#iwwv edit

[clockworkbee]

As someone who believes people shouldn’t regret anything in life because everything—that you do and don’t do—adds up to make you who you are and bring you where you are today; I really loved these lines on regretting unmade decisions and/or actions from The Secret History and If We Were Villains.

Forgive me, for all the things that I did but mostly for the ones that I did not.

—The Secret History (1992), Donna Tartt

How tremendous the agony of unmade decisions.

—If We Were Villains (2017), M. L. Rio

[eiivens]

"Whatever we did—or, more crucially, did not do—it seemed that so long as we did it together, our individual sins might be abated. There is no comfort like complicity."

Had to make a presentation for my creative writing class and I liked these slides enough to post them ehe :)

[critterofthenight]

James and Meredith: *passionately kissing at the rehearsal as Edmund and Goneril*

Oliver:

[konyvtaroslany]

"Do you blame Shakespeare for any of it?"

"I blame him for all of it."

[permanentreverie]

‘are book moodboards still a thing lmao’ IM- !?!?!???

[nox-ceur]

Do I need two copies of the same book? No

Will I be buying a second copy? Honestly I’m tempted

[nanstgeorge]

.

[moreaujeans]

how have i read iwwv twice and still have no idea what james farrow looks like

[glassamphibians]

AND WE GOT BOTH EARLY LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO

did Not realize graveyard shift and the new if we were villains editions come out on the same day this is huge for annoying people (me)

[pictureofdoriaaaaaangay]

chaotic book ramble so I can stop spiraling into the abyss: dark academia books you've heard of and probably already read edition

I need to talk about books I love to stay sane please stand by <3

Bunny by Mona Awad. I love this book SO MUCH. it's beautifully written, the characters are all unhinged women, there's murder, there's creation, there's a creative writing class. it drips with insanity and eroticism. reading it is like living a fever dream. you can picture the events of the book perfectly, but could never hope to explain it to anyone.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt. this book is the entire world to me. I love the characters [they're all terrible and irredeemable people], I love the story [they kill a man then they kill their friend and also worship Dionysus], and I absolutely want a friend group just like the Greek class [to reiterate: they are all walking red flags]. it's a book you have to read once, then again, and again, just to notice more and more so you can analyze it and make deductions. at the end of the day, it goes beyond the age-old "moral implications of murder" and delves into "moral implications of love". don't ask me how many times I've read it. that's my red flag.

If We Were Villains by ML Rio. it was only recently that I read this over the course of twenty four hours, and I honesty have yet to recover. I'm not a Shakespeare girlie, but I still loved the way his work was so inherently and intricately woven into the story of the iwwv characters. it was transcendent. it was a tragedy, it was a love story, it was a comedy. it depends on your perception of it, I suppose. but I digress - it's a really good bloody book. expect the ending to make you cry.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, by our lord and savior Oscar Wilde. this, technically, can't really be classified under the textbook definition of "dark academia" since there's not exactly any academia (can Harry even read let's be honest here), but it goes in this list because VIBES. this is one of my favorite novels of all time, and another one I've read one too many times for it to not be a red flag. I mean, the name of my damn blog is my red flag. I love it so much. it's got everything, from art to obsession to murder to gay people to the most heartachingly profound lines you've ever read. I mean, why wouldn't you read it if you haven't already?

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever. this one snuck up on me. towards the beginning, I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but by the middle, I was hooked. by the ending, I was shooketh. reading the author note, I was sitting silently in abject horror. more gay people, more obsession, more murder - what else do I have to say?

this has been a chaotic book ramble. thank you for being here <3

[ghostthetown]

Comparing “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt and “If We Were Villains” by M. L. Rio, a little while after finishing them both once, with no notes, no receipts, no knowledge of the antique classics or Shakespeare, and no one asking because I have no one to talk to about them, with varying levels of seriousness and sarcasm, over the course of random sleepless nights.

