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1%% Image selected via crowner in the Image Suggestion thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1452266899092104700
2%% https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php?crowner_id=ljnio2m2
3%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.
4%%
5%% Old pic moved to Narm/ChickTracts. Discussion here: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1326204594031000100
6
7[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/BittersweetCandyBowl https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0000narm1_9.png]]]]
8
9->''"The absurdity of the situation put its pathos to the rout."''
10-->-- '''Creator/CharlesDickens''', ''Literature/OurMutualFriend''
11
12Narm is a moment that is supposed to be serious, but due to either over-sappiness, poor [[SpecialEffectFailure execution]], excessive {{melodrama}}, [[ObligatorySwearing unneeded use of foul language]], or the sheer [[SoBadItsGood absurdity of the situation]], the drama is lost to the point of surpassing "cheesy" and becoming unintentionally funny.
13
14It is [[TropeNamers named for]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUKitnsWuR8 a famous scene]] in the last season of ''Series/SixFeetUnder''. In it, main character Nate Fisher briefly grabs his right arm and complains that it's numb. He then suffers a brain hemorrhage while repeating the words "numb arm". However, it quickly degenerates into "Narm! Narm!" before he comically rolls up his eyes, snorts loudly, and then drops to the floor. Even though the scene was [[IntendedAudienceReaction intended to be dramatic]], fans and critics overwhelmingly found it to be funny.
15
16Were you to discuss this phenomenon in a scholarly work or literary circles, the word you would probably use is "{{Bathos}}". Narm and Bathos are similar, but narm is for ''unintended'' humor.
17
18Narm is subjective, as different audience members may find different things unintentionally funny. It can stem from a failed attempt to pull off an [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome awesome]] (if it comes across as either too underwhelming or ridiculous to be taken seriously), SugarWiki/{{heartwarming|Moments}} (if it comes across as sappy) or [[TearJerker heartbreaking]] moment (if the audience fails to be sad). Anything that falls under {{Wangst}} and DeusAngstMachina runs the risk of falling under narm, as what is ''intended'' to be sad can instead come across as over-the-top ridiculous and absurd. VerySpecialEpisode, when handled poorly, can cause unintentional laughs when the tone work is not well-suited for delivering a particular message.
19
20In subtitled {{anime}}, narm is often created through the use of badly used [[GratuitousEnglish English]]. In dubbed anime, narm is more likely to result from the combination of a budding Creator/WilliamShatner reading an overly-literal translation.
21
22In CGI movies or video games, unrealistic movements or facial expressions may result in narm. Sometimes a poor and blatant use of stock assets (such as StockScream) can make a scene funny when the use of such assets was meant to be unironic. In video games, untimely graphical or even audio glitches can also turn a serious and dramatic scene into something comical instead. Note that this only applies to scripted sequences where the glitches are fairly consistent.
23
24A choice of script can also contribute. TotallyRadical dialogue in cartoons or commercials pandering to children can also be a rich source of narm. A poor use of censorship or ObligatorySwearing both can sound unintentionally funny if they contrast to the overall tone of work.
25
26A lot of the unintentionally funny moments come from acting and voice acting. Trying too hard to and the acting becomes comical instead even if the creators didn't intend it. From the opposite part of spectrum, underacting can also produce unintended laughs when the audience realizes the actor is here only for a paycheck. Even when the acting and voice acting is competent, mistakes like fumbling over a piece of dialogue, accidental voice cracking at the most important moment, or just an actor falling on a stage during a theatrical performance can turn a dramatic moment to be comedic. Even [[TookTheBadFilmSeriously a good performance in a bad movie]] can evoke narm if the actor's performance isn't enough to keep the scene from becoming comedic rather than serious.
