The Gilded Cage by quietprofanity (NC-17)

[tuff-ghost.livejournal.com]

Fandom: WATCHMEN
Pairings: Dan/Adrian primarily, also Dan/Laurie, Dan/Rorschach, Twilight Lady/Laurie, TL/Dan
Length: ~24k
Author on LJ: quietprofanity
Author's website: quiprofanfics
Why this must be read:

Read this one because it could be the best darkfic you'll ever read. I'm fairly sure it's the best I've ever read. It's a true tragedy, both deeply unnerving and hugely cathartic.

The premise is another alternate ending for the novel: after the showdown at Karnak, Dan remains there because Adrian won't let him leave. Over the course of Dan's imprisonment the story dredges up a lot of unpleasant things that were gestured to in the novel, but never examined with such dedication: Adrian's narcissism and sociopathy; Dan's shameful passivity; his repressed sexual fixations; the delusional nature of Nite Owl and Rorschach's glory days. The canon ultimately put these issues aside in favour of a "happy" ending that distinctly lacked a sense of closure, and this fic takes the opposite approach.

I promise it's not just character-punishment without any emotional payoff. It's dark, but it's a very rewarding read.


The Gilded Cage, part 1, part 2, part 3