A nice, shiny rebind of The White Road, by @perverse-idyll! Also in honor of @harryjamespotterweek, for today's trope prompt of "enemies to lovers", which Snarry always is! 😉 One of my favorite fics of all time, and beloved by me for many, many years!
It's not much different from version one. Same leather, same book corners! The most important difference to me is I got some thicker chipboard which holds the thicker leather much better than the previous chipboard I used. I also used a black paint pen for the cover and spine titles, rather than "rosewood" as I used previously.
This version is much neater and sturdier and I'm very pleased with it! Though I definitely foresee myself rebinding this time and again as my skill improves. A gal can never have too many copies of her favorite fic, right?? 🥰
You know how shopping malls have anchor stores? @perverse-idyll is like the anchor store of my rec list making. Because I usually start rec lists with PI's fics and build the rest of the list around them!
Generally I am super afraid to write author spotlights/love letters because it's definitely safer/less personal when I can just do content recs instead. Because what if you rec an author and you find out later they are a bigot or something! BUT NOT IN THIS CASE! <3 Because PI is amazing. A great author who writes brilliant fics who also happens to be a really generous and super supportive person to total strangers!
Snape fics
The White Road (2009)
Snarry. Length - 48000 words.
Observer POV anybody? It's a fandom favorite because it lets us see our favorite ships play out through a third party's eyes. But it's so hard to find one of these. That's why this fic is such a gem. We get to see Snape and Harry through Lily's eyes. Snarry fandom changed course after the Lily revelations and this is one of the first fics that completely absorbed DH canon and wrote Snarry on it. The themes and the handling of the Lily characterization in this fic went on to influence a ton of post 2010 Snarry fics to this day. Which makes sense. Because this fic is definitely in the go big or go home category when it comes to dealing with the Lily question. It does things on hard mode, doesn't take any shortcuts and somehow uses a framing device that really shouldn't work outside crack and makes it work like a Shakespeare tragedy.
When the Rose and the Fire Are One
Snarry. Length - 82000 words.
What is Snape about? If you want to know the answer you need to read this fic. This fic is a brilliant Snape character study which also has a spectacular plot, intense character dynamics and a really intense pace which somehow spirals faster because of the prose choices. You just become another Harry really because that's how close the POV writing is. But somehow at the end of the fic you not only get Snape through Harry's eyes but you also get the canon character Snape. Also mothers. OMG. PI knows how to write mothers and their influence. It's a really uncompromising fic. So find a weekend and let it just do its thing to you! You are going to be a different person afterwards.
Rec note - I just couldn't read Snarry fics after reading this. In fact I went to read other ships until maybe the pandemic.
No Room for the Weak (2010)
Genfic. Length - 10400 words.
Ever thought about how Eileen raised Snape and the dynamics of their relationship? Take a minute. Think about it. Then go read this fic. Get your mind blown! Actually make sure you have something to cuddle after reading because you are going to need it.
New Life (2010)
Snarry, Harry/Ginny. Length - 2200 words.
But he didn't belong here. Not just here in this room, on this connubial bed, but here in this world. He had to leave.
Beautiful fic about love and some really complicated themes on how letting go doesn't really mean letting go in a world with magic.
In Infinite Remorse of Soul (2011)
Snape/Albus Dumbledore. Length - 10800 words
This fic is complicated and brilliant. It's definitely not an easy fic to read. But it's totally worth it. Intense and unique. Both Dumbledore and Snape have strong characterization. YMMV on whether the characterizations are going to work for you because it can be pretty polarizing. I loved the concepts of forgiveness, penance, obsession and selfishness this goes into really deeply.
And Mine the Gall (2011)
Ships are really complicated. Length - 5500 words.
This fic is pretty hard to summarize. Because it's brilliant, dark and extremely unsettling in a sticky way. It will really help if you also read In Infinite Remorse of Soul which is equally amazing. It really reminded me of the Mario Puzo novel about the Borgias. A seriously rare type of fic for our fandom. Our darkfics never really go in this direction usually. Masterclass in writing Snape <3
The Nutcracker's Delight (2012)
Co author - Rinsbane Snarry. Length - 17200 words.
Severus, meanwhile, wasted several seconds haranguing his heart to stop banging around like a rogue Bludger, bruising his ribs. Really, if it wasn’t too much to ask. Instead, for no apparent reason, it took a running leap into his throat. Severus choked.
