Reread of small favor

[psuedonym]

Just doing a reread and noticed this quote.
"Its never that simple. Titania could decide that the best way to help me would be to break my back, paralyze me from the waist down, and dump me into a hospital bed so her gruffs won't have to kill me."
Foreshadowing or reusing an idea?

[Mira]

Just doing a reread and noticed this quote.
"Its never that simple. Titania could decide that the best way to help me would be to break my back, paralyze me from the waist down, and dump me into a hospital bed so her gruffs won't have to kill me."
Foreshadowing or reusing an idea?

Good catch, it is hard to say.  I would call it foreshadowing for sure, and easy to argue that the only good option or least bad option Harry had to save his little girl was to become Winter Knight.  Something he'd have never done had his back not been broken.  If the question arises again, it might be asked, was it Mab instead of Titania who made that gas tank fly into Harry's body making him fall off the ladder?  Actually it could even have been Uriel setting up events that would lead to Harry making a free choice.. Or Harry might simply conclude that it was his "wizard's sight" kicking in, it was also in Small Favor that when he walked the island he had the feeling he had walked those steps before even though he'd never stepped on the island before.

[psuedonym]

Another one i just saw was in Macs after Murphy ran of tiny and Mac joined them for one of his private stash harry described it as 'God's beer'.
Jim does leave a few Easter eggs laying around that are a lot easier to see after the fact

[Arjan]

Oh it was Uriel and when he made the right choice a knight popped up.

[b4utoo]

Fair ball kid. No one made Harry climb the ladder.

[Arjan]

Fair ball kid. No one made Harry climb the ladder.

Sure but Uriel made sure he had that choice. Just to check if Harry would really let the world burn. Andwhen he made the right choice suddenly a knight appeared.

[morriswalters]

Just doing a reread and noticed this quote.
"Its never that simple. Titania could decide that the best way to help me would be to break my back, paralyze me from the waist down, and dump me into a hospital bed so her gruffs won't have to kill me."
Foreshadowing or reusing an idea?

Titania wanted him dead, not crippled. She's pretty much straightforward about it.  I took her at her word in Cold Days when she mentioned eating his heart. Figure out how the Fates are involved with the Queens and you might have an answer you'll like more.

[Mira]

Titania wanted him dead, not crippled. She's pretty much straightforward about it.  I took her at her word in Cold Days when she mentioned eating his heart. Figure out how the Fates are involved with the Queens and you might have an answer you'll like more.

But we are looking at it from Harry's point of view.. In his mind he could see Titania making him a cripple, but apparently not dead at that moment.  That's why if the subject is brought up in the future, Mab could claim with her Mab-logic that hell yeah, she caused that explosion to break his back, it was the only way to help him because then his only option was to become her Knight, as she told him he'd be some day.  Or even Uriel saying the explosion was no accident, he helped it along so that Harry would have to make some choices.  The angelic gamble was that he'd make the ones that benefited team Mab in the end, which it did.

[morriswalters]

Harry ain't too bright.  But he figures it out in the end. Mab protects him and has protected him, more so than Lea. I think that Mab calls out Titania in Battle Ground over this. When she tells Titania to do her duty. Her duty is to protect humanity from Mab, not to sacrifice the Archive for personal vengeance.

I can't figure out how Jim is playing this, but Mab and Titania seem to be two faces of one of the Fates. Mother Summer and Winter one of the others.  The Ladies maybe the third. So Mab may be the one that crippled him assuming it wasn't random bad luck.

[Mira]

Harry may not be bright as you put it, but he is very clever.. You shouldn't underestimate clever people.

Winter is ruthless and cold, guards the Gates and protects the world from the Outsiders.. Summer protects humanity and the world from Winter.. Both are needed for balance.

[The_Sibelis]

Harry ain't too bright.  But he figures it out in the end. Mab protects him and has protected him, more so than Lea. I think that Mab calls out Titania in Battle Ground over this. When she tells Titania to do her duty. Her duty is to protect humanity from Mab, not to sacrifice the Archive for personal vengeance.

