History DarknessInducedAudienceApathy / FanFics

* Pretty much everything ever written by Dakari-King Mykan is either this, or inverts it [[Webcomic/LasLindas Las Lindas-style]]. In a nutshell, the fanfics that play this straight involve either [[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 Daisuke/Davis Motomiya]] or [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans Beast Boy]] [[TookALevelInJerkass level-grinding in douchebaggery]] [[DidNotGetTheGirl because they didn't get Kari/Terra (respectively)]], and pushing away their friends...or their friends [[CharacterDerailment turning unsympathetic for no reason]]. And needless to say, it's all downhill from there. Expect [[DownerEnding bad endings should those happen.]] [[FanFic/TheEndOfEnds The End of Ends]] being especially bad in this regard. (Except for the other Titans [[UnintentionallySympathetic being woobies]] compared to [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic Count Logan]].) In short, it's virtually impossible to be invested in any of his fanfics...unless you're [[BileFascination masochistic enough]] to put yourself through reading them.

* A ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fic/series, ''The Titan's Orb'' by Old Man Dusters, has frequently been accused of this -- largely due to the frequent HumansAreBastards moments and the AdaptationalVillainy of several canon characters (most notably Twilight and Celestia). And it only goes UpToEleven in the second part -- [[spoiler:while an AuthorsSavingThrow does reveal said Adaptational Villainy to be a sham caused by the BigBad being TheCorrupter and a ManipulativeBastard, a downright-relentless series of YankTheDogsChain moments [[note]]E.g.: DiabolusExMachina-style MindRape from said Big Bad, who's an InvincibleVillain; DroppedABridgeOnHim-style deaths of several likeable {{Ensemble Darkhorse}}s; etc.[[/note]] nevertheless seems to be overriding that and making things extra bleak.]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fic ''Whiplash'' (by Molotov Cocktail) has gotten some flack for featuring -- among other things -- a cliched combination of HumansAreBastards and nuclear warfare, a ButtMonkey protagonist who gets a rather-ridiculous amount of NoSympathy from others (Including some he's supposed to help, no less!) even after they know about his DarkAndTroubledPast of being the LastOfHisKind, a borderline-MoralEventHorizon-crossing Celestia who's willing to let innocent members of another species die horribly in a rather-convoluted plan to save Equestria from yet another looming threat, and a GainaxEnding ResetButton that's left some wondering whether or not anything's actually been resolved. In fact, even the author seems to have realized this -- the (currently unfinished) sequel is noticeably LighterAndSofter (despite some retained dark elements here and there), and more readers seem to feel that this group of protagonists has a decent shot at invoking EarnYourHappyEnding.

* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fic ''Whiplash'' (by Molotov Cocktail) has gotten some flack for featuring -- among other things -- a cliched combination of HumansAreBastards and nuclear warfare, a ButtMonkey protagonist who gets a rather ridiculous amount of NoSympathy from others (including some he's supposed to save or otherwise help out, no less!) even after they know about his DarkAndTroubledPast of being the LastOfHisKind, a borderline MoralEventHorizon-crossing Celestia who's fully willing to allow innocent members of another species to suffer and die horribly in a rather convoluted plan to save Equestria from yet another looming threat, and a ResetButton GainaxEnding that's left some readers wondering whether or not anything's actually been solved. In fact, even the author seems to have realized this; the (currently unfinished) sequel is noticeably LighterAndSofter (despite some retained dark elements here and there), and more readers actually feel that this group of protagonists has a decent shot at invoking EarnYourHappyEnding.

A good example was the now LostForever "Future of Despair" webcomic, based on said dark phase [[spoiler:alias the BadFuture]]. [[http://feanons.dreamwidth.org/992.html?thread=275168#cmt275168 Some]] [[http://feanons.dreamwidth.org/1266.html?thread=853746#cmt853746 fans]] used to criticize it for its [[OscarBait contrived]] {{melodrama}}, its portrayal of the female characters [[{{Chickification}} as weaker or weepier than they ACTUALLY are]] in canon [[spoiler:(and, in at least one case, as downright TooDumbToLive)]], the ClicheStorm and how it [[FanonDiscontinuity downright ignores/handwaves some parts of the canon itself solely to force sympathies out of the readers]].

