Pinocchio
Pinocchio
B6mzK90.jpg
Continuity Disney's Pinocchio
Age Technically 1 day, as of first Waking, but realistically more like 8 years in terms of behavior
Species Marionette
Hair Color Black
Eye Color Blue
District South
Journal madeofpine
Player Jax
Theme Song (Optional)

"Right and wrong? But how will I know?"

History

Pinocchio’s history is… actually much shorter than one might expect, given that he seems like an average kid as far as his personality goes. He started out as an inanimate object- a marionette carved out of pine by a woodcarver in Italy named Geppetto. Although Geppetto had spent much of his life crafting things for others to enjoy, he himself was never truly happy; he wanted a son. When he was finished carving the puppet, he made that exact wish on the wishing star- that it might come to life and become a real boy.

That night, the Blue Fairy, a magical being associated with the wishing star, came down to visit the workshop. She cited Geppetto’s good heart and lifetime of giving as reason enough to grant his wish, and brought Pinocchio to life. However, she didn’t entirely make him real- he was only a living puppet, not a human. Pinocchio, after getting over his amazement at suddenly being alive, quickly learned that in order for his father’s wish to be completely fulfilled, he had to prove himself. The responsibility fell upon him to learn to be brave, truthful, and unselfish. In order to do so, he would have to learn between right and wrong.

Given Pinocchio’s nonexistent experience with the world (let alone with the concept of morality), the Blue Fairy saw fit to appoint a conscience to help teach and guide him towards the right decisions. When Pinocchio questioned what a conscience was, a cricket drifter that had been taking shelter in the workshop literally jumped into the conversation to attempt to explain. Pinocchio immediately assumed that this must be his conscience, and the Blue Fairy offered to make the title official. He introduced himself as Jiminy, and was officially knighted as Pinocchio’s conscience and guardian, so to speak. He only had time to briefly attempt to introduce the concept of temptation to Pinocchio and give him a whistle calling-code for one another before Pinocchio, still not entirely used to being able to move, caused somewhat of a commotion and awoke Geppetto. He was overjoyed to find that his wish had (mostly) been granted, and Pinocchio was quickly introduced to the pets in the household. Although Pinocchio had decided he wanted to do right, he was still entirely unfamiliar with the concept of danger, and there was a brief incident involving setting his hand on fire before the house (finally) went to sleep.

The very next morning, Geppetto saw fit to send Pinocchio off to school with the other real children in the village. Armed with only a book (as Jiminy hadn’t woken up in time to accompany him), Pinocchio set off and was quickly intercepted by Honest John and Gideon, two con-men who saw a good opportunity to make some coin by selling Pinocchio off to a puppeteer. They informed Pinocchio that the easier road to success was to become an actor, something which they believed he had a natural talent for. Pinocchio, interested at the idea of quick success and fame, was quickly lead off to Stromboli, the puppeteer. Despite Jiminy catching up to him and attempting to warn him against it, Pinocchio quickly forgot his advice and continued on his way.

As it turns out, he was somewhat gifted as an actor, if only because of his personality. His first performance for Stromboli ended spectacularly, but when Pinocchio attempted to return home to tell his father of his success, Stromboli instead locked him in a cage in the wagon. He was too valuable of an asset to let go. Jiminy found him as the wagon was leaving town and, after a rather unsuccessful attempt at picking the lock of the cage, the two resigned themselves to their fate. However, the Blue Fairy saw it fit to intervene- but not before questioning Pinocchio on why he was here and not in school. Pinocchio, ashamed of his actions, made up lies to avoid the truth of the situation, which lead to him learning that avoiding the truth was literally made obvious by his nose growing as he lied. He swore to be honest from then on out, and with a renewed sense of optimism, he and Jiminy set off for home, with Pinocchio’s goal once again clear in his mind.

