themostepotente | Fandom Discussion -- Characters and addictions

Somebody asked me the other day what my hang up with absinthe was -- and why I write Snape as having an addiction to it.

That got the old wheels a turnin'.

Simple -- Snape as well as any other character should have a weakness if you will. Since Severus is a potionscrafter, an addiction to something he'd have easy access to made great sense to me. And there is something very glamorous about absinthe in the hands of a very unglamorous man that trips my trigger.

I've actually seen a few people addict Snape to (or have a fondness for) absinthe besides

scribbulus_ink and myself. Stand the fuck up and be counted people!

And what about poor Remus Lupin? Is he addicted to the wolfsbane potion yet or has he built up a tolerance to it?

I hate, hate, hate when people write characters as being infallible. JFC -- since when did the Q Continuum cross over into the Potterverse?

And Goddess bless the hotness that is Lucius Malfoy, but goddammit when I pinpoint his achilles heel, I will use and abuse it.

So what about other addictive substances? I've a bit of a kink with characters being addicted to Muggle narcotics as well as cigarettes and organics.

I've seen fics with opium and snuff addictions. Yes -- I find this exceedingly hot as well. I'm strange, I know. You knew this or you wouldn't be over here reading :P

What about hardcore abuse and addiction? Cocaine, heroin? Why don't more Snapes have a datura addiction? Bigtime painkiller, folks.

And okay, what about nymphomania and satyriasis? Can't you just picture poor Harry seated in a circle of chairs, eyes upon him as he stands to say;

"Hi, I'm Harry Potter, and I'm a sex addict."

I'm getting off the beaten path here, folks. I want to hear your thoughts on HP characters and addictions. Have a link to leave? By all means, please do.

--P

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I don't necessarily like to see characters with addictions as their weaknesses. I mean, Snape and absinthe is obvious, right? But for me, it's a little too obvious. I think what turns me off the most about it is that while not everyone has addictive personalities, a lot of writers do, and I feel like a writer is projecting their own quirks onto a character when they give him or her substance addictions. It seems too...almost Mary Sue-ish, if you will.

You make a very interesting point, and I am certainly guilty of inflicting my clove smoking obsession off on Snape and Black.

But Mary Sue-ish?

What's an acceptable weakness for you then?

To preface, let me say that I generally read fic because I'm interested in relationships and character dynamics. Therefore the weaknesses I like to see are related to emotional abilities. Substance addiction is both physical and psychological, and while it can have a significant effect on a relationship, it's almost more of an external influence. I prefer weakensses that are shortcomings in the emotional maturity necessary for a relationship--lack of trust, communication issues, family, how does one cope with change, etc. True addiction is all about the addict, all the time (ask anyone who's dated or been married to an addict--when they're using you worry about when they're going to stop, when they're not using you worry about when they're going to start). I want to read a story that's about two people coping simultaneously with both of their issues and working to overcome what they can.

As far as it being Mary Sue-ish, I think of a Mary Sue as a character that the author would want to be, and giving that character the author's addictions takes them one step closer. I don't think it is a Mary Sue, just shades of.

I totally agree with you! Having seen close up the reality of addiction, I have a hard time romanticizing it. There's also the problem of it never going away. Even if the addict gets clean/sober, the addiction is there, forever and that has to be taken into account (though I think it has the potential to be very effective, like Remus's lycanthropy).

I don't have any problem with the *use* of drugs or alcohol or any other sort of mind-altering thing in fic. The problem for me is when it crosses the line into addiction, because then, as you say, everything in the addict's life eventually falls by the wayside except for his obsession with the drug of choice. Of course, a fic doesn't have to be written that way, but if the author tells me a character is an addict, I'm going to expect him to behave like an addict.

Of course, a fic doesn't have to be written that way, but if the author tells me a character is an addict, I'm going to expect him to behave like an addict.

As well he/she should.

It's not so much romanticizing it. At least not for me. Addiction is a very real thing, and I am adamant about realism in fics -- even in fantasy based fics.

Thanks for stopping by. I like to hear the opinions of others. Even if they are dissenting ones :-)

Oh good -- I'm glad I didn't offend!

It's not so much romanticizing it.

Hmmm. Perhaps that's the wrong word. Maybe it would be truer to say I'm not interested in it. I've seen so much of it in my life that it's just not what I want to see in fic. For me addiction written realistically is boring and depressing, and when written unrealistically it just irritates and annoys.

For me addiction written realistically is boring and depressing, and when written unrealistically it just irritates and annoys.

Word, yo. There's nothing funny or sexy or romantic or anything about an addict and their addiction. It's just depressing and pathetic and annoying and pitiful. I like my fic to be entertaining, and for me, nothing about addiction is entertaining.

Fair enough :-) Thanks for elaborating!

Why does the use of soemthign in a fic have to equal addiction? People could enjoy a glass of wine, or absinthe, occassioanlly and have no additiction to it.

The addiction thing seems in some (not all) cases to be writers also going the "extreem" route- very similar to the Harry can't just have had a crummy neglectful childhood he had to be repeatedly beaten with crushed ribs and broken bones and gang-raped everynight by all of the dursleys, etc until snape or whoever comes to rescue him. Moderation- be it for Harry's upbringing or Snape's recreational enjoyments works better IMHO for most fics.

Oh and FWIW, absinthe I think does make sense to snape because absinthe strikes me at potion-y- its herbal, there's a certain ritual to preparing it to drink, and its shrouded in a sort of cultural mystery that fits with the secrecy/mystery of the wizarding world, IMHO. I think Snape would be familiar with, if not use absinthe, but I think he's not a highly-addictive person and would guard himself against extended overuse and resultign dependance. I see him occassioanlly testing his own potions on himself, being reckless like that with his life- because if he dies, then its over... but not reckless with his ability to think clearly, because i dont think he'd want to live with that.

I also agree that Snape would certainly indulge in something like absinthe once in a while. I remember some fic where Snape smoked opium/hashish on occassion, which also seemed to make sense. I could see him using cannabis, as well. He'd go for depressants that would have a calming effect on him.

Definitely something organic and plant based.

Hrm. You posted this to my comment, but did you mean to post it to

themostepotente?

The addiction thing seems in some (not all) cases to be writers also going the "extreem" route- very similar to the Harry can't just have had a crummy neglectful childhood he had to be repeatedly beaten with crushed ribs and broken bones and gang-raped everynight by all of the dursleys, etc until snape or whoever comes to rescue him. Moderation- be it for Harry's upbringing or Snape's recreational enjoyments works better IMHO for most fics.

Moderation. Yes. Absolutely. I never wrote Harry's childhood as being that horrific. Nor would I.

my solution to the problem of character's personlity quirks and addictions is something I actually took from some of my role playing character creation, it's also one of my acting exercises. Put yourself in the mindset of that character, really get into the personlity, walk around your room, try on different outfits if you have to and think of every little quirk that you have as that character, then sit down and take a bunch of inane and insignificant quizzes. As odd as it sounds it helps with personality and there are enough quizzes out there about what drug you would be addicted to if you did drugs.

Makes sense :-)

Fandom Discussion -- Characters and addictions

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