Dresden Files vs X-Files.

[The Romulan Republic]

So, a brief intro:

A couple weeks ago I began reading The Dresden Files, partly because of reading about them here, and partly due to seeing a bit of the show on late night TV last year.

Now, I've been an X-Files fan for the last several years, and I just got this idea of an X-files/Dresden Files crossover. I couldn't find a thread like this already existing, so I'll post it now:

Let's say that during the events of the second book, Fool Moon, the FBI decides that its local team of Spoiler

psychotic werewolf

Agents aren't doing enough to solve the killings, so they send in Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully and the case becomes an X-File. About all Muldur and Scully know about the case is that their have been a string of incredibly violent killings around the full moon, but Mulder has read about a local "wizard" named Harry Dresden and figures Dresden might know something.

So, what happens next?

Oh, and if you want to post any details about the plot of later books in the series, please, please add a spoiler warning, as I haven't finished them yet.

[Gaidin]

When do they meet? Depending on your timing, Dresden is actually a suspect instead of a source of information.

[Xon]

Depends on when during X-Files you are talking about.

Early to mid X-Files, regardless of what happens, Skully will utterly deny anything which don't fit her world view. Even if the werewolf got up and bitch slaped her.

[Gaidin]

I want to see a conversation between Mulder and Bob now...

[The Romulan Republic]

When do they meet? Depending on your timing, Dresden is actually a suspect instead of a source of information.

I thought I'd included that information, but I guess not.

If we assume that the events of each series are supposed to take place in the present day, at roughly the dates of publication, then Fool Moon takes place in late 2000 or 2001, or Season Eight-Nine of the X-Files. Unfortunately the Mulder/Scully team was pretty much gone by this point (though the thought of Agent Doggett handling the case intrigues me in its own way). So we'll bump the date a year back for the X-Files, and say Season 7.

So, this takes place at the start of Fool Moon, some time during Season 7 of the X-Files.

[The Dark]

I want to see a conversation between Mulder and Bob now...

I want to see a conversation between Harry, Bob, and Scully. I can only imagine it involving accusations of ventriloquism, a perverted comment from a disembodied spirit, and a wizard getting slapped by a redhead.

[Gaidin]

It could turn out to be interesting. I still think in the end Harry would end up on the wrong side of the law, but can see Murphy going toe to toe with Mulder and Scully over who should have him, mainly because they might want access to his information and well, Murphy thinks he got that one girl killed. I think the interesting part is how much would the fight with the loup-garou change? Would it tip the balance long enough to keep Carmichael alive? I'm not sure any major plot points would really change at all, but (relatively) minor dynamics might. The fight with the Hexenwolves at the end will be interesting too.

The long term dynamic that gets raised is just how much time would Mulder and Scully be spending in Chicago from now on?

[The Romulan Republic]

It could turn out to be interesting. I still think in the end Harry would end up on the wrong side of the law, but can see Murphy going toe to toe with Mulder and Scully over who should have him, mainly because they might want access to his information and well, Murphy thinks he got that one girl killed.

Also, Murphy might see agents Mulder and Scully as just more FBI agents, so I doubt she'd be too friendly with them initially. A pity, because the character's positions are actually so similar (working in a special law enforcement division that investigates the paranormal, and being persecuted by their superiors all the time).

I think the interesting part is how much would the fight with the loup-garou change? Would it tip the balance long enough to keep Carmichael alive?

Doubtful. If anything, barring Mulder figuring out to bring Silver bullets (which given Mulder's obsession with supernatural lore is quite possible), the two agents end up among the dead or wounded if they're in the station at the time.

I'm not sure any major plot points would really change at all, but (relatively) minor dynamics might. The fight with the Hexenwolves at the end will be interesting too.

Couldn't the Hexenwolves be killed by regular bullets? If so, a couple of friendly FBI Agents with firearms could go a long way towards leveling the odds. The Hexenwolves will still have the hostage angle to play, but it wouldn't look good for them. Though without silver weapons, vs the loup-garou about the only smart thing either agent can do is run.

The long term dynamic that gets raised is just how much time would Mulder and Scully be spending in Chicago from now on?

Interesting question. It probably hinges on how much Mulder figures out about Dresden and his involvement in Chicago's supernatural underworld.

[Duckie]

Bullets to kill a Loup Garou need to be made from Silver that's been passed down by a family member to the owner, and so Mulder probably even if he has silver bullets won't have melted down his family jewelry to make it. The Hexenwolves can be killed by regular bullets, so it wouldn't matter what he has, but he's not going to be able to put down the big fella without knowledge from Dresden, just like Murphy.

