Celebrating Diversity 2022: Villager Design Event

[Chris]

Animal Crossing Villager Design Event
June 19, 2022 - June 26, 2022​

The submission period for this event is now closed, but please continue to vote for your favourite entries.​

Welcome to our third Celebrating Diversity event! The Bell Tree has an extremely diverse community, and we began running this event a couple of years ago in order to recognise and celebrate our differences. We run this event in June to coincide with events that celebrate diversity in the real world: Juneteenth commemorates the end of African American slavery in the United States on June 19th 1865, June 21st is celebrated as National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada, and LGBT Pride is celebrated this month in commemoration of the Stonewall riots in late June 1969. We observe these dates to recognise the hardships people have endured in an effort to progress equal rights, to celebrate where we come from, and to help further promote inclusivity. Here on TBT, we like to provide a space where we can all celebrate our differences together.


Task

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Design an Animal Crossing villager that represents you, with an emphasis on celebrating diversity and promoting inclusivity. What makes you unique or celebrates where you come from? We want to see that represented! How you do that is up to your own interpretation, but make sure it's respectful and represents diversity as explained by this definition:

Diversity means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs or other ideologies.

Submit a drawing of your villager and complete the biography we have provided below. The submissions will be voted for by the community (by using reactions) and the top most-liked ones will receive an addition prize!

Biography Template:

Villager Name:
Villager Species:
Villager Personality: [Cranky/Jock/Lazy/Smug/Sisterly/Normal/Peppy/Snooty]
Villager Catchphrase:

How this villager represents me:

(You can add more categories to this if you would like!)


Rules

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• Include both your villager drawing and biography in a single post.
• Your villager personality must be one of the eight that already exist in-game.
  • We will not enforce gender-locking personalities. Your villager may be a female lazy type, a male peppy type, etc.
• You can create a new villager species if you would like.
• Once your entry has been submitted it cannot be edited.
• Please put effort into your submission. If we think your entry lacks effort or has been submitted as a joke it will be disqualified.
• Keep content suitable for a PG-13 audience. If it would breach our Rules & Guidelines then it's not suitable here.
• Entries that fail to meet the requirements will not be accepted.
• This should go without saying, but as this event is meant to celebrate diversity we expect everyone to be respectful. Any entry or comments that intend to mock, belittle, or insult anyone's race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religion will be immediately disqualified.

How to Submit

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Submit both your villager drawing and biography in a single post by June 26th 2022 at 11:59PM EDT.


How to Vote

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This event is entirely community-decided. The 6 most-liked entries will receive an additional prize on top of the participation prize.

To vote, simply leave a reaction on the post of any entry. You can use either the Like or Love reaction, they will be added together. Entries that are approved will be marked by the staff with the accepted reaction, but don't wait for this to appear. Feel free to Like/Love any entries at any time!


Prizes

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• Participation Prize: All entries will receive one balloon ticket to purchase one of the following four balloon collectibles in the Shop:

Red Balloon, Blue Balloon, Green Balloon, Orange Balloon​

• Community Winners: The top 6 entries will receive 600 forum bells each. In the event of ties the bell prize will be split between the winners.

 

[Croconaw]

Please disregard this, found it in the post.

 

[pochy]

please excuse the awful quality- t-t
Villager Name: rolo
Villager Species: isopod
Villager Personality: lazy
Villager Catchphrase: ‘just rolling under the radar’

How this villager represents me: rolo is an isopod with personality which she struggles to show. she has a thick shell, which she has painted over with the colours of a typical isopod in order to prevent embarrassment and being targeted. her design, specifically the xes and the dots are a reference to past injuries and the colors are a reference to confusing bi and asexuality. she likes sleeping and trying different types of cheap instant noodles in a mission to find the best.

 

[King koopa]

Villager Name: Lioness!
Villager Species: Lion
Villager Personality: Sisterly
Villager Catchphrase: Paw's n claws
How this villager represents me: Lions are basically my spirit animal, so of course I'd make a lion villager! Anyways, Like me, Lioness is known to be shy, especially around a huge group of people she doesn't know, but once she gets to know you, she'll immediately open up! Her shirt is a reference to her pride, as she is canonically bisexual, but hasn't came out yet due to fear of sexuality attacks from others, so she wears things like rainbow shirts, headgear, etc as as a subtle hint, until she's ready to fully come out! The coming out thing as also from my own experience as well, and like me, she loves mangoes! ❤
Little known fact about her: Unlike me however, Lioness is actually transgender! She was Born a male, but later transitioned to a female, but decided to keep her mane because she thinks it makes her stand out from the crowd!

 

[amemome]

Villager Name: Paya
Villager Species: Pig
Villager Personality: Sisterly
Villager Catchphrase: "Cool Beans, Kid!"

