A Hopper: the most derogatory term in the world of eBunnee. Being a Hopper is like disrupting the e-cosmic balance, causing bad luck for the whole world. Hoppers get blamed for all negative things that happen in the world, such as sudden rainstorms, bad weather, the store selling out of your favourite icy buns before you get there, or worst of all, they get blamed for any internet outrage! The ultimate worst thing is when individuals cannot access the world of eBunnee in any form. Yikes!
A Hopper transcends the mere act of aimlessly switching from channel to channel; it embodies a devoted viewer who takes immense pride in consuming every piece of content from their chosen creator, watching unwaveringly until the very end, whether it's a lengthy video or a static image lasting over four hours. The fans of eBunnee proudly showcase their 'Bunaholic' badges, demonstrating their ability to immerse themselves in any content, whether it's an endless slideshow of grass swaying in the wind, a cat staring vacantly into the camera, or a photo of some ice cream.
Each eBunnee disciple embraces the content wholeheartedly, devouring it all with unwavering enthusiasm.
(•ω•)
Half an hour or so ago, Larisa's heart raced as she paced anxiously, desperate to reach Nira as quickly as possible. This prolonged absence was unprecedented, and worry gnawed at her. Though she knew Nira was capable of looking after herself, Larisa couldn't shake her concern. Apart from her sapphire blue-furred fox friend, Mr. Foxxy, she had no one else to rely on. Despite her timid and easily scared nature, Larisa found solace in having a companion like Nira during that time.
Even though Mr. Foxxy couldn't speak, Larisa realised that Nira herself rarely uttered a word—perhaps by choice, due to her lack of trust in others. Nira was so timid that she would run and hide at the slightest noise, like a snapping tree branch or a ripple in the river. Living in the ominous Heart-ling Forest, one might expect her to be desensitised by then, but she wasn't. That place was the only sanctuary where she truly felt safe.
Larisa tried to encourage Nira to experience life beyond the forest. Everything changed when Larisa stumbled upon a phone dropped by campers and discovered eBunnee for the first time. The exciting world out there, filled with wonderful and intriguing people, became apparent to them. They couldn't remain stuck there, in life or death, doing nothing but waiting in a house in the middle of a forest. Both had something valuable to offer, not just to eBunnee but to the world at large.
Getting a furry companion for Nira was a step in the right direction, and Larisa couldn't wait to tell her all about Lillian and how incredible she was. She hoped Nira would like Lillian so she could introduce the two to each other soon. Larisa began following Lillian on eBunnee to see all her videos and learn more about her.
As Larisa approached the bathhouse, she called out to Nira in a hushed, whispery voice. She hadn't wanted to startle her. Knowing Nira, she would retreat to the back of the bathhouse if frightened. Both Larisa and Nira were ghostly entities, and Larisa couldn't help but find it a bit absurd that Nira felt the need to hide when she had the unique ability to pass through walls and take refuge in the middle of them. Unfortunately, going through walls always made her nauseous and dizzy, leading to spells of collapse.
Larisa never experienced this when going through walls, nor did she experience it while using any of her ethereal abilities. She was not fully aware of all her abilities; some came naturally and surprised her when she discovered them. When she first learnt to mimic people's voices, Nira had understandably been afraid. As time gone on, she grew to love it! Hearing Larisa imitate the voices of her favourite eBunnee celebrity made her feel as if she were with that person in the forest, enabling her, for the first time outside of being with Larisa, to feel a connection.
The ethereal ability Nira possessed had been an extraordinary sense of empathy—an abundance that proved to be both a blessing and a burden.
Larisa had called out for Nira once more and had listened intently. Strange sounds of slurping and groaning had echoed from inside the bathhouse. "I really need to teach Nira how to eat elegantly, with class and grace," Larisa thought to herself. A sudden realisation had struck her: Wait a second, she doesn't eat! What on earth are all these peculiar noises? Is she in danger?
Hesitant to enter, fearing what she might find, Larisa's concern for her friend pushed her forward. Listening carefully to the bizarre sounds, she became certain that nobody was in danger. Nira must have been up to something, Larisa had mused. To alert her to her presence, she had decided to call out louder, "Nira!"
Upon entering, what she had seen had been truly extraordinary. Inside, there was a commotion of animals all over the place, resembling a menagerie from a fever dream. There was no mess or muck on the floor. The collective sounds they made created an orchestral pandemonium. The only animal she had recognised had been the big, blue-furred fox, while the others had appeared like manifestations of animals drawn by a child during art class, brought to life.
There had been an ostrich-bird creature with a comically large beak, a seahorse with frog-like legs bouncing around, and a dog with its left eye twice the size of its right eye.
"Is this thing giving me the stink eye or plotting my downfall?" Larisa had thought to herself. Its eyes had glared at her disapprovingly, as if it held a secret grudge against all humans wearing mismatched socks or something equally absurd!
