IX

broooo ugh this catgirl has gmos in it :/ like its not even organic

-

IX is a shapeshifter created in an alchemist's laboratory. Borne of a sperm alone, the magic that artificially generated her second set of chromosomes and allowed her to develop also resulted in an unstable genetic profile. As such, she is constantly undergoing mutations in her genes. While many mutations are harmless, at the rate she mutates, her odds of only experiencing benign outcomes are low. As a newborn, her condition was carefully regulated by her inventor, who had to be at the ready to repair any errors that would, for instance, give her turbocancer, or cancel her kidneys. What he was unable to "repair away" was her rapid aging: she went from birth to adolescence in under three years. With the aim of her eventually managing her symptoms on her own, he educated her in alchemy; through trial and error, she also developed her own intuitive methods of symptom management. Now, through a combination of these taught and embodied magics, she can exert conscious control over the erratic rhythms of her body, working with them to change herself how she sees fit. 

To support her unique state of being, she needs to eat a lot. The magic that spawned her is an ongoing process, and it needs to be replenished, the same as other bodily energy requirements. On top of that, she has her alchemical immune system to manage: to catch unwanted mutations, she must consciously run a sort of "diagnostic scan," and once she has discovered an error, repairing it requires her to manipulate her own molecular structure. This maintenance takes a profound amount of mental and physical energy, and that's to say nothing of the demands of shapeshifting. To fuel these processes, magically rich foods are the most nutritious and filling. Because living beings produce magic through their chemical processes, that means live-caught meals (or totally rotten—bacteria is living too). Because sapient beings produce magic through their psychospiritual processes, that means... well, you know. 

Her gastrointestinal system is lossless (i.e. she doesn't shit), not digestive so much as "convertive." Also, Kirby-style, she is better at emulating that which she has eaten. Something something she breaks it down to its fundamental parts and scans it like a barcode with her magic tummy. We love you weird half-alive-like-a-virus girl <3