Seriously, is this something from the forum comic? Because if it turns out that Alison isn’t even from *our* Earth, I swear to YISUN I’m going to say “huh” and then probably not think about it that much.
And life is a construct invented by the new world globalist bankers communists socialist anarchist fascist ant-fascist gay Islamic satan worshiping cult of reptile feminists.
Per Abaddon on his Tumblr, Allison’s Earth is not our Earth and (jokingly) is missing Australia. Remember, she is from 1 of 330,452 Earths. Look up Earth on the KSBD wiki and scroll down to the trivia section for the link to the Tumblr. I would link to it, but links are blocked in comments.
One stumbled the other day though one does not know how, upon what could be termed ‘trivia about looking up KSBD on the Earth’, to twist and paraphrase your words.
Allison is from LA, an LA of course, but just outside of whose expansive city limits is a busy airport (though no passengers we know of get to see it), the ICAO airport code for which is… KSBD. Fortuitous coincidence one is sure, but one did smile and have to put one’s tea down for a moment.
Yeah but *how* does it not exist? Is there just open ocean where it should be, or did the British never colonize it and there’s just Aborigines there or what?
Word of Abbadon: Allison’s homeworld is just like our Earth, except without Australia (the continent we have to assume). He said it once on Tumblr.
While I guess this makes a huge difference for hardened alt-history fans… that difference is probably not THAT huge. Try to imagine a world just like ours, except /Britain/ is missing… and it’s completely UNLIKE our world by default.
Problem is, without Australia WWII in the Pacific would be dramatically different. And it’d be a lot more difficult for Japan to rebuild after the war without their second-biggest trade partner. All of which puts the state of anime (including Sailor Moon) into question.
can’t believe everything is going to be good and go exactly as planned from now on! there totally won’t be any problems! this won’t have any consequences!
Except the part where she’s already said she doesn’t have romantic feelings for him and was just saving him because it felt like she should, the part where she has a girlfriend that’s 100x better than rando creep dude Zaid, and the part where she’s destined to rule all of creation.
Zaid literally said it was hot when she was looking freaked out in the beginning of the comic, that she was “really getting into it” when she started losing it over the massive demonic figure standing directly behind him. he was enjoying her distress. he’s a creep, and his character clearly represents compulsive heterosexuality. go back and read the first pages if you have to, if you don’t see that as creepy behavior you might have some problems.
That really is a very negative interpretation of some very nervous teens trying to bump uglies with zero experience. He does (fumblingly) try to make Alison relax and when she doesn’t he stops and offers to quit. And he was clearly not getting off on her discomfort earlier, so I think those comments are more a case of him grasping for a positive to defuse the situation (though from a meta-perspective he’s mostly setting up a joke for us, the reader, tbh).
Sure, that whole scene was awkward and they both could have handled it better. But he isn’t some sort of deviant predator.
And for when people demonize him because they want Alison to be firmly lesbian rather than bi he especially isn’t a blip on the moral radar considering Alison’s other romantic interest:
1. Is a mass, mass, mass murderer (but weally sowwy about it I guess?)
2. In an effort to KILL her caused Allison bodily harm that left her permanently scarred (but again she was so sorry about it you guys!)
3. Actively avoided engaging with Alison’s emotional needs for their entire romantic relationship (but she said sorry yesterday, so).
A lovely, heartfelt moment. Unfortunately, they’re about ten seconds away from Cio popping her head from out of frame and making this amazingly awkward.
I always really liked Allison’s resolve to help Zaid, even though he was a creep, even though she was sure she was just going to die, even though she got all sidetracked up in a 777,777-dimensional power struggle, just because he doesn’t have anyone else. The mark of a hero.
42 Fragments the Universe Beyond All Reintegration
I think she seemed like she was already past rescuing Zaid “because he’s my boyfriend” at the beginning of this chapter, and way far into “Because he didn’t deserve this absolutely insane fucking nonsense any more than I did and I don’t want him to suffer.” What I’m interested in, is what are *Zaid’s* goals now? How has *he* grown as a person since he came here?
The Tantra was founded by an extremely obscure sect of the Siblings of the Dark Revel of Unf, a world conquered by Jagganoth circa 210 second conquest. Before their absolute demise at his hands, the Siblings had developed a number of internal techniques such that their, say, external attributes became imbued with disconcerting energy and incomparable hardness. I am told the resulting techniques were ridiculous to behold, but amazingly effective. However, focus could not break at any time or all energy was lost, and many in the Siblinghood found Jagganoth extremely muscular and virile. At the first glimpse of his physique, near half of their members were rendered exhausted, thus unable to harden their physique again, and lost all desire for confrontation or capacity to deploy their disciplines.
I could only find passing reference to these techniques, and I am neither drunk nor paid handsomely enough to pursue them.
Exactly what about this page says Zaid’s not a douche? I’ll bet that if Nyave hadn’t reminded him he would be unable to remember Allison’s name. He hasn’t earned this – what has he ever done for her except try to slip her the salami (dave)?
Earlier in the book when Salami Dave was talking to him all he could think about after was Allison, so its suggested that all the turmoil he’s been through got him to grow up. It doesn’t mean that he’s a good person, but certainly more presentable.
However, I think you’re exactly pointing out why this page was important, Zaid is doing something other than being a horndog. If all he was was a skeezy frat boy trying to fuck her forever, he would be the worst-written character in the comic. We now see he’s sentimental, see he worried about her, that he’s not self-obsessed and willing to be groomed into an emperor.
