Wednesday reading meme

[dhampyresa]

I am operating on about 3 brain cells right now because of this thing that has pretty much reduced me to tears, so apologies if this incoherent.


What did you finish reading

Good Man Friday, by Barbara Hambly: I see what you did there by comparing Poe to a raven. I liked it, overall, but I missed Hannibal and Rose terribly. I really liked Mede so :( for that. I did like that his brother loved him and what he did for him (sure, it was a terrible thing, but she sold Dominique and Charmian and Thérèse into slavery so I can't feel bad for her). Poe as Ben's sidekick was pretty cool, as was BASEBALL, but still no Rose or Hannibal. I feel like a lot of the politics went right over my head as evidenced by my LOL JOHN ADAMS reaction every time he was mentionned. He's a US president? I think? Idk what was going on here aside from there being graverobbers and baseball matches and stuff.


What are you reading now

The Benjamin January short story, Libre, Hannibal's Odyssey and the incomplete first draft of a friend's novel. It's slow going, because I keep making notes such as "we're not even on page 10 yet there are 5 locales and over a dozen characters i like none of them because I have no idea who they and also idk waht is going and another fucking flashback already omg what is wrong with you".


What are you reading next

The other Benjamin January short stories and after that idk.

Comments

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I'm really interested in the Luke/Mede relationship, and it's sad that there'll be no more of it in the future. I find it fascinating that it's never clear if Luke knows Mede is his brother- on the one hand, surely he must know? On the other hand, it could be one of those things that is easier for strangers to notice, because you've spent your whole life with someone and it never occurs to you to wonder. I could have read much more about them.

I love that Poe is in this, though it's one of those cases where it's a bit depressing to find out more about historical figures, as I hadn't previously known he supported slavery. I do like that Ben and Rose are early fans of his! (But not Hannibal? Now I want the fic where they argue over poetry.)

I love Chloe and Minou's relationship in this, as well as Charmian. It's rare that toddler-aged characters are at all interesting, but she's pretty cute. But the lack of Rose and Hannibal is quite tragic. I would have loved to see Hannibal pretending to be a failed artist, or Rose riding after slave-stealers. Or both cheering on baseball-playing Ben.

Libre is fun! I like the Ben/Minou/Hannibal conversation quite a lot.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

I think even if Luke knew, there wasn't much he could do about it: a white man acknowledging a black one as his brother? Surely you jest! I too would have loved reading more about them. I have a thing for super-strong family(-like) bonds.

I try not to find out more about people I admire, in case of something like this. Wtf Poe? Slavery is wrong. I think I'm going to stick my fingers in my ears and go lalala a lot. Oh, Poe? Idk anything about him, didn't he die of rabies?

I think Hannibal would appreciate the prose - if only to appease Ben and Rose - but the subject matters would be too grim and morbid for him.

Charmian didn't really strike me as being a toddler, I sort of thought she was six, for no reason I can think of, except that I'm bad with kids. She is pretty cute, but she might be only 3, Ben, but I'm pretty sure she's going to remember this (I remember things from when I was two and there aren't as traumatic as slave-stealers).

I kind of want Ben to export baseball to New Orleans so that Hannibal and Rose can cheer him on.

I finished Lbre, it was really cool! Good on Maria for doing what she did, too. I think I kind of ship Minou/Hannibal, ngl, but mostly I love their friendship:

"Well, all you do when you drink is recite poetry nobody understands and then fall asleep, cher." Dominique reached over to pat Hannibal's thin cheek. "You're very sweet about it."

They are so adorable!

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Mmm, good point. But I would have loved to see if they could have worked out some sort of friendship with Mede free. Or even if they couldn't– it still would be interesting.

Ha, yeah. Though it is fun finding all the references to his stories in Good Man Friday.

I do love Hannibal's light-heartedness. I love the little detail at the end of The Shirt on His Back that Hannibal has carried a volume of Shakespeare's comedies all the way out to Oregon, and offers them to Franz, who refuses in favor of his Hamlet and Lear. It's such a telling character moment for both of them.

