Well hello there, Reader!
While talking to a friend about her upcoming novel, we got into a discussion about Cozy Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, and if there existed such a thing as Dark Cozy Fantasy.
Well, one of my upcoming stories—Seventh Swan—is exactly that.
It’s a cozy slice-of-life where two young guys run a bakery in a fantasy kingdom’s capital. But also one of them spent a couple hundred years forcibly transformed into a swan 🦢 and might have been baked into a pie as a child by his false mother. 😬
But maybe I should back up a bit. Because you might be wondering what exactly is “Cozy Fantasy”?
Well, Cozy Fantasy is a sub-genre born from the Slice-of-life genre of fiction and animation made popular by anime in the 90s and live-action shows like Dawson’s Creek.
Basically, the Slice-of-life genre is a depiction of the mundane, everyday experiences of ordinary people. School drama, work stress, human relationships, and the common struggles people face.
Cozy Fantasy just took that the Slice-of-life genre and said “But what if there was magic?”
Need some examples of Cozy fantasy to get a better idea of what I’m talking about? I’ve got you covered, Reader.
Kiki’s Delivery Service
First up is Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service. Let’s just wholesale ignore the fact she’s 13 and you’ve basically got a New Adult story about a girl living on her own for first the time.
Kiki has to find an apartment, learn to cook her own food, and establish herself as a solo businesswoman. She also just happens to be a witch who can ride a broom, and has a talking black cat familiar named Gigi.
Star vs. the Forces of Evil
On first look this seems like a zany magical girl show. But you’d be wrong. Yes, Star Butterfly is a princess from a magical kingdom. And yes, she can do magic. But she’s terrible at it. So terrible her parents feel she can’t be trusted with the responsibility of her powers and send her to our magicless world.
The first season+ of the series is Star living as a foreign exchange student with Marco Diaz and his family. Thus she lives in a normal American household, attends a normal public high school, and dresses like a normal teenager. (I swear you can buy that outfit at Target or maybe Hot Topic and I 100% would have worn it.)
But the point is, the story isn’t her and Marco trying to save the world or fight a demon lord. It’s normal tween stuff with the complication of one of them having access to a magic wand.
So what’s Dark Fantasy then?
It’s not that shiny Lord of the Rings-style Fantasy where the main characters are paragons of goodness.
It’s darker, grittier, and the Legendary Character doesn’t necessarily have to be a good person, just an interesting one.
Dark Fantasies are the sort of stories where the main character can be a terrible person. They can frequent brothels. They can curse and drink and get absolutely covered in monster guts and it doesn’t feel out of character at all.
It’s sorta like the cousin of Noir or Cyber Punk in that way.
Examples of Dark Fantasy
The Witcher
Carnaval Row
Coraline
They Come ay Night
And now we get to the sub-genre that started this whole conversation—
Dark Cozy Fantasy
These 3 stories are every bit as cozy (slice-of-life) as the ones I mentioned at the beginning of this email they’re just—well—a bit darker.
Howl’s Moving Castle
When you really think about, Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle is about a found family of outcasts trying to maintain a functioning household and keep their home business afloat amidst a looming war. On top of that, the titular character Howl is a draft dodger in more than one country.
And then you throw in the magic. Several of the characters are wizards, several are cursed, one made a deal with a fire demon when he was a child, and their “castle” is a steampunk wonder that prowls the misty mountain wasteland.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
The story of Frieren isn’t about Himmel’s party of heroes’ 10-year quest to kill the Demon King. It’s about what happens 70 years later when the elven mage Frieren embarks on a journey to reach the resting place of souls in order to reunite with her former comrade Himmel.
Along the way, she acquires two young companions. And through interactions with them, Frieren slowly learns what it is to be human—despite being an elf.
But what shifts the story into the realm of Dark Cozy Fantasy is—well—it’s sad. There’s a pervasive melancholy of not realizing what you have until it's gone on top of the harsh brutality of the setting as the story progresses.
Practical Magic
One of my top fav Halloween holiday movies, Practical Magic is definitely Dark cozy Fantasy. Don’t believe me? Here’s a simple breakdown.
Practical Magic is about a widowed single mom raising two little girls while running an apothecary in a small East Coast town. On top of that, she’s an orphan who’s moved her little family into her aunts’ big ol’ house.
Everything’s fallen into a sustainable norm until she has to rush to the aid of her sister and save her from domestic abuse. And then they commit accidental homicide and her “normal life” goes off the rails.
And then you throw in the magic. They’re all love-cursed witches. They try to resurrect the abusive ex-lover, but he comes back wrong. So they kill him again, and the sister gets possessed instead.
So I hope this helped clarify these 3 sub genres of Fantasy for you, Reader. And maybe you’ll even consider trying your hand at a Dark Cozy Fantasy in the future.
Well until next time, this is your friendly neighborhood storytelling Kat wishing you a wonderfully creative week.
Your cohort in storytelling,
Kat Vancil
🐱
PS 👉 This month I’m participating in a group promo with 30+ other authors so if you’re looking to fill your TBR shelf with a 🏳️🌈 book or 20, come check out the collection!
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Steven J Morris
SJMorris Writes
Hi! If you enjoy fantasy with snarky humor, I've got some books for you. My newsletter takes you along the creative journey, and keeps you informed of what's brewing. |
