#though Hannibal is actually responsible for his problems

[luna-moth-0]

Yk what I find funny? The reason why Hannibal is not the kind of person Will usually like in the show versus in the book.

In the show, Will has a bad first impression of Hannibal bc he's a psychiatrist and psychiatrists have been disrespectful to Will, treating him like a mere study subject, a curiosity.

Meanwhile in the book it's because Will hates rich people.

And yk, Hannibal is rich.

[save-the-villainous-cat]

may I request a really really really smart villain. but somehow the hero manages to outsmart them, and even though villain is completely dumbfounded, they find it incredibly hot???

gl, if you wish, but im fine with anything !!

“You’re scared,” the villain whispered. “I know what that feels like. I know what it can do to a person.”

Their fingertips traced the hero’s clavicle gently, as if they attempted to calm a startled deer by stoking it.

“It’s not a pleasant emotion. It certainly isn’t one anyone should be used to. So I’m curious, do you need my help?” the villain said. Their eyes scanned the hero curiously. Almost as if they could absorb everything about them just by looking at them.

Something about the hero seemed to pull them in, something seemed to fascinate them on a grand scale and the hero couldn’t tell if they loved the challenge or the attention.

“Would you mind?” the hero asked. They nodded towards the villain’s fingers on their body and clearly, the villain received their message. They pulled away and smiled. Curiosity seemed to be their big weakness.

“I apologise, of course. I’m fond of pretty things.”

“As every crow is.”

“That’s a compliment.” The hero didn’t answer. They knew the villain was toying with them; they were fully aware of their sweet words and their kind smile.

The villain wasn’t easy to understand and that was a big problem in this whole mess. Incompetent people proposed a threat to the city because of their lack of intelligence. They weren’t easy to understand, they were unpredictable.

Usually, the hero could argue with smart people, could get into their minds and understand their motives but the villain was a complete minefield. Their unpredictability came from several unrelated plans that intertwined and altogether made up a whole picture.

They were ten steps ahead. Always.

Suddenly, a missing professor, a burning bakery, a sick child and a stolen book were parts of a chain that would make sense to the hero much, much later. Ordinary things could play huge parts in these reaction chains, something they liked to call “controlled butterfly effect”. It made the hero think of all the details, all the little crimes in the city. It made them overanalyse every little conversation they had with the villain.

Was the villain giving them clues?

Was there a way to decipher these riddles?

How could anyone be at ten different places at the same time?

How was it possible to get information you’d have to torture out of people without actually talking to anyone at all?

“I’ll have to change my address for the third time this month,” the hero said. “You should apologise for that as well.”

“It’s not my fault you make it so easy for me.” The villain looked around the hero’s living room and in some weird and strange way, the hero felt superior to them, now that everything was done. It would’ve been foolish to say they were relieved. In fact, the villain was right. They were terrified. “New choice of plants, I see. You like orchids?”

“Why exactly are you here?” the hero asked. They assumed the villain knew about yesterday. They also assumed the villain was here to talk about that. “So you can make fun of me? Humiliate me in my own home?”

“Without an audience? Please, I thought you knew me.” The villain’s eyes found the hero’s again after what they deemed to be enough observation.

“You like it more intimate. You like it when it’s just us.” Now, the villain looked intrigued.

“Touché,” they said, almost as if the hero had defeated them with a single word. The hero wished it had been that easy.

“Again. Why are you here?” The hero crossed their arms in front of their chest. It was getting quite chilly in just a shirt and underwear.

In response, the villain took in a deep breath and sat down on the hero’s couch. They lounged.

“When Hannibal crossed the Alps, do you think he was scared? I mean, all that responsibility on his shoulders? It was dangerous, he could’ve lost his entire army.”

“Is this supposed to be some metaphor for me being Hannibal and you being…what? The Roman Republic?” the hero asked. Sometimes, it was laughable where the villain’s mind went. It was hard enough to keep up with them already but the amount of knowledge the hero acquired from talking to them alone was insane.

It was the type of learning experience that required failing repeatedly to get to the answer. The hero didn’t enjoy it.

But the villain only chuckled.

“I was trying to say that being determined and scared can coexist. You did something that demands great courage.” They tilted their head. “And yet, it is a very scary thing.”

With slow steps, the hero approached them until they were close enough. They sat down on the villain’s lap. Unsurprisingly, their nemesis didn’t protest.

They weren’t proud of what had happened, they weren’t proud of what they’d done.

“How can a person obtain information no one dares to whisper?” the hero asked. “How can that person receive it within seconds?”

“You tell me,” the villain said. An invitation. It would’ve been illogical to decline.

“You had two helpers. Someone who can teleport. Someone who can turn invisible. I don’t know how you convinced them but they were heroes once.”

The villain nodded.

“The Romans had to learn the hard way how important spies are. They learnt it from the Carthaginian. Like I learnt from you years ago,” the villain said. It was difficult to imagine that all this was the hero’s fault. “Now, tell me what you did when you found out.”

The hero was quiet until the villain’s palm brushed their thigh softly. The villain seemed unfittingly euphoric.

“I knew they wouldn’t be easy to keep in a cell.”

“So?”

“So I killed them.” The villain nodded.

“You killed them,” the villain agreed. “Did you know crows wait for other predators to tear open their prey?”

The hero waited. The villain wasn’t angry. They were fascinated. It hadn’t even occurred to the hero that this was the solution up until yesterday.

And still, even though this was a major success when it came to stopping the villain, it wasn’t satisfactory. Killing two of their own people hadn’t been pretty.

“Did you know curiosity killed the cat?” the hero asked back. Behind their back, they clenched their fist to stop their hand from shaking.

Within seconds, several red laser dots pointed at the villain. With the hero on their lap, pressing them into the couch, there wasn’t anywhere to go. The sharpshooters wouldn’t let the villain move a muscle.

And behind the shocked expression, the hero saw something they weren’t sure if they loathed or liked: a certain admiration for only them.

[possibly-drunk-on-fanfiction]

Flowers of Futamono (updated version)

Update note: I misidentified a couple of flowers and am posting an updated version. I will leave my original up as well.

My mind recently has been on one specific Hannibal tableau.

This one:

I haven't been able to stop thinking about it in regards to flower meanings. I'm not all that versed in flower language, but I am aware that flower meanings differ from place to place. Japan in particular has a unique flower language. Yellow roses are known for being symbolism for friendship, however in Japanese flower language they mean jealousy. I bring it up because the entirety of season 2 uses Japanese dishes to name the episodes.

I have thus latched onto this and have drawn the comparison between Japanese flower language and this particular tableau.

I have of course run into a problem but I have a solution and thought process onto why this is the case.

Jack names three of the plants we see; belladonna, white oleander, and ragwort.

Now, do you see the problem? That's right they aren't the flowers used in the tableau. Only one of them was actually correct.

They look similar enough that most likely the showrunners just didn't think anyone would go through the effort to look up the flowers. I would like you to stay with me though because it's easy to headcanon and explain this glaring issue away.

Jack isn't the kind of guy to know flowers and neither are the people around. Hannibal though is absolutely the kind of guy to send a message with flowers that no one would understand.

Maybe it's on purpose though because there is the surface layer meaning with the flowers that Jack names, and then there's the actual flowers used and the true underlying meaning. And I'm going to assert that Hannibal is also experiencing such a dilemma. His Person Suit doesn't agree with the Ripper beneath the surface.

Originally I called this one purple hyacinth but it's actually bittersweet nightshade.

The one place I could find a Japanese meaning had its meaning as "dark thoughts". Which makes sense given nightshade is one of the most poisonous plants out there. Nightshade is often called the devil's plant and is associated with death and betrayal. Google told me that the specific nightshade in the tableau were used in wreath making to mean fidelity ('til death do us part, I suppose) which I can't help but find hilarious considering Hannibal emotionally cheating on Alana the whole time he's with her (even if he's apparently unaware of his feelings until season 3).

This and the subsequent meanings are more than likely for Will as he is the real reason for the tableau in the first place. Previously Will tried to kill Hannibal via Matthew and in response he says he must get his appetite back, thus this tableau.

For the next one we have the chain of white oleander which is actually two different flowers with some moss. The two flowers we actually have here are narcissus and pink hyacinth. Narcissus' meaning is; "self-love, egotism and unrequited love". Pink hyacinth is simple in comparison because it's sole meaning is: "play". Interestingly oleander's meaning is; "caution, beware". A sign that things are not entirely as they seem.

More than likely this flower is a chrysanthemum indicum hybrid rather than the apparent ragwort that Jack calls it. While I couldn't find a meaning for the specific kind of chrysanthemum that is pictured, the meaning I did find for yellow chrysanthemums is: "slighted love". I couldn't find any significant symbolism for ragwort. I did however find lots of warnings about it being poisonous.

The other one I got wrong is the one I called a blue globe thistle but its actually sea holly. I'm not surprised about being wrong about this one with how similar the two plants look. Looking up the symbolism gave me a bunch of different things. From prosperity, to luck, and independence, refinement, also attraction. One site even has its meaning overlapping with one of thistle's: austerity.

The red flowers are unfortunately not easily identifiable. The could quite literally be almost any red petaled flower.

While that covers the meaning of the flowers within the chest we still have the flowers of the tree.

Another possible incorrect flower is the tree itself. While watching the episode again it's obvious they used various different shots of blossom trees. Some look like apple blossoms, others like cherry blossoms, and of course some look like plum blossoms. While they all have unique meanings specific to them, the overarching symbolism of blossoming trees is; hope, renewal, new beginnings, perseverance, and keeping promises. Generally just about surviving the winter because blossom trees tend to bloom before trees get their leaves in spring.On top of the incorrect flowers is the fact that I forgot that Will does end up seeing the tree in picture form in the next episode. His recreation of it is interesting because unlike others where he recreates where it happens, the scene shows him in Hannibal's office. That shows that he gets that the message is to him because that is where Hannibal had sown the seeds of Becoming into Will, but I get the impression he's blind to the whole meaning of the flowers. And what is the message Will is missing?

It's still a response to Will's attempted murder. Since the tree and flowers are in bloom there is a message of pride (narcissus) that those seeds he had sown started to sprout, that Will has stepped up to play (pink hyacinth) the game with Hannibal. He is disappointed and feels slighted (yellow chrysanthemum) by him using a proxy and that Will could use some refinement (sea holly) still. Overall though he's applauding the new beginnings (blossom tree) and the dark thoughts (nightshade) that has been sown into Will's heart.

