1. “Raven” was an occasionally-encountered name for a girl in the contemporary period, and “Ebony” would be at least recognizable as a name. The other elements of this name are flatly atypical.
2. During this part of the War Period, this character’s hairstyle would not be considered shocking, but it would be viewed as garish and nonconformist.
3. A contemporary music performer known for a melancholy style of music and a gothic and dramatic aesthetic. The title of the work probably comes from one of her songs. However, her aesthetic and attitude has little in common with that in this work, being much more conventional and less garish.
4. A member of the contemporary band “My Chemical Romance”, also notable for a “gothic”, melancholy, and macabre aesthetic
5. i.e. the speaker considers him to be handsome and attractive; despite the pornographic material later in this work, the word “f_______” is here used only as an expletive.
6. Vampires as romantic figures had been increasing in popularity over this period, with a trend away from malicious monsters towards seductive but more benevolent figures, romanticized by their capability of being terrible.
7. Strangely, despite the characterization of this character as a Satanist, “witch” should here be characterized as having meaning similar to “wizard” and not “idolater”, “sorceress”, “maleficar”, or other practitioner of what we today recognize as “witchcraft”. The background material to this work constantly faced accusations of being satanic by an uneducated reactionary public to whom the difference between technology, wizardry and witchcraft was not meaningful (”witch” was sometimes even considered a female equivalent to “wizard”!), which completely failed to diminish its popularity.
8. It is important to understand that “goth” as an aesthetic, counterculture or subculture had a completely different meaning in the contemporary period than it does today – what remains similar is the love of the melancholy, the macabre, the dramatic, the romantic, and contempt for conventionalism. In the mid-to-early-late War Period, “Gothic” people were associated with contempt for morality, certain types of sexual display (usually of a shocking and sometimes fetishistic type), various forms of concupiscence, and a fairly significant connection to the occult and even to outright Satanism, though the latter was all but universally an affectation (this is true of most Mid War Period satanism). See contrast on p 321, The Gothic Movement In the Catholic Church. Moreover, the “gothic” aesthetic as described by this character is a stunted and over-the-top form that has also been corrupted by the counterculture-commericalism that was universal in the Late War Period.
9. A clothing store mostly specializing in counterculture-commercialized and faddist apparel. Critics accused it of being a mercantile vulture that fed by turning more honest and vivacious countercultures into fads.
10. It was almost unheard-of for women in the Mid or Late War Period to wear corsets, but they appeared in the Gothic subculture (which itself heavily borrowed from sources such as Victorian-era clothing, including mourning dress). However, what Enoby is describing is probably not actually a true corset, but a “corset top”, which is essentially a laced bodice. Either would be worn with neither chemise nor overblouse.
11. Probably a nondraped skirt that barely passes her wrist.
12. Hose, stockings, or tights in the form of a wide-open mesh
13. Probably not actually military issue boots; these were tall, heavy black leather boots with lacing all the way up.
14. This character’s outfit would be considered inappropriate for school in the Late War Period, but not shocking to Late War Period mores except by its garishness.
15. Originally meant students at a university-preparatory school; with the extremely high percentage of students seeking to attend university in the Late War Period, this came to mean a subculture of young people who adopted a highly conventionalistic and professionalistic attitude and sought admission to the prestigious and traditionalistic universities in the Eastern United States, often without academics being their true passion. Such people were often viewed as social climbers and sometimes attracted contempt from both their less-professionally-oriented peers and from those who were true intellectuals.
16. Also known as “giving the finger”; a very rude gesture in the War Period as it is in ours.
18. This phrase went through considerable popular memetic mutation (as did the entire tract): “It was _______ <weather> so I felt ________. A lot of _______ stared at me. I ________ them.” See extra material 34c.
17. I.E. “How are you today?”, “how are you feeling?” as a greeting.
do you think the writer of My Immortal lives in quiet pleasure knowing what they’ve brought into the world cannot be killed nor can they be held accountable
The slow horror of this post, of realizing:
1. First, that this is about My Immortal, fairly obvious from the start. Okay, meme time.
2. Second, that this is characterized as a future English literature class’s textbook footnotes a la our time period’s school texts of Shakespeare works, which, haha, seeing that framed as if this future literature class would be so far removed from our understanding of culture as to need these notes and yet would still be in a literature class formatted similarly to ours, especially combined with the idea that My Immortal would be considered typical “literature,” that’s funny, right?
