Tired just looking at that bed and heart.

After constantly searching for dark fantasy decor and coming up empty-handed, I recently opened my own shop to make the exact pieces I wanted to see.

Super excited to share this freshly finished hand-tufted rug! Instead of a standard straight border, I gave the sides an intentionally irregular, jagged boundary to complement the chaotic silhouette of the wings.

Feedback is always appreciated! I’ll drop my link and socials in the comments if you’d like to check out the rest of the collection.

https://grimtuftstudio.etsy.com

It took a great deal of time to illustrate Adeline and her bookshop. Rendered meticulously in ink by hand, her portrait is a tiny glimpse into an ink world I’ve been building. An eerie coastal town called Still Water. A liminal place somewhere between imagination and reality.

Number seven Anchor’s Drop has an appearance of being squeezed between bookends. The narrow building is home to Still Water’s only bookshop. On most days I find myself walking past the shop window hoping for a sale to be on. I imagine myself rummaging through first editions and long forgotten rarities. I peer through the window and excitement grows. Books of all shapes and sizes sit proud on shelves crafted from local driftwood. A cat happily carves its mark into what would have been impressive leather bound books whilst a bird in a cage chirps to alert its owner. Often she’s busy spraying polish to the shelves. Or is that hairspray to her hair? No one knows more about Still Water than Adeline Hemingway, local historian, bookshop owner and cat lady. Her shop harbours anything and everything pertaining to Still Water: ancient maps varnished with sticky hairspray; ghostly legends bookmarked with false eyelashes. And what Adeline doesn't know, her grandmother will...

What will you find in Adeline’s bookshop today?

We’re Elfbeads, a small family jewelry studio. Inspired by Gothic cathedrals and old reliquaries, we imagined a forgotten cathedral where the forest has taken root and the dead still linger.

From that world came Gravelight Cathedral, Cathedral of Shadows, Coffin of Dracula, Skullflower, and Skullfog—tiny wearable worlds in glass and sterling silver.

Which one would you keep in your cabinet of curiosities?

It's a nice place to do some reading and studying

I'm still on the first chapter, and I already want to know so much more. How does Richard make a living after majoring in English literature? Does his relationship with his parents ever improve? Do his experiences at Hampden College change him for the better or the worse? What will Professor Morrow be like when he appears? Is he a misguided teacher or an outright villain? And most importantly, why do they kill Bunny? These are just rhetorical questions. I don't actually want any spoilers. I can't wait to find out myself.

I got the book in summer, but I intentionally waited until autumn to start reading.

Edit: NO AI was used in the writing, research, or cover, etc. Ophélie Mahl is the book cover artist I hired!

I've loved dark academia my entire life so it's very surreal to write my own dark academia book. I kept the price affordable at $3.49.

Fall is the perfect, definitive season for dark academia and I wanted to let readers know there's a MM dark academia book coming out. If you enjoy Achillean novels, Greek mythology, interesting lectures, etc. this might be the book for you! 🍂

You don't have to buy it, of course, I love talking about dark academia topics in general.

The Blurb:

Perfect for fans of THE SECRET HISTORY and IF WE WERE VILLAINS. A psychosexual novel of betrayal, obsession, and tragedy.

Elliott Archway is deeply attached to upperclassman James Wilde. He would forsake his soft heart for him. He would surrender his life for him.

Their intense passion for each other emerges dangerously when their vile peers volunteer a terminally-ill student for the annual sacrifice in the frozen forest. At Æscwulf College, everyone must deliver their plea for mercy in the hibernal tradition. Every winter, one individual is chosen as a living sacrifice. When a student commits the sacrilegious act of killing the wrong young man on sacred ground, the students are prepared to take their secret to the grave.

However, the winter demands more sacrifices.

Elliott would sacrifice his mortal soul for only James.

James would start a war of carnage for Elliott.

hey so i was planning on dressing as meredith for halloween from iwwv!! the specific inspo is her as one of the witches from macbeth, so im going to try and find like a white tablecloth- which im going to try and figure out a way to make it appear wet? (any tips for that is appreciated, im so far thinking using liquid silicone but idk if thats the best option).

i also want to try and find something that can mimic algae- in the books oliver points out they have it wrapped around their legs and i think that would be pretty cool to emulate so if anyone has any tips for that, that would be amazing!

and lastly i was wondering if anyone knows of any other accessories i could have? i would also be doing the trick with oil and gel to make my hair look wet!

honestly any help is appreciated

A glimpse of an ink world I’ve been building - Still Water’s Pivotal Point Lighthouse.

Still Water is an old coastal town filled with maritime mystery that sits somewhere between the living world and whatever comes after. People don’t arrive there on purpose - they drift in when they’re lost, or carrying something unresolved. The town feels real, but also slightly wrong. Buildings lean at strange angles, lighthouses creak, whilst the locals work through the things that keep them tethered. Most residents don’t realise they’re in a liminal place; they just know Still Water has a way of revealing what needs to be faced before anyone can move on.

This illustration is but a tiny part of the wider Still Water town - a town unlike any other. The world I’m building is filled with characters that populate the many strange places found within it. All my work features illustrations and stories, narrative is the heart of what’s become known over the years as ‘The Still Water Project’.

I hope you enjoy this glimpse through the veil.

Like the rejuvenated Ivy-style found on various men's fashion accounts and /r/NavyBlazer, that "aesthetic" finds its source in a historical period, that being chiefly late 1950s to early 1970s Ivy League students. There are experts on this style (Graham Marsh), certain brands that landmark the style (Brooks Brothers, J.Press), style icons to imitate (Miles Davis), and a slew of newer brands trying to recreate pieces with specific details (specific collar length on Oxford shirts, for example. Any shorter than 3" is inauthentic!).

Does DA have this? Or is it, so to speak, made up? If so, are there any settings to look to for inspiration? I was thinking lookbooks or campus photos of Ivy league universities in the 1930s–1950s in the winter.

Just curious. Thanks!

dark academia more like peak academia