Okay, people really do need to learn that fandom wikia has done a mistake about the Wolfsbane potion that completely changes the interpretation of Lupin’s negligence in PoA.

Fandom wikia says that Lupin has to take Wolfsbane every day during the week preceding the full moon. It’s bullshit. I’ll show you why:

—> Wolfsbane has to be drunk in sufficient amounts.

—> You don’t have to take the potion on a rigid 7 days schedule, seeing as Lupin days he might need probably more the next day.

—> Notice Lupin says "as long as I take it "in" the week preceding the full moon, and not "during" the week, proving again you only need to take it once for the Wolfsbane to work.

Final fact? Nowhere is it said in the books that Lupin has to take it seven days in a row, and all the evidence that we get rather points to the contrary, for the objective eye.

TLDR: Lupin only has to drink Wolfsbane at least once in the week preceding the full moon, in sufficient amounts.

When he transformed at the end of the year in PoA, he had neglected drinking the Wolfsbane for seven days already. The night he was supposed to take it, he was reading the Map in his office, instead of moving his ass to go fetch it. It had to be Snape—again—to bring him his own medication like a servant. That’s why Lupin is so at fault in PoA.

James' targets

If James Potter really had a problem with Death Eaters and 'Dark Magic', he would have gone after Mulciber and/or Avery as well.

Instead, he purposely targets someone who is in a lower power dynamic and can’t always fight back.

We know James attacked/hexed others because he could, but we don't get any more information other than the attack with an illegal spell of Bertram Aubrey.

Severus roomed with those with a deeper footing in the DE fold than he did - why didn't James target them instead?

None of this 'he always hated the dark arts' rubbish. If he always hated the dark arts, why didn't they attack those who actually used the dark arts or those with proper DE connections? People would have known of some of their desire to become one - Lily brings that up with Severus, so it mustn't have been much of a secret.

Their hatred for Severus was petty and misplaced. All because a young Severus desired to go to Slytherin.

James could have publically outed Severus during SWM for wanting to become a Death Eater and/or use dark magic. But he didn't.

Except for 'he exists'.

James' hatred for dark magic isn't even a viable excuse.

There's this part of me that's thinks, hmmmmm we don't have enough in canon to know James didn't also target Mulciber and Avery.

Then there's this other part of me that's thinking, what is it we do know? Well...

My take away from this? James is a coward, and Snape doesn't target people the way James does. Which makes me think that James did target Snape and not Mulciber or Avery, and he did it because he didn't expect Snape to cause him any real harm, as opposed to the other two, who he was probably scared of. So yeah, it wasn't really about hating the dark arts, but about an easy target.

Cause the other thing we know about James is that he's a bully and his own friends are afraid of standing up to him. Bullies are often good at sensing vulnerabilities, it's how they target their victims. So it makes sense that James, a bully, would target Snape, a lonely kid from an impoverished, abusive home. Because yeah, it was never about dark arts, it was about bullying.

I agree with both.

Canonically, we don't know if James Potter's bully was also targeting Slytherins, what we do know is that he had a predilection and visceral hostility toward our Severus.

I don't think it was for Lily at first, because it is clear from his memoirs that this feeling arose from the beginning when they were 11 years old respectively.

I think James, as you two pointed out, was the classic bully who recognizes the most "sensitive" and "inoffensive" prey.

It was always his favorite fun because Severus was a broken boy and he knew it.

What a good guy, huh?

There are still people who defend him.

Of course with time this attitude increased because he was friends with his love interest.

Only in the last two years Severus could be more relaxed because Potter had to make a good impression with Lily.

At the same time he must have been heartbroken because Lily was dating the boy who had bullied him mercilessly for years.

And then we wonder why he went the way of Voldemort?

video description: an ao3 tutorial on tiktok, narrated by a female voice. This is in answer to a comment saying, "Is there a way to find a fic with a characters name in which they are the central focus and not just a tag mention?"

The screen shows the tag search results for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"It can be really difficult when the character you're looking for is always tagged in fics and also barely in those fics. This is sometimes referred to as the Bruce Banner Problem."

The narrator opens up filters and says that first she is going to use an Include filter for Bruce Banner as a character. This will guarantee that he is tagged in the fics.

The character names that are automatically populated in the Include/Exclude filters are the top 10 most popular characters. If the character you are looking for is not listed, you can type their name in the box labelled Other tags to include and choose them from the dropdown.

"To increase my chances that he actually shows up in the story in a significant way, I'm going to come down to Search within results."

The narrator then types

summary: bruce

into the text field box. She says that doing this will combine with the character to tag to result in fics where Bruce Banner is tagged as a character and also his name appears in the summary.

