Basic Trope: Evil or monstrous bats.
- Straight:
- Batticus is a terrifying giant bat with huge fangs that attacks humans.
- The Vespers are a terrifying swarm of bats that attack humans.
- Exaggerated:
- Batticus is 40 feet tall, roars like a tiger, and tears humans to shreds.
- The Vespers have glowing red eyes and faces far more terrifying than any real bat’s face.
- Downplayed:
- Batticus is a very large bat who’s sort of cute, but still a dangerous predator that often attacks humans.
- The Vespers are a typical swarm of bats, but they often bite humans who get in their way.
- Subverted:
- Batticus may look scary, but he’s actually friendly, and even allows humans to ride him.
- The Vespers initially appear to be scary, but they actually rarely attack humans, and are pretty fluffy when you get a good look at them.
- Double Subverted:
- Batticus is docile towards his handler, but aggressive towards other humans, often attacking and eating them.
- But on the night of the new moon, a vicious instinct is triggered in the Vespers, and they seek the blood of humans.
- Parodied: Batticus is a normal, 2-inch-long Indiana bat
sitting on a rock. Humans react to him as if he’s a terrible monster. - Inverted: Batticus is a Ridiculously Cute Critter who is tiny and kind to humans.
- Lampshaded: “AAAIIIEEEE!!! It’s the scariest thing on the planet — a swarm of tiny insect-eating fluffballs!”
- Implied: Bob runs out of a cave with terror in his eyes. When he finally stops to catch his breath, Alice asks him what was so scary. Bob simply replies, “Really big bat.”
- Invoked: Batticus, a shapeshifter, takes the form of a giant, monstrous bat.
- Exploited: A villain captures swarms of bats to release when heroes approach.
- Discussed: “Are bats really that scary to you guys? I always found them kind of cute.”
- Conversed: “Why are bats the go-to for scary animals in TV shows? That doesn’t seem fair to bats.”
