Author and Artist Interviews 2009: WhiteCotton
Members,
After someone much more suitable dropped out, and because we didn’t have time to find a real author, the next one in the 2009 Author and Artist Interviews is with whitecotton.
Interview with WhiteCotton
November, 2009
“Please, wittering and whinging is not a becoming trait.” Black silk robes flaring nicely, WhiteCotton led the two Gryffindors through Hogwarts’ dungeon corridors, holding onto each with a firm grip on their collars.
“I just don’t see why we need this rigmarole – fuck! – with the blindfolds,” atypicalsnowman muttered as she tripped over something. “If you want me strapped and sensory deprived –”
“Later. Here we are.” WhiteCotton murmured a few words in Latin and a stone door briefly appeared in the wall before sliding open. She stepped forward, again dragging atypicalsnowman and Torina with her, and entered the Slytherin common room. “You may remove the blindfolds,” she said after a maliciously long moment.
“You call this a dungeon?” Atypicalsnowman snorted, waving her arms around. “Where are the chains and the manacles? I want rows of whips and a solid oak rack.”
“Well, I think it’s perfectly horrid,” Torina said with a shudder, then yelped. “Hey!” She scampered across the room after atypicalsnowman who, was making for a circle of sofas and armchairs.
Kicking one of the chairs sharply, atypicalsnowman said, “Wake up, thesewarmstars. We’re here.”
“I was not asleep!” said thesewarmstars, yawning. “Took you long enough. What kept you?”
“Sorry about that,” atypicalsnowman sneered sarcastically, “but the nesting runespoors, whirling saw blades and dancing Malfoys took a while to navigate.” Atypicalsnowman rubbed her wrist as she spoke, and winced, aiming a glare over her shoulder at WhiteCotton.
WhiteCotton just smirked. “At least you didn’t trip the Dildo Mountain trap ...”
Two pairs of eyes snapped to Torina’s blushing cheeks, and thesewarmstars chuckled.
atypicalsnowman flung herself onto one of the sofas. “More importantly, how are the non-Slytherin authors and artists going to manage a step past the Potions classroom?”
Helping herself to the wine carafe on the sofa table, WhiteCotton’s smirk became more marked. “Oh, I have arranged for an ... escort,” she said, handing atypicalsnowman and thesewarmstars a glass each of the Merlot. “One that I think will please our interviewees.”
“Well, I’m all set,” Torina said, having upended her bag over a side-table, scattering notebooks, quills and ink. “Pumpkin juice for me!”
Grimacing in distaste, atypicalsnowman nodded and thrust into Torina’s outstretched hand a beaker with Babbity Rabbity bouncing around its rim.
They were interrupted by the clearing of a throat. Whipping their heads round, they saw a shape emerge from the shadows, WhiteCotton by its side. Severus Snape sneered and, jerking his head towards the circle of chairs, said, “Gryffindors?”
WhiteCotton shrugged elegantly, stroking a hand down Severus’ chest. “I survive it by regarding them as entertainment.”
Severus hummed, then smirked, his eyes flashing. “Or, perhaps, lab rats.”
Into the silence, atypicalsnowman coughed and deflected attention with, “So. Right. And when are we expecting the next one?”
“Actually, I have recalled a meeting with RaeWhit,” said Severus in a smooth, velvety voice. “She and I have things to ... discuss, which will take a while. Perhaps you could defer the next interviewee and interview WhiteCotton instead?” He glared at the two Gryffindors. “Please don’t touch anything while I am gone. For curiosity sake, you understand, I would like to be present.”
Torina, whose fingers were hovering over a strange ornament, gulped, then slowly drew back her hand. atypicalsnowman, eyeing Severus suspiciously, hastily tucked her own under her bottom, while thesewarmstars looked on, sniggering.
WhiteCotton, meanwhile, continued to stroke Severus.
“Quite,” said Severus, his lips barely twitching, then turned gracefully for the door. “I shall be ... rather a long time.”
WhiteCotton sauntered over to her fellow Webmistresses, perching her bottom on the arm of the sofa. “Well, are you ready to start with the questions?”
“Yes,” said atypicalsnowman, her eyes dark sparks. “Let’s start with why his trousers were undone?”
WhiteCotton takes up the story
Sliding off the arm to land in a graceful arrangement of silk and satin, WhiteCotton’s eyes sparkled wickedly. “Access, darling. Obviously.”
“Wait ... You had your – your hand in Severus’ ... trousers?” Torina squeaked, looking helplessly from WhiteCotton to the others, and back again.
WhiteCotton nodded and reached for her glass of wine.
“Trust you to grope Severus’ cock in full view of the rest of us.” With a laugh, atypicalsnowman tapped her glass to WhiteCotton’s with a loud chink.
