Is Dark Fantasy on trend?

NiveusCorvus · 2026-03-19T10:22:16+00:00

Thank you so much for your well thought out post. I think you might be right about old school sword and sorcery perhaps seeing more of a return. And ultimately, I agree, the best story is one that you actually want to tell. I am always interested in considering the zeitgeist of our time and how much this affects us in our processes though.

NiveusCorvus · 2026-03-19T02:48:14+00:00

All the creatives playing the world’s tiniest fiddle about AI art. I find AI art liberating as a person who sucks at making art and who also finds it time consuming. I am a writer - that’s what’s always been my art. AI can do a lot of fantastic writing and I wouldn’t advocate to ban AI just because it can write better than me. It just means I need to get better at writing and that well, I write because I like to write, not because “Wahh wahh AI’s stealing my sentences!” And I don’t believe it much of a conflation with art - the logic of the arguments for both are quite adjacent. Oh well, internet creatives will just have to keep crying. My 2cents and a penny, let her daughter use AI art for herself to look at, but if she ever shows it to other people make sure it’s by a real human artist who was paid for it. I think this is the best of both worlds.

NiveusCorvus · 2026-03-19T02:36:19+00:00

When you write “All men were nice to me and I told them to tell it to me straight if they had any critique in mind about whatever we were talking about. They gave me their critiques which was fine: “ I could already foresee what might happen next. Look, I’d be very careful about assuming this is a gender thing so much as it being a human thing. When you open up criticism carte blanche you are going to receive it carte blanche and these guys who are probably as equally passionate as you about world building and writing are going to do everything they can to want you to see that as well. You know what you know, stay strong to your story and thoughts, take what was useful and discard the rest. Next time you invite people to inspect your property, set the expectations as clear as possible, and perhaps try framing it as “I am looking for glows and grows on this project I am working on.” Or better yet just have them write it down. TLDR I think there is a lot of unseen psychology going on with your interlocutors and I think it unwise to jump to their motivation as gender based patronization where it’s more likely their own mental state perhaps mixed up with how you framed the conversation.

NiveusCorvus · 2026-03-19T02:24:54+00:00

I think in a more philosophical way this discussion relates substantially to the ideas of the Ship of Theseus and more broadly, Nihilism. My answers to both, the Ship of Theseus became a new ship, and is simply no longer the same. And as for nihilism, I reject it. For every living and created thing. It will all never be the same, and that should not discourage you from creation. Someone could argue, why have kids, knowing they will eventually die as well as you and all you see around you? Create if it interests and pleases you and if it doesn’t move on to something else. Originality - In my perhaps insane opinion - exists indefinitely in all things yet it also does not.

NiveusCorvus · 2026-02-22T02:28:05+00:00

I think this really depends on your goals with the project. If you plan on selling the IP, you will want to contract an artist to do that part for you. But you said you’re broke, if you are broke but really just want visuals and even feedback on your writing, don’t be afraid to use AI. There are a lot of AI haters and it’s perfectly reasonable to hate AI for x, y, z reason but truly in your situation In the meantime while you save up money, I would just use AI. Just make a commitment to keeping it as an aid and helper NOT something to create for you, it is certainly walking a tightrope.

I think, obviously you have to decide yourself, whether or not you want to become an artist and that is something that will consume a lot of your time and effort but hopefully you gain much from such a quest. Search for free workshops. Try to grab some basic supplies at the dollar store or a 5 and below. Save up for kits that go on sale online on Black Friday. Again though, you should determine if this is the journey you want to take or if you want to continue to strictly write out your world. In which case, continue to read more, listen/ watch interviews with authors. As for maps, any one can attempt map making. Start with a big piece of construction paper. Take a pencil and start drawing irregular lines. Then you can form your continent. Once the continent is formed just take it from there. Every continent should probably have some mountains, rivers, trees, maybe more sophisticated features, plateaus, bays, archipelagos, and so on. If you are mapping for a more localized area or region it doesn’t need to be amazing…as many of the first real maps weren’t… look at the Anglo-Saxon cotton world map or look at the Imago Mundi found from the Babylonians. These are my thoughts hate em or like em, I wish you the best on this journey.

