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Messages - Tinfoil hat

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1
DF Spoilers / Re: List your top 5 Dresden files books
« on: November 03, 2025, 03:19:12 PM »
  I don't think of a favorite either;
Grave Peril
Dead Beat
Small Favor
Summer Knight
Turn Coat

Interesting, while RobReece did list Battle Ground, so far everyone have listed books pre-Changes, though some did include Changes.  Small sample to be sure, but I wonder if that says anything about either the writing, the setting for, or the stories post-Changes?
Lets wait for the sample size to be a bit larger before we draw any conclusions .
There is a book or 2 im waiting to see if they are on anyone's list

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DF Spoilers / List your top 5 Dresden files books
« on: November 02, 2025, 07:51:39 PM »
I have seen several arguments about which is the Dresden file book/ personal favorite so
Just curious what you guys fav / top 5 Dresden files books. I will start
1)Turncoat
2) Changes
3)deadbeat
4) skin game
5) small favours
Bonus
6) white nights
Curious to see your lists



3
DF Spoilers / Books books everywhere
« on: October 14, 2025, 10:32:01 AM »
Just realised that physical books are important.  Over the last few years most of my books are online and while trying to recall something from the series noted that the books tend to bled into each other in my mind. Especially when i binge read. Like i started the files in 2020 and read them in a few days. Even my reread i tend to just binge read from one to the next. Am i the only this happens to.
Now to the point what plot point did you miss in the books during your first several read though that you cant believe you missed

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DF Spoilers / Re: Out Law, novella (?)
« on: September 24, 2025, 07:59:35 AM »
I totally agree, those are my thoughts as well.  In that light if Marcone does decide to give up the coin, it will be a huge sacrifice for him.  Given that, it could lead to him becomming a Knight, but that all remains to be seen.
I agree with Nammy Marcone is at best extremely low level talent. But Jim has said that power increases with age. I think snake boy was a small power but thanks to the fallen and long live after centuries when he lost the coin he could still do some magic

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DF Spoilers / Re: is Nicodemus Archleone *the* Nicodemus (from the Bible)?
« on: September 09, 2025, 07:13:24 AM »
My knowledge of the New Testament is limited, but I also remember that Nicodemus was the man who helped to take down Jesus from the Cross, I also think it was his tomb that they placed the body of Jesus in, but I could be wrong about that part. 

As for the  Pharisee who I believe was also rich who asked Jesus how to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?  Was answered I think with the famous "eye of a needle" quote.  Now it is possible that that was Nic, who got very upset about that and somewhere along the line became buds with Judas.  Nic's noose has never been explained, we all know about the most famous noose in history, the one that hung Judas.  So we keep on coming back to this point in history, also Judas was paid with thirty pieces of silver, there are thirty Denarians each trapped in presumedly one of those coins.
.
Biblical Nic was a pharise, ( teacher of the law) the intellectual class of the day. Jesus was uneducated but seemed to know more that the pharisees themselves. Biblical Nic became a believer. Nic on the other hand may have been from the time period but i doubt he was a big deal at the time

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DF Spoilers / Re: Out Law, novella (?)
« on: September 06, 2025, 05:31:11 PM »
  I have a hunch that Marcone will need Harry.  I think Marcone will eventually regret his choice. 
My guess is that Marcone will have a case that breaks his rules but he cant act openly against the people responsible. So similar to the monster short he hires it out. Only this time harry is the only one available. Harry starts a war with Canada has Marcone feared he would in that story.  And Marcone ends up hating harry even more

7
DF Spoilers / Re: Murphy
« on: September 06, 2025, 05:26:00 PM »
Since she is dead, why would she need a health plan? 
Of course she does. Do you want to have any idea how much visiting the dentist when you're died would cost. Kkk
Uriel is no saint people....
He is an angel and a spy seems shady to me....
Having said that. Murphy was raised catholic, but is clearly not devout. Especially with what she has seen. The deal Mr sunshine probably offered was carefully worded to imply she would rest , wait for judgment, while stuff happened or she could go on fighting the good fight and wait for judgment. But Mr Sunshine was involved in this . One eye did not act alone on this

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DF Spoilers / Re: Murphy
« on: August 30, 2025, 08:46:43 AM »
Or maybe Santa Claus is running a big con on Harry and she was faking it under his orders. I am, in retrospect, actually kinda surprised how things went down, with Murphy being a devout catholic. One would think Uriel would have something to say to Odin about taking someone who wielded one of the three swords as an Einherjar. Unless they both want Murphy to power up in preparation for what is coming down the line. Just saying.
Considering how big a deal free will Murphy had to be given a choice. Go in to the light, or join be Odin crew.
Does anyone one still have the quote about Odin having Soul fire. Im not sure but it seems to be used in the creation of einherjar and valkyries.

