#able Livyatan

[nastasya--filippovna]

WHO IS CROWLEY AFTER THE FALL (PART2)

Here it is finally.

So what is the Leviathan.

In mythology and theology the Leviathan is a sea-serpent and is mentioned in several books of the Hebrew Bible such as the Book of Job and Book Isaiah and Book of Enoch. The Leviathan of the Book of Job is a reflection of the older Canaanite Lotan, a primeval monster defeated by the god Baal Hadad. Parallels to the role of Mesopotamian Tiamat defeated by Marduk have long been drawn in comparative mythology, as have been wider comparisons to dragon and world serpent narratives such as Indra slaying Vrtra or Thor slaying Jörmungandr.

Once again we see the pattern of Biblical creatures being “inspired” from pagan ones.

Thomas Aquinas described Leviathan as the demon of envy, first in punishing the corresponding sinners. Peter Binsfeld likewise classified Leviathan as the demon of envy, as one of the seven Princes of Hell corresponding to the seven deadly sins. Leviathan became associated with, and may originally have been referred to by, the visual motif of the Hellmouth, a monstrous animal into whose mouth the damned disappear at the Last Judgment, found in Anglo-Saxon art from about 800, and later all over Europe.

In the Book of Enoch, The Leviathan is a female giant chaos serpent that lives deep in the ocean, while her mate, Behemoth, is a male giant chaos beast (based off of a hippopotamus or water-ox) who lives in the mythical desert of Duidain, East of Eden.

Ring any bells. Chaos mongering (fomenting), ox, eastern gate of eden…. 

The Hebrew word that translates to Leviathan (Livyatan) appears six times in the Old Testament. One of them is in Job 41. The word is derived from the root Iwy or ‘ twist, coil’ and means ‘the sinuous one.’ So I think we can establish that this creature is at least indicated to be snake-like. Scholars trace the etymology of whale and crocodile 

In the Book of Isaiah it is mentioned that the beast will rise from the water and will be defeated by God on the Last Day. However, quite interestingly nowhere in the Old Testament is the Leviathan written as evil. Only later scholars have equated it with the devil so that the battle between God and Chaos can be interpreted as the battle between God and the Devil.

Now let’s make this more interesting: The Gnostic sect venerate the biblical serpent of the Garden of Eden as a symbol of wisdom, which the malevolent Demiurge tried to hide from Adam and Eve. They identify the Leviathan as the serpent of Eden and in this belief system the Leviathan appears as an Ouroboros, separating the divine realm from humanity by enveloping or permeating the material world.

I mean I don’t even need to say anything further.  

And he does show up in GO Season 2. The matchbox.

Here 

When did this happen, I wonder……hmmmmmm

Oh YES!

Crowley wearing Aziraphale’s face

     

Here’s the rest of the passage from Job

1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?

2 Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?

3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?

4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?

5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?

6 Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?

7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?

8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.

9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?

11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.

12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.

13 Who can discover the face of his garment? (penetrate his coat of armor)  or who can come to him with his double bridle?

14 Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.

15 His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.

17 They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.

18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.

20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.

21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.

22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.

23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.

24 His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.

25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.

26 The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.

27 He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

28 The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.

29 Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.

30 Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.

31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.

32 He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.

33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.

34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.

The Leviathan is a magnificent creature. And the very fact that God goes to so much trouble to describe the magnanimity of this creature is to show what God has created and hence Her magnanimity must be even greater in comparison for the Creator is always superior to the Creation. And if God can so easily abuse and humiliate this beautiful monster, then God must be worshipped and feared.

Though to the unsuspecting eye these passages may ring no familiar bells, a closer look makes you realize how Crowley-coded they are. And to think that in a story where Neil has never witten or shown anything that wasn’t woven in finely with the characters, I alwsy wondered why he chose the Book of Job for the minisode when he could have included any other one.  

But it reminded me that Crowleys character is truly unrelenting. He’s a nether millstone. He won’t give up that easily. He absolutely won’t submit to anyone, and he’s shown time and time again that his vociferous litanies about running away disappear as soon as someone or something he cares about is in danger (i.e. Aziraphale). And the second coming will also threaten his creation (the universe). His refusal to submit to authority, the refusal to be subjugated is the reason he fell in the first place. And quite interestingly he doesn’t own Hell either. He resists that too. For him it’s not Heaven or Hell that matters but the resistance to Power.  

I also think it’s also fitting that the Leviathan is perceived to be a monster that must be slain or enslaved but in reality is another of God’s creations just like the sun and the stars and the rivers and the mountains.  

And it makes me think of how Crowley has always been labeled as evil because he fell. I think of how, at heart, he is truly gentle and kind, he’s a starmaker. But his fall, his appearance, his desire to be autonomous and his grey moral campus make him feared and a target. And that has made him the embodiment of chaos. His refusal to submit himself to the uniformity of both worlds, to the rules and guidelines that create this illusion of order sets him apart from them. He embraces the chaos that grayness offers, that being ‘human’ brings. And hence the final battle will be between God and chaos with God justifies as being the battle between good and evil because, well, he’s a demon.    

The Leviathan being historically associated with the sin of envy is again I think written into the plot very carefully. He is envious of humanity’s ability to question God, to have choices to not be doomed to heaven or hell for all eternity. He is envious of what Maggie and Nina have. He’s envious of what Beelz and Gabe have.

“I mean if Gabriel and Beelzebub can go off together…..”

And then him rejecting Azirapahle’s offer— he has spent his life (a long, long life) rejecting power and authority. In his relationship with Aziraphale he found his sanctuary, a relation clean of power dynamics. Up till now they were both equal. But this new offer jeopardizes that.

And I love how his ego and pride come to play here. He would never accept being “second in command to anyone”. And his envy of how God’s mercy is free for some but wholly denied to him.

