Story: "Hoppy the Wobbit"
This story is spillover from the October 2, 2018 Poetry Fishbowl. It was loosely inspired by prompts from Dreamwidth users Pantha and Librarygeek, and Senõr Tequila on Dreamwidth. It also fills the "WILD CARD: Storytelling" square in my 9-30-18 card for the Fall Bingo fest, and the "explaining something to someone" square in my 9-5-18 "Kind and Soft" card for the 1000 Words or Less Bingo fest. This story belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series.
This microfunded story is being posted one page at a time, as donations come in to cover them. The rate is approximately $0.5/word, so $5 will reveal 100 new words, and so forth. There is a permanent donation button on my profile page, or you can contact me for other arrangements.
So far sponsors include: DW user Fayanora, DW user Erulisse, DW user Caera_ash,
janetmiles
FULLY FUNDED
984 words, Buy It Now = $50
Amount donated = $30
Page posted = 28 of 42
Amount remaining to fund fully = $20
This is a rabbit. Rabbits have two ears. One, two!
Some rabbits have perky ears that stand up.
Some rabbits have droopy ears that hang down.
This is Hoppy the Wobbit. He has four ears. One, two, three, four!
Wobbits have two perky ears that stand up and two droopy ears that hang down.
The happier Hoppy feels, the bigger his perky ears get and the smaller his droopy ears get.
The sadder Hoppy feels, the bigger his droopy ears get and the smaller his perky ears get.
You can tell how Hoppy feels by looking at his ears. When Hoppy feels happy, his perky ears are big. When Hoppy feels sad, his droopy ears are big.
You can tell how people feel, too, but not by their ears. Look at their faces and their bodies.
When people feel happy, their mouths turn up in a smile and their eyebrows go up too. They stand straight with their shoulders high.
When people feel sad, their mouths turn down in a frown and their eyebrows go down too. They slump over and their shoulders droop.
There are many ways to feel happy. Joy, Love, Hope, Excitement, Pride, Contentment.
There are many ways to feel sad. Sorrow, Anger, Fear, Boredom, Guilt, Disgust.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels joy when he sees a rainbow or plays with his toys. Joy feels sunny and light inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes to feel joy. He looks for beautiful things to appreciate. He explores all kinds of toys to play with in different ways.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels sorrow when he sees a dead butterfly or loses a game. Sorrow feels gloomy and wet inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like to feel sorrow. He reminds himself that butterflies die to make room for new caterpillars. He tells himself that it is okay to lose because he can play another game.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels love when he spends time with his friends and his family. Love feels warm inside and pulls people together.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes to feel love. He makes play dates with his friends. He cuddles with his family.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels anger when a bully calls him mean names or other people won't let him play. Anger feels hard and hot inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like to feel anger. He tells bullies not to call anyone mean names. He looks for people who want to play with him.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels hope when he wishes for a sunny day or learns that a circus is coming to town. Hope feels light and bubbly inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes feeling hope. He plans to walk outside on sunny days. He watches for fun things that his family could do.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels fear when he hears a loud noise or someone grabs him by surprise. Fear feels cold and sick inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like to feel fear. He learns which noises are dangerous and which ones are not. He tells people to ask nicely before roughhousing with him.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels excitement when he runs in a race or goes to a movie. Excitement feels fast and bouncy inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes to feel excitement. He invites his friends to see who can run the fastest. He tells his family which movies he wants to watch.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels boredom when it rains all day or he has to sit in a waiting room. Boredom feels long and heavy inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like to feel boredom. He learns crafts to make indoors on rainy days. He brings a picture book to look at while waiting.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels pride when he answers a hard question or wins a tricky game.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes to feel pride. He listens carefully to learn new answers to the questions people ask him. He watches how other people play games and learns from them too.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels guilt when he spills his juice or makes a friend cry. Guilt feels sharp and achy inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like to feel guilt. He helps to clean up the spilled juice. He tells his friend, "I'm sorry."
Hoppy the Wobbit feels contentment when he lies in his soft bed or eats his most favorite food, potatoes. Contentment feels soft and quiet inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes to feel contentment. He goes right to bed at bedtime. He helps his mother decide what kind of potatoes to cook.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels disgust when he steps in sticky mud or eats his least favorite food, Brussels sprouts. Disgust feels squashy inside and pushes things away.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like to feel disgust. He walks around mud puddles. He says, "No thank you!" to Brussels sprouts and asks for a different vegetable.
There are happy feelings and sad feelings. Hoppy the Wobbit learns their names so he can tell people how he feels. He listens to other people's feelings too. Talking about feelings is good for people.
