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On the whole power vs finesse thing: Harry says throughout the books that he's terrible at fine control of magic. Later, he realises that he's also very powerful. Beads aside (Wade Wilson's post says why to disregard the beads), Harry has lots of power and not much control. Other wizards might have less power, but their control either makes up for it, or more than makes up for it. Wizards seem to gain both power and control as they progress. Blackstaff is probably more powerful than Harry right up until the most recent book. He all but states he's responsible for the Tunguska event and motherfucking Krakatoa which seem like they'd be beyond Harry's reach even now.
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Sep 26, 2012 13:47
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I am pretty sure Butcher is just hoping nobody really pays attention to Murphy's age. He goes out of his was to avoid mentioning it despite doing it for every other (not-immortal) character pretty regularly. Admittedly he kind of does that with Thomas' love interest too. She's still described as being in her 20s in Ghost Story, which is either impossible or else Thomas was creeping out on a very young insane girl.
ImpAtom fucked around with this message at 16:28 on Sep 26, 2012 |
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Sep 26, 2012 16:24
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AlphaDog posted:Wizards seem to gain both power and control as they progress. Blackstaff is probably more powerful than Harry right up until the most recent book. He all but states he's responsible for the Tunguska event and motherfucking Krakatoa which seem like they'd be beyond Harry's reach even now. I dunno, in Changes he manages the gravity redirection spell over the whole of Chichen Itza.
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Sep 26, 2012 16:24
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pseudonordic posted:I dunno, in Changes he manages the gravity redirection spell over the whole of Chichen Itza. Yes, but that was after getting the Winter Knight mantle. When you're tossing that much power around you can easily get an effect like that while being relatively sloppy.
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Sep 26, 2012 16:29
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404GoonNotFound posted:Yes, but that was after getting the Winter Knight mantle. When you're tossing that much power around you can easily get an effect like that while being relatively sloppy. He also tapped into a ley line for it.
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Sep 26, 2012 16:41
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All of the above doesn't factor into account that Harry's "specialties" besides being really strong and sloppy, are Fire and Will (Force), not Earth magic. Blackstaff's big doings could also be explained as him also being a specialist in Earth magic. in Blood rites, Harry's magnetic sword-cane is inscribed with earth magic (that he specifically namedrops ebenezer about) and in Changes he does an Earth Evocation that he also mentions that Ebenezer insisted he learn. I think that the "rock music vs spanish guitar" comparison might apply to more than just relative power, but also in what you do with it. edit: Also Butcher has gone to some lengths to show that Control is far more Important than brute power. Harry's fire specialty allows him to do some amazing things with fire, but then boom Luccio has like lasers and shows him up even though she's got a fraction of the power (and of course as Harry gains more control he gets lasers too  ) So Control > Power by a long shot.
Error 404 fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Sep 26, 2012 |
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Sep 26, 2012 17:15
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Error 404 posted:edit: Also Butcher has gone to some lengths to show that Control is far more Important than brute power. Harry's fire specialty allows him to do some amazing things with fire, but then boom Luccio has like lasers and shows him up even though she's got a fraction of the power (and of course as Harry gains more control he gets lasers too But only in Faerie, where it's easier to "wing it" what with the laws of physics being more mutable (often to the point where they are left sobbing silently in the corner).
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Sep 26, 2012 17:22
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Wade Wilson posted:You're all forgetting the part where it is explained that Harry put an enchantment on the bracelet so that Molly could never lift the beads until she was in the "right" mindset for why she should be joining Harry in a fight--that she isn't doing it because she is spoiling to fight, but because she cannot ignore the fight and must do something to help, and believing that not helping would cost more lives than it would save, or something. I forget the actual scene, but once the beads fall apart Harry explains what he did. Easier than that, Molly is really bad at kinetics, having to split her effort to individually lift and hold beads in the air like that would have taken all she had to spare already...assuming he didn't just tie a knot in the middle of one of them so it'd never go up without breaking the whole thing. Even Harry would have trouble with that, he could lift the beads for sure, but maintaining the concentration to keep them all just suspended independently rather than flying off is going to be difficult.
