Jim will also be doing an AMA ("Ask Me Anything") on Reddit (http://www.reddit.com/r/dresdenfiles/comments/10v4vh/mod_message_jim_butcher_ama/)'s /r/fantasy section on November 20th. The AMA will be posted that morning, and folks will have all day to come up with questions and "upvote" the questions of others, so the best ones bubble to the top. Jim will start answering questions around 7pm or 8pm Central.
Since it's unlikely to be a plot point in the future due to events in Changes, I suppose it's an appropriate question for this thread: what is the true origin of the Red Court? Are they actually originally native to the Nevernever (and were a Nevernever "species" before they encountered humans) or did they begin as "altered" humans? If the former, were they different than the Rampires we know before they first encountered humans (and since then have copied human traits)?
And when did they originate/first encounter humanity? PG suggests the Red King is 4000 years old, but Changes says that Arianna is older than human written language (which would make her at least 5000+; Sumerian cuneiform writing originated sometime before 3000 BC) and that she was turned by the Red King - so is younger than him.
In Dead Beat, Bob says that Kemmler was put down for the last time in 1961.
It so happens that on October 30th, 1961 (Halloween Eve), the Russians supposedly exploded the "Tsar Bomb", the largest man-made explosion ever, somewhere in the Arctic Circle.
Is this:
1. A coincidence
2. Exploded by the Russians as attempt by the mortal authorities to cover up the destruction caused by the supernatural energies involved in taking Kemmler down.
3. Actually the result of Kemmler's Death Curse?
Changes Question....(click to show/hide)
What can be soulgazaed besides humans? Could Harry soulgaze Mouse?
A question for Jim regarding the Barabbus curse. How many times can Nic mandate a death with the curse? Are there any limitations on who can be targeted and how many times a person can be targeted? Inquiring minds want to know, though mostly just I want to know.
Jim, you mentioned that wizard "Listens-to-the-Wind was of the Illinois. That was a sizable confederacyEditor: This is a bamph question. -Serack
made up of a number of cognate tribes: Peoria, Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Cahokia, and Tamaroa, to name
the five most populous. Listens-to-the-Wind also spoke about the annihilation of his tribe because of his
refusal to intervene.
As one who has studied the Illiniwek in depth, I concluded that Listens-to-the-Wind spoke of one of three
battles: the devastation of Kaskaskia (Village) in 1680, the extermination of the Tamaroa sub-tribe shortly thereafter,
or the siege at Starved Rock.
Did LTW refer to one of these three historically recorded events or something lost through the ages?
This is the link to my Illini web site and the pertinent sub-unit: Scholarly citations are provided.
http://rfester.tripod.com/iroq.html
Has Jim said if Rich (Murphy's Ex/Brother-in-Law)(click to show/hide)
I'd like to know if anything happened with Rich. I mean, yes Jim has only used him in 2 books, but I'd figure he & the other members of the Murphy clan might come back into play eventually
Kevin
Of course, my evil half(click to show/hide)
First, if Stoker and Lovecraft were "on to something", what about Mary Shelly? Do Dr. Frankenstein's experiments exist in the DV and if so what happened to his Monster?
Second, who is Peter Pan? NeverNever, Neverland, is there something going on here?
This is basically the question I wanted to ask, but I'll expand a little bit...Are there any other notable "fiction" authors who got killed for their works? My short list includes Aesop, the Grimms, H.G. Wells and especially Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. The "between worlds" place featured in "The Magician's Nephew" sounds awful Neverneverish.
Bagga.
I need to do some pratice first in another area since I am not good at doing so yet, but I will be splicing the responses to the old version to this one, so no need to repost.
Before I saw that you had posted your own version of this thread I had already posted pretty much all of the saved questions that were not archived in the most recent iteration (http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,16353.0.html) of this thread.
You can pull the code from my OP using the quote function.
I went through a great deal of effort looking for the significant questions in the old thread last year and have a personal list archived (I filtered based off of what had already been answered {in or out of text}, what was not likely to get an "I'm not gonna tell you," and a little bit of personal preference). I've already posted the first of the those questions in my OP, along with a formatting that linked to the origional question... I might put it in quote code later...
I've got some RL projects to concentrate on, and then family visiting for the weekend so I'm not sure how much more time I will be able to spend on this in the immediate future...
Ok, I've done the best I can. As my edit into the OP says, I can't seem to get any posts from the old topic posted before this one was made to show up under the OP, so anyone that already posted in the old topic before this one was made will have to repost here. (possibly due to my inexperience merging)
Edit: Oh, and Bagga is Serack internet speak for dangit. At the time, I thought you had created your own version before I had. This is because I had discussed this possibility with Quantus, and had done a search to see if he had before creating mine, and thought I had missed yours in my search.
was Sue a black court?Im not sure I understand what you are asking. Are you saying you think when Harry created her he in fact created a Vampire T-Rex?
Im not sure I understand what you are asking. Are you saying you think when Harry created her he in fact created a Vampire T-Rex?
That's precisely it, Ms Duck has a theory that the Black Court were made by a necromancer on accident and that Harry accidentally made the same accident with Sue.ah, kk. Im not sure I buy that for a stack of reasons, but it would be undeniably cool. If that does turn out to be the case, I'd imagine her being found in some hunting Preserve managed by the Erlking; He was a big fan of Sue.
ah, kk. Im not sure I buy that for a stack of reasons, but it would be undeniably cool. If that does turn out to be the case, I'd imagine her being found in some hunting Preserve managed by the Erlking; He was a big fan of Sue.
How did Cowl survive the Dark Hollow?
As a side note, we have WoJ that Sue will rise again.
And what are the odds that after I wake up (I'm about to go to sleep) I'm going to find several pages of questions waiting for me?
I think this one we have a reasonably solid answer implied in the text, though; Cowl and Kumori are very quick at disappearing into the NN when faced by the Alphas earlier in DB.True, but it occured to me that with Cowl channeling all his focus and power into the DH he and Kumori might have had to rely on alternative means the intant before they died.
True, but it occured to me that with Cowl channeling all his focus and power into the DH he and Kumori might have had to rely on alternative means the intant before they died.Only if Kumori could not, for some reason, open the way herself. She got scared by Bob-Rex, then Harry shoved her away (letting her cut his throat a little) and then turned to slug Cowl and disrupt the DH. That would have given her plenty of time to open a way and yank him through before the backlash "tore apart every enchantment within a hundred miles". And not only that, she would have had a knife stained with Harry's Blood... Creepy thought.
Can the Sight be fooled? That angel in changes was able to shut it down before the Sight hurt harry, but could a being of sufficient power actually hide from the sight? -Quantus
Who drew thw pentangle on the tree(aybe it was stone?) leading to the white council HQ in Turncoat?Tree near Edinburgh, a Stone (a Menhir, technically) carved by Maggie Sr. on the first leg to CI, in Changes (went from a NN forest to Giza)
I would like to ask if Harry will go on the Larry Fowler Show again. It might be an insignificant question on its face, but I think it might be an important moment if it occurs. Aside from from settling Harry's legal problems, it might represent a turning point in how Harry both handles his mundane problems and presents himself to the outside world.would be cool if that's how he make his re-appearance back in the world and Murphy, Marcone, Alphas everyone find out he's alive :D
What are the abilities of the swords of the cross?
Is it possible for wizards to use body altering magics to extend their lifespans?
Do wizards gain power (not just skill) as they age like every other supernatural group seems to?
Also, I'm already on the reserve post on the first day.
Yah, I ment to do 2 or 3, but someone responded before I could. I don't know if I am still restricted, but in the past I could only post once every 30 seconds.
The 3rd post is mine, so you can take it if you need it. Not sure if I can somehow give you control, or if you just want to PM me with the content. Whatever is easiest for you :)
Will there be a changling brother named Richard? This way we get a Tom, Dick, and Harry trio.
As to the other events that Eb caused one of them mentioned was New Madrid. I would assume that references a series of massive earthquakes in the New Madrid, MO area in the early 1800's (around 1818-1820) that estimates of the power range from the high 8's to the low 9's on the Richter scale. I was said the quake rang churchbells as far away as Philledelphia and made the Mississippi River run backwards for a brief period of time.
Are the White Court, Red Court and Black Court types of phages like Shagnasty and Titania's messenger in Summer Knight imply?I think this is a general Latin question more than anything. "Phage" basically just means "feeds". in SK titania called them "Anthrophages" which literally translates to "Eater of Humans". In PG, the fetches are classified as "Phobophages", since they fed on fear. I didnt read anything more into the terms than Harry's (and probably the Councils) love of using Latin. Kinda like the Chlorofiend, which sounds better but literally translates to "Plant Monster".
“I think he did. This thing has got to be some kind of phobophage.”
“A what?”
