Grimdark
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Synonyms: | grim-dark, grim dark |
See also: | related: darkfic, angst
antonyms: fluff, schmoop |
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Grimdark is a phrase used to describe certain kinds of canon and fanworks perceived to have a (nearly) unrelentingly dark tone, often with levels of (frequently casual or non-headlined) violence and death that come across as grittily realistic rather than fictionally glossed over or given a lighter or heroic veneer. It originates from a tagline to Warhammer 40,000.
George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series and its television adaptation Game of Thrones, as well as the young adult dystopian The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and many fanworks set in those fandoms, are often used as examples of "grimdark" storytelling.
In Homestuck canon, "grimdark" describes a person influenced/controlled by the horrorterrors.