History Main / TheInverseLawOfFandomLevity

* ''Series/BreakingBad'' is regarded as one of the best gritty crime dramas of all time, but you wouldn't know it from the fans, who are obsessed with making dadaistic shitposts that barely connect to the show at all, such as the famous "kid named Finger" meme which despite using a picture of Mike Ehrmantraut is entirely divorced from anything which happens in the show.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': The show itself is a fairly lighthearted and simple show, yet the fandom has created multiple DarkFics centered around darker and more serious topics and settings.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is a series noted for torturing its viewers with ever-growing levels of torment of their favorite characters, mind-screwing plots, and a depressing ending. It has also spawned a great number of WAFFy shipping fanfics and doujins featuring Shinji and whoever he's being paired with (typically Asuka) just being cute together with no giant monsters or conspiracies in sight, as well as goofier crackfics, memes about Shinji crankin' dat Music/SouljaBoy or doing the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxc8NoeivB0 Thug Shaker]], and a scene in ''WebVideo/AMVHell 3'' where Shinji is [[GroinAttack hit in the nuts by a football]].

* ''Manga/DeathNote'' is a deadly serious supernatural crime drama with very few humorous moments and a whole lot of pain, suffering and {{Gambit Pileup}}s. The fandom is obsessed not only with [[FoeYayShipping shipping Light and L with one another]], but with generally making flanderized memes where [[GreatDetective L]] makes some kind of BatDeduction that easily gets Light to confess that he's Kira.
* While it occasionally alludes to heavy topics, ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' generally engages with world history and culture with a lighthearted tone through parodies of NationalStereotypes. By contrast, the fandom has produced works such as the creepypasta ''Fanfic/AxisPowersHetaliaEpisode235'' and the horror fangame ''VideoGame/HetaOni'', not to mention the countless works based on "historical Hetalia", a common fandom premise addressing historical events through their [[NationsAsPeople Hetalia personifications]], often reflecting on the FridgeHorror of the series through how dark and depressing history can ''actually'' get.
* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is a series noted for torturing its viewers with ever-growing levels of torment of their favorite characters, deep psychological and religious themes, and a depressing outcome in TheMovie. It has also spawned a great number of [[SugarWiki/WarmAndFuzzyFeeling WAFFy]] shipping fanfics and doujins featuring Shinji and whoever he's being paired with (typically Asuka, Rei, and/or Kaworu) just being cute together with no [[AngelicAbomination Angels]] or conspiracies in sight, as well as goofier material like [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/176803/1/Neon_Genesis_Evanjellydonut Neon Genesis Evanjellydonut]], memes about Shinji crankin' dat Music/SouljaBoy or doing the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxc8NoeivB0 Thug Shaker]], and a scene in ''WebVideo/AMVHell 3'' where Shinji is [[GroinAttack hit in the nuts by a football]].

* ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' might be the darkest main ''Franchise/StarWars'' film in which [[TheBadGuyWins Palpatine succeeds]] in turning Anakin to his side and converting the Galactic Republic into TheEmpire, but the fandom just can't stop memeing this movie. Most of the jokes that aren't directly based on movie quotes (most of which are entirely sincere in-context) are of the BlackComedy variant, especially since prequel memers collectively decided that the "Master Skywalker, there are too many of them, what are we going to do?"[[note]]AKA the scene where Anakin ''[[WouldHurtAChild slaughters a bunch of younglings in cold blood]]'', which is [[MoralEventHorizon explicitly portrayed as his final step towards the Dark Side]][[/note]] scene to be the funniest in the movie.

* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' is the TropeCodifier for the DisguisedHorrorStory, as despite seemingly being a cute DatingSim, it turns out to be a fourth-wall shattering PsychologicalHorror that deals with subjects like depression, abuse, and existentialism. Despite this, the overwhelming majority of fan works play up the cuteness factor instead. For example, despite having a rather extensive modding community, very few of the mods retain the horror aspect, with some of the most popular being ones that turn the game into a normal dating sim, and other mods, fan videos, and mockup screenshots are comedy-focused, and fanfics mainly focuses on shipping, whether it be pairing up the MC with one of the girls or the girls with each other. That said, even the more horrifying aspects of the game have been [[BlackComedy memed from time to time]] (such as [[spoiler:Sayori's [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-gently-open-the-door suicide]])

* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' is the TropeCodifier for the DisguisedHorrorStory, as despite seemingly being a cute DatingSim, it turns out to be a fourth-wall shattering PsychologicalHorror that deals with subjects like depression, abuse, and existentialism. Despite this, the overwhelming majority of fan works play up the cuteness factor instead. For example, despite having a rather extensive modding community, very few of the mods retain the horror aspect, with some of the most popular being ones that turn the game into a normal dating sim, and other mods, fan videos, and mockup screenshots are comedy-focused, and fanfics mainly focuses on shipping, whether it be pairing up the MC with one of the girls or the girls with each other. That said, even the more horrifying aspects of the game have been memed from time to time ([[https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/a5n0mQq_460s.jpg spoiler]].)

