Downer Beginnings in Fan Works.
Crossovers
- Ace Combat: The Equestrian War: The first chapter shows the Wonderbolts being beaten and incapacitated by the main antagonists, leaving the skies of Equestria almost completely defenseless against the griffin invasion.
- Azumanga und Panzer begins with a tsunami destroying the Azumanga Daioh girls' high school and hometown. As a result, many people are killed and the survivors are forced to transfer to Oarai Academy. In a possible case of Reverse Cerebus Syndrome, the tsunami is never mentioned again.
- The dark never consumes all, for the light remains within its core starts with Marinette not having the best of times after the events of "Ladybug" and "Miracle Queen", having been blacklisted from entering the fashion world and expelled from school.
- Heroes of the New World has a towfer; Chapter 1 has Yamato solemnly patching herself up after yet another No-Holds-Barred Beatdown courtesy of Kaido, clearly at the end of her rope in regards to winning her freedom. Then she finds Izuku Midoriya washed up half-dead on the beach and rushes him back to her quarters in Onigashima to treat him. Chapter 2 shows what happened to Izuku; He won the Final Battle against All for One, but took a savage beating in the process and only won thanks to Bakugo Taking the Bullet from one of Shigaraki's Decay blasts and Izuku dealing a fatal blow to Shigaraki in retaliation. This triggered a one-way Black Hole Warp Quirk All for One had rigged in the event of his defeat, launching Izuku into another universe far from his friends and family and with no way for him to get home.
- A Frog in Arkham Asylum opens with a mutated Jade locked up in Arkham, falsely accused of having killed her whole family.
- The first chapter of The New Age of Monsters begins with Godzilla awakening from his decade-long sleep and destroying the MONARCH outpost he is in, killing over 3000 people in the process.
- Roller Brawl: The Mega Cyborg takes place after an alternate take on the final level of the fifth game of Skylanders, but things go badly wrong, and Kaos succeeding in eating the Sky. Roller Brawl crosses the Despair Event Horizon as a result and then crashing in the world of Mega Man (Classic) gravely injured, believing herself to be the Sole Survivor of Skylands.
- Tiberian Eclipse starts with Ponyville being overrun by Tiberium and the Majority of Equestria's Survivor's fleeing to Canterlot. Applejack is infected with Tiberium Poisioning and is left behind to die. She gets better when the ISDI shows up to give her medical treatment.
- An Alchemist Abroad opens with the Plantars on the run, having become fugitives. Anne has also learned the Awful Truth about how they wound up in Amphibia and broke up with Marcy, leaving her depressed and dispirited.
- Recovery kicks off with Marcy having a nightmare about being Darcy again, wherein she cuts off Anne's arm and thrusts her hand right into Sasha's eye. She wakes up right as Darcy is about to finish Sasha off.
- Trade Us for the World: Anne gets distracted by her cell phone ringing right before she opens the music box. As a result, Marcy is forced to move to Connecticut, where she tries — and fails — to make friends. Her parents prove largely unsympathetic to their daughter's struggles, culminating in a moment where her misery results in her losing an expensive textbook. Her parents viciously berate her for this, declaring that as punishment, she won't be allowed to visit LA over the summer and see her Only Friends again.
- All Assorted Animorphs AUs:
- "What if they were captured on their first mission?" starts with the Animorphs being made into Controllers, powerless to stop the horrible things the Yeerks do in their bodies, and Tobias lets himself be killed. Fortunately, things get better once Jake learns that help is on its way.
- "What if Tom ended up leading the Animorphs?" starts with Tom being killed on the first mission to the Yeerk Pool. The rest of the chapter is about Marco going off the deep end as a result.
- So We'd Both Be Free starts off with Zuko waking up to find out that Ozai won the war, most of his friends are dead, and he's to be executed soon.
- one day at a time: Zigzagged. The story begins with Jason Todd's death by lung cancer. The zigzag part is because the entire first chapter shows him meeting his loved ones while on his death bed, who gradually reveal that he lived a mostly happy and fulfilling life (though not without a lot of tragedy).
- In Swinging Pendulum, the story begins with Shinji begging Ichigo to run away and not rescue him or the Visoreds and to save himself after they are all arrested by Central 46 after the defeat of Aizen. Ichigo is imprisoned in the Muken with no way to help them and all the Visored are executed.
- Winter War: Aizen won the war, and Ichigo and the others never made it back from Hueco Mundo. The story starts a few months later, and deals mostly with La Résistance trying to undermine, or preferably kill Aizen despite the huge losses they've suffered already. Oh, and the lack of actual shinigami doing their job as psychopomps- because they're all either working for the villains or busy fighting those villains- means that the balance of souls between the living world and Soul Society is failing, which will lead to both of their destruction if left unchecked.
- Treefall
opens with Misaka suffering from nightmares. In the second chapter, Misaka accidentally electrocutes her roommate Shirai in a non-humorous way, forcing both of them to be hospitalised for about a week.
- The Female of the Species: The first chapter starts with Uru dying after being attacked while hunting.
- The Lost King opens with Garon looking over the body of his newly deceased daughter, Penelope.
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
- Frankie Rules is mainly humorous, but it begins with Madame Foster dying of old age, leaving Frankie in charge of Foster's.
- One Step Ahead opens with Mac returning home after suffering a humiliating prank at the hands of his "best friend" Bloo and all of the other residents. He attempts some Percussive Therapy on some items that remind him of Foster's, but finds he isn't strong enough to actually break anything and breaks down sobbing.
- All The World's a Toybox kicks off with the attempt to defeat Bill Cipher ending in dismal failure, with Stan Pines being mortally wounded and Weirdmageddon going global; worse still, the Zodiac are condemned to spend the rest of eternity as Bill's playthings.
- The Return to Gravity Falls starts with Dipper and Mabel’s parents fighting, and fast-forwards three years to reveal that their parents never reconciled and ultimately divorcing, each taking one of the twins with them. By this point, the twins haven’t seen each other in the past year, and they also learn about the death of Grunkle Stan.
- Harry Potter and the Nightmares of Futures Past begins as most of the shit has already hit the fan and Harry gets to see the Crapsack World he has to continue to live in.
- Human Curiosity: The first chapter opens with a letter and a diary entry. The letter is written by "I.B." (Ivan Brasinski, otherwise known as Russia), telling how he and an untold number of other people have just attempted to escape imprisonment in the North pole, how he doesn't know how many made it out, how he is scheduled for execution, and how he has lost so many of his memories that he can't even recall his own name. The diary entry is written by America, and it tells how almost every Nation in the world has gone missing, no one has any idea if they're even still alive, and all leads to find them have come up dry.
- Kage: By the end of the first chapter, Jade's been cursed by Drago to be banished from her home dimension and forcibly transformed back into a Shadowkhan.
- Reconciliation, being a Continuation Fic from Hanako's bad ending, is naturally this, as the first scene is the ending in question from Hanako's perspective. It gets worse, as the first major plot event is Hanako finding out about Hisao's death.
- Beyond the Borders opens with Kingdom Hearts III being unexpectedly cancelled and the creators of the series having seemingly gone missing. As if that somehow wasn't enough, the world is then invaded and destroyed by the Heartless. The second chapter reveals that things are even worse than that, as it was just one world of thousands to have fallen in that attack.
- Two-Step begins with a couple that was spared of the Infection running ashore and meeting Nick, who fell from the boat he and his posse were taken to when they were rescued from New Orleans and has one less eye to work with. Unfortunately for them, they're not immune and Nick is a carrier, and before five thousand words roll, the man turns and attacks Nick, who kills him; the wife is left behind by him to become a Witch after she tries to kill Nick out of retaliation.
- Ace Savvy: A New Hope starts with Ace Savvy being accidentally killed by Wild Card Willy and Lincoln witnessing the whole thing.
- It's (Not) Your Fault starts with an older Luna arriving back at the Loud House, presumably to try and reconnect after what happened, but she runs away at the last second, crying, then the comic cuts to flashbacks of what led everyone to this place.
- Downplayed in What You Wish For. Lori starts off grumpy and wanting alone time, and her school life is described as "stressful".
- The first chapter of Headfirst Slide into Latveria on a Bad Bet starts with Victor and his friends attacking a HYDRA outpost and getting wiped out, with only Victor surviving.
- In Mega Man: Defender of the Human Race, Episode 11 starts as this with many heroic characters in pain or worse, and Wily looking victorious.
- After the Fall: Weredad's assault on Chat Noir succeeds, resulting in Adrien's death and Papillion learning about his Secret Identity. While Adrien is brought back to life by the Miraculous Cure, Master Fu confiscates the Black Cat Ring, leaving the boy traumatized and alone.
- Cheshire opens by detailing how Plagg was forced to serve a series of evil holders. To make matters worse, the other kwami became convinced that Plagg himself was evil, rather than being Forced into Evil against his will. Meanwhile, Marinette's side of the story illustrates how Chloe turned the whole class against her with her blatant bullying.
- CONSEQUENCES:
- CAT BLANC is an alternative take on the episode of the same name where the whole class tries in vain to prevent Chat Noir from being akumatized, resulting in them all being wiped out on-screen.
- WORLD BEYOND kicks off with Hawk Moth getting his hands on the Miracle Box, followed by Nathalie suggesting that he should take his reign of terror outside Paris, exploiting the fact that the heroes can't easily pursue him and wrecking Monumental Damage upon the world, all while claiming Ladybug and Cat Noir are responsible for the massive loss of life.
- The Karma of Lies opens from Lila's point of view, as she privately gloats about tricking her classmates into donating their fanciest outfits to a Fake Charity. Twisting the knife further, many of the donations are clothes Marinette made for her friends; when she arrives and discovers this, Adrien takes her aside and lectures her about 'taking the high road' and not trying to expose Lila, stating that "They're just clothes; you can always make more." Marinette leaves in a Tranquil Fury and has a tearful breakdown, telling Tikki that if things keep going this way, Hawkmoth is going to win, because it's only a matter of time before she shatters and gets akumatized.
- The Lament Series (ChaoticNeutral):
- Chloe's Lament opens with Miracle Queen managing to Mind Control Ladybug, as well as Hawk Moth and Mayura. She gloats over the prospect of enslaving all of Paris to her will, expecting Adrien to join her.
- Marinette's Lament starts in a world where Hawk Moth has not only gotten his hands on the Miracle Box, but disposed of Chat Noir. Marinette is left with just the Ladybug Earrings and the Black Cat Ring, thanks to Plagg managing to escape from whatever fate befall her partner, and is forced to make a Wish in order to ensure the villain doesn't triumph.
- Miraculous: Uncertain Future starts with a flashback showing how Lila betrayed and murdered Hawk Moth and stole the butterfly Miraculous for herself. After hiding and plotting her return for many years, she does, and after the death of the mayor, she uses this opportunity to akumatize dozens into villains. Lila overwhelms the heroes and kills most of them. She also manages to knock the Miraculouses off Ladybug and Cat Noir, leaving them powerless to stop her.
- One step backwards and Three forwards opens with Hawkmoth triumphant, as Lila/Cobra gives him the Miraculi he sought, having successfully convinced Alya and Nino to betray the other heroes and stolen the Snake Miraculous for herself. Despite Plagg and Tikki cheerfully observing that villains are never careful with their Wishes, Hawkmoth still makes his Wish, and invites his minions to join him. These Wishes rewrite and retcon reality, with Marinette and Adrien helpless to do anything other than cradle each other and lament their failures as everything goes white.
- Sins of the Past opens with Lila successfully framing Marinette for supposedly attacking her. When Marinette confides in Adrien, expecting him to keep his promise of supporting her, he instead blames her and claims that her attempts to expose Lila make her a bully. Then one of Hawkmoth's butterflies finds her alone in her anguish, and he greets her as "little bug". Fifteen years later, Ladybug is long gone, and Kamala has a miserable first day at school before the blackened Ladybug earrings find their way into her possession, and she meets a ghostly Marinette.
- All but One opens with All Might explaining to Izuku that he's going to be embarking on a time-travel mission in order to prevent the Bad Future they're currently living in. Unfortunately, he's going back far enough that defeating All for One will Ret-Gone Izuku from reality, as the villain will die before meeting Inko and siring his son.
- Whispered Tribulation: Gen-Ed student Izuku is falsely accused of being The Mole, attacked by three of U.A.'s teachers and dragged off to be interrogated. While Principal Nedzu intervenes and fights to protect him, he's forced to keep him isolated, while Aizawa is hellbent upon proving his theories right, even if that means torturing a False Confession out of him. And when Momo arrives, Izuku is blaming himself for all this, saying he never should have hoped that a "Quirkless nobody like him" could achieve anything good with his life.
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- After That Fateful Night opens with the Elements of Harmony failing to stop Nightmare Moon, who proceeds to take over Equestria.
- Bittersweet is a Death Fic begins with the show's Sweet Tooth being diagnosed with diabetes, then killing herself with one last sweet binge. True to the title, however, both the original ending and Revised Ending end on a bittersweet note.
- The Immortal Game opens with Celestia and Luna's sadistic, sociopathic parents Titan and Terra taking over Equestria, seemingly killing Celestia, and transforming Twilight into their brutal servant Nihilus. Things only get worse from there, for quite some time.
- Why Am I Crying? begins when the Cutie Mark Crusaders' snow day gets ruined by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon making trouble for them like always. An angry Apple Bloom wishes on a star for something bad to happen to Diamond...only to find out the next day that she had been hit by a carriage and died.
- Blackkat's Reverse kicks off in the Bad Future, with Naruto and Sakura making their Last Stand against Kaguya alongside a handful of other shinobi. Both are killed before Kurama is catapulted back into the past.
- your move, instigator (draw your weapon and hold your tongue) opens with a six-year-old Sakura running for her life, carrying a pair of Hyuuga eyeballs. When she delivers them to Inoichi, she reveals that they belong to Neji, who was just killed by Iwa-nin. We soon learn that Kiba and Akamaru have also been drafted as Child Soldiers, as the Third Shinobi War has yet to end.
- Maybe it'll turn out okay.: Near the start of the fic, Aubrey breaks up with Sunny over both her realization of her sexuality and her interest in Kim for sticking with her over the last few years. Heartbroken, Sunny breaks down crying and lapses into a depressive episode in his home until Kel hears the news and arrives to comfort him.
- Persona: The Sougawa Files starts off with people trying to take advantage of Rina due to her wealth and status - exactly what she wanted to avoid. Not only that, but by Chapter 5, she's contracted Shadows.
- Beautiful Light begins with an orphaned Mitsumi nearly being killed by a Snover. Cyrus saves her before she's killed.
- Relic Of The Future begins with nearly every member of the cast getting brutally killed in a final battle, with Jaune being left alive to pick up the pieces. The plot revolves around his efforts to change the past and save his friends, and even though this turns out to be a little more complicated than he initially thought, the story doesn't get too dark after the first chapter.
- The reappearance of Sailor Moon starts with Usagi/Serena, already reeling from Mamoru/Darien breaking up with her during the R Season, being yelled at by the other Senshi for being late. Chibiusa/Rini also doesn’t believe Usagi/Serena is worthy of protecting her, and when Usagi/Serena gets home, her parents yell at her for her failing grades, and ground her, sending her to her room. Usagi/Serena, unable to cope with all of those events, leaves Tokyo and Japan, and moves to America, not coming back for a year.
- Alone on the Water starts with Sherlock learning he has an inoperable brain tumor.
- The Raven's Plan begins with the Others having successfully overrun Westeros, with the last survivors making a Last Stand on the Isle of Faces. Fortunately, this is immediately followed by all the main characters being sent back in time in order to Set Right What Once Went Wrong.
- The New Sith Order opens up with two Inquisitors discovering Luke Skywalker on a chance detour to Tatooine, murdering Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, and abducting Luke to be indoctrinated into the Dark Side.
- Precipice: The first chapter begins during Order 66 and the Fall of the Jedi. Anakin tries and fails to protect the younglings at the temple, with each of them gunned down right in front of him. He's then attacked by clones led by Captain Rex, whom he desperately tries to reason with, only to be shot, knocked out of a window, and left almost dead had Bail Organa not arrived. The Republic becomes the Empire, and what's left of the Jedi Order is forced into hiding.
- Fallen Kingdom starts with Mario losing the final battle and picks up 20 years after Bowser takes over.
- Freedom's Limits opens with Madavi about to be executed for the 'crime' of loving an orc, with the rest of the fic serving as an extended flashback.
- Courtney's Crusade for Redemption: The first chapter shows Courtney as her older, 'current day' self, telling the reader of how much she regrets her past decisions and how they affected her life for years afterwards.
- Shatterheart: The opening has Syaoran ostracized and hated by his clone's former True Companions for his clone's betrayal. The ostracization being so bad that Syaoran that he becomes a Hikikomori to avoid. His attempt to connect with Kurogane ends with him almost being attacked.
- Young Justice Titans opens with the on screen murder of a teen superhero while on a mission, with his partner injured and the prisoner they escaped with barely alive, while the murderers, the Arc Villain of the "year" celebrating their victory and showing how powerful they will be in the year to come. It's...definitely a different opening from Young Justice seasons past (even the previous fic season), but it does help with the Establishing Series Moment on how it might be even Darker and Edgier than seasons past.
