I don't mean fanon Snape, friendly and handsome and charming. I mean canon Snape: self-serving, duplicitous, extremely clever, ultimately loyal only to himself, and only choosing to side with Dumbledore because he hated Voldemort so for killing Lily.

I even recognize he's not supposed to be liked, but Snape is such a Magnificent Bastard that I find it impossible not to root for his schemes. OK, his grudge against Harry is childish, but at least it provides Harry with a potential worthy adversary during his school years, and his ability to always, always get away with everything is entertaining.

Am I the only one who likes the (canon) character?

 

Yeah. Pretty much.

He's an asshole.

 

This is the DLP version of coming out of the closet. Therefore I will greet it with the same comment which has been given to my peers at their homes: GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS HOUSE YOU FAGGOT!

 

I wouldn't still browse DLP if I couldn't take a little hate.

I suppose I should clarify--I don't care for any kind of redemption. I like Snape because I think he's an excellent antagonist. Really, he's the only decent antagonist in the series--Draco is incompetent and worthless, Voldemort is an idiot, Lucius had a ton of potential that never ended up being used, Bellatrix is more a destructive tool than a proper villain.

 

No, you shouldn't. Not even Snape is a Snape fan

 

What he said.

 

Well, the first step is always in admitting the problem.

 

The problem with canon Snape is that he's a horrid mix of magnificent bastard and pining, redeemable ugh. The fangirls build fanon-him by focusing on the pining and the redemption, and you've built opposite-fanon-him by focusing on the magnificent bastard.

At the end of the day, you're both equally deluded.

 

I quite like him too - but not for any of his character traits. I just like him because he's one of the few genuinely competent wizards.

 

Snape does not qualify as a Magnificent Bastard.

That said, I find his character interesting, and he is one of the very few skilled wizards in canon.

Like Ron, he's either bashed way over the top, or put on a pedestal (see strategist!Ron).

 

The second step is chemical castration.

That's a real "In the land of the blind..." situation if I've ever seen one (with my figurative one eye).

 

Wait, so his competence (and skill) is not a result of his character?

 

The result of, perhaps, but not identical with. They're still separate things. Note that I like Dumbledore for both his character and his power; Snape for just his power.

 

Hell hath freezeth overth. /lisp

 

I like Snape too. I said so on my intro post. But I hated what JK did to him in the last book. He was such a epic, miserable bastard and then she turn him into a pussy over some chick he knew when he was nine. I hated it. And you have to admit that he was one of the few in the books who at least acted like they knew what they were doing (since Harry sure as hell didn't).

 

Child abuser =/= magnificent bastard.

 

The Nose knows what's up.