empathicfault | Will's Insight

Will's Insight | Opt-In Post

In the series Hannibal, Will Graham is shown to have a unique ability- he calls it 'interpreting the evidence', whereas Hannibal calls it 'pure empathy'. It lets Will know what the people around him are feeling, often to Will's detriment. Will frequently appears to be overstimulated by the outside world, slumping in chairs and avoiding eye contact. He finds comfort in dogs and being alone.

However, this ability can often be extremely useful for determining motivations, desires, and fears. When he uses it at crime scenes, the series shows murders taking place as if Will were the culprit. He sees fantastical visions and metaphorical imagery as he places himself in his target's place, seeing the world as they see it.

I'd like to write out some of this imagery in narration as I roleplay, but I also don't want to infomod. So if you are interested in letting Will into knowing your character through this ability, please reply here.

What I'd like to know (feel free to copy+paste, or just write out what you'd like)--

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character? He works in emotions, so fears, desires, motivations, immediate wants, all that sort of thing is good.

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up? Will isn't magic and he's not always right with this ability. It's easy to veer off of any topic you might want to avoid.

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize? Sometimes he sees things that don't seem to make a whole lot of sense until later- I tend to interpret that as him integrating evidence that he hasn't logically noticed yet.

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic? Let me know, I'd love to plan with you! Will could be a good way to weasel info or feelings out of someone who would otherwise keep them hidden, if that's something you'd like. I'm also very happy to just see where things go.

Thanks, and please let me know if there's anything else you'd like me to know or talk over with you.

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Noted on the tremor.

And also! I don't know if you want to play out all the therapy sessions, but I'm down for hitting up Malcolm's Inbox sometimes to play out them talking some stuff out, if you'd like? Will will honestly probably be talking to Malcolm more often than most people.

I would absolutely play him in a 4th wall event. And I'll keep brainstorming a way to get him onboard. I would love to play him opposite Sweeney because they're SO different. And it would be amazing to get to play him with Will. They're just so complex together.

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character?

Taylor is doing her best to rebuild herself after accidentally erasing her humanity in a giant end-of-the-world situation, letting an alien passenger take the wheel. She was originally an inmate here, then a warden, then went home and fucked up, and now she's an inmate again. She's not confident of much, but she is very sure she'll graduate again.

She has good support, but she's hiding how raw she feels from them. She's less guarded with strangers. She's very afraid of other people feeling guilty for her current state, both emotional and physical. And she's afraid she'll interpret some minor aggression as a real threat, because she did entirely lose the ability to tell what was and wasn't hostile for a few crucial hours, and that brought her here to hurt people.

She isn't comfortable with how forgiven she's been. She (thinks she) killed Shen Jiye/Ye Zun and did kill Dorian and brutalized Jon and none of them have really spoken to her about it yet.

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up? Nothing I can think of.

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize? Oh, so much. Swarms of insects/spiders, dragonflies, maggots, being devoured, webs, golden honeycomb, the ocean, unimaginably large interstellar life forms, puppets, hollow puppets, burning inside an abandoned house, drowning in insects, endless echoes, a quiet clean jail cell, the hectic insect life going on beneath growing plants, a drowned city on fire, continents fracturing, a surgical saw cutting into a scalp. The bug-related ones are going to be the closest to the surface, I'd think.

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic? Taylor's got a few things that might resonate with Will - She's got a long-running complicated relationship with a horrifically unethical and unnaturally intelligent surgeon who has cut into her head (Riley/Bonesaw is 14, and SUPER not licensed, but that's not stopping her and her reciprocating saw), she's spent a good bit of time in a jail cell, and she was let out on work release to hunt serial killers.

And she has both been eaten by someone, and eaten parts of other people via her swarm.

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character? So Arthur and John (

greatoldjohn) are basically a bonded pair, in that John is an eldritch monstrosity trying very hard to know what it is to be human, by living in a man who has been through more love, grief, heartbreak and anger than would be fair or reasonable to ask of anyone else. Arthur Lester is an orphan, a widow, a once-father and even lost his best friend, literally the last person he had left in the world before John, and he carries the weight of his grief on his shoulders as a constant reminder that his mistakes are his to own, his burden to carry, and his sins to not be absolved of. But apart from the obvious magical ties to John, he's a pretty normal human being: an ex-pianist composer, a current detective specialising in missing persons, and a petty criminal in the pursuit thereof, from the year 1934. Also much younger than his cold, calculated demeanor of someone not to fuck with suggests.

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up? Nothing OOCly!

