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

[mukha]

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

Pyotr has a lot of loneliness and an intense fear of abandonment. Every emotion he feels is also dialed up VERY HIGH. and he has so! many! feelings! and he wants so many, often contradictory things! (radical transformation of society! guy he is obsessed with to be god-emperor!) It's all just so much. I'm sorry, Will.

It might also be interesting for Will to pick up on how Pyotr is a chronic liar and actor, but the "characters" he pretends to be are based off of traits he actually has or used to have. It's not entirely a false persona, but just one that has been weaponized and is tailored differently for different people. This quote sums it up:

Listen . . . when I set off to come here, I mean here in the large sense, to this town, ten days ago, I made up my mind, of course, to assume a character. It would have been best to have done without anything, to have kept one’s own character, wouldn’t it? There is no better dodge than one’s own character, because no one believes in it. I meant, I must own, to assume the part of a fool, because it is easier to be a fool than to act one’s own character; but as a fool is after all something extreme, and anything extreme excites curiosity, I ended by sticking to my own character. And what is my own character? The golden mean: neither wise nor foolish, rather stupid, and dropped from the moon, as sensible people say here, isn’t that it?

2. Is there a character trait or emotion you absolutely do NOT want brought up? I can't think of anything right now, other than maybe Pyotr's intense hatred of the Barge and how much time and energy he spends toward thinking of how to crash the ship and escape 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? Spiders, snakes, fire? I will have to think a little bit and maybe come back to this later.

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

I'm happy to just see where things go for now! A big part of Pyotr's story and why he is an inmate is due to a toxic "relationship" (calling it a relationship is rather generous-). He has such strong, intense feelings for a horrible man who is both his soulmate and wants nothing to do with him. I'm always looking for ways to address it because he *really* needs to get over that guy to graduate. If the CR gets close enough, or if the subject ever comes up due to an event or something, Will can notice the... like I said... intensity of the... devotion. He genuinely wants to "help" the object of his affections, and has a lot of love to give. He is also an insane stalker.