Source material: Kill Six Billion Demons: Wielder of Names, chapters 3-4

Blogged: August 7-11, 2019

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STOP!

Demon time.

So! Last time, Allison had a good ol’ drunk time and now it’s off to Mottom’s palace to find out just how bad an idea that is (but probably have some form of out-of-the-box success nonetheless).

But first, after going a page too far last time, I know that we’re checking in on White Chain, which should be interesting. Perhaps chapter 3 will start White Chain off on their journey to meet up with Allison, possibly doing so at the palace in chapter 4.

Let’s go!

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Oh wait, looks like I misremembered. I suppose I’m thinking of the transition between chapters 1 and 2.

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Bard characters who tag along simply because they can tell interesting things are going to happen and they want to tell the story are fun. They tend to remind me of Loial from the Wheel of Time, which is a positive thing.

My own bard TTRPG character does want to tell the story of one of his party mates, but it’s not his main motivation for tagging along and he’s too stupid to even realize he’s in an adventuring party, so it’s not quite the same.

Anyway, I get the sense that while Cio does want to write “Allison’s story”, for some value of that story, it’s certainly not her full motivation. Besides the whole “runaways stick together” thing, she implied last chapter that she sees some way to use Allison for her benefit. Question is just how.

It’s possible that it’s just that being part of an adventure like this could give Cio a blacker name, but there’s probably more to it than that.

Do tell. Except it kinda sounds like you’re not about to have time for it.

Makes sense that there’d be a road set up for easy travel between the gates. They’re kind of a big deal, after all.

Han kjøre E6
Deinn strakaste vei’n

Refugees. From where? The worlds destroyed by the old war?

[alt text]

WARK

YES THEY WARK ARR THE WAY

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“But in the void, distance has no meaning.”

So I’ve refrained from pointing it out for a while now but… yeah, the Void is definitely one of the ideas that carried over from this comic’s Homestuck roots. At least, parts of it are.

Meanwhile in other works this page remind me of: The Wheel of Creation turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.

…I would love to know whether or not the author has read the Wheel of Time series or if all these parallels are simply coincidences born from both works drawing on the same inspirations.

(If we’re comparing the Wheels, the Flame Immortal is akin to the True Source, divided into the White Flame and the Black Flame / Dragon’s Fang.)

Oh, and it’s not lost on me that Juggernaut Star came into this book riding a bike with burning wheels.

I wonder if Cio’s version of the road building involved any construction worker smut.

[alt text]

From left to right: Un-Janta, Un-Sivran, Un-Hansa, UN, YIS, Ys-Prim, Ys-Het, Ys-Aesma

Considering how Aesma consistently looks like so much fun, I really should get around to reading the story about her.

Prim… Can’t say I care as much about her, but I probably should read that too.

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Here on Earth #612,413 we call that “historical fiction”.

Cio is absolutely the type of person who would read and write Jesus x Judas smut if she knew the history of those characters. Or Caesar x Cleopatra x Marcus Antonius OT3.

You got that right, miss Coca “She’s-The-Only-Bet-I’ve-Got” Cola, someone absolutely is using her to hide the key. Question is just whether he means for her to bring it to Zaid (who got kidnapped before he could implant the key in either of their heads, leaving Allison as his only option if he’d meant to give it to Zaid), or for her to use it herself (he did call her the “kingling” and the “redeemer”, and the prophecy, disregarding the pronouns, appears to describe Allison, Cio and White Chain).

I’m leaning heavily towards the latter.

Ah, right. Funny thing about slave traders, they kinda like to enslave people.

Ladies he’s fond of, like Sweetie Pie and Honey Bunch?

Yeah, this whole drinking thing is kinda double-edged. You get to avoid awkward topics because she gets distracted, but then when you do get serious and open up, she falls asleep.

Also I think the third panel here is designed to convey how good Allison looks to Cio in this situation, adding another layer of awkwardness.

Did she just fly them into the Gate so Allison can go home and sleep off the hangover instead of up to Mottom’s palace?

That sounds like a good idea and I hope it leads to antics with Ciocie on Allison’s Earth.

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Last time we saw this kind of dark page was when she was getting ready to go “down”. Is it associated with using the gates?

But I think the really interesting thing about this is: what’s her state of consciousness here?

And yeeah that plan may need some revising.

Hmm.

I mean I just suggested Cio was trying to take her home for a little bit, but at the same time, this is exactly the kind of thing that happens with heroines like Allison. They leave home behind and may never be able to return. Especially if the author does take some influence from the Wheel of Time series. Allison doesn’t strike me as a Perrin.

