Ohh, pls never reply thinking about how I'll want it to be - your POV is what makes it yours, and bending it to someone else's taste just makes it dull for everyone. You read it exactly the way I hoped you would.

And yeah, B is suffocating himself as much as A. For a long time he thinks his own insecurities as bigger than A's. But what he actually wants isn't sex (that's a different thing -how the whole thing starts, ahem..), and it isn't security either. He wants to be something that isn't zero. That's the whole ache of him. A lot happens between them before he gets anywhere near admitting it.

If you're ever curious, it's The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese, with a sequel called The Carp on the Chopping Block Jumps Twice.

The manga provides a more conclusive ending, whereas the film adaptation is more open ended. I saw the movie first, so I really felt the emotional turmoil from Wataru - his acting was so good, or maybe men crying just look pretty. No pressure to watch it at all, I don't know why people assume. If I actually want you to, I'll say so clearly.

There's this dynamic in one of my fav mangas. Both characters are flawed - A has his own insecurities and vulnerabilities, but I wanted to talk specifically about B here.

A: "You really are good to me. I want to be there for you too. If we could stand on equal grounds.."

B: "Equal? A spider and the insect trapped in its web can never stand on equal ground, could they? I am the fly who flew into your web on purpose. I dream of the day when you will gobble me up. But all you do is feed me sweet nectar and keep me alive. At some point, a pretty butterfly's going to get caught in your web, and you'll devour that butterfly right in front of me. When I see that, I'll finally be free. Of course I'll be a wreck, but that's fine. In fact, if you are kind to me out of pity, then there is already no hope for me. I am such an idiot - the kinder you are to me, the more I fall for you. The more I love you, the more I want you. And the whole time, I am being strangled."

I'd love to hear your thoughts on B's self destructive love here. He craves a definitive ending, yet finds himself suffocated by A's sweet treatment instead. No matter how genuine that kindness is, B can't help but interpret it as pity.

In your eyes, is B's self destruction driven more by a desire for absolute surrender, or is it a defensive mechanism against the threat of true equality and vulnerability? I'd love to know how you view their feelings and this suffocating dynamic!

I recently read a fic where animalistic dream sequences were used. In the ending notes, the author explained that animalistic dreams are often due to emotional overload - a return to a more primal and safer system of expression.
I looked it up, but there are many explanations for this. Psychological frameworks say that animals serve as a direct representation of our core human instincts and raw emotions (such as anger, fear, passion, or sexuality).
I rarely have dreams or, more accurately, I rarely remember them - but I often see animals in my dreams. Ig it's more cuz I consume wildlife content more often.

Since you've used dream sequences in your works, what's your take on this? Do you find it too that animals are safer for expression? If so, why is that?

I think between Hannibal and Will, they are ultimately equals.
Experience is the only thing that gives Hannibal the initial advantage, but Will is a quick study. By the end, he proves to everyone - even Hannibal, that he is his equal in every way, just as Hannibal always knew he would be.

Cuz of that, I actually have a sneaky 3rd candidate - Bedelia Du Maurier. She knew that she was merely a temporary standin for Will in Florence, and occupying that space meant she was always in mortal danger.
So, she manipulated Hannibal into believing that consuming Will was the only way to forgive him, purely to protect herself.

Bryan Fuller actually confirmed this! He stated that Hannibal was manipulated by Bedelia and he considers Bedelia to be the smartest person on the show.
Apparently, when Bryan said that, Mads looked at him like he had just uttered a slur! 😂