#Tom needs things explained logically to him

[ms-dead-inside]

AU where Dumbledore is all like: I should have known Tom was evil. His mother date raped his father and that was how he was born. He doesn't understand love and never will.

NOPE! He's just an autistic child who grew up in an abusive environment during the Depression and World War II and developed an antisocial personality disorder as a result!

Dumbledore: You shouldn't steal. Stealing is bad.

Little Tom: But why?

Dumbledore: Stealing is wrong.

Little Tom, frustrated: But why???

Orion, trying to explain how a spell works: You just have to feel it.

Tom, deadpan: I beg your finest pardon?

Dumbledore: How well can you empathize, Tom?

Tom, who mentally cannot put himself "in other people's shoes": That's a made up word.

Dumbledore: Tom seems too good at masking his true nature around others. I am the only one who sees him for what he is.

Tom, almost vibrating with overstimulation: If someone gets into my personal space without permission again, I will stab them in the eye.

Voldemort: Step aside, silly girl.

Lily Potter: Please, not Harry!

Voldemort, who had a plan:...

Voldemort, internally: Crap. Now what am I supposed to do?

[poured-my-past-down-the-drain]

She IS pretty cool from what I've heard and seen :D!!! She's very awesome, and I think that she's uhh swag :]]]

your parents are.. certainly interesting!!

WAIT YOU AREN'T INTRODUCING ME AND BOO TO YOUR MUM ARE YOU?? *nervous pacing around core*

– tubbo.

[ooc notes; tommy blogger.. I. I think you should yap in the tags more. Like NOW!!! /silly]

I MEAN I COULD 🤗🤗 do you want to meet my mum :)) do you want to meet my mum :)) do you want to meet my mum :))

It would have to be over altar unless she visits 🤔 but she isn’t a ‘give me your most sentimental possession’ type god, honest 🤗 just maybe a cup of tea or a plant :) mum likes plants.

[iniquitousyearning]

tom riddle. | this is your punishment

PAIRING: tom riddle x fem!reader

SUMMARY: prefect tom riddle catches you breaking the rules again, and this time decides to provide a different type of punishment he’s certain you won’t soon forget.

WORD COUNT: 4.7k

TAGS: 18+, SMUT MDNI, dubcon (entirely consensual), dom!tom, brat!reader, BDSM (light), intense humiliation kink, sexual punishment/ forced orgasm, inappropriate use of magic/spells, clit-stim orgasm, begging.

You had thirty minutes.

Thirty minutes to dance with disaster. Thirty minutes to dodge destruction. Thirty minutes to descend into the depths of the library, infiltrate the restricted section, slip the book on occlumency you clandestinely borrowed back into its rightful place, and ascend back to your dormitory before the harbinger of your nightmares—Head Prefect Tom Riddle—emerges from the prefects' bathroom and winds his way back down to the dungeons.

Thirty minutes felt like both an eternity and a heartbeat. The weight of impending doom pressing down on your chest as you crept through the darkened corridors, each shadow a lurking menace, each creak of the ancient floorboards a deafening scream that could betray your presence.

And though the stakes were disastrously high, you weren't entirely worried; you knew Tom Riddle's schedule as intimately as the lines on your palm, and he was nothing if not a creature of habit. But of course, there was always the chance. The slim, terrifying possibility that he might deviate from his usual routine. And being caught by him was the absolute last thing you needed right now.

Every second felt like a blade poised above your head, ready to drop at the slightest misstep. It was no secret that Tom Riddle had it out for you. By now, it was practically etched into the very stones of Hogwarts, a fact as immutable as gravity. Everywhere you went, every step you took, he was always there—watching, waiting, eager to catch you in some transgression.

The relentless scrutiny was exhausting. The number of detentions you'd served was staggering, the punishments you'd endured endless. Not to mention the droning, entirely condescending lectures and disappointed yet gleeful stares he always made sure to give you as he personally hauled you to Dumbledores office.

It was all bullshit, and certainly had nothing to do with your frequent rule-breaking or constant sneaking around. No, of course not. You most definitely never toed the line. You were as innocent as they come. As pure as the driven snow. In your mind it all boiled down to the fact that Tom Riddle had it out for you, plain and fucking simple. A personal vendetta written into the fabrication of his identity.

Because even if he did. Even if he did somehow manage to track you and uncover your clandestine activities by just being the perceptive cunning bastard that he is, there are certain things that simply defy logic. Some occurrences that just don't add up.

There are just some instances that can't be explained, save for the simplest conclusion: Tom Riddle has been inside your mind for months.

And that was precisely why you sought out the book on Occlumency—you needed it. Needed to learn how to block Tom out because if he wanted to play mind games, you were determined to play better. You were determined to keep up.

You knew Tom took pleasure in continually getting one step ahead of you, and as much as it utterly ticked you off—perhaps a twisted part of you enjoyed being caught by him—savoured the banter you shared including his threats that next time he'd take matters into his own hands, since even Dumbledore was growing tired of your antics. Perhaps you revelled in provoking him, in defying him like no other student dared, relishing the thrill of the chase.

Perhaps you simply loved to hate him. Because he was always so goddamn good at everything, always in control. It was maddening, intoxicating, and you couldn't deny the rush it gave you. His perfection was a thorn in your side, and yet, you craved it, sought it out like a moth to a flame, even if you'd never admit it.

Not to yourself, and most definitely not to him.

As the night droned on, you managed to make it to the library unscathed, slipping into the restricted section unseen. Everything was going according to plan, not a soul around to forsake you. And yet, just as you slipped the book back onto its origin shelf, you heard a distant yet distinct voice, accompanied by the determined clacking of perfectly polished dress shoes.

"—ah, yes. I believe I informed him that I would have an answer by tomorrow evening."

That voice. You could never fucking mistake it.

"—well, yes, Mr.Riddle—but he said—"

"No matter." The footsteps ceased. "You'll both await my determination until tomorrow's eve. Continue pressing and I will see to make you wait two more."

The bile rose in your throat, threatening to spill over onto the floor beneath you. His arrogance had always been a towering monument, casting shadows that seemed to suffocate all reason. Sure, he was the brightest star in the firmament, undeniably brilliant with features rivaling the gods themselves—chiseled jawline, captivating dark eyes—practically born to bask in his own glory.

Yet, for all his outward perfection, his self-assurance bordered on the verge of the grotesque.

"—yes, o-of course, Mr. Riddle..." you stifled a distasteful scoff. You weren't sure how that individual was even standing with such lack of spine. "—t-thank you, sir."

You didn't stick around to hear a response or the lack thereof. The voices were far enough to keep you breathing but close enough to damn near make you faint because you knew he was most likely just outside the iron gates. You couldn't afford to ponder the improbability of his presence or the surrealness of your predicament. You had to move—deeper, further out of sight.

Which was going perfectly well until you rounded a corner with a little too much intensity and collided directly into a small round table. The sharp screech of wood against wood cutting through the thick silence like a blade, echoing ominously in the vast, dim library. Panic seized you, every nerve electrified, as if the table's cry had been your own.

And it was roughly ten devastating seconds after this that you heard the creak of the iron gates opening behind you, and those same polished footsteps drawing forward with haste.

Fucking hell.

You'd spent enough time in the Forbidden Forest to know how to keep your calm, to know how to effectively avoid being noticed—how to silence your footsteps and slip around obstacles without leaving a trace, how to mask your scent with earth and leaves, how to blend into the shadows to avoid becoming prey to the creatures that lurk in the depths. Yet, the only predator you'd never been able to successfully evade was the one you were currently running from.

Tom Marvolo Riddle.

A shadow that clung to you, a hunter whose senses were always sharper, whose instincts were always keener. No matter how well you hid, he always seemed to find you, as if he could sense the very beat of your heart.

Tonight—to your naive surprise, was no different.

"Think you can hide from me, do you?" Tom's voice slithered through the narrow gap between the shelves, smooth and dark as midnight. "Not quite stealthy enough, I'm afraid."

You pressed your back against the cold wood, trying to steady your breathing, but his words seemed to wrap around your throat, squeezing the air out of your lungs and replacing it with something dizzying.

"Why don't you come out, little snake?" He purred, his footsteps drawing closer, each one a death knell. "We both know how this game ends."

Little snake. Two words that rooted you to the spot. It was impossible, inconceivable that he could know it was you. Yet the nickname, the venomous familiarity of it, left no room for doubt.

You slipped around the corner, the two of you making calculated moves like chess pieces. Your board was one of evasion, his one of domination. The gates were in clear view now as you paused to determine his position, silently mapping the space between here and there, certain that if you ran fast enough you could make it—if you moved quietly enough he wouldn't know which direction you were heading.

"You're only making this worse for yourself, darling." Arrogance so thick you weren't sure how he wasn't choking on it. And as much as you detested it, something about it sparked heat between your thighs. "You know I always win."

With the desperation of a cornered, wounded animal, you decided you were done playing and began making a silent yet brisk path toward the gates. You knew you could get about three shelves deep before you needed to take cover again. The silence was deafening, urging you to move faster.

And just as you were about to reach your next hiding spot, just about to duck back in between the shelves, a sudden sensation of pressure coiled around your ankle, cementing you to the spot.

"What the f-"

It was as if the very air had turned to iron, suffocating you with its weight. Your breath caught in your throat as you stared down, disbelief flooding your senses. The once innocuous carpet beneath your feet now glowed with enchantment, its fibres twisting and contorting, snaking around your ankles and climbing steadily up your calves.

"There she is." It was an echo from behind you, deep vocal inflection choking you with its pride. "Always so deliciously predictable.”

The fibres wound tightly around your upper calves, constricting tighter against your leggings as you squirmed, struggling to free yourself. Tom appeared beside you with a leisurely saunter, his smirk so smug it seemed almost tangible.

Your frustration bubbled over into a groan of disbelief. "You charmed the fucking carpet?"

"Of course," Tom replied. "Why do things the hard way when magic can do it for you?" He stepped closer, his eyes roaming over you, drinking in your entirety, running the tip of his wand up your arm. "You should know, little snake, I always find a way to catch my prey."

You watched as two dark eyes dipped low, lingering over the thickness of your thighs, fighting against the tendrils of the enchanted carpet that had now crawled tightly around them. You certainly felt like captured prey, tangled in a web of his making, awaiting his next move—and he certainly didn't miss how tantalizingly prepared for him you were, like a gift waiting to be unravelled.

"Impressive, Riddle—you've really outdone yourself this time," you spat the words through clenched teeth, fighting the urge to smack his wand away, battling the unwanted heat pooling in your core. It was the way he was looking at you. The way you wanted him to keep doing it. "Guess you can add 'carpet tamer' to your long list of accolades now, huh?"

Tom huffed, a glint of amusement dancing in his dark eyes as he forced them up to meet yours. The corners of his lips curled upward in a smirk, every pore radiating control. He looked at you as though you were a puzzle he had already solved, a game he had already won.

"Now now, darling, no need to be so dramatic." His free hand reached up and grasped your jaw, kinking your neck back as he stepped closer to you. "Though, I think 'little fucking brat tamer' might be the more notable achievement to add to the list."

Your stomach leapt, your teeth sinking into your tongue for a moment as you fought to gather your sanity. Your defiance was draining like sand in an hourglass.

"Hm." You huffed, the grip on your jaw firm as steel. "Quite the mouthful."

"So I've been told," he shot back, his eyes glinting like shards of glass under the dim light. "You'd know all about mouthfuls, wouldn't you?"

"You fucking wish." You hoped he did.

His smirk deepened, his fingers digging into your skin like iron claws. You could tell he was amused by you, as though you'd just delivered the punchline of the century, as though you were the world's most revered stand-up comedian. It was maddeningly infuriating and dangerously captivating all at once.

"Still wielding that weapon of a tongue, even when you've so clearly lost." He remarked with a click of his own tongue, releasing his grip on your jaw. Stepping back, his eyes devoured the sight of his spell tangled around your thighs. You caught the tension in his jaw before his eyes snapped back to yours. "Tell me, little snake, do you know why I admire this spell so much?"

Your gaze remained fixed on him, anticipation crawling over your skin like a colony of ants as he scrutinized you. You offer him a shake of your head, a scowl etched deep on your features. "Can't read your mind, Riddle. Not everyone is a skilled Legilimens like yourself."

Tom's chuckle rang out, swallowed by the thick tension in the air, suffusing the oxygen you desperately tried to gulp down. He moved to circle you, and you felt his presence looming behind you, his body brushing against yours like a whisper in the wind. One hand found your hip, however softly, as though he was reluctant to touch you.

"It's a very versatile spell, darling," he dismissed your sass, his voice stripped of all emotion as his lips hovered closer to your ear. "The best part being...I know exactly how to manipulate it to get you to listen."

Words withered on your tongue, attitude wilting in your lungs, and oxygen fleeing from your veins—never to return. Tom's looming presence behind you was enough to make your chest constrict, but his words—his words were a different beast altogether. In the countless times he's caught you, never once did you imagine yourself here, like this, with him.

And never once did you imagine yourself enjoying it this fucking much.

"One might describe it as remarkably adaptable, catering to a multitude of desires..." his hand floated away from your hip, his fingers subtly dancing—the coils responding to his ministrations and slithering higher up your thighs. "And you, little brat, have a plethora of desires at this moment, do you not?"

Your jaw nearly smacked the floor as you watched him command the spell without the aid of his wand. You felt your stomach twist into an iron knot, something heating your blood to flame. Perhaps you underestimated him, perhaps you-

"F-fuck-" you gasped as the charmed fibres slithered between your thighs, coiling higher and higher, wrapping around your waist and ensnaring your arms at your sides. The pressure on your cunt sent your head reeling, your entire body quivering. "Tom...what..."

You know Tom is just beaming with satisfaction, the tremor in your voice eliciting a low growl from deep within him as his hold on your hip resumes, his lips teasing the sensitive skin behind your ear.

