Animal Crossing: New Horizons sees a revival in its popularity thanks to the newly released free update alongside the paid DLC, Happy Home Paradise. While Nintendo announced that the latest update would be the game's last, this is not what is currently driving the conversation within the Animal Crossing community. Instead, some fans are talking about two characters in the game, Flick, and CJ.
It is worth remembering that speculation on the nature of Flick and CJ's relationship has been going on ever since Animal Crossing: New Horizons' release last year. The community believes that Flick and CJ are more than just roommates and business partners, as Nintendo describes their relationship. However, with Happy Home Paradise bringing players back to the game, the speculation about Flick and CJ continues to gain traction.
Who are Flick and CJ?
For the uninitiated, Flick and CJ are special characters that first appeared in Animal Crossing: New Horizons before being added to the mobile game Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. In New Horizons, Flick is introduced as a bug enthusiast who replaces Nat as the host of the Bug Off competition. Additionally, Flick can sometimes be seen in the Deserted Islands collecting insect specimens.
On the other hand, CJ visits the players' island as the host of the Fishing Tourney. Similar to Flick, CJ can also be seen wandering around the Deserted Island to seek out potential fishing talent to be featured in his live streams. Unsurprisingly, Nintendo refers to Flick and CJ as merely roommates and business partners. However, since the release of Animal Crossing: New Horzons' Happy Home Paradise DLC, players have noticed several things suggesting that there is more to Flick and CJ's relationship.
Explaining the Speculation About Flick and CJ's Relationship
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Happy Home Paradise DLC, players are tasked with building dream vacations for the villagers. Once players progress enough, they can then assign two villagers to become roommates and live together. However, this rule does not apply to Flick and CJ, which fuels the speculation that they may be more than just friends. As spotted by Twitter user Jackdaw, whenever a player builds a vacation home for either Flick or CJ, the other would automatically move in, even if the player doesn't officially assign them as roommates.
Additionally, some pieces of dialogue also suggest that there's more to Flick and Cj than Nintendo's official canon. For example, CJ will occasionally offer relationship advice, and his wisdom on love makes it appear that he is rather experienced for someone who is single. On the other hand, Flick's father Nat reveals that he is happy with the relationship between Flick and CJ, and it doesn't sound like he is referring to them being roommates or business partners.
Players should also notice that when talking to either CJ or Flick, they would always mention the other, like how CJ would love the new house, and vice versa. They would also express excitement upon learning that both of them could move into the vacation home together.
In the end, it remains to be seen how Nintendo will approach this growing speculation between Flick and CJ. However, CJ and Flick will likely continue to be roommates and business partners in Nintendo's book, especially since there is no romance mechanic in the game. While it would be nice for Nintendo to confirm the obvious, fans have already decided what CJ and Flick mean to them, which is actually a good thing. Animal Crossing has always thrived on allowing players to interpret things and make stories about the game and its villagers the way they want them to be.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is out now exclusively on Nintendo Switch.