Time passes much more quickly in Rohandor and many long and happy years have gone by since the characters retired to enjoy their respective 'happily ever afters,' their greatest foes were imprisoned in the Forever Stone, bound in an eternal sleep. Until Now.
Happily Ever Afters takes place in Rohandor, a mystical realm on another plane of existence from our own. Here our favorite Disney heroes and villains live in a world all their own; Alive, but far from well. Heroes and heroines fight to keep peace while newly freed villains seek their revenge. Come join us in an epic adventure as the characters you love clash in a struggle that will determine the fate of Rohandor!
HEA is an AU canon-only animated crossover Disney Play-By-Post Role Play with minimal word count.
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4/24/21: We've been on hiatus for a number of years now. I don't know that I'm entirely ready to return BUT I have been cleaning up the site and working to update everything since a number of movies have released. There is still A LOT of work to do but if you see this update and were an active member of the site prior to the hiatus, please send the Yen Sid account a DM to let me know you're still interested in playing and if you wish to retain your current roster. I hope you've all been doing well and staying safe!
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For it is plain as anyone can see. We're simply meant to be.
Post by Sally on Aug 25, 2017 11:25:20 GMT -5
Participating Characters:Sally and Jack Skellington Forum Location: Outside Time And Space, Historical Threads Time of Day: Mid-morning Weather: Halloween Town gloom Thread Location: Holiday Crossroads Premise: Jack wants to take Sally on a little afternoon trip, but he won't tell her where.
"I know better than to try asking where you're taking me again," Sally said with a slightly melodramatic sigh, closing her eyes and shrugging. "You wouldn't tell me anyway... would you?" She opened one of her eyes and looked cautiously at the Pumpkin King who strode alongside her. Even though she knew the answer.
Sally abandoned the attempt to weasel the truth out of Jack and smiled, shaking her head in feigned exasperation. The thought of Jack taking her somewhere as a "surprise" was a very endearing one, and Sally was touched that he had arranged... whatever it was he had. Still, her curiosity was piqued.
She tried to think of what it could be, ever since Jack collected her that morning and they both set off into the woods. The truth of the matter was that Sally had no concept of what lay in the surrounding region. Beyond the pumpkin patch, or Oogie's lair Sally hadn't ventured, and that only deepened the mystery and her anxiousness.
Surprise or no surprise, Sally focused mostly on her company. Ambling through the dead and leafless forests that surrounded much of the countryside around Halloween Town with Jack Skellington and his dog, Zero, Sally would have been content even if there was no element of suspense to their destination.
Every moment since they'd shared that first kiss on the top of the spiral hill, Sally seemed to have to remind herself that it wasn't a dream. That Jack - her Jack - was now openly devoted to her, just as she'd ever been devoted to him.
Sally was distracted by Zero skirting around in an excited circle ahead of them, asking to play. She looked at him kindly and reached over with one hand to loosen the strings holding her other on at the wrist. Pulling the stitches out smoothly, Sally plucked off her hand and tossed it sidelong into the forest. "All right, Zero. Fetch!"
Post by Jack Skellington on Aug 25, 2017 16:37:33 GMT -5
A few weeks had passed since that fateful Christmas Eve where Jack had attempted to plan and execute an amazing Christmas Holiday celebration with the help of the people of Halloween Town. It had failed spectacularly, but by now the town and its residents had, for the most part, returned to normal and were enjoying the lazy late winter months when Halloween preparation was at its lowest.
It took getting shot out of the sky to get Jack back to his old self again… but in some ways he would never be the same. Experiencing Christmas had changed him. The emptiness inside him had been filled with a warmth he had never known before. Now he felt something like that warm glow whenever he looked at Sally. Since that night on the spiral hill, Jack had felt a resonating peace, a rightness, a calm, that he hadn’t felt in years. It was as if he was finally whole again.
Jack walked through the woods with Sally now at a leisurely pace, careful to keep his strides in step with hers. She again attempted to get some answers out of him, but Jack only grinned. “That would ruin the surprise.” He closed his eyes happily, tilting his face up to the pumpkin sun.
