#hallow!asks

[wingedhallows]

i NEED more cheerleader!r x nat 🌝🌝

they r so cute

“𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎𝐆”

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 nat scatorccio x cheerleader!reader

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 none

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ 𝐀����𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 u ask & i shall deliver (also, posting from my phone is a pain in the ass)

♡︎ 𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ♡︎

The locker room smells like sweat and liniment, voices bouncing off tile and metal as cleats clatter and jerseys are pulled overhead. Natalie’s half-dressed, tugging at the laces of her boots when Mari tosses a towel at her head.

“Yo, Nat. You coming out hot or half-dead today?”

She flips Mari off without looking up. “Don’t worry about me. Worry about not whiffing another pass.”

Van’s laughing from across the row when the locker door swings open.

And you step in.

Just like that—Queen Bee in her cheer skirt and game day hoodie, ponytail high and lip gloss catching the light. The entire room dips into a stunned silence. The cheer captain never steps in here. Especially not before a game.

“Hey,” you smile, not bothering to glance at the rest of the girls, eyes locked right on Nat.

She stiffens. “Uh—hey?”

“I just wanted to wish you luck.”

Natalie clears her throat, hoping to god no one notices how she’s fumbling with her shin guards now. “Yeah, cool. Thanks. You could’ve just… texted.”

You tilt your head, all teasing warmth, stepping a little closer. “I could’ve.”

Before she can backpedal or stammer her way out of it, you lean in and press a quick kiss to the corner of her mouth—gentle, easy, practiced.

The room explodes.

“WHAT. THE ACTUAL. HELL.” Van screeches.

Taissa’s jaw drops, a full second before she laughs, loud and stunned. “You’re kidding me. You’re kidding me.”

Mari looks between the two of you like she’s just had a religious awakening. “Are you guys—Is this real?!”

You just flash them a wink and head back toward the door. “Kick their asses, babe.”

The door clicks shut behind you.

And Nat is bright red.

“Don’t,” she mutters, already hiding her face in her locker.

“You kissed her,” Van wheezes. “You’ve been hooking up with the cheer captain. For how long? Weeks? Months?”

“Since homecoming,” Natalie mumbles, still not facing them.

Shauna slaps a hand over her mouth, wide-eyed. “You dog.”

Van launches a towel at her. “You dirty little secret-keeping punk.”

“Can we not?” Nat groans. “Can we just… put our cleats on and go?”

But even as she ducks her head, she can’t stop the grin curling at the corner of her lips.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Do you think harry could've done the horcrux hunt by himself?

As a Harry fan, I want to say yes. See, if Harry went alone, it would've gone very very different from canon with a completely different timeline. And you know what, I found this concept interesting, so let's explore this:

For starters, if Harry wanted to go alone, he would've packed his bags and left before Bill and Fleur's wedding (which is what he wanted to do anyway). So Harry still arrives at the Burrow as usual and then the night before the wedding, he packs his bag and leaves with the hope the others won't look for him immediately due to the wedding (very possible Ron and Hermione are stopped from chasing after him immediately the next morning by Mrs. Weasley, though they likely would go after Harry once they can slip away).

So, we have a lone Harry that apparated away somewhere. I think he could still find himself at Grimmauld Place, but he'd probably intend to not stay there long so Hermione & Ron won't follow him. Now Harry has no one to talk to, so he doesn't say 'Voldemort' and the snatchers don't appear. If he gets to Grimmauld, he likely still figures out R.A.B (as he does in the book) and gets Kreacher to tell him the story. If he hears about the ministry takeover, it's only by parsing it out from Daily Prophet articles (which I think is highly possible).

If he's indeed in Grimmauld, Kreacher will try to convince Harry to stay and say he can get Mandungus (for the locket). If Harry can ensure no one will find him at Grimmauld, he'd try to do that, if not, there is a chance Remus or Ron & Hermione, or both are going to find him there and try to join forces then. But we want Harry on the quest alone, so, we'll say he finds a way to hide from them or block them from entering the house. In canon, Harry says Voldemort's name inside Grimmauld and it doesn't activate the taboo, so we don't need to worry about that.

So, he figures out Umbridge has the locket, I think it's fair he can get that out of Mandungus. But now Harry would have to figure out how to get into the ministry on his own. He might have the Tales of Beedle the Bard and Hermione's stolen Horcrux books if he stole them from her before leaving (which is a maybe since he knew about them). Let's say he didn't take the boatloads of polyjuice potion Hermione stole either.

So, he'd spend a few days, watching the ministry under the invisibility cloak like in canon, but his plan would be different and he'd enact it way faster since he doesn't have Hermione's patience.

So, this ministry break-in would likely look very different. He'd go under the invisibility cloak, and maybe Imperio someone (so more similar to Gringotts) so he could follow and use them to open doors. I think he could still get the locket (since he practically does that on his own in the book). Since he'd go into he ministry earlier (without Hermione there will be less planning time), it's possible he doesn't encounter the muggleborn trials, but it's possible he reveals himself to free them before making a break for it. Again, without Hermione, if a DE holds onto him, Harry won't immediately apparate to the woods but will try and obliviate the DE/stupefy and then interrogate him. (how successful that is or if the DE has brain damage, doesn't really matter since the DE isn't a secret keeper to Grimmauld). But Harry would have the locket, no way of destroying it, and he isn't camping in the woods, and maybe also Moody's eye if he sees it. Yay.

Now, Harry's first instinct in the quest for Horcruxes, even before the wedding, was toward two places — Godric's Hallow and Hogwarts.

So, he'd still go to Godric's Hallow which is the less risky of the two (maybe he'd take Kreacher with him? it's also possible this happens before the ministry) since it's so much earlier (Hermione and Ron aren't there to tell him 'no' for a few weeks), Nagini is likely not there yet and Bathilda is still alive. Harry in this scenario wasn't at the wedding, so he wouldn't hear all of Aunt Muriel's stories, nor know to associate Ignotus' grave and the Deathly Hallows, nor would he have his talk on the subject with Xenophilius — but Bathilda would know all of it. Basically, Harry could get the story of the Deathly Hallows, Dumbledore & Grindlewald, and some of his own family history from Bathilda (plus her copy of the Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore).

Harry, would, as in canon, become obsessed with the Deathly Hallows and become convinced Voldemort is after the wand (he is right, of course), and do so months earlier. Once he has the vision of the thief from Voldemort and/or from Bathilda's stories, he'd put two and two together and realise Dumbledore had the Elder wand, this time though, Voldemort won't learn this information at the same time.

But this is a depressed Harry walking around with a locket he can't destroy who reads of Dumbledore's betrayal (Rita's book) alone with only the locket's whispers. He might consider breaking Dumbledore's grave to get the Elder Wand, believing it could destroy a Horcrux. "he clearly wanted Harry to have it. If he didn't, why did he gift the book with this tale to Hermione..." would be Harry's rationalisation, and the locket canonically influences Harry to be more reckless in his depression, so I can see Harry getting to the wand first. (Though, he'd be way nicer than Voldemort about getting it from Dumbledore's tomb, he'd try not to desecrate it too much).

(He can get to the school grounds under the invisibility cloak through the whomping willow passage, so that isn't an issue either. Plus, it's before the curfew is enacted in Hogsmead in May because we're just in November or December)

He'd also figure the ring is the stone and that Dumbledore put it in the snitch like in canon, but he wouldn't really be able to do much about it yet.

Now, the first thing he'd try to do with the Elder Wand is destroy the locket. Now, if he determines to cast a killing curse, and actually means it (which is possible, I don't think he'd know or think of Fiendfyre, but AK is fair game since he's familiar with the spell), I think it would kill the horcrux. I mean, it killed the Horcrux in Harry, I see no reason it won't work with the locket (it doesn't have to be with the Elder Wand, I think, but Harry would think it helped, even if it didn't).

So, Harry has a dead locket around his neck, the three Hallows, and two wands. The locket, the ring, and the diary destroyed, the snake, the cup, and the diadem to go (and Harry, but he doesn't know this yet).

Now, Dumbledore's grave is near Hogwarts, and he already thinks Voldemort hid a horcrux there, he just doesn't know if it's Hufflepuff's cup or the final unknown Horcrux ("something of Ravenclaw or Gryffindor"). Harry has the Marauders Map and the invisibility cloak so he could sneak into the castle undetected (which could be fun to see how the school runs under Voldemort’s reign. Harry might chose to go to Hogwarts and Dumbledore’s grave during Christmas break, though, when the castle is practically empty, but that's not as interesting, so we're still before the break). He could try and get Peeves to bother the Carrows, or maybe harm them himself if he thinks he won't be found out and no one else would get blamed.

