does the word "Darkling" mean anything to you????

Question

i want to know how many copyright ties there are on, becuase thye are a major focal point in the fantasy novel I'm writing.... and please, please don't steal. It was mine FIRST!

Answer 1

Well there are several dozen "Darkling" entries when I did a quick Google search. Some were "Darkling" as a name (or part of a name) for various profiles, sites, and/or domains nothing (that I noticed) referencing a specific fantasy character. There were some location references (like "Darkling Forest") that incorporated the word "Darkling" and may have been part of a fantasy setting.

I didn't notice the specific entry on Google, but there is a creature from the Dungeon Siege computer game that (I'm pretty sure) was called a "Darkling". They're humanoid shadow creatures with glowing red eyes that hide in dark places and are invisable until they attack. The "Darklings" throw tiny glowing white projectiles and attempt to keep their distance and among the shadows. Their role in the game is quite limited and no details (such as diet, ecology, social order, culture, or naming patterns) are provided.

If you have creatures similar to these in your fantasy novel, it could (I'm assuming 5% chance) infringe on that Dungeon Seige copyright, but if you develope elaborate details (like the previously mentioned diet, culture, social order, etc.), give the creature a formal species name (other than Darkling), and limit the name "Darkling" as a slang or common term for the creatures that is used by other characters.

With all the various creatures, characters, and plotlines from the countless Fantasy/Sci-Fi comics, shows, movies, and novels it gets kinda hard trying to come up with something that is 100% original. The trick is to add enough details to make them really stand out as unique among the other versions.

You can have a creature called "Darklings" in your novel, and they may share similarities with other "Darklings" created by other artists/writers, but if you give them a formal name, decribe their appearance, origins, culture, name patterns, biology, ecology, social structure, and what their desires, motives, and purpose is, then your "Darkling" becomes completely different from someone else's "Darkling" and doesn't infringe on copyrights if it can be proven that it's has minimal similarities.

EXAMPLE: The term "Cat People" used as a common label for a humanoid species with feline features found among many settings and stories, but their creators attempt to provide details that set their "Cat People" apart from someone else's "Cat People".

STAR WARS: The "Cat People" were known as Cathar. The female Jedi Knight known as Juhani from the Knights of the Old Republic computer game was born on the Cathar home planet and after the Mandalorians invaded she and her familiy became refugees living on Taris.

STAR TREK: There were two "Cat People" races. I forget the one from the movies, but the Kzinti were introduced in the Star Fleet Battles tactical board game. The Kzinti were enemies of the Lyrans and Klingons with territory bordering Federation, Klingon, Lyran, and Hydran space.

WING COMMANDER: The "Cat People" were the Kilrathi. A territorial alien species attempting to destroy Earth, it's colonies, and all humans.

BEAUTY & THE BEAST (TV): There was only one "Cat Person" and that was the male lead character, Vincent, a mutated human among a secret group of outcast that live deep in the tunnels, sewers, and subways, beneath the city.

AD&D (2nd Edition): The Rakshasa, Weretigers (in hybrid form), and Tabaxi are all different types of "Cat People" from the Monstrous Manual.

These 5 sources provide 9 different types of "Cat People' but none of them infringe on the copyright of the others because each of their creators provided a multitude of details to distinguish one from the other with different names, apprearances, backgrounds, cultures, and biologies.

For now don't worry too much about copyrights, use the name "Darklings" if you want, just do your best to make your version is unique, provide lots of details that makes them really unique to your story and stick in the minds of your readers as different from any versions of "Darklings" they may have previously seen or read about. The important thing right now is to create your story, you can always change names and tweak details after you finish the bulk of the writing.

I've had a series of Star Wars novels I've been trying to write (on & off) for the past 10 years, and for a long time I couldn't develop my story because I was doing what your doing... worrying about copyrights and accidently copying someone else, but I've been able to write a lot more of my story by setting that aside for now and keep things generally vague for now and refine each draft with new details and tweaks that make characters, places, events, and creatures in my novel more unique.

Best of luck to in your writing, hope the examples and advice make it a little easier for you create a unique story and not get bogged down.

Answer 2

Sounds like a good idea for a character. Please just don't write a LOTR, Star Wars, Dragon Riders rip off like Eragon. We need a nice new fantasy with some fresh ideas. Good luck I'll be looking for the "Darkling".

Answer 3

yes it is an adjective and before the new wilde get on her high horse it has been used many times in poetry and also prose it means uncannily or threateningly dark or obscure i commend new writers for trying not a very profitable area but if you dont want people to steal dont say.

Answer 4

Interesting word. I've never seen it in print before and I've read a lot of fantasy books. If it's fantasy, I would assume you mean a lieutenant or powerful servant of a Dark Lord.

Answer 5

Go to this website:

http://www.hunterentertainment.net

click on the interesting links link
on that page you will find a link to the copyright office.

They can answer all your questions about the subject.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and have a nice day.

Thank you very much, while you're up.

Answer 6

"Darkle" is an actual word, meaning "to appear darkly or distinctly"

Wikipedia says there was a "Voyager" episode titled "Darkling"

Answer 7

Darkling sounds convincingly fresh: use it!!

Answer 8

I don't think so, it might have been used before, but I don't think any novel has been called that.

Answer 9

Apparently not.. because we have a no soliciting sign on our front door and yet they still come.

Answer 10

lalalalalalallaallalalaalalalalalaalalallalaalalalalalallalalallaalalalallaallalalalalalalalaalalalalalala i dont think it is a word cus i have never heard it before