[Molyneux]

Bullets to kill a Loup Garou need to be made from Silver that's been passed down by a family member to the owner, and so Mulder probably even if he has silver bullets won't have melted down his family jewelry to make it. The Hexenwolves can be killed by regular bullets, so it wouldn't matter what he has, but he's not going to be able to put down the big fella without knowledge from Dresden, just like Murphy.

I would still like to see the effects of gross physical damage on a Loup Garou...though hopefully one that's a real asshole in everyday life as well. Like, say...remember the giant Cuisinart used to kill the first boss in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver?

[Gaidin]

I would still like to see the effects of gross physical damage on a Loup Garou...though hopefully one that's a real asshole in everyday life as well. Like, say...remember the giant Cuisinart used to kill the first boss in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver?

The LG is, from what I recall, basically highly analogous to Wolverine in wolf form, but with a weakness. Sure...you do enough damage to him, he'll die...logically anyway. But it's just easier to melt down Grandmother's earrings.

[Molyneux]

I would still like to see the effects of gross physical damage on a Loup Garou...though hopefully one that's a real asshole in everyday life as well. Like, say...remember the giant Cuisinart used to kill the first boss in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver?

The LG is, from what I recall, basically highly analogous to Wolverine in wolf form, but with a weakness. Sure...you do enough damage to him, he'll die...logically anyway. But it's just easier to melt down Grandmother's earrings.

But it's so much more fun to make some grand-werewolf puree...

[Lord of the Abyss]

Bullets to kill a Loup Garou need to be made from Silver that's been passed down by a family member to the owner, and so Mulder probably even if he has silver bullets won't have melted down his family jewelry to make it. The Hexenwolves can be killed by regular bullets, so it wouldn't matter what he has, but he's not going to be able to put down the big fella without knowledge from Dresden, just like Murphy.

I would still like to see the effects of gross physical damage on a Loup Garou...though hopefully one that's a real asshole in everyday life as well. Like, say...remember the giant Cuisinart used to kill the first boss in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver?

Recall the super-ghouls in White Night? When shredded and blown to pieces they flowed back together sort of like a fleshy version of the liquid metal style Terminators. So we know that Dresdenverse supernaturals can be at least that tough; a trap like the "giant Cuisinart" might not be enough. I'd go for "fire, and lots of it!" Unless the thing is capable of reassembling itself from ash that should work.

[LadyTevar]

I think the only things so far that fire didn't harm was the Monkey-demons that had puppy-napped Mouse and his siblings.

[Molyneux]

I think the only things so far that fire didn't harm was the Monkey-demons that had puppy-napped Mouse and his siblings.

The simple explanation is that they just didn't use enough fire.
If I were Harry, I'd start working on a "teleport-straight-down-forty-miles" spell just for the absolute emergencies when he needed it. A nice bath in the mantle has got to ruin most eldritch critters' days.

[PainRack]

I would still like to see the effects of gross physical damage on a Loup Garou...though hopefully one that's a real asshole in everyday life as well. Like, say...remember the giant Cuisinart used to kill the first boss in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver?

The cops did do that. Sure, they didn't have rocket launchers and machine guns, but a variety of riot guns and other police weaponery was unleashed on the werewolf during his escape from the police station.

I think the only things so far that fire didn't harm was the Monkey-demons that had puppy-napped Mouse and his siblings.

Spoiler

There's also Mab sprites during and just prior to Harry assault on Arctic Tor. The magical explaination was about how those sprites fed on emotions.

The simple explanation is that they just didn't use enough fire.
If I were Harry, I'd start working on a "teleport-straight-down-forty-miles" spell just for the absolute emergencies when he needed it. A nice bath in the mantle has got to ruin most eldritch critters' days.

Maybe the energy requirement is prohibitive? As it was, the only "teleport" we seen so far is in Storm Front.

[PainRack]

Let's say that during the events of the second book, Fool Moon, the FBI decides that its local team of Spoiler

psychotic werewolf

Agents aren't doing enough to solve the killings, so they send in Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully and the case becomes an X-File. About all Muldur and Scully know about the case is that their have been a string of incredibly violent killings around the full moon, but Mulder has read about a local "wizard" named Harry Dresden and figures Dresden might know something.

So, what happens next?

Oh, and if you want to post any details about the plot of later books in the series, please, please add a spoiler warning, as I haven't finished them yet.

