King of Swords 4-41
“An Atum that burns particularly bright can actually be seen as an aura or ring of light, sometimes called a halo or animus. In those warriors or sages that have cultivated enough strength, it burns as a physical, smokeless flame across their body. The sage-kings of the First Conquest were said to have golden animus that wreathed their body in flames as bright and hot as molten metal, while leaving their skin and clothing unharmed. YISUN was said to have an aura which is called The Song of Maybe. According to legend, it burned at seven hundred million degrees, and when YISUN let it burn, it was so wide that it turned the tips of the branches of the trees that hold up the corners of creation to ash.”
– Sign of Kings, attr. Barnas, Priest of YS-Het circa 250 SC
Allison’s weak spot is her sense of self-worth. And also between the shoulder blades!
Wherever it is, we at least know for certain it isn’t her eye.
Clearly a power indicator. At least, my computer has an identical light next to its power switch….
Although the Machine-priests of Cesh-ten persist in translating this glyph as indicating a transition between activity and inactivity, usage during the Tolod era is more accurately reflected by the declarative; ‘It is ON.’
Most scholars maintain that the slight emphasis is not indicative of any meaningful subtext.
They are wrong.
The switch is OFF.
I know this sign and its meaning: the circle of completion, flow or uninterrupted action, broken or interrupted by the stave of command. It is a command, and the command is STAND BY. In this case “STAND BY for a BEATING”. The action awaits continuation or completion – by whom and on whom remains to be seen. I have my popcorn and my pennant blazoned with Allison’s name. It is all I can do, really.
– The Goat of the Greenwoods, who speculates and waits on events in many places such as this.
power on!
There seems to be a couple of typos in panel 4, maybe? The bits ‘I’m a pretty good judge’ and ‘our training’ don’t sound right imho. Otherwise an amazing job! Loving the whole comic 😀
Those aren’t typos.
The word “pretty” in that context is a mind-fuck meant to play down Allison’s strengths and make her feel weak. He’s hedging his words so it sounds like he’s trying to do a pep talk to build her up, as one might do for someone who is a child or weak. (See also his use of “kiddo”.) But the purpose is to make her feel smart for “seeing” through it, and thus feel bad about herself because he “feels” as if he has to “build her up”. It’s a bunch of double-talk.
The “our” in “our training” essentially is Incubus trying to take credit for things she’s done for herself. He’s trying to own part of her by owning her successes. It also tries to make her feel as if she wouldn’t have gotten this far without him, and that without him she might be helpless.
These are word choices sleezy salesmen (or politicians) use.
He’s negging her and manipulating her.
Domini, I thought exactly the same, and Allison’s response is way more awesome than I could have hoped for. 🙂
Agreed, this is how manipulative people work their way with words. It was probably put this way by the author so as to be slightly obvious (i.e. it doesn’t sound right to indicate something’s not right), because the way manipulative people say things can be quite imperceptible.
If he won’t measure her power, she’ll have to test her strength against the hardness of his face.
#deserved
Well said!
That’s pretty much right…
Damn, thanks for the pointers! ^^
“Maybe the real power was the friends we made along the way.”
-Incubus, Sword King of the Middle Army and Bearer of the word Flame
The Friendship is mine! [attempts to strangle Preem anathematic and make off with the stolen friendship]
Methinks that friendship so easily subverted was no true power at all.
[thoroughly strangled]
The sanctified action is to cut.
The satisfying action is to go for the gonads.
The two are not mutually exclusive.
Such is the Wisdom of Meti ten Ryo, who relieved her master of his least interesting bits when he began to take an interest in her own.
Should we be worried that Allison has a giant on/off button on her back, where she can’t even see it? I feel like we should.
Rejoice in your worry for it means that there is very little chance of anything going wrong.
For if there were a large chance of something going wrong you wouldn’t be wasting your time worrying, you would be acting.
That’s not an on/off button.
That’s a Symbol of Power.
In a Vampire: the Requiem game I play in, my technopagan Mekhet makes a point of using it as a focal element of whatever Cruac rituals she can. She consistently gets two bonus dice for doing so.
