I just learned a new neologism today; hopepunk, grimdark's Mirror Universe philosophy. In summary, hopepunk is essentially "metal existentialism"; saying "the world is a fucked up place that wants us to be assholes, which means that it's our job to tell it to piss off by not being assholes; being good and being innocent are two different things, and it's the people who want you to believe in nothing and just be a cog in a self-killing machine that tell you otherwise, because they want you to be miserable jerks like themselves and feel better about trying to kill the world."
Reading it, I realize this exactly how I play Changeling, Werewolf, and Hunter; that kind of defiant optimism, where you stare down Cthulhu and realize you are fighting for the right for someone else to renew the seals down the line, and that's fine. You get your happy ending, and while it may not last without effort, the fact that it's present at all is good. It doesn't matter if the glass is half-empty or half-full, it matters that there is water in the glass and it is leaking out, and often needs to be refilled.
I feel that's an excellent mood for a horror setting where you can and do have happy endings, so how about your takes on it?
Reading it, I realize this exactly how I play Changeling, Werewolf, and Hunter; that kind of defiant optimism, where you stare down Cthulhu and realize you are fighting for the right for someone else to renew the seals down the line, and that's fine. You get your happy ending, and while it may not last without effort, the fact that it's present at all is good. It doesn't matter if the glass is half-empty or half-full, it matters that there is water in the glass and it is leaking out, and often needs to be refilled.
I feel that's an excellent mood for a horror setting where you can and do have happy endings, so how about your takes on it?
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