* ''Literature/AmericanPsycho'': The book is a bleak yet darkly comedic story about Patrick Bateman, a narcissistic man who lives a luxurious yet empty and unfulfilling life, and spends several of its chapters killing people[[note]]However, Bateman's status as UnreliableNarrator makes it ambiguous if he's actually a serial killer or if he's a delusional fantasist[[/note]] as a means of livening up his dull, humdrum life. The movie is similar though it does tone down the overall violence by omitting some of the more brutal scenes from the book. MisaimedFandom aside[[note]]Much like [[Film/Joker2019 Arthur Fleck]], he's considered a poster boy of the "Sigma Male" grindset and is idolized by the Manosphere despite the book/movie portraying Bateman as a shallow, narcissistic loser[[/note]], Patrick is often portrayed as far sillier than in canon, being associated with the meme song It's Hip to Fuck Bees which is often used as a replacement during the scene where [[MoodWhiplash he monologues about Huey Lewis and the News before hacking his coworker Paul Allen to death with an axe]]. In addition, he's often portrayed as being outshined by Paul Allen who always has a better version of what Bateman has or [[MemeticLoser is portrayed as even more of a pathetic loser]] than in canon.

* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' is the TropeCodifier for the DisguisedHorrorStory, as despite seemingly being a cute DatingSim, it turns out to be a fourth-wall shattering PsychologicalHorror that deals with subjects like depression, abuse, and existentialism. Despite this, the overwhelming majority of fan works play up the cuteness factor instead. For example, despite having a rather extensive modding community, very few of the mods retain the horror aspect, with some of the most popular being ones that turn the game into a normal dating sim, and other mods, fan videos, and mockup screenshots are comedy-focused, and fanfics mainly focuses on shipping, whether it be pairing up the MC with one of the girls or the girls with each other.

* ''Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' is the TropeCodifier for MascotHorror, with the story being a grim and tragic tale about the loss of innocence through [[WouldHurtAChild the murder of children]] by series BigBad William Afton. While many of the fandom are dedicated to learning about the actual story, just as many are dedicated to making memes about Bites, Afton being Bri'ish and his JokerImmunity, Buff Helpy, Glamrock Freddy talking to Gregory about VideoGame/AmongUs, etc.

* ''Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' is the TropeCodifier for MascotHorror, with the story being a grim and tragic tale about the loss of innocence through [[WouldHurtAChild the murder of children]] by series BigBad William Afton. While many of the fandom are dedicated to learning about the actual story, just as many are dedicated to making memes about Bites, Afton being Bri'ish, Buff Helpy, Glamrock Freddy talking to Gregory about VideoGame/AmongUs, and joking about the darker implications of the story and how William [[SarcasmMode is actually a great guy]].

* ''Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' is the TropeCodifier for MascotHorror, with the story being a grim and tragic tale about the loss of innocence through [[WouldHurtAChild the murder of children]] by series BigBad William Afton. The while many of the fandom are dedicated to learning about the actual story, just as many are dedicated to making memes about Afton being Bri'ish, Buff Helpy, Glamrock Freddy talking to Gregory about VideoGame/AmongUs, and joking about the darker implications of the story and how William [[SarcasmMode is actually a great guy]].

* ''Film/{{Oppenheimer}}'' is just as grim of a biopic as you would expect a film about the man who spearheaded the development of the atomic bomb to be and features many a complex, nuanced character who makes decisions that can be immediately concluded to be good or bad. It also had the providence of not only being released in the age of the internet but also was caught up in the "[[Film/Barbie2023 Barbenheimer]]" meme fad, which resulted in fans of the film spawning a ton of ludicrous jokes (such as the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VgSyKl9vg0 Oppenheimer style]]" trailer) and the word "Oppenheimer" entering into the internet's greater lexicon of InherentlyFunnyWords.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is a series noted for torturing its viewers with ever-growing levels of torment of their favorite characters, deep psychological and religious themes, and a depressing outcome in TheMovie. It has also spawned a great number of [[SugarWiki/WarmAndFuzzyFeeling WAFFy]] shipping fanfics and doujins featuring Shinji and whoever he's being paired with (typically Asuka, Rei, and/or Kaworu) just being cute together with no [[AngelicAbomination Angels]] or conspiracies in sight, as well as goofier material like [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/176803/1/Neon_Genesis_Evanjellydonut Neon Genesis Evanjellydonut]], memes about Shinji crankin' dat Music/SouljaBoy or doing the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxc8NoeivB0 Thug Shaker]], and a scene in AMV Hell 3 where Shinji is [[GroinAttack hit in the nuts by a football]].

** Possibly the fandom's single most popular fanfic (so much so that it inspired a heap of fanfics of its own) is ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria''--which starts with the premise that the entire cast of the show died in a nuclear war. It follows a new group of ponies who struggle to survive and attempt to rebuild society, in the lawless wasteland that used to be Equestria.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''Literature/AmericanPsycho'': The book is a bleak yet darkly comedic story about Patrick Bateman, a narcissistic man who lives a luxurious yet empty and unfulfilling life, and spends several of its chapters killing people[[note]]However, Bateman's status as UnreliableNarrator makes it ambiguous if he's actually a serial killer or if he's a delusional fantasist[[/note]] as a means of livening up his dull, humdrum life. The movie is similar though it does tone down the overall violence by omitting some of the more brutal scenes from the book. MisaimedFandom aside[[note]]Much like Arthur Fleck, he's considered a poster boy of the "Sigma Male" grindset and is idolized by the Manosphere despite the book/movie portraying Bateman as a shallow, narcissistic loser[[/note]], Patrick is often portrayed as far sillier than in canon, being associated with the meme song It's Hip to Fuck Bees which is often used as a replacement during the scene where [[MoodWhiplash he monologues about Huey Lewis and the News before hacking his coworker Paul Allen to death with an axe]]. In addition, he's often portrayed as being outshined by Paul Allen who always has a better version of what Bateman has or [[MemeticLoser is portrayed as even more of a pathetic loser]] than in canon.

Everyone loves a good joke, but there are some times where they seem to appear out of an otherwise dreary and cynical world. When consuming a dark and depressing piece of media, it can be utterly refreshing to relieve onself with some good old-fashioned silliness. Or when consuming a comical, lighthearted work, it can be an interesting experiment to reinterpret it in a darker light.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is a series noted for torturing its viewers with ever growing levels of torment of their favorite characters, deep psychological and religious themes, and a depressing outcome in TheMovie. It has also spawned a great number of [[SugarWiki/WarmAndFuzzyFeeling WAFFy]] shipping fanfics and doujins featuring Shinji and whoever he's being paired with (typically Asuka, Rei, and/or Kaworu) just being cute together with no [[AngelicAbomination Angels]] or conspiracies in sight, as well as goofier material like [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/176803/1/Neon_Genesis_Evanjellydonut Neon Genesis Evanjellydonut]], memes about Shinji crankin' dat Music/SouljaBoy or doing the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxc8NoeivB0 Thug Shaker]], and a scene in AMV Hell 3 where Shinji is [[GroinAttack hit in the nuts by a football]].

[[folder:Films--Live-Action]]

* ''Film/{{Oppenheimer}}'' is just as grim of a biopic as you would expect a film about the man who spearheaded the development of the atomic bomb to be and features many a complex, nuanced character who makes decisions which can be immediately concluded to be good or bad. It also had the providence of not only being released in the age of the internet, but also was caught up in the "[[Film/Barbie2023 Barbenheimer]]" meme fad, which resulted in fans of the film spawning a ton of ludicrous jokes (such as the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VgSyKl9vg0 Oppenheimer style]]" trailer) and the word "Oppenheimer" entering into the internet's greater lexicon of InherentlyFunnyWords.
* ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' might be the darkest main ''Franchise/StarWars'' film in which [[TheBadGuyWins Palpatine succeeds]] in turning Anakin to his side and converting the Galactic Republic into TheEmpire, but the fandom just can't stop meming this movie. Most of the jokes that aren't directly based on movie quotes (most of which are entirely sincere in-context) are of the BlackComedy variant, especially since prequel memers collectively decided that the "Master Skywalker, there are too many of them, what are we going to do?"[[note]]AKA the scene where Anakin ''[[WouldHurtAChild slaughters a bunch of younglings in cold blood]]'', which is [[MoralEventHorizon explicitly portrayed as his final step towards the Dark Side]][[/note]] scene to be the funniest in the movie.

