Line #23 Literature/Monster


1	[[quoteright:295:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/monster_91.jpg]]
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3	Monster Dionysus's life sucks. He's got a dead-end job which he absolutely hates, a nagging {{Tsundere}} girlfriend from hell, can barely afford the roof over his head, and worse yet he has to face the inevitable prospect that one day he'll be completely out of a job.
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5	Wait, did we mention that his job was capturing and retrieving [[OurCryptidsAreMoreMysterious cryptozoological creatures]]? Because if not, it's really important that we do...
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7	Things get worse for Monster when he meets Judy on the job when the convenience store she works at is attacked by yetis. Though she's a [[{{Muggles}} light cog]] and therefore physically incapable of understanding TheMasquerade, she still makes a point of intruding on Monster's life. And let's face it, after her workplace is wrecked by yetis, and her home is destroyed by [[AllTrollsAreDifferent a bunch of trolls]] and a kojin, [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive there's really nothing else you can do]].
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9	However, whenever Monster and Judy meet, cryptozoological creatures seem to follow [[MisplacedWildlife to the point where it's impossible to not notice]]. Before long it is revealed that Judy isn't [[TheChosenOne quite what she appears to be]], and it's up to her, Monster, and Monster's [[OurGnomesAreWeirder paper gnome]] Chester to stop an evil that has [[TimeAbyss existed since the beginning of the universe.]]
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11	Oh, and his girlfriend from hell? Yeah, [[NotHyperbole she really is from Hell]].
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13	This covers the book written by Creator/ALeeMartinez, not [[{{Manga/Monster}} the manga]] or [[Film/{{Monster}} the film]] by the same title. Or the 1999 young adult novel ''Literature/{{Monster\|Myers}}''. Or [[Literature/TheMonster the similarly titled short story]] by Creator/AEVanVogt.
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15	In the 2013 anthology book ''Robots versus Slime Monsters'', one of the stories -- "Literature/WorkEthic" -- is set before the events of the novel.
16	----
17	!!This book provides examples of:
18	* AffablyEvil:
19	** Lotus maintains a polite, eerily-gentle demeanor in spite of her greed; even her end-goal for humanity is surprisingly gentle.
20	** Ed, despite being TheBrute to Lotus, is generally pretty sweet-natured and bubbly, particularly in contrast to Ferdinand's more stoic, surly attitude.
21	* AlmightyIdiot: [[spoiler:The universe, in essence. Monster describes it as an idiot savant]].
22	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: [[BigBad Lotus]] is responsible for the Dark Ages, the fall of several Chinese dynasties, and the invention of the cell phone and reality TV.
23	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Monster believed that contracting a succubus girlfriend would be ''awesome'', especially the part about getting to have sex with her every day. And it was...for a while. But now the bloom is well off the rose, they're both sick of each other, ''and'' they're ''long'' weary of ''having'' to have sex with someone they aren't in love with anymore. ''Every''. '''Single.''' '''''Day'''''. Unfortunately the last time he tried to break things off, she nearly killed him.
24	* BeyondTheImpossible: [[spoiler:When the fireproof succubus Liz tries to kill Monster and hits the Stone, it manages to send back a bolt of fire that incinerates her]].
25	* BittersweetEnding: Subverted - only ''Monster'' thinks that it's a bittersweet ending. It's actually a straightforward happy ending. Basically, [[spoiler: Lotus is dead, the Stone is free to restore the universe, Judy is no longer troubled by her connection to it, the magical ecology is enjoying a boom, and magic itself has become much more powerful without Lotus draining the energy from the universe. In fact, the haze which stopped {{Muggles}} from noticing or remembering the supernatural has ended, not only giving them a chance to witness and even learn magic, but also allowing magicians more control over their spells.]] The only reason Monster thinks otherwise is because [[spoiler: while he's enjoyed the upsurge in magical creatures for him to capture and/or rescue, the fact that magic has become widespread again means that he's no longer indispensable, and he might be out of a job soon. Plus, he's been forced to kill his girlfriend.]] Then Gracie shows up, asking for a lift...
26	* BlessedWithSuck:
27	** Being a light cog is no fun, as you have enough awareness to recognize the supernatural but not enough to ''remember'' it, meaning that you're stuck in a perpetual loop of noticing and forgetting. Some light cogs can use magic because of this, but rarely reliably or impressively. Plus, the lobe that allows them to perceive the supernatural will continue to atrophy throughout their lives until they revert to being ordinary incogs... but unlike most incogs, they also have a much higher likelihood of suffering from mental illness or crippling senility in their golden years.
28	** Judy actually has it ''worse'' than most light cogs, as monsters are supernaturally drawn to her and directed by her emotions. Consequently, she's been saddled with a huge array of misadventures that she can't remember or explain, leaving her constantly in trouble with her parents, teachers, employers, landlords and the police for something she has no control over. By the start of the story, this power has effectively ruined her life - and this is ''before'' Lotus begins targeting her.
29	* BubblyWaitress: The aptly named Chipper, all bubbles and smiles in a poodle skirt, who is described as ''skipping'' with two mugs of coffee without spilling a drop. Judy, the protagonist, declares "I swear, if she calls me ''[[MaamShock ma'am]]'' one more time..."
30	* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: Played oh so literally.
31	* CosmicKeystone: [[spoiler: The Stone Tablet, being the source of the universe and all its previous iterations.]]
32	* EleventhHourSuperpower: [[spoiler:Once Monster comes into mental contact with the universe, it gifts him with a large amount of magic which allows him to change colors (and therefore powers) at will as well as allowing him to reverse Lotus's magical transformations--this allows him to both neutralize Lotus's henchgirls and fight her to a standstill. Unfortunately the amount of magic is limited and eventually runs out, leaving him back at zero]].
33	* EvilIsPetty: Minor demons will irritate people into destroying the objects they're bound to, releasing and sending them back to Hell, but not before putting an annoying curse on the destroyer. It's mentioned that they're perfectly happy being stuck in an object for a thousand years just for the ''chance'' to give someone sonic flatulence for a day.
34	* ExtraStrengthMasquerade: {{Muggles}} are neurologically incapable of believing in or remembering that magic exists, even if they ''want to''. [[spoiler: By the end of the story though [[TheUnmasquedWorld the masquerade is just starting to break]].]]
35	* ForcedTransformation: Several of the cats in Lotus's house [[spoiler: and, for a short while, Monster]] used to be human, but there are also quite a few of them that used to be other animals; one, in particular used to be a dragon. As it happens, this is actually [[spoiler: Lotus's plan for the entire human race.]]
36	* FriendshipDenial: Every time Julie encounters monster, something gets destroyed. Every time Monster meets Julie, he nearly gets killed. They both stubborn, cynical people who don't like each other much at first, and Chester notes that people have trouble getting along with someone too like like them. Even in the end, Monster denies that they're friends, stating that FireForgedFriendship sounds like movie bullshit, though it's implied that this statement is something of a defense mechanism.
37	* GlamourFailure: The cats around Lotus's house are actually transfigured humans and animals, and they can be recognised as such by their shadows.
38	* HandshakeOfDoom: Judy's attempts to tag along with Monster go horribly wrong when she tries to capture a sea elf (a sentient parahuman and therefore not a pest). Chester is eventually able to talk the sea elf out of pressing charges, allowing a suitably-embarrassed Judy and her victim to resolve the situation with a friendly handshake... only for the vengeful sea elf to curse her the moment he makes skin contact: for the next few chapters, Judy has even worse luck than usual.
39	* HiddenHeartOfGold: Monster doesn't think of himself as a hero, just a guy with a job. And since he's not a hero, he doesn't stick his neck out for other people and is generally a somewhat selfish person. But Chester sees potential in him, [[spoiler:and he ultimately does the right thing when he could've just walked away]].
40	* HornedHumanoid: Hardy has ram's horns. He claims they're a legacy from a demonic ancestor, but Monster suspects the guy is just a half-satyr trying to sound like he's something cooler than that.
41	* HumansAreBastards: Monster and Judy's view of the human race.
42	* HumansAreIdiots: Chester's view of the human race; apart from the nicknames of "monkeys" and "protoplasm," he frequently doubts that human beings can even be classified as sentient.
43	* HumansAreSpecial: Lotus's view of the human race; according to her, human beings are the only race in the cosmos that voluntarily make themselves miserable.
44	* TheImmune: As a side-effect of being bitten by a basilisk and undergoing two months of alchemical antivenom treatments necessary to save his life (without ending up being melted into a puddle by said treatments), Monster is completely immune to toxic substances, as well as having an unstable enchantment.
45	* JumpedAtTheCall: Once Judy learns magic exists, she ''absolutely refuses'' to let herself forget, to the point of writing on her arm and getting a memory glyph cast upon herself.
