Belle

**Belle** is Paul's friend whom the Petscop YouTube channel's videos were initially made and uploaded for; she later works with Paul to try to progress in the Petscop game. Her identity as Paul's friend was not clarified until recordings shown in Petscop 22.

Various references to Belle are made in the Petscop game, and the names of some recordings imply she was a playtester of the game as a child. Most references to her in-game regard some relation to the Tiara character, and suggest that at one point that Rainer was trying to help her become "Tiara". Marvin refers to Tiara as "Bell(e)"; Tiara is insistent that she is not Bell(e). Mentions of Belle in in-game textboxes are typically in purple.

## History

Belle is alluded to (though not by name) at the very beginning of the series; she is the person Paul is addressing in Petscop 1 and subsequent early videos. After Paul had described a game he had found to her, Belle believed he was lying, and so he began recording gameplay of Petscop and uploading it to YouTube to prove to her that he was telling the truth. Up to Petscop 7, Paul still appears to be making the videos specifically to show Belle.

By Petscop 8, the YouTube channel is now completely under the control of the channel managers and the uploads seem to be for the family, though Belle is still watching the videos and helping Paul make progress.

In Petscop 22's segments involving Paul's gameplay (which take place between Petscop 10 and Petscop 11), he is on the phone with Belle, discussing on how to progress with some information they have found, including the topic of meeting up sometime to try to explore a real-life location to find things in the Petscop game. During the conversation, Paul discusses the family with Belle, and how he is intimidated by them, but that he does not believe they would intimidate Belle. He also asks Belle if Jill had called her at any point, and mentions that at one point Jill wanted to know who the Petscop video uploads were originally for, though Jill did not seem to be bothered by the answer. Paul refers to how Belle isn't part of the family, which seems to bother her.

Paul then asks her to help with something he was trying to do in-game using her "puzzle genius", which Belle seems to suggest she doesn't really have, but Paul convinces her to stick around if she was not occupied. He discusses the "cage puzzle" in regards to the Quitter's Room and how the "Tiara character" is now gone; Belle apparently replies with "of course", though Paul doesn't understand and asks for clarifcation. Sometime later and still on the call, Belle inquires as to why Paul is playing Petscop in a car; Paul is insistent that he isn't, but Belle is skeptical about his response. Shortly after the guardian (as a shadow monster man) is hit by a car from the tunnel and Paul can no longer move around, the Tiara character (with pupils) walks out, and Belle suddenly stops talking on the phone as the line goes dead.

### Playtesting

Recordings on the recordings list shown and partially played out in Petscop 19 have four "belle" recordings. Over these recordings, Belle successfully catches all five available pets in Even Care.

She is later credited on the Book of Baby Names, which calls her "smart".

### Tiara

On multiple occasions, the "Tiara character" in the Petscop game is referred to as "Belle" (or "Bell" through the limitations of P2 to TALK).

In Petscop 12, recordings of Tiara's gameplay are shown, in which textboxes refer to her as Belle. However, they clarify that "Belle" was supposed to become Tiara, but failed.

In Petscop 15, Marvin brings Pall to a classroom in the school where he then brings in Tiara. Marvin refers to Tiara as "Bell(e)", but after he leaves, Tiara asserts that she is named "Tiara" and *not* "Bell(e)".

## Theories

Belle may be the person Paul is talking to on the phone in Petscop 8, though this is unclear.

Belle's name may be a reference to Candace Newmaker’s favorite doll.

### Belle and Tiara

It is sometimes suggested that Belle is controlling the in-game Tiara character in the present day at times, particularly in Petscop 22. Almost all representations of Tiara after she is "freed" in Petscop 10 may be implied to actually be Belle playing, though it is unclear how this is possible through any setup of a PlayStation that wouldn't be obvious to Paul.

The red tool's "Petscop kid very smart" response to "Who is Tiara?" may actually be referring to Belle, considering that she was one of the "Petscop Kids" (playtesters) and one of the few to make any progress with the puzzles in Even Care- her listing in the Book of Baby Names also refers to her as "smart". This may further relate to that Belle may have been meant to become Tiara, and the in-game Tiara character is a representation of what was supposed to happen with Belle- or the aftermath of Belle/Tiara "giv[ing] up halfway" with the machine. "Tiara Leskowitz" may then have meant to be who Belle was supposed to become, and may relate to Belle's seemingly negative reaction to Paul saying that she wasn't part of the family in Petscop 22.

Tiara's P2 to TALK message sound is listed in the Sound Test as "Belle Message". This may, at minimum, suggest Belle was "implemented" into Petscop in some form.

The "tiara" recording (followed by the "FUCK-FUCK-FUCK" recording) may be the in-game representation of attempting to guide "Belle" into becoming "Tiara", followed by Tiara giving up on becoming Tiara and therefore still being Belle but still believing herself to be Tiara, as per the descriptions in Petscop 12. If the recordings suggest Belle and Tiara are for the same person, it may suggest that after Belle successfully caught all the pets in Even Care as a playtester, that Rainer wanted to further work with her, attempting and failing to create a representation of her in-game through some medium (such as "rebirthing") into a pet similar to how Care is a "pet" representing Carrie Mark, and leaving her in-game as the unfinished "Tiara character". This may further clarify the intent of the "Tiara Leskowitz" letter referring to a "new life".

Tiara's "we can investigate this together" line to Pall from the Petscop Soundtrack seems to be a reference to Paul saying the same thing in Petscop 2 to Belle, which may further suggest that she is supposed to be Belle, or an in-game representation of Belle (along with that Pall is supposed to directly be a recent representation of Paul or possibly Paul himself).