Will's Insight | Opt-In Post

[empathicfault]

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)--
<b>1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character? </b> He works in emotions, so fears, desires, motivations, immediate wants, all that sort of thing is good. <b>2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up?</b> 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. <b>3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize?</b> 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. <b>4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic?</b> 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.

Comments

[lost_first]

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character? Jamie is achingly lonely because he's had to isolate himself to protect people from Peter, he's missed out on every kind of life experience by being an immortal child for lifetimes, and he feels every one. He's so so so angry, at Peter especially, and so sad at the losses of all the boys that he loved over the years and then all of the pirates that he took on to protect and care about. He wants revenge like most people want air. Right now, he wants to live AWAY and APART from Peter so much. He wants to find out who he is and what the world (worlds?) are like that aren't the island.

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

3. Is there any visual imagery you associate with your character, and/or is there anything specifically that you'd like Will to visualize? Blue eyes, dark hair, blood, a woman's hands reaching out, a smile below where there should be a smile (slit throat), a candle dropping in the dark and going out, a clearing full of weapons stuck into the ground, a young girl savagely killed by a crocodile, bloody red right hands. Rising tides of red rage is kind of omnipresent for him.

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic? Jamie was, hilariously enough, parentified by Peter for a long time, making him the one who took care of the boys in a meaningful way and making him essentially an abused partner always trying to 'save' the boys from Peter's whims and bullshit. He's been isolated and he's been given the most toxic version of love there is. He absolutely needs friends (guess who could never have those in either version of his 'life' without Peter trying to kill them) and given Will's own stuff, I'd love to see them working through things together. And Will being able to sense all the pain Jamie keeps stuffed down and hidden could be great if you're down for that.

[empathicfault]

Will definitely has some of his same issues, and I think they can connect and talk through some of this toxic relationship bs they've both been put through. Will is absolutely going to want to make sure that James isn't left to deal with this on his own, since he's unlucky enough to have his nemesis/partner on board the ship with him. I look forward to them talking through some of this stuff! At the very least, they can both be very Tired of Everything in each other's vicinity. ;)

[lost_first]

Looking forward to it! Especially since Jamie's 'had' to keep people at a distance to protect them from Peter. (The quote from his last tag was literally the last person he loved who promised to stand next to him and, uh... didn't end well.)