There’s still a lot we need to learn about him, but just because we had a bad first impression doesn’t mean there’s nothing more to him. With Abaddon writing, I imagine it’s quite the contrary.
You are being seriously unfair. He hasn’t earned a fucking hug because he tried to have sex with a woman who wanted to have sex with him?? Grow up. They’re happy to see each other because they’re the only people they have any amount of shared experience with, they were both kidnapped from earth and held by strange and terrifying beings, and now they’re happy to see the other is okay.
42 Fragments the Universe Beyond All Reintegration
Before the opening of the comic, they’d dated for three weeks before going to bed, and that at a time and place of Alison’s choosing. A complete douche would have lost interest a few days in if he couldn’t have her immediately.
Allison said she was only dating Zaid in order to lose her virginity. They barely know each other. Yet look at the two of them imploding together – it’s way more than Allison’s reaction to White Chain 2.0, with whom she has shared endless life-changing events.
If Allison somehow ends up giving Zaid the key, I will have a sad.
White Chain’s transformation was properly celebrated with the extend update and full extra page on which it occurred. Then after when Solomon admits defeat, an entire stadium cheers for her, Allison expresses bewilderment, pushes past it and excitedly hugs her then embraces her again shortly after. That’s a great way to cap her arc. Allison on the other hand has had saving Zaid as primary objective since chapter 5. That’s ~320~ish pages ago. Zaid himself doesn’t have the ability to planeswalk to other worlds so seeing Allison, a potential savior, must be huge for him. I think the hug is well deserved for the catharsis of it all even if the emotions running through them both are not of a close romantic nature. Also, I highly doubt Allison would give the key to anyone except for maybe white chain in an extraordinary circumstance. The desire to abdicate this responsibility isn’t a part of her anymore.
Possibly: “Zaid, this is … the empty space recently occupied by my friend Cio, who has now entirely disappeared”. Cio’s instinct is to run from emotional crisis.
I’m guessing that the next book will not start where this one leaves off, and that it will begin after the extremely awkward moments between Allison/Cio/Zaid/White Chain.
BTW, does Zaid’s reaction here rule out a thing between him and Nyave? Is she out of the picture romantically speaking?
Probably not.
We’ll have to wait for the dust to settle a bit but since Abbadon made the effort to present the possibility, it would be wasteful not to at least explore the possibility, whatever the results.
I think it’s interesting that Abbadon, in the final panel, went in to focus on the scars Alison received in her encounter with Mottom. It’s a strong through point to emphasize her choice in returning for Zaid.
there was also a T-O-E-alike in the contestants rushing dave as he casted total life obliteration. always so cool to see these tertiary character designs.
Not a single picture of anyone we’ve spent the last few month’s with aside from Allison? Feels a little bit like “And now back to our regularly schedule program”.
There are five planned book, and this is only the end of book 4. Abaddon is just messing with people because this would be a moment that some stories would end on.
Zaid’s face still looks pretty similar, and Allison at least has the same core facial structure (or so we assume, its changed a lot but I’m assuming it’s just art changes). Plus Zaid was with Princess and Nyave for a bit, and might’ve gotten a few pointers.
I dunno. In the Exalted TTRPG there is an entire ability tree devoted to being the a god-tier bureaucrat. You can be so good at your job all people who work under you are actually good at their jobs and are not corrupt. Also the organization can banish chaotic spirits in a region just by operating there.
Guys! I just woke up from a dream and the next page has salami dave step down as emperor and joins our heroes in their quest to restore balance! Allison cracks him in the jaw before accepting his offer.
Welp. Although WC has already had her greatest wish granted, she technically hasn’t asked anything of the Emperor yet. So she could use that to get him freed. Salami isn’t in a position to go back on his word.
That must have been the original plan, but Abbadon even went back to the first chapter and redrew him to make him look less creepy. And it makes sense: I don’t see Allison going for a *total* creep, even if it was just to lose her virginity.
But he probably thinks that he and Allison are still an item, and boy is that gonna be awkward.
42 Fragments the Universe Beyond All Reintegration
When was Zaid redrawn? I’ve been reading KSDB since June 2019, with multiple rereads of book 1, and I don’t remember a change. Is there any way of seeing the original drawings of Zaid?
42 Fragments the Universe Beyond All Reintegration
OK, so the Wayback machine has the old versions, from the time before the comic was coloured. Yes, Zaid is more sympathetically drawn now.
There are quite a lot of dialogue changes since the old version of book 1. The current web and print editions are also missing a simply gorgeous page showing Allison kneeling in Old King’s Road on first arriving in Throne.
Never liked the guy and I doubt author wil ldo antyhing for me to start liking him knowing how he acted before.
Lets see if he won’t care about the one key and will gladly abandon it into Allison care.
I wonder if Zaid has done anything cool with his down time. Maybe sharpened his mind while Allison trained her physical skills? He probably just twiddled his thumbs like a good princess though.
I’m curious on their relationship, really.
I’ve never had a family or lover, so I don’t have a frame of reference. But didn’t Alison spend more time on The Wheel than in whatever relationship she had?
She’s more married to White Chain and Cio than to him.
oh yeah im not an expert either but i’ll go out on a limb and say the ship has sailed on their relationship, still nice to see the only person from your universe though
I like that they barely know each other, except they’ve both been drawn into this situation and forced to grow in this alien world under circumstances so far outside of their control.
