#like the hate see to be only because she got with hannibal and got manipulated by him
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i’m gonna come out and say it: i don’t find alana bloom annoying and the number of people saying that is misogynistic
#nbc hannibal#alana bloom#i’m tired of seeing negativity for women in a show that killed two of its main women and both of them being women of color#also people hating on freddie??#oh come on#please she rules#like you guys will excuse cannibalism but draw the line at a character that suffers bad writing??#yall like ‘abigail fate was so tragic/she deserved better’ MY DUDE ALANA WAS THE ONLY WHO WANTED HER TO LEAD A HEALTHY LIFE#she’s the only one who didn’t have personal interest in her#she just wanted the best#like the hate see to be only because she got with hannibal and got manipulated by him#SHE IS ONE OF HIS VICTIMS
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today i watched season 1 for the first time so here are my thoughts on season 1 of hannibal.
please note that those are MY thoughts and i never watched the show or have knowledge about it.
hannibal s1 thoughts
hannibal is someone that never let his feelings controls him. he is always ahead of everyone because he thinks about every little details, he thinks of the best and the worst scenarios and get prepared for it. he reveals only what he chooses to show, allowing him to manipulate situations to his advantage. all of this is reflected in his killings and that’s why he’s never been caught. his killings are cold, clean and done meticulously with no motive but just the love of human meat and killing.
hannibal never anticipated will entering his life; it was unplanned and unexpected. hannibal became intrigued by will after their first meeting, seeing will own true self, which others failed to recognize. he said ithimself, hannibal saw himself in will but will is also his opposite. at first he just got non romantically obsessed with will and it became romantic without even him knowing.
people say that hannibal knew he loved will the day he first met him him but i think he only realized when he got will framed. until then he cared for will without knowing what it was, we hear him say « will is my friend » a lot and it shows how it is important to him. maybe his first true friend, the first time he thought he could unveil himself to someone. but first he needed will to accept his thoughts, accept what he was and he tried but it didn’t work (for now).
will is a killer it's in him even if his encephalitis acted on it it was something that was always inside him. that’s why he understands criminal behaviors so much, it’s because he desire to be them. will’s empathy and his encephalitis had gotten too much space in will’s brain that it didn’t have a place to think about acting on it or even a place for hannibal.
his side of relationship with hannibal is a bit more complicated. he felt comfortable with him, he could be completely honest. the lines between him being his psychiatrist and his friend were blurred. in contrast of hannibal we never hear will refer him as a friend or even as his doctor. he doesn’t know what hannibal is to him. he loves hannibal's company and trusted him more than anything but i don't think he was in love or at least knew he was for now. he was going through too much to even care about his feelings. On top of that i don't think he really liked alana romantically. he needed romantical love and alana was the only choice he had. he craved love not alana
the relationship between Hannibal and will is unique and special. it's neither purely romantic or entirely platonic, at least not at the moment.
for hannibal will changed everything in his life. his kills had always been planed, meticulous, leaving no traces behind and no witnesses, yet the kills we saw were reckless and with a motive: will. framing will was not out of desire or deliberated from the very beginning but more something he thought off as he went to protect himself, and to protect will from him. he loves cannibalism and killing more than anything nor anyone and he wouldn't let anyone take it from him even his best friend.
hannibal realized he loved will when will got arrested and that's why he cried because he lost will (and abigail) bc he lost family.
so many people guessed he was a serial killer. so many years of killing never getting caught and in such a short period of time he got shown. its because for the first time he had feelings, he had empathy not for his victims but for will and abigail.
he loves abigail like his daughter yes he manipulated her a lot but he cared for her like will did . he saw himself in abigail. she is a perfect mix of will and hannibal in personality, in her sociopath tendencies.
i love the show i hate gore but im loving the crimes here. the artistry and the cinematography is so good and beautiful. even the cannibalism doesn't disgust me bc hannibal is making fine culinary with it. everything is elevated.
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Hey I’m new to Found fandom (realizing it’s in its infancy) and genuinely not sure I want to keep watching. I didn’t like Gabi’s portrayal in this last episode, or that she literally got away with going around the police and doing barely legal things and using Dhan’s trauma to get intel and so many other things…sleeping next to a kid who barely knows her after his family said stay away…for what? Weird obsessive guilt? Her obsession with giving this kid a last moment with his mom would be admirable if she wasn’t so cruel to everyone around her in her single minded hunt…and learned no lessons and gave no apologies and Trent is about to get fired and she looked like it was merely an inconvenience I……I….need a second opinion. Am I cray? Or is Gabi’s behavior really hard to tolerate even despite her trauma (bonus: telling what’s her face she needs therapy…I’m like GIRL YOU! YOU need therapy not your kidnapper chained up in your basement!) Unfortunately I am still dying to unravel this Sir mystery - what is he to her? Did he want a mentee or a daughter or…? Like I don’t get it and I need to find out. Also can this last past a season? He’s going to be out of that basement at some point, that’s just inevitable. Where on earth can they go from there? Full on Stockholm syndrome? A cat and mouse chase like Hannibal (though not written as well)? Gah!
Hi!
You're not alone at all in your feelings. Watching last nights episode made me so deeply frustrated because she was being really selfish. I want to believe it was intentional, but I'm not sure....
Long rambling under the cut (sorry anon!):
I think Gabi's behavior feels especially egregious because we know she knows about her team's traumas. If she was the ONLY one on the team who had a traumatic experience, or if she didn't know about what the others went through, I think I'd be more forgiving.
She was putting her team (and the integrity of her agency) at risk because she can't quite seem to separate her own feelings and thoughts from her work. I'm not sure how long they've been at this, but I would hope that by now, Gabi understands that you can't just bulldoze your way into things because you feel strongly about it.
We're often told that the team will follow Gabi into battle. Between Trent risking his job for her, and the rest of the team willing to risk serious prison time for her, I need to know why. It can't just be her admirable mission. There has to be more than that.
For instance, in Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, Olivia and Annalise did morally questionable things all the time. They weren't always nice, and they weren't always approachable. But they both knew how to get things done, and knew how to manipulate people using tools they already had. Olivia built her career as a fixer, had connections in NUMEROUS places, and knew how to play the game. Annalise was a fire lawyer, knew how to pick at people's vulnerabilities for personal gain, and also knew how to appeal to people using aloofness and an INCH of persuasion. And thus, people were willing to risk a LOT for them, even if they hated it.
In the case of Gabi, she relies too heavily on other people and their skills to be as flippant as she is, sometimes. What can she do that the others can't, aside from being the vocal face of the agency. Why are they so willing to overlook the way she undermines them? ?
Hopefully these questions get answered though showing and not telling. I don't want them to tell me why they are willing to risk everything for Gabi. I want to SEE it.
#found nbc#najas asks#like we know that she's very caring and protective of Dhan and Lacey and I'm sure that's part of the reason why they're so loyal to her#but idk...I want to know why they can't say 'I love you and I love what we do but I can't do this anymore it's too much now'#why are they so reluctant to speak up?
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ocs pls gib me ocs
omg okay so the one i've been thinking about a lot lately is emerson and she's. an mcu oc but she doesn't have to be anymore i can free her.
so her powers (yes she has powers) relate to books, words, and the manipulation of language. i forgot most of the worldbuilding and can't remember a lot of it but she's basically academia-core she's so. i love her to bits.
she's pretty gothic. i wouldn't say she's goth exactly but she's very... hannibal-esque in what she enjoys and what themes she likes to portray. think victorian gothic, darker themes, that type of stuff. she likes shit that makes most other people uncomfortable.
she dresses mostly black or similar dark, natural colors but very simply and has black hair but it's not like a trad goth situation and she doesn't really do anything super flashy.
she's very blatantly autistic and high-masking. come to think of it, when i made her i was very much personifying my experience with the parts of myself that weren't very socially acceptable that i hadn't really accepted yet, while the "socially unacceptable" parts i embraced got funneled to another character (who she. predictably. hates so fucking much).
she's the type of person to use too many fancy words in a conversation just to sound smart and overwhelm the person she's talking to. she's the type of person to mock people for being free and themselves because she can't. she's the type of person to be deeply, viscerally jealous, and not know what to do about it so she just points fingers and blame it on someone else. she's the type of person to not understand what she's feeling and think that means she needs to ignore and stuff it down even more, which makes her deeply unlikable at points.
when i first made her she wasn't very dynamic and was a bit too lovably flat. i want to make her horrible now, to reflect what she really was meant to be and make her interesting. i want to make all my ocs shitty people tbh, i think that's the most interesting thing to do with them!!! i think we're all shitty people in some aspect and seeing that reflected in a character can not only be comforting but give us insight into ourselves (and not necessarily in a bad way).
in conclusion that's emerson she's a freak and also the most e5 bitch alive and would probably kill someone for spelling something wrong one too many times.
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Cult Girl: Doctorate (Hannibal x Female!Reader) pt. 2
Oils
Cult girl socializes at the opera and receives an unexpected call.
Note: I tagged this as “anti mlm” as in multi-level marketing and not men-loving-men.
Trigger warnings: Discussions of cults and emotional manipulation
It wasn't until after the opera was over that people began to notice you may have had a little fun during intermission. Hannibal's hair wasn't in its usual perfect side part and his jacket was slightly wrinkled in places. You could cover most of his love bites with your stole, but nothing could hide that post-orgasm glow.
Most opera-goers stayed to socialize for hours after the show concluded, making an already long night even longer. It was like clubbing, but for rich old people.
"So you're the future Mrs. Hannibal Lecter?" A woman with silvery hair said. She dragged her husband into the conversation by the arm. "I've heard so much about you."
You were about to say something witty, but noticed the way she was looking at you. Scanning you up and down. Looking for anything out of place to grill you about.
"Only good things, I hope." Hannibal said in your silence. His voice was vaguely threatening. "She is a doctoral student, in her second year of her graduate studies in clinical psychology."
The husband, who, up to this point, hadn't spoken a word, perked up. "Is that right?"
You smiled, excited for the chance to talk about your passion. "Yes sir. I've still got quite a ways to go, but I love my work."
"You should be proud." The man praised, looking at Hannibal. "You've got yourself an ambitious wife."
"Oh, we're not married yet." You corrected.
"So when can we expect an invitation?" The woman asked.
"Six months from now, isn't it?" Hannibal answered. "Memorial day weekend. Then I'm taking her to Italy for a lengthy honeymoon."
The woman threw her head back and sighed. "That sounds heavenly."
"You young modern girls are always so intuitive." The man commented. "I'll bet you tricked him into marrying you."
You wanted to call this guy out for his sexist bullshit, but he wasn't far off. It was Hannibal who tricked you, though.
Technically, he proposed to you within the first six months. You just didn't know it. It took until shockingly recently to find out.
It was during a ballroom dancing lesson of all places. You were sweaty, but loved the feeling of your lover's hands gently guiding your movements. You stepped away from the lesson to get some water, and innocently asked when he would propose to you.
"I believe I already did." He said with enough conviction to blur the lines of seriousness and sarcasm.
"You pretended to." You corrected. "Remember? We were just pretending to be engaged for Anna's wedding."
"But it didn't end after the wedding, did it?" He observed. "You kept calling me your fiancé long after that weekend passed."
You paused, then threw your head back in exasperation. "Oh my god, Hannibal."
Hannibal laughed. "I told you. Someday it won't be a lie."
"You're a piece of shit, you know that?" You pressed your fingers to your temples. "So we've been engaged this whole time?"
"What can I say?" He said, gently. "I knew you were my one and only even then. It was just a matter of circumventing your inhibitions."
"I'm not complaining." You folded your arms. "But a little notice would have been nice."
"Well, if you insist." He laced his fingers between his own. "[F/N] [L/N]. Will you be my wife?"
Even though the question was truly just a formality, you were still as giddy as a schoolgirl to hear those words.
"Yes, Hannibal Lecter." You said, cheeks stinging from smiling so hard. "I will marry you."
Then you just went back to the dance lesson like nothing happened. It was shockingly in-character for both of you.
"No." You shook your head. "We killed someone together and took a blood oath to never separate."
The couple laughed. Hannibal looked down at you with pride.
“So [F/N].” The man said. “Have you given any thought to your doctoral dissertation?”
“Oh, Charles.” The woman rolled her eyes. “I’m sure she didn’t come here to be grilled about her studies.”
“No, it’s okay.” You smiled. As long as you were talking about school, you weren’t being interrogated about the thirty-year age gap between you and Hannibal. “I have been thinking about my dissertation. There are plenty of fascinating topics to choose from, but I can’t not write it about, well, the reason I began to study psychology in the first place.”
“And that is?” The man raised an eyebrow.
“Cults.” You said, grinning ear to ear. “Understanding them, their leaders, their followers, why people join them. How they evolve and grow more insidious as time passes. What form they’re starting to take in the digital age.”
“That is interesting.” The woman’s voice rose, connoting genuine engagement. “And what form are they taking in the digital age?”
You looked up at Hannibal, as if to ask for permission. Permission to rip into her and burn that bridge for good. He answered in the affirmative.
“Ma’am, could I take a look at your bracelet?” You asked, already knowing exactly what she would say.
Her face lit up. “Oh, do you like it?”
She pulled it off her wrist and handed it to you. You brought it to your nose and took a whiff, confirming your theory. Then you handed it off to Hannibal, whose sense of smell was much more refined. He took one breath, then recoiled.
Hannibal covered his mouth and nose with his hand and coughed. “That is... quite strong, Mrs. DeMarco.”
“It’s Affirm, by doTERRA.” She revealed, her voice growing defensive. “It helps you ground yourself and remember your worth.”
You handed the bracelet back to her. “Do you sell doTERRA, Mrs. DeMarco?”
“Well, now that you mention it...” A small smile appeared on her lips. “Why? Would you like to buy some?”
“I hate to be the one to tell you this, ma’am, but...” You lied. “You’re actually in a cult.”
She had nothing to say to that. She just stared at you with her mouth agape, urging you to explain yourself.
“Multilevel marketing companies employ a host of cult manipulation tactics to con people out of their savings.” You explained. “Just because the promise is financial independence instead of a spot in paradise, doesn’t mean it’s not a lie. Research conducted by the Federal Trade Commission shows that the vast majority of participants actually lose money. The statistics are just a google search away, yet thousands of people still insist on the legitimacy of the companies they sell for.”
“Well, I-” She protested, but couldn’t find the words to defend herself. “I’m there for the community, really. For the first time in years, I have a sisterhood of like-minded women who love me!”
You smiled through a cringe. “That’s another pretty common cult manipulation tactic. They appropriate familial language to make people feel more connected to the group than they really should be.”
Although you didn’t expect her to, she looked to be genuinely considering it.
“Next time you see your ‘sisters’,” You began. “Pay attention to how they talk about people who are not in the group. Or, better yet, tell them that you’re considering leaving. You’ll see how conditional their love is.”
An awkward, deafening silence followed. The woman looked at her husband, as if willing him to do something. To stand up to the evil twenty-something grad student who had the audacity to cite her sources.
Instead, the husband just burst out in riotous laughter.
“Miriam!” He nearly shouted, heaving like he was about to collapse. “I told you that oil business was up to no good! No honest company makes their employees pay to work!”
The woman’s face turned red. You almost felt bad for her. The feeling vanished when the man put his hand on your shoulder.
“Seriously, Dr. Lecter, you’d better keep this one.” He said, wiping a tear from his eye. “She’s an absolute godsend.”
“No divine intervention was involved whatsoever, Dr. DeMarco.” Hannibal smiled to himself and brought a glass of champagne to his lips. “She is a woman of her own making."
"Oh, we all know that's not entirely true." The woman snapped, slipping into passive-aggression. She glanced at Hannibal. "How much are you spending on this mouthy little know-it-all? Isn't it about $80k a year?"
You, of course, brought this on yourself. You threw down the gauntlet by going after this girlboss's side hustle, so now nothing was off-limits.
"I wouldn't worry about that, Mrs. DeMarco." Hannibal said, calmly. "My soon-to-be wife's education is a much better investment than that overpriced napalm you wear on your wrist."
You couldn't help but laugh at that. It was a laugh you shared with the man. Hannibal looked down at you, admiring how your face lit up.
"You'll forgive my wife's rudeness." The man requested. "Please, Ms. [F/N], tell me more about your dissertation."
"Well," you laced your fingers together. "I'm planning to write my dissertation on the cult of academic elitism."
"I would tread lightly, dear." The woman warned, eyes darting to Hannibal. "You wouldn't want to bite the hand that feeds you."
You adjusted your stole, giving them a quick glance at the love bites along your neck.
"I assure you." You said. "He quite likes it when I bite."
Your clutch started to aggressively, audibly vibrate. You could have sworn you'd put your phone on silent, but it buzzed nonetheless.
"Probably just, y'know-" you stuttered, embarrassed. "An amber alert or something."
"We are expecting a snowstorm, I believe. I was warned of it a few minutes ago." Hannibal said, always ready to cover your ass whenever needed. The couple nodded along in understanding.
You pulled your phone from your clutch. Your eyes widened and your face turned sickly pale at the sight of a caller you thought you’d never hear from again. Without thinking, you slid the deny icon across the screen.
“Right.” You said, tucking your phone and your secrets back into the clutch. “Winter Storm... Theresa is headed this way.”
Hannibal cleared his throat. “In that case, [F/N] and I must take our leave before we get snowed in. It was very nice catching up with you. I will see to it that [F/N] and I have you for dinner very soon.”
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I feel like wills manipulation game in S2 was really weak. he cried to get hannibal's pity, ok. he asked chilton not to let hannibal see him, meh. he asks beverly to investigate and then is like NO KEEP AWAY FROM HANNIBAL. his only worthwhile move was sending matthew who basically gets dropped in his lap. I expected more grandmaster chess moves I was disappointed lmao
Well, if you were disappointed, then I doubt that will go away just by hearing someone else’s take, but I’ll throw out a few points for consideration nonetheless:
This is (I suppose) debatable, but I don’t think he was crying for Hannibal’s benefit at all, let alone to get his pity, because he knows better. Hannibal’s never shown pity before when he was messed up much more earnestly; why would he now? I tend to think that show was mostly for Alana.
By the time Will gets out of prison, Chilton has moved Abel Gideon (the man who vivisected him!) back into the BSHCI at Will’s request, and Chilton also 100% believes Will about Hannibal. I’d call that a resounding win.
He got what he wanted with Beverly, too - she saw exactly what he needed her to see. She just, crucially, didn’t quite heed his last advice.
I guess I don’t know what you’d have expected in terms of “grandmaster” moves. Especially because Will actually... doesn’t normally do this at all? He finds himself suddenly indicted for multiple murders at the end of s1 because he was too trusting toward the first person who made him feel less alone. And prior to Jack dragging him in to consulting, it’s pretty clear Will’s been living a very solitary “don’t stick out too much, don’t make waves” sort of life.
He obviously hates the attention he’s getting as he starts being Jack’s favorite bloodhound, and I’d argue in s1 he shows fewer manipulative tendencies than most other characters. So... why the hell would his manipulation game in s2 be “grandmaster” level? He’s probably never had to do anything like this before, especially not at these kind of stakes?
#hannibal#will graham#meta#my meta#fam you've been reading too many edgelord hot takes about will i think#HE'S PLAYING CATCH-UP WITH THE MANIPULATION IN S2#there is literally nothing to indicate#and much to counterindicate#that it was something he had much experience with before#replies#Anonymous
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the wolf should’ve been afraid of me.
Titans 3.04
just under the wire! ... i hope.
like with the previous review, i’m typing this up as i see the episode. here we go!
spoilers ahead.
1. ... well. that was an interesting cold open.
1.25. i don’t know whether to admire this show’s restraint when it comes to gotham and its excesses, particularly arkham asylum. it’d be easy to go hammer and tongs, like suicide squad (2016) did, or any number of bat media did, at a tropey, colourful~~insanity~~ that can be quite damaging, casting mental illness in strangeness and criminality. it definitely shows gotham as... separate from the rest of the country, its own ecosystem of heroes and villains, a sort of rogue state.
but that ecosystem is still human, with its heroes needing to clip parts of themselves away just to survive, growing old and needing to be recycled, its villains languishing in the same kinds of systems that fail everybody else who needs to be helped. it’s a quieter, tenser sort of wrongness: not strange enough that you can dissociate, but not close enough that you can completely empathise. gotham is its own creature.
1.5. i know that the reasoning behind this is more doylist than anything, but i’m so glad that joker was killed off with little fanfare right at the start of the season. he is the one man in the batverse that’s transcended its confines as this sort of ethereal boogeyman/eternal edgelord and to justify his presence in the series would mean giving him this tired, overblown importance and too much of a stab at colourful, tropey “madness” in this otherwise-subdued series. i wish all batmedia would follow suit and get rid of this fucker.
1.75. so jason is bucking scarecrow’s control! or reminding him of who exactly holds all the cards right now. circling back to what i talked about in the last review, it’s remarkable just how little time it’s been since jason’s “death” and he’s already got ‘minions’ and elaborately set up plans to track, break and kill the titans. just how long has he been planning this? when did he first look at WE weapons prototypes and think that’s something i can use to blow somebody up? and the most unsettling question: did he plan his own death at the hands of the joker just so that he could break batman?
at this point it’s obvious that the scarecrow at least started jason down this path, but it’s frightening just how far he’s travelled already.
1.8. aaagh, less than one minute in! i’ll shut up.
2. conner washing his hands at the sink reminds me that he was directly in the line of explosion when hank got blown up and he’s probably got atomised hank-bits all over his skin that he’s desperately trying to wash off.
... you’re welcome.
2.25. conner, don’t you speak to gar fucking logan like that, sir, no!
2.3. if anything it’s the lex part of him that gave him the knowhow to recognise the weapon and build a de-activator for it.
anyway, for that ‘half-breed’ and ‘talking tiger’ comment?
(i wish, tho, that we actually see conner more interested in the superman part of his legacy, like maybe listening to stories from gar, or even better, dick, so we get a better idea of the pressure he’s feeling to live up to that part of him and not the part that’s lex.)
((i talked about conner’s stages of moral development in his introductory episode last season, but i wonder if the next stage of his self-actualisation would be to further integrate the parts of himself and realise that they are only parts and he, conner, is an entirely different person unto himself that can make decisions on how to use what he has and what he knows. his superman abilities can be used to destroy. his lex knowledge can be used to save.))
3. oh dawn :((
3.25. is this the last we see of dawn and hank? i mean, we know donna is coming back; would it be a stretch to think they’ll try to have a go at resurrecting hank as well?
3.5. “deathstroke didn’t make us into killers.” good, because deathstroke didn’t make jason a killer either. there’s a missing step there you need to be looking for, dick.
3.75. dick did try to break the cycle, step away from gotham, run from the possibility that he could turn into batman. it didn’t help; he couldn’t fully withdraw from his vigilante persona the same time he loathed it, and batman literally haunted him both asleep and awake. but maybe gotham doesn’t have to turn anybody into anything. maybe gotham has nothing to do with it at all. it’s about taking responsibility, realising some sacrifices are pure bullshit, and building an actual family instead of merely a team.
anyway: hugs!
(oh, also? mr “i hate flying”? i mean, there’s perfectly valid reasons to hate flying that’s not related to childhood trauma, but then again, this guy was literally a ‘flying grayson’ once. also also, remember that he also gets sea-sick. must’ve a lot of fun stories to tell.)
4. ooh that gar/kory confrontation was brief but cool!
listen, i have never seen a psychiatrist with that extravagant an office and SIR I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW--
4.5. kory’s so unused to reaching out for help and it’s breaking my heart that HPG likely is some kind of impostor that’s maybe causing her symptoms in the first place.
kory and dick have mostly been apart this season but it’s remarkable how their journeys have paralleled each other; kory processes her grief, isolation and existential dread into a determination to take care of this new family she has, no matter what it takes; dick does much the same, forging ahead with plans and solutions until he has no fuel left in him and spirals into a massive breakdown.
4.25. listen titans this really is a TERRIBLE continuity error. we aren’t goldfish; we can clearly remember that two minutes ago it was gar’s upper arm that was burned, not his forearm. COME ON.
“sensory deprivation tank” *SNORT*
anyway, gar is the BEST
4.5. i wonder where these visions of experimentation took place. was it on tamaran, or on earth, after she came to hunt down rachel/trigon and before she lost all her memories? is HPG a part of the scientist group that experimented on her? ... god, i hope not. i mean, i think he is, but it would be cool to have some positive therapist representation in media.
5. you’d think the van transporting a dangerous supervillain that only batman could catch would be more secure but... i’m also not entirely surprised.
5.15. i love dick gives ZERO shits about hiding himself or even ensuring scarecrow is adequately contained. just turns away after kidnapping him in BROAD DAYLIGHT and says ‘let’s go’. I LOVE THIS DUMBASS
6. lmao gar is having a really really shitty day SOMEONE GIVE THIS MAN A BREAK or just a goddamn story arc of his own
6.5. i’m really confused about the timeline here. so... sometime ago, kory came down to earth to hunt down trigon, yeah? at some further point down the line she and her sister were kidnapped and experimented on. THEN she somehow escapes but... loses her memory? a few months pass and then we see blackfire alive and well and free; she kills faddei, can impersonate other people, and is clearly seeking out kory. but now she’s still in the experiment facility...? what’s going on?
i’m not entirely surprised about the facility being mostly deserted. either the biggest investors in this project gave up on it and it was left to the most fanatic to carry on, or they were deliberately trying to lure kory and get her to free blackfire--expand the environs of the experiment, so to speak.
7. hopefully barbara is going to get something to do other than listen to various men give her Attitude
8. how do you terrorise a terrorist? well:
i love when dick is a scary-competent motherfucker.
8.25. ooooh, the attack on crane at arkham a ploy to get crane to blackgate? nice one dick, i didn’t even think of that. but why though? to protect crane from the titans? to intercept the van to blackgate and “rescue” him? seems likely--red hood was there, except dick got to crane quicker.
9. still reeeallly unclear about the komand’r situation. was komand’r captured after s2? is this all A TRAP?? if so, why are you stepping into the only thing that can contain you, kory????
9.25. so... definite parallels between dick/jason and kory/kom here. i’m just. i’m still. really confused. i’ll shut up now.
10. this may be my favourite dick look yet:
woodsman!dick in a beanie.
10.5. i unironically love how titans has made this bizarrely-devoted-to-his-moniker, toxin-spewing supervillain into a tamer version of hannibal, psychoanalysing his victims into submission. it’s of a piece with how inward looking titans is, the way all of its villains are obsessed with how our protagonists’ minds work, to the point where they would actually spend time inside of them.
there are no big plots to end the world. no apocalypses or endgames here. these villains collect the titans’ insecurities like infinity stones. the way the titans defeat them is by achieving character growth--literally winning by the power of love. literally “the real superpower is the friends we made along the way”!
10.7. anyway, i’m betting dick is used to this bullshit from crane and is humouring him in the service of getting more information. the story about the wolf? an implicit threat, not to mention dick getting to control what crane knows about him and what methods he would use to manipulate him.
am i giving dick too much credit here? i don’t think so. he’s really impressed me so far this season.
10.75. like. there’s a real unreliable narrator vibe coming off with every person that talks about bruce (much like how the various members of the titans talked about jason’s motivations) and to buy into crane’s talk about bruce being a psychopath is to fall for the same manipulation that jason fell for. dick is the only person who hasn’t really psychoanalysed bruce this season, and i think some part of his detective brain is piecing things together into a bigger picture.
11. i’m glad kory rescued kom but did she have to kill the scientist?
(i mean, yeah, probably - the less people know that kom escaped the less likely they’re going to have the fucking govt on their doorstep, but still.)
11.5. dick’s gonna come back to wayne manor, stare straight at komand’r and go, well which room would you like? because the team might as well adopt ANOTHER person, yeah?
12. oh MAN that red hood/nightwing fight was AMAZING! and he did the thing! the boomerang escrima thing! i’m so delighted!
12.5. the anger and disbelief in dick’s voice when he says you told crane EVERYTHING?! tells me that he knew exactly what he was telling crane himself.
12.75. “everything you are is because of him” - oh that reminds me of halluci!bruce from last season. i hope we see halluci!bruce again--he is so vicious but so entertaining... so much more effective at tearing dick down than crane or jason combined. goes to show that dick’s biggest enemy is own fucking head.
12.8. oh no! dick’s shot! crane is in the wind with red hood! blackfire is now with the titans! i love it!
honestly this season’s pacing is such a big step up from the last couple. gold star, show.
#titans#titans spoilers#meta#dick grayson#koriand'r#garfield logan#komand'r#conner kent#dawn granger#jason todd#jonathan crane#a byronic cupcake#badass strawberry truffle#manic pixie pop tart#a tragic jalebi
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No offence I'm gonna write a whole essay in the tags
If I watch hannibal a few more times I could write essays comparing and contrasting it to killing eve it's literally all I think about
#will's evil ascension is all fucking LACK of forgiveness. he turns dark becase he was betrayed!! he wants revenge!! he wants justice#his morals fail him because he is in a fucking asylum and hannibal has the GALL to SHOW UP#and wills like 🙃 okay i can work with this *psychological manipulation*#hes so competent and scary and he knows how to do things. he mirrors hannibal so much in s2... he hates him so much!!!#and hannibal- that stupid old fuck- he was all ughhh i miss him so much *tear rolls down cheek* if only this didnt have to happen#god its sooo crazy because they start out with hannibal lying!! with him only showing one side of himself just like he does with everyone!#but will keeps pulling back the layers bc hes a fucking empath who studies the motives and feelings and actions of killers#so hannibal has to make him seem crazy so no one will believe what he says about him like uugghhhh#nothing like eve and v!! villanelle meets her with her person suit on ONCE and tells her shes pretty and leaves#like theres no transparency yeah- but they just met... will and hannibal are like okay patient psych relationship#instantly open spouting poetry at eachother. eve and v are just looking at each other from afar....#like!!!! will and han meet and han sees right through will and knows hes met his match. he sees himself in will immediately#will tries to see something in hannibal and once he figures it out his brain is a bit fried and hes coughed up an ear and now hes in jail#but eve has been investigating her....profiling her.. she just put a face to an idea#will has been profiling the ripper but there simply wasnt enough to go on... god the way they killed is so similat#god i feel like im gonna explode. both v and hann had Style or artistic vision and no consistent signature or anything#hannibal has everything to lose everything hes built. hes created something that can be taken away.#villanelle already has everything taken away from her. all she has to look foreward to is the thrill of the kill and the clothes she can buy#women to fuck... maybe a bit of praise from superiors. she had nothing and she acts like it to. she has 'protection' to act however#she doesnt even put on a fake face when she talks to normal people... not like hannibal at least. she does it in such a way that you can#you can tell shes just trying to get something from the transaction but isnt that so human?? yes its manipulation but its just#its just fucking sexy surface level manipulation!! maybe shes too hot and im biased but shes just trying to get you to feel some way abt her#b4 she leaves forever?? like this is never a long game with her she just wants to fucking!!!! feel good!! feel anything!!! have some fun!#and she DOESNT kill people because she wants to. just barely at least. its all a means to an end!!!#hanniballlll hannibal. hannibal is such a freak lol. he becomes a monster because he wants to! hes always making puns and cannibal jokes!!#hes got so many jokes and secrets that are just for himself and the audience! what a shitty guy agayabjsjdn#in s3 fiona and gillian play similar roles.. just being annoyed that will/eve is clearly all about their guys#god but its so different huh? wow. KE is always You Have A Job To Do We Are On The Clock#and the job part of hannibal nbc becomes absolutely obsolete by s3 after s2 finale and massacre#jack is fired alana sticks around but shes a little bit evil and becomes a rich dyke who is also a bitch. the two gay boys are there but...
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Hannibal Fashion Meta Pt. 3
Like our boy Will, this one took a while to come out and just like him, I’m valid.
So Will’s turn. I don’t what to talk as much about his clothes per say (yet), but more what he does with them. So I’m covering his person suit. Part 4 is going to melt better with the series and be closer to it’s usual comedic tone.
This one isn’t funny like the other ones because I made it to specifically stab people in the chest. I also got a brain so I put this one under a read more so the people who follow us won’t want to murder us.
Apéritif’s costuming gave us everything we need to know about Hannibal and it gave us everything we need to know about Will and I use a few episodes of season 3 to really twist the knife about it.
Will goes through life being deeply uncomfortable with who he is. Through this episode we see Hannibal slipping his person suit on and off while Will’s is slowly being pulled away by himself returning home to Wolf Trap.
Will Graham hates ties. He absolutely hates them. This is borderline canon, not my personal opinion. Ties can feel constricting and bothersome especially if you have sensory issues. As soon as class is dismissed he takes it off and aggressively shoves it in his bag. (He does this again in S1E7 Entree when he goes from class to his meeting with Freddie Lounds).
Alone in his car he takes off his sport coat, rolls ups his sleeves and undoes a few buttons, before taking the shirt off entirely and replacing it with one of his white t-shirts.
Will’s person suit for season one was very much making people think that he was just a loner and harmless and awkward. He doesn’t like to socialize so wants to be unapproachable.But this suit was also a form of armor. The more Will is uncomfortable in a scene, he usually wears glasses and more layers.
There’s plenty of evidence for Will using layers to shut people out. A great example is when Will is taking refuge in Maine during his marriage to Molly, who I can only assume he met on farmersonly dot com (did you know that’s a gay friendly site? neither did Will Graham. I think he might’ve tried talking a guy then went home and threw up and never tried again. Hannibal is kind of like how my sister ate a bad avocado and now insist she’s allergic to them. She isn’t and Will Graham is bisexual). After Jack comes, Will puts on an extra coat. I live in the northern united states and we rarely get a temperature drop so sudden that we need to put on an extra coat, especially with a hot cup of coffee and the sun shining.
Will also slips his person suit off when he doesn’t care what people think. People, being being Bedelia, of course. When he chat’s with her, he takes off his glasses and has open body language. He knows what she is and she knows what he is. No need to hide the fangs and claws when they’re bound to just get into a cat fight anyways. Will is an asshole, anybody who says otherwise is lying to themselves and unless your Molly Foster Graham trying to hold together your crumbling marriage, you have no reason not to accept that.
Person suits aside, Will is not going to wear things that make him uncomfortable unless it serves a specific purpose and love struck Hannibal won’t make him wear a tie to the opera. In their shared mind palace, Will is usually wearing the clothes he has on in real life, safe for the dressy little suit (no tie again take that). But this? That loving gaze? That’s nothing compared to Hannibal’s display of love in Digestivo.
In Thomas Harris’ Novel, Hannibal, our cannibal saves Clarice from Muskrat farms like Hannibal does with Will in the show. I don’t think I need to prove anything about Will being a stand-in for Clarice Starling unless you’re new here. When Clarice wakes up, she’s need stitched up, bullets removes, cleaned, she’s given pain medication that makes her physically weak. Hannibal dresses her in a fine black dressing gown and gives her a pair of heels to wear to eat dinner with him.
In Digestivo, Will is put under very similar circumstances. When he wakes up in his bed he struggled to lift himself and needs to sit up and lean against the wall so that he can look at Hannibal at eye-level. Hannibal dressed Will in his own clothes. A grey undershirt and a soft flannel. Will owns nice clothing befitting a fancy dinner, but this is what he wanted Will to wake up in.
Hannibal gave up trying to manipulate Will along the way is season two and Will never bothered putting up his walls since he knocked them down in season one, before he knew what Hannibal really was. There’s no point. He was already being seen.
After he tells Hannibal goodbye, he puts his armor back on for the rest of the world. Same flannel that Hannibal dressed him in, a sweater, a jacket, and his glasses. Keeping the love that Hannibal has for him kept out of sight from everyone and close to his chest.
Another worthy mention of Will’s layering is in the following episode when he takes Hannibal’s letter out of his dresser. Despite being in front of a roaring fire, Will puts on a sweater, feeling too vulnerable being in his sleepwear. Probably afraid of what would happen if Molly walked in.
When chooses to talk with Hannibal in the red dragon arc, like the entirety of the show, Will never wears his glasses. He makes a show to the viewer of taking them off when he approaches Hannibal’s cell.
Will removes another layer in Wrath of the Lamb, being his jacket. (This one probably doesn’t mean anything, they were inside for at least a few hours.) BUT! I see a lot of people write that Will found clothes that Hannibal bought for him when he thought Will would run away with him. That mirrors Clarice wearing clothes that Hannibal picked for her before running away with him. I love to see it, but the last clothes we see Will in are canonically his clothes. The one’s he’d been wearing all day. Shirt unbuttoned, untucked, and very apologetically Will Graham. As much as I love reading about Hannibal dressing Will up like a ken doll, he’d never make this man wear a tie for him.
Will might not be consciously doing the things he’s doing when it comes to Hannibal, but he’s doing it. He has no control over how Hannibal makes him feel, but time and time again he will peel over his layers in his presence in a way that he doesn’t do with any other character in the show.
#hannibal#will graham#my correct hannibal posts#matt writes#aw will ur submitting to the mortifying ideal of being known and you dont even realize it#did i make myself sad because im a closeted bi stealth trans dude? maybe but thats for my therapist to not know and for me to bottle up#anyways im gonna go make french onion soup and cry about it dont look at me#hannibal fashion
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SEASON 2, LET’S GOOOOOOO! Love the title of this one. Hanni will be in charge, no doubt! He’s the chef, after all
Kaiseki:
* OHHH OPENING WITH MISE EN PLACE
* OHHHH JACK’S REFLECTION ON THE KNIFE!!! VERY NICE!!!
* AND HANNI’S!!!! Like his better lol
* LMAOOOO THE SLOW MOTION JUMP OVEF THE TABLEEEE
* The girls are fightinggggggggg
* OH RIGHT IN THE JUGULAR
* & time jump BACK
* WITH SASHIMIIIIIIIIII
* UNI MY BELOVED
* The way the ice sounded was SO BAD! Bad bad foley! (But the worst foley that I saw most recently was in The Dropout. Amanda Seyfried was smashing her phone against the table and maybe only one smash lined up with what we saw on screen. It was so annoying!)
* Hanni is so nervous. Putting on a great face, but he’s not hiding from me!!!
* LOOK AT MY BABY BOYYYYYYYY!!!! MY LITTLE FISHERMAN!!!!
* I am really digging this slow tranquil music with what’s going on screen. Which is amazingly cut by the stag! And then the prison cell! I love it, I love it, I love it!
* Oh, Fredick shaved!
* CYNTHIA NIXON?? Wake up babe, new MILF just dropped!
* A lot of having this amazing head on her shoulders and ye old vindication is just so amazing to see! Because a lot of them, lotta people just be like Cynthia Nixon’s character and just want everything to be brushed away. Alana wants accountability and that is very sexy.
* MANY A BODY!!! IN THE DAM!!! YUCK YUCK OH NOOOO ONE OF THEIR FACES IS LIKE BITTEN OFF!!!
* BEDELIA!!!!!
* “It betrays your clear intent to manipulate him.“ GET HIS ASS, BEDELIA!!!
* “You are obsessed with Will Graham.” HIT AFTER HIT!!!
* “What can’t you repress, Hannibal?” Me *mid yawn*: Cannibalism.
* DARK & SCARY WILL!!!!!
* HE’S THE STAG NOW?? No more JGH, now it’s Hanni
* He looks so hurt when Will said that he wasn’t his friend! I love it!
* Come on William, threaten him some more!
* Beverly and Hanni. Oh! Hell he’s taking over for well. Oh shit. Hanni’s is going to kill Beverly.
* All of the bodies don’t look similar.
* OH DISCARDS!
* Bedelia doesn’t want to share him
* Hannibal. You’re such a fucking idiot. Why are you doing this to Bedelia? Again?! You fucking dick.
* “Jack Crawford doesn’t know what you’re capable of.“ “Neither do you.” This man is SMILING. SHE’S GOT A PRETTY GOOD IDEA, HANNI!
* ALANA BLOOM BEST DOG AUNTIE!!!
* POOR BABY WINSTON!!!!
* ALANA MEDUSA!! Not snakes, just paint that looks like snakes.
* WHAT A FEAST!!!!!
* Fredick & Hanni!
* Hate beets.
* If ANYONE touches me in the subway!!!
* So he gets them high and then to the point of barely conscious‘s. And sees them? Ewww
* Ohhh Bev & Will! I love them!
* Exceptional, symmetrical faces? Could be models?
* And ear in three, two, one. Bingo.
* THAT NOISE!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!! OH YUCK YUJC YUKC YICK YUCKKKKK
* This is Hannibal at his most invasive.
* It’s so weird seeing Will’s apartment so empty. Not a dog in sight!
* Oh, I liked! Mr. Best Boy, Winston!
* Is Lawrence Fishburn taking accountability for his actions? Amazing! Character development!
* You found nothing because he didn’t want you to find anything!!!
* Dear God, Hannibal. Are you waiting for him, still?
* OH GROSSSSSSSSS OH NO NO NO OH GOD!
* I will admit, a bit of a slow start.
Todays episode is brought to you in part by Miss Ramona. And also Mr. Fergus.
That opening scene confused the shit out of my poor mum when she first watched this season. Apparently that fight took about 20 hours to shoot and in the words of Laurence and Mads "we felt really young while doing it, and then we started to feel our age the next day"
Cynthia Nixon is one of those "what the hell are you doing on this show??" special guest stars (said affectionately, of course). And just a heads up, you're going to be pretty frustrated with Alana but I swear there is a good-writing reason for it.
And I do love, while this is not connected to the films at all, the homage to the cell design in The Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon.
Also, hello precious fluffy angels!! Miss Ramona and Mr Fergus, I love those names :D
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It took me two hours last night to watch the first episode and I feel asleep at the halfway point in episode two last night. Happy Sunday!
S1E2: Amuse-Bouche (the small bites preceding the main course)
Can’t believe they had Mads say Last Time on Hannibal shut uuuuup
Is YouTube not gonna let me see the opening? Do I have to look up the show Intro by itself? Hang on
Ok it was shorter than I expected but aesthetically I liked it. Moving on!
Oh that scared me actually was not expecting the paper to turn into Hobbs. Was startled
THE MUSIC IS SO GOOD THE SOUND DESIGN BUT STOP IT IM STRESSED
Bruh your attic is sinister can’t you collect coins like a normal white dad Jesus
H
Ok first of all
Hi Freddie
Second of all people Love to be topless in this show and I’m. Not mad about it
THE INTRO STARTS AT FIVE MINUTES ARE YOU KIDDING IS EACH EPISODE A COLD OPEN????? I looked it up for nothing dammit
Lol do you think the class all talked about how they would clap for Professor Graham? What does the group chat for his students look like
Will: does anyone see the clue? There isn’t one. He left a phone number but no address
Me: ….. so the clue is a lack of address what. That’s. That’s literally the clue sir what
“Hannibal Lecter is a better fit. Your relationship isn’t personal”
I love Hannibal’s office so much I would pay just to hang out. Also they have a daughter now or whatever
I BET ITS MARIJUANA oh random forest children how delightful
MUSHROOM MAN WAS THE SECOND FUCKING EPISDOE?????????? HOW
BKMB
They are best friends your honor
“I got stabbed when I was a cop” the line deliveries. I love them
Also give it up for Will’s right shoulder! What a trooper!!
Honey baby sweetie please your hair
Freddie spotted!!!
I love how everyone on this show is some degree of Hot and Manipulate
I feel so bad for Will he is terrible with first impressions but only because the first time people see him he is Alone at a Crime Scene standing around looking Weird. The odds aren’t in his favor
It’s so jarring to think about the filming and how Hugh had to be the killer for like most of all the reconstructions Will does. When he’s explaining what the evidence is, his voice is just Gah can he read podfics? Bc I’d listen
EVERY TIME HOBBS GIVES ME A FRIGHT UGH
THE HAND GRABBING ALSO STARTLED ME STOP
Making him laugh in your office while standing near him. The power Hannibal must feel
Also he called Will a fungus
Ms Lounds it’s rude to record someone else’s therapy session
Ok so she’s pretending to be someone in order to talk to Hannibal but her outfit is cute
I kinda love her
Like. Hate her but I kinda love her
Oooooo he caught you
Stoooooop the tension is choking me legit go away fndkdbfjfjkddkndnfjdjdjdjffjfkjfnfnfkfjdk
Come sit by me Pat Pat Pat
Oh Bella honey
Jack: Will knows himself better than anyone
Hannibal: I think you disagree
It makes me so upset to see Jack so happy knowing Hannibal fucks up his life. That’s his new friend who makes him laugh! Fuck you!
I know all killers are Bad but an evil doctor makes me angry in a real world sort of way. Not that people aren’t killed in the real world it’s just doctors have so much access to delicate medical information and medical stuff makes me ick so. If Will kills this guy I won’t be mad
I wanna kill this guy actually move aside!
AHHHH HE guys listen I have taste in men but only actors who play characters I’m obsessed with and I don’t watch a lot of stuff HES BREAKING THE WINDOW
He’s hot to watch is what I’m getting at
Hannibal with a tablet is also very funny but I couldn’t say why
Lmao the camera shots to Zeller I love telegraphing
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t.” She’s a worm but also the only one who saw the writing on the wall like four years before everyone else
He’s sleeping 🥺 he looks so handsome why can’t the show be about a handsome man who becomes a model bc some fussy European saw him on the street and wanted to work with him. Hannibal is still a cannibal though bc he detests diet culture and people harming their bodies for fashion
ALANA IS READING TO ABIGAIL
Cozy puppy on the couch I’m sobbing
Someone read to this lonely man I’m begging you
Oh it’s blood in water? No it’s brain matter it certainly won’t be…. Oh it is actually just coffee ok
“I know people in private security” is just my uncle works at Nintendo
WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE DUCK WHAT THE FUCK WH
(Also just gonna say I enjoy the show I really do…. not a lot of diversity in this one huh. moving on)
Attractive men do have better standings in society than ugly men but in horror movies the hot guy is always the evil one. I’m happy to note we’ve got two good hot men on our side (Will and Jack) bc uhhh Doctor man who’s name they just said but I forget is one ugly bitch
Eldon Stammets
This man is really running about in a hospital holding a gun. are you even allowed guns in hospitals
People desperate for connections oh I am getting the uncomfortable wiggles now Stop
Ok but in hindsight would becoming fertilized be a better death than the one she gets? Food for thought
The PROLONGED EYE CONTACT
He Felt Powerful
Final Thoughts: This was an all about Freddie Lounds episode and I can’t say I’m mad about it. Her interest in Will is to the roof, we know she’s a sneaky smart liar who will do anything for the story, and considering how the rest of the series goes having a man killed in front of her doesn’t seem to phase her in the long run. Will was very handsome in this episode as was Jack and I wish I knew the timeline of all this because it’s two episodes but clearly more time has passed for the characters than just like two or three days. I think. I’m ready for the next disaster!!
#Hannibal#nbc hannibal#major watches hannibal#hannibal crack#freddie lounds#was very pretty all episode and that’s my biggest takeaway from thsi episode
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Fanfic meme: 3, 19, 27! ☺️
hey! so sorry this is late lol but hey i made it before new years!! ~
(and here is where y'all find out how degenerate i've gotten in my fanfic tastes this year. beware. and now we proceed.)
3 - favorite line/scene you wrote this year
i got a couple? these are pretty random haha
I remember the way you held me in the dark, in the car, in the places we stopped along the way. My head in your lap, your hand on the steering wheel, the band I always hated playing on your old cassette tapes. The rule was that you picked the music, and so I begrudgingly let you, pursed lips and rolling eyes as I leaned against the passenger’s side window. But my body always made its way back to yours. x.
and
Aleksander screamed, his chest burning, all traces of that confidence and immortality dissipated completely. He felt raw and exposed, surrounded only by his enemies, those who he had wronged. Nikolai, who carried the remnants of a demon. Genya, scars ridden across her face and body touched by a corrupt king. Zoya, heart fierce, forged from a fire blown across Ravka through the winds that only a Squaller could create. He had turned her into a manipulator, made her jealous, made her mind twist irreversibly. And now, she was stronger than any of that. He could see the dragon within her, and knew that she would show no mercy. He had to admit, somewhere in what was left of his black heart, a heart shrivelled from war and sacrifice, he was proud of her. x.
19 - any new fics to start next year
i landed myself in the middle of like 10 wips this year. nevertheless, if i can, i'm gonna try and start a supernatural fic about trans! sam and dean growing up and trying to figure out gender, sexuality, love, lust, and identity on the road and stuck with each other (and how john plays into this of course). also it's gonna be dark and sam's gonna be affected by that demon blood earlier on and it's gonna be very weird probably. *hides because who is writing spn fanfic in 2022 this is so embarrassing*
27 - favorite fanfic author of the year
how can i pick one!! just in general i love love love astolat! her writing is super concise and packs a ton of detail into a short amount of space. she just posted a new drarry fic on ao3 too:D
i joined 2 fandoms this year mainly: hannibal and supernatural, so -
for hannibal, i love stagethree, HigherMagic, & YouAreMyDesign (i'm here for the smut with these folks lol). i mostly stuck with one-shots this year for hannibal. these authors are also pretty creative with prompts and scenarios. i discovered...heh. a lot.
and lastly, for supernatural, i discovered dollylux, objectlesson, and applecrumbledore(!!!). all three just write this deliciously fucked-up angst, like top tier angst, i don't think i've read angst that's more potent. and for smut, wrenseroticlibrary. they also write a lot of trans!AUs which is how i started reading more trans!winchester content and it gives me life.
out of all of them though? gotta be applecrumbledore. i literally hang off of their every word, me and a mutual on twitter send each other fics whenever they update their account lol.
anyways yeah. don't judge me. or maybe do but don't say anything 💀
(fanfic end of the year asks!)
#okay okay okay *ducks head as people throw banana peels at me*#fanfic ask game#ask game#letters#stella tag
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More Sorting Hat Chats
All right, I have had Daughter stuck in my head all day, and I want to talk about Abigail Hobbs.
(I basically always want to talk about Abigail Hobbs, she is my favorite television character and would make a good running for my singular favorite character ever if I could ever pick one. If you are considering if this is an invitation, please take it as one. But, I digress.)
As I can tell, there’s been discussion of Will and Hannibal’s sortings, and nobody else in the show. I’d love to dig in and do the whole rest of the show, but I don’t feel like I’ve rewatched recently enough to do everybody. I can always talk about Abigail, though!
As I continue to be exceedingly wordy as I do these things (whoops. I tried...), under a cut it goes again.
Let’s start on the Primary. We know pretty clearly that a lot of what Abigail has done has been focused on survival above all. We know for a fact that her darkest actions were: we see her kill Boyle in self-defense, and when she’s discussing helping her father, she says outright, “I knew it was them or me.” That... doesn’t actually help narrow it down, of course, because none of the houses have a claim on survival, and you could come at that feeling from any start point. But what it points to for me is that whatever her Primary is, it’s Burnt, and probably pretty badly. She hasn’t had the ability to come at decisions from a standpoint of what’s right, or what’s good for anyone else, or hell, even what’s good for her -- it’s all about what will get me through this alive.
When she does talk about what she’s done, it all feels very instinctive: “I’m a monster.” “Some places are stained now. Some people too. I know I am.” Even this: “I thought there was something wrong with me because I didn’t feel ugly when I killed Nick Boyle. I felt good. That’s why it was so easy to lie about it.” There doesn’t seem to be any weighing or rationalizing behind it, and every time she does try to come off as doing things from a rational place, it feels extremely put on -- that first scene after she wakes up, when she talks to Alana, for example, and Alana immediately sees through her.
So, not a Bird. She could be a Lion, instinctively knowing that what she’s done for her own safety is wrong and trying to fight that feelings -- it would fit with her judgements of herself, and with how she talks to Will about killing, trying to find someone else to rationalize it for her. But: I’m going to argue that’s she’s an extremely Burned Badger Primary.
First: why Badger, not Snake, when she’s shut herself down until she’s the only person she’s looking out for and that’s basically the original definition of a Petrified Snake? Because Abigail isn’t shutting herself off from connections in general. As soon as Hannibal reaches out, Abigail doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t try to back away from that connection; she leans into it, tells him about her nightmares and trusts him when he asks her. She pushes Will away -- until she’s reassured that he’ll accept enough of what she’s done that she doesn’t have to, and then she’s so quick to accept him and talk to him about it that she almost reveals her other secret in the very next conversation we see them have. She even opens up a little to Freddie, despite the fact that she has to know that’s a bad idea.
That conversation is also one of the reasons I’m going to call Badger, not Lion -- specifically, her view on Nick Boyle sounds so hard like either depersonalizing him to make herself feel better, or trying and failing to depersonalize him to make herself feel better. “I blame Nick Boyle for Nick Boyle’s death. He killed Marissa, he got what was coming to him.” We the audience already know this isn’t true to some extent -- we’ve seen Boyle crop up in Abigail’s dream, among the girls she clearly still feels guilty about, but it doesn’t feel like something she’s saying entirely for Freddie’s benefit either. It’s so emphatic, and it’s not a lie that will necessarily make her look better -- it makes so much more sense if it’s what she wants to believe.
And then Freddie blows it up, reframes it all and makes the guilt flood back in. And it could be either Lion or Badger -- he’s no longer such a bad guy, so having killed him is no longer something she can even try to frame as okay. But, even if Boyle wasn’t a killer, it was still self-defense. Reframing who he was doesn’t necessarily reframe what happened, and the fact that it still changes her feelings on it so thoroughly is part of what makes me go to Badger instead.
She doesn’t react to Hannibal the way I imagine a Lion with all that guilt would, either. Even after she knows for certain that he’s a killer, in the 3x09 flashbacks -- even when she’s outright saying that she’s not sure it’s smart to trust or accept him, she’s not really that guarded with him. If she’s a Lion, her talk with Freddie about Boyle and her guilt for the part she played under duress in her father’s killings speaks to some pretty intense gut feelings about killing and people who have done it. I see absolutely none of that in how she talks to Hannibal immediately after he confesses to killing more people than her father.
(There is some debate about how accurate the 3x09 flashbacks are, I believe, whether they’re closer to Will’s hallucinations of Abigail than actual memories; I do think some of the details may be embellished or changed by Hannibal’s memories, but I’m going to assume they’re more accurate than not to make this easier on myself.)
There’s also what she says in the therapy flashback, and yes, it’s clearly led and influence by Hannibal, but it still appears to be her words and her emotions:
He was as good to me as he knew how to be. Hunting with him was the best time I ever had.
And there’s the simple fact that this is the tact Hannibal takes with her, over and over, which I think can be read into. Hannibal is perceptive, very good at reading and manipulating people, and over and over again, when he wants a way to connect to or manipulate Abigail, he puts himself in a position where she can mentally link him with her father and her family. The tea and the dinner in 1x04, the dinner with Freddie and comforting Abigail in the kitchen in 1x09, “You accepted your father. Would it be so difficult to accept me?” -- it’s the tact he takes with Will too, to encourage his desire to bond with Abigail, pushing him to think of the three of them as family. It makes sense if it’s because he can feel both of them looking for that connection, and knows it’ll serve his desires and plans best if they find it with him and each other.
(I don’t want to go into this too long because I’ve already talked a lot, but there’s also something so fascinating about the idea of Abigail, whose trauma is about fathers and family and girls like her, whose downfall is in who she gives her trust to, being a Badger. And that’s not, y’know, a reason to sort her that way -- but it does add a really interesting layer to her if she is one.)
Okay. Let’s see if I can do the Secondary in under a thousand words this time.
Abigail is trying so hard to perform Snake, or maybe a really fast Bird. She’s trying to manipulate, to show everything what they need to see to want to protect or help her, to have a plan, to be one step ahead of everybody else.
And she’s really, really bad at it. Because Abigail has a loud, screaming Lion Secondary that hates every second of what she’s doing. All the decisions that give her any sense of control, all the decisions that seem to come from what she wants to do instead of what she thinks is best -- going back home to confront what happened, unburying Boyle, going back with Will again in 1x12, even, to some extent, agreeing to work with Freddie -- are impulsive, and involve facing the issues instead of trying to bury them. And the biggest one of all, the thing she does to feel like she has control, unburying Boyle -- it’s the worst possible thing she could do, to try and keep herself safe, but not having to wait for it to happen, to be able to confront it head-on, is the part that matters to her.
She’s just really bad at lying in general, too. Every time she’s around somebody she likes or who knows the smallest part of her secret, she says something that hints about what else is going on. Again, the first time we see her talk to Will alone after she’s stopped trying to push him away, she almost gives it all away: “I wish I had killed him. For killing my mom. For killing all those girls, for making me...” Then there’s what she says to Jack while standing over Nick Boyle’s body, her speech about how she survived -- she’s trying to dismiss suspicion, but she can’t help some honesty leaking out even though it does nothing to help her sound innocent. Alana pegs her as trying to manipulate people and trying to be too practical in their very first conversation, that one that seems so far removed from what she’s like in private, with people she does trust to any extent.
It’s also notable that even with all her manipulation and masks being so see-through to everyone around her, she still ends up with some of that reaction she’s looking for anyway, and not just in Will’s crusade to protect her -- Alana says she can’t help but care about her as well. (You could easily argue Freddie seems to have some extent of genuine feeling towards her as well, sympathy if nothing else, though that’s more debatable. Hannibal is entirely debatable as to whether he has genuine feelings for her or not, but if you view their relationship that way, there’s that as well.) Lion Secondary’s accidental inspiration maybe, twisted and warped by that manipulative performance and the situation altogether?
In conclusion: Badly Burnt Badger Primary / Lion Secondary (probably at least somewhat burnt, or at least repressed) with inexpert Snake and Bird Performances layered on top.
#sorting hat chats#sortinghatchats#abigail hobbs#one day i will work out how to do these in a reasonable length i'm sorry#it all feels important! to explain the thought process behind it!#but then they end up so very long
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Hannigram??? Works???
aka: Hannibal and Will’s relationship isn’t healthy but at the end of the series its sort of has the potential to be? Or: a very long and rambly analysis of idiot gay cannibals and the power of equal standing in relationships
(1.5k words because I murder brevity with my teeth)
Trigger/ Spoiler warning for: Hannibal
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Ok I said they have the potential to be healthy and not that they are healthy because--lol, they’re not.
In the first season they’re “friends” but Hannibal’s also gaslighting the hell out of Will/ keeping a life threatening disease diagnosis from him/ framing him for murder/ shoving their daughters ear down his throat.
In the second season they’re almost enemies? but not really? Because Will is just as fucked up as Hannibal is so he doesn’t actually consider Hannibal to be his enemy, he just realizes he has Hannibal twisted around his finger and starts jerking the fucker around and it takes Hannibal all the way up to the finale to realize he’s not the one in control anymore.
In the third season they’re struggling because they don’t know how to be equals, they’re both fucked up and don’t know how to have normal, stable relationships so they’re jsut kind of feeling in the dark, falling back on old habits (eating your problems, murdering your problems, running away from your problems, etc) when things get uncomfortable. It’s--again--not until the season finale that they both realize that’s what they’re BOTH doing and find a comfort in realizing they’re both trying, but not succeeding.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Hannibal finds people interesting he “fosters codependency” so they cannot leave him (Abigail with the Boyle murder cover-up, Bedelia with getting eaten, Will with literally all the first season). Meanwhile Will just doesn’t do close relationships. Alana is the only person he considers to be his friend but she’s constantly fighting to keep that title, same with Beverly actually. Will himself doesn’t put any effort into keeping those friendships, he leaves it entirely up to them.
But Hannibal and Will’s bond forms so easily that it surprises both of them--and then when Hannibal defaults to his need to make Will dependent on him so he can’t leave, Will defaults to his rejection of dependency and points out that’s what Hannibal’s doing but also goes along with it because he finds himself almost wanting to be closer to the man.
This--the fact that Hannibal’s attempt at closeness is recognized and accepted, and that Will is allowing himself to be open with someone--is new to both of them. Equally.
(By the way this is in the form of Abigail, Hannibal fosters codependency by putting the responsibility of Abigail on both his and Will’s shoulders and Will allows this by recognizing it, pointing it out [”You’re fostering codependency doctor.”], and then still allowing it [going along with the Boyle cover up].)
Just--ok think about Dolce. (The ep where they reunite in the third season and Will tries to kill Hannibal only to get shot by Chiyoh and then for Hannibal to decide he’s going to eat Will’s brain before the Italian’s show up and kidnap them both.)
Will finding Hannibal is big for both of them: because it means that Will looked for Hannibal--actively sought him out by reflecting on past conversations they’ve had--and it also means that Hannibal was where Will could find him. It’s a shaky apology on both sides because they aren’t willing to actually apologize for any of their actions but they recognize the pain they’ve caused on another.
However, Will tries to murder Hannibal because he doesn’t know what he’s doing. I mean--he does--what I mean is that this relationship is such unexplored territory for both of them that it’s uncomfortable at first, and Will doesn’t trust Hannibal to be waiting on the other side while he stumbles thru the dark rn, so he falls back on old habits and tries murdering the problem.
Hannibal tries to eat Will’s brain because he’s also falling back on old habits (eating his problems) because he’s also uncomfortable with the new territory. He’s just more open to fumbling, but he’s hypersensitive to rejection (Mizumono, Dolce, getting himself arrested when Will tells him to get gone, that “Was it good to see me Will?” scene, etc.), and he takes Will’s stabbing attempt as rejection. At least until he drags him away and they have their “you forgive like god does Will--would you have made it quick? Or would you have stopped to gloat?” “Does god gloat?” “Often.” Conversation, and he realizes he’s not being rejected BUT he reminded that he’s still terrified OF the rejection so--boop eat the man.
(Oh also Will running away from the problem by letting Hannibal kill him--which, yes, is what was happening. He could have warned Jack that Hannibal was under the table as SOON as Jack came in the door but instead he waits until the last possible second. Also you can’t blame it on the drugs either if he can complain about Hannibal’s soup and keep up with this idiots waxing poetic ramblings he can tell that Jack came in. Also also also: Hannibal told him Jack was coming and also got under the table literally there was no reason for Will to NOT call out to Jack when he came in except that he didn’t want Jack to stop Hannibal.)
I guess what I’m trying to say is that in season one the power balance is in Hannibal’s court--and season two it’s in Will’s--and then in season three it’s wildly rocking back and forth between both of them before someone hits a metaphorical pause button--aka the “this is all I’ve ever wanted for you--for us.” “It’s beautiful.” scene.
Fundamentally I think this show is about Hannibal and Will’s relationship. The cliff scene is as much an ending as it is a beginning. That “it’s beautiful” exchange is both of them realizing they’re EQUALLY having trouble finding footing in their relationship, they’re realizing they’re BOTH uncomfortable to a certain degree with the new territory and that it’s just that for both of them--new territory.
Idk, you know when you’re taking a test and you have no idea what the answer to some question is so you’re slyly trying to look around to figure out if you’re the only one being stupid or if it’s just a hard test? And you don’t see anyone else looking around so you just miserably try your best but it’s not your best becasue you’re already in the mindset that you’re an idiot? And it’s not until after the test at lunch when you hear everyone else talking about how difficult it was that you realize you weren’t the only one struggling?
THATS this.
Hannibal and Will are both extremely lonely people becasue they’re fucked up. No one can know Hannibal entirely because he’s a serial cannibal, and no one can know Will entirely because his boredom with other peoples mortality scares them. Neither of them have been seen entirely until the other came into their lives, but they’re not used to being seen so it’s scary.
Both of them react to one another hostilely first--Will blatantly being an asshole at the prospect of Hannibal psychoanalyzing him and then Hannibal putting on this guise of “I’m completely removed from the situation and just curious to wind this man up and watch him go” but he’s not removed.
Honestly to me it feels like it was originally Hannibal’s plan to just leave Will in jail taking the blame for his murders, but actually misses Will, because being seen was scary but the other option is so lonely.
Will’s going through something similar, but he’s less inflammatory. Hannibal is all action, present--Will is getting too close? Get rid of him. He starts missing Will? Get him back. He has a problem and he acts on it immediately.
Will is patient and willing to wait and watch--Hannibal frames him for murder? Set up an elaborate series of events that will end in Hannibal losing something he holds more dear than his own life--his freedom. Mason kills his unborn child? Convince Mason to kill Hannibal so that Hannibal will torture Mason for Will.
Hannibal is dramatic and Will is apathetic, they’re both danger but different brands.
If the first two seasons are them trading power, then the third is them wildly grabbing for it despite the fact that they don’t want power over one another, and that final episode--that final scene--is them realizing this.
I said it was a beginning as much as an ending because it’s now that their relationship can finally actually advance, but it’s also the conclusion of them working separately, and instead embracing the idea of fumbling together.
I honestly don’t know where people get the idea that the show is about Hannibal “corrupting” Will. If that’s the case then this final episode makes this show a tragedy. Good succumbing to evil.
But--motherfuckers its not!!!
Will isn’t good, he tells us from the first episode he enjoyed killing Hobbes, that the reason he stopped being a cop was because he knew once he started killing he wouldn’t be able to stop. He manipulates people constantly, he got Abel killed, tried to get Chilton murdered, and then a season later he gets Chilton burned alive. He’s not good, he’s fucked up!!!
This show isn’t about corruption--it’s about realization!!!
Idk I love them, I hate them, and I love them.
#hannibal#nbc hannibal#will graham#hannigram#luci doesn't shut up#akjs;dlfjasdklfj#lol when am I going to stop talking about hannibal?#never#akjsd;f;lajksdf;lkja#they're just--FUCKKKKK so interestiiiinnnggg#ok sue me
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Shadow and Bone Season 1 Review
Ok so I got distracted by a need to watch all of Ben Barnes' filmography (lmao) but here is my review : It was really fun to watch and it was clearly made with love which is already the main thing with YA fantasy, which is often turned into a soulless moneygrab when put on screen. The actors were GREAT. I did think that the Crows suffered from being mashed up with the Shadow and Bone story, but they were still a highlight. I also think it was a bit rushed, esp. when it came to Alina's training. The costumes were beautiful, I want a kefta now. Plus the crossover fanfic interactions btw the SaB characters and the Crows were just pure joy. Also Milo, obviously <3 I'm in hyperfixation mode so here, have an essay :
The "Shadow and Bone" Characters :
- Jessie Mei Li !!!!!! She really made me like Alina so much more than in the books, she absolutely is the 'human embodiment of literal sunshine' and she was a joy to watch. Her character's arc is cliché but her acting is so expressive and endearing, I really felt for her all the way through. (maybe I'm biased bc Jessie talking about her ADHD and seeing her thrive at the same time is like!!! i love them they deserve all the best.) I like that they made Alina more proactive - even though she does make some stupid decisions... but I just don't understand people who put that down as bad writing, like ??? have you ever met a real person who only makes wise, good decisions ?? a character like that would either be at the end of their story or just in the background because that makes them static. The things with the maps in the beginning does a good job of illustrating how she is just this one girl making rash, erratic decisions out of fear and loyalty and doesn't have a sense of the bigger picture, caught in the tide of bigger events. It works for her character. When it comes to the choice of making her half-Shu, I do think it really makes sense re: her character feeling like an outsider but I do understand the criticisms that the microaggressions felt too relentless and one-note. I am really looking forward to them introducing Tamar and Tolya and hopefully connecting to them over her heritage in a more positive way.
- Mal in the books was one of the most annoying YA characters I've ever come across, so I really liked that they made him much more of a loyal, devoted friend. I found his relationship with Alina cute, it really gives us the sense that these are two orphans who found a home in each other, childhood best friends (and potential sweethearts) separated by war, two army grunts and ordinary people caught up in the wheels of power and war that usually crushes people like them, it's a great way to introduce the dynamics of their world and it's a trope that always makes me emo. It felt a bit too one note to me, though, and too heavily on the nose, like Mal's only personality was his attachment to Alina (and his resentment towards the Grisha) and too much of her emotional arc also relied on him. Them hitting us over the head with the meadow scenes felt like pure telling instead of showing and it ended up being super repetitive and kind of annoying. I am willing to like this pairing, but I wanted more scenes of them just having conversations about things and really understanding why they like each other beyond the whole childhood friends bond that we're asked to accept exists at the beginning. So I hope there's more depth there in next seasons.
- Ben Barnes!!!! Just jksdfhgkdjghdf. I'm not a big villain stan usually and I hated the Darkling in the books but DAMN his performance is just amazing. They managed to make him more sympathetic and human while at the same time making clear the stuff he does is deeply horrible. There's the Magneto-aspect of 'well clearly his methods are fucked up but he's addressing a terrible injustice nobody is doing anything about' that makes it very tempting to root for him ; and again, well, like, Ben Barnes is so hot and charismatic it feels uncomfortable (which I guess is part of the point lol). His loss of humanity is, up to a point, understandable, brought about by despair, loneliness, grief and a sense of powerlessness - living so long he starts to see other people as disposable, losing so many people he stops caring, seeing over and over how hate never seems to stop, etc. It's a logical explanation for going insane.
But the hunger for power is also very much present as a motivation and this ambiguity is there constantly. Does he maybe come to genuinely care for Alina or is it totally bullshit ? I think he does, he's just so fucked up that it comes out as possessiveness and a need to control her. He wants Alina to be his equal but he's incapable of treating her that way. It's tragic, in a sense, but the show doesn't excuse his actions either. Like his monstrosity is a product of this world full of injustice, yes, and that warrants some compassion, monsters are always a symptom of their environment in some ways and dehumanizing them completely is an excuse ; but at the same time, he sabotaged his own cause anyway the moment he started to treat other people like things, as he does with Alina, because that just perpetuates the cycle of violence and hate. At some point he started feeling like he was the only solution and he was owed power for his sacrifices, and he's using his cause as an excuse. When Alina came to him, there was a possibility for redemption, taking down the Fold, and it's a test because there is finally someone on his level of power. But instead of seeking to remedy the power imbalance between them, he made it worse, by lying to her, manipulating her, etc, and the antler collar is the ultimate sign of this.
I love those scenes towards the end (the antler-based body horror has big Hannibal vibes, so messed up). I like Alina telling him they could have had this, that she had compassion for him and his cause, that they could have worked together, and he's the one responsible for screwing it up and this time his claim that he's the misunderstood victim ("Make me your villain") appears delusional and self-serving instead of somewhat justified. The almost-lovers to enemies vibes, the sense of lost potential, and the angst of the whole 'oh you could finally have been loved by people, too bad you fucked it up !', very juicy. There is this fundamental idea that power/respect/love is not something you are owed no matter how good your intentions are or because you're strong or you have suffered or you're willing to commit horrible drastic actions, you have to keep proving you deserve it, and trying to claim power without responsibility of care turns you into a monster. The thing with the stag was an excellent metaphor of the fact that there's things you can't take, they have to be given to you, and the wonderful power there is in understanding that is what allows Alina to harness the stag amplifier's power. This is really when she escapes his grim utilitarian outlook and a different way forward and owns her own power fully on her own terms.
Anyway I hope Alina gets to beat the shit out of him at some point that would be very sexy but I'm also looking forward to see how their arcs parallel and diverge from each other as Alina starts to grapple more with the implications of her power and the harsh dilemmas of war and her own dark side. I want to see him become scared of her, and I feel it will be more visible than in the books where he just has this cold aggressive facade all the time. This one feels a lot more openly emotional which is just a lot more interesting.
- As for the other characters ; Zoya mostly made me sad. The actress has the perfect vibes but I'm not sure I love their take on her character so far, it does make sense in terms of the later books - that she has internalized prejudice regarding her mixed-race heritage, that she is jealous of Alina because of how hard she's fought to get where she is and Alina kind of takes it away from her, etc. But I would have liked to see a bit more of her being badass and sharp-tongued in a clever (even if mean) way instead of spending most of her time being rejected by men and being racist towards Alina. I did like the ending though, of her actually seeing the monstrosity of the Darkling in action and the mention of her aunt. And her brief bonding with Inej was great, just because it was badass but also maybe because it could be a part of Zoya learning to accept her Suli heritage in turn, maybe not right away but in time, when thinking of that part of herself, she won't only think of her parents' ruined marriage and all the pain it caused, but also of that badass and brave acrobat girl who went toe to toe with these really scary monsters without even having any powers and !!!!!
- Also Leigh's cameo was so cute and as an aspiring writer this is just such wish fulfillment
- I honestly think that having the Crows there actually made the S&B story better ? Not only in terms of the much needed levity breaks but also in terms of themes. For instance, Matthias and Nina's story gave us a really raw and visceral view of how the Grisha are hunted. And Inej's relationship to Alina really gave us a sense of what Alina actually means to people who believe in the Saints in a way that doesn't feel just like 'ugh those superstitious people' because we know that Inej's faith is part of what makes her who she is and a person with morals, and something that saw her through the worst moments of her life. It feels so special that she got to meet Alina and given a sign that maybe the world is not completely shitty. And Alina's kindness towards Inej really gives you a sense that she might be, or become worthy of that belief in time, or at least that she wants to, that she's figuring out her power to really touch people's lives might be a good thing, and that she's starting to accept this responsibility more fully. And her arming Inej is a nice parallel to that. I'm very emotional about this scene, because one of the first things we see of young Alina is her taking out a knife to defend Mal from the bullies, because she's protective and brave, but she's also aware the world is a shitty place, and so her giving that knife to Inej is a sort of spiritual transmission and recognition of sorts, that she trusts Inej with that fighting power, that she'll use this knife to defend herself and her loved ones and not abuse it. It's so interesting. And a counter point to the Darkling's fucked up relationship to power that Alina might at some point get afraid she'll replicate. That you could see Alina trying to gather followers and using people's admiration for her like he did but instead she sets them free and empowers them. It's great. And I feel that when Inej takes to the seas, she'll think about Alina. (I do hope somebody tells her Alina's not dead at some point though god). Girls giving each other knives is my spirituality, honestly.
- And I also noticed an interesting parallel between Kaz and the Darkling in terms of being two emo dudes who like to wear black, are prone to violence and have a thing for two very powerful women they think are special and want to have at their side, but of course, they go about it in very different ways. The Darkling comes at it from a place of power while Kaz comes from a place of utter powerlessness, first of all, and he understands why it's important to set Inej free. Him spending the entire season trying to earn enough money to pay off Inej's indenture is the opposite to the Darkling putting that collar on Alina and while I do have issues with how the show portrays him, I do love that. Love is about setting the person you love free !!!! And that confrontation scene was so powerful, when Kaz tells the Darkling Alina was tired of being a captive ! Drag him !
- As for Genya, I liked the actress and her chemistry with Alina, but I'm not sure they did a great job of making her arc very clear, for instance what it means for her to get that red kefta, her relationship with the other Grisha, etc. Her and David are already very cute though. Also very much looking forward to see where that goes.
So yeah I think they did a great job with this bit actually, I enjoyed a lot more than I think I would and even though it is a very tropey story, there's plenty of depth there too.
The Crows :
- I'm a bit more nitpicky about this because I care about these characters so much. I think overall the problem is that the SaB story in the books happens on this massive scale with enormous stakes, and that next to that the Crows' issues feel less important ; it's like their impact is distorted by the gravity of the much larger story. Like for instance, Kaz in the books is very much at the center of everything, this larger than life trickster figure who knows and controls almost everything by sheer cleverness, and he has this sense of allure and mystique that can't happen here, and so his aura just shrinks. On top of that they're not on their home turf. Being introduced to these characters before they've reached their full levels of badass is weird - there is a reason why prequels generally happen after the main stuff, because they count on the love you have for these characters at their full potential to make you interested in their story when they were less badass and interesting. So I had several moments where I was like 'oh this feels wrong'. Tbh the idea that they would even volunteer to kidnap Alina in the first place, what with Inej's backstory, feels kind of wrong, esp since they had no idea of what would happen to her if they succeeded.
- But I still enjoyed a lot of it though, especially the fact that they were this force of chaos in the midst of this bigger narrative that's a lot more self-serious. The bits with the train, or the circus acts were very clever. A lot of the best moments in the show happen when they come to disturb the other plot in unexpected ways. I'm still dead over the whole 'Alina jumps into their carriage' scene, that was fucking gold. The team up at the end !!!! Alina and Kaz making a deal ! Inej stabbing the Darkling !!!! Them stealing the Darkling's carriage !!! They don't give a shit that the story is supposed to be super dramatic it's great.
- Jesper is the one character they completely nailed from start to finish and he's probably my favorite part of the whole show. He's very funny without being reduced to the role of comic relief ; he's just so! damn! cool!!!!!!! I honestly feel this is a thing they actually did even better than in the books, or at least Six of Crows where I felt Jasper kind of disappeared behind Kaz and they insist a lot on his flaws and issues. So before we dig more into those problems I love that they gave him time to be this ultra badass who saves the day several times ; while at the same time, hinting at further developments like his powers or his gambling issues. Kit Young is just perfect, confident without being arrogant, a bit cold when it comes to crime while at the same time being so obviously caring with Inej - I loved their friendship, that was so sweet. My main criticism is that they should have made it clearer he was bi because there are already people calling him gay and that's very annoying. I know some people had a problem with his hookup and like...I can see it's a bit of a cliché...the charming badass bisexual adventurer....it's a trope I kind of love though lmao and the scene itself felt kind of cute and fun. He's not the only person who is shown to have an active sexuality and he's also not the only queer person around and we know he's going to have a more substantial romantic arc later so eh. On a larger note I loved the little casual hints of completely normalized queerness - Nadia thirsting over Zoya, Fedyor and Ivan, Poppy, etc. Having grown up with fantasy where queerness was either completely erased or very tormented and problematic, this was refreshing as hell.
- Inej and Kaz...my faves... They have a kind of relationship which feels so rare and unique in terms of what exists on TV and while I don't feel they entirely replicated it, the core is still there - the mutual respect and building of trust, the longing, the repression, the trauma, etc. One thing I really like is their arc around faith - in the books, Kaz is dismissive of Inej's faith in ways that often feel really shitty and I like that he learns to be more respectful of it. It's very much linked to hope/survival ; Inej keeps this token from her parents and she hopes to find them again ; Kaz tells her it's no use and she'll survive better if she gives up. He believes Alina is a fake, while Inej wants to believe that myths can come true and there is hope for good things in the world. Kaz comes to accept that Alina is the real deal and, out of respect for Inej's faith, to stop pursuing her. I loved the bit about Inej struggling to kill as well - it's the dilemma of what her survival and that of the people she really cares about are worth in such a shitty world - her compassion is a good part of her but so is her survival instinct, and that's the part Kaz represents - that even after she's been through hell, broken in unfathomable ways, even if she gave up all hope and faith in the world, even she becomes dangerous and ruthless to survive, she will still deserve dignity, and to be treated better. And meanwhile she is willing to break her principles, which she holds so dearly, to save him, when he's never had anyone who cared for him like that - enough to keep him alive. That bit in the church !!!!! God !!!!!! Bye !!!!!!! And then him basically calling her his own version of a Saint, that he doesn't believe in miracles but he does believe in her !!! It's very emblematic of their whole arc ; he empowers her to survive in a ruthless world and loves her at her most dangerous ; but he loves her laugh too, he finds her a ship and her parents, he honors her capacity for love and hope even when he can't share it. And she sees that he's capable of doing better, that he's worth caring for. This whole thing kills me honestly and I can't wait to see where they take this next. I'm not mad they're a bit more soft and obvious than in the books, Kaz would just have come across as an an asshole otherwise.