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DF Spoilers / Re: Speculation thread: How did that happen?
« on: August 30, 2025, 08:38:20 AM »
The is a legend about a centurion at the cross cursed to live until the end of the world. The discussion about Nic always bring it back to mind, Not saying that's Nic but i think the legend probably inspired jim.
In Universe i think that he was probably a roman who was in the region at the time a got caught up in events and was lucky(unlucky) to come across the noose and coins.

10
DF Spoilers / Re: Lasciel's lies and the complicated truth
« on: August 27, 2025, 09:40:19 AM »
As someone who spent a lot of time in catholic school. My understanding about the “rebellion” was that the angles were jealous of humans for their free will.  Now in the Dresdinverse I believe that translates to humans weren’t given something to do.
All power in the Dresden seems to come with attachment that feel and sound a lot like responsibilities. Mab has massive power but is forced/compelled to use it in a certain manner. And if this is scalable the more power the more responsibility comes with it. If the requirements of the Fae are any indication, and if you just want to live your best life, being an angel must kind of suck. 
The reason that they can’t repent and ask for forgiveness is that they are still pissed for the same reasons that they rebelled in the first place. On a topic for another thread, I believe that’s why Nicodemus works so well with fallen because together they get the freedom and the power with none of the attachments.
So for Lasciel who is told that not only was her shadow not able to tempt a black sheep wizard who has already killed with magic. Who seems to be doubling in power every year. Who signed up to me Mab’s slave/plaything. Who bonded with deamonreach because he needed power. That guy not only kept his humanity but changed her shadow so that it sacrificed itself for him and created an immensely being that Harry keeps in a carved wooden box and pretends that its daughter. And What if the shadow was offered the chance to return to the fold and got into heaven or at least joins Murphy’s dad in his little group.
If that didn’t have Lasciel in a rage I’m sure Nick reminds her of it every 20 minutes or so. Then he givers Lasciel to a traumatized girl that thinks that everyone is just using her for either sex or her power. I’m sure Lasciel has been talking about nothing but revenge since Hanna picked her up.

Different explanations are given for the rebellion. Some of the reasons i have heard include that a) humans were to have dominion over angels who are messagers, which rubbed luci ( pride personified) the wrong way. His reason being look at how awesome i am and look at the puny humans. Other is that the Lucy was jealous of the amount of love and favour that humans were going to receive upon the creation. With luci having been the favourite before he saw that as being replaced with a new creation.

11
DF Spoilers / Re: Lasciel's lies and the complicated truth
« on: August 24, 2025, 06:19:34 PM »
Taking a stab at this, based on one of the main themes of The Dresden Files, I think it comes down to free will.  Lucifer originally rebelled and was kicked out of Heaven over free will.  While Lucifer may have free will now in Hell, how much does his followers really have?  What Harry was asking of Lash was for her to realize that what she has, and to exercise her free will.  When she does realize it and chooses to sacrifice herself for Harry, that is what pisses Lasciel off.  Because she really isn't given any choice at all.
Traditionally in Christianity Angels were given a chose during the rebellion. At thats it they cant repeat. It was a one and done. Cause unlike us they saw the BIG GUY in his beauty. And they chose to rebel. Humanity was deceived into rebelling. In Paradise Lost: one of the things pple miss is that the Satan and the fallen regret their decision and the whole better to rule in hell that Paradise speech is  meant to be read by the reader as Luci trying to make the poet and /or himself believe that he made the right choice.
In the Dresden Files the lore seems to be based on this or a similar interpretation.

Remember these lines? (Edited)
Harry: "Lasciel!"
Lashiel: "Hello lover."
Michael: "Lover?"
Harry: "It's complicated."
Michael: "Oh Dear."
Yes it's funny, but that obscures the fact that Lasciel's first statement to Harry was an outright lie.  Harry and Lash developed a love for one another, not Harry and Lasciel.  Yes, originally Lash was just a copy of Lasciel but in the end she became her own being, with a will to decide for herself.
 passage:
It wasn't because she was women scorned.  Think about it, Lasciel has been around since near the dawn of creation.  She was; according to Lash, created for a purpose too complex for mere mortals like Harry to comprehend.  Yet we are to believe that Lasciel's ego is so fragile that one mortal who refused to fully take up her coin pushes her over the edge into insane, murderous, scorned girlfriend mode.  I don't think so.  If I'm right, what was the real reason why Lasciel was furious with Harry?  As Harry would say, "It's complicated," but easy to understand.