After filtering, she shows that the number of works has decreased from nearly 58,000 to just over 8,000. There will still be instances where he's not a major character, but the chances have significantly improved.

A commenter on the tiktok pointed out that they do an OR search on the summary to also allow for his last name being used.

summary: bruce OR summary: banner

Another commenter stated that it's also worthwhile to check if there is a character-centric additional tag that you could search for as well.

Very Brief Guide to [tumblr], for Reddit refugees

Shit You Must Do Right Fucking Now:

Basic Features of the Site:

Stuff Tumblr Does That Other Sites Don't:

General Etiquette:

Tips:

Have fun on [tumblr], everyone!

So is anyone gonna write the villian/hero au Tumblr and Reddit fic of being enemies who hate each other for years but the moment Reddit shows up at their doorstep spitting blood it's all "get inside" and "Who Did This To You"

I can't help adoring the words that Evanna Lynch wrote about the sight of Alan Rickman, still in his Snape costume, surrounded by children at luch time.

So I draw a scene of Severus Snape surrounded by students and their questions.

“and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them,”

rereading the books for the snape scenes

As the second book in the series, Chamber of Secrets further develops the wizarding world we were introduced to in Philosopher’s Stone. Harry and the reader are able to explore a number of new locations, including the Burrow, Knockturn Alley, the offices of Dumbledore, Snape, Lockhart, and Filch, the Slytherin common room, and the titular Chamber of Secrets. As the world expands, setting plays a increasingly important role in characterization.

In the opening chapters of Chamber of Secrets, we meet the overworked, kindly, eccentric, and loving Mr. Weasley at the busy, humble, eclectic, and well-loved Burrow. We encounter the malevolent Mr. Malfoy and his blood supremacist views in a sinister shop full of powerful and dangerous dark relics from another era. We are first introduced to the flashy and frivolous Gilderoy Lockhart at Flourish and Blotts, selling and signing his books while posing for the camera, rather than at Hogwarts as a professor.

So what hints does setting give us about Snape upon his re-introduction? First, Snape is introduced in absentia; it is his absence from the setting that draws Harry’s attention first. Introducing the enigmatic Snape by adding yet another mystery—albeit the small and quickly resolved one of his location—reminds the reader of the larger mysteries we have left to crack. After the events of Philosopher’s Stone, we’ve been left with more questions than answers; it’s what we don’t know about Snape—what we can’t see—that captures our fascination.

Furthermore, we are reminded that Snape is not quite like the rest of the staff, enjoying themselves in the warm and glittering Great Hall. Instead, Snape stands apart and alone in the night…right behind Harry and Ron as they gleefully speak ill of him. As well as being a satisfyingly dramatic entrance, his appearance trains us readers to note that although Snape may not be where Harry expects him, he’s always exactly where he needs to be.

Snape, eager to have the boys answer for their misdeeds, directs them to follow him to his office, and the journey is revealing:

Snape knows all about passing by the comforts and pleasures of life while attempting to answer for his mistakes. Snape’s path to atonement is narrow—he has little room for deviation or error—and it is as hard and unforgiving as stone. It will require Snape to once again descend into the depths, and operate in a darkness and coldness that makes our protagonists shiver.

Like the man, nothing about the office is clear or bright. Snape literally works in the shadows.

The preserved ingredients lining the walls points to a meticulous, painstaking, and dedicated nature—the effort in collecting and preserving these potions ingredients is probably not trivial, and this collection seems to be actively maintained (Harry notes he has acquired more when he revisits the office in Order. Love that our man has a hobby). It also speaks to a genuine academic interest in his subject. Whatever Harry may believe about Snape wanting the DADA job, it’s not due to a dislike of Potions. Speaking of DADA, let’s take a second to compare his walls to Lockhart’s:

These two are such perfect foils. Lockhart chooses to display his unearned looks and celebrity status, and nothing about his subject; Snape chooses to display the practical results of hard work, skill, and knowledge in his subject. Lockhart loves himself and is more than happy to be reminded of himself constantly, and Snape, though prideful, is not self-centered, and being reminded of himself and his past constantly is a hell he would rather avoid.

Finally, returning to Snape’s office:

The fireplace, usually a central feature in an office, is “dark and empty”, descriptors often used for Snape’s eyes. These two go hand in hand, and prompts the reader to ask the same questions that are raised by his inscrutable stare: what happened to this man? What has led him to reject any and all comfort, and what drives him to exist in this punishing state? Over the next five books, we will learn that he is not, in fact, entirely cold and empty, but that his comfort and drive are fiercely protected secrets and contained entirely within his closely guarded mind.

