Well, my dearest Raven Rumps, I think it’s fair to say that lately I’ve been rather twitterpated with a certain someone who shall remain nameless. Ah, yes. Let the silly heart flutters, ridiculous grins, and absolute giddiness begin.

This is a very interesting subject, because the object of my affections is someone that people probably wouldn’t assume to be so. He is about the farthest thing from gothic, which is a constant item of controversy within the subculture, and this is what I wish to discuss, even though said human and I aren’t at this stage yet: can a goth + non-goth couple survive happily?

I know, Rumpsies, you’re probably sighing at this point and thinking to yourselves, “Oh no, not another romantic advice post,” but I assure you that it will be short and sweet.

Many goths think that they can only date within the subculture, that if they decide to branch out and explore “other types” it makes them less goth. This, of course, is a falsity. Just because someone is goth or not goth doesn’t matter, it’s all about if you like their personality or not and it doesn’t change who you are on the inside. I think it’s an absolutely ridiculous notion that one can’t date outside the subculture, because if each partner has the exact same interests in the first place nothing would ever change and grow in the relationship. As they say, opposites attract, so it actually makes sense for someone in the goth subculture to have an attraction to someone outside of it, even if they get a little bit of heat for it. The goths who think with the mentality that they need to be a spooky gate keeper to the subculture at all times and elevate themselves onto a shadowy pedestal whilst shunning those who enjoy other things outside of the spider-webbed circle of dark and mysterious types to earn more stamps on their goth card* are quite an insecure bunch, and if anything we should pity them for not being confident enough in who they are to interact with others outside of their own interests.

Therefore I feel no shame in admitting my fascination with said person, and to me it doesn’t matter that he’s a fairly normal looking type, though he’s extraordinary in his wit, charm, and intellectual capacity. People should appreciate each other for who they are, not for what they wear or who they associate with. I believe that people are people no matter what subculture they claim to be a part of, or even if they don’t claim one at all.

I will always be the optimist for matters of the heart, my lovelies, and although I hate to bore you with a mushy post it was the only thing I could think to write. Until next time, and don’t be surprised if my next post is dedicated to the most wonderful holiday of all, All-Hallows-Eve. Toodaloo~

*Goth card: it is a long running joke within the subculture that if you take part in particularly gothy activities (Reading vampire novels while having black hair dye piled up on top of your head, having a picnic in a graveyard, restyling a clothing garment, etc.) you will have your goth card stamped by a member of the nonexistent Goth Cabal and earn more goth points to raise your status in the subculture. Of course, goth cards aren’t real. Nor is the Goth Cabal, and they can’t revoke your goth card if you don’t get enough stamps, contrary to popular belief.

The rain was thrashing at the windows in the dead of night, and the sky was dark except for the occasional flash of lightening. Yes, Rumpsies, it was indeed a dark and stormy night…

Just kidding, that’s far too cliché.

Actually it was rather warm and sunny when I decided to go to Hot Topic on Thursday evening, which is what I am here to discuss.

There seems to be a unanimous distaste for Hot Topic within the gothic subculture, except for the brave (or often babygoth*) few who enjoy the ease with which we can find darker garments for our black-is-the-new-black closets. I understand, you are probably reading this and are thinking to yourselves, “But I always think of Hot Topic when I think of goths, am I wrong?” Well, my dearest Raven Rumps, you’re not incorrect, but you’re not 100% right either.

The major dislike of said chain store is simply for that reason: that it is a chain store. We goths pride ourselves on our unique senses of style and our ability to alter articles of clothing to be different from anyone else’s, and when a chain store comes in offering to sell ready-made goth kits fresh off the assembly line some of our more… how should I say it… uppity members get all befuddled and flustered. Now I do understand them, because I believe that goth is something that you grow into and you can’t make the transition overnight simply by buying black clothes, but at the same time they often don’t take into consideration the fledglings, who usually don’t know any better and think that Hot Topic is a magical place where they can enter, pick out a few new shirts and skirts, and pop out as the dark little individual snowflake they long to be. And they’re not wrong, because how else are the going to get started? Yes, I understand, a lot of phase goths come out of Hot Topic, but many also end up sticking with the subculture and being strong members by time they pass the babybat* stage.

Now let’s discuss the clothing that comes from Hot Topic. I honestly don’t understand why other goths don’t like something if it’s from Hot Topic, because odds are if they were to go out to a thrift store (Which is where a lot of us find some of our most unique wardrobe pieces) and found the same thing they would descend upon it like a babybat descends upon a box of Count Chocula cereal. After all, some of our favorite brands are retailed at Hot Topic, such as Hell Bunny, Tripp, Spin Doctor, and Royal Bones to name a few.

This also brings me to my next topic, which is the style of clothing that goths like and dislike, and why Hot Topic is infamous for the latter. You see, it is often seen as a cliché stereotype that all goths wear those giant, chain-ridden, black and red pants that look like they could frighten a small child (Or rather the small child’s parents, who most likely raised said child to be closed minded. Most children don’t care what you wear unless they are taught by their parents to hate what is different, but that’s not the main point of this post and I shall return to the original subject. End rant). These are commonly known as Tripp pants, seeing as they are made by the brand for which they are infamously named. Let me tell you something: Goths HATE to be stereotyped by this, but if you do see someone wearing a pair of these they are most likely part of the subculture. It’s an interesting and touchy subject, because many goths think that only phase goths wear these, and if you are goth and choose to wear them you have to be willing to deal with the heat from other members of the dark community.

