@@upinurbiz When I started viewing the video, the way you sat down with your chalice and how you introduced the subject reminded me a bit of CJ the X. It great to know you also watch one of my other favourite content creators when it comes to essays! 🥰❤️
Decades ago wee teenage JKR developed a general dislike of her High School Chemistry teacher and now in the year of our lord 2023 I am watching a 3 hour long video about the women who obsessed over the fictional character she based off of him. We truly live in the strangest timeline.
@@indiagale7918 Yup, John Nettleship was his name. He also gave her mother, who was suffering from MS, a job as a lab assistant and they were good workmates apparently. The White hound article on him goes more in-depth but honestly get the vibe that he was just an awkward eccentric who JK developed a weird grudge against because she didn't like him as a teacher.
@@panq8904 If I remember correctly, it's because the teacher had autistic traits that would make him appear distant, rude or impolite towards other people. As someone who had an autistic teacher all throughout high school, I get it, some autistic teachers can be really difficult to deal with. When he found out that JKR had turned him into a character in her books, he was a bit shocked at first, but then he totally ran with it. He even hosted (or still hosts?) Harry Potter tours cosplaying as and impersonating Snape.
This is the kind of wild-eyed physically-destructive unbroken hyperfocus on a subject I understand on a deep spiritual level, I am all in with this lady and her driving into absolute educated madness
I never knew the Snapewives existed but in early 2000s I was absolutely obsessed with Snape even going so far as claiming he was my writing muse for Snape fanfiction, especially self-insert fanfiction, and I had a shrine to Snape, (framed printed out pic of Rickman as Snape), black, green and silver candles, some old books and glass bottles of various sizes), on my bedside table. Looking back, I have to admire the patience of my boyfriend who's still with me to this day. He had to roll over and see my Snape shrine every day. Lol.
This is darkly fascinating to me. I've also gotten unhealthily obsessed with fictional characters before, but I would never in a million years think to build them a shrine. Is it because I'm an atheist? Or is there some non-spiritual purpose to the shrine? Maybe it's because I'd die of embarrassment if people knew how obsessive I could get, so I deliberately avoid externalizing it when I'm around others.
@@AD-dg3zz I wouldn't say a shrine is necessarily associated with religious purposes- for example, my friend has a shrine of her favourite artists. I'd say in some cases it can be more of a decoration of sorts? And a way to acknowledge and remember an interest (snape in this instance). Idk abt op though
the amount of people who have said they had a similar experience is so funny to me because I literally cut five minutes of Byron content lol he just has that affect on people.
Back in the day. I once described holding hands as "hand sex" with a significant other on MySpace. I was young and naive. I was trying to describe the overwhelming excitement I felt at holding hands at the time in a quiet and intimate setting. I intended to use it as metaphor, for how overwhelmed I was by the experience, and I was so naive that I didn't realize how it was going to be received. And then one of my friends mom alerted my parents about what I had posted, and my parents freaked out. And between shame and confusion I didn't know how to respond to them. In hind sight I could say that at that time, I was experiencing a new new level of intimacy, and that holding hand with someone I liked felt like what other people describe as sex. And I was trying to express that level of emotion I was feeling. And that it came off wrong. But at the time I was too young and confused and naive, and overwhelmed to give my parents a good explanation for the thing that they had heard. Basically back then, we didn't know how to frame and moderate the thoughts we let free on the internet. It had both more and less consequences than it has now.
Your post made me realize that I aspire to be the kind of parent where this sort of misunderstanding lasts like hours, tops. You express a feeling that I remember in that age and couldn't put into words... thank you for sharing it really grounds it for me.
my fiancé minored in philosophy and I’m constantly trying to get him to watch insane fandom video essays to his chagrin, and I think I’ve found a winner that intersects his love of theory and my weird obsession with religious phenomenon. I owe you my life
m.ua-cam.com/play/PLHsXddZFR9ANYYEtyq5-YBHNVloLdrO26.html These are Religion For Breakfast's video's about pop-culture. His other video's ancient religion are great.
Ik this is an old comment but I wanted to say, "cringe" is a word used by fools who've never loved or enjoyed something unabashedly. Be cringe. Be free.
After I realized how many people were into it, I didn't feel cringe anymore. ;-) As long as it's fiction, enjoy it, whatever it is.....with very few exceptions, I'd say...
this really was my magnum opus it’s all down hill from here lol I appreciate you enjoying it though!! I prefer quality attention over lots of attention any day
lol 😆 i am stoned but i read the comment as "(a) modern sociological masterwork at (a) 361 degree view" still works for me the vid is over 70k now- and has one new subscriber
Thanks for leaving a comment, you did your part to get the algorithm chewing on this. Now I get to reap the harvest of those seeds, finding it on my home page at 91k views
Notes/Corrections/Clarifications: - I wanted to clarify some of the statements I made regarding various sacred texts, specifically the Jewish sacred texts, being “the same to a point” as the Old Testament. It was pointed out to me (very politely and kindly by a Jewish person in the comments) that this is a common misconception coming largely from Christianity that erases the Tanakh (Jewish scriptures) as distinct, important texts of their independent validity in favor of lumping them in with Christianity as part of a christian narrative. - While I was speaking specifically in reference to the content and stories that appear in both the early parts of the Old Testament and the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (the Torah) like the Garden of Eden from Genesis, the story of Abraham, etc, that was not made clear, and ironically I ended up proving the point of problems with Christian-centric definitions of religions. Regardless, I would like to make it clear that they (and the early texts of other Abrahamic religions that share similar stories) are VASTLY DIFFERENT TEXTS that serve different purposes and are not all just pre-Jesus Christianity prequels or whatever nonesense we were taught in Sunday School. - Also, I would like to apologize to the Jewish community for adding to and affirming that misconception. Regardless of my current beliefs/practiced having been raised Catholic and in a culturally Christian environment means that biases (both conscious and unconscious) are probably always going to reflect that to some degree so please feel free to point out ignorances or things I may have gotten wrong, or phrased inappropriately etc. Obviously I’m a big fan of nuanced discussion and there’s no way I could make 3 hour videos without stumbling a few times. Thank you to the lovely viewer for educating me, I will absolutely be more aware of this issue going forward. - Also, for those interested here is a bit of information on the Hebrew Bible: www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hebrew-bible/amp/ EVEN MORE CORRECTIONS: - ARISTOTLE WAS NOT A PLAYWRIGHT HIMSELF. Just a critic. I think I mixed him up with someone else in my head either way I’m wrong the man was just judge mental & nothing else. -Homer was waaaaay before Aristotle by like centuries lol
Mretrettetkt I’ll lrrlrlrttrttrekttrteteerkrtteelrtettreeeltlttrlerteterttrtetttrttrrtttrrrttttrterrtrttrreeetretttererrertrtrrrtretrererrerrttrrtrreerrketktrtkteetrkteeetrrkekrelrelrreekretlrrttrlrrererrtteetrrttrtrtetrtrrtrrerrtrrreerrrrrrerrktrtterrtttreetrertterrretttrrretrrettttttrreeerrtttrrrretrtrttrrrrrerrtttrrttrtrrreeerreetereertteeeteererrererrreerrtrtrrtrrtretrretrerrttertterttterrretkrretkrkrrerrrrrkrkrekrkreekrtkreekrekrekrrttkrrrreekertrkrkrrkrrekrkerkrkrrkrrerkterkrekttreteekertrrretrteteterteeteteretreteetetteetettttttettrteetteeerreertttreettrektktrtettrettrtrreteertrrrertrertteetttrteerrtrrtrettrktkttkremrrerrttmrrrkrrereretkttrreretttreemetrrrtretettrtrrtkertrkeretkeetand K th i Ige the t 2:25:22 2:25:22 and 😊t
I am in my third year of religious studies and honest to goodness this is a THESIS. One of my fave profs recently did a course on Cults and New Religions and this video would be right at home in his class I bet!
SAME SAME SAME SAME SAME. I FOUND MYSELF PACING WHILE WATCHING IT, PAUSING THE VIDEO TO LAUNCH INTO EXCRUCIATINGLY DETAILED MONOLOGUES TO AN EMPTY ROOM ABOUT MY OWN EXPERIENCES OVER 13 YEARS IN FANDOM SPACES, AND THEN UNPAUSING TO HEAR MORE ABOUT BYRON AND SNAPEWIVES. THIS ESSAY IS EVERYTHING. IT HAS COME CLOSE TO DEPOSING "PATHOLOGIC IS GENIUS AND HERE'S WHY" IN MY RANKING LIST OF FAVORITE ESSAYS. GODDAMN I LOVE FANDOM.
The unique, nameless emotion I felt during the "fandom is active" part, especially the "no one wants it, no one will pay for it" about fan writing and art, because I'm listening to this video while working on fanart. It's somewhere at the nexus of pride and despair.
Not me finding this in the midst of my sociology project on celebrity worship and it’s inherent religious qualities especially in the age of the internet… Is this… the perfect video for me? Perfection on a stick *mwah*
I'm so sorry but this is exactly the content my tiny nerd heart comes to UA-cam for - I don't want to know about the thing, I want to know the full history as to how the thing started and why exactly it happens from a sociology point of view. Phew. What excellent content
@@juliaware7504ok not to be that person but,,, I recommend, if u haven’t already, to look into if ur maybe neurodivergent? Bc same and I was told it’s ADHD
Youve created a gorgeous gorgeous piece of art here. As someone who wasn't a snapewife, but does have similar feelings for other characters/people, this makes me feel so fucking seen. I've always been deeply ashamed of how intensely I feel about these things, but this is such a empathetic analysis. I love it.
this is extremely fucking good, i feel like i'm watching an unhinged final project for a critical theory class genuinely, though, it's really heartening to see such an earnest analysis of something that people have largely dismissed as ridiculous. good-faith criticism is hard to find when it comes to "cringey" online spaces, but these fans are real, and this experience is real to them; to dismiss it outright because it doesn't make sense to you is the least interesting/valuable response (let alone the worst possible response that DID happen, which was incessant bullying that still continues today). anyway, thanks for your extremely thoughtful, entertaining, and kind analysis! i hope to make a video like this someday!!!
my life feels like a unhinged critical theory class so you’re not wrong at all - also this is such a lovely comment to receive I’m so glad you appreciated the work and I would love to see you make similar videos send them my way dude!!!
I truly appreciate this comment, something that's just funny to me though is that all the Snape fans that I met in my life were all the biggest bullies of everyone else, not the other way around, so for me and my personal experience it felt weird that you mentioned that. Even so I agree and I'm sorry that you or people you know got bullied for just liking a fictional character!