“It’s a spiritual entity that feeds on fear. It attacks in order to scare people, and feeds on the emotion.”
I'm not sure how Serack did it, he may have gotten extra privileges for his services on this forum (such as how he got that Special Collections Division title above his avatar).
Or maybe he just knows more about fiddling with posts than I do.
How about I move a bunch of questions into reply 2 (Quantus') to make room for new material in reply 1.
When did Orange Bob separate Evil Bob from himself?
He's answered NO in all caps the last time someone answered about there being another brother, so no, there will be no brother named Richard.
And the rest of your questions are too spoilery to be answered most likely.
We could still hold out hope that Ebeneezer's middle name might be Richard. :D
Oh, I'm hoping we get to meet Eb's sister, because her name is so obviously Flo.
* If Lara was forced into a psychical confrontation with Harry where her only option of surviving was to kill him, could she pull it off and what would she need to do it?.
I don't think Bianca would have been able to take on super-ghouls and a skin walker or survive a pointblank landmine like Lara did.
Harry was never exactly the run in the book-verse. Lea helped boost his magical muscle (mostly by boosting his confidence) before he went up against Justin. Harry laid low from Justin between the time Harry waxed He Who Walks Behind and when Harry went back to settle up with DuMorne). Then he slugged it out with Justin, burned down the only thing he'd ever had that was close to a home, apparently killing the girl he loved in the process, and got snatched by the Wardens at the scene.
TV-verse it works out a bit differently, starting with the fact that Harry himself was quite a bit older when the showdown with Justin happened. The actual interaction with Bianca in "Bad Blood" is totally different than the books, but extremely Harry. I mean, if someone like TV-Bianca had ever stumbled over book-Harry in the midst of his entire lifetime's single biggest moment of vulnerability . . .
My call on it is that Bianca is partaking much more heavily of Lara Raith's vibe than the Leanansidhe's. There's a little more peer-to-peer respect to their interactions, rather than the quasi-condescending vibe from the Godmother. More than that, though, the book Bianca was a fundamentally frightened and insecure person. It was what made her dangerous, really, and it's ultimately what got her killed.
Lara's a much stronger (not-quite)person, much more confident, much more dangerous, even if she isn't as physically formidable as book-Bianca was. She's much more of a player, leader, seducer than book-Bianca, and far better able to mess with Dresden's head.
TV-Bianca has way more in common with Lara.
Jim
* Does being a Winter/Summer Knight mean you still have to follow the first law of magic?For ethically purposes? Yea. At least for Harry.
For ethically purposes? Yea. At least for Harry.
Politically? No. I dont think the WC could get away with killing a Fea Knight for breaking their rules.
What's the deal with Stonehenge? Harry mentions in Storm Front that is is a large scale Focus, and that you could tap it for magical energy). Is it just focusing ley lines or some such, to build some sort of energy reservoir, or is it a focus item with particular purpose, like harry's various wizard tools?
9) How old is the Gatekeeper?
From jeno:
1) How old were Eb and Maggie Sr when they first manifested a talent?
2) How can Kusanagi be a Sword of the Cross when it predates the crucifixion?
3) How many sisters does Thomas have?
2) Would you(Jim) please clarify exactly who the Faerie Queens can personally kill and who they can't? And also whether these limitations extend to having other fae kill mortals? At various times in Summer Knight and in the rest of the series, we've been told or seen evidence that:
-- The Sidhe Knights are the only ones allowed to act in matters not directly related to the Faerie Courts. (SK, Ch. 10)
-- The Queens are not allowed to kill anyone who isn't a member of their own Court. (SK, Ch. 10)
And yet:
-- We've seen fae servants of the Faerie Queens kill and attempt to kill mortals many times.
-- Aurora was able to try to kill Harry just fine, but was unable to harm Murphy. (SK, Ch. 20-21)
-- When Harry is preparing to deal with Mab to become the Winter Knight, he thinks to himself that Mab can't kill a mortal, only make them wish they were dead. The implication seems to include the Winter Knight. (Changes, Ch. 30)
So which mortals can the Faerie Queens kill? Bob tells us one thing, but evidence in the books indicates something else.
The only time I remember the Queens acting directly to kill, was in Summer Knight. And the only death I recall off hand is Maeve killing that musician, who obviously had a bargain. The other times I've seen killing, it's been by agents & proxies of the Courts, not the Queens themselves.
Aurora wielded the Chlorofiend in Summer Knight in several blatant attempts to kill Harry. And the thing could harm Harry perfectly well, but it didn't seem to be able to hurt Murphy much at all.
While chapter 10 does imply that the Queens can only harm those in their Court, I got the impression that they could kill those in the other Court as well. I mean, Harry proved to be able to take out Aurora through treachery & deceit. A Summer & Winter Knight tends to be a smidgen more powerful that that.
If a Queen couldn't protect herself from a Knight of the opposing Court, you'd think the the lesser Queens would be switched a bit more often.
Then again, Aurora was slightly mad, so her madness might have allowed her to make an attempt on Harry (who was temporarily alligned with Winter). But not an unaffiliated mortal.
Okay, but-- still need Jim on it, imho.
Uhm, I think that's kinda been touched on. It's a place of power, like Chicken Pizza (Marcone implied that there were more than one). The design is different, but the structures focus the energies of the Ley line, to whatever purpose you intend. (I expect Jim is sticking with the Druids built it theory.)I had always thought the Pentagon seemed a little coincidental. And the Egyptian monolith dedicated to George Washington...
The Pyramids, Greek/Roman structures are likely the same sort of thing in the Dresden verse. Maybe even some old churches as well.
I mean, yes The White God uses faith magic, but is at least aware of the other kind. And before it's falling out with Wizards, the various faiths might have consulted with wizards for locations.
The Vatican, is likely, since didn't Harry say that the White Council once operated out of it?
And maybe even the statue of Liberty & some various other modern monuments might be repurposed by Jim for similar means.
Does the ritual for becoming Summer/Winter Knight grant expert use of Unseelie/Seelie Magic?
Already asked IIRC.
And please stop it with the dot points, they're annoying to copy-paste around.
And full stops after question marks are not necessary.
Sorry,didn't know it was a problem.
Okay then.Veterans have seen the "I'm not gonna tell you" song and dance too many times ;D
Also, I'm kind of impressed with the amount of questions you're asking, I'm probably the only one who's asked more. Which is kind of disappointing with the amount of veterans who should have years of questions stocked up on this board. :)
Veterans have seen the "I'm not gonna tell you" song and dance too many times
The theory I've heard espoused most often is the ability to sense such energies makes it possible for a regular person to become a wizard, providing the kind of sensory feedback he needs to gradually work with more and more energy.
Okay then.Thanks, I re-read the Dresden Files on a constant basis so I'm always curious about things I didn't notice before hand or things I have questions about . Plus I try and think of questions that won't get the I'm not gonna tell you response.
Also, I'm kind of impressed with the amount of questions you're asking, I'm probably the only one who's asked more. Which is kind of disappointing with the amount of veterans who should have years of questions stocked up on this board. :)
Thanks, I re-read the Dresden Files on a constant basis so I'm always curious about things I didn't notice before hand or things I have questions about . Plus I try and think of questions that won't get the I'm not gonna tell you response.
Where did Maeve find Slate at and how long had he been a Knight for ?
Could Luccio take Shiro or Nick on in duel in terms of pure swordsmanship ?
What type of Magic did Warden Yoshimo use to make a tree come alive in DB
Okay then.
Also, I'm kind of impressed with the amount of questions you're asking, I'm probably the only one who's asked more. Which is kind of disappointing with the amount of veterans who should have years of questions stocked up on this board. :)
Did the Wardens find Justin's corpse? (Here's hoping this puts the Justin is still alive theories to rest).It's so cute that you think that.
It's so cute that you think that.
I know it won't convince the most stubborn supporters of the theory, but it will shut down the less zealous ones.
I think the reality is, we know that if JB has time to answer some questions, he's only going to have time to answer a few questions. The idea isn't to come up with a billion questions you'd like to know the answer to, but two or three really good ones that can give you a deep insight into Harry, the Dresdenverse, or a few of the important characters without getting an "I'm not gonna tell you." Think of it this way, Jim has time to answer five of your questions, come up with five good ones with out getting the dreaded "I'm not gonna tell you."Well My six good ones to add on the front page would be this:
What is Justine's last name, and how old is she? (let me know if this has been answered somewhere, I cant find it)
I think Thomas mentions in Backup when he first met Justine. Pretty sure it was in zero, and quite sure (though not pretty sure) that she was underage at the time.
"It's a family business," Thomas explained. He put the keys back into his pocket, an odd expression on his face. "I met Justine at Zero."
Thomas says that he met Justine in Zero during TC,and I'm pretty sure the underaged part was evidenced in GP.