Now the question is if he could figure out how Ravenclaw's diadem looks like, because once he sees it, he'd know where it is because he'd recognize it from 6th year.

He could locate Luna, Neville, and Ginny, but he'd probably want the least people as possible to know he's there, so he's the most likely to approach Luna out of these three. (When Harry wants to not attract attention to himself, he steers towards Luna. Plus, he'd feel bad about breaking up with Ginny and probably not want to see her out of guilt).

So, if Harry asks Luna if Ravenclaw had some hairloom, she'd mention the diadem and could easily describe it, making Harry suspect the tiara he saw in the RoR. As they're not in a rush like in canon, I think he and Luna would have the time to just check there, where Luna will indeed say it's the diadem. There might be a little fight with the horcrux, Harry AKs the Diadem with the Elder Wand and Luna gets to keep the diadem and Voldemort is still nonethewiser Harry is destroying his Horcruxes.

Now, we get to the tough part — the cup.

Becouse I don't know how Harry could learn about the cup without ending up at Malfoy Manor. Luna could tell him about the taboo, because besides her, he wouldn't really have a situation where he'd say the name to someone outside of Grimmauld Place.

Harry: "That was Vol —" Luna: "No! Don't say it," H: "Why?" Luna would then explain the taboo

So, how can he learn about the cup's location?

We have a few options, but we're getting a little more contrived here on out, I fear.

Option number 1, back a few points ago, if a Death Eater does follow him from the ministry, Harry could try and interrogate him. Said Death Eater might know Bellatrix is keeping something important to their lord in her vault, though he won't know what.

Option number 2, while at Hogwarts, he overhears a conversation between one of the Carrows and/or Snape that mentions Bellatrix keeping the sword in her vault and that she keeps something else for their lord there. (Harry spends so much of these books overhearing conversations under the invisibility cloak, why change that?)

Or anything else that gives him a vague idea there is something important at the Lestrange Vault. because he'd immediately jump to the conclusion it's a Horcrux.

Now Harry would either camp out in the RoR or go back to Grimmauld to prepare a Gringotts break in. The preparation would be one day of scouting, see Death Eaters in the bank, and decide he can't trust the goblins.

This break in would be similar to the ministry one in this what if. If he has this DE with him, he'd imperio him, and go under the invisibility cloak to Gringotts, or he's just under the cloak and imperios 4 people once at the bank like in canon. All he really needs is to get a Goblin with them and then he can imperio the goblin to take them wherever. If Kreacher tells him about the Thief's Downfall and Harry uses a shield charm to keep everyone under the Imperius, great, if not, the alarm is raised and they fall down and Harry imperios them again. He would still get into the vault, where there'd be the cup and the fake Gryffindor's sword which he doesn't know is a fake, so he'd take them both.

If the alarm is indeed activated, his exit won't be as much of a mess as he's just going to stay under the invisibility cloak and attempt to slip away. If he has his broom with him (shrunken down in his pocket or pouch), he might as well fly up to the surface on it and then slip out the bank. With maybe a few more imperios for good measure.

So, Harry kills the cup once he's out and he basically destroyed all the Horcruxes except Nagini and himself and Voldemort just now heard of it. And it's only Christmas, so the year isn't close to being over and we're ahead of schedule. Voldemort knows the cup and the sword were taken, the goblins didn't see anyone, but he's sure it's Potter.

Harry tries to destroy the cup with the sword, realises it's a fake and AKs the cup too with the Elder Wand.

Now, he has no choice but to lead Voldemort out to fight him because he needs to get to Nagini. And Snape is still trying to figure out how to get the sword to Harry, but he doesn't know where he is.

Ron and Hermione are also on the run (maybe they joined Dean and Ted?) and they're more in touch with Neville, Ginny, and Luna who belatedly tells them she helped Harry get something from the RoR but she doesn't know where he is now.

Ron: "but we don't know where Harry is —" Luna: "Oh, I saw him two months ago," Ginny & Neville: "What?" Luna: "Harry Potter.... I saw him two months ago, where you talking about another Harry?" Ginny: "No, why didn't you mention it until now?" Luna: "Oh, you didn't ask," :)

So, everyone and their mum is searching for one Harry Potter who's trying to figure out the best way to lure out Voldemort and his snake with the least casualties. Harry wants to only endanger himself in this.

Now, again, we have multiple options for this.

Voldemort just realized his Horcruxes are in danger, so, like in the book, he'd go check on all of them, and Harry will see it through their connection, which he got better at controlling in the past few months. If he can use it to determine where Nagini is (she'd be hidden as Bathilda now waiting for Harry or at Malfoy Manor), which he probably could since Voldemort would think about her too. So while Voldemort is running around to check the cave, and Hogwarts, and the Gaunt shack, Harry could go after Nagini.

But even if we say he kills Nagini and waits for Voldemort to return to Godric's Hallow (informed by Nagini), Harry doesn't know he too is a Horcrux. I like to place their final confrontation in Godric's Hallow in this AU. It's where everything started and where everything will end.

Just, imagine Harry waiting for Voldemort, Elder Wand in his lap, sitting in the destroyed nursery where Voldemort tried and failed to kill him the first time. Where Voldemort died the first time.

Voldemort might call his Death Eaters as an audience to him killing Harry (since he loves doing that). This would finally tell Snape where Harry is and he would, in turn, make sure the Order knows to get there too. He wouldn't really know how to ensure Harry dies, but he'll be there.

Harry would still gloat, tell Voldemort he found his Horcruxes, and the wand of destiny Voldemort searched for, and that it's over for him. They would duel.

Harry would be fighting with the Elder Wand and Voldemort would likely be using his own yew wand. It's possible the priori incantatum happens again, just like in the graveyard, it's also possible it doesn't happen because Harry is using a different wand.

Regardless, I'm not sure what happens in detail. Becouse it's possible Harry would cast a Killing Curse. He has a mission and just in the last post I mentioned how it is in character for him to do so. It's also possible the Elder Wand takes some initiative and kills Voldemort for Harry.

Regardless of how it happens, I believe Voldemort is dead.

After Voldemort dies, the DEs run away, except for Snape. Snape, who still has his last mission from Dumbledore. Voldemort is a wraith, but as long as Harry lives, he can return, and he has loyal Death Eaters, still around, willing to return him. He'll show Harry the memories, all the same, and the two would probably go to Dumbledore's portrait and explain the change of situation.

Dumbledore would iterate that as long as Harry is alive, Voldemort cannot be truly killed. I think Snape would offer to kill Harry (he didn't make an unbreakable vow for Harry's safety and Snape loves punishing himself) and Harry, noble as he is, just might take it.

So Harry is hit with the killing curse, the snitch in his pocket/pouch opens just at that moment. And he dies.

And then he sits back up again blinking becouse, sike, he's the Master of Death and has all three Deathly Hallows and Snape almost had a heart attack.

Wraith Voldemort might just die at that moment too (since he is just a soul that isn't tied to anything if he isn't possessing something, and the moment he won't possess something, he might just die) so it's possible Wraithmort isn't a worry. If he is, Harry would use the connection to track him down, but I think the wraith form won't survive without Horcruxes tying it to life.

Most characters are alive to help Wraithmort if needed and to hunt down rogue Death Eaters (such as Bellatrix and the Lestranges).

So, that's, like, a quick overview on how Harry could've accomplished the horcrux hunt on his own with just a few plot contrivances (that being said, canon has quite a few of those too, so I feel pretty okay about it).

[mossymandibles]

What would Kraw's littermates have looked like had they survived?

Here are some ‘Southern Fae-lure Cetapents’ pups (Cetapents is a fancy pants name coined by some random expeditionists of the southern hemispheres for the sea serpents that have flukes).

Even with Yuna’s uterine defects, the ability to have a litter of chimereals like Kraw is impossible because it takes so much just to make one Chimereal. Yuna was actually lucky that she had a litter as spare nutrients for Kraw, otherwise she would have been severely weakened or possibly even killed by the pregnancy.

[junimojo]

IM BACK IN THE BUILDING WITH SHENANIGANS OF @sararaasch ’s BOYS AGAIN. I’m cooking up some of my own Royals and Romance writing and an AU is currently in the works so take these as sustenance for now. Queer holiday memes be upon ye.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

[loonyloopylupin96]

"Does it hurt?" asks Harry.

"Easier than falling asleep," says Sirius never-experienced-the-killing-curse Black.

[maladyunseen]

any plans for the spooky season?

Posleal here! Elias has been showing me what people do around all Hallows' eve, I like the bits about the candy and the giving! But learning that the insides of pumpkins are refered to as guts, and being witness to an orange massacre was a little more.... Unsettling!

