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Lyon posted:In regards to the whisper from a fallen I thought lasciel claimed credit for it directly in their showdown? Maybe I misread that part. She did, yeah, though there's wiggle-room in how she said it. Though I've got to admit, it fits with what we found out about how Anduriel works. Also seven-year-old me likes the idea of Anduriel and Uriel playing tug-of-war with Harry's soul. (Seven-year-old me likes stupid wordplay.) I actually think Lasciel fits better, though, as her old connection with Harry makes sense as a means by which she could influence him in spite of The Rules.
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# ? May 29, 2014 03:05 |
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# ? May 15, 2024 03:12 |
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Darkrenown posted:Good read. Some thoughts: Five artifacts, five points to a summoning ring, each of which needs an artifact of some kind... an upcoming big apocalyptic trilogy... If you can summon Mother Winter, how much harder can it be to summon Jesus? e: For those who don't know, at the end of the apocalypse we get the Second Coming of Christ. Comes down from heaven on a horse. Nothing that says he can't be politely asked, first! SolTerrasa fucked around with this message at 03:19 on May 29, 2014 |
# ? May 29, 2014 03:06 |
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SolTerrasa posted:Five artifacts, five points to a summoning ring, each of which needs an artifact of some kind... Holy poo poo.
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# ? May 29, 2014 03:45 |
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SolTerrasa posted:Five artifacts, five points to a summoning ring, each of which needs an artifact of some kind... I can't imagine Michael being too pleased about that.
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# ? May 29, 2014 03:47 |
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SKIN GAME IS A GOOD BOOK well cya
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# ? May 29, 2014 03:49 |
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Arcsech posted:I can't imagine Michael being too pleased about that. "Look, the line's 'But of that day and hour knoweth no man', right? Says nothing about wizards."
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# ? May 29, 2014 03:53 |
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Illuyankas posted:"Look, the line's 'But of that day and hour knoweth no man', right? Says nothing about wizards." "Besides, I don't KNOW. It's 50/50 on whether this works or just explodes."
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# ? May 29, 2014 03:56 |
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AllTerrineVehicle posted:"Besides, I don't KNOW. It's 50/50 on whether this works or just explodes." *spell half works, dead body shows up in the circle, Harry has to spend three days running away from the Denarians with the flopping corpse of the Son of God so he can come back to life again before he's eaten, Weekend at Jesus's*
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# ? May 29, 2014 04:02 |
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Some thoughts: Dinosaur Cowgirl Maggie was freakin' adorable. Do you suppose Michael tells her bedtime stories about Harry's exploits? Or is she just that badass naturally? I find it creepy for Lash Jr to live in a skull. Harry needs to get her something more age- and gender-appropriate. Maybe Maggie will get a doll-slash-sister for Christmas and they can grow up together. Speaking of spirits of intellect housed in skulls, do we really think Molly is still ignorant of Bob's existence? Even without this major clue, he was pretty much an open secret among the League and we know Molly was capable of eavesdropping on them. Who was the testy British guy in Demonreach? I vote Merlin.
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# ? May 29, 2014 04:07 |
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I'm at a signing and I got to ask how old Murphy is. Murphy is five years older than Dresden and is 42. When he signs I'm going to ask if McCoy knows who Thomas is though for done reason I think it's been asked before. Either that or where the hell McCoy is since he obviously knows Dresden is alive and the Gatekeeper knows a way so I doubt Mab could keep him off the island
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# ? May 29, 2014 04:13 |
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wheatpuppy posted:Some thoughts: Suffice to say I disagree with many of the more commonly expressed opinions. I thought Murphy and Harry saw a good bit of growth this book, and I thought Hannah Ascher's back story made perfect sense. I don't get this reflexive hatred of it because she was raped. Rape is distressingly common, and her issues didn't spring from her sexual trauma they sprang from the Council's relentless persecution of her despite, from her perspective, valid extenuating circumstances. I also liked the their fight. It really highlighted the differences between a Wizard and a Sorceress, and just how much Harry has grown over the series. I'm sure I'll have some more cogent thoughts after a reread Rygar201 fucked around with this message at 04:26 on May 29, 2014 |
# ? May 29, 2014 04:14 |
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Bunnita posted:I'm at a signing and I got to ask how old Murphy is. Murphy is five years older than Dresden and is 42. He definitely knows. I'm very sure Dresden has told McCoy that Thomas is his brother.
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# ? May 29, 2014 04:17 |
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^ Not onscreen he hasn't, not yet - McCoy didn't know as of Turn Coat and they don't discuss it after thatBunnita posted:I'm at a signing and I got to ask how old Murphy is. Murphy is five years older than Dresden and is 42. Yeah I think I read the answer here as 'he knows but isn't very happy about it' a while back. I imagine we'll see him, Luccio, Ramirez and the rest of the White Council next book considering the title, and boy oh boy do I want to see those reactions! Illuyankas fucked around with this message at 04:20 on May 29, 2014 |
# ? May 29, 2014 04:18 |
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SolTerrasa posted:For those who don't know, at the end of the apocalypse we get the Second Coming of Christ. Comes down from heaven on a horse. Nothing that says he can't be politely asked, first! Butters is Jewish, and we know from the swords descended from royalty. If he's descended from Rehoboam it'd bring the Ten Lost Tribes into the mix which are associated with the coming of the Messiah too.
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# ? May 29, 2014 05:03 |
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wheatpuppy posted:Some thoughts: I'm pretty sure in the book Maggie tells Harry that Molly has been telling her stories about Harry's exploits Illuyankas posted:^ Not onscreen he hasn't, not yet - McCoy didn't know as of Turn Coat and they don't discuss it after that What's the timeframe now since Harry and McCoy have spoken? Ghost Days was 6 months after Chicken Itza. He comes back to Chicago after 3 months of rehab so about 1 year from Chicken Itza. He spend 1 year hanging out on Demonreach so it's been two years since they've talked? Man I can't wait to see how Rashid handled Harry's White Council affairs.
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# ? May 29, 2014 05:04 |
Tornhelm posted:I doubt he'll go this way, but also: Probably be easier to just go House of David.
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# ? May 29, 2014 05:06 |
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Tornhelm posted:I doubt he'll go this way, but also: Ah, see, I grew up premillenial dispensationalist, so the apocrypha are not really on my radar, theologically speaking.
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# ? May 29, 2014 05:53 |
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docbeard posted:Anduriel and Uriel So this just gave me a kickstart, their names are bloody similar and they both have similar job descriptions. Anduriel is the Master of Shadows, an old term for a spymaster. Uriel is Heaven's black ops master and also got called a spymaster by Harry. Uriel means "Light of God." What does Anduriel mean and how closely are they related? This has probably been discussed but I haven't seen it before.
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# ? May 29, 2014 05:56 |
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Rygar201 posted:Get your gender roles out of my Dresden Files Yeah, this was kinda my reaction to the debate from a few pages back...I completely understand that having a character's backstory be "I was raped/almost raped/otherwise sexually assaulted" has a really high potential to be some combination of cliche, in poor taste, badly done, or some really reprehensible 'fanservice'...but that's not what Ascher felt like to me. I like the concept of someone being in a situation similar to Dresden's but not having someone to speak out for her. She used her powers to defend herself from something horrible, gets persecuted for it.
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# ? May 29, 2014 06:04 |
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jivjov posted:Yeah, this was kinda my reaction to the debate from a few pages back...I completely understand that having a character's backstory be "I was raped/almost raped/otherwise sexually assaulted" has a really high potential to be some combination of cliche, in poor taste, badly done, or some really reprehensible 'fanservice'...but that's not what Ascher felt like to me. I like the concept of someone being in a situation similar to Dresden's but not having someone to speak out for her. She used her powers to defend herself from something horrible, gets persecuted for it. It is in incredibly bad taste, especially considering she spends most of the book trying to get people to sleep with her, being hit on, and has a conveniently exploitative sequence where she has to strip out of her clothes to complete a puzzle. If it had just been that one thing it would have been less noticable but the book quite literally has more words dedicated to her sexy body than Molly has lines. It spends the entire time sexualizing her and then "welp, my backstory is rape!"
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# ? May 29, 2014 06:30 |
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I was able to ask one more question, which was obvious as I think about it. I asked why it took so long for Ebenezer to take Harry in. Apparently Harry was at Justin's on Ebenezer's orders, no one had any idea the guy was evil. I kind of wish I had asked something else
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# ? May 29, 2014 06:39 |
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Bunnita posted:I was able to ask one more question, which was obvious as I think about it. I asked why it took so long for Ebenezer to take Harry in. Apparently Harry was at Justin's on Ebenezer's orders, no one had any idea the guy was evil. McCoy probably wanted to distance himself from Harry considering how poorly the last time he tried to mentor a relative.
