#Merope Gaunt

[lightningant]

Another Tom Riddle character design quirk I made up has taken root

[wookiecookiesfactory]

I honestly like the way you draw both Merope & Tom. I need to see more of them as they grow in your au. :)

HIII, I am so sorry to answer this so late but I had to actually be in the mood to draw something lol. I love them too!

"Mum, you are making the snakes look ridiculous!"

"No, they look pretty"

Oh, Merope you would have loved Molly weasley (both canon love potion users 😬 I giess they would have understood each other)

Also a bonus:

Tom jr: "Pink?"

M: "She is a girl basilisk"

Tom jr: "Ah"

I am just assuming but if "the slytherin heir" doesnt HAVE to be male, I like to think that as the oldest member of the gaunt family (that the basilisk knows abt) she would listen to merope over tom lol.

[akanothere]

Rotten root in Little Hangleton

[yutoo00]

Romance of TOM RIDDLE's Parents（所谓父母爱情hhh

Copy source:The Gardener-7

（觉得这首诗和Merope的心情挺相配的hhh

[severussnapemylove]

Sometimes I wonder if JKR even realises she wrote Snape as a victim of sexual assault. Because he unambiguously is, and she writes him as traumatised by the incident. So it seems mad to suggest that she might not have thought through the implications of her own writing, but if she did get it, I am baffled by how sympathetic she remains to James. Harry is never really made to confront how vile his actions were, because he looks for comfort from Remus and Sirius rather than telling Hermione who would react in horror and disgust, and he gets to skip over it completely in The Prince’s Tale. JKR clearly considers James a hero, and has confirmed that in interviews. She’s even more sympathetic to Lily, who is portrayed as an absolute paragon of goodness, morality and virtue, despite her being attracted enough to James *after* he publicly commits sexual assault on a less privileged kid to marry him! What a malfunctioning moral compass. JKR also has no sympathy at all for Tom Riddle Sr, who is a victim of rape, and his rapist Merope Gaunt, who is herself strongly implied to be a victim of incestual abuse, is condemned by Dumbledore and the narrative not for what she did to Tom but for not being as courageous as nice, pretty, middle class Lily Evans because Merope committed the crime of…dying in childbirth. The only conclusions I can draw from this is that JKR is the sort of ´feminist’ who doesn’t believe men can be the victims of sexual crimes, and that deep down she thinks being a member of the underclass who can’t drag themselves out of it alone is indicative of moral failure.

This! All of this!

I don't think she puts it together at all. She's incredibly tone deaf about a lot of the abuse she puts these characters through. And with the blasé attitude she has about male victims of SA in the books definitely goes along her brand of toxic radical "feminism". It looks like she just doesn't recognise the severity of what happens to these characters. On top of Severus's attack and Tom Riddle Sr, remember that Ron was roofied with love spell that was intended for Harry, and Moaning Myrtle is incredible predatory towards the boys. Sadly, this attitude carries over from the author to a chunk of the fandom too. I've seen so much dismissiveness of the assaults against the male characters, especially Severus. And it's even more disappointing when I see people who have experienced abuse saying that what Severus endured "didn't count" as abuse. Had someone today on another platform having an absolute meltdown at me, saying that what happened in SWM wasn't sa, and that he wasn't traumatised from his abuse and if his anger was caused by trauma then why wasn't Harry the same. Seriously, you can't tell another person that what they experienced wasn't "bad enough to be abuse", that's a very warped mentality. Survivors are supposed to support each other, not belittle each other's trauma. Also, what book did they read that they think Harry doesn't have issues from the life he endured? He has different issues than Severus, yes, because he had different life experiences and everyone's reactions to trauma are different.

"Merope Riddle chose death in spite of a son who needed her, but do not judge her too harshly, Harry. She was greatly weakened by long suffering and she never had your mother's courage."

WTF is this!!!??? This is just plain victim blaming. "Your mothers' courage"? Lily had supportive, loving parents, was loved by her peers, admired by her teachers, had a very comfortable, secure life. Merope was physically and mentally abused for her whole life. They really criticized the poverty stricken, abuse victim for not being as "strong" as the Mary Sue of the Wizarding World??? Toxic as hell. Personally, as someone who has dealt with self-harm, mental illness and generational trauma in my family, this attitude of "they weren't strong enough" is nauseating and infuriating.

There really is a disturbing trend of extreme poverty equalling a dead-end life with no hope. Which is again an extremally toxic and judgmental attitude and a very dangerous message to put in a book aimed to children. The attitude towards abuse, poverty and indecent assault of men is beyond problematic, not only in the books but in far too many members of the fandom.

