Fae, Titians, Gods and Outsiders in the Dresden Files and how the Accords work
Spoiler Warning
This is a talk about Peace Talks of the Dresden Files, Book 16 of the series. So if you plan on actually reading the books and want to go in blind, do not read this post. If you don't plan to read it, or Care about spoilers and want to see if this convo intrests you into reading the books, then continue on.
I'm in chapter 30 of Peace talks so this is more of my thoughts and what I'm taking from the differences between what Butcher have done with the supernatural Vs what I've been seeing in Modern fantasy like Romantasy and urban Romantasy.
I'm going to put it straight up: Jim doesn't hold back that they can be ligit monsters. They could be empthetic, They can have families and relations with humans, but they're far more primal and far more outside of the human understanding that humans fear them. They aren't Weeaboo edgy dark boys who only have the only redeeming thing is that they had a sad backstory. They are cunning in a animalistic way and they don't see life like we do, but still they find value in protecting themselves in changing times in any way possiable.
And that's how the Accords were made.
Even the Fae Winter and Summer Courts understand the Accords have to be upheld for their protection. Winter is the stronger of the two but for a reason: The Winter Court was the ones who created the Accords and Summer co-signed the process because of their dyamic. And the reasoning behind Winter being the "Stronger" is because Winter is the World's first line of defense against the Outsiders at the Outer Gates. The Summer Court is just there to keep winter inline.
So when a Titan from Celtic Mythology smacks down the literal protector of the Gates like a gnat to the point she is literally refixing her bones back into place, it makes a message to not only the reader but also to the rest of the Accords. And on top of that Mab announced that the Outer gates are under attack by Outsiders so she can't give all her armies to the Defense against the Formor.
What makes it intresting is that a lot of the Never Never, all supernatural comes from it but they have different "Desmens" or "Territories" that act differently depending on the supernatural in question. Artic Tor is a deep area winter wasteland while the place of the Summer Court is a wild growth of plant and life. Meanwhile you have extreamly powerful shades/ghosts that can create their own territories in the way they remember their life. (Grave Peril, Proven Guilty and Ghost Story kinda goes into these things a bit more deeply. But if you want more of the Fae side of things: Summer Knight is the start of that.)
Now it's probably a lot of questions why I'm talking about this now. Because I'm realizing a pattern of the stories I do enjoy vs the ones I don't enjoy when it involve fae.
People who write them as "Sad Boy Weeabos" or interchangably with other creatures don't understand how fae or even any supernatural actually work
They *can* have regrets, but they also know that showing that weakness around an enemy is a *death sentence*. They care more about their own comfort than the needs of water, a home, and safety. If their Comfort is threatened, they will become far more vicious and cruel. Also Fae, titians, Gods and Demons are *vastly* different. A Fae will rather play a game, Playing with Oaths are binding and a name do have power, but they use it to their advantage if they find it fun. Demons find *contracts* binding and are more restricted to follow that contract but they will find ways to get what they want out of that contract, Oaths are onesided to them and not as binding. (Think how an Knight is vs a Lawyer. Demons are like the Lawyers and Fae are machivious rouge knights. It's why a lot of the mythogy, Fae are *very* careful with their Oaths and what they give an Oath to. It's the humans that mess up.) Gods are kinda a strange combo between Fae and Demon and even spirit? they act a lot of ways similar to a fae but also take contracts just as seriously as Oaths (Zeus being the Oath keeper god for example, but there are a few gods that put Contracts into effect).
Outsiders are beyond that understanding. They are the Lovcraftian horrors of Cosmic outside of our understanding. they are even outside *fae* and *Demons* understanding. They do not make sense, they warp the phsyical world as if it's the never never. And this is why The Winter Fae of the Dresden Files are vastly more likely to be able to handle their danger as they are built on primal instinct and they won't be *as* easily manlipuated (though it's still possiable as you find out in one of the books. so they're not unfallable.) the whole Starborn thing kinda puts into perspective but that's another point all together.
So I think that's why I'm far more likely intrested in books like "The Thorns that Remain" and "The River has Roots" because they understand that.