27
28Much of the strength of a narmy moment comes from the severity of MoodWhiplash caused by it. Compare NarmCharm, which is when a scene still works even with the cheesiness included. Contrast DudeNotFunny, LevelBreaker, ComicalOverreacting. Sometimes narm examples come from a moment being too realistic, in which case it falls under RealityIsUnrealistic, or from overshooting its mark and making it come off as trying much too hard to sell the drama, pathos, or sense of awe the moment is meant to evoke. While many things can make an audience find moments unintentionally funny, the source has to be on the work itself, which means things like not being able to take an actor seriously in a role does ''not'' apply, nor does a serious scene or work being funny because of it being a subject to a meme, nor does it fit for video game examples where the player's actions and choices undercut the game--giving your character a huge goofy hat isn't Narm, because it's deliberate choice on the player's part and not unintentionally bad drama on the creators' part.
29
30Not to be confused with [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar 'Nam]].
31
32See also NightmareRetardant for "scary" narm, FetishRetardant for "sexy" narm, and SoUnfunnyItsFunny for "funny" narm. If this trope is intentional on the writer's part, see FailedAttemptAtDrama.
33
34''Please do not place examples that better belong on {{Bathos}} here or on any main page. In other words, only unintentional humor belongs on this page.''
35
36%% Note: This is for moments that are unintentionally narmy, not for moments where something ridiculous was intended.
37----
38!!Example subpages:
39[[index]]
40* Narm/{{Advertising}}
41* Narm/{{Anime}}
42* Narm/ComicBooks
43* Narm/FanWorks
44* [[Narm/{{Film}} Films]]
45* Narm/{{Literature}}
46* Narm/LiveActionTV
47* Narm/{{Manga}}
48* Narm/{{Music}}
49* Narm/ProfessionalWrestling
50* Narm/{{Theatre}}
51* Narm/VideoGames
52* Narm/WebAnimation
53* Narm/WesternAnimation
54[[/index]]
55
56!!Other examples:
57
58[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
59* During the development of the board game ''TabletopGame/{{Nemesis}} Lockdown,'' the designers created a new, batlike monster to be the game's primary opponent. The designers named these monsters "Rustlers," trying to evoke the image of leathery wings and [[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight something making mysterious sounds in the dark.]] However, many fans noted that the name "[[TheRustler Rustlers]]" instead invoked [[TheWildWest stereotypical cowboy imagery]], making the name come off as more ridiculous and absurd than frightening. [[AuthorsSavingThrow The designers took note]] and renamed them, settling on the more sinister "Nightstalkers." However, some fans do still call them "Rustlers" as a joke.
60* The ''TabletopGame/{{Pokemon}}'' trading card game frequently invents moves not in the games, some of which have rather goofy names, like Mawile's [[https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-tcg/pokemon-cards/bw-series/bw9/80/ Big Ol' Bite]], Glalie's [[https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-tcg/pokemon-cards/diamond-pearl-series/dp2/25/ Intimidation Pebble]], and Forretress's infamous [[https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-tcg/pokemon-cards/hgss-series/hgss3/3/ Everyone Explode Now]].
61[[/folder]]
62
63[[folder:Webcomics]]
64* ''Webcomic/BittersweetCandyBowl'': An in-universe example - the [[http://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c55/p25.html horror movie that Jasmine and Paulo see]] fails to frighten them, instead making them laugh, much to the consternation of the rest of the audience.
65* ''WebComic/TheBongcheonDongGhost'': This KoreanWebtoon is notorious for being extremely scary if you're not expecting the twist [[spoiler:of the comic actually having animation and sound]], but if you're expecting it, then the scene where the ghost pounces at the girl becomes narmy due to [[spoiler:the extremely underwhelming sound effect, which sounds more like a burp than a scream or roar like you'd expect from this kind of scare]].
66* ''Webcomic/CtrlAltDel'':
67** Among the highest-profile instances of webcomic narm is the VerySpecialEpisode, "Loss". Ethan bursts into a hospital room to find out that his girlfriend Lilah has a ConvenientMiscarriage. This is a webcomic in which the main character built a wacky human-hating robot out of an Platform/{{Xbox}} and was once crowned the King of Gaming, yet creator Tim Buckley attempts to portray this seriously. His attempt, however, consists solely of removing the dialogue from his otherwise unserious slacker-gamer art style, so Ethan's reactions come off as pantomimed DullSurprise. Between that, the jarring tonal shift, and Buckley's already spotty reputation among webcomic creators, the comic was widely mocked and turned into a meme almost immediately.
