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It's so strange to think that Tom worked in a store and rented a room, bought clothes. And cooked.

It’s strange because he always had this kind of dependence, either on taking advantage of someone or relying on someone else to accomplish his goals.

Being honest, Tom wasn’t exactly the flawless master manipulator people like to paint him as. He was surely a good manipulator, someone who learned to adapt to his environment and reshape himself as needed. But let’s not forget he also had the privilege of being attractive, and he studied hard to climb the kind of hierarchy he saw at Hogwarts. It wasn’t some snap-of-the-fingers rise to power.

He left Hogwarts and—let’s assume—it made strategic sense for him to work at Borgin & Burkes for a while. It gave him access to powerful artifacts and allowed him to move more freely under the radar. But does that really justify spending a whole decade there? Wouldn’t a couple of years—two or three max—have been enough, especially considering the connections he’d already built from school and during his time at the shop?

I think he left Hogwarts feeling inspired, like a dreamer who thought he’d start building his empire from the shadows right away. A dreamer with high ambitions (and yeah a bit of a loser one). He probably underestimated how much harder it could be, since he’d always had this parasitic dynamic going on. Before adulthood, he’d existed in survival mode at the orphanage, and at Hogwarts he learned how to build a persona that could win. There were always people he wanted something from, or people he could lean on. But once he was on his own, the game changed. He had to act more than scheme, and adult life didn’t play by the same rules school did.

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knowledge long forgotten

got really into reading item descriptions on this playthrough. anyway did you know the silent princess is one of the only raw materials with a cooking effect to not explicitly list that effect in its description

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Tips for Writing a Difficult Scene

Every writer inevitably gets to that scene that just doesn't want to work. It doesn't flow, no matter how hard you try. Well, here are some things to try to get out of that rut:

1. Change the weather

I know this doesn't sound like it'll make much of a difference, but trust me when I say it does.

Every single time I've tried this, it worked and the scene flowed magically.

2. Change the POV

If your book has multiple POV characters, it might be a good idea to switch the scene to another character's perspective.

9/10 times, this will make the scene flow better.

3. Start the scene earlier/later

Oftentimes, a scene just doesn't work because you're not starting in the right place.

Perhaps you're starting too late and giving too little context. Perhaps some description or character introspection is needed before you dive in.

Alternatively, you may be taking too long to get to the actual point of the scene. Would it help to dive straight into the action without much ado?

4. Write only the dialogue

If your scene involves dialogue, it can help immensely to write only the spoken words the first time round.

It's even better if you highlight different characters' speech in different colors.

Then, later on, you can go back and fill in the dialogue tags, description etc.

5. Fuck it and use a placeholder

If nothing works, it's time to move on.

Rather than perpetually getting stuck on that one scene, use a placeholder. Something like: [they escape somehow] or [big emotional talk].

And then continue with the draft.

This'll help you keep momentum and, maybe, make the scene easier to write later on once you have a better grasp on the plot and characters.

Trust me, I do this all the time.

It can take some practice to get past your Type A brain screaming at you, but it's worth it.

So, those are some things to try when a scene is being difficult. I hope that these tips help :)

Reblog if you found this post useful. Comment with your own tips. Follow me for similar content.

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WHERE IS THE HERMIONE/BOOK????????

Hermione fucks a book. ARE YOU HAPPY.

Excerpt for you my dear:

It was… peculiar, this one. 

Hermione always had an inclination toward books, hardly a surprise. When floating through the library or Flourish and Blotts, she would joke that the books would find her. Her fingers would idly dance along the spines until something grabbed her attention. 

(She couldn’t use any word to describe it other than “magic,” but even she found that phrasing to garner an eye roll.) 

Usually, it would be related to whatever interest her mind was running on that week, the essay that’s due, the exam tomorrow, whatever schemes Harry and Ron were up to. 

But this one. 

Well.

Hermione could say it was Magic—magnetic, even—for once, and mean it.

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Ooo can u tell us more about ‘sweetener’?

