Author and Artist Interviews 2009: Accioslash
Members,
We are delighted to present our second instalment of the 2009 Author and Artist Interviews.
After just one intensive whipping session, accioslash agreed to let us play with her pencils.
An Interview with Accioslash
November, 2009
“Is this entirely necessary?” WhiteCotton asked, raising an eyebrow.
“He’s late,” atypicalsnowman answered, “And we were bored. We’ll stop as soon as he gets here.”
“Should we really be doing this without the textbook?” Torina asked, looking around the lab as if hoping the directions would miraculously be there this time.
“Do you honestly think this recipe is in a kids’ textbook?” thesewarmstars responded as she held onto the wooden rod with both hands, straining to stir the thick mixture.
“Oh, give me that,” snow snapped. “You’re doing it wrong.”
Thesewarmstars leaned away from her. “I’m doing it fine!”
“No, you need to stir faster. Let me do it!”
“I can do it! I’m perfectly capable of stirring all by myself!”
“Um, guys?” Torina took a step back. “Is it supposed to be smoking like that?” she asked, but neither of them heard her over their bickering.
“If that explodes,” WhiteCotton announced, “do not expect me to mourn for you.” “Damn it, we agreed I would stir!”
Atypicalsnowman waved her hand through the air impatiently. “That was before you started fucking it all up!”
“Guys, seriously…”
WhiteCotton scowled. “You’ll be covered in it and make a very bad impression on our guest. Must you be so juvenile?”
“She started it!” snow yelled, elbowing thesewarmstars in the side.
“Did not!”
Torina’s eyes went wide. “You’re going to knock it…! Oh, there it goes.”
All four watched in horror as the cauldron tipped and spilled its contents across the previously meticulous workbench, instruments melting and ingredients sizzling as it went.
“Oh, fuck,” thesewarmstars said.
“Yeah,” snow agreed.
Suddenly, the door slammed open. “What is going on in here?” Severus asked, surveying the scene with a stony expression.
Thesewarmstars slowly inched toward the circle of chairs where WhiteCotton sat while Torina and snow scrambled to clean up the mess.
“Who is responsible for ruining my laboratory?” Severus growled.
“Sexy when he’s angry,” WhiteCotton murmured.
“Well, there are two Gryffindors here,” thesewarmstars pointed out, settling next to her fellow Slytherin.
Stepping toward his ruined workbench, Severus scowled. “I might have known. You do realize Accioslash will be here any moment?”
“We didn’t mean to!” Torina insisted.
“It was her fault!” snow accused, pointing at thesewarmstars.
Severus, however, was more focused on the sludge spreading over the workbench. His eyes widened and he looked up in disbelief. “Were you dunderheads trying to brew a personal lubricant?!”
Just then, the door creaked open, and all eyes turned toward Accioslash...
Accioslash takes up the story
Accioslash eyed the mess currently eating its way through the dungeon floor. "Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but was someone attempting to brew lube? You guys were expecting me, right?"
Four pairs of eyes looked everywhere but at Accioslash, while one calculating gaze held hers steadily.
"You guys, it melted a cauldron, several stirring rods, a workbench and it is currently eating its way through a stone floor and you were planning to use that as a personal lubricant? Wow. I have to admire your courage if nothing else. I had no idea this place had so many Gryffindors."
Obviously in agreement, Snape ignored the jibe. atypicalsnowman and Torina looked slightly putout.
Accioslash adjusted her Ravenclaw scarf and poked at the cooling sludge with her number two pencil. "Hm. Aside from the whole practically vaporizing solid rock thing, it looks like you were on track. Though it was three stirs counter clock-wise and only four phoenix tears. Good luck getting Severus to use that on 'little Severus' later tonight with Harry."
WhiteCotton looked like she was trying to determine the most efficient means to hide a body without ruining her manicure. thesewarmstars was properly horrified; she would miss Accioslash around the group.
Severus's eyes narrowed. "'Little Severus?' Are you certain you are of legal age to participate in this discussion? Additionally, obviously you and 'little Severus' aren't intimately acquainted. Otherwise you would have suggested a somewhat different juvenile appellation for penis."
