@tyrantisterror ATOM Create-A-Kaiju Contest Entry #2: BamutanDate Discovered: June 10th, 1960Place o

@tyrantisterror ATOM Create-A-Kaiju Contest Entry #2: BamutanDate Discovered: June 10th, 1960Place of Origin: The Atlantic OceanNotable Stomping Grounds: The Atlantic OceanHeight: 60 feet (80 with dorsal fin)Length: 400 feetBiology: While Bamutan was officially recognized only relatively recently in the Atomic Age of Monsters, a number of fisherman’s tales suggest that she may have been around for much longer. While presumably prehistoric in origin, it is not known how she has managed to survive for as long as she has, but the discovery of gigantic undersea Yamaneon tunnels in the north Atlantic may hint at the possibility that she may have been preserved by their radiation in a similar manner to what scientists have speculated for other large aquatic kaiju, such as Tyloton or Old Meg.Bamutan defies any attempt at biological classification, with hypothetical placements for her ancestors in the tree of life ranging from prehistoric seagoing bony fish to weird relatives of sharks and rays to even some kind of proto-amphibian. Her anatomy seems closer to coelocanths than any other modern animal, but even the proposed relationship to these “living fossils” is difficult to verify, as her ancestors left no modern descendants. What is known is that Bamutan is one of the largest kaiju in existence, longer than even Old Meg or indeed any other sea monster known to science.Though her immense size and power are often enough to win the rare few battles she’s engaged in, Bamutan can also take in large amounts of water and then superheat it, firing accurate jets of scalding hot steam from the spouts on her head to strike enemies from afar. Aside from this, she needs little more than the standard kaiju power set:Super strengthAn enhanced healing factorImmunity to radiationSteam JetPersonality:Despite being big enough to swallow whole boats whole if she were so inclined, Bamutan is a gentle giant who seems to be aware of the problems caused by her massive size and takes great care to avoid harming her fellow sea monsters by accident. Normally content to sleep at the sea bottom during the day, she rises up to the surface to feed at night and has at times been mistaken for a small island; most sailors are wise to be wary, though, since she could potentially drown anyone who alights on her back without realizing it. As long as humanity doesn’t bother her, she doesn’t bother them, either, and is content to snack on schools of fish and the occasional whale or giant squid as she cruises along absentmindedly in the depths of the ocean.Being so huge and at the same time quite docile, Bamutan frequently sleeps on the seabed for so long that water plants, barnacles, and even coral grow on her armor and scales, making her resemble an island even more when she surfaces. An instinctive nomad, she migrates over vast stretches of ocean on a regular basis, her direction mostly dictated by that of her food supply. She swims quite slowly and at a lethargic, stately pace, which along with her sheer bulk and the bioluminescent markings all over her body (which she uses to light her way in deep water) makes her relatively easy to avoid because she can be seen coming from great distances. Other monsters know better than to mess with her in spite of this, however, because on the rare occasions when she’s been roused into anger, her destructiveness has been nothing short of legendary, her crushing coils, vicious fangs, and devastating steam blasts easily dissuading resistance and utterly crushing any overconfident assailant.Even though there are very few things capable of messing with her and living to tell the tale (most of which don’t exist on Earth), Bamutan still has a bit of a schooling instinct and therefore appreciates whatever genteel companionship other sea creatures are willing to provide. The coral and algae on her back support an entire ecosystem which she appreciates and keeps gentle watch over when she isn’t slumbering, and she’s accrued a collection of all sorts of sea life over the centuries. Other seagoing kaiju are more relunctant to approach her, but certain weaker individuals have found that she does not seek to actively hurt others unless provoked, and have thus come to rely on her as a sort of aloof guardian. She in turn seems to care for them in an almost motherly fashion, and many of her adventures involve trying to keep them under her protective shadow, often attempting to herd them back to safety should they go astray. Of course, any attempt to hurt or even threaten them, be it by human hunters or other more dangerous sea monsters, will be met with a swift and borderline apocalyptic retribution in short order.And here’s the second one! When I found out that TT had only one fish in his kaiju roster, I figured another couldn’t hurt, though I made her personality and appearance considerably different from Old Meg. Bamutan’s design is a combination of Reptilicus, Manda, and a touch of SyFy’s Frankenfish in one big toothy package. Far from being a ship-sinking horror, though, she’s basically the sea monster equivalent of a “homeless pigeon person” - an friendly elderly wanderer with constant animal companions. Well, whole schools of fish, in this case, but still. XDSince TT has a Behemoth in his official kaiju roster, I figured that I could provide a Leviathan as a sort of opposite. Bamutan is specifically a Jasconius, a docile variety of leviathan that’s known for being mistaken for an island when it sleeps on the surface of the ocean. I would’ve used an Isaiah’s or Job’s Leviathan but I decided to go with a more placid species, as a contrast to both Old Meg and Mastemuth who are respectively instinctively predatory and fiercely domineering. Her name is taken from two different representatives of the mythical Leviathan: Bahamut, a mythical Arabian fish that supports the world on its back, and Lotan, a Canaanite synonym for the Biblical Leviathan (and the name of my take on Leviathan, incidentally). She’s a sweet old lady who loves her pets and adopted kids, but mess with them at your own risk! (I imagine that a lot of the sea monsters that accompany her include some from TT’s medieval bestiary, preserved by the same Yameneon tunnels as Bamutan herself.)While TT’s leviathans are supposed to be really weird fish, to me their heads look a little more reptilian than fishlike, so I decided to rectify that a tad by incorporating the mugs of coelocanths and goliath tigerfish into Bamutan’s facial features. Her bioluminescent markings are inspired by deep-sea viperfish as well as one of TT’s discarded kaiju concepts, a take on Leviathan himself that’s also a big friendly sea serpent with similar glowing spots. -- source link

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