Devor submitted a new blog post
The Dark Lord: Trope Reboot
In the battle between good and terrible storytelling, we look for personal conflicts with complex characters. Yet one trope gives our villain vague power and simple goals. It promises our readers a straightforward fight against the forces of evil.
There’s one trope that just wants to rule them all. So let’s reboot the Dark Lord.
Shedding Light on the Darkness
The Dark Lord is evil power simplified, shown in every aspect of the character, from abusing henchmen to conquering innocents, from spooky aesthetics to mysterious abilities, right down to a willingness to tinker with the integrity of his or her all-spark of a soul for power. The Dark Lord typically offers a simple but terrifying form for our villains.
It’s also why the Dark Lord brings so much emotion to a story.
Evil can be frightening. But battling evil, fighting without having to worry about moral restraints and repercussions, that fantasy of letting it all out in the face of utter doom, can be both frightening and exhilarating. The murkiness of the morally grey can stifle and confuse and complicate the emotions you feel. While readers may want nuanced and believable characters, that doesn't mean we always want to drench ourselves in complicated and conflicting emotions.
But there’s a fine line between simple and impersonal. The Dark Lord risks being the joke that...
Continue reading the Original Blog Post.
The Dark Lord: Trope Reboot
In the battle between good and terrible storytelling, we look for personal conflicts with complex characters. Yet one trope gives our villain vague power and simple goals. It promises our readers a straightforward fight against the forces of evil.
There’s one trope that just wants to rule them all. So let’s reboot the Dark Lord.
Shedding Light on the Darkness
The Dark Lord is evil power simplified, shown in every aspect of the character, from abusing henchmen to conquering innocents, from spooky aesthetics to mysterious abilities, right down to a willingness to tinker with the integrity of his or her all-spark of a soul for power. The Dark Lord typically offers a simple but terrifying form for our villains.
It’s also why the Dark Lord brings so much emotion to a story.
Evil can be frightening. But battling evil, fighting without having to worry about moral restraints and repercussions, that fantasy of letting it all out in the face of utter doom, can be both frightening and exhilarating. The murkiness of the morally grey can stifle and confuse and complicate the emotions you feel. While readers may want nuanced and believable characters, that doesn't mean we always want to drench ourselves in complicated and conflicting emotions.
But there’s a fine line between simple and impersonal. The Dark Lord risks being the joke that...
Continue reading the Original Blog Post.
