H/C Bingo Fic #1 Plot Brainstorming

[thrillingdetectivetales]

So, I'm trying to have a few things written by the end of the month, one of which being the first of my Hannigram hc_bingo stories. I've decided to start in pursuit of a row across bingo, the prompts for which are, in order from left to right: kidnapping, presumed dead, undeserved reputation, sensory deprivation, and corporal punishment. I've been wracking my brain for quality "Will Graham gets kidnapped" opportunities, and I've got quite a few listed out, but I can't decide which I like best so I figured I would throw myself upon the mercy of anyone on my reading list who has an opinion in the matter. I welcome your thoughts whether you're a Hannibal fan or not.



If you aren't familiar with the show, here's a quick rundown of character roles and other specifics, to help give some clarity to the plot lines I'm pitching:

**PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THERE ARE MAJOR SERIES SPOILERS HEREIN.**

Jack Crawford: Head of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit and Will's de facto boss, he brings Will in to consult on cases because Will is capable of empathizing with killers in a way other people can't.
Alana Bloom: A fellow psychologist and colleague of both Will and Hannibal, Dr. Alana Bloom is the person who recommended Hannibal Lecter to do a psych eval of Will when Jack decides he wants to bring Will out into the field.
Abel Gideon: A former surgeon, incarcerated in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, Abel Gideon is basically hypnotized into thinking he's the Chesapeake Ripper (who is actually Hannibal). At one point he breaks free and goes on a killing spree, during which Will Graham (suffering severe fever and hallucinations from encephalitis) forces him to Hannibal Lecter's home. Hannibal sends Dr. Gideon after Alana Bloom while Will has a minor seizure, and then sends Will after Dr. Gideon in turn. Will winds up shooting Dr. Gideon and saving the day and then immediately passes out in the snow.
Tobias Budge: A serial killer who has befriended one of Hannibal's patients, he meets Hannibal when said patient drags him to the opera because he knows Hannibal will be there and wants to prove to his psychiatrist that he has friends. Shows up at Hannibal's house later, his serial killer gaydar having gone off, and Hannibal cooks him dinner, which is interrupted by Will Graham, who has driven quite some distance in the snow to tell Hannibal he made a mistake and kissed a coworker. Hannibal later tips Will off to Tobias's murderous pastime and Will tries to apprehend him, resulting in the death of two police officers, Hannibal's patient, and Tobias himself.
Matthew Brown: An orderly working at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane when Will is incarcerated there in season two. He kills the bailiff in Will's trial in the hopes of casting doubt on Will's involvement in the murders he's accused of and then Will asks him to kill Hannibal Lecter. He very nearly succeeds, except that Abel Gideon (who is back in prison following the escape mentioned above) tips off Alana Bloom, and she and Jack Crawford arrive in the nick of time.
Mason Verger: rich, spoiled, psychopathic heir to a massive pig farming dynasty, Mason meets Hannibal when his sister takes Hannibal on as her psychiatrist. He tries to get Will to help him kill Hannibal but Will frees Hannibal instead, and Hannibal shoots Mason up with drugs and goads him into disfiguring himself. Not long after, Hannibal is exposed as the Chesapeake Ripper and flees to Europe. Mason, now paraplegic and with serious facial disfigurement, denies Hannibal's involvement and instead puts out a reward for him, which Inspector Pazzi eventually answers. Mason sends a group of armed mercenaries and corrupt Italian police to bring Hannibal and Will to him, with the aim of cooking and eating Hannibal piece by piece and taking Will's good looks for his own by way of nonconsensual facial transplant. Alana, who is now dating Mason's sister, releases Hannibal on the condition that he save Will's life, which he does with gusto.
Bedelia Du Marier: Hannibal Lecter's psychiatrist. She eventually realizes that he's a full on psychopath and ends their doctor-patient relationship, skipping town before he can show up to eat her. After Hannibal is outed as the Chesapeake Ripper, she runs away to Europe with him, then fucks him over again and manages to live. Plays psychiatrist to Will Graham when he comes back to consult with Hannibal on the Red Dragon case, and features in a post-series-credits scene with her leg having been amputated and served for dinner at a table with three place settings, implying that Will and Hannibal have survived the events of the final episode despite the ambiguity of their final scene together.
Rinaldo Pazzi: An inspector with the Italian police, he worked in Florence when Hannibal lived there as a much younger man and became convinced that Hannibal was a serial killer they called Il Mostro. Hannibal framed someone else (much like he did Will in season two) and Pazzi was disgraced when he didn't believe it. When Hannibal flees to Italy in early season three, Pazzi sniffs him out and does his damnedest to catch him.
Francis Dolarhyde: A serial killer known as the Great Red Dragon, Dolarhyde reaches out repeatedly to Hannibal while he's in the BSHCI and starts up a rapport. When it's becoming clear the the FBI is going to have trouble catching Dolarhyde, Will conspires to fake Hannibal's escape (or help him really escape) in order to bring Dolarhyde down. They wind up in a three-man showdown on a cliff's edge and Will and Hannibal kill Dolarhyde then go over the cliff together while tangled in a loving embrace.
Tattlecrime: a true crime tabloid magazine that has run multiple articles on Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter in the past, touting Will as the FBI's "pet psychopath" and later naming the two "murder husbands" when Will sails across the ocean alone to find Hannibal in Europe after recovering from the showdown with Hannibal in season two that left him gutted in Hannibal's kitchen.

Phew! Alright! So, now that you're up to date, here are all the plot possibilities I've come up with:

1. Instead of conspiring with Will to break Hannibal out of the BSHCI, Dolarhyde kidnaps Will to goad Hannibal into making a move.


2. Dolarhyde kidnaps Will earlier in the Red Dragon arc, to the same end as the above.


3. Matthew Brown, having broken out of prison or been released on parole, has a score to settle with Hannibal now, and kidnaps Will to make that happen.


4. Will, suffering from severe encephalitis-related fever/hallucinations, misses when he tries to shoot Abel Gideon, who kidnaps him out of curiosity and to engage Hannibal.


5. Post-canon, some bounty hunters or governmental agency get a bead on Will and take him to coax Hannibal out into the light so they can capture him. (Could be mercs hired by Alana or Bedelia, could be Jack or someone in cooperation with like, Interpol.)


6. Desperate to catch Il Mostro, Inspector Pazzi grabs Will in the Cappella Palatina and issues a challenge to Hannibal to get him to come after him.


7. Instead of running off to try and murder Hannibal, Tobias Budge gets the drop on Will and takes him, having recognized him from that night at Hannibal’s house.


8. Despite Alana bending his ear, Mason Verger decides that the way to get Hannibal to come to him is to take Will.


9. Before the Red Dragon arc but after Hannibal is institutionalized, Jack comes to get Will’s input on a case and the serial killer involved kidnaps him for various reasons. Concerned for Will’s safety, Jack makes a deal with the devil and seeks out Hannibal’s help.


10. Before the Red Dragon arc but after Hannibal is institutionalized, one of Hannibal’s old patients kidnaps Will for any of several aforementioned reasons. When the FBI figures out his connection to the culprit, Jack comes to consult with Hannibal despite his and Alana's severe misgivings.


11. Post-canon, Jack is under the impression that Will has been kidnapped by Hannibal and takes him back with the aim of "deprogramming" him from Hannibal's influence. It will probably go about as well as you might expect.

Let me know if any of them speak to you, or if you have any other ideas that aren't reflected here! I thank you for your input~

Comments

[isabellerecs]

Oooh, look at all of the pretties. I feel like you couldn't go wrong with any of these ideas, but it seems to me that it will all hinge on what kind of Will you want to do.

The way I'm reading these is [1,2,8,9,10] = Suffering Will. Plenty of Will whump, with bonus sexual menace from Mason because he's gross.

[3,4,7] = Sassy Will. Less whump, more sass. I feel like you could have wonderful dialogue with Matthew (with bonus psycho flirts) or Gideon (and all of his vicious Hannibal insights). Tobias doesn't seem like the type to talk if there is nothing to say, but Will could have plenty of time for introspection.

[5,6,11] = Dark Will. These I have to admit are my favorite, because I love the idea of folks thinking that Will is the easy mark/pretty twink/fragile teacup when he really isn't. I had this vision of Will half rescuing himself and Hannibal swans in with a cooler completely assured that Will will be fine and being all "I'll just pick out a few things and then we'll go home for dinner."

Really, I don't think you can go wrong. Good luck! :D

[thrillingdetectivetales]

Thank you so much!!! <333

And that's a really good way to break it down. I didn't even see those themes until you called them out like that. xD I may have to write a few iterations on this kidnapping trope, because I too love dark!Will but also that good good Will whump. And psycho flirts! Or weird frenemies Will and Abel!

SO MANY OPTIONS, SO LITTLE TIME.

[isabellerecs]

LOL, if one is good more must be better! ;D

I do so love the thought of Abel and Will getting to sass together more, I feel like we just didn't get enough (or enough of Eddie Izzard full stop, so good).

Psycho flirts!

[honigfrosch]

I don't have much input to offer, considering that I watched the series aaaages ago and iirc I didn't even finish it. HOWEVER, #9 is intriguing to me because of the "deal with the devil" thing.

[thrillingdetectivetales]

I appreciate your thoughts even so friend!!

And I'm with you, I think that's actually the general direction I'm wandering because I really like the idea of Jack having to try and work with Hannibal to save Will in an even darker and arguably more ill advised version of the show canon.

Thank you for weighing in! :D