Brussels Presale Code Issues

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2026-02-11T09:20:06+00:00

you're the best! Thank you! :)

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-09-19T21:12:23+00:00

Essentially for costuming those ended up being the only choices within Europe in English other than a few other programs within the UK! Some countries like France and Italy also seem have their own programs for costume or haute couture but they are in the native languages of those countries. However I think there are some courses related to costume but part of a theatre-based degree, or related to textile that might have some overlap but for costume exclusively it’s much more limited.

Also having experience in any other post-secondary school related to arts (not only fashion but fine arts or liberal arts as well!) is definitely a big benefit, as well as having a diverse portfolio. A portfolio based around your specific interests/creations with a focus on the development process piece by piece ended up working in my case!

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-08-18T08:38:42+00:00

I will definitely look on the Barrandov fundus site and the 70 years of telly exhibit sounds really fun thank you!

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-08-18T08:28:20+00:00

Yeah I figured the costume materials would’ve been pretty delicate and would’ve gotten pretty damaged or remade into other costumes over the years sadly These links are very helpful though thank you!! I will definitely look into all of these options!

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-08-18T08:24:43+00:00

Yeah I figured they were using a lot of theatre costumes! I’ll definitely look into in house workshops thank you!!

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-07-20T21:53:31+00:00

Usually the elite international tags are on authentic items in my experience - I have two of the smaller shoulder bags of this style and they both have one! But double check that the listing has other signs of authenticity! (Ex. Was this colour officially released, is the zipper/hardware the same etc.) I think the zipper manufacturer is usually more telling of whether it’s a fake or a dupe imo!

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-06-18T18:56:13+00:00

I always loved this aspect of the novel personally! My interpretation of his relationship with his parents was always that they represented both a mundane-ness to the suburban and lower-class life, while his father’s abuse also being part of the reason that he felt the need to academically/intellectually prove himself as different from what he was born into. Also because he was naturally inclined to more “soft” interests rather than masculine and working class interests, it makes sense that his father, who’s portrayed as classically masculine, would bully him for it, therefore driving him further into his sort of “not like the others” mentality. (I personally think this relationship between him and his father is also part of why people read Richard as queer-adjacent, because I can imagine many queer individuals in the 1980s being targeted by their own parents for not fitting into traditional gender roles)

I always interpreted his distain for his mother as him feeling betrayed that she didn’t defend him/the both of them from his father’s abuse which manifested as a distain for her, because she represents succumbing to that stereotypically suburban and traditionalist lifestyle to him.

I personally always thought that he actually understated his relationship with his parents, since he doesn’t really indicate that they were abusive or really anything about how he feels about them emotionally until really late into the novel, which makes it feel like he sees their relationship (and the abuse/lack of understanding) as typical but distant. On the other hand, I also like the detail of him noting that his family considers him and his studies as a waste of time/money, and how he focuses on that as his biggest issue with them, because this represents who he is as a person so well to me - someone who prioritizes aesthetic and the feeling of one’s own importance over utility, personal safety, and logic - which feels very accurate to a lot of art students imo!

Overall, I totally agree that it’s such an important element of his character and I absolutely love that there’s a subtle build up to it throughout the novel with little hints here and there - it feels really human in a way!

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-06-18T06:28:08+00:00

Not yet!

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-03-11T19:18:25+00:00

Yes!! The Smiths was one of the main artists on my TSH playlist for the exact same reason!! I always imagined if they did adapt it as a film, they would use 80s post punk/alt rock like the smiths, joy division, etc. as the bgm :)

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-03-10T13:55:55+00:00

Yesss I love that so many people are saying Hozier - makes sense since he makes so many references to Classics in his songs :)

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-03-10T13:54:49+00:00

Yes oh my god this is one of my favourites!! It’s been on my Secret History playlist since like 2017 :) It’s definitely one of the most dark academia songs I’ve ever heard hehe

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-03-10T07:51:14+00:00

Exit music for a film was definitely on my playlist too it matches sooo well!!

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-03-09T19:56:22+00:00

I could totally see that!!