This echos my thoughts completely! Maybe it's just youtube's recommendations being particularly good recently, but I really feel like there has been a major uptick in earnest, academic-level analyses on media that has historically been thought of as substantively lacking or otherwise too "low art" to merit deeper discussion. Even beyond helping to correct for previous bias against certain media due to its primary audience (*cough* teenage girls *cough*), it's also just neat to see an academic analytical framework applied to topics not usually explored through that lens!
This is almost exactly what I was going to comment! I’ve heard Snapewives referred to a million times and I had no idea the community was this dedicated and earnest. It’s such an interesting phenomenon and absolutely deserved this deep dive.
I didn't know I needed an alcoholic Amy Pond talking about Snapewives for 3 hours until right this moment. This is a masterpiece, you should have a ton more subscribers.
Ironicaly I think that Serious Black fits the Byronic Hero archetype better than Snape. He was born to the Black family, he was tall, dark haired and extremely handsome (was very VERY popular with girls in hogwarts), he rebelled against his family's wishes and was reckless and dangerous to others and especialy himself. He was framed for crimes he did not commit (like Edmund Dantes) and finally he was tragically killed by his own blood relative. He is the brooding bad boy awaiting for a good girl to fix him.
i think the thing with snape was that he was a relatable outcast that needed to be fixed where as sirius was popular and had the people in his life that fixed him
You are sitting on gold here, holy shit!! This is a genuine masterpiece, so thoroughly researched and presented with so much charisma. I can't wait to watch your other video essays, and I truly hope you'll stick to doing this because once people find this account, it will take off for sure!!
🥹🥹🥹 yo thank you that’s wild I’m so glad you appreciate it and enjoy it bc I have so much fun making this stuff (even though it does also drive me absolutely insane)
I'll be finishing a sociology BA when this semester ends, and I got a better understanding of Durkheim from this than I did in my intro to social theory course lol. Very well made video. It's dense with theory and complicated concepts yet digestible, and also made with empathy and compassion for the people being studied-- which invites the rest of us to remember to humanize even those who we might be tempted to dismiss as bizarre others.
I'm just pleased that the auto-captions fucked up SnapeWives and made in Snake Wipes and felt the need to share that here. Excited for the rest of the vid
Tbh I'm obsessed w this video, the research and genuine empathy expressed for the wives really is lovely; too often people cover this topic as more of a "Ooo look at those kooky freak women!!" spectacle more than any actual analysis/commentary. Plus there's some really great conversation about religion/spirituality; some parts about the depth of their faith and feelings had me actually emotional dude fr. Def looking forward to anything u put out in the future! 💚💚💚
Wait, I just now (1h, 6min in) noticed, that this Video was made by a small creator and only has 2500 views. That is insane. This is (so far) a fantastic Video essay with way more depth than just discussing some fun internet history (that I had never heard of before btw). This deserves a way wider reach. I am very happy the algorithm let me stumble across it (I came from a 4h summary of ACOSAF) and thank you for making this Wonderfull, educational yet entertaining video!
You give off such vibes I cannot describe. Like a wine aunt but also an immortal elven librarian who has like the best erotica collection. I'm Def going to make a character inspired by you because holy shit
The latter would be a HYSTERICALLY entertaining animation, just a wine-drunk immortal Elf lady who just likes the company, so she’s sharing all of her favorite infinite knowledge, AND ITS SNAPEWIVES LMAOOOO
Ok. I stopped just before part six so that I can watch in bursts. Some thoughts: 1. Love the history of the Byronic Hero and its origins. 2. Surprise kitty!! 3. The delving into the psychology and sociology of fandom and fandom culture is so interesting. Specifically the semiotic(?), enunciative, and textual portion. 4. In regards to the “Snape appearing in my dreams” situation, it heavily reminds me of the recent TikTok “trend” of “reality shifting” into the HP universe, and also DracoTok (similar kind of fangirl behaviour of Snape fans but for Draco (in terms of Byronic hero)) 5. Female fans (or media with majority female fans) tend to get the brunt of the “This is Weird and Condemnable” type of treatment. It’s especially prevalent when those particular fans are more transparent about their (sexual) desires regarding a media/character. Will add more thoughts when I watch the rest
you mean you didn’t watch 3 straight hours in one sitting? *shocked* 1.) YES Byron’s whole life and legacy is bonkers 2.) she goes where she pleases and I just have to accept it 3.) Glad you enjoyed it! I’ve always found media-fandom so interesting bc it’s so different from regular like sports fans or something (also yes! semiotic is correct 10/10) 4.) just you wait 5.) exactly it’s like: oh look! misogyny! WHAT A SURPRISE! Thank you for your thoughts and words I’m stoked that this is feeding your brain xx
Okay, just finished the entire video. Additional thoughts: 1. I’m not Christian, so the whole Christ’s brides situation was really interesting to learn. 2. I was somewhat aware of the things going down between the Snapeists. but it’s still amazing to know the details of it. I think part of it is cuz they also find Alan Rickman attractive (but I could be wrong). The thing about the Snapewives "drama" is that a lot of it is just interpersonal disagreements. It really sucks that it's being put on blast and mocked. 3. The “Fandom Wank” culture/response really made me wish that niche subcultures/fandom stayed obscure. And it’s a culture that very much persists in internet spaces to this day, just using different names and/or justifications (think “people with weird interests should be bullied”) 4. The entire section “Looks like a religion, quacks like a religion” is an absolute masterpiece. It also dawned on me that Snapewives/Snapeists would have still existed in some form even in the absence/inaccessibility of the internet. The internet just merely made it possible/easier for people to form a community from all over the world at a faster rate. TL;DR: Absolutely amazing piece of work. Eventhough this is a Snapewives video, my fave parts aren't Snapewives-centric. 394/10
This is genuinely the most enthralling video essay I've seen on UA-cam. I've already sent it to a dozen people and have gotten my hands on every cited source I could find just to read myself, plus Davidsen's whole book(!?) on Tolkien religion. You are an inspiration.
ahhh that's so sweet thank you so much! Also all of my reference pages w/ links are available on my patreon (for free no need to subscribe) so you can check them out! www.patreon.com/posts/references-79165593?Link&
I had no idea that this was a thing?? I’m glad I had you to guide me through it because I’m kind of over the gawking at/dunking on fandom drama genre of video. I think a lot of us who participated in fandom during formative years have had some genuinely wonderful and genuinely painful experiences in those spaces and seeing them reduced to “drama” is actually very good at making one into a cynic losing touch with their inner child and with actual real life people (including kids) who deserve empathy and support
no wonder you said this. bcus "seeing them reduced to “drama” is actually very good at making one into a cynic losing touch with their inner child and with actual real life people (including kids) who deserve empathy and support" is such a dramatic ass statement. just bcus someone think this shit is whack and useless, doesnt mean that person becomes unempathetic. and you can be in touch with your "inner child" or whatever and think people treating a fictional character like some spirit is stupid.
@bubbles4897 Your comment is stupid. I'm not even trying to be mean: you've missed the entire goal and point of this video and approached an earnest sharing of vulnerability, with all the nuance of an uncooked potato.
45 minutes in and I realized that back in high school (2004-2008) I had an obsession with Inuyasha. I wrote fanfiction, poems, made artwork, and consumed just as much. Text based roleplaying, and forum chatting. Fandom wars. Oh the fandom wars. I always just assumed it was just that anime I loved so much even though to this day I didn't really know why. Because I actually kinda hated it. But I didn't get into it until I started being nicknamed Kikyo by my friendgroup in high school. This friendgroup included a guy and his then girlfriend. I had a very serious crush on the guy but never acted on it, but he and her essentially started an emotional and psychological abuse campaign (possibly not on purpose? Idk) against me that lasted for years (even after they broke up, even after she moved away, even after we graduated high school). I delved into Inuyasha because he saw me in that character, and so I devoted myself to this show as much as I wanted to devote myself to him. By committing myself to Inuyasha, in a way, I was committing myself to his view of me before the outlandish things started. Outside of some implications of being compared to a character like Kikyo and what that even could have meant under the surface, I was searching for identity where I had felt I was stripped of it in all aspects of my life. By defending and lifting up Kikyo as heartily as I did, I was trying to defend and lift up myself. I WAS committed to that show. Stupidly attached to every word and every plot point and plot twist. When you said it's about Identity my brain melted a little bit. In a way it feels so obvious now but sometimes obvious things get overlooked, I guess. Not trying to throw out a sob story or anything like that, but just a rather profound personal observation from your analysis of all of these interconnecting things that I felt the need to record here. I'll be finishing this video now haha. It's RIDICULOUSLY good.
Never thought that studying medieval christian mystics in uni would ever be relevant to understanding a youtube video about Snapewives. Legitimately underrated video!
I really appreciate the respect you show these women. After having finally completed this video, I can say that this is one of the best and most thoughtful videos I’ve ever seen.
I’m genuinely shocked this has so few views. This is beautiful, and chaotic, and made me feel things I didn’t realise a discussion on snape wives could? Thank you and wonderful work! I’m very eager to watch the rest of your videos.
Just watched a second time. This is one of the best fandom deepdives on youtube. It scratches all the voyeuristic urges without a trace a mockery - when mockery is usually the window through which video-essays like this are usually framed. Freaking brilliant.
I have never aged so fast as I did hearing fandom wank introduced as something you might be unfamiliar with. 😭 Early 2000s internet culture sure was a place (and the linguistic shift is fascinating tbh but that's another story).
it's so crazy you released this so recently bc i've had snapewives brainrot for like the past month (strange, i know, but i LOVE learning about weird/interesting/fringe fandom + internet things) and thankfully i was clicking enough videos that the algorithm dropped me this gem!
God bless the algorithm for finding my people ❤️❤️ snapewives is one of those things that pops up every couple of years I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stop thinking about it !
i ASPIRE to be this level of unhinged and in depth in my essays my GOD this is a masterclass in literary criticism. i am on the floor inconsolable. i will never watch a video this in depth or overwhelmingly INTERESTING ever again. i hope ur happy also on the topic of fandom u might want to check out the book Fic by anne jamison if u havent read it already it goes super in depth in the history of fandom up until the mid 2010s and it was eye opening. one of my favorite non-fiction books to date
Deep into this and i have to say: this is one of the best video essays I’ve ever watched. Not only do you bring context to the phenomenon, you’ve given a greater sense of context than entire mainstream documentaries I’ve watched lately. Not only that, but the incredible defining of religion while taking great care to note when something is a western concept; a joyous event I’ve only seen maybe twice in my life. You’ve not just earned one subscriber, but I feel as if you’ve earned a 100,000 more. I’ll be sharing this with all of my friends.
