Together they "dabble in the dark arts" (never defined), attend a local hangout that is themed around vampires and serves drinks, and dress up in black clothing and heavy makeup.
Jade reluctantly finds herself spending time with Mercedes, who is the only other person aside from Clarik who remembers that they are living in an alternate reality induced by the drugging incident in the principal's office.
He has Jade and Mercedes lie down while he drugs them into unconsciousness, repeating the process that brought them to their alternate reality in the first place, which brings them into their own proper dimension again.
The principal reveals that she is Clarik's mother and that the girls were purposely used in an experimental form of discipline by virtual reality technology that will soon be implemented routinely in the school to keep the students in-line.
The 2018 republication of Oh My Goth had several notable changes made to the plot, including that the school's role in placing the characters in an alternate dimension is completely removed.
Jade, who has decided to make herself purposely aloof and cynical since her mother's death, is off-putting and creepy even to her other goth friends.
Showalter also expands more on goth subculture and what it is, as in the 2006 version of the book, she had failed to give a nuanced or accurate portrayal of the subject matter.
The new 2018 rewrite had a black cover with pink stylized gothic text and a picture of a girl's hands holding onto a diary.
Diversity is light; of Jade's three best friends, two have surnames that suggest they are Southeast Asian and Latinx, while all others assume a white default.
"[6] Miranda was critical of the original 2006 version's "cringe factor", such as the character Jade's usage of the made-up slang term "fright" in place of "cool" as purported common goth slang (which Showalter had specifically created for the book), as well as the idea of the goth characters having a "Coffin Club" where they would plan their own funerals every week.
Miranda later reviewed the 2018 rewritten publication, saying of that version, "the characters felt annoying by the end of the first chapter, and I could barely read Jade's perspective because my eyes were rolling so hard.
"[8] The Compulsive Reader praised the 2006 version of the book, saying of it, "this novel gives a wild and highly entertaining twist on the life of modern teenagers while still remaining true to reality by throwing in many of the issues millions of them face each and every day.