blue-green thoughts

she/her | fan of multiple Hermione-centric ships, and Crookshanks | not a morning bird or a night owl but a permanently exhausted pigeon

[viridiantly]

quick note

Hi all! I know I’ve been pretty quiet on tumblr for the past while, so this is probably not a surprise, but I just wanted to let you all know that I’m going on an indefinite hiatus from the fandom. Like, I won’t be checking tumblr anymore, or my fandom email, or any discords. (edit: to clarify, I'll still be on discord, but not in any fandom spaces.)

I’ve always been curious when authors I liked disappeared, so I just wanted to leave a reassuring note. My life is good, I’m not going through a crisis or tragedy, I’ve just moved on to other time-consuming hobbies. I was having a really hard time balancing fandom with everything else, so I felt like it was time to quit. It feels a little dramatic announcing this, but I just wanted everyone to know I’m good! I’m just fixating heavily on other things. 😅 It’s been 5 intense years of SSHG fandom for me, which is a pretty long run. I might be back in the future, I might not be, but for now the fandom well has run very dry for me (has been for a while, to be honest) so I’ll be gone.

It’s been a great time everyone, hopefully I’ll see you all around again one day! :)

[said-snape-softly]

Said Snape…

An analysis inspired by my username :)

There are about 300* times in the series that Snape’s delivery of dialogue contains additional descriptives beyond “said”, giving us insight into his tone. I thought it might be interesting to take a look at what this can tell us about Snape’s character. And if you’re a fic writer looking to have your Snape reflect canon!Snape as much as possible (or even if not, and you’re looking to make choices that will distinguish him from canon!Snape), I figured this might be a helpful resource.

[Adverbs] Snape says things…

...softly or quietly, most often, followed by coldly, coolly, or icily, and then smoothly, silkily, or sleekly.

This trend holds when we look across not just adverbs modifying “said” but all verbs of speech. Here's how those descriptors are used across the books in the series:

And here's what that looks like split up by the different eras in Snape's life:

Snape is most often described as saying things “repressively” or “dismissively” as well as “calmly”, “slowly”, or “deliberately” in his double agent days, which are adverbs that convey a certain amount of control over the conversation, information, and his own temperament. Taken together, this may reflect his increased caution and the high-stakes nature of information at this stage.

Although Snape displays little patience for those not at his level even in his teenage years (“just shove a bezoar down their throats” comes to mind) his dialogue only reflects this with adverbs such as “sharply” or “curtly” once he has established himself as an authority figure. We will see a similar pattern below with verbs and adjectives conveying impatience.

[Verbs] When Snape doesn’t simply “say” something, he…

...Most often is expressing a negative emotion: shouting, yelling, bellowing or snarling and spitting. The largest portion of Snape’s shouts occur in HBP, specifically in Flight of the Prince, as he tries to direct the Death Eaters to leave and faces Harry. But looking across these first two emotionally-charged categories, about 30% of these (perhaps not surprisingly) occur in Prisoner of Azkaban, where Snape is spends a notable chunk of the book in an extremely emotional state.

However, he's not always shouting or snarling; approximately 15% of the time he is not simply speaking he is whispering or hissing, which complements the 25% of the time that he is speaking softly or quietly.

Let's look at this in relation to Snape's timeline:

It's fitting that the majority of Snape’s inquiries occur after Voldemort’s return, when he returns to his double agent role, gathering intelligence.

I also think it’s interesting what we don’t see in Snape’s school days. In childhood/school there’s relatively little superciliousness—instead, we see more argumentation; Snape argues, demands, pants, splutters, and backtracks.

Snape’s brand of snippy impatience and condescension (sneered/snarled/snapped, etc) is most evident in his days as a professor (before Voldemort’s return through his years as a double agent). In his deep cover years it declines; he no longer has the time; he’s focused on the task at hand.

Let's now look at the adjectives used to describe Snape's tone. Snape says things in a tone of voice that is…

...Most often soft, low, or quiet, followed by cold or icy, and then by sneering or sardonic. I find it fitting that Snape’s tone is described as impatient in GOF and HBP, both books in which Snape spends the year on tenterhooks, waiting for the axe to fall.