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize? When John is with Arthur they are joined at the eyes, and in the past I've had too much fun going off on what this looks like aesthetically; you can also assume any of John's own imagery is mixing with or overlapping Arthur's own. When he's alone, however, it's markedly different: Missing eyes, missing left hand/foot (the parts that John possesses), bleeding wounds on his chest from bullets, a stab wound through his abdomen, his right leg shattered in multiple places, running water, light through water or being soaking wet (it's Lovecraft he's a soggy protagonist in a very literal sense), a melancholy piano tune, the sounds of a baby crying, the shadows of the dead surrounding him, or a broken golden crown.

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic? Anything to do with the death of his daughter will get an extremely hostile response, and would probably bait him to violence very quickly. However anyone else - including his parents, the mother of his child and his best friend - would get still hostile but markedly less aggressive reactions.

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character? Norton is a bundle of perky flibbertigibbet wrapped around a hard inner core of spite and damage. And, like Dorian, he's also usually horny on main. He's, like, 80% open book which makes people often not look for the hidden 20% because it seems like he's just letting it all hang out. But that inner 20% is a mess. He's very angry, very lonely, but has a very hard time trusting people enough for genuine emotional intimacy. And he has a very transactional mindset.

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up? Nothing I can think of! If something ever does come up, I'll let you know.

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize? Mid-century, post-WII London. (Buildings bombed out from the Blitz, dingy boarding houses, Soho dance halls and gay clubs, flickering lights, thick pea soup smog, etc.) Also holograms, alien ray guns, fancy 1950s suits and hats. Or anything that you think might make sense is good too!

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic? I usually end up winging things, but if something specific pops into my head I'll let you know. And if you ever have a plot idea I can help with, I love helping people make plots happen.

She has identical golden retriever energy in both shapes, ha.

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character?
Maggie is warm and friendly and welcoming and kind, but she's also got a deep core of stubbornness and sheer protective spite. She would walk through fire for her people, and she would also kill for them if she had to.

She has a lot of loneliness and need as well, but tends to do fairly well finding people to fill it. It just looms in the background sometimes.

She's pretty good at balancing priorities, but sometimes it weighs on her, all the times she has to choose. The sacrifices she makes willingly, with her eyes open.

She believes in Sweeney, but she's also terrified of failing him.

Blood horrifies her on a visceral level, so anything bloody comes with a pretty strong wave of fear/revulsion, even if she's been getting better at stifling and coping with that lately.

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up?
I'm cool with anything!

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize?
Maggie's dogs back home are all miniature bulldogs. I associate her with forest clearings, vegetable gardens, fresh picked strawberries, popcorn and parties. Horror movies in general, but I don't have a specific character/movie association there. The obvious zombie imagery, considering she's from a post-zombie uprising world. She's referenced Greek mythology in some of her poems (specifically, there's a canon one that mentions Hades and Persephone), so that's also a viable option.

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic?
I'm terrible at pre-plotting and tend to just throw characters together, but if anything here resonates, let me know and I'm happy to look for opportunities to bring it up!

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character? Sebastian puts on an act of politeness and charm, of being hard-working and helpful, but in reality he completely lacks empathy, is cruel and looks down on others. He gets intensely obsessive over what he wants: his master, eating, having a meal that tastes just so. He thinks a lot of humans on the Barge smell like they'd taste delicious (Will included, most likely).

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up? The specifics of who his master is and what their Contract entails, just on the off chance said master is ever apped here.

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize? Black smokey tendrils, blood, claws and fangs (if Hannibal's inner monster is represented by a Wendigo, Sebastian's true self is more darkness made manifest, a black hole, a creeping shadow). And on the other end fancy china, tea, elegant chandeliers, heavy velvet curtains --mixing the two categories works too.

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic? I've yet to actually watch the show, but I'm thinking Sebastian would likely give Will major Hannibal vibes?

I am definitely down to play out or handwave as warranted. I love whatever this is that's developing.

Oh man, thanks for filling this out! Poor Taylor sounds like she's been through the ringer. I look forward to giving Will some entirely new creepy imagery to play with. :3

And yes, they can commiserate on having their heads cut into- Will's scar will be very visible as he doesn't cover it up. And commiserate on serial killers all day long. ;)

I think Taylor's working at the kennel right now? Will is going to be there a lot. He'll probably approach the idea of working there himself. So maybe they can talk there sometime?

Oh man, those pictures are so cool- I will keep that in mind! Sounds like Arthur is something extremely familiar with loss, which Will tends to be at least a little sensitive about. So we'll see if he hits any buttons there. Will would probably pick up more quickly on the detective stuff than some of the rest. But he'll also be fascinated by the whole partnership Arthur has with John.

Thanks very much for filling this out! Hope to have them run into each other on the ship sometime.