[averywiseanimatedcat]

I’ve yet to see anyone talk about this:

The verse on the matchbox being highlighted so obviously stuck out to me. Neil is clever. He did this for some reason. I looked into this a while ago but only just got round to writing it out because I’ve been sick and had the time to hyper fixate on researching something I didn’t need to…

So buckle up because Job 41 is a parallel of the minisode scene when God is talking to Job. But I think the whole of Job 41 relates heavily to Crowleys character and his storyline because it’s about a sea snake.

Full warning this post is long, but it’s all important I promise.

Disclaimer you have to read if you’re gonna comment about me being wrong in my interpretation of Job 41: I am someone who doesn’t believe it’s possible to perfectly understand the bible. I’m not presenting anything as fact because there’s looottts of different interpretations of literally everything in the bible. This is my interpretation of the chapter. I don’t care if you think I’m wrong cause you have a double degree in know it all religious studies. Disclaimer over.

So where does the verse come from?

Job 41:19

‘Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out’

This verse is part of Gods description of a leviathan that takes up most of the second part of chapter 41 in the book of Job. If you want to read the entire chapter before reading this I’ll paste it at the bottom of the post. It’s from the King James version. You can also just google it.

But what’s a leviathan? Glad you asked. I spent to long looking it up.

Leviathans. The general consensus is that the creature referred to in Job 41 is some kind of sea monster. The Hebrew word that translates to Leviathan (Livyatan) appears six times in the Old Testament. One of them is in Job 41. The word is derived from the root Iwy or ‘ twist, coil’ and means ‘the sinuous one.’ So I think we can establish that this creature is at least indicated to be snake-like. It could be a crocodile, a whale, a dragon, a snake, or just an indescribable monster. But we have no modern reference because this creature doesn’t exist in modern times if it ever existed at all. So for the purpose of relating it to the show, I think its important to note that one of the interpretations is that the leviathan is a snake like creature or a sea serpent Iike what’s shown in this beautiful piece of art.

The Destruction of Leviathan by Gustave Doré (1865)

Now, these two verses from the first part of Job 41 are important,

Job 41:10

None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?

Job 41:4

Will he make a covenant with thee? Will thou take him for a servent forever?

Prior to chapter 41 Job, has been questioning God about the mysteries of creation. God responds by chastising Job for questioning him and describing how Job would not be able to subdue the great leviathan and make him his servant, so why does he think he has a right to question god?

And in our minisode Job comes back from talking to god and says:

“I think the point was, if you want answers, come back when you can make a whale.”

What’s happening when Azirpahale and Crowley come across God talking to Job is exactly what’s happening in Job 41. I also noted that in the minisode Job said God talked alot about whales. Which is funny, because it seemed random at the time, but one interpretation of the ‘leviathan’ is that it’s some kind of whale.

So that scene in the minsode is based off of Job 41! Amazing. But I don’t think the connections end there…

The more obvious potential reference to Crowley in Job 41 is how God describes the leviathan being able to spit fire. The verse on the matchbox comes from this part of the chapter.

Job 41:19

Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out

Job 41:20

Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron

Job 41:21

His breath kindleth coals, and flames goeth out of his mouth

We know Crowley has the ability to summon fire. He summoned that giant sun thing that shoots fireballs to smite goats at the start of the minisode, then he sets fire to the house before saving Job’s children. So leviathan/sea serpent spits fire, our fav snake from Eden can summon fire. Fire is also just quite central to his storyline with the bookshop fire, the road/his Bentley setting fire, Heaven trying to burn Aziraphale with fire and the bombing of the church when he saves Aziraphales books.

But there’s some less obvious connections in Job 41 to Crowley. There’sa few interesting verses here that seem to relate to Crowley

Job 41:4

Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?

God isn’t talking about killing the leviathan, he’s talking about enslaving it

Job 41:24

His heart is firm as a stone: yea, as hard as a piece of nether millstone

Nether millstones, according to my googling, are millstones obviously, but it’s also a phrase that indicates something that is tough and unyielding, unlikely to submit. It’s describing the leviathan being unyielding to negotiations. God also says this about the leviathan,

Job 41:29

Darts are counted as stubble: he laughter at the shaking of a spear

I couldn’t help but think all these verses are very Crowley sounding. He is stubborn and willfull, unable to be controlled and won’t submit to servitude. He (both actually and metaphorically) laughed in hell's face when he and Aziraphale were body doubling and the holy water didn’t destroy him.

Crowleys wilfulness and refusal to be subjugated is the reason he fell in the first place. It’s the reason he fell out with Hell as well, he refuses to fully go along with either side. He believes in autonomy and freedom. He said no to Aziraphale because he cannot return to a life he perceives as slavery, especially as Aziraphales ‘second in command’. He doesn’t want to be under anyones command or to command anyone. It’s so against his very nature to return that the suggestion was ridiculous to him. And this chapter of Job is a parallel in that God uses the leviathan as an example because it’s ridiculous to imagine a giant sea monster being enslaved by a human to do his bidding. Just like in the minisode how it’s ridiculous to tell Job to make whales before he can ask God anything.

But that’s the point. That’s the whole conflict of the show, Gods ridiculous answer to everything is that it’s ‘ineffable’ and therefore you can’t ask questions.

I also think it’s also fitting that the leviathan is perceived to be a monster that must be slain or enslaved.

And it makes me think of how Crowley has always been labelled as evil because he fell. I think of how, at heart, he is truly gentle and kind, he’s a starmaker. But his fall, his appearance, his desire to be autonomous and his grey moral campus make him feared and a target. He’s a boat rocker, he keeps asking questions even when he gets told ridiculous answers and that’s the problem for those in power. It makes me think of this quote

“Draw a monster. Why is it a monster?”

-Daughter by Janice Lee.

So in conclusion, not only is Job 41 the chapter that would’ve inspired the scene where Job is talking to god, I think Crowley represents the leviathan being discussed in Job 41.

So do I think this has any meaning/hint to season 3?