It’s a Symbol of Power On / Off .
Are you going to call the pound symbol the hashtag sign next?
Octothorpe, my dear friend
I found the new Allisson much more bulky (and less well drawn) is “intended” ?
what do you mean ‘less well drawn’? abaddon’s linework is as great as it always is
Yeah, I think if anything it’s improved over time. And Allison has got sweet muscles now because she’s been training really hard for a year…
I agree Abbadon’s linework is great, and has gotten better: I think what might be throwing you off, outside personal preference, is the type of strength he’s portraying in her new design.
Allison does not have the typical “superhero” build but is closer to what a female athlete with some serious power training has: she’s obviously bulky with muscle, has bigger shoulders, and her waist/core has thickened to support all that, and she’s still retaining a fairly normal bodyfat distribution over that. It’s difficult to gain a lot of muscle mass without overall weight gain, unless you are in-taking a lot of protein and using steroids.
Look up some pictures of the Olympic boxing champion Clarissa Shields; she has a similar sort o build.
no they are right the art style was more smooth during the beginning although it’s not bad just less professional than usual
sorry, I can’t see any deterioration in the art style, also no un-professionalism
It’s also the dream state, she can be as bulky as she wants.
IT IS THE GREAT PARADOX AT THE CENTER OF REALITY THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS STRENGTH.
AND YET STRENGTH IS THE ONLY REAL TRUTH THERE IS.
I object to that, Aeon! I will counter that WEALTH is the only real truth there is, for it is something that truly does exist! I held it in my hands! And now that I am without it, even spiders kick me around for sport!
Perhaps the truth is that if you were stronger you would have held onto that wealth, or at least not gotten kicked around by spiders.
YOU ARE EITHER CERY BRACE OR VERY FOOLISH TO DEBATE RHETORIC WITH AN ANGEL, BEANCOUNTER, A HOLY THORN KNIGHT NO LESS. I MUST EXPRESS MY RESPECT FOR YOU ON THAT MERIT ALONE. I SHALL ALLOW YOU TO ELABORATE ON YOUR POINT, IF YOU SO WISH.
AFTER WHICH I WILL, OF COURSE, SMITE YOU FOR YOUR IMPERTINENCE.
Thank you, noble Knight of Thorns.
A thing is to be considered “real” (as far as anything can be considered “real” after the perpetual suicide of YISUN) if it is accepted by all to truly exist. All societies – which are representative of the collective will of those who inhabit them – recognize some form of currency, or at least the ones I’ve visited. Therefore, wealth is omniversally true.
Wealth is also the wellspring of all other virtues, for all other virtues can be bought with coin. Strength, for instance, can be bought, in the form of “hired muscle”. In my own case, now that my extreme wealth is no more, my strength has left me as well, for I can no longer afford to repair my orichalcum turbine heart, and I can no longer sear the flesh off of my foes with the molten gold that would seep from any cut in my flesh.
Ah, but dear Draco, wealth cannot be omniversally true, for the only Truths are Violence and Lies.
I counter, honored Pontifex, that Wealth is a truth by that very logic, because all currency is a shared fiction. It is, indeed, a Lie.
(Then again, so is existence in general. But that’s neither here nor there.)
Dear Draco, you are quite mistaken, without Want, there would be no Wealth, yet Wealth cannot buy Want…
Wealth is not real. Gold and silver are real, but tend to make for weak blades. I would invest in steel or maybe titanium if I were you. Those are materials known to hold strength in themselves.
Though obviously, durability is not the only feature one might look for. Water refreshes, carbohydrates nourish, and wool makes for a nice soft blanket. Focusing on strength alone, you’ll miss out on these qualities.
And let us not neglect ductility!
There are many kinds of strength to show that you are strong. Strength of mind, strength of heart, and strength of will to name a few.
Of course, some giant muscles will never hurt your case either.
>some giant muscles never hurt
The other sanctioned action is to ‘get’ cut
I have to believe that any weakness shown by Incubus here is a ploy. Whatever else he is, he has vastly more experience with wielding power and with war than Allison does.
The only power he has shown so far is manipulating people. Whether Allison has grown past that is yet to be seen.
