Oh look it's meta time.
Yeah, so I'm pretty sure I mentioned at some point that I wanted to do Adrian/Rorschach meta. Y'know. Why I ship them, basically. I couldn't sleep. I spent an inordinate amount of time writing Comedian/Rorschach and do not want to think about them anymore. So! Finally I make good on that...vague...mentioning. (Future meta I'd kind of like to do: Dan/Adrian, Comedian/Rorschach, Dan/Rorschach, Laurie/Dan.) -meanders off-
Disclaimer: I haven't done any research about Alan Moore's intentions with these characters; I'm basing all of this rambling off of my interpretations of the GN, movie, and the random meta I have seen scattered across the fandom. I don't claim to have any knowledge about the philosophies and history behind these characters; I just ship them and am trying to set out in words why, exactly, I do (aside from 'my personal tastes'). A lot of this I figured out/am figuring out as I type it up, especially the bits about Adrian, so I apologize preemptively for incoherence or contradicting statements.
Also, y'know...even the stuff I say like it's a fact is opinion. blah blah blah LET'S GET TO IT
Rorschach: Who is this guy?
Rorschach is probably the most talked about character in the Watchmen fandom, so I'll try not to go on too long about him. He's a capable detective who doesn't let cases go unsolved; he's intelligent, repressed, and has huge identity issues, particularly in regards to how he fits into society. More than the other masks we see, Rorschach seems to have picked up his superhero identity as a means of coping with the world and making himself a part of society; all of Walter Kovacs's life up until Kitty Genovese's death was low-key. He was brushed under the radar, and I think becoming Rorschach was at least a little bit Rorschach trying to get acknowledged by society. When talking to Dr. Long about the Comedian, Rorschach says (emphasis mine), "Met [Comedian] in 1966. Forceful personality. Didn't care if people liked him. Uncompromising. Admired that." Admiration implies a desire to emulate, which in turn implies that for a time, Walter cared if people liked him but didn't know how to deal with that desire. That's not uncommon with people who experience self-loathing (which Rorschach arguably has in spades; for instance, he uses Dan's cologne to cover his smell after Dan physically expresses his disgust with it; he refers to his job and his place in it as an 'unskilled manual worker,' implying no pride in his work and distaste for the fact that his only option for work was an inferior job; he comes to need Rorschach to free himself from lust and weakness).
There are three main 'epiphany' points in his life (arguably four): Acceptance of violence as a means of interacting with the world (age 10), acceptance that he can take responsibility for the world's problems and that he should (age 24), and acceptance that the world is entirely black and white, that it is his duty to mete out justice (age 35). (The fourth is when his mother dies. Her murder allowed for the idea that bad people will meet just ends, instead of the idea that they should. Think Mikami in Death Note.) Each of those were very distinct moments preceded by escalating dissent. He is stubborn to a fault and absolutely resistant to change, though he is eager to learn ("During his time at the home....Kovacs did very well at schoolwork, excelling particularly in the fields of literature and religious education..."). He sets himself on a higher plane than other people, judging while maintaining a blind eye to his own faults.
Adrian: Okay, so who is THIS guy? (I do not know.)
We see much less of Adrian in the GN, despite the fact that when we finally do learn about him it's in a huge tl;dr infodump. He's manipulative and incredibly charismatic, standing as one of the richest (or the richest) men in the world. He's incredibly intelligent and sees things on a larger scale than most people, keeping the world in mind; this is why he was so successful. However, he also holds grudges - his grudge with the Comedian didn't die until the Comedian did, and...well, the way he talks about him, I'd buy that he still has the grudge after.
Like Rorschach, he has three main points of 'epiphany' in his life. The first is his parents' deaths (by age 17), which allowed him to accept that he must accomplish things like Alexander the Great had. The second was his psychedelic experience (at age 18 or 19, I think), which instilled in him the idea that he must change the world, uniting it - and he would start towards that goal by becoming a superhero. The third started with Kennedy's death and peaked at the Comedian's speech at the Crimebuster's meeting; he was forced to examine mankind and accepted that he had the ingenuity and drive to change mankind for the better. It solidified in his mind the idea that he could - and would - put a stop to the evils that beset men. He's narcissistic and has a god-complex which probably manifested itself at the beginnings of his privileged life. Like Rorschach, He Is Right, always. I've seen people argue that Adrian is self-aware of his own faults; though I think that argument has some merit, I see it more as Adrian acknowledging his faults and martyring himself with them.
