Enter the Snapedom: My Story

#1 · March 13, 2024, 2:51 am

Quote from Artichoke Spectre on March 13, 2024, 2:51 am
When I first decided to dust off my copies of the Harry Potter series, which had been sitting in my room for over a decade waiting to be read, I was surprised to find such an immersive and exciting story that I, at nineteen years old, found enthralling with each new chapter. Once embarrassed at the Potter Mania that surrounded my (rich, sheltered) community growing up, I found myself, technically an adult, entirely obsessed. I watched and rewatched the movies, scene by scene. I wrote essays mentioning the books and annotated my physical copies with each type of sticky note in the house (yellow for generally entertaining, pink for important scenes, blue for Marauders-oriented scenes). I was dumbfounded. How could this thing, which I criticized and refused to read for so long, have such an effect on me?

What I found particularly embarrassing at first when reading through the books for the first time was my fascination with Severus Snape, the brooding potions master giving our protagonist a hard time at every turn. My favorite chapters weren't those with Fred and George, with Harry playing Quidditch, or with exciting spells being introduced, like I assumed others' would be; I love "Occlumency," "The Egg and the Eye," "Snape's Worst Memory," and, obviously, "The Prince's Tale." I have read the latter too many times to count. I could recite most of the dialogue in my head, and aloud if any neighboring crazy person would ever want to listen. When I turned to the internet, I found many other fans of the Half-Blood Prince and all his eccentricities. Thousands, even. Writers, artists, musicians, and general enthusiasts all had their eyes on Snape...and after all this time since the books came out? (Always.)

My interest for the series (and Snape) grew when I dove deep into sites like Tumblr and stumbled upon users like ArtemisiaBlack and AshesandHackles, who examine Potter from a more academic, analytical perspective. Their approach with Snape got me extremely excited as they attempted to understand how Snape and the Marauders acted and why. For once, I saw the book series as more than serialized entertainment; the world was full of fleshed-out characters whose backgrounds, experiences, and interests influenced their behaviors, vices, and dispositions. For the next year I followed other users, explored other forums, and bookmarked published literary papers (which I have yet to read, rip). Topics from Snape's relationships with female characters, his dialect and skin color, and determining the structure of his character arc (and whether it is positive or negative) reignited my love for literature. Two years deep into college as an English major, simply going through the motions, and I finally understood the value of deep analysis, writing with love and with detail, and, most importantly, the effect a community of passionate members has on artistic output, analysis, and appreciation.

I liked Snape since first reading Philosopher's Stone, and I fall in love with his character every time I revisit my favorite chapters and watch the films again. In a sense, my (once unhealthy) obsession with the greasy-haired potions master opened my eyes to the value of children's literature and film, and the possibility for a team of artists to make every detail count.

All this to say that, because I judged a book by its cover, I deprived myself of the series and its community for much of my childhood. Though I am no longer active on sites like Tumblr and prefer to use more of my time in the fandom writing fanfiction (then forgetting about it for three months...then starting again) and finding new analyses of Snape and surrounding characters, I am grateful for my pleasant fandom experience while it lasted. In such a widespread fandom with ongoing Snape vs Marauders wars and endless slander in very focused echo-chambers (unlike this website), I am lucky to have had such a great time and followed the right people. I am grateful to have experienced a renewed love for the craft of writing; to unravel characters and use their emotions and inhibitions to interpret my own; to have explored, particularly with Snape, the art of tragedy, and exploring romance as a genre for the first time (which was particularly serendipitous, because my first serious relationship came soon after); to have seen the value of fandom and online communities (when they're good) and find a new confidence in writing and sharing my writing with others. Like Snape, and like the books themselves, things are much more complex and multi-dimensional than they first appear.

This is supposed to be an introduction, so I will conclude with the basics. Hello, my name is Quincey. I am an English major reigniting my passion for writing. I love the colors pink and green (think Alex Fierro), I love chocolate, and I love Harry Potter. I'm so excited to continue my fandom and writing journey through such a cool site to welcome avid fans like me. Hello, everyone!

When I first decided to dust off my copies of the Harry Potter series, which had been sitting in my room for over a decade waiting to be read, I was surprised to find such an immersive and exciting story that I, at nineteen years old, found enthralling with each new chapter. Once embarrassed at the Potter Mania that surrounded my (rich, sheltered) community growing up, I found myself, technically an adult, entirely obsessed. I watched and rewatched the movies, scene by scene. I wrote essays mentioning the books and annotated my physical copies with each type of sticky note in the house (yellow for generally entertaining, pink for important scenes, blue for Marauders-oriented scenes). I was dumbfounded. How could this thing, which I criticized and refused to read for so long, have such an effect on me?