It starts in understanding how Lasciel; really how all of the Fallen in the coins, create their shadow selves.  To make a copy of her memory and personality, Lasciel must have used a tiny portion of herself.  According to Bob, angels are soul and nothing but their soul.  The Fallen must tolerate losing a small part of themselves until the mortal who touched the coin they reside in, accepts the offer of power from their shadow self.  When the mortal accepts the offer the true Fallen enters and reacquires that part of their soul.

This can't happen because Lash decided to side with Harry and then sacrificed herself to save him.  Maybe it's possible for an angel to regrow their soul, but I imagine it would be tougher for a fallen angel to do the kind of things that make that possible.  Perhaps with a new host, Lasciel can go out on Halloween night and steal part of the soul of another angel, but this idea seems highly speculative.

Whatever the case may be, Lasciel can't have been happy even if she only lost one hundredth of one percent of her soul.  That a mortal could have taken it away from her would probably make one of the Fallen especially upset.  However, I think there is something else, something special that pushes Lasciel over the edge into volcanic, murderous, ex-girlfriend mode.  It has to do with what Lash became when she turned her back on Lasciel.

Remember when Harry said this to Lash?
"I don't think you're the only one doing any influencing here. I don't think you're the same creature now that you were when you came."
And later added this?
"What if you don't have to be Lasciel?  Think about it.  What if you do have a choice?  A life of your own to lead?  What if, huh?  And you don't even try to choose?"

I doubt Harry understood the full implications of what he told Lash.  Initially, it reads as Harry telling Lash that he changed her as much as she changed him.  That Lash could be more than just Lasciel's shadow and become her own person; make that her own being.  I don't think Harry realized that for Lash to make that choice, it would mean not only that Lash would have her own life, it would be a mortal life.  Lash could only live as long as Harry was alive.  No more going back to the immortal fallen angel
Now we get back to the importance of the story of Dr. Faustus and what Mephistopheles said about hell.  Lasciel is in hell, wherever she or her coin or her human host may be.  Lasciel is locked out of the "eternal joys" and "eternal bliss" forever.  Lash isn't.  Harry not only kept that little bit of Lasciel's soul from coming back to her, he helped it grow, helped it become an independent being and Harry helped Lash to find the will to redeem herself.  Lash now has what Lasciel can never have again.  That is the real source.
For me Lash is Lasciel. At first at least. When Lasciel copies herself to make a shadow. Its imparted with part of her power. The more human uses the coin the more corrupted he/she gets. But harry lasted far to long and lash started using Harry as a source of energy. Giving her free will or the seed for free will.
Harry says to Michael that the fallen dont like churches because they have regrets and known what they lost and can never get back.
Except now Lasciel has seen part of herself get the redemption denied to her and shes furious.
In theology, the question of can the fallen angels be redeemed is asked a lot and the answer is no they cant course their nature doesn’t allow them to see what was wrong about their actions during and after the rebellion.
There is a low budget movie that I forget its name. But some of its themes remind me of the Dresden Files. There a redeemer is sent for the fallen only for them to pretend to repeat so the can kick start another rebellion.

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DF Spoilers / Re: Lasciel's lies and the complicated truth
« on: August 24, 2025, 10:23:32 AM »
One minor; very minor, disappointment in Skin Game was that Harry didn't get very much conversation time with Lasciel.  Harry's conversations with Nicodemus are usually fun; if creepy, and I expect nothing less from a full discussion between Harry and Lasciel, but that didn't happen in this case.
 
Granted, Harry was under the gun, what with Nicodemus revealing that the Genoskwa had taken up Ursiel's coin and Hannah Ascher was carrying Lasciel's, this meant Harry didn't have time to call Lasciel out on her BS, because almost everything she said to Harry were lies.
 
I'm going to point out the obvious lies and speculate on the biggest lie of them all.  I suspect, the next time Lasciel makes an appearance that allows for Harry to give the fallen angel some backtalk, he will do exactly that and get under her skin in the process.

Remember these lines? (Edited)
Harry: "Lasciel!"
Lashiel: "Hello lover."
Michael: "Lover?"
Harry: "It's complicated."
Michael: "Oh Dear."

Yes it's funny, but that obscures the fact that Lasciel's first statement to Harry was an outright lie.  Harry and Lash developed a love for one another, not Harry and Lasciel.  Yes, originally Lash was just a copy of Lasciel but in the end she became her own being, with a will to decide for herself.

