Great Jim interview from December 2020

[morriswalters]

@Yuillegan
Jim's thing is, how can I make Harry suffer.?  So he's done the "punish Harry's women to punish Harry".  A lot.  It's old, move on. You can see a broad outline of whats coming next. Eb's irrational hatred of Whites.  Harry and Lara's 12 dates.  Do you see a trend?

@Arjan
I forgot her, make it 5. Although I wouldn't have expected Angels to have a gender.

[spiritofair]

I think Lara will feed on Harry, and she will get more than she bargained for, tapping into the well of Winter in the Winter Knight. I doubt she can kill him by feeding on him; she'll tap into the Winter Knight, and it may kill her. That'd be a hell of a twist.

[Arjan]

I think Lara will feed on Harry, and she will get more than she bargained for, tapping into the well of Winter in the Winter Knight. I doubt she can kill him by feeding on him; she'll tap into the Winter Knight, and it may kill her. That'd be a hell of a twist.

Mab will kill her. She was quite explicit.

[Mira]

I think Lara will feed on Harry, and she will get more than she bargained for, tapping into the well of Winter in the Winter Knight. I doubt she can kill him by feeding on him; she'll tap into the Winter Knight, and it may kill her. That'd be a hell of a twist.

It is possible that if she tried to feed on Harry she will suffer the same fate as her father, in other words appear normal, but starving to death.  Between his mother's genes and his star born status it will backfire big time on her.  However if that does happens, the next question is, then what?  Also if that happens I can see Harry confronting Mab over this and her shrugging her shoulders and reply smugly, " it all went as I planned, it was the only way you could have taken her out my Knight.."

[Yuillegan]

@Yuillegan
Jim's thing is, how can I make Harry suffer.?  So he's done the "punish Harry's women to punish Harry".  A lot.  It's old, move on. You can see a broad outline of whats coming next. Eb's irrational hatred of Whites.  Harry and Lara's 12 dates.  Do you see a trend?

Hmm. I see what you're getting at. I don't know that Jim will ever stop making Harry suffer, and therefore his romantic relationships are part of that. I think you're bang on about what's coming next. For instance, if Harry ends up falling for Lara I imagine Eb will kill Lara. If Harry doesn't fall for Lara it will turn into some burned hatred thing and their previously cordial relationship will be ruined, and Lara will become more of an out-and-out villain.

Should Jim keep making Harry suffer? It's a hard question to resolve. On the one hand, constantly torturing you're main character probably says a bit about how you feel within. On the other hand, there is nothing as boring as reading about/watching happy people. The Dresden Files isn't a comedy despite the occasional comic relief. It's a drama, a tragedy, perhaps even going for an epic (time will tell on that one). It's a hard thing to get right. How much pain is too much? By extension, we the readers are made to suffer which (so the theory goes) keeps us hooked. I can think of main characters I liked less for their victories, and hated for their failures and short comings. I can also think of main characters who were happier and less beaten up by life than Dresden, yet still remained interesting as they still had enough challenges to resolve. Does that make them better or more interesting? I think that's a bit subjective really.

Yes, I wouldn't mind seeing a few more wins in Dresden's life including romantically speaking. How about a long term relationship? Harry is in his 40s (I think that's right) and hasn't had a long-term relationship. He dated Susan very briefly before that went south, he dated Luccio for about a year before that went south, he dated Murphy for only a few weeks before she died (despite years of "will they won't they"). Elaine might be his longest relationship, and that was only while he lived with Justin. I suspect that was only a year or so as Harry left Justin around 16 I believe. Funnily enough, it's Deidre (who is currently in a long-term incestuous relationship with her own father) who points out that Dresden doesn't have any real long term relationships over his life. That's got to hurt a bit.

[Mira]

Yes, I wouldn't mind seeing a few more wins in Dresden's life including romantically speaking. How about a long term relationship? Harry is in his 40s (I think that's right) and hasn't had a long-term relationship. He dated Susan very briefly before that went south, he dated Luccio for about a year before that went south, he dated Murphy for only a few weeks before she died (despite years of "will they won't they"). Elaine might be his longest relationship, and that was only while he lived with Justin. I suspect that was only a year or so as Harry left Justin around 16 I believe. Funnily enough, it's Deidre (who is currently in a long-term incestuous relationship with her own father) who points out that Dresden doesn't have any real long term relationships over his life. That's got to hurt a bit.

You left out Molly, that one may never be consummated except on a ritual level like Mab because of who she has become, but still.  That relationship/friendship could last for centuries.  Actually Harry did want to be more with Murphy back in Proven Guilty, but she refused, maybe she should have kept it that way.  If he and Murphy never got together in a sexual way, their friendship was satisfying and lasted for a couple of decades.  His relationship with Lara could go a similar way, or perhaps with Gard.  Harry may find out in his line of work, that is best, plus he has a couple of kids to consider now.

[Yuillegan]

You left out Molly, that one may never be consummated except on a ritual level like Mab because of who she has become, but still.  That relationship/friendship could last for centuries.  Actually Harry did want to be more with Murphy back in Proven Guilty, but she refused, maybe she should have kept it that way.  If he and Murphy never got together in a sexual way, their friendship was satisfying and lasted for a couple of decades.  His relationship with Lara could go a similar way, or perhaps with Gard.  Harry may find out in his line of work, that is best, plus he has a couple of kids to consider now.

