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At #Spinners--End we are looking for a passion for Severus Snape as he is depicted in J.K. Rowling's novels, instead of as on the movie screen. Our rule of thumb is: can we recognize the character in the piece as the Severus Snape of the books, without having to be told who he is supposed to be?












For more details and to help you with submitting art to our gallery, see our full rules here! [link]

This is not the main rules post! Do not leave your comment here if you want to join the group! Read the full rules at this blog post [link] and leave your comment over there.

If you have questions about the rules, please send the group a note. No one receives notifications of comments on this post and you may not get a reply!

_{For the benefit of those who do not own copies of the novels and for everyone's future easy reference, here are some lovely quotes from the books describing Severus Snape. These are the kinds of details we're looking for in pieces submitted to the group.}


"There, his black robes rippling in a cold breeze, stood Severus Snape. He was a thin man with sallow skin, a hooked nose and greasy, shoulder-length black hair, and at this moment, he was smiling in a way that told Harry he and Ron were in very deep trouble." (Chamber of Secrets)

"Snape approached their table, stared down his hooked nose at the roots, then gave Ron an unpleasant smile from beneath his long, greasy black hair." (Prisoner of Azkaban)

On Professor Sinistra's other side was the sallow-faced, hook-nosed, greasy-haired Potions master, Snape - Harry's least favourite person at Hogwarts. Harry's loathing of Snape was matched only by Snape's hatred of him ...(Goblet of Fire)

"Snape-the-teenager had a stringy, pallid look about him, like a plant kept in the dark. His hair was lank and greasy and was flopping on to the table, his hooked nose barely half an inch from the surface of the parchment as he scribbled. [...] Round-shouldered yet angular, he walked in a twitchy manner that recalled a spider, and his oily hair was jumping about his face". (Order of the Phoenix)

"A sliver of a man could be seen looking out at them, a man with long black hair parted in curtains around a sallow face and black eyes." (Half-Blood Prince)

"...Snape stepped into the corridor, his sallow face framed as ever by two curtains of greasy black hair. Silence fell over the queue immediately." (Half-Blood Prince)

"...he had forgotten the details of Snape’s appearance in the magnitude of his crimes, forgotten how his greasy, black hair hung in curtains around his thin face, how his black eyes had a dead, cold look. He was not wearing nightclothes, but was dressed in his usual black cloak and he, too, was holding his wand ready for a fight." (Deathly Hallows)

"...a skinny boy was watching them from behind a clump of bushes. His black hair was overlong and his clothes were so mismatched that it looked deliberate: too-short jeans, a shabby, overlarge coat that might have belonged to a grown man, an odd smock-like shirt. Snape looked no more than nine or ten years old, sallow, small, stringy. There was undisguised greed in his thin face..." (Deathly Hallows)

When we say "book Snape" or "canon Snape", we mean a Snape whose physical description and personality are similar to what we see in the books, or a plausible extension of what's there. Though we cannot be perfect as moderators, and there is some room for interpretation because not every detail across his whole life is laid out explicitly, there are certain characteristics that are described over and over again which we hope to see in your work.

Physically, Severus Snape is a thin man or a stringy, pallid boy. Unlike many other characters, he is never described as tall, so he is probably of about average height. He is a fairly young man, only 31-38 years old across the span of the seven books. He has a thin, sallow, and pale face, cold black eyes, shoulder-length greasy black hair that falls in "curtains", a prominent hooked nose with long nostrils, thin lips, uneven and yellowish teeth, and long, thin fingers. He bears the Dark Mark on the inside of his left forearm. He usually wears black robes and cloaks that tend to billow.

In terms of his personality and behavior, Severus is intelligent, cunning, private, loyal, devoted, protective, and courageous. He has considerable magical knowledge, skill, and power. He can say things and act in ways that are mean, unfair, or even cruel, but his bark tends to be worse than his bite unless he's defending himself or another person. He often uses sarcasm and has a dry sense of humor. He has a flair for the dramatic and for fancy little speeches. He doesn't often talk clearly about his feelings - unless something really pisses him off, in which case he can boil over like a cauldron and really give you a piece of his mind.

Ideally, the character in your piece should resemble the above descriptions strongly enough that we can recognize him as Severus Snape without having to refer to a title or explanation. Or to put it another way, if one gave a description of the person in your picture, it would reasonably match the words that J.K. Rowling wrote. (There is of course some "wiggle room" in pieces which are humorous, symbolic, or set in alternate universes/realities.)

None of this is to say that Severus has to be an ugly gargoyle or a twisted monster for us to consider him "canon". It is quite possible for Severus to appear attractive or sexy and to act in more positive ways. Also, we've deliberately chosen to ignore strict canon when it comes to the subject of romantic pairings, because we'd be cutting out huge areas of potential artwork and fiction if we insisted Severus never be paired up with anyone.

But we hope you can tell from the details above that it is hard for us to accept a portrayal which is handsome, square-jawed, and well-muscled, or broad-faced and plump, or a pretty romantic hero, or a sweet-faced nymph. Similarly, we don't find it likely the Severus in canon would act in "mushy", overly soft and romantic ways. Of course the man can fall in love, but he's not going to say it with tearful words and flowers! (Well, maybe asphodel and wormwood...)

We understand that a "canon Snape" is only an ideal we all aspire to and only what JKR herself writes can be considered "true". We probably will not decline a piece just for minor deviations from the canon description, although each of the voters has her sticking points. We are open to different artistic styles, too. But ultimately, the work we are looking for comes out of a love of the character as he is portrayed in the books, taking all his flaws and merits into account.