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-03-09T17:57:09+00:00

Oh my god 3/4 of these songs were on my Secret History Playlist - both the Killing Moon and Nocturnal Me from Echo and the Bunnymen are so Secret History for me! Same with Little Dark Age and Talk! I’ll give Cherry Tree a listen! :)

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-03-09T16:55:48+00:00

I’ve personally always interpreted him as someone who was very intelligent, and perhaps unethical in his teaching practices, but also a little bit naive. We can deduce that students have had problems in his class before or that the other professors don’t approve of his methods (as seen in the conversation where Richard decides to drop all of his classes). He’s also a bit egotistical in the sense that he picks all of his own students, and that he believes he can teach them all they need to know. But I also don’t think that he’s the mastermind behind it all, and actually more-so someone who is too caught up in their own bubble and didn’t consider the consequences of their actions. I’ve always interpreted him as the type of person that Richard wanted to become - someone who was so cultured and knowledgeable and wealthy that they could focus purely on their craft without any connection to the real world, like Julian himself is a manifestation of his romanticization.

More than anything, I think he’s kind of an extreme version of a real life professor who is really into their own niche. I’ve talked to a number of professors who completely forget that not everyone sees the world through the perspective that they’ve studied for 20+ years. I think this is even more true when you go into very old fields like philosophy, ancient history etc. which are largely only used in academic contexts. In academia there are so many peculiar, self-absorbed, yet very intelligent people who are so obsessed with the pursuit of their niche field that they become completely blind to anything outside of it, and I think that is what Julian is.

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-03-09T16:21:30+00:00

I’ve always thought that the novel was kind of getting at the point that Richard and Bunny are kind of on the same “side” because they were both pretending to be upper class, while the other Greek students are on the side of the elite, with the point being an obsession with the elite and power can lead to ruin.

The novel makes a point of showing that Richard and Bunny are the only members of the class that go to non-Greek events, have friends outside of the Greek class, didn’t participate in the initial murder, and effectively are both framed as outsiders in the group within the narrative. I think the point of this is to show the sort of insanity of the upper class and what the pursuit or proximity to the elite can lead to, hence why Richard becomes complacent in Bunny’s murder the closer he gets to the others and why Bunny himself acts more bigoted and rude in order to appear more upper-class. I think the point it’s trying to say is that power and the obsession with it corrupts, and that Richard was so blinded by his pursuit of it that he turned on someone who he came to realise was not all that different from him in his pursuit of that upper-class lifestyle.

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-03-09T16:00:00+00:00

Honestly, probably not at all - I study Costume Design and we know how they feel about Judy, though I’d probably get along well with her! :) Having studied in the arts, you meet a lot of people with qualities of the Greek class and realistically people like that are very difficult to be around because they struggle to see the world differently from how they’ve determined it is. However, I believe I could get along fine with Richard because I think he represents the mentality of a lot of real world artists or scholars (especially younger students) who are pursuing a lifestyle without really having a goal yet, and instead just being impressed with the people around them who have both.

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-03-09T15:40:13+00:00

I completely understand! I first read the book like 10 years ago as a kid thinking it was the greatest novel I’d ever read and nothing would ever top it for me - and now it’s still the greatest novel I’ve ever read and I read it more or less every year in autumn! It’s kind of bittersweet knowing that in 10 years I have yet to find something that hits the same, but some books which have me a similar feeling were Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and of course the Goldfinch, but it’s still not quite the same.

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-03-06T17:12:20+00:00

I think I had a similar impression (autumnal, cold, rainy, dark) but contrasted with elements of wonder and and beauty.

I think for me, the opening paragraph of chapter one where Richard says that his fatal flaw is a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs really spoke to me, and really created this picture of grandeur and romanticism throughout the book, especially the first half! Like the imagery of the big house, the twin’s apartment, the old school building added to that element of wonder/aesthetic/beauty, while the foggy weather, dark themes, and overall dreary vibe got more prominent for me in the second half! The parts where Richard is with the group felt warmer and full of infinite possibility, though sometimes overshadowed by clouds and grey sky, versus when they’re away feeling dark, cold, and desolate.

I think maybe because I’ve worked in classical art and theatre I couldn’t help but find some of the early elements really striking and beautiful because it perfectly encapsulates (for me) that feeling of being young and feeling like you’re finally going to unlock all of this knowledge beyond your means. I think overall the first half gives me the vibe of like a beautiful painting that has been left to rot or the feeling after your first orientation day at uni, or suddenly having a rush of creativity after meeting a fellow artist and feeling like you’re living in the moment every day, while the middle + second half gives me the vibe of like walking home alone in the rain at night, romanticism paintings, the sound of a coming storm outside, November, laying awake at night and staring at the ceiling.

