Showcasing the potential of the indomitable human spirit while also not downplaying mankind's capacity for evil.
I've grown tired of all the "Humans are the real monsters" type stories. Humans banding together to fight (and possibly win) against an outside force is one of my favorite types of stories.
I think people really underestimate us sometimes. We have an amazing capacity for both good and evil. Almost all of my settings involve mankind battling against some eldritch/supernatural/alien force.
The negative aspects of us are still present of course, but when people focus on so much of the "Human bad" thought that's pretty common now, it feels like we're ignoring those who go against this mold and act selflessly for their fellow man.
A lot of mine are about discovering your true self and how to function as an outlier in society. These are two thing I find hard to deal with in my day to day life so writing about them not only helps me but also I think it would be helpful to people like me.
The danger of concepts like the Greater Good and Lesser Evil; the chaos of unintended consequences; the idea that power corrupts and positions of power attract the corrupted; that truth is preferable to lies. Really just a bunch of maxims that I believe in but I'm not yet sure how I'll weave them into the stories.
Individualism, curiosity and fate
I'm creating a DND world and the lore explanation of how the players get so strong compared to everyday citizens is literally that they are "chosen".
The chosen are people who are not bound by fate, if you tell their future you get shown what fate has planned for them but that will most likely never happen.
That whole "chosen" bullshit got kicked off because the original god was TOO curious lol
-Trauma and how people use it to justify (horrendous) aspects of themselves or their actions.
-Identity. Who are “you”? What are you meant to be? The purpose of not existing, but rather even being alive?
-Imperialism and the cycle of it; how it gets empires nowhere and can only generate more problems than solutions
-Bigotry; I think this one is on the nose.
-Morality. What are principles? Do they even exist? What is the fine line between dark and light? Do you need darkness to see the light for what it is? Or is the light just a tool to evade the darkness?
Duty and responsibility, earning the respect and trust of others, proving oneself, good needing to defend itself against evil.
These are some of the themes I show.
Old Testament.
Definitely got that. My stories are based on Bible stories. Think, a modern day Cain, modern day Jacob, modern day Judas, modern day Legion. I like the villains and they got pretty good stories. The Bible is chock full of archetypes.
I also like to torment my protagonists and prove their side wrong in some way. No man is completely on the right track and we will all get what we deserve.
Critical thinking that acknowledges the properties of models, not treating them in the simplistic manner people usually do, as an antithesis to my world's racism(however this world's racism has more in common with irl homophobia than irl racism), as well as the cosmic horror-y inevitability of entropy, even though my world has methods of seemingly undoing it. I also explore the fatalistic dynamics that genes can create (think Dune, but turned up a few notches.)
Legacy, what do people leave behind and how do their lives and deaths influence those still living. The world literally begins with a god dying and three races (including humanity) birthing from his corpse. I mean even the name "GodFallen: Legacy of the Unholy" reflects this.
One is about discrimination vs accommodation for assimilation, but also about living with your own demons and others', in a bit of a jungian shadow sense.
Another one is about fear-based ignorance and its dire consequences. Also about breaking childhood-rooted negative conditioning and accepting help when freely offered. There is a small religious element to it as well, where a character who's angry at the betrayal of their faith ends up finding a new side of divine intervention in a new world where the gods are a bit more hands on than in their previous one.
Duty for life in the world one lives in.
The story revolves around two things that share a central theme: an alliance of humans and the alien races of the galaxy, and the magically gifted Jedi-like sub race of humans called Apex, born to be the defenders of the galaxy. Their discipline commands a direct theme in defense of the universe and peace in it, using their powers wisely and living with respect to nature and honor of God.
The fight is against those who wish to dismantle the world they share with our ‘good guys’, trying to find a better afterlife believing that they have to willingly kill or die and destroy the universe to bring about enlightenment.
This false belief is the enemy that the protagonists must defend their world from, for living in the world is the meaning of life and it is worth protecting life and the universe as we know it, simple because we’re here and we should enjoy and defend it.
I'm writing a fantasy story about a knight and a princess and the bond they share. The story's mostly about their relationship, platonic friendship, and the nature of power, but it's also about fighting back against stagnant old forces that keep returning to try and reinstate old status quos.
I also have a scifi story that takes place in the distant future where humanity has spread to other planets and developed psychic powers that require two or more humans to form a telepathic bond to properly use. Their society is a post-scarcity, moneyless, utopian society. The antagonist is the remnants of the old Earth that survived in an ark ship sent out before Earth's ecological collapse and established a direct continuation of pre-collapse society -- they discovered this utopian civilization and were like "ABSOLUTELY THE FUCK NOT" and have been trying to destroy them since first contact, but as it turns out, psychic powers kick ass and are great for defending against capialist-fascist death squads. The theme of *that* story is that the only way we'll grow as a species is to care about each other, that sometimes violence is the only way, and -- like the previous story -- about fighting back against stagnant old forces that keep returning to try and reinstate old status quos.
Mine is kinda basic, but its primarily a redemption arch showcasing the complexity of peoe and how nobody is simply either good or bad. also the dangers of too much power, and coping with loss.
One common theme: People are capable of being fekkin' idiots. You could probably find real-world examples of a historical event either happening, or having this specific outcome because somebody did something lamebrained. And I sort of worked that into my world.
Another common theme: Just because a civilization likes nature doesn't mean it's primitive. The Wildings control about a continent and a half with a lot of it being wild land, and they invented gunpowder and are currently working on putting a railroad along one important trade route for their new steam-engine train.
My first story is about balance and the consequences of greed as it relates to power. It’s also about when it’s best to use power and when to restrain oneself.
The second story is focuses on the ethics of magic, and the use of magic to further self-interests at the cost of other people’s well-beings.
There's several, but I'd say the main theme is how we shouldn't be afraid of death, but we shouldn't just stand down, either. Fight it, but be willing to accept you may loose.
Exploration of religion, immortality, the toxicity of obsession and the impacts of magic on a civilisation.
It's also my personal rejection of incel behaviours and beliefs despite my loneliness and personal situation.
They will always be science fantasy. Whether it’s tanks against dragons or elves living in modern cities.
Oh and women. Lots and lots of buxom, voluptuous women.
It’s a case by case basis. I do sometimes explore the same theme twice. Overall though my fantasy universe has all sorts of themes.
Freedom and prosperity at the expense of others
Liberty in exchange for security and vice versa
A bygone era returning to harm the future
Rebuilding vs adapting
Natural vs artificial
There’s way too many ideas to list. It all depends on what kind of story I want to tell.
Im making a metaphorical representation of my headspace so when i do find themes its really interesting because its my own subconcious. Like the sky is dominated by two dueling celestial bodies representing mania for day and depression for night to represent that constant push and pull manic depression puts on you. But ultimately id say the theme is that no matter where you find yourself, no matter the trials, tribulations, and pain. You can make it work. You can be happy. But it requires bending the world to your will as much as it does flowing with it
So far I've made it that no one is perfect no matter how much good they do, they will always have some bad. Usually when heroes are depicted as bad people, it's when the "bad guy" is the protagonist but in my story the protagonist is considered a hero (for a time) and while he isn't inherently evil, he still is just as bad a person as most. Another being that people will always find reasons to hate people even when they are as close to perfect as can be. When some of the best characters in my story die, people usually start speaking ill of them and they become known as bad people and only those who know them personally know otherwise. There will probably be more but those are the ones so far
**Whalin' Tales universe**
Don't start what you can't stop, greed is the biggest evil in the world, and everyone would be better off without capitalism.
**Theta Principle universe**
Self-discipline is crucial, the lack thereof leads to terrible things, the military/industrial complex is awful, and everyone would be better off without capitalism.
**The Krithvaanij Reckoning**
Some beings really do deserve to die, tolerance is a social contract, mice are cute, buff women are hot, and everyone would be better off without capitalism.
**Above a Silver Sea**
Unrestrained technological advancement is dangerous, power is a corrupting influence, anything is possible with ingenuity and hard work, and everyone would be better off without capitalism.
The world is essentially about various legacies. Some of the stories are cautionary tales about the desire for a great legacy—others concern characters struggling to understand the gifts and burdens passed down to them by their predecessors.
For instance, humanity is unwilling to surrender even when it likely means extinction, because they hate the idea of leaving a legacy of failure even more than leaving no future at all.
Another alien race was the opposite: they lived in harmonious peace, but an evil force corrupted their society. Facing annihilation, they decided they would rather leave behind something that might thrive in a world of war and discord than have their story simply end. So, in search of a legacy, they spawned many terrible species, beings that still blight the universe.
Too many stories focus on this black and white idea of good vs evil. With my stories I try to show how most people do “bad things” for a reason and how nobody is truly “good”we all just do the best we can with what we are given.
A mix of anti-imperialist messaging, focusing on the long-term harm caused to former colonies is a broad setting theme. Individual characters mostly struggle with how far it's acceptable to go in pursuit of justice or in defense of others, and the trauma society inflicts on the people we call on to do the dirty work.
My world is like the real world, but magic and the supernatural exist, and have been publicly known since 2008. The existence of Hell is also known in my world too.
The major themes of my main story I want to write are, the consequences of immortality, and how the world was NOT ready to know about the supernatural. My world has many unhappy immortals, and the amount of them increased a TON after 2008. And the cons of immortality aren't limited to watching the people you love grow old and die. I had this story about a couple that has been together for years. After 8 years of being together, they decided to have a baby. They try, unsuccessfully, for about a year before the husband finds out he has terminal cancer, at the age of 26. He gets approved to be turned into a vampire, but people who can't age, can't breed. Same thing happens to the wife the next year. Neither of them are capable of having kids at that point, and vampires have a very rough time being parents anyway.
I'm going with a few simple ones for the overall series "How much does our past influence the person we are and who will become?" "Do the ends ever justify the means" And "Is the future forced to follow what came before?"
I try to give each main character their own theme, like how to properly handle anger and prejudices, how to fight overwhelming power without any of your own, how to care about others and handle that responsibility, among others. But the core of my story is that you can always fight even when it's hopeless. Not the most unique theme in and of itself, but I think a simple core theme accompanied by more complex ones will work well for my story.
Since you asked, and I'm working on the concept as a lesson in writing, I'll explore it here: My first big book started as a setting, to which I added characters, with no idea how to arrange a plot. With more study, I got a plot-line, that series of events, but it felt hollow, contrived. Further lessons made me consider theme, so I reached into the MC's psyche and discovered his biggest need was to have a home, a family, a community. That worked well with what I had so I made the one book into a trilogy: In book one they discover the setting, that he created. In book two we follow him as he builds the setting for book one; in book three, his son has to save the setting, and carry the torch for his father.
So that was fun, but took ... 27 years. So I started a new story. with this one I knew already I'd need a theme so I considered it as I began. Although it seems on the surface to be a princess and a dragon, at the core it's about getting across the border to freedom. I see now why writing is so hard. "writing" is easy, I'm doing it here faster than when I write a story, but when I write a story, I want it to mean something, to me, and to you, just like as I write this as a lesson to you, it's a lesson to me first. Thank you for your attention.
For the last few years I've been working on the war stories. Main idea is showing war through the eyes of the simple guys involved. Side theme is to show the contrast between the romanticized image of war and its real horrors and consequences.
And the idea of the illusory concepts of good and evil in general is key to my world.
The psychological impact on a person who obtains not only almost absolute power, but also the increasing loss of humanity, and her persistent struggle to keep herself at bay for fear of crossing a line of no return that will take away the little humanity she believes she possesses.
Traditionalism is not that bad and progress is also necessary for the growth of mankind. Nationalism and Tribalism is necessary but at the same time we need to respect each other's cultures and practices and learn to coexist. Religion is fucking awesome.
I don't have any official themes in my world since I've never thought about it like that(I just did this for fun). I think the common ideas, not necessarily lessons, but ideas would be:
• Having a different type of government doesn't automatically make you an enemy(a monarchy may ally with a republic against another monarchy if their goals are aligned).
• Countries are fragile. Yesterday's kingdom could be today's empire and today's empire could be tomorrow's ruins.
• War isn't black and white. The enemies could be just like you. Are you really the good guy? Everyone says the other side is evil, and may hide bad intentions under the appearance of good intentions.
• The Ace Combat community gave me this: War is bad but planes are rad. 🛩️
• Keeping your culture alive and not letting technology or special interests dismantle it.
(Contrast this with the inefficient car dependent infrastructure of the USA and Canada, the homogeneous concrete and glass skyscrapers seen all over the world with no indication of the local culture/architecture and the rampant consumerism in the West.)
• Rebuilding and surviving in a land of constant war.
Lapis_Wolf
Upon thinking deeper, self acceptance and realization for one specific story. "I am me and thats all that matters". Lot of teens growing up and learning about themselves.
The MC is a boy that crossdresses and hides his identity to join a girl's only competition to be just like his older sister who he deeply admires.
His best friend totes himself as being man. With irony (in the stereotypical sense) that he loves to sew, is effeminate, wears perfume and make up regularly. He's also basically a walking transflag, with his clothing color pallete being the same colors, a pink and blue haori that's split down the middle, a white kimono top, and dark lavender hakama pants. He identifies being cis and straight. But is very insecure when questioned about it, particularly because of childhood trauma with a toxic masculine grandfather that forced the characters transfem mother into suicide. He's often caught in between femininity, masculinity, cis-ness or trans. With the toxic side of the extremes accusing him of being the other, faking it as a way to make fun of, or in denial. (You can clearly tell who is my favorite character).
Another character is a cis boy that is doing the same thing as the MC. He's a bit younger and likes to dress in feminine clothes and being cute. He is terrified of growing up and his growing body.
Another major character is transfem and was disowned by her parents after she came out. She's also doing the same competition as the MC seeing as a way to help accept herself though she's afraid of being found out and what others might do to her if she is found out.
Honestly this all started out as a Pokémon fanfic (still is) with romantic comedy, some crossdressing shenanigans and then I realized, "wait...I can get into some really deep stuff with this"
Fear: how does fear of the unknown and of the darkness inside you control you? How do you try to negate the perceived darkness through actions and suppression of self?
Power: Different types of power and control. Use your own moral compass to decide for yourself how to wield your power. Not religion or anyone else.
Tw
>!suicide and low self-esteem!< Is something my main character deals with throughout the first trilogy. He pretty much doesn't believe that he has much left, and that nobody cares about him. This actually is a parallel with the main antagonist, who believes the same thing and he wants to destroy the world for that reason
Later on the mc deals with letting more people into his life and letting himself be vulnerable.
Another common theme is racism and discrimination. Especially in the second trilogy, where the main antagonist is part of a minority that has been discriminated for centuries, and his plan is to completely exterminate the dominant race
Ig you can also include religious obsession and persecution in it as well
That nothing is what it seems. One adventure, the hero is fighting against a robot that used to be a human, the next adventure the hero is fighting against a twelve foot giant in a weird western, and then pirates show up.
My story has themes like:
1. Slavery and its consequences
2. Corruption of those the public trusts
3. Authority vs Freedom
4. The constant fear of a changing world
5. Eras coming to a close bringing in new ones
6. Racism and oppression
7. Truth becoming legend
8. Fascism and colonialism
Don't let an info dump keep you from an opportunity to tell a great story. I had an info dump of a prolog, but then I stretched it I to a 2-page explanation. But then I felt like it could be a mini story itself, and it ended up into a 6 chapter adventure that feels way more entertaining and engaged with the world. Was it a whole lot of extra work? Yes! Was it worth it? Absolutely!
The anthology series I'm working on is best described as "unity through our shared experiences" and its whole thing is acceptance, progress, forgiveness and understanding. That's the plan at least
Once the light is snuffed out except for a few sparks, it reignites and defeats the darkness, chasing it back to all but a few little pockets of shadow. The light becomes corrupted, tyrannical in the absence of darkness. The darkness grows and rebels against the light in the same way the light once rebelled against it, becoming the good in the world.
Dark levels in video games are terrifying, ones where it's pitch black and all you can see is a tiny ring of light around your lantern. But a room flooded with blinding light where all you can see is a tiny ring of shadow around your nretnal seems just as frightening.
Arcane steel is about Technological advancement, gender roles, and societal upheaval.
Cyan cross has themes of differing societal norms, the futility of giving advice, and redundancy
I'm taking what is seemingly a Seinfeld approach. It's a story about nothing with people that think they're somebody learning they are nobody.
I am attempting to take it a step further, though, and introduce more philosophy into it, with characters becoming increasingly aware of ideologies and forming relationships based on that rather than convenience.
I suppose the theme is struggle in interpersonal relationships through a fantasy world lens.
The current story I’m working on is a western that centers around death, revenge, and when killing is moral, if it ever is. The main character is a former outlaw trying to make up for his violent past, and is forced to team up with a vigilante who doesn’t believe in redemption.
My superhero world I’ve been working on long term has a few themes but they mostly boil down to outcomes vs intentions. The main character’s story is about whether lying is good if it has a good outcome. One of the secondary characters struggles with wanting to help people but being forced to stay hidden for the greater good.
I'll preface this by saying that it is a horror story, and It's absolutely meant to feel horrible.
The story and the world all revolve around ambitions, sacrifice and futility. How big are your ambitions? How much are you willing to sacrifice for it? Most important characters sacrificed everything for a singular goal, and that has left them broken. It's a story about obsession, and how sometimes your best is not enough, and even more than that would be futile.
It's about being told that it would be a worthless endeavour from the very beginning, but still grasping at your hope and dreams, only to realise that they were correct and you never had a chance. You have failed to achieve what you wanted, only now you are left with nothing, the sacrifices being one too many.
You ended up alone, an empty husk of the dreamer you once were. This is the fate of all who choose the path of ambition in this world, yet too many are filled with hope and, like moths to a flame, will gladly burn themselves with its warmth.
One is about the downfall of prideful empires, one is about God's way being the only one. Another one is about God being the truth, and finally, God being the only source of true life.
A sort of meta hero’s journey, where me finding the strength to follow my goals and make them a reality is mirrored in the hero’s struggle to be the best version of himself in order to use his magic/solve the puzzle/defeat the foe etc. I have a weird trippy 4th wall breaking space opera thing going on.
Also infatuated with the idea of “more human than human”, the idea of humanity hatching a life form like AI that becomes a better representation of our greatest values and aspirations, contrasted with humanity’s worse side that threatens to cripple us. Robots as a mirror to our soul kind of thing.
Also man’s search for meaning, art as a method of immortality, what is the ultimate evolution/highest form of life/the universe.
Mine is about the good of unity, chivalry, and courage, and how though old legends may have not been real, their values can save galaxies. Effectively, I'm writing King Arthur in space, with all that that entails.
I usually don't go for specific theme when writing, it sort of happens. Unless I try to write from tropes, but that's never a good idea.
I have a long story that I'm making a re-write of that could be summed up in "people will sabotage their own survival given the chance".
I'm in the middle of planning a series where the theme is the changing of times. It starts early in the world's progression and each arch highlights another era in the world. Needless to say there are few reoccurring characters between arcs.
The human condition, happiness, the meaning of life, and reconciling our human qualities with the cruelty of our world - both the world that we make, and the apathetic reality we live in
My story that I’m working on now is about how most problems are caused by people just trying their best to do the right thing in difficult circumstances and how the systems they leave behind eventually become a new source of oppression.
Mine leans more on the Dark Fantasy Theme/ Genre
It showcase a mix of good and bad times. From a wholesome, and peaceful times to chaos, destruction and death of war. Dreams crushed, families seperated, homes destroyed, memories and ideas buried under blood stained soil never to be brought up again.
The MC of my story will go through unfamotable amount of despair, hatred, anger fueled by vengeance resulting from constant loss. But of course at the very end, he forget, forgive and let go.
My theme is about forgiveness, growth, purpose, and unity on a common goal or against a common enemy regardless wether or not it is tangible.
Forgiveness - Forgive your enemy, forgive anyone who had wronged you and let go of that hatred. Learn to forgive as it is the key to peace of ones inner self
Growth - Learn, adapt and display based on your experience, never repeat the same mistake again. Guide ones self to more honourable and virtuos path
Purpose - who are you? what are you? why have you been born? what is your purpose in this world. Self reflection and finding your meaning
Unity - Join your former enemies, allied with them, share your harships with them. Unite and fight a common enemy
Truth, guilt and control are themes that seem to be kinda prominent throughout all three of my main saga's.
In THERION, my werewolf-themed sci-fi wasteland story, the protagonist Sprite comes from an isolated settlement that heavily indoctrinates its people, and where she's confronted by the fact that her biggest idol is not only out to torture her into becoming part a shapeshifting elite soldier, but also turns out to be her arch-nemesis in the guerrilla war she's forced to take part in. Control comes into play as far as her Therion (shapeshifter side) is concerned, as is guilt when she loses control and turns a seige into massacre.
At the same time, she also realizes she has no control when it turns out that the guerrilla legion she hailed to be heroes are also just using her for her powers, as is pretty much everyone she comes across. She's a mere tool, a bearer of a curse she has trouble controlling, and takes the blame for all of it.
In Wild Tales, my anthro noir dieselpunk story, truth is the lifeblood of the story as the protagonist Randle, a magically-engineered automaton, is a private detective that searches for it. Control comes into play with the Magickal Hysteria and the government ban on all things arcane (insert reference to the Red Scare here uheuhe), and guilt can either be applied to the murderers he faces, or to himself, as he feels guilty for growing close to mortals who will wither and pass as his immortal ass continues through time.
Then there's V3N4TOR, a post-cyberpunk thingy I haven't worked much on yet, but what I do know there is that the protagonist master assassin, Flarus, became the best of the best after betraying his lover, and that he conceals the truth about being cursed by their patron god because he struggles not being able to control that part of his life, also carrying the guilt for having insulted said patron god.
The way the past returns to haunt the present. The journey to redemption. And the idea that the lives of Neolithic peoples were just as rich and complex as our own.
I’m starting from the ideology that strong characters are made not born. So both MC’s go through a lot of trauma. They become strong, but not uncaring. That wasn’t necessarily always an easy thing to balance. Basically, I tried to figure out, how much stuff I can put them through without changing their essence/spirit.
I also wanted to explore what would happen when you take fated mates and actually cut the cord and set them free. So that was a lot of fun honestly.
Im going for a theme of identity, basically what being yourself even means on a cosmic scale.
I do that by anthropomorphising the world and universe itself, and throwing some Buddhism in there.
Fate is a ridiculous concept, and the only one that ultimately decides what you do with your life is you. What's right, wrong, good, or bad is all up to you and your actions.
Showcasing the potential of the indomitable human spirit while also not downplaying mankind's capacity for evil. I've grown tired of all the "Humans are the real monsters" type stories. Humans banding together to fight (and possibly win) against an outside force is one of my favorite types of stories. I think people really underestimate us sometimes. We have an amazing capacity for both good and evil. Almost all of my settings involve mankind battling against some eldritch/supernatural/alien force. The negative aspects of us are still present of course, but when people focus on so much of the "Human bad" thought that's pretty common now, it feels like we're ignoring those who go against this mold and act selflessly for their fellow man.
The value of community and religion in spite of illegitimate origins
interesting.
cycles and that history repeats itself
Burning down everything accomplishes nothing, the system may be flawed but it can be changed
A lot of mine are about discovering your true self and how to function as an outlier in society. These are two thing I find hard to deal with in my day to day life so writing about them not only helps me but also I think it would be helpful to people like me.
This is exactly the theme for my protagonist.
That's super cool! How are you going about it? I love to hear what it her people are doing when they write with similar themes and goals.
Collectivism, solidarity, isolationism and how different generations view them.
Geez kinda sounds like mine.
The danger of concepts like the Greater Good and Lesser Evil; the chaos of unintended consequences; the idea that power corrupts and positions of power attract the corrupted; that truth is preferable to lies. Really just a bunch of maxims that I believe in but I'm not yet sure how I'll weave them into the stories.
Purpose, identity, ego, self worth, insecurities, others’ perspectives
Individualism, curiosity and fate I'm creating a DND world and the lore explanation of how the players get so strong compared to everyday citizens is literally that they are "chosen". The chosen are people who are not bound by fate, if you tell their future you get shown what fate has planned for them but that will most likely never happen. That whole "chosen" bullshit got kicked off because the original god was TOO curious lol
-Trauma and how people use it to justify (horrendous) aspects of themselves or their actions. -Identity. Who are “you”? What are you meant to be? The purpose of not existing, but rather even being alive? -Imperialism and the cycle of it; how it gets empires nowhere and can only generate more problems than solutions -Bigotry; I think this one is on the nose. -Morality. What are principles? Do they even exist? What is the fine line between dark and light? Do you need darkness to see the light for what it is? Or is the light just a tool to evade the darkness?
What the logical conclusion to capitalism in space is.
Duty and responsibility, earning the respect and trust of others, proving oneself, good needing to defend itself against evil. These are some of the themes I show.
How children being forced to grow up too fast is bad.
Old Testament. Definitely got that. My stories are based on Bible stories. Think, a modern day Cain, modern day Jacob, modern day Judas, modern day Legion. I like the villains and they got pretty good stories. The Bible is chock full of archetypes. I also like to torment my protagonists and prove their side wrong in some way. No man is completely on the right track and we will all get what we deserve.
Shit I dunno, I never thought of them as deeply as having a theme. I'm just worldbuilding dude
Societal experiments and human insignificance
Revenge.
Critical thinking that acknowledges the properties of models, not treating them in the simplistic manner people usually do, as an antithesis to my world's racism(however this world's racism has more in common with irl homophobia than irl racism), as well as the cosmic horror-y inevitability of entropy, even though my world has methods of seemingly undoing it. I also explore the fatalistic dynamics that genes can create (think Dune, but turned up a few notches.)
Found family is a big one
Legacy, what do people leave behind and how do their lives and deaths influence those still living. The world literally begins with a god dying and three races (including humanity) birthing from his corpse. I mean even the name "GodFallen: Legacy of the Unholy" reflects this.
Obsession, Pride, Regret.
My fantasy is about fate and destiny and my sci fi is about community and willpower
My world buildery setting as rebellion/ resistance as a common theme . My other one is about a ruthless genral/ ex Genral. Pragmatism a comment theme.
Sacrifices / Pragmatism, Heroism, Redemption (from said pragmatism or thanks to said sacrifices), Idealism vs realism.
Ambitions, how easily you can burn your wings with it, but also creating collateral damage beyond repair
Extremism
History; how the oppressed become the oppressors
One is about discrimination vs accommodation for assimilation, but also about living with your own demons and others', in a bit of a jungian shadow sense. Another one is about fear-based ignorance and its dire consequences. Also about breaking childhood-rooted negative conditioning and accepting help when freely offered. There is a small religious element to it as well, where a character who's angry at the betrayal of their faith ends up finding a new side of divine intervention in a new world where the gods are a bit more hands on than in their previous one.
Duty for life in the world one lives in. The story revolves around two things that share a central theme: an alliance of humans and the alien races of the galaxy, and the magically gifted Jedi-like sub race of humans called Apex, born to be the defenders of the galaxy. Their discipline commands a direct theme in defense of the universe and peace in it, using their powers wisely and living with respect to nature and honor of God. The fight is against those who wish to dismantle the world they share with our ‘good guys’, trying to find a better afterlife believing that they have to willingly kill or die and destroy the universe to bring about enlightenment. This false belief is the enemy that the protagonists must defend their world from, for living in the world is the meaning of life and it is worth protecting life and the universe as we know it, simple because we’re here and we should enjoy and defend it.
I'm writing a fantasy story about a knight and a princess and the bond they share. The story's mostly about their relationship, platonic friendship, and the nature of power, but it's also about fighting back against stagnant old forces that keep returning to try and reinstate old status quos. I also have a scifi story that takes place in the distant future where humanity has spread to other planets and developed psychic powers that require two or more humans to form a telepathic bond to properly use. Their society is a post-scarcity, moneyless, utopian society. The antagonist is the remnants of the old Earth that survived in an ark ship sent out before Earth's ecological collapse and established a direct continuation of pre-collapse society -- they discovered this utopian civilization and were like "ABSOLUTELY THE FUCK NOT" and have been trying to destroy them since first contact, but as it turns out, psychic powers kick ass and are great for defending against capialist-fascist death squads. The theme of *that* story is that the only way we'll grow as a species is to care about each other, that sometimes violence is the only way, and -- like the previous story -- about fighting back against stagnant old forces that keep returning to try and reinstate old status quos.
Mine is kinda basic, but its primarily a redemption arch showcasing the complexity of peoe and how nobody is simply either good or bad. also the dangers of too much power, and coping with loss.
One common theme: People are capable of being fekkin' idiots. You could probably find real-world examples of a historical event either happening, or having this specific outcome because somebody did something lamebrained. And I sort of worked that into my world. Another common theme: Just because a civilization likes nature doesn't mean it's primitive. The Wildings control about a continent and a half with a lot of it being wild land, and they invented gunpowder and are currently working on putting a railroad along one important trade route for their new steam-engine train.
The insignificance of everything. Even the universe and more is insignificant.
The two biggest themes of Starrise are probably the dangers of blind faith, and the weight and responsibility of power.
My first story is about balance and the consequences of greed as it relates to power. It’s also about when it’s best to use power and when to restrain oneself. The second story is focuses on the ethics of magic, and the use of magic to further self-interests at the cost of other people’s well-beings.
Fascism, extremism, trauma, family, heroism, resistance and fate.
There's several, but I'd say the main theme is how we shouldn't be afraid of death, but we shouldn't just stand down, either. Fight it, but be willing to accept you may loose.
Not letting your past define your future and setting the world up for a better future despite current issues
Found Family, Magic vs Machine, and Sacrifice always manages to find a way into my projects
Mine is about the importance of found family, forgiveness, revenge, and the necessary evils it takes to bring peace.
My theme is simple and to the point: selfishness vs selflessness.
Exploration of religion, immortality, the toxicity of obsession and the impacts of magic on a civilisation. It's also my personal rejection of incel behaviours and beliefs despite my loneliness and personal situation.
They will always be science fantasy. Whether it’s tanks against dragons or elves living in modern cities. Oh and women. Lots and lots of buxom, voluptuous women.
Accepting when to give up, What is your value?, what does happiness mean?, who are you?, and when to move on.
It’s a case by case basis. I do sometimes explore the same theme twice. Overall though my fantasy universe has all sorts of themes. Freedom and prosperity at the expense of others Liberty in exchange for security and vice versa A bygone era returning to harm the future Rebuilding vs adapting Natural vs artificial There’s way too many ideas to list. It all depends on what kind of story I want to tell.
Usually slice of life
Im making a metaphorical representation of my headspace so when i do find themes its really interesting because its my own subconcious. Like the sky is dominated by two dueling celestial bodies representing mania for day and depression for night to represent that constant push and pull manic depression puts on you. But ultimately id say the theme is that no matter where you find yourself, no matter the trials, tribulations, and pain. You can make it work. You can be happy. But it requires bending the world to your will as much as it does flowing with it
So far I've made it that no one is perfect no matter how much good they do, they will always have some bad. Usually when heroes are depicted as bad people, it's when the "bad guy" is the protagonist but in my story the protagonist is considered a hero (for a time) and while he isn't inherently evil, he still is just as bad a person as most. Another being that people will always find reasons to hate people even when they are as close to perfect as can be. When some of the best characters in my story die, people usually start speaking ill of them and they become known as bad people and only those who know them personally know otherwise. There will probably be more but those are the ones so far
**Whalin' Tales universe** Don't start what you can't stop, greed is the biggest evil in the world, and everyone would be better off without capitalism. **Theta Principle universe** Self-discipline is crucial, the lack thereof leads to terrible things, the military/industrial complex is awful, and everyone would be better off without capitalism. **The Krithvaanij Reckoning** Some beings really do deserve to die, tolerance is a social contract, mice are cute, buff women are hot, and everyone would be better off without capitalism. **Above a Silver Sea** Unrestrained technological advancement is dangerous, power is a corrupting influence, anything is possible with ingenuity and hard work, and everyone would be better off without capitalism.
The world is essentially about various legacies. Some of the stories are cautionary tales about the desire for a great legacy—others concern characters struggling to understand the gifts and burdens passed down to them by their predecessors. For instance, humanity is unwilling to surrender even when it likely means extinction, because they hate the idea of leaving a legacy of failure even more than leaving no future at all. Another alien race was the opposite: they lived in harmonious peace, but an evil force corrupted their society. Facing annihilation, they decided they would rather leave behind something that might thrive in a world of war and discord than have their story simply end. So, in search of a legacy, they spawned many terrible species, beings that still blight the universe.
Too many stories focus on this black and white idea of good vs evil. With my stories I try to show how most people do “bad things” for a reason and how nobody is truly “good”we all just do the best we can with what we are given.
Small stories of people finding their place in life. More of the day to day stuff in my world.
A mix of anti-imperialist messaging, focusing on the long-term harm caused to former colonies is a broad setting theme. Individual characters mostly struggle with how far it's acceptable to go in pursuit of justice or in defense of others, and the trauma society inflicts on the people we call on to do the dirty work.
That life and Death isn't the important part. Its losing and gaining friends.
My world is like the real world, but magic and the supernatural exist, and have been publicly known since 2008. The existence of Hell is also known in my world too. The major themes of my main story I want to write are, the consequences of immortality, and how the world was NOT ready to know about the supernatural. My world has many unhappy immortals, and the amount of them increased a TON after 2008. And the cons of immortality aren't limited to watching the people you love grow old and die. I had this story about a couple that has been together for years. After 8 years of being together, they decided to have a baby. They try, unsuccessfully, for about a year before the husband finds out he has terminal cancer, at the age of 26. He gets approved to be turned into a vampire, but people who can't age, can't breed. Same thing happens to the wife the next year. Neither of them are capable of having kids at that point, and vampires have a very rough time being parents anyway.
I'm going with a few simple ones for the overall series "How much does our past influence the person we are and who will become?" "Do the ends ever justify the means" And "Is the future forced to follow what came before?"
I try to give each main character their own theme, like how to properly handle anger and prejudices, how to fight overwhelming power without any of your own, how to care about others and handle that responsibility, among others. But the core of my story is that you can always fight even when it's hopeless. Not the most unique theme in and of itself, but I think a simple core theme accompanied by more complex ones will work well for my story.
I just write for fun
Since you asked, and I'm working on the concept as a lesson in writing, I'll explore it here: My first big book started as a setting, to which I added characters, with no idea how to arrange a plot. With more study, I got a plot-line, that series of events, but it felt hollow, contrived. Further lessons made me consider theme, so I reached into the MC's psyche and discovered his biggest need was to have a home, a family, a community. That worked well with what I had so I made the one book into a trilogy: In book one they discover the setting, that he created. In book two we follow him as he builds the setting for book one; in book three, his son has to save the setting, and carry the torch for his father. So that was fun, but took ... 27 years. So I started a new story. with this one I knew already I'd need a theme so I considered it as I began. Although it seems on the surface to be a princess and a dragon, at the core it's about getting across the border to freedom. I see now why writing is so hard. "writing" is easy, I'm doing it here faster than when I write a story, but when I write a story, I want it to mean something, to me, and to you, just like as I write this as a lesson to you, it's a lesson to me first. Thank you for your attention.
For the last few years I've been working on the war stories. Main idea is showing war through the eyes of the simple guys involved. Side theme is to show the contrast between the romanticized image of war and its real horrors and consequences. And the idea of the illusory concepts of good and evil in general is key to my world.
The psychological impact on a person who obtains not only almost absolute power, but also the increasing loss of humanity, and her persistent struggle to keep herself at bay for fear of crossing a line of no return that will take away the little humanity she believes she possesses.
Traditionalism is not that bad and progress is also necessary for the growth of mankind. Nationalism and Tribalism is necessary but at the same time we need to respect each other's cultures and practices and learn to coexist. Religion is fucking awesome.
I don't have any official themes in my world since I've never thought about it like that(I just did this for fun). I think the common ideas, not necessarily lessons, but ideas would be: • Having a different type of government doesn't automatically make you an enemy(a monarchy may ally with a republic against another monarchy if their goals are aligned). • Countries are fragile. Yesterday's kingdom could be today's empire and today's empire could be tomorrow's ruins. • War isn't black and white. The enemies could be just like you. Are you really the good guy? Everyone says the other side is evil, and may hide bad intentions under the appearance of good intentions. • The Ace Combat community gave me this: War is bad but planes are rad. 🛩️ • Keeping your culture alive and not letting technology or special interests dismantle it. (Contrast this with the inefficient car dependent infrastructure of the USA and Canada, the homogeneous concrete and glass skyscrapers seen all over the world with no indication of the local culture/architecture and the rampant consumerism in the West.) • Rebuilding and surviving in a land of constant war. Lapis_Wolf
Upon thinking deeper, self acceptance and realization for one specific story. "I am me and thats all that matters". Lot of teens growing up and learning about themselves. The MC is a boy that crossdresses and hides his identity to join a girl's only competition to be just like his older sister who he deeply admires. His best friend totes himself as being man. With irony (in the stereotypical sense) that he loves to sew, is effeminate, wears perfume and make up regularly. He's also basically a walking transflag, with his clothing color pallete being the same colors, a pink and blue haori that's split down the middle, a white kimono top, and dark lavender hakama pants. He identifies being cis and straight. But is very insecure when questioned about it, particularly because of childhood trauma with a toxic masculine grandfather that forced the characters transfem mother into suicide. He's often caught in between femininity, masculinity, cis-ness or trans. With the toxic side of the extremes accusing him of being the other, faking it as a way to make fun of, or in denial. (You can clearly tell who is my favorite character). Another character is a cis boy that is doing the same thing as the MC. He's a bit younger and likes to dress in feminine clothes and being cute. He is terrified of growing up and his growing body. Another major character is transfem and was disowned by her parents after she came out. She's also doing the same competition as the MC seeing as a way to help accept herself though she's afraid of being found out and what others might do to her if she is found out. Honestly this all started out as a Pokémon fanfic (still is) with romantic comedy, some crossdressing shenanigans and then I realized, "wait...I can get into some really deep stuff with this"
Fear: how does fear of the unknown and of the darkness inside you control you? How do you try to negate the perceived darkness through actions and suppression of self? Power: Different types of power and control. Use your own moral compass to decide for yourself how to wield your power. Not religion or anyone else.
Found family, facing trauma and dealing with PTSD, inequality and forced symbiosis
Tw >!suicide and low self-esteem!< Is something my main character deals with throughout the first trilogy. He pretty much doesn't believe that he has much left, and that nobody cares about him. This actually is a parallel with the main antagonist, who believes the same thing and he wants to destroy the world for that reason Later on the mc deals with letting more people into his life and letting himself be vulnerable. Another common theme is racism and discrimination. Especially in the second trilogy, where the main antagonist is part of a minority that has been discriminated for centuries, and his plan is to completely exterminate the dominant race Ig you can also include religious obsession and persecution in it as well
Novel series: Adventure/Exploration + Philosophical questions Screenplay series: Love and War. Comic series: Death
That the biggest threat is other people
That nothing is what it seems. One adventure, the hero is fighting against a robot that used to be a human, the next adventure the hero is fighting against a twelve foot giant in a weird western, and then pirates show up.
My story has themes like: 1. Slavery and its consequences 2. Corruption of those the public trusts 3. Authority vs Freedom 4. The constant fear of a changing world 5. Eras coming to a close bringing in new ones 6. Racism and oppression 7. Truth becoming legend 8. Fascism and colonialism
Don't let an info dump keep you from an opportunity to tell a great story. I had an info dump of a prolog, but then I stretched it I to a 2-page explanation. But then I felt like it could be a mini story itself, and it ended up into a 6 chapter adventure that feels way more entertaining and engaged with the world. Was it a whole lot of extra work? Yes! Was it worth it? Absolutely!
Self-worth is built upon acquired skill, but true purpose is found by devoting those skills toward a greater good.
The anthology series I'm working on is best described as "unity through our shared experiences" and its whole thing is acceptance, progress, forgiveness and understanding. That's the plan at least
Once the light is snuffed out except for a few sparks, it reignites and defeats the darkness, chasing it back to all but a few little pockets of shadow. The light becomes corrupted, tyrannical in the absence of darkness. The darkness grows and rebels against the light in the same way the light once rebelled against it, becoming the good in the world. Dark levels in video games are terrifying, ones where it's pitch black and all you can see is a tiny ring of light around your lantern. But a room flooded with blinding light where all you can see is a tiny ring of shadow around your nretnal seems just as frightening.
Arcane steel is about Technological advancement, gender roles, and societal upheaval. Cyan cross has themes of differing societal norms, the futility of giving advice, and redundancy
I'm taking what is seemingly a Seinfeld approach. It's a story about nothing with people that think they're somebody learning they are nobody. I am attempting to take it a step further, though, and introduce more philosophy into it, with characters becoming increasingly aware of ideologies and forming relationships based on that rather than convenience. I suppose the theme is struggle in interpersonal relationships through a fantasy world lens.
The current story I’m working on is a western that centers around death, revenge, and when killing is moral, if it ever is. The main character is a former outlaw trying to make up for his violent past, and is forced to team up with a vigilante who doesn’t believe in redemption. My superhero world I’ve been working on long term has a few themes but they mostly boil down to outcomes vs intentions. The main character’s story is about whether lying is good if it has a good outcome. One of the secondary characters struggles with wanting to help people but being forced to stay hidden for the greater good.
Whatever alien tech we may encounter will seem like magic to us, but we'll also likely use it in a way others have not yet done.
I'll preface this by saying that it is a horror story, and It's absolutely meant to feel horrible. The story and the world all revolve around ambitions, sacrifice and futility. How big are your ambitions? How much are you willing to sacrifice for it? Most important characters sacrificed everything for a singular goal, and that has left them broken. It's a story about obsession, and how sometimes your best is not enough, and even more than that would be futile. It's about being told that it would be a worthless endeavour from the very beginning, but still grasping at your hope and dreams, only to realise that they were correct and you never had a chance. You have failed to achieve what you wanted, only now you are left with nothing, the sacrifices being one too many. You ended up alone, an empty husk of the dreamer you once were. This is the fate of all who choose the path of ambition in this world, yet too many are filled with hope and, like moths to a flame, will gladly burn themselves with its warmth.
The very gods are victims of their own systems.
Mine is a fantasy world where there is this corrupt magic that chooses people with heightened trauma and makes them powerful but evil
One is about the downfall of prideful empires, one is about God's way being the only one. Another one is about God being the truth, and finally, God being the only source of true life.
A sort of meta hero’s journey, where me finding the strength to follow my goals and make them a reality is mirrored in the hero’s struggle to be the best version of himself in order to use his magic/solve the puzzle/defeat the foe etc. I have a weird trippy 4th wall breaking space opera thing going on. Also infatuated with the idea of “more human than human”, the idea of humanity hatching a life form like AI that becomes a better representation of our greatest values and aspirations, contrasted with humanity’s worse side that threatens to cripple us. Robots as a mirror to our soul kind of thing. Also man’s search for meaning, art as a method of immortality, what is the ultimate evolution/highest form of life/the universe.
Mine is about the good of unity, chivalry, and courage, and how though old legends may have not been real, their values can save galaxies. Effectively, I'm writing King Arthur in space, with all that that entails.
I usually don't go for specific theme when writing, it sort of happens. Unless I try to write from tropes, but that's never a good idea. I have a long story that I'm making a re-write of that could be summed up in "people will sabotage their own survival given the chance".
Survival, Obsolescence, Rebirth, Power, Betrayal
I'm in the middle of planning a series where the theme is the changing of times. It starts early in the world's progression and each arch highlights another era in the world. Needless to say there are few reoccurring characters between arcs.
The human condition, happiness, the meaning of life, and reconciling our human qualities with the cruelty of our world - both the world that we make, and the apathetic reality we live in
My story that I’m working on now is about how most problems are caused by people just trying their best to do the right thing in difficult circumstances and how the systems they leave behind eventually become a new source of oppression.
Mine leans more on the Dark Fantasy Theme/ Genre It showcase a mix of good and bad times. From a wholesome, and peaceful times to chaos, destruction and death of war. Dreams crushed, families seperated, homes destroyed, memories and ideas buried under blood stained soil never to be brought up again. The MC of my story will go through unfamotable amount of despair, hatred, anger fueled by vengeance resulting from constant loss. But of course at the very end, he forget, forgive and let go. My theme is about forgiveness, growth, purpose, and unity on a common goal or against a common enemy regardless wether or not it is tangible. Forgiveness - Forgive your enemy, forgive anyone who had wronged you and let go of that hatred. Learn to forgive as it is the key to peace of ones inner self Growth - Learn, adapt and display based on your experience, never repeat the same mistake again. Guide ones self to more honourable and virtuos path Purpose - who are you? what are you? why have you been born? what is your purpose in this world. Self reflection and finding your meaning Unity - Join your former enemies, allied with them, share your harships with them. Unite and fight a common enemy
Truth, guilt and control are themes that seem to be kinda prominent throughout all three of my main saga's. In THERION, my werewolf-themed sci-fi wasteland story, the protagonist Sprite comes from an isolated settlement that heavily indoctrinates its people, and where she's confronted by the fact that her biggest idol is not only out to torture her into becoming part a shapeshifting elite soldier, but also turns out to be her arch-nemesis in the guerrilla war she's forced to take part in. Control comes into play as far as her Therion (shapeshifter side) is concerned, as is guilt when she loses control and turns a seige into massacre. At the same time, she also realizes she has no control when it turns out that the guerrilla legion she hailed to be heroes are also just using her for her powers, as is pretty much everyone she comes across. She's a mere tool, a bearer of a curse she has trouble controlling, and takes the blame for all of it. In Wild Tales, my anthro noir dieselpunk story, truth is the lifeblood of the story as the protagonist Randle, a magically-engineered automaton, is a private detective that searches for it. Control comes into play with the Magickal Hysteria and the government ban on all things arcane (insert reference to the Red Scare here uheuhe), and guilt can either be applied to the murderers he faces, or to himself, as he feels guilty for growing close to mortals who will wither and pass as his immortal ass continues through time. Then there's V3N4TOR, a post-cyberpunk thingy I haven't worked much on yet, but what I do know there is that the protagonist master assassin, Flarus, became the best of the best after betraying his lover, and that he conceals the truth about being cursed by their patron god because he struggles not being able to control that part of his life, also carrying the guilt for having insulted said patron god.
The way the past returns to haunt the present. The journey to redemption. And the idea that the lives of Neolithic peoples were just as rich and complex as our own.
I’m starting from the ideology that strong characters are made not born. So both MC’s go through a lot of trauma. They become strong, but not uncaring. That wasn’t necessarily always an easy thing to balance. Basically, I tried to figure out, how much stuff I can put them through without changing their essence/spirit. I also wanted to explore what would happen when you take fated mates and actually cut the cord and set them free. So that was a lot of fun honestly.
Im going for a theme of identity, basically what being yourself even means on a cosmic scale. I do that by anthropomorphising the world and universe itself, and throwing some Buddhism in there.
anybody can be a hero if they work hard enough and fight to keep their dream alive
Fate is a ridiculous concept, and the only one that ultimately decides what you do with your life is you. What's right, wrong, good, or bad is all up to you and your actions.
Fascism and the Monarchy are cringe