* ''Literature/AmericanPsycho'': The book is a bleak yet darkly comedic story about Patrick Bateman, a narcissistic man who lives a luxurious yet empty and unfulfilling life, and spends several of it's chapters killing people[[note]]However, Bateman's status as UnreliableNarrator makes it ambiguous if he's actually a serial killer or if he's a delusional fantasist[[/note]] as a means of livening up his dull, humdrum life. The movie is similar though it does tone down the overall violence by omitting some of the more brutal scenes from the book. MisaimedFandom aside[[note]]Much like Arthur Fleck, he's considered a poster boy of the "Sigma Male" grindset and is idolized by the Manosphere despite the book/movie portraying Bateman as a shallow, narcissistic loser[[/note]], Patrick is often portrayed as far sillier than in canon, being associated with the meme song It's Hip to Fuck Bees which is often used as a replacement during the scene where [[MoodWhiplash he monologues about Huey Lewis and the News before hacking his coworker Paul Allen to death with an axe]]. In addition, he's often portrayed as being outshined by Paul Allen who always has a better version of what Bateman has or [[MemeticLoser is portrayed as even more of a pathetic loser]] that in canon.
* ''Literature/LandOfOz'' is a whimsical fantasy series L. Frank Baum wrote for children, set in a fairy-land that is supposed to be utopian, yet many people see enough disturbing implications that DarkerAndEdgier homages bringing attention to them are [[DystopianOz a trope on its own]]. And that's not even getting into all the more mature and serious WhatDoYouMeanItsNotDidactic analysis that the books' adult PeripheryDemographic like to apply to them.

* ''Franchise/BatmanArkhamSeries:'' The game series is a dark, gothic video game series showcasing Batman going through hell as he faces off against his evil RoguesGallery. The fandom, especially those on [[Website/{{Reddit}} r/BatmanArkham]], are incredibly goofy using over the top memes like Man and Jonkler to refer to Batman and Joker respectively as well as creating deliberately nonsensical nitpicks using phrases like "Is he stupid?".
* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' is a game featuring mutilations, child kidnapping and discussions about farming mermaids for their bones. Fandom frequently use terms such as "happy fun surprise" for their assassination of [[UpperClassTwit annoying nobles]] and "circus" for "[[spoiler:{{Hell}}]]."
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' is a bleak game about a scientist stuck in a {{Dystopia}} where aliens have taken over Earth and are squeezing every resource they can out of it. But ''VideoGame/GarrysMod'' and the torrent of animations its created would have you believe it's about funny faces and wacky flailing ragdolls.

* ''VideoGame/{{Omori}}'', despite it's outward silliness and sense of humor, is a {{disguised|HorrorStory}} and surprisingly sad and depressing game which grapples with heavy topics like loss, grief, self-harm, etc. Despite this, fans are constantly making out-there shitposts like Kel being [[TrademarkFavoriteFood obsessed with burgers]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Signalis}}'' is a dark, depressing SurvivalHorror game which features a plot exploring concepts like free will, morality and artificial life, but the fans are absolutely smitten with joking about the Kolibris being horny lesbians, which is only tentatively a thing in-game.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is a show aimed at, ostensibly, a younger demographic, with pastel colored ponies offering up heartwarming lessons about friendship and being a better individual. But you wouldn't know that from looking at what the fandom has produced:

