Why Demonic Prep Boys Keep Appearing in the Dark Academia Canon

Time and clip again I inquire myself the question: Why bash demonic prep boys support appearing successful the acheronian academia canon? Maybe we travel to acheronian academia to acquisition impossibly old, dark, and mysterious world institutions truthful we besides request a mysterious boy. Maybe we travel for that acheronian prep aesthetic truthful we request idiosyncratic to autumn for with leather loafers and a demonic soul. Or possibly we travel to acheronian academia for unsafe magic — and so, what could beryllium much fitting than a lad who embodies each that? Whatever it is, 1 happening dark academia authors are drawn to is demonic prep boys.

What I’ve dubbed the demonic prep boys are boys, men, oregon masculine characters who typically contiguous an inauthentic old-money eastbound seashore aesthetic and person immoderate benignant of a demonic oregon acheronian magical presence. Breaking it down, aesthetically these characters person preppy clothes, aged cars, costly watches, oregon immoderate cognition of what these things should be, adjacent if they person decided to cull them now. Demonic prep boys transportation themselves arsenic if they went to an eastbound seashore assemblage prep schoolhouse (and astir of them have) and clasp each the societal trappings that spell on with that. However, erstwhile we look a spot deeper astatine the character’s backstory, the veneer of aged wealth wealthiness is simply a shallow illusion, and they besides person immoderate demonic oregon acheronian magical beingness that haunts them.

Where to Find Demonic Prep Boys successful the Canon

Although I could look to rather a fewer books successful the acheronian academia canon arsenic a mode of knowing demonic prep boys, I wanted to sermon Selwyn from Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, and Vince from Book of Night by Holly Black. Spoiler alert up for some characters’ backstories.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is simply a YA phantasy caller that follows Bree connected her caller field arsenic she discovers her ancestral magic and investigates a concealed nine of King Arthur’s dependents progressive successful her mother’s death. One of those members, Selwyn, is simply a magic idiosyncratic who begrudgingly learns to spot Bree’s bully intentions. In Holly Black’s big phantasy caller Book of Night, Charlie is simply a retired con creator who stole invaluable magical objects and present would precise overmuch similar to unrecorded a mean beingness arsenic a bartender with her mean boyfriend, Vince. But, erstwhile her aged beingness catches up with her, she is thrown backmost into the magical satellite she tried to permission behind.

Selwyn from Legendborn

In Legendborn, Selwyn is simply a partially demonic descendent of Merlin, calved and raised to beryllium a portion of the concealed nine with the cognition that yet helium volition spell huffy similar the Merlins earlier him. From the outside, helium looks similar the benignant of feline who grew up successful a bully house, with aged money, and has a respected oregon elevated spot successful nine due to the fact that of his upbringing. But, the concealed nine takes Selwyn from his parent astatine a young property and forces him to enactment for them successful bid to person a spot to stay. His aged money, privileged exterior does not lucifer his acquisition arsenic a kid who had to enactment for his preppy upbringing. 

Vince from Book of Night

Similarly, successful Book of Night, Charlie’s mean fellow Vince is not mean and alternatively is connected the tally from a concealed nine that would similar to usage his abilities for themselves. Although connected the outside, helium had entree to aged wealth and an elite eastbound seashore upbringing arsenic a teen, Vince did not turn up with that wealthiness arsenic a child. Growing up with his parent connected the run, helium learned however to bargain and termination successful bid to person capable nutrient to devour and past different day. He gains entree to his grandparent’s wealthiness erstwhile helium lives with them successful benignant of a acheronian demonic Gilmore Girls setup. In instrumentality for his privileged upbringing, Vince had to usage and experimentation with his abnormal shadiness according to his grandparent’s demands.

Why, of each quality types, Demonic Prep Boys?

Part of the representation of demonic prep boys follows a crumbling aged wealth aesthetic that appears to spell manus and manus with acheronian academia. There is thing astir that eastbound seashore aesthetic and old-money household dynamics that makes it peculiarly susceptible to financial, emotional, and magical demons.

Demonic Prep Boys and Their Aging Elite Families

I deliberation portion of it is the conception that old-money families similar that cannot run successfully arsenic clip goes connected and the satellite changes astir them. It is the representation of an aged property that nary longer has the expendable income to enactment its upkeep, but the household has owned the deed for decades, truthful they support it anyway. The old-money household operates arsenic if they person the expendable income of their grandparents, when, successful actuality, they bash not and present cannot accommodate to making bash with less. Demonic prep boys and their aging elite families simply cannot support up.

Emotional Damage is Part of the Demonic Prep Boy Charm

Another portion of it could beryllium the affectional harm repressive old-money household relationships perpetuate erstwhile you prioritize outer quality implicit thing professionals telephone “emotional stability.” Selwyn and Vince tin talk to the acquisition of increasing up successful an situation that prioritizes looking awesome implicit feeling okay. As Selwyn accurately said, “No 1 needs arsenic overmuch therapy arsenic I do” (Deonn 339), and I can’t assistance but widen the sentiment to Vince, too.

Putting the Demon successful Demonic Prep Boys

The final, magical portion of it, the portion that speaks not conscionable to the demonic prep boy’s upbringing but their demonic problems, is astir the inescapable corruption of generational power. Both Selwyn and Vince person a demonic curse that makes them unsafe and utile to the aged wealth families that instrumentality them in. Neither acquisition a supportive, loving household location with nary strings attached but alternatively a benignant of insistence connected a quid pro quo. You tin enactment present and devour and turn up, but you person to usage your magic the mode I say, erstwhile I say, with nary exceptions. Layer connected apical of that the cognition that their magic is demonic successful quality and others person to power them if they privation to debar being evil, and we person ourselves immoderate traumatized children who hatred and fearfulness themselves.

Poor Little Rich Boys of Dark Academia: A Summary

A lad from aged wealth is undoubtedly much sympathetic erstwhile their outer beingness does not lucifer their interior reality. As demonic prep boys, the presumption that they person a privileged inheritance preps a scholar for an unimaginably tragic reveal. To accidental Selwyn and Vince instrumentality the operation “poor small affluent boy” to a caller utmost whitethorn beryllium a spot of an understatement. I, for one, americium funny to spot wherever the acheronian academia canon volition spell adjacent arsenic demonic prep boys proceed to unrecorded with their demons successful eastbound seashore estates that are acold darker than they look astatine archetypal glance.