Snapedom

Hi, everyone, I'm sassy_cat and I've taken over maintaining the community from shyfoxling. The LJ community has reopened and all member posting privileges have been restored. (and my clickin' thumb feels the pain)

I hope to bring a bit of life back to the community by restarting Friday Recs and would love for everyone to share their favorite Snape fiction and art each Friday.

Thursdays will embrace where we've been by showcasing a TBT post with a link to a previous snapedom discussion. We can read with nostalgic amusement or renew/continue the conversation. Can Severus Snape every be truly deciphered?

Mondays I'll be posting a Meta Monday question about Severus to get your thoughts flowing, but as always, you're welcome to post and discuss Severus as needs demand.

For those who prefer their fandom on Tumblr, snapedom has created an official Snapedom Tumblr. I'll be cross posting the weekly posts there as well, so you won't miss any mod posts or recs. Assuming the Friday Recs are a success, I'll be compiling a rec lists and posting those onto Tumblr as well.


I'm easiest to reach on LJ, but I try to check my e-mail daily so you can also reach me at sassycat0109@gmail.com.
Your thoughts and opinions are alway welcome.

Sassy

Would anyone out there be interested in taking over ownership of this community? I feel bad that I've basically just sat on it and never even got around to changing header graphics, community icon and things like that (I always wanted to put up something fanart and not just from the films). I would prefer if a taker would also be willing to take over the old LiveJournal community (which I have many times considered re-opening, but that wouldn't be required; do what you like) and, as a bonus, the Dreamwidth community as well (although to tell you the truth, it's a dead zone and the only reason I haven't just deleted it is because then if someone did want to have a Snape fan community by that name, they'd have to wait for the username to be purged), just for the symmetry of having the same person in charge of all the places.

Partly because I would like to stop impinging on sylvanawood's Photobucket space, partly because I am not too fond of having Alan Rickman appear to be our main visual reference for Snape (especially since we have a tendency to pick apart the smallest nuances of canon, and he really doesn't fit them that well), and partly just for a change of pace, I would like to change the header graphic and default icon for this community.

I have the minimal Photoshop skills required to make them the right size (the banner is 899x281, so it needs to be at least that large - bigger can be shrunk but I don't want to fiddle around with the layout) and add text, but I am not an artist nor great shakes as a photomanipulator. I think it would be great if they could feature art made by a community member or members, but it doesn't have to be the case. Feel free to post about this in your own journal(s) for visibility to people who might not be members or who are only on LJ; they're welcome to leave comments here if they're interested.

So: I would like to invite everyone to make suggestions, if they have existing work they would be willing to allow as banner/icon, or feel like doing something new. I would prefer not to have to chase down permissions, so please, your own work only, unless you can show me proof the artist gave permission for me to use their work this way, or there's a findable Creative Commons license that permits it.

Administrivia:

I am now the maintainer of snapedom. I couldn't bear to see it go under, even though it's not as lively as it used to be just post-DH.

I don't expect I'll be making large changes to the rules or operations, except one: I'm considering turning off anonymous comments. I've tested posting comments with OpenID and it works fine for LJ and Dreamwidth accounts, so as long as you have an LJ (or DW) account you could still post comments. Or I might possibly set the ability to comment to members-only, which works well on another community I maintain where the subject tends to attract trolling. This hasn't been changed yet, I'm just thinking about it. Discussion welcome.

Also, I asked sylvanawood if she wanted to pass the LJ community (which has been closed since 2008) over to me as well, because if so I was thinking of maybe reopening it.

ETA: Snapedom will be run by someone else, it won't be shut down. We'll keep you posted about the details.


I've never made a secret out of it: this community is not moderated. People were supposed to settle their differences among themselves, like adults do. Obviously this is not possible.

And I don't have the time any more.

I can't constantly look over posts, deal with bombastic complaints from people 'from journalfen' who find this or that behaviour intolerable, have to read pompous advice from 'moderate fandom wankers' who wouldn't recognize sarcasm if it bit them in the arse and I can't always watch your posts for possible racism, sexism, whatnotism.

No one reads the rules. No one respects the rules.

Many valued members have left long ago, tired of the wank. I'm getting tired, too. I don't have time for this, I never did but it's not getting better over time.

So, if someone here wants to run the site, mail me, I'll hand it over. You do what you want, I'm not associated with it any longer. Otherwise the site will close on July 31st.
And no, I don't welcome comments on this.

I'm just thinking out loud here, nothing is decided yet. I just want your input.

As many of you will know, there currently is another LJ-fail going on which causes many people to finally move to dreamwidth. Somewhat similar to the IJ move a few years ago, when we moved snapedom here.

