#swm;asks

[luvt0kki]

That new chapter was so effing good! I don't know why but that's exactly how I imagined how yeosang would fuck s/o. I feel so bad for wooyoung lmao but at the same time I want him to suffer more like I want him to see her fuck every single one of them until it drives him so crazy that he loses his shit and demands everyone the truth 😭

I'm so looking forward to her dynamics with hongjoong, seonghwa, jongho and especially San. You're a lil evil for teasing us with those subtle hinted smut scenes with san in chapter 3(San's sexy naked ass waiting in her bedroom)and 4. San is a mystery to me because I feel like he could be the kinkiest of them all or the most vanilla.

Mingi teasing wooyoung was so funny and hot at the same time. When he said "what if it's an invitation?" NOW WE GOTTA SEE THESE TWO HAVE A THREESOME WITH HER IN THAT DAMN SHOWER STALL. Imagine them having a competition on who can make her cum more. They gonna be doing IT for the entire night until the sun rises.

Amazing work!! Loved it loved it loved it 👏👏👏👏

The way I got so excited seeing your ask. ITS LONG AND UR TELLING ME SPECIFIC FAVE PARTS AHHHH. I love this so much. Reading this made smile 😭 that’s also my dilemma rn should I make woo get closer to hitting or…make him suffer more HAHDHDHAHAAG

All I’m gonna say is San and Y/N go way back…San is very sweet but don’t be fooled HEHE ILL STOP HERE I DONT WANT TO SPOIL

Mingi is hahaha tall scary silly cute sexy himbo. He’s going to make Wooyoung’s life hell at this point. He’s going to tease him just for fun 😭

[mrstellmeafuckingsecret]

people are so fucking weird. what james & sirius did to snape is NOT s/a. it is something most of the school was doing to each other, using a spell literally invented BY snape. plus pantsing was, and still is (at least when I was in school), a fairly popular thing to do?? like as a prank between lads??

THANK YOU oh my GOD . bullying ≠ sexual assault will now get you flamed ??? the amount of random ass shit people are saying is crazy too omg "you’re coming to me and saying that if a victim was in their abuser’s house and was naked, then you wouldn’t interpret it as sexual abuse" HOW did we get here. also omg the fact that SNAPE INVENTED THE SPELL . like that's such a major detail but snape dickriders are never gonna bring it up

[remus-poopin]

Why do people always characterize Lily as being unaware of James’ attraction? I got the exact opposite vibe..

[lines-in-limbo]

Lily can’t defend what she doesn’t know is happening, but what she *did* witness in Snape’s Worst Memory should’ve put her off James completely. Not because she owes Severus anything, but because James was sadistically cruel in that scene, not just a bit full of himself. A year (it was only a year later going by the timing of Petunia’s wedding) and she’s in a serious relationship with a guy she witnessed humiliating, choking and exposing someone underprivileged? Speaks volumes. Lily’s not a moron, so the only way it can be rationalised is if she comes to believe that Severus deserved what he got by the lake that day.

You’re overlooking an important aspect of Lily’s character: her capacity for forgiveness and her tendency to give people a chance if she perceives change in them.

Lily did see James’s behavior in SWM and was definitely put off by it, but she also witnessed his "genuine" growth and change since that time. It wasn’t only about the potential for growth; James actively demonstrated that he had made progress. Whether he truly changed or was just putting on a front is a separate issue, but Lily’s decision to give him a chance was based on the growth he demonstrated and her belief in his potential. Dismissing her choice as a failure to acknowledge James’s past ignores the complexity of personal relationships and the possibility for people to evolve over time. Lily’s actions were driven by her belief in change, which is a fundamental part of who she is.

[seriousbrat]

Ok guys, I'm officially CANCELLING the 'is lily a social climber' discourse. And I'm sorry but I don't think I'll reply to all the 'here's my opnion on why lily sucks' essays in my inbox haha, but I encourage you to write out your opinions on your blogs.

I think I've made my arguments on this topic pretty clear by now, a few times in fact. So I just don't want to have to repeat myself over and over. I don't think Lily is a social climber lol, and I think the 'evidence' for it in the text is flimsy at best and actively contradicted by a lot of the information we're given about Lily in canon. And (from what I've observed) a lot of this seems based on pretty silly and unfair assumptions about Lily. Like 'she was one of slughorn's favourites that means she's a social climber' is a huge reach imo, but anyway, pls continue to write 'Lily is a social climber' AUs if that's what you want.

