It's been a few months since the Battle of the Bands, and the Dazzlings are slowly but steadily walking down the path to redemption. Sonata has gone back to school, Adagio has gotten a job, and Aria... well, Aria's trying her best.
One day, Adagio comes home from work to find that Sonata has decided to "embrace her inner darkness" and become a goth. Neither Adagio nor Aria are amused. Now, it's up to them to find out just what's wrong with Sonata, and why she thinks she's destined to wear too much mascara.
Short, fluffy one-shot about being yourself. Cover art by Emichaca. Thanks to Sharp Spark and Majin Syeekoh for looking it over.
Chapters (1)
Simple, cute, and a good lesson is learned.
The idea of hairspray model Adagio is giving me a chuckle though.
>Closer
>literally anything by The Cure
>The trilogy of gothic Swans albums
you moron, Sonata you're not listening to gothic rock, you're listening to screamo and you're a scenester, not a goth
(so are her friends, most likely)
I went into this story expecting either:
1. it to lampoon goth culture in a way that I could get a chuckle
2. completely play off goth/emo/scene stereotypes and use them interchangeably and piss me off
It leaned towards two, but it didn't even piss me off. It didn't really make me feel anything, but I chuckled every time Aria annoyed Adagio, so there's that
pfft, pop-punk more like
would you like to come over and have a pizza party? :^)
have an upboat, Dubs
5986118
Yeah, I knew pretty much nothing about 'goth' going into this, and everything I now know was gained by reading Wikipedia. Using what I did know, though, I tried to engineer it so Sonata/her friends were pretty clearly fake goths.
5986136 completely understandable. I assume you were in high school at the height of scene and the downfall of emo (both groups tend to call themselves goths for some reason even though they don't even listen to the same music) so I don't blame you for playing off the ridiculous stereotypes present. I mean, I'm no expert on goth subculture, as I am in high school during what can only be described as the gruesome suicide of scene, but I do listen to tons of gothic rock and am friends with someone who was a goth who later moved into the industrial scene so I can pretend I know stuff.
I kinda assumed that the intent of the fic was to poke fun at people who try and force themselves into subcultures in order to be trendy. (or in her case, to try and bring attention to herself which is literally what scene kids do holy shit)
Your story was entertaining, even if the moral lesson didn't impress me that much. Hell, it eve made me want to watch Rainbow Rocks, which is an INCREDIBLE feat.
5986136
Would listening to this kind of music make Sonata more goth?
As a lipstick wearing, nail painting vampyre (remember the 'y' kids, it's important) ex-goth kid of the late 90's, now I have to read this.
I read it and, well ... RIP in piece goth subculture. It was a thing but I really didn't feel it, ya know? As soon as they started to actually talk, I rolled my eyes and skimmed the rest. It was like a kid's goth phase in compressed time. At least she didn't end up bubblegum goth like so many ...
5986174
I am seriously going to hurt you. THIS is goth music:
(semi-explicit lyric warning BTW - also a bit blasphemous if you're into that sort of thing)
5986258
Oh right sorry I was thinking of emo culture. Are you sure goth and emo are the same thing?
5986258
Be aware that in no way am I trying to say that Sonata is actually goth. In fact, most of the details I included about what she considered to be goth were specifically put in to paint her as a poseur.
5986275
So if Sonata is a poser goth. She technically is this:
Now that I think about it, fishnets are probably significantly edgier for sirens than they are for us.
5986118 I used to make the same mistakes of conflating scene and emo with goth. Thankfully I know at least a LITTLE better now. I must say I am a bit curious: is there any general source materials (outside music) that could orient me better with what goth is REALLY all about?
5987519 What is scene?
5987620 Basically it's a fake goth/punk subculture. It's what happened when chavs decided to try to be goth. Alternatively, it's a bunch of young posers who think shopping at Hot Topic makes them goth or punk or metalheads.
5987620 pretty much this
5987708
Scene is basically taking everything about the goth and emo scenes that was genuine (and yeah, emo was actually genuine at one point) and making it up to draw attention to themselves. Goth and emo were outsider scenes that formed because people wanted to stay within themselves, and explore things without the outside intervention of the mainstream population. Scene kids do it because it's edgy and they think people will pay attention to them if they do it.
Hipsters are kind of the same way, but with literally anything that can be considered "underground" and oftentimes don't legitimately enjoy the music or art or clothes they pretend to partake in and only do so so that they can feel superior to other people.
