What kind of monsters do you prefer?

[MaryLennox]

Oh, excellent! I love it when a thread can spark such a great discussion, and also great ideas for the original poster. It validates AW and my faith in humanity, and also gives me that little frisson of delight that there will be in future yet another cool story written and, hopefully, out there in the world where I can get my sticky little beak on it for my own reading pleasure.

There is a reason I've been a member of AW since 2014. I may not post that frequently, but I'm usually lurking around and learning a ton from other posts.

 

[MaryLennox]

There is a reason I've been a member of AW since 2014. I may not post that frequently, but I'm usually lurking around and learning a ton from other posts.

P.S. And try to share what little wisdom and experience I can.

 

[CMBright]

I presume she knows of the Phoebe and Her Unicorn series?

Most recent My Little Pony.

 

[Introversion]

Most recent My Little Pony.

Oh, give her a copy of a Phoebe book and see if it's to her taste! Think Calvin & Hobbes, if Calvin were a girl and Hobbes were a sparkly unicorn.

 

[Unimportant]

Oh, give her a copy of a Phoebe book and see if it's to her taste! Think Calvin & Hobbes, if Calvin were a girl and Hobbes were a sparkly unicorn.

OMG, I need to read that. And send a copy to my unicorn-obsessed librarian niece.

 

[Crowned in Fireflies]

I prefer entirely new monsters. Especially those which are unique, grotesque, beautiful. and incomprehensible.

 

[Vemahk]

I'm glad to see a thread like this hovering near the top 'cause Monsters are primarily what I am having difficulty with in one of my favorite fantasy WIPs...

I think my preference would be towards new monsters (i.e., not stolen, except perhaps adapted, from folklore), who are sapient enough to have motive beyond just "need eat: must eat". That being said, I am apparently incapable of achieving that standard myself lol.

Granted, I think some of my preferences stems from what I was trying to create, which was a certain hierarchy of monsters. The basic monsters I might be content with either pulling from common folklore or mutating a species of animal into a monstrous form, but the advanced monsters running the show... I haven't quite figured out what to do for those.

I think my final opinion may be summed by (perhaps unsatisfactorily): it depends on what you're using the monsters for. As an element of environmental danger or as a serious antagonist. Maybe I'm thinking too narrowly? I don't have a lot of experience with monsters.

 

[MaryLennox]

I think my final opinion may be summed by (perhaps unsatisfactorily): it depends on what you're using the monsters for. As an element of environmental danger or as a serious antagonist. Maybe I'm thinking too narrowly? I don't have a lot of experience with monsters.

What you're using the monsters for is definitely a good thing to consider.

 

[Nether]

I generally prefer monsters based on existing animals or legends, but I like theming so the monsters have to make sense in context. For example, vampires, basilisk, unicorns, and kappa are all great monsters in their own right, but they'd look strange together in most instances (unless the unicorn uses its horn to suck blood from its victims -- which pops up i fiction a LOT more often than you'd think).

However, it doesn't have to be a 1:1. The "Our vampires are different" trope works for me.