My honest opinion is that none of this is based in canon though, unless you're jumping to the worst possible reading of everything Lily does. Which you can certainly do, I'm just not at all convinced.

I know I'm pretty open to discussion and disagreement on here. But I also do have my limits. Lily is a character I am very fond of, I think that's pretty obvious. For perspective, imagine your favourite character was Harry, and your inbox was just full of screeds about Harry being a homophobe because once he was rude to Dumbledore. Stupid example lol, but you get it. I don't think it's hate or maliciously done, but it is a little wearing. That's all.

[charmstwit]

Hai. Will you write a love letter from Regulus to Sirius? Pretty pretty PRETTY please? (Bonus points if it includes other members of wolfstarbucks 👀)

In Come with Me, Sirius sees Regulus writing to Kingsley and asks for a love letter of his own. It's not a serious request. Regulus does it anyway. This is that letter.

~~~

À mon chien,

I want to scold you for demanding a love letter. It’s impolite, however I have come to accept that disregarding societal norms is part of your charm, and really I’m pleased that you’ll demand the things you want from me. I wish to grant you those things. I wish for you to be exquisitely happy, even in the smallest, most ridiculous things. 

And perhaps you deserve a love letter from me. I’ve been a fool these last weeks. I did not mean to cause you harm and I hate that I have. I hated seeing you like that. I’ve had enough of seeing pain in your eyes. From now on, I’d like you to only feel good. 

In order to support this, I’ve compiled a list of things I adore about you. If you ever use this against me, I will have Kingsley spank you until you can’t sit. To be honest, I may do that anyway, but regardless, do not use this against me or you will regret it. 

I should likely stop threatening you in this love letter. Old habits die hard. In any case. 

I adore the way you laugh. I want to swallow the sound. It would taste like cinnamon sugar, it would keep me full for days. I adore the way your eyes crinkle when you’re pleased. Happiness fits you like a well-tailored suit. 

I adore your hands. You’re so restless, fidgety, and sometimes when I am feeling restless I watch you move, and feel soothed by the constancy of you. 

I did not know this until two nights ago, but I adore the way you sleep, the way you rest your head on my chest, the tickle of your hair. I adore being close to you. I adore that I can finally touch you, and see how you respond. The way you push back into my knot. The way your hair feels between my fingers. The scent of you. There’s so much that I wish to know, and see, and taste. I want to know your every secret. 

And I—Sirius, I adore you, everything about you, and I have for as long as I can remember. At times I’ve felt I must push it away, hide it behind scoffing and mockery, because it is so strong, how much I love you. How much I want you near. Even now that I do not have to hide it, I’m alarmed at what I’ll find. 

However, I’m willing to find it, because you will be with me. 

I miss you already. I wish you were back here in my arms. Tell me you’ll be back soon. 

Tendrement,

RAB

[theresthesnitch]

i'm about to do my 3rd reread of stay with me, and i just wanted to let you know that it's one of my all-time favourite fics. it brings such a unique joy, excitement and ease that i can only find within this series!!!!! thank you so much for your contributions 🫶

I love hearing this so much. Moss and I poured our hearts and souls into this fic, and I love love love hearing that someone enjoys it this much. 💖💖💖

[bitsandbobsandstuff]

Hi Bitandbobsandstuff

Just finished reading your epic story “Safe with Me”. I found it last night and I have binge read the whole thing. Absolutely and with no shame neglected my family and ran my phone down twice as I wanted to know what happens.

Your writing is amazing!! I love the relationship between the reader and Bucky (the sass and the snark is on point!). Love hoe you have fleshed out the relationship between Bucky and Steve so much more than any of the films have.

I actually laughed out loud when Bucky tells Steve to “stop being a little bitch and suit your self-righteous spangly ass up”. Thought that’s was so Bucky and such a good line.

The whole twist with Bucky’s trigger words and Jack - I would happily unload a clip into that arsehole!!

Just wanted to say brilliant brilliant writing and it’s definitely a favourite.

Thank you for sharing.

I’ve taken absolutely forever to respond, but thank you so much for this lovely message!!

I had a lot of fun writing this relationship with Bucky and Steve…making them as sassy and snarky as humanly possibly toward each other brings me joy. 😉

I appreciate you stopping by, hope you have a wonderful day!

[luvt0kki]

THE WAY IM IN LOVE WITH YOUR WRITINGSSSSSS. The interlude was so GOOD ! it only makes me more excited and curious about YN’s past!😫 Now i need to know how San and YN separate and reunite. Not me being selfish in wanting a full chapter on the back story of how YN was sent on a mission to execute Caption Hongjoong 🫣 only to be REUNITED WITH HER CLEAR SOULMATE SANNIEEEE. ALSO this interlude only makes me question more on how YN falls in love with MINGI even after reuniting with her first love. UGH i love it so much. Hands down the best series i’ve read so far and i’m looking forward to so much more😫. THANK THANK THANKKKKK YOUUU for your hard AMAZING work 🥹🫶🏻

