Why Dark Fantasy Novel were less common than any Regular High-fantasy novel out here?

[Deleted member 84247]

 

[RepresentingWrath]

 

[RepresentingDesire]

And... humanity isn't that bad. Because its easy to dwell on the horrible, I also know that for each monster there is a broken person because he cared TOO MUCH.

Well I already saw some people break because they cared too much. That's the reason I stopped caring.

My point is, you wanna be a writer? A good one? You're gonna have to take some risks. You're gonna have to do some crazy shit. You have to go out there and DO SOMETHING. Be a hedonist, then fix yourself. Be a hero, and then fail. Break and recover. Try and succeed, then feel the bitter taste of never quite reaching that same high as before. Read philosophical books, then find someone to listen to, instead of preaching. Climb a tree and scrape a knee. Fall in love and bet it all on black. lose everything, then start over and do it all over again, except this time notice you are far too old, and the days of youth are gone. Run around trying to capture lightning in a bottle as you regret the chance you didn't take, the life you didn't share, the joy you never gave.

Well many say that some just waste their lives, but what is even a wasted life and what is a happy life? Who decides that?

All that makes a writer. A dark one? Sometimes. A realist? Sometimes. I like to think I'm one optimistic pessimist. Dropped so low I realized that it could only go up from here, and maybe the bottom ain't as bad as everyone says it is. If you do it right, you help someone else out of the hole they are in along the way.

You are an pessimistically optimistic, a optimistically pessimistic thinks that everything is great but it could be better.

 

[PancakesWitch]

False

your mom is false

 

[Izumi_Kenshu]

Because you have to be a decent writer to not make it depressing. People will choose the wording that best gives the “dark” feeling yet not realize that so much of it is not good. I’ve read many that are very well written but the pacing will be a bit too slow or that I have to put it down because it became a chore to read. There was this one about a guy being reborn in a dark age Ireland as a girl that I just can’t read. Every single chapter is shoving how bad the MC’s life is down your throat and it is too much.

It's a rather slow pace, yet it can be quite annoying that we have to spend an entire 10 chapter to watch the Protgboust suffering. Although Revenge story is a thing in Dark story, it kinda. Also being reborn in Britain ireland is Nuts. However if I am being shove on how bad is the Mc'a life down in ny throat then it's not qorth of time that it became a story for shock value.

There is a lack of consequences in most of the "dark" novels. You rarely see a protagonist mess up and permanently lose an arm or something. Or even lose a friend that was built up throughout the novel. There are also rarely sad endings, even to the dark stories.

Dark fantasy was about losing friend, arm, or Family. It's about the consequence of the character's choice that mkes them face reality in a meaning ful way.

It doesn't necessarily have to come to that, or even tragedy, although both genres often overlap. And doing bad things to the protagonist is hardly a dark fantasy thing; it's rather how stories work.

A dark fantasy for me would be exploring dark themes—which means the protagonist must be affected by them—and horror. A story where there is enough gore could be called a dark fantasy.

Also to make the scene more dire if things goes south. Dark fantasy can be hopeful sometimes, but not alot of hope. It's about to balance win or lose. Most story just show Mc are winning than Bad guys winning. It have to be balance for me.

 

[CarburetorThompson]

Grimdark realistic fantasy can be good, well made and interesting, but a lot of the times its not very fun. A run of the mill power fantasy isekai may be trash and poorly written, but it’s often to read.

My favorite movie is The Blues Brothers. I’ve seen much better movies, but the Blues Brothers is just really fun to watch. It’s the reason why I read a bunch of shitty isekai, sure it may suck but as long as it’s fun.

 

[Izumi_Kenshu]

Oh well, then I like grimdark. Since I never watched Fate/zero. Wait, is Re: Zero grimdark?

Re: zero can be grim sometime but not Grim Dark enough. If it is grim Dark, then the Emelia Camp would be gone if Subaru decide they are beyond saving, but no He didn't he kept reseting to find the possible outcome for them live. I mean Subaru can reset, there is a little but hope for the characters.

The only thing I find for a Grim Dark Re:zero, is the If Series. Pride If Subaru might be too bleak for a Normal Dark fantasy.

dark and complicated things that must be detailed are generally hard to write
fun and boundless stories that make no sense are easier to write
as simple as that!

That may be true if you want to write an accurate depiction of a Mess society in a Dark fantasy world. You can write Dark fantasy if keep the key point consistent.

 

[ZukoMee]

Go to my sig file and read HKN if you are looking for dark mature fantasy. Give it until chapter 20, because it is HARSH to begin with.

