Orchyd(1459)

Orchyd is a Unique Mutant

## History

Michelle was born in an upper-middle class town called Bothel, in Washington State. She had a peculiar life, a kind of sad life. Her mind was always plagued with invasive, often suicidal thoughts, which landed her in and out of mental institutions. Most of her childhood was spent in such facilities, that she even earned her diploma while attending one such place. "Oh it's not going to be that bad." said her mom "It's even on a ranch, they have horses! It'll be like living in a bungalow on extended vacation!" only it was nothing like that, not at all.

And this was before she manifested. Oh no, her mutation was not apparent at the time of birth; it was a slow, agonizing,  horrifying and kinda itchy process which took years to sorta complete, although it seems like the plant like appendages on her body are starting to produce a brighter, more intricate, and wider array of colors as

her life continues. How did she manifest exactly? What triggered the mutation? It wasn't genetic, oh no - she wasn't born like this, it wasn't an advent of puberty and happened well after that. What granted Michelle, who would later become known only as Orchyd, this appearance, these powers,  was to purposely replicate a specific accident which happened to a hero she read about in a different universe; One Alan Holand whom was a genetic botanist ahead of his time.

She had the drive, the desire, she attained the education, and replicated the serum. And one day in a moment of true insanity (or was it determination?) she started herself on fire, doused herself with the serum and threw herself into a swampland. And yes something did happen to her, the same what happened to Mr Holand and yet it was also different. Alan looked like a terrifying swamp monster while Orchyd still looked like an unconventionally attractive woman. At first she was hospitalized - and a burn unit is a hellscape. Did you know that? It is pain, and terror, and horror, without sleep, people all around you, moaning and screaming, all in terrible agony. It was a harrowing ordeal. Who knew that skin could be so gross? And her hair fell out too, but it all grew back greener and more beautiful than ever before.

But then the voices (were they voices?) crept into the back of her mind; not only was she a freak but was she going back to the institute too? Not if she could help it! But she couldn't help it - doctors noticed the irregularities in her gene structures before she ever could, and she was already IN a special facility, not at all a normal hospital. Yes one of those dreadful places that are meant to keep people like herself in a pinch. Soon as she was recovered enough she was in restraints, on a cocktail of brain numbing substances. As her mutations became apparent those white coats made her a case study; treating her more like a lab rat than a person with thoughts and feelings. They barely fed her, barley clothed her, an explosive collar was around her neck so she wouldn't try 'anything funny'. This was her existance; for years and years this was Michelle's life. It seemed like she'd spend the rest of her life in containment but one day she was sprung loose by a subset of The New Mutants. And she for once she didn't feel so weird having green skin, since one of them had bright pink skin with some purple on the face.

She didn't remain long with The New Mutants. Living in hidden bunkers, abandoned warehouses, and condemned properties was for the birds. She wanted to go to the place she saw in her dreams, a Savage Land, full of danger, but also so much beauty. In fact more than she could imagine. Eventually she met the love of her life in that place. This secret place on earth, created by another self-made mutant; it called to her, and it would manifest her somehow. She broke down into botanical chemistry and traveled among the root and mycelium networks deep under ground. It was fast. Well it seemed fast; time didn't seem to be a factor when she was in this form, whatever it was. The Green was a mysterious force, the force of life, and though she'd become one with The Green she didn't really comprehend it. Let alone how it could move her under the earth like it had. And yet more

## Powers

Orchyd has the power to control plants, but is probably one of the most powerful plant controllers in existence. She is connected to a life force called The Green, which grants her an impressive array of plant related abilities

Plant mastery: Part of The Green is The Green Library; meaning Orchyd knows everything about plants.

Botanical Psychometry: Orchyd can share her senses with plant life for miles around her, making her almost impossible to sneak up on in a verdant setting. Plant life is capable of having tele-empathic interactions with her as well.

Botantic-Kinesis: Orchyd can cause plants to explode into hyper growth, making them grow how and where she wants. This means the ability to make a huge array of shelters, structures, weapons and constructs and even wings by using plant matter. She can make massive trees spring to maturity in a matter of moments. And during bad times she can weaponize them, such as making man eating, flesh and bone resolving plants. Unlike Poison Ivy she actually knows what she's doing.

Plant Alchemy: Orchyd has the ability alter plants, such as making leaves iron hard and razor sharp, she could make an apple as hard as a rock, or shrink a jack fruit to the size of a marble. She can transform plants into many substances, even being able to alter their genes, giving them attributes they wouldn't normally have like an orange with rose thorns for a peeling- and make just about any other feasible alteration to plants, the only limitation is the inability to make them not-plants.

Verdant Goddess: Orchyd has stopped aging. So long as there is plant life on earth Orchyd is immortal, although she's not indestructible. Her body can be killed but any plant no matter how large or small, or how far away, can be a body for her soul and consciousness. From that point The Green will always make her a new body.  Orchyd doesn't breathe like a human being and cannot be asphyxiated or drown.

Plant Frailty: Orchyd has gripping and powerful pyrophobia, this phobia cannot be resolved by any means, an she is extra-vulnerable to the fire and flames, and the extremes of weather and climate changes. Ice and frost is just as bad. Fire will destroy her. Sub zero temperatures will put her into a death like sleep