[ayyy-imma-ninja]

For the fairy au do they know about Halloween if so do they celebrate it 🎃

They know about Halloween, yes. They've seen many kids go trick-or-treating in costumes.

But they choose to celebrate it as All Hallow's Eve, in the way Nan had showed them.

Sometimes they will swipe a piece of candy or two from candy bowls, leaving things like shiny rocks or acorns in exchange.

[greenerteacups]

not asking for spoilers but just wanted to let you know I am SO excited to see whether you'll be including any aspect of the golden trio's van life™ treasure hunting in the woods segment of DH in your story. I know you've talked about how silly and irrelevant it is for them to be off and away from all the other characters and action for so much of the last book, so I'm looking forward to seeing the changes you make and what kinds of new experiences they'll have if they remain more tethered to the plot. but c'mon. neverending geocashing group camping trip from hell. it's kind of hilarious.

RV TRIP DEATHLY HALLOWS they will never make me love you RV trip deathly hallows... tho you are right and I fully grant it is the funniest thing that book could have done... it's like. The Two Towers if you're reading Sam and Frodo's trip to Mordor and you don't know what fuck all else is going on while they're doing it. And also none of the stuff with Aragorn or the actual war for the ring is on the page. And there are Hallows there, for some reason.

[widebrimmedhatsblog]

hi!! just read that absolute masterpiece response you had to the anon asking about Xaden and Violet at the end of OS!! I almost want to save that post purely to check back when we finally get the fourth and fifth books to see how much you correctly predict!

also (not to request another essay, so feel free to ignore this if you don't want to) are there any other parallels you've seen with RY's other writing? I've seen parallel relationships (Tairn/Sgaeyl mirroring Violet/Xaden), but any other common themes/tropes that Yarros loves that you think could make it into books 4&5?

like i said, feel free to ignore if you don't want to reply!!

Oh thank you so much!! I've been wanting to make a post like this for agessssss so this is a perfect opportunity!! I love writing essays so don't even worry, LMFAO, anyone can request an essay at any time!!

The only way for me to do this is to spoil a significant amount of her contemporary romance b-plots, so I'm gonna put the theories ABOVE the cut, and then you can click see-more if you want the essay with the parallels. I will say, her b-plots are always kind of insane, and I think the spoilers don't detract from the love stories themselves. So unless you're hellbent on going in blind, I think it's fine? You'll still get the love stories.

Dain's dying for Xaden in book 4! This theory has spoilers from the Flight and Glory series (specifically books 1, 2, and 4, although the only one I'm really spoiling anything you can't gleam from the back cover is book 4)

This isn't a theory, this is just some spaghetti I'm throwing at the wall, but! Lilith wrote the book on Unnbriel that Papa Sorrengail saved for Vi in Deverelli. This one has spoilers from The Things We leave Unfinished.

Theory One: Dain's dying for Xaden in book 4.

Some housekeeping: Rebecca's Flight and Glory series is 5 interconnected standalones (meaning each book deals with a different couple in the same world. it would be like if FW was x and v, but IF was Immrick and OS was dain/sloane). Book one, Full Measures, is about Josh and Ember. Book Two, Eyes Turned Skyward, is about Paisely and Jagger (yes, terrible names, just hold my hand). The book 3 couple is irrelevant for my current purposes, but book 4, Hallowed Ground, comes back around to Josh and Ember as the "main couple". The couples are all part of one big friend group and together all the time. To be SO frank, Josh and Jagger feel like they each got half of Xaden's personality, and Ember and Paisley feel the same way when it comes to Violet. (Josh has the reformed bad boy thing going on, secrets, and the whole caretaker dom thing going on, while Jagger ALSO has the reformed bad boy thing, he's RICH, also has secrets, and the daddy and mommy issues 1-2 combo. They also both just talk like Xaden. I thought Jagger was a lot less Xaden-esque during the first 75% or so, and then there's a pivotal scene where he is so aggressively Xaden-coded I started jumping up and down. Ember's a history major mourning her dead father, while Paisley's a librarian mourning her dead sibling. Paisley also has a heart condition that's very debilitating for her, and results in her loved ones being seriously overbearing.)

Paisley and Jagger's story is the most important to my purposes here, so have a quick summary of the opening of Eyes Turned Skyward: The novel opens with Paisley in a relationship with Will. Will was Paisley's dead sister's best friend, and after her sister's death, Will and Paisley came together in their grief. Paisley's heart condition means that she has to seriously limit physical exertion, she wears an apple watch at all times to track her heart rate, and she can't live life like a "normal" person. A big part of this is that Will won't have sex with her because he's worried about her having a heart attack. No, I am not joking. @maethologies was the first recipient of this summary many moons ago, and she calls it the "my doctor said no sex" book. The pivotal thing here is that Paisley's doctor didn't ACTUALLY say no sex. Will's just being overprotective.

Does this remind anyone of anyone we know? Because Will's character reminds ME of one Dain Aetos!

Further Dain-isms: Jagger, Josh, and co. all hate Will because he went to West Point and is super cocky about it. Will is super devoted to the codex rules and regulations of flight school to the point he turns on his classmates (which you're not supposed to do! snitches get stitches!) for a traditional prank (also, fun fact, the commanding general of their flight school? Paisley's dad!). Throughout book 2, Will gets his karma for being overprotective with Paisley, and he slowly becomes less of a stick in the mud. He befriends Josh, Jagger, and co, and he's a reluctant member of the gang in book 3. Again, do y'all see what I see???

Now, a summary of the grander plot of Hallowed Ground: Book 3 (Beyond What Is Given) ends with Josh, Jagger, Will, and their fourth friend Grayson, graduating flight school and getting their duty stations. Josh, Jagger, and Will all stay together, and Josh and Jagger get deployed first. Will stays home and takes care of Paisley and Ember. At the end of Beyond What Is Given, Paisley and Jagger getting engaged and married just before Jagger gets deployed. Six weeks later, Will gets deployed and follows Jagger and Josh into Afghanistan. During his opening flight (like, LITERALLY his first day) Josh and Will are in one helicopter while Jagger's actively in combat. They realize Jagger's in danger, so they go to him and join the fight. They all get shot down by the Taliban, and Will ends up jumping in front of Jagger and saying that his wife needs him. Will dies FOR Jagger and asks him to keep taking care of Paisley.

(The one thing I'm NOT mentioning there is that when Will does sacrifice himself for Jagger, Paisley's pregnant. I am NOT manifesting that for Violet.) (They actually name their kid after Will, which is kind of insane with the Dain implications. Dain Riorson-Sorrengail.)

Ever since I finished Hallowed Ground (so, July!) I've been convinced the final culmination of Dain's redemption arc was going to be dying for Xaden on Violet's behalf. I actually totally thought it was going to be in book 3 and not book 4, because it seemed like Rebecca thought Dain was redeemed even though the majority of fans disagreed. I've been a bit tongue-in-cheek about how much fan-interaction happened in Onyx Storm, but I definitely think the changes to Dain and Cat's characters especially were a result of Rebecca seeing how they were received by the readers and making corrections to their portrayal so that we see what she sees. Still, the parallels with Will are abundant. In his case, we meet him in book 2, but we immediately do not like him. He gets redeemed toward the end of book 2 and into book 3. By the time book 4 comes around, you're a fan! He's on the cusp of a new relationship with Paisley's best friend Morgan, and then....dead. Again....are we seeing the parallels here?

So, yeah! That's my take. Again, I actually thought this was happening in book 3, but I see why it didn't. I have NEVER enjoyed Dain as much as I did in Onyx Storm. Like, I feel bad about characterizing him how I usually do now. His death in OS would not have been impactful, whereas in book 4....

If you don't quite believe me about plot recycling from RY, the main romance plot line of Josh and Ember's first book Full Measures: falling in love -> she Knows he's keeping secrets (in this case, about his "occupation" as well as his past with her parent, but the secrets plotline is genuinely ALMOST every single book she's ever written, I am not joking, I CAN keep going) but she doesn't know enough to do anything about it except keep getting conned -> she learns enough! third act break up -> Iron Flame esque argument about secrets/asking questions/etc. -> make up!

And this isn't a critique from me: I've read sixteen of her books for a reason. There's something comforting in knowing exactly what you're going to get; however, I know exactly what I'm going to get.

THAT is the end of my more fleshed out theory. Now, Lilith time!

