Darkest Hour: Difference between revisions

This usually precedes a [[The Day of Reckoning|Day of Reckoning]] [[The Climax|climax]] where only a few things can happen:

 

* There's a [[Hope Spot|spot of hope]] that is then cruelly crushed, which leads to a [[Downer Ending]] or a [[Bittersweet Ending]].

* The author is [[Earn Your Happy Ending|ultimately going for a happy ending,]] but is feeling cruel enough to add a [[Hope Spot]] ''anyway'' before the heroes emerge from the mire.

** Ironically, just before, Harvey had stated that "Things are always darkest just before the dawn". If he only knew...

* ''[[Firefly|Serenity]]'': The title ship is grounded on Mr. Universe's moon. Book is dead. Wash was killed by the Reavers. They've got one seriously ticked off Operative on their tail and the Reavers are descending upon the ship. Zoe even states outright that [[Kill'Em All|they're not getting out alive]].

*** And let us not forget; '[[Downer Beginning|This is our darkest hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are my only hope.]]'

* [[The Movie]] version of ''The Odyssey'' has one where ''all'' of Odysseus' men drown in a shipwreck and he washes ashore to Calypso's island where she makes him her sex slave for ''seven years''. [[Homer]]'s original is told [[Anachronic Order]], so it's harder to pinpoint there.

* In ''[[Pan's Labyrinth]]'', when the Faun has forsaken Ofelia and her mother has died, leaving her all alone with her [[Complete Monster|supremely evil stepfather]].

* In ''[[The Princess Bride (novel)|The Princess Bride]]'' (both the book and the movie), the boy gets a little upset at the part where Westley is dead and Buttercup supposedly marries Humperdinck. What's the point of reading this story? That's not how it's supposed to end! It takes him ''years'' to realize just how deeply that moment affected him.

* Most of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s work has at least one of these.

** In ''Philosopher's Stone'', Harry throws away for his House any realistic competition in the House Cup and resolves to give up saving the Stone.

** In ''Chamber of Secrets'', the school is under intense lockdown, devoid of hope, and Cornelius Fudge and Lucius Malfoy have banished the people who would be of most help.

* The beginning of the final day of ''[[Ace Attorney|Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All]]'', case 2-4. {{spoiler|Maya's been kidnapped by a professional assassin, who wants him to get an acquittal for the client-of-the-week in exchange for Maya's life. Phoenix then has to spend the first day breaking one of the biggest [[The Woobie|woobies]] in the series to achieve his goal, only to find out that his client is [[Complete Monster|guilty-as-all-hell.]] On top of that, just when the player thinks they found out where Maya is being kept, the assassin slipped right out of the police's grasp, leaving them back to square one on where to find her, the player is given a [[You Bastard]] moment by said woobie, and now Phoenix has to decide between proving his client guilty or saving Maya's life. All while the client is standing there and mocking you.}}

* This was both literally and figuratively the case in ''[[Dark Souls]]'' before the player character escapes the northern undead prison. The First Flame is dying, and when it does all light and fire shall go out with it. As a result much of the world is suffering through endless nights. The world has also be devastated by a curse of undeath called the Dark Sign and many, many civilizations have collapsed as a result.

 

== Web Comics ==