Author and Artist Interviews 2009: Jadzialove
Members,
After copious wining and dining, the next in the 2009 Author and Artist Interviews is with jadzialove.
Interview with Jadzialove
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 Jadzialove 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 Jadzialove.
Jadzialove takes up the story
"Hey there," she greeted, then, noticing the still-sizzling work surface, added, "Oh! Somebody ought to grab that cauldron before it—"
The wooden workbench split in two, sending the heavy wood crashing to each side and the overturned cauldron toppling, landing wetly in the corrosive sludge that had been steadily drip, drip, dripping onto the floor.
Severus sighed in exasperation, then stalked to his ingredient stores, grumbling all the way.
"This," he sneered, liberally sprinkling a powdery material onto the sludge, "is the neutralizing agent you neglected to add."
"Cool!" Jadzialove exclaimed as the muddy substance became a clear, colourless gel. She turned to WhiteCotton. "So, interview?"
Before WhiteCotton could respond, Severus shouted, "Unhand me at once!"
Thesewarmstars, Torina, and atypicalsnowman looked up with feigned innocence as Severus's robes fell back into place around his legs.
Severus rolled his eyes, "Incorrigible and oversexed, the lot of you."
As he stalked out of the room, Jadzialove turned back to WhiteCotton and asked, "They do know that my Severus is always gay, right?"
Questions
1. How did you start writing fanfiction?
I stumbled upon fanfiction by accident through a link on another unrelated site. Having never heard of such a thing before that, the idea was revolutionary to me. And just exactly what I’d been looking for, being desperate for original Harry Potter material. After reading for a few months, I thought, I can do that. So I gave it a shot. My early efforts are cringe-worthy in my opinion, but I do still get the occasional favourable review.
2. But why slash?
The very first fanfiction I read was called, After the End, which had an unspoken Remus/Sirius element that I found fascinating. My obsession began with that then quickly moved onto Harry/Weasley boys. Admittedly, my appreciation for Severus was rather late-blooming and only happened after I’d read every other Harry slash pairing on the old PSA.
3. Is Harry Potter your first fandom or did you wet your feet in another?
In the sense of fanfiction, yeah, Harry was the first. I'm a Trekkie from way back, but oddly, I never knew about the stories until Harry Potter.
4. Which character do you enjoy writing most?
I love Harry, but I find it easier to write Severus.
5. What is it about Severus *sighs* you find sexy?
His nose. Seriously. I have a nose thing. Also, I enjoy irascible characters with dry, dark humour and unspoken longings… Plus, intelligence always and forever will = SEXY to me. I know JKR is baffled by people thinking Snape is sexy. I think she tried so hard to make him the villain, to make him detestable and unsympathetic, that she inadvertently made him her most complex, most intriguing character, which in itself is sort of sexy, don’t you think?
6. Of your own work, which is your favourite?
Usually, the one I've most recently completed is the one I like best, so with that as the criteria, it would be "If Only" for the Snarry Games. The story I'm most proud of, even though it's a bit out of date canon-wise, is "Humbug". It was only the second Snarry I'd ever written and it turned out even better than I'd hoped.
7. Which one do you think is your most underappreciated work?
Featuring Severus? Hmmm. I'm pretty pleased with the response I've received—I feel pretty lucky. I guess it would be nice if more people read “Bred in Captivity”, which I wrote for Yule Balls last year. It might be one of the least commented on of my Snarry stories. Of all the fics I've written? I'd have to say "Longtime Companion", a story I wrote for Wankfest 2008. It’s Albus Dumbledore/Elphias Doge. I realize the pairing has limited appeal, but I do think most people would like it if they gave it a chance.
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?
I couldn't possibly choose. There are so many great works out there and my favourite on any given day depends on my mood or what I need: humour, romance, sweeping epic, smexy smexy, whatever it takes. Though I do feel that way about canon, that in some parallel universe I am British and have concocted this wonderfully detailed and delightfully magical world…
9. Is there a genre/pairing/kink you would like to write, but seem unable to do to your satisfaction?
I pretty much write what I like, but I have a love for forced-bond/marriage stories, and I've come close but haven't come up with anything like the stories I love most. As for pairing? Harry/Ron. I love to read it, have never written it.
10. Do you ever feel the need to experiment, to try your hand at death!fics or extreme BDSM perhaps?
Maybe not those extremes. I actually tried addressing the death!fic angle recently, but even then I couldn't make it really happen in the story. It was a step outside my comfort zone though, so maybe that counts for something.