AHHHHHH THANK U FOR LEAVING THIS MESSAGE IM😭😭😭 man I feel like that’s why this series is becoming bigger than I expected. Like i want to add all those details! Before we come to the finale which is woo so OT8. But I’m just scared yall might get impatient .

I definitely plan to write San and Y/N’s reunion because the Hongjoong assassination mission is something that I think it is very important to the plot and Y/N’s character and Hongjoong.

THANK U SO MUCH ILYSM FOR THIS 😭

[mrstellmeafuckingsecret]

in some jurisdictions (including california in the usa and in the uk as well more recently) pantsing someone can result in sexual assault (or simple assault) charges, even if it's done between students. swm was def written to be standard issue bullying, but a decent amount of the modern western audience is gonna read it in a particular context that is familiar to them/filter it through anti-bullying lectures they've gotten in school/etc.

okok i def get this. i do have a few thoughts they probably arent very well explained but i will try to put them in words best i can.

tldr at the bottom. !!

i do wanna j put it out there, generally, that james & sirius were complete assholes for this and by extension, so were remus and peter. i dont like snape but this was shitty and inexcusable. if it sounds like i'm justifying them in this, i'm not (promise 💔)

i know today it's more often than not considered sexual assault/public indecency , which is totally justified ofc, but this scene didn't take place today - it took place around like . half a centaury ago. lots changed.

yes, ofc, it was wrong then too and even if it didn't mean j&s would go through legalities and stuff, they shouldn't've done it but back then it wasn't considered to be so bad and it was fairly normalized, they probably saw it and did it (albeit in a much crueler way).

hogwarts doesn't teach mannerisms , they never sat through anti-bullying segments or got taught the hard limits or how to fight back vs aggravate. it was written as bullying , because it was. it wasnt intended s/a but that doesn't mean it wasn't heinous .

s/a comes w intent, james and sirius had no intent further than to show their power over him + get rid of their boredom.

istg they were so horrible.

according to wikipedia, this is the definition of sexual assault

Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will.

according to this definition, it's not s/a. it's still blurry, if it happened today i would think it be, because james would choose a specifically sexually violent way of bullying snape, but at the time pantsing didn't have those connotations (esp between boys). obv you can still believe what you want , this is just my two cents.

(i'm also gonna reply to some comments from my original post here since it's easier than responding in the comment section).

@eddvirusz : there's nothing sexual about the scene, and i know s/a is a pretty umbrella term that more specific things fall into but i dont find this specific instance to fall under that. it probably was just a big bullying scene for him bc they didnt have the nuances we have today. ik jkr is sexist but also. 70s were sexist. male s/a wasnt considered shit . but that's not the point of it, because there was no sexual intent which, as i said needs to be present. pantsing itself is not considered s/a according to most sites.

@silentgirlspeaksout : okay i just read through the entirety of swm and this is the order of how they hurt each other physically/attempt to + talking abt what u adressed:

snape attempts to hurt james first. james calls out to him, and snape reaches for his wand. you could say that snape expected an attack and was prepping for self defense or something, but ehhh... i dont believe that. let snape be an imperfect victim, he tried to hurt first

james responded w expelliarmus

he then did impedimenta (slows down/stops target - can also blow them away (which it did) if used more strongly)

james and sirius just taunted him while he lay for a while, throwing insults etc etc . power play.

4. snape tries to throw hexes at them but he can't bc his wand is far away

5. james uses scourgify. i dont exactly know if this is like a bad hex, bc it just cleans, so it must just fill snape's mouth w soap ? ig it has chemicals and stuff, but i doubt pureblood james & sirius knew of that. it did make him gag & choke though, that's when lily enters

james saying 'he exists' seems like a joke ..... i 1000% believe j&s & snape were both horrible to each other and james wasnt gonna stop in the middle of his little show to explain that to lily in detail

this is also where he says 'go out w me and i'll leave him alone' - youre right ,,, this was gross. it was played as shits and giggles i think, 'oh haha he never does miss an opportunity to ask her out, does he!', but it's icky . same , it's no s/a but its harassment soo . big L james. this entire post is kind of a big L for james, and sirius too but he has a lot of Ls.

also, "choke him out with soap before he does anything," - he attempted to do shit

"so I don’t blame him for fighting back with a cutting hex after he’s been hit with several spells" - i get it, vaguely, but not in the same sense (?). if james only hit him with these three hexes and snape went to draw blood, i'd say snape was in the wrong (sorry?), but they had a history - snape drew blood because james and snape had done this before, they've gone violent