I'll try looking it up
I think I remember the underage thing is at least conjecture in Priscilla's timeline. Not sure if the books support the notion or not.
However, you might want to start your research there & see what it says on the matter.
0-1 BSF, late winter?: Thomas and Justine become involved. This is "nearly five years" before the events of Blood Rites, which takes place in late Autumn of 4 BSF [BR 14]. Justine is about 16, and Thomas is in his early thirties.(click to show/hide)
I don't know where she gets the 5 years from but...That, I can find:
"How long have you been seeing her now?"
"Four years," Thomas said. "Almost five."
ah, kk. Im not sure I buy that for a stack of reasons, but it would be undeniably cool. If that does turn out to be the case, I'd imagine her being found in some hunting Preserve managed by the Erlking; He was a big fan of Sue.
I've got the beginings of a question, but it requires a bit of research to shore it up.
In White Night, Harry says something to the effect that no 2 wizards will enter the Never Never at the exact same point, because no two Wizards share the same set of emotions & thoughts (or something along those lines).
But from what we've seen in the series, this doesn't seem to work.
Everyone on the White Council uses the same entry/exit point for Chicago, or else what was the point in having Vince watch a single location?
Also, Maggie's gem. Seems to me, that Harry is using all the same entry & exits points she used to use.
And in Ghost Story, Harry told Molly that an opening close to Corpsetaker's HQ, would get him in the same NN general area. Which again, makes me not fully understand what Harry was on about in White Night.
Then I'd ask if Jim could explain this all.
The problem here, is that my views are a bit long winded & don't come to the point. Plus, my memory might be faulty & I'm missing some points.
I intend to do the research into this, but if anyone wants to take this question & do the footwork, I'm fine with this.
Kevin
Here's another one I've been meaning to ask; when all the series is released, would Jim consider talking publicly about the original plan for it and what changed along the way ?
(I'm fascinated by writers' process, and I'm fascinated by very-long-form stories.)
He has mentioned that the whole coin kerfuddle is something that he developed along the way. Butters was supposed to be just a one off character, but he stuck around.
So, unless you just want to reiterate these items, you might want to reword your question, so it doesn't cover already trodden ground.
According to Ebenezer, Maggie LaFey was guilty of Violating the First Law, which indicates both that she Killed someone with magic, and that she got caught. Who did she kill and why?
Does Elaine have any children? (not with Harry).I am sure she would have told Harry. Unless there are a few summer changelings running around :)
We'll probably find out eventually.perhaps. I give it a 50/50 chance of being something that will get a singsong refusal. It could be something that will be central to the arc (so we'll just have to wait and see), or it could be a simple backstory element that is part of her overall decent into the Black, an event that was more about her loosing control that the actual situation (so he could share without spoiling anything). But even the refusal will tell us something.
What I'd really like, I suppose, would be to see the original series plan published; possibly if there's a collection of short stories that comes out after the novel, that would make sense.
Are there White Court Vampire Wizards/Sorcerers? What can you tell us about their power and skill compared to White Council Wizards?
Are there White Court Vampire Wizards/Sorcerers? What can you tell us about their power and skill compared to White Council Wizards?Yep, here's the WoJ
'Are there White Court vampire wizards?'
Yes, there are. Thomas is middle-of-the-road in power and [ed: think I'm remembering this correctly] the strongest don't get as strong as mortal wizards [/ed], but they can pull off some strong tricks with their Hunger.
From what i remember in Dracula it sounded like a turned persons soul was trapped until they were killed for good. Is this what happens in the Dresdenverse with the Black and Red courts?That is because of the idea that the soul is indestructible and eventually will end up in heaven or hell but there are strong suggestions that this is not necessarily true in the dresdenverse. So nobody knows what happens to the soul of a red court vampire's former human. Or that of a changeling.
That is because of the idea that the soul is indestructible and eventually will end up in heaven or hell but there are strong suggestions that this is not necessarily true in the dresdenverse. So nobody knows what happens to the soul of a red court vampire's former human. Or that of a changeling.True
TrueSeeing as she's dead, I suspect that Lord Raith (or any other Raith) wouldn't be able to, er, induce lust to feed on her. And, good god man, that's an appalling mental image anyways.
Another question a bit more relevant to the story for Jim: What kinds of countermeasures does Mavra have to insure enemies like Lord Raith cant get to her through magic?
Seeing as she's dead, I suspect that Lord Raith (or any other Raith) wouldn't be able to, er, induce lust to feed on her. And, good god man, that's an appalling mental image anyways.
My question is True Love protects against Raiths and other lust-based White Court Vampires. Would it protect against a Skavis or Malvora White Court Vampire?
Yep, here's the WoJ
I have a question. This is completely random, but if Mab had to take over Harry's responcibilities when he died, does that mean that she had to pay for the Guard's Pizza?
Which Q&A did you get that from?It was from Serack's WoJ list, looks like it's an unverified one from the 2011 Naperville signing.
Seeing as she's dead, I suspect that Lord Raith (or any other Raith) wouldn't be able to, er, induce lust to feed on her. And, good god man, that's an appalling mental image anyways.:o :o :o...i was kind of thinking more of death through entrothy curse like that one blamp in BR. Im now drunk on brain bleach after picturing a Mavra/Lord Raith ship.
My question is True Love protects against Raiths and other lust-based White Court Vampires. Would it protect against a Skavis or Malvora White Court Vampire?
Seeing as she's dead, I suspect that Lord Raith (or any other Raith) wouldn't be able to, er, induce lust to feed on her. And, good god man, that's an appalling mental image anyways.
My question is True Love protects against Raiths and other lust-based White Court Vampires. Would it protect against a Skavis or Malvora White Court Vampire?
Someone get the Duck in here to write some MavraxLord Raith poetry.There was a little bit of Her in him (rather than an active link such as you normally see with traditional magic)
And another question, where did the power for the Hellfire come from? And if it came from Lasciel, how did it get through all the barriers Harry put between himself and the Coin?
"Um, right," he said. "Back to business. Uh, your soul. You give away pieces of yourself all the time. Everyone does. Some of it goes out with your magic, too. It grows back. Relax, boss."
"If it's no big deal," I said, "then why is it so interesting?"
"Oh, well," Bob said. "It is energy, you know. And I wonder if maybe… maybe… well, look, Harry. There was a tiny bit of Lasciel's energy in you, supporting the entity, giving you access to Hellfire. That's gone now, but the entity had to have had some kind of power source to turn against the essence of its own originator."
"So it was running off my soul? Like I'm some kind of battery?"
Was there a price for Hellfire? Soulfire uses Harry's own soul as tinder. You've said that Hellfire is sort of an opposite side of the coin. So, did Hellfire also burn up Harry's soul?
On a guess, Soulfire trends towards bad bits & Hellfire targets the good bits of a soul?
I'm guessing Lasciel was footing the bill for Hellfire usage for Harry since he never experienced the Soulfire slump when using Hellfire.
Eh, I don't really see Lashiel's Shadow, just giving Harry something for nothing. Plus, if it had the same price tag, it might explain some things.
She would give him things for free with the only cost being growing dependent on her, that's part of why she was so damn tempting, she didn't have any cost to use other than growing dependent on her and her potentially being able to use that to one day make you take up a coin.Hellfire twisted harry like bad magic. That's why he started getting rage problems when he was using it. At least, that's what I've always assumed the side effect was
Hellfire twisted harry like bad magic. That's why he started getting rage problems when he was using it. At least, that's what I've always assumed the side effect was
That was Lash screwing with his subconscious.Are you sure? Because it seemed to get extremely overwhelming when he was actually using it. He never flew into a lusting for death rage unless he had hellfire running through his system
Are you sure? Because it seemed to get extremely overwhelming when he was actually using it. He never flew into a lusting for death rage unless he had hellfire running through his systemDidn't he have a passage about how he'd love to kill Trixie Vixen and how he was nanoseconds away from killing her in BR when all he'd done was throw coffe at her and beat her physicaly?
I suspect some of what Harry says in regard to Trixie Vixen is hyperbole, though I didn't reread that section. Also, she made her appearance in Blood Rites, not Proven Guilty.of course she did. why would anyone say anything else?
That was Lash screwing with his subconscious.Hmmm, I wonder if that was literal... I mean, the inner guy seems to be that kind of asshole, and lash seemed all for it ???
Hmmm, I wonder if that was literal... I mean, the inner guy seems to be that kind of asshole, and lash seemed all for it ???
QuoteDemonreach may not be friendly to humans but he is not violent to others. All the animals on the Island are welcome and make their homes there. While he may have a dark nature, nothing on the Island is corrupt or foul.
