Severus Snape VS Reznor...the D-arkchetype of a byronic hero

"And now we come to the LOST SOUL. In the old alphabet system, this would be your Theta hero. He’s starred in a lot of movies, plays, and books for centuries. Think of Hamlet and you’ve got a lock on this guy. Tortured and secretive, he’s got a vulnerable heart and discerning eyes. He also tends to brood to excess and can be unforgiving. He might wander through town or maybe he was cast out because of some evil deed or physical deformity. Good examples of the LOST SOUL are Beast from Beauty and the Beast or David Duchovny from the Xfiles. Nicholas Cage tends to play a lot of Lost Souls. Heathcliff would be another good example of a LOST SOUL. In work, this man is very creative, but he’s very much a loner too - so he finds jobs like an undercover cop or a photographer. In historicals, he’s the lone gunman. " from : Beyond Alpha: The Eight Male Archetypes by Caro LaFever
First of all, let me make it clear that I had it up to HERE with Harry Potter before the first movie came out. All the frickin marketing, Harry this and Harry that. Spellbooks, wands and owls smothering me everytime I left the house to go anywhere. I wish I had been a goddamn wizard so I could wave my middle finger at people and magically, they would shut up. I couldn't understand why so many adults, especially middle aged women, were so absorbed in the silly books. argh.

Everyone kept saying how good the books were and how good the movie was. I sneered and hid inside my black velvety shirts. No way was I giving in.

So, I was in a weakened condition at a friend's one day...coming down with an awful flu that hung about me for a month. He had a Harry Potter DVD. I could see my imminent demise. I was too weak to run screaming off the couch. So I watched the movie. grrrr. it was good. dammit. I still hate admitting that. Now, even more troublesome is the fact that I'm interested in seeing the new one. (except for the big spider part..)I need to be punished with a spaghetti claw.

Well, after seeing the movie the first time - even gazing through my sickened stupor, I caught notice of one thing in particular. Alan Rickman's character of Professor Snape - I didn't realize it was Rickman at first. I saw the man and, being that I grew up with NIN , thought to myself "Oh my god, it's an old Trent." Several people my age said that instantly upon seeing a picture of Snape. Some people are under the assumption that Snape's character was ripped off of Trent, or that Trent should play him if Rickman ever gets sick of it. Yeah, whatever, stuff it.

The coincidental similarity however, is terrifying if not prophetic for Sir Reznor. It just so happens that both men fit into this dark badass good guy archetype that makes many women spread themselves like jam. After seeing Snape, it hit me just why middle aged women were reading the books...well, one of the reason anyway.

Yes, Snape is very attractive for an older guy, even portions of his personality as a character... (And his coat is to die for. I want his coat. I'm a costume whore) but I find the amount of Snape-ophilia out there disturbing! Because I so wanted Snape's coat, I went back to my sketches of a frock coat I was in the process of designing and did some research on coats, as well as looking for some good pics of Snape's frock so I could get the details to work into my own design. I came across plenty of pictures, lemme tell ya. Hoards of females frothing at the mouth have set up countless sites of Snape and Snape only. The word "sexy" comes up in at least 9 out of 10 of those sites. I'm not even going to waste my time describing what else people have up. From what I hear, there's plenty of racy fan fiction involving Snape as well and I'm just going to just let it alone at that.

I imagine poor Alan Rickman is never going to live this down. If he ever left the house with his get-up on, it would only stay on for 2 nano seconds as the Snaplings would surely net him and have their way. Shudder. This is all too terrifying because, once again it echoes a similarity with Trent - I remember videos of girls (well, and some guys) testifying that they wanted to lick him.

So, having been smacked in the face with all the Snape-full-ness before the second movie, I'm just not going to be able to keep myself from giggling when Alan comes on the screen and thinking of little Slitherin girls in bondage gear sneaking into his chambers to subdue him, with "Hurt" playing in the background. Gah.

If you don't believe me, for god's sake take a look at the pictures. And it's not just the black hair or black robes either....the whole face shape, nose, mouth and eyes are too frickin similar.

So, do we perhaps have a new "gothic icon" forming? We've had Brandon Lee, Rozz Williams, Morpheus (Sandman), Trent, Robert Smith....all the typical swarthy fellows that have come to stand as poster children for the gothic male ideal. And now, like Eric Draven we have an actor's specific portrayal of a specific character that is "ensnaring the minds" of who knows how many. Everyone loves a rebellious badass loner. Especially when they are the tortured "good on the inside" types. So...let's face it kids. Alan Rickman as Severus Snape is stepping up to dethrone Brandon Lee as Eric Draven as the dark idol of the age. The archetype of sexy dark, troubled men lives on as it has for centuries.... for more on byronic heroes,go here
Here's another fellow who fits into the pale, thin, tortured, intellectual, yet sexy kind of archetype, Kevin Ogilvie (Ogre) of Skinny Puppy. The thing that makes him different from the above mentioned two, is this endearing insanity that comes through in his vocals and lyrics. There's probably a million dark minded girls already who've been daydreaming about him for decades.
And let's not forget Brandon Lee.... how many girls didn't want to get into his electrical tape after that movie came out? (never mind that he was rather dead) I, for one, was guilty of ogling Brandon. We all have our guilty pleasures. I was nowhere near the extent of the Snaplings, however.
And let's not forget Vampire Hunter D, probably one of the single most gorgeous animated characters in existence. Same general look, same mysterious, dark tortured-ness. I SO want Mike to be him for halloween.

go hence!