Part two
Your stories often depict characters who don’t need much convincing to become someone’s hypno-slut. Some are aroused by the dominance/submission aspect to mc, others are just flat out mind control fetishists. Temp to Perm is one of the most pure expressions of this theme, but it appears throughout your work.
What is the allure for you in handling mc in this way (as opposed to turning a demure woman into a zombie-girl)?
Hmm. That’s a hard question to answer. I do find it hot – very hot, it’s one of my top turn-ons – but as to why I find it so? I don’t know. That gets right down to the root of “why do you like what you do”, and I can’t really answer it.
It is a key feature of MC eros for me, though. Were you to sum up what I find breathtakingly hot in a sentence, it would be “I shouldn’t want to submit but I really, really do.”
Temptation is also a frequent theme in your stories. Usually, rendered through a protagonist who fully realizes the danger of their situation, and dances on the edge of something they think they’re in control of. But of course, losing control is the whole point.
What do you enjoy about seeing your characters “play with fire”?
See above. In addition to the vicarious thrill of risk, those situations are perfect for the internal conflict of the aforementioned attitude. Skirting the pitfall because intellectually it’s bad, but taking the risk in the first place because emotionally it has irresistible erotic pull.
Perhaps that’s part of the power – the conflict between intellect and instinct, the highlighting of the fact that the character (and by extension, the reader) has powerful impulses that do not stem from, and run counter to, rationality.
Along similar lines: several of your stories involve a character who sees mind control occurring around them and yet can’t seem to bring themselves to take action (until its too late).
Pea, Sub Routine, Adaptation, Rewired, Kaleidoscope Mind, all involve mc being out in the open (at least to the protagonist) and our hero wrestling with what to do about it (and masturbating). I’m fascinated by how you handle this type of story – wherein a character continues with daily life but comes home to an mc wet-dream.
What appeal does this scenario hold for you?
Heh. Well, aside from the already-mentioned appeal, this is also a good way to present lots of mind control in a story. I mean, just practically as an author, how do you reconcile your desire to portray lots of yummy mind control and a protagonist who goes immediately to the police? You know?
So the two ideas – the protagonist who is an MC fetishist, and their not taking action because of it – combine naturally in storytelling.
As for continuing with daily life, I do try for realism outside of the central conceits of a story. You have to keep showing up for work (unless of course you no longer plan on ever going back).
Many of your characters are dominant hard-candy wrapped inside of submissive foil and vice versa. In Arunden’s Device, Andrea is a dominant who submits to her own mind control technology to become more dominant (by removing any pangs of guilt over the recent enslavement of her roommate). She briefly comes under the sway of Suzanne (a kinky-slut bystander) but eventually enslaves her with the help of Fern, who gets dominant with Suzanne long enough to help Andrea turn her brain into oatmeal, then begs Andrea to turn her into a slave as well. And then there’s the countless examples of someone becoming a thrall only to become an instrument in the enslavement of another character.
What interests you in this duality?
Heh. It’s fun. As an author, exploring characters is, simply, fun. The one-dimensional sub or dom can be interesting, but ultimately I think most people have a little of each in them. Over time, in particular – some days you want to make the decisions, some days you don’t. But mostly I write characters such as Andrea because they are interesting.
In addition to being very well written, many of your stories seem quite thoroughly researched as well. I don’t think I’d seen the word “ovipositor” used anywhere prior to your work. You also are quite specific with particular pieces of technology, as well as certain legal and business matters. How much are you writing from your own breadth of experience (and are you in fact a world-class entomologist?) and how much research goes into any given story?
Hee. I am a recently-minted PhD in one of the many branches of biology; more specific than that I prefer not to get. So I do know what I am talking about, although in general my stories are fantasy, and I do no research and don’t worry about technical realism when constructing fictional critters or scenarios.
If you look back at my story Mind Worms, you’ll see a reference to the even-at-the-time discredited McConnell planaria experiment, which I had read about as an impressionable undergrad and included in the story without any real research, and ever since then have been embarrassed by. I keep that around as a reminder to myself.
Robots and sci-fi are often components of your stories. What draws you to these elements?
The inhumanity of them. Being subjugated by a robot or some plant on some alien world is, well, demeaning. They’re not smarter than you and now you eagerly obey them. Rrr.
Plus I like sci-fi in general. Big Larry Niven fan, or at least the early stuff. So I write sci-fi because I like it and I write erotica because I like it and frequently the two happen at the same time.
Let’s talk about squick. Your catalog features some seriously disturbing and hot use of squick. Where did it start? How did your interest in it evolve?
A long time ago. Heinlein’s puppet masters, the Body Snatchers, all sorts of science fiction things I was exposed to (you know what I mean) as a lass.
I enjoy degradation, but I don’t enjoy gloating. A good way to combine those interests is to have the mind controller be non-human. And, if it’s going to be non-human, might as well make it as slimy and disgusting as possible! I mean, the yuckier, the more degradation, you know?
Plus, bugs are neat. I mean, come on, I am a biologist. I have to like this stuff.
What about bestiality?
Same reason. Degradation without gloating. I love dog-on-woman stories involving just a dog and a woman. I really dislike dog-on-woman stories where someone is holding the leash and controlling things.
I know we’re both big fans of Trilby Else. He talks about how sociopathy and non-consensual mc are a big part of what draws him to certain stories. How the “wrongness” of a story really contributes to its erotic charge. Could the same be said for the squick and bestiality in your stories? Is the taboo, the wrongness, what makes it exciting for you?
Big fan – huge fan. In fact, it’s directly his fault that I write smut at all. Back in the day when he presented Watering Hole I was so smitten with the story I *had* to show my appreciation. And so I started writing MC porn, because, well, he liked it.
As for the question – yes. It is precisely the wrongness that makes it exciting. The wrongness itself, and being turned on by that wrongness. A character being mind controlled is hot; that character wanting to be mind controlled (and knowing that its bad), even moreso.
Is it difficult (scary) to explore that kind of territory in your work?
Hee. Yes. Actually, exploring it in my work is easy and fun – *sharing* it is a bit frightening.
There are things that turn me on that I would find far too shameful to tell anyone in real life. And I’m at peace with that, I don’t feel somehow morally bad or feel any need to stand up and proclaim my perversions. The status quo is just fine.
I have, as a matter of fact, refrained from writing at least one – no, actually, just one – story because I’m ashamed that it turns me on. But that’s all I’m going to say about that.
One day, perhaps, everyone can be as big a pervert as they like and man-on-peanut-butter action will not prevent someone from being elected to congress. But that day’s a ways off and I’m okay with that. It’s not necessary for everyone to expose their peculiar buttons.
I would like to observe, however, that I am bisexual, have been out about that for years, and find the lingering stigma associated with being gay to be stupid, backwards, and morally reprehensible. I live in Southern California, thank God, but there are too many places in this country and the world where people have to hide in the closet, and that’s a crime.
2 Comments
humanus-mensch
Greetings, Callidus. You have posted the interviews of Thrall and Mistress Love and we had the opportunity to hear their voices. Such is not the case with Tabico. Don’t you have a voice recording of that interview ? Voices matter a great deal and give so much more substance to what one can read, and much more insight into the authors’ characters.
callidus
This interview was conducted via email as Tabico is very private. I couldn’t imagine her agreeing to do a voice call and certainly not one being recorded.