Sally threw her hand for Zero to chase down and Jack opened his eyes again to watch the ghost dog take off after it. Jack reached out casually and took her other hand in his own so they were walking together hand in hand. “Not far now.”
By the time Zero returned with Sally’s hand they had reached a peculiar grove of trees. Each one had a strange and colorful door cut into it. Jack led Sally out into it and gestured grandly with his hand to a door shaped like a tree. “This is the door to Christmas Town.” Jack reached for the knob and pulled the door open. From within came a cold breeze that smelled like cinnamon and something Jack recognized to be gingerbread.
Jack turned to look at Sally, an expectant look on his face. He had never really succeeded in explaining Christmas Town to his people, and ultimately Jack decided it was something that had to be experienced personally. He wanted to share it with Sally. “Sandy Claws is expecting me. I’m sure he won’t mind if you come along. You are his favorite Halloween Town resident, after all.”
For it is plain as anyone can see. We're simply meant to be.
Post by Sally on Aug 25, 2017 21:33:12 GMT -5
When Jack said they were close to the surprise, he reached out and took her remaining palm in one of his own. Though they were as different as could be - one small and careful, made of cloth and stuffed with leaves, the other long, spindly and composed of bleached white bone - they fit together perfectly.
Sally looked dryly at the smugness rolling off of Jack and pressed her lips together in a shrewd line. Zero returned, hind quarters wagging and Sally bent down to accept her returned piece. "Good boy, Zero," she said and, holding her detached hand with her other, it scratched his chin remotely.
The ragdoll straightened, prepared to take her sewing needle from where it was tucked behind one ear and mend herself when she noticed that Jack had drawn away from her. Sally blinked several times and her mouth opened slightly in surprise. They had entered a perfect circle of trees. The trees themselves, however, were far from ordinary.
Sally's eyes washed over one after the other while she turned cautiously on the spot, legs bent as though prowling. Each tree depicted an odd image on the bark of its trunk and had strange items piled on the ground before them. Lastly, Sally stopped to behold the one that Jack was waiting beside - a picture of a tree with a pile of presents leading up to it like stairs. "What-?" she began, but couldn't phrase the question. Jack answered anyway, saying that it was the door to Christmas Town.
Jack reached out and turned a handle, revealing that it was, in fact, a door. The tree swung open and from the darkness that yawned insid a trail of something Sally now, thanks to Sandy Claws' gift on Christmas Night, knew to be snow. Still mystified by it all, Sally was a little slow to understand what Jack was saying. "Me?" she asked, disbelieving, clutching her detached hand to her chest with the other.
"Oh, Jack, are you sure?" She grimaced uncertainly. Her eyes fell on the emptiness and the swirling snow found through the door. Sally's nose wrinkled and she drifted closer. "It smells... sweet." The ragdoll was overtaken, then, by arms of icy wind that reached out and pulled her forward. "Jack," she gasped, stumbling, "Jack-!" The last trailed off when Sally tripped over the edge of the door and fell. During the whirl of colors and lights, Sally found Jack beside her and clung to him automatically.
"I don't know if I like it!" she cried over the noise to him, pressing her face into his chest. Only, they weren't falling anymore. They were sat in something cold and soft and sounds like bells and laughter - both very strange to Sally's ears, who normally heard out of tune funeral dirges and shrieks of fear - were nearby.
Sally slowly opened her eyes and looked out from the snow-covered hill she and Jack were sitting on to a bizarre little city of twinkling lights and warmth. Her large eyes were full of wonder and she heard herself whispering something.
Post by Jack Skellington on Aug 27, 2017 7:48:48 GMT -5
Jack watched as Sally observed the clearing and then the tree-shaped door he’d drawn her attention too, somehow managing to remain silent while she took it all in. He wanted so badly for her to understand what it had been like for him. When she questioned his statement about Sandy Claws, Jack’s smile widened. “Of course. You are, after all, the only one who makes any sense.”
Sally was hesitant, and Jack felt a small spark of doubt. Perhaps he was asking too much of her. After all, she had never been beyond Halloween Town before. “I promise it is quite safe. And I will be with you, of course.” Jack gave her a hopeful smile, watching as she moved closer to the door.