She saw a cat with a big, bushy tail almost as large as its body. Among the throng, there had been an abundance of oddly-shaped dogs and cats. There were animals that hurt her brain just to look at, like the Hippinkamus. Nature's most peculiar and comical creation! This gargantuan pink creature was an absolute marvel to behold, with its massive hippo-sized body supported by six pointy, triangular legs that seemed to defy all logic. Whoever had created it had clearly thrown logic out the window.
Introducing the Owahuahua! This wonderfully eccentric creature embodied a whimsical fusion of an owl and a Chihuahua, presenting an utterly captivating spectacle. Adorned with plump, chestnut-hued wings, it undoubtedly ranked as the epitome of owl fluffiness. As for its countenance, envision a Chihuahua playfully uttering 'yip yip yip' mere inches from your visage—an image that danced on the border of both hilarity and haunting. In a curious twist of evolution, the Owahuahua crafted a presence that managed to evoke a more profound sense of unease than even a formidable Pitbull.
Beauty, as they say, "lies in the eye of the beholder." Even if you squinted heavily, the creatures might still appear hideous to some. Perhaps a cute filter on a photo or video editing app could work wonders, but I remained sceptical.
Among all the creatures present, only the cats and dogs appeared as they naturally should—well, almost. They all had at least one thing that was just a little bit off.
Nira stood on a big stone slab, making groaning and hissing sounds directed at each animal, which seemed to understand her perfectly. She still did not notice me, despite my numerous attempts to call for her. Beneath the slab Nira was standing on, the sapphire blue fur ran around her, as if trying to create a whirlwind around her, some sort of ritual to summon the dark lord. Nira made a 'mew-mew' noise, and the owl-like creature started to run around, bumping into the tail of the odd-eyed cat. The cat pretended it wasn't hurt and readjusted itself. All the other animals got into some sort of formation as well, as Nira directed and hit them all with her 'mew-mews'.
Finally, Nira looked in my direction and smiled. So, she did know I was there!
The weird cat with the huge tail started whisking its tail on the floor, creating some sort of hi-hat pattern. The Owahuahua, an owl-Chihuahua hybrid, began to tweet a melody that sounded quite familiar, but I couldn't quite place where I had heard it before.
The Hippinkamus, the bizarre hippo-looking monstrosity with the sloth head, stepped forward and started stamping its feet like a kick drum. After eight loops of that pattern, it was joined by some bassy, fart-like noises—which were literal farts! I had heard worse music in my lifetime.
I couldn't resist it—I involuntarily burst out with a sudden, "Teeheeeemuahah, Nyahaha."
Nira responded with a giggle of her own and a wide-eyed expression I had never seen from her before. At least Nira seemed happy now with her newfound friends.
I knew Heart-ling Forest attracted strange and bizarre animals; I just hadn't expected to come across so many. I really wanted to show Nira video clips of Lillian, but she looked very preoccupied at that moment. As Nira went "mew mew mews" at the misshapen dogs in the background, they joined the musical performance with their howls, creating a chaotic yet oddly charming ambiance. Admittedly, the dogs appeared out of sync with the rest of the performance, resembling a chorus of stray dogs outside a kennel, trying to invite you to adopt them—or perhaps attempting to summon Cthulhu. Whatever they were summoning, it tempted me to get away for now before Nira 'mewed' at me to join in.
Larisa nodded to Nira and exchanged a subtle hand gesture, one that they both understood. She pointed gracefully towards the ground and then formed her hands into a duck beak, signalling that she would be back very soon.
Nira repeated Larisa's hand signal back to her, followed by an okay hand signal.
The mischievous cats in the background looked confused by this and thought Nira was directing commands at them. They began positioning themselves into a pyramid, standing on top of each other and doing the 'I am a little teapot' pose with their paws out.
Nira got annoyed and started firing a rapid series of 'mews' at them.
Nira was once a girl who craved the tranquility of silence, but now, I yearned for some peaceful quiet. Not complete silence, mind you, but the cacophony of animal sounds, grunts, thumping, and tapping of feet was too overwhelming for me right now. I was relieved to know that Nira was doing fine without me; it filled me with happiness and warmth. I took a series of photos of Nira and these animals destined for my eBunnee page, preserving these wonderful memories to hold onto while I was away.
I should hurry back to Lillian before I witness how Nira creates crash cymbal sounds with her animal collective.
I had been in Heart-ling Forest for about 20 minutes now, and it had taken about 2 minutes to get here.. It would take me another 2 minutes to return. I might be late! I should go twice the speed, so it only takes 1 minute! Yes! It's time to channel my inner speedster and run like a caffeinated cheetah on roller skates! And poof, Larisa was gone.