{"submission_id":"1652970","keywords":[{"keyword_id":"36","keyword_name":"cute","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"82850"},{"keyword_id":"511","keyword_name":"hyena","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"8846"},{"keyword_id":"53674","keyword_name":"kaiju","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"711"},{"keyword_id":"964","keyword_name":"love","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"16394"},{"keyword_id":"165","keyword_name":"male","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"640485"},{"keyword_id":"837","keyword_name":"monster","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"12399"},{"keyword_id":"3441","keyword_name":"pig","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"3777"},{"keyword_id":"1146","keyword_name":"vampire","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"3979"},{"keyword_id":"597","keyword_name":"werewolf","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"5590"},{"keyword_id":"1859","keyword_name":"zombie","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"1493"}],"hidden":"f","scraps":"f","favorite":"f","favorites_count":"3","create_datetime":"2018-07-10 04:38:08.793672+02","create_datetime_usertime":"10 Jul 2018 04:38 CEST","last_file_update_datetime":"2018-07-10 04:36:09.176157+02","last_file_update_datetime_usertime":"10 Jul 2018 04:36 CEST","username":"Aethan","user_id":"6931","user_icon_file_name":"5775_Aethan_cookiebear.gif","user_icon_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/5/5775_Aethan_cookiebear.gif","user_icon_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/5/5775_Aethan_cookiebear.gif","user_icon_url_small":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/5/5775_Aethan_cookiebear.gif","file_name":"2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/2360/2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/2360/2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/2360/2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.doc","thumbnail_url_huge":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/2360/2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.jpg","thumbnail_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/2360/2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.jpg","thumbnail_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/2360/2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.jpg","thumb_huge_x":"128","thumb_huge_y":"128","thumb_large_x":"128","thumb_large_y":"128","thumb_medium_x":"120","thumb_medium_y":"120","files":[{"file_id":"2360226","file_name":"2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/2360/2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/2360/2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/2360/2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.doc","mimetype":"application/msword","submission_id":"1652970","user_id":"6931","submission_file_order":"0","full_size_x":null,"full_size_y":null,"screen_size_x":null,"screen_size_y":null,"preview_size_x":null,"preview_size_y":null,"initial_file_md5":"a4238f7c3132e5190efcf464aaa2b570","full_file_md5":"a4238f7c3132e5190efcf464aaa2b570","large_file_md5":"","small_file_md5":"","thumbnail_md5":"c36b0e6fa0c688c959b209224bc7619b","deleted":"f","create_datetime":"2018-07-10 04:36:09.176157+02","create_datetime_usertime":"10 Jul 2018 04:36 CEST","thumbnail_url_huge":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/2360/2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.jpg","thumbnail_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/2360/2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.jpg","thumbnail_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/2360/2360226_Aethan_you_re_my_monster.jpg","thumb_huge_x":"128","thumb_huge_y":"128","thumb_large_x":"128","thumb_large_y":"128","thumb_medium_x":"120","thumb_medium_y":"120"}],"pools":[],"description":"This was my submission for the 2018 Anthrocon con book, but it did not appear in the book. The theme of the con being movie monsters, I liked the idea of a world where people were getting jaded about monster activity happening. I also wanted to tell a cute little gay love story. I hope you enjoy it. ","description_bbcode_parsed":"This was my submission for the 2018 Anthrocon con book, but it did not appear in the book. The theme of the con being movie monsters, I liked the idea of a world where people were getting jaded about monster activity happening. I also wanted to tell a cute little gay love story. I hope you enjoy it. ","writing":"You're My Monster\n\nJarod knew something was up when he came in the door from work and found that Tank had set out their bug-out bags. The pig frowned; he'd been hoping for a quiet weekend. ``Hey, babe, I'm home!'' the chubby pig called out.