#whalefall on the net!

[quantum-mechan1c]

I'm gonna send Robert fan mail asking him when he's covering it. #evil

my greatest fear--not actually my greatest fear i have a lot of very great fears--one of my bigger fears (like, top 20) is that behind the bastards will do an episode about the simurgh death cult and robert madison evans will explain to his audience of ten quadrillion listeners what worm is.

i got so scared when he explained who yudkowsky was back in the AI episodes i thought he was gonna bring up the hillary clinton thing

[hancfubuki]

the soft water of whalefall city could be seen through the window, a constant reminder of how the impossible became real in a spawn of seconds. caleb lays sprawled on his bed, his notebook open but untouched beside him. the edges of his vision blurred with fatigue, his legs aching from walking the length of whalefall city more times than he could count today. the endless stream of small, everyday requests that piled up like a weight on his shoulders. helping miss moirai carry her groceries up three flights of stairs because the elevator in her block was down again, fixing a stubborn door latch for a family, helping a group of kids in the plaza untangle the net they'd accidentally knotted up during their game. several tasks that he couldn't go into detail as everyone in the city seemed to really like his presence. it's been a while since he first arrived here, creating new bonds across the city and becoming some sort of celebrity among the lemurians. 'oh the human could help you with his powers!', it's a phrase he often heard around, and he couldn't refuse, really. the smile on their faces and how amicable they were with him was enough for him to avoid placing boundaries and show he needed rest.

caleb rubs his hand over his face, willing himself to focus on reading the books he found and taking noted that were now scattered across his desk. this was supposed to be his time, so he tries to focus on something else, staring at the window, watching as school of fishes swim across, or bubbles forming out of nowhere. but the silence is not soothing at all, as it just keeps pulling his thoughts to the one thing he couldn't push out of his mind. rafayel. he is mostly waiting for him to finish whatever responsibility he had. he knows he couldn't steal him away all day, there are things a god needs to do, rituals he vaguely understands yet doesn't question at all. it's not fair. it's totally not fair how rafayel could occupy every corner of his head without even trying. caleb had spent the entire day running himself ragged for the city’s citizens, but somehow, every flicker of bioluminescent light outside reminded him of the way rafayel’s eyes caught the glow. every brush of water through the pipes echoed the low, melodic hum of rafayel’s voice when he teased him.

a sigh leaves his lips, realizing how deep down all he wants is to run to the chapel and interrupt any kind of ritual being done there. as the artificial afternoon settles over whalefall, caleb finds himself walking without purpose, his tired legs carrying him towards the upper plaza near the temple, hoping to casually find that one person who might help him breathe again. a little dramatic, really, as they were together just the day before, though, waiting an entire morning to see him simply appears to be an eternity according to the restless energy pumping in his chest. caleb leans against the railing of the plaza, one boot propped up on the lower bar as he continuously scans the temple's entrance, and when finally the heavy doors creak open, he straightens up on his feet, fixing his newly made clothes that rafayel asked for him not a while ago, pretending to be cool and that it is just a casualty, even though it's pretty obvious he has been waiting for a while now. he notices as rafayel emerges in his usual calm grace, his robes flowing like the water itself as he steps on the stone path. he even swears he can see a faint glow around him, perhaps an aftereffect of the rituals he had been performing, or simply his longing affecting his vision as he walks. whatever it is, it makes him look ethereal.

"oh, what a coincidence! i was just passing by, didn't expect my timing was this good." as if he didn't keep track of rafayel's schedule by now. but a man gotta keep it cool. "got a second for a mere mortal?" he steps forward, spreading his arms wide with an exaggerated flourish, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as it turns into something more... mischievous. "or wait— better question. can a mere mortal get a hug right now? you're looking all holy and glowy, what's your secret?" he keeps his arms open, his stance playful as he attempts to hide the excitement of seeing him again.

@inardescere / rafayel

[soylent-crocodile]

Faller (Monster)

(ISOPOD by Anastasia Berseneva)

CR9 TN Medium Monstrous Humanoid HD12

(As the name may suggest, these were built from the ground up as an terrestrial whalefall specialists, with the various giant beasties of pathfinder substituting for whales. I actually used fallers as a placeholder name but got attached to it, so here they are! They're up there in CR so that a caravan of five of them puts up a genuine threat for someone who might fight an Adult Red Dragon.

Also I don't love this art for fallers, but it was the most buggy of the bipedal isopods i could find.)