Charmian does act much older. (I think? I haven't spent a lot of time around kids that age.)

Ben should totally import baseball to New Orleans!

I LOVE Hannibal/Minou. They are gossipy flirtatious BFFs and it's the best thing ever. I bet Hannibal is totally willing to listen to all her talk about fashion and colors and bonnets. I also would totally love them having a friends-with-benefits type relationship. Sexual or platonic, I like them either way.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

I would have loved it if they could have worked out a friendship. Mede was definitely willing to give it a try and I think might have been able to after a while.

I love that Hannibal is the gentlest soul anyone in these books has ever met, despite everything. He's just so peaceable but also loyal even when it costs him dearly (see Dead Water). And yes that was a great character moment!

I'm watching DS9 currently so I have to admit that Ben + baseball made me think Sisko instead of January for a moment there. Sisko's dad has a restaurant in New Orleans, so you know, that also made sense.

I bet Hannibal has Opinions on fashion and stuff. There are several times where Ben points out that Hannibal is doing fashion-y things like a woman or has his hair held up by a woman's comb or things along those lines. I think if it is sexual Minou is probably the one who made the first step.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I love how everyone is constantly like "Hannibal? But he's so... harmless!" whenever he gets involved in drama. But of course, if he wasn't so silly and eccentric, he wouldn't be able to break social customs the way he does.

Ha, I've never seen DS9, but I love fancasting Benjamin Sisko as Benjamin January. He's not necessarily the best actor on his own, but I adore Alexander Siddig for Hannibal, so photos/gifs with both of them in it are very pleasing to me.

Hannibal seems to flirt with everyone he meets, but I don't think he means anything by it. I'm sure it would be Minou (/everyone he sleeps with) who actually has to make the first move.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

To be fair, drama happens to him, he doesn't go looking for it. I wonder if the Creoles might think he's a little braindamaged, because he's the only white man in New Orleans who willingly eats with black ones.

I adore Alexander Siddig for Hannibal
He was Hannibal-with-the-elephants that one time in Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare, so you know, there is that. The two of them do look very good together, don't they?

It's not flirting, it's just how he communicates! I notice he doesn't flirt with Rose though, aw Hannibal.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I think he definitely must be thought of as "off"- not just for who he socializes with, but his problems with drinking and drugs, his habit of switching languages randomly and reciting poetry to geese, his sort of gender-bending appearance (with the long hair and pink ribbons and flowers and feathers and hair-combs)... but all of that more petty stuff I think is why he's allowed to break the more important race rules. No one feels the need to correct his behavior because he's just so weird anyway.

I heard he was in that, but I haven't watched it yet! I'm planning to, though.

I'm really fascinated by that! Did he start out doing it and Rose told him to stop? Did he notice on his own that it made her comfortable? Is flirting just Hannibal's version of small talk, and since they're friends already he doesn't bother?

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

Wasn't there a line about how he was considered 'degenerate' by the white and Creole society? I love how much attention Ben pays to Hannibal's hair ('his hair colour changed!', 'a new ribbon! clearly he has a new girlfriend who isn't me :('...)

You totally should! If only because Alexander Siddig is really pretty in it, but it's also a fairly good movie on the Second Punic War.

They met over books, didn't they? So they probably had a whole conversation in Latin or Ancient Greek, after which they were friends and he had noticed how she'd flich every time he tried to take the book directly from her hand.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Yup! Hannibal just has no respectability at all. (Yes. And all the odes to the color of Hannibal's eyes... totally platonic).

They did! Which I really adore. It seems like the best way to meet someone.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

And the comparisons to angels, elves, mermaids... Nothing going on here.

I certainly won't disagree with you! I've met lots of great people through books (I should email thm to see how they're doing, now that I think about it). Did you notice that she lets him sleep in her house?