\n\n``Bedroom,'' a gruff voice returned. Jarod walked through the small apartment the two of them shared to the bedroom. He found his boyfriend rooting through their dressers. The tall, burly hyena straightened up as the pig walked in. ``Hey, Truffle,'' he said with a grin.\n\n``Hey, Monster,'' Jarod said, a smile crossing his round face. ``Why are we bugging out?''\n\nTank sighed, nodding at the TV, which was muted but tuned to an emergency news network. ``Kaiju sighted in the next state over. It's following the power-lines, so it'll likely be here sometime tomorrow. I figure we could crash with your folks in the Lakes region, since Kaiju pretty much only rampage in cities.'' He chuckled. ``That's what we get for living in downtown Boston.''\n\nThe pig came over, giving his boyfriend a hug. ``Come for the great jobs and culture; stay for the up-close and personal gigantic monster viewing.'' He frowned and sighed. ``Bus tickets will probably be murder,'' he said, resting his head on Tank's chest. The hyena had always been a full head taller than him. He looked at the TV screen, watching something that looked like a cross between an Armadillo and the Empire State Building pull down high tension wires that spun and sparked.\n\n``Already got `em this morning, right after the kaiju showed up on the news,'' Tank said, giving the pig a reassuring pat on the back. ``Just give your Mom a call and let her know what's up. I'll get the bags packed.''\n\nJarod watched the weird thing on TV as reporters speculated on what it was after. ``I don't think I've seen this one before. Does it have a name yet?''\n\n``I dunno,'' Tank admitted. ``I just know it's not Garouzamarg. I think that big wolfthing is...um...kinda hot?''\n\nThe pig smirked. ``They have flags for that on F-chat.''\n\nWhile Jarod let his parents know they were coming, he glanced, with detatchment, at the devastation on the TV. Over the commercial break, a spokeswolf waxed rhapsodic about the rich brewed taste of Black Lagoon Cold Brew Coffee, with beans from the remotest areas of Brazil, and then three mice in khaki jumpsuits offered to remove zombies from his home for the lowest price imaginable, and suggested that it didn't take much in the way of ``Braaaaaains'' to see the quality of the service they rendered.\n\nTank carried armloads of clothing over to the bug-out bags, loading them up with essentials. Jarod knew that, besides clothing, they had first-aid kits, freeze-dried food, all-weather matches, flint & steel, ``space'' blankets, flashlights, extra batteries, toilet paper, and other essentials if they should end up stranded somewhere.\n\n``Everything cool with your folks?'' the hyena asked, kneeling down, pushing some extra granola bars and packets of trail mix into Jarod's bag.\n\n``Yeah, they're just worried about my cousin Reina. Do you remember that twinky goth Dalmatian she was dating?''\n\nTank thought it over. ``The Hungarian one? Taltosh or something?''\n\n``Yeah. Shocker of the century - he's a vampire.'' The pig rolled his eyes.\n\n``Well, duh,'' Tank snorted, still on his knees. ``I called that when he ran away from the table when your Aunt Viola served her cheesy garlic bread.''\n\nJarod grinned. ``Yeah...what was it he said? That he was lactose intolerant?''\n\nTank laughed, shaking his head. ``Seriously.''\n\nJarod leaned over the kneeling hyena and put on a reasonable Bela Lugosi accent. ``I'm lactose intollllerant, bleah, bleah, bleah!''\n\n``Ack! No, Mr. Vampire!'' Tank said, mock-flailing. ``Please! Don't suck my blood!''\n\n``But you're so tasty!'' Jarod said, nibbling on one of the hyena's ears. Tank squirmed, ticklishly, finally pushing him away with a laugh. ``It serves Aunt Viola right. When we started dating, she thought you were a lycanthrope.''\n\nTank blinked, then belly-laughed. ``Wait, what? Really? You never told me that.''\n\n``Well, it was really embarrassing!'' Jarod said with a sheepish grin. ``But you were just...so big and shaggy. And you do seem to get friskier around full moons...'' \n\nTank grinned again, rising to his feet, out-stretching his arms and walking towards Jarod with stiff legs. ``Nnnnnngh!!! Pig gooood!''\n\n``Oh, no!'' Jarod shrieked, laughing and ducking. ``Stay back, you monster!''\n\nThe hyena ignored him, catching the pig in his arms. ``Nnnnnngh!!! Kiss piggie!'' He began planting kisses all over Jarod's cheeks, ears, and lips.\n\n``C'mon, Monster...calm down now,'' Jarod said, trying to push him away, giggling. ``We should finish packing. When's the bus?''\n\nTank immediately dropped the silliness. ``Eight tonight.'' He looked at his watch. ``We have an hour and a half to pack, walk to the bus station...maybe grab some take-out on the way. You hungry?''\n\nJarod grinned. ``I could eat.''