"Speak up, little doll, articulate your thoughts," he murmured, his words dripping with cunning like poison. "I know you possess an abundance of them."

You suppress a groan, squirming in a futile attempt to free your wrists, to move against the relentless hold. The heat of Tom's presence behind you has your senses in a frenzy. Your head spinning, your body silently yearning for more. You despise how much you're enjoying this, whatever this even is.

You whimper, lids fluttering. "This...this isn't fair..."

"Neither is disobeying the rules every fucking chance you get—but here we are," his hand brushed against your thigh, fingertips barely grazing, his voice drifting further from your ear. "You should understand, this is all your own doing...the charm merely responds to your desires, adapting to fulfill them.”

That insufferable bastard. The list of descriptors you'd use to paint his portrait would stretch longer than the very library you're standing in, and then some. Every time you think you've unraveled his mysteries, he unveils another layer that exposes just how brilliantly twisted he truly is. How charming. How intoxicating.

You loathe him, relish in despising every fiber of his being. Yet you can't deny the fact that he outmaneuvered you, in the most tantalizing manner imaginable.

But still, you attempt to deny it. "That's...that's not..."

He muses. "Isn't it?"

Tom withdraws his hand from your thigh, and almost immediately, you ache for its return, the absence of his touch leaving you yearning. Caught off guard by the tendrils of the charm exerting pressure against your core, teasing over your clit, you squeeze your eyes shut, teeth sinking into your lip to stifle any sounds.

"It appears you have a penchant for challenging me..." his voice is a certain murmur. "It seems the charm knows precisely why.”

All the smugness of a deity himself, a walking, talking colossus among mere mortals. As inevitable as the sunrise each morning. It made you want to bare your teeth at him, but instead, all you could manage was a groan, struggling against the pleasure his charm inflicted upon you.

"I'm not quite certain what you would deem a fitting punishment..." he continues, voice as deep as the depths of your desire. As dark as an all encompassing black hole. "—given the countless ones you've endured in the past months, which have clearly taught you nothing."

You groan again, your head bowing as you gaze down at the tendrils of the enchantment, ensnaring you in the clutches of a man with teeth of diamonds, fingers like razor-sharp claws. It'd been a relentless dance of dominance between you for years, a battle of wills that always seems to end in his favor.

You despise how he effortlessly wields his power over you. How he has so easily read between the lines of your story—knowing precisely the effect he has on your body, knowing exactly what you crave.

You fight back a moan. "Mmmff—fuck..you..."

Tom maneuvers his mouth to your ear, his presence pressing against you from behind, the ghost of his breath caresses your skin as he whispers;

"You wish you could."

Beautiful, insufferable bastard.

"Fuck," you huff through gritted teeth, sweat gathering behind your neck, fingernails biting into your palms as you clench your fists, still battling against the overwhelming pleasure. "Get out of my head.."

You feel a low chuckle resonate against your back, its vibrations stirring something primal within you, his fingers grazing against your side.

"Do you truly believe this is mere manipulation, little snake?" Tom's touch begins to ascend, feather-light and elusive, barely registering against your clothes as he presses closer behind you. "I am intimately acquainted with your desires, darling. I've been privy to them for months." You can almost taste the smugness in his voice. "The truth is fairly simple—you crave me, and you despise yourself for it."

Tom takes a deliberate step back, circling around to stand before you, his gaze sweeping over your disheveled form. Your breath comes in rapid gasps, your skin flushed with desire, and you find yourself unable to tear your eyes away from him. You yearn for more of him, yet you resist acknowledging it, even to yourself.

It's as though he can see your thoughts, his eyes darkening as he drinks you in. "You'd go to any lengths to avoid admitting it, wouldn't you?"

"Gods—" he's right, and you hate him for it. “Mmmf.”

Tom hums softly, his lips barely suppressing a smirk as he steps closer to you. He reaches up, his fingertips brushing against your skin as he tilts your chin, compelling you to meet his gaze.

"How about we try a simple question?" His dark eyes bore into yours, their depths ablaze with a devilish glint. "Do you wish it to stop?"

You're rendered speechless. The egotistic side of you wants you to say yes—while the other, larger part is consumed with an insatiable hunger for more, for him. The charm swirls over your clit, applying increased pressure against your leggings, causing you to bite down on your bottom lip again to stifle a desperate moan. You couldn't answer him if you tried.

Tom's eyes roam over your face, not willing to miss a thing. "Use your words...tell me what you need..."

The sensation against your clit intensifies further, as if dancing to the rhythm of his words. You can feel his gaze boring into you as the heat between your thighs surges, and you realize you're on the brink of climax. And Tom knows it.

"Fuck..." your hips twitch involuntarily—torn between craving more friction and fleeing from it—your mind a whirlwind of uncertainty. Tom brushes his thumb over your bottom lip, his gaze fixed on his own movements, and you feel yourself unraveling, succumbing to the scorching intensity of his eyes—two dark pools of permanent ink. "Tom...please..."

His grip tightens. His jaw clenches. "Say it."

Shame courses through your veins, searing your skin like molten lava, the prickling sensation drowning you. You're on the verge of climaxing from an enchanted carpet, a manifestation of his spell, and the humiliation threatens to consume you.

"I need you-" you gasp, the words tumbling from your lips in a pitiful plea, desperation sinking its claws into your soul. So close...too close. "Please—please, I—I don't want to cum from this—I..."

Oh, but you do. You most certainly fucking do though the mere thought of admitting it feels like a dagger twisting in your gut. Tom's eyes glint with amusement, his head cocked slightly as he regards you with a faux expression of pity, as artificial as the plastic plants in the common room.

"I've truly made a mess of you, haven't I?" His hand glides down from your face, tracing a path along your neck, lightly grazing over your collarbone. "Tell me what you want from me."

Gods, you ache to strike him—yet crave to kiss him and cry out his name with equal fervour. Your defiance lies shattered, a broken relic at your feet.

You peer up at him, pleading. "Please, Tom, please touch me—I need you..."

A smirk toys at his lips, his fingers slipping under your jaw once more to hold you steady as he leans in closer.

"Touch you?" His voice is like a loaded gun, his fingers the bullets—intent cocked and ready to annihilate, but instead he taunts you, keeps you on edge, pressing the barrel against your temple just to see the look in your eyes. "You want me, the man you so madly fucking detest, to touch you."

You lack the strength to command him to go to hell, but oh, how you wish you did. Just to witness his reaction, to see what he’d do next. Despite his appalling self-assurance, you can see behind the mask—see how he is genuinely taken aback by your submission, as though he never expected you to surrender, to confess your desire for him.

"Tom, please..." you beg, trembling with anticipation, your impending climax a rapidly swelling tide. "I want you...I want you to make me cum—you-you win."

Tom pulls back from your ear to regard you, his gaze fully focused this time. He takes in the sight of you—trembling, panting, wide-eyed before him—his expression conveying complete contentment in simply observing you as you struggle to persuade him to touch you.

That familiar taunting grin lingers upon his lips, uncontainable, and you know he's relishing this moment far too much.

"I know," he says softly, his thumb tracing your jawline as his hand falls to your neck. "I always do, don't I, little doll..."

His voice drifts over you like smoke, thick and intoxicating, wrapping around you in a dizzying embrace. The intensity of the charm wavers slightly, granting you a momentary reprieve to catch your breath as Tom leans in, so close that you can feel his exhales caressing your lips. Your head spins, every sense overwhelmed by his presence.

"But you deserve this—" he continues, his voice a rumble like thunder through your veins. "—you deserve to be humiliated like this, to break for me without my hands ever touching you." His mouth hovers just millimeters from yours, taunting you with its nearness. "This is your punishment, little doll...and you're going to take it."

The pleasure between your thighs swells once more as the charm resumes its sinuous movements and you can't suppress the moan that escapes your lips, mingling with the groan of utter frustration. All you can do is stare at him.

Tom hums, amused. "Because you revel in it, don't you? Being a little disobedient brat..."

Your eyes glaze over, your pulse soaring as Tom's breath once again brushes against your parted lips. The ache for him is almost unbearable, as if he's injected something into your veins, rendering you unable to function without him. It's maddening, in the most exquisite way imaginable.

"You're-ohh-fuck.." your voice comes out as a moan, low and breathy, the words trailing off as the charm adds pressure to your clit, stars dancing at the edges of your vision. "Gods..."

"There we go, just as I like you,” he murmurs, his fingers tracing over your jaw. "Unable to unleash that pretty little mouth. Perfectly shattered for me."

You clench around nothing, yearning to scoff. "Mmmf—never..."

Tom chuckles at your feeble attempt at defiance, though the sound carries a hollow, half-hearted quality. You both know you've passed the point of return. His fingers trace along the edge of your jaw, until his palm cradles your face, his thumb brushing gently across your lips.

"Is that so?" He murmurs softly, his dark eyes locked onto yours. "Well then, go ahead...let that pretty mouth run wild...prove that your defiance is more than just an act..."

The way he wields his power has you teetering on the brink of madness, and you despise the fact that you've revelled in every torturous moment of it. You long to snap back, to wield your tongue, to curse him—anything to grasp onto even a shred of control. But every fucking word is a struggle, every moment not focused on your breathing is an achievement.

You squeeze your eyes shut, channeling all the energy you have left. "You...you're such an...arrogant—mmf—I...I hate you..."

"Mhm. You hate me." He cooes. "And yet, here you are..." his voice is as soft as feathers, as warm as the morning sun, the unmistakable taunt laced within. His thumb presses against your bottom lip, slipping between your teeth. "...falling apart for a mere spell, begging for me, for my touch..."

You feel Tom's thumb pressing against your tongue as you whimper. You attempt to speak, to convey something, but instead, you find yourself instinctively sucking lightly against his thumb in response.

"Mm." Tom's brow lifts slightly, amusement dancing in his eyes. He seems pleased with your reaction. "A much better use for that mouth."

You're beyond caring about the way he's taunting you, how he's systematically humiliated and debased you, stripping away every ounce of defiance without ever even touching your skin. Tremors wrack your body from the overwhelming sensations, rendering coherent thought nearly impossible.

Your head lolls to the side, constrained by his hand, as waves of pleasure crash over you, your climax approaching rapidly and dangerously.

"Fuck-I'm..." you manage to squeak, his thumb still nestled in your mouth. "Mmmf-"

Tom's eyes darken with satisfaction as he watches you unravel, his thumb pressing deeper into your mouth, a silent command for you to keep sucking. The enchantment continues its relentless assault—tightening around you, swirling over your clit and amplifying the pleasure until it's almost unbearable.

"Go on," he murmurs, his voice a blend of silk and steel. "Let go for me. Show me just how much you need this."

Your body trembles violently, your muscles tensing as the climax rips through you. You can't hold back the moan that escapes around his thumb, your entire being consumed by the intensity of the release that you've desperately fought off for so long. Tom's grip on your jaw tightens, keeping you in place, ensuring you can't escape the exquisite torment he's orchestrated.

"There it is," he whispers, his breath hot against your ear. "Perfectly broken, just for me."

Your eyes are squeezed shut so tightly it's almost painful, his thumb buried in your mouth muffling any sounds of pleasure that threaten to escape. The evidence of your desire pools between your thighs, your embarrassment stripping you raw as you slowly begin to return to reality, the spell gradually losing its grip around you.

You struggle to find your breath, your thoughts, your sanity, but Tom doesn't grant you much reprieve before he's tugging your head back towards his, forcing you to focus on him.

"You should see yourself." He withdraws his thumb from your mouth, trailing the remnants of saliva over your cheek as he assesses you. "You're a vision."

You try to summon the strength to argue, to reclaim some semblance of defiance, but the attempt dies in your throat, unable to comprehend the fact that those words sounded like a fucking compliment. Your body is trembling with the aftershocks of your climax, and you can only manage a soft whimper. He looks at you as if you are his masterpiece, perfectly crafted and beautifully ruined.

"Remember this, little snake," he whispers, his breath ghosting over your lips. "Remember how easily I can break you. How much you crave it."

You exhale slowly as you feel the charm dissipate, the carpet settling back into its rightful place at your feet. Tom's hand falls away from your face, but the tension between you remains palpable, neither of you daring to make a move.

"And as for the book," he adds, his eyes flashing to the bookshelf behind you, the one home to the Occlumency text you borrowed. "You may want to keep it. You're not nearly as skilled as you think you are."

And with that, he smooths out his uniform and strides past you without a second glance.

thank you to my babies @doremimosasol and @pizzaapeteer for proofreading this. means the world to me🖤

[ilhliya]

"In My Seat"

ft. tom riddle

SYNOPSIS: tom finds his usual library seat taken by a stranger, setting off a series of encounters that disrupt his carefully maintained routine

wc 850ish, gender neutral reader, sassy tom lmao, maybe a little bit ooc i tried my best... written in 3rd person from tom's perspective! english isn't my native language if you see mistakes tell me pls 🙏🙏

Tom enters the library, strides steady and purposeful,  following a familiar path to his usual seat. He does not care for change, does not care for anything that might disrupt the perfectly routined life he has created for himself. There is a particular spot near the back of the library with just the right ratio of natural to artificial lighting. Not to mention it was quiet - almost no one goes near. It’s perfect. 

But today, as he approaches the seat, his steps come to a halt. There, right there in his spot, was someone else. A stranger, oblivious to the fact that they are completely violating his unofficial territory, peacefully writing in a notebook. 

He stares for a moment, silently willing them to sense his presence and move. But of course, no such thing happens. They are completely absorbed in what they are writing, not even looking up to breathe. With a resigned sigh, Tom chooses the next best spot a bit further down the table.

With more force than necessary, Tom slams his books onto the table, creating a small noise. It was enough to startle the stranger out of their reverie. But they only shoot him a curious, fleeting smile before burying their head back into their notes without a second thought. 

He feels his mood sour with each passing second. That was his spot. He can’t focus now, as the sounds of quill scratching paper, pages being flipped, and slight shuffling suddenly became amplified to him. 