How this villager represents me:
Paya the purple pig is a sisterly villager who cares deeply about her friends, just like how I love and care for my friends and family. I chose a pig villager because though pigs may seem sloppy and unintelligent at first glance, they're actually really intelligent and clean. I also feel like people have prejudices about me at first glance but I'm pretty different if you get to know me. Paya carries around her laptop and stylus as she roams the island for a good spot under the tree to draw and code. I'm a woman in the STEM-field from a very liberal-arts-focused background. I represented my current field with the laptop and my previous field with the stylus (pencil). Paya's favorite T-shirt is one with a hibiscus. I chose to represent my Korean heritage with a hibiscus, the national flower of Korea. If you see Paya around, please say hi first! Just like me, she's a bit shy and is hoping someone else can initiate the conversation.

Trivia: Paya's name comes from "papaya" but I'm actually not a huge fan of the fruit.

 

[Moonlight.]

​

Villager Name: Luna
Villager Species: Cat
Villager Personality: Sisterly
Villager Catchphrase: stargazer

How this villager represents me: As both a huge cat person and whom identifies as bisexual, she ended up as a perfect match for me. Her eyes represent the pink on the bi flag (and to help show that I do prefer dating other women) while her cape is a subtle blue-purple from the flag. Purple and blue are my favorite colors as well. She also wears glasses like me, and has a love for both magic/space aesthetics (hence the star-covered cape) and science as well. Despite aligning herself with the sisterly personality, she, like me, also has pretty bad social anxiety and prefers being off by herself, but is pretty friendly once you get to know her!

 

[ZeldaCrossing64]

Villager Name: Nanuk
Villager Species: Cat
Villager Personality: Normal
Villager Catchphrase: 'Fishy'

How this villager represents me: Nanuk is very shy and tries to hide their true self, despite it being very obvious. They're also Indigenous, specifically Inuit. They lived in Northern Canada for their entire childhood until they decided to move to the South once they hit adulthood. At first, they feared discrimination from their sexual orientation, gender identity, and ethnicity. But Nanuk realized that if they surrounded themselves with good friends who accepted them for who they are, they wouldn't have to worry about that as much! Nanuk loves fish, and their favorites are salmon and arctic char. That also explains why their catchphrase is 'fishy'!

Origin: Nanuk was born with the markings on their ears and tail. At first, nobody knew what it meant and thought it was just some weird genetic mutation. They felt very self-conscious about it because they didn't know anyone else with the markings like they have. But as Nanuk got older, they realized that the markings represented LGBTQ pride, but they kept it a secret from their family. It was a huge relief to tell their friends about it once they reached the South. Nanuk is now very proud of their marking because it makes them unique!

Facts and Trivia!

-Their inner ears are orange because that color was used to represent the reconciliation for the Indigenous children that went through the residential schools back in the olden days.

-Nanuk is Inuktituk for 'polar bear'.

-The structure next to them is an Inukshuk, a traditional stone figure created as a form of communication amongst the Indigenous communities!

-Nanuk is very fluent in Inuktituk, seeing that it's their first language!​

 

[kiwikenobi]

Villager Name: Wiki
Villager Species: dog
Villager Personality: cranky
Villager Catchphrase: I think
How this villager represents me: She's introverted, but not shy. People often confuse the two. She prefers to stay at home reading or playing video games, not because she's afraid to join in other people's noisy fun, but because she finds that kind of thing tiring and just enjoys being alone most of the time. She's actually very confident around people, not shy at all. But being around other people too much makes her tired, and because of this, she sometimes comes across as "cranky."

 

[Croconaw]

Apologies in advance to the staff for writing a long biography, lol.
Disclaimer: I am a female. The villager representing me is a male.

Villager Name: Streak
Villager Species: Dog
Villager Personality: Cranky
Villager Catchphrase: “Maybe life ain’t that ruff?”​

How this villager represents me:
Let’s start off with the stigma surrounding pitbulls being dangerous dogs. I feel that the pitbull represents me perfectly. As someone that is openly gay and presents more masculine, I feel like that alone draws attention to myself and causes major assumptions to be made.

I also have BPD which causes me to sometimes push certain people away, painting myself in a bad light. Y’all are likely sick of my favorite person talk, but I did not treat her nicely when we first met. In fact, I treated her like garbage, I won’t lie. Even so, she remained very nice and persistent with wanting to befriend me. She hasn’t once argued back with me and has only been comforting. That helped me see that there are people who won’t make you feel worthless. You just have to let yourself meet them.

He wears a plain black shirt to show that not everything is black and white. He has a lightning bolt birthmark on his forehead which represents that despite all of the hardships and the bullying he has faced in the past, he comes back stronger than ever. Also, Blue Streak was a nickname given to me by my favorite person. I think the lightning strike commemorates that.

