Seeker of Thrones 5-53
Chapter: 5
“A curious fact – the Institute of Fractal Archivists insisted to me today they had found a peculiar period of history prior to the Second Conquest that according to their ontoscopes does not exist. Nearly two centuries to which a huge host of historical inaccuracies and inconsistencies have been attributed – I am familiar with the period myself. They theorize that this is because the period only existed for some people; that is to say the flow of time itself, the turning of the great wheel, was tampered with.
It is, of course, a preposterous explanation, though so very convenient I am inclined to believe it.”
-Payapop Pritram, personal notes S.C. 2420
“The flow of time on the Wheel is convoluted.”
So its a dragon break is it?
“I am that I am?”
Do I detect a touch of megalomania here?
Or is it demon Popeye?
Also, I love the way that formal little desk-bookcase setup sits in the middle of a Xenomorph queen chamber or some such.
Reach Heaven Through Performance Enhancing Leafy Greens
I shudder at it’s mere depiction.
Himself is being cheap right now.
That isn’t anything special, what is witnessed here is simply psychological observation and predictive cold reading. Someone with as vigorous a behavior as Allison Ruth’s, magnified by the influence of Incubus, will naturally have friction with devils. Furthermore, Allison Ruth is attempting to assert her Kingship. Of course she would present friction. “You’re not my friend,” is one of a few lines she could say. If Himself had taken a close miss, reading Allison Ruth’s face would reveal it, and it would be short order to correct Himself, without breaking the cold reading.
From there, “How would/does he know that?” is an easy guess, if close miss. Allison Ruth has a certain casual vulgarity to her language. It would not be hard to impress her own language into Himself’s cold read. “How the fuck would/does he know that?” And now we have what Allison Ruth would be thinking, had Himself’s first guess been on the nose.
I wouldn’t even be particularly fazed by the idea that Himself could pin Zaid as Allison Ruth’s friend, considering that Himself is the king of all devils, and would probably know most, if not all of the happenings of Throne.
Yes and no. “how the fuck did you know that” was indeed an easy mark, but saying that Cio’s first thought was how quick she could kill Allison and take the key is beyond mere cold reading. And even if there was some friction between them, knowing that Allison specifically said that Cio was not her friend is but one of many possible sentences, especially depending on the situation. In summation, “how the fuck does he know that”, easy. “you’re not my friend”, harder. “How quickly could I kill her and take the Key” impossible through mere cold reading. My own assumption is that Himself has a link of sorts to the minds and perceptions of lesser devils. This would let Himself know Cio’s thoughts as well as allowing Himself to hear Allison declare Cio not her friend, not to mention plenty of personality data for cold reading.
Counterpoint, Ciocie Cioelle Estrella von Maximus the Third is a devil, and previously Yabalchoath at that. The reputation of Yabalchoath precedes her, and it would not be difficult to assume that just because the color of her mask and her subsequent power has changed does not mean her habits and instinct haven’t. Old habits die hard, I believe the saying goes.
Guessing the “first thought” of someone with a reputation would variably be easier depending on how well you know someone. The “first thought” is near-instinctual. It’s what you reflexively think. It’s where eyes travel before the mind corrects. “First thoughts” cannot be hammered out of you once you’ve taken shape, no matter how hard you try. It’s who you have been.
“Second thoughts”, conversely, are a bit harder of a guess. It’s who you are now, if you have changed. “Second thoughts” are much more malleable than “first thoughts”, as they are the thoughts you are consciously aware of, the ones you choose to think in the present. If you have changed from a past self, your “second thoughts” would likewise change. Ciocie Cioelle Estrella von Maximus the Third is not Yabalchoath, she said so herself. The instinctual “first thought” could very feasibly be the remnants of Yabalchoath clinging to her. If Himself had called out her “second thoughts”, either accurately predicting that she hadn’t changed, or accurately stating how she had, I would be variably more impressed. As it is, Himself simply called out what Yabalchoath feasibly would’ve thought in that situation, face to face with a Key again.
As for Allison Ruth’s first stated comment, “you’re not my friend”, consider probable friction from an outside standpoint. Think about things you might say in a heated moment, firstly. There’s a lot of things you could say, and guessing one would not be hard. “You’re not my friend” is a comment made toward someone you’ve met recently, and have a strong degree of friction with, but must get along with for varying reasons; the implied post-comment is, “We are just working together until we accomplish our respective goals.” Allison Ruth and Ciocie Cioelle Estrella von Maximus the Third had only met recently, and their innate respective attitudes would have grown some degree of friction. Likely, there would be friction early and often.