Oh yes I’m so excited to talk about this, it’s been cookin in my noggin for like six months. Here’s the summary I got:

“17-year old Hermione Granger wants to make it big in the music industry, willing to do whatever it takes to get there. A vocal prodigy and natural performer, all she needs is someone to take a chance on her.

Tom Riddle, A&R Rep and Talent Agent at Slytherin Records, is on the hunt for his next rising star. Someone he can personally mold into an award-winning singer, among other things.”

The title comes from the Ariana Grande album ‘sweetener’ and I wanted it to be a commentary on the exploitation of child stars. We got some dubcon, we got some predatory Tom Riddle, every chapter is a song title, poor Hermy is going through it. Heavily inspired by the vibes from dillpicklepanic’s The Anatomy of the Body of God, plus I’ve been wanting to do a Muggle AU for ages.

Bonus Excerpt:

A girl, looking a couple years younger than Hermione, pushes her way to the front of the crowd. She hands Hermione a poster of herself—another photoshoot where Tom chose the wardrobe—and a permanent marker.

"I'm your number one fan!" she beams. "You inspired me to pursue music myself."

Hermione plasters on a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. Wants to grab the young girl by the shoulders and scream to run away, run as far from this industry as you can, don't look back. But she can feel Tom's eyes burning holes in the back of her head. 

"If you follow your dreams, you can do anything," she says instead, choosing a random phrase from his pre-approved list of responses.

The words taste like bile in her mouth.

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WIP Game!

From @dillpicklepanic, @clavasbalas, @april-17-rose, @auroratellsstories, and @piquanteye (ily guys)

Rules: In a new post, post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell us about it. 

Tomione:

1 December 1944 final chapter

sweetener

Wizard Riddle’s Castle in the Sky

Narrations of an American Beauty

you should’ve come over

Zelink:

Of Blood and Spirit

Other:

Hermione/Book

Tagging

@artdepleurer, @iamregressing, @desmathewu :^)

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SEVEN

Tomione fanfiction

ABO / Dystopian AU / Mates / Enemies to Lovers / Peak world building / Everyone fine as hell / I want all the men in this fic carnally / April Fine Shyt Guarantee

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/64733506/chapters/166325581

wooooo I made a cover for the super talented, bestest friendo @april-17-rose for her incredible Tomione AU story, Seven! It's gritty, it's dark, and it pulls you in from the first sentence. The world building is amazing, where the more you learn the more you want to know. I absolutely love all the OCs, and Tomione are PEAK. The romance HITS (and so will the smut 😏) as is the April trademark 🤌 Tom is just unbelievably HOT and I can't stop calling him Seven now (makes him even hotter if that's possible).

If you're an ABO lover, run don't walk to read because you'll absolutely love it!! Super excited to be following this WIP

Ps. the inspo I had for the design was the colour of the serum in the story 🤌

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Tom Riddle

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hate an x reader fic do not put me in a situation

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🖤 Tom Marvolo Riddle — commission for @wrengaunt 🖤

I’ve been itching to paint Tom for ages—and yes, Michael Bublé’s “Sway” was on an endless loop the whole time. Cheers for letting me have a go at him, mate. 🫂 Christmas has come early.

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they should invent a bus that never gets stuck in traffic because it's on its own path separated from the roads. and then chain multiple of them together and put it on rails. has anyone had this idea before.

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this heat is crazy

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I’ll be honest kitten. Daddy is having you put down

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current fan creation landscape is kinda like if you went to a party with a homemade cake and everyone takes a slice and silently thumbs up at you with no attempt to start a conversation except for occasionally some guy sits in the corner with a tape recorder critiquing the cake as though he was a restaurant critic and another guy is handing the cake to an uber driver like "yeah i need you to find a restaurant that makes cake like this so i can have more of it" and the only person that's talked to you in 30 minutes is a very sweet little guy who was like "hey i liked your cake" and then ran away apologizing for bothering you the moment you said thank you.

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if the vibes are off, close your document. stare at the wall. think about your protagonist’s childhood trauma. return stronger.

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writing is so funny because i could write nonstop for 9hrs and then hit a block where im like "how do i transition between this moment and the next?" and then i just dont touch it for 6 months