Already saw Halloween posts on Tumblr. So why not a Christmas fic! The best Christmas fic with the best Fanon Snape <3
The Lost World (2013)
Snarry. Length - 10900 words.
Secret Garden fairytale vibes! Also some Orpheus/Eurydice vibes! Dark fantasy with unexplained magic. This fic really shows the scary side of magic.
"Help?" The voice is bitter. "Not likely. But there is something you can do." The carpet of leaves rustles like a quilt being thrown back. "Potter. Let me touch you." Harry's heart stamps once, hard, in his chest. It leaves an impression like a cleft hoofprint, the track of something dangerous running through.
"One touch."
The Son (2014)
Genfic. Length - 5500 words.
I really love fics which deal with the Black Family after Sirius makes his decision to leave. This fic gets the reader into Regulus Black's head and we get to see what Regulus had to deal with when Sirius left. Because an unhappy family is still a family :/
In the quiet part of his mind where his fantasies got all mixed up together and spread out into one long tapestry of how he wished life could be, Regulus wondered what it would have been like if he'd been born first.
Elegy for a Goat (2014)
Snape/Aberforth. Length - 18000 words.
100% Snarry wins as OTP for me. But my second favorite ship is Snape/Aberforth! Why?? Because! Just imagine the potential because of the Dumbledore sibling relationship being so fucked up and Snape's relationship with Dumbledore also being so fucked up! It's like a recipe for the worst motivations and really fucked up relationships. This fic shows us that potential 100%.
Impossible Without It (2014)
Snape/Harry, Harry/Ginny. Length - 16557 words (WIP)
Harry being all about Snape is my favorite version of Snape. In this fic he is obsessed and being Harry he is a pro at investigating mysteries! Of course when you go looking for something sometimes you find it :D
"Unfortunately," she used her next sip of tea and the subsequent clink of cup in saucer to punctuate her disapproval, "you have a stake in determining if Severus is 'not dead.' I'm rather inclined to hope he's alive, and I don't consider that a mere syntactical quibble. Which makes it difficult for me to help you, I fear."
PI is great at writing Harry as the investigator and we get to see the plot happen with him when he is investigating. Honestly PI should just go write scripts for the Whodunnit mystery shows because they are brilliant at it.
The Blood of Stars (2014)
Snarry. 44191 words (WIP)
Pain blazes through Severus, the cruel joy of the impossible. His heart swells to twice its normal size. Yes, it hurts, but everything does, and for once he doesn't mind. Gasping, he forces his way through the darkness, his heart thundering like wings.
Pain. Angst. Tragedy. But also hope! Lots of hope! Because that's what the best tragedies contain! Also this fic has one of the most beautiful summaries ever.
Warm (2017)
Snarry. Length - 11300 words.
Best Snarry PWP ever. Great Dynamics. Great characterization. Great exposition with sex. ALSO RIMMING :D Sorry, PI. But it stands out you know :D
Soft Touch (2018)
Snarry. Length - 15000 words.
That classic cliche of a hot twink/muscled masseuse giving the MC the best happy ending ever. Except it's Snape. Poor Harry has no idea what to do when he goes for a massage with a happy ending and gets Snape as his masseuse. Everything about this fic is hot and right - Harry's going for a massage to rev up his sex life, Snape is working as a masseuse because he got addicted to touch during his physical therapy.
Why should you read it? - Masseuse! Snape is literally both the best and the worst masseuse out there. He's scary professional one minute before regressing into an emotional fuckup next minute.
Payback (2019)
Snarry. Length - 251 words.
Now was the time to run as if his life depended on it, but he was mesmerised by what a slap actually did.
Hotness! Maximum hotness!
Spirituous (2019)
Length - 200 words.
The Epilogue for HP doesn't work for a lot of people because it sort of glosses over the character traumas. This Drabble really looks at what it was like for a character who survived the war.
Jeeves and the Secret Society (2021)
Snape/Dumbledore crossover with Jeeves/Wooster. Jeeves POV. 12100 words.
This fic is an experience. I mean it. You don't read it! You feel it and live it. Brilliant and spot on characterizations for Jeeves and Bertie.
Glass in hand, I toasted my audience with the exuberance of a condemned man reprieved from the Agathaean gallows. Multi-coloured plaids and ascots and waistcoats galore dotted the room, whetting the sartorial appetite. Most cheering of all, the view was mercifully auntless to the horizon.
Bad Manners (2021)
Snarry. Length - 235 words.
:D They are the worst together. Also the best. Because they are really drama queens!