6. snape cuts james' face (deep enough that it instantly splatters to his robes)

7. hanging snape upside down the first time

lily tells them to back off,

8. james let him off (*threw him down)

9. sirius hits him with a body-bind spell that temporarily paralyzes him

lily tells them to stop,

10. james mutters counter curse

snape calls lily a mudblood + her exit,

11. snape is hung again and we're left unsure whether or not he was exposed or not

there can be arguments made that, like you said, this is only unconfirmed bc it wouldnt be allowed to be in a children's book otherwise (but the book deals w nazis n like a hundred other things so idk it may be left on purpose)

you say jkr is weird about s/a esp w men and while obv #fuckjkr men and s/a discussions generally were pretty weird in the 70s which is why james mightve never considered that a possibility as to what he did + snape never considered it as s/a. fuck jkr tho

for the mary and mulciber thing , i was just yapping tbh but tysm ! fuck mulciber hail mary

ok i think ive yapped enough gn

tldr : s/a requires there to be something sexual taking place. you can argue assault, you can't argue sexual given time frame and context and just .... anything. but that doesn't mean it wasn't terrible and disgusting. j&s sucked ass for this, i may not like him but ill go pro snape where he's a victim.

not s/a, still unforgivable. snape is an imperfect victim because he's violent too. james and sirius are sadists and they should talk that out with someone that isnt each other.

[hongjoongscafe]

hammy joongie how r u? where r u these days?

“Ohhh! Hello there! I'm fine, thank you for asking me! I'm doing so well. Y/n is in the kitchen making my favourite tea. She is such a sweetheart. I'm at home with my pretty fiancée. As you know we are now engaged, so we are just enjoying it so much! It's been a year now. I miss you guys! We will meet soon, BTW😉”—🐹

[fafodill]

Here's my question. What do you think would change, if Snape was female?

Because... like... I don't think it would change much? His family trauma doesn't seem to have a specifically *gendered* component... his bullying from James - maybe does? Like James might bully a Fem!Severus differently? (Or then again, maybe not.) Fem! Severus would still be weird, poor, dark arts/slytherin aligned, not attractive (to James)... but also a big draw on Lily's time and affection in a way that James wouldn't like.

I don't think it would changed his relationship with - Dumbledore, the Malfoys, Lupin. Bellatrix might... possibly hate a Fem!Severus more? Like see her as more of a rival? But she already does seem his as a rival, so. I'm not even sure a Fem!Severus would dress or wear her hair any differently.

Very interesting ask. 👁️👁️ I agree that not much would have changed but I do see a few little things here and there which, once you addition them, could make her act a little differently...

Childhood

She would still experience a pretty miserable life at Spinner's End, but she might have felt a bit less awkward with wearing her mother's clothes, thus making her maybe a bit less socially stunned.

She would still meet Lily and not get along with Petunia.

Hogwarts

You pointed out the most important and obvious point already: the bullying. Not that it would have not taken place - guys can absolutely bully women - but considering the time period I suspect Sirius and James's pureblood upbringing would have influenced the way they interacted with Fem!Severus.

First, their first encounter on the Hogwarts Express might have been less aggressive. I think James and Sirius would have been taken aback and super weirded out by this poor, unpleasant and ugly girl, but I don't think they'd have insulted her as harshly/tried to make her trip or nicknamed her. Maybe some things would have been salvageable then - not talking about friendship here (pretty impossible) but just... being civil?

It's pretty certain James would have still been jealous of Fem!Severus for hanging around Lily but he wouldn't have needed to prove he had the bigger pair - which was a good chunk of what it was in canon imo. He would still tease her and ridicule her verbally in front of Lily but maybe less viciously. Fem!Severus would still fight back so this could escalate to jinxes but still, it has the potential to be way tamer overall.

As for Sirius, I think he could have seen some of his mother in Fem!Severus, which could have resulted in either: wanting to bully her even more OR unconsciously trying to avoid her. I can see her making him super uncomfortable. I'm personally leaning toward the latter option. A man he could be violent with - no problem - but a woman? Hm. I'm unsure.

If the bullying was lessened, then I don't think it would go as far as the Prank or SWM, because pantsing a girl, even one you really don't like, even one who might be interested in the Dark Arts, seems super extreme coming from two pureblood boys. The 'boys will be boys' excuse functions better between all boys in this instance. I think this would have felt ickier for everybody around them. Tho if the Prank did happen, Dumbledore wouldn't move a finger either, that's for sure.

