bluewhaleking

[bluewhaleking]

REN'S "HOW TO GIRLS" SCHOOL

This is happening.

日本語版はこちら。

[bluewhaleking]

Jaune: *blushing* Ren, do you think Pyrrha likes me?

Ren: *flashback to all the time she made her feelings completely obvious* How should i know? Maybe you should ask her yourself?

Jaune: B-but what if she only sees me as a friend!?

Ren: I highly doubt she would hate you if you had feelings for her, Jaune. *Sip tea*

[bluewhaleking]

History of the Blue Whale King, Part V: 13,650,000 - 5,000,000 BC

And thus the genus Balaenoptera was born. Though its members started small, the expanding throat pouch allowed for larger body sizes, and the whales of Balaenoptera surpassed 30 feet. Within a few million years, some reached 40.

Unfortunately, this was the new limit. Despite the Antarctic Circumpolar Current having existed since ~34,000,000 BC, there was just not enough food for filter feeders to reach the giant sizes they dreamed of.

Meanwhile, all the whales lived in fear of predators. Most were raptorial Sperm Whales, such as Acrophyseter and Zygophyseter. But worst of all were the giant macroraptorial Sperm Whale Livyatan Melvillei, and the giant shark Carcharocles Megalodon. Both reached lengths of 50 feet, with some reaching 60 or even 70, far larger than any baleen whale.

Unfortunately, some of the Balaenoptera whales lost faith in the King and Queen. In around 10,00,000 BC, a group split off the main lineage, and another splitoff occured in 7,500,000 BC. The first splitters became the ancestors of today's Humpback, Gray, Minke, and Fin Whales, while the other group led to the ancestors of Sei, Bryde's, and Omura's Whales.

But no matter. There were already seperate lineages of Cetaceans beyond the King and Queen's authority. They did not force anyone to follow them. Though it was unfortunate that lineages which murdered their fellow Cetaceans achieved the largest size.

But in 5,331,000 BC, the Miocene rolled over to the Pliocene, and with the new epoch, the Balaenoptera King found an opportunity. Wind-driven upwellings brought cold water and nutrients from the deep to the surface, causing massive plankton blooms. A far greater food supply meant the possibility of far greater body sizes. The King's dream, now over 60 million years old, was finally within sight.

Thus it was that he called a conference at the beginning of the Pliocene. He told his people, "This new supply of plankton is far beyond anything we've seen. We have the biology to exploit it. All we need to do now is gorge ourselves and pass on our biggest genes, and we will reach a far greater size than not only our current selves, but Megalodon and Livyatan. And we will gain more size in the next two million years than in the past 45 million combined."

Those still under his command rejoiced. Parliment voted unanimously, with support from the people, to deliver an ultimatum to the predators:

"Stop hunting us, or be destroyed."

Livyatan, the other raptorial Sperm Whales, and Megalodon laughed. In fact, the Megalodon King and Livyatan Emperor decided to have a contest to see who could eat the most whales. This contest sooned turned bloody, and thus began the Megalodon VS Livyatan War.

While the giant sharks and Sperm Whales fought each other, the Balaenoptera King's species (the one they were at this time has not yet been named by humans) grew larger at an unprecedented rate. Within 331,000 years, they grew from an average length of 30-35 feet to 50-60 feet. The other baleen species grew as well, though not by as much.

By 5,000,000 BC, it was too much for Lyviatan Melvillei to handle. They did not have enough success hunting larger prey, and combined with casualties from their war with Megalodon, the species went extinct. That was the end of the raptorial Sperm Whales, the others had already gone extinct a few million years prior.

The largest Baleen Whale species, the one under the command of the King and Queen, was Balaenoptera Sibbaldina. That time period marked the transition from tens millions of years of being small, to becoming the largest animals to ever live on Earth.

[bluewhaleking]

History of the Blue Whale King, Part IV: 33,900,000 - 13,650,000 BC

Under the direction of the King and Queen, Dorudon evolved into a new species, Janjucetus Hunderi. It had no baleen at first, but used teeth for filter feeding. Eventually, as keratinous growths in the upper jaw were selected for length, they evolved into baleen.

The Baleen Whales, Mysticeti, had broken off from the toothed whales as a seperate suborder. Janjucetus evolved into Lianocetus, then Mammalodon, then Aetocetus, then Cetotherium.

But during this time, a shadow fell over the whales. Around 23,000,000 BC, a vicious attacker appeared. In a flash, it turned the seas to blood, leaving no trace of the unlucky victims but bones on the seafloor interspersed with gigantic shark teeth. And with it, came a host of raptorial Sperm Whales that hunted the Baleen Whales along with it.