- That said, there are bits of how they introduced their backstories I don't like. I get that making it so Inej was still tied to the Menagerie gave them a very powerful reason to want to kidnap Alina beyond greed so that they wouldn't look like very shitty people. But in the books Inej is terrified by the idea of simply seeing Heleen or the Menagerie and the way they have her interact with her feels weirdly casual and dismissive of her trauma. Also, in the books, the fact that Kaz had to convince Per Haskell to buy Inej's contract through a lot of effort, that he wasn't the one holding that above her head either, made the power dynamics more palatable. I especially disliked the scene where Kaz says he won't free other girls because just Inej is special, it makes him look like he has the power but he's just too much of a callous asshole to do it, and that he just freed Inej because he liked her which is absolutely not what their relationship is about at the start, it's a lot more about seeing Inej's dangerous side behind a facade of powerlessness and relating to her, in a sense, and this scene made it all feel cheap.
- Also, what was that about Inej having a brother ? Not a fan of that either. I'm afraid they're going to make her story all about finding what happened to him, and that's 1) too on the nose similar to Kaz's story and 2) it kind of cheapens her own arc, a female character realizing that what was done to her was wrong, reclaiming her own power and dignity and then making sure it doesn't happen to anybody else, harnessing her personal experience to save strangers, that's so powerful - making it about a family member at first, especially if it's about revenge, it's so much more simplistic and unoriginal and the perspective really annoys me.
- Also not a fan of Per Haskell not being there because he's a very important part of Kaz's evolution, so I hope he shows up eventually - and the way they introduced Pekka Rollins was kind of like...weird and out of place. I just found the Crows' introduction scenes stilted and not as cool as they should have been - well, Jesper and Inej were very cool, but we needed to see Kaz in action first, we needed to see why he's such a menace before we see him flounder later, and I just...I don't know exactly but it didn't work for me. Also this is a very petty thing but I wasn't crazy about the Ketterdam sets, I know this is probably a budget thing but in my head it looked like this incredible mix of Amsterdam and Venice - specific locations in the book directly remind me of parts of Amsterdam I know very well - and instead what we got felt like this very generic London-ish fantasy setting....so boring. Also a lot of scenes that felt to exposition-y. I don't mind that Kaz was a bit softer than in the books, like many people have said some things work in books and don't work on a screen, and you need to make the character's inner dynamics more explicit. But I do agree that, at the same time, he should have been more ruthless towards people outside of his group. Loved that scene where he faces the Inferni though, and how well they illustrated his disability and aversion to touch.
- I don't have that much to say about Nina and Matthias ; I'm still not super sold on the whole 'haha misogyny!' thing and I dislike that so much of Matthias' change of heart relies on the fact that he finds Nina hot. But I did think that the actors had enough chemistry to make their scenes together interesting and cute ; I loved the waffle scene. Even though it's disappointing that they didn't find an actress who was more clearly plus size for Nina, I still think Danielle does a good job bringing her bold, unapologetic energy. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Crows as a whole team.
So yeah, even though the season didn't feel like a perfect, coherent whole, it was just a lot of fun and I really hope they get renewed. In particular I feel like tying the first trilogy to the Crows' story could create such interesting parallels in terms of themes, about power, the cost of survival, hope, trauma, etc etc
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hannibal questions! 🍖🔪
@nietzscheantrout @horrorlesbians and @hanniba1 wanted me to answer these hannibal questions and i wrote too much but oh well! thanks to all 3 of you ilu!!!
favorite episode and why: oh we’re just goin straight to the hard questions huh um OKAY so i think i can only do an ep a season - s1: SORBET SUPREMACY! you get to see the exact moment will looks at hannibal and thinks “.........shit. it’s him isn’t it. he’s The One. SHIT.” and that is so important to me - s2: this one is really hard maybe naka-choko? it’s so fucking gay and sexy. but tome-wan... but mizumono............ yeah idk - s3: torn between digestivo and the wrath of the lamb cuz they both hurt SOOO good much; i love will breaking up with hannibal and hannibal manipulating the situation so will can’t leave asldkjansk it’s so toxic we have to stan..... and for twotl i mean do i really have to give a reason every scene LIVES in my mind and it contains my favorite shot in the whole show:
that is LOVE baby! that is DESIRE! that is being ENTHRALLED!!!!
least favorite episode and why: i feel like they’re all so necessary that it’s kind of impossible to say but probably antipasto. i get sick of hannibal and bedelia’s shenanigans really quickly and as much as i hate to admit it... i miss will. i also think it was an extremely weak season opener and i blame it for getting the show canceled sjshshsgsg the resentment...
favorite side character: chiyoh or jimmy or actually wait— RANDALL TIER 🖤
if you could bring back one character who died, who would it be?: RANDALL FUCKING TIER. i want there to be a weird thing with him and hannibal and will going on. but also i love what his death did for will so idfk, other than him it’s gotta be beverly
dish prepared in the show that you would like to try eating/making: i was supposed to make hannibal’s osso bucco recipe like 3 weeks ago but it completely slipped my mind so i guess i’ll get on that my next grocery trip
which side character would you kill off?: chilton just because for god’s sake just let the man DIE ALREADY poor guy <- i’m taking ava’s answer because YEAH
was there any scene that you didn’t like to look at?: nah. the skin ripping scenes at the beginning of either kaiseki or sakizuki (idk i don’t remember, i hardly watch s2a) are particularly brutal but i tough it out
biggest ship: i mean do i even have to say
why did you start watching hannibal?: my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time, and her dad were watching it as it was airing and i was like “oh cool hannibal lecter origin story” but due to inconsistent access to the episodes i would just watch it randomly and that is... not the way to watch hannibal. i gave up around the end of s2 but knew hannigram was It regardless. i decided to watch s3 for the first time earlier this year just to have finished it and was like HOLD UP and did an immediate rewatch that left me... well, how i am now
favorite hannibal fic if you’ve read any?:
oh boy. yall ready for this? all of these can be found on ao3 obviously (i’m so sorry this is so long but i guess i’ve been asked to put together a fic rec anyway)
as soft, as wide as air by blackknightsatellite, the ladders series by emungere, blackbird by emungere, consenting to dream series by emungere, taken for rubies by emungere, at first meeting by emungere, protect me from what i want by @alienfuckeronmain, god of the cold, cold wars by highermagic, the abyss smiled back by highermagic, pomegranate seeds by highermagic, absolute zero by highermagic, in the truly gruesome do we trust by sidnihoudini, TKO by sidnihoudini, oh dear by lunarwench, each according to its kind by chapparral_crown, a flood in our hearts by nanoochka, let me sinful be by darlingred, uncomplicated by stratumgermanitivum & youaremydesign, good bones by @damnslippyplanet, like they do in babylon by @damnslippyplanet, your obedient servant by kareliasweet, past our satellites by shotgunsinlace, only the tender meat by isagel, the shape of me will always be you by missdisoriental, a white-walled room by rodabonor, spleen et idéal by rodabonor, the paper doll series by rodabonor, a common point of interest by rodabonor [i do NOT like a/b/o stuff but if i did... it’s this fic], just thought you should know by earthsickwithoutyou, the sacrificial lamb by princesskay, transcendent suffering by itsbeautiful, not something polite by moistdrippings, leave your message after the tone by onewhositswithturtles, holes in the floor of the mind by feverdreamblood, crossing caina by feverdreamblood, the archipelago series by melusine10, but seas between us braid hae roar’d by kareliasweet
have you watched any of the hannibal films?: yeah all of them except manhunter! i grew up watching silence of the lambs because my mom loved it and i went thru a big edward norton phase as a teen so i’ve seen red dragon like 10 times
have you read the thomas harris books?: no and i’m not going to lmao #fakefan
favorite murder tableau: if we’re talking just hannibal’s- the judge. if we’re talking Murder Bad But Kinda Pretty like in general probably the mushroom people or the totem
favorite blood spill: will imagining hannibal while he beats randall to death or The Gutting of Will Graham
what’re some of your headcanons?: - will is good at shibari (backed up in canon: his fishing knots, the firefly man’s full body hishi karada harness) - hannibal rarely listens to modern, non-classical music but he’s a björk fan and he saw one of her chapel performances during the vespertine era and was Moved - will listens to classic rock (zeppelin, the doors, pink floyd) with some classic country (patsy, merle, johnny) and blues (billie, muddy, bessie) thrown in. he’s also a sucker for early/mid-90s college rock/alternative/grunge - will plays the piano (because of the piano in his living room) and the harmonica (because he’s country white trash); he’s kind of shit tho - hannibal fell for will somewhere between “my thoughts are often not tasty” and “you won’t like me when i’m psychoanalyzed” (love at first sight! at last sight! at ever and ever sight!!!) - will’s circumcised, hannibal isn’t 🤪 - hannibal’s a gemini!!!! adaptable, creative, intelligent, outgoing, impulsive, etc - will’s an aquarius!!!!! analytical, a loner, temperamental, unique, compassionate, etc - will’s mom was jewish go read my fic about it https://archiveofourown.org/works/26774326 - hannibal is an agender man (tbh i think of this as canon, it’s just unstated/undefined) - hannibal can speak russian, spanish, and a teensy bit of portuguese in addition to the other languages we know he speaks (lithuanian, english, french, italian, japanese) - will speaks limited amounts of french; he learned it as a kid in louisiana - ED TW will sometimes has a Difficult relationship with food due to food instability by the way of poverty as a kid and goes through periods where it’s hard to keep himself fed, but hannibal is so good for him in that way because he keeps him from going hungry 😓 (yes this is me projecting but also it makes SENSE) - hannibal typically bottoms but THEY DEFINITELY ARE BOTH VERS and will never stops being surprised by how much he loves catching a dick. every time is like religious experience. okay? okay - they’re also both very kinky and switches but tbh.... will was made to Dom hannibal like that’s the reason he exists he could drag that old bitch around by a leash and hannibal would be in heaven HANNIBAL WOULD CALL HIM SIR - the first time they have sex hannibal comes like immediately but he isn’t embarrassed because he’s hannibal fucking lecter and hannibal lecter doesn’t get embarrassed - i have a hc for their favorite sex positions but i’m not gonna put that here because i don’t want yall calling me crazy any more than you probably already do but if you wanna know just DM me all i do is think about them fucking it’s a curse - okay no more dirty stuff abigail called hannibal “dad” on more than one occasion and it was half-joking but it also felt comfortable to her; she never thought to call will “dad” because he’s a weirdo and never knew her as much as he knew his idea of her - hannibal taught her to play piano at the cliff house - beverly is pansexual!!! - brian and jimmy kissed one time when they were drunk and they NEVER talk about it EVER - chiyoh is straight probably. i know, i know, everyone says she’s a lesbian and if she’s a lesbian to you that’s awesome! she’s a lesbian! but idk i just think she’s SO fucking straight and tbh i mourn bc that’s my wife. she could MAYBE be bicurious... - chiyoh is non-monogamous and doesn’t do serious relationships, she doesn’t like the idea of being tied to one person ever since she left the lecter castle - she helped hannibal and will escape after The Fall; she told hannibal she would continue to watch over him and i think she did, she got them a boat and got them the fuck out of there - MOLLY IS DOING SO MUCH BETTER WITHOUT WILL. SHE’S SO GLAD SHE GOT OUT OF THAT WHEN SHE DID. she has a good, long talk with alana and finds out all the shit about him and hannibal that will never told her (and it was a lot), gets drunk and burns all his shit, and then washes her hands of the whole thing; moves to a different state, gets a girlfriend, and never thinks about will again
okay i’m capping it there or i’m never gonna stop!! i’m not tagging anyone cuz i think everyone has done this by now lmao but if you’re a mutual who hasn’t and you want to just do it and say i tagged you!! mwah!!!!
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