Pasadena City College of the Dead
PCCD logo
formerly PCC
Other names
“They will not be deterred from their affordable post high school educational endeavors.”
- Annals of Adam, by Robert Lizard Stevenson
Pasadena City College of the Dead is the new name for Pasadena City College, after an ecological disaster transformed all the human students and staff into living wraiths, ghouls, ghosts, etc. No zombies though, that would be cliché.
Origin
The Lizard King instigated the Lizard Apocalypse, and later began the Purge of Learning: his efforts to destroy all higher education. He started on the east coast of the United States and headed west. But when he got to Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California, the school buildings were already mostly destroyed, crumbling, or overgrown with dark vines. Upon investigation, the Lizard King’s warriors discovered an unknown environmental catastrophe had changed all the students into, as he put it, “Halloween monsters.” The Lizard King figured that was the end of the school. He was incorrect.
Continued Learning
Unbeknownst to the Lizard King (who merely glanced in a couple buildings, said “eww,” and left), Pasadena City College of the Dead is alive and well with educational pursuits. The only difference is, no one graduates or leaves. They all love it there. It’s essentially a research institution now, and has made numerous significant advancements in many fields, including, but not limited to, seismology, subatomic physics, and how to open a beer without a bottle opener. The school staff is an advisor to Clawsco in the retail chain’s efforts to stabilize ley lines and prevent the awakening of Cthulhu.
Vampire Mike teaches guest lectures on hospitality and ethical social climbing, on occasion.
The school is the only group to come anywhere near comprehending Alexandra the Great’s convoluted but functional time travel methodology. One graduate student nearly managed it, but instead ended up with glow-in-the-dark bones.
Oktoberfest Halloween Marathon
Every year in October, the school opens their doors to the general public for a combination Oktoberfest and Halloween film marathon. The festival does have a name, but it is in an ancient eldritch language, and speaking the words aloud awakens the Twin-Headed Goat God, Supreme Ruler of the Undead, and Dean. The school staff says he is benevolent, but they respect his sleep schedule.
The New New York Times advises humans who visit to take precautions, “not because of the ecological disaster, as that’s entirely under control now, but because dead people can really hold their liquor. Do not enter a drinking contest with a hobgoblin. Our intern made that mistake and had to be reanimated by the college’s professoriate.”
The festival is occasionally haunted by the ghost of ecoterrorist and all-around douchebag giant squid Squidney, but he is always quickly thrown out by the Goat God.
The event has been hailed by Cassie Heppenstall as “the most important non-human film event, aside from Lizard Sundance.” Though the programming is mostly older, Halloween-related films, independent films sometimes debut there, such as Milomonster & Otis, Brainspotting, and Reptile Without a Claws.
The Twin-Headed Goat God
The Twin-Headed Goat God is the dean of the school. The school provost describes him as “existing between this plane of reality and an alternative plane in which pretty much everything is the same except we are all goats.” The provost — a goat himself — is the primary speaker for the will of the Twin-Headed Goat God, who only manifests on this plane on special occasions, such as during film screenings, at each school cafeteria meal time, and to facilitate the annual school Xebec tournament.
Robert Lizard Stevenson gives a physical description in their book, in passing:
“Five-course the feast
four-wingéd beast
tri-colored coat
Twin-Headed Goat.”
Cobra VS Croc
Cobra VS Croc graffiti graces the walls of Pasadena City College of the Dead. The staff and students leave it there, claiming “being dead really makes you appreciate the fun things in life.” The largest and most prominent piece shows Cobra and Croc playing the board game Horrified with the Twin-Headed Goat God.