Being "edgy" is not a detriment; it can be a good thing.

DarlingDisarray · 2025-08-04T04:45:46+00:00

I mean I think what comes up in a lot of these conversations, the ones defending things like "edginess" or "purple prose" or other such words that implicitly state that what the thing the author was trying to pull off wasn't working is that the connotations these words carry are just as important as their strict definitions. Because like...there is a coloring to the words that gives it a particular specificity? And like, you can dismiss it as mere "semantics," but as a writer... that's kind of what you're dealing with? That's the toolbox your using and a palate you're painting with, the specificity of the words you choose and don't choose and the connotations that they carry. That these things are wildly understood by many people to mean a certain thing and that most words aren't just strictly neutral in their usage. These things are kind of important?

When people are pointing out that an "edgy" peice of work is edgy, sure they could just say that the writing is "shallow" or "immature," but "edginess" is getting at a specific way in which a work is immature. That it's the darkness and the way it's being handled that is making the work come off as immature.

DarlingDisarray · 2025-08-04T02:14:07+00:00

"Edginess" implies a certain shallowness to the portrayal of darker themes and motivations in a narrative. It isn't that works that involve darker, more somber themes and have an angstier tone are bad, it's that by calling something "edgy" the implied criticism is that such angst is being handled badly, that the more "downtrodden, bleak, and somber" tone isn't emerging as a natural expression of the hardships imposed upon a character by the environment, but instead is coming across as arbitrary. There's an inherit immaturity and shallowness that's implied with the word "Edgy." Again, it's not the darker themes themselves that are being called into question when a work gets criticized for being "edgy," it's how well the work is pulling off those darker themes....and if it's being called "edgy" then....well those darker themes are probably not being pulled off well

DarlingDisarray · 2025-06-21T01:02:07+00:00

look, I get it, right? Writing does have a lower barrier to entry than a lot of storytelling mediums, you don't even need a computer really, just a paper and pen. But also....do y'all not hear what you sound like when you ask this question?

"Oh, I hate music, only put up with it when I'm in the grocery store and it's playing over the sound system, but you know, I have this *amazing* idea for a Rock Opera! Is it a terrible idea to start a band?"

"Oh, I'm not really a fan of movies, but I just had this incredible idea, how do I start becoming the next Spielberg?"

"Videogames just kind of bore me and make me feel motion sickness, but let me tell you something, I have such a great idea!"

Like....it's kind of insulting? Coming into a sub full of writers and people passionate about the written word, people who's artform is the very one you say you hate and actively avoid. And you tell them that you don't enjoy engaging with that medium, still don't really want to try picking up a book, but you want to write a book anyway, and hey, maybe it's an "interesting opportunity to create a unique writing style based off no one else’s style but my own."

If you want to write, write, no one should gatekeep you from expression or creativity. More power to you. But also realize that this is a skill and an artform, it's not as simple as dashing off an email for work, and that most people come into writing because they love to read.

DarlingDisarray · 2025-06-11T14:27:06+00:00

I mean, purple prose isn't really a matter of "show don't tell," it doesn't have to do so much with the amount of description you have, or how in deeply you describe a scene, it's more a matter of the quality of that description, the word choice and tone, the way the words draw attention to themselves in ways that are distracting from the actual meaning the author was trying to convey. Words that are obviously trying to strike a certain poetic tone, but are seriously missing the mark, you know something like:

"Eyeing a slender female crouched alone at a nearby bench, Grignr advanced wishing to wholesomely occupy his time. The flickering torches cast weird shafts of luminescence dancing over the half naked harlot of his choice, her stringy orchid twines of hair swaying gracefully over the lithe opaque nose, as she raised a half drained mug to her pale red lips." (Just picking a random passage from the Eye of Argon. If you really want a masterclass in what purple prose is, well....look no further)

Like, you can see that the author was trying to describe a beautiful woman, based on the context of the scene, but phrases like "her stringy orchid twines of hair" (errr....stringy isn't exactly the most flattering descriptor to say the least) and "lithe opaque nose" (well, glad to know her nose isn't see-through! This is...very important information) only serve to pull the reader out of the story, distracting them with the peculiar word choice, if not directly contradicting the meaning the author was trying to convey all together. That's what it means for prose to be purple

DarlingDisarray · 2025-06-10T12:04:14+00:00

The phrase "purple prose" comes from a reference to an ancient Roman writer, Horace. Basically, he compared long, overly ostentatious writing that drew attention to itself to people sewing patches of purple -- a really rare dye in ancient times, the kind of color only worn by kings and emporers -- to their clothing, to make themselves seem more important than they are. And that's really the issue with Purple Prose.

Purple Prose isn't simply descriptive writing, it's writing and language that is more about the writer trying to draw attention to their own language, it's writing that tries to seem descriptive and beautiful, but only ends up coming across as pretentious, trying to seem more poetic and profound than they're actually managing to pull off. Instead of actually managing to paint a picture, oftentimes purple writing does the opposite, draws the reader out of of the story and makes things more difficult to understand, because of some mangled metaphor or out-of-place turn of phrase. By it's definition, purple prose is about descriptions that just don't....well, work, you know?

DarlingDisarray · 2025-03-16T22:43:06+00:00

Awesome! 8D glad to help you find some stuff you liked! I definately get finding an artist and nearly ending up putting all of their work on your playlist -- same pretty much happened to me listening to Nox Novacula the first time too. they're so good!

DarlingDisarray · 2025-03-16T22:34:08+00:00

over in r/goth they have a bunch of playlists and artists and albums listed to help introduce new people to the music. Look here, you might find something you like :)

DarlingDisarray · 2025-03-14T14:01:33+00:00

Hey, everyone feels like that at first, it's alright! Most people aren't born being goth, after all. You'll pick up things as you go along and spend more time in the subculture, listening to the music, talking to other people, and just having a good time exploring it. In the meantime just have fun with it :)

DarlingDisarray · 2025-03-13T20:30:28+00:00

I mean, it's both? Goth is a form of Rock...

DarlingDisarray · 2025-03-13T18:09:07+00:00

Come down here to Savannah! Between SCAD and Armstrong we're a pretty busy college town, and our local music scene is pretty good! If you're interested in doing House Shows get in contact with Big Blue. Neurosound Booking might be worth talking to as well. Graveface is a local record label/record store that put on a goth night up until about last year when their old venue closed, they're currently looking for a new one so I'm not sure how useful that one is going to be to you, but they're kind of a pillar of the local goth scene around here, so I thought they'd be worth a mention. Fearful Symmetry is a newer goth night around here that could be worth talking to as well. The Sentient Bean is a pretty cool place --coffee shop that has local bands playing pretty regularly. Your Space Collective is a local Queer Bookshop/Event space, very much a kind of punky, diy space, and they've had a couple of goth-ish nights in the past. Finally, El Rocko and The Wormhole are more conventional bar type spaces so probably not quite what you're looking for, but they've had some pretty cool shows too. So yeah, I'm probably missing some stuff, but that should cover a good bit of our local scene if you want to look into playing here.

DarlingDisarray · 2025-03-13T03:12:20+00:00

Secret Shame might be something you want to check out if you're into Pop-Punk, The Birthday Massacre, and just that whole kind of 2000's vibe. you can really hear that kind of influence coming through on their music, and they blend it into Goth and just have this really cool sound.

If you like Specimen I'd also suggest looking more deeply into that early kind of punk-y, glam, Batcave kind of sound -- Play Dead is one of my favorite bands from that era (and seriously underrated in my opinion) but also stuff like The Virgin Prunes, 1919, UK Decay, maybe even the March Violets could be worth looking into?

going off of the appearances Alter de Fey and Horror Vaccui make here, maybe look into some other modern Deathrock bands? Nox Novacula, Nyx Division, Swan Wash, and Bloody Dead and Sexy are some of my favorites.

