The lolrandom bell curve
Randomness. Absurdity. Surrealism.
Many things come to mind when reading these words. They might bring you back to a cringier time in your life. They might remind you of your favourite memes, your favourite art, your favourite shows. In some people, others having these as traits evoke anger, even violence. "Lolrandom" humor has been a very divisive topic on the internet, and now it's my turn to make my case in the court of public opinion:
Random is not only funny, but also enriching.
I'm going to present two examples, and I'll start with the one I have the most to say about; one of my most beloved cartoon shows ever,
Case Study #1: Adventure Time
For those who know absolutely nothing about this show, I suggest finding a clip, an episode, something. It won't take much of your time if that's what you're worried about. Adventure Time takes place in a setting that can only be described as random and absurd. Creatures, characters, locations, the worldbuilding itself can mostly be characterized as nonsensical, some might say only existing to evoke giggles for 8 year olds. But they would be wrong. Well okay, childish enjoyment is definitely part of it, but nowhere near the end of it.
This random setting sets up an expectation of lightheartedness and detachment from reality that opens an incredible opportunity for subversion.
Adventure time tries to reach a pure, whole absurdity: disregarding social conventions we consider normal, the way characters converse with eachother, the way information is shared, the inconsistency of tone. The lack of familiarity leaves you constantly entertained and looking for stable ground, priming you to give your attention when the plot starts going into motion.
The show about a talking dog and a human doing whatever doesn't have no consequence. Allowing randomness to develop gives birth to new stories, new worlds, new situations and consequence. The initial randomness of a human boy existing and fighting amongst all manner of weird, colourful, gross, puzzling creatures in a lighthearted formulaic setting becomes less random and more intriguing when you are slowly presented with what that could mean within this unknown world.
Absurdity doesn't just serve the purpose of humour, it also creates setting and expectations - that can later be broken.
Beyond just "lolrandom" as a concept, randomness is a skill with different levels, and this became more apparent to me as I grew older. The ability to create something random, to combine concepts, to create your own - can atrophy. I'd honestly have a less hard time to create something random when I was a child than if you were to ask me right now. I'm sick of how boring, rigid and uninspired I've become.
Randomness leaves all possibilities open. Nowadays there's no room for surprise. All shows feed you exactly what you're getting into in the trailer. Everything is marketed precisely: action, tragedy, psychological, fantasy, drama, romance- you know what to expect. I know a lot of people enjoy that, but I'm sure there are many like me that don't. That are tired of things being so predictable.
Since Fionna & Cake season 2 is ending (Adventure Time spinoff), I've been trying to find where to fill this hole they've left me with, that even F&C struggles to fill. I was recommended by multiple lists and algorithms to try out Infinity Train, so I am. But you can really tell this is a newer show. It definitely has aspects of randomness, that's the purpose of the train cart concept, but it's just... not as surreal. The dialogue feels like it's spoon-feeding the character's thoughts and emotions to me as if I'm stupid. I can't blame it for not being surprising enough since the whole point of a mystery show is the mystery, you expect to find mystery so yeah, I'll be less surprised. I will say though, the start of season 2 has me hopeful, I feel like it's entering a more random, more whimsical, more engaging and less predictable side of its' setting.
(Case Study #2) Now. Lolrandom humor can also be priceless. Look no further than the short comic artist beetlemoses, funniest shit I've ever seen. If that can't convince you, idk what will. I wish I could lick this person's brain in sheer appreciation of its' ingenuity to create surrealist and absurd situations. I believe I've made my case.
