Get In Through That Wardrobe!

Hello, everybody! It's Saturday, and it's me! I'm Rach, or BarrysGold, a second contributor to this fine blog, here to give a little introduction to myself, and my ever-growing empire, which I have so lovingly named Narnia.

I got the game upon its release date in Ireland. I've always been a huge fan of the series. I remember being hooked on the original GameCube game. My first few villagers in that one were Apollo, Goose, Dotty, Derwin, Rocco, Rollo, Aziz, Bunnie and Nosegay. I loved my first town, but was never quite able to replicate the magic of AC:GC with any other game in the AC series, despite the fact that I've invested hundreds of hours in all four games.

New Leaf has changed that, though. I've grown a sense of authority, I think. At least, in my town, I have. I'm the boss. I'm in control. This is where the lighthouse is going. That blue bench goes here. Suggest the god-damn police station already, and so on.

My town's nothing special. Run by mayor Theo Timothy Telesphore (Mayor TTT) for short, the town is in pretty good shape, with some new paths, a fountain, a forested area, a water well, a campground, and a soon-to-be-lighthouse.

So, the purpose of this post is an introduction to my wonderful little town of Narnia, and specifically, to my villagers.

Sit tight and enjoy, folks.

 

This is Mayor TTT. I've set the game to Springtime, because I prefer to start in the first season of the year.

Presenting, my humble villagers!

 

I love Bunnie. I had her in the first AC, and now I have her again. Awesome nostalgia.

Limberg is right. I practically live on the island these days.

 I love Lyman. My headcanon is, he's Australian. Also, he's super-friendly. Definitely a favourite.

 Bow before Chief. By a mile, my favourite villager. He's adorable beyond belief and so charming.

 Again, I've had Dotty before, so it was great to have her again. I always thought she was adorable.

 Aurora moved out a while ago, but she was one of my starting villagers. Awesome to see her on Main Street every now and again.

My favourite villagers are eagles and wolves, so when I started out with Amelia, I couldn't have been any happier. She's quite uptight, but I love her all the same.

 Ribbot is awesome. Who could dislike a robot frog? Plus, he calls me beefcake. What a winner.

 Keaton is my second favourite after Chief. He's endearingly awkward, but I just love them blue feathers. What a cutie.

 Bam is just handsome. He only moved in a few days ago, and he's already risen up to near the top. His antlers are adorable, as are his freckles. Hopefully he stays for a long time to come!

To finish up, here's me with my two bros, Keaton and Chief!

Hope you found that view into my village at least somewhat interesting. I'm going to talk mainly about public works projects in my next post, and hopefully share with you some details of what's been going on in town! 

Thanks for reading!

-BarrysGold 

Pyro-Puppies and Fiendish Foxes

Happy Sunday, folks. I hope you all have purchased your turnips and plan to spend the evening watching the Fireworks Show.

Isabelle must be a little puppy-pyromaniac. Consider how at every public works opening ceremony she supplies the whole town with party poppers. During the Fireworks Festival she will happily supply you with a fountain firework if none exist in your inventory. It's suggested that she is knowledgeable about pyrotechnics by the way she can create custom fireworks that are illegal in my IRL state of California. Not only does she manufacture explosives but she also doesn't mind producing fireworks in the shape of a dick. She happily accepted my phallic-inspired design last week and my town was subjected to a lewd display of a man's junk in the skies of Arlen. Sure, I was responsible for submitting the design in the first place but it was Isabelle's responsibility keep the innocents of my town protected from any inappropriate images. Also, I'm beginning to believe that she is working with Crazy Redd on the black market. I'm growing suspicious of the way she spends her Sundays standing beside him in the Plaza. Redd is bad news. She knows better than to do business with the likes of him.

Crazy Redd appears in the Plaza on the days of a Firework shows. Like the Shinto festivals that occur frequently in Japan, Redd sits inside a small stand adorned with Christmas lights. He uses his infamously sketchy business practices to distribute cookies, similar to those of the Nooklings, which are more than likely filled with dud tickets. If you are lucky enough to avoid winning the loosing prize of a sparkler, you might find yourself with some interesting objects. The list includes toys that have been long forgotten by the world. Nintendo's Ten Billion Barrel makes a pathetic appearance as the winnings of the "Whiz" ticket. These silly toys predated the early video games that made Nintendo a household name. For a list of all of Redd's prizes, visit this link to the Animal Crossing Wiki.

I believe the only object one should consider wasting multiple 500 Bell cookies on is the Lovely Phone. I personally dislike the Lovely series because it appears gaudy and overly feminine to me. The Lovely Phone is the only worthwhile piece of the entire mediocre set. This item allows a villager to call a psychic hotline informing them on their day's fortune and lucky item. Like with Katrina who appears once a week with her mystic predictions, the phone gives daily advice to the player. Sometimes your lucky item is vague, like the day I was instructed to wear a "tank" and gladly wore one of my dozens of trendy tanks (I'm addicted to fashion in this game, I'm ashamed to admit. I plan to do a LONG post about it in the future) while other fortunes expect you to find a specific item like "basic bottoms."

I hope that Nintendo continues the Fireworks shows in future games but with a goal of evolving the event from just a show to that of a real Japanese festival. With more stalls lining the Plaza, villagers can expect to experience new mini games and furniture. Stands selling special items would really be enjoyable for any player to experience. The festivals will also do well among those who actually attend spring cherry blossom festivals in Japan where the game is originally developed.

As mayor, I wonder how our cheap little town can afford to run a professional fireworks show from 7pm to 12am. I imagine it gets expensive. 

Yes, that's a penis. and I'm standing on top of a fountain firework. Isabelle seems to care very little about my inevitable burns.

Animal Crossing: Capitalist Propaganda?

Animal Crossing: New Leaf is the newest adventure in the Animal Crossing series that I find myself addicted to. Since Wild World I've been hooked on these silly games in which the main objective is to furnish a pretty house and make friends with neighbors. I intend to update this blog frequently with news, tips, and screenshots of this game.

----

Capitalism, for those who are unfamiliar with this theory of world politics, occurs when the population is encouraged to consume material goods and continue the growth of the economy by purchasing more goods after disposing of the old. While my personal views on capitalism might differ from most Americans, I'm not really going to continue to to subject you, my readers, to any more of my criticisms of national politics... most of the time.

I mostly want to introduce myself and my town of Arlen. Inspired by the Mike Judge series, King of the Hill, Mayor Loli works her best to plan a flourishing town with public works projects and horticulture. My town is populated by many villagers including my husband, Mr. Big, and my brother, Nixon. There is also a villager who, unbeknownst to the town of Arlen, is a mass murderer.

I hope you readers benefit from this silly blog. I hope to include more contributers who share my passion for Animal Crossing. Please email me at allysaarmstrong@gmail.com if you are interested in reporting for The New Leaf Tribune. 

I've always had a large fascination with Egypt. I'm so glad my villagers do too. They requested a pyramid and a Sphinx!