Dark Romance (genre)

Synonyms:
See also:
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Dark Romance is a subgenre of romance which involves darker themes and characters, with more morally complex interactions between the characters and involving tropes which are unlikely to be portrayed positively in a more typical romance.

Dark romance has become increasingly popular amongst readers of traditionally published fiction, especially on BookTube, BookTok, and Booklr. Additionally, the greater accessibility of self-publishing on various online platforms has lent itself to self-published dark romance works gaining more popularity. Where dark romance readers have then learnt about fics that fit the theme of dark romance (often when a work has breached containment or become incredibly popular), some have sought out dark romance in fanworks as well.

In Fandom

In fandom spaces, the term dark romance is less likely to be used, but the tropes and themes that are more typical of the genre are arguably more commonplace and available for fans than in original works. On Archive of Our Own, for example, the tag for dark romance is uncommon compared to other tags, but many readers use the tag in their own bookmarks to indicate that the fic fits their interpretation of the genre. Tags around the common themes or tropes of dark romance, however, are much more commonplace.

Fanworks have long been a means for writers to explore themes or tropes that have been less available in mainstream media. For example, morally grey characters, complicated or unhealthy emotional dynamics, unconventional or taboo relationships, and many other elements of the dark romance genre, are quite frequently explore in fanfiction, fanart or fanvids. Anti-heroes and villains — who are more likely to feature as romantic interests in dark romances — have consistently been popular in fan spaces, with some regularly featuring amongst the most popular pairings within their fandoms.

Criticism of the Genre

In both mainstream fiction circles and fandom spaces, there are those who are opposed to works of the dark romance genre, arguing that the existence of these works is romantacising things like abuse, stalking, possessiveness, or violence. Some readers think that positively portraying problematic relationships and dynamics as a romance will lead to readers, especially younger readers, believing that these actions are romantic and not abusive. This often leads into Fiction vs. Reality Discussions.

Common Themes or Tropes

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.

• Enemies to Lovers
• Power imbalances or other power dynamics that influence the relationship
• Emotional, mental or physical conflict
• Obsessiveness, possessiveness or control
• Morally grey characters
• Age gaps
• Emotional dependency

In addition to these darker topics, many works also use the genre as a vehicle of exploring other, deep themes around elements such as:

• Redemption and redemption arcs
• Healing from trauma
• Resilience and self-discovery

Examples

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.

Published works

While discussions about the issues of dark romance books being published are common, there is an active market for published original works. Additionally, some fanfiction authors have filed the serial numbers off their fanworks or otherwise reworked them into original works, retaining the original dark romance elements that made them popular as fanworks.

Example Pairings

Some pairings seem to lend themselves more readily to being explored through the themes and tropes of dark romance, and have a greater proportion or works which would appeal to fans of the genre. In many instances, these are characters who are enemies or otherwise opposed in a significant way in the canon material.

• Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger (Dramione)
• Kylo Ren/Rey (Reylo)
• Many House of the Dragon pairings, especially due to the canonical presence of two opposing sides of a war. Some examples include:
  • Aemond Targaryen/Lucerys Valeryon (Lucemond)
  • Alicent Hightower/Rhaenyra Targaryen (Rhaenicent)
  • Daemon Targaryen/Rhaenyra Targaryen (Daemyra)