I’m not an author/artist and haven’t contributed to the fandom by more than leaving kudos/comments to fics, so I hope to be able to give just a little bit to the amazing fandom, that’s been nourishing me at least for a couple of last years.
First of all, Lithuanian grammar and syntax are pretty different from English, so a lot of things cannot be translated word by word (and that’s why google translations often fail miserably or just make you laugh histerically :) ) Among other things, we have 7 noun cases, so sometimes (but not always) addressing a person a word might take slightly different form than just speaking about them in third person or using them as an object of some action and so on. Also, nouns and adjectives are intrinsically gendered.
But let’s try to overview a few more common endearments. I’ll indicate when addressing form is different from 3rd person form. Disclaimer: opinions on IRL usage are based on personal exposure, hence in no way gives any reliable statistical info and different perceptions might also be valid. :)
Mylimasis - basically “beloved”. Not very commonly used IRL, but I guess neither is “beloved” (compared to “honey” or “darling”). Also, Hannibal does not really speak like mere mortal commoners, so IMHO it suits his flowery aristocratic speech patterns rather well. Can be used as noun and adjective. [female version: “mylimoji”]
Mano meilė [when directly addressing a person: mano meile] - very literally “my love” and used as (un)commonly as that. But I feel fits Hannibal’s pomp.
Brangusis - basically “darling/dear/precious”. I’d say IRL usage is rather close to those of “darling/dear”. Can be used as noun and adjective. [female version: “brangioji”]
Mielasis - literally “cute/lovely/dear”, but in essence close to “honey/sweetheart”. IRL usage is probably a bit less common than “brangusis”, but not strange. Can be used as noun and adjective. [female version: “mieloji”]
Mažius/mažiukas/mažasis [when directly addressing a person: mažiau/mažiuk/mažasis] - literally “the little one”, but could be approximated to “baby/babe”, however, more on the cute side without sexual connotations. Rather commonly used IRL and does not necessarily relate to actual size of a partner (I have a friend who calls her over 2 meters husband that). [female version: “mažė/mažiukė/mažoji”]
Širdelė [when directly addressing a person: širdele] - literally “little heart”, but in essence close to “sweetheart”, I guess. Not very commonly used IRL, but once in a while you might find a poetic sentimentalist who would call their significant other that.
While English speakers tend to express their affection with sweet things (sweetheart, honey), Lithuanians usually go more direct way for pet names - by actually using animal names. :D It’s actually really common! Almost on the same level as “darling”. But I guess they are pretty cheesy, and I have a hard time imagining canon Hannibal using them. Nevertheless, some fic scenarios might call for that, so here we go:
Zuikis [when directly addressing a person: zuiki] - literally “rabbit”. I don’t even know which English pet name could be used for approximation in meaning, but it’s rather common for Lithuanians, don’t ask me why, I have no idea. Just an affectionate cute pet name.
Katinas/katukas/kačiukas [when directly addressing a person: katine/katuk/kačiuk] - literally “male cat/kitten. Just another pretty common animal pet name.
Meškius [when directly addressing a person: meškiau] - basically “bear/little bear” in a cute way. So I guess it approximates to “Teddy Bear”. (Also a rather common name for Lithuanian mongrel hairy dogs.) Not a very frequent thing to encounter in Lithuanian couples, but not a surprise if you do. [mostly used for male partners]
I’d be glad to expand if anyone had more specific questions/requests.
titsay
theartofmadeline
jbbartram-illu
turnnoffyourmind
