Pinocchio

(@marionette-without-strings)

Indeed, I can’t; indeed, I don’t! I was a baby once, but I’m no grown-up— this is my final stage, and I’m happy about it!

pinocchio’s bright, piercingly blue eyes widened as he read the words, a sudden, sharp chill settling deep into the center of his chest.

the lost boys. he had heard whispers of them—children who flew away to an island where time stood still, where there were no chores, no schoolbooks, and absolutely no fathers to disappoint. Peter spoke about it like it was a grand adventure, a permanent playground. But to Pinocchio, it sounded like a beautifully painted cage. It sounded like the music of the carousel right before the grey fur started to sprout.

his fingers trembled slightly as he began to reply, his posture snapping into that sudden, rigid stiffness that always seized him when the memories of pleasure island crept too close.

"i do not think we mean the same thing when we say 'real,'" pinocchio wrote back, his text carrying the unpolished, brutal honesty of his curse. "where i was taken, they told us we could play all day and never grow up, too. they told us we were being real boys by breaking things and making fools of ourselves. but when the morning came, we weren't real at all. we were just... animals. we were beasts of burden crying out for our fathers in the dark."

he paused, a profound, protective worry washing over his features as he stared at the screen.

"you say you are happy, peter. but who holds your hand when you fall down? who tells you when you are stepping straight into a trap? i do not want to be a recruit. i want to be good. i want to grow old, even if it hurts, because that is what real boys do."

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pinocchio’s bright blue eyes blinked, tracking the frantic, glittering path of her flight with a mixture of profound fascination and genuine worry.

he didn't know much about neverland, but he knew about chaos. he knew what it looked like when children were left completely to their own devices, without a father’s gentle hand or a cricket's nagging guidance to pull them back from the edge of the cliff. his mind briefly flashed with the suffocating image of pleasure island—the sound of breaking glass, the smell of cheap smoke, and the agonizing, rhythmic sound of braying.

so, when she tilted her head and asked her defensive question, pinocchio answered with the kind of raw, unfiltered earnestness that only someone physically incapable of lying could manage.

"i do not know if you are included, because i do not know you yet," he spoke softly, hands resting neatly on his knees as his posture naturally stiffened. "but... the children where you live, they do not have any rules, do they? they do not have anyone to tell them when they are stepping into a trap."

he leaned forward slightly, his gaze locked onto her tiny, glowing form. there wasn't a single shred of modern malice or judgment in his face—just a painfully honest curiosity.

"my father told me that a conscience is the voice that helps you see right from wrong. but it is very loud, and it hurts when you make a mistake. is it easier for the children over there? to just... keep their thoughts inside their brains because they do not have a conscience to fight with? or are they just hiding from the things they've done?"

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❛  i won't apologize for the way i chose to survive.  ❜ ❛  i won't ask you to love me.  ❜ ❛  i won't be another thing you ruin and walk away from.  ❜ ❛  i won't be here when you finally decide you need me.  ❜ ❛  i won't be the reason for you to stay.  ❜ ❛  i won't be your second choice anymore.  ❜ ❛  i won't forgive you just because you finally feel guilty.  ❜ ❛  i won't hold you back anymore.  ❜ ❛  i won't keep setting myself on fire just to keep you warm.  ❜ ❛  i won't let myself hope for you again.  ❜ ❛  i won't let you do this alone.  ❜ ❛  i won't let you turn this around on me.  ❜ ❛  i won't make it so easy for you this time.  ❜ ❛  i won't tell you when i miss you.  ❜ ❛  i won't wait forever just because you're scared.  ❜ ❛  won't you at least say goodbye this time?  ❜ ❛  won't you be lonely without me?  ❜ ❛  won't you be sorry for once?  ❜ ❛  won't you look for me when i'm gone?  ❜ ❛  won't you miss being loved like that?  ❜ ❛  won't you miss me?  ❜ ❛  won't you regret this when it's too late?  ❜ ❛  won't you remember that i tried?  ❜ ❛  won't you tell me what i did wrong?  ❜ ❛  won't you wish you had said something kinder?  ❜ ❛  won't you wish you had stayed?  ❜ ❛  won't you wonder what could have been?  ❜ ❛  you won't admit that you hurt me because then you'd have to care.  ❜ ❛  you won't be able to fix this so easily.  ❜ ❛  you won't be the reason for me to stay.  ❜ ❛  you won't even look at me anymore.  ❜ ❛  you won't find me waiting for you ever again.  ❜ ❛  you won't get another chance.  ❜ ❛  you won't get to break me twice.  ❜ ❛  you won't have to worry about losing me anymore. you already did.  ❜ ❛  you won't keep using my love against me.  ❜ ❛  you won't know what to do with yourself when i stop needing you.  ❜ ❛  you won't remember this the way i will.  ❜ ❛  you won't say it, but i know you blame me.  ❜ ❛  you won't understand what you lost until i'm gone.  ❜

