#(Or you’re a beloved long-suffering mutual in which case you can’t escape me >:) )

[aeolianblues]

my friends (they live in the same house) began fostering a kitten. 9 months later, no one has adopted the kitten yet. Do they now have a cat

[victorineb]

Fic Recs Mega Post

A little weekend reccing for any fannibals in need of a good read, this time we’ve got catmen, daemons and a goblin king... and that’s just for starters!

No Man’s Land by @empathalitis and @cannibalcuisine: Following a drunken, clumsy encounter with Hannibal… and Hannibal's lips, and Hannibal’s hands (depicted in previous instalment In My Head There's A War), Will finally has to confront his desire for the man he's run away with. But, well, it's Will and Hannibal, which means things are never going to be straightforward and between memories of ex-wives and a total lack of emotional intelligence, both men continue to tie themselves in knots rather than getting down to business. This wonderful fic skilfully flows between Will and Hannibal’s POVs, with an amazing handle on both characters and their emotions. And when that dam finally bursts? Well, let’s just say it is very, very much worth the wait!

Stray Cat by Not_You: Taking the “Hannibal is really a cat” theory to its logical conclusion, this AU finds Will working not for the FBI but for the government division that oversees the rights and management of human/animal hybrids. Some of these beings live as pets, others as humans, still others as part of the “Feral Nation” which operates outside of human society. And then there are Will’s worst nightmare, those who are kept in labs and cruelly experimented on. Hannibal is one such case, a human/cat hybrid placed into Will’s custody after escaping and murdering those who kept him in captivity. For a dog person, Will quickly grows attached to this fiercely intelligent, oddly endearing catman (and Hannibal, as usual, cares for no one but Will) but there are many, many hoops for them to jump through before going too far down that road… This is just a stunningly assured piece of writing – the worldbuilding is smart and intricate, Hannibal’s catlike characterisation is perfect and canon elements are woven in with care and intelligence.

Housewarming by @wrathofthestag (Mwuahna): In this latest part of the utterly wonderful, adorable Giving Themselves series (in which Will and Hannibal started dating after the Tobias Budge Incident™), the boys are moving in together. And a milestone in Hannibal Lecter’s life can mean only one thing: a big, fancy party (much to his dear Will’s horror). Invites are sent. Caterers are hired. Booze is stockpiled (well, Will and Bedelia will be in attendance). And shenanigans, inevitably, ensue. Not least of all when Will’s father shows up to set the cat amongst the pigeons (and to flirt with every female in sight). I love and adore this series with all my heart, and this latest part is no exception. It has everything: drunken hook-ups, Will and Bedelia bitching at each other, Mrs Komeda being fabulous, Will getting a handful of the Hannibooty, Jimmy Price saying words… it is, in other words, utterly glorious and I must insist that you read it. Now. Go!

The Vessel by @weconqueratdawn: Ok, I admit, I went into this assuming it was going to be an entertainingly kinky Hannigram romp (c’mon, the tags include “Coming Untouched,” “Threesome,” and “Wendigo porn” XD). And while plenty of kinks do get an airing, this is a much deeper and more complex fic than I had imagined, with an intense storyline exploring religious corruption, sexual slavery and the power of knowledge. Will is the Vessel of the title, a slave elevated to a sacred position within his society’s religion – which means that he suffers and bleeds for their sins, as well as being drugged and used as part of a sexual ritual by the holy men of his temple, including its Father, Jack (yep, there’s a bit of Jack/Will here!). Conditioned from his childhood to believe that he is performing a vital service for his community, doubts begin to creep into Will’s mind when Hannibal is installed as the temple’s new seer. This is an example of a brilliant writer taking elements of our beloved show and using them to create something fresh, intelligent and insightful, while always remaining completely true to the characters. It’s immensely impressive stuff that will linger in the reader’s mind long after the last chapter.