I really respect your ability to be objective on such a bizarre phenomenon. It's so common to come across video essayist covering stuff like this with the underlying message being "Omg look at this weird thing! Let's all point and laugh because we don't understand it." But when we allow ourselves to put aside any preconceived biases on what is "normal", we have an opportunity to learn so much more about the very nature of culture as we know it. Because when we really think about it, culture itself is almost as bizarre of a phenomenon.
I'm twenty minutes in but this video has already reawakened some trauma about how when I was into bandoms during high school me and a bunch of strangers started a group chat that was a cult around a random user we thought was secretly one of the members of the band. It got super emotionally vulnerable and intense. Glad (?) to see that behavior is not unique to me.
The algorithm recommended this to me some time ago but I only now got around to watching it. And it's so good. This video really has everything I love: fan culture and fandom history, well-researched theoretical background, cat Also, the energy, impeccable. And so funny. Instant classic.
Yall the hairband thing is so wild. Like I get that it being ridiculous has nothing to do with it being a religion, but like "oh I lost my hair tie and then weeks later, I found it, must be Snape love and savior of my life!"
it reminds me of the way Christian women describe how Jesus is involved in their mundane day to day. Because they're always talking to him, they feel they have that kind of connection. 😅
Honestly, i used to do things like that when I was Christian. When I would loose things and got upset when I couldn't find them, I would think that God was teaching me to calm down and trust him. And when I calmed down, it was easier to find the missing item.
Girl, as someone surrounded by devout muslims the same thing happens here I'm talking about finding your car keys that you misplaced 3 days later and thanking Allah and his magic for it saying "i prayed for this moment "
It's so refreshing to find a creator who has so much compassion for a group so deeply entrenched in fiction. I've always had a soft spot for the Snapewives as someone who considers herself a relatively-devoted yumejoshi who likens my experiences to being somewhat religious (I feel like I should add that my subject of affection is literally a fictional *idol*, so I /really/ have fun with thinking about that and its implications.) I understand that feeling of utter consumption, even if it is manifested differently. Whether or not people think the Snapewives were of fully sound mind, they had very real feelings and needs, and Snapeism obviously was giving them something to work with. Definitely looking forward to your future content.
thank you for being so kind and compassionate about fandom. oftentimes i will find a video covering fandomtimes and it will feel .... more like pointing and laughing at the utter gall we have to enjoy things in abnormal or overly enthusiastic ways
That point you make around 2:41:00 about people being a representation of the media is pretty amazing. In some way, the people in a fandom become media.
It's why I make a point to read the comments on the stuff I watch and read as often as possible. Seeing how other people respond helps me focus my own thoughts
46:30 so i'm part of a smallish fandom on tumblr and the thing about recognition and being themself reminds me of something that happened a couple of years ago: we were talking about how i can't even imagine people disliking my favourite character or even not being their favorute character and someone said that thwy thought it was about rage recognising rage since this character is (rightly) really fucking pissed. And it shoock me so much and it stuck with me so much. Yeah, fandom IS about seeing yourself and seeing other people
Ooooh that’s so interesting!! “Rage recognizing rage” is a great phrase too. I feel like so much of what we like is about what we see/what to see in ourselves so fandom is this wonderful world of self expression and connection and I love it
This is so increadibly off topic but as an artist I feel like I simply HAVE TO thank you for these multiple hour long video essays. They're super engaging and so well thought out but I don't have to look at the screen the entire time. They are just perfect to draw alongside but it's not only that. This entire video is a GOLDMINE of sitting references, just absolutoly chock full of unconventional angles of sitting and draping the body, I won't have to scroll hours on pinterest to find something even close to as clear as these poses so thank you from the bottem of my heart!
Something I sincerely appreciate about this video is that you address and interrogate religion as a complicated, hard-to-pin-down social phenomenon and apply that perspective to this very particular topic. I had never heard of snapewives until getting this recommended, and I think it's cool that you look at this online community of women and this highly specific expression of fandom through the lenses of a social phenomenon rather than doing the very easy thing of treating this whole thing as a sideshow, a cynical subject of entertainment.
1:09:09 I have never been so thoroughly and accurately called out by a video essay in my life, and I spend every 3am pretending I don't have to be at work in 3 hours watching video essays.
Thank you for breaking down something I had zero-interest in learning about. I just came from your Mako Mermaids video and when I saw this video in the sidebar I said to myself, "I've seen people talk about this before, but you're the only person I trust to make it interesting." So thank you twice for proving my thoughts correct. I had no idea before, now I do, and it was entertaining all the while! (edit) I can't believe you just blurted out "the mystery flavor is cherry" without a spoiler warning! I have legitimately been trying to solve that mystery since 1999, how dare you!
HAHAHAHA YOUR EDIT 😭 sorry to burst the bubble - also thank you let me tell you I was 1/2 through my script when I saw 3 other snapewives videos get posted in like the summer and I considered scrapping it so I’m glad people are still getting something out of it!!
this video makes me feel like you invited me over to get wine drunk and now we are a bottle deep and i am sitting on the floor eagerly listening to u talk because im in that stage of drunk where all i can do is slouch and sprawl out. love this video so much dude, the intro got me hooked and your fun delivery and personality really kept me listening even though i havent even gotten past the 2nd harry potter book and couldnt care less about the ip. you deserve a lot more attention for this! ❤ edit: i shouldve watched further along before commenting, but this is beyond a wine-fuelled infodump, this is a beautifully crafted, informative, clever, and well-researched ESSAY!! the amount of passion and production value and content just blow me away, wow, what an amazing piece of media!
HOW does this video have less than 20k? I'm totally fascinated by fandom-based cults and religions, so this was an auto-click for me when it showed up on my friend page. I'm impressed by the level of analysis and history and -- most importantly -- the compassion you extend to the women involved. Here's to the internet losing its stomach for mockery and harassment and gaining more of an appetite for videos like this one instead.
Also, I'm obsessed with your video essay bc its the perfect intersection between completely serious and well researched so I'm actually learning something, tumblr-esque crack-post humor energy, twitter exposé and talking fast enough that my ADHD brain doesn't get bored.
i'm back and yelling!! i'm amazed how visually stunning this video is, again editing is top notch, and ughhhh the way you connect what someone would call normal fandom behavior to literature and other phenomena is so so interesting to listen to!! can't wait for another video, keep up the amazing work ❤ (or i'll just binge the other ones you already made hehe)
I LOVE THIS SAGA OF COMMENTS ❤️ that’s why long form content is so fun bc people always have to leave and come back 😭 also thank you!! Everything is so interconnected I’m glad you appreciate it
UA-cam kept suggesting this to me, so after like a week I thought 'sure algorithm, I'll try it.' You handled this so sensitively and yet in no way glossed over the absolute whackadoodle aspects of this story, especially in regards to the awful online bullying of the Snape wives. I am honestly really glad it wasn't a 'bash the weird women' because they are weird because I say so videos that pretend to be intellectual but are just mysogyny disguised as academia. Not saying the snapewives are whackadoodle, just the whole situation. I'm an atheist so who am I to say what religion is to anyone else, I haven't got one. Astral plane Snape is no weirder than Jesus re animating out of a cave and going back to the sky, and I was taught the second at school so 🤷🏻
when i say i was born in the wrong generation, i don't mean i would've perhaps liked to go to a gatsby style party, what i mean is that i would've fully participated in snapeism. it's a scary realization that if i had been in the right place at the right time, i would've essentially been in an internet cult. The stuff you desrcibe is exactly the stuff i would've done. hell, i even have an almost cult-like obsession with the cats musical!
That's also what I was thinking about while I was watching - there was a period of my life where I would have 100% fallen hook line and sinker for this whole movement, and I think it's only luck that I was born about a decade too late
im 13 minutes in and im obsessed that this video about snapewives is beginning before the concept of vampirism had been published in european literature
As much as I wish for your channel to stay something small and sweet, I wish you received the recognition that you deserve for these videos! Great work!
I never liked Snape despite relating to him as I was growing up. I was always confused by this until I realized that no, I wasn't being ignored because my "crushes" thought I was gross or whatever I was harping on myself over, it's because I wasn't fucking straight and everyone but me knew it. Makes me think about this phenomenon and why it was so aggressively straight in the fanfic scene.
Hi! just my unsolicited and semi-literate opinion? I was about to say, look at Christianity and how only women got to be Brides of Christ, no fair! That totally leaves men out. But there's no reason Snape couldn't be bi. If you look at the dominating cultural opinion that Snape was hetero, it doesn't hold up because he is at least as fixated on James as he was on Lily! It must be the ironic dominating ownership by these Snapewives not leaving room for men in their belief system.
Wait, I've seen this character archetype before: The wine, the RGB lights, the Ukulele, the long ass video essay that probably took way too much effort to make, the chaotic neutral (maybe evil?) personality... I dunno what to call it, but I think we need a word for it as I've seen it a few different times by now... JK jokes aside, good vid! Super dense, a lot of insights and new perspectives to be gathered from a subject I honestly didn't know about (but knew was a thing, because of course it would). I think the overarching theme, or message here is "being in a bubble is cringe". Fandoms are typically in a bubble, an echochamber. Sure, the subject being focused on one thing makes sense, but rarely these fandoms are open to criticism, not about the subject they're fanning over nor the stuff they do to express that. It's convenient you drew the parallel to incel community as I think that's a super clear example of what being in a bubble can do to you and how turning someone crazy without them realizing anything is wrong is actually super easy. All criticism is ignored or recontextualized. Then once you leave the bubble, you get rekt by normality of life. The different perspectives and people, the resistance. "Eugh" you say and scuttle back inside the bubble. You know that meme where the pink slime leaves the box all optimistic, then gets punched and goes back into the box with re-enforced walls? Yeah that's fandom in a nutshell... Or a re-enforced shell. In this case the re-enforced shell is Snape's cloak which you call "The Chamber of secrets" lmao. And I do like how mostly positively you talked about erotica. To me tho, it rarely works and is one of my main gripes with any fandom: The erotica super easily kinda invalidates everything else and becomes the center point. It's weird as sexuality is not the problem nor exploring it, but... I guess the lack of "taste" of it? I dunno how else to put it without writing an essay, but I think you can made like 70% the correct assumptions I want you to make. Most of the time when sex or sexuality is brought in, it's just bonk bonk horniness that you could completely have done without OR you get the feeling the whole story was built around the characters to get into the Chamber of Secrets. But then you notice that the whole story hinces on the astral plane vampire werewolf gangbang, you go back to the first page and it starts with a sensual description of someone breathing or some shit and you finally realize you've been had all along and the succubus sex demons have pranked you again for making the author forget to put correct tags.
this is ranking amongst my favourite video essays ever. why is this so underrated i am baffled. this is genuinely phenomenal work and writing and its funny while maintaining compassion which i really really appreciate . this video is so fascinating and passionate and i just really really like it. ridiculously underrated work dude good job
1:39:38 Before I had my first kiss IRL I dreamt of kissing Draco Malfoy. It felt so real I've never forgot. It's so funny to think that if circumstances had been a little bit different, I would've founded my own Draco cult.