No SWM means no 'mudblood' incident. This being said, I don't think her relationship with Lily would have changed much. What drove them apart isn't related to gender and it's pretty clear Lily wanted to distance herself anyway. SWM was an excuse so she would find another one.

Also less bullying doesn't mean she wouldn't become a DE because she would still crave a place and be susceptible to Riddles' promises.

First War

I do wonder how it would have changed her relationship with Lucius Malfoy tho? As a young man he may have kept a bit more distance between them as to not start rumors? So maybe she would have gotten less support from him? But maybe she could have become friends with Narcissa and it would have been the same (I like that idea).

Dumbledore would have maybe been less harsh with her when she first came to him or when the Potter died, since he would maybe project less of himself and Gellert in her... but he would definitely have still manipulated her the same way. Dumbledore is a lot of things, but he's not sexist.

Harry

Later in life, since she wouldn't be as traumatized, she would have been less triggered by Harry's resemblance to James, thus making their relationship less disastrous. She would be cold and distant but less cruel. She would also have been able to teach him Occlumency more successfully, which could have changed quite a few things plot-wise...

Second War

I also agree with the idea of Bellatrix being jealous. I really see it. She would certainly try to slander her/hex her viciously in order to get rid of her. This would have maybe made Fem!Severus' work way harder. Maybe this would have resulted in her trying to get rid of Bellatrix.

I wouldn't be surprised if during the Second War many DE thought Voldemort and Fem!Severus were somewhat of an item. He was pretty fond of Severus after all... and if Bellatrix proved to be too annoying and Voldemort ended up getting rid of her it would rightfully start some rumors. Maybe Dumbledore would have tried to encourage it even? I don't know if that's really his style but I wouldn't get it past him to suggest it at the very least.

Conclusion

So... yeah. I don't see this many changes (I may have overlooked some things). Severus is already pretty female coded in many ways (his writing, the way he talks, moves, his interest in potions, the way his (very valid) feelings are dismissed etc.) and in a Fem!AU, many interesting things could be explored in the way people would interact with her.

But I do think she could be less traumatized and more self-assured. Maybe she would have enough mental energy as an adult to create spells and potions. She wouldn't dislike Harry as much and maybe have a bit more self-preservation in regard of Dumbledore's plans for her. I don't see her being ready to sacrifice herself as fully as canon!Severus. She'd have a few backups.

But she would still wear a grey nightshirt.

And have pretty perky little boobs.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Hello! I've been loving reading your metas (especially about Hinny, since I could never quite articulate why I thought they didn't work) and I was wondering: what do you think of the Mauraders friendship? To me it seems a bit baffling, but that could just be JKR's poor grasp of timelines and details.

But it seems that the Mauraders are a close friend group (like, you don't make the map and spend 3 years working on an illegal and potentially fatal Animagus transfiguration on a lark) that as soon as they graduate and join the Order they seem to fall apart. Which I can buy, given the high stress low trust environment they're in, but it seems weird that only Sirius and Remus suspect each other, and I don't think we know why? I could also be forgetting something.

Thank you! 💖

I talked about the Mauraders as individuals a bit here, but their friendship is not as close-knit and happy as the fandom likes to think. I think their dynamic was always more complicated than that.

Like, what you have is James & Sirius who practically fell into friendship at first sight, and have always been the closest in the Marauders group. Remus and Peter were a little bit afterthought. I mean, in SWM, James and Sirius respect each other:

“If it bothers you,” he said, stuffing the Snitch back in his pocket. Harry had the distinct impression that Sirius was the only one for whom James would have stopped showing off.

[...]

“Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake,” he heard Sirius say. “I’ll be surprised if I don’t get Outstanding on it at least.” “Me too,” said James.

But clearly, don't share that same respect for Remus, whose lycanthropy isn't taken seriously:

“Did you like question ten, Moony?” asked Sirius as they emerged into the entrance hall. “Loved it,” said Lupin briskly. “ ‘Give five signs that identify the werewolf.’ Excellent question.” “D’you think you managed to get all the signs?” said James in tones of mock concern. “Think I did,” said Lupin seriously

[...]

“I’m bored,” said Sirius. “Wish it was full moon.” “You might,” said Lupin darkly from behind his book.

Or Peter who is always the butt of the joke:

Wormtail was the only one who didn’t laugh. “I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes, and the tufted tail,” he said anxiously, “but I couldn’t think what else —” “How thick are you, Wormtail?” said James impatiently. “You run round with a werewolf once a month —” “Keep your voice down,” implored Lupin.

[...]

