Aladdin Central Messageboard

[misstoril]

One of the most common things in internet fandom is making something otherwise kid friendly into something "Dark and Edgy".
How do we feel about this? is it just generally something you don't enjoy or is it a "Depends on how it's handled" type thing?
I ask because I've been toying with some new Villains for a fanfic and they would definitely be darker than the usual type Aladdin deals with, and if that is a deal breaker then I'd like to know.

[lisa jane]

Depends on how it's handled.

I like dark and edgy but it needs to be dark and edgy for a reason, and not just - and using this as an example - smut. IE, I don't like dark stories where the villains torture or rape or etc the heroes/princesses, and then that's the entire story. There needs to be more built around it, but if that's just the whole story, it leaves a sick feeling in the stomach.

New darker villains would be fine I think, but it would depend on why they're dark and why they're doing what they're doing in the bigger story.

I get the feeling that I didn't explain that very well...

[AladdinsGenie]

Define dark and edgy

[misstoril]

[AladdinsGenie]

I guess the dark and edgy you're talking about. The internet fanfic world doesn't seem to think rape is dark and edgy, but I'd at least consider it kind of edgy, for example.

[misstoril]

The Villains are The Seven Deadly Sins. In life they were incredibly depraved humans who became the sins incarnate when they died. They are Based off mythological and historical figures such as Elizabeth Bathory, Valeria Messalina, Sawney Beane and Jim Jones, to name a few.
They're very nasty and very powerful. Also I was considering uping the ante with some existing threats too. The Mamluks are going to become Romero style zombies, rather than just mooks of clay. I'm mostly worried about balancing the fine line between "Genuine threat" and "Twelve year old Slayer fan's notebook" Rape I consider falling under the later for the most part.

[AladdinsGenie]

I think the Aladdinverse can handle it! I guess a lot of the threat part will depend on how you handle it, though.

[Jafaria]

I try not to categorically dismiss any type of fanfic, because good writers can make things work better than expected. Dark fic is one of those things that takes some skill to write, though, and the peppier the canon is, the harder the dark fic gets to write.

I think making fic for certain Disney movies darker and edgier works better than others. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was fairly dark to begin with, and Mulan had some effective scenes about the horrors of war. Even Aladdin has ample opportunities for dark plotlines, especially for Jafar and Mozenrath. (No, not in the same fic...not necessarily anyway.)

[Meesh]

I feel like, if you're gonna write it, go ahead. Doesn't mean I'm gonna like it.

My personal schtick is keeping loyal to the cannon... However, the older I get, the more I am able to look at things in a different light, and some things can be made beautiful by throwing a shadow over it. Mozenrath is the best example IMO, or the dark feelings a character may feel due to the death of another character.

However, making Jasmine deal with suicide seems out of character (unless it's a spell or something). Or Aladdin like piercing a villain with a rusty dagger and twisting it inside and grinning as the blood pours out... Just... No. Those aren't the characters I fell in love with.

Also, it needs to well done. Sometimes you can tell when an author is being dark just to "be dark and avant garde!!!" ... especially when it sucks. If you're gonna do it, avoid the cliches and make it believable.
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