I love IJ. I love IJ as a host for snapedom. But when dw started, I secured the community name, just in case. I could open a snapedom sister community there, with the same challenges and similar rules, only members-only. IJ would remain open for all, no changes here.

Of course there would be different conversations developing here and there. Experience in journal-land shows us that some people never move from lj, some always move to new places, some are everywhere and some don't want any of this... and that's not going to change.

A closed community on dw would be an alternative for those who would rather go to dw than ij and those who feel too harassed by the idiot trolls and Snape-haters who show up here from time to time. On the other hand, two communities would lead to a bit of a split, possibly. I don't know. The crossposting worked well on the Severus Big Bang. The amount of moderation I would do on the closed community wouldn't be more than here.

I would not move old posts to the dw community, that one would get a fresh start (unless Squeaky decides to close IJ, which I don't find likely, at the moment). I would, however, crosspost challenges and general admin posts. The day-to-day adminning would remain site-specific.

So, are you outraged? Indifferent? Delighted? Tell me.

ETA: To clarify, we would NOT move snapedom, just open a 'second branch.' Some people will stay here, others go there, others go to both places, and that is how I'd love to see it.
If anyone needs DW invites, several people have some available. Just post here and arrange it with each other. Or, if you wish, we can get an organized 'DW invites' thread if things get into motion. I want to do some maintenance and revamp the layout while I'm at it, too. So it won't be for a little while, if we decide to do it.

So, I got ten replies, but only six people who have time for a commitment. I don't know about you, but I'm currently suffering from severe fandom fatigue, and the idea of deadlines and having to commit too much time to fandom activities makes me tired, all Snape-love notwithstanding.

How about: we'll take the chance and let you organize yourself? If you feel like it, we have a fest. Maybe we end up with nothing, but that's a chance I'd be willing to take. This would be a small, familiar Underground party anyway, nothing big.

So, I suggest I'd put up a template you can use to leave prompts for crafts, art, manips, vids, fic, you name it. All ships allowed. Something you would like to see. You don't need to offer anything. You don't need to commit to anything. But you can't expect anything either. You just tell us what you'd like to see. The prompts  keep standing, no deadlines there.

Then you look through them. If one tickles your creativity, you grab it and do something with it. You don't need to tell anyone. If none of the prompts is to your liking but you have an idea you want to explore, then go with that.

We start posting December 6th through January 9th. Everybody who made something, posts it. Guests who don't have ij accounts can mail me their entry and I'll post it for them, or they ask an ij friend who posts it for them. These all are gifts for the community. It's basically what we did with the Severus Big Bang, only in a very relaxed manner, no pressure, just do something if you can. If you can't, we'll never know.

Yay or nay?

(Preliminary timeline: Rules and prompts template up beginning of July. Posting template up beginning of December. Posting starts December 6th, ends January 9th.)

I'm happy when people discuss controversial themes. This forum is not only for singing Severus' praise, but to take a look at his flaws as well. But it is NOTt a forum for ItsAllAboutHarry-love or a general discussion of the HP series for everyone. It is a forum for Snape fans! If you are interested in Snape, fine. Read the rules, sign your post with a handle and keep in mind that you deal with people, not characters from a book. Discussions and debates can be heated and still respectful.

If you are a HP fan and don't like Snape, you shouldn't be here. This isn't the forum for you. If you still come, then there can be only one conclusion: you want to make trouble.

With some of our more recent guests I can't help thinking that the only reason they come here is to bash Snape fans, heat up discussion and act obnoxiously all over the place (and not very intelligent either, if I look at some of these posts).

So, all of you anonymouses, introduce yourselves here. Tell us why you come here. This isn't highschool, it's for adults who are mature enough to respect other people's views and agree to disagree. If you can't or don't want to understand this, you won't post here much longer.

I'll make another intro post for members and regulars soon, I think. A place to see who is who around here.

You may remember that this community is multi-ship and anti-ship-bashing for a reason. I usually learn a lot more about characters I like from people who are not so enamoured of them as I am, because they force me to rethink again and again what has become my personal canon. And by reading what they write about their beloved characters, they make me rethink my take on them, too.

You don't need to hate the Marauders or Harry to like Snape and vice versa. I wish each and everyone who gets really passionate about debating would take the time and try to argue the case from the opposite side. Like for instance: Harry was rebelliousand a rule breaker, even as a first-year, but where did that come from? It was the only way for him to survive the Dursley-'love' and Severus never, ever inquired how Harry was brought up. He only got an idea that Harry wasn't the pampered child he thought he was when he saw Harry's memories in OotP. Things like that, you know?