Fallers are wandering nomads who specialize in feeding on the carcasses of great beasts, such as giants, dragons, and large dinosaurs. They live in family groups of up to a dozen individuals and have no leader, employing an anarchic decision making process that may see these groups splitting and reforming as different individuals take different paths. A faller caravan’s lifestyle consists of divining the location to various monster falls and then traveling, possibly hundreds of miles, to such a banquet. Upon reaching such a corpse, they will claim it, defend it, and slowly harvest and feed off it until such a time as it grows thin and they must move on to fresher falls. It’s noteworthy that, due to their powerful innate divination magic, a group of fallers may set camp for a death before it occurs. Generally, these divinations hold true, and fallers find a warm corpse at their destination, but twists of fate are not unheard of, and fallers are generally prepared for battle if need be. Fallers are frequently seen ushering giant flies, which serve as a combination of pet and mount, enabling them to engage flying enemies and scout high-up or hard to reach places. These flys are surprisingly docile and loyal in a faller’s hands. 

Fallers are known to come into conflict with adventuring parties over the spoils of the latter’s conflicts; adventurers regularly stake claim to the loot and parts of a particularly dangerous foe, but fallers consider themselves owed the rewards of such a struggle, and practically speaking, are often unable to relocate to a new corpse before the threat of starvation looms. Unfortunately for many adventurers, fallers are trained combatants, and a particularly undiplomatic group of them may spell doom for an adventuring party soon after a proud triumph. Finally, fallers have been known to come into conflict with the cultures dragons and similar great beings surround themselves with; claiming the corpse of a lone dinosaur is one thing, but disassembling and eating a corpse may be less welcome when it’s the corpse of an important leader or respected member of a community. For this reason, cultures led by dragons frequently adopt a kill-on-sight principle for fallers, and kobolds in particular are known to litter a faller’s anticipated path with the most lethal and cruel traps they can manage. 

Despite this, faller’s oracular abilities are also known to a few peoples, and some cultures seek out such beings to ask questions, sometimes deliberately luring them by killing a large animal. Fallers are a practical and isolationist type, however, and must be provided some benefit to expend their divining abilities; especially since such abilities are necessary for their way of life.

Fallers' endonym is a series of rasps and hisses unpronounceable to the average mammal or reptile.

This hunched over biped has a hard, segmented shell on its back, a number of segmented limbs, and large black eyes.

Misc- CR9 TN Medium Monstrous Humanoid HD12 Init:+4 Senses: Perception:+22 Scent, Darkvision 60ft Stats- Str:22(+6) Dex:19(+4) Con:23(+6) Int:15(+2) Wis:24(+7) Cha:16(+3) BAB:+12/+7/+2 Space:5ft Reach:5ft Defense- HP:138(12d10+54) AC:24(+4 Dex, +2 Armor, +8 Natural) Fort:+12 Ref:+12 Will:+15 CMD:38 Resist: Acid 10, Cold 10 Immunity: Disease Special Defenses: DR2/Bludgeoning Offense- mwk Glaive +19/+14/+9(1d10+9/x3) or Net +18(Entangle, 10ft) or 2 Claw +16(1d6+6 plus trip) CMB:+18 (+2 Racial bonus to trip) Speed:30ft Special Attacks: Studied Target +3 (Attack, Damage, Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, Survival; Move or Swift Action) Feats- Great Fortitude, Endurance, Point-Blank Shot, Vital Strike, Power Attack (-4/+8), Quick Draw Skills- Climb +15, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +14, Knowledge (Geography) +14, Knowledge (Nature) +14, Perception +22, Ride +13, Survival +22 Spell-like Abilities- (Caster Level 11, Concentration +14) Augury, Invisibility Purge, Sanctify Corpse 3/day Dispel Magic, Find the Path 1/day Divination 1/week Special Qualities- Ferocity Ecology- Environment- Any Languages- Faller Organization- Pair (2), Caravan (4-6 Fallers, 0-3 Giant Horseflies) Treasure- Standard Special Abilities- Studied Target (Ex)- A faller may use the Studied Target ability as a 10th level Slayer.

[armandyke]

Would love to hear about the books u read in 2024, surprise bests, biggest disappointments?

I think I will do a multi part post over the coming weeks with reviews of all the books I read since I have about half of them written up already. For now I'll just say my two absolute favourite reads of the year were Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock and Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova. Two very different books but both of them permanently altered my brain chemistry.

Below are my ratings for all the books I read and as I say, I'll try to post more in depth reviews over the next few weeks. My aim this year is to try and do proper reviews of the books I read as I'm reading them instead of having to go back several months later lmao.

Oh, and because it's something I'm always looking for specific recs for, I've highlighted the books with queer rep (that I remember) in pink, and the extreme horrors/books I advise checking trigger warnings for are marked with a lil skull.

