I wish I had been there! I hope that sort of topic can live again - our stories of coming into fandom and finding our creativity are beautiful and so unique :)

Slash is pretty fascinating, but so are its cousins. I could write a damn good paper on it for all the self-psychoanalyzing I've done! I got hooked on slash from an early age, and it has since become the lens through which I see the world. Each fandom contributor's personal sexuality and understanding of relationships colors their work so much - which makes reading a wonderful exercise in empathy. It's amazing how intimately you can understand a person from reading their take on romance or sex. You find out what's most important to them, what their soul needs.

As far as the D/s lifestyle, there are aspects that fascinate me, too. Although I think you and I have a very different idea of where Severus likes to be in that equation ;p I often find myself writing him as a sort of tacit or unofficial submissive -in and out of bed... in certain pairings anyway. Not Snupin but for the more imperious characters, sometimes even Snarry if it's on the dark side. I do this (probably) because that is a part of how I see myself.

Sorry for the long comment! I could go on about this stuff for hours XD