Completely unperturbed, Accioslash replied, "Perhaps you've seen my art? It's the totally work safe stuff. Not a 'little Severus' in sight."
"Well there was that one time," WhiteCotton pointed out.
Accioslash looked slightly discomfited. "Locked posts don't count. And I may have lost a bet." Warming to her subject, Accioslash cheerfully added, "And, yes, that time there was clearly nothing little about 'little Severus'."
Severus appeared somewhat mollified and White Cotton discreetly put away the shovel she had been planning to use for the burial.
"So, now that the question of lube and 'little Severus' is out of the way, I assume we're all here for the oral part of my interview?"
Someone fainted.
"What?"
Accioslash tried to look innocent, but she wasn't fooling anyone.
Questions
1. How did you start drawing fanart?
My first fanart was for one of the eight Star Trek:TOS fanzines I created with my then roommate and bff. We needed filler and in those days editors did everything from writing fic to drawing to editing to typing to (mimeograph) copying, collating, and mailing out each zine one at a time. If you didn't know how to do something, you had to learn. Talk about your labours of love. With the advances in technology, a process that took me a week to do back then can be done now in a matter of minutes. But my zines were a thing of beauty. I was probably more proud of the first zine I produced than I was my Master's thesis. Priorities and I have a strange relationship.
2. But why slash?
I was born a slasher. I can remember watching the 1966 Batman tv series with Adam West and Burt Ward and thinking they were really "in love". Since I was 3 or 4 years old at the time, I didn't know what people in love actually did together but I knew that it involved two men who weren't related living together in a large house, fighting evil, having secrets, enduring terrible losses, and generally being awkward, sometimes hateful, yet totally devoted to one another. And there was usually some kind of special clothing involved. Not much has changed since then.
I discovered slash officially existed outside of my imagination when I was 13 or 14 and I have been active in one slash fandom or another since I was 18.
3. Is Harry Potter your first fandom or did you wet your feet in another?
Harry Potter isn't even my tenth fandom. ;D I've been involved in fandom since the late 1970s. I was a mere infant at the time. *cough*
4. Which character do you enjoy drawing the most?
You need to ask? Severus.
5. What is it about Severus *sighs* you find sexy?
I think Severus is sexy, but I think he's so much more than that. I'm attracted to his brilliance, his complexity, his loyalty, his cleverness, his single-mindedness, his dedication, his slender, stained fingers, the rhythm and cadence of his speech, that endless row of buttons on his robes. He's endlessly fascinating to me.
6. Of your own work, which is your favourite?
My favourite series is the fic warnings. The warning for NC-17 with the sheep and the handcuffs is my favourite of the lot.
7. Which one do you think is your most underappreciated work?
My most underappreciated work is actually a fic. It's gen and features Pansy Parkinson as the main character. I don't think any of my art is underappreciated. People have always been very generous with their praise.
8. Do you have a favourite piece drawn by another artist, perhaps one that drew you into the fandom or which you tell yourself you actually did draw in another life?
There's some really beautiful work in fandom. We're fortunate to have so many talented people. Oddly enough, when you consider how little I value canon compliance in fic, my favourite art tends to be both work safe and completely canon compliant. Memories, by Kibo, has been my desktop for years. It's a pictorial representation of Snape and Harry's final moments in the Shrieking Shack. It's haunting, beautiful, and sad. I've rarely been as profoundly affected by any single piece of art. Also, I love everything Seviet has ever drawn. My favourite pieces of hers feature slice-of-life art for Harry and Ginny Potter and their three children. Seviet's Harry is a bit too muscular and ruggedly handsome for my tastes (though likely perfectly appropriate for canon!Harry), but otherwise everyone else is exactly the way I pictured them. It's very domestic and sweet and I like the thought that canon!Harry had the happy ending he always wanted and worked for.
9. Is there a genre/pairing/kink you would like to draw, but seem unable to do to your satisfaction?
There are times when I would like to be able to draw something serious. Particularly for fests and exchanges where I feel my own style really isn't something that belongs with the other pieces. I actually can draw other things besides cartoons, but for some reason they always seem 'flat' to me and I don't recognize myself in the work. So even when it may be technically adequate work, I'm still dissatisfied.
