B’LAANA

Name : B’laana (say BEL-ah-nah)
Home World : Phebra
Species : C.U.L.Index Entry #R-2519 / Species R-2519 (Listing on the X.E.S.S. Colonial Unilateral Listing Index); a.k.a. Phebratian
Gender : Fluid (projects Female most of the time).
Age : 35 years
Skin/Eye/Body Color : Purple
Hair : None

General Appearance: B’laana usually takes the form of a female humanoid -- roughly 120 lbs in mass, 5’ 8” in height -- with shoulder-length “hair”. She usually appears “nude” though for a time, she can make her body appear to be "wearing clothes”.

Likes : Music, Exploring, Tinkering/Lab work, Reading, Eating.
Loves : Cuddling, Listening
Dislikes : Hot Water, Smoke, Big Animals
Hates : Bigger Animals

General Disposition : Somewhat serious, though she does have a good sense of humor. Sometimes Shy.
Physical “Quirks” : Her body mass tastes like Grape Jolly Rancher candy.

Status : Single
Profession : Chemist, Explorer.

History : B’laana was part of a Phebratian exploration ship, whose expedition was slated to travel to distant stars and catalog any habitual planets they found. One such system was Earth, but their arrival coincided with the “Age of Antiquity”, where most science is considered heresy and most religion was followed with a zealotry that was frightening. Sent down with a landing party, B’laana became separated and was discovered by an ancient alchemist. This alchemist used a concoction that both paralyzed and liquefied her form, allowing them to put her into a hermetically-sealed vessel.

While her ship and crew left the planet, her “body” was left trapped in the vessel, where the chemicals used on her interacted with her own gelatinous make-up. It put her in a state of suspended animation, trapped inside the vessel for almost 500 years.

Until her vessel was uncovered in an attic belonging to a young man living in North America, who inherited the vessel as part of a mass lot of belongings left behind by his paternal grandfather. Finding it in a locked trunk, he puzzled over the vessel’s function and accidentally released the seal. Believing the substance inside was hardened wax, he left it open on his desk, and the exposure to air caused the chemicals inside to dissipate. This allowed B’laana to regain some fluidity, and she flowed out of the vessel and regained her solid form again.

Confronting the young man, B’laana eventually realized that time had passed, and that she was stranded on this planet -- “primitive” even with it being the early 2000’s -- and would have to make the best of it. Together, B’laana and the young man formed a tenuous friendship and eventually she became a permanent fixture in his life.


Origin of Species (from the X.C.E.S.S. Encyclopedia Pan-Galactica, Vol. VII, “Explorer’s Edition”) :


“Hailing from Planet XM-229 of the star system Rengas Prime, this race of intelligent and self-aware aliens are a people who are, in effect, beings that are made of a substance that closely resembles gelatinous ooze (or “slime”). As a race, they call themselves Phebratians -- after the name of their home world, Phebra.

“Phebratians began their existence eons-past, existing as little more than blobs of para-elemental protomatter. By consuming organic materials and reproducing via cell mitosis, they propagated across the sphere of their planet and became one of its dominant species. Over centuries of evolutionary processes, these proto-beings eventually developed the ability to “mimic” other life forms and eventually created a more substantial, common “core” form. Along with this, Phebratians evolved a more intelligent mind; which led to the creation of a culture, a society and eventually the means to create space flight and the ability to travel between the stars.

“The first contact with Phebratians soon led to their being accepted into the Pan-Galactic Universal Accord, where further exposure to other sentient races allowed their species to incorporate other elements into their shared genetic “pool”, furthering their evolution as a species. This would give rise to the current state of being that all Phebratians share in the current generations that we know today.

“A typical Phebratian can assume an approximate, anthropomorphic form that is generally humanoid in structure. Due to their gelatinous nature, they possess no real skeletal structure, through force of will they can make their “flesh” as solid and dense as durasteel or as fluid and viscous as water. They can move either like humanoids -- walking or running -- or they can slip, slide or flow along the ground or other surfaces (thanks to a trait that allows them to make their “skin” as tactile as glue). They can change shape, size and mass as well. Unlike the fantasy depiction of “slimes” and other creatures like those, Phebratians can adapt their bodies to produce specialized cells that can mimic the functions of certain bodily organs in other species. Thus, they can form photo-optic “eyes” that can see, vocal chords with an airway to produce sounds, and aural receptors like ears and other functional appendages and such.

