--- In hpmush-logs@yahoogroups.com, "echidna006" <echidna006@y...> wrote:
--- In HP-Logs@y..., Severus Snape <unclesnapey@s...> wrote:
OOC Seminar: On Being Slytherin


Snape waves at y'all. Please bear with me tonight. Uncle Snapey's
running a
temperature in triple digits right now.

Alexander says "Better than single digits."

Xavier says "Or negative."

Dominic says "Negative = bad"

Lilah says "Negative = dead"

Snape mmhmms. :) "We'll give a couple of minutes for more to show up,
then
party on."

You say "Okay, let's hope I can get this over before the drugs kick
in. ;) So,
we have a good mix of adults and students here, and perhaps we can
start
with what you guys think a Slytherin character should be. Who'd
like to go
first with their opinion?"

Sinistra raises her hand like a common student.

Darren will volunteer as well.

Xavier too.

Ali three.

Snape closes his eyes, plays with the rand function, and picks on
Xavier.

Xavier says "Slytherins are, first and foremost, ambitious. They want
things.
Power, money, fame -- the exact 'thing' isn't important and may not
even be
defined. Their defining characteristic is the fact that they will
do what it
takes to achieve these goals. This isn't to say that they may not
regret,
but they will still do it. That's why, in general, Slytherins are
extremely
successful in the real world. If what is needed is hard work, they
do it. If
what is needed is to stab someone in the back, well, they'll do
that too.
They are aware of opportunity and willing to seize it."

Marc raises his hand.

Xavier could probably go on, but that's a good summation. Back to
you, Uncle
Snapey.

Finian raises his hand, too.

Dominic nods in agreement at Xavier.

Snape smiles at Xavier nicely OOCly, cos we know it won't ever happen
ICly. ;)
"You boys have questions, Marc and Finian, or you want to chip
in?" :)

Marc wants to chip. :)

Finian wants to fish, but will settle for chipping.

You say "Let's give Darren a shot first. Smyyyyyythe? :)"

Darren has always thought, contrary to his own actions, that a
Slytherin is
one who has ambition. A desire to succeed at any means necessary.
Someone
who uses tactfulness and wit to get out of an undesirable situation
with
nothing happening to themselves. Pretentious and proud, they
despise
muggle-borns and half-breeds.

Alexander pouts.

Dominic agrees with Darren.

Alexander doesn't, obviously. :)

Xavier puts his hand up.

Snape pats Alex on the head. "Behave, son. Folks, hang onto that word
'tactfulness'. We'll need it later. Ali? Would you like to comment?"

Jarrett raises a tentative hand.

Ali noddlies, "Along the same vein with Darren."

Ali says "We aren't an accepting bunch, and we harbor a lot of strong
prejudices against those that are muggle-born, or muggle-lovers. Or
anything
really different from the norm.""

Snape psst. "That'd be you, Xavier." ;)

Darren snickers.

Marc waves his hand. I've got another take on it.

You say "Kidding aside, Ali does make a good point there. Marc, would
you like
to add to it all?"

Snape geez, psychic much?

Marc says "Slytherins are 'cunning folk', according to the Sorting
Hat in
HP&SS. This means we think things out, we plot, we plan. We often
have
sneaky, devious minds. Therefore...it isn't really true to our form
to act
before we think. We may get angry at people, but we're more likely
to plan
out our ways of getting even rather than just blundering off out of
control."

Marc says "It's not a really Slytherin thing, to act stupid."

Sinistra says "Hence the "Tactfulness."

Dominic nods in agreement at marc.

Snape hands Sinny a cookie. "Exactly. And that is one of the key
points to
playing a Slytherin. Deny everything (except to me ;), and ensure
the bodies
can't be traced back to you. However, there's another key point to
being
Slytherin that hasn't really been mentioned yet. Would anyone like
to take a
stab at what it is?" :)

Elizabeth raises a hand.

Sinistra munches on her cookie.

Jarrett raises a hand.

Dominic raises his hand at snape.

Snape points at Elizabeth cheerfully, and then at Finian, who's
bursting at
the seams. :)

Elizabeth says "I'm not sure if this is really what Snape was
referring to,
and it might be outright wrong, but: Slytherins are generally
aristocratic
and conservative; a number of them come from families that are the
old money
and old power in the wizarding world."

Finian agrees with Marc, and elaborates a bit. I think that a very
important
stipulation here is that the defining characteristic of a Slytherin
is /not/
someone who is evil. It is ambition. Their goals in life could very
well be
something like serving their fellow wizards, or contributing in
some /good/
fashion. It is the striving, the planning, the dedication to this
goal that
makes a true Slytherin, not just general nastiness and misbehavior.
And
while it is true that most are prejudiced against muggle-born and
so-called
muggle lovers, they are likely to have the foresight to be able to
think
through the costs of acting on these beliefs in a manner which
could harm
their reputations and chances for success. A Slytherin is much more
likely
to plot behind a muggle-lovers back to get his job than to start a
shouting
match with them in front of witnesses, for example.

Jarrett's hand stays in the air.

Dominic's does, too./

Alexander raises his hand and hopes he's not distracted by the other
window
whe he's finally called on. :)

Snape nods to both of them. "You're both on the same track here.
Slytherin
does not equal Evil. While many of us can be said to be
(coughLuciuscoughwhistle), the vast majority of Slytherins are
actually
well-respected citizens of the wizarding world. You can sort of
think of
them like your business leaders, politicians (Cornelius Fudge is
Slytherin
according to the admins, but he's not a very good one ;)... so
perhaps
consider them like our RL 'old boys club', where power and
influence and
public respect are part of their lives. For example, let's pick on
Lucius
again... only a very small handful of people know he's a Death
Eater. Some
more may suspect, but the vast majority of the wizarding world
would be
shocked to hear that this generous contributor to St. Mungo's and
former
Hogwarts governor worked for Voldemort. It would be like accusing
your local
community leader of being a mass murderer."

Snape now points to Dominic for his insight.

Sinistra sniggers

Jarrett agrees with Snape and keeps his hand up.

Dominic says "Slytherins, most of them anyway, are powerhungry. They
only hate
muggle-borns and muggle-lovers because that is how they were tought
to act,
or because they believe that they are inferior. A Slytherin does
all they
can to become the best, even if it involves doing something that
they may
regret in the future."

Xavier says "Hey, Snape, Fudge is a /great/ Slytherin. The man is a
total
incompetent but he still managed to become Minister of Magic. :)"

Marc says "Isn't there a difference between ambition and power-
hungry? I'd say
the latter is just the former taken to an unusual extreme."

Alexander keeps his hand up.

Xavier says "Not every Slytherin is ambitious for power."

Dominic says "I didn't say all."

Snape nods to Dominic's statement and then to Marc. Xavier gets a
condescending look. ;) "He only got it because Dumbledore said no.
And yes,
Xavier is right. Take our Head Boy, Sanjiv Sharma. He wants to be a
doctor.
That's his ambition, the thing he'll plot and plan about, but he's
not
power-hungry. Alexander, care to add to it?"

Jarrett's hand begins to fall asleep from the blood draining out.

Alexander says "My comment's about mudbloods."

Alexander says "So if you want to come back to me, that's fine. :)"

You say "Fire away. Someone give Jarrett a transfusion. :)"

Dominic cackles gleefully at alexander!

Alexander says "While the Slytherin attitude is against..
muggleborns,
halfbreeds, and anything else that goes against the traditional
wizarding
ideals, individual Slytherins can hold opposing views. For
instance, Alex is
half-Muggle and was raised Muggle. He can despise himself or
Muggles for it,
or he can accept it, or even secretly be gung-ho for Muggles. But
it's the
'secret' part that's important. You should almost always keep your
personal
views to yourself when they differ from the standard Slytherin
views.
Halfborn Slytherins are already a target simply by existing..
flouting it
would just be stupid."

Xavier raises his hand.

