Dead Cruiser

Young Justice Renegades: A Team Worth Dying For

Who wants to be the one who walked in on Dandy "changing?"

Young Justice Renegades: A Team Worth Dying For

Sat quietly in the dark, Dandelion's legs hung over the end of their bed as they tapped their fingers together, patiently waiting. Julian had given them very clear instructions to sit in their room until the lights came back on, and they did so without objection. At first, Dandelion had not understood why Julian had told them that no one on the team wanted to "bump into" Dandy in the dark, but the longer they sat there alone, the better they understood. This was all beginning to seem familiar to them; they had gone through this ten years ago already. The startling discovery, the apprehension, the wary acceptance... humans were surprisingly predictable animals.

Even this room had a stifling familiarity to it. When Dandelion had first come to the penthouse, it was a spare room, filled with unwanted furniture and other miscellany. They had not been anticipating a sixteenth member joining the team. Now, however, it was Dandy's room, and barren save for the bed that Dandy never slept on, and the chest of drawers that Dandy didn't own enough clothes to keep in. If nothing else, the laboratory cell that they had called home for the last ten years had fixtures that were of considerably more practical use to to Dandelion, like the rope swing that they liked to climb and perch on. That was not all this room lacked: it also had no cameras or one-way mirrors anywhere in it, as Dandy had checked the room themselves, thoroughly, when they "moved in."

Dandelion's newfound privacy was confusing to them, to say the least. Before, in the lab, the scientists that were always watching Dandy praised them whenever they changed their shape, especially if it had been in a way they had not seen before, and generously offered them new samples and forms for them to try. Now, Dandy's teammates typically reacted badly whenever Dandy changed their shape where they could see. Julian had asked them to stay in human form and not change unless they were in their room, or in a bathroom, and Dandy did so without objection. This was fine for the first few days, until someone had come into Dandy's room to fix something and found them clinging to the ceiling in their natural form. Then came the conversation about door locks and privacy, and Dandy had been apologized to, but they still came away feeling ashamed, like they had been the one doing something wrong.

So Dandelion sat in their human form, mismatched eyes blinking at steady intervals, quietly twiddling their fingers in the dark. Then, with a hum of electricity and the sound of appliances sparking to life, the power returned, and the lights flickered back on. Dandy's silent contemplation was over, and a wide smile broke across their face as they emerged from their room, gently shutting the door behind them. Heading up to the kitchen where they heard others talking, Dandy tread carefully up the stairs, each one creaking loudly under their weight. The stairs were a horribly inefficient mode of travel, but the only one that Dandy could use in human form. They swallowed their frustration, compartmentalizing it with their shame, and strode into the kitchen to greet their teammates, smiling brightly.

"The power is back on!" Dandelion remarked. They knew that everyone else in the room also knew this, but a large part of human conversation involved stating the obvious. Seeing that the kettle was on, Dandy looked to Eilidh and asked, "May I also have a cup of tea, please?" Dandelion's voice was human, for sure, but the accent and meter of their speech was strange and disjointed in a way that seemed like they were a child trying to work what they were saying into a song, or some sort of strange poem. They looked to Julian, and asked him, "Julian," they said his name slowly and carefully, the way Julian had done when they had met, "Is there any work on the penthouse that I can help with?"

Young Justice Renegades: A Team Worth Dying For

<Snipped quote by Dead Cruiser>

Enter a telepath and empath all in one to translate thoughts and feelings as best as she can. I think Eilidh could have some success!

...Eventually! :D

@Stormflyx

I'm glad you brought it up, because I've been thinking about Eilidh and Dandy's relationship a little bit.

Yes, I think out of any character Dandelion would have the most true and genuine bond with Ms. Telepath, who is capable of communicating in the way most familiar to Dandy.

But I also agree that it will take a lot of work for the two of them to get that online. Dandy's neurology is so different from a human's, even in human form, that reading their mind would be like trying to read the mind of a swarm of insects, or an entire crowd of people. Their emotions would probably be the easiest thing to relate to at first, as they're generally comparable to humans'. Their mind is kind of like a parilament, parts of it form coalitions that change in size and opinion, analogous to organs and structures in Dandy's body.

I'm happy to talk more about this in PMs tomorrow if you feel the need to.