The same applies to the statement Lasciel made about Bonea.
Lashiel:  “Meaning that since a whisper in your ear that should have killed you seems to have failed, I intend to skip the subtlety, rip your head apart, and collect our child. She’s far too valuable a resource to be allowed to die with you.”
Harry: "You know about that."
Michael:  "Child?"
Harry: "Complicated."

Another lie, Bonea wasn't Lasciel's child, Bonea is Lash's child.  Lasciel might want to claim that a distinction between herself and her former shadow self didn't exist.  When Harry first picked up the coin that was a reasonably true statement.  In time that was no longer true.  Lash had become an individual with her own will and conscience.  When Lash said, "She... doesn't deserve you." it showed us that an unbridgeable gap had opened between Lash and Lashiel.  Lash was now a distinct individual.

That gets me to Lasciel's biggest lie.  I'll warn you I'm going into WAG territory here and I need to give some exposition first to help explain how I reached this conclusion.

There have been a number of different versions of the story of Dr. Faustus going back over four hundred years.  If you are unfamiliar with this story, Dr. Faustus calls up one of Satan's minions; Mephistopheles, in order to offer his soul to Satan in exchange for the usual; power, wealth, extended life and so on; and of course, later deeply regrets his decision.  In some of the later versions of this story Mephistopheles is Satan.  Mephistopheles is just one of Satan's many names.  However, in the earliest versions of this story Mephistopheles is one of those beings who fell with Satan.  This is important, because I believe Mephistopheles point of view about hell is identical to that of the Fallen in the Dresden Files.  Jim Butcher has a degree in English Literature, so he probably knows Christopher Marlowe's late 16th century version of the story, "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus."  Here is the relevant passage:

FAUSTUS. And what are you that live with Lucifer?
MEPHIST.  Unhappy spirits that fell with Lucifer,
                Conspir’d against our God with Lucifer,
                And are for ever damn’d with Lucifer.
FAUSTUS.  Where are you damn’d?
MEPHIST.   In hell.
FAUSTUS.  How comes it, then, that thou art out of hell?
MEPHIST.   Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it:
                 Think’st thou that I, who saw the face of God,
                 And tasted the eternal joys of heaven,
                 Am not tormented with ten thousand hells,
                 In being depriv’d of everlasting bliss?

It seems very likely to me that Fallen in the Dresden Files; whether they are stuck in one of the coins or if they have joined with someone who has taken up one of the Blackened Denarius, are every bit as much in hell as Mephistopheles described in Christopher Marlowe's version of Dr. Faustus.  This leads me to what I believe is the real reason Lasciel was so P.O.'d at Harry. 

It wasn't because she was women scorned.  Think about it, Lasciel has been around since near the dawn of creation.  She was; according to Lash, created for a purpose too complex for mere mortals like Harry to comprehend.  Yet we are to believe that Lasciel's ego is so fragile that one mortal who refused to fully take up her coin pushes her over the edge into insane, murderous, scorned girlfriend mode.  I don't think so.  If I'm right, what was the real reason why Lasciel was furious with Harry?  As Harry would say, "It's complicated," but easy to understand.

It starts in understanding how Lasciel; really how all of the Fallen in the coins, create their shadow selves.  To make a copy of her memory and personality, Lasciel must have used a tiny portion of herself.  According to Bob, angels are soul and nothing but their soul.  The Fallen must tolerate losing a small part of themselves until the mortal who touched the coin they reside in, accepts the offer of power from their shadow self.  When the mortal accepts the offer the true Fallen enters and reacquires that part of their soul.

This can't happen because Lash decided to side with Harry and then sacrificed herself to save him.  Maybe it's possible for an angel to regrow their soul, but I imagine it would be tougher for a fallen angel to do the kind of things that make that possible.  Perhaps with a new host, Lasciel can go out on Halloween night and steal part of the soul of another angel, but this idea seems highly speculative.

Whatever the case may be, Lasciel can't have been happy even if she only lost one hundredth of one percent of her soul.  That a mortal could have taken it away from her would probably make one of the Fallen especially upset.  However, I think there is something else, something special that pushes Lasciel over the edge into volcanic, murderous, ex-girlfriend mode.  It has to do with what Lash became when she turned her back on Lasciel.

Remember when Harry said this to Lash?
"I don't think you're the only one doing any influencing here. I don't think you're the same creature now that you were when you came."
And later added this?
"What if you don't have to be Lasciel?  Think about it.  What if you do have a choice?  A life of your own to lead?  What if, huh?  And you don't even try to choose?"

