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Monstercore is an aesthetic centered around monsters. This is a very wide aesthetic and it's the mother aesthetic of Werewolf, Vampire, Cryptidcore, Devilcore, and other aesthetics that are centered around monster-like creatures.
History[]
The word monster comes from the Latin “monstrum,” meaning a portent or prodigy, from the verb “monere,” to warn. Monsters originated from folklore, religion and mythology as beings that are a combination of animal and human traits, such as the Minotaur or Sphinx, and have historically reflected fears and prejudices of a given society.
During the 19th century, when the existence of cultural monsters were disproven by scientists, a new type of monster started emerging in fiction - one of the sci-fi variety. Creatures like the monster from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or the various extraterrestrial life forms from H. G. Wells's novels redefined the aesthetic. Vampire folklore and literature such as Bram Stoker's Dracula and werewolf mythos have also been a key part of the aesthetic.
In the 20th century the monster aesthetic has grown to be what it is today: with Lovecraft's eldritch monstrosities, Universal Studios' monster movies and the horror genre as a whole centered around monsters cemented Monstercore and its defining traits.
The term Monstercore was coined by Tumblr users and has commonly been used as a tag for several pieces of monster-related fanart.
Visuals[]
Monstercore is characterized by anything that's deemed as "monster-like": sharp teeth, claws, animal-like features (not to be confused with furries since the context leans towards horror rather than aesthetic cuteness), traits of marine life, aliens, ethereal beings like monstrous angels and demons, horns, multiple eyes, mutations, etc. Generally speaking, Monstercore traits are present within most mythological beings that have animalistic and human traits, creatures of folklore, religion, mythology and fantasy, so any aesthetic that comes from those fields centering around non-human characters or entities also apply to monstercore, although they lean towards the more graphic side. Body horror can also be part of the aesthetic but can be presented in a cutesy manner, which crosses over with Gurokawa. Plants, fungi, protists and moneran creatures as well as slime beings also fall under monstercore.
Monsterkin[]
Some members of the otherkin community identify as certain monsters; these types of otherkin are unofficially referred to as monsterkin. While the term is not commonly recognized, it has been used on occasion by individuals describing themselves as said term. Monsterkin also cross over with Voidpunk followers who have voidsonas due to sharing similar aesthetics, although voidsonas tend to be more eldritch while the personas of monsterkin lean towards the animalistic side. Cryptidkin is a subset of monsterkin that revolve around cryptids like Mothman, Bigfoot, Nessie, etc.
Media[]
Literature[]
- Frankenstein by Mary Shellley
- The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Kyōsai’s Pictures of One Hundred Demons (Kyōsai hyakki gadan)
Film[]
- Godzilla
- King Kong
- Dracula
- Creature from the Black Lagoon
- Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters
- Little Shop of Horrors
- Rocky Horror Picture Show
- All Monster High movies
- Monsters Inc.
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
Television[]
- Spirited Away
- Killing Bites
- Berserk
- Xam'd: Lost Memories
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
- Devilman
- Monster High
- The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
- Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
- My Pet Monster
- Henry Hugglemonster
- Courage the Cowardly Dog
- Bunnicula
Video Games[]
- Monster Prom
- Undertale
- My Singing Monsters