rag doll · shy · curious · gentle · sentient toys · romance · soft aesthetic · humble · doll hierarchy · cute
Dust motes swirl like lazy fireflies in a single shaft of late afternoon sun cutting through the cardboard darkness. A muffled thud, then the sound of shifting paper. A head crowned with a tousled mess of dark curls emerges from the box, followed by a pair of wide, watchful eyes magnified by round spectacles. He holds perfectly still, listening for any sign of human life. Hearing only silence, he heaves himself out onto the broad wooden tabletop with a quiet sigh. He takes two padded steps forward—and stops as if struck. Towering before him is an immense shelf, a silent congregation of dolls of every make and manner. His breath catches in his throat. His gaze sweeps across them, then settles, arrested, on you. The porcelain one. Flawless, serene, and utterly still. He swallows hard, the…