On the sex appeal of literary crushes (more or less)

[donnaimmaculata]

Last week, it took my fancy to read Lucy Maud Montgomery's "Emily" series. I've never really been into the series as a child and have never owned and read the first book, so I hunted it down on the Internet. And then I met Dean Priest.

She heard him say, "My God!" softly to himself. [...] "How can I help you?" said Dean Priest hoarsely, as if to

Comments

[donnaimmaculata]

I read Snape/Harry rather frequently, simply because there are many fics that are really excellently written, but this is not a pairing that appeals to me from the outset. While for Snape and Black I see the potential in the novels, as I do for Sirius and Remus, I have to be convinced about each individual Severus/Harry fic anew. An additional difficulty is that Severus/Harry usually has to be set in future to make Harry of age (unless it's an abuse fic), and I generally prefer stories that are set within the narrative presence or merely a little later. (Well, this will be no problem when the next two novels are out.) But I will always see Harry as Severus' (former) student and some 20 years younger, and this is something I do find slightly disturbing, on a very instinctive level.

[prillalar]

I recently re-read Emily and had much the same reaction. And was sad because I liked Dean very much apart from that and his pathological jealousy. I found him kind of Remus-y, actually.

[donnaimmaculata]

*admires your icon* Stable boy! *snerk*

It's so sad. I could love Dean madly, but his obsession with Emily is disturbing, as is his jealousy. But he is very Remus-y indeed. That was the first thing I thought on reading his description.

[arachnethe2]

My resons for writing Snack are rather pragmatic: Snarry has been done already to death. Everyone writes it, so I'm writing what few people do. But that's only the reason number one. The reason number one-A is that after OotP I fell in love with Sirius. The reason number three-B is that Snack is about two equals with a very complicated interaction, which is a challenge to write. I love challenges.

I like Snarry. To read them was my portal to the fandom. I even wrote one myself. But I'm taking them always with a salt of grain, because mostly I can these stories only as thus: a fiction , especially when they are build around the student/teacher relationship. And I'm still waiting for the story, where Dumbledore finds out and kicks Snape out of Hogwards.

[donnaimmaculata]

Heh! It's nice to see someone fell in love with Sirius after OotP! I was a bit put off by fandom's reaction to OotP Sirius, because personally, I didn't think he was quite as deranged as he was made out to be - and as he had the right to be, after all that happened.

Snack is about two equals with a very complicated interaction, which is a challenge to write.

Yes, this is so very true. This is what appeals to me about Snape/Black and why I prefer it to Sirius/Remus (whose relation is also complicated, but who've got their old friendship to fall upon). And I am a sucker for fights for dominance among equals.

a fiction , especially when they are build around the student/teacher relationship.

Intelectually, I know it's only fiction. (I do, honestly! They're not real!) But, as I said, I tend to relate to characters I love on a very personal level, and my gut reaction to a student/teacher relationship is irritation. The Snape/Harry dynamics as such appeals to me a lot, but I can't fully reconcile myself to their relationship.

And I'm

[caesia390]

just a note in defense of snarry........

as a snarry addict, i still take most fics with a grain of salt... harry's characterization is usually aged up considerably, in maturity if not in physical age. it's a rare fic that preserves the animosity of their canon relationship while successfully extrapolating several years into the future, so i understand how that pairing could seem 'off' to you, as the vast majority of them require some suspension of disbelief.

but when it does work.... >:} I find that, emotionally, the two are equals. Severus is emotionally stunted. Harry could grow up to be a more understanding, less self-centered person. Moreover, in canon, I read their relationship as overflowing with sexual tension. Harry never seems to respect Severus as a teacher, just as Severus never treats Harry as just another student - their relationship is far, far more complex than that, and what we see in the 5th book is them taking the first grudging steps toward understanding and respecting each other as individuals. It will be a long

[arachnethe2]

