The range of NobleBright and HopePunk alternatives to GrimDark stories
Many years ago I created a post about the increase in depressing works of fiction. In 2012, Fred Rogers reminded those of us in television what he wants from them during his induction into the TV Critics' Television Hall of Fame.
Usually, periods of economic prosperity increases the appetite for woeful, gritty and pessimistic stories and vice versa. The current trend of blockbuster superhero movies started with the Great Recession. This time, the higher inequality of the economic recovery is resulting in prosperity for the rich and powerful minority while the majority are seeing their lives worsen. The accepted image of a realist in the mass-media / entertainment industry today is a depressed sad-faced man. GrimDark is an adjective derived from the tagline for Warhammer 40k, which states that "In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war," and in some of the novels it states , "in the grim dark future..." GrimDark is generally used to describe a dilapidated, dystopian "glass is empty" rotten setting where life is really worthless, as say Russian empire before the revolution, most of the colonies during colonization, North Korea or the setting of Warhammer 40k itself. These are the stories where there is no hope, no meaning, and no lasting joy to existence, where everything is sad and pessimistic.
The reality of times we live in is starting to resemble GrimDark fiction. Wannabe Dictators and forcible suppression of opposition are rising again using the same strategy of fear mongering. Most of the people have not recovered financially since the great recession. Also, we have a lot of privileged loudmouths justifying the wrongs in the society rather than acknowledge them. Social media's amplification of irritating content means that a bullying minority can drown out the polite majority. So, naturally a lot of people are tiring of the GrimDark business. They are saying yes to optimism. The opposition to the push for cynical and darker stories led to NobleBright being coined by fans of Warhammer 40k by replacing the two defining attributes by opposing words. Last Year, author C. J. Brightley posted about NobleBright fantasy. Just remove the word fantasy and the article becomes a lucid explanation of what Noblebright is as well as the differences from other labels used to classify fiction. Thus, we have four terms that help communicate the tone of any story.
The call for NobleBright fiction is a call similar to what Mr Rogers asked for. We all applaud the actor who portrays King Lear well. The applause is because the actions of King Lear are very distant from how a human acts and hence, we applaud the actor who portrayed this most abnormal of behaviour and made it seem possible. Normalizing such behaviour, is irresponsible at the minimum. I will not justify the need for NobleBright any more as any further arguments against will not be happening in good faith.
Of course, the loudmouths who are paid to push the corporate propaganda will object to the concept of NobleBright with excuses and taunts. They are declaring it to be unrealistic, childish, naive, shallow, deluded etc. Imagine! people who earn money through make-believe deriding something as imagined and not real! In July of this year, author Alexandra Rowland coined the word “HopePunk,” in a Tumblr post. The post and the term have become popular since then. This opposition to the trend of darker and cynical comes from an independent writer and not from prestigious literary reviews or from entertainment conglomerates. I highly recommend reading her Tumblr post. In her own words,
...The glass is half-full.” YEAH, we’re all a messy mix of good and bad, flaws and virtues. We’ve all been mean and petty and cruel, but (and here’s the important part) we’ve also been soft and forgiving and KIND.
While many, including Alexandra Rowland argue whether NobleBright or HopePunk is the true opposite of GrimDark, I find the resolution of this argument to be very simple. Clearly, HopePunk and NobleBright are opposites of GrimDark only in degrees. HopePunk is the neutral spot between the extremes of NobleBright and GrimDark. An example of the 3x3 alignment chart demonstrating the Idea is shown below:
Please note the color pallet of the pictures also clearly indicates the nature of the setting along the Bright-Dark Axis. A text version is also given below
Life is too short to read stuff that drags us down and increases sorrow. If we try, we will find something to enjoy. We can all take a step away from Grim Dark and uplift our spirits by patronizing stories that are Nobler and Brighter.
Usually, periods of economic prosperity increases the appetite for woeful, gritty and pessimistic stories and vice versa. The current trend of blockbuster superhero movies started with the Great Recession. This time, the higher inequality of the economic recovery is resulting in prosperity for the rich and powerful minority while the majority are seeing their lives worsen. The accepted image of a realist in the mass-media / entertainment industry today is a depressed sad-faced man. GrimDark is an adjective derived from the tagline for Warhammer 40k, which states that "In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war," and in some of the novels it states , "in the grim dark future..." GrimDark is generally used to describe a dilapidated, dystopian "glass is empty" rotten setting where life is really worthless, as say Russian empire before the revolution, most of the colonies during colonization, North Korea or the setting of Warhammer 40k itself. These are the stories where there is no hope, no meaning, and no lasting joy to existence, where everything is sad and pessimistic.
