maximumphilosopheranchor

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

I really enjoyed the sorting questions that you went through for the golden trio + draco. What do you think Voldemort's would look like? I can see him as a slytherin with a gryffindor runner-up as an inverse to Harry's.

Thank you! Glad you liked my sorting method (I actually use it when making OCs for non-HP projects too since it's a useful character breakdown).

Previously on this series:

1. How I sort characters and how the Golden Trio are all Gryffindors for different reasons

2. Draco Malfoy is a Slytherin with very few Slytherin traits

Now, onto Tom Riddle Jr. I can definitely see him as a Slytherin with a Gryffindor runner-up. It's kind of how I always saw him, but let's break it down:

I will add that most of what I'm saying here would make more sense if you knew how I see TMR/Voldemort and I have a whole masterpost for Tom Riddle essays here since I'm not delving too deeply into the evidence and analysis in this post, which is more of an overview.

1. Problem Solving - what is the go-to method of said character to solve problems in a situation that isn't a life-and-death threat. Both without a time limit and on a time crunch.

So, when Tommy has time to plan, he organizes a show. He's dramatic, over the top, and meticulous. He 100% practiced saying "the boy who lived, come to die" before Harry heard it. He studied for his exams, he experiments, he researches. This guy is a dedicated Ravenclaw when he has the time and means.

The Infri cave with the locket is something this nerd felt proud of making. It's kind of an escape room if you think about it. You gotta solve the magical riddles to get through.

He likes inventing his own potion of despair, making up all the wards and spells on the boat and the curse he placed on the ring was probably of his making too. Point is, he's creative, dedicated, and goes about it with an academic air.

So that's a point for Ravenclaw.

I will note though, that Tom cares about how things are done. He doesn't like unnecessary death. He needs to defeat Harry in a proper duel and not just poison him like a Slytherin would. Even when he has all the time in the world to plan, Tom's methods will be ones he considers "the right way" to go about something — which is a point to Gryffindor.

When on a time crunch, he is bold and rash. He makes extreme choices quickly and on the spur of the moment. Like, "oh, Myrtel accidentally died, no matter, I'll try out this new Horcrux spell I found before anyone finds out". His idea to frame Hagrid was also spur of the moment. He didn't actually think it through and in retrospect, he thought it was stupid and he couldn't believe anyone believed him:

but I admit, even / was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought someone must realize that Hagrid couldn’t possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken me five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance ... as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power!

(CoS)

But it was the choice he made when he had no time to think things through and was acting on impulse. Tom, isn't cunning when he doesn't have the time to plan, but he definitely makes bold moves and fast.

So that's another point to Gryffindor.

2. Problem-solving under threat of death - when the situation gets really dangerous, how do they deal with it?

We don't see Tom honestly scared often, but when he knows the game is up at the end of book 7, when his Death Eaters are dying and Harry tells him he's the master of the Elder Wand, what does Tom do?

He attacks.

He is unwilling to show he is defeated. He stands proud and brave. He doesn't even try to think of a cunning solution or a way out. He doesn't try to run away (even though he could've apparated away! I mean he could break the anti-apparition wards on the ministry) he stays and fights to his death.

So this is another point to Gryffindor.

Though, I'll give him his first Slytherin point for pride and not being willing to show weakness ever.

3. What they aspire for - what do they want to accomplish for themselves. Be it an ambition towards a job or something they want to just be better at.

Here Tom gets another Slytherin point.

Tom wants to be revered. He wants to be praised and looked up to. He wants to be the greatest. The best. At everything. He wants to be known, he wants a legacy, he wants to never die.

He wants to never be poor, helpless, forgotten orphan Tom Riddle ever again.

He has so many ambitions, he wants a lot and works towards all of it. He is honestly kinda greedy in the way he wants it all.

4. Motivations - why do they do the things they do? What gets them up in the morning?

Arrogance and spite.

Tom wants everything he wants becouse he honestly thinks he is better and greater than basically everyone else. He sees very few people as close to equal to him, be they muggles or wizards. He considers himself the best. Very Slytherin pride, on his part.

And he's petty and spiteful. He likes to say about himself how merciful and above mundane pettiness he is, but he actually isn't. He's lying to himself.

