Stringless

The Stringless are a species of sapient puppets who have evolved to exist independent of their masters. Though the name the species has given itself refers to the first of their kind, the marionette called Pinocchio, a Stringless might evolve from any kind of puppet. In fact, felt-based hand puppets make up a majority of the Stringless population in Eden.

Each Stringless is created via a pact between fairy and another sapient being, which might seem like a rather nice way to be born—until you remember that every fae bargain comes with at least one catch, and often many more.

To begin with, the newly created Stringless is “born” with a fatal flaw—a nose which grows under stress, an insatiable craving for chocolate chip cookies, etc. Then, beyond that, they’re on their own when it comes to sewing up the hole where their puppeteer’s hand used to go, or cutting the strings that used to control each of their limbs. They’re also responsible for adding any body parts they might need. And if any outside party attempts to assist the Stringless with these procedures, the procedures will fail.

The person who bargained the Stringless into existence wanted them to be self-sufficient and self-sustaining, after all, so can you really blame the fae who cast the enchantment for taking the wish seriously?

But, these minor quibbles aside, the existence of a Stringless is a generally easy one. They don’t need to eat or drink to survive, they only need as much sleep as is necessary to troubleshoot problems with their subconscious minds, and they are beloved as adorable, gentle, and even-tempered companions by people the world over.