Groundcore

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Groundcore is an aesthetic that was initially inspired by the idea of being a bug or (approximately) bug-sized in a human-inhabited world, seeing the world from a bug's perspective.

Though not strictly warm and vibrant, Groundcore is generally associated with themes of summer, bright colors, exploration, creativity, being observant and curious, thinking outside the box, as well as the study of and general love for insects, plants and nature as a whole.
While often overlapping with aesthetics such as Naturecore or Adventurecore, Groundcore illustrates an overall more crafty, lighthearted and fantastical, in some cases childlike side to the beloved nature aesthetic genre, while still including similar themes.

Bugs and Insects, while not necessarily being the main focus of Groundcore (see: Bugcore), do play a big role in real-world depictions of the aesthetic by bringing it to life and allowing it to somewhat branch out in other directions and expand upon itself in many different ways, such as in movies or media, exploring the concept of a bug's adventures or day-to-day life.

Note that while Groundcore is, as said above, often depicted to heavily lean towards a warm/summery nature feel, other themes and elements are not to be entirely excluded from the aesthetic, at times even presenting an additional subsection of it altogether, (i.e., a currently undefined but perfectly valid concept of 'winter-themed Groundcore' with its own set of visuals).
Due to this, Groundcore may be better thought of as a somewhat broad umbrella term, which is mostly up to the viewer's interpretation, rather than a strictly defined aesthetic.

Keep in mind that, while garbage/litter is considered to be one of Groundcore's main components, the aesthetic is in no way meant to encourage or promote littering, but instead aims to introduce creative ways of recycling preexisting trash.

Visuals[]

Groundcore visuals may vary depending on the setting, exact time of day/year and/or place, but the most generally recognized ones include:

Grass and greenery
Flowers and plants
Fungi and mold
Moss and lichen
Trees, bushes, roots and twigs
Dirt, sand, rocks, pebbles, etc.
Small caves/underground tunnels
Backyard ponds or puddles
Dewdrops, mud or frost
Asphalt or rocky pathways
Common household items (E.g. Stationary, kitchen utensils, decorations, jewellery, etc.)
Natural trash (E.g. Apple cores, old leaves, broken branches, dried grass, etc.)
Lost things, litter or throwaway items (E.g. Bottle caps, buttons, food wrappers, bolts, soda cans, small toys, etc.)
Insects and small creatures (E.g. Snails, spiders, bees, ladybugs, flies, rats, birds, household pets, etc.)

Pinterest boards[]

Groundcore by EternalSunRust

Themes[]

Themes (not to be confused with visuals), in this case, is a general term that is used to provide both real-life and fantasy examples of Groundcore's main characteristics and the use of this aesthetic in media.

Normal objects or scenes being seen and perceived in macro
Golden hour, early mornings, warm sunlight
Things being covered with rust, moss or dirt
Everything "glowing" a warm yellow-green color due to the light passing through grass and leaves
Normal objects or creatures being purposefully or accidentally shrunk to a much smaller size
Being vulnerable to otherwise non-harmful everyday things/events (E.g. A drop of water falling on you, wind blowing in your direction, getting stuck on a piece of tape, etc.)
Tiny passageways, hangout areas and shelters that are unnoticed by typical-sized people (E.g. A crack between the rocks, a tiny hole in the wall, a small tunnel within a mechanism, etc.)
Clothes, fancy gadgets, buildings and everyday items being crafted from little bits of natural materials or repurposed human things (E.g. An acorn hat, a billboard made of twigs, a leaf hammock, etc.)
Buglike qualities or behaviors, sometimes but not always mixed with human ones
Atypical communication or interaction with insects and commonly found small creatures (E.g. Riding an ant, fighting a mosquito, flying up high with a ladybug, befriending a rat, etc.)
The use of almost exclusively centimeters, grams, etc as measurements, rather than meters, kilograms, etc.
The use of otherwise small, unimportant objects as landmarks (E.g. "I'm over here by the old juice box", etc.)
Being able to climb into and see the inner-workings of small human-made machines, as well as other highly inaccessible areas
Human houses, hangout areas, pets or tools feeling mysterious/foreign/frightening, or the opposite - nostalgic/familiar/comforting
A single abandoned or infrequently used structure being made into shelter/general living for entire bug/tiny creature communities
Being generally afraid of or having a reason to avoid/never be seen by people at all cost or alternatively, trying to be noticed and seeking help from humans
Having to find nonstandard, often more complicated solution to otherwise simple human tasks/problems (E.g. pushing a button, turning on the tap, kicking a toy ball, moving a small jar out of the way, etc.)

Activities[]

Camping
Stargazing
Taking walks in nature
Playing in a backyard
Collecting things found on the ground (E.g. Bottle caps, buttons, rocks, pieces of glass, bolts, small toys, etc.)
Making crafts with litter or throwaway items
Making crafts with found natural material
Using a metal detector or other gadgets to search for "treasures"
Laying on grass or sitting on/under a tree
Owning or regularly taking care of plants
Searching for bugs or bugwatching
Caring for or saving bugs and insects (E.g. Taking a snail away from the road, bringing spiders outside instead of killing them, feeding ants, etc.)
Owning a pet bug
Gardening
Making flowercrowns
Picking berries or wild fruit
Sunbathing in nature
Mushroom hunting

Fashion[]

Groundcore's fashion mainly centers around combining a fun, casual, childlike style with maximum functionality and comfortability, as to provide the best experience while out adventuring or digging around in the backyard. Examples of this include but are not limited to:

Flowercrowns
Caps
Bandanas
Vests
Tank tops
Kids printed T-shirts
Overalls
Raincoats
Cargo shorts
Fingerless gloves
Colorful bracelets
Backpacks
Fanny packs
Rainboots
Mismatched socks
Pins/Badges
Patches
Selfmade accessories

Music[]

Since Groundcore is not considered to have a separate music style or genre and is extremely hard to accurately pin down due to its novelty and subjective nature, it mainly relies on the overall feel of songs (typically carefree, cheerful, somewhat magical and/or childlike), as well as matching lyrical themes in its representation. Some examples of this are:

Buggin - Mob Rich
Dent In The Moon - Watsky
Opening - Sawyer Nunes
Boys Will Be Bugs - Cavetown
Entomologists-GHOST
LEECHES-Melanie Martinez
On The Ground - Rosé

Spotify playlists[]

(Work-In-Progress) Groundcore playlist

Media[]

Elements of Groundcore can be found in countless pieces of media, ranging from children's cartoons to famous films and games, making it impossible to list them all. Some of the best examples of Groundcore in media include: