[DracoTarot]

World Goth Day is exactly what it says on the wrapper-a day where the goth scene gets to celebrate its own being, and an opportunity to make its presence known to the rest of the world. This day falls on the 22nd of May of every year.

In May 2009, a radio station in Great Britain was discussing music subcultures. Goth music DJs, Cruel Britannia, and Martin Oldgoth created World GothDay from this discussion. World Goth Day began in the United Kingdom and is now celebrated worldwide.

Ideology

Today’s Goth scene is currently at its greatest peak in decades. The choices of music, clothes, art, books and movies are greater and more available in today’s society; also the acceptance of “be who you want to be” is no longer a taboo.

There are so many different elements to the UK Goth scene. Much of the scene is better classed as alternative rather than Gothic as there are so many subtypes to choose from now.

You will find a lot of Goth clubs don’t play much of what is classed as traditional Goth music anymore as in today’s culture not much is made. You may find the occasional Siouxsie or Sisters of Mercy tracks being played though!

Many Goths believe that Black Metal, Industrial, EBM and Synth Pop are Goth and the majority of UK clubs cater for this, it is as always up to the individual.

However, I have noticed recently that many new clubs dedicated to traditional Gothic, Post Punk and Death Rock have started to sprout up all over the UK. The best-known is probably “Dead
and Buried” which is in London and there are others, like the Black Veil in Leeds, The Hex in Wolverhampton and The Wake in Nottingham.

Music plays a large part in Goth culture and with today’s wide range of styles, there are many different groups and artists to choose from.

Goth Sub Culture – How to choose which
one you belong to, if any.

As with all walks of life, Goth, Christian, Wiccan, Pagan, Voodoo, Islam, Hindu etc there are always subcultures or branches, within each group. Goth is no different than any of them. From the original idea of what it is to be a Goth there have spawned many different ideas and those ideas in time have formed subcultures. What has also spawned from this is Goth slang but we will cover this later on in another chapter.

Firstly like any other culture, we need to understand what society's idea/stereotype is before we can understand and see the difference when discussing the subcultures.

When we think of a stereotype we see what only society dictates for us to see. Society dictates that a Goth is a person who wears black; this is in their hair colour, nails, clothes and also their thoughts. A stereotypical Goth is a person who is obsessed with death, angst and suicide.

They think, behave and dress like daemons/vampires of the night. We are supposed to be all about blood, coffins, bats and all things that are gloomy. They are vain and as never seen without their makeup on and are often seen for hours in clubs touching up and adjusting the way they look. They smoke only cigarettes made from cloves and hang around cemeteries. Some may also write very bad music lyrics or poems about death,
blood and vampirism.

Oh yes and avoid sunlight at all costs!!! As you can quite clearly see we are not all like that!!! Society is obsessed with labelling everything and to be a Goth is to be without a label!!! I personally have never met a fellow Goth that is anything like what the stereotype is meant to be. If anything the stereotype is something we make fun of and rebel against!

Goth Fashion

Gothic dress is a stark black or dark style of clothing worn by the members of the Gothic subculture. Gothic fashion clothing, which is considered by many as a protest against extravagance, can be described as a profusion of dark velvets, fishnets, lace, tight corsets, gloves and leather shaded with scarlet. Gothic clothing also features Dark make-up such as black lips, dark eyeliner, dark fingernails and black dyed hair.

The Gothic time dress is usually divided into two periods, the Early Gothic period (1200-1350)and the Late Gothic period (1350-1450). The outfits in the Early Gothic period were more sophisticated, graceful and simpler in cut than the Romanesque period. Sleeves used to be tight and the forearms were given more importance. Minimal trimmings on Gothic clothing were also a feature of the Early Gothic period.

The Gothic dresses were usually longer and the necklines were deep. Styles changed quickly during the Late Gothic period. The period moved from the earlier flowing draperies that metamorphosed, into fabrics that kept on becoming more and stiffer with the passage of time.



