Dark Fantasy

Dark Fantasy is a broad subgenre of Fantasy, which is "a genre of fiction set in a fictional universe." However, Dark Fantasy is unlike Fantasy in that it takes on a darker, more mysterious tone. 
A Dark Fantasy is a fairytale without a happy ending, or it may have a happy ending that is only achieved with a great cost. It is despairing, violent, or sometimes even gory, but still contains elements of elegance and intrigue. 
However, the term can also refer to a dark, almost vampiric style of fashion and general aesthetic mood, and a type of music as well. 
== Visuals==
=== Generic===
*Magic cast with ill intent, or magic that comes with a price
*Potions, cauldrons
*Trees with branches like long fingers
*Bones, skulls, skeletons
*Thin, dripping candles
*Iron-wrought lanterns
*Iron shackles and chains
*Bloodied weapons
*Dragons crouched upon their hoard
*Corvids, like crows and ravens
*Nocturnal animals
*Venomous animals, like snakes and spiders
*Animals that are generally associated with witches
===Setting===
*Gloomy settings with dim lighting
*Twilight, midnight
* Perpetually overcast skies
*Dark forests
*Crumbling ruins
*Hushed villages
*Large ships rising out of heavy fog
*Rough port cities
*Citadels with severe, stoic guards
*Palaces with pale, withdrawn servants
===Architecture===
*Stone castles and buildings
*Climbing ivy
*Gargoyles
*Dungeons
*Long, winding staircases
*Creaking stairs
*Secret passages
*Hidden rooms
*Spindly towers
*Cobblestone streets
*Rain-slick rooftops
*Old, decrepit, or abandoned mansions, fortresses, and cottages
==Fashion==
Dark fantasy elapses a broad amount of different fashion genres, but notably plays off of gothic, academia, pirate, and royal aesthetics. This is expressed through dark colors and heavy fabrics, such as wool, tweed, leather, suede, and velvet. (Please note that if you are creating a Dark Fantasy outfit, the cost of these different fabrics varies greatly and should be taken into account.)
==== Masculine ====
*Leather gauntlets, gloves, and belts
*Knight armor
*Minimal jewelry
*Signage rings
*Open, white poet shirts
*Heavy jackets
==== Androgynous ====
*Hooded cloaks
*High collars
*Masks
*Gloves
*Timepieces, or other clockwork accessories
*Walking canes, especially those with ornate handles
*Wire spectacles (mainly for the visually impaired, but can also be used just as a style)
==== Feminine ====
* Natural-textured hair
** Hairstyles can be complicated if it fits the look that you're trying to achieve 
*Flowing dresses
*Corsets
*Ornate jewelry
*Veils
==Media==
===Books===
First and foremost are the fairy tales. These are not the ones that Disney packages into children's movies, with their true love's kiss and happy endings. These are fairy tales in their original form, with heroines that are not always immune to death and villains who suffer worse before dying. Limbs will get cut off. 
*Berserk series by Kentaro Miura
*The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
*Black Wings Beating, by Alex London
*Coraline, by Neil Gaiman (Modern Dark Fantasy)
*Ferals series, by Jacob Grey (Dark Urban Fantasy)
*Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series, by Ransom Riggs
*Six of Crows duology, by Leigh Bardugo (Dark Urban Fantasy)
*Three Dark Crowns series, by Kendare Blake
*The Conqueror's Saga series, by Kiersten White (Dark Historical Fantasy)
*The Hazel Wood, by Melissa Albert
*The Old Kingdom series, by Garth Nix
*The Looking Glass Wars series, by Frank Beddor
*The Beyonders trilogy by Brandon Mull
*The First Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
===Television Shows===
==== Live-Action ====
*Shadow And Bone
==== Animated ====
* Disenchantment
* Gargoyles 
* Over the Garden Wall 
* Berserk series 
* Bastard!!: Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy
* The Owl House
===Movies===
* Alice in Wonderland (2010)
*Coraline 
*Legend (1985) 
*Pan's Labyrinth 
*Snow White: A Tale of Terror
*The Curse of Sleeping Beauty
*Valerie & Her Week of Wonders
===Tabletop Games===
*Warhammer Fantasy Battle
*World Of Darkness (Franchise) 
===Videogames===
* American McGee's "Alice: Madness Returns"
* Little Nightmares (1 and 2)
* What Remains of Edith Finch
* FromSoftware's games (Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 1 2 and 3, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring)
* Fear & Hunger and Fear & Hunger 2: Termina
==Music==
=== Songs ===
*"A Little Wicked" by Valerie Broussard
*"Am I Supposed to Apologize?" by Maria Mena
*"Far From Home (The Raven)" by Sam Tinnesz
*"Kingdom Fall" by Claire Wyndham
*"My Love Will Never Die" by Claire Wyndham
*"Wicked Game" by Ursine Vulpine
*"Poison" by Pink Fantasy
*"You And I" by Dreamcatcher
*"Juniper" by Myrkur
=== Playlists ===
* a dark fantasy by inavalerie on spotify
* dark fantasy by maggie on Spotify
* dark fantasy. by Allie on Spotify
== Activities ==
*Reading by candlelight or by a window
*Writing letters with a quill and ink, especially in cursive script
*Keeping a diary
*Pressing flowers
*Silently working on your embroidery
* Gazing out the window in quiet contemplation
*Wistfully staring into the distance
*Riding your horse through the forest glens
*Pitching coins into the wishing well
*Wandering the woods or the city at night
*Leaving tokens at the feet of your ancestors
*Feeding, communicating, and paying respects to corvids
*Heeding what the owl says
*Noting the passage of time
*Walking into the mist
==Gallery==
Mystical-4854108 1920.jpg
Rosie-fraser-1L71sPT5XKc-unsplash.jpg
Pexels-eberhard-grossgasteiger-1287075.jpg
Fantasy-4026568 1920.jpg|A marvelous example of fashion! Note her hooded cloak. ^-^
File:Leather sheathed swords.jpg
File:Lucie herondale aesthetic 12.jpg
Bird-skull-4433244 1920.jpg|The wearer wears a corvid skull
File:Dark Princess.jpg
Pexels-dima-valkov-5690183.jpg|Her clothing is too modern to be considered dark fantasy, her makeup and headdress are
Pexels-dima-valkov-5686649.jpg|Here is a closer look at her makeup!
File:Dark candles.jpg
Pexels-danielle-reese-2495703.jpg|Here is the makeup and headdress of another woman. Both suit the dark fantasy aesthetic!
File:Transylvanian castle.jpg
Pexels-ferdinand-studio-3922111.jpg
File:Dark academia aesthetic 7.jpg
Halloween-4573176 1920.jpg
Annie-spratt-r9eIL7jtenc-unsplash (1).jpg|And where would that leave me?
File:Dripping candles.jpg
File:Dark Princess 3.jpg
File:Dark fantasy rogue.jpg
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Category:Visual
Category:Fashion
Category:Genre Fiction
Category:Black
Category:Mutes
Category:European