When the gust of icy air swirled from the open door, Jack’s brows rose high on his skull in alarm. “Sally!” He managed to grab her right as she tipped over the threshold but he was only drawn in after her. They both vanished from the clearing and the door swung quietly shut behind them.
They were falling through a swirl of color and sound. Sally clung to him and Jack held her tightly. He’d quite forgotten about this unpleasantness after seeing Christmas Town. “Hold on!”
When it was over, they were both sitting in a mound of snow. Jack shook his head to clear it and tilted it back, looking up the way they’d come, but it was only a clear night sky. He turned to Sally, about to ask if she was okay, but stopped short when he saw the look on her face. He followed her gaze down the hill to Christmas Town and grinned. “… This is Christmas.”
Jack quickly felt around in the snow and located Sally’s severed hand. Then he got to his feet and offered her a hand up. “Please accept my apologies about that fall though the door. I was not prepared." Jack frowned seriously for a moment, hoping he hadn't let anything else slip his mind. He looked at her anxiously then. "Do you still want to continue?"
For it is plain as anyone can see. We're simply meant to be.
Post by Sally on Aug 28, 2017 9:02:30 GMT -5
She had only ever felt something like it once before in her entire life. On Christmas several weeks before, when Sandy Claws brought a taste of his holiday to Halloween Town, Sally and all of the other townsfolk had been given a glimpse at the wonder of Christmas - the wonder that had set Jack on his quest to borrow Christmas that year. Even so, that window into Christmas was nothing compared to being in it, bodily.
Her mouth was permanently agape and her eyes, if it were at all possible, were larger and more pensive than normal. They reflected the multicolored lights of the little city glowing down below while Jack gave it a name. Once he said it, Sally almost felt foolish, because of course this was Christmas Town. Jack had already said that that was their destination before, in the grove. But the sights and sounds and feeling that being there instilled in Sally had driven logic from her mind and replaced it with childlike awe.
Distantly, as though through a dream, Sally registered that Jack had risen to his full, incomparable height and was offering to help her up. Without looking up at him, she reached out and accepted his aid, rising gracefully to her feet. The snow was chill and close around her ankles but being a living ragdoll meant that cold was a nonissue to her. Sally was finally able to wrench her eyes off of the little town when Jack started begging her pardon for the trip there.
"Don't," she said, nearly cutting him off. She smiled at him and her brows raised. "Don't apologize. This was worth it." Sally accepted her still-detached hand, but rather than pause just then to sew it back on, she tucked it in the pocket of her skirt that held her emergency spool of thread. Sally was much too anxious to wait, and suddenly she was on her toes, pulling Jack closer so she could give him a passionate kiss. That he would bring her here meant so much to her.
Sally drew away. Her hand ghosted down Jack's bony arm and fell comfortably into place in his spindly hand. She looked at him for a long moment, then turned to face the village, nearly humming with excitement. "Now... show me," and the last two words were an urgent whisper.
Post by Jack Skellington on Aug 28, 2017 16:31:35 GMT -5
Sally had to tear her eyes away from the glowing little town at the bottom of the hill. She looked up at him and quickly (but kindly) dismissed his apologies. Jack smiled and gave a small nod, agreeing to let it go. He could see that she was not cross with him and, if he’d still had any doubts, what she did next would have taken care of them. Sally threw her arms around his boney neck and pulled him down for a passionate kiss. Jack’s arms went wide for a moment as his balance was thrown, but he recovered quickly and put his arms around her.
When she was through with him she stepped back and Jack stood there, his spine still bent forward, quite in a love-sick daze. She took his hand and Jack seemed to wake from his reverie and straightened to his full height. He cleared his throat, a full grin on his face, and chuckled softly. “Of course! Now, watch your step…”
Jack helped Sally down the snow covered hill which he himself had fallen down his first time in Christmas Town. As they got closer, they could see penguins toddling around below a massive Christmas tree in the center of the town. Everywhere there were warm colorful lights and delicious smells. Little child-like people went merrily from one place to the next. As Jack and Sally approached, some of them waved happily to them before going on.
“Those are elves. They do everything here, from what I can tell, except for drive the sleigh and deliver presents. Oh! Sally, look at this!”
