Fandom Discussion -- Characters and addictions

[themostepotente]

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

Comments

[alchemia.livejournal.com]

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.

[mandrill.livejournal.com]

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.

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

Definitely something organic and plant based.

[cranberryink.livejournal.com]

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

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

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.