I don’t think there’s a direct hint. But it reminded me that Crowleys character is truly unrelenting. He’s a nether millstone. And he won’t give up that easily. He absolutely won’t submit to anyone, and he’s shown time and time again that his blustering about running away disappears as soon as someone or something he cares about is in danger (ie Aziraphale). And the second coming will also threaten his creation (the universe) so I’m really hoping we will see so much more of Crowleys power and history in S3.

I’m really happy I looked into this, because I could be completely off the deep end with this analysis but it actually wouldn’t even matter because this universe Terry and Neil’s created is built around it being transposable. You can put any lens you want on it. And I had fun deep diving into Job 41. I never thought I’d ever say I had fun reading the bible but Neil you did it. Sneaky buggar.

Full chapter of Job 41:

41 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?

2 Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?

3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?

4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?

5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?

6 Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?

7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?

8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.

9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?

11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.

12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.

13 Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle?

14 Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.

15 His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.

17 They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.

18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.

20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.

21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.

22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.

23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.

24 His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.

25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.

26 The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.

27 He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

28 The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.

29 Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.

30 Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.

31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.

32 He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.

33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.

34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.

[humanjeff]

Leviathan

nobody ever talks about Livyatan Melvillei (named after the biblical Leviathan and author Herman Melville), my favourite murder-whale:

this fellow, with the teeth, comes from an extinct group of sperm whales that scientists refer to as "mega-raptorial" or "hyper-predatory", because they're not allowed to call them "the bloody-jawed terrors of the ancient deeps".

but I can.

look at that skull, those jaws. those teeth are the largest of any toothed predator ever. that guy ate everything.

Livyatan shared an ocean with Otodus megalodon, but Livyatan was only a bit smaller*, was smarter (I can't find exact figures, but a brain maybe 4-5 times the size of a human), and if they hunted in packs like orcas - they're so big that they probably didn't, but MY GOD - then even somewhat-grown megalodon could have potentially been on the menu.

* the exact size of megalodon is uncertain! Livyatan was likely almost as big as a modern sperm whale.

but mostly Livyatan would have fed on baleen whales, and assorted smaller prey. and it would have needed to eat a LOT.

in modern sperm whales the spermaceti organ (melon) that fits in the weird scoop visible on the top of the skull can produce focused sonar waves louder than a jet engine - potentially loud enough to harm or even kill a human diver. the organ and the surrounding skull are also structured to allow ramming attacks - pissed-off sperm whales have sunk boats five times their own mass. Livyatan didn't have as impressive a dome, but would still have had powerful echolocation, and also appears to have had adaptations for ramming, because I guess that sometimes it got bored of murdering with its teeth alone.

tl;dr we are only able to go in the oceans because the rightful owners died out at the end of the Miocene when they ran out of things to murder. also we should probably be nicer to our contemporary sperm whale species in case they ever decide to evolve back.

[wizaardvarksworkshop]

I always like monster ecologies - the way that different magical creatures interact in their world is such a great way to fill in details of a setting and make it feel lived in. So, given that the kraken is such a fantasy staple, for the Deep Sea prompt for Smaugust 2023, I decided to go for a dragon that decends to the depths to prey apon those tentacled horrors. Drawing on sperm whales, orcas, and extinct cetaceans like livyatan, I transmuted two toy whales and one toy plesiosaur to create the thalassic dragon. Partly limited by the material components to hand, I also decided to make this a small mini since I use a reduced scale when running ship encounters with my party. Maybe someday I'll write up my ship combat rules properly.

This came out as perhaps the highest CR creature I've ever homebrewed, because it needed to be able to hold its own against the default kraken statblock - so you can see this dragon has the ability to escape its grapples for example.

The nickname 'sea steamer' comes from another monster, the hafgufa, which was similar to my design but not the perfect fit. I wanted the lore to capture a sense of fear and mystery around these creatures, with their bioluminsence and attacks on ships as a potential plot hook for an oceanic mystery adventure. I also like a baked-in bit of dramatic irony, that any adventurers who help hunt these creatures are increasing the risk of something much worse down the line.

[gamerbearmira]

Giant Mer Siren questions

Do guppies go to school? If so, do they eat Livyatan (large prehistoric whale) and megalodon(prehistoric shark) for lunch? I’m using these big prehistoric animals because I’m convinced a swarm of guppies can make a whale disappear in less than a millisecond like piranhas. 

Or, do guppies eat during lessons? Like say teachers leave a pile of fish near each student in case they get hungry. (a cute little idea i had is the guppies swimming around like a school of fish for field trips and such. Or, they ride on a giant mer sirens back like in finding nemo)

Do teen mer sirens still eat every 5 minutes or do they eat regularly? I’m asking because teens grow a lot as it is and I know giant teen sirens are still growing to be full grown. 

Do giant sirens keep some creatures as pets? Like Julieta has clownfish, Bruno has sea horses, and pepa has tiger fish? Or do they keep large creatures as pets like Livyatan, Megalodons, giant squid, etc? 

Do you mind if I do some world building around your au? Most of it has to do with the different types of sea people. 

I got you⁉️⁉️

So school isn’t really a thing. If there’s guppies gathered in one place, it’s more like a daycare. Usually one of the teenagers or adults stick with the guppies and kinda follow them around, make sure they don’t wander off or something. And yes. A group of guppies, even only 4, can easily take down something as big as a whale in a matter of minutes. Mind you the daycare can last for a few days, because most the time the guppies are only there because the adults are hunting and can’t watch them. So whoever is watching gets to deal with a bunch of hungry guppies 👹👹

Also fun fact that I never mentioned by siren guppies are. Freakishly strong. It’s terrifying tbh. It's worse when they're hungry, cause despite being somewhat weak in terms of stamina, physically, they are way too busted 😭

Yes they do eat. All the time. Whoever is watching has to constantly have a source of food or has to be able to quickly supply food. Consequently, if they don’t, the guppies will take matters into their own hands. And trust, that’s not something you want to happen <333

Kind of? The teens eat a lot still, but not nearly as much as guppies do. They can hold off longer, and usually they’re fine if they don’t eat, they don’t lose that much energy and aren’t weak. Nor are they in danger of going into their human forms.

