Molly’s soulgaze in PG

[kbrizzle]

Upon a reread of PG, I came across this passage from when Harry soulgazes Molly:

For a second, I thought nothing had happened. And then I realized that the soulgaze was already up and running, and that it showed me Molly, standing and facing me as nothing more than she seemed to be. But I could see down the hall behind her, and the church’s windows held half a dozen different reflections.
One was an emaciated version of Molly, as though she’d been starved or strung out on hard drugs, her eyes aglow with an unpleasant, fey light. One was her smiling and laughing, older and comfortably heavier, children surrounding her. A third faced me in a grey Warden’s cloak, though a burn scar, almost a brand, marred the roundness of her left cheek. Still another reflection was Molly as she appeared now, though more secure, laughter dancing in her eyes. Another reflection showed her at a desk, working.
But the last…
The last reflection of Molly wasn’t the girl. Oh, it looked like Molly, externally. But the eyes gave it away. They were flat as a reptile’s, empty. She wore all black, including a black collar, and her hair had been dyed to match. Though she looked like Molly, like a human being, she was neither. She had become something else entirely, something very, very bad.
Possibilities. I was looking at possibilities. There was definitely a strong presence of darkness in the girl, but it had not yet gained dominion over her. In all the potential images, she was a person of power—different kinds of power, certainly, but she was strong in all of them. She was going to wind up with power of her own to use or misuse, depending on what choices she made.
What she needed was a guide. Someone to show her the ropes, to give her the tools she would need to deal with her newfound power, and all the baggage that came with it. Yes, that kernel of darkness still burned coldly within her, but I could hardly throw stones there. Yes, she had the potential to go astray on an epic scale.

Assuming that Harry is seeing possible futures of Molly, with the following WAGs about each one.

• Molly 1: starved, looks like on drugs, eyes have a Fae light. This is likely Molly if she had continued down the Rag Lady path with Harry remaining dead & Molly not joining Fae royalty. In this future, she is following Lea’s path for her.
• Molly 2: older, content, has children. In this future she has likely given up her magic & is living a mundane life. In this future, she is following Charity’s path for her.
• Molly 3: warden, formidable looking with eye scar. This is the future where Molly follows her mentor into the wardens & becomes tough & battle-hardened. In this future, she is following Harry’s path for her.
• Molly 4: largely unchanged, more confident & focused. This is perhaps the future that seems to happen with Harry’s gentle guidance. In this future, she is following her own path for herself.
• Molly 5: working at a desk. Unlike the other futures, this is the only one where Molly seems to be less action-oriented. In this future, she is following her fear by not engaging with the evils of the world head on (or at all if she has given up magic)
• Molly 6: in all black, reptilian, no longer a human being, evil. This is the most interesting, the one Harry wants to avoid at all costs. In this future, it seems like Molly is following either Nemesis or the Fomor path for her.

Which path do you think Molly will end up taking? Or do you think that Harry’s intervention has created a new path for her?

[nadia.skylark]

I love these! A couple of things, though: for Molly 5, working at a desk could represent organizational power rather than being afraid to face the world head on; maybe she's working to reform the White Council? And for Molly 6, I don't see that Nemesis or the Fomor have to be involved: it's warlock!Molly, full stop--what would happen if she gave in to her black magic addiction.

As for what path she's on now, based on Skin Game, she would seem to be headed toward path 4. She's confident, focused, and still herself. However, Cold Case implies that a lot of that is just a front, and she is being actively subverted by the Winter Lady mantle, which would put her on a different path entirely.

[Cozarkian]

Nice summary. I do agree with Nadia on #5 and #6, though. In #5 Molly isn't following a path of fear, she is just relying on her intelligence more than her magic. As for #6, Fomor is possible, but I think warlock is a sufficient explanation in and of itself.

Personally, I think Molly is off all of those paths. Harry put her on path #1 when he made her help him suicide, then helped push her back toward #3 or #4 in Ghost Story, but the death of Lily and Maeve knocked her off those paths, and unless she finds a way to give up the Lady Mantle, she can't get back.