Finally, he can’t take it anymore. 

“You’re in my seat.” he blurts blankly, staring at the stranger. They look up, startled.

“... I’m sorry?”

Tom huffs. “My seat. You’re sitting in my seat.”

The stranger quirks an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware there were seating arrangements in this library.”

“I always sit in that seat.” he explains, as patiently as he can. 

The stranger huffs out what sounds like a laugh, before scooting their chair a bit to the left. “Right. Wouldn’t want to mess with tradition. Come here then, there’s plenty of space for the both of us.”

Tom feels his irritation spike. Plenty of space? Don’t make me laugh, he thinks. He wasn’t exactly looking for company, but he supposes he’ll have to take what he can get. 

“... fine.” he relents, standing up to move next to the stranger. 

He watches them from the corner of his eye, unimpressed with their messy, scrawled notes, the colorful sticky tabs that seem to serve no logical purpose. And yet despite himself, he found his attention drifting back to them, as if part of him needed to study them, understand why they could sit there so comfortably, like they belong anywhere they pleased. They don’t belong here.

“Do you always study here?” the stranger asks, their voice soft but clear, jolting him from his thoughts. 

He scowls slightly, irritated by the interruption. “What does it matter to you?”

They shrug, undeterred by his coldness. “Just curious. It seems like you’re a... routine kind of person.”

“Is that supposed to mean something?” he asks, his tone edged with disdain.

“No.” the stranger leans back to stretch. “I just find it interesting. I’ve never been one to stick to one place. I think it keeps it interesting.”

Tom rolls his eyes, not even bothering to hide his irritation. “Is that something I should care about?” 

The stranger let out a quiet, genuine laugh, as if they found his sarcasm funny rather than off-putting. “Maybe not. Take my words how you want.”

A quiet silence settles back over them. Tom pretends to be absorbed in his book, and yet he couldn’t help but notice the fascinating stranger beside him. The way they were so unlike him, with their easy-going nature, messy notes, the utter lack of the elegance he holds in such high regard. It pisses him off, but what pisses him off more is the way he wants to know more - wants to know how a person could be so different from him. 

He keeps stealing glances, ears trained on their every movement. Tom finds himself wondering why they’d taken his seat so easily, why they’re so unbothered by his irritation. Most people would have moved by now, but this person seems indifferent to his icy demeanor.

Finally, they stand to leave. As they gather their things into their bag, the stranger turns to him, giving a small nod. “See you around, maybe?”

He stares at them, the automatic disdain rising in his chest again, but this time, it doesn’t come out in words. He gives the smallest of nods, feeling a confusing sense of satisfaction at the thought. “Maybe,” he says, his voice a low murmur.

They smile, and for a brief moment, he feels the chill of his usual disdain soften, just slightly, into something else. An almost grudging acceptance. As they walk away, he sits in his usual spot, and the quiet returns to the library. He opens his book again, but his mind is already wandering, his gaze occasionally flicking to the door where they’d left.

an: this was my first post! feedback and constructive criticism is always appreciated, thank you for reading!!

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the whole contract between Gabriel and Tomoe that demands that Adrien and Kagami be together wasn't established earlier or it was only established in S5? Because that'd explain why Gabriel and Tomoe are obsessed about Adrigami while Tom and Sabine don't bat an eye to Lukanette.

(Post that spawned this ask)

We're never actually told why Tomoe and Gabriel are obsessed with Adrigami. The best we get are the following two bits of dialogue from Protection:

Dialogue 1

Kagami: Looks like your doubts are finally gone. Adrien: Yes, Kagami. I'm ready. Tomoe: (to Gabriel) Made for each other. Just as planned. Gabriel: Perfection calls for perfection. Kagami: (to Adrien) What are you doing? Adrien: (typing on his phone) I'm going to prepare a special picnic, for just the two of us, no friends around, no outside pressure. And I'm inviting Marinette right now. Hopefully she can be herself, (Tomoe and Gabriel gasp in shock in the unexpected turn of events.) and finally open her heart and soul to me, free of her fears.

Dialogue 2

Tomoe: All of our plans are falling apart! You were supposed to control your son, Gabriel! Gabriel: And you, your daughter! Tomoe: My daughter's so perfect she doesn't need me to control her! (points her bokken at Gabriel) Gabriel: (pushes away Tomoe's bokken with his finger) Well, it appears she does. Tomoe: It's not my child who's falling for someone completely wrong for her! Gabriel: But she seems to be the one encouraging him!

As you can see, these don't mention a contract. They just imply that Gabriel and Tomoe want Adrigami to be a thing because... reasons?

The contract thing you're referring to comes from the season three episode Animaestro which briefly showed Gabriel and Tomoe signing a contract:

[Image description: a contract with Gabriel's signature and Tomoe's stamp of approval]

As of season six, we still don't know what exactly this contract was about. We just know that it exists and even that is only true if you remember this brief moment from Animaestro. It's totally fair if you forgot about this five-second scene because I don't think that the contract was ever discussed in a later episode. (Please correct me if I'm wrong about that!)

The writers have claimed that this contract scene was here to hint at Gabriel and Tomoe having some sort of master plan, but that's incredibly lackluster writing. A scene of two business people signing a contract is not foreshadowing mutual villainy because signing a contract is not weird behavior. It obviously is here to mean something since the writers chose to include it, but nothing about this scene screams "villainy!" At least, it doesn't on Tomoe's side. Gabriel's a known villain so anything he does may be villainous.

Business contracts happen all the time, this contract was signed in an incredibly public setting, and we later see Gabriel using Tsurugi tech in his house, a thing that's introduced long before Tomoe is revealed to be evil! Because of Animaestro's spot in the timeline and because the contract is signed so publicly, it's perfectly logical to see this brief contract moment and read it as the writers setting up Gabriel having the Tsurugi robots in later episodes. You could also see this and assume it's setting up for Tomoe to be akumatized later the way Audrey Bourgeois was purposely set up for all of her akumatizations.

This contract being about the mansion's robots thing is still the only solution that makes any sense because - as far as we know - the only evil collaborations between Gabriel and Tomoe were the sentikids and the alliance rings. The sentikids obviously happened pre-canon so the contract can't be about that and the alliance plan only existed after Gabriel got the miraculous so the contract clearly wasn't related to that either. It also probably wasn't related to Gabriel and Tomoe being the world's most obsessive Adrigami shippers. The contract was never mentioned during that arc, the arranged-marriage plot didn't show up until season five (two season post contract), and there are some subtle implications that Adrigami may have always been the plan in which case any related contracts would have been signed when these two were kids unless the arranged marriage is a new thing in which case why was this suddenly a thing? What benefit did it give Tomoe? She's already rich and Gabriel was a fashion designer! That's not very useful to a tech guru nor is it an elite skill set she couldn't find without selling out her daughter.

If this contract was supposed to be related to the Adrigagmi stuff, then the writers needed to start the arranged marriage plot in season three or four so that a viewer could logically tie the two events together because there was no reason for Tomoe and Gabriel to delay on the arranged marriage plot once the contract was signed.

That's not what the writers did, though. Gabriel and Tomoe had nothing to do with Adrigami getting together in season three and season four wrote Adrigami like some sort of secret relationship. Lies has Kagami straight up state that she had to lie to be with Adrien which makes no sense if Gabriel and Tomoe wanted this relationship to happen:

Kagami: You know, I lied too. I lied to my mother so that we could see each other. I even lied to her when I said you came here with me tonight. I lied at every fencing lesson so we could spend more time together. You see, we're both a couple of liars. Except I lie because I want to be with you. (points at him accusingly) You lie… because you don't want to be with me.

I was genuinely shocked when season five revealed that Tomoe and Gabriel knew about Adrigami. I thought they were either totally oblivious or actively against it because they clearly did nothing to support it. They didn't even know that their kids broke up!

In other words - like many things in this show - the arranged marriage plot was either a last minute addition or terribly written.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

what would tom riddle's patronus?

Okay, it took me some time to answer this ask since I needed to spend some time thinking. I didn't really have an answer in mind until your question. It's just something I apparently never thought about. So I was interested in finding the most canon-adjacent answer I can for if Tom Riddle/Voldemort could cast a patronus, what would it be.

So, my approach to finding the right animal was based on a few factors, the first of which:

How exactly is the form your Patronus takes determined?

Because we don't actually get a straight answer in the books. We know Patroni can change with a person, but we don't exactly get an answer on what their form represents and why some couples have matching Patroni.

Basically, I don't know what you expected, Anon, but what you're getting is some rambling about the magical theory behind the Patronus charm followed by why that means Tom gets a certain animal over another.

So, let's start with the basics, the incantation:

"Expecto Patronum"

This is in Latin and literally translates to: "I await/expect a defender"

And Remus Lupin explains what the Patronus charm is as:

“Well, when it works correctly, it conjures up a Patronus,” said Lupin, “which is a kind of anti-dementor — a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the dementor.” ... “The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the dementor feeds upon — hope, happiness, the desire to survive — but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the dementors can’t hurt it. But I must warn you, Harry, that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it.”

(POA, page 237)

We also know the patronus is cast by thinking of a happy memory — well, not really. The memory isn't really important; the emotion is. The memory is to help you have the right happy feelings that can fuel a Patronus. "You got to mean it" just like with an unforgivable.

So, what does it tell us about the Patronus:

We have a defender made out of happiness, literally.

This already sounds like something Tom Riddle would struggle with. I don't really see canon Tom Riddle/Voldemort being capable of producing one, but let's assume he can in some hypothetical AU. Let's take a look at a few patroni to see how their form is chosen and why.

Obviously, we have Harry's (and James') stag. A stag symbolizes many things in different cultures, but deer (both Stags and Does, like Lily and Snape) in general symbolize:

The cycle of life and death

Agility and grace

Bravery

Nobility

All this fits the Potters quite well. The nobility and bravery of Gryffindor and the cycle between life and death. Stags actually represent regeneration, as in a return from death, which fits with the Potters' connection to the Paverells and death perfectly.

Stags also symbolize authority, strength, leadership, and fatherhood, while does symbolize femininity, grace, intuition, and devotion. All in all, both animals fit James and Lily well. And while the stag does fit Harry (to a degree), I don't think his Patronus represents him.

I think Harry's patronus is a stag because James' patronus was a stag. Harry was actually convinced his father cast the Patronus when he first saw it in POA. And it makes sense.

I don't remember where I saw this theory, but it essentially was that your patrons would represent a person or an idea that you feel will defend you. It's why certain couples have matching Patroni, why a Patronus can change when you or your feelings about people change.

And Harry, when he casts his Patronus, the idea of his father who he never knew but would have protected him is the idea represented in Harry's Patronus. It's a stag like James' not because Harry and James are so similar (they have very different personalities actually) but because Harry's Patronus is James. It's a stag because James was a stag, and Harry is calling the concept of his father to defend him.

Following this logic, Lily's Patronus is a doe, because she is the doe. Lily's defender is herself. Courageous, noble, graceful and devoted. Lily's devotion to her son is what literally sets the series into motion. The reason she and James match is that they always have. He was always represented by the stag and she was always represented by the doe. Their Patroni aren't matching because of their relationship with each other, but because they are so compatible their Patroni matched from the get-go.

Snape's Patronus is a doe because of Lily. Lily is represented by the doe. As she was Snape's first friend and defender, whenever he calls for a protector, it's Lily.

Let's look at a few other Patroni, like Hermione's otter:

Playfulness

Joy

Family and close-knit friendships

Loyalty

All of this doesn't really sound like Hermione. Ron's Jack Russell Terrier on the other hand:

Loyalty

Courage

Playfulness

Cleverness

Protectiveness

Tanasity

Does sound very in line with who Ron is.

But then who does Hermione's otter represent? Well, an otter is from the weasel family and the list of characteristics looks closer to Ron's list of traits than Hermione's. I think Hermione's otter represents Ron who did step in to defend her since the troll incident in their first year multiple times.

So, where does that leave Tom Riddle?

Well, we established the Patronus becomes your defender, and in Tom's case, it'll be himself. Tom is distrustful and sees himself as more capable than anyone else. Not to mention he never had a real connection or person in his life he could call upon to defend him. So, whatever animal his Patronus is would represent himself as his own defender.

So, which animal represents Tom best?

The first animal I thought of, is of course: the serpent. Snakes are heavily associated with Tom (for obvious reasons) and is an animal we know he has a soft spot for. When looking at what snakes represent, you can see why he is associated with them:

Deceit

Transformation

Power

Regeneration and rebirth (shedding their skin)

Healing (Cadcadeus)

For the most part, the list seems to fit him well. Specifically their association with rebirth and the cycle of life and death by shedding their skin. Deceit and power are also right up Tom's alley. And even transformation considering he rewrote his entire identity to become Voldemort.

But, just "snake" wasn't good enough for me, I wanted to know which kind. And as I wanted his Patronus to be as rare as Harry's stag, I went to the list of official Pottermore possible Patroni to find a snake that is as hard to get in the test as the stag while not being magical.

(Magical Patroni are incredibly rare and to have yourself represented by a magical creature in your Patronus you need to be incredibly unique or incredibly full of yourself. At least, that's how I see it)

And low and behold, there was one on the aforementioned list:

The King Cobra

So I looked up if this snake has any interesting additional unique symbolism that would fit Tom. And, well, there was:

Authority and Leadership

Aggression and Fearlessness

Destruction and Creation

Intelligence and Cunning

Which all in all sounds fitting for Tom Riddle.

I also continued reading and apparently, snakes are associated with lightning by some Native American tribes. And when I saw that I was sold on the idea. Considering how the killing curse is represented by lightning (Harry's scar and the lightning-struck tower being the name of the chapter Dumbledore dies in). It feels appropriate with Tom's connection with snakes.