Feelings can change. They can grow happier or sadder. When Hoppy the Wobbit feels happier, his perky ears grow larger. When he feels sadder, his droopy ears grow larger.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes happy feelings. They tell him when things are going well in his life. He learns to do more things that make him happy. He enjoys making other people happy too.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like sad feelings. They tell him when things are going wrong. He learns how to solve problems so that he can feel better. He doesn't want other people to feel sad either.
Feelings are interesting! Everyone can learn about feelings. The more people know about feelings, the better choices they can make. The more they talk about their feelings, the better they get along. Then everyone will be happy more often and sad less often. Yay!
* * *
Notes:
Rabbits may have erect ears or lop ears.
Emotions can be positive or negative. They show in facial expressions and body language.
Joy is a warm, happy feeling when things go well. Look for ways to increase your joy.
Sorrow is a low, sad feeling of loss. There are tips for children and adults on coping with sorrow.
Love holds people together. Seek more love in your life.
Anger is fierce and hard to hold when things go wrong. Know how to avoid getting angry, reduce your anger, or deal with it in constructive ways. Here are some suggestions for children.
Hope is an optimistic feeling about the future. Learn how to raise your hope.
Fear is a worry about bad things happening. There are things that children and adults can do to overcome fear.
Excitement is busy and uplifting when you are doing something interesting. You can make your life more exciting.
Boredom comes from having nothing interesting to do. Know how to overcome boredom and deal with bored kids.
Pride is a feeling of accomplishment and worth from doing difficult things. Do things that make you proud of yourself. It's important to tell children that you are proud of them.
Guilt is the sinking feeling you get after making a mistake. Understand how to cope with guilt.
Contentment is a quiet feeling of being okay, not too high or too low. Most healthy people spend most of their time feeling okay; this is the emotional sea level. This is why people should seek contentment rather than happiness as a general goal of wellbeing. Learn how to feel content with your life.
Potatoes in general, and French fries in particular, are the most popular vegetable among toddlers.
Disgust pushes away unpleasant things. This protects people from several types of things that could make them sick. Sometimes it gets out of hand, though. Here are some tips for reducing unwelcome disgust.
Brussels sprouts rank among the most unpopular vegetables, especially with children, due to their bitter taste.
Emotional intelligence allows people to recognize many different feelings. Emotions can change over time, either on their own or through deliberate action. Emotional regulation is a set of skills that parents teach to children. It's also important to talk about your feelings. The higher people's emotional intelligence goes, the better they get along and the happier they feel. So teaching it makes the world a better place for everyone. \o/
See fan art of Hoppy the Wobbit by Dreamwidth user Redsixwing. The concept sketch came out before I posted much detail about the imagery, so it's only somewhat close to what I imagined. It's adorable, though, and I wanted to share it.
EDIT 9/27/19: Hoppy has more fanart! This came from Dreamwidth user Jeshyr. :D
So far sponsors include: DW user Fayanora, DW user Erulisse, DW user Caera_ash,
janetmilesFULLY FUNDED
Page posted = 28 of 42
Amount remaining to fund fully = $20
Hoppy the Wobbit
This is a rabbit. Rabbits have two ears. One, two!
Some rabbits have perky ears that stand up.
Some rabbits have droopy ears that hang down.
This is Hoppy the Wobbit. He has four ears. One, two, three, four!
Wobbits have two perky ears that stand up and two droopy ears that hang down.
The happier Hoppy feels, the bigger his perky ears get and the smaller his droopy ears get.
The sadder Hoppy feels, the bigger his droopy ears get and the smaller his perky ears get.
You can tell how Hoppy feels by looking at his ears. When Hoppy feels happy, his perky ears are big. When Hoppy feels sad, his droopy ears are big.
You can tell how people feel, too, but not by their ears. Look at their faces and their bodies.
When people feel happy, their mouths turn up in a smile and their eyebrows go up too. They stand straight with their shoulders high.
When people feel sad, their mouths turn down in a frown and their eyebrows go down too. They slump over and their shoulders droop.
There are many ways to feel happy. Joy, Love, Hope, Excitement, Pride, Contentment.
