As I was reading, I kept thinking, "holy SHIT, this is so good, this must have taken SO MUCH WORK TO WRITE" and my heart was actually beating faster with excitement. Then I got to the end and I saw your name, and I felt a little less stunned.
No one's ever written Rorschach's life in such detail before. There is not a single thing in this account that seems jarring or out of place or out of character. Staying in-character is usually the hard thing for fanfic authors, but I think your challenge must have been keeping all the non-characterization-related logistical stuff plausible and consistent? At least, the thought of that challenge is what makes me think this fic must have taken a heroic amount of work to write.
Thanks so much for posting, I'm really glad I got to read it.
There was a bit of research involved, as I had to sit down and think to myself, 'wait... how the hell do the police find abducted kids, anyway?' So then I read up on child abduction/homicides, which was, erm, interesting. The absolute worst thing about them is how drawn-out and convoluted the investigations tend to be. In the comic, Rorschach (who is Mr. Unreliable Narrator, but anyway) makes it sound like he just went around hurting people until the kidnapper's name popped up. I just wanted to embellish it a little bit, as I didn't have the stamina for a proper mystery. (And the ending was pretty much a foregone conclusion
( ... )
One of the things I really liked was the amount of self-awareness you gave him. Which seems to be a small amount, at least, shown in places where he sort of idly contemplates the idea of HIMSELF being an implacable monster and doesn't really get very ruffled about it. Which is, yeah, exactly the response of an implacable monster :D
We are all so lucky that you persevered in the face of hair-tearing urges, and I CAN'T! FREAKING! WAIT! until your next fic.
This is absolutely lovely. I love the bits that show Walter is already loosening his grip, losing track of his interrogation methods, and the hints of yearning regret that he's had nothing else. It's so human and heartbreaking.
Going RIGHT into my Memories. There are so many things I'd love to comment on, bits to point out, but if I mentioned everything I loved this comment would be longer than the post itself.
I'm not kidding, this is eerily perfect. Everything from the characterisation to the description of action, to setting, mind-frame, everything - being a creative writing student I've learned that people have their niches, and very few can do all of those things equally well. I'm pretty sure that you must be one of the ones that can ^-^
I'm sorry for leaving such an empty and kinda useless comment, but I couldn't leave without saying something. Pure awesomeness.
(I'm also slightly bitter, because I was just about to embark on my first Watchmen fanfiction which also featured Roche's parents, but now I'm pretty sure nothing's going to equate. You win XD)
Thank you! My face is like X3 in squealy joy right now. (And comments are never useless! They're like crack to fanfic writers!)
(I'm also slightly bitter, because I was just about to embark on my first Watchmen fanfiction which also featured Roche's parents, but now I'm pretty sure nothing's going to equate. You win XD)
Dangnabbit, do it. The Roche case doesn't seem to get much attention in fanfic, and I'm sure you'd bring new stuff to it that I haven't even thought about. One of the things I like about fanfiction is that, while it uses a lot of recycled ideas and characters, each writer usually brings something new to the table because no two people write the same.
This is...amazing. So amazing. You are such a talented writer!
The paragraph about the computer made me laugh!
The drunk stares at you with crusted eyes, and it makes you wonder how people can allow themselves to get like that. That gave me chills! Good foreshadowing.
I love the part about his apartment, it's more of a slow transformation.
old journal entries tend to be deeply embarrassing - but you like having them there, because your memory is not infallible, and there is always the off-chance that your asinine personal observations may come in useful one day. It could happen. It's an infinite universe, after all. And you like the idea that, were you to die tomorrow, a small part of you would still exist, held safely between those pages. (Granted, you wouldn't want anyone to actually read them, but just knowing that they exist is enough.) This whole paragraph could refer to me and my journals.
Small mistake here: While in the bathroom (you are presently staying in an apartment that ha its own, rather than a communal one) Looks
( ... )
Justice never sleeps! (Justice drinks lots of coffee and eats lots of sugar. Justice probably has really bad breath. Sometimes Justice takes a power nap.)
Ahem; anyway, thank you! The bit about the journals was a case of 'write what you know', as I used to keep journals myself.
Small mistake here: While in the bathroom (you are presently staying in an apartment that ha its own, rather than a communal one) Looks like you forgot the 's' in 'has'.
Ah yeah, this is why I should get a beta reader. Whenever I try to proofread something longer than 6000 words, my brain goes walkabout. I've fixed it. Thanks. :)
God, oh God. Poor Rorschach. This was fantastic. The level of detail and the use of the second-person perfectly dove-tailed. Poor guy, he was already going downhill....
That being said, I'm not so sure I agree with Ror' being racist. I just don't see it. *shrug* That's the beauty of fanfic though, and it only detracted a little bit from this gorgeous piece.
Thank you. :) I was originally going to try writing the entire thing in the imperative mood, but realised that it would drive me nuts, so I just stuck with second person.
That being said, I'm not so sure I agree with Ror' being racist. I just don't see it. *shrug* That's the beauty of fanfic though, and it only detracted a little bit from this gorgeous piece.
I see him being as unthinkingly racist - particularly in 1975, when a lot of people were still racist without thinking/feeling too deeply about it. It wasn't borne out of hate so much as a general sort of bone-headed ignorance, and an unwillingness to change the status quo. Granted, Rorschach probably saw most people as equally hateful (to quote Dirty Harry: 'he hates everybody: Limeys, Micks, Hebes, Fat Dagos, Niggers, Honkies, Chinks, you name it,') but I wouldn't be surprised if he saw Nice White Ladies People as slightly less hateful than everyone else
( ... )
I see him being as unthinkingly racist - particularly in 1975, when a lot of people were still racist without thinking/feeling too deeply about it. It wasn't borne out of hate so much as a general sort of bone-headed ignorance, and an unwillingness to change the status quo.
Ah-ha! See! It wasn't your fault at all -- I'm just a poor history student. :))) It's not that I think the racism is unrealistic, simply because Rorschach is so thickheaded; I just never really saw any concrete proof of it in the GN, which is why it jarred me here.
Granted, Rorschach probably saw most people as equally hateful ... but I wouldn't be surprised if he saw Nice White Ladies People as slightly less hateful than everyone else.
LOL! I thought about the story all day today, and came to the conclusion that while Walter was unthinkingly racist, Rorschach Despised Everyone Equally (except Dan, but he's a separate matter).
So, hrrrrrm, with 20/20 hindsight: if I was going to write this fic again, I'd probably provide more of a historical context for it.
( ... )
I don't think I'm very well qualified to comment on American social mores in the 60s and 70s, given that I'm a) British and b) wasn't around back then, but whenever I pick up fiction from around that period, I'm often reminded of how much more openly racist, sexist and homophobic a lot of people were. I guess that the closest trope for it would be Unfortunate Implications or Values Dissonance.
And yeah, I agree: while Walter probably has as much baggage regarding race, sexuality, gender and social class as the rest of us, Rorschach is probably, um, non-discriminatory when it comes to beating the shit out of people. You're either Evil And Must Be Punished, or you're... not. (Or you're Daniel, in which case you're a Good Friend who gets a manly handshake.)
Comments 39
No one's ever written Rorschach's life in such detail before. There is not a single thing in this account that seems jarring or out of place or out of character. Staying in-character is usually the hard thing for fanfic authors, but I think your challenge must have been keeping all the non-characterization-related logistical stuff plausible and consistent? At least, the thought of that challenge is what makes me think this fic must have taken a heroic amount of work to write.
Thanks so much for posting, I'm really glad I got to read it.
Reply
There was a bit of research involved, as I had to sit down and think to myself, 'wait... how the hell do the police find abducted kids, anyway?' So then I read up on child abduction/homicides, which was, erm, interesting. The absolute worst thing about them is how drawn-out and convoluted the investigations tend to be. In the comic, Rorschach (who is Mr. Unreliable Narrator, but anyway) makes it sound like he just went around hurting people until the kidnapper's name popped up. I just wanted to embellish it a little bit, as I didn't have the stamina for a proper mystery. (And the ending was pretty much a foregone conclusion ( ... )
Reply
We are all so lucky that you persevered in the face of hair-tearing urges, and I CAN'T! FREAKING! WAIT! until your next fic.
Reply
This is absolutely lovely. I love the bits that show Walter is already loosening his grip, losing track of his interrogation methods, and the hints of yearning regret that he's had nothing else. It's so human and heartbreaking.
Reply
I had to re-read issue #6 several times, which meant that I had to keep looking at Rorschach's godawful :( prison face.
I... I want to give him a cup of tea and a biscuit. He might not want a hug, but everyone appreciates a biscuit.
Reply
Going RIGHT into my Memories. There are so many things I'd love to comment on, bits to point out, but if I mentioned everything I loved this comment would be longer than the post itself.
I'm not kidding, this is eerily perfect. Everything from the characterisation to the description of action, to setting, mind-frame, everything - being a creative writing student I've learned that people have their niches, and very few can do all of those things equally well. I'm pretty sure that you must be one of the ones that can ^-^
I'm sorry for leaving such an empty and kinda useless comment, but I couldn't leave without saying something. Pure awesomeness.
