Hi milk,
I recently read in a Hannibal fanfic something along the lines of "Hannibals manipulation is psychological while Wills manipulation is emotional" and think that this is quite fitting.
But I wonder what your opinion on this matter is.
-🧀🍄 Y.G.
Well, psychological manipulation is the umbrella term, and emotional manipulation is a subset targeting affective states. Emotional manipulation refers more narrowly to tactics that exploit or influence a person’s emotions, like guilt-tripping, playing the victim, love bombing, gaslighting that targets emotional states specifically. The goal is to influence someone’s emotional reactions to achieve control or a desired behavior.
And psychological manipulation is a broader term. It includes emotional manipulation but also encompasses tactics that affect cognition, beliefs, perception, memory, identity, and judgment. This could include more strategic deception, framing, coercion, or undermining of someone’s sense of reality, often with more long-term or systemic intent.
So technically, I agree with that statement. But I’d say it’s interchangeable. When Will manipulates Hannibal’s emotions, he automatically changes Hannibal’s sense of reality, and he also engages in strategic deception. And Hannibal, when manipulating Will psychologically, also aims to elicit emotional reactions from Will.
Milk as a psych major jow would you do therapy on Will?
—🍑
Although I am not a psychiatrist, I do have a major in psychology and biomedicine which gives me enough knowledge to understand his mind at a clinical level. Soon I’ll have a PhD in pharma so let’s play around cause I could also add a few prescriptions too, just for fun lol.
If we’re going by the book then the first thing that would stand out to me is the possibility of OCD, so I’d get some assessments like a scrupulosity subtype, so Y-BOCS modified for moral themes. Maybe autism spectrum, so RAADS-R or ADOS-2 for differential diagnosis. I’d like to use SIPS (Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes) too, for the hallucinations that remained even after he was treated from encephalitis. And definitely a CAPS-5 for complex trauma.
So I’d prescribe a SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) for OCD, a low-dose Atypical Antipsychotic for hallucinations and a non-addictive antihistamine with anxiolytic effect for insomnia. And 100% a mood stabilizer (makes me very upset that Alana never even suggested to Hannibal considering how persistent she was about Will being unstable).
But…to be completely honest, in terms of therapy I don’t think the traditional frameworks would be good for him. I’d try schizoanalysis. Symptom is production, not dysfunction
Will’s hallucinations, empathy disorder, and moral OCD are seen as desiring-machines creating new connections.
Instead of asking “why do you feel guilty?” schizoanalysis might explore:
“Where does the guilt want to go? What does it connect to? Does it create loops or blockages?”
For example, his guilt about understanding killers connects to authority (Jack), law (cop identity), and intimacy (Hannibal). These assemblages aren’t to be judged, they’re to be mapped and re-engineered.
Hannibal is not seen as a father figure or shadow self, he is a machine Will is connected to.
I’d ask: “What does the Lecter-machine do to the Graham-machine? Does it open you up? Does it decode your world? Does it overcode you? Does it plug you into death?”
This language bypasses ego and goes straight to flows: of power, desire, representation, violence.
In this system, Will is not to be healed, but rewired, made more aware of the mechanisms he’s part of and how they trap or liberate him. He might not feel better (as he wouldn’t in any other type probably) but he may gain agency over how he assembles himself, which ultimately what he needs. I’d really want to help him and for a mind like his, that is so intelligent and intuitive…Traditional therapy won’t work or it would make everything worse (specifically CBT for example).
“Occasionally, I drop a teacup to shatter on the floor on purpose. I’m not satisfied when it doesn’t gather itself up again.”
This line always makes me think of Hannibal as having multiple personalities. Not dissociative in the traditional sense, yet still at the mercy of his subconscious triggers. It makes him sound almost a third party to the teacup shattering, as if he had no idea why he actually does that.
Milk do you think Will or Hannibal had condensation and dislocation?
Condensation and displacement you mean, right? Yeah, it’s a common defense mechanism that most people partake in. Hannibal is harder to interpret in that way, but Will, even in regards to his relationship with Hannibal seems to displace quite a lot.
Why is Mia competitive towards Molly but not Hannibal?
Because Molly is a woman, Mia feels too alike, and as if she could fulfill anything that Molly could, whereas Hannibal isn’t comparable, in any way.
Hello milk, I keep wondering what's the meaning of your background picture? (The two animals with sun and moon)
Not sure there's any deep meanings to it and you probably just pick it because it's beautiful but I just want to know.
-Lily
Ah haha! I chose it because I frequently contemplate the nature of duality, most of my essays and analysis end up being about contrast without intention :)
do you think will would ever realistically ask hannibal to kill for him?
Hell yes lol.
Will gets off on power dynamics, and he’s a raging jealous girlfriend haha. He’d certainly ask for it, if not directly then through his favorite hobby: manipulation :).
Hello, Milk! I just want to ask for your opinion on a question that has been bugging me for a while.
Besides showing us that Will and Hannibal are alive and have reached Bedelía, what else could the last scene of TWOTL be for? To show that they have some sort of revenge or kill list?
That's the obvious answer, I know, but there has to be more to it— or maybe I am being delusional at this point.
Thank you in advance <3
I think the purpose of that scene was just to show that they survived, if you think the fall was literal, which I personally don’t, given some things Bryan said. I think it being Bedelia was just because she was the most obvious victim Will wanted to go after.
I think the extra scene of them in the church is much more loaded, to be honest. That one seems to be pouring with hidden meaning.