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# ? May 29, 2014 07:02 |
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ImpAtom posted:It is in incredibly bad taste, especially considering she spends most of the book trying to get people to sleep with her, being hit on, and has a conveniently exploitative sequence where she has to strip out of her clothes to complete a puzzle. And, yeah, that scene at the Gate was just incredibly tacky. Did Harry need to strip buck naked to complete his task (with Anna Valmont and Hannah leering at him), despite the fact that the superchilled temperatures he faced would have frozen his clothes solid and immobile? Nope.
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# ? May 29, 2014 07:05 |
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Mars4523 posted:And, yeah, that scene at the Gate was just incredibly tacky. Did Harry need to strip buck naked to complete his task (with Anna Valmont and Hannah leering at him), despite the fact that the superchilled temperatures he faced would have frozen his clothes solid and immobile? Nope. Is it fair to excuse these gratuitous sexy female scenes as Lashiel the Temptress doing her flirty bit with Harry/the rest of the crew? I still don't really know where I stand on the whole issue.
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# ? May 29, 2014 07:08 |
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Xtanstic posted:Is it fair to excuse these gratuitous sexy female scenes as Lashiel the Temptress doing her flirty bit with Harry/the rest of the crew? I still don't really know where I stand on the whole issue. That is how I saw it
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# ? May 29, 2014 07:16 |
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Mars4523 posted:And, yeah, that scene at the Gate was just incredibly tacky. Did Harry need to strip buck naked to complete his task (with Anna Valmont and Hannah leering at him), despite the fact that the superchilled temperatures he faced would have frozen his clothes solid and immobile? Nope. That would have been a hilarious reversal, and I wish Butcher had done that. Plus, I'm sure the cold wouldn't be doing wonders for his... appearance. Would've been a nice comeuppance for Harry. That is, if the original scene had to be the way it was in the first place. Xtanstic posted:Is it fair to excuse these gratuitous sexy female scenes as Lashiel the Temptress doing her flirty bit with Harry/the rest of the crew? I still don't really know where I stand on the whole issue. Ehhhhhhh. Maybe. It's at least a reason, I don't think that fully excuses it though - it got laid on really thick.
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# ? May 29, 2014 07:17 |
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Xtanstic posted:Is it fair to excuse these gratuitous sexy female scenes as Lashiel the Temptress doing her flirty bit with Harry/the rest of the crew? I still don't really know where I stand on the whole issue. I mean, say it was Lasciel behind that. What was her end goal in giving the guys (and the first person narrator) a show? Did she actually hope to accomplish anything, or was it just gratuitous fanservice in a book that is already incredibly tipped towards men in the male vs. female agency scale? Also, Hannah is pretty stacked. We know because of Dresden's male gaze. Buxom woman sprinting barefoot and naked... ouch? Ouch. Mars4523 fucked around with this message at 07:25 on May 29, 2014 |
# ? May 29, 2014 07:21 |
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Rape could have been a good catalyst for Hannah's development and choices if it were handled well, but Butcher's not a very good writer so it dropped like a lead balloon and then kablam and let's move on. Rape is a serious subject and it seems obvious he didn't give it the weight and thought that it deserves. Which is too bad, because he can be better; he has other good female characters. Maybe he just needs a good female editor to hit him upside the head. Also, time. As in, spend more time writing the books. Maybe add six months going forward.
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# ? May 29, 2014 07:41 |
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Probably be easier to just go House of David.
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# ? May 29, 2014 07:47 |
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The real question is what Harry's other daughter's name is going to be. Athena? Roberta? Lashita?