Year of the Thestral (2022)
Snape/McGonagall, Hooch/Mcgonagall. Length - 2300 words (WIP)
Sealed for more than thirty years, three vials lay side by side, their misty contents waiting to be reclaimed.
Angsty, complicated look at McGonagall and how she is going to have to make peace with something from her past. Avoiding spoilers but you really need to read it to see how something can haunt you for the rest of your life.
The Afterlight (2022)
Snarry. Length - 23130 words (WIP)
Snape's abandonment of their world left Harry strangely sore at heart, but it was fine. No big deal. He was used to people leaving him. In fact, it was probably for the best. Not as if he wanted Snape hanging around like a greasy-haired carrion crow, restored, if not to robust health, then to his old habits of Potter-hating.
:D The best thing about Snape and Harry is how they totally can't ignore each other. Like! They are obsessive in the best/worst possible sense. Which makes the ship fucked up, complicated and really intense <3 This fic captures that part of their dynamic so brilliantly! Also Hermione! Love Hermione in this fic <3
The Threefold Death (2022)
Snarry. Length - 22425 words (WIP)
Loved The Lost World? You are going to love this now!
The beauty and strangeness Snape reveals to him revive Harry's sense of wonder, reminding him that, even if he can no longer fly, the world is magical in ways he has almost forgotten.
This is Magic with a capital M. One of the things I love a lot about PI's fics is how they have so much magic in their descriptions, plots and the character arcs themselves. Because Snape and Harry are both characters who in the end are really powerful wizards who love magic and magic is a big part of their life/fate.
Podfics
[podfic] Truth Beyond by kelly_chambliss (2015)
Rita Skeeter/Minerva McGonagall. Length - 32 min.
Ok! So PI can totally ask us to jump off a cliff and we are going to do that. Because her voice is magic! Absolutely filled with love for the fic + the characters + tons of hope! A great fic you should first read before listening to the podfic.
[podfic] Covenant by AuctaSinistra(2015)
Snarry. Length - 1 hour.
Big Snarry fandom vibes here! One of the OG Snarry fics narrated by somebody who really really loves Snarry and the fic <3 Also cover art which is really peak Snarry fandom vibes from 2000s <3
Twelve/Clara fics
The Sorrows of Your Changing Face (2019)
Twelve/Clara. Length - 1500 words.
Always that moment of weakness when she sees what she can't give up in him, always the space-twisting, time-stopping brightness of his smile when she throws scruples to the wind, the ancient being behind his eyes wholly joyous for a moment, grateful, a brief star lighting up the darkest corners of the universe, the corners she now occupies in his memory, having lied to his face one too many times. and also The fire that waits to consume and renew him flickers and drifts from collar and cuffs, but he keeps it to a smoulder and seems in no hurry to move on.
I keep this quote in my saved notes and keep going back to rereading it. It's just them. But it's also 100% the best/worst of love. Super dangerous and super irresistible.
Truce (2019)
Twelve/Clara. Length - 100 words.
Twelve/Clara is pain. I mean they just...are like the best and worst things to happen to each other!
Her dark gaze brims, unflinching as ever.
PI's Clara and how Twelve sees her is brilliant. Heartbreaking but brilliant.
PI's recs!
PI is an incredible reccer! I really want to write recs like these one day. Check out their recs on their Tumblr for some amazing Snarry fics. They also write incredible recs on Reddit for people new to Snarry. Not linking to those because the user names are different and don't want to bring any weirdo anons to their asks :D
PI's podcast interview!
Ok! This was one of the best unexpected 2021 treats for Snarry fandom :D Also major love to Chaos Blue @fanficmaverickpodcast for doing this podcast for us with PI!
A lot of times people just don't get Snape. Even people who call themselves proshippers sometimes have a big exception about Snarry. So why are we shipping this anyway?
PI's podcast interview is just incredible. The passion for writing and talking about Snape, Snarry and fandom is so next level and inspiring. PI loves books, writing, reading and everything about character development. PI loves The Big Themes. Loss of innocence, redemption, forgiveness, LOVE all capitals. It really really shows in this podcast. Whenever I feel like fandom gets me down because of people who are bigots or judge darkfic shippers or whatever I just sit down with this podcast because it really drives home that lesson about why fandom is about people feeling passionately in love with things instead of hating things.
