Tuesday 4~ Dark Academia

 

Dark Academia...


Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. Toni loved to have people open their minds and think about things .. think into things. Let's try that this week okay?
A popular trend in home décor and mood background music is called *Dark Academia and it is based on novels set on old university campuses that have secrets, love affairs, mystery and the scenes and mood these novels evoke. Velvet sofas, old books, Victorian wallpaper, deep high back chairs, antique photos and paintings, candles, romantic lighting and classical music are all part of it.

*Dark Academia is a style steeped in the romanticism of literary nostalgia and the academic aesthetic of classical architecture and arts. Originating in the hall of Ivy-covered universities, this style speaks to those who yearn for an era of structured elegance and intellectual pursuit.

1. Does this picture evoke any feelings in you? If so share what they are please. What is the mood it sets for you?

This is something totally new and foreign to me. I've never heard of "Dark Academia" before so I am going to have to put on my thinking cap and vivid imagination to try and come up with some kind of sensible answer.  Perhaps the sensible thing to do would be to just pass on this one altogether because I'm just not getting any "vibes" for it. However, after thinking on it for a little while, this is what came to me:

The mood this scene sets for me is rather dark and chilly and damp. I want to wrap up in a blanket and find a nice cozy fireplace to lounge in front of on a dark red velvet sofa while I read a good book...perhaps a mystery novel...

2. Put yourself into this scene. Where are you going?

I am going into the Conservatory of this intriguing home to find a quiet place to read...

3. Do you have a companion or are you going to meet someone? Who is it?

I think I must be Mrs. Peacock (because I love the colors of the feathers on a Peacock), and I prefer to be alone, but Miss Scarlett soon comes in and interrupts my peace and quiet.

4. Using your imagination describe who and what you find inside the foreground building. Is it a restaurant, library, academic building, a home? 

Apparently it is the house from the game of Clue, and it seems to be a boarding house of some type...and all of the rooms named in the game are in this house, i.e.; the Hall, Lounge, Dining Room, Kitchen, Ball Room, Conservatory, Billiard Room, Library, and Study.  

I believe you will find the stodgy old Col. Mustard and dashing Mr. Green in the Billiard Room, and Professor Plum is in the Study.  Strictly business Mrs. White is bustling about in the Kitchen and back and forth into the Dining Room, and the beautiful young Miss Scarlett seems to wander from room to room in search of me, the retired writer of mystery novels, Mrs. Peacock.  Once she finds me in the Conservatory wrapped up in a blanket reading a good mystery book before the fireplace, she tries to talk me into going with her in search of Mrs. White. However, what she really wants to do is go play pool in the Billiard Room with the the dashing and handsome Mr. Green and the stodgy old Colonel Mustard, which is not entirely proper in this particular day and time.  However, she is not able to convince me to go with her, and so she goes off by herself in search of adventure.  

Unfortunately, Miss Scarlett is later found alone in the Ball Room, and somehow she has very suddenly died.   Mrs. White discovers her body there and runs screaming through the house to let everyone know that poor Miss Scarlett has been murdered.  Now the mystery that I've been reading seems to be coming to life and we must all gather together to try and figure out how Miss Scarlett was murdered and then  determine who did it.  

Suddenly we are all considered suspects when the police come to investigate, and therefore I am no longer able to sit wrapped up in my cozy blanket before the fireplace and read my book.  However, perhaps if I could fast forward to the end of the book I might be able to solve the mystery.  I don't know, but it's interesting to note that they found several interesting items scattered about in different places in the house...a knife with drops of blood was found in the kitchen...a candlestick showing traces of hair attached was in the dining room, there was a revolver found in the study, which seems to have been recently fired...someone discovered a lead pipe in the lounge, and a long rope was hung up on the coat rack in the hallway, and last but not least there was a wrench with greasy grimy fingerprints found in the library!  Now it is up to the police to try and figure out which item was used as a weapon, and by whom!

I think I will just stay out of the way and let them figure it out.  I could show them the book I am reading and they might figure it out sooner, but then they wouldn't earn their money by doing their job.

Soon there were many kinds of "confessions" going on as the police interrogated each of us.

I felt very sorrowful that I had not gone with Miss Scarlett when she had asked me to. Perhaps I could have saved her life. I had to confess to my feelings of indifference and judgment in not wanting to spend any time with someone who appeared to be so blatantly trying to chase after a man.  Mrs. White confessed to being a bit envious, but much too busy to care about the needs of a young beautiful woman who appeared to be quite capable of taking care of herself.  Colonel Mustard confessed that although he admired the lovely young lady from afar, his admiration for her was more like what he would think of a fine horse. He was much more interested in telling his old war stories than showing interest in a young filly.  Professor Plum confessed that he had never hardly noticed the young woman as he was so caught up in his studies about the latest archeological discoveries in the tombs of the Pharaohs in Egypt.  Then they questioned the dashing and handsome young Mr. Green. He had to confess that he admired the beautiful young woman very much, and he had hopes of getting to know her better, but he was shy and really didn't know how to approach her. Truly he was heartbroken that her lovely life was cut short so suddenly.

So,  after all the investigations were over, it was determined that poor Miss Scarlett had actually died of a broken heart.  She wasn't brutally murdered at all.  But perhaps she might have lived longer if we had all not been so selfish, judgmental, indifferent, and had we been more of a friend to her instead of brushing her off every time she approached us.

Galatians 5:13-26 is a good passage of scripture to sum up this story. Perhaps if the characters in this house had practiced the admonition found in verse 14 below, the lovely Miss Scarlett might have lived a much happier and longer life.  

"13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."

And thus ends this story of the mysterious death of Miss Scarlett in the house that "Clue" built.

I hope you enjoyed this foray into "Dark Academia". I must admit it took me a while to get started, but once the juices started flowing I couldn't stop. Thank you, Annie, for giving us this interesting inspiration today.  Now, let's go see what adventures others are finding in this realm of "Dark Academia" today.

Postscript:  For the "true" and updated ending of this story please go to the "sequel" on the next post found HERE.  After "sleeping" on this story, I decided that it really needed a better ending...author's prerogative! I hope you'll check it out!