| 1 | %% |
| 2 | %% All source works have been alphabetized. Please sort all new examples in the proper order by source material. |
| 3 | %% |
| 4 | See also DarkFic. |
| 5 | |
| 6 | [[AC: ''Franchise/AceAttorney'']] |
| 7 | * The AU fanfic ''Fanfic/TheGreatAceDetective'' portrays [[spoiler:Klint surviving his duel with Genshin]] as spawning an overall worse timeline. Accordingly the fic is darker than the game's tone despite several instances of levity, featuring more violence and psychological thriller elements rather than courtroom antics. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking To cap it off]], Sholmes wears an all-black outfit rather than his canon classic Holmes garb.[[note]]Which was picked from his concept art of when he was going to be a more serious character.[[/note]] |
| 8 | |
| 9 | %%[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'']] |
| 10 | %%* [[http://www.annkniggendorf.de/gr/timeline.html Ann-Kathrin Kniggendorf]] and Trivia make an art form of this in ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Galaxy Rangers]]'' fandom. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | [[AC: ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'']] |
| 13 | * In ''Fanfic/ToHellAndBackArrowverse'', [[Franchise/TheFlash Barry]] and [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]] are much darker than their canon counterparts, being hardened killers like [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Oliver]]. Ironically, Oliver himself inverts this trope by being (to a certain extent) Lighter and Softer, having had a Family of Choice with him on the island and with the League of Assassins. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/AtomicBetty'']] |
| 16 | * ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6572573/1/For_Every_Action For Every Action]]'' practically runs on this trope. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'']] |
| 19 | * ''Fanfic/BloodMoon'': Katara is taken and imprisoned by the Fire Nation at the age of eight. In prison, she is forced to learn bloodbending from Hama, who uses it to punish her if she questions the elder's authority. Several years later, they break out of the prison, with Hama using bloodbending to its fullest potential to kill the guards who had kept them and the other Southern waterbenders captive, and finally Katara is forced to use bloodbending to kill Hama after the latter threatens to take leadership of the escapees by force. |
| 20 | * ''Fanfic/ImprisonedThisTimeForReal'': The story basically explores what happens when Katara is imprisoned in the Waterbender Prison for several months. She's completely broken by the time she's freed. |
| 21 | * ''Fanfic/StillStandInTheSun'': One of the darkest [=AUs=] for ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' as a whole. Katara, a character associated with hope, is taken away from her home as a child and locked up in a horrible prison, forcing her to endure a pathetic and torturous existence. Her situation gets more and more hopeless throughout the story, and even when she finally escapes, she's still pretty miserable by the end. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | [[AC: ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'']] |
| 24 | * ''Fanfic/WinterWar'' takes the darkest elements of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' and runs with them. ''Bleach'' can get pretty violent, but it's usually contained in one-on-one duels, the only people who die are villains, and no matter how badly a good guy is hurt, they're unlikely to suffer any lasting consequences to it. ''Winter War'' throws that all out the window. Heroes die. Heroes will fight dishonorably or gang up on opponents if they have to. There are limits to what healers can do, and lingering injuries complicate daily life and battle alike. Aizen's Hollowfication experiments are shown as horrific and dehumanizing rather than being used as a source of power-ups. And the authors don't pull punches about the likely states of mind of people who've been on the front lines- or taken captive, or waiting back home for loved ones who are probably dead- for months. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | [[AC: ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'']] |
| 27 | * ''Fanfic/TheCalvinverse'' is ever-so-slightly darker than [[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes the original strip]], but a few installments are darker than others. ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'' undergoes CerebusSyndrome as time goes on, but ''nothing'' compares to the sheer darkness that is [[GrandFinale "Black Rain"]]... [[spoiler:especially when two antagonists are implied to have ''died'' at the hands of [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos Slender Man]].]] |
| 28 | |
| 29 | [[AC: ''Website/ChannelAwesome'']] |
| 30 | * While it's true that the Website/ChannelAwesome fanficcers love their smut, fluff and crack beyond reason, they've also spawned several DarkerAndEdgier fics, including ''Fanfic/HookerVerse'', ''Fanfic/ThatGuyWithTheGlassesInSpace'' and several other AU's that '''will''' make you lose your sleep. |
| 31 | ** Special mention should go to the "Rotten Dirty Bastard" fics. The special was BlackComedy dedicated to going to extreme lengths describing how much WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic makes everyone's lives suck. The fics will either point out the flaws in these "happier lives" (like Iron Liz never meeting Linkara as one example) or have this heartbreaking sense of loss that makes you want to [[TearJerker cry]]. |
| 32 | |
| 33 | |
| 34 | [[AC: ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSeries'']] |
| 35 | * ''Fanfic/TiberiumWars'' manages to make the ''Command & Conquer Tiberium'' universe even darker than it already is, by virtue of introducing WarIsHell to show just how horrific the battles and weaponry in the setting really are. |
| 36 | |
| 37 | [[AC: ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'']] |
| 38 | * ''WebAnimation/OutcastBandicoot'' portrays both the characters and the universe they inhabit as much, MUCH darker than the original games, even at their gloomiest. Dr. Neo Cortex -- arguably one of the funniest, cartooniest villains in fiction is turned into a full-on ''sadist''. In addition, the work combines this trope with [[BloodierAndGorier Bloodier and Gorier]], making for a VERY violent, heartbreaking, and even scary portrayal of an otherwise lighthearted universe. |
| 39 | |
| 40 | [[AC: CrossOver]] |
| 41 | * ''VideoGame/BrutalMario'' Demo 7.5 starts with Mario ruining the Mushroom Kingdom, getting darker from there, then in the Special World we see [[spoiler: Wily transform Mega Man into Quint, and Mario has to kill Mega Man]], and that's before the [[ContinuationFic unofficial Middle Path ROM by Thirteen 1355]]. |
| 42 | * ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' appears to be a LighterAndSofter family fic for the first ten chapters. Chapter 11 introduced a version of the Winter Soldier even more [[TheDreaded terrifying]] [[SuperSoldier than his]] [[OneManArmy canon counterpart]] and a necromancer who is quite clearly insane. Just how insane becomes clear in Chapter 21, which is dark enough to comfortably compare with the darkest parts of ''ComicBook/TheAuthority''. |
| 43 | ** While the heroes remain the heroes we know and love and the story never veers into GrimDark territory, the story explores the darker side of the natures and of the setting: Natasha's [[DarkAndTroubledPast past is somewhat explored and is quite clearly a very dark place]], especially when we get to see the Red Room itself and some of its other products, including one of her clearly deranged successors. [[ProfessionalKiller Clint used to kill people for a living.]] [[HeelFaceTurn Loki is a hero,]] but underneath the charming sorcerer, coffee maker and indulgent uncle is [[TheSpymaster the most dangerous spymaster]] in the Nine Realms, [[TheAtoner a man who bitterly regrets his past misdeeds]], and who is nevertheless entirely willing to methodically murder his way through ''the entire Red Room'' when they threaten his family. Sif frankly acknowledges that yes, she is a warrior god, and yes, she has killed a lot of people, some of whom could be reasonably defined as innocent. So have Thor and the Warriors Three. |
| 44 | ** Nick Fury's lighter past as a LovableRogue is elaborated upon, having been SHIELD's liaison to the Order of the Phoenix, and acted as a big brother figure to Lily Potter for most of her life - so close, in fact, that he was next in line after Sirius to be Harry's godfather. This is contrasted with his [[GoodIsNotNice cold]] and [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] current self, Lily's death having been his final CynicismCatalyst, after her parents (his mentors) were murdered. Sirius being locked up despite his innocence, a lot of Death Eaters getting away, and Harry going to the Dursleys were just the icing on the cake. |
| 45 | ** Behind his [[EccentricMentor eccentric facade]], Albus Dumbledore is deeply frustrated by the culturally enforced MedievalStasis which strangles innovation and denied him the chance to communicate with brilliant non-wizards, save for working with Howard Stark during World War II. He shows a brief glimpse of his dark side, frankly admitting that he remains capable of becoming a Dark Lord the likes of which Voldemort could never match. |
| 46 | ** Sean Cassidy is still a light hearted and wise Irishman [[note]] Irish-American who's spent most of the last forty years living in Ireland and Scotland, as a compromise between the comics and the ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' [[/note]]. However, like canon, his wife was murdered by the IRA. His ensuing RoaringRampageOfRevenge was bad enough that parts of it still give Nick Fury, [[GoodIsNotNice no wilting violet himself,]] nightmares over a decade later. |
| 47 | ** Johnny and Susan Storm's backstory. [[spoiler: Their father murdered their mother when Johnny was six years old]] and it is more likely than not that Johnny saw it happen. After that, a relative took them in, then died, after which [[PromotionToParent Sue mostly raised Johnny by herself.]] Additionally, the incident which gives their powers is not some cosmic storm, but them being caught up in a cosmic scale battle and swept into the Negative Zone a.k.a. [[spoiler: Sakaar]], an EldritchLocation where none of them age for fifteen relative years, Ben Grimm has to fight as a gladiator, Johnny is a mixture of amusement/finger-toy for its nigh-omnipotent EldritchAbomination of a GodEmperor, and Sue and Reed spend all their time trying to find a way out while concealing [[spoiler: Francis Richards, their impossible child]]. Oh, and everyone in the Negative Zone is slowly being devoured from the inside out. |
| 48 | ** Carol Danvers is YoungerThanSheLooks, being able to pass for a buxom college student at the age of 14 or so. This gains her a ''severe'' amount of unwanted attention. Then there's the sheer amount of PTSD inducing experiences, second only to Harry and Maddie in the amount of trauma induced. |
| 49 | ** [[spoiler: Luna Lovegood]] dies thanks to a bullet in the lungs meaning that she choked to death on her own blood. She's barely ''thirteen.'' [[spoiler: Granted, it ends well enough for her, with her ascension to become the new Delirium of the Endless, but even still.]] |
| 50 | ** [[spoiler: Arthur Weasley]] has his neck snapped by the Winter Soldier. And considering his likely fate at HYDRA's hands, it is made very clear by the narration that [[MercyKill this was actually a singular act of mercy.]] |