This is a great analysis.

One of (if not my top) favourite Snape moments is when he sidles up behind Harry and Ron, along with the ensuing telling off they receive.

Everyone else is carrying on as though nothing is amiss, but where is Snape? Out looking for Harry of course.

From Harry’s perspective this seems like Snape has it out for him, which he does in a way and he is certainly not nice about it, but I always read this from a parental perspective. This is just such a dad trope; catching the kids sneaking in late. And tbf they had stolen a car! Like imagine any parent’s reaction to their kid going on a joy ride (👀 Molly).

Anyway I’ve said this all before…

There is something so amazing about receiving an email informing you that someone has left a comment on your fanfic. It’s like, “Brain Secretary cancel my next appointment, I need to read this at least ten times and bask in the feelings of validation.”

so much truth

I LOVE being alive so I can be mediocre at SO many different hobbies

Lesbian cowboys anyone?

Most of us point to Snape’s snapping at Phineas Nigellus Black as evidence that he rejects his past anti-muggle prejudice, but I believe there is other (though less explicit) evidence as well.

He values logic, a very muggle skill. His protection of the philosopher’s stone is almost an homage to his half-blood status—rooted in logic, but accompanied by an array of potions and poisons. Hermione points out that this task might stump some of the greatest wizards; the security of the task rests on the presumption that wizards who reject muggle culture will struggle.

He keeps his muggle house in a muggle slum, and he doesn’t hide his origins. He forces DE supremacists who want to see him to meet him where he is.

He is an equal opportunity asshole; he never targets anyone for their parentage (well, except Harry… but that has nothing to do with blood status). In fact, he actually recognizes Hermione’s skills, as I’m assuming it is her he is mainly referring to when he says that Harry has survived due to luck and “more talented friends”. He grades her fairly, as she always gets the highest marks, and he even rates her above Draco (as so rankles Lucius in Chamber).

Finally, he builds and maintains a friendship with Charity Burbage, muggle-studies professor, who ends up being targeted by Voldemort for her pro-muggle education and activism.

All in all, although Snape was likely prejudiced in his youth, to say that he dies a blood supremacist is, I believe, ignoring several explicit and implicit signs that he changed.

Snape has every reason to suspect Lupin in PoA

Every so often, I'm reminded of the sheer number of fans who, upon re-reading PoA, cannot or will not attempt to understand Snape's perspective. They see his animosity towards Lupin as "pettiness", "prejudice", and "bitterness", and while of course he harbors all of the above to varying degrees, that's not the main driver of his behavior towards Lupin throughout the book? And his attitude, which is primarily one of suspicion, is anything but unwarranted.

Snape and Lupin's fraught history sometimes obscures the fact that in PoA, Snape also strongly believes Lupin is plotting with his old friend, the traitor and escaped mass murderer Sirius Black, to kill Harry. Snape says this explicitly, yet many fans seem to forget this when they interpret his behavior, instead painting Snape as irrational, unreasonable, or even maliciously spreading a lie about Sirius and Lupin so as to ensure their imprisonment. But you know what? He's got some pretty solid reasons to believe what he does.

Let’s follow his thinking here:

1. Sirius is a dangerous criminal who is headed to Hogwarts to kill Harry. Lupin, who will now also be at Hogwarts, may help his old friend target Harry.

Sirius Black–traitor to the Order, the Potters, and (oh yeah) a mass murderer–has broken out of prison for the purpose of killing Harry Potter. Everyone from the Minister to Dumbledore to Mr. Weasley is convinced of this. Snape, who never knew the identity of the mole in the Order, and who has his own history of being targeted by Sirius, has no reason to doubt this.

From Snape's perspective, it seems likely that Sirius will attempt to re-establish contact with his old friend, now in a position of authority at Hogwarts, to plan his attack on Potter. Lupin has never stopped Sirius from attacking before, why would he start now?

Snape warns Dumbledore about the possibility of Lupin helping Sirius get into the castle prior to the start of term.

2. Lupin attempts to gain Harry’s trust.

Lupin tries hard (a bit too hard?) to portray himself as a cool, approachable teacher. Snape seethes over Lupin’s attempts to butter up the Gryffindors at his expense; not only is it a severe reminder of his past bullying, but Snape could also see this as a machination on Lupin’s part to appeal to Potter. This approach would have worked with James, and Snape is convinced that Harry is just like him.

Then, Snape walks in on a private meeting between Lupin and Harry, taking place while all the other students are away. Lupin quickly (and obviously, to a spy and legilimens) changes the subject upon Snape’s arrival. Snape is suspicious; what is he up to? From Snape’s perspective, Lupin might be manipulating Harry, perhaps laying the groundwork to lure him into Sirius’s hands.

