improved character survay of doom;

[bonsoiree]

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy? Thin, proportional. Mads Mikkelsen is 6'0, so the show variation of Lecter is much taller. He was very short in the books, and in the film, Sir Hopkins is 5'9'' and slightly stockier (Welsh heritage for the win). His TV incarnation also appears notably athletic, with a swimmer's physique (literally, he was shown in canon as an avid swimmer).

2. How old is he? Forties.

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch? Described as having cat-like reflexes, a wiry strength, and the grace of a dancer.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Very fit, fastidious, and concerned with healthy life habits. Well. Regarding his physicality, that is.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? Goes with the posture. He is very fluid and serene in observation.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? Tan, angular, thin, immaculate, Eastern European ancestry (a mother of noble Italian lineage and a father who was a Lithuanian count).

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.

9. What color are his eyes? Maroon; usually looks brown, except in certain lighting, where it takes an unsettling reddish glint.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

11. What are his chief tension centers?

12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit?

13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them? Everything seems custom tailored.

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences? The same. On very rare occasion does he don less than a three-piece suit.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? Briefs.



Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? Musical, cultured, pleasant. Can sound like a mumble, if one is unused to his accent.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate? Soft, moderated.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? I think we're supposed to pretend that Mads' Danish mumbling is a Lithuanian accent, so let's go with that.

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency? Lithuanian, French, Latin, Italian, English... More in the book canon, including Russian, Portuguese, and German. He's a polyglot.

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations? If referring to some classical text, if he knows the original, he'll speak it. For example, quoting Dante in Italian.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words? He is witty and clever, and can respond quickly, but choses to steer conversations to something more paced and intimate.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? Eloquent, pedantic, often obscure and excessively allegorical. He can also be more relatable - chummy and conversational rather than cold and condescending, making puns and references to something other than archaic texts and pretentious literature.



Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart? Book smart, with the street-smarts needed for survival in hand-to-hand combat. Basically he is a scholarly shark and y'all best watch y'selves.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate? He can react, but prefers planning and deliberation (he's a J on the Myers-Briggs type list).

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

4. What kind of education has the character had? He has a medical doctorate.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about? Human nature. Also anything to contribute to his mental anthology in a section of the library in his mind palace entirely dedicated to Will Graham.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert? Extrovert (different from other versions!).

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? Even tempered, cheerful, imperturbable, optimistic.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? Polite, amiable, and secretly pouring over and analyzing their every move and word.

9. Is he more likely to act, or to react? Is...influence an option? That seems like an action, so, act.

10. Which is his default: fight or flight? Fight.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Dry, morbid, ironic, and mocking humor.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them? Yes. That is all.

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?

14. What does he fear?

15. What are his hopes or aspirations?

16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?



Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents. Cold, distant, stereotypical relation between wealthy European aristocrats and their progeny.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? Mischa, who was precious and innocent and he was supposed to have adored and been very possessive and protective of. His childhood background is unknown, for the most part, in the show canon, besides that he was accused of eating his sister (implication that he was not forced, but chose to, possibly having been influenced to though) and did not deny it or defend himself.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand? He appears to have no living blood relatives, unless there was something they were going to bring up in canon that they weren't able to do to cancellation. This might change if it gets picked back up.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them? Will, Abigail, and Chiyoh. Chiyoh seems to be a protective younger sister figure, though when they met she was his Aunt's maid. Abigail was a surrogate daughter figure fostered after they "rescued" her from her murderous father, Garret Jacob Hobbs. Will we know all about and he gets mentioned ad nauseam throughout.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? Will Graham. Both assigned to assist the FBI in a bizarre murder case. Lecter orchestrated this to get close to the profiler, though, so it wasn't exactly a nature way of meeting.

6. Does he have other close friends? Francis Dolarhyde seems to think they are chums. He has a sort of affection towards people he knows well, even if he does want to eat or kill them...or both. This includes the likes of Alana Bloom and Jack Crawford. He respects Margot Verger, and previously seems to have admired Phyllis (Bella) Crawford. They all hate him, though - more or less. I think Chilton wanted to have been respected and seen as Lecter's friend. I cannot say how he felt after awareness of Lecter's true nature set in.

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people? He has a very easy time getting along with people. Most of it is debatably inauthentic, and for show, however.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends? Friends. He has no family, besides the one he ate, and the Aunt who spurned him. He probably counts Chiyoh and Will as family, but since they are the friends who became family type, we'll stick with friends.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once? Single.

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? You mean besides himself? The last person he was physically intimate with was his colleague and former psychiatrist Bedelia du Maurier, but she was a stand in for what he really desires, and they're both aware of it.

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest? Lady Murasaki, his Aunt. Will Graham, his...frenemy?

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner? Intelligence. Darkness. Malleability. Resilience. Loyalty. Wit.

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any? If Abigail counts as a surrogate daughter than yes, he had one child and he murdered her for reasons he files under Will's fault.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies? Everyone he knows who is still alive fits under rival, enemy, or both. Except Will, who is really obscure and kind of all of the above and then some. Honestly, I cannot say outside of head-canon what Will's feelings and motivations were at the end of the series. Let's stick with the fandom and canon label, "Murder Husbands."

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale? He has only been shown to have sexual relations with women, but, when asked about love, he refers to Will, not using his name, but a male pronoun. Later, when Will asks Bedelia if Hannibal is in love with him, she answers with an annoyed and poet yes, failing to be indirect.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him? Seems to be a thing you do to have control over and a hormonal influence to affect others with.

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?



Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type? Capricorn-Aquarius cusp. Fits the Aquarian side much more accurately.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life? Religious in the sense that Lucifer believes in God.

3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?

4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? Curious, and murderously intolerant of those who cannot be molded to fit in his world.

5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?



Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? He was very financially established and well-off, as well as in the upper echelon of Baltimore's modern aristocracy. Of course, arrest and incarceration changed that.

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him? Yes. Now he has a reputation somewhere between Jeffery Dahmer's and Charles Manson's. He lost all of his assets and belongings (that the police knew about) including his home, now displayed as the Lecter House of Horrors! and probably advertising morbid tours through the Tattler.

3. Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others?

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on? Pocket squares and paisley ties. Didn't you notice? Also pretentious shoes and arguably anachronistic trousers.

5. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else? Shrinking heads, dissecting personalities, and cooking the rude and unworthy for his rich pals. Living La Vida Loco.

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time? Swimming, cooking, looking himself up on the internet, scheming how to ruin people's lives, and obsessing over Will Graham.

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? He avoids eating out with religious fervor. He cooks all his own food, packaging his own lunches, even brewing his own beer and presumably growing his own people fertilized vegetables. Everything is people, even the beer was people. Other than food he hasn't prepared himself, he seems averse to anything strictly vegetarian. I wonder why that is?



Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:

1. Color? Red Mahogany.
2. Smell? Bergamot.
3. Time of day? Mid-afternoon.
4. Season? Autumn.
5. Book? Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.
6. Music? Opera.
7. Place? Florence, Italy.
8. Substance? Chateau d'Yquem.
9. Plant? Colchicum Autumnale.
10. Animal? Death Adder.



END
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