Line #45 Main/RuleThirtyFour


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rule_34_large_8682.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes Sometimes]] it's a law of the internet that makes one think "ThereShouldBeALaw"...[[note]]And yes, there is porn of this very image. Like the rule says, NOTHING IS SAFE![[/note]]]]
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8	'''''If it exists, there is UsefulNotes/{{porn\|ography}} of it. No exceptions.'''''
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10	%%% When we are defining a rule, the rule definition comes first.
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14	Allegedly originating from and popularized by Platform/FourChan (though [[OlderThanTheyThink it actually predates that site]]), this was the very first near-universally agreed-upon [[RulesOfTheInternet Rule of the Internet]]. It is so well-founded and documented with ''[[TwentyPercentMoreAwesome irrefutable proof]]'' that even those with only a very rudimentary knowledge of the Internet are aware of this rule even if they don't know it has a name.
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16	While the original architects of the Internet had grandiose goals of research and data sharing, [[TheRuleOfFirstAdopters we all know what Joe Everyman]] is going to use it for: [[TheInternetIsForPorn pornography]]! Now, it's not that everyone online is just looking for pornography; it's just that it's very ''very'' easy to [[HehHehYouSaidX come]] [[DoubleEntendre to]]. Even if you're not looking for it! Don't believe us? [[SchmuckBait Do a Bing image search (filters off)]] of, well... pretty much anything. Sometimes even with the filters ''on''. Odds are pretty good that the results will include something NotSafeForWork.
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18	The key reason the scope of it is so wide and bizarre lies in what some have come to call '''''Rule 36''''': "If you've thought of it, then there's somebody out there with a [=fetish=] for it." (And incidentally, by "it" we mean "anything that exists in the world.") Even Website/TVTropes.
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20	You might wish to keep a bottle of BrainBleach handy while proving (or [[SchmuckBait attempting to disprove]]) Rule 34. [[ConditionedToAcceptHorror Don't say we didn't warn you]]. And if you DO go hunting to prove this rule false, [[HarmfulToMinors say good-bye to your childhood]] first...
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22	There's also ''Rule 35'', basically [[MortonsFork a guarantee that Rule 34 will remain true]] because "if there is no porn of it, it ''will'' be made." This basically means that if you notice you can't find porn of something, and point it out, [[SelfFulfillingProphecy somebody will be happy to draw/write/find it for you in pretty short order]], if only to maintain the infallibility of Rule 34. (And all that mental scarring you'll suffer in the process of proving Rule 34 false will amount to nothing).
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24	As hard as it is to believe, this trope is OlderThanDirt; decades before the Internet was even conceived, publications known as "Tijuana bibles" circulated widely, featuring X-rated (and copyright-infringing) cartoons showcasing a mix of popular cartoon characters and movie stars of the day doing the Rule 34 thing. And it really ''is'' OlderThanDirt: depictions of sex have been around almost as long as sex has been around. (Or, at least since early humans developed any semblance of abstract or symbolic thought concerning sex.) While it was originally restricted to drawings and paintings, this has become even more prolific in the last decade or so thanks to art/3D programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Source Filmmaker (what's helping is that AI image generators such as Stable Diffusion, controversal as it is, making it even easier), especially towards video game characters for the latter. This sometimes reaches the point where a work of fiction will become BestKnownForTheFanservice not just for having a sexy character in it, but also for the lewd fanart of such.
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26	[[RuleThirtyFourCreatorReactions When it comes to the creators themselves]], their reactions to Rule 34 [[ValuesDissonance varies greatly from country to country]]. In {{UsefulNotes/Japan}}, artists are ''proud'' of being 34ed (since it proves they exist... [[UsefulNotes/LogicalFallacies oh, wait]].) In the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates, it frequently ends in litigation... [[StreisandEffect with predictable results]]. In {{UsefulNotes/Germany}}, Rule 34 is known but factually nonexistent and limited to extremely well-known stuff, [[note]]Say Series/DieSendungMitDerMaus[[/note]] so no rules can be given. Also, be advised: In the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom at least, viewing sexualised images of characters depicted as under 16 is treated as a child sex offense under the grounds of "possession of pseudo-images of children". [[note]]Even though [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Lisa Simpson]], for instance, never existed in RealLife and based on her first TV appearance, would today be at least 40 years old.[[/note]] While actual prosecutions based on this charge alone have been few, it remains a real consideration in the UK (and is also a hazard for distributors and consumers of legitimate and defensible anime, manga, and especially {{Hentai}}).
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28	Compare SexyWhateverOutfit (a tamer SisterTrope), MemeticMolester, PerverseSexualLust, and RuleThirtyFourCreatorReactions (a list of creator reactions to this applying to their work). See also RuleSixtyThree, which is both often confused with this and [[SisterTrope constantly overlapped]].
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30	Oh! And what about those {{visual novel}}s that once had pornographic content, but have removed and forsaken them later on? Well, Rule 34 not only brought them back but also caused many new pornographic FanArt of the characters. In a way, those NSFW fan works can be seen as the continuation of those H-scenes. For ecchi anime and manga which do have sexually suggestive scenes, albeit with the clothes still on in some cases, no problem! Rule 34 artists would edit them to make them nude for you. When this crosses with a FanGame, Rule 34 insta-turns it into a HGame.
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32	It has a curious relationship with TheTheoremOfNarrowInterests; the narrower the search, the higher the difficulty of finding something wrong but the likelier to find porn of it. See also GoneHorriblyRight. (You wanted porn? [[BrainBleach You're welcome]].) Can overlap with {{Yiff}} if it involves FunnyAnimal and BeastMan characters.
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34	'''No examples, please.''' Not only would such a list cover potentially every work ever, but we're also not interested in being the Net's "How To Find Rule 34 Stuff" -- you will need to look elsewhere if you want to find ''that'' kind of thing. At most, you can see our pages for TheRuleOfFirstAdopters and ParallelPornTitles to witness how the rule applied even before the Web was invented.
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36	And go to TheInternetIsForPorn for in-universe examples.
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38	[[SelfDemonstratingArticle Yes. There is porn of this article as well]]. Trust us, we checked. When we said "no exceptions," we meant it. There's porn of everything ''and'' the kitchen sink...

Context Main / RuleThirtyFour