Out of the Wheel of Time main cast, she strikes me as a Mat, but she doesn’t seem to share Mat’s perspective on going home. At least not his early perspective on it.

Um, okay, hi.

So this guy’s appearance set my mind spiralling a bit because I thought for a moment that he was some representation of Zaid, just blond for some reason, and it got me thinking about the possibility of Zaid and Allison being siblings and such.

That aside, though, my mind’s still spiralling. This dude seems to be on my side about who the real Kill Six Billion Demons is, and possibly supporting Allison in some way here, but… I don’t trust him. Besides the fact that few people who claim to be God are trustworthy, he mentions “the other six”, implying that he’s one of the Demiurges. Incubus, perhaps?

It’s also interesting that Allison’s dialogue continues to be in narration boxes, further reinforcing the idea that this is a dream world. Which suggests this guy has dream powers.

Bingo.

He seems likeable enough, but he’s also the one named after demons that win you over by seduction, so forgive me if I don’t trust that it’s entirely honest likeability.

It also seems reasonable that someone with a name and theme like Incubus would think he knows what people want better than they do. Perhaps he even does, given his access to her mind.

[alt text]

Dreams and Nightmares

Yeah, that about sums it up.

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Ah, right, traveled a little too far for it to be the gate back to Allison’s Earth. Time to check out how different the worlds are from each other!

Oh, so they can still get to the palace without leaving through the gate. That’s handy.

Mykos looks pretty cool, but also a little like a trash heap.

I like the little frog owls.

Mottom’s Pizza Palace looks pretty awesome.

Obviously the other narrative reason for going here is to see what the Demiurges’ rule does to the worlds under them. Get a sense of how bad they are.

[alt text]

Mottom is an appellation of ‘Mother Om’, Nadia Om being the wife of the late God-King HASTET-OM

Are you sure it’s not an appellation of “Mammon the Bottom”?

“hastet om(kring)” could be used in Norwegian to mean “rushed about”.

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I’m 80% sure this story will end with Allison either becoming queen of the multiverse or being offered the position and refusing it, so if you get through this all, I’m sure she’ll be able to help you with whatever it is, as long as it’s possible.

Also what are friends for if not tolerating each other?

That’s fair. We each have our coping methods.

And that? That’s what makes her a heroine.

[alt text]

#justheirtothecosmosthings

A tag consisting mostly of stress makeup and enormous balls of rolled-up junk.

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[Session 2]

I wasn’t really consciously thinking about it when I compared Allison to Mat Cauthon, but really, this whole “I’m not a hero, I’m just a guy who does what has to be done, putting myself at great risk to save others, and the sooner I can get it over with the better” attitude is their strongest common trait.

I should note that Mat is my favorite of the male main characters of the Wheel of Time (Nynaeve is my favorite of the girls, with Egwene at a very close second), so it’s a good thing that I find myself comparing Allison to him.

Oh, so you did catch that, then.

Is it because Cio doesn’t want it either? She seems to have lost the one she stole, so she presumably knows better than most what happens to those who do so.

But she’s the only bet I’ve got
(Also she is kinda hot)

Well fuck.

Did she just use the key, or was Allison just really quick on her feet?

[alt text]

Every heir must be forged in the fires of solitude

Hm.

I suppose there’s some truth to that, but I’m not sure Allison is even remotely ready for a solo mission yet.

What a pleasant world.

[alt text]

Glut on the flesh of the universe

I suppose all the Demiurges are probably tied to the deadly sins.

• Mottom seems to be Gluttony
• Incubus is obviously Lust
• Mammon is probably Greed
• Jagganoth may be Wrath?
• Solomon may be Pride?
• Which leaves Sloth and Envy for Gog-Agog and Jadis.
• I don’t know about either name’s original context, but I associate the latter with Narnia’s Jadis, who besides being an envious person herself was described as descending from Lilith. On the other hand, Gog-Agog has her worm thing, and many worms are parasites or scavengers, which can be framed as either of the two sins.
• I’m going with Jadis as Envy and Gog-Agog as Sloth for now.

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Slight issue: You barely know how to use the thing at all.

Case in point.

Hey, Cio, we’ve got another lady runaway over here!