I left a portion in the early part of this post asserting that Hannibal's Person Suit doesn't agree with the Ripper that lays beneath the surface in a similar fashion to the way Francis and the Dragon aren't entirely one. I have spent a lot of time deliberating whether or not the message he sends here is in agreement with the actions of his Person Suit. As I have left the aforementioned assertion I agree with my previous thoughts.

And I have Jack Crawford and his line where he names the flowers to thank for that. Why call one of the most notorious poisonous plants belladonna? If the team wanted to actually sell the whole poisonous man-tree thing I don't see a reason to not call it nightshade; a way more recognizable name. He calls it belladonna. By that point in the series we already know about Jack's wife Phyllis who he calls Bella. The audience is already aware of him calling his wife beautiful all the time. The association of Italian words and their meaning is present. Bella donna meaning beautiful woman is just a surface level meaning that is easily coupled with the blooming on screen relationship between Hannibal and Alana. A relationship that Hannibal seems to actually care about as he doesn't want to kill her and invites her to partake in his hobbies; the dinner parties and playing his instruments.

Yet the Rippers bouquet message to Will as well the subsequent actions show that beneath the surface his thoughts are only on Will. Even the canvas upon which he uses for this tableau is a white man with messy brown hair.

These details show that there's a dilemma going on with the Person Suit and the Ripper. And this is glaringly obvious because Will is unpredictable; especially after release. By being with Alana he was putting her in danger. Hannibal had to have a lot of faith that Will would never hurt her. Even after being baited by Will's flirting he still tried to send her away during the season finale. And even then it was Abigail who almost killed her, not Hannibal. Yet not once are any of the Ripper's actions defined by her. Those are all for Will. Underneath is an obsession and love that Hannibal has no clue what to do with.

All the Ripper could do was leave a lonely tableau in an empty parking lot, with the roots and guts on display, and no one around to understand. The only hint of the actions to come.

[dearsholmes]

Autism movie/show deep dive and my very general thoughts on them!

(everyones different these are my own opinions as an autistic woman please watch for yourself and share any additional thoughts you have on them!)

Music (2021)

Enough said.... had to get this one over with 0/10

Adam (2009)

I found most of these movies to be outdated BUT I actually really appreciate Hugh Dancy's recreation of an autistic character (those who know him as Will in Hannibal would probably also agree). Even though originally I wasn't a fan of the ending I came to appreciate it that he wasn't 'saved' by romance and that it proved he was able to be independent and had great character growth while still respecting himself and his passions. I think it offered a decent insight to the different aspects of autistic joy, passion, while still including the difficult aspects with socializing, navigating relationships, grief, and meltdowns but now being overshadowed by them or 'becoming a problem'. However, I do love space so that could've also been responsible for my love for this movie. 8/10

Heartbreak High (2022)

I absolutely love Chloé Hayden who is autistic herself so her character in the show feels real and more relatable. Pretty much what I said about 'Adam' but to an extreme I think the script and character interactions are such a fantastic and understandable demonstration of what being an autistic women is like (granted everyones experience is different). Cannot wait for the next season! This show is such a great modern day representation and not based in stereotypes like others are 10/10

Big Bang Theory (2007)

I will never not defend this show - I know people tend to hate this because Sheldon is heavily stereotypical but I find him incredibly relatable as I do fall into a lot of these stereotypes myself. Once again everyones experiences are different so I don't understand why people write this show off completely. Love it 10/10

Atypical (2017)

Unfortunately I don't have much to say about this show in regards to his autism because the constant inconsistencies during scenes deserve their own post and were too distracting to focus on anything else. Another thing that upset me about this is that the show is meant to take place in Connecticut yet they filmed in one of the most recognizable aquariums in the west coast. This show probably could've been good if it was just made better/had quality control. The only thing I remember liking was the pros and cons list because I also do that. 4/10

Mozart and the Whale (2005)

I'm going to preface this one specifically that I know everyone's autism presents differently but I almost found her... offensive? I think this is because it was made in 2005 and is just outdated but I felt like a lot of the characters especially hers were more caricatures than characters. Sheldon being stereotypical is one thing but this felt kind of insulting? I'm having a hard time putting it into words. There were moments I liked though - it was a weird back and forth. 5/10

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

Other than the mistreatment/beating/abuse I actually am pretty fond of this movie. Once again, outdated. But almost... endearing in a way (minus the mistreatment once again). I hope anyone who has seen it will understand what I feel. I did find the love interest annoying but that is unrelated to this post yet I felt the need to warn you all, I don't like her. 7.5/10

My Name is Khan (2010)

I watched this movie six years ago in school before my diagnosis and I didn't even remember or realize he was autistic but I do remember having generally positive thoughts on this movie ?/10 (someone let me know if its worth a rewatch.

A Brilliant Young Mind (2014) ((also called X+Y))

There is a lot of downtime in this movie so it can be kind of boring but it is honestly one of my comfort/go to movies. Of course its the whole "autistics are math geniuses" thing but the movie itself I think is sweet. It shows his diagnosis, he loses his father, he has almost a fill in father who coaches his math, his mother is really supportive of him but not in a savior kind of way, he experiences going out of the country for a competition, struggles with socializing/overwhelm, romantic interests, and there is another character who is autistic and his struggles are also shown in a relatable way, nothings (in my opinion) is annoyingly over exaggerated like it sometimes can be in movies. 9/10

The Good Doctor (2017)

I never actually finished the show because the person I was watching it with kept making fun of me by relating myself to him. Since then I also haven't seen much of a positive reaction from other people either but please let me know your thoughts on it! ?/10

The Imitation Game (2014)

Alan Turing himself was autistic and so even though it's not a main focus of this movie I still wanted to include it because I love this movie! 9/10

Sherlock Holmes (timeless)

I have to also through him in here, obviously some versions are more autistic coded than others but I'm going to generally say all of them are great autistic representation <3 10/10

Not Dead Yet (2023)

Like in Heartbreak High, Rick Glassman an autistic actor plays an autistic character and I think its another great modern day representation. It obviously isn't the main focus but they honestly do a pretty good job being educational in regard to social situations/difficulties and explain it in a way that people can learn from. 10/10

Bones (2005)

I honestly can't remember if they ever say it but Temperance is 100% autistic and I think this is a very endearing show. Since its not the main focus I don't have much to say other than sharing my recommendation 9/10

Criminal Minds (2005)

I mean... enough said. I love Reid with my whole heart. He is very much the 'autistic genius' again but you can't not love Reid! 10/10

Community (2009)

Abed. Another one that doesn't really need much to be said about it. Abed is great 10/10

Dr Who (timeless) ((quite literally and figuratively))

Now this could be considered a reach or projection but Dr Who... autistic! simple as that 10/10

House (2004)

I had to just throw this one in at the end because its really just another version of 'Holmes' and 'Watson' now as 'House' and 'Wilson'. Sherlock, previously said as autistic means House is also autistic 10/10

[ohforficsake]

I keep going back to the part about Hannibal and now I can’t stop thinking about Frankie and Audrey adopting a dog together. 🥹 Would it be too mushy to make them Moose.

Ahhhh I love this ask so much (also how cute is that faaaceeee 🥹). I think this is actually the first ask I've gotten about the inner machinations of this story and I can't tell you what that means 💚

I've always pictured Frankie and Aud as cat people, but I actually think that a dog is a really interesting thing to think about from a character standpoint, so let's get into it.

I can see Frankie with a dog, easy. A dog would force him into a routine. Give him the relief of knowing there's someone waiting for him at home whenever Audrey is away on a job. Someone who needs him. Someone he has to keep his head on straight on for on the daily because he'll be damned if he lets anyone he loves, who loves him, down again.

Audrey on the other hand feels like a different story, at least in the immediate term. She does love dogs. Other people's dogs. She'll save a dog off the street and find it a home, no problem. But once retirement hits, I'm actually pretty torn as to whether she could handle the realities of having a dog.

Audrey wants to be needed by someone who isn't needy. It's part of why she told Frankie 'I'm not gonna fix you and I can't give you more than this' at the very beginning. It's hard for her to be wanted all the time. And I think her gut reaction to a dog is "they need more than I have to give right now." Because she would take the responsibility for another life very fucking seriously. Far more seriously than she regards her own life. And I think she needs time to catch up to herself and see that she's worth something too. Audrey needs time to be selfish for a minute, for lack of a better way to put it.

But maybe give her a few years? Maybe once her nervous system ticks cool from not being out in the wind all the time. Maybe once she adjusts to having another human in her space. Maybe once she stops reaching for a knife at the sound of the doorbell. Maybe once she's had a few years of Frankie doting on her, loving up on her, looking at her every morning from under mussed curls through soft brown eyes before bringing her coffee (which she will initially be extremely annoyed with because "I can get it myself, Francisco").

Maybe once she realizes that she can but she doesn't have to anymore.

And let's face it, she's going to get extremely bored in retirement. Maybe it would be nice to have a big, quiet dog that barks only when there's something really important to be said. A buddy to take on hikes and to swim in the river with. A goof that frolics in the snow who she takes to Starbucks every Thursday for a pup cup that he inhales in five seconds. A big boy who puts himself between her and sketchy strangers even though she's the most dangerous thing in a ten mile radius. Maybe in a few years' time a dog wouldn't be such a foreign idea to her.

Maybe then when Frankie asks, she'll say yes.

As for the name? Moose would definitely want to be the only Moose. 😉

Thank you so much for this ask, this was so fun to think about!!! 💚

[tethered-heartstrings]

As an autistic person, I was honestly sad to hear that Will wasn't actually autistic. I understand how it could've very easily turned problematic. I agree with that. A point I see a lot of people bring up is that it would've been another "autistic person has a 6th sense and is used as a tool for that reason only" and "oh, man is evil and a murderer because he has autism" which.... That's fair, but.

It would be turning the stereotype on its head if his autism gave him a hightened sense of empathy, yet he still delt with violent tendencies. Since in media, if an autistic person in a killer, it's mostly due to their lack of empathy.

It would show: Hey, this man has messed up issues. He thinks about killing people. But it's not because he's autistic, because that actually gives him immense empathy. He's just fucked.