3. Third, that by “the War Period/the Late War Period” they mean us, and the implications of that name for the time period added to the idea that so much culture from this time period has been wiped out and would be totally unfamiliar to the students of this class, and oh. Oh, that’s not… that’s not funny anymore.
what if I made my final project for a college class arguing my immortal’s cultural merit as a piece of digital folklore… haha just kidding… unless???
update 2: well i gave my presentation in full Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way cosplay
and enough people were intrigued by the greater My Immortal mythos that my professor asked me if I would be interested in doing a second, longer presentation about the authorship debate and the background Harry Potter fanfiction community drama
update 3: at long last, here is the filmed and extended version of the presentation! I really didn’t think it would take this long, but uhhhh pandemic
Salvete, Gaius Iuli'us Caesar sum et pilorum album quam nivem habeo et aureos, sed interdum virides lauros et imperium Romanum construxi et eius eram quasi primus Caesar (sic merui nomen meum) et multi indicant mihi me Marcus Crassus similem esse (si non scitis Marcus Crassus, vobis opus est pecunia). Brutus non est filius meus quod est bonum nam ET TU, MI FILI???!?. Iamia sum sed dentes albos et rectos habeo. Pallidam cutem habeo. Etiam, maga sum magicum ludum, nomine Pigverruca, visitans quod desinam (ego sum MMCXIV), veni, vidi, vici. Classicus sum (si vos id non suspexistis) et multas togas emptas in Basilica Iulia habeo. Ratio amo et bellum Gallicum gero. Veluti, hodie omnia Gallia occupata. Omnia Gallia? Certe! Non est vicus parvus inter Aquarium, Babaorum, Laudanum et Brevisbonum. Ambulabam foris Pigverruca. Ninxit et pluvit et Gallia divisa erat in partes tres, quod me fecit felix. Marcus Porcius Cato me observavit. Digitum medium illo monstravi.
Hi my name is Theta Sigma John Smith Foreman and I have medium length white hair that reaches my neck and icy blue eyes like the untempered schism and a lot of people tell me I look like The Other (AN: if u don’t know who he is get da hell out of here!). I’m not related to Koschei Oakdown but I wish I was because he’s a major fucking hottie. I’m a gallifreyan but I’m also half human. I have pale white skin. I’m also a time lord, and I go to a stupid school called the Prydon Academy by Mount Cadon where I’m in the 178th year (I’m 186). I’m a prydonian, in case you couldn’t tell, but I wear mostly black. I love Earth and I get all of my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing a waistcoat and checked trousers, a frock coat and cravat. I was wearing my black fur hat and my cape and scarf. I was walking outside the Prydon Academy. The transduction barrier was up so there were no suns, which I was happy about. A lot of patrexes stared at me. I put up my index and middle finger at them.
“you somehow convinced the entire internet that you are the true author of my immortal when you’re not, i am, and thats cool and everything i dont really like the spotlight but if you get questions about it could you foward them to me so i can tell you how to answer them correctly because im actually pretty attatched to ebony dark'ness dementia raven way now and omg they want you to update, ok i have a bunch of chapters i never published do you want to meet up so i can give you my notebook? oh my God you never said you were hot”
Hi my name is Michael Dark’ness Dementia Raven Wheeler and I have long ebony black hair (that’s how I got my name) with bangs and a mullet that reaches my shoulders and dark brown eyes like the desperation of my soul and a lot of people tell me I look like Freddie Mercury (AN: if u don’t know who he is get da hell out of here!). I’m not related to Eddie Munson but I wish I was because he’s a major fucking hottie. I’m a nerd but I think I’m pretty cool. I have pale white skin. I’m also a D&D paladin, and I play with an awesome party called the Hellfire Club at Hawkins High where I’m in the ninth grade (I’m fourteen). I’m an emo (in case you couldn’t tell) and I wear mostly black. I love Hot Topic and I buy all my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing an oversized yellow shirt and a purple tank top with matching green shorts and white sunglasses, a tie-dye hat, and flip flops. I was walking outside Hawkins High. It was the day of spring break so I was about to leave to see my girlfriend and her brother who I secretly have a crush on, which I was very happy about. A lot of preps stared at me. I put up my middle finger at them.
My Immortal the Webseries, if you don’t know what it is check out the awesome folks @myimmortalseries or check out MediajunkieStudios, you won’t regret it, these guys rock!
I just finished season one of the My Immortal webseries
I laughed GENUINELY, not at the material but where the material WANTED me to laugh
i was super impressed with the writing, acting, and direction
IT SOMEHOW MADE ME ENJOY DRARRY? I HATE DRARRY? I WAS SO INTO IT?
guys the My Immortal webseries passes the fucking Bechdel Test
the characters have CHARACTER GROWTH and DEVELOP and EVOLVE as people!!!!! People fall in love and build friendships and realize that maybe being a goth or a prep isn’t so bad after all!
really great music choices wow
better racial diversity than the entire harry potter franchise
I am so genuinely impressed and am super excited to start season two
GUYS I WATCHED IT AND IT WAS HONESTLY - I DIDN’T EXPECT TO ENJOY IT AS MUCH AS I DID??? Please, please watch this webseries there’s some POC representation and queer representation and holy shit it such a nice take on the fanfic.
no one wants to admit they shop at hot topic but we all do
I love Hot Topic and I buy all my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing a black corset with matching lace around it and a black leather miniskirt, pink fishnets and black combat boots. I was wearing black lipstick, white foundation, black eyeliner and red eye shadow. I was walking outside Hogwarts. It was snowing and raining so there was no sun, which I was very happy about. A lot of preps stared at me. I put up my middle finger at them.
ALT