There are many ways to feel sad. Sorrow, Anger, Fear, Boredom, Guilt, Disgust.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels joy when he sees a rainbow or plays with his toys. Joy feels sunny and light inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes to feel joy. He looks for beautiful things to appreciate. He explores all kinds of toys to play with in different ways.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels sorrow when he sees a dead butterfly or loses a game. Sorrow feels gloomy and wet inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like to feel sorrow. He reminds himself that butterflies die to make room for new caterpillars. He tells himself that it is okay to lose because he can play another game.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels love when he spends time with his friends and his family. Love feels warm inside and pulls people together.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes to feel love. He makes play dates with his friends. He cuddles with his family.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels anger when a bully calls him mean names or other people won't let him play. Anger feels hard and hot inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like to feel anger. He tells bullies not to call anyone mean names. He looks for people who want to play with him.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels hope when he wishes for a sunny day or learns that a circus is coming to town. Hope feels light and bubbly inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes feeling hope. He plans to walk outside on sunny days. He watches for fun things that his family could do.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels fear when he hears a loud noise or someone grabs him by surprise. Fear feels cold and sick inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like to feel fear. He learns which noises are dangerous and which ones are not. He tells people to ask nicely before roughhousing with him.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels excitement when he runs in a race or goes to a movie. Excitement feels fast and bouncy inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes to feel excitement. He invites his friends to see who can run the fastest. He tells his family which movies he wants to watch.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels boredom when it rains all day or he has to sit in a waiting room. Boredom feels long and heavy inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like to feel boredom. He learns crafts to make indoors on rainy days. He brings a picture book to look at while waiting.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels pride when he answers a hard question or wins a tricky game.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes to feel pride. He listens carefully to learn new answers to the questions people ask him. He watches how other people play games and learns from them too.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels guilt when he spills his juice or makes a friend cry. Guilt feels sharp and achy inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like to feel guilt. He helps to clean up the spilled juice. He tells his friend, "I'm sorry."
Hoppy the Wobbit feels contentment when he lies in his soft bed or eats his most favorite food, potatoes. Contentment feels soft and quiet inside.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes to feel contentment. He goes right to bed at bedtime. He helps his mother decide what kind of potatoes to cook.
Hoppy the Wobbit feels disgust when he steps in sticky mud or eats his least favorite food, Brussels sprouts. Disgust feels squashy inside and pushes things away.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like to feel disgust. He walks around mud puddles. He says, "No thank you!" to Brussels sprouts and asks for a different vegetable.
There are happy feelings and sad feelings. Hoppy the Wobbit learns their names so he can tell people how he feels. He listens to other people's feelings too. Talking about feelings is good for people.
Feelings can change. They can grow happier or sadder. When Hoppy the Wobbit feels happier, his perky ears grow larger. When he feels sadder, his droopy ears grow larger.
Hoppy the Wobbit likes happy feelings. They tell him when things are going well in his life. He learns to do more things that make him happy. He enjoys making other people happy too.
Hoppy the Wobbit doesn't like sad feelings. They tell him when things are going wrong. He learns how to solve problems so that he can feel better. He doesn't want other people to feel sad either.
Feelings are interesting! Everyone can learn about feelings. The more people know about feelings, the better choices they can make. The more they talk about their feelings, the better they get along. Then everyone will be happy more often and sad less often. Yay!
* * *
Notes:
Rabbits may have erect ears or lop ears.
Emotions can be positive or negative. They show in facial expressions and body language.
Joy is a warm, happy feeling when things go well. Look for ways to increase your joy.
Sorrow is a low, sad feeling of loss. There are tips for children and adults on coping with sorrow.
Love holds people together. Seek more love in your life.
Anger is fierce and hard to hold when things go wrong. Know how to avoid getting angry, reduce your anger, or deal with it in constructive ways. Here are some suggestions for children.
Hope is an optimistic feeling about the future. Learn how to raise your hope.
Fear is a worry about bad things happening. There are things that children and adults can do to overcome fear.
Excitement is busy and uplifting when you are doing something interesting. You can make your life more exciting.
Boredom comes from having nothing interesting to do. Know how to overcome boredom and deal with bored kids.
Pride is a feeling of accomplishment and worth from doing difficult things. Do things that make you proud of yourself. It's important to tell children that you are proud of them.
Guilt is the sinking feeling you get after making a mistake. Understand how to cope with guilt.
Contentment is a quiet feeling of being okay, not too high or too low. Most healthy people spend most of their time feeling okay; this is the emotional sea level. This is why people should seek contentment rather than happiness as a general goal of wellbeing. Learn how to feel content with your life.
Potatoes in general, and French fries in particular, are the most popular vegetable among toddlers.
Disgust pushes away unpleasant things. This protects people from several types of things that could make them sick. Sometimes it gets out of hand, though. Here are some tips for reducing unwelcome disgust.
Brussels sprouts rank among the most unpopular vegetables, especially with children, due to their bitter taste.
Emotional intelligence allows people to recognize many different feelings. Emotions can change over time, either on their own or through deliberate action. Emotional regulation is a set of skills that parents teach to children. It's also important to talk about your feelings. The higher people's emotional intelligence goes, the better they get along and the happier they feel. So teaching it makes the world a better place for everyone. \o/
See fan art of Hoppy the Wobbit by Dreamwidth user Redsixwing. The concept sketch came out before I posted much detail about the imagery, so it's only somewhat close to what I imagined. It's adorable, though, and I wanted to share it.
EDIT 9/27/19: Hoppy has more fanart! This came from Dreamwidth user Jeshyr. :D