#blame freenklin

[naivesilver]

This is NOT a chronological follow up to the last puppet boy ficlet I wrote, that will come later 😊 but you might consider it one of the things that gave Picco some food for thought in that situation 😊

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"I've got a question," Pinocchio speaks up out of nowhere.

August chuckles, patting him fondly on the head. "Sure. Ask away. Those are usually good questions anyway."

He'd thought the boy had already dozed off, in truth - it'd sound miraculous to most that he might be able to fall asleep with a typewriter clacking away not two feet from his head, but he's done it so often by now, it's no longer a surprise. August has long since grown used to writing with a little puppet curled up in his lap, so frequent are these intrusions.

Of course, he's not nearly as productive with such company present, but he doesn't mind all that much. He knows that this Pinocchio, like August himself, like many, too many of their counterparts, has trouble sleeping - if the boy's wandering out to the shed past his bedtime, at least it means he's not hiding his issues, or trying to forget his nightmares alone.

Or keeping his questions to himself, as it goes. "What's a respectable person mean?" Pinocchio asks, after a moment.

August shoots him a quizzical glance, inclining his head in confusion, but it's not easy to decipher the puppet's expression when said puppet is so nestled in his sweater, and it's not like weird questions aren't an everyday occurrence, either. Maybe he's heard the word at school, and was too shy to ask for its meaning then. It wouldn't be the first time. "Well, someone decent, I suppose. With a good reputation. Someone people respect."

"Oh." A beat of careful consideration, and then: "Am I a respectable boy now?"

Weirder and weirder. If this is a question that's been planted in him at school, it's high time August rereads the first grade curriculum. And maybe sends an email or two. "That's not something you should be worrying about," he says, trying to slip some humor into his voice. "That stuff's for old, serious people. It happens after you get boring. You don't need to be respectable just yet."

"Oh," Pinocchio replies once more, but it's clear he's still mulling it over, sinking into thoughtful silence.

August sighs, moving his hand to rest on the boy's back. "What brought this on, kid?"

Mercifully, the answer is prompter than expected. "Well, old Geppetto said he was never gonna make me a respectable boy, but that was when I was naughty, he told me so. I'm going to school now, and I don't run away anymore. So I thought..."

He trails off, but by then the man already has a clear idea of what's going on. Actually, he could have guessed it the moment he heard the words Geppetto said - they never introduce anything pleasant, judging from past experiences.

It's just as well that he has yet to meet the old carpenter, because it would probably end badly for everyone involved, but in times like this he almost wishes he had. Without any visual framework for these bizarre declarations, his brain tends to put them in his own father's mouth, which makes them all the more jarring - August might have avoided him for years out of shame, but he knows this Geppetto would rather cut his hand off than make a small child feel rejected and unwanted.

Would that the boy's maker had been half as careful. There wouldn't be as much damage to fix, that way. "Like I said, being respectable is not what you need to worry about right now," he resumes, rubbing Pinocchio's back again. "It's a grown-up thing, and not all of them manage to get to that point, either. I don't think anyone considers me respectable, for one."

"Why not?"

The innocence of the question almost makes him laugh out loud. If only you knew, little one. "Well, I made plenty of mistakes, and still haven't gotten around to fixing them all. That's just how life goes for some people. It doesn't make them naughty- it just explains why others might not like them very much."

"That's not fair." More than the reply, what makes him look down again is the clear sensation of a little wooden chin digging into his sternum - Pinocchio is staring up at him now, frowning disapprovingly from where he's still sprawling against the man's chest. "I like you."

This time, August does allow himself a little huff, his lips curling into a smile. "Thank you. I like you a lot, too." The look of pure outrage on that child's face is in equal parts touching and hilarious, but he doesn't want Pinocchio to think he's being mocked, not when he finally seems to be relaxing, some of the concern melting off of him - instead, the man abandons all pretense of writing to wrap both arms around him, earning himself a happy little noise as Pinocchio burrows into the hug with his usual enthusiasm.

It can't solve everything, this chat, but maybe it'll be enough for the boy to go to sleep with his mind at ease. Just this once. Just for this one night.

"And for what it's worth, I think you'll be decent enough when you grow up. You're a good kid, no matter what other people say. Nothing else is important, right now."

[samanthacblack18]

I was tagged by the disaster @freenklin and @naivesilver​

Thanks guys, this are my favourite memes! (Yes I love to pretend I am a person that knows tons about music and consequently have to teach y’all about some good music)

Regole: di solito puoi sapere molto di una persona dal tipo di musica che ascolta. Metti la tua musica in ordine casuale ed elenca i primi 10 brani, quindi tagga 10 persone.

Rules: usually you can find out a lot about someone by their taste in music. Put your music in shuffle and list the first ten songs that come up, then tag ten people.

Gli aironi Neri - Nomadi

She’s got her ticket - Tracy Chapman

Roots - Imagine Dragons

I won’t run away - Ashes Remain

Songs I can’t listen to - Neon Trees

Viszlàt nyàr - AWS (yes I know there is a typo or two but damn I am not even sure which nordic language is this)

Generale - Francesco De Gregori

Rx (Medicate) - Theory of a Deadman

Shoop - Salt-N-Peppa (I refuse to put a link to this and I blame Deadpool)

Run with the giants - Sam Tinnesz, Built by Titans

I’m quite proud of this music. It’s all pretty good music. Enjoy!

I’m a lazy tagger, but feel free to do this (or do this again)

[naivesilver]

character aesthetics meme: the man the puppet the legend August Ursaluna Booth

THE MOST BELOVED OF IMBECILES thank you, I'll make sure to put lots of effort in this :^)

Character Aesthetic Meme

Playlist

Besser Du Rennst, Subway To Sally

Snail, Cavetown feat. Chloe Moriondo

My Love, Florence + The Machine

Esmerelda, Ben Howard

Moodboard

Outfit

(He's an almost shamefully easy guy to dress up tbh)

Quotes

Nathaniel Orion

Hesitations Outside The Door, Margaret Atwood

A Hymn to Childhood, Li-Young Lee

How Do We Forgive Our Fathers?, Dick Lourie

Aesthetic

Late night chats, a cat stepping onto unfinished work, the split second of hesitation when someone asks what your name is, running for so long the only thing you can hear is blood pounding in your ears, hoping your old acquaintance won't recognize you when you cross their path on the sidewalk, "say hi to your father for me".

[naivesilver]

not me seriously considering writing a commissario montalbano!AU for sonic characters just because @seagull-laugh-girl has inspired me

[naivesilver]

I still have three asks left but they're all about my fave characters so I'll save them for tomorrow so I can do them justice

Since it's, you know, midnight