So they don’t really know each other, except for the bits they understand on a level no one else does.
I hope they get enough time connecting before they realise their interests are almost certainly opposed. Because drama is good.
They may only have been romantically attached for a pair of weeks, but the story opens with an attempt between the two to have sex. Given they were interrupted by a dead king and a mob of flaming angels, their inability to complete the act is forgivable.
With that said, this does mean they were, in fact, lovers. Even if only for long enough for everything to come undone.
It’s also important to remember, as I said, that though they were lovers in the past, they certainly aren’t in the here and now.
To my mind, this is the hole at the middle of this comic. There’s no reason for either of them to care about each other, at all. They didn’t know each other. They had never developed any relationship or affection. There is no reason for the reader to care about him, either. It’s entirely unmotivated.
No, it isn’t. Allison cares enough about Zaid to fight her way through three Demiurges’ empires to save him. And for Zaid, Allison is the only link he has to his “normal” life before he was abducted into this crazy new universe. Of course they’d both get emotional at seeing the other again.
It’s no fun having a relationship with someone who’s totally committed. There is no challenge, no courting is needed and there are no rivals to poison. Very boring.
Until one lady killed the other, got re-committed to an insane asylum and died there… then Zaid’s left alone to be abducted by aliens, right as he’s dying of late-stage cancer.
And, whatever he is now, Zoss was explicitly a human anyway when he found Throne. If he had a line, Zaid could easily be one of millions of descendants by now and still be human.
O : A touching moment of reunion. I love the zoom on Allison’s blue-grey eyes ! What has it been Abbadon ? Two YEARS since these would-be lovers were abducted / transported / transfigured ?
Gotta say I love the wide variety of sentients that appear in your stories. The diversity is fun to see. I like the smartly dressed big-beak person cheering in the crowd. One wonders what world the mech people come from and what their origin is like. Cheers !
I honestly forgot completely why Allison was ever looking for him, is it really so important to find another human in this strange dimension?
Remembering the reasons why she even decided to date him just to get it over cause their friends did that already, is he really so important to her if everything regarding their relation was some weird societal pressure for her?
They aren’t even friends, not even sexual partners, just casuals who decided to hook up.
Does Allison really felt so guilty over taking over the key?
I have to be frank I would not give a shit about such person like Zaid for what Allison is doing..
42 Fragments the Universe Beyond All Reintegration
1. Alison and Zaid were actually more into each other than most commentators have assumed. They were dating for a few weeks at the start. Not long, but longer than needed for Alison to shag a random, or for Zaid to exploit a vulnerable woman.
2. Alison has this horrible sense of guilt about Zaid getting abducted that can only be set aside by rescuing him. No, that’s not completely logical, but feelings rarely are.
3. Apart from guilt, having her first sexual experience horribly interrupted left Allison more messed up than we realised. She needs the closure of getting Zaid back to grow into a complete persion; it’s why her relationship with Cio didn’t develop so well. Really, she needs to take him to bed and finish what they started, but that’s complicated, of course.
4. Allison, in book 1, was a woman without any sense of purpose — organized but directionless — and a massive immersion in heroic fiction. *Of course* she latches onto an extended rescue mission: it fits the blank in her life perfectly, although I doubt she’s really aware of this. And now that Zaid is rescued, she’s going to have to choose a new goal in life.
Don’t think guilt over having the key is any part of it, so far. Not sure what happens if Zaid were to ask for the key now. I do think she might give him the key right at the end of the story, when the happy ever afters are being set up, but probably not now.
I respect Abbadon tremendously for his plotting abilities on top of everything else he does well, he’s a genius. Now that being said, I am having terrible trouble giving a shit about Zaid – not because he tried to shag Allison, but because we know nothing about him. He’s just some guy a bunch of strange stuff happened to; we don’t even know if he’s aware of the story, or what he thinks about it.
But… it would be a terrific surprise if Abbadon turned the tables on us for the hundredth time and made the abrupt reappearance of Zaid into something necessary and even long presaged. Like if it turned out that he really is the Rising King and Allison is… something else.
Yeah… I do believe that Zaid needed a little bit of an interlude, a good few pages of character development at least, so that this reunion could have more feeling to it. Because I feel nothing for it, right now.
Oh right… he is here too. Her fling who was trying to pressure her to sleep with him at the beginning of the comic…. Has like 5 lines through the comic….
imo he represents compulsive heterosexuality, of society’s pressure for lesbians to conform to heterosexuality. his only real purpose at the moment is to prove to Allison that she’s over men, to show her character growth and acceptance of who she is.
i love that when you look at their feet in that pannel it looks like they’re running away from each other, really goes to show their relationship has changed from “my boyfriend” to “jerk i kinda have to save because he’s not *that* much of a jerk”
Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is extremely helpful for me.
TOP
Very solid top comment right there.
Would be funnier if you had said BOTTOM in response, just saying.
POWER TOP
Yes, top, I’ve also laughed seeing that.
Also, the Princess has been rescued by his Knight, I’m pleased 😀
I’ll be honest… the word drew my eye, and I thought for some reason it was Princess that made Alison react as she did.
Then suddenly there’s this random guy in orange who hasn’t even BOTHERED to label his top, and I’m all “who’s THIS clown?”
He’s the bottom.
Is that The One Electric in the background there?
So it would seem
Quite the character. I wish he had spent more time with Rice Boy.
Y’know, Zaid’s circumstances remind me of a character in Vattu, by the same author.