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# ? May 29, 2014 07:57 |
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I went to Target to see if they had the book since there's no conveniently close bookstore. The employee I asked about it kept calling it Skin Head. Fortunately, despite not finding it at Target, I was then able to make the trip out to the nearest bookstore and grab it. Book thoughts: The nerd references were laid on pretty heavily in this book but the Monty Python exchange actually got a good laugh out of me. Am I the only one who feels like Harry didn't actually kill Hannah/Lasciel? All the book says is "And Hannah Ascher and Lasciel were gone." Granted, hundreds of tons of molten rock dropping on her head, but those supernatural beings can be pretty nimble and we already know she's at least somewhat resistant to fire. The rocket-propelled shield ball was a neat trick, though. I like how creative Harry was with his magic here since he lacked a lot of his tools. I get why people feel like it's a step back in terms of plot structure, but I really liked the "throw stuff I know how to do together and see what works" nature of Harry's early detective work, so I ended up liking this book overall. Harry's scene with meeting Maggie felt kinda sappy for my taste, though.
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# ? May 29, 2014 09:35 |
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Pretty sure Harry has had several fights where he was stark naked, including Cold Days when he was going all Wolverine at the end. So I don't know if Hannah ditching her clothes so they didn't light on fire during her trial was really all that big of a deal. She put them back on. I'm happy with this book. Harry actually got to reconnect to the people he loves, and there was a fun caper story in it. Murphy, Michael, Maggie, Molly, Mouse (why is everyone named M___) all got some hug-time and they needed it. The overarching series plot is good stuff but I like the single-episode books more, in general. And I was tired of Faeries so it was a good break from them. I am still annoyed that the Fomor are a big question mark after all this time. We got another teaser, in the party stuff, but as someone running a Dresden RPG game I want to know the basic motivations for a common enemy unit and we got nothing on them yet. It's weird.
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# ? May 29, 2014 09:46 |
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mistaya posted:
Marcone, Mab, Mac, Mebenezer.
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# ? May 29, 2014 10:02 |
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wheatpuppy posted:Some thoughts: Perhaps hes writing the dresden files Surely Merlin would speak ye olde english
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# ? May 29, 2014 12:13 |
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stayed up all night reading Skin Game, holy poo poo. I did *not* see Lash/Dresden head child spirit of intellect thing. That's pretty crazy. I wonder if this is a replacement for Bob (who seems quite happy with Butters who could surely use the help now) edit2: also curious if she'll be susceptible to the same sort of allegiance swapping that Bob is or if there's more loyalty to Dresden due to being her 'father' edit3: also what's the dagger supposed to be? I figured it was the spear of longinus sans spear shaft, but by description the blade seems too short (hidden up Dresden's sleeve) treeboy fucked around with this message at 13:04 on May 29, 2014 |
# ? May 29, 2014 12:25 |
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Gutted I've finished it, going to be a long year.
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# ? May 29, 2014 12:40 |
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I didn't like it that much to be honest. I felt that there were too many dumb fight scenes and not enough character growth, character interaction, mysteries, etc. The parasite thing got resolved in a good way, but now I have the impression there are few interesting mysteries left, if any..
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# ? May 29, 2014 13:20 |
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Who the hell was Dresden's mom? What does it mean that Dresden is starborn? Who is Cowl? Who or what arranged for the death of Dresden's parents? Who on the senior council has been compromised by Nemesis? Where is Maevre and what has she been getting up to with her absurdly dangerous Necromancy knowledge? Did Nemesis get Ferrovax? What's Elaine up to? What's up with Mac? Just some questions I'm quite looking forward to getting answers to, off the top of my head.
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# ? May 29, 2014 13:43 |
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Walh Hara posted:I didn't like it that much to be honest. There's plenty of mysteries left, and now two or three new ones. What exactly is Nemesis, and how exactly does it do what it does? What is a Starborn? What really was the deal with Dresden's mother and Lord Raith that created the circumstances that lead to Harry being born as one? Where is Grandmother Winter's walking stick? What is Mavra planning with the Word of Kemmler? What's the deal with the Formor? What's exactly happened to the original Merlin? Who was the man in the crystal at the beginning of the book? What is 'the Rent'? How do the Denarians, or possibly just Nicodemus and his daughter, plan on 'saving the world'? What was his purpose with those artifacts, and the Holy Grail? I'm sure I missed some, and even between just those i'm sure there's easily several books worth of plot twists and reveals, I'm sure. Wolpertinger fucked around with this message at 13:46 on May 29, 2014 |
# ? May 29, 2014 13:44 |
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# ? May 15, 2024 03:12 |
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Bunnita posted:I'm at a signing and I got to ask how old Murphy is. Murphy is five years older than Dresden and is 42. Per the reddit AMA McCoy knows and isn't happy about it
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# ? May 29, 2014 14:26 |