midsummer_fic ([info]midsummer_fic) wrote,
@ 2005-08-22 10:05:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend  Next Entry
for cmshaw: "Your Guide to a Safe eXistenZ" (HCL/eXistenZ/Highlander)
Title: Your Guide to a Safe eXistenZ
Author: [info]dayse
Recipient: [info]cmshaw
Fandoms: Hard Core Logo/eXistenZ/Highlander (minmial)

Author's notes: Words can not express how much gratitude I have towards my betas on this fic. I gave them so much bloody WORK to do and they spent literally hours with me in IRC and MSN, checking over paragraphs and scenes as I wrote them, telling me what worked and what didn't work. And being my beta is NOT fun. I am whiney and neurotic
and insecure and they not only gave me great advice, but great support as well. Not to mention, [info]_divya_ and [info]visionshadows totally called on their friends’ lists to help me with my Highlander questions, and [info]jcjoeyfreak probably had to listen to my bitching and head-desking more than anyone.

So thank you so much, girls. [info]jcjoeyfreak, [info]visionshadows, and [info]_divya_, I could not have done this without you <3.

And a shout-out to www.highlander.org/FAQ/ as well, for resource-y greatness.


Your Guide to a Safe eXistenZ

(39 comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]aerye
2005-08-22 11:35 pm UTC (link)
Holy Sweet Fucking Mother of God, this is excellent. You've captured the essence of eXistenZ and folded in the whole Billy/Joe conflict/tug-of-war thing so skillfully that it's impossible to see the lines.

Whoever you are, I adore you.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 12:50 pm UTC (link)
Thank you so much, I'm so glad that you liked the story ^__^ Sorry it took me so long to reply, I am lazy and feet-draggy. But wee! I'm so happy you think you did a good job of blending the two wolrds, I was afraid it would end up sounding forced. So yes, thank you again ^_^

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]lynnmonster
2005-08-23 01:53 am UTC (link)
Oh, my, this was AWESOME in the very best mindfucking kind of way. Whoever you are, you rock.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 12:50 pm UTC (link)
Wee! *Thank* you! I was hoping it would be a mind-fuck and not just, well, weird :D And sorry for the late reply, but me = lazy. Thank you again! :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]lyra_sena
2005-08-23 04:06 am UTC (link)
oh. my. god. I -- this -- good LORD. I can't even get over this. I started reading and didn't have a clue what eXistenZ was, so I googled it and read the movie summary, and then went back to reading the fic. This is mindblowing, it's a mindfuck and it's so damn good. The ending FLAIL!! It's -- really, this is outstanding.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 12:54 pm UTC (link)
Oh gosh, thank you so much, I'm so glad you liked it, and I'm glad the ending worked for you, to say that I was worried about it would be an understatement. And you should really see the movie, it's weird, definitely weird, but I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Callum plays three different roles in it (with three very different looks).

But thank you again! So very sorry for the late reply :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]misanthrope7842
2005-08-23 03:20 pm UTC (link)
Oh. Oh, wow. This was just...wow. I'm totally in awe of how amazingly fucked up and good and perfect this story worked.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 12:56 pm UTC (link)
[drools over icon]

Thank you, yay! So glad that you liked it ^_^ Sorry for the late reply, but I am so happy it was fucked up and good as supposed to um ... not :D

Thank you again :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]cmshaw
2005-08-23 04:46 pm UTC (link)
OH MY FUCKING GOD. I FUCKING LOVE YOU SO FUCKING MUCH.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]cmshaw
2005-08-23 06:55 pm UTC (link)
i thought i would point you, kind writer (omg! who are you? i love you!), at the responses also coming in through my lj....

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]smaragdgrun
2005-08-23 11:50 pm UTC (link)
That's how I got here. And may I add GUHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh!!! Wow. Wowowowow. This is so fucked UP.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 12:57 pm UTC (link)
YAY OMG. Okay, I know this is a million years late but: OMG SO HAPPY AND RELIEVED YOU LIKED IT. For reals, man. I was, like, ranting and bitching and whining to my betas all "omg what if cmshaw doesn't liiiike it? what if my sekrit santa doesn't like the fic I wrote?" and so on and so on for, like, WEEKS and they wanted to KILL me.