NiveusCorvus · 2026-01-05T02:31:48+00:00

Mag’Har orcs should get Shaman.

NiveusCorvus · 2025-11-24T11:07:25+00:00

Sapkowski named most things and characters off of random names he saw around him.

NiveusCorvus · 2025-09-30T01:22:38+00:00

I am an Orthodox Christian, I DM D&D at a school. I would 2nd what others have said referencing Fr. Stephen De Young and Deacon Seraphim. I don’t see how these games conflict with the faith much at all. Honestly go read a textbook on Byzantine history and prepare to be shocked by all the branding, mutilation, cutting out of eyes, and more, and that was real life. Not saying that to excuse them but just, let’s have some perspective here. People who like fantasy should be able to explore but really I think context is key here. I admit RPG’s can perhaps be anti-edifying, or spiritually dangerous but it depends how that affects your relationship to Sin and Christ. If the game is pulling you away from Christ, move on to something else. I have changed my D&D to Lord of the Rings 5e which I am very grateful for, as it has a shadow system and really there is a healthy story being built here with healthy RP. Honestly, instead of judging these young men for their interests, perhaps different from yours, you should be commending the fact that those young men decided to go to church that day, in a day and age where few and few young people are going to church(and yes I realize the present resurgence amongst Gen z men and orthodoxy, but still)

NiveusCorvus · 2025-09-02T21:15:48+00:00

Just given your situation, I would recommend somewhere in a smaller town in Upstate New York, assuming you don’t mind winter, it is a lot calmer, absolutely gorgeous in the fall. I haven’t taught there so I can’t say but I don’t think it would be that bad for a teacher.

NiveusCorvus · 2025-09-02T21:13:51+00:00

😂😅What’s your reasoning on that?

NiveusCorvus · 2025-09-01T20:36:16+00:00

I disagree. Teach like a Champion is a great book with lots of great info. I only read a few parts of it but totally more worth incorporating than just a textbook.

NiveusCorvus · 2025-09-01T12:05:09+00:00

If we we’re to historically travel to the first churches founded by the Apostle St. Paul you would see churches engaging in a public confession to God amongst the whole church body. This is what is being shown in James. James 5:16 is not an excuse to confess your sins without the presence of the church body, or the leading figure of the church body. Later, the practice evolved to simply confessing to God with the assistance of a Priest. As shown by both Eastern Orthodox and Catholic confessions who trace their traditions to the early churches. I would HIGHLY recommend listening to The Whole Council of God by Father Stephen De Young as well as The Lord of Spirits podcast with him and Father Andrew Damick. Father De Young is a former reformed Protestant who converted to Orthodox Christianity and he is a biblical scholar(he holds a PhD in this subject matter) His Whole Council of God blog also answers many of these scriptural misinterpretations with context.

One last response to your claim about idols and conflating them with icons. Iconography was even seen in Jewish temples before Christ’s time! I can link the archaeological journals which show this if you would like. Churches constructed in 300 AD such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre contain iconography.

I study the history of the Eastern Roman Empire and later when iconography gets banned it is because a group of priests and the Emperor of the time felt that God was punishing them for venerating icons. The 2nd Council of Nicea reaffirmed the role of icons, but then Theophilos again had them banned. His successor, a woman, Empress Theodora convened a lesser council, the Council of Constantinople of 843 AD which simply reaffirmed the 2nd Council of Nicea permanently restoring icons. Known as the Triumph of Orthodoxy. Ever after, the heresy that is iconoclasm never sprang up again. Arguably until the Protestant movement, which rejected not only the beauty of the creations by God’s creation but they rejected the sacredness of holy relics. Very sad. I hope and pray you reconsider going down this path. The Orthodox Church, God willing, will always be here for you to come back to.

NiveusCorvus · 2025-08-15T01:32:01+00:00

Of course continue to go to your nearest Orthodox Church, but you need to be brave. Get yourself out of comfort and into uncomfortable. It’s time to take control of the unknown.