The King Cobra is actually not really a Cobra and is considered a unique breed of snake, which Tom would approve of. It's also the longest venomous snake and its venom can result in a rapid fatality, as soon as 30 minutes following a bite. It's also a cannibal snake that eats other snakes, including its own kind.

Overall it just fits perfectly, both in traits, symbolism, and how rare and dangerous it is. So, for your question, I think Tom Riddle's Patronus, if he could cast one, would be a King Cobra.

[infinite-dragon-loop]

The gays

MORE TOM AND AMY. I love them.

More on their history and friendship (be warned it’s a lot):

Tom and Amythyst temporarily dated when they were in their teens, probably around 15. Amy’s parents were terrifyingly homophobic, and she needed to get with a guy so she could erase any suspicion of her being a girl liker. She saw Tom wearing a bisexual flag pin (he had just freshly come out of the closet) and thought he’d be the best person to approach for this.

Tom was super intimidated at first because this hot goth girl asked to be his girlfriend, but then she explained her situation and the attraction quickly faded. He thought she was cool and wanted to help, so he agreed. He had been to her house multiple times and can tell you that he saw the true horrors of the church there. He was already scared of overly-religious people but goddamn. His mum let him bring her to their house as many times as he wanted because she was aware of Amy’s situation and wanted to make her feel safe. They weren’t really dating of course, but they were very close and Tom had become somewhat of a lifeline for Amy. Eventually Amy would return the favour, comforting Tom when he started going through RIFT (Rage induced forceful transformation) episodes, making sure he and everyone around was safe and calming him down so he could shift back easier.

✨Other things✨

Tom and Amy helped each other get their flats, and when Tom got evicted (on accident), Amy let him stay at her place. Then, Amy got evicted, and Tom went to stay with Edd and Tord while Amy moved into Tom’s old flat (nobody moved in because they thought a guy died there lol)

When Tom gets super overwhelmed at home, Amy invites him over and lets him just relax there for a while. If he wants to talk about it, she waits until he starts talking.

Amy has a pet boxer named BIG MAMA (her adoption paper has her name in all caps), and she also keeps Tom’s cat Lucyfur, Ruler of Hell, Destroyer of Man, and Devourer of Souls. Thankfully her flat is pet friendly.

Tom wants to help Amy pick up chicks but he can’t even do that himself. The only reason he has any number of boyfriends is because they were his childhood friends and he already knew them forever.

Amy, who aside from her fake relationship has never actually had a partner before, gives Tom relationship advice. And it works (???) but she somehow can’t apply that advice to herself

Tom feels very comfortable shapeshifting around Amy, and Amy will give Tom ideas about what to turn into and then sketch it (as depicted).

They’re both very “lol random XD”, and time and space bends to their will when they put their two brain cells together (the embodiment of cartoon logic)

They both do tattoos and piercings and most of their stuff was done by each other (Tom has a tattoo on his thigh and she’s the only person he trusts to do something like that, Amy similarly has a lower back tattoo and went to Tom for it)

They get high together. That is all

Amy is a bartender and Tom is sometimes a bartender, and they often go to each other’s bars and hang out there.

Amy is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and sometimes her native accent slips through. Did you know that while some Americans are known for saying “y’all”, people from Pittsburgh say “yinz”? NOW YOU DO! Tom makes fun of her for this of course. Brutally

If you made it this far thank you, have a bonus Tom as Kurimanju

[sugar-petals]

Not to be that person, but I read in the updated Kibbes that pure N and pure C don’t exist anymore 🥲 Also height isn’t a big a factor in typing men (Leonardo DiCaprio and Elvis Presley are verified Romantics despite being 6 ft). Also body shape isn’t much of a factor either. Mila Kunis, Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez don’t really have defined waists, but Kibbe recently called them TRs. Jennifer Love Hewitt is FG and is curvier than those 3. I think people tend to get stereotyped based on body shape alone

as this is commonly mentioned: time for some critical points in depth:

i do keep all the 13 categories - otherwise, the system logically falls apart. i'll explain why.

pure c especially has to be the middle anchor. of course yin and yang can coexist equally in a person who is neither tall nor small and quite symmetrical, and some people like that exist. kibbe removed them because of perceived rarity, "they were somehow inconsistent with his vision of female physiognomy" (yikes - somebody likes to prescribe how we should look like or not), and a conservative shift in america aka "every person is either more yin or yang". which we all know is too simplistic. we are back to belle northrup — she sorted everything into masculine D/N or feminine R — where it all began in the 1920s. classic 100-year cycle. maybe kibbe studied northrup again and was influenced by it, went back to square one to reduce difficulty, even though it's dated. but kibbe likes dated stuff, it's no surprise, we know that since the metamorphosis book.

and yes, remember kibbe didn't create the system. Joseph Bonomo, Belle Northrup, Harriet Tilden McJimsey, John Kitchener, Carol Tuttle, they all invented and developed it. kibbe marketed the final bits. that's probably why there's lack of clarity and constant changes, plus his puzzling leaning towards poetry and magical thinking in his facebook group. he doesn't invent, he modifies, so it seems like he created it. he undoes the work of other authors to make it his. that should be critiqued, since it made no sense and wasn't well-received either. it's strange how he dismantles something with his name on it without proper explaining.

i don't get the pure type removal generally. a typology about human shape needs the in-betweens, both outliers and mixed and blended lines, and kibbe can make mistakes. he's retyped and changed his mind countlessly before, which says a lot. tom cruise is pure N not SN, timothee chalamet is pure G not FG, the list goes on. and most of men's clothing is pure classic or pure natural. would be hilarious if it's for nonexistent types, even though beauty and fashion does work like that sometimes. even david doesn't dress his own type aka TR in 90% of the pictures we see of him, but like a colorful classic or gamine. even he wants to be a different ID or ideal, even if he praised TR to the heavens in the book.

of course i am a hardliner on this: height is THE factor in typing both men and women! this won't ever change, even if kibbe's been more detailed for women's heights, as that is his market and demand, and height is a less touchy subject there culturally. it's too important in how a person comes across IRL though. first thing we see at a distance. it would be ironic to disregard height when especially guys are quickly categorized by it. for reasons of social dominance and distinguishing from the opposite sex mostly, but we can do that without judging but objectively through kibbe's system which has to be unbiased and normalize diversity, not ignore plurality. he's the one saying everyone's perfect anyway!

so: vertical, medium height, petite. three options. every guy is somewhere. agreed? we have to at least take these into account. otherwise, it's not kibbe anymore and we can discard it all. which many people following kibbe's confused updates did. i get why people ditch it all at once given the lack of consensus and lack of real physical rules. height is the last frontier, otherwise kibbe is just 70% quasi-spirituality.

my rules are, if a man is above 6'0, he's SD, D, or FN, slim chance of DC. a male gamine or romantic must be 5-foot-something. kibbe is negligent with typing men because he's very hetero and follows the money + cultural hegemony, aka women are styled and looked at VS men are not. kibbe should give us height limitations for guys, too, since they make a difference. and make typing easier.

but if david makes typing easy, he can't sell consultations and books. still, we can put some levels in there ourselves. daniel radcliffe at 5'4 is gonna be a soft gamine and paul newman at 5'10 is gonna be a dramatic classic and tom hiddleston at 6'2 will be a dramatic. i like height helping with types, since it's clear-cut and the only thing about the system you can actually quantify. and it helps people typing themselves tremendously. why ignore it for guys when one or two exceptions (supposed tall gamine etc) pop up?

leo dicaprio and elvis are both in the natural or dramatic family anyway. yes, i think they are mistyped. kibbe categorized them based on their womanizer heartthrob public images, which means R to him, ignoring their width/height. david is the one applying stereotypes in favor of skipping analysis. which saves him time as he's busy as hell admittedly and "womanizer" is both their public image, and that's how some Rs CAN come across, sure. but both are not petite, and you have to be below 6'0 small and delicate to be R. their faces have softness but also width... sounds like SN alert. the usual confusion between those types. elvis might even be an SD. tall-ish, T-shape, soft face, long slim legs... SD also has a glam heartthrob image in the book, so... it'd still work if you go by how the public perceives them.

body shape is essential! otherwise, what should a body typing rely on? it's not a personality typing. you have to mark and analyse a person's silhouette to get an image ID. interestingly, kibbe's new book is literally all about that. he leans heavily into line drawings. no body shape, no drawing. and people confusing "perceived curvy" VS "kibbe double curve" is a long-standing problem. i'm still studying it too.

ariana is a flamboyant gamine (petite + narrow/angular) rebranded as a pure R for wicked, and selena/mila have fluctuating weights. selena is TR, though. dunno about mila. mistyped SN? remember, theatrical adds a dramatic element though, which includes less defined curves than pure R and streamlines that type. especially soft gamines can be curvy still, they are both mostly R and some D in one. jennifer could be TR, too, if she's that curve dominant. needs further elaboration.

the stereotyping is almost the point of metamorphosis, as kibbe bases his idea on old hollywood typecasting: of course the 50s were regressive and reductive like that. it's about abstracts and personal aura to him, too, which is why he's been so wishy-washy and sensationalist about it. it works and sells. people who got a consulting from him say it's less about oneself but the rush of that experience and overconsumption, and getting clothes they don't want or actually wear, since kibbe overrides clients with his own supposed vision. keep that in mind. disappointed but not surprised.

most of these common points have been debunked for long, and it's known i maintain the original system: against kibbe's latest penchant for experimenting, randomizing, and disembodying a typology about bodies (how) because he likes a philosophical/idealistic-neoliberal approach. i get why he might be sick of just sticking to physics but come on. it's essence typing at this point.

i am not liberal, i like the material and measuring aspect of the 13 types, cause that's right in front of our eyes, and that's where putting on a piece of clothing happens. difficult in the internet age, and people dislike being thrown into a drawer, i understand that. but the more types he removes, the more narrow the two yin yang drawers become in the first place. i do acknowledge his experience with practical styling, i do theory, and theory/analysis can miss a mark just as much. both is risk.

the plurality should be maintained instead of removing types, and kibbe's volatile opinions for marketing and excessive monetizing efforts disregarded (5000 bucks for a consultation? phew), or attempts to type according to personality and celebrity PR first and foremost. singular celebrity examples or typing confusions shouldn't have such a huge impact. looking at public image can help (eg sabrina carpenter rebrand = pinup = yin), but let's draw lines and go by height first. why is pinup yin? because the waist is marked. and so on.

neither the new nor the old book are anywhere near perfect, so the real deal happens on independent kibbe-only blogs and youtube/tiktok making sense of this anyway. kibbe himself is not the untouchable end-all-be-all, it's better to have a more democratic typing universe (what would we do without aly art or gabriella arruda, for instance). that being said, TLDR: much work to do!

[theonceandfuturequeenoftarts]

Harry really should’ve expected something like this, but he’s still bewildered.

(And more than a little pissed off.)

Of course some bastard managed to enter him as the fifth champion in the Triwizard Tournament.

...Well. There are four schools participating, but “Quadwizard Tournament” doesn’t have the same ring to it.

There are several people shouting at each other and him in a variety of languages, and while he has no idea what they’re saying, he gets the gist of it: how did this scrawny fifth year have the audacity to trick the Goblet of Fire and enter the prestigious (and deadly) tournament?

He wishes they’d ask him so he could clear up that he hadn’t done that, and he doesn’t want to take part in this tournament, and they’re all being world-class prats right now.

Well. Except for Cedric Diggory. He just looks a bit confused, bless him.

Dumbledore asks him if he put his name in, and he says no, and maybe he overestimated these people because pretty much all of them scoff and don’t believe him. 

The Koldovstoretz champion’s voice cuts through the hullabaloo and says, in barely accented English, “If he is required to participate, why not let him forfeit?”

Thank Merlin, there’s a voice of reason in all this idiocy.

All eyes turn to the tall young man – Tom Riddle, Harry’d heard the name said by his love-struck peers enough times since the other schools arrived to remember it – who looks politely disinterested in the chaos around him.

“That sounds good to me,” Harry says, hoping that’ll be the end of it.

But of course it isn’t. 

The Durmstrang headmaster sneers something that sounds awfully rude at Riddle in a language Harry doesn’t recognise, which makes the boy tense and darkens his eyes. And then the shouting starts up again.

For all that the gathered headmistresses and headmasters and students were arguing against his participation before, they’re now demanding that he take responsibility and not besmirch the tournament’s prestigious history nor the Goblet’s choice by bowing out. Harry is once again of the opinion that there is no continuity or logic in the thinking of magical people, so he zones out like he does when Uncle Vernon wants to rant at him.

As the group finally quiets down and Dumbledore explains what the next steps are for the champions, Harry tunes back in to listen with half an ear. The other schools’ representatives send him dark looks as they depart, while Cedric gives him a pensive frown. Dumbledore ignores Harry’s attempts to catch his eye and disappears as soon as the discussion ends.

Well that’s just great.

Harry decides to head back to the Gryffindor common room – he needs to vent his anger at this madness to his friends, who will hopefully have his back.

(Though, the look on Ron’s face when Harry’s name had been called… No. Ron knows him better than that.)

Before he gets too far, he hears a voice call, “Harry Potter.”

He turns reluctantly, hoping it’s not another person ready to call him an attention-seeker or cheat, to find Tom Riddle.

Feeling his shoulders lower from his ears where they’d risen in pre-emptive defensiveness, Harry manages a half-hearted smile for the older boy. “Hey. Thanks for trying to help, back there.”

Riddle shrugs and somehow makes the motion elegant. “It was obvious you did not want to be chosen." 

Harry thought so, but apparently they're the only two of that opinion. “What did the Durmstrang headmaster say to you?”

“Nothing I didn’t expect,” Riddle says dismissively. When Harry doesn’t relent, he clarifies, “Igor Karkaroff rejected my application to Durmstrang because I’m not a pureblood. I’m sure you can imagine his opinion of me – and my blood – hasn’t changed in the intervening years.”

