‘Strikes and gutters, ups and downs…’
Wise words. Wise words indeed.
By the end of The Big Lebowski, when the wisdom of The Dude has washed over you, it’s hard to imagine finding anyone to compare to his high (high in more way than one, you understand) philosophies. *Sam Eliot voice* And yet I believe there is. Somewhere among the grand plains of the Animal Crossing vista, there’s a man (ok, animal) who can take up his mantle.
And this individual is none other than the philosopher Pascal, the chilled otter guy who makes his first appearance in Animal Crossing: Wild World (no, not the more notable human philosopher Blaise Pascal, who this fellow was likely named after). Arguably, Sam Eliot could make a pretty accurate comparison with K.K. Slider, but that pooch’s already been analysed in a previous post, so that’s that.
On first appearance, Pascal is no ordinary otter. His red tinge and yellow muzzle don’t exactly meet with the general expectations of the wider crowd. Then again, the Dude doesn’t meet with these expectations either. Not all men go on Odyssean journeys in pursuit of compensation for their besmirched domestic goods. The Dude is one such man.
For those not in the know, Pascal is awfully fond of the occasional scallop, much as our Dude is partial to the occasional White Russian. Not in excess, though. If you happen to find a scallop on your travels, Pascal will only be willing to receive one per day and reward you for your efforts. Just like The Dude only has one white Russian, although perhaps he may have partook of this beverage more liberally had the first one not been drugged. We’ll never know.
But at the end of the day, Pascal’s a cool guy. If you don’t want to give him the scallop and gain your prize, he won’t be angry, he’ll be cool and accepting. Remember, this ain’t Resseti we’re talking about here (personally, I think this particular angry mole and his insufferable rages bear a marked resemblance to Alex Jones; however, since winter draws on and time is limited, there may not be time for an in-depth discussion of those two hotheads this year. Maybe next year, though). If you do take up the opportunity to gift the hungry mammal this most delicious of treats, he’ll regale you with some words of wisdom, and his teachings are numerous and insightful. Some Youtubers have even undertaken the admirable task of recording his hundreds of sayings in a single video. Yet for the practical purposes of this post, there isn’t room to list them all. Here a few of my favourites though:
‘A glass is never half full or half empty. Maaan, it’s all full of itself!’
‘Life is just like a big clam. No, wait – that’s just what I want for dinner…Maaaaan…’
And, finally, a favourite from New Horizons, with a rare capitalisation that probably gives more Walter vibes than The Dude. Either way, it’s a nice random one:
‘Feel this…WHAAAAALES’
And on that note, goodbye. The Dude abides. As does Pascal.