So, who am I really? I love sports and traveling. I’m damn good at playing sports video games. My playlist is 90% country music. I am also quite extroverted, but you would never guess that looking at me. I can guarantee that.

 

[jadetine]

​

Villager Name: Brioche
Villager Species: Capybara
Villager Personality: Normal
Villager Catchphrase: Cozy?

How this villager represents me:
Brioche is big-hearted Capybara who loves baked goods, warm drinks, and young-adult books.
She is happy to host, will share her very last sunflower seed, and is motivated by helping others and making them comfortable (hence the café-uniform dress and catchphrase).
Her squinty little eyes can't see very far; and having poor vision means she's easily spooked and clumsy; for this reason, she does not like clutter or jump-scares or pranks.
Her yard is full of dandelions (like the one pinned behind her ear) because she can't seem to grow anything proper.
Her head is too large for hats, but she has come to love herself and her loaf-like shape.
Her kids seem to have stolen her glasses again.

 

[Sharksheep]

I look forward to seeing the entries.

 

[NebulaNights]

Villager Name: Hope
Villager Species: Cat
Villager Personality: Peppy
Villager Catchphrase: Sweet

How this villager represents me: This is Hope. I never told anyone this, but I have somewhat mild ADHD. I think if I remember correctly, I was diagnosed at a young age with it, but it has gotten worse over the last few years as I have aged. I’m very forgetful and have a hard time staying focused and making decisions. I change my mind so much and Hope does the same exact thing. Everyday is a wild roller coaster for Hope as she tries her best to figure out what to do. She’s also really active and is a night owl as well. One thing in common for both her and me is that we both are trying our best to learn to live with this disorder and not have it control our lives and our decisions.

I hope I did this right. I’ve never participated in this kind of event.

 

[.: Meri :.]

Villager Name: Statice
Villager Species: Rabbit
Villager Personality: Normal
Villager Catchphrase: "if you don't mind"
Home request: An art studio full of antiques
Skill: Remembering trivia about fictional characters
Goal: Novelist
Picture quote: "Remember to take care of yourself, so that you can take care of others."

How this villager represents me: The colors of Statice's suit are meant to reflect the colors of the asexual and demisexual pride flags, with the gold buttons tying the colors into the nonbinary pride flag as well. Like me, Statice is nearsighted and needs to wear glasses to correct their vision. Their eyes and inner ears are green to represent mental health awareness, as I'm someone who struggles with anxiety and depression. Statice is a shy individual (and hopeless romantic) who loves nothing more than a good story. They also tend to be a bit of a homebody, and are easily spooked or unsettled.​

 

[daisyy]

Villager Name: mimi
Villager Species: rabbit
Villager Personality: snooty
Villager Catchphrase: do re mi

How this villager represents me:
mimi is a small-town rabbit that's been travelling the world with her sister in hopes of realizing her dream, to become a successful pop-punk musical duo.
mimi loves to write songs about love, friendship, and positivity.
mimi adores fashion and has gracie's on speed-dial! she has a big shoes and accessories collection.
mimi loves and respects all her fans regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religion.

 

[Firesquids]

Villager Name: Licorice
Villager Species: Bat
Villager Personality: Snooty
Villager Catchphrase: "Eeek!"
Favorite Song: K.K. Swing
Picture quote: "And I'm the only bat in this belfry?"

How this villager represents me:
Licorice may seem intimidating when you first meet her, but underneath her exterior of purple hair, black eyeliner, and pointy protruding fangs, lies a heart of pure gold. She grew up being mocked for her unique features, and as such struggles with her body image and self esteem. She has a hard time with loud noises and bright lights, and can easily become overstimulated when there's a lot going on. Most days she would prefer to stay inside alone when the town is crowded with other villagers having fun. Despite this, she still longs to make real connections and share her art and the things she enjoys with others. She's working hard to reach out others and learning to love herself one day at a time.

 

[digimon]

villager name: sixir (translates to magic)

villager species: cat

villager personality: peppy

villager catchphrase: make a wish!

how this villager represents me:
i have always loved and adored black cats however, my family hates/dislike black cats. their rationale follows the age old belief that black cats are unlucky (with a sprinkle of the religious belief that black animals are actually the devil taking form and parading around our world) i don't get into the religious aspect of it with them, but there's a lot of layers to unpack in their dislike for the cute critters. i've asked a relative what kind of cats they do like and their reply? "well, white. it's just so beautiful and pure."

a big part of it boils down to the colonial mindset that "black" and "dark" are things that are undesirable and evil. this has always made me so sad that even animals fall prey to such dangerous stereotypes. this bleeds into my experience as someone who is black, who has been told angrily growing up "stay out of the sun so you don't get dark and ugly!" i don't want to get too into this here on tbt, but my wish to be free of feeling inadequate because of the colour of skin i was born with is something sixir the black cat will always be free from!