I mean, he dislikes Peter, so he forces him to essentially be Snape's servant. He wants to humiliate the Malfoys because Lucius disappointed him and he is so petty about it every second he sits over Lucius' head in his own manor and humiliates him and his family. Tom is obsessed with Harry because Harry is that one taint on his otherwise perfect record. And Tom Riddle doesn't do grades below an O. He can't fail.

He is an arrogant and spiteful perfectionist. This drive and ambition to perfection in everything he does gives him a point for Slytherin.

5. Defining trait - if you need to choose one trait to define them, what would it be?

Self-hatred.

I know it sounds weird, I mean, this is Voldemort, super proud dark lord who has people bow down to him, how can this be his most defining trait?

Well, it's becouse it's at the core of everything that makes him him. It's why he became a dark lord, in a way.

Why is Tom as spiteful as he is and strives for greatness and perfection as he does? Becouse he wants to be known. He wants validation and praise. He wants other people to see him as great.

This need for validation and praise is a Slytherin point. But there is more to that.

When I say self-hatred, I mean it. For all of Tom's supposed fixation on never dying, he actually has very little self-preservation. He tears up his own soul in experimental rituals to make Horcruxes. He keeps endangering himself in battle because of his arrogance, yes, but also because he really doesn't mind putting himself in a lot of risk. When he wants things done (killing the Potters, facing Harry & Dumbledore in the DoM, chasing after the elder Wand in Germany) he does it himself, danger be damned.

Yes, he thinks everyone else is beneath him, but he doesn't think that highly of himself either. This leads nicely into the next question and a point to Gryffindor for his surprising lack of self-preservation instincts.

6. Valued trait - if they had to pick their favorite trait about themselves, what would they pick?

Intelligence/skill.

Remember what I said about Tom not thinking that highly of himself? Yeah, well, he sees his own intelligence and skill (the only stuff he ever got praise and attention for) as the only aspects of himself of value. He never really appreciated his own personality traits (even though you could say something about his determination or resilience, but he doesn't really care for it that much. I think he doesn't fully consciously think of his own traits this way, really). He doesn't actually like his looks all that much either and was glad to shed them for an inhuman appearance to show how much more he is than everyone else.

But he does truly appreciate his own intelligence and skill in magic above all else.

Which gives another point to Ravenclaw.

7. Values - what traits do they completely despise in others? What traits do they appreciate in others?

He despises traitorous cowards.

Think how he treats Wormtail — he derides the fact he betrayed James and Lily even though it helped him. He hates his sniveling and cowardice. He appreciates bravery and boldness and above all loyalty.

So, that's another Gryffindor point.

He also appreciates skill, cleverness, and cunning in others.

There's a reason he likes Snape as much as he does. Snape is ambitious, talented, intelligent, and clever. Tom likes clever people and he dislikes stupidity.

So, that's another Ravenclaw point.

8. And finally, which house do they want?

I'm not sure how many notions Tom came to Hogwarts with, when he sat on that stole with the sorting hat on his head, which house did he want to go to?

I think it was Slytherin.

Not just becouse Dumbledore was the head of Gryffindor, but because of what the hat probably told him. I mean, the hat told Harry this about Slytherin:

“Not Slytherin, eh?” said the small voice. “Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it’s all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that

(PS)

And little Tom wants to be great, he wants to be known and praised (Even the older Tom wants these things, if, he isn't as desperate). He wants to live up to what Ollivanders said about his want:

“Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember. ... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter. ... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great.”

(PS)

And if Slytherin is the path to greatness, that's where he'd want to go. And that ambition, choosing a house for his ambition and desire for glory, that is a point for Slytherin.

Tallying up the points:

G - 5, S - 5, H - 0, R - 3

So this actually gives us a Slytherin and Gryffindor hat stall for Tom. So, yeah.