SO! IN CONCLUSION! There is nothing PI can't do! <3
Personal Story Time
The first time I recced a PI fic on Reddit I didn't even know PI was there. Which blew my mind and I went to 100% keyboard smash. Because PI was a big personal hero for me for some really personal reasons. I read When the Rose and the Fire Are One in maybe 2010 when I was going through a pretty weird time in my life because of a lot of family stuff and also because I was trying to leave organized religion type things. Anyway, this fic with its themes of family esp mother and child relationships and what it means to deserve redemption/what it means to love/deserve love/accept love in healthy/unhealthy relationships was a big deal to me back then. It honestly helped me make good decisions about my own situation. Not because I was projecting on Snape or Harry... at least not more than usual. But there is an OC character in the fic who just sees the situation more clearly than the protagonists. Senior Class Warden Odile Lalique doesn't take shit and says things straight...Slytherin straight at least! So that got me thinking about how to get good advice/other perspectives which worked out great for me. So best OC ever. Also thanks! Probably TMI. Anyway! <3
PI's works got me into a lot of things. Including poetry. I read The Wasteland because The White Road. Also some books I didn't like the first time around. Like Jeeves and Wooster! Also some books I love the heck out of! Like Angela Carter.
So when I met PI, I was really mindblown not just because they were my favorite Snarry author ever but also because of how much one of their fics meant to me. But PI was totally cool about my rec! Gave me lots of support and encouragement which was so critical for me to build confidence and start reccing more. This isn't just me! PI is like a superhero who encourages and promotes Snarry content creators and fans so much! They are the first to find fics for people new to Snarry fandom. They have recs and backups of deleted fics. They are super patient with people who don't get Snarry and ask questions about why this ship exists. They are super supportive of people who like other types of fics/characterizations/tropes compared to what they usually go for. I don't even! You know what they say about how not all heroes wear capes? Yeah. That's PI.
Lots and lots of love to the absolutely brilliant, amazing PI. You are the best. <3
In this episode I talk to Harry Potter fanfiction writer Perverse_idyll about her 2009 Snarry fic ‘The White Road.’
The latest episode of The FanFic Maverick podcast is out! The show is available through the link above and also on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.
In this episode we talk about Harry Potter, fandom in the LiveJournal days, and Perverse_idyll‘s Snarry fic ‘The White Road.’
The link to 'The White Road’ is here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19113
Thank you for coming on the show, Perverse_idyll !!
Ending Mutuals March on a very special note. PI, @perverse-idyll, my longtime writing crush, and now my friend.
It was love at first sight when The White Road was first posted. I can't remember when I first read it, but it was around the time it was posted for sure. And I've read that fic every year since. At least once a year, if not more. By the time I read When the Rose and the Fire Are One I knew it was true love!
PI's stories have been deeply meaningful to me for a long time. And I have always admired her skill. Prose? Gorgeous, stunning, perfect. With great knowledge and great passion she strings words into gorgeous treasures. Raw stones left to their rough glory, or shaped and shined as needed. Not only a gifted wordsmith, but a wise and empathetic person who understands the human condition, and the complexities of emotion. Someone with great love for beloved characters, but also great understanding. Love born of understanding, which is everything I long for!
We love the same characters, and the same OTP. She does such justice to these characters, and their dynamic. She's always written Snarry exactly how I needed it. I have treasured her works for many years, and they have been my favorites for many years. Of course, in those earlier days I was much too shy to let her know just what her works meant to me.
Then, in recent years, I had my first interaction with PI. On Reddit, of places. I recced one of her fics and she responded to it which blew my mind a bit, since her Reddit name isn't perverse_idyll, lol! So...I tried to be chill, which if you know me, you know how hard that is! Me, but an overenthusiastic fangirl trying not to scare off her faves, haha! If I remember correctly, I finally set about drafting a comment on The White Road not long after that. Long overdue that one!
Then...time went on. During a very rough period with an old fandom group, I turned to PI's works for comfort. And in November 2021, the same month I left that old fandom group, PI's episode on @fanficmaverickpodcast (Ep. 25 interview) was released!
I was over the moon excited to listen to it! But the sort of excited that meant I couldn't dive in right away. I had to run around and squeal a bit and settle myself down in order to listen. It is a long episode, two and a half hours long, but well worth it! The host, ChaosBlue, is a dear friend of mine now, and a very professional and charming host. And perverse_idyll was a fantastic guest, with so much insight and enthusiasm for fandom and for writing. 10/10 recommend it. I ran around and shared the episode everywhere I could.