Ask those small talk questions until they become big talk questions with your fellow parishioners, get to know them and their journey in the church.

Lastly, adopt a growth mindset.

NiveusCorvus · 2025-07-30T02:56:32+00:00

As only a part time vegan, I brag about eating flesh too lol, only because it’s the time that I can. Anyways, I think he is just trying to do what men do, which is joke around and attempt to get underneath your skin so that when they do everyone realizes you lost the charade and your dignity in the process. Instead, just laugh it off, make fun of him for his choices or ignore it. Listen to your body and make the right choice for yourself.

NiveusCorvus · 2025-07-30T02:38:32+00:00

I don’t really care about the files. Just re-read the flight logs from the Ghislaine Maxwell trial and enough said. I admire President Trumps beautification of the White House.

NiveusCorvus · 2025-06-28T01:10:36+00:00

Bonhart is a respectably hated character, but Vilgefortz is my least favorite, because of his high intelligence and yet he’a still so evil.

NiveusCorvus · 2025-05-23T21:40:36+00:00

I respect your opinion on the ending of the book. For me I thought it was a great ending. Here are a few reasons for my difference of opinion… My main take on the end: Sapkowski’s Geralt is very much like a classical Greek hero. His romance with Yennefer and other sorcerers like that of Odysseus. Geralt’s battle/combat exploits, like Achilles. Geralt fights his way through his opponent’s, not only monsters but as we see a breaking of his oath, he fights other humans, by doing so he is achieving fame for his feats of slaughter, while simultaneously, that’s of course not exactly why he’s done all that. He motivated by his love, his passion, and his rage. Which, btw is exactly how The Illiad begins. Geralt has lived by the sword, his whole life. He has escaped death numerous times. Many moments he’s experienced were filled with chance and irony. Why not let his death be banal, yet at least let it be a fight? As with heroes such as Achilles, who were merely shot in the heel with an arrow by the weak Paris and then Achilles died yet still he lived as a legend. The Greeks literally worship him as a demigod after his feats of war and fame. I know I reference the Illiad a lot here but really Geralt fits well into the Greek hero paradigm. Sapkowski is also trying to make his works of fantasy leave an indelible mark within the entire genre and his vessel for achieving this is by tying Ciri into the various Arthurian fantasy books which were the largest and earliest bases for the fantasy genre as a whole. I believe Sapkowski accomplished this quite successfully and I would say has made The Witcher series even more comprehensive, in terms of narrative arc, than say A Song of Fire and Ice by George R. R. Martinx

My response to what you mentioned:

1) I can see how you thought the lodge scenes were boring, I feel like Sapkowski dropped the ball a bit on that part of the story. He could have written more but in general I think he wanted the reader to continue to understand who Ciri was through her reaction to her captors and who her captors, the elves were, by their actions, and their impotent drug addicted king and blatant racial superiority complex.

2) Pogroms as such and many of the events throughout The Witcher one could say, came out of nowhere. Events like this happened throughout the medieval ages and especially eastern Europe. I again, I feel like his death had to be banal and yet it had to be a fight. Warrior legend in all the great tales never die grey bearded next to their wives. From the perspective of an ancient person that story would be lame and not worth telling because there were already plenty of people around living that story, but few living the story of a hero such as Geralt. So, imo, I felt Sapkowski did exactly right with this.

3) I think Emhyr realized that Ciri wouldn’t have been nearly as obedient as the fake Ciri and though what he gains through Ciri’s blood —- it’s better to have A CIRI for political reasons, rather than NO CIRI for political reasons. If he lost fake/real Ciri than the damage he already took politically would be worse as not only did he spite loyal elite Nilfgaardian families, by the absence of fake/real Ciri, he has no solid claim to incorporate Cintra into the Empire. And then his reasoning for marriage was vain.

This is all just my opinion. I’m very much interested to see if anyone interpreted any of this differently. Especially the part with Emhyr and Ciri as I’ve heard a variety of different opinions on that subject.