46	* LaserGuidedKarma: Very minor demons can be summoned and bound into objects, usually dolls, and made to do a task. If the object is destroyed, the devil is sent back to the underworld, but has enough time to put a minor, inconvenient, and annoying curse on whoever's nearby (generally catching the destroyer). This gets weaponized a few times.
47	* MacGuffin: The Stone Tablet [[spoiler: which turns out to be the origin and sustaining force of the universe itself.]]
48	* TheMagicGoesAway: Magic and the rest of the supernatural are in serious decline as humans lose their ability to comprehend it [[spoiler: and Lotus continues draining energy from the universe]].
49	** TheMagicComesBack: [[spoiler: In full swing at the end of the story.]]
50	* TheMeaningOfLife: There are implications that there ''is'' a meaning of life, but no one knows what it is. Not even Lotus (who's outlived various realities) or the CosmicKeystone (which stores all knowledge in the universe) know what it is.
51	* MilkmanConspiracy: According to the CosmicKeystone that records all information in the universe, there are a group of super-intelligent dairy cows in Iowa plotting to overthrow humanity.
52	* {{Muggles}}: At the beginning of the book, the human race can be classified as either Incogs, Light Cogs, or Cogs: Incogs are classic {{Muggles}} who can't interact with or even notice magic no matter how hard they try. Light Cogs can observe magic without the WeirdnessCensor and even learn to cast the odd spell from time to time, but forget what they saw very quickly; [[BlessedWithSuck plus, they're also prone to suffering from Alzheimer's disease later in life.]] Finally, Cogs are capable of seeing and remembering the supernatural, and can also perform magic following a certain degree of education; however, thanks to [[spoiler: Lotus's influence]], they have trouble remembering spells without easy references.
53	* MundaneUtility: Lotus uses the CosmicKeystone -- the indestructible tablet that records and channels all knowledge and power in the universe -- as a cutting-board in her kitchen.
54	* MythologyGag: When Monster interrogates Judy on a number of things she could have done that would cause an abnormal amount of cryptid activity, one of which is "behead an evil wizard." This is actually one of the reasons the titular witch from one of [[Creator/ALeeMartinez Martinez's]] other novels, ''Literature/ANamelessWitch'', was born as a form of undead; her ancestor beheaded an EvilSorcerer and his dying head cursed his family line.
55	* NeverMessWithGranny: The BigBad looks like a kindly old lady.
56	* ObliviouslySuperpowered: Judy is a [[WeirdnessMagnet magnet for supernatural creatures]] and unwittingly capable of influencing them with her emotions. However, the fact that she's a [[{{Muggle}} Light Cog]] means that [[ExtraStrengthMasquerade she can't remember anything supernatural]], so she has no explanation for any of the accidents caused by her powers - leaving her in constant trouble with her parents, teachers, employers, landlords, ''and'' the police. Of course, it's a very subtle power, so even when Monster gives her a memory rune that allows her to remember the supernatural, she still doesn't notice the power up until Monster points out that paranormal creatures have shown up at every location they've visited in the last few days. [[spoiler: It's eventually revealed that this particular power is due to Judy's nature as the universe's chosen weapon against [[BigBad Lotus]].]]
57	* OneWordTitle: Also a ProtagonistTitle, using the protagonist's first name.
58	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Monster isn't his real first name, it's just what he's commonly called.
59	* OurAngelsAreDifferent: Gracie, who indicates she's allowed to have sex. It's lampshaded that angels all have "stripper names".
60	* OurCryptidsAreMoreMysterious: The yeti that eats all the ice cream in Judy's grocery store is just the start.
61	* OurDemonsAreDifferent: There are different denizens of Hell. Monster's girlfriend Liz is a succubus, and she makes a bunch of dolls in which are imprisoned minor demons that function as cell phones, alarm clocks, etc.
62	* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Not mentioned much in the story, but there is apparently a difference between a drake and a dragon.
63	* OurGnomesAreWeirder: Chester is a being from a higher plane of existence, who folds himself into a creature that looks rather like a very short, skinny human being ''but made out of paper''. In addition, this condition is about as close as he ever gets to dreaming. And they call him a ''gnome''.
64	** There actually are garden gnomes present in the story, working for Lotus.
65	* OurMonstersAreDifferent: No, not the character. But there are enough monsters in the story to shake a hat at, including some that are so old and weird that humanity has forgotten about them (well, more than they already have).
66	%%* PhlebotinumKilledTheDinosaurs
67	* ProtagonistTitle: Also a OneWordTitle, using the protagonist's first name.