Maybe we should make a game out of it, something alternating with the monthly challenges? Something like teams debating with each other, and people try to argue different from their accustomed way of arguing? Something like a fictional debate between Severus and Minerva, the Malfoys and the Weasleys, Harry and Draco... I think that would be easier than keeping it to 'Severus and...' since most of us here really like him, with his flaws and without them, and that makes it difficult to see things from another angle.

Would that kind of thing interest you? (I don't want to discuss my Harry/Snape example from above here, that's just an example). (I mean that. If you want to discuss it, write your own thread. Discussion about this on this thread here will be frozen without a second look). If it does interest you, I'll try to come up with some rules for a game (or if someone wants to organize it: go for it). If not, keep as you were.

And: a reminder for our anonymous guests: our rules ask you to leave a handle, a letter, some kind of identifier instead of just posting as Anonymous. It's simple courtesy towards the community and its mods.

I've just signed up for the Hermione Big Bang, a fic and art celebration on livejournal for her 30th birthday in September (which won't be interesting for most of you here, since so many here hate her). And then it occurred to me: It's Severus' 50th birthday next January.

And thus I ask:

Does anyone know about plans for a Snape Big Bang?

I can't be the only person who noticed that. If someone plans to organize it, I'd like to know where, who, how etc. If we can help promote it here, I'd like to do it, or help in any other way, if wanted or needed.

This month's challenge was suggested by greedslayer. Details about that suggestion can be seen here.

Apparently Severus was Voldemort's right hand man. Was he really? Why? Was that intentional and pushed by Dumbledore or not? How did Severus' ego react to that position? Did he like it, hate it, not care about it? Did it affect his relationship to other Death Eaters? Was he always a trusted servant or only after the second rising? And, and, and...

So, after several lighter topics, we're having a heavy one this month. I'll make my way through your suggestions and try to alternate between lighter and heavier.

The tag for this challenge is march09

This is meant to help me revamp the rules:

our normal, traditional monthly contest goes like this:

The winner of the past contest is the host of the next one, that means they set the theme and give out a prize if they want to, the prize is optional. In the past, the winner also chose the winner of their new contest.

Now, when we had the first contest here on snapedom, things got a bit confused. severed_lies did an admirable job of starting the first contest here and introducing it, and I can't thank her enough for that, since at the time I was overwhelmed with RL, as so often.


But: the chosing of the winner got confused. She chose the winner through the number of comments on each post, which was something I wanted to use to replace the polls. Polls, however, only were used for special contests, never the regular one. Confused already? Bored? No? ok... ;)

If we keep up the chosing according to comment number, the winners lose one of their priviledges: chosing the next winner. And so I'm asking you what you prefer, you who participate regularly: do you want the *regular monthly contest* winner determined by the host or by comment numbers? Please comment here with 'host' or 'comment'. If you couldn't care less, well...

Thank you for your attention, dear Underground, and of course I'm just smoke-screening the fact that I don't have your banners ready yet. But almost... ;)

Currently I'm going through older posts and organise tags. As long as I have time. You'll know by now that that can change and I'm buried in work and vanish for weeks again... but that's the plan anyway.

After I've done that, I'll get the link lists organized, taking off the older challenges and making a summary page for those.

Since no one seems to have objections, we now allow art. Link to your Snape-related art or post it here whenever you want. And by all means, enter the snapeartcontest. You don't have to be an artist to do that. Grab your mouse and scribble away. Stick figures can be as funny as masterpieces.

Please keep recs for other people's art to Fridays as usual. It's not a crime if you don't, but you'll be reminded for next time. I think we did well enough with that policy over the last year.

I'll look over the rule section and will ask for your input frequently, since I want to have it a bit less confusing than it is now, but that's in the future.

In February, perhaps from the 12th to the 17th, we'll have a Valentine's party, our chance to cover Sev in pink and hearts. Snort, how he'll love that. ;)
We've had a lot of fun with it last year, let's do it again.

We're still growing slowly but steadily in numbers, so giving you a bit of homework is in order, I think. Severus wants to take the Underground register again, and that's your opportunity to introduce yourself, self-pimp, tell us what you like and give us a list or make a page with the Sev-related art/fic/meta you do, here and elsewhere. We did that at the beginning of snapedom, with the Underground member essays, but it may have been forgotten. How about refreshing that list now or making a new one?

I wonder if finding old entries would be easier if I give users name tags to use? Should be doable, unless there is a limited number of tags on paid accounts, too?

