I am a HUGE fan of Halloween, and actually, there is a Halloween scene in Cobratongue University: Professors & Kings. In this blog article, however, I don’t want to talk about what they wore in the book. I’d rather pick another year, perhaps the one following, to discuss their costume choices and why! I feel like it’s so much fun to discuss what our characters would do, or be in this case, for various scenarios.
Luna: Gremlin
Well… this is an odd choice! A Gremlin is a creature in folklore that’s small, with bat-like ears, sometimes depicted with sharp teeth. They can sometimes be fuzzy, and with long tails, sort of like a lemur. They are depicted adorably in the movie Gremlins as well. But why would Professor Luna, of all people, choose this creature?
Fun fact! The first thing she summoned upon discovering her inherent talent toward Fleshcrafting Magic (read more on that in its section here on my site) was a gremlin. Therefore, she has an interest in researching this creatures from the fae realm. Perhaps she will get her wish in Cobratongue University someday! Doctor Darcia Deville is great at getting visitors of the odd variety, after all, to her bestiary class.
But yes, gremlins have a special place in her heart due to that scene, and she would definitely pay homage to them. She might go with the twisted scaly variety with spikes, a tail, and bat-like ears, along with the appropriate make-up. She might need to utilize illusion magic for some features, like the teeth, however.
Kelsy: Dryad
Doctor Kelsy adores biology, so a dryad is entirely fitting for her. Her costume would be a bit more intricate than just a ‘sexy tree nymph’, however, and she might even try to add in some horror elements to impress her friends, especially Luna. Luna’s choice of monster is obviously higher on the ‘creepy’ level, though Gremlins aren’t super scary. Therefore, Kelsy would go for a more horrific version of a dryad.
She would likely go with a poison-needles theme and implement symbolism of animals considered dangerous, like toxic frogs and venomous snakes. She could even utilize her necromancy powers, though would need a constant flow of mana to keep them animated. How about an undead dryad? A rotting wood theme, rather. She could utilize bugs crawling all over her for this.
There are so many ways Kelsy could turn a dryad creepy. Considering she’s friends with a ton of monsters, she likely would get help there. She definitely would approach Doctor Darcia Deville for help with this, as well, since the bestiary teacher is an expert in this sort of thing.
Jasper: Lion/Catboy
Ah, the vampire king himself would definitely choose to dress as a lion one year, face paint and all. Jasper is a prideful bastard, and though he has a rich character arc, his ego never technically changes. Granted, this does not mean that he doesn’t respect others–he does, to a very large degree. He merely knows he’s powerful and likes to flaunt that. His hair also works like a ‘mane’, though he doesn’t try to maintain facial hair.
Technically it would work better if he had an actual beard, but try telling him that. He’d end up looking more like a sexy catboy than anything, much to Luna’s delight and amusement. Hah! That’s why I added that to the heading, actually. Originally, it was just “Lion”, but while typing it, I changed that because I’m just too much of a fan of that notion.
So, on the topic of his ears, he likely would need to wear something over his ears or illusion them to be fuzzy cat ears. That might be the best bet, as having two sets of ears might be distracting considering his are a bit longer and pointier than human ears. He likes going all out on costumes, anyway, so probably would illusion a realistic cat tail. I can just imagine Luna laughing her ass off at the great reveal of his costume. Which is great! He loves her laugh.
Hades: Zeus
Hah! I asked my lover what he thought Hades would be, considering this is a character that he really likes, his favorite in the book. Not to mention, somewhat modeled after him. Well, he said “Zeus” and I burst out laughing. This would definitely be something Hades would do in order to mock his brother. Now, Zeus hasn’t been seen in my series yet, and it’s confirmed that not all gods are siblings like in myth. His sister, for example, was not Demeter. Zeus is his brother canonically, and he will have the usual scuffles.
When I depict Zeus, he will likely be both a player and someone who likes to party. Hades would entirely mock that, as he’s far more down to Earth (I mean…under Earth, HAHA!) and level-headed than his brother. Also, he would definitely learn some minor lightning spells just to annoy the hell out of people.
Costume-wise, he likely would utilize a white toga and illusion his hair to a silver. He would also illusion his tail and horns to be silver, as his demonic brother has that coloration for those areas. Oh! Claws would be this way as well. He also would not need to consult anyone for advice, because he knows exactly how to parody his ridiculous brother.
Well, there you have it! I hope you had as much fun reading this article as I did writing it. That said, my book is out TODAY! That’s right, Cobratongue University: Professors & Kings is now purchasable! Nab a copy if you’re interested in these characters in a magical college setting. There’s a lot of action, magic, and world building. I hope you enjoy the book if you pick it up!
Des M. Astor 