Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, meets Sally, a ragdoll created by Dr. Finklestein. A friendship blossoms between them as he introduces her to the world outside of her tower. Sally is falling for him as their relationship grows into something more, and Jack finds the same is happening to him.
A story where the Christmas incident never happens, and Jack and Sally find their happiness on their own.
Sally moves in with the man of her screams. But there is still so much she has to learn of Halloween Town, and what it’s like living with The Pumpkin King.
A sequel to Two Dearest Friends, where the Christmas incident never happens. But there are still many ends that haven’t been met, and much for these two dreamers to learn as they start to spend their deaths together.
Pairings: Jack Skellington/Sally, Dr Finklestein/Jewel
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Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, TWO DEAREST FRIENDS. To read the original story, seek ABOVE.
A soldier-in-training, Valerie hopes to join the Valencian Army to avenge her father’s death under the wing of General Rooke. But when she happens to catch the attention of Commander Kane, her plans take a different turn.
Human AU of the Armada from Pirate101, where Kane meets his Queen.
After losing the Pirate, Deacon is unwillingly paired with a partner to help with his job. The only problem is - they can’t stand each other, and time is dwindling until he can re-capture all his lost prisoners.
Elroy Skellington is finally old enough to join his father for his first Halloween in the human world, but things go awry and he runs away. In his troubled state, the Pumpkin Prince discovers something new that will change their lives, and the world they know, forever.
A fic focused on the Skellington children.
Pairing: Jack/Sally
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Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, OUR NIGHTMARE. To read the original story, seek ABOVE.
Summary: Elroy Skellington is finally old enough to join his father for his first Halloween in the human world, but things go awry and he runs away. In his troubled state, the Pumpkin Prince discovers something new that will change their lives, and the world they know, forever.
A fic focused on the Skellington Children.
Pairing: Jack/Sally
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Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, OUR NIGHTMARE. To read the original story, go here.
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Desdemona wanted to click her heels together as she walked side-by-side with her scarecrow grandfather, who regarded his surroundings with intrigue and a little unease. They had a town meeting informing the citizens that the Pumpkin Prince had returned and where he ran off to. They also introduced a returning member of the community, Áed Skellington, who went unrecognized by most people, but a couple of old residents recalled their prior Pumpkin King and happily welcomed him back.
The Pumpkin Princess had a suspicion that her grandpa wasn’t feeling quite at-home yet, so she asked him if he could accompany her over to Finkelstein’s Tower today. He had yet to reunite with Grandpa Fink and she wanted to witness their reunion together. From what she learned, they were best friends a long time ago and had a history together. She imagined they had plenty to catch up on.
“--And so we made something called the Fright Keeper! It attaches to any monster, even an apparition like the ghosts, and adapts all of its frights and scares to the wearer..! It’s like a unique scaring tool anybody can use, of any age!”
Áed’s sharpened smile widened as he tilted his pumpkin. “Is that so?”
He enjoyed hearing about his granddaughter’s experiments and projects with the Doctor. It had been centuries since he last witnessed the mad scientist’s inventions and gizmos. He could only imagine what else he had come up with in all this time. To learn that Desdemona was his new assistant and lab partner…it made him happy. To know that his blood had bonded together with his best friend in unexpected ways. Who could have predicated that Finkelstein would create a living ragdoll, whom his son ended up falling in love with, and would produce five skeleton children with and make him a grandfather?
It was wonderful. Fate had smiled down on him despite him doing something so unforgivable. It was a miracle Jack hadn’t forbidden his presence in the Skellington Manor. He was permitted to have a family again, and it got bigger since he last saw them. It put Áed in a good mood when they finally arrived at the tower. He hesitated at the door and Desdemona had to be the one to ring the doorbell.
“The door is open!”
It was always open. But she was taught to knock or ring, anyway, for it was the polite thing to do. She swung open the heavy door and came running in with her grandfather slowly following behind. She knew where the Doctor would be – either in his laboratory like he usually was, or lounging around with his lookalike wife, Jewel, and Igor assistant in the sitting room. To her luck, the old man happened to be sitting around chatting with his small family. The second she made her appearance, his features brightened at the sight of his granddaughter, but then his eyes grew thrice their size when Áed came in behind her.
“My God!” He attempted to stand but his legs easily gave out. “Is that…are you…?”
“Albert!” The scarecrow laughed as he extended his arms wide, and Finkelstein returned the jovial reaction. “I thought I would never see you again, mon ami!”
“It is! By Halloween, it really is you!”
Tears of happiness streamed down the scientist’s pale face as he embraced his longtime friend. Desdemona grinned as she sat beside her grandmother, who complimented her outfit and asked where she got her jewelry. While they fell into conversation, Áed and Finkelstein easily began catching up. Igor rushed out of the room to fetch some refreshments for their unexpected company. By the time he came back and poured their tea, they were comfortably lounged across from each other, sharing tales and reminiscing on the past.
“Just how did you get lost in that Hinterlands forest? And more importantly…how have you fared for so long out there?”
His jack-o’-lantern smile fell a bit and he turned away. “I wasn’t lost. I left on my own accord. I survived off of what I could scavenge from the towns.”
“Towns?” he tilted his large head.
“Oh, oh! You’re gonna’ LOVE it, Grandpa Finkelstein!” Desdemona piped up from across the room. “Elroy found these doors in the forest with different things on them and they lead to all sorts of towns!”
He tipped his pumpkin in her direction. “Jack will announce them soon; he said he didn’t want to alarm the town with too much news at once. Having their Pumpkin Prince back and…well, me, I suppose…was enough agitation.”
“I see, I see. I am interested to hear all about it,” he rubbed his chin with his black glove. “You said you left by your own choice? What could have possibly made you want to leave? Those days were so terrible; I wouldn’t understand anyone wanting to walk off like you did!”
He glanced in Desdemona’s direction, who was undoubtedly eavesdropping on their conversation. He couldn’t blame her. There was so much anyone could learn by overhearing anything he spoke about with the Doctor. But it made it an inconvenient time to reveal the truth.
“I couldn’t handle Caoimhe’s death. I was grieving in such a way that I couldn’t be here anymore,” he confessed. “And I suppose…even after all this time, I’m not entirely over it.”
“...I understand,” Finkelstein’s voice lowered in sympathy. “I was a wreck when Bernadette passed away, you know. I thought it ironic that I would lose my wife the same way you lost yours. I suppose that just showed how entwined our lives were, haha! But…ah…it took me some time as well. Only in recent days have I been ready to move on.”
He made sure Desdemona was preoccupied with admiring Jewel’s painted nails.“That was when you made Sally, wasn’t it?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “What a mess that was. I created her to be my wife, only for her to want nothing to do with me. Well, in that way, at least. I suppose it’s a good thing Jack swept her away, otherwise I wouldn’t have my lovely Jewel.”
He took a second to observe the tall woman. “She looks just like you.”
“Exactly! And she has half my brain! Not a single soul besides yourself and my wife knows all there is about me.”
He couldn’t help laughing. That was so much like Albert. Not a thing had changed about him, it seemed.
“You did take care of him after I left, didn’t you? You were the only one he was so close with back in those days.”
“But of course,” he spread out his hands with a nod. “I let the boy come into the laboratory whenever he wanted; gave him advice and answered all of his questions. But Jack didn’t come around much. I think he was still waiting for you. When he wasn’t around either of our places, he was always mucking around in the graveyard.”
“You did me a great favor, Albert. I knew you would be his father when I wasn’t around. I owe you a great deal.”
“Well then, I ought to cash in on that and have you join me and Desdemona! We work on our projects every week and are always coming up with something new. You should see how smart our granddaughter is!”
His smile widened at those last words. “It’s a small world, isn’t it? You and I are in-laws now.”
“And I couldn’t be happier! I was ecstatic to have Jack as my son, yes, but…my greatest friend is now my family. We both got lucky indeed!”
They shared the biggest smile, and Desdemona joined in from afar.
--
“Let’s see…I gave Elroy some pointers on scaring, Mina showed me a story she wrote about me, I showed Xavier how to conjure up more flames, Adeline interviewed me for school, and Desdemona brought me over to catch up with the Doctor. I would say it was a busy day.”
Jack observed his father, who was sitting on the small bed in front of the fireplace in the study. This would be his second night in the Skellington Manor, and he could already tell that the morning would be hectic and loud again. His children will have so much to ask about over breakfast, then he and Elroy would announce to the town that there were six other holidays in existence. He could still barely wrap his head around it - he could only imagine how his people would react to such a revelation.
“I can’t express my gratitude to you for letting me stay here,” Áed’s voice drew him out of his thoughts. “You know you needn’t ever forgive me.”
“What good would that do?” the skeleton smiled warmly. “I would rather have you back in my family’s life than not at all.”
“I know I was a terrible father, to do what I did. I hope I can make it up in this next century, if I last that long.”
“How about you spend time with your grandchildren, reconnect with the citizens, and contribute to Halloween just like you used to? I think that’s good enough.”
He let out a breath of warm air. “I suppose I can do that,” he studied the floor before looking back up at the Pumpkin King. “Do you still use your scarecrow, by chance?”
“On Halloween nights. And some others.”
“Is it still terrifying?”
“Terribly so,” Jack walked over and joined him beside the fire. “Maybe a little too much. I get that from you, you know.”
“I won’t apologize for that. You’re a Skellington; we’re meant to be scary,” his son nodded in agreement and Áed clasped his skeletal hands together. “You know, Jack, I’ve been meaning to ask…what exactly happened to that burlap friend of yours? Oogie Boogie?”
He refused to meet his father’s gaze. “He’s no longer here.”
“So I’ve been told. But how did that come to be?”
A long pause passed where the only thing they could hear was the cracking of the fire. After a minute, the King confessed quietly, “I killed him. He threatened Sally’s life, so I did away with him. He was no good to anybody, anyway.”
Áed stiffened, then looked away. “I had an inclination.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I would do anything for Caoimhe. Even murder somebody for her. And I nearly had in the past. You were so close with Oogie, I thought if you were the reason for his death, then it had to be about her.”
His posture loosened in regret. “I wasn’t in my right mind. I didn’t think of the consequences. I acted on how I felt and that’s that. I’ve been trying not to feel that way ever again.”
“Ah, but if her life was on the line again…if your children’s lives were threatened, you would do it again, wouldn’t you?”
His bony hands clenched into fists. He tried not to think about this. Tried not to imagine scenarios where Sally and their children were forced into danger. Just once with Elroy was enough to frazzle up the entire family…but if it were up to him to save them all, then he would do anything. Get rid of anyone and anything in his way.
His murderous tendencies were still there, and that unsettled him.
“I’m not trying to rile you up, my boy. I’m just saying…that ferocity you’re experiencing right now? That’s what made me hide away for so long. I did everything I could to keep her safe, but in the end, I couldn’t save your mother from what killed her, and I live with that regret every day. If I could go back and find a way to cure her, I would.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
“But I wouldn’t worry in your case…you have a man-made creation as a wife. That alone spares her from many fates other undead have suffered from. And your children look healthy. You have centuries ahead of you two.”
His stitched smile grew. “Merci, papa.”
“No…thank you, Jack.”
The young skeleton got up and left the room, heading down the winding staircase at a quick pace. He must be antsy to get back to his wife already. Áed sighed as he laid down on the thin mattress and stared at the ceiling above him. It had been far too long since he spent warm, comfortable nights in the walls of a home like this. And when he woke, he would find the downstairs dining room full of skeletons eager to see him and talk to him.
He would have the death he always dreamed of having.
honestly sometimes there's no better feeling than rereading a fic you've written and coming out of it going, "yeah that actually this DOES slap. exactly what i wanted to read. fucking nailed it."
roald dahl was antisemitic and misogynistic. george orwell was openly homophobic. edgar allan poe married his 13 year old cousin. dr seuss cheated on his wife (and was racist as well as antisemitic!). hp lovecraft was racist as fuck.
anyways they’re fucking dead it’s not like you’re enabling their behaviors in the afterlife or something. then again I think they bleed into the books so uh keep an eye out for that
the difference between these old white guys and jk rowling is that the former group is all dead. jk rowling is alive and using your money to oppress trans people
I genuinely wonder if people realize how many projects get abandoned because the readership "wasn't there", when in reality, the readership just stayed silent. It's a big thing in trad pub that book series get discontinued because readers pirate the books or wait until the series is finished to buy a copy, leading the publisher to think that nobody actually wants the book enough to continue the series, but it happens with indie creators too.
I've discontinued a lot of free, online series because it's not worth putting 3-5 hours a week into posting a project for no readers. Sometimes I finish the series for me but just never post it again, other times I don't finish it at all because it feels more worthwhile to put my time into other things. Sometimes I hear from readers who are sad or upset that I didn't finish something they were liking, but the *reason* it never got finished is because I didn't know anyone liked it. If you like something, tell the creator, tell your friends, make some noise about it. If you would be sad if a story never finished, make that interest known because one of my biggest considerations before discontinuing a series is "will people miss this? Will I be letting people down" and 9/10 times, I come to the conclusion of "no, it doesn't even seem like anyone's reading this" only to learn after I've moved on that apparently someone was.
I've said this before in a different way, and this post said it so well. With real examples.
If you like something, tell people.
If you want more content from an artist or author, if you like their stuff, tell them. It will give them creative fuel to keep going. And often it gives them other resources as well.
Recommend a work to other people. Leave a comment or a review. It doesn't have to be long, just genuine, a sentence or two.
Not many people know that a book's success is judged by book reviews as well as sales. Review the book on Amazon or another site to help it pass the metric of success and be recognized by publishers and retailers.
