#midlands!snape

[haegtes]

Imo Snape is from an area of the midlands (a poor area of traditionally heavy industry/factory work and mining) here are some pics taken by Janine Wiedel of the area, people and industry at the time he would have been in his late teens

(I'm biased cos it's also my area lol, but it just makes sense to me)

[fafodill]

I don't know if you've already talked about this but I didn't find anything about it on your blog. Do you have a headcanon for Snape's voice? I know you talked about a Hinterland accent but do you imagine him having the same voice as the movies' actor or a different kind?

Well, I am a bit torn about it. On one hand I really do like Rickman's voice (it's very pretty and deep and has a lot of presence) but it is Rickman!Snape's voice. And my inner Snape is not Rickman anymore even tho I still enjoy his performance.

It depends a bit on the build I like to give him, which these days is: tall-ish (177cm?) and still quite scrawny. The robes (especially the cloak) are here to widen his physical presence, make him look more imposing (and dramatic. he's likes to be dramatic). And while I like him having a deep-ish voice when he's calm, I imagine him going quite high-pitched when he's emotional.

Headcanons time:

As a child his voice was quite high. He talked in a soft manner already (a response to his father's temper) as if he had a hard time taking space or feared what he wanted to say wasn't welcomed or important enough.

When he was excited about something though, he got louder and his pitch got higher. He also talked quite a bit with his hands.

I think the bullying he suffered stunned his growth a little so his voice changed a bit later than the other boys (is there a word in English for that? in french we use 'molt'), when he was 16.

The few months during which his voice broke, he almost never opened his mouth, not even in class, so that no one would tease him about it. It was the beginning of his 6th year and nobody was coming near him anyway. He was utterly miserable and lonely since Lily didn't talk to him anymore and he hid a lot from the world during that time.

It did make his voice go quite a bit lower. The first person who commented on it was his mother the next summer. She said he 'didn't sound like himself anymore'. He didn't know what to make of that - but it sadly resonated with how he felt deep inside (the teen angst was real).

I hc him as being able to make his voice go lower from that point on but only when he talks slowly and calmly. Every time he gets emotional it goes higher again - even when he's talking about things he likes.

The way Snape talks has been thoroughly analyzed in this incredible meta by @said-snape-softly (and in it we can see he never 'drawls'!). It's super interesting and it gives us quite a lot of information about his personality. The three main textures are soft, cold and sardonic. He's soft-spoken, yet very intense as well, especially when he gets mad.

He was still quite rough around the edges after school but during his time with Lucius (who actually complimented his voice quite a few times) he learned to control his tone (and temper). This is when he developed his famous 'silky' texture.

When he gets angry but remains calm, his voice does go deeper.

Same when he has to mention something that affects him (if he was to talk about Lily or his parents).

He takes pride in the way he talks. He knows the power of words and takes pleasure in yielding them like weapons - especially when he whispers - it's even tastier on his tongue.

One important thing about Snape, imo, is how much he needs attention. He craves it. My hc of him talking softly in his childhood comes from fear but as an adult it's a power-move: people need to be quiet to hear him. They need to crane their necks in his direction to get what he's saying, he's forcing them to listen.

But all shits get loose when they don't.

When he's triggered or looses patience he immediately snaps and talks very loudly. Instant crack of the mask. He barks, he snarls, he spits, he bellows, he shrieks. And as he looses his temper, I think he also looses control over his tone and pitch. It gets higher, more emotional and it's often to his detriment. And the revolt he feels a that moment trigger him even more as it reminds him of his teen years.

If he was to be pushed too far he could yell a lot. He could hurt his voice from all the anger stirring inside of him. His vocal cords couldn't be able to handle it.

If he was to cry - like really cry, pure ugly, unfiltered sobbing - it would 100% crack and break.

I've talked about that one already, but when the mask slips even lower (when he's really angry or really vulnerable during sex), his midlands accent comes back sometimes.

I think his cold tone is part of him, yes, but it's part of his persona (notably the spy). In his 'normal' state he's more like... softly sardonic?

Sometimes I like to imagine him as having a more nasally voice, just because I think it would suit him when he's throwing jabs at people.

Awww thank you so much for taking the time to tell me! 💚I'm really glad it brings people joy! I love this artstyle, it's very relaxing for me to draw. I consider it 'well done' if I can snickers by myself at my desk while looking at it. They're just goofy little characters I want to put in my pockets.

