fnlrpa said:
Soviet Heavy said:
fnlrpa said:
Warhammer 40k is a good example of ways 'dark' can go. Dan Abnett can write a dark story well while some other authors just aren't good writers and just make it "dark"
Abnett actually improves on the 40K formula by
not making everything excessively dark. Back before Games Workshop got their heads stuck so far up their asses, the insane darkness of 40K was used as parody not unlike the Judge Dredd comics. Nowadays, they take their darkness way too seriously without any hint of irony.
Dan Abnett sidesteps this by lightening the mood. It's still a depressing situation to be sure, but he remembers the most important part of a dark storyline: Hope.
There is a reason that 28 Days Later is my favorite horror film. By all means, the events that happen in the film are terrifying and tragic, but the characters are so endearing because they believe that they can and will overcome the disaster. And when they do, it is so satisfying. The Imperium actually functions in Abnett's 40K. It gives humanity a reason to fight, even if it is misguided.
The hope that they can overcome the challenges that humanity faces is a driving theme that keeps you invested in the characters. That despite the horrific nature of the universe, good people can and still do exist.
Thant is the same reason mass effect is compelling along with the characters. Despite the reapers being unstoppable, there is a glimmer of hope, no matter how bad the situation is.
Indeed. To go back to the 40K example: Ollanius Pius. Back before Games Workshop got their pauldron fetish on, Ollanius Pius was the most badass figure in all of 40K. Who was he? A single human who stood up to Horus in the darkest hour.
He has armor the equivalent or cardboard and a glorified laser pointer. And he fearlessly stood between the Emperor and Horus, two literal GODS, to stand up for what was right. He was obliterated instantly, but his sacrifice gave the Emperor clarity for two things.
#1: Horus was so far gone that he would be petty enough to stomp on someone who wasn't even a threat.
#2: Ollanius represented the hope of humanity. That someone so small and insignificant would lay down his life for what he believed in, standing against impossible odds and facing total annihilation was proof that humanity deserved its place in the galaxy.
The point of Ollanius's sacrifice was that it gave the Emperor the resolve to keep fighting.
All of that was thrown out by Games Workshop when they replaced Pius with a Terminator and then a Custodes, changing the Emperor's attack from resolve to getting a second wind while the Supersoldier kepts Horus busy. Completely missing the point of what Pius's sacrifice meant.
Dan Abnett brought Ollanius Pius back. He's back in the canon as of the latest Horus Heresy book, and I hope he gets to do his original sacrifice once again.
