Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/24445
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/24445
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

If you're _not_ telling a humorous story, and your protagonists come across something which looks like it should be funny but ends up being deadly, then you have a Killer Rabbit situation.

Bear with me: In _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_, the knights come across the [Killer Rabbit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmu5sRIizdw) in the cave. They protest: "It's just a harmless little bunny!" But the rabbit flies out of the cave and attacks them savagely. Being Monty Python, of course, it's taken for laughs ("Run away! Run away!"), but three armored, armed knights _are killed_ in the charge.

So play it as if it were real: your protagonists see the intelligent rabbits and snicker amongst themselves about _Oh look, the widdle bunnies, let's go talk to Mister Cottontail Fluffypants,_ and then the six-foot jackrabbit pulls out a pair of swords and lops the arms off the two guards sent to talk to her, and nobody's giggling any more.

Take your readers and your protagonists on the same journey. The MCs may or may not be tracking footprints, finding clues, whatever you'd normally do to set up an opponent. They come to the warren/camp/city and see huge angry-looking soldiers walking around wearing armor and looking irritated. Maybe you do the reveal from behind, so first we only see warriors, and weapons, and then one of the soldiers turns around... and it's a bunny.

The readers will be laughing at the enormous bunnies, right up until they moment everyone realizes they aren't funny because they're genuinely dangerous. Your killer rabbit characters are _accustomed_ to being underestimated, and they use that to their advantage.

Original score: 4