“You mistake,” WhiteCotton said with a smirk, then she opened her hand and the dull green lights of the dungeon caught the fine lines of a small brass key. “I was merely locking RaeWhit out.”
Questions
1. How did you start writing fanfiction?
I’ve been in and out of the fanfiction thing for many years, but only settled down to serious writing about five years ago. That was because I needed to write as a release valve for some hardcore real life issues and found writing within imaginary worlds to be the escapism I needed.
2. But why slash?
Now that is a question I’ve asked myself many times. Not that I get an answer. As soon as I sit down to ponder it, my brain shuffles a bit, snags a few concepts for a test basis, and then becomes stuck on the resulting imagery. May I just respond with ‘because it turns me on’?
3. Is Harry Potter your first fandom or did you wet your feet in another?
Hmm, that’s a hard one. WhiteCotton starts and ends with the HP world, but I confess to having dabbled in other fandoms under different names. The main one was LotR, which is still a favourite of mine.
4. Which character do you enjoy writing most?
Severus *sighs* of course, although Lucius is a close second and Minerva third in line.
5. What is it about Severus *sighs* you find sexy?
I like the way he looks, all that dark mystery and yards of fabric flowing around him, but I find the esoteric aspects of him the most enticing. His cutting wit, for one, and the obscurity JKR cast him in for another. I like the immutability of him, his irascibility and impenetrability, and the way he makes my tea in the morning. He also touches me in just that way I like, including his quite amazing dexterity with a dildo.
7. Which one do you think is your most underappreciated work?
I spoke too soon, which is amazing since I wrote half these questions. Anyway, I think Black Velvet and Pink Taffeta is the one that is least read, least reviewed and least everything else. Though it might have received the most rotten tomatoes.
8. Do you have a favourite piece written by another writer, perhaps one that drew you into the fandom or which you tell yourself you actually did write in another life?
All of RaeWhit’s (joanwilder) work was really written by me. If she argues against that, ignore her; she is just jealous of my amazing talent.
9. Is there a genre/pairing/kink you would like to write, but seem unable to do to your satisfaction?
No. I seem able to wrestle most of my dirty little kinks to my own satisfaction.
10. Do you ever feel the need to experiment, to try your hand at death!fics or extreme BDSM perhaps?
Not at all. I am in this purely for the fun and so feel no desire to stretch or challenge myself. I write what comes to mind and never consider whether I should do so beyond the question of how much enjoyment I will get out of it. For example, I wouldn’t enjoy writing either BDSM or fics with an unhappy ending, so I don’t write them. Simple.
11. Tell us the plot of up to 5 fics you'd love to write but haven't yet and why.
Erm ... Um ... Er ... Next question? No, really, I haven’t even got one. When I have an idea and I have the time, I write it. If I don’t have the time or don’t feel like writing, I don’t work with the idea.
12. Is there a fic you almost didn't write, but which you are now pleased you did?
Damn it! Who wrote these questions? The plain answer is no, as should there be an ounce of reticence about a plot or idea, I delete it or don’t start it in the first place.
13. How important to you is your writing? For example would you sell your first born for it?
I don’t have a first-born but I do have a favourite outfit if that will do? Though, if you don’t mind I’ll keep the dress.
14. Do you have a pet beta, one who you always turn to first and who is collared and tied to your desk?
I like betas who are not afraid to tell me when something I write is crap. If they have the nous to advise me on a better technique, word or narrative value, then they are shoved up to the top of my favourite people list. rakina has all the best qualities for a beta in that she can pull apart my writing, scrabble with it for a bit, and then put it back in a much better order.
For a hand holder, I always use atypicalsnowman. She is fantastic for giving me that extra encouragement, a sounding-board service and also is great fun when testing out plot and characterizations. Also, she says ‘cock’ a lot.
15. Do you have any bullet-proof kinks and squicks, ones that would even tempt you to read Severus *sighs* and Colin Creevey?
I do have a weakness for object penetration, though I doubt it would entice me out of my set pairings. Other than that, no. My greatest kink is the interplay between the personalities, the interactions and internalizations. That turns me on. Many is the time Severus *sighs* and I have faced each other from opposite sides of the bed, and … but you probably don’t want to hear about our sex life. So …
As for squicks, well … I don’t do chan – i.e. under 17 – torture, rape, or extreme BDSM. Even a hint of them and I won’t read Severus *sighs again* with anyone. Even me.
16. Which character(s) do you think you are most like?
There is a lot of Severus in me *smirks* and also Lucius *smirks even more*. Seriously though, it’s true. My family have described me as an emotional desert, which should tell you why I am like Severus *sighs*. I also value my privacy and solitude, viewing them as integral to my happiness. My love of fine clothes and other luxuries in life, plus my arrogance, is all Lucius, as is my determination to have things my own way.
