History Main / ThatsNoMoon

* ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'': ''Ghost Camp'' has the campers tell a story about people who hear a strange thumping noise while out in the woods. Turns out the noise is the heartbeat of the giant monster they're standing on. The ghosts who inhabit the camp later create an illusion of said monster to scare the heroes.

* The [[GrandFinale Grand Finale]] from ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' reveals that [[spoiler:Amphibia's moon was at one point filled with technological constructs by [[BigBad The Core]], so it could have a back-up plan in case of being defeated, [[ColonyDrop a plan to crash into Amphibia's surface to wipe out all life on it]].]]

* The [[GrandFinale Grand Finale]] from ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' reveals that [[Spoiler:Amphibia's moon was at one point filled with technological constructs by [[BigBad The Core]], so it could have a back-up plan in case of being defeated, [[ColonyDrop crashing into Amphibia surface to wipe out all life on it]].]]

* The [[GrandFinale Grand Finale]] from ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' reveals that [[Spoiler: Amphibia's moon was at one point filled with technological constructs by [[BigBad The Core]], so it could have a back-up plan in case of being defeated, [[ColonyDrop crashing into Amphibia surface to wipe out all life on it]].]]

** In "The Party's Over, Isla de Señorita", [[AnIcePerson the Ice King]] washes up on a random island only to discover that it's a giant [[GeniusLoci island woman]]. She turns out to be very nice, but a bit of a doormat when it comes to her neglectful boyfriend, the Party God.

* ''VideoGame/RTypeFinal'': Bydo Lab profile mention how they once encounter planet-size Gomander.

* ''VideoGame/SunlessSea'': Bound to happen with Lifebergs. As the name tells, they look rather like particularly filthy icebergs, until you realize they're moving a little ''too'' fast for a chunk of ice. And then they charge you, and things get painful. And then there's Mt. Nomad. It looks like one of the usual deserted rocks you often find near coastlines. ''[[{{Superboss}} She's not]]''.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', [[AnIcePerson the Ice King]] washes up on a random island only to discover that it's a giant [[GeniusLoci island woman]] named Senorita. She turns out to be a lot nicer than most of the examples on this page.
** In another episode, Finn has a dramatic musical moment on top of a grassy mountain. The mountain then gets up & turns out to be the cyclops Finn was looking for at the beginning of the episode so he could use his tears to heal his broken leg. Finn no longer cares about that but the cyclops tries to kill him anyway because he doesn't believe him.

* ''Manga/InuYasha'' has both a cave that is a giant stomach that eats {{miko}} that come in there and a yōkai that looks like a hill when it's sleeping (which he tries to always be) and had an object that prevented him from being detected.

* In the '' Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' season 4 episode "[[Recap/StarTrekDiscoveryS4E3ChooseToLive Choose to Live]]," a literal moon was a cryoship carrying the last of the Abronian species.

* ''Film/AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania'': As Scott and Cassie are first wandering inside the Quantum Realm, Cassie wonders if the sun here is moving especially fast... until they realize that's no sun, it's large, spherical, bioluminescent predator that tries to eat them with its CombatTentacles.

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* ''Animation/HappyHeroes'': In Season 8 episode 13, everyone is trying to pull a piece of wood out of a big rock, with Happy S. suspecting it's the Lightning Staff. The rock is actually a big monster who is irritated by the object lodged in the top of him.
[[/folder]]

** ''Film/Godzilla1998'' features a character climbing into what he thinks is a digsite but is actually a Zilla print.
** ''Film/Godzilla2014'': Subtle nonverbal example, achieved by means of clever cinematography. Ford and some other soldiers are doing a HALO jump into San Francisco, which Franchise/{{Godzilla}} has recently ravaged. As they get into visual range of the city, we see Ford's point of view as he scans over the numerous burnt and ruined skyscrapers. Then he catches on to one "structure" that is moving, and sees several of his guys diving right past it...
** ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': [[CanonForeigner Methuselah]] resembles a mountain when slumbering outside Munich, Germany.

** ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'' [[http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0786.html has]] inverted this:
--->'''Obi-Wan:''' That's no space station. It's... the '''[[DeadlyEuphemism Peace Moon]]'''!

* ''Literature/{{Earthsea}}'': In ''Literature/AWizardOfEarthsea'', Ged once goes to an island to fight off dragons. The first dragons are relatively small and easy to defeat...then the ''castle'' on the island moves and it's the main dragon...the BBC Audio adaption even gives Ged the line "you are right, my friend, that is no tower..."

'''Obi-wan:''' That's no space station. It's...the Peace Moon!

* In a strip from ''[[http://ryotiras.com Ryotiras]]'', two characters find out that the "Moon" they're looking at is actually Earth, which means...they're standing on a ''[[GainaxEnding giant rubber duck]]''.

-->'''Cikitsaka:''' We've found a wandering planet that appears to have an ancient artifact inside it. Before you ask how old "ancient" is, let me paint a clearer picture: We suspect that what we ''actually'' found is a wandering ancient artifact [[TimeAbyss that has accumulated enough debris to make it look like a planet]].