“Are you strong?” were the last words Incubus ever heard.
Bite him! Bite him right on the nose!
is cringe month finally over? that was getting pretty ridiculous addy i hope you came to your senses
hey i found a condescending jerk
Oh, go outside!
to be fair, there’s a definite mix between ogling women and ogling men in this. From my own personal viewpoint, this hasn’t been of an ill repute, as both a woman and abnormal in respect to sexuality. I primarily seek to question you on one instance- by what dost thou mean with “Cringe?” Is this the same word applied to minecraft parody videos, or does this take on the more classical meaning?
This person again? How tedious.
Haven’t you got anything better to do than read a comic you don’t like?
Y’all need to learn the ancient and hallowed martial art of “not taking the obvious bait”.
Ah, but sometimes the bait will slip, and one will be left with a delicious meal instead of a sharp hook in the mouth. Either way, the thrill of the sport can be of great repute and quite glorious to engage in. It is true that the bait is enticed with delicious food, but the hook draws one in almost as much.
Spectator, what exactly is the trouble? I agreed with you overall before, but I haven’t seen anything troublesome in the last few comics. But then, I’m not a gay woman; could you elucidate your concerns?
What you have to understand is, any display of female flesh created by a straight male is automatically sexual leering.
So…by your logic, the same is true when a display of female flesh is created by a gay woman? Guess I have to stop drawing ladies naked too. Never mind that I need the figure drawing practice.
Listen, I agree that women are often exploited in media created by dudes, but I’ve never been bothered by how they’re portrayed in KSBD. Well, maybe a little bit by 001, but I also found her over the top battle outfit pretty funny.
Meanwhile with Cio and Allison in the last few updates, I was just enjoying the moment of two ladies building their relationship. Which honestly I hope becomes more functional in the future, because I like where Abbadon’s heading with Allison’s exploration of herself. But that’s a whole other essay I could write. Point is, as a queer woman, I’m pretty happy with how things have been in the comic.
I believe motorfirebox was creating a joke, although i am not certain. Sarcasm employed to snark at “a spectator.”
Haha yeah, I duked it out with ‘a spectator’ a few pages back, so I was taking a cheap (if accurate) shot here 😀
Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I thought you were being legit serious. I’ve seen people make a similar argument before, but actually mean it. The recent controversy makes my blood boil, I confess, and I tend to shoot my mouth (fingers in this case?) off impulsively when that happens.
Nah, 100% ok. Hopefully the people who need to read that will read it and understand it.
“any display of female flesh created by a straight male is automatically sexual leering.”
I can’t believe you’re actually saying this sarcastically.
a display of fictional character’s fictional flesh is not automatically sexual leering my absolute rube. People contain a multitude of reasons for the things they do, and sexuality is not the ultimate form of them. Additionally, i can confidently claim that if i was to show a shoulder or something of the ilk, that would be a display of female flesh created by a straight (ish) male. Puzzle that one out my shakespearean fool.
This book has been stellar thus far. Keep up the good work
Also her Akuma pose makes me want a K6BD fighting game
GO ALLISON!!
Ah, we hadn’t seen an example of Allison’s penchant for terrible decision-making in a while.
Allison, he miight be Ten Meti’s shitty replacement but even a shitty replacement for her is not someone you wanna charge head on with mma gloves as your only weapon.
On the contrary, he may yet be the perfect person to charge head on with mma gloves. For he, by all appearances, is a weak swordsman, obsessed with victory and prestige.
Whatever else he is, he’s ruler of a seventh of the universe. He is greater than Mottom. I look forward to Alison justifying the apparent insanity of interacting with him at all, buddy-buddying with your enemies is fine when they don’t have magic powers, but you really shouldn’t be pal’ing around with Mephistopheles.
Also, they’re in a dream, which is his speciality. Alison overestimated her strength before; that red devil Killboss gave her a hard time so goiing against one of the Seven may be a bit premature…
Maybe she’s charging towards him to glomp him in a hug instead? That would take him off guard.
