It is WOJ

2015 San Francisco signing (Coopersfield Books)

I’m pretty sure the outsiders are the outsiders and they just sort of look different depending on which universe they are trying to get into and destroy.

2014 Dragoncon WoJ time stamped youtube link of a rambling WoJ about pandimensionality, extradimensionality (Outsiders) and aliens

One of my favorite parts of your novels are the divine and the demonic, and kind of how they offer (?) each other, and how they have rules, and I wanted to ask, what made you decide that Chicago wasn’t enough, that all of Creation has to be at stake?
Well, it’s not all of Creation.  It’s just all of THIS Creation. We haven’t really pulled the camera back far enough yet.  There’s a lot of reality in the Dresden Files.  The Dresden Files is a universe that is driven by Free Will, and every time you make a choice, it creates a new universe.  So, there’s this vast spectrum of universe out there, and it’s not just ours, there’s causality going off in every direction.  So a philosophical war on that scale is something that is just so tremendous you can barely imagine it.  And while it dwarfs into unimportance our particular universe, at the same time, the only way to win that war is one choice at a time, one person at a time. And that’s really what’s going on at the level where the angels are operating, that’s what they’re concerned about.

Hope that clears it up. Took some finding though I must admit. The second quote works in context really with everything Jim has already said about multiple parallel realities and angels etc. Basically that's why there is only really one version of each Angel, Archangel, Fallen, Outsiders etc. Because they are spread out across a continuum of ALL realities, perhaps an infinite amount. I imagine that is the same for similarly powerful beings such as the Mothers.

What really gets interesting is if each mortal has an "immortal" soul, and as most recent WOJ states souls are sort of functioning on a cosmic scale (part of the foundational energy of the universe etc), do each parallel version of mortals have different souls from their counterparts or are they sort of connected, perhaps even shared?

Bad Alias: Oooh I like that. And it makes sense with what Uriel says when Harry asks him to fix his back (H: "Help me" U: "I've already done what I can" H: "But you haven't done anything!" U:"From your perspective, it would seem that way"). It also matches up with how Gods interact - Vadderung is more Mortal because he is involved in events, when you are outside of events you are less mortal but have less control. Like the Gods who appear to be dormant or sleeping, it is just from mortal perspective, they are just interacting with the time stream differently.

Avernite: A valid argument I think, especially in the sense of Power has Purpose, but I am not sure that Angels know everything in that way. We know that Angels have some version of Intellectus. But to what extent we don't know. I think it's all about the level of involvement. The more you participate, the less power you can use without consequence. I mean, we know that immortals are only truly vulnerable during conjunctions such as Halloween and places like Chicago-over-Chicago. If you were immortal, why would you show up if you were so vulnerable? My take is because of the "feeding, run free" thing. They can become stronger this way. But if an Angel already knew all that would happen to them...wouldn't they really just be going through the motions of their own life? Puppets dancing on the string? I don't think that is quite the case. I think they still have some level of autonomy, with heavy restrictions due to their very nature, and therefore can still FEEL (even if it is an illusion perhaps) at least like they have some measure of control over destiny.

Yeah.  Angels don't have souls.  Angels are souls.

Yeah except as I stated in the OP, as Uriel (and C.S. Lewis) say, "You are a soul, you have a body".

Which I suppose could then beg a really interesting question - if both humans/mortals are souls, and Angels are souls, are humans/mortals and Angels one and the same? Perhaps at different ends of the spectrum? Angels are described as timeless (beyond time and space) just like mortal souls...there is clearly a strong relationship. Hmmm....

@Morriswalters: I tend to agree, I am getting sick of Bob being so unreliable. Why have a talking head otherwise? I know Jim enjoys it, but as a storytelling mechanic it becomes a bit lazy and annoying. The problem is that you begin to not really trust Bob, which then makes his scenes feel drawn out and somewhat irrelevant. I know it is a balance thing but surely there are more elegant ways to limit Bob and his impact on the story.

Curiously, we can actually tell Bob is wrong about a fair few things in that passage. Harry has in the past made it clear that some beings (such as Angels) are not just pure spirit, but are a mix of physical and spirit. Think back to the conversation with Kim Delaney in Fool Moon. Now admittedly, that might be retconned by now - but many beings actually fit that description still. Gods, immortals etc. And Harry says to Bob "So what you're saying is that soulfire doesn't let me do anything new. It just makes me more of what I already am" But in Cold Days, when Harry contests Mother Winter's will, he has the exact same revelation and says Bob didn't truly understand soulfire. Which is curious, because in this scene Bob agree with him. So which is it? Does Bob know what he is talking about or not?