\n\nThey finished packing, shouldered their packs, and then headed out into the street, hanging a few protective talismans on the door to keep a wide range of creatures from coming in while they were gone. They headed down the street to ``Mars Needs Chicken'' and ordered a large paper box of chicken wings with ``Skull Island'' hot sauce. They walked the rest of the way to the bus station, grabbed one of the umbrella-colored picnic tables outside, and sat down to enjoy their food. Jarod munched a couple of wings in silence, looking forward to seeing his parents. Ever since they'd moved north, it felt like he'd seen them less. Even though their lakehouse wasn't where he'd grown up, they'd moved so much of their old furnishings and decor there that visiting always made the pig feel nostalgic. The prospect sent his thoughts back. \n\n``Do you remember before the monsters?'' Jarod asked Tank after a bit.\n\nThe hyena paused, lips still slippery with chicken grease and hot sauce. ``Like...when we were kids?''\n\n``Yeah. When it was all just stuff we saw in movies? The movies made us scared, but then they ended. Maybe we'd have nightmares for a while, but then we'd be able to relax, knowing that the monsters weren't real.''\n\nTank nodded. ``Yeah, I remember that. Like, and then, remember when the zombies first showed up? Like...it was scary? But then, we realized that they were easy enough to deal with, and they stopped being scary.''\n\n``And now you can hire exterminators to get rid of them,'' Jarod said with a chuckle. ``I just saw a commercial. Is it weird that monsters are just becoming...kind of everyday?''\n\n``Maybe it just means we're a healthy society?'' Tank suggested. ``I mean, look at you and I. This isn't our first kaiju bug-out. We've dealt with zombies, and that mummy when we were on vacation...''\n\n``And now my cousin's boyfriend,'' Jarod said with a snicker.\n\n``Heh, yeah,'' Tank grinned. ``But...you see what I mean? We've dealt with it, and it's okay after. I think that's what society's doing. Dealing with it.'' Tank scratched his chin. ``Is it weird to admit I kinda like it?''\n\n``A little?'' Jarod said, raising an eyebrow. ``Why do you like it?''\n\nTank thought it over a moment and then shrugged. ``It's kind of fun, learning all about monsters when you have to deal with them. I dunno...I just think they make things more interesting. I wouldn't want them to go away.''\n\n``I guess I wouldn't either,'' Jarod said with a little smile. ``After all...I'm in love with a monster.''\n\n``Grrrr,'' Tank said, sliding a beefy arm around the pig, pulling him close. ``Thanks, Truffle.''\n\n``I like when you call me that,'' the pig admitted, cuddling closer.\n\n``Well, I like when you call me Monster. Do you remember when you started calling me that?''\n\n``That's easy,'' said Jarod, thinking back. ``It was when we started hanging around in High School...and you used to do that thing, where you'd put out your arms and Frankenstein around...''\n\n``Uh huh,'' Tank said with a grin. ``And I used to say I was Frankenstein, and you'd say...'' He switched to a high falsetto voice. ```Oh, no. You mean Frankenstein's Monster. Frankenstein was the name of the scientist.'''\n\nJarod folded his arms, frowning, squinting at his boyfriend. ``I do *not* sound like that.''\n\nTank snickered. ``So I'd grab you and give you noogies for being such a nerd.'' He knuckled the pig's head, lightly.\n\nJarod squealed and tried to push the arm away. ``Hey, quit that! Hmph...s'what I get for falling in love with a football jock.'' He mock pouted a bit, but then a shiver crawled up his spine. He hugged his chubby arms around the hyena's huge one. ``We're gonna be okay, right?'' he said, unable to keep the worry from his voice.\n\nThe question took Tank by surprise. Usually the pig was the calm one in situations like this. ``What? Of course! Why wouldn't we be?'' \n\n``I dunno...'' Jarod admitted with a nervous shiver. ``I just...I feel like things keep getting worse and worse. Like monster stuff seems to be happening more and more. We didn't have kaiju even five years ago, and this is the second time we've had to deal with them.'' He shook his head. ``I don't know...I guess it's just getting to me.''\n\nTank nodded. ``We're gonna be fine,'' he said, reassuringly, then kissed Jarod's nose. A loud sound made them both look up, just as a bus pulled into the station. ``Oh, here we go. Let's grab a good seat!''\n\nThey boarded the bus together, stashed their backpacks in the overhead compartment, and claimed the backrow, which was extra-wide. They cuddled together, not speaking for a long time, until the bus was heading out of town into the expanse of suburbs, and then through the still-wild New England countryside. ``We're gonna be fine,'' Tank said again, an arm around the pig's shoulders. ``I promise.''\n\n``I know,'' Jarod said, softly. ``I'm with my monster. My monster will protect me. And I'll protect him.''\n\nTank grunted agreeably, and the two of them cuddled together, watching the dark countryside roll by.\n\n","writing_bbcode_parsed":"You're My Monster