I don't think autistic people are allowed to be evil in media. I don't think people are brave enough to give them real problems. I don't think anyone's brave enough to make them the problem.

And I think Will would've been an incredible example of that! I mean, he's already got the mannerisms. I just... would like it to be brought up. Let him shut Freddie down if she tries to use his autism against him.

I want to see important people be autistic!! But not have their autism be the thing that gives them importance!!

Also he can have autism because im swag and i say he can

Yeah, I feel in a way it was shallow for him to say “My horse is hitched to a post closer to Asperger's and autistics than narcissists and sociopaths” in episode one and then not really do anything else with that. Because by the end of the show he does seem to rehitch to the other post. But it does see weird to add that line and then never revisit it again. Jack straight up asks him “where do you fall on the spectrum” which, in context and given Will’s response, does allude to the autism spectrum. But then Will isn’t canonically autistic. They gave him a lot of the typical characteristics, just enough to “make him weird” and other him from those he cares about (which is already a problem with how society mistreats neurodivergent people) but didn’t commit.

I think a big thing with Will is he is empathetic but he isn’t compassionate, which are two things that get mixed up a lot. He can see why people do what they do or why they act a certain way, but he doesn’t necessarily care. It’s why he can leave his wife and child behind without a second thought. He can understand why it hurts someone, but he doesn’t necessarily care enough to stop the hurt from happening. 

What also needs to be considered is how Will is treated in season one, especially by Hannibal. He is manipulated and gaslighted and drugged and framed for murder. Will being autistic adds a layer of a power dynamic, and kind of toes the line of “dangerous/unstable neurodivergent person”. Though his arrest was a LOT calmer and more respectful than most people, neurodivergent or not, experience in real life, especially when considering he was arrested for multiple violent murders.

As shitty and low-blow as Freddie can be, I don’t see her throwing autism in anyone’s face, even Will’s. Autism is not a character flaw. She seems to focus on Will’s dangerous and suspicious behavior because she does see him as a threat. Then again, neurodivergent people are often othered for their behavior as “dangerous and suspicious”. But I have hopes Freddie would not stoop that low.

There is a way to create a dynamic character with autism that is evil but not make them evil because of their autism. I think one of the issues comes when people try to write characters that the writer has no life experience in, and they don’t research or consult or hire people who have the trait/characteristic/life experience they are trying to portray. So it often comes off as hypersanitized (your point of autistic people not being allowed to be evil) or crudely misrepresented (where, for example, being autistic and evil become conflated).

There are SO many things that make up an individual, and someone being autistic is ONE part. The size and impact of those parts vary between people. When people focus so much on one aspect, a lot gets lost. And then you usually end up with a stereotype. Autistic people are people and are dynamic. A character can be the problem, can have problems, without it all webbing back to their autism.

I honestly don’t know if Will being canonically autistic would have been handled appropriately in the show tbh, but I guess we’ll never know. If it were to be handled well, I think it would have been very interesting to have that as part of his character. But it would need to be handled with a lot of care and wanting him to be autistic not for the brownie points of diversity and “ohh doesn’t this make him so neat suddenly”.

A lot of people were/are reasonably upset at that character change for Will. The positive thing is that we as the audience can write fiction or create art to see the traits we want to see in the characters we love.

[make-loki-happy-again]

Okay, while I agree that Will Graham isn't just some "innocent baby who never did anything wrong in his life", I really disagree with the argument that he was always a dark and manipulative person destined to become a murderer.

I often see people saying that he was always dark and dangerous but he was masking that behind his cuteness because he is cold and calculating.

And I couldn't understand why this interpretation always makes me uncomfortable, untill I realised that it's because of my own experiences with my mental health.

The reason it hurts me to see people say that Will was always evil is because I also do have intrusive thoughts and fantasies. And they fill me with guilt and distress in a similar way to what Will was experiencing at the beginning of season 1.

The difference is that when I tell people about it (my mom, my friends, my therapist), they help me distract myself from things that trigger those thoughts and reassure me that I am a good person and that my thoughts don't define me.

The responses Will got, on the other hand, were Jack pushing him to work at a job that wasn't good for his mental health and Hannibal manipulating him and creating situations that basicially forced him to act on those thoughts. And then he was thrown into a mess that required him to fight and play dirty in order to survive.

Yes, Will does have dark desires, he is also capable of being calculating and manipulative, but before reaching a breaking point, he was not acting in those ways.

He was doing his job, even though it was hard for him, because he wanted to help people. He was honest with Jack and Hannibal about his intentions, his issues and his distressing thoughts, untill he realised that it won't get him anywhere.

And whenever I see people claiming that he was never innocent or good because of his dark thoughts I get a bit uncomfortable. Reminding myself that I am not just "an evil impostor manipulating everyone into believeing that I am good" takes a lot of hard work, so seeing people claim that a character with experiences similar to mine was destined to become a murderer is a bit distressing. Because I want to believe that we can be innocent and good if we fight against those thoughts.

This is why I do think Will was an innocent and good person, untill he got pushed into doing things he never actually wanted to do. It doesn't mean that he never did anything wrong. He did a lot of things that were manipulative or bad. But he wasn’t evil, cold or destined to become a murderer. He wasn't a rotten, broken person that we only had to wait to see become his "true self". He was just a man with mental problems that, instead of being handled with love and patience, were used against him.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with that interpretation and I don't mean to guilt trip or fight people who think different than me. After all, Will is fictional and it is totally cool to understand him in any way that makes you happy! ^-^

I just wanted to put it out there because maybe someone shares my opinion! ^-^

Again, no hard feelings or anything! If you want to discuss, please be nice and open towards each other! ^-^

[blogforrambling]

My Top 3 Hannibal Food Moments

1. Hannibal and Will Eat Together For the First Time

This is the second time that we see Hannibal with food on the show. I love the setting of this scene.

Will wears a wrinkled white T-shirt that he likely woke up in. Hannibal still dresses down. They both washed their hair. The dull cabin is on full display.  Hannibal shows up with egg scramble in tupperware like a normal person.

They sit parallel like reflections. Personally, I liked how the lighting complements their side-profiles. Everything screams, “Homely.”

So much non-verbal communication happens in this scene. Hannibal is so clearly feeding Will. Will gives him the silent treatment every time he talks and uses rough, jagged movements. He drinks when he feels uncomfortable.

A detail that I liked is how Will chews with his mouth open. What is interesting is that Hannibal watches and imitates this.

There are some moments of politeness between them though. Will says, “It’s delicious, thank you.” On one hand, I think that he means it. He already hates Hannibal, so why not? However, this is definitely ritualised politeness.

Hannibal’s eyes flick upwards to him and then to his mouth like he finds this interesting before saying, “My pleasure.” Likewise, Will’s eyes flicker upwards when Hannibal apologies like Will might hate holding grudges.

Immediately, Hannibal is a man who loves compliments and Will is a man who loves not to be bothered. This is Positive and Negative Face. I wish that they had stayed with this characterisation for a bit longer because it was my favourite type.

Then, there is this dialogue. Will doubles down and tries to push Hannibal away. Hannibal purposefully does not meet his energy:

Will: Just keep it professional. … I don’t find you that interesting. Hannibal: (softly) You will. (blinks)

There is a brief moment of intense bonding over the Shrike when both Hannibal and Will lean in and Will seems openly frustrated. Hannibal uses ‘variables’ as an excuse for why the Shrike seems like he is giving a gift to Will.

Here, Hannibal basically explains his feelings on murder and cannibalism and why the Shrike is actually Hannibal:

Hannibal: What kind of problems does [the Shrike] have? Will: (apathetically) Uh, he has a few. Hannibal: … Ever have any problems. Will? Will: (sarcastically) Me? No… Hannibal: Of course, you don’t. You and I are just alike. Hannibal: Problem-free. Hannibal: Nothing about us to feel horrible about…

Will ignores him, so Hannibal delivers the infamous line about how Jack thinks that he is a “teacup,” which becomes a recurring motif.

There is a brief shot of very hysterical laughter from Will, which makes Hannibal smile. Humorously, Will asks Hannibal, “How do you see me?” and frowns at the emphatic response. The camera pans out and Hannibal tells Will to finish eating.

Overall, this is just a lovely scene. I think that it is one of my favourite Hannigram moments. You can find an imitation recipe here.

2. “You Made Me Chicken Soup?”

I just think that this scene is good. It brings the audience back to the first scene: parallel seating, the tupperware, and Will’s compliment.

Will is lying in bed and, even when Hannibal’s blurry images is in focus, he has ‘hospital brain.’ His slow movements and sleepy blinking are very cute. Then, there is the infamous line:

You made me chicken soup? (sniffs to play off his soft tone)

Vulnerable Will is the highlight here. Will feebly downplays his feverish wandering and sarcastically calls a girl “his support group.” He seems almost hurt when Hannibal calls them “mentally ill.”

Hannibal tells Will that the hallucinations may be dementia and Will starts to tear up. Hannibal states that he hasn’t told Jack and Will asks, “Shouldn’t you?” His tone sounds ashamed.

The audience is left with the fact that Will and the girl are both “afraid to remember.” This whole scene contrasts with Episode 1 from beginning to end. You can find the imitation recipe here.

3. “Soup Isn’t Very Good”

Finally, Hannibal spoon-feeds Will to make him tasty a lot of episodes later in the final season. This is in contrast to the chicken soup scene.

In his hallucination, Will asks, “What’s for dinner?” Hannibal replies, “Never ask. It spoils the surprise.” The camera fades to Will, drugged and strapped to a chair. Hannibal is just a shadow, moving along the corridor.

The bitter irony in this scene is too much. Poor Will is so damaged here. He has some moments of clarity and he pants and says, “No.”

Will: (noticing the place settings) Are we expecting company?!

On the other hand, he is hallucinating, slurping loudly, and clearly not listening or understanding at all at some moments.

This scene is great because Hannibal and Will are usually outsmarting each other. For once, Will seems completely needy and dependent. Hannibal’s disappointment is almost offset by amusement. Of course, Hannibal is feeding Will parsley and thyme.

Overall, I think that those are all of my favourite food moments in Hannibal. I did not try to include the best food but just the best moments that included food that I liked. I hope that you enjoyed reading this! ❤️

[willgrahamrper]

Hi! This is an open starter post for a Hannibal rp! Really it’s just to gauge how I write so that you have an accurate depiction on how I rp.

-

Will sighed softly to himself, almost in a contemplative manner. His brown eyes flickering around Hannibal’s office anxiously as he pursed his lips. His teeth sinking into the soft flesh nervously while his hands settled on his lap as Hannibal spoke to him. He listened intently though he found it hard at times to look at the older man in his eyes. His lips parted, as if to speak though nothing came out. Struggling with what to say became rather awkward when silence overtook the room. “I feel like a trapped animal. Encased in a metal cage with nothing to do but lay around and wait for anyone to release me.” Will spoke calmly; fumbling with his hands while he waited for a response.

“You seem to be trapped in your own thoughts too often, Will. Your cage, while it may seem closed and suffocating is actually open. You have not tried the simpler options that are right in front of your eyes. The cage would not be the problem, your hazed over eyes would.” Hannibal spoke in his rather smooth accent. He always seemed to have an answer to whatever metaphor Will came up with. It agitated him, brought him to the point where his remarks would become rather snarky and witty. He didn’t want to lash out on his psychiatrist. It was neither professional nor called for.

“So what are you telling me, Dr. Lecter? That I’m looking over the simple answers that are ‘bestowed upon me’? Not everything can be solved the easy way.” He exclaimed with a raised tone, his hands now moving to the edge of the chair. His nails grazing over the material while he quickly worked on composing himself. He always felt challenged in a way when Hannibal would speak to him in what he thought was a condescending tone. “I apologize for my behavior.” He muttered and scoffed to himself while he gradually leaned back into the chair. Raising his hand to lightly rub at his temples while a weak and seemingly forced smile pulled at the corners of his lips. “So what do you think I should do then, doctor?” He inquired skeptically. Now finding himself locking eyes with the other as he tapered his brows. He could only imagine what the other would say.

[mantistog]

i love how you write, would you like to do a yandere hannibal desesperate for his lover to love him? what would he do and how does he show his love?

Bro Hannibal would dead ass just snap and force you to like him if u refused him ANY attention. Took some liberties on the words of “lovers”, I do love this trope. <3 hope u enjoy. ____________________________________________

Yandere! Hannibal Lecter x reader: Reaction

He wasn’t used to working this hard for someone's attention. Sure, he looked for validation from Will that the man would not give, but at least Will didn’t ignore him. Maybe that’s what made you so alluring to him, the fact that you never gave away too much of yourself. Or maybe it was that you were so hyper aware of his sins, even without him letting you on. Your relationship was less than conventional, but for the longest time Hannibal had been satisfied with your arrangement. It happened so suddenly, that he began to want (need) to see you more. He wasn’t expecting to enjoy your company.

His courting was less than subtle, and he knew you were aware of his growing obsession. He would show up with expensive flowers whenever you met up. He would cook up the best food he could when he had you for dinner, and he even agreed to have you cook for him once, something he would NEVER let anyone else do. Yet you didn’t seem to see or react to these gestures how he did, and he failed to believe you didn’t see the intimacy in his actions. And his patience was growing thin.

He was saddened that he didn’t seem to have the same pull on you. Imagine if you were the one pathetically crawling back to him instead of him having to get on his knees to please you. The thought of just kidnapping you and keeping you in his basement had crossed his mind many times, but it just wasn’t a very doable strategy with everything going on and with how social you were. Every time you were with him, someone knew of it. He would assume more than one person, considering how much you switched around on your phone, typing away to someone who wasn’t him. 

He grabbed onto the device, locking it and throwing it on the table. If you noticed his jealous glare at the device, you didn’t mention it or let on that you did. “It’s rather rude to not pay attention to your host.” He informed you, sitting down next to you. He didn’t like how indifferent you seemed to your closeness, when it so affected him. “Maybe I would pay attention to you if you were any entertaining.” The way your head wasn’t even pointed in his direction made his blood boil in a way that it didn’t often do. His whole skin prickled in anticipation, the calm before the storm. He needed to move. 

The arrangement you had was a mutual social tie that had come out of necessity in the moment. Back when the two of you had met you had a bunch of stalkers, they were dead now but you were unaware of it. And he had unwanted attention from the other sex as well, although less violent. It was the easiest and most logical solution to both of your problems for you to ‘act’ like you were in a relationship. He didn’t mean to fall in love with you. 

He placed his hand on your thigh gently, and you didn’t push him away. “Flower, you are the most cruel person I’ve ever come across. You are not unaware of the affections that I Have developed for you, yet you continue to use me.” You were not surprised at his words. It was true that you knew. Though, even if his admires had moved on yours had not and he was still a necessity (as far as you knew). A sigh left your lips and you turned to give him your full attention. He knew you were going to say something he would be displeased with, you’d had this talk before in many forms, yet it felt nice to have your actual attention.

“I’m sorry Hannibal, but I’m not the cruel one. You’re doing this to yourself.” Normally you would be more kind and patient with him, but you were tired of having the same conversation in disguise over and over again. His only response was to move closer, moving in to look closely at your face. You could almost hear his heartbeat, if it were not for your own. It almost unsettled you more that he was looking at you with something more akin to love or lust, than his usual emotionless look or even his predator look. 

“Maybe if you gave in to me, and saw what I have to offer you would think differently.” He tried, his hand moving up your thigh. You kept a straight face, trying not to spur him on. You simply shoved his hand off of your body, trying to move up the couch and away from him. But before you could get far you felt yourself getting dragged back onto the couch by your thigh, leaving your lying on your back beneath Hannibal, who was hovering above you. 

He leans down to rest his face near your neck, and you can feel his hot breath fanning your neck and it tickles in a specific way that makes a blush travel up your face as his hands travelled down your body.

“I’m done waiting, love. You’re going to start loving me back now. Even if that means I have to force you.” You didn’t know the true complications of those words, but you would learn soon enough.

[darling-i-read-it]

Futamono

2x06

Hannibal Lecter x reader x Will Graham 

Hannibal Re-Write Series Masterlist

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: spoilers for hannibal, murder, mental health problems, jail, sorta cheating? If not i’m walking a fine line 

Author’s Note: This episode! It hit different. In particular there are a few scenes that I am very excited for you to read so reactions are greatly GREATLY appreciated because I love love reading them as they come. I really hope you enjoy! not gonna lie its hard to write something that might hurt will so i might just protect him through and through lol 

I used some direct quotes from the script so some things may seem familiar 

Official Episode Summary : A city councilman's body is found intertwined with a tree, Jack crashes Hannibal's dinner party to investigate Will's suspicions, and a revelation shocks everyone

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director 

Tag List (is always open!) : @llperfectsymmetryll​ @ericacactus​ @vlightning95​

(not my gif)

The Baltimore State Hospital was colder than usual. You felt it as you walked down the hallway to where Will was. You felt odd. Like your stomach was in knots and you never had that with Will. He never gave you that feeling.

As you stopped in front of the cell he turned around. He sat down, like he would usually when you were there. He kept note that you did not sit down on your white line, nor did you approach the bars. You weren’t scared of him, he knew you weren’t. But you didn’t look exactly happy with him either.

“Hi,” Will said, breaking a crackling loud silence.

“Hannibal Lecter is alive. In case you were wondering.”

“I was not,” he told you. You let out an annoyed sigh and looked down at the ground. You had thought about how to approach this with Will but every rehearsed conversation felt wrong. This didn't feel exactly right either. 

“Will,” you whispered and met his eyes. He stared at you and you stared at him. You shared a few words with your eyes. 

“Chilton will have a hard time figuring out this conversation,” he muttered and you cracked a small smile. 

“You can’t send a man to kill Hannibal even if you think that he is the Ripper.” He raised a betrayed eyebrow. 

“I didn’t send anyone to kill Hannibal. And are you saying he isn’t the Ripper? Did his kiss persuade you that much?” 

You imagined Chilton hearing that over the speaker. Probably got popcorn to accompany this conversation for the dramatic guy he was.

“I still think he is.”

“And you have no problem with that?”

“Of course I have the problem with murder,” you breathed. You sat down on the white line finally and he was happy to see you at his eye level again. You stared at each other hard and he knew you knew that he sent someone to kill Hannibal. There was no need to say it. “This isn’t going to help you in the eyes of everyone,” you whispered.

“I’m not scared anymore,” he admitted. You mulled that over for a minute.

“I’m glad. I still don’t condone murder on either side.” Will smirked a bit, laughing. 

“Actions speak better than words.”

“Jacks gonna come speak to you about this.”

“I can handle myself.”

“Oh I have no doubt. I’m just giving you a girlfriend worthy heads up so you could plan.” 

-

You walked into Hannibal’s house with the spare key he had given you. You put your bag down quietly as you heard the sound of piano through the air. It calmed you immediately. Your emotional turmoil had been something else.

There was much confusion in your brain but really you were mostly worried about both of the men in your life while also being more worried about your dogs. You had to walk them tonight but you decided to stop by Hannibal’s to see how he was doing. 

You walked into the main room and Hannibal continued to play. You listened quietly, leaning against the wall. Eventually he stopped to put something else in his composition. You walked up to him and put your hands on his sweater clad shoulders. He smiled, not having to turn around to know it was you.

“That was beautiful,” you whispered. You wrapped your arms around his neck from behind and looked over the composition like you understood it. 

“It’s proving to be more difficult than I was hoping,” he said honestly. He grabbed your hand and pulled you down to sit beside him. You did so.

“How are you feeling?” you asked quietly. He shrugged, writing in another note before turning to you. 

“I feel as though that noose were still around my neck. It’s strange to have nightmares. Never used to,” he whispered. You nodded solemnly. You understood that better than most. 

“You’re always welcome to call the house if you need something,” you said quietly and honestly. Your nightmares hadn’t gotten much better but you were trying to pull through at the house by yourself. Still, knowing Hannibal was there had made you feel better.

“Thank you,” he whispered back to you. You looked at the piano and then back at Hannibal. He stared at you. “I can no longer work with Jack. Or Will.” You were surprised to hear that. Then again, you should have expected it. Almost dying can do that to a person.

“What does that mean?” you whispered.

“I won’t be consulting on any cases with Jack. You’re welcome to continue to work for me and be my…” he paused, “friend but I can no longer assume that I can help Will. I can’t trust him. He’s in a dark place where the shadows move. It’s not safe to stand with him anymore.” 

You looked away from Hannibal and at the wall in front of you as you processed what you were being told. 

“I hope you understand that I care about you Hannibal,” you whispered, turning to him. “But I will continue to see Will.” He nodded.

“I understand.” You weren’t sure where you stood with him then. 

“Play it again,” you told him, voice barely audible. 

He put his hands on the keys and you imagined those hands taking a life. 

It wasn’t much of a stretch.

-

Alana walked beside you as you walked the dogs. It was nice to be around them. It was almost like Will was with you at the same time. You were walking through the barren land around the house and she accompanied you upon your request. 

“My head is full of conspiracies. There are too many versions of events. He said. She said. He said. He said. She said. It’s maddening,” Alana told you, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets. “The one thing I have clarity on is, Will tried to kill Hannibal.” 

You glanced at her.

“He believes that’s the only way to catch the Ripper.” 

“And you think the same thing? I notice how you’ve gotten closer with Hannibal.” You shrugged, still sore from the last conversation you had with the man.

“Jealous?” you teased. 

“You’re avoiding the question,” she whispered. “And no.”

“I think that Hannibal is more capable of senseless murder than Will. They’re both capable of murder. Will has never lied to me.” You paused. “He only lies to me when he knows I can see through him.” You turned to Alana and stopped walking. She stared back at you. “And you? Where do you stand?” 

“I haven’t given up on Will. Just re-evaluating who I think he’s become.” You glanced at her. 

“Will has always been this way. He just didn’t like to show it.” 

-

“I feel like I’ve been watching our friendship on a split screen. The friendship I perceived on one side and the truth on the other,” Hannibal said. Will sat in his cage and stared at his former therapist. They stared at each other with a sense of competitiveness and a mix of entertainment.

“It’s a terrible feeling isn’t it?” Will asked, numbly but with a stab at Hannibal.

“You’ve been lying to me, Will.” 

“I don’t have a gauge for reality that works well enough to know if I’ve been lying or not,” Will said simply. Hannibal had a sense Will had him right where he wanted him. It was impressive. 

“You understand the reality of Beverly Katz’s death. You understand your role in that.”

“What was my role?”

“Beverly died at your behest. You’re as angry with yourself as you are with whoever murdered her.”  Will didn’t show much emotion but spite.

“Actually, I’m not. I’m singularly angry at whoever murdered her.”

“You tried to kill me, Will. It’s hard not to take that personally. However, if I were Beverly’s murderer, I’d applaud your effort,” Hannibal said. They shared a look.

“I’m no more guilty of what you’ve accused me of than you are of what I have accused you of,” he stated simply.

“Jack Crawford, Alana Bloom and Y/N Y/L/N believe you are responsible,” Hannibal stated. 

“Or Y/N Graham as the people say,” Will said simply. Hannibal fought his amusing anger. “And where does responsibility begin and end, Dr. Lecter? With a final act or the events that led to it?” Will asked. 

“I don’t expect you to feel self-loathing or regret or shame. You knew what you were doing and you made your own decisions. Decisions that were under your control.” Will scoffed. 

“You think I’m in control?” Will asked. “Where does Y/N stand with you Dr. Lecter?” Will stared hard. “Are you still actively pursuing her? Are you pursuing me? Or perhaps the fact that she’s still dating the man who allegedly tried to have you murdered is putting a dent in your plans.” Hannibal put his hand on his arm, holding it. The two men stared at each other, not as men competing for a woman's love but as men who were toying with the idea that there was a connection they weren’t going to sever. Hannibal hoped to cut that link despite the fact he knew it wouldn’t work.

“We were friends before I met you and I imagine we’ll be friends after we part ways.” Will smiled in arrogance of the knowledge you would likely do anything for him. 

“Well I’ll be curious to see how that works out for you. She’ll tell me at her weekly visits.�� Hannibal raised his chin and hardened his look.

“Good-bye Will.” 

Will was not amused.

As Hannibal walked to his car he opened his phone. He dialed the top number on his phone. 

“Hello,” you said, sounding distracted. “Sorry, feeding the dogs.” 

“I’m throwing a dinner party tonight. You’re attending I hope.” You hummed a yes.

“Of course.” Hannibal smiled. 

“I’m glad.” 

-

Hannibal put his hand on your hair and fixed a piece that was out of place. You both held champagne glasses in your hands and were talking to some of his colleagues. You had been complimented on your look seven times already, twice by Hannibal.

You had yet to touch the food. You believed Will there.

Jack and Chilton spoke, watching the two of you chat. 

“Prosciutto roses. Heart tartare. Beed roulade. Needless to say, I won’t be eating the food,” Chilton said. 

“Dr. Chilton,” Jack chastised. 

“Hannibal the Cannibal That’s what they’ll call him you know. And look at Mrs. Graham. Curiously enough I have no idea what her angle is.” Jack nodded.

“She’s always been a bit confusing.” 

You laughed at something a guest was saying as Hannibal laughed about it. You were barely listening.

“I didn’t know you had a lady friend Hannibal. Are you Mrs. Lecter?” one of the ladies said. You paused which made Hannibal laugh. You hadn’t been prepared for that.

“No, I’m...we aren’t together,” you said simply although your voice didn’t sound very convincing. Jack grabbed your arm and you turned to him, surprised. “Please excuse me.” 

He pulled you aside.

“Have you eaten something?” he asked. You shook your head.

“Amazing you think I don’t listen to my own boyfriend.” You stared at Chilton and shook your head. “No, I have not.” 

“I’m...I can’t believe I’m telling you this... I’m listening to Will,” he said. Your mouth flew open.

“Wait a second, you can listen? You can listen to people?” you asked sarcastically. Jack gave you a look.

“I’m telling you, just in case.” You nodded and Hannibal walked over. 

“Jack, I’m happy you’re here. In many ways, you are the guest of honor. You saved my life, after all,” Hannibal said, putting his hand on the small of your back. You didn’t move it. Jack made note. 

“I’m afraid I can’t stay. But I’d like to take some food to go.” 

You stared at him and he stared back.

Maybe Jack did listen after all. 

-

You sat at the piano by yourself after the dinner party. You put your fingers on the keys and started to play the only thing you knew by heart.

Chopsticks. 

Hannibal walked over and sat beside you. 

“The ending to my composition has been alluding me. You may have solved my problem with Chopsticks,” he said laughing. He put his fingers on the keys and played a background to the simple tune you carried.

“If only all our problems could be solved with a simple waltz,” you said honestly. Hannibal didn’t look at you. 

“I’ve walked away from Will, but I’m still trailing his accusations that you believe,” he told you. 

“Alana has also walked away. You’ve both continued to make eventual fools of yourself,” you said simply, pushing a key down loudly before meeting Hannibal’s eyes. 

“Why do you say that?” 

“Because I believe him. You know that.” Hannibal turned to you and you stared at him. Silence ensued the Lecter household. You broke the quiet.

“Would you like to stay the night?” he asked.

“Hannibal Lecter, I’m not that kind of girl,” you said laughing a bit. “But yes. I would.” You turned to him quietly and stood up, holding your hand to him. He took it and the two of you walked to his bedroom where you tossed a shirt from his dresser at him while taking one for yourself. You got dressed facing away from each other and then got into bed. 

You stared at each other, hair pressed against the pillows.

“Goodnight Hannibal,” you whispered.

“Goodnight Y/N.”

You nuzzled your head into the pillow and he leaned forward. He kissed you and this time you let him. You brought your hand to his cheek and he leaned over you. His hands caressed your hair. 

You pulled away after a moment.

“I’m not that kind of girl,” you whispered back at him again. His lips were still practically touching yours as he spoke.

“I know you aren’t.” 

He leaned back into his side of the bed.

“If Alana Bloom had stayed behind, this would be a different story.” Your mouth dropped open and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Wow, I’m sorry should I call her?” you asked, laughing. He shook his head.

“I prefer you. You help with nightmares.”

“It’s my magic power.”

Both of you thought about Will. 

You moved forward and Hannibal wrapped an arm around your shoulder, your head on his chest. You both fell asleep to even breathing and a peaceful room.

-

You woke up, your head nuzzled into a pillow. You opened your eyes slowly and met the face of Hannibal Lecter. You had expected to see Will. Despite that disappointment you smiled at the fact that for the first time since the murder, you had a dreamless sleep.

“Peaceful sleep?” you asked. Hannibal opened his eyes, stopping from pretending to sleep.

“Yes. You?” 

“No nightmares. Not even a dream,” you said dreamily. “Perhaps you have a superpower too.” The bell rang and you both looked up startled.

“The last person who rang my doorbell this early was you,” he admitted. “And it clearly isn’t you.” 

He slid out of bed and put on a robe before walking to the front door. You walked to the bathroom, finding one of the old robes in there. You walked down the hallway, the sound of Hannibal's voice echoing. 

“Here. All night,” Hannibal said. You rubbed your eyes.

“Anyone beside you can verify that?” You walked in without thinking, not even registering the voice as Jacks until it was too late. 

“She can,” Hannibal said simply. His face flashed surprise but he tamped it quickly. 

“This isn’t what it looks like,” you said but Jack shook his head.

“All I need to know is if you were here all night.” You glanced between the two and nodded simply.

“He was here all night. We both were.” You glanced at Hannibal. “I’m gonna go,” you said quietly and he nodded solemnly. You turned around but you felt four eyes on you and you weren’t sure how you felt about it.

-

You walked into your home. It still smelled like Will. Maybe Will smelled like the house. You couldn’t quite distinguish it. The dogs pooled around your feet and you pet them, glad you were back early enough to where their food schedule wouldn’t be off at all. 

You fed each of them and they walked around the bowls together. 

You walked to the made bed and felt guilt rise in your chest. It didn’t feel like you had cheated on Will. He knew Hannibal was pursuing you. You knew Hannibal was almost in a backwards way pursuing Will. 

But still as you sat on the bed you grabbed Will’s blanket you got him for Christmas and held it to your chest. He would be back. He would sleep beside you again. 

Even if you were mad at him you loved him to pieces. 

You imagined you always would. 

You wanted to go see him. You got up to do so when the phone rang. You picked it up on the second ring after noticing it was Jack. 

“Hello?” You were nervous he was gonna bring up the morning you had had. 

“I got the results of a murder that happened a few days ago. And Will didn’t kill any of the people we thought he did.”  You wanted to make a sarcastic quip because duh but you just sat back down on the bed. It felt so nice to hear Jack say what you knew in your heart. You grabbed Will’s blanket with your hand without looking at it. 

“Yeah?” you whispered. 

He was silent as you assumed he prepped to tell you that you were right all along.

“We’ve found four lures that are almost identical to the ones we found at your house, made with materials from the exact human remains. There was no copycat. It was always the Ripper.” He paused again. “Will and you were right.” 

You let out a shaky sigh and smiled widely. 

 “No shit,” you muttered and Jack had the heart to laugh. 

“I’ll call you with the details later.” He hung up the phone and you sat on your bed and you let a few laughs of happiness out mixed with some tears of happiness.

The dogs came to you and you pet them each individually. You spoke to them in a happy tone.

“I think dads coming home.”

2x07

[juuls]

Juulna’s ‘Hold Onto Your Sanity’ Fic, Book, and Music Recs for the 2020 Dumpster Fire... Part 3!

So you just crash-landed behind enemy lines in a war you know barely anything about except that your role seems infinitesimal and insignificant, and dumped into a year, 2020, that already seems fifteen years too long.

Before you drown your sorrows in some fantastic scotch or wine coolers for days (or weeks)… I have a proposal.

That you step back from the flames, tune things out for a bit, and try to forget about the outside world for a while (but don’t forget to vote or I will be very sad at you!).

These fics are meant to take you out of your head (I’m including more plot/story-minded fics than PWP) for the next few weeks or months as the world goes to hell (even more) but of course there are some bits of solid angst in these as there is wont to be in many a fic. Check the tags, read responsibly, don’t like-don’t read, ship and let ship, and please do leave a kudos and maybe even a comment! :)

This is PART THREE.

Check out here for Part One and most of the Marvel fic recs, along with a selection of book recs too. :)

And here’s Part Two, which has the bulk of my Star Wars and Game of Thrones recs, along with Spotify playlists!

Part Three is this one here, all about the Potterverse.

(Not yet complete) Here’s Part Four, filled with even more shippy goodness from all over the Star Trek universe. So. Many. Ships. :D

(Not yet complete) Part Five is Witcher, Man From UNCLE, Stargate: Atlantis and SG-1, Sherlock, Hannibal, and Doctor Who.

(Not yet complete) Part Six will probably be all for my newfound love of Supergirl, along with some Game of Thrones and Marvel ships I skipped, because I gotta stop somewhere with all these recommendations or I’ll be at it forever. Seriously, how much of this stuff have I read!?

But I think we all need some distractions from the world these days, eh? Or something to console us other than internet rage and a barrel of ice cream and/or hard alcohol.

Potterverse

I’ve chosen to pick fics (mostly) off of AO3 for their easy reading access, though HP fics’ golden years were on sites like fanfiction.net and other independent archives like Sycophanthex and others which have closed their doors over the years, sadly. Some of these fics date back to almost 20 years old, or more, amazingly!

For fics on fanfiction.net, I highly recommend using this link (FicSave) to epub/mobi converter rather than dealing with the frustrating app. It functions like AO3′s built-in download button.

SSHG/Sevmione

Rec assistance by @perrydowning​

Second Life by Lariope

Phantom of Hogwarts by Good_Witch

Romancing the War by Pubella

The Poison Garden by turtle_wexler @turtlewexlerwrites

A Light in the Fog by turtle_wexler

Pride of Time by AnubisAnkh

The Savage by MagdatheMagpie

Snape’s Story by Tbird1965

Recognition by jezzie (krith)

Tedium of Time by oneredshoe

Tango by Desert_Sea

Sense and Insensibility by Desert_Sea

Time Mutable Immutable by Grooot

The Twenty by Leyna Rountree

For the Only Hope by ausland @run-with-me-to-the-sea

Bundle of Joy by LadyTuesday

Our Hands Tied by multilingualism

Choose Something Like A Star by TeddyRadiator

Mistress of the Stacks by Ms_Anthrop

A Derailed Train of Thought by Ms_Anthrop

Antiquities by stormcorona

Watch Over Me by @snapeslittleblackbuttons​

Dropped Down into the Unknown by @q-drew​

Delicate Transitions by @morbidmuch​

Lay Me Low by TeddyRadiator

The Savage by MagdatheMagpie

Another Dream by @dragoon811​

A Chance For Happiness by @corvusdraconis​

Breath of the Nundu by corvusdraconis, Dragon_and_the_Rose

Just to Be by Amarti @amarti-writes-stuff​

Hinge of Fate by Ramos

Forged in Flames by @mswhich​

Days in the Sun by bluespring864

Making sure the boy who lived, actually does by Hold_en @hold-enwrites​

The Problem With Purity by Phoenix.Writing

One Step Forward, Two Decades Back by corvusdraconis

The Headmaster’s Wife by Mrs_HH @propertyofseverustsnape

The Master, the Warden, the Headmaster, and the Deputy by mak5258

Cloak of Courage by Wendynat

Hermione Granger and the Intended Vessels by ShawnaCanon

Augury and Ardor by SnapeySnax

Before the Dawn by snarkyroxy

The Love You Take by Subversa

His Draught of Delicate Poison by Subversa

and sooooo many more if you want them just ask, this is both mine and Perry’s oldest ship lol

Gramander (Original Graves x Newt)

A Gilded Cage is Still a Cage by Anonymous

take a deep breath (and let it go) by lincesque @tumbloncat

Roar by @elenothar

Matchmaker, Matchmaker by @prosodiical

Dearly Beloved by prosodiical

Basic Instincts by @manic-intent

Promised by Miss_Lv

Plan G by Aate

Heat of the Chase by argentoswan @wannahearaboutmycats

Newt Scamander’s Guide to Getting Things Done by arthureameslove

Against all Odds by Maril

Where I Belong by Mishafied

He Wants To Say, “I Love You, Nothing Can Hurt You”  by @obsidionwingsofmidnight

Arranged by Miss_Lv

death of a bachelor by gudetama (elementary)

The Graves Identity by Mishafied

you make me feel this way somehow by gudetama (elementary)

The Nature of the Beast by AntiGravitas @absolutelynogravitaswhatsoever

The Knights, the Newt, and the Rose by @yinyangswings

The Wizard’s Cat by @natecchi

The Color of Boom by gypsiangel

Signalling Theory: Blue Coat by @obaewankenope​

Flame by @esamastation​

And The Tag Read Simply: “Pretty” by @funkzpiel​

Aren’t You Gonna Arrest Me, Officer? by JoyBurd

a little bit lost by shortbread @shortbread-fanfiction​

Dramione

Rec assistance by @cuthian​

Seven Times by kerri240879

Her Beauty and the Moonlight by BrilliantLady

The Fallout by everythursday (orphaned and only available on AO3 now, but complete)

The Eagle’s Nest by HeartOfAspen

Turncoat by elizaye @imnotleavinherewithoutyou

The Virgin Conundrum by AkashaTheKitty @akashathekitty

Bad Faith by Morrighan256

Isolation by bexchan @bex-chan-blog

The Serpent, the Witch, and the Broom Closet by bitchywitchy

Silencio by AkashaTheKitty

All You Want by senlinyu @senlinyu

Static by galfoy @heymanticore

What the Room Requires by Alydia Rackham

And We All Fall Down by @rumaan

Ambition’s End by Hanako A

Wait and Hope by mightbewriting @mightbewriting

Rewriting Destiny by mayawrites95 (mayarox95)

Chronos Historia by In_Dreams @indreamsink

A Muggle-born Magic by Musyc @willhavetheirtrinkets

Hunted by Bex-chan

A Second Look by @riverwriter

The Nietzsche Classes by Beringae

This Too, Is Sacred by HeartOfAspen

Bite First, Ask Questions Later by Daredevilsinthedetails, Kaylessi

Nocturnus by In_Dreams @indreamsink

Broken by @inadaze22​

The Green Girl by Colubrina

Lady of the Lake by Colubrina

Rebuilding by Colubrina (really just anything written by @colubrina)

Presque Toujours Pur by @shayalonnie

Can’t Change the Way I Am by @nauticalparamour

Law and Marriage by DragonGrin (formerly TeenTypist)

The Tower Window by @xodramaqueenox​

Unexpected by Emara88

Something Old, Something New by Kate Dessi

Suppressed Emotions by hopelesslydevoted.xx 

Silver Blood by @freyaishtar

When the Day Met the Night by @bex-la-get

Harmony

A Marauder’s Plan by CatsAreCool (Rachel500)

A Step to the Right by CatsAreCool (Rachel500)

Eighth by lorien829

The Catalyst by lorien829

Harry Potter and the Isle of Mists by lorien829

Knife’s Edge by Celtic55

The Black Book by mosteveryonesmad

Awakening by SweetShireen

The Sword and the Snake by bartonfink1974

Dispelling the Silence by Indygodusk

One Year Later: Return to Hogwarts by Twilight’s Inferno

DraHarmony

Fourteen Thousand Galleons by @frumpologist

The Invitation by hot_elf @hot-elf

Love Love Love by MissELY @misselylux​

Changing Scenery by aethling

East of Eden by msmerlin @ms-merlinblack

Turn Back Time by Dazeventura6

Foxfire by @setissma

Come Together by @nuclearnik

The Soul of the Wolves by LR_Earl @fanficbylrearl

Running From Lions by tryslora @tryslora

An Unexpected Family by ladyroxanne21

The Prophecies by jamcreynolds

Drarhinny

Reconstruction by @aldersprig​

Fell From the Sky by BrandonStrayne @brandonstrayne​ (I really love this one, and not just as a Canadian.)

Demons From the Past by pottermum

Drarry

Rec assistance by @newtypeshadow​

Rarely Pure and Never Simple by birdsofshore

Aural Gratification by birdsofshore

Lost Among and Falling by @bafflinghaze

The Corruption Sequence series by beren @berenwrites

Sentinel ‘verse series by elyssblair @elyssblair-blog

Date Blindness by dysonrules

Starts With a Spin by Maxine @serasarahhhh​

Temptation on the Warfront by alizarincrimson

Paradigm by dysonrules

Here’s The Pencil, Make It Happen by ignatiustrout

Draco Sodding Malfoy by Shewhxmustnxtbenamed @shewhomustnotbenamed

Pieces of What by Jadwiga

Found, Not Lost by inspiration_assaulted

Shared Detention by DadIWriteGayPorn

Dirty Little Secret by Writcraft @writcraft​

19 Years by shilo1364 @whimsicaldragonette​

Morning Suns & Coffee Runs by laugh_a_latte @queer-coffee​

Reus Una by purplepen76

Between Ink and Blood by Candamira

Ginmione

Distractions by @morningsound15​ 

Cissamione

(This seems like it’s a bit cracky, but there’s some good ones, I promise! I sorta stumbled ass-backwards into this ship but really enjoy some of them.)