(I'm also slightly bitter, because I was just about to embark on my first Watchmen fanfiction which also featured Roche's parents, but now I'm pretty sure nothing's going to equate. You win XD)
Thanks for sharing, definitely.
Reply
(I'm also slightly bitter, because I was just about to embark on my first Watchmen fanfiction which also featured Roche's parents, but now I'm pretty sure nothing's going to equate. You win XD)
Dangnabbit, do it. The Roche case doesn't seem to get much attention in fanfic, and I'm sure you'd bring new stuff to it that I haven't even thought about. One of the things I like about fanfiction is that, while it uses a lot of recycled ideas and characters, each writer usually brings something new to the table because no two people write the same.
Reply
The paragraph about the computer made me laugh!
The drunk stares at you with crusted eyes, and it makes you wonder how people can allow themselves to get like that. That gave me chills! Good foreshadowing.
I love the part about his apartment, it's more of a slow transformation.
old journal entries tend to be deeply embarrassing - but you like having them there, because your memory is not infallible, and there is always the off-chance that your asinine personal observations may come in useful one day. It could happen. It's an infinite universe, after all. And you like the idea that, were you to die tomorrow, a small part of you would still exist, held safely between those pages. (Granted, you wouldn't want anyone to actually read them, but just knowing that they exist is enough.) This whole paragraph could refer to me and my journals.
Small mistake here: While in the bathroom (you are presently staying in an apartment that ha its own, rather than a communal one) Looks ( ... )
Reply
Justice never sleeps! (Justice drinks lots of coffee and eats lots of sugar. Justice probably has really bad breath. Sometimes Justice takes a power nap.)
Ahem; anyway, thank you! The bit about the journals was a case of 'write what you know', as I used to keep journals myself.
Small mistake here: While in the bathroom (you are presently staying in an apartment that ha its own, rather than a communal one) Looks like you forgot the 's' in 'has'.
Ah yeah, this is why I should get a beta reader. Whenever I try to proofread something longer than 6000 words, my brain goes walkabout. I've fixed it. Thanks. :)
Reply
That's a good technique. It creates something people can relate to.
You're welcome. (I could beta for you if you're interested)
Reply
Reply
That being said, I'm not so sure I agree with Ror' being racist. I just don't see it. *shrug* That's the beauty of fanfic though, and it only detracted a little bit from this gorgeous piece.
**bookmarks**
Reply
That being said, I'm not so sure I agree with Ror' being racist. I just don't see it. *shrug* That's the beauty of fanfic though, and it only detracted a little bit from this gorgeous piece.
I see him being as unthinkingly racist - particularly in 1975, when a lot of people were still racist without thinking/feeling too deeply about it. It wasn't borne out of hate so much as a general sort of bone-headed ignorance, and an unwillingness to change the status quo. Granted, Rorschach probably saw most people as equally hateful (to quote Dirty Harry: 'he hates everybody: Limeys, Micks, Hebes, Fat Dagos, Niggers, Honkies, Chinks, you name it,') but I wouldn't be surprised if he saw Nice White Ladies People as slightly less hateful than everyone else ( ... )
Reply
Ah-ha! See! It wasn't your fault at all -- I'm just a poor history student. :))) It's not that I think the racism is unrealistic, simply because Rorschach is so thickheaded; I just never really saw any concrete proof of it in the GN, which is why it jarred me here.
Granted, Rorschach probably saw most people as equally hateful ... but I wouldn't be surprised if he saw Nice White Ladies People as slightly less hateful than everyone else.
LOL! I thought about the story all day today, and came to the conclusion that while Walter was unthinkingly racist, Rorschach Despised Everyone Equally (except Dan, but he's a separate matter).
So, hrrrrrm, with 20/20 hindsight: if I was going to write this fic again, I'd probably provide more of a historical context for it. ( ... )
Reply
I don't think I'm very well qualified to comment on American social mores in the 60s and 70s, given that I'm a) British and b) wasn't around back then, but whenever I pick up fiction from around that period, I'm often reminded of how much more openly racist, sexist and homophobic a lot of people were. I guess that the closest trope for it would be Unfortunate Implications or Values Dissonance.
And yeah, I agree: while Walter probably has as much baggage regarding race, sexuality, gender and social class as the rest of us, Rorschach is probably, um, non-discriminatory when it comes to beating the shit out of people. You're either Evil And Must Be Punished, or you're... not. (Or you're Daniel, in which case you're a Good Friend who gets a manly handshake.)
Reply
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