Theory 2: Lilith wrote Papa Sorrengail's book about Unnbriel:

I've been slowly re-reading (and highlighting and tabbing) Onyx Storm over the last few days, and yesterday, I read this line:

"My father's observations on the combative isle are sharp, almost clinical, but lack his usual insight. There's a marked difference between his book, written when he was 23 and straight out of the scribe quadrant, and the manuscript he left for me in his office." (Onyx Storm, chapter 28)

The epigraph for the chapter in question:

"There are times I look at Parapet, at the very act of Threshing, and marvel that dragons have not been to Unnbriel.... -Unnbriel: Isle of Dunne by Second Lieutenant Asher Daxton"

I said this in my other essay response, but Rebecca has two types of what I like to call "gotcha!" foreshadowing. Usually, she'll have a throwaway line somewhere that's REALLY easy to brush over, but it will either literally spell out a situation for later in the story, OR it exists to be proved false. I CAN grab examples, but this essay is already ridiculously long, so maybe another time if anyone doesn't believe me. In any case, I think this is the second type of foreshadowing. Rebecca goes out of her way to REPEATEDLY say dragons have not been to the isles, which really makes me think dragons have been to the isles.

Now, to compare and contrast with Rebecca's The Things We Leave Unfinished. I will say, this spoiler actually would impact your reading experience in that it's the big final reveal of the novel. However, a lot of you probably aren't going to read it anyway, so! I also actually think a LOT of Rebecca's works are better the second time around, and in this way the spoiler would make it more fun, as you better understand what's going on. So, you can take my word for it and stop here, OR you can keep reading.

A summary of the plot of The Things We Leave Unfinished:

The FMC of this novel's grandmother dies, leaving one unfinished novel she'd like finished after her death. This novel is the true love story of her grandmother's life. Through a deal with her agent, the MMC gets contacted to finish the novel for the FMCs grandmother. Half the book is the modern timeline of the FMC and MMC trying to finish the novel, and the other half is the historical timeline following the novel in question (book within a book!). As the novel progresses, you find out that the MMC keeps noting differences across Scarlet (the grandma's) body of work in terms of tone (sharpness!) and general story construction (insight!). (When I re-read that line about Vi's dad, I felt like someone walked over my grave.) Eventually, you learn that Scarlet actually died 70-odd years before the story begins, and that her sister is who the FMC thought was her grandma. Her grandma's sister is the one who finished her grandma's novel, then went on to write an entire body of work in her sister's name.

Now! Why would Lilith's work be in papa sorrengail's name? I don't actually know! Maybe since Dunne is an isle of warriors, he knew he needed His warrior to handle it for him. They're clearly obsessed with each other on a Riorgail level, and Xaden is immediately willing to fight on Vi's behalf on Unnbriel. I've said this offhandedly before, but the parallels between Lilith and Xaden are actually insane when you think about them. I also think this expands farther into the Dunne/Violet/Lilith/Theophanie nonsense I do NOT know enough to unpack right now. Anyway, I think that's it! I can try and pull the actual line from The Things We Leave Unfinished if anyone cares, because I'm pretty sure the phrasing is similar when the MMC figures out true authorship.

I said this above, but if anyone else has any other questions, feel free to ask!! I need to use my PhD in Yarrossian studies for something. I actually really wanted to compose a full list of my thoughts on her contemporaries/similarities/what I'd rec to the fourth wing girlies of the world, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. So if you're interested in that, let me know!

[wingedhallows]

never seen this before but kevyn'ssister!r x nat???i would love that dynamic

𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒

🖇₊˚ෆ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 pre crash! nat scatorccio x kevyn's sister!reader 🖇₊˚ෆ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 none 🖇₊˚ෆ 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 i hope this kinda is what you imagined, i was feeling comfort for nat rn! hope u like it :)

♡︎ 𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ♡︎

The parking lot hums with life — students weaving between parked cars, parents shouting after their kids, the occasional teacher waving someone down — but it’s the yellowjacket jerseys that catch the eye. They move in clusters, bright and unmistakable, like bees swarming their hive.

Smoke curls from the cigarette tucked between your lips, rising into the dusky air like a signal — a quiet call for anyone still listening.

And someone does.

Your gaze snags on her — your little brother’s best friend. Natalie Scatorccio. Though she’d probably claw your eyes out if you called her that. Just “Nat.” Always Nat.

She’s sharp edges and loud silence, bleach-blonde hair mussed into a careless halo, dark eyeliner smudged like war paint. She looks like she stepped out of a Guns N’ Roses poster and landed straight into varsity drama.

You tilt your head, exhaling smoke as you watch her cut through the chaos, trailing behind her team.

“Nat.”

It isn’t loud, but it’s enough. Your voice threads through the noise, aimed just for her.

Her eyes — green, unreadable — flick to yours. You’re not sure if it’s surprise you catch there, or irritation. Probably both.

She makes her way over, slow, deliberate. You stay right where you are, perched on the hood of your car, fingers curled loosely around your cigarette like you’ve got all the time in the world.

“What’re you doing here?” she asks, her tone prickly and closed-off, like she’s already preparing for a fight.

But it doesn’t rattle you. Nat’s always been a little firecracker.

“Kevyn sent me.” Your voice is low, just for her. You take another drag before adding, “Asked me to drive you home.”

It takes her a second to respond. Nat crosses her arms over her chest like a defiant child, chin tilted upward in that stubborn way of hers — but all it does is tug a quiet smirk onto your lips.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” she mutters, scowling. The frown creases her features, but instead of making her look intimidating, it only softens her into something almost... endearing.

“Shut up and get in the car.”

There’s amusement in your voice, laced with something gentler — something like fondness.

You’ve always had a platonic thing going with Nat, this banter, this push-and-pull. But lately — especially after that night, the one where her father had your brother pinned against the wall, fingers tight around his neck — something inside you shifted.

Protective instincts you didn’t even know you had rose like a tide, and now, Nat’s become one of those people you keep an eye on. Whether she likes it or not.

She scoffs, rolls her eyes like she’s got a whole monologue prepared in her head, but instead of delivering it, she yanks open the passenger side door and climbs in with a huff.

Your smirk lingers as you flick the cigarette to the ground, grind it beneath your boot, and slide into the driver’s seat.

The engine hums to life, smooth and familiar, and you ease the car out of the parking lot.

“How was the—”

“He didn’t send you,” Nat cuts in, her voice flat. A statement, not a question.

You don’t answer right away. There’s no point in pretending.

“No, he didn’t.”

Your voice drops, quieter now, the kind of quiet meant only for her.

Nat shifts beside you, just enough for you to catch the way her brow pulls tight, like she’s trying to understand something that doesn’t make sense — like the idea that someone might go out of their way for her just... because.

“You don’t have to do this.”

You glance at her, one hand still steady on the wheel, and she looks almost small in the passenger seat. Angry, confused, vulnerable in a way she rarely allows herself to be.

“I want to.”

That shuts her up.

You don’t even have to look at her to know she’s frozen — caught off guard in the thick silence that settles between you.

You swear you hear the slightest hitch in her breath, so soft it nearly gets lost beneath the low hum of the tires on pavement.

“Thank you.”

It’s barely above a whisper — softer than you’ve ever heard her, like the words cost her something just to say. But they’re there, trembling at the edges, threaded with vulnerability she doesn’t often let anyone see.

You don’t look at her. Don’t need to.

Instead, you lift your hand from the gear shift, steady and casual, and hold it out — palm up, fingers slightly curled, your eyes fixed on the road ahead like this is the most natural thing in the world.

For a heartbeat, nothing happens.

Then, slowly, her hand finds yours.

Her fingers slip between yours, a little tentative at first, but they stay.

“Always,” you say, quiet but sure.

And in the silence that follows, warm and wordless, you keep driving — her hand in yours, the hum of the engine steady beneath it all.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Any thoughts on the mystery behind the Veil of Death and the three brothers?

ana-lyz: So... What does it mean to be the Master of Death in HP universe? And like what does being MOD mean specifically for Harry?

Okay, funny thing is I got the first of your asks like an hour after I added to my drafts a post titled "Master of Death", so I was just thinking about it. And then I started answering it and you sent the second ask, so, great minds think alike, I guess.

Long post ahead:

The Veil, Death, and its Master

I'm going to cover what we know from the books, my opinions on it, and some of my evidence-based headcanons, since there is a lot of speculation on my part.

The Afterlife and the Veil

So, I wanna talk a bit about death, as it appears in the Harry Potter books. We know an afterlife exists in the HP world both when Harry dies and when he speaks to Nearly Headless Nick after Sirius dies.

I want to start with the scene in Deathly Hallows in the King's Cross limbo. Specifically these few sections:

Barely had the wish formed in his head than robes appeared a short distance away. He took them and put them on. They were soft, clean, and warm. It was extraordinary how they had appeared just like that, the moment he had wanted them. . . . He stood up, looking around. Was he in some great Room of Requirement?

