[hider=Arkin]
[b]Name:[/b] Arkin Rey
[b]Superhero names:[/b] Mothman (tentative), other names will depend on the plot
[b]Gender:[/b] ♂
[b]Race:[/b] Genetically modified human (shape-shifting chimera)
[b]Age:[/b] 21 (28 chronologically)
[b]Appearance:[/b] Changes based on form
[img]https://i.imgur.com/Mhxhuka.png[/img]
Arkin, [i]given the choice[/i], most often interacts with others in his werewolf form (pictured above) due to having no major physical oddities or obstructive weaknesses. Covered in hair, with an unruly light-brown head of it and golden yellow eyes. Fairly tall, with broad shoulders and impressive musculature. Has a strong, distinct body odor one might describe as a mixture of sweat, musk perfume, and dog fur.

Ever since acquiring his abilities, Arkin lost the ability to return to his human form, and thus his appearance differs with his current species. Most humanoid forms retain his light brown hair, but share little else. Descriptions of his forms will be added to the bottom of the sheet as he obtains them.

[b]Personality:[/b] Arkin's forms each have varyingly pronounced psychological effects that modify his baseline personality. As a general rule, these persist throughout all related forms, but their effects are most noticeable in later, stronger forms.

By default, he is an introvert as well as a bookworm, with a tendency for straight-faced sarcasm and completely unnecessary stress. He's goal-oriented, hates mornings, loves coffee, and continually seeks self-improvement in ways that have become much more literal recently.

An overview of the humanoid forms:
[list][*]Mothman - The form in which Arkin feels, mentally, the most like his old self. In spite of that, he feels colder, more detached, as if his emotions are dulled. He has a tendency to prioritize the proverbial math of social equations and what he has to gain over what is morally sound or emotionally meaningful. His own self-awareness of this keeps things from going too far, but unfortunately his Mothman form is the only one he trusts to maintain a cool head, so to speak.
[*]Werewolf - Having perhaps the strongest psychological effect, his Werewolf form is more outgoing, social, confident, emotional, egotistical, and has noticeable anger management issues. It generally loosens his inhibitions and worsens his better judgement. It is harder for him to recognize his own behavioral differences while in this form, though in situations where his improved confidence falters, it will render him more nervous that he's not acting the way he should.
[*]Vampire - Vampires are said to be inherently evil, and indeed, while in his Vampire form, Arkin feels his emotional attachments withering and twisting into obsession, while his moral compass spins out of control. He has difficulty letting go of his pride while in this form, though otherwise remains relatively close to his original personality. His better judgement remains intact, so his newfound compulsion to cheat, steal, lie or give in to jealousy and unhealthy fixation generally remains under control. He cannot justify why, but while he is a Vampire, he hates dogs.
[*]Harpy - Incredibly bird-brained, Arkin can't even recognize how much dumber he is while in Harpy form. It is only after the fact that he can look back and cringe at his own words and actions. He gets territorial while in this form, getting violent with unwelcome intruders of whatever he deems his territory and generally prone to thoughtless acts of aggression when someone upsets him. He is not without sense, but is prone to acting before thinking things through.
[*]Lamia - As snake-like as you would expect, while in Lamia form, he bears no loyalty to anyone but himself. The constraints of the law in the long term are probably the only thing keeping him from stabbing everyone in the back and becoming a villain for personal gain, but other than that he is fairly calm and amiable.
[*]Mermaid - A bit hyperactive and possessive, Arkin becomes more attention-seeking and easily bored in this form. As an excitable obligate carnivore, he has a tendency to bite things, though besides the permanent mild sugar rush and pervasive fear of loneliness, his good sense remains.
[*]Incubus - Social to a fault, with a flirtatious way of speaking that he can't seem to suppress. He means every word, after all, and what's wrong with some positivity? This form has little in the way of self-control OR self-doubt, and because of that, it is the form Arkin is the least comfortable in, making him feel like an entirely different person. He is unable to recognize the differences in his decision making, even when it is glaringly obvious and cause for alarm. Other aspects of his personality remain mostly unchanged, which in some ways makes it more unsettling for him after the fact.[/list]

[b]Power:[/b] After absorbing the genetic material of certain animals or monsters by biting or being bitten, (and surviving, and just generally having the luck to have it activate) Arkin permanently gains the ability to transform into them. Furthermore, not unlike a pokemon, by meeting certain conditions or gaining combat experience with the form, he is able to evolve, skipping ahead in the animal's life cycle and/or gaining new, stronger, more monstrous forms. He retains the ability to revisit previous forms, and in certain circumstances can transfer the physical qualities of his forms between each other, should they be compatible, such as, hypothetically, a form with harder scales improving the defense of other scaled forms.