68** This [[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/035/253/3e8.jpg panel]] has Buckley's AuthorAvatar try to deliver a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech aimed at Jack Thompson (a politician who was trying to ban [[MurderSimulators violent video games]]). The whole thing however is torpedoed into silliness with the last speech balloon: "We outnumber you and the people who think like you. '''Don't fuck with us.'''", which is both an incredibly hollow and cheesy threat but also [[{{Hypocrite}} completely contradicts]] with the main claim that gamers aren't violent.
69* ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'':
70** A woman's misplaced hatred caused her to attempt to kill several people by slowly freezing them to death. She is thwarted by the protagonist's brother, who channels his magic into becoming ''[=SuperGreg=]'', modeled on his comic book hero ''[=SuperMage=]'', himself a CaptainErsatz for Comicbook/{{Superman}}. The MoodWhiplash never settled.
71** When Cthulhu-[[FanNickname TIM]] and Celesto were tearing up Lynn's Brook, there's a scene where Dex and his ex-wife are desperately cowering behind a piece of rubble as people all around them are getting slaughtered. It would have been a much more emotionally powerful scene if the people getting slaughtered looked more like they were desperately running for cover and less like they were out for a casual morning stroll.
72%%** Also noteworthy [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-07-19 is this much parodied strip.]] Spoilers in that strip! Be warned!
73%%Zero-context example.
74%%** [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-11-30 Mookie's topped himself]].
75%%---> "You slept with...? Wait! '''That's it!'''"
76%%Zero-context example.
77%%** Jacob's revelation that "Death is not zombies" could have been worded better.
78%%Needs more context.
79* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'':
80** Catalina asks Susan to go out with her, Susan declines, and Catalina runs off. This was a dramatic moment... right up until Catalina says "Assjack!" (a reversal of the highly temperamental GenkiGirl's favorite word, "Jackass(es)!").
81** The BigBad dramatically [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2009-11-13 revealing her name]] could've been an epic moment, except it is utterly impossible to take an EldritchAbomination who has chosen to call herself ''Pandora Chaos Raven'' seriously. It's the kind of thing a disaffected goth girl would come up with, not an immortal godlike being. This was later indirectly justified by Jerry, who comments that other Immortals tend to like overly-dramatic names, especially the [[ImmortalImmaturity immature ones]].
82* ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'': The initial reaction to Chief's death is over-the-top, but then Thaco delivers this ''priceless'' line:
83--> [[DullSurprise "Aw, no. Chief."]]
84* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' has its moments:
85** When Karkat reveals that [[spoiler: he didn't perfect the genetic sequence of the frog that created the kid's universe, dooming their timeline, he says that he gave their universe cancer. While it is a very shocking and upsetting development, the line "I GAVE YOUR WHOLE UNIVERSE CANCER, JADE. SORRY." has been met with laughter and many distasteful cancer jokes. Karkat's constant use of all caps makes this worse, since it's easy to picture that he's ''shouting'' about how he gave an entire universe cancer through the conversation.]]
86** When Jade is comforting [[spoiler:Jadesprite]], who CameBackWrong, hates being alive and is unable to stop crying, the fact that her tears are rendered in chatlog style as "BOO HOO HOO HOO HOO. woof :'(" somewhat lessens the genuine tragedy. It doesn't help that a few pages later, Karkat starts imagining Jade and [[spoiler:Jadesprite]] making out.
87%%*** But then, considering it was half leading up to the callback of having [[spoiler:Jadesprite]] echo alternate-future-daves conversation with Calsprite, and the point and that her dreamself is rather overly emotional and flighty about things that Jade herself is not...it does all make it a rather less tragic either way.
88%%Uses too much jargon, to the point where it's impossible to tell whether this is valid.
