#Tom Riddle g

[iamnmbr3]

Dumbledore walks in on Tom in the middle of putting in red contacts and Tom has to make up an elaborate excuse about a school play he's organizing...which he's then forced to actually put on.

I need a crack AU where Tom Riddle is living his normal life but also he's secretly Lord Voldemort at the same time Hannah Montana style

[realangelahernandez]

When he’s written by Lana del Rey

[2sidesofthesamesoul]

how much of Tom's quest for immortality do you think is caused or affected by religious trauma?

[hp-fanfic-archive]

the boat that would row you back carefully by RedHorse Pairing: Harry/Tom Riddle Rating: G Word Count: 1k A boy he’d never seen before sat cross-legged in front of him. He had round spectacles which were broken in the center, and his pyjamas were odd and very bright-colored. They were also too big for him, which didn’t surprise Tom. Children were always wearing things which were too big or too small for them at Wool’s.

[sp7-mr]

ᡣ𐭩this song hits differently for those who know the story behind it... Him&I

[iamnmbr3]

maybe part of why tom doesn't like his first name even when he's in the orphanage is because he knows he's named after his father, but with such a common first name that's not much help in tracking him down and almost any random man named tom could be his father so every time he comes across one part of him has to wonder if this is the person who abandoned him and his mother to their fate. maybe that's what he means by his look of annoyance and his "there are a lot of toms" comment.

i don't think this was jkr's intent. but i think it's a reading that works well with the text and characterization. i think even before he knew his true identity tom was very curious about his father and also harbored a lot of anger towards him.

[iamnmbr3]

a day in the life of Tom Riddle like ^

[aethon-recs]

Tomarrymort Recs by aethon 🐍

Hi! Thank you for your interest in this blog 🤍 This is a rec blog focused exclusively on Tomarrymort recs.

If you're looking for Tomarrymort rec lists, keep reading! I will keep this master list of links updated as I post more rec lists to this blog.

*

My standard list of rec list disclaimers:

• Please mind all tags and warnings on AO3 before reading (including CCNTW, explanation here). I strive to include a balance of themes and a diverse range of fic genres and ratings in my rec lists, so you'll come across lighter fare such as fluff and crack fics, along with fics that may cover darker themes. • Recs are always listed in alphabetical order by title. • Because I'm reccing Tomarrymort ship fics (all ratings from G through E) rather than gen fics, I aim to find fics where both characters in the ship are a meaningful part of the story; there isn't significant focus dedicated to side ships for Harry or Tom before getting to the endgame ship; and the Tomarrymort ship is central to the story. • Finally, this blog is not a fic-finding blog, but please visit our friends at @findingtomarrymort if you're having trouble locating a specific fic!

*

Tomarrymort Recs Master List

I. Longfic Recs

(coming soon) Part 0 — Longfic Master List (56 fics) Part 1 — Tomarrymort Beginner Pack (10 fics) Part 2 — Intermediate Pack (16 fics) Part 3 — Advanced Pack (12 fics) Part 4 — 2024 Longfic Update Pack (8 fics)

II. Themed Rec Lists

Harry-Raises-Tom Riddle recs (14 fics) Voldemort-Raises-Harry recs (13 fics) Fem Tomarrymort (F/F) recs (15 fics) Part 1 — Dead Dove Tomarrymort recs — Non-Con/Dub-Con (30 fics) Part 2 — Dead Dove Tomarrymort recs — Incest / Chan (25 fics) Part 3 — Dead Dove Tomarrymort recs — Necrophilia (11 fics) Tomarrymort Recs by Horcrux (22 fics) Tomarrymort Recs with Hemipenes (25 fics)

III. Answered Asks

Professor Potter recs (13 fics) Professor Riddle recs (12 fics) Tom & Harry Co-parenting recs (8 fics) Creature Fic (naga, vampire, mermaid, werewolf, veela) recs (25 fics) Unhinged/Dark Harry recs (13 fics) Independent/Strong-Willed Harry recs (10 fics) 1940s-era Tomarrymort recs (23 fics) Tomarrymort crack recs (34 fics) Tomarrymort casefic/mystery recs (15 fics)

IV. Recs by Publication Date

24 Tomarrymort Recs for 2022 (24 fics) Jan 2023 recs (10 fics) Feb 2023 recs (30 fics) December 2023 HP Rec Fest (36 fics) 23 Tomarrymort Recs for 2023 — One-Shot Edition (23 fics) 23 Tomarrymort Recs for 2023 — Multi-Chaptered Fics (23 fics)

V. Tomarrymort Weekly Recs (for recent fics)

25 October – 7 November 2024 11 – 24 October 2024 4 – 10 October 20242 8 September – 3 October 2024

*

[alwaysanundertone]

Day 22: magic | Tom Riddle

smut

TW: use of magic during sexy time, coming in front of people, Tom is a possessive freak, piv, spitting, spanking

You were sat in the Great Hall, picking at your food. You hadn’t seen your boyfriend at all that day, you missed him, but the hardest part was that you didn’t know what he was up to. You didn’t know why he disappeared on you, now your mind was full of questions, wondering if you had done anything wrong.

Suddenly, you felt a pang of need in your lower belly. You furrowed your eyebrows, shifting your weight slightly, not quite understanding what was happening. Your mind flashed with images of your boyfriend’s nude torso, making your need grow even more, you whined out loud.

“Y/N? Everything’s okay?” Pansy looked concerned, and just as you were about to respond, Tom’s voice filled your head.

I can see you squirming, honey, is something bothering you?

His tone was mocking, but you couldn’t focus on it. “Yeah, Pansy, it’s just a headache” She nodded, not entirely conviced, still she resumed talking with Draco.

Are you ignoring me, doll?

Tom could speak to you through your thoughts, it was nothing new to you. Yes, it did scare you from time to time, especially because he always knew what you were up to, always knew what you were doing but, most importantly, who you were with. Some might think he was quite obsessive, and honestly you couldn’t disagree, but you knew what you were getting into when you started dating him. Anyways, what was knew was that somehow he could make you think what he wanted.

You’re thinking way too much, baby. Yes, this is new, but how fun is that that I can control your pleasure?

You widened your eyes as another wave of intense pleasure hit you. It was like Tom was there, touching you. You could almost feel his calloused hands tracing your skin, his hot breath on your core, except you were fully clothed this time, and Tom wasn’t there.

I bet you’re so wet right now, do you think I can make you come like this? I think I can. This would do wonders to my ego, let me tell you. Making you come from my room, with just the use of a little magic? Yeah, I think we can make that happen.

Suddenly, your mind flashed with vision of Tom in only his boxers, his abs awfully defined, so much so that you could actually see the little veins on his hips, the happy trail leading to his cock. You wanted to go to your room, but as you made to get up, you fell back onto your seat.

Huh-huh, don’t get too bratty now, dollface. I said you’ll be coming there, in front of your friends, didn’t I? So I expect you to do so. Also, no touching.

You wanted to hit him, to make him suffer, but you couldn’t. You wanted to hide your face, but then you would have drawn the attention of your friends. You were thoroughly fucked, and you didn’t even know what you did to deserve that. He was being fucking mean.

I’m not mean, thank you very much. This should be a pleasurable experience for you, isn’t it? Should I intensify the pleasure, then?

Somehow, you felt a hard pressure on your G-spot, your eyes damn near crossing, your panties getting impossibly wet while you stifled a moan. You felt your nipples grazing harshly against your bralette, you swore you could smell your arousal.

“Y/N, you’re awfully quiet” Draco was staring into your eyes with a soft expression, and you wanted to die on the spot.

“I-“ You had to interrupt yourself, before you actually moaned and made a fool of yourself. “I don’t have anything interesting to say, you know? Been studying all-“ You took a big breath. “All day”

What a good girl, so polite. I love how good you’re being, recently. You can come now, baby

The pleasure intensified, making you come in seconds. You bit your lip, all your energy spent on trying to school your expression as much as you could.

Now, baby, I’ll give you five minutes to gain your composure. Then, you’ll be finding me in my dormroom.

There was no need to knock, Tom opened the door, grinning at you. He didn’t give you the time to get mad at him, one of his hands gripped your neck, shoving his tongue deep in your throat. You moaned, you really couldn’t resist him.

“Such a good fucking girl, doing as I said. I fucking love you, my little pet. Now open” You did, and he let spit dribble down into your mouth. “Now swallow” Again, you obeyed. He groaned. “Look at you, all fucked out, and we haven’t even begun. Come on now darling, bend over.”

Your chest was pressed into his bed, you felt the boxers fall down his thighs, his cock teased your entrance. “You’re so fucking wet, so pathetic. All this for me, huh?” You nodded. Despite having come earlier, you already felt needy. He pulled in just the tip. “Beg me, baby. What do you want?”

You were used to Tom’s antics after a year of dating, you already knew the drill. “Fuck me, daddy, please. I’ll be good”

He groaned, with one swift thrust he entered you. One of his hands gripped your ass, your skirt now covering your lower back. “Fuck, I love you”

You moaned. “I love you too” He slapped one of your ass cheeks, the sting sharp.

“You’re all mine” His lips were suddenly below your ear, sucking a purple stain. “You won’t cover this, understood? Everyone must know you are mine” It might be considered toxic, you knew that, but he was so sexy when he got this possessive. His hips rutted against the soft flesh of your butt, the room filling with smacking sounds.

“I need, more” He smiled, one of his hands circling you, pressing on your throbbing clit.

“Are you going to come for me? Marking your territory, baby? You know I’m yours”

Your eyes crossed, your vision turning black as you came, once again, him following not long after.

You both regained your breathing, him still into you. You smiled. “So, now you’re so obsessed you found a way to make me come from afar”

He chuckled. “Don’t get too bratty when I’m still inside of you, doll”

tags: @sxmnc @peterparkerspersonalplaything @riaaavm @iamawkwardandshy @eeviee4 @mysterialee @famouscrusadeluminary @el1smells @rishofkf @mooonyxoxo @happymaeday @yourfiendlyneighbourspiderman @whyshouldihaveanam3 @amazing-bobinsky @barnesandmetal @just-here-for-ff @remussbitch @sammyreid

[hp-fanfic-archive]

Blood of the Son by lemonchase Pairing: Gen, Harry & Voldemort Rating: G Word Count: 477 “The three ingredients were Bone of the Father, Flesh of the Servant, and Blood of the Enemy? Are you sure, Harry? Were those Pettigrew’s exact words?” Harry nods, staring at the floor. It had to have been a test, right? Why else would Dumbledore have felt the need to ask? On the grave was the name Tom Riddle, Pettigrew certainly was Voldemort’s servant, and Harry…

[iamnmbr3]

-- Tom Riddle

Oops! …I Did It Again (Disappeared Under Mysterious Circumstances and Returned Physically Intact but Intrinsically Altered by a Terrible Journey Through the Other-World)

[mistress-riddle]

. . . 𝐓𝐎𝐌 𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐋𝐄.

࿐ key : (g) ─ general, (a/c) ─ angst/comfort, (s) ─ suggestive, (f) ─ fluff.

౨ৎ˚ ── 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬. (g)

-> in which you and tom get mistaken for a couple for some odd reason.

౨ৎ˚ ── 𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛. (f)

-> you finally impress slughorn enough to get invited into slug club... or so you thought.

౨ৎ˚ ── 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝. (s)

-> in which tom gets put in place and he likes it?

౨ৎ˚ ── 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩. (f)

-> slow mornings with a sleep tom.

౨ৎ˚ ── 𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫. (g)

-> you see a pretty guy in a shady shop and decide to strike a conversation.

౨ৎ˚ ── 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞. (g)

-> bothering tom brings you great joy and makes him want to pull his hair out.

౨ৎ˚ ── 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬. (s)

-> prolonged eye contact with a pretty face can cause some truths to come out in the heat of the moment.

౨ৎ˚ ── 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐤. (g)

-> you didn't expect tom to come home bloodied but hey, at least you had some warm milk ready for you him

౨ৎ˚ ── 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭. (a/c)

-> everyone needs a break, even genius' like tom riddle every once in a while.

౨ৎ˚ ── 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 <3 (f)

-> tom unfortunately does have a soft spot and likes to be ordered around, but he won't admit it.

