May be a downfall

my work in progress (Tom Riddle x OC x Helena) May be a downfall on AO3 welcome to shitposts

[dilajtt]

the funniest thing about Tom Riddle is that the first adults to look at him and go ‘remarkable’ were knockturn alley shopkeepers and honestly that explains a lot

tom: i cannot afford anything in knockturn alley knockturn alley: have you tried being useful to criminals tom: no but i am listening

tom riddle walking into borgin & burkes with ten galleons and a dream: i would like one anti-trace amulet please

burke, immediately clocking the born legilimens orphan with criminal potential: best i can do is mentorship, fraud, and a father figure with terrible ethics

burke after five minutes with tom: this child is ominous, broke, brilliant, and morally portable. put him in the back room.

borgin & burke really saw a thirteen-year-old orphan ask for illegal anti-trace equipment and said, finally, unpaid labour with ambience.

tom: at last, a place where my talents are appreciated may: what talents tom: secrecy, crime-adjacent thinking, mental invasion, object cataloguing may: ... tom: also punctuality may: i’m happy for you :) tom, glowing because the world finally noticed him: good :) may internally: he’s leaving me tom internally: fascinating. she’s attached. may: ... tom: anyway look at my illegal necklace

in case anyone was wondering what sort of nonsense i’m writing, it’s May be a Downfall

[dilajtt]

question for people who actually read my fic: do you think it's badly paced? (i am thinking of rewriting some parts, feedback welcome in the comments — tell me which chapters bored the fuck out of you)

well paced overall

badly paced in places (part 1 problem only)

badly paced in places (part 2 problem only)

badly paced overall

Remaining time: 15 hours 46 minutes

[dilajtt]

Tom Riddle: I have complete mastery over my body

may, wielding scissors: haircut. don't argue, you need one tom: you're not qualified may: sit. tom: immediately sits tom, internally: I don't know why I listened. narrator: he knows exactly why may: hold still *runs fingers through his hair* tom's nervous system: NEW UPDATE AVAILABLE tom: accidentally gets a boner tom's body: girl touched your hair :) tom's brain: well this is a completely unforeseen development tom: absolutely not. Not today. Not because of HAIR brain: thinking about kissing May also tom: NO. think of something else brain: May tom: NO brain: May but closer tom: BURKE. brain: ...what? tom: BURKE. NOW. may: absently brushes a curl away from his face tom: I need to leave the country

Tom locking his bedroom door afterwards is the funniest part. may: ...did he just lock the door? tom, on the other side: I am fighting for my fucking life

tom: I'll simply sleep body: remember her fingers? tom: stop. body: remember when she touched that curl over your forehead? tom: STOP tom: I should think about ward geometry brain: May tom: ancient runic matrices brain: May tom: blood magic brain: May brushing your hair tom: this is unacceptable

tom before haircut: I should probably cut my hair tom after haircut: no one is allowed to touch my hair ever again narrator: he didn't cut his hair again for approximately twenty five years

in case anyone was wondering what sort of nonsense i’m writing, it’s May be a Downfall

[deathandservant]

may & tom + childhood/growing up together, for @dilajtt

[dilajtt]

I'm honestly moved that you thought MBaD deserves the Marina/Ulay drop, because, if I'm being honest, it might be my favourite piece of art in the entire world, and I'm not exaggerating. I guess you just get me

[dilajtt]

tom riddle at wool’s, internally: i will slaughter my way to immortality and reshape wizarding society in my image. everyone who stands in my way will die screaming.

may: exists in his general vicinity

tom: …this is fine. this is actually fine. i can work around this. i can incorporate this into the plan. the plan is now “become god but also make sure she never looks at another man again.” perfectly reasonable. normal even.

tom after non-consensually reading may’s mind for the fifth time this week: she thinks i’m hot when i’m terrifying. this is the worst possible outcome. i need to fuck her about it immediately.

may: are you okay? you’ve been staring at me for seven minutes without blinking

tom: i’m fine. everything is fine. i’m completely in control of this situation and also my life. POV: you’re may and you just told tom he’s “actually really smart :)” and now he’s having a full existential crisis in the corner because his two greatest fears are “being ordinary” and “catching feelings for mortals” and both just happened at the same time

in case anyone was wondering what sort of nonsense i’m writing, it’s May be a Downfall

[dilajtt]

Slug Club recruiting Tom Riddle in 1940: this one will go far. Ministerially far, perhaps.

