And Now For Something Completely Different

Happy Easter! And Happy Passover!

My AC:NH avatar with Zipper T. Bunny in the background for Bunny Day

I'm sure by now you know that this has somehow devolved into an Animal Crossing: New Horizons blog. I do take breaks from the game, I promise I do. However, those breaks are usually to watch TV shows that had enough pre-recorded material that they're still airing new episodes. Or to do chores. Or to Zumba. Or to watch more gaming streams or list videos on YouTube. Or to play House Flipper. Those breaks definitely have not been to work on my writing.

So much for April Camp NaNo...

I haven't even read anything despite the latest chapter of When Duty and Desire Meet by midnightstarlightwrites and EdenDaphne posting Sunday evening. To be fair though, Hubby was home that whole time - he had Easter afternoon/evening and then yesterday off - so I was spending time with him. Then I worked on this blog post this morning. Maybe I'll get to it during my AC:NH break later today. I also need to watch the latest episode of season 2 of Fruits Basket.

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Since I haven't really done anything other than play this game and try to stay healthy and away from people, I figured I'd use this week to show off my island a bit. This is my first time playing any games in the Animal Crossing franchise, and I have more time than I normally would to dedicate to this game, so come jump down the rabbit hole with me.

Or use this as your ripcord to get out now. Maybe I'll actually have something for you next week.

So, to start off, might as well show the evolution of my house in-game. I keep getting S-Rank on my weekly evaluations, so I'm kinda proud of it. Still not a house that explicitly says "me" like a lot of my friends have, but it's still cozy and I'm enjoying my slow shifting of new items to see what I like best and where. I have rearranged a little bit more since I took these screencaps, but you'll get the idea.

First, the game starts you off on an otherwise deserted island with Tom Nook and his... sons? Nephews? Random boys that happen to be the same species and have the same last name? What are Timmy and Tommy Nook? They call him Mr. Nook, so....??? Anyway, you're on this island with the Nooks and two others who also took the racoons/tanukis up on their "island paradise" offer. You're then tasked to make yourself at home on the island and slowly build it up into a village worthy of the popstar K.K. Slider showing up for performances. That's it. That's basically the game plot. Hubby has already hit that main goal, so now he's working on the "post-game" goal of a 5-star island rating and S-Rating on his house. Also, just to make the island exactly how he wants it.

And then, knowing him, he'll consider the game completed and never touch it again.


Anyway, this was my character the first night, in my widdle tent.

As I mentioned in past blog entries here, I started up the game fairly late that first night. Plus, you couldn't really do much until more things were established. I probably spent most of Day 2 in-game giving Tom Nook species samples to send to Blathers to entice him to build a museum, and finding ways to earn up the new additional in-game currency of Nook Miles. They're like Frequent Flier Miles that can be used to purchase things "off-island" in-game. The normal Animal Crossing currency of Bells is used for all other purchases. Anyway, the cost of you flying to this island and getting your starter kit of a tent and NookPhone (and other such expenses) gets paid off with those Nook Miles. It was fairly easy to do given the Nook Miles are like your Gamer Score for doing different activities, except you can spend them and have to rebuild your stockpile.

Point being, by the third day my character woke up to a house where her tent used to be!

Cute little cottage. It also comes with in-house storage, so I finally had somewhere to put my excess inventory that wouldn't fit in my character's pockets. Hence the messy front lawn... It was fun to build things my character learned how to craft in order to make the house look more like a home. I was also excited to use the dresser and standing mirror to change up my character's look a bit. I never once looked back, and I change her up multiple times a day! I also almost always have her dressed, and her hair done, to appear as close as possible to how I actually look that day.

Now that I'm a home owner, Tom Nook only accepts Bells to pay off my mortgage, and it doubles in cost (or just about doubles) each time I expand my home. You also can't expand until you've paid off the previous loan. It takes me a bit because I do more Nook Miles tasks - I have a TON of them stockpiled - than selling things for Bells. Hubby, on the other hand, is the exact opposite, sometimes struggling to build up enough Nook Miles to travel to one of the Mystery Islands. There's a reason he's already in the Post-Game content. Honestly, if he didn't have to wait until the literal next morning for his builds to be done and for a new villager to move in, he probably would have completed the whole Main-Plot game in about 3 or 4 days instead of 16.

Me, on the other hand? As I said, I'm kind of taking it slow. Really exploring and interacting with my villagers and rarely taking trips off-island, even with regards to visiting Hubby or my other friends' islands.

So it kept me until the morning of Day 5 for my first expansion: a literal expansion to a larger one-room home.