* ''Fanfic/{{Heimatfront}}'', a crossover series, takes place in Nazi Germany during the last days of the war, focuses on Maria Nitzchmann (aka [[Anime/GirlsUndPanzr Miho Nishizumi]]), a BDM conscript, who delivers some tanks to the German army, but finds herself caught up in the fighting, and wants to do what she can to ensure a more favorable outcome for Nazi Germany. Unfortunately, not only [[ForegoneConclusion do you know how this will end]], especially considering [[FailureHero Maria's lucky to even survive her battles]], but when [[spoiler:Maria finds out about the Holocaust]], her superior, Roy Messner (aka [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Roy Mustang]]) bluntly tells her that he knows about it, too, and essentially says she has two choices- fight a losing battle and essentially enable crimes against humanity to continue, or let Germany fall to its enemies, who will take revenge on the people. It's historically accurate, but not only do you know Maria won't succeed, you have to question whether she should.

* In the MLP story ''FanFic/HarmonyTheory'', some readers are starting to feel this way, due to very little being revealed about the central mystery, despite being one chapter with ''thirty-four and over five hundred thousand words in'' with no end in sight and the villains-especially Max Cash-managing to turn around any victory the heroes do have, and coming out on top, anyway. No matter how hard the heroes have fought, it can occasionally feel like they have very little progress, while the villains seem to continuously gain progress with their mysterious plans, only slightly inconvenienced. The fact that it takes place in a BadFuture where a pony can get cutie mark/talent glyph in '''killing''', [[spoiler: Celestia and Luna are both trapped in their respected celestial bodies]], there are rogue {{WarGod}}esses running around, planning to turn the world to ash, and the two countries that used to be Equestria are on the brink of war and even with the world at stake, many of them stubbornly refuse to work together, just might have something to do with that.

* ''Fanfic/APuppetToHerFame'' is notorious for it's grim dark and ''heavy'' levels of abuse. Even MLP story reader ObabScribbler acknowledged that the story was difficult even for ''her'', stating she felt horrible after finishing up a reading afterwards.

* In the MLP story ''FanFic/HarmonyTheory'', Some readers are starting to fill this way, do to very little being revealed about the central mystery, despite being on chapter ''thirty-four and over five hundred thousand words in'' with no end in sight and the villains-especially Max Cash-managing to turn around any victory the heroes do have, and coming out on top, anyway. No matter how hard the heroes have fought, it can occasionally feel like they have very little progress, while the villains seem to continuously gain progress with their mysterious plans, only slightly inconvenienced. The fact that it takes place in a BadFuture where a pony can get cutie mark/talent glyph in '''killing''', [[spoiler: Celestia and Luna are both trapped in their respected celestial bodies]], their is rouge {{Wa rGod}}ess running around, planning to turn the world to ash, and the two countries that used to be Equestria are on the brink of war and even with the world at stake, many of them stubbornly refuse to work together, just might have something to do with that.

* In the MLP story ''FanFic/HarmonyTheory'', Some readers are starting to fill this way, do to very little being revealed about the central mystery, despite being on chapter ''thirty-four and over five hundred thousand words in'' with no end in sight and the villains-especially Max Cash-managing to turn around any victory the heroes do have, and coming out on top, anyway. No matter how hard the heroes have fought, it can occasionally feel like they have very little progress, while the villains seem to continuously gain progress with their mysterious plans, only slightly inconvenienced. The fact that it takes place in a BadFuture where a pony can get cutie mark/talent glyph in '''killing''', [[spoiler: Celestia and Luna are both trapped in their respected celestial bodies]], their is rouge {{WarGod}}ess running around, planning to turn the world to ash, and the two countries that used to be Equestria are on the brink of war and even with the world at stake, many of them stubbornly refuse to work together, just might have something to do with that.

