The Bodies

[TheCuriousFan]

We know from the end of Battle Ground that the US government decided to conceal the events of Battle Ground. A large number of the corpses like the Octokongs and various other creatures dissolve into ectoplasm and other forms of goop on death which would help a lot in any coverup. There's at least one giant exception though.

Flesh and blood exploded from the Jotun in a cloud of aerial chum. I could see Svangar’s cracked and blackened collarbone and his freaking spine through the hole in his neck. The Jotun staggered, his shoulder smashing into a building, raised his axe one last time—and fell as it dropped from his suddenly nerveless fingers.

The giant’s body crushed two cars and knocked over a streetlight as it came down. One outflung hand landed not three feet from my toes.

And suddenly the street was silent and very still.

I got up and walked toward her, taking slow steps, wide around the fallen Jotun.

This body (and the bodies of the other jotun) doesn't really seem to be dissolving into ectoplasm which means it's gonna be lying there right when a legion of journalists arrive on the scene (and they'll have started moving the moment Chicago ate an EMP) followed by a bunch of emergency workers with smartphones. How exactly is this story going to get buried when there's at least a dozen pieces of proof requiring construction equipment to move lying around? Photos and videos of the corpses would be all over the internet with no hope of suppression within the hour.

[Snark Knight]

You're absolutely right. That, and the likelihood at least some people in the helicopter squadron would talk, are going to make the whole "Chicago believes but the coverup worked outside" thing go plot-holey if it lasts more than a few days to weeks in-universe.

[Wicked Woodpecker of West]

That's generally a problem. I think also overall DF can be bit wonky about material vs spiritual status of certain beings.

[Avernite]

I agree, and I think that's why the Accords need Harry. It was foreshadowed after all - the cover-up felt like a bit of a backtrack to imply the truth isn't quite coming out, it's just seeping out.

Major news networks will cast doubt on the images because someone else had the scoop, others will say it's true, the whole thing gets talked to death, and in the end everyone will know the truth.

But - what truth? Non-human humans exist is quite a different truth than 'there is a whole supernatural world'. The former should become clear if strange, the latter will take much longer outside Chicago.

[Mira]

  Yes. It was clear from their post battle meeting that the Accords do not intend to include humanity.  I wonder if Marcone hadn't taken up the coin, if he would have been included?

[Snark Knight]

  Yes. It was clear from their post battle meeting that the Accords do not intend to include humanity.  I wonder if Marcone hadn't taken up the coin, if he would have been included?

Yes, because none of the others knew he had the coin, until Harry subtly outed him with the "Sir Baron"?

(Well, Vadderung maybe knew beforehand, but he wasn't talking).

[Mira]

Yes, because none of the others knew he had the coin, until Harry subtly outed him with the "Sir Baron"?

(Well, Vadderung maybe knew beforehand, but he wasn't talking).

Notice though, the most important bit, Marcone did not speak up for the people of Chicago.  He was going along with the "war" against humanity argument.  I think the other members know more than you think, having the coin would account for Marcone's "leadership" in Peace Talks..  Would Baron Marcone have stood up so bravely if he had been sans coin?

[hiddendotgif]

Wasnt the whole border between the real world and the Nevernever thin during that time? I think that was mentioned
I think that since the border was thin, the bodies of some things didn't dissolve until after the whole thing

[TheCuriousFan]

Wasnt the whole border between the real world and the Nevernever thin during that time? I think that was mentioned
I think that since the border was thin, the bodies of some things didn't dissolve until after the whole thing

But these are also guys who primarily spent their time in the physical world underwater (that's why no one saw the Fomor coming) and physical stuff means having actual bodies instead of needing to cobble together some ectoplasm.

[hiddendotgif]

Valid point

[Yuillegan]

Seems like more of the unbelievable path that Jim is going down that mortals wouldn't notice anything.

Insanely ridiculous. Ethiopia's capital has just been invaded by it's own army and it made headlines. If a sizeable conflict happened in the most powerful and visible country on the planet....I think the jig would be up. Look at 9/11 and that was only two buildings and 3000 dead. 60,000 dead and a few hundred buildings destroyed? I don't buy it. Chicago would be placed under martial law, there would probably be a war with "someone" assuming that there were no supernaturals to be found. It would also probably cause an enormous market crash, just like after 9/11. It's like Jim didn't even bother to research what happened after the single greatest attack on American soil, and then decided to write about a fictional event that is several thousand times bigger and just say "life wouldn't be too different".

Jim had a golden opportunity to break the masquerade and naturally progress the series along. Instead he seems to want to regress and give Harry some downtime to be a Dad. It's just beggars belief.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

The Masquerade is over in Chicago which means that it is test bed for the rest of the world.

[Yuillegan]

The Masquerade is over in Chicago which means that it is test bed for the rest of the world.

Yes and no. Apparently the world thinks chemical weapons caused mass hallucinations. I'd say it's on the threshold of being out in the open, but I'd expect a lot of Inquisition-style "there's no such thing as magic" rather than "RUN! MONSTERS!" for the mean time. Doesn't mean there won't be lots of people, everyday people, who will know that the supernatural is out there and will be much more involved. Plus the Librarians are going to show up now which should be fine.

[TheCuriousFan]

In fact, this thread was made to point out that there will be tons of people with an easy source of evidence (to say nothing of the rest of the battle) that's really difficult to hide for common people coming in from out of town thanks to smartphones and jounalists. Once they see the obviously non-human bodies and the damage in no way caused by chemical weapons it's an easy step from there to accounts from Chicago getting out into the world from a trustworthy source.

[Griffyn612]

Depends on if the Feds have a tech wizard that can take out evidence as soon as it's posted online. Not a literal wizard, but your typical i-can-do-anything-you-imagine guy-in-a-chair. Or they work with Athena, who can connect to any device on the web.