As a refresher to my other sortings from my former posts for comparison:

Harry: G - 5, S - 4, H - 3, R - 0 (Gryffindor with Slytherin runner-up)

Hermione: G - 9, S - 2, H - 0, R - 1 (True Gryffindor)

Ron: G - 6, S - 4, H - 1, R - 1 (Gryffindor with Slytherin tendencies)

Draco: G - 3, S - 5, H - 3, R - 0 (Slytherin (The hat did make the call instantly))

I honestly found this one interesting to do. Tom is a bit of a messy character who is very contradictory. He thinks he is the best, but he still hates most of who he is. He talks a lot about Slytherin's legacy, but he isn't exactly the epitome of cunning and his behavior is very Gryffindor-ish. I will give him ambition though, he got that down.

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

The Riddle of Tom Riddle: Part 3/7

(Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7)

Wool's Orphanage

This is actually one of my favorite theories I ever made. The full psychoanalysis of Voldemort's character took some time to figure out, but I think I cracked it. I know why Tom did everything he did.

As it's a little long, I've broken it down into multiple posts. And I think there are gonna be 4 more besides this one. So, let's go make sense of Voldemort and prove he is reasonable, he just has some unexpected goals.

I want to preface all of this (and future posts) that the point isn't to excuse Voldemort and his various atrocities. But it bothers me when I don't understand why characters do the things they do. This is about understanding Tom Riddle and Voldemort.

Without farther adu:

So, we'll start our analysis from the beginning. Voldemort, or, more correctly — Tom Marvolo Riddle was born on December 31st, 1926, in a rundown orphanage in London:

“And Merope? She . . . she died, didn’t she? Wasn’t Voldemort brought up in an orphanage?” “Yes, indeed,” said Dumbledore. “We must do a certain amount of guessing here, although I do not think it is difficult to deduce what happened. You see, within a few months of their runaway marriage, Tom Riddle reappeared at the manor house in Little Hangleton without his wife. The rumor flew around the neighborhood that he was talking of being ‘hoodwinked’ and ‘taken in.’ What he meant, I am sure, is that he had been under an enchantment that had now lifted, though I daresay he did not dare use those precise words for fear of being thought insane. When they heard what he was saying, however, the villagers guessed that Merope had lied to Tom Riddle, pretending that she was going to have his baby, and that he had married her for this reason.” “But she did have his baby.” “But not until a year after they were married. Tom Riddle left her while she was still pregnant.”

(Half-Blood Prince, page, 214)

So, one important little disclaimer:

A lot of the information we have about Tom comes from Dumbledore's guesswork. As Dumbledore has an agenda in all his "lessons" with Harry and that I have a whole series of posts dedicated to my strong feelings regarding Dumbledore's machinations, we need to approach everything he says with a grain of salt.

This part is pretty true though. Merope does enchant or dose Tom Riddle Sr with a love potion or some other spell and gets pregnant. We also know that for some reason, she stopped with the enchantments/potions at some point and wound up alone in London, with no family, no money, and on death's door.

“I was wondering whether you could tell me anything of Tom Riddle’s history? I think he was born here in the orphanage?” “That’s right,” said Mrs. Cole, helping herself to more gin. “I remember it clear as anything, because I’d just started here myself. New Year’s Eve and bitter cold, snowing, you know. Nasty night. And this girl, not much older than I was myself at the time, came staggering up the front steps. Well, she wasn’t the first. We took her in, and she had the baby within the hour. And she was dead in another hour.”

(Half-Blood Prince, page 266)

This is from Dumbledore's memory, but it seems factual enough. Dumbledore also has no reason to lie about this.

So, Tom was raised all his childhood in a London orphanage in the late 1920s and 1930s. These orphanages were dreary, lonely places:

The children are fed and clothed but there is a dreary uniformity to the picture, emphasised by the black and white image. Boys eat in regimental lines, seated on hard benches, and those waiting to sit down are also assembled in a strict line. The attendants you can glimpse are dressed in black and white uniforms, a stark echo of the grey and black of the boys’ clothes. A few pictures adorn the walls – one looks as though it’s about to fall to the ground – but there are no curtains, no floor covering, no comfort.

(Source)

This was not a pleasant place to be raised in. And considering Mrs. Cole's words: "Well, she wasn’t the first", the orphanage was probably crowded. This was after World War One, and Britain and Europe as a whole were still licking their wounds. Poverty is high, food is low, and the inflation rate is insane.

