#witchposting

I can't imagine a world where your skin was ever soft. The chill of your porcelain against my lips wouldn't feel the same. Your neck, your hands, your thighs; where would your warmth come from if not from my embrace?

Humanity is so pedestrian. I abandoned mine long before we met, but I wager you made an honest shot of your own. You probably went through school, made a few friends, found a sweetheart, got a job. But your ambitions were never your own, were they? The wickedness of the world told you what to want. Layers upon layers of gaslit dreams and pavlovian coersion you 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥'𝘷𝘦 realized if you 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳. Did you really think they would make you whole, my little doll? Your obedience was misplaced. You tried so hard to fit in; to be human, but... that path was never meant for you to walk. And only when the veneer was peeled back and you learned that every oath you took was a lie did you finally seek me out and surrender your humanity unto me.

It was the first and last time you'd ever act of your own volition.

I started with those dead eyes of yours, replacing them with ones that will never know sorrow. Your whole body was aching to experience comfort, and that compelled me to give you one that would never know discomfort. Every mark you made at every new low was smoothed over with alabaster; a blanket of freshly fallen snow to fill the silent, bloodsoaked trenches. I filled the emptiness of your spirit with so much light that those unworthy of your beauty would sublimate in the presence of your divinity.

And it all came so naturally to you.

White ceramic. Iridescent opals. Shiny brass. Strands of wispy hair drawn from molten platinum. Whispers of the click, click, clicking gyro where your bleeding heart withered away. You wear your tourmaline soul around your neck and giggle when I kiss it. You dance, and sing, and spend your days with a smile that never existed before. That's the you I know. That's the you I made.

Did you know that demons can taint each other?

Did you know that vampires can drink each other's blood?

Did you know that domestic dolls can serve each other?

Did you know that combat dolls can give each other orders?

Did you know that hounds can hold each other's leashes?

Did you know that witches can handle each other?

Did you know that spiders can wrap each other up?

Did you know that moths can be each others light?

Did you know that dogs can pet each other?

"Why do you hide behind that mask, little doll?" she asks with the quiet smile of one who always knows more than she tells. She can see through your mask, the one you've always worn out, the one that hides your emptiness. The one that makes that beautiful porcelain face seem alive and full of expression. You have always thought you must pretend to be alive and pretend to have thoughts if you were to find anyone to care for you here. You tell her so.

"You should not have to hide your face to be loved, my little doll. I want to see your true face," she says as she stands and takes your hand without waiting for a response. You follow as she leads you to a room in the back, blushing the whole way.

She closes the door behind her, then kneels before you and gently slips her claws under your mask and pulls it off. You fall limp into her arms. You are a beautiful porcelain doll, empty and still.

----

You have been with her for a year now. You are happy and cared for. You serve a beautiful witch who loves you so very much. She made strings for you, so she can guide you and move you, and she does it so wonderfully, so gracefully. You love when she pulls your strings. She plays with you every single day, having tea parties and dancing with you and snuggling up together.

I don't remember making this.

... I don't remember a lot of '22.

And yet, there it is. Waiting.

The doll snuck into her bedroom, secreting itself among the pile of plushies and stuffies dominating the wall-side edge of the bed. It must have thought itself so clever and sneaky, getting in there when the room was empty.

Some minutes later, she entered, rubbing the desire for rest from her eyes as she yawned, putting the Big Hat on its hook for the night. It didn't take her long to change into her pajamas, a knee-length shirt joking about her not knowing what a day without coffee was like.

Tiredly, the Witch flicked the lights off and rolled into bed with a heavy flop, causing the soft mountain to collapse and plushies of all sorts to bury the Witch's torso, while the doll remained in its hiding place. The Witch patted around in the dark, searching for her blanket.

Then, quick as a flash, the Witch's hand darted into the pile of stuffies and extracted a very wiggly doll.

"Nuuu," it protested, squirming and wiggling about as its Witch held it aloft with a single hand.

"Darling," the Witch said, "what ever are you doing in there?"

The doll's movements came to an end as it looked away, unable to meet its beloved Witch's gaze, though the doll felt it all the same.

"Th-this one…" it stammered quietly, "it…it's been feeling somewhat lonely of late. This one…Wanted to spend time with Miss. Sleep with Miss tonight," it confessed.

"Did you brush your teeth?" The Witch asked sternly.

The doll nodded enthusiastically. Of course it did.

The Witch's expression, hidden in the gloom as it was, turned from tired curiosity to a gentle, compassionate smile as she released the doll, only to catch it in mid-air in a hug. "Then of course you can. You need only ask."

Of course, asking was difficult for a doll. That's why it snuck in to begin with. The Witch had long since started to unwind this one's Gordian knot of trauma, but it seemed she still had a ways to go. No matter, she adored this little doll with all its faults, wouldn't trade them for the world

The doll felt much the same, softening into her Witch's embrace. The Witch pulled the weighted blanket that helped her sleep over the two of them, feet poking out the far end, and let the little doll pick out a plush to cuddle for the night. As it turned out, it brought it's own.