sakura_no_miko

Fandom: Hannibal (tv)

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Hannibal/Will

Warnings: canon-typical violence, including serial murder, graphic violence, cannibalism, explicit sex (gay),

Other notes: alternate universe, a murderous meet-cute, relationship study

Length: 24k, plus sequel

Summary: Will is a hitchhiker with questionable hobbies. Hannibal is a man who has questionable motives. When Hannibal drives by Will who just so happens to need a ride, things quickly take a turn from the questionable to the downright depraved.

My thoughts:

Ah, I did find some Hannibal fics. I don’t always right my recs in order, but I do have a list that is constantly changing, and as soon I finished up with Conversations I went reading though Hannibal fic. I ended up bookmarking several, but this one immediately got my interest because, well, it’s nasty and dark and violent and sometimes you’re in a mood for that.

Well, that and it’s actually a relief to see a Hannibal fic where Will and Hannibal are on equal ground. Emotional manipulation and power imbalances are the backbone of this show. Which is actually fun to read if you’re in that kind of mood. It’s a bit more bloody and visceral than your usual hurt/comfort — a bit heavier on the hurt, most times. Sometimes you just wanna see your fave get tortured a tiny little bit. (Really, if you like seeing a sympathetic character get tormented and betrayed and hurt very prettily, watch this show. Just be aware of the high gore quotient. If you want a less gory alternative, maybe the original The Crow movie? It’s a bit campy, and literally the definition of 90s-era emo, but, again, very pretty boys suffering.)

But. Ah. Seeing Will and Hannibal on equal ground is just as enticing, and probably twice as hard to write. I remember someone talking about, oh, Sherlock Holmes possibly? But they said, it’s very difficult to write someone who is smarter than you are. I agree with that. Mysteries were never really my thing to read or write. I can maybe do some foreshadowing, but my own writing tends to be more spur-of-the-moment. Most of the time, what comes off as foreshadowing only comes about because I’m repeating myself. I have a character mulling over something, then it comes up again, because I tend to have circular thinking like that.

But, what I mean is, writing Will and Hannibal both being brilliant must be even harder than just writing Hannibal alone. So much of this fic is dialog, a constant back-and-forth of these two characters trying to get into each other’s heads. I’m sitting here thinking, hmm,when I write, so I tend to emphasize dialog or non-dialog more? My characters tend to run their mouths off — but usually internally. I tend to favor very quick and choppy lines.

Come to think of, that may be why this fic works for me — we are very much inside of Will’s head, Will analyzing every word and movement for possible meaning. It’s very in line with the show’s canon, although here we see it in text, rather than imagery. Like, Hannibal and Will, sitting down with a drink, carefully tip-toeing around the fact that, hey, both of them are serial killers. Read that passage. Then take a gander at this. Hannibal and Will, engaged in a battle for the upper hand that keeps bouncing back and forth: behold. This author makes prose that’s just so in line with how things played out in canon, and that’s certainly a skill.

Ah, this is another fic where it’s hard to pull out a single passage I enjoy. There are entire scenes I enjoy, long pieces of dialog interspersed with characters’ thoughts. Hmm, if I have to pick:

Will didn’t look over at Hannibal. They weren’t touching; just close enough to feel body heat.
“Planning this the whole time?”
Hannibal’s exhale sounded like a laugh, but it could have been anything. “Not the entire time, no.”
Will laughed for both of them. “Got a funny way of courtship.”
“Undeniably,” Hannibal acquiesced. “However, my unconventional methods seems to have yielded perfectly acceptable results.”
Will forced his head to turn and discovered Hannibal was already looking at him. “We’re both lying in the dirt covered in blood and…” He looked down. “Other things. And there are two dead bodies within a few yards either way. This is your version of an acceptable night?”
Hannibal smiled.“No. This is my version of a night that is nearly perfect.”
Will’s eyebrows furrowed. “Nearly?”
Hannibal pursed his lips and pushed himself up into a sitting position. “I would have liked to have finished dinner.”

This is legitimately a meet-cute over a murder. Hey, I just happened to pass you by on the road, and we got to talking, and it turns out we have the same hobby and we even went out to go do our hobby together…it was almost a perfect first date.

On a slightly meta note — I guess I’m kind of sorry for rec’cing so many gory fics? I pick fics based on two things usually: something I’ve read recently (or that updated recently), or some fic I remember while reading whatever rec I’m working on. So I was deep into Conversations, that made me think of Hannibal, and Death Note, so unintentionally I ended up with like a month straight of tense, gory, not-really-feel-good fics. Ah. Maybe I should intersperse some fluff or PWP fics.

But also, reading all these fics — I’m kind of getting inured to violence. Like, here I am, enjoying murder after murder. Cheering for two murderers to find each other like soulmates.

Actually— I usually try and stick to the main story, but this one has a fascinating sequel. Not to be too spoilery, but the first story is about two unlikely people having a meet-cute over a murder. Which is, ah, a darker take on your basic rom-com scenario. But the sequel delves more into the long term effects of the relationship — how they’re negotiating needs and boundaries and learning to work together — also over murder. You don’t get a lot of fics like that.

Even the actual tv show — ah, mild spoilers — didn’t get to that point, although that was partially because it got canceled after season 3.

If you’re looking for other fics in this vein, I’d recommend Some Kind of Courtship, which is also fairly vicious and violent. Maybe Mirror Valentine if you’re looking for something a little lighter.

(Looking for more fic recs?)
Originally crossposted to tumblr and pillowfort 10/30/18