Original Species: Chlorisians
Long post below!
Pictured above: Commander At'Han Tav, first officer of the USS Sonder and first Chlorisian in Starfleet.
The Chlorisians are a species of Humanoids that grow plants inside their bodies. Both organisms supply each other with energy, making the Chlorisians a symbiotic species. The average Chlorisian is 1.9 metres tall.
As seen above, Chlorisians have intricate forehead ridges out of which the main flower blossoms. If a Chlorisian hopes to attract a partner, their flower will become larger and more colourful.
Pictured above: a sketch of the Chlorisian skull and a Chlorisian's head without their flower. It reveals that the forehead ridges are not bone, but cartilage. Taken from my USS Sonder Scrapbook.
Chlorisians are born with clear-coloured hair and eyes. These features take on colours after they are influenced by the plant's pigmentation.
The vast majority of Chlorisians would be considered intersex by Human standards. Chlorisians may take on any gender identity.
Pictured above: a blurry illustration of Sacred Planting Grounds At'Lai.
There are four Sacred Planting Grounds in which the Chlorisian plant symbiotes are grown: At'Lai, Üt'Has, An'Tev and Ün'Tan. The prefix of a Chlorisian's first name is determined by where their symbiote was grown- At'Han Tav, for example, was named Han at birth and given the prefix At'- when joined with her plant, harvested from Sacred Planting Grounds At'Lai.
In order to remain physically able, a Chlorisian must be joined with a plant during the first year of their life. It is possible for a Chlorisian to survive without a plant, but they will be more likely to be affected by illnesses.
If you make a Chlorisian OC, I would love to see them!
Look out for some Chlorisian "adoptables" on this blog soon.