Blood contagion - Mab's rule against spilling blood (cd spoilers)

[Mars447]

When mab changed at harry's party, that was a great scene. We are going to be picking that party apart for clues for a long time. I like the idea that blood contains iron so no blood must be spilled. I also think we saw another aspect of mab, maybe even another mantle and that is as a judge of some type. We see the same look when she is summoned to demonreach by harry and maeve knows she is doomed when her mother appears. Maeve even says she knows she has been judged, sorry paraphrasing some there i believe i have it correctly. Winter law is harsh, the rule of not spilling blood at a courtly function is one i have heard of before, so i can believe it is just that a rule of courtesy, but as anything jim writes there are many interpretations and we may well look at it near the end of the series and see it as a huge clue, perhaps to nemesis infection, perhaps not. If it takes a blood ritual, perhaps drinking, i could see what the vampire courts would show the first signs, and it might even pave the way for people to be born infected. Kinda headed into left field with this so i am goin to stop there. The way jim writes though it would not surprise me to see the no bloodshed rules as being both a common courtesy as well as prevention of nemesis infection in one clue.

Which begs the question: What is fae blood made of, and what does it look like?  Or is hemoglobin too diluted of iron to serve as kryptonite for fae?

[Zizzle]

Ugh, Nemsis again... 
Blood (red blood cells, contain a single Iron atom within the complex chain of proteins)
How to try and describe this... hmm.
Iron is the star killer. Iron is the first known element to take more energy to create than you get.
Err, the fairy live in a the realm of the nevernever... or whatever you want to consister it. The realm, by its very nature... dislikes reality, or items/things that are "heavy or real". Ether, the inmaterial. As we read through the whole of the dresden universe... several "heavy" items affect the fae. Harry talk's about using Uranium (depleted) as well.

Chances are that the infection is something that would take some amount of time...

Sith wouldn't respond to Harry's summons (after an hour or so after the fight), chances are he was being restrain'd and a ritual was being preformed.
Aka... something that took time.
If it was quick, then Sith shouldv'e responded in short order to Harry's summons.

The blood is just iron, or perhaps the impruities of a moral creature in the realms of ideas. Conflicted ideas come from people, blood comes from people...

 

[Cenphx]

2 things. 1) I didnt say any particular person was infected nor did claim every person was infected. This isnt a thread about how 'everyone's infected!'-Harry's toothbrush is infected!. Its. About parsing that scene. 2) if it was as simple as the iron in the blood affecting faery, then I guess Mab shouldve had a problem touching Harry's in SK and Lea shouldve had a problem during her blood ritual.

[Second Aristh]

You know, Second Aristh, rereading your post about the scene from SK, I always read that as Mab being sadistic as well as proving her power over Harry, but what if the *point* was the blood that she then tasted? Was she checking for contagion? IIRC, thats the same book that Rashid talks about his doubts about Harry. AND the temple dogs at the council meeting alerted at Harry's hand like it was black magic or something. Then they decide it was just because of the injury. But what if they were also sniffing for contagion?            This is what I hate about nemesis--it could be anywhere. We just dont have enough info to do more than guess

An "All of the Above" strategy is usually the closest any of us ever come to guessing Mab's goals.  There's no reason it couldn't be both at this point.

Excellent catch Elegast.  Blood as the contagion is shaping up nicely for a theory.  It might explain why it seems like so many vampires are wrapped up in a Nemesis plot.  They are involved with the blood of others more often than most.

[Cenphx]

Agreed--thanks for finding and posting that Elaine scene. are there more scenes like Mab in SK and the Elaine-blood sacrifice scene?                                         I still feel like I'm missing something, like its not just blood alone thats the problem, but Im not sure what the other nuance is.

[rekshek]

Also goes well with Lea and the legends about her.

[Kalshane]

Yeah, the fae don't seem the least bit squeamish about blood. I doubt there's any issues with the iron in it. And as others have said, Lea's whole schtick is draining the blood of the people she inspires and using it to add to her own power.

Also, Maeve points out on Demonreach that Mab arrives in black, "as the judge". I don't think that her clothes turning black at Harry's birthday party has anything to do with the blood itself, but rather her being about to pass judgement on someone.

Also, the restrictions against "spilling blood" and clever characters finding ways around it is a pretty common thread in stories and folklore.

[peregrine]

Also, the Redcap doesn't get his name from strawberries.

[Elegast]

Also, the Redcap doesn't get his name from strawberries.

 

His hat must be infected. And Harry kept it at the end of CD... (I'll have to check to be sure.)

[Second Aristh]

His hat must be infected. And Harry kept it at the end of CD... (I'll have to check to be sure.)

It never belonged to Indiana Jones.  That hat is not worthy

[TheCuriousFan]

His hat must be infected. And Harry kept it at the end of CD... (I'll have to check to be sure.)

He should have kept Sharkface's cloak rather than the baseball cap....

[KrelianZG]

He should have kept Sharkface's cloak rather than the baseball cap....

Hehe. Would Harry start rolling into rooms looking like a spinning ball of ribbons then?

[TheCuriousFan]

Hehe. Would Harry start rolling into rooms looking like a spinning ball of ribbons then?

Sure, but I was talking more about the fact that it works as a bunch of spears, a way to grab things, a shield and IIRC to assist in flight. That cloak was amazing.

[KrelianZG]

Agreed. And Harry may be uniquely suited to use it safely. Hadn't thought of that.

[Wintersage]

Heh. Trying to imagine what Harry would look like with Sharkface's coat, the Redcap's hat, and Nic's noose.

Probably enough to set any cover artist to twitching.