How much do you delve into the darkest aspects of the Fantasy Worlds you build?

[Steelspider]

Thinking about it- since human nature (and the rule of nature in general, red in tooth and claw) is a thing, and seeing as how anything/one which can be exploited always will fall prey to exploitation, in any world- how much thought do you put into the darkest, most sordid, taboo and morally reprehensible repercussions of the altered power dynamics in the fantasy world/s you build? And do you ever tackle or address these potential abuses of power in your fantasy world/s, or use them as the focal points of your stories, or keep these darkest recesses of your world/s firmly buried deep in the background, barely (if ever) even alluded to in your narratives? And which is the better approach to take, in your opinion?

In my world magic is split into three factions (almost like the magic itself not the ppl determine good and evil) intelligent magic (word magic, divination, alchemy etc) neutral magic like battle mages with elemental powers, and dark magic like mind magic, necromancy, blood magic, shadow magic. One character has erotic fixation on pain and death. So yes it touches on the darkness

 

[Kassandra]

To be honest, one third of my story takes place in the darkest part of the world. The world is divided in two parts: One part prohibits magic and punishes Witches by death. The other part of the world doesn't have this law. They don't have laws. Period.
Crime goes unpunished. Gangs control each region, etc. Magic is a rare thing, but if found, the Witch just uses it for her/his own survival. In fact, a spell was once cast in that part of the world that has created an eternal shadow that light can't reach. This shadow intensifies people's negative tendencies, and each person is after their own profit/benefit and don't care about anyone else.

It's funny that my world is like that because I could never read this kind of stories, haha... I can't cope with stories that give a feeling of hopelessness. Of course, in my world, things do pay off in the end but until then, the story is very heavy to get through.
And honestly... I love it. I love how heavy it is because I know what my MCs have gone through. I love all the suffering they experienced because it makes me eager to see them reach the light at the end of the tunnel.

I know that darkness and abuse of power can come in many different forms. I think that if you find the right readership for your stories (that won't get triggered, that will be able to cope with the darkness), it will be fine - as long as you give some kind of light at the end.
I believe the world (the real world we live in) has suffered enough - so creating dark stories that remain dark through and through and simply kill off the main character without giving any light of hope at the end, is a moral crime.

But then again, we do have the Game of Thrones (and other stories, I'm sure, that do the exact same thing).

I guess, in the end it depends on what you view morally right and how much you believe your readers would be able to handle.

 

[pmmg]

It's funny that my world is like that because I could never read this kind of stories, haha...

Many people are just writing the story they want to read, but cannot find. Its a good way to start.

 

[Gurkhal]

I sometimes go into the darkness but only when I feel the story needs it. When I was younger I was a lot more edgy but now I feel nothing like that anymore.

 

[Kassandra]

Many people are just writing the story they want to read, but cannot find. Its a good way to start.

I absolutely love the story that I'm writing, but I've never read a dark fantasy book before. I always believed that I can't stand heavy concepts in storytelling.
I guess, all I have to do now is pick a dark fantasy book and find my new favorite kind of stories.

 

[Bracokey]

my stories are perhaps quite dark? but I try to use this as a lesson for the reader. A tale of warning. Or help highlight a corruption in society.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

In my story there's some dark consequences for what happens when your three magical principals get too far out of balance.
Those consequences depends on the person and who they learned from, a good bit of them wind up some form of mad (if they weren't already)
The story itself doesn't focus on these aspects, nor is it a focus point of the plot. It simply shows the reader how real these things are and that people who fall prey to these things are a real threat. They can generally only be countered by someone equally powerful.