Two of these three sentences are precisely, absolutely correct. One of them is lethally half-right. :)
This is something from another thread that we just cant seem to solve:
In TC, was the Eye-twitching trance the Gatekeeper used a precognition effect, and if so why could it not see that harry had made the Sanctum bond until Harry was actually touching the island?
I realize this is meant for Jim, but I thought I might be able to help a little. The Gatekeeper pretty much had to be using precognition during the eye-twitching, didn't he? The context clearly seems to indicate this. I don't know if we can call what he did a "trance," though-- he mostly just seemed to be occupied by an activity, one which was taking place in his mind. That's not necessarily to say that he was unaware of his surroundings, though.Hop on over (http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,33398.0.html), we are discussing this one in depth, but cant seem to find a good answer. I dont want hold things up by rehashing all the arguments here.
As for the other question-- it seems like the Gatekeeper's precog ability must be limited to projecting the future based on the exact situation the world is in right then. Before the Gatekeeper did his scrying trick, Harry wasn't connected to Demonreach's intellectus. But when Harry stepped onto the island, he gained that ability, which apparently changed the range of projected futures which Rashid was able to perceive. Just a guess, anyway.
Can an entity with intellectus deliberately refrain from obtaining an answer on a subject of interest (eg, in order to be able to truthfully say it does not know as part of misleading someone) or does just thinking about the subject cause the information to appear ?
Perhaps an answer like, "I hadn't considered it" would be a good hedge? That's truthful without giving away information.
There was an argument a couple of weeks back in which someone mentioned thinking of intellectus as meaning that if the topic ever crossed one's mind, one couldn't not have the answers; that interpretation had never occurred to me, but I can't think of anything in the text to rule it out, hence the question.Thats an interesting Idea. There are some limitations to Intellects that we've seen, like how harry could not identify the traitor while he was standing on the island, or when he could not get a specific lock on Binder, because Demonreach was having difficulty distinguishing such things. But that seems like a more specific limitation to Demonreach's completely alien perspective, something that wouldnt necessarily apply to Angels or the Mothers, for example.
Last, for discussion, there was a WoJ in response to a post by kmosiman (linked here: http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,11471.msg494046.html#msg494046 (http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,11471.msg494046.html#msg494046))QuoteQuote
Demonreach may not be friendly to humans but he is not violent to others. All the animals on the Island are welcome and make their homes there. While he may have a dark nature, nothing on the Island is corrupt or foul.
Two of these three sentences are precisely, absolutely correct. One of them is lethally half-right. :)
We've had relatively little new info on Demonreach since that was posted, but I'd like to formulate a question that would help nail down the little logic problem he gave us.
We've had relatively little new info on Demonreach since that was posted, but I'd like to formulate a question that would help nail down the little logic problem he gave us.
I might be wrong, but I've guessed that the leathally half right part might be about under the island. That dark Ley line likely comes from something both dark & foul, but under the island is different than on the island, hence being half right.
Will we see Justin outside of flashbacks in this series?That ... seems unlikely, as he's dead, or supposed to be dead - enough so that the Warden's and White Council came down on Harry for a First Law Violation for it.
That ... seems unlikely, as he's dead, or supposed to be dead - enough so that the Warden's and White Council came down on Harry for a First Law Violation for it.He can be dead and still show up in the current time. Several others have, such as harry, harry's dad, (arguably) harry's mom, the Corpsetaker and various ghosts, Murphy's dad, Carmichael, ...
That ... seems unlikely, as he's dead, or supposed to be dead - enough so that the Warden's and White Council came down on Harry for a First Law Violation for it.
Will we see Justin outside of flashbacks in this series?
Given Bob's confirmation of the existence of alternate dimensions, is there any chance we might run into the alternate versions of confirmed killed people?
Justin, Margaret LeFay, or Kemmler, perhaps?
Since, we might never meet Justin, but we could still meet alternative Justin.
I've done some searching to no avail, but I imagine that some of these have been asked before...
1. Is there significance to the fact that both Sanya and Ebeneezer seem to detect evil by scenet? In DM, Michael tells Sanya that what he's perceiving as a rancid smell is Nicodemus, and in BR, McCoy says that the bad blampire mojo that is driving off the street people "stinks".
2. Does the name of the boat in DM - the Etranger - also have significance? Being deficient in both French and Camus, I totally missed that this is the original title of The Stranger, so when I wiki'd it, that came up, along with the sentence "most English translations of the French title L’Étranger are rendered as The Outsider". Did the Churchmice buy the boat, or did they rent it, or what? Does it matter?
I know that, I just want to shoot down the hopes everyone who thinks Justin will appear outside of flashbacks.
The RPG states that Ivy, in addition to everything printed out and written down, also recieves some spoken words. What does she get?You mean like what Vadderung had on his desk? ;)
EDIT: Remembered it!
Would it be possible to create a magical device that functioned in the same manner as a computer (bearing in mind that we've seen Magic replicate cellphones with the speaking stones in Changes and two-way radios/baby monitors in Ghost Story). Could Anastasia make such a device, given her skill at crafting stuff and the fact that Computer Theory is her hobby?
You mean like what Vadderung had on his desk? ;)
Possibly. Harry was kinda fuzzy on whether that was magic, or sufficiently advanced technology. As the Aesir aren't mortal, they don't hex.They dont Hex, but speculation is that it was Hlidskjalf (http://Hlidskjalf), Odin's throne in a hall of solid silver, which lets him view all the Nine Realms. Adding to that how funny odin seemed to find the idea that Harry thought it was a computer, Im pretty convinced it was magical
Is Harry ever going to get a hat?
Seems reasonable.The technology is old enough but not too old.
Why a Winchester? Was that chosen for Harry's gun because it was cool, or is there a deeper symbolism (assuming it's actually in the book)?
Is Harry ever going to get a hat?
Why a Winchester? Was that chosen for Harry's gun because it was cool, or is there a deeper symbolism (assuming it's actually in the book)?
A tip of the hat to Supernatural ?
A tip of the hat to Supernatural ?Id rather it be a tip of the hat the the Winchester House (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Mystery_House) personally, never did understand why that never played a role in Supernatural, while Colt did...
The RPG states that Ivy, in addition to everything printed out and written down, also recieves some spoken words. What does she get?
Jim actually answered this one already, years ago. It could be hard to find on the forum for that reason, I haven't checked. Anyway, the answer is, Ivy retains spoken words when they are intended to be a form of recorded information; that is, the oral traditions of teaching from times before writing was convenient, or spoken epics, memorized stories like fables, stuff like that. When the words being spoken are intended to be stored in the listener's memory, basically, as written words are intended to be stored on the pages of books.Hmm, Does that mean that every time somebody is in Court, and is asked to state tehir full name /for the record/, she is getting their accurately spoken True Name? Hot damn, she is scary...
Jim actually answered this one already, years ago. It could be hard to find on the forum for that reason, I haven't checked. Anyway, the answer is, Ivy retains spoken words when they are intended to be a form of recorded information; that is, the oral traditions of teaching from times before writing was convenient, or spoken epics, memorized stories like fables, stuff like that. When the words being spoken are intended to be stored in the listener's memory, basically, as written words are intended to be stored on the pages of books.
How much of a threshold did Anna Ash have in her apartment? She lived alone, and yet her threshold did quite the number on Harry's power. Back in SK, Elaine entered Harry's apartment and easily lit the fire and then, later, put up a veil she knew would hide her from Morgan and another warden, while still inside. I don't recall her ever getting the invite from Harry, so she had to have left some power at the door, hadn't she?She didnt veil until right when she was leaving, and he was holding the door for her. So possibilities are that either she was already past the threshold and just not in view of the street, or that there was an implied invitation at some point during the conversation. But its a good clarification to ask, Im curious if such implications are enough to constitute the invitation or if they need to be spoken directly.
Did Harry ever actually lift his wards in Small Favor, when he was half-frozen after returning from the train station? It was just assumed that he had, but the description of that scene in the book never mentioned anything about him doing it. His brain was so frozen that all he thought about was that Luccio wanted inside his apartment, so he opened the door for her like a gentleman. But he never mentions his wards, which seemed odd, since everyone around him was clearly trying to remind him of the wards and asking him to take them down so they could get in.
Anyway, I was just wondering if something unusual happened there and we were never quite shown what it was.
Personally, I don't understand why Harry sets up his wards so he actively has to take them down. Thomas & Murphy both have a amulet that lets them take them down for their passage. Harry has to actively work magics, and on at least 3 occasions this has somewhat complicated things (The Warrior, Dead Beat, & Small Favor).I get the sense that the talismans are somehow more limited. When he took Molly on he gave her one specifically as a temporary measure until she was able tot take them down on her own. Granted that may have been more about the learning exercise than anything else.
You'd think he'd have tried to work something that would make it less complicated for his own passage.