| 51 | ** The sequel dials up the darkness, with Voldemort putting a horrific spin on the FreakyFridayFlip at the World Cup and very nearly succeeds in telepathically tricking [[spoiler: a panicking Thor into killing Harry and Pepper-in-Carol's-Body]] in the second chapter. He later pulls something similar when he effectively feeds Ron and Hermione to a living EldritchLocation simply to distract Harry (and at least partially for his own amusement). |
| 52 | ** Then, it's still pretty light... until the ''Forever Red'' arc comes along and the Red Room make their foreshadowed return, and demonstrate why even HYDRA feared them. The arc is the story's DarkestHour, featuring DarkerAndEdgier versions of: [[spoiler: Dudley]], now a drugged-up superpowered thug, murderer, and rapist; [[spoiler: Maddie Pryor a.k.a. Rachel Grey (Jean's twin, stolen from her cradle)]], a heavily brainwashed robotic and ruthless LivingWeapon with bare hints of independent thought; Yelena Belova, their AxCrazy Black Widow, who rapes [[spoiler: the Red Son a.k.a. Harry]] just to make a point to Natasha; and the Red Son [[spoiler: a.k.a. Harry's reprogrammed BlankSlate body]], the SuperiorSuccessor to the Winter Soldier who's infected with Transmode Virus [[UnwillingRoboticisation which is activated]] when Magneto's getting the better of him. And then there's Sinister, who's half [[SoftSpokenSadist deceptively]] mild-mannered MadScientist, half EvilCounterpart to Doctor Strange, and every bit as bad as canon - if not worse. And at the end of the arc, once [[spoiler: Harry gets his mangled body back, complete with memories of what happened to it/what it was used to do, he snaps and becomes the Dark Phoenix]]. While it lightens up afterwards, Harry's ensuing battle with PTSD consumes much of the rest of the story, and informs the rest of it. |
| 53 | * Sherlockian {{Crossover}} with ''Series/DoctorWho'' series, ''Fanfic/ChildrenOfTime''. The initial story is fairly grim, invoking the Time War, and then the series lightens until midway through, when we reach the "42" rewrite "Burn", and it all goes downhill from there. [[WhatTheHellHero Little bit]] [[PrecisionFStrike more swearing]] than in the Sherlockian canon, [[ColdBloodedTorture much more torture]] and [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath violence]], AttemptedRape, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and]] InsatiableNewlyweds all find their way into the series, particularly the three-part finale. |
| 54 | * Part 2 of ''Fanfic/ClashOfTheElements''. There is little to no humor, some rather grim scenarios are brought up during [[spoiler: Smithy]] and [[spoiler: Dimentio's (Fake)]] backstories, including [[spoiler: Betrayal, paranoia and the strong pursuit of a dream leading to the death of Smithy's closest friend, Dimentio casually mocking the love of Blumiere and Lady Timpani, along with his fabricated story that mentioned a pregnant Daisy DYING during an alien invasion.]] And that's not even getting into Chapters 21-29... |
| 55 | * ''Fanfic/FairyMayCry'': The addition of elements from ''Devil May Cry'' make it this to ''Fairy Tail''. There's a more realistic amount of blood from wounds[[note]]His first encounter with Vergil leaves Natsu with a permanent scar on his chest[[/note]], and enemies are more dangerous and vicious, even employing psychological tactics on the enemies. And while there are still comedic moments, very few opponents, such as Vergil, are PlayedForLaughs. |
| 56 | * ''Fanfic/FallingStars'' takes the characters of ''Anime/LuckyStar'' and places them into the [[VideoGame/Fallout3 Capital Wasteland]]. Needless to say, it's not nearly as cheery as the original source material. |
| 57 | * ''FanFic/Flashpoint2AdventSolaris'' is a crossover of ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' with ''WesternAnimation/DCAnimatedMovieUniverse'' - for Sonic standards this trope applies, though admittedly it's about more on par with things as far as the DCAMU is concerned. |
| 58 | * ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainStarFinder'': This crossover between ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', In comparison for the original show, is more cynical in tone, with the characters being more jaded, less cheerful and having personal issues. The dark themes is right from the start such as Stella's implied backstory, Lincoln being emotionally drained and people being disdainful towards the Louds. |
| 59 | * ''Webcomic/PowerpuffGirlsDoujinshi'' and its spin-off ''Webcomic/GrimTalesFromDownBelow'' are both examples of this trope done ''extraordinarily'' well, provided you can get past all the fluffy kids' cartoons going through this process in the first place. |
| 60 | * ''Fanfic/KingdomHeartsCodysStory'': Compared to Total Drama Island, this story has a much more serious tone. Not only do Cody and his friends lose their home, but Heather, Geoff, Duncan, Gwen, and Courtney [[FaceHeelTurn all betray the heroes and team up with Maleficent]]. Duncan even almost murders Cody to stop him from meddling. This is even darker than the actual KH games, due to swearing and some instances of blood. |
| 61 | * ''Fanfic/LightingCandles'': While the two films this story is based on deal with mature themes, both are ultimately light-hearted family films. This fic not only contains language and violence, but it points out that Tadashi's death [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath was a bad way to go]]. |
| 62 | * ''Fanfic/ShinnenNewYear'' is a ''Anime/GuiltyCrown'' MegaCrossover set years after the anime. Despite having creative humor, the co-authors make the setting dark once the main antagonists shows up and shows a lot of body counts. |
| 63 | * ''Fanfic/StarsAbove'' is an interesting case. It's a CrossOver between ''Manga/LuckyStar'' and ''[[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Madoka Magica]]'', in which the darkness of the latter starts invading the universe of the former. |
| 64 | * ''LetsPlay/TheTerribleSecretOfAnimalCrossing'', a fanfic mixed with LetsPlay, does this to ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing''. |
| 65 | * ''Fanfic/Warhammer40000Trouble''. WarFic, in our HaremComedy story? Yes. ItMakesSenseInContext? HELL YES! Everyone TookALevelInBadass? FUCK YEAH, especially everyone that already badass in the original story but PlayedForDrama instead. That's before we add ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' into account... |
| 66 | * ''Fanfic/PeopleLikeUs'': While the fic is LighterAndSofter than canon overall, the author adds certain details to Arthur and Travis's backstories that make them even more tragic than originally implied. On top of that, the two characters are given even ''more'' mental problems to deal with, and they're described in [[NightmareFuel disturbing]] detail. |
| 67 | * ''Fanfic/TokimekiPokeLiveAndTwinbee'' is ''[[Franchise/LoveLive Love Live!]]'' meets ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' and ''VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}'', and while the Main Stories are still pretty [[LighterAndSofter lighthearted]] like the ''Love Live!'', ''[=TokiMemo=]'' and ''Twinbee'' franchises proper are, the Side Story arcs and Special Stories on the other hand usually [[DarkerAndEdgier up the stakes]] for the characters involved, including some backstory about [[spoiler:the fateful battle between Hilbert and N ala ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' being the DarkestHour for this version of Love Live Earth]] and versions of Mia and Lanzhu, '''especially''' Mia, who are exclusive to this universe that are easily on par with the likes of the vilest ''Pokémon'' villains like Ghetsis, Motherbeast!Lusamine, Team Cipher and Hunter J, but absolutely nothing from this AU comes close to [[spoiler:the backstory for the [[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM Knothole]] [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Freedom Fighters]] in this continuity, where an [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Ultra]] [[VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon Beast]] invasion destroys their former home world, possibly resulting in up to 90% of the population being killed by [[EldritchAbomination strange creatures from other dimensions]]. Not only that, "Prophecy of Failure!?" also reveals that the extreme [[GlobalWarming Climate Change]] that caused the Earth of Aleena's time (The 2060s-2070s) to be a dry, dessicated hothouse with the sole exceptions of the polar regions and their surrounding tundras was caused by Yoko and Ellie being defeated by Eggman during their final battle!]] |
| 68 | * ''Fanfic/PokemonCrossing'': While both ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' and ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' are both relatively light-hearted series, the fanfic delves into darker topics such as gender dysphoria, grief, adultery, and familial abuse. |
| 69 | * ''Fanfic/RickAndTheLoudHouse'': PlayedWith, considering the shows contrast each other in content. While the violence, crude humor, and profanity is perfectly in-tone with ''Rick and Morty'', it's a far cry from ''The Loud House'''s simple SliceOfLife nature. |
| 70 | * ''Fanfic/OfGemstonesAndWatches'' has some edge to it; |
| 71 | ** Permanent Retirement illustrates the chase scene with the idea that "Marty" is gonna kill the two kids. |
| 72 | ** Last Laugh implied that Zombozo killed some of his crewmen before Ben fought him. |
| 73 | ** Charm School's Out has Michelle Morningstar, the genderbent version of Michael Morningstar / Darkstar, rip out a girl's tongue. |
| 74 | ** Secrets has a giant Nevermore ''eating'' someone, and it's made clear that the Plumbers lost people in fending it and the other Grimm off. |
| 75 | ** Framed Part 1 has Kevin attacking a guy who got off scot-free for rape. In Part 2, Kevin is wounded enough to bleed heavily, and his Water Hazard equivalent, Dead Sea, manages to nearly kill Echo Echo. |
| 76 | ** Animo 10k [[spoiler: murdered Kevin 11k for the alien DNA in the Antitrix. When Ben 10k learns this, he ''bites the head off'' of the creation Animo was using to relay this]]. |
| 77 | ** [[spoiler: Vilgax's torture at the hands of the Fulmini. The end result is horrific, maybe even worse than how he ended up in the canon's first episode.]] |
| 78 | ** [[spoiler: Elias rips Max's arm off, and then either kills him or sends him to the Null Void]]. |
| 79 | ** [[spoiler: Zs'skayr's debut has him phase objects into people's bodies, take over Rook and Kylie's body, and nearly murder Ben. And even worse, he's working with Salem.]] |
| 80 | * ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'' was always going to be this due to the nature of crossing over ''Pokémon'' and ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'' but it turns Book 3 of the latter even ''darker'' due to the PsychologicalHorror, expanding on the cruelty of the Apex, [[spoiler:children ''die'' in the story, the climactic battle with the heroes and the Apex ends in '''Silent Hill''' and one boy gets thrown into a suicide ward at age ''10''.]] |
| 81 | * ''Fanfic/TemporalAnomaly'', the crossover between ''Series/KamenRiderZiO'' and ''VideoGame/Drakengard3'', is already darker than most ''Kamen Rider'' crossover stories by default due to its events taking place in the latter's world, which is one of gaming's most infamous {{Crapsack World}}s, with the story doing its best to capture the bleak atmosphere of that setting. However, it manages to take things a step further by having the main protagonist be 2068!Sougo Tokiwa/Oma Zi-O - the EvilOverlord responsible for his world's BadFuture where he killed off half of humanity while ruling over the rest with an tyrannical iron fistand and is now looking to take over the new world he's found himself in. |
| 82 | |
| 83 | [[AC: ''Literature/DateALive'']] |
