Batjohn

Tropes and genres
Synonym(s)	Bat!John
Related tropes/genres	Fawnlock, Otterlock & Hedgejohn, Tunalock
See also	Batstarion
Batjohn by Lunchbox-Material (2013)
Related articles on Fanlore.

Batjohn (also Bat!John) is a crack animal AU version of John Watson from the BBC television series Sherlock. The meme arose around January 2013 and saw a short, widespread period of popularity alongside other animal AUs like Fawnlock and Tunalock. The meme inspired fanart, fancrafts, and cosplay, but is perhaps best remembered for spawning an infamous piece of NSFW art.

Origin and history

The Bat!John meme seems to have arisen in late 2012 or early 2013. A Tumblr blog dedicated to the character was created by ivorylungs in late January 2013. The meme postdates the emergence of Fawnlock, but preceded Tunalock, perhaps the most well-known Sherlock animal AU, by several months.

Fan-writer Roane speculated in an August 2013 episode of the Three Patch Podcast that early opposition to Fawnlock may have spurred the creation of increasingly offbeat AU creatures:

It was a response to a lot of blowback that people who do the Fawnlock AU and kind of started that whole craze. A lot of people were really getting pissed off, you know, 'you're doing fandom wrong' if you do this. And so in response, a lot of animal AUs just kinda exploded. I think that's where Batjohn came from, and Tunalock, and... I don't even know. There's a bunch of them.

Roane

Batjohn was typically depicted as a normal-sized brown bat with a human face and a tuft of sandy blond hair. Less-common depictions portrayed him as a human-sized creature with bat-like features (typically ears and wings).

The Infamous "Q-Tip" Art

Commentary at the Time

Sexually-explicit fanart featuring Batjohn in sexual scenarios emerged early in the meme's history. One particularly infamous piece depicted Batjohn being penetrated anally with the end of a cotton swab by an off-screen character implied to be Sherlock. Such art caused controversy within Sherlock fandom at the time, prompting accusations of romanticizing bestiality and non-con.

An example of a discussion concerning the propriety of Batjohn smut occurred on Tumblr in July 2013:

[the-laughing-feminist]

i don't understand why people like anthropomorphic drawings of fandom characters
liek
why
how did this become a thing

[johnnybooboo]
Okay, no. Nu uh. Before you say this is a kink thing that came from too many perverted young lady fans let me explain to you a thing.

You see this badass cat lady?

[two photos of statutes of the Egyptian goddess Bast]

Yeah. That's Bastet. She's a fucking cool ass Egyptian Sun Goddess of childbirth and fertility. Most of the time she's depicted as a humanesque cat lady. And if you look into lots of the old time religious depictions of gods (like Ganesha in Hindu) you can see that humany wumany peeps with animalistic features isn't a new thing. Like, at all. People have been doing this for fucking ever.

If you don't like it then you don't have to look at it. It's really not that hard to avoid. Also if you could avoid tagging your negative shit in the future, I'd be eternally grateful. I'm not saying you have to like it because you really don’t if it makes you uncomfortable. But believe it or not, some people like myself really love Bat John and the like. Just because you don't like cake doesn’t mean you go to a cake-lovers meeting and then stomp on all of their cake because that's just rude. Personally, I think batjohn is fucking cute and hot sometimes? So I dunno, you can have your opinion, just please don't leave it around for batjohn-lovers to see.

Thank.

[the-laughing-feminist]
I'm sorry u think im a dick but lemme splain you something.

I didn't mean anthropomorphic drawings or art was weird or gross, I should have clarified that.

Also I didn't say "when did this become a thing". I know it started with mythology, but why did people decide to apply this to fandoms where this isn't seen at all/ doesn't make sense.

But the reason why I made this post was because I've been noticing a lot of anthropomorphic porn of fandoms and I just don't understand. My post was more aimed at that, but in general I've seen a lot that just don't make sense at all for some fandoms. Again, should have clarified this but I really didn't think anyone would see it or reply.

Also why do people make plushies of John's head on a bat body?? Very out of left-field when it comes to the Sherlock fandom, as I know it, anyway.

Its just… why a bat? I don't understand how John head on bat body is cute/neat? My opinion anyway.

Gods and Goddesses with anthropomorphic elements are cool as hell. Neato, I love mythology, gimme some of that.

But bats licking Sherlock penis is gross and fetishizes bestiality and that's not a good thing to do.

Anthro-porn in general is just not okay. Anthro Art that does not have any sexual/porn elements is okay though. I've drawn stuff like that before, but never porn. That's just something else entirely.

