The Friendly Mimic from Beyond the Stars!D A N D E L I O N
B I R T H N A M E U N K N O W N ♦ N O N B I N A R Y ♦ A G E U N K N O W N ♦ B I R T H P L A C E U N K N O W N
C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:
"Hello! It is nice to meet you! My name is Dandelion! You can call me Dandy for short! Can I drink a little bit of your blood?"
Unearthed from an ancient meteorite exposed by melting arctic ice, Dandelion spent the first ten years of their life on earth as an alien specimen in the custody of S.T.A.R. Labs. Once thawed out, Dandelion's "natural" form of a fleshy amorphous blob did not indicate to the scientists researching them that they were an intelligent being. Invasive studies and experiments followed until Dandelion was able to mimic the behavior of the scientists and imitate human speech. Once it became clear that Dandelion was a person, the scientists changed their approach to teaching Dandelion how to interact with humans and getting to know them by talking to them. Unfortunately, Dandelion had no idea who or what they are, with no memories from before they were buried in ice. Despite their amnesia, the scientists came to look after Dandelion fondly and tried to acclimate them to life on Earth. Dandelion picked their name after being taught about Earthling plants and flowers, and they were given a genetic sample from each of their closest handlers to synthesize a human form.
However, Dandy's peaceful captivity was not to last. Hearing the rumor that S.T.A.R. was developing a secret, alien bioweapon, a coalition of supervillains raided the facility where Dandelion was interred, causing massive destruction and casualties. The scientists that had essentially raised Dandy for the last ten years were all killed, and Dandelion was forced to use their powers for self-defense. After spending their short life on Earth learning about the planet, its inhabitants, and the wonder and mystery of life, Dandelion's first exposure to violence and grief was shocking to them, and they were disgusted and horrified by the senseless destruction. They hid in the ruins of the S.T.A.R. facility until a delegation from the Justice League arrived to clean up the mess and apprehend the villains responsible, and were delighted to see that the violent criminals had a virtuous counterpart in society. Following the incident, Dandelion escaped the facility and lingered in human society incognito, before eventually managing to make contact with the leader of the Renegades and join their heroic team.
Dandelion is an alien shapeshifter, capable of absorbing and copying genetic information to mimic organic structures and adaptations. Each of Dandelion's cells is a metamorphic single-celled organism, making Dandy a colony of organisms that share a consciousness and an identity. By default each cell serves as both a muscle and brain cell, giving Dandelion tremendous strength and the mental capacity necessary to decode a genome in a matter of minutes, but each cell can be endlessly differentiated, specialized, and repurposed to accommodate Dandy's transformations. Without genetic information to work with, Dandy can only form simple organic structures such as muscular tendrils, osseous growths, or their usual blob-like default form. The plasticity of their biology allows Dandy to quickly regenerate from harm, though they have difficulty healing flesh that has been carbonized by extreme heat. Dandelion can also "graft" themselves to living organisms through a lengthy integration and assimilation process, allowing Dandy to "hide" inside living things by imitating their natural internal systems.
C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:
Despite the trauma they have experienced so far, Dandelion still wants to make the most of their new life on Earth. They like humans, and want to understand them better, as well as use their powers to prevent unnecessary deaths and suffering. Joining the Renegades has been their best idea so far to work toward this end, as they know their abilities would inspire fear and panic among normal humans, or even among most superheroes. While they see it as a distant goal, Dandy would eventually like to learn the truth of their origins; who they are, where they came from, and why they came to Earth. In the meantime however, Dandelion is content to experience the beauty and joy offered by Earth and the life forms that call it home.
C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:
Dandelion's human form is a genetic chimera of several different individuals, and as a result presents as an androgynous, intersex individual of middling height and build, but they try to keep their mass around five-hundred pounds, resulting in a very dense individual. While more feminine in demeanor, Dandelion does not identify as male or female. Testing performed at S.T.A.R. Labs showed that Dandelion's incredibly complex genetic structure showed no markers of other known alien species.
R E L A T I O N S H I P S:
