Spoilers for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: 25 Years Later will be unmarked, You Have Been Warned!
"I don't usually write on this anymore, but there's some stuff That needs to be documented. If this ends up in the hands of anyone but me, there's something you need to know: what you're going to read is nothing like my memoir, it's a journal. That means if you can't handle that, you might as well read something else."
-Greg Heffley
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rich and Famous (Also known as simply Rich and Famous) is a semi-serious Diary of a Wimpy Kid fanfic (or as the subreddit calls them, LLBs (Looks Like Books)) originally made by Reddit user u/jugdeggrogs for the subreddit r/LodedDiper. Unlike the author's previous work Diary of a Wimpy Kid: 25 Years Later, this fic sees what happens if he was offered the opportunity to work with Funbrain Games. The trailer for the LLB can be viewed here
, and you can start reading it here.
A Distant Finale was later created, titled Diary of a Wimpy Kid: 75 Years Later (Beware that all spoilers from that work will be unmarked, so it's recommended that you view 25 Years Later and Rich And Famous first).
Tropes seen in Rich and Famous include:
- Adaptational Jerkass: Frank was willing to suppress Greg's sexuality like in 25 Years Later.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: In contrast to his 25 Years Later counterpart, Manny seems to be a nicer person if the letter to his dad was any proof of it.
- Adaptational Villainy: Unlike in 25 Years Later, Greg is willing to suffocate his own dad, as seen in Part 4. He even flips his own mother off on page 15.
- Adaptational Sexuality: Like in 25 Years Later, Greg is bisexual.
- Art Shift: Downplayed, but the LLB art shifts from a journal entry to a comic book-style in the more dynamic moments (i.e., Greg suffocating Frank after he threatens to reveal his bisexuality).
- Apologetic Attacker: Rowley confesses that he loves Greg before kicking him off the roof of a building.
- Asshole Victim: While Greg still gets his legs crippled in here, he was much more deserving of it due to his actions.
- Continuity Nod: Once again, Greg delivers a Precision F-Strike to Frank.
- Dark Fic: Much like 25 Years Later, this story is much darker than Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and focuses on Greg having become a much worse person, destroying every relationship he has left.
- Distant Sequel: Not as distant as 25 Years Later, but the story takes place in the year 2032.
- Downer Ending: Unlike 25 Years Later, there is no sign of a happy ending. Rowley pushes Greg off a building, and, while Greg survives, he is permanently crippled, and while that could possibly end up affecting his life, the incident results in him hating Rowley.
- For Want Of A Nail: The story sees what happens if Greg becomes famous rather than Rowley.
- Hate Sink: Frank. Despite Greg trying to kill him twice and having zero to no remorse for his actions, his father just all around comes off as far more of a piece of shit, because we at least see that deep down Greg does actually care about Rowley. Frank on the other hand does nothing but threaten to out Greg as bisexual and acts smug even after returning from the hospital and nearly dying. While we only see stuff from Greg's perspective, we do still understand that Frank just really isn't a good father to his children.
- In Spite of a Nail: A few things happen in Rich and Famous in spite of not ending up like 25 Years Later.
- Frank is still diagnosed with cancer.
- Greg's relationship with Rowley ends badly for him for different reasons; in 25 Years Later, Rowley reveals that he's not gay, whereas in Rich and Famous, Rowley pushes him off a building.
- Greg is still thrown off a building and loses the ability to walk, being permanently crippled. The difference is that while Greg did this as a suicide attempt in 25 Years Later, in Rich and Famous, Rowley is the one who pushes him off a building.
- Leatherman: Greg wears a leather jacket in this.
- Precision F-Strike: Greg greets Frank on Page 3 by telling him to go fuck himself.
- Sickbed Slaying: Greg tries to suffocate Frank with a pillow right in his bed in the hospital.
- The Topic of Cancer: It's revealed in Part 3 that Frank is diagnosed with cancer.
- Vorpal Pillow: Greg suffocates Frank with a pillow after Frank threatens to reveal is bisexuality.
- What If?: ...Greg had become rich and famous rather than Rowley?
