#will graham is the exception

[crimsondinnerparty]

Hannibal, the Cannibal, and the Man Who Made Him Starve

Hannibal Lecter’s entire identity is built on the concept of consumption—of others, of experiences, of power. He devours not just bodies, but lives, souls, and control. It’s what makes him so terrifying: he doesn’t just kill, he consumes his victims in the most profound and intimate way possible. They become part of him, swallowed whole, stripped of their humanity and reformed into his idea of *art*. Hannibal is the **ultimate predator**, and his hunger is insatiable.

But then, Will Graham enters his life, and Hannibal finds himself faced with something he cannot consume. Will Graham isn’t a regular target. He isn’t a piece of art, nor is he someone easily twisted into Hannibal’s vision of humanity. Will is the **mirror**, the one person who sees through Hannibal completely, who resists his manipulation. Will is the exception, and he refuses to be devoured.

The Hunger Begins:-

In Season 1, Hannibal’s interest in Will is almost clinical. He observes Will’s brilliant mind, his sensitivity, his vulnerability, but never truly considers Will as a human being—he sees him more like a **specimen**, someone who could potentially be shaped, remade, or “eaten” in a different sense. He begins to teach Will, **grooming him to be his equal**, but without ever understanding that in doing so, he’s planting the seeds of his own undoing.

Hannibal, used to controlling everything around him, begins to lose that control with Will. He sees Will’s intellect, but more importantly, he sees Will’s ability to feel—to empathize, to understand emotions. Hannibal, who is all about mastering emotions, finds this fascinating, but it’s also something he can’t control. This fascination is the beginning of his hunger, and it’s a hunger that doesn’t easily satiate.

The First Taste of Loss:-

In Season 2, Hannibal’s obsession with Will grows deeper, more personal. It’s no longer just about seeing Will as an extension of his artistic project—Hannibal starts to care. He starts to want Will not just as an intellectual equal, but as someone who can understand him, someone who can *see him* for who he truly is.

But as much as Hannibal desires Will, he also underestimates him. He assumes that he can bend Will to his will—that through manipulation, gaslighting, and a constant game of cat-and-mouse, he can force Will to accept what he’s offering. This plan, however, begins to unravel when Will starts to question his own emotions, his own identity, and his connection to Hannibal. The reversal of roles becomes clear—Will begins to mirror Hannibal’s behavior, pulling Hannibal into his own psychological game.

Hannibal’s first taste of loss comes when Will betrays him. It’s not just an intellectual defeat—it’s personal. The idea that someone he loves could actively turn against him hits Hannibal in a place he’s never acknowledged: his own vulnerability. Will has not only rejected him, but he’s also gone behind his back, actively working against him. For someone like Hannibal, this is a blow to his ego, and the consequences of this loss are more profound than just losing Will.

Self-Denial: The Starvation:-

By the time we reach *Mizumono*, Hannibal is in agony—not just because of Will’s betrayal, but because of the profound emptiness that betrayal leaves behind. He has Will physically within his grasp, but he can’t consume him. Will has already betrayed him, and Hannibal has lost the one person who could have truly understood him.

In this moment, Hannibal chooses to starve.

He doesn’t eat.

He doesn’t kill Will.

And it’s not because he doesn’t want to—Hannibal has never avoided a kill. He’s never been afraid to

The Paradox of Hunger: Control vs. Surrender:-

Hannibal’s relationship with hunger and consumption in relation to Will becomes a paradox. On one hand, he wants to devour Will, to make him his own —to consume him wholly, both mentally and physically. But on the other hand, he wants Will to choose him. He wants Will to surrender, to fall into his arms, to see the world through Hannibal's eyes. He needs Will’s choice, not his subjugation.

This is the starvation that plagues Hannibal—he doesn’t just need to eat Will, he needs Will to give himself freely. Without that, Hannibal is left wanting, unsure of himself for the first time. For someone who prides himself on total control, Will’s rejection and betrayal leaves him in a state of hunger that can’t be easily filled by anything else. He isn’t just starving for Will’s body; he’s starving for Will’s soul, for the deep connection that he thought was within his grasp, but ultimately, Will has pulled away from him.

Final Thoughts: The Longing Never Ends:-

By the end of Mizumono, Hannibal's choice not to kill Will—or, even more telling, to let Will survive his betrayal—marks the culmination of his hunger. He doesn’t just want Will because he’s interesting or because he’s a challenge. No, Will becomes the one thing Hannibal cannot control, the one person who has the power to reject him completely. And that in itself becomes Hannibal’s addiction.

Hannibal doesn’t just eat people—he remakes them. But with Will, he finds himself starved, powerless, and completely consumed by his desire to have Will choose him.

The man who devours lives finds himself starving for the one person who refuses to be consumed—and for Hannibal, that’s the most excruciating fate of all.

[glitter-hound]

my favorite hannibal bit is when will says some weird shit and everyone stares at him

[icripod]

been getting a taste of felila lately

[khruschevshoe]

Kinda adore the fact that any time the Master comes back to Doctor Who the Doctor basically pauses the story and tells their companions "sorry, gotta deal with some psychosexual romantic drama with my on-and-off-again genderfluid homicidal ex/narrative foil that WILL traumatize you (and your family/boyfriend/loved ones) for the rest of your lives" all the while the companions are literally just the Live Slug meme

[froggydraws]

truly a mystery........

[socvinc]

original post here!

[thefabledcannibals]

His dramatic ass is giving Bella in twilight missing Edward.

[willgraham-manwhore]

Will can barely tolerate Hannibal sometimes but is obsessed with him anyway

[ghostdrinkssoup]

“could he daily feel a stab of hunger for you and find nourishment at the very sight of you?” is such a romantic line because despite cannibalism sustaining the illusion that hannibal can control everything and determine outcomes and reverse time, loving will has changed him so drastically that instead of consuming will, will consumes him. and hannibal hungers for him, yearns and aches for him, but is content to just exist near him. to stay in his orbit somehow, if only will allows it. hannibal, who needs to cannibalise others to stay in power, finds nourishment just by looking at will. he loves him so profoundly that he could be imprisoned forever and still it would be better than knowing he might never see will again. it sates him more than eating the pigs beneath him. in will, he finds religion

[alexandriaellisart]

lavender

[buttercupbread06]

you like joshua? why? oh, because he's well spoken, well written and has a seeeexy deep voice. that's cool. and you looked past an entire dlc of racist slop for him, because he's that sexy? HAHA. right.

what do you think of ulysses? you must have loved him! he's well spoken with long dialogues not unlike joshua's, and he also has that seeeexy deep voice you seem to love so much. you must like ulysses too, right? and you don't even need to put up with racist slop in HIS dlc. clearly, he must be a close second at the very least. right?

[cannibalovers]

contemplating life

[interoteme]

nessie warmups

[strawglicks]

big ol cathal-graham art dump bc i havent posted in a while and i have a ton of old stuff i never posted

[jack-in-the-pantry]

[nonbinarylesbianherb]

When you ship the most toxic, unhealthy, twisted ship and people are like “uh, you guys know — killed — loved one right??”

like yea. Yea i know. I’ve known. I still ship it