Young Justice Renegades: A Team Worth Dying For

@DocTachyon Yeah I think their equally childlike demeanors will have them get along well, though ironically Dandy knows far less about space than the other resident aliens, and remembers nothing about where they came from. Dandy can only copy something they can sample the DNA of, so Hayden's dinos would have to be perfect replicas down to the genetic level for Dandy to copy them.

Not that they still wouldn't be thrilled by Hayden's shapeshifting. They would probably do their best to imitate a dinosaur with the genetic templates they have on hand, with probably horrifying results.

Young Justice Renegades: A Team Worth Dying For

@Natty @psych0pomp I appreciate the solution oriented thinking lol. Dandy's communication problems aren't because they speak another language, it's that language itself does not come naturally to them. They actually have quite a strong grasp of English, and could pick up a different language reasonably quickly, they just find using words to express ideas frustrating and limiting. Not to give too much away too quickly, but they way they evolved to communicate with others like them is to physically link their nervous systems together and share thoughts and feelings directly.

Also worth noting: nothing like Dandy is in the GL database. They're… not local, to say the least.

@DocTachyon Hayden is probably the youngest human Dandelion has ever met, and they're still wrapping their head around the idea of "maturity" so they treat him about the same as anyone else: new best friend!

Young Justice Renegades: A Team Worth Dying For

@Sep Yeah for sure, I just figure while we're doing this we can nail down what their reactions and initial impressions have been so far. That'll probably inform how Dandy treats them in turn. While they are universally outgoing, if others don't like them Dandy will probably avoid them.

Also I can imagine in the first week of their arrival two house rules have been set: Dandelion is not allowed to eat in any communal space, and Dandelion must clean up after themselves after they "use" the bathtub.

Young Justice Renegades: A Team Worth Dying For

Well I'm about to start my Saturday shift but if we're working this out I guess we should figure out how everyone feels about our little meatball, Dandy.

In the absence of the platypus they're probably the closest thing to a mascot the Renegades have.

I would say the #1 that informs Dandelion's character is their difficulty communicating; whatever they are, they didn't evolve and develop language as a form of communication naturally, and so expressing themselves with words is difficult for them. The struggle this brings them is the source of their loneliness and isolation on Earth, as much as they like humans they struggle to connect with them.

Young Justice Renegades: A Team Worth Dying For

The other thing we'll have to tackle is how the other alien/alien-adjacent heroes feel about them, since they're... pretty weird, even compared to the rest of them.

Young Justice Renegades: A Team Worth Dying For

<Snipped quote by Dead Cruiser>

I like it. I imagine Julian would've done some testing / screening before he'd unleash the unknown alien being into the team's living quarters - he's a believer but he's not suicidal. He's seen the Alien films... Probably.

@Hillan

Sure, sure, I just imagine that he could tell upon meeting them that Dandy was innocent and frightened, alone on a strange world.

Young Justice Renegades: A Team Worth Dying For

Dandelion

The Friendly Mimic from Beyond the Stars!

D A N D E L I O N

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^{_{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:

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^{"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.

A B I L I T I E S:

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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:

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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:

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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:

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Julian

Dandy was rescued from the streets of Fawcett City and spared from further captivity by Julian, and for that Julian has earned their fierce loyalty. Dandelion doesn't find him more likable or relatable than any other human, but they hang on his every word and follow his orders without question, and they understand that Julian does his best to keep them safe from the outside world as well as from the other Renegades. Whenever there is downtime in their penthouse headquarters, Dandy usually makes a nuisance of themselves by following Julian around like a puppy, pestering him with questions, until he manages to pawn them off on someone else.

Charity

As with most of the other Renegades, Charity doesn't know what to make of Dandelion, and Dandelion feels much the same way about her. They understand that her body is dependent on machines to live, but beyond that Dandy doesn't quite grasp her status as a cyborg, as their familiarity with human technology is somewhat limited. Dandy is quite curious about how her organic components function in tandem with her machine components, but hasn't yet had a good opportunity to ask her about it.

Conor

Dandelion can sense the trepidation Conor feels around them, and does their best to keep their space from him to avoid making him uncomfortable. Conor's magic, and indeed the concept of magic itself, are total mysteries to Dandy, and they don't plan to try and unravel them until they have secured more basic fundamentals about life on Earth and human culture.

