2011 DC signing
Did Mab lie? (At the end of Ghost Story)
Mab did not lie, Mab was wrong. There’s a subtle difference to that, at the end of Ghost Story. As far as Mab is concerned, she’s telling the truth, because she’s telling the truth from her experience, as she knows it. Dresden, however, is getting an earful of truth on a more cosmic level. So we’ll see how that plays out a little bit more in the next book

The other problem is that the "shapeshifter bad guy" archetype is already taken in the series (ad yes, you can have more but to what end?) Naagloshii have clearly already done that well enough in the series, so what does Nemesis add that they do not?

they show a specific specialist ability true. But not the scope of what's possible.
 we know thoughts of similarities create resonance. This is by and large one of the simplest things used in magic. Doesn't matter if it's blood, hair, a ken doll with some styling... Or thoughts.It's all about creating that channel to direct the magic through. What's used only effects the quality of the channel, not the magic behind the idea.
So say, I have Grey turn into someone, he acts just like them yea? Can be overcome by THEM if he loses himself. Can't I use him now as a channel to the real one? Can't I use the same principles to say,
give him a stomach ache, cause him pain or even control his very mind from a distance? Grey's just the conduit and actually doing anything to grey is just part of the mental ritual of focusing the magic. It's not needed.
Seems pretty superfluous cause if grey can turn into him we probably already have their blood huh?
Now, what if instead we just have similar thoughts? Can't I mold my thoughts to be more like theirs to create a deeper and more direct channel to them? All I'd need is the initial connection to start the process yea?
An that's how Nemesis operates. The advantage of having a non corporeal shapeshifting ability is resonant access things you become mentally. It's why It's so hard to detect, and probably why Molly was egged into using fear magic by Sandra the fishy name Marlin. Opened her to fear bringer.
(And I theorize why Harry having cat sith NOT be lethal automatically made him vulnerable to hwwbh, who I think prefers to play with his food)

From the way Corb talked I'd more suspect her to be Nimue? Morganna wasn't a mewling child in Arthur's day, Nimue tho.. an I don't think even Merlin would have authority to cast out the kings sister. I took it more under the context of dismissing your apprentice, and as the court mage casting her out of the court.

He would, he definitely would. And Dresden already has a lot of problems with Marcone. What he saw in the soulgaze, really disturbed Harry in some really primal level, I think. He's visceral about his hate for Marcone.

Marcone is really interesting in his dark mirage of Dresden. Because it's not even about choice but circumstance. Harry's defining moment in his youth was taking out someone trying to kill him.. Marcone's is someone else basically dying because someone wanted to kill him. Harry hates him because if he'd been delt that hand he'd have played it the same way and he knows it.

Murphy was shot in the neck. Which is, I dunno if on purpose, or Jim being Jim, or what, but, personally, I can't not think about the fact that Susan basically dies the same way, wound to the neck, bleeding to death, in front of Harry.

ouch, yea the parallel would seem right for how Susan died. I was wondering specifically because of Arthurian stuff. Some of the precise details being split between beings

I meant to ask you about this before, but then I forgot as I was doing the transcript. I was just hoping you would elaborate on this? What's your idea here? I'm interesting to hear about that.

I always view Battle Ground as being her Changes, you know, the pivotal moment for her transformation, the same Changes was for Harry. Because I think, in some respects, they follow similar paths.

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As far as Murphy being a SomeOne important? Probably started in the way back machine when Raidem posted his Murphy is mab theory. I didn't agree, having seen more for Molly fitting the bill already with Maeve changing to match Molly's appearance. But I had to look closer at it of course, it bleeds into various other strands of theory but more or less. Murphy is Nemesis(or perhaps her most recent full incarnation as it were)as much as Harry is Merlin(she's also Guinevere/Arthurian in makeup but that's off topic). Nemesis the Greek Goddess/Nortia the Etruscan version, lachesis the middle fate, ECT.(we can add dozens of others maybe, not the least of which is Gard herself who plays Guinevere's part in Marcones kingdom proper)
And uh okay so I just brain farted something good and forgot what my old string was leading to but anyway lol... Time is described as a river(matches michio kakku physics btw) and certain things or events keep repeating themselves in its flow. I've previously described this as the bedrock of space/time. Bigger more momentous people and events with conservation of History. It's why GK was last "cycles" Dresden. Murphy fits the archetype of these repeating characters. I think her name is even a direct joke on this and Murphy's law and some of the bigger world building blocks. Mainly mortal magic=the spirit of the power of active fate~ side effects manifestations of "luck" inhibited by source, SPIRIT of fate..
The brain fart was, stars and stones, the starborn can gouge out new paths in space/time.

Jim's answer: "I'm gonna go with Nemesis, because Nemesis has that whole shapeshifting thing going on, so he can be anybody.

ah see, yea. I wouldn't have really considered it to be shapeshifting, but coming from the author.. Jim tends to say things that we don't actually have the full context to but can be very good for guesswork and theorizing at what the context we're missing is. He's gotten better at it over the years actually. Last couple years of his he's been dropping subtle but very telling lines in his replies.

Actually it makes a lot of sense that Nemesis would be a shape shifter.. Makes for easier story telling as well.

care to ahh, explain anything about this particular statement? This is one of those comments that's perfectly valid on its own. When it's a response I just get lost in the reasoning behind WHY?

I don't think it has been, I saw that video but haven't seen it mentioned here yet.