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Sep 26, 2012 17:23
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^^ He pretty specifically explained that the beads were enchanted to be a test that Molly was "doing it for the right reasons" I think they were made to just fly up when the condition was met, and Molly's TK ability was never the point. Edit 2: I hate to be a total nerd here, but it's just like in LOTR, to get into Moria, they can't brute force their way in, they have to "speak friend, and enter". In that case, it seems very likely Harry would cook up something like that.404GoonNotFound posted:But only in Faerie, where it's easier to "wing it" what with the laws of physics being more mutable (often to the point where they are left sobbing silently in the corner). No he has lasers in the regular world now too. Chapter one of Changes, fighting the RC strike team in his building. he added Soulfire to make them silvery white lasers made of "gently caress You Vampires". And again later on in the FBI building. Error 404 fucked around with this message at 17:29 on Sep 26, 2012 |
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Sep 26, 2012 17:24
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Error 404 posted:No he has lasers in the regular world now too. Chapter one of Changes, fighting the RC strike team in his building. he added Soulfire to make them silvery white lasers made of "gently caress You Vampires". And again later on in the FBI building. That was less a laser, more a blowtorch with the Soulfire solidifying the column. He was only able to really duplicate Luccio's laser trick in Lea's garden.
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Sep 26, 2012 17:28
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OK, so he's not there yet, but he's almost there. My point about Control still stands. 
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Sep 26, 2012 17:30
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navyjack posted:According to Wikipedia, Murphy was early 30s in Storm Front, so she should be almost 50. And Mister, if he was only barely adult is like 16. Fogey age for a housecat. At least Mouse is a semi-immortal special magic dog. Or possibly Mister is a familiar and thus isn't really a cat but is rather a spirit assuming cat form.
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Sep 26, 2012 22:48
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Zola posted:Or possibly Mister is a familiar and thus isn't really a cat but is rather a spirit assuming cat form. That can't be right, since Bob can possess Mister and go on walkabout with him. I bet Mister's just a small bobcat that decided he liked Harry.
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Sep 26, 2012 23:51
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Zola posted:Or possibly Mister is a familiar and thus isn't really a cat but is rather a spirit assuming cat form. If that were the case, how is Bob able to go out prowling in Mister? I've been kinda worried about that catte considering his age so I'm hoping there really is something more to him that we might think. e: that's what I get for not reloading the page
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Sep 27, 2012 00:04
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 MY POWER PLUG IS HERE! I CAN READ BOOKS ON MY E-READER NOW!I'll just plug this end into the converter brick...  ... seriously?! I'm getting my $15 back and ordering something that says Sony on the box and on the charger itself, not just in the listing. The seller is getting a negative review because they wasted my time. My precious, Dresden-reading time.  edit: It'll be here on Saturday. 
daggerdragon fucked around with this message at 02:00 on Sep 27, 2012 |
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Sep 27, 2012 01:51
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The tale of daggerdragon reading The Dresden Files for the thread's amusement is turning into a tragedy. I hope everything turns out ok!Pseudonym posted:If that were the case, how is Bob able to go out prowling in Mister? I've been kinda worried about that catte considering his age so I'm hoping there really is something more to him that we might think. My childhood cat lived until she was 21. Even without magic cats can occasionally live to the far end of the bell curve. Magic is not required yet for him to be alive still.
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Sep 27, 2012 02:06
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Dagger, you could always simply buy it again and have it sent to your PC. Or is that an option for something already purchased? I don't know how these things work. I still just buy the physical copies.
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Sep 27, 2012 02:35
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How healthy is your bank account?
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Sep 27, 2012 03:25
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I am honestly considering it... Which scares me and my wallet.
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Sep 27, 2012 03:30
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I'm about to get a $2k bonus from work...
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Sep 27, 2012 03:30
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ConfusedUs posted:I'm about to get a $2k bonus from work... Don't you dare take this from me.
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Sep 27, 2012 03:31
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ConfusedUs posted:I'm about to get a $2k bonus from work... This is probably getting close to what it will take.
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Sep 27, 2012 03:32
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Ornamented Death posted:This is probably getting close to what it will take. Unfortunately you are probably correct, Dammit I withdraw any claim I never actually had.
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Sep 27, 2012 03:36
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why oh WHY posted:Unfortunately you are probably correct, Dammit I withdraw any claim I never actually had. Yeah. If I could Buy It Now for $125, sure. But I know it's gonna get ridiculous and I want a new laptop.
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Sep 27, 2012 04:18
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On the bright side, it's a December Hardcover for Roc!
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Sep 27, 2012 04:36
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Lame story: I tossed in a couple bids, including one for $125, as soon as I saw this. Then I shared it with a friend, who started complaining that someone had already run him up to his max .
