As a snake lover and future snake owner, I wanted to have Astaroth portraying some snake-like behavior. I actually plan on doing similar things with other demon characters since they have an interesting set of behavioral traits that go with the kind of demon they are. They’re not feral characteristics per say, just harmless little habits. The way this works for Astaroth is a little different than snakes, though. Since he does lack a proper nose, his tongue is literally his nose.

The difference is that he’s not bothered by scents that would make snakes turn the other way. For example, snakes hate peppermint oil, ammonia, and garlic/onion smells (to name a few), but these smells don’t bother Astaroth. Same goes for smells that are considered “toxic”, like Thioacetone. Although, such scents have been known to cause unusual effects, such as a sudden spike in hunger and craving foods that contain phenylethylamine. The first time Nicholas saw Astaroth smell something it did catch him off guard, but he thinks it’s pretty cool.