And then...Reddit. PI shared the episode on Reddit, with encouragement for others to reach out to ChaosBlue to do their own episode. And...I did! God, that's a whole other post in of itself and how amazing ChaosBlue is, but basically...I felt pretty audacious! I had to work myself up quite a bit to reach out. And as hard as it was to reach out, I don't think I'd have found the courage to even think about it without PI's little note. It both inspired and comforted me. And doing my own interview for the podcast was such a great (and terrifying!) experience that I'm glad I did. (See: ep. 32 Interview)
From there...it came over time. PI was so kind and supportive about my interview. I found the bravery to reach out to her directly at some point. And though she is quite the busy lady, she is always so giving of her time and energy in responding when she can! PI is such an encouraging, generous, compassionate, supportive spirit. One I feel very blessed to know. She has so much clear respect and admiration for other creators. So much love and dedication to fandom, however busy or wild life may be.
Other fandom experiences reminded me of why they say to never meet your heroes. But PI spared me from being too wary of folk. PI is an excellent reminder that, sometimes, the creators we admire are even better humans.
PI's works were so meaningful to me for so long. And PI as a person has just as much impact! Thank you for being my friend, PI. Thank you for everything that you do. Thank you for all that you give to fandom; for all that you create, and all the support you give. And thank you most of all for being there for me. And showing such kindness and gentleness in times I needed it most, whether you knew it or not.
Here's to you, my friend. Time for me to wipe my eyes and drop some recs! Maybe by the end we'll have forgotten what an emotional mess I am LOL.
The Afterlight
Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Work in progress. Background case. Mutual pining. Friends with benefits. Denial of feelings. Angst. Hurt/comfort. Eventual happy ending.
Y'all cannot know how thrilled I was when PI posted a new fic. This one! And though it's only just begun, I already feel in my bones it will be a new favorite! PI as ever provides Snarry exactly the way I love it!
After surviving the Battle of Hogwarts, a long convalescence, and a short trial, Snape walks free and promptly vanishes from Wizarding society. Six years pass before he shows his face again. A lot can change in six years, and a romantically disillusioned and inebriated Harry hits Snape up for a friends-with-benefits arrangement. After all, they share an experience most people have never had: they both know what it's like to be dead. Their liaison works surprisingly well until Harry's reckless behaviour as an Auror leads to unethical practices and personal calamities, and things start to fall apart.
Candles Lit Against the Dark
Minerva/Wilhelmina. Minor Harry/Severus. Rated: G. Words: 13,585. Old friends. Postwar. Heavy drinking. Fond bickering. Snapecase 2023.
Many feelings. Very realistic and bittersweet. With all of the realism of life, for all of its rough edges, uneven paths, and the love found along the way.
It's been a few months since Minerva's retirement, and she'd promised Wil a dinner out. Before she knows it, friends start turning up on her doorstep and then at the pub, not least among them a certain spy who came in from the cold.
I am obsessed. This is dark and fucky and weird and wonderful and gorgeous. The sequel, And Mine the Gall, features one of the lines that has most haunted out of every fic I've read. Love it love it love it!
Albus Dumbledore never makes the same mistake twice. Certainly not in love.
No Room for the Weak
Eileen POV. Rated: T. Words: 10,444. Dysfunctional family. Mindfuck. Pre-Snarry.
Love love love love love this. Some Snape family history. Eileen is great. Very fascinating look at the woman who bore and raised Severus.
There's a Boy Who Lived and a boy who didn't, and even a mother can't always tell them apart.
The Son
Regulus POV. Rated: T. Words: 5,422. Unhappy families.
First there were two sons. Then there was one.
Warm
Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Words: 11,323. PWP. Fluff & smut.
PWP feels wrong for this. So much sensuality and tenderness and good god the LOVE here. Also, I'm sorry, but Harry and Severus existing as themselves basically is plot, but I digress....PI says it's PWP so it's PWP. I'm not going to argue with her!
Severus still suffers the after-effects of Nagini's venom, especially in winter. Harry knows just how to warm him up.
When the Rose and the Fire Are One
Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Words: 81.619. Confinement. Dysfunctional Relationships. Spinner's End. Dubious consent. Sex magic.
Cool magic stuff. The best OC I've ever met (Odile, my beloved.) Ideas of Spinner's End and Eileen Snape that have lived in my head ever since. Big angst and fuckery. Great characters. Great relationship development. Everything is just...A+, chef's kiss, amazing.
Harry's haunted by guilt. Snape's warded by roses. Each must free the other in order to free himself.
