The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers

The Gods of Pro Wrestling

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vincentric:
While I can see wrestling for some of the battle deities, I don't understand why Vadderung doesn't have more competitors or parallels.

Shouldn't Hephaestus have world renowned engineering firm and Aphrodite a huge modeling agency/cosmetics empire? Is Thoth part of the Librarians?

I hope once we get to this book that we'll learn details about exactly how much power the gods had to give up to remain active in the world.  I also expect to see several different aspects of the Never Never. Seems like the perfect time for realm hopping.

Yuillegan:
I can see that the idea seemed fun to Jim when he first thought of it, but I think perhaps it's a little underdeveloped.

As Morris points out, it's already been done a bit with American Gods (although we'll agree to disagree on the quality of the work).

I think a better way to expand it (as others have mentioned) would be to see gods in various personas/roles they have taken up. So not just professional wrestlers (i.e. WWE or whatever) but also as modern popstars, business icons, pro-atheletes, models, movie stars, and perhaps even more modern takes like influencers and podcast hosts etc. The amount of people who watch Tik Toks versus how many people would watch wrestling...let's just say if you wanted worship the former would be the place to go.

It would be easier to avoid this minefield though if there was no gimmick, if it was simply a book about gods and had a more elemental, esoteric, weird feel. I thought he handled Hades and Ethniu and even Odin quite well. It would be a shame to parody other gods and mythologies. While I think there is room for such things, and some gods might even suit the parody (e.g. Hercules) for some it would be a let down (Thor) or just inappropriate (Aphrodite). Just my take.

Supernatural sometimes went the gimmicky option and often it felt cheesy and a bit empty. Yes, sometimes it worked too but far often less so. I am not saying I want the series to be all grit and darkness either. A big part of the appeal of the series is the humour.

I believe Jim enjoyed some of Rick Riordan's stuff, particularly the Percy Jackson series, and he definitely payed some homage to it with Battle Ground. So I wouldn't be surprised to see more of that. There's been a few interesting takes over the years; Malazan, Craft Sequence, Lucifer (the comics that were a spin-off of the Sandman, and not the travesty that was the TV show - which I believe some found enjoyable but I found it quite difficult as it was such an awful departure). Roger Zelazny dealt with it several times in differing ways - The Chronicles of Amber, Lord of Light, Creatures of Light and Darkness. Each a fascinating take and quite different. Everworld by K.A. Applegate was closer to Percy Jackson but darker and more adult, but also an interesting take. Even the Almighty Johnsons TV show (a New Zealand take on Norse Gods) was quite interesting and often funny, although occasionally a bit lacklustre and a bit dated now.

This poem - The Egg http://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html is quite thought provoking. Oddly enough, I also thought it had some parallels with the Dresden Files but that could be just me seeing things. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse was similar (and I suspect inspired Zelazny's Lord of Light).

Jim will of course do his own take, but considering the many takes that have come before, and the world he has created and the talent he has, I very much hope he will take this opportunity to do something really fantastic. And he really needs to get more into the "Why" that the gods have backed off. A vague "humanity needs to grow up" isn't all that interesting, to me. I understand he doesn't wish to offend but perhaps some background to a major event would be good. Relating it to Outsiders probably would make the most sense.

Conspiracy Theorist:
My theory is that the White God will not permit an entity above a certain power level to dwell within the mortal world as it is too dangerous to reality. Mab is at the limit of the threshold by design. Odin would be too powerful but cut a deal or deals with the White God limiting his power and then taking up the Kringle Mantle to become immortal.Mr Ferro can only exist in his human form.

The really big powers like Hades or the Mothers can exist only in the Never Never without breaking the compact of the White God. The Last Titan probably hid in the NeverNever until her invasion.

If this is correct how can Hades peers interact with the mortal world at their presumed power level, unless they too like Odin have accepted a reduced power level? Their fix is not to take part in major human affairs but at the same time to garner worship to maintain themselves at even their reduced power level.

Have a couple of God’s be pro -wrestlers, but have it as only a wider examination of popular culture e.g. Stephen King is actually the god Phobos, and his “son” Joe Hill is just another in the long line of avatars of Phobos,( all of them horror writers) looking so much alike and that. Have Harry speculate if any of his favourite authors/film makers/comics writers were in fact god’s. If Jim could get Stephen and Joe to go along with the joke and let him use their names,  that would be a lovely meta moment.

Jim has said Thor plays college football, constantly moving around and changing his appearance, so it isn’t all pro -wrestling.

Yuillegan:
Except of course, for most of human history those very entities have been around. What changed, and when did it happen, and why?

Time is only linear to mortals anyway, so arguably these gods and such beings are still a threat to reality. So was the universe just more able to take it before, or were their others (like Time Lords in Doctor Who) who had to go around fixing it? Or has reality changed on a fundamental level that it means gods can no longer operate in any point in history without potentially harming reality? Did reality get weaker?

You suspect Ethniu hid in the Nevernever prior to the invasion of Chicago. But then, why was she allowed to come through at all? Why didn't reality break down locally the moment she showed up in force? My guess is that it's less about a compact with the White God, and more about how he told them to leave, and the breaking of that rule forces the wheel of fate to run them over. It's not so much a direct response with a bolt from Heaven, but their choices force reality to crush them. Ethniu didn't realise just by entering she was playing a rigged game of multi-dimensional chess (or if she did, she was wildly optimistic about her chances) against the Creator.

I do like your idea about pop-culture gods. I think there is definitely something there. It would be fun to get some other authors involved like his friends Sanderson and Rothfuss etc. 

Indeed, I do remember the Thor quote - I suspect he is leaving himself options there. Although I must admit, I wonder why the Storm God, known for slaying Jotuns, would bother playing football. Would that really be exciting to him? Unless he is barely more than mortal himself. Which then leads me back to the whole "it would be a waste of such a fun and exciting god" thing. But yes, clearly not all gods will be pro-wrestlers.

morriswalters:
Obviously Elon Musk is one of them. He has his own cult and everything.  But I digress.

I didn't see any indication that the Titan was in anyway special. Certainly not in any reality bending way. I suspect the Mothers stay where they are because if they don't they become blind to what is happening in other  timelines.

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