A few elves rode past them on a giant wide up polar bear machine. Going the opposite direction came a long sled carting carolers about town. Another elf came zipping by on a smaller sled that was being pulled by three white foxes. She stopped and handed Sally a candy cane before going on down the road.
For it is plain as anyone can see. We're simply meant to be.
Post by Sally on Aug 29, 2017 7:55:16 GMT -5
Striding through such deep snow on such a steep hill was a little treacherous. Fortunately Jack was more confident and comfortable working his way down the slope and Sally used his hand in hers for support. She kept getting too distracted staring at the town that they were approaching and would misstep, then have to spare a few moments to look at her own feet for safety's sake. When they came to the bottom of the hill, two red-and-white-striped poles supported a sign wound with garland that said "Christmas Town."
Sally then looked between the poles and into the village proper. Strange people, like and yet unlike the children that those in Halloween Town brought terror to on their holiday, ambled about cheerfully. Lights and sounds and smells were everywhere, but instead of a discordant din, Sally found that they layered, one over the other, into a soft background noise that soothed and warmed her.
Jack explained what these little folk were called and what it is they did in Christmas Town and she tilted her head curiously. "Elves..." she repeated softly to herself, testing the word and committing it to memory. Jack exclaimed and Sally turned to look at why. The wind-up contraption that a handful of elves passed by on was a marvel to her. It looked absolutely nothing like any machine or device that she had seen Professor Finkelstein create - it was downright charming, and beautifully-wrought, whereas her creator's designs were decidedly terrifying and menacing.
One elf that was whisking by on a sled paused and pushed a candy-cane into Sally's hand with a smile. "Thank you," she said through her surprise. While the elf went on her way Sally looked at Jack and showed him excitedly what she had. "Jack, this is... so strange. I feel so warm and light." She crept forward, swiveling on the spot to take in all the sights, and came to stop at a mullioned window that was thrown open which featured all manners of baked goods, fresh from the oven, cooling in the winter air.
"It's almost like what I feel when I look at you," she mused, still so taken by the scene she didn't realize how truthful or romantic the thing she just said was. Sally's soft musings were interrupted when she pointed at the pies and pastries with her candy-cane and looked at Jack over her shoulder. "What are these?" she asked.
Post by Jack Skellington on Aug 29, 2017 21:07:22 GMT -5
Sally inspected the candy cane before holding it up for Jack to see. “That is called a candy cane. I brought one back with me last time for experiments. People eat them and hang them on their Christmas Trees.” Of course Jack knew about candy because of Trick-or-Treating, but this particular type had been new to him. He was interested to see if Sally would like it.
Sally moved on into the town, her large eyes taking in everything there was to see. Jack followed after her, thrilled that she seemed to enjoy Christmas Town as much as he had. She tried to explain what she was feeling and Jack nodded knowingly. He had felt it too and he had wanted to keep it so badly he’d stolen an entire holiday. It was a very powerful feeling indeed.
They approached an open window and Jack leaned down to peer in, his hand resting on the snowy gutter above them, watching elves frost cookies and kneed dough.
Its almost like what I feel when I look at you.
Jack blinked and turned his head, his empty black eye sockets studying Sally’s profile. Jack had found himself that night, alone and defeated in that graveyard on Christmas Eve. He’d returned to Halloween Town ready to fix everything he’d ruined and rededicate himself to Halloween and his people. He had found his purpose again, but it wasn’t until he opened his eyes and saw her standing beside him that he felt that steady glow he’d first felt here, in Christmas Town.
Sally turned to look at him and Jack surfaced from his thoughts. “These?” He looked past her to the pies and baked goods. He pointed to one group. “These are… pies. I've read that they are filled with fruit and jelly... though there is one called mincemeat and I'm very curious to know what they put in that. The others well... I'm not entirety sure." Jack reached past her with his long arm and took the candy cane. One of her hands was currently in her pocket and the other he would rather like to keep holding, so he put the little striped cane into his coat pocket for now. “Let’s find out!”
Jack took Sally’s hand again and led her around to the open door. Most of the houses were small and their ceilings low. Jack guessed Sandy Claws himself was probably the tallest person here and the ceilings were comfortable for him, but no one taller. Jack stooped a little and called into the shop. “Hello there! May we come in?”
