#kejal

Especially when it's one you weren't expecting to develop a lot until he ends up becoming a major player in another story that hits you in the head. *cough* In this case, it's a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine OC. His name is Kejal, which is the Bajoran word for 'freedom.' Would you believe it if I told you that Odo is his MOTHER? You read that right. Odo had a baby in my headcanon. 

If you know Trek, you'll get this. If you don't, just pretend this post doesn't exist XD

For my DS9 fics, head here: https://archiveofourown.org/series/284034

I played with photoshop to get an exact picture of Kejal in his humanoid form. It matches what I picture in my head perfectly. Wish I could draw decently enough, I would so draw the actual scene where he was born.

Kejal is basically the baby Changeling from the DS9 episode "The Begotten." Rather than die when he merged into Odo, he integrated himself into Odo's body using his DNA and morphogenic enzymes to repair the damage done by the tetryon radiation, and Odo's body did everything it could to protect the new life form growing inside. His outward appearance never showed what was going on in his chest. The first symptoms of the "pregnancy" scared Odo out of his mind. But once Odo realized what happened, his maternal instincts kicked right in--he really DID enjoy being "pregnant." He talked to the unborn Kejal often and enjoyed feeling the movements in his chest.

One of the first things he did upon learning of his condition was swear Doctor Bashir to secrecy and send for Doctor Mora-- and during the "pregnancy" Odo was able to truly begin his reconciliation with the scientist. Doctor Mora carried extreme guilt for the harm he did and wanted to atone for it in any way Odo would allow.

Odo’s friendship/secret love for Kira Nerys also deepened and he sought her guidance in regards to giving birth. He wanted to do it the Bajoran way, and she would end up being the one to hold him in her arms while he brought Kejal into the world. The birth experience is something he will never forget as long as he lives. It took him HOURS to relax and let his body do what it needed to. For him, the moment of Kejal's emergence was one of complete surrender. Between his emotions for Kira, the excess of morphogenic enzymes in his substance and the physical sensations of his body being linked while expelling Kejal, he experienced a visceral pleasure no humanoid will ever achieve.

Kira, Doctor Bashir and Doctor Mora bore witness to the event. Doctor Bashir mistook Odo's facial expression for pain, but Kira and Doctor Mora knew exactly what happened because it's probably not uncommon for Bajorans to have ecstatic births with all those endorphins in their system.

Odo made a huge sacrifice when Kejal was born by giving his hours-old offspring to Doctor Mora to raise on Bajor. Odo feared the Founders and the Dominion taking the baby and corrupting it, so he sent Kejal away to protect him. It was a very painful separation for Odo. Doctor Mora promised no experiments(and kept it!) and raised Kejal like his own son--an experience very healing to him. Kejal and Odo didn't see each other for ten years: Doctor Mora personally took him to the Founder homeworld long after Odo rejoined the Great Link. Their goodbye was extremely emotional, but they both knew it was for the best. Kejal still calls Doctor Mora his father, and Doctor Mora refers to Kejal as his son. They grew very close, which is why their eventual goodbye was so bittersweet.

As for Kejal himself...he chose to be a man. He had been exposed to and taught about genders, but he/him/his felt right to him. People referred to him as an ‘it’ before he made his choice obvious by taking on a male-presenting humanoid form. He didn’t mind that and thought it was funny.

Kejal looks the way he does because Kira was with Odo when he was born. Their faces were the first faces he saw and he sensed how much Odo loved Kira, so he chose to have Kira's eye and hair color to remember that love. ^_^ His earthy green clothing is important to his character since he loves gardening the way Odo loves to unwrap a criminal investigation. Nature is literally his favorite place to be. His most prized plant is a huge deka tree he grew from a sapling, and it's his favorite shape to shift into when he doesn't want to be in humanoid form. Deka trees look like weeping willows with smooth rubbery bark. They get white star shaped flowers in the spring, and in the fall they drop seed pods that look like orange Jacaranda seed pods. Very lightweight, but they make a CRACK when they hit something as they fall! (Kejal's favorite prank is to hide in the tree and drop the seed pods on people's heads!)

Doctor Mora taught Kejal about gardening, and Kejal figured out the rest on his own. He knows plants so well due to shape shifting every single one he's ever planted in the ground. He believes plants are aware of their environment on some level, which is why he likes to sing to them. He believes it makes them happy, and he'll swear up and down that trees can and do talk in their own way. As for singing--Kejal enjoys it as much as gardening. Unlike a solid, he can pick any range he wants by adjusting his vocal tract, but his preference is the tenor range. He sings to self-soothe when he's unhappy and he'll entertain a crowd if someone asks. His favorite song to sing when he's upset is a centuries-old Earth tune called Bridge over Troubled Water.

Kejal has proven himself to be more open about his emotions than Odo. He's quite immature emotionally because by the time he is ten years old(counting from the day Odo gave birth to him) he is in the same part of his 'childhood' that Odo was in when Odo left Doctor Mora's lab, and it'll be many decades before he reaches mental adulthood. Growing up without war has perks, but a slow mental maturation is the biggest drawback.

He is a goofball and he is a hopeless flirt around people he thinks are attractive(having big brown eyes helps) and he is pretty smart--and that sometimes covers up how young he really is. Physically, he looks like someone in their thirties, but he is the changeling equivalent of a twelve year old. Sometimes his ‘immaturity’ can shock people.

He inherited his mom's temper, and shape shifts into a rock when he's pissed off and can't argue his way out of a situation. Imagine having an argument with somebody and he turns into a rock... LOL! When he doesn't want to talk, he'll just puddle-ize himself on the spot and ignore you. (Naturally this doesn't fly with Odo, who can just link with Kejal and continue 'talking' that way, but it works pretty darn good around solids!)

Kejal has NO shame about using his shape shifting abilities in public. As you would expect, this means he'll show off(much to Odo's chagrin). His favorite game is hide and seek. Go figure, right? :D