| 84 | * ''Fanfic/DateAReLive'': The author actually states that the Spacequakes nearly brought Humanity to extinction because there was no way to avoid one for years, and the prologue chapter has Shido meet Tohka... [[spoiler: in her [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Inverse Form]]]]. That alone sets the mood for the entire setting. [[spoiler: It also [[DeathByAdaptation kills off Elliot Woodman and Karen Mathers]] unlike in canon]]. |
| 85 | %%** The final arcs of each Season tend to be this way. Season 1 has the Rinne arc, Season 2 has the Choronzon arc, while Season 3 had the Mukuro and Mio arcs. |
| 86 | |
| 87 | [[AC: ''Franchise/TheDCU'']] |
| 88 | * ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4602078/1/Challenge_of_the_Super_Friends_The_End Challenge of the Super Friends: The End]]'', where the Legion of Doom travel to a horrific Lovecraftian universe and end up like victims in the ''Film/EventHorizon'' and ''Franchise/{{Hellraiser}}'' films, while the Superfriends become fascistic and attempt to make their world a utopia in the villains' absence. |
| 89 | |
| 90 | [[AC: ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'']] |
| 91 | * The ''Fanfic/TamersForeverSeries'', to the point where it's been favourably compared to ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Evangelion]]''. A great example of Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad. |
| 92 | * The remake of the ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' ''Fanfic/Zero2ARevision'' is a lot darker than both the ''[[Anime/DigimonAdventure Adventure]]'' [[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 series]] [[LighterAndSofter especially the latter]], on par with ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' in terms of the dark content. While the remade Digimon Emperor arc is almost the same as the original sans the use of nukes, Franchise/{{Alien}} and [[Franchise/{{Terminator}} Terminators]], and a possessed [[WakeUpCallBoss Magnaangemon]], it is the next arcs when the true content finally emerges; For starters, most villains like [[ManipulativeBastard Devimon]], [[EvilOverlord Demon]], and [[TheChessmaster Dragomon]] that were previously shoved aside became the main villains of the Digidestied along with other enemies including Piedmon, [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Darkheart]], [[CaptainErsatz Gravemon]], and a [[CharacterRerailment rerailed]] Myotismon [[note]]In contrast, [[GoldfishPoopGang Arukenimon and Mummymon]] are demoted to Devimon's lackey, Blackwargreymon is defeated pretty quickly, and Oikawa is reduced to a messenger for Demon[[/note]]. The last third also features an invasion into the Real world, directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of people while the Digidestined themselves are trapped by Darkheart's pursuits unable to do anything to help. [[spoiler: And as it is later revealed, the reason the universe becomes like this is due to Shaun time travel to the past, resulting the Digidestined fighting even greater Dark forces than what they would have confronted]]. |
| 93 | * ''Fanfic/NeoDigimonDigitalWar'', like the above example, is considerably darker than ''Adventure'' and ''Adventure 02'', featuring such things as a WarIsHell theme and Hikari being plagued by recurring nightmares that induce BringMyBrownPants. |
| 94 | |
| 95 | [[AC: ''Franchise/{{Discworld}}'']] |
| 96 | * The ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' continuum offers the fanfics of [[Creator/AAPessimal A.A. Pessimal]], which while written with a touch of Pratchett's absurdism, offer a darker edge to his fantasy world. The question from ''Literature/{{Pyramids}}'', of what happens to luckless students who fail the Assassins' Guild School's Final Exam, is [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5055274/22/The-Graduation-Class finally answered]] in detail that Pratchett only hinted at but did not give. According to reviews, this chapter moved one reader to tears. The Discworld country of "Rimwards Howondaland" is an expy of the old [[UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra South Africa]] taken up to eleven, and has social institutions to match, as well as a paranoid and ruthless secret police - who are even called BOSS in the Discworld. |
| 97 | |
| 98 | [[AC: ''Creator/{{Disney}}'']] |
| 99 | * The sequels of ''Fanfic/TheGreatDisneyAdventureSaga'' compared to the original are darker, with a team of evil villains of much greater threat, the darker movies of the canon like Hunchback being explored, and an actual [[spoiler: DisneyDeath of Kelsey]]. |
| 100 | * ''Fanfic/LostTalesOfFantasia'' is a DarkFic for all Disney properties combined. You have UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler joining the Disney villains, [[WesternAnimation/KimPossible Spinning Tops of Doom]] as Nazi weapons, WesternAnimation/{{Alice|InWonderland}} as a powerful, sadistic devil from Hell, [[WesternAnimation/PeterPan Neverland]] being reduced to a bombed-out shell, a grown-up [[Franchise/WinnieThePooh Christopher Robin]] fighting in the war, WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse turning out to be an orphaned [[spoiler:[[Film/MaryPoppins Michael Banks]]]] magically turned into a mouse, WesternAnimation/PeterPan's ears being pointy because [[spoiler:Captain Hook and Tinkerbell (who nearly died during childbirth) are his estranged parents]], [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast the Enchantress]] turning out to actually have been [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]], WesternAnimation/{{Pete}} as a cruel Nazi officer, [[Anime/PonyoOnTheCliffByTheSea Ponyos]] as TheVirus undead mermaids, [[WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog Mama Odie]]'s blindness and eccentricity being caused by [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]] taking her eyes and enchanting her insane, and that's before you go into the [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfIchabodAndMrToad Headless Horseman]]... |
| 101 | * Website/DeviantART user [[http://jeftoon01.deviantart.com/ jeftoon01]] has been working diligently on the ''Fanfic/TwistedPrincess'' series, where he imagines what the Creator/{{Disney}} heroines would look like if they became {{Femme Fatale}}s. We have a WickedWitch version of [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Aurora]], a [[GhostlyGoals revenant]] version of WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}, a {{Golem}} Literature/{{Cinderella}}, and a DarkActionGirl MagicKnight version of [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} Jasmine]]. By the way, his portrayal of Snow White illustrates the DarthWiki/DarthWiki main page. |
| 102 | |
| 103 | [[AC: ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'']] |
| 104 | * ''WebVideo/TheBike'' is a Website/YouTube channel that specializes in producing ''Doki Doki Literature Club''-related videos some in particular managing to amplify the horrors of the original game to new heights. The most infamous one is ''Monika checks on Sayori''. In this take on the infamous scene, Monika goes to Sayori's house, and willfully chooses to not prevent Sayori's suicide. Worse, Monika takes a rather ''crude'' fixation with the events. |
| 105 | * ''VideoGame/DokiDokiTakeoverBadEnding'' is a straightforward homage to the horror elements of ''Doki Doki Literature Club'' -- this in contrast to the LighterAndSofter main mod, which shies away from the more grotesque horrors of 'DDLC'' in favor of ending on [[EarnYourHappyEnding on a much happier note]], whereas this mod [[DownerEnding lives up to the subtitle by comparison]]. |
| 106 | |
| 107 | [[AC:''Franchise/DonkeyKong'']] |
| 108 | * ''WebAnimation/ReturnToKrocodileIsle'': Not by much, mind, but the short goes much further than the source cartoon. This in turn allows things like K. Rool alluding to hell, using realistic firearms, referencing alcohol and suicide, and flat out wanting to kill DK. |
| 109 | |
| 110 | %%[[AC: ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'']] |
| 111 | %%* [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4067416/1/Doom_Repercussions_of_Evil_Mark_II This fanfic]] is a considerably Darker And Edgier version of the more light-hearted, facetious ''[[http://www.peterchimaera.com/doom.html Doom Repercussions of Evil]]''. |
| 112 | |
| 113 | [[AC: ''Franchise/DragonBall'']] |
| 114 | * ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' gets progressively darker as it goes by. The first season is comparable to something like ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'', featuring lots of [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece late 2000's meme humor]], [[BreakingTheFourthWall fourth wall breaking]], and generally only paying enough attention to the plot to move it along. However, the more it goes on, the more it does try to retain the original drama of the anime, including writing all new dramatic material. The fourth wall breaking also stops, although it does occasionally [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall lean on it.]] [[DownplayedTrope It's still a comedy, though]], and the (still fairly uncommon) dramatic moments arguably help to make the comedy much funnier as a result. |
| 115 | |
| 116 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'']] |
| 117 | * ''Fanfic/MotherDearest'' is a fanfic that qualifies as this, if only for the exploration of Huey, Dewey and Louie's questionable origins. The story has no disturbing themes or violence, though. |
| 118 | |
| 119 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/FairlyOddParents'']] |
| 120 | * ''Fanfic/NeverHadAFriendLikeMe'': While the story is mostly lighthearted-Norm having a young master he actually likes-the story features a frank and realistic portrayal of child abuse, and villains willing [[spoiler: to murder innocent children and cause the apocalypse]]. |
| 121 | |
| 122 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'']] |
| 123 | * ''Fanfic/MoreThanMyFriend'' (and all of it's sequels/tie-in stories) contains NoHoldBarredBeatdowns, drugs, severe injuries/illnesses that threaten a person's life, child abuse, a LOT of language, drinking, references to sex, characters '''''[[KilledOffForReal dying]]''''', and...well, you get the idea. |
| 124 | * ''Fanfic/TheOtherworldAnthology'' runs on this trope. [[note]]even if their version of ''Literature/TheLittleMermaid'' is LighterAndSofter than the Hans Christian Andersen original.[[/note]] WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends is a haunted house of evil imaginary friends and MindScrew, [[WesternAnimation/BrandyAndMrWhiskers Mr. Whiskers]] is a PsychopathicManChild who lusts for Brandy, Claudia from ''WesternAnimation/TheCaribouKitchen'' is a cynical alcoholic, and the titular world is ruled with an iron fist by [[Literature/AliceInWonderland the Mad Hatter]]. |
| 125 | |
| 126 | [[AC: ''{{WesternAnimation/Frozen|2013}}'']] |
| 127 | * ''Fanfic/TheGirlInBlack'', does this to mildly NightmareFuel levels, considering that [[spoiler: Elsa kills Hans, the two Weselton men and probably Kristoff with her powers...oh, and she's also ending the world.]] |
| 128 | |
| 129 | [[AC: ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'']] |
| 130 | * ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': This ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' Franchise/MonsterVerse has more focus on psychological trauma, including PTSD and borderline MindRape, married to ''VideoGame/{{Halo}}'' and ''Franchise/DragonAge'' levels of NightmareFuel. |
| 131 | * ''Fanfic/GodzillaNeo'': The most notable example are the events with Yog. The protagonists of the arc are from ''WesternAnimation/TheGodzillaPowerHour'', a LighterAndSofter incarnation of the Godzilla series but have been thrust into a world where there are facing an EldritchAbomination and human mutants. [[spoiler:Godzooky]] himself disappeared following the conclusion. Granted we didn't see him die, but what happened to him is up to interpretation. |