** Possibly the fandom's single most popular fanfic (so much so that it inspired a heap of fanfics of its own) is ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria''--which starts with the premise that the entire cast of the show died in a nuclear war. It follows a new group of ponies who struggle to survive, and attempt to rebuild society, in the lawless wasteland that used to be Equestria.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' codified the AnimatedShockComedy and has a crass, cynical, EqualOpportunityOffender attitude; even its more serious moments are punctuated with edgy humor. It has a dedicated shipping-heavy fandom on sites like [=DeviantArt=] and Tumblr dedicated to depicting the characters in wholesome SliceOfLife situations, heartfelt narratives taking the BlackComedy more seriously (often involving HurtComfortFic), and far more earnest depictions of LGBT people and minorities. The show itself even parodied {{Yaoi Fangirl}}s in Season 19's "Tweek x Craig," with the titular boys being shocked at in-universe fangirls drawing out-of-character romantic and sexual art of them. Ironically, this kickstarts the two being an unironic OfficialCouple whose relationship ''is'' a bit more in-line with their fandom portrayals.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' is meant to be this cute, cheery show about the wacky escapades of talking kitchen utensil under the sea, but by looking at its fandom, you'd swear that's it's actually a SubvertedKidsShow akin to ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. Nearly every character is a MemeticPsychopath, it's surprisingly prone to {{Dark Fic}}s, and there is often YouTubePoop of the show with lots of murder and rape (It's BlackComedy, but still). Granted, the show has gone through some SeasonalRot where the characters have become a bit meaner due to {{Flanderization}}, but it's still nowhere near as bad as the fandom portrays them.

* ''VideoGame/{{Omori}}'' is a cleverly disguised and surprisingly sad and depressing game which grapples with heavy topics like loss, grief, self-harm, etc. Despite this, fans are constantly making out-there shitposts like Kel being [[TrademarkFavoriteFood obsessed with burgers]].

** Early on, the fans spawned some of the darkest fanfiction imaginable, from the infamous ''Fanfic/CupcakesSergeantSprinkles'', (which imagines Pinkie Pie as a sadistic serial killer) to ''Fanfic/RainbowFactory'' (where Rainbow Dash is complicit in child murder on an industrial scale) and their various imitators. Name any main character, and there's at least one fanfic portraying them as a serial killer or psychological abuser, with their crimes depicted in disturbing detail.

Everyone loves a good joke, but there are some times where they seem to appear out of an otherwise dreary and cynical world. When consuming a dark and depressing piece of media, it can be utterly refreshing to relieve onself with some good old-fashioned silliness.

Thus, shows where people get gruesomely murdered on the regular will have fans constantly making quips about [[NeverLiveItDown that time a character got locked in the bathroom]]; literature detailing man's inhumanity to man will have communities full of wacky nonserious {{Crack Pairing}}s, and works which deconstruct the very idea of violence itself and show its horrific consequences will have every character within them given a goofy FanNickname.

This phenomenon can potentially be explained as a fandom-wide attempt to give themselves a BreatherEpisode, a brief recompense from the terror and malaise of the work itself. Observing this law in action will show you that the second anyone starts doing some serious analysis of the work, [[ShooOutTheClowns all the silliness will stop and people will fully acknowledge the gravity of the events detailed]], showing ''why'' said fandom is so silly to begin with.

Note that this law can absolutely apply in reverse, where a comical, lighthearted work's fandom exclusively engages with it by making it DarkerAndEdgier. This happens for similar reasons to fans of a dark work engaging with it in sillier ways; it's a way of interpreting and analyzing a work's depth beyond just what it is on the surface.

* ''Film/Downfall2004'' is an incredibly grim movie about the final days of the Führerbunker which casts the Nazis as {{Tragic Villain}}s who nevertheless deserve their fate, but fans of the film are notorious for using clips from the film to create ''WebVideo/HitlerRants'' parodies which are generally lighthearted SitCom hijinks, heavily contrasting the film's depressing, dour visuals.

* ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' might be the darkest main ''Franchise/StarWars'' film in which TheBadGuyWins, but the fandom just can't stop meming this movie. Most of the jokes that aren't directly based on movie quotes (most of which are entirely sincere in-context) are of the BlackComedy variant, especially since prequel memers collectively decided that the "Master Skywalker, there are too many of them, what are we going to do?"[[note]]AKA the scene where Anakin ''[[WouldHurtAChild slaughters a bunch of younglings in cold blood]]'', which is [[MoralEventHorizon explicitly portrayed as his final step towards the Dark Side]][[/note]] scene to be the funniest in the movie.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': ''Evangelion'' is a series noted for torturing its viewers with ever growing levels of torment of their favorite characters, deep psychological and religious themes, and a depressing outcome in TheMovie. It has also spawned such fanfiction as [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/176803/1/Neon_Genesis_Evanjellydonut Neon Genesis Evanjellydonut]], memes about Shinji crankin' dat Music/SouljaBoy or doing the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxc8NoeivB0 Thug Shaker]], and a scene in AMV Hell 3 where Shinji is [[GroinAttack hit in the nuts by a football]].