Other Future Dresden works rumor thread

[Kindler]

True.

But we have never seen anything else strike Kincaid as creepy, so I incline to read that as significant.

It's not the name "Ivy" he finds creepy, it's her seeing Mister, shouting "KITTY!" and petting him. There is zero indication that this has anything to do with Harry calling her "Ivy," but everything to do with her thinking cats are fun to pet, which, considering that Ivy can easily control freaking Mordite, seems wrong. It's the idea that someone who might be able to stand up to Ebenezer "Facesmasher" McCoy in open combat is still a child with childish traits that creeps him out, which has nothing to do with her being called "Ivy."

I don't think there's anything significant about Harry giving her a name except that it makes Harry one of two people who treats her like a person. It's the beginning of their relationship. Her having human connections as a child with the power she has is dangerous. We see that in Small Favor, when she's willing to put herself and the Archive at risk to save him. It's the relationship itself that's important, not the circumstances that started it.

At least, that's my interpretation.

[Talby16]

It's not the name "Ivy" he finds creepy, it's her seeing Mister, shouting "KITTY!" and petting him. There is zero indication that this has anything to do with Harry calling her "Ivy," but everything to do with her thinking cats are fun to pet, which, considering that Ivy can easily control freaking Mordite, seems wrong. It's the idea that someone who might be able to stand up to Ebenezer "Facesmasher" McCoy in open combat is still a child with childish traits that creeps him out, which has nothing to do with her being called "Ivy."

I don't think there's anything significant about Harry giving her a name except that it makes Harry one of two people who treats her like a person. It's the beginning of their relationship. Her having human connections as a child with the power she has is dangerous. We see that in Small Favor, when she's willing to put herself and the Archive at risk to save him. It's the relationship itself that's important, not the circumstances that started it.

At least, that's my interpretation.

Good interpretation. Thats the way I saw it too. An immortal knowledge repository became excited by a kitty because its host is a child.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

It's not the name "Ivy" he finds creepy, it's her seeing Mister, shouting "KITTY!" and petting him. There is zero indication that this has anything to do with Harry calling her "Ivy," but everything to do with her thinking cats are fun to pet, which, considering that Ivy can easily control freaking Mordite, seems wrong. It's the idea that someone who might be able to stand up to Ebenezer "Facesmasher" McCoy in open combat is still a child with childish traits that creeps him out, which has nothing to do with her being called "Ivy."

I read that as something she never did before that point.  Kincaid isn't the sort of taciturn badass to let a reaction like that slip unless it was a surprise, IMO.  And to my mind the thing wrong there is that Harry has just opened Ivy up to all sorts of vulnerabilities and Kincaid realises it instantly.

I don't think there's anything significant about Harry giving her a name except that it makes Harry one of two people who treats her like a person.

Names have power in the DV.  We are told that all over the place, and shown it repeatedly.  And Harry is really kind of prone to slinging them around, and we are told that it can have major consequences (cf, Lash).

[Rasins]

Names have power in the DV.  We are told that all over the place, and shown it repeatedly.  And Harry is really kind of prone to slinging them around, and we are told that it can have major consequences (cf, Lash).

or Uri vs Uriel

[wardenferry419]

That definitely got him in a mood; and we never got the full reason why, have we?

[argetlampuppeh]

We did, it just helps to be a linguist. -El, when it comes to Hebrew names, means "God." Uriel's name, translated, means "God Is My Light."

Take God out of that.

What other Archangel was there with 'light' as part of his naming convention?

That last bit may be one step too far, but Uriel tells us straight out: "That bit you dropped (-El) happens to be very important to me."

[wardenferry419]

Did the google thing, "morning star" in Hebrew is Helel. (pronounced HAY-lale) Sounds alot like Hell. Never knew that.

[Kindler]

I read that as something she never did before that point.  Kincaid isn't the sort of taciturn badass to let a reaction like that slip unless it was a surprise, IMO.  And to my mind the thing wrong there is that Harry has just opened Ivy up to all sorts of vulnerabilities and Kincaid realises it instantly.

Kincaid wasn't present when he named her "Ivy." Harry locked him out of the apartment. Harry didn't call her "Ivy" in front of him until later. He only sees her petting Mister. The text (Death Masks, page 101 on Nook):

Hell's bells. It was adorable. She was just a kid.
A kid who knew more than any mortal alive. A kid with a scary amount of magical power. A kid who would kill me if I didn't show up to the duel. But still a kid.
I glanced up at Kincaid, who stood frowning down at Ivy fawning all over Mister. He shook his head and muttered, "Now, that's just creepy."

She went from all business, "Your life is forfeit unless you adhere to these rules"-type behavior to nuzzling a cat in the blink of an eye. Recognizing the source of the childish delight as a being who Harry later says could take one of the Ladies in a fight is creepy in and of itself.

Kincaid wasn't recognizing that there was a sudden shift in Ivy's personality, it's that he was reminded that she's a child, and his approach appears to have been to treat her as the Archive. This is a humanizing moment that came out of nowhere, for both Harry and Kincaid.

I acknowledge that names have power in the setting, and I'll admit that Ivy beginning to think of herself as "Ivy" may open her up to magical assault by using that name, but I think it's significantly different giving a mortal—Ivy is a mortal, just with the Archive in her head—a nickname than it is to give something like Uriel a nickname. I don't think that calling her "Ivy," especially when it's done so casually, can possibly have altered Ivy within a ten-minute time frame.

There is an argument that her forming an identity around the concept of "Ivy" changed her—over the course of several years, as she naturally matured—but I think it's stretching the lore of the Dresden Files to say that Harry giving her a nickname made her suddenly like petting cats.

That is my reading of the situation; beyond that, I'll agree to disagree on this.

[Paviel]

Do you think the fact that Harry named the Archive after a type of vine will be significant?