Yes, they can have pets! They can be just about anything that can be tamed. Bruno does keep several sea horses around, and the other family, it varies. They can have big pets, but they’re kind of uncommon. They’re hard to tame, except ones like whales and all that. It’s not uncommon, however, for full schools of fish be something like pets. Just keep them away from the guppies 💀

And yes! Go ahead and world build, I don’t mind :)

[synapple]

I'm gonna tell u about whales. Did u know there used to be a slightly larger sperm whale? It is the only whale that was once larger and got smaller over time. Livyatan mellvillei was an apex macroraptorial (hunter of large prey) predator that hunted other whales. They competed with megalodon, and were arguably a more threatening animal, despite being slightly shorter. If, like modern whales, the females lived in a pod, they could have easily hunted megalodon. They had the largest biting teeth of any animal, ever, which were on both the upper and lower jaws. They also had the largest bite of any animal. They were covered in blubber which shielded them from attacks and made them very hard to kill. They were very fast. Based on modern killer whales, the most similar modern whale, they were likely pursuit predators, and like their descendants, modern sperm whales, they likely had huge lung capacity and stamina, and were able to dive incredibly deep. Big whale really cool 👍

BIG WHALE REALLY COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love cetaceans, they’re bonkers. The fact that the largest animal we know of to ever live is still alive today makes me crazy insane. Anyways, I did some reading, livyatan is just straight up the largest raptorial predator ever. My immediate thought was mosasaur check!!! But girlie’s estimated to be bigger than the largest mosasaur AND the largest megalodon specimens discovered! Nothing but respect for those ladies, they’ll be missed 💔💔

[cxldtyrant]

          First it had been Kitrus, a soldier who had loyally served the Planet Trade Organization for decades. And then, it had been Tarrat, a commanding officer in King Cold’s inner circle who had reaped the benefits of his lord’s favoritism. And now, if the note found amongst Tarrat’s belongings was to be believed, this futile rebellion had managed to sink their disgusting claws into Arcos. There were traitors within Cooler’s home planet, scheming to overthrow his glorious clan from their rightful place in the universe. The Arcosian felt a rage bubbling beneath his otherwise stoic demeanor, his scarlet eyes affixed to the display image as it scanned the found missive for any particular clues.

          “How is the investigation coming along, Salza?” The Prince inquired to his Captain, whose fingers moved deftly along the keyboard, his amber irises examining the close-up imagining of the letter with calculative precision. “Were you able to discover anything further?”

          “Not too much, Lord Cooler. Whoever wrote this letter left very little evidence behind. There is no fingerprints found aside from Tarrat’s, suggesting that our mysterious rebel was wearing gloves,” Salza theorized, the computer making little beeping noises as it recorded the letter’s writing pattern. “I had our soldiers dust for any skin flakes or hair. But there simply isn’t enough that can be used to compare for DNA, or even to narrow down the search through our species database.” The blond commander furrowed his brow, pausing from his typing for a moment. “However, the computer was able to confirm that the paper trail’s origin is from that of Arcos. The parchment is not made from wood, but rather skin of a livyatan calf.”

          Livyathan, the monstrous sea creatures that dwelled within the icy seas of Arcos. While not the only aquatic life that dwelt beneath the planet’s oceans, the beasts were massive and ferocious in nature. Once, they had even been regarded as demonic monstrosities back in ancient times, but with the Arcosian species strength having evolved from enduring the harsh climate and violent wildlife, such creatures no longer inspired fear as they once did for their ancestors. Now, they were hunted for food and resources, though there were laws in place to make certain they were not driven into extinction.

          However, parchment made from livyathan calf was regularly used by the upper class Arcosians due to its fine quality. Cooler brought his hand to his chin, his alabaster brow furrowing in contemplation. “First the Ancient Arcosian language, and now the letter was made of material that only the most privileged of Arcos could obtain…” he mused thoughtfully, his obsidian lips curling in disdain. “It appears that this “Z” may be a member of the Arcosian royal court, or closely aligned with them. How disgraceful.”

          “Indeed, my lord,” Salza nodded as the door opened with a mechanical hiss. Neiz and Dore stepped into the room, having returned from their training session. They bowed to Cooler, before joining into the conversation. “We will need to gather more evidence at the royal gathering. I’ve had our computer analyze and record the writing of the letter. Perhaps if there is an opportunity, we could search the guestbook for any signatures potentially matching to the letter’s writing style?”

          “Certainly, but do take into consideration that there could also be forgery afoot. If you find any matches, file the name away for further investigation. We cannot afford to falsely accuse an Arcosian noble, lest we insult their honor and shame my family,” the tyrant instructed solemnly, to which Salza nodded in agreement. The eldest Cold son brought his hand down from his jaw and folded his arms across his chest, giving Dore and Neiz a regarding nod, before addressing all three. “As you know, I have been invited to the celebratory party for my father’s continued reign upon Arcos. I know for certain that my family will bring their top enforcers as well, so it won’t be considered an oddity if I bring both Armored Squadrons along with me. Invitations have already been provided for the younger members. We will take this opportunity to investigate the matter with caution and stealth. We cannot alert the traitor of our intentions and scare them away.”

          “Stealth, eh?” Dore remarked with a grin, giving a booming chuckle. “Sounds like Salza and Isa would be perfect for that bit. But the rest of us? Ain’t exactly the sneakiest of soldiers.”

          “I can be stealthy!” Neiz disagreed with a pointed look, narrowing his large eyes at the Beppan. “It’s just you we’ll need to worry about. You can’t shut up if your life depended on it.”