I could rant more but this will go on for pages.

[dream-your-own-way]

If Merope Gaunt had lived, Tom would’ve been the biggest mama’s boy ever.

[semina-art]

[toctua]

Another failed family tree sketches.

It's funny that of all four, the one who did not inherit the Gaunt surname got a more or less normal life. And then this is rather the Survivor’s mistake...

[iamnmbr3]

Are we sure Merope actually used a love potion?

I think it’s weird that Dumbledore assumes Merope used a love potion.

She had no money to buy it or to buy the ingredients. The only thing she had of value was the locket and we know she didn’t sell that till much later. She didn’t even know much about the outside world so she would have had trouble finding where to go to acquire it or the ingredients needed to brew it herself. Plus making love potion herself would be very difficult when she’s had no access to education.

Out of universe JKR is using Dumbledore to info dump what happened. But in universe he has no evidence that she used a love potion and using a magical compulsion spell of some type like the Imperius Curse makes much more sense given the resources she had at her disposal. (Even though I really love the symbolism of the love potion for thematic reasons).

It’s also possible (if unlikely) that he did just run away with her and then leave her in horror when he realized what she was. (Or she could have used magic to make herself seem more appealing or even to impersonate someone else to get him to run off with her.) Voldemort himself seems to believe this because he talks in books 4 and 2 about how his father abandoned his mother when he learned what she was. I don’t see a reason for him to lie about this since it would look better given his cause to say that his mother came to her senses and left her muggle lover. Of course, he’s probably partly projecting his own experiences of rejection in the Muggle world due to his powers onto events. And he also may not know the truth about what happened. Or he does know and Dumbledore got it wrong.

[slitheringghost]

Something that’s interesting is that we see Voldemort is pretty clearly capable of all the emotions he’s discounted by the narrative as not being able to feel, and in fact displays them onscreen.

Love, in general, of course. He loves Bellatrix, he surely had friends he loved that are dead by canon era. He talks about it casually too - his mother fell in love with his father, his dear Nagini, his beloved castle. More on this in this meta.

He’s capable of grief. His intense grief for his mother, for Bellatrix.

He’s capable of empathy - he’s enraged by the suffering and abuse his mother went through. True, this empathy is for a dead woman, but it’s so intense with Merope that it has to extend to living people at other points. More on this in my meta Slytherin Locket Cave: The Life and Death of Merope Gaunt.

He’s capable of sacrificial love - he sacrificed his cover to save Bellatrix in the Department of Mysteries.

He’s capable of guilt and remorse - he repeatedly tries to justify his murder of Snape to himself and to Snape and clearly feels guilty for it, he compliments Snape rather than punishing him before he kills him, he apologizes and says that he regrets it (this ties back to empathy and grief as well).

That he feels these things, and also inflicts violence on the same people and capriciously oscillates between these emotions, can coexist.

[dillpicklewrites]

The Riddle Family

[Creds] IB: hrhfilm on TT // Hughes SCP: misspeachedits on TT // Merope Fancast: @vakariaan

[lightningant]

merope gaunt

[wookiecookiesfactory]

Such a taleted young boy.

I like to think that while the snakes obeyed morfin out of fear, they were merope's actual little friends, she never pinned them to the wall.

[bekkandaa]

Tom Riddle: Narcissism, Heritage, and Mental Breakdown

This analysis will delve into Tom Riddle's narcissism, heritage, and my own hypothesis that a mental breakdown led to the ultimate murder of his family.

Before I begin, it's important to define some key psychological terms for anyone unfamiliar with the subject. I'll try to simplify things down, but if anything doesn't make sense don't worry too much.

Malignant Narcissism: This term describes individuals who exhibit all three traits from "The Dark Triad"— Machiavellianism, Psychopathy and Narcissism.

Machiavellianism : Commonly characterised by manipulation and exploitation of others, unemotional callousness, self-interest, and an overall lack of morality.

Psychopathy : Commonly characterised by continuous antisocial behaviour, selfishness, unemotional callousness, and an overall lack of remorse.

Narcissism : Marked by grandiosity, pride, egotism, and an overall lack of empathy.

In Psychoanalytic theory, primary narcissism is a normal part of child development, involving self-interest and object-love. Children often harbour notions of greatness and believe they are immune to any consequences. As they mature, they become disillusioned from these grand notions to integrate into mature society. pathological narcissism actually develops when this process is disrupted, resulting in defective narcissistic structures.

