#ghost speaks
Shout-out to @kadinnova for always sending me the good good rock posts
hey! I wanted to say I know I havent been super active here; rn I’m trying to take care of finals, but after that, I’m hoping to post more geology content to help de-stress ^^; I have some Embarrassingly old asks in the inbox that I want to get to
EDIT: also a reminder, the inbox is still open if anyone wants to send in requests or just chat!
FINALS ARE COMPLETE BABEY, IT’S ROCK TIME
Okay NOTE TO SELF I should make gifs of my own collection today
Those of you who followed me for pretty crystal gifs: oh boy I wonder what geologystims posted today!
Me: :]
sometimes people who either haven’t seen hannibal or dropped it after s1 interact with my posts and the tags are always like “I don’t know how accurate this is” or “did this really happen ??” and I’m here to say I would never exaggerate the show, the show exaggerates itself
sometimes I’ll go to post a thought on twitter and go no. this isn’t for you. you don’t deserve it. and then I’ll come crawling back here in the depths of the night like hello my love don’t ask me where I’ve been I swear there isn’t another woman
just found a bug on my bed and after smashing it five times with a book and twice with my shoe it was still fucking alive and if that’s not what living in australia is then I don’t know what is
one of my posts was just tagged as “humorous stuff” and I’m so glad I’m humorous thank fuck
this is the hardcover book I bought today for those of you who wanted to see
buying books is an intricate process, like old school romance. first is the courtship, where the book must tempt me through elegance and charm, via its cover, title and blurb (because I do judge a book by its cover I’m sorry to my third grade teacher but it’s true) then we have our love affair to test the relationship. then if I love the book we elope, but if I hate it then the breakup is scathing and I will swear my vengeance with this knife and an animal rage in my eyes till the day I die
beverly katz is so lesbian-coded argue with the wall I’m no longer listening
I’m thinking about the ending of devilman crybaby again and I’m seriously at my limit what do you mean ryo doesn’t understand akira’s sensitivity and his attachment to everything and everyone until their roles are reversed and ryo loses the only thing he loves, realising even he can attach to people as the world crumbles around him and he cries out into the abyss? I’m fragile don’t touch me
I’ve been taking notes during my hannibal rewatch and I feel the need to share the highlights of my reaction to potage (s1 ep3) because I wrote some unhinged things in the notes app tonight, including but not limited to:
will is like oh god I’m being a slut oh shit I’ll put a robe on I’m crying NSBSJDH
not will already saying he thinks murder is art ?? literally no one asked ?? bitch
BECAUSE HE IS INSANE LMAO FREDDIE KNOWSSSSS… she vibe checked him so hard she has no biases fr
“it’s the ugliest thing in the world” me when I lie
hannibal is so amused constantly he’s just smirking in the corner
AT LEAST JACK IS HONEST ABOUT HAVING AN AGENDA (I’m a jack apologist sorry y’all)
half of what will says has me like why would u say that SNHDSJJS
abigail be like no wonder u have nightmares u say the freakiest shit
“the man on the phone?” hannibal is just standing there like I hate him
ABIGAIL SLAYYYYY “and you be the man on the phone” LIKE BITCH
hannibal is so sick and twisted for killing marissa like I know that’s the whole point but jesus fuck dude that was so homophobic </33
NOT HANNIBAL THROWING RANDOM ACCUSATIONS AROUND LIKE HE’S IN AMONG US HIDING HIS TRACKS LIKE UHHHH IN MY OPINION NICHOLAS BOYLE DID IT BECAUSE THE VIBES ARE OFF FUCK YOU
people are so amazing really. the world is endless and there are a thousand ways to interpret life and find meaning in it, regardless of whether you think it’s there or not. you’ve got sport and games and movies and endless stories and cooking and gardening and science and art and it’s all the same without being the same. we create something out of nothing all the time. we find momentary joy in the little things. sometimes it’s just one conversation. sometimes it’s something surprising that makes you laugh. sometimes the apparent meaninglessness of it all is miserable and other times it’s so freeing. sometimes it’s enough just to be alive
idk what the hannibal fandom was like back in 2015 but I can say with full confidence that in the year of our lord 2022 it’s so cozy it has constant sleepover vibes except we’re all just overanalysing every scene down to the microexpression and crying over any given moment being like “guys do you ever think about the nature of True Love could you daily feel a stab of hunger for him and find nourishment at the very sight of him” and the collective just sobs in response like yeah, yeah I do think about that. all the time. never stopped. *reblogs gifset and goes insane all over again*
nothing has ever described the energy of this account so accurately
*taps microphone* hello and welcome to part two of my nbc hannibal character introductions analysis !! this time we’re focusing on hannibal himself so get ready because I’ve got some thoughts and it’s about to get twisty as hell
here’spart one (will’s introduction) if you missed it !!
hannibal:
for the purpose of this analysis, it’s important to note that the nature of hannibal’s first scene is different from the nature of will’s. as the protagonist, will’s introduction doubles as the characteristic moment/opening scene, and as such his first major appearance is packed with content and thematic detail (enough to dedicate a whole analysis to)
but as the show’s main antagonist/(unlikely) love interest, hannibal’s first scene is less so. it simply doesn’t need to be, and it’s good that it isn’t because will is never overshadowed by him. after all, this is will’s story, not hannibal’s. it’s for this reason that I’m picking apart both his first appearance and the breakfast scene, since hannibal naturally doesn’t have as complex an introduction as will himself
funnily enough, hannibal actually doesn’t appear until halfway through the episode. after will figures out the minnesota shrike is eating the missing girls, the scene suddenly cuts to hannibal eating dinner at home, alone and obscured by shadow as classical music plays and wonderfully disturbs us all — a chilling dissonance that’s deeply embedded in the anatomy of his character
it’s only a few seconds long, but the way this sequence is shot tells us everything we need to know about his character. in a scene void of dialogue, we’re first shown the reflection of a small fruit platter, as seen when the camera slowly pans over the finely polished wood of the dinner table, before swooping up to meet the actual object. maybe I’m overanalysing here (I’m a film student so humour me for a moment) but I think it’s worth noting how we’re shown the reflection before the prop itself. in film (and theatre) some props hold symbolic significance, and are referred to as “symbolic props”. the choice to have this shot look dreamlike and distorted — a series of reflections and mirrors, even before we see hannibal himself — feels deliberate to me. I mean, hannibal is the copycat killer. he’s will’s mirror. not to mention the fruit itself: the split pomegranate is the focal point of the shot
it’s a pretty common allusion. pomegranates are often likened to the devil, sin, death, etc. in some interpretations of the bible, for instance, eve is tempted by a pomegranate, not an apple, and pomegranates themselves are widely associated with hades, since persephone is doomed to stay with him in the underworld once she swallows pomegranate seeds. again, all esoteric type imagery associated with hannibal before we even seehannibal
basically, the show tells us he’s the devil before we even see his face. the show also tells us that this “evil” is mirrored everywhere else, or at least is capable of being mirrored. it exists beyond him
to add to this point, once we leave the fruit platter we’re shown the meal he’s eating, which, due to will’s earlier revelation, is implied to be human-based. the actual set up of this is interesting because the plate, and hannibal himself, are placed directly behind the pomegranate, so when the camera refocuses on its new subject a subtle link is formed between the fruit and the meat. further still, if we return to the pomegranate symbolism, particularly the biblical aspect of it, the act of cannibalism is suddenly reframed as temptation. the “forbidden fruit” or a type of secret pleasure one must resist indulging, or quite literally consuming. it’s the dazzling offer given to any poor fool who falls victim to the devil: an illusion. something horrible designed to look aesthetically beautiful in order to trick onlookers and obscure the truth
it’s the first time we see his person suit
it’s only after we see both the fruit and the (unfortunately human) meat that we finally see hannibal’s face, but this too is obscured. while this means we still don’t get a good look at him, this choice also foreshadows the fact that hannibal is not the minnesota shrike, but rather a distorted version of him: the copycat, as we later learn
the actual lighting in this scene is also worth noting, since the shadows here make hannibal’s face look like a skull. it’s not the last time lighting is used in this way (hannibal consistently looks skull-like in future scenes) but it’s particularly significant in this context since it affirms his symbolic association with death
personally this all makes me think of the devil and death cards respectively, which was likely unintentional but hey, hannibal does recreate the three of swords later in s3 by turning a man into a heart-shaped sculpture so it’s not like tarot imagery is never used in the show… but anyway <3
what I find interesting about this sequence is the fact that the main thing we learn (beyond hannibal’s link to the devil) is how hidden he is. he’s something unknown, and it’s because of this that his introduction is the inversion of will’s, since we see the truth of will (and his worldview) so clearly when we first meet him
