The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers

At what age does Talent usually manifest?

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Ed0517:

--- Quote from: g33k on April 10, 2022, 07:28:21 AM ---Usually at puberty, yes.

But that age varies, person to person; anywhere between 8-13 is considered a "normal" age for girls in the USA (9-14 for boys).

Puberty itself then lasts 2-5 years, and I'd expect powers to manifest nearer the middle or end of puberty, than at the beginning.

HOWEVER: it's very possible Maggie won't have any powers at all:  in the Dresdenverse, "salic law" suggests it (mostly) follows the maternal line, and Susan hadn't the slightest bit of magical talent.


--- End quote ---

Mostly, yes... but wasn't there a WOJ that Maggie Sr.'s mom was a vanilla human - she got it from Daddy Eb

g33k:

--- Quote from: Ed0517 on April 11, 2022, 02:38:05 AM --- Mostly, yes... but wasn't there a WOJ that Maggie Sr.'s mom was a vanilla human - she got it from Daddy Eb
--- End quote ---

"Mostly" is one of those words that, in alt-universe fiction, means "could easily go either way."
 ;)
I repeat my prior caveat:

--- Quote from: g33k on April 10, 2022, 07:28:21 AM --- ...  Maggie will (or won't) show powers according to Jim Butcher's plan for her and Harry; as for when?  Whenever it's most-inconvenient to her dad, of course!
--- End quote ---
In-universe likelihood/genetics/etc is irrelevant; authorial intent is what decides this!

Conspiracy Theorist:

--- Quote from: g33k on April 11, 2022, 10:35:43 AM ---"Mostly" is one of those words that, in alt-universe fiction, means "could easily go either way."
 ;)
I repeat my prior caveat:In-universe likelihood/genetics/etc is irrelevant; authorial intent is what decides this!

--- End quote ---

We have never seen the White God, I suspect it may be Jim Butcher, and he doesn’t believe in free will for his subjects at all. He knows what is going to happen to Maggie, she has no choice in the matter.

BrainFireBob:

--- Quote from: g33k on April 11, 2022, 10:35:43 AM ---"Mostly" is one of those words that, in alt-universe fiction, means "could easily go either way."
 ;)
I repeat my prior caveat:In-universe likelihood/genetics/etc is irrelevant; authorial intent is what decides this!

--- End quote ---

We're told enough to know that there are two factors involved.

1) Genetic predisposition. It's inheritable.
2) There seems to be a "turn-on" element from exposure to magical energy in the womb/early childhood. This was explained with reference to Molly and Charity- Charity was still packing juju when she was pregnant with Molly, but not with Daniel, so Molly's switch was flipped to "on."

This also would explain the "Salic law" tendency of magic inheritance. If mama's got the juju, the fetus is automatically exposed. If Dad does; he needs to be using magic around his pregnant honey to shave the offspring's odds- say moving her around via the Nevernever, which the paranoid Eb might have done.

Maggie was conceived by Susan and Harry after Mama had a bunch of magic tattoos. Will she manifest? Don't know, but with the crowds Susan ran in with the Fellowship and the War it's possible. Potential's likely to be there from Dresden.

EDIT: What's fascinating is that Butcher has drawn a strong correlation between size and power, at least with the Fae. We've discussed before in other threads, I think Maggie Sr spent most of her pregnancy in fast or slow time Nevernever zones to guarantee Harry would be starborn. Her own height aside, I've long wondered if Harry's near-outlier height is an expression of Butcher's Fae correlation.

Mira:


 Just because one inherited talent it doesn't follow that the other did, example Harry and Thomas.  Thomas can do some ordinary magical things but he is no and never will be a wizard.

So just because Molly got Charity's talent, doesn't mean her brothers would.

As for Susan, we don't know anything about her family line..

Also supposedly Eb's wife, Margaret's mother, was a vanilla human, so talent can come from the male line even though it usually goes through the female.

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