The Dresden Files > DF Reference Collection
[Spolers Through GS] Maggie LeFay and the Outsiders
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: AcornArmy on August 29, 2011, 06:41:02 AM ---That she was dangerous is obvious, and I think I was pretty clear about some of the bad company she kept in my post. And I actually suggested that she repeatedly broke the Seventh Law myself; I know she broke some of the Laws, or I wouldn't have suggested that she'd started a club based on repeatedly breaking one of them.
The most important thing, though, is that Luccio's depiction of Maggie doesn't contradict any of that, it simply adds to it. The combination of being passionate, committed, incautious, arrogant, and short-sighted is one that could easily explain all of the dark insinuations by Chauncy, Nick, and Ebenezer. Maggie was a woman who believed what she believed, and was willing to go to extremes in order to make the world fit what she thought it should be.
--- End quote ---
Pretty much all of this works equally well as a description of Harry, particularly earlier in the series; I am wondering whether at some point getting more details on his mother's life and actions will be part of more significant character growth for him.
AcornArmy:
--- Quote from: the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh on August 29, 2011, 02:33:22 PM ---I am not seeing the degree of effort Justin puts into training Harry, and that various forces have put into co-opting or corrupting Harry over the course of the series, as compatible with Harry being solely a solution to Maggie's former misdeeds; it seems to me to fit better with Harry's existence being part of the same plan, which Maggie tries to hack for the purposes of good. The timing of Maggie's death also makes more sense to me if Lord R and possibly his remaining allies want the Outsiderbane child around and mouldable to their ends, but don't want Maggie there as a potential influence. The utility of a child with special power over Outsiders to a group interested in using Outsiders (for whatever end) seems fairly straightforward to me.
--- End quote ---
Yeah, I didn't mention this part yet, because I didn't want to muddle the rest of it, but I agree. I've been calling Harry an "Outsiderbane," because that's what we've been calling whatever it is that he is, but the truth seems to be more complicated than that. Especially after GS, when HWWB seemed to be testing Harry rather than really trying to kill him. It almost seems like the group of Outsider-summoners, whoever they are, think that Harry will be useful to them rather than damaging to their goals.
But maybe Maggie understood something the rest of them didn't, and she saw a way for Harry to become their Achilles' heel, rather than a useful tool. This seems to be what you're thinking, too, so we're probably in agreement on this one. Harry's probably a two-edged sword with regard to the Outsiders. And given that the group hasn't made any serious, concentrated efforts to kill him, I'd guess that they either don't realize he could be used against them, or they think the probability of that is extremely low compared to the potential benefits for themselves.
svb1972:
Is it possible that Maggie used her death curse to kill herself at Harry's birth? That she wanted Harry to group up a specific way? She wanted Malcom to raise him and instill certain values in him, and she felt that her being around and alive just wasn't a viable way to do that?
Duke Blue:
I think you are on to something here but I think you are starting from the wrong place. Maggie was involved in some sort of plan with bad types but I don't think she knew about the outsiders angle until later. The start of this plan probably has to do with the meeting that Eb mentions at the end of Changes where Maggie invited him to a dinner to discuss a plan and then Lord Raith and Arianna were both there. Eb specifically says that Maggie was pitching a plan to him which he didn't want anything to do with. What was that plan? Both White Court Vampires and Red Court Vampires can live without actually killing humans so they might seem like decent groups to try to make a deal with against more dangerous supernatural types. Second, both White Court Vamps and Red Court Infected are kind of half mortal with a dangerous evil spirits in them that give them incredible strength. Thus maybe she got sold on trying to breed some weird hybrid vampire/wizard super race that could fix the world. Besides, if you think about it, we know of exactly one thing that came out Maggie working with Lord Raith which is Thomas. If Thomas was in part the result of an experiment in wizards breeding with WC Vamps then it might explain why she was willing to leave him behind when she ran or why Lord Raith might have protected him so much that she couldn't grab him when she decided to leave.
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: AcornArmy on August 29, 2011, 03:56:45 PM ---Yeah, I didn't mention this part yet, because I didn't want to muddle the rest of it, but I agree. I've been calling Harry an "Outsiderbane," because that's what we've been calling whatever it is that he is, but the truth seems to be more complicated than that. Especially after GS, when HWWB seemed to be testing Harry rather than really trying to kill him. It almost seems like the group of Outsider-summoners, whoever they are, think that Harry will be useful to them rather than damaging to their goals.
--- End quote ---
I think they think they have a reasonable chance of getting him to be a person who will serve their ends. Not necessarily even an explicit ally, considering the degree of havoc Harry wreaks on existing supernatural power groups through acting on his own moral compass and downright stubbornness and the consequences of those actions; a free agent that is undercutting the competition might still count as a win there.
--- Quote ---Harry's probably a two-edged sword with regard to the Outsiders. And given that the group hasn't made any serious, concentrated efforts to kill him, I'd guess that they either don't realize he could be used against them, or they think the probability of that is extremely low compared to the potential benefits for themselves.
--- End quote ---
That's pretty much exactly where I am on that, yes.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version