[alt text]

Hunger

“I tell you your Heaven is full of the kingdom of the earth’s most crass- headed idiots and poverty-stricken in spirit! I tell you, you have filled your Heaven with the grossest and most cherished harlots from here below, who have bent their knees piteously before you at their hour of death! I tell you, you have used force against me, and you know not, you omniscient nullity, that I never bend in opposition! I tell you, all my life, every cell in my body, every power of my soul, gasps to mock you–you Gracious Monster on High. I tell you, I would, if I could, breathe it into every human soul, every flower, every leaf, every dewdrop in the garden! I tell you, I would scoff you on the day of doom, and curse the teeth out of my mouth for the sake of your Deity’s boundless miserableness! I tell you from this hour I renounce all thy works and all thy pomps! I will execrate my thought if it dwell on you again, and tear out my lips if they ever utter your name! I tell you, if you exist, my last word in life or in death–I bid you farewell, for all time and eternity–I bid you farewell with heart and reins. I bid you the last irrevocable farewell, and I am silent, and turn my back on you and go my way…. Quiet.”

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Yeah, they take two kids from each part of the world and make them all fight to the death in a deadly arena battle royale.

…right?

Honestly, it’s surprising she even has time to visit each of them.

And I highly doubt it’s as glamorous as you’re imagining.

Well then. Looks like Allison has found her way in while helping someone in the process.

Yep.

Definitely a Mat.

[alt text]

Nyave’s name pronounced in English is Nee-Ave (ryhmes with bathe)

Thank you for clarifying that. It’s nowhere near how I was thinking it.

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STEALTH 72 OR SO

See, Allison? Mat, you too, come look at this.

[El Goonish Shive panel]

Sarah: This one.
Sarah: This one gets it.

[alt text]

“The girls? Nobody knows what she does with ’em. Has ’em scrub the floors most likely. The rotten, thrice-cursed vampire must have miles of ’em in her estate. Whatever she chooses to do, s’ gotta be better than lying around in this blasted mud pit. Eh? Yes, they took me daughter. Now sod off.” -Unknown

Aw. Wishful thinking, hoping their daughter is still better off than she’d be at home…

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Oh, we’re back here now! Time to check on White Chain, or do we have another angel to meet?

Well you’re looking a bit worse for wear.

Now White Chain’s off to live in an abandoned maternity ward with a delayed fortune teller, a nervous wreck, a pair of conjoined twins and a caterpillar.

Oh hey, by this point we actually have a visual for “Hansa’s beard!”

That is a pretty magnificent beard.

Did he do this to you, or did the realization itself do it? Or are you just too focused on that fact to address what exactly the Thorns did to you?

[alt text]

In a bizarre, fractal spiral, I actually used the generator to get inspirations for these names. TIME, AN ENDLESS WHEEL! IA! IAAA!

*squints*

Also yes, generators are very useful for inspiration.

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That rumor of them awaiting his reincarnation may be a bit outdated.

Or, well, wrong, considering it seems he was never cast out in the first place.

Rude.

Judging by the fact that you haven’t returned in a Thorned body, you refused?

[alt text]

YS ATUN VARANMA PRESH

Yeah, sorry, that doesn’t mean anything to me.

Except that it seems to invoke the name of a goddess.

Tell him what? That they need White Chain intact?

Loving the raven aesthetic.

So, who do you see ruling this “new world”? You? The Demiurges?

[alt text]

Final bird battle

Birds make fun final bosses.

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Oh! This is Michael, not just another angel echoing his thing about the new world.

I would’ve gotten that earlier, but I thought the “my student” thing was addressing Juggernaut Star.

So he’s in on all this?

Yep, definitely in on it, probably high up. Like, Metatron’s right hand, since there’s a lot Metatron can’t do from his position.

Michael was probably the one who took initiative to following Metatron, being the one other prime angel with a form.

Except with humans, allegedly.

Liminal “Delicious” Blossom is an interesting name. Does that make him an edgy flower? Because that sounds like a perfect description.

So Michael is comparing creation to angels, suggesting that because it’s made of the same Flame Immortal as the angels, creation itself will be reborn if they destroy it? I’m not so sure it works that way, but if you say so.

NAAAAAAANTS INGONYAMAAAAAA BAGITHI BABA

Are you sure? I wouldn’t put it past him to trick even you.

And we may be back to some of the themes of Wheel of Time again, though this time it’s probably just me. Anyway, we’ve got Metatron and the Thorns wanting to change the world through some form of destruction of what’s present, but where Metatron wants to go back to the old world, Michael seems more intent on moving forward to a new one.

If I’m right about this dichotomy, the Wheel of Time series would side more with Michael than with Metatron (a major theme of the series is that you can’t be stuck in the past, can’t go back, you can only move forward and embrace change, even if cyclical time means you end up recreating what once was by doing so), but they both remain villains.

[alt text]

Cast down those who insult the Wheel with their heresy, and break them upon it. Let them know its terrible weight.

other themes include the weight of destiny, where destiny is represented by the Pattern woven by the Wheel of Time

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So the prophecy came from the angels. That explains the pronoun confusion.

No, seriously.

Misunderstood prophecies are fun for all the confusion they cause when they come true.

Not gonna lie, Wheel of Time is the main reason I rarely trust a prophecy to come true exactly as the characters interpret it. It’s certainly not the only story to behave like that, but it’s the one that firmly planted the idea into my head. Same goes for characters who can’t make untrue statements, though Homestuck reinforced that.

Meanwhile Nietzsche is very confused.

I have to say this is an interesting setup, with most of the villains believing Zaid to be the king of prophecy and at least one faction supporting his claim to the throne at Allison’s expense.

Will they, though?

[alt text]

A Promise of Glory

Yeah.

To the wrong person.

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Ah, yes, do ask the guy who stands to gain from White Chain going to reprimand you for letting them go.

If I were still doing transcripts, this character would be referred to as “Flyder”.

I like the Sleeping Beauty mirror mask aesthetic of the face.

You don’t have a particularly high estimation of humans, do you, Flyder.

At this point it’s fairly clear that White Chain feels feminine, but they don’t seem to have come to terms with it enough to have a clear preference of “she” yet. So I’m going to stick with “they” until White Chain themself decide it’s time to go by “she”.

Grass Cleric has a point there on the far right.

[alt text]

If you spend most of your time meditating on infinite blackness in an endless expanse of ash, you would probably get a little judgmental as well

For when you gaze into the void…

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I’m torn.

Torn between jokes about dropping something, jokes about Face/Off, jokes about Greenfire the facial “surgeon”…

But I’m not as torn as White Chain’s face.

(So what is this? A rejection of identity?)

Ahh. Passive-aggressive compliance. I like it.

…is the face easy to reform?

And with that, they fall.

But I’m sure we’re in for an interesting story of White Chain climbing back out of this pit.

[alt text]

Fissures

Oh yeah, fissures all over the place.

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That was the end of chapter 3, so it seems like a good break point. 🙂

 

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[Session 3]

Alright, chapter 4, here we go!

Seems like a nice place. Reminds me a little of my time in Rome, but I think the influences are meant to be more Indian.

Besides, if it were Rome it’d probably have cobblestones that really fuck up your feet.

No, I’m not salty. (Yes, I’m salty.)

[alt text]

The key to nobility is a spectacular hat

Only the best rumpled head objects will do!

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Classic propaganda. Pointing out that their homeworld is rough, trying to make being in Mottom’s service seem like an improvement over that, while omitting the detail that Mottom is the reason their world is rough in the first place.

Riiight.

It seems Mottom and her subordinates know exactly how to play their victims.

Of course Mammon owns a bank, and takes the form of a dragon, a creature historically associated with greed and hoarding.

Ah, yes. Freely.

Something tells me this sword will be important. Cio did suggest getting Allison a more magical sword.

[alt text]

Cruelty, in all it’s various forms, is no better gilded than rusty and sharp

That’s a good quote.

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If you say so.

Is that how Mottom presents herself publicly? Because that’s not how I remember her.

At least they’re not being taught that she rules all of creation.

I think we all know who’s doing the harvesting.

Or rather, having others do it for her so she can enjoy the spoils without doing any of the work.

[alt text]

Supplication

As in, they’re being supplied with these beliefs about Mottom?

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And there she is, the head bitch herself.

Nine hundred bales of wool doesn’t sound like that much when paired with the ten thousand slaves.

That guy on the right of Mottom, is that the sword we zoomed in on a few pages ago?

Yeah, this kind of thing would take a while.

[alt text]

A familiar hat more like it

A very noble rumpled head object.

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Oh shit, we’ve got someone who’s been conquered recently enough to still be a bit uppity.

This might not go so well for king Pryan Sor.

Is Saharus from a world ruled by Solomon, sent as a diplomat between Demiurges?

Damn. I like his style.

Shame he doesn’t seem to have an ounce of self-preservation.

[alt text]

Pryan Sor is probably the coolest character design I’ve made that will only last two pages

I know, right?

Technically that’s a spoiler for the next page, but I mean, really, there was no other way it could go.

The question is just exactly how he gets fucked up.