౨ৎ˚ ── 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐨. (g)

-> one inconvenience in his project and riddle is ready to embrace the art of himbo-ism

౨ৎ˚ ── 𝐭𝐞𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲. (f)

-> you come home after work to see your two princesses spending quality time together.

౨ৎ˚ ── ‘𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲! (f)

-> fatherhood is a good colour on tom and you enjoy seeing it.

extra . . .

౨ৎ˚ ── tom riddle as a single!dad.

౨ৎ˚ ── ghost!riddle being annoying.

౨ৎ˚ ── tom riddle with a quidditch player/triwizard tournament champion!partner.

౨ৎ˚ ── red kisses with tom riddle.

౨ৎ˚ ── sulky riddle.

➙ (return to main masterlist.)

[natti-ice]

Tom Riddle NSFW Alphabet.

Warnings: 18+ mdni, under the cut are NSFW headcanons

Author’s note: this is a reupload, I wrote this a while ago!

A = Aftercare (what they're like after sex)

Tom can be quite rough during sex, he has a lot of aggression that releases during sex so he makes sure you're okay afterward. He doesn't mean to hurt you. He cleans you up after making a mess, he leaves kisses on all the areas he was the roughest(your ass mostly, he's really into spanking). He isn't always the most affectionate person in public but behind closed doors, he'll hold you and ask if you're okay.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner's)

He knows he is attractive and is very confident in himself. He has toned muscles but isn't bulky, he likes his forearms and his hands the most. He loves using his hands, he likes watching you squirm. He is definitely a tit man, but he adores your ass. A nonsexual part he loves is your neck, kissing and leaving hickeys are his foreplay.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Creampies. He loves finishing inside of you, it feels like he's marking his territory you're his. But he does switch it up sometimes, facials are also a favorite of his. He likes when you're on your knees in front of him, he likes feeling dominant.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Before you got together he used to watch you from afar, not on some Joe Goldberg shit though. He was very fascinated with you from the moment he saw you, he needed to know more about you. You aroused him just by breathing, he often thought about what it would be like to fuck you, all the things he would do to your body.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they're doing?)

Tom is quite experienced, he had many sexual encounters before meeting you but none of them had feelings involved. When you got together he had to learn how to incorporate intimacy during sex. He immediately knew all the right places to touch you, learning your body was the easiest thing to do.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

He's more of a missionary man but where you have your ass hanging off the bed and he's fucking you while standing, it gives him more control. He likes watching the pleasure on your face, he loves turning you into a complete wreck. Also, he loves how your tits bounce when he thrusts inside of you.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Tom's a pretty serious person so he isn't very humorous but he will chuckle when you look pathetic under his touch.

H = Hair (how well-groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He takes a lot of pride in his looks and hygiene, he keeps everything neatly trimmed.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

At the beginning of the relationship, it was purely for sex. He wasn't too worried about romance he just wanted to get his rocks off. But as he started to fall for you he incorporated more romantic gestures. Like foreplay, going on dates, etc. In the moment he tries his best to make sure that you're enjoying yourself, he won't do anything you aren't comfortable with.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

He has always been an active masturbater, even though he can have you whenever he wants he still masturbates. He thinks about all the times he's fucked you, all the places he's fucked you, the way you melt under him, just thinking about you makes him hard.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

He has a few different kinks, he likes degradation, hair pulling, spanking, public sex, light bondage, and edging (he loves to hear you beg).

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Honestly, he'll fuck you anywhere and in front of everyone, he loves showing off what's his. Public bathrooms are always pretty accessible when you're feeling horny in public. At home, he likes taking you on the floor, the shower, the kitchen counter, and literally every room in the house.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

You don't have to do much to arouse Tom, wearing a more revealing top can turn him on. Teasing him or making him upset makes him very horny, getting under his skin is the best way to get him into bed.

N = No (something they wouldn't do, turn offs)

Tom is pretty open to most things but he really does like to stick to the normal things he likes. I don't think he would like being a sub though unless it was something you really wanted(plus I think he'd be afraid that he would like it.)