And this is the world Tom grows up in. A dreary, lonely existence, where if he didn't fight for his food, he probably didn't get left any.

And when the Second World War started in 1939 (his second year at Hogwarts), things just got worse, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Then she said, “He’s a funny boy.” “Yes,” said Dumbledore. “I thought he might be.” “He was a funny baby too. He hardly ever cried, you know. And then, when he got a little older, he was . . . odd.”

...

because she said in a sudden rush, “He scares the other children.” “You mean he is a bully?” asked Dumbledore. “I think he must be,” said Mrs. Cole, frowning slightly, “but it’s very hard to catch him at it. There have been incidents. . . . Nasty things . . .” Dumbledore did not press her, though Harry could tell that he was interested. She took yet another gulp of gin and her rosy cheeks grew rosier still. “Billy Stubbs’s rabbit . . . well, Tom said he didn’t do it and I don’t see how he could have done, but even so, it didn’t hang itself from the rafters, did it?” “I shouldn’t think so, no,” said Dumbledore quietly. “But I’m jiggered if I know how he got up there to do it. All I know is he and Billy had argued the day before. And then” — Mrs. Cole took another swig of gin, slopping a little over her chin this time — “on the summer outing — we take them out, you know, once a year, to the countryside or to the seaside — well, Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop were never quite right afterwards, and all we ever got out of them was that they’d gone into a cave with Tom Riddle. He swore they’d just gone exploring, but something happened in there, I’m sure of it. And, well, there have been a lot of things, funny things. . . .”

(Half-Blood Prince, pages 267-268)

We learn some interesting things here, quite a few of them actually. That Tom doesn't have any friends. That the other orphans and the caretakers in the orphanage all think he's weird. They thought he was odd since he was a baby... and this is starting to get familiar. there's a reason Tom mentioned he and Hary are similar:

Because there are strange likenesses between us, Harry Potter. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look something alike. . . .

(Chamber of Secrets, page 292)

Because they are.

From Mrs. Cole's words, it seems Tom wasn't liked by the kids and staff and he fought back in the only way he could. His magic. It isn't that much different than Harry's apparating away from Dudley's gang or setting the boa constrictor on his cousin. The situations are awfully similar.

“How do you do, Tom?” said Dumbledore, walking forward and holding out his hand. The boy hesitated, then took it, and they shook hands. Dumbledore drew up the hard wooden chair beside Riddle, so that the pair of them looked rather like a hospital patient and visitor. “I am Professor Dumbledore.” “ ‘Professor’?” repeated Riddle. He looked wary. “Is that like ‘doctor’? What are you here for? Did she get you in to have a look at me?” He was pointing at the door through which Mrs. Cole had just left. “No, no,” said Dumbledore, smiling. “I don’t believe you,” said Riddle. “She wants me looked at, doesn’t she? Tell the truth!” He spoke the last three words with a ringing force that was almost shocking. It was a command, and it sounded as though he had given it many times before. His eyes had widened and he was glaring at Dumbledore, who made no response except to continue smiling pleasantly. After a few seconds Riddle stopped glaring, though he looked, if anything, warier still. “Who are you?” “I have told you. My name is Professor Dumbledore and I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to offer you a place at my school — your new school, if you would like to come.” Riddle’s reaction to this was most surprising. He leapt from the bed and backed away from Dumbledore, looking furious. “You can’t kid me! The asylum, that’s where you’re from, isn’t it? ‘Professor,’ yes, of course — well, I’m not going, see? That old cat’s the one who should be in the asylum. I never did anything to little Amy Benson or Dennis Bishop, and you can ask them, they’ll tell you!” “I am not from the asylum,” said Dumbledore patiently. “I am a teacher and, if you will sit down calmly, I shall tell you about Hogwarts. Of course, if you would rather not come to the school, nobody will force you —” “I’d like to see them try,” sneered Riddle.

(Half-Blood Prince, pages 269-270)

Now, I marked a few sections in this scene because there are some interesting things to talk about when it comes to Tom's psychology.

First, I'd like to talk about Tom's assumptions here. The first thing Tom assumes the moment Dumbledore introduces himself as a "professor" is that he is here to take a look at Tom — to take him away to the Asylum. Considering how quickly Tom came to that conclusion one has to assume it's something he heard before.

