1984
Grimdark has always been a concept of humanity living in the worst environment as possible, and there is not even a single joy can be found in grimdark. 1984 is such example of grimdark. It is a novel by George Orwell (real name Eric Arthur Blair, but he didn't use it on his books because reasons) published in 1949. It is primarily about what happen if the government has the complete control of everyone, where you will be watched everyday and being forced to believe whatever lies the government said, or else you'll be tortured and mind-raped to absolute despair. This book is basically the inspiration to all grimdark totalitarian dictatorships, including Paranoia and Warhammer 40k.
The scariest parts are the fact that the book is merely a chronicle of the evils humanity is capable of; not dangerous aliens or demons, just us, and the fact that Oceania was inspired by a real-life nation; Soviet Russia (Stalin's regime). In fact, in the books Big Brother has a mustache (mentioned near the end) just like a certain, tyrannical dictator. There is also a certain rogue country look too similar to bear, since Kim-Il-Sung was also inspired by Stalin
Plot
In Airstrip One, Oceania, a member of the Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith, isn't happy about his life. He is sick of doing the same thing every day; helping the government spread their propaganda, being exhausted at work, never getting laid and not having enough to eat. But his life changes when he meets his co-worker, Julia, who gives him what he wants, which is something the party considers unacceptable. Winston has a fun time fucking Julia, learning about the past ,eating the real food the upper class gets and writing in his notebook about how much he hate The Party. During this time, Winston's co-worker O'Brien introduces himself as a member of the secret anti-government Brotherhood and recruits Winston and Julia.
They receive a book on the Brotherhood's ideals and continue with their affairs (professional and secret) until called on by them. During a tryst, they are arrested by the Thought Police, who had been spying on their private sex room through a bugged painting, and are sent to the Ministry of Love to be brainwashed. There, Winston is reunited with O'Brien, and finds out that O'Brien is actually a top-level government agent; his "recruitment" of Winston and Julia, and maybe even the Brotherhood itself, was part of a sting operation. O'Brien tortures Winston to the brink of death and insanity, then sends him to the dreaded Room 101 to meet his worst fear. Months after being successfully brainwashed by the party Winston meets Julia again, who is also brainwashed, and both are uncertain about their futures. In the end Winston despairs so much he cannot even commit suicide, believes that 2+2=5, and loves the Party's figurehead leader, Big Brother.
Warhammer 40k's grimdark elements inspired from 1984
- The Big Brother: Big Brother is a figurehead created by the ruling Party for those poor bastards to worship (while Big Brother may or may not exist in 1984 while the God-Emperor of 40k does exist)
- Constant Surveillance: In 1984, there are these shitty TV networks that were created to stalk you and troll you everyday call the "telescreens" and you cannot turn them off. If you somehow manage to turn one off, you will be captured by the thought police and have your ass beaten. There are other surveillance devices such as helicopters (for tall apartment buildings), thought polices, and even your own children (damn government bribed them with candy and their version of the Scouts is Thought-Police Jr). The only people who are free from this nightmare are the underclass Proles, and that's because they're so dumb the Party considers them animals who do not give a fuck about politics, doing nothing but work, drink and wank to porn. Yes, you yourself are one such filthy dumbass Prole, using this Telescreen for hentai instead of actually doing something. In Warhammer 40k, there are the secret police of the Inquisition which have psykers reading people's mind everyday, and Adeptus Arbites who serve fair justice to common proletarians everyday. Also noted that in the Age of Apostasy, Goge Vandire had Cherubim installed everywhere to act as his own telescreens for whatever the fuck he had his minds on.
- In The Grim Darkness Of The Far Future There Is only War: In 1984, eternal war is the best way for Oceania (which is composed of the Americas, the British Isles (called "Airstrip One" in the novel), Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and southern Africa below the River Congo... according to Oceania) to have their lonely excuse for fun and boost their Jew golds; they wage unnecessary wars with friendly countries, using the lands of unaligned countries as the battlefield, the inhabitants of those areas being forced to live in constant slavery under whichever power controls them at that time. All of this is so they can justify their brutal military junta, which is in place to preserve the status quo. This involves spending most of their money on building more flying metal boxes or floating fortress, a massive waste of force labors that locks up people to build useless cargo ships. The party never giving benefits to their own people who are cramped into 1000 meters-high city prisons for your grandmother to live in.
In 1984, Oceania had these neighbor county like Eurasia(Europe and Russia) and Eastasia(all of Asia except for Russia), who are just as much of a shithole like Oceania and they are constantly changing sides, meaning once they are done buttsecks with each others for resources, they would backstab their allies and making their old enemy a new allies (if oceania's ally is eastasia, when oceania is done with eastasia, it will be the new enemy with eurasia, the old enemy, become the new allies).
- The Ministry of (love, truth, peace, plenty): In 1984, the Oceania had their own departments of powers to control their filthy peasants. Despite their organization have names like truth and love, it is actually the opposite. The Ministry of truth is basically Administratum, where all the history records and documents were "true" and they are certainly not destroyed or rewritten to provide false propaganda. The Ministry of love is where all the heretics are cared with "love" and the staff members will definitely not treat them with unorthodox methods of torture or mind rape, or both. The Ministry of Peace is the army. The Ministry of plenty is the food distribution to provide "plenty" for all and certainly not feed the upper class while keeping everyone else in a famine.