She is engaging in this fight from within her dreams. Unless some “if you die in the dream you die in real life” rule applies, this is the perfect time to push her limits in battle against a much stronger opponent without relying on White Chain to save her.
The only thing she has to lose is a chance to spend her dream on less combative things, like checking out the vaults revealed beneath the otherwise solid looking platforms or maybe trying out some void-dust masonry of her own.
The Ant seeks to become the Giant, perhaps ignorant that it is best to be both.
When she woke the next morning her bed was ash.
ELECTRIC GUIIIIIIIITAR RIFF
Hrmm…. or hot rod VROOOM VROOOOOM noises, with squealing tires!
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that challenging the King of dreams to a fist fight is probably not the right way to beat him in a dream.
She’s not punching with her fists, but with her will. Her body never was there. What incubus summoned is her mind
And Incubus has ten thousand years of experience in messing around in other peoples’minds. Alison has had about one year of training in angelic martial arts; while that may have strengthened her will considerably, it obvously hasn’t curbed her impulsiveness. She really should learn to think before she acts. Like White Chain said, she relies on her key to protect her – during the fight in the Guilded Cage she received at least two wounds that would have been lethal without the Key – and she doesn’t even really understand how it works. To take on someone who is one of the survivors of the great War is really risky… and yet she has done that before and survived, so her incredible luck (or prophecy at work?) will probably save her.
It seems more likely that he’s come to her, and that’s the point. It’s her playground, she should get to set the rules. And rather than the rules of a brawl, one of those rules could be, ‘I win.’
Allison is acting like someone who only has a hammer. I guess we’ll see if the plot lets her get away with it.
And like her the Page designs
a trap of layers, stretching time
the lion watches, narrows eyes
(today’s guest riddle bought to you by the Wax Head of assonance)
She strong.
YEAH ALLY FUCK HIM UPPPPPPPPP
she attac, she protec
but most importantly
a question she ask
Incubus on panel 4 looks amazing! It’s like his real persona seeps through when her back is turned.
To smile in the Fifth Way is a process known as “Hamilling.” Mandatory practice among the Ominous Traders; if you don’t give the counterparty at least a -hint- of what’s coming you face charges of being Unreasonable.
Time for another lesson, Allison. And White Chain is not going to pleased to find out about your other teacher.
Good Morning Baltimorreee!
such toxic masculinity…ttch..tch..tch.
You don’t have to cram your radical feminist views everywhere, you know? Leave them for more important topics.
If she does that everyday, that would explain why she struggles with the empty palm.
Yeah, she obviously does. This is supposed to be her usual training regimen, including the cio session. But I wonder how she spars with incubus? Are they always in a (mind)fight at night?
And how much does he learn about her from her dreams?
You will need more than a silver tounge for this me thinks
Indeed, molten gold blood would be much better than a silver tongue, so that if anyone Cuts your skin, the touch of your red-hot metal ichor would sear their flesh off. I speak this from experience.
Existence is naught but to ask oneself if they are you strong. The answer is never definitive.
“The only strength that matters is strength of MIND.”
– Cestis, of the Jin En Mok.
Lucifer: Children and Monsters. Vertigo/DC Comics.
I absolutely love his smile in panel four, it’s so creepy.
It’s interesting the arena is hollow underneath. Metaphor? Maybe.
Head canon: They’re sparring in an arena made of beds.
Extended Head Canon: This is just a metaphor for sex in an arena made of beds.
Mind you, Cio and she had literal sex, so I’ll judge that superior, and KoS as even more cowardly.
I get the impression he comes to her regularly in her dreams. After all, we’re being shown what a typical day looks for Alison now, and right before Incubus showed up, there was message ‘Final Lessons’. So, it looks his visits are part of her daily routine now.
The back of her tank top is a big turn off for me
Editing error in the Sign of Kings: the word “animus” means 1. “hostility or ill feeling” or 2. “motivation to do something.” (Legal trivia: “animus” is the word lawyers use to describe bigots’ feelings towards people they hate.) When in reference to a glowing ring or halo of light, the proper synonyms starting with the letter “a” are “aureole” or “aura.” You might have confused “animus” with “anima” which can be synonymous with “soul,” “psyche” or “spirit.”