For it is plain as anyone can see. We're simply meant to be.
Post by Sally on Aug 30, 2017 9:50:56 GMT -5
She was in a kind of haze or dream from the amount of things vying for her attention. Sally was taken up mostly by them, left to drift in the spell she was bound in. Yet, underneath the contentment and warmth an army of questions marched along, pushing on her inquisitive mind. Only a handful made it through to her lips just then but Sally was grateful that Jack was present, for many reasons, but especially because he knew many of their answers.
Jack explained what pies were and what composed them and Sally stared at the assortment of them laid out before her. This was just so peculiar! In Halloween Town the most delectable food had to be long-since soured, riddled with mold and stale enough to crack a tooth. The exact opposite of the flaky, golden, warm things that were in the window. "They smell delicious," she said. Delicious in a unique way from the foodstuffs of Halloween Town, which she thought were delicious, too.
Jack reached out and collected her candy-cane, tucking it in a pocket, and she was momentarily distracted by the way the multicolored lights of Christmas Town glinted on his handsome skull. "Do we have time?" Sally asked hopefully when Jack decided that they would find out what the non-pies were. She knew that Jack could get carried away, and didn't want them to be so busy taking in the sights that they were late for meeting with Mr Sandy Claws.
When the little elves bid them to enter, Sally crouched down to make it under the low door frame of the bakery. It was times like these that having no muscles to ache or cramp was a good thing. Sally only had to worry about what position would tax or tear her threads. "Hello," she said warmly to the elves within the shop. The ovens that lined one wall filled it with warmth. The elves that worked there wore tiny smocks and aprons streaked with flour, and all of them paused in their work to wave or sing greetings to Sally and Jack.
"We were wondering what these things are that you're making. The ones that aren't pies," she said. "We know what those are." Sally added in a quieter voice and glanced Jack's way excitedly.
Post by Jack Skellington on Aug 30, 2017 11:47:00 GMT -5
Sally asked if they had time and Jack hesitated, considering it. For a moment he'd quite forgotten that he was there to meet Sandy Claws at all. "We wont be long. And then-- straight to Sandy Claws."
The elves didn't seem phased by Jack and Sally at all. All of them knew that Sandy Claws had been kidnapped, but few knew the whole story. Even if they had, it wasn't really in their nature to hold grudges. All were welcome; all were friends. When they were invited inside, Jack let Sally enter first before couching down and going in too. It was easier for him to take a knee once inside and he offered his bent leg as a seat for Sally, should she be more comfortable sitting.
They elves seemed very excited to have visitors. They spoke in high, fast voices to one another and finally each one of them got a large serving tray and went around the room, grabbing samples of each treat and baked good. The elves then approached the visitors from Halloween Town and explained what everything was and encouraged them to taste everything. Jack and Sally were shown slices of fig rolls, fruit tart, gingerbread men, pumpkin pudding cakes, cranberry blondies, fruit cake, baked Alaska, cheesecake, fudge, cupcakes, brownies, taffy, and more cookies than Jack could count. The parade of strange, fascinating food was staggering.
Jack particularly liked the gingerbread men. "I wonder if we could do something like this... cookies shaped like spiders and hatchets and skulls?" Jack looked at Sally for her opinion even as he sampled a cupcake and got bright red frosting on his skull, just below his nose. He didn't see the confused looks the elves shot one another at his idea.
For it is plain as anyone can see. We're simply meant to be.
Post by Sally on Aug 30, 2017 18:38:56 GMT -5
Sally looked back and noticed that Jack was offering one thin leg for her to sit on. She gave him a grateful look and, gathering the back of her dress with both hands, settled on it. Sally felt like her question had hardly left the stitches on her lips when every elf not busy with a task dropped their rolling pins and frosting bags to scurry around, collecting samples of all the plentiful baked goods that cooled on racks and platters around them.
She tried, once or twice, to insist that they not go to too much trouble, or else she expressed profound thanks that they were being so hospitable. Each time Sally was halfway through when one of them would shake their head and, in high, gentle voices tell her it was their pleasure. The elves paraded sampler after sampler before Jack and Sally. The ragdoll had to be especially careful to only take a little bit of each item - even the ones that she wanted to eat entirely after testing it.
