Lightness in my dark fantasy...

Rebekah7 · May 21, 2009

My story is about a man loses his memory, only to find out that he is the evil that has plagued his world. The story is about the past and its consequences, and how sometimes the fight between good and evil plays out in ones own mind, the villain does not always fade away after the battle has been won, and that sometimes even the heroes of the past can be unforgiving.

The scenes are not comedy per say, but humorous scenes such as my MC getting pissed off at his friend for trying to engage him in banter while they're walking through a hot desert, or leaping into an oasis after said long walk and ending up paying for it because his clothing is wet when the sun goes down. He is rash and tends to think of himself more than others, and since any power or magic he may have had is long gone, so he is left doing things that may get him in trouble. His selfishness will cause him to continue to lie to his friends, even after he learns the truth about himself. These scenes are natural to the story, and I think they will add nice contrast to all the heavy things that happen, but I don’t want my MC to become his own comic relief, at least not to the point that it ends up overshadowing the rest of the story.

Michiru · May 21, 2009

Sounds interesting to me.

Nivarion · May 22, 2009

I don't see any problem with comedy, I mean look at my that <-- thingy there. the rest is down in sig.

It sounds like you would have to rework the plot to get the situational irony out, just write it and enjoy, Even if its funny if will still be your story.

Ruv Draba · May 22, 2009

Humour offers a welcome relief to unrelenting dark, and helps break tension. The humour in dark fantasy is often ironic. It can break mood, but just ensure that it doesn't break character or setting.

Manix · May 22, 2009

This sounds like a fantastic theme. I would definitely keep the humor in there, as you do want to provide some redemptive qualities about this character, if he is going to be redeemable in the end. (It builds sympathy for the MC if we have at least one reason to like him/her.)

Paichka · May 22, 2009

That. is. an. AWESOME!!! idea.

Just wanted to say.

Also, the humor would totally work -- you could even have the humorous bits taper off as he begins to recover his memories (or realize he's the big bad). So the story slowly transitions from light to dark, carrying the reader with it.

I love funny bits in my fantasy. GRRM, for example, has some characters who make me giggle, and his stuff can be fairly dark.

SPMiller · May 22, 2009

Lundin wrote a character in his Malazan novels who had recurring memory loss and was obsessed with his past, but was unknowingly villainous because he always forgot his villainy. Plenty of humor, though some of it fell flat. You might look into it.

Bycin · May 22, 2009

The first "Knights of the Old Republic" Star Wars game for the Xbox followed a similar theme as well, and made for a great storyline. Memory loss can be difficult to do well, but usually pays off if handled properly.

As for the humor, keep it.

Z0Marley · May 22, 2009

Rebekah7 said:
My story is about a man loses his memory, only to find out that he is the evil that has plagued his world. The story is about the past and its consequences, and how sometimes the fight between good and evil plays out in ones own mind, the villain does not always fade away after the battle has been won, and that sometimes even the heroes of the past can be unforgiving.

The scenes are not comedy per say, but humorous scenes such as my MC getting pissed off at his friend for trying to engage him in banter while they're walking through a hot desert, or leaping into an oasis after said long walk and ending up paying for it because his clothing is wet when the sun goes down. He is rash and tends to think of himself more than others, and since any power or magic he may have had is long gone, so he is left doing things that may get him in trouble. His selfishness will cause him to continue to lie to his friends, even after he learns the truth about himself. These scenes are natural to the story, and I think they will add nice contrast to all the heavy things that happen, but I don’t want my MC to become his own comic relief, at least not to the point that it ends up overshadowing the rest of the story.

Sounds like an anime I've watched called Trigun. Perhaps you should look into the anime, because this sounds almost -exactly- the same. I do like the theme, though.

Good luck!

SPMiller · May 22, 2009

Bycin said:
The first "Knights of the Old Republic" Star Wars game for the Xbox followed a similar theme as well, and made for a great storyline. Memory loss can be difficult to do well, but usually pays off if handled properly.

