Which is creepier? [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Kawaii Soldier

2013-09-09, 01:32 AM

Just a question concerning a project I'm working on. Which would you find more scary: a swarm of approximately 500 normal sized bugs that are at best the size of a dime each or one giant bug that's the size of you head?

Why would you want to know that?! D: o.O

I guess the swarm because while the other is bigger, the swaem has hundreds of bugs and you will never know for sure if you've killed them all.

PersonMan

2013-09-09, 01:32 AM

The swarm, for sure. Big sized bug = bludgeon it. Swarm = you can't actually do anything to it.

Skeppio

2013-09-09, 01:38 AM

I'd say the swarm. A horde of smaller mouths means it'd take longer for them to eat you and be many times more painful, while a giant bug would just bite you in half and it'd be over in seconds. Plus a giant bug would have trouble fitting into small spots that a swarm could pour through.

Plus the biggest one, going to be a bit scientific and buzz-killer for a minute: Simply put, a giant bug would die instantly. Bugs of monstrous size (such as the giant dragonflies, etc, from before the Triassic period) need a higher oxygen concentration in the air to breathe than our current atmosphere provides. So a giant bug would suffocate. :smallwink:

Dr.Epic

2013-09-09, 01:44 AM

Plus the biggest one, going to be a bit scientific and buzz-killer for a minute: Simply put, a giant bug would die instantly. Bugs of monstrous size (such as the giant dragonflies, etc, from before the Triassic period) need a higher oxygen concentration in the air to breathe than our current atmosphere provides. So a giant bug would suffocate. :smallwink:

Yeah, I'm not looking for scientific accuracy. Sorry.

Skeppio

2013-09-09, 01:50 AM

Yeah, I'm not looking for scientific accuracy. Sorry.

That's cool, you get to have more fun when you're not worried about being ultra-realistic. :smallbiggrin:

Then my other reasons probably still work. :smalltongue:

Andraste

2013-09-09, 02:55 AM

Definitely the swarm. One scary thing is easier to focus on to kill or run away from. Harder to get away from lots of tiny things, since they can fit into small spaces, and killing some of them isn't very effective since there's still a bunch more.

(Each would be terrifying, however, and depending on the environment I would be instantly sprinting away from either as fast as I could)

Kalmageddon

2013-09-09, 03:05 AM

I guess it depend on the situation, a swarm of bugs is something that can be found irl and has a very real, very mundane creepy factor. The fear that they might crawl on you, enter inside your orifices and so on.

A giant bug would be something almost totally alien and depening on its aspect might be much more scary. I'd say if you want to make a giant bug scary make it fast, like really fast. Centipede x20 fast. Incidentally I find centipede to be the creepiest animal in the world and the idea of meeting one as big as my head is sort of a nightmare. 500 normal centipede are no more dangerous then one, really, it just takes more time to squash them all.

There you go, depends on what kind of horror you are going for.

Rosstin

2013-09-09, 03:15 AM

^
||
That is some top-knotch thinking right there.

TroubleBrewing

2013-09-09, 03:34 AM

Environment is important too. If it's in a parking lot or something a swarm is a lot worse.

But if it's late at night, and there's a chittering, skittering, hissing lump under my blankets... :smalleek:

The_Snark

2013-09-09, 03:52 AM

Incidentally I find centipede to be the creepiest animal in the world...

Centipedes are pretty bad, but I think ticks and leeches have them beat for sheer visceral creepiness. (Then again, there are no large poisonous centipedes where I live - maybe I'd feel differently if I lived in the wrong part of Africa or South America.)

Anyway! I lean towards swarm. A giant bug is a curiosity, maybe a little frightening, but also fascinating. A writhing, squirming, pulsating mass of bugs is creepy. Even inoffensive things like moths become disturbing when gathered like that.

Spanish_Paladin

2013-09-09, 04:17 AM

Giant bug, what you think can´t exist is creepier.

Kalmageddon

2013-09-09, 04:39 AM

Centipedes are pretty bad, but I think ticks and leeches have them beat for sheer visceral creepiness. (Then again, there are no large poisonous centipedes where I live - maybe I'd feel differently if I lived in the wrong part of Africa or South America.)