Furthermore, Lupin has a lax attitude about taking the potion. He won’t take it in front of Snape… would he perhaps "forget" to take it entirely? Is Lupin engineering a situation that will endanger Harry? Maybe Sirius intends to use his friend to kill the young student. Wouldn’t be the first time, would it?

Snape warily watches Lupin the rest of the night.

3. Only a few months into Lupin’s tenure, Sirius is able to evade security measures and get into the castle.

Is it a coincidence that this was the same day Lupin was paying special attention to Harry, and on a night very near a full moon? Snape thinks not, and reminds Dumbledore of the warning he gave him prior to the start of term. In Snape's mind, it's clear he was right to be concerned. When Dumbledore shuts his suspicions down, Snape knows that he must take matters into his own hands.

4. Lupin both passively and actively undermines security over the next few months. During this time, Black breaks into the castle a second time.

To Snape, Lupin’s avoidance of werewolves in class may indicate not simply self-preservation, but nefarious intentions. If Lupin were tasked with delivering Harry to Sirius, he wouldn’t want to jeopardize Harry’s trust by revealing his lycanthropy. And if the plot involved Lupin’s werewolf form, Lupin would need Harry to be ignorant so that he would be easy prey. Snape takes over teaching DADA for one lesson, intending to arm Harry (or his more talented friends, who can help look out for him) with knowledge of werewolves. His assignment on recognizing and killing werewolves reflects his suspicions and his high level of concern about the danger Lupin poses. He is not simply trolling Lupin here; Snape asked for the essays to be handed in to him, not to Lupin. Lupin’s cancellation of the assignment would serve only to further cement Snape's belief that Lupin is attempting to undermine student safety.

After a second breach of Hogwarts security and another failed attempt on Harry's life by Black, Harry is caught sneaking outside the castle on a Hogsmeade weekend. Snape is upset with Harry’s arrogance in playing fast and loose with his life, particularly in the present climate. When he interrogates him, he discovers the Marauders Map. As the parchment begins taunting him with familiar nicknames, the subject of his attention shifts from Harry to Lupin. He snaps into investigative mode--this might not just be Potter being an arrogant dunderhead, but another attempt by Lupin and Black to get Harry out of the castle. Furthermore, he was found right outside the Shrieking Shack, where Lupin and Sirius once almost killed another student. To Snape, the picture is coming together. When he confronts Lupin, Lupin flat-out lies to him and takes the suspicious parchment out of his possession. Lupin is undermining the protections around Harry and is working against Snape’s efforts to keep Harry safe, assuring Snape that he is guilty.

5. The grand plan finally comes to fruition. Snape, in the course of taking wolfsbane to Lupin after he has forgotten to take it, sees Lupin headed for the Shrieking Shack on the map Lupin supposedly knew nothing about. Snape now believes that Lupin has intentionally avoided taking the potion and that the plot he suspected was being hatched is now coming to fruition. It’s go time.

With an understanding of Snape's perspective headed into the Shrieking Shack scene, the question becomes: why should Snape listen to Lupin’s protests and hear him out in the shack instead of taking control of the situation and delivering these obvious criminals to justice? We understand his desire to head off, intimidate, threaten and thwart Quirrell in the Philosopher's Stone, so why, when he acts similarly towards Lupin, is it suddenly unreasonable? To Snape, what’s the difference between Lupin's protests in the shack and Quirrell’s in the forbidden forest two years previously?

At this point, Snape is assured Lupin is guilty, is frustrated with being brushed off this entire year, is faced with his bullies at the site of a huge trauma for him, is seemingly facing the exact same situation, and has just heard his tormentors discuss the event with absolutely no remorse. All that, of course, on top of the fact that he wholeheartedly believes Sirius was the mole in the Order and that Sirius is, at this point, the only other person he can blame for Lily’s death. Snape is extremely emotional and on edge during this confrontation--he lashes out, shrieks, snarls, calls Hermione stupid, and in general doesn't do himself any favors in the getting people to believe him department. But the belief he holds, that Lupin and Sirius are dangerous to Harry and the kids, is genuinely held and more than reasonable, given the information he is working with.

men have those slutty veins in their hands and expect you not to lose a lil focus

the bravest thing a girl can do is read a shit analysis of their favourite character and simply keep scrolling

“average internet user posts about the Ides of March 3 times a year" factoid actually just statistical error. Average internet user posts about the Ides of March 0 times per year. Tumblr Georg, who has made of the day a national holiday & makes over 10,000 posts about it each March, is an outlier and should not have been counted