One Step Left by Cysteine @cysteine

Extinction by @rubikanon​

Blinding Light by @16-pennies​

Somebody Loved by beforeyouspeak

...

..

There. This is much better, isn’t it?

So my challenge to you, if your world is falling, burning down around you in flames... is this:

...if you feel yourself getting anxious or depressed, whether from the news or being cooped up in isolation or bored or on the verge of tearing your hair out or jumping off that roof or grabbing something to go after the dictator-of-the-week.... pause, take a breath, open up this rec list, close your eyes and pick something, and let chance take you somewhere hopefully far away. Let yourself be transported.

Oh, and don’t click on this Google Drive link. Really, there’s not 30+ GB of data on that Drive I’m sharing. Shame. There totally aren’t tens of thousands of books, as many audiobooks as could fit, and a large collection of fanfiction downloaded from AO3 in there. (Also, not all fics have been shared to that folder yet; I’m working on it a little at a time as I download more.)

[k-s-morgan]

Oh just saw your opinion on the subject but maybe because I am new in the fandom I feel overwhelmed by the sexualization of the actors and characters in the fandom. I am leaving the actors out of this as of now. But gay men are sexualized and fetishised like lesbians are by straight men. And the show is not porn. There was nothing sexual in the romance but may be I missed it because I am ace :( I like many of your metas but this fandom is aggressive and not for me. Will continue with Merlin.

Second ask do you think it's professional of Bryan to post or share explicit fan art ? Again I am new fan since July so unaware of this fandom's etiquette. Like I know the law is that you can't distribute pornographic content. And minors must have followed him. So what about that responsibility of not showing them such stuff ? The show is not explicit.

-----------------------------------------------------

I actually think this fandom is one of the friendliest places, though of course sometimes we have problems! Will and Hannibal share rich sexual subtext in the show, and it’s likely that in S4, their relationship would have become sexual. But regardless of that, making fan-art, including NSFW kind, writing explicit stories, and discussing these things is completely normal. It’s something all fandoms engage in - in this case, it’s not about gay men, it’s about people finding a couple/a character/ an actor alluring in general. This is a common practice across the entire world - actors, models, sportsmen, everyone has a group of fans. And yes, sexualization of actual people is a problem, but that’s why fandom spaces were created. It’s not okay to chase after an actor with their nude pics, but to discuss it among fans in places made for fans? It’s considered normal. 

In this situation, we’re speaking about the characters, and you can do whatever you want with them. Character porn is not forbidden. We in particular are lucky to get people like Bryan, Mads, and Hugh who join in the fun just as eagerly as fans do it. They joke about these topics, they tease actual Madancy (Hugh/Mads), they send each other fics and erotic Hannigram art. Our fandom is a happy place, but it’s a place for adults. 

The show is not explicit in terms of sex, but it’s absolutely not for minors. It has graphic violence and topics that only mature audiences can watch. And sure, many minors still watch it, but it’s their responsibility (or that of their parents). Bryan Fuller is not their guardian, he has no reason to censor his content, especially since he officially creates it for adults. Anyone uncomfortable can just simply click backspace or unfollow - and frankly, I doubt that someone who watches explicit cannibalism will be all that offended by sex. But if they are, again, they should just close the window. Internet is not a safe place, and a creator of a dark show like ‘Hannibal’ is definitely not the safest person to follow (in terms of explicitness of the content he might post). Everyone is responsible for their online experience, and it’s naive and unreasonable to expect that complete strangers will do it for them.  

I’m absolutely against harassment, but I’m all for people surrounding themselves with content they find acceptable. Live and let live, ship and let ship - these are the golden rules, imo. It’s okay to find NSFW Hannigram art unsettling, but it’s not okay to target the creators or Bryan Fuller for liking/sharing/posting it. As a fandom, we’ve been celebrating the liberty of art for years, so it’s amusing and irritating to see antis (and I assume it’s their campaign because the rhetoric is similar) suddenly try to make a splash about topics everyone else is comfortable with. 

[possibly-drunk-on-fanfiction]

Flowers of Futamono

My mind recently has been on one specific Hannibal tableau.

This one:

I haven't been able to stop thinking about it in regards to flower meanings. I'm not all that versed in flower language, but I am aware that flower meanings differ from place to place. Japan in particular has a unique flower language. Yellow roses are known for being symbolism for friendship, however in Japanese flower language they mean jealousy. I bring it up because the entirety of season 2 uses Japanese dishes to name the episodes.

I have thusly latched onto this and have drawn the comparison between Japanese flower language and this particular tableau.

I have of course run into a problem but I have a solution and thought process onto why this is the case.

Jack names three of the plants we see; belladonna, white oleander, and ragwort.

Now, do you see the problem? That's right they aren't the flowers used in the tableau.

They look similar enough that most likely the showrunners just didn't think anyone would go through the effort to look up the flowers. In fact if you know flowers you will notice that I didn't use a picture of actual belladonna aka nightshade. That's because the kind I did use are delphinium belladonna which is probably the flower inspiring the flowers chosen to use.

I would like you to stay with me though because it's easy to headcanon and explain this glaring issue away.

Jack isn't the kind of guy to know flowers and neither are the people around. Hannibal though is absolutely the kind of guy to send a message with flowers that no one would understand.

Maybe it's on purpose though because there is the surface layer meaning with the flowers that Jack names, and then there's the actual flowers used and the true underlying meaning. And I'm going to assert that Hannibal is also experiencing such a dilemma. His person suit doesn't agree with the Ripper beneath the surface.

*I will point-blank point out that these aren't an exact match but no matter how much I looked I couldn't find an exact match and I would happily accept anyone pointing out the actual flowers used.

On the surface we have the heart represented by belladonna in other words a beautiful woman. During this time Hannibal is now in full swing in his relationship with Alana and on the surface the flowers in the tableau are for her.

But underneath the surface we have the actual flowers that are presented and they are most likely purple hyacinth and according to the site I used they have the meaning: "I am sorry, sorrow, please forgive me".

This and the subsequent meanings are more than likely for Will as he is the real reason for the tableau in the first place. Previously Will tried to kill Hannibal via Matthew and in response he says he must get his appetite back.

For the next one we have the chain of white oleander which is actually two different flowers with some moss. The two flowers we actually have here is narcissus and pink hyacinth. Narcissus meaning is; "self-love, egotism and unrequited love". Pink hyacinth is simple in comparison because it's sole meaning is: "play".

Interestingly oleander's meaning is; "caution, beware". A sign that things are not entirely as they seem.

More than likely this flower is a chrysanthemum indicum hybrid rather than the apparent ragwort that Jack calls it. While I couldn't find a meaning for the specific kind of chrysanthemum that is pictured the meaning I did find for yellow chrysanthemums is: "slighted love".

I couldn't find any significant symbolism for ragwort. I did however find lots of warnings about it being poisonous.

This one took me forever because while finding the spikey-esque flowers was easy enough, I couldn't figure out the red flowers for the life of me. The only visible thing about them is the red petals and I considered red lilies but it just doesn't match well or at least not enough for me. The center of them isn't visible and since they could viably be almost any red petaled flower I gave up. It did finally hit me though that with the bright red petals in comparison to all the others that they are meant to signify a red herring.

The blue spikey-esque one is a a blue globe thistle and thistle has the meaning of: "independence, nobility of character, austerity, misanthropy".

While that covers the meaning of the flowers within the chest we still have the flowers of the tree.

Another difficult one due to the visibility of the blossoms but the buds luckily for me gave this one away. Many may assume these are cherry blossoms but no these are plum blossoms and this difference is important for the meaning of them: "keep your promise, fidelity, beauty and longevity".

Now that we know what the flowers actually are and use the decoding with Japanese flower language we can see the actual meaning beneath the surface (beneath the person suit), and it's actually quite different from the superficial meaning Jack came up with.

It's all a response to the attempted murder at the hands of Will.

The heart of the matter is that Hannibal is apologizing for the murder of Beverly, but that he feels slighted that Will would use a proxy rather than use his own hands (the chrysanthemum taking the spot of the main thing Hannibal eats; the liver). He goes on to play the game with Will as he can't let his ego be hit too much, not afraid to show his disdain for rude portions of mankind. His message to Will is finished with his overarching desire to see Will Become and keep his promise of trying to kill him.

The message is at war with the superficial meaning that the victim is "poisonous" or where we take Jack's words as fact; that at the heart of the matter is a beautiful woman.

It's clear that Hannibal is experiencing something similar to what Francis experiences while with Reba. A disconnect between the person suit and the Ripper. It mirrors the disconnect of Francis and the Dragon. The person suit feels genuine affection and desire for Alana but it's clear the Ripper doesn't feel seen or heard. It desires Will who unfortunately never gets the chance to see or experience this particular tableau.

Hannibal even goes on to visit Will to confirm whether or not he got the message. When it's clear he didn't and that he will keep his promise regardless Hannibal moves forward with his plan to break Will out.

A lonely tableau left in an empty parking lot, with the roots and guts on display and no one around to understand is the only hint of the actions to come.

[detectivehannibal]

Dance Lessons (pt. 2)

Hannibal Lecter x Fem! Reader Tags: Fluff A/N: First part here! “Put your head on my shoulder, if that’s more comfortable."

✮ ✮ ✮ ✮

What is the definition of a gala?

Your fingers swiftly typed into the Google search bar as your scanned over the screen. It took a millisecond to load before the result came up.

(n.) Gala: a social occasion with special entertainments or performances.

Even after two hours of Hannibal's exclusive dance lessons, you still felt unprepared for this dinner event. It wasn't even a "dinner party" technically. Hannibal later revealed to you that it was actually a gala.

Your simplistic and humble lifestyle unfortunately never granted you the pleasure of going to a gala...or even knowing what exactly a gala was.

What originally was supposed to be a formal dinner party with some people who might ballroom dance was now a gala with some of the wealthiest people on the planet who definitely would be dancing. There was a little bit of hope left in you that you might be able to get out of the whole dancing in public thing...but now it seemed that wouldn't be possible.

