4. Even ones that “Should” have no bones at all. (Triffany) 5.You HAVE to eat them raw and kicking or else they melt into nothing. 6. They seem to be made expressly to appeal to the appetites of Grumpuses (Snorpy) 7. The Bugsnax in a Grump’s body can take the forms of other bugsnax that specific Grumpus has eaten with the correct electric simulation.  8. By using their strange body regeneration, you can theoretically regenerate limbs or organs. (Experiments with Floofty) 9. The bugsnax are parasites. (Lizbert) 10. The island is a massive colony of bugsnax that occasionally just go top side, escaping what is basically a giant living stomach. (Lizbert/ending location) So what are the Snax made of that allows them to take all these cute but insidious forms? 

Others concluded they’re a kind of sentient Fungus... I disagree. Partly because while being a fungus might explain some of it, the random violent transmutation of both Grumps as they eat them and Grump limbs with Floofty’s lattermost invention makes me think they’re something else. My conclusion is that Bugsnax are all the same species of... whatever. Their parasitic nature when individualized is because all of them are basically a colony of Stem Cells. In fact, one of the snax above, the Preying Picantis is actually about five snax that melded together into a singular conscious being. This also happens with other larger specimens like the legendaries and Scoopy Banoopies.

The only way they could so seamlessly meld together is if they had something that effectively let them meld together mentally, physically, and even down to the soul on some level. Them being stem cells also makes sense because of their seemingly random ability to climb out of the hole when they start out as not having eyes or opposable limbs. How do they get them? The cells specialize into limbs and allowing for certain flexible joints or forelimbs or what have you. This also lets them assimilate Grumps on the grounds that their abilities to morph their own genetic structure might let them do the same to Grumps.  

Last bite for your thoughts: This also explains how a Grumpus breaks down into them if they eat too many of them. Their entire body becomes the strange microorganisms that can rewrite themselves after dying.  And as a secondary theory: I think Snakpods are scavengers. 

The various snax within the pods are actually just what remains of other snax that died in the area, something that CAN demonstrably happen. Meaties can only be found in the Sizzling Sands, for example. and there are a lot of meaty Snax in that area. So it’s not a stretch to say they might be gathering up the meat through basically opening-and-sealing. Not eating. They just let it sit in their bodys, drying out or what have you until someone in turn eats them. 

Back at it again with another clay Bugsnak, one that was just as hard to put together as he was to catch ingame 🌯🌮

I originally wanted to add armature in the arms so he could raise them above his head, but it proved too difficult b/c of how heavy they are and how little weight he has in his abdomen. Oh well. Here's an extra pic of his handpainted taco fillings that you can't see normally since I didn't add armature: