Raw ambergris base, Tennessee lavender, and fleece were the top notes in the fragrance Lecter had specifically crafted for Clarice and scented his letter with.
Raw ambergris base - very expensive product banned in most countries save a few in Europe; ends up being a clue 💛
Tennessee lavender - Like Memphis, TN? As in, the last place they saw each other and where they first touched?! 🪻
Fleece - need I even explain? Lambs. 🐑
The significance of each scent, including the clue he placed, makes the fragrance a love letter in and of itself.
The scents could represent an idea or a nuance between the two. For example, the raw ambergris (rare and hard to find, expensive, a clue to Lecter’s geographical whereabouts) = Lecter himself, the lavender = Memphis, their last meeting, the touch, and the fleece = Starling’s lambs, the screaming, possibly asking if she still hears them, the fact that he knows about them.
Going off of symbolism alone, one could argue the wording of said letter through its symbolism reads:
I remember that night in Memphis when you told me about the lambs.
Or…
I fondly recall our last meeting.
Or he is simply asking…
Are the lambs still screaming?
And that just makes the scene where he answers the phone before killing Pazzi and Starling speaks just *sting*. He asks her, “Did you like the skin cream, I had it made especially for you?”. He could be asking, “Did you get my love letter, Clarice?” And she just ignores it like he’s just being an ass. Ugh 😩❤️ And technically he was by bringing it up then so it’s not as if she completely lost it’s meaning but still.
It’s great because he does reference the lambs in the books (obviously there is SO much missing from the movie that’s in the books).
But just like how we have the Burning Heart line and Hopkins hinting at the romance, we have this too. This beautifully snuck in little bit for the SOTL fans.
Even if we can’t go as far to say it was a message, the fact that he used those items to make a “Clarice Starling” fragrance is still beautiful and their parallels to the first film are still there.
A lot is up for interpretation and that is another thing I just LOVE about the 2nd film.
Summary: “I miss the way you say my name/the way you bend, the way you break”
You think your fearless leader needs help relaxing, but another door is opened entirely
Tags/warnings: smut oneshot, fingering, blowjob, pronebone, blood, biting, unprotected sex, paralytic venom, dominant Miguel, dirty talk, God there’s so much to list : )
Word count: 3.3k
Can also be found on Ao3 here. Please give it some love if you enjoyed ;_;
“But down in the Underground You’ll find someone true Down in the Underground, A land serene, a crystal moon…
It’s only forever Not long at all Lost and lonely That’s Underground, Underground…” - (“Underground” - David Bowie) - I’ve been planning to paint Jareth again for a long while, and he seemed
to be the perfect character for this soft, summer evening colour
palette I wanted to try out…