Is there something left of Sanyas I-was-a-Denarian package? (like Harrys, languages, guitar++..better liar)
I doubt Magog was nice enough to leave any goodbye gifts.
Technically, even Lasciel wasn't nice enough to leave any goodbye gifts.
Something that's been striking me during my current "listen through" at work - Is Jim putting Harry and Molly on opposite sides of minor (but often heated) issues?
1. Star Trek (Molly) vs Star Wars (Harry) - Ghost Story
2. McDonalds (Molly) vs Burger King (Harry) - Small Favor Molly and Thomas vote, Harry overrides.
3. DC Comics (Superman shirt - Molly) ("Last Call") vs. Marvel Comics (Harry) (almost always)
4. Pepsi (Molly) ("Last Call") vs Coke (Harry) (always) - Harry calls her a heathen.
5. Careful reading of a paperback to not crease the spine (Molly) vs. dog-eared, well loved books (Harry) (Turn Coat) Harry calls her a wuss.
not to mention the younger/older, blonde/brunette, delicate magic/brute force magic, always changing vs. stuck in a routine...
Something that's been striking me during my current "listen through" at work - Is Jim putting Harry and Molly on opposite sides of minor (but often heated) issues?
1. Star Trek (Molly) vs Star Wars (Harry) - Ghost Story
2. McDonalds (Molly) vs Burger King (Harry) - Small Favor Molly and Thomas vote, Harry overrides.
3. DC Comics (Superman shirt - Molly) ("Last Call") vs. Marvel Comics (Harry) (almost always)
4. Pepsi (Molly) ("Last Call") vs Coke (Harry) (always) - Harry calls her a heathen.
5. Careful reading of a paperback to not crease the spine (Molly) vs. dog-eared, well loved books (Harry) (Turn Coat) Harry calls her a wuss.
not to mention the younger/older, blonde/brunette, delicate magic/brute force magic, always changing vs. stuck in a routine...
...male/female, crappy home life/loving family....possibly also "no faith in God"/"religious background"
What's more: Harry is a purist wrt the Star Wars/Star Trek debate, Molly is the opposite end of that spectrum: she argues that she can like them both. No word yet on whether this contrast (purist-ism vs. acceptance) carries over to other areas.
I'm guessing Lasciel was footing the bill for Hellfire usage for Harry since he never experienced the Soulfire slump when using Hellfire.
My theory for how harry's hellfire never ran out is this: soulfire runs off his soul and is replenished by Harry having feel good moments with other people according to Bob. What if hellfire also runs off of the soul but is replenished by Harry having angry moments? Like if it regenerates every time he uses magic in anger or something
Was there a price for Hellfire? Soulfire uses Harry's own soul as tinder. You've said that Hellfire is sort of an opposite side of the coin. So, did Hellfire also burn up Harry's soul?
On a guess, Soulfire trends towards bad bits & Hellfire targets the good bits of a soul?
I'm guessing Lasciel was footing the bill for Hellfire usage for Harry since he never experienced the Soulfire slump when using Hellfire.As for Lash outright giving Harry Hellfire, I'm not really certain of this, now that I think on it. Sure, I can see Lashiel's shadow giving Harry access to the power, but she's a limited entity. She'd either have to be a conduit directly hooked up to hell, or the power should gradually have gotten weaker over the course of the books.
As for Lash outright giving Harry Hellfire, I'm not really certain of this, now that I think on it. Sure, I can see Lashiel's shadow giving Harry access to the power, but she's a limited entity. She'd either have to be a conduit directly hooked up to hell, or the power should gradually have gotten weaker over the course of the books.
I wasn't saying Lash was providing the Hellfire on her own, I would say it was Lasciel footing the bill with the channel between her and Lash providing Harry access.
With the circle barrier around her coin, I'm doubtful Lash was able to get anything from Lashiel. And while it isn't strictly laid out, I suspect in most coin possessions, the shadow construct does have communication with the Fallen trapped in the coin, giving it access to the Fallen's Intellecteus.
However, by placing the coin in the circle, Harry circumvented this.
I mean, from Micheal's comments, you'd think that the coin would present an impossible to resist temptation. While Lash was tempting at times, she never really came across nearly as manipulative as Michael seems to suggest.
So that's my reasoning for Intellecteus being a factor.
...
That aside, the point remains, I don't see Lash being able to work directly with Lashiel, thanks to the circle. I think the only reason Harry might have been able to summon the coin from the circle is because it was his Will that created it.
If another Wizard had so confined the coin, that might not even be an issue.
I don't really buy the Intellecteus theory, partially just in response to the large number of theories that cropped up about everything and it's cousin having Intellecteus after finding out about the island and Shagnasty, but also partially because it just doesn't read that way to me. The
I thought that it was Archangels who had Intellectus, not all angels. The Fallen aren't Archangels, are they?
And it's "confirmed" in that Bob said so, who can be mistaken himself.Not even that much, it was Harry's explanation of it to Molly. Angels were the example of extremely ancient and powerful things that have it, and he said he was pretty sure the mothers did as well. There are decent odds that said information came from Bob, but even then it could still be suspect.
Even then Intellectus is not Intellectus.
I would suppose if all Angels and Fallen have Intellectus, their Intellectus would have something to do with their (former) job.
In other words a very limited Intellectus for the 'small' (without an Arch-) ones.
It would not help Lasciel much, to know everything about spiders.
Urield kinda proves otherwise. In the short story The Warrior, he goes over Harry's actions & the results. Uriel also explains how Heaven specifically brought Harry into this, possibly because of these desired results.
And in Ghost Story, Uriel similarly touches on this, in how he brought in Harry, to help Molly & get rid of Corpsetaker.
Plus, people seem to be hung up on the fact that Bob can be wrong. The potential to be wrong isn't the same as constantly being a sourse of corrupted information. I think in his discussion on the Skinwalker, Harry outlines how Bob is at least generally right.
Even then Intellectus is not Intellectus.
I would suppose if all Angels and Fallen have Intellectus, their Intellectus would have something to do with their (former) job.
In other words a very limited Intellectus for the 'small' (without an Arch-) ones.
It would not help Lasciel much, to know everything about spiders.
very true. Matters of faith are so completely alien to what he is that he really has no comprehension of most of it. That part of why I think there is a whole lot more to Soulfire than what Bob told harry it doesright you are Quantus right you are
These are datapoints for the intellectus capacities of archangels, but do not sfaict lock down what mere angels, Fallen or otherwise, have available in that direction.
I think Bob's knowledge has some clearly defined limitations that we can reasonably well map from the text and use as metrics for how much he is likely to know on any given subject. He does not know about Tera West in FM; he's dead wrong about figuring out how the Nightmare got through the threshold, early in GP; more to the point of the current discussion, he is explicitly either unwilling or unable to talk much about matters related to angels and Fallen in DM.
She is called the Webweaver.
Another question, just an idle curiosity thing mostly,
If Harry had had the presence of mind to throw a Death Curse, would that have caused problems for him re: meeting Jack, and setting the plot of Ghost Story in motion? Or would it have progressed the same, + changes from the affects of his curse?
She must have been bored out of her mind in the billions of years spiders didn't exist then.
Depending on when the angels were created. Non Dresden cannon, but I think it isn't until the rise of Christianity that the Fallen are discussed. So its possible that The Fall from heaven happened within the period of human existence.cant be Thorned Namshie said he was tjere when our kind was hewn from the muck ( toward the end of SF before eldest bro gruff got to Demonreach ).
So it might be feasible that Lashiel's creation happened after spiders arose.
Depending on when the angels were created. Non Dresden cannon, but I think it isn't until the rise of Christianity that the Fallen are discussed. So its possible that The Fall from heaven happened within the period of human existence.
cant be Thorned Namshie said he was tjere when our kind was hewn from the muck ( toward the end of SF before eldest bro gruff got to Demonreach ).
Indeed, there are traditions in which the existence of humans motivates the Fall, out of jealousy.But even in those it happens before the whole Eden/Forbidden-Fruit thing, as the Fallen play a part. So it couldnt (in a literal interpretation) have been after that. So sometime on Day 6 or 7
The faeries have said the exact same sentiment (though different wording) as the Fallen, that of being around long before us puny humans (and, I believe with lower confidence levels, of being around long before anything else). Who's to say whether it all seems true to them, even if it's factually false?Belief Empowers Deities, not quite the same thing. And thats just how it works for entities that have adopted those roles, like Odin or the Red King. The WG was on the ground floor of Creation, by WOJ (as a corollary to the WOJ that says Uriel was the Senior VP of Creation)
If belief creates deities, then would not TWG have come into being believing the beliefs about him were true? Would not perforce the Angels, Fallen or not, also believe the same thing?