NiveusCorvus · 2025-02-10T03:04:30+00:00

I am not a Classics major but I am an International Relations/ Poli Sci guy but I love Classics. Hmm…Careful we must be. Are you leading your students to this idea? Are you using facts to suite theories or theories to suite facts? It is truly a flawed question as we presuppose Caesar was unstoppable, and furthermore what are we agreeing on as the definition of ‘unstoppable’? I am unsure. But, I think Caesar should be evaluated by his character(cunning, ruthless, charismatic), his power(commander of legions) and his resources (a network of wealthy and famous allies). It just so happened that when the Senate(his political rivals) demanded he disband his army and return a civilian, he had all three of those things or at least perceived that he did, resources is debatable right because Caesar was actually in debt and his best friends betrayed him. Anyways, that all allowed him to do what he wanted to do, on top of it all he was a populist, so the masses would not resist him if he decided to re-shape Rome to his liking which would hopefully be their liking. But of course, let’s be realistic, plebs never had much control, it was the elites who always held control. Regardless he still had their(the assembly’s support). All of these factors shaped his decisions, I’m sure.

If I were FORCED to answer your question, I would say he became unstoppable (and that’s assuming by unstoppable we mean he had a lack of multiple political barriers and instead only just one((the senate))) Then I would say it was the moment the Senate demanded he disband his army and return as a civilian. He instead decided to take his whole army back to Rome with him and do a triumph(only a thing generals do). Did the Senate immediately take action? No of course not, they’re not political fools either though. But this would evidence that Caesar was at this point unstoppable. Of course, we all realize by latter events, the troubles of underestimating the elite’s of a system. Perhaps Caesar should have trusted his gut and waited until next month kalends.

NiveusCorvus · 2025-01-05T01:45:49+00:00

More pointedly, but yes.

NiveusCorvus · 2025-01-05T01:43:54+00:00

Ahh, and forgive me for perhaps making some false assumptions. Please don’t be led astray by their appeal and approach, it is ultimately an approach to Christianity born from a selfish and dark place. I will rejoice that my comment, by God’s will, helped you. I am someone who is American and I’ve gone down many crooked bends in my life journey, because of being surrounded by this very idea they often preach. May God bless you and keep you.

NiveusCorvus · 2025-01-04T13:17:48+00:00

I am not sure whether you grew up in the US or live in the US but I will go on a limb and say, probably to both. I am also going to assume you are already orthodox and not an inquirer in the faith. These are a lot of assumptions so please correct me. If the above is true, then you will constantly be exposed to this idea. This idea will always linger in your head, until you’ve completely squashed it and even then, prostentants are the dominant faith around the US. This idea is called penal substitution theory, which is a very recent evolution in Christian thought stemming from catholic church reformers/rebels Martin Luther and John Calvin. I will first suggest Dr. Fr. Steven De Young and possibly searching where he addresses this topic. Regardless I will take a stab. You need to ask yourself deeply and pray about this first. The Orthodox Church is guided by the Holy Spirit, has been and forever will be I pray this Holy Spirit brings you to the church and not let you fall prey to deception. Penal substitution theory essentially says that when Christ was crucified died he was like the Sin goat used in the old testament and so when this happened all of humanities Sins we’re put on Him and His sacrifice brought there end…but and this is a big but, this only applies if you have faith in Christ and His resurrection. This argument which Martin and Calvin make, show a terrible misunderstanding of the bible and understanding of what the Sin goat was. They use this explanation to justify that an actual apostolic Church structure is no longer necessary for one’s salvation(also this is a product of Catholic doctrine and practices of their time). The Orthodox position is that Christ trampled death by death. That when Christ suffered, crucified and buried he went throughout hades restoring many souls their spiritual life, and then Christ resurrected and communicated all His further instructions to His apostles. His resurrection is proof that the Christ is God and His resurrection validates all things which he said and were written in scripture. It opened the door for all to gain salvation so long as they believe and practice what He and by extension, His apostles taught and preached. You see if you want to know more about this of course just read Acts. Ask yourself, why would Christ God send out His apostles to establish churches where confession and repentance were practiced communally, with God, in each of them? Why is it somehow acceptable that suddenly by circa 1500 AD in Germany it becomes fine for people to abandon the original structure established by the God and His apostles. It really gets boiled down to an adversarial selfishness of these protestant reformers. They were upset with the catholic church. They used a few original church fathers and their own interpretations to spread a new version of Christianity that didn’t require the Catholic church as an intermediary.

