hope

birding has a reputation as a relaxing and chill retirement hobby, but if you're enmeshed in the subculture you will soon come to know the epic highs and lows. the cutthroat drama and betrayal and crashout fights and gossip and grudges and incorrigible, life-ruining, life-saving obsession. the pushing your mind and body and the goodwill of everyone around you to the absolute limit. the property damage and trespassing and run-ins with the law. the exhilarating passion and beauty of it all. joy and idiocy in equal measure. it's extremely easy for me to imagine it as a vbs-appropriate high-octane life calling, lol.

since this is based entirely on north american birding culture, they’re japanese-american and from LA instead of shibuya. sorry. a lot of the specific locations/birds are based off my experiences birding with my gf and friends while visiting california :]

vivid street itself crosses a naturalized strip of the LA river that has colloquially borrowed its name and hosts a passionate naturalist community... i've based it on the willow street estuary - where the concrete encasing the LA river recedes and green things return, great egrets roost on discarded shopping carts and flocks of shorebirds forage along graffiti-lined riverbanks. very resilient and defiant and absolutely brimming with life. ken is a highly-regarded birder who has opened a café-slash-interpretive-centre since completing his own Legendary big year (a Rad year, even) with taiga and nagi 3ish years ago. these days he's mostly left the numbers game behind him but is still an active presence in the community locally.

vivids + bad dogs bird dogs are birding/travel partners, but it's also the nature of the lifestyle that you continually run into the same people as you all orbit the same birds and follow the rhythms of migration, and thusly they increasingly keep winding up in the same places and kinda fully join forces at some point. the order of how everyone meets is directly parallel to canon still, so an and akito have known each other the longest and kohane is pretty new to it all. i think they are a tiny bit older than canon here but not significantly so - probably like late teens or early 20s.

the history / experience / talent dynamics that initially inform a lot of the vbs relationships translate really fluidly to birding in interesting ways, and it was fun imagining which type of birder each of them might be... kohane the motivated, talented amateur with a big camera, an the birder-by-birthright with something to prove, akito the perpetually-in-motion lister with nothing to lose. and to toya, i have given the highest honour of all: the keen-eyed, inscrutable larophile. though obviously they're all listers here which is a particular and hardcore slice of the subculture - remember, all birding (as long as you respect the birds and each other) is good birding no matter if you're “hardcore” or "casual" <3

i have many more ideas I wanna draw (kohane's philosophical development... toyas spark bird and how he met akito.... exploration of akian friendship..... more about the previous generation...), but this is already a kinda hefty post... for now enjoy this glimpse into the funny & chaotic & life-changing & and beautiful world of looking at birds!!! i tried to make it a) entertaining and accessible for people with no knowledge of birding and b) hopefully in-character while still keeping it faithful to the ways birders at this level really act and talk. the intersection is where the fun lies lol

if you're still here thanks for looking at my long post

^^^ it is straight up this serious

kohane azusawa: comfy, cutesy, funky

colors: peachy tones, more on the pink and red side, but magenta and orange are also suitable. yellow in all shades, from pastel to mustard. grey, white and black as neutrals.

items: graphic t shirts, baseball caps/bucket hats/beanies are an iconic part of her look. jackets vary from varsity jackets, cardigans, hoodies and practical zip ups. skirts are pleated and in neutral colors. crop top hoodies and shorts are also cute. another iconic part of her look is a graphic belt with lettering on them. shoes wise, apt for white sneakers. try overall skirts/pants, collared shirts, turtleneck shirts and thigh high striped socks. layering is key!! (im still confused how vbs can survive in humid japan with so many layers as dancers though..) at least one thing is oversized, wether that be her sleeves or jacket (maybe her pants, but make them baggy or flared. no sagging PLEASE). jackets like leather or blazers for formal occasions are great, since kohane’s costumes like to add some masculine elements.

materials/patterns: denim bottoms are very common, but breathable fabrics like cotton are fitting for kohane’s street performer life style. she doesn’t have many patterns, but ruffles, soft florals and stripes are used.

hair: obviously she outs her hair into two low pigtails, but side ponytails, and short fluffy bobs can work, maybe even her sick ass jellyfish cut from one of her cards. try mixing up your look with braids with your pigtails or fun hairties. maybe even use hair chalk and hair exentsion clips in fun colors. its all about being funky.

an shiraishi: tomboyish, casual, cool

colors: an likes bright colors, so out with all that demure and mindful bullshit. colors often seen on her are midnight purple, navy blue, magenta/pink, lime green, teal, and terracotta red. black and stark white are her neutrals.

items: pants are straightlegged or baggy, never skinny (idk how they dance like that but oh well), she loves sweatpants, hoodies, and casual shorts. oversized tees, fingerless gloves, and jewelry such as hoop earrings, funky bracelets and necklaces (chokers and pendants) add a nice finishing touch. an usually wears crop top shirts, and ties her oversized bomber jackets on her waist when it gets hot. clunky sneakers and combat boots are her go to.

patterns/fabrics: her outfits have very geometric patterns, but also have little graphics on them. fabrics are very breathable and flexible, but if you use denim, its best that it is ripped and/or distressed. try using patches and other things to customize your hats and/or jackets

hair: an’s hair is very fun, dying it her iconic ombre. of course, if you cannot dye your hair, you can put fun hairclips on the side of your bangs. she uses all types of colors, but they are all vivid and fun (bright purple, her infamous indigo, red..), streaks and highlights can also work (i reccomend those extension hair clips with fun colors from places like claires). her hair stays mostly the same, simpky being down, but you can pull it into two pigtails or a high ponytail. she seems to have waves at the bottom, so feel free to do that if you wish. her hair is usually tucked behind one ear with side swept bangs, and you can even cut it shorter to a jellyfish cut or a bob. some of her outfits and sprites show her with yellow star hair clips, so feel free to use those too.

akito shinonome: cool, sporty, versatile

colors: terracotta red, midnight blue, bright orange, deep olive green

items: akito’s usual outfits consist of: hoodie/baggy graphic tee, jacket, cargo pants. jackets are usually bomber jackets, sherpas or puffy jackets with an array of patches, though he has been seen with a denim one. pockets are also quite an important part of his look, on his jacket or pants. these jackets are the statement of his look, and have brands or designs on them. if you want to dress up a bit more, akito SOMETIMES uses turtlenecks under his streetwear jackets. to add some layering without the jackets, put a simple long sleeve under your baggy shirt. he also uses silver/white gold jewelry like drop earrings, rings and chain necklaces. his shoes are versatile, ranging from the classic sneaker to boots.

patterns/materials: akito’s most notable pattern he uses is army print. it looks really good on him, and suits his hot headed yet determined personality.

hair: akito has one streak of yellow in his hair, but otherwise doesn’t do much with it. its very messy, but as long as you take basic care of it and brush it sometimes, it’ll still abide by akito’s hair. try adding more volume or texture using products if you can.

toya aoyagi: profession, contrasting, unique

colors: toya’s color palette is very cool, including multiple shades of blue, charcoal, light grey and purple.

items: unlike the rest of vbs, toya’s style is very sleek and understated, but still has that streetwear edge. he is the only member to frequently use sweaters. toya’s jackets are usually just normal zip ups, with minimal designs. however, hes been shown to rock denim jackets more than all of his fellow vbs members. tees are simple, with words or basic patterns. he also likes sweatshirts. he also uses tank tops, albeit plain. jewelry wise, toya goes for a simple dogtag or pendant. for formal occassions, he likes wearing blazers over his usual outfits.

patterns/materials: toya seems fond of vertical stripes on his sleeves, but other than that, doesnt wear many patterns. (minus gingham for formal events)