Gothic romance

Let's face it, goths are romantics.

Even Gothic Miss Manners says so.

''There is something about the standard bits of the goth aesthetic -- candlelight, roses, decadent food, alcohol, passionate declarations, or literature -- that naturally go with romance," according to the webmistress of goth etiquette.

Valentine's Day lurks just around the corner, providing the local goth scene with another reason to celebrate, get dolled up in dark clothes, don black eyeliner, and raise a cocktail glass in honor of Cupid.

And a plethora of places prevail where romantics can revel with other darkly clad denizens of the night. On Thursday, the Skybar in Somerville will host a ''Goth Valentine's Night" featuring Lucretia's Daggers. The following night -- Friday the 13th -- ''To Hell With Love: Evading Cupid's Arrow" will rock ManRay, a Cambridge nightclub with a devout goth following.

As usual, Cusraque is promoting this ''Hell" night, one of ManRay's monthly goth/industrial/fetish events.

''I have been doing it for 10 years, and it's great every year," he said. ''The idea of the event is that one can go to 'Hell' with your most loved, or go to an event that curses your loneliness on Valentine's Day. 'Hell' always has comedy performances, and some of the best through the years have been for 'To Hell With Love.' We cut off Cupid's wings with a chainsaw one year."

Cusraque will transform ManRay, adorning the club with cupid dolls, hundreds of fake roses, and hearts of all sizes.

''It looks as if Valentine's Day vomited artfully," he said.

This year, ''To Hell With Love" will feature a dramatic reading of pornographic poetic couplets written by a man to his wife called ''Love or Filth."

We asked him how goths celebrate Valentine's Day, his favorite holiday.

''It depends on whether said goth has a sweetie or not!" he said. ''The subculture on the whole is rather romantic in nature, but also very cynical. We have a great sense of gallows humor, which lends itself well to the holiday."

Gothic. adj. Of a style of fiction that emphasizes the grotesque and mysterious: a gothic novel.

-- The American Heritage Dictionary Indeed, the goth subculture has roots in romantic and gothic literature, according to Charles Lindholm, an anthropology professor at Boston University.

''They're taking their whole outfits from romantic novels, 18th-century figures from gothic novels. This is a very literary group of people," said Lindholm. ''They're interested in theatrics and performances, they do a lot of aesthetic play. There's quite a bit of style involved."

Romantic and Victorian eras influence much of Gothic fashion, including capes and corsets. Fishnets and vinyl are also common, as well as spiked collars and black eyeliner. Some go for white makeup and black lipstick reminiscent of Brandon Lee in ''The Crow." Others don't.

But one thing unites them all: the color black.

Venture into ManRay on a Wednesday night for ''Crypt" or stop by An Tua Nua for ''Ceremony" on a Monday night and you will encounter a room full of people dressed in black. On certain nights at ManRay, dark garb is mandatory; many a patron has been shooed away at velvet ropes for sporting sneakers or jeans.

But this week, particularly, romance rules.

''For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,Brightly expressive as the twins of Leda,Shall find her own sweet name, that, nestling liesUpon the page, enwrapped from every reader.Search narrowly the lines! -- they hold a treasure . . ."''A Valentine," by Edgar Allen Poe

Among the ''Hell" revelers Friday night will be ManRay regulars Eloni Feliciano and Patrick Fitzgerald, a couple who live in Allston.

Feliciano, the creator and promoter of the Miss Gothic Massachusetts Pageant, said Valentine's Day is ''a good excuse to celebrate if you have someone to celebrate it with."

And, ''it's a good excuse to celebrate hating it if you have no one to be with."

''I basically think it's as good an excuse as any to go out with friends, have a party, get closer to your loved ones, and have nice food," said Feliciano, 25. ''February tends to be so desolate, and it breaks up the month with a little warmth.

''My friends tend to be angry at it [but] we have some friends that are painfully mushy about it."

Saturday she will celebrate Valentine's Day with Fitzgerald at a local sushi joint, sipping Tiki drinks such as woo woos and scorpion bowls.

''It's a special occasion, and we usually go somewhere nice, usually for sushi, with reservations, dress well, and just enjoy ourselves and each other's company," said Fitzgerald, 26, who is known at the club for his tall spiky hair and his superhero nickname, Pat-Man the Avenger.

Gothic man-about-town Ian Herrick said he will spend V-Day visiting a friend out of state and attending a fetish ball.

''Can't really say I've celebrated it all that much, other than to know that black roses do not exist at all," said Herrick. ''Bread and Circus carries some deep-red velvety-looking real roses that are near black. I forget what they're called, but if you're looking for a suggestion list for sweeties, they should be on it."

''. . . Some might lament that I were cold,As I, when this sweet day is gone,Which my lost heart, too soon grown old,Insults with this untimely moan;They might lament -- for I am oneWhom men love not-- and yet regret,Unlike this day, which, when the sunShall on its stainless glory set,Will linger, though enjoyed, like joy in memory yet."-- ''Stanzas Written in Dejection, Near Naples" by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Tatiana de Profundis, 29, the reigning Miss Gothic Massachusetts, plans to celebrate Valentine's Day much differently than she did in younger years.

''In the past, I'd spend the entire evening by the light of a single candle . . . writing darkly poetic words on tear-soaked parchment, pining away for the prince who would someday come and rescue me from my dark, cruel tower," said de Profundis.

Miss Gothic Massachusetts has moved on.

''Alas, I am no longer 15," she said. ''These days I am quite happily single and don't generally subscribe to pre-fab, commercial holidays, anyway.

''At the very least, I might join a party that a few of my 30-ish girlfriends are having that will involve the destruction of a symbolic 'baby and biological clock' pinata, followed by a generous distribution of condoms and chocolates."

Like everyone else, goths will celebrate Valentine's Day in a variety of ways. If you want to join the darker side of romantic revelry, Gothic Miss Manners offers fashion tips in several of her advice columns. In her column titled ''Friends don't let friends dress like The Crow," she states:

''. . . None of this means that you shouldn't dress like The Crow if you want to. There is nothing wrong with dressing like one of your idols. (Gothic Miss Manners dresses like Mary Poppins' evil twin, which garners her some confused looks, so you can imagine her reluctance to tell someone they can't dress like a fictional character if they really want to.)

''So sure, go paint your face and put on your trenchcoat. Put electrical tape on your arms, even. Just be prepared for some snide looks from people, and have your arsenal of comebacks and condescending smiles ready."

Gothic Miss Manners advice columns can be read at www.gothicmissmanners.com.Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.