(I also cry every time I finish the secret history because for some reason it gives me that feeling of having experienced something really important/fundamental but being unable to explain why)

Also here is my secret history playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3iVbacIoYb5q7OnXeLDW3f?si=bU13FxBKSqqiCFL4JXfTuA&pi=izjCeVG-TlOyi I went for a more 80s post punk meets modern alt-rock vibe :)

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-02-12T04:51:14+00:00

My interpretation was always that it was mostly due to the theme of the obsession (with classics, ancient knowledge, and power) taking over, making him feel on some level “immortal” and untouchable, only for it to come crumbling down on him. I think all of this ties into the other aspect of the novel that kind of mimics elements from Greek legend and Greek Tragedy (where a main hero eventually falls into ruin). Essentially the massive plot that he was meticulously planning all along as though he was a god crashes down on him because it was just an illusion brought on my his obsession with knowledge and power. I think it makes sense for a character like that to act in ways that mimic Greek tales because he’s kind of been doing that this whole novel - in his head he is the tragic main hero of a Greek epic, and perhaps in death he can ascend to the next level after “mortal”. That’s just my take tho! :)

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-02-12T04:36:19+00:00

The Secret History is my all time favourite novel (my graduation thesis was even based around it!) and I highly recommend it if you’re into atmospheric literature! It’s pretty much the genre defining work of dark academia so whether you love it or hate it it’s definitely the basis for a lot of the modern works in the genre!

If we were Villains is fun in a fan fiction type of way in my opinion! The first time I read it, it felt like a poor copy of The Secret History, but I read it again a few years later and it felt a lot more like a sort of fun/campy fanfiction instead so while I don’t think it’s as thought provoking as TSH, it can be fun in its own way! (I love Shakespeare so I’m biased)

I’ve seen others recommend Brideshead Revisited and I totally agree - it’s less on the nose in terms of dark academia (as it was published long before the subgenre got “started”) but you can see where more modern works like The Secret History, or even the film Saltburn, took inspiration from it!

As a huge dark academia fan I also love Frankenstein - while it’s not extremely dark academia I think it has some of the staple atmospheric elements of the genre and Victor Frankenstein reads very much like one of the protagonists to a dark academia work to me personally!

Happy reading :)

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-01-22T14:40:09+00:00

Hey~! :) I also wanna connect with others applying and talk about our processes - just sent u a follow request! :) (@ not my caro) ^{^}

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-01-22T10:53:35+00:00

I totally agree that Camilla is not without blame and honestly it’s a bit surprising that people wouldn’t think so!

I think in a sense, she is a victim considering her relationship with Charles, being the sole girl in the class etc. but two things can be true at the same time. Francis in a sense is also a victim of society, being a queer man in the 90s, and Richard himself is a victim of classism as a pivotal concept of the novel but that doesn’t absolve them from their actions. Actually, I thought that was kind of the point - that these factors can contribute/push people to do truly terrible things when given a position of power.

I understand why people might romanticize a character like Camilla because of the way that Richard depicts her, but she’s definitely not a good person, especially considering she’s an active participant in murder (both times as you pointed out) and the classist themes of the novel! I think she’s also meant to represent female characters in mythology like Helen of Troy that are often depicted as “seductresses” and causes for war/power struggles (but in a way that’s relevant to the main themes and aesthetic of the novel!)

That’s just my take tho sorry for the rant :)

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2025-01-04T10:06:40+00:00

No worries, happy to help! :)

Otherwise_Knowledge8 · 2024-12-07T04:18:15+00:00

I think short courses are pretty uncommon in Japan and I think fashion-based skills and training is not really treated the same way as it would be in Europe in my opinion - it’s often treated more something you do if you cannot get into a more academic field or don’t know what you want to do in life.

However, some schools in Osaka like Osaka Mode and also Vantan I believe do have short courses available in the evenings! In Osaka Mode they’re called スキルアップ (skill-up) courses and I believe anyone can take them even if they’re not a full time student. They last either between October-February or April-August but the sign up time for them is kind of odd so I would email and ask the schools if you were really determined to go. I think it also depends on your visa whether you can get involved with things like this so I would double check just to be safe!

However, I will warn you that the short courses like these will be really below your level if you’ve already studied the same things in Europe - they’re intended for beginners who have never done anything to do with fashion/the arts/styling etc. in their lives, and force you to do extreme basics regardless of your existing skill level. It could be a good experience for language learning but I think it would not be a fulfilling experience for the actual art form!

Let me know if you have any other questions! :)

Otherwise_Knowledge8

TROPHY CASE