This masterpiece showed up on my front page and i only realized it is 3 hours long 1 hour into it, when i was already in love with you and absolutely resonating with how you express yourself and construct arguments and organize what you have to say. This is incredibly well done and it is an honor to witness such passion and respect to internet culture. As a woman online, it's refreshing. Best 3 hours i have spent in a while. Congrats and thank you.
discourse on snapewives set aside, your discussion on fandom and all of the literary criticism and research you did was brilliant and reignited a spark I had for academia that was extinguished; thank you
This was an emotional rollercoaster. At the beginning I was fully laughing at the snapewives (I knew about them beforehabd and saw them as a joke) but at the end I really gelt deeply sorry for these women. They don't deserve the hate they got. Also, your comparisons between snapism and other accepted organised religion was *chefs kiss*!
i am listening to this while working on my ongoing project of a five minute valvert animatic… the irony of partaking in active fan creation while watching an essay about the history and context of fandom is just dawning on me now
This video has given me so many existential crises and understanding of fandom and while I have thought of fandom being like a Religion, this video has been the one to really articulate and expand on those feelings and honestly its really mindblowing. I am grateful that you gave so much room for compassion, understanding and humanity for these women who became the snapewives, it really helps to contextualize to understand how they got where they were. And honestly it could've been anything that would've built such an internet Religion, if not Harry Potter and Snape then anything else, all it needed was the passion, drive and something missing in people's lives to be made. Also a great way to shove a mirror in our faces and say :Hey you might mock them for they did but how do you know it won't happen to you? Cause honestly even when we don't have Religions, we need something, something to give us joy when life is hard, something that drives us to keep going, something that gives us communities. I know I have experienced this overwhelming sense of joy when I found communities in fandoms that I thought were my kind of people, and its so heart breaking and scary when things fall apart or feel alienated in a community you thought could be a Religion type home to you. That has a profound affect on you, especially when you've spent a lot years feeling alone and not having many people to talk to about your interests. People mock what they don't want to admit could be them if things were different.
Leaving a comment to mark 15:00 ish so I remember to do my rant on Alan Snape vs Book Snape. As this is on Snapewives your coverage of the movie Snape is fine as they focus on Alan Rickman's Snape(who is how Rowling should have written Snape in the books, instead of the unstable child abusing incel, who had to be emotionally manipulated into defecting from the Nazis and doing the bare minimum to protect the child who he caused the parents of to be murdered, which the books write him as)
Woah the way you described how jk affected the Fandom with her terfdom was so well put that I can't stop thinking of it. It really sums up how I've been feeling
I have maladaptive daydreaming and they tell me I have a mental illness difference is I know that the stories in my head aren't real I kind of feel like I'm writing without putting it to paper this is just batshit crazy
I know I should take away a lot more from this video, but... I just feel so sad for the girl who felt abandoned by Snape, and like she wasn't good enough for him, and her faith companions that shamed her into further believing that...
I’m so glad this got recommended to me. I’ve been wanting a multiple hour long deep dive into the snapewives for over a year. This video is phenomenal and it completely exceeded my expectations!
This is easily the BEST video essay on an unhinged topic like this I've ever seen. The amount of research and time and passion that had to have gone into this is palpable! You also have a very commanding and visceral way of wording things. You really get across the appeal and the devotion of the Snape Wives... and also made me deeply uncomfortable as a result. The passion and lust and goodness they felt from their beliefs are utterly terifying to me. I have enough religious trauma from Christianity - from the feeling of an omnipotent yet cold being who treats us as fleshy Mouse Trap pieces in a grand "mysterious plan" that has nebulous benefits for any of us, it at all. It's like - to use a fitting fandom reference - Bill Cipher of Gravity Falls, yet indirect and not sexy. But that is still better than a mystical being with powers who is overtly present, angry, jealous, domineering, gives out arbitrary orders, and views you not as a person but as clay to be molded by his hands to suit his own tastes. The relationship is so deeply toxic and repugnant - up there with some of the worst cults I've looked into.
I saw this video for the first time this week and it took a night or two to finish but now it's Friday and I'm back to watch it all over again because it's an absolute banger and has quickly become a comfort video to fall asleep to. Thanks for taking us on this truly epic journey, Biz, you rock. 🤘🏻
I love long video essays and internet culture/history and Snapewives is one of those topics that will never not fascinate me. I want to study these people under a microscope and you provided me with that through this video. The way you talked about the emotional side of this (especially in the section about them marrying snape) I genuinely got emotional, it was so beautiful and empathetic. I’ve never found a video that talked about all this with such compassion before. It’s nice seeing someone not simply making fun of these women and pointing at them like some silly animals in a zoo. I can’t wait to see what other things you talk about, I’ll definitely be checking out your channel for other quality content.
I was so entraptured by the story of sad boy Byron that i forgot this video was abt Snape and had a bit of a whiplash moment when he was mentioned again 15 mins in
I'm a hs senior and I just wanna say both your presentation and the actual information you provide is amazing. This is the same breed of video essayists I love (Quinton Reviews, Billiam, Mike's Mic, etc..) that can bring you a topic you've never heard of and make you understand it on a larger level. I've seen many snapewives videos, but this one definitely takes the cake. I'm young and my media literacy is not the best, so being able to have videos like this where the topic at hand is explained to me like a passionate friend would is an invaluable resource! Not to mention I'm an artist myself, and having things like this in the background make me feel like I'm doing things and learning at the same time. That being said I can't wait for your new projects! The one on midnight mass v god's not dead is a favorite, along with the Goncharov one (which I adore you played absolutely straight). You're an amazingly talented person, and I can't wait to see what you do next!
NGL this video and a handful of other deep dives into early fandom and recalling my own time as a Teenager on the internet really just solidified the belief that All People Are Weird, I am No Less Weird. I love the Snapewives. You're right we owe these women an apology even if I wasn't either alive or conscious of my existence at the time this took place. I apologize to the Snapewives for being an asshole about the things people loved on the internet and I hope Rose, Tonya and Conchita are all living happily and safely with or without their connections to their Master. I may not understand but I'm not the arbiter of experiences. Good for them.
Wow I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a video like this before and idk if I ever will again, that was truly incredible. Even seeing the title and the time code before clicking the video I could’ve never imagined the scope of topics covered. I feel like I now have a genuine understanding as to how the sapewives came to be and their place in showing how fandom and religion work and I love that. This vid is just truly beyond good and I’m floored
Idea of Snape visiting fic wrighters while being in the midpoint of death and life it's not only extremely romantic, but very similar to observer effect in quantum mechanics, Snape community is insane for this
i sadly always hated snape, but ever since i heard about the snapewives ive thought they were one of the most interesting fandom phenomenons in the 2000s, and i love with how much respect you treat them, also this amount of research and deepness into the subject?? tipping the hell out of my hat i also always thought it would make so much sense that snape died in the canon of harry potter in 1998, because it would mean he isn't tied anymore to the harry potter world of existence and is instead an actual being that our dear snapewives can connect to no matter where, when or how (wtf am i saying)
The second you described Aristotle as a "would-be video essayist" I knew this deep dive was gonna be a masterpiece
If Poetics doesn’t read like a CJ the X video essay I don’t know what does
@@upinurbiz When I started viewing the video, the way you sat down with your chalice and how you introduced the subject reminded me a bit of CJ the X.
It great to know you also watch one of my other favourite content creators when it comes to essays! 🥰❤️
Omg ur pfp 😳😳😳
Yeah, that's the point where I hit like.
congratulate the man from escaping that deep, dark cave of platonic bullshit
Decades ago wee teenage JKR developed a general dislike of her High School Chemistry teacher and now in the year of our lord 2023 I am watching a 3 hour long video about the women who obsessed over the fictional character she based off of him.
We truly live in the strangest timeline.
I'm sorry, WHAT
@@indiagale7918 Yup, John Nettleship was his name.
He also gave her mother, who was suffering from MS, a job as a lab assistant and they were good workmates apparently.
The White hound article on him goes more in-depth but honestly get the vibe that he was just an awkward eccentric who JK developed a weird grudge against because she didn't like him as a teacher.
@@panq8904 He also looked a lot like Alan Rickman.
@@panq8904 I just...don't know how to process that, but that's a very interesting fact.
@@panq8904 If I remember correctly, it's because the teacher had autistic traits that would make him appear distant, rude or impolite towards other people. As someone who had an autistic teacher all throughout high school, I get it, some autistic teachers can be really difficult to deal with. When he found out that JKR had turned him into a character in her books, he was a bit shocked at first, but then he totally ran with it. He even hosted (or still hosts?) Harry Potter tours cosplaying as and impersonating Snape.
This is the kind of wild-eyed physically-destructive unbroken hyperfocus on a subject I understand on a deep spiritual level, I am all in with this lady and her driving into absolute educated madness
Oh. My. Gods.
Deep gratitude, both for pointing out the particular vibe, and for giving me a reason to come back when I have a little time
Agreed, and I’m sat
I never knew the Snapewives existed but in early 2000s I was absolutely obsessed with Snape even going so far as claiming he was my writing muse for Snape fanfiction, especially self-insert fanfiction, and I had a shrine to Snape, (framed printed out pic of Rickman as Snape), black, green and silver candles, some old books and glass bottles of various sizes), on my bedside table. Looking back, I have to admire the patience of my boyfriend who's still with me to this day. He had to roll over and see my Snape shrine every day. Lol.
Hahaha, omg, I love that mental image so much. Thanks for making me laugh out loud after the terrible day I had 😂
This is darkly fascinating to me. I've also gotten unhealthily obsessed with fictional characters before, but I would never in a million years think to build them a shrine. Is it because I'm an atheist? Or is there some non-spiritual purpose to the shrine? Maybe it's because I'd die of embarrassment if people knew how obsessive I could get, so I deliberately avoid externalizing it when I'm around others.
@@AD-dg3zz I wouldn't say a shrine is necessarily associated with religious purposes- for example, my friend has a shrine of her favourite artists. I'd say in some cases it can be more of a decoration of sorts? And a way to acknowledge and remember an interest (snape in this instance). Idk abt op though
Got so caught up in lord Byron I was kinda surprised to see Snape show up on screen.
Lord Byron (or, rather, the AFFECT of him) lives on through each reiteration of the of the Anti-Hero.
Sooo, yeaaah, that was Byron ALL ALONG.
so real
Someone should make a byron drama video
the amount of people who have said they had a similar experience is so funny to me because I literally cut five minutes of Byron content lol he just has that affect on people.
@@upinurbiz Extra Byron content? Its not of my Percy Byshness but please release the extended Byron cut
Back in the day. I once described holding hands as "hand sex" with a significant other on MySpace. I was young and naive. I was trying to describe the overwhelming excitement I felt at holding hands at the time in a quiet and intimate setting. I intended to use it as metaphor, for how overwhelmed I was by the experience, and I was so naive that I didn't realize how it was going to be received. And then one of my friends mom alerted my parents about what I had posted, and my parents freaked out. And between shame and confusion I didn't know how to respond to them. In hind sight I could say that at that time, I was experiencing a new new level of intimacy, and that holding hand with someone I liked felt like what other people describe as sex. And I was trying to express that level of emotion I was feeling. And that it came off wrong. But at the time I was too young and confused and naive, and overwhelmed to give my parents a good explanation for the thing that they had heard.
Basically back then, we didn't know how to frame and moderate the thoughts we let free on the internet. It had both more and less consequences than it has now.
Your post made me realize that I aspire to be the kind of parent where this sort of misunderstanding lasts like hours, tops. You express a feeling that I remember in that age and couldn't put into words... thank you for sharing it really grounds it for me.
This is both sad and hilarious and I’m so sorry I laughed 💀 it’s just so, innocent. I hope your parents aren’t still mad at you 😭
my fiancé minored in philosophy and I’m constantly trying to get him to watch insane fandom video essays to his chagrin, and I think I’ve found a winner that intersects his love of theory and my weird obsession with religious phenomenon. I owe you my life
You got any of them playlists for religious phenomenon vids?
I’m also curious if you have or know of a religious phenomenon playlist, or channel recommendations.
Hitching myself to the bandwagon of comments until a playlist manifests 🤞
m.ua-cam.com/play/PLHsXddZFR9ANYYEtyq5-YBHNVloLdrO26.html
These are Religion For Breakfast's video's about pop-culture. His other video's ancient religion are great.
Please mention some videos of religious phenomenons if you have them ☺️
I do love how 'channeling Severus Snape' at some point just means sexting with other women, love that for them! ✌
She really is like a wine aunt with five University degrees. I'm amazed at the places this video goes, and how it comes together.
i don't want to ruin the 666 likes, but i like this comment
@@valenfr01 Holy crap thats a lotta likes! I had no idea!
I have respect for both of you
Fancy meeting you here
i just posted my first fanfiction and was feeling cringe about it so thank you for making me feel less cringe
HECK YEAH YOU SHOULD BE PROUD 🙌🏻🙌🏻
GOOD ON YOU!!! Writing is goddamn hard, im so proud of you!!
Ik this is an old comment but I wanted to say, "cringe" is a word used by fools who've never loved or enjoyed something unabashedly. Be cringe. Be free.
@@ixeliema so true bestie
After I realized how many people were into it, I didn't feel cringe anymore. ;-) As long as it's fiction, enjoy it, whatever it is.....with very few exceptions, I'd say...
Finding this modern sociological masterwork at 361 views feels unreal, in a just world this would get far more attention. Subscribed!
this really was my magnum opus it’s all down hill from here lol I appreciate you enjoying it though!! I prefer quality attention over lots of attention any day
@@upinurbiz respectfully if you were able to create this there's not much you can't do
Not to brag, but I've just found it at 69k views. Also instantly subscribed. Brilliant video!
lol 😆 i am stoned
but i read the comment as
"(a) modern sociological masterwork at (a) 361 degree view"
still works for me
the vid is over 70k now- and has one new subscriber
Thanks for leaving a comment, you did your part to get the algorithm chewing on this. Now I get to reap the harvest of those seeds, finding it on my home page at 91k views
I love how these women took the phrase "We can make a religion out of this" and actually did it. Good for them
Notes/Corrections/Clarifications:
- I wanted to clarify some of the statements I made regarding various sacred texts, specifically the Jewish sacred texts, being “the same to a point” as the Old Testament. It was pointed out to me (very politely and kindly by a Jewish person in the comments) that this is a common misconception coming largely from Christianity that erases the Tanakh (Jewish scriptures) as distinct, important texts of their independent validity in favor of lumping them in with Christianity as part of a christian narrative.
- While I was speaking specifically in reference to the content and stories that appear in both the early parts of the Old Testament and the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (the Torah) like the Garden of Eden from Genesis, the story of Abraham, etc, that was not made clear, and ironically I ended up proving the point of problems with Christian-centric definitions of religions. Regardless, I would like to make it clear that they (and the early texts of other Abrahamic religions that share similar stories) are VASTLY DIFFERENT TEXTS that serve different purposes and are not all just pre-Jesus Christianity prequels or whatever nonesense we were taught in Sunday School.
- Also, I would like to apologize to the Jewish community for adding to and affirming that misconception. Regardless of my current beliefs/practiced having been raised Catholic and in a culturally Christian environment means that biases (both conscious and unconscious) are probably always going to reflect that to some degree so please feel free to point out ignorances or things I may have gotten wrong, or phrased inappropriately etc. Obviously I’m a big fan of nuanced discussion and there’s no way I could make 3 hour videos without stumbling a few times. Thank you to the lovely viewer for educating me, I will absolutely be more aware of this issue going forward.
- Also, for those interested here is a bit of information on the Hebrew Bible: www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hebrew-bible/amp/
EVEN MORE CORRECTIONS:
- ARISTOTLE WAS NOT A PLAYWRIGHT HIMSELF. Just a critic. I think I mixed him up with someone else in my head either way I’m wrong the man was just judge mental & nothing else.
-Homer was waaaaay before Aristotle by like centuries lol
thanks from a Jew! honestly vv cool to see this
Thank you!
Mretrettetkt I’ll lrrlrlrttrttrekttrteteerkrtteelrtettreeeltlttrlerteterttrtetttrttrrtttrrrttttrterrtrttrreeetretttererrertrtrrrtretrererrerrttrrtrreerrketktrtkteetrkteeetrrkekrelrelrreekretlrrttrlrrererrtteetrrttrtrtetrtrrtrrerrtrrreerrrrrrerrktrtterrtttreetrertterrretttrrretrrettttttrreeerrtttrrrretrtrttrrrrrerrtttrrttrtrrreeerreetereertteeeteererrererrreerrtrtrrtrrtretrretrerrttertterttterrretkrretkrkrrerrrrrkrkrekrkreekrtkreekrekrekrrttkrrrreekertrkrkrrkrrekrkerkrkrrkrrerkterkrekttreteekertrrretrteteterteeteteretreteetetteetettttttettrteetteeerreertttreettrektktrtettrettrtrreteertrrrertrertteetttrteerrtrrtrettrktkttkremrrerrttmrrrkrrereretkttrreretttreemetrrrtretettrtrrtkertrkeretkeetand K th i Ige the t 2:25:22 2:25:22 and 😊t
@@Rex2k10 this is true!!
@@cw2010 thank you for bringing it to my attention! Xx
I am in my third year of religious studies and honest to goodness this is a THESIS. One of my fave profs recently did a course on Cults and New Religions and this video would be right at home in his class I bet!
I am 14 minutes in and I just know I will be rewatching this once a month every month for the rest of my life. Oh my GOD, this is a masterpiece
THANK YOU THATS SO NICE OMG
😱 oMG same ❤️
SAME SAME SAME SAME SAME. I FOUND MYSELF PACING WHILE WATCHING IT, PAUSING THE VIDEO TO LAUNCH INTO EXCRUCIATINGLY DETAILED MONOLOGUES TO AN EMPTY ROOM ABOUT MY OWN EXPERIENCES OVER 13 YEARS IN FANDOM SPACES, AND THEN UNPAUSING TO HEAR MORE ABOUT BYRON AND SNAPEWIVES. THIS ESSAY IS EVERYTHING. IT HAS COME CLOSE TO DEPOSING "PATHOLOGIC IS GENIUS AND HERE'S WHY" IN MY RANKING LIST OF FAVORITE ESSAYS. GODDAMN I LOVE FANDOM.
The unique, nameless emotion I felt during the "fandom is active" part, especially the "no one wants it, no one will pay for it" about fan writing and art, because I'm listening to this video while working on fanart. It's somewhere at the nexus of pride and despair.
just remember that disney made all its money off of fanfiction
Not me finding this in the midst of my sociology project on celebrity worship and it’s inherent religious qualities especially in the age of the internet…
Is this… the perfect video for me?
Perfection on a stick *mwah*
YES I LOVE BEING USEFUL THE STARS HAVE ALIGNED
Was so invested in the wholesome description of what makes fandom powerful that I forgot this was about snapewives
No fr that was poetry
I'm so sorry but this is exactly the content my tiny nerd heart comes to UA-cam for - I don't want to know about the thing, I want to know the full history as to how the thing started and why exactly it happens from a sociology point of view. Phew. What excellent content
never apologize for wanting to dive so far down a rabbit hole you come out the other side cause dude you are NOT ALONE THATS ALL I DO
@@upinurbiz My psychologist begs to differ 'yes that is an interesting question but you shouldnt be researching that at 1am, you should be sleeping'
@@juliaware7504ok not to be that person but,,, I recommend, if u haven’t already, to look into if ur maybe neurodivergent? Bc same and I was told it’s ADHD
@@arthistorynerd already on it 😂
thanks, you've put it better than I ever could. I'd maybe add that any pre-existing interest in The Thing on my part is very much optional
Youve created a gorgeous gorgeous piece of art here. As someone who wasn't a snapewife, but does have similar feelings for other characters/people, this makes me feel so fucking seen. I've always been deeply ashamed of how intensely I feel about these things, but this is such a empathetic analysis. I love it.
this is extremely fucking good, i feel like i'm watching an unhinged final project for a critical theory class
genuinely, though, it's really heartening to see such an earnest analysis of something that people have largely dismissed as ridiculous. good-faith criticism is hard to find when it comes to "cringey" online spaces, but these fans are real, and this experience is real to them; to dismiss it outright because it doesn't make sense to you is the least interesting/valuable response (let alone the worst possible response that DID happen, which was incessant bullying that still continues today). anyway, thanks for your extremely thoughtful, entertaining, and kind analysis! i hope to make a video like this someday!!!
my life feels like a unhinged critical theory class so you’re not wrong at all - also this is such a lovely comment to receive I’m so glad you appreciated the work and I would love to see you make similar videos send them my way dude!!!
I love this comment so much
I truly appreciate this comment, something that's just funny to me though is that all the Snape fans that I met in my life were all the biggest bullies of everyone else, not the other way around, so for me and my personal experience it felt weird that you mentioned that. Even so I agree and I'm sorry that you or people you know got bullied for just liking a fictional character!
This echos my thoughts completely!