11. Tell us the plot of up to 5 fics you'd love to write but haven't yet and why.
Goodness, if only I had 5 plots brewing… I’d love to do a forced-bond fic, or a Time Travel fic, or de-aged Snape – just haven’t come up with anything for them. I do have a half-done Neville fic in the works that might be finished sometime this century. No promises.
12. Is there a fic you almost didn't write, but which you are now pleased you did?
My first Snarry, "Shifting". I wavered for a while before finally committing to the fest, as I was intimidated by the idea of writing Snarry. It came in 2nd place, so I think I did all right.
13. How important to you is your writing? For example would you sell your first born for it?
It's easy for me to say I'd sell my first born, since I don't have one… I don't write every day, which brings the dedication gauge lower, I guess, but I'm almost always thinking about it, working things out in my head.
14. Do you have a pet beta, one who you always turn to first and who is collared and tied to your desk?
Our own RaeWhit — she's my sounding board and my brainstorming partner, and I don't like anything I've written until she’s had a look at it. My partner wasn’t very accepting of having RaeWhit collared and tied to my desk, but she’s coming around to it, I think…
15. Do you have any bullet-proof kinks and squicks, ones that would even tempt you to read Severus *sighs*and Colin Creevey?
I actually prefer Severus with Harry over anyone else, though I’ve enjoyed Severus/Bill and a couple Marauders Era Severus/Remus fics. Oh! I nearly forgot – I read a story once that was Severus/Firenze that was unexpectedly beautiful and a little bit heartbreaking. I’m not sure there’s anything that would convince me to read Severus/Colin Creevey…
16. Which character(s) do you think you are most like?
Probably Molly Weasley in that we’re both on the squashy side, coupled with Hannah Abbott, in that she’s a nice person who doesn’t really stand out in a crowd, but means well by others.
17. What character do you struggle with most when writing?
Good grief there’s a list actually. Let’s see… uhm, Ron because I am a RonFan and want to make him the Ron I love. The Twins, because humour is really tough to do right. Hagrid, because of his accent, though, I imagine that since I took the time to conquer house-elf speak, it’s probably just a matter of research….
18. What's the most challenging thing about the process of writing fanfiction?
Keeping people ‘in character’, I think. Characterization is really important to me and I think if you have good characterization, everything else will fall into place well.
19. At which point does your personal ‘canon’ deviate from book canon? And which of your stories tells what really happened?
I usually find my personal canon in other people’s fics. Shocolate’s Ron/Hermione moments come closest for me, but Blamebrampton gave me what I like to think of as the immediate aftermath in her Harry/Draco story, “Beneath Boundless Skies”, which includes a fitting send off for Fred, and a whisky-soaked après funeral lunch at a private Muggle club for Minerva, Harry and Neville. But to me, the whole point of fanfiction is to change or deviate from canon in some way, so I don’t think any of my fics tell what ‘actually’ happened. Conversely, I do try to keep as closely to canon as my own story will allow.
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?
It’s strictly what I’ve gleaned from reading and some other… ahem… research I’ve done. The interwebz iz very very educational. *nods and fans self*
21. Of your fics, which do you consider to be your best and why? Go on, don’t be modest!
I guess, I’d have to say, “Humbug” again. I set out to write a story using elements from two stories that I really love, and I like to think (hope!) I managed to do them both justice and make something worth reading.
22. Do you set specific characters always to be a friend or an enemy to your heroes?
Ron and Hermione are always supportive for Harry. And I really hate Ginny bashing, so she’s usually friendly. Severus usually has a past with Regulus Black, and I like the idea of Severus and Minerva being friends.
23. What is the most valuable piece of advice you've ever received about writing stories (fanfic or otherwise)?
POV should always be clear and pay attention to tenses. For bad advice? I had one early beta (assigned to me by the website to which I was submitting) tell me that I shouldn’t use the word ‘however’ because people don’t use it correctly and it sounds fake. However, I chose to ignore her. To this day, I’m still not entirely certain what she meant by that. I can only assume she was the one confused about its use and told me that so she wouldn’t have to deal with it. I had a story rejected from the same website and the reason cited was that I needed to make Harry bisexual rather than gay, to make it more “palatable” for readers. Talk about unpalatable... Unsurprisingly, I do not deal with them anymore.