(DH, 596)

“Where are we, exactly?” “Well, I was going to ask you that,” said Dumbledore, looking around. “Where would you say that we are?” Until Dumbledore had asked, Harry had not known. Now, however, he found that he had an answer ready to give. “It looks,” he said slowly, “like King’s Cross station. Except a lot cleaner and empty, and there are no trains as far as I can see.” “King’s Cross station!” Dumbledore was chuckling immoderately. “Good gracious, really?” “Well, where do you think we are?” asked Harry, a little defensively. “My dear boy, I have no idea. This is, as they say, your party.”

(DH, 601)

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?” Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry’s ears even though the bright white mist was descending again, obscuring his figure. “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?

(DH, 610)

I don't think this place Harry was in is the Afterlife, or even connected to the Afterlife. I think it is in Harry's head. Harry having complete control over it, actually calling it out as behaving like the Room of Requirement, Dumbledore not knowing where they are until Harry knows where they are, etc. All this doesn't fit with it being a limbo on the way to death and the figure there being the real Dumbledore. Dumbledore, throughout this scene, acts kind of strange, way more helpful and finally says all the right things Harry wants to hear.

Not-Dumbledore himself tells Harry he already knows everything he explains to him:

“Explain,” said Harry. “But you already know,” said Dumbledore. He twiddled his thumbs together

(DH, 597)

So, I truly believe it isn't really happening. That this isn't death and it isn't Dumbledore. throughout the scene, Dumbledore doesn't actually give Harry new information Harry couldn't guess on his own. He's just going over things Harry already knew and creating a nice narrative out of them. At some points, he asks Harry what he thinks, and only starts explaining once Harry knows the answer (or what he wants the answer to be). I think this is Harry's subconscious coping and not actual death.

Additionally, there's the disturbing baby Voldemort thing. Now, the real Voldemort is still alive, so contrary to what Not-Dumbledore says, it isn't actually Tom Riddle:

“Oh yes!” said Dumbledore. “Yes, he destroyed it. Your soul is whole, and completely your own, Harry.” “But then . . . ” Harry glanced over his shoulder to where the small, maimed creature trembled under the chair. “What is that, Professor?” “Something that is beyond either of our help,” said Dumbledore

(DH, 598)

What I believe it is, is the soul in the Horcrux in Harry. Separated from Harry's own soul within his mind. That's the only thing it can be, in my opinion. I don't believe the soul shards in the Horcruxes could pass into an afterlife, or even to limbo. They were created to be bound to life and passing away is against their very nature (unless, maybe, if you throw them through the veil).

Besides all these oddities in the scene, it just doesn't make sense for Dumbledore to be there. Nearly Headless Nick gives some insight about death and the Afterlife:

“He will not come back,” repeated Nick quietly. “He will have . . . gone on.” “What d’you mean, ‘gone on’?” said Harry quickly. “Gone on where? Listen — what happens when you die, anyway? Where do you go? Why doesn’t everyone come back? Why isn’t this place full of ghosts? Why — ?” “I cannot answer,” said Nick. “You’re dead, aren’t you?” said Harry exasperatedly. “Who can answer better than you?” “I was afraid of death,” said Nick. “I chose to remain behind. I sometimes wonder whether I oughtn’t to have . . . Well, that is neither here nor there. . . . In fact, I am neither here nor there. . . .” He gave a small sad chuckle. “I know nothing of the secrets of death, Harry, for I chose my feeble imitation of life instead. I believe learned wizards study the matter in the Department of Mysteries —”

(OotP, 861)

From the way Nick speaks, ghosts are caught between life and death, part of them remains among the living while the rest moves on. Ghosts live in limbo, unable to be alive or dead. From his words, it also implies the properly dead, those who chose to move on, stay dead. They stay gone.

If that's the case, how could Dumbledore come to greet Harry in limbo? He's dead, truly gone, and death has no exceptions. There is no reason Dumbledore could speak to Harry in limbo and his parents won't. Once you're dead, you reach the afterlife and there you stay.

So I don't think the white King's Cross in Harry's death vision was connected to the afterlife, nor was it the real Dumbledore there. So, what is the actual afterlife?

Well, we don't really know. But, I can cover what we do know about the nature of death in the HP universe.

From Nick's words, the afterlife is the better option, than becoming a ghost. Nick describes ghosts as imprints left behind, but imprints of what specifically?

I talked about this already when I discussed how to make Horcruxes, but in alchemy, everything is comprised of three things:

Sulfur - soul

Mercury - spirit (that binds the body and the soul)

Salt - body

A ghost doesn't have a body, and we know all that moves on to the afterlife is one's soul. Therefore, it stands to reason ghosts are an imprint of a soul, while the spirit leaves at the moment of death. That's what an Avada Kedavra does, it removes the spirit, the connection between the body and the soul. That's how it kills instantly and without a trace.

So, when someone passes into the afterlife, it's their soul that passes away.

What about the echoes of Harry's parents and Cedric in Voldemort's wand during the duel in the graveyard?

Well, they're dead, they moved on, so it can't be their soul. The figures aren't even described the same way as ghosts or diary Tom, figures we know are made of souls:

and then something much larger began to blossom from Voldemort’s wand tip, a great, grayish something, that looked as though it were made of the solidest, densest smoke. . . . It was a head . . . now a chest and arms . . . the torso of Cedric Diggory. the dense shadow of a second head, If ever Harry might have released his wand from shock, it would have been then, but instinct kept him clutching his wand tightly, so that the thread of golden light remained unbroken, even though the thick gray ghost of Cedric Diggory (was it a ghost? it looked so solid) emerged in its entirety from the end of Voldemort’s wand, as though it were squeezing itself out of a very narrow tunnel . . . and this shade of Cedric stood up, and looked up and down the golden thread of light, and spoke.

(GoF, 665-666)

Their bodies are buried, and Cedric's is just lying there, neither are they physical enough to be bodies. I believe this is their spirit. Remember what I said about the Killing Curse just now, it severs the tie, and as such, it keeps the spirit. So, Harry is speaking to his parents' spirit, the echoes of their lives, not souls.

Now, let's talk about the veil. The veil is one of the most fascinating things introduced in the books, and the way it is introduced is fascinating on its own, but that's for later. The veil is a physical archway into the world of the dead.

The concept of such an entrance exists in multiple mythologies. In Greek mythology, many heroes (Odysseus, Orpheus, Heracles, Theseus, etc.) all travel through the underworld in one way or another, this is why the hero's journey goes through the underworld, it's very common. In Mesopotamian mythology, Gilgamesh and Ishtar both travel to the underworld. The point is, a gateway into the afterlife you can travel through, is a concept humanity has been toying with for millennia.

What's interesting is that, like Thestrals, those who've seen death (Harry, Luna, and Neville) can hear whispers from it. They experience it differently from others who haven't witnessed death (Ron, Hermione, and Ginny) who feel unnerved by it (although, Neville and Luna react differently from Harry, but more on that later). Not much more can be said about it, except that unlike all these gates into the underworld from myths, the veil is meant to be a one-way ticket.

In general, the afterlife in the Wizarding World is a one-way passage. Once you're gone, you're gone. Hence the closest thing to proper necromancy they have is creating inferi, which are soulless since the soul can't be pulled back from the afterlife.

The veil was also there before the Ministry of Magic, which was built around it. My guess is that some ancient wizards made it, and how or why were forgotten over time.

As the Peverell brothers were born around the 1210s and the Ministry of Magic was founded in 1707, it's possible, that the same Peverells from the story have built the veil. I actually think it's quite likely.

Death Himself

The idea of death personified is just as old and prevalent in many myths and cultures as a gateway leading into the afterlife. Whether Death, as a being, exists in the Wizarding World, I'm uncertain, but I don't think it's likely.

God-like spirits like Death feel out of place in the world in a way. Like, having a pantheon of gods feels wrong for the world of Harry Potter. It feels out of place with the established lore and magic. We don't see any evidence of wizarding society having any kind of unique religion in which such beings exist. Death, in the tale, is also described as similar to a dementor, making the idea that the author based Death's appearance on that of a dementor plausible.

That being said, Death's similarity to dementors could be the other way around. As in, the dementors look like death because of their connection to him. And, Death from the Tale doesn't really act like a god. How he behaves and is spoken of in the Tale of the Three Brothers reminds me a lot of a fae-like creature. Like, a powerful being who's a trickster that twists your wishes into something that he can use against you.

However I look at it, I still don't feel a being like this would fit in the world of Harry Potter, it feels wrong to add gods (or fae) in there. We don't see any hint that such beings might exist, which makes me feel they don't. So, I don't really think a personification of Death as appearing in the tale actually exists, but they do have an afterlife, as established above.