Labyrinth by @llewcie: Labyrinth was one of my favourite movies when I was a kid. Hell, it’s still one of my favourite movies – the amazing songs, the adorable characters… trying to figure out which is bigger, Bowie’s hair or his codpiece… So a Hannigram take on the 80s classic was pretty much guaranteed to appeal, and this fic does not disappoint! Will Graham wakes from a six-month coma to find that his father is dead and nobody seems to remember he has a sister, Abigail. Well, no one except the strange, alluring man sitting at his bedside – who claims to be the goblin king and that Will must defeat his labyrinth in order to get his sister back. The genius of this crossover AU is that, instead of a simple retread with the Hannibal characters standing in for those from the movie, Llew carefully redesigns the ‘verse to reflect Will and Hannibal. Which means we get a labyrinth that is much more dangerous and threatening, a “hero” who is long on sass and short on patience, and a “villain” whose intentions and morality are far more complex than they first appear. Oh, and a boatload of mutual flirtation, of course.

Quicksilver (series) by @weconqueratdawn with artwork by @theseavoices: I know, I know, I’m horribly late to the party here. This is just one of those series that I’ve been saving for special, but having been told off for my reticence by some fellow fannibals, I mainlined the whole series in a oner. And damn, it is as good as everyone says it is. In this AU, Will is a nineteen year old psychology student, who requests a meeting with Hannibal to discuss some coursework. Hannibal, impressed by the boy’s proposal, agrees to the meeting, little knowing that he will soon be utterly, irrevocably, life-alteringly besotted by the beautiful, confident, gender-fluid student who turns up at his office. Accompanied by some jaw-droppingly gorgeous artwork by theseavoices, this is an utter gem, a thing of beauty, featuring one of my all-time favourite versions of Will, who is sharp, sexy and empowered in these stories and a total joy to read. Don’t be like me and put off reading these – get over to ao3 and devour them now!

En Garde! by @artbyvictoriaskye (VictoriaSkyeMasters): VSM ends up on these lists pretty much every time she writes something new because she is a complete genius of AUs and rare pairs. Her latest is an absolute scream, taking the logical step of pairing Mads!Rochefort with Hugh!D’Artagnan in a brilliant funny, deeply sexy romp involving horse thievery, secretly soft villains and an impressive amount of spanking. It begins with a typically hot-heated, self-absorbed, vainglorious D’Artagnan once again search of adventure after his famous adventures with the Three Musketeers… and managing only to head back to the little village he had abandoned in search of glory. Where he makes the terrible mistake of splashing a certain eye-patched villain with mud and not apologising for it. And we all know what happens when you’re rude to a Mads… D’Artagnan soon finds himself a captive of the fearsome Rochefort but, as it turns out, he might not mind it all that much. This is easily one of my favourite fics ever, one I know I’ll be returning to over and over again.

Sweet Sanatorium by @thewanderingcannibal (wanderlust96): Sometime in the 1930s, a teenage Will Graham is institutionalised at his father’s request – partly for his sexuality (at a point in time when being gay could get you locked up) and partly for his uncanny empathy. Fortunately for Will, his new doctor finds these aspects of his character extremely appealing and Will soon finds himself under Doctor Lecter’s wing (not to mention, consensually, between his legs). Unfortunately for Will, though, not everybody’s happy about Hannibal taking favourites… One of the interesting things about Hannigram is that, by any measure of logic or reason, being with Hannibal Lecter is a terrible, awful, no-good decision. Except that, if you’re Will Graham, he might also be the person who can best love, protect and cherish you. And this AU hits that duality right on the button. It also contains a pleasing amount of murder and mayhem, so everything you could want in your Hannigram!