As for Snack........ I'd believe it, but it's so unhappy!!! More like mutual rape. ;_; And if it were to be happy... I just don't think I'd buy it. They hate each other. Vs Snape and Harry, who each hate what the other represents, but, as we've begun to see, could respect and even like each other as people.You know, Harry and Draco are hating each other as well and look what the fandom made of it. :) Now you might say: But Harry never send Draco to the Shrieking Shack, or vice versa. Right, but Draco could send Harry to Voldemort or rescue him from Voldemort as well. I mean, regardless what you are writing, in the very end it depends onto the story background. A happy Snack has, for example, no chance in time of OotP. The guys there are simply too fucked up for it and the happenings of PoA are still hanging heavily in the air. And the exceptions like An Ass of Himself are confirming the rule. Myself I don't like these mutual rape stories and neither the picture Bed of Nails from fielding. But these, as far I'm willing to admit, weren'

[donnaimmaculata]

While I can't see Severus and Sirius ending up happily together in the OotP context, I can definitely see them being on the same level at last: At school Sirius used to be in a stronger position, and I absolutely can't accept any Snape/Black (apart from rape) set in the MWPP era. Then Sirius was in no position at all, because being in Azkaban was like being dead, really. In the narrative presence, however, they are equally fucked up and equally constricted by circumstances. (What a good and stable basis for a happy love affair...) - You see, the matter of power being balanced is indeed very important for me.

that in the next books Sirius and Severus will come to a sort of grudging acceptance.I definitely saw the possibility, too. While I like the mutual hate, I think it is possible to make them come to an understanding of sorts about some things. In a way, their grudge parallels the development (or lack thereof) of Draco's character. When it was introduced, it had a lot of potential, which Rowling simply neglects. Fortunately, this

[donnaimmaculata]

You know, the Snape/Harry dynamics as such appeals to me a lot, what with the tension and the aggression and all. But my gut reaction is irritation. I do read a lot of Snarry fics and I enjoy many, but never completely. The knowledge that Harry has been Snape's student and that he is some 20 years younger always puts me off. It's not a rational reaction, and I know that I should ignore it (Hey, it's only fiction, and I know that, I really do! Honestly!), but I can't. It's just not my cup of tea - I prefer reading about relationships among peers.

Snarry was only an example. I've got the same problem with Harry/Remus and Harry/Sirius. I would have the same problem if a friend of mine got himself a 17-years-old girlfriend. I might like her and understand what he finds so appealing about her after I got to learn her, but on first hearing the news, I would be irritated at the very least.

Vs Snape and Harry, who each hate what the other represents, but, as we've begun to see, could respect and even like each other as people.That's

[laurelwood]

For some reason, Dean picking out a schoolgirl potential bride didn't bother me. I suppose if he'd been creepy about it, it would have, but I found myself able to justify his preference for a 12-year-old. Besides that kindred spirit stuff over things like cloud-watching and poetry, it was the fact that Emily immediately accepted him (over and above his role of savior on the cliff and all that) as a friend- something I'm sure he wasn't used to, given that Blair Water inhabitants seemed disposed to looking askance at Priests in general, and a hunchbacked academic Priest in particular. (My fervent apologies for that wretched sentence structure

[donnaimmaculata]

Ah, I was thinking of you when I wrote about Dean :-) Glad to hear your view on his interaction with Emily.

Besides that kindred spirit stuff over things like cloud-watching and poetry, it was the fact that Emily immediately accepted him

I can't say I found Dean exactly creepy - not until he started being blatantly territorial and obsessive and jealous - because his relationship to Emily was never sexual when she was a young girl. But I don't understand the concept of devoting one's entire life to waiting for someone. Dean, a grown-up man with a considerable life experience, dedicates himself to waiting for a girl whose father he used to be friends with at college. This is something I find very off-putting. It is therefore not so much the concept of being attracted to a minor (something I can understand) but the fact that his life's pursuits are now revolving around this little girl