One path of prediction would be that Ciocie Cioelle Estrella von Maximus the Third, having missed the opportunity to rip the key from Allison Ruth’s head early, would try to sucker up to her. Allison Ruth, someone who no longer reacts to the activities of Throne with unfamiliar confusion and panic but with a degree of jaded rage, would likely know or suspect the sweet lies of devils, and respond accordingly.
Hence, “You’re not my friend.” And even if Himself had guessed slightly off the mark, i.e. “You aren’t my friend,” or “We aren’t friends,” consider how often most humans misremember their own words in passing, Misremembering the wording of their own statements is deceptively more likely than you might think. It would have been close enough to trigger Allison Ruth’s much easier to predict mental response.
In short, Himself is starting with parlor tricks. A formality, which I am given to understand Himself enjoys. I’ll not say I’m disappointed yet, Himself has only just been introduced, and it’s hard to make a strong first impression from the inside of an ornamental prison in which you choose to stay.
Now, if Himself starts talking about Allison Ruth’s friends from her home world, I would be more impressed.
Cold Reading might not have given Himself the knowledge of Cio’s thoughts upon meeting Allison, but it wouldn’t need to. Cio used to be one of the biggest, baddest devils in the entire Wheel. In short, a near-peer to Himself back in the day.
What I’m saying is, Himself knew her. KNEW her. Knew how she thought, or at least what he goals were. Pegging Cio as the kind of person who would consider killing Allison and taking the key – even if she didn’t go through with it (which she obviously didn’t) – is not a hard educated guess to make.
She stole a key before, and loved the power. That she would be tempted by such a ridiculously easy opportunity to get a new one is quite obvious.
HIMSELF knew Yabalchoath, and so could easily guess Cio’s thoughts. However, He clearly seeks to manipulate and so His claim is not necessarily (or even likely to be) true. Truth is for angels.
Is it really beyond cold reading? It seems that “how can I steal her key” is a very common first reaction. And Cio has a lot of history with the court for Himself use to predict her.
In a darkened room,
maybe cell, maybe tomb,
your head goes *dolly-zoom*
There’s something so charming and personable about H I S voice
I wonder what atrocities he has committed
Not many while locked up in a cage! That’s what captors are for, to do all the nasty stuff while you have a nice nap in your tomb.
Alternatively, you could say he’s committed every atrocity, because he’s the hot black flame that makes up every devil.
Once Spider Jerusalem was stuck in a hotel room in Prague with a phone. Six politicians committed suicide.
Imagine what the King of Devils can do.
The king of all devils doesn’t want praise, he doesn’t want pity.
Allison you don’t have to listen, you don’t have to do this to Y O U R S E L F.
Wait this reminds me of a bit of Elder Scrolls lore.
Where many kings traveled outside the wheel and upon seeing it on it’s side realised they where mere figments of a godhead. O=I
HIMSELF saw himself twisted over himself endlessly and forever. I=∞
Is the devil really quoting Popeye?
Woe betyde the one whom slips the spynach atwixt the bars of His cage!
“I yam what I yam.”
“Alice, tell me about your… Wonderland.”
Jove-in-a-box!
I wonder how MYSELF is both the leader of all devils and yet captured by devils.
Something, something, we build our own prisons.
The Eye sees all.
DON’T LOOK INTO THE EYE!!!!
We are always watching, but we are not I. We are not that terrible Self.
The last panel of this page is one of my favorite things thus far.
The Herald of Corruption. The human girl should be careful…his voice is a weapon. A dangerous one.
I knew it: M Y S E L F is Hannibal Lecter.
No one makes a better liar than the being that only speaks truth.
Ah Himself, Myself, now you show Thyself for what thy are. Which is, of course, Me.
tik tik tik tik tik tik
boom?
tok?
REPENT! SAYETH THE TICK-TOCK MAN!
cuckoo?
I hate it when inyterviews take this path.
Ah, a mind reader.
I wonder if he knows about her meetings with Incubus, then. The ones she knows about, and the ones she doesn’t.
Could be quite illuminating.
LIVE NO EVIL
LIVE ON EVIL
BEHOLD. THE SEVENTH SECRET NAME OF GOD, HIMSELF: I.
Yes indeed brother.