Tevelis by @shiphitsthefan: Ok, daddy kink is not my favourite. It’s not that I actively avoid it but I don’t go out of my way to find it either. And it certainly takes something special to make me truly enjoy it. So take this as the huge recommendation it is meant to be: I LOVED this fic. Post-fall, Will and Hannibal are playing a game. Their usual game, aka: “Hannibal is a cryptic bastard and Will can’t let him win.” Except this time, the stakes are even higher than murder and entrapment – this time, the boys have been discussing kinks, and Will’s tired of waiting for Hannibal to give. So he kidnaps a third party, one with empathic powers to match his own and, in something of a deviation from the usual Murder Husband M.O., doesn’t kill him. Instead, he uses him to finally find that one little word to light Hannibal’s fire... Daddy kink is definitely the marquee attraction here but it’s far from just a hook to entice readers. The kink is written with imagination, inventiveness and insight, used as a means of exploring Will and Hannibal’s dynamic as it develops into (somehow!) something even deeper and more intimate than it was before.

Hold for Release by @sunshinexlollipops (cloudsarefluffy): In this AU, omega Will Graham doesn’t use his empathy to consult for the FBI and BAU Chief Jack Crawford. Instead, he uses it to write for the Virginia Tribune and editor-in-chief Jack Crawford. This does not mean that he isn’t obsessed with the Chesapeake Ripper. Indeed, the nigh-on admiring tone of his articles about the serial killer is putting his job at risk. So being a sensible man who easily lets things go, Will starts a new story about… ha ha, no, of course not. Will, being an idiot who can’t leave well alone, takes his heat leave and his stored up vacation and (with a little help from Chilton being his usual idiotic self) winds up on the doorstep of one Dr Hannibal Lecter, an alpha who turns out to be quite a fan of Will’s journalism… especially his very flattering articles about the Ripper. I love and adore journalism AUs and the fact that this is an omegaverse version just makes it even more entertaining. Nothing is ever quite what it seems in this intricate and intelligent fic, with Will and Hannibal running rings round each other and thoroughly enjoying the process.

Turn the Page by @disraeligearsgoestumblin (DisraeliGears): I have a bone to pick with this fic – upon heading to bed one night I needed a new fic to read, and thought I’d get started on this. Cue me, still up at 4am, utterly unable to even think about sleeping until I finished this masterpiece. @disraeligearsgoestumblin, I entirely blame you for my inability to concentrate the following day! In this canon-divergent AU, instead of marrying Molly after Hannibal is imprisoned, Will sells everything, buys a motorbike and starts driving… and doesn’t stop for a good couple of years. Not until he, in quick succession, realises he wants Hannibal back, gets majestically drunk, and essentially gets adopted by a middle-aged Mexican woman who puts him to work in her bar. This beautifully atmospheric piece takes Will on a very different voyage of discovery than in canon, one in which, without the distraction of his ready-made family, Will has to confront the truth about himself and his feelings for Hannibal with rather more honesty. And the results are… interesting, to say the least… especially when a familiar face turns up at the bar…

One Way Out Of Many by @hellotailor and @nakamasmile: I cannot possibly describe to you the depth of my love for Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series of novels – I utterly, utterly adore them. So reading this Hannigram crossover AU was a complete delight, especially given the lovely, inventive divergence it takes from canon. Set in s1, just as the symptoms of Will’s encephalitis are growing truly disturbing, Hannibal’s daemon (Daiva, who takes the form of a stoat) decides that Will and his daemon (Poppy, a crow) belong to her and Hannibal. So she sabotages Hannibal’s conspiracy with Sutcliffe, ensures that Will gets the treatment he needs and persuades Hannibal onto a new path: to ensnare Will via care and affection. The addition of daemons to the Hannibal ‘verse makes for a fascinating new perspective on the characters and their relationships. And, most pleasingly, both Poppy and Daiva are utterly fascinating creations in their own right, often getting sections written from their own POVs and given agency and agendas of their own.