* ''FanFic/LatiasJourney'' is a prime case of such, right where the ''Your Secret Admirer'' prequel (which [[DarkerAndEdgier goes to hell rather quickly]] in its own right) left off. Almost right out of the gate, there is plenty of moments of over-the-top violence, GratuitousRape, sex, profanity, and Ri2's [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking refusal to]] [[ShowDontTell show and not tell]] with a side-order of {{Wangst}} (Mostly from the titular heroine, but May also has her moments of such as well.) and {{Flanderization}}, among the cast. The real kicker is that Latias [[StrangledByTheRedString falls in love with the Ghost King]], the ''being responsible for destroying Latias' home in the first place.'' It becomes impossible to even care about the rest of the story from that point onward, And this is only chapter nine. [[{{Doorstopper}} Out of sixty-seven.]] [[{{Understatement}} It doesn't get much better from there.]]

* While the original ''FanFic/InnerDemons'' was fairly dark, it still ended up being a case of EarnYourHappyEnding, avoiding this trope... until the sequels, which pulled some downright ''brutal'' HappyEndingOverride, especially where [[spoiler: Rarity]] is concerned, which turned off many readers. To put it in perspective, both sequels have the '''Tragedy''' tag, which is just an advance warning that a story ''cannot possibly end happily.''

* ''FalloutEquestria'', not only in the main story, but in many side-stories as well ([[DarkerAndEdgier especially]] ''Project Horizons''). People have called it ''[[UpToEleven even more depressing]]'' than the ''{{Fallout}}'' canon, because of a simple reason: there is only so much horror that can be placed in a video game before it becomes impossible to sell, while a fan fiction doesn't has the same restrictions... and there are so many [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rapes]], [[{{Gorn}} brutal deaths]] (and especially "[[DroppedABridgeOnHim pointless]]" deaths), [[ApocalypseAnarchy post-apocalyptic inhumanity]] and SceneryGorn of beloved Equestrian locations (more often than not loaded with ''literal'' {{Gorn}}) before people call it quits. The flashback sequences to pre-cataclysm Equestria are even worse triggers of this, because they all showcase much-beloved F.I.M. characters (especially the Mane Six) devolving into complete {{Jerkass}}es because of the pressures of the Great War and DoomedByCanon to die in said war, so why bother?

** ''Fanfic/APuppetToHerFame'' is notorious for it's grim dark and ''heavy'' levels of abuse. Even MLP story reader ObabScribbler acknowledged that the story was difficult even for ''her'', stating she felt horrible after finishing up a reading afterwards.

* Before the rewrite, ''FanFic/SonicXDarkChaos'' had this in spades and was strongly criticized for it by several reviewers. The Sonic characters were [[TookALevelInJerkass even bigger jerks]] than their original depictions. The ''extremely'' grimdark setting didn't help - the ''entire universe'' was doomed in an over-the-top CosmicHorrorStory filled with [[{{Gorn}} gruesome violence]] and UnfortunateImplications, with a generous topping of EvilVersusEvil and BlackAndGrayMorality for good measure. Maledict and Tsali being absurdly blatant {{Villain Sue}}s didn't help. The author [[AuthorsSavingThrow rewrote it deliberately several years later to avoid this trope]] by making the characters like their canon counterparts, adding a ton of nuance and CharacterDevelopment to pretty much everyone, filling in plot holes, untangling the KudzuPlot, and playing much of the bleakness for BlackComedy. Avoiding this trope even more was also the author's stated reason for creating the alternate endings, one of which is definitely EarnYourHappyEnding and is [[WorldHalfFull considerably more upbeat than the others]].
** This trope is also why the author discontinued the prequels ''Fall of the Seedrians'' and ''Battlestar Dandelion''. In particular, the latter has Tsali (a genocidal mass-murdering fox android) as the ''[[VillainProtagonist protagonist]]'' against the Metarex in a blatantly EvilVersusEvil war, while Hertia and her people slowly descend into fanaticism, civil strife, and HeWhoFightsMonsters in their desperation to stay alive. And it's all a ShaggyDogStory from the very start because it's a ForegoneConclusion that [[KillEmAll pretty much all of them die anyway]].