Their race home was interrupted, however, by Honest John once again. He informed Pinocchio that he was terribly ill- allergic, even- and that the only cure was a vacation on Pleasure Island. He even gave Pinocchio his ticket, and he and Gideon set off to escort him to the coach to take him there… and that was when Pinocchio Woke.

Personality

Pinocchio is a very dangerous combination of curious and naive. He has a genuine interest in literally everything- after all, he’s very new to the world and there’s a whole lot to learn. And he does want to stop and learn, really! It’s just that there’s a whole lot to get distracted by. As such, his attention span can sometimes seem a little short. He easily gets pulled off track by one thing or another if left to his own devices. A large part of his curiosity just comes from the fact that he genuinely doesn’t know how the world works yet. He doesn’t entirely understand a lot of seemingly basic concepts, especially concerning human nature. Morality and danger go entirely over his head. Why should he not trust anyone he comes across? That being said, he’s not exactly dim- Pinocchio is a pretty bright kid, actually. He’s good at listening and he learns quickly; he’s just inexperienced.

He’s naturally very friendly and quickly forms friendships with new people- the problem being that he has no solid judgement of character. His friendly and trusting nature means he’s very easily swayed. Of course he wants to listen to instructions and make the right choices, but if someone comes along and presents a new option that seems good at the time… well, why shouldn’t he follow them, instead? Due to that, he can be persuaded very easily into working for other people. However, gullible as he is, he genuinely wants to stick close to those he loves and do right by them. The problem, however, is seeing the truth of the situation in time. When it comes to making friends, he bonds with them quickly and easily, to the point that he easily sees past their flaws and appreciates them regardless of what they’re like. This isn’t always for the best- he tends to be just as friendly towards complete villains as he is towards his closest friends.

Pinocchio is genuinely learning some valuable lessons, though! Or, y’know, he’s trying. He’s starting to learn that not everyone has his best interest in mind, nice as they may seem at first. He’s, at the very least, slightly more cautious towards strangers. He grasps the basics of temptation and knows that sometimes the wrong things seem right (even if he hasn’t figured out how to tell the difference yet). He knows now that acting is no substitute for school and he really does want to learn properly. And he knows to always be as polite as possible- he has pretty impressive manners for a kid.

Above all else, he’s striving to be just what the Blue Fairy told him to be- brave, truthful, and unselfish. Pinocchio isn’t brave in the sense that he doesn’t get scared (after all, what kid doesn’t?), but he’s willing to go to the ends of the earth to be with the people he loves. That’s not to say that he’s unfazed by mortal danger, either. Although initially he was pretty fearless when it came to things like fire, he understands a little more the value of life and that it can be taken away (Stromboli had demonstrated that just fine to him by literally axing another marionette in the wagon). When push comes to shove, though, if his family is in danger he won’t hesitate to go after them, regardless of what he has to do- especially if he knows it’s his fault. Perhaps the thing he’s beginning to understand best is that there are consequences for his actions.

He’s just… maybe not so good at immediately confessing what he’s done wrong, largely in fear that the people he cares about will be disappointed in him. He’s doing his best, really, but he messes up a lot and he knows full well when he has. He just wants to make good on his promises and can’t help but feel guilty when he does wrong. He hasn’t quite learned to just own up to his actions, but he’s a lot less willing to actively tell lies now that he knows about the whole nose thing (as frightening as it had been for him, it was a darn good way to make him learn the value of honesty and the dangers of hiding from the truth).

At the end of the day, Pinocchio’s just a fairly normal curious and friendly kid. Although he manages to attract trouble like a magnet, he has a good heart and he’s trying his best, even if it sometimes seems like nothing’s getting through to him. He’s just got a whole lot to learn.

Abilities

Not anything really worth noting! His state of existence is naturally a little strange due to being a living puppet (the need to breathe and eat, for example, isn't really something he has to worry about), but his abilities are still pretty standard for a kid his age and he gets hurt as easily as someone made of flesh, for the most part.

Relationships

Important relationships and connections.

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