one of my favourite dark academia books by one of my favourite authorsđ¤âď¸
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from TĂźrkiye

seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from China
seen from China

seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from TĂźrkiye
one of my favourite dark academia books by one of my favourite authorsđ¤âď¸

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If We Were Villains fanfics - a thread by me
Since some of you asked me to recommend some IWWV fics in order to process that devastating ending, hereâs my personal thread. I vividly hope you're gonna enjoy it :)Â
1. what is woven into the lives of others - helloearthlings - If We Were Villains - M.L. Rio [Archive of Our Own]
 I think this is the most popular IWWV fic since the first review on Goodreads has posted a link to this story, but thatâs only fair given that it is masterfully crafted. The storyâs centre is Oliver and James' reunion, and therefore Oliverâs journey to find him.
2. you've got me wrapped around your finger (do you have to let it linger?) - orphan_account - If We Were Villains - M.L. Rio [Archive of Our Own]
This is a âwhat if..â and explores how things could have been if the night of their last party -the one in the library, talking through King Learâs riddles- Oliver would have figured out the truth in time and they would run away together.
Iâve read it an embarrassing number of times, and each time it has the ability to broke my heart in shards not only for the two of them but for the bigger picture of those six as a family (Iâm a sucker for a good found-family trope and this one didnât fail to deliver a heart-warming feeling with only using spare details, shreds of memories and careless laughter from a payphone at 2am). Â
Also, thereâs this brief inner monologue that perfectly encapsulates Oliverâs perspective and his ardent loyalty for his real-life Shakespearean Tragic Hero:
âI never blamed him. Forever, I will blame the plays. I will blame the theater. I will blame myself and I will blame Richard, but I will keep James safe".
 This is it. This is canon for me. Iâd tattoo it on my skin if I could, thereâs so much sentiment in these few lines. Also, can we please talk about the prose? "but the sparrow had begun to open its eyes, and I met James' glazed eyes with my own", it had me in tears.
 3. as if it were the first - Chapter 1 - crownsandbirds - If We Were Villains - M.L. Rio [Archive of Our Own]
 This is another reunion fic; it takes place two years after Oliverâs release from prison, and in this universe, we found a broken James who is living -literally- under Alexander and Colinâs wing since his failed attempt to suicide six years ago.
 Itâs written by Jamesâs pov, which allow us to know the real reach of his feelings, how pervasive is his sense of guiltiness, how broken beyond recovery he is ââJames doesn't self-harm physically anymore, but he doesn't think he'll ever stop looking for opportunities to break his own heart"- so buckle up for some angst -but really, when itâs not angst when weâre talking about two Shakespearean lovers?-.
 Bonus point: the story gives us an intimate view over Alexander and Colinâs relationship, a criminally underrated couple in IWWV in my opinion.
4.  the dead man's float - misandrywitch - If We Were Villains - M.L. Rio [Archive of Our Own]
 Another reunion fic -yeah, you can practically sense our desperate need of a closure whatsoever after M.L.Rio thrown us under a bus with that last line- passed with full marks not only for its peculiar use of a theatre structure which resembles the original novelâs structure -enter, final act, exeunt- but also for the honest portrait of its characters. There are not cheesy moments nor big declarations of love, which is something that represents the original characters: James and Oliver never opened up about their feelings, not even in the end (M.L.Rio once highlighted the importance of Oliverâs answers to James, a simple âyou know whyâ; not even in that moment, behind the bars, they can state their feelings for each other), theyâre only capable of Great Acts as papa Shakespeare taught âem (aka: go to prison for a crime you didnât commit. Aka: fake your own death in order to recreate the only non-tragic Shakespeare novel. Aka: ME SICK AND TIRED OF THOSE THEATRE KIDS).
 Despite the premise, I very appreciate this Oliver: long gone the insecure shy obtuse kid, we now find a practical man that knows what and who he wants, who doesnât step back in front of a confrontation with James -but still, he would blindly follow him to the end of the world-; and I deeply cherish this James Farrow who openly admits and accepts that heâs not the flawless Tragic Hero the Dellecher decided for him to be, so he's finally free now to live his life according to his own rules and desires, that itâs okay if heâs a bit coward; human.