* In the MLP story ''FanFic/HarmonyTheory'', Some readers are starting to fill this way, do to very little being revealed about the central mystery, despite being on chapter ''thirty-four and over five hundred thousand words in'' with no end in sight and the villains-especially Max Cash-managing to turn around any victory the heroes do have, and coming out on top, anyway. No matter how hard the heroes have fought, it can occasionally feel like they have very little progress, while the villains seem to continuously gain progress with their mysterious plans, only slightly inconvenienced. The fact that it takes place in a BadFuture where a pony can get cutie mark/talent glyph in '''killing''', [[spoiler: Celestia and Luna are both trapped in their respected celestial bodies]], their is rouge {{WarGod}}ess running around, planning to turn the world to ash, and the two countries that used to be Equestria are on the brink of war and even with the world at stake, many of them stubbornly refuse to work together.

* In the MLP story ''FanFic/Harmony'', Some readers are starting to fill this way, do to very little being revealed about the central mystery, despite being on chapter ''thirty-four and over five hundred thousand words in'' with no end in sight and the villains-especially Max Cash-managing to turn around any victory the heroes do have, and coming out on top, anyway. No matter how hard the heroes have fought, it can occasionally feel like they have very little progress, while the villains seem to continuously gain progress with their mysterious plans, only slightly inconvenienced. The fact that it takes place in a BadFuture where a pony can get cutie mark/talent glyph in '''killing''', [[spoiler: Celestia and Luna are both trapped in their respected celestial bodies]], their is rouge {{WarGod}}ess running around, planning to turn the world to ash, and the two countries that used to be Equestria are on the brink of war and even with the world at stake, many of them stubbornly refuse to work together.

* The increasing focus of ''Fanfic/TheDearSweetieBelleContinuity'' on foreshadowing/setting up [[AStormIsComing a coming cataclysmic conflict]] which portends doom for Equestria, and the distinct possibility of unhappy endings for most characters involved, has [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere driven off a few commenters]] (though many more are still hooked). Some also find the behavior of the royals who receive much of the focus to be extremely unpleasant, especially considering that their [[BaseBreaker divisive]] behavior is implied to be at least partially responsible for said conflict.

* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fic ''Whiplash'' (by Molotov Cocktail) has gotten some flack for featuring -- among other things -- a cliched combination of HumansAreBastards and nuclear warfare, a ButtMonkey protagonist who gets a rather ridiculous amount of NoSympathy from others -- including some he's supposed to save or otherwise help out, no less! -- even after they know about his DarkAndTroubledPast of being the LastOfHisKind, a borderline MoralEventHorizon-crossing Celestia who's fully willing to allow innocent members of another species to suffer and die horribly in a rather convoluted plan to save Equestria from yet another looming threat, and a ResetButton GainaxEnding that's left some readers wondering whether or not anything's actually been solved. In fact, even the author seems to have realized this; the (currently unfinished) sequel is noticeably LighterAndSofter (despite some retained dark elements here and there), and more readers actually feel that this group of protagonists has a decent shot at invoking EarnYourHappyEnding.

* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fic "''Whiplash''" (by Molotov Cocktail) has gotten some flack for featuring -- among other things -- a cliched combination of HumansAreBastards and nuclear warfare, a ButtMonkey protagonist who gets a rather ridiculous amount of NoSympathy from others -- including some he's supposed to save or otherwise help out, no less! -- even after they know about his DarkAndTroubledPast of being the LastOfHisKind, a borderline MoralEventHorizon-crossing Celestia who's fully willing to allow innocent members of another species to suffer and die horribly in a rather convoluted plan to save Equestria from yet another looming threat, and a ResetButton GainaxEnding that's left some readers wondering whether or not anything's actually been solved. In fact, even the author seems to have realized this; the (currently unfinished) sequel is noticeably LighterAndSofter (despite some retained dark elements here and there), and more readers actually feel that this group of protagonists has a decent shot at invoking EarnYourHappyEnding.

* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fic "''Whiplash''" (by Molotov Cocktail) has gotten some flack for featuring -- among other things -- a cliched combination of HumansAreBastards and nuclear warfare, a ButtMonkey protagonist who gets a rather ridiculous amount of NoSympathy from others -- including some he's supposed to save or otherwise help out, no less! -- even after they know about his DarkAndTroubledPast of being the LastOfHisKind, a borderline MoralEventHorizon-crossing Celestia who's fully willing to allow innocent members of another species to suffer and die horribly in a rather convoluted plan to save Equestria from yet another looming threat, and a ResetButton GainaxEnding that's left some readers wondering whether or not anything's actually been solved. In fact, even the author seems to have realized this -- the (currently unfinished) sequel is noticeably LighterAndSofter (despite some retained dark elements here and there), and more readers actually feel that this group of protagonists has a decent shot at invoking EarnYourHappyEnding.

* After waiting over a year for the fifth episode, some viewers of ''WebAnimation/MyLittlePortal'' were turned off by the exponential increase in both gore and a sense of hopelessness, thanks to [[spoiler:the past fall of Canterlot and a great deal of character mutilation]].

* Before the rewrite, ''FanFic/SonicXDarkChaos'' had this in spades and was strongly criticized for it by several reviewers. The Sonic characters were [[TookALevelInJerkass even bigger jerks]] than their original depictions. The ''extremely'' grimdark setting didn't help - the ''entire universe'' was doomed in an over-the-top CosmicHorrorStory filled with [[{{Gorn}} gruesome violence]] and UnfortunateImplications, with a generous topping of EvilVersusEvil and BlackAndGrayMorality for good measure. Maledict and Tsali being absurdly blatant {{Villain Sue}}s didn't help. The author [[AuthorsSavingThrow rewrote it deliberately several years later to avoid this trope]] by making the characters like their canon counterparts, adding a ton of nuance and CharacterDevelopment to pretty much everyone, filling in plot holes, untangling the KudzuPlot, and playing much of the bleakness for BlackComedy.
** Avoiding this trope even more was also the author's stated reason for creating the alternate endings, one of which is definitely EarnYourHappyEnding and is [[WorldHalfFull considerably more upbeat than the others]].
** This trope is also why the author discontinued the prequels ''Fall of the Seedrians'' and ''Battlestar Dandelion''. In particular, the latter has Tsali (a genocidal mass-murdering fox android) as the ''[[VillainProtagonist protagonist]] against the Metarex in a blatantly EvilVersusEvil war, while Hertia and her people slowly descend into fanaticism, civil strife, and HeWhoFightsMonsters in their desperation to stay alive. And it's all a ShaggyDogStory from the very start because it's a ForegoneConclusion that [[KillEmAll pretty much all of them die]], so there was no reason for the readers to care.

* ''FalloutEquestria'', not only in the main story, but in many side-stories as well. People have called it ''[[UpToEleven even more depressing]]'' than the ''{{Fallout}}'' canon, because of a simple reason: there is only so much horror that can be placed in a video game before it becomes impossible to sell, while a fan fiction doesn't has the same restrictions... and there are so many [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rapes]], [[{{Gorn}} brutal deaths]] (and especially "[[DroppedABridgeOnHim pointless]]" deaths), [[ApocalypseAnarchy post-apocalyptic inhumanity]] and SceneryGorn of beloved Equestrian locations (more often than not loaded with ''literal'' {{Gorn}}) before people call it quits. The flashback sequences to pre-cataclysm Equestria are even worse triggers of this, because they all showcase much-beloved F.I.M. characters (especially the Mane Six) devolving into complete {{Jerkass}}es because of the pressures of the Great War and DoomedByCanon to die in said war, so why bother?

* ''FanFic/DumbledoresArmyAndTheYearOfDarkness'' and its sequels ''want'' to be a "serious" take on the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' series. Unfortunately, the author has mistaken gratuitous gore and bloodshed for seriousness. People die ''en masse'' even when canon insists they lived, morally-ambiguous characters are transformed into pure evil, ''nobody'' gets out without severe injury (physical or mental), and if it looks like something good is about to happen, the heroes will destroy it with their own stupidity or selfishness--and yet the narrative expects us to sympathize with them, especially in the case of [[GodmodeSue Neville]] [[FixerSue Longbottom]]. Once hailed as a work of art, it's now seen as a mass of potential buried in overdone "drama".