Why is grimdark so popular?

[Arcus (Silver Lining) Wind 983]

Why are Grim dark and sad fanfics so popular? I've been hanging around fimfiction.net for a while now and I've noticed that there seems to be alot of them. Why do you think they are?

[Jokuc 8,173]

Because there are probably alot of people who likes them?

Why?

Because I guess some of them just like it and some of them can relate to the stories themselves.

 

It's just how peoples' taste are. Why is Coca Cola so popular?

..People like it

 

 

Also, we live in dark dark times....

 

 

jk pony pony happiness :3

 

 

btw why is this posted in cloudsdale?

Edited October 28, 2012 by Jokuc

[zDashiez 496]

Probably because they get the most reactions outta people.

[Shiki 5,855]

Have you ever been tempted to just randomly smash something for the fun of it?

 

This is the same thing for grimdark fanfics. People take the innocence of MLP and smash it to oblivion just because it's unfitting and lulz worthy. That's all I can think of.

[NavelColt 22,880]

This is hardly a Forum Lounge topic; it's concerning a genre that's popular in the brony fanbase, and has discussion that's not silly or otherwise pointless. Moving to Sugarcube. I also edited your topic title to be more descriptive.

 

Mirroring what some of the others have said thus far, plus some new content:

• Some people do it because they like to take something that's projected as innocent, and utterly crush it with the darkest possible themes imaginable, even if those themes are outright gore and possess no meaning whatsoever *i.e Cupcakes*
• Some people do it for the shock factor alone. They want a big reaction out of people, and doing obscene gore or sadness is the quickest way to do that *along with clop fiction by for second place*. Once a group of these stories become popular through the shock factor, then lo and behold, it starts a trend. Ergo why FIMFiction is full of the crap stuff.
• Some people genuinely just like it.
• Sadness and tragedy are also intensely widespread story themes, if FIMFiction is anything to go by. I think grimdark, sadness, tragedy and all other depressive works are popular because they cause a lot of emotion to stir up. Emotion is the key. A lot of fanfic writers, whether they're good or not will often do the dark, angsty, sad stuff, because it's far easier to push a character to their emotional limit and write about that, than it is to say, balance the character and write about their growth through far less intense themes than death, mutilation, etc.

Me personally, I despise grimdark. Our world is fucked up enough already, to a point where jumping off a metaphorical bridge sometimes isn't such a bad idea. Ergo, the last thing I want to do is read about even more depressive stuff in fiction. Fiction is an escape for me. It's where the real world can go away for a while and I can focus on whatever I want. It's these reasons why I personally love to read and write cute, happy stuff. Edited October 28, 2012 by ~Chaotic Discord~

[Sunny Fox 5,950]

I think it's pretty much the same reason some people like to watch movies with lots of gore and blood splattering everywhere. Some people are just fascinated by the macabre. Given that Friendship is Magic is generally bright and cheerful, grimdark of provides a greater contrast and probably a greater fascination. I don't really know for sure, since it's not something I like very much (grimdark or gore movies.)

Edited October 28, 2012 by Full Spectrum

[Valureon 93]

Haven't gotten around to reading it.... Don't ever intend to..... World is dark and depressing enough...... Wouldn't want to spend my time reading something that twists and mutilates the values and ideas from the show that I love to bits.... Im just not personally into that sort of thing.... I know many people do enjoy that sort of thing... And im fine with that... but personally I dont see the appeal and I wouldnt want to go and read it myself....

[The Girl with the Books 57]

Well, grimdark fanfics are basically themed creepypasta, and creppypasta is incredibly popular, so I see a clear connection there.

 

Personally (I prefer the air) I just love to read and as such it really doesn't matter what it is I'm reading, so creepypastas and/or grimdarks are just fine to me.

[Twilight Circuits 603]

This is hardly a Forum Lounge topic; it's concerning a genre that's popular in the brony fanbase, and has discussion that's not silly or otherwise pointless. Moving to Sugarcube. I also edited your topic title to be more descriptive.

 

Mirroring what some of the others have said thus far, plus some new content:

• Some people do it because they like to take something that's projected as innocent, and utterly crush it with the darkest possible themes imaginable, even if those themes are outright gore and possess no meaning whatsoever *i.e Cupcakes*
• Some people do it for the shock factor alone. They want a big reaction out of people, and doing obscene gore or sadness is the quickest way to do that *along with clop fiction by for second place*. Once a group of these stories become popular through the shock factor, then lo and behold, it starts a trend. Ergo why FIMFiction is full of the crap stuff.
• Some people genuinely just like it.
• Sadness and tragedy are also intensely widespread story themes, if FIMFiction is anything to go by. I think grimdark, sadness, tragedy and all other depressive works are popular because they cause a lot of emotion to stir up. Emotion is the key. A lot of fanfic writers, whether they're good or not will often do the dark, angsty, sad stuff, because it's far easier to push a character to their emotional limit and write about that, than it is to say, balance the character and write about their growth through far less intense themes than death, mutilation, etc.

Me personally, I despise grimdark. Our world is fucked up enough already, to a point where jumping off a metaphorical bridge sometimes isn't such a bad idea. Ergo, the last thing I want to do is read about even more depressive stuff in fiction. Fiction is an escape for me. It's where the real world can go away for a while and I can focus on whatever I want. It's these reasons why I personally love to read and write cute, happy stuff.