Wha!? That guy makes this too?
Sorry, mister. This is not the Fulfiller you are looking for.
Electronic!
Indeed it does.
I just spotted him!!!
Brilliant – I’d’ve missed that.
OH MY GOD FINALLY!!!!!!!!! YEAAAAAH THEY’RE BOTH HERE AND RELATIVELY OK
Wow long time coming
And her forehead jewel is sparkling up….
Goodness!
I’d forgotten that they are the only two true, actual Local-Earthly folk in town!!
In their world Australia doesn’t exist… so not even Local.
I’m sorry WHAT
Seriously, is this something from the forum comic? Because if it turns out that Alison isn’t even from *our* Earth, I swear to YISUN I’m going to say “huh” and then probably not think about it that much.
Australia is an illusion and so is death.
Which still makes us realer than everyone else.
So it’s local Earth then 😉
Death is a construct invented by the Jedi.
I don’t even know how to spell it!
DEE… EE… AY…..
Day? Wait, that’s not right…
And life is a construct invented by the new world globalist bankers communists socialist anarchist fascist ant-fascist gay Islamic satan worshiping cult of reptile feminists.
Ok
And so are pants.
it’s true. every person who has visited “australia” has actually been travelling to the moon
Per Abaddon on his Tumblr, Allison’s Earth is not our Earth and (jokingly) is missing Australia. Remember, she is from 1 of 330,452 Earths. Look up Earth on the KSBD wiki and scroll down to the trivia section for the link to the Tumblr. I would link to it, but links are blocked in comments.
Oh dear, my existance is incompatible with this universe it seems.
One stumbled the other day though one does not know how, upon what could be termed ‘trivia about looking up KSBD on the Earth’, to twist and paraphrase your words.
Allison is from LA, an LA of course, but just outside of whose expansive city limits is a busy airport (though no passengers we know of get to see it), the ICAO airport code for which is… KSBD. Fortuitous coincidence one is sure, but one did smile and have to put one’s tea down for a moment.
Yeah but *how* does it not exist? Is there just open ocean where it should be, or did the British never colonize it and there’s just Aborigines there or what?
Word of Abbadon: Allison’s homeworld is just like our Earth, except without Australia (the continent we have to assume). He said it once on Tumblr.
While I guess this makes a huge difference for hardened alt-history fans… that difference is probably not THAT huge. Try to imagine a world just like ours, except /Britain/ is missing… and it’s completely UNLIKE our world by default.
Problem is, without Australia WWII in the Pacific would be dramatically different. And it’d be a lot more difficult for Japan to rebuild after the war without their second-biggest trade partner. All of which puts the state of anime (including Sailor Moon) into question.
Perhaps Japan got help from New Zealand?
Is Zealandia risen?
HOW could someone as badass as her NOT be from Australia?
She can’t be from Australia.
She isn’t made of spiders.
Everything in Australia is spiders.s
That, I would argue, remains to be seen.
Don’t forget Limecat. Limecat is not made of spiders.
can’t believe everything is going to be good and go exactly as planned from now on! there totally won’t be any problems! this won’t have any consequences!
I feel the presence of the Other Shoe hovering just above the clouds. It is beginning its descent and gathering force
2 Shoe that Stomps the Naif and Inattentive
I’ve always translated it as “La Chancla”
“Aegis descending, The Hammer of God.”
Eisenhorn is so good.
Do not speak too freely of “That-Which-Shods”or we may awaken the Others.
*A light slap-slap sound is heard in the distance*
Madre Dios…
god im so happy and excited for them
every page lately has just made me feel more and more joy
I get the district feeling that Said dies in her arms next panel.
*Zaid
ABOUT. FUCKING. TIME.
about that, last time it didn’t go very well, I seems to remember
welp now they can elope and leave all this behind them
Except the part where she’s already said she doesn’t have romantic feelings for him and was just saving him because it felt like she should, the part where she has a girlfriend that’s 100x better than rando creep dude Zaid, and the part where she’s destined to rule all of creation.
How is zaid a creep? Seriously I see so many people just projecting him as a straw man because they want Alison to have a lesbian harem so bad.
Zaid literally said it was hot when she was looking freaked out in the beginning of the comic, that she was “really getting into it” when she started losing it over the massive demonic figure standing directly behind him. he was enjoying her distress. he’s a creep, and his character clearly represents compulsive heterosexuality. go back and read the first pages if you have to, if you don’t see that as creepy behavior you might have some problems.
To be fair, he has character-developed. Though I would agree, this is a very platonic hug.
That really is a very negative interpretation of some very nervous teens trying to bump uglies with zero experience. He does (fumblingly) try to make Alison relax and when she doesn’t he stops and offers to quit. And he was clearly not getting off on her discomfort earlier, so I think those comments are more a case of him grasping for a positive to defuse the situation (though from a meta-perspective he’s mostly setting up a joke for us, the reader, tbh).
Sure, that whole scene was awkward and they both could have handled it better. But he isn’t some sort of deviant predator.
And for when people demonize him because they want Alison to be firmly lesbian rather than bi he especially isn’t a blip on the moral radar considering Alison’s other romantic interest:
1. Is a mass, mass, mass murderer (but weally sowwy about it I guess?)
2. In an effort to KILL her caused Allison bodily harm that left her permanently scarred (but again she was so sorry about it you guys!)
3. Actively avoided engaging with Alison’s emotional needs for their entire romantic relationship (but she said sorry yesterday, so).
People call Zaid a creep because Allison called him a creep back in chapter 1.
This is less a reflection on him as a person, so much as an explication of the fact that Allison was consciously lowering her standards for him.
He wasn’t a really smooth operator, but she was desperately lonely and dying of FOMO.
A lovely, heartfelt moment. Unfortunately, they’re about ten seconds away from Cio popping her head from out of frame and making this amazingly awkward.
I bet she is already shipping Zaid and WC in her head.
I call love triangle with those two and Nyave!
Nah, this whole ordeal made Zaid accept his Ace/Aro nature and he now gladly takes on the unicyclist role in the polycule.
I always really liked Allison’s resolve to help Zaid, even though he was a creep, even though she was sure she was just going to die, even though she got all sidetracked up in a 777,777-dimensional power struggle, just because he doesn’t have anyone else. The mark of a hero.
Also the mark of a woman desperate to find purpose in her life. I am excited to see what new goals she picks now that Zaid is rescued.
I think she seemed like she was already past rescuing Zaid “because he’s my boyfriend” at the beginning of this chapter, and way far into “Because he didn’t deserve this absolutely insane fucking nonsense any more than I did and I don’t want him to suffer.” What I’m interested in, is what are *Zaid’s* goals now? How has *he* grown as a person since he came here?
I wonder if Zaid learned any sort of martially arts stuff while he was in captivity.
Or marital arts…
Thank you thank you, I’ll show myself out now.
That’s actually pretty valid.
Why not both? The path of the Iron Tantra is both dangerous and highly entertaining.
IRON TANTRA
The Tantra was founded by an extremely obscure sect of the Siblings of the Dark Revel of Unf, a world conquered by Jagganoth circa 210 second conquest. Before their absolute demise at his hands, the Siblings had developed a number of internal techniques such that their, say, external attributes became imbued with disconcerting energy and incomparable hardness. I am told the resulting techniques were ridiculous to behold, but amazingly effective. However, focus could not break at any time or all energy was lost, and many in the Siblinghood found Jagganoth extremely muscular and virile. At the first glimpse of his physique, near half of their members were rendered exhausted, thus unable to harden their physique again, and lost all desire for confrontation or capacity to deploy their disciplines.
I could only find passing reference to these techniques, and I am neither drunk nor paid handsomely enough to pursue them.
– Musko Reeves, Manual of Hands and Feet.
That’s All Folks!
*loony toons outro plays*
But we don’t know how Lord Intra fed the people yet!
It was just stone soup.
h-hey you can’t just s-skip to the end…
I’m glad Zaid is not a douche
Exactly what about this page says Zaid’s not a douche? I’ll bet that if Nyave hadn’t reminded him he would be unable to remember Allison’s name. He hasn’t earned this – what has he ever done for her except try to slip her the salami (dave)?
Earlier in the book when Salami Dave was talking to him all he could think about after was Allison, so its suggested that all the turmoil he’s been through got him to grow up. It doesn’t mean that he’s a good person, but certainly more presentable.
However, I think you’re exactly pointing out why this page was important, Zaid is doing something other than being a horndog. If all he was was a skeezy frat boy trying to fuck her forever, he would be the worst-written character in the comic. We now see he’s sentimental, see he worried about her, that he’s not self-obsessed and willing to be groomed into an emperor.
There’s still a lot we need to learn about him, but just because we had a bad first impression doesn’t mean there’s nothing more to him. With Abaddon writing, I imagine it’s quite the contrary.
I really like this take, and I hope it’s true. He has room to grow, he better make use of it.
Agreed, and I think the sentimentally they are both showing is needed for this reunion to really give proper closure.
he did not go in for the smooch
You are being seriously unfair. He hasn’t earned a fucking hug because he tried to have sex with a woman who wanted to have sex with him?? Grow up. They’re happy to see each other because they’re the only people they have any amount of shared experience with, they were both kidnapped from earth and held by strange and terrifying beings, and now they’re happy to see the other is okay.
Before the opening of the comic, they’d dated for three weeks before going to bed, and that at a time and place of Alison’s choosing. A complete douche would have lost interest a few days in if he couldn’t have her immediately.
Allison said she was only dating Zaid in order to lose her virginity. They barely know each other. Yet look at the two of them imploding together – it’s way more than Allison’s reaction to White Chain 2.0, with whom she has shared endless life-changing events.
If Allison somehow ends up giving Zaid the key, I will have a sad.
White Chain’s transformation was properly celebrated with the extend update and full extra page on which it occurred. Then after when Solomon admits defeat, an entire stadium cheers for her, Allison expresses bewilderment, pushes past it and excitedly hugs her then embraces her again shortly after. That’s a great way to cap her arc. Allison on the other hand has had saving Zaid as primary objective since chapter 5. That’s ~320~ish pages ago. Zaid himself doesn’t have the ability to planeswalk to other worlds so seeing Allison, a potential savior, must be huge for him. I think the hug is well deserved for the catharsis of it all even if the emotions running through them both are not of a close romantic nature. Also, I highly doubt Allison would give the key to anyone except for maybe white chain in an extraordinary circumstance. The desire to abdicate this responsibility isn’t a part of her anymore.
This is incredibly touching, but my drama-craving heart can’t wait to see how Allison introduces him to Cio.
Possibly: “Zaid, this is … the empty space recently occupied by my friend Cio, who has now entirely disappeared”. Cio’s instinct is to run from emotional crisis.
