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

[notthatkindoforion]

1. What would you like him to be able to suss out about your character? Tendi's likely to read to him as a bit of an odd duck. The herself she typically presents on the Barge - the excitable, sweet, optimistic, and caring nerd is entirely genuine, but there's other things going on under the surface that might seem to contradict it. She seems to go out of her way to present as a little bit more insecure and passive than she really is, and her willingness to let other people take the lead seems to be a deliberate choice, rather than her being naturally more of a follower. There's also an undercurrent of internal conflict - guilt, shame, and embarrassment coming to the surface at unexpected moments, sometimes mixed oddly with love and pride. She doesn't always trust herself about things that don't seem to make sense for her outward character, either.

There's also a metric fuckton of denial in there, though it might not always be clear what it's about.

And something about the way she moves is probably going to strike Will as dangerous, no matter how much her personality broadcasts otherwise.

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? Blades, for sure. And starship engines and various sciencey vibes, but you don't need Will's keen empathy to associate her with those. The blades and a general feel of a rough, violent environment is a little less obvious.

4. Any plot threads or development you'd like to actually get going through this mechanic? Girl needs therapy. The trick is convincing her of that. She's likely to spook and clam up if Will pushes too hard too fast - she's used to people not looking very hard past her cheery demeanor and, at the moment, is comfortable with the Barge allowing her to disassociate from the baggage of her background and culture - but I'd love to see where things go as they build a relationship. She's always so focused on making sure others are taken care of and happy that she needs someone to remind her to take care of herself sometimes, too.