[thehappyfolk]
Ok so I’m not into bestiality or anthro-porn either but I'm gonna attempt to tackle this one.

Granted you know that animal!versions of characters are drawn all the time it surely isn't too far of a leap to imagine that porn can come out of that too? I'm pretty sure anybody who has really used the internet will know of Rule 34, and if not then you're certainly on the wrong section of the internet rn because non-vanilla shit pops up around here all the time. (And I'm not trying to be harsh in saying that, it's just the reality of things.)

As for the Sherlock fandom, it's notorious for its slash art, fiction, and all-round creativity so I don't understand why this should come as such a surprise to you? Yes, it's a niche area, but we live in a pretty fuckin' eclectic world here so it shouldn't really surprise you that there are people who like it. Furthermore, if you find artists that are a part of a fandom that also happen to draw porn then don't be suprised when their personal kinks arise in the aforementioned art.

Also just because you don't have a kink doesn't mean you should shame people for it in their own tag, especially when you present yourself in a manner that does not suggest a willingness to understand their POV. And whilst I agree that bestiality has a whole lot of ethical implications in practice it's not really relevant here. Antho-porn is something that is entirely fictional (because it merges human/animal characteristics and features) and cannot occur irl so you should really just leave people to what are actually just harmless fantasies. This isn't the same as artists drawing actual bestiality or something awful like CP which can actually turn from fantasy to reality (and the latter of which I have, disappointingly, seen art for before that no-one in this fandom has objected to - whereas tons of people seem to go crazy over harmless things such as this). So honestly I somehow doubt that any of the people drawing bat!john and the like are actually going to go out of their way to sexually abuse a real bat because that's an entirely separate kink.

As for why people find John merged with a bat cute? I think you answered that one yourself; in your opinion it isn't cute/neat, in theirs it is - it's a matter of taste and personal opinion on the matter. And where has insulting someone's personal taste ever really gotten you? Nowhere good I bet.

Finally, to conclude what has now become a mini-rant, you shouldn't be surprised that people can combine their love of fanart with their kink. It's the very same premise as fanfiction, something which provides reading material for literally every kink to ever exist. And I don't know if you have any kinks, but most people who do will look at relevant tags to do with it. So when it comes to something as niche as bat!john you really shouldn’t be surprised that people find/respond to your posts on the matter.

Another heated exchange in July 2013 was provoked by Tumblr user situationally-studious's reaction to a piece of "batjohn porn" posted by ivorylungs:

[ivorylungs]

I don't have time for more then a doodle but yea
some batjohn porn for those who want it
and for those who don't- don't be naughty and click it~
andit'sreallysketchyyoucan'treallyseeanythinganywayslol

[situationally-studious]
NO SERIOUSLY WHAT THE EVER LOVING FUCK IS THIS GODDAMN FANDOM. don't click on the picture. Just. Just don't. FUCK. I'm going to light myself on fire. I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

[twoandtwentyonebee]
are you kidding me right now, or are you really a fucking idiot?

[situationally-studious]
I can read, and I did read the description. I just wanted to see if y'all were really as fucking messed up and annoying as I thought. I mean, I was right. This is the Sherlock fandom. I just didn't realize you had reached new lows.

[twoandtwentyonebee]
What new lows? A little athro-sex? A lot of people like that! Why would you complain on a picture that someone worked very hard on and deigned to share with those of us who appreciate their work if, as you claim, you read the description and didn’t like what you saw?

[situationally-studious]
Just because someone worked hard on something doesn't mean it's free from commentary. When I was a new designer, I often worked hard on things and still got commentary. It's good for you.

Oh, and fetishizing animals is problematic and wrong, yo. Even anthropomorphized animals.

It's also a simple fact of, if I find it ridiculous, I'm going to say it's ridiculous on my blog. It's not problematic or oppressive to critique something or the idea behind it, and, frankly, the only things I strive to avoid in commenting on something is to be oppressive or problematic. Finding something repugnant and pointing it out and seeing what my followers think is not actually a problem.

[ivorylungs]
Are you really stupid enough to think anyone is going to want to go fuck a bat after seeing this? It has zero to do with john being a bat and all to do with the characters.

