Yeah, this is always an interesting topic to me, because prettified or otherwise unrecognizable Snapes kill my interest, whether we're talking fic or art. Okay, maybe I have a double standard here, because ac1d6urn and sealcat have both produced "beautiful" Snapes, and I love them passionately. It's the cosmetic makeovers that repel me, anything that robs Severus of his physical identity in order to make him acceptable or romantic. (Although an idea for a fic just occurred to me, since I was about to add that Polyjuice fics, like The Courtship of Benjamin Jink and A Real Steal, don't count. But in those, Snape's camouflage isn't pretty, either. So now I'm wondering what would happen if Snape Polyjuiced himself into a handsome young man and experienced what it was like to be popular. pir8fancier alludes to the rather tragic consequences of this in her fic This Boy's Life, where Snape briefly discovers what it's like to be Lily.)
When I'm writing, I'm aware that Snape and Harry's physical attributes change subtly according to the tone and purpose of each fic. These changes don't violate what we know from canon (at least, I hope not), except as regards the thorny question of height. I don't see Snape as terribly tall - maybe slightly taller than average, but maybe not. After all, he appears to have been just as undernourished in childhood as Harry was, and I tend to interpret his adult physique as skinny/wiry and his metabolism as nervous and intense. I think he relies a lot on body language and force of personality. In Harry's case, I'm skeptical of any version that's too tall or dashing, because his convenient blossoming into a studly young man in canon is simply proof to me of Sudden Hero Syndrome. JKR can't let her Chosen One remain stunted by his past; she wants to reward him. I take liberties by assuming that he's still marked both physically and emotionally by his experiences.
It's fascinating to hear how you approach the visuals, since you both write and paint. And I'm really curious to hear how you envision the other characters. The movies completely effed it up, as far as I'm concerned. I have to block movie!Hermione from my brain, for instance. Although, interestingly, Ron was one of those characters whose appearance totally eluded me while I was reading the books; I couldn't really "see" him. Rupert Grint slotted very nicely into that blank spot and provided me with an image that I've had a hard time shaking off ever since.
Whoops! Time to stop blathering and head off to work.
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Date: 2009-04-04 01:33 pm (UTC)When I'm writing, I'm aware that Snape and Harry's physical attributes change subtly according to the tone and purpose of each fic. These changes don't violate what we know from canon (at least, I hope not), except as regards the thorny question of height. I don't see Snape as terribly tall - maybe slightly taller than average, but maybe not. After all, he appears to have been just as undernourished in childhood as Harry was, and I tend to interpret his adult physique as skinny/wiry and his metabolism as nervous and intense. I think he relies a lot on body language and force of personality. In Harry's case, I'm skeptical of any version that's too tall or dashing, because his convenient blossoming into a studly young man in canon is simply proof to me of Sudden Hero Syndrome. JKR can't let her Chosen One remain stunted by his past; she wants to reward him. I take liberties by assuming that he's still marked both physically and emotionally by his experiences.
It's fascinating to hear how you approach the visuals, since you both write and paint. And I'm really curious to hear how you envision the other characters. The movies completely effed it up, as far as I'm concerned. I have to block movie!Hermione from my brain, for instance. Although, interestingly, Ron was one of those characters whose appearance totally eluded me while I was reading the books; I couldn't really "see" him. Rupert Grint slotted very nicely into that blank spot and provided me with an image that I've had a hard time shaking off ever since.
Whoops! Time to stop blathering and head off to work.