As for the humor, keep it.

And if we're mentioning games, don't forget Planescape: Torment, in which the protagonist awakes with no memory of his past and over the course of the game learns just what sort of person he was in his previous "lives"...

This is a well-worn idea, but I think it's still worth exploring.

Izunya · May 22, 2009

M.Austin said:
Sounds like an anime I've watched called Trigun. Perhaps you should look into the anime, because this sounds almost -exactly- the same. I do like the theme, though. Good luck!

Hmm . . . I don't think it's that similar, if only because the protagonist of Trigun has a very different personality than the one Rebekah described. Still, I agree that it's worth looking into; it applies remarkably well to the original question. Trigun is sometimes very very silly. If you only watched the first four episodes, say, you might decide that there's nothing to it but slapstick. It gets serious—much more serious. But there are still little bits of humor in most of the episodes, and in my opinion, they enhance the show rather than detract from the drama.

Also, it's good. (Okay, I have some nitpicks, mostly about worldbuilding, but somehow when I'm watching it I don't care.) If you like anime at all, I'd highly recommend it.

Izunya

Rebekah7 · May 22, 2009

Thanks for all the advice! The humor so far has been a result of my MC's rashness and temper. A lot of the humor will end up ironic when the story progresses, and a lot of the banter is between a character that won't live much longer. I'm going to make it much more ambiguous than merely having him redeemed at the end, since the way he was can't just be washed away after a few months. His personality starts out pretty much the way it was, but without any memories or power, he's left being a jerk who ends up making things worse for himself.

I looked up Trigun online, and will have to find some online episodes, and I'll look into Lundin's books. My character ends up lying his way through most of the book (he learns the truth near the beginning, even though his memories take a little longer), and has to deal with with psyche and keep his secret to people who now think of him as a friend (that leads to a scene that is ironic, but in no way funny.) I don't think I'll make the humor silly, since my character just isn't the clownish type. He's more of the self serving and low on common sense but violently cruel when he's pushed too far type. Actually, he's sort of a complicated chap. I'd end up posting pages and pages trying to delve into his personality.

SPMiller · May 23, 2009

Mind you, in those Malazan books, the one you'd want to read about is just one character among many. It's yet another of those zillion-main-characters fantasy series.

scottishpunk · May 23, 2009

This sounds like a cool idea. And I agree-- keep the humor.

Humor is a great way to help sell drama. I recommend taking a look at the work of Joss Whedon, particularly his short-lived but brilliant TV sci-fi series Firefly. Something he does in his work is have quirky, funny characters and jokey, witty dialogue. When things get intense, dangerous, and serious, the jokes come to an abrupt halt, and you feel for these characters in a way you may not have were they not so much fun before. You might want to take a similar approach in your story. Make the MC a bit comical, so that when he's having dramatic, life-changing moments they stand out and grip the reader differently.

Just a thought.

wannawrite · May 23, 2009

I would read it. Keep the humor. Interesting story

Maraxus · May 23, 2009

Lightness? No, dark fantasy needs dark humor.

But it can not ... well at least hardly ... have enough of that.

Oddsocks · May 23, 2009

I like the idea of a story capturing a realistic cross-section of life. The overall theme of a story can be dark or sad, but it can still have light moments. Similarly, a broadly uplifting, happy story can have tragic moments. It makes the characters and their situation more relatable, and I feel that the most memorable stories are the ones that hit different kinds of emotional high throughout.

I think your story sounds interesting too, by the way. I'd certainly read it - particularly if it has the emotional mix you're indicating it has.

Straka · May 25, 2009

Ruv Draba said:
Humour offers a welcome relief to unrelenting dark, and helps break tension. The humour in dark fantasy is often ironic. It can break mood, but just ensure that it doesn't break character or setting.

A little light makes the dark, darker.

