Arrow / Torchwood fanfiction: "Total Recall", rating T, 1.694 words (Malcolm Merlyn, Jack Harkness)

[dieastra]

Title: Total Recall
Author: dieastra
Beta: Thank you bloodsong13t for the quick beta!
Rating: T
Characters: Malcolm Merlyn, Jack Harkness
Word Count: 1.694
Notes: A fix it / AU for Bloodsong 13’s story “Blood for Blood”. You can read it here https://www.fanfiction.net/s/ ( Read more... )

Comments

[tardisjournal]

Wow! This was really powerful. This Malclom-is-really-Jack is such a powerful idea, and it really works here. I like the way the opening scene parallels what Jack went through at the hands of Gray. I'm not sure which was more horrific--the thought of being buried alive or what he went through to dig himself out! (Clever of him to put the dirt under him, but--ugh!) Then the mysterious car, and the video that turns out to be from himself--that is such a Jack thing to do.

Now Malcolm is armed with the basic truth about himself and the means to find out more, and is ready to rescue Thea. Great place to leave it!

[dieastra]

Thank you! Obviously, I really couldn't let Jack die in that cruel way from the other fanfiction, so this was the first thing that came to my mind.

I always wanted to try my hands on the Jack-is-buried-under-Cardiff and this seemed to be a good opportunity. Fans have discussed this - did Jack only die once and then wake up centuries later? Or did he indeed die again and again every few minutes? Obviously, this makes a huge difference. We did not get an answer in the series, he came back as good as new, no changes to his character at all. But I have read a few great fanfictions dealing with post traumatic stress.

Do you know the movie "Total Recall" with Arnold Schwarzenegger? (I believe there was also a remake recently). That's where I stole the idea of Jack/Malcolm talking to himself from ;)

[ageless_aislynn]

Oh, I LOVE the idea of future!Jack sending himself a message like that and that Malcolm had Retconned himself at some point to forget and then forgot much more than he intended! :D

The idea of being buried alive is such an awful thing, I'm glad that he finally got out of there, whew! *wipes forehead*

Nicely done! :D ♥

[dieastra]

Oh, you're way ahead of me! Apparently I am reading my messages in the wrong order LOL

Heh, as the title says, I stole a bit from the "Total Recall" movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger ;) (I hear there is a remake but I never saw it). So I cannot really claim the idea of someone sending a message to himself, but I figured it totally made sense in Jack's case!

And the buried alive scene of course was a bit inspired by the Torchwood episode where Grey buried his brother for 2000 years under Cardiff - unimaginable. I have read a few wonderful fanfictions dealing with the aftermath of that. How Jack managed to stay sane in all those years. So I figured this was a good opportunity to add a few of my own thoughts.

Thank you very much! Apparently there are some misspellings in there, my friend did a late beta (she was on vacation) so I might fix them yet.