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Meta
Category Archives: Stuff & Oddments
Why the Month of May Didn’t Exist Here, Plus Answering a Reader Letter
The Lady of the Manners is very sorry for not posting anything during May, Snarklings. May was a bit of a blur of work chaos, concerts, preparing for and then attending Convergence 13. The Lady of the Manners has swarms of letters to answer, and is going to try to post helpful (but possibly quick!) replies to them in the very near future. Continue reading
Posted in Being Mannerly, General, Stuff & Oddments
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On Goths Dealing with a Winter Wonderland
There are times, Snarklings, that the Lady of the Manners suspects that the universe runs on serendipity overdrive. Okay, maybe not all of it, but some parts of it. Why? Because the Lady of the Manners had recently been pondering, during her cold and dark commute home from work every evening, what the next lesson should be about. Because while Lady of the Manners does indeed read all of the messages that people send her, Lady of the Manners was having a difficult time deciding which particular message struck her fancy. But then a charming young lady by the name of Elsa wrote to the Lady of the Manners with … a question about clothing! Now, as the Constant Reader may have noticed, the Lady of the Manners is very fond of burbling about clothing. In fact, the Lady of the Manners considers customizing and playing with her wardrobe to be her number one hobby. So when a letter arrives asking for clothing advice, how could the Lady of the Manners let it go unanswered? Continue reading
Posted in Being Fashionable, General, Stuff & Oddments
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An Assortment of Questions About Religion, Gossip, and Vampires.
Yes, Snarklings, go ahead and stare surprisedly at the Lady of the Manners. It was not the Lady of the Manners’ intention to be away so long, but … remember when the Lady of the Manners wrote that working in the tech industry was a good option for clever people who don’t want to be overly concerned with dress codes? The Lady of the Manners still believes that, but must add the caveat that there will sometimes be deadlines that laugh derisively at the notion of a person having a life outside of work.
However! The Lady of the Manners is back, and is rejoicing in having some free time by answering a varied selection of questions from readers. Yes, it’s true! The Lady of the Manners reads each and every bit of mail that is sent to her; don’t ever doubt that, Snarklings. Continue reading
Posted in General, Stuff & Oddments
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A Random Assortment of Things
Oh … dear. The Lady of the Manners would like to apologize for the complete and utter lack of a December lesson. The Lady of the Manners won’t say that the entire month of December sped right past without her noticing, but she is rather surprised at how … quickly January seemed to creep up on her.
So! To make amends for missing a month, the Lady of the Manners is going to answer a random assortment from some of the many questions that readers have sent in. No going on and on (and on and on) about any one pet peeve topic, but a wealth of questions and rants answers. Don’t you feel giddy at the very idea? (Just smile and nod at the Lady of the Manners, Snarklings. It makes the Lady of the Manners feel like you’re paying attention.)
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Posted in General, Stuff & Oddments
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The Summer of Goth
This time around, Gothic Charm School isn’t going to be about etiquette questions. No, this month the Lady of the Manner is going to talk about a seasonal sort of topic: how to survive the summer as a Goth. Continue reading
Posted in Being Fashionable, General, Stuff & Oddments
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Clichés: the Dark Secret of Goth
Clichés. Clichés are what make the ElderGoths roll their eyes at the Babybats, when all the younger generation is doing is the same sort of silly stuff the ElderGoths did years ago. And yes, the Lady of the Manners can already hear some of you asking “But if it’s the same sort of stuff, why is it now okay to make fun of it?” Continue reading
Posted in General, Growing Pains, Stuff & Oddments
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That Old-Time Religion
Hello Faithful Readers, and welcome to another month’s worth of Gothic Charm School. This month, the Lady of the Manners is going to hold forth about a topic that she really didn’t think she’d ever need to; a topic that is such a cliché that the Lady of the Manners just assumed everyone knew what was the truth behind it. The topic? That there aren’t any particular religious beliefs you need to hold to be a Goth. No, really. There aren’t. The Lady of the Manners isn’t joking. Continue reading
Posted in Stuff & Oddments
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Labels Really Aren’t Just For Clothes
So! What burning issue has roused the Lady of the Manners from her months-long seclusion? Why, an issue that no one has actually come out and asked for advice about, but needs addressing none the less. You see, there’s a certain type of mail the Gothic Charm School seems to get quite a bit of. There are swarms and swarms of readers out there who are compelled to write to the Lady of the Manners to complain about being labeled Goth; they don’t want to be labeled, labels are restrictive and so limiting! Sure, they may wear all black, be interested in graveyards, gargoyles, horror fiction, vampires, or just prefer a darker aesthetic then most people, but they refuse to be labeled, and they’re terribly, terribly resentful when people try and apply a label to them. There’s So! Much! More! to their personalities and lives than can be encompassed by a (gasp, shudder of revulsion) label. Continue reading
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“Not a Goth,” Revisited
Hello Faithful Readers, and welcome to another fun-filled lesson here at Gothic Charm School. The Lady of theManners has been getting quite the flurry of correspondence lately, what with Gothic.net inviting everyone inside the shop (as it were) and the Lady of the Manners’ archive site being selected as a Yahoo! Pick of the Week; the Lady of the Manners is quite spoiled for choice in terms of subjects to Hold Forth about, bless your spooky little hearts.
Remember, just a few months ago, when the Lady of the Manners addressed the concerns of a young lady who insisted she wasn’t a Goth (anymore), but kept being referred to as one? This month, the Lady of the Manners looks at two different sides of the Not A Goth dilemma: So You Want to be a Goth but Aren’t One, and My Friends are Goths, but I’m Not. Continue reading
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“Not a Goth”
Hello Faithful Readers, and welcome to another dizzying month of Gothic Charm School. This month’s topic is a puzzle, one that the Lady of the Manners has had to think a long while about, because she kept having so many different answers to the question. One of you dear Faithful Readers wrote in with an earnest quandary, but one without an easy, off-the-lace-cuff answer. The poor dear even asked to not have her email address and name used, because she’s worried about facing ridicule from people. What has her all in a flutter? Funny you should ask that ”¦ Continue reading
Posted in Stuff & Oddments
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