Well, there are no huge centipede in Italy as well, it's not how big they are that makes them creepy to me (but I would certanly find a big one creepier then a small one), it's the shape. All those legs, and they move so incredibly fast.
Leeches and ticks crawl around and might hurt you but I don't find them particlarly repulsing to look at, they are pretty standard for invertebrate.
This (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EFO0ccULTAs/S7T5F_q9BWI/AAAAAAAAAF4/6fH_XdvrAXg/s400/housecentipede.jpg), on the other hand...
Then again, it's highly subjective what one might find creepy or not, personally I love spiders, I think they are cute little creatures and yet a ton of people finds them horrible.

Pinpointing exacltly what makes a critter horribile or disgusting is a science in itself.
Like for exemple, if centipede had the behaviour of leeches and ticks, would you find them more scary then ticks and leeches? Because then we could be both horrified and it would be so wonderful!

Comissar

2013-09-09, 05:04 AM

What's creepy about a giant bug? (Spoilered in case of phobias)

It just wants a hug!

http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/vv64/Comissar/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20Dale%20Thompsons%20MacBook/untitled%20folder/Giant_isopod.jpg

smuchmuch

2013-09-09, 05:10 AM

@^ Aaaaaaaw. who's the most adorable cweepy crawly evew ?
(It's not an bug, though)

Which would you find more scary: a swarm of approximately 500 normal sized bugs that are at best the size of a dime each or one giant bug that's the size of you head?

Why choose ? Have a 500 swarm of bugs the size of your head :smalltongue:

But seriously while the swarm is probaly the most creepy perspective (as it's a close to a very tangible and real thing), the giant one would be quite a shock. Insect look very alien up close (http://patul.deviantart.com/art/Fly-Close-Up-13747506)

That said due to the scale you choose one of the option feels less scarry. (disgusting, maybe, depends of the person, scarry less) Bugs the size of a dime ? I'd squash easy,(and i'm a rather squeamish person). Or at the worst, outrun.
One, the size of my head. ... trickier. (Insect are actualy pretty quick and tough for their scale. We squash them easy because they are small but they have natural armor, people. And they have a pretty different physiology to a point. So i'm not so sure a 'blugeon it' as other people have posted before would be that easy)

GolemsVoice

2013-09-09, 05:37 AM

As others said, a swarm makes for a very effective predator should it set your mind to killing you. The process is also not very pleasant, I'd assume. Slow death by thousand bites, they crawl into your mouth and stuff. I believe the famous scientist N. Cage once put it like this. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4MqTCIDKhU)

However, bugs do look incredibly strange and creepy to me, up close. However, you rarely DO see them up close because they're so tiny. If they aren't anymore, you can see all these creepy antennas and whatnot. Certainly nightmarish for me. Plus, insects have some pretty strange ways of reproducing, like laying eggs inside other animals for free food after the larvae hatch. Think of that.

Eldan

2013-09-09, 05:38 AM

I wade into swarms of bugs every day, it's sort of my job. So, that wouldn't scare me. Not sure about a giant bug. I think I'd be more curious than anything.

The_Snark

2013-09-09, 05:49 AM

Well, there are no huge centipede in Italy as well, it's not how big they are that makes them creepy to me (but I would certanly find a big one creepier then a small one), it's the shape. All those legs, and they move so incredibly fast.
Leeches and ticks crawl around and might hurt you but I don't find them particlarly repulsing to look at, they are pretty standard for invertebrate.
This (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EFO0ccULTAs/S7T5F_q9BWI/AAAAAAAAAF4/6fH_XdvrAXg/s400/housecentipede.jpg), on the other hand...

Ah, the house centipede! I used to live in an apartment with a few of those running around, so maybe I'm a little inured to them. Won't I won't say I was completely comfortable with it, but by centipede standards they're okay. (I always found this body type (http://ecoterrariumsupply.com/images/photo_gallery/841_bali-centipede.jpg) worse.)