Nivarion · May 26, 2009

Izunya said:
Hmm . . . I don't think it's that similar, if only because the protagonist of Trigun has a very different personality than the one Rebekah described. Still, I agree that it's worth looking into; it applies remarkably well to the original question. Trigun is sometimes very very silly. If you only watched the first four episodes, say, you might decide that there's nothing to it but slapstick. It gets serious—much more serious. But there are still little bits of humor in most of the episodes, and in my opinion, they enhance the show rather than detract from the drama.

Also, it's good. (Okay, I have some nitpicks, mostly about worldbuilding, but somehow when I'm watching it I don't care.) If you like anime at all, I'd highly recommend it.

Izunya

I have to disagree, The "Vash The Stampede" the murder had made concious decisions that made his former self a real nasty guy. When he lost his memory the decisions that made him into that were gone and so he reverted to what he had been before hand, a little kid. So "Vash" was an evil guy that hadn't made evil decisions so he had a good personality.

Meh, I hope that makes sence.

BTW In a story where you have a big baddy that lost his memory, you can have all sorts of things that are even worse. One example is that he could hear about a big baddy that he decides to stop, only to find out its him.

You can also show former heroes as villians because the seem to be hunting this seemingly innocent guy.

Straka said:
A little light makes the dark, darker.

FTW

Rebekah7 · May 26, 2009

Nivarion said:
One example is that he could hear about a big baddy that he decides to stop, only to find out its him.

You can also show former heroes as villians because the seem to be hunting this seemingly innocent guy.

I'm having him learn who he is (sans memories) early in the book and then have him meet up with a former group of heroes, and he'll let them think he's just another guy, since he knows that telling them would be suicide, and he wants to travel with them to try and learn more about himself. He'll make friends with these people, and then they'll learn the truth. They won't be happy, to say the least.

Nivarion · May 27, 2009

Rebekah7 said:
I'm having him learn who he is (sans memories) early in the book and then have him meet up with a former group of heroes, and he'll let them think he's just another guy, since he knows that telling them would be suicide, and he wants to travel with them to try and learn more about himself. He'll make friends with these people, and then they'll learn the truth. They won't be happy, to say the least.

That sounds like many a :roll:

waiting to happen.

Izunya · May 27, 2009

Nivarion said:
I have to disagree, The "Vash The Stampede" the murder had made concious decisions that made his former self a real nasty guy. When he lost his memory the decisions that made him into that were gone and so he reverted to what he had been before hand, a little kid. So "Vash" was an evil guy that hadn't made evil decisions so he had a good personality.

Meh, I hope that makes sence.

It makes sense, but it doesn't fit with the anime. Most of the rumors about Vash were completely false; the more you hear, the more contradictory they get. He did destroy a city before the anime ever started—you see that incident in a flashback about halfway through the series—but it was triggered by (spoilers) Knives. He had no idea how to control that ability.

ETA: Admittedly, we don't know too much about his personality before he blew up the city of July, but (again with spoilers)the people on that one un-crashed starship had known him for generations, and they trusted him.

Izunya

Rebekah7 · May 27, 2009

Nivarion said:
That sounds like many a waiting to happen.

Yeah, and a lot of it is :roll:

for people who have sick senses of humor (like me).

And tons of irony.

And my MC definitely isn't a nice guy with false rumors about him. Any cities he's destroyed, he destroyed on purpose.

I posted the first chapter in SYW, if anybody's interested in seeing it.

Lightness in my dark fantasy...

Rebekah7

Unofficial Jester

Michiru

Nivarion

Brony level >9000

Ruv Draba

Manix

Mutatis mutandis

Paichka

The BIC-Believer

SPMiller

Prodigiously Hanged

Bycin

Z0Marley

SPMiller

Prodigiously Hanged

Izunya

Rebekah7

Unofficial Jester

SPMiller

Prodigiously Hanged

scottishpunk

wannawrite

Maraxus

Oddsocks

Straka

Bored Fanatic

Nivarion

Brony level >9000

Rebekah7

Unofficial Jester

Nivarion

Brony level >9000

Izunya

Rebekah7

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