Ask any college kid what they dressed up as for Halloween this year.

They'll probably ask you a question in response.

"Which night?"

You see, Halloween isn't just one particular day when you're in college. Specifically, I mean to say that our population doesn't refer to October 31st and Halloween as being mutually exclusive to each other.

The occasion doesn't really have any beginning/end points. Since Halloween falls on a Monday this year (rude), this past weekend has consisted of multiple Halloweens. (AKA lots of costumes have been needed, each varying in levels of effort, aggressiveness, trendiness, etc).

This weekend, I did some Halloween research: a naturalistic observational analysis, if you will. My primary mode of documentation was through SnapChat. The purpose(s) of my study were to A) observe some of my fellow college students in their natural habitat during the Halloweekend festivities, and then B) to give credit where credit is due, by acknowledging the students who I believe really killed the game in the costume arena.

So without any further adieu, here are the top ten costumes of Halloweekend (according to my attention span and ability to capture cute pictures of said costumes at the moment).

1. Mermaid

This one was a winner, no doubt. Mackenzie always knew that one day she was to become a mermaid. This Halloweekend was her destiny. Even weeks (months?) before October, she fantasized about the day she'd be sprouting the fish tail that her mother was lovingly sewing for her (Oh Luanne, what a wonderful lady).

2. Pumpkin

I couldn't contain my excitement about Mel's beautifully executed costume compilation. It's simple and sweet - displaying a nearly perfect Trendy to Basic ratio, splashed with a hint of aggressive IDGAFness that exudes confidence and comfort, all the while expressing the inalienable Halloweekend right to neglect wearing pants in public. The pumpkin's booby eyes are just a bonus, adding to Mel's genius. Bippity Boppity Boo. Ten out of ten would recommend.

3. Suggestive Yeti

Anyone can wear a furry costume and sweat profusely. It's what you do with your furry costume and sweat that matters. Matt had to make a quick decision when he realized that his yeti identity was turning into a sweaty-identity (LOLOL I love myself, rhymes are so fun). He was standing in a crowded apartment, surrounded by sexy kitties and tutus and bears (oh my!). He felt envious of those costumes' air filtration abilities. Their sexy factors (i.e. lack of fabric) were much more correlated with comfort in this situation than his fuzzy factors. It was that moment that he transformed into a new being, perhaps with hopes of bringing all the lady yetis to the yard.

4. Strawberry

This Halloween taught us all a very valuable lesson. When in doubt, tutus will prevail. You probably recognize this adorable little strawberry from earlier. Except then, the berry was a mermaid. As Halloweekend was fast approaching, Mackenzie's heart was preoccupied by her excitement associated with planning her adventures unda da sea. She didn't want to think about dressing up as anything else. Alas, she rose to the challenge when coming to the realization that she had to throw together a second costume. As fate had it, there was a red tutu available. She combined said tutu with a red crop top. She then strategically placed a green headband onto her noggin, intending to represent foliage. Snaps to Mack (lol rhyming again) for being such a versatile mermaid berry.

5. Creepy doll? Melanie Martinez? etc?

Okay, let's first acknowledge (again) the reliability of the tutu. It can't be denied that Michelle's striped socks, black ribbons, pink hair, and creepy makeup (which is dope af) each contribute to the demonic doll vibe she's got going on. She doesn't have to worry about smiling when posing for pictures because she's got the dark soul role down. However, it's clear that the tutu stole the show. 'Twas the main event. It adds to the "I'm not gonna smile because I'm a demon, but I like to party" vibe.

6. Swimming Champion

It's only fitting that I snapped this pic of Claire in front of all her trophies (that aren't actually hers but we'll pretend). You see that face? That's the face of a champion. She's focused. She's ready. No bag of wine can be held too high or slapped too hard. No bottle of Zelko can be too icky. No frat basement can be too sweaty. Whatever obstacle she may face while participating in Halloweekend festivities, this warrior will relentlessly chant just keep swimming just keep swimming just keep swimming swimming swimming.

7. Kitty Titties

Let's all take a moment to give this man a round of applause for his dedication to his character. From past Halloweekend experiences, I've learned to associate cat costumes with extremely high levels of basic-ness. This dude challenged that norm. He took the typical "sexy cat" persona to a whole new level and owned tf out of it. Not only did he exceed all of our expectations, he's challenged gender norms. When I asked him what inspired him to choose this costume, he simply told me "mama cats have a lot of nipples" and that he wanted to "appreciate the girl cats." You go dude. High five for feline feminism. Meow.

8. Whale

Matt wanted to use this costume as an opportunity to combat whale stereotypes. Too many times throughout this Halloweekend was he made to feel stripped of his identity and placed in a category as just a whale. Nay, he wasn't just a whale, he was specifically an Orca. Despite feeling objectified, this brave ~Orca~ held his head high when strangers pointed to his dorsal fin and called him names, like "Shamoo" or "Pearl." He maintained a respectful tone while responding to generalized statements like "omg what a cute whale," or "you've got a nice tail." He hoped to spread awareness of the fact that calling a whale "Shamoo" just because he's a whale is offensive. In summary, Matt aimed to teach a valuable lesson to the public that not every whale is the same. Some whales are born great. Some whales have greatness thrust upon them.

9. Bebehs

These babes (lol get it?) straight up rocked diapers for this Halloweekend festivity, and I've got nothing but pure admiration for their efforts. I'd be lying if I said I'm not jealous that I didn't think of this idea before Minna and Marissa did. Just thinking about all the strategical advantages associated with this costume is overwhelming. Think about it. No pants. No waiting in bathroom lines. No pants. Convenient place-holding for cellular devices and/or wallets and/or beverages. No pants.

10. Veloci-rappers

I’d like to propose a moment of silence to honor the pure punny genius that encompasses everything this couple's costume stands for. Emi and Winn wanted to dress up as something together for this Halloweekend, but they wished to reduce their basicness output as much as they possibly could. They didn't want to simply mimic the majority of couples' costumes that they've witnessed. No, they needed to think of something unique. Something daring. Something that said, "we're a damn good couple" without explicitly having to state it. I can confidently say that they definitely accomplished their goal. They somehow managed to simultaneously blow my mind and piece it back together with the idea that LOVE REALLY DOES EXIST.

And thus concludes the list of winners of my Halloweekend SnapChat excursion. I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to read this article and for giving these geniuses the recognition they deserve. I wish I could give a metaphorical trophy to each and every one of the subjects I observed. However, life is just too short and an article with every one of the pictures I took would be too long. So, in interest of time and space, I'd like to present a list of costumes that deserve to be given at least an Honorable Mention award.

11. "Chiracha"

I like your nozzle.

12. Mario

You are an independent french man who don't need no Luigi.

13. Taco

14. Cat lady with some futuristic weapon

Tbh I don't think this was a costume actually.

15. Carebear

The guy behind you needs a hug. Go do your thang.

16. A cowboy and his feline friend

Hold still plz.

17. Deer

Oh dear why you so shy?

18. Johnny Bravo