The picture of the angel above. Fantasy.

The man below with the bloody blade and decapitated beast. Fantasy.

What do you think of this image? Perhaps differently, with her wings coated in blood. Flames and smoke climb up the town’s buildings as she descends.

The angel is Avacyn, from "Magic the Gathering," hit and original trading card game. In the serialized lore of the game, Avacyn is the protector of the world of Innistrad, created to rally the angels of the world together in order to protect the people living there from the horrors of the night. Eventually, the madness ever-present in the world is turned on Avacyn herself, causing her to have a 180-degree attitude change. As she corrupts the rest of the angels, they commit massacres of the people they had once sworn to protect. (Spoilers?)

I wonder how you think of her now.

Let’s look at the hunter again.

I doubt anyone would accuse him of being evil here. At least, it’d be a long stretch. His swords sheathed from a job done. The trees and houses in the background illuminated by a warmth that is present everywhere in the piece. The blood from his sword is now on his face, more easily associated with personal suffering or sacrifice. The girl he holds is choked up at the sight of him.

The hunter is Geralt, the Witcher from the series of the same name. While more recognizable today from the hit game trilogy, he originates from the superb book series of the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. As a Witcher, he is indeed a blade-for-hire; to hunt monsters. He follows a code of ethics, where he will reject a job if the monster is endangered, sapient, or does not pose a threat to anyone. He often chooses not to harm the monster, instead helping them, especially if they are sapient. The girl is his adopted daughter, Ciri. This piece is of a scene in the books where they are reunited after being separated, Geralt thinking her dead (…spoilers).

This is what I consider to be the most fascinating aspect of dark fantasy; taking a stereotype that people assume and turning them on their head. While both of these characters are great for a multitude of reasons, it is always amazing to look back on them through the eyes of one who knows nothing of their backstory. Perhaps that could tell us something about our society today…maybe it’s already embodied in an overused quote? (who knows) Either way, dark fantasy makes things in fantasy more realistic (I know), and so more relatable, bringing you closer to the characters you read about. After all, who ever related to cookie-cutter characters? And isn’t relatability one of the key social cues that something might interest you?

I’m tellin’ ya, business just doesn’t get what authors have known for centuries.

Thanks for reading.

You can get more of my amazing wit Saturday nights at undetermined times @redtwo742 on twitch.tv playing through games I will then write about on this app, for (hopefully) your personal amusement!

You can get in touch with me through twitter @redtwo742 if you want... I guess. I’m always happy to talk about an interesting subject… um… except sports… not sports. You could also follow me for updates on my articles, twitch streams, and bad republished memes of the highest caliber.

If you still can’t find anything to do, feel free to read my talented comrade’s articles over at the University of Dayton’s page!

Peace among worlds

-Marty