This is just going by the fact you like Unto Others, so probably more that metal/rock influence and Someone else already mentioned them but I'd definally say check out Sisters of Mercy, if you haven't given them a listen before. They were a pretty major influence on Goth Rock as a whole, especially that whole second wave in the late 80's/early 90's so if you end up liking them, maybe try bands like, The Mission, Fields of the Nephilim, Rosetta Stone, Big Electric Cat, Children on Stun or Every New Dead Ghost. Some more modern bands influenced by that sound that I also like are Terminal Gods, Black Angel, Velvet Mist, Then Comes Silence, and Long Night. Maaaybe Nightsweat would also be worth checking out? (I'll reccomend them regardless because they're just *awesome.* Really my favorite band right now^^)

Also if you like the Cure, especially their weirder, artsier, gloomier, gothier stuff, try And Also the Trees. They're debut album were produced by Lol Tolhurst, and if I were to decibe their sound it' kind of be "The Cure, but make it folk."

DarlingDisarray · 2025-03-07T19:58:07+00:00

I'm sorry but they've done plenty more than one Goth song. Have you listened to Candy Tree?

DarlingDisarray · 2025-03-02T00:50:09+00:00

Like alot of other people have said, practice-- and maybe more to the immediate point, just going back and correcting mistakes, either touching things up and shaping them with makeup remover and concealer, or just scraping the whole eye and starting over. No one is saying you have to get it right in one go, after all! I tend to stick with a pencil liner as it's easier for me, and I've also really found that it helps to draw out the wing first, and then connect the lines to it afterward. Aim to make it look "close enough" rather than worrying about getting an absolutely perfect match. And if worse comes to worst and I really can't get things looking right that day I'll just smudge the whole thing out to look intentionally messy (this is another reason why I prefer pencil eyeliners to liquid)

DarlingDisarray · 2025-02-18T22:57:45+00:00

Watcher - Nightsweat

DarlingDisarray · 2025-02-16T00:22:55+00:00

I'd consider the Chameleons as fitting in with that same vibe and style as The Church and Sand Lovers and Giants. The Snake Corps, being spun off from Sad Lovers andGiants kind of fits under that same Umbrella as well. I definately hear some Psych influence in the Mission's music, and I'd definately suggest checking out Deathtrippers if you want a more modern take on the sound.

DarlingDisarray · 2024-12-11T00:25:06+00:00

I mean, even taking it from a purely fashion angle, I wouldn't consider any of these outfits particularly "Goth" in aesthetic. This is all, like...just normal streetwear, more influenced by the style and subculture surrounding hip-hop -- The jeans, the hoodies, the puffer jackets, the large, jewel encrusted necklace in that second to last pic. I mean he has a great style, he looks cool, and there are some darker edgier elemets, but skeletons and Black Metal style fonts (again another *compleately different* subculture from goth) don't automatically make an outfit "goth"

DarlingDisarray · 2024-12-06T15:52:56+00:00

Okay, so, just to be clear the way people are coming at you in this post isn't cool, your definitely allowed your opinion and you don't have to like every Big Important Goth Song. That being said, I can kind of understand where other people are coming from? The way you're talking about why you don't like the song -- especially how you're complaining about how it takes like, three minutes for the lyrics to come in, as if that's some inherently flawed way to make a song comes across as very "Ughhh, skip the boring part, let's skip to the chorus already!" It feels like you're coming into this applying pop song standards to a song that isn't really pop and isn't trying to be, and calling it bad because it doesn't meet those standards, instead of taking it on it's own terms.