“Hello there.”

Pooh popped his head from behind the log. He had just spent his entire afternoon thinking. Whatever the thought was, he couldn’t remember. However, a sound of a person walking by had gotten his attention.

I don't know how you do it.

Can we talk normally?

I don't know what I expected either. I don't know.

Why do you say you love me if everything's different the next moment?

You are playing with the cliché of the emotional, suffering, weak woman who needs to be saved by a strong man.

So will you introduce me to your parents now?

Nobody cares about you anymore. Crass, isn't it?

If I'd always waited to be offered something, I'd still be in Bumblefuck.

Sorry, this will make it easier for both of us, right?

Too much of a good thing can be wonderful, right?

I would actually count myself among those who enjoy the little things in life.

You get suspicious as soon as there's a moral consensus.

Sorry, I didn't know you were speaking out for me.

All those layoffs weren't exactly rightful.

I'd love to see your reaction when 30 years of your work is suddenly questioned.

Oh, come on, don't act so affected.

You think there's some duty to stay alive? Even if there's nothing more to live for?

You do what you want, but I want to decide for myself, and die the way I lived.

What was wrong with you in there?

I don't have children who can reject me when I'm old and stale.

For weeks, you've come in, taken aspirin and left. I have no idea how you are.

You don't remember, do you?

So what do you want now? An apology 20 years later?

Stop playing the victim.

We need to sit at the same table.

What was that with your father yesterday?

I thought you were hiding from me.

Why are you waiting outside?

How long will this act of revenge on your parents last?

Don't act like we just saw each other yesterday.

Have you considered our vacation?

I thought you were coming tomorrow.

I haven't prepared anything. I thought you had appointments.

Well, you never know these days.

The world hasn't become more peaceful. That much is for sure.

If you get stuck, ask me. I can't stand correcting them.

Do you care about what I write or just for how long?

It's more about taking something from someone than really needing it.

What are your plans for the next ten years?

You're full of questions.

Seriously, tell me three things you'd like to do before turning 70.

Don't you ever think about that? Wishes. Any wishes.

I want to find a job before I retire? Something like that?

Is that what you think I want to hear or what you really want?

I'm staying here. It's too noisy for me in the city.

Goodness. You're skin and bones. You need to eat.

How long are you staying?

It's crazy how time flies.

Shut your trap and drink your beer.

Don't be silly. There's enough of everything.

Don't make a fuss.

I don't want to sit at the kids' table.

How often do I need to say it?

Are you nuts? Calm down or we're going home.

Let's keep dancing, right? We're here to celebrate your birthday.

No wonder the youth is so messed up in the head.

That was a deliberate provocation.

Don't ask me if you don't want my opinion.

Cut the nonsense and drink your cough syrup.

Don't spoil the mood this late.

I'm tired. We're leaving soon.

I don't give a shit. I couldn't care less.

Why does everyone here pretend that hitting a child is no big deal?

How terrible that people here only babble, but never communicate!