I’m guessing that the next book will not start where this one leaves off, and that it will begin after the extremely awkward moments between Allison/Cio/Zaid/White Chain.
BTW, does Zaid’s reaction here rule out a thing between him and Nyave? Is she out of the picture romantically speaking?
Probably not.
We’ll have to wait for the dust to settle a bit but since Abbadon made the effort to present the possibility, it would be wasteful not to at least explore the possibility, whatever the results.
I think it’s interesting that Abbadon, in the final panel, went in to focus on the scars Alison received in her encounter with Mottom. It’s a strong through point to emphasize her choice in returning for Zaid.
What I want to know is how Allison’s going to explain the facial scars without making it sound like she’s making excuses for an abusive partner.
Hmm. That man thing is deftly made of worms.
This was my first thought as well.
Gog-Agog has really turned us into a pile of pitiable, writhing paranoia, hasn’t she?
She has certainly enhanced my prexisting pitiable, writhing paranoia, but I have yet to develop any more piles despite the stress.
We’re all just miserable little piles of secrets (and Gog-worms) at this point.
I really, really do not like thinking about how many of out beloved characters are secretly worms T_T
Gog-Agog needs to be introduced to an enormous bug-squashing foot.
Jaganoth is working on it ok? Big worm?? Big Boot.
… OMG is T-O-E in the crowd???
Good catch.
there was also a T-O-E-alike in the contestants rushing dave as he casted total life obliteration. always so cool to see these tertiary character designs.
who tf is T-O-E?
The One Electronic, a prominent character in the complete webcomic Rice Boy.
And now: “Give him his key, Allison.”
Yep. As sweet as it is to see them get the catharsis of reunion, it cannot be a good thing.
Not a single picture of anyone we’ve spent the last few month’s with aside from Allison? Feels a little bit like “And now back to our regularly schedule program”.
Eyyy, it’s been fun reading KSBD everyone! Bold move to end it here, but I respect that. I have to say, I did not expect such a happy ending.
This is definitely not the end. Theres a whole other book to write according to Abaddon.
There are five planned book, and this is only the end of book 4. Abaddon is just messing with people because this would be a moment that some stories would end on.
Guys, this is Holy Sarcasm. Do you not see he’s smiling in the tenth way? Oh, of course not, Preem Subzero is wearing a mask as usual…
‘As usual’? So you are saying the mask wearing might even be a noticeable and habitual personal peculiarity? Or ‘mannerism’??
holy shit is that the immortal robot guy from Rice Boy?!
It him
They kind of haven’t killed six billion demons yet, so I think it is safe to say this is going to continue a bit yet.
or kissed them!
Osterman at the end denies
that plot is arc’d. Kovacs cries
but more’s the pity. Flaming skies.
Ladies and gentlemen-
We got ‘im.
Bit anti-climactic.
Well, it is the denouement, not the climax.
In the words of a rather taciturn former comrade of mine…prepare for unforeseen consequences.
I’m calling it, Allison breaks up with him in the next page.
Yeah that’s gonna be a bit of a surprise. Allison: “sorry Zaid, I really am, but turns out I’m a Diablosexual.”
Cio will inform him. “Ya na, tha inverse dong hopewise. Yon demiurge ladything ya, ye ca, thus fair wappenize.”
Or, as they say, words to that effect.
–Surebaet Noodles: it’s a “sure bet” you’ll love your bowl!
I wonder how many of the crowd in the 1st panel are Mottom-wormed… and I wonder if the same is true for the last panel.
Does Mottom really uses worms?
Her new age reducing smoothy recipe requires them mixed with a tender heart in a blender.
Sorry, I meant Gog. Was rather tipsy when I wrote that.
One misorders atime. Gog-Agog does worms, Mottom; she does the peaches. Tea?
–Surebaet Noodles: it’s a “sure bet” you’ll love your bowl!
Wait, how did Zaid recognize Allison? Like, at all?
And, she him?
Zaid’s face still looks pretty similar, and Allison at least has the same core facial structure (or so we assume, its changed a lot but I’m assuming it’s just art changes). Plus Zaid was with Princess and Nyave for a bit, and might’ve gotten a few pointers.
This was touching enough for me to leave a comment for the first time. God Tier storytelling.
*closes website and never returns*
Guess the story is over then!
I mean he probably watched the tournament on the Gog-Agog network.
And the final count is much, much less than six billion demons. Ah, well.
i give this one picosecond before cio pops in from the side of the panel to say “i fucked your girlfriend shitlips”
like not even with any real malice, it just feels Right and Just
Do I spy Terrin Oculon from Rice Boy in the crowd?
To find that which is lost
They seem way more into each other than they did when they were so rudely interrupted.
Just sayin’.
Being held hostage by a tyrannical god-king makes the heart grow fonder.
A taste of home after years away is more delicious than anything one ate while one was there.
— Surebaet Noodles: it’s a “sure bet” you’ll love your bowl!
There’s going to be at least one extremely awkward conversation in the offing.
Honestly, these last few pages have been especially satisfying. 👌
I hope Zaids strengths lay towards administration. He’s been captive in the two most organised and bureaucratic empires.
Empty palm cleaves through red tape.
Ha! One imagines bureaucrats with superpowers – not a pretty picture.
I dunno. In the Exalted TTRPG there is an entire ability tree devoted to being the a god-tier bureaucrat. You can be so good at your job all people who work under you are actually good at their jobs and are not corrupt. Also the organization can banish chaotic spirits in a region just by operating there.
