Hi! Can I ask you a post about the bond between Jack and Zero? Where and when they met in your head canon?
An iconic duo!! Lovable skeleton with his lovable ghost dog!! I’ve been meaning to make an appreciation post about Jack & Zero for the longest time, so I’ll just spurt everything I have about them here.
Zero was Jack’s only friend for the longest time - even if the guy had a bunch of admirers and loved by everyone, he felt alone because no one really understood him. But Zero is his best friend because he understands him and is there to witness his sorrow beyond Halloween. The one Jack masks to everyone else, yet only allows Zero to see. (Keeping in mind Sally was never meant to know he was sad, she just happened to be there at the right time.)
Their relationship in the original poem was a little different. Zero really wanted to cheer Jack up from his blues, but got ignored. I’m really glad this factor was changed in the movie - because you get the feel that Jack’s not only lamenting to himself, but also to Zero. He turns to him to express his emotions and Zero shares them. When he’s happy, Zero’s happy - when he’s sad, Zero is, too. He was just as excited for Christmas as Jack was, and when they crashed, he was deflated and sad, too.
He shadows Jack both emotionally and physically. Besides mirroring his emotions, Zero reminds him of what’s good or what exactly matters - he cheered him on when Jack convinced himself to feel better after the crash, reminded him to go and save Santa, and tried to help Jack find himself while he was going nuts over Christmas. He also barks in support while he’s battling Oogie Boogie, and we all know how happy he was seeing Jack finally finding what made him happy(Sally). So they share quite a strong bond, just like any other owner with their pet.
I share the typical headcanon for how they met. Mine is that Zero, who, while alive, got hit by a car as a young pup, and passed to the other side as a ghost. He came into Halloween Town afraid and alone, but found comfort hiding in the pumpkin patch. He eventually came across Jack while they were both young. He was scared of him at first, but after he continued to give him some food and gradually spent more time with him, the pup got real attached. Jack decided to keep him with his family and named him “Zero”, as every time Zero was around, there weren’t any pumpkins ready to be harvested.
If anyone has anymore headcanons, feel free to share them with me!
