Trust me, there are Goths and Emos around here. I affiliate myself with Goth culture, I just don't have my optimum look yet. I usually listen to music like Nighwish, Marilyn Manson, Evanescence, Combichrist, Celldweller and Blue Stahli, which, while not all are specifically labelled Goth (primarily the last three), still fit the motif in a way. My writing is often macabre in some way and geared towards eliciting specific emotional responses and moods, and my readers tend to say my writing feels more dark and heavy hitting in its atmosphere, regardless of the endeavor.
Likewise, I have always been an offshoot from the crowd. I have a habit of tending to lean away from things that are super "expected" of people. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do anything like that, and I refuse to ever even consider them. I keep to myself and prefer the company of tight knit groups of friends in my everyday life. So, I tend to fit the "nonconformist" definition of Goth just as well as the artistic side... and I so do love giving myself the title. However, any other stereotypes associated with the "Goth Kids" are not things I follow. No cynicism, no isolation, no scoffing at every "Prep" or "Jock" I see, and I don't resist making friends who have followed the crowd. It's my life choice to break from the common path and follow "the one less traveled by." Others are free to follow whichever path they choose, and whether or not our paths ever cross again is irrelevant to me, my best wishes will always follow.
So there you go, a tiny little explanation of why I call myself Goth. Just my own little twist.