Bad Alias: Thanks for bringing that to my attention. It is indeed curious that Jim often also describes magic as the forces of creation. And yet, there is a somewhat different quality to soulfire. But it is also described the same way. And Souls are described as a fundamental part of reality, an echo of Creation. So perhaps one could interpret that you need some kind of soul in order to work magic. However as we know, that isn't always the case. Many creatures of the Nevernever can work magic and don't have souls. And Necromancy seems to fly directly in the face of that (being fueled by the power of death, not life), let alone whatever fell power the Outsiders use. Perhaps Harry doesn't yet fully understand the broader nature of magic, or perhaps Jim's poetic phrasing is leading us in the wrong direction. Whatever the case, there is definitely a link and a mystery.

By the way, I wasn't saying that choice doesn't matter to the soul (in fact I said choice was vital to the soul). I was more referring to the fact that Jim had said that basically souls are largely unaffected by mortal events. Which I agree, seems contrary to their importance and relevance in the series. They seem to both be affected and affect everything around them. Perhaps this is one of those intentional discrepancies by Jim (such as the Fae being both from Mortal origins AND growing from dew drop creatures into powerful beings based on importance) and we are missing vital information that bridges the gap. As for the destruction or damning of souls...I think something Jim said sort of clarified this. He talked about how people can lose their souls everyday without any supernatural interference by being terrible humans. I think Serack had an excellent theory about the nature of souls and their components. It was similar to the Egyptian belief that a soul has many parts.

Consider this though - both Carmichael and Malcolm Dresden seem to be aware of more than the reality Harry perceives, and Malcolm seems aware of Harry's future. Perhaps they experience all time at once, like Angels do. Uriel certainly seems to.

In one of the latest DragonCon panels on Ghosts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTq8RMv19Ek&feature=youtu.be, Jim discussed Ghosts, and obviously, Souls. around 24:50

He discussed the nature of people is by quoting C.S. Lewis "You are a soul, you have a body" (which Uriel says to Harry as well). He goes on to describe Souls as being "is something important. A soul is something vital. Something that exists beyond the bounds of Time and Space. It's here for a little while and then its gone like a flicker of sunlight. You can't really capture it; you can't catch it and you can't store it. It's beyond that - its part of the foundational energy of the universe. It's an echo of creation. And as a result it doesn't really get mired down in things like that."

So ghosts then differ as they are "some kind of remnants [of the person], some kind of memories that seem to get left over" "It's like water poured into a footprint - it's still in the shape of the original foot but its not energy" They aren't trapped but created as sort of a byproduct of a person's death. Some ghosts can change and become something else (but that would be an exceptional ghost). Most just continue in their endless cycle of being themselves.

There is a slight discrepancy in that Bob thinks Harry burns off his Soul when he uses Soulfire. But the way Jim puts it here, is that mortal concerns shouldn't really affect Souls.

But the more interesting implication is the sheer importance of a Soul. Something that comes from the beginning of Creation, that is Timeless and foundational. And vital. I would propose that it is vital to reality that Souls exists and have Choice. Perhaps why the Angels take it so seriously. Not to mention, it helps explain the incredible properties of Soulfire. Often called "the Life Fire" or "the Fires of Creation" - which makes sense considering it is fueled by the very energy of creation. Pure creative energy, I suppose. Perhaps this is why mortals have such a unique edge against the supernatural.

But then why then are Angels able to use Soulfire? They don't have Souls, that is a uniquely mortal thing... Except perhaps it isn't totally.

My WAG is then that perhaps Angels have something like a Soul, similar yet limited. The prototype version. But because they are so big and powerful, they could not have "Free" Will. They were allowed Will (in order for them to be at least somewhat autonomous) and had a degree of Choice (as Uriel displayed when he gave up his grace, or when the Fallen fell - different acts of course but required Choice). But they weren't given the full range of Choice as they had too much power or something like that. So naturally, some Angels then resented when Humans get the full range of Choice. What does that mean? I cannot be sure, but I suspect that it means Mortals have access to the Source or something like it, basically allowing them to Choose their own shape and destiny (dictated not by their wishes, but their Choices). An Angel cannot fully choose it's own shape or destiny. It may appear to alter things, but that is always in accordance with the plan. They have the illusion of Choice. Not sure I can delve into the mechanics much beyond that - but you get the idea I hope. 

