LANDMARKS

Foxy Luscious (a kitsune by reputation): Many houses with green space and trees and hedges and rocks in between means abundant small food. No ban lines and friendly humans means good human food. Peaceful and beautiful place to roam and hunt and sleep. Not full of rocks and buildings like main land.

 

(Reporter's note: for the Bellisseria Squirrel, Evangeline Ling graciously volunteered to translate as she knows Squirrel intimately enough to overcome both Squirrel's  lack of attention span and conversational English)

 

Bellisseria Squirrel (non evil twin): Evangeline Ling:  Ok Squirrel, as an animal, what attracted you to Bellisseria?

 

*Scratching her head with her back paw a little hearing a bunch of words as her human smiles at her... she hears the one word she understands "Squirrel" then does a bit of a spin in Eva's lap before pulling at a little plastic baggy filled with an assortment of nuts until the bag breaks and the tasty mix spills all over the place... Eva just shoots the Squirrel a smile as she writes...* "Let's just say the Squirrel is here for the large assortment of nuts in Bellisseria"

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How have the residents in Bellisseria responded to you?

 

Balgaire:  Good, meet a lot of nice people and animals. Made some new friends in the process!

 

Bella:  Everyone has been so friendly and outgoing. So many ear scritches and treats! Some people kept their distance, and I respected that. I knew greyhounds are big dogs and some are not comfortable with that. I try not to scare people. I will wag my tail and give them a smile to show I am friendly.

 

Elfie: I've only encountered very few since I'm a very shy fox. The few I've come across seem very surprised to see me in their wanderings.

 

Hamster: Hoomans have been very nice to Hamster. Some even grow carrots for me. <3

 

Luscious: Everyone friendly. Humans not mean or chase us away. Some even let us come in homes out of rain and stay dry and warm.

 

Squirrel: *Eva waits for an answer but Bellisseria Squirrel is largely just happy to be eating nuts out of her lap at the moment...* Eva writes down "Lets just say everyone tends to feed her... A LOT"

 

 

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What's been the most fun you've had so far?

 

Balgaire: Bumping into the Bellisseria Riding Club and running around the continent on their ride. Also making friends with the original Bellisseria squirrel!

 

Bella: Besides my naps in the sun behind the coffee shop or on a beach? I guess it would be when I saw someone with a horse at the birthday party. I actually caught up to them! Pretty good for a retired racer, I think. I had a wonderful chat with the human, Willow. She is so sweet.

 

Elfie: Exploring Bellisseria has been the funnest experience because there is so much to see.

 

Hamster: Going to DJ parties. Hamster loves to shake her fuzzy butt.

 

Luscious: Having human floating water house. Well, was owned by cat before cat moved and gave us. Nice soft things to sleep on. Keeps us warm and dry. Like sound of water and house rocking on water. Some nice humans bring us food too. Also tasty crabs all over the beach behind floating house. Good music too--don't know how music there, but good music. Makes us happy.

 

Squirrel:  Eva asks "Squirrel, what's been the most fun you've had so far?  Actually I think I can answer that one for you... I'm pretty sure I saw you spending nearly the entire week last week at SL16B collecting Linden and Mole BEARS..."

 

*Bellisseria Squirrel perks up from her pile of nuts and runs across the yard to a stacked up pile of 26 Linden and Mole Bears pulling at one of them until she lays it by Eva's feet... Picking it up Eva looks at it....* "Patch Linden bear.... awww Squirrel did you get to meet Patch Linden? How cool is that?" Perking right up Squirrel just stands there swishing her tail back and forth proudly

 

 

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How have your interactions with other animals in Belli been?

 

Balgaire: Great! We get along and no one has eaten each other. :P

 

Bella: The first that I met was the infamous Squirrel. I made sure that she knew that I was friendly. I wouldn't chase her unless it was a game we were playing. She shared her cookies with me. Fuzzy, the Bellisseria Hamster, is a friend, too! She doesn't find me scary at all. The cats have steered clear of me, I think they are still afraid because of the whole dogs & cats thing.

 

Elfie: I've yet to encounter other animals.

 

Hamster: Amazing and very welcoming.

 

Luscious: Other animals fun and nice. We don't hunt any of the big animals who talk and have names like us. There's so much small food and human food that we just want to be friends with other animals. Beaver kinda scares us though. Talks loud and swings around human tools. But still nice more than scary.

 

Squirrel: Eva says "Squirrel, how have your interactions with other animals in Belli been? You know... like your friends Balgaire and Bella... aren't you friends with those cats too?"

 

*Bellisseria Squirrel hears the words CATS and immediately goes to the defensive... jumps out of Eva's lap... makes a mad dash to her oak tree and dives into a little carved out nook in the tree... a few seconds later she comes right back out holding a Pickle on a stick and vigilantly looks around for any signs of cats... Eva licks the end of her pen before writing down...* "Squirrel LOVES all the animals of Belli... with the exception of the cats"

 

 

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Have there been ways you think the Bellisseria community could improve for animals?

 

Balgaire: More forest! But that is more of Linden thing. :) But for the residents, more noms!

 

Bella: So far I have been pretty content here. Lots of naps and ear scritches and treats. Oooh! Maybe a pet center? Someplace the pets can hang out, and if there are ones that are looking for their fur-ever home, the humans could come see them, too.

 

Elfie: Sometimes it feels like the community is very closed off to newcomers and that can be difficult for shy animals and people alike. I don't know how that can improve to be honest.

 

Hamster: Welp .. Hamster has a HUGE plan to make the "Bellisseria Animal Sanctuary" at her home. A safe haven for Belli animals and a nice place to nap or munch on some treats.

 

Luscious: No throw human food in barrels. Plenty animals would enjoy. Just put out near hedges if you don't want it. We find it.

 

Squirrel: Eva says "Ok Squirrel... have there been ways you think the Bellisseria community could improve for animals?"

 

*Squirrel doesn't seem to get the question but instead decides to hop up on a nearby sofa before falling straight through the cushion seemingly disappearing through it.... Eva watches her and has one of those lightbulb moments...* "I get it Squirrel, I totally get that... Squirrel wants people to remember that phantom furniture is NOT the friend of Belli animals"

 

 

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What do you hope for the future of the Animal community in Bellisseria?

 

Balgaire: To see more of us out and about, maybe have a few get-togethers in the future.

 

Bella: That we're here for a long, long time.

 

Elfie: That is becomes easier to become more involved for all animals of Bellisseria.

 

Hamster: Hamster hopes that one day Belli Animals will rule the continent... OR maybe just get spoiled rotten by all the hoomans.

 

Luscious: That more humans friendly and no yell at us for sleeping on soft things in their yards. That more humans realize we just being friends when we come up close. We all same. We all want happy.

 

Squirrel: Eva says "Ok Squirrel last one: I know your attention span is running thin... What do you hope for the future of the Animal community in Belli?"

 

*Bellisseria Squirrel turns to Eva... then from behind the bushes hears a distinct "MEOW" and then she flies right out of Eva's lap through the hedges presumably off for another night of taunting cats as Eva just shrugs her shoulders and puts pen to paper one last time...* "I'm just gonna assume Bellisseria Squirrel is a happy critter who is just hoping for more animals to go run off and taunt."

 

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And with that I realized that the animals of Bellisseria, while happy to indulge my reporter's curiosity, had more important matters to attend to: sunbeams to roll in, dust bunnies to chase, and treats they needed to remind the hoomans they were owed as their due.

 

So I conclude here with a thought I've oft had, dear reader: some of the best *people* are animals, maybe most especially in Bellisseria.