Maybe it's just youtube's recommendations being particularly good recently, but I really feel like there has been a major uptick in earnest, academic-level analyses on media that has historically been thought of as substantively lacking or otherwise too "low art" to merit deeper discussion.
Even beyond helping to correct for previous bias against certain media due to its primary audience (*cough* teenage girls *cough*), it's also just neat to see an academic analytical framework applied to topics not usually explored through that lens!
This is almost exactly what I was going to comment! I’ve heard Snapewives referred to a million times and I had no idea the community was this dedicated and earnest. It’s such an interesting phenomenon and absolutely deserved this deep dive.
I didn't know I needed an alcoholic Amy Pond talking about Snapewives for 3 hours until right this moment.
This is a masterpiece, you should have a ton more subscribers.
can I put "alcoholic Amy pond" on my resume
@@upinurbizNot alcoholic Amy Pond, in this instance 'Lily Evans' of Snapewives
You and CJ the X are my favorite chaotic video essayists. The passion, the rambling, the research, the synthesis, the questions. So good! Thank you!
Ironicaly I think that Serious Black fits the Byronic Hero archetype better than Snape. He was born to the Black family, he was tall, dark haired and extremely handsome (was very VERY popular with girls in hogwarts), he rebelled against his family's wishes and was reckless and dangerous to others and especialy himself. He was framed for crimes he did not commit (like Edmund Dantes) and finally he was tragically killed by his own blood relative. He is the brooding bad boy awaiting for a good girl to fix him.
i think the thing with snape was that he was a relatable outcast that needed to be fixed where as sirius was popular and had the people in his life that fixed him
8:56 just saving so i can watch more about Byron, the primal bissexual
You are sitting on gold here, holy shit!! This is a genuine masterpiece, so thoroughly researched and presented with so much charisma. I can't wait to watch your other video essays, and I truly hope you'll stick to doing this because once people find this account, it will take off for sure!!
🥹🥹🥹 yo thank you that’s wild I’m so glad you appreciate it and enjoy it bc I have so much fun making this stuff (even though it does also drive me absolutely insane)
The Midnight Mass one is very good.
I'll be finishing a sociology BA when this semester ends, and I got a better understanding of Durkheim from this than I did in my intro to social theory course lol. Very well made video. It's dense with theory and complicated concepts yet digestible, and also made with empathy and compassion for the people being studied-- which invites the rest of us to remember to humanize even those who we might be tempted to dismiss as bizarre others.
thank you!!! That means so much I’m so glad is was digestible I was worried it would be too concept/language heavy so I’m glad it was helpful!
This is insanely well written. It reminds me of a university lecture, honestly. Probably the best written video essay I’ve ever watched.
-- A university lecture where the professor is sitting on the floor and constantly drinking wine.
@@tomasinguanzo6159 my favorite kind of lecture
@@tomasinguanzo6159 the best type of lecture
I'm just pleased that the auto-captions fucked up SnapeWives and made in Snake Wipes and felt the need to share that here.
Excited for the rest of the vid
Okay but Snape’s on an astral plane is the funniest pun I’ve ever heard in my life 2:35:40
🎉🎉🎉
Came for the fandom tea, got an amazing deep dive into fandom, passion, religion and social dynamics instead and god damn that was so much better
Tbh I'm obsessed w this video, the research and genuine empathy expressed for the wives really is lovely; too often people cover this topic as more of a "Ooo look at those kooky freak women!!" spectacle more than any actual analysis/commentary. Plus there's some really great conversation about religion/spirituality; some parts about the depth of their faith and feelings had me actually emotional dude fr. Def looking forward to anything u put out in the future! 💚💚💚
How naive of me to think this video would just be about women who really like Snape
Wait, I just now (1h, 6min in) noticed, that this Video was made by a small creator and only has 2500 views. That is insane. This is (so far) a fantastic Video essay with way more depth than just discussing some fun internet history (that I had never heard of before btw). This deserves a way wider reach. I am very happy the algorithm let me stumble across it (I came from a 4h summary of ACOSAF) and thank you for making this Wonderfull, educational yet entertaining video!
LMAO I came from the same video
OMG I CANT BELIEVE I GET RECOMMENDED NEXT TO CARI I love that. Also thank you for your very kind words ❤️❤️
This is also where I can from lol.
Did we all come from that video?
@@yourlocaltheatrekid900 I didn't come directly from that video, but I did watch it recently.
Algorithm besties 😃
You give off such vibes I cannot describe. Like a wine aunt but also an immortal elven librarian who has like the best erotica collection. I'm Def going to make a character inspired by you because holy shit
The latter would be a HYSTERICALLY entertaining animation, just a wine-drunk immortal Elf lady who just likes the company, so she’s sharing all of her favorite infinite knowledge, AND ITS SNAPEWIVES LMAOOOO
Ok. I stopped just before part six so that I can watch in bursts. Some thoughts:
1. Love the history of the Byronic Hero and its origins.
2. Surprise kitty!!
3. The delving into the psychology and sociology of fandom and fandom culture is so interesting. Specifically the semiotic(?), enunciative, and textual portion.
4. In regards to the “Snape appearing in my dreams” situation, it heavily reminds me of the recent TikTok “trend” of “reality shifting” into the HP universe, and also DracoTok (similar kind of fangirl behaviour of Snape fans but for Draco (in terms of Byronic hero))
5. Female fans (or media with majority female fans) tend to get the brunt of the “This is Weird and Condemnable” type of treatment. It’s especially prevalent when those particular fans are more transparent about their (sexual) desires regarding a media/character.
Will add more thoughts when I watch the rest
you mean you didn’t watch 3 straight hours in one sitting? *shocked*
1.) YES Byron’s whole life and legacy is bonkers
2.) she goes where she pleases and I just have to accept it
3.) Glad you enjoyed it! I’ve always found media-fandom so interesting bc it’s so different from regular like sports fans or something (also yes! semiotic is correct 10/10)
4.) just you wait
5.) exactly it’s like: oh look! misogyny! WHAT A SURPRISE!
Thank you for your thoughts and words I’m stoked that this is feeding your brain xx
Okay, just finished the entire video. Additional thoughts:
1. I’m not Christian, so the whole Christ’s brides situation was really interesting to learn.
2. I was somewhat aware of the things going down between the Snapeists. but it’s still amazing to know the details of it. I think part of it is cuz they also find Alan Rickman attractive (but I could be wrong). The thing about the Snapewives "drama" is that a lot of it is just interpersonal disagreements. It really sucks that it's being put on blast and mocked.
3. The “Fandom Wank” culture/response really made me wish that niche subcultures/fandom stayed obscure. And it’s a culture that very much persists in internet spaces to this day, just using different names and/or justifications (think “people with weird interests should be bullied”)
4. The entire section “Looks like a religion, quacks like a religion” is an absolute masterpiece. It also dawned on me that Snapewives/Snapeists would have still existed in some form even in the absence/inaccessibility of the internet. The internet just merely made it possible/easier for people to form a community from all over the world at a faster rate.
TL;DR: Absolutely amazing piece of work. Eventhough this is a Snapewives video, my fave parts aren't Snapewives-centric. 394/10
This is genuinely the most enthralling video essay I've seen on UA-cam. I've already sent it to a dozen people and have gotten my hands on every cited source I could find just to read myself, plus Davidsen's whole book(!?) on Tolkien religion. You are an inspiration.
ahhh that's so sweet thank you so much! Also all of my reference pages w/ links are available on my patreon (for free no need to subscribe) so you can check them out! www.patreon.com/posts/references-79165593?Link&
I had no idea that this was a thing?? I’m glad I had you to guide me through it because I’m kind of over the gawking at/dunking on fandom drama genre of video. I think a lot of us who participated in fandom during formative years have had some genuinely wonderful and genuinely painful experiences in those spaces and seeing them reduced to “drama” is actually very good at making one into a cynic losing touch with their inner child and with actual real life people (including kids) who deserve empathy and support
no wonder you said this. bcus "seeing them reduced to “drama” is actually very good at making one into a cynic losing touch with their inner child and with actual real life people (including kids) who deserve empathy and support" is such a dramatic ass statement. just bcus someone think this shit is whack and useless, doesnt mean that person becomes unempathetic. and you can be in touch with your "inner child" or whatever and think people treating a fictional character like some spirit is stupid.
@@bubbles4897 so you think feeling that smth that means this much to someone is wack and useless Isnt unempathetic? 😂
@bubbles4897 Your comment is stupid.
I'm not even trying to be mean: you've missed the entire goal and point of this video and approached an earnest sharing of vulnerability, with all the nuance of an uncooked potato.
45 minutes in and I realized that back in high school (2004-2008) I had an obsession with Inuyasha. I wrote fanfiction, poems, made artwork, and consumed just as much. Text based roleplaying, and forum chatting. Fandom wars. Oh the fandom wars. I always just assumed it was just that anime I loved so much even though to this day I didn't really know why. Because I actually kinda hated it.
But I didn't get into it until I started being nicknamed Kikyo by my friendgroup in high school. This friendgroup included a guy and his then girlfriend. I had a very serious crush on the guy but never acted on it, but he and her essentially started an emotional and psychological abuse campaign (possibly not on purpose? Idk) against me that lasted for years (even after they broke up, even after she moved away, even after we graduated high school).
I delved into Inuyasha because he saw me in that character, and so I devoted myself to this show as much as I wanted to devote myself to him. By committing myself to Inuyasha, in a way, I was committing myself to his view of me before the outlandish things started.
Outside of some implications of being compared to a character like Kikyo and what that even could have meant under the surface, I was searching for identity where I had felt I was stripped of it in all aspects of my life. By defending and lifting up Kikyo as heartily as I did, I was trying to defend and lift up myself.
I WAS committed to that show. Stupidly attached to every word and every plot point and plot twist. When you said it's about Identity my brain melted a little bit. In a way it feels so obvious now but sometimes obvious things get overlooked, I guess.
Not trying to throw out a sob story or anything like that, but just a rather profound personal observation from your analysis of all of these interconnecting things that I felt the need to record here.
I'll be finishing this video now haha. It's RIDICULOUSLY good.
Never thought that studying medieval christian mystics in uni would ever be relevant to understanding a youtube video about Snapewives. Legitimately underrated video!
I really appreciate the respect you show these women.
After having finally completed this video, I can say that this is one of the best and most thoughtful videos I’ve ever seen.
I’m genuinely shocked this has so few views. This is beautiful, and chaotic, and made me feel things I didn’t realise a discussion on snape wives could? Thank you and wonderful work! I’m very eager to watch the rest of your videos.
Thank you! It’s all downhill from here lol
Sorry for my comment that was here before, accidentally posted it as a reply instead of separate lmaoo
Just watched a second time. This is one of the best fandom deepdives on youtube. It scratches all the voyeuristic urges without a trace a mockery - when mockery is usually the window through which video-essays like this are usually framed. Freaking brilliant.
