Reptilian shapeshifters

[naomi_jay]

You don't see too many of them in Urban Fantasy, do you? I mean, not as good guys anyway. I know LKH has had weresnakes and nagas in the Anita Blake books, but I can't think of any besides that. I blame David Icke and his reptilian overlord conspiracy theories (although he may have a point about Tony Blair).

I've seen a developing trend for avian shapeshifters, and I've read a couple of books featuring weredolphins, but reptiles seem to be ignored, or relegated to bad guys. Is that because reptiles are inherently creepy? Too cold-blooded and scaly to be suitable hero material?

Well, screw you guys. I'm going to write a story with a weresnake in it! And blackjack! And hookers! No, wait, not the last two.

Comments

[sanguinepen.livejournal.com]

All slithery. hisssssss

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

I love snakes. One of my dad's army friends had a pet python that he used to bring to our house. We've got photos somewhere of 10-year-old me desperately trying not to collapse under the weight of the 12 foot python round my neck.

[yolandasfetsos.livejournal.com]

You know, you're right. Although Culebra in Jeanne C Stein's Anna Strong series isn't really a bad guy. :)

Go on, write a weresnake hero or heroine! I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

I haven't read any of Stein's books, although I hear great things about them. Obviously it's time I cracked one open!

[faerylite.livejournal.com]

My WIP has a weresnake hero :) though he prefers the term 'snakeshifter', y'know?

And it has hookers. No blackjack as yet. I'll see what I can do.

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

Excellent! I love snakes - they need further recognition as the awesome animals they are!

[dwg.livejournal.com]

The only thing that springs to mind is Christopher Pike's The Listeners, and it wasn't so much a shapeshifter but rather something from before mankind trying to use a psychic as a conduit to be reborn. I've been nostalgic the last couple of days for Pike books.

There was also a story by Nancy A. Collins in Hotter Blood anthology with a demon that was a snake from the crotch down and the woman who fell in love with him.

Personally, I'm with you on the reptile love. Mostly when I mess with them, they wind up associated with the faeries -- the King of Autumn has a snake for his family crest and can manifest the creature from the tattoo on his arm (also the wyrm and dragon tats he has, but the snake is his faaaavourite because it's on his left arm and it can slither down his sleeve to freak people out. He's Unseelie, so this counts as lulz :D) but his personality is also somewhat serpentine, while his wife is Sluagh and so there's a reptilian element to her. I've been working on another Sluagh who's got an elf-witch mother (THIS IS WHY HE SMELLS LIKE APPLE PIE AND HAS POINTY EARS, THANKS MOM) but Sluagh father, who happens to be more snake than man. The result isn't exactly something offputting, just...different. Also, the character can dislocate his joints (bendy!).

ETA: Does Mbwan from Lincoln Preston's Relic count? I mean, it started out as a dude, but mutated into a reptilebeast (oh the movie is so bad compared to the book, so very bad).

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

Wasn't there a lamia in an early LKH book? I forget if it was Circus of the Damned or Laughing Corpse... No, LC had the mega zombie, didn't it? I've wanted to write something with a lamia as a protagonist for ages, but can't figure out what it would actually be about.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

Melanie in Circus of the Damned! I LOVED HER SO MUCH. At least she owned the whole queen bee thing at the centre of her own private "we love you" boy party. I miss her :(

On a sort of related note, I'm totally stealing Melusine (*fangirls*) and giving her a hot princess girlfriend while they're both in exile.