| 132 | |
| 133 | [[AC: ''Literature/HarryPotter'']] |
| 134 | * ''Fanfic/AlexandraQuick'' is this to ''Literature/HarryPotter'', although in a way that doesn't go to the extremes of Darkfic or seem out of place with the mood of the original series. People do start dying in the first book though and there are some dark, dark plots in Wizarding America. Things get that way when you have wizards as government and wizards as terrorist with BlackAndGrayMorality and you don't know which is which. |
| 135 | * ''Fanfic/DumbledoresArmyAndTheYearOfDarkness'' itself compared to {{Canon}}; ''Sluagh'', goes even further with a few sections with very detailed descriptions of the rape and torture of [[spoiler:Hermione]]. And ''A Peccatis'' seems determined to examine all the warts and seams of the wizarding world in general. |
| 136 | * Let's not forget ''Fanfic/MyImmortal'', in which most of the characters have converted to [[strike:Satanism]] "STANISM", [[Literature/HarryPotter Harry's]] scar is now a ''pentegram'', and all the characters seem to do is {{Wangst}} around, cut their wrists, go to ''My Chemical Romance'' concerts, have [[IkeaErotica sex]], and proclaim how [[strike:gothic]] "goffik" they are. The irony being that, for all its posturing, it's not ''nearly'' as dark as the actual later books of the series, for which see Literature below. |
| 137 | * In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/2462786/chapters/5460785 The Stillness Gave No Token]]'' after [[RapeAsDrama his uncle tried to rape him]], [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Harry]] [[spoiler: merges with the horcrux]] and becomes a batshit insane PoeticSerialKiller. Some of his more imaginative methods of Muggle torture [[EvenEvilHasStandards surprises even Voldemort.]] |
| 138 | * ''Fanfic/FallBackNineteenForty'' has a ''lot'' more violence than canon. |
| 139 | * ''Fanfic/KaleidoscopicGrangers'' goes into detail about the trauma and [=PTSD=] of multiple main characters, including Ariadne Granger. From the get-go, Ariadne was blinded by the Dursleys' abuse before she was rescued and adopted by the Grangers, and then develops depression and [=PTSD=] after Lord Voldemort returns. The Battle of Hogwarts' interlude in the Great Hall is also quite different from its counterpart; in the movies, the scene is quiet, but in the fic it is frantic and desperate. Several reocurring characters are disabled afterwards, like Clarabelle Burton who lost an eye. Five students become werewolves in the battle. Ginny, meanwhile, is heavily traumatised and veers close to alcoholism in her attempts to cope with her trauma, having even been sent into the Forbidden Forest by the Death Eater administration of Hogwarts either to finally break and give them information on Ariadne, or be eaten by the Acromantulae - instead, she burned it down along with the Acromantula nest and unlocked her wandless magic in the process, leaving her with pyrophobia and significant scarring. Additionally, Ariadne has significantly less qualms about killing than Harry Potter, and killed several people during the battle, as well as one during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries according to WordOfGod. Despite this, it would not qualify as a DarkFic, as it is written in a hurt-comfort style and the later chapters of the story focus heavily on the characters' recoveries. |
| 140 | |
| 141 | [[AC: ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'']] |
| 142 | * Take ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers''- a cute, comedic series about anthropomorphised countries- twist history a bit, add a good dosage of mind screwing and a bizarre love quadrangle, and you get ''Fanfic/AllHeEverWanted'', [[http://community.livejournal.com/all_he_ever/profile a series of fanfics]] set in a world where England is on the Axis Powers' side, America is Communist, Prussia is a batshit Nazi and rape machine who rapes Hungary and Liechtenstein, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Austria is suddenly Jewish]], and everyone's suffering for it. |
| 143 | ** Note that the AHEW crew are not the first nor the last to give this particular series this makeover. The Hetalia fandom as a whole is greatly enamored with the trope. The results... well, are varied. |
| 144 | |
| 145 | [[AC: ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'']] |
| 146 | * ''Fanfic/{{Hivefled}}''; on one hand, the entire universe isn't being destroyed and nobody's mind-controlled or in thrall to an EldritchAbomination. On the other hand, the plotline was kicked off by a series of events involving the BigBad couple raping thousands of teenagers to death. |
| 147 | |
| 148 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'']] |
| 149 | * While ''Fanfic/{{Intercom}}'' is in no way a DarkFic, it certainly is a lot more serious than the original film (which was already pretty serious in its own right). The story is about Riley being able to communicate with her own emotions when Anger breaks the intercom used to talk to Riley as a "voice in the back of your head". However, this eventually leads to some rather big issues for Riley as she begins to believe that she might be suffering from schizophrenia and develops bit of an identity crisis. |
| 150 | |
| 151 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'']] |
| 152 | * This is pretty much the point of the works that are a part of ''Fanfic/ProjectDarkJade'', mostly because in them Jade either [[FaceHeelTurn turns evil]] or is in the danger of doing that. |
| 153 | * ''Fanfic/TheUltimateEvil'' and its sequel, ''The Stronger Evil'', have more blood, violence and sexual themes than the original cartoon. |
| 154 | |
| 155 | [[AC: ''Franchise/JurassicPark'']] |
| 156 | * The Geeky Zoologist's [[Fanfic/JurassicWorldTheGeekyZoologist reimagining of Jurassic World]] has a way higher body count and is more violent and gorier than both the film upon which it is based and the Jurassic Park original trilogy. Some of the creatures are nightmarish, the main characters go through more suffering, children count among the victims of the fall of Jurassic World, there is a certain number of anti-heroes and anti-villains among the characters, and brutal human-on-human violence is not unaccounted. |
| 157 | |
| 158 | [[AC: ''Franchise/KamenRider'']] |
| 159 | * ''Fanfic/HorseshoesAndHandGrenades'' is set in the world of the friendship-based High School centered, ''Series/KamenRiderFourze''...except in this story, Gentaro was resurrected by an evil serpent and is causing mayhem as other Serpents start enacting DealWithTheDevil themes with people who have died, more and more Kamen Riders get pulled into the madness, and at the end of the day, the bad guys are going to be claiming victory of some kind. |
| 160 | |
| 161 | [[AC: ''VideoGame/KanColle'']] |
| 162 | * While by no means depressing, ''Fanfic/PacificWorldWarIIUsNavyShipgirls'', when compared to its source material, has elements in its plot such as MindRape and an AlienInvasion taking place in it (complete with near-destruction of an entire American Naval Task Force), and that's just the {{backstory}}. |
| 163 | |
| 164 | [[AC: ''VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram'']] |
| 165 | * ''Fanfic/FirstFlight'' starts out as a fairly light-hearted fanfic, even if it plays the constant threat of StuffBlowingUp and the [[NoBudget shoestring budget]] for drama instead of comedy. But as the story progresses the focus switches from Jebediah Kerman and his friends grappling with the theory and practice of manned spaceflight to an epic global crisis that threatens to plunge the entire Kerbal civilisation into an apocalyptic war. |
| 166 | * ''First Flight'''s [[FullyAbsorbedFinale Quasi-sequel]] ''Fanfic/TheNextFrontier'' does much the same, with the first half of the story being about the Kerbals boldly setting off in a shiny new FasterThanLight starship and making FirstContact... only to learn a lot of ugly things about their neighbours and find themselves facing the possibility of interstellar war. |
| 167 | |
| 168 | [[AC: ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'']] |
| 169 | * ''Webcomic/GumballWarrior'' is a prequel AU about Meta Knight and the Galaxy Soldier Army puffballs from the anime during their childhood on another planet system. But just one look at it, and you would think that ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'' looked like the plot of [[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Spring Breeze]] in comparison. The webcomic doesn't stray far from violence, and the five puffballs are subject to many trials and tribulations before they can attain the title of Star Warriors. One central element surrounds the graphic deaths of a mother and her newborn children at the hands of the main villain's CoDragons. Even the supplementary material doesn't take the easy route, with mentions of child abuse and Kirby '''''himself''''' suffering from PTSD in his ''adult'' years. |
| 170 | * Quite a few in ''Fanfic/{{Nightmarefics}}'', with [[SleptThroughTheApocalypse chapter 14]] being the most notable example. |
| 171 | |
| 172 | [[AC: ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'']] |
| 173 | * ''Fanfic/TheVow'': The StartOfDarkness of [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2 Lord Shen]] goes more into detail with the addition of a tragic love story and blood. |
| 174 | |
| 175 | [[AC: ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'']] |
| 176 | * The brutally unforgiving fanfic ''Fanfic/ZeldasHonor'' is quite violent and a far cry from the (mostly) kid friendly Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda franchise. [[spoiler:The child-like Kokiri getting raped, murdered, tortured and turned into cannibalistic assassins? Check. Major character death in some horrific ways such as holes being blown through chests or being melted from the inside out? Check. Primary protagonist's own son being aborted literally out of her uterus and burned alive in front of her? Check.]] This can be quite the horrific story. |
| 177 | * [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13105443/1/The-Legend-of-Zelda-The-Wind-Waker This novelisation]] of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'' is darker than its original story, but it doesn't try too hard to be dark and edgy that it's cringeworthy. For example, Link actually bleeds several times throughout the book and at some point and he is almost driven insane by the contents of [[spoiler:the Ghost Ship]] to the point where his voice hurts from screaming. |
| 178 | * ''Fanfic/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTimeDragonRand100'' enters this territory on more than one occasion. Most of the royal family of Hyrule are brutally murdered, as are the townsfolk of Castletown. Then there is the Shadow Temple. One character is driven mad after the dead hand makes short work of his companions [[spoiler:Malon is also driven mad after being captured but she is healed]] and [[spoiler:Link loses an eye when it’s cut out by the necromancer and Impa is blinded]]. We also learn that [[spoiler:When the Sheikah found out about Link's birth, they had any male child born at the time as Link murdered. Link narrowly avoids the same fate thanks to his mother]]. |
| 179 | |
| 180 | %%[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'']] |
| 181 | %%* ''Fanfic/TwilightValley'' and ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2550278/1/Out_of_the_Shadows Out of the Shadows]]'' are both very dark ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' fan fictions. |
| 182 | |
| 183 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'']] |
