# Darker than the Dark Knight



## Shouden (May 30, 2011)

I'm working on a novel that's going to turn out to be super dark. And my super, I mean, superheroes. A supervillain named Enyo (named after the Greek Goddess of War), has lead superhero Ultima (so called because she can choose any powers she wants making her the ultimate superhero) into a trap and now, her family and her two closest friends are gone. Although not too worried about her friends, since one of them is connected with the mafia, Ultima is eager to retrieve her family and teach Enyo a very valuable lesson: Don't mess with a mother wolf's family.

I've written blood, gruesome and dark scenes before (one of my other super-heroines literally ripped someone in half), but this is gonna be an entire novel of mainly dark scenes. Scenes that will show off the dark side of having powers. Now, of course, in between each dark scene, there's a good chapter worth of reprieve. I did this before, and I like the flow: one chapter of going out and killing someone, one chapter of reprieve to give the reader a break from the blood.

But...my question is: how dark is too dark? Or is there such a thing?


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## Ley (May 30, 2011)

'Darker than the Dark Knight'

I imagined Batman wearing emo make up and cutting himself, I'm so sorry.

Anyways.. many people don't like reading novels that are.. like, too depressing. Gotta have some kind of light in the tunnel so the readers can see.


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## Shouden (May 30, 2011)

Oh there's light at the end of the tunnel. It's just what's in the shadows of the tunnel. I mean, being the most powerful superhero ever, you know she's gonna get her family back...but she'll also kill everyone involved in taking them.


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## Ley (May 30, 2011)

Shouden said:


> Oh there's light at the end of the tunnel. It's just what's in the shadows of the tunnel. I mean, being the most powerful superhero ever, you know she's gonna get her family back...but she'll also kill everyone involved in taking them.



Hrm.. does said superhero have a weakness? If it's like a play on marvel superheros, maybe avoiding things that are everywhere (dark pasts, one sided evil people, etc..) I've read a lot of your stuff and I love it, but with super hero stuffs, I always see that super ultra powerful good superhero with no weaknesses and the only weakness is a guy/girl or sommat like that. Even superman's kryptonite thing is silly. 

Buuut.. As it's for your own enjoyment, try writing it out completely (Like, no stopping, just an ideaflop), and post it on FA. In all honesty I don't have a grasp of how 'dark' you'll be making it.c:


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## --Fluffy-Fox-- (May 30, 2011)

Ley said:


> Hrm.. does said superhero have a weakness? If it's like a play on marvel superheros, maybe avoiding things that are everywhere (dark pasts, one sided evil people, etc..)


 
you could alway do a villain where he has a heart, or have it so that his goals are considered morally good but the way he achieves them is reprehensibly wrong

- but to be honest there is no such thing as to dark, its just if you don't do it right you could turn people off to your novel or make them feel sick... 
- if you wanted you add a noire theme and that will darken it too, but im not sure if thats what your going for
- finally you can use descriptive third person views to manipulate opinions on your character whether it be for good or bad


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## Shouden (May 30, 2011)

I'm writing it in first person, actually.

I've never really thought up of something that would ultimately make a hero physically weak. That seems a little and old fashioned. I know, as a person, that feral dogs freak Ultima out. (and really, that's not that far out there, if you consider that she's from a world of anthros.) That's always what I do in terms of weaknesses. Instead of "go near this thing and get weak," it's what's their phobia. Like Storm is claustrophobic. Phobias are bit more realistic in terms of a weakness.

But...in terms of darkness...an example would be, there will be a couple scenes where she makes the bad guys commit suicide. (one scene where they put guns to their own heads and another where, as she's trying to sneak in a hideout, she makes the roving guards turn towards open windows and walk right out of them before relinquishing control.)

So...But, there will be some fun scenes in there...I am trying to do things I've not seen before in movies and comics, which is always a good thing. (A "Bull fight" with Lambos being one scene, and there will be another scene where, she turns towards a hall filled with bad guys and, instead of running through and fighting all of them, she claps her hands together in front of her, and the walls of the hallway slam together, killing everyone there.)


EDIT: Ultima actually has 6 major weaknesses:

1. severe allergies to cotton, wool and polyester
2. severe allergies to anything from the planet Earth (even humans can cause her to sneeze like mad.)
3. Overly sensitive skin which is why she wears a full body suit. But, she still does most of her fighting at night.
4. Every time she uses her powers, they slowly rip her apart by destabilizing her molecules. And, it's to the point where she has to use a power slot just to keep herself together. This has also caused her to have heart problems since she was thirty.
5. Scared of feral dogs.
6. Scared of being in a boat on the water.


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## --Fluffy-Fox-- (May 30, 2011)

Shouden said:


> EDIT: Ultima actually has 6 major weaknesses:
> 
> 1. severe allergies to cotton, wool and polyester
> 2. severe allergies to anything from the planet Earth (even humans can cause her to sneeze like mad.)
> ...


 

in my opinion thats just a little too human... idk its really a matter of personal opinion but i would cut 1 and 2


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## Shouden (May 30, 2011)

--Fluffy-Fox-- said:


> in my opinion thats just a little too human... idk its really a matter of personal opinion but i would cut 1 and 2


 
*shrug*

Well, the first one is an easy work around. Her suit is made of leather and for normal clothing, she usually wears silk undergarments to prevent direct contact with her skin.