1) Gone to see the River Man by Kristopher Triana (4⭐) 💀

2) Skeleton Crew by Stephen King (4⭐)

3) The Butcher by Laura Kat Young (5⭐)

4) The Hollow Places by T.Kingfisher (5⭐)

5) Salem’s Lot by Stephen King (4.5⭐)

6) The Shuddering by Ania Ahiborn (3.5⭐)

7) Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (5⭐)

8) Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Cassandraw Khaw (3.5⭐)

9) Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z Brite (4⭐) 💀

10) Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry (1⭐)

11) The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino (3.5⭐)

12) Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley (4⭐)

13) The Dead of Winter curated by Cecily Grayford (3⭐)

14) Off Season by Jack Ketchum (3⭐) 💀

15) Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt (3.5⭐) 💀

16) Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison (4⭐) 💀

17) The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum (5⭐) 💀

18) Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (4⭐)

19) Caraval by Stephanie Garber (2⭐)

20) The Grip of It by Jac Jemc (4⭐)

21) Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims (5⭐)

22) Nod by Adrian Barnes (4⭐)

23) How to sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (5⭐)

24) Among the Living by Tim Lebbon (2⭐)

25) 19 Claws and a Black Bird by Augustina Bazterrica (3⭐)

26) House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson (4.5⭐)

27) Song of Kali by Dan Simmons (DNF)

28) The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Perry (DNF)

29) A House with Good Bones by T.Kingfisher (5⭐)

30) A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock (5⭐)

31) Cujo by Stephen King (5⭐)

32) The Dark Net by Benjamin Percy (3.5⭐)

33) The Dinner Guest by B P Walter (4.5⭐)

34) The Cloisters by Katy Hays (1⭐)

35) Diavola by Jennifer Thorne (5⭐)

36) Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (4.5⭐)

37) Nettle and Bone by T.Kingfisher (3.5⭐)

38) The Hatching (3.5⭐) Skitter (1⭐) and Zero Day (1⭐) by Ezekiel Boone

39) Come Closer by Sara Gran (4⭐)

40) Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison (5⭐)

41) The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (DNF)

42) Wranglestone by Darren Charlton (3.5⭐)

43) Piñata by Leopoldo Gout (4⭐)

44) Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca (1⭐) 💀

45) Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle (5⭐)

46) The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice (I didn't rate this because this was less like reading a book and more like studying for an exam)

47) The Ghost Woods by C.J Cooke (4.5⭐)

48) Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (3.5⭐)

49) Too Late by Colleen Hoover (DNF)

50) Alice by Christina Henry (1⭐)

51) The House of a Hundred Whispers by Graham Masterton (3.5⭐)

52) All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes (4.5⭐)

53) Violent Faculties by Charlene Elsby (4⭐) 💀

54) Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin (3.5⭐) 💀

55) Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison (4.5⭐)

56) My Throat an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino (3.5⭐)

57) Bloom by Delilah S Dawson (4⭐)

58) Bored Gay Werewolf by Tony Santorella (DNF)

59) Out There Screaming curated by Jordan Peele (3.5⭐)

60) The Watchers by A.M Shine (4⭐)

61) Whalefall by Daniel Kraus (4.5⭐)

62) My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham (3.5⭐)

63) Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (4.5⭐)

64) Incarcerat by Garth Marenghi (4⭐)

65) Feast While You Can by Onjuly Datta and Mikaella Clements (5⭐)

66) The Whistling by Rebecca Netley (4⭐)

67) Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (4⭐)

68) Scuttle by Barnaby Walter (DNF)

69) Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova (5⭐)

70) Revival by Stephen King (4⭐)

71) Blight by Tom Carlisle (3.5⭐)

72) The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw (5⭐)

[wolfcat-hybrid]

Updates from my KCD2 playthrough, a bit over 13 hours in!

-I said a lot of mean things to Hans during the pillory scene and ofc he did not take that well at all and it's delightful (to me) how much this feels like a dramatic romcom break up. I feel like The Oh Hellos' "I Was Wrong" fits them, but this might just be because I've been listening to TOH a lot and want to combine my interests.

-Pretty much immediately I fell back into my old habit of picking literally every herb I come across and then spending hours at the alchemy bench. I've already reached lvl 20 survival and alchemy isn't far behind. Most of my groschen comes from selling potions and the hundreds of herbs I compulsively gather.

-Most of my current gear came from a fast travel encounter where I found a bunch of dead bodies on the side of the road and looted them. Which is also how I got most of my gear in KCD1. I keep mentally referring to events like these as 'whalefalls.'

-I LOVE having multiple outfit slots. I desperately wanted a feature like this back in KCD1. I was constantly juggling my armor/charisma/stealth clothes between myself, my horse, and whatever chest I was nearest. This is so much easier.

-I have the confidence of someone with 100+ hours in the game but the levels and equipment of someone with 10+ hours, which means I am consistently vastly overestimating how many enemies I can deal with at once. And how far I can push traders when I'm haggling. And how charismatic I am in general. And how stealthy I am. And and and...

-I have been reunited with Mutt. Reunited might not be the right word, since I didn't have the DLC and this is my first time playing with a dog companion. I already love him so much. Mutt is a good boy. I can feed him all my heaviest chunks of meat and not feel like I'm wasting them. He helps me find the wolf carcass that slid into the bushes. We make a great team.

-I have spent a majority of my play time so far overencumbered, because I do not have a horse yet and am too stubborn to drop things when I could sell them instead. On the plus side, I am slowly growing my groschen. Still a ways away from the 30k I was brutally robbed of, but we'll get there eventually.

-I found a guy who offered to buy any horses I steal and I'm so excited to become the land's #1 horse thief. I like to play Henry as lawful good, wants to help everyone, very honorable, but also his favorite hobby is stealing things. I still fondly remember the moment in KCD1 when I realized I could pick very hard locks as long as I was drunk, and so in a drunken haze I robbed every store in Rattay and made like 10k in groschen selling it all to the millers.

-Speaking of being drunk, I took a combination of perks back in KCD1 that made Henry extremely susceptible to wine. For the most part losing most of my perks has been a net negative but I do think it's very funny that being in a near-death incident has somehow improved Henry's wine tolerance.

[elmalo8291]

That’s a stunningly mythic and grounded integration—a mix of oceanic reverence, ancient technology, and future terraforming ecology. Here's how we can incorporate all the new elements into your existing Iron Spine × Ocean-to-Space Terraforming Stack, with detailed systems and visual hooks for expansion:

🐋 WhaleFall Integration System – Terraforming Symbiosis Protocol

🔧 Core Components:

1. WhaleFall Drone Array

Codename: LeviathAI Scouts

Function: Monitor and guide the whale remains to optimal ocean-floor grid zones.

Flight Path Logic: One drone per whale tracks the descent, mapping fall vectors.

Scanner Tech: Sonar lattice scans, micro-pollution indexing, AI coral forecasting.

Aesthetic: Bone-woven hulls, glowing barnacle nodes, whale-skin etched wings.

2. Whale Cloning & Industry Balance

System: 9-to-1 Ethical Harvest Cycle

Clone Cycle: 50-year cloning line of humpbacks raised for either:

Ocean Remediation (90%)

Neo-Lantern Oil Trade (10%)

Ritual Harpoon Regulation: Fishermen may only harvest on rowboats using traditional spears. A brutal fair-play pact to honor the Leviathan.

3. Ocean Floor Biofilter Web

WhaleFall Forests: Skeletons act as anchors for reef seedpods, coral-glyph growths, and AI kelp netting.

Time Spiral Protocol: Designed to flourish for 10–20 years before natural dissolution.

🔥 Localized Terraforming Flares – Redwood & Rainforest Growth Directives

🌲 Terraform-Flare Nodes

Codename: Verdant Pulse Cores

Deployment: Dropped via drone, airship, or tunnel-cannon.

Trigger: Timed or signal-activated geothermal + nutrient fusion burst.

��� Redwood Habitat Engine

Genetically-altered redwoods:

Grow spiral-trunk stairs.

Hollow and branch to create living room-sized canopies.

Symbiotic with birds, mosses, and self-repair bark.

Forest Garden Mode:

Controlled growth rings.

Tree-city layout, mapped by Caesar's Spiral AI logic.

🌧️ Rainforest Harmonization System

Micro-climate pods seeded at regular intervals.

Grow mist-weaving ferns and vine-spire bridges.

All connected via River of Milk-style nutrient tunnels, tying earth, root, and sky together.

🌀 Integration with Iron Spine / Caesar AI System

Each of these systems reports to and interacts with:

Spider Sensor Threads for terrain stability and life signatures

Spiral Story Layer for narrative-based habitat guidance (e.g., "forest of memory", “leviathan tears reef”)

Oracle Forecast Nodes to predict ecosystem shifts over centuries

✅ Next Steps — Choose What You’d Like Rendered or Bundled:

A) Visual Schematic

Ocean-floor WhaleFall + terra-pod cutaway with whale skeletons, coral growth, filter fields

B) Redwood Habitat Terraform Grid

Top-down + isometric layout of a redwood village grown into usable space over 50 years

C) Drone Glyph Designs

WhaleFall Scout + Terraform-Flare Drone iconography + caesar-sealed rituals

D) Add to:

🌐 Capone Codex

📘 Terraforming PDF Vault

🖼 DALL·E Render Set (Visual Concepts)

Just say “Render A” (or B, C, etc.) and I’ll start the next batch based on your preference. Let’s bring this ecosystem of myth, nature, and tech fully to life.

[maileater]

My ideal internet is one lived on obscure channels and unused websites that nobody outside of them knows about. Like a deep sea fish that feeds off of whalefalls (memes funny enough that they floated down to the deeper/less inhabited parts of the net), and is never looked at directly because it flees from the bright lights of submersibles.

Coincidentally my ideal internet is also full of crabs.

[bbeelzemon]

all my whalefall fishies so far! 🐟🐠