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
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.
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
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.
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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!