As to anyone who would ask why compare these two, it's because one of them has the name of the other right on its front fucking cover. (in some editions anyway)

Also, I don't hate If We Were Villains, I still think it's one of the better books, but I have a need to prove (mostly) to myself that THS is a better book with better characters, better plot, and better writing. If you love IWWV and hate THS, you're not wrong, you're entitled to do and like whatever you want. Keep doing what makes you happy.

Also excuse my grammar and syntax and spelling, I'm foreign and I'm doing my best.

[clockworkbee]

[susiephone]

the fact that IWWV hasn't been made into a movie or series yet, thus meaning I can't make joliver edits to "inkpot gods", is, frankly, rude

[twisted-tales-told]

hello arik!! for the book ask game i am curious about 45 & 43 :)

and thank u for all the book recommendations in the previous asks!

HIIII thank u for reading the posts :3 I always feel a lil honoured whenever anyone reads my ask answers

This ask game

43. What’s the book that’s in the WORST physical condition.

My copy of The Raven Boys is pretty bad there’s pages falling out. It’s currently living in @sophsicle’s house waiting patiently 2 be read by their beautiful brain. There’s like pieces of the cover scrapping off and I also lost it once and found it in the lost and found with all these gouges in the sides?? Idk how that happened.

Most of the mess of my books is contained 2 my terrible handwritten annotations on the inside.

OH I have a copy of Anna Karanena that was SOO bad but i fixed it up a bit. We love bookbinding blue & leather conditioner<3 that big tear is a bit “risky” to close because it risks the glue soaking through the VERY thin paper so until it Needs to be fixed I’m content to live with him.

45. What book(s) would you sell your soul to get a TV or movie adaptation of?

Hmmm okay here’s the thing. I am basing this off of how BADLY I want edits. I collect edits of my fav films & tv shows and I would KILL for some amazing aftg edits. Like the sports scenes alone would be epic! With the right casting and a REALLY REALLY good production team it could be such a good adaptation.

Also a Good The Goldfinch tv show/movie. That would be amazing.

OHHH IF WE WERE VILLAINS that would be so cool. I think you could do a lot with iwwv as an adaptation.

I hope they’re low budget with it tho that’s the only way it’ll be good. It has to fit the vibes.

[tubercloset]

6, 11, 21 :]

6. Something you see in art a lot and love

Edit: actually my favorite thing in art is how iwwv artists have collectively agreed that Oliver is not white, which is related to my latter point of artists creating character designs with their own imagination and the inspiration and input from other artists

this is specifically for pulleyverse: I love when people invent the craziest crack ships that actually make a ton of sense and bring it to life with art and fanfic. Also more generally I love my small book fandoms and the talent of the few artists there who are able to create character designs

11. if you’re a writer or artist, what fic or piece of art are you proud of making?

there was this one doodle page I filled for 苍兰诀 in the depths of my brainrot for that cdrama. I am glad that something came out of that obsession

21. a fandom you’re not really active in anymore but still really like

the raven cycle I guess? I’m no longer in it at all so I don’t know if I really like it but it has a cool aesthetic and the fandom is funny. Actually all for the game…I’m only “in” the fandom still because of the fans’ love for this dumpster fire and the tumblr algorithm

[sophielovesbooks]

ALRIGHT I'VE FINISHED!!

So now I shall pass judgement. 🥰

1000 Ships - Kate Weinberg

Good! A good start to this anthology. I love her writing style. The story was quite simple but somewhat emotionally complex. Plus it features a character from her novel "The Truants"! 8/10 stars

Pythia - Olivie Blake

A weird one, let's be real. A bit absurd. Refreshingly different, though, and partly in interview style. I enjoyed it overall. 7/10 stars

Sabbatical - James Tate Hill

Hm, not sure about this one. It was fun to read it but sort of absurd, once again? The ending to me was bizarre rather than rewarding? But hey, at least it wasn't boring. 5/10