17. What character do you struggle with most when writing?
Anyone from the younger generation. Harry is easier than Hermione or Ron, but I still find him difficult. That is not because I don’t like them – well, perhaps a little bit – rather because I don’t understand them. That’s why I always write them older, or acting older. I don’t understand the teenage torment most people seem to have experienced, probably because I was born wearing a twinset and pearls, my hair permed and blue rinsed.
18. What's the most challenging thing about the process of writing fanfiction?
I’m a shiny object girl, so keeping the momentum going is my biggest challenge. I tend to write in one mad rush, after clearing the decks of everything else. However, if a prettier, shinier thing interrupts me, I find it hard to get back into the swing of the plot.
19. At which point does your personal ‘canon’ deviate from book canon? And which of your stories tells what really happened?
I am happy to tweak, twist and pinch at little bits of canon to make it accord to my version. That means I generally stick quite closely to it, aside from the truism of Severus’ *sighs* survival and some other aspects of Book 7. (If any book needed an enema, it is that one.) Rook Castling Kingside is illustrative of how far I twist and tweak to deviate from the books.
20. When you began to write sex scenes, did you rely on what you had already read in fanfiction or kidnap and interrogate a gay acquaintance?
I went straight to the source – well, a few sources, actually. Luckily I know a few gay men and so was able to handcuff them to my radiator and shine a lamp in their faces.
21. Of your favourite fics, which do you consider to be your best and why? Go on, don’t be modest!
I have no idea. When I have finished writing a fic, I never read it again in full (hence my need for a kick-ass beta). Therefore, it is difficult to say which is my best work. All I can tell you is which I enjoyed most, found easiest to write, and then spent some time afterwards wondering how it would read for others. And that one would be Seven Steps to Heaven.
22. Do you set specific characters always to be a friend or an enemy to your heroes?
Don’t I just! Lucius is either Severus’ *sighs* lover or closest friend (and unrequited love); Minerva and Severus *sighs again* share an amicably combatant relationship, which becomes a tight-knit wall of support against outside attack; and Sirius is always a git.
23. What is the most valuable piece of advice you've ever received about writing stories (fanfic or otherwise)?
Only ever write from a position of knowledge, whether you bury your head in research or choose a thematic from your own life. For example, when writing a d/s relationship, ensure you write from the point of view of whether you are a natural dom or sub. For me, that would of course be the sub. What? Can you not take a joke?
24. Are you hurt by bad reviews or criticism?
Right, there will be a few head-shakers to this, but the answer is not at all. It is the act of writing I enjoy and feel no maternal love for the story once that enjoyment ceases with the last full stop. I do retain some affection for them, but not to the extent that I tap my fingers waiting for the reviews to pour in (which is a good thing, really, as I would be grey-haired and have a woman-beard if I waited for them to ‘pour’). I haven’t had that many bad reviews, but I ignored them or laughed them off.
Criticism is a different matter, but sometimes has the same result. Despite being a Lucius clone, I can take criticism of anything, whether it is constructive or not. If the criticism was sought, it means I want to correct something that is in error or which could be done better, so I smile and eagerly ask for details. However, if the criticism was unsought, then I will nod politely and walk on. Though not because I was hurt or angry by what was said, but because I most probably have already posted the blasted thing and so am bored with it and don’t care.
The only thing that will light a flame beneath me is discourtesy and rudeness. Anyone who aims them my way is answered with Sunday manners and cutting politeness. And a blowtorch.
25. If your Severus *sighs* were to play a musical instrument, what would it be?
Anything he can wrap his lips round and blow.
Seriously, though, this is a tough one ... I would have to choose two and go for the violin and the piano. Both would show off Severus’ *sighs* elegant hands and the slender lines of his wrists, but only the piano would demonstrate his absolute control, while the violin would be a conduit for his veiled passions.
26. Would you consider writing professionally? Or do you?
My profession entails endless and boring research, followed by just as boring reports, analyses and arguments, so I know I have the discipline to write professionally; I just don’t have the desire or talent to write fiction.
27. How has your involvement changed over the years, and where do you see yourself fandom-wise in 5 years?
Previous to Severus Sighs, I was a nomad, flitting between screen and pen names, groups and journals, never really settling for very long. But here I am after a whole year, staying with one name, using it widely, and becoming known by it. And it scares the shit out of me. How long I will be able to stay with WhiteCotton, I don’t know, but I don’t think she will be around in 5 years.
28. What is your most prized fandom memento/collectable?
I am the proud owner of several wands. These range from those produced under the aegis of Warner Bros to ones made by skilled wood turners. However, the one most prized was made for me by Sestra Prior. It is very dark wood, with a silver-filled and spiralled handle, and I adore it. Every time I look at it – and I do so often – I feel my heart warm with pleasure and love for it.