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Sep 27, 2012 04:38
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My body is dying without the correctly scheduled annual Dresden release I expect; I found all of the short story releases and that helped a little but it's not enough. Thankfully the OP had some alternate suggestions so I'm going to start Iron Druid and Twenty Palaces tonight. I also got the first book in the Hollows series by Kim Harrison but I expect it to be lovely and similar to other "girl gets powers and fucks across the netherworld" books. It occurs to me that I've unintentionally become really sexist about how I choose authors to read. I don't really like reading fantasy written by women because it tends to focus on a lot of wrist-on-forehead couch fainting with inter cuts of vampire/werewolf sex. The one exception to this I feel (and I might be totally alone) is the Sonja Blue series, which I really enjoyed when I was a bit younger.
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Sep 28, 2012 11:59
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Kaptain K posted:going to start Iron Druid and Twenty Palaces tonight Be warned that Twenty Palaces ends abruptly. Don't let it stop you from reading them because they're entertaining reads, but I was left wanting more. 
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Sep 28, 2012 13:59
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Kaptain K posted:It occurs to me that I've unintentionally become really sexist about how I choose authors to read. I don't really like reading fantasy written by women because it tends to focus on a lot of wrist-on-forehead couch fainting with inter cuts of vampire/werewolf sex. You might try the Greywalker books by Kat Richardson. They're pretty much the opposite of what you fear, and she's probably my favorite urban fantasy author who isn't Jim Butcher or Ben Aaronovich at this point.
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Sep 28, 2012 14:59
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docbeard posted:You might try the Greywalker books by Kat Richardson. They're pretty much the opposite of what you fear, and she's probably my favorite urban fantasy author who isn't Jim Butcher or Ben Aaronovich at this point. Truth. I'm currently reading this series.
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Sep 28, 2012 15:24
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Kaptain K posted:My body is dying without the correctly scheduled annual Dresden release I expect; I found all of the short story releases and that helped a little but it's not enough. Barbara Hambly did a good set of vampire novels. Those Who Hunt the Night Traveling With the Dead She recently added a third title, Blood Maidens I don't know what the status is on the first two, whether they are getting re-released or what, but there's no explicit sex, the vampires don't sparkle, the stories are well written and you can get them on Kindle. I love her other science fiction/fantasy, she does a great magic/tech crossover, but those are currently out of print as well.
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Sep 28, 2012 17:08
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Kaptain K posted:it tends to focus on a lot of wrist-on-forehead couch fainting with inter cuts of vampire/werewolf sex. I don't know, that sounds a lot like Dresden Files to me.
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Sep 28, 2012 20:47
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I started White Night yesterday and I'm determined to catch up on the series before the new book comes out. God drat these books get better and better.
Beastie fucked around with this message at 00:13 on Sep 29, 2012 |
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Sep 28, 2012 21:55
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It's been a while since I got invested in a series, and got to really love the characters. I just burned through the series and holy poo poo, some of those scenes are going to stick with me. I can't wait for Cold Days. I gotta find out what's happened to everyone in more depth. Really, really don't want Molly going all evil on Dresden either.
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Sep 28, 2012 22:15
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That Cold Days proof is legit. https://twitter.com/longshotauthor/status/251554509971668992 I was kind of wondering how that works. Wouldn't the publishers be pissed? Then again, he does have beta readers.
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Sep 29, 2012 00:06
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ImpAtom posted:I don't know, that sounds a lot like Dresden Files to me.
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Sep 29, 2012 02:06
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Subparr posted:That Cold Days proof is legit. No publisher in their right mind would get upset over this.
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Sep 29, 2012 02:58
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Has there been any word on when the next short story anthology will be released?
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Sep 29, 2012 03:24
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Subparr posted:That Cold Days proof is legit. A) He's a cash cow with a multibook contract. Getting pissy would cost a ton of money both in fees for breaking the contract and in lost sales when another publisher snags him B) The sheer badpress that would result from slapping this down is stupidly high
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Sep 29, 2012 04:08
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Fried Chicken posted:A) He's a cash cow with a multibook contract. Getting pissy would cost a ton of money both in fees for breaking the contract and in lost sales when another publisher snags him C) This is 100% awesome publicity and does nothing but heighten the anticipation. (people who care about spoilers will avoid the internet like the plague for 2 months though)
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Sep 29, 2012 04:18
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