When we look at how these adjectives are distributed across Snape's lifetime, we can see that Snape’s vocalizations described as “terrible” only three times, and they occur at pivotal moments: Lily’s death and his own. Additionally, Snape’s unconcerned or bored tone comes out during his double agent years, and 3 out of the 4 times it is used as an affectation.

Misc. notes: It is also notable when there are a lack of descriptors surrounding Snape’s speech altogether. There are definitely fewer in the first two books, likely given their shorter length and lower reading level. However, there are three moments in Deathly Hallows that, taken together, really stood out to me: The Dark Lord Ascending, Voldemort’s visit to Hogwarts to take the Elder Wand, and Snape’s meeting with Voldemort in the Shrieking Shack (that is, up until the moment of Snape’s murder, during which he protests and lets out a terrible scream). The lack of any description of Snape's speech is a neat nonverbal way to convey to us readers the effect of Occlumency.

Anyway, hope this was interesting, and I’d absolutely love to hear any additional insights you all pull out of this!

*This is by no means meant to be the definitive, exhaustive analysis of Snape’s speech. This was completed doing simple searches for dialogue with “Snape” (didn’t have the raw text to write a script or anything), so it’s entirely possible that I’ve missed several instances of Snape speaking when referred to as “he” and the dialogue in question is several lines away from his name. However, I believe those cases are relatively few, so I fairly confident that I have a majority of the instances in which Snape’s dialogue is described with with an adverb, adjective denoting tone, or with a verb other than “said”. It’s likely the remainder would follow similar trends if they are dispersed sporadically throughout the series.

[viridiantly]

Hiraeth Chapter 12

“So nice to meet you,” Hermione said, her back straight, as she shook Saul Croaker’s hand. He was a tall and broad older man, with long white hair that gleamed softly in the dim light and reminded her of Dumbledore, though his face was clean shaven.

The letter from the Department of Mysteries had been short and to the point— just a few lines asking Hermione to make an appointment to see Saul Croaker at her earliest convenience, and that failure to do so within the span of a month would result in the loss of her memories and snapping of her wand, so of course Hermione wrote back for a time that day and here she was a week later.

[ao3 - chapter 12]

[ilikeit-art]

[viridiantly]

writing update 1 - hiraeth

currently writing chapter 17 out of 50. not to give out too many spoilers but a very important character is showing up in chapter 18 and I am very much looking forward to writing him. ;) hint: he's a ginger ;) ;) ;) (...yes, it's crookshanks, my favourite ginger, I am terrible at keeping secrets)

every day I write this fic I feel a little more unhinged about my writing choices but also very happy I finally get to deal with the things I never got to deal with in advanced floriography. I wanted to deal with the misogyny of the original series (and I consider JKR's TERFism under this umbrella, though that's extra-canon), the awful treatment of the house-elves and the joke JKR made of Hermione's campaign to free them, and the absolute hand-waving last-minute deus ex machina that was the Deathly Hallows. (yes, I know it's been like 16 years but I formed a grudge during my formative years and I cannot let it go.)

i've been very lucky that writing has gone mostly smoothly with this fic but well, I hit a wall in my last fic at chapter 22 and I felt confident then too so we'll see. 💀

[heartwarminganimals]

I have just found out that, like leopards, servals can also be born black.

Look at this beautiful baby

[petermorwood]

Melanistic Serval, Leptailurus serval ninjatus...

[redshoesnblueskies]

@elodieunderglass

[elodieunderglass]

Oh it’s been WAY too long since we had some good melanism!

[viridiantly]

I am going to be so embarrassed if this actually happens but there's a very real chance I'm going to write the remaining 33 chapters of my fic to I Can See You on loop.

[viridiantly]

Hiraeth Chapter 11

“I was the only person who ever loved you, and you killed me,” the shade whispered again. Snape let out a strangled groan like a wounded dog, which echoed in the eerie silence that had fallen on the property and the surrounding forest; even the grass seemed to have stopped rustling.

[ao3 - chapter 11]

[viridiantly]

Hiraeth Chapter 10

Not long after, a woman who could only have been Petunia Dursley opened the door. Hermione instantly disliked her, from the tips of her dry bleached blonde hair to her sneer, to her proper shoes that looked as if they pinched.

“You!” she screeched, a look of horrified disgust crossing her face.