Right now the scene is actually sort of imploding. It was at its height in 2009-2011 about. I don't know what's going to come next, but with a lot of original scenesters growing up and out of their scene phase along with most bands that were hallmarks of the scene either having broken up or producing music that can no longer be classified as scene and leaving scene kids with only atrocious second wave scene which is somehow even worse than first wave scene (keep in mind that some proto-scene bands are actually fucking fantastic, such as Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, and MCR), the scene is suffering a pathetic, gruesome suicide. Since indie is on the rise in the public eye now, I can only assume that indie kids and hipsters will fill the place of the scene. It'll be interesting to see where this goes.
5987519 I actually *don't* know a lot.
I can tell you a ton about emo and scene, because I experience it first hand a lot, but gothic subculture knowledge is basically limited to what I've already said and music. Just trying to imagine all the things that those edgy, annoying girls and probably that one guy in high school who talked loudly about how great satan was and how Sleeping with Sirens is the best band ever and how vampires are totally real and imagine someone did that because they weren't trying to catch people's attention and were a legit fucking weirdo (not trashing them, I'm an outsider weirdo fuck too, even if I am not necessarily goth). Also, goths are less melodramatic and generally aren't obsessed with killing themselves. If they're going to kill themselves, they're going to do it right on the first time and not glorify it as a way to get attention like a lot of scene kids do.
Think of dark, gothic stuff, and then imagine a subculture that wants people to leave them the hell alone, with very little flashy aspects, and you've got goths.
5987761 Ah okay, Still, thanks for the post. From what I've seen of "real" goths on the internet, they seem to gravitate towards a 19th century or general funerary look. One goth girl on Youtube uses eye-changing contacts and hair extensions, but I don't know how representative of the subculture she is.
5987985 That girl sounds like she's straddling the line of glam and goth. Keep in mind that a lot of the subcultures do have overlapping members. I myself only listen to the music produced by these guys (especially emo) and don't really partake in the culture. I mean, I think it'd be cool, and all, but the only option I have where I live in scene and I REALLY don't want to be a scene kid.
5987519
5987761
I... don't want to interfere with you two or mean offence or anything, but Goth in itself is -- from my point of view -- more of a variation of the romantic period that we all were "tortured" with in school, rather than a modern movement of sorts. I'd suggest to take a look at The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole written around 1764. It is about the feeling, not whatever things would occur to modern kids to navigate through the process of growing up. It is a broad idea that criss-crosses with many things. It celebrates individualism and emotionalism. Melancholy can be a big part of that, often in connection with hints of anachronism, towards a romanticized picture of the (mostly Victorian period of) history. To dream up a future out of a past that may lifts above the current state of affairs, into a higher quality of happiness for everyone. The femme fatale, a saint that brings doom to whatever currently is the state of art -- to ascend into self-fulfilment. Love, sex. A certain author once wrote in a certain book that vampyres (to not cast Minalkra's rage upon me) were born from the (Christian) ethics that let the oral sins be regarded as sinful, and from the inner wishes to find a demon that brings the pointlessness of such moral bindings to the light. Vampires suck you dry, if you need that bit a little bit more literal.
Many people just find their own ways into Goth, be it from music of all sorts, from classic to electronic, to literature and even architecture and dresses. And in that way it criss-crosses paths with other styles. More often than not with Steampunk, as both enjoy the Victorian styles. Other than Steampunk, to stay with that example, Goth lays way more focus into the Religious aspects: destiny, eternity, death. You may as well count the band Hocico Goth as you may would call Rachmaninov's Isle of Dead.
There is no clear border where things are Goth and where they are not. Some people may even see things as Goth where even the artist seeks distance from it (hypothetically speaking). In an exhibition around the topic Goth I once visited, there were paintings to be seen that dealt with the works of authors like Victor Hugo (Les Miserables) and Goethe (Faust). Were those two Goths? No. But does, what they did, fit the scheme (and more importantly the emotional landscape) of Goth? Yes, it certainly does.
I don't account for scientific accuracy though.
5988496 You'd know better than I. I don't even listen to that much goth music. Basically just Joy Division's Closer, The Cure, and those three gothic rock albums by Swans. I guess since I listen to a myriad of post-punk that could fall into it
From what you described, I empathize with a lot of gothic feels, and I personally love gothic aesthetic and everything, but I don't really identify with them. Sadly, if I HAD to be in a subculture, I'd probably be thrown into the early 2000s emo subculture.
But no subculture would have me in my years at school, so in my remaining ones, I won't force it. I don't need a label to identify me—I just am.
Obviously this is different online, as I am a huge contributed to the brony fandom, but since there are quite literally close to zero bronies where I live, I wouldn't say I belong to the irl subculture that exists of us.
5988528
In that particular way of thinking I'd say a major part of being Goth is to try to escape the necessity of this question rather than answering it. It's where nihilism plays into the melancholic feeling of the Gothic way, really. It's also where things differ greatly between individuals tho'.
As for myself, I just go with what people think of me. Whether they say I'm Goth or not, it's both fine by me. There's no urge for a constant identification with a social structure, just like it's the case with you.
Good story!
Leaning toward the Brony subculture myself.
This was such an unexpectedly pleasant read. (Unexpectedly because a lot of stories with the Dazzlings tend to be . . . not so respectful of their characterisations.)
The first half had me giggling like crazy. I really love a good, humorous Dazzling fic that doesn't rely on overused tropes or fandom jokes to be funny. And then it got cute, and . . . ! I'm a huge sap for cute Dazzlings relationship (platonic or otherwise) stuff. Like, a major sap.
I really appreciate the handling of their characterisations. I have a lot of reservations for how most people handle the Dazzlings, so this isn't a compliment I hand out often. Their banter was nice and snappy, and felt fitting. Sonata's desire to be "edgier" for Adagio and Aria's sake was such a nice detail, and the fact that Adagio countered it by saying they should be looking up to Sonata now just made my heart melt. I also thought Aria's goth vs. punk thing was a funny "running" joke. Hehe.
Thank you for writing this!
5990143
Thank you for reading, my friend! Comments like yours make this all worthwhile.
I knew when I saw the title that I was in for something good. The characterization and dialogue for the Dazzlings was just perfect. I love it when writers put those three into slice-of-life stories (and pull it off). Adorable, funny, a little whimsical. Excellent work.
And yes, it was obvious to me that Sonata was being a poseur. I don't know if I can say what constitutes a "real" goth; doing so would probably run afoul of the No True Scotsman Fallacy – such might be the case for any subculture after a while. Labels are weird. Regardless, Sonata is about as far from goth as you can get. Aria's little rant about being "punk" made me chuckle.
How long have they been on Earth? The sirens might have known the actual Goths.
usu.edu/markdamen/1320hist&Civ/slides/08romfal/romeburning.jpg
5998386
"Real Goths" were absorbed into the Franks and Iberians 1300 years ago.
5989342 Brony FTW, but it's arguing with white L33t white Fedora.
She's so nota goth! Where was she when we sacked Rome?
Visigoths 4ever!
I don't think that's quite right...
That was cute.
6004130
Thank you, my friend. Fixed!
I liked it, and that's all I really have to say about it
I love this piece - good lesson, very in-character... and for me at least, the specific situation is oddly relatable; with me in Adagio's position and my younger sibling still doing what Sonata is here.
Aria is totally punk, though.
Hairspray tester. What.
I love that Sonata invented pop music, though. :D
6537201
Well, I can't take the credit for the pop music thing, 'cuz that's straight from the comics.
Are y'all just going through my backlog, or what? I mean, not that I'm complaining...
6537456
Oh, boo :P And I had this one on my RIS, which means a significant delay before I actually read it.
Is Aria the lead singer of a pony punk band (someone make Slipknot Aria for the heck of it regardless of genre)? And then what of Adagio? I want to say like Adele, but no...
Wow you made them actually good good? Wow. I like this on its own but that sold me the moment i read it.
I liked Adagio's job. It would make sense considering her hair is the way it is. Minefield. Good one. Sonata never change. Aria is a punk but not the way I'm thinking. I'm thinking a 'punk', punk. You know? I did like the lesson Adagio learned from it and, I guess... Aria too? hmm?
Great story!
5998672 I love the "Wha? No fair!" expression on the face of the chap on the right.
6537456 wait, REALLY? Sonata invented pop?
y'know what? i can easily see that.
anyway, this one was cute. that pep talk of sorts Adagio gave out was just sweet. nice one here!
Of course Majin Syeekoh was involved.
Huh, that was certainly not a job I expected Adagio would like or do.
Doesn't look like she's trying hard enough.
Never thought I'd hear Adagio ever say those words, let alone to herself!
How very kind of her. A sign she truly is changing her ways.