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Tom doesn't mind blowjobs(he prefers you to deepthroat him) he loves to eat you out. He's very skilled with his tongue, he knows the right pressure to put on your clit, fingering is also a must, and he loves hearing you moan.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

When you both first start having sex it's pretty slow and gentle, he likes working you into it. As time goes on, he gets pretty fast and rough. Being rough is a big turn-on for him, throwing you around in the bed a little bit really pushes him to the edge.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He is always up for a quickie, especially since he knows how needy you can be. No matter if it's a quickie or not, you're having sex. Every. Day. He's also pretty busy sometimes so it helps him relieve stress.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

As I said before, he's down to try anything that you want to do even though he likes to stick to what he knows he likes. Sometimes if he's feeling spontaneous he'll suggest you try something new.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

There's a two-round minimum every time you have sex. He can last up to 30 minutes a round, he's trained himself to last longer to please you.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

He definitely has a vibrator he uses on you when he really wants to see you get worked up. You know as soon as you see it, you're getting edged. Having control of your orgasm brings him pleasure.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

THE BIGGEST TEASE! Like I said he's really into edging/orgasm denial, making you beg for it by teasing your pussy with his dick, even in public he'll whisper in your ear the filthiest things and watch you try to stay calm.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

When he's fucking you he can be pretty loud, he moans when he's deep inside of you. He's a big dirty talker, he calls you all sorts of names like slut, whore, bunny, etc. Not everything he says is degrading though, he loves telling you how good you feel.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

He's secretly always wanted to have a threesome but knows he would get too jealous and ruin it for you so he never says anything.

X = X-ray (let's see what's going on under those clothes)

He definitely has good length and girth, it's not too big to the point it hurts but it's big enough to stretch you out. For the rest of his body, he's very fit but not overly muscular. He's never really understood the desire to have big muscles.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

This man's sex drive is crazy. He doesn't really know how to deal with his emotions properly so it all goes into his sex drive.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterward)

Sex does relax him but unless you're fucking at night he won't fall asleep. After you two finish he'll cuddle with you until you fall asleep, sometimes it takes longer for him to go to sleep because he always has something on his mind.

[riddlessecretss]

Train ride with Mattheo Riddle:

• You CANNOT tell me he would not bombard your phone with selfies.🤣

• Your passcode being his birthday>>

• Fucking him in front of his friends because you two don’t care.

Omg the way he looks in this photo is just majestic.

“Y/nn! Hurry up, I don’t know why you brought that suitcase for this year.”

“I’ve got a dorm to myself this year which means I’ve got more storage. And I’m going to use it.”

He chuckled and helped you with pulling the case up from the platform. “Thank you baby.” You thank him with a kiss on the cheek. You start looking for your assigned seats and get the window and middle seat. Opposite you is Theodore and opposite Mattheo is Tom. You guys lost Tom and Theodore a while back while you were smoking and flirting with Mattheo.

You have a seat but sit on Mattheo’s lap so you can cuddle. You are always tense about the train since your older brother left the school and doesn’t go on the tram anymore. But messing around with Mattheo makes it better.

Theo didn’t get enough sleep last night because he had girls over, of course. He fell asleep first so you decided to take a photo.💀

You and Mattheo couldn’t stop laughing at how mad he looked even when he slept. When you got to know Theo you would learn that he’s probably the sweetest Slytherin out there. But he doesn’t like to show it.

But you were too busy still laughing at him to realise Blaise and Enzo had been editing photos of Tom and Draco. You open your phone to the gc to see these.

Tom👺- That is not funny! Just you fucking wait tonight Lorenzo Berkshire.

Enzo🌺- I take it back!!

Tom👺- Too late.

You- BAHAHA🤣

Draco🌝- I CANTT

Blaise🏋️- Draco don’t think your safe💀

Mattheo❤️- Oh shit😭 the first one is baddd buddy.

Draco🌝- My father will hear about this!

You get tired after all the messing about with Mattheo so you decide to take a nap. Which results in another photo added in the gc.

Enzo🌺- Aww

Theo🇮🇹- And they laughed at me for sleeping!

You wake up from the smell of liquor and w33d. Mattheo passes you the joint. “Thank yo-“

“Any snacks for the remaining journey?”

