I know, my dear, because I am a Cironielian Chrysalis Eater.
- ―The Chrysalis Eater, to Starfire[src]
The Cironielian Chrysalis Eater is a member of a hostile alien species and a special enemy of Starfire.
Character history
One day, Starfire began to undergo the Transformation, a type of change which - in Earth equivalents - marked the ascendance from pre-pubescence to puberty. However, while Transformation was known to Starfire, the changes on her body were unusually bizarre even for Tamaranean standards, leading her to believe that she was transforming into a monster. The other Titans eventually came to see her new looks, and feeling ashamed, Starfire fled into space to look for a new home. Unnoticed by her, at some point she was noticed by another alien, which kept trailing her for the remainder of her journey.
The Cironielian Chrysalis Eater in her humanoid form.
Not much is known about Cironiellian Chrysalis Eaters, and whether this is their true racial name and why they would prefer to consume Chrysalises in the first place, is not entirely known. However, it is known that the rarity of their prey forces them into a nomad existence, drifting through space until they encounter a fledging Chrysalis, whereupon they will stalk it until the Transformation is underway, then consume their prey while it is helpless.
Eventually, Starfire reached an uninhabited, though rather hostile, planet. Sunk in despair, she was approached by an elfin humanoid woman who proceeded to tell her about the true nature of her change, informing her that she was developing into a Chrysalis. But right afterwards, a cocoon formed around Starfire, rendering her helpless, and it was in this moment that the Chrysalis Eater shed her disguise to reveal her true, hideous form: a praying mantis-/crab-like monster.
Before the Chrysalis Eater could begin her feast of Starfire's body, however, the other Titans, who had been tracking Starfire, attacked her, diverting her attention. Robin freed Starfire from her cocoon, to find out that the Transformation had run its final course, changing her back to her former appearance and granting her the ability to fire energy blasts from her eyes. With renewed confidence, Starfire engaged the Chrysalis Eater and used her new power to hurl her into the forest, where she was promptly set upon and devoured by a monstrous flesh-eating plant.
Powers and abilities
Cironelian Chrysalis Eaters are superhumanly strong and fast. Since they have to go and actively seek their rare prey, Chrysalis Eaters have also evolved the ability to survive the harsh conditions in outer space.
The rare nature of their prey and the difficulty of seizing it have made them cunning hunters and allow them to go months probably even years to go without a single meal(though its possible they eat other creatures as well); instead of approaching it in direct combat, they prefer stealth and deception to get close to their prey, then strike while it is helpless. This is aided considerably by their innate shape-changing ability, with which they can assume a more humanoid appearance, though they retain some physical insectoid traits.
Trivia
- The name of the Chrysalis Eater's home world is of course a pun on serial director Ciro Nieli.
- The term Chrysalis (for those who don't know) refers to an insect in the last stages of transformation from a larvae into an adult (i.e. the pupal stage), particularly butterflies.
- Catherine Cavadini, the Chrysalis Eater's voice actress, plays Blossom from The Powerpuff Girls, another popular Cartoon Network series.