Confessions of a Dodo Airline Worker

May 4, 2020 Jamey Alea 1 Comment

This is a piece of fiction written from the perspective of Orville, the dodo who works at the airport desk in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Orville never leaves the 24-hour airport, but he sees me often as I jetset to my friends’ islands—and he sees the strange parade of my colorfully-dressed friends as they fly in to visit me. Being able to hang out with friends virtually is a comfort for me and many others during this trying time and has contributed to the major phenomenon that New Horizons has become. It occurred to me that Orville and the other denizens of the Animal Crossing world aren’t burdened by the same real-world troubles as we are, but they’re still witnessing the way they’ve affected the parts of the game I value.

You know, when I went into the airline industry, I thought it was my calling. There was something that felt so poetic about it. Dodo Airlines. My chance… my first chance… to get up in the air and see what the ground looks like from up in the sky. I thought I would be a pilot. I thought maybe I was born to be a pilot.

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You can read the rest of the story at Sidequest! I’m proud of this little piece of fiction. We normally don’t do a lot of fiction at Sidequest, but being able to tell this story in this format meant something to me. It’s a bit of a love letter to my favorite character, as well as a tribute to the ways Animal Crossing has helped me during a tough time. I hope it will mean something to other people too!