Longtime favorite. One of the first fics that fully blew me away. I read this and thought "this does not belong on the internet, this belongs on a bookshelf."
One day, comfortably set up in the afterlife, Lily Evans Potter switches on the telly and gets hooked on the Harry Potter show.
for an explanation about Mutuals March, or to figure out why i wrote you a thing, please check out this post.
Aaah, I'd meant to send you birthday wishes from work but that obviously failed, so here's a late-evening pop of the champagne cork for you, Danni my dear! I hope you've had the happiest of birthdays, and that you're feeling relaxed and cherished and totally indulged. And I hope you know you're cherished here as well; that you're a gift unto yourself and a delight to know! Also a brilliant author with a narrative voice that hurts the gut and breaks and illuminates the heart, while salvaging splendor from the materials of loss and ugliness. May this year bring you happiness upon happiness and much joy in your own creativity and sense of self!
I wanted to write you a Snarry snippet, but I'm pants at dashing things off in the moment, so it doesn't quite come off to my satisfaction. It doesn't really end; it's just there. But I'm dropping it here anyway because I don't have any other gifts to give you (and I'm still reeling from your latest tour de force).
Have a marvelous vacation! 🍾🎂💝😘💖
"I don't get it," Ron said. "I don't get how you can go from my sister to that awful, ugly git."
"An ugly git with a fanciable arse," Harry joked, fending off irritation at the fact that even his oldest friend refused to understand.
Ron had outgrown the juvenile impulse to mime sticking his finger down his throat, but he still grimaced in disgust as he said, "You're barking. Let's be honest, you of all people could have anyone you – "
Harry cut him off with a glare, and Ron caught himself before straying too far into rubbishy Boy Who Lived territory.
A few seats over, Charlie slanted Harry a speculative glance, as if intrigued by the topic of Snape's arse. Harry hid a smile but was canny enough not to oblige him.
He wanted to tell them You haven't a clue. Because it wasn't only about a nice arse. Severus did have his moments of beauty. Severus had his moments of belonging so completely to Harry that it blotted out everything else.
But those moments weren't meant for just anyone. They weren't meant for Ron or Charlie Weasley, for Hermione or Luna or Ginny. For all that Severus liked to insinuate their sexual compatibility into public places, there was a privacy to having a relationship with him, a sacrosanct quality that made everything five times more intense than Harry was used to.
Yes, Harry had been profoundly disturbed at first to discover it was Severus Snape's hard-faced respect, Snape's coal-black pessimism and tendency to bristle and stand his ground – even when his ground was patently wrong – that sent his cock and his temper soaring.
And Severus, after his initial recoil and ice-cold certainty that he was being pranked, had exploited that knowledge to the hilt.
Unfortunately, Ron couldn't just leave it. "It's not so much that it's a bloke, Harry. But why limit your, erm – " His discomfort smeared the words together into a smirk-worthy yerm, and the rest of the sentence proved what Harry had suspected, that he and Hermione were discussing Harry's love life behind his back. " – your erotic possibilities? No one in their right mind would call Snape sexy."
Exasperated, Harry almost shot back that no one had ever been concerned about how he was limiting himself when he was fucking a girl. But since that girl had been Ginny, it would be beastly to talk about her like that.
Then he considered mentioning the fact that, far from feeling limited, he didn't think he could take much more possibility in his sex life, as Severus would do anything he wanted.
It was true. Having bluffed his way through his own insecurity, braced every bloody time for Harry to mock him – because Severus hadn't yet got beyond his conviction that Harry was immensely more experienced than he, and that his own deprivation in this area made him, as a forty-something man, ridiculous – Severus would submerge completely in the 'erotic possibility' and take Harry with him.
PI!!!! My dear sweet friend. I am lost for words. 🥹 You are much too kind to me (which I fully appreciate.) I had the most lovely of birthdays, with much joy and indulgence! Sunny days, magical sights, and heaps of delicious food! But best of all was all the love sent my way. I am truly blessed to have so many generous, darling people in my life. 🥰
Now...ahem. [TW: fangirl shrieking ahead]
Truly, the Universe has smiled on me for my birthday! After all, imagine had this little snippet not existed???? When it's so very much everything I want and need from Snarry!!!!
Things I love:
Ron (and co.) not really "getting" Snarry? Biggest checkmark. Not enough of that out there!
