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Kill Six Billion Demons

Thematically.

I get how they got from a to b, there just seems to be this whole ideological conflict in the background that I don't get, but I know it's there.

It's like seeing smoke, being told there's a fire, and finding evidence of a smoke machine while everyone says how they can totally see the fire.
Ok, so this is my interpretation, and a comic such as this offers less material to analyse than a book for example, so some of this is based on conjecture since what we get to see/read is sometimes limited. I hope it makes sense to you.
Anyway, text is somewhat long and rambly so I spoilered it.
Imo there are 2 overlapping themes. One concerning SD and one focused on WC. They are almost the same, both kinda dealing with oppressive systems, but his is kinda looking down from the top, and hers is kinda looking up from below.

SD's theme is that even well meaning tyranny is still tyranny.
He cares for his empire and protects it from harm, but at the same time it is nothing but his empire. All the laws are his laws, all the glory of the empire ultimately points to and is because of him, and all his citizens only have as much agency as he lets them have. He is benevolent when it suits him (lifting the stone and sending his workers home) but not always. We do not know why or how it happened, but there was a massacre that he is made responsible for, so maybe he does not suffer disobedience lightly, like many a parent.
There is little indication that he allows his subjects/sons much say in how the empire is run, and in essence it seems like he sees them as nothing but children which he must drag kicking and screaming to where they need to go. Even his title, paternum – father, hints at this. An easy mistake to make when you're probably older than all your many sons combined, but still a mistake if you want your empire to be more than just an extension of yourself.
I said as much in an earlier post, if he would allow his citizens more agency in shaping their own fate and the fate of the empire, then he might not be its sole provider. If he would teach instead of simply rule he might have found a worthy heir already. He laments the fact that he is a tyrant, but seems unwilling to change anything.

It is hard, really hard, to hand over the reigns over something you built to somebody else. There can be great pride in the burden of responsibility, pride in one's work, the pride of being needed, being irreplaceable. So he keeps everything as it is, a rigid system, in which all his people are born, live, and die in peace and prosperity as long as nobody challenges him.
I find it very understandable that he is as he is, but if he wants his empire to grow into something more than he could make it, to grow beyond himself, then that is what he must do. Announcing WC as victor in their duel seems like a good first step.

In summary: Supressing change and growth out of fear, outdated law/tradition, and/or to cling to power is bad, even when you think you are doing the people beneath you a favour. If you want them to grow and prosper, eventually you will have to let them determine their own fate.


WC's theme is adjacent to that and I feel like I'm not really the right person to explain it given that I don't have much experience with what this is an allegory for, but basically, as I see it, White chain has lived all her life as a servant to a system of laws that was designed to last eternal. Thus, those laws (and the angels themselves) are unchanging, and even though the world around them is crumbling the angels cling to them even though by now they might be doing more harm than good. She says it herself: "a system that crushes the young and the foolish for fear of change".

She herself wants to change. She suffers because she wants and denies herself to live according to those rules/traditions. So, when she sees SD obliterating all those who dare stand against him, just like she fought all those that she found were breaking the law even though there are parts of that law she disagrees with, she decided to embrace her desire for change and stand against him. White chain also fought with herself, struggling between her iron discipline to adhere to what she had been taught and giving into her WANT to be herself. SD isn't the system that kept her down, but he is/embodies/represents a system that kept people down, and she chose to fight that, despite a literal god basically saying to just give up, accept the status quo, be quiet, or die. She died (kinda), but because she stood up and fought, was reborn as truly herself.

This is also how I think she managed to get her new body. In the scene where Zoss speaks to Alisson in Mottom's palace, and she first uses the BLADE OF WANT he tells her: "By names she cuts the world as she pleases, and cuts herself into greater forms still."
WC wanted change so much she fought on against certain death, and in doing so cut herself into a greater shape, free from her former shackles. It's a bit of a stretch, but it fits.

So, if you find yourself in a system that forces you to repress who you are to keep the status quo it's better to stand up and fight and be yourself rather than to be meek and quiet in the hope of being tolerated/left alone.


Those at least were the main themes that resonated for me due to my life experiences. Others might get a different message from it.
 
The way this arc as zigged and zagged, betraying expectations at every turn, has been fantastic. Y'know I was so confident that White Chain would die and 10 Vigilant Gaze would replace her as the prophesied White Flame at Allison's side. Sort of becoming the Kamina of the team. I'm glad I was wrong, this turn has definitely boosted White Chain to my top three favorite characters in the comic.

What does everyone think about the stories of Prim (the finest daughter) we've received so far? Quite lovely in my book.
also has anyone tried the KSBD "Broken Worlds" rpg?
 
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The ways this arc as zigged and zagged, betraying expectations at every turn, has been fantastic. Y'know I was so confident that White Chain would die and 10 Vigilant Gaze would replace her as the prophesied White Flame at Allison's side. Sort of becoming the Kamina of the team. I'm glad I was wrong, this turn has definitely boosted White Chain to my top three favorite characters in the comic.

What does everyone think about the stories of Prim (the finest daughter) we've received so far? Quite lovely in my book.
also has anyone tried the KSBD "Broken Worlds" rpg?
I never played Broken Worlds no opportunity to but I would say for people who like world building and finding out little bits of information it is a good read.
 