as for the magical girl concept, i've been a fan of the genre before i even knew what it was. the amount of time i spent day dreaming about being able to fly or to solve my problems with the power of love is endless. sixir is free to spend all day doing the things she enjoys doing

 

[lieryl]

villager name: nin
villager species: cat
villager personality: lazy
villager catchphrase: "no worries"

how this villager represents me: i also wish to hide my face in a paper bag sometimes, especially when i had moved from my home in a bustling vietnamese community to a place where there were barely any other poc around. i had a weird time coping with the fact that i was just different. it was the first time i had gotten that feeling that i just did not belong. i didn’t live in a nice house and i didn’t look like the people around me. ive gotten over it now that i’m older, but a part of me still thinks it would be easier to be like nin. a little blobby being who can just casually wear paper bags as headwear out and about. ive romanticized the idea of people not knowing anything about me, that they wouldn’t be able to judge what they can’t see. i would probably have no worries if that were the case.

 

[-Mars-]

First of all thank you so much staff for taking time to have this event!
And thank you TBT forums for being a safe place for everyone no matter how different we are to have fun talking about, trading on and playing on and making new friends on animal crossing

Villager Name: Travis
Villager Species: Polar Bear
Villager Personality: Sisterly
Villager Catchphrase: Sunset

How this villager represents me: Travis is an Agender polar bear who feels most comfortable presenting androgynous/masculine I have chosen a bear to represent me because I feel like I relate to bears most
Bears can be dangerous animals but really they are only when they need to be and they just mind their own business and bears are also seen as cute fluffy animals

I feel like I relate to this because I have been told by people who do not know me(well) that I "seem scary" and " am always in a bad mood" and "am too serious to smile". I can be blunt, stubborn and I have horrible social anxiety which unfortunately makes me isolate myself from people these traits turn people away and not allow people to see what I'm like when you get to know me better
I act like this because of the life I grew up in I need to toughen up sometimes
I have been told by those who actually know me that I am a very sweet loving empathetic person and the last thing I ever want to do is hurt a human being
so I relate to bears in a sense I might seem stern and aloof but I'm just a big softie
bears seem scary but they are still fluffy

In particular why I chose a polar bear is because it references my love of the cold and feeling most comfortable when its freezing
a polar bear actually has translucent fur but when light shines on it it appears white and white is my favorite color

I already wrote about some of my personality above but I chose my villager that represents me to be sisterly as it's the personality in animal crossing I think seems most like me the sisterlys are tough on the outside but are caring friends when they finally open up to you.

The Black athletic jacket just seems like a clothing item I'd wear if I were a villager and there is AroAce Pride heart on Travis's sleeve which is a reference to "I wear my heart on my sleeve" I'm a very emotional person, his catchphrase "sunset" is a reference to the AroAce pride flag which the orange yellow white light blue dark blue striped one is also known as the "sunset Aroace flag"
I added green glasses because I wear glasses irl(but not green ones) and the green color is added so now he uses the color palette of both the Agender and aromantic flags which I both identify which, he wears a black ring on his middle finger which is a symbol of asexuality which I identify as too.
Sorry for the five paragraph essay guys I got really excited about this

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

Villager Name: Reverie
Villager Species: Koala
Villager Personality: Lazy
Villager Catchphrase: Ope
Favorite Snack: Chocolate Chip Cookies

How this villager represents me: My koala Reverie is much like me; she is shy, and loves to create things. She is introverted. She loves to get lost in imaginary worlds while she listens to some chill music. She is classified as Lazy, and she can be, but really she's just a perfectionist! She definitely loves to snack.

The word Reverie is defined as a "state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream." I have always found myself getting lost in daydreams, especially in social situations. I have social anxiety and have always felt out of place, no matter where I am. Sometimes I am mistaken for being lazy or rude, when the truth is my anxiety can paralyse me, or even make me react in an impolite way. Due to my social anxiety, I find that daydreaming and making art is a great escape for me; a way to cope. I think daydreaming has made me a better artist, though I hope one day to tackle my social anxiety!

 

[Chrysopal]

Villager Name: Mimi
Villager Species: Alpaca
Villager Personality: Sisterly
Villager Catchphrase: "Boop"

How this villager represents me: I am the black alpaca who can recognize another black alpaca from any Island. Being friendly and loving to all is the one strategy I use to show anyone's soft side. Although, she has darkness among her background, she will shine through every shadow. Her pearls were a gift from former resident of the island who has long moved on. She dreams that one day every resident can love one another like a caring family. Until then we will be friendly to all.

This was fun- and my first drawing of anything Animal Crossing. Thank you!