The largest raptorial Sperm Whale was called Livyatan Melvillei, and the giant shark, Carcharocles Megalodon. Both were a deadly terror to the Cetotherium King and his people.

Cetotherium High Council meeting, 13,650,000 BC

"This cannot continue," said the General. "No matter what we do, these super predators are killing us with impunity. Our efforts to fight back only annoy them, and we cannot outswim them. We are stuck below them in the food chain, and we are not happy about that."

"I'm well aware of that," said the Cetotherium Queen. "Believe me, I hate it too. But we're working on something really special."

"We've thought of a way to massively increase feeding efficiency," said the Cetotherium King. "This will allow for a massive increase in body size, perhaps eventually rivaling what Basilosaurus was."

"That's what you said about Baleen," said the Minister of Fisheries. "But we're still stuck at 20-25 feet long, larger than Dorudon but still far smaller than Basilosaurus was, and far too small to resist Megalodon and Livyatan. How will this next invention provide more than a marginal gain?"

"Our idea is to add ventral pleats, or throat grooves, that can expand the mouth into a large pouch when feeding," said the Queen.

"We'll create a new division of Baleen Whales, the Rorquals," said the King. "Soon Cetotherium will be a new species, a transitional form to develop this pouch. We'll call it Piscobalaena."

"As for how well it will work, we'll just have to do our best," said the Queen. "We need to try everything."

"Very well," said the General. "I'm tired of reincarnating just to die another horrible death. I'll help enforce the breeding program to transition us to Piscobalaena and create this 'Rorqual.' Let's hope it works."

So it was that a few generations later, Piscobalaena formed from Cetotherium, and the Rorquals were born. Soon after that, the primitive rorquals would become more modern ones, the genus Balaenoptera. But Megalodon just laughed at their thus far futile efforts.

[bluewhaleking]

History of the Blue Whale King, Part III: Tethys Sea, 48,000,000 - 33,900,000 BC

Ambulocetus quickly lost the ability to support their weight on land. But though the world of land was locked behind them, the much larger world of the sea had opened in front.

For a while, they were confined to shallow seas. But even then, they made progress. Led by their King and Queen, they spread beyond the Tethys Sea and the Indian Subcontinent to shallow seas around the world. During that time, many smaller groups broke off and became their own species, led by other rulers. But sadly, those groups all became extinct as evolutionary dead ends.

Over millions of years and thousands of reincarnations, the King and Queen honed their his people into nearly perfect swimmers. All fur gone except a few sensory hairs, hind limbs reduced, forelimbs streamlined into flippers, a dorsal fin on top, the tail strengthened and added a propulsive fin, a fluke, on the end.

They were no longer recognizable as land animals. They had broken off of Order Artiodactyla to become Order Cetacea.

Until one day, an ambitious Cetacean decided to leave the species Dorudon with his own group, and create something new.

"I'll improve on your design, Dorudon King," said the rogue Cetacean. "I'll make a new species, of the longest creatures to ever roam the seas!"

"I wish you luck," said the Dorudon King. "But I will win this race in the end."

"And I as well," said the Dorudon Queen. "You cannot hope to defeat a partnership such as ours." (removed from current timeline)

And so the group split. Those that followed the rogue Cetacean added more and more vertebrae, until they were over 50 feet (15 meters) long.

They became Basilosaurus, "King Lizard," so named by humans millions of years later who mistook their fossils for reptiles. They grew 50-65 feet (15-20 meters) long, with the largest of them 75 feet (22.8 meters) long, dwarfing the 15 foot (4.6) meter long Dorudon.

Then another group broke off of Basilosaurus, and betrayed the Dorudon King who had created the Order Cetacea and its now many species. Basilosaurus Isis began to hunt and kill Dorudon.

"We must do something!" said a Dorudon at a meeting of their High Council. "Basilosauris Isis is killing our calves! This cannot be tolerated!"

"Hear hear!" said another, and the rest joined in earnest.

"We are well aware of the threat and are working on a solution," said the Queen. "Basilosaurus Isis will be defeated."

"Despite our much smaller size, we have a distinct advantage," said the King. "They cannot dive nearly as well as we can. If you are attacked, dive. Those of us who can dive better will survive better, and our species will improve. Basilosaurus Isis will be left behind."

And so it was. Dorudon and its descendants outdove their predators as they continued to hone their fishing skills and grow larger. By 33,900,000 BC, Basilosaurus Isis was extinct. Unfortunately, the harmless Basilosaurus Cetoides died out as well, having the same weakness.

"We did it," said the King. "Our people are safe again. For now. What should we do next?"

