Fic: Sacrifice [Watchmen]

[glitterburn]

Title: Sacrifice
Fandom: Watchmen
Rating: PG13
Summary: This is how it all began, past and future revealed and concealed, and a character formed in the bowl of a bronze tripod.
Notes: Written for meiou_set as part of the Fall Fandom Free For All with the request ‘Adrian as a teen’. I’ve mixed comic book and movie canon, borrowing Matthew Goode’s

Comments

[findmyantidrug]

Woah, this is spectacular.

[glitterburn]

Thank you! :)

[aitakute]

*exhales* Woah. Woah. Fucking woah

[glitterburn]

Thank you :D and well, I'm happy the prompt turned up because I've been wanting to write another Adrian fic for aaaaages and I never found the motivation to do the Egyptian one I had kicking around. It was a good excuse to re-read the comic book!

I love Herodotus and his methodology and his interest in risk/conflict/justified outcome - and I think Adrian would probably be an admirer, too. Adrian is quite like the Persian kings, and of course Alexander became very Persian, too. I tried to keep up the theme of dichotomy/janiformity throughout but I think it slipped towards the end LOL never mind!!

Thanks again!

[eugenetapdance]

Phenomenal.

I'm a fan of explaining Adrian's youth, and this is one of the best pieces I've read set during that period. Billions of points for discussion of Greek love and references to prodigy Adrian going through hell from his peers.

Thank you for writing this.

[glitterburn]

Thank you!

Ooh, do you have any recs for fics set during Adrian's youth? I'd love to read them.

[eugenetapdance]

To be entirely honest, I can think of very few that I'd recommend -- it's the concept I love, not necessarily the way I've seen it executed.

Many Forms and It's the Customers Who Go to Hell are both by anactoria, and both very good. In one he discusses the deaths of his parents with a teacher. Saying anything about the other one would spoil it, but suffice to say it's chock full of serial killing and whores.

I'm writing my own teen Adrian story, in which he meets the Minutemen, but I'd never ever plug my own work. Of course not.

[glitterburn]

*rubs hands together* Fantastic - thanks very much for those, I'll get stuck into them soon!

[deltachild]

I had to compleately seal myself off from the outside world to read this, as I knew I would want nothing to distract me from it.

Absolutely stunning to read. The depth of background you put into your fics historically always makes me feel as though I'm learning while I'm reading, but also that the story is real and happened as well. This tale of Adrian's awakening to his own potential whilst losing himself in the past could easily fit in as a flashback scene during the movie/novel, and is just so very fitting.

I really loved the opening section, with his discoveries about his Father, the way his classmates treated him and his attempt at a relationship. Set a perfect launch pad for the rest of the tale.

So yeah, this was awesome, and a perfect break from my dissertation.

One day I really need to get into my ancient history, my lack of knowledge is shocking - I wish my school hadn't spent *so* much time on the Nazi's and Vietnam!

[glitterburn]

Thank you, and I'm glad it gave you a brief reprieve from the dissertation!

I wish there'd been more in the film about Adrian's past. His motivation is so terribly complex on one hand and yet very simplistic, almost naive, on the other. Herodotus' construction of history was very similar - why, how, why, how - until he reaches this Great Truth underpinning everything, which is essentially what Adrian does.

LOL well I know nothing about Vietnam except what I saw in Miss Saigon and Apocalypse Now, so my education is definitely lacking in some areas (let's not even discuss my total crapness in comprehending maths or science... :p)!

[anactoria]

Oof. This is fantastic. I love the idea of the other kids not really knowing how to treat him, and this

He already knows what it feels like to be alone. Now he wants to know how it feels to have nothing. He takes his tainted inheritance and gives it all away.

is lovely. It's telling that he's motivated as much by curiosity as altruism.

[glitterburn]

Thank you! Kids have that second sense when it comes to outsiders, even ones that integrate well - I think as you showed in your fic, there'd be enough Otherness in Adrian to make kids and adults feel disquieted in his presence.