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[[Image:Lovepeace.png|thumb|right|It's totally the opposite of this.]][[Image:Inspector Grimgadget.jpg|thumb|right|Inspector Gadget, reimagined with a grimdark feel.]][[Image:Grimdark.jpg|thumb|right|Grimdark makes everything better!]]'''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." It is generally used to describe a setting which it would really, REALLY suck to actually live in, exemplified by Warhammer 40k itself (in fairness, this is because the published material primarly focuses on war and cults and other horrible things; there are supposed to be many pleasant and peaceful worlds and sectors in the Imperium, but they are mostly ignored as they are boring from a game perspective). It can also be used to describe artwork that has a grimdark feel, even if the setting itself would not normally be considered grim or dark.
[[Image:Lovepeace.png|thumb|right|It's totally the opposite of this.]][[Image:Inspector Grimgadget.jpg|thumb|right|Inspector Gadget, reimagined with a grimdark feel.]][[Image:Grimdark.jpg|thumb|right|Grimdark makes everything better!]]'''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." It is generally used to describe a setting which it would really, REALLY suck to actually live in, exemplified by Warhammer 40k itself (in fairness, this is because the published material primarly focuses on war and cults and other horrible things; there are supposed to be many pleasant and peaceful worlds and sectors in the Imperium, but they are mostly ignored as they are boring from a game perspective). It can also be used to describe artwork that has a grimdark feel, even if the setting itself would not normally be considered grim or dark.


Being grimdark can be taken to extremes; depending on your own personal tolerances for grim darkness, there is a point at which it becomes more ridiculous than anything else because everything is infeasibly terrible all the time. This is an accusation often levelled at Warhammer itself, and leads some to rail against "Grimdark" as a whole, decrying the concept as ridiculous attempts at edginess (typically by teenagers), and using the expression to refer solely to such over-the-top settings in a perjorative manner. Others embrace this ridiculosity (recall especially that Warhammer 40K was, in early editions, a much more obviously comedic setting) and run with it, embracing the ludicrous nature of extreme grimdark and denying that it is supposed to be taken seriously (as detractors claim is the intention). Meanwhile, another sizeable percentage instead postulate that Grimdarkness lends greater moral and ethical complexity to a setting. Such people usually cite the works of Dan Abnett and many other Warhammer 40K writers to lend credence to such suppositions. Needless to say, grimdarkness is a rather polarizing subject.
Being grimdark can be taken to extremes; depending on your own personal tolerances for grim darkness, there is a point at which it becomes more ridiculous than anything else because everything is infeasibly terrible all the time. This is an accusation often levelled at Warhammer itself, and leads some to rail against "Grimdark" as a whole, decrying the concept as ridiculous attempts at edginess (typically by teenagers), and using the expression to refer solely to such over-the-top settings in a perjorative manner. Others embrace this ridiculosity (recall especially that Warhammer 40K was, in early editions, a much more obviously comedic setting) and run with it, embracing the ludicrous nature of extreme grimdark and denying that it is supposed to be taken seriously (as detractors claim is the intention). This schism is mostly visible with races such as the Tau in Warhammer, who are noticeably less grimdark than most of the other races combined, and they are either loved or hated because of this. When grimdark is involved, there isn't a lot of room for middle ground. Meanwhile, another sizeable percentage instead postulate that Grimdarkness lends greater moral and ethical complexity to a setting. Such people usually cite the works of Dan Abnett and many other Warhammer 40K writers to lend credence to such suppositions. Needless to say, grimdarkness is a rather polarizing subject.


BUT IT IS FUCKAWESOME EITHER WAY.
BUT IT IS FUCKAWESOME EITHER WAY.

Revision as of 08:48, 15 August 2011

It's totally the opposite of this.
Inspector Gadget, reimagined with a grimdark feel.
Grimdark makes everything better!

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." It is generally used to describe a setting which it would really, REALLY suck to actually live in, exemplified by Warhammer 40k itself (in fairness, this is because the published material primarly focuses on war and cults and other horrible things; there are supposed to be many pleasant and peaceful worlds and sectors in the Imperium, but they are mostly ignored as they are boring from a game perspective). It can also be used to describe artwork that has a grimdark feel, even if the setting itself would not normally be considered grim or dark.

Being grimdark can be taken to extremes; depending on your own personal tolerances for grim darkness, there is a point at which it becomes more ridiculous than anything else because everything is infeasibly terrible all the time. This is an accusation often levelled at Warhammer itself, and leads some to rail against "Grimdark" as a whole, decrying the concept as ridiculous attempts at edginess (typically by teenagers), and using the expression to refer solely to such over-the-top settings in a perjorative manner. Others embrace this ridiculosity (recall especially that Warhammer 40K was, in early editions, a much more obviously comedic setting) and run with it, embracing the ludicrous nature of extreme grimdark and denying that it is supposed to be taken seriously (as detractors claim is the intention). This schism is mostly visible with races such as the Tau in Warhammer, who are noticeably less grimdark than most of the other races combined, and they are either loved or hated because of this. When grimdark is involved, there isn't a lot of room for middle ground. Meanwhile, another sizeable percentage instead postulate that Grimdarkness lends greater moral and ethical complexity to a setting. Such people usually cite the works of Dan Abnett and many other Warhammer 40K writers to lend credence to such suppositions. Needless to say, grimdarkness is a rather polarizing subject.

BUT IT IS FUCKAWESOME EITHER WAY.

The polar opposite of grimdark is Noblebright, a deliberate inversion of grim and dark nature where honour, happiness, and high adventure rule the day, as opposed to dying in a ditch from a supernatural plague as you run out of potable water and can no longer wait for the logistics department to process your dead comrades into something slightly more palatable before you start eating them.

Common grimdark themes include:

  • Massive, overbearing empires; e.g. "Big Brother is watching you".
  • Constant, never ever-ending warfare.
  • Everyone is racist towards non-humans/elves/fungus/lizards/robots. Just like in real life.
  • Cybernetics and cyborgs; the less human, the better.
  • Mutants, especially the persecution thereof.
  • Short life expectancies due to war, harsh environments, or space-bugs trying to eat your face.
  • Zombie plagues.
  • Horrifyingly large death tolls are perfectly normal.
  • Child Soldiers
  • Spanish Inquisition clones.
  • There are no "good guys"; everyone's a jerk, especially you.
  • Massive amounts of gore and hatred.
  • High potential for offensive/dark comedy.
  • Never sunny.
  • No ice cream.
  • *BLAM*
  • Tremendous potential for lulz.

Stuff considered Grimdark

A world where the only way to beat grimdark is by introducing something even grimmer and darker

See also

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