May Monster Madness #3 - Loveable Monsters

This is my third post for the  May Monster Madness Blog Hop.

My subject today is loveable monsters, those (sometimes) ugly creatures that are a bit scary but that turn out to be adorable.

Jim Henson was a master at creating loveable monsters. From Animal in The Muppets to Ludo from Labyrinth, he could conjure up characters that were instantly a little bit dangerous/insane but were also totally hug-worthy.

Animal has long been a favourite muppet of mine. Just left of totally insane, this drummer extraordinaire always made me laugh as a kid. He has so thoroughly entered the collective consciousness of the western world that we only have to see him on a T-shirt to know that the wearer is trying to propose a little anarchy :)

Ludo is a loveable monster right from when we meet him in Labyrinth. He's a big, hairy, lumbering giant with few words, but a wonderful heart. He is a gentle creature whose heart is far from stone, even though some of his best friends are rocks ;)

Labyrinth, by its very nature, had more than its fair share of monsters in the form of goblins and even talking door-knockers and, the fairies are right little monsters as well, be careful, they bite! Because we are seeing them through the eyes of Sarah (whom Ludo lovingly calls Sawah ;)), most every creature she meets in the Goblin Kingdom is monstrous. This is not true in other fantasy realms where we may be looking/reading through the eyes of a person who would themselves be considered a monster by we humans, so, being a monster is relative and depends on the reaction of the protagonists in a story.

In Krull, most of the heroes are human, but they are joined by one cyclops (played by Bernard Bresslaw), who is viewed as somewhere between monster and man by the others until they get to know him. This is because cyclops are a reclusive people who do not mix with men. He is a sad character, as all cyclops are, because the true monster, 'The Beast' that Prince Colwyn needs to fight to rescue his betrothed, has given the cyclops the power to see the future, but only to see their own individual deaths. As a child, I always wanted to be able to give him a hug.

Science Fiction has its own share of loveable monsters as well. I would put E.T. into this category: he's short, round, wrinkly and alien, but those big, round eyes and his inquisitive, friendly nature make him one of the most adorable monsters of all time. I have heard it said that the US government bankrolled E.T. to get Earth ready for meeting aliens - whether it's true, or just a very cute conspiracy theory I will leave up to you, but I would say that in E.T. we have a really great boon to Earth-Alien relations ;P.

Of course, there are some 'monsters' on our screens that we love to love for completely different reasons: I'm talking about the suave monsters whose possibly murderous nature we ignore in favour of them being rather sexy ;). Dracula fits the bill here, and Edward (if you're into the sparkly one). Personally, I started fancying vampires in The Lost Boys. Vampires ooze sex appeal, they are seducers and monsters that make us wonder if we are that bothered about being bitten o.O.

Of course, there are some not-so-loveable vampires, but they don't fall under the loveable label, so I'll leave them to another post! Werewolves and even, dare I say it, zombies are also getting in on the sexy act as well these days. These are the characters we find in our paranormal fiction, and I've even been known to throw in a sexy ghost as well to my writing (The Need In Me). They're our strong-man, risky relationship fantasies and, I don't know about you, but I enjoy reading, watching and writing about them.

So, there you have it, my gallop through monsters we can't help adoring. Are there any monsters you want to give a hug, or maybe even a little bit more? ;)

On another note: I'm an author, and I have dabbled in a few horror stories if you're interested. :)

When Darkness Beckons
This is a two story horror anthology created for All Hallows Read 2012.

Catcher of Souls by Natasha Duncan-Drake (that's me :))
When Miles sets foot inside The King James pub he knows instantly there is a disembodied soul in residence. The question is, is the soul responsible for the deaths that have happened on the site or were they just accidents. It's Miles' job to catch troublesome lost souls, but when danger strikes he might just be too late.

Some Things Are Stranger... by Sophie Duncan
Life is weird enough for Jake being a werewolf on the run from The Pagan Dawn, ruthless hunters determined to wipe out all 'paranormal scum'. His luck runs out when he is ambushed after a Halloween party and, badly injured, he dives into the shadows of an abandoned warehouse with his pursuers on his heels. Yet, Jake discovers that he is not alone and his encounter with a goofy hobo, who talks about the place being haunted, teaches him that all strangeness is relative.

Book of Darkness
An anthology of six short horror stories.

Sleep Of The Damned by Natasha Duncan-Drake
How would you cope if you discovered your bed was haunted?
BFF by Sophie Duncan
New school, new best friend, but Karen discovers that Debbie has dark secrets.
Just One Day by Sophie Duncan
The house was a bargain and Georgie loves it, so she's not going to listen to the strange warning from the estate agent that for one day every year it is haunted.
The Crosses We Bear by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Shitty hotel, shitty team bonding weekend, but Lyle gets more than he bargained for when he removes the cross from above his bed.
Queen Of My World by Sophie Duncan
Alfred doesn't like people very much, but he knows how to use them to get what he wants and he wants Lissy.
Dead Not Dying by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Jo loves her cat, Tigger, but when he comes back from near death, Jo eventually realises that it might actually have been death itself.

Sacrifice of An Angel (The Haward Mysteries #1)
"Harry Potter (with grownups) meets Midsommer Murders with a magical version of C.S.I. thrown in for good measure." - Rob Drake

The body of a beautiful girl dressed in a ceremonial robe is found on a playground roundabout. Her throat has been ripped out and the roundabout has a bad case of perpetual motion. Is it a ritualistic, magical murder or a setup to distract from the real killer?
That is the question that faces twins, Theo and Remy Haward, detectives in the Sorcerous Crimes Task Force (SeCT), when they are called to the scene in the middle of the night. That and who could commit such an act. They must find the answers to these and other questions, all the while ensuring the general public finds out nothing about the magical world that co-exists with their own.
 Armed with their experience, their natural magical abilities and their complimentary instincts, Remy and Theo must identify the victim, follow the evidence and find the killer before anyone else dies.

Death In The Family (Heritage Is Deadly #1)

When coming of age means a taste for blood.

Tom Franklin has never really understood his midnight cravings for red meat, he has merely accepted them. His Harley Street doctor had always diagnosed his symptoms as a protein deficiency, aggravated by stress, particularly the dark dreams that haunt his subconscious. Yet, when his dreams and consequently his symptoms escalate, Tom's parents are forced to reveal the truth: he isn't human. Tom discovers that the nightmarish images of dark places and even darker instincts are in fact repressed memories of his early childhood, and he must face the wild heritage from his birth-father, a ruthless vampire known only as Raxos.

Realising his memories are his only hope of controlling his awakening instincts, Tom returns to, Coombedown, the sleepy, Cornish village in which he was born, unknowing that the night-breed in his veins will lead him into danger.

"Death In The Family" is a young adult, paranormal novel.

Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles May Monster Madness Posts

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