68	* PsychicChildren: Every child starts out as a light cognizant, meaning they can learn of the existence of and perceive magic and magical; creatures. As they age, most kids lose their Merlin's lobe and so their memories of the magic things they see fade into fantasies and fairy tales. Some keep their lobes into adulthood, though even ''they'' will lose them eventually...and very likely end up with senility or mental illness.
69	* RealEventFictionalCause: [[Music/ElvisPresley Elvis's]] death was actually an assassination engineered by vampires, or at least that's what the CosmicKeystone that records all information in the universe claims to have happened.
70	* SealedEvilInATeddyBear:
71	** [[FantasyCounterpartAppliance Instead of a cellphone]], Liz summons [[OurImpsAreDifferent imps]] and has them possess dolls, which then take calls and have built in reminder alarms. While the dolls themselves are harmless (albeit annoying) in this state, breaking the dolls frees the imps, who then go one to [[PokeThePoodle commit acts of petty inconveniences]] to the poor soul (usually Monster) that freed them.
72	** Lotus's home is full of dozens of cats, which cast the shadows and make the sounds of the creatures they were before she transformed them. One of them has the roar and shadow of a ''dragon''.
73	* TheStoner: Judy's neighbor Paulie spends most of his free time baked out of his ass; amusingly enough, Judy notes he's the one exception to the rule that most human beings are unhappy.
74	* SuccubiAndIncubi: Monster's girlfriend is a succubus, [[ExtremeLibido requires daily sex to keep her happy]], and can [[LivingAphrodisiac give a man an erection by just waving a hand]]. It hasn't stopped their relationship from going sour, though.
75	* SuperPowerLottery: Thanks to being under an unstable enchantment, Monster has [[RandomizedTransformation a number of abilities which reset every time he wakes up from sleep or unconsciousness]]. And they're ColorCodedForYourConvenience -- Monster changes color from head to toe. Often, these abilities also come with a WeaksauceWeakness or difficulty of use. The ones he demonstrates in the book and sequel story are:
76	** DisabilitySuperpower: Purple leaves him with no sense of taste or smell--situationally useful, but some monsters have a literally nauseating stench.
77	** EyeBeams: Peach
78	** [[WreathedInFlames Fireproof]]: Red
79	** {{Flight}}: Goldenrod
80	** HealingFactor: Turquoise
81	** {{Invisibility}}: Golden yellow, but ''only when Monster closes his eyes''. If he closes one, he becomes semi-transparent.
82	** LightEmUp: Orange, but letting off bright flashes dehydrates him. He has only a handful of uses before he dehydrates himself into unconsciousness.
83	** NighInvulnerable: Blue
84	** RubberMan: Emerald, minus the stretching and shapeshifting--his body becomes rubbery and excessively flexible, to the point where his limbs become difficult to control. On the upside, it's hard to harm him in that state.
85	** ShockAndAwe: Gray skin and white hair, but it really ''stings'' to use the lightning.
86	** Monster is unaware of this, but even though he has no control over them his powers may not be as unstable as they seem: somehow whatever power he develops (at least from what the viewer sees) turns out to be just what is needed for a situation (e.g. "Randomly" ending up with purple just before having to deal with particularly stinky monsters).
87	* TimeAbyss: Lotus, who has not only seen all of human history play out, but has lived through ''previous'' iterations of the universe. [[spoiler:She's why there's even a universe to begin with]].
88	* TheTransmogrifier: Lotus is capable of many powerful feats of magic thanks to her connection to the Stone. However, her favoured method involves transforming individuals into other species: her house is populated by numerous cats, all of them previously other life-forms, including nosy neighbours, elephants, and even a dragon - which can still breathe fire, incidentally; her two human minions, Ed and Ferdinand, used to be a horse and a cow; finally, her EvilPlan is [[spoiler: to stop the Stone from correcting the balance, namely by transforming the entire human race into cats.]]
89	* WalkingShirtlessScene: Judy's stoner full-cog neighbor Paulie doesn't own any shirts--but he's super-buff, so he can get away with it. [[HomeNudist He's also often without pants]], too bad about his chicken legs.
90	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Mostly averted, naturally, but there's one...odd example. [[spoiler:Near the end, Ferdinand, who was a cow originally but was [[HumanityEnsues turned into a human]] for Lotus's purposes, is fighting with Chester. Monster takes advantage of her distraction to turn her back into a cow. While this was her natural form, she's clearly sapient now and horrified at turning back into a non-sapient animal. There's no mention of her turning back. Was this murder, then? (Or perhaps once Lotus was dead...)]]

Context Literature / Monster