A Companionable Silence by @hotsauce418: One Eye has been alone for a long time, believing it to be for the best and not seeing much chance for change anyway. Until the alpha rescues a young omega named Charmont from a cage and finds himself growing irrevocably attached to the fierce, spirited young man to whom he lends his protection. Raised as royalty, and an alpha besides, Char has serious issues of his own to work through, but living in close proximity makes it hard for either man to ignore their growing attraction, and when Char’s first heat hits, well… Soft alpha One Eye and sassy omega Char is surely one of the greatest madancy pairings yet – they’re a beautiful example of that contrasting yet complimentary dynamic that makes the rare pairs phenomenon so compelling. And hotty writes them with such obvious affection and care, it’s an absolute treat to observe. Valhalla Enchanted is a thing of beauty and you should all treat yourselves by reading this!

An Unorthodox Dinner by @ratbagqueen: This writer’s one and only Hannibal fic and it’s so damn good, I can only pray they’ll bestow another on us someday! Set post-season 2, Will is recovering from the events of Mizumono (and trying to figure out just why the hell he seems to be missing the man who gutted him), when he receives an invitation in a familiar, elegant hand. Hannibal, it seems, is still in Baltimore, somehow, and still has designs on having Will for dinner. Both more and less literally than Will fears… I rushed straight through this fic, utterly hooked by the slowly building tension between our boys. Both characters are beautifully rendered and the writing is pleasingly redolent of that sinister-yet-intimate tone of the best Hannigram scenes. Although I must warn you: anybody who has issues with seafood might want to steer clear!

As ever and always, if I’ve mistagged anyone or there are bad links, please let me know and I’ll fix them lickety-split. Until next time, lovely fannibals <3

[limitedrevolverworks]

[>>>]

“Aaand that’s about it. What’s your verdict, Doctor Sakuramiya?”

You’ve never really been the kind of person to bite your nail nervously, but that’s what your body resorts to in a futile attempt to feel at ease during the tense pause that follows your recounting of this afternoon’s earlier events. Funny that... you’ve always found the concept of parents who feel envy towards their children nonsensical, yet here you are now, wishing you could brush off a serious talk like this on a mere whim. Wishing Tomoyo was the one talking your ear off about this super duper cute drawing of a dinosaur a kid at her kindergarten school drew or something like that, instead of silently pondering on your exposed weaknesses.

If there’s a silver lining to take solace from, it is that going over your talk with Kyouya has significantly cleared your head up. Not completely, no, but there’s a concrete difference between a tangled mess of threads and a neatly rolled yarn ball. You’re still far from coming up with an answer to the question you’ve posed yourself - what to do about Kyouya’s situation, okay, but you’ve stopped feeling like punching holes through a wall to relieve your stress. That’s gotta be something, right?

“Mmmmh! Alright, I got it.”

Calm down, woman! Sit up straight any faster and they’d have to unscrew your head from the ceiling. Aaah, can’t help it, can you? Even sitting seiza-style on the couch and all. It’d be quite a scene for anyone entering now, but fate has decided to be merciful for the first time today and let you hear your friend’s pearl of wisdom without impediments. Insert dramatic drumroll here...

“You... are definitely overthinking things.”

“Ah?”

That’s it? is what you’d be yelling at your innocent phone, if you weren’t too busy being paralyzed by sheer disbelief that the friend you trusted so much to solve your own problems for you would betray you with such nonsense.

“Himawari-chan... you always, always do that. ‘I messed up badly! It’s my fault for being selfish!’... Having thoughts like these is so like you! Worrying that you didn’t care enough just means you cared a little too much.”

Too much...? No, that made no sense at all! It was your fault! You were too caught up in your selfish projections to notice what was actually going on with your kid, right?! Otherwise you wouldn’t be so worried about what you should do or even if you should do nothing to ensure his well-being and... oh. Oh.

“See? That’s a mother for you~! Thinking of her children even while preoccupied with herself.”

“But... b-but...!”

“No buts, you big silly crybaby!”

Who’s cry---oh, you are crying. Sniffling like a real infant, at that, and you didn’t notice until someone else pointed it out for you - over the phone, to boot! Ooh, that stings even more than the tears reddening your eyes.

