costume contest Friday Fashion Contest!

[Laucianna]

Well done to the winners of the "Ancient Greece" Friday Fashion Contest with a prize pool of over 1 Billion Influence! Make sure to come see us on FRIDAY at 19:00 EDT at Homecoming - Excelsior for a chance to win!

This Fridays Fashion Contest theme will be "Gothic"! It will be in Echo Plaza on Homecoming - Excelsior
 

Join our Discord to suggest a theme for next week and vote on which suggested theme is picked! https://discord.gg/zsXQUzy698

 

1st: Gyro King
2nd: Avatar of Charybdis
3rd: Pyrathena
 

Honorarys:
Medusa & Midas of Phrygia
Gank the Penguin
Brontia d'Enyo
Artemis's Artillery
Faun D'Memories

[Tambrielle]

The Gothic contest has ended. Honary mentions were very near target; Ostogoth (hopefully I spelled that right) was spot on with his version of Gothic. 

 

The top 3 were fantastic; however only the first place stone gargoyle fit the stated theme. Third place winner was a wonderous look. I whould have judged it first place.. for a Vamp theme. She was even introduced with a blood drinking comment. Do you judges watch South Park? I was sure so many did I thought for sure so many would finally get it from South Park's episode featuring the Goth kids. Suggesting a Goth drinks blood is not understanding the Goth at all. Drinking blood? That's for those wacked out Vamps.

 

Second place winner looked cool. .. Glowing eyes and all. His appearance suggests arcane, magic, mysticism and/or supernatural power. Again.. Vamp. 

 

Look.. the point is to have fun. I am frequently participating in the contests and enjoy the gathering every time. .. Even when the winners don't fit the theme (I'll just let my Goth show, shake my head and mumble "Figures. I'm not surprised at the lack of understanding of the NOT-so-subltle differences in cultures). I get new ideas. Most times I end up with a new alt inspired from creating for a theme. .. And there's thinking the winners did look so good they should have won something.

[Laucianna]

21 hours ago, Tambrielle said:

The Gothic contest has ended. Honary mentions were very near target; Ostogoth (hopefully I spelled that right) was spot on with his version of Gothic. 

 

The top 3 were fantastic; however only the first place stone gargoyle fit the stated theme. Third place winner was a wonderous look. I whould have judged it first place.. for a Vamp theme. She was even introduced with a blood drinking comment. Do you judges watch South Park? I was sure so many did I thought for sure so many would finally get it from South Park's episode featuring the Goth kids. Suggesting a Goth drinks blood is not understanding the Goth at all. Drinking blood? That's for those wacked out Vamps.

 

Second place winner looked cool. .. Glowing eyes and all. His appearance suggests arcane, magic, mysticism and/or supernatural power. Again.. Vamp. 

 

Look.. the point is to have fun. I am frequently participating in the contests and enjoy the gathering every time. .. Even when the winners don't fit the theme (I'll just let my Goth show, shake my head and mumble "Figures. I'm not surprised at the lack of understanding of the NOT-so-subltle differences in cultures). I get new ideas. Most times I end up with a new alt inspired from creating for a theme. .. And there's thinking the winners did look so good they should have won something.

Again, the theme was "Gothic" Which vampires VERY much fit the theme of. I understand if people are frustrated the costumes they thought should win didn't, however when people make posts like this you are not raising those costumes up, you are just bringing down the people who did place which isn't nice, which makes even less sense when the costumes DO fit the theme but people mistake it for another theme, and from a host point of view it limits the theme I can pick as honestly I can't be bothered to deal with people taking it too seriously, please remember it is a game and if it is making you upset, step away for a moment and ask yourself is this worth being upset over?

[Mayaedits]

On 8/2/2025 at 7:20 PM, Tambrielle said:

You're not Goth, are ya? Or a Punk, Emo, Vamp or Grunge? When you wake up and dress for work are you thinking "I am expressing myself freely"? Na.. the thought never occurs. You just dress and go. Someone dressing a specific fashion to make a point of free expression missed the point and is not one of the counter cultures. Free expression has been taken for granted (because so far it is just granted). Hard definition is only weird to someone outside of the counter cultures. .. And that term.. counter.. well.. I suppose I won't much get into trying to explain a Goth isn't trying to counter anything. I just look at society and shake my head. Do you feel countered? 

Am I goth by your narrow definition? No but lucky for me, no one person gets to define that is or isn't goth and those that try to do are just trying to gatekeep their piece of it to lift themselves up.

No, I am very happily, not your version of goth and never want to be. Also the theme is "Gothic", not just goth. Which is more broad.

Edited Sunday at 03:45 PM by Mayaedits

[The Trouble]

On 8/10/2025 at 8:45 AM, Mayaedits said:

Am I goth by your narrow definition? No but lucky for me, no one person gets to define that is or isn't goth and those that try to do are just trying to gatekeep their piece of it to lift themselves up.

No, I am very happily, not your version of goth and never want to be. Also the theme is "Gothic", not just goth. Which is more broad.

...and if it was just limited to "Goth" and not "Gothic", you'd see the same uproar from this user if someone dressed like Conan the Barbarian justifiably won.  Thanks to everyone who make these contests possible!  Please know the community as a whole loves this stuff far beyond words' paltry shortcomings. 

 

I say this even though my mummified John Travolta didn't even place in the "Ancient Greece" contest.  Maybe someday the parody-musical subculture will find the right representation in this online superhero videogame's community-run events, but until then, I'll keep fighting for our rights! ✊

[The Peacock]

On 8/9/2025 at 10:59 AM, Tambrielle said:

The Gothic contest has ended. Honary mentions were very near target; Ostogoth (hopefully I spelled that right) was spot on with his version of Gothic. 

 

The top 3 were fantastic; however only the first place stone gargoyle fit the stated theme. Third place winner was a wonderous look. I whould have judged it first place.. for a Vamp theme.

 

So, if Dracula is a GOTHIC horror novel, then I'd argue that the vampire aesthetic is on theme for a GOTHIC contest, especially if we are also agreeing that gargoyles of gothic architecture and Germanic peoples of medieval gothic culture peoples are on theme. I very nearly wore my Masque of the Red Death outfit to this CC, because I was really excited to do a call out to gothic literature. I chickened out and brought my Dearly Departed toon instead, and now I regret that action because I felt the judges did a great job of having a wide definition of the term. My husband brought Ostrogoth.

We got to stand together at the end, but I think we both agreed with the top picks. 

[Tambrielle]

On 8/10/2025 at 11:33 AM, Laucianna said:

Again, the theme was "Gothic" Which vampires VERY much fit the theme of. I understand if people are frustrated the costumes they thought should win didn't, however when people make posts like this you are not raising those costumes up, you are just bringing down the people who did place which isn't nice, which makes even less sense when the costumes DO fit the theme but people mistake it for another theme, and from a host point of view it limits the theme I can pick as honestly I can't be bothered to deal with people taking it too seriously, please remember it is a game and if it is making you upset, step away for a moment and ask yourself is this worth being upset over?

Ask a Goth what he thinks of drinking blood. Ask a Goth if he would ever groom himself to look like a vampire. 

I don't think there were costumes that did not win and should have. That is another assumption.. a previous being that different culture is the same. I think there were costumes that won and should not have. 

"DO" I see is emphasized. The fit is a NOT. DON'T. However.. forget it. As usual I could continue until I run out of breath. Vamp is Goth in your mind and always will be. I am used to being viewed as something I never was. I don't speak to bring down others though misery does love company. What influences a Goth's misery? A parody guessing at nationality for example: you're not American; you dress just like everyone else in the world.

NEXT (a curiosity.. a responding specific focus is in mind)

[Tambrielle]

On 8/10/2025 at 11:45 AM, Mayaedits said:

Am I goth by your narrow definition? No but lucky for me, no one person gets to define that is or isn't goth and those that try to do are just trying to gatekeep their piece of it to lift themselves up.

No, I am very happily, not your version of goth and never want to be. Also the theme is "Gothic", not just goth. Which is more broad.

That is my point. The definition IS narrow. There's some fellow posting above (without credible reference) some decades old wiki article describing concept as old as the Germanic people that were the original Goths. Notebook is now a laptop (why not call a computer a computer and leave "notebook" to mean a spined tablet of paper)? Gothic is Goth. Goth I C. Having to do with Goth. The culture is as important to me as yours is to you. Ya want a monster contest? CALL it a monster contest. 

[Tambrielle]

On 8/11/2025 at 12:39 PM, The Trouble said:

...and if it was just limited to "Goth" and not "Gothic", you'd see the same uproar from this user if someone dressed like Conan the Barbarian justifiably won.  Thanks to everyone who make these contests possible!  Please know the community as a whole loves this stuff far beyond words' paltry shortcomings. 

 

I say this even though my mummified John Travolta didn't even place in the "Ancient Greece" contest.  Maybe someday the parody-musical subculture will find the right representation in this online superhero videogame's community-run events, but until then, I'll keep fighting for our rights! ✊

Oh.. ANOTHER Goth vs Gothic. Recognize the culture or forget all about yours when you are lumped into a common pool. .. And huh? ..wha?.. Conan the Barbarian.. what the HECK are yoo talkin' 'bout? Conan the Barbarian justifiably winning a Gothic theme? Daaaaannnng.. how broad does the perception of a culture go? I get the incorrect perception from Vamp to Goth (with the dark clothes being the influence). Conan is a bit far off. I'lll be snickering for hours before I feel gloomy again after remembering THIS is the society in which I live and there isn't one better on Earth to which to move. I do speak out loud at night while sitting outside watching the stars; don't give me what I wish I don't wanna end up like Charlton Heston searching for something better than man and landing on The Planet of the Apes.

[Tambrielle]

On 8/11/2025 at 1:11 PM, The Peacock said:

 

So, if Dracula is a GOTHIC horror novel, then I'd argue that the vampire aesthetic is on theme for a GOTHIC contest, especially if we are also agreeing that gargoyles of gothic architecture and Germanic peoples of medieval gothic culture peoples are on theme. I very nearly wore my Masque of the Red Death outfit to this CC, because I was really excited to do a call out to gothic literature. I chickened out and brought my Dearly Departed toon instead, and now I regret that action because I felt the judges did a great job of having a wide definition of the term. My husband brought Ostrogoth.

We got to stand together at the end, but I think we both agreed with the top picks. 

That's cute. You cite Wiki. Wiki itself is not credible reference. Anyone can write articles there. 

In this case you didn't need to scroll to the bottom to look for credible reference. We all know the blood drinkers have been thrown into the same culture as the Gothic. The Goths did not do this. I would bet you teach your children Columbus discovered America (psst.. he never set foot on the soil. Do ya know why the school books say so? It's hilarious.).

.. HA! .. And you reference images created by the very people HAVING the misperception. Well.. Ostrogoth is spot on for a Germanic. Dearly Departed is just wearing a mask.. she fits the bill (she does give me the sense she's containing some despair).

.. of Red Death? The dude has a fleshless skull face and is invoking some supernatural power. 

Oh.. one more observance related to perception. The piece of wiki text that is showing indicates the Dracula book was written in 1897. What was the perception in a man's mind at the time? Were any 3rd century Germanics alive at the time Stoker may have found himself at the end of a sword for implying they were blood drinkers with skull faces.

(to self: waaaaiiit for it.. eating enemy hearts)

 

[Mariel Martog]

tuppence post:

Ah since moving back to the UK I have not been able to stay awake long enough to do a fashion contest. I feel rather bad since I really enjoy it. Especially the subject matter under debate right now. 

So a bit about me first. I'm an old as dirt Beta COH player who in the early 90s discovered Gothic music in the military. I dove hard into the London Goth Scene (1992~1994) I moved to the USA at that time and became a regular in the Los Angeles and Long Beach Ca, goth scene. I even helped run a few Industrial Nights around 2001. I've seen Most Goth Bands Live in Concert including Bauhaus. I am currently  wearing a goth tee and listening to a goth playlist of over 10k songs. 

 

The "What is Goth?" debate is older than I am. 

 

I think of it as several things at once which all have overlap. 

 

Gothic or Goth is an old Germanic word that means God, and was applied to one of several Germanic Christian Tribes famous for the sacking of Rome, and building Churches across Europe. Which is why they got called "Gothic" or "Of God". 

The Churches however caused something to happen, the stylings and artistic design of those churches became an acritical style associated with Christian Churches built between 400ce and 1900ce. Some of these old Churches became settings for scary stories, and horror and science fiction of the late 19th century. Which is why books became called Gothic Horror. 

 

Move forward into the modern era and films made about those gothic horror stories became known as gothic Film, aka Dracula, Frankenstein etc. 

 

Fast forward to the Rock era, and music personalities started leaning into Horror fiction, this was an early form of Gothic Rock however a puritan Goth would disagree. 

 

Then came the 70s and Puck Rock, a subgroup of Musicians in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Germany started taking Punk Rock and applying gothic styles based on 50s and 60s classic rock that had a gothlike sound. 

 

Then in the mist of this Post Punk music scene a Band from Northampton made a song poking fun of their audience. Bela Lugosi's Dead... and the term Goth forever got applied to the Dark Post Punk movement. Note Bauhaus was not the first band, but they were the ones that caused the term to stick for both the music and clothing style. As Punk Rock was just as much a fashion scene as it was a music scene. 

 

So in short Goth is: 

 

Tribe of Germans, Old Churches, A style of Fiction (Sci-Fi and fantasy Horror), early dark pop music, Dark Post Punk Music (The most famous type), Fashion, and even fine arts like painting. And thanks' to Aurelio Voltaire comedy music, and thanks to  Jhonen Vasquez comic books and a cartoon.  

So while I am staunchly a fan of Old Post Punk Gothic music and have been called the "Gothic Shark" since 1997 I see goth as many things, and I like new interpretations  of the gothic style. 

Now let me listen to ASF in peace "Now I feel Zombified" 

Edited 9 hours ago by Mariel Martog
i typed 18 not 19

[The Trouble]

I'm waiting for you to be struck with the irony of claiming to be a part of a counter-culture, yet demanding people to conform to your myopic and empirically incorrect definition of what a word means.  Yes, language changes.  But we still call paper notebooks "notebooks" even though we call a specific computer the same thing.

 

Just because a modern subculture has decided to use the word "Goth" to describe themselves doesn't erase two thousand years of history.  Peoples, language, architecture and literature have all been described as Goth/Gothic.  That's why it was such a good pick for a costume contest!

[Mariel Martog]

1 hour ago, Tambrielle said:

Ask a Goth what he thinks of drinking blood. Ask a Goth if he would ever groom himself to look like a vampire. 

I don't think there were costumes that did not win and should have. That is another assumption.. a previous being that different culture is the same. I think there were costumes that won and should not have. 

"DO" I see is emphasized. The fit is a NOT. DON'T. However.. forget it. As usual I could continue until I run out of breath. Vamp is Goth in your mind and always will be. I am used to being viewed as something I never was. I don't speak to bring down others though misery does love company. What influences a Goth's misery? A parody guessing at nationality for example: you're not American; you dress just like everyone else in the world.

NEXT (a curiosity.. a responding specific focus is in mind)

Been a goth since 1991. 

I've done the Bride of Dracula look way back in 1995, in fact it was my go to club style for almost a year. I had this blood Red lace dress and pink wig I wore. Yeah I even mixed my own blood in vodka and drank it, more for the scare the normies than anything reasons. 

Also I saw your list of "What is not Goth" while I agree EMO is not goth, most of the rest of what you said is false. Both in definition, and musically Gothic Rock is a Post Punk Music Scene that started in the late 70s and early 80s based on Horror Fiction themes mixed with Rock, Punk, and Jazz themes. While today people divide the music more than we did back then, it all started in the same place, hells even EMO came out of the same scene, but they are very subtlety different than a goth. 

 

'A goth sees how terrible the world is and makes jokes and laughs, an EMO sees how terrible the world is and hates themself. ' - paraphrased expression that went around the Goth Scene in the 90s. 

Edited 9 hours ago by Mariel Martog

[Tambrielle]

1 minute ago, Mariel Martog said:

Been a goth since 1991. 

I've done the Bride of Dracula look way back in 1995, in fact it was my go to club style for almost a year. I had this blood Red lace dress and pink wig I wore. Yeah I even mixed my own blood in vodka and drank it, more for the scare the normies than anything reasons. 

Also I saw your list of "What is not Goth" while I agree EMO is not goth, most of the rest of what you said is false. Both in definition, and musically Gothic Rock is a Post Punk Music Scene that started in the late 70s and early 80s based on Horror Fiction themes mixed with Rock, Punk, and Jazz themes. While today people divide the music more than we did back then, it all started in the same place, hells even EMO came out of the same scene, but they are very subtlety different than a goth. 

 

A goth sees how terrible the world is and makes jokes and laughs, an EMO sees how terrible the world is and hates themself. 

Oh I have been laughing.

[GM_GooglyMoogly]

OK, people, that's enough about what is and isn't goth or gothic.  This thread is about a sponsored costume contest.  The sponsor gets to decide the theme and interpret that theme to choose the winners. 

 

I know one thing that is neither goth nor gothic:

 

[Laucianna]

Well done to the winners of the "Gothic" Friday Fashion Contest with a prize pool of over 1 Billion Influence! Make sure to come see us on FRIDAY at 19:00 EDT at Homecoming - Excelsior for a chance to win!

This Fridays Fashion Contest theme will be "Gladiators"! It will be in Echo Plaza on Homecoming - Excelsior
 

Join our Discord to suggest a theme for next week and vote on which suggested theme is picked! https://discord.gg/zsXQUzy698

 

1st: Girlgoyle Downspout
2nd: Blood Curdle
3rd: Isabella Von Bathory
 

Honorarys:
Ostrogoth
Nun-Chucks
WraithEdge
Evan Essence
Dearly Departed