Harry can feel his hackles rise. Yes, he can imagine – he’s heard what the pureblood bigots have said about Hermione and the other muggleborn students over the years.

“Well, there’s only one thing to do, isn’t there?” Harry says, grinning sharply. “We’ll both just have to–” absolutely crush them all “–prove them all wrong.”

Riddle’s eyebrows rise slightly and one side of his mouth twitches. “I suppose we will.”

Harry holds out a hand. “May the best champion win.”

Riddle accepts the handshake. “Indeed. I’m glad to have your support.” 

Delivered in a perfect deadpan, it takes Harry a couple moments to realise the other boy is making a joke. He laughs, and Riddle finally lets his face break into a grin.

—

When Riddle uses parseltongue to get past the Peruvian Vipertooth (“What were they thinking, including a human-eating dragon?” Hermione demands when Harry first sees her after the first task) and retrieves the egg in less than two minutes, it causes an uproar. How did someone with Slytherin’s gift, who was born on British soil, not end up going to Hogwarts? The details of Riddle’s first introduction to magic and meeting with Professor Dumbledore are splashed across the front page of the Daily Prophet the following day.

Needless to say, the headmaster is in a bit of hot water with the Hogwarts board of trustees and the pureblood crowd.

(Karkaroff is looking decidedly pale, too.)

Harry thinks he’s the only one who sees the vengeful grin on Riddle’s face while everyone else is staring at Dumbledore getting dressed down. When Harry congratulates Riddle later that day, he knows the older boy understands it’s for more than just retrieving the egg the fastest.

(As for his performance in the first task, Harry’s content with how he did against the Hungarian Horntail, even if he’d gotten a little singed. He might be in second place, but he’s nipping at Riddle’s heels.)

[anything-that-isnt-nails]

Uhhh Kryptonite AU? I guess?

Never really expected to actually have enough (non self-insert) AU ideas to actually write any of them down but I’m actually lowkey kind of proud of this. So uh here it is!! This entire thing is inspired by the song Kryptonite by 3 doors down which I heard and went ‘oh I remember this song. I wonder if I could PowerEdd AU this song’. And OH BOY CAN I!! It’s 3AM when I’m writing this in my notes app and apparently I have a lot of ideas.

This sat in my notes app for weeks until I mentioned it on @minkshame ‘s post (as they also had it on the love square playlist) and she said they wanted to see it! So thanks for giving me the push to actually put it out there! (Side note omg cool eddsworld person noticed me? Be cool, be cool. Uhhhhhh Spare Changes is really really good I love it). AU ideas under the cut because it’s kind of long! Featuring cliche lyric inserts because I can! I think this could be viewed as romantic or platonic EddTord. Had romance more in mind but sometimes you do have that absolutely insane bond with a best friend yknow? Attraction is weird. Anyway here goes!

So Future AU with Tord as Red Leader. Edd, as PowerEdd, has been the figurehead of the rebellion against the Red Army ever since he made his first appearance. No one watching him knows that this hero-villain rivalry is a lot more… personal.

After all, I knew it had to be something to do with you

When the Red Army was first making moves, Edd knew that Tord was behind it, and despite the giant robot incident still felt fairly conflicted about facing his ‘old friend’. He was tentatively okay with just pretending that Tord hadn’t existed after the robot incident, and his resurfacing led to the resurfacing of …feelings that Edd didn’t really know what to do with. Edd is able to put his feelings aside when fighting against Tord’s army mainly because he knows everyone else is suffering (and he needs his cola).

PowerEdd succeeds in defeating Red Leader… or at least in taking him down. The regime collapses when its leader suddenly goes missing after the destruction of Red Leader’s flagship combat robot. PowerEdd is largely viewed as responsible for this, and is even more of a hero than he already was to the rebellion. But what no one saw was PowerEdd pulling Tord from the wreckage of his robot, dragging him down to the one resistance base only he knew the location of, and trying to patch him up as best as he can.

Tord, of course, is baffled. Why is Edd, who he has been fighting against for the past however long, nursing him back to health? He’s don’t all this shit to him, to them, and Edd is at his side?! The radiation must have driven him crazy, because he certainly doesn’t deserve this. But he had to admit that it was nice being able to talk to Edd again. He hadn’t had someone talk to him as an equal since he became Red Leader, and certainly no one had taken care of him before. Of course, Tord tries to figure out a way to get back into power, but keeps getting distracted by Edd and his constant worrying.

Edd… Edd doesn’t know what he’s doing. Tord has tried to kill him and his friends multiple times, and may have succeeded, since Matt and Tom, originally serving under Tord, vanished some time before Tord was defeated (I’ll be honest I don’t know what to do with Matt and Tom here, but I think having them absent in some way would explain Edd’s mental state. Does Tord know what happened to them? Maybe, but he’s not telling). By all logic Edd should have blasted Tord away along with his robot. But some bizarre part of him is holding onto the hope that if he could just talk to Tord, just get through to him, they could reconcile and find Tom and Matt and things would be like old times. The past few months of battle had almost felt familiar to him, and if Tord felt that too, then maybe they could stay together this time. Maybe the radiation did make him nuts.

I really don’t mind what happens, now and then/As long as you’ll be my friend at the end

After the initial celebration after the downfall of the Red Army, the public realizes that Red Leader himself is still at large. Practical minds are alarmed at a dictator roaming free, while the rest of the public is angrier. To them, the regime only truly ends with Red Leader dead. PowerEdd, as the last person to see Red Leader alive, comes under a bit of scrutiny, but is mostly able to keep it under control. That is, until he’s spotted with Tord in civilian form after a badly-planned attempt to get him to a real doctor. Faced with the leftover weapons of the Red Army in the hands of new governments, Edd has no choice but to use his powers to get Tord (and himself, he supposes) back to safety.

If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?

The public is outraged. Betrayed. Their hero, harboring the Red Leader? What had PowerEdd been fighting for? Hadn’t he saved lives? Had he been working for the Red Army the whole time? PowerEdd goes from beloved to hated in a very short time. Any appearances he makes, even doing the most stock-standard heroic things like saving people from a burning building, are met with scorn. Edd isn’t sure anymore if he’s the hero they need, but he’s certainly not the one they want.

Edd and Tord have run-ins with the law and the public more than once after this initial incident. Each time, Edd is fiercely protective of Tord, even as Tord regains his strength and is capable of defending himself. Tord has to admit that it’s nice having someone protect him of their own volition rather than because they’re following orders. Edd still doesn’t know why he’s doing this. Isn’t he supposed to be the hero? Surely this goes against everything he’s been doing up until this point? Tord is Edd’s personal Kryptonite, and the rest of the world is just going to have to deal with it.

I keep you by my side with my superhuman might, Kryptonite

And that’s about it!! I have no idea what I’d ever do with this AU considering I like cannot draw and haven’t written a fanfic since middle school but I felt like this was an actually cool idea that I wanted to put out in the world in some form!! At the very least maybe now you have something to think about if you ever listen to Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down. Great song btw.

[squiddokiddo]

number 8 please :D >>You hope more people will come to appreciate... (a ship, a trope, an episode, etc)

Sorry for the wait, been swamped with other stuff recently. (;^^)

Uhh this took some thought but I really want more people to appreciate Gordon being responsible and reliable/Gordon being a big brother trope.

It's common to see him and Alan being grouped as "the babies" and the others as "the older bros" and within the older bros there's lots of them taking turns in being the shoulder to cry on and taking charge which I don't see a lot with the younger two.

Icarus wasn't a great episode in terms of story but the reason why it's one of my favourites is because we actually get to see Gordon being very emotionally in touch with others and being a big brother to Tom the competition winner. Tom immediately latches to this squid like a limpet and Gordon is surprised but just kinda accepts his role of babysitter, no complaints. He's super patient, he always listens to what Tom has to say, he explains things to him in a way that a kid would understand but also doesn't dumb it down as if Tom is stupid or anything, he supports Tom and reassures and comforts him, he celebrates his victories with him, he lets Tom hold his hand and wraps his arm around him and ruffles his hair. At the end when Tom changes his mind about his favourite thunderbird, Gordon isn't upset or disappointed or anything and while Alan is kinda freaking out at this kid's logic, Gordon's just grabs his new little buddy and takes him off to get a treat as a job well done.

Gordon just accepts this child unconditionally. Tom chose Gordon, he sees Gordon as a safe person and Gordon takes Tom under his wing, no questions asked. Gordon doesn't know this kid like at all and yet he still treated Tom with above and beyond care and compassion, it would have been so easy for Gordon to have pushed Tom onto Penny, she volunteered to take him but when Tom wanted to stay he respected that.

I love this side of Gordon and I'm kinda disappointed we didn't get more of it and I feel like it needs more attention. It's one of the reasons I post a lot about Squirt, because it creates a dynamic that I love that you don't get with any other character.

Again sorry for the delay on my answer, anyway big bro Gordon is the best you can't change my mind.✨

Ask game

[5and3nevermind]

Hello!

Firstly, love your blog. You’re probably one of the chillest ship centred blogs in the fandom space. I’m personally not a shipper, just an army who loves reading opinions and discussions on the different relationship dynamics between the boys:) 

When I see people talk about yoonmin recently, they seem to always exclusively bring up 2023 and chapter 2 as ‘proof’.

Now, ik chapter 2 is a very significant part of their careers and with the shift to solo work, the boys didn’t need to spend almost all their time together. Because they weren’t working on group stuff, when they met up and who they met up with during the hiatus was entirely up to them. I’ve seen ymners use this as their main argument as to why ymn could be real. Ofc that logic isn’t flawed at all, it makes sense. Jm seemed to spend more time with yg during the solo era. 

However, I feel like pushing the idea that ymn is real but only exclusively referring to moments in chapter 2 (which I’ve seen many people do) imo has the effect of making them less believable. You’re one of the few people who continue to bring up pre-2023 ymn. On that, because 2023 was so ymn heavy, the pre-2023 moments almost seem so scarce. What do you think could explain the sudden spike in moments in chapter 2? I wouldn’t imagine that pre military enlistment would be the best time to be ‘loud’ about a supposed queer relationship? 

It’s very obvious how much of an impact yg has (and continues to have) on jm both career wise and personally. In regards to the former, I just wanted to pose the idea that maybe the spike in the time they spent together could’ve been because of the mentorship and guidance yg provides jm in terms of music. ‘Smf pt.2’ being a continuation of yg’s ‘Interlude: Smf’ speaks volumes on how much jm admires and resonates with yg’s music. There’s also the never mind tattoo. With face and muse being entirely self produced, I can’t help but feel like the direction of jm’s solo career could’ve influenced the way jm seemed to have gravitated towards yg during chapter 2. During jm’s suwichta episode, they talk about how yg advised him to do fancalls and go on music shows. Jm also mentions during the traumatic festa dinner that yg was one of the first people who’d heard his early demos. They were also quite present in eachother’s solo promotions and content. 

All this isn’t to say that those two don’t have a genuine relationship outside of making music obviously. Ig I just struggle to see how certain things you guys highlight can be read as romantic. My perception of ymn outside of the ‘tom and Jerry’ narrative has always been mentor and mentee. It’s crystal clear how much jm admires and looks up to yg. Vice versa, yg obviously has a lot of affection for jm.

This was probably a bit all over the place and apologies that this is so long but, I really do love reading your posts. Most shippers aren’t willing to entertain contradictions or challenges but, I’ve seen that you’re always open to them:) 

Hi, anon! First of all, thank you for the kind words about my blog. 💛

You’ve brought up a lot of interesting points here!

I think the reason people talk about 2023 yoonmin is because there was so much focused content. I mean, compare Suchwita or Ddeun Ddeun to a typical run episode. We were able to see them in a less chaotic atmosphere, uninterrupted. But that doesn’t diminish the importance of previous moments. There might have been fewer of them, but they were still significant.

What do you think could explain the sudden spike in moments in chapter 2?

I think the spike you refer to is due to two things: more screen time together due to the nature of Ch 2, and more openness on their part in terms of sharing details with us about how they spend their time.

Yoonmin spending a lot of time together isn’t a new phenomenon at all; they just started talking about it more. If we look back:

We have the first mention of the two of them going to dinner together without the other members in 2015. Jimin went with Yoongi to Daegu in 2016. Yoongi talked about Jimin being his drinking buddy in 2017. During the pandemic, Jimin said his main hobby was gaming with Yoongi. We also know he saw Yoongi doing his shoulder rehab around that time. So, I don’t think the two of them spending time together was something that began in 2023, I just think that’s when we got to hear about it more.

I wouldn’t imagine that pre military enlistment would be the best time to be ‘loud’ about a supposed queer relationship? 

Personally, I have never thought of yoonmin as “loud.” I think the closeness is obvious for people who want to take the time to look for it. But they have always been fairly private. I think what changed during Ch 2 was their willingness to basically say, “this is the person I’m closest to.” Romantic or platonic continues to be open to interpretation.

With face and muse being entirely self produced, I can’t help but feel like the direction of jm’s solo career could’ve influenced the way jm seemed to have gravitated towards yg during chapter 2. During jm’s suwichta episode, they talk about how yg advised him to do fancalls and go on music shows. Jm also mentions during the traumatic festa dinner that yg was one of the first people who’d heard his early demos. They were also quite present in eachother’s solo promotions and content. 

I agree with most of what you’re saying here! I think they really connect when it comes to music and their careers. I just think that isn’t the only way in which they connect.

We know they spent time talking about Jimin’s promotions, as you mentioned. We also know Jimin spoke a lot with Yoongi about Face Off and relationships/friendships. But there were many times when they hung out that didn’t seem to connect to music or work (working out together, drinking soju, going out to dinner, etc). During Ddeun Ddeun, Jimin talked about how he likes to lie on the couch and eat ramen and watch shows/movies. Yoongi confirmed, “yes that’s what he does.” That sounds like free time/relaxation time to me, not work-related time spent talking about album promotions.