[fafodill]

(I’m so sorry if I’ve already asked this and you just haven’t replied yet)

So I see you like Midlands Sneep, and you comment on his accent (carefully buried by years of practiced speech) comes out during sex. What if, however, it comes out with other strong emotions, like anger?

SWM? “I ain't needin' help from dirty little Mudbloods like her!” I think this would be especially funny in his argument with Sirius. They’re yelling at each other until Snape’s RP breaks into scathing Midlands and the Order is dumbfounded as Snape tries to shove his accent back into his mouth.

(no need to apologize, I'm behind on my asks)

I wholeheartedly vibe with this headcanon.

During his youth, notably during SWM this could totally have happened. I really like the way you wrote it in your other ask:

‘Aah don' need 'elp from filthy little Mudhblud lahke 'er!’.

Severus is in danger so there's no time to articulate, no control anymore. He spits the words out. The bile from having been suspended in the air is coating his throat, his heart is beating madly, the blood is pounding in his ear.

He's in a state of physical and emotional distress. It's not just anger, but also intense fear and extreme shame. But this is (one might assume) before he started teaching himself Occlumency.

As an adult though, we know he's got a temper but he talks very softly, silkily. He whispers, he's a quiet threat. Sure, sometimes he gets also (rightfully) angry at Harry but he's still in teacher mode most of the time, so the mask still holds. He only looses his shit when he gets triggered (like at the end of PoA or after Harry witnessing SWM which are both linked to past traumas).

He spent almost two decades suppressing this accent, it's his default voice now. He's not making a conscious effort to speak in a certain way as an adult. This being said, if he was to reverse to his old accent, it would be when he's triggered. The accent bleeds out when the wounds are reopened, coming straight from the past. And it's because the version of him that had been hurt and never got to heal is his child/teen self. He crawls back up, his anger distorted with soot and hurt and spite.

When Severus and Sirius bicker in OotP, they're both being incredibly childish but the mask will hold. As petty as Severus is, he's also deeply in control in front of the other man. He has things to prove, he wants, needs to be above him in every way possible.

But if Sirius was to push too hard and actually mention the Prank or SWM... then yes. I think the accent could totally get loose. And also someone might die.

[fafodill]

Hi okay so do you think snape has a preference for body hair on a partner/on himself??? I could see it going many ways for his partners, but theres a scene in the first movie where his pants are ripped (🤤👅) and u can see the tiniest sprinkling of body hair on his legs so there's the possibliity he doesn't shave there buttttt...... other places???👀 who knows....

Now LISTEN, I'm very serious about body hair. I love body hair, I find it sexy as hell, on men and women. Armpit hair? Magnificent. The Happy Trail? Sublime. The Bush? Let me die with my nose buried in it please.

So I'm a tad biased.

More seriously, I don't think Snape is super concerned with his own body hair - he barely looks at himself anyway and nobody else does. I don't think he's super hairy but I do headcanon him as having some on his arms, under his armpits, on his legs (finer on his thighs), a good pinch on his chest, a happy trail and a nice bush of dark curls. I like the idea of him unconsciously struggling a bit with his masculinity so he wouldn't get rid of anything.

As for his partner, well, again, I may be pushing my own agenda here but... I think Snape like it natural.

First of all, even if he learned to look posh, deep inside he's not. He's from the slums and he will love burying his nose in it and smell his partner's scent - first of all because he'll be super appreciative of someone wanting him enough to offer him access to their body - second because he finds it sexy. The hair... it's adulthood. It's sensual. It's animalistic, raw, honest.

He's okay with the idea of having to look prim and proper on the outside but shaving is like trying to keep up appearances in bed too and he doesn't care about it. For him intimacy is about being real - even if he struggles with it himself (tho if his partner wants to shave he won't say anything, it's their body and he won't ever be controlling about it).

But I like the idea of a partner being a bit shy about their body hair as they undress the first time and him tilting his head while looking at them, searching for his words, clearing his throat before saying very slowly:

'No, no, I like it. You look.. untamed.'

[fafodill]

Just letting you know that I WROTE that Midlands filth in your honor - if you have an Ao3 - I'd love to gift it to you (tried searching for your user name)

You did??? I'm speechless, on my knees, hands open and drooling!

My pseudo on Ao3 is Crookedill.