Rate the Bleakness of your story

ivanskilling 2021-01-07 00:55:46 UTC #21

Devil's Triangle is probably a 7 out of 10. It's based on modern society but explores the dark side of technology and its impact on our lives. Plus, it's a murder mystery, so more bleakness!

Dark Bytes leans slightly on the darker side - so 8 out of 10. It's a scifi anthology that looks into how future technology (based on current advances) will cause society to change. And yes, I got some inspiration from Black Mirror for some of the stories.

Shackles is probably the least bleak, around 6 out of 10. It's a historical romance, so while the bleakness of the situation does weigh on the Empress Dowager and a lot of cruelty does happen, the romance and bonding does paint a more hopeful picture.

sarahmassey998 2021-01-07 00:56:19 UTC #22

I think my novel is a 7/10.
Its cosmic horror so that's already bleak with the whole universe being hostile to humanity and God is dead but the Old Ones will destroy the world if they so much as blink. There's also themes of mental illness, impermanent death, insanity, isolation, and the knowledge that everything is not ok. Plus its set in the 1920 which people think of as a fun time but it was also post-WWI and flu pandemic both of which could be considered hell on earth. This was the lost generation now they are just lost in the void!

My short stories would be a 6/10 and that's due to the range the stories take. All are set before Prometheus Reanimated from the 1870's to 1922 and focus on the worst those decades have to offer. Mining accidents, the birth of the modern serial killer, and infamous home invasions to name the first three. I rate it lower because the fourth story has some humor in it but some are incredibly dark. Rating may change as more stories get added.

WoollyPAR 2021-01-07 01:03:27 UTC #23

I'd say my comic Cat Club is about a 3 or lower so far? Some of my plans for it make it a potential 7

Not sure exactly how bad a 3 or a 7 are supposed to be tho

WOSTR 2021-01-07 01:43:29 UTC #24

@Pony_wearing_a_hat I would love to be able to do straight horror but I'm tired of seeing people dying and I'm too keen on goofy stuff.

Darth_Biomech 2021-01-07 03:11:05 UTC #25

Something between 1 and -2, I'd believe. The future is optimistic (but not naively idealistic), even if the current situation is kinda f-d up. There's been enough "everything sucks forever and kind people don't exist" kind of stories already.

Pony_wearing_a_hat 2021-01-07 04:02:09 UTC #26

Ooh, yeah. Cosmic horror is a total goldmine for this kind of stuff

ratscout 2021-01-07 07:10:14 UTC #27

It's preeety dark, but not too dark. Maybe a 5? Like, the world is definitely dark and unforgiving, but there are very decent, good people inhabiting it. I mean, the story's main character is a man who was locked in prison for twelve years, so it's not gonna be all sunshine and rainbows. Not only that, but one of the core themes is fighting the evil genes that's inside him, so yeah. XD

milejdyvan 2021-01-07 07:20:57 UTC #28

Well, world is a bit of a broad term for me to speak of a singular rating for how dark it is... Let's just go with it depends where we looking

rajillustration 2021-01-07 07:31:36 UTC #29

Eh I'd give mine like a 3 or 4 because I try to make it a humorous and optimistic outlook, although there's dark stuff going on in the background. So it's not like...slice of life chill...but it's probably the lightest of any work I've written. I'm actually shocked I was the one who wrote it, I didn't know I could write something that didn't get bleak every other chapter.

Siromany 2021-01-07 07:41:13 UTC #30

It doesn't consistently stay at a super bleak number for too long as I feel like that'd be too much fatigue with little payoff, but it does actually dip into the high numbers quite a few times. The main character has a lot of trauma and goes through some really horrible situations, and the story itself explores all those aspects. I'd say the highest it hits is perhaps a 7? A lot of my friends who I discuss the comic in full detail say it gets really heavy at times. This is a story though that I wanted to write with a lot of lighter moods versus other things I've done. I'm in a better place mentally and emotionally now and I'm not so obsessed anymore with making things horribly grimdark and edgy.

(As for the first chapter I'm not gonna spoil to much but it does hit a high number, I mean like it's in the chapter title sdkgbdfkgbfdgdfkgfhfgh)

steffiemusings 2021-01-07 08:25:59 UTC #31

I would rate mine a 3 or 4. There are horrible stuff going on in the background, but the citizens of the galaxy are so used to the horror and corruption going on.

TheDoublekey 2021-01-07 12:38:29 UTC #32

Well, it is pretty dark, since it pretty much revolves around that. Ok, jokes aside, it is a pretty dark and cruel world, considering it is made out of people who constantly suffer and others who make them suffer. Darkness itself is a much deeper representation of how our world lost all of its principles.
Behind all the action and fun, there's a much much sadder truth embedded in this society.

With that said, I'd rate it a solid 7 or even 8, (considering the events that are currently taking place in my script)- Here's the series if you want to check it out:

Iridium 2021-01-07 13:04:33 UTC #33

Interesting topic!

Well, my comic (Menmar) has a bit of mixed vibes between Assassin's Creed and One Thousand and One Nights with politics involved. Considering the fact it also brings up civil wars between two races, tyranny and other stuff, I'd rate it 6 or 7, mostly because it will depend on how the protagonists will deal with the hardships they'll be facing soon enough. Feel free to stop by. if you like:

https://tapas.io/series/menmar-en
https://tapas.io/series/menmar-ptbr

MeltingCORE 2021-01-07 17:16:40 UTC #34

I'm definitely not completely grimdark but I'd give mine a 7 or 8. Dystopian industrial world ruled by a dictator.

ble 2021-01-07 20:32:23 UTC #35

Is more.... depends on what arc/page, like some as just kinda comedy around a 2, but in others it could be 5 or so.

indagold 2021-01-07 22:31:53 UTC #36

I'd rate my story a 9 cause it gets pretty depressing the longer it goes on.

My other comic is a dark fantasy but has happy parts so a 7 at least.

oshirockingham 2021-01-09 20:46:24 UTC #37

It's 0 bleakness!
My comic is so bright, happy, and cheerful!
Well, maybe you'll find something like rolling heads, pain, sweat and tears, skull fractures, impalement, but it looks bright and colorful! because it's only a battlefield in the broad daylight and those things are perfectly normal right there!
Maybe you'll find something like a traumatized woman, but it's not so gloomy because she smiles very brightly.

Caution: it might give you an emotional roller-coaster, surprise, and a lot of laughs.

Maps 2021-01-09 20:51:19 UTC #38

I’d give the world a solid 9 but sometimes the interactions can get it to a 7 or 8 depending on the chapter

AnonymousHouseCat 2021-01-09 21:16:15 UTC #39

I would say 2 or 3? My story’s about grim reapers and ghosts, the town is in economic decline, and there are some sketchy people hanging around, but still not that bleak because people are still having a good time and the tone of the story isn’t heavy.