So there's some basic similarities between these two guys: They are stubborn, they both always think that they are right, and they both are intelligent. (Wow talk about similarities amirite?) They're both Machiavellian in their own ways: Rorschach will execute justice for the greater good at any cost for the short term; Adrian does the same for the long term. Where Adrian has the world at mind, Rorschach seems focused solely on New York; however, both of these viewpoints are selfish in their own ways - Rorschach is protective and defensive of his city, despite finding it a cesspool; Adrian wants to unite the world so he can become a modern-age Alexander the Great.
Their opinions on each other!
Rorschach recognizes Veidt's intellect and strength and political power; we see this particularly in Chapter X, in Veidt's office and in Rorschach's last journal entry. He respects him as a mask, as a powerful ally and deadly opponent, but he doesn't seem to have any respect for him as a person. The moment Adrian is unable to help him in the GN, he starts attacking him verbally about things that...really...aren't related to the conversation at all. On Adrian's side, he seems to have little/no respect for Rorschach; if he wasn't always behaving so courteously, he would probably patronize Rorschach left and right. ("I believe he's a man of great integrity, but he seems to see the world in black and white, Manichean terms. I personally believe that to be an intellectual limitation." That first sentence is either Adrian keeping up pretenses and saying nice things about fellow masks because he is Mr. Philanthropist, or it could be interpreted as him feeling a little bit of envy for Rorschach's stalwart attitude. Of course that's leaning again towards the movie's characterization, but it's worth mentioning.)
Another thing to note is that although Adrian has little respect for Rorschach, he understands Rorschach's capabilities and doesn't seem to underestimate him - when Rorschach is telling him about the Comedian's death, you'll notice that Adrian is never facing Rorschach. I think that's indicative of Adrian keeping Rorschach's ability to read people in mind. Where Adrian is at least polite to Rorschach ("Have a nice day" always makes me laugh), Rorschach is openly antagonistic towards him. I think that might tie into the theory that Rorschach's "Possibly homosexual?" comment is him projecting his sexuality problems onto Veidt. In that journal entry he says that Adrian is a hypocrite, "betraying his own shallow liberal affectations," which...is true, given the ending, but there's no real evidence to that before Adrian's plot is revealed; I see that as Rorschach lashing out about his own hypocrisy towards Veidt.
Their relationship (and possible relationship)! In other words, we're gettin' to the sexy part.
They really don't have much of a relationship in the GN (and even less of one in the movie). Probably the majority of their interactions were through Dan, who seems to have been on friendlier terms with Adrian. I doubt that Rorschach gave Adrian the time of day from the start; he probably saw him as arrogant, decadent, and a threat to his sexual identity from the start*, whereas Adrian was probably underwhelmed by Rorschach; his submissive body language during the Crimebuster's meeting probably didn't give Adrian any reason to give Rorschach much thought.
On the possibilities of their relationship, the first thing that springs to mind is the power imbalance between the two of them. Adrian is older, has more experience with crimefighting, is smarter, stronger, richer, and has more political power at his disposal. Rorschach...has his perspective and ridiculous drive. They have enough in common to be able to have a solid conversation together (so long as Rorschach didn't start name-calling), but most of what they have in common are things that would make them have a slew of problems. They're on opposite sides of the spectrum politically and are both ridiculously stubborn about them; they're also both fairly intolerant of other perspectives (see Adrian patronizing Dan at the end). However, I think that they could have some stimulating conversation, particularly about religion and the media and how it affects history/society.
When it comes to their disagreements, I don't think they would have blatant fights (like Dan and Rorschach, Comedian and Adrian, or Comedian and Rorschach); Adrian is too reserved for that. More likely he would start manipulating the conversation to attack Rorschach intellectually and emotionally; I don't doubt that Rorschach would counter the same way, but Adrian would probably have more success, being the sneaky guy that he is. Any success on Rorschach's part would probably start up an indignant grudge, but I really do think that they could be...not friends, really, but dudes who talk a lot about politics and media and try to outsmart each other, so long as Rorschach didn't fly off the handle and start screaming 'COMMUNISSSTTTTT'
Yeah, okay, but why would they start a relationship at all?
Adrian. That's kind of a given, what with Rorschach's issues, but I will say it again: Adrian. I think he would see it as an intellectual challenge, getting Rorschach to consent to sex. Maybe he'd try to start something as a psychological experiment; maybe because he was bored; maybe because Rorschach's self-hate and attitude towards sexuality (and particularly homosexuality) would piss of Adrian enough to make him want to change that. (Naturally, I could also see him instigating a relationship if he had something to gain; the thing with that is there isn't much Adrian has to gain from Rorschach.)
The actual sex would almost always be about power play; both of their personalities are too strong for it to be otherwise. Adrian would force Rorschach to stare down his identity issues in ways Dan wouldn't (because he's too non-confrontational) and the Comedian wouldn't (because he doesn't care). On the other hand, Rorschach (and any relationship Adrian would seek out) would probably make Adrian think more about his Grand Plan and how it will affect the world. (That's leaning more towards movie canon again there, but I could buy it from GN!Adrian.) It would be a very detached 'relationship;' they're both pretty detached dudes when it comes down to it, though Rorschach does become invested in relationships and people, whether he likes it or not. The most likely scenarios for Adrian/Rorschach happening involve Adrian controlling, blackmailing, and emotionally abusing/manipulating Rorschach under the guise of helping him. Not that I don't think Rorschach wouldn't retaliate with physical (if he could) and emotional abuse (if Adrian got attached; another thing more likely with movie canon, but emotions are funny things). Under no (okay, under very rare) circumstances would they be a happy coupling by any means, but, y'know...it's pretty fucking hot. (That may or may not be the main point of this meta: they are pretty fucking hot.)
OTHER ODDS AND ENDS:
They're more likely to have one-time sex or a string of 'casual' (lol casual sex+Rorschach) sex encounters. (Pretty standard for shipping in Watchmen, but worth a note.) Think "No one else would accept this part of you."
Also! I think what Rorschach did to Adrian's action figure is worthy of note. He twisted the action figure into a position of submission, disfiguring it about as much as he could. Implies he wants to take Adrian down a notch. Dom!Rorschach/Adrian do want.
SO. THERE YOU HAVE IT.
* Okay, I tried to do some research on purple and gold lame as a gay color in history and came up with...nothing. So I'm hinging this on his fabulousness. Weak argument is weak, yeah. Shut up, pulling strings is a multi-shipper's job! >:| [/maturity]
Disclaimer: I haven't done any research about Alan Moore's intentions with these characters; I'm basing all of this rambling off of my interpretations of the GN, movie, and the random meta I have seen scattered across the fandom. I don't claim to have any knowledge about the philosophies and history behind these characters; I just ship them and am trying to set out in words why, exactly, I do (aside from 'my personal tastes'). A lot of this I figured out/am figuring out as I type it up, especially the bits about Adrian, so I apologize preemptively for incoherence or contradicting statements.
Also, y'know...even the stuff I say like it's a fact is opinion. blah blah blah LET'S GET TO IT
Rorschach: Who is this guy?
Rorschach is probably the most talked about character in the Watchmen fandom, so I'll try not to go on too long about him. He's a capable detective who doesn't let cases go unsolved; he's intelligent, repressed, and has huge identity issues, particularly in regards to how he fits into society. More than the other masks we see, Rorschach seems to have picked up his superhero identity as a means of coping with the world and making himself a part of society; all of Walter Kovacs's life up until Kitty Genovese's death was low-key. He was brushed under the radar, and I think becoming Rorschach was at least a little bit Rorschach trying to get acknowledged by society. When talking to Dr. Long about the Comedian, Rorschach says (emphasis mine), "Met [Comedian] in 1966. Forceful personality. Didn't care if people liked him. Uncompromising. Admired that." Admiration implies a desire to emulate, which in turn implies that for a time, Walter cared if people liked him but didn't know how to deal with that desire. That's not uncommon with people who experience self-loathing (which Rorschach arguably has in spades; for instance, he uses Dan's cologne to cover his smell after Dan physically expresses his disgust with it; he refers to his job and his place in it as an 'unskilled manual worker,' implying no pride in his work and distaste for the fact that his only option for work was an inferior job; he comes to need Rorschach to free himself from lust and weakness).
There are three main 'epiphany' points in his life (arguably four): Acceptance of violence as a means of interacting with the world (age 10), acceptance that he can take responsibility for the world's problems and that he should (age 24), and acceptance that the world is entirely black and white, that it is his duty to mete out justice (age 35). (The fourth is when his mother dies. Her murder allowed for the idea that bad people will meet just ends, instead of the idea that they should. Think Mikami in Death Note.) Each of those were very distinct moments preceded by escalating dissent. He is stubborn to a fault and absolutely resistant to change, though he is eager to learn ("During his time at the home....Kovacs did very well at schoolwork, excelling particularly in the fields of literature and religious education..."). He sets himself on a higher plane than other people, judging while maintaining a blind eye to his own faults.
Adrian: Okay, so who is THIS guy? (I do not know.)
We see much less of Adrian in the GN, despite the fact that when we finally do learn about him it's in a huge tl;dr infodump. He's manipulative and incredibly charismatic, standing as one of the richest (or the richest) men in the world. He's incredibly intelligent and sees things on a larger scale than most people, keeping the world in mind; this is why he was so successful. However, he also holds grudges - his grudge with the Comedian didn't die until the Comedian did, and...well, the way he talks about him, I'd buy that he still has the grudge after.
Like Rorschach, he has three main points of 'epiphany' in his life. The first is his parents' deaths (by age 17), which allowed him to accept that he must accomplish things like Alexander the Great had. The second was his psychedelic experience (at age 18 or 19, I think), which instilled in him the idea that he must change the world, uniting it - and he would start towards that goal by becoming a superhero. The third started with Kennedy's death and peaked at the Comedian's speech at the Crimebuster's meeting; he was forced to examine mankind and accepted that he had the ingenuity and drive to change mankind for the better. It solidified in his mind the idea that he could - and would - put a stop to the evils that beset men. He's narcissistic and has a god-complex which probably manifested itself at the beginnings of his privileged life. Like Rorschach, He Is Right, always. I've seen people argue that Adrian is self-aware of his own faults; though I think that argument has some merit, I see it more as Adrian acknowledging his faults and martyring himself with them.
So there's some basic similarities between these two guys: They are stubborn, they both always think that they are right, and they both are intelligent. (Wow talk about similarities amirite?) They're both Machiavellian in their own ways: Rorschach will execute justice for the greater good at any cost for the short term; Adrian does the same for the long term. Where Adrian has the world at mind, Rorschach seems focused solely on New York; however, both of these viewpoints are selfish in their own ways - Rorschach is protective and defensive of his city, despite finding it a cesspool; Adrian wants to unite the world so he can become a modern-age Alexander the Great.
Their opinions on each other!
Rorschach recognizes Veidt's intellect and strength and political power; we see this particularly in Chapter X, in Veidt's office and in Rorschach's last journal entry. He respects him as a mask, as a powerful ally and deadly opponent, but he doesn't seem to have any respect for him as a person. The moment Adrian is unable to help him in the GN, he starts attacking him verbally about things that...really...aren't related to the conversation at all. On Adrian's side, he seems to have little/no respect for Rorschach; if he wasn't always behaving so courteously, he would probably patronize Rorschach left and right. ("I believe he's a man of great integrity, but he seems to see the world in black and white, Manichean terms. I personally believe that to be an intellectual limitation." That first sentence is either Adrian keeping up pretenses and saying nice things about fellow masks because he is Mr. Philanthropist, or it could be interpreted as him feeling a little bit of envy for Rorschach's stalwart attitude. Of course that's leaning again towards the movie's characterization, but it's worth mentioning.)
Another thing to note is that although Adrian has little respect for Rorschach, he understands Rorschach's capabilities and doesn't seem to underestimate him - when Rorschach is telling him about the Comedian's death, you'll notice that Adrian is never facing Rorschach. I think that's indicative of Adrian keeping Rorschach's ability to read people in mind. Where Adrian is at least polite to Rorschach ("Have a nice day" always makes me laugh), Rorschach is openly antagonistic towards him. I think that might tie into the theory that Rorschach's "Possibly homosexual?" comment is him projecting his sexuality problems onto Veidt. In that journal entry he says that Adrian is a hypocrite, "betraying his own shallow liberal affectations," which...is true, given the ending, but there's no real evidence to that before Adrian's plot is revealed; I see that as Rorschach lashing out about his own hypocrisy towards Veidt.
Their relationship (and possible relationship)! In other words, we're gettin' to the sexy part.
They really don't have much of a relationship in the GN (and even less of one in the movie). Probably the majority of their interactions were through Dan, who seems to have been on friendlier terms with Adrian. I doubt that Rorschach gave Adrian the time of day from the start; he probably saw him as arrogant, decadent, and a threat to his sexual identity from the start*, whereas Adrian was probably underwhelmed by Rorschach; his submissive body language during the Crimebuster's meeting probably didn't give Adrian any reason to give Rorschach much thought.
On the possibilities of their relationship, the first thing that springs to mind is the power imbalance between the two of them. Adrian is older, has more experience with crimefighting, is smarter, stronger, richer, and has more political power at his disposal. Rorschach...has his perspective and ridiculous drive. They have enough in common to be able to have a solid conversation together (so long as Rorschach didn't start name-calling), but most of what they have in common are things that would make them have a slew of problems. They're on opposite sides of the spectrum politically and are both ridiculously stubborn about them; they're also both fairly intolerant of other perspectives (see Adrian patronizing Dan at the end). However, I think that they could have some stimulating conversation, particularly about religion and the media and how it affects history/society.
When it comes to their disagreements, I don't think they would have blatant fights (like Dan and Rorschach, Comedian and Adrian, or Comedian and Rorschach); Adrian is too reserved for that. More likely he would start manipulating the conversation to attack Rorschach intellectually and emotionally; I don't doubt that Rorschach would counter the same way, but Adrian would probably have more success, being the sneaky guy that he is. Any success on Rorschach's part would probably start up an indignant grudge, but I really do think that they could be...not friends, really, but dudes who talk a lot about politics and media and try to outsmart each other, so long as Rorschach didn't fly off the handle and start screaming 'COMMUNISSSTTTTT'
Yeah, okay, but why would they start a relationship at all?
Adrian. That's kind of a given, what with Rorschach's issues, but I will say it again: Adrian. I think he would see it as an intellectual challenge, getting Rorschach to consent to sex. Maybe he'd try to start something as a psychological experiment; maybe because he was bored; maybe because Rorschach's self-hate and attitude towards sexuality (and particularly homosexuality) would piss of Adrian enough to make him want to change that. (Naturally, I could also see him instigating a relationship if he had something to gain; the thing with that is there isn't much Adrian has to gain from Rorschach.)
The actual sex would almost always be about power play; both of their personalities are too strong for it to be otherwise. Adrian would force Rorschach to stare down his identity issues in ways Dan wouldn't (because he's too non-confrontational) and the Comedian wouldn't (because he doesn't care). On the other hand, Rorschach (and any relationship Adrian would seek out) would probably make Adrian think more about his Grand Plan and how it will affect the world. (That's leaning more towards movie canon again there, but I could buy it from GN!Adrian.) It would be a very detached 'relationship;' they're both pretty detached dudes when it comes down to it, though Rorschach does become invested in relationships and people, whether he likes it or not. The most likely scenarios for Adrian/Rorschach happening involve Adrian controlling, blackmailing, and emotionally abusing/manipulating Rorschach under the guise of helping him. Not that I don't think Rorschach wouldn't retaliate with physical (if he could) and emotional abuse (if Adrian got attached; another thing more likely with movie canon, but emotions are funny things). Under no (okay, under very rare) circumstances would they be a happy coupling by any means, but, y'know...it's pretty fucking hot. (That may or may not be the main point of this meta: they are pretty fucking hot.)
OTHER ODDS AND ENDS:
They're more likely to have one-time sex or a string of 'casual' (lol casual sex+Rorschach) sex encounters. (Pretty standard for shipping in Watchmen, but worth a note.) Think "No one else would accept this part of you."
Also! I think what Rorschach did to Adrian's action figure is worthy of note. He twisted the action figure into a position of submission, disfiguring it about as much as he could. Implies he wants to take Adrian down a notch. Dom!Rorschach/Adrian do want.
SO. THERE YOU HAVE IT.
* Okay, I tried to do some research on purple and gold lame as a gay color in history and came up with...nothing. So I'm hinging this on his fabulousness. Weak argument is weak, yeah. Shut up, pulling strings is a multi-shipper's job! >:| [/maturity]