The Hare and the Hound - Kelly Andrew

Amazing!! Probably my fave in this book, if I had to pick one. The plot was just super engaging and fun, in my opinion. The dialogues between the main character and his mates were EXACTLY the type I love to read. I adore that trope where you are not sure whether the main character is losing their mind or not. Another character was really intriguing to me as well. I sort of guessed the main twist but that's okay. The style flowed so nicely as well and was so atmospheric. I don't like to hand out perfect ratings, but actually? Yeah, whatever, I'm feeling generous. 10/10 stars

X House - J. T. Ellison

Lmaooooo! I straight-up HATED this one! A poor imitation of the dark academia genre with stunningly amateurish writing imho. This author, for whatever reason, cannot keep their tenses straight?! Like, how did this one go through peer review aka editing?? The style was so incredibly clunky as well, like a how-to on what not to do. Ridiculous plot. Odd pacing. Laughable characters. It's a big no from me. (I've read another book by this author that I didn't really care for, so that checks out, I suppose.) Most entertaining hate read I've had in ages, though! 1/10 stars

The Ravages - Layne Fargo

Good! Fun. Cute. Not, like, super remarkable in my personal opinion. But well written with a plot that's easy to get into and a likeable sapphic main character. Touches interestingly on toxic relationships. Yeah, I enjoyed it. 8/10

Four Funerals - David Bell

Hmm, well. Not awful but not great either, in my view. Also the plot didn't feel very dark academia to me, to be honest? The atmosphere just wasn't there? It made an okay short story but it wasn't anything special. I didn't like his novel "Kill All Your Darlings" much, either, so again, this story sort of confirmed my opinion of the author's writing. 5/10 stars

The Unknowable Pleasures - Susie Yang

Oh shit, actually this one might have been my favourite?! Or it's a close second at least? Really, really engaging. Really drew me in. So interesting and unique as well. A story that doesn't provide simple answers and makes you reflect. The ending... wasn't super satisfying but that was kind of the point. It's interesting because I remember DNFing a book by Susie Yang because I didn't like her writing style, but here I really enjoyed it. So I should probably give her another chance? Again, feeling generous I'll go with 10/10 stars

Weekend at Bertie's - M. L. Rio

This was the story I bought the whole book for!! I was so excited for it and... it let me down a bit. I feel terrible writing this, but it is what it is. It wasn't bad by any means, don't get me wrong. Only the prose didn't flow as nicely as in some of the other stories, I thought. I felt like it was overly complex at times. And the plot... was okay, but a bit strange as well. Creative, yes. But a bit odd. And the biggest point of criticism is that, unlike IWWV, it didn't feel super dark academia to me. So... squinting and feeling sort of guilty I think I'll go with... 7/10 stars? Okay, no, that's brutal, 8/10 stars

The Professor of Ontography - Helen Grant

ANOTHER REALLY GOOD ONE! I literally just read it this morning so it's all fresh. But yes, two really likeable MCs and a cute romance. The setting was so fleshed out, it almost felt like a novel? Like, there was more than just that short glimpse that you often get with a short story? This one also encapsulated the dark academia genre perfectly in my view. A mystery with horror elements. Loved it. Another 10/10 stars

Phobos - Tori Bovalino

Yeah, quite good. Not too bad. All about secret societies and inition rituals. We got some fairly interesting character portraits in not a lot of pages. It was suspenseful. Can recommend. 9/10 stars

Playing - Phoebe Wynne

This one was okay. The writing was good and atmospheric. But I think it was meant to be twisty and to me the ending was so obvious from very early on so I kept wondering whether anything surprising was going to happen. And it didn't. I'm also not sure the author selected the best scenes to write out/depict in detail for this particular story, if you know what I mean. I'm making it sound worse than it was, though. 7/10 stars

And that's it! If you've read this book, let me know what you think.

I am doing sometimes super fun today. It's Sunday and I don't have any pressing responsibilities. So I've decided to do sort of a spontaneous readathon, something I have never done before!

For as long as I like, I'll stay in my little reading nook with coffee and snacks and read. 🥰📖☕️ Hopefully I'll finish In These Hallowed Halls, which is a dark academia anthology.

Would anybody like me to rate each story once I've finished the final one? 😊 (Because trust me, I've got opinions!)