#the only villagers i actually like talking to in-game are the cranky/big sis ones (go figure)

[gamebunny-advance]

Crossing the Animals

I've been playing ACNH a lot again recently, and I kinda hate what the new overwhelming power that the player has done to how I view my villagers.

On the one hand, I have given into the "creative player" mindset, where only the aesthetics of the animals really matters to me in terms of inviting them to live on Moonside. But on the other hand, I also still have the old "social sim" mindset, so I have difficulty letting go of animals that I've had a long time.

For example, I've had Raymond on my island since the game first came out because he was my mandatory smug villager, but tbh I don't really care for his businessman theme and was kinda put off from all the hype he had.

At first, I kept him because I felt bad throwing such a "rare" villager in into the void, especially when I knew others would really want him. My original intention was to pass him off to someone else when he got a thought bubble, but before that happened, I actually got attached to him for reasons not important enough to detail here. So ironically, even though this is the game with the (IMO) worst villager dialogue, he still managed to become a "character" for me, the same way Mint, Coco, and even Cole had in the past.

But even so, the bland dialogue and character interactions have kept him from becoming anything more than that, and the little affection I did have for him have started to fade.

So now, as I try to gather villagers that fit the aesthetics of my island better, Raymond keeps coming up on the chopping block, but I just can't bring myself to let him go, even though I know he really isn't going to do anything more for me. It's like I want to be able to say, "I've had this villager on my island since the very start of the game." even though a statement like that means literally nothing anyone, including myself.

And yet. I want to hang onto it. Even though it brings me no joy.

Ya know.

Now that I've written that out, I actually feel better about finally letting him go the next time he gets a thought bubble. I guess venting does actually work on occasion.

[arhvste]

❝atsumu, kuroo, tsukishima and bokuto playing acnh ❞

miya atsumu

→ first he called the game dumb but he eventually gave in because everyone and their aunts were playing it and he didn’t wanna be left out

→ mf tries so hard for raymond at first

→ he insists it’s just because he can sell him for a lot

→ he really just wants raymond because he lowkey reminds him of osamu

→ anyways this fool doesn’t get raymond but ya know who he does get?

→ pedro

→ atsumu was ✨disgusted✨

→ “a clown?! a fukn clown?! yer jokin me!”

→ “aw don’t cry he fits in so well on your island 😹”

→ “sHUT YER TRAP 😠😠😠”

→ he hated pedro at first and for what?

→ eventually he starts vibing with him though

→ he decides that perhaps... pedro isn’t a bad guy after all

→ so atsumu develops a soft spot for him and begins to favour him over the rest of his mediocre villagers whose names he can’t be bothered to remember

→ ya know whose name he can remeber though?

→ BELLA 😡😠😡😠😡😡😠

→ the name that sparks rage in him

→ atsumu hits his villagers with his net shouting “nice cut g!” as a joke

→ with bella he’s not joking 😐

→ he hits her repeatedly and grins maliciously when she gets angry eventually

→ LOVES shoving her into pitfalls for absolutely no reason

→ cusses her out under his breath

→ writes hate mail to her only to get fustrated when she sends a nice reply about the flowers she saw the other day that reminded her of him

→ honestly bella girl it ain’t worth it, pack your bags and get outta there sis 😔

→ he wants her to get tf off his island because he doesn’t like her but he also kinda wants her to stay because he loves annoying her and making her angry

→ literally goes out of his way to buy the ugliest clothes for her to wear

→ he also has all his villagers address him as “big dick man”

→ pedro is special though 😳

→ pedro is the chosen one who gets to call him “tsumu”

→ JUST PEDRO 😤😾😡

→ literally thinks it’s the funniest thing when his villagers say “hey big dick man! the weather sure is great today isn’t it!”

→ you can hear his cackling from down the hall

→ thinks it’s the peak of comedy

→ oh and you’re not allowed to visit his island on a saturday

→ saturdays are “for the boys”

→ and by that he means he’s just going to buy a ton of matching clothes for him and pedro and talk to him all day until he eventually annoys pedro by accident to which he genuinely gets upset about

→ he doesn’t really bother with the fishing tourneys or bug offs

→ does catch a few though just to make sure he beats bella earns nook miles

→ pretty average island, not too much effort put into it yet

→ atsumu prefers channeling his energy and game time into bullying bella interacting with his villagers

kuroo tetsurō

→ bangs. it. tf. out.

→ literally acts like he doesn’t care about the game but has 395+ hours game time

→ uses the excuse it’s to play with kenma but kuroo actually got into it before kenma had the chance to look at it properly

→ fishing tourney KING

→ has multiple gold trophy’s and built a whole extension just to show them off

→ also treats all his villagers equally

→ he was a bit picky and only wanted cats and dogs on his island though

→ if you’re anything but a cat or a dog, i’m sorry but kuroo will timeskip you tf off of his island

→ has a soft spot for lucky but doesn’t admit it

→ he likes to come across as a “fair dictator of the island”

→ just admit luckys your fav and go oh my god

→ his house is really nice too

→ pretty much paid off all his debt and is financially responsible 😼

→ he will send you money over a few times a week because he claims he’s a good boyfie virtually and realistically

→ LOVES opening the letters from ‘mom’

→ it’s a small detail in the game but it brings kuroo comfort when he opens the letters and sometimes receives gifts from his virtual ‘mom’ 🥺

→ keeps all the letters from her because that’s what he would do if his real mom ever wrote to him

→ he’s a shameless timeskipper

→ “tetsu?? where tf did you get all this the games only been out a week??”

→ “👁👁 idk what you’re talking about baby”

→ the thing that annoys him the most are the fossils

→ HATES the stupid little marks in the ground that appear every day

→ also HATES talking to blathers

→ “spit it out already! i have places to be and villagers to see!”

→ completely ignores blathers’ real name and refers to him as ‘bokuto’

→ because he’s an owl duh

→ and bokuto also talks a lot

→ you thought it was a cute friendship thing at first but took it back when you heard him muttering under his breath

→ “oh my god just analyse the fossils already you himbo bird!”

→ “did you just call blathers a himbo? 😳”

→ “...no? 😳👀”

→ all in all, kuroo’s pretty good at the game

→ you like visiting his island because he has a ton of extra stuff he just gives you

→ “i never want to hear you call me a bad boyfriend again 😐”

→ “okay fine...but oNLY if you give me an ironwood dresser 😏”

tsukishima kei

→ another one who bangs it out

→ doesn’t really care when you point it out though

→ “you’re just jealous your islands a dumping ground compared to mine 🥱”

→ “k-kei 😔”

→ also sprints near where you’re fishing to scare the fish off and be spiteful 💀

→ little shit KNOWS you only need oranges to complete all the fruits on your island

→ he also knows you’re out of nook miles tickets

→ “aw that’s a shame, maybe if you were a bit better at the game you’d find them quicker but good luck! 😀”

→ oranges are his native fruit 😐😑😐

→ eventually he gives you them because you’re relentless and his patience runs thin after a while

→ good at the bug offs

→ pretty good at scorpion/tarantula hunting too

→ convinced spike is in love with him after the amount of scorpions and tarantulas he’s donated to him

→ his fossil exhibition in the museum is completed already

→ when blathers tells him the facts about the dinosaurs he just rolls his eyes

→ “i knew that already you stupid bird 🙄”

→ why’s everyone bullying blathers damn 😿

→ now, he likes henry

→ one of the few villagers he doesn’t bully

→ tsukki doesnt particularly care for majority of his villagers

→ henry has a special place in his heart though

→ maybe it’s because henry isn’t overly perky or he isn’t rude like the cranky villagers which tsukishima doesn’t like

→ henry is just??? so??? nice????

→ he can’t hate him

→ all his villagers have catchphrases that are dumb af

→ tsukki thought he was being clever when he made them but he just looks mean when other people talk to his villagers

→ “good morning i am useless! i love your outfit!”

→ henry gets to call him tsukki though

→ only because he figured out that henry reminds him of yamaguchi

→ that’s the only reason henry’s the exception to his bullying

→ i feel like tsukki has a pretty nice house too

→ he makes a lot of bells from selling scorpions and tarantulas and spare fossils he’s dug up

→ doesn’t really care about the size but has very detailed rooms

→ like all the furniture in his rooms follow a scheme

→ mf never opens his mailbox

→ doesn’t care for what the other “peasants have to say for themselves”

→ terraforming isn’t really his thing tbh

→ doesn’t like how slow the process and be and kinda likes the natural flat land

→ he likes laying down paths though

→ cusses villagers out when they get in the way though

→ full on shoves them and will keep shoving them until they get annoyed just because they’ve annoyed him

→ tsukki doesnt put as much time into the game as kuroo but his island is still pretty good and aesthetically pleasing

→ he just won’t help you make yours look like that 💀

bokuto koutarō

→ weeds. everywhere.

→ get so confused when he’s told he has to pick them all

→ “really? why can’t i just let them grow though i kinda like them 🤩”

→ mf ✨struggles✨ at the first stages

→ “y/n, you know i love you, please give me 30 iron nuggets 🥺💖💞💗”

→ ofc you give them to him because you’re well ahead in the game and don’t need them as much as he does

→ praises you like royalty but then he’s back to begging for materials from you 💀

→ doesn’t pay his debts

→ you’re gonna have to help him out here

→ doesn’t like the idea of having to constantly pay them off

→ like?? he doesn’t want a bigger house so why is this damn raccoon always bothering him to upgrade like leave him and his 2 room house alone 😠

→ has a the same camp bed and lamp from when he first moved out the tent 💀

→ insists he doesn’t need another one because the furniture all functions the same

→ he has a point tbf but his house just isn’t aesthetically pleasing

→ he also hoards stuff

→ common butterfly? yeah bokuto has 37 sitting in his storage

→ doesn’t like letting the bugs go because he “caught them fair and square”

→ you show him how to pay his debts back and then he dedicates a whole room to his stupid bugs 💀

→ loves blathers and celeste just because they’re owls

→ doesn’t care about what they’re wittering on about he loves interacting with them just because they’re the only owls in the game 😐

→ his favourite villager is kid cat

→ literally follows him around and sprints circles around him

→ l o v e s the chaos outside the town hall

→ 2 of his villagers are singing, 3 are running around and 1 is just watching like 🧍🏻‍♀️

→ HYPES his singing villagers tf up

→ “yeah get it bianca! turn it up!!! 🥳🥳”

→ has to match his villagers clothes at least once a week

→ also makes them all refer to him as “the best ace”

→ it boosts his ego a little more each time they say it

→ bokuto actually got raymond out of luck but had no idea who tf he was and just how popular he was

→ lets that mf go without advertising that raymond’s in boxes

→ atsumu screeches when he finds this out eventually

→ bokuto doesn’t care what his villagers look like everyone’s welcome

→ bella should move to bokuto’s island and move from atsumu’s because bokuto will accept her with open arms rather than a net to the head everytime he sees her 😿

→ ALWAYS remembers birthdays for his villagers

→ and always shows up to their birthday parties insisting he’s the life of the party and they’d be bored without him 😹

→ which is true to a certain degree cause the party only really starts when the player arrives

→ bokuto is actually okay at terraforming

→ quickly changes his mind after an hour of building and digging and restarts it all over again

→ he can make his island look pretty good

→ theres just weeds and buried fossils everywhere though 👁👁

→ also forgets his turnips go bad

→ literally the least financially responsible out of them all

→ it’s okay though because you help him and he eventually gets the hang of it

general taglist → @atsumuwoah @bloody-bella @bbymilkbread @miracleboy420 @doggonudez @atsunakaashi @peteunderoos @saturnfarie @toffees-main @zumisace @boosyboo9206 @totorosleaff @27kei

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ALL CONTENT BELONGS TO @KUROOSKULT ON TUMBLR 2020 PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, CHANGE OR PLAGIARISE

[radfem-reviews]

Review #1: Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH)

With Isabelle as my avatar, this only felt appropriate as my first review! (Please note that I am speaking only to the content of the game itself, not the fanbase, fan works, or other unofficial things.)

System: Nintendo Switch

Summary: Play as one of the first residents moving to a deserted island. There, you can engage in activities such as making friends; catching bugs, fish, and sea creatures; filling out your museum; creating clothing, flags, and town tunes; decorating your house; and gardening.

Overall: ACNH presents somewhat of a utopia for many of us: freedom and safety. Beyond that, it’s cute and the islanders have many funny lines. There are also many things for you to collect, but there’s nothing forcing you to engage in parts of gameplay that don’t interest you once you’ve done enough to unlock everything. Gendered personality types and a lack of variety in female NPCs remain, but allowing your character to be as GNC as you’d like is a nice step toward removing gender roles.

---

Tests (see terms list for explanation): Anti-Freeze: Pass. No characters are injured or killed, barring the player character hitting them with a net or something. Bechdel: Pass, to the small extent NPCs talk to one another. Mako Mori: N/A as there are no narrative arcs. Sexy Lamp: Pass, although there’s no real plot.

Please choose your style.

Let’s start with a big talking point in certain circles: “Please choose your style.” In the original -- and most likely every single version of the game except English -- this was a choice between playing as a boy or a girl. They changed it in English due to threats and harassment from TRAs. 

[the choice as it appears in English: “Please choose your style. You can change this later.”]

[the choice as it appears in Japanese: “Please choose one! *You can change this later.   boy / girl”]

The odd thing about the fuss around this is that it actually functionally does not matter whatsoever. I don’t think I’ve seen it come up even once in dialogue. That said, I’m not sure if other languages’ versions have characters refer to your character’s sex. On the bright side, it does mean that male and female player characters would be talked to and about in the same way. On the other hand, there was never a problem of animals treating you differently based on your sex in previous games anyway that I ever saw, so to see it that way is fixing a problem that didn’t exist in the first place.

I’ve noticed that the animals will use “they” to refer to someone they’re talking about. My guess is actually that this is an ease of programming thing rather than a woke thing. Because Japanese uses personal pronouns quite infrequently, and some of the lines are random ‘fill in the blank with a random islander name’ types of statements, sometimes previous English releases ran into a problem where the translators had no way to know whether the character would be referring to a man or a woman, and iirc, seemed to go with male by default... Ironically, using “they” is incorrect 100% of the time, though.

Self-Expression

Unlike previous games in the series, your character’s facial features and beginning hairstyle options are not determined by your character’s sex. It’s a nice change of pace that your character can be as GNC as you’d like from the beginning, although your starting outfit may be somewhat gendered. You also can freely change between hairstyles and facial features whenever you want once you’ve acquired a mirror, so you aren’t locked into one type of self-expression.

Also, any player character can wear any outfit without commentary. In New Leaf (the previous main-series game), you could wear anything as well, but some clothing options were gendered. For example, Labelle (the porcupine who sold accessories) might say things along the lines of, “That’s made for women, [player name], so it’ll look good on you!” or “That’s usually made for men, but I bet you can pull it off, [player name]!” In New Horizons, these lines are no longer present, at least that I’ve seen in the English version.

In terms of self-expression, I see these as strengths. There’s nothing in the game that encourages or discourages “feminine” or “masculine” expression for anybody.

Gendered Personalities

While gender roles do not apply to the player character, they can be seen in the NPCs.

One thing I will say in the series’ defense is that in the Japanese versions of the game, every personality type uses a different personal pronoun. In Japanese, personal pronouns are almost all quite gendered and, in fiction, tell you a lot about the character’s personality. It would actually feel a bit formal and odd to have all the characters use ‘watashi’ (a less gendered personal pronoun, but for men I think it’s a bit formal). Each personality type has a different pitch to their voice, with higher pitches for female personalities and lower pitches for male personalities, too. None of these are insurmountable barriers if they committed to breaking free of these stereotypes, but they are relevant factors.

The personality types are as follows: Normal (F): Friendly and kind characters who want to help you out. Peppy (F): Cheerful, energetic characters. They may come across a bit “ditzy.” They dream of being idols (actresses/singers in English). Snooty (F): Haughty, vain characters who value fashion and beauty. They can be standoffish at first, but are loyal friends once you’ve gotten close to them. Big Sis (F): Similar to normal types, but more mature. Jock (M): Athletic characters who are obsessed with sports and muscles. They can often come across as lacking in intelligence and one-dimensional. Cranky (M): Rude, standoffish characters, though they can be protective and kind once you’ve befriended them. Lazy (M): Most likely self-explanatory. Lazy characters want to lounge about and not work too hard, mentally or physically. Smug (M): Conceited, ostensibly "charming” characters.

Overall, the female personalities are kinder and more intelligent. However, even this “positive stereotyping” is still putting us in a box, and these “personalities” are indeed very much stereotypes.

The situation with special characters (shopkeepers and such) aren’t much better. There are a variety of male special characters with a variety of different traits: intelligent with good business sense, sneaky, timid, friendly, daydreamer, cheerful, artistic... Meanwhile, female special characters are basically sweet, shy, and/or fashionable. The only exceptions that come to mind are Saharah (who was a man in the Japanese version, but changed to a woman back in the original GameCube game due to long eyelashes, I can only assume) and Luna (who has so few lines it’s hard to even describe her personality).

On the bright side, ACNH did get rid of the gendered speech bubbles. It used to be that male villagers’ names would have a blue background and female villagers’ would be pink, save for special characters for whom it would be green. Now in ACNH, the color seems to be determined by the character’s aesthetic, which is a nice change.

Little to No Sexualization

Unlike many forms of media, ACNH is pretty free of sexualization as far as official content goes. (Obviously the internet is another story entirely, but that’s not Nintendo’s fault.) Only one character has any form of secondary sex characteristics (Luna has breasts), and while I question the need to give a tapir breasts, her outfit is modest, there are no “jiggle physics,” and there are no sexualizing camera angles or dialogue.

I’ve heard that the smug characters flirt with the player character. I don’t like them so I can’t say with confidence whether this remains true in ACNH, but as far as I saw in New Leaf, all they said in that regard would be like “you’re looking as cool as a cucumber.” It was enough to weird me out, but still, it’s obviously quite tame.

I haven’t seen any official* clothes that are sexualizing, and there are many clothing options that aren’t heavily gendered. (*I’m sure someone somewhere has designed clothes that are sexualized, nude, whatever, using the clothing design feature. I don’t think this is technically allowed by Nintendo, so if you encounter this you are able to report it however.)

[blakesacnladventure]

Blake’s ACNL Adventure Week 1: 7/29-8/6

Hey guys, I decided to do an acnl town blog since I got the game again. I’m a bit long winded but hopefully you’ll enjoy it!

This blog is planned to be updated on a (mostly) weekly basis. Going over accomplishments, characters, and overall shenanigans in New Leaf. Anyway, I am Blake, mayor or Arietis. All of my Animal Crossing towns have a spacey type name, and Alpha Arietis is a star in my zodiac Aries. Bing bang boom, got a town name.

I’m not sure if others do this as well, but when me and my friends play Animal Crossing, we add an extra layer to the ridiculousness and have these little stories for the villagers. Yes, I am aware there is only 8 personality types, and only so much text in the game, but because each character does and says different things at different times and interact with different animals differently, it just makes sense for me to further build on there character...even if it just in my mind. Hell, sometimes there are two snooty characters I have wildly different opinions of because of this mentality. Anyway, I’m saying all of this because this villager character building will be a major role in this adventure. So, let’s meet our cast

Name: Amelia

Species: Eagle

Personality: Snooty

When I saw Amelia in my town, I was so overjoyed...I almost through my 3ds out the car window. Amelia is one of my favorite characters, she’s been in several of my towns, so I know her very well. For a snooty, she isn’t terribly stuck up. In fact, she is very level headed and mature. I’ve never viewed her like a big sister though, more like a that friend that has there shit together. She is really into archeology and fashion...but honestly her fashion is truly the archaic thing. Her taste is just awful, it’s always been. I always have to send her clothes because she walks around looking a fool. That being said, she is truly a lovely woman to have right off the bat.

Name: Tia

Species: Elephant

Personality: Normal

Tia is another I thought was super cute. My only experience with her was through the app, but I knew I really wanted to have her live in my town the minute I saw her. As I’ve gotten to know her...her whole character concept...is very ironic. Let me explain. Tia is very sweet and kind. She is very bookish, preferring to stay inside with a good story and a cup of tea. Ironic enough but...there’s more. Her kind attitude makes people very fond of her, and she is often caught up in conversation with others. Being such a good listener, people end up airing their laundry out to her. She ends up the accidental gossip queen of Arietis. I don’t think she means it intentionally, but loves hearing and telling stories so much she can’t help it. Every time I talk with her she always...spills..some...tea... I swear though she does say some shit.

Name: Peewee

Species: Gorilla

Personality: Cranky

Cranky is my favorite villager type, so I’m glad I got one in town. Peewee is more interesting than I initially expected. Peewee is very mild mannered, and seems more like a jock than anything. Peewee is a hard nut to crack, as he hasn’t really shown any sign of imperfection. He is curtious, fun-loving, and overall good dude. He is like that guy in high school that was captain of the football team, prom kind, got straight A’s and was still the nicest guy you ever met. That being said, I know this boy has some darkness in him, and I am dedicated on finding that out.

Name: Carmen Species: Rabbit Personality: Peppy

Not my favorite. Day one, Carmen claimed me as her bff, made all these plans for us, then asked me to run all of these errands for her. Ok sis, calm down. Her biggest personality trait is claiming how great friends we are when I barely even know her. If she got married tomorrow, I’d probably be the maid of honor and flower girlt. It’s probably some gay best friend thing, but it rubs me the wrong way. She reminds me of a girl I knew in high school, high strung and simply too much

Name: Egbert

Species: Chicken

Personality: Lazy

The last of the OG 5 and... I... don’t really know that much about him. I don’t hate him, but I end up talking to everyone else instead of him. He’s that kid you have several classes with but never talk to. Easily identifiable but...I mean I didn’t even bother getting a screenshot of him.

Name: Frita

Species: Sheep

Personality: Uchi

Leave. Leave right now. I have a bit of a history with this character which I will save for another time. I know her well enough...but I do not like her at all. She is this selfish, rude food-truck owner (that she converted into a house) and conversations with others are purely to satisfy her career. She is demanding and even a bully sometimes...and she NEVER LEAVES.

Name: Pietro

Species: Sheep

Personality: Smug

OK, I thought about restarting my town after Frita moved in. I REALLY did not want her in town, and I was so early in to it. However, every negative has a positive. Pietro is ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITES. He is a rainbow clown sheep whose biggest aspiration is to make people happy. He brings the fun, the laughs and the heart wherever he goes. Also, no doubt, he is bisexual. Very romantic, but often gets shut down. He is extremely generous too. If you get to know him, you’ll start to notice he is always so positive to cope with his crippling anxiety. I know that’s a bit deep for animal crossing, but I can’t think of it any other way. However, that complexity makes me like him even more. truly a treat to see him move in.

Name: Lyman

Species: Koala

personality: Jock

This one was a surprise. Lyman is significantly less abrasive than other jock types. In fact, I think sometimes he ends up trying to play cute instead of sporty. To be honest, he is a lowkey flirt. I’m not sure if he has a crush on me or not, but it seems he is always acting real sweet around me. We will have to see as time goes on, but I’m starting to enjoy Lyman.

Name: Sylvia

Species: Kangaroo

Personality: Uchi

I know very little about her. As of writing this she just moved in. I don’t think she is cute per say...but hey you never know.

Those are the villagers at the moment. There are already some inter-character relationships forming which I will share at a later date, but for right now, I do like this bunch of characters.

There hasn’t been a whole lot of excitement since I just started the game. I build a bridge, the campsite, and a few house upgrades but that is about it. I have no house or town theme yet, but do have a few ideas.

The last bit of note this week was the 6/5 fireworks festival which was pretty fun.

Redd really is a con-artist, I got mostly dud tickets, but it was a cute little end to the week. Next week we will check in more with the characters, and see if I can actually have a decent looking house. See Ya!!