Will tends to show a lot of people his damage so they don't know the REAL damage that's in there, so- he gets at least the hiding of the True Self, Norton. And ooh, some old London imagery and old sci-fi nonsense should be fun. It's less creepy than he usually goes, so at least there's a silver lining there. Thanks for replying. :3

Thanks for replying! So despite Maggie being so good at connecting with people that Will is going to be a little confused about it, he really understands the desire to protect others, to the point of murder, suffering, and/or death. So that's something they might connect on sometime.

And yay, he'll have some nice imagery to go with everything else here. (I mean, yes zombies, but still!) Will is going to appreciate that. Also dogs!

Yeah, there be some Hannibal vibes over here, wow. It's only Sebastian coming off like an actual void or black hole that's different, really.

Will is having a fairly nice chat with him over the network, funnily enough, as Will doesn't quite get enough info through audio to go off of. But I'm thinking Will'd end up staring at Sebastian for overly-long periods if Will sees him on the Barge, and especially if he's spotted working the breakfast shift. He might actually seek out Sebastian after that, partially because he isn't sure if other people catch the danger, and partially because Will makes terrible choices and is drawn to monsters.

Mags cares so much, and also she wants to do a murder whenever anyone harms her people.

I'm never quite sure whether canon is hyperbolic when it says Maggie has 2 dozen dogs, because it's written from Shaun's point of view and he's not a dog person. But she might literally have two dozen dogs. A ridiculous pack of overbred purebreds abandoned due to health problems; I headcanon that the primary thing she uses her trust fund for is the astronomical vet bills.

So many dogs! Will technically had 9 by the end of the show- I had thought that was hyperbole, myself. But hooray for basically having your own shelter. That immediately endeared Will, hearing about that.

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character? Laura's a lot, though a little less upon her arrival on the barge. At first pass, it's obvious she struggles internally but putting a finger on any one thing is kind of impossible. She seems to rotate regularly between a gamut of negative emotions, the worst being extreme anger, apathy, and depression which all seem to be very deeply rooted. She lacks any of the faith that most people believe in that, in their opinion, makes life worth living. Love, humanity, God/spirituality, and forgiveness (though this one she is currently working on), all seem to be foreign concepts to her.

It should be also noted that Laura isn't always a nasty bitch. She can be nice and actually is pretty decent to be around even when she is going through the thick of her own personal bullshit.

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up? Nope, have at it!

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize? Do Not Disturb doorknob sign, statue of the Egyptian God Anubis, can of bug spray, hot tub, gold coin (which Will may recognize as being the same as Sweeney's), maggots, a field of blue wildflowers, potion bottle with handwritten 'le vrai sang de l'amour', small brown cardboard box, blood stain on a light blue cement floor, spear (specifically Gungnir, Odin's/Wednesday's spear if he's familiar with Norse mythology).

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic? I think because it's Laura, slow and steady is going to have to be the approach. She's very much in denial over Feelings she has for a certain tol leprechaun or any of her mistakes prior to Wednesday hiring Sweeney to see to her death. She absolutely needs kid gloves because telling her what she thinks she needs and how to feel are trigger points that could result in her turning defensive and angry.

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character? Avalon is pretty much…empty. They are an identity-less being who has spent most of their existence in a magical in-between realm, only coming out to murder people. That said, I like the idea of Will being able to see a) that Avalon has no soul of their own, and/or b) memories of their past kills, including the failed victim and their own killer.

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up? Not that I can think of right now. If something comes up, I’ll tell you.

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize? “Sometimes he sees things that don't seem to make a whole lot of sense until later- I tend to interpret that as him integrating evidence that he hasn't logically noticed yet.”—Going with this, I like the idea of Will seeing the Rift (basically, an empty/dark/endless room), but not realizing that this was Avalon’s “home world” or what they used it for until later.

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic? Let me know, I'd love to plan with you! Will could be a good way to weasel info or feelings out of someone who would otherwise keep them hidden, if that's something you'd like. I'm also very happy to just see where things go. I would like Will and Avalon to meet each other at some point and possibly have Avalon attack, or at least take an unhealthy interest in, Will.

Edited 2023-04-14 15:27 (UTC)

My apologies for taking so long to get back to you on this (and the other plotting stuff). I kinda took on too much and got overwhelmed for a bit. But I'm back now! And thanks for filling this out! I think Will seeing the Rift is a great idea, and just...not knowing that's exactly what it is. Some of his visualizations include things that are kind of on their own, in a void so as not to distract them- it would take him a bit to realize that the void is actually a place.

He's also dealt with mostly empty people before, although probably not as much as Avalon seems to be. Will tends to be drawn to them, because there's less 'noise' to interfere with his own thoughts and feelings. I think having these two interact is a great idea, and that post you tagged him on with Sheehan is a great jumping off point. We can see how it develops from there. :3

Cool! Oh, and if you want to use the flood for mental messing, I’d be happy to plot things for that, too!

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character?

