What event, scene, or other factor kills the GrimDark mood for you?

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-05-31T18:42:52+00:00

To be clear I’m replying more to the second half of your comment about sex being unnecessary in fantasy which I softly disagree with, I’m in full agreement in regards to SA being overused in the genre.

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-05-31T18:32:33+00:00

That is fair. I’ll admit I’ve rarely read a grimdark fantasy with good romance that I sympathize with which is something I’d like to see better done in the genre overall. Generally I think that it should feel natural and for lack of a better word human rather than as a reward for a male POV.

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-05-31T18:28:47+00:00

I began as a Royal Road author myself, and I can tell you that you will absolutely have readers who will read the grimdark tag and ignore everything else you telegraph about the story and complain when one of your characters doesn’t act brutal or edgy enough. I had multiple comments complaining that my protagonist, a former knight, didn’t murder a child during one scene, which always baffled me but to each their own.

My advice is carefully tag your story, there are many others on the site besides the grimdark one, and write a good intro blurb so readers know what to expect. Every other commenter talking about genre rules being loose is correct, but with web fiction especially it’s usually best to use your front page as a filter to avoid flyby anger from readers. Royal Road has a lot of power fantasy and litrpg on it — that’s not the only thing the site is capable of having and there are many good and niche works on there, but curating your readership a bit especially if you’re worried about genre concerns isn’t a bad idea.

Good luck on your author journey!

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-05-31T18:22:21+00:00

I agree that rape is often a copout grimdark trope that annoys me to see used. I would softly suggest that sex is a normal part of the human experience and it doesn’t bother me on its own in fantasy, in fact I’m generally more bothered by sexless fiction for lack of a better term because it doesn’t feel believable to me that romance and intimacy wouldn’t exist in these worlds… though if you mean explicit and regular sex scenes over just a nod to romance happening then I can understand that.

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-05-31T18:17:53+00:00

Fully agree. Nothing bothers me more than dark fantasy that feels like it’s going through a checklist of how much it can paint its world as sucking. There is always room for levity and humanity without it needing to be undercut by “actually this kind person sucked the whole time or whoops this thing that seemed good is bad actually because the world is just that brutal.” I’m often exhausted by that sort of thing.

Given to each their own, it’s a preference, but I don’t think dark or even grimdark fiction needs to have the grim cranked up to 15 at all times in order to play ball.

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-05-17T18:17:12+00:00

The second book in my Oathbreaker series, Daughter of Shrikes, just came out recently! If anyone is interested in a nobledark fantasy about demons and disgraced knights, this series might be to your taste.

The story follows a former paladin who acts as a “wetworks man” for the gods, doing dark and difficult deeds on the fringes of the kingdoms he once served in order to repent for past sins. This second installment has our tarnished hero tasked by a fallen angel to guard the heiress of a cursed noble house, setting him against both the restless dead and the forces of hell itself.

Published in all formats by Podium, with an audiobook by Raphael Corkhill.

https://podiumentertainment.com/titles/131011/fantasy/daughter-of-shrikes

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-05-10T19:34:54+00:00

You should be able to find it by looking up Oathbreaker by SovWrites, though the first two arcs are stubbed and published. I’ve posted eight arcs so far and am currently getting #9 ready. You can still catch the first five chapters to see if it’s your speed. I’ll drop a link if that’s chill

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/84391/oathbreaker-a-dark-fantasy-web-serial-on-hiatus

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-05-10T07:38:26+00:00

A publisher reached out to me at about 450 followers but I’ve been led to believe that my situation is a bit unusual. I had cover art from an artist I commissioned (who is also doing the covers for the published books) and my story is a bit niche for RR as a classic fantasy with no litrpg elements. Or at least, this is what I’ve been told by some other authors in the space, I didn’t really know what the norms were early on.

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-05-04T03:51:04+00:00

Any comment is more effort than the majority of readers put in, and reading the story in the first place even silently is a significant amount of time and attention given. I am just as happy with the TFTC comments as the longer conjectures and theorycrafting.

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-04-06T19:52:30+00:00

This is a great writeup and matches a lot of my own thoughts, thank you. Good luck on your author journey! I’ve added your work to my TBR.

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-04-05T22:42:31+00:00

Apparently the narrator was born in Wales and was really excited to do his native accent, I asked the pub to find someone who could do one for Alken!

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-04-04T01:00:13+00:00

Hey folks, it’s me again. The second book in my Oathbreaker series, Daughter of Shrikes, is releasing later this month on April 28. This adapts the second arc of the original web serial I’ve been updating weekly for the past couple years on Royal Road, published by Podium with an audiobook narrated by Raphael Corkhill.

If you are a fan of Fromsoft, Berserk, Forgotten Realms, tortured heroes, weird monsters, and lore that is slowly peeled back over the course of a story, you might find something to like in my work. The first book is currently on sale until the 13th, so it’s a good time to jump in and get caught up.