Slug Club recruiting Ginny Weasley in 1996: cool bat-bogey hex. You’re in.

When you’ve been badly traumatised by prodigies so now the bar is “funny hex, good family, probably not a fascist.” Slughorn's character development was lowering his standards from “future Minister” to “unlikely to become Voldemort.”

in case anyone was wondering what sort of nonsense i’m writing, it’s May be a Downfall

[dilajtt]

Tom Riddle, age thirteen, future Dark Lord, standing in an orphanage corridor while one muggle girl asks him to commit underage magic crimes for her entertainment:

may: show me magic tom: i cannot. there are laws may: bad ones? tom, experiencing ideological foreplay: continue

tom: i value solitude may: knocks every evening tom: disgusting. same time tomorrow?

Tom Riddle explaining underage magic restrictions to May like: unfortunately if i use one little spell outside school the ministry will snap my wand may: so the government is stopping you from being cool? tom: i had not considered phrasing it that way but yes may: so you’re a wizard with parental controls tom: i will be murdering legislation soon

in case anyone was wondering what sort of nonsense i’m writing, it’s May be a Downfall

[deathandservant]

quick web weave for @dilajtt

[dilajtt]

Thank you ❤️ these are lovely AND fitting

[dilajtt]

tom riddle really looked at alcoholism, abuse and family collapse and said: have you tried editing the source code?

may: can you make my father kind tom: yes may: how tom: well... may: ?? tom: don’t look at the sofa

edmund miller: who are you tom riddle, thirteen years old, standing in his parlour with a wand, a traumatised daughter, and the audacity of a government department: family improvement services

tom: I fixed your father may: he has free will, right? tom: define free

tom: your father is quite a snake lover now may: he was not yesterday tom: yes, well, people grow

edmund: every father hopes his daughter finds a friend as decent as you tom, who tortured him yesterday: sir you flatter me

edmund miller woke up like: wow what a lovely morning my daughter is home her friend is very polite I sure do love snakes now for some reason

in case anyone was wondering what sort of nonsense i’m writing, it’s May be a Downfall

[dilajtt]

tom riddle: the ministry forbids underage magic may: sounds fake tom: I KNOW

may: so you’re magic but not allowed to use magic tom: correct may: that is stupid tom: finally. political clarity.

tom: i am bound by statute may: what if you were not tom: I have been asking myself the same question for the last two years

If you want context, here’s the fic: May be a Downfall

[dilajtt]

Tom Riddle at sunday church: amen. peace be with you. fuck you all. anyway, where's may

may miller: my father is drunk and violent and i need help tom riddle, thirteen years old, legally a child, spiritually a solicitor for hell: favour for favour

may: make him stop tom: permanently? may: I DIDN’T SAY THAT tom: no but you had excellent subtext may: tom, I need my father fixed tom: have you considered replacing him with me may: what tom: what also tom: btw if i solve your father can i live in your house forever may: ...?? tom: unrelated. edmund miller behind the door: why do I hear boss music

in case anyone was wondering what sort of nonsense i’m writing, it’s May be a Downfall this fic may be my downfall, unfortunately

[dilajtt]

may: is parseltongue hard tom: impossibly may: skill issue tom: unfortunately i respect this also tom: i have never wanted to impress someone more in my life

may seeing moving pictures for the first time: THIS IS SORCERY tom, a sorcerer, deeply pleased: yes obviously keep going

tom riddle: ...i am going to maintain control ...i will reveal only the minimum necessary information ...i will not become emotionally invested.