What I found particularly embarrassing at first when reading through the books for the first time was my fascination with Severus Snape, the brooding potions master giving our protagonist a hard time at every turn. My favorite chapters weren't those with Fred and George, with Harry playing Quidditch, or with exciting spells being introduced, like I assumed others' would be; I love "Occlumency," "The Egg and the Eye," "Snape's Worst Memory," and, obviously, "The Prince's Tale." I have read the latter too many times to count. I could recite most of the dialogue in my head, and aloud if any neighboring crazy person would ever want to listen. When I turned to the internet, I found many other fans of the Half-Blood Prince and all his eccentricities. Thousands, even. Writers, artists, musicians, and general enthusiasts all had their eyes on Snape...and after all this time since the books came out? (Always.)

My interest for the series (and Snape) grew when I dove deep into sites like Tumblr and stumbled upon users like ArtemisiaBlack and AshesandHackles, who examine Potter from a more academic, analytical perspective. Their approach with Snape got me extremely excited as they attempted to understand how Snape and the Marauders acted and why. For once, I saw the book series as more than serialized entertainment; the world was full of fleshed-out characters whose backgrounds, experiences, and interests influenced their behaviors, vices, and dispositions. For the next year I followed other users, explored other forums, and bookmarked published literary papers (which I have yet to read, rip). Topics from Snape's relationships with female characters, his dialect and skin color, and determining the structure of his character arc (and whether it is positive or negative) reignited my love for literature. Two years deep into college as an English major, simply going through the motions, and I finally understood the value of deep analysis, writing with love and with detail, and, most importantly, the effect a community of passionate members has on artistic output, analysis, and appreciation.

I liked Snape since first reading Philosopher's Stone, and I fall in love with his character every time I revisit my favorite chapters and watch the films again. In a sense, my (once unhealthy) obsession with the greasy-haired potions master opened my eyes to the value of children's literature and film, and the possibility for a team of artists to make every detail count.

All this to say that, because I judged a book by its cover, I deprived myself of the series and its community for much of my childhood. Though I am no longer active on sites like Tumblr and prefer to use more of my time in the fandom writing fanfiction (then forgetting about it for three months...then starting again) and finding new analyses of Snape and surrounding characters, I am grateful for my pleasant fandom experience while it lasted. In such a widespread fandom with ongoing Snape vs Marauders wars and endless slander in very focused echo-chambers (unlike this website), I am lucky to have had such a great time and followed the right people. I am grateful to have experienced a renewed love for the craft of writing; to unravel characters and use their emotions and inhibitions to interpret my own; to have explored, particularly with Snape, the art of tragedy, and exploring romance as a genre for the first time (which was particularly serendipitous, because my first serious relationship came soon after); to have seen the value of fandom and online communities (when they're good) and find a new confidence in writing and sharing my writing with others. Like Snape, and like the books themselves, things are much more complex and multi-dimensional than they first appear.

This is supposed to be an introduction, so I will conclude with the basics. Hello, my name is Quincey. I am an English major reigniting my passion for writing. I love the colors pink and green (think Alex Fierro), I love chocolate, and I love Harry Potter. I'm so excited to continue my fandom and writing journey through such a cool site to welcome avid fans like me. Hello, everyone!

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#2 · March 13, 2024, 3:05 am

Welcome into the fold @artichokespectre. We are pleased to have you among us and I'm sure you'll enjoy your time here.

I loved your introduction, about finding love for Snape and I'm sure most if not all of us felt such way similarly while going through our own reading of Harry Potter books and developing understanding of Severus Snape.

Please be sure to check out this awesome New Member Welcome Guide which contains all the useful information and links for our new members.

If you haven't done so already, kindly do take the time and read through the rules.

Since you said you enjoy writing, check out Writing challenges. It's a good exercise and fun activity.

If you do decide to publish your writing, and I'm sure everyone would love to read it, do share it in our Story Archive.

We'd love to know more about you, why not share your Wand and Patronus with us as well?

Anything you wanna ask pertaining to the website and other stuff, you can ask by PM our Professors and Headmistress or by making a post on this thread itself, we'd love to help you out.

The Gestalt Prince, Robaku90 and 2 other users have reacted to this post.