The faeries have said the exact same sentiment (though different wording) as the Fallen, that of being around long before us puny humans (and, I believe with lower confidence levels, of being around long before anything else). Who's to say whether it all seems true to them, even if it's factually false?
The WG was on the ground floor of Creation, by WOJ (as a corollary to the WOJ that says Uriel was the Senior VP of Creation)
Just because Tim Cook is CEO of Apple doesn't mean Steve Jobs wasn't CEO first. Similarly, Uriel's current job does not tell us what the power structure was at the birth of Creation.That is true I suppose. I was interpreting Creation as the activity, rather than the resulting product.
Belief Empowers Deities, not quite the same thing. And thats just how it works for entities that have adopted those roles, like Odin or the Red King. The WG was on the ground floor of Creation, by WOJ (as a corollary to the WOJ that says Uriel was the Senior VP of Creation)Point of order: that's not precisely what the WoJ says.
The presence of an Archangel, essentially an executive VP of Creation, probably had something to do with it.People confuse the indefinite article for the definite one and then over-inflate the significance.
Sheaman3773, do you happen to remember where that's from? I've been looking for it for months, to no avail (mostly because The Curious Fan challenged me to find it, and I failed). Could you please point me to it?I'll try to remember where I saw it--I'm doing a read-through as research for a fanfic I'm plotting, if I see it I'll try to remember to come back and post it here.
That is true I suppose. I was interpreting Creation as the activity, rather than the resulting product.
But that's not my point. I saw absolutely nothing in the text to indicate that the Odin we met was not the original Odin, and unless I'm forgetting something, nothing to indicate that the Reds weren't the original Mayan gods besides a moment of speculation from Harry "Unreliable-Narrator" Dresden. If there was textual support for that, please remind me of where it is.
And, finally--we know that belief can create power wholesale, ala the Shroud of Turin. Does it really seem impossible to you that in the DV, thousands and millions and billions of people all believing in a deity couldn't make it come into existence?
Are we considering the "executive VP of Creation" status of an archangel as qualitatively different from the scale of "used to be responsible for a significant chunk of creation" associated with capital-D Dragons ? (I'm pretty sure Michael says something like this about Ferro in GP; can;t check the text now as I'm in work, alas.)I can't check the GP text, but we do have this WoJ
6. ferrovax - is this because he's the OLDEST dragon? (i thought it was an empty boast) or because he's a dragon?
Ferrovax feels absolutely no need to boast. It's because he /is/ a Dragon, large D, an elemental force of the cosmos. He isn't some kind of Smaug hanging around a nice apartment. He's a Dragon in a more Asian sense of the concept, a semi-divine being who was once given authority over various portions of the mortal universe, and who was responsible for their orderly procession. There /are/ Smauglike dragons (though not nearly as many now as there have been in the past, thanks George!) but they are essentially nothing but emissaries and servitors created in the image of the real thing.
Regardless of big D or little d, dragons almost universally resent humanity for usurping the balance of power in the world.
Are we considering the "executive VP of Creation" status of an archangel as qualitatively different from the scale of "used to be responsible for a significant chunk of creation" associated with capital-D Dragons ? (I'm pretty sure Michael says something like this about Ferro in GP; can;t check the text now as I'm in work, alas.)
I don't believe that Ferrovax is ever described in WOJ as being on a level of being a VIP of creation. We are told that it is a force of nature once in control over various portions of the mortal universe and that they resent humans for upsetting the balance of power. This says nothing more than being on par with Faerie Queens who are in control of portions of the universe, specifically winter and summer (on this planet at least). The fact that he resents humanity strongly suggests to me that he is not a uinversal force as humans haven't reached that level yet that we know of.
Fallen lie.
Well, I don't know about Odin, but let's not forget the part when a possessed Murph called the Lords of Outer Night false gods, pretenders, and usurpers of truth. I figured their crimes against the Mayans included lying about being their gods.Ah, excellent point, I had forgotten that at the time of my posting.
"Executive VP of creation" sounds higher up to me than "authority over various portions of the mortal universe", if only because Creation would presumably include the NN as well as the mortal universe.My interpretation as well.
But that's not my point. I saw absolutely nothing in the text to indicate that the Odin we met was not the original Odin, and unless I'm forgetting something, nothing to indicate that the Reds weren't the original Mayan gods besides a moment of speculation from Harry "Unreliable-Narrator" Dresden. If there was textual support for that, please remind me of where it is.Oh, I have little doubt that the Odin we met is the original Odin. But the mythological Odin was never on the order of Creation. Like the greek gods, he inherited from a previous generation. Relatively few of the primary pantheistic deities actually claimed direct credit for Creation, most cited something larger and/or more abstract. One of, if not the first, was the zoroastrian mythology, which many other faiths, including the judeochristian system, borrow heavily from (the concept of archangels for example is often thought to be an interpretation rooted int he Amesha Spenta. In the DV context it wouldnt surprise me if those were simply older names of the same beings. Maybe in a few thousand years, Mr Sunshine will stick :)
"I'm not sure it does," I said. "I got word today that the Gatekeeper-"Why does Bob shiver at mentioning the Gatekeeper? he dislikes hindsight?
Bob shivered.
Why do you assume that Lasciel's job was related to spiders?
Belief Empowers Deities, not quite the same thing. And thats just how it works for entities that have adopted those roles, like Odin or the Red King. The WG was on the ground floor of Creation, by WOJ (as a corollary to the WOJ that says Uriel was the Senior VP of Creation)What! We have WOJ that the White God really is the Creator in the DresdenVerse?
Or perhaps he is scared of the most dangerous of the senior council, dpara.But I can't remember a reaction like that if the topic was Mab, Shagnasty, the Denarians ..Kemmlerites?...uh the Archive^^?
But I can't remember a reaction like that if the topic was Mab, Shagnasty, the Denarians ..Kemmlerites?...uh the Archive^^?
Mab and the Denarians do scare the shit put of him when brought up (hell, he's hiding in Harry's basement from gruesome death by Mab), Shagnasty isn't going anywhere near him, so he has no reason to fear, when he was asked about the Kemmlerites he was in full on Necro-Bob mode IIRC, the Archive doesn't go after anybody and I don't think Bob has been asked about the Archive.Ok, no doubt. But I am still not convinced that there might not be a story behind that. But let's rephrase the question to; what stories does Bob know about the Gatekeeper?
What would happen if the Archive wants the Apocalypse?It does, she doesnt. (no, there is no evidence of this, but Im convinced the archive is a sleeper agent for the Outsiders)
(..replace google with a photo&description of Belshugruaubb the Worldeater?^^)
What! We have WOJ that the White God really is the Creator in the DresdenVerse?No. But lots of people like to assume.
(And not good public relations.)
We have WOJ that the archangel is "Senior VP of Creation"
And no reason that I can see to think it didn't take over that post, say from a capital-D Dragon or an Old One..Very True. It all depends on whether you think "Creation" in that instance is a noun or a verb :)
Very True. It all depends on whether you think "Creation" in that instance is a noun or a verb :)
Oh, very nice. I can see Uriel as a latecomer taking over a position in charge of a significant chunk of the process of Creation as easily as a latecomer taking over jurisdiction over a chunk of the universe, though. I mean, if we talk about Creation-as-verb in the DV, Harry is kind of doing it on a small scale much of the time he uses magic.I could see that. Though Magic still has to do business with the Laws of Physics, and in theory somebody had to write those Laws.
I could see that. Though Magic still has to do business with the Laws of Physics, and in theory somebody had to write those Laws.
I could see that. Though Magic still has to do business with the Laws of Physics, and in theory somebody had to write those Laws.
And no reason that I can see to think it didn't take over that post, say from a capital-D Dragon or an Old One..
Another one I just was reminded of.
When Harry talks about Hendricks being dim, and writes about what he's doing, is that primarily Harry's assumptions coloring how he sees things, or does Hendricks actively play dumb to encourage that sort of thing?
I was thinking about one of the questions the other day about the third favour owed to MBA and I'm pretty sure I can answer it using Jim Butchers Law. A favour wiped out by becoming the winter knight when he didn't negotiate it with Mab again would be benefit for Harry and would involve no pain later down the line. Therefore he still owes the third favour because it would cause lots of pain to Harry later.Regardless of whether it was wiped by the bargain I think it would be redundant at this point. Anything she could have asked him to do as a favor she can ask him to do as the WInter Knight, and then some. And she has no limit to them now.
Regardless of whether it was wiped by the bargain I think it would be redundant at this point. Anything she could have asked him to do as a favor she can ask him to do as the WInter Knight, and then some. And she has no limit to them now.
Nah...not redundant, because you will recall there was an addendum attached to that third owed favor. Harry had the right to refuse. I would think that would eventually become important since that favor precedes his role as Winter Knight...or not.precisely. And as the knight she outright tell him what to do, so long as it doesnt directly harm his loved-ones. She gets infinite favors with fewer restrictions.
Regardless of whether it was wiped by the bargain I think it would be redundant at this point. Anything she could have asked him to do as a favor she can ask him to do as the WInter Knight, and then some. And she has no limit to them now.
I suspect that Harry might at some point get out of the Knighthood only to find that favour still waiting to bite him in the behind.That would be cool, and classic Sidhe trickery. But whatever he may owe to lea was very explicitly overwritten by the deal he made with mab for the three favors, so as far as I can tell at most she would only be able to claim the one remaining favor.
Indeed, I am not entirely convinced that he's been careful enough to rule out getting past Knighthood and favours both and only then discovering that Mab actually counts those favours to pay off the three times he broke his word during SK and he still owes himself to Lea.
Was the chant to call He Who Walks Behind in Blood Rites actually in English or was that Lash making it sound like English so that Harry could understand it?We have a demon that wears old man spectacles perched on a beak, and you want to know that? :P
How does He Who Walks Behind speak English? (with a British accent no less)
We have a demon that wears old man spectacles perched on a beak, and you want to know that? :P
I'm asking because it's one of the mechanics questions that occasionally bugs me (the other being why things instantly age to death when something stopping their aging is removed, shouldn't they just go back to aging as normal?).Quintus Cassius was more than old enough to have been instantly aged to death, but instead he merely started aging at an extremely accelerated rate. He described it as a balancing effect, the aging process making up for lost time, etc.
He at least has access to the known universe and was probably around to watch the language develop (also, glasses are probably ectoplasm constructs to humanise him in the eyes of those who make deals with him), HWWB was trapped outside the the universe in Outside, he would have had precisely zilch chance to learn English (which is a bitch to get right even when you're raised with it).I see
I'm asking because it's one of the mechanics questions that occasionally bugs me (the other being why things instantly age to death when something stopping their aging is removed, shouldn't they just go back to aging as normal?).Well, several people, including Mab have referred to Time as a "he" so maybe harry was right and the old man with the hourglass was "was collecting his due" Maybe we'll meet him someday
Quintus Cassius was more than old enough to have been instantly aged to death, but instead he merely started aging at an extremely accelerated rate. He described it as a balancing effect, the aging process making up for lost time, etc.The best I can come up with is that he was supplementing the lost coin with his own magic, some sort of Necrmancy most likely. He was aging unnaturally, but not decomposing in seconds that we saw with the other denarians in SmF or with the half-reds in Changes
I tend to like the explanation that it was all of the entropy that was being held off hitting them all at once, though obviously that argument fails when brand-new immortals react the same way as the ancient ones.
Quintus Cassius was more than old enough to have been instantly aged to death, but instead he merely started aging at an extremely accelerated rate. He described it as a balancing effect, the aging process making up for lost time, etc.
I tend to like the explanation that it was all of the entropy that was being held off hitting them all at once, though obviously that argument fails when brand-new immortals react the same way as the ancient ones.
To use a movie example, let's say you're watching a two hour movie, you watch half an hour of it, then hit pause and go off and do other things for an hour or so, then come back and hit play again. Normally one would expect the movie to then continue as if never paused (going back to aging normally) rather than going into unavoidable fast forward to the hour and a half point unless you hit pause again (hyper sped aging to where you would be if you never stopped aging unless you find something else to stop the clock in time).
Normally one would, but sfaict from the text, the way this actually works in the Dresdenverse follows the "unavoidable fast forward" model.
Does that mean that you don't find it helpful, or that you would prefer official confirmation?
Thomas has a pentacle just like Harry's. They got theirs from their mom.
Harry has mentioned a few times that Elaine has a pentacle like his. Where did hers come from? Did she get it to match his, or is there a hint in there? Or is it just "like his" in that it is a silver pentacle on a necklace?
In the early books you mention that Elaine has the same pentacle as Harry. Is that significant or have you changed your mind on?
No it's significant. There is a reason for that. Harry and Elaine come from the same philosophical background as far as magic is concerned... Or at least so he believes in any case. I guess we will have to see if Elaine thinks the same way. Who here has read White Knight so far? Yah, Elaine doesn't think exactly the same way as Harry when it comes to the use of magic, but at the same time though they are not exactly on a totally different page either. It's significant that they both have the same symbol. It says something about what they think and what they believe.
Thanks.
That idea doesn't really work for me, let's see if I can explain why...
To use a movie example, let's say you're watching a two hour movie, you watch half an hour of it, then hit pause and go off and do other things for an hour or so, then come back and hit play again. Normally one would expect the movie to then continue as if never paused (going back to aging normally) rather than going into unavoidable fast forward to the hour and a half point unless you hit pause again (hyper sped aging to where you would be if you never stopped aging unless you find something else to stop the clock in time).
Did that get my problem with the rapid aging across clearly?
My explanation for Cassius fast aging is, Cassius is wrong/lying not because of "father time's due" but because the Fallen are jerks. If I were them I would give the eternal youth package, but just in case they get separated let's also add 100 year old internal organs.
We also see it happening with the Red Court so it can't just be the Fallen?I don't think my theory works on the Red Court. I am more inclined to believe that the Red Court aging was a side effect of the ritual, the older you were the more nasty-juice/radiation-juice you got pumped through you when the ritual completed. Some leeway is probably allowed, mostly because the ritual had inconsistencies (since Bob only had 10 seconds to explain it^^?).
We also see it happening with the Red Court so it can't just be the Fallen?I think if the entity giving you youth had done a good job you should just age normally after it stops helping you. Sudden aging points to a sloppy job. Magical effects that break down in stead of really changing the body.
This was a kind of power I hadn't felt before. Normally when someone who can sling major mojo around draws their stuff up around them, it's something violent and active. I'd seen wizards who charged the air around them with so much electricity it made their hair stand on end, wizards whose power would gather light into nearly solid gem-shaped clouds that orbited around them, wizards whose mastery of earth magic literally made the ground shake, wizards who could shroud themselves in dark fire that burned anyone near them with the raw, emotional rage of their magic.
Here we see a few examples of what happens when wizards skilled in particular areas draw in power, can we get a comprehensive list for what happens for wizards of each specialty draw in power?I doubt its a specific list so much as individual effects for each wizard. In SmF for example, Harry gets glowing white eyes and sparks of green lightning all over his body. A heat shimmer isnt out of the question either, though there wasnt anything visual for it in the description
I doubt its a specific list so much as individual effects for each wizard. In SmF for example, Harry gets glowing white eyes and sparks of green lightning all over his body. A heat shimmer isnt out of the question either, though there wasnt anything visual for it in the description
Harry's comment kinda makes it sound like a consistent "you get X effect depending on affinity" thing.He is just listing examples, which to me does not obligate any sort of hard and fast list tied to elemental affinity. However, in many cases he has stressed how everybody's magic is different, is used and expressed differently, etc. So it would suprise me greatly if there wasnt the same sort of variation in the visual displays of it.
And that wasn't drawing in power with skill in SmF, that was desperately trying to hold in power.Those are essentially the same activities. The only difference there is that he hung onto it long enough to actually take notice of the effects, rather than immediately flushing the power into a spell and describing those effects. We know that there is a noticeable effect around harry, because he has noted other people's response to it, however that is the only instance where he pauses long enough to notice the effects.
How did the Necromancers find out about the Word? Corpsetaker's Anthropomancy?
Considering the way that supposed anthropomancy does not ever get mentioned again, I'm inclined to read it as quite possibly Harry misreading the consequences of a ghoul with a taste for organ means being peckish.
As for the Word, I had the impression Bony Tony was spreading word of it to sell to the highest bidder.
I was talking more about how they knew that it would be released in Chicago years in advance, and "those times we disemboweled people for information coughed up the location of the Word" is a lot simpler than the other theories I've heard.Im not sure what you mean by "Knew it would be released in Chicago years in Advance" since it was found in a storage locker from WW2, which I had generally assumed was elsewhere, likely Europe, and not in Chicago proper. But the Kemmlerites knew about the Word because the theif, Mendoza, approached Grevaine about it, then got nervous when he seemed to have access to unnatural resources. Says so right in the book, when Marcone is handing out background.
Im not sure what you mean by "Knew it would be released in Chicago years in Advance" since it was found in a storage locker from WW2, which I had generally assumed was elsewhere, likely Europe, and not in Chicago proper. But the Kemmlerites knew about the Word because the theif, Mendoza, approached Grevaine about it, then got nervous when he seemed to have access to unnatural resources. Says so right in the book, when Marcone is handing out background.
They had the Native American artifact exhibition set to arrive at the same time as the word was released, and from the sounds of things, Corpsetaker was with the group for years setting it up to arrive at the right time.Was corpsetaker herself, or just the body she chose for its convenient access?
