Existential War Diary #1.5: Genre, Themes

A friend of mine once told me that he felt betrayed by labeling his work into a certain genre. back then I didn't understand the struggle but as I became more of a writer, I came to share that sentiment. when I was writing another one of my stories, New Age Icons, I had originally envisioned it as a comedy. as I progressed into writing the story with my partner, we soon realized that the scenes we were writing were not very "comedic." There was comedic banter, yes, but the crux of the story was emotionally driven with serious characters tackling serious problems. after realizing that, I didn't know what else to call it. Action? there weren't too many action sequences. Adventure? maybe. 

I'm having the same conflict with Existential War. the story has a bit of everything. from light-hearted banter to full on religious contextual allusions. If I had to call it anything, I think I would go with... epic. Epic's usually revolve around a sole hero or savior, but this one certainly doesn't. still, it's large and ambitious in scope. I guess in that sense it would be an epic more akin to Lord of the Rings than 300, but what do I know. I guess I'm overthinking a bit. 

I've tried to create an uplifting story with cynical undertones, highlighting both the atrocities of human history and the similar characteristics of a completely different. i've devoted so much time to perfecting my projected themes, so if they resonate with readers, I hope they'd let me know. I didn't want to be too cynical (such as the ending of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight), but I am trying to balance those varying levels of morality. I think the most important battle anyone in the real world faces is their own morals, and what they do when those morals are challenged. the battle of morality is bigger than any political or economic struggle, how much does one's morals mean to me? And how far would they go to ensure those?

as I mentioned before, there are tons of religious undertones. maybe undertone wouldn't be the right word. it's not exactly forced in your face, but it also isn't very subtle either (should it be?). There are both monotheistic and polytheistic believers in the story, but the overpowering force is still the idea of God, a resident of eternity who may or may not be observing the conflict. If he is, how does one explain his inactivity? Then, how does one know he's inactive?

this is just my general musings and more just me putting down what's coming to my mind at this moment. perhaps when you read the story, you'll feel something different than I intended. maybe the cynical elements will overwhelm you, or perhaps the inspiriting moments will define your experience. I'm excited to find out as always.