Outright accusations of "ugly" [insert dreamy sigh here]
Snape's fanciable arse??? I know you've written that before and truly if any bit of Snape has to be stunning, if not his cock, then his arse will do! (But truly, both would be just fine by me!)
Severus did have his moments of beauty. Severus had his moments of belonging so completely to Harry that it blotted out everything else. -- I'm not sobbing, you're sobbing. But really, it's moments like these that make me LOVE the "ugly" word. It's why I LOVE honing in on other people's opinions and issues, and beauty standards, it's kicking them square in the balls! Yes, he's ugly in a sense. But that doesn't mean he's not beautiful. And really, isn't that the most perfect example of beauty? When it's everything within shining without? (Okay let me tuck my feelings back in there, sorry about that.)
More of Severus using personal details as weapons, as in: their sexual compatibility. To shock and horrify those around them. It feels quite petty on the surface, but also an almost defense mechanism deep down (even if he doesn't quite see it.) The whole "If I say it first, it won't hurt me if you say it" idea. Because if he's using it to shock/horrify people, then it won't matter when they're shocked/horrified. Or, even as punishment for being shocked/horrified. Truly, I'm obsessed. What a perfect bastard he is. (With quite the fanciable arse, I've heard.)
and stand his ground – even when his ground was patently wrong – hi yes it's me I'm in love.
Also Severus initially thinking the whole thing is a prank???? YES YES EXACTLY.
no one had ever been concerned about how he was limiting himself when he was fucking a girl. - and Harry too gentlemanly to speak of her like that, haha! Though in fairness, the dude he's fucking is SEVERUS FLIPPIN' SNAPE.
Severus would submerge completely in the 'erotic possibility' and take Harry with him. -- all the possibilities with these 2? 100% my favorite part. All of the passion and obsession and how I'm pretty sure they'll never get enough of each other. And not even just the erotic possibility, mind you, but....well, that erotic possibility sure is something!
Anyway um this was perfect and everything I could have ever wanted and I'm obsessed with it and if you wanted to put it on AO3 I would be in full support of that 👀 But as is I am forever grateful and like sobbing. Because these are my BOYS. 😭 And you do them such justice. You always remind me of why I fell in love with them (on the off chance I'd ever forget haha!)
Today is a very special day! Happiest of birthdays, @perverse-idyll !!
I have been a fan of PI for many, many years now! I remember falling madly in love with The White Road when it first came out, and inhaling everything she's written since.
As a creator, PI is brilliant. Her prose is stunningly beautiful and her stories are so clever! Her work slips right into my heart and mind and makes a home there. Her work truly blows me away. The talent in this fandom is insane, and especially hers! Like: wow. Why is this not on a bookshelf?!?! What do you mean you're not doing this for a living???? Hellooooo. You realize how excellent your work is, right?? (But on that note: please don't leave us. Snarry needs you!!)
Ahem. ANYWAY.
So PI writes the snarries of my dreams. Their characterizations are so spot on and their dynamic is everything, but more than that...PI is such a special human, too. She's so kind and supportive and smart!! She has so much love of fandom, and so much respect for other creators. And she has been nothing but gracious and genuine in all of our interactions, and I feel very blessed to know her!
So in honor of such a special person, I will share with you my Top 5 Favorite works!
The White Road
Snarry. Rated E. 47k.
One day, comfortably set up in the afterlife, Lily Evans Potter switches on the telly and gets hooked on the Harry Potter show.
When the Rose and the Fire Are One
Snarry. Rated E. 81k.
Harry's haunted by guilt. Snape's warded by roses. Each must free the other in order to free himself.
No Room For the Weak
Eileen POV. (Pre-snarry!!) Rated T. 10k.
There's a Boy Who Lived and a boy who didn't, and even a mother can't always tell them apart.
In Infinite Remorse of Soul
Snumbledore. Unrequited Snarry. Rated E. 10k.
Albus Dumbledore never makes the same mistake twice. Certainly not in love.
And Mine the Gall
Snarry-ish?? Sequel to the above. Rated M. 5k.
It's one thing to deny oneself; it's another to be denied. In which Albus learns (again) that sins of omission have consequences, even unto the next generation; and that what he denied to Severus shall be visited upon Harry.
AND AS A BONUS, PI was interviewed on @fanficmaverickpodcast and you can check out that episode: here! Highly recommend!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Rec! Actually this is an old rec I wrote last year for the fic. But I wanted to take the rec out of the list and signal boost it more because the fic has now got an EXPANDED VERSION.
