Basic Trope: A deadly threat targets those who sleep.
- Straight:
- Alice the Nightmare Weaver uses people's sleeping imaginations to kill them.
- The Night Virus, a recently released bioweapon, makes people deathly ill after they fall asleep.
- Exaggerated:
- Alice the Nightmare Weaver kills those who are even close to sleep for a second.
- The Night Virus kills people who are simply tired but not asleep yet.
- Downplayed:
- Alice can kill people who are awake, but it's much easier for her to do so when they're sleeping.
- The Night Virus produces cold-like symptoms in those who fall asleep.
- Justified: Alice's powers only work if the target is dreaming.
- Inverted:
- People are safe from Alice when they're asleep; it's when they're daydreaming that they have to worry.
- The only cure for the Night Virus is to be unconscious for the duration of the illness.
- Subverted: Bob goes to bed while creepy music plays...and nothing happens.
- Double Subverted: Right as Bob is having a nice, pleasant dream, Alice suddenly strikes.
- Zig-Zagged: ???
- Parodied: ???
- Lampshaded:Bob: So if I want to live, I can't sleep again, ever?
- Invoked: Dr. Evilstein creates a virus that will specifically target sleeping people.
- Exploited: Tropemart, hearing that people need to stay awake, takes advantage of the opportunity to sell massive amounts of energy drinks, coffee, and other lack-of-sleep aids.
- Defied: As soon as Bob finds out about Alice's powers, he invents a device that means he genuinely doesn't need sleep.
- Conversed: ???
- Discussed: ???
- Implied: Bob comes in to work, looking zombie-like, and Charlie suggests he go take a nap in the break room. Bob answers that that would be too dangerous.
- Deconstructed: Eventually the lack of sleep means Bob can't function and nearly kills himself trying to go about his life, making it impossible to avoid deadly consequences either way.
- Reconstructed: Bob is able to take precautions against Alice's nightmares. It's still somewhat risky to go to sleep but definitely survivable.
Stop that yawning! Remember, it's safer if you Never Sleep Again!