Including the base form, each of his transformations (albeit not necessarily every evolutionary path) has 5 stages, and will always have at least two forms in the 5th and final stage, consisting of at least one humanoid cryptid and one “legendary beast”. Transformation takes only a few seconds for most of his forms, and about a dozen for his legendary beast forms, though transformation can be interrupted with the current form's weaknesses, if they have any.

Planned humanoid forms (other than Werewolf) include Mothman, Vampire, Harpy, Lamia, Mermaid, and Demonoid. I’ve considered a Kitsune form but it doesn’t have enough social weaknesses so I’d rather dangle the prospect in front of Arkin forever without ever giving it to him. Due to a muddled mythologue, Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti/Skunk Ape/etc. is simply incompatible.

Planned legendary beast forms include the Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, (totally not Mothra) Camazotz, (bat god) Fenrir, Cerberus, Roc, Jormungandr, Leviathan, and Mephistopheles, (contract demon) though some of them might not be as large or divine as they are historically described.

All of the forms have some level of superhuman physique, but besides staring a Mothman in the eyes, listening to a Mermaid's siren song, getting bitten by a Vampire or Werewolf, the demon magic of an Incubus or the transformation-within-a-transformation of the Werewolf and Vampire form, they are more or less limited to their (sometimes supernatural) physical properties. The legendary beasts might have a bit of extra spice like breathing fire (Cerberus) or creating storms (Roc) or ritualistic curses (Camazots) but are otherwise just varyingly kaiju-sized monsters.

[b]Limitations:[/b] At the start of the RP, Arkin will have access to the Petit Caterpillar and Oculus Caterpillar forms. All other forms must be obtained through his ability. Although he will be able to intuit some unlock conditions, most conditions that are more than just "fight a worthy foe" are completely unknown to him. He might never obtain all the planned forms in the course of the RP, depending on how it goes. (And how long it lasts)

[b]Weaknesses:[/b]First and foremost, Arkin can only acquire the ability to transform into compatible forms, which for him is permanently defined as monsters that can evolve to attain a humanoid form he originally knew of, possibly brought about by his strong desire to return to human society. Essentially, that list of planned forms is mostly exhaustive. An insurmountable mental block stops him from accepting any new humanoid monsters as anything but contrived. Having little prior knowledge of foreign mythology, furries, or obscure works of fiction, most of the viable forms are mundane animals that evolve into mythical creatures common in popular culture.

Additionally, each humanoid form maintains the classical and biological weaknesses of their mythologues:
[list][*]Mothman - Has an aversion to light. Has trouble not becoming disoriented when close to bright lights, particularly when they are moving.
[*]Werewolf - Burned and grievously wounded by silver. Forced into wolf form on the night of a full moon, losing his humanity until morning.
[*]Vampire - Burns upon contact with sunlight, cannot willingly enter a residence uninvited, does not have a reflection in silver-backed mirrors and cannot cross natural flowing freshwater. (harmed by it. Going over it or on a boat is fine though.) He will also starve to death if he does not drink blood, though it's not much of a weakness since he can just eat in another form.
[*]Harpy - More fragile than most humanoid forms due to lighter body structure.
[*]Lamia - Has difficulty functioning in the cold on account of being cold-blooded.
[*]Mermaid - Not very mobile on land.
[*]Incubus - Weak to all things holy. He will also starve to death if he does not derive stolen life force from carnal acts, though it's not much of a weakness since he can just eat in another form.[/list]

Finally, though his legendary beast forms tend to wield more raw destructive force, they are also the only forms he cannot stay in, quickly wearing him out and forcing him to change into his other forms. The actual time he can remain as one varies with form based on its size and his actions. Camazotz, being around 4 meters tall, can last for several hours, while the godzilla-scaled forms going on a rampage may not last even one hour.

[b]Skills/Talents:[/b] A very fast reader, good at puzzles, party games and strategy games, a decent (if unqualified and unconfident) paramedic in a pinch, and while he’s not a particularly gifted cook, his pancakes are without match.