29. You talk about Snucius an awful lot, yet you say Snarry is your OTP. Are you lying to us?
Yes and no. To write, my OTP is definitely Snucius, but as a reader, my OTP is Snarry. That is because there are very few writers who can write Severus *sighs* and Lucius well. Nishizono does so beautifully, as does LdyBastet, but these two are rare creatures.
30. Your longer Snarry fics tend to involve character death or a pseudo-death. Do you feel that Severus can only find happiness by moving on from his old – canon – life, either literally or figuratively?
Definitely. In fact, may I underline that? It is very difficult to change one’s imperfect life to something better while still carrying the baggage of it. When that life was not only unpleasant, but was doused in grave regrets, accompanied by denigration, and sullied by injurious decisions and actions, then the baggage becomes too weighty to move forwards. Better to change everything, become something nascent and unburdened, and to move on soul-free.
31. You often write Lucius sympathetically, either paired with Severus or as his friend, when in canon his character is never redeemed. Why?
You really need to ask that? Look at him! He’s suave, gorgeous, has beautiful lines and a cut-glass voice. What is there about him not to like?
Okay, so you had to bring up the being a Death Eater thing and the murdering and toturing stuff ... Doesn’t everyone deserve a hug and a blowjob? *nods* Point, I would say.
...Sometime Later
"Wait," Torina said, confused. "No one liked Black Velvet?"
"Odd," thesewarmstars said, brow furrowed. "Well, I thought it was hilarious in that you way, you know?"
"Yeah, it really is some of her best written work," Torina said, nodding.
"WhiteCotton...darling," snow said, showing her teeth in her smile and completely ignoring the other two. "Let me see that key."
WhiteCotton ran the key—black lace looping through its ornate handle—between her fingers and smiled slyly. "What key, darling? This one?"
snow glared and gritted her teeth.
"And you know, I actually do like WhiteCotton's Lucius," Torina said thoughtfully. "He's...well..."
"I know!" thesewarmstars said, saving Torina from her floundering. "I usually hate him, but when she writes him, she almost makes me...like him." She shuddered dramatically and took a sip of her wine.
"Darling," snow said, rising from her seat. "They don't call it Gryffindor tenacity for nothing."
WhiteCotton smiled darkly and said, "I'd like to see you try."
"Really, Snucius does make sense," Torina said, sipping her pumpkin juice. "I mean, they did meet in Lucius' last year in school."
thesewarmstars nodded. "And they would've met again as Severus was falling deeper into the wrong crowd. Oh...can you imagine the angst? How horrible Severus must have felt, how unloved, unwanted..."
"You can have Severus cutting his wrists later, warmie! Right now someone needs to help me get this damn key!" snow cried as WhiteCotton dangled the object in question over her head.
"Temper, temper, snow dearest."
"Well, they'd be friends," Torina said thoughtfully. "I imagine they'd have grown close, especially if Lucius wasn't as evil as we always thought he was."
"I just imagine Severus alone...and crying...no one to love him and then all of a sudden..."
"Give me the fucking key!"
WhiteCotton's laugh was uncharacteristically loud as she ran the lace through her fingers one last time before hiding the thing in her bosom.
snow lifted an eyebrow. "You really think I wouldn't? Silly handkerchief, do you not know me at all?" And with that she plunged a snowy hand down WhiteCotton's neckline.
WhiteCotton made a sudden gasp, but otherwise gave no sign of her extreme discomfort, only trying and failing to keep snow from ravaging her cleavage.
"It appears the fun has begun without me," Severus said, walking in the door. "Pity."
"Severus," WhiteCotton said, still trying to pry snow off. "I suppose—oof!—this is what—snow, stop that—happens when we give Gryffindors liberties."
"Indeed."
"I should be ready for you," she said, trying and failing to sound seductive in her discomfort, "in a moment," she said, trying one last time to shrug snow off. "Then we'll be alone."
Severus lifted an eyebrow and moved towards them. "That will be...unnecessary," he said, as his eyes ran over snow.
Suddenly, Lucius appeared from the shadows, a dark smile playing over his lips, his hand coming to rest on Severus' shoulder.
Severus smirked. "As you can see, I've brought company. There's more than enough to go around."
WhiteCotton and snow looked at each other and came to a silent truce.
"Torina," snow said, not bothering to look back at her.
"snow?" Torina said, gulping.
"Things are about to become very unsafe for you."
WhiteCotton stood up and straightened her robes, then crossed the room.
"warmie can stay...and watch.
On behalf of Severus Sighs, we would very much like to thank WhiteCotton for the scratch and whip marks, handcuff sores and rope burns she gave us during her participation in the interview. She was quite correct in that we do indeed need bringing back into line occasionally.
The (rest of 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