After the elves went to such lengths, Sally couldn't abide being rude enough to turn away any of the gathered treats. Even for such a sound reason as not having any room left in her to add to it. Sally noticed Jack's skull spread with broader interest at the sight of gingerbread men over her shoulder, and he craned down to observe them closely while plucking a frosted cupcake from another platter.
Sally tapped one finger to her chin in thought at his proposal, going over ingredients in her head that suited Halloween as much as ginger suited Christmas. "'Wormswart cookies,'" she said experimentally. Sally looked sideways at Jack to see his reaction and spotted a smudge of red frosting on his nose. Cover her mouth with one hand, Sally smothered a laugh.
"Hold still," she said, still tickled. Sally reached up and cupped Jack's jawbone with one hand to steady him, then used the thumb of the other to wipe off the frosting. Rather than waste it, Sally stuck the digit in her mouth and sucked it off. "There. All clean." Sally turned where she sat, still perched on Jack's knee and bowed her head to the elves, who - now that their samples had been tested - were back to work, smiling the whole time. "Thank you so much for all of the wonderful treats. Is there anything we could do to repay you?"
One of the bakers paused in their liberal flouring of a stretch of counter space to consider, then smiled brightly. "Yes!" she piped. "Have a very merry Christmas!" Sally moved with Jack toward the door and said over her shoulder, "So long as you have a happy Halloween!" She faced forward and ducked through the entrance before she could note the perplexed looks on the elves' faces.
Post by Jack Skellington on Aug 30, 2017 20:28:12 GMT -5
Sally thoughtfully suggested a flavor more suited to their taste and Jack broke into a wide grin. “Inspired! Wormswart cookies!” He thought this was a brilliant idea. Before, Jack had tried to improve upon Christmas. Now he was looking at it for ideas for improving his own holiday. Jack looked to one of the nearby elves. “Excuse me, do you have a recipe for this that I may borrow?” Jack pointed at the plate of gingerbread men. It would be easier for he and Sally to make a successful cookie if they had a solid place to begin.
While an elf was jotting down the recipe for them, Sally gently turned his face back to hers. Jack tilted his head questioningly, only to laugh when she wiped away a smudge of icing. “Thank you, my dear. I’d be lost without you.”
Once Jack had tucked the recipe away with Sally’s candy cane in his pocket, the two of them made their way to the door. The Elves wished them a Merry Christmas and Jack gave them an enthusiastic “Merry Christmas!” in return.
Once they were outside again, Jack stood up to his full height and stretched a little bit, absently hoping Sandy Claws’s house had higher ceilings. Jack pointed up the street. “That big house, there. That’s where he lives.” He took Sally’s hand again and walked with her past many more shops, each one making toys, stockings, decorations, and many more magical things. As tempting as it was to stop and look at everything, they had an appointment to keep.
Once they reached Sandy Claws’s door, Jack paused to adjust his tie, but mostly he was stalling for time. He looked at Sally, his expression betraying just how anxious he was. “He might still hate me.” Yes, Sandy Claws had invited them to come, but that was beside the point.
For it is plain as anyone can see. We're simply meant to be.
Post by Sally on Sept 1, 2017 8:06:50 GMT -5
Sally was excited by the prospect of making their own version of gingerbread-men with Jack once they returned to Halloween Town. She was, in her opinion, a fair cook and was interested in what kind of methods or versions of methods the elves of Christmas Town used in baking. Cooking for Doctor Finkelstein is what had piqued in Sally a curiosity of potion-crafting - even if cooking and the brewing of potions was more similar in Halloween Town than it was dissimilar. She doubted things like Frog's Breath were found in ingredient lists outside of the realm of Halloween.
Once they were out on the frost-encrusted street, snowflakes lazily trailing down around them, Jack pointed to the largest dwelling in all of Christmas Town and said that that was where Mr Sandy Claws lived. Sally supposed that that made sense. Jack, as the Pumpkin King, happened to have the largest and most dreadful manor within Halloween Town - a fact that the Mayor not-so-subtly envied. She compared, mentally and without choosing to, the Gothic spires and haunted edifices of the Skellington Manor with the cozy brick facades of Mr Claws' handsome dwelling.
