Verastra

Population: 13 and growingTown Fruit: OrangeGrass Pattern: CircleTown Tune: "Before Our Spring" by JonghyunTown Ordinance: Beautiful Town

A small town shaped by a young woman's sentiments for her villagers and a perennial desire for spring to bloom.

Birthdate: April 10, 1992Sign: ♈️Height: 5’5”Family: Father (English professor at her local university), mother (florist), older half-sister, Dahlia (same father, 9 years older, biracial; activist/in politics; on the other side of the country)Occupation: mayor of VerastraEducation: BA in English Literature; Minor in BotanyExperience: worked part-time in her family’s floral shop since high school, library assistant in college, active in local politics in her home cityHobbies: recently got into crocheting and knitting!Strengths: down-to-Earth, not presumptuous, intuitive/clever, doesn’t seek glory/pride/strength, thoughtful/considerateWeakness: Slight complacency? She doesn’t outright doubt herself in the way Vale might if she were to not meet expectations, but she has conceptions of herself like being unsure if she’s the “scholarly type.” Envy for people who can create.Needs: Purpose, drive, passion. Wants to make something for herself that’s unrelated to her parents. Wants to know who she is beyond her upbringing.Ability: Plant-related, which has been inherited from her mother’s side of the family. Since becoming mayor, flowers have bloomed lining paths throughout town. Her fondness for others is subconsciously expressed by the flowers around their houses. (Or in the case of Pietro, who she is terrified of, a bunch of durian and lemon trees obscuring his house from sight…)Health: Mild allergic reaction to bee stingsOther characteristics: Has a childhood fear of clowns.Favorite Villagers: Nan, Walker, Frobert

Arden graduated from a local university, but still wasn’t sure what she wanted to do as a job. So, she worked at her mother’s florist shop, while occasionally working as a substitute teacher. Just as she was settling into this post-college life, her girlfriend of 1 ½ years brought up the idea of studying abroad. The discussion led to not only an agreement to continue a long-distance relationship until Vale graduated, but that Arden hasn’t really experienced life outside of her home city, nor does she really know what she wants to do for herself. She has always had a good relationship with her family, but she never really imagined herself doing something different from what her parents do.

So, with some encouragement from Vale and blessings from her parents, Arden moved to a small town, Verastra. It’s quite a ways away from the city. She came with the goal of getting a small place to live in, and maybe start with a job at the museum (or, whatever was available). Little did she know she was going to become the new mayor of the town…

Effort will never be in vain...

Birthdate: February 27. 1989 Sign: ♓Height: 6'1"Family: Father (no longer in contact), Mother (no longer in contact), younger sister, Eva (separated from each other in their childhood, lost contact; six years apart in age); a couple of foster familiesOccupation: Part-time assistant at the Verastra museum; part-time reviewer/journalistEducation: BA in JournalismExperience: Journalist in his previous hometown, local music/entertainment reviewerHobbies: has found out he’s really good at fishing despite never doing it before, listening to new musicStrengths: articulate, reliable, resilient. Calm and clear-headed, well known by his peers for his quiet demeanor and academic excellence. Sharp memoryWeaknesses: very much reserved to the point of coming across as cold. Uncomfortable with any kind of physical touch, and may react in a negative manner without meaning it personally. Puts up walls, hesitant on trusting others, rarely talks about himself outside of what is pertinent for work. A pushover.Needs: Healing. Encouragement. Honesty.Ability: Dream-walking. Unlike other residents in Verastra, something interesting happens when Aiden goes to the Dream Suite. He not only can visit other dream towns, but he ends up visiting fragments of his past. After seeing Eva in one dream town, he desperately tries to search for her whenever he goes from then on.Health: PTSD, OCD, depression. Can have panic attacks. Mild myopia (nearsightedness) with trace astigmatism.Other characteristics: Scar on his left leg. Doesn’t like talking about it, but possibly was from his father. Has a smoking habit despite knowing how bad it is for him and attempting to quit several times. Learned to play guitar from his college friends.Favorite Villagers: Walker, Canberra, Nan

Aiden had a rough childhood: He lived with his family in the Pacific Northwest until his parents’ divorce, when he was thirteen and Eva was seven. Up until that point, he endured the emotional and physical abuse from his parents, mostly from his father, while protecting his sister from his actions as much as possible. He witnessed his father beating up his mother prior to the divorce, and was punished for it when they noticed him. Soon after the divorce papers were done, Aiden’s mother left to live on the East Coast with her relatives, taking Eva with her. He doesn’t know why she didn’t take him with her.

He spent another one-and-a-half years stuck under a roof with his father, until one of his teachers took notice of warning signs with Aiden, and got involved. Child services handed him over to foster care, while Aiden’s father was charged with several cases — not only abuse, but with illegal drug possession. Aiden managed to get into college in another state, putting in the work to get a full-ride scholarship. He managed to make a few friends, most of them musicians, who even after graduation, he tries to promote when he can. There’s something about him that makes him seem so calm and… He smiles but it doesn’t ever really reach his eyes. Like he seems somewhat hopeful but gets disappointed.

Ever since the divorce, Aiden tried to write letters to his sister, but they were intercepted by their mother at some point. Eventually he stopped sending letters but continues to write them, though sometimes incomplete.