| 184 | * Series Five of ''Fanfic/TheLionKingAdventures'' is incredibly dark, featuring the deaths of many beloved characters and countless tragedies. |
| 185 | |
| 186 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'']] |
| 187 | * ''Fanfic/FlowingStar'': The fanfic is more dark than the show due to the antagonists being more dangerous here, and there are subjects such as damaged relationships and brutal bullying. |
| 188 | * The Fanfic/{{Heroverse}} while it still has its many light moments, each of the fics is much darker than the source material, with things like actual onscreen deaths. |
| 189 | * ''Webcomic/ItsNotYourFault'' does not hold back with how depressingly dark it is. When comparing it to the show it is based on, the difference is very apparent. With the comic dealing with stuff such as, abandonment, trauma, mental problems, relationship problems, SelfHarm and eventually [[spoiler:a rape leading to a TeenPregnancy]]. |
| 190 | * ''Fanfic/RequiemForALoud'' is about main protagonist Lincoln Loud suffering a terminal illness (specifically brain tumors) and is only given about two-to-three weeks left to live. That premise alone is dark by this shows standards, but what really sells it is how everybody else is taking it. While Lincoln's younger sisters [[spoiler:(sans Lisa and maybe Lucy)]] remain unaware of his condition, his older sisters are absolutely ''broken'' over the mere thought of losing their only brother. In particular, Lynn engages in self-harm and Luna becomes so depressed that she [[spoiler:[[DrowningMySorrows resorts to drinking beer]] and has casual sex with a random teen to cope with it]]. |
| 191 | |
| 192 | [[AC: ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'']] |
| 193 | * ''Fanfic/{{Game Theory|LyricalNanoha}}'' is interesting in that while elements that were played for comedy in ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' are now deconstructed for dramatic effect, and the lethality of the combat is notably higher, the characters are just as caring and morally upright as ever. In fact, the primary villain is ''more'' sympathetic. Which actually makes things ''worse,'' [[spoiler:because Nanoha decides to help her.]] The ending [[spoiler:, on the other hand, is actually ''happier'' than in canon. [[EarnYourHappyEnding It just took a lot of effort and pain to get there]].]] |
| 194 | * Continuing with ''Nanoha'' fics, "Toward the World's End" starts out fairly light hearted with some cliche romance. It seems to just be so the author could get his OC with Nanoha... then, without WARNING, the entire world crumbles to dust and the only known survivors are Nanoha and Arthur, the OC of the author. Explicitly mentioned are the deaths of Arthur's mother and best friend, of Nanoha's childhood friends Suzaka and Arisa, and of course, Yuuno. Nanoha and Arthur wind up on a deserted island (Because these too many ''corpses of humans'' everywhere else) and are resigned to a hopeless life. At the end of the first story they ''bet their lives'', not caring about the outcome, on a tiny HopeSpot. |
| 195 | ** It's back to being a fair bit lighter in the following fics - however, the "everyone's dead" deal is still in effect |
| 196 | |
| 197 | [[AC: ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'']] |
| 198 | * [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] in ''Fanfic/AintNoGrave''. Thematically, it's darker than the Captain America movies, with more violence, drug addiction, mental illness, RapeAsBackstory, and other issues. But despite their additional demons, the characters are probably happier than they are in the main MCU canon by the end of the story. Bucky may be a FunctionalAddict with serious mental health problems but at least he isn't a ManchurianAgent, the series diverges from canon before ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' so Tony hasn't "built a killer robot that almost destroyed humanity" on his conscience, and poor lonely Steve Rogers gets a post-defrosting family. |
| 199 | |
| 200 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/MegaManRubySpears'']] |
| 201 | * ''Fanfic/MegaManRecut'' is darker than [[WesternAnimation/MegaManRubySpears the show]] it was inspired from. Mega Man's family is secretly dysfunctional, Roll skews the line to acting like Proto Man, and some Robot Masters die. |
| 202 | ** Wily's dystopia in "Future Shock" is much darker than the show, with scientists essentially being lobotomized. This also extends to the future versions of Mega Man's family. |
| 203 | * ''Fanfic/MegaManDefenderOfTheHumanRace'' is darker than the Mega Man cartoon. Dr. Wily in particular is a much darker, twisted character, and a couple characters die or are severely injured. |
| 204 | ** In the cartoon, Metal Man was a camp if effective oneshot Robot Master. In Defender, he's a sadist who takes pleasure in destruction and has appeared multiple times. |
| 205 | |
| 206 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'']] |
| 207 | * ''Fanfic/TheresMoreMagicOutThere'' is about many of the teenage casts being monsters or magic users from myths. While they are some lighter moments, the story brings in darker elements such as [[OurKelpiesAreDifferent flesh-eating kelpies]], [[VanHelsingHateCrimes Monster Hunters]], and demonic haunted houses, all without Hawkmoth being involved save for the Wicked Witch and Little Red debacle. Many of the character's backstories are also [[AdaptationalAngstUpgrade shadier than in canon]]. The exception is the protagonist Juleka, who despite being a vampire has only having a [[DisappearedDad Vanished Vampire dad]] and [[RelatedDifferentlyInTheAdaptation her and Luka being half-siblings instead of twins]] as the only changes to her backstories. [[spoiler:At least until she runs into [[UnpleasantParentReveal said father]] and learns how ruthless and vicious he really is]]. |
| 208 | |
| 209 | [[AC: ''Monster Girl Encyclopedia'']] |
| 210 | * ''Fanfic/SwordAndClaw'' is this to its source material due to taking place in the past, when the monster girls were still conventional, man-eating (and ''not'' in the euphemistic sense) monsters. |
| 211 | |
| 212 | [[AC:''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'']] |
| 213 | * ''Fanfic/GodHelpTheOutcasts'': While not a dark fic, the story isn't afraid to discuss some of the more terrifying aspects of Susan's situation. Namely, the fact that her body has been irreversibly altered, she can't contact her family or fiance, she's not even considered a human anymore, she's been imprisoned in a government base with all of her rights removed, and the only ones treating her like an equal are creatures that are (at first) horrifying for her to look at. The story is also more willing to address death, with several monsters having killed people during their captures/rampages and civilians dying during the robot's attack. |
| 214 | |
| 215 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'']] |
| 216 | * For a show as innocuous as ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', there is quite a substantial amount of fan media with this in mind. Indeed, a great deal of the fanfiction is darker and edgier to some extent due to addressing more mature themes than the show. This is, of course, disregarding the stuff which is MUCH darker: |
| 217 | * One of the most notable examples is ''Fanfic/CupcakesSergeantSprinkles'', a fan fiction that has gained memetic status within the Brony community for its rather horrifying portrayal of [[GenkiGirl Pinkie Pie]] and her cupcake recipe. |
| 218 | * Another example would be ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria'', an MLP and VideoGame/{{Fallout}} crossover featuring a post-apocalyptic Equestria, two-hundred years after a war between ponies and zebras led to a cataclysmic exchange of {{Fantastic Nuke}}s. |
| 219 | ** ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestriaProjectHorizons'' manages to be this ''to'' the original ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria'', and can basically be summed up as "Fallout: Equestria, but with the main character as a FailureHero damned to PyrrhicVictory". Even their starting points showcase the difference; Littlepip starts in Stable 2, a Control Stable where everything is working fine, whilst Blackjack starts in Stable 99, a decaying hellhole where [[LadyLand stallions are kept alive only so long as they are useful breeders]] and all they have to eat are reconstituted waste and [[HumanResources corpses]]. |
| 220 | * Another infamous one would be ''Fanfic/RainbowFactory''. The song it was based upon insinuated that pegasi did ''something'' to make pretty rainbows, but [[NothingIsScarier what, exactly, was left to the imagination]]. The fic spelled out in explicit detail the murder of foals too weak to fly. |
| 221 | * Yet another example is ''Fanfic/CheerileesGarden'', where Cheerilee deals with unruly students and the mane 6 (in the sequel) using [[SadistTeacher certain methods]]. |
| 222 | * ''Yet another'' is ''Fanfic/PagesOfHarmony'', in which Twilight, believing the Elements of Harmony are threatened, decides to [[CruelAndUnusualDeath extract them from her friends through extremely violent means]]. While it does teach the reader about many scientific procedures, it does so in ways that you would never hope to learn it. |
| 223 | * The fanfic series ''Fanfic/RainbowDoubleDashsLunaverse''. It begins with a mild case of this, where the evil alicorn (here Corona, not Nightmare Moon) is able to remain free after being hit by the Elements and continues plotting to conquer Equestria. This amplifies over the course of the series, to the point where the season finale set at the Gala -- in contrast to the original show, where the gala story was just about the six friends showing up and making a mess -- has the Lunaverse 6 basically conducting a sting operation in order to get a known criminal arrested, so that she can spill the beans on the [[AristocratsAreEvil nobles of Equestria,]] who vary from apathetic to outright corrupt. |
| 224 | * ''Fanfic/DiscordsNewBusiness'': Not ''that'' DarkerAndEdgier, but Luna's chapter is much more serious than the previous ones, dealing with Luna investigating Canterlot for racism against non-ponies and facing it herself when she takes the form of a zebra and ends up getting attacked and actually injured by pony supremacists. |
| 225 | * ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/55130/dusks-dangerous-game Dusk's Dangerous Game]]'' features centuries-length plans for breeding more alicorns, including deaths of mothers through birth, and a full fledged uprising... all fueled by best intentions of a control freak. She gets better... Nah, not really, but she has to gulp the will of Deus Ex Machina. |
| 226 | * The fanfic ''Fanfic/TheMonsterWeMade'' is this trope. The story chronicles the last thoughts and actions of everypony as they are put to death by [[spoiler: Alicorn Twilight Sparkle]] |
| 227 | * ''Fanfic/DiariesOfAMadman'' appears to keep the SugarBowl setting at first, but ends up being a much darker take on the world. |
| 228 | * This trope is directly referenced and parodied in ''Fanfic/EquestriaAHistoryRevealed'' when discussing Princess Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon. |
| 229 | -->"But she was different 'cuz she was dark and edgy. And nopony understood her." [[PlayedForLaughs This is then directly followed by Linkin' Park lyrics.]] |
| 230 | * [[spoiler: Starlight Glimmer's]] cutie mark removal spell is much darker in ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/196844/fallout-equestria-legacies Fallout Equestria: Legacies]]'' than it was in the show. Not only is it described as very painful, but it's also more or less a DangerousForbiddenTechnique that stands a good chance of killing the person it's being used if you cast it on someone more then once without waiting for too long. Attention is also drawn to how unpleasant it feels to have your special talent taken away. |