I doubt Harry understood the full implications of what he told Lash.  Initially, it reads as Harry telling Lash that he changed her as much as she changed him.  That Lash could be more than just Lasciel's shadow and become her own person; make that her own being.  I don't think Harry realized that for Lash to make that choice, it would mean not only that Lash would have her own life, it would be a mortal life.  Lash could only live as long as Harry was alive.  No more going back to the immortal fallen angel.

Even though Lash didn't have her own physical body, she was imprinted in Harry's mind, in his brain.  Over time that tiny bit that had once been a part of Lasciel's soul had changed.  When Lash finally said, "She doesn't deserve you" we can confidently say that Lash's soul had grown; and it was her soul now.  She had a become a new independent being.  Then Lash made the decision to sacrifice herself for Harry.  "No greater love" and so forth.

Now we get back to the importance of the story of Dr. Faustus and what Mephistopheles said about hell.  Lasciel is in hell, wherever she or her coin or her human host may be.  Lasciel is locked out of the "eternal joys" and "eternal bliss" forever.  Lash isn't.  Harry not only kept that little bit of Lasciel's soul from coming back to her, he helped it grow, helped it become an independent being and Harry helped Lash to find the will to redeem herself.  Lash now has what Lasciel can never have again.  That is the real source of Lasciel's anger. 



 






 




This is beautifully written. I have a few uhm reservations about the statements and conclusions but just plain beatiful.

13
DF Spoilers / Re: Thomas
« on: June 30, 2025, 07:11:09 AM »
I would contend that Lara sees Harry as a trusted enemy not ally. Someone you know can turn on you, but you also can trust them to act a certain way. In Harry's case, he is a know white knight that has a strong moral compass. Lara knows what strings she can pull to get a certain response out of Harry. It will be interesting to see how this might change in Twelve Months.
To quote Codex alera Harry is her Gadara. Sorry couldn't resist their are a few places were my jim butcher books knowledge to use.
 
Yes.  I like the 'pet tiger' analogy, it really fits in many ways.  Every now and then you hear about a tragedy where somebody who thought they had tamed a wild predator finds out the hard way that it's still what it is.  As the late Rush Limbaugh was fond of saying, "A snake is always a snake, a tiger is always a tiger."  Even when the wild animal is safe enough around its owner, it can be dangerous to others, such as that case a few years ago where a pet chimp tore a visitor's face apart.  Plus those incidents where a pet python gets out of its container...

Now since Thomas is also a human being, his sapient mind can restrain the animalistic predator...as long as it doesn't get too hungry.  But once it crosses that line, it can override the human and go hunting, and any human available is prey.

En and Bob have both warned Harry about this, but it's not a message he wants to hear.
Harry is blinded by love. Think about how many red flags in family and friends we over look.
How many toxic family members we still cling to and toxic friends we defend.
Thomas the human partbis a good guy. And harry sees only that part. He cant imagine Thomas the vampire or he cant allow himself to see that part.
The pet tiger imagery is good but how about a violent big dog. You know the breeds which everyonce in a while is in the news for biting kids, neighbors and owners. And which we the owners of said dogs defend as being innocent and friendly but misunderstood.

14
DF Spoilers / Re: Ghost Story--two things
« on: June 18, 2025, 09:25:22 AM »
.. If Harry was a dud, since Lea was the godmother, 
Woah  .... um . Lea as the godmother is the to ensure that Harry isn't a dud. Harry has to grow up able to defend himself from anything and Lea will make sure that he is able to hang with anyone.
Ps Harry claims she took advantage of him, claims she wishes to make him her dog but hold on. Harry learns to be cautious of fae deals from her. By the time Mab comes for him he is able to make a pretty good deal with her based on his experience with Lea.
O she tried to turn him into a dog. But did she not really, every interaction they have Lea comes up just short and at times gives harry insite in to something that ends up helping him.

15
DF Spoilers / Re: Two plus two is Starborn
« on: June 18, 2025, 06:56:58 AM »
Uriel can't mess with free will..  He can perhaps bring two people to the dance floor, but he cannot make them dance with one another..
True you cant force people to dance but you can treak the circumstances of the meeting to make them receptive to the idea. The sun setting at just the right angle, the wind blowing gently enough to make you notice something that you may overlook on any other day.
Im not saying a plant in the way that Uriel forced Malcolm and Margie Sr to fall for each other. Just make sure they meet on the right day , at the right time to fall for each other.

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