A variety of fanfic in which the plotline is focused around the reactions of the cast to the death of one of their number. Frequently written in the first person, as the narrator goes on (sometimes at exasperating length) about everything they regret doing/not having done and everything that ever went wrong in their relationship to the deceased. Confessions of hidden love, secret friendship and occasionally responsibility for the death are common. Almost stereotypically ends with some variation on "Goodbye (name), life will never be the same without you/I'll miss you/[[DrivenToSuicide I'm coming to join you just as soon as I open this vein]]."

This is a fanfic style which lends itself, predictably, to incredible amounts of {{wangst}} at times. Like a FixFic, writing a good Death Fic requires [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools a good understanding of the Tropes you're using, and a damn good idea of what exactly you're trying to do]]. Done well, a Death Fic can [[TearJerker tear at your heartstrings and explore some very serious topics]]. Done poorly... well, [[DeusAngstMachina copious angst]] is probably going to be the ''[[TooBleakStoppedCaring least]]'' of your problems.

Some Death Fics explicitly employ a TomatoSurprise by obscuring just who is narrating and/or who died until the very last moment. A few of these don't actually spring the surprise, instead forcing the reader to guess.

On the other hand, death fics are often written in the days following [[RealLifeWritesThePlot the real-life passing]] of [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim a beloved actor]] or creator. This provides the writer with [[CatharsisFactor the closure that they may not have had otherwise]], and the fic will be [[InMemoriam dedicated to their memory]].

Not to be confused with a DeadFic or SomeoneHasToDie, though they can all certainly overlap. Are often categorised with the DarkFic genre, considering its subject matter, though it should be noted a Death Fic is not also a Dark Fic by default.
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!!Examples (sorted by original source media):
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' fanfics, this is so frequent that it may qualify as a DeadHorseTrope. The only reason this doesn't bore the readers is due to the timeline of the show. In 2000 years, the death of a single character could be written 30 times, only in different eras, and bring totally different effects.
** Special mention here to Italy's reaction to the death of [[spoiler:the Holy Roman Empire]]. There are countless fics exploring his emotional trauma. A not long, but good example would be ''[[http://hetalia-kink.livejournal.com/4567.html?thread=6207191#t6207191 Best Left Forgotten]]''.
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'':
** Sent up in Gary Kleppe's ''[[http://www.garykleppe.org/fanfic/rdead.txt Ranma Is Dead]].''
** Played straight by Reid Carson's ''[[http://www.rcarson.com/rcarson/elegy.html Elegy For A Golden Youth]]''.
* [=Random1377=]'s ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' fic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/483402/1/Aoi Aoi]]'' starts with Rei having to kill Shinji and [[FromBadToWorse spirals into the abyss from there]].
* For ''Manga/DescendantsOfDarkness'', there's the fic [[http://m.fanfiction.net/s/3375932/1/ When the Day is Bright]]. Unusually, this actually has a happy ending, which only adds to the feeling of catharsis after this fic has wrung you out completely.
* ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'' has ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5559965/1/Dead Dead]]''. Yes, that is the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin actual title]].
* The ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'' fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10226935/1/In-Memoriam Under The Black Forest Flag]]'' (formerly titled In Memoriam) is advertised as being a death fic in the summary, but it takes a few chapters before it's revealed that the person who dies is [[spoiler:Miho, the main character]].
* ''Fanfic/GirlsUndPanzerHopeDies'' starts with Miho being murdered just before the finals.
* The ''Manga/KOn'' story ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6590096/1/Sweet-So-Sweet Sweet So Sweet]]'' starts with [[TheCaretaker Ui]] dying in a freak accident and follows her sister [[CloudCuckooLander Yui]] [[BreakTheCutie spiraling into depression and resentment]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'':
** ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9488523/1/We-re-here-Charlie-Brown We're here Charlie Brown]]'' revolves around the characters dealing with the aftermath of Charlie's suicide.
** ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8022462/1/The-Last-Word The Last Word]]'' is a DarkFic where Violet is dying of terminal cancer caused by her years of chain smoking. Charlie Brown is the final person to visit Violet, but she takes offense towards it because she loathes Charlie. Charlie Brown gets the last laugh because, despite Violet's bullying and insistence that he'd always be a failure, he [[IShouldWriteABookAboutThis published a best-seller about his childhood]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
* The WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}} fandom has [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/39053151 Was It Ever Really A Miracle?]] which details of how the Madrigals gifts led to their deaths, leaving Mirabel the soul survivor. [[KillTheCutie Yes, this includes]] [[DeathOfAChild Antonio.]]
* At least six fanfictions of ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' have Riley die. Their names are ''Transient,'' ''The Death of Riley,'' ''Goodbye Riley,'' ''Going Dark,'' ''Until the End'' and ''Job Well Done.'' All of them have Riley old and have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, along with a husband who died before her. The Emotions are subdued in these, and Memories play before she dies in each one.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'':
** ''Fanfic/ByTheHandsOfThePeople'' is a very dark, DarkFic that revolves around both Anna and Elsa being killed in a coup.
** ''Fanfic/FiresideTale'' is an AU of the film's ending where Anna goes to Kristoff instead of Elsa. Elsa died and Anna is crowned queen in her sister's stead. However, Anna never recovered from Elsa's death and no one ever learned how to stop the blizzard, so Arendelle was left abandoned. Now the country of Arendelle and its supposed fall is just a story people talk about around the fire.
** ''Fanfic/KingdomOfIsolation'' is a oneshot where Anna shatters upon being hit by Hans' sword. Elsa undergoes a SanitySlippage and it's up to Kristoff to kill her and free Arendelle from her blizzard.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5418813/1/She-Felt-Better-Today She Felt Better Today]]'' is a oneshot that delves into [[spoiler:Izumi's]] off-screen death prior to ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemistTheConquerorOfShamballa''.
* WesternAnimation/TheMitchellsVsTheMachines fanfic [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/31593701 Heroic Sacrifice]] revolves around an alternate universe where Katie died in the final battle.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
* [[http://mirabellafic.dreamwidth.org/2969.html?#cutid1 Akallabêth]] is one for ''Film/{{Inception}}'' that kills [[spoiler:Arthur]]. Also features a ''very'' [[TearJerker effective]] DownerEnding, even not counting the death.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* There is, of course, ''this'' [[http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/fifteen/dybarney.htm amazingly vindictive and far-too-detailed monstrosity]] about [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Barney the Dinosaur]].
* ''Series/{{iCarly}}'': One exponent is [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2199322/Lovely_Amelie Lovely Amelie]] who has written several of these, including ''Castles in the Air'', ''Up Into the Blue'', and ''Days Like Masquerades''.
* One example of this in the BBC ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' fandom is a one-shot, ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6914974/1/Alone_On_the_Water Alone On the Water]]'', told from John's POV as he watches Sherlock slowly die from terminal brain cancer.
* ''The Death of Clark Kent'' is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
* ''An Enduring Song'' is a fanfic of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' where Deanna Troi dies and then Riker mourns her death.
* ''Fanfic/DonEppes'' is a ''Series/Numb3rs'' fic where [[spoiler:Don eventually dies after being shot and having his life support taken off due to a strong possibility he would never regain consciouness and his family dealing with the emotionally difficult decision]].
* Zigzagged in the fanfic ''[[https://www.wattpad.com/202221483-morticia%27s-pregnant-morticia-is-pregnant Morticia is Pregnant]]'', featuring ''Series/TheAddamsFamily''. First, [[spoiler: Morticia attempts suicide because she is depressed over not wanting a new kid and being pregnant. She is managed to be rescued, but the baby she was expecting dies via miscarriage. This causes Morticia, who never even wanted the baby, to become depressed again and have another suicide attempt in which she does indeed die but after a few days she goes to {{Heaven}} and changes her mind about wanting to die, asking {{God}} to resurrect her, which He successfully does. All is well for a while but then Morticia gets kidnapped by a rapist has a ChildBornOfRape, who is successfully born but dies for a while after being born. Morticia and Gomez try for babies and Morticia gets pregnant with twins, one of whom dies before birth and the other of whom survives. After that, Gomez & Morticia are kidnapped by a woman named Lily Munster, who kills Gomez.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Fanfic/GoNotGently'' kills off [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX Vivi Ornitier]] in the prologue. His death shapes the entire plot from there on out.