24. Are you hurt by bad reviews or criticism?
Yes, of course. I’ve been fairly lucky in that I’ve not had to deal with many iffy reviews. I suppose some of it depends on how it’s presented, but I don’t really appreciate crit (con or otherwise) after a story has been posted. I know I should have thicker skin about it, or shrug and realize that everyone has their own opinions, but to me it’s not really constructive at that point, since the story is done. I can say that I never ever leave a critical review – who am I to tell someone their story should’ve zigged rather than zagging, even if that’s exactly how I felt about it? Though sometimes I can’t help reading a story with my beta goggles on, and if I come across something fixable, I’ll usually send it in an email so the author can do whatever she wants with it. Er, I guess that’s not quite what was asked, lol. Sorry.
25. If your Severus *sighs* were to play a musical instrument, what would it be?
I love the idea of him playing the piano. Can you just see him, bent over the piano, long elegant fingers tickling the ivories, filling the room with beautiful music?
26. Would you consider writing professionally? Or do you?
If someone were foolish enough to give me steady money in exchange for wordsmithery, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
27. How has your involvement changed over the years, and where do you see yourself fandom-wise in 5 years?
I came into the fandom reading Harry/Ginny stories, then decided to try my hand at writing them, then dared to attempt slash (risky, being that I’m neither a man nor intimately associated with one), then became obsessed with Snarry, so I guess it’s been a fairly dramatic change so far. My intention is to remain active in fandom as a Snarrier who dabbles in other pairings. I can’t imagine abandoning ship for other fandoms—I don’t think anything could capture me as thoroughly as Harry Potter has.
28. What is your most prized fandom memento/collectable?
Well, I have the collector's edition of the Beedle Bard tales, but my most prized possession is a date book that RaeWhit made for me last Christmas—she literally cut and pasted lines from my stories, some Snarry art, LJ icons and LJ friends' icons onto every page. It's beautiful and I wouldn't dare write in it.
29. In Lost and Found your Severus *sighs* nearly makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Harry. Is this because your Severus *sighs again* is noble or because there is a darker part of his nature?
I think it's a bit of both. He was acting nobly because he believed that Harry deserved better and he knew Harry would need help defeating Voldemort, but he chose the way of it because of the darkness in his character.
30. You are well-known both as a writer and beta. How do you balance the two so successfully?
I’d dearly love to take credit for that, but the truth is, I am really and truly lucky to work with the writers I beta for regularly – they do all the heavy lifting, I merely walk behind them, picking up the odd sock that might fall out of the basket.
31. You have written several fics starring Neville, is he a favourite? And would you ever pair him with Severus *sighs*?
I do love Neville. I think it's because I relate to him on some level, and I was thrilled to see JKR give him enough self-confidence to evolve into the hero he was by the end. That being said, I don't think he'd ever have enough confidence to be comfortable getting naked with Snape. The thought makes me giggle, actually.
...Sometime Later
“You see!” thesewarmstars cried, “I told you Severus was all dark and twisty in Lost and Found.”
“She said he was being noble,” snow countered. “Just like I said.”
Jadzialove cleared her throat. “I believe I said it was a combination of the two.”
“That’s right,” Torina said, nodding her head. “So you were both correct.”
Thesewarmstars harrumphed and atypicalsnowman crossed her arms over her chest.
“I—”
“You—”
“Ladies!” WhiteCotton snapped. “Do try to control yourselves, won’t you?”
Snow mouthed, “Sorry,” in Jadzialove’s general direction and thesewarmstars glared.
“Now...” Everyone’s eyes turned toward WhiteCotton. “Have you all forgotten what’s important here?” she asked.
The other four women looked around at each other, uncomprehending. Finally, Torina ventured, “What do you mean?”
Rolling her eyes, WhiteCotton pointed at the substance covering the ruined worktable. “I should think it was obvious. We have a perfectly serviceable puddle of lube, Severus next door in his study, and Harry just down the hall. What are we waiting for?”
Jadzialove, thesewarmstars, snow, and Torina blinked mutely for a moment, then scattered to gather the necessities for the next phase of their experiment.
Tapping Torina on the shoulder, WhiteCotton said, “You will need these.” She smiled wickedly and handed Torina some bunny-shaped earmuffs and a blindfold. “This one, however, is mine,” she added, slipping a butt plug into her pocket and heading for the door.
On behalf of Severus Sighs, we would very much like to thank Jadzialove 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