Would we class Molly as one of Dresden's romantic relationships? While he cares for her, and possibly has some feelings for her that he won't deal with, and she has obvious (yet seemingly unrequited) feelings for him - they haven't really ever been more than friends at most. I do think Jim is saving their consummation, should it happen, for later in the series if Molly become Mab.

He and Murphy's romantic relationship, despite their feelings prior, only started at the end of Change and then was delayed until the end of Skin Game.

[Mira]

Would we class Molly as one of Dresden's romantic relationships? While he cares for her, and possibly has some feelings for her that he won't deal with, and she has obvious (yet seemingly unrequited) feelings for him - they haven't really ever been more than friends at most. I do think Jim is saving their consummation, should it happen, for later in the series if Molly become Mab.

He and Murphy's romantic relationship, despite their feelings prior, only started at the end of Change and then was delayed until the end of Skin Game.

 No, the romantic feelings between Harry and Murphy have been there for some time, they just didn't act upon them for a number of reasons.  Harry has been sexually attracted to Molly for quite some time, just read how he describes her at various times confirms that one.  Molly has had romantic feelings for Harry for some time.  Some of that may have been hero worship, some of it school girl crush, but it was there, that is why at the end of their soul gaze Harry dumped a picture of ice water over her head.  Master/Apprentice, romantic relationships aren't just unethical, they are dangerous, in that case it is up to Harry to hold back even if he finds her veryattractive.  For the first couple of years at any rate, Molly was under eighteen, there are laws against that.  She is the daughter of his best friend, who is also a Holy Knight, and has a mother who is even more a stickler for "morality" of that kind than her father...  Now the relationship has changed again, so no, they may never consummate anything, but the feelings are there, especially on Molly's side, hence the cold look she gave Lara that Harry missed after they came ashore after battling the Kracken.  Molly already knew what Mab was planning and possibly Lara as well.

[Yuillegan]

Yes, but even if people have feelings for each other - you don't class it as a romantic relationship really until it actually turns into something. So Murphy and Harry didn't have a romantic relationship until the end of Skin Game, even though they tried to start it at the end of Changes (and then there were complications etc).

Same applies for the Molly stuff. The romantic side (despite whatever feelings they both harbour) has never actually begun with them.

Legally, you wouldn't class either one as a romantic relationship. Otherwise you could say e.g. "I have romantic feelings for X, therefore I am in a relationship with them" and even if X is someone you don't know, like a celebrity etc, you could consider yourself in a relationship with them. Which of course is a bit absurd.

I do get what you're saying about both women being romantically connected to Harry though, but it's still in different category.

[morriswalters]

Should Jim keep making Harry suffer?

I don't have a problem with that, just that he's seems to be stuck in a rut.

[Mira]

Legally, you wouldn't class either one as a romantic relationship. Otherwise you could say e.g. "I have romantic feelings for X, therefore I am in a relationship with them" and even if X is someone you don't know, like a celebrity etc, you could consider yourself in a relationship with them. Which of course is a bit absurd.

 But that is the thing, the two are being treated as equal, they are not.  I don't disagree with what you are saying about "relationships," but even that is often classified as either sexual or just friends.  And yes, people do have romances but never have sex.

I don't have a problem with that, just that he's seems to be stuck in a rut.

True, but Jim is just following the standard path for most heroes, it usually ends tragically, or if they get together it will be in the end.  Child, usually a little girl left behind after the mother dies, is another cliche.. 

[Arjan]

@Arjan
I forgot her, make it 5. Although I wouldn't have expected Angels to have a gender.

That is what Bob said about skinwalkers and yet they have scions apparently. When Uriel incarnated he seemed male to me.

Lasciel presents herself as female. Maybe she self identifies as female. Maybe she was originally female.

And supernatural beings are influenced by their story. In that story she is female. Jim talks about her as a female.

Part of it might be a human shortcoming. We tend to assign gender to things that do not need it. In some languages to words for non living objects.

[Mira]

That is what Bob said about skinwalkers and yet they have scions apparently. When Uriel incarnated he seemed male to me.

Lasciel presents herself as female. Maybe she self identifies as female. Maybe she was originally female.

And supernatural beings are influenced by their story. In that story she is female. Jim talks about her as a female.

Part of it might be a human shortcoming. We tend to assign gender to things that do not need it. In some languages to words for non living objects.

Yeah, the point of that I believe was Nic picked up on Harry's loneliness and need for female companionship... So he tossed Lasciel's coin his way, and she morphed into the illusion called Shelia, who had him fooled until Butters pointed out there was no Shelia.  I guess the idea was the greater the emotional attachment to more likely that Harry would take up the coin.

[Arjan]

Yeah, the point of that I believe was Nic picked up on Harry's loneliness and need for female companionship... So he tossed Lasciel's coin his way, and she morphed into the illusion called Shelia, who had him fooled until Butters pointed out there was no Shelia.  I guess the idea was the greater the emotional attachment to more likely that Harry would take up the coin.

Sure Sheila was an illusion of a female but Lash and Lasciel are not illusions. They certainly present themselves as female. They probably self identify as female even without a body.

But then corpstaker was still a women whatever body she inhabited. I suppose.

[Mira]

Sure Sheila was an illusion of a female but Lash and Lasciel are not illusions. They certainly present themselves as female. They probably self identify as female even without a body.

But then corpstaker was still a women whatever body she inhabited. I suppose.

Yeah, but the illusion of Shelia was meant to seduce Harry, once he was seduced, Lasciel would step in.  If Shelia was a guy named Chad, Harry's natural defenses and wateriness wouldn't have dropped half so fast.