Can I just say….
Both of them have such fabulous clothes.
Say what you want about Salamai daves tyrany and flexing on people, but they really should get their hands on his fashion designer.
This was a good comic.
Comic’s over, folks. Let’s go home
…why is the key in her forehead is suddenly flashing during the hug on the last panel? Not for nothing, I suspect…
Not remembering her newfound strength, she breaks his chest wounding him mortally. The end
Woman of Steel – Man of Kleenex!
Nothing against you, Mr. Abaddon but….I somehow don´t believe you. I will still wait the next few days for a new page, just to be sure.
… still a lot of demons to kill….
Thank you Mr. Abaddon.
“Holy shit”
“Finally”
“Another normal ass human!”
Guys! I just woke up from a dream and the next page has salami dave step down as emperor and joins our heroes in their quest to restore balance! Allison cracks him in the jaw before accepting his offer.
They… let him go? Just like that?
Welp. Although WC has already had her greatest wish granted, she technically hasn’t asked anything of the Emperor yet. So she could use that to get him freed. Salami isn’t in a position to go back on his word.
Zaid is a creep. He’s going to ruin the group dynamic.
That sounds kind sexist tbh.
That must have been the original plan, but Abbadon even went back to the first chapter and redrew him to make him look less creepy. And it makes sense: I don’t see Allison going for a *total* creep, even if it was just to lose her virginity.
But he probably thinks that he and Allison are still an item, and boy is that gonna be awkward.
When was Zaid redrawn? I’ve been reading KSDB since June 2019, with multiple rereads of book 1, and I don’t remember a change. Is there any way of seeing the original drawings of Zaid?
OK, so the Wayback machine has the old versions, from the time before the comic was coloured. Yes, Zaid is more sympathetically drawn now.
There are quite a lot of dialogue changes since the old version of book 1. The current web and print editions are also missing a simply gorgeous page showing Allison kneeling in Old King’s Road on first arriving in Throne.
I was looking for them, but you found them first ^^
Prince Robot lookin’ motherfucker in panel 1
Never liked the guy and I doubt author wil ldo antyhing for me to start liking him knowing how he acted before.
Lets see if he won’t care about the one key and will gladly abandon it into Allison care.
the unstoppable power of realizing you just wanted to be friends
I wonder if Zaid has done anything cool with his down time. Maybe sharpened his mind while Allison trained her physical skills? He probably just twiddled his thumbs like a good princess though.
Well, it’s not like he’s had much room to breathe.
now the demiurges, their hearts softened upon seeing this reunion, solve all the problems by talking respectfully with each other
ABBADON DONT GIVE ME HOOOOOOOPE (please)
Th…the density of feels…. in so few pages…
Abby, you are skirting dangerously close to a full-on feelsingularity. Tread lightly, pilgrim.
Dont wanna jinx it but this sounds a bit too good to be true, something fucky is afoot, I can feel it.
How long has it been now for them, since the beginning?
I’m curious on their relationship, really.
I’ve never had a family or lover, so I don’t have a frame of reference. But didn’t Alison spend more time on The Wheel than in whatever relationship she had?
She’s more married to White Chain and Cio than to him.
oh yeah im not an expert either but i’ll go out on a limb and say the ship has sailed on their relationship, still nice to see the only person from your universe though
I like that they barely know each other, except they’ve both been drawn into this situation and forced to grow in this alien world under circumstances so far outside of their control.
So they don’t really know each other, except for the bits they understand on a level no one else does.
I hope they get enough time connecting before they realise their interests are almost certainly opposed. Because drama is good.
Yah, except there is no indication that Zaid has grown at all. He is just a plot device with good cheekbones.
Well it’s been clear that he’s not just a macguffin, and he’s isn’t just some hate sink people
Wait till he says “can I have my god power now? Thanks for holding it.”
Does Zaid know anything about the struggle over the key and the Rising King etc.? Who told him?
Aw gosh!
Is that a cameo from The One Electronic?
And at last they are reunited. But despite this, they are still separated. Time and experience and life have left an indelible gulf between them.
And that’s okay. They need not reunite as lovers to reunite.
That is also the way of things.
They are not lovers. Close, but no cigar.
They may only have been romantically attached for a pair of weeks, but the story opens with an attempt between the two to have sex. Given they were interrupted by a dead king and a mob of flaming angels, their inability to complete the act is forgivable.
With that said, this does mean they were, in fact, lovers. Even if only for long enough for everything to come undone.
It’s also important to remember, as I said, that though they were lovers in the past, they certainly aren’t in the here and now.
Do you think he was trained in Ki Rata? That’d be sick.
To my mind, this is the hole at the middle of this comic. There’s no reason for either of them to care about each other, at all. They didn’t know each other. They had never developed any relationship or affection. There is no reason for the reader to care about him, either. It’s entirely unmotivated.
No, it isn’t. Allison cares enough about Zaid to fight her way through three Demiurges’ empires to save him. And for Zaid, Allison is the only link he has to his “normal” life before he was abducted into this crazy new universe. Of course they’d both get emotional at seeing the other again.
Water! Get your water here, fresh and clean!
Are you sure it doesn’t taste of cabbage?
Usual delivery please. And bottle pickup; last week you didn’t.
Surebaet Noodles–it’s a “sure bet” you’ll love your bowl!
