Dabble Interview 23 August 2023

[vincentric]

Bonea would be Bob's apprentice. Harry would be teaching her about life in general to give her grounding, but her magic would be of the same nature as Bob's.

[g33k]

What about Bones? It has been postulated that she might be able to enflesh her skull with an ectoplasmic body. Her apprenticeship may not be in being a wizard (she has those skills) but in being human ...

Bonea would be Bob's apprentice. Harry would be teaching her about life in general to give her grounding, but her magic would be of the same nature as Bob's.

I think Harry is putting in extra effort to keep pervy Bob far far away from Bonea while she's putting herself together.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

If Bonea manifests Harry might not have a choice.

Helping Bonea learn to be human may help Harry get back in touch with his humanity despite the Mantle and everything that has happened to him. Harry learnt much teaching Molly and became a better wizard, who is to say the same wouldn’t happen with Bonea, learning control, to think things through, and to appreciate consequences. Bonea has all of Harry’s memories up to birth, ideal in examining his past decisions.

[CrusherJen]

I agree with both Mira and g33k: Maggie can't inherit Rampness or anything of a vampiric nature directly from Susan.

But-- we've been told that children in utero are exposed to their mother's magic, and that can affect their likelihood of becoming a wizard themselves. It happened with Charity and Molly; despite Charity denying her magic, there was enough influence left during the pregnancy for Molly to develop a talent of her own.

Susan wasn't a wizard, but she still had something supernatural about her nature-- plus she had the magical tattoos that warned when her Rampness was in danger of taking over. I think it's possible that such early exposure might tip the scales toward little Maggie developing her own wizardry abilities someday. It's not quite the same thing as Maggie "inheriting" Ramp powers. It's (IMHO) a question of increasing Maggie's odds of being magically strong enough to become a practitioner, if not a full wizard herself.

I could be wrong. But it's a theory (or maybe a WAG.) 🤷‍♀️

[g33k]

... Susan wasn't a wizard, but she still had something supernatural about her nature-- plus she had the magical tattoos that warned when her Rampness was in danger of taking over. I think it's possible that such early exposure might tip the scales toward little Maggie developing her own wizardry abilities someday. It's not quite the same thing as Maggie "inheriting" Ramp powers. It's (IMHO) a question of increasing Maggie's odds of being magically strong enough to become a practitioner, if not a full wizard herself.

Possible.
We don't have any real info to go upon.
AFAIK, the Dresden Files offers zero cases of a "half Rampire" mother (other than Susan).

As I said, the real issue is how Jim wants to write it... he can justify it, in-universe from prior statements, either way.

[Mira]

Susan wasn't a wizard, but she still had something supernatural about her nature-- plus she had the magical tattoos that warned when her Rampness was in danger of taking over

There was nothing "supernatural" about Susan's nature, she made her living reporting on it, but that didn't make her supernatural.  For all her reporting about it and actually having an actual wizard as a boyfriend, she still didn't really respect the supernatural.  By that I mean deep down she didn't really believe it, that's what got her into trouble in my opinion.  The tattoos were done by Martin, and though perhaps magical in of themselves and reacted to Red Vampire venom rising for lack of a better term to warn a half turned victim, they didn't make the half turned his or herself more magical.

[CrusherJen]

A Red vampire, even a half-turned one, isn't supernatural?

Though I suppose that begs the question of what we define as "supernatural" in the world of Dresden, and yeah, that's a headache. 😔 Maybe it's safer to say Susan wasn't a "typical mortal" at the time of Maggie's conception. I wonder if that's the kind of influence that might increase the odds of Maggie becoming a wizard, or not. We only know what Harry knows about such things... and there's so much Harry doesn't know. 🤷‍♀️

[Mira]

A Red vampire, even a half-turned one, isn't supernatural?

