The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers
Souls and Ghosts.
toodeep:
“Chicago-in-between” was a very serious place, and I think a place only accessible to those with a soul.
1. Harry went there and we know he still had his soul, and while there he made the deal that put his soul at risk.
2. We know from Uriel that Carmichael and Jack are both souls because he says that those that are there are there to help them feel more comfortable about moving along to their final judgement.
3. Angels are openly active there as door guards, as are, apparently, very bad things. This differs from our reality significantly.
4. Harry saw no wraiths or other indications of the more normal “ghostly” stuff that then became normal stuff in in the ghostly world showed for the rest of the book.
What I infer from this:
A. Ghosts with souls come back in a not so rare situation. Remember Sir Stuart said, “Sometimes new shades show up claiming they’ve had a run-in with him and that he brought them back from the hereafter.” This would indicate that any returning having seen Jack really were Shades (ghost+soul) and not just ghosts, since anyone going to the in-between must have a soul.
B. To go there and do the job Uriel offered Sir Stuart would require a soul. Without a soul a ghost is just a worn photocopy of a person and lacks the free will that would be needed to have agency in that place.
Other thoughts:
I. Shade is not just used to describe Stuart, Harry, and Capriocorpus in the book. Sir Stuart says that many postal workers leave shades behind. You can argue that Sir Stuart lacks the knowledge/ability to differentiate between a ghost and a shade, but if that is the case then very few people have that ability and that renders the number of uses of the word that count to a too small statistical sample to use for a definitive purpose. (i.e. it could just be that those three people tend to use the term shade rather than ghost)
II. I would be most inclined to believe that Sir Stuart is a shade for two reasons. First, he is possibly the progenitor of a line of ectomancers. While nothing in his demeanor indicates he ever had any inclination toward those abilities, it is possible he had some natural talent that might have encouraged the creation of a shade compared to just a normal ghost. Secondly, he had a massive life span for a ghost. Literally hundreds of years as a fully capable active cogent ghost. This is almost certainly because of his interaction with living ectomancers which I’m sure helped provide him with additional “juice” so that is not a very strong point, but it is still a point.
III. That said, it seems like it offers an “out” to those that wish to avoid death and ultimate justice because if one just knows enough one can keep the soul from moving on, but I guess that has always been an option for people like Kemmler… until someone actually does stop them.
Bad Alias:
--- Quote from: Yuillegan on September 05, 2019, 07:59:16 AM ---In one of the latest DragonCon panels on Ghosts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTq8RMv19Ek&feature=youtu.be, Jim discussed Ghosts, and obviously, Souls. around 24:50
--- End quote ---
Here. This is the first post in this thread. There isn't any digging required.
--- Quote from: Mira on January 14, 2020, 11:46:23 AM --- All dogs go to Heaven.... ::)
--- End quote ---
A strong counterpoint. :)
Cats are agents of the Devil, so they all go to hell. (The first part was actually a belief during the plague).
"I think only souls can go to Chicago-in-between. Uriel hires Sir Stuart. Sir Stuart must be a soul." I don't find that logic chain convincing.
Who says Mort isn't the first ectomancer in his family?
Arjan:
--- Quote from: Bad Alias on January 15, 2020, 03:54:46 AM ---Who says Mort isn't the first ectomancer in his family?
--- End quote ---
Because magical talent is often inherited so morty's talent makes it more likely that his ancestors had the same talent.
Sir Stuarts Shade having such a strong and lasting presense supports that idea as well. It points to a strong spirit in life which points to spiritual power which is what an ectomancer needs to fuel his magic.
Morty being an ectomancer just makes it more likely that Sir Stuart had the talent to stay behind as a shade just like Morty can probably do so if he wants to.
Arjan:
--- Quote from: Bad Alias on January 15, 2020, 03:54:46 AM ---"I think only souls can go to Chicago-in-between. Uriel hires Sir Stuart. Sir Stuart must be a soul." I don't find that logic chain convincing.
--- End quote ---
Knowing Uriel? Everytime he turns up souls are the only thing he cares about. The only thing he thinks are really important. It is all about souls with Uriel. Everything he does is about souls.
Empoying Sir Stuart is about souls as well
Arjan:
--- Quote from: Bad Alias on January 15, 2020, 03:54:46 AM ---A strong counterpoint. :)
Cats are agents of the Devil, so they all go to hell. (The first part was actually a belief during the plague).
--- End quote ---
That was actually a heresy and the plague was the white gods punishment for harming those beings created in his image. There are far more humans than cats in hell.
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