The Peverells and the Hallows

So we all know the legend about the three Peverell brothers who cheated death and received his gifts. Dumbledore (the one Harry imagines in his death fever dream) is certain it went down a little differently. That the tale is to explain incredibly powerful magical artifacts made by extraordinary wizards:

“Oh yes, I think so. Whether they met Death on a lonely road . . . I think it more likely that the Peverell brothers were simply gifted, dangerous wizards who succeeded in creating those powerful objects. The story of them being Death’s own Hallows seems to me the sort of legend that might have sprung up around such creations.

(DH, 602)

While it's not really Dumbledore and more Harry's own mind, I agree with him the Peverell brothers were probably no run-of-the-mill wizards, and I agree it's unlikely they've met Death, as I don't believe he exists.

Now, all the Hallows have a sentience to them beyond just any magical artifact. Even the wand is more sentient than any other wand, which are already quite sentient ("the wand chooses the wizard").

The wand of the first brother is a Hallow I already wrote about how it chooses its master. It is a wand intrinsically connected with death, having a core of Thestral hair. (I wonder if a core from a Thestral would agree to work for a wizard who hasn't seen death, but I digress)

This wand is actually the least impressive Hallow, in my opinion. Even though it said to be unbeatable:

Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor

(DH, 352)

Its user is beaten quite often, that's how the wand changes owners, after all. This wand's tendency for even more sentience than other wands is what is particularly unique about it. How it chooses its master repeatedly, and sometimes even decides it prefers another over its current master, something unheard of for any other wand.

The Resurrection Stone has the supposed ability to pull a soul imprint from the afterlife:

“Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered.

(DH, 352)

Something that I just discussed above should be impossible. Once dead and in the afterlife, nothing comes back out. Harry uses it as well for the same purpose and describes them as being similar to Tom from the diary:

They were neither ghost nor truly flesh, he could see that. They resembled most closely the Riddle that had escaped from the diary so long ago, and he had been memory made nearly solid. less substantial than living bodies, but much more than ghosts, they moved toward him, and on each face, there was the same loving smile.

(DH, 589)

Because that's what the stone brings back, echoes of souls, but they aren't what Tom Riddle was in CoS.

“We are part of you,” said Sirius. “Invisible to anyone else.”

(DH, 590)

This line, made me believe the resurrection stone does something different than its name suggests and more similar to the lie Tom in the diary told Harry. They aren't souls, they're memories, echoes from within Harry himself. "Memory made solid"

Magic, in the world of Harry Potter, can't bring back someone who has moved on to the afterlife. It's a one-way ticket, as I've established before, once your soul moves on, that's it (if you try to resurrect someone immediately after they died and their soul hasn't yet moved on it's a different story). So I think, these shades are based on Harry's memories, and not actual souls brought back. It'll make more sense magically since his thoughts and memories are there, but the souls have gone on.

It also makes the tale of the second brother make more sense. He suffered because it wasn't really his wife that came back, but a shade based on his own memory. The tale said that she suffered, but I think it was Cadmus who suffered, not truly having her back. However, depending on how she died, her suffering might've been his memories of her that the stone resurrected, or the tale made it all up just like it made up Death.

The stone is just as picky about its master as the wand. It does not seem to have worked for anyone other than Cadmus Peverell and Harry himself. We don't hear of any Gaunts who used the stone, nor do we hear from Dumbledore he succeded in using it (I don't think it's actually Dumbledore in the conversation in King's Cross as I mentioned above). Regardless, I think the real Dumbledore probably did try to use it, and I will hazard a guess he failed. Since the stone didn't choose him.

The Cloak is unique in many ways. Lasting centuries, way longer than any invisibility cloak can, passing from parent to child for generations. It also does a better job of concealing you than another invisibility cloak, if, it still has its limits:

“...We are talking about a cloak that really and truly renders the wearer completely invisible, and endures eternally, giving constant and impenetrable concealment, no matter what spells are cast at it. How many cloaks have you ever seen like that, Miss Granger?”

(DH, 354)

The cloak is similar to the other Hallows in how picky it is regarding its master. The cloak wouldn't belong to anyone who just possesses it, it's not enough. It has to be passed willingly on the owner's deathbed, as they greet death as an old friend. It means that in the books, no one but Harry could be its owner.

All artifacts are powerful, but they aren't capable of anything that breaks the laws of nature (as the stone doesn't really resurrect), they are also sentient and picky, but it isn't something beyond the capacity of wizards. Why, we know of four wizards who made three sentient magical artifacts already — The Hogwarts founders.

The four founders enchanted the sorting hat together, but more relevant to the discussion of the Hallows are the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance.

At the precise moment that a child first exhibits signs of magic, the Quill, which is believed to have been taken from an Augurey, floats up out of its inkpot and attempts to inscribe the name of that child upon the pages of the Book (Augurey feathers are known to repel ink and the inkpot is empty; nobody has ever managed to analyse precisely what the silvery fluid flowing from the enchanted Quill is). Those few who have observed the process (several headmasters and headmistresses have enjoyed spending quiet hours in the Book and Quill’s tower, hoping to catch them in action) agree that the Quill might be judged more lenient than the Book. A mere whiff of magic suffices for the Quill. The Book, however, will often snap shut, refusing to be written upon until it receives sufficiently dramatic evidence of magical ability.

(from pottermore)

The idea of multiple sentient, powerful magical artifacts that need to agree is something wizards are capable of. And that, I think, is the secret to becoming the Master of Death — having all 3 Hallows pick you. Just like the book and quill need to agree a student should be admitted to Hogwarts.

Master of Death

Or more specifically what does that actually mean and why I think even if someone retrieved all 3 Hallows they wouldn't have become the Master of Death if their name isn't Harry James Potter.

This is definitely more in the headcanon territory, but the first scene that really made me think about it is the one in the Death Chamber in the Department of Mysteries. Because I think Harry and death always had a weird connection, it might've been around before the failed killing curse, and it was definitely around before Harry mastered all 3 Hallows.

So, why do I think Harry was always bound to be the Master of Death, and even if Dumbledore or Voldemort had all the Hallows it wouldn't have helped them?

There, are a few things that led me to this conclusion.

First, as I mentioned above, the cloak can not belong to anyone other than Harry in the books. It means that no one but Harry could master all of the Deathly Hallows, regardless of what they did.

Second, This first scene in the Death Chamber with the veil. I'll copy parts of it below and ask you to note, as you read, that Harry, Neville, and Luna are the only three who can see Thestrals and therefore should react more to the veil:

“Who’s there?” said Harry, jumping down onto the bench below. There was no answering voice, but the veil continued to flutter and sway. “Careful!” whispered Hermione. ... He had the strangest feeling that there was someone standing right behind the veil on the other side of the archway. ... “Let’s go,” called Hermione from halfway up the stone steps. “This isn’t right, Harry, come on, let’s go. . . .” She sounded scared, much more scared than she had in the room where the brains swam, yet Harry thought the archway had a kind of beauty about it, old though it was. The gently rippling veil intrigued him; he felt a very strong inclination to climb up on the dais and walk through it. “Harry, let’s go, okay?” said Hermione more forcefully. “Okay,” he said, but he did not move. He had just heard something. There were faint whispering, murmuring noises coming from the other side of the veil. “What are you saying?” he said very loudly, so that the words echoed all around the surrounding stone benches. “Nobody’s talking, Harry!” said Hermione, now moving over to him. “Someone’s whispering behind there,” he said, moving out of her reach and continuing to frown at the veil. “Is that you, Ron?” “I’m here, mate,” said Ron, appearing around the side of the archway. “Can’t anyone else hear it?” Harry demanded, for the whispering and murmuring was becoming louder; without really meaning to put it there, he found his foot was on the dais. “I can hear them too,” breathed Luna, joining them around the side of the archway and gazing at the swaying veil. “There are people in there!” .... “Sirius,” Harry repeated, still gazing, mesmerized, at the continuously swaying veil. “Yeah . . .” ... On the other side, Ginny and Neville were staring, apparently entranced, at the veil too.

(OotP, 773-775)

The interesting to note:

Luna, who can see Thestrals, also hears the whispering. I assume Neville does too.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny are mesmerized but unnerved by the veil. Ron and Hermione seem to fight this memorization in their fear for Harry as he nears the veil.

Harry is the only one who is drawn to the veil He is the only one that moved, the only one whose feet take him against his will to the dias with the veil.

Harry thinks of it as oddly beautiful.

He has an urge to pass through that no one else does. All of them are frozen in place.

Harry is so affected he needs to be reminded twice that he's there to save Sirius before he can draw himself away from the veil.