#3 · March 13, 2024, 4:47 am

Quote from Robaku90 on March 13, 2024, 4:47 am

Quote from Artichoke Spectre on March 13, 2024, 2:51 am

When I first decided to dust off my copies of the Harry Potter series, which had been sitting in my room for over a decade waiting to be read, I was surprised to find such an immersive and exciting story that I, at nineteen years old, found enthralling with each new chapter. Once embarrassed at the Potter Mania that surrounded my (rich, sheltered) community growing up, I found myself, technically an adult, entirely obsessed. I watched and rewatched the movies, scene by scene. I wrote essays mentioning the books and annotated my physical copies with each type of sticky note in the house (yellow for generally entertaining, pink for important scenes, blue for Marauders-oriented scenes). I was dumbfounded. How could this thing, which I criticized and refused to read for so long, have such an effect on me?

What I found particularly embarrassing at first when reading through the books for the first time was my fascination with Severus Snape, the brooding potions master giving our protagonist a hard time at every turn. My favorite chapters weren't those with Fred and George, with Harry playing Quidditch, or with exciting spells being introduced, like I assumed others' would be; I love "Occlumency," "The Egg and the Eye," "Snape's Worst Memory," and, obviously, "The Prince's Tale." I have read the latter too many times to count. I could recite most of the dialogue in my head, and aloud if any neighboring crazy person would ever want to listen. When I turned to the internet, I found many other fans of the Half-Blood Prince and all his eccentricities. Thousands, even. Writers, artists, musicians, and general enthusiasts all had their eyes on Snape...and after all this time since the books came out? (Always.)

My interest for the series (and Snape) grew when I dove deep into sites like Tumblr and stumbled upon users like ArtemisiaBlack and AshesandHackles, who examine Potter from a more academic, analytical perspective. Their approach with Snape got me extremely excited as they attempted to understand how Snape and the Marauders acted and why. For once, I saw the book series as more than serialized entertainment; the world was full of fleshed-out characters whose backgrounds, experiences, and interests influenced their behaviors, vices, and dispositions. For the next year I followed other users, explored other forums, and bookmarked published literary papers (which I have yet to read, rip). Topics from Snape's relationships with female characters, his dialect and skin color, and determining the structure of his character arc (and whether it is positive or negative) reignited my love for literature. Two years deep into college as an English major, simply going through the motions, and I finally understood the value of deep analysis, writing with love and with detail, and, most importantly, the effect a community of passionate members has on artistic output, analysis, and appreciation.

I liked Snape since first reading Philosopher's Stone, and I fall in love with his character every time I revisit my favorite chapters and watch the films again. In a sense, my (once unhealthy) obsession with the greasy-haired potions master opened my eyes to the value of children's literature and film, and the possibility for a team of artists to make every detail count.

All this to say that, because I judged a book by its cover, I deprived myself of the series and its community for much of my childhood. Though I am no longer active on sites like Tumblr and prefer to use more of my time in the fandom writing fanfiction (then forgetting about it for three months...then starting again) and finding new analyses of Snape and surrounding characters, I am grateful for my pleasant fandom experience while it lasted. In such a widespread fandom with ongoing Snape vs Marauders wars and endless slander in very focused echo-chambers (unlike this website), I am lucky to have had such a great time and followed the right people. I am grateful to have experienced a renewed love for the craft of writing; to unravel characters and use their emotions and inhibitions to interpret my own; to have explored, particularly with Snape, the art of tragedy, and exploring romance as a genre for the first time (which was particularly serendipitous, because my first serious relationship came soon after); to have seen the value of fandom and online communities (when they're good) and find a new confidence in writing and sharing my writing with others. Like Snape, and like the books themselves, things are much more complex and multi-dimensional than they first appear.

This is supposed to be an introduction, so I will conclude with the basics. Hello, my name is Quincey. I am an English major reigniting my passion for writing. I love the colors pink and green (think Alex Fierro), I love chocolate, and I love Harry Potter. I'm so excited to continue my fandom and writing journey through such a cool site to welcome avid fans like me. Hello, everyone!

Nice to meet another philologist here!

You put it all nicely. I also caught Snape's disease late in life. And I went to see the first Harry Potter movie as a 10-year-old from a school that no longer exists, to a cinema that had been closed a long time ago. I think older people will understand Snape better than very young people. Then his character reads completely differently.

All the best and lots of inspiration for writing!

