Voldemort's Being

[lucca4]

I don't really think Voldemort was self-conscious about his looks, if that's what you're asking. I think when he was younger, he knew that he could use his charms and good-looks to his advantage, and they were moderately important in that way. I don't think he was vain superficially in that way, because he did not love, and did not need anyone to accept him for the way he looked. Voldemort's sole thirst was for power, and I don't think something as shallow as the way he looked would have gotten in his way. At Hogwarts, however, I imagine him using his handsomeness to manipulate the teachers and students since he had no real "power" over them.

But once he got his Horcruxes, he did not need his looks to help empower him in any way--in his mind, he already had all the power he needed. Looks were not important--he was nearly about to rule an empire! I don't think he cared how different he appeared, to be honest. He might have even relished in the fact that it made more people fear him.

Hope this helps

xx Ariana xx

Edit: This is in response to Lovemagic's post!

[Lovemagic]

Hi guys! It's Hayden.

I've been writing from Tom Riddle's perspective, lately, just to study him and his thoughts and opinions. I've got a drabble, which I intend to turn into a one-shot, that is mostly about Tom Riddle's thoughts about his being.

All I wanted to ask was: What do you think his thoughts might have been? In my drabble, Tom has disliked his face and his body since he murdered his father because he looks so much like him. Tom knows that his being is useful, especially now when he's among so many other people.

But surely Tom knew the consequences when he was creating his multiple Horcruxes? Do you think there may have been multiple reasons that Tom created the Horcruxes, an attempt at immortality being the greatest one, and a desire to destroy what he sees as his father's body a smaller one? We know Tom loves himself, but perhaps not his body.

Hayden

[Lovemagic]

Ariana: That's not what I'm saying at all. I definitely don't think Tom was self-conscious or vain superficially. He wouldn't worry about his looks. He knows he looks good. In the drabble, he's just getting ready for another day at school and is having these thoughts. He has to think about what he looks like sometime, of course. And so I was wondering what he thought about himself. This all takes place after he has murdered his father.

But once he got his Horcruxes, he did not need his looks to help empower him in any way--in his mind, he already had all the power he needed.

This is interesting, though, for when he's older. I never exactly thought of it that way.

Any more thoughts?

Hayden

[Equinox Chick]

*wonders where this post will appear*

I don't think Tom Riddle was bothered at all that he looked like his father. I doubt he hated his looks and body merely the fact that his father had abandoned him because Merope was a witch.

So, I doubt he created the Horcruxes in an attempt to get rid of his looks. I think he saw what the Horcrux did but wasn't concerned. He needed his looks to help charm people like Hepzibah and Dippet, but he'd also know that looks fade with time and don'#t work with everyone. He isn't bothered about love. He doesn't want anyone to love him, merely fear him, so becoming more reptilian would enable that aim.

I also don't think he knew exactly what would happen when he created the Horcruxes. There wasn't a great deal written about them, so he might have attributed the first change in looks to getting older.

Carole

[Annalise28]

I don't think Tom Riddle was bothered at all that he looked like his father. I doubt he hated his looks and body merely the fact that his father had abandoned him because Merope was a witch.

I actually believe the opposite. I imagine Voldemort would hate looking like his father. I mean, he hated who his father was enough to kill him first, so I can imagine he wouldn't be pleased when he looked into the mirror and saw his father.

But even though I believe he despised his looks, I still think he would be somewhat appreciative of them. For, even though he wasn't naive and didn't love and didn't care what people thought of him, having such good looks was one of the reasons he got that small amount of power when he was in high school.

So, I think he'd be happy with his appearance after he had made his horcruxes. He loved snakes, too (well at least I think he did), so become more reptilian would have pleased him, along with being more frightening.

And I don't think he knew what making Horcruxes would do to his appearance, but I'm sure he suspected it before-hand. I mean, that's a pretty strong piece of magic. And doing it seven times over, it would have to do something to your appearance.

~ Annalise x

[DeadManSeven]

If Dumbledore had known the term, I sure he would have told Harry that Tom Riddle had antisocial personality disorder, or that he was a sociopath, a psychopath, or any of the other common terms for it. He certainly fits most if not all of the tendencies. One of the core compotents of sociopaths is their extreme narcissism - the belief that they are simply "better" than other people. So, from that angle, I've got no problem believing that Tom Riddle murdered his father for being a dirty Muggle who dared to look like him, great Dark wizard that he is, and that he could also view the fading of his visibile humanity as proof that he had gone deeper into the magic of Horcruxes than anyone else had ever dared, thus showing he is truly the most powerful wizard alive.

[Maple_and_PheonixFeather]

Ah. Sorry

He didn't actually kill the Gaunts. Marvalo was in Azkaban and he used Morfin as a scape goat. Voldemort killed the Riddle's with Morfin's wand, planted the memory in Morfin's mind so he would think he did it, and then stole the ring. Morfin was then sent to Azkaban and died there. Marvalo died within 3 months of returning to the Gaunt house after his sentance in Azkaban as there was no one to care for him.

Does that answer your question?

~Mapleeeee

[Lovemagic]

Right...So Annalise and DeadManSeven's posts are very insightful and very contradictory. DeadManSeven's post makes sense, and also kills the purpose of my drabble, haha And Ananalise's post also makes sense, and it fits so well with my drabble.

I think we can solve the problem by figuring out exactly why Tom murdered his father. Put it in one statement. I think it was just for revenge. His father left his wife and unborn child on the streets, but I don't think Tom would harbor any sappy tragic feelings about it or give a big heartbreaking, guilt-rending (hopefully that not-word conveys what I'm trying to say) speech about it. He just killed his father because...he didn't want to be related to him?

And if that's the case, would Annalise's idea be more correct?

Or could we merge DeadManSeven and Annalise's ideas together? The truthfulness of his post nags me. It can't be ignored.

Hayden

[Annalise28]

I believe he killed his father, not just for revenge, but for being a muggle as well. For being that commonplace, ordinary muggle with nothing special except his looks who was terrible to his mother. But as Voldemort didn't love, I would say he didn't care so much for how she ended up, but just wanted to use that as an excuse to destroy his ordinary ancestry, and then to gain possesions from his other ancestors.

Which confuses me, now that I think about it further. Was he trying to be the only Slytherin heir left, and therefor the most powerful or something?

I hope that makes sensr, even though a conclusion wasn't really drawn. Hopefully it will raise some more questions for discussion.

~ Annalise x

[Maple_and_PheonixFeather]

Voldemort's father was not from the Slytherin lineage, so it wouldn't be so he was the last Slytherin heir. My thought is that, without his father around, there's no reminder of the fact that he is a half-blood, therefore he can act as pure-blood as he wanted to. It was also probably due to the fact that he was a Muggle. We know that Voldemort shed his name because it was his father's, a Muggle's, name. Perhaps Voldemort's murder of his father was the first of his Muggle hating.

I like the idea of his physical change displaying how deeply into magic he had delved....