that being said, the theory of opposition is an integral part of hannibal and will’s dynamic, something that is explicitly shown in the second half of the episode and actually further emphasises the idea that hannibal’s scenes are here to support/develop will’s character further, even if indirectly. it’s why he doesn’t appear until about halfway through the episode and again why the actual construction of his introduction is different
(side note: hannibal being “hidden” and “unknown” also recalls the show’s gothic genre, setting him up as our classic monster)
so with that in mind, let’s talk about the breakfast scene
it goes as follows: in an isolated moment hannibal brings will breakfast and they have a conversation. that’s about it. however, the reason this scene is significant, and why it’s arguably one of the most important moments in the show, is because it’s where will and hannibal’s foil dynamic is first introduced
it’s important to note that before this scene takes place, hannibal tells jack that “perception is a tool pointed at both ends” which is telling, since it’s through his manipulation of perception, and his understanding of complimentary opposites, that hannibal is able to help will find the minnesota shrike. by the time we come to the breakfast scene this has already happened, and hannibal listens as will breaks it down for him. will says the copycat kill was “practically gift wrapped” for him, likening it to negative and positive polarities (“he had to show me a negative so I could see the positive”) which is fitting because this episode is fullof polarities and full of paradoxes, down to the way these characters are introduced. still, this is all done in a way that tells us that oppositions are not necessarily separate. linking this back to part one, will and hannibal are placed on a conceptual axis between man and monster, but also empathy and psychopathy. but it’s through hannibal’s introduction, and all the scenes that follow, that we learn that opposition is necessary in order to understand the full quality of something. returning to will’s worldview: humanity is not divorced from monstrosity
what is implied, is that in order for will to understand himself he must first understand hannibal, but he can only understand hannibal if he understands himself. this is the nature of their foil dynamic, something that extends to hobbs and the copycat (both extensions of will and hannibal respectively) and so to the empath to psychopath trajectory I’ve described
hannibal even says that he and will are “just alike” (a sentiment he keeps repeating throughout the show) after will says (albeit sarcastically) that he doesn’t have any problems. there’s a triple meaning behind hannibal saying there’s “nothing about us to feel horrible about” in response to will.first is the obvious lie, which is what it appears to be on its surface, then it’s the mimicked sarcasm, implying there’s something deeply wrong with both of them, and then finally, underneath the sarcasm, is the admission that no, there’s nothing for them to be ashamed of, and this lack of remorse, felt by them both, is what ties them
this of course blurs truths and lies (another set of opposites) and brings in another paradox: that every lie they say is the truth and every truth they say is a lie. as such, in order to understand the sum of either of them, they need to be simultaneously juxtaposed and read together, and their person suits, no matter how appealing or trustworthy or innocent, is just another lie. another temptation. another illusion
as hannibal says, “the devil is in the details”
istg something possesses me whenever I post here. I can’t explain what happens exactly beyond me grinning like the joker and rubbing my little hands together and kicking my feet before suddenly blacking out
the thing about nbc hannibal is that it’s not about a terrible man who falls for an innocent victim he manipulates and ropes into his bullshit, it’s about a terrible man who falls for another terrible man (who’s in denial about it but dw he’s ten bullet wounds in hobbs’ chest and a dead surrogate daughter away from figuring it out) he manipulates and ropes into his bullshit, only to be manipulated back and roped into more bullshit until they’re both so enamoured with each other and so horribly Fucked because love is real I guess that the horrors slowly become comedic
nbc hannibal is basically like
will: there is something horrendously, terribly and awfully wrong with me
hannibal: I know ☺️
I’m writing my little hannibal introduction analysis (part two !!) like this rn
decided that saturday is hannibal day hello tumblr I’m back