Leeches and tricks creep me out because they latch onto your skin and you can't get them off safely without special measures, and you often won't see them until it's too late. They're also physically repulsive, but I'm not sure if that's objective creepiness, or just me associating them with the sneaky-biting-bloodsucking behavior that scares me. Like you say, it's hard to pinpoint.

Agreed on spiders, though. I don't like touching them, and a few (like black widows) are unsettling, but they're mostly cool.

But seriously while the swarm is probaly the most creepy perspective (as it's a close to a very tangible and real thing), the giant one would be quite a shock. Insect look very alien up close (http://patul.deviantart.com/art/Fly-Close-Up-13747506)
The thing is, I like most insects (and arachnids) up close. Houseflies, spiders, moths, even cockroaches are fascinating when encountered singly. It's when you get lots of skittering roaches, or discover a pulsating mass of grain moths in a cereal box, that I start feeling grossed out.

As for practical dangers, insects are quick and tough relative to their size, but I'm not sure you can expect that to scale up perfectly.

Killer Angel

2013-09-09, 06:15 AM

The swarm, for sure. Big sized bug = bludgeon it. Swarm = you can't actually do anything to it.

While I could agree with this, I would also say that, if you have a phobia (even only a mild one), the mere sight of a bug so big, will prevent your approach to that monstrosity...

Traab

2013-09-09, 06:58 AM

A bug the size of my head? The first thought would be, "What kind of crunch will THIS one make?" The second thought, "Im going to need a bigger shoe."

Swarms are scarier imo. Its the chaos involved. You can face down one bad thing, but a huge number of them? Ugh, creepsville. Plus, giant bugs have been ruined for me. I have watched too many of the old black and white "monster" movies. "Attack Of The Giant Ant! Attack Of The Monster Moth! Siege Of The Stupendous Silkworm!" etc etc etc

Diful Takveh

2013-09-09, 07:24 AM

I say that neither are really that inherently creepy. However, that is because when I think of a swarm, I think of a whole unit moving as one. If, however, each of the small bugs follows its own path toward the person, more or less surrounding them while they are in no position to flee...

That being said, the size factor comes into play depending on the type of bug and their proximity. There are many different types of insects in the world, but the most commonly used are (in my experience) long legged ones that are much stronger than they look (ie. ants) and ones completely covered in long shells or wings but are surprisingly light (ie. beetles, cockroaches). The thin type generally works better as a larger insect (think of a giant mantis deliberately cutting into your face again and again) while the shelled type generally work as swarms (even though they're small, 500 dime sized scarabs will cover someone more than 500 ants.) Swarms also generally work best when there is no chance at escape, including when they are already on/inside you. Larger insects work better as hunters, silently chasing prey who know not when they are going to be eaten. There are plenty of other factors to consider, including:
Do the bugs make sounds?
Can they fly?
Do they have a distinct odor or anything else that lets you know they are near?
What do they eat?
How do they eat?
This is in no way a full listing, but I hope it gives you something to think about.

Taffimai

2013-09-09, 08:19 AM

There is a difference between "scary" and "creepy". "Scary" depends on how dangerous I think a single, normal animal of its type is. "Creepy" depends on how abnormal it is for that animal to swarm or grow large.

Swarm of fruit flies = normal; swarm of wasps = scary as hell but not creepy; swarm of earwigs = what do you mean they can fly?!

Giant butterfly = let's take a picture; giant spider = let's back off slowly and pray it doesn't follow; giant caterpillar = let's... let's keep going, I really don't need to know how fast that thing can go.

So, to answer the question, let's take an animal that doesn't normally do either and does not become significantly more dangerous when it's enlarged (you could easily brush aside a bunch of centipedes, after all, but a giant one could actually do damage).

I think that a giant earthworm in my bath would creep me out more than a whole bunch of them.

