Wetcore

Wetcore is a visual and sensorial aesthetic focused on constant water interaction with human-made environment and objects that would be otherwise assumed to be dry most of the time. Mud, moss, fungi, erosion and rust are often related to wet environments, and humans usually avoid to live in places with such things, such are swamps^[1]. Still, the aesthetic requires humans or human-made objects in such conditions.

Wetcore is often, but not limited, to feelings of sadness, decadence and even despair. However, it can also offer positive feelings of connection with nature.

On TikTok, there is currently a viral trend where normal human-made places are getting flooded, and this trend is called "Poseidon's Curse"; however, in this variant, it doesn't attribute to any specific feelings or mood.

Visuals[]

Wetcore focus on human made or inhabited places and objects that are constantly wet, yet in normal circumstances would be expected to be dry. Styles such as Ocean Academia, Gloomcore or Junglecore are almost always related to wetness and water, but Wetcore is by itself the integration between human lifestyle and wetness as if it was an unavoidable everyday reality.

The colors grey, brown, and green are commonly present in this aesthetic. However, other colors can be found such as blue and black. Colors in this aesthetic are usually cold colors, which reflects the feelings the aesthetic aims to convey. However, warm colors such as brown or orange, like rust, can also be considered wetcore. There are many different shades of these colors that can be found in this aesthetic. For example brown: in Wetcore, brown can have an orange shade, much like rust, but it can also be darker, like mud.

It does not really matter where the water for the wetness come from. It may be constant rain, wet climate or a nearby water source.

The archetypical city of Wetcore is, of course, Venice, Italy. Common modern manifestations of Wetcore are, for example, the infamous mud roads of Russia.

There are some exceptions, for example, jungle structure made by natives, as the jungle may not always be cool or cold. Another exception is how most Wetcore environments are often based on freshwater sources, but Venice's water is saltwater. A city during a rainstorm and the wet city just after the rain has stopped can also count as Wetcore, even though the city would usually be dry.

Plants in the Wetcore aesthetic are found in swamps, flooded, wet and damp areas. Many different plants such as ferns and moss, as well as fungi are associated with the Wetcore aesthetic, especially moss and fungi as they can grow on wet walls. They give off a specific musty smell. Aquatic plants such as water lilies, are found in ponds, making them appropriate to be considered Wetcore.