“Whaddo I dooden...”

“Well, you should know already! Look, the only question you should be asking yourself now is: do you love Kyouya?”

“‘Ccouse I doo!” Don’t yell just because nobody’s in the house to listen to you, Miss Lawyer.

“There you go then! Just follow your heart and tell him your honest feelings. A mother’s job is to tell her children what to do. It’s up to the children to decide whether to listen or not. Forcing your hand is a no no! But you wouldn’t do that, would you, Mawari-chan?”

“I...” Sniff! “ I guess.”

“Yep, because the Mawari-chan I know has a rough mouth, is quick to resort to her fists and overthinks simple things a lot, but she’s also kinder than an angel.

“Oh shaddap. You fogget dis angel married a debil.”

“Naturally! Who else but an angel would have done that, after all?”

It’s a good thing Tomoyo’s laugh sounds so soothing, because yours at the moment sounds like an attempt at choking your own throat. Frankly, however? You don’t give a damn. You’re alone in your living room wearing a mask made of your own tears, bu the laughter you’re sharing with your dear, dear friend is the most genuine you’ve had since what feels like forever, and it seems to last just as long.

“Feel better?”

“Mhm, yeah. Thanks, Tomo. I knew it was a good idea to bother you.”

“There’s nothing bothersome about hearing from my cherished friend Mawari-chan. Well...”

“Just a little bit, right? Sorry, I swear I’m gonna make up for it somehow. I owe you at least that much.”

It’s easy to imagine Tomoyo shaking her head with that tranquil smile of hers on the other side of the conversation. You’ve witnessed it up front too many times to miss the cue even when you’re so far apart.

“It’s fine, Mawari-chan. If you really feel like repaying this non-existent debt of yours, make it so that your next call will be to deliver some great news, okay?”

Listen to her, the woman who has the gall to call people other than herself angels. That she hasn’t married yet is just proof that nobody’s a great enough match for her. It’s only fair that you spend the long, long remainder of the call listening to whatever her brats have kept her so peppy about, and by the time you’re exchanging your heartfelt goodbyes, you feel rejuvenated. Looking in the mirror, after you’ve rinsed your face at the end of it all, you don’t see the weight of a billion doubts dragging your eyes down. It’s just you, the mother of your son, newly reminded that the world hasn’t ended just because of a difficult development in the latter’s life.

Nice timing too, because by the time you’ve gotten back to the living room, you find a portion of the floor in the middle of getting devoured by a miasmatic agglomeration from whence emit two ethereal protrusions most darkly. Your fingers curl into fists filled with empty air and determination that increase with each layer of unreality stripped away by the two shapes which, eventually, are revealed to be your Valdios VonVermillion, your husband dearest, with his pale hand placed atop the shoulder of your son Kyouya.

“A moist boon to the eyes parched by visions most dry: my beloved, I make my return to our humble abode with the dearly spawn of our bond.”

With a grandiose flourish, his mantle dissipates the tangible traces of obscurity that still cling to his gaudy suit and your child’s much more modest clothes, after which he takes a single step back that bears the significance of a thousand. That something is amiss is only made more evident by the fact that Kyouya’s cherubine visage is marred by the slightest hint of unease. Oh, how admirable your little boy seems, when he steps forward in such bold yet humble fashion! It’s obvious that, in the face of his intention to speak, you can only seal your lips and block the words that had been brewing behind them.

You squat in front of him instead: your eyes are more or less at the same level. There’s an unspoken agreement between the two of you already, as if the both of you feel aware that you spent the better portion of this afternoon reaching something resembling a mutual conclusion you can agree upon. Now, you have but to vocalize it.

“Hi, Kyouya.”

“Hello, mom. I thought a bit about that thing we talked about in the car.”

“Me too, actually.”

“I see.”