 

This right here. I don't even have to change a thing. The point comes across clear. I'll even add that some of the music listened to in conjunction with that material is not exactly inspiration inducing. Nor is it meant to be, but that might be me just over thinking it a little maybe.

[khaine21x3 789]

Because there are probably alot of people who likes them?

Why?

Because I guess some of them just like it and some of them can relate to the stories themselves.

 

It's just how peoples' taste are. Why is Coca Cola so popular?

..People like it

 

 

Also, we live in dark dark times....

 

 

jk pony pony happiness :3

 

 

btw why is this posted in cloudsdale?

 

Coca cola uses subliminal advertising so it's unfair to compare it to them.People like grimdark because they grow up in a relatively safe suburban neighborhood and they think of grimdark as hardcore and cool.

[Starshine 16,333]

Cupcake is not a grimdark fanfic, it's a snuff fanfic

 

To put it simple, having those happy ponies suffered a grim fate is an enjoyment in its own. Unfortunately this fandom often mistakes snuff fic with that of a grimdark fic, it's different :/

[Homura Akemi 974]

I never really thought of grimdark as popular, but more well-known. My Little Pony is a very innocent show, so some gore and horror adds a twist to it.

 

I'm a grimdark fan, though a lot of fics I don't bother to read.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

I can think of a few reasons, for one it's human nature to want to experience that rush of fear adrenaline in safe environment. We want to people able to handle those feelings ever we ever have to deal with the real thing.

 

I personally don't like the kind of darker fics that derail the characters(with one guilty exception), I like the kind that have our heroes facing evil and overcoming it("earn you happy ending" stories). For me it's a more positive thing that you might think. I see it as an outlet to face fear and doubts alongside a hero we know can help beat them. It gives reassurance to the truth beyond the darkest Hell is a Heaven if we're willing to keep fighting for it.

 

Silent Ponyville is a good example. We go through a trip through hell with Pinkie and we watching her overcome her demons. Knowing what it took to get there makes it that much more happy to see her overcome it in the good ending, and see her reassured it's going to okay.

 

to sum it up, you can't truly appreciate Heaven until you've seen Hell.

Edited October 29, 2012 by Shoboni

[Flame Blitz 85]

Because it is awesome. We, as humans, have our dark and evil side, and this kind of thing just allow us to let this darkness inside flow.

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

I honestly can't stand grim-dark. It's because people just like taking something innocent and making it extremely gory and just shocking. I have read a few grim-darks, and honestly some are well written, but others are just sickening. I really dislike grim-dark, and that is it.

[Phaeston-e12 173]

Violence is a fascinating concept for general population regardless of one's mental maturity because it provokes strong emotion. I personally don't see any strong evidence to conclude myself that grimdark is that popular among pony-fandom out of admiration for grimdark genre in general, people just react strongly to it because it's just an easy way to evoke strong response and thus garners more attention than the softer-fandom works.

[AnonBrony 1,468]

Well, this is my reasoning behind it. We are a bunch of teenage and college people, mainly men. And what do many men that age like, violence, action, blood, war, maybe gore. Idk why, many people just do. Humans have always liked violence for some reason. Romans had gladiator battles in colluseums and watched violence and people dying for fun. Humanty is strange aint it?

[KPM 288]

I find that there's two kinds of grimdark - the shocker, absolute grimdark that tries to just do the worst it can to the characters and get the biggest reader - and the grimdark themes, like war, tough times etc. that give the feel that the characters could potentially suffer such a fate, but such doesn't necessarily happen (and if it does, not in detail.)

 

I for one like the shocker kind. Don't ask me why, because I don't know why. It simply entertains me. If I hear of a new one, no matter what it includes (clop, torturing, anything) no matter how badly written it is, (*cough* SAM. *cough), I feel like I want to see what is it all about.

Reasons have been presented why is it so popular - I'll add that some people want to see if they can take the fic without being horrified.

 

The lesser is something I take for an additional flavor, eg. in Upheaval. This is the actual term for Grimdark too.

Edited October 30, 2012 by Ouker

[Shankveld 4,949]

Why do people enjoy horror movies?

Why do people view 'shock videos'?

Death fascinates the living,

it always has and it always will.

~

[RBDash 176]

I prefer grimdark fiction because it's more mature to me, and oftentimes the author overanalyzes the show and make the FiM universe seem more realistic. Also, the grimdark fics I read aren't gorefests with no plot, like Cupcakes.

[Paleopony 701]

I think people like it because of the shock factor. MLP is an innocent cartoon about colorful ponies. When dark elements are added to that, it's even more disturbing than a grimdark story that's not about ponies, at least in my opinion.

[Monsoon 1,662]

I like grimdark when it's done correctly like the way WH40K does things but whenever it's just a gore fest then typically I don't like it. Grimdark is liked because it offers something more dark, rough and realistic to an extent which allows people to write a story which can lead anywhere, to a more optimistic end albeit at a high cost typically or a more pessimistic end which causes the MC to spiral down a dark path or just somewhere in between.  

[Pandora 38,015]

ig it makes up for a stronger story than just happy bouncy yay