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

:D

I did notice! And has practice pulling off his boots! One thing I just recently noticed is, in 'Fever Season', Hannibal meets Cora while she's hiding in Rose's school. Which means when she'd known him less than a year, Rose already trusted him enough to give him a huge secret that could destroy her.

I'm actually really fascinated by Rose and Hannibal's relationship as its own, separate thing– which we only get little indications of, since we're restricted to Ben's POV. Not that I don't love Ben! But I would love to see more of how Rose and Hannibal relate, or how they think of each other.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

It's one of the inconvenients of being in Ben's head: we don't to have a look inside other people's head. I would love a Rose book, for exemple, or a Hannibal book.

I wonder, if Ben hadn't come to New Orleans, how the whole Lalaurie thing would have turned out? Do you think Rose and Hannibal would have investigated on their own? Maybe Lalaurie tried to use the fact that hannibal has slept in Rose's house to discredit her, so now Rose and Hannibal have to get married (Hannibal thinks it'll help the scandal die down, Rose knows it won't). Idk.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Me tooooo. I mean, we don't even know if Hannibal thinks of himself as 'Hannibal', or if he's still internally using some other name. I would love to see a book from either of their POVs, and get all their relationships and habits that Ben doesn't see or think as much about.

I LOVE the idea of an AU where Rose's school gets shut down and she and Hannibal end up going to Paris to try again (I don't think they can legally get married, alas, at least in New Orleans. Maybe they pretend to be on the boat so they only have to pay for one cabin). And then obviously they eventually met Ben and Ayasha.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

I think he thinks of himself as 'Hannibal' because it's been his name for 5+ years at this point and also, if I had a name as badass as Hannibal, I would call myself that inside my all the time. And he chose his name, so. (Plus, it's very interesting that he picked that name. It's not a common first name at all.)

That sounds like an amazing AU! (They probably can't, but Hannibal seems a bit fuzzy on the rules of Creole society. He probably thinks they can until Rose enlightens him. They definitely pretend on the boat, though.) Well, obviously. Hannibal has to play in the opera's orchestra to provide the funds for Rose's school and there he meets Ben. Meanwhile, Rose has all those tignons she is never wearing ever again and she is looking for a seamstress who will take them out of her sight for a fair price...

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and possibly as long as 17 years, if he's been using Hannibal all along, rather than going through multiple names as he travels about. Which is another thing I want to know! I wonder if he chose it because of its connection with Alexander– they're both famous Classical generals? Also, all his family seems to have had unusual Classical names (Diogenes, Germanicus), so there could be some meaning there for him, too. But I don't know exactly what his reasoning might have been, and am sort of fascinated by it.

Yeah, Hannibal would definitely offer to marry Rose if he thought it would be helpful. And then there can be lots of uncomfortably tense platonic bed-sharing on the boat.

And Ben of course is really excited to meet someone from New Orleans who will understand where he comes from, and Ayasha sympathizes with Rose being forced to run away and start a new life. And Hannibal is very paranoid that someone's going to recognize him, and Ben ends up helping him get out of an awkward situation. And Ayasha is very amused by Hannibal flirting with her. And then eventually OT4.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

Can you imagine if his given name was Scipio and he went with Hannibal as a sign of complete contrariness? I do so want to know more about his backstory and how/why he picked his name and ended up in New Orleans. It's not like you can cross the Atlantic by accident.

If it was helpful, he'd offer to marry Ben. There could be and it would be amazing.

Yes, AMAZING! Someone should totally write this fic. Can there be Ayasha teaching Hannibal Arabic and/or just them bonding over hair ribbons?

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I do think there might have been some contrariness to it! I mean, all the rest of his family's names are Greek or Roman, and then he chooses a name from the enemy. I also want to know how long he's been in New Orleans– if he arrives shortly before Ben, or if he's been there for a long time. And why he's there at all– did he follow some girlfriend, like when he went to Mexico? Or did he have a different reason? I think it mentions somewhere that he's been in America for a while, so Hannibal's adventures in New York or Boston or elsewhere would also be fascinating.

HA YES. I have had a wish for some time for trope-y "we have to pretend to be a couple" fic for Ben/Hannibal, but I can't imagine why that situation would arise. Still. I want it.

Yes, of course! And Ben and Ayasha would have had a baby, and Rose and Hannibal can help take care of him/her.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

And not just an enemy, but THE enemy. If there ever was one enemy of Rome feared long after his defeat and his death, it was Hanibal. Well, he's been in New Orleans at least as long as Rose. I'd say two years before Ben comes back, at minimum. I have a feeling he may have crossed the Atlantic because that's the farthest from anyone who could recognise him he could go and then he just got dragged around North America by various girlfriends (and probably boyfriends, if his willingness to follow Ben everywhere is any indication).

I do want it now that you've mentionned it, but there are so many obstacles to it working in the canon setting.

Perfect. Hannibal would try to teach the baby Latin and Greek.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

(and probably boyfriends, if his willingness to follow Ben everywhere is any indication).

I am totally convinced that Hannibal's bisexuality is canon.

I do want it now that you've mentionned it, but there are so many obstacles to it working in the canon setting.

Alas, yes. On the other hand, I have read "pretend to be a gay couple" fic set in Classical Rome, so there's always the option of just ignoring history for the sake of a fun fic.

YES. "Hannibal, I'm pretty sure the baby is just babbling."
"No, listen! He just said 'mutatis mutandis'."
"...and why would he say that?"
"Well, I don't know but I don't think we should question his precociousness."

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

Me too, but I'm hard-pressed to come up with any canon evidence/quotes.

True enough. It is tropefic, after all. (Link to that fic? I'm curious to see how the author makes it work.)

"Hannibal, Livy is not appropriate as a bed time story."
"But how else will he learn about my namesake and his?" (Because you know that kid as Classical name. Ayasha desperates of the rest of them.)
"Fine. Just make sure to take out all the deaths."

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

This is the one that I think comes closest to being 'proof' (From Dead and Buried, Hannibal is talking about himself in third person):
"Lady Philippa wouldn’t believe Droudge if he told her water flowed downhill. She loathes the man– at least she did when I knew her– and, considering what she put up with from the boy’s father, I can’t imagine there’s much in the way of vice she hasn’t heard of before. Droudge would tell her, of course. He’s vindictive that way." Hannibal frowned at some memory. "But once they have a decent lawyer, and he’s tracked down the girl– or boy– or multiples thereof– in question, I can’t see a judge refusing bail, no matter what Patrick’s will may have said."

Hetaeriae Eaeque Brevi Fient by Sineala. It's The Eagle/Eagle of the Ninth. I wouldn't quite describe myself as in that fandom, but I read a lot of the fic.

Ha, yes! I love the image of Hannibal misappropriating history for bedtime stories.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

the girl– or boy– or multiples thereof
Sounds pretty conclusive to me, as far as Hannibal's bisexuaality goes (also moresomes, apparently).

Thanks for the link, I'll get to reading that as soon as I can.

Of course he does. He has no idea what is or is not appropriate as a bedtime story. He's probabmy the one who stays home to take care of the baby, too, becaus Ayesha is at the shop, Ben is at the opera and Rose is at the school.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

He also seems to be aware/accepting of a lot of gay people, but that could just be Hannibal's general attitude toward life.

Ha, yes, Hannibal is a very convenient babysitter. He's probably terrible at enforcing rules, though.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I figure Hannibal is very much a 'love and let love' kind of person.

He is the worst at rules. He caves immediately.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Yup.

Ha, yes. There's a lot of: "Hannibal, why did you let the baby draw all over the walls?"
"Well, after he ate the entire cake, he was very determined to do so."
"He didn't take a nap either, did he?"
"...no. But I have gotten him to memorize the first lines of Dante's Inferno!"

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

That baby is a certified genius. Dante's Inferno at below one year old? He'll be taking over the world of literature in no time!