He casts his eyes down. Following them, you spot the fingers curled so tightly around the hem of his uniform, they might break their carefully painted nails anytime now. It’s a vision that speaks a lot more sincerely than the trademark smile unsupported by the gravity of his gaze. You can’t stop yourself from placing your own palms atop of his, and having a sincere smile waiting for when he raises his head again, so he can take some cues from it and reinforce his own. Looks like it worked just fine, even if his eyes seem ever so slightlty damp.

“I have decided to redefine the priorities of the group a bit. I think that it would be too dangerous to let things go back to how they were before it formed... I really do think that forming our group was a good thing! So from now on, we’ll try to steer clear of questionable activities and try to focus on stay on the clear side of things. Would... that be fine by you?”

It’s a wonder how you could have doubted for a single millisecond that your boy could have turned into a terrifying stranger all of a sudden. Why, it takes a single glance to recognize him: it’s the Kyouya you’ve raised and loved ever since you heard his first cry, the kind-hearted boy who truly, almost foolishly belives in the same justice that his mother fought to protect so, so long ago.

So, Himawari, would that be fine?

“Dammit kiddo, ‘long as you don’t make the teachers and me worry like that again, you can go blow the town for all I care. Now c’mere and give your mom a hug before she changes her mind.”

Too late to escape, Kyouya! No amounts of whiny Moooom’s will save you from this sappy ex-tomboy’s deadly Cheek-to-Cheek Smooshing Technique. Not that you look as displeased as you sound... is that a tear, perhaps? Quick, wipe it away or you’ll have suffer a killer Bear Hug Combo Climax! Mmh? What’s she whispering in your ear now?

“Also, don’t blow the town please.”

“I’ll try... unless it gets filled with crooks. In that case I’ll... nononono!”

“Why, you!”

.

..

...

....

.....

Ah, how sweetly the stomach named heart churns as it feeds on the feastful sight of the woman who holds the beating organ hostage tickling the unripe sides of your heir. The conundrums of his plane are mysterious now as they ever were, but ever fonder you feel yourself growing for quaint little moments like these, building blocks of a magnificent castle named ‘love’... yes, you are a slave to love. You, Valdios VonVermillion, can say without a shred of doubt in your wicked soul that you would renounce your former apocalyptic self thrice again, if you were granted the chance to live but a single of this and other such droplets that make up the tumultuous ocean which your life has turned into.

Smile! Grin! Indulge! Selfishly drink of this sight and rejoice that humanity shall forever be denied a happiness that is yours and none else’s! Ah, if only, if only they were granted the misfortune of awareness! To be granted knowledge of the joys which you robbed them off with your unholy matrimony! Your wife! Your children! Your life! Treasures the likes of which would make the Seven Hells burn green with the blazing flames of envy! To live for! To die for! Yes, there is great joy even in the mere act of accepting one’s seat in the sidelines instead of sharing the spotlight with the main actors of this mushy charade! To merely add your guffaw to the merry orchestra of your woman and your child’s laughter--

“Also, making a clique was totally dad’s idea.”

“Oi.”

A-ah, tempting terror! Suave ire! Five mouths agape with silent screams dot your shoulder, where your loveliest’s digits have burrowed like the spears that torment those who sinned the sin of deception. Your reflection in her gaze is a lost soul burning in flames hotter than those belched by Lord Asmoday’s throat after partaking of a smosgasboard of Hell’s finest cooking, her grip tighter than the vises that imps use tooooouch ouch ouch the pain! The pain! The world loses all sense of self as up becomes down and where once was bone is now pitch black nothing, cursed be the wicked art of Judo and its malevolent flips! Oh, to be a devil and suffer punishment! Forgiveness dies in the throes of scorned embraces! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa not the wings! Anything but the wings! Love may be blind, but it sure knows where to press and bend to bear regret where once grew wicked delight...! Dear, please, have some mercy on your beloved half! No? Oh, okay then...

It shall be a long, blackest of nights, it would seem, to call the curtain on this tragicomedy called daily life...