#weconqueratdawn rambles on about writing sorry

[quicksilverconnoisseur]

I've noticed something in the Quicksilver fics. Will told Hannibal that the only issue he has with pronouns is expectations of him that they create in others' minds. In Grant Us Peace, Bev says 'Will Graham is here for their appointment', despite thinking of Will as 'she'. And Hannibal refers to Will as 'they' to Mrs Komeda as well, even though he thinks of Will as 'he'. Your subtle portrayal of Hannibal and Bev's easy respect and acceptance of Will and who he is is absolutely phenomenal.

Thanks, anon!! I’m very very pleased that 1) you noticed (the selfish writer reaction) and 2) it resonated with you

I started writing this fic on a bit of a whim - I had no idea/plan to still be working on it a year (and more) later - but I always wanted it to be as respectful as possible and to show a non-binary/trans* identity in a positive light. And also - especially as it’s grown - perhaps to educate (myself and others) along the way a little bit.

It’s very important for me that the people closest to Will are seen to understand and respect his identity (also, in the case of Hannibal, to be intensely attracted to Will but not fetishising of his more feminine presentations). And, possibly even more important that this treatment of Will stems from Will himself - in a sense, Hannibal and Bev are simply following his lead. There’s a danger, especially in an age-difference pairing, that the older male ends up ‘explaining’ matters to the younger less-experienced half of the pairing (and, by extension, to the reader). 

A little bit about me to give some context - I read a lot of fic while growing up and found having positive representations showing how things *could be* (i.e. happy loving gay relationships which were largely accepted) vastly preferable to the torturous coming out/gay-bashing h/c fics which were fairly popular at the time. Usually, I might hasten to add, obviously written by people who hadn’t experienced any of those things personally. So there was no way I wanted to be the cis writer writing an nb version of that kind of Tragic Queer trope - *especially* as things are far from easy in the real world right now and we all need space to imagine what a better reality might look like. I suppose what I’m saying is, I understand from personal experience why positive representation matters, and I’m trying to do my little bit to add to that. 

This got a bit long and rambly but thanks for stopping by to let me know your thoughts - it means a lot

~weconqueratdawn