Ig I just struggle to see how certain things you guys highlight can be read as romantic. My perception of ymn outside of the ‘tom and Jerry’ narrative has always been mentor and mentee.

This is fair! The truth is, we are not comparing a pair of friends to a confirmed couple; we’re trying to decipher the differences between a pair of friends and a secret/hidden couple. The differences are going to be pretty subtle, right? Although there are moments between Yoongi and Jimin that I see as flirtatious/romantic, I think my focus has always been their closeness. Trying to convincingly prove a romantic/sexual element is impossible. That’s just unknowable to us. All we can do is look at the information we’re given. To me, that information says they’re incredibly close.

We know their free time is extremely limited. The fact that they spend so much of that time together tells me they have made each other a priority. Does that qualify as romantic? 🤔 It does to me!

Thanks again for the kind words! I’m always happy to debate/discuss, I just don’t like to argue. 😉 I appreciate your thoughts.

[fukutomichi]

It's RAMBLE TIIIME!!! Okay, I think I can talk about it now, probably most have seen the episodes. It's a bit longish! Here we go!

That first episode is so far my favorite, because above all else, I'm a GIGANTIC fan of visual storytelling and show-don'tell, and that first episode had me FEASTING. You can probably tell by my gifsets that I love when actors emote and act without dialog using only emotions and facial expressions to get the message out. Episode 1 gave us so much of it. And dare I say bordering a bit on horror/gore a bit, those first few minutes with Sauron in his "desk job era" had me surprised by how brutal it got quickly.

If people are wondering if they're gonna do the Celebrimbor thing, and if THAT is gonna be too brutal to show, this might confirm that they may not shy away from it at all.

I love the fact that they took the criticism that was mentioned for the first two-three episodes in Season 1, when I was actually kinda worried that the pace was going a bit TOO slow and it took three weeks, when the story moves to Númenor , for the series to fully kick in gear. This time they were like, lets get the set-up out of the way, all at once, and then release week after week. Lets see if this decision pays of in the next weeks ahead.

So lets get this out of the way. I had a hunch with Nazanin Boniadi missing from promos and interviews that they are gonna off her character right away. Turns out that there was even an announcement before that I've completely missed and I was gutted when I found out, but in the end of the day, a job is still a job, and if it affects you in anyway, it's probably best to leave it. I have had a first hand experience in this and no matter how high the pay was, my health was much more important than anything and had to quit. I'm gonna miss her and wish her the best!

Arondir and Theo's relationship gets back to square one, so I'm interested to see in what way or IF it gets mended cause man, I dunno how they can pull it off this time. BUT I do LOVE that they've paired Theo alongside Isildur which is a character he can empathize with so I wanna see where that leads. My friends immidiatelly groaned when they heard "Gawddd the ARROW really?? =___="...and then remembered about a tiny movie called The Hobbit and what happened to Kili. We had to go to Hobbit logic to explain it away and move on lol.

The new character Estrid, was IMMEDIATELY suss as HELL to me. Even after she burned her sigil on her back so she can hide it. I've been listening to her soundtrack theme, and almost like as if its made from two layers, feels almost TOO magical for her even. But this is just my hunch. Isildur is still too wide-eyed and naive so maybe she will serve some purpose in him getting a bit jaded later on.

ORC BABIES!! HELLO!! I love that we're getting deeper into the orcish origins and probably everyone's favorite topic, are they redeemable?? Can they be??? I also love that we got to have two Adars. Season 1 we had Joseph Mawle with an almost vulnerable portrayal and what seemed like a suicide mission for him. Now for Season 2 we get Sam Hazledine, with his goal complete AND him still alive, a more driven and focused character...but is he gonna survive THIS season?? 😭

We know Adar also mentions how he meets Sauron for the first time...but that doesn't stop me from AGAIN, thinking that he IS MAGLOR. Come one maaaan, the hand!!! "In the eldest of the Elder days" you don't just drop a line like that causally. DROP THAT REVEAL!!!

WE NEED MORE OF THE HARFOOTS!!! WE NEED MORE WIZARDS!!! These 3 eps were not enough for me lol. I'm just beyond excited for Tom Bombadil!! Please have Goldberry, please have Goldberry!!

Disa and Durin are still relationship goals. UGHHH!! They will have me stressed!

I ain't gonna lie. When that giant eagle landed before Pharazôn, there were a few seconds where I was buttclenching thinking he was gonna pull his sword and swing it on the bird...but then Manwë would probably descend and obliterate Númenor in seconds and the series would be over lol. Númenor will have me stresseeeed. The Petty Lord and his Queen WILL RUIN MEEEH!! 😭 😭 😭

Ben Daniels as Cirdan is an A+++ casting choice. Kinda bummed that he hasn't talked properly with Gil-Galad tho. Make different characters interact more with each other damn iiiiit!!! Let us see them establish connections!!

That being said, my favorite part so far, and are probably gonna be the central focus of this season, are the elves. Their strive for perfection, thinking themselves SO infallible, beyond prideful, are gonna be the very things that bite them in the ass...again lol.

And it's important for us to see that, cause THAT is the extent of Sauron's evil, we need to witness just how much he can mess you up and how much he enjoys playing the game, in the same time thinking himself savior and deserving of love. How much PURE good you have to be to resist him. Elrond so far has proven able to resist, given his past.

Galadriel is on the brink. If listening to "The Last Temptation" tells me something...Galadriel so far hasn't learned her lesson and thinking herself able to resist.

I believe there's a gut-punch coming up in the finale and I'm not gonna be ready for it. And yet, as much as I don't like it, WE NEED TO SEE IT! We need to see how evil can be tempting and irresistible, that even an infallible being can fail.

After all, it's all downhill from here.

[themiimagebehindfire]

I just want to clear something up cause I saw confusion:

No. Jensen is NOT the one who gave Tom his scars. It was all part of the dream. Nothing in that dream sequence actually happened.

(Even though I do agree it’s weird how Aiden is there when this takes place before All Stars)

The whole point of this is to showcase Tom’s mental state at this point in his life. And dreams are very ludicrous in logic in anyone’s case. Just because the dream is ludicrous, doesn't mean it's irrelevant to understanding Tom as a character.

CANONICALLY, Tom is a torture survivor. He was kidnapped when he fumbled his spy mission and the captors proceeded to heavily torture him, giving him his scars. And it's heavily implied that his co-workers and boss shamed him for being tortured, as they weren't happy with how the mission went.

The show doesn't really NEED to show the actual backstory of Tom getting tortured, one cause I think that'd get OddNations demonetized, and two cause the aftermath of the incident is the more important detail.

It shows with almost all of his actions and insecurities and how he views himself. Honestly, it's a miracle he's not worse. He hid his face in a mask, he constantly viewed himself in the mirror in shame, he talks very lowly of himself, and he has a hard time not jumping to the instinct to put a wall up so he doesn't get hurt again.

You see where I'm going with this.

I admit, I too was very frustrated with him in the first half of All Stars. Mostly cause I was giving all my sympathy towards Jake like a bias bitch. (He is NOT innocent either) But then Episode 9 happened and we got the explanation, and after that, Tom took accountability and did what he could to make up for what he'd done. I at least appreciate that. (Do I think it could've been directed better? Absolutely. But at least the accountability is THERE. It could've very easily not been there at all.)

I DON'T want this to be read as 'Tom is now excused for all of his bad actions'. Because that's NOT what the episode, or the story, is saying.

Now, I am NOT a torture victim/survivor, so anyone who IS can clarify better if this is accurate portrayal of the psychological aftermath, better than me. So take my words with a grain of salt.

Tom DIDN'T avoid Jake because he hated Jake and held a grudge for what happened. (Which is what I thought at the start of All Stars before it was explained otherwise) He avoided Jake because he loved him, but hated himself so much that he couldn't see himself as good enough, both to be around him or to survive another potential future that could lead to torture. (The very thing that scarred his face, which ashamed him)

You want to love someone, you got to love yourself. Both of them hated themselves. So they couldn't love each other until they found good in themselves. Jake just had the more obvious arc cause unlike Tom, Jake is there the entirety of All Stars.

Trauma does not 'make you stronger'. It makes you a pain in the ass to deal with. That's because it causes a lot of psychological damage and anxiety.

And in Tom's case, it is GETTING HURT. Getting hurt in several ways both physically, but even more so, mentally. His life is surrounded by getting hurt. And getting hurt is something painful, so he doesn't want to be hurt if he can help it.

The show doesn't NEED to show the backstory of the torture, (That's for fanfic writers to do if they love making Tom suffer) because the aftermath of that backstory is what was important.

It's also the aftermath of All Stars that was important because despite how hurt they got, they still worked it out and that was what mattered in the end. Maybe not to every couple, but to them it's what mattered.

Can Tom be excused for what he's done? HELL NO. But sometimes you gotta understand the character's POV and what was established that they've been through before you can make bold claims.

I said this with my post about Jake and this applies to Tom too: Nobody is going to make the most rational choice every time. Nobody is going to make the correct choice every time.

You think a simple slap in the face is going to undo a ton of baggage and trauma and make a character act perfect immediately afterwards? No. That's crazy to think about.

[destinygoldenstar]

Okay so I said I was gonna rant about this scene, so...

So, if you've seen my Episode 11 reaction of Season 1 of Disventure Camp, you know how... PISSED I was at a certain scene to say the least. To the point where I couldn't even talk coherently about it.

I wanted to explain myself and what MY POV of the scene was.

DISCLAIMER: this post is being made by somebody who, at the time of this post, has NOT watched past this episode. So any and all information regarding context for this scene revealed AFTER this episode (This season or another season) is IRRELEVANT to what I am talking about. I am ONLY going off of information revealed in Season 1 prior to this episode, and that's it.

Bottom line is, now that I am calmer and able to think coherently about it, I can safely say that my hatred for this scene was... SUBJECTIVE.

I hated it because it personally brought back a lot of moments in my own life, and as a result, when I watched the scene over and over again for the sake of this post, no matter what, my blood boils.

And I'm not even saying objectively this is a terrible scene writing-wise. After all, Total Drama, the show THIS show was inspired by, has quite a lot of characters doing... morally questionable things for the sake of the grand prize. So I am perfectly used to, and expected, seeing characters with less than perfect personalities, motivations, and actions.

So with that in mind, just because something like this happens in these kinds of shows, DOESN'T mean the show is saying you the audience should apply these actions to real life. They are merely telling a story and showing what a downfall looks like.

Yes I know what media literacy is.

As much as some people probably want to play the blame game just because it's easier to justify certain opinions, at the end of the day, THIS IS NOT A BLACK AND WHITE ISSUE. IT'S FAR MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT.

So with that in mind, I should make it clear that my harshness on the scene does NOT have to do with the character that gets hurt in the scene.

I feel like even the most hardcore vile Jake hater that wants him dead on sight, would have to admit even for a second that MAYBE Ellie is kinda not perfect with her logic here.

(Why'd you all want to kill this guy so much? Holy shit...)

So for context of the scene alone, Jake and Ellie are at the end of the challenge and need to decide which one of them claims immunity, both needing it. Jake offers a forgiveness of the shit that happened prior between them, but only if she gives him the immunity.

And Ellie decides not only "NO" but she also takes the opportunity to READ JAKE FOR FILTH.

So, to quote her words:

"You know what? You can eat shit and die."

"And 'Boo Hoo, Aww, I Got Cheated On'. Grow the hell up, Jake."

"You say you're a victim, but you're really just a sponge for drama."

"You feed off the smallest setbacks, acting as if the world's against you."

"Tom probably saw it too. You have no right to shame me."

"After you voted out Gabby, I never pulled this on you, cause I have some sense to not be a dick."

"Maybe if you weren't so annoying, your boyfriend wouldn't have cheated on you."

OUT OF CONTEXT, what does all of that read for you?

Probably something on the lines of, "Oh yay, this girl is roasting this man and calling him out on his bullshit and asshole behavior."

BUT THEN YOU LEARN THE CONTEXT, and you learn that this girl personally went after the dude's trauma to destroy his relationship with someone else, and is saying this to JUSTIFY her actions by saying "Well no, you deserved it, and you can't go after me cause I did nothing wrong. It was all you."

Yeah...

So when I said this wasn't a black and white issue, I wasn't kidding.

For more context on these characters, both of them are participating in a reality show where the prize is $1,000,000.

Ellie is a young adult with a dream to study fashion design, but she can't afford the funds for the college she's in. She's desperately in debt, being forced to work two jobs every day from dawn to dusk and having next to no spare time on her own to do the things she loves. Not for anything. Not for friendships or relationships either.

So she read to me at the start of the show as a bit of a gloomy introvert who finds it hard to let people in or see the bright side of things. And in the first half of the show, I'd say two people changed that for her: Gabby and Jake.

Gabby more so, because love interest. She's the one who gave Ellie a sense of hope in things, and went out of her way to save Ellie's spot in the game (at the cost of her own, tragically), because Ellie was a good and caring friend towards her and did not judge people before knowing them fully.

KEEP THAT IN MIND. Ellie DOES NOT JUDGE PEOPLE BEFORE GETTING TO KNOW THEM.

When Ellie gets betrayed by Alec, she's kicked off of her team and joins the other team, AKA, the team Jake is on. She quickly gets acquainted in him and the get along nicely. The only problem was that Jake, at the moment, was pretty salty regarding his own love interest, Tom, because Tom lied to him about his career.

Rather than write him off as a 'moody brat', Ellie sits down and tries to talk reason to Jake, and even offers to hear his side of the story to get an understanding as to why he acts the way he does.

The scene with them cuts away just as Jake is about to trauma dump to her, BUT we the audience already knew of Jake's trauma, so we can easily infer that this was where Ellie got information on Jake's personal trauma.

And even if she didn't, right before the scene on topic, Jake was ranting to her that she didn't know what it was like for him to go through that.

So yes, regardless of when she knew, Ellie DOES know what happened to Jake. The claim that 'Ellie was ignorant', as a result, is FALSE.

