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happy 10th anniversary of this episode to those who celebrate! 🥳🎉

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One of my favorite choices they made when writing Hannibal was an insistence on Hannibal hinting at his identity. Yes, the cannibal puns are funny for the audience, and nods to the watchers like that isn’t that uncommon.

The reason I find it so delicious is because it’s also entirely a power trip for Hannibal. He holds all the cards. He knows the people he’s around are so determined to unmask the Ripper, and he is so sure they don’t suspect him that he easily speaks freely as himself. His influence is immense, his confidence often the most notable thing about him. A socialites certainty and poise becomes nearly indiscernible from a psychopaths disconnect, and he is aware of each good-faith misinterpretation of his murderous jokes.

And also it’s hot. Sorry. I’m only a man.

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I’m unsure how many people have read Helpmeet and seen Hannibal, but I think that the concepts explored by both have some very striking parallels.

Warning: Helpmeet spoilers ahead. If you’re interested in reading the story, this ain’t the time for this post to find you!

Devotion is a heavy theme in both of these stories, but I can admit that the perspectives they take on the act of devotion itself are vastly different. Hannibal does a great deal of harm to Will throughout their encounters. He allows his health to worsen and frames him for murder for gods sake, but Will still warns him in Mizumono to flee. Edward’s perspective is largely unknown in Helpmeet, although his inability to be faithful seems like a good indicator that Louise’s love is not completely requited or in some way considered inadequate. That doesn’t stop her from caring for Edward lovingly and tirelessly when he has nothing to return.

The most important connection for me is that the creature created at the end of the book is so reminiscent of Hannibal and Will. For those who don’t know or need a refresher, Louise crawls into the hole left in Edward’s spine from the demon that had previously inhabited him and fed on his body. Over the years they merge completely into one singular spirit. Their thoughts mesh together as their bodies becomes one. Not Louise. Not Edward. Something entirely different and entirely focused on their unity. I imagine it what’s would happen in Hannibal’s wildest fantasies, making the sentiment of being incapable of separation without great pain and loss more physical and ultimately making separation an impossibility. I don’t see Will liking this at all, but I am sure the thought has crossed Hannibal’s mind from time to time. What better way to control, covet, understand, and keep Will than to have him bound to Hannibal by the spine, their skulls, their very thoughts. Everything shared and everything connected like Eldon Stammets always imagined.

Anyway I love them so much it’s unreal, and if you haven’t read Helpmeet yet, it’s crazy. Give it a try!!

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It was never casual tbh

Hannibal (2013-2015)

2x01 - “Kaiseki”

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I’ve had a few people ask me over the past week if Hannibal is an explicitly gay show. I have told each of them yes, but that’s not the point. I absolutely think that Hannibal and Will are in love with each other, but the relationship is so psychological. They aren’t giggling boyfriends holding hands; they’re obsessed with each other. Hannibal wants to live in Will’s skin, and Will wants to understand Hannibal beyond his person suit. They feel as though they’re the only two people on the planet who can understand the other.

More importantly, it’s true. Serial killers are drawn to Will because of his empathy, and Will detests them for it. But not Hannibal. He could never detest someone who understands him so deeply. People who deal with strong empathy (of admittedly much lower class both emphatically and intellectually) are drawn to Hannibal just the same. It doesn’t matter to him in the slightest.

That’s why Franklin and Tobias are so integral to the show. It establishes that, while this empath + sociopath dynamic is common, Hannibal and Will are in the upper echelons. Franklin would replace Tobias with Hannibal in a heartbeat, and Tobias acknowledges Will’s excellence even as he vies for Hannibal’s attention.

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Hannibal (2013-2015)

2x12 || 3x07

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And my favorite part of this is that it wasn’t with a justification saying otherwise. He could have convinced himself that accepting death is his way of choosing it, but he knows it’s delusional. He let his creation destroy him, refusing to deny his forged monster the chance to kill his chosen prey. It was the ultimate moment of elation for Hannibal to realize playing God has resulted in a betrayal of biblical proportions. Samael was God’s favorite and his right hand, but Hannibal refused to let Will fall alone like Lucifer had. If they’re going to Hell, babe, they’re going together.