( Interestingly, a number of psychiatrists have established a direct link between malignant narcissism and evil— a perspective likely considered in the creation of Tom Riddle's character. However, it is important to note that while there is a connection, it does not necessarily define someone as evil.)

Tom Riddle's behaviour aligns perfectly with Heinz Kohut's theory of object-love. According to Kohut, a child requires a mother to affirm their grandiosity or, lacking this, seeks an adult to create an "idealised parent image." Tom, lacking a mother figure and grandiose figure to emulate, proceeded to construct his own powerful parental figure.

This is evident when we see Riddle question Dumbledore about his father's wizardry, as Tom assumes his mother could not have been a witch as if she was she wouldn't have died. This belief is shattered during his teenage years, which inevitably triggers his (narcissistic) rage of his idea being disillusioned. Tom Riddle has always been a character with an ongoing quest for identity and self-validation, which is seen in his prolonged search for the Chamber of Secrets to confirm his status as Heir of Slytherin.

Tom Riddle's obsession with power and control is a fundamental aspect of his character we can't ignore. The pursuit of control is a primary human motivation, gaining control is actually proved to enhance one's sense of well-being. For someone like Tom, when this control is threatened, they would resort to coping mechanisms to preserve their sense of self. For a narcissist like Tom, a threat to his control equates to a threat to his very self.

Now, to my entire point. The revelation of his true heritage and the truth about his parents triggered a mental breakdown, causing an identity crisis. Freud posits that human behaviour is influenced more by the unconscious mind than the conscious. The unconscious mind protects itself by concealing negative memories, which can affect behaviour and attitudes. In Tom’s case, his father's abandonment left a mark, which he could not reconcile. His only solution was to eradicate this source of shame and hatred.

Tom Riddle’s patricide and subsequent name change to Voldemort signify his profound self-loathing and rejection of his humanity. This action eradicates the evidence of his shameful heritage. According to Krech, hatred often correlates with anger, manifesting as a desire to destroy the source of hatred. Riddle’s murder of his father and paternal family was an attempt to reclaim control and restore his ego. TLDR :  Tom Riddle has a fragile sense of control and ego, loses the sense of control once he learns of his true heritage. Causing a mental breakdown and killing his family. In conclusion, he is miserable and hates everyone. ( even himself to a point.)

[capriddle]

I really think that Voldemort (the one we read about in Half-Blood Prince) is a very interesting and complex villain. We are shown a broken child with a dangerous temper and fine intelligence. This child sees his few certainties crumble but new ones build quickly. He ends up in a world he doesn't know, in the most racist house, and discovers that he is the heir of the founding Lord of that house. From nothing he discovers that he has the nobility of his mother and then the muggle one of his father. Tom breaks down, deceives and then gets back on his feet several times, trying to belong to his two families involuntarily and yet desperately trying to distance himself from the normality of his father and the squalor of his mother. He has his father's face and ways, his mother's magical power and parseltongue. He has great potential but, despite his coldness, he lets himself be overcome by anger.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

do you think the story of what went down with tom sr and merope that we hear from dumbledore is true or did he take creative liberties? it's a bit different from what tom recounts in book 4 but tom may not know the real story is suppose.

The thing is, Dumbledore admits to that.

Before Dumbledore tells Harry any of these memories, he gives a hilarious disclaimer that goes about like this "Harry, technically, everything I'm about to say is based on nothing, absolutely nothing, but I have vibes and I believe in those vibes so I'm certain it happened this way, but it's based on nothing".

He gives the few things he knew happened, usually known facts/how he acquired the memory in the first place and then.... everything else he makes up.

As it is, in this case, he even admits while giving his theory that he really doesn't know. Dumbledore phrases it in terms of "perhaps he was riding by her house, grew thirsty and stopped, and she offered him a drink that was doused with love potion". It's a bunch of 'perhaps' strung together into a sentence. Dumbledore doesn't know it was love potions, he just throws it out there as an option, he doesn't know how she dosed him or how she brewed it even. He's not even sure how she had the magic to do such things for all he has a theory that Merope was so sad before her father and brother were imprisoned that she couldn't use magic, got freedom and happiness so she could use it after, then got sad again and so couldn't when Tom Sr. left her.

Dumbledore knows jack shit.

It's just he tells it in such a way that, even though he gave Harry a disclaimer, Harry and the audience forgets he knows jack shit.

Now, this doesn't mean Tom knows either, how could he? But does Dumbledore know for certain? God no.

Savvy blog readers will remember the time that Vinelle and I on @rankheresy concluded that it wasn't even Tom who killed his father at all.