Elaine wag

[Braincandy]

Bonnie is still a spirit of air. She is like Bob, she won't have free will or experience feelings the way a human would.

[Arjan]

Bonnie is still a spirit of air. She is like Bob, she won't have free will or experience feelings the way a human would.

Human exceptionalism. The next step is saying that Bonnie’s feelings are worth less and that you can just eat her.

[bigdangmoose]

Bonnie is still a spirit of air. She is like Bob, she won't have free will or experience feelings the way a human would.

Bob showed free will in DB, when Cowl put down the skull. And he has shown human emotion also. Like his fear of Mab. Or his fear of the Titan. Or his happiness for new paperbacks. Bob is like the genie that grants wishes, he is controlled by who holds the lamp.

[groinkick]

I would hope that Bonea (Shame on giving your child a pun for a name Harry, that’s child abuse) during Twelve Months is able to manifest an ectoplasm body around her skull, making Harry reassess his relationship with her, especially if that body reminds him of Murphy.

Bonea was made out of the love Harry felt for the women in his life, a physical Bonea would be the only child he and Murphy would have together.

Jim did that, not Harry.  Bonea is an uncommon Scottish name for Bonnie.

[groinkick]

Yeah, but BG proved that Dresden doesn't care about her. The entire battle he was worried about his Daughter (singular). He never once thought about his daughters.

There is a difference.  Maggie is mortal, and more vulnerable.  Bonea is not mortal, or even close to as vulnerable.

[Arjan]

Bob showed free will in DB, when Cowl put down the skull. And he has shown human emotion also. Like his fear of Mab. Or his fear of the Titan. Or his happiness for new paperbacks. Bob is like the genie that grants wishes, he is controlled by who holds the lamp.

Free will is a funny thing in the Dresden verse. According to Bob himself he does not have it. That does not mean he is not an autonomous entity making his own decisions. It just means those decisions are not free willed.

Free willed as defined by Jim, not necessarily something like free will as defined by someone else in this reality.

[Mira]

Free will is a funny thing in the Dresden verse. According to Bob himself he does not have it. That does not mean he is not an autonomous entity making his own decisions. It just means those decisions are not free willed.

Free willed as defined by Jim, not necessarily something like free will as defined by someone else in this reality.

It may not be exactly free will either in Bob's case, when Cowl put the scull down, he no longer technically had possession of it.. That created a loop hole free will wise for Bob to help Harry.

[Yuillegan]

Does an AI have Free Will? A difficult question even in our reality.

I think Bob is a sort of magical AI, and he has Will. But it isn't Free.

So what is Free? That's not clear either here or in the Dresden Files, but in terms of the latter I would say it comes down to the ability to change yourself, your very nature, which by definition (of the Dresden verse) changes reality. We know that Choice spawns universes (in an Amber-style broad-spectrum). Bob cannot do this, and nor can most supernatural beings.

But that doesn't mean that Bob is mindless. It just means he can't stop being what he is. Only a Free Will, a mortal Will, can change him. Which is precisely why he takes on the personality of and is loyal to the owner - with some clear exceptions. It's obviously complex, and Harry's naming of Bob I think helped shape him more than any other since Kemmler.

So Bob can make decisions in line with his nature, his "core programming" if you like, but cannot act outside those parameters.


Edit:
With regard to the original question posed by the OP. I do think it's possible that Harry could have a third child eventually, and l wondered similarly to you if Elaine might be the mother. I feel like the next child will be male, and similar to Mordred of Arthurian legend, he will eventually try and kill Harry (and perhaps succeed - although as we know there are levels to the whole death thing).

I now more subscribe to the theory that several others have mentioned in that it will be his child with Lara. A resentful, angry being like Thomas. Bred to kill him by Lara, and to rule both the White Court and be a power in the Winter Court (like the Erlking or Vadderung). It fits a lot of tropes, and it would be a good move for Lara long term. A means to control Harry and eventually defeat him if necessary. I suspect this child could well be stronger than Harry too. And the Child's downfall will be Maggie, of course. Or alternatively, Jim will have him join Team Dresden at the end and all will be well. Depends on how dark Jim goes.

[bigdangmoose]

Well, thankfully Jim said no more kids for Harry. They are too much of a complication to fit in the story. He's already having enough of an issue with Maggie

[Arjan]

Does an AI have Free Will? A difficult question even in our reality.

I think Bob is a sort of magical AI, and he has Will. But it isn't Free.

