Watchmen: Eleven Photographs of Boys by Eugenetapdance (R)
Title: Eleven Photographs of Boys
Author: eugenetapdance
Fandom: Watchmen
Characters/Pairings: Adrian, Dan, OMCs, Adrian/OMCs
Length: 2643
Warnings: None, except that eugenetapdance recommends "a cursory wiki-ing of Amiri Baraka, formerly known as LeRoi Jones, and Joe Dallesandro. And maybe you should look up Prop 6 and Anita Bryant, although if you saw Milk, you'll probably know what I'm on about."
Spoilers: For the end of the graphic novel.
Why this must be read/seen: This is a "slightly angsty, Very Serious chronicle" of the content of Adrian's infamous "Boys Folder." Other reviews say it more eloquently than I do-- the fic has been described as "dripping in history and sensuality," and "glimpses into Adrian's developing psyche" as the explanation for each photograph moves from "the almost-innocent into more extreme searches for satisfaction and understanding." This is a beautifully-written and context-rich look into Adrian's growing up, desires and motivations through the lens (no pun intended) of eleven photos of boys-- some famous, some not so much. The poignancy, nostalgia, and somewhat creepy voyeurism comes through in a way that is especially true to both the movie and graphic novel incarnations of Adrian's character; if there is one Adrian fic you can't miss out on, it's this one.
Excerpt:
1951. A blond, about 17, blunt nosed, wearing red swim trunks.
Adrian's parents ask him to take a class in lifeguarding so that he can get a summer job. They are worried about him spending all his time alone with books. Although he's twelve, he's tall and strong enough to seem fourteen. He takes the class, gets the job. His boss is a high school senior who practices rescue holds with him until Adrian notices the questions in the older boy's eyes. He answers them with a twist of his hips. His boss stiffens in more ways then one, lets Adrian fall loosely into the water, and never practices with Adrian again.
Before the summer ends, Adrian strikes up a close friendship with a fellow youth lifeguard. They memorize poetry that they carry in saltwater stained paperbacks, the pages warped with moisture. They huddle together and speak in whispers. Adrian watches his former boss watch them. He is beginning to understand the questions that his boss's eyes were asking. They are questions, Adrian thinks, that he had forced his boss to ask, and his boss doesn't like that. People don't like questions.
He snaps a photo of his boss eventually. In it, the older boy is frozen against a sand dune, white enough to be a mountain of snow. His bathing suit is red, his genitals an obvious lump at the crotch. He has seen Adrian's camera. His expression is displeased.
He is seventeen years old. His name is Peter Vanderslice.
Eleven Photographs of Boys
Author: eugenetapdance
Fandom: Watchmen
Characters/Pairings: Adrian, Dan, OMCs, Adrian/OMCs
Length: 2643
Warnings: None, except that eugenetapdance recommends "a cursory wiki-ing of Amiri Baraka, formerly known as LeRoi Jones, and Joe Dallesandro. And maybe you should look up Prop 6 and Anita Bryant, although if you saw Milk, you'll probably know what I'm on about."
Spoilers: For the end of the graphic novel.
Why this must be read/seen: This is a "slightly angsty, Very Serious chronicle" of the content of Adrian's infamous "Boys Folder." Other reviews say it more eloquently than I do-- the fic has been described as "dripping in history and sensuality," and "glimpses into Adrian's developing psyche" as the explanation for each photograph moves from "the almost-innocent into more extreme searches for satisfaction and understanding." This is a beautifully-written and context-rich look into Adrian's growing up, desires and motivations through the lens (no pun intended) of eleven photos of boys-- some famous, some not so much. The poignancy, nostalgia, and somewhat creepy voyeurism comes through in a way that is especially true to both the movie and graphic novel incarnations of Adrian's character; if there is one Adrian fic you can't miss out on, it's this one.
Excerpt:
1951. A blond, about 17, blunt nosed, wearing red swim trunks.
Adrian's parents ask him to take a class in lifeguarding so that he can get a summer job. They are worried about him spending all his time alone with books. Although he's twelve, he's tall and strong enough to seem fourteen. He takes the class, gets the job. His boss is a high school senior who practices rescue holds with him until Adrian notices the questions in the older boy's eyes. He answers them with a twist of his hips. His boss stiffens in more ways then one, lets Adrian fall loosely into the water, and never practices with Adrian again.
Before the summer ends, Adrian strikes up a close friendship with a fellow youth lifeguard. They memorize poetry that they carry in saltwater stained paperbacks, the pages warped with moisture. They huddle together and speak in whispers. Adrian watches his former boss watch them. He is beginning to understand the questions that his boss's eyes were asking. They are questions, Adrian thinks, that he had forced his boss to ask, and his boss doesn't like that. People don't like questions.
He snaps a photo of his boss eventually. In it, the older boy is frozen against a sand dune, white enough to be a mountain of snow. His bathing suit is red, his genitals an obvious lump at the crotch. He has seen Adrian's camera. His expression is displeased.
He is seventeen years old. His name is Peter Vanderslice.
Eleven Photographs of Boys