Darren wishes he'd know that tidbit last year. *snicker* :)

You say "Alas poor Pooh, I knew you well. Xavier? :)"

Jarrett eyes Xavier as his hand remains in the air, taking up
residency.

Dominic says "Whatever you do, don't let Jarrett speak! ;)"

Snape eyes Dominic balefully while Xavier writes a book. "You're
after him,
Jarrett."

Xavier says "Well, more on that being different. Xavier is gay, and
openly so.
But he doesn't go around crusading or shoving it in peoples' faces,
unless
it would be a good time to do it. It is very definitely a matter of
knowing
when and where to keep your views to yourself and when to expose
them. He
/also/ went to school during the time Voldemort was in power, but
he wasn't
a Death Eater or even particularly sympathetic to the cause -- but
he knew
better than to advertise the fact heavily. It's always better to
pick and
choose than to wear your non-standard views like a banner.
Slytherins appear
to support the status-quo simply because it is usually better not
to make
noticeable ripples, especially while still in school. You're
trapped there."

Jarrett says "Adding to what has been said, about the families, power
and pooh
bear. I feel pride is a big part of being Slytherin. Holding up the
honor of
your family is something we all should keep in our minds, at all
times. I
see the family honor as one of the few limitations to what a
Slytherin will
do for their objective. If Snape was finally offered the job as
DADA Prof.
and all he had to do was sacrifice his pride and sing Winnie the
Pooh and
wear pooh boxers for a week, I'm sure he would turn down the offer."

Darren falls over laughing.

Alexander says "I'm not so sure.. :)"

Dominic cackles gleefully at Jarrett!

Ali would have nightmares, she thinks.

Sinistra nods. "I have no doubt in my mind that's what he'd do."

Lilah didn't need that mental picture, thank you.

Marc says "But he'd do all that secretly, so no one knew. :)"

Jarrett smirks, "Just an example..."

You say "Jarrett, you should be careful stating how someone else's
character
will or will not behave in a certain situation. It's called canon-
copping,
and some folks don't appreciate it. Everyone will have their own
views on
how a character should be played, and it's important to keep in
mind
that the only people who have a say in how the char is being played
are the
admins, since they hired that particular player."

Jarrett says "Sorry, I shouldn't have made the assumption. I meant
that I
assumed he wouldn't. You are right. I apologize."

Alexander says "You guys were going on about Fudge. How's this any
different?
Just because he doesn't have a player? Not really."

Alexander says "It's not like he was /telling/ you /not/ to sing
Winnie the
Pooh."

Snape was basing his comments on the character on what happened on-
camera. I
don't presume to tell the person playing him they would do X thing
in Y
situation... but we digress. Xavier had an excellent point back
there, about
picking your battles.

You say "Can anyone tell me what's an excellent thing for any
Slytherin to
have if he (or she :) wants to get ahead in life?"

Alexander says "A neck?"

Darren was guessing a small, well hidden dagger? :)

Xavier says "A wand!"

Whelan says "Ambition."

Jarrett says "Connections and brains?"

Alexander says "A cute girlfriend."

Whelan says "A goal in life?"

Snape grins. "If they're Slytherin, Whelan, they already have
ambition." He
eyes Alexander with amusement. "I was thinking of Discretion, in
this case."

Marc says "Better part of valour, and all that."

Whelan hmms "Maybe you'd ant friends and other people that you could
use.. I
mean help you get what you want. Help you to reach that brass ring."

Snape goes on to another topic that is of concern to him, as the Head
of House
(and thus, discipliner of bad Slytherins)...

Dominic hides...

Sinistra snickers.

Darren stands his ground. Not this year. :)

Dominic gets snickered at, and goes to hide from Snapey.

Alexander says "At least Hufflepuff is behind us in points
already. :)"

You say "We had a lot of sniping between the Houses last year. A lot
of
players seemed to think it was in-character to get into verbal
sparring
matches that nearly (and some did) come to blows/duels. Now, this
isn't, to
me, very typical. Sure, there's going to be some badmouthing back
and forth,
a bit of high spirits at Quidditch matches, for example, but even
Dumbledore's made IC comments on how people are misbehaving ICly.
There is a
strict set of behavior required by the faculty here, and for the
most part,
we should be adhering to that. As a rule, Slytherins try their best
to make
themselves look like the wounded party in any tussle, and to
incriminate the
other guy... but it's better off not getting into it at all. If
anyone
remembers log #444, the one where one of the Gryffindors basically
started
in on Draco, and he simply stood there and defended himself, that's
a pretty
decent example of how most Slytherin kids should be acting. If
we're ICly
seen to be starting the trouble, then points will be taken off by
other
teachers, the prefects, or even Dumbledore. If the problems
escalate, there
is a clear policy in place at the school. Detention, letters to
your
parents, all the way up to expulsion. I'm not saying you should
start
behaving like little angels, but I am recommending that you try to
avoid
situations where you're getting punished because you aren't
listening to
those duly-appointed authority figures in the school. That includes
the ones
you don't like. :) In the book, even Harry never mouthed off to
Snape (to
his face), and there wasn't any kid who back-talked a professor who
punished
them. It just didn't happen, unless I missed something when I was
reading
them. :) So, if authority is present, we generally pay lip-service
to that
authority to their face, then wait til they're gone to start
plotting their
downfall. ;)"

You say "Dear goodness. I'm sorry about that.."

Xavier says "Never apologize!"

Dominic says "Snape? Apologizing?"

Xavier says "It implies guilt. :)"

Snape never gives up! Never surr... er, wait, wrong Alan Rickman
movie.

Darren chuckles.

Xavier definitely agrees. Before Harry came, Slytherin had won the
house cup
for 7 years in a row. Gryffindor only wins in the books because
Dumbledore
is a big cheater. They are not /obvious/ troublemakers.

Sinistra ROFL!!!!

Finian fans himself with his frilly cuffs. "You had to mention
Rickman."

You say "Yes, Harry gets preferential treatment, and the headmaster,
while
being normally wise and benevolent, needs to stop coddling the boy."

Dominic laughs at the Alan Rickman comment belatedly.

Snape ahem. "Anyone got anything to add to the comment about
discretion and
obeying authority when it's presented. Dominic?"

Dominic says "No comment...""

You say "And that, good friends, is the first step on the path of
staying out
of trouble. A lesson Darren's working on after his unfortunate
lapse last
year. Does anyone have anything they'd like to add?"

Darren snickers. You can bet that won't happen again. Ever. :)

Snape grins. "Okay, Darren, since you're the poster boy for this, why
don't
you tell us what most Slytherins would do faced with a setback as
nasty as I
laid on you last year?"

Darren gets that 'Why me?' look on his face and then smiles
innocently. "Well,
first thing I intend to do is start shifting the personal views to
the
background and work more on presenting a suitable Slytherin front.
On the
Quidditch front, do everything I can to make sure we win all our
games.
Aside from that, I haven't given it a lot of thought." (Yes, I know
I'm
slack. :) )

Snape tsk. ;) "Well, when faced with a setback, that's when we start
viewing
it to see how we can turn the situation to our advantage. It's just
another
hurdle to overcome to reach our goals, but reach them we will."

Alexander says "To dream.. the impossible dream.."

Jarrett says "To fight, the unbeatable foe."

Darren says "Hey...my dream isn't impossible. :)"

Snape denies all knowledge of that Muggle song.

You say "Does anyone have any final remarks to make before I wrap
this up?"

Alexander says "Don't lose us points!"

Finian says "Don't lack subtlety."

Darren says "Never sing muggle songs in Three B's when there are
faculty
around. :)"

Jarrett says "Sinistra's hair smells good."

Alexander says "Don't hit on the HOH's wife.."

Dominic says "You mean it doesn't smell like used motor oil?"

Snape nods. "We won the Cup last year fair and square, despite Darren
and
Anharad's... lapse... let's try and win by a huge margin this year.
And get
the Quidditch Cup too." He gives Jarrett a very odd look. "Um,
that's an
inappropriate comment to be making about a faculty member."

