Credit: Getty
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is visiting her followers’ Animal Crossing islands, and the screenshots are adorable
By Lauren Geall
5 years ago
We’re not the only ones using Animal Crossing: New Horizons to pass the time in lockdown: US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been visiting her followers’ islands to leave adorable messages.
In lockdown, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has become the ultimate feel-good distraction.
In a time of heightened anxiety and general uncertainty, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has provided a respite from the pandemic going on outside our window.
Instead of spending long periods of time scrolling through the latest devastating headlines or trying to make sense of what’s coming next, we’ve spent hours pruning our islands or decorating our virtual homes. And in lieu of being able to see our friends and family members, we’ve spent time visiting each other’s islands and spending some (virtual) time together.
And it seems we’re not the only ones using Animal Crossing: New Horizons as a way to connect with others during lockdown, either. US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter this week to ask her followers whether she could visit some of their islands – and it took the internet by storm.
“Hi there! Very new to this,” she wrote. “I would like to visit random people’s islands and leave a doodle or note on their bulletin board. Can I do that? If so, how?”
To allow her followers to send her their island details, Ocasio-Cortez went on to open her DMs for four minutes, later reporting that the responses she had received were “very wholesome”.
“People are asking for surprise visits to their spouse’s islands!” she added. “This is the love everyone deserves.”
Following up on the messages a day later, Ocasio-Cortez announced that she was “getting ready” to make her first virtual house calls, asking for advice on the “do’s and don’ts” of island visiting. She then went on to document her first visit in the Twitter thread, and it was all incredibly wholesome.
“Update two: first ever House call (get it?) in the books!” she wrote. “It was so sweet. Island belonged to a family of three. We exchanged fruit, took pictures, and I signed a bulletin note using my touch screen.
“I was floored by how fast they typed and they taught me about the app,” she added, posting a screenshot of her character during the visit.
But that wasn’t the only wholesome thing to come out of this incredible Twitter moment. As Ocasio-Cortez later explained, her Animal Crossing character can be seen wearing a particularly apt outfit: a hand drawn AOC campaign shirt.
This isn’t the first time a famous name has taken to visiting their followers’ islands. Last month, actor Elijah Wood surprised a fan by asking to visit their island. If the screenshots are anything to go by, this was yet another adorable interaction.
If one thing’s for sure, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has proved the perfect distraction for people all over the world during this strange period. In a time when we’re facing so much uncertainty, losing yourself in a game for a couple of hours is clearly the perfect way to unwind, no matter who you are.
All we know now is that we definitely need a tour of AOC’s island, stat.
Image: Getty
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