How do you know it doesn't have a double meaning? Jim might be creative...

lol, I mean. I assume it does but haven't sussed out how, that and woj is we don't know all the details just what Dresden understands from his perspective on this.

I agree, especially in the case of Aurora, we don't really know, because we never saw her before she was infected.  Actually though we have guessed that she was, there is nothing at least in the books that confirm that she was.  Is there a WOJ out there that confirms it?

yep. Don't ask me to produce it. It's not pertinent to me or mine and I don't feel like the extra work.

In the case of Maeve it is almost as sketchy, when we first meet her in Mac's bar I think it was in Summer Knight, she appears sane.. Or sane compared to how she acts as the series moves on.

based on what we've learned, Maeve had been shirking her duties for centuries. it's not until Nemfection she can actively act against those duties. Before that she's simply being Fae while trying to fight the mantles duty. Coincidentally, just like Aurora she doesn't act "crazy" she acts human. Petty, selfish, jealous outpouring of emotional angst not based on the mantle but on the identity underneath.(another cluebat to be found with Molly. She still has enough of her human left[any will do] Nemesis is a very real threat to her mind)

I believe that Nemesis does take advantage of the weakness in the being it infects and is let in by that being. I also don't think there are set rules,

whew do i have news for you! Might wanna go back and reread and listen to all those interviews and pay particular attention to say, the three man panel describing how to set up magic systems. This is the same kinda thinking behind Jim's too lazy to have plotted it out. That's the exact opposite of the truth of the DF and I can prove it on any world building 👀
 

While I find it hard to believe that Maeve was tricked, I think it very possible that Justine was.

🤷‍♂️  if solving for N, repeatedly gets the same conclusion then N in the equation has a definite answer. And just like say, quantum physics and Einsteins work, if you can use that solution to consistently define things Y'all say you're not sure how Nemesis works or this connects or that's not aligned with DF meta rules and i say, i have invented the theory of relativity and supposite the existence of dark matter.
Now, dark matter might only BE a theory, but it's a theory that holds together through mathematical testing that readily allows physicists to computate real world math that can accurately predict planetary movements.
That's why people actually challenging my theory and not just naysaying it is so important to me. I can and have accurately described events not yet passed that have come to be and can otherwise show direct evidence for said theories coming to direct fruitation. Al la for instance, Harry killing Susan allows for a direct parallel to Nico's actions in killing his daughter so much so that going into the DF under the theory of repeating timeline/paths and shadows you can actually predict Nico's future actions based on nothing else. You can accurately make the prediction Cowl is alt Harry based on Nic being the precise inversed mirror of Harry too, because what's in direct parallel but opposite manifesting ones Denarius as a shadow blanket? Manifesting it as a fiery Phoenix like bird, such as in the wraith deeps. Coincidentally aligned with the theory of mutable time travelers..(which harkens back to a great deal of lore and connections pointed out elsewhere already such as the Phoenix firebird that Mac lets Harry drive in SF)
And ya know.. in all this time nobodies actually tested the theory properly or tried to use it to define their own pieces of the dresdenverse(which is the actual test) and that makes me sad, especially when all i usually hear are negative affirmations. I don't, I can't... as the proverb goes don't let those who can NOT stop those who are actively doing. Cause testing others theory for ourselves is what got both me and Einstein onto the same boat when it comes to peer review of our work(if you know, you know 👀 )

What I meant by the "worst" of their mantles' impulses is the elements that might push them to be the most unlike their own native selves.  Bob said the Ladymantle would change a mortal within a few years... "welcome to the new Maeve, same as the old Maeve.
And is it "something like" autism, what I'm seeing in Mab?  I do feel there's a strong case to be made that it's so.

apologies accepted.
And I'll split the difference for you and why it works that way probably.
The WK mantle makes the subconscious louder. The Shadow as described by Yung. It forces the wearer to incorporate his shadow into his conscious mindset or be overwhelmed by it.
This is by and large to make it easier to resist Nemesis, who specifically forms herself to that subconscious part and tries to trick you into thinking it's yourself.
The ladies and queens less so. Haven't quite figured out the ladies mantles as completely except to surmise the true purpose of the lady and knight is... Slightly more than copulation. Something that requires a magic they're denied as fae. Same thing that made Bonnie.
The queens don't have the same issue as the knights because they're each others shadows. Mab is the dark shadow of Titania given purpose and power in reality to deny Nemesis access to the shadow of either. It's why their balance is so important. Anything imbalanced gives Nemesis wiggle room.(off topic but I think the reason the Eldest mantles are all suspect to nfection is by design, they are the broken down aspects of the 9 part soul, the Greek muses. Eldest Gruff, with his ability to make tragedy make sense to Titania is a shoe in for the muse of tragedy, and if my theory he's in fact" ole billy goat Shakespeare" is true that'd make a lot of sense.)well, I forgot my original thread but
This differs entirely from autism, which is by and large a problem of the manifestation of consciousness, which is something that is more a sum of its parts. Imagine a holographic projector projecting the death star. The projector is the brain and the projection is the consciousness. Now imagine the projector is wired wrong. It still projects the death star, but everything projected is out of place. The projection still has all the functionality of the death star, big it doesn't look the same. It doesn't connect the same way so it's processing to get to the same outcomes is entirely different.
Consciousness is a relatively new evolution not entirely understood. I think personally autists are simply a variant of that evolution. Instead of following the Zen path of being Woke in the moment(which leads to overload) they must instead learn to program their own subroutines(which is where there is some overlap with how the mantles work)so it matters not if they're there in the moment. The subconscious Shadow has already been mastered and incorporated to do your bidding and to kick the red alert up to the conscious mind when it has an error code.
As far as if Mab was born autistic.. I'd look to Molly for the answer, who's thoughts work almost the same already. The issue is defining what or why. Autists tend to have an imbalance in the five kinds of intellect but it's usually the males who have social issues and females with shall we say 'ditzy' effects usually played off under other stereotypes like cheerleader or Blondy.
Molly though highly empathic doesn't hold for most usual indicators. An that by itself isn't one, because it's proven to be a trauma response. Autists who grow up in nice safe places of support like Michael's house don't tend to overdevelop their intuitive ability as a defensive measure to survive the presence of evil.
*Addendum. To address why the new lady will be the same as the old lady, ECT. Has to do with the mantles holding memory/being empowered by the wearer while subsuming them. You can't change the mantles without throwing yourself into them, your soul fire. It's why Molly, who's made choices as Molly that have directly effected the mantle has lost so much of herself already. There's wiggle room. But the ladies and the queens are the ghostly identities, the mantles of other being. You can only wear a mask for so long before you become it. Note, Harry has never had this issue, the mantle was refashioned through the table, cleansing it, specifically so she could remold it to Harry himself.

**Very very old theory.. but winter is the subconscious, summer the super ego, the eldest the separate parts of the soul/9 muses of the personal soul, ect.

Twas happening before my mentioned statement. Specifically to you. 🤔
I'm not a genius, but if ignoring actual conversational hooks(repetitively) unless stated by another is 'disengaging', directly replying to a nonstarter is definitely not.
Unless intentional rudeness is meant by it, I'm not sure where my comment differs except the stressing of the mortal differential. After all, Charity is Mortal too.

WoJ says IIRC that Ebenezer's wife -- Margeret LeFay's mother -- was NOT a magical talent... whither Salic Law, hmmm?

his precise answer was,"well... She was mortal. So there's that."
Considering Thomas is "mortal" to mab, we really can't give that any context. That she was not a practitioner is inferred from this, but without any context to what counts as mortal.

No. You're splitting hairs and as usual simply looking for a way to be "right" while completely not getting proper context in the conversation.
"However MS answers" ... By doing what exactly? Confirming EXACTLY what I just said, Nemesis is a name?
Also again completely either ignoring or missing my point. This is by and large why I told you to leave me alone. Look, Harry isn't a sidhe. As I EXPLAINED in my very first post which despite multiple explanations you have not grasped the key direct concept of butcher uses the proper syntax and grammar inherently found in fae to drop clues by way of how the say what they say
Your reply has been to repeatedly point out the no sequitur of Harry saying something. Harry's not the proper sidhe English perfect detail drop the clue bat by talking person, specifically. I don't know how else to explain this. But as usual arguing with you has been a completely pointless exercise in getting straw manned by non sequitur 🥴 for real. Use this example as the standard of WHY I don't wish to engage. And then do my psyche the very great gift of NOT. I'm already very close, being pushed off that edge by people who'd very much love to see it. Back off, I'm fighting for my Will to continue living and I've had enough gaslighting type conversation from my first marriage already thank ye.

Which book are you referring to? Not trying to be snarky, but like to read context.

oop, my fault, my mind slipped over the imo part and read it as you doubted lea wanted more power and they realized when she went at mab. That did happen. 🤔 which part did you doubt?
I'm well aware of the Adversary and why it's called such, that statement doesn't directly parry mine tho. I like to point out The Adversary can be called such(and 'the' is indeed capitalized by them when doing so iirc) because that is its title. Nemesis is a name, one of its names that draws it's attention.
They also go out of their way when speaking of others specific opposites, "their adversary" instead often without capitalizing. Now forgive me my old English teachers for this crap explanation but..The proper usage(because a fae would) for a station that denotes centrality or focus from their perspective would be a personal or broad The. Nemesis is not an adversary, or "our" adversary when speaking personally or within the fae ranks of which Harry is a part of. It's The Adversary.

Even when I agree with you, Vin, I disagree with Uriel not being allowed to counter Mab. I believe that the strict rules constraining Uriel are only related with demonic things. Angels vs demons. I admit it would be not polite for Uriel to affect Mab's plans and it could cause other problems, but the strict rules that completely prevent Uriel from interfering are against demons and demon-related things.

they can only act when their counters act first... Makes it pretty easy to save up activities when demons/fallen are all about breaking the rules 👀
In the grand design, I doubt that's coincidence really. In fact, it's a much more black and white balance and interplay found in the fae courts I'd say. An just as we missed the original point of Winter, I think Demons have a particular purpose, if an unsavory one.