Gabriela

Another magic hero that bears a sense of unease around Dandelion, they and Gabi have already spent some time working together on their communication skills, though this mostly resulted in Dandy speaking nonsense in Kʼicheʼ. Despite the lack of progress, Dandy appreciated her efforts, and hopes that Gabi will come to accept them in time. In the meanwhile, Dandy finds themselves intrigued by the concept of a "god," and plans to inquire more about this phenomenon in time.

Eilidh

Dandelion considers Eilidh the most interesting member of the Renegades; at first Dandy found her accent curious, but upon learning that she was a telepath and empath, everything changed. Dandy is insistent on the two of them working together on Dandy's communication skills, as she is the only teammate Dandy believes they will ever be able to truly relate to.

Kevin

Unlike many of their teammates, Dandelion considers Kevin to be a pretty uncomplicated person, in terms of both his power and demeanor. The two cohabit easily, finding each other mutually amusing and nonthreatening.

Selene

Yet another magic hero Dandy finds baffling, Dandelion has yet to interact with Selene in any meaningful capacity, and keeps their distance for the time being. Dandy still plans to pester the other demigod in the Renegades about what that precisely entails, in hopes they can get a genetic sample from one of these "gods."

Johnny

Dandelion doesn't find Johnny himself terribly interesting, at least not in comparison to some of their teammates, but is fascinated by the scarab fused to his spine. They would love to try and pry it off and sample it someday, or if Johnny dies in battle they plan to quickly salvage it off his corpse.

Varo

Dandelion is intrigued by their fellow alien exile on Earth, hoping immensely that in time he will prove to be a confident that can understand what Dandy is going through. For the time being, though Dandy is keeping their distance. The idea of alien magic bothers them even more than human magic does, and besides being a fellow alien, Varo has just in much in common with Dandy as humans do: basically nothing. Despite this, Dandy still hopes to make friends with him, and hopefully obtain their first sample of non-Earthling DNA.

Redmond

Dandelion considers Redmond a kindred spirit, in that both of them have been suddenly thrust into human society for purposes neither of them comprehend, and are each doing the best with what they've been given. The two have begun to bond over their shared experiences, though they each find each other as terrifying and alien as anything else they've encountered since escaping their respective labs.

Hana

Dandelion has attained a... loose understanding of what a Green Lantern is and the role they play in the galaxy at large, and for that reason does not find Hana's existence as confusing as some of their other teammates. Hana was one of the first Renegades to open up to Dandelion and reach out to them, given her prior experience in dealing with various aliens, but the two quickly ran into familiar roadblocks. Even consulting the records and archives on Oa provided no answers, adding to both of their frustration.

Hayden

Dandelion considers Hayden the first friend they have made outside of captivity, and treasures him greatly. The two have spent much time bonding over their shapeshifting abilities and mutual disregard for the human gender binary. Dandy loves watching her transform into dinosaurs, though they try to spare Hayden from seeing themselves shapeshift. Dandelion wishes very much to encounter a "real" dinosaur from which they can attain a genetic sample.

Vincent

Where most of the Renegades, even if Dandelion finds them frightening or confusing, are bound by their shared commitment to justice and morality, Dandy can see that Vincent joined the team primarily for three hots and a cot. His abrasive nature, particularly his arguments with Julian, have soured Dandy on him, and while they still hope they can get along better in the future, Dandy keeps their distance from him. Really his presence in the penthouse keeps Dandy focused on their commitment to the values of the Renegades, out of a desire to be perceived as less of a parasite than Vincent.

Johnny

Much like the other Johnny in the Renegades, Dandelion doesn't find the human part of "Psi-Rider" any more interesting than the average human, but they are keenly interested in the ship he recovered. Learning that the vehicle functioned with some form of bio-technology has made Dandy intent on obtaining a sample at their earliest opportunity. They hope the ship is capable of breaking orbit, but Dandelion realizes that even if they got off Earth, they would have nowhere else to go.

Roy

Yet another magic hero, even Dandelion can tell that Roy doesn't quite have his act together. As a result, they find him less threatening than the other magic heroes, but they still choose to keep their distance.