It means the people around him, probably both the caretakers at the orphanage and the other children repeatedly told him he was insane and would be better off at the Asylum. He spent his childhood being told he belonged in a madhouse.

I don't think I need to explain what kind of damage that does to a child. Tom grows up completely isolated from his peers and caretakers, everyone hates him because he is different. So Tom latched on to the idea that he was better. Because if he was different, and he was, and he wasn't better, it meant he was worse than them — it meant they were right about him. Tom thinking overly highly of himself is a coping mechanism and a lie (to himself most of all).

The thing is, while he is aware he is smart and capable, we'll see later in his life how he continuously seeks out validation and connection since he didn't get either until he was eleven. And like any child, he wants these things, he wants praise, attention, and connection. Telling himself he is better, and therefore above such needs, is a way to try and convince himself everything is fine.

The second thing from the above quote is his trust issues. Dumbledore tries to tell him he isn't taking him to the Asylum and Tom doesn't believe him. He immediately goes on the defensive.

As of Mrs. Cole's previous words, it's clear she blames Tom for things she has no evidence he did. And if we look at Harry's cases of accidental magic that harmed Dudley, a lot of them were out of his control. It's possible Tom wasn't completely intentional in everything he did, but took credit anyway if it meant the other kids left him alone and didn't bother him.

"|'d like to see them try," Tom said, he is already using fear. That is just as much a coping mechanism as his trust issues and air of superiority. When kids fear you, they don't bother you. If Amy and Dannis feared him they'd stop calling him a nut-case — If they feared him, they wouldn't bother him.

And Tom is used to his magic allowing him to get his way, forcing people to tell him the truth in an accidental version of the Imperious. It's important to remember he is a young child on the defensive. He has been on the defensive probably since he could comprehend language. As such, I'm not surprised to see him use his magic to make people treat him better — or at the bare minimum, not lie to him.

All I see from the above interaction is a scared, lonely child who never had anyone so he's on the defensive. He guards his heart and interests with all the weapons he has at his disposal because he has no one else who will. This is a child that needs help.

“Magic?” he repeated in a whisper. “That’s right,” said Dumbledore. “It’s . . . it’s magic, what I can do?” “What is it that you can do?” “All sorts,” breathed Riddle. A flush of excitement was rising up his neck into his hollow cheeks; he looked fevered. “I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to.” His legs were trembling. He stumbled forward and sat down on the bed again, staring at his hands, his head bowed as though in prayer. “I knew I was different,” he whispered to his own quivering fingers. “I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something.”

(Half-Blood Prince, page 271)

What we see here is actually really cute. Okay.

So, Tom Riddle, lonely and mistreated finally gets the confirmation that yes, he is special, not insane, he is better like he always tried to convince himself he was. So he immediately gets excited and starts gushing — boasting — about all the magic he can do. He's flushed and fevered and happy.

He is so excited to share this with someone else, to have someone like him, who understands him. He was elated at Dumbledore's existence at that moment.

This is a lonely 11-year-old child who never had a friend or kind caregiver in his life, trying to connect to the first adult to not call him insane. The first adult to tell him he was special, that he wasn't wrong.

And then Dumbledore speaks down to him and pretends to set all his (very few) belongings on fire.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. “If, as I take it, you are accepting your place at Hogwarts —” “Of course I am!” “Then you will address me as ‘Professor’ or ‘sir.’ ” Riddle’s expression hardened for the most fleeting moment before he said, in an unrecognizably polite voice, “I’m sorry, sir. I meant — please, Professor, could you show me — ?”

(Half-Blood Prince, pages 271-272)

This is the moment Dumbledore made his greatest mistake when it came to Tom Riddle. Instead of trying to direct him and help him like an educator, he showed his dislike for Tom. He thought Tom to close up his heart, that even among wizards he would not find this connection he seeks.

So Tom hardens his expression and goes to the cold, polite, distant mask we'll see him wear for the rest of his Hogwarts years.

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

“So until the end of the war, I will never show any moments of weakness. And I will never share my dark days with anyone.”

- Ze in the recent interview for Politico

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

Turns out he did have some cards.