89%%** In general, ''Homestuck's'' tendency to make staggeringly inappropriate callbacks and references during even the most serious situations means that anybody who reads it is inevitably going to find at least one point where the impact of an otherwise dramatic moment is ruined by a joke. The most gratuitous examples of this are the occasions where character deaths are followed up by ''Webcomic/SweetBroAndHellaJeff'' references. This is probably why the number of references to said [[ShowWithinAShow Comic-Within-a-Comic]] have been toned down in Act 6.
90%%General example. Needs to be rewritten to describe specific moments.
91* ''Webcomic/HowIBecameYours'': [[Narm/HowIBecameYours Has its own page]].
92* ''Webcomic/IWillSurvive'', a ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'' fan comic where Judy and Nick discuss the very heavy and sensitive subject of abortion. Aside from the [[ArtStyleDissonance mismatch of cutesy characters and serious subject matter]], the (mostly professional-looking) art ends up looking goofy at times. Of note is [[http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/320/456/24b.jpg Nick's reaction when Judy tells him she doesn't want the child]], and [[http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/320/466/084.jpg Judy's reaction to Nick saying that her getting an abortion would be murder]], followed by her [[http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/320/467/d6d.jpg slapping Nick in an over-the-top way]].
93* ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}'': Rumisiel's rant was meant to be awe-inspiring, but "I'm a frikkin' angel, babe, and I got nothin' to lose" came off as just plain cheesy.
94%%** [[http://www.misfile.com/?page=1334 Emily's expression]]. That is all.
95%%Zero-context example.
96%%** [[http://www.misfile.com/?page=1339 Or Vashiel in the lower left hand panel.]] He looks like he's trying with all of his might to take a dump.
97%%Zero-context example.
98%%** When Ash reluctantly agrees to do his "duty" as King of the mountain, [[http://www.misfile.com/?page=1464 this]] happens. Uh... okay? Considering that that's Ash as seen through the eyes of Missi who has a Huge Crush on her...
99%%Zero-context example.
100* In ''Webcomic/TheYoungProtectors'', Spooky [[spoiler:tries and fails to rescue a group of hostages from electrocution by DeathTrap, then [[YourSoulIsMine absorbs their souls]] in desperation so they can be returned to life]]. This is supposed to be incredibly traumatic and potentially deadly for him. It also leaves him [[http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/typ/ete-ch4-page-72/ comically inflated]] and bobbing in the air like a balloon when [[spoiler:the demon to whom the hostages were sacrificed arrives]].
101
102
103%%* In ''Webcomic/AbstractGender'', Brian's mother is shot and killed. This is supposed to be the single most tragic event. But it feels random and a little silly.
104%%Zero-context example.
105
106%%* ''WebComic/DragonBallMultiverse'':
107%%** Last panel of [[http://www.dragonball-multiverse.com/en/page-382.html page 382]].
108%%Valid, but zero-context example as written.
109%%** Android 16's fight is quite narmy.
110%%Zero-context example.
111
112%%* In [[http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=481389 this]] page of ''Webcomic/{{Harkovast}}'', many people found Shogun's expression of rage in the final panel more comical then anything else.
113%%Dead link. Needs more context.
114%%** How about [[http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=537197 this]] page? There's the, uh, wolf's face in the third panel, and this line:
115%%---> "Look at this old fountain... DROWN YOURSELF IN IT!"
116%%Zero-context example.
117
118%%* Most of the "drama" in ''Webcomic/RoomiesItsWalkyJoyceAndWalky'' is either {{Narm}} or just stupid. ''Roomies'' was generally agreed to be CerebusSyndrome gone bad, but ''It's Walky'' [[IndecisiveParody never seemed to figure out what it was trying to do]]. Whether it be the over-the-top {{wangst}} of Sal (complete with a distracting, out of place accent), the seriousness with which Joyce's "innocence" is given (complete with trauma over forcibly being shown generic porn) that requires ignoring other events to work, the on and off competency/seriousness of the Saturday-morning cartoon-style alien villains, or the excessive amount of time spent mourning the pointless deaths of all the designated victims, the only consistent reaction is to roll one's eyes at it all. At least the comedic parts work fairly well when they show up.
119%%Needs to be rewritten into a more neutral tone and provide more details.
120[[/folder]]

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