 BONUS SMUT FIC - cuz sometimes a brief first and only kiss in the middle of a school play is not enough, no matter how poetic it was
no other companion - crownsandbirds - If We Were Villains - M.L. Rio [Archive of Our Own]
 Christmas came early this year. Youâre welcome
 Now, some secondary fics, shorter but still impressive
 1.    home is where it hurts - crownsandbirds - If We Were Villains - M.L. Rio [Archive of Our Own]
 This is through Alexanderâs point of view, and it focuses on the weight of Richardâs death, the motifs that led him to say that fatidic and excruciating ânothingâ. Thereâs a lot of James and Oliver here; thereâs this part that to this day is still impressed on my brain:
"Oliver and James were truly a pair of the kind Alexander had only seen in books, old classical books that talked about turning a river into blood and defeating Gods. The prince and his companion, Hamlet and his Horatio".
2. And Therefore is Winged Cupid Blind - Civilbloodoncivilhands - If We Were Villains - M.L. Rio [Archive of Our Own]
Set during the third year of Dellecher, the clique is in the middle of one of Gwendolynâs classes; Oliver is oblivious, James is whipped, Richard is a dick and Alexander is the queer queen we all know and love.
3. Merely a Madness... - sapphicfratboy - If We Were Villains - M.L. Rio [Archive of Our Own]
 This is a close-up on James Farrow's private life, from his first kiss and first crush to the encounter with Oliver.
 Something I really appreciated here beside the impeccable prose is the way the author sticked to the truth of the facts: the students of his father that used to slip in the library with him, Oliverâs love for old rock band t-shirts, James addressing his own father as âProfessorâ in a sardonic way etc
4. Maybe This Is Where It Ends (Take A Bow) - fathand - If We Were Villains - M.L. Rio [Archive of Our Own]
 A brief "what if..." if James would have gone to prison. Short but incisive.Â
Oliver âalways the side kick, never the loverâ Marks
Oliver Marks has just been released from prison, and is finally ready to tell Detective Colborne what really happened when his classmate was killed ten years ago. As young actors at an elite conservatory, Oliver and his classmates played the same roles â villain, hero, temptress â over and over again, both off stage and onstage. But when the casting changes, good-natured rivalry turns ugly, and the plays spill dangerously over into real life. âââââ I had seen If We Were Villains by @sureasmel around but I didnât read it until my friend @judithbleeker recommended and lent it to me. Itâs not the type of book I read (anymore) and it was very stressful at times, but I was pulled in by the promise of Shakespearian theatre and very soon I was completely hooked. đ What struck me most was the emotional complexity of these characters. Difficult backgrounds, trauma, insecurity and forced vulnerability, set in this tiny, isolated, cult-like academic world, then add the strong emotions of the Shakespearian stage and you have fireworks. The way tension builds and ebbs away (but never completely) only to return stronger is masterfully done. đ I love how Shakespeare is interwoven in the story, more than just a few references, itâs the very fabric this world is built out of, and underscores some of the charactersâ most pivotal moments. They really live Shakespeare. Someday I plan to reread this book again in conjunction with all those plays. Though you genuinely donât need to to understand and enjoy the book, but it does give the story that much more depth. đ A very well crafted book that you should definitely check out if you either like Shakespeare or murder mystery/thriller stories. đ (Content warnings below, may contain spoilers) . . . . . . . .  CWâs: violence, abuse, blood, gore, death, suicide (off-page) . #ifwewerevillains #mlrio #shakespeare #bookreview #bookworm #bookish #bookblogger #amreading #bookgram #instareads #bookishlove #readmorebooks #bookstagrammers #bookcollector #readinglife #bookwormproblems #bookobsessed #bedtimereading #readerforlife #bookshark #bookpicture #bookishphoto #bookreviewer #booksaremagic #bookblog #goodreads #review #bookishproblems https://www.instagram.com/p/CpIEcPNLZWy/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
I love If We Were Villains, and I hate it. Itâs been almost two months exactly since I read it, but I canât get it out of my head.Â

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"It was the unknown ending that terrified me"
- M.L Rio, If We Were Villains
sorry in advance about the person I'll become the 2nd of November 2022 when the 5th anniversary edition, signed and illustrated, of If We Were Villains drop
Richard: Remember that party from the other night where you slept with my girlfriend? Yeah, that was really funny.
Oliver: that was 20 minutes ago, you banged on the door and literally screamed you were going to kill me-
Richard: hilarious, right?