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At least he seems to have accomplished what he wanted to here.

Oh, so she does actually put on an illusion or something, it’s not just a matter of propaganda statues.

Or is this a decoy? I see she has a key.

Mercy from having to live a life where his world has been conquered?

Oh fuck.

She’s refusing to let him become a martyr by her or by suicide. It’s a punishment that will look better to the crowd while also being arguably harsher to him than death.

I’ve seen this kind of thing in a couple other works and it’s always a fascinating way of punishing someone, tying into the whole philosophical debate about whether immortality is worth it.

This is the same kind of incantation-based magic Ciocie uses. Interesting.

Something tells me the whole “tend to the hunger of others” bit has more implications than just “live”.

Ah yes, there we go. She turned him into a fruit tree.

Sometimes that kind of transformation in fiction is beautiful, but here it’s a wonderfully ironic and cruel punishment.

And somehow I just ended up thinking about My Little Pony and cancer.

So, uh, two questions:

1. Is he conscious in there?
2. Isn’t the tree kind of in the way of the ceremony now?

[alt text]

The Divine Right of Kings

The Abrahamic god isn’t much better.

Actually, looking back at the previous chapter 4, I misinterpreted who Jagganoth was talking to. Mottom claims ownership of Allison’s world. So perhaps it’s fitting that there are little similarities like this.

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Good luck, pal, you’re gonna need it. Especially with that spell she just muttered.

By the way, looking back at the last chapter 4 also made me realize that the “PERISH” was given the red thread of a spell, so this isn’t the first time I’ve seen Mottom do that. But back then, I hadn’t quite connected the red thread to the use of magic yet.

Cherry blossoms. Classic.

I wonder if all the other Demiurges have regular names like this, that their Demiurge names are derived from.

• Mottom: Mother Nadia Om
• Jadis: Jade Izzy
• Solomon David: David Solomon
• Incubus: Inge from Cubus
• Jagganoth: Jack O’Naut
• Mammon: Mambo No. 5
• Gog-Agog: Taylor Hebert

[alt text]

This is probably a ‘twice a day before breakfast’ kind of thing for her

Nothing like a little casual murder before you eat in the morning.

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Yeah, they all know what’s up.

So how is Allison taking this?

Looks like there’s plenty of space around the tree.

Also to be quite honest the only reason I’m putting this panel by itself is because

this image is going straight into my reactions folder.

[alt text]

“Take care when ye show your true face to power ye are prepared to stare down a monstrous visage indeed.”

And this isn’t even her true face.

---

Hey, Allison, ever heard of timing?

I do like how the robe turns into a cape, though.

“What the fuck is she doing?”

“We’re all gonna die.”

[alt text]

The Heir of Flame

That’s a good title for her, especially considering the whole of creation — or at least, life –is made from the Flame Immortal.

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And so, Alice “Allison” “Kill Six Billion Demons” B. Ruth began placating Queen “Mother” Nadia “Mottom” Om with an impromptu tapdancing routine.

[alt text]

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Tap. Tap.

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Was I right about the decoy? I kind of dropped that thinking upon the display of powerful magic and inventive cruelty, but it makes sense she’d pick someone who could make such displays to be her decoy.

Yeah, you might want to know about this latest development out at the ceremony.

[alt text]

All demon-slayers must have a start

True. Are you suggesting that a decoy is a start?

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Oh, okay, some time has passed.

I’m 89% sure this wouldn’t have happened if the key hadn’t been visible.

Whom does she remind you of, Mottom? Zoss?

Is it the keys that allow you to make the palace float? I mean, “tuning fork of God’s voice” and all that. If that’s the case, you may be surprised at what Allison’s key would enable her to do, later on.

Though there’s clearly another kind of magic, with the Red Thread and all.

[alt text]

In the Belly of the Beast

I’d prefer we stay out of there. She’s ugly enough from the outside.

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She seems to be enjoying herself, at least.

Nice try, Allison.

The whole “illusory beauty vs real ugliness” thing going on with Mottom ties in nicely with the occasional descriptions of her as a “witch”. I wonder if the palace is made of gingerbread.

Oh wait, Pryan Sor said it was made of bones. I guess she killed the Gingerbread Man and made the palace out of his bones.

[alt text]

A nice change of face

Hah!

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So not just glutting on what she has, but carelessly throwing away what she doesn’t glut on.

Also, that’s another one for the reactions folder:

Does that knowledge extend to the fact that it’s not just any key (though you could argue that it is the elusive Any key)?

Oh, it does.

