Embrace the Dark Side

Do you need to be a dark and dismal person to write dark themes?

Nope.

Thank you for reading, stay tuned for--

Just playing. And dark humor is my favorite kind, by the way.

The truth remains that even the grimdarkiest fantasy can come from an optimistic and sunny person. At least I assume so, because I'm more of a slightly light grey myself.

I know many fantasy writers are quick to differentiate themselves from the dark trends by emphasizing they write HIGH fantasy or even LIGHT fantasy (or YA as if that somehow works as an odd bit of virtue-signaling with the white flag of 'this one's for the pure eyes of the kiddies'. You know nothing, Jon Snow; the snow is yellowed underneath). I don't think a great deal of them are that afraid of the dark, so to speak, but that sort of shield does get raised often enough that I can say it's a thing.

Truly, it's a challenge to write in the light. It's clear that dark has exploded in trend (but neither assume that the trend is why you should write it. Getting to that...) so I can give credit to people who decide to write the lesser traveled roads for some challenge or avoidance of influence.

Yet light is dark and dark is light and they don't exist without the other. Turning your back on the shadow doesn't mean it's not stretching away from your feet all the same.

To attempt to stay in the light doesn't quite work. Even LOTR, regarded to be high fantasy, has some very deep darkness to counter the pure and light. Hobbits are revered as damn near childlike in innocence but are not immune to the temptation of corruption (I appreciate how dark the Shadows of Mordor game for that contrast). Elves are the shiniest of them all but the most quick to corrupt and world-breaking in the magnitude of that fall. Dwarves were virtually the gods of architectural wonder, yet their corruption all but wiped them out in secret, leaving their massive empires turned to hollow mountain mausoleums.

And the most dangerous thing in their universe? An elf-forged golden ring, faithful to no master, almost sentient in its will to tempt and spread its disease. The light and dark in one otherwise insignificant hunk of metal.

I've seen the most optimistic attempt only their light and happy places. One blurb (and this will have to be from memory since it's been maybe a year or more since encountering it) spoke only of a kingdom of light and the perfection they achieved. The possible book cover was a chessboard, so immediately, people pointed out-- what's on the dark side? Where's the conflict?

I saw the writer's immediate frustration that the story was about the light side. I understood the point of focus, yet they seemed all too keen to create any conflict, any taint, any halt to the progress of the light kingdom or any insinuation it could be corrupted from within.

Conceptually, I can even understand the defense, but the presentation didn't work. It came off as no different than the biased 'Murica Wins education I got in US history class. The bad guys died, the bad guys lost, the bad guys are wholly bad guys and they can't come over to play. Without some justification of that, without some conflict (not necessarily of construction), the idea itself was just boring. If the writer is so set on removing the dark element, then what is the actual story to captivate, the vehicle that makes the light as satisfying as warm honey? Is this a scene for innocent seduction and love or are you subjecting your audience to Sim City: infinite, no natural disaster, screensaver, non-interactive edition?

I could say the same thing about the dark. All dark is dull. Murder and chaos and conflict without context is not necessarily more entertaining. It does however resonate more easily with an audience for cheap thrills. All things are imperfect so by default, corruption in any dosage is relatable. You can shy away from its deepest stains and write all the better for it (there are many dark places I wish I could unsee), but for most people, the light, if not too shiny is just grating as all hell. There be the land of the virtue-signalers pointing down on all who quiver beneath it in shame.

I kid, but no one should be afraid that their high fantasy become too dark by sticking their toes in the water at all. Writing is one of the most wonderful ways to test and even push back what triggers and torments us. It is not a place of depravity but a place to display our courage and resolve. It's only cheap if you flirt with it. Court it properly and it's not the nightmare you think.

There's no deep, deep hole I plan to lead you on from here, grooming you for some horror you weren't ready for. I only want to encourage you to explore. This doesn't mean you have to join the ranks of blowhards that pretend to gleefully kill characters for no damn reason. GRRM might be the body count king, but what makes his characters draw you back in isn't the delight in their death, but the depth of the story, the cruel tease of light flickering in the carnage. On a blood soaked battlefield, it's the glint of sunlight caught on the silver of a breastplate that catches your eye again and again. 

But seriously, abridge the shit out of that content because you really have to wade through ridiculous amounts of pointless filler along the way. Princess Bride is only damn near perfect because they chopped out the skull-fuck-fest that is describing the kingdom of Gilder and Prince Humperdink. To the pain, indeed...

So to finish, I subject you to the colors of Night!

Alas, his hair could not just be 'as black as night' which is atmospherically impossible. I needed a very dark violet as the base, with a very nearly black/violet but never TRUE black (again, digitally impossible since no monitor completely turns off pixels to display some semblance of true black. Also because #000000 is lazy coloring). What I love about this color is that no matter how dark your screen is (yeah, I'm looking at you, writers) there is an illusory dark edge that seems darker than the center. I love colors that contain their own quirks without effort.

Sigh, I know what you want to say about the eye color, but I'm hoping you can see the navy black. Again tempting to simply make this a true black but his irises are the same color-- the eyes are one place that absorb atmospheric light the most which falls in the blue spectrum. Ask digital colorists what shades they use in the 'whites' of eyes and it ranges from dusky purples to ashen blues. Again, atmospheric colors. If the atmosphere has warm tones, then the highlights actually carry that weight rather than the shadows.

Veering a little too much into the art specifications here, but painting skin NEVER uses bases this dark, even for the super dark skin tones. Watch a skin painting tutorial by Istebrak on YouTube for some very precise insight on that. However, hair and eyes can get away with this because the light reflecting nature of hair involved the transparent cuticle and the eyes have their own transparencies (which was a lesson I was mesmerized by when modeling an eye in animation class). As long as there is a noticeably darker option and a complementing highlight (again, nothing like skin), you'll get them right where you want them with a wide range of bases.

As for Night (sorry, guy; stealing your thunder), this is a character who seems very similar to Ashe. Flirtatious, not a care in the world, even has his particular rare fighting style shared. However, Night is not allowed to keep his secrets and is exposed by what grows too big to contain within him. He becomes withdrawn and secretive and lashes out, but he is tormented, wanting to be loving and gentle and kind but unable to withstand it.

Rather than spoil the darkest angles here, I will deliver the next character's color-porn swatches on the next post. This time I'll cover Freesia, another character unable to avoid the tendrils of darkness.

Do you prefer the light but acknowledge the beauty of darkness in your work? And for a bonus, do you prefer metaphorical (mood and tension) or literal (perversion and violence) displays of darkness? Call this a general question though, since it's clear a bit of both is usually measured in how it's needed. In choosing right now, which appeals to what you want to write most? Be indecisive or make your choice below!