Animal Crossing Aesthetic Cores

I don't have a favorite type I guess just anything unique that you can tell a person put a lot of thought and time into I appreciate!
I really just like things that you don't see often. Sure some things are cute and nice to look at but after seeing them a million times they don't seem too interesting to look at anymore. Sometimes all it takes is putting one different item in an area to take it to another level and make it unique and I really appreciate people who do that!
 
Okay, a little rant here...

I think people misuse the -core tag. It's supposed to be an excessive or extreme implementation of a specific theme to the point that it's almost absurd. These are aesthetically pleasing islands that sacrificed functionality over visuals. Islands that are basically "beautifully arranged clutter' due to overboard landscaping, furniture explosion and drowning in custom designs.

Going for a certain theme doesn't necessarily warrant a -core tag. And I agree that people seem to use it only because it's trendy.

I'm not a fan of excessive designs, but I still appreciate the beauty, love, time and effort put into these islands.
 
Like many here I have kind of been turned off by the overuse of ‘core’ to define style. Less because it has become a somewhat absurd and meaningless suffix (I could get behind that, I like absurdity) but more because it seems like it is taking on elitist and gate keeping implications (like if you aren’t aligning with a ‘core’ theme you aren’t creating a good island). I saw someone in another thread (don’t remember where) describe cottage core as the design used by people who have been longtime fans of animal crossing to make their island look more like authentic old school ac, as opposed to newer members of the community who prefer more modern looks. Now, of course, I think this is wrong/ inaccurate, but I feel like there are a lot of odd battles over legitimacy and authenticity and judgement that are easy to map into the ‘core‘ trends. When these ‘core’ themes become a gatekeeping test that is something I find very distasteful and it really turns me off to them.

granted, the core terms make it easier to do a social media search for design inspiration, etc, but that’s pretty much it.

in my own decorating, the terms are much too restrictive and limiting. They don’t leave a lot of room for creativity or exploration. I do think that as starting points they can be useful, but I think after a certain point they can become traps that prevent people (ie me, at least) from creating islands they really love.

final thoughts, I think it is hard to label/ define one’s own style (I am struggling to develop my wild/ Pippi Longstocking/ never land/ lost girls/ idk island right now in fact) and having labels can help when you want to find a community of people who enjoy a similar aesthetic to yourself, so I understand the appeal of such broad and simple terms from that perspective.
 
I don't use "core". I'm not sure why that's a thing or where it started. So if I made my island to have a certain look and it wasn't based off any "core" thing, I'd be annoyed if someone said it looked like this "core" or that "core".
 
The core thing annoys me bc there isn’t like a clear cut list. If that makes sense. I know of cottagecore but the other day I came across forest core and I’m trying to figure out the difference but honestly I think there just fancy labels people give there island to sound important.
I do use the term ...core but only bc it’s so well known now that it’s just easier to say that then, rustic overgrown hidden town/village etc.
 
As much as I hate the -core addition to anything or theme, I actually really kind of like the ethereal or fairy-like atmosphere. I think it's just the cute aesthetic that I like that isn't really like a suffocating cute either. That or anything that's really super elegant and like refined.
I think I saw somebody with an island but was themed after like French gardens and everything was like either white or pretty light colored.
 
I think the suffix -core gets overused nowadays. But all the themes listed in OP can be very fun to view. I admire people who can develop any of the primary aesthetic styles of the game really well. Cottage, fairy, Japanese, etc. When people have very urban looking islands, I'm a little envious. I've tried to do towns and it just doesn't work well for me. I do better with lots of trees. If there's a "tree-core" or "forest-core", that's probably what I've got.

I'm not sure what this could be called without "-core". "Arboraceous?" or "Sylvan?"
 
maria110 said:
I'm not sure what this could be called without "-core". "Arboraceous?" or "Sylvan?"
Click to expand...
It depends on the amount of trees and accompanying plants. If there’s a fair amount, I’d say it’s “forested”, and if it’s almost completely covered in plants (like my island lol) it’s “feral”
 
Huh, I didnt know people felt so negatively about the word '-core' :eek: It's probably semantics but when I hear '-core' I translate it to "At the heart of it". I also think about peach pits and avocado seeds for whatever reason. I don't think it's edgy or overreacting at all, and people are free to use it if it describes their gameplay best.

My favorite themes are city-themed builds, because it doesn't matter if you use the same items, as long as you have a different layout you can distinguish yourself from the rest of the city builds. It's like IRL cities where they have the same buildings but different design placements, so you can tell different cities apart. I think cottagecore and fairycore suffer the problem of things looking too much alike, it's mostly nature, trees, flowers, "The Path", and clutter. Not that I have anything against them, I just have a hard time to find something that leaves an unique impression on me with cottage- and fairycore islands.

My island is an Asian-themed city, it's like 70% urban and 30% rural. I really love anime/manga and Asian culture (being one myself) and I liked streetlamps and neon lights at night so I thought a city build was perfect for me. ~500 hours into the game and I'm enjoying my builds so far!
 
I'm an oldie, so I don't really use -core but I don't care if others want to. My town is a crusty, rusty U.S. East Coast town, so maybe "town that's seen better days" theme? Or old fishing village theme? But it also isn't strictly that because there's also a marine laboratory and eventually some horror/cult elements. So themes can be complicated. 😆
 
I get so suckered in by how cool city themed islands look, with the sidewalks and the paving! But in the end, I decided it just didn’t fit what I wanted to do with my island. My island doesn’t really fit a “core,” but it’s themed to the movie Frozen, and I doubt I was the only one to try that lmao.

I hadn’t even heard the term “core” to describe theming styles until ACNH came out. Am I getting old or something?

edit: oh ok it’s not just me. Phew. I’m turning 26 this month, I didn’t want to think I’ve already become out of touch with what them teens are saying these days. (Who am I kidding, I didn’t know how the cool teens talked when I was a teenager.)
 
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hm. i honestly don’t think that my island falls under any of the “cores” nor do i consider them while jotting down ideas or decorating. i find myself unable to stick to just one theme and so, as of right now, i’m heading towards a mixture of rustic, rainbow, celestial and enchanted vibes; my mind is always changing, though, and so it’s entirely possible that my desired aesthetic will of have changed by tomorrow.

that being said, while i’m not really bothered by the whole concept, i do find myself steering clear of any islands that i find through social media; especially ones from instagram as despite how pretty they may look in pictures, a lot of them are cluttered to the point where navigation is nearly impossible, something that i just don’t have the patience for. don’t get me wrong; everyone has the right to decorate their island in whatever way will make them happy but if i’m left feeling stressed by the aspect of having to try and walk through your island, you can bet that the only place i’ll be going is back home lmao.

tldr; so uh,, i guess my preferred aesthetic is anything that isn’t cluttered. 🥴
 
I've said it before and I'll say it again. "Cottagecore" should be called Grannypunk. Then I'd be happy :p

On topic though, my island isn't based on any aesthetic. Generally I'm going for a sort of war-torn medievalish island.
 
I lived under a rock and didn't know the word "cottagecore" existed until I played New Horizons. I had to ask my best friend Google what it meant.

As I don't follow fads or trends, I made my island into something I like. By most players' standards, it probably looks marginally terraformed and poorly decorated. But I like open spaces and keeping things simple and rustic, so that's the way my island will remain. 🏝
 
I didn’t even realize this was a thing. I tried to keep mine “natural” but cozy so there’s paths and things to help get around and it’s not too crowded with stuff. I guess like a little town that’s not over populated but taken care of.
 
My island overall has a variety of aesthetics; didn't really take inspiration from anywhere. I just went with what I liked, such as a forest area, and a market place, some farm lands, waterfalls filled with star fragments, etc.
 
the whole -core thing doesn't honestly bother me that much, it's not really my thing but if it makes people happy to refer to their island as "fairycore" or "kidcore" then I really don't care. if you looked at my island it would probably be considered cottagecore roughly but tbh I just use items that make sense in kind of rustic natural outdoors spaces, if calling it cottagecore is going to make it more accessible and understandable to the general community then I really don't have a problem with that
 
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