History SoYouWantTo / WriteAnUrbanFantasy

* Throwing magic into the mix sometimes has the effect of turning everyone Good or Evil. Can you think of a RealLife war or conflict where [[BlackAndWhiteMorality one side was unequivocably good and the other was utterly, irredeemably evil]]? Even in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, America and Britain were allied with UsefulNotes/JosefStalin, while Mussolini's Italy, while still not an incredibly nice place to live, was very much a lighter shade of dark gray compared to the Nazis. Why would magical conflict be any different? Having an [[AlwaysChaoticEvil entire species of evil bastards]] as some kind of DesignatedVillain crew is a cheap way of securing a non-stop supply of enemies for your protagonists to fight, but will your audience really care when one of them is defeated? If WhiteMagic and BlackMagic have the effects of ''turning'' their users good or evil respectively, why don't more people know about these side effects and avoid the evil? Is it because it's more powerful, has wider applications, or [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil is addictive]]? Is it simple ignorance, cynical disbelief of "old wives' tales" warning of the effects, or deliberate misinformation being spread by someone for their own purposes? Or do ''both'' forms of magic have consequences? White magic turning the user into a KnightTemplar is a popular choice.

* Don't use big magic as an excuse for small plots. If you want to work in seven different species of [[OurElvesAreBetter elf]], that's fine. It doesn't mean your story sucks at all, it just means that, apparently, you really love elves. But please don't just throw in a new species of elf because the Wood Elves are getting boring and you need someone to give your protagonist [[PlotCoupon The Shadow Ruby]] so hey, how about some Shadow Elves, too? If it's that boring to write about the Wood Elves to begin with, then they're probably not much fun to read about either, and if you're only adding the Shadow Elves for the sake of novelty then they'll probably be {{flat character}}s who aren't believable.

* ''Literature/NightWatch''. The epic battle of Good and Evil set in the modern-day Russian Federation, mostly Moscow.

* Avoid making magical powers limitless. Magic, to work as a plot element, requires [[MagicAIsMagicA rules]], and it requires [[EquivalentExchange limits]] - there should be some things that your characters, even with magic, should not be able to do, or are only able to do with [[ShootTheDog great difficulty]] and [[HeroicSacrifice extreme sacrifice]] on their part. Limitless magic tends to lead to DeusExMachina or literal HandWave resolutions where everything that has gone wrong can be undone with a flick of the wrist - readers tend to find that [[BoringInvincibleHero boring and a bit of a simplistic cheat]].

* What is the tone of the series? Where does it fit on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism? You can get away with [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools leaning on a few plot elements or character types]] [[ClicheStorm that may seem a little familiar to the reader]] if you show them in a new light. Are [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil good and evil]] distinct forces in your story? Are the characters fighting for a cause, or for themselves?

* The works of [[LightNovel/{{Baccano}} Narita]] [[LightNovel/{{Durarara}} Ryohgo]] are great examples of Urban Fantasy where only few fantasy elements are involved in the main stories. ''Baccano!'' mixes 1920s Prohibition Era with Italian mafia and immortality-via-alchemy, while one of the main cast of ''Durarara!!'' hails from Celtic mythology.

* What is the tone of the series? Where does it fit on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism? You can get away with [[TropesAreTools leaning on a few plot elements or character types]] [[ClicheStorm that may seem a little familiar to the reader]] if you show them in a new light. Are [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil good and evil]] distinct forces in your story? Are the characters fighting for a cause, or for themselves?

* ''Literature{{Discworld}}'' slowly transitions into this as it moves away from parody, even though it started as a HeroicFantasy. Notably, there's a telegraph system that gets most of its efficiency from the employment of gargoyles, and movement for the rights of {{Golem golems}}.

* What is the tone of the series? Where does it fit on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism? You can get away with [[TropesAreNotBad leaning on a few plot elements or character types]] [[ClicheStorm that may seem a little familiar to the reader]] if you show them in a new light. Are [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil good and evil]] distinct forces in your story? Are the characters fighting for a cause, or for themselves?

* Throwing magic into the mix sometimes has the effect of turning everyone Good or Evil. Can you think of a RealLife war or conflict where [[BlackAndWhiteMorality one side was unequivocably good and the other was utterly, irredeemably evil]]? Even in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, America and Britain were allied with UsefulNotes/JosefStalin, while Mussolini's Italy, while still not an incredibly nice place to live, was very much a lighter shade of dark gray compared to the Nazis. Why would magical conflict be any different? Having an [[AlwaysChaoticEvil entire species of evil bastards]] as some kind of DesignatedVillain crew is a cheap way of securing a non-stop supply of enemies for your protagonists to fight, but will your audience really care when one of them is defeated? If BlackMagic and WhiteMagic have the effects of ''turning'' their users good or evil respectively, why don't more people know about these side effects and avoid the evil? Is it because it's more powerful, has wider applications, or [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil is addictive]]? Is it simple ignorance, cynical disbelief of "old wives' tales" warning of the effects, or deliberate misinformation being spread by someone for their own purposes? Or do ''both'' forms of magic have consequences? White magic turning the user into a KnightTemplar is a popular choice.

