Sanctum App

[moralabsolutism]

OOC INFORMATION
Name: Shade
Contact Information: PM light_shade or Light_shade
Personal Journal: light_shade
Age: 24
Characters Played: N/A
IN-CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: Walter Kovacs/Rorschach
Fandom: Watchmen (movieverse)
Age: 35
Canon Point: His death
Original Universe or Alternate Universe? OU
Personality: Rorschach is someone who, above all else, thinks in terms of black and white, i.e. moral absolutism. Since the world isn’t made up of black and white decisions, this proves to be a difficult ideal for him to achieve. He sees a very deep divide between his superhero identity of Rorschach and Walter Kovacs the person. As far as he’s concerned, Walter died a long time ago, leaving only Rorschach to patrol the streets of NYC. In reality, there’s still something human inside of him, something that he wishes he could just discard or get rid of, yet he truly never will.

There’s two layers to Rorschach. On the outside, he’s a tough-as-nails vigilante who is unwilling to compromise. He takes things to the extremes, such as breaking men’s fingers when he needs information or flat-out killing criminals to prevent them from continuing their ways. He barely tolerates even other superheroes, insulting and judging them for what he sees as immorality or indecent lifestyles.

Underneath, however, there’s a man who’s been broken down so many times, in so many ways, that there’s barely anything left of his humanity. He represents the deconstructed idea of what would happen if someone truly became a superhero. The answer is someone who has become crazy from doing it for so long. Rorschach is socially inept and unable to truly function outside of his self-proclaimed role of vigilante. He has no friends, family, or job, rejecting many of the ideas most people hold dear. He keeps everyone at arm’s length and keeps his walls up for a variety of reasons: he doesn’t want to hurt them, he’s afraid of being hurt himself, or that he just really doesn’t have time to deal with humanity’s little idiocies. Simple human interaction, like a handshake given to a friend, is difficult, though not impossible.

Also of note is the way he treats one of the main people in his life. Nite Owl was once his partner, and while Rorschach considers him to be wasting his life’s potential when the story begins, there are hints that he still holds some affection for the other man. He goes so far as to apologize and shake his hand after an argument, something he’s capable of doing with no other person. While he may not care to admit it, even to himself, his relationship with Nite Owl fulfills the part of him that still needs basic human interaction. He’s probably the only friend Rorschach will ever truly have.

Most of what makes him up stems from his past. Severely abused as a child by his prostitute mother, it formed his ideas of how women and men really are from a young age. He sees all women as whores and all men as being controlled by their lust. Originally, when he first started out as a superhero, he let criminals live, despite his black-and-white thinking. This changed after a case where a little girl was abducted, brutally killed by her abductor, and fed to his dogs. Rorschach killed for the first time and permanently tried to put the persona of Walter behind him. He then started believing that the world was shaped by the men around it. Since most men were inherently wicked, this made the world a blight that needs to cleansed and he was going to be the one that would do it.

Is this character immune? Yes.
Background: Here and here
Other Notables: Nothing that I can think of!
Inventory: His mask, costume, grappling gun, and a journal.
SAMPLES
NETWORK SAMPLE: [The first glimpse of Rorschach given is a face hidden by the shadows created by his hat brim. The camera’s positioned in an awkward spot, like he’s laid it down on top of a shelf or something similar, so it’s looking down at him. All that can really be made out is that he’s wearing a mask of some sort. Then he tilts his head back, looking up to face the camera. The black-and-white face comes more prominently into view. The viscous blots swirl around his face and all that can be heard for a moment is the sound of his breathing.

When he finally speaks, his voice sounds raspy and gravelly, like he’s been gargling nails for years.]

Been walking through this city. Reminds me of home. That stain created by people in their desire to rot everything around them. Wonder if it’s the same everywhere, if there’s no spot mankind hasn’t corrupted with their putrid filth. The way it’s always been, all the way back to when Adam was first tempted by Eve.

[He stops, clearly having lost his train of thought. Believe it or not, he did have a clear point when he started off this video. It comes back to him and he continues on like nothing ever happened.]

Can’t trust a place full of corruption. It extends everywhere, even unto the highest levels of state and government. I won’t be staying in the place they’ve set out for me, waiting there like a dog blindly obeying its master. If you need me, I’ll be on the streets.

LOG SAMPLE: Here and here.