Though I suppose that begs the question of what we define as "supernatural" in the world of Dresden, and yeah, that's a headache. 😔 Maybe it's safer to say Susan wasn't a "typical mortal" at the time of Maggie's conception. I wonder if that's the kind of influence that might increase the odds of Maggie becoming a wizard, or not. We only know what Harry knows about such things... and there's so much Harry doesn't know. 🤷‍♀️

 Somehow I don't see Red Court vampires as very supernatural, or not in the same way as magical talent is supernatural.  I don't see Susan being half vampire increasing the chances of Maggie having talent.. If she has talent, and I'd be shocked if she doesn't, it will be because her father, her grandmother, her grandfather and who know who many generations back were powerful wizards.  But even with that, it isn't a given, take Thomas, his half brother is a powerful wizard, his mother and grandfather are and were powerful wizards, his father a White Court vampire lord with some magical wards surrounding his person, yet Thomas has very little magical talent.  Yes, he managed a tracking spell, but that takes some talent, but not enough to become a wizard.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

We know nothing of Susan’s family so we can’t even make a guess a
About any magical inheritance on her side of the family.

[Mira]

We know nothing of Susan’s family so we can’t even make a guess a
About any magical inheritance on her side of the family.

  While that is true, we do know that before she was infected, she showed nothing. 

[CrusherJen]

  While that is true, we do know that before she was infected, she showed nothing. 

This is true. And over on the Dresden side of the family... we have a very small sample size, but there seems to be a pretty good possibility it will be passed down (father, daughter, and both grandchildren all show some level of ability.) I expect Maggie will have power of some sort... but I've been wrong before. 🤷‍♀️ It's up to Jim.   

[Mira]

This is true. And over on the Dresden side of the family... we have a very small sample size, but there seems to be a pretty good possibility it will be passed down (father, daughter, and both grandchildren all show some level of ability.) I expect Maggie will have power of some sort... but I've been wrong before. 🤷‍♀️ It's up to Jim.

I got the impression from the short story about her trip to the zoo with Mouse that she did indeed have talent, just not apparent to her dad yet.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

She had abilities shared with all other young children to see certain things an adult could not perceive, and lost knowledge of as they grew up. The Carpenters were mentioned but they hardly prove a point as they produced a Wizard, and therefore do not provide a control group. Some rather than all and with a degree of talent no matter how minor can be inserted in.

[raidem]

I prefer the belief that Maggie got something from being born from a Half-turned Red Court Vampire.  It was a portion of power that she was exposed to 'in vitro'.  That power hadn't been thoroughly tainted or set as Susan had yet to feed.  It could be that Maggie won't come into some semblance of the Half Red Court Vampire power until her middle teens or young adulthood.  Even if she didn't get power while Susan was pregnant, Maggie was at the Seat of the Red Court Vampire's Power in Chicken Pizza.  It could very well be that as a youngster she was still able to absorb some of the ambient mana.  I actually prefer the idea that Maggie becomes some sort of Princess for the Remaining Red Court Vampires that are out there.  I like the idea that the Eebs come to be her behind the scene bodyguards/minions at some point.

[raidem]

Two titbits dropped about Next Book.

1. Harry gets a Valkyrie bodyguard,
2. Harry gets a new apprentice

I'm still of the mind that Murphy intersects in Identity with Mab at some point.  I know i've postulated the Murphy/Mab theory before.  I even allowed for it to be in past, future, or parallel reality.  Murphy was one of the few females that were locked down with Mab in Demonreach when Maeve believed it was possible for Mab to die.  I'd think that with near infinite parallel realities some Mab did die there and one of the alternate females absorbed Mab's mantle.  I'm assuming that Maeve died too.  Or, the possibility that Maeve's/Lily's death led to someone other than Maeve's/Lily's Mantle going to someone different than Molly/Sarissa.  Perhaps a Murphy got the Lady Mantle then.

I was one of the first to think of the alternate Mab's existence in the parallel realities as being Out Mab's.  We do now have WOJ that Mab talks at times with her Other Selves in the other Parallel Universes.  We also know that a Parallel Mab can sense minions of another Parallel Mab that finds themselves in Her Reality.  She would then just use them as if they were her own.  I think our Mab would be aware of some change in another Mab with a different mortal being 'the cup' that holds that Mantle.