Character art by UbiquitousToxicity

Notes For Commissioned Artists

Attention to detail gets you everywhere with me! <3

• Ciswoman (she/her)
• Armor, though it can be in a more solid state, is actually a living goo-like organism that she invented
• Two beauty marks under her right (our left) eye, one just above the left (our right) side of her lip, one on her chest on her left (our right) side

Personality

• If given free reign, Isphalla is a bit cold on the surface, but is quite kind. She is passionate about her inventions and will often get lost for days at a time in what she is working on at the expense of everything else, including food and sleep. She is very calm in stressful situations and will take charge or lead people when needed. Highly curious. A natural leader.

Loves

1. Biology
2. Discovery
3. Learning
4. Inventing
5. Creating
6. Myn'Atzal Starhunter
7. Grzchasu
8. The vessel
9. Fruit
10. Pleasures of the flesh

Likes

1. Other scientific fields (such as quantum mechanics and cosmology)
2. Meats
3. Working
4. Sensory deprivation chambers
5. Reading
6. Soft, ambient music
7. Psychology
8. Feeling good/relaxed/calm

Dislikes

1. Arrogance
2. Abusers
3. Willful ignorance
4. Bigotry
5. Prejudice
6. Pastas and grains
7. Uncompromising individuals
8. Coffee and caffeine

Hates

1. Feeling lost
2. Feeling alone
3. Being unable to work through a problem

Character Information

Most of her backstory is coming directly from the novel she came from (my 2015 NaNoWriMo novel) Some of it is literally copy+pasted in there :B You'll probably be able to tell 'cuz I suck. I also go off into tangents explaining some of the aliens, sometimes...

Ishpalla Wildgrowth began her life like most other Alvoshi on Vashii of the time, among Humans and Dwounshi. She was born curious and would often get bit or hurt by wildlife. Rather than fear the creatures after incidents, she tried to learn more about them and why they did what they did. This intense curiosity about life got her into biology and bioengineering at a very young age.

Alvoshi children were forbidden from participating in the alteration of nature, so she had to leave home to study with the Humans and, to a lesser extent, the Dwounshi. She learned rapidly and gained a lot of experience over her hundred year stay, but tensions between the Humans were rising and she was forced to return to the Grove of her Wildgrowth kin.

Over the next sixty or so years, Isphalla taught any intrepid young Wildgrowth anything they wanted to know about bioengineering and biotech in general. The teachings were forbidden, and she was brought before the council of elders to be banished, but the order never went through. Humans were in the middle of a war between their own kind and had launched multiple weapons of mass destruction.

The Humans wiped themselves out, and nearly took the world with them. The Dwounshi chose cowardice and safety when the world began to crumble, hiding in their mountains and deep underground since most of the danger was on the surface. But the Alvoshi didn't have much of a choice. They tried to protect their Groves and restore life, but what little remained was quickly dying.

Thankfully, Isphalla had learned much about bioengineering and had taught many young Alvoshi what she knew. They all started working toward evolving and altering life for survival. Both the wilds and their own. It was not easy, but the other Alvoshi that once claimed altering life would bring about the end of days suddenly had a change of heart and learned as much as they could to help.

It started with smaller Groves and groups, but over the next few hundred years, most of the damage that was done was fixed and only regrowth was needed. During this time, Isphalla met her first lover, Myn'Atzal Starhunter. Myn, a shortening of her name that she only allowed Isphalla and eventually Grzchasu to call her, was an aerotech and cosmostech specialist and the two of them worked on many projects together.

Myn'Atzal thought Isphalla was a cold, heartless woman at first, but once she worked with her for a while, and saw how passionate she was about inventing, she fell in love. The two of them were almost solely responsible for giving birth to the vessel, a living organism that was its own ecosystem with the ability to fly and travel through space while comfortably housing six to seven Alvoshi for the better part of eternity.

Unfortunately, not everything was peaceful. With the world on the mend, two factions of Alvoshi arose where there had always been one single unit. On one side was the learned Alvoshi who wished to continue to guide and develop the natural world, as Ishpalla had shown them. And the other were traditionalists who thought life should be left to evolve on its own, now that the crisis was over. Everything would have been fine if the two factions just separated and lived their own lives, but the traditionalists felt it was their place to put a stop to the evolutionists. And that reasoning is how Isphalla, Myn'Atzal, and the vessel ended up exiled to a distant, unknown realm.