Was corpsetaker herself, or just the body she chose for its convenient access?
They had the Native American artifact exhibition set to arrive at the same time as the word was released, and from the sounds of things, Corpsetaker was with the group for years setting it up to arrive at the right time.
I was talking more about how they knew that it would be released in Chicago years in advance, and "those times we disemboweled people for information coughed up the location of the Word" is a lot simpler than the other theories I've heard.
I think its implied that the Disciples of Kemmler employed divination & were reading entrails, if I'm not mistaken.
I have, i think, argued for the release of the Word as an elaborate long con dating back to GP enough already without cluttering this thread with it; if you've not seen that notion of mine, PM me and I'll send you a precis.
Those are essentially the same activities.
He is just listing examples, which to me does not obligate any sort of hard and fast list tied to elemental affinity.
Since when are trying to move something and trying to stop something moving the same activity?
Since Isaac Newton ?
Who and/or what were Elaine's parents? Was one or both on the White Council?
Judging by how he's evaded the topic before, it will probably be answered in series.Ah, kk. I didnt know he had been asked that before
{Raises fist.}
Represent.
If it comes to a vote, this thread gets my vote for the official thread that we ask questions that might never see answers to.
Is Joe the janitor at the train station in Small Favor actually just a janitor, or is he, like Uriel, an angel in disguise?
Questions for the upcoming Q&As:
From me:
2) Would you(Jim) please clarify exactly who the Faerie Queens can personally kill and who they can't? At various times in Summer Knight and in the rest of the series, we've been told or seen evidence that:
-- The Sidhe Knights are the only ones allowed to act in matters not directly related to the Faerie Courts. (SK, Ch. 10)
-- The Queens are not allowed to kill anyone who isn't a member of their own Court. (SK, Ch. 10)
And yet:
-- We've seen fae servants of the Faerie Queens kill and attempt to kill mortals many times.
-- Aurora was able to try to kill Harry just fine, but was unable to harm Murphy. (SK, Ch. 20-21)
-- When Harry is preparing to deal with Mab to become the Winter Knight, he thinks to himself that Mab can't kill a mortal, only make them wish they were dead. The implication seems to include the Winter Knight. (Changes, Ch. 30)
So which mortals can the Faerie Queens kill? Bob tells us one thing, but evidence in the books indicates something else.
This topic is perfect inspiration for the bittenbybooks .Q & A today. ;)
At least half of us are probably going to be asking questions over there today.
Now I just need to work out my top 5 questions out of about 50 or so.....
:'(
I probably won't be able to be there during the actual Q&A...
I probably won't be able to be there during the actual Q&A...
Want me to ask your questions for you?
I'm going to the Q&A, but I have no idea how it actually works? Are we called upon, or do we just throw our questions out willy nilly, and he decides what he wants to answer, or some combination?
I'm going to the Q&A, but I have no idea how it actually works?
Fatal error: Out of memory
it goes live now right? I'm trying to get on but i'm getting an error .anyone else?
They did the one for ghost story actually.
Ok I'm giving up, I really have to go now. I I'm helping to reduce the traffic and sacraficing my questions so you may all get on. No ,it's alright go on without me!
What are your questions? I'll ask them for you.Nothing much, just the ones i could think of last minute
I just hope anyone from here got through, and is taking notes on questions/answers that might need to make their way to Sereck's WoJ compliation.Things like that are no problem though, since they answers tend to stay up years after the event, so it is just to go to the link and check ;) but too bad there were to many people who wanted to ask questions today, well atleast it means I get some sleep :)
Whoops...now it's been rescheduled.
Anyone else getting the "we're rescheduling it for maintenance, check back tomorrow for the new date" screen?
This raises a very important question for me.
How durable are the reddit servers?
Fortunately, this should pose no problem for Tuesday's Reddit event. Even an AMA with Obama couldn't bring them down for long!
I nearly forgot that I want to ask when we will see Tera West's and MacFinn's kid. That bit has been a long time coming.
They're confirmed to have a kid? I thought it was just suspicion that they had one and that it was Fitz.It is just speculation that Fitz was said kid, but by the terms of the curse Mcafinn had to have one. The curse stipulated that the family Line would not die out until the End of Days. Which fortunately is only a decade or so away
It is just speculation that Fitz was said kid, but by the terms of the curse Mcafinn had to have one. The curse stipulated that the family Line would not die out until the End of Days. Which fortunately is only a decade or so away
And Macfinn couldn't simply have relatives?well:
"MacFinn is a member of an ancient family line from an island known as Ireland. His family has a notable history. Sometime in the murky past, legend would have it, the man known as Saint Patrick cursed his ancestor to become a ravening beast at every full moon. The curse came with two addenda. First, that it would be hereditary, passing down to someone new each and every generation. And second, that the cursed line of the family would never, ever die out, lasting until the end of days."
"MacFinn is a member of an ancient family line from an island known as Ireland. His family has a notable history. Sometime in the murky past, legend would have it, the man known as Saint Patrick cursed his ancestor to become a ravening beast at every full moon. The curse came with two addenda. First, that it would be hereditary, passing down to someone new each and every generation. And second, that the cursed line of the family would never, ever die out, lasting until the end of days."
Those words there are the get-out clause for everything after them to be a pack of lies, which passes right over Harry's head; Chauncey can be telling the exact literal truth about what some legend at some point said about MacFinn's family without it having any grounding in reality at all. So I don't think we have any reason to expect to see another MacFinn in the series.
Can a White Court vampire feed on Harry? On Murphy?
You're asking if they have True Love?
Even if they were, they'd have to have sex first for the protection to take effect.
Q: Do you have to have sex in order to have protection from the White Court?
A: No, you don’t have to. It is helpful, though.
Not really.thanks, TDF, I was looking for that quote. and I think it may speak to why the Mantle doesn't react to her the same as it did for Molly/Maeve/Andi/Sarissa...
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,21772.msg947683.html#msg947683
Not really.
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,21772.msg947683.html#msg947683
We are now beginning Cold Days questions.
How does He Who Walks Before's split into dozens of copies spell work?
Also, Quantus, Serack, you mind if I hijack your posts back on page one so that I can clump all the questions together in one go rather than simply putting links in the bottom of them or making people read through all the pages?
Is there a difference in the way the Mantle of the Faerie Queens and the Faerie Knights pass on?
Go for it, this one's your baby.
BTW, I think I said it earlier, but you might want to try to find a way to integrate AA's Q&A suggestion box thread that was created when this one first got locked.
Sure, any idea how to go about doing that?
The US government will find a way
Will Harry have to pay taxes while living on Demonreach?
The US government will find a way
Does Ebenezer know that Thomas is his grandson?I forget where but Jim mentioned that Harry has no idea if Thomas and Eb know each other.
Does Thomas know that Ebenezer is his grandfather?
Will we learn more about Margaret LeFae and her relationship with Lord Raith?
Why is Toot Toot growing?
Will Harry have to pay taxes while living on Demonreach?
I forget where but Jim mentioned that Harry has no idea if Thomas and Eb know each other.
Toot Toot is growing due to an increase in influence and power (a la Harry). Jim jokingly made a mention of pizza as well.
Of course he will pay taxes; it is the US government after all.
Now to ask my serious questions... :-[He and few other WC vampires have a certain level of ability. The problem is that it takes a lot of dedicated time and effort. This brings up certain problems like...
Actually, right now there is only one question that keeps eating at me.
What is the truth regarding Thomas' low level of magical ability? How is it that the first born of Margaret LeFae doesn't display more magical ability?
He and few other WC vampires have a certain level of ability. The problem is that it takes a lot of dedicated time and effort. This brings up certain problems like...
Any other vampire would consider being tired and drained from practicing magic enough of an opening to kill them outright.
It is often tied to their hunger so it makes their demon tired as well.
They only use it for particular uses so they tend to advance to the level of sorcerer instead of becoming full wizards.
Will Harry have to pay taxes while living on Demonreach?Probably not, on account of he's not getting any income at the moment.
I still think there is more to it than that. If a human can practice magic, a WCV should be able to as well. They are human enough.The most recent WoJ that I have seen said that for whatever reason WC vamps can get good but never on the same level as the senior council. Though I can't remember where I say that. Can anyone link to it if they do?
The most recent WoJ that I have seen said that for whatever reason WC vamps can get good but never on the same level as the senior council. Though I can't remember where I say that. Can anyone link to it if they do?
Unverified WoJ from the 2011 Naperville signing:
'Are there White Court vampire wizards?'
Yes, there are. Thomas is middle-of-the-road in power and [ed: think I'm remembering this correctly] the strongest don't get as strong as mortal wizards [/ed], but they can pull off some strong tricks with their Hunger.