perpetual_motion: awww wookit Kyle's face! (kyle's a real boy!)
Because I have homework I don't wanna do.

Marked -- Dan/Rorschach -- "This will cement his choices once and for all, demanding commitment like nothing else could."

A lovely little fic set early in the partnership. Rorschach manages to get injured on his back, so Dan has to help him, and there are [dun, dun, dun] revelations. It's all about Rorschach trying to feel guilty and Dan already knowing him well enough to know how to react.

W-ALTER -- Dan/Rorschach -- W-ALTR is a robot designed to fight crime who takes up vigilantism to fulfil his programming. Daniel is a vigilante with an interest in machines. A look at their relationship through the years.

Okay, it's a WIP, and it hasn't been updated since June, but it's well-written and an AU where Rorschach is a robot, and the place it currently ends is very sweet and a nice bit of closure to the previous chapters. Also, did I mention that Rorschach is a ROBOT?

Go. Read. Be merry. I'm gonna glower at a paper
perpetual_motion: big damn hero (not who you're thinking) (fuck yeah iron man)
As I pretend I'm not buried in homework.

Rorschach is not an Objectivist. Not even in his earlier scenes. He does have shades of Objectivism in his character:

Moral absolutes are a huge part of the Objectivist philosophy. There is always good and there is always evil, and the middle is always evil because compromising on your principles will always have a negative effect on your self-worth. Perhaps it's a tiny pinprick of negativity that you compromised, it's still negativity.

Respect for skills is another piece of Objectivism. Rorschach is anti-Jewish, but he has respect for Daniel because Daniel has impressed him with his skills. Objectivism is crystal clear on the importance of knowing you're talented and skillful and recognizing it in others. It brings forth mutual respect based on objective qualities in a person. In Dan's case, the respect from Rorschach comes from Dan's talent with gadgets and his investigative skills. Dan is useful to Rorschach, and Rorschach--being willing to break fingers and bust heads--is useful to Dan. They have a mutually beneficial relationship based on things they can do and prove to one another.

Beyond that, Rorschach's not really an Objectivist at all. Objectivists aren't against helping people in bad situations; they're against being forced to help people in bad situations. And Rorschach's distaste of money and decadence is decidedly non-Objectivist. To quote Atlas Shrugged:

Reporter: "Do you want us to quote all the things you have said?"
Dagny: "I hope I may trust you to be sure and quote them. Would you oblige me by taking this down verbatim?" [She paused to see their pencils ready, then dictated.] "open quote--Ms. Taggert says"I expect to make a pile of money on the John Gault line. I will have earned it.--close quote.--Thank you so much."

Alan Moore wrote Rorschach with his personal view of Objectivism. Using Rorschach as the avatar Moore meant him to be for the philosophy, people take away the idea that Objectivism is hugely anti-people and anti-hero. It's just not true. In fact, it's a blatant mis-representation of the facts. Objectivism is the celebration of talented, skilled people willing to work hard and enjoy their success. Objectivism is about appreciating heroes and heroic ideals. The end of Watchmen is Alan Moore basically stating that heroes are liars who won't stand up and fight once things have gotten bad enough. Rand would argue that heroes fight because they believe in the fight.

And, in that case, Rorschach is a true Objectivist. At the end of Watchmen, knowing what Adrian's done, he tries to run and fix it. Dropping to his knees in front of Dr. Manhattan and demanding he be killed so as not to live in the world that everyone else is agreeing to is also very Objectivist. He'd rather go down for his principles than live in a world that doesn't respect them. But again, these are brief shades of a character. The whole of the character tells a different story.

That different story is this: Moore wrote a character who was anti-Jewish, anti-woman, and anti-immigrants. Ayn Rand was a Russian Jewish immigrant and had her accent until the day she died. Rorschach would have bought her books to set them on fire.

I'm not saying people should stop writing Rorschach the way Moore gave him to us to read. Rorschach is a fascinating character because of how broken he is, how hard he fights, and how much he honestly feels though he pretends otherwise. I just wanted to point out that there's Objectivism as Rand wrote it--and she's the one who came up with it, so it's hers to define--and then there's what Moore wrote. Which is decidedly not the same thing.


[To learn more about Objectivism, visit your local library, or talk to The Husband, who helped immensely in writing this entry.]
perpetual_motion: and he'll kick your ass (damn right he is)
(All [personal profile] lasergirl's fault. I'm certain she does not care.

1. Dan and Rorschach, possible buddy-fic, possible slash fic -- very, very early in their partnership, Rorschach gets injured bad enough that Dan has to take care of him, leading to Rorschach moving in with him, leading to Rorschach staying for a long period because Dan comes up with reasons for him to hang around, knowing that Rorschach will refuse to stay if there's not a way he can be useful around the house. This will lead to numerous alternate versions of events including the Roche kidnapping, because rather than Rorschach and Dan only being vigilante partners, they share space, so they can continue to touch base with one another. This will, of course, also completely alter how the entire main plot of Watchmen works out. (Note: I am insane.)

2. X-number of months or years after events in Antarctica, Dan wakes up to Rorschach in his house. Except, of course, Rorschach should be dead. A mystery is afoot (which I've already solved, but I'm not telling you), and Dan and Rorschach end up re-connecting as they spend time together. Laurie will feature in some fashion, as I am basing this post-canon, and I like her and Dan together. (Note: I am slightly less insane.)

3. Gen Kill AU where Brad is Rorschach and Nate is Nite Owl. I'd flip this and make Brad Nite Owl given the gadgets, but Nate is more idealistic, and that's an important part of the Nite Owl character. I don't have the rest of the cast outlined, yet. I may not need it to be properly outlined, but I feel like I should know who else would stand in for the characters. (Note: I am completely out of my fucking mind.)

I had another idea, and I can't think of it now. To say I've been reading a lot of Watchmen fic would be a gross understatement. There's a WIP I found at AO3 that has Rorschach as a robot, and it's good and slightly painful and enjoyable. It looks like it hasn't been updated since June, but I can hope, right?

All right, now that I've shown you all this part of my brain, I have to go do homework.
perpetual_motion: saul panzer is a fierce bitch (mmmm vest)
Title: And the Cock Crew (1/1)
Author: Perpetual Motion
Fandom: Watchmen
Pairing: None
Characters: Nite Owl, Rorschach
Rating: PG
Summary: The question Dan may have asked. Possibly. We hope.

Dis: Lies and bullshit.

Author's Notes: [personal profile] lasergirl is fully responsible for this, and I know she doesn't feel bad. That's okay, because I rather like it, too.

Hrm. )
perpetual_motion: big damn hero (not who you're thinking) (fuck yeah iron man)
Is there any fic in the fandom (movie or comic) where Dan wakes up the day after and Rorschach is there because rather than kill him, Jon turned a tiny bit of his subatomic particles into blood and reassembled the rest of him back in New York or elsewhere? Because, seriously, I don't know how to search for such things, and I will be utterly shocked if no one's written it.

Because, dude. Angst. Big time. And fucking with comic book science. Someone's certainly written the shit out of this.
perpetual_motion: hang yourself please (up to something)
Title: Still Not Quite a Happy Ending
Author: Perpetual Motion
Fandom: Watchmen
Pairing: Laurie/Dan
Rating: PG
Summary: Afterwards, in the dark, Dan can't sleep.

Disclaimer: Lies and bullshit, same as always.

Author's Notes: Oh, no, you guys! "Watchmen" fic! I have destroyed the sanctity of the comic! Flee!

Sorry, couldn't help myself. )
perpetual_motion: hang yourself please (FLEEEEEE)
Allow me to apologize. Reading [livejournal.com profile] fandomsecrets as the "Watchmen" movie has been getting ready to open, I've felt really bad for people who are just getting into the fandom because there are batshit fans who think you can't be a "real" fan if you don't read the comic before the movie.

I would like to invite those fans to bite my ass. I don't give two shits how someone gets into something, as long as they're honestly enjoying it and wanting to talk about it like a rational adult. Acting like an asshole because you think you're a truer fan is asinine. And acting a dick to the people who don't like "Watchmen" for any number of legitimate reasons makes all us comic fans look like crazy weirdos.

So, in short, if I've done the elitist fandom douchenozzle thing, I sincerely apologize. I hate think I've made geekery less fun for someone else.

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