"I have an idea," said the Queen. "Plankton are a larger and more stable food supply than fish. If we could switch, or at least add them to our diet, our survival would be more secure, and we could grow larger. Perhaps, eventually, even larger than Basilosaurus."

"That does sound like a good idea," said the King. "But how will we implement it? Our teeth cannot catch plankton."

"We will strain them out," said the Queen. "The keratinous ridges in our upper jaws will grow longer for that purpose. Someday, one of our people will have a mutation that makes them grow as bristles. It will spread like wildfire in future generations. It will be perfect for filter feeding. I call it, *Baleen.*"

"Very well," said the King. "You are truly a genius, it's one reason why I love you so much. We shall be the Baleen Whales!"

[bluewhaleking]

History of the Blue Whale King, Part II: Tethys Sea, ~66,041,000 BC - ~48,000,000 BC

The small mammal reincarnated over and over for many generations. At first, he did not realize what was happening. His desires transferred from one life to the next, but the memories were hazy, hardly distinguishable from those of his current life. He dismissed as dreams and fevered thoughts those which were different.

Realizing what was going on was a gradual process, it didn't happen in any one life. First he knew he had a purpose. Then an inherited purpose. Then inherited memories. Then previous lives. Then one being inhabiting many bodies in succession.

With that knowledge came the observation that his form gradually changed over many generations. Within the variations of his species, those most able to survive and reproduce became the template of future generations, and older forms died out. Some groups separated into their own populations, then subspecies, then species.

If he could get the others to listen, he could mold his people into what he wanted to be. Stay with the group that most resembled his dreams. Beautiful. Powerful. Fast. Graceful. Majestic. Big.

At first, it seemed like it could not be done. Mammals could not grow as large as reptiles, and large size past a point would hamper speed. It was simple physics. Then how?

Eventually, he found a way. He chased fish into the water, and felt how it buoyed him up. He saw how graceful and fast the fish were. It was a shame his body was so unsuited for such a medium.

For now. He had time. He ventured into the water to catch fish. He rarely succeeded, but when he did, he inspired others. "Come to the water," he told them. "There is bountiful food there. Our descendants who are better at swimming will go farther than us. We will become excellent fishers."

He couldn't tell them his true plan: to become fully aquatic. They would not believe him. Not yet.

One day, he found another like him. Part of the same group, but also able to reincarnate. One with the same dream, but a female. She became his partner. (Redacted, no longer exists in this timeline)

Generation by generation, millennium by millenium, he led them farther and farther into the water. Their limbs became webbed. Their nostrils moved upward. They spent as much time in the water as out of it.

Eventually, they figured out that there was always someone guiding them on that path, and he told them his secret. His partner did too. On that day, around 50,000,000 years ago, the new species now known as Pakicetus made them their King. And his partner their Queen.

"I have a vision," he told them. "Our descendants will leave the land behind. The world of the sea is so much bigger. We will be free, able to move in three dimensions. Able to roam the world as we please. Safe from any land predators. Never having aching feet from stepping on the hard ground.

It will take millions of years to get there. You will not know it in this life. But I promise to make the most of my retained memories, and guide us to a better future, no matter how many millions of years it may take!"

And they stuck with him. And their children, and grandchildren, and great great great great great great great great grandchildren, and so on, until two million years later, they were Ambulocetus, living in the land and water equally. They were crossing the threshold, with him as their King.

[bluewhaleking]

History of the Blue Whale King, Part I (66,041,000 BC)

A small, rodent-like mammal scurries among the shrubs in a primeval forest, unnoticed by the giant reptiles roaming nearby. An insignificant creature, but with grandiose dreams.

I want to be beautiful.

The creature is not much to look at.

I want to be powerful.

He lacks both strength and influence.

I want to be fast.

He relies on stealth to evade predatory reptiles, he stands no chance of outrunning them.

I want to be graceful.

At least he's not clumsy, but he holds no records here either.

I want to be magnificent.

Ditto for points 1 and 3.

But most of all...

I want to be

BIG.

Perhaps the most laughable dream of all.

The sky lights up, and keeps getting brighter. Seemingly without warning, it becomes unbearable, and the forest bursts into flames. The small creature scurries into the ground, protected by the soil while the giant reptiles burn alive. Hours later, rocks, ash, and molten debris rain from the sky, fallout from the distant explosion. An unlikely cosmic collision has altered the course of history.

The tiny mammal survives the disaster. The giant reptiles do not. But as he scurries among their bones for scraps of food, a strange substance from outer space attaches to his soul. When his body eventually dies, his being persists, and moves to a new body. He has a chance to fulfill his dreams.