And what did you really expect to get back from a shitty comment like that? Yeah, I'm just going to ignore your rude comment trying to shame people out of creating what they want."It's not problematic or oppressive to critique something or the idea behind it, and, frankly, the only things I strive to avoid in commenting on something is to be oppressive or problematic." i mean jfc are you even aware of what you're writing oristhisallcomingoutofyouassidk but anyways I have no way of putting this without insulting your intelligence or silly name calling but if you want to know why you can stfu this is a good read (not all applies to you but whatever)

i must be off now since i have better things to do then deal with whiny babies who are new to fandom or possibly the internet

The Aftermath

2015

[anonymous, 2015]
I would give my immortal soul to not know about the q-tip thing. YKINMK and all, but Jesus Christ that is disturbing. If you're going to sodomize a tiny animal, why would you pick something as dry and abrasive as a q-tip? Isn't raping a bat sufficient without using something likely to maximize pain and injury?

[anonymous, 2015]
Maybe he lubricated the Q-Tip.

/conversations I didn't used to have before I joined fandom

[anonymous, 2015]
Not judging by the look on the bat's face.

[anonymous, 2015]
I am still scarred by my bad decision to click the fan art link someone provided on meme back then.

2017

[anonymous, 2017]
OMG U GUISE

I FOUND IT IN A FOLDER ON MY HARD DRIVE

HERE IT'S UP ON IMGUR NOW

[URL redacted]

(TW shota-bat noncon)

[anonymous, 2017]
GORGEOUS

[anonymous, 2017]
AAAAAAHHHH WHY DOES IT HAVE A HUMAN FACE THAT'S TERRIFYING

I WAS IMAGINING A CUTE ANIME BAT

NOT SOME HUMAN-FACED MONSTROSITY

[anonymous, 2017]
I'd forgotten how disturbing it was, with the face. My god, THE FACE.

I suppose gay baby deer Sherlock has a confused boner now, though.

2018

[anonymous, 2018]

Not my fandom anymore, but...

How having one of the two 35+ year old shitty men in the juggernaut ship bottom means that the ship is suddenly horribly, irreparably OOC at best or pedophilic at worst. Somehow. So obviously everyone ship the correct fandom-approved top and bottom designations only, or you're MONSTERS.

[anonymous, 2018]
Gosh, I wonder what fandom that was. Would it be the same fandom where drawing the same 35+ year old shitty man as a baby bat being raped with a Q-Tip was A-OK, nothing pedophilic about it at all?

2019

[anonymous, 2019]
Bat!John Watson gets, err, poked with a Q-tip. According to batshit TJLC fandom, this is a healthy and wholesome thing, unlike all that gross porn made by the rest of the pedos in Sherlock fandom.

They were super into infantilization/bestiality for some reason. See also: Sherlock the innocent faun who doesn't know how his peeper works.

[anonymous, 2019]
...what the actual fuck.

[anonymous, 2019]
Sherlock fandom was a weird fucking place, nonnie.

[anonymous, 2019]
I knew about the existence of the bat thing, and the deer thing, and also that one fic where Sherlock, as a child, raises and fucks a baby fox (who's not John- an actual normal fox.

But, like, why was BBC Sherlock fandom Like That? How did these beastiality/infantilization fics become so prominent? I'm earnestly asking, here.

Was this just one of those things where people wrote it as a joke and then it took on a life of own?

[anonymous, 2019]
I think it was just that a fandom of that size metastasizes after a certain point. After you pass 100,000 fics, you’ve done everything normal once, and you start in on the fish/penguin AUs or whatever.

[anonymous, 2019]
Well, that does make some sense, especially when you factor in how few episodes there were and how long the wait in between each season was.

It actually kind of reminds me of HP fandom, way back in the day, during the three-year summer in particular.

Things got absolutely bugfuck nuts. (Skullfucking, the Whomping Willow going all tentacle-y on everyone, etc)

[anonymous, 2019]
I don't know. I know the animal stuff was very big on the TJLC side of fandom. Which was always hilarious to me, since they were adamant that writing Sherlock topping was somehow pedo, yet were super into all the weird gay baby deer shit.

I think a lot of it got promoted by Gracee's circle, and they just egged each other on. Some of it, like the Tunalock stuff, started as a joke. It just kept getting progressively weirder. That whole fandom was just really bizarre, and they fed off each other.

[anonymous, 2019]
Well, I'm relieved to know that a portion of it at least was just a joke that took on a life of own.

As for the rest.... I guess I just have to accept that sometimes, there is no logical explanation and crazy fandom shit happens.

(It still boggles my mind, though. KINKTOMATO, I guess?)

[anonymous, 2019]
Combination of a big fandom and the echo chamber that comes with a juggernaut pairing. The only thing that was unthinkable in Sherlock fandom was pairing him with someone other than John. Maybe some people were coming from anime fandom where sometimes you get official random animal AUs.