The White Chain boobies return, and they are glorious.
May they return uncovered in times of need.

Also I think Solomon on some level knew at least part of what White Chain, She of the glorious Mammaries, is saying: with tournment he was trying to find someone strong enough to hold his empire together from within and without. Problem is that it's merely a continuation of the cult of personality already existing, there is no depht with the system he created..

On the other hand you DO need someone capable of taking Solomon in a fight, at the very least to keep the other superpowered jackassess out the lawn he made. The transition is unlikely to be fast and possibly smooth either.
 
The transition is unlikely to be fast and possibly smooth either.
My dude, it's gonna be a blood bath of petty kingdoms. It's The Holy Roman Balkans meet The Middle East by way of Chinese Bureaucracy, on PCP, and with more mass murders in a week than the entirety of 20th century.
 
My dude, it's gonna be a blood bath of petty kingdoms. It's The Holy Roman Balkans meet The Middle East by way of Chinese Bureaucracy, on PCP, and with more mass murders in a week than the entirety of 20th century.
As I said, it's unlikely it's going to be smooth. If Solomon is allowed a transitional period (unlikely as it would be reasonable ;) :p) things won't go too much south too fast, if not... Well, do you remember the council that pestered asked Solomon about his successor?
 
For him to just leave and let everything crumble behind him would be spiteful and not at all in the spirit of the request made. Also, not in character for him imo. From what has been shown so far, stepping down would likely be a relief for him. Shouldering the awesome responsibility of ruling alone left him wary, it's quite possible that sharing it or giving it up entirely will reinvigorate him. And who knows, he might suddenly have the time and peace of mind to meditate on the path to true royalty, just like he wanted to all along. Or to train his successors, so he really isn't needed any more.

He even says he would like to see an age where he isn't necessary. All White Chain is trying to do is convincing him that this age can be now. And yeah, the specifics of the transition will have to be worked out, and it will probably take a long while. But it would be a first step.
 
For him to just leave and let everything crumble behind him would be spiteful and not at all in the spirit of the request made.
"Give up your throne, and hand over the Celestial Empire to the people."

There's nothing there about "stick around" or "reform the government to ensure a smooth transition from Transplanar Empire into Transplanar Republic".

Democracy isn't a magic fix-it, it requires proper foundations, foundations Immortal God-Kings don't tend to build. On account of being Immortal God-Kings.

Solomon steps down, then factionalism & balkanization are the order of the day.

The man didn't even know about pulleys, and you expect him to pull sweeping sociopolitical reforms out of his asshole.


It's not a matter of pettiness, it's a matter of Solomon not being a master of political science.


If Allison & Zayd have any sense of history, the next page should open up with them looking at the formerly Lawful Stupid Beat Cop in naked horror.

White Chain has barely figured out how to people in the last couple of days, and you think she knows how into transplanar geopolitics?
 
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"Give up your throne, and hand over the Celestial Empire to the people."

Democracy isn't a magic fix-it, it requires proper foundations, foundations Immortal God-Kings don't tend to build. On account of being Immortal God-Kings.

Solomon steps down, then factionalism & balkanization are the order of the day.

The man didn't even know about pulleys, and you expect him to pull sweeping sociopolitical reforms out of his asshole.


It's not a matter of pettiness, it's a matter of Solomon not being a master of political science.


If Allison & Zayd have any sense of history, the next page should open up with them looking at the formerly Lawful Stupid Beat Cop in naked horror.

White Chain has barely figured out how to people in the last couple of days, and you think she knows how into transplanar geopolitics?

Actually he has built a pretty strong bureaucracy. But it's geared towards serving HIM.

If he were to step back and make it serve the people, and act as its Guarantor against Corruption... it could actually morph into something pretty stable within a fairly short time. And given enough time he could ease himself completely out of the process without it being a huge problem.

Mostly... it would need him to HUMBLE himself to do this. To ALLOW others to make decisions different from what he might have taken.
 
Actually he has built a pretty strong bureaucracy. But it's geared towards serving HIM.

If he were to step back and make it serve the people, and act as its Guarantor against Corruption... it could actually morph into something pretty stable within a fairly short time. And given enough time he could ease himself completely out of the process without it being a huge problem.

Mostly... it would need him to HUMBLE himself to do this. To ALLOW others to make decisions different from what he might have taken.
Ignoring that handing power to the people by empowering palace officials directly descended from the Emperor is contradictory, bureaucrats are not historically known for being above corruption, so much as neck-deep in it.

Remember, White Chain is not asking for reforms, White Chain is asking for Solomon to fuck off & smother the David Dynasty in the cradle.
 
Ignoring that handing power to the people by empowering palace officials directly descended from the Emperor is contradictory, bureaucrats are not historically known for being above corruption, so much as neck-deep in it.

Remember, White Chain is not asking for reforms, White Chain is asking for Solomon to fuck off & smother the David Dynasty in the cradle.
Her wording doesn't actually say he has to fuck off immediately. He could give up the throne and still set up something proper as he leaves. It's not like she's giving him a set time.
 

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