Get 100 dark academia writing prompts here, and check out our free guide to writing dark academia novels to learn what to do with your idea.
A cursed painting in the university gallery comes to life at night. The characters within it seek the help of a talented art history major to break the spell. They work together to uncover what dark forces made this happen in the first place.
A professor's fascination with ancient folklore prompts a mischievous faerie to seek their help. The faerie asks them to help unlock an ancient riddle. The professor does it, fuelled by academic curiosity, but this turns out to be a huge mistake.
A group of history students uncover evidence of a witch trial that took place on campus centuries ago. One of the victims shown in the painting bears an uncanny resemblance to a current professor. As they investigate, it becomes clear someone’s trying to stop them.
A student journalist investigates a series of mysterious deaths linked to an exclusive literature club. The murders seems to be drawing inspiration from works of literature.
A rivalry emerges between two aspiring poets who will sink to depraved acts for the coveted position of poet laureate. They'll do anything to get that prize, including murder.
A group of students stumble upon a hidden portal to a faerie realm in their college library. They slowly return from the faerie realm, corrupted.
A student uncovers a hidden society within the university's classics department. They are preserving an immortal being who used to be worshiped as a minor deity by the Ancient Greeks.
A secret society of faeries attend an Ivy League university, keeping their identities a secret.
A love letter exchange unfolds between two strangers who communicate solely through notes left in the university library. However, if they ever discovered each other's true identities, the romance would break, and they would be horrified.
A mysterious playwright's lost manuscript is discovered in the dusty archives, revealing a dark and twisted tale that mirrors real-life events on campus.
A cellist sacrifices everything, even their morals, to join an elite orchestra. It's the pinnacle of their career. However, they left one string untied, and it threatens to expose everything they did.
A professor's death sparks an investigation that reveals a web of academic rivalries and betrayal. At the heart of it all is a plagiarism case.
A history major begins to unravel a murder that happened 100 years ago on campus.
A witch disguises herself as a professor in the occult studies department, using her position to recruit students for a secret coven.
A psychology professor uses hypnotic techniques to explore the past lives of students. During the hypnosis sessions, a student reveals something awful that their past life did. Something that's had a profound impact on the professor.
A professor's obsession with forgotten botanical knowledge leads to the accidental creation of a magic night garden.
A charismatic philosophy professor forms a discipleship, attracting a group of devoted students who hang on every word of their enigmatic mentor.
A ghostly figure roams the university halls, leaving cryptic messages on chalkboards. Some of these messages show academic breakthroughs. Others expose centuries-old secrets.
A secret group of scientists conducts unauthorised experiments, pushing the boundaries of ethical research in the pursuit of academic glory.
A film studies major accidentally stumbles upon a reel of footage that captures a murder.
A secret society of literature enthusiasts gathers in hidden corners of the university to discuss and critique forbidden texts.
A reclusive professor's research leads them to an ancient faerie ring deep in the woods. They make a deal with the faerie queen.
A chemistry department at an esteemed academy turns out to be a front for a group of modern-day alchemists.
A group of students go on a quest to uncover the truth about a missing classmate who has been kidnapped by a faerie court.
A young scholar inherits an old estate and, while exploring its vast library, stumbles upon a journal written by their great-grandparent who had a darkly mysterious lover.
In a prestigious boarding school, a gifted student finds themselves entangled in a magic conspiracy,
During a lunar eclipse, a mysterious celestial event reveals a secret observatory on campus that wasn’t there before.
A series of unexplained disappearances lead a student to a secret group of history professors who have been rewriting the past.
The ghost of a jilted lover haunts the university gardens, leaving behind a trail of withered flowers.
An ancient manuscript is discovered in the archives, detailing the location of a hidden chamber where students can commune with the ghosts of the school founders.
A chess club at a prestigious university is revealed to be a front for a group of students who use the game to navigate a complex network of magical portals.
A group of scholars embarked on a research expedition to a remote, haunted castle, only to discover it was home to a court of fae.
In a remote castle a fae librarian guards ancient tomes. When a research trip stumbles upon this guard, they must answer riddles or lose their lives.
A mysterious benefactor sponsors a series of discussions, inviting scholars from various disciplines to engage in intellectual discourse on taboo subjects.
A talented musician stumbles upon a lost chamber in the music hall, where a strange violin sits in a glass case.
A rivalry develops between two professors, both vying for the prestigious position of department head. They stoop to extreme lows to tarnish each other's reputations.
A group of architecture majors discovers a hidden blueprint that, when followed, leads them to a secret catacomb. It should've been completely lost for 500 years, but to their surprise they find signs of life.
A group of film studies majors stumbles upon a forgotten archive of films that seem to capture moments from the future with eerie accuracy.
A psychology professor becomes entangled in a psychological experiment gone wrong, leading to the manifestation of repressed fears and desires on campus.
A group of theatre students discovers a series of masks that, when worn, allow the wearer to take on the persona of the character they portray.
A student researching ancient customs stumbles upon a secret society that still practices forgotten rituals of magic.
A mysterious figure leaves intricate drawings and symbols around campus that seem to hint at a dark secret.
A student majoring in ancient literature accidentally summons the spirit of a long-dead writer
A group of medical students discovers a pattern of organ thefts within the university hospital. They suspect someone is trying to replicate Frankenstein, using the university hospital's cadavers to create a monster.
A talented painter discovers that their art has the power to bring to life the dark, twisted scenes they paint. At first they paint scenic landscapes with gloomy weather, and notice the weather outside is changing. Then worse and worse things start happening. Their twisted, grotesque creatures (think Hieronymus Bosch vibes) start roaming the university.
A competitive debate club takes a dark turn as members engage in psychological warfare. Using what they learned from their morally grey tutor, the debate club starts using dark tactics to win both in terms of debate competitions, and in terms of personal struggles.
A rivalry between two chess prodigies escalates, drawing the attention of the entire campus. They face off in a high-stakes match with personal repercussions. If someone loses, they pay a price.
The spirit of a former art student continues to paint masterpieces in a forgotten studio, trapped forever.
A clandestine group of art forgers operates within the university. They're a group of students (found family possibility) who use the knowledge and resources from their art degree to forge and sell artwork.
An anonymously published newspaper circulates the campus, detailing the personal career-ruining scandals of students and professors. Think Gossip Girl but Dark Academia.