may: TOM THERE’S MAGIC? SHOW ME. SHOW ME NOW. DO A WAND THING. tom: I would be committing a crime may: then COMMIT A CRIME. tom: marry me in twelve years

tom, experiencing shared joy for the first time: oh no. this is significantly worse than desire. also tom: this is the best person i have ever met

ivy the snake, wrapping herself round tom and may’s joined hands: by the power vested in me by absolutely no one, i now pronounce you weird and worse

in case anyone was wondering what sort of nonsense i’m writing, it’s May be a Downfall

[dilajtt]

Tom Riddle returning to wool’s like:

i hate london i hate summer i hate muggles i hate boiled cabbage i hate this fucking place

may miller sitting in the corridor: hi :) tom: unfortunately i will now be rearranging my entire personality around this event

may: you’re a bloody menace tom, internally already engraving this on a wedding goblet: she understands me chapter 1 tom: she is scrawny and common and not remotely my type

chapter 1 tom, five minutes later:

sits beside her so no one else can

tells her magic is real

asks her tarot cards for life advice like a normal dictator

summons a snake to flirt for him

responds to being laughed at in the most Slytherin way possible

experiences one moment of peace and becomes possessive about it instantly

not remotely his type btw

If you want context, here’s the fic: May be a Downfall

[dilajtt]

What are some of your hc of tom’s relationship with his school mates? And which purebloods do you think were part of the knight of Walpurgis?🐍

I cannot disclose my headcanons without giving huge ass spoilers for the fic (tho, even the existence of this blog is a huge ass spoiler already), but I think it's so damn arrogant of Dumbledore to say "Riddle had no friends" while also admitting there was whole fucking circle of people around him at school. What a bully teacher! It's like "oh, I see you've made friends... None of them likes you anyway, bitch." Impossible. What can I say, I fucking cheered when he flew off that tower.

I think the Blacks were not a part of Tom's orbit though. I think he was besties with Abraxas. And very close with Lestrange.

[dilajtt]

do you write your fics in your native language and then translate them to english, or do you write them in english straight away? love your work!

English. I used to write in Polish in my teens, then I acquired a terrible writer’s block that lasted over a decade. During that time I lived abroad and pretty much lost the ability to express myself beautifully in my own language — I hardly ever spoke Polish unless I was calling my mum, and I lost so much vocabulary during my first five years away.

I have Obsidian Pen to thank, because I read her Blood and Gold, became so obsessed with it that I translated it into Polish, and it somehow, magically, gave me my Polish back. It happened so fast I can hardly believe it — like a floodgate opening in my brain.

Then, just as I finished the translation, I got the idea for the plot of May Be a Downfall. And I started writing.

The first version of chapter 1 was awful! I posted it, but the further into the story I got, the less I was satisfied with it and ended up rewriting it, I think, ten times. But the more I wrote, the better I got. I'm glad you found my story after I reworked the beginning, lol.

So this work and Blood and Gold, I would say, saved me. I love writing more than anything, and having a decade-long writer’s block was a brutal torture.

I am so happy you love the story.

Thank you for your question. <3

[electropylon]

Costume Design by Eiko Ishioka

[dilajtt]

tom riddle explaining magical politics over breakfast like he’s finally opening his chest cavity and inside is just

trauma

constitutional history

soul horror

eugenics

may please understand i am like this for a reason

may, bringing breakfast upstairs: :) tom, already inside dead husband’s wardrobe wearing john’s shirt: it fits may: that is literally insane tom: and yet may: and yet

everyone else in romance novels: and then they reunited in tears and tenderness tom and may: and then they reunited in branding failed sex trauma disclosure corpse-adjacent domesticity and a seminar on metaphysical population decline

may: i killed him tom: yes may: you should be proud of me tom: i am. a little. ghost of John in the room: man, not the shirt. be serious

in case anyone was wondering what sort of nonsense i’m writing, it’s May be a Downfall this fic may be my downfall, unfortunately