I tried to cheat and look old entries up in google, but there's so much... and I once again got caught up on STFU. Gosh, I didn't think the idiocy of fandom_wank could be beaten, but I was wrong. STFU has to be the tops. And boy, do they love us there. I'm almost tempted to invite you all to spork the funniest of their gems... but wouldn't that be a waste of time and better spent writing fic, meta, doing arts and crafts, because we're a FANdom? I suppose they are as passionate about their, ah, insights as we are about Severus. ;)

It's about the Friday recs. You may remember that we've agreed on this in the past. We want fic recs on Fridays, because we want to keep the focus on the discussions on snapedom.
We also included art and vids into that rule. Which was fine until now.

Now, however, we have the snapeartcontest here. And the artists who contribute to the contest should and are posting whenever they made that art. Telling other artists not to link to their art whenever they finished it and allowing the snapeartcontest to do so would be unfair, I think.

So melusin and I were thinking that we should allow the linking to your art whenever you want to. Please keep the rec-ing of other people's art to Fridays, as always. Since we don't have that much art, that shouldn't 'fill' the community too much and distract from the discussions.

And: if we remind you of the Fridays, you don't need to take your posts down. Just remember it next time

What do you think?

I know, I know, you're all tired of fests, the sshg exchange has started, other things happen in the fandom... but don't forget to raise your glass and post a bit of silliness and/or serious wishes for the second birthday of our so not-dead Severus. Come on, Underground!

And thank you to all who posted comments about the snarc/snapedom merge and other things, thanks severed_lies for starting the new contest, thanks esmestrella, for putting up the masterlist!

Ahem, it's cold outside and the Summerfest is finished.

I'll get to all these things in more detail tomorrow, hopefully. And now, let's party!

Before I post the first Snarc Contest on

snapedom, I am going to repost sylvanawood's guidelines:

 

1. The most important rule for the Contest is to keep it funny. We make fun with Severus, not so much about him. Almost always he has the last laugh.

2. The paintings can be made with any media of your choice. If you do not have an art program on your PC, you can try ArtPad and other alternatives listed here. Photomanips will still be excluded, however.

3. Artistic talent isn't required, only imagination and humour. Stick figure Snapes are perfectly acceptable.

4. Snape must be in the picture, in recognizable form. Follow the contest prompt directions regarding other characters, architecture, etc. In general, dialogue is optional.

5. Since the contest used ArtPad from the inception, and ArtPad prohibited pornographic art, it has been customary to refrain from such.

6. Post your entry, in a new post, before the deadline, including links to ArtPad or other programs which show the process of drawing in animation. Multiple entries are welcome.

7. The deadline for the contest is midnight wherever you are on the date set by the host.

8. The winners will be determined by number of reviews to each entry up to a set date.

snapeartcontest merges with snapedom.

The Society for Nonsensical ArtPad Enthusiasts (S.N.A.P.E.) has played with Severus for years. It's been a fun time, with great entries and wonderful people.

I can't maintain three communities, though, and since not many people play on snapeartcontest at one given time (it's more a spread through time), we can easily welcome them into our fold and have fun.

The snapeartcontest will have monthly contests that either center around a famous work of art or some theme chosen by the winner of the previous contest. Rules will be posted with the first contest. It's severed_lies' turn to post a contest, I think.

As a new rule, entries won't be restricted to ArtPad art, but can now also be made with any media of your choice. Photomanips will still be excluded, however.

The most important rule for the snapeartcontest is to keep it funny. We make fun with Severus, not so much about him. Almost always he has the last laugh. And in this sense:

Welcome, snapeartcontest!

...and we want to have a party, don't we?

We had one last year, and it was fun. Why don't we just continue with the same?

We'll celebrate Severus' birthday together from January 7 to January 13. His birthday is January 9.


For entertainment:

- Write drabbles/ficlets. Possibly about a good birthday moment, or some other good/decent moment for him. There was misery enough, we want to see him smile (even if it scares us). Let's make it a 1000 word limit.-

- Write and paint/make postcards. This can be joint projects between artists and writers.

- Make art, sing a song, dance a dance, knit a plushie... but show us the pictures here.

- I'm not going to organise a snail mail campaign with birthday cards for Severus to JKR... you'd have to do that on your own. ;) I m of the opinion the less she says, the better.


For food and drink:

- Post your favourite Severus-party recipe.
- Post your favourite drink or cocktail recipe (alcoholic)
- post your favourite non-alcoholic recipe.

Try some of them and raise your glass to the wizard. What you do on this community on the day of his birthday is up to you. :D

As usual, this will be a very informal party.