#Dark Fantasy

[artofchinara]

"Oh, how it burns! The sins we bear, they burn away all there is until nothing but the beast within remains..."

--

Laurence the First Vicar from Bloodborne for Soulstober. I love drawing beasts screaming it seems...

[strange-house-art]

AGE OF ROT is offically out and available at Hollow Press web shop!

[tsrmarina]

One of the sketches for a graphic novel, but I’m making it as a series of storyboards for a movie or TV series as an experiment 🙃 #astarion #bg3 #baldursgate3 #darkfantasy

[ayrzombietskin]

🫀|| ville valo (HIM)

[smirnovv]

[unboundprompts]

Could you give me some ideas for currencies and the measurement of time, preferably both in a more dark fantasy setting involved with nature?

Currency and Time Measurement in a Dark Fantasy Setting

-> feel free to edit as you see fit.

Currencies

Leaf Coins: Thin, pressed coins made from the leaves of sacred trees. The type of leaf determines the coin's value, with rarer leaves being more valuable.

Bloodstones: A currency made from dark red gemstones that are said to be formed from the blood of fallen warriors.

Shadowshards: Small, dark crystals that absorb light and shimmer with a ghostly glow. They are collected at dusk and are traded as currency, often used in shadowy dealings. The more shadow a shard absorbs, the higher its worth.

Grave Dirt: A unique form of currency, this is literally dirt taken from sacred burial grounds. It is believed to contain the power of the dead. Merchants trade small pouches of it, and its value increases based on how many souls it has been touched by.

Wyrm Scales: Scales from mythical serpents that once roamed the land. Each scale has a distinct pattern and is highly valued due to its rarity and the protective magic it is said to bestow upon its holder.

Fungal Credits: Small, luminescent fungi that can be harvested at certain times of the year. Their glow indicates their value.

Measurement of Time

Moon Phases: Time is measured in moon phases, with each cycle representing a month. Each phase is associated with different rituals and events in nature, such as the “Blood Moon” for harvest and the “Waning Moon” for reflection and atonement.

Nightfall Cycles: Instead of days, time is counted in cycles of nightfall, where each cycle is divided into periods marked by darkness and light. A cycle may last for varying lengths of time based on seasonal changes, with longer nights in winter.

Sundrop Hours: Each hour is marked by the position of a special sundial that has been enchanted to reflect the essence of the sun. During certain times, the sundial emits a soft glow, indicating a magical time when rituals can be performed.

Eclipses: Significant events are measured by the number of eclipses that have occurred since a pivotal moment in history.

Blood Seasons: Time is divided into seasons based on nature’s cycles and the harvesting of life. For example, “Bloomspring,” “Darksummer,” “Crimsonfall,” and “Frostbite,” with each season lasting as long as it takes for specific plants to grow or animals to thrive.

Night’s Breath: This measures time through the cycles of natural events, such as the sounds of nocturnal creatures or the rustling of leaves in the wind. Each breath is a period marked by significant changes in the environment, like the blooming of nocturnal flowers.

[academic-vampire]

𝔰𝔥𝔢 𝔪𝔞𝔶 𝔥𝔞𝔲𝔫𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔦𝔱 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔟𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔱𝔥 𝔦𝔱

[cultofmortem]

[dreorcaul]

a lil sneakpeak for my zine piece for the @bg3womenswrongs zine!

[starrythroat]

smol practice sketch with @buriedknight ‘s oc Solveig 🍖🖤

[unknownboo716]

"Hellsing - Alucard Got A Little Thirsty"

[stars-and-clouds]

Added a few updates!

A List of my Favourite ‘Gothic’ Media

Google Docs Link

Last Updated: November 23rd, 2024

My preference to gothic aesthetic is mostly victorian goth. Hence, this is what the list will consist of with some outliers. This is not a list of every good gothic media out there, it’s just the ones I have consumed and truly make me feel like I’ve transported into that world.

This list is very selective and subjective. It doesn’t always follow the textbook or culturally accepted meaning of 'goth’. It is mostly about the vibe, aesthetic, feelings and motifs that are associated with a beautiful, melancholic and mystical story.

Feel free to submit me ideas for the list, or add your own in reblogs/comments and I will keep updating this post as I consume more of said media =D

*The titles in italics are not exactly gothic but give the same melancholic, beautiful vibe that draws me to gothic media.

Movies:

Corpse Bride (2005)

Crimson Peak (2015)

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Dracula Untold (2014)

Haunted Mansion (2003)

Van Helsing (2004)

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Vampire Hunter D (anime movie) (1985)

The Others (2001)

Constantine (2005)

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

Phantom of The Opera (both movie and play)

Series (Anime, TV shows, Cartoons):

Penny Dreadful (tv series)

Castlevania (netflix, cartoon/western anime)

Courage the Cowardly Dog (cartoon)

The Haunting of Hill House (netflix)

The Haunting of Bly Manor (netflix)

Supernatural (Not gothic per se, but it has the melancholy and secretive, monster world and lots of themes of loss and happiness.)

Carnival Row (more dark fantasy, than gothic but it’s basically set in victorian London and I love it)

Books:

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

Frakenstien - Mary Shelley

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

Dracula - Bram Stoker

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - Anne Bronte

Penny Dreadful (serial fiction) - (Various)

Doesn’t really count but all the northern bits of ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ make me feel that way too.

The Castle of Otranto - Horace Walpole

Fevre Dream - George R.R. Martin

Carmilla - Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Games:

Vampyr

Castlevania Series + Lords of Shadow

FFXIV- Heavensward (Expansion)

Albino Lullaby- Episode 1

The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine (Expansion)

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (any of their ttrpg campaigns or interactive/visual novels are also good)

Curse of Strahd (D&D)

Bloodborne (PS4)

Silent Hill 2

Following are Visual/Interactive Novels:

Any of the ‘Vampire the Masquerade’ Books (they’re sub par but I love the vibe) (IN)

Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly (VN)

The House in Fata Morgana (VN)

Music:

this section will be really long so i will properly update it later.

Oh Willow Waly from The Innocents

The Unqueit Grave Penny Dreadful Version

youtube playlist with my favourite gothic sounding music

Gothic Pinterest Board

[xaoca]

all the wild horses by Andrew McGibbon

[darkartfinds]

“Jack and Sally Always” by Gus Fink

[miraenart]

Triumvirate.