Sally liked each in their way, she decided, but Jack's home was much more to her tastes. Which was unsurprising.
The ragdoll was tentative when they began to approach the wooden door of Sandy Claws' home. Though Jack was very convinced of the contrary, Sally was mildly worried that her addition would be an inconvenience or thought of as impolite. She looked toward Jack for some kind of reassurance, just in his presence and unending confidence, but found a curious sight. The skeleton was smoothing and adjusting his front with long, skeletal fingers and looking not at all like himself.
Sally understood before Jack spoke what it was he fretted over. At once she was taken up so much in the need to soothe him she forgot to be apprehensive herself. "Don't be silly," she said dismissively, and turned him to face her so she could adjust his bat bow-tie for him. "You had good intentions, Jack. Besides, if Sandy Claws was holding a grudge he wouldn't have brought Christmas to Halloween Town."
She paused after the adjustment to rest one hand on Jack's jaw tenderly. Then, with an air of professionalism, Sally turned and pulled on the doorbell...
... Sometime later, the door to Mr and Mrs Sand Claws' house opened, giving a glimpse of the warmth and sweet smells that radiated from inside. Jack and Sally stepped out of the door (only having to bow their heads a small amount), showering thanks over their shoulders at their host and hostess within. Sally now sported both hands - Mrs Claws had insisted on mending it personally - and had taken to holding her earlier candy-cane with one while the other was slung on Jack's arm.
"See?" she asked, beaming and full of a strange warmth. "I told you he wouldn't hate you."
Post by Jack Skellington on Sept 1, 2017 21:46:20 GMT -5
Sally’s small hand reached for his bowtie and fixed it for him. The cat-head charm at its center winked at her as if to say thanks. Jack was frowning deeply now, his thoughts beginning to spiral from worry into despair. He listened to Sally as she spoke, but only turned his empty eye sockets to her when she gently touched his jaw. After a moment he smiled and he allowed her confidence and love to draw him away from the edge. After a moment he took a deep breath and gave her a little nod. Sally rang the bell, and the door opened.
Later, after a very successful meeting with Sandy Claws, the two citizens of Halloween Town stepped back out into the snow. Jack had Sally’s hand tucked into the crook of his long arm as he turned to wave another farewell. “Merry Christmas!” he called again, obviously delighted with how things had gone.
When the door closed and he and Sally were again alone, Jack breathed a great, happy sigh. Sandy Claws had forgiven him and agreed to bring Christmas to Halloween Town every year on the condition that the Holidays remain strictly separated from one another. It was something Jack eagerly agreed to. Now, the Pumpkin King felt like he was walking on clouds. This warmth, this feeling of quiet joy, was something Jack still wanted to share with the rest of Halloween Town. Knowing Santa would fly over and bring the snow once a year was good enough for him.
Sally was smiling up at him and Jack laughed happily. “You were right. You’re always right!” He grabbed her and lifted her off her feet, spinning her around in his arms before putting her down again. He kissed her cheek. “Ready to go home?”
For it is plain as anyone can see. We're simply meant to be.
Post by Sally on Sept 4, 2017 8:13:22 GMT -5
She was very grateful to have her usual, vibrant, enthusiastic Jack back as they strolled away from the Claws residence. Everything had gone so smoothly, and though Sally had had faith that it would - her brief experience with Mr Claws painted a reasonable, forgiving man - seeing that her prophesy rang true was a small relief. When Jack conceded she was right, and said she always was, Sally smirked.
"And don't you forget it-" her jokingly smug sentence was ended prematurely with a soft gasp as Jack whisked her into the air and spun her around. Sally grabbed onto his shoulders reflexively for support and laughed without deciding to while her scarlet hair rippled in a sheet behind her, catching snowflakes and the multicolored gleam of Christmas lights. Jack placed her neatly down after several rotations and she smiled.
Jack's question, though, brought a curious change to her. Sally's brow furrowed and her lips puckered as they only did when she was toiling under some heavy thought. The ragdoll looked past Jack to the snowy hills without really seeing them. "Home," she repeated to herself. Sally disentangled her limbs from Jack's and turned around, staring into the twinkling sprawl of buildings that made up the village.
Since the fiasco with Christmas and Sally formally moving out from Finkelstein's laboratory, she'd been uncertain on how to proceed. She spent all the time she could with Jack, but he had jobs and responsibilities and duties to attend to. He was the Pumpkin King, after all. Sally, meanwhile, was at a loss of what to do when he was busy. She didn't even have a proper dwelling, and was instead renting a small, narrow room from a local apartment complex (its former ogre occupant had relocated to beneath a nearby bridge).
"Everyone here has a job they love," Sally remarked absently. "The same with Halloween Town. Everyone has a calling... a... a passion?" The ragdoll turned to frown at Jack, not rightly upset, just troubled and forlorn. "What's mine?" she asked him. Sally didn't expect an answer, just that in asking the question Jack would understand that it was the one she was having trouble finding a solution for herself.
(OOC: I am so sorry for the delay! Holiday weekend + visiting relatives + work = Grim not replying in a timely fashion. ;-; )
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Welcome to Happily Ever Afters!
Tony Dracon: Responded to your PM, Kat/Ratigan, incidentally.
Jun 27, 2018 20:25:02 GMT -5
David Xanatos: Kat's back. Hope the vacation was fun.
Jul 21, 2018 21:00:05 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: 'Twas a good trip! I'm sad it's over, but at the same time I'm glad to be back home so I can finish up my cosplays for a con next month and hang out with my cats
Jul 26, 2018 12:34:56 GMT -5
Basil of Baker Street: Hope the cosplay goes well. I'm putting away a little extra for a con in a few weeks. and yay cats, they're always good company. Except for that one who slaps me unprovoked XD. So what cosplays do you have in mind unless they're secret?
Jul 26, 2018 17:07:41 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: I'm cosplaying Pearl from Steven Universe and Joseph Joestar from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure!
Jul 26, 2018 23:16:41 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: I'm almost done both of them, I just have to finish styling Pearl's wig and fix up Joseph's gloves and wristbands
Jul 26, 2018 23:17:31 GMT -5
Basil of Baker Street: Awesome. Had to look up Jojo because I'm not hip with the modern pop culture but I hope they turn out well.
Jul 30, 2018 15:33:15 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: I only just started watching the anime last year and I haven't even touched the manga, so I'm barely hip with it lol. fortunately I have my cosplay buddy guiding me through the whole experience
Jul 30, 2018 22:29:38 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: also I finally finished the gloves! They were more of a pain to work with than I expected, but they'll hold together... I hope...
Jul 30, 2018 22:30:13 GMT -5
Basil of Baker Street: Niceness. Hoping they hold also. Got the Dublin comic con next Saturday here. Hoping to meet Karl Urban.
Aug 1, 2018 19:05:32 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: Cool! I think he's coming to my city in the fall, if I remember correctly. Hope you enjoy the con, Daryl!
Aug 2, 2018 19:10:23 GMT -5
Basil of Baker Street: I spoke too soon. Karl Urban had to cancel for schedule conflicts. They got Nick Frost though, I'm gonna ask him if he'll sign my Hot Fuzz.
Aug 3, 2018 18:08:47 GMT -5
Professor Ratigan: Dang! Nick Frost is great though, I love his character in Into the Badlands
Aug 4, 2018 22:54:36 GMT -5
Basil of Baker Street: Enjoy your weekend Kat, hope the costumes came out as you wanted.
Aug 10, 2018 16:49:31 GMT -5
Basil of Baker Street: Met Nick Frost and Michael Dorn at the weekend. Both very nice blokes.
Aug 13, 2018 15:22:59 GMT -5
Dodger: Happy 2019 everyone
Jan 1, 2019 10:54:04 GMT -5
Yen Sid: If anyone is passing by I posted a Hiatus update. Hope everyone is doing well!
Apr 18, 2021 11:31:09 GMT -5
Yen Sid: I've temporarily disabled account creation while I update the site. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your patience!
May 9, 2021 18:31:45 GMT -5
Owen Burnett/Puck: Checked the site again and saw the update! Here's hoping to a revitalized 2022.
Dec 15, 2021 14:41:27 GMT -5