I can't figure out how Jim is playing this, but Mab and Titania seem to be two faces of one of the Fates. Mother Summer and Winter one of the others.  The Ladies maybe the third. So Mab may be the one that crippled him assuming it wasn't random bad luck.

I thought "do your duty" was referring to Mab needing her to take her out eventually.
And as for the fates, the whole courts are Lachesis. The trick is exactly why they ordered the courts in such a manor. Not sure about the true purpose of the lady's vs queens. Haven't watched Babylon 5 and I don't know where to find it, but I remember the one who was, the one who is and the one who will be trope was borrowed from there. Suppose it has to do with breaking down a larger being into more reality friendly forms.(and preventing imbalance through layering) Actually... That makes me wonder what Odin did with the parts he doffed to become what he is now..

[Mira]

I thought "do your duty" was referring to Mab needing her to take her out eventually.
And as for the fates, the whole courts are Lachesis. The trick is exactly why they ordered the courts in such a manor. Not sure about the true purpose of the lady's vs queens. Haven't watched Babylon 5 and I don't know where to find it, but I remember the one who was, the one who is and the one who will be trope was borrowed from there. Suppose it has to do with breaking down a larger being into more reality friendly forms.(and preventing imbalance through layering) Actually... That makes me wonder what Odin did with the parts he doffed to become what he is now..

That got changed because "The One," was supposed to be Sinclair, but then the actor who plays him had to drop out sadly due to severe mental illness.  On medication he did manage to come back for a two part episode in season three, I believe, where the creator the series made sense of what they were hinting at in season one, but had to abandon.  So Sinclair became Valen, The One that Was, Sheridan became The One that Is, and if I remember correctly, Delen became The One that Will Be.. It could be the other way around between her and Sheridan, it's been a while since I've Babylon 5.

[Avernite]

I thought "do your duty" was referring to Mab needing her to take her out eventually.
And as for the fates, the whole courts are Lachesis. The trick is exactly why they ordered the courts in such a manor. Not sure about the true purpose of the lady's vs queens. Haven't watched Babylon 5 and I don't know where to find it, but I remember the one who was, the one who is and the one who will be trope was borrowed from there. Suppose it has to do with breaking down a larger being into more reality friendly forms.(and preventing imbalance through layering) Actually... That makes me wonder what Odin did with the parts he doffed to become what he is now..

Throwing that on Babylon 5 seems a bit weird, given Babylon 5 borrowed it from much older material. And a maiden/mother/crone split is ancient, too.

That said, I agree the split was to allow the Lady extensive agency, and the Queen still some, within the human world.

[Mira]

Throwing that on Babylon 5 seems a bit weird, given Babylon 5 borrowed it from much older material. And a maiden/mother/crone split is ancient, too.

That said, I agree the split was to allow the Lady extensive agency, and the Queen still some, within the human world.

That may be true, and most likely J.M.S. got the idea from that, but it was only because he was forced to change the arc of the over all story because of Michael O'Hare's severe illness, it is really a tragic story.

[morriswalters]

I thought "do your duty" was referring to Mab needing her to take her out eventually.
And as for the fates, the whole courts are Lachesis. The trick is exactly why they ordered the courts in such a manor. Not sure about the true purpose of the lady's vs queens. Haven't watched Babylon 5 and I don't know where to find it, but I remember the one who was, the one who is and the one who will be trope was borrowed from there. Suppose it has to do with breaking down a larger being into more reality friendly forms.(and preventing imbalance through layering) Actually... That makes me wonder what Odin did with the parts he doffed to become what he is now..

Given the context it appeared to me that Mab was worried that she wouldn't have the strength to do whatever is needed when the time comes for her to act.  First in Small Favor she lets her hatred of Harry place things at risk that shouldn't have been.  And when Harry asks for help in Cold days she refuses.

With that she turned and began walking away. “Fare thee well, wizard. You say that people should be free. I agree. I will not shackle you with my wisdom. Make your choices. Choose what the world is to be. I care not. There is little light left in it for me, thanks to you.”

Butcher, Jim. Cold Days (The Dresden Files, Book 14) (p. 315). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.