The Pant Devil: Malicious Fiend, or Helpful Friend?

Is the Pant Devil good?

Or, is the Pant Devil evil?

Now, I assume you all must know who the Pant Devil is. If not, I’m not sure where you can look him up. Maybe try asking around the Boards? But, for those that have heard of the Pant Devil, or maybe even met him once (or twice, or three times...), you should know who I am talking about.

Yes! I am talking about that strange little creature that flies around, stealing from others. Some may wonder: what is the Pant Devil, exactly? Others may speculate that the Pant Devil is really just a lone pet (maybe a Shoyru? surely a pet with wings...), desperate for attention, but too shy to let the world see his face. So, he dresses himself in a blue sheet with holes for his eyes and fake horns, flying around and stealing for attention.

Still, others may think the Pant Devil is nothing more than one of Neopia’s unique residents, of which there is only one and no more. They may say he’s bored and has nothing better to do than fly around and steal from Neopians and pets. Others may wonder: how does he fly without wings or any other device?

But, I’m getting off-topic. I didn’t come here to discuss the possibilities of which the Pant Devil might be, or what sort of mechanism keeps him in the air. No, I came here to ask you, my dear Readers, two, important questions!

Is the Pant Devil good?

Or, is the Pant Devil evil?

Let’s start with the first...

You all have an inventory, and you must all know what it’s for. Yes, your inventory holds all the items you receive, whether you buy them, find them lying around on the floor, or are sent a present by a kind Neopian just wanting to be generous.

But, knowing all that, you must also realize how dangerous it can be to hoard your items all in one place. Forget the Pant Devil! What about the other thieves in Neopia? So, to prevent your items from being stolen by anyone, you have the option of storing them in your Safety Deposit Box (or SDB).

Now, when the Pant Devil comes around, he aims to steal from your inventory. If you put all your valuables in your SDB, where the Pant Devil can’t get to them, all he’ll be able to steal is a pile of sludge. How harmful is that?

You’ve had that pile of sludge in your inventory since the day you won it at the Money Tree. You have no use for it, and the only reason you’ve been keeping it is because you don’t want to put it back at the Money Tree for some other poor Neopian to pick up, but you also don’t want to send it to a Neofriend. If you did, you might get a Neomail like this:

“Why in all of Neopia, for the love of everything that is good, by the grace of Fyora herself, did you send me a worthless item like a pile of sludge? I don’t have any use for it and all it’s going to do is crowd my inventory.”

So, you’re left with that pile of sludge sitting around your own inventory, without knowing what to do. Deleting the item seems wasteful, but still, isn’t it just as wasteful to not use it? And, it’s only worth about a Neopoint, so it’s not worth it to sell the item. So, you’re sitting there, wondering what to do when, WHOOSH! the Pant Devil comes out of nowhere and steals your pile of sludge!

You watch as he flies off, cackling. At first, you feel outraged. How dare he steal your pile of sludge?! And then, you realize as a smile slowly spreads across your face: he stole your pile of sludge. He stole your pile of sludge! You laugh with relief as you realize you no longer have to contemplate what to do about the worthless item. The Pant Devil has taken care of that problem for you!

What a great guy, eh?

Of course, the Pant Devil may not always steal your pile of sludge, or even your rotten boot. Those aren’t the only items he targets. I mean, honestly, he’s not the official waste disposal guy! Good grief, do you expect him to only want worthless items to hoard? And, that’s what brings us to our next question!

Is the Pant Devil evil?

Now, there are two things to consider here when faced with this question.

One: should the Pant Devil be considered evil because you left your valuable items in your inventory for him to steal?

Two: or, should the Pant Devil be considered evil because he steals?

As we all should know, stealing is WRONG. Walking into the food shop and taking an apple without paying, no matter how delicious it looks, is stealing, and stealing is WRONG. So, obviously, what the Pant Devil does is wrong. I’m sure, if he tried hard enough, he could find some other hobby to focus on that didn’t break the rules.

But, is it really his fault that he steals your valuable items when you practically ask him to by leaving them in your inventory, and not storing them somewhere safe? Some may say no, and some may say yes. It’s really your opinion. And, since I don’t think anyone will ever ask him his opinion, we won’t discuss that here.

So, if we all agree that it’s your fault he steals your valuable items when you leave them in your inventory, that wouldn’t make him evil. But, if we agree it’s his fault he steals your items, no matter where you leave them, and take into account that stealing is wrong, then he is evil, or bad, at the very least. So, going off of that, let’s continue on.

Stealing your pile of sludge may be a helpful thing (unless you have some attachment to said pile of sludge, and if you do, go stick it in your SDB to keep it safe). But, when the Pant Devil steals the Royal Paint Brush you finally managed to earn, now that is downright unfair!

It hasn’t happened to me, but then again, I’ve never been able to get a Royal Paint Brush. But, I imagine that having all that hard work and Neopoints stolen in one swipe would be a truly horrible thing. Which brings us to answer that second question.

Is the Pant Devil evil?

Some may answer yes, some may answer no. The real answer, O curious ones, is that the Pant Devil is neither good, nor evil. He is simply mischievous, and at times, helpful. To classify him as good or evil isn’t something you can just decide. If you’re still unsatisfied, however, and want an answer, then here it is:

The Pant Devil: Malicious fiend, or helpful friend?

Only you can decide.

(Though this article wasn’t helpful in any way, the author would appreciate it if you didn’t throw piles of sludge, rotten boots, or the Pant Devil at her or her pets. Thank you.)