June 9,2025

It's hard to imagine why any national leader would meet with Donald Trump in the Oval Office. For one thing, Trump has tarted it up with so many tacky gold tchotchkes it more resembles a third-rate Las Vegas casino than a setting for a serious diplomatic get-together. But even worse, heads of foreign governments may find themselves enduring a barrage of Trump's unhinged lies and boorish insults.

For example, last month South African president Cyril Ramaphosa visited the White House to reset relations between the two countries. Reported the BBC:

Instead, Trump surprised Ramaphosa during a live news conference with widely discredited claims of a "white genocide" in South Africa.

In February, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed up at the Oval Office to talk about security arrangements for his nation in its war with Russia, only to be assailed by Trump and his toady VP for being "disrespectful," ungrateful and for gambling with starting a global war. “You’re not in a good position," Trump scolded. "You don’t have the cards!” Zelenskyy must have smiled inwardly.

On June 1, the Ukrainian domestic intelligence agency, SBU, carried out Operation Pautina (Spiderweb). It involved smuggling over 100 short-range attack drones deep into Russia. These were concealed under the roofs of small wooden sheds which were then loaded onto trucks and driven to the perimeters of four Russian airbases — Belaya, Dyagilevo, Olenya, and Ivanovo — located thousands of miles from Ukraine and extending from the Finnish border to Siberia.

Activated simultaneously, the drones destroyed 41 Tu-95, Tu-22M and TU-160 strategic bombers, which Russia uses to fire long-range missiles at Ukrainian cities. Incidentally, by then all the SBU operatives had successfully left Russia. Said Zelenskyy of the damage to Russia's bomber fleet:

Thirty-four per cent of the strategic cruise missile carriers at the airfields were hit. Our people were operating in different Russian regions – in three time zones.

The total cost of the operation? Around $70,000. While the cost to Russia to replace its bombers will exceed $7 billion. Trump, on the other hand, brags constantly about spending a billion dollars in his war against the Houthis in Yemen, while getting Reaper drones shot down, losing two fighter jets to the bottom of the Red Sea, and accomplishing nothing.

Because they didn't trust Trump not to tell Putin, Ukraine kept US intelligence completely in the dark during the year and a half spent planning the Spiderweb operation. Unlike motor mouth Trump, Zelenskyy knows how to keep his cards close to his chest.

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

When you’re watching a show about a historical figure you’re obsessed with but they morally whitewash him so much that dude is an emperor in the medieval times giving a speech about how he believes in class equality and human rights for all

I’m talking about fucking Mehmed the Conqueror

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

STRAUME / FLOW (2024) — dr. Gints Zilbadolis

for @madworld-bbs

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

Straume (Flow) 2024, dir. Gints Zilbalodis

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

STRAUME / FLOW (2024) — dr. Gints Zilbadolis

🏆 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

Fanfic recommendations

So I decided to make a list of some of my favorite fanfics of various fandoms (including unfinished ones). May more people enjoy them!

Historical figures

Love is a stranger who'll beckon you on and One kiss until we meet again by captainofthegreenpeas

Todos los bienes del mundo (1598) by liriaen

Draw Your Swords and A Royal Bed by FeuillesMortes

Harry Potter

What Souls Are Made Of and Safe House by Emeralds_and_Lilies

(never) let me go by Ailora

pretty much all fics written by rakugan (in Russian and Ukrainian)

Щоденник Тома Редла by meii_meii (in Ukrainian)

Gossip Girl (2007-2012)

all fics written by maribells

Catch and Release, Not Your Autumn Moon, I Am The Night, Free Fall, Everywhere I Went, You Caught Up With Me, Fine, Freakishly Calm by Basscop69

Classic by bama02614

Through the Looking Glass, The Anguish of the Butterfly by Almaloney33

Virgins and Demons, Dream Awake, Raise the stakes by Sky Samuelle

Dear Life, I Hate Chuck Bass, The Secret Emotions of Blair Waldorf, The Secret UnEmotions of Chuck Bass, Castaways by Isabelle