Beldernae

2013-09-09, 08:38 AM

i suppose it depends on where i am, how well equiped i am, and what the insect is. but just generally, the swarm is creepier. just thinking mtg original sinew sliver flavour text *shiver*:smalleek:

Jaycemonde

2013-09-09, 08:42 AM

I say that neither are really that inherently creepy. However, that is because when I think of a swarm, I think of a whole unit moving as one. If, however, each of the small bugs follows its own path toward the person, more or less surrounding them while they are in no position to flee...

That's part of what makes swarm agents so scary. If they are working together intentionally, they've got an inexplicable hive-mind psyche. If they're just working independently of the rest but are constantly in a position provide swarm-based assistance, they're a lot less dangerous in concept (just running off of hard-wired instinct, rather than being a malevolent entity) but the way they seem to form ladders and bridges with each other just fills you with this feeling of nauseated dread. If you've ever read/watched Michael Chrichton's Prey or Max Brooks's World War Z, you'll know what I mean with both examples, the way the nanobots had the individual intelligence of a blood cell but networked to figure out really complicated ways to trick human prey, or the way that the zombies looked like one coordinated swarm when in reality they were just snapping their jaws and running toward the nearest target, and other zombies just happened to be the easiest way to get there.

EDIT: And to all the people going on about bludgeoning giant insects, the way they're designed makes that a lot harder than you'd probably expect. If it's just one big insect and it's moving slowly enough that you can aim at it without [too much] stress, I'd say just grab either your or a neighbor's shotgun (if there's a giant ant or cockroach running around I'm sure they'll be more understanding than usual) and nail it in the head. Same basic thing as blunt force trauma, but moving about a hundred times faster. Buckshot is the equivalent of a rocket-powered jackhammer hitting something. Slugs are so heavy they're literally designed to crush their way through obstacles.

smuchmuch

2013-09-09, 01:45 PM

The thing is, I like most insects (and arachnids) up close. Houseflies, spiders, moths, even cockroaches are fascinating when encountered singly.

Yes but i'd argue the fact you know they, for the most, present no danger to you factors into this, as survival instinct (who does happens to be a large part of fear) isn't screawming at you to get the hell away.
Also there's simply the fact the giant insect is something you don't expect to exist in real life, just the unexpectedness of it would probaly trigger a jump scare. Or at least a 'gah what the hell is that'.

It's when you get lots of skittering roaches, or discover a pulsating mass of grain moths in a cereal box, that I start feeling grossed out.

Oh I agree.
But the title of the thread is not 'what is the most creepy' or 'what is the most repulsive'. It's what is the most scarry.
Which demands to define the term.
My point was, the swarm is the most creepy. But the giant insect would be the most frightening, in a direct 'fear for your life' kind of way.

Of course that depends a lot of the insect and the circumstances, come to think of it.

If said insect happen to be a butterfly or something equivalent, not much to be scared either way. If it's bees or wasps... er none of the above please ? (swarm is probably scarrier tho)

As for practical dangers, insects are quick and tough relative to their size, but I'm not sure you can expect that to scale up perfectly.

Well seeing as we're purposedly brushing aside the fact they shouldn't even be able to breath at this side anyway....

Dr.Epic

2013-09-09, 01:48 PM

Well, if you guys want context, a swarm of bugs vs one giant bug crawling out of someone's skin. Not your skin, just someone else's skin.

Spiryt

2013-09-09, 01:53 PM

I would guess the big one, because that would be really damn large bug.

Lots of small bugs... Happen and aren't particularly creepy.

smuchmuch

2013-09-09, 01:55 PM

... Oh. I assume it's for some kind of storry ?

Hum, if it's something in a visual medium or descriptions, the giant bug coming out could offer some pretty horrible visual/mental image if well done (If you manege to put come birthing imagery in it, it's alway an instant winner. Well it worked for the first Alien film. It may seems old and not that impressive for us now, but from what i heard whent he film first came out, that scene of the 'baby' ripping out of the chest was pretty powerfull.), but the swarm is definitively the scarier of the two as an an entity for the reasons mentioned above.

@V Parasite ?! Don't forget it'd be a giant bug the size of your head
I can assure you, no parasite of human gets that big. None could without killing it's host.