10. Do you ever feel the need to experiment, to try your hand at death!art or extreme BDSM perhaps?
Hahaha. I actually have drawn death!art as part of my Warnings series. [Part 1 | Part 2] The warning was for death!fic and it features dead!Sirius holding a Lily. I joked that it was actually a portrait of James and Lily, but, um, no. Still Sirius. Still dead. And BDSM is right up my alley. Not sexy BDSM, but similar to my cross-dressing. No one actually wants to see it or take it seriously. So if it's a genuine kink, people probably wouldn't like the drawing.
11. Tell us the plot of up to 5 pieces you'd love to draw but haven't yet and why.
Hm. I suppose I always have some ideas percolating. But typically when I decide on a series or a single piece I'd like to draw, I do it. If it doesn't work, I'll pick it up again another day and see if the characters will cooperate this time.
12. Is there a piece you almost didn't draw, but which you are now pleased you did?
Not any one piece. Last year I did a Countdown to Christmas with 26 days of art (I fail at maths). That was a real challenge for me. I know it may look like it takes ten minutes for me to draw a character, but I work far more slowly than most artists. And I discard a lot. I'd say that for every piece I post, I throw away 100 others.
13. How important to you is your drawing? For example would you sell your first born for it?
Drawing is just another thing I can do to participate in fandom. I genuinely don't have the same passion for drawing that most artists do. I don't ever just sit around and sketch for fun. That feels like work to me. If I'm drawing, it's because I have an assignment or a deadline. I have never once seen or read something and thought, "oh, I simply must draw that right now!" I also don't spend time looking for new art supplies like most artists. Me? I'll be over in the shoes, kthankx. Until recently, I drew on scrap paper with a #2 pencil. I'm really not a typical artist in any way.
14. Do you have a pet beta, one who you always turn to first and who is collared and tied to your desk?
Who designed these questions? I would never have a beta collared and tied to my desk. Her chain would scratch the wood.
15. Do you have any bullet-proof kinks and squicks, ones that would even tempt you to read Severus *sighs* and Colin Creevey?
I'd read Severus paired with anyone. It's Harry who I won't read with anyone other than Snape. My bullet-proof kink is mpreg. It's like my kryptonite. I have no defense against it. I love it. Always. In any fandom. Even when it's dreadful. Sometimes especially when it's dreadful. The only possible exception is when an author thinks they are being clever by making fun of it. And they almost never are. I think to properly make fun of something you need to have a genuine affection for it. It's laughing with someone as opposed to laughing at them. My only squick is threesomes/moresomes. Over the years I have read enough threesome/moresomes fics to know that, for me, they are always firmly in the do not want pile.
16. Which character(s) do you think you are most like?
Hm. I'd have to say I'm a cross between Tonks from book 5 (before she became lame and pathetic) and Percy Weasley. I imagine that's a pretty strange combination. Which works because I'm a pretty strange person. I'm okay with that.
17. What character do you struggle with most when drawing?
I actually struggle with all of them. Sometimes no one wants to cooperate with me. I think they resent that I always put them in work safe scenarios. However, Voldemort is one character who never seems to want to be drawn in my usual style. He's always a bit more realistic (and consequently more flat) than anyone else.
18. What's the most challenging thing about the process of drawing fanart?
For me, it's saying "no" to requests for art. I think because my work looks simple, people assume it takes me very little time to draw it. Especially when other artists can complete beautiful, detailed work in a fraction of the time it takes me. More importantly, a little of my art goes a very long way. I'm a one trick pony. I do humor and nothing else. Unless there is something else to cause people to look at my art, if I posted every day eventually people would become very, very bored. When I posted my countdown, part of the attraction was guessing who I would draw. But if I drew Snarry once a week I think people would lose interest. I know I would.