Hannibal letting Will push both of them off the cliff to their end and not fight it is absolutely insane. Imagine Hannibal, famously the most narcissistic person ever, who is always in control, playing and manipulating everybody around him an absolute psychopath with no pathology whatsoever, to whom death is something that should be cherished, respected, and considered sacred. And yet somehow, in the end, he lets someone else dictate his death, surrendering his control to Will, truly letting himself go and offering his body and mind at his mercy. And Hannibal was okay with letting go because he had completed his goal of tearing Will apart bit by bit and rebuilding and moulding him into something better and exposing Will's true self, showing Will that he did enjoy the killing, the power, the rush and the act itself

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Hannibal making his predator eyes at Will unprovoked but wearing his person-suit socialite smile.

Choosing to fight Will a little bit before giving up and draping himself on the nearest piece of furniture.

“Tell me, Will, how am I not walking in a straight line if I’m putting one foot in front of the other?”

Will having to make gourmet human smash burgers at 1 in the morning because Hannibal may be drunk but he refuses to eat non-human meat.

Drunk texting on the iPad.

i need drunk Hannibal hcs NOW!!!

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I love the idea of Will pulling Hannibal by his tie as much as the next guy (meaning I like it waaaaaaay too much), but even more than that, I love the idea of Will grabbing him by the scruff of his suit. Hannibal’s suits are precious, bespoke, fitted to him for a particular image. He loves his appearance as a put-together socialite. His visage is sacred, and Will couldn’t give a fuck less, crumbling his suit to drag him forward while he crawls on all fours. Maybe he even presses Hannibal’s face into a puddle of blood with disapproval like an owner shaming their dog. Just smth to think about

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I have seen a few fics lately that show Hannibal using some sort of external decider for himself (something up to chance like a coin flip) when choosing what to do with people. It’s fun. It makes the stories more interesting, the idea that things could have easily gone the other way. He could have chosen, but he didn’t. He was so noncommittal about other people’s lives his decisions regarding them can be decided the same way a child decides between vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

HOWEVER, I could never see Hannibal being willing to submit power to chance. He wants to make a life for himself he finds entertaining just as he believes God does. He never regrets his decisions because he always believes he’ll get what he wants in the end.

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Will Graham is a dog and so am I and I’d like to think we’d be in the same pack. I don’t even bite that much, and I know that mother fucker shakes his prey like he’s possessed.

In retrospect maybe I’m too tame for his pack tbh. I can learn to bite!!

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I feel like when I was a teen, I never would have guessed I could gain responsibility and shit and still stick with fandoms. I didn't know I'd have time. Just sitting here in my business casual, writing a couple paragraphs of fic before I go in for an extra shift. Should I also be doing homework for college right now? Absolutely. That is a problem for me in eight hours lol

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I love the idea of Hannibal being super controlling of Will as much as the next guy, don’t get me wrong, but you really think Will I-don’t-find-you-very-interesting Graham would just roll over and take it? That motherfucker is gonna be gripping onto the upper hand w his teeth. He’ll let Hannibal have his moments of control of course, but he would never let him go unchecked. Hannibal may be the Chesapeake Ripper, but Will is the only man capable of seeing through his well-crafted people suit. Neither of them ever truly has control of the other, but god help me if they both don’t try

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Guys, you’ll never believe it. I let the oneshot leave my file folders. Yeah, let’s just say I’m still obsessed with what feels like a dead fandom

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There is a very impromptu winter storm in my town, and these few hours of unplanned inside time has made me crave writing with a fervor I haven't felt in ages. Sitting here with a cup of tea looking at my computer, eyes glazed over, writing jack shit because I haven't written in so long I can't think of a thing

I will say, I see how Mary Shelley wrote a novella in the middle of a storm. What else is there to do?