Don’t get jelly, Cio; after all, they’re both the first Earth beings the others have seen in God-knows-how-long.
It’s no fun having a relationship with someone who’s totally committed. There is no challenge, no courting is needed and there are no rivals to poison. Very boring.
And then they all married each other and lived happily ever after. The End.
Until one lady killed the other, got re-committed to an insane asylum and died there… then Zaid’s left alone to be abducted by aliens, right as he’s dying of late-stage cancer.
Hmmm she ain’t going to cheat on Cio is she??
I’ve been saying this for weeks now: Polycule
Zaid, opening panel of next comic, “Prophecies can eat a dick, I’m going back to work at Dave & Busters.”
Zaid is shoe number 1. Now I’m waiting for shoe number 2…
Is Zaid human? He’s the son of Zoss, whatever Zoss is.
He’s Zoss’s ‘successor’. Maybe.
Nobody said anything about him being a direct descendant.
And, whatever he is now, Zoss was explicitly a human anyway when he found Throne. If he had a line, Zaid could easily be one of millions of descendants by now and still be human.
Settin’ him up for an almighty spear out of the ring! Bah gawd!
Zaid : “AUGH ! My SPINE !”
Allison : “Sorry !”
O : A touching moment of reunion. I love the zoom on Allison’s blue-grey eyes ! What has it been Abbadon ? Two YEARS since these would-be lovers were abducted / transported / transfigured ?
Gotta say I love the wide variety of sentients that appear in your stories. The diversity is fun to see. I like the smartly dressed big-beak person cheering in the crowd. One wonders what world the mech people come from and what their origin is like. Cheers !
wait its over for reals?
but what about the kill six billion demon thing, thats what i came for initially, it feels so sudden, what is this feeling…
Well you know what they say, there ain’t no party like an Agog party ‘cause an Agog party don’t stop. How’s the clown gonna screw this one up?
Thats it cartoon’s over
We haven’t seen auntie in a long time, huh?
I don’t think that’s confetti….
Looks a lot like…
Worms.
Oh, worm?
Go look at her first appearance.. I’m actually somewhat surprised he recognized her.
The final page? Please say it isn’t so. We at least need an epilogue.
There’s a heart-shaped tear flying from Allison’s eye. Cio’s fanfic just got material for some juicy romantic triangle drama.
I honestly forgot completely why Allison was ever looking for him, is it really so important to find another human in this strange dimension?
Remembering the reasons why she even decided to date him just to get it over cause their friends did that already, is he really so important to her if everything regarding their relation was some weird societal pressure for her?
They aren’t even friends, not even sexual partners, just casuals who decided to hook up.
Does Allison really felt so guilty over taking over the key?
I have to be frank I would not give a shit about such person like Zaid for what Allison is doing..
I suggest:
1. Alison and Zaid were actually more into each other than most commentators have assumed. They were dating for a few weeks at the start. Not long, but longer than needed for Alison to shag a random, or for Zaid to exploit a vulnerable woman.
2. Alison has this horrible sense of guilt about Zaid getting abducted that can only be set aside by rescuing him. No, that’s not completely logical, but feelings rarely are.
3. Apart from guilt, having her first sexual experience horribly interrupted left Allison more messed up than we realised. She needs the closure of getting Zaid back to grow into a complete persion; it’s why her relationship with Cio didn’t develop so well. Really, she needs to take him to bed and finish what they started, but that’s complicated, of course.
4. Allison, in book 1, was a woman without any sense of purpose — organized but directionless — and a massive immersion in heroic fiction. *Of course* she latches onto an extended rescue mission: it fits the blank in her life perfectly, although I doubt she’s really aware of this. And now that Zaid is rescued, she’s going to have to choose a new goal in life.
Don’t think guilt over having the key is any part of it, so far. Not sure what happens if Zaid were to ask for the key now. I do think she might give him the key right at the end of the story, when the happy ever afters are being set up, but probably not now.
I respect Abbadon tremendously for his plotting abilities on top of everything else he does well, he’s a genius. Now that being said, I am having terrible trouble giving a shit about Zaid – not because he tried to shag Allison, but because we know nothing about him. He’s just some guy a bunch of strange stuff happened to; we don’t even know if he’s aware of the story, or what he thinks about it.
But… it would be a terrific surprise if Abbadon turned the tables on us for the hundredth time and made the abrupt reappearance of Zaid into something necessary and even long presaged. Like if it turned out that he really is the Rising King and Allison is… something else.
Yeah… I do believe that Zaid needed a little bit of an interlude, a good few pages of character development at least, so that this reunion could have more feeling to it. Because I feel nothing for it, right now.
Oh right… he is here too. Her fling who was trying to pressure her to sleep with him at the beginning of the comic…. Has like 5 lines through the comic….
Why do we F&$*ing care about this guy again?
Allison cares cuz she hasn’t seen a connection to her home in like a year, if nothing else!
imo he represents compulsive heterosexuality, of society’s pressure for lesbians to conform to heterosexuality. his only real purpose at the moment is to prove to Allison that she’s over men, to show her character growth and acceptance of who she is.
Or we could avoid bi-erasure.
<3
Na it is not over, she has to break the news to him that she dumped him for a sexy blue demon.
Then we can say the comic is over.
i love that when you look at their feet in that pannel it looks like they’re running away from each other, really goes to show their relationship has changed from “my boyfriend” to “jerk i kinda have to save because he’s not *that* much of a jerk”
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