| 231 | * The story ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/90939/shell-shock Shell Shock]]'' is an incredibly dark take on military stories in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fandom. It actually warns the reader: "This is seriously the darkest thing I have yet written. You have been warned." |
| 232 | * ''Fanfic/TheVinylAndOctaviaSeries'' is a fairly lighthearted comedy series...until ''Vinyl and Octavia in 'Dial D for Detectives''', which features the two investigating a murder. It only gets worse with ''Vinyl and Octavia Duel Destiny'', which ends with the two [[spoiler: going to prison]] and with the villain getting away scott-free. That being said, the two aforementioned stories are only dark in comparison with the rest of the series - they both still have a decent amount of comedy in them. |
| 233 | * ''Webcomic/AgeInappropriate'' is a seemingly innocent {{Fan Webcomic|s}} that revolves around [[spoiler:Spike trying to murder or otherwise get rid of stallions Rarity is trying to date]]. |
| 234 | |
| 235 | [[AC: ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'']] |
| 236 | * The premise of ''Fanfic/PeopleLie'' is that Manga/{{Naruto}} was deeply affected by an act of violence during his youth, one that transforms him into a manipulative person with little interest in friendship. A running theme of the fic is how "some characters may have turned out even ''worse off'' if they had a father or mentor to look up to". |
| 237 | * ''Fanfic/WarOfTheBiju'' is a bit darker than the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' series it's based on. [[spoiler: [[AMillionIsAStatistic Body counts of War are shown in the first few chapters of the War Arc]], [[MauveShirt named characters introduced during the War Arc are either killed or mauled]] or one becomes the SoleSurvivor of an attack by Akatsuki's Edo Tensei'd Deidara, and even the Konoha 11 get injured during their battles of the War Arc.]] |
| 238 | * ''Fanfic/Team7Ascension'' starts with Kakashi putting his team through [[TrainingFromHell training that could very well kill them]]. Named characters die and/or are terribly maimed, fights are almost always to the death, and the heroes do horrible things to survive. Tellingly, Sasuke notes at one point that he's killed more people in the last year than people lived in his clan compound which is the size of a small village. Hell, the second phase of the Chunin Exam is deliberately modified to be more deadly because too many foreign teams were entered. |
| 239 | ** At the end of the story, Naruto remarks on how it's not just shinobi or Konoha what are messed up, it's the whole world. Everyone's a villain and he simply has to choose which one he'll follow. |
| 240 | * ''Fanfic/YourMoveInstigatorDrawYourWeaponAndHoldYourTongue'' is a WhatIf fic where the Third Shinobi War lasted closer to the present day, and Danzo is able to acquire more power from Sarutobi. "Expendables" like Sakura, Kiba, Neji, and Tenten are sent out as ChildSoldiers due to dire and corrupt the situation has become. |
| 241 | |
| 242 | [[AC: ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'']] |
| 243 | * ''Manga/Evangelion303'': This doujinshi makes this by aiming for realism. It removes the [[HumongousMecha Evas]], [[{{Robeast}} Angels]] or [[EldritchAbomination Adam or Lilith]], uses real world politics in the setting and changes the main characters' traumas for different psychological issues. |
| 244 | |
| 245 | [[AC: ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}'']] |
| 246 | * The ''Neptunia'' series is a light-hearted parody of the gaming industry where the console wars are depicted as friendly rivalries between goddesses [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly competing for belief - "shares"]]. ''Fanfic/{{Overheat}}'' depicts this conflict as a WarIsHell scenario with GreyAndGrayMorality ''at best'', openly exploring themes that the games would never even approach, such as torture, rape, slavery, and genocide. And that's ''before'' the introduction of [[WretchedHive the Underworld]], it's importance to the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil, and [[GoldfishPoopGang Arfoire]], who is depicted as a borderline EldritchAbomination. |
| 247 | * ''[[http://abitcracked.deviantart.com/gallery/?catpath=%2F&q=buyout Buyout]]'' is an alternate take on ''[[VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaReBirth1 Re;birth1]]'' where Neptune, Compa, IF, and Noire get captured by Avenir and kept as [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil sex slaves]]. |
| 248 | |
| 249 | [[AC: ''Series/OddSquad'']] |
| 250 | * ''Fanfic/ShipsAhoy'' is a downplayed example. The fanfic has romance as a primary theme, which is barely present in canon outside from a few ShipTease moments, and has quite a lot of {{Shipping}} in regards to Odd Squad agents that evolves into relationships reaching OfficialCouple status. It also has themes of violence, mental illness, and trauma prevalent throughout that go one step further than what is presented in official material. |
| 251 | |
| 252 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/OnceUponAStudio'']] |
| 253 | * ''Fanfic/OnceUponAStudioVersionTwoPointOh'' downplays this. This version of OUAS keeps the fun and soul of the original fully intact, but the scenes between Cinderella and Rapunzel as everyone is about to give up on the photo are certainly a little sad, particularly as Raps remarks that a major fault of some kind was pretty much unavoidable. |
| 254 | ** This version also takes the time to show how much pressure everyone is truly under to deliver, thus driving home the inevitability of Goofy's unfortunate accident. While the camera itself was broken, Cinderella, Raps and their respective Princes know that everyone's morale is the one thing that ''truly'' needs fixing. |
| 255 | |
| 256 | [[AC: ''[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick]]'']] |
| 257 | * The ''Fanfic/OneiroiSeries'' is notorious with fans for this. While ''[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick]]'' is [[CerebusSyndrome not]] [[LighterAndSofter Light And Fluffy]], the series is darker with frequent [[MemeticMutation (VERY frequent)]] sex-related violence (usually rape) and a potential DownerEnding, as well as the fact it has very dark themes involving the relationship between children and their parents (or parental substitutes) and generally the role of adults and family in raising a kid. [[CreatorBreakdown It's very specific.]] |
| 258 | |
| 259 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'']] |
| 260 | * ''Fanfic/BoilingIslesAndBeyond'': Explicitly AbusiveParents, violent death, homophobia and much more brutal violence then in canon. |
| 261 | |
| 262 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'']] |
| 263 | * ''Fanfic/TheListOfSecrets'' (since removed from the Internet) is famously dark and edgy, with characters ''dying'' left and right. |
| 264 | |
| 265 | [[AC: ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'']] |
| 266 | * The constant and unrelenting use of this trope in Pokémon fanfic spawned [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDX1m0Y2Vkg this parody]], which also doubles as a parody of grimdark movie reboots in general. |
| 267 | * ''Fanfic/LatiasJourney'' is an ''awesome'', hilarious but hellish Pokémon fan fic. |
| 268 | * ''Fanfic/NewWorld''. A nice story about a teenaged boy and his adventures with pokemon, that just happens to feature murder, rape, and the apocalypse. The very first chapter features a Scyther beheading another Pokemon and then being [[LudicrousGibs horrifically and disgustingly killed]]. |
| 269 | * While it doesn't go into full DarkFic territory, ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' is nevertheless grittier than the anime. It doesn't shy away from sad content, delves into darker territory than the anime (including the more destructive potential uses of Pokémon in war), and refuses to sugarcoat the nastier aspects of life. That alone probably wouldn't earn it a spot on this page, but it also bears the distinction of being considerably darker than one of its main inspirations, ''Fanfic/AshesOfThePast''. |
| 270 | * ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' has taken on a ''much'' darker edge with Cornova's ''Fanfic/PokeWars''. Where the stories are set, all the regions have been [[CrapsackWorld ravaged by war]]. Not to mention, the stories are ''much'' more violent, cynical, grittier and ''much'' less idealistic than the anime it was based on. |
| 271 | * Pokémon has gotten a makeover with the advent of ''FanFic/TheSunSoul'', which combines a pointed {{Deconstruction}} with an AnyoneCanDie attitude. So far, if the reviews and forum opinions are to be believed, the fandom approves. |
| 272 | * Several fan games, like ''VideoGame/PokemonReborn'', ''VideoGame/PokemonRejuvenation'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonInsurgence''. |
| 273 | * While not on the level of some of these, ''{{Fanfic/Traveler}}'' is still set in a world where people and Pokemon can [[spoiler: and do]] die, and the battles, while rarely deadly, are described in much more brutal and violent terms than in the Anime or games on which it is based. |
| 274 | * Parodied in ''Fanfic/TheEditWarForAshsFreedomToNotBeBetrayed'' with the character Darkern Edgier, a mysterious being who tries to make the Pokemon anime darker, edgier, and sexier. He's trolled at every attempt by Arceus. |
| 275 | * ''Fanfic/CitadelOfTheHeart'' began its life as a ''Pokémon'' fic, simply called ''Truth and Ideals'', and it started off as tame as a T Rating would allow, until going through an escalating surge of family unfriendly material that would not be so blatant in the mainline games. There are direct mentions of blood surprisingly common, death actually being a highly probable threat to the main characters, [[spoiler:[[VileVillainSaccharineShow Ghetsis]] murdering his own grunts by ordering his Hydreigon to eat them alive, and prior to evolving into said form trapping his failures with a Zweilous that is exclusively fed humans for food, and then Ghetsis attempting pure, unadulterated ''murder'' against Ash and N in the climax, and even Ghetsis himself isn't safe from his own signature Pokémon because his already severely damaged arm gets torn off and eaten by Zweilous upon its (mercifully off-screen) evolution into Hydreigon. Combined with Ash's Simisear being KilledOffForReal, Genesect outright killing its enemies instead of fainting them, Hoopa manipulating an ex of Misty into doing his bidding by effectively MindRape. Add in {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, the [[WhamEpisode sudden appearance]] of Franchise/{{Digimon}} such as [=WarGreymon=], and the only thing keeping this fic from being completely grim dark is the refreshing factoid that it has a much more idealistic outlook and a huge case of EarnYourHappyEnding for the finale.]] |
| 276 | * ''Fanfic/GuysBeingDudes'': It's still the fundamentally idealistic world of VideoGame/PokemonGo and most of the edgy content is lampshaded and PlayedForLaughs, but multiple characters gain {{Emo}} tendencies, the fic doesn't shy away from sexual innuendo, death threats, and pointing out that Pokemon are capable of killing humans, and everyone is more inclined to snark at their coworkers and enemies alike than in canon. |
| 277 | |
| 278 | [[AC: ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'']] |
| 279 | * ''[[http://www.rovl.org/vi/?p=display&e=8482 It Makes Me Happy That I'm Not Them]]'': ''{{Literature/Redwall}}'''s IronicHell. |
| 280 | * ''Fanfic/SoullessShellRedwall'' attempted this. |