For three years in a row you and Mattheo buy nearly everything and throw it around the carriage to share. You and Mattheo have taken upon yourselves to be the parents of the group whether your responsible or not is not important. You all get high as you arrive to school.

Dumbledore’s greeting speech is always a bore and you have to sit through all the new first years hat sorting ceremony. Mattheo has got his hand on your thigh the entire time.

“Can you stay quiet for me doll?” You nod as he slides his hand up and reaches under your skirt. You try and keep a straight face while Mattheo’s hand is on your pussy. He starts rubbing your clothed cunt and eventually speeds up. Before you get to cum Mattheo moves his hand away. Tease. You take a drink to help you cool down. His hand starts to creep back as the boys share a few sniggers in the new years crying over their hogwarts house.

His hand gets higher than before as he sneaks a finger in and curls up to hit your g-spot. A squeal leaves your mouth as you cover your mouth, luckily no-one heard. Mattheo adds two fingers as he adds, “You can be as loud as you want tonight.” You smirk as you remember your good luck tradition to make the room more welcoming is to fuck on the first night.

You squirm under his touch and it isn’t long until you cum in his hand. He hold eye contact as he licks his fingers.

“We have got a new student joining the 12th year!” Dumbledore announces as you all turn your head. The brunette walks up to the hat and already looks like fun, you wanna be her friend.

“SLYTHERIN!”🗣️🗣️

It’s late because I fell asleep. Enjoy and i will prolly make this a series. If I re log a post go and show them some love because these peoples works are impressive! Tyy for nearly 300 likes on a post! Navaiah💝

[iamnmbr3]

I agree so much with your points re Tom Riddle being much more emotionally intelligent than he gets credit for. I've been wanting to write a meta about this for a while. He may not be sympathetic towards others but I would argue that he is quite often shown to be empathetic - though perhaps because he often uses that ability to wound and to manipulate, people overlook it.

In book 5 he understands Harry's great love for Sirius and uses this to manipulate Harry into coming to the Department of Mysteries because he expects Harry to risk everything to save someone he loves from being tortured to death. He's not surprised that Harry cares enough about Sirius to risk his life for him. That's the whole plan. The vision he creates also shows a great deal of interpersonal and emotional awareness as he is able to create realistic actions and dialogue both for himself and for Sirius in the false vision.

In book 6 he lets Draco take the Mark and sets him a nearly impossible task (and threatens not only his own life but that of his whole family should he fail) because he understands how acutely this will ultimately cause Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco to suffer due to their familial bonds of affection.

At the orphanage clearly he understood that Billy Stubbs cared about his pet rabbit since he killed it not for fun or to see what would happen, but rather specifically in retribution to hurt Billy after they had argued. Diary!Tom is also able to effectively befriend Ginny by empathizing with her enough to understand what she might be looking for in a friend and to become the perfect sympathetic ear and to offer her the attention that she craves.

The way he mocks and toys with Bellatrix and Lucius in book 7 again shows a high level of emotional awareness. His emotional blackmailing and manipulation of Peter Pettigrew in the beginning of book 4, whose loyalties he cannot trust show a keen understanding of Peter's emotional and mental state and vulnerabilities.

In book 7 he forces Draco to torture Rowle because he is keenly aware that Draco doesn't want to and finds being forced to a horrifying and frightening experience. In that same scene he displays a very cruel sense of humor where he essentially makes Rowle be complicit for his own punishment by offering him the option of more torture or being fed to Nagini, thus forcing him to beg for further torture, which Voldemort can then "grant" him as a "favor." This requires an understanding of Rowle's emotional and mental state.

In book 7 he also tries to lure Harry into the forest by playing on Harry's desire to sacrifice himself in the place of others and is surprised when he thinks Harry is not going to arrive.

These are only a few of many examples. Tom is in my opinion both extremely emotional - quite volatile in fact - and also extremely emotionally intelligent and aware of others around him and able to understand complex emotional states and relationships in others.

