Gothic as a genre has always used landscape descriptions to set the tone and mood of their storylines, such as the castle from Dracula (1897) or the manor of Udolpho from The Mysteries of Udolpho, A Romance; Interspersed with Some Pieces of Poetry (1794). Dark Matter (2010) however, does not have any grand castle or extraordinary architectures, but instead leans in the extreme opposite direction: A barren landscape where grey and loneliness reigns.

During the late 20th early 21st century, the gothic genre reverted back to one of its fundamental roots: fear coming from home.It led to a subgenre of this return to roots, suburban horror, as its name indicates, it’s fear coming from mundane things close to home, or the home itself. A focus of this genre is the criminal mind. From the very beginning the gothic genre had criminals, or at least people that twisted the law in their favor as villains, such as Montoni from…

Monsters are a staple of the gothic genre, they can serve several roles, such as the antagonist, or the representation of evil according to the societal norms of the times. Examples of such monsters can be Frankenstein’s creation, who served as a tragic figure that has done awful things such as the murder of its creator’s son, and telling their creator to build them a wife under the threat of harming his wife (Shelley.

I was on a small raft, sailing in a lush forest located in The New World where natives used to live. I sent my crew here a few months ago to survey the area after those natives had been dealt with, but I’d heard no news since, so I figured the best way to get a job well done was to do it myself.

I was woken up in my bedroom in Nuevo Viento’s castle by one of my family’s servants. It was a gigantic, blank, empty space with only the necessary and barely any decoration. “Juan, your brother’s ceremony is today, please get ready immediately.” “I know.” I said, staying unmoving in my bed. I was hoping she’d leave, but I could almost…

I was on duty as one of the veterinarians this morning at our town's local zoo before opening today. Thankfully this is a job I welcomed with open arms. Although i have been notified one of the newests Zookeepers, Jeremy, got bitten by our normally kind Fennec fox Fernandille, but we naturally continued our job the best we could. That being said, I accompanied another coworker Michael today to feed the fox today.

I was brought by force in a cell inside the castle's dungeon after I figured out Gale was the last of the Unholy Beasts. I tried to tell the two guards dragging me what I saw, but neither of them believed me, or seemed to care. They dragged me through a long corridor with cell rooms on both sides behind metal bars.

A few weeks after my failure at Mont Eltia, I came back to the Imperial City of Kalassa near the castle. The city was even louder and more bustling than ever as today was the birthday of King Gale’s Reign. People from all over Kalassa have gathered around the central castle. I took my late mother’s rapier with me for good luck and made my way towards the castle as well.

I awoke in my room one night, my neck aching and my entire body feeling weak. My head was pounding, and I slowly remembered what happened last night. I was spending the night at a local pub with a man I met named Aster. When my gaze crossed him, I felt entranced, drawn to him and we ended up having a few drinks together.

I learned terrible news today: My father in-law, Alexander, one of the greatest historians that ever lived, has passed away. According to his daughter, my lover Serene, he peacefully died of old age. Truthfully, the body was never found. But from the beginning, something struck me as odd about his death, Serene herself felt strangely unaffected, I don't even recall her showing any sign of grief.

Note: I do not consider this piece as part of my ASBO,OSBA continuity The Imperial city of Kalassa, a glorious hub where King Gale resides, once attacked by monsters. Our city was under attack by 18 monsters called the Unholy Beast. yesterday the 17th, a being living in the tundra of Mt. Eltia was defeated by King Gale after Eleanore and I managed to return to town.

It was over six months after my dad, Lee, passed away in combat against that monster. My goal at this point was to walk in his footsteps and be of service to King Gale and the city of Kalassa. Our goal is to eliminate eight-teen beasts, who suddenly appeared recently and have made their goal to exterminate us all. Thankfully, our king has the unique ability to stop these monster regenerative powers.

Under the orders of our King Gale, I took the command of a troop of fighters. The men carried huge firearms loaded with a sharp projectile much like a harpoon, designed to pierce and hold a target in place with a steel reinforced cable. A man named Lee led a group of men up a rocky mountain. It was difficult to walk on with the slippery rocks and the powerful gusts of wind, but Lee and his men marched on.

A few weeks after my failure at Mont Eltia, I came back to the Imperial City of Kalassa near the castle. The city was even louder and more bustling than ever as today was the birthday of King Gale’s Reign. People from all over Kalassa have gathered around the central castle. I took my late mother’s rapier with me for good luck and made my way towards the castle as well.