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Messages - solipsisticurge

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1
The Unholy Consult / Re: Did Kellhus find Oblivion?
« on: September 29, 2017, 11:00:47 pm »
Kellhus, being keen of intellect, eschewed Oblivion in favor of Morrowind and Daggerfall, demonstrably superior games.

(Sorry, had to do it.)

I'm more or less in lockstep with Madness on this. I don't think Kellhus has achieved any super secret dodge which will render him, as-extant, relevant to the remainder of the series. He's a pillar of salt and that's that. However, the Th9ousandfold Thought had innumerable iterations on its way, and despite his arrogance, Kellhus would have had to be utterly myopic and stupid  to not lay the framework for secondary approaches given the potential for the Ordeal to fail.

The Ordeal was the Shortest Path; go to the Apocalypse machine and smash it until it can't Apocalypse no more. The Second Shortest Path, though, is infinitely preferable to "give up if I have to start over." I don't think Kellhus planned for his own death, but the failure of the Ordeal as a significant possibility would have been too present in his mind not to make additional plans in case of disaster. (There's also the question of what to do about damnation if the Ordeal did succeed, which I also doubt Kellhus spent no energy on.)

2
The Unholy Consult / Re: Mutilated "Art"
« on: September 20, 2017, 03:33:36 pm »
My own personal reading, but I took "art" to mean "process" and process to mean more than just the No-God being present.  It could certainly be untrue, but I don't think that, say, a plague with the No-God present would work.

"Why not an engineered plague?" has been my question in response to every sci-fi invasion story since a young age, and learning that smallpox was a thing and America didn't belong to my distant ancestors.

Of course, the answer usually has some degree of "because then there'd be no story, asshole," as Sausuna states.

Could the emotional state of the victims have a role in the Apocalypse successfully shutting off the outside? Would help explain my old "why rape monsters, specifically" query if so. (I know Bakker's explained his authorial motives there, but as yet there's no in-universe reason beyond the Inchoroi being incredibly carnally inclined.)

3
General Misc. / Re: New titles?
« on: September 20, 2017, 03:09:35 pm »
Finished Blindsight the other day. How I overlooked this book for over a decade, I shall never surmise, but it has immediately leapt among my favorites. Waiting for Echopraxia to arrive in the mail.

Also, moved on to Sapiens by Harrari after enjoying Homo Deus profoundly. Highly recommend his works; he has a knack for reducing complicated concepts to easily-understood language for laymen such as myself.

4
General Misc. / Re: Favorite Style of Music
« on: September 20, 2017, 03:00:40 pm »
Punk.
Hardcore punk.
Crust punk.
Skate punk.
Riot-ska punk.
Anarcho-punk.
Horror punk.
Death punk.
Folk punk.
Street punk.
Celtic punk.
Oi (punk).
Punk.

5
The No-God / Re: Perspective and answers to open questions
« on: September 13, 2017, 02:27:42 am »
I was referring to what I'd read somewhere, that the series was originally going to conclude in its entirety with the end of TUC, but Bakker later decided against this. That the purpose of additional story is to provide more traditionally satisfying closure is (possibly incorrect) inference on my part.

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6
The No-God / Re: Perspective and answers to open questions
« on: September 11, 2017, 05:19:51 pm »
Definitely possible. Would also make for a nice inversion of history; the last bastard Anasurimbor stumbles upon the fortress redoubt of the Dunyain, a distorted reflection two millennia in the making. Not sure how it ties into Cranny's story being cut off from the rest of the series, though - having the final confrontation with the big bad isn't really isolated from the larger story. Unless we assume Bakker was lying or utilizing legalistic truth-telling.

Since TNG only exists to assuage readers and provide a more traditional narrative closure, Moenghus striking down the Consult with the Scylvendi might be the most satisfying. Demon Cnaiur laughs as his son (his PROOF) rids the world of the menace that ruined his entire life.

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7
The No-God / Re: Perspective and answers to open questions
« on: September 10, 2017, 07:20:38 pm »
A Mutilated PoV would be intriguing, but too revealing?
It would be silly, but perhaps they keep Malowebi around on the salty emperor statue commemorating Resumption, and he can continue his role as eyes and ears without comprehension or explanation. Or Aurax POV could serve the same purpose, again with limited ability to grasp what was being conveyed.

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8
The Unholy Consult / Re: Why Kelmomas?
« on: September 10, 2017, 07:13:37 pm »
His neurological framework, as per Bakker in a Q&A.

What specifically about his brain structure, or why it seems to run strongly with the Anasurimbor, is not yet explained.

Dead twins also seem to be a recurrent factor where the No-God is concerned (Nau-Cayuti's father), though whether it is a causal relationship (or what that would mean for Mimara and Akka's child) also remains undefined at present.

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9
The Crabikiad / Re: What's the story!?
« on: September 10, 2017, 07:08:29 pm »
Bakker's hinted we might get a look at Eanna, and that Crabicus' story doesn't have much overlap with the rest of the events of the Second Apocalypse. He might beeline east and become the equivalent of a metagnostic Shaman.

Anything other than the Eannan tribe swooping in last second with super-Tekne to save the day.

Otherwise, who knows? It's a novel chance to explore aspects of the setting through completely unconditioned eyes, with Kellhus-level intellect unbound by Dunyain ideological pursuits.

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10
The Unholy Consult / Re: [TUC Spoilers] Psalm of Imimorûl
« on: September 10, 2017, 03:08:16 pm »
The Gods ever hunger for only the finest, silkiest of manes, my brothers, which age not with the death of seasons or the blooding of second-born Sons; I implore thee to know - to believe! - that the soul most sacred can be found ONLY in the mane most luxuriant!

And thus do the Gods await the arrival of our salvation, Esmenet-most-Glossy, Esmenet-most-Coiffured, to their side; the Bringer of Style, the Harbinger of Wind Resistance, the Herald of the Great Parting, which will see all souls freed from the accursed chains of The Thinning Years! Salvation awaits all Men should they but seek it - not through great acts - nay, the crutch of false-souled Men who would blind thine eyes to their Recession through Worldly deed! Not through mercy - nay, the tenor of Heaven sings from the follicle, not the split end!

Salvation is a journey, my brethren - the toll of years tracked upon our scalps' cruel ground. And we, my kin, shall be saved where all others fall into endless torment, for WE! WEAR! CONDITIONED! GROUND!

...sorry.

11
The Unholy Consult / Re: Inchoroi
« on: September 10, 2017, 02:32:44 pm »
Perhaps the World's redemption lies in its eventual mundanity? The Nonmen are all but gone, the Inchoroi reduced to one, and who knows what will become of souls, magic, etc. in the wake of the No-God and whatever methods are eventually utilized to end the Apocalypse.

I, too, had hoped for a little more out of the Inchoroi, but after a six book build-up, I'm not sure anything Bakker put down could have lived up to expectation without crossing a line into disbelief. I do like that (assuming their background is further explained) they seem to be somewhat of a warning for the possible fate of the working caste in a post-semantic future, though I've been reliably informed that might be me reading a little too much into it.

12
General Misc. / Re: [TV Spoilers] Game of Thrones (S7)
« on: September 10, 2017, 02:24:55 pm »
Season 7 saw the show become my go-to source for mindless fun. A Song of Ice and Fire - the video game you watch! My television viewing is done primarily at 3 or 4 AM when the wife and baby are asleep and I'm staying up out of stubborn refusal to be a responsible adult (and a childish demand that SOME portion of my day be spent selfishly), so the plot dropping a few IQ points wasn't too contentious for me. I got to see dragons blow shit up, the worst D&D party ever keep rolling criticals on not freezing to death, and the occasional tit. It met my meager needs.

I don't have any honest predictions for the finale. I long ago ceased contemplating GoT/ASoIaF's future as a survival mechanism against inevitable disappointment. I hope the little kid lady in the north (Lady Mormont?) does something spectacular, and that we see zombie Hodor.

13
General Earwa / Re: Bakker and Women
« on: August 30, 2017, 06:52:17 am »
I also refuse to date any woman with the Judging Eye.

As this seems to be exclusively my "type", good. Always nice to have less competition in the marketplace.

14
General Earwa / Re: Do All Skin-Spies Have Male Genitalia?
« on: August 30, 2017, 06:34:43 am »
In this thread, I learned there were readers who hadn't made that inference concerning Cnaiur.

His whole character stems back to the line from TGO for me: "the soul of a hero, if not for the Dunyain." (Possibly paraphrasing.) His seduction by Moenghus fueled the enmity of his people toward him, which bent his whole life toward pursuit of the Scylvendi equivalent of the Absolute, striving in all matters to be the most Scylvendi - the most violent of all men, militarily and sexually; vicious in his condemnation of any other (deviant) way, or anything outside the People.

Despite his barbaric nature and the untold suffering he's caused in the world, his is one of the most tragic fates in the series, to my mind. We see post-Holy War that he is able to earn the admiration and loyalty of his people, and steer them toward at least marginally better ends (ending the internecine strife and standing unified, albeit in support of Apocalypse). What might his life had amounted to had Moenghus not crossed the Steppe?

15
The Unholy Consult / Re: We Are Proyas
« on: August 30, 2017, 06:22:14 am »
To me, there is no real distinction between genre fiction and literary fiction. Any novel, in any setting or style, can attempt to use artistry to explore and convey complex themes, just as any novel with or without genre identification can utterly fail to do so, or not try at all. Mediocre and shitty authors abound, regardless of genre or lack thereof (though perhaps I'm being pretentious associating a lack of literary elements in a book written for escapist enjoyment with mediocrity ad hoc).

I think this is half of Bakker's point, really.


Part of me would quite like it if Bakker just kept on writing new instalments and never actually concluded the storyline at all. The journey is so fascinating and thought-provoking that I don't ultimately care where we end up. I guess it also fits in with my real-world philosophical/religious inclinations, in that I'm what I call an Inverse Buddhist: I believe the Buddha was mostly right, except that I don't see escaping the endless cycle of existence as a worthy goal. I'm quite content to go round and round the cycle forever. Existence is, for want of a better term, a hell of a lot of fun.

1. I'm halfway with you, to a point, on the series, though I do desire some narrative closure and explanation of the setting, to a degree which I know will find me disappointed once the series is properly concluded. But TSA on perpetual annual release? Count me in.

2. I think I'm the exact opposite of your "inverse Buddhist" thinking. Existence is a relentless series of menial tasks whose only long-term purpose is to perpetuate said existence, peppered with rare moments of bliss through distraction. Oh, woe unto thee whose eyes must ponder mine angst.

Straying into Dunning-Kruger effect?

I'm very glad this has a name which I can add to my repertoire of specific nomenclature I possess a marginal comprehension of.

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