And Allison is being way too trusting of the evil queen.

[alt text]

It would maybe not surprise you to learn that a lot of KSBD was written to Swedish extreme technical death metal.

I guess I know which genre the background music for the next K6BD session will be.

Today I just have PonyTown open in a different tab. I made a new character (I have 13 others) specifically designed to tell others I’m just there for the music, even, so they won’t be miffed if I don’t interact with them. I called him “Present IV Music”.

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Well, that’s ominous.

Allison is a good example of a character who is both continually terrified and brave. She’s scared but she doesn’t let it stop her.

Being the perfect picture of fear to a ruler who relies on propaganda is perhaps not the best situation to be in, though. It screams “about to become an example”.

Interesting.

Is it because she thinks it would put her in conflict with the Heir earlier than she wants to be?

Oh! Yeah, that makes sense. If any given Demiurge gets the Any key, it’ll upset the balance and turn the others against them.

I’m sure not every Demiurge is going to see that as a threat while they wield the Any key, though.

Has he started warmongering?

[alt text]

You could probably make a pretty good meme out of the last panel there

Here, I’ll help, though I’m sure it was done immediately after this came out.

Go nuts.

(the font I used here is called Chiller)

---

Hmm. Is that a thing Metatron can do?

So the balance is already upset, but you don’t want to trigger the war by giving Jagganoth someone to strike down?

Yeeah, that really does sound like the angel was Metatron.

Now I’m honestly kind of hoping Michael was right about Metatron changing his tactics, but Metatron forgot to send that memo to Jagganoth.

So basically, Mottom just doesn’t want the ones who aren’t her or Jagganoth to turn against her, because then they wouldn’t have the necessary unity to stand up against Jagganoth. Delicious politics.

I love the juxtaposition of Allison’s fire against the attempt to stay civilized in front of royalty.

That’s one of the things that make her a Mat, by the way, but that and the juxtaposition of bravery and fear is also a Nynaeve thing. Which means Allison is channeling two of my favorite Wheel of Time characters into a new character I very much enjoy.

So Mammon is next on the Demiurge checklist, got it.

I have to say, Mottom has been much more helpful than anticipated.

I really think you have the wrong pronouns, and if the prophet is an angel that’s understandable.

That’s the Wheel of Time series in a nutshell.

Between this and “You are so like me when I was your age. Your fatal error is thinking you can still run.”, it really seems like Mottom didn’t want all her power.

Seriously. If you like this element of Kill Six Billion Demons, if everything Mottom has said in the latter half of this page strikes a chord with your fiction tastes, I highly recommend reading the Wheel of Time series. This is the biggest theme of the series.

[alt text]

The eldest oak catches the lightning first

Yeah, she’s definitely been through something like this herself.

---

She has a husband?

…

She has one husband?

I’m assuming it’s not one of the other Demiurges. That would mess with the balance, and she seems to consider all of them — possibly herself included — idiots.

Which, as we’ve had demonstrated to us, is not necessarily a good thing. That may be why Mottom looks the way she does, too.

Is this the first of seven changes that will turn Allison into someone who can rule Throne?

[alt text]

Those devil handmaids were waiting outside that room FOREVER. This is all they get to do and they are SUPER STOKED to walk into the room and serve fruit.

It makes them feel so…

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Well, that may have been a mistake.

So does Allison periodically have to shed her skin now, like a snake?

So does the youth just kind of… wear off after a little while?

[alt text]

Allison’s adventure is an exercise in bad decision making

Yeah, seems about right.

How are things going with the brain of the party, Ciocie?

---

It calms her down.

Aw, they’re cute.

[alt text]

You have no idea the number of times Mottom shouts this in the course of a day

Hehe, I suppose if her age constantly fluctuates, it’s bound to come up a lot.

---

I just picked a perfect time to check which page I was supposed to go to, because it turns out it was this one.

---

End of K6BD book 2, ch. 3-4

Allison has no respect for Ciocie beginning to open up about her past, White Chain’s serving questionable forces and Mottom is surprisingly fun. She’s evil for sure, but she’s much more interesting than she came across previously. I wonder how much of her backstory we’re going to learn.

Really my only complaint here is that Allison left Ciocie behind.

Next time, we’re attending a ball, apparently! And meeting Mottom’s husband. Maybe chapter 5 will have us checking on Ciocie the way we’ve recently been periodically checking on White Chain, and then it’s back to the ball in chapter 6? I’d be down for that.

My biggest prediction is this: This comic continues to be excellent.

See you soon!