          “What can I say? I like the sound of my own voice,” Dore agreed cheerfully, prompting Neiz to roll his eyes. “Also, I like how you didn’t defend any of the newbies. It’s cause you know I’m right, yeah?”

          Cooler interrupted the two before they could banter further, clearing his throat to regain their attention. “Ketch, Plum and Mariko will be learning the art of diplomacy and subterfuge. Additionally, they aren’t Arcosian, so they will be looked upon with more scrutiny and intrigue by the court. We cannot have them wander as they like within the Arcosian palace, even if they are under my command,” he explained rationally, drumming his fingers over his right arm. “Isa will have the best chance to investigate in more depth if need be. The three of them will linger in court, listening to gossip and watching for any suspicious activity.”

          “And what of us, Lord Cooler?” Salza inquired curiously.

          “You will act similarly to the second Armored Squadron. Listen for any information that may be of value and watch for any suspicious activity. In addition, investigate my father and brother’s soldiers should any arrive as well. Freeza will likely have brought the Ginyu Force, and perhaps even Zarbon and Dodoria, and I’m almost certain my father will bring his inner circle as well,” the Prince remarked, his lips thinning at the thought of seeing his father’s inner circle and knowing any of them could be potential traitors. “Salza, if you have the opportunity to comb through the signatures, do so. Record what you can for comparison on the scouter.”

          “As you say, Lord Cooler.”

          “Excellent. Now, we must prepare for the party. Be sure to assist Ketch, Plum and Mariko in Arcosian etiquette and dress code. We will land in the capital city within three days. We must prepare them for their mission,” Cooler asserted gravely, receiving nods from his most trusted men that they understood the gravity of the situation. He allowed himself to ease only slightly, trusting his best soldiers to perform admirably as they always do, but his simmering wrath regarding the situation kept the Arcosian tense. The plan was simple enough, merely an investigation matter, but it was far more than a simplistic mission. This was a mission where nothing was allowed to go wrong. It required everyone to perform at their best.

          “Once you inform the secondary Armored Squadron of their objectives, advise Mariko to meet with me in the throne room. I wish to speak with her.”

Starter for @cxldtyrant​

Just like Cooler had promised, no mission followed for the next couple of weeks. When the recruits told Plum about their promotion, the young soldier was so excited his monitor stared beeping furiously, and the four of them earned a good scolding from Dr. Aioli, who pushed them out of the infirmary without too many compliments. It took the Durian a good couple of days to get out of the infirmary. According to Ketch, Plum had it pretty bad during the battle, and really was an unsung hero from the mission on Zalt, dealing with more than ten soldiers at once.

“We need to celebrate him, then,” Mariko suggested. “In fact, we need to celebrate us all!”

So, after one of their usual strenuous trainings, she approached Neiz asking if she could throw a small party for her friends. The Zaltian seemed a bit surprised at the request, but once Mariko explained her reasons, the alien smiled.

“Leave it to me,” he said. “I’ll talk to Lord Cooler and se what I can do. As a personal favor for saving my dear cousin.”

The day after, Neiz gave the recruits a tablet and a pen during breakfast, asking them to list their favourite foods from their home planet. That same night, when they walked to the cafeteria for dinner, a triumph of dumplings, pizza, and other stuff Mariko had never seen waited for them on the table, along with a bottle of what she recognised as prosecco. 

“All provided by Lord Cooler’s generosity, and cooked by me,” Neiz explained, grinning at the young soldiers’ amazed look. “You have until midnight to enjoy, but remember to clean up once you’re done.”

He was about to leave them to their feast, when the recruits insisted for their mentors to join them; five minutes after, Dore, Salza and Neiz were sitting around the table with the four of them, eating, drinking, and sharing tales of war with their pupils. All except Cooler, obviously.

After glancing over her shoulder for a few times to see if he would show up, Mariko leaned towards Salza and tapped his shoulder. “Isn’t Cooler– Isn’t Lord Cooler going to join us?” Mariko asked in a whisper.

Salza glanced at her, then shook his head. “Lord Cooler does not eat with his soldiers,” he explained. “Except under special circumstances.”

Mariko nodded. “I understand,” she murmured, going back to her dumplings. And yet, seeing all her friends with their respective mentor, a part of her did not understand at all why she had to be the neglected one.

That same bitter feeling stuck with her for the following days. Salza’s answer had been pretty self-explanatory: Cooler was a noble, and nobles do not eat with their subordinates. Yet, Mariko couldn’t help but wonder if something else had to do with Cooler’s absence during the party. And one supposition started to make its way in her mind the more she got to spend time with Isa.

The young Arcosian was elated ever since she had been appointed as the first in command for the new platoon of the Armored Squadron. She literaly would not stop talking about it whenever she and Mariko were alone. 

“I can’t wait to tell my parents about it,” she laughed, clapping her hands with excitement. “No one in my family has ever received a decoration from the Arcosian royal family at my age. I bet my sisters will literally burn of jealousy – so much for going after Frieza. That’ll teach them.”

Mariko didn’t answer, only stretching her lips and giving Isa a vague nod. Whenever she acted like that, Isa reminded Mariko of her old high school classmates back on Earth: each accomplishment was something to slap into other people’s face, a step to climb over everyone else’s heads when everyone else was seen as competition. It was a toxic mindset Mariko had been swallowed by when she used to go to school, but she had managed to leave it behind when she finally moved to Conton. It was hard to compare herself to others when everyone else was so drastically different, both in their stories and their skills. Conton had been a breath of fresh air in that regard; but now, hearing Isa comparing herself to all the other young Arcosians she knew every single day, the embers of Mariko’s competitiveness were starting to burn again under the ashes, and she didn’t like it.

As a result, she tried to spend more time with Ketch and Plum. The latter was also beaming since the promotion, but in a whole different way: he kept telling Mariko how much that occasion meant for his family, a chance to redeem his poor planet, to raise his loved ones from the dust of poverty. 