Isphalla and Myn'Atzal never really chose a side. They didn't want to be like the Humans and destroy each other over this, so they chose to be neutral. Though, to the traditionalists, they were seen as evolutionists because of how they lived their lives. Isphalla and Myn'Atzal went into hiding to continue their work. Isphalla was determined to create a drive capable of traveling faster than light, and had dedicated nearly one hundred years to the research and development. They chose very carefully who they brought onto the vessel to work with, usually people they had worked with on things before.

An Alvoshi man by the name of Te’Lamaier was one such person. He was there to help them cultivate the first radiation eater plant and was very intelligent. He'd helped them with the FTL drive off and on when he could spare time, helping them make good progress, but he is also the reason for their expulsion. The drive was ready, and Isphalla and Myn'Atzal were eager to test it. Te'Lamaier was bringing a diagnostic growth to make sure everything went according to plan. When he was late, Myn'Atzal started to worry, but Isphalla just assumed he had to take a different route, if someone was following him.

It was a little more serious than that. He arrived several hours late, but seemed no worse for wear. He claimed to have someone following him that he had to shake. Things seemed normal up until he started connecting the growth to the drive. He started to talk about how it was great working with them and that they were destined for great things, but the world was healed and what they were trying to create would only undo the fragile repairs made to Vashii. Isphalla could tell something was wrong and Myn'Atzal felt it, too.

Te’Lamaier lunged for his device, an energy explosive, as Myn'Atzal dove at him and Isphalla snatched at it. Their efforts were in vain. As the explosive detonated, Isphalla’s suit moved to absorb the impact and harmful energies, but it still sent the three of them flying back. The suit allowed for Isphalla to recover much faster, but it was too late to change the outcome.

The energy explosive didn’t release high levels of energy, as expected. After the shockwave, there was nothing. Isphalla stared in awe as their device absorbed all of the energy. It was activating. It wasn’t supposed to be activating. Isphalla tore away from there, reaching for Myn'Atzal when the world distorted around them. Painful thrumming echoed throughout their bodies, eliciting howls of agony. Isphalla curled into a fetal position on the ground while Myn'Atzal clawed at the walls and ground around her. Te’Lamaier was unresponsive; the impact from the initial blast had broken his frail body, leaving him dead.

For what felt like an eternity to them, Isphalla and Myn'Atzal writhed and cried as they were dragged through a dimensional breach opened by their device. The journey actually only lasted two minutes, but their experience of time was stretched and warped on the way through. By the time it was over, Myn'Atzal had clawed her way over to Isphalla and passed out lying protectively over her unconscious lover and partner.

Their vessel was adrift for several hours in an unknown space before they woke. It had to absorb light from a pair of nearby stars to keep itself from becoming too cold for its two passengers. The vessel rumbled at them in a repeating pattern until they were able to talk to it.

It was not a simple matter of waking for Isphalla and Myn'Atzal. The distortion of space and time in their minds left them befuddled. They tried to orient themselves only to stumble and fall on top of each other. Isphalla was the first to attempt speech. “Myn…?” she called, but even the sound of her own voice was off and felt like someone else.

“Isphalla, is that…” Myn'Atzal tried to respond to the sound, but felt that same sense of dysphoria. She opened her eyes, but the visual information going to her brain was not being processed correctly. It was like a distortion caused by heat was surrounding everything, but she only felt cold. It caused her stomach to churn and she nearly released its contents. “Oh… don’t open...your eyes.” She informed Isphalla between retches.

“What happened…? Te’Lamaier, you fool, what have you done!?” Isphalla yelled. Her voice was still shaky and weak, so it sounded more like an exasperated sigh. She found a chamber wall and started to stand when a deep rumble from the vessel knocked her back down. She then grabbed for the nearest soft spot and slipped her hand inside to hear the vessel’s voice.

“LOCATION UNKNOWN. TE’LAMAIER EXPIRED. DEVICE NON-FUNCTIONAL. BINARY STAR SYSTEM. SPACE-FARING INORGANIC VESSELS APPROACHING.” A direct message entered her mind, which also helped her reorient herself. She opened her eyes and her vision was quickly corrected.

