New York City’s Greenwich Village is one of the most storied counterculture landmarks in modern history and also the site of deadliest industrial accidents of all time, the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911. Let’s say you find yourself in the neighborhood late at night after polishing off a bottle of vermouth at Madame X when you happen upon a woman decked out in immaculate traditional goth fit. But being that this is the Village where weird shit happens regularly, she could easily be the one of the 146 spirits who perished in a turn of the century garment factory fire.
Q: Does she hate her dad?
This is merely a baseline question, because of course she hates her dad. But you may want to narrow the question down further to gauge if “he doesn’t approve of her lifestyle” or “he makes her work in a sweatshop that locks the fire doors”.
Q: What is her favorite album by the Cure?
If she says Pornography, Disintegration, or Bloodflowers then she’s definitely goth and also has good taste in music. However if she refers to the Cure as something that’ll finally eradicate cholera then you need to start backing away slowly.
Q: Does she work for a clothing company and for how long?
This one can be tricky, because she could have been working for Hot Topic since she was in high school or run her own t-shirt company as easily as she started her career as a child laborer in a garment factory.
Q: Do people give her odd looks or run away in terror when they see her?
Being ghostly pale and corpse paint might do that but so will being a floating, translucent apparition with the twisted visage of someone who fell down a freight elevator. The important thing to look for is if she thinks it’s funny or not.
Q: Was her family awarded $75 in a wrongful death suit?
This one is super specific but that was a lot of money in the early 1900’s and could sus her out almost instantly.
Q: Is she dead?
It sounds weird but if she’s actually just a goth, she’ll likely say something macabre like being dead on the inside or that we’re all slowly decaying. Self awareness is key, because if she merely brushes you off so she can get to her shift at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory then you have your answer.
Hopefully these questions will help you discern whether she’s down with the darkness or a restless soul who’ll never know peace due to the tragic circumstances of her death. Either way it’s highly likely she’s going to steal your soul, as long as you’re cool with that.