“Ketch and Isa probably never had to share their plate with five younger brothers,” he said, sharing an understanding look with her. Mariko had the feeling Plum saw her as some kind of underdog too, and she didn’t have the heart to admit she came from one of the wealthiest families in Central City. So, just like with Isa, she ended up nodding and smiling, without the courage to open her heart to her worries when in his presence.

Ketch was the one Mariko felt most at ease around. Maybe because he, too, knew what it meant to feel the weight of his family’s expectations on his shoulders. Once, when they stayed in the training room for longer than Isa and Plum, Ketch confessed her that his parents hadn’t written to him since they were told about the accident in the tavern, back on Brassica. 

“How did they know?” Mariko asked him, confused. Ketch answered with a shrug.

“People gossip, even more when they are rich and have nothing to do,” he said. “If only they knew what we witness on these missions out here…”

Mariko knew he was referring to Tarrat’s suicide. That was another thing they had in common; after all, she had witnessed Kitrus being brutally hit by Cooler when she handed him to the prince herself, and she often wondered if the old rebel was still alive. Sometimes she realised she preferred not to know. 

“Well, you’ll show them what you’ve got, I am sure,” she answered. Then smiled: “You’ll show them and Isa, too.” 

She wasn’t sure Ketch’s face could turn any redder than that, but clearly she was wrong.

However, the more she spent time with Ketch and Plum, the more Mariko realised Isa was subtly avoiding them. She was certain of that when one evening, after dinner, Isa had asked Mariko to go back to the dorms with her instead of staying a bit longer in the cafeteria to play chess with the guys. As soon as they walked out of the room, Isa addressed her in a severe tone.

“You shouldn’t act so friendly around them,” she said. “You’re a second in command, now, remember?”

“What are you talking about?” Mariko frowned. “It’s Plum and Ketch.”

“Hierarchy is important in a squadron,” Isa sighed, shaking her head. “How can you expect them to follow your orders when you act so familiar with them?”

“Well, maybe they’ll do it because they trust me,” Mariko pointed out, “and maybe they will trust me because we’re friends.”

Isa had answered with a smile full of pity. “Maybe,” she had said, but that maybe held all the doubts of the universe. “But you should trust me as well. I am your friend too. And I am also your leader after all, remember?” And with that she had left, leaving Mariko speechless as she walked back to the dorms.

Since that night, Mariko started wondering if Cooler wasn’t disappointed in her too. It would have made sense for an Arcosian prince to expect his appointed recruit to become a leader, not just a second in command; maybe that was why he hadn’t showed up at the party, after all. 

The truth was that Mariko didn’t feel like a second in command – she didn’t feel like commanding at all. She liked when Isa, Plum, Ketch and her worked together because of mutual trust, and the only obedience that equated them was the one towards Cooler and the Armored Squadron. Their friendship was the only thing that made her feel less lonely on that gigantic metal fresbee lost in the middle of the universe. Maybe Cooler had guessed her dissatisfaction, maybe he deemed her ungrateful. After all, she hadn’t rejoiced for her own title yet, not even once after the party. The truth was that, to Mariko’s heart, nothing else existed but earning a first place – but not out of competition. She needed to prove herself she could be the best one ever. Second best meant nothing to her pride.

After the fifteenth day since their mission on Zalt, Isa seemed to grow somewhat distracted. Both during their trainings and the lessons with Salza, her pink eyes kept running to the portholes, staring at the stars with a confused look. One day, during lunch, she finally spoke out her thoughts.

“I know those constellations,” she said, nodding at the window. “We’re heading home.”

“Home?” Mariko asked.

“Well, Arcos.” Isa frowned, letting out a murmur. “I suppose it’s because of the King’s celebration.”

“What celebration?” Mariko asked again, feeling like an idiot for being the only one with questions at the table; even more so when Isa gave her an impatient look.

“Where have you lived until now?” She huffed. “King Cold organises a party every ten years since his reign.”

“This should be his twenty-fith, if I remember well,” Ketch commented.

Isa nodded and Mariko’s eyes went wide. Did that make it… Two-hundred and fifty years of reign? She knew Arcosians’ life span was long, but hearing it like that was a whole other thing. How old was even Cooler, then?

“I imagine Lord Cooler will attend,” Plum said, glancing at the porthole in turn.

“Most certainly. He makes sure to never miss family events,” Isa answered.

“I guess we’ll have to guard him during the celebration, then,” Mariko shrugged. “Keeping an eye on the party, stuff like that.”

“Perhaps,” Isa supposed, “although that’s usually a task for lesser soldiers.”

“Oh.” Mariko grinned. “Well, then maybe we are going to be invited to the party instead!”

Much to her surprise, Isa bursted into a laugh, and Ketch snickered too. Plum kept his eyes low on the plate, his cheeks darkening for the embarrassment.

“Are you for real?” Isa sighed, regaining some breath, “only the highest titles of Arcos and its kingdom are invited to these events!”

“But no worries, you guys won’t miss much,” Ketch commented, giving Plum a reassuring pat on the back. “These parties are just made of boring dances, cold food and lots of wine. Well, the wine part is nice, actually,” he admitted, scratching his chin. “We’ll save you guys a bottle or two, promised.”

Plum answered with a shy smile, but Mariko’s eyebrows knitted with a frown. Ever since Cooler had elected them as the second platoon of his Armored Squadron, she felt the four of them were progressively growing apart. Sure, there had always been certain differences among them, but they were never as noticeable as they were getting during those days, she thought, seeing Isa and Ketch still chuckling for her previous comment.

So it was with huge relief, as well as a good dose of satisfaction, that she opened the envelope placed on the table in front of her seat on the day after, identical to the one of her three comrades. Inside, written with red ink, the letter said:

With this missive, the Arcosian Royal family requests the presence of Miss Mariko from Earth, second in command of Lord Cooler’s Young Armored Squadron, at the celebration for the twenty-fifth decennial of King Cold’s reign. Guests are required to dress according to the Arcosian color etiquette.