So what is Free? That's not clear either here or in the Dresden Files, but in terms of the latter I would say it comes down to the ability to change yourself, your very nature, which by definition (of the Dresden verse) changes reality. We know that Choice spawns universes (in an Amber-style broad-spectrum). Bob cannot do this, and nor can most supernatural beings.

But that doesn't mean that Bob is mindless. It just means he can't stop being what he is. Only a Free Will, a mortal Will, can change him. Which is precisely why he takes on the personality of and is loyal to the owner - with some clear exceptions. It's obviously complex, and Harry's naming of Bob I think helped shape him more than any other since Kemmler.

So Bob can make decisions in line with his nature, his "core programming" if you like, but cannot act outside those parameters.


Edit:
With regard to the original question posed by the OP. I do think it's possible that Harry could have a third child eventually, and l wondered similarly to you if Elaine might be the mother. I feel like the next child will be male, and similar to Mordred of Arthurian legend, he will eventually try and kill Harry (and perhaps succeed - although as we know there are levels to the whole death thing).

I now more subscribe to the theory that several others have mentioned in that it will be his child with Lara. A resentful, angry being like Thomas. Bred to kill him by Lara, and to rule both the White Court and be a power in the Winter Court (like the Erlking or Vadderung). It fits a lot of tropes, and it would be a good move for Lara long term. A means to control Harry and eventually defeat him if necessary. I suspect this child could well be stronger than Harry too. And the Child's downfall will be Maggie, of course. Or alternatively, Jim will have him join Team Dresden at the end and all will be well. Depends on how dark Jim goes.

Or Harry kills him, that is a classic one: https://bardmythologies.com/the-son-of-cuchulainn/

But no more children for Harry.

[Yuillegan]

Well, thankfully Jim said no more kids for Harry. They are too much of a complication to fit in the story. He's already having enough of an issue with Maggie

He has. But he has changed his mind before too. Guess we can wait and see. If Dresden wasn't doing the raising of his next child I suspect it might be not as much of an issue as Harry. Maggie's issue as a character in the narrative are due to her being a handbrake on the main character's movements etc. So it's possible a "new" child wouldn't have those issues. I do agree that Harry won't be raising any more kids any time soon.

Or Harry kills him, that is a classic one: https://bardmythologies.com/the-son-of-cuchulainn/

But no more children for Harry.

Could go either way...but I feel if Harry has to kill his own child he'd probably kill himself and give himself eternal torment, supernatural rules be damned (pun intended). He's already so emotional about Maggie, and we saw how having to kill Susan affected him, if he had to kill one of his kids (particularly a mostly human one)... it would be BAD.

[Arjan]

He has. But he has changed his mind before too. Guess we can wait and see. If Dresden wasn't doing the raising of his next child I suspect it might be not as much of an issue as Harry. Maggie's issue as a character in the narrative are due to her being a handbrake on the main character's movements etc. So it's possible a "new" child wouldn't have those issues. I do agree that Harry won't be raising any more kids any time soon.
Could go either way...but I feel if Harry has to kill his own child he'd probably kill himself and give himself eternal torment, supernatural rules be damned (pun intended). He's already so emotional about Maggie, and we saw how having to kill Susan affected him, if he had to kill one of his kids (particularly a mostly human one)... it would be BAD.

Yes that is the whole point of the story.

[bigdangmoose]

I don't see another kid for Harry. But if we were to see another, the way I would like it would be when Harry goes into the mirror universe, he finds out that his alternate universe counterpart has a kid with Molly or Elaine. If by one of them, it would raise the chances of the kid having magic. Then good Harry plays father figure because alt Harry hasn't been around, teaches kid things, and by the end of the book, leaves kid to defend his universe with the help of allies that were enemies, like alt Murphy and SI.

[Mira]

I don't see another kid for Harry. But if we were to see another, the way I would like it would be when Harry goes into the mirror universe, he finds out that his alternate universe counterpart has a kid with Molly or Elaine. If by one of them, it would raise the chances of the kid having magic. Then good Harry plays father figure because alt Harry hasn't been around, teaches kid things, and by the end of the book, leaves kid to defend his universe with the help of allies that were enemies, like alt Murphy and SI.

Yeah, he already has two too many kids, and I think there are about three too many star borns out there.  Jim runs the risk of going to too many wells too many times, eventually they run dry.  Another danger of stringing the series out too long, stuff gets reused and gets stale.