Hannibal's bathroom mirror reflected your image, your eyes staring at yourself while butterflies fluttered in your belly. You adjusted your dress and accessories for the millionth time that evening, an outfit that you saved for very special occasions.

Your nerves were getting more persistent by the minute. The longer you thought about it, the more you realized that you were terrified of putting a dent in Hannibal's reputation. The people attending this event were going to be long-time friends of his that admire him...or at least strangers who know of him well.

You would never forgive yourself if you made even the slightest ruin to his name. You very much felt like you were being thrown into the deep end without any warning.

Hannibal had not once been concerned about any of this. He was aware this was a new environment for you. He asked you to come alone because he wanted you to, and it was a nice opportunity for you to dip your toes into his world.

There was no reason that your preferred lifestyle and his couldn't coexist. He felt that the absolute worst you could do would be to cause some slight judgement from peers, and that didn't bother him because that was a them problem.

A knock from outside the bathroom door caused you to jump and let out a tiny gasp. You sighed upon realizing you were just startling yourself at this point.

“Yeah?” You called, knowing it was Hannibal checking on you.

“Are you alright in there?” He asked, adjusting the cufflinks on his jacket.

You nodded even though he couldn’t see you.

"I’ll be out in just a second." You replied, trying to sound confident.

Being as observant as he was, he caught the slight quiver in your tone. He found it best not to bring it up, but he kept it in mind. His head turned once he heard the door open, watching you emerge with a shy smile.

Hannibal always thought you were stunning. But tonight you were even more beautiful than usual. His stare turned into a look of astonishment and you had knocked him speechless for once.

“How do I look? Presentable?” You asked.

“Darling, you’ll be the most breathtaking woman there. I’m sure of it,” He complimented with a certain twinkle in his eyes.

Your face ran warm when you asked him your next question.

“Can you zip me up?”

He raised a brow and settled it, humming an affirmative response. You turned which showed him a zipper that went from the base of your neck to your lower back. He slowly dragged the zipper up, taking you in as he mumbled a sentence.

“Only if I get to unzip it later."

You turned back around and playfully scolded him.

“Hannibal,” You laughed lightheartedly. “That’s not very classy of you.”

“You simply can’t be all the time,” He said before changing the subject. “You’re going to be fine tonight, love.”

You swallowed hard and managed a genuine smile.

You sure hoped you’d be fine.

✮ ✮ ✮ ✮

The venue that the gala was being hosted in was even more than what you expected. Chandeliers that glittered enough to make Paris Hilton faint on the spot. Tables that were decked out with the most wonderful flowers. Servers around every corner. And, of course, lots of people. Designer dresses and suits of various styles and colors filled the room. If nothing else, at least you knew that you weren’t over or underdressed.

You felt as if you had to have met at least a hundred people that night...only a small portion of which you would actually remember their names and professions. You stuck close to Hannibal the entire night, latching onto him like he was your lifeline.

He kept his eye on you throughout the night, making sure your anxiety didn’t get the best of you. If he saw you were getting overwhelmed, he’d shoot you a reassuring look or brush his hand against yours gently.

As a matter of fact, after a drink or two, you felt quite at ease. You didn’t feel like the lost alien that was obviously on foreign land anymore. That was, until, the music became louder and everyone began to pair up. You felt your heart hit the floor as you realized that the real test was about to begin.

As calm as ever, Hannibal took your hands into his to get your attention and you wrapped your arms around his neck. His hands formed comfortably to your hips as the steps he had taught you were put into action.

“I feel like everyone’s watching me." You whispered quietly to Hannibal.

His dark brown eyes watched yours as he responded.

“Nobody’s watching you,” He stated. “I’m certain of it."

You nodded slightly, eyes dropping to look at your feet to make sure they moved correctly. However, Hannibal took one hand and lifted your chin to look at him.

“Don’t watch your feet. Trust them. Don’t be so tense,” He instructed lowly. “Pretend we’re the only ones here. We’re back in the living room in the comfort of my home."

You relaxed your shoulder muscles that you didn’t realize had been stressed. You took a second to feel your surroundings. The hard floor under your heels, the cool air on your skin, his body against yours, his deep voice was sultry in your ears.

“Put your head on my shoulder, if that’s more comfortable." He suggested.

You obliged and rested your head on his shoulder, breathing in his cologne that was so familiar to you. The dancing around you had slowly shifted into more of a gentle swaying instead of a choreographed dance. His hands had moved to your lower back as yours were now resting on the fronts of his shoulders as the dancing became more casual.

“I guess dancing isn’t as bad as I thought." You admitted, keeping your voice hushed to not disturb anyone around you.

He smiled.

“Did I not say you would be fine? You had built it up in your head. Your expectations were much too high.” He said honestly.

You laughed softly and sincerely.

“That tends to happen when it comes to you.” You confessed.

He returned a laugh, but as much as that statement amused him, it also made him feel guilty. He didn’t want you to feel like you had to be at your best all the time with him. That wasn’t natural or realistic in his eyes. He wanted you to be comfortable with him at your absolute lowest and your most glorious high.

He wanted you to feel like you could confide in him whether you were sobbing on your knees because of work or laughing uncontrollably because you had seen the funniest film of your life. He had never felt that way about anybody else. He wanted you to know he would be there for you no matter what.

He knew he would take time for you to realize this. He had some work to do to assure that you did. For now, he was just ecstatic to have you here with him. He had looked forward to that night (where he did indeed get to fulfill your promise and unzip you from your dress).

He was excited for the upcoming weekend where you had told him you’d spend the weekend with him since you were off work. He was beyond thrilled for all the days and weeks and months to follow with you. For you had become a huge part of his life.

And for that, he was forever grateful.

✮ ✮ ✮ ✮

Originally posted: July 17, 2020

Remastered: March 9, 2024

[olderthannetfic]

an anti-anti blog I liked recently posted that they are against rpf "because it counts as stepping over the boundary of fiction into objectifying real, specific individuals, and we consider it disrespectful to treat real people as if they’re playthings in the same way fictional characters are." I understand this is their squick, but I felt this was a bit much, so long as people aren't sending stuff to celebrities and just making it for fan spaces & for fans & I wondered your thoughts. Thanks!

My thoughts are: LOL.

People want to fuck hot celebrities. News at 11!

A lot of celebrity culture heavily plays into this, whether it’s tabloids obsessing over who’s dating whom or kpop groups pretending they’re all single to not “ruin the fantasy”. Somehow, that’s fine and normal, but RPF kept to fandom spaces and not shoved under the person’s nose is crossing a line? Puh-lease!

Fantasizing about fictional characters is fine not because they’re fictional but because fantasizing is fine.

A lot of people say that. When push comes to shove, a lot of them don’t mean it. But I do.

Let me tell you a story: once upon a time, I had this summer school boyfriend who was showing me something on his computer. He was telling me what to type into the address bar, and whoops, a porn site autocompleted. He was super embarrassed, so naturally, I started trying other combos to see if I could find more porn and embarrass him further. He seemed to think I’d be horrified. I was like “LOL, your porn is hella tame!” So he was like “What, like you like weirder porn?”

Through me needling him and mentioning increasingly out-there porn I like, I eventually got out of him his non-tame taste, which was for misogynist M/f rape erotica.

And then I let him tie me up and jerk off on me.

Anyway, the point of this story is that there are tons of perfectly reasonable people who walk around the world having absolutely revolting fantasy lives, and there’s no way you’d know unless you bug them to tell you. If this guy had brought it up on a first date, or even worse when we weren’t dating, of course I would have been creeped out because bringing it up can often cross a line.

Any normal man with normal social skills should know there’s a strong chance a woman will be scared of him if he brings this shit up out of the blue. So a man who does it anyway is either trying to freak me out or has a very different understanding of social norms than I do and may behave in unpredictable ways I don’t like.

But a man who sits in class next to me fantasizing about wearing my skin and never burdens me with this knowledge... How would I ever know? What would it ever matter? It’s neither my problem nor my business until he makes it so.

It fundamentally does not matter if he has a sweet, vanilla fantasy about holding my hand or a Hannibal-tastic one about eating it, whether I find him hot myself or whether I share any of his kinks. Because it’s a fantasy.

Is it somehow tainting me because sexy thoughts are tainted and they get Metaphysical Pervert Goo on me? That’s sure the message I get from people elevating their squicks about this to the level of moral truths.

Tumblr suffers from the misconception that horrifying fantasies are a sign that you’re actually an axe murderer. While it’s true that people who do horrifying things often do have horrifying fantasies, so do lots of other people.

I’ve had more than one person confess tearfully to me about liking whomever that 90s artist was who drew all the fsub consensual snuff/cannibalism art. These were people I was friends with. Normal people. Who are not actually running around eating the neighbors. Some pretty dark stuff is actually pretty commonplace.

Because grotesque fantasies are normal.

So are vanilla fantasies and all other fantasies. And they are all fine because they are fantasies. Even if they involve famous people. Even if they involve non famous people. Even if they involve me.

---

I’m sure some asshole is already typing a response about how, surely, this all means we can have RPF fantasies but shouldn’t post them. My view on that is that merely posting fic to AO3 does not constitute “bringing it up” with the person you’re writing about. If you write violent rape porn about me and post it there, I’ll probably eventually find it and be kind of freaked out. Or maybe I won’t read it. Or maybe we’ll have the same kinks and I’ll find it hot. IDK. Possibly, that does cross some kind of line if you’re writing about a fellow AO3 user you know is going to be around.

Crossing a line or not, it’s a largely academic point: In practice, nobody really writes fandom RPF unless it’s some explicitly opt-in thing as part of a fic exchange or an in-joke between friends or maybe part of a targeted harassment campaign (though, tbh, this is not something I’ve seen).

The vast majority of RPF on AO3 is about the fake-ass stage personas of mega-famous celebrities. They’re not going to be reading AO3. They’re not going to see your g-rated reader insert fic. They’re not going to see your x-rated One Of The Band Is A Serial Killer And Eats The Others fic. They’re not going to see any of it.

And what’s more, they’re probably far more worried about being chased by paparazzi than about what some fan is doing off in a fandom corner.

So yeah, I think that anti-anti blog is being hypocritical and silly when they say it crosses a line.

Call it a squick because that is what it is.