[b]Background/Bio:[/b] Was a simple college med student before getting sucked into a mad science experiment by one of his peers whom he never learned the name of. The intended experiment was actually thwarted by the results of a lab accident taking the mad scientist’s life before coming to its completion. He was kept cryogenically frozen for 7 years before the hidden lab was discovered and the self-proclaimed explorers who found it accidentally started part of the experiment back up, turning him into what he is now. A caterpillar. He was able to make it out of the lab alive and well, learning the basics of his bizarre power and circumstances, but after one evolution he has only managed to become a larger caterpillar. He has since revisited the lab, already finding it cleaned out of any details of the experiment, both the one that was supposed to happen and the one that actually turned him into what he is now.

[b]Theme:[/b]
[youtube]https://youtu.be/NFK_nrE-8lg[/youtube]
[hider=Forms]Obtained Forms: 9/60

[list][*]Petit Caterpillar - A simple caterpillar whose only redeeming quality is its ability to produce and fire sticky webbing.
[list][*]???
[i]Unlock condition:[/i] Defeat a worthy foe while in Petit Caterpillar form.
[*]Oculus Caterpillar - A stronger, if still rather incapable Caterpillar form. It is the size of a large cat or medium-sized dog and has eye-like rings lining the side of its body. Staring into the rings for too long can cause dizziness, though it still mostly relies on its sticky webbing to fight. Has carnivorous fangs and can digest most anything.
[i]Unlock condition:[/i] While in the Petit Caterpillar form, meet the gaze of a relevant predator, then survive for 24 hours without changing forms.
[list][*]Oculus Moth - A somewhat large moth with a wingspan of 3 meters. Its wings are an amber color, with bluish eye-like patterns in four different spots. Staring into the spots for too long can cause dizziness and render victims in a trance-like state until line of sight is broken. Despite becoming a moth, it retains its mouth, lacking a proboscis, and keeps the carnivorous fangs of its previous form.
[i]Unlock condition:[/i] Defeat a worthy foe while in Oculus Caterpillar form.
[list][*]Luna Moth - A somewhat large moth with a wingspan of 3.5 meters. Its wings are pitch black, showing very little glare. The wing tips are lined with purple specks with white centers, though the main wing is simply black, with only four shiny white crescent moons on them. Gazing directly upon the moons, even in motion, can hypnotize victims, rendering them unable to move or act even as they remain cognizant of their surroundings. Maintains the mouth and fangs of its previous form.
[i]Unlock condition:[/i] Defeat a worthy foe while in Oculus Moth form, on the night of a full moon
[list][*]Mothman - A humanoid monster covered from head to toe in bluish-black hair, with enormous feathery wings made up of a chitin-like material. Its facial features are indistinguishable, obscured by its hair, save for its enormous hypnotic eyes that seem to glow red, visible even in complete darkness. Meeting its gaze or otherwise staring directly into its eyes will stall the mind, hypnotizing victims and rendering them unable to look away or take other actions as an eternity passes in an instant for them. Once eye contact is broken, it can leave the victims with feelings of terror, dread, and/or paranoia for hours, assuming the psychological trauma of the encounter doesn't do that first.
[i]Unlock condition:[/i] Take the life of a human. (any form)
[i]Bonus effect:[/i] Improves the ability to hypnotize victims with the Oculus Caterpillar, Oculus Moth, and Luna Moth forms, up to the standard of the Mothman form.
[/list][/list][/list]
[*]Silk Caterpillar - A caterpillar adorned in snowy white hair. It is the size of a large cat or medium-sized dog and possesses improved silk spinning capability. It generally lacks means of direct attack, though its hair makes for surprisingly effective armor. Can digest most anything.
[i]Unlock condition:[/i] Capture prey within silk and keep them restrained for 24 hours. (any form)
[i]Bonus effect:[/i] Slightly improves the strength and quality of silk for all forms that produce it.
[list][*]???
[i]Unlock condition:[/i] Defeat a worthy foe while in Silk Caterpillar form.[/list][/list][/list]
[list][*]Wolf Cub - A small, adolescent wolf. Possesses light brown fur.
[list][*]Wolf - An adult wolf with brown fur.
[i]Unlock condition:[/i] Defeat a worthy foe while in Wolf Cub form.
[list][*]Dire Wolf - A large wolf roughly the size of an adult horse. Fur has darkened, becoming a mixture of black and brown, and its teeth and claws are sharper than that of an average wolf. Its healing capability is slightly improved relative to a normal wolf, allowing it to bounce back a bit quicker from wounds.
[i]Unlock condition:[/i] Defeat a worthy foe while in Wolf form.
[list][*]???
[i]Unlock condition:[/i] Defeat a worthy foe while in Dire Wolf form, on the night of a full moon.[/list][/list][/list][/list][/hider][/hider]