I don't know much, but I'm learning.

November's Bibliotheca prompt was food. Although I'm late to the party (as always) I wanted to get in my post because this prompt immediately made me think of a relic of Mori Kei's past, the still popular accessory brand Q-Pot!  So, come along with me and let's look at the charming world of Q-Pot accessories and it's impact on the mori community! What is Q-Pot? Q-pot is a popular accessories brand created in 2002 in Harajuku. The project was created by the designer Tadaaki Wakamatsu, focusing on accessories with sweets themes. [ 1 ] According to a press release, the designer hoped that his designs would help to connect people. [ 2 ] The cute and novelty items created by Q-Pot have long been popular in J-fashion, and were often seen in Harajuku fashion snaps. From what I can tell, they are still popular as they've ever been; with a thriving website and even fairly recent search results for street fashion snaps on Tokyo Fashion. [ 3 ] The brand has made many col...

Day 30: If you were a mythological creature, what kind of creature would you be? (ex. an elf, a centaur, a witch, etc.) Hands down, no hesitation, a hobbit. Your girl is fairly short, as far as US height goes, has wavy/curly hair, loves to eat, dreams of living on a farm or somewhere similar, is an absolute homebody, and the list goes on.  Plus I have a huge love for the Lord of the Rings and everything Tolkein. Which may make me biased toward his creations. Also, their fashion! So cute, and the layers are kind of mori. And with that, we've finally reached the end of our 30 prompts! It's been fun to chat about mori things again. I hope you could enjoy it too! If you try out the prompts, please link them to me and let me know! I would love to see everyone's answers.

Day 29: Have you made any mori friends? If so, how did you meet them? Let's share where we can meet with other mori folk! I've made a lot of mori friends over the years. Sadly, many of them have left the style, but I still remember them fondly. Currently, the most active mori place online is our discord! I can't offer a permanent link but if anyone is interested in joining you can comment here and I'll send you a link! On the discord, we chat about fashion, lifestyle, food, and anything and everything. Like most mori spaces on the internet, it's a chill and friendly environment.  How about you? Where have you met most of your mori friends?

Day 28: What is your biggest tip or trick about wearing mori? Any style hacks, shop suggestions, or so on? In no particular order, here are some things that really benefited me when wearing or building my mori wardrobe! Match your colors when you are buying pieces! Stick with a similar color schemes (for example, mainly blues and greens) so that more of your pieces can work together with other pieces. Your wallet will thank you. Don't buy things just because they look mori if they don't fit you well. You won't end up wearing them and it will just sit in your closet sadly. Just don't. Let someone else buy and enjoy them. Mind your layers! Don't overload one part of your outfit with too many layers. It will make everything feel off and a little frumpy. Try to evenly space out your layers instead. Check thrift stores often! You can always find things that work at thrift stores and it is way cheaper than brand pieces. It's also better for those of every size. Learn ...

Day 27: What is the most difficult thing about wearing or participating in mori for you? This is going to be a bit emotional for me to write, and a little vulnerable. But I've been meaning to speak on it for a while now, so why not here? I suppose I could say it's wearing mori in the heat and not sweating, or finding mori pieces, but there is something else that has caused me to avoid wearing mori in recent years. TW for discussions of weight and light discussions of fat-shaming societal expectations in Japan When I started wearing mori, I was a young high school student. And as such, I was a lot thinner. I've always been a curvy girl. I have big hips and big boobs. It's a fact of my life. But now I'm in my mid-20s, living abroad and more than a little stressed out about my job and the state of the world, and I've gained weight. I'm not plus-sized by US standards, but by Japanese standards, I definitely am. Gaining weight for the first time was strange, to p...

Day 26: How do people react when you wear mori? Are reactions mostly positive, negative, or a mix? I don't wear mori as much as I used to, but when I did wear it almost every day I had a huge mix of reactions. Let me tell you about a few that stand out to me. For negative, I don't have many, but I did have one experience that was so odd it made me laugh out loud in public. I was in the United States still at the time, and I was inside a Walgreens picking up some medicine. I wasn't even dressed over-the-top, I was wearing a more casual mori style than anything, but at any rate, I guess it was noticeable enough.  As I was shopping, I felt like someone was looking at me. I looked up to find a woman full-on staring me down, or rather my outfit. She didn't stop looking at me either. She kept looking for an uncomfortably long period of time, before suddenly looking up into my eyes with this strange look of disgust and shock, and then just walking away and out of the store. I ...

Day 25: How do you feel about the recent cottagecore trend? Do you find it similar to mori? Have you participated in the trend? I've written about (and talked to friends about) cottagecore before. I have mixed feelings. I don't want to bash or discourage anyone who enjoys the style, and I have no issues with it as a whole. It seems cute and fairly wholesome from what I've seen. What I do have an issue with is how people use the cottagecore and mori tags interchangeably. They're similar aesthetics, to be sure, but they are not the same. Using the tags like that has really cluttered things up and made it super hard to find mori people anymore. So because of that, I sometimes feel a little annoyed with the community. That being said, I've never participated in the trend. It's cute, but it doesn't have the same feel that mori has for me, so I'm happy enough wearing mori only. How about you? Do you participate in cottagecore? If so, what do you like about it?