Shifted things around a touch, put more things in my expanded storage, and put up new wallpaper and flooring. I actually found that yellow wallpaper in the game's recycling bin, a place where villagers can dump items they don't want anymore. If you're a solo player then it randomly generates stuff that the animal villagers "didn't want" and it's usually stuff like cardboard boxes and rusted parts. However, on occasion you'll find a gem, and this was mine. It was in my Nook's Cranny - the game's general store - about a week later for 1880 bells, so... yay!

In my usual pattern of taking 2 days to build up my funds, the morning of Day 7 had me waking up to my newest extension: a back room I quickly turned into my character's bedroom.

I moved the flooring and wallpaper - and most of what I had in that first room - into the back for a bedroom, and then had fun rearranging the main room into an open-layout kitchen/dining/living room.

Also, yes, I even take down my character's hair and put her in PJs and slippers before going to bed most nights. What of it?

It's only slightly awkward since you start each game outside your house instead of inside of it, but whatever. I still like the aesthetic of it. Also gives me a blank slate until I can change her into what I'm wearing and how I'm wearing my hair that day.

Anyway, it kept a bit after that expansion for me to have the funds to expand again; considering that back room expansion was on April 3rd. I forgot to note when it actually happened, but I think it was something like April 7th that I got my first side room, which I turned into an actual kitchen.

Still trying to figure out what to do with the room, but I think it's kinda cozy right now. Also... random washing machine in the kitchen.... Oh, and side note, why on earth did the developers of this game have it programmed that you can use the refrigerator to get changed???? Why are my character's clothes in the fridge?

It kept another few days to earn the Bells I needed again to pay off the expansion and request another one. I did get my final side room on Saturday though. Now to save up for an upstairs room and basement....

Much like with my real-life apartment, this room is intended to be a den/writing room/library, but is currently my dumping ground for things I want to keep but won't fit in my storage.

This game is hitting too close to home, man! I wonder if I can convince my mom to buy the system and game so she can have her character come over and help me de-clutter in-game as well.

Yeah... probably not....

Also, since I used my LycoRogue handle in-game as well - because, ya know, online play and whatnot - I'm definitely trying to aim for my blue and yellow color scheme. Could you tell?

Well, now that you're caught up on my house, how about you meet some of my villagers?

I'll admit, when I first arrived and met Biff the Hippo and Fuchsia the Deer I wanted to hit the reset button. I was not a fan. Biff is the Jock personality, so he was a major lunk-head with the "I lift things up and put them down" Planet Fitness commercial vibes.

This is basically Biff. Hubby had a Jock character as well, and his was Tank the Rhino. Basically just a reskinned Biff (or is Biff a reskinned Tank?).

Spoiler Alert: Biff and Tank are actually lovable dorks and Biff quickly became my favorite villager. I interact with him so much he was the one who taught my character reactions, and he's CONSTANTLY sprinting towards me to chat. I love him!

I mean, look at this dork!

Biff trying to be tactful when I talked to him after getting stung by wasps.

I caught Biff passed out against his wall one night. He had tuckered himself out by exercising and just fell asleep there. Poor glorious dork! The second I caught him he cracked open a soda and pretended nothing happened. But he constantly passes out from exercise exhaustion....

Precious babe.

And Biff had to add to Zipper T. Bunny's complex by also implying the Bunny Day mascot was actually someone in a yellow bunny costume due to the large zipper down his back. I mean, I feel ya, Biff. Also, he didn't seem impressed in my outfit in that first shot.

HE WAS INSPIRED TO CREATE A LEAF TO CHEW ON WHILE OUT FOR A JOG, AND LOOK AT HOW PROUD OF HIMSELF HE LOOKS!!!!?? PRECIOUS! MUST PROTECT! 

Also, I didn't realize how much I gifted to Biff until I noticed how much of his house is made up my presents. He's wearing the new shirt I got him - the dumbbell one - he has up the speedbag I gave him - which ended up replacing the pull-up bars that were the first gift I gave him - and he has the golden exercise ball and common bluebottle butterfly I gave him.

I actually gave that butterfly to all five villagers I have. They all have them as pets.

Out of the 9 reactions/emotes I know, Biff taught me over half of them: learning reactions unlocks the first 4, then I got 3 more from him. Although, perhaps someone should explain the coronavirus crisis to him.... especially because he sneezed on me to teach me that reaction....


I did start dressing my character with a facial mask after that though, just to be smart and topical.

To be fair to Biff though, it's not like Hubby and I practice social distancing despite living on separate islands....

Meh. At least I'm wearing the mask, right? 

Wow, actually, chatting about my house and Biff took up a LOT more space than I thought it would. Silly pictures. So I'm going to stop there. Next week I'll introduce everyone to my other villagers, because I really don't foresee me writing anything anytime soon. However, I HAVE been coming up with Ships for my villagers.

So there IS some storytelling that way... and I'll go into more of that next time.

Thanks for indulging me. Take care, friends.

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