Well except the kind who have a special chamber made for them in 50% percent of the population and gets out after nine month but I believe they are called 'little bundle of joys' :smalltongue:
Also, if they look insectoid you may have some serious couple issues in front of you.

ShadowFireLance

2013-09-09, 01:56 PM

Oh.
The Swarm.
Most Certainly.
A Giant Bug could be a parasite, but a swarm? Yeah, No, Looks like it's time to test out my homeade Flamethrower.

Cuthalion

2013-09-09, 02:01 PM

A swarm of Insects, preferably beetles or flies. Bugs don't have quite the scare factor.

Temotei

2013-09-09, 02:07 PM

Definitely the swarm, regardless of ability to fly.

Dr.Epic

2013-09-09, 03:05 PM

Definitely the swarm, regardless of ability to fly.

Oh, they can fly.:smallwink:

Kawaii Soldier

2013-09-09, 03:07 PM

Well, if you guys want context, a swarm of bugs vs one giant bug crawling out of someone's skin. Not your skin, just someone else's skin.

Oh, they can fly.:smallwink:

This just keeps getting weirder. o.O D:

Eldan

2013-09-09, 04:22 PM

I'd say the giant insect. Especially since I'd be wondering how it even fit in there.

The swarm, not so much. I've seen small insects come out of people. Yes, it wasn't pleasant and quite disgusting, but it happens.

Castaras

2013-09-09, 04:23 PM

Depends on the bug.

If it's a buzzy bug - like a fly, or a wasp, or a bee, then lots of them would terrify me most. If it's a woodlouse or some sort of beetle then one huge one would terrify me more.

Dr.Epic

2013-09-09, 05:27 PM

Depends on the bug.

It's like a beetle or a locust.

Temotei

2013-09-09, 05:44 PM

It's like a beetle or a locust.

June bug for me. Please give me a flamethrower and an arbitrary amount of fuel as well as adequate heat and eye protection.

Jade_Dragon

2013-09-09, 05:49 PM

It's like a beetle or a locust.

Aren't those two insects kind of different?

June bug for me. Please give me a flamethrower and an arbitrary amount of fuel as well as adequate heat and eye protection.

January Bug<February Bug<March Bug<April Bug<May Bug<June Bug<July Bug<August Bug< September Bug<October Bug<November Bug<December Bug

Interesting fact: the February Bug, which is the smallest, gets slightly bigger once every four years.

Diful Takveh

2013-09-09, 10:42 PM

Well, if it's crawling out through the skin, I would definitely say the swarm. Sure, you could get some jump value from the large insect, but the fact is, only one of those could fit in an average person, and you're pretty much sure you'd know if one was inside of you. The swarm on the other hand, you would have no idea if the things were living inside of you, and every itch could lead to the thought that you're infected. I believe creepiness comes primarily from a lack of knowledge of the situation ie. "What was that noise out there in the dark?" while terror comes from complete knowledge of the situation ie. "I know the noise was a serial killer killing my friend, and now he's after me." As such, I believe a swarm of insects the number and location of which you don't know is much creepier than a single insect, no matter the size. As another note: if you are trying to comfort someone who is having a breakdown because they know something is wrong with their bodies but they don't know what, and the bugs start crawling right under the surface of his/her skin, running under your hands and arms as you hold them so that they feel safe, you might just freak out. And if that still doesn't push you over the edge, if they break out of the other person's skin while you hold them and start running along your arms, scratching and biting as they try to deposit their eggs in a new host, you'd probably start trying to get them off of you as quickly as possible.

The other fun thing about small insects is they know they have small lifespans, meaning that at any point, they might lay more eggs, significantly increasing population.

Astral Avenger

2013-09-09, 10:54 PM

On the one hand, never knowing if you've killed them all is bad. On the other hand...
http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/61262/5491951/0/1206540509/ELECTRONIC_MOSQUITO_SWATTER_BUG_ZAPPER.jpg

banthesun

2013-09-09, 11:31 PM

@^ Aaaaaaaw. who's the most adorable cweepy crawly evew ?
(It's not an bug, though)

Not sure if it's the exact species, but I think it's a type shellfish known as Balmain Bugs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balmain_bug), or just as 'bugs'.

The more you know the less likely you are to be freaked out when one appears on your plate :smallbiggrin:

The_Snark

2013-09-09, 11:42 PM

I'm fairly sure it's a type of isopod, actually. Related to the roly-poly, pillbug, woodlouse, or whatever your local term for these guys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillidium) is.

Eldan

2013-09-10, 03:04 AM

It's a definition problem in English. Colloquially, a "bug" is pretty much any arthropod. Scientifically, bugs are the order Hemiptera.

The_Snark

2013-09-10, 04:26 AM

I know - I just meant that the thing in the original picture isn't a Balmain bug. Those are apparently a kind of lobster*, whereas the giant isopod is, well, an isopod.

*Sort of? I'm not clear on the difference between true lobsters and slipper lobsters, but Wikipedia is telling me there is one.

ben-zayb

2013-09-10, 04:50 AM

The swarm, for sure. Big sized bug = bludgeon it. Swarm = you can't actually do anything to it.

That's the thing though. A big bug is sort of an alien concept to a lot of people, which pretty much gives the creator a wide artistic license. Why? Because there is a reason why there are big bugs existing, why they managed to survive despite their size, why they have to evolve like that.

Now if you were to encounter this supersize bug, what would you do? Bludgeon it? Tough hide. Kill it with fire? Heat-Resistant. Take down or contain it? Squirts corrosive/toxic weird goo that melts stuff at a bajillion degrees C.

Oh, and it flies too. Very fast.

Comparing the humble swarm of flying bugs:
They attack with piddly pricks that injects poison? Wear the usual "Damage Reduction" thick suit. Then you kill it with fire, hose it with water, spray some pesticide, or contain it in an airtight cage.

Just my 2cp, though. Which is, admittedly, biased. :smalltongue:

Diful Takveh

2013-09-10, 05:29 AM

That's the thing though. A big bug is sort of an alien concept to a lot of people, which pretty much gives the creator a wide artistic license. Why? Because there is a reason why there are big bugs existing, why they managed to survive despite their size, why they have to evolve like that.

Now if you were to encounter this supersize bug, what would you do? Bludgeon it? Tough hide. Kill it with fire? Heat-Resistant. Take down or contain it? Squirts corrosive/toxic weird goo that melts stuff at a bajillion degrees C.

Oh, and it flies too. Very fast.

Comparing the humble swarm of flying bugs:
They attack with piddly pricks that injects poison? Wear the usual "Damage Reduction" thick suit. Then you kill it with fire, hose it with water, spray some pesticide, or contain it in an airtight cage.I guess it depends on what the OP wants, but I don't find a large bug, even one that has all those fearsome qualities to be very creepy. Sure, I might be scared out of my wits, but that is the common fight or flight response that one would get with a tiger or a bear, a completely rational fear of something that is so obviously dangerous. On the other hand, a swarm can be dealt with rationally, just as you said, but I believe the OP wants more of a creepiness in reveal. It may not even be straight fear he is going for, but a mixture of fear and revulsion. Sure, a single large creature coming out of someone's skin might have both of those qualities, but think of 500 smaller creatures each creating their own hole in someone's skin as they rip themselves free.

Whereas others may argue what the OP may mean by bug, I believe a discussion on terminology would be better spent on what he means by "creepiness." I believe he wants something that makes your skin crawl, and not out-and-out terrifies you; although, being terrifying might be a bonus.

INDYSTAR188

2013-09-10, 12:50 PM

I feel fairly confident in my ability to defend my family against a bug the size of a cat/small dog/medium sized dog. That's not to say it's not creepy or scary and that I wouldn't make my pants look like my daughter drew all over them with a brown marker, but I think I could at least fight that.

Have you ever seen on t.v. where a guy pulls away some siding from a house and you can just see a huge swarm of bee's/hornets/termites/ants whatever?! I think when you encounter a swarm of 500 flying bugs you grab your wife and daughter and RUN AWAY quickly!