Ellie also offers Jake advice on how to approach Tom, giving him valuable lesson on not jumping to conclusions and talking things out to people.

ELLIE SAID THIS TO JAKE. KEEP THIS IN MIND. SHE'S THE ONE WHO GAVE THIS ADVICE TO HELP HIM OUT.

Their friendship remains on good terms with mutual respect for a bit. When the team loses and they have to vote someone off, everyone BUT Jake and Gabby voted out Ellie because she was the new girl. Gabby would NEVER vote Ellie, let's be real, so that's not surprising at all. Plus it was thanks to Gabby's idol that Ellie survived that Tribal Council.

Jake was a shocker in this regard though. Despite his connections with Miriam and Tom, he refused to join the popular crowd on the team and instead chose to throw his vote on Gabby. Looking back at that choice, it's such a subtle sign of respect that Jake has gained for Ellie and how she helped him.

The next episode, Jake DOES decide to join Tom and Miriam in voting off Gabby, Ellie's closest companion in the game. That SOUNDS like a stab in the back, but there's a scene where Jake talks to Ellie about this and comes clean to her about what he's doing.

And Ellie... takes this well.

She completely respects his decision, and agrees that she would not take this vote as a personal attack, because... it's not. It's just a vote.

He's not trying to destroy Ellie's relationship with Gabby, or trying to spite Ellie by voting Gabby, he's merely casting a vote as the game wants.

Could they have voted for anyone else? OH YEAH.

BUT TO BE FAIR, Grett had immunity, and Jake, at that point, had no connection with Fiore and Alec, and Fiore in particular tried to get on Jake, Tom, and Miriam's good side earlier in the episode. So I MOSTLY blame Gabby's elimination on the Fiore Alec and Grett alliance, because unlike Jake, they DIDN'T tell Ellie jack shit and went behind her back.

There is no evidence in the next couple of episodes that Ellie has any beef towards Jake regarding voting off Gabby. At least, not until the scene on topic. She mostly directs her beef towards Alec for betraying her trust for the second time.

And then he would do it again a third time-god you need to get better allies Ellie.

But then by Episode 10, Ellie is reminded of her outcast situation among the cast. She's on good terms with Jake, thus she's in the Jake Tom and Miriam alliance, the majority at that point. Even Miriam came around and apologized to Ellie for misjudging her. Unless Fiore and/or Alec got immunity, those two were for sure gone.

But after they were gone, or voting them out wasn't an option, would that lead to Ellie's elimination? For no other reason other than she's the one with the weakest bonds with the others? Jake and Tom are lovers, and Miriam is their surrogate grandmother. They are a found family. And Ellie is just... the friend tagging along.

She was so outcasted that she died on the first day in the zombie simulation and they just forgot about her.

Oh, AND Tom cut her arm off. That's not cool.

And Ellie CANNOT afford to lose this game. Her whole lifestyle is on the line. More so than any of the others. She HAS to win this, otherwise she might never get another chance to financially achieve her dreams. (CURSE YOU GOVERNMENT)

So, in other words, she has to screw her relationships and strategize.

It's a completely understandable and empathetic motive, probably one even more empathetic than any of the Total Drama character's motives.

In that circumstance, as the numbers go down, does it all come down to popularity or strategy? When you're unpopular among your peers and that could be an elimination sentence, do you let that happen or do you take matters into your own hands?

So Ellie, reluctantly, goes to Fiore and Alec again to side with them on the votes. But that would just be a 3-3 tie and there was no guarantee they would survive the tiebreaker.

So their plan to solve this issue was...

*groan*

Trigger Jake's insecurities and manipulate him into destroying his relationship with Tom.

...

Ellie was hesitant, but she was convinced it was the only option she had to save herself.

She could've instead just stolen that godforsaken immunity idol that Tom found since she knew he had it BUT I DIGRESS.

The plan works perfectly, and Jake and Tom's relationship is destroyed, resulting in an ugly break up.

But Fiore outs Ellie for her scheme, (betraying her YET AGAIN), resulting in Ellie becoming he true outcast of the group, as not only are the villains dumping her, but Jake is OUT FOR BLOOD.

Ellie apologizes to Jake for what happened, expressing her remorse for what she had done. She proved herself before as a good friend who had the best intentions and wanted to help Jake, despite not having reason to put up with him. And she betrayed that.

And I do believe that she does feel guilty over what she had done.

She doesn't get sick pleasure from hurting others like Fiore does. She simply did the deed because she felt like she had to.

But Jake not only doesn't forgive her, but he also refuses to hear out her side of the story or her reasonings, and continues to rant about how pissed he was at her THE ENTIRE EPISODE.

Even when she saves his life from a scorpion, he STILL gives her shit.

And you can TELL from her facial expressions that she was just DONE with everyone telling her she was the one that was full of shit.

And it wasn't just Jake. Earlier in the episode, Miriam called Ellie out and told her off, saying that her personally attacking Jake and Tom that was was WRONG.

And Ellie continues to DEFEND her actions instead of hearing them out, saying it was 'gameplay' and 'she needed to win' and 'friendships would've ruined her life'.

HMM, SHE'S NOT HEARING OUT THE OTHERS SIDE OF THE STORY AND INSTEAD CHOOSING TO DEFEND HERSELF AND GIVE THE OTHER PERSON SHIT. WHO DOES THAT SOUND LIKE?!

YOU DAMN HYPOCRITE.

(Hypocrisy is not bad characterization. It's very human and it's very real. I'm just saying it angrily cause it's an annoying trait in real life too)

And that leads to the scene on topic, where Ellie decides NOT to repair her friendship with Jake. She decides to ditch it, vouch for herself, and defend herself to the very end, even at the cost of Jake's psyche.

She's too caught up in justifying herself that her judgement and remorse earlier is completely clouded, and her empathy is secondary to her ambition and greed.

It's a tragic "She's too far gone" moment.

Now in her defense, (Yeah, I know), nobody was even trying to listen to her or understand her. They all merely only cared about their own personal feelings, and what they wanted from her. JAKE MOST OF ALL.

So due to her interactions with Jake before to understand who he was, she knew very well what his setbacks were and used them to her advantage to hit him where it hurt.

So no, I do not believe Ellie is making assumptions about Jake when she makes her rant in this moment. She KNOWS what she's talking about, and I think she genuinely believes, in her mind, that she is telling Jake what he needs to hear...

But uh... OH BOY NO.

I'm sorry girl, but NO.

On the other side of this, we have Jake.

Idk if Jake is a young adult or a late teenager, somebody's gonna have to clarify that for me. He joined the show while his beloved grandmother, who he claims was the only person in his life who truly understood him, was bedridden. At the start of the show, he joined with the intent of attempting to win the show and help her out...

Unfortunately, in the middle of the season, she passed away. So...

Yeah, that's heartbreaking, I have to imagine.

At the start of the show, he's basically the 'shy but sweet and kind cinnamon roll with a bite'. He was working with Tom, his crush, as the ones doing the heavy lifting in getting survival supplies for the group, and was the only one on that team who attempted friendly socialization with his teammates.

And yes, I mean that. Tom was more hostile due to his job, Miriam was the cranky old lady who pushed away everyone, Dan only cared about alliances, Grett was a bad bitch, Gabby was an outcast, and Drew... couldn't even talk.

It was JAKE who was trying to form genuine bonds with some of the people around him, seeing the best in them. He saw through Tom's mask right from the start and supported his leadership of the team, and he was the only one who showed kindness to Miriam even when she pushed him away.

And while I would NOT consider Jake a good strategic player of the game, that's also because he had no intention to 'use' anybody. He just wanted to form bonds with them.

He read to me as someone who craves bonds. Love. In all forms.

He says that his grandmother was the only one who truly understood him. Which implied that the rest of family... might not be the most loving people. Do I think it's an abusive household? No. But rather one that sounds... cold. Distant.

Or maybe they're homophobic. Idk.

I mean, he calls this 'Shawn' guy over his own parents. Even Grett called her parents, and her parents are shit. (Idk who Shawn is, whether that's a friend or a sibling. Someone needs to clarify that for me.)

There's also Jake's anxieties around cemeteries. His grandfather passed away when he was a kid, and he would always go with his family to send flowers. Which surrounded him with death and loss... how god knows how many years. Idk, if forcing a child to be around a place that gives them anxiety all the time doesn't scream a cold and misunderstanding parent, idk what does.

I feel like it was that episode where the signs started to show, that "OH. This boy is NOT a cinnamon roll. He's got issues."

And then as the season went on, he shows a lot more... uh... FLAWS.

Yeah, I know, a flawed character? That's like having the plague.

He has a lot of anxieties about certain things, such as his own fears of death and loss (probably why he decided "It's a perfect time to join a reality show!"), and with people possibly using him.

It's implied that the time between this and the show is narrow. Jake was previously in a toxic relationship that fell apart when his ex, (not named), cheated on him. He couldn't get over it, and they split.

This may also be my angsty brain talking and I'm reading too much into it, but he also says when talking about the subject he "got hurt". And during the Episode 10 'believing the lie' segment, he expresses concern about how EVERYONE sees him as an idiot they can use. They can CONTROL him. They ALL take advantage of him and deceive him for their own gain.

No, it's not S/A, there's no hints of that sort of thing, but that still heavily implies that this previous relationship caused... quite a bit of PTSD from what happened in such.

So... yeah, it drives my point further that Jake is an anxious paranoid bean who just wants to be loved by people. Above all else.

He succeeds at forming a bond with Miriam and getting her to open up to everyone, and she even calls him 'the grandchild she never had'. He also forms a bond with Tom, gets a crush on him, and gets him to open up about his intentions, and scars, and not be ashamed of them. They even kiss. How wholesome.

And then it's revealed to Jake that Tom is a spy, and has been lying to Jake this whole time about such...

And he BLOWS UP at Tom's face about it.

Yeah, so Jake may or may not be very impulsive and emotional.

This man DOES NOT think before he speaks. He holds a lot of grudges. He has no problem speaking his mind. And he loves to talk about his own past experiences with others, regardless if they ask, to 'bond' with them to get them to understand him better.

(He just like me fr)

While Tom is part of the blame too, because... he lied. Jake soured their relationship by not hearing him out and continued to lash out.

And then Ellie joined the team after a swap with her and Grett, and she quickly becomes acquainted with Jake. She notices Jake's conflict with Tom, and she offers to understand his side of the story. He tries to brush her off, not wanting to do yet another trauma dump, but she insists, and assures him that she's very respectful and understanding.

And so she's the one to give Jake the advice to hear out Tom's side of the story, apologize, and try to mend their bond. Advice he actually takes, as he apologizes to Tom, several times, and fully confesses to his selfishness in the situation.

Tom shuts him down several times because... it's Tom. But at least on Jake's end, he's the one to take the first step in admitting his wrongs and making up for it.

It was thanks to Ellie, a newfound friend, that was able to get through to him and get him to cool off. And I feel like it's because of her doing that, that he stuck up for her and refused to vote her.

Going back to Jake seeing good in people, Jake was the only one besides Gabby who didn't join the popular crowd in voting Ellie. He saw that she was not a bad person and willingly gave her a chance when no one else did.

Again, besides Gabby, but Gabby already knew Ellie before Ellie joined the team. So it's even more impressive for Jake, who just met her.

As impulsive, paranoid, and messy Jake is, it NEVER came across to me as he WANTS to be that way. These are all coping mechanisms to people constantly using him and deceiving him throughout his life that are on autopilot. He thinks emotionally. And said emotions cloud is better judgement.

Oh gee, it's almost like he's a human being.

So... imagine how Jake feels when the friend that helped him comes up to him and says that his crush is a scumbag who is using him.

Just like his ex did...

Yeah, that's gonna trigger some PTSD and cause Jake to act irrationally.

In Jake's defense (again), he DID consider that maybe something wasn't right, that it was a lie, and that Tom wouldn't do this to him. But it was Ellie who kept on gaslighting him with his own trauma to prevent him from pursuing a conversation with Tom.

So... yeah. I really can't blame Jake for not talking to Tom about it, cause, uh... he NEVER had the chance. Ellie wouldn't let him have the chance. What was he supposed to do?

But Jake DID ultimately fall for the trap and believed the lie, which was the driving force of giving the villains the opening they needed to vote off Tom...

...with the deciding factor being Jake's own vote on Tom. That he likely did as a throwaway vote.

Shit.

Yeah, and then Ellie gets outed by Fiore as the one who lied, deceived, and used him, personally using his trauma to destroy the relationship he formed. And once it's outed it's already too late, as Jake is only left to BEG for forgiveness that he does not get, as Tom denounces their relationship entirely.

Ellie used him. Ellie took advantage of him. Ellie ruined what he had. Ellie caused this.

So is it any wonder that Jake is pissed at her? I know I would be.

This was very personal shit for him. His relationship with Tom was something special for him. It was a rekindling of love, and validating for Jake that he could help someone for the better and bond with them. And in a day, it's all gone, with only Jake being the one blamed.

All because a so called 'friend' wanted money.

So of course Jake is not going to hear Ellie out at all, or forgive her. To him, this is just Ellie showing her true colors. That she's just like everyone else who hurt him and used him and controlled him.

Jake does NOT have to forgive Ellie for that. That's his choice. Especially if he's upset with her.

What really surprised me was Jake's offer forgive Ellie by giving him immunity.

This could mean two things: One, he genuinely wants to cool off and give her another chance. Or Two, he's testing her and seeing if she'd choose friendship over the money.

I think it could be both.

Either way, she declines his offer, and then begins to SHAME him for everything he's been feeling the entire episode.

"You can't shame Ellie. Ellie's not the one at fault for you losing Tom. It was YOU."

"It's YOUR fault, Jake."

"You deserved it, Jake."

"You're an annoying piece of shit, and no one will ever love you."

And... well, I think his face at the end said it all. That HURT him.