Sincerely,

Lord Cooler

[necromatador]

Pfff, thought: Rev and Able find out Dresk has a forked tongue and proceed to both have extremely similar mortifying flashbacks of all the shitty (and largely drunk) flirty comments Rev made to Able about Able's forked tongue back in their mob days.

Slowly they scooch just a little bit farther apart and refuse to make eye contact for the next several hours.

[lightdancer1]

And yes, to repeat and put it in perspective the largest creature to ever live lives right now

Also worth noting is how much contingency there is with this. The extinction of Charcharodon megalodon and Livyatan melvillei and its contemporaries is how and why the great rorquals were able to reach the size and majesty they have now. The flip side of that is that until fairly recently there were large oceanic predators that overmatched today's orcas in power, and were capable of having that kind of influence on the evolution of whales.

[galaxyrunner13]

WEEK 9

This week I worked on the armor design on the livyatan and the megladon. I finished the armor of the livyatan and started rough animating the chase scene with the megladon. I might and a 3 frame loop of the fish opening and closing their mouths if I find have more time this upcoming week. I was struggling doin the over head of the fin going into the water so i just did a side shot. I'll work on what that angle would look like.

I still haven't gotten to sit down and record audio, my sephor is old. so I want to take COVID precautions before I set up a recording. I just got my covid test so i should be able to record next week sephors voice. I also found a singer for the background track.

[all-lakes-big-and-small]

Actual Megalodon facts

Because I am petty and bitter lol

((Here are some of my sources:

))

On with the facts!

Megs most likely could reach up to 60 feet long but most may have been around 34 ft long.

Previously regarded as a relative of the great white, scientists now speculate it belongs to the family Otodontidae, whereas the great white belongs to the family Lamnidae.

Great white taxonomy on the left and meg on the right

The genus of the meg is still under disbute.

Otodontidae may have diverged from the family Lamnidae around the Early Cretaceous. So while they are related, it is less closely than originally thought.

Scientists speculate the meg to resemble modern day sand tiger sharks or blue sharks or even basking sharks in some ways. Depicting this creature as a giant great white, is seen now as pretty much inaccurate.

Meg ate whales. I was trying to find names of whales they may have eaten when I stumbled across a giant whale that was an apex predator and lived alongside the meg called livyatan. And that fucker was enormous! (And badass!) Here is what they may have looked like (Livyatan is the one on the left):

I found an image of a hypothetical recreation of the skeleton of the meg and I have been dying of laughter XD

Remember that picture of Livyatan? The whale on the right is called Cetothyrium (an extinct genus of baleen whale) and is one hypothetical food source for meg.

That is right, folks. Meg probably fed on fucking baleen whales. And competed with Livyatan- a non filter feeding giant ass whale- for food.

Would the meg have eaten humans? Well in a hypothetical scenarion where we lived alongside the meg, the answer is kinda complicated. When it comes to adults the answer is hell no. Humans aren't simply big enough and even someome with gigantism would be too small to be a proper food sources.

Juvenile megs are speculated at being anywhere from 6 to 35 feet long. They most likely went after smaller whales and some other fish. A 6 foot baby shark MIGHT eat a human but if modern sharks have taught us anything, it is to not judge a book by its cover. A juvenile shark most likely wouldn't eat a human since they most likely could be around 35 feet long and thus able to eat much larger prey.

Would a baby eat a human? It all depends. Most sharks don't go after humans. What is the point when there are other much easier and more nutritious prey sources out there? Evidence also suggests they would not be near humans. Their nurserys may have been as deep as 82 feet- not exactly somewhere most people wanna swim. So most likely very few people if any would come across a baby shark.

This has been post 1 of our series on extinct aquatic creatures!!!

[spearcast]

Rapid fire random OC questions!

Which OC(s) has a sweet tooth?

Which OC(s) can cook?

Which OC(s) would have a superpower and what would it be?

Does your OC(s) have a specific way they wash the dishes?

Your strongest OC and your weakest OC have to work together to solve a puzzle. Who leads? Who does the most work? Who’s the brains? Who’s the brawn? (Hint: strongest doesn’t always mean physically strong)

Three random facts about your OC(s)?

Which OC(s) has a sweet tooth?

Oh man, lemme think... Miles Reed, Horizon Renna, Rose Rogers, Peak, Tuya, Prentiss, Vespera Dhel, Janet Woods... the list could go on but off the top of my head it'd be them HDJDGSJ

Which OC(s) can cook?

I haven't thought about my ocs cooking for the most part which is kind of silly BUT one of the few I HAVE thought about would be Livyatan, originally one of my clone ocs from the Star Wars universe (though I'm trying to flesh out my faves from my massive list of clone ocs so they can be multiverse ocs). Livy is arguably THEEEE best cook out of all of my ocs

I think Teo can cook too honestly they seem the type to be really good at it without trying HDJDHDJDH

Which OC(s) would have a superpower and what would it be?

Well, a few of them DO have superpowers, namely Horizon Renna aka Hotspot whose powers are lava/magma and earth manipulation, but who has trained to become sort of ridiculously OP at times and can literally manipulate heat and rock without thinking- and a number of other branched off abilities, but if I had to pick a non super powered oc to give a super power I would pick Miles bc I think she deserves it HSJDVDJSB she'd wanna talk to animals and be able to understand them

Does your OC(s) have a specific way they wash the dishes?