And for the second...it's more of being allergic to the pollutants, than the actual items. We have a lot of stuff in our air that wouldn't necessarily exist on other worlds, and, in her universe, a the pollution levels are extremely low. But, that one would be far more easier to eliminate than #1. I guess I could eliminate #3, as well, but #1 has already been established in the universe.


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## --Fluffy-Fox-- (May 30, 2011)

Shouden said:


> *shrug*
> 
> Well, the first one is an easy work around. Her suit is made of leather and for normal clothing, she usually wears silk undergarments to prevent direct contact with her skin.
> 
> And for the second...it's more of being allergic to the pollutants, than the actual items. We have a lot of stuff in our air that wouldn't necessarily exist on other worlds, and, in her universe, a the pollution levels are extremely low. But, that one would be far more easier to eliminate than #1. I guess I could eliminate #3, as well, but #1 has already been established in the universe.




true, well i see now that that you have a suitable work around for number one which will make it easy to play with though the chapters; and two just flat out makes more sense now... which mean i would have to agree that if one should be cut it should be three, plus if you think about it three can get a little tricky to work with at times.


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## Shouden (May 30, 2011)

Yeah. I had in there as something she inherited from her mother. (who simply ignored it most of her life), but it definitely doesn't have to be there. Besides, I'll probably forget about number three, anyway.


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## --Fluffy-Fox-- (May 31, 2011)

Shouden said:


> Yeah. I had in there as something she inherited from her mother. (who simply ignored it most of her life), but it definitely doesn't have to be there. Besides, I'll probably forget about number three, anyway.


 
you could always say that 1 and 2 are inherited traits


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## Shouden (May 31, 2011)

that's true. And I might just do that.


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## --Fluffy-Fox-- (May 31, 2011)

hahaha i really want to read it now


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## Shouden (May 31, 2011)

I've got the first three chapters done. I also have the three previous books in the series to work on...plus a bunch of other stuff to work on...soo...


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## --Fluffy-Fox-- (May 31, 2011)

ehh writing just takes time, its a... growing proses lol


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## Shouden (May 31, 2011)

yup. It is true.


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## --Fluffy-Fox-- (May 31, 2011)

so any other stuff you need help with on this novel?


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## Shouden (May 31, 2011)

Well...I'm still trying to piece together the "Bull Fight" in my head....man I wish I had some toy cars right about now.

Yeah, I was thinking, "It's been a long time since I've written a car chase (and I always had fun writing those. They have a great flow to them that make 'em a little easier to write.) I think I'll put one in Mother Wolf. But...what to do that's different." And I saw Ultima running away from a bunch of black cars in down a dark street and thought it looked like the running of the bulls. So, I went, "OOO...a bull fight with cars would be awesome." And that thought eventually lead me think "You know, if I were doing a bull fight with cars for a movie, I would love to have all the cars be Lamborghinis just because it would be fitting and a little funny and would honor the brand.

And I know how I want the first part of it to go, but...that's as far as I've gotten.


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## --Fluffy-Fox-- (Jun 1, 2011)

hmmmm it seems well thought out, now you just need to write it 

but my real question is how your going to lead in and out of the "bull fight"


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## Shouden (Jun 1, 2011)

Yeah. The lead out will be much harder than the lead in. I was gonna have Ultima walking across a parking lot in the middle of the night on her way to her final battle with Enyo when the bad guys in their Lambos come across her and the Bull Fight begins. I think the lead out would simply be her either continuing her walk or flying towards her final destination. Although, I was gonna have it so that by the time she gets ready to face Enyo, she's over extended the use of her powers to the point where it was starting to physically damage her body, so, even during the Bull Fight, she wouldn't be able to use her powers.


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## --Fluffy-Fox-- (Jun 1, 2011)

yeah stopping her from using them would definitely make for a more suspenseful chapter


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## Shouden (Jun 1, 2011)

Yup. Good thing she lifts a lot of weights.


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## --Fluffy-Fox-- (Jun 1, 2011)

so does this book plan for any saucy scenes


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## Shouden (Jun 1, 2011)

There will be at least two sexy scenes. I've got one comin' up, actually. Her husband is working his way out of capitivity and when they rejoin they'll of course embrace and share a kiss and he will go, "Hey, you got an hour?" to which she'll reply, "Xavier, we've still got three kids to save." He'll shrug and give her a knowing smile. "I'll give you two hours," will be her response and the love making will begin.


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## --Fluffy-Fox-- (Jun 2, 2011)

now are they story line important or just for the fans


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## Shouden (Jun 2, 2011)

The first one will be mainly for reprieve before Ultima goes off to rescue her youngest daughter and make everyone commit suicide. But the last one will be at the very end and be my "happily ever after" scene.


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## --Fluffy-Fox-- (Jun 3, 2011)

mk well i hope it goes well, if you got any more ideas you want to bounce off of some one you have me as a friend ^_^


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## Shouden (Jun 3, 2011)

Okay.  Thanks.


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