During the 15th century, the extremes were mostly in the upper silhouette. Crisp pleats, tight belts, padded doublets, and leg-o-mutton sleeves were also some of the important features of Gothic clothing in the Late Gothic period.

In the Early Gothic period, men wore hair at a sensible length often in a bob to the jawline with a bang across the forehead. Men often bleached their hair as blonde hair was popular. Few men wore beards. In the Late Gothic period, men wore hair bobbed with neatly curled ends.

Young girls in both periods wore their hair loose, flowing upon their shoulders. But after marriage, they used to confine their hair in a bun at the nape. They also used to wear many types of hair pieces, such as wimple and gorget, to cover it.



The Gothic corset is an important piece of Gothic dress. It shapes the body of a girl like an hourglass. It was very popular during the Victorian and medieval ages. Even today, the Gothic corset is widely popular as even today, the hourglass shape of a girl is considered aesthetic and flattering. At the outset, a Gothic corset was very uncomfortable to wear. It is only with the passage of time that the garment became more soft and convenient to wear.

Gothic outfits like fishnets are summer temperature friendly. Fishnets can be worn on arms, legs or even as shirts and jumpers. Cotton bloomers, lace-trimmed long skirts and flowing gauzy skirts are some of those parts of Gothic clothing that are very comfy to wear in the summer.



Men wear shirts with ruffles, buckles and lacing that look just like pirate shirts. In summer, male Goths wear light natural fibre shirts and short black trousers, accessorized with wide-brimmed hats, black umbrellas and silver ornaments.

Gothic clothing is incomplete without Gothic boots. Female Goths usually wear dark black boots with high heels, while Gothic men wear dark black flatted boots, which are usually heavy. However, one can also come across Goths wearing bloody-red boots.

Gothic Corsets usually wear dark black boots with high heels, while Gothic men wear dark black flatted boots, which are usually heavy. However, one can also come across Goths wearing bloody-red boots.

There's so much to mention about World Goth Day and its origins. If you are intrigued and want to more, visit http://www.worldgothday.com


@galadrielmt @DoctorEldritch @GoLLuM13

[GoLLuM13]

🦇 Happy world goth day 🤘
this sentence made me laugh "Some may also write very bad music lyrics or poems about death" 🤣
Let's be honest, the German band "Tokio Hotel" didn't help at all 🤣

[DracoTarot]

@GoLLuM13 Thanks!! 😎

Tokio Hotel is a good example of a band that likes to follow an obscene and morbid route.

- - - Updated - - -

@GoLLuM13 Here is a vid recently released on youtube of bats dancing to the music of Katasis

I find it so soothing! 😂

[GoLLuM13]

@DracoTarot This video is funny 🤣

[DracoTarot]

@GoLLuM13 Yes it is! 😂

[itsMahdy]

it is more like halloween tbh

[DracoTarot]

@itsMahdy For the goth culture Halloween is an all year around event.

[itsMahdy]

@DracoTarot yes it feels this way

[DoctorEldritch]

@DracoTarot That was an interesting read. And an excursion into the history of fashion. Made me think about the Pickpockt Cul-de-sac bit from the French Dispatch movie:

Goths of the past and the future.

Though I wonder, in addition to ideology, music, and fashion, subcultures are represented in games, as well. If memory serves, Brutal Legend paid some tribute to the goth subculture (as well as other metal-related subcultures), but it is a dedicated prime example.

Apart from that, Vampires the Masquerade comes to mind, as you mentioned before. But that's about it. I got curious and went to the internet to find if any other games have a distinct "goth" vibe, and the results suggest a rather diverse bunch. Vampyr, Diablo III, and a couple of Lovecraftian games (Call of Cthulhu and Sinking City). Not sure I'd classify them as such, to be honest, but I do not feel I know enough about the Goth subculture to be able to access this.

This brings me to the question: are there good "goth" games out there that really capture the "vibe" of goth?

[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch The thread could have been longer but I shortened it. There is still so much to mention and cramping all in is a bit of a mission.

A few good games out there capture the "vibe". I will make a list and post it here.