💚 💖 💀

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

what does everyone else get wrong about your favourite character?

that lord voldemort is legitimately emotionally intelligent.

i encounter a lot in fics the idea that voldemort doesn't have any idea how to understand or relate to other people's emotions - that he can't, for example, understand why one his minions is upset by a hard work day or a rude comment, since he considers both of those things to be unimportant if they occur in his own life - and that any interpersonal skills which he possesses are performative, a chameleonic mirroring of other people's emotional responses which he has no real knowledge of the deeper meaning of.

a lot of this is due - of course - to the idea that voldemort is a "sociopath" and/or "psychopath" [both of which are controversial terms]. and he's a great candidate for the pop-culture versions of these labels - which tend to present the person in question's "empathy deficit" as connected to a complete lack of understanding of how other people feel and a concomitant failure to appreciate or anticipate the emotional responses their actions will cause.

but, in many cases, the "empathy deficit" associated with antisocial personality disorder [the clinical umbrella term under which both "sociopathy" and "psychopathy" fall] isn't so much an inability to understand how other people feel... as it is an ability to understand this profoundly, use it for personal gain, and simply not care if this approach causes the other person harm.

[that is, they are capable of cognitive empathy - the ability to recognise and understand emotions in others, read social cues, and predict and influence others' emotional responses to their behaviour. this isn't a dangerous, abnormal, or disordered trait - it's what people who describe themselves as having "good intuition" or "good gut instincts" are talking about - but it can become so when it combines with other aspects of a person's personality to make them manipulative, exploitative, and entirely self-centred.]

and this - rather than an "empathy deficit" caused by an inability to understand human emotions - is what we see in the canonical voldemort. he is extraordinarily good at correctly identifying, dissecting, and influencing other people's emotions, and a failure to take this ability seriously often causes problems for the heroes of the series.

[dumbledore - for example - is caught out when the potion guarding the locket reveals that voldemort sincerely understands the power of love, grief, and guilt. his entry into the cave is hubristic - he dismisses voldemort's initial safeguards as crude, unimpressive, and not frightening, he then discovers that the final safeguard is extremely impressive indeed...]

the canonical voldemort is also someone whose own emotional performance isn't entirely fake, or entirely drawn from mirroring those around him. i talk a lot about how the fandom overlooks the fact that he's very, very funny - and how he's also [for narrative reasons, since the text needs him to deliver information to harry that neither snape nor dumbledore can if they're to maintain their cover until the end of deathly hallows] often found telling the truth in ways which render him considerably more authentic in conversation than many other characters in the story.

that his charm is performative [he's the centre of attention at the slug club, he's dull and subordinate when he goes to see hepzibah smith] is another example of him using his emotional intelligence to exploit other people for his own gain - and the fact that he's able to modify his affect so easily [and that, even when not performing, he doesn't have a reduced or shallow affect - he's someone who registers his genuine emotions very clearly on his face] is connected to his ability to understand, predict, and influence emotional expression.

and i do think that voldemort is more interesting - and his crimes much more difficult either to excuse or to dismiss as a monstrosity someone like us could never be capable of - when he's treated as something other than the caricature of the pop-culture psychopath, pretty and outwardly charming, with nothing beneath the surface.

and recognising that he understands other people very well - and still doesn't care about them in the slightest - is one way of doing this.

what is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series?

that - while its morality is individualist and its politics are neoliberal and both of these things are incredibly tedious - its central thesis, that redemption is possible, forgiveness is achievable, and love and mercy are triumphant, is a legitimately good one, and the vast majority of fandom arguments about which characters "deserve" to be liked become irrelevant when these basic, human principles are taken into account.

if you had to choose one major character to die, who would you pick?

i think arthur weasley should have died in order of the phoenix - not only because it makes my best girl nagini look like a flop that he doesn't, but because i think it would be really interesting to bring the experience of a grief to which harry is peripheral forward in the series.

in canon, this is the purpose served by fred's death - and it comes as part of the arc that harry undergoes in the last third of deathly hallows, in which he begins to get over his earlier belief that he's central to everything about resisting voldemort. but i think something really interesting could be done with forcing him towards this realisation earlier.

[iamnmbr3]

thinking about how tom riddle feared death more than anything but had to exist while he was a wraith by possessing the bodies of small animals which vastly shortened their lives so he was forced to experience death over and over and over again. And yes of course he couldn’t really die but in the moment it must have felt a bit like it.