Who doesn't want a monster friend? For this week's Thunderdome, I would like to see stories that explore the relationships between people and their monster companions. Does everyone have a monster? Does only your protagonist, or their close circle, have monster companions? Are the monsters natural, mythological, digital, extradimensional? Friendly, ferocious, wise, or cruel? That's for you to decide. One thing is certain, though--their bond is not a trivial one.

This is a well-worn trope in popular media, but I would encourage participants to avoid writing obvious parodies or cynical satires (or I'll Dishonorably Mention you). Make something cool! There is no limit on the genre. You can write a horror story, a space opera, a romantasy, the Great American Novel, a Lynchian fever dream--just, you know, there's a monster friend.

No losers this round.

Optional flash prompts (stackable):
Card Flash (+100 words): I will draw a tarot card for you. The card represents some aspect of the monster friend.
Lore Flash (+100 words): I will pick a random culture for you. Let the culture influence your story somehow--setting, characters, themes, or the monster(s) in your story.
Time Flash (+100 words): I will assign you either Past, Present, or Future for your story to be set in.

Rules: Typical TD rules. No fanfiction, no manifestos, no erotica.