Remix of tiltedsyllogism: Lifeline

[unovis]

Original Story:
Author: tiltedsyllogism
Title & Link: Rebound
Pairings & Rating: Janine Hawkins/Molly Hooper, T/E
Warnings/Content Notes: none

Remix Story:
Author: ficklepig
Title: Lifeline
Pairings & Rating: Janine Hawkins/Molly Hooper, M/E
Warnings/Content Notes: non-con, dub-con, bdsm (implied), self-harm, mental abuse
Beta: frownfrump
Britpicker: (backchannel anon,

Comments

[tiltedsyllogism]

What a treat this was to read! I love stories that give another character's perspective on the same set of events, and it was fascinating to see Molly and Janine's affair become a platform for and a backdrop to Janine's work life. Poor Molly, always taking a back seat, even in her own romantic life, even when the person she's with really does care for her. The way Molly was both central and peripheral here is just one aspect of the wonderful way that you were staggeringly faithful to the tone and details of the original story (I did a double take when I saw the name Mark!) and yet built out to create an entirely new dimension to the story-world, far darker and utterly convincing.

I haven't read many explorations of Janine's work life under Magnussen, and I *loved* this one -- you so effectively communicated not only the glossy cloak-and-dagger intrigue of his empire, but also the grim seediness of it, and the way that those two necessarily go together when everyone's will is bent toward one man. It was all the more chillingly effective because you never used his name (which! I just realized is also sort of a nod to the original! but so much more striking and potent here, in Janine's head, in the story of Janine's life.)

this story was such an unexpected pleasure -- thank you.

[ficklepig]

"Grim seediness"! Hooray!

It isn't fair for Molly always to be in the background, but as I considered why Janine was so cavalier, she developed as someone very self-absorbed whose primary concern wasn't pleasure in the moment or consideration for friends, but fear and guilt about anything and everything else. So, what's that everything and anything? Alas, whatever it is, it is about as much story as I have brain for on fairly short notice, and Molly got short shrift. No excuses - I think it went OK! - but still a regret. There's just this ... Molliness waiting around on the periphery going um hello I exist, and not just to prop up your story line, thank you! I am crossing my fingers that canon does a little something about that.

Mark is a jerk. "Mark."