Well most of the Red King's family was still around before the end of the Reds...so why would Lord Raith's family members being alive be so strange? When it comes to immortals (in the eternal youth/no dying of old age sense - not godlike sense) I think they do their best NOT to get killed. Giving up Eternity is a big thing. There have probably been many attempts to kill Lord Raith over the decades and centuries...but why risk direct combat where you might lose when you can keep throwing dangerous enemies at them whilst maintaining your life and plausible deniability? The White King killed his brother as he was gaining too much power and became a real threat. Perhaps he wasn't before that. Although the fact Lord Raith HAS a brother does indicate somewhat that they had a sire...whoever that was. But the idea that just because he has family still alive today which makes him not old enough to be at least one of the originals, if not the original, doesn't really work with immortals. I mean Lara Raith is over 2 centuries old, whereas Thomas is maybe 10 years at most older than Harry. That could be 150 years between siblings. Harry's mother could have almost been 100 when she had him. His Grandfather is 250 years older. So I wouldn't get too hung up on how relatively recent things happened, and which family members are alive.

Lara has always been one of those background villains, the devil you know. But definitely more worrying than even Marcone - she has better networks and has been in the game longer. Which isn't to say people should underestimate Marcone, but I think strategically she is expanding faster than he is. I think she is aware that things are about to shake up and is preparing accordingly. But I also think she is the epitome of her race, patient and dangerous but not apathetic. The appearance of being a good option, an easy ally. The White Court kill you with comfort. I always remember that line from Madeline Raith "We have pens for the kine. We call them cities". I think I am paraphrasing, but you get the point. Chilling words - using our own structures against us.

Yeah Nemesis is tricky, and either there are hard limits on how many and who it can infect or it imposes limits on itself and chooses selectively. Curiously, I always thought Titania was a good candidate for infection. She told Harry its name (which doesn't rule her - Maeve told Lily so we know that is one tactic it employs) but after that chat Harry sees the Mothers, and I feel if they were worried about that they would have implied that was the case. WOJ is that Titania will only really start having a bigger role during the BAT, which suggests she is going to make some big moves.

Just to be clear - canon is currently that Victor Sells was infected. I know that Maeve could have fed Lily misinformation, but until we get actual contradictory evidence, all we are actually doing is speculating. I am not entirely sure why we all believe that it is so unlikely that Nemesis can infect mortals/humans. Remember Leonid Kravos and the FBI agents were also in that list - which makes sense. The Gatekeeper virtually confirms this when he tells Harry that whether he meant to or not, his cases have resulted in placing thumbs in the Adversary's eye (or something to that effect).
Lily also refers to it as "a disease, a parasite, a poison...a contagion" "a spiritual malady. A mental plague. An infection spreading slowly across the earth". So she is saying it is a sentient virus of sorts. All virus' are living things so to distinguish between an infection and an entity when discussing a malevolent spiritual entity is sort of redundant. Remember Titania and the Mothers remind Harry not to say Nemesis but rather say the Adversary "lest it hear you" so it at least is somewhat sentient. It also takes full control of Cat Sith for a moment so the evidence tends to support the fact it is a sentient creature.

Lily says it "changes which ought not to change. It destroys a father's love for his family by twisting it into maniacal ambition. It distorts and corrupts the good intentions of agents of mortal law into violence and death. It erodes the sensible fear that keeps a weakly talented sorcerer from reaching out for more power, no matter the cost". All of which is true. Now we might all speculate that there is other reasons that they were corrupted. But Occam's Razor - simplest explanation is the right one.

I had not heard the theory Mab was infected...but it seems rather unlikely. And Mira, not a fact either - it certainly isn't yet canon just speculation at this point. Mab has always acted like Mab - the seeds of doubt were there true enough. But mostly Maeve was the one pointing the finger (so we know that is pretty questionable). Could Mab even stop it if she were infected? Despite all of Leah's power, she was no match. Attacks from within are the hardest to defend against. Most people Harry talked to, including the Gatekeeper and the Mothers seemed to believe being Mab was no obstacle to being infected. I always infered that Mab was hiding in that garden due to secondary events that were happening - namely she wanted to see the rescue of Molly. Which was one of her plans all along - else none of them would have ever left. Mab never just has one plan and she was setting up Molly to be a potential Winter Lady one way or another.