She directed Myn'Atzal to do the same and they both were able to finally take in what had happened. They were not afforded much time to do so, however. The ships approaching them started to send a repeating signal to them. It took a few moments for Isphalla and Myn'Atzal to figure it out, with assistance from the vessel itself, but when the screen displayed, it was showing a creature they had never encountered before.

An Oplogikas as they would later discover they called themselves.

The vessel rumbled and flashed as it allowed a bridge between itself and the boarding ship. The two Alvoshi made their way back into the receiving chamber to greet them, Myn'Atzal preparing a weapon in case they were hostile. Considering they attempted communication in a calm manner first, Isphalla calculated they would be friendly, though she also took into consideration that these creatures were the furthest thing from predictable. She had no information about their lives, customs, homeworld, anatomy, or anything really. She could only make observations based on her understanding of the universe, which is what pushed her and Myn'Atzal to create the device that brought them there in the first place.

Myn'Atzal was calm on the surface, but her heart was pounding in her chest. She, like Isphalla, was much too peaceful for conflict. She was not afraid and would not hesitate to defend herself and Isphalla, but she’d much rather have a peaceful resolution to any problem. She instinctively moved just in front of Isphalla in a protective manner as the creatures made their way across the bridge. Isphalla grabbed Myn'Atzal’s hand, giving it a light squeeze before moving back to be side by side with her.

When the passage between the bridge and their vessel opened, the first thing through was a small black sphere. The sphere bounced once against the floor of the vessel and then lied inert for several seconds. Myn'Atzal and Isphalla froze, staring at it to figure out what to do about it. Nothing else came through the opening, so Myn'Atzal carefully moved toward it. It activated when she moved, creating a whirring sound and flashing lights and lasers in all directions. It lifted into the air and circled around the Alvoshi ladies, stopping in front of them, and after a few moments, the light show finished. It released three loud whooping sounds and a ding, followed by a purple blinking light activating on the front.

Isphalla and Myn'Atzal looked at it, then each other, then back at the device. Myn'Atzal then tried to grab the device, but it evaded her, dipping down and back up as it moved away. Then came attempt number two, but before she was able to get close enough, large dark figures emerged from the bridge, stepping carefully into the vessel. The boarding party were wearing what was the standard for biohazard and space suits at the time, a shiny black layer that affixed itself like a second skin. The face region was covered with a breathing apparatus and there wasn’t much else, though there were weapons tucked in the flap of their pouches.

“&%*#$_%&%.” The leader spoke, pointing to the two Alvoshi with extended fingers. The leader then held the hand up at them, palm outward and waved another crew member in. The second crew member shuffled by the first, grabbing the device and inspecting it before patting the first on its shoulder. Myn'Atzal and Isphalla stood where they were, waiting for them to finish. Their body language seemed similar to their own, so that was comforting to them.

The leader nodded to their subordinate, reaching up and pressing a few points on the breathing apparatus, disconnecting the device. The black shiny layer retracted into the apparatus, leaving the red-violet leader nude before them. Given the ease of this action, Isphalla deduced that this species is commonly unclothed and nudity is not an issue. It also gave them a good look at what they were dealing with. The deep shade of red-violet covered most of the body save for some small lavender spots and tan, fleshy-colored punchout spots on the muzzle, hands and feet and breasts. The long necks of the alien creatures were full of powerful muscles, meaning they moved them about quite a bit. The large eyes had a larger focal point, but there were many smaller openings in the eye, which Isphalla determined were more pupils, creating an odd series of images that was probably a lot more complex than their own vision.

The triangular pointed ears swiveled this way and that, similar to felines of their home world, but much longer. The leader of this crew leaned back, sitting upright on its rear haunches similar to how a cat might, making their size all the more apparent. Without the height of their rear legs, the nude creature was at least six feet at the shoulder, adding a few more feet with the length and angle of its neck. If it were to stretch out, tail to head, it was easily twenty feet long. The rear legs were long, easily as long as their bodies and angled in a way that suggested hopping or swimming, but while this creature was sitting upright, the rear legs folded up under their hips. This angle gave them a much more familiar appearance: a similar frame to their own save for a wider base for their neck and the hips resting near the ground, as if the legs were cut away.