After graduating, he landed a journalist position at a local paper. He ends up meeting a mysterious lady, Maya, and her shiba inu roommate, Zelda. He also doesn’t like talking about Maya, but something happened to her that led to him and Zelda counting on each other in her sudden absence. Zelda has her own past, having been rescued by Maya…

Not long after Maya’s disappearance, Aiden’s mental health took a heavy dive, possibility due to feeling abandoned again. His friend, Audrey, tried to help him, but it put a heavy strain on their relationship. After a stint landing him in the hospital, Audrey and Zelda tried their best to support Aiden. Embarrassed and ashamed, Aiden heavily considered moving somewhere new. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere where he can’t hurt anyone else. After regaining his health and reassuring that he was stabilized, Aiden looked into relocating. He almost left without a word, but after visiting Verastra… he decided to let his friends know, and gained their support.

Now that he is in Verastra, he assists Blathers in finding new pieces and specimens for the museum, as well as promoting the new additions. Strangely, he has found himself befriending Canberra right away, noticing how many shared interests they have.

Birthdate: he doesn't rememberAge: early to mid-twenties?Sign: ♉️Height: 5’7”Family: (what family)Occupation: landscaperEducation: high school dropout (junior year), eventually received his GEDExperience: military veteran, honorably dischargedHobbies: camping, gardening, playing games of any sortStrengths: good with working with his hands, hard laborWeakness: literacy, articulationNeeds: Purpose. Friendship. Understanding.Health: Tritanopia (acquired blue-yellow colorblindness) secondary to severe head trauma during active duty. Tends to also experience headaches, fatigue, and memory problems. May experience seizures. He doesn’t remember anything about his past that happened before the incident. PTSD.Ability: Has a bunch of random proficiencies. Is a sharp shooter (hence, the slingshot). Apparently has a green thumbOther characteristics: Gets seasick easily, and thus avoids sailing. Doesn't like/isn't good with children. writes without punctuation and in all lowercaseFavorite Villagers: Pietro, Friga, WalkerPeople Simon is afraid of: Tom Nook, Aiden, Redd, Katrina, Gracie, Zipper T. Bunny, Blanca

Simon is a young, homeless veteran who has been wandering from town to town not long after being discharged from the hospital. He’s been on the streets and traveling around for almost a year. He’s experienced adversity, but holds onto the kindness he receives.

Upon coming to Verastra, Simon thought that he could just camp out for a few months before moving on. But due to some misunderstandings with the town hall and Tom Nook, he finds himself with a tent (which he was looking for) and an outstanding down payment of 10,000 bells. Afraid of not being able to ever afford that much (and of possibly being taken advantage of in his confusion and newness to Verastra), Simon never goes near Nook’s Homes again and decides to live in a tent until he can figure out what the town is like, if he can make enough to live, and if he can be somewhat accepted by the people.

After being found shaking trees, picking fruit, and rearranging some of the flowers around the town to match what’s already been laid down, Mayor Arden asks him if he would like a job while he stays in town. She asks Leif of the gardening store to help and teach Simon about landscaping, which ends up becoming something he enjoys and expresses himself through.

We all have our own brand of strength.

Birthdate: September 15, 1994Sign: ♍️Height: 5'10"Family: Mother (neurologist), Father (lawyer); neither are very strict nor demanding, but their pride in their daughter has made her concerned about people's expectations of herOccupation: Postgraduate studentEducation: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, currently working on a Masters degreeExperience: Has participated in many science-related extracurricular activites since K-12, including joining the robotics team in undergrad.Hobbies: riding and maintaining her motorcycle and car; coffee cupping, wine tastingStrengths: extremely competent, goal-orientedWeakness: stress, high-strung, insatiable, somewhat of a lone wolfNeeds: A sense of calm, perhaps companionship. Somebody will will view her beyond her bloated super-image.Ability: Eidetic memory.Health: Latent hyperope (farsighted); either wears glasses or contacts. Other characteristics: Left-handed. Very clean-cut and a sharp dresser. Her hyper-competence distances her from others. When she cannot meet her "Superwoman" expectations, she becomes vulnerable. It takes a lot to break her, but it's difficult for her to recover. Issue of self-perception vs. public perception: She may come off strong, but actually has trouble distinguishing herself from her public image sometimes. Dislikes being referred to as "girl".Favorite Villagers: Tiffany, Wolfgang, Canberra

Vale met Arden when she passed by the local coffee shop adjacent to their respective schools. Initially, she thought she could read her easily and attempted to impress her with reciting Shakespeare after noticing the flowers Arden had in her basket pertaining to those mentioned in the English writer's works, but she wasn't so easily wooed. Thus, Vale found herself curious about this young lady who she shallowly stereotyped and wanted to learn more about her. She was rather lucky that Arden found herself interested in her, too.

After a year of dating and Arden graduating from the liberal arts college, Vale was interested in a study abroad program for her penultimate year towards her masters program. It meant being away from her partner, but it was something she wanted to pursue. After carefully discussing it with her, they decided a few things together: that Vale would go through with the study abroad program, Arden would move out to a new town to try something new, and that they would continue their relationship and support each other.

Vale gets the chance to visit the town during school breaks. She's proud of Arden, but very much intrigued to see what she's done as a new mayor.