GOOD SWEET HEAVENLY FATHER ABOVE! I can't BELIEVE I haven't updated this! I've been trying to get to it, I really have! But… life was just getting stressful and I lost inspiration! I am SO SORRY!
Well, after what appeared to be an eternity, here's a new Blu-Shot at last… for those of you who are still alive. (Requested by Scoobycool9)
Reviewers Who I Have Remembered To Thank
ElizabethTheAwesomeOtaku: I knew you'd enjoy the troll hunt ^-^ And yes, I love to include a few twists here and there… plus, you never know if there really ARE actual trolls lurking through the web (eyes shift mysteriously)
Scoobycool9: Thanks for the suggestion, and glad you enjoyed the fluff.
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Jacob Geppetto was a kind boy, kinder than any person in the entire world. He had a gentle side, and wanted to lift anyone's spirits when they were feeling down- no matter how much the other boys made fun of him for being a sissy… though perhaps it was out of jealousy, since all the girls found it heart-melting that there was a young man who cared so much for others.
And young Susan was the one to notice it first-hand as a child, when Geppetto helped her out in Junior High. "Thanks for walking me home, Jake." She told him as he carried her books, like any young gentleman would do. "If you hadn't told Cinder that Crimson stole her shoe and had her call in her Fairy Godmother to handle him, I'd never have gotten away from him."
Jacob shrugged. "Well, I hate seeing someone pressure a nice girl like yourself into going out with him. You've already told him no once… maybe even twenty-three times this week, so he should have gotten the message." He said, then frowned a bit. "I'm just sorry I had to lie. I'll be cleaning the gym floor for months for it,"
"You did it to help me. He had me backed into a corner, remember? I'm glad you got Cinder to tackle him and beat him with her other high-heel."
"I just hate having to lie. I can't stand liars, and I'm more comfortable with being honest."
"And there's no problem with that. Tell you what, for putting you through it, I'll do you a huge favor, to show how much I appreciate what you've done."
Jacob blushed. "There's no need… really."
"Are you kidding? That creep's been stalking me since 4th Grade. I'll pay you back, I promise. You name it, I'll do it."
"Well, I can't really think of anything right now…"
"If you think of something, let me know. I really owe you."
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25 years later…
Geppetto was as kind as a man as he was a boy, if not more. Being such a gentleman, he happily married to a beautiful woman, and owned a shop full of wooden, hand-crafted toys he had carved and precious stuffed animals his wife had sewn. His specialty was puppets, music boxes, and even wooden mugs with faces or scenery carved around them. His wife loved making teddy bears, especially blue ones, and little stuffed wolves. Kids always dragged their parents into the store to either play with the toys- which Geppetto didn't mind at all- or the parents would shop there for birthday, Christmas, or souvenir gifts.
Alas, the business slowed down after Geppetto's wife died from growing too ill, and the old man felt sorrow, for not only did he lose his love, but also they never had the chance to have children. Some would say that, out of sorrow, he gave away all his puppets for they reminded him too much of his wife and the children they could have had… that, or they were taking up too much space on the shelves.
One night, however, he was lacking sleep due to his daydreams of being a father. I wonder what it would have been like if I DID have a son… he thought. His imagination getting the best of him, he went to his workshop and started carving.
He wanted the puppet to look perfect, having his wife's smooth black hair and beautiful brown eyes, an innocent face like he had as a child, and a smile that would make even an angel's heart melt. He walked over to a trunk where he had kept all the clothes his wife had sewn to fit his puppets, only to see that all that was left was a shirt, bowtie, shorts, shoes, a pair of suspenders and a hat with a feather in it. It wasn't the most charming outfit, but it was better than leaving the puppet in the nude.
Soon he was done. "Now, you need a name," he said, rubbing his chin. "I will call you… Pinocchio, after my wife's maiden name."
He looked out the window then, seeing a star that glowed brighter than the others. Everyone in Fairytale Land called it the Wishing Star, and that if you quietly made a wish upon it, all your dreams would come true… at least, that's what a hobo living in an alley had said. (Everyone thought he was just talking crazy until he ended up winning the lottery).
Geppetto kneeled before the star, bowing his head. "The only thing I wish for is for my sorrow to lift, and remember that my wife is in a peaceful place now… and that someday, I will have a real son, like the one I have carved. Maybe even have Pinocchio become a real boy. It would mean so much to have a child of my own to love and teach,"
Unbeknownst to him, his wish was heard by an old friend. When Geppetto left the room to go to bed, light shimmered into the room, and the Blue Fairy appeared… with a five-year-old girl beside her. "This is what you do, Mommy?" the little girl asked.
"Yes, Blu. I help grant wishes to those who make a wish upon my star- only if they deserve them," Susan answered, smiling. "Geppetto is a kind man and never asked for anything… And I do owe him a favor. I think the best thing I can do for him is to grant his wish, and turn his puppet into a real boy."
Blu grimaced. "Ew, I wouldn't do that. Boys are gross, and are always breaking things, and they're always pulling pranks and always blame stuff. Like how Ricky Johnson keeps saying the Big Bad Wolf ate his homework,"
Susan thought about this. Boys did tend to be boisterous, and often became worse as they got older- and she wanted Geppetto's son to be as kind and sweet as his father was. "They're only that way if they don't have the proper guidance and learn right from wrong. I think there's a way we can handle that."
Taking out her wand, she tapped the puppet's head, and suddenly he blinked, shifting a bit. "What happened?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "I had this dream I was standing in a forest, and this huge burly guy came at me with a chainsaw, and… when did I grow hands?!"
Susan chuckled. "You're no longer a tree, Pinocchio. You're a puppet now… and soon you'll be a real boy."
Pinocchio cocked his head. "Are you talking to me? Who are you?"
"I'm the Blue Fairy, and this is my daughter, Blu. The man who made you made a wish upon my star to turn you into a real boy."
"So… I'm human now?"
"You're still made of wood, of course not!" Blu answered.
"(Blu, be nice) You're still a puppet, but there's a way for you to become a real boy." Susan told him. "You must learn right from wrong, always do the right thing, and let your conscience be your guide."
"What's a conscience?" Pinocchio asked, curiously.
"You know that weird little voice in the back of your head that keeps telling you not to do something you know is bad? That's a conscience." Blu told him.
"Oh… okay."
"Who's down there?" came Geppetto's voice.
"Time to go," Susan whispered. "Remember what I said, Pinocchio. Listen to your conscience."
"Aw, Mom, can't we stay?" Blu begged. "I want to see Geppetto get scared out of his pants!"
Susan laughed, and they disappeared, just as Geppetto walked into the room. "That's odd…" he said, scratching his head. "I could have sworn I heard someone in here…"
"Oh, there was. They just left," Pinocchio told him.
Geppetto gasped, turning to the puppet. "Did… did you just… speak?"
"Yes. I'm Pinocchio… are you my dad?"
Geppetto blinked. "Well… yes, yes I am. Is this a dream? Someone pinch me,"
"Okay." Pinocchio pinched his arm.
"Yeow! …Well, I'm not dreaming. How did you come to life?"
"The Blue Fairy said you wished upon a star, and she told me I could become a real boy as long as I listened to my conscience and learned right from wrong… and then her daughter said something about you jumping out of your pants."
Geppetto looked out the window at the star. "Dreams do come true after all…"
"So… what are we going to do first?"
"Well… I suppose, first, we should get some sleep. I'll teach you everything tomorrow."
"Okay."
Geppetto carried Pinocchio upstairs, lying him in bed. If he had lived on the outside world, he'd think he had gone crazy, that he was imagining the whole thing… but in the land where fairytales were real, it was as real as can be.
"Goodnight, Dad."
"Goodnight… my son." Geppetto answered, smiling as they both fell asleep.
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A/N: When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are….. (awkward stares from audience) Oh like YOU weren't thinking the same thing!
Please review. I take suggestions, but flames will cause you to get your butt kicked.