This isn’t an essay with a lot of meat on the bone, but it is something positive I wanted to put into the atmosphere, and I wanted to talk about the concept of ‘weirdos in love’. We’ve all seen the meme if we’ve been a goth on the internet for long enough, comparing the love from something like The Notebook to the far superior love between Morticia and Gomez from The Addams Family, usually with some caption along the lines of them versus us. The ‘us’ in this case is Gomez and Tish, two weirdos who found each other and love each other hopelessly despite being considered outcasts by mainstream society. The Addams Family are the poster children for ‘goth kid love’ as you really can’t find a healthier dynamic in media in general — they support each other, they’re good parents, and they’re openly happy to be married. It’s no wonder that when alternative romantics such as myself are looking for a partner, these two are some of the first that come to mind.
I think the reason that we gravitate towards The Addams’, or couples like them, is because when you like inherently spooky or macabre things, having the security of healthy, supportive and understanding love is essential. Having a partner who not only protects you but gets the interests a lot of us are bullied for feels like a fairy tale. I think the more weirdo love couples that exist, the more they should be highlighted.
My goal today is not to detract from the staple in horror love, but to add onto it. While looking to The Addams Family as goals is a very good standard to have, I think broadening the spectrum of ideal ‘weirdos in love’ can only be beneficial in helping us all find a healthy but spooky relationship.
Consider this my formal request to add Lisa and The Creature and Nadja and Laszlo to the ‘I-Want-What-They-Have/Weirdos-in-Love’ canon.
Creature and Lisa in particular have been at the forefront of my mind because that really is my teen girl fantasy come to life — some guy from the 1800s came back from the dead exclusively to be with me, can play piano, and gets rid of my bullies. You got me, Lisa Frankenstein, hook, line and sinker. But what really sells this is it’s ability to not be just wish fulfillment but a complete package. Lisa and Creature get each other. Both weirdos, both lonely, both have lost a parent, and while Creature is currently mute due to not having a tongue, Lisa was mute after experiencing a horrific trauma. So even though he can’t physically speak, she understands him, and they communicate effortlessly as all soulmates should. They’re protective of each other, they’re sweet with each other and build each other up. Lisa goes out of her way to try and give him the body parts he needs so he can feel fulfilled, and he not only protects her from her bullies (albeit in an extreme way but hello, it’s horror) but encourages her as well — he even helps give her a make over to try and have confidence to talk to a boy she likes despite the fact he is desperately in love with Lisa. Their love really is unconditional, and I think it’s sweet. I’ve never seen a couple sweep the hearts of little weirdos everywhere the way these two have. These two feel like a more intense Gomez and Tish, for that really chaotic good alternative couple in your life.
Speaking of chaotic alt couples, I would like to now present my second nomination of Laszlo and Nadja from What We Do in the Shadows.
Laszlo and Nadja are a vampire couple that have been married for centuries yet are still wildly crazy about the other. In an age where it’s so easy for tv shows and films to portray the ‘old ball and chain’ gag, Laszlo and Nadja are a breath of fresh air despite being over four hundred years old. They’re polyamorous, they’re doting, they’re protective of each other and never seem to tire of each other’s company. They’re the definition of soulmates, whatever one is made of, the other is born of the same stuff. They are kindred spirits through and through which makes them such an unbreakable force in the home they share with the other vampires. I know for myself, and many other people, these two are a comfort couple, they’re who a lot of younger people think of as definitive weirdo love. They’re funny and chaotic and make terrible choices, but they do all of those things while still loving and supporting the other (except for Season 4 but I hate that season so much for so many reasons I hardly count it as canon). In what is a very ‘found family’ situation, these two stand out as being a unit within that dynamic. They even do their hair the same and in the first three seasons they have matching outfits to show how very much on the same page they are. They’ve been through so much together and it’s never been too much — they’re always there to find the other again and build them back up.
(And again I say, fuuuuuuck Season 4.)
I didn’t have a huge article planned today, but I wanted to highlight two of my favourite chaotic goth couples as I feel it is important to highlight examples of weirdos in love. And while Tish and Gomez may be the golden standard, I think we would be silly not to include these two couples as worthy in sharing the title.
There are never enough weirdos in love.