I mean, I think he's already pretty well on top of what her problem is. Her app is at your disposal.

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up?

It's fine to bring something up, she will shut it down if she's really not going to talk about it.

As long as she's not being physically threatened, she's likely to show any upset by getting cold and mean. Any physical component opens up her ability for violence, even if it's well-meaning contact. There's also a level of offense where she will uh TAKE HER RECOMPENSE. She can absolutely be very dangerous.

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize?

https://erbier.dreamwidth.org/969.html - Visualize/Music
https://erbier.dreamwidth.org/7487.html - Dreus
https://erbier.dreamwidth.org/1866.html?thread=2890#cmt2890 - CR imagery
(You can ignore Cathaway and Prince, they were for another game.)

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic?

I'm very happy to see where things go, and also plot as events make themselves available. If you ever need to contact me you can PM me or discord me: itsabee#1072.

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character? In the face of things that would make most people shit their pants in terror, Trevor mostly feels tired and laser-focused on getting rid of whatever it is. He wants to protect innocent people from harm first and foremost, at the cost of everything else. He has a very sad feel to him that characters have remarked on in his canon. He doesn't have 'medium' wants if that makes sense: he wants to sleep, eat, and curl up somewhere warm most of the time as a base need, and the other part of the time he wants to rescue his family from eternal damnation. He also wants to protect every inmate and hates the Admiral.

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up? None that I can think of!

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize? Trevor tends to wear his family's crest around with him that's a pretty prominent symbol. He's also from a 500-year-long strain of vampire hunters so a lot of fang-imagery and biting will probably serve Will well. Trevor also carries a whip that's been in use for that long that has the soul of a person inside it, idk if that's useful to know.

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic? Whatever you'd like! I think Trevor would like Will but joke that he would be a nosy POS who would get along better with his girlfriend.

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character? Florian is full of rage and hatred and bitterness, specifically against the people of his world. He hates the city he came from because of the actions of her people and he hates the people of the other cities for vicitmizing his city. He's also vaguely suicidal, his life's purpose very much one he never intended to live through given his whole life was lived in spite.

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up? Nope. Go for it.

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize? Black water filled with poison and coal, a bay like a black crescent, abominations and mutations of natural things, plague (specifically plague with black spots that grow), corpses (rotting in various stages), old blood and old money, sun and moon imagery, the bloated corpse of a girl who looks exactly like him, covered in black spots sinking into the waves, a stone statue of a sea goddess who looks like she's drowning, locked doors, boarded windows, a door to a basement that's basically the abyss and/or hell with people screaming and crying from the darkness, a beautiful woman whose eyes burn out into ash, flaming hot axes, textile mills

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic? Nothing in particular, but if you want to bond over being poisonous rage filled little cream puff looking motherfuckers, aces!

Edited 2023-05-26 01:20 (UTC)

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character? Eiffel is a depressed dude with ADHD so his emotions turn on a dime, but he generally exists in a gently tired but upbeat fugue state, and when he's not chill his emotions are bare on his sleeve.

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up? Eiffel's an open book so everything's fair game!

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize? Extremely bright red or blue backlighting, lack of gravity (items, or Eiffel himself, floating around him), space suit, bottles of alcohol, loose cigarettes (the smell tends to be extremely strong around him regardless), radio components or blasts of static, Doug's own voice as heard through a radio speaker, visual white noise especially across his ears and eyes, punctured lungs and bleeding from the mouth.

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic? I don't have any real thoughts for where to go with these boys, but Eiffel thinks he's neat and he'll want to keep helping since Will is his bestie's inmate!

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character? Fears, desires, motivations, immediate wants, HAVE AT THEE. Neal is deeply motivated by his love of other people, but also just as deeply motivated by guilt, shame, and/or a need to prove himself. His dad was a deadbeat criminal he never saw after his third birthday, and his mom was an alcoholic who loved him very much, but that was about all she was good for.

He's terrified of the people he cares about giving up on him, or of them deciding he's not worth their time. He's always sure the next mistake he makes will be the one that breaks his relationships. He's always convinced that he's going to be replaced as soon as someone finds a person more useful to them. He's wanted a family for much of his life, to build one but also to find one. As for more immediate wants, this is his headspace as of late May.

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up? Nothing in particular comes to mind!

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize? Nothing in particular again. He's very much an Art Guy, he deeply loves its creation and the techniques involved, so take that as you will!

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic? I will DEFINITELY update this if I think of something.

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Will's Insight | Opt-In Post

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cw: bugs (no, really)

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Maggie Garcia

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Re: Maggie Garcia

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Re: Maggie Garcia

Re: Maggie Garcia

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Meeting, possible attacks, etc.

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Ilde

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Neal Caffrey (cw parental neglect/alcoholism)