Jarod knew something was up when he came in the door from work and found that Tank had set out their bug-out bags. The pig frowned; he'd been hoping for a quiet weekend. ``Hey, babe, I'm home!'' the chubby pig called out.

``Bedroom,'' a gruff voice returned. Jarod walked through the small apartment the two of them shared to the bedroom. He found his boyfriend rooting through their dressers. The tall, burly hyena straightened up as the pig walked in. ``Hey, Truffle,'' he said with a grin.

``Hey, Monster,'' Jarod said, a smile crossing his round face. ``Why are we bugging out?''

Tank sighed, nodding at the TV, which was muted but tuned to an emergency news network. ``Kaiju sighted in the next state over. It's following the power-lines, so it'll likely be here sometime tomorrow. I figure we could crash with your folks in the Lakes region, since Kaiju pretty much only rampage in cities.'' He chuckled. ``That's what we get for living in downtown Boston.''

The pig came over, giving his boyfriend a hug. ``Come for the great jobs and culture; stay for the up-close and personal gigantic monster viewing.'' He frowned and sighed. ``Bus tickets will probably be murder,'' he said, resting his head on Tank's chest. The hyena had always been a full head taller than him. He looked at the TV screen, watching something that looked like a cross between an Armadillo and the Empire State Building pull down high tension wires that spun and sparked.

``Already got `em this morning, right after the kaiju showed up on the news,'' Tank said, giving the pig a reassuring pat on the back. ``Just give your Mom a call and let her know what's up. I'll get the bags packed.''

Jarod watched the weird thing on TV as reporters speculated on what it was after. ``I don't think I've seen this one before. Does it have a name yet?''

``I dunno,'' Tank admitted. ``I just know it's not Garouzamarg. I think that big wolfthing is...um...kinda hot?''

The pig smirked. ``They have flags for that on F-chat.''

While Jarod let his parents know they were coming, he glanced, with detatchment, at the devastation on the TV. Over the commercial break, a spokeswolf waxed rhapsodic about the rich brewed taste of Black Lagoon Cold Brew Coffee, with beans from the remotest areas of Brazil, and then three mice in khaki jumpsuits offered to remove zombies from his home for the lowest price imaginable, and suggested that it didn't take much in the way of ``Braaaaaains'' to see the quality of the service they rendered.

Tank carried armloads of clothing over to the bug-out bags, loading them up with essentials. Jarod knew that, besides clothing, they had first-aid kits, freeze-dried food, all-weather matches, flint & steel, ``space'' blankets, flashlights, extra batteries, toilet paper, and other essentials if they should end up stranded somewhere.

``Everything cool with your folks?'' the hyena asked, kneeling down, pushing some extra granola bars and packets of trail mix into Jarod's bag.

``Yeah, they're just worried about my cousin Reina. Do you remember that twinky goth Dalmatian she was dating?''

Tank thought it over. ``The Hungarian one? Taltosh or something?''

``Yeah. Shocker of the century - he's a vampire.'' The pig rolled his eyes.

``Well, duh,'' Tank snorted, still on his knees. ``I called that when he ran away from the table when your Aunt Viola served her cheesy garlic bread.''

Jarod grinned. ``Yeah...what was it he said? That he was lactose intolerant?''

Tank laughed, shaking his head. ``Seriously.''

Jarod leaned over the kneeling hyena and put on a reasonable Bela Lugosi accent. ``I'm lactose intollllerant, bleah, bleah, bleah!''

``Ack! No, Mr. Vampire!'' Tank said, mock-flailing. ``Please! Don't suck my blood!''

``But you're so tasty!'' Jarod said, nibbling on one of the hyena's ears. Tank squirmed, ticklishly, finally pushing him away with a laugh. ``It serves Aunt Viola right. When we started dating, she thought you were a lycanthrope.''

Tank blinked, then belly-laughed. ``Wait, what? Really? You never told me that.''

``Well, it was really embarrassing!'' Jarod said with a sheepish grin. ``But you were just...so big and shaggy. And you do seem to get friskier around full moons...''

Tank grinned again, rising to his feet, out-stretching his arms and walking towards Jarod with stiff legs. ``Nnnnnngh!!! Pig gooood!''

``Oh, no!'' Jarod shrieked, laughing and ducking. ``Stay back, you monster!''

The hyena ignored him, catching the pig in his arms. ``Nnnnnngh!!! Kiss piggie!'' He began planting kisses all over Jarod's cheeks, ears, and lips.

``C'mon, Monster...calm down now,'' Jarod said, trying to push him away, giggling. ``We should finish packing. When's the bus?''

Tank immediately dropped the silliness. ``Eight tonight.'' He looked at his watch. ``We have an hour and a half to pack, walk to the bus station...maybe grab some take-out on the way. You hungry?''

Jarod grinned. ``I could eat.''