I wouldn't be surprised if Jake has gained even MORE PTSD from his experience on the show, and this in particular.

And I wouldn't be surprised if Jake is ten times worse in another season because of these experiences. Hostile, whining, difficult to work with, and not trusting anyone ever again. And also self loathing cause he'd think no one would want him or love him anyway.

But that was 'calling out'. Wouldn't that make Jake want to be better instead of regress as worse than he was before?

Well, here's my beef, if this was supposed to be 'Ellie calling Jake out' it did NOT work as that. That instead came across as shaming.

The reason I analyzed both characters was so you could understand that I am not trying to glorify one or the other. Especially when I say this.

‘Girlboss moment’ this is definitely not.

Ellie ditching Alec? That was a great girlboss moment. Dude deserved it. And she didn’t have to shame him for how shit he treats his family to do it.

But THIS?!

I’m sorry, but everything she said in that speech was quite bullshit and not well thought out.

Now, I am all for Jake getting called out. Like I said, there ARE things worth calling out. Jake DOES deserve to get called out for certain traits.

But this is not how you do it.

So let me debunk all these lines:

"You know what? You can eat shit and die."

That’s a death threat.

Plain and simple.

“Eat shit and die” IS a death threat.

This woman gave him a death threat.

INSTANT NO.

"And 'Boo Hoo, Aww, I Got Cheated On'. Grow the hell up, Jake."

Okay, 50/50

On the one hand, Jake does whine about his personal life. A lot.

On the other hand, this is also downplaying Jake’s trauma with that issue. Regardless on how you feel about it, it clearly has an effect on them and shouldn’t be brushed off as ‘oh they’re just being whiny’.

How would you like it if I downplayed YOUR issues, Ellie?

“Boo hoo, I’m in debt and I can’t follow my dreams and I’m an outcast” Grow up Ellie.

DOESN’T FEEL GOOD, DOES IT?

"You say you're a victim, but you're really just a sponge for drama."

Um… except he IS a victim?

I’m sorry, but think about it.

Idk the full details of Jakes previous relationship, but I think getting cheated on definitely counts as being a victim of that circumstance.

Also, YOU USED HIM, YOU FIORE AND ALEC DEVISED A PLOT TO USE HIM.

Don’t act like that’s not him being a victim when you’re the orchestrator.

Also “You’re really just a sponge for drama”. And you aren’t? And Fiore isn’t? And Grett isn’t? And Tom isn’t?

I guess Ellie didn’t witness the majority of her team getting eliminated because of a child being a sponge for drama.

"You feed off the smallest setbacks, acting as if the world's against you."

For that to be true, Jake would actively be doubling down on every time he’s ever yelled at someone for something. Except that’s not the case.

For that to be true, he would never recognize he’s at fault and apologize over and over. Except that’s not the case.

For that to be true, he wouldn’t care for Miriam in the beginning. Of Tom. Or you.

"Tom probably saw it too. You have no right to shame me."

He DOES have a right to shame you.

YOU HURT HIM.

AND YOU KNOW YOU HURT HIM.

This is STRAIGHT UP Ellie saying “It’s not my fault, it’s yours, because I said so. You can’t blame me.”

"After you voted out Gabby, I never pulled this on you, cause I have some sense to not be a dick."

Again, Jake came clean to you about voting Gabby. And you were cool with it. You said it yourself. This is the only time you’ve ever shown beef about that.

AND Fiore Alec and Grett betrayed your trust cause you didn’t know they were gonna vote Gabby. So you’re gonna blame JAKE? Okay??

Also, what analogy is that supposed to be?

Supposedly she’s comparing this to Tom’s elimination. But those eliminations are not comparable.

Did Jake toy with your personal feelings and relationship with Gabby to vote her off? No?

SO WHAT THE HELL??

"Maybe if you weren't so annoying, your boyfriend wouldn't have cheated on you."

THIS. THIS RIGHT HERE.

NO. JUST STRAIGHT UP NO.

This is something SO VILE, that I actually physically cannot understand it if you tell me that’s a ‘good roast’.

That is not what this is. Again, this is SHAMING.

This whole thing is her shaming Jake for his trauma and digging it in his head that he deserved all of it. Because ‘he’s annoying’.

Ellie doesn’t know WHY the ex cheated on Jake (unless Jake told her off screen). Maybe it was because the ex found Jake annoying, idk. BUT THAT MAKES IT EVEN WORSE.

That triggers so much more of the trauma in that moment as ‘he left you because you were annoying’, and definitely brought back some shit.

Imagine someone who knows that you were abused by someone tells you that because they don’t like a certain trait of yours, you deserved the abuse. NO. NO ONE DESERVES TO HAVE THIS STUFF HAPPEN TO THEM, REGARDLESS IF YOU HATE THEIR CHARACTER.

That doesn’t mean abused people can’t be bad people. Nor does past abuse excuse bad actions. But it’s something that at least shouldn’t be shamed because, in what world, is abuse the victims fault?

Saying this stuff to someone makes the person’s psyche so much worse. They not only feel attacked, but it’s a kick starter to a lot of dangerous self loathing and anxiety, which could lead to them acting worse.

How do I know this? Because I’ve been there personally.

Yeah that’s another reason why I was so hurt by this scene. It just did a lot of personal flashes in my head. I’m in a better place now, but in terms of my past in school as a teen, I was Jake. I was whiny, impulsive, beefed with all my bullies, and loved to rant to strangers. The reason being that the school environment was giving me so much anxiety and problems, and no one wanted to help me. I was a pain in the ass and everyone hated me. Some would even say it aloud knowing I was in hearing range “I can’t stand *my real name*” “I know, right? She’s so annoying!” Most of them would bully and harass me KNOWING I would react emotionally and just wanted a kick out of it.

I wasn’t cheated on. That never happened to me. But I did have a toxic friendship that lasted for years. I got hurt very badly. I was used, manipulated for my attempted kindness, shamed whenever anything good happened-it was not good. Then they got into drugs and I left before I could fall victim too. Idk where they are now and I don’t care.

And then the teachers, AKA, the adults, sided with them and not me and joined in on shaming me. Even stopping the whole activity just to talk down to me and discredit me.

So… you can imagine the flashbacks I got from watching this scene.

Bottom line is, I got help, I moved out, and I like to think I’m a much better and more mature person now. Still struggle with anxiety though.

But hey, I guess there was no other way Ellie could’ve approached that.

Oh wait no. Because there’s ANOTHER ‘calling out’ scene in the SAME episode.

The one where Miriam calls out Ellie for her personal attacks.

Miriam didn’t go after Ellie’s personal stuff at all in that. She was calm, she listened to Ellie’s defenses, and she countered them accordingly. It was clear she was saying that with good intentions to help Ellie recognize her mistakes. Ellie didn’t listen, but that’s not Miriam’s fault.

THAT is how you call out a loved one for their wrong actions. You have to consider their feelings, tell when what they did wrong, and be there to help them improve in themselves.

You don’t shame personal stuff like this.

Now, I’m not saying that the scene is bad writing. Maybe Ellie going at this the wrong way IS the intention of the scene and we’re supposed to not side with her. But if that was the case wouldn’t everyone be saying she crossed a line here? Regardless if you’re an Ellie Stan or not.

For Jake especially, Miriam would be the harsh judge I imagine to call him out on his actions and behavior, to have him recognize that he was part of the blame for Tom leaving him. That he was stupid, impulsive, and there was a reason he’s so easy to be taken advantage of.

I got a talking down like that from my own parents, and it really opened my eyes to how shitty I was.

So I feel like this scene is gonna have significant consequences to Jake’s psyche. As much as I would love to see Jake realize his faults and redeem into a better person, I have a gut feeling that’s not where this direction is going and he’s just gonna get worse until everyone hates him.

It just won’t be in Season 1 because it’s close to the end and Jake is… you know…

Ellie has far more routable motivations than Jake does. But she went at this the absolute wrong way.

Should’ve just stole the idol.

And you know what’s worse than not stealing the idol? SHE DIDNT EVEN NEED TO DO THIS.

It was BECAUSE of this scene that she lost the challenge! If she actually WAS all about gameplay, she would have just said ‘no’ to Jakes offer, shoved him, and left. And she would’ve won. BUT NO.

If you ask me, writing wise, Ellie should’ve just gotten the immunity. I think that would’ve made a lot more sense than Alec snagging it last minute. Jake and Ellie were never voting together anyway.

They could’ve. But it’s because of their own issues that they refused, didn’t see the light, and caused this whole thing.

Huh. I guess that’s why the scene is called ‘Lights Out’.

Anyway, there’s my rant. Fuck this scene.

[moki-dokie]

otp vibes game

tagged by @couriers-mile 😎

tagging idk man whoever wants to do this lmao

Rules: Post some pictures of your OTP and their vibes, some info, and songs that fits their vibe. That's it. Edit as you please.

The ship:

Ed and Cole

aka The Cat and The Crow

Echos - Crazy

Bad Omens - The Death of Peace of Mind

Colours - Mind Games

Tom Lehrer - Masochism Tango

Hozier - Francesca

Simon Curtis - Super Psycho Love

Sam Kelly - Guiding Light

VAST - Pretty When You Cry

(and of course) Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

+Bonus Playlist

-----

Ed met Cole shortly after he started working as a dealer and runner for one of the higher-ups of the Unseelie faction in the city, Jack. Cole attempted to publicly start some shit with her and Ed, lover of trouble and violence (and perhaps trying to impress Jack just a bit), made a bit of a scene. It was love at first threat, they just didn't know it yet.

Bumped into each other a few more times, Ed agreeing to source a very exclusive drug Jack oversaw distribution of. Became quick friends.

Ed learned Cole was having some trouble with a particular werewolf, so of course Ed did the logical thing and fought said werewolf on his behalf (and lost. so, so, so horribly lmao).

Cole dropped in to visit him in the hospital under false friendly/caring pretenses when really all he wanted was to check on the status of his drug hunt and see if he needed to find someone else. Ed called him on his bullshit, and, high off his tits on morphine, provoked a bit of a fight that wound up in a very extreme dubcon situation that tumblrinas are not prepared to read details about :) the tldr is that ed was left badly fucked up in several ways, was instantly hooked bc that is Exactly his Thing, had a bit of a mental breakdown and relapse, and then...

Ed started finding any and every excuse to seek out Cole. And Cole started genuinely enjoying his company, would leave his windows open for Ed to sneak into at night so he didn't have to sleep on the streets as he had been. Cue the two of them beginning to feel Comfortable.

They actually went out on a date. Or.. planned to. And then a tornado ripped through the city and buried Cole underneath the diner they were going to eat at. Cole, used to being left to die, was pretty sure that was going to happen again. And then Ed found him and put his own life in danger and hurt himself pretty badly rescuing him. It was The Moment (tm) for them both.

The rest would take so, so long to get through. The TLDR of it though: Ed moves in with him, they become an official couple, Cole surprises him with a trip home to Japan, Ed discovers the sister who died on him as a kid very much alive, learns some cool shit about his Nekomata powers from her, Cole befriends her and promises her to take care of Ed because she's dying for really reals, they go back home and run into cole's abusive ex who got him killed the first time around, lots of manipulation ensues, cole and ed have a massive fight that ends with ed held hostage and abused by some baddies and then tossed into a raging river while chained, cole tries but fails to save him, ed drowns and dies (its okay he has multiple lives don't worry about it) and his body gets beat to shit going over a waterfall with some gnarly rocks at the bottom, he gets resuscitated but stays in a coma for the next three months in which he dies a few more times :), finally wakes up, goes through a lot of healing, cole does lots of explaining and making up to him, ed hunts down cole's ex and murders him via going all furious werecat on him and eating him :)), and since they need to skip town anyway ed decides to return the favor and surprises cole with a trip home to ireland, they run into cole's old bestie who isn't so much a bestie anymore bc he hates that cole is a sluagh now but he lets them stay at his pub for free, ed becomes fuckbuddies with him, both of them decide they want to stay in ireland and make it home, cole surprises the fuck out of ed and proposes to him and ofc he says yes, another sluagh finds cole and forces them to make a deal so he can escape like cole did or else he's turning him in, ed and cole proceed to go on murder sprees bc that escape requires stealing souls, they meet jess and russ and quickly become friends with them, ed gets hurt - badly - twice - during their soul collecting and cole tries to put and end to it and it causes a whole lot of fighting between them, mikey enters the scene (jess's best friend) and he and cole end up having A Thing much to the surprise of both of them (they're technically bonded from Cole doing a Fae thing with mikey's mom when she was pregnant with him back before he died. its very funny and convoluted and they don't know jack shit yet.), ed finds out about it and is beyond hurt and sends his already bad mental state into a nosedive straight for suicide, and that is where the story currently is with many many more things yet to happen between these crazy fuckers :) (this is over a decade of IRL writing/planning with my partner who plays cole, about 6ish years in the story!)

anyway these two are very psycho4psycho. cole is extremely amoral, a sadist, selfish as all fuck, and is so very emotionally constipated. he has three mods pretty much which is neutral, horny, or pissed off and stabby about it. he's gotten way softer over the years, but he is still very much a villain. ed is a basket case of extreme and unresolved childhood trauma and PTSD. his mood swings wildly at the drop of a hat. he's all sorts of broken and he knows it. he loves violence, but he's got a better moral compass than cole does. doesn't particularly enjoy killing unless its justified. he cares, tremendously, about people in his circle and in general for those who are persecuted out of no other reason than hate. ed's entire worldview revolves around how useful he can be - usually sexually. sex is his primary language, then violence, and sometimes (many times, especially with cole) its both at the same time. both of them are heeeeeavy into drugs, although cole is a bit of a lightweight. ed's primary weapon is a bigass tanto knife, cole's is a pretty green stiletto switchblade. they suck at communicating basically anything important. if it can't be solved by beating the shit out of each other and fucking, they have a hard time with it. regardless, they are ride or die and would burn the entire fucking world for each other, no questions asked.