I have never aged so fast as I did hearing fandom wank introduced as something you might be unfamiliar with. 😭 Early 2000s internet culture sure was a place (and the linguistic shift is fascinating tbh but that's another story).
"Sapphics will watch anything with sapphics in it. Next."
I just got called out.😅
Same.
Unrelated but I will commit crimes for a warrior nun s2
it's so crazy you released this so recently bc i've had snapewives brainrot for like the past month (strange, i know, but i LOVE learning about weird/interesting/fringe fandom + internet things) and thankfully i was clicking enough videos that the algorithm dropped me this gem!
God bless the algorithm for finding my people ❤️❤️ snapewives is one of those things that pops up every couple of years I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stop thinking about it !
i ASPIRE to be this level of unhinged and in depth in my essays my GOD this is a masterclass in literary criticism. i am on the floor inconsolable. i will never watch a video this in depth or overwhelmingly INTERESTING ever again. i hope ur happy
also on the topic of fandom u might want to check out the book Fic by anne jamison if u havent read it already it goes super in depth in the history of fandom up until the mid 2010s and it was eye opening. one of my favorite non-fiction books to date
Deep into this and i have to say: this is one of the best video essays I’ve ever watched. Not only do you bring context to the phenomenon, you’ve given a greater sense of context than entire mainstream documentaries I’ve watched lately. Not only that, but the incredible defining of religion while taking great care to note when something is a western concept; a joyous event I’ve only seen maybe twice in my life.
You’ve not just earned one subscriber, but I feel as if you’ve earned a 100,000 more. I’ll be sharing this with all of my friends.
I really respect your ability to be objective on such a bizarre phenomenon. It's so common to come across video essayist covering stuff like this with the underlying message being "Omg look at this weird thing! Let's all point and laugh because we don't understand it." But when we allow ourselves to put aside any preconceived biases on what is "normal", we have an opportunity to learn so much more about the very nature of culture as we know it. Because when we really think about it, culture itself is almost as bizarre of a phenomenon.
I'm twenty minutes in but this video has already reawakened some trauma about how when I was into bandoms during high school me and a bunch of strangers started a group chat that was a cult around a random user we thought was secretly one of the members of the band. It got super emotionally vulnerable and intense. Glad (?) to see that behavior is not unique to me.
I’ve never been able to put into words why Joanne’s hatred and poisoning of HP has hurt me so profoundly and your said it perfectly.
The algorithm recommended this to me some time ago but I only now got around to watching it. And it's so good.
This video really has everything I love: fan culture and fandom history, well-researched theoretical background, cat
Also, the energy, impeccable. And so funny. Instant classic.
the cat really is the star of the show I’m just fodder
Yall the hairband thing is so wild. Like I get that it being ridiculous has nothing to do with it being a religion, but like "oh I lost my hair tie and then weeks later, I found it, must be Snape love and savior of my life!"
it reminds me of the way Christian women describe how Jesus is involved in their mundane day to day. Because they're always talking to him, they feel they have that kind of connection. 😅
Honestly, i used to do things like that when I was Christian. When I would loose things and got upset when I couldn't find them, I would think that God was teaching me to calm down and trust him. And when I calmed down, it was easier to find the missing item.
Girl, as someone surrounded by devout muslims the same thing happens here I'm talking about finding your car keys that you misplaced 3 days later and thanking Allah and his magic for it saying "i prayed for this moment "
It's so refreshing to find a creator who has so much compassion for a group so deeply entrenched in fiction. I've always had a soft spot for the Snapewives as someone who considers herself a relatively-devoted yumejoshi who likens my experiences to being somewhat religious (I feel like I should add that my subject of affection is literally a fictional *idol*, so I /really/ have fun with thinking about that and its implications.) I understand that feeling of utter consumption, even if it is manifested differently. Whether or not people think the Snapewives were of fully sound mind, they had very real feelings and needs, and Snapeism obviously was giving them something to work with. Definitely looking forward to your future content.
thank you for being so kind and compassionate about fandom. oftentimes i will find a video covering fandomtimes and it will feel .... more like pointing and laughing at the utter gall we have to enjoy things in abnormal or overly enthusiastic ways
That point you make around 2:41:00 about people being a representation of the media is pretty amazing. In some way, the people in a fandom become media.
It's why I make a point to read the comments on the stuff I watch and read as often as possible. Seeing how other people respond helps me focus my own thoughts
Am I going to watch a three hour long SnapeWives video again? Yes. Definitely. Absolutely.
46:30 so i'm part of a smallish fandom on tumblr and the thing about recognition and being themself reminds me of something that happened a couple of years ago: we were talking about how i can't even imagine people disliking my favourite character or even not being their favorute character and someone said that thwy thought it was about rage recognising rage since this character is (rightly) really fucking pissed. And it shoock me so much and it stuck with me so much. Yeah, fandom IS about seeing yourself and seeing other people
Ooooh that’s so interesting!! “Rage recognizing rage” is a great phrase too. I feel like so much of what we like is about what we see/what to see in ourselves so fandom is this wonderful world of self expression and connection and I love it
This was one of my favorite parts for a very similar reason
This is so increadibly off topic but as an artist I feel like I simply HAVE TO thank you for these multiple hour long video essays. They're super engaging and so well thought out but I don't have to look at the screen the entire time. They are just perfect to draw alongside but it's not only that. This entire video is a GOLDMINE of sitting references, just absolutoly chock full of unconventional angles of sitting and draping the body, I won't have to scroll hours on pinterest to find something even close to as clear as these poses so thank you from the bottem of my heart!
Something I sincerely appreciate about this video is that you address and interrogate religion as a complicated, hard-to-pin-down social phenomenon and apply that perspective to this very particular topic. I had never heard of snapewives until getting this recommended, and I think it's cool that you look at this online community of women and this highly specific expression of fandom through the lenses of a social phenomenon rather than doing the very easy thing of treating this whole thing as a sideshow, a cynical subject of entertainment.
1:09:09 I have never been so thoroughly and accurately called out by a video essay in my life, and I spend every 3am pretending I don't have to be at work in 3 hours watching video essays.
Thank you for breaking down something I had zero-interest in learning about. I just came from your Mako Mermaids video and when I saw this video in the sidebar I said to myself, "I've seen people talk about this before, but you're the only person I trust to make it interesting."
So thank you twice for proving my thoughts correct. I had no idea before, now I do, and it was entertaining all the while!
(edit)
I can't believe you just blurted out "the mystery flavor is cherry" without a spoiler warning! I have legitimately been trying to solve that mystery since 1999, how dare you!
HAHAHAHA YOUR EDIT 😭 sorry to burst the bubble - also thank you let me tell you I was 1/2 through my script when I saw 3 other snapewives videos get posted in like the summer and I considered scrapping it so I’m glad people are still getting something out of it!!
this video makes me feel like you invited me over to get wine drunk and now we are a bottle deep and i am sitting on the floor eagerly listening to u talk because im in that stage of drunk where all i can do is slouch and sprawl out. love this video so much dude, the intro got me hooked and your fun delivery and personality really kept me listening even though i havent even gotten past the 2nd harry potter book and couldnt care less about the ip. you deserve a lot more attention for this! ❤
edit: i shouldve watched further along before commenting, but this is beyond a wine-fuelled infodump, this is a beautifully crafted, informative, clever, and well-researched ESSAY!! the amount of passion and production value and content just blow me away, wow, what an amazing piece of media!
this is in fact what it is like to get drunk with me lol I just talk and talk and talk
HOW does this video have less than 20k? I'm totally fascinated by fandom-based cults and religions, so this was an auto-click for me when it showed up on my friend page. I'm impressed by the level of analysis and history and -- most importantly -- the compassion you extend to the women involved. Here's to the internet losing its stomach for mockery and harassment and gaining more of an appetite for videos like this one instead.
Also, I'm obsessed with your video essay bc its the perfect intersection between completely serious and well researched so I'm actually learning something, tumblr-esque crack-post humor energy, twitter exposé and talking fast enough that my ADHD brain doesn't get bored.
i'm back and yelling!! i'm amazed how visually stunning this video is, again editing is top notch, and ughhhh the way you connect what someone would call normal fandom behavior to literature and other phenomena is so so interesting to listen to!! can't wait for another video, keep up the amazing work ❤ (or i'll just binge the other ones you already made hehe)
I LOVE THIS SAGA OF COMMENTS ❤️ that’s why long form content is so fun bc people always have to leave and come back 😭 also thank you!! Everything is so interconnected I’m glad you appreciate it
UA-cam kept suggesting this to me, so after like a week I thought 'sure algorithm, I'll try it.'
You handled this so sensitively and yet in no way glossed over the absolute whackadoodle aspects of this story, especially in regards to the awful online bullying of the Snape wives.
I am honestly really glad it wasn't a 'bash the weird women' because they are weird because I say so videos that pretend to be intellectual but are just mysogyny disguised as academia.
Not saying the snapewives are whackadoodle, just the whole situation. I'm an atheist so who am I to say what religion is to anyone else, I haven't got one. Astral plane Snape is no weirder than Jesus re animating out of a cave and going back to the sky, and I was taught the second at school so 🤷🏻
when i say i was born in the wrong generation, i don't mean i would've perhaps liked to go to a gatsby style party, what i mean is that i would've fully participated in snapeism. it's a scary realization that if i had been in the right place at the right time, i would've essentially been in an internet cult. The stuff you desrcibe is exactly the stuff i would've done. hell, i even have an almost cult-like obsession with the cats musical!
That's also what I was thinking about while I was watching - there was a period of my life where I would have 100% fallen hook line and sinker for this whole movement, and I think it's only luck that I was born about a decade too late
@@Inkinhart
Why would you consider yourself lucky?
im 13 minutes in and im obsessed that this video about snapewives is beginning before the concept of vampirism had been published in european literature
As much as I wish for your channel to stay something small and sweet, I wish you received the recognition that you deserve for these videos! Great work!
feel free to gatekeep me
I never liked Snape despite relating to him as I was growing up. I was always confused by this until I realized that no, I wasn't being ignored because my "crushes" thought I was gross or whatever I was harping on myself over, it's because I wasn't fucking straight and everyone but me knew it. Makes me think about this phenomenon and why it was so aggressively straight in the fanfic scene.
Hi! just my unsolicited and semi-literate opinion? I was about to say, look at Christianity and how only women got to be Brides of Christ, no fair! That totally leaves men out. But there's no reason Snape couldn't be bi. If you look at the dominating cultural opinion that Snape was hetero, it doesn't hold up because he is at least as fixated on James as he was on Lily! It must be the ironic dominating ownership by these Snapewives not leaving room for men in their belief system.