Third, later in the book, after Sirius fell through the veil, there's this part:

He had reached the floor, his breath coming in searing gasps. Sirius must be just behind the curtain, he, Harry, would pull him back out again. . . . But as he reached the ground and sprinted toward the dais, Lupin grabbed Harry around the chest, holding him back. “There’s nothing you can do, Harry —” “Get him, save him, he’s only just gone through!” “It’s too late, Harry —” “We can still reach him —” Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would not let go. . . . “There’s nothing you can do, Harry . . . nothing. . . . He’s gone.”

(OotP, 806)

Harry's instinct to go through the veil to get Sirius out is so odd. The way he thinks that he himself can pull him out, not anyone else, but he... I don't know, but, this scene is interesting. It almost makes me feel Harry could pull Sirius back out. He defied death already once and will defy it again in the 7th book, so why not? Why wouldn't he be able to pull someone back from beyond the veil if they fell through just now (the timing is relevant, I don't think Hary could pull, say, his parents out).

My headcanon is that in that very moment if Lupin let Harry pull Sirius out, it would've worked. Caused a pandemonium about the fact Harry can apparently resurrect the dead (even if it's not really what he did), but that it would've worked. (I actually really want to write a fic like this)

Fourth, throughout the 7th book, once Harry finds out about the Hallows, he can't let the thought go. He knows his cloak is one, he is convinced the stone is in the snitch Dumbledore left him, way before he opened it. He just has a sense about it, and a fixation on it that's almost instinct:

Dumbledore had left the sign of the Hallows for Hermione to decipher, and he had also, Harry remained convinced of it, left the Resurrection Stone hidden in the golden Snitch. Neither can live while the other survives. . . master of Death. . . Why didn’t Ron and Hermione understand? “‘The last enemy shall be destroyed is death,”’ Harry quoted calmly

(DH, 374-375)

So, these are my reasons why I believe Harry is the only character in the books that could or would be the MOD. It's just that he always was, in a way. The Hallows already chose him before he ever held any of them.

But what does it mean to be the Master of Death?

“Well, of course not,” said Xenophilius, maddeningly smug. “That is a children’s tale, told to amuse rather than to instruct. Those of us who understand these matters, however, recognize that the ancient story refers to three objects, or Hallows, which, if united, will make the possessor master of Death.” ... “When you say ‘master of Death’—” said Ron. “Master,” said Xenophilius, waving an airy hand. “Conqueror. Vanquisher. Whichever term you prefer.”

(DH, 353)

We don't really get much besides this. Along with what's written on James and Lily's grave:

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

(DH, 283)

Harry believes all phrases, along with the prophecy are connected and lead him to believe he should become the Master of Death:

Three objects, or Hallows, which, if united, will make the possessor master of Death. . . Master. . . Conqueror. . . Vanquisher. . . The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. . . . And he saw himself, possessor of the Hallows, facing Voldemort, whose Horcruxes were no match. . . Neither can live while the other survives. . . Was this the answer?

(DH, 369-370)

So what can the Master of Death do? Death isn't a personified deity, what is defeating or contouring death mean? Does it mean immortality?

I don't know if I'll say full immortality, I think the Master of Death can die the same way Ignotus Peverell did. I think Ignotus Peverell was the first Master of Death, in a way, he at least represented the concept:

And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life

(DH, 352)

He was death's equal, he could escape it and live a fulfilling life, before choosing to meet Death on his own terms. I think that's what it means, that Death won't find Harry until he is ready to move on, and when he finally chooses to move on, Death would greet him with open arms.

The crux of it is the choice. That death can't touch you until you choose to allow it. And those who become Masters of Death, would always eventually choose to greet death, as these are the type of people the 3 Hallows would choose. It's all about choices.

(For the record, yes, I think there could be more than one MOD, I think Ignotus was until his death, and then in the books, Harry is)

And considering how much emphasis is put on choices and intentions in the magic of this world, it seems only right to be so relevant here too.

Like with the Mirror or Erised, which only let someone who wanted to have the Philosopher's Stone but not use it, have it; the Hallows won't choose a master who wouldn't, eventually, be willing to accept death. Because mastering death, isn't only not dying, it's understanding it, and accepting it. Both the deaths of others and eventually your own.

Also, as I mentioned above, I headcanon that Harry could pull Sirius out the moment he fell in through the veil. I don't think anyone but Harry could. I believe, as a Master of Death, Harry is the only wizard (well, being) that can go into the afterlife, walk past the veil, and come back out. A Master of Death is the only one who the afterlife isn't a one-way ticket for.

(Although, I think it's possible that if you wear the invisibility cloak you might be able to pass into the veil and come out even without being the MOD, but, I wouldn't bet on it)

Summary of my thoughts

The afterlife exists in the Wizarding World and nothing that passes beyond the veil can return. It's a one-way ticket.

The scene in Deathly Hallows with Dumbledore in King's Cross station limbo didn't actually happen.

Death, as a deity of sorts most likely doesn't exist.

The Peverell brothers were powerful wizards who made the Deathly Hallows and perhaps the veil too.

The Resurrection stone can't bring a soul back from beyond the veil so it does the next best thing — reviving an illusion of a memory.

All 3 Deathly Hallows are very sentient magical artifacts like the sorting hat. Each of them is very picky when choosing its own master.

When all 3 Hallows choose the same master, this person is the Master of Death.

Being the Master of Death means the MOD won't die until the time of their choice. But the MOD will always choose to die eventually because that's the kind of person the Hallows would pick.

There can, over time, be more than one MOD (not at the same time though). And it's possible Ignotus Peverell was one, in a way.

The MOD might be the only person who can go into the veil and come back out.

The invisibility cloak might also allow you to make a trip into the veil and then back out.

[mossymandibles]

Wanted to draw some Ari after seeing her pop up in my notes again and I realized I haven’t shared anything of her updated backstory either sooo

Ari grew up in the Myce equivalent of a sort of religious gated community/ parish under the Ladder’s Jurisdiction. Her father owned a small cattle ranch and she worked on it with him and her brother. Although she’s gained a lot of skills and strength growing up on the farm, there were a lot of restrictions for her. She was forced to grind down her horns all the time, hiding them within her hair.

The parish she grew up in was a series of small isles, connected by canals. The sea walls prevented anything from getting in or out without close inspection from the Necrocorps sentries stationed around the canal gates. From the top of the revetments, Ari could see the Drifting Lights on the horizon; the floating metropolis of the Ladder and where most of their revenue came from selling fungal fibers and leatherwork.

However, Ari found that one of the barriers around the southern beaches of the ranch was faulty during a storm. With growing unrest from the cattle, something had been let inside.

I really need to design animals for husbandry 😅 need some good ungulates.

Also here’s some of her all snazzed up. I like both versions but I feel like the right one is more her personal style if she was going to a show with Heidi or something. With boots like that though she’d end up being like 6’9” lol

Anyway working with Sylvaine has sort of challenged her a bit but opened a lot of veterinary avenues for her. She finds it disturbing but shows interest in what she calls ‘flesh anatomy’ although it’s intensely messier to her compared to fungal anatomy (imagine a doctor that’s uncomfortable with blood). Sylvaine would argue that they’re virtually the same. She also lets Ari raise some animals and plants on the estate because she still enjoys her farm work. It’s mostly for food supplies, or food for Nimbus. She even continues doing fiber-crafts as a hobby. She’s currently working on giant sweaters for Kraw and Durja.

She also has intense thalassophobia, but Kraw and Heidi working with her on it.

[buttercupfiction]

What would the ROs' reactions be if MC fell asleep on their shoulder?

so sorry for the wait lmao but inspiration struck and then it all kinda got away from me 😅

the Companion: It's late at night and you've been helping him sort out some paperwork for the Guild for the past few hours. You were chatting happily when you started, but by now neither of you has the energy to spare on talking as you're trying to keep focused while struggling to stifle yawns here and there. One moment you were awake, examining a paper in front of you, and the next your eyes were closing, whole body leaning to the side until you came to rest on something soft.

This kind of menial work always has him fighting to keep his eyes open, especially at this hour, but he finds that he no longer has to put in the effort, as suddenly a jolt of awareness rushes through him, waking him up more effectively than pouring a bucket full of ice-cold water over him. Unbelieveing, he looks to the side, convinced he must've fallen asleep and is currently dreaming, but the warmth of your body against him makes him realize that no, this is actually happening.

He stills, every muscle taut, almost forgetting to breathe, all out of fear of disturbing you. Should he call out your name? Wake you up? Or should he just let you rest? You must have been so tired, to fall asleep sitting up like this; he should definitely let you sleep. But, uh... What should he do with himself now? It's true he was on the brink of sleep just moments ago, but right now, he's wide awake and forced to deal with something he's been avoiding so far. Your scent, now that you're so close to him, invades his senses; your breath, as you lean against him, tickles his skin... He's at his wits' end.