Reaching into a flap of skin just under their breasts, the leader of the trio produced another small sphere similar to the one that preceded them and placed their suit device in behind it. They pointed at the device, and then nodded, smiling as if the two Alvoshi should understand. They then craned their neck down and spoke at the device, “%$#&%&$#%&,” and a holographic display came up with alien symbols and text. “%#@$&#, Oplogikas, %$#&#&$@*.” Indicating themself and the other two, it repeated a word, “Oplogikas.” The creature then smiled proudly and held the orb out toward Myn'Atzal, who had once again slipped in front of Isphalla protectively.

It was a communication device which Grzchasu, the lead Oplogikas, tried to use to bridge the language barrier. It did not work. Grzchasu was visibly disappointed that the device was not able to understand the Alvoshi language, but Isphalla tried to communicate gesturally, hoping their body languages were indeed as similar as she suspected.

While her attempt did have minor success, Grzchasu eventually revealed a device for creating holographic displays. Ey then showed them all going to meet Xigosklaswatao, the Arbiter. While the experience was intimidating at first, the Arbiter was able to communicate both to the Alvoshi and the vessel after only a few moments of hearing them speak, and got them set up for accessing archives to get themselves oriented and familiar with their new surroundings. Xig also gave them a small gift of currency and a pair of translators to help them survive while they attempted to get back home.

Grzchasu immediately expressed an interest in joining the two Alvoshi on their journey as well as joining them in their intimate relations. Isphalla had to explain the way they build relationships to Grzchasu, since the Oplogikas have a rather arbitrary pack mentality. They flow freely between groups and usually don't form deep bonds, but they do care about each other. Isphalla rather admired the species' overall peaceful and whimsical nature though, as will most rules, there were a few exceptions. Grzchasu did eir best to adapt to this method of developing relationships and, after a few months, Isphalla and Myn'Atzal accepted em and they became a very tight polycule.

The gift they received from Xigos did not last very long at all, so Isphalla took on research projects and helped to develop materials and biotech for the Vraubryhz Republic and many independant companies and individuals to make money to survive. She was also trying to find biological matter that was similar to the FTL drive they made before in order to create another and eventually return home. It was a long and stressful time, but with Myn'Atzal, and now Grzchasu as well, by her side she never felt like she was alone. The vessel was critical to their survival, as well, since they did not need for food, water, or shelter while they were there. All of their money and time was invested in recreating the FTL drive.

For the first few years in the Vraubryhz Republic, Isphalla and Myn'Atzal were determined to get back home. It was their driving force. But Isphalla realized something along the way, after a series of strange dreams and nightmares, there really wasn't much reason for her and Myn'Atzal to go back. While they did love their homeworld and wanted for it to prosper, they were caught in the middle of a war that they wanted nothing to do with.

Isphalla decided that she didn't really care if they ever made it back to Vashii. She didn't really have any close friends there, since the war kept her isolated, and she had Myn'Atzal and the vessel here, along with Grzchasu too. Everything she loved, aside from the planet itself, was already with her. And THAT is why she was already home.

Unfortunately, Myn'Atzal was not quite ready to give up on Vashii. She said she had people she missed dearly and desperately wanted to get back. Isphalla told her that she wasn't giving up, but just that she was okay if they didn't get back. The two of them asked Grzchasu how ey felt about all of it, since they'd all formed a very deep bond. Ey were apprehensive at the thought of losing them, but also at the thought of being stranded in an alien land with the knowledge that they may never see another of their kind.

They were all left to think about this and for months felt a disconnect in their relationship. Isphalla could see the uneasiness of her two lovers and did her best to ease their minds. It was all hypothetical at that point. It was uncertain if the Alvoshi would ever be able to recreate the FTL drive AND recreate the event that led to their exile here.

Though it was hardest for Grzchasu, they all eventually became tightly knit once more and took solace in the knowledge that, as long as they were all together, they could be happy whatever way events came to be.

Isphalla is currently close to being able to recreate the FTL drive, but research and development has been slow paced in the last few years. Between getting the large amount of funds needed to get certain materials and the time and effort to make sure it was exactly the same as the previous version, she feels it will be many years before they are even able to attempt to recreate the dimensional breach. She, Grzchasu, and Myn'Atzal are still together and happy most of the time, but occasionally the uneasiness and apprehension about leaving or staying returns.

She has helped the Vraubryhz Republic and its inhabitants to develop their biotech to much more advanced levels and is well known throughout the scientific circles.

She hopes that, if she can recreate the dimensional breach, she can develop gateways that would be able to transport people back and forth to expand the universe to all curious minds.