* In [[http://starslip.com/2007/03/09/starslip-number-471/ this strip]] of ''Webcomic/{{Starslip}}'' a character wants to land on a "moon" when another points out that it has a '''seam''' running down the middle.
** Speaking of seams, see ''Iapetus,'' below.

* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': In "Wielder of Names", Juggernaught Star takes White Chain (both are angels) to a place with a backdrop that appears to be a cliff or something. It's not shown in focus in the comic, and White Chain surely doesn't suspect it's anything special. Soon, though, it's revealed to be the giant wing of Metatron, the greatest of angels, who was thought to be long dead but is in fact still marginally clinging to life.

* ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'' has the home base of the Bureau of Balance -- a massive floating island that is made to look like a second moon from the planet's surface. The fact that there used to only be ''one'' moon was quietly fed to the Voidfish and erased from everyone's memory.

** [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-2362 SCP-2362]]. It used to be Pluto...until [[SpaceWhale a moon-sized jellyfish]] [[PlutoIsExpendable hatched out of it]].

* ''VideoGame/SunlessSea'': Bound to happen with Lifebergs. As the name tells, they look rather like particularly filthy icebergs, until you realize they're moving a little ''too'' fast for a chunk of ice. And then they charge you, and things get painful. And then there's Mt. Nomad. It looks like one of the usual deserted rocks you often find near coastlines. ''[[BonusBoss She's not]]''.

* ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' features the duel between Morpheus and Doctor Destiny, where Doctor Destiny believes he's finally destroyed the Dream-King because he's found himself on a featureless white plane. Pull back to reveal he's actually in the palm of Morpheus's hand...

* At one point in ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' (original radio show version), the ship's Improbability Drive causes it to rematerialise in what seems to be a strange cylindrical cave on the planet of Brontitall. The cave is a mile deep, ice-cold and apparently carved out of marble. It's also hovering thirteen miles above the planet surface, and eventually revealed to be part of a massive statue of "Arthur Dent Throwing The Nutrimatic Cup" and held up by artistic imperative. Oh, and a society of birds now live in Arthur's right ear.

* In ''Videogame/AlienLegacy'' the asteroid Gamma 1 turns out to be the "sporeship" that brought life to the system.

* In ''Videogame/Reunion1994'' the homeworld of the most advanced aliens -- Syonians -- and its 3 moons look artificial. Even if the planets aren't artificial, their whole surface is covered with sheet metal.

* ''Videogame/SunlessSea'': Bound to happen with Lifebergs. As the name tells, they look rather like particularly filthy icebergs, until you realize they're moving a little ''too'' fast for a chunk of ice. And then they charge you, and things get painful. And then there's Mt. Nomad. It looks like one of the usual deserted rocks you often find near coastlines. ''[[BonusBoss She's not]]''.

* ''WebComic/KillSixBillionDemons'': In "Wielder of Names", Juggernaught Star takes White Chain (both are angels) to a place with a backdrop that appears to be a cliff or something. It's not shown in focus in the comic, and White Chain surely doesn't suspect it's anything special. Soon, though, it's revealed to be the giant wing of Metatron, the greatest of angels, who was thought to be long dead but is in fact still marginally clinging to life.

* ''VideoGame/DontStarve'': In the Don't Starve Together expansion Return of Them, the "moon" is revealed to actually be one of [[EldritchAbomination Them]], named Alter. It's phases aren't it reflecting more or less light, its just it projecting its power more or less strongly. One of the main quests in the game culminates with Alter awakening and wreaking Moonstorms onto the Constant.

'''Imperial Officer:''' Impossible. It's maneuvering...''[trails off as the moon turns to face them [[DefaceOfTheMoon with its very distinctive and angry set of craters]]]''

'''Han:''' You're crazy, old man. ''(approaches Death Star)'' That's way too big to be...a...space...station...[[OhCrap ohboy]].

--->'''Obi-Wan:''' That's no space station. It's...the '''[[DeadlyEuphemism Peace Moon]]'''!
** Later, in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', an apparent cave turns out to be [[CaveMouth an enormous slug creature]] large enough to swallow spaceships whole. "This is no cave".

* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica1978'': the Colonials encounter a small ship with a human family. They bring the ship aboard the ''Galactica''. When the father wakes up, he runs out of the ship and assumes that the Colonials are the Eastern Alliance, a fascist nation on the planet Terra ([[PlanetTerra no, it's not Earth]]). When they tell him that they're aboard a ship, he doesn't believe them, as no ship could be that large.

** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E2TheBeastBelow The Beast Below]]": The Doctor describes Starship UK as "that's not just a ship, that's an idea, that's a whole country". Skyscrapers have neon signs bearing the names of counties.Then it turns out Starship UK's engines are dummies — because the whole structure is built on the back of a star whale!