2020

My time in Sherlock fandom has ruined me. People suggest animal fusions for characters in my current fandom, and all I can think of is the bat & q-tip fanart and my brain just goes "not fucking wanted." Pretty sure I’m missing out on some perfectly lovely content this way.

anonymous (2020)

2022

Sherlock fandom started casting Sherlock and Watson as various animals - tuna, otter, fawn, bat, to name a few.

For one of the bat!John art pieces, a picture was produced in which bat!John was about the size of a human palm? Humans obviously cannot safely penis sex bat!John, so Sherlock was helpfully anal sexing bat!John with a Q-tip.

There was a tummy bulge from the Q-tip?

anonymous (2022)

Fanworks

Fanart

• bat!John by 221bee (2013)
• Fawnlock by 221bee (2013 – with Fawnlock)
• Hold by 221bee (2013)
• Tried colouring Bat!John in on my Ipad by aflutterofwings (2013)
• BatJohn by Airafleeza (2013 – human-size bat!John)
• Bat!John the Vampire by Airafleeza (2013)
• Hissy Bat!John by Airafleeza (2013)
• My little batJohn by bassfanimation (2013)
• wanted to draw bulecelup’s batjohn/batlock/bathamish by bennyslegs (2013 – bat!Sherlock)
• I can’t get over how cute this paper is by blankinspace (2013)
• I got watercolor pencils today by by blankinspace (2013 – with Fawnlock)
• Batjohn needs his Doll by cherripuff (2013)
• Batjohn Cuddles~ by DainyMendax (2013 – human-size bat!John)
• Fawnlock and Batjohn Cuddles by by DainyMendax (2013 – with Fawnlock)
• Vampire Batjohn by DaintyMendax (2013)
• batjohn is out of jam by fauxvol (2013)
• Didn’t know Bat!John was still a thing evaholderart (2013)
• I finally drew Bat John by hattedhedgehog (2013)
• More Bat!John, at last by hattedhedgehog (2013)
• Because seriously, the Batjohn AU is the CUTEST one by hellobeggingyourpardon (2013)
• batjohn, for manna! by inchells (2013)
• Little batjohn found a severed thumb by iriarty (2013)
• On my list of things I probably shouldn’t be doing today by ivorylungs (2013)
• Batjohn <3 by jenovasilver (2013)
• Damn bats. Always gettin' in the washing. by jillandsarah (2013 – red pants meme)
• last one, I swear by johnnybooboo (2013 – with Fawnlock)
• Alright, who gave him the sweets? by lamariann (2013)
• I really hate baths by lamariann (2013)
• Tales of 221B by letsdrawcats (2013 – with Fawnlock)
• Well… Why not? by letsdrawcats (2013)
• I couldn’t resist and jumped on the bat!John bandwagon by littlenimart (2013)
• batjohn snuggles for tonight by lovelynobody00 (2013 – with Sherlock)
• i hate coloring but here by lovelynobody00 (2013 – with Sherlock)
• BatFawn… Um, BatJohnFawnLock… by milamiya (2013 – with Fawnlock)
• Sleepy bat!John by oddthesungod (2013 – with Sherlock)
• lil doodle by pyromancing
• My first little bat!Jawn~ by puszkin-san (2013)
• Batjohn! by sesshyfanchick (2013)
• Batjohn chatting with a Bumblebee by sincerelywrong (2013)
• Tragedy in three parts by sincerelywrong (2013 – with Fawnlock, hurt/comfort)
• a tiny kiss by shootbadcabbies (2013 – with Fawnlock)
• I tried to to jump on this bandwagon by space-cushion (2013)
• Art by thinkintrixxter (2013 - with wolf!Moriarty)
• Catlock and BatJohn (Halloween 2018) by stephdrawsjohnlock (2018)
• too cute i can’t stop by wendl-a (2013 – with Sherlock)
• Let me hide behind mum's wings by Zashache (2013)

Cosplay

• Found these two cuties <3 photo by morfiantra (2013 – cosplayers unknown)

Fancrafts

• Batjohn! by buneesi (2013 – plush)
• Batjohn On His First Adventure by FutureCarrotLab (2013 – crochet)
• Bat!John and Bat!John!!! by oddsterinJpan (2013 – crochet)
• Batjohn plushie and And now there are TWO by sincerelywrong (2013 – plush)
• BatJohn! by stitchnik (2013 – plush)

Resources & Links

• Batjohn and Bat!John tags and on Tumblr
• Bat John Watson at Archive of Our Own