The word “fantasy” often brings to mind pristine castles, shining armour, and impossibly lush flowerbeds. Today’s guest, however, is a builder who prefers to find beauty in the shadows. Alexander, aka dark_dreamlands, is the mind behind “Plague Town”, an 18th-century city of crumbling cathedrals, grisly guillotines, and an all-consuming deadly plague.

Alexander’s regular updates to the architecture and inhabitants of Plague Town has helped inspire a rising trend of dark fantasy creations in corners of LEGO fandom. We are thrilled to take the grand tour with him and find out how to craft melancholy in a hobby so commonly associated with glee.

Our interview with Dark Dreamlands follows