The reality of times we live in is starting to resemble GrimDark fiction. Wannabe Dictators and forcible suppression of opposition are rising again using the same strategy of fear mongering. Most of the people have not recovered financially since the great recession. Also, we have a lot of privileged loudmouths justifying the wrongs in the society rather than acknowledge them. Social media's amplification of irritating content means that a bullying minority can drown out the polite majority. So, naturally a lot of people are tiring of the GrimDark business. They are saying yes to optimism. The opposition to the push for cynical and darker stories led to NobleBright being coined by fans of Warhammer 40k by replacing the two defining attributes by opposing words. Last Year, author C. J. Brightley posted about NobleBright fantasy. Just remove the word fantasy and the article becomes a lucid explanation of what Noblebright is as well as the differences from other labels used to classify fiction. Thus, we have four terms that help communicate the tone of any story.
- Noble: The actions of a single illustrious individual can improve the world, and a single big villain can ruin it. People will change their minds.
- Grim: No matter what one does, an individual can't secure anything more than an individual victory.
- Bright: There is much to see, many interesting people to meet, many cool things to experience. So the journey justifies itself.
- Dark: Everything's falling apart and danger's around every corner. Communities live in the shadows of decline from a bygone, glorious age. Life is short due to famine/disease/raiders etc.
The call for NobleBright fiction is a call similar to what Mr Rogers asked for. We all applaud the actor who portrays King Lear well. The applause is because the actions of King Lear are very distant from how a human acts and hence, we applaud the actor who portrayed this most abnormal of behaviour and made it seem possible. Normalizing such behaviour, is irresponsible at the minimum. I will not justify the need for NobleBright any more as any further arguments against will not be happening in good faith.
Of course, the loudmouths who are paid to push the corporate propaganda will object to the concept of NobleBright with excuses and taunts. They are declaring it to be unrealistic, childish, naive, shallow, deluded etc. Imagine! people who earn money through make-believe deriding something as imagined and not real! In July of this year, author Alexandra Rowland coined the word “HopePunk,” in a Tumblr post. The post and the term have become popular since then. This opposition to the trend of darker and cynical comes from an independent writer and not from prestigious literary reviews or from entertainment conglomerates. I highly recommend reading her Tumblr post. In her own words,
...The glass is half-full.” YEAH, we’re all a messy mix of good and bad, flaws and virtues. We’ve all been mean and petty and cruel, but (and here’s the important part) we’ve also been soft and forgiving and KIND.
While many, including Alexandra Rowland argue whether NobleBright or HopePunk is the true opposite of GrimDark, I find the resolution of this argument to be very simple. Clearly, HopePunk and NobleBright are opposites of GrimDark only in degrees. HopePunk is the neutral spot between the extremes of NobleBright and GrimDark. An example of the 3x3 alignment chart demonstrating the Idea is shown below:
Please note the color pallet of the pictures also clearly indicates the nature of the setting along the Bright-Dark Axis. A text version is also given below
| The Truman Show
Bridesmaids movie Pokemon The Pursuit of Happyness Winnie the Pooh Groundhog Day movie Harry Potter books 1-3 Noble Bright |
Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Wars Original Trilogy Schindler’s List Mass Effect video games Most Anime series Noble Hope |
Lord of the Rings
Most thriller fiction Halo video games Noble Dark |
| Marvel Cinematic Universe
Star Trek: The Original Series Avatar: The Last Airbender Punk Bright |
Empire Strikes Back
James Bond Movies Harry Potter books 4-7 Gundam Naruto Hope Punk |
Batman since 1970s
Most western and post apocalyptic fiction Transformers movies Punk Dark |
|
Peanuts comic strip
The Simpsons Mirror's Edge Most romantic fiction Grim Bright |
Game of Thrones series
Passion Of The Christ Grim Hope |
King Lear
Requiem for a Dream Warhammer 40k Breaking Bad Leaving Las Vegas Grim Dark |
Life is too short to read stuff that drags us down and increases sorrow. If we try, we will find something to enjoy. We can all take a step away from Grim Dark and uplift our spirits by patronizing stories that are Nobler and Brighter.
Comments