| 281 | * ''Fanfic/TheUrthbloodSaga'' is in most ways darker and more mature than the official {{Literature/Redwall}} novels; the wars and violence are more violent and disturbing, the [[AntiHero heroes]] are often of rather [[BlackAndGrayMorality questionable morality]] and are much less protected by the PlotArmor, it's generally more on the [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism cynical side]], and the good guys ([[AlternateCharacterInterpretation depending on who you view as the "good guys"]]) do not always win. It still has plenty of light moments though, and it's actually far ''more'' idealistic than the official series in regards to the [[AlwaysChaoticEvil vermin]] being able to [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch turn good]], which is one of its {{central theme}}s. |
| 282 | * ''Fanfic/WhatLiesBeyondTheWalls'' is much darker than the original series. [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath Violent deaths]] and {{Gorn}} are all around, [[ClusterFBomb swearing is abundant]], [[AntiHero the heroes]] and [[AntiVillain the villains]] [[GreyAndGrayMorality are both morally questionable]], and the story even depicts sex multiples times. Nobody is protected by PlotArmor, [[AnyoneCanDie so the death rate is high]], and even when the heroes or villains win a battle, it tends to feel like a PyrrhicVictory because the survivors are mourning the deceased. Despite all this, the story still has some (albeit vulgar) comedy, touching scenes, and even a few [[BreatherEpisode Breather Episodes]]. |
| 283 | |
| 284 | [[AC: ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'']] |
| 285 | * ''Fanfic/OrSomethingSeries'' has thing in ''A Common Criminal'' and Pyrrha's half of ''A Farmer''. |
| 286 | |
| 287 | [[AC: ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'']] |
| 288 | * Pretty much any [[Literature/SherlockHolmes Holmes!torture]] fic is this, though note that a couple of canonical short stories saw Holmes in pretty dire straits. |
| 289 | ** [[AlternateUniverse AU]] fic ''Fanfic/AStudyInRegret'' is this, having killed off [[TheWatson Watson]] ''before'' the first chapter and opening with Holmes undergoing ColdBloodedTorture while LockedInTheDungeon. |
| 290 | ** ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7242298/1/Deliver_Us_from_Evil_Part_I_Mortality Mortality]]'' in the ''Fanfic/DeliverUsFromEvilSeries'', with more Holmes!torture, horrifying imagery, and general angst. |
| 291 | ** ''Fanfic/TheGhostMap''. Epidemic, character death, enforced suicide...yeeeah, we have a DarkerAndEdgier AlternateUniverse, here. |
| 292 | |
| 293 | [[AC: ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'']] |
| 294 | * ''[[http://sotto-voice.livejournal.com/444743.html The Road This Far Can't Be Retraced]]'', a ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' fanfic, and the [[http://www.threadless.com/product/2094/We_ve_Got_Some_Work_To_Do_Now t-shirt design]] it was inspired by. |
| 295 | ** ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/142617?collection_id=yuletide2010&view_adult=true You're Ready and You're Willin']]'' by Hector Rashburn is in the same vein. Yes, there are two fanfics based on a ''t-shirt''. Never underestimate the power of fandom. |
| 296 | |
| 297 | [[AC: ''Manga/SgtFrog'']] |
| 298 | * ''Fanfic/YinAndYangSeries'': Played with. Although the main four stories try to stay true to the spirit of the original series, both "Eliza: A Side-Story" and "The Past Has a Past, Too...' depict events far darker than the ones of the main series. |
| 299 | |
| 300 | [[AC: ''Fanfic/ShadowchasersSeries'']] |
| 301 | * ''Fanfic/ShadowchasersCityOfAngels'': Compared to all previous Shadowchasers fics, the villains having far more vile and violent motivations. Damien is rather dark as well; he and the other heroes at least qualify for GoodIsNotNice. |
| 302 | |
| 303 | [[AC: ''Website/SomethingAwful'']] |
| 304 | * This Photoshop Phriday depicts Children's Books as "serious" [[http://www.somethingawful.com/d/photoshop-phriday/childrens-book-movies.php?page=1 Hollywood movies]] |
| 305 | |
| 306 | [[AC: ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'']] |
| 307 | * [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2111294/1Past-and-Present1 1Past and Present1]] ''(the M-rated fanfics may be NotSafeForWork)'' writes depressing ''Sonic'' BeigeProse fics reimagines the usually adventurous and carefree young ''Sonic'' characters as unfortunate adults facing the grittiest hardships of adult life and sometimes trying out sexual kinks. |
| 308 | * ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4375798/1/Angel_Island_Zone Angel Island Zone.]]'' A retelling of the events of Sonic 3 from Knuckles' end of things. More blood, more tears, more drama, and more character development. And surprisingly, it manages to pull it off quite well. |
| 309 | * While ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13117177/1/Light-of-Hope Light of Hope]]'' is already darker than its source material, with themes of SelfHarm and grief in general, its sequel, ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13179100/1/Light-of-Hope-2-New-Horizons Light of Hope 2: New Horizons]]'' manages to, besides the [[HotterAndSexier notorious]] [[{{Lemon}} Chapter 2]], include more adult and grittier topics and themes that have earned it an M rating, unlike its predessor's tame T rating. Examples a character who suffered ''[[WouldHurtAChild child]] [[RapeAsBackstory sexual abuse]]'' and [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil a horrific slavery system]] utilizing ColdBloodedTorture, FantasticRacism, and {{Breeding Slave}}s, which even leads to [[ApocalypseCult an underground suicide cult]]. Yet, [[https://www.deviantart.com/toshi-the-panda-1996/art/Light-of-Hope-2-Promotional-Poster-802225833 the concept poster]] depicts a [[CoversAlwaysLie happy set]] of the next generation. |
| 310 | * ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9308523/1/Sonic-Evil-Reborn-Zero Sonic: Evil Reborn Zero]]'' reminds you that Sonic the Hedgehog is a bright and cheery franchise for kids, and then turns it into an episodic DeconstructionFic complete with MindRape and GreyAndGreyMorality. |
| 311 | * ''Fanfic/SonicXDarkChaos'' is a full remake and DeconstructionFic of the third season of ''Anime/SonicX''. While the original season was quite dark on its own for a ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series, this fic takes the grim elements to the extreme. The galaxy is a war-torn CrapsackWorld ruled by [[TheLegionsOfHell demons]] and infested with Shroud parasites, graphic violence and NightmareFuel abound, numerous characters die, and the ending is bittersweet at best [[spoiler: and full non-comedic ShaggyDogStory at worst]]. And the rewrite is often ''even darker that the original'', featuring such pleasent themes as near-galactic destruction, [[spoiler: [[ImAHumanitarian cannibalism]]]], horrific science experiments, [[ReligionIsWrong fundamentalism]], [[MedicalRapeAndImpregnate religiously-forced pregnancy]], and [[spoiler:[[WouldHurtAChild children]] being [[RapeAsDrama sexually assaulted]]]]. |
| 312 | * ''Fanfic/PrisonIslandBreak'' makes most attempts at ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' DarkFic look like a cookbook, taking the best part of the franchise to prison. And this baby ain't based on the mistaken identity event that you saw in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''. We're talking Sonic the CopKiller. It's not ''just'' the rape, the multiple murders, the sadistic Head Warden, or the way that the writer seems to find a new way to violate basic human rights in every chapter. The author has ShownTheirWork. |
| 313 | |
| 314 | [[AC: ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'']] |
| 315 | * ''Fanfic/InkopolisChaos'': This saga's topics are somewhat more mature than those of ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'', with depictions of PTSD, frame-ups, and regular endangerment of Inkopolis otherwise unheard of outside the Octo Expansion and ''VideoGame/Splatoon3''. |
| 316 | |
| 317 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'']] |
| 318 | * No matter how hard it is denied by the author when he was still a troll, ''Fanfic/OneLessLonelyGurl'' is this. It is a fanfic that features C'ren Bieber, a prep (used in the ''Fanfic/MyImmortal'' context) turned into a super villainess in the WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants universe. There is actually an AxCrazy person under her preppy, soft appearance. |
| 319 | ** TheRemake has C'ren speculating about the possibility that the corpses of the people who disappeared in the BermudaTriangle are in the VoidBetweenTheWorlds that is inside a [[EldritchLocation giant coral reef]] located in the deepest parts of the trenches in the area. Or worse, those people are actually alive, [[AndIMustScream screaming for help]], only for no one to hear them because [[ArtisticLicensePhysics sound can't pass through the area.]] |
| 320 | |
| 321 | [[AC: ''Franchise/StarTrek'']] |
| 322 | * The three films of the "Star Trek: Specter" trilogy (''WebAnimation/StarTrekSpecter'', ''WebAnimation/StarTrekRetribution'', and ''WebAnimation/StarTrekRetribution'') elevate this trope an art form, with plotlines that are much darker (and more personal) than old-school ''Star Trek'' ever got. |
| 323 | ** In the first film, a scientist working for Starfleet Intelligence turns renegade, and runs off with a treasure trove of Federation secrets, forcing his oldest friend into a position to have to stop him. At first it seems like the villain's own time experiments were his downfall, but turns out he was thrown back in time and spent decades being rebuilt from the inside out by Borg technology (which we're assured was an agonizing process). |
| 324 | ** In the sequel, he tries to frame the Federation for genocide against the Romulans in a FalseFlagOperation, hoping to incite all-out war between the two powers. It nearly works, until a last-minute EngineeredPublicConfession turns the Romulans against him. |
| 325 | ** Then the third film sees more time shenanigans, this time tearing all of space-time apart just so the bad guy can go back in time to restore his physiology, presumably restarting his entire evil plot. This leads to a temporal pursuit that ultimately sees the villain dead...[[spoiler:maybe.]] |
| 326 | |
| 327 | [[AC: ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'']] |
| 328 | * Here are three little vignettes, fan fiction of ''[[http://theweaselking.livejournal.com/2842431.html Super Mario Bros]]''...in the style of Creator/FrankMiller! |
| 329 | |
| 330 | [[AC: ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'']] |
| 331 | * ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' is normally quite a violent game, but always in a light-hearted and comedic way. ''FanFic/RespawnOfTheDead'', on the other hand, is brutal and disturbing in its violence and very, very dark. Cat Bountry takes the personal quirks of the characters and expands them into full-blown psychosis. The result is actually quite good. |
| 332 | ** ''Webcomic/CuantaVida'' has moments of this as well, although in a very different way, largely by actually confronting some of the inherent FridgeHorror of the premise of the games. The fact that the characters are actually somewhat toned down from their portrayal in-game somehow only makes it worse. (For example, in the game, Spies are backstabbing bastards who relish killing. The main character spy, Bleu, actively avoids it.) |
| 333 | |
| 334 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'']] |
| 335 | * ''Fanfic/NewTamaran'': The author is well aware that the original show's child audience has grown up. |
| 336 | * ''[[Fanfic/TheMasksWeWearTeenTitans The Masks We Wear]]'' is a darker and edgier origin story for Slade, who is actually John Grayson, pulling from the comics and the DC Animated Movie Universe film WesternAnimation/BatmanVsRobin. |