If you have no intent of reading the story, here's the summary:

Spoiler: This will ruin the story for you. NO. REALLY. Just read it. You'll enjoy it more. But I did write it so you could reread it an still enjoy it, so spoiling the ending isn't terrible.

HKN is an isekai about a guy who kills himself a few times and is building weapons of mass destruction because he wants to build up enough Good Karma doing heroic deeds to get his dead wife and daughter back. I spend the first 19 chapters kicking him in the teeth. The body he gets Isekai'd into gets hit with a magic slave collar using the true name of the original occupant who comes back from the dead. They are two souls stuck in the same body.

They then get turned into a demon and are forced into trying to murder the original body's one true love and sister. In the end, the only way they can regain control of the monster they have turned into is to let go of their internal pain, which involves the MC dealing with the fact an act of mercy on his part got his whole squad killed, and the original Body's soul has to get over the fact his mother was dying from all the sexually transmitted diseases she contracted trying to get enough money to raise him, so she begged him to put her out of her misery. At the age of 8, he smothered his own mother with a pillow to end her torment.

If they cannot forgive themselves and regain control, they will beat the original body's soul's sister to death with their own bare hands.

That dark enough fantasy for you?

Cruelty is yum-yum.

 

[prognastat]

Most people coming to SH are looking for McDonald's. Most of them aren't going to accept you serving them molecular gastronomy because they didn't come to be challenged too much.

Doesn't mean you can't, but you are far less likely to find success which for most people whether they admit it or not is still going to be a large part of their motivation. I also feel the web serial format doesn't lend itself as well to dark stories the way lighter fare does. When I am in the mood for something dark I want to be really immersed in it and not wait for the next chapter.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Cruelty is yum-yum.

Sort of...

It's more about... does it have a point? If the MC never fails, never falls, never falters, is always perfect and never loses, then what's the point? You already know the outcome. There is no QUESTION.

Take one punch man. He's gonna win. he's not going to lose. We know this. Will someone ELSE lose? Will he get there in time to save someone else? Will he care enough to do the right thing? Can he overcome his depression? The journey with One-Punch Man is a character study, not a superhero comic. The Superhero crap is just a back-drop.

So the question becomes, not if he will win, but HOW.

Kicking my MC in the teeth is so he has something to overcome. I'm cruel because you know he's going to win, but will he come through it unharmed? You KNOW I got no problem harming my MC. You know I will make him SUFFER. So when the next time he's up against the wall, you ask, "Oh god, is the author REALLY going to murder that child just to twist the knife in the MC's gut?"

You don't know. Maayyyyyyybe!

You know I won't kill him. But make him WANT to die? Oh yeah... you know I'll do that. So when later, he gets a chance to make things right, you go, "Damn straight! YES! It is ABOUT TIME!" But you won't think that unless I am so cruel to begin with.

 

[RepresentingDesire]

It's more about... does it have a point?

Well I agree with everything you said except that part because it's sometimes just nice seeing people suffer, it's truly a shame that unnecessary cruel characters are so rare as protagonists, a true shame.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Well I agree with everything you said except that part because it's sometimes just nice seeing people suffer, it's truly a shame that unnecessary cruel characters are so rare as protagonists, a true shame.

Ehh... I've come to the conclusion that rarely does anyone take an action without a reason. Even random actions are usually out of frustration or a desire to prove they can be random. I bet I've caused more suffering to people than you could believe possible by a single person, without breaking the law. Yet the whole time I thought I was the good guy. Yes, in the end there I was torturing whomever was unfortunate enough to stumble into my clutches, but at the time I was an addict. I didn't do it because I enjoyed it. I did it because if I stopped, I'd suffer withdrawal and feel like shit. Most sadists are like that, sooner or later.

 

[ZukoMee]

"Oh god, is the author REALLY going to murder that child just to twist the knife in the MC's gut?"

I'm confused. Un-murdered children means less food. Murdered children means more food. It seems so simple to me. Why leave the young mouth-breather alive? It's a waste of valuable resources. In fact....I've heard young mouth-breathers eat more than their own weight!!! They even cry and complain!!! A lot!!! The horror!!!

 

[TheEldritchGod]

I'm confused. Un-murdered children means less food. Murdered children means more food. It seems so simple to me. Why leave the young mouth-breather alive? It's a waste of valuable resources. In fact....I've heard young mouth-breathers eat more than their own weight!!! They even cry and complain!!! A lot!!! The horror!!!

But the child is cute. The eyes are so big they threaten to leave the confines of the child's head. It is not just cute, but military-grade weaponized cute.

 

[ZukoMee]

But the child is cute. The eyes are so big they threaten to leave the confines of the child's head. It is not just cute, but military-grade weaponized cute.

I want mine barbequed please.