Something More Comfortable
A downloadable digital zine
This really happened. Probably.
A student discovers a kigurumi costume hidden away in a friend's apartment, and with it, discovers some things about his friend, gender, and himself. Together, they change into something more comfortable.
Contains some period-appropriate internalized transphobia.
11 pages (inc. covers), color.
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Still not familiar with itch's layout, so I apologize for essentially copying my review, but this was a wonderful read! I loved the arc of the MC and the way heat and temperature are used - I could really feel the stickiness in the first few scenes. And additionally, I loved the line about how Matt broke the immersion of Hotaru by speaking, and the way the protagonist looks at herself as Hotaru, how you can really feel her wonder at her own beauty. Just a really interesting read overall, and the layout was exceptionally well done and super interesting! Thank you for sharing!
This was wonderful!! I loved how tidy the narrative arc is, culminating in that mirror scene--"Reflected back at me was a seemingly perfect image of Hotaru where I should have been", the MC disappearing. I liked that it ended with the shower, returning to your body but washing something off, letting it slide off you and into the drain. The tidy confines of the story alongside the really wonderful graphic design + layout make the whole thing feel like a discreet memory packaged in plastic, vacuum sealed from 10+ years ago.
Ty!!
Yeah it's a mint-on-card embarrassing college memory that will suddenly make a lot more sense in 3-5 years
DAMN this is good!!!! i wasn't in the otaku scene for this exact era, but i was certainly around for the weird residue it left in the early 2010s, and yeah this definitely captures the culture. down to the california university. the "cursed images" line really made me feel some weird form of nostalgia that wasn't all quite positive, LOL. i also loved the mixed media kind of approach. I don't know how to make this not sound weird but the constant flipping back and forth between disgust and allure was really good. also as someone who really wants to get into kigu but has next to no resources and only knows a handful of big names, it also felt extremely validating to see you don't have a suit either... man i love solidarity
Thank you!!
Yeah, a big part of why I wanted to get involved with the jam was that it seemed like a fun opportunity to play in the space despite not having a mask or anything myself. I would assume like, the ratio of people who are interested in kigu but haven't been able to get into it yet to the people who have is very high, but because kigurumi is what it is we aren't necessarily bumping into each other or talking a lot lol. I hope like, events like this encourage more people to make art and talk candidly and expand the space a bit more.
...And hopefully we all get to live the dream in time 😌
Amazing story and craftsmanship! Though I wasn't really around for it, I feel like you capture the era perfectly. I'm an outsider to kig for the most part, but this definitely hit the trans angle perfectly. I feel like most trans girls I know have fantasized about being an anime girl, this is just a somewhat literal next step for that. You made something really wonderful, the ending really resonated with me. I hope the two of them ended up transitioning.
Thank you!
Yeah, there's definitely a really interesting cluster of gender dynamics going on with kigu stuff. The"kigurumi and identity" zine the jam curator worked on goes into a lot of depth with all that, there's a ton to talk about. As for these two dweebs, I think they probably both do end up transitioning eventually. It'll take some time still though.
it's AMAZIIING!!! The layouts here are incredible and you emulate 2000s magazine/zine aesthetics so so so well! this entire zine from its format to the way it evokes the anime/otaku culture of the time and the specific explorations of transmisogyny feels like a time capsule. I really love the mc and Matt, I hope they got to become the girls of their dreams together in the end.
Tyty!
I'm glad I was able to do a good job with the otaku culture stuff. I think Matt and Protag-kun will get there eventually... but there's definitely still a lot for both of them to unpack before they can really face it head on.
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh my god!!!! huge!!!!!!!!!!
i had been looking forward to this after seeing a preview on bluesky-- just the few pages i had seen had already hooked me in, and finally getting to see the full work has again, absolutely blown me away.
the story is painfully realistic. i unfortunately entered the world of kig after that era, so while i never got to experience it first hand, i recognize this story in so many of the friends i've made and people i've met through it all. i really, really appreciated that you portrayed it so truthfully through that period-appropriate no-homo filter :,)
and the formatting!!! good lord!!!!! the layouts are FANTASTIC. the backgrounds, the art, the texture, everything adds onto the already-great text. you can absolutely tell when someone has fun with graphic design, and that radiates from each page of this zine!!
thank you so very very much for participating in this jam...!!!! i hope you're able to get to try on a hotaru of your own someday soon <3
Thank you so much!
Yeah, I wasn't really plugged into the scene at the time either, but I *do* remember the vibe of the weaboosphere writ large being such a tangle of really fascinating attitudes on gender and sexuality. Like, the coexistence of 2000s era "no homo" attitudes with the wild popularity of super feminine shows, fascination with crossplay and transfem coded characters, and nonchalant usage of feminine avatars and other forms of expression is super interesting to look back on. There were like, a lot of momentary and/or exploitative opportunities for gendered escapism, but serious discussion of gender stuff was not even on the table. I had a lot of fun trying to get back into that headspace and play around a little.
The descriptions of the joy/shame/eroticism/disgust that the narrator feels is on another level. This really touched me deeply.
I'm glad it was able to hit home! I haven't really attempted much eroticism before, so when I was writing it I was petrified it'd fall totally flat lol
"As I washed my hair I wondered what it would feel like to grow it out"
gosh beautiful work i love this so much, literally laid awake last night just thinking about it.
i adore the page layouts here super gorgeous i love all the details in them, they enhance the words in the text so much. i can feel that grossest of a burning hot day, i feel like im in Matt's house and i know that feeling of seeing your reflection for the first time. the photography is very pretty really adds to the feel of Matts place ive been here before, ive LIVED here before. i adore the art so So SO much i adore the kigu here every time the text comes up mentioning her cup size is bigger then cannon i giggle its such a cute and real detail, she's simple smug school girl that both Matt and our MC get to embody perfectly.
i super love Matt and the MCs dynamic i dont really know the words to describe my appreciation for it, like its the whole story! it only happens because its them. ill just say i really love how they both get a turn in kigu really hit me in my heart
Yay, glad you enjoyed it!
Yeah I had a lot of fun trying to compose the photos and illustrations. I really love how stuff like kare kano and monogatari juxtaposes media like that, it makes for a really interesting feeling of dissonance.
I loved this! I especially like how you capture feelings emotional and physical. And the visuals are killer as well. Great zine!!
Tyty! Thanks for reading!