Source
r/dresdenfiles•
BFOmega

Interesting butterfly effect from dead beat

Spoilers All

In dead beat, the second time Harry meets Corpsetaker when she's shaking down Bock's bookstore. She has no idea Harry is there, and Harry is well aware that she's big time bad news. He easily could have shot her in the head instead of using his surprise attack on the ghoul, and that likely would have taken her down, no time to jump bodies or even death curse. He would then have to deal with ninja ghoul, but you take what you can.

While it would be out of character, it's interesting to see how the story would be effected by this choice. One less baddy pair to contend with in the immediate. Farther out, Lucio never gets swapped, so she's doesn't become vulnerable to Peabody's ink. She wouldn't date Harry, the murder wouldn't happen (by her anyway), Morgan would probably remain alive; also, Harry probably gets a cool warden sword. Peobody would also not have been caught without Harry coming in to investigate the murder.

Then ghost story just straight up wouldn't happen, which means something else needs to happen for Harry to get Uriel's 7 words.

I suppose I just hadn't realized how much an effect Corpsetaker had on the overall story. Kinda crazy for someone that's not even the biggest baddy when she shows up.

Posted Feb 17, 2020, 7:51 AM UTC

188
KipIngram•

Why would Ghost Story not have happened? Ghost Story was fallout from Changes, which was connected to the Susan thread.

Corpsetaker could have come back from that bullet to the head the same way she did the actual bullet to the head.

18
adscrypt•

She was fairly interesting every time she appeared. The fact that she's a significant antagonist twice also seems to indicate something.

Also I liked her necro gimmick the best, with the maddened ghost armies.

8
Moglorosh•

Luccio still would have been vulnerable to the ink, as many wizards older than she was were. She wasn't manipulated by the ink, she was straight up mind whammied. The murder probably would have still happened, only it would have been Steed or Carlos in place of Luccio.

Ghost Story would have gone exactly as it did. No reason for one body getting shot in the head to be different from another.

7
Garanar•

Which would mean Morgan wouldn’t have been as likely to be willing to take the fall. And the less experienced warden who took the fall likely would have been caught.

1
Skeptic64•

But in that alternate world, Harry would be darker and vulnerable to the Fallen.

4
Midnightproxxima•

Harry would also not be Warden.

1
boomstk•

HArry would still be a warden. They are still at war and getting their asses kicked.

1
Midnightproxxima•

Not a warden. THE Warden.

2