Bat Out Of Hell

Finally getting the bare bones installed! Kirk's got a basic about page (and guidelines) set up, nothing too fancy but I'll try and polish it up this weekend while hunting down some more comics to make icons from. Going Arkham heavy on his portrayal but taking inspiration from Batman: The Animated Series and comics as well (reading as I go along!)

He is just. A little creechur. That's it. He cannot change this.

As the sun starts dipping below the city horizon, there are low, distant cries echoing throughout the darkening skies. Be wary of travelling at night.

I don't remember if I ever wrote about it or not but the serum that Kirk developed does work, albeit with disasterous and dangerous side effects. The good thing about the serum is that it does restore the ability to hear; even people who are fully deaf soon regain their ability to hear mere hours after being injected but as we all know, the side effects involve turning into a gigantic fucking bat monster. So, how and when does it happen? The transformation is not intentional - those who are under the influence of the serum aren't even aware they can become a giant bat monster, let alone remember what happened before (and after) changing. They wake up, almost always in a completely different place from when they blacked out but one of the most likely causes of transformation is the damage the serum does to the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is responsible for a lot in how the human body works. It's like an internal clock of sorts, managing the physical, mental and behavioral changes that the body goes through in a 24-hour cycle. It affects sleep, body temperature, hormones, appetite and more, but what affects it mostly? Light and darkness. It's just a coincidence that the serum is derived from a nocturnal mammal but it means that changing into Man-Bat will happen almost exclusively at night, or at least in darkness and due to working in a laboratory, Kirk doesn't always get to see a lot of sunlight...

"Maybe I'd get a coffee with this Copperhead fellow. Worst comes to worst, we could always get something else which means... I'd be stealing your food, Eddie. Sorry about that." Well he wasn't really sorry. Eddie seemed like the safest bet out of the bunch and besides, the man had good tastes. Kirk's stomach rumbled. Man, he was hungry just thinking about it-!

One of them had a... prosthetic eye? Silixus, the first alien had named him. Kirk peered closely; his scientific curiousity could never be appeased and while he was no technician, the prospect of studying alien technology proved hard to resist. He'd always dreamed of overcoming debilitating conditions, and sight was as precious as hearing. "Uhh... I'd hug Silixus, I guess?" Yeah, hug. That would do. The first alien, Belost, seemed the most affable one with a boyish grin across his youthful purple face. The last one though, Rethan... oh god, was he a serial killer? A mercenary? Kirk had no idea, and it was more daunting not knowing if these gestures would be taken badly but that Belost fellow... well, it couldn't be THAT bad if he'd suggested it. Fuck it. He'd risk a quick peck to Rethan's mask, and Belost seemed like he'd be most likely to tolerate prolonged contact in a cuddle.

"Otis would probably be the best person to get stuck in an elevator with. Those rats... they're incredibly smart animals, plus I'm sure Otis could somehow find a way to get the elevator moving again." The Ratcatcher was notorious for slipping out of tight spots, and Kirk doubted an elevator could stop him for long. "I guess that leaves Croc as my choice for being stuck in the apocalypse with, then?" Hardly his worst fate; Croc was strong, but he was as clever as he was fierce, and a natural survivor. Vigilantes might be good at saving people but Kirk wholeheartedly believed it took somebody like Croc to get through the worst.

"O-oh, Miss Kraven. I didn't see you there." Kirk stammers lightly. There's a flush of pink in his cheeks that's immediately noticable even as the man tries avoiding looking at her directly, pale blue eyes darting away as they inadvertedly catch a glimpse of red hair. It's hard not to stare, harder still not to think about Francine who was also a redhead. He swallows, fingers toying with his collar as he makes his excuses and tries leaving as fast as he can without seeming rude, heart in his throat all the while. Damn it Kirk, way to screw up again!

"Of course, that rather depends on what Mr. Flannegan thinks about the whole thing. He has every reason not to trust me or anybody else when it comes to matters like this but he of all people should know that I would never put him nor his rats in harm's way for the sole purpose of research. As much as I'd love to learn more about him and what he can do, his rights as a person comes first." It couldn't have been very reassuring as a wanted man that Otis couldn't even go to the police if he felt threatened or exploited. Laws in Gotham were muddy at best and even law enforcement had more than it's fair share of crooks.

Kirk stole a lollipop at the checkout when they were 5 and they still feel guilty about it.