19. At which point does your personal ‘canon’ deviate from book canon? And which of your art tells what really happened?
I think I have a different relationship to canon than most people. I use canon as a backdrop, but I don't feel compelled to adhere to any of it if something else will suit my purposes better. So when people are all, "see, it says here on page 394 that Harry thinks Snape is actually the spawn of Satan" well, I can acknowledge that it's canon, but I just don't care. And I'll do whatever I want anyway. I'm not trying to draw canon. And if I wanted to read canon, well, then I wouldn't be reading fan fic.
20. When you began to draw sexy scenes, did you rely on what you had already read in fanfiction or kidnap and interrogate a gay acquaintance?
Hahaha! You have seen my work, right? Sadly all very work safe. I grade Sunday school essays with that art pencil, missy. Well, not really.
21. Of your favourite pieces, which do you consider to be your best and why? Go on, don’t be modest!
Hm. I suppose my best work was my first entry in the Snarry Art Games. Um, not the crack art. The other one, Picture Perfect.
22. Do you set specific characters always to be a friend or an enemy to your heroes?
I think some people might say that my poor Harry is always being ignored or mistreated by Severus. Though I think Snape is very affectionate in his own way. Snape just likes to make Harry work for it.
23. What is the most valuable piece of advice you've ever received about drawing (fanart or otherwise)?
I've received a lot of good advice. I've successfully ignored most of it.
24. Are you hurt by bad reviews or criticism?
I think I'd have to call bullshit on anyone who says they aren't at least on some level. No one shares their work because they like to disappoint others. That doesn't mean the crit is unwarranted or that there isn't something I can learn from it. Or that it should be taken personally. Though I don't know how much more personal something can be than something you created.
That said, I don't receive much crit. I think my work is taken at face value and pretty much as long as it makes people laugh, it's done what I set out to do. Also, I'm not sure how much value there is to art crit. People tend to like something or not. It's that simple. I suppose they can point out things like sloppy coloring or wonky anatomy. But there really isn't a SPaG equivalent in art. If I draw someone with two right hands, I pretty much have to toss the piece entirely and start over. Once I post something, I'm done with it. I may keep the crit in mind for the next thing I draw, but I won't change what's already done. Though I have re-drawn work before.
25. If your Severus *sighs* were to play a musical instrument, what would it be?
I keep searching for the punchline here. I got nothing. Except perhaps a *cough* 'wood instrument'? *shrugs* My apologies if this was a serious question. I have a filthy mind.
[Webmistresses: Not the mouth organ?]
26. Would you consider drawing professionally? Or do you?
No. I like eating and sleeping indoors far too much. Plus art is actually work. I try to avoid that whenever possible.
27. How has your involvement changed over the years, and where do you see yourself fandom-wise in 5 years?
Wow. When I first started in fandom, expectations were different. Not that this was necessarily better, but you really had to be able to do everything yourself. There was no space for lurkers. There was too much work to do and if you were around, you were recruited to help. I wrote, drew, edited, typed stories, glued borders individually to 150 pages of text. If the virtual toilets needed scrubbing, I'm sure I did that as well. And to say that in terms of quality not everything I did was created equally is a given. Now, I can be more selective.
I'm not sure where I'll be in five years. At one point, I just assumed I'd be involved in fandom forever. Considering it's already been over 30 years, I think that's not an unreasonable assumption. But internet fandom is different from snail mail/zine fandom. It's so much more immediate and constant. I know I feel more burned out now than I did in years past. But I don't have any desire to stop.
28. What is your most prized fandom memento/collectable?
I think most people know that I collect a lot of original art. My favourite piece in my collection is a totally NSWF Dumbledore/Filch created by Tripperfunster. Tripp is known as the "Mistress of Squick" and, for me, her definitive work was Sphincter Lickin' Good. I know she has created a metric buttload of awesome art, but whenever I think of her, that's the art that comes to mind. And I actually own that original art. I was floored when she sent it. It's such a part of her it felt far more personal than anything else I could have received. It was like she sent me a piece of herself. Only not creepy like if she had sent me a lock of her hair or fingernail clippings. I was touched. And not in the way people usually mean when they say that about me. I also really love the Got Snarry? art she made for me. It's a parody of the ‘Got milk?’ advertizing campaign. Only Snape and Harry don't have milk moustaches. *cough*
29. Your style is instantly recognised, do you like it that way?
Very much. My art is a fairly generic caricature style, but I still think you'd be able to pick out which work is mine. I don't find that to be true when I use a more realistic style. It's really lacking...something. I don't deny I have some talent with realistic art, but it doesn't have the same signature style that the caricatures have. For me, even if it's good, if you can't pick my art out of a group, it's just another drawing. And the world is full of those.