“Phebratians as a race are somewhat long-lived and usually can live for 90 to 120 years (provided they do not succumb to predation). A typical Phebratian usually masses between 200 to 300 lbs. or as little as 90 to 130 lbs. in body mass. Depending on which gender they are projecting, this accounts for the shift in size, which ranges from 6’5” at maximum, down to 4’ at minimum. Phebratians are genderless at their base existence, though they’ve learned to adopt a physical form that mimics male, female and androgynous forms. The majority of these are usually fit-looking and healthy in appearance, though some Phebratians go against this “normalcy” and adapt thinner, thicker or often distorted body forms for variety’s sake. They have a “skin” that is smooth and hairless, often glossy though lack or nourishment can make them appear more flat in tone. They usually are multicolored, taking on all shades of the color spectrum, but with practice some can change their color as well.

“Phebratians are omnivorous, and can ingest any organic material simply by engulfing it into any section of their body. Food is digested in a matter of minutes, a process visible to observers through their transparent skin. They can choose what they wish to ingest, expelling unsavory materials at will. Their sense of taste and smell is very discerning, and they can often tell one individual from another by its scent alone. Phebratians do have an unfortunate side-effect in that their “bodies” retain flavors of materials or anything organic that they ingest. Because they love plant matter, they tend to retain a more fruity flavor than most, which sometimes leads to them being “tasted” or eaten by other creatures. While small bites or pieces will not usually harm them, if they are totally ingested they will not survive (though it is often frowned upon for most sentient beings to actively seek out and eat them).

“Using Cell Mitosis, a Phebratian can create an offspring that will “mature” in a few days. The parent and offspring often stay connected during this time, until the new Phebratian can separate and live as a completely independent being. For the most part, Newly made Phebratians retain ties to their “parents”, keeping social and emotional bonds among a wide-spread “cluster” family. While most do interact on a social and filial level, the concept of two unrelated Phebratians being intimate -- in the way most humanoids are -- is unheard of. Phebratians aren’t in general compatible to cross-breed with other races. The few instances where an off-spring has come into being, the “child” has either not lived long due to genetic instability, or at reaching an age equivalent to “maturity” they transform fully into a Phebratian (as the Phebratian genome overwrites the other half of the “child’s” genetics).

“Phebratians aren’t subject to a hive-mind or any other form of psychic “link”, but often Phebratians of a “cluster” can be attuned to the emotions of others of their family. This can be best described as something akin to emotive-cognizance.

“Phebratians have a complex society that developed over centuries. They have created a culture that has developed high technology -- key to their ability to travel through space -- and it has allowed them to master the creations of art, sciences, logic and law. Phebratians have become warriors, scholars, inventors, explorers and taken on many roles in their lives. The few that have left their home world as explorers have managed to adapt into other societies quite well. They get along with most humanoid races, though the humans of Earth (and other planets like it) fascinate them the most.

“While most Phebratians are content to live on their home world, the few that have gone off to explore other worlds, races and cultures have at times formed bonds with other species. While these can at times form from platonic to outright romantic bonds, often due to cultural clashes and bias against “alien couples”, such relationships do not last very long. It often takes an extraordinary individual to overcome such bias, and make a long-standing relationship with a Phebratian work.

“Overall, Phebratians are one of the more unique species of aliens that exist in the known universe. Their physiology, history and appearance make them one of the most exotic creatures known to Modern Xeno-Science, and their culture is one of the more fascinating ones a person can experience.”

-- Professor H. Autolycus-Cuthbert Kent, for the Xeno-interstellar Cartographic Encyclopedia Services Society.

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EDIT -- Came up with a backstory/species for "her", based on the Pathfinder race of slime creatures called Squoles. And have a name for her, inspired by the “Star Trek Voyager” character of B’elanna Torres. Think i've taken the history of her species as far as I want to. Hopefully this seems to be solid, yes?

 pmoss was selling these cute adoptables -- different critters, different prices -- and there was this cutie for practically on the cheap. So I got her. Originally, Moss had her colored in green, but I asked if she could be swapped out for a more purple color.

Thanks to MossFox, who drew the original artwork. Character IS owned by me. / 2016