* A lot of urban fantasy focuses on the TrueCompanions, such as ''Buffy'' and ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}''; ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' and ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' focus on families. The characterization is often a much-loved feature about this sort of show, as the {{Masquerade}} tends to force the few who are in the know about the world's magical secrets in together. Perhaps your story could explore working relationships that are magically influenced, such as a hospital or veterinary practice for magical beings, a secret post office for magical messages, a special branch of the army for those with PsychicPowers or a sanitarium for werewolves? Or perhaps you can play with this expectation... the group is [[TeethClenchedTeamwork not made up of True Companions]], or even [[EnemyMine enemies forced to work together to survive]].

* Later series of ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' seemed to suffer from PowerIncontinence and introduced [[CreatorsPet a character]] with the power of "[[ImaginationBasedSuperpower projection]]" which basically meant "[[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands do anything]]". More and more magic was being thrown at the script without additional characterization and non-formula plot.

* Almost any of the classic MagicalGirl series fits this as well. Especially ''Franchise/SailorMoon'', ''Anime/MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo'', and the Creator/StudioPerriot magical girls of the 1980s.

* Almost any of the classic MagicalGirl series fits this as well. Especially ''Franchise/Sailor Moon'', ''Anime/MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo'', and the Creator/StudioPerriot magical girls of the 1980s.

* ''Film/CastADeadlySpell'', urban fantasy with a '30s hard-boiled detective FilmNoir twist.

* ''RepairmanJack''

* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures''

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' is hailed as one of the best Western animation series of the new millennium. If you want to do an urban fantasy story set in a [[QuirkyTown Quirky]] TownWithADarkSecret, no better example exists.

* The works of ''[[LightNovel/{{Baccano}} Narita]]'' ''[[LightNovel/{{Durarara}} Ryohgo]]'' are great examples of Urban Fantasy where only few fantasy elements are involved in the main stories. ''Baccano!'' mixes 1920s Prohibition Era with Italian mafia and immortality-via-alchemy, while one of the main cast of ''Durarara!!'' hails from Celtic mythology.

* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians''. It's almost entirely set in the real modern world, and features plenty of monsters and magic from the Greek myths blended seamlessly with the 21st-century. It is basically the living embodiment of the Urban Fantasy.

* WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries is a great example of mixing this genre with teen romance.
* WesternAnimation/GravityFalls is hailed as one of the best Western animation series of the new millennium. If you want to do an urban fantasy story set in a [[QuirkyTown Quirky]] TownWithADarkSecret, no better example exists.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''

* The entire ''{{Franchise/Nasuverse}}''.

* ''Film/CastADeadlySpell'', urban fantasy with a '30s hard-boiled detective FilmNoir twist
* The ''Wizard of 4th Street'' series, set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, but with a strong retro feel and {{Magitek}} replacing high-tech

* ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}''

* The shortlived Creator/MarvelComics series ''Nightside'', with [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/nsothers.htm The Others]], several races of [[OurMonstersAreDifferent different monsters]] living the {{Masquerade}} and organized like [[TheMafia crime families]].
* ''Series/{{Being|Human UK}} [[Series/BeingHumanUS Human]]'', both versions of which revolve around supernatural monsters trying to [[IJustWantToBeNormal reclaim their old human lives]]. Magic exists in both settings, but aside from the curses the protagonists are afflicted with it is very much in the background. The UK version notably has a suburban setting.
* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'', which tell the stories of [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent High School Students]] with the ability to summon a ''[[FightingSpirit Persona]],'' which allows them to use magic.
* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'' does a very good job of mixing creepy paranormal and supernatural myth with off-the-wall comedy and MadScience

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' is a great example of Urban Fantasy where only few fantasy elements are involved in the main story. One of the main cast hails from Celtic mythology.

* ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' is a DC Comics series about exorcist and OccultDetective [[BlueCollarWarlock John Constantine]] set in Thatcher's Britain, which takes heavy ideological and aesthetic inspiration from the British punk movement; it does a great job of blending spooky traditional occultism with 20th century politics, [[PostModernMagic technology]] and sensibilities.

* The ''Ambergris'' books by Jeff [=VanderMeer=]. Not set in a slightly altered real world, but to an entirely original fantasy world developed enough to have motor vehicles and telephones.

* Charles [=DeLint=]'s ''Newford'' books

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'',''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'', which tell the stories of [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent High School Students]] with the ability to summon a ''[[FightingSpirit Persona]],'' which allows them to use magic.

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', which tell the stories of [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent High School Student's]] with the ability to summon a ''[[AnthropomorphicPersonification Persona]],'' which allows them to use magic.

** For more extensive thoughts on this, we highly recommend checking out episodes [[http://www.writingexcuses.com/podpress_trac/web/25/0/Writing_Excuses_Episode14.mp3 14]] and [[http://www.writingexcuses.com/podpress_trac/web/26/0/Writing_Excuses_Episode15.mp3 15]] of the ''WritingExcuses'' podcast, which discuss in depth the use of magic as a plot device.

* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians''. How have we not mentioned this series yet? It's almost entirely set in the real world, and features plenty of monsters, magic, 21st-century goodness, and is basically the living embodiment of the Urban Fantasy.

* ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' is a DC series about exorcist and OccultDetective [[DoomMagnet John Constantine]] set in Thatcher's Britain and taking heavy ideological and aesthetic inspiration from the British punk movement; it does a great job of blending spooky traditional occultism with 20th century politics, [[PostModernMagic technology]] and sensibilities.

* The entire ''{{Nasuverse}}''.