On Writing: The Darkest Hour Trope [ Avatar | LOTR | Doctor Who ]

[@HelloFutureMe]

Am I a family channel? AM I? What am I? Who am I?! Boy it sure sounds like I'm in a darkest hour and you can help by linktr.ee/timhickson

[@wyvernscale9634]

You're a. A channel! Certainly. /pos

[@drasilvos8461]

Never really considered the channel "family friendly" and some topics discussed wouldn't always be appropriate to younger viewers. I love this channel personally, though. I have been watching for years now.

[@nessesaryschoolthing]

Would families watch this? Probably not. Would classrooms? Yeah, I think they should!

[@Skiddlescout]

I mean, the me who first discovered your channel is what I would call child age and I loved those theory videos. I'd say that the writing videos aren't family friendly, but a lot of other stuff is

[@wham_sandwitch]

I neither have a family, nor am I firendly, but i do watch this channel, so i suppose it's not

[@Hoellewood_Solutions]

“I can carry you!” Is possibly one of the most powerful character moments in literary history.

[@empressfreya9872]

Their relationship was wonderful over the trilogy but that one moment truly cemented just how close they actually were. No matter what Frodo did to Sam, Sam loves him and he is going to make sure that Frodo is succeeding

[@Hoellewood_Solutions]

@@empressfreya9872 it also solidified the image of how strong hearted everyone was and dedicated to finishing the fight.

[@BG12sofia]

And movie history as well.

[@everyonegetselfears1444]

Sam best boy

[@herefishyfishy13]

It makes me cry every time.

[@merrittanimation7721]

"Because Gotham gets only two hours of sunlight a day" Ouch

[@cameoshadowness7757]

Big ouch! I thought Bruce bought them an extra hour last year but apparently they don't last more than a few days.

[@Arelenedhel]

That made me laugh. I wasn’t expecting that from Tim.

[@hayleybartek8643]

Maybe that’s why there’s so much crime in Gotham. Lack of sunlight making everyone cranky.

[@paulcolour3030]

"much like Brad Pitts wife, it comes to you in pieces" is a brutal line. Very funny.

[@srilemobitelsrile8809]

Especially now.

[@tlsgrz6194]

To whomever is writing my life: It's called darkest HOUR, not darkest decade, thank you very much

[@Whit-wy2ow]

Request a different genre because that sounds like a tragedy not an epic

[@savvivixen8490]

Hear, hear!

[@Alphahye]

In the wise words of Homer, "The worst day of your life *so far*."

[@spuburq]

Time is a ham construct, it's still only been an hour, sorry

[@mranderson9813]

Rome may have burned in a day but it wasn't built in one ;)

[@heywhat6676]

I feel like one massive video on dark and sensitive topics (not just mental illness, more like morality, abuse, cruelty, trauma and the like) and how to write them respectfully and intergrate them into your worldbuilding and characters would be so so wonderful and worthwhile to see

[@ashtonpeterson4618]

He made a video about suicidality in media. Have you watched that? It's good

[@heywhat6676]

@@ashtonpeterson4618 Yes! Its one of my favorite videos of all time, its so thoughtful and well done. I'd love to see more videos concerning such topics

[@ashtonpeterson4618]

@@heywhat6676 I'm not sure if you like Avatar the Last Airbender show or not but you'd probably like his video analyzing Azula then. Mental health stuff

[@heywhat6676]

@@ashtonpeterson4618 Thanks for the suggestion, I have seen that one twice already hehe

[@AFMR0420]

A video covering martyrdom, accidental, intentional and self harm would be super interesting. Plus haven’t really seen it covered.

[@kennyholmes5196]

About the pet scene from WALL-E: The logic is still there. It's just that the pet is a cockroach, not a grasshopper.

[@privateemail9755]

Words are made up. They are practically the same thing, except grasshoppers puke and poop when you pick them up.

[@privateemail9755]

They're both edible, I see no difference.

[@kennyholmes5196]

@@privateemail9755 One of them's a detritivore, the other is an herbivore. And if words are made up, then I guess you wouldn't mind a Jabberwock showing up on your door and flagellating you with its' tail at your request.

[@ChopTheViking]

@@kennyholmes5196 don't you threaten us all with a good time.