They finished packing, shouldered their packs, and then headed out into the street, hanging a few protective talismans on the door to keep a wide range of creatures from coming in while they were gone. They headed down the street to ``Mars Needs Chicken'' and ordered a large paper box of chicken wings with ``Skull Island'' hot sauce. They walked the rest of the way to the bus station, grabbed one of the umbrella-colored picnic tables outside, and sat down to enjoy their food. Jarod munched a couple of wings in silence, looking forward to seeing his parents. Ever since they'd moved north, it felt like he'd seen them less. Even though their lakehouse wasn't where he'd grown up, they'd moved so much of their old furnishings and decor there that visiting always made the pig feel nostalgic. The prospect sent his thoughts back.

``Do you remember before the monsters?'' Jarod asked Tank after a bit.

The hyena paused, lips still slippery with chicken grease and hot sauce. ``Like...when we were kids?''

``Yeah. When it was all just stuff we saw in movies? The movies made us scared, but then they ended. Maybe we'd have nightmares for a while, but then we'd be able to relax, knowing that the monsters weren't real.''

Tank nodded. ``Yeah, I remember that. Like, and then, remember when the zombies first showed up? Like...it was scary? But then, we realized that they were easy enough to deal with, and they stopped being scary.''

``And now you can hire exterminators to get rid of them,'' Jarod said with a chuckle. ``I just saw a commercial. Is it weird that monsters are just becoming...kind of everyday?''

``Maybe it just means we're a healthy society?'' Tank suggested. ``I mean, look at you and I. This isn't our first kaiju bug-out. We've dealt with zombies, and that mummy when we were on vacation...''

``And now my cousin's boyfriend,'' Jarod said with a snicker.

``Heh, yeah,'' Tank grinned. ``But...you see what I mean? We've dealt with it, and it's okay after. I think that's what society's doing. Dealing with it.'' Tank scratched his chin. ``Is it weird to admit I kinda like it?''

``A little?'' Jarod said, raising an eyebrow. ``Why do you like it?''

Tank thought it over a moment and then shrugged. ``It's kind of fun, learning all about monsters when you have to deal with them. I dunno...I just think they make things more interesting. I wouldn't want them to go away.''

``I guess I wouldn't either,'' Jarod said with a little smile. ``After all...I'm in love with a monster.''

``Grrrr,'' Tank said, sliding a beefy arm around the pig, pulling him close. ``Thanks, Truffle.''

``I like when you call me that,'' the pig admitted, cuddling closer.

``Well, I like when you call me Monster. Do you remember when you started calling me that?''

``That's easy,'' said Jarod, thinking back. ``It was when we started hanging around in High School...and you used to do that thing, where you'd put out your arms and Frankenstein around...''

``Uh huh,'' Tank said with a grin. ``And I used to say I was Frankenstein, and you'd say...'' He switched to a high falsetto voice. ```Oh, no. You mean Frankenstein's Monster. Frankenstein was the name of the scientist.'''

Jarod folded his arms, frowning, squinting at his boyfriend. ``I do *not* sound like that.''

Tank snickered. ``So I'd grab you and give you noogies for being such a nerd.'' He knuckled the pig's head, lightly.

Jarod squealed and tried to push the arm away. ``Hey, quit that! Hmph...s'what I get for falling in love with a football jock.'' He mock pouted a bit, but then a shiver crawled up his spine. He hugged his chubby arms around the hyena's huge one. ``We're gonna be okay, right?'' he said, unable to keep the worry from his voice.

The question took Tank by surprise. Usually the pig was the calm one in situations like this. ``What? Of course! Why wouldn't we be?''

``I dunno...'' Jarod admitted with a nervous shiver. ``I just...I feel like things keep getting worse and worse. Like monster stuff seems to be happening more and more. We didn't have kaiju even five years ago, and this is the second time we've had to deal with them.'' He shook his head. ``I don't know...I guess it's just getting to me.''

Tank nodded. ``We're gonna be fine,'' he said, reassuringly, then kissed Jarod's nose. A loud sound made them both look up, just as a bus pulled into the station. ``Oh, here we go. Let's grab a good seat!''

They boarded the bus together, stashed their backpacks in the overhead compartment, and claimed the backrow, which was extra-wide. They cuddled together, not speaking for a long time, until the bus was heading out of town into the expanse of suburbs, and then through the still-wild New England countryside. ``We're gonna be fine,'' Tank said again, an arm around the pig's shoulders. ``I promise.''

``I know,'' Jarod said, softly. ``I'm with my monster. My monster will protect me. And I'll protect him.''

Tank grunted agreeably, and the two of them cuddled together, watching the dark countryside roll by.

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