Day 24: What’s your favorite fairy tale or myth? I've always had a soft spot for the old Slovak folktale of "The Twelve Months". I read it way back when we used to have a mori girl book club on Facebook. For one month, we chose a selection of various fairytales, including this one, and I really enjoyed it. Although I love fairytales, the formula of a girl experiencing tragedy and overcoming it only to die and/or marry a man gets a little old sometimes. So the way The Twelve Months breaks the norm is refreshing. Source I'd highly recommend reading it yourself (you can find a version of it here  and some more information here ), but here is a short summary. In the story, a young woman lives with her mean stepmother and siblings in the mountains. Despite their nastiness, she is sweet and helpful. When her stepmother makes unreasonable demands for her to find flowers in the winter, forcing her out into the wilderness, she encounters the personification of each of the twel...

Day 23: What’s your favorite animal and why? I have a really soft spot for animals so it's always hard to choose a favorite. At the moment, I really love deer, big fluffy cats, and hognose snakes. I love deer because of their almost mythical and beautiful appearances. They move so gracefully, and they are so cute too! And I love cats probably because I grew up with cats. There's nothing that beats the feeling of curling up for a nap with my precious kitty purring on my lap. And Hognose Snakes? Well, their little noses are super cute and I love how they throw little tantrums. Super cute. Picture Sources 1   2   3 How about you? What are your favorite animals?

Day 22: Are you inspired by your own culture or other countries/cultures than Japan? If so, how do you incorporate them into your mori style? I'm a history teacher by trade, and I have a soft spot for historical American fashion. As awful as American history can be, there are some wonderful fashion styles from the past. Here are a few of my favorite styles. Mid 1700s Fashion: I love the aprons, the neck scarves the layers. So charming. (1) (2) Victorian Era Children's Pinafores: There's something so charming about the look of a pinafore. I love the silhouette.  (1) (2) Historical Praire Dresses: I love the simple silhouette. And the often small floral prints people use, especially in recreation/reimagined styles, is also charming. (1) (2) How about you? Are you influenced by any historical fashion?

Day 21: Are you interested in Japanese culture? If so, how has it impacted mori kei for you? I'm pretty sure everyone knows I am interested in Japanese culture, seeing as I live in Japan! But I don't think it has particularly impacted how I view or wear mori. I do tend to enjoy styles that are somewhat more Japanese, but that has more to do with personal fashion tastes than anything. If I had to say something it has impacted, it might be the type of mori I prefer, which tends to be classic styles from magazines and street snaps? But overall, I don't think it has had much of an impact on my fashion choices. How about you? Are you interested in Japan and Japanese culture?

Day 20: Make a mood board or photo collage of images that inspire your mori style and life! You can include fashion, lifestyle, or anything else you like. Photo Sources (1)   (2)   (3)   (4)   (5)   (6)   (7)   (8) (9)

Day 19: Post a photo of your favorite personal Mori coordinate. What do you like about it? I don't post many photos of myself recently, but I have a few favorite photos of all time I'd like to share! This one is actually my high school senior photo, so it's rather old. But I love the nature scenery, and that scarf is a favorite of mine. It was given to my by my grandma. This one is also old, from when I was at University. The dress is one of the few brand pieces I ever owned. I really miss that shawl too! I left it behind in the states.  This one is a more recent one, from after I moved to Japan. I was super cozy in this one, and I wore it out to see Christmas lights! How about you? What is your personal favorite coordinate? I'd love to see all of your outfits!

Day 18: Where do you get most of your Mori clothes? Have you ever purchased a mori brand piece? My answer to this is always short and uninteresting. I've been thrifting or buying my pieces from mainstream stores since I began wearing mori kei. I had a few brand pieces from AliExpress when I first started, but that is few and far between. As a curvy girl, and someone who is on the smaller end of being plus-sized, Asian brands don't really work for me. That being said, I have always wanted a piece from a mori brand. Wonder Rocket pieces were always my favorite, but I have a soft spot for Dear Li as well.  Dear Li   Wonder Rocket How about you? Where do you find your mori clothes?

Day 17: Do you play any video games, board games, etc.? If so, recommend us your favorite mori-like game! I play a lot of games, but here are my top 5 mori game recommendations! 1) Stardew Content Warnings: None really, although a few of the characters have heavy themes in their life stories. Nothing graphic though! The tone of this game is very light-hearted. Category: Adventure, Farming, and Simulation RPG Good for: People who enjoy cozy games, people who like connecting with characters, people who enjoy farming sims BONUS! Recommended mod: After your first playthrough on vanilla (of course) I recommend checking out Stardew Valley Expanded! It's a ton of fun and there is a reason it is so popular. (I use a ton of mods, both content and appearance wise, but this one adds the most amount of things to do.) In this game you play as the new farmer in town, cleaning up your Grandpa's farm, planting crops, bettering the town, making friends, and discovering the valley's secret...