Secret Garden fairytale vibes! Also some Orpheus/Eurydice vibes! Dark fantasy with unexplained magic.This is my favorite flavor for HP fics. Especially for HP fics involving Snape. So much of him feels weird/eerie and fits with a lot of mythical character tropes. But at the same time I don’t see a lot of fics which explore that. I mean we don’t even get as many Vampire Snape fics like we should! But! This fic isn’t about vampires or anything like that! This fic is MAGIC like I love it best. No explanations. Totally irrational. Totally frightening.
Also fans of Snape Whump, this is for us! Snape Whump at the hands of other characters is one thing. But what if it’s whump because of something that you can’t even name? It’s perfect!
Normally fics like this in fandom or published litfic can make me feel slow because I don’t get it. But this fic is brilliant because it takes the reader with it. It isn’t an author proving they are more brilliant than the reader with plot devices and writing techniques. This is them meeting you where you are and giving you a story that you can fall in love with. Because you are so totally going to fall in love with it! <3
"Help?" The voice is bitter. "Not likely. But there is something you can do." The carpet of leaves rustles like a quilt being thrown back. "Potter. Let me touch you."
Harry's heart stamps once, hard, in his chest. It leaves an impression like a cleft hoofprint, the track of something dangerous running through.
There's a Boy Who Lived and a boy who didn't, and even a mother can't always tell them apart.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
danpuff notes: perverse_idyll's characters are always so, so captivating for their merciless humanity.
This is a story about Eileen and the boys who visit her.
This is a masterpiece of character work, not only of the central character Eileen, but also of her son. And, in the contrast, Harry.
There is nothing I adore more than flawed characters and woo-boy, have we hit the jackpot! Eileen is a bitter and unpleasant woman. She's grieving, yes, but that's not all there is to it. She's complicated, as all humans are.
She's unsocial. Not one to care for being sweet or kissing butt. Her interactions with other people are not especially nice. Though her moments of desperation, where she screws up and rushes in to "fix" it, are so real and so interesting! She is also not especially kind in the way she thinks of people, even (or especially) her son.
You can see so much of Severus in Eileen. But it's so perfectly balanced! Often in stories, familial relationships never feel quite right. Family members are either too alike or too different, but here we get flavors of Severus without her being him. You can see the connection, can see the impact they left on one another, without them being one another. What a special find this is! They feel like real, individual people with a real, individual relationship and history!
IT'S SO PERFECT I ACTUAL WANT TO SCREAM.
Ahem.
So for all of Eileen's flaws, she's no monster. She's more than the bitter woman life has crushed her into. She is a woman determined to find the truth, and to do the right thing. (Or what she sees as being the right thing.) I won't get too deep into that to avoid spoilers, but my gosh! There is a part of her with values and morals, and those things matter enough to take what action she can.
She's smart. Maybe not the genius her son is, but she's quick. She figures out the mystery all on her own. She's Slytherin enough to move the pieces where she needs them for her to act. She has mind enough and skill enough to make a plan and act on it. She is her own woman, her own person, outside of Severus' mother. Outside of that role, outside how she affected him. She is a person!
Eileen is also a mother, though, but not just the role of mother. But what that role did to her. Her feelings about becoming a mother, her feelings about her son, neither of them are easy to swallow or especially sweet, but she loves him. Even if she doesn't know how to love him.
God, Eileen here is fantastic. But it's not just her! It's what we glean about Severus from her. From her thoughts and memories, from what she shares with Harry. The compare/contrast to Harry.
Honestly. It's all so messed up and convoluted and dysfunctional. It's gritty and real. And just plain gorgeous. This is a story about a woman. And a story about her son. A story about a mother's love, even -- or especially -- when it isn't rainbows and sunshine.
I'd like to leave off with a quote from the story, though it's hard to narrow down. Perverse_idyll is a true wordsmith who weaves magic with prose, and so many parts of it struck me deep. So I'll choose the most self-indulgent bit, as it so aligns with my own headcanons and things I love about Severus:
'Oh, Lord, that look. It ran in the family, like problem hair. Not just love. Not just hate. But loving and hating at the same time, with equal intensity and insatiable need.'
So please, do yourself a favor and go read this one! (And feel free to DM me and chat about it.) (Please???? Someone come love this story and scream with me????)
Also check out my rec for The White Road: 1.) because you should read more of perverse_idyll’s work, but also 2.) if you wanna hear me fangirl wail some more about a work I LOVE and ADORE.