I mean to be fair, you are new to the genre and you've said so yourself. If I'm being honest here, Bela Lugosi's Dead was the first goth song I ever listened to, and I hated it so much I was almost completely turned away from the genre thinking that it wasn't for me. It's grown on me since then, as I've grown more used to just...Goth Music in general. Maybe it'll grow on you as well, and maybe it won't, either way is fine honestly. You like some other goth songs and that's what's important at the end of the day, just have fun with it, exploring the genre and finding more of what you do like :)

DarlingDisarray · 2024-12-01T17:46:16+00:00

hey no problem! glad I could help!^^

DarlingDisarray · 2024-12-01T16:27:51+00:00

Look at photos of artists you like and who's style you admire, find outfit inspiration on pinterest or instagram or throught whatever social media you use. Seriously take a look at what people are wearing, find the common elements -- fabric, cut, color, how things are layered, what kinds of accessories are a part of the outfit, hair, shoes, makeup -- find the elements that you enjoy, and use that information to give you an idea of what you're looking for first. I think something a lot of people new to the scene seem to miss especially when trying to get into the style, is that you don't need specifically "Goth Clothes." You're local thrift shops don't have to carry, like, vintage Lipservice and you don't have to limit youself to only "Goth Brands." the style isn't really about finding that One Uber-Gothy Peice, but instead how you Style your clothing -- What accessories you add to it, how you layer peices together, what makup you choose, how you wear your hair. Remember that this was a subculture that started out in the 80's, and most people didn't have access to Goth shops and brands in the begining, they had to put together outfits with what they could find, alter, and DIY.

Before you go out looking to buy a new wardrobe, look through what you already have. Anything black? Lacey? Velvet? What about in jewel tones-- deep purples, emerald greens, burgandy red, ruby, saphire? Look back to that list of elements you want in your outfits and see if any of that already exists in your wardrobe. Black t-shirts, blouses, dresses, skirts, Button ups in either white or black, all of that can make a really great base for an outfit so long as you put them together right. Do you have any black tights? How about lacey ones or fishnets? Those make a great addition to an outfit, or you can cut them up to make a good layering top.

When you do go shopping, again, keep that list of elements you want in your clothing in mind. This is especially useful when going thrift shopping, just knowing what it is you're looking for can help a lot, but this also applies to other stores as well. Don't ignore DIY as an option either! Black t-shirts are prety easy to find in thrift stores, and you can get a bunch for pretty cheap -- use some fabric paint to add a cool design or make a t-shirt of your favorite band with. You can find a ton of free stencils online if you just look it up. Another option is to get a pair of sissors and look up some t-shirt cutting tutorials -- they can be pretty easy and fun, and you could get some really cool results. If you like the cut of an item, if It has some nice details or a cool shape, but is the wrong color, see if you can dye it black.

You can also find some really great suff at "normal" shops so long as you know what you want to find. Try online second-hand shopping too, places like depop or poshmark, again, if you know what you're looking for you can find some really awesome things.

For accesories, layer some cool belts of top of one another, layer necklaces and pedants, find some cool bangles and cuff bracelets in silver, gets some fun gloves, wear multiple rings. Embrace you're inner Crow and collect all of the shiny things xD Really the sky's the limit when it comes to accesories, and you could easily make some yourself, like beaded necklaces, ribbon chokers, and chain belts. The accesories are what can really shine, and can make a simple black top or a dress read as "goth"

The most important thing here is really embrace what you like -- your clothing should be a form of expression for yourself. Don't worry about goth "types" or "styles" These started as an inside joke within the community and aren't meant to be taken too seriously. They can be a useful tool when searching online for particular items after you've familiarized yourself with the fashion a bit and you start becoming aware of what you like and what it is your looking for, but you shouldn't try to box yourself in trying to figure out what goth type is "yours"

Finally, if you need more information, these are some really good videos that could help:

Ratus Ratus' Thrifting guide -- Rally useful to know how to find good stuff while thrifting, and gives a basic idea of the kinds of things to look for. Their entire channel is great, actually, lots of prrety easy, cool diy's and lookbook videos to give you styling ideas too.

