Please forgive my ignorance here, but I keep seeing this term "Severitus" and I am no closer to understanding what it is or why so many dislike it. Please enlighten me.

 

AFAIK, Severitus Challenge was posted by someone ages back, that multiplied rapidly, kinds like bacteria, and became a genre to itself. Basically, a Severitus is a fic that explores, contrives, whatever... the relationship between Harry and Snape in which Snape = Mentor, fatherly figure while Harry is a whinny, stupid bitch. The highlight of this genere are the fics that feature the rare, but just as disgusting, Electra Complex! Harry.

Severitus fics are disliked because they are mostly the night-time emmisions of teenage fangirls.

 

Ah. I see. That explains it quite succinctly and thoroughly. I dislike such fics as well. Thank you for the prompt reply.

 

I think "Sevitus" is the mentor Snape. I know Severitus comes from the handle of the person that originally set the challenge "write a fic where Harry finds out Snape is his biological father".

Spoiler

Given what happened in TDH I bet you there'll be serious fanfic proliferation of this sort of thing. Though how you change a completely misanthropic bastard like him with a hard-on for a dead redhead, into someone resembling a human being, I have no idea.

 

"Severitus Lite" is a type of subgenre that made its way through the "Severitus" universe, popularized by Salamander (known on FF.Net as GreenGecko) in her fics "Resonance", "Revolution", and "Resolution", where (in the general setting of all Sev-lite fics) Snape through some set of circumstances becomes Harry's adoptive father.While Salamander's stories are well-written, most other authors turn Sev-Lite into some kind of comfort fic, where underneath his surly and abrasive exterior beats the loving heart of the most sensitive, nurturing adult male at Hogwarts. Go figure. Salamander at last keeps Snape fairly IC, for what is essentially an OOC characterization.

 

Actually, I don't think any explanation so far is completely correct.

Severitus is when Snape is Harry's (biological) father.

Sevitus is when Snape is Harry's legal father, but not biological (adoptation)

Mentor!Snape doesn't fall under any of these two.

...or at least that's how I was taught in school...

 

I know that's a joke and said for humor, but it still made me cry. The idea that fanfiction nomenclature could end up in the classroom.... /shudder

What's more sad is that I don't find it that hard to believe.

 

What course would that fall under?

Technology? Literature? Social Studies?

 

Umm yea, middle school was a bit freaky. Math class was regularly spent trying not to listen to the fan girls sitting next to me go on about their Harry/Snape or Harry/Draco smut and fiction. It's not quite as improbable as you say. Very serious, one of the reasons I avoided fan fiction for many years was because of the impression these fan girls left.

 

I'm truly amazed at the politeness level from the OP. It's not like we'd bite your head off for going a level or two down. :banana:

 

Ultimately, all the Severitus, Sevetus, etc. falls under the ugly umbrella of Snarry, regardless of fangirls' attempts to replace it with something more flattering.

Severitus is more appropriate for Severus and Albus... but that's a line hopefully no one will ever cross.

 

Too late for that, I'm afraid.

 

I defy you to prove it.

Well, I'd prefer if you didn't. I wouldn't be surprised if that, er, pairing has been thoroughly explored in AdultFF or FicWad, but I really hope Fanfiction.net itself hasn't reached that level yet.

 

Lol, obviously you're a little naive as to the lengths the fangirls will go. It took under 2 minutes to find these, all Albus Dumbledore/Severus Snape slash:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3349846/1/The_Best_Laid_Plans
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3439679/1/A_Confession
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2825972/1/Unexpected_Grace
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3239212/1/Much_Madness_Is_Divinest_Sense
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2712818/1/And_Never_Been_Kissed
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2542105/1/Good_TimesI_Mean_Gay_Times
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2500509/1/Dies_Diem_Docet

 

The logic of the fan girl archtype eludes me. I accept that Draco/Harry/Snape is popular, but I always got the idea that they were seen as sexy and magnetically attractive. But Dumbledore? Dumbledore? Do fangirls find gnarled phalluses sexy? With my limited psychology skills I equate Dumbledore to the grandfather figure, and that is profoundly disturbing.

The Charles Dickensesque title 'Mean Gay Times' was actually kind of funny.

 

It's a combination of being both polite as a general rule (though, I can be a right bastard when I want, and usually that is limited to dealing with Gaians), and being new here. I've more than enough experience having my head bitten off for asking a simple question on different forums, and wish to avoid the same here where possible. Being flamed with a hundred "GTFO NEWB!"s is unpleasent.

 

I think it's worth having DH just to get that kind of reaction from people. The challenge isn't actually bullshit, though half the stories answering it are.

 

I hate slash at the best of times but found a truly horrific fic when I was searching for stories with Minerva McGonagall.

Not only does it feature an Albus/Severus plotline, to make things more horrendous, it throws in a Minerva/Hermione pairing. Remind me why such people exist?