*** The ''Atlantis'' pilot also has a mountain overgrown with trees...except it's not a mountain. It's a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Wraith]] [[TheMothership Hive Ship]].

** [[TurtleIsland Zaratans]] appear in the Arabian Nights-themed Al-Qadim setting, and have since become a ''D&D'' staple.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DinosaurTrain'' episode "Triassic Turtle", Don mistakes Adam ''Adocus'' for a rock until he starts moving.

*** In ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' storyline ''ComicBook/{{Bizarrogirl}}'', the Girl of Steel approaches a huge ship orbiting Bizarro World, and sees it isn’t a ship but a moon-sized PlanetEater monster.
---->'''Supergirl:''' It's not a ship.
*** ''ComicBook/TheDominatorWar'': After putting down the robot rebellion taking shape under Megatokyo, the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes wonder where is the giant mechanical monster that they were warned about. Then the ground starts shaking and rising. The Legion flies upwards and see the "floor" was the forehead of a city-sized mecha which is emerging out of the ground and tackling buildings without even noticing.

* In issue #10 of ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'', the Engineer kills a huge alien parasite. In the middle of fixing the damage it did she looks up at the sky and mentions that it looks like an eclipse of the Sun. Turns out a giant alien is the thing that's eclipsing it.

** In a ''ComicBook/JLA1997'' story, Starro the Conqueror makes a big entrance. Flash sees what looks like a new land mass near Canada on the monitor, and J'onn flies off to investigate. Then the storm clears, and J'onn realises he can see Starro from orbit. Aquaman later tries to make contact with it, and wonders why he can't see it. And then the ocean bed blinks.
** The DCU also has artificially built planet [[Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes Legion World]], although there is no horrified realization involved.
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
** ''ComicBook/WarWorld'': When Superman and ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} first encounter Mongul's War World, they use their telescopic vision to examine a city on its surface. They think that there's a very high wall behind the city, so high that it extends above their field of vision, but when they "zoom out", the wall turns out to be the side of a VERY large missile.
** In ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' storyline ''ComicBook/{{Bizarrogirl}}'', the Girl of Steel approaches a huge ship orbiting Bizarro World, and sees it isn’t a ship but a moon-sized PlanetEater monster.
--->'''Supergirl:''' It's not a ship.
** ''ComicBook/TheDominatorWar'': After putting down the robot rebellion taking shape under Megatokyo, the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes wonder where is the giant mechanical monster that they were warned about. Then the ground starts shaking and rising. The Legion flies upwards and see the "floor" was the forehead of a city-sized mecha which is emerging out of the ground and tackling buildings without even noticing.
* ''ComicBook/DoctorStrange'':
** When Doctor Strange goes to confront Shuma-Gorath on his home world, he sees only a large mountain. Then the "mountain" opens its eye...
** In a ''ComicBook/MarvelFanfare'' one-shot, he goes into a strangely deserted city which has a warm, skinlike texture and a subtle hum in the air. Near the end, he realizes he is standing on the back of a sleeping giant...[[OhCrap who is waking up]].
* In ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'' Danny the Street is a cross-dressing street. Some people are surprised by this.
* Creator/MarvelComics:
** Ego The [[GeniusLoci Living Planet]] sometimes disguises itself as a paradise world to lure space travelers to its surface and devour them.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Lanfeust}} of Troy'', the gang at one point explores a huge island. Later, they reveal that it is not an island, but a huge creature. And not just any creature, the Magohamoth itself!

* In the ''American Gothic'' arc of ''ComicBook/SwampThing'', various mystical characters faced off against the [[EldritchAbomination Great]] [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Evil]] [[TheAntiGod Beast]], which appeared to manifest as an immense, slug-like dark form, covered by what was described as "a cowl of bone as thick as a continent". It's later revealed that what they were attempting to fight was the tip of one of its fingers, complete with the fingernail.
* In ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' story "The Return of Chaotix", Charmy think's that a massive rain storm is soon to happen, judging by the large cloud moving their way. Sonic is terrified, noticing that the "cloud" is actually "thousands of Metallixes, blotting out the sun"!

* ''ComicBook/XMen'':
** Played straight in an issue of ''ComicBook/AstonishingXMen'', where what is previously thought to be a moon turns out to be a station. Lampshaded by Beast, who says "You know, I thought I'd have a lot more fun [[IAlwaysWantedToSayThat if I ever got to say this]]...That's no moon..."
** And then again, when the giant missile they went there to stop turns out to actually be a giant bullet.

* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':
** Freeza briefly mistakes Goku's Genki Dama for one of Namek's three suns. The second he figures out it's not, [[OhCrap he freaks out]].

* ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'' features the baron finding an island that turns out to be a giant fish.

* ''Literature/TheChocolateAlphabet'': One of the stories states that the Midgard Serpent (from Norse mythology) is not dead, only sleeping, and that one day, "the moon will writhe".

-->-- ''Film/StarWarsANewHope'' (TropeNamer)

-->-- ''Film/StarWarsANewHope''