“Hello Petunia,” Snape said with a dark smile. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

[ao3 - chapter ten]

[sevi-seviyorum]

mad props to Severus Snape for having the courage to act out my innermost fantasy of hurling myself from one of the top floor windows at my place of employment. what a way to resign. legendary.

[viridiantly]

Hiraeth Chapter 9

"“Did you just say Longbottom takes the head of the Dark Lord’s snake off with the fucking Sword of Gryffindor, that I had delivered to Potter in the dead of winter in a fucking frozen pond? And then Narcissa Malfoy lies to the Dark Lord about Potter being dead, who comes back to life after being hit with an Avada.” Snape stared down at her over his folded hands, and Hermione shrugged."

[ao3 - chapter nine]

[mariana-oconnor]

Types of AO3 Summary

Option 1 - The Excerpt:

The quickest, the easiest! Find a section of your fic that contains the main premise of said fic and also showcases your writing. Copy paste that into the summary box. BOOM! Done.

Best used for any fic, unless it's so short the excerpt would be the whole fic.

Option 2 - The No Frills:

Just a description of the fic. No need for drama. No need to complicate matters. Keep it simple, keep it safe.

Example: "A short character exploration of Blorbo's thoughts after Daisy leaves."

Best used for short fics, poems and fics where the style/format is more important than the plot. Or fics that tie directly into a scene/episode from canon or another fanfic.

Option 3 - The Hook:

Draw the reader's interest by giving them a set up with no conclusion. Introduce the main character(s), introduce the status quo, describe an inciting incident, leave a question in the reader's mind.

Example: "Blorbo is a barista at a coffee shop, struggling to pay their bills, but after handsome rockstar Obrolb walks into their coffee shop they find that they have to decide whether a chance at love is worth the cost of fame."

Best used for mid to long fic where there's a strong premise and follow through. Especially good for AUs. Can be expanded for more complex plots or used multiple times in one summary for multiple characters or subplots.

Option 4 - The Sitcom One-Liner:

"The one in which [over simplified description of one of the main plotlines]" This is essentially 'boil your plot down to the very simplest statement you can, oversimplify if possible. The more bizarre or unhelpful the better.

Example: "The one in which Blorbo learns to like cake".

Best used for fics with at least a little humour in them.

Option 5 - The Rule of Three:

Three is a magic number. Find three key moments in your fic and just list them. That's it. Often ends with 'not necessarily in that order' if used for comic effect. If it's an AU, establish that quickly (i.e. 'Star NHL player Blorbo…').

Example: "Blorbo makes a friend, falls in love, and almost burns to death, not necessarily in that order."

Best used for anything, really. Three is a magic number. The human brain loves things that come in threes.

Option 6 - The Trope Lure:

Why bother describing the plot? We all know AO3 readers are here for the tropes. Similar to The Sitcom One-Liner just using tropes instead of plot. Often followed by the phrase 'that nobody asked for'.

Example: "The Space western/ABO/Mail Order Bride fic that nobody asked for."

Often tacked on to the end of The Hook or The Excerpt as a tl;dr.

Best used for fic that plays its tropes straight with no shame or second guessing.

Option 7 - The Pre-emptive Strike:

(Not recommended) You just wrote this fic, the self doubt is consuming you. You feel the need to apologise profusely for your existence for no apparently reason. You feel cringe, you think the fic is cringe, you want everyone to know that you think the fic is cringe in case they don't like it and judge you for it.

Example: "So I fell in love with this pairing and had to write this. It's weird and terrible. Lol! I suck at summaries! Sorry!"

Best used for no fics ever. I cannot stress this enough.

(Seriously, I am begging you, don't do this. If you're planning to use this option, rethink it and do one of the others. I guarantee you more people will want to read your fic.)

Sometimes added on to any other summary as a strange disclaimer. (srsly. don't.)

Option 8 - The Unapology:

Embrace the mayhem, embrace the deep dark depths of your soul. The opposite of The Pre-emptive Strike. A combination of The No Frills and The Trope Lure that truly gives no fucks.

You have committed crimes and you are proud of them. You know what your USP is and you're going to make sure your target market finds you. Look upon my works, ye readers, and despair!