Livyatan washes all of the dishes by hand regardless of if he has a dishwasher handy or not. He's very stubborn that way HSHDGSJS

Ves / Vespera uses a dishwasher any time she can and washes all of the silverware first, going smallest dish to largest dish

Teo. Refuses to do dishes if they cook for someone else, because whoever made/provided the meal shouldn't have to do the dish work in their mind HDJDVS otherwise if it's just for them they just handwash things

Janet does the reverse as far as how Ves does hers- Jan goes smallest to largest and hand dries everything as opposed to letting them on a rack to dry

Your strongest OC and your weakest OC have to work together to solve a puzzle. Who leads? Who does the most work? Who’s the brains? Who’s the brawn? (Hint: strongest doesn’t always mean physically strong)

Oh man oh man.... hm.... Horizon is one of my strongest ocs, mentally and physically, so I'll continue the trend with them- as for weakest oc........... I feel like all of my ocs are OP in some capacity HDJDHDJDH hm... maybe one of my SW ocs, Saphira Hael, would be considered 'weak'? Saph is kinda ditzy and sweet and a little airheaded but I love her dearly.

Horizon has a lot of patience so they and Saphira I think would actually do well together, even if it takes them awhile to finish the puzzle HDJDVSJ Horizon is kinda the brains and the brawn but Saphira is entirely moral support and Rize's cheerleader and she'll braid Horizon's hair while they're thinking LMAO

Three random facts about your OC(s)?

Livyatan is named after an ancient hyperpredatory whale called Livyatan Melveilli (forgive me if the spelling is off HDJDHD) because I'm obsessed with prehistoric creatures and the beast with his name is one of my favorites; also I have another oc who goes by Livy, but their name is Olivia Jones and they live in a horror movie essentially HDJDH I think Livy and Livy would be friends [:

Miles Reed came about by being an oc for the Jurassic Park universe when the first Jurassic World movie came out but she very quickly surpassed those bounds and now she's one of my most beloved ocs, who investigates and protects cryptids and other paranormal/praeternatural beings

One of my OLDEST established ocs (Rosario Salazar/ Rosa Salazar) was/is a multiverse oc I created as a kid for The Secret Saturdays show on cartoon network, and then she developed into an oc for Generator Rex ALSO on cartoon network, and she was the titular character's younger sister [:

I'm not sure if you wanted specific ocs or anything but REGARDLESS thank you for the ask!!!!!!! And apologies for how long this took to finish, SMH

[keenstudentels-g4-blog]

Leviathan (Livyatan)

Quick Leviathan Facts

Lived during the Miocene Period

Was longer than a semi-trailer

Weighed as much as 6 elephants

Had sharp teeth that were almost as long as a bowling pin

Was probably as fast as a blue whale

Was a carnivore

Lived on a diet of small whales, dolphins and prehistoric seals

Leviathan, properly known as Livyatan melvillei, is a prehistoric whale which lived approximately 13 million years ago during the Miocene Period. It was first discovered in 2008 when fossils of Livyatan melvillei were collected from the coastal desert of Peru. It was then named in 2010.  Livyatan means Leviathan in Hebrew and melvillei was given as an homage to Herman Melville – the man who wrote Moby Dick.

When it was first discovered, it was actually given the name Leviathan, a name of a biblical sea monster. However, at the time it was found to be inappropriate. That’s because another species had already been called this name – a mastodon that is now named Mammut. Which is why Livyatan was given as this whale’s official name, although many paleontologists still refer to it as Leviathan.

If you look at Leviathan pictures, then you might come to the conclusion that this whale looked very much like a modern sperm whale. That’s because paleontologists believe that it looked very much like one. However, since they only found the head, they can’t really be sure if the whole body was shaped like a sperm whale’s body. However, scientists do now know that Leviathan was an early ancestor of the sperm whale.

Leviathan had a 10-foot long skull, which is a pretty good size. Extrapolating from its skull size, paleontologists are able to estimate that this prehistoric whale was approximately 50 feet long and weighed around 50 tons – or about 100,000 pounds. That means that it was longer than a truck’s semi-trailer and weighed more than 6 times the weight of an elephant. It also had teeth that were 14 inches long. Which means that its teeth were even longer than saber-tooth tigers!

One of the most interesting facts about Leviathan, however, is that it didn’t feast on plankton like many whales do. No, it was carnivorous – which means that it ate meat. Paleontologists believe that it is likely that it would have eaten seals, dolphins and maybe even other whales.

While paleontologists don’t know how long Leviathan survived as a species after the Miocene Period but they can venture a guess as to why it happened. Scientists believe that changing ocean temperatures led to a widespread decrease in the number of seals, dolphins and smaller whales. This loss of prey eventually led to its extinction.

[necromatador]

@flailingwings @oneplusoneequalsfish Finished drawing a thing.

[necromatador]

Thought: On one of his first days, Able makes the mistake of asking Rev if there are any good places to eat near the offices.

Rev rattles off The List, meaning any nearby deli places, pizza, legit restaurants, cafe or pub type places, etc etc. And also if Able asks about a specific place on The List, Rev gives him a detailed explanation of the proper ordering technique. Don't try to form a line, have your order in mind before you go up, don't ask for this or they'll refuse to serve you, they only make this particular thing this way, if you want this you gotta ask in this specific way, and for the love of the gods if they ask of you want this the answer is always YES.

(Rev has probably done this for a lot of visitors to the company, it's second nature and of course he knows all the best food places. At some point he also mentions that hell, if Able gets ingredients then Rev could probably just make him something in the office kitchen.)

Side thought: Rev calling Able "Greenhorn".

[necromatador]

I'm bored at work.

Thought: Impromptu dance-off between Rev and Able when they were both still in the mob because Able got dragged out to a club after work for drinks with the guys (1: which in the first place was not actually Rev's idea for once and 2: I have no idea if Able drinks or how well he holds his drinks). Honestly all I'm imagining is Vic chuckling and leaning over to Rev, who is obvs. intently watching Able dance because crap he's not bad, and just like "down boy, you wanna show him how it's really done?" The only way I can see it happening ever at all though is if Able gives Rev a reason to challenge him to show what he's got AND Able accepts the challenge, which I am not 100% sure would happen.