Isn't there a conflict between Mulder and Dresden? At this point in time,Harry is still part of the "global conspiracy" so as to speak, even as he openly declared himself to be a practionier along with releasing pamphlets on magical education.

[Darth Smiley]

The Dresden Files supernatural elements are more consistent and more verifiable (Hey, lets summon a gust of wind in a closed room!) than most of the elements in the X-files (MAYBE something APPEARS to be supernatural). Harry's also a lot more open about what he does. Odds are, Mulder walks away from the situation (assuming he survives the situation) with an arm full of pamphlets and Dresden's number on speed dial.

[Molyneux]

I would still like to see the effects of gross physical damage on a Loup Garou...though hopefully one that's a real asshole in everyday life as well. Like, say...remember the giant Cuisinart used to kill the first boss in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver?

The cops did do that. Sure, they didn't have rocket launchers and machine guns, but a variety of riot guns and other police weaponery was unleashed on the werewolf during his escape from the police station.

I think the only things so far that fire didn't harm was the Monkey-demons that had puppy-napped Mouse and his siblings.

Spoiler

There's also Mab sprites during and just prior to Harry assault on Arctic Tor. The magical explaination was about how those sprites fed on emotions.

The simple explanation is that they just didn't use enough fire.
If I were Harry, I'd start working on a "teleport-straight-down-forty-miles" spell just for the absolute emergencies when he needed it. A nice bath in the mantle has got to ruin most eldritch critters' days.

Maybe the energy requirement is prohibitive? As it was, the only "teleport" we seen so far is in Storm Front.

True, but we've seen Harry power through a Spoiler

sixty-five MILLION year old zombie

before...he's got a heck of a lot of sheer power to work with, and while sending something straight into the mantle might not be doable, I doubt most vampires would be able to handle a trip half a mile straight down.

[Duckie]

Magic doesn't appear to be exactly scaleable to physical force- it appears to operate on strange laws compared to doing things by hand. There is probably a pool of potential energy that is conserved somewhere that magic taps into- it appears some things are cheaper with magic, some are more expensive to balance it out probably. For example, ripping someone's heart out of their chest takes a ridiculous amount of energy compared to what it would with your hands, so that even Harry can't do it whereas he can send man-sized objects flying through the air with ease, enough to crack bones.

So perhaps teleportation is extremely energy-intensive, especially teleporting someone into a solid object (which might just be plain impossible- there are probably some things that magic can't do. Also that Bob notes that it works in cycles- the laws change over time in predictable ways according to vastly complex but apparantly stable metalaws that he tracks, so it might be that just teleportation is right now prohibitively expensive.)

[Lord of the Abyss]

For example, ripping someone's heart out of their chest takes a ridiculous amount of energy compared to what it would with your hands, so that even Harry can't do it whereas he can send man-sized objects flying through the air with ease, enough to crack bones.

As I recall, that's not quite true. The reason why it took more power than Harry generally uses is because it was done from a distance, not in person.

[Gaidin]

For example, ripping someone's heart out of their chest takes a ridiculous amount of energy compared to what it would with your hands, so that even Harry can't do it whereas he can send man-sized objects flying through the air with ease, enough to crack bones.

As I recall, that's not quite true. The reason why it took more power than Harry generally uses is because it was done from a distance, not in person.

It depends on the type of magic you're using. Invocation doesn't take a whole lot.

[Duckie]

How would Harry have known how hard it would have been to perform then? I don't remember Storm Front too well, but I remember him immediately studying the scene and saying to Murphy "Holy shit this would be impossible". If it varies on distance, how would he have known how far away the suspect was when he committed the murder to make the judgement?

[Gaidin]

How would Harry have known how hard it would have been to perform then? I don't remember Storm Front too well, but I remember him immediately studying the scene and saying to Murphy "Holy shit this would be impossible". If it varies on distance, how would he have known how far away the suspect was when he committed the murder to make the judgement?

Well, didn't he jump straight to thaumaturgy because there were no hints of anybody else in the room? That was the big reason for the mass amount of energy...enough that it blew open the other's chest as well. Eventually he figured out that the guy had to wait for a storm to roll through to have enough energy to harness.

[Lord of the Abyss]

How would Harry have known how hard it would have been to perform then? I don't remember Storm Front too well, but I remember him immediately studying the scene and saying to Murphy "Holy shit this would be impossible". If it varies on distance, how would he have known how far away the suspect was when he committed the murder to make the judgement?

Basically, he said that the problem was that evocation is strictly line of sight, so it would have to be something else that takes more power.