Winter seems to have a fundamental property that is related to pain and logic that seems to be a counter to the corrupting nature of the Outside. Almost like it was specifically built for it. I suspect that is partly why it is Winter, not Summer, that guards the Outer Gates. That cold and terrible power seems to be somewhere between an immune system, antibody and cure (within limits) to the Outsider corruption. Not necessarily Nemesis specifically, but it worked well enough. Both Winter's nature and structure is that of a defense for reality.

Kbrizzle: I am not sure I agree with the idea that the Athame carried a presence at all. I think there was a WOJ that discussed how Nemesis infects its victims and whilst Jim was tight-lipped about it, there was the indication that it was something to do with the possibility of infection. Which was implied to be an imbalance of power. So I don't think there was a sentience in the knife, rather that the power of the knife itself was tainted and allowed for an opening into the Leanansidhe. So it doesn't really need to split, rather it extends itself. Whether the Athame is still tainted or not is hard to say...although you will notice that Mab was wearing it after she imprisoned Lea so I would say not. 

Bad Alias: I think you are pretty much right about magic. There is the kind of dark magic which is based in the same origins as good magic (to be so simplistic) - origins are from Inside, from Life. Then there is a kind of black magic, including Necromancy, that's source is Outsider based or at least Outside based. There definitely is a qualitative difference in the black magic that say, Corpsetaker uses, and the black magic Leonid Kravos or Victor Sells uses. Which isn't to say that one cannot use both types of black magic, and that there is no connection at all, but there is definitely a descriptive difference (that even Dresden notices). Curiously, Cowl's "normal" magic seems to be of the first kind of black magic (the source is Life). It seems he plays with both kinds.

I like the concept of Drakul being an outsider trapped and unable to die.  Perhaps Vlad II was a real man who sacrificed his own life and existence to save his people from this evil and became a human prison for it? Or was some evil person who sought power but didn't understand the price.   Like how Fallen is trapped in a coin and, when it has a host, a human-shaped can.  They can do more things but are still limited by a human's reach.

As for SoS and Dracula being born, two possibilities.  If Drakul is the human-shaped can the outsider is in, then some of that plumbing still works and there could be enough of his soul left to care for someone to produce a child.  And like that, maybe Lucifer will posses a human to conceive a child that way.  He will use the love of these two mortals to force the creation of his offspring.  After all, Nicodemus shows his plumbing still works in having made a daughter after he was possessed, and several centuries after he found the coin.

And while love is nice in the creation of a new soul, I don't think it is needed in all cases, otherwise you set a bad precedent for when rape causes pregnancy.  I don't think you want to say there is love in that moment when the victim is against this from happening,  nor that any kid born from rape is "soulless" as the parents' souls didn't merge into a third.

It is just that an act of love is a type of creation but not all types of creation are acts of love.

Just to be clear, I am not saying love is necessary to create life, Jim did (via Harry). I quite agree that such a simplistic idea runs into very obvious and much more complex problems, but read that whole passage where Harry talks (I think to Susan) about it. He talks about primal forces of energy and stuff. True, I did embellish and discuss it in more depth than the original passage, but that was what I inferred. Perhaps Jim will clarify one day I hope, I certainly don't believe it myself. Hence why I put the disclaimer at the bottom of that post.

Your theory is good, although I couldn't tell if you were saying Lucifer was an Outsider or not...I think Jim makes a pretty strong distinction that he isn't. He also has stated that they are not working together, and that Lucifer isn't Nfected. Something to do with Archangels being Absolute and such. And that Lucifer wants Creation to exist, he is merely engaged in an argument with God about its nature or some such. Where as the Outsiders just want to obliterate it.

I agree that there is enough *something* for Lucifer to produce a child. Even Drakul can. Which would imply that "love" and indeed GTWG are not necessarily directly required to create life. But that opens up a whole new can of worms.

Guys: I think we also in this argument should consider how Jim writes, and talks, about Free Will. Whilst it might not be the entirety of his views, I do suspect there are a fair bit of them embedded in his works and comments. So in terms of the Dresdenverse, I think that there is always Choice. I think to Jim's way of thinking (if I can be so bold as to guess his mind), no Free Will and no Choice, amounts to one and the same - which is tyranny. It is so fundamental to the series, and the universe he has created, I cannot imagine there is any part of Creation that has no Choice for Mortals. Outside is quite likely different. But I think Inside you always have a Choice. If not several.

Bad Alias: Whilst your argument is logically sound, I don't think it fits the structure of the series. Which is probably more a fault in Jim's planning than anything else. Will he ever correct this? Probably not, unless it imposes a major issue on the story.