*Inigo Montoya voice* But yeah, animus does not mean what you think it means. 😉
That the sign of the will of Kings is synonymous with emnity is, I suspect, not the error you believe it to be.
Consider, Preem Sutehp, the contexts in which we have witnessed the holy ignition thus far.
So you’re saying that an Atum is essentially powered by its animus?
In a world were enlightenment is found through violence, then it makes sense that power can be fueled by hate. You may very well be correct, Preem Ulurhad. This is something I had not considered and I thank you for helping me gain another step towards enlightenment.
Abbadon is probably referring to the terms used in Carl Jung’s work, given the comic’s exploration of self, particularly as it pertains to gender.
Это действительно было необходимо добавлять лесбо транс недочеловеков в сюжет? Это один из самых детализированных комиксов, которые я только видел, и нормальизация психических заболеваний каждый раз тыкает меня.
I’m sorry, I don’t speak Pangaean
ты откуда вылез? иди обратно в 1800 год
Подумай, что такой шовинизм когда-то привёл к возникновению того, на что ты сейчас брызгаешь слюной, и не навязывай своё мнение таким ультимативным образом, заносчивый ты засранец.
Маня, прочитай что такое шовинизм наконец то. Я то слюной брызгаю? Я сейчас представил тебя, 120 киллограммовую корову, жирными пальцами едва тыкающую в телефон, с фиолетовыми волосами, страшно стало. Знаешь, если бы мне пришлось тебя изнасиловать, я бы сначала выколол себе глаза
yo… as someone with long hair, the second panel looks really unrealistic? like, you can’t tie your hair in a high ponytail at the back by putting one arm in front of you. there just… isn’t enough mobility and even if she could physically do it putting both arms behind her head would be so much easier. now that i’ve noticed this, i feel like it’s something that might be in the comic a few times? i love it and your art style and stuff and am totally aware that she’s literally chilling with angels and demons and stuff but… It’s just not realistic.
She has a key of kings and can literally cut worlds. Also this entire thing takes place in a dreamscape where she’s able to turn into Sailor Moon just by thinking about it. Fixing her hair one-handed is trivial. She probably only used a hand in the first place because it made it easier to focus on how she wanted to look.
yeah, yeah. ok lol
It’s a White Chain thing. “Empty palms gather the scrunchie!”
Just tried it and it’s very possible. Ponytail will be sloppy and not centered though.
POWER STATUS: ON.
Did anyone else notice that Allison’s hair color changed slightly when she morphed her clothes and her anima banner began flaring? It went from white to blue-white. I’m wondering if that’s significant.
And “anima banner” is a term from the Exalted RPG, where the wierdness factor isn’t *quite* as amped up as it is here, but the power factor is about the same (since humans have killed uber-powerful gods in the Exalted setting as well).
well it’s called ignition of the hair for a reason comrade.
To be something, one must do it.
That is that the quality of strength lies in the performance of it.
“Am I Strong?” seems exactly the sort of question YIS-UN might have asked, shortly before unraveling the very concept of strength. And then there was the business with that plum…
Well, it will be interesting to see how Allison answers herself, regardless.
I now think Incubus sounds like Handsome Jack.
“Distance is temptation.
Absence is inevitability.”
Twentysixth student of Bagoret – FBC 017
Hrmm…
“I know Kung-Fu.”
“Show me.”
…
“You think that’s air your breathing?”
>.>
“C’mon! Stop trying to hit me and hit me!”
“…Whoa.”
“Okay…free my mind, no problem!”
“…but you already know what I’m going to say.”
“I’m not the One.”
“Sorry, kid.”
Manifesting sportswear, turning dramatically, and shouting is equivalent to cutting off one’s own foot and having it write an autobiography, having the book printed in ten thousand copies, signing each copy in blood from one’s ankle, and then delivering the books (and severed foot) to one’s enemy, who by now is an avid reader or one’s bodily functions and limitations. To this effect, Allison broadcasts her strikes with heavy tomes, and her ankles will bleed for it.
.CORRECTION_: Squawk, squawk, to pearly gates we walk!