Eldan

2013-09-10, 12:52 PM

Would depend on the bug. What would you do if it just lept fifty feet at you from the darkness and bit your face off?

Or. Man. Football sized Bombarier beetle. You're so dead.

Jaycemonde

2013-09-10, 02:25 PM

Would depend on the bug. What would you do if it just lept fifty feet at you from the darkness and bit your face off?

Or. Man. Football sized Bombarier beetle. You're so dead.

Crazy spider-ant hybrids that can shoot flaming crap at you from their abdomen (usually by aiming it under their body at you) and jump terrifying distances.

smuchmuch

2013-09-10, 05:15 PM

I'm fairly sure it's a type of isopod, actually. Related to the roly-poly, pillbug, woodlouse, or whatever your local term for these guys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillidium) is.

It is a giant isopod, indeed.
And I though 'bug' was a colloquial gebral term for insect and arachnids for some reason. (hence why I though it didn't count what with giant isopods being crustacean)
Come to think of it that'd be kind of a dumbly arbitrary distinction, in retrospect, so i'm not sure why I assumed so...

Or. Man. Football sized Bombarier beetle. You're so dead.

Ouch.

Also: Football sized bee or wasp.

Mystic Muse

2013-09-10, 05:45 PM

Also: Football sized bee or wasp.

Especially those ones from Japan with venom that actually dissolves human skin.

rs2excelsior

2013-09-10, 06:19 PM

Depends a bit. For creepiness, I'd say the big bug. Close-up pictures of bugs weird me out. From far away, they're pretty nondescript. A bigger bug gives you the close up, except it's also trying to eat you.

As far as scary or dangerous, though, I'd probably go for the swarm. Though not 500. Pretend your cat stepped on the zero button. Don't give a specific number, but make it so many that anything you could reasonably do to a bug (i.e. not light the building on fire) would make a dent in their numbers.

Face it: if you see one bug, it might be pretty quick and pretty tough, but it's coming out of a (relatively) fixed point (a body). *BAM* *BAM* *BAM*. Problem solved. I believe shotguns were mentioned earlier.

Think about the swarm, though. You can step on them and maybe kill 50-100 at a time. But the others will be crawling up your shoe in the meantime. You can wear protective clothing, but they will find every nook and cranny and weasel their way inside.

Interesting fact: the February Bug, which is the smallest, gets slightly bigger once every four years.

:smallbiggrin:
I think you win the thread.

noparlpf

2013-09-11, 09:28 AM

Just a question concerning a project I'm working on. Which would you find more scary: a swarm of approximately 500 normal sized bugs that are at best the size of a dime each or one giant bug that's the size of you head?

Definitely the swarm. Swarms are more fluid and harder to kill. And they have more legs. The more legs, the worse the experience. (Actually not always. I find short-legged millipedes kind of cute and I can pick one up and play with it. But house centipedes with those freakishly long legs...last one I saw I chopped into pieces with a hatchet. (AND HOUSE CENTIPEDES GROW MORE LEGS THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES. BUGS ARE WEIRD.)) Also a bug the size of my head is less plausible, so it's easier for me to assume I'm dreaming.

Jade_Dragon

2013-09-11, 11:16 AM

:smallbiggrin:
I think you win the thread.

Can I sig this? Please?

nedz

2013-09-11, 11:22 AM

The big bug, especially if it was in Gregor's house.

Fable Wright

2013-09-11, 11:53 AM

I'd say to go with the big bug, just because swarms pouring out of bodies is common as far as that sort of thing goes. One giant beetle crawling out of someone's corpse? Much scarier. Small bugs are easier to evade, though something with stingers swarming out is going to terrify the hell out of me and make me run towards the nearest body of water. One giant bug? Sure, the sledgehammer might work... but this thing is almost definitely fast, fireproof, something I've never encountered before, and if I get close enough to swing a hammer at it, it could easily get me. Sure, a shotgun would take care of it... but I don't have access to one of those. It gets the creepy factor while it's eating its way out, while the swarm gets the vomit-inducing factor, and the swarm of stingers on wings gets the mortal terror factor.