Example: "There aren't enough tentacle fics in this pairing, so I had to write one myself!"

Best used for fics with controversial/polarising tropes with all relevant details already clearly stated in the tags.

Option 9 - The Interrogation:

What if you wrote a summary entirely in questions? What if your readers had to read the fic to discover the answers? Who knows what will happen if you do this?

Example: "What happens when Blorbo McBlorbo gets his wish and Daisy doesn't make it to the plane on time? What happens when Obrolb finds out? How will this change Daisy and Blorbo's friendship?"

Best used for... I honestly don't know. This style of summary does not vibe with me. Mystery fic maybe? Sorry guys.

Option 10 - The Multipack:

Got a bunch of shorter fics in one work? No way of summarising them all without a wall of text larger than the Great Wall of China? This one is similar to The No Frills in that you're not describing the plots themselves and similar to The Trope Lure in that often broader genres and tropes are mentioned. What links those fics? Are they all in the same fandom? The same pairing? The same challenge? Just slap that right in the summary. A chapter list with 1-2 word trope/pairing summaries can be included or not.

Example: "A collection of Blorbo/Daisy/Obrolb fics based on Tumblr prompts. Chapter 1: Regency AU Chapter 2: Werewolves vs vampires Chapter 3: Ghost!Daisy Chapter 4: Space pirates!"

Best used for (obviously) works that are compilations of fic.

Option ? - The Void:

I said The Excerpt was the quickest and easiest summary to do. I lied, well... I didn't exactly lie. What is quicker and easier than not having a summary at all? After all, that's what the tags are for.

Example:

Best used for... nothing? Write a summary, guys. Please?

[viridiantly]

Hiraeth Chapter 8

“Miss Granger! Do you think, perhaps, that you should tell me exactly what this godforsaken future of yours entails? Without leaving out any of the details this time, please.” 

“Yes, of course, I’m sorry, I didn’t think—”

Snape’s nostrils flared.

“I think I will need to assign you detention for a week to get us through all of this,” he said, looking extremely done.

“But I have homework!” Hermione retorted indignantly.

“You should have thought of that before you decided to travel to the past and save the Circle-forsaken wizarding world, now shouldn’t you?”

[ao3 - chapter eight]

[viridiantly]

Hiraeth Chapter 7

A copy of the Daily Prophet was waiting for her; she had told her parents she wanted to keep up with news in the wizarding world and they encouraged it as they found it a very mature and intelligent thing for her to do.

She scanned the newspaper as she downed her morning tea, made with lots of milk as her parents disapproved of adding sugar, and nearly spat it out when she turned to page five and found a very small portrait of Peter Pettigrew staring up at her.

"Anonymous sources gave the Ministry a tip-off that Peter Pettigrew, previously thought deceased, was alive, and had been on the run for being a Death Eater. Sirius Black, imprisoned on charges of killing a street full of Muggles as well as Pettigrew has been released and pardoned of all crimes. When asked for a comment on the situation Mr Black said, “Fuck off, you vultures.” It is unknown if he will be suing the Ministry for wrongful imprisonment."

[ao3 - chapter 7]

[FFN - chapter 7]

[viridiantly]

Hiraeth Chapter 6

Hermione’s days passed in a daze after her meeting with Lavinia Monkstanley. Part of her had known that she truly was in the past, but that knowledge had not translated into a real belief that she would never return to the future. But now she believed. She was forever stuck in the past with a Harry and a Ron who were eight years her junior, with a Snape who was moodier and more unpredictable, and a Dumbledore who had no idea how many Horcruxes there were yet.

[ao3 - chapter 6]

[FFN - chapter 6]

[ursdahlia]

in the mood for film noir

[heyjude19-writing]

Oooh her hair 😍

[viridiantly]

Hiraeth Chapter 4

Hermione clutched her book bag tightly as she approached his dungeon office, and told herself that she was an adult and not afraid of detention with Snape. She had faced down torture at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange—she could handle a conversation with Snape. Probably. 

[ao3 - chapter four]

[FFN - chapter four]

Note: Hiraeth is moving to an every-other-week update schedule for the foreseeable future due to real life issues; I don't know if I'll be able to update weekly again in a few months or near the end of the fic. Hope you all still follow along. <3