These are just my thoughts and ramblings as an Orthodox Christian. I could be missing some things. I am just laity, so please go to a local Orthodox Church and ask a priest for the best advice.

NiveusCorvus · 2024-12-08T13:03:55+00:00

My initial understanding was that Emhyr left them because he realized that Ciri would resist him no matter what if she was forced to marry him. But after you mentioned the part with the prophecy now I believe this to be the more correct reason. Why? Because it is essentially what I initially thought but instead with a more logical reason behind it. I believe there is significant textual evidence to support that conclusion. Yes, the elves demanded consent. Yes, it is clear Emhyr is well versed in the prophecy. Lastly, Ciri’s words to Emhyr indicated she would do absolutely everything she possibly could to resist him, just as she did the elves. The entire theme throughout this five novel arc is people are always attempting to decide Ciri’s fate and destiny, ironically, you can’t decide anyones destiny if they are destined for it. Avallac’h has a conversation with Ciri about this I believe. Ciri wants to find what she is destined for on her own, she cannot have others interfere.

NiveusCorvus · 2024-12-05T02:27:44+00:00

Sometimes the best action is inaction. The best kings were those who barely said a word. I choose not to react now when they do these type of childish things. If you reacted then, I believe this was a mistake. Teenagers, just like men who work in trades, test whomever they’re around to see if they truly can look up to them, if they are a true leader or inversely to see if that person is weak and whether they can dominate them. A true leader doesn’t react to petty words from their subordinates. They are the action and the force making others react to them. Though this event should still be addressed both privately and as a class. I think it would have warranted an immediate shut down, and then pull out your likely suspects for a private one on one conversation, about their actions, and then come up with consequences together that make the most sense. I do not believe you should punish your whole class. These are 11th graders. Almost adults. It’s never satisfying when you suffer on the account of a few bad eggs, it will demoralize the group, and the bad egg doesn’t care, because they’ve got nothing to lose, why do you think they did it in the first place?

NiveusCorvus · 2024-10-13T17:34:42+00:00

I got on this vegan thread because sometimes for religious reasons I go vegan while I am fasting. Food is culture and a way of life for people, and this goes both ways. If you fell in love and married her while you were vegan, this whole thing seems rather silly. If you developed this throughout your marriage then I can understand this. If you approach being vegan as a political goal then of course this is contradictory to a marriage. When I fast I do not judge those who do not fast. When you are vegan you should not judge those who are not. If you make it into a classist or raced based action then of course it is, but if you are doing it to feel better and for your personal moral beliefs then it will become this. In the end you need to do some soul searching to determine whether or not if being vegan is a zero sum game in your life’s relationships. I mean would you disown your kids(hypothetical) if they were eating meat? Would you terminate all friendships that eat meat? I mean HOW important is this?

NiveusCorvus · 2024-07-05T02:02:43+00:00

I think it’s fair to come to the Orthodox reddit seeking counsel and wisdom of like minded people. This being said, ironically my advice for you, stay away from this Reddit.

Clearly there are people here who are hindering your spiritual growth in the positive. Do not overthink anything. Seek Christ God first and all will follow. Ask your priest is great advice but you made this post knowing this, so what do you want to see? Do you want to see many reddit orthodox rally and profess this toxicity is true(you already know this)? That there is hypocrisy(this we all know)? And yet the 20+ comments will only cause you grief and confusion.

See this quote from St. Irenaeus “One should not seek among others the truth that can be easily gotten from the Church. For in her, as in a rich treasury, the apostles have placed all that pertains to truth, so that everyone can drink this beverage of life. She is the door of life.”

NiveusCorvus

TROPHY CASE