| Author |
Topic |
CCP Zymurgist
Gallente
C C P |
Posted - 2010.12.28 15:52:00 - [ 1]
CCP Abraxas brings us " The Book of Emptiness, Part Two" who says this is the closest he has come to expressing how he feels about faith, violence, and the writing of stories. This is the final chronicle in what has been an ongoing publication for the past four years, but don’t worry this doesn’t mean we are done with them. We don't know when we will publish more, but when we do, we will be sure to announce it. If you want to stay up-to-date on what's going on with future chronicle work or Abraxas himself, you can follow him on twitter at @cloisterphobe. Thank you for reading and all your support. |
Myxx
Atropos Group |
Posted - 2010.12.28 15:55:00 - [ 2]
Edited by: Myxx on 28/12/2010 16:07:42
Thats an interesting ending... Shame its the end of it all. What a way to put the bi weekly chronicles to an end - with a cliffhanger. |
Raavanan |
Posted - 2010.12.28 16:47:00 - [ 3]
been a fan of chronicles ever since i remember.. shame to see them go. and a terrifying read as usual. |
Akrasjel Lanate
Gallente
Naquatech Conglomerate
Yulai Federation |
Posted - 2010.12.28 17:07:00 - [ 4]
Well that was a nice chronicle... To bad we won't have any for some time. |
Istvaan Shogaatsu
Caldari
Guiding Hand Social Club |
Posted - 2010.12.28 17:18:00 - [ 5]
Very very interesting.
Hyperconsciousness. What could it be... I feel like I might know, almost. Ever have one of those moments of perfect clarity? Religious folks call them epiphanies, I just call them a pain in the ass. But in those moments, those rare gaps in the day-to-day going-thru-the-motions where you don't really think... I don't know, it's hard to explain.
Sometimes I can look at a set of events. When I do, I start building these "road-maps of consequence" in my head. Why did it happen, what'll happen next. View possible outcomes to each of the set of events, and how those outcomes will interact. It's like Nicholas Cage in Next, except I don't get to suck face with Jessica Biel. Sometimes these events I'm imagining, interact with such absolute clarity that I can predict what'll happen via basic mental extrapolation. It could be any set of events, really; how two people interact, what news is coming from two nations, etc.
This is most likely a sign of profound mental illness.
Regardless, any time I have these "moments of clarity" I am left horribly depressed.
Maybe that's the Jovians' problem, too. Maybe sometimes it's better not to think so much. |
Raging Glory |
Posted - 2010.12.28 17:39:00 - [ 6]
Schopenhauer (Sp?) the philosopher wrote once,
"Life is but an unpleasant interlude between two periods of blissful non-existence".
Perhaps this is the protagonists' message. |
Azura Noctis
Amarr
SWARTA
|
Posted - 2010.12.28 18:29:00 - [ 7]
Excellent...again sad to these stories go away for awhile. |
Am Li
Caldari
0ne Percent.
|
Posted - 2010.12.28 19:03:00 - [ 8]
|
Alexeph Stoekai
Stoekai Corp
|
Posted - 2010.12.28 20:10:00 - [ 9]
Yeeeeeesssssss......~  Originally by: Am Li
stuff
Sounds like someone needs to go read a few devblogs. |
Rodtrik
Gallente
Aphex Industries |
Posted - 2010.12.28 20:23:00 - [ 10]
Enheduanni came from Jove, Jove made book of emptiness, seems Skar "ascended" from understanding or...not understanding said book.....wat  |
Horatius Caul
Amarr
Kitzless
|
Posted - 2010.12.28 20:28:00 - [ 11]
|
Auwnie Morohe |
Posted - 2010.12.28 20:57:00 - [ 12]
I liked it. Looking forward to seeing stories emerge in game.  |
Vlam watBrand |
Posted - 2010.12.28 23:08:00 - [ 13]
Edited by: Vlam watBrand on 28/12/2010 23:13:12
I see a lot of positive comments here. but alas, I have to disagree. Not that it matters, as I HAVE read the "book of emptiness".
This is such a pitifull ending. Its like the horror stories of old, where the monster is killed, and then you see some eggs hatching in a distant corner of a shed.
So unimaginitive , exspecially for a Science Fiction writer.
Sci-fi has long ago moved past the point of cliff hangers. Writers that either wants a sequel for a bad movie, or just could not find a good ending themselve, usually use cliffhangers as endings.
I read a lot, and the books I remember are the ones where I was very impressed with the ending (Real Endings) either they making me very sad, or mad, or I loved what happened to the hero or heroes. ..but a cliffhanger... honestly, I can't even remember a good cliffhanger ending anywhere (except the horror movies of course.. and oh yes,.. the book of emptiness.)
I feel kind of empty now.... Oh No.. did I just..??
Oh the shame!!! I @#$$3d my pants.
I don't think I will remember this story. |
Arakimo |
Posted - 2010.12.29 00:26:00 - [ 14]
another one goes over my head.
i guess i'm just stupid? |
Paladinhunt |
Posted - 2010.12.29 00:29:00 - [ 15]
This tells a great story, much of it composed of a man split between a Pandora's box of "power or consciousness" or resume the tensions for life of wheather or not his religion is true. Great story, I would enjoy to hear more from the gallente about the hypercapitalism or the president's day to day duties  Paladinhunt |
Shayna Brellis
Sensus Numinis
Ev0ke |
Posted - 2010.12.29 01:24:00 - [ 16]
The actual text in the 'reading' scene doesn't matter as much as the way the style changes. Compare the way most of the chronicle is written to the last two paragraphs...I think that's what Abraxas was getting at. It's not a cliffhanger at all, it illustrates the soldier's transition from being a sane but very worried professional to becoming a madman, his mind racing faster than it can safely handle.
Most of the story...fairly slow pace, open text spacing, mostly short sentences.
Reading scene...rapid pace, solid block of text, long run-on sentences. |
CCP Abraxas
|
Posted - 2010.12.29 02:41:00 - [ 17]
Edited by: CCP Abraxas on 29/12/2010 02:46:56For those who wonder: It's not a cliffhanger. This is probably the most final ending I've ever written.  Shayna nailed it one post further up, and the only thing I'd add is that at the very end it's basically become a metatext. |
Istvaan Shogaatsu
Caldari
Guiding Hand Social Club |
Posted - 2010.12.29 02:53:00 - [ 18]
Originally by: CCP Abraxas
Edited by: CCP Abraxas on 29/12/2010 02:46:56
For those who wonder: It's not a cliffhanger. This is probably the most final ending I've ever written. Shayna nailed it one post further up, and the only thing I'd add is that at the very end it's basically become a metatext.
You translated it into writing very well. That rapid, paranoid quickening of thought. That sudden burst of seemingly unrelated association where things start making sense. And after the mental machine-gun finally overheats and grows silent, quiet acceptance... and a nice, long sleep. |
kano donn
New Path |
Posted - 2010.12.29 03:54:00 - [ 19]
Abraxas... you amazing amazing man.
<3 every story you have ever written and my god this is an ending that will live in my memory |
Nathan Jameson
Talocan Vanguard
Talocan United |
Posted - 2010.12.29 04:27:00 - [ 20]
I admit I'm a bit confused about Skar's intentions in the story. Apparently, he killed Akran because he felt a distinct wrongness in bringing matters of faith into the material realm, finding the actual physicality of the Book of Emptiness an abomination. But then he goes ahead and reads it...? What? Why? I had the impression his actions were a sort of denial of the book's existence in his world, but then he vindicates its existence by not immediately burying it again.
Does someone else have a better grasp of what was going on in his head at that fateful decision? |
Katrina Bekers
Gallente
Fighters Squadron
|
Posted - 2010.12.29 09:37:00 - [ 21]
Interesting. But... Uhm... Well, not my cup of tea. Good writing (as usual), inspired philosophical-religious delirium, a story with some twists. But still... Meh.
Maybe I should read it again, both parts at once. |
Rytha Main
Amarr
PIE Inc. |
Posted - 2010.12.29 09:37:00 - [ 22]
((This can't be the end. The Chronicles were one of the defining characteristics of EVE. No other MMO to my knowledge has such a universe so vast, so original, and so organic as this game, and to take one of it's pillars away as a regular occurrence is a bit disappointing. I admit, not all of them were "my cup of tea", but I read them regardless. Despite this however, the overall concepts, themes, quality of writing and story is outstanding. I for one would like them to continue on a regular basis))  |
Grishax |
Posted - 2010.12.29 09:39:00 - [ 23]
Nathan,
First off, Skar didn't kill Akran. Blood drained from his face, no apparent injury; almost looks like he was scared to death, by something.
Next, I'm going to confuse you even more...
You say he vindicates it's existance by not burying it. I say he did the exact opposite, whether consious or not. IF he had decided to re-bury it, would he not have vindicated the importance of the book?
Religous belief is a ficle thing. It depends on the fact you do not HAVE proof of the very thing you believe in. Else it's not belief, it's knowledge. In this, gaining proof of your religion is a self defeating action. Once you have the proof of your religion, you may gain the KNOWLEDGE, but you will loose your BELIEF, with all it's mystery and comfort. If there was proof, absolute and certain, there is a afterlife, would it not take the meaning from LIVING itself? Why not quit this life, and be done with it?
Ponder about these things all your life, and you're a philosopher. Now compress a lifetime of these ponderings into the time required to read a couple of pages. You'll go mad, most probably loosing your mind. |
Anyura |
Posted - 2010.12.29 11:11:00 - [ 24]
Originally by: CCP Abraxas
Edited by: CCP Abraxas on 29/12/2010 02:46:56
For those who wonder: It's not a cliffhanger. This is probably the most final ending I've ever written. Shayna nailed it one post further up, and the only thing I'd add is that at the very end it's basically become a metatext.
Meta 4 or Meta 8 |
Sartorami
Minmatar
Roid Runners Incorporated |
Posted - 2010.12.29 14:29:00 - [ 25]
Coming in late, but as nobody seems to comment on this, I felt it neccesarry to remind everybody that this story and the preceeding one was supposed to -precede- Black Mountain. aka, ancient history. If anything new would have come of this, chances are we'd already know of it(Black Mountain, other articles) or come to learn of it in later, largely free-standing chronicles. not follow-ups.
I daresay we know what happened to that man and his soldiers... |
Che Biko
Humanitarian Communists
|
Posted - 2010.12.29 15:00:00 - [ 26]
One day after reading it, this "poem" from HORSE the Band pops up in my head:
crickets
clicking
in the silence
ticking
making me feel
empty
down to my very core
hiding
in the silence
broadcasting
tiny
little
violence
the clicking
ticking
in the night
that wasn't there before
I'm gonna re-read the Black Mountain chronicles to fill the void of no chronicles.
P.S. Why is the author of a chronicle only mentioned on this forum and not on EVElopedia or the chron itself? |
Doctor Carbonatite
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
|
Posted - 2010.12.29 17:02:00 - [ 27]
I've enjoyed the Chronicles. Is there no way for other CCP employees or players/ISDs to continue adding to them? Maybe some kind of submission process that would go like (Player/ISD submission)-->(Vetting by higher ISD)-->(Review by Abraxas or other CCP Employee)-->(Posting if worthwhile), with all the necessary waivers and other BS, could be an interesting option. |
JoeBear770
Amarr
Faster Muffins |
Posted - 2010.12.29 22:44:00 - [ 28]
Could this have been the story of how the Blood Raiders cult came to be? Blood drained from his face and all, could Skar have been the founder? |
LOL56
First Flying Wing Inc
ROMANIAN-LEGION |
Posted - 2010.12.30 00:18:00 - [ 29]
I have not read the book of emptiness |
Nathan Jameson
Talocan Vanguard
Talocan United |
Posted - 2010.12.30 04:21:00 - [ 30]
Originally by: Grishax
Nathan,
First off, Skar didn't kill Akran. Blood drained from his face, no apparent injury; almost looks like he was scared to death, by something.
Next, I'm going to confuse you even more...
You say he vindicates it's existance by not burying it. I say he did the exact opposite, whether consious or not. IF he had decided to re-bury it, would he not have vindicated the importance of the book?
Religous belief is a ficle thing. It depends on the fact you do not HAVE proof of the very thing you believe in. Else it's not belief, it's knowledge. In this, gaining proof of your religion is a self defeating action. Once you have the proof of your religion, you may gain the KNOWLEDGE, but you will loose your BELIEF, with all it's mystery and comfort. If there was proof, absolute and certain, there is a afterlife, would it not take the meaning from LIVING itself? Why not quit this life, and be done with it?
Ponder about these things all your life, and you're a philosopher. Now compress a lifetime of these ponderings into the time required to read a couple of pages. You'll go mad, most probably loosing your mind.
Hmm...interesting thoughts. Not sure I agree with all of them, based on some of the ways things were worded, but your views are definitely defensible. Thank you for the insights. |
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