He's all too aware of your effect on him, but doesn't know what to do about it. Usually, he'd follow the tried and true strategy of running away, burying the feelings deep down never to be seen again, but he can't do that now, with you pressed against him like this. All that's left for him to do is stay still and hope you wake up soon to spare him from his anguish, at which point he'll staunchly deny this ever happened and go back to pretending everything is fine.

the Journalist: You had made plans to go out and have some fun after she was done with work, so you paid a visit to her office at the Meridian, only to find her sitting on the floor, papers strewn all around her as she scribbled in her notebook. She assured you she'd just be a couple of minutes more, but in the meantime, would you come and take a look at this? Do these two happenstances seem connected to you? Or- or this one, do you think there might be something more to this? The next thing you know, almost two hours have passed and she's still in the zone and no closer to being finished, but you're starting to feel the exhaustion, so you tell yourself that you'll just close your eyes for a moment...

When she feels a weight on her arm, she humms in question without taking her eyes off her notebook, assuming you're trying to draw her attention to something. When no reply comes, and the weight doesn't remove itself, she feels annoyed at the interruption - she's almost on the brink of a breakthrough here! But when she turns to ask you to help her rather than hinder her, the words die on her lips as she realizes that oohh no, she lost track of time again.

Looking around, her suspicions are confirmed when she notices the lack of sunlight coming from the window in the back, the sun already slowly setting. Guilt starts creeping up on her as she turns back to you with an apologetic twist to her lips. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry. Why didn't you say something?" she whispers, raising her hand to gently cup your cheek as her eyes roam over your face, taking in your tranquil expression. You look so adorable like this; she doesn't have the heart to wake you up.

Slowly, careful not to move too much, she reaches for her coat that is lying discared nearby and drapes it around you, trying to make you as comfortable as possible. Then, she begins picking up the pieces of paper that surround you both, set on putting them away and finishing up for tonight. The thought did cross her mind that now that you're asleep, she might as well continue with her work, but she quickly dismissed it. Your company is far too precious to her to be wasted like this, so after she's done tidying up - which might take a while - she'll nudge you awake and promise to make amends for how this evening played out, and perhaps see if you'd still be willing to go somewhere with her tonight.

the Archivist: The two of you are spending another day poring over old tomes, looking for any information about your condition. You read in silence, sitting side by side at one of the desks in the archives, each with several open books in front of you, and another pile waiting nearby. For them, this is a fairly common occurrence, but you, on the other hand, aren't used to spending hours on end sitting in one place, staring at ink on paper. No matter how much you try to focus on the page in front of you, soon enough your eyes start to close and you slump to the side, landing cheek first on some very fine silk.

Immersed in their reading, they jolt out of their trance at the physical contact, turning their head slowly to the side, curious as to why you've decided to drape yourself over them. "Excuse me, but I would like my arm returned to me," they raise one eyebrow sardonically while attempting to shrug you off, but when you don't budge, they halt, leaning over to take a closer look.

What they see sends a spark of indignance coursing through them, because really? You begged them to let you come here, to access all this knowledge, and then you just... fall asleep? But as quick as it came, the vexation is chased away, replaced by a feeling of sympathy for what you must be going through. Though they're not quite sure they like that feeling.

Sigh. Nevermind. They'll go through your workload as well, no need to go waking you up now. After all, it's better this way. 'When you do everything yourself, you needn't be concerned that someone else will fuck up their part,' they tell themself, the words sharp enough to counter the gentle way they settle you down on their lap, your head cushioned on their thigh as they return to their reading.

the Renegade: You're sat beside him at his booth at the Matchstick, watching as he nurses his drink with a thousand-yard stare, not paying you any attention. He was against you accompanying him at first, but once you promised you wouldn't bother him, he relented. To keep yourself occupied, you've also had a few drinks, but they're starting to take their toll as you feel weariness take hold of you; a few moments later, your head lolls to the side, landing on the first soft thing within your reach.

At the feeling of a sudden weight on his shoulder, he stiffens, a curse falling unbidden out of his mouth as he turns his head towards the source of the intrusion. "What the fuck-" he growls, only to stop himself abruptly when he notices that it's you. He'd almost forgotten you were there, that's how accustomed to your presence he's become. "Hey," he gives you a nudge, trying to draw your attention, "What are you..." but trails off when he notices you're asleep.

Hmph. If it were anyone else, he'd just shake them off, uncaring if they woke up or not, as long as they get off of him, but... for whatever reason, he doesn't seem to mind it this time. Something stirs in his chest at the sight of you, resting practically on top of him without a care in the world, but he dismisses it as purely sympathy, nothing else. After all, he's no stranger to falling asleep in weird places, and knows a thing or two about waking up with a crick in his neck or cramped muscles.

He planned on staying here throughout the evening anyway, so there's no urgent need to dislodge you from him... is the excuse he tells himself as he relaxes and shifts slightly, careful not to wake you, until you find yourself in a more comfortable position on his shoulder. He just prays to whoever will listen that Vanessa doesn't happen to walk by, because if she witnessed this and noticed the faint coloring to his cheeks, he'd never hear the end of it.

the Investigator: The two of you are sitting shoulder to shoulder on a balcony of a dilapidated bell-tower in the South District, backs against the wall and legs dangling in the air. You were sent on a late night patrol of the area, and they suggested finding a good vantage spot would make it easier, so you let them lead you here. It's been a few hours since your surveilance began, and they still seem perfectly alert, eyes darting over the buildings and alleyways below, but you are staring to drift off, lulled to sleep by the peaceful sounds of the night.

When your head comes to rest on their shoulder, they startle, having been so engrossed in observing the goings on in the city that they didn't notice you dozing off next to them. Blinking the surprise out of their eyes, they look towards you, concerned, only to realize that you're fast asleep. They let their eyes roam across your face, inspecting every inch of the expression you're making as you slumber. You look so peaceful like this; they'd feel guilty if they woke you up now. Though, only now they realize exactly how close to them you are.

Sigh. They know they'll never act on their feelings, never ask for anything more, and that's something they've made their peace with. Nothing good would come of it, of that they're certain. But... they're still only human. And they'll gladly take any form of affection you're willing to give to them, even if it's just innocently resting on their shoulder. Because that's all they can ever get.

So they lean back slightly, getting more comfortable, and dare to rest their head against yours, breathing a small sigh of content as they return to observing the streets below. Once they feel you stir and start to wake up, they'll move away, but for now, this is good enough.

the Enforcer: It's almost midnight and you can feel the fatigue clinging to you. You had been at the guild since the early morning, doing all sorts of menial work, but when she invited you to join her for a drink at a local tavern, you just couldn't say no. So, now here you are, sitting next to her in a booth and waiting for the barkeep to return with your drinks, and you're beginning to suspect this was a bad idea, because no matter how much you enjoy her company, your eyes keep fluttering closed and you're having trouble concentrating on your surroundings. So it's no wonder when your consciousness abandons you soon after.

"Oh? Darling, if you wanted to take this a bit further, you could have just asked," she says playfully, throwing you a sideways glance and seeing your head on her shoulder, then fakes a pout when there's no answer. Craning her head to get a better look, she realizes why you didn't answer her; you're fast asleep. She brings her hand to your face, tapping you lightly on the nose with her forefinger a few times, trying to see if you'll wake up, but when you don't even stir, a real pout forms on her lips.

"Hmm, well that's no fun," she tells no one in particular, and while her voice is light, her eyebrows furrow in contemplation. Is she losing her touch? Has her mere presence started putting people to sleep now? Hmm, she'll have to step up her game... That's it, it's decided, next time she's taking you to one of those underground fighting rings she's heard about; let's see you fall asleep in that ambiance!

Taking hold of her drink that just arrived, she pays you no more mind, but also doesn't shake you off her shoulder. She would have, usually, but... Hmm. Why does she let you stay there? The question perplexes her. She doesn't normally waste time on these... frivolous gestures of affection, and there is that itch that urges her to get up, find something fun to do, but she guesses this isn't that bad. And it is kind of flattering that you trust her of all people enough to fall asleep like this. 'And, if Elio found out I oh so irresponsibly abandoned you in a random tavern while asleep, they'd bitch about it forever,' she tells herself, finding a reason to stay seated here for a while longer, drink in her hand and your head against her shoulder.

[spongebob-connoisseur]

In honor of Tomodachi Life being confirmed on the switch! Here is my Slappy Mii for the original Tomodachi Life!

Add him to your island and feed him as much fish as you'd like! :D

Bonus just for funsies:

Tf is Spongebob gonna do to him?????

[wayward-wendy]

Ashley from the WarioWare franchise.

[deppytwistverse]

Happy Halloween Season Oomfie

Wah :0 i have been SPOOKED! BAMBOOZLED! HALLOWEENIED!