| 337 | |
| 338 | [[AC: ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'']] |
| 339 | * ''Fanfic/ABetterWordThanHumanity'', while not out of step with most continuities of TMNT, is set in the usually much [[LighterAndSofter goofier]] continuity of ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'', and by default much edgier than the source material for having subjects like horrible medical experimentation in it at all. |
| 340 | |
| 341 | [[AC: ''Literature/TheTomorrowSeries'']] |
| 342 | * Several of Technomad's stories set in this continuity show Ellie and her friends [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized acting much more ruthlessly than in canon.]] Cases in point include ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8361242/1/Taking-Care-of-Business Taking Care of Business]]'' and ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7102832/1/Ellie-s-Heroes Ellie's Heroes]]''. Another story, ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6475378/1/Game-as-Ned-Kelly Game as Ned Kelly]]'', shows what might have happened if things had gone differently in the third book. |
| 343 | |
| 344 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'']] |
| 345 | * ''Fanfic/DespairIsland'': The fic upgrades ''Total Drama'' from to a simple over-the-top reality show to an illegally organized DeadlyGame. As a result, it takes itself a lot more seriously, makes the challenges and their hazards more realistic, removes the cartoonish elements, and does not play any of the show's AmusingInjuries for comedy. |
| 346 | * ''Fanfic/TheDoctorWillSeeYouNow'': Even before the story starts having bodies hit the floor, this story is noticeably darker than Total Drama, though not in the usual way this is achieved. The characters are more or less in character, though maybe slightly “edgier” than normal, but not much. Its more the context they are in which changes the story’s overall tone. The second chapter contains many references to the gruesome, but real, horrors endured by mental patents in asylums in the 1940s. At least until charters 3 and 4…by then, this story enters the full dark edge of despair! |
| 347 | * ''Fanfic/TheLegendOfTotalDramaIsland'', a reimagining of the show's first season, achieves this effect by several methods, most notably by playing for drama certain incidents that the original played for laughs, and by replacing certain cartoonish elements of the original with some pretty stark realism. |
| 348 | * ''Fanfic/MonsterChronicles'': This story is much darker than ''Total Drama'' canon with elements such as a supernatural serial killer sneaking aboard the plane and taking the contestants hostage. The stakes are higher with the contestants' lives in more danger, [[spoiler: and even the world at stake.]] |
| 349 | * ''Fanfic/PredatorAndPrey'': Despite none of the events from the canon ''World Tour'' being changed at all, the fic still manages to be this. For starters, the story begins with Alejandro sexually abusing and then raping Bridgette. This traumatizes her to the point where she develops StockholmSyndrome, and afterwards, she becomes near-suicidally depressed by Geoff breaking up with her for it, has a PregnancyScare, and needs to get therapy to get over her feelings for Alejandro. |
| 350 | ** In a weird kind of way, the story's AdaptationalExplanation for what happened between Alejandro and Bridgette on ''World Tour'' gives some of her and Geoff's negative remarks about him on the Aftermath much darker implications. For instance, Geoff says on the final Aftermath that Alejandro is like a jaguar because "you shouldn't leave them alone with your kitten", which in canon, was merely a statement about how Alejandro manipulated Bridgette into cheating with him, but when he says it in the fic, [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil its meaning is much more sinister]]. |
| 351 | * ''Fanfic/RealityCollidesTheEzekielChronicles'': Compared to the more lighthearted, comedic, and...mature themes of the original cartoon, the fic provides a hefty dose of drama and angst regarding the contestants' backstories that shape their current personalities. This is especially seen and explored in the fic's version of the "Phobia Factor" episode. |
| 352 | * ''Fanfic/ATDALoveTriangleWithBettyCodyAndGwenny'': It has some strong, uncensored language; and, of course, the very accurate description of a rather gory video game. |
| 353 | * ''Fanfic/TotalDramaActionAllIn'': While the story retains the canon season's mixture of drama and comedy, the drama is much more intense than canon and the humour at times veers into outright adult territory, with sex jokes and drug references. |
| 354 | * ''Fanfic/TotalDramaAllStarsRewrite'': Mal's villainous moments are much more, well, villainous, with the biggest example being how he brutally beats up Owen and blackmails Dawn with hurting Noah if she reveals Mal's identity. |
| 355 | * ''Fanfic/TotalDramaPomewinIsland'': It's rated M for a reason, and that reason is Murder. Similar to ''Despair Island'', it transforms ''Total Drama'' into a DeadlyGame. |
| 356 | * ''Fanfic/UnbreakableRedSilkenThread'': Those only familiar with the lighthearted parody of reality television might find this story’s frank, nondramatic portrayal of abusive relationships, the effect of living in a less than ideal household, and the strained relations between many of the central characters and their parents a little jarring. |
| 357 | |
| 358 | [[AC: ''Franchise/TouhouProject'']] |
| 359 | * ''WebVideo/KoishiKomeijisHeartThrobbingAdventure'' tells the story of Komeiji Koishi. It starts out innocent enough, but by Episode 8 we have Koishi [[BloodierandGorier getting all of her limbs cut off and left to die on the floor.]] [[PortalCut Until she gets decapitated.]] |
| 360 | ** And then [[spoiler:she starts [[AppendageAssimilation attaching the limbs and head of Yukari's corpse]] to her body.]] |
| 361 | * ''VideoGame/KoumajouDensetsu'', a.k.a. "Touhouvania", is what you get when you take the aesthetics of ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania}}'' and apply them to the ''Touhou'' franchise. While the first game zigzags it a bit, ultimately having a rather silly story despite the darker looks, the sequel mostly plays the trope straight. |
| 362 | * [[https://dynasty-scans.com/authors/yakumi_sarai The doujin works of Yakumi Sarai, a.k.a. Zounose,]] strongly tend towards the darker and edgier. Depictions of [[ToServeMan man-eating]] are common. Death, dismemberment and bloodshed are regarded as common, everyday parts of life in Gensoukyou. [[PhysicalGod Suwako]] is presented less as a cute girl with a funny hat and a frog-print dress and more-so as a HumanoidAbomination who incarnates {{Curses}} and GaiasVengeance while the Mishaguji in her service are, true to their origin as fertility gods, uncomfortably phallic snake-monsters. The human characters, in the meantime, come across as morally grey at best and disturbingly desensitized to the grim world around them at worst -- [[NinjaMaid Sakuya]] stands out with a particularily unnerving brand of insanity; not only does she prepare human-based FoodPorn for her CastHerd, but also [[NightmareFetishist wants them to regard]] ''[[NightmareFetishist her]]'' [[NightmareFetishist as food.]] [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And on top of all that there's a lot of comedy in Sarai's works as well.]] [[BlackComedy Really, really dark comedy.]] |
| 363 | |
| 364 | [[AC: ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga'']] |
| 365 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5467692/1/Dark-Games-Twisted-Minds Dark Games & Twisted Minds]]'' is this for [[Twilight2005 the first book]] in ''Twilight'' series. Conflict with James and Victoria drives the plot from the start, violence is [[BloodierAndGorier brutal and very common]], sex scenes don't get {{sexy discretion shot}}s, OCs are only introduced to be vampire snacks, and even canon characters aren't safe. |
| 366 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7710478/1/Downward-Spiral Downward Spiral]]'' has Edward imprisoned in Volterra and faced with an ultimatum: either breed hybrids on Aro's orders, or simply kill human women sent into his cell. |
| 367 | * In ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7586237/1/For_You_I_Will For You, I Will]]'', Embry imprints on an OC with less than noble intentions, and she takes full advantage of the power she has over him. Warnings for rape, violence, character deaths. |
| 368 | |
| 369 | [[AC: ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'']] |
| 370 | * Thomas Vaccaro's ''[[WebVideo/UnicornOfWarWinxClubRewriteSeries Winx Club]]'' [[WebVideo/UnicornOfWarWinxClubRewriteSeries rewrite series]] was made as this compared to canon for the sake of GrowingWithTheAudience. The first 3 canon seasons of ''Winx'' are often seen by its fanbase, Thomas included, as the series' best for carrying a mature, complex tone. In Season 4 and onward, this was abandoned in favor of making ''Winx'' a LighterAndSofter show in an attempt to appeal more to children, doing things such as rewriting the Winx as teens and keeping them together in Alfea (despite them graduating at the end of Season 3). The rewrite series is meant as an {{Inversion}} of this, keeping the more mature storytelling of the first 3 seasons. Compared to the original, the rewrite also adds in ''additional'' adult themes, including AbusiveParents, racism, discrimination, loss of one's culture, miscarriage, WrittenByTheWinners, LGBT relationships, depression, losing close friends and lovers, undergoing therapy, and so on. Basically, the rewrite can be seen as being for ''Winx Club'' what ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' was for ''[[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar: The Last Airbender.]]'' |
| 371 | |
| 372 | [[AC: ''Literature/{{Worm}}'']] |
| 373 | * ''Fanfic/{{Cenotaph}}'' zig-zags this trope as both played straight and inverted. On one hand [[spoiler: Taylor's father is murdered by Bakuda]] on the other, Taylor dosen't spend the first month of her cape career fighting for her life against ''both'' sides of the law. |
| 374 | |
| 375 | [[AC: ''Manga/YourLieInApril'']] |
| 376 | * ''Fanfic/HisLieInApril'' - Oh, god. Where do we begin? This story, as if the original wasn't sad enough [[spoiler:turns things up to 15 what with what Kousei goes through (permanent brain damage caused by three blows to the head), which leads to his suicide.]] |
| 377 | |
| 378 | [[AC: ''Anime/YuGiOh'']] |
| 379 | * ''Fanfic/FallenKing'' shows what could have happened if Yugi lost to Pegasus and deconstructs the power of friendship that the series runs on. Joey realizes that the villains can and will use it as a weapon, and ultimately decides he, Tristan, and Tea must ''stop'' being friends to save the world. |
| 380 | |
| 381 | [[AC: Other]] |
| 382 | * [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pikachu]] [[spoiler: gets made into a coat by Team Rocket, causing Ash to [[DrivenToSuicide kill himself]]]], Film/MaryPoppins [[spoiler: gets hit by an airplane while flying with her umbrella]], [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Alice]] [[spoiler: accidentally poisons herself when she drinks from the "Drink Me" bottle]], just to name a few of the fates of famous popular characters in stories by Creator/HansVonHozel. |
| 383 | * ''WesternAnimation/PawPatrol'' doesn't have extreme disasters, but its fandom writes several {{Dark Fic}}s that put the pups in real danger. |
| 384 | %% |
| 385 | %% All source works have been alphabetized. Please sort all new examples in the proper order by source material. |
| 386 | %% |
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