* [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/977511/1/The_Many_Deaths_of_Ms_Croft A fic]] entitled ''The Many Deaths of Ms Croft'' takes this to its logical conclusion for ''Franchise/TombRaider''. The fic essentially consists of a series of oneshots in which Lara Croft dies no less than 11 times in varying, but always gruesome, ways.
* ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'':
** In ''Fanfic/{{Reconciliation}}'', Hanako distances herself from Hisao and Lilly out of guilt for eight years, until she gets a phone call informing her of [[spoiler:Hisao's]] death.
** In ''[[http://pastebin.com/b4cwu2bx Regrets]]'', the main characters have various reactions to Hisao's death in the Act 1 bad ending.
* The ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' fic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8369478/1/A-Dirge-For-You A Dirge For You]]'' tackles the scenario of Sora dying in the final battle with Xehanort. Four chapters (P.O.Vs being Riku, Roxas, Aqua, and Sora himself in that order) of either {{Wangst}} or {{Tear Jerk|er}}ing sorrow. Oh, and it's stated that among the casualties are [[spoiler:Terra, Kairi, Ventus, Vanitas, and every incarnation of Xehanort part of the [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance True Organization.]]]]
* ''Franchise/TouhouProject''
** ''Fanfic/Gensokyo20XX'', which is this to a lesser degree, with some characters dying off left and right. Even immortals are no exception, as is obvious seeing that Eirin killed herself and succeeded.
** ''WebVideo/KoishiKomeijisHeartThrobbingAdventure'' is this to a high degree that those that didn't die go insane, and those that do die are not given very pleasant deaths, to say the least.
** A common FandomSpecificPlot involves Sakuya Izayoi, the only non-immortal member of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, passing away.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3410044/1/Life-Could-Have-Been-So-Different "Life Could Have Been So Different"]] by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1015001/Taranea Taranea]] opens with Sonic the Hedgehog mourning the death of his best friend, Tails, while stopping Dr. Eggman from launching missiles at a city... and Sonic isn't exactly able to move on. ''Shadow'' of all people comes to provide comfort, specifically by revealing his own [[DarkAndTroubledPast harsh]] {{backstory}} in full detail. The "Shadow comforting Sonic" premise quickly turns into a FramingDevice, with the main story being primarily about Shadow's life on the ARK.
** ''Fanfic/{{Frenzy|HeroMemory}}'' is a murder/mystery that revolves around Sonic finding a SerialKiller who murdered Amy.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** ''Fanfic/PokemonLightAU'' starts after Gloria has been DrivenToSuicide.
** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21897688 crack, break, shatter]]'' is oneshot where Bede is killed in a raid battle.
* While ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' has a lot of fics that involve death (especially on Archive of Our Own, which has a specific tag for it), most of the deaths cap off the story rather than focusing on it. There are still some that better fit the template, however.
** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/15943007/chapters/37177631 Clouds above Inkopolis]]'' involves Manga protagonist Goggles dying horribly in a car crash, and focuses on the reactions specifically of Team Blue and Rider.
** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21602263/chapters/51509458 The Fault in our Spawnpoints]]'' focuses on Marie dealing with the grief of losing Agent 4 to a faulty Respawn Pad. [[spoiler:Although, there ''is'' a subversion in the end.]]
** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/23612935/chapters/56665900 Splatoon: Crimson Gaze]]'' likewise starts with Marie losing someone close, in this case [[spoiler: Callie, after the final boss fight of ''2'' goes horrifically wrong]]. The next few chapters focus on how characters react to her passing, eventually spiralling into Marie's [[StartOfDarkness transformation into]] [[RedEyesTakeWarning something]] [[AxCrazy truly evil]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/18818233 Calling Home]]'' is a oneshot where Summer calls home as she bleeds out during a mission.
** ''FanFic/LifecycleOfARose'' likewise ends with Summer's death while out on a mission.
** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/6054958 Icarus]]'' is a oneshot where Jaune is DrivenToSuicide after [[spoiler:Pyrrha's HeroicSacrifice]].
* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'':
** Played with brilliantly and heartbreakingly in the one shot ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/7443901 Secrets Can Kill]]'', where Grif is shot and severely injured, but is able to pull through after emergency surgery… only for ''Simmons'' to die in front of him instead after bleeding out from a bullet wound he had dismissed as minor.
