My Second Island on Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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A picture of myself in front of my house and Maple asleep on a chair behind me.

While my younger sibling borrowed my OG Switch for a few months, I just had to resume my Animal Crossing: New Horizons play through another way. ACNH was still a new game, there was a lot to discover, and since we're stuck in a pandemic, it didn't make sense why I shouldn't be able to play after paying the full "Nintendo" price for it. The irony is I had to spend for a Nintendo Switch Lite. How logical. But I scored one away from the scalpers. A Switch  Lite was an expensive workaround, but I didn't want to miss out and I can afford the new hardware.

I named my second island Bethsaida. My naming sequence follows the letters of the alphabet: Alderman is first, and now Bethsaida is second. I wasn't sharing this island, so the map was my own canvas. Bethsaida is an urban island village with a couple of market districts, an infinity pool, and an elevated green house. There are three types of residential zones: a strip of beachfront villas, a ground-level village, and a cliff-side village. I've been designing it similar to a Japanese urban setting, but there is still much work to be done.

I knew about terraforming on ACNH, but since I stopped playing the prior New Leaf early on after 2012, I didn't get the chance of fencing districts there using bushes and bamboos. Frankly, I've never planted a bamboo sprout. I sought out for bamboo sprouts first which I thought were rare, and so I asked my work colleague for bamboo sprouts; she said that she could give me some, and I flew over to her island. An unfamiliar villager in her island caught my attention -- where I realized a harrowing and gratifying truth. She had a villager named Audie.

I haven't touched AC Pocket Camp at all (since I want to stay true to the AC console titles) and I've only discovered then that there are entirely new villagers to watch out for. I lost sleep thinking about who I should meet. And then I realized that I've already placed my three starter plots and I was also without any Nook Miles tickets. Lessons were learned and that is for another story. 

Meanwhile, here are my three favourite villagers of Bethsaida AND NOT arranged in particular order:

3. Apollo 

Apollo is my very first crank on ACPG. When I stumbled upon him on my first Nook Miles Ticket, I knew that it was fate to snatch him immediately. It was time to relive that 2007 experience once more. Apollo was also my first hint that villagers had different personalities, because he had a distinct deep voice unlike the others. I clearly remember my neighbors Apollo, Olivia (look out!) and Hamza, and I'll never forget them.

A picture of Apollo and I meeting on an island tour.
Apollo, you'll be in charge of the security detail on Bethsaida.

Maple and I visiting Apollo's house.
A sleepover.

2. Maple

Maple, Maple, Maple... who doesn't love Maple? She's a cute teddy bear (even though there's a Teddy the bear villager). Maple will always be my number one cub villager. NOT Judy. Sorry, not sorry. She's my friendly neighbor who always gives me presents and is always worried when I'm away for long times due to the dread and busy-ness of university work. 

A picture of Maple and myself in the rain.
Like Vesta, Maple always makes me smile when she's walking around with her tiny feet.

Maple and I in the museum and she's asking if everything is ok?
I felt this as I was gone due to the December final exams period, then back in February.

Maple sitting on a cushion while reading a book.
The toe beans!

1. Skye

I didn't know anything about Skye as she's one of those who claimed my three starter plots. Now, she's among the villagers that introduced something special to me similarly to how my ACPG neighbors taught me about the game. I love the name 'Sky', and I didn't think that I'd be spending my time in Bethsaida with a special villager. Skye is the only 'uchi' or normal wolf villager and I think that she is funny too. And she always sings. 

Skye and I chatting in her house about how a top hat reminds her of me.
A special and permanent villager of Bethsaida.

Skye and I relaxing in my market district.
It's always a relaxing time with Skye.

Skye telling me about reading Civil Engineering for Beginners.
I find her surprised eyes funny and out of place.

Special Mention: Diana

There's something sophisticated about Diana -- perhaps she does remind me of royalty. Only a few snooty villagers make my cut, and fortunately she visited my camp one day and it was perfect. Note that Diana is also the only snooty deer villager. Personality-wise, Diana isn't bad at all, and I consider her character and design somewhat unique among the Bethsaida villagers.

Meeting Diana in the campsite.
My first time meeting Diana.

Diana reading beside the river.
Exhausted at work, I HONESTLY wanted to drive so I could read beside the river in RL.

Here is a bunch of screenshots from Bethsaida. At the time of writing this, I only have 185 hours of ACNH playtime, so I don't call myself hardcore -- but whatever. There's still a lot of things to work on in Bethsaida.

A picture of Skye, Apollo and I sitting on the plaza.
I'm weird but don't leave.

Skye and I... oh and Raymond.

Maddie and Maple sunbathing.
More toe beans I guess.


THE HARVEST GAMER
Sam1, a portmanteau for someone, is an aspiring novelist in the romance, comedy, and horror genre. He is a university graduate with a degree in Business Administration and Applied Computer Science. He is an indie game-developer on itch.io and also an avid gamer. He currently works as an Exams and Adaptive Technology Coordinator.

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