“Put that away, will you?” said Sirius finally, as James made a fine catch and Wormtail let out a cheer. “Before Wormtail wets himself from excitement.” Wormtail turned slightly pink but James grinned.

There is a reason in PoA everyone mentions James and Sirius in the same breath, but they don't mention Remus. There is a reason James and Sirius were: "you didn't see one without the other" and the other Marauders weren't brought up. They weren't as close.

Like, I know from what I've seen in my high school that teenagers' friendships can be really weird and not necessarily good friendships (adult friendships can be like that too, I just think it's easier to fall into in a school-like environment where you are together most of the day — especially in a boarding school, I mean, they shared a dormitory, hey were together 24/7 for 7 years, they kinda had to be friendly with each other). The Mauraders have an unequal dynamic; they aren't the picture of a perfect friend group.

Sirius and James lived together (with Lily) after graduating, but Remus and Peter didn't. It all follows the same pattern.

This friend group was built around James and his charisma. Sirius is probably more alright with Dark Magic than James was ("The world isn't divided into good people and Deat Eaters"), but I'd go on a limb and say he never told James that because just like Remus and Peter he was desperate to be liked by James (I think he saw James liking him as a sign of his goodness and not being like his family). The difference is, James saw Sirius as an equal and respected him in a way he didn't Remus and Peter. He liked them, he liked their attention, but I don't think he saw them as equals to himself and Sirius.

Sirius clearly didn't see Peter and Remus as the same as James. He is the one making fun of Peter more than the others. I think he didn't think Peter would betray them because he looks down on him. He thought Peter worships James too much to betray him (a little projection of his own sense of loyalty as well) — and he was wrong.

The friendship fell apart becouse it was built on sharing a dorm room and being silly together, not on real respect and connection (at least in the case of Remus and Peter. Peter liked being part of the group, Remus was glad to have friends at all, Sirius wanted to be everything his family wasn't, and James was just being himself and had fun). When I read Sirius and Remus' interactions in PoA and later, they always gave me a weird vibe. Like they are both desperate for a sense of normalcy and connection that they remembered from school, but are both completely different people than they were back then, and even then, they weren't as close as either of them was to James. They are both trying to replace James with the other. (If only more Wolfstar fics portrayed them like that and like they weren't that close in school, I might've been more into it)

To illustrate, I always saw their dynamic when at school as something like this:

James also suspected Remus, Remus never doubted Sirius was to blame when he was sent to Azkaban because this entire friend group was around James. And it was also a mess. So, it just makes sense. Sirius never really respected Remus as much as James and Remus knew that.

TL;DR, the Mauraders weren't that close-knit of a friend group as the Mauraders fandom likes to believe.

[maxdibert]

Pretty messed up how some people are fans of a creepy and obsessive guy who didn’t care if a man and a child died just so he could get the girl.

Alright, let's break this down, anon, because there's a lot to unpack here.

I think I've mentioned this in several posts already, but I'll repeat it: Severus owed James Potter NOTHING—no compassion, no empathy, no mercy. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. James Potter was a rich, popular brat who abused his social and economic capital to torment a poor, unsupported boy for seven years just because he didn't like him from the moment they met on the train to Hogwarts, and from that moment on, he had it in for him. He was a terrible bully who used his friends to join in on that nasty bullying. So if Snape didn’t care that he died, well, Snape had every right to feel that way. Do you go to victims of domestic violence and tell them they should feel sorry for their abusers? No, right? Well, this is the same thing. James was an abuser, Severus was his victim. Severus did more than enough by not telling Voldemort to torture him to death with Cruciatus, because I would have. Honestly, I don't understand why Snaters always bring up the whole "James was dead and Snape walked over his body" as if it were some horrible thing when, hello! You're talking about an ABUSER being dead, mate. Of course, he walked right over his body—what surprises me is that he didn’t throw a party.

Harry had to die. I know this sounds terrible, but it’s basically what the prophecy indicated. He was a target that Voldemort wasn’t going to let slip away, his fate was sealed. And yes, it’s unethical. And yes, it’s immoral. But the truth is that wars are unethical and highly immoral, and horrible, monstrous decisions are often made. Harry was not an option—asking for mercy for him was pointless because there wasn’t going to be any.

I don’t think Severus ever believed that if James was out of the picture, Lily would go to him or anything like that. I mean, they hadn’t spoken for five years—about six by that time. Severus NEVER harassed or stalked Lily. The only time he went after her was when the whole SWM incident happened, and he tried to apologise. Once she made it clear she didn’t want anything to do with him anymore, Severus respected her decision, and as far as we know from canon, they never interacted again. So, I don’t think, after six years of not talking, with his supposed former best friend having married and had a child with his personal bully, Severus had many expectations of them ending up in any sort of romantic relationship. I think, quite simply, that Lily always represented the only good part of his childhood—the only happy memories, the only moments of peace amidst the hellish violence he endured at home. I believe this was crucial for someone like him, whose childhood and teenage years were marked by violence, and he wasn’t willing to let the one good thing in his life end up murdered.

I agree that Severus is highly obsessive, but haters tend to frame this in a derogatory way, referring to his "obsession" with Lily, and I think it needs some clarification. Yes, Severus is obsessive, and he’s terribly immature at times, and he overreacts enormously when confronted with something that really triggers him (just look at how quickly he loses his temper with Sirius, for instance). This is obviously because he’s someone who never had the opportunity to grow up normally or develop cognitively as he should have, because his whole life was marked by violence. His home life was violent, and at school, he endured violence, and then at 20 years old, he handed his soul over to Dumbledore’s cause and had to work for nearly two decades at a school that was the epicentre of many of his traumas. He literally had neither the spaces nor the environments needed to heal and grow into a functional adult, and you can clearly see this in his behaviour. I’ve always said Severus is more of a diva than the cold, mysterious character people often make him out to be in fanon. To me, he’s someone who, on a personal level, hasn’t been able to grow emotionally in a healthy way and doesn’t know how to manage certain situations, especially those tied to his emotional issues. That said, I also don’t think he was romantically and/or sexually obsessed with Lily. I do think he loved her or was infatuated with her in his youth—first love, crush, whatever. But I don’t believe his need to avenge her death was due to romantic or obsessive love. I think it’s more about his obsession with repaying his debt to her. Severus always felt partially responsible for Lily’s death, and that’s where his obsession lies: it’s not that he’s obsessed with her, per se, but with the fact that he feels guilty for what happened. He feels, in some way, responsible for the death of the one person who showed him kindness, affection, and care during his childhood, which made her the most important person in his life at one point. And guilt often leads to obsession, much like grief that is not properly processed, and I don’t think that kind of obsession is creepy. I think it’s a very human kind of obsession.

Lastly, I don’t find Severus creepy at all. Why is he creepy? I mean, Harry was running around with his invisibility cloak, spying on everyone. The Marauders had A BLOODY MAP that allowed them to track everyone at Hogwarts 24/7 like some kind of magical GPS. Is Severus really the creepy one here? There are literally Animagi who turn into animals to spy on people—I have to laugh at the whole creepy argument.

That being said, if you’re going to come into my DMs to complain about Severus, at least bring some convincing arguments because it’s a bit tiresome hearing the same nonsense over and over again.

[seriousbrat]

isn’t it funny how everyone says james hated the dark arts while the only time we saw him was when he used a dark spell🤔

did he? unless I'm missing something lol, he used a jinx. Invented by Snape, not that James knew that. Not exactly the dark arts even though it was offensive magic and he used it in a particularly nasty way. There's a difference in canon between hexes, jinxes, and curses, like dark magic is a pretty specific thing in canon. Hexes and jinxes can definitely be used cruelly or nefariously, but I think on the whole they're kind of meant to be whimsical, less harmful and not permanent in damage. There's a significant breach between that and something that has the sole purpose of maiming, torturing, controlling, or killing.

He did hate the dark arts, that doesn't mean he wasn't a dick. I don't think levicorpus is a dark spell even if Snape invented it, there's quite a difference between hoisting someone up by the ankle and causing gashes to keep opening up all over someone's body. Levicorpus is used on Ron by Harry and they both find it funny, whereas there's no situation where Sectumsempra would ever be anything other than utterly fucked up to cast on someone.

[danadiadea]

Severus’ isolation after the exam is one of the reasons Lily’s attempt to get him to abandon his Slytherin ‘friends’ has never sat that well with me.

Because I get why she doesn’t like Mulciber, obviously, but instead she’s asking him to alienate them for…who, exactly? She can’t even be bothered to wait to exchange two words after something really important to him, she’s off with her girlfriends without a second thought, and there’s no indication Sev was hoping she’d wait so clearly this is a well established pattern (strange, considering he’s supposedly a possessive incel stalker, that he doesn’t interfere with her social life!) She appears to have made no moves to introduce Severus to any non-Slytherins or join any clubs together. She’s so over him that she doesn’t even address him personally while her housemates have him strung up by the ankle. And obviously he’s picked up on her indifference, or he wouldn’t be begging for reassurance they’re still best friends. I find it hard to condemn him for not cutting off the Slytherins for Lily’s sake when Lily’s so chronically unsupportive and unavailable. Total isolation does horrible things to people’s brains.

And then of course there’s the fact that Lily’s crush + hangers on have ensured the only space in the castle potentially free from violence is the Slytherin dorms they can’t enter, where Sev is also at considerable disadvantage as a son of a muggle sleeping alongside pureblood supremacists. But this also doesn’t cross her mind. I get that she’s a teenage girl, but 16 year olds are not incapable of putting themselves in another’s shoes! (I’ll add the disclaimer before I get jumped on that ofc I understand that Severus fails to do this for Lily too).

Severus is an incel stalker, but Lily has a friendgroup that talks shit on Severus and that clearly is her priority, but he does not interfere or try to prevent her from hanging out with them, unlike Lily who tells him to not spend time with the only people sho seem to at least somewhat accept him (by the way she doesn't assign anything bad to Avery, and I find it interesting that Sirius doesn't mention Mulcibier when talking about "the gang" at all, but he mentions Avery too. Maybe Avery was closer to Severus, and he was a more decent person overall? also Lily says she detests "some" people he's hanging around with, so maybe there were Slytherins she didn't dislike that much, like Rosier and Wilkies? I don't trust Sirius too much though, he mentions Bella and Rodolfus who couldn't possibly study with Snape).

Lily not adressing Severus during the SWM irks me so much. Like this is the №1 reason I support the "Lily was a deeply imperfect friend" agenda even more than "you're ungrateful to James Potter" stuff, honestly. Like this is charity what she does, not backing up her friend. Not only she doesn't attack them, but she doesn't help him to get his wand back or unbind him – all her attention is clearly on James. Severus isn't treated like a subject of the social dynamics, but more like an object of pity, and we know he's very proud. And I wonder if their friendship was already so rotten, or if Lily and Severus weren't known to be very close publically?... At least the adult Marauders never refer to it, so it wasn't a very big part of Lily or Severus from their perspective it seems. Clearly it was known they were friends, but she might not want to be associated with Severus more than necessary in their later years, since her other friends disliked him. At least that would explain why doesn't she approach him after the exam or vice versa, why she seems to be very, very impersonal during SWM, and why no-one ever (except Petunia) refers to Snily friendship from a Watsonian perspective.

Severus begging for the reassurance they are best friends😭😭😭 Too bad we don't hear the previous lines of theirs, I wonder to which phrase/situation he reacted like that. They probably discussed something related to his affiliations, but I don't think it was about Avery and Mulcibier all the way before – she seems to bring them up rather then continue a long lasting argument against them (also this is obvious it's not an argument they have for the fifth year straight. like Severus couldn't possibly be closely associated with them for a long time before that scene). I can imagine a lot of things from which the dialogue might go to Mulcibier and then to the Marauders, but yeah, that "I thought we were supposed to be friends" line sounds desperate asf... And how he can't contain his happiness when she says she hates James, and forgets about defending Mulcibier! All it had required was Lily supporting him in his rightful anger the tiniest bit!

Severus was pretty selfish as a teen, but no-one cared for him. Was even he himself supposed to not care about him? Well, he'd just die then (non-figuratuvely at this point). Severus was a kid from a violent neighbourhood, with abusive and neglectful parents, didn't have any really close friends who'd stand up for him, and his abusers were supported by the school authorities and the student body. Of course he would do what serves him best in that situation, which is sticking to Avery and Mulcibier! Again, Severus' loneliness in SWM shows they weren't emotionally close at all at least by then, he probably just spent time with them (as you've said, they live together and every place in that school that is not Slytherin dorm room is pretty unsafe for Severus, and also the Marauders might not attack him with other slytherins around, when we know that Lily's presence only heated James up from his glances to her in SWM) and Lily asked Severus to abandon even that without giving him any other options.

Also, my favourite ignored thing about it is that this argument arises just after the Prank had happened "the other day". Might a silenced murder attempt intensify Severus' wish to support Mulcibier, I wonder?