Gallus: Exactly. That’s why you had to stop being evil and become all pastelly coloured. It was an unsustainable system.
Yona: Griffon has a point. Very strange way to save on money. Why not just fly to places with love
Smolder: So how did they send love back? Did they also use the post-system?
Silverstream: Must be! Otherwise they’d have to double up on how much they spent to get to and from the places with love!
Ocellus: CAN YOU PLEASE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY
Sandbar: Hahah! Your face is priceless
I think everyone has their own idea behind it. My own belief is not far off Gallus’ own in a sense. It stems from watching Robot Wars as a kid - my favourite, Razor, was too heavy one yet. So they drilled loads of holes into it’s body which reduced its weight but kept its strength intact. I figured the same is true for the changelings. Keeps the strength but reduces their mass to conserve energy - especially when malnourished as they once were ^^
But that’s my own thoughts.
The balefire magic they use softens the chitin on their exoskeletons, and tthen they either expand or retract their muscles and bones to the desired length before their bodies cooled.
As for color change, they could have chromatophores (like octopi and chameleons) that react to their nerves telling them to turn a certain color.
Or, that’s what I think.
@TheKman100
Could go beyond the hunger metaphor, too. I see it as a physical representation of the fact that they were incomplete by stealing love as opposed to sharing it. They fed off love but deprived themselves of experiencing it.
Edited
Being so hungry that you start getting holes in your skin doesn’t sound G-rated to me.
If I had to guess, G-rated effects of starvation.