If We Were a Movie by MPGirl

Life Through A Lense by uncorazonquebrado

Beyblade

But Nobody Came and Love Like You by BadTimeChronicles

Tyson to a Different Tune and The One Who Got Away by Feelin Glayish

pretty much all Beyblade fics written by TechnoRanma

Growing Pains by FireKali Chaos

Various

Rara Avis by Coryphasia

Her Last Letter but Two by shimotsuki

On a Boat to Odesa by LumiNuevoo

Lamb to the Slaughter by elrickrolled

Bivouac by Lli

The Dance of the Seven Veils by marketchippie

The Longest Winter by Adadzio

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

insane ass tomarry book quotes we dont talk abt enough

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

Helena Bonham Carter as Jane Grey (Lady Jane, 1986)

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

If you don’t understand why protecting Europe matters, i can’t help you anymore. There aren’t enough hours in the day, nor enough crayons in the box.

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

21 May 1527 - The Birth of Philip II of Spain

“As is often the case with a first child, the empress was in labour for many hours. She asked for a veil to be placed over her face, so that no one would see her agony; and when a midwife urged her to give full vent to her feelings the empress replied sternly: ‘I would rather die. Don’t talk to me like that: I may die, but I will not cry out.’ Philip entered the world around 4 p.m. on 21 May 1527. Many Spaniards had expected the prince to receive one of the traditional names of the peninsular dynasties, such as Fernando or Juan, but Charles insisted on calling his firstborn after his own father, and so at the baptism ceremony two weeks later the royal heralds shouted three times: ‘Philip, by the grace of God prince of Spain!’”

Geoffrey Parker, Imprudent King: A New Life of Philip II

El Rey.

Amados y fieles nuestros: A Nuestro Señor ha placido alumbrar a la serenísima Emperatriz, nuestra muy cara y amada muger, con un hijo, que parió a los XXI del presente. La qual, aunque ha pasado harto trabajo, queda ya, loores a Dios, muy buena. Plegará a la divina bondad que deste fructo que ha sido servido de darnos, succederá mucho servicio suyo, establecimiento de beneficio público y reposo de nuestros Reinos y señoríos.

Avisámosvos dello por vuestro contentanmiento y para que deis gracias a Dios por tanto beneficio.

Data en Valladolid a XXIII de Mayo de MDXXVII.

Yo, el Rey.  

Philip’s birth announcement by Charles V, 23 May 1527. In Felipe II y su tiempo by Manuel Fernández Álvarez

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

As there is no hope of fruit from the English marriage, discussions are going on everywhere about the consort to be given to Elizabeth, who is and will continue to be lawful heir unless the King and Queen have issue. Now, the great lords of England who might have aimed at marrying their sons to Elizabeth, with an eye to the crown, have been afraid of what might happen to them and their sons, whom they have hastened to marry off in the country, as for instance the Earl of Arundel and two other great nobles have done, believing that thus they were making their sons' heads safe. Thus there seems to be no one open to suspicion at present, unless there be something extraordinary in the offing, which may indeed be the case, given the importance of the issue. Courtenay, who is here (i.e. in Brussels), has no heart for the undertaking, nor does it appear that Elizabeth would accept him, for she has big ideas.

Licentiate Gamiz to the King of the Romans, September 1555

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

They know that some months ago the Queen thought of having Elizabeth declared a bastard by Parliament and debarred from the succession. If that had been done the next of kin would have been the Queen of Scotland, and if she were ruled out as a foreigner, the wife of the Earl of Lennox or her children would come next, and then the daughters of the Duke of Suffolk. In none of these cases do I see the succession being firmly established. The realm would fall a prey to civil strife. And it is doubtful whether any of these persons would be more deserving of confidence than Elizabeth herself.

Notes in Simon Renard's hand, for a letter to Philip on the succession in England, 1558

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

I've decided to start sharing small source excerpts on my website, accompanied with a short blurb from me discussing it. Basically what I do on tumblr when I post quotes/sources and sometimes elaborate in the tags but a bit more polished lol. Do check it out and subscribe if you'd like!

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

𝑀𝒾𝒹𝒹𝓁𝑒 𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒽 𝓂𝑒𝓂𝑒: [½] objects ✲The Evenstar It is mine to give to whom I will. Like my heart.