Quote from Artichoke Spectre on March 13, 2024, 2:51 am

When I first decided to dust off my copies of the Harry Potter series, which had been sitting in my room for over a decade waiting to be read, I was surprised to find such an immersive and exciting story that I, at nineteen years old, found enthralling with each new chapter. Once embarrassed at the Potter Mania that surrounded my (rich, sheltered) community growing up, I found myself, technically an adult, entirely obsessed. I watched and rewatched the movies, scene by scene. I wrote essays mentioning the books and annotated my physical copies with each type of sticky note in the house (yellow for generally entertaining, pink for important scenes, blue for Marauders-oriented scenes). I was dumbfounded. How could this thing, which I criticized and refused to read for so long, have such an effect on me?

What I found particularly embarrassing at first when reading through the books for the first time was my fascination with Severus Snape, the brooding potions master giving our protagonist a hard time at every turn. My favorite chapters weren't those with Fred and George, with Harry playing Quidditch, or with exciting spells being introduced, like I assumed others' would be; I love "Occlumency," "The Egg and the Eye," "Snape's Worst Memory," and, obviously, "The Prince's Tale." I have read the latter too many times to count. I could recite most of the dialogue in my head, and aloud if any neighboring crazy person would ever want to listen. When I turned to the internet, I found many other fans of the Half-Blood Prince and all his eccentricities. Thousands, even. Writers, artists, musicians, and general enthusiasts all had their eyes on Snape...and after all this time since the books came out? (Always.)

My interest for the series (and Snape) grew when I dove deep into sites like Tumblr and stumbled upon users like ArtemisiaBlack and AshesandHackles, who examine Potter from a more academic, analytical perspective. Their approach with Snape got me extremely excited as they attempted to understand how Snape and the Marauders acted and why. For once, I saw the book series as more than serialized entertainment; the world was full of fleshed-out characters whose backgrounds, experiences, and interests influenced their behaviors, vices, and dispositions. For the next year I followed other users, explored other forums, and bookmarked published literary papers (which I have yet to read, rip). Topics from Snape's relationships with female characters, his dialect and skin color, and determining the structure of his character arc (and whether it is positive or negative) reignited my love for literature. Two years deep into college as an English major, simply going through the motions, and I finally understood the value of deep analysis, writing with love and with detail, and, most importantly, the effect a community of passionate members has on artistic output, analysis, and appreciation.

I liked Snape since first reading Philosopher's Stone, and I fall in love with his character every time I revisit my favorite chapters and watch the films again. In a sense, my (once unhealthy) obsession with the greasy-haired potions master opened my eyes to the value of children's literature and film, and the possibility for a team of artists to make every detail count.

All this to say that, because I judged a book by its cover, I deprived myself of the series and its community for much of my childhood. Though I am no longer active on sites like Tumblr and prefer to use more of my time in the fandom writing fanfiction (then forgetting about it for three months...then starting again) and finding new analyses of Snape and surrounding characters, I am grateful for my pleasant fandom experience while it lasted. In such a widespread fandom with ongoing Snape vs Marauders wars and endless slander in very focused echo-chambers (unlike this website), I am lucky to have had such a great time and followed the right people. I am grateful to have experienced a renewed love for the craft of writing; to unravel characters and use their emotions and inhibitions to interpret my own; to have explored, particularly with Snape, the art of tragedy, and exploring romance as a genre for the first time (which was particularly serendipitous, because my first serious relationship came soon after); to have seen the value of fandom and online communities (when they're good) and find a new confidence in writing and sharing my writing with others. Like Snape, and like the books themselves, things are much more complex and multi-dimensional than they first appear.

This is supposed to be an introduction, so I will conclude with the basics. Hello, my name is Quincey. I am an English major reigniting my passion for writing. I love the colors pink and green (think Alex Fierro), I love chocolate, and I love Harry Potter. I'm so excited to continue my fandom and writing journey through such a cool site to welcome avid fans like me. Hello, everyone!

Nice to meet another philologist here!

You put it all nicely. I also caught Snape's disease late in life. And I went to see the first Harry Potter movie as a 10-year-old from a school that no longer exists, to a cinema that had been closed a long time ago. I think older people will understand Snape better than very young people. Then his character reads completely differently.

All the best and lots of inspiration for writing!

mmlf, The Gestalt Prince and 3 other users have reacted to this post.

#4 · March 13, 2024, 5:03 am

@artichokespectre

Could you share links to research articles about Snape? I'd love to read it. Please.

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#5 · March 13, 2024, 9:33 am

Welcome!

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#6 · March 13, 2024, 9:47 am

Welcome to the forum and thank you for your story! I was about the same age as you when I discovered my love for Severus but I did read the books previous to that. XD I really think it's hard for a lot of people to appreciate Severus at a younger age. ^^

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#7 · March 13, 2024, 11:30 am

Hello there. Welcome to the site. I swear it's not a cult. Ooh, English major. ~~Guess I found the next kidnapping target.~~ Ahem. Hope you enjoy your stay here. It's a lovely bunch and from all over the world. United by our love for Severus, divided by our opinions on different things. 😉

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#8 · March 26, 2024, 2:42 pm

Quote from Robaku90 on March 13, 2024, 5:03 am

@artichokespectre
Could you share links to research articles about Snape? I'd love to read it. Please.

Hello, sorry for such a late response! I hope you are still interested.

In no particular order, here are some articles I have retrieved from the deepest depths of…the first page of Google Scholar (and my college’s library page):

Nova, 2009. Severus Snape and the Concept of the Outsider: Aspects of Good and Evil in the Harry Potter Series. Severus Snape and the Concept of the Outsider : Aspects of Good and Evil in the Harry Potter Series (diva-portal.org). This essay also seems to have a very comprehensive bibliography for further reading.

Alvengren, 2018. Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape: The Different Motives of a Utilitarian and an Altruist to Keep Harry Potter Alive. FULLTEXT01.pdf (diva-portal.org).

Gustaffson, 2016. Severus Snape: The Complexity and Unconventional Heroism of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter Books. Severus Snape : The Complexity and Unconventional Heroism of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter Books (diva-portal.org)

I am yet to read these but they sound interesting:

Agustina, 2021. Why Should Students Like to Have Severus Snape as a Teacher? Why Should Students Like to Have Severus Snape as a Teacher? | Atlantis Press (atlantis-press.com)

Ostberg, 2021. The Controversy of Snape. Microsoft Word - C-Essay Emma Östberg 2020.docx (diva-portal.org)

Hall, 2018. Muggle Religious Studies: Is Snape the New Judas? https://www2.lib.ku.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/muggle-religious-studies-is-snape-new-judas/docview/2036850212/se-2?accountid=14556

I am just getting into Lorrie Kim’s work. I have her book Snape: The Definitive Analysis being delivered to my house as I am typing this! She also occasionally participates in the Swish and Flick podcast on Spotify, engaging in an episodic chapter-by-chapter analysis of the series.

Now for Tumblr posts:

AshesandHackles does some very in-depth analyses. This one [ashes and hackles (raised) on Tumblr: Reading Marauders Dynamics in SWM] and her essay on a scene from the Prince's Tale [ashes and hackles (raised) — The Hogwarts Express scene in Prince's Tale: A... (tumblr.com)] were what really made me consider character dynamics and behavioral differences. Said-Snape-Softly has a wonderful essay which won an award in the Tumblr Snape community about dialogue tags [this blog is the property of the half-blood prince — An analysis inspired by my username 🙂 There are... (tumblr.com)] and smaller analyses like this one [ said-snape-softly on Tumblr: Most of us point to Snape’s snapping at Phineas Nigellus Black as evidence that he rejects his past anti-muggle prejudice, but I...]. Shakespearean Snape contributes to an enlightening conversation comparing Sirius and Snape in another smaller post [Shakespearean Snape on Tumblr: I’m rereading OOTP right now and I find that scene between Severus and Sirius in the kitchen to be highly relevant in the...]

Hope these are insightful!

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#9 · March 26, 2024, 2:45 pm

Quote from Sam on March 13, 2024, 11:30 am

Hello there. Welcome to the site. I swear it's not a cult. Ooh, English major. ~~Guess I found the next kidnapping target.~~ Ahem. Hope you enjoy your stay here. It's a lovely bunch and from all over the world. United by our love for Severus, divided by our opinions on different things. 😉

I am very excited to be here!

Heatherlly, mmlf and 2 other users have reacted to this post.

#10 · March 26, 2024, 3:19 pm

Welcome! Great introduction. What kind of pairings do you like for Snape?

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Enter the Snapedom: My Story

Quote from Artichoke Spectre on March 13, 2024, 2:51 am

Nice to meet another philologist here!

All the best and lots of inspiration for writing!

Quote from Artichoke Spectre on March 13, 2024, 2:51 am

Nice to meet another philologist here!

All the best and lots of inspiration for writing!

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