So yes. YAYAY!! Thank you!! :D

(Reply to this) (Parent)
OH MY GOSH!
[info]kimberlyfdr
2005-08-23 05:51 pm UTC (link)
This is like the best thing ever. It rocks SO MUCH! I cannot be coherent. Must read again...and again and again.

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: OH MY GOSH!
[info]dayse
2005-09-07 12:59 pm UTC (link)
Thank you!! Yay! Sorry this is late, but - yay! hehe, glad you liked it ^__^

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]invader_jim
2005-08-24 12:13 am UTC (link)
I... wow. That was, as someone said above, seamless and incredible and so wonderfully (or painfully?) in character. Awesome.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 01:00 pm UTC (link)
Thank you! It's always so hard to write an AU and to keep it in character, I was really worried that I wouldn't do these guys justice. Particularly Joe Dick who I've always had a bit of a struggle with and who isn't quite what he appears to be in the fic. But thank you so very much, I'm thrilled you liked it :) [insert apology of lateness omg here]

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]fenlings
2005-08-24 10:52 am UTC (link)
This is unbelievably good. I just can't stop *thinking* about it. I was actually lying in bed last night doing all this mental math to try and estimate how long Billy's been in VR in real time. And wondering when exactly in Billy's life he was switched over to eXistenZ. And how much of eXistenZ!Joe was real!Joe and how much of him was influenced by Billy's brain.

Really creepy. ::applauds:: And I really want to know what happens next, but that was a great place to end it.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 01:02 pm UTC (link)
Oh dear, maths. I had my beta do the maths for me because it was actually going to get a lot more detailed later on, so that the reader could get an exact idea of how long Billy was in eXistenZ before I realized it wasn't really necessary. And then there was this whole idea of different games in eXistenZ having different time ratios, but that never came into play either. So yes, the maths got neglected ;)

But yay! Thank youuuu!! I'm so glad you thought it was creepy, too, because I totally wanted that, too. As for what happens next, I'm sure it involved Billy beating Joe about the head for a while ;)


(omg sorry for lateness of reply)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]shayheyred
2005-08-24 02:31 pm UTC (link)
I've just read this again, because it compelled me to do so... no, because I wanted to make sure I picked up all the nuances. The details are so brilliant, down to the blinking red eye -- and the ending! God, the ending. My congratulations for creating an amazing piece of work.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 01:04 pm UTC (link)
(I am thinking I should just make some sort of blanket 'sorry for being late, eep' statement - but yes, sorry :D)

Thank you so much! And hee! I am still totally amused that we each claimed to each other that the other's person's fic was written by ces ;) And Yay! I'm so glad you liked the fic, and omg you read it twice even? Damn ;)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]akite
2005-08-25 11:59 pm UTC (link)
I've never seen eXistenZ, but wow! What a mindfucking rollercoaster ride! In other words, I am in awe.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 01:05 pm UTC (link)
Sorry for the lateness of my reply, and thank you so much for your kind comments! I'm so glad that you liked the fic :) And ooh - you should check the movie out, I've seen it get mixed reviews so maybe you want to rent it, but it's definitely and interesting watch and Callum's hot as usual ;)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]korestemenos
2005-08-26 12:41 pm UTC (link)
Okay. Wow. Um. Wow. That was... Wow.

I haven't seen eXistenZ, but I know the idea and this just blew me away. And the ending, and the fabulous Highlander reference and the Billy and Joe.

In case you can't tell by my incoherent ramblings, I liked this a lot.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 01:07 pm UTC (link)
Sorry this is late but yay! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked this.

And omg, the Highlander. I was so very afraid I'd screw that up because I've never really seen the show or the movie outside a few episodes (the Callum episodes) and then I was haunting the FAQ site and harrassing my betas to make Highlander posts on their LJs asking questions to their friends lists. Thankfully, LJ is versatile and helpful ;)

So yes, thank you very much! :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]maryavatar
2005-08-28 10:06 pm UTC (link)
Aaargh!

Good, in a painful and kinda weird way.

Sort of the same way I liked eXistenZ.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 01:08 pm UTC (link)
Sorry this is late and heee, thank you! That's a wonderful compliment ;)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]sageness
2005-08-29 03:18 am UTC (link)
Oh jesus fuck!

*flails*

You WIN. You win the game. You win at life. I have absolutely nothing coherent to say...at least not until my brain comes back online.

*bookmarks to reread*

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 01:09 pm UTC (link)
Yay (omgsorrylateomg) thank you so much! Hehe, I'm glad you liked it and yay I win at life :D!

Man, that phrase never fails to crack me up.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]c_regalis
2005-08-29 07:49 pm UTC (link)
Wow. This is really the best mindfuck EVER. *flails*
Other then many of the other commenters I have seen eXistenZ and this is the perfect story for this movie.
And I adore the part about Billy's childhood.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 01:10 pm UTC (link)
Thank you so much! Again, apologies for the lateness, and yay I'm so glad you liked that part about Billy's childhood, and that you thought the story was fitting for the movie. I wanted to do both worlds the justice they deserved. Thanks again :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

(Anonymous)
2005-08-29 11:54 pm UTC (link)
what a cool, mind-fucking slice of excellent that was. thank you very much - tally

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 01:11 pm UTC (link)
wow, thank YOU so much, and sorry it took so long for me to reply. But i'm very happy you liked it and hee - yay for mind-fucking! :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]daughtershade
2005-08-30 06:46 pm UTC (link)
My head done 'sploded. Nice! I just can't.... NICE! *goes away since my brain is leaking out my ears*

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-07 01:06 pm UTC (link)
Hehe! Thank you. I'm sorry for the lateness of my reply, but I'm ao glad you liked the fic and that I exploded your brain ;)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]malnpudl
2005-09-12 08:49 am UTC (link)
Okay, I've finally managed to find time to read this fic, and I am completely, utterly blown away. This is so fucking brilliant and such a perfect mindfuck that I'm reduced to helpless flailing in place of coherent feedback. This is as every bit as good as HCL and much, much better than eXistenZ.

And now I know why [info]_divya_ was asking about Highlander. I'm beyond delighted to think that I helped even in a tiny way with this remarkable fic.

Thanks for an absolutely remarkable read.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]dayse
2005-09-22 02:39 am UTC (link)
Oh my gosh, thank you so much for this! I'm so happy you liked it ^_^ And damn ... just wow, that's a great comment - I'm all beaming over here :D:D:D

And hee! Yes, I totally made _divya_ plead on her flist on my behalf, because the Highlander stuff was just scaring me! So thank you for that, too ;)

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Oh. My. God.
[info]verushka70
2005-12-28 10:12 pm UTC (link)
Uh, I dunno where to begin with this fic. In no particular order: Fantastically recreates the mindfucking ambience of Cronenberg's film including the anti-game theme. Faithfully recreates and darkly, deliciously embellishes the Joe/Billy history and dynamics from HCL. And, last but definitely not least, both together intertwine in a tightening plot which includes a last-minute "tranCendenZ"-like yank of the rug out from under us in a very Joe overkill way, because "Billy would never have gone for it" otherwise. Jesus! And I say that with emphatic approval and as a huge fan of both eXistenZ (and Cronenberg in general) *and* HCL (and Billy/Joe). When I first read your story's premise (HCL/eXistenZ/Highlander xover), I thought, "Huh, strange xover choice" followed closely by, "Even in the most capable hands, this can't possibly be good, can't possibly work." Boy, was I ever fucking WRONG. It is, it can, and it does, and it's got a creepy hold on me. Just like both eXistenZ and HCL the first time I saw 'em.

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: Oh. My. God.
[info]dayse
2006-01-22 04:14 am UTC (link)
Eep! I'm sorry I'm replying to this so very, verylate, but I just saw it today! Thank you *so* much for the wonderful feedback, wow - I'm totally flattered :) I'm so glad that you liked it and that it came across as faithful to both worlds because I really enjoyed both movies, too, and I wanted to do them justice. Yay! Thank you, thank you :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]cmshaw
2006-10-16 06:57 pm UTC (link)
Dropping in to add an updated link to the story, because I just went to re-read it and nearly had a heart attack when it wasn't there....

...But that's okay, because it's here!

(Reply to this)

(39 comments) - (Post a new comment)

Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…