Lilah backs away from Jarrett slowly, covering her hair with her
hands.

Jarrett says "Would never dream of it outside the OOC room. Suicide
out in the
real world."

Sinistra blinks. Whoa... I missed that.

Dominic cackles gleefully at Sinistra!

Lilah snickers.

Jarrett grins mischievously

Sinistra shakes her head... this this not relating to the subject...
I
suggest-*clears throat*-That we continue.

Snape just shakes his head. "Anyone else? Last call!"

Dominic says "Can I have that green gooey thing I saw on your desk?"

Jarrett laughs.

You say "No."

You say "Anyone have anything... intelligent... to add? :)"

Jarrett says "Oh, in that case, no. See ya later."

Darren refrains from comments lest he set himself up for something. :)

Dominic grins.

Tommy thinks intelligent things are too much to ask for in any human
being...
@;O)=

Marc says "Hey, let's touch on what happens when people /don't/ act
like good
Slytherins."

You say "Righty-o, then. Go forth and be ambitious and discreet in
when you
start mouthing off to people. :)"

Snape er, okay.

Dominic yays.

Marc shrugs. "then we'll find out on our own. Or hopefully not."

Snape does the Vanna White thing and gestures to Dominic and Darren,
who's
been such a wonderful sport about all of this. "You get punished."

Dominic says "Huh? What?"

Sinistra blinks.

Whelan says "Is it like a door prize?"

Darren blinks and waits to hear the charges before he enters a
plea. :)

Marc grins. "And if there's more than one charge, you can order a
split-plea
soup.

Darren says "Oh that was bad."

Sinistra groans.

Darren says "Can we punish him for that? :)"

Marc laughs and laughs. Oh, I amuse myself.

Jarrett shakes his head. Horrible.

You say "You might get some humiliation from me and/or your peers, a
la
Darren's example. Or you might get some sort of punishment like
what Dominic
did. Now, of course, I'll ICly overlook petty stuff, like if Filch
catches
you doing something like spilling ink on the stairs. But if it's
something I
can't ICly ignore, such as ignoring the orders of a prefect or
teacher, then
I'll have to step in and mete out some kind of punishment. I can't
entirely
coddle the students, because then I'd lose my job... and hey, if
it's you or
me, you know I'll pick me. ;)"

Dominic laughs!

Darren always wondered how he didn't get detention for that whole
tromping in
mud scene last term.

Tommy agrees with Darren...

Snape chose to ignore it, because it was small change.

Dominic wonders why he didn't get detention/lose 50+ points for what
he did?

Xavier says "You don't lose points for something you did before term
started.
:)"

Jarrett shushes Dominic, "Don't give any ideas. That's a lot to make
up."

Alexander says "And I can't take away more than I did. :)"

Jarrett says "see ya all at school."

You say "I must note, now that I've remembered... ICA = ICC. If your
character
does something that will merit expulsion, you will be expelled. For
instance, if you're suddenly thinking that practicing the
Unforgivable
Curses is really cool and that it will further your career with
Voldemort,
I'd advise against it. At some point, the admins will determine
that your
character would be caught, and you'll have to deal with being
forbidden from
practicing magic for the rest of their lives."

Dominic nods in agreement at Snape.

You say "RPing will be a nasty venture if you can't practice magic,
so try and
stay out of that sort of extreme trouble. Some people are nearing
that sort
of extreme measure, so that's why I'm wanting to ensure folks know
OOCly
what the consequences of their IC actions might bring to them. And,
if
anyone has any questions about this, feel free to @mail or page me
if I'm
not busy (I'll have my @do or @idle set if I am), and as always,
this is
just my opinion. Your mileage may vary, and the admins have final
say on
stuff. :) Thanks for showing up, and I look forward to everyone in
class, on
the street, wandering around school... :)"

Dominic waves.

Darren claps and then goes to see what RP he can settle into for an
hour.
Thanks!
--- End forwarded message ---
--- End forwarded message ---