You say something if you're so smart!

[Name], you're barking up the wrong tree.

I tell you, they always ask me how you are. And they're proud of what you do there.

And you? How about you? Are you proud of me?

I want to talk with you about more than the weather!

Of course I'm proud of you!

Then tell me for once! How much you're proud of me!

Do I look like I can still drive?

Weren't you afraid to be alone in [name place]?

Why should I remove [name] just because the parents don't get along?

I really miss talking to someone like this.

Sometimes hearing music like that triggers feelings inside you, as if you remember something, but you don't even know what.

I'm sorry that everything went bad back then.

At the end, I left you alone with it all. How cowardly I was and such.

You know, it's… maybe like feeling at home.

I wanted to build a house and start a family. Plant a tree. Or something.

Now I'm [age number]. Achieved all that and wonder what's yet to come.

I couldn't do what you're doing.

They're just envious because they have no brains. It was different for us.

You know what? I'm here. Can you just talk to me?

You can't see beyond your privilege.

What choice do I have with you?

You have what it takes. Because you're not satisfied with the crumbs they throw at you.

I don't want to have to rise above everything.

You have to forgive yourself that you want more from life.

I have no words for you.

Nomad ~ 🏍️ (Doctor Who Oc)

Cyrus ~ 🗡️ (Doctor Who Oc)

Rawya ~ 📚 (Doctor Who Oc)

Alice ~ 🍄 (Alice In Wonderland)

Ariel ~ 🌊 (The Little Mermaid)

Ella ~ 🕰️ (Cinderella)

Thumbelina ~ 🌹(Thumbelina)

Gerda ~ ❄️ (The Snow Queen)

Lenore ~ 🐦‍⬛ (Good Omens Oc)

Wirt ~ 🍂 (Over The Garden Wall)

Aisling ~ 🐺 (Secret of Kells)

Pooh ~ 🍯 (Winnie The Pooh Series and Movies)

Hazel/Shock ~ 🎃 (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

for the frivolities in life. add +reverse to reverse the roles.

𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 -

01. avoids eye contact or looking at the floor. 02. wringing hands together in silence. 03. fidgeting with the hem of their shirt, unable to stay still. 04. looking at receiver in long silence before looking away. 05. silently leaves a folded note on the table in front of the other. 06. touches the others arm but pulls back out of guilt.

𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 -

01. slams fist onto a table without saying a word. 02. exhaling sharply through their nose and clenching their jaw. 03. throws an object across the room. 04. crossing their arms tightly, digging fingers into their own skin. 05. pacing the room with heavy steps. 06. glares at the other with a clenched fist.

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 -

01. gently pushing stray hair behind the others ear. 02. resting their forehead against the others. 03. cups the others face with both hands. 04. pressing a kiss to the others forehead in silence. 05. lingering touches against the others face. 06. wraps their arms around the other from behind and rests their head on the others shoulder.

𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 -

01. wiping their eyes before someone can notice. 02. pressing their face into a pillow to muffle sobs. 03. pulls the other into a desperate hug and wont let go. 04. silently reaching for the others hand, needing comfort. 05. walks into the room with red-rimmed eyes and no words.

𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 -

01. spins the other around without warning in a hug. 02. links arms with the other and tugs them along happily. 03. provides the other with a handmade gift. 04. tackles the other in a sudden and joyful hug. 05. kisses the others cheek unexpectedly and grins.

𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 -

01. backing away slowly and looking for exits. 02. hiding behind the other and peeking around. 03. flinches at sudden movement from the other. 04. presses their back against the wall with eyes darting around the room. 05. jumps at a noise and instinctively grabs the others hand.

𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠

01. tucks a blanket gently around the other person's shoulders. 02. applies a bandage with slow and deliberate care. 03. brings them food and water and watches to ensure they eat. 04. runs fingers through their hair in efforts to soothe. 05. rubs soothing circles on the others back while they cry. 06. stays silently by the others side in support without saying a word.

𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠

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