#nerve_itch

[muffichka]

The gay hockey medical trauma fic is finally complete <3

[please heed the tags. all of them]

[fuckyeahhannigram]

Hannigram Author Interview with mizumono-survivor-support/Nerve_Itch!

Tenth in the series.

1: What made you decide to start writing Hannigram fic?

The short answer is: those S2 promo images of Will Graham in the muzzle mask.

The longer answer is a bit more involved; a couple of years ago I finished a writing course that was vaguely dismissive of any sort of writing that wasn’t trying to win the Booker Prize, and when it ended I was struggling to write anything that I was happy with. This, coupled with a handful of people being snide about fan-created work, brought out my retaliatory streak. The talent that exists in fandom is enormous and I’ve read so many incredible works – so the idea of anyone trying to put that down was kind of distasteful. And it became increasingly apparent that a lot of people who were being negative about fanfic were coming from a perspective of feeling threatened; the narratives that exist in fanfic are often a departure from the dominant cis straight male-gaze that takes over a lot of mainstream media. So, I started getting involved in it again – from writing fic, to making fanart and then to co-hosting events about the cultural importance of fanworks, and I will fight anyone who tries to belittle any kind of fanwork. Hannigram was the perfect re-entry point - the dynamic from S1 was so laden with conflict, manipulation, vulnerability and this beautiful undercurrent of violence. Also, there’s something overwhelmingly tempting about writing a highly empathetic character; the writer’s job can be to apply themselves to multiple perspectives, so having a character who is already prompting that can be a lot of fun.

So, I started writing Hannigram fic and I don’t appear to be stopping.

2: Favorite AU setting? (That you’ve written or someone else has)?

In terms of AUs, I’m more invested in the character interactions within those AUs than the setting itself – there’s something wonderful about the way you can still explore the characters wherever you put them, and it cements the idea that there is an inevitability to those characters finding each other, somehow. That said, I recently read a stunningly written Hannigram florist AU and it has become one of my favourite stories ever, so that may have started a small fixation.

3: Who is your favorite character to write other than Hannibal and Will and why?

This is a really hard one to answer because I love so many of the characters from the show and they all have moral compasses which point in different directions. I keep being drawn to Freddie, because she’s ruthless, maligned, obnoxious and utterly brilliant. And then there’s Margot, who (in the show) we’ve mostly seen in the context of how other people have treated her – we’re given glimpses into her motivations, and I think we’ll see a lot more of that in S3, but I’d love to write more of her. I think this means I need to get round to writing the Freddie/Margot fic that’s been hovering around the back burner for a while…

4: What kinds of fic do you like to read?

Psychologically destructive, emotionally violent and physically brutal fics usually win me over. I’m a terrible human, and the more suffering and cruelty that exists within a fic, the more likely I am to be drawn to it. That said, I have unending respect for any author who can depict genuine affection – those kinds of fics that leave you feeling like you’ve just had a 3 hour long bath and a really great hug. But mostly, it’s the ones that come with all the warnings that pique my interest first.

5: Tell us something you are working on!

Right now I am working on Sisyphean (a follow up to Black Mirror). It’s…horrific. It’s ostensibly about Will’s inherent masochism getting in the way of atonement. It’s set in Europe, Will is in (reluctant and destructive) cahoots with Hannibal, and everything has started going horribly wrong. And it’s about to get worse…

Follow mizumono-survivor-support and read AO3 fic here! I particularly enjoyed The Inevitable Feast. We have much less post-Shiizakana than we ought to have! 

So sorry it’s taken me so long to post more. The cancellation has got me very distracted, but I will post all responses I received!