30. Everyone adores your Severus *sighs*, yet he is as unlike as he could be when compared to canon. So, where did the wonderful sandal-wearing Severus *sighs again* come from?
What are you saying? That sandal-wearing Severus isn't canon-compliant! I'm shocked. I love the ridiculous. I love putting people in situations/clothing you wouldn't expect to find from them. And, sometimes, I like to show 'em the way I see 'em. I seem to be picking on cross-dressing today which actually isn't an issue one way or another for me except that I love to draw it. But, really, I can't even imagine that Severus would look appealing in a corset and fishnets. So I love drawing him with a scrawny, hairy chest and little pot belly all tarted up for Harry.
Though I do think my preference for Severus shows up unexpectedly since I'm frequently told that in scenarios where the way a character looks isn't central to the joke, my Snape is handsome while my Harry tends to be goofy-looking. Which is pretty much how I see them. I think canon!Harry is, at best, exceedingly average-looking. For God's sake, he's already the biggest Marty-Stu this side of Hermione. It's okay if he's short, wears glasses and has knobby knees.
31. What do you look for when wanting to indulge in Snarry, a fic to read or art?
I want someone to make me believe in their creation. I especially admire someone who can make me believe something that is typically completely out of character for someone. No one can predict the actions of another with 100% certainty. I want someone to show me that one time in a million where their character chose differently, but still convince me that no other decision would have been believable under the circumstances. Those are the pieces that blow me away.
...Sometime Later
The door shut with a click as Accioslash and Severus left the room.
“Well,” Torina said, turning to the others, “that went well. I think we learned a lot about her and her art.” She raised an eyebrow at snow and thesewarmstars, who were sitting on the couch, scowling. “What?”
“In front of Severus,” thesewarmstars added, looking equally put out.
“Ladies,” WhiteCotton said, exasperated. “Perhaps you'll think twice before putting yourselves in such a situation. You'll notice I was nowhere near the two of you during your idiocy.”
“We did kind of screw it up,” Torina admitted.
“We?” snow asked incredulously, turning to glare at thesewamstars. “If you had just let me stir—”
“I was supposed to stir! You shouldn’t have—”
"Hey guys, did you see these notes Accioslash left about the potion?" Torina said, leafing through a stack of papers. "Apparently, if you stir the lubrication potion counter-clockwise it becomes a male pregnancy potion."
All four ladies turned silent as they looked on the lab table and discovered a missing vial.
"Oh, Severus isn't going to like this," snow said sadly.
thesewarmstars shrugged and started knitting booties.
WhiteCotton glanced at snow, looked deep in thought for a minute, then said, "Inform me when their child reaches eighteen." She then dug into her pocket and took out a book called 'How to Break In a Virgin.'
Torina put her head in her hands and sighed while snow started to walk out of the room, dragging WhiteCotton with her. "Come on," said snow, "let's go and watch."
WhiteCotton pulled away, straightening her robes. "You know I hate mpreg."
snow stared at her, amazed. "But they're fucking."
WhiteCotton thought about this for a moment, then beat snow to the door, thesewarmstars and a half-knitted bootie hot on her heels.
On behalf of Severus Sighs, we would very much like to thank Accioslash for taking part in this interview.
The Webmistresses
Enjoy the darkness and sweet sensual pleasure that is Severus *sighs*
Webmistresses of Severus Sighs Site Owner – WhiteCotton Site Moderators – atypicalsnowman, thesewarmstars, and Torina Archelda Artwork by Cluegirl and banner by Bielol Severus.sighs@gmail.com