** The oneshot ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14025966 Noradrenaline]]'' as both Grif and Simmons die during the Reds and Blues's LastStand aboard the ''Staff of Charon''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' [=/=] ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' fanfic ''FanFic/TwoWorldsOneLovedOne'' is about the reactions of Scrooge and Darkwing to Launchpad's death in the line of duty.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'':
** Future Fic [[http://web.archive.org/web/20181109091209/https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13021196/1/A-Loud-s-Last-Lap A Loud's Last Lap]] shows how the Loud family reacts when Lynn causes Lana to get into a fatal racecar accident.
** ''Fanfic/RequiemForALoud'' revolves around Lincoln finding out he has a terminal illness and has less than a month to live.
** [[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13615610/1/Bereavement-and-the-Emotional-Ramifications-Thereof-A-Case-Study Bereavement and the Emotional Ramifications Thereof-A Case Study]], [[InMemoriam a one shot dedicated to Fred Willard]], focuses on Albert/Pop-Pop dying and Lisa's reaction to it.
** ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13386040/1/Goodbye-Ronnie-Anne Goodbye Ronnie Anne]]'' involves the titular girl (now in her forties in this fanfic and married to Lincoln) being killed off in a train wreck.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'':
** ''Fanfic/{{Epitaph}}'' revolves around Kimber being kidnapped. During the kidnapping, Kimber was hit on the head and [[AccidentalMurder accidentally killed]].
** ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/255035/1/A-Peace-of-the-Bands A Peace of the Bands]]'' starts with Roxy going to swim on the beach alone. Roxy drowns when Eric doesn't pay attention to her screams.
* Parodied (amongst other things) in the ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' oneshot [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3322951/1/ Not Another Death Fic]]. In a nutshell: The characters try to avoid turning the story into a Death Fic...by turning it into a Shipping fic. HilarityEnsues.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** The fanfic ''FanFic/{{Bittersweet}}'' had Pinkie Pie get diabetes, and going on [[DrivenToSuicide one last sweet binge]] because she couldn't live with it. Rainbow Dash runs away because she can't deal with everything in Ponyville reminding her of Pinkie, while Rarity tries (unsuccessfully) to resurrect her.
** ''FanFic/TheAssassinationOfTwilightSparkle'', where Twilight is murdered a year after her coronation, and it deals with Celestia's grief.
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb''
** [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11354789/1/Alternate-Ending-to-Phineas-and-Ferb-Save-Summer This alternate ending to the special "Phineas and Ferb Save Summer"]] is a TearJerker of a Death Fic where despite Phineas and Ferb, along with their friends, managing to save the world, Isabella is fatally injured in a bad fall, and [[DiedInYourArmsTonight dies in Phineas' arms]].
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'':
** The first issue of the ''Webcomic/TheBikiniBottomHorror'' ends with [=Spongebob=] himself dying in gruesome fashion, with the other characters' efforts to avenge his death. Since then, [[spoiler: Mr. Krabs, Mermaid Man, Larry, Barnacle Boy, Plankton, Karen and Bubble Bass]] have been killed off as well. One of the panels also shows that [[spoiler:Squilliam]] has been KilledOffscreen. [[spoiler:Ultimately subverted when it comes to [=SpongeBob=]: he faked his death]].
** ''Fanfic/MortalMan'' deals with [=SpongeBob=]'s grief after his hero Mermaid Man dies of old age.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
** ''[[https://suaugonewrong.tumblr.com/post/188487475627 Steven Universe Gone Wrong]]'' by Spudinacup is a comic depicting [[WhatIf what would have happened if]] Steven Universe was physically harmed by Spinel's Rejuvenator at the beginning of the movie, killing his human half and leaving [[AlternateSelf his gem half]] to try to revive him. [[AdaptationalAngstUpgrade This fan comic also shows how Steven's relatives would have reacted upon discovering his death]], with Greg in particular taking it ''very'' hard.
* The ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' story, ''[[Fanfic/LegacyTotalDrama Legacy]]'' is all about the repercussions of a contestant [[spoiler:(Gwen)]]'s death. Said repercussions are still being felt a decade later.
[[/folder]]

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