[g33k]

Molly 6: in all black, reptilian, no longer a human being, evil. This is the most interesting, the one Harry wants to avoid at all costs. In this future, it seems like Molly is following either Nemesis or the Fomor path for her.

What this most reminded me of was the Stygian witch (in the shortstory Backup).

FWIW and all that...

[peregrine]

I have trouble seeing the 6th option as representative of Nemesis, since at that point, neither of them actually knew about it.  And nothing we've seen suggests that it has any kind of actual foretelling aspect. 

[Mira]

     I always thought that number six was Molly as a full blown warlock.

[g33k]

... Though she looked like Molly, like a human being, she was neither. She had become something else entirely, something very, very bad.

This is something beyond merely being a warlock or other corrupted/evil spellcaster.  "Molly" isn't Molly... isn't even human.  Something inhuman has displaced her, eliminated the "Molly."

Nemfection is possible, I guess.  Or getting wiped out by a Denarian, the kind who likes to crush their host.

But I still think this vision is more akin to one of the ancient evils from the Oblivion War.
 

[nadia.skylark]

This is something beyond merely being a warlock or other corrupted/evil spellcaster.  "Molly" isn't Molly... isn't even human.  Something inhuman has displaced her, eliminated the "Molly."

I just took this to be how Harry sees people who have descended that far into warlock-ism.

[Mira]

This is something beyond merely being a warlock or other corrupted/evil spellcaster.  "Molly" isn't Molly... isn't even human.  Something inhuman has displaced her, eliminated the "Molly."

A Winter Lady, becoming a Fae after a few hundred years going full warlock could look like that...

[g33k]

I just took this to be how Harry sees people who have descended that far into warlock-ism. 

Maybe...?

But it's far from how Harry saw the young warlock at the opening of Proven Guilty.  He may have been insane, but he was still human.

A Winter Lady, becoming a Fae after a few hundred years going full warlock could look like that...

There was no sign of Winter on her in that view, however.  And I suspect a Warlock is just too damaged for Winter's purpose.  But ultimately, I don't think there is a definitive yea-or-nay answer available on this point.
 

[nadia.skylark]

Maybe...?

But it's far from how Harry saw the young warlock at the opening of Proven Guilty.  He may have been insane, but he was still human.

Good point. On the other hand, I'm reluctant to say that any of the images represent something coming in and displacing Molly. It's not actually a vision of the future, after all; it's a soulgaze. By definition, everything Harry sees in it must be a part of Molly.

[kbrizzle]

@nadia, Mira & Peregrine
The text goes out of its way to point out that Molly is no longer human, especially in the eyes which are mentioned as being reptilian - something I associate with the Fomor or Outsiders.

It could be that her being a warlock allowed a dark magic taint to manifest, eventually leading her to get Nfected or ally with the Fomor (perhaps take one of their mantles).

@g33k
Completely agree

@nadia
Thanks! Agreed that everything Harry sees is inside Molly - perhaps she has a desire to see the world/ her enemies burn. We kinda see it in GS when she’s in her Rag Lady persona.

[Avernite]

I suspect what Harry saw as 'the Warlock' or 'the Fomor/outsider' (explicitly also mentioned as her being a person of power) is a Warlock free and at large and skilled, rather than the mad mess that was the kid executed at the start of PG.

It would take lots of chipping to chip away Molly's humanity but it IS possible for a Warlock who keeps remodelling people's minds, I'd tink. And Fomor would, IMO, make her eyes fishy, not reptilian.

[HighLife]

Molly 5: working at a desk. Unlike the other futures, this is the only one where Molly seems to be less action-oriented. In this future, she is following her fear by not engaging with the evils of the world head on (or at all if she has given up magic)

Here's a thought, what if Molly 5 is working for the agency that Harry worked for in Ghost Story? Maybe working with Karrin's dad?

[g33k]

Here's a thought, what if Molly 5 is working for the agency that Harry worked for in Ghost Story? Maybe working with Karrin's dad?

That'd be Molly dead, though.  I don;t think the soulgaze would have showed anything post-death.

OTOH, there could be a parallel/comparable organization that does such things with the living, and Molly could well join it.