@@helenamirian908i had to read this three times because my dumb ass thought you were trying to convince him he can be the first snapehusband lmfaooo
@@hana0647this made me laugh so hard that tea came out of my nose omg “the first snapehusband” 😭😭😭
Wait, I've seen this character archetype before:
The wine, the RGB lights, the Ukulele, the long ass video essay that probably took way too much effort to make, the chaotic neutral (maybe evil?) personality...
I dunno what to call it, but I think we need a word for it as I've seen it a few different times by now...
JK jokes aside, good vid! Super dense, a lot of insights and new perspectives to be gathered from a subject I honestly didn't know about (but knew was a thing, because of course it would). I think the overarching theme, or message here is "being in a bubble is cringe".
Fandoms are typically in a bubble, an echochamber. Sure, the subject being focused on one thing makes sense, but rarely these fandoms are open to criticism, not about the subject they're fanning over nor the stuff they do to express that. It's convenient you drew the parallel to incel community as I think that's a super clear example of what being in a bubble can do to you and how turning someone crazy without them realizing anything is wrong is actually super easy. All criticism is ignored or recontextualized. Then once you leave the bubble, you get rekt by normality of life. The different perspectives and people, the resistance. "Eugh" you say and scuttle back inside the bubble.
You know that meme where the pink slime leaves the box all optimistic, then gets punched and goes back into the box with re-enforced walls? Yeah that's fandom in a nutshell... Or a re-enforced shell. In this case the re-enforced shell is Snape's cloak which you call "The Chamber of secrets" lmao.
And I do like how mostly positively you talked about erotica. To me tho, it rarely works and is one of my main gripes with any fandom: The erotica super easily kinda invalidates everything else and becomes the center point. It's weird as sexuality is not the problem nor exploring it, but... I guess the lack of "taste" of it? I dunno how else to put it without writing an essay, but I think you can made like 70% the correct assumptions I want you to make. Most of the time when sex or sexuality is brought in, it's just bonk bonk horniness that you could completely have done without OR you get the feeling the whole story was built around the characters to get into the Chamber of Secrets. But then you notice that the whole story hinces on the astral plane vampire werewolf gangbang, you go back to the first page and it starts with a sensual description of someone breathing or some shit and you finally realize you've been had all along and the succubus sex demons have pranked you again for making the author forget to put correct tags.
this is ranking amongst my favourite video essays ever. why is this so underrated i am baffled. this is genuinely phenomenal work and writing and its funny while maintaining compassion which i really really appreciate . this video is so fascinating and passionate and i just really really like it. ridiculously underrated work dude good job
1:39:38 Before I had my first kiss IRL I dreamt of kissing Draco Malfoy. It felt so real I've never forgot. It's so funny to think that if circumstances had been a little bit different, I would've founded my own Draco cult.
This masterpiece showed up on my front page and i only realized it is 3 hours long 1 hour into it, when i was already in love with you and absolutely resonating with how you express yourself and construct arguments and organize what you have to say. This is incredibly well done and it is an honor to witness such passion and respect to internet culture. As a woman online, it's refreshing. Best 3 hours i have spent in a while. Congrats and thank you.
discourse on snapewives set aside, your discussion on fandom and all of the literary criticism and research you did was brilliant and reignited a spark I had for academia that was extinguished; thank you
This was an emotional rollercoaster.
At the beginning I was fully laughing at the snapewives (I knew about them beforehabd and saw them as a joke) but at the end I really gelt deeply sorry for these women. They don't deserve the hate they got. Also, your comparisons between snapism and other accepted organised religion was *chefs kiss*!
i am listening to this while working on my ongoing project of a five minute valvert animatic… the irony of partaking in active fan creation while watching an essay about the history and context of fandom is just dawning on me now
YESS art imitating life imitating art imitating life imitating ….
This could be someone’s thesis for their doctorate. I’m at such a loss of words for how mind-blowingly insightful this was!!!
Not a Snape wife, but I understand how one could follow that path. Severus Snape is beautiful, brilliant, sad, and cruel.
This video has given me so many existential crises and understanding of fandom and while I have thought of fandom being like a Religion, this video has been the one to really articulate and expand on those feelings and honestly its really mindblowing. I am grateful that you gave so much room for compassion, understanding and humanity for these women who became the snapewives, it really helps to contextualize to understand how they got where they were. And honestly it could've been anything that would've built such an internet Religion, if not Harry Potter and Snape then anything else, all it needed was the passion, drive and something missing in people's lives to be made.
Also a great way to shove a mirror in our faces and say :Hey you might mock them for they did but how do you know it won't happen to you? Cause honestly even when we don't have Religions, we need something, something to give us joy when life is hard, something that drives us to keep going, something that gives us communities. I know I have experienced this overwhelming sense of joy when I found communities in fandoms that I thought were my kind of people, and its so heart breaking and scary when things fall apart or feel alienated in a community you thought could be a Religion type home to you. That has a profound affect on you, especially when you've spent a lot years feeling alone and not having many people to talk to about your interests. People mock what they don't want to admit could be them if things were different.
Well said. This is so true.
Leaving a comment to mark 15:00 ish so I remember to do my rant on Alan Snape vs Book Snape. As this is on Snapewives your coverage of the movie Snape is fine as they focus on Alan Rickman's Snape(who is how Rowling should have written Snape in the books, instead of the unstable child abusing incel, who had to be emotionally manipulated into defecting from the Nazis and doing the bare minimum to protect the child who he caused the parents of to be murdered, which the books write him as)
Cannot believe how few views this has so far! You’re going to blow up just keep posting amazing work!!
Woah the way you described how jk affected the Fandom with her terfdom was so well put that I can't stop thinking of it. It really sums up how I've been feeling
I have maladaptive daydreaming and they tell me I have a mental illness difference is I know that the stories in my head aren't real I kind of feel like I'm writing without putting it to paper this is just batshit crazy
I know I should take away a lot more from this video, but... I just feel so sad for the girl who felt abandoned by Snape, and like she wasn't good enough for him, and her faith companions that shamed her into further believing that...
I’m so glad this got recommended to me. I’ve been wanting a multiple hour long deep dive into the snapewives for over a year. This video is phenomenal and it completely exceeded my expectations!
This is easily the BEST video essay on an unhinged topic like this I've ever seen. The amount of research and time and passion that had to have gone into this is palpable! You also have a very commanding and visceral way of wording things. You really get across the appeal and the devotion of the Snape Wives... and also made me deeply uncomfortable as a result. The passion and lust and goodness they felt from their beliefs are utterly terifying to me. I have enough religious trauma from Christianity - from the feeling of an omnipotent yet cold being who treats us as fleshy Mouse Trap pieces in a grand "mysterious plan" that has nebulous benefits for any of us, it at all. It's like - to use a fitting fandom reference - Bill Cipher of Gravity Falls, yet indirect and not sexy. But that is still better than a mystical being with powers who is overtly present, angry, jealous, domineering, gives out arbitrary orders, and views you not as a person but as clay to be molded by his hands to suit his own tastes. The relationship is so deeply toxic and repugnant - up there with some of the worst cults I've looked into.
This is a compelling and informative work of what I call fandom studies. I might need to make a fandom studies playlist.
I saw this video for the first time this week and it took a night or two to finish but now it's Friday and I'm back to watch it all over again because it's an absolute banger and has quickly become a comfort video to fall asleep to. Thanks for taking us on this truly epic journey, Biz, you rock. 🤘🏻
I love long video essays and internet culture/history and Snapewives is one of those topics that will never not fascinate me. I want to study these people under a microscope and you provided me with that through this video. The way you talked about the emotional side of this (especially in the section about them marrying snape) I genuinely got emotional, it was so beautiful and empathetic. I’ve never found a video that talked about all this with such compassion before. It’s nice seeing someone not simply making fun of these women and pointing at them like some silly animals in a zoo. I can’t wait to see what other things you talk about, I’ll definitely be checking out your channel for other quality content.
When you talk, my head hurts with all the ideas.
I would listen to you talk about literally anything.
Subscribed.
the work that you’ve put into your essays right off the BAT is so impressive!!! with videos like these, how has your channel not blown up yet?!
I was so entraptured by the story of sad boy Byron that i forgot this video was abt Snape and had a bit of a whiplash moment when he was mentioned again 15 mins in
This is really well done, the vibes are incredible, off the chart, the care and attention is amazing. I love this!
I'm a hs senior and I just wanna say both your presentation and the actual information you provide is amazing. This is the same breed of video essayists I love (Quinton Reviews, Billiam, Mike's Mic, etc..) that can bring you a topic you've never heard of and make you understand it on a larger level. I've seen many snapewives videos, but this one definitely takes the cake.
I'm young and my media literacy is not the best, so being able to have videos like this where the topic at hand is explained to me like a passionate friend would is an invaluable resource! Not to mention I'm an artist myself, and having things like this in the background make me feel like I'm doing things and learning at the same time.
That being said I can't wait for your new projects! The one on midnight mass v god's not dead is a favorite, along with the Goncharov one (which I adore you played absolutely straight). You're an amazingly talented person, and I can't wait to see what you do next!
Holy shit. Came for the discussions on niche fandom subculture, stayed for the absolute bonkers of deep, toughtful, profound commentary. Great work!!!
NGL this video and a handful of other deep dives into early fandom and recalling my own time as a Teenager on the internet really just solidified the belief that All People Are Weird, I am No Less Weird. I love the Snapewives. You're right we owe these women an apology even if I wasn't either alive or conscious of my existence at the time this took place. I apologize to the Snapewives for being an asshole about the things people loved on the internet and I hope Rose, Tonya and Conchita are all living happily and safely with or without their connections to their Master. I may not understand but I'm not the arbiter of experiences.
Good for them.
Wow I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a video like this before and idk if I ever will again, that was truly incredible. Even seeing the title and the time code before clicking the video I could’ve never imagined the scope of topics covered. I feel like I now have a genuine understanding as to how the sapewives came to be and their place in showing how fandom and religion work and I love that. This vid is just truly beyond good and I’m floored
Idea of Snape visiting fic wrighters while being in the midpoint of death and life it's not only extremely romantic, but very similar to observer effect in quantum mechanics,
Snape community is insane for this
i sadly always hated snape, but ever since i heard about the snapewives ive thought they were one of the most interesting fandom phenomenons in the 2000s, and i love with how much respect you treat them, also this amount of research and deepness into the subject?? tipping the hell out of my hat
i also always thought it would make so much sense that snape died in the canon of harry potter in 1998, because it would mean he isn't tied anymore to the harry potter world of existence and is instead an actual being that our dear snapewives can connect to no matter where, when or how (wtf am i saying)