Being so absorbed in the latest installation in the Animal Crossing series, the game has been on my mind. I've been working on an essay that may or may not be posted, but in the meantime, here is a short anecdote.
One of the most interesting encounters I've had in Animal Crossing involved a lion by the name of Mott in my City Folk town. Mott was a resident of Ecclesia when I moved in, and I took quickly to the big cat. We became fast friends, but in the days -- and eventually weeks -- that I had been living there, I had never seen the inside of Mott's house. My curiosity grew, but I could never seem to catch Mott while he was inside. I played at all hours of the day, but he was always out running around, fishing pole in paw.
Then one day, out of the blue, the incredible happened: Mott invited me to his "pad." He was the first animal to do so, making the occasion even more momentous. As the time approached, I paced outside, trying to picture what kind of house such a cool guy would have. Modern furniture? Maybe a Robo theme?
I knocked. The door opened.
I stood in that house for what must have been a full minute, staring. Paralyzed by incredulity. Mott, at the time my coolest animal neighbor and best non-human friend, was living... in a bathroom. Bath Tile, Bathhouse Wall, not one but TWO washbasins, a shower, and a steaming, blue bathtub right in the middle of it all. He even had a bucket.
Needless to say, I got the hell out of there.
I still talk to Mott when I see him around, but things have changed between us. I can't even look at him anymore without shuddering and thinking, "where does he sleep?"
