analog

adjective- "a. of, relating to, or being a mechanism or device in which information is represented by continuously variable physical quantities...
d. not digital : not computerized"

I'm not really sure why, and I'm not sure if there's a better word for it that already exists, but "analogcore" is the name I gave to the infamous "2014 Tumblr" aesthetic: American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, the "Tumblr kids standing against the fence" meme (center, above). I think it's because of the prevalence of black and white and grid patterns characteristic of that era, that evoke to me a retro tech aesthetic - binary code, pixels, square waves on a synthesizer. I associate "analog" heavily with Napstablook from Undertale: a moody pixel ghost sporting headphones and literally named after Napster, the early Internet audio platform. "Analog" to me represents a feeling of retro or normcore from the very recent past; my missed calling to be a MySpace celebrity or Geocities siterunner. Neocities itself is deeply "analog" to me, which is probably why I'm so drawn to it.

I've always been drawn to the retro and the hipster; the vinyl record, tape cassette, typewriter, film camera. There is a tactility to the analog that feels more valuable than the ephemerality of the Internet. You can hold film strips in your hand, crack a cassette tape in half and play with its long ribbon, you can physically close a flip phone and put it away. Real life these days feels so entirely merged with this digital Other World that it can be hard to tell what's real. Analog tech brings these art forms into the real world with meticulous engineering that appears minimalist. A record is a vinyl disc, but it holds so much more. It is genius in its simplicity.

The analog style is characterized by the classic Tumblr silhouettes: two-piece skater skirt sets with knee socks, baggy sweaters and jeans, fishnets, Doc Martens, jean and leather jackets. The "Tumblr kids against the fence" image is unironically a great sampling of what I consider to be analog. Often in subdued neutrals - black, white, jean, and beige - these outfits are complex in their simplicity, timeless despite their infamous roots as being thoroughly 2012-2014. They communicate a precise subculture and vibe while saying as little as possible. There is a normcore aspect while simultaneously designating the wearer as unique - "Normal People Scare Me", if you will. This is the complexity and minimalism of the analog. It is a hard vibe to describe for that very reason, but I know it when I see it and when I achieve it, and I hope this gives you at least a bit of an understanding of what I mean.

Color is also welcome here, so long as it is blocked out in a similar minimalist-yet-meticulous fashion (see examples below). Since these obviously look a bit different from the classic Tumblr grunge black and white, a helpfel question to determine the analog when it is less obviously apparent is: "Would this outfit be easy to draw or animate if I was a comic book or video game character?" This helps guide the way to a look that is at once simple and iconic. Side note: I suspect that my love for Twenty One Pilots helped influence this style for me, not only because of the Tumblr association but because they are masters of the simple-but-iconic (see examples below).

And, let us not forget the normcore aspect: your "Bella Swan" aesthetic, your Juno, your girl-next-door is welcome here, because the awareness of emulating the "normal" makes it intentional, almost camp. It is deceptively meticulous despite appearing simple.

With all these differing examples, analog may appear hard to define, and that's probably true! It is something I feel more than anything, and attempting to describe it here has only highlighted the blurriness of the definition... but that's what I love so much about it. It allows the style to breathe and change and grow alongside my own tastes and interests, and it gives intricate-analog-pilgrim its dynamism and adaptability. I like that it's the middle word, because it really does tie the others together.

Other miscellaneous items that feel analog to me: