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Jedakk's Masterpiece
- Thread starter admihoek
- Start date
Martha Come
Senator
Great. Thx so much.
D
Deleted member jedakk
Guest
Well, I don't think the PDF that Admi posted is actually one I released, although it might be. It has the right number of pages, but the file size is different from my version and I think someone may have pasted the chapters together themselves to create this. That being said, it looks like it's all there.
I posted the story of Sabina a long time ago, back in 2007 or so I think. Then over a period of years, I expanded the story and created all of the illustrations. There are about 200 pics in the story and I have probably a thousand or more that I didn't use. There were stories within the story that I wanted to address, such as Lucilla, condemned to be crucified twelve times, and Salonina. who visited Sabina in her cell on the eve of her crucifixion; what do you say to a person who is facing the cross? I had to write it, and I might write it a little differently now.
The Serpent's Eye is the story of a young girl who is crucified. It is told from different perspectives - the narrator switches from the victim to her domina to the executioner. It's hard to write that way. You have to decide which character is best to tell different parts of the story, and you have to figure out where the transitions from one narrator to another should take place, at the same time avoiding re-telling what the reader already knows. If I did it correctly, no one will notice the breaks and transitions.
But getting back to the story itself, Sabina is not what she seems, and neither is her domina, Julia Lepida. There is a surprise ending which , according to people who have read the story, no one saw coming. There are some subtle clues that no one is likely to see unless they go back and look at the story carefully.
I had hoped for some discussion of this story when I posted it about a year and a half ago on the Foundation, but I was greatly disappointed. I eventually deleted it from the site and pretty much withdrew from sharing anything further. I rarely post anything now, but I'd be happy to discuss this story if anyone should wish to.
I posted the story of Sabina a long time ago, back in 2007 or so I think. Then over a period of years, I expanded the story and created all of the illustrations. There are about 200 pics in the story and I have probably a thousand or more that I didn't use. There were stories within the story that I wanted to address, such as Lucilla, condemned to be crucified twelve times, and Salonina. who visited Sabina in her cell on the eve of her crucifixion; what do you say to a person who is facing the cross? I had to write it, and I might write it a little differently now.
The Serpent's Eye is the story of a young girl who is crucified. It is told from different perspectives - the narrator switches from the victim to her domina to the executioner. It's hard to write that way. You have to decide which character is best to tell different parts of the story, and you have to figure out where the transitions from one narrator to another should take place, at the same time avoiding re-telling what the reader already knows. If I did it correctly, no one will notice the breaks and transitions.
But getting back to the story itself, Sabina is not what she seems, and neither is her domina, Julia Lepida. There is a surprise ending which , according to people who have read the story, no one saw coming. There are some subtle clues that no one is likely to see unless they go back and look at the story carefully.
I had hoped for some discussion of this story when I posted it about a year and a half ago on the Foundation, but I was greatly disappointed. I eventually deleted it from the site and pretty much withdrew from sharing anything further. I rarely post anything now, but I'd be happy to discuss this story if anyone should wish to.
Well, I only think that 'The Serpent's Eye' is without question the most important illustrated crux story that I've seen in ten years on Yahoo Crux, Crux Foundation, and Crux Forums.
Oh, you did it correctly, Jedakk. You set the bar very high indeed, and no-one's yet come close.
Oh, you did it correctly, Jedakk. You set the bar very high indeed, and no-one's yet come close.
malins
Stumbling Seeker
I can understand the frustration.
I have known only the original story (from 2007). I do remember, that I wrote comments on this, at Crux Foundation.
For me, it continues to be one of the defining crux stories, because it gives a persuasive why (from the inside) for the path to the cross, as well as the exact description of how, her body follows, once her soul has irreversibly set out on the journey there.
The story will still surface, it is no good for me to repeat myself, the last time at which I saw it mentioned was by Jollyrei [here] ...
It was not clear to me that there were additional chapters developed since then. If this was posted one and a half years ago - I was not visiting Foundation at all... I will revisit the story of Sabina now...
The images... it is an immense expense, surely, to illustrate this all. I am not the best to comment here... a good story will sink hooks into me and draw me into its world... I will focus on that, not on illustrations... and the pictures in my head are more than enough.
Perhaps, it was simply a work of too massive scale ... a monolith dropped among a population of ignorant apes
However, I do think it is not a good idea to delete works of art, unless they have become damaging or intolerable to the artist himself, and he disowns them. It is painful, when the work is not received in proportion to its high standard, and extent of effort, but: deleting it robs other visitors, later, of the opportunity to know it, and perhaps understand, and even discuss.
In short words: Sorry for your disappointment, but much more important, thank you for your acheivement - and the lasting gift to all crux-crazy people, with this work!
D
Deleted member jedakk
Guest
In the first version, I focused on Sabina's whipping and crucifixion - it was much shorter and no illustrations. In the most recent version, I went back and wrote the chapter where Sabina is in prison on her last day before her execution, the crucifixion of Lucilla, which drove her over the edge and put her on a road to the cross from which she was unable to turn back, and the expansion of many scenes throughout. Something I learned in the process of carefully illustrating the scenes was that some of the things I had written didn't work, or else could be done better, so the story underwent changes as I did the illustrations, too.
Yes, it was a lot of work and time. On the computer I had prior to 2013, the renders sometimes took an hour to run. They are all ray-traced renders using indirect lighting to create more realistic shadows. In 2013, I built a new, much more powerful computer that could render the same scenes in about ten minutes.
You are right about a good story not requiring illustrations! I didn't think this one did either, but people kept asking for them.
Perhaps, it was simply a work of too massive scale ... a monolith dropped among a population of ignorant apes
There were some great comments, but those were few and far between. Most were simply "good story" and little more. And there were hundreds of members who couldn't be bothered to even say "thank you".
There were other things going on at the same time on the Foundation that led me to the point of deciding that it was time for me to retire; differences of opinion as to what the site was about, and I found that the discussions there no longer interested me. So although I still write and do art, I stopped sharing it and became a lurker.
malins
Stumbling Seeker
Such differences of opinion are discussed there again. It seems to me, that Foundation is just as good at driving some kinds of people away, as attracting others. It is not the right environment for all (especially, hothouse flowers like me).
It's all yours, to decide what to do with these works, I will not pester and bother you to make them available. But, at least, now you're speaking... a lurker who perhaps steps again, over the threshold...
We all need time to ourselves to recharge the batteries. Sometimes the hiatus can last for years. It's up to you Jed, to lurk or to chat or to contribute your work again as you see fit.
We'll appreciate whatever you feel able to offer.
crackpot
Executioner
A truly fantastic job, can't thank you enough : )
Jackie1111
Tribune
Oh my goodness, the things I have missed in my years away.
Jedakk, I am just blown away by the shear ambition of this. Very well written and illustrated. I will spending lots of "quality time" with your masterpiece in the near future. Thanks for doing it, and for sharing it with us.
Jedakk, I am just blown away by the shear ambition of this. Very well written and illustrated. I will spending lots of "quality time" with your masterpiece in the near future. Thanks for doing it, and for sharing it with us.
Hangnail
Tribune
The story is monumental. I'm not sure if anything can approach it. I often go back and look at it again, chosing different parts of the story. Its impact seems undiminished no matter how many times I read it.
These forums are funny places. Sometimes a quick little jotting gets pages of energetic discussion, while a major piece of work is barely noticed. All I can hope is that the great works will keep resurfacing and over time will receive their deserved attention.
I have it saved on my CPU and have enjoyed in many times.
mp5stab
Hair and Nails
For me, I had not read the story before I saw it with the completed illustrations. They play off of each other perfectly, the descriptions giving detail beyond just the visible, and the renders painting the pictures that the text outlined. The story, the characters, and the twist, were compelling and well-written, but what permanently burned this story into my mind was the multitude of renders that showed the gorgeous crucifixion of Sabina, sparing no detail, from the first whipmark to the last breath. It is, in my mind, the most ambitious depiction of a single crucifixion ever. Breathtaking in both breadth and focus, it should be required reading for everyone on our forums.
Frankly: Its your magnum opus.
Frankly: Its your magnum opus.
P
Pia
Guest
It really is wonderful to read this in one complete edition. I can't describe the emotions it triggers. I'm not sure it can be surpassed. I just want to be Sabina.