In addition to meta Tiktoks that establish participation/interactivity ‘rules’ for (as in the case of the #malonemob), we can also start to identify several styles of ‘narrative-driven’ Tiktoks as seen throughout Parts 1 & 2 of this case study:

1. Front-facing ‘TV trading card’ fashioned TikToks that establish or amplify a character
2. Source Tiktoks that invite duet interaction by acknowledging an ‘unseen’ character/s off frame or by use of hashtag invitation
3. The more ‘cinematic’ TikToks, like those by The Croes Brothers, which present single story beats to add the texture of a narrative (rather than presenting a ‘scene’ within a cohesive storyline)
4. The use of this same narrative-texture-driven format filmed in meatspace to present crossover episodes that feature multiple #mafiaoc characters, stitching together various divergent story ‘threads’
5. Duets and duet chains that unite characters to march in unison embodying the Power Walk trope
6. And a whole lot of breaking the fourth wall within second POV framing 

One TikToker that best embodied all of the above techniques (and took them creatively further than most) was cosplayer caoimhemorris whose character Frenchie began to quickly be seen as a ‘main character’ in the midst of the #mafiaoc’s hashtag popularity.

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As this section will be discussing Clapdaddie’s role in popularizing #mafiaoc, I have chosen to nestle examples featuring the disgraced Tiktok star so as to not unduly trigger anyone from the community. For those who wish to see, just click the accordion modules to open the video player up. Please refer to the Content Warning in Part One.

Since the deactivation of Clappdaddie’s TikTok account following the accusations against him, it is difficult to backtrace at what point did the once-popular TikToker started his own mafia cosplaying (one source from December of 2019 lists the account as boasting nearly 2 million fans). However, this blog cites August 27th, 2019 as the introduction of the character ‘JJ’ who ‘runs the top casino and moves money for the mafia.’ This date tracks for the earliest duets with JJ, still available on TikTok, starting to appear (that I could find) as early as September 1st.

As we have already seen, by this time #mafiaoc was already a ‘thing,’ driven by mainly the cosplay community at large with mafia family lines (and storylines) already being established. When Clapdaddie introduced JJ, he was already a popular TikTok personality, which most definitely allowed #mafiaoc to reach a broader TikTok audience within both the larger cosplay community/ies itself and beyond. However, a large fan following is not a guarantee for any particular post/posts virality.

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Last fall, just as adults (and marketers) were grappling with the explosive rise of TikTok as being the current app du jour, a new form of participatory fiction was emerging under the radar. While many were busy questioning: “Isn’t TikTok just Vine only for lip syncing?” and “I’m an old…. Am I even allowed on TikTok” and “Is TikTok a backdoor for China to destroy all that we neolibs hold near and dear?,” the ‘kids’ were busy pioneering new forms of storytelling by exploiting the platform’s duet, reaction, and ‘use this sound’ features. (If you are unfamiliar with TikTok’s basic mechanics, for a good grounder on TikTok check out this New York Times article.)

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