War-Wren

2013-09-11, 12:07 PM

All I know is that there's a chapter in the James Herbert book 'Once' that I couldn't get through in one sitting because it gave me the heebies! Had to pause for a moment before continuing to read lol

It involved a swarm so it gets my vote for a swarm of little beasties!

Just for clarification (and Spoilered for those who haven't read it but might do!) the lead character finds a jar on his kitchen table (put there by one of the evil/naughty/scary faerie type folk, and when he opens it, a horde of bugs of all different sorts, spill out. It's far more than should be able to fit in the jar and they crawl on him and over him and.. *shudder* (I'm arachnophobic, so it seemed much worse for me...) :smalleek:

Dr.Epic

2013-09-11, 03:13 PM

I'd say to go with the big bug, just because swarms pouring out of bodies is common as far as that sort of thing goes. One giant beetle crawling out of someone's corpse? Much scarier.

Oh, I never said it was a corpse they're crawling out of.

rs2excelsior

2013-09-11, 04:37 PM

Can I sig this? Please?

Go for it.

Kawaii Soldier

2013-09-11, 05:36 PM

Oh, I never said it was a corpse they're crawling out of.

Seriously, what the glob?!?! D: o.O

TuggyNE

2013-09-11, 06:51 PM

Oh, I never said it was a corpse they're crawling out of.

So, you're going all Wheel-of-Time bubbles-of-evil on us?

That really was a creepy scene, with the beetlevomit from, what, half a dozen or more victims?

Studoku

2013-09-11, 07:05 PM

If one of them was going to be in my house right now, the little ones are scarier. Especially if they actually swarm.

The big one's not a problem- it's at that size where it's too big to be creepy but not big enough to actually be scary- it's about the size of a housecat.

Mystic Muse

2013-09-11, 09:52 PM

ben-zayb

2013-09-11, 10:50 PM

Or until it squirts something that melts half of your extremities to the bones

Melayl

2013-09-14, 10:53 AM

Creepier? The Swarm.

Scarier? The Big Darn Bug.

SiuiS

2013-09-15, 01:41 AM

Just a question concerning a project I'm working on. Which would you find more scary: a swarm of approximately 500 normal sized bugs that are at best the size of a dime each or one giant bug that's the size of you head?

Despite what logic says, the visceral part of my wiring directly correlates size of bug with amount of Ewwww. It's also partially proportions. Jerusalem crickets Re the most terrifying thing I've ever seen because it was scaled up in proportion like a happy meal toy, and when I got close it looked at me and bubbled. *shudders*

Studoku

2013-09-15, 02:01 PM

Or until it squirts something that melts half of your extremities to the bones
As opposed to a swarm of little ones who can do this?

Curaced

2013-09-15, 07:28 PM

I... I'm really not sure. If the bugs were beetles ore something similar, I would find the swarm more unnerving, because we have a LOT of hammers and knives ( and axes, and a mining pick, and a machete) at my house, so I think we could kill a large, slow bug pretty easily. If it were a giant HORNET though... ugh, I'd rather not think about it.

Mystic Muse

2013-09-15, 07:40 PM

Eonas

2013-09-15, 11:01 PM

Visually, a giant bug would be scarier, because insects/bugs are extremely creepy-looking even at normal size. In terms of 'oh my gosh I'm gonna die', a giant swarm of insects would be scarier, for all the reasons listed above. If they don't convince you, read Leiningen Versus the Ants (http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lvta.html).

SiuiS

2013-09-16, 03:53 AM

Choyrt

2013-09-16, 10:39 AM

A lot of this would also depend on the specific bug. Ladybugs won't be scaring me so much, picnic or no.

A giant scorpian would scare the CRAP out of me whereas an army of smaller, less harmless bugs would have their terror factor bounced up given their numbers.

Is the swarm distinct in some way? Are they highly intelligent, crawling all over a keyboard to type out messages? Can they chirp in a cacophony or whispers?

Is this bug made-up, or modified in some way ala Naked Lunch?

http://cdn.culturemass.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/naked2.jpg