History Literature / BriefCases

* AmazonBrigade: Molly assembles one of these teams to deal with the Fomor, who are the guests of the Svartalves. Svartalves covet beauty, so Molly, Andi and Justine use their beauty to get into the party.

** Bigfoot hires Dresden toprotect his son for the third time, this time from his girlfriend - a White Court vampire - and her monstrously evil father at the University of Oklahoma. Takes place between ''Turn Coat'' and ''Changes''.

* CerebusCallBack: Inverted. Back in ''Changes'', Harry said, “I will make Maggie safe. If the world burns because of that, then so be it. Me and the kid will roast some marshmallows,” and it was one of the signs of him becoming TheUnfettered. In "Zoo Day", Maggie asks, “What if I set something on fire?”, and Harry replies, “Maybe we’ll roast some marshmallows,” but this time, it's a lighthearted joke meant to reassure Maggie that he is with her and nothing bad is going to happen.

* DatingWhatDaddyHates: This is played with in "Bigfoot on Campus". At first, Connie Barrowill's father encouraged her and Irwin Pounder to have sex [[spoiler:so she can kill him on their first night together when she awakens as a succubus, but Irwin's deep reserves of life energy allowed him to survive Connie's first feeding. Now her continued relationship with a guy her father believes she should have killed to make her a "proper" vampire is bad for her reputation. So, he wants her to have sex again so this time he can push her to killing Irwin.]]

* DontMakeMeDestroyYou: Butters to the ''baku baku''. [[spoiler: She didn't listen]].

* EvenTheGuysWantHim: [[invoked]] Even Harry can't help but admit that [[SheIsAllGrownUp the college-aged Irwin Pounder]] is now a {{Hunk}}. Amusingly enough, this also {{Squick}}s him out since he then thinks about how he's known the kid since he was in middle school or so.
* EveryManHasHisPrice: Butters, of all people, invokes this in "Day One."
-->"That's the thing about knowing a lot of gamers. They don't necessarily count their riches in bank accounts. Not when there are virtual status symbols to acquire."

* ExactWords: In "A Fistful of Warlocks", Luccio has made a deal with a kelpie-like Sidhe: he serves her for a year if she can ride him for an hour. He's rather upset about the fact that she was able to accomplish this even though he spent the hour ''underwater''...
* ForTheLulz: It's revealed that Marcone had a role to play in Dresden (who had seemingly disappeared off the face of the Earth for almost a year) being recognized for jury duty in the eponymous story. Why? Because, even putting aside how Harry would be an excellent UnwittingPawn in the ProxