History Main / TheDarkTimes

* This idea actually evolved through ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and ''{{Angel}}'' - in early ''Buffy'', the Old Ones were implied to be merely waiting for a chance to come back and continue their reign, but by the time we came to late ''Angel'' and actually met one (Illyria), they were shown to be weary and weakened, and at least in her case aware that their time had passed.

* ''TheLegendOfZelda'' had a time before the founding of the Kingdom of Hyrule when monsters were rampant across the land and people were constantly killing each other in order to get the Triforce. Among those people were a tribe of powerful sorcerers who came closer than anyone else to getting the Triforce. Eventually, the Triforce was sealed away in the Sacred Realm (cf. ''ALinkToThePast''), the monsters were [[SealedEvilInACan trapped in a magic chest]] (cf. ''TheMinishCap''), and the evil sorcerers were cast into the [[EldritchLocation Twilight Realm]] (cf. ''TwilightPrincess''). ''SkywardSword'' is the first game confirmed to take place during these times, with the only safe human settlement being in [[FloatingContinent Skyloft]]; the land below is ruled over by Ghirahim. And ''Skyward Sword'' still manages to have a ''previous'' Dark Time when an even greater evil ruled and which Ghirahim is trying to bring back.

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** The gap between Episode III and Episode IV are referred to as "The Dark Times", in-universe.

* Don't forget the time when Earth's crust was molten lava, and the atmosphere sulphuric fume.
** That doesn't really count. There wasn't any life then, no matter how abhorrent.
*** [[CosmicHorror We hope]].
*** After all, it's not like they could leave fossils...

* ''{{Hellboy}}'' gives glimpses into such Times, with its {{Lovecraft}}ian overtones. One of the centrals plot threads is that Hellboy was supposed to make the Dark Times return, but didn't want to.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'' has the "Dark Times," in the beginning of the universe, a time of "blood and magic" with the [[WitchSpecies Carrionites]], the [[GiantSpider Racnoss]], and the [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Great Vampires]].

* ''TheLegendOfZelda'' had a time before the founding of the Kingdom of Hyrule when monsters were rampant across the land and people were constantly killing each other in order to get the Triforce. Among those people were a tribe of powerful sorcerers who came closer than anyone else to getting the Triforce. Eventually, the Triforce was sealed away in the Sacred Realm (cf. ''ALinkToThePast''), the monsters were [[SealedEvilInACan trapped in a magic chest]] (cf. ''TheMinishCap''), and the evil sorcerers were cast into the [[EldritchLocation Twilight Realm]] (cf. ''TwilightPrincess''). ''SkywardSword'' is the first game confirmed to take place during these times, with the only safe human settlement being in [[FloatingContinent Skyloft]]; the land below is ruled over by Ghirahim.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'' has the "Dark Times," in the beginning of the universe, a time of "blood and magic" with the Carrionites, the Racnoss, and the Great Vampires.

* a fairly common trope in European mythologies:

* ''{{Hellboy}}'' is implied to be this way, with its {{Lovecraft}}ian overtones.
** isn't the idea that Hellboy was supposed to make the dark times return, but didn't want to?

* ''DoctorWho'' has the "Dark Times," in the beginning of the universe, a time of "blood and magic" with the Carrionites, the Racnoss, and the Great Vampires.

->''"This world is older than any of you know, and contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons, demons walked the earth. They made it their home, their...their Hell."''\\
-- '''Giles''', from the second episode of ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer''

* ''SwordOfTheStars'' has ''two'' species who have a long, ''long'' list of grievances against an ancient, completely meglomanical empire of the AbusivePrecursors. By the time the game takes place, they've suffered a KarmicDeath at the hand-[[DolphinsDolphinsEverywhere flippers]] of the Liir, but it turns out that they left around a [[AlwaysChaoticEvil sentient bioweapon]] as a sort of personalized [[TakingYouWithMe "**** you"]] to the universe.

** [[UnreliableNarrator Well, this is all coming from]] [[Reincarnation Hieda-no-Akyu]]...

*** [[CosmicHorror We hope]].

* A StarTrek crossover event, ''Invasion!'' introduced the Furies, a coalition of species that once ruled Federation-and-neighboring space. All the local cultures remember at least one Fury species as their "demons". The Furies were overthrown by the [[EldritchAbomination Unclean]], who require three things from other species: power cores, DNA, and BRAINS! Unfortunately, [[ContinuitySnarl each novel's author had]] [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation a slightly different take on the Furies]].

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