Now, I could go on forever on this topic, but I feel as though this post is getting rather lengthy and I should probably stop before I get too carried away. There may be a part 2 at some point, so look for that in the future, my darling Ravensies. See you next week~

*Babygoth and Babybat are two separate entities which are often confused, but they are, in fact, very different. A Babygoth is a young fledgling who is just getting started in the subculture and may not know all the street smarts about the subculture that the elder goths know (The amount of eyeliner to use, how to apply whiteface foundation without looking ridiculous, what bands to listen to, etc.), whereas Babybats are simply younger goths who are too young to attend clubs and that sort of thing but are still upstanding members of the subculture and should be treated as such.

Hello, my darling Ravensies.

This blog is a little late, but I must say I have been rather busy. This past Friday we read through the scripts for fall play, and I must say that I’m quite excited for this year’s show. Also, yesterday I did my senior pictures. I know that it’s no excuse for being late, though, and I am deeply and immeasurably sorry.

Anyways, back to the topic at hand: this blog. I feel as though I need to discuss music this week, since it has helped me quite a bit in writing my script.

When I write I usually listen to music that has the same sort of vibe as the time period or theme I’m trying to write about. In this case, since my script is set in Victorian England, I listened to a lot of Emilie Autumn. I know, she’s not exactly classical music, but her style is categorized as Victoriandustrial, a mix between Victorian classical and industrial, and her haunting yet mesmerizing vocals helped me in characterization of the main character of my script.

I guess I can’t really describe her other than to say that she’s one of my biggest role models. She’s one of those people who can do everything, just like I want to be. She has a solid music career, she has written a book, she is in the process of writing a Broadway musical, and she’s an actress, both on screen and stage.

Another band that I’ve listened to while writing my script was The Birthday Massacre. They’re a new wave band with heavy gothic influences, and I can’t really describe them other than to say that they are definitely unique. They’re one of those go-to bands for me that I can listen to no matter what mood I’m in.

I guess this post wasn’t really all that interesting, but I just wanted to give credit to those two artists for helping me immensely in my writings.

Hopefully I will be more exciting next week~

Rumps, I am here to lament about a very sad, yet opportunistic thing: Fall Play.

As many of you know, Fall Play for this year has been… Postponed, to say the least. Our script that we were originally going to perform, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, is impossible to produce because we were unable to secure the rights to this particular show. My fellow actors and I, as well as our wonderful director, were looking forward to producing this particular piece because it is such a powerful and awe-inspiring script, but it is to become a Broadway production in New York, so the rights were unavailable. This meant that a group of select few were called to a meeting with our director to discuss the possibilities of where we were to go from here.

We had a few options. We could either collect various works of the same nature and perform them, cut apart the script and only do select scenes, start from scratch, or have our group write pieces of their own to perform. Naturally, we went for the most difficult and challenging options, which were both starting from scratch with a new script AND writing our own pieces. We will decide on this coming Tuesday, September 16th, which of those two options we will go with, and I am actually of the hope that my fellow writers and I have pieces that are strong enough to be performed.

Now, it is only fair if I tell you the basic plot of the piece that I am writing, for I wouldn’t want you to know the ending and give it away to anyone else before the piece is performed! So, the plot so far is as such:

Everyone loves a good circus, but sometimes things can go awry in a performance. Loss of limbs, poking an eye out (unintentionally), and worst of all… Murder. In this dramedy done in the style of a whodunit murder mystery, the members of a traveling freakshow troupe visiting Victorian London try to solve the mystery of who murdered their ringmaster during one of their rehearsals. Filled with enough dark humor and dramatic irony to satisfy even the most critical audiences, Doubt Thou is a treat for any gothic, steampunk, or historical fiction fan.

Now this is the description I wrote when I first began the script, and as I’m working on it it has shifted more into a drama than a dramedy. Sure, there are a few funny moments, but currently I have mostly serious scenes. It is to be a one-act, because I don’t think I have it in me to write a full-length script just yet. Maybe sometime in the future, but not yet. I’m honestly not sure if I’m going to keep the title or if I’m going to change it, but that decision will come when I finish the script.

So, as you can see, my past few days have been very busy with scrambling and trying to figure out plots and characters and script searching and a bucketload of other things. All will be well, though, because I know that our Creative Team will work everything out and pull together. After all, the show must go on.

Adieu, my Raven Rumps~

Hello once again, my Raven Rumps~

As you all know, it is homecoming season. The boys are all scrambling to find dates and the girls are gushing about their neon, fluorescent, gemstones-the-size-of-your-face dresses. What am I doing, you ask? Well, Rumps, I am frantically searching Amazon.com for a black, lace, elegant-as-a-rose dress. I know, I know, I could easily just run out to Deb and pick up a black sparkly confection fresh off the assembly line, but I have this ridiculous and outlandish fear of buying dresses from Deb for the slight chance that I might wind up with a doppelganger at the dance. So, naturally, herein resides my plight.

I have thus far spent hours with my mother searching through page after page after PAGE of black dresses, and have only found a few that live up to my elegant and theatrical expectations. Oh, and another thing. The few party frocks that I have found are all too expensive for my modest budget. Oh, cruel fate! Woe, oh woe! What is a poor creature of the night to do?

I’ll tell you what a poor creature of the night is to do. I shall keep searching until I find the perfect dress that works for my budget, or until I am forced to go out to a chain store and hope to the bat-infested skies that no one else has bought the same article of clothing.

Until next time, my darling Rumps~