That wasn't a hit at you particularly--if anything, yours seemed to be some of the more intelligent comments... I was really reacting to the entire tone of the conversation drifting towards the 'too bossy to be a bottom' thing. Life isn't universally like that (or it wouldn't be a truism that there are powerful men who go to prostitutes to submit because they don't ordinarily, for example). I bet there are some people who are submissive in many different aspects of their life (work, romance, sex), but I'd also think it's not necessarily that common. Snape's attitude to power is probably quite complicated. I can see aspects of submission and dominance in canon!Snape, which leaves me mentally free to write him whichever way I want to. But I always try to offer a dissenting viewpoint whenever I see general agreement on something like this where people seem to be conflating bossy/top/masculine/penetrator/dominant as if people's personalities are always the same in all contexts, because I don't think that argument deserves to stand uncontested. Sorry if any unintended offence was given. I should make it clear that Snape or anybody being top/dominant/masculine or bottom/submissive/feminine in several contexts need not be unconvincing (depends on how it's written for me). I was reacting to the general sense of 'of course tops are always dominant' and 'of course bottoms are always submissive' in this thread.
No offense taken, don't worry. :) I fully understand what you mean and agree. Snape is far too interesting and protean a character to be pigeonholed into one flat, all-encompassing category, especially one so variable as a person's sexuality and preferences therein.
Snape's relation to power (and control derived from it) interests me tremendously because it's such a frequently messy and unattainable thing for him in the books. The 'too bossy to be a bottom' argument mystifies me because his issues with control do not necessarily make bottoming an impossibility. If anything, just like in your snippet, he might direct how to proceed, or relish giving up control for once, or enjoy having sexual power or dominance over somebody and act on that. Despite reading stories that, more frequently than not, show him in the sexually dominant/topping position I relish fics where that's not quite the case. wikdsushi's Sev from the Civil War series is a great example of an interpretation of Snape where he enjoys being on the receiving end of sex but in no way has that related to being feminine or submissive in any way (although I'm fine with him being depicted that way as well just as long as the characterization makes sense to me). I can accept that he could enjoy or participate in just about nearly any action/activity so long as the author makes his actions and underlying motives (even if they're just that he enjoys it) believable.
I was really reacting to the entire tone of the conversation drifting towards the 'too bossy to be a bottom' thing. Life isn't universally like that (or it wouldn't be a truism that there are powerful men who go to prostitutes to submit because they don't ordinarily, for example). I bet there are some people who are submissive in many different aspects of their life (work, romance, sex), but I'd also think it's not necessarily that common.
Snape's attitude to power is probably quite complicated. I can see aspects of submission and dominance in canon!Snape, which leaves me mentally free to write him whichever way I want to.
But I always try to offer a dissenting viewpoint whenever I see general agreement on something like this where people seem to be conflating bossy/top/masculine/penetrator/dominant as if people's personalities are always the same in all contexts, because I don't think that argument deserves to stand uncontested.
Sorry if any unintended offence was given. I should make it clear that Snape or anybody being top/dominant/masculine or bottom/submissive/feminine in several contexts need not be unconvincing (depends on how it's written for me). I was reacting to the general sense of 'of course tops are always dominant' and 'of course bottoms are always submissive' in this thread.
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Snape's relation to power (and control derived from it) interests me tremendously because it's such a frequently messy and unattainable thing for him in the books. The 'too bossy to be a bottom' argument mystifies me because his issues with control do not necessarily make bottoming an impossibility. If anything, just like in your snippet, he might direct how to proceed, or relish giving up control for once, or enjoy having sexual power or dominance over somebody and act on that. Despite reading stories that, more frequently than not, show him in the sexually dominant/topping position I relish fics where that's not quite the case. wikdsushi's Sev from the Civil War series is a great example of an interpretation of Snape where he enjoys being on the receiving end of sex but in no way has that related to being feminine or submissive in any way (although I'm fine with him being depicted that way as well just as long as the characterization makes sense to me). I can accept that he could enjoy or participate in just about nearly any action/activity so long as the author makes his actions and underlying motives (even if they're just that he enjoys it) believable.
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