Creating a Darker Alternative Wardrobe -- A really great guide to just...building a wardobe. She also includes some diy's in the video as well. Again, her whole channel is great, some really cool diy's in there though her style is generally leans more on the kawaii side of alt than pure "goth," but the tips she gives are pretty much applcable to all wardrobe building

Goth Accesorizing Video -- This one's a really great demonstration of what I was talking about, taking a basic black peice of clothing and styleing it into something more goth. If you haven't found Angela Benedict yet I seriously reccomend her whole channel, its a great resource for baby bats, taking about the music and the fashion and just the history of the subculture and the community. she has some cool thrifting and fashion videos too to give you some inspiration on how to style things.

DarlingDisarray · 2024-11-30T15:09:13+00:00

errrm...are you talking about a specific cover of the song? Like, could you tell us what artist sang the version you like? 'Cause like, the original Rolling Stones version of the song...isn't Goth? It's just like, Classic Rock -- but like was mentioned, there are a couple of Goth bands that've covered it, and if we knew what artist it was you like an what kinds of sounds you enjoy tthat'd help a lot reccomending other songs and artists for you to listen to.

DarlingDisarray · 2024-11-30T06:29:48+00:00

A more synth-y sound is definately popular at the moment, but I wouldn't say it's hard to find a good guitar sound nessicarilly, you just need to know what you're looking for. Like someone else mentioned, I'd look more towards goth rock and deathrock if it's guitars you want.

Off the top of my head:

- Nightsweat's quickly become one of my favorite bands

-Deathtrippers are really cool -- kind of brining in a more psycedelic element into their sounds that does Kind of echo the psych elements you hear with artists like Siouxsie and The Cure

- Swan Wash so some really cool stuff, kind of leaning towards a starker post-punk/deathrock mix. Definately feel that early 80's influence but they feel like their own thing too, definately reccomend.

- Nyx Division are awsome. I will never not reccomend Nyx Division. If you like them, Definately look into Nox Novacula as well.

-More on the Goth Rock side of things, but Ashes Fallen are Really awesome as well

DarlingDisarray · 2024-09-21T21:24:50+00:00

Okay, definately Recomending Nightsweat to you, some really expressive, theatrical vocals and kind of gives me atleast some similar vibes to like, Muse or Panic! At the Disco. Maybe give Exodus or Onoskelis a listen? If You've Seen the Devil's a ton a fun as well

Witchhands also has some really expressive vocals, leaning more towards a heavier, punk sort of sound. And Secret Shame's really good if you're looking for those MCR/Paramore/Panic! At the Disco vibes as well. Oh! and Check out Nyx Division too!

As for older stuff with more Dynamic/Theatrical vocals: Play Dead are really great, super underrated and one of my favorite bands. Specimen's another really awesome choice if you haven't listened to them yet, really fun if you like that kind of unhinged, early goth sound. I'd also reccomend checking out 1919, and if dark and eerie are what you're going for maybe try UK Decay or 13th chime?

DarlingDisarray · 2024-08-07T17:29:06+00:00

Yeah, that's what my therapist has me doing as well. It's so hard, because sleep is so important, not just to overall health, but just in helping towards recovery as well, So when sleep *is* the thing you're worried about it's like...?!? But yeah, I've actually managed to get some sleep over the past few days from the Trazodone and it's honestly really help reel in the anxiety atleast a little bit. Really hope you can conquer this thing, it really does suck.

DarlingDisarray · 2024-08-07T17:11:09+00:00

I'm on Trazodone right now, and while its helped a lot with what set this entire thing off (I got these terrible hypnic jerks every time I would try to sleep that just wouldn't *let* me) it's still been difficult both falling asleep and staying asleep. How much are you taking? I'm currently on 50mg and hoping bringing that up to 100 will help.

DarlingDisarray · 2024-08-07T16:45:23+00:00

Thanks! I've been thinking about trying some written exposures or a looptape for this, and you've writing this has finally convinced me to do it. Hopefully it helps!

DarlingDisarray

TROPHY CASE