Finals are over, thank goodness. And now to kick my butt back into gear.

I did a bit of spoiler surfing recently, and discovered some…interesting facts about Goliath (hopefully, I didn't ruin the book for myself…), and I found out what some of the actual Japanese beasties will be. All I can say is…I can't wait for Goliath.

Original prompt from LittleSpark: "Um... dinosaurs! Or Pokemon! I don't know! :D But the [Japanese] Darwinists are bound to have them!" This chapter is going to be so much fun…

DISCLAIMER: I disclaim ownership of Leviathan (the books and the whale), but I claim ownership of the word "Whaleshipping."

Alek stared out the window, not really paying attention to the view, but deep in thought. The Japanese ocean sparkled in the sunlight as the Leviathan flew over the aptly named Sea of Japan.

Suddenly, the water started churning, and something green and scaly burst out of the water.

. . .

"GAH!"

Deryn jumped, and swore. "Newkirk! What did you do this time?" She glared accusingly at the boy.

He held his arms up in surrender. "It wasn't me, I swear."

"Who else has such a girlishly high scream? Only you would—oh, wait." She stopped, realizing the only other possible culprit. Deryn turned and ran for the ratlines. "ALEK!"

. . .

Deryn burst through Alek's stateroom door to find him gaping out the window. On his face was an expression of shock, and from his mouth came an incoherent noise. "Ma—huma—humana—huh?"

Deryn stared at him. "Um…what?"

Wordlessly, Alek lifted a hand to point out the window. She ran over to check it out, and groaned. "Oh, come on, Alek. We are in Darwinist territory, after all. Don't get your knickers in a twist over such a wee little thing." She took a closer look at the fabrication leaping around in the water. "It looks a bit like the kelpies we have back home."

"What?" Apparently Alek had found his voice again. "You mean…England has those, too?"

"Of course!" Deryn said, ready to take advantage of this situation. "They're said to take the form of a horse or a beautiful women, but they also lure children, yes, that includes you, into the water to eat them. Of course, that's only local folklore…but there are strange rumors that float around…" She grinned evilly as Alek looked ready to faint.

She looked out the window again. "I wonder what other beasties the Japanese have? Why don't you ask Dr. Barlow; she ought to know, being the annoyingly smart boffin she is."

. . .

"…they're mostly based off creatures from Japanese mythology. For example, there are kappas, which are little water beasts that eat children and cucumbers, and kaiju, which are similar to giant monsters. I believe there are some kaiju kennels in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which is actually not too far from Tokyo, and—Alek? Are you okay?" Dr. Barlow looked at him prone form on the ground in mild concern.

Deryn, who had been silently laughing in the corner as Alek's expression grew even more panicky, shook her head. "I…don't think…he'll…need it," she gasped between silent bouts of laughter. "Although, if he reacts that way to those little things, I don't want to see his reaction to the things the Americans have cooked up."

I apologize for my moments of nerdiness in writing this chapter…

Anyways, the spoiler thingy mentioned, "Japan's swarming kappa…[and] kaiju kept in massive kennels at Hiroshima & Nagasaki."

Answer: As you can see, the Japanese fabs include kappas and kaijus. Also, some Mexican fabs (yes, the Mexicans are Darwinist) include manta-ships and fabricated bulls (what else?).

Question: Who do you think is most likely to die in Goliath?

Prompts still accepted. I've gotten some interesting ideas already, and I'd love more.

Oh, and thanks for all the reviews!