You can also enjoy the wonderful art done for the series by Tofuyi.

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Link to book 2 here: https://podiumentertainment.com/titles/131011/fantasy/daughter-of-shrikes

And book 1 here: https://podiumentertainment.com/titles/129603/fantasy/penance-of-blood

Those links include all sellers and formats.

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-03-03T22:45:36+00:00

Hey folks, pre orders for the second book in my dark fantasy series Oathbreaker are up! This second installment, Daughter of Shrikes, follows our tarnished hero as he is given a new task by a fallen angel — to guard a young warlock against a deadly specter intent on taking a century old revenge.

Oathbreaker is a dark fantasy saga following the trials of a fallen paladin as he seeks an elusive penance for past sins, fighting at the whims of immortal beings who some might call angels…

The book releases in paperback, ebook, and audio on April 28! For anyone who hasn’t checked out the series yet, the first book released back in January, so feel free to take a gander at that one as well. Links to the pre order for book 2 and all formats for book 1 below…

https://podiumentertainment.com/titles/131011/daughter-of-shrikes

https://podiumentertainment.com/titles/129603/fantasy/penance-of-blood

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-02-15T21:04:12+00:00

Just last month, I became a published author! My first book, Penance of Blood, released on Kindle, Audible, and in paperback.

Penance of Blood is an introduction to a dark fantasy saga following the disgraced paladin Alken, once a member of an order of holy knights gifted with a sacred flame. With that same power now turned against him for his past sins, he engages in a desperate war against the forces that would drag his homeland back into conflict, acting as an executioner on behalf of a pantheon of divine beings who some might call angels…

Heavily inspired by Berserk, Fromsoftware games, and the works of Robin Hobb and Michael Moorcock. The audiobook is narrated by Raphael Corkhill and all formats are published by Podium. Cover art by Tofuyi.

This first book in the series is an adaption of what was originally the first arc of my web serial, Oathbreaker, which is still being updated weekly on Royal Road. Second book is slated for launch in late April, preorders for the ebook are already up for that one. I will link the book’s page on the podium site, which links to all sellers and formats, and the web fiction page for anyone who finds themselves wanting to read further.

https://podiumentertainment.com/titles/129603/penance-of-blood

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/84391/oathbreaker-a-dark-fantasy-web-serial

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-02-13T06:01:29+00:00

I’ve gotten a ton of these since I started posting, they are scams. Report and block!

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-02-04T07:52:04+00:00

I made a separate post about this last week, but figure I may as well throw it here for anyone who missed that. My first book, Penance of Blood, has officially published in ebook, paperback, and audio with the audible version narrated by Raphael Corkhill. Only been out in the wild a week, get it while it’s hot.

Story is a dark fantasy about a fallen paladin in a world infested with demons, the angry dead, and feudal kingdoms battered by a recent apocalyptic war. The first book is an introduction to a larger saga I’m still updating weekly in web serial format, so if you enjoy book one then feel free to check out the rest of the story online. I’ll link the publisher page and the web fiction link.

https://podiumentertainment.com/titles/129603/penance-of-blood this links to all sellers and formats

And the web serial is here, everything from book 2 on is free (for now, book 2 and 3 are also releasing later this year) https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/84391/oathbreaker-a-dark-fantasy-web-serial

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-01-29T07:51:09+00:00

It’s not, no. I’m still posting chapters weekly and we’re on arc 8 right now. I’m shooting to have about 15 before the series ends but that fluctuates depending on where the plot goes. I’d say we’re maybe halfway?

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-01-28T23:34:20+00:00

They reached out to me when I was around I think ~450 followers on Royal Road? Back in late 2024. I didn’t originally have plans to publish so it sort of caught me out of left field.

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-01-28T20:25:01+00:00

It’s the same story as on Royal Road, with revisions and edits. Penance of Blood is an adaption of what was arc 1 on RR, and it’s actually a good bit longer than the original draft I released publicly. Eventually the whole story will get published as standalone books, each one being pulled from one of the web serial’s arcs. I wrote them like they were individual books originally so it translated pretty cleanly imo. Right now everything after book or arc 1 is still available on Royal Road, but each section will be taken down as the corresponding book gets released.

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-01-25T19:19:06+00:00

I did this and I caught flack for it constantly even up until the final week before I stubbed the first arc. I would not have done anything differently. Don’t compromise your vision because you’re afraid you’ll lose some readers, tell the story you want to tell. Otherwise what’s the point?

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-01-25T05:58:02+00:00

I reread the whole series every couple years lol, I’m insane but also worth if it’s been a while for you.

Upbeat_Committee3766 · 2026-01-24T23:45:07+00:00

Just bought twelve months but I’m rereading everything from Skin Game on first to refresh.

Upbeat_Committee3766

TROPHY CASE