[@kennyholmes5196]

@@ChopTheViking Fun fact: One of those two words is a real word that describes something/some action that exists!

[@viktorlindqvist5308]

"Do you have families? Are you friendly?" No, because I'am the protagonist of this universe. My family was killed by the Dark Lord, I was betrayed by those I called friends and all feelings of responsibility to give back to the world have been lost to me. I am no longer friendly. This... this is my darkest hour.

[@autisticdancer]

Do you need a hug?

[@viktorlindqvist5308]

@@autisticdancer Haha

[@aisha5156]

@@autisticdancer Yes.

[@SaiyanHeretic]

Tired: iT's NoT a GrAsShOpPeR iT's A cOcKrOaCh Wired: Calling it a grasshopper got lots of people to comment, very clever Inspired: *It's a cockroach named "Grasshopper" because Wall-E doesn't have enough context about human culture and language to understand the difference*

[@abigailthebagel]

That.... that is smart

[@Leto85]

0:25 'The last piece of cake has been eaten, and the cake was a lie anyway.' Dude, you never fail to crack me up while simultaneously remain educational. This is just brilliant.

[@podracer35]

I always keep this line from Legend of Korra in the back of my mind: "When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."

[@hymio1646]

So glad you mentioned that Doctor Who episode. It's absolutely iconic and David Tennant's acting is just *chef's kiss*

[@Arelenedhel]

Tennant is pretty great in most of his episodes.

[@Krlytz]

I think Sanderson made a great use of a darkest hour for a character with a mental illness in The Rhythm of War, that if done poorly could look like the thing you said shouldn't be done -emerging from a suicide attempt into a glorious climactic victory. But I think the key to make it right were a couple of things. Firstly, the depressed state that drove the character to try to end their life was not just the result of a bad thing that had just happened, but something that had been established throughout the whole book, and even in the previous ones. And second, even though there is a moment of emerging victorious right after, once the climax has passed it is left VERY clear that the character is not out of the woods, and that the progress they made is only the first step on a long road to recovery. So it doesn't become a magical solution that made depression go away instantly. Anyways, Brandon is awesome, so it's not surprising he was able to pull off such an impactful arc =)

[@barryfraser831]

Heck, The character agrees he needs to retire after everything he's gone through. He is still broken just not as broken.

[@bookmasterharry4432]

Brandon Sanderson is a writing Juggernaut and a Personal hero of mine, and I agree. He did that beautifully.

[@DandDgamer]

Another huge moment of darkest hour, Dalinar in OB. He is destroyed by the knowledge of his past and that's not really resolved when he goes out to the battlefield, he's just pushing on. Its at that climactic confrontation that his arc really comes to a head

[@DandDgamer]

Also - another reason Kal works is he doesn't just get power of friendship. There's a profound reveal and discussion with a lost connection that is believable as temporarily adjusting his mindstate.

[@bookmasterharry4432]

@@DandDgamer and it affects though closest to him, specifically Syl, negatively when he can't deal with it, which is sad, but realistic. Living with someone struggling with Mental Illness is hard, and it's just a detail I liked.

[@jmace2424]

“It’s like in the old stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. Sometimes you didn’t want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?” … “There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for!”

[@frostielotr]

The symmetry in that wall-e scene goes further, as Eve at the beginning is robot-like and the flip of that is heart wrenching. Just compounds the emotion of losing the character that has had such impact on the rest of the cast

[@reigningmonarch]

Hey just wanted to let you know I really really appreciate your videos. I may not be a writer but i am making a world as a little passion project, and graham the wizard who likes cats many various journeys have been incredibly helpful! Thank you so much! I can’t wait to pick up on writing and world building 2. All praise Momo

[@wolf-xf6hf]

To me the version of the mental illness darkest hour is this. It’s not when they decide not to kill themselves but later one when they are trying to get better and they have to choose the hard way to get better instead of relapsing. It’s on the journey up but at the moment when they can either choose to let themselves fall back deeper into depression or do the hard personal work to reach out for help that is required for them to get better

[@dillonbodnar2393]

I really appreciate the final point of how mental illness doesn't just "go away" after winning through the darkest hour. I'd add that if you want to end a story of mental illness with a character truly putting everything behind them to live happily ever after, the darkest hour is not them in their worst state, but rather them looking back at that state and falsely believing how a return to it would solve all their problems. Then the victory becomes the resolve to never go back

[@calladricosplays]

"There are no happy endings because nothing ever truly ends." ~The Last Unicorn

[@zweifaltspinsel2563]

Oh god, I simply HATE stories where mental illness is magically healed by the main character finally getting together with their love interest 🙄🙄 MI isn‘t a switch that can be flipped on and off, yet some writers still think it is :/ Great video! Thanks :)

[@Child_of_the_Void]

One of my favourite things about The Stromlight Archive is just this - one of the main characters suffers from depression, and he is in a constant struggle with it throughout the books. He has darkest hours that end with him making good choices and steps on the road to get better, but it's a never ending road - he relapses when tragedy strikes, and he isn't perfectly mentally well in his best moments. He just wakes up every day and chooses to keep going. His average state is slowly getting better, but I don't think he'll even "fully recover". Some people find it very taxing to read but I find it very relatable and cathartic

[@Mysterios1989]

Honestly, I never thought that the time on the lion turtle was Aang's darkest hour, as he was doing all he could to sticking to his morals. I think, his darkest hour was in the first episode of season three where he seemed not even to realize that he was about to toss his morals out of the window, where he was not pondering over sticking to his morals, but already made a decision to act.

[@pizzawashere8940]

Froddo does pass his darkest hour, but afterwards you can feel that mentally he'll never be the same. He's permanently traumatised and can't return to the perfect life he had before. Him leaving for the Undying Lands gives you hope that he's on the road to reaching his happy ending

[@Mrbiggunsomally]

Kaladin's arc in the Stormlight Archive is a brilliant example of how to do darkest hours within the context of depression/suicidality/mental illness.

[@5daboz]

HFM: Tell me, do you have families, do you have friends? Viewers: The darkest hours.

[@doctorhandsome]

Great video. My one disagreement is with the idea that Batman's Character Failure in the darkest hour of the Dark Knight is realizing that he will have to compromise his ethics. The intrusive surveillance gimmick doesn't conflict with his code in the slightest; as he explicitly states to the Joker, he has ONE rule. His Character Failure is that when given the choice between a character who represents the one chance for his own personal happiness and a character who represents the one chance for Gotham's salvation, he chooses "selfishly" to save Rachel (that the Joker lied about which was which is an extra kick in the teeth that adds to his Plot Failure). Bruce's conflict is whether he can be both a man and a symbol, and this darkest hour causes him to abandon any hope of a life for Bruce Wayne and commit 100% to his mission as Batman. This also functions as the darkest hour for the trilogy as a whole, which is not resolved until he reintegrates his personas and finds happiness as Bruce at the end of Dark Knight Rises.

[@noah8916]

The Joker technically never lied. He openly tells Batman that he will have to kill either one of them, and that "the act of killing is about making a choice", but Batman misreads the Joker and doesn't listen to his words. Joker gave batman the choice to kill Racheal or Harvey and Batman chooses Racheal. I've watched The Dark Knight 5 times now, and only just picked that up.

[@doctorhandsome]

@@noah8916 Nice catch that Joker toys with him by obliquely hinting at the game he's playing, but I'm sorry, he very explicitly lies. "He's at 250 52nd Street. And she's at Avenue X at Cicero." That's a lie.

[@ShadeSlayer1911]

Darkest hours are probably my favorite parts of stories, and I think whether or not they can pull it off successfully is a true test of an author's skill. Everything that the characters were built up to by all of the pages before lead up to how they handle their darkest hours.

[@finndelimatamay1983]

Oh, wait, Tim! I've asked before, but do you think you'll ever do a video on introducing new characters? (to an established cast). I know that Toph is probably the gold example, but I think Stranger Things does a pretty good job of it as well.

[@powerofanime1]

I will second this subject!

[@reichenkeller7538]

I third this

[@ineednochannelyoutube2651]

Character introductions, Please!

[@halfacyc8187]

00:25 'The last piece of cake has been eaten, and the cake was a lie anyway' _Knees: knocked_ _Timbers: shivered_

[@RonnocFroop]

As a reader I find my most common problem with darkest hours is when they finish too quickly or thoroughly. Consider drawing them out, or only resolving them as much as is required to get your characters back in the story. Particularly if you have a series then you can have a lot of things be broken in character at once, and you can resolve them one by one, as needed for various climaxes, without needing to break more stuff every time. Or you can even show that the things that readers thought were fixed maybe weren't as stable as they once believed.

[@javiervalenzuela8284]

The character not resolving it but having axioms that allow them to continue anyway can work. The character values life as an axiom or freewill as an axiom, the antagonist maybe brings up the fallout to the characters actions or some hypocrisy or paradox with the protagonists actions or world view, darkest hour, protagonist doesn't resolve the internal problem but chooses to continue as he puts his problems in the back burner. Like a damaged flawed protagonist I guess.

[@ChibiAccount]

I recently had a big thought about the "Good Story Problem" and life not having these kinds of climax and darkest hours. great to see content about it.

[@slevinchannel7589]

HBOMBERGUY UPLOADED TODAY!!!!

[@javiervalenzuela8284]

There's a lot of darkest hours there just aren't as many resolutions. In stories there will be some big redemption but in the real world redemption isn't one big act that saves humanity, it's small acts over years and years as you become the person you wanted to be. Getting your shit together, volunteering, taking time to reflect on yourself, who you are, who you want to be, accepting yourself for who you are today while acknowledging it can be better and taking steps to make it happen. Learning to love yourself while being able to be critical of yourself too.

[@TheOverArchiver]

The Tenth Doctor’s character arc across season 4 and into the special episodes (especially The Waters of Mars) is one of my favourite character arcs written.

[@Z4KK]

The waters of mars is an amazing episode, terrified me as a kid

[@TheOverArchiver]

@@Z4KK it’s really good. Honestly though, the Doctor Who episode that terrified me the most was Midnight.

[@mathieuleader8601]

I consider Flowers for Algernon a story that contends with disability and the darkest hour and handles it amazingly well

[@calladricosplays]

Same with the Last Unicorn

[@Thomas.Wright]

That's not a grasshopper. That's a cockroach. The one living creature people associate with surviving the apocalypse. Along with Twinkies.

[@TheOverArchiver]

Twinkies are living creatures?!!!!

[@Thomas.Wright]

@@TheOverArchiver Come to think of it, that actually explains a lot!

[@Ardorstorm]

And Tallahassee is damn well gonna get his goddamn twinkie

[@TalmoTheSell]

Oh wait, I never actually thought about that Twinkie bit like that haha

[@Dalenthas]

The Way of Kings has a very interesting take on the Darkest Hour and story structure. We the audience see it where you'd expect to, right before the climax of the story. For Kaladin though, it happens between chapters 1 and 2, and he spends the rest of the book dealing with it.

[@Jonanation]

more like the rest of the series, but I see your point. I’d argue that that is just his default, and his darkest hours are more like just darker hours. For example, Kaladins darker hour in book one is when he loses Syl, and his climax is when he chooses to defend Elkohar despite hating the guy and realistically having no chance. (At this point he has lost his powers, have a broken leg and is facing two full shardbearers)

[@Booksforthewin]

I’d argue the true darkest hour is losing Tien, he spends the first book dealing with it, his ‘Tiens’ getting massacred is just the climax of the darkest hour.

[@JaimeNyx15]

8:30 That's actually a cockroach. It's a great thematic companion for Wall-E, since it's the only kind of creature that can survive on this hellscape we've created for ourselves

[@H3R0Z.]

I know Tim always jokes about Australia being a mythical land that doesn't exist but he's officially convinced me today when he referred to a cockroach as a grasshopper.

[@JustBenUnofficial]

I think one of my all time favorite darkest hours was in Words of Radiance. Those who have read Stormlight know what I’m talking about. But I don’t want to spoil anything for those that haven’t.

[@Amanda-C.]

Kaladin is the person the archetypal protagonist wishes they were. Really, Stormlight is just great for darkest hours, great and small and across multiple character arcs.

[@emmanilsonb]

My favorite was in ROW!

[@PhoenixCrown]

Thanks for always saying something to the effect of "Don't be rigid with your structure. Use these as guidelines to make your story the best it can be." I get so sick of people saying even that story has to follow the 3 act structure. It's just a useful tool. Great vid!

[@Stratelier]

I really, _really_ like point 3, that not every story "needs" a Darkest Hour. People put this trope up on a pedestal as THE ONLY WAY (tm) to write ANY story, but that is just not true. You shouldn't _necessarily_ write any story according to a single formula (Darkest Hours / Hero's Journey included), storycrafting is *art more than science.*

[@thewingedporpoise]

I mean yeah because it ISN'T science it is quite literally ART, it's art because it's art.

[@nihili4196]

You should just change your channel name to "Let me explain everything in writing with Avatar" And you know what? I love it.

[@joesapiens2871]

The darkest hour can be a turning point when the hero decides to become the villain because they want to protect someone or a circumstance, usually caused by selfishness. Example, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.

[@draconiskittensweetie9765]

Obsessed with the moment around 5:50 where Momo js in your arms, her legs just... sticking in the air like a stuffed doll. She's silly

[@thewhizbang]

This is hands down my favorite series of anything on KZbin! You’ve helped me in so many ways. Thank you🙏

[@tysonmoore7319]

This might be my favorite video from this channel. It made me start thinking about my own writing, and how so much of the darkest hour can be built up before it happens, which can fill a book with more important content! This is literally why I love this channel. I learn so much every video.

[@kristinaporter2629]

Funny thing about Infinity War is that it kind of depends in which perspective you’re viewing the story from. It’s true that from the Avengers’ perspective it’s the middle of the darkest hour but when you look at the story from Thanos’s perspective he has actually completed his full arc by that point, his darkest hour in my opinion being when he sacrifices Gamora

[@jorislemoine1488]

I’ve just been reading Stephen Fry’s “Troy” (I really recommend it!), and he mentions “aristeia” a couple times, which is the opposite of the darkest hour: the finest hour, the time to shine, the moment in time for which you were born, the culmination of your destiny. Now, hearing this great explanation and break-down of the darkest hour, I think I see why the Iliad can run on for so long: it’s because there are several plot-related and character-related dark hours, and the story combines one character’s darkest hour with another character’s finest hour. Not only that, but in the Iliad, the two sides have their separate finest hours: one army’s advance must be the other’s retreat, so this old epic mastered the use of these two techniques wonderfully. It might be worthwhile to have a video on this antipode though, the finest hour, to see how it’s been integrated in modern literature.

[@TheMusicscotty]

Yas. A Tim post. Starts my Friday right.

[@EAKugler]

The problem with AoU, is that there are like seven arcs moving at different speeds. If you took each arc individually it would be more clear. Like if it was a crossover series of comics, with each characters story told in their own book. It's unfortunate that it all kind of gets muddied together.

[@brancellbooks]

What does AoU stand for?

[@ineednochannelyoutube2651]

Age of Ultron, the second avengers movie.

[@nikkiking4044]

So, surprisingly, Frozen 2 has an amazing darkest hour for Anna. She is literally and figuratively in a dark place and questions who she is without Elsa and whether she can continue on. Probably the best darkest hour in modern Disney princess movies.

[@christinaburroughs4804]

Omg… that kitty is SO chill.

[@kerricaine]

the one version of this trope i am an absolute sucker for, that will rip out my heartstrings every time, is the "you're not alone" moment. when the character is at their weakest, ready to give up, and in most cases, either has become isolated, or has pushed their companions away because of their giving up...and yet everyone comes back to help them and bring them back. funny enough, i've noticed this a lot more in video games than other mediums. FF9, undertale, and to a lesser degree, mass effect.

[@IkkezzUsedEmber]

0:36 that's the funniest joke i've heard all month, cheers.

[@עומרשרייבר-ל4ר]

I love a good darkest moment exist. It's always so satisfying seeing them leaving this state. Also wall e had a pet cockroach, not grasshopper.

[@UmbraKrameri]

Infinity War is definitely my favorite MCU movie. These darkest hour moments in the franchise often feel less satisfying because they just get brushed over so quickly. Having this massive world ending threat looming over the characters for years at that point, everyone truly giving their best effort to win this fight, then loose anyway and letting them (and the audience) sit with this failure for a long time was a brilliant move. Also, I was so happy for the shoutout to Beartown, one of my favorite books I read last year. It juggled multiple heavy topics with respect and even though it has sequels now, if you read it as a standalone it has the perfect balance of closing character arcs but still feeling open-ended enough to give it just an extra sprinkle of realism. I usually hate these '10 years from now' type of sequences, but there's one instance when Backman pulled it off. He talks about the three best players of the new team stepping out to the rink together and mentions '10 years from now, one of them is going to be pro, the other a family man back home, the third one dead.' (Not a direct quote, I haven't read the book in English.) I have my guess to which one refers to which boy, but it honestly could go almost either way and that's just makes it so much more intrigueing.

[@hn6294]

Can't remember the last time I was this early to a video... Love your work! Also congrats on the proposal (be careful, it's a trap! :P)

[@ukenfuknfriends]

9:25 yes friendly, yes have a family, thanks for the video

[@tylerharrell9862]

I feel like your sarcasm was on point today 🤣 but I also wanted to say thank you for all you do - your work makes me feel less alone.

[@jcrprod.co.6973]

About the Tenth Doctor's darkest hour in The Waters of Mars: I'd seen that episode before I watched David Tennant's run all the way through, but when I got to that point I was screaming "NO DOCTOR, NO!"

[@The1Coleberg]

Good vid. My wife and I are currently rewatching Angel (one of my favourite shows) and we recently watched Reprise, which is a perfect “Darkest hour” episode, and a culmination of the arc throughout season 2 so far. And the consequences carry on through the rest of the season and into the next.

[@melovespoon]

I think one of my favorite examples of a darkest hour is in Metal gear rising's dlc for Jetstream sam. During the main story Sam is an antagonist you kill before the final boss, but his dlc paints him as against the same person you were. His "darkest hour" is when he loses. He fails resulting in a loss of his arm and his honor. It doesn't help him ever take down the big baddie, but it makes it all the more satisfying that we did all while reinforcing the danger of this villain.

[@Calebgoblin]

That joke about Brad Pitt's wife was a war crime And you said DOOBLY-DOO I understood that reference. You have excellent taste Final amendment, your channel is suitably family friendly and I like it

[@thejohnhopkinscompany9599]

Oh you bastard you, that's not fair springing "I can carry you!" on me like that. Now I'm sitting here crying over my morning coffee; that's my favourite scene in all of media.

[@caitlinlucyhenderson8417]

The mental illness bit reminds me of Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom by Sangu Mandanna, a middle-grade fantasy I picked for the Indian mythology, not expecting it to also be one of the best depictions of OCD I've seen. In it, Kiki overcomes her darkest moment not by 'beating' her OCD, but by realizing it's an illness instead of a personal or moral failing. And the person who helps Kiki see this... well, this moment of connection gives a lot more impact to a later scene with that person.

[@danielletrausch8645]

Only three minutes in and we’ve been blessed by that Se7en joke AND an adorable kitty. Peak content.

[@PacificWanderer]

I literally JUST finished Piranesi yesterday… I can’t believe you brought it up, what a fantastic story.

[@ooi97]

Thank you. You're truly inspiring. I just finished a three-months-hanging chapter because of your impassioned speech about non-canon structures being okay.

[@Alkemisti]

It is uncanny how suitable this video is for me right now. Just a couple of hours ago I wrote the first draft of a chapter that turned out bad because I had no idea what exactly is its point. I just knew something like that needs to happen. Now I know that must be about the main character's mental troubles beginning to heal. It fits perfectly to what happens in the chapter and the theme of the book.

[@SparkTheKirin]

Ignitus' death in Legend of Spyro is a great, but short darkest hour. The father figure you've had for three games dies right in front of you, his last act to throw you out of the fire that's trying to kill you and your partner. As soon as Spyro lands, he completely drops all moral care and turns into his Dark form to try and retrieve the body, maybe even bring back the dead father he now has to feel guilty over. Because he let his mentor die, he's willing to throw away those teachings to save his life. But, he's reminded by the other dragon with him, Cynder, a dragon who spent her entire life submerged in dark magic, that it would only tear them apart. That it's not worth it, and that Ignitus made not only a choice, but a sacrifice. Spyro relents, only when he's reminded that because of that, they at least have each other still.

[@pandoraslove840]

0:26 This line was so mad as respectful 😂😂 I entered my darkest hour just by hearing it 🤣 Like I felt so insulted and betrayed that somebody ate my last piece of cake. And now you're telling me that it never existed to begin with?! Insane😂 Point made job well done 👏🏽

[@markoneill9889]

Thanks Tim. I've been struggling to get in to writing and having people tell me that there's a structure that you don't necessarily have to follow helps!

[@Sam-jx8tv]

Your discussion on mental health and darkest hours is why I love the journey of Rand Althor in the Wheel of Time books.

[@Vritzien]

Another amazing On Writing, like always! It gave me a bunch of ideas for the Darkest Hour in my series! Thanks so much for all your amazing work!

[@BeorcKano]

I've got five kids, two stepkids, and sometimes they watch your videos with me. Two of my girls are into writing, so they are taking notes and love your videos as much as I do. So yeah, mate, you're a family friendly channel. :D

[@TheOmaga13]

I really love that talking about it is the moment when you realize the character is on the path of healing in your story. I've run out of too many therapy offices to not know how hard that one step is XD And yes, you can bribe me with the adorable Emperor Momo This is an amazing video, thank you so much.

[@Urugosh]

I was just thinking, would you say there is a darkest hour in "The Godfather?" If I had to say there is one, I would say it is in the middle of the movie when he decides to kill Sollozzo. Instead of redeeming himself and getting out though, he instead falls deeper and deeper into the family business. I guess that's a feature of tragedy, which wasn't really discussed in the video. Instead of getting redemption from the darkest hour, the protagonist falls deeper and deeper into the dark.

[@havewissmart9602]

The pivotal 'Godfather' scene seems like the darkest hour. Or when Michael orders the death of the traitor, 'i will make him an offer he can't refuse'

[@rileyernst9086]

I love Rythm of War. Khaladin battles with chronic depression throughout the series and almost everything that can go wrong does for him in Rythm of War, and he is without the friends who have in the past helped hold him together and keep focused and he does attempt to commit suicide. But that turns into a triumph, if only a temporary one, but like those steps taken before, they are steps on the right path.

[@FreelancerStudios100]

Always with perfect timing. These videos always help me in my writing for my many projects. One day I’ll support this channel via patreon but until then good work as always

[@samm9717]

this is why I love book trilogies. the books are each act 1 2,3. and there's act 1,2,3 within each book.

[@whootywhoo6274]

Lmfao I think I’m the darkest hours in my current arc of life. Thank you this was so poignant for both writing and life in a weird way.

[@jasonsomers8224]

After re-watching some of these "on writing" videos, I'm reminded of how great your sense of humor is.

[@satyabatibhattacharyya6634]

I love our feline overlord Momo! She's the best cat (right after my own, of course!)

[@FardtilUshid]

Yess, thanks man. Love your essays and have listened to all of them. This one came just in time

[@uzairahmed1113]

You know it's a quality video when hello future me uploads

[@fuentes_fantasy7906]

My toddler adores watching you with me and has since she was a baby, so, sure, family friendly. She wants to see more of Momo.

[@miwhitty8316]

This came in just in time! I'm in the middle of planning my fantasy story and my main character has a huuuge traumatic setback about the middle of the story. This video is gonna help me structure it better and i thank you good sir!💕💕👏🏽👏🏽

[@captainblueberrynight7877]

9:20 No, all of us are Orphans and not friendly, we are writers, cruelty is in our nature

[@jonathanlissaker2183]

The fact that you didn't use the movie "Seven" as an example for your point seven, was disappointing. Still, one of the best channels on KZbin, and a great episode! Thanks Tim!

[@rockyman1011997]

thank you for mentioning the realities of a road to healing after the darkest hour in mental health rather than everything just being better. I really needed to hear it

[@ryanherbert4878]

I wonder how many Dungeon Masters depend on these videos.

[@Catpuff818]

Point number 3 is why I'm so excited to explore the darkest hour in my current writing project. Sometimes going through a darkest hour or rather several of them, especially in our teenage years marks the point where we have a lasting change in ourselves because we're forced to see things in a new light and/or because what we lost has hurt us so deeply that we change in many ways to prevent getting hurt in the same way again. I'm personally am excited to explore how the death of a relationship is going to affect my protag. It's going to cause a somewhat major tone shift to the story wich makes me wonder what are some examples of some successful major tone shifts in a story you've read/seen that happened more than half way through the story?

[@g.e.causey]

Momo just chilling in your arms while you talk is so precious.

[@louthelost]

This video came out at the perfect time for me! I've been struggling with the midpoint of my story that should be the lowest point of the whole thing, but I just could not figure out how to make it as such. So this was fantastic, I took a bunch of notes and believe I've got a pretty good idea about the direction from which I can tackle writing this now! The concepts of reaction, dilemma, decision, were particularly helpful, especially since I already had an external force coming in right after to steer the character away from the hate and anger that they were spiralling into, so I think I've got a better idea of how to make it all work together now. Thank you!

[@elizabethlancaster5058]

It is adorable how your kitty just gazes up into your face.

[@byakugan2173]

"Gotham only gets 2 hours of sunlight a day." I just realized how right i was to be so frustrated that the that the Dark night rises had so many shots of Gotham during day time, not even smog filtering the light, and I didn't feel like I was watching Gotham at all.

[@remyjones9146]

I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on The Green Knight! It has one of my favorite Darkest Hours in film and Dev Patel certainly restores his own honor

[@edenmckinley3472]

I have five main characters in the book series I am writing, and each of them have their own darkest hour somewhere along the line. One character who struggles with depression, PTSD, and a deep-seated hatred for his own ethnic group has a darkest hour when he is completely separated from his friends and family. Throughout the story, he has only operated for the good of others and is unable to love himself or make choices for himself - he is sacrificial to the point of self-destruction. Then, when he is put to the test by being shoved out all alone in the wilderness with a suicide mission, he falls apart. Because he has no one to fight for, and he cannot muster the courage to fight for himself. He continues on with the intention of letting himself die. He gets pulled out of the darkest hour when the dragon he was sent to kill beats him - and yet spares his life. The character cannot understand why anyone would do that, especially if the only thing they know about him is his ethnicity. Through this experience, he learns to love himself, and he learns the meaning of mercy. During the climax, that lesson is put to the test when he has to show mercy to a group of rebel soldiers of his same ethnicity who want to join him. It's not until the end of the third book that he finally comes to terms with his issues and finds peace. His path between those two points are kinda loopy, with a lot of ups and downs and healing and relapse. Your videos have been extremely helpful, Tim, especially on handling mental illness and sensitive subjects like that. I've put a whole lot of work into the character arcs for my books, and it's great to have your videos for reference. Thank you! Also, I completely agree with everything you said about why the darkest hour is important.

[@TheBigBombadillio]

I am so happy I found this channel through your collaboration with Overly Sarcastic Productions. Your media analysis helps put much into words I couldn't quite reach on my own and teaches me more every day about not only how fantastic stories help reach audiences with their use of literary techniques and creative exposition, but also puts into perspective things like mental illness as a trope and how, if handled incorrectly, can harm a community and misrepresent proper identification and care. I am so excited to engage with all of your content!!!!

[@ritasprinkle5098]

Thank you for talking about mental health like this. While It's nice (in theory) for a story to have a big moment where someone says "we need you, we love you, please don't die," it just isn't a realistic solution to depression and suicidal ideation. Like you said, healing is a long messy journey and there isn't just one "Aha!" moment that happens and then everything gets better. There's lots of up and down moments, over and over again. And also making other people the sole reason to keep on living isn't a healthy option either and maybe the stories we tell that use that line of reasoning aren't as helpful as we like to think.

[@Pannenkoekenplantje]

I think next to a mental darkest hour, many stories within fantasy or adventure (also) have a "physical" darkest hour. The characters gave what they thought was the big end fight their best go. It failed. Your protagonist only narrowly escaped with their life, but lost not just their good spirits: they might be physically injured, sometimes permanently. They might have revealed their plan, have the place they stayed destroyed or (some) are captured or are on the run. They now have to do that same fight they lost, but in way worse conditions, with an enemy that knows they are coming. They don't feel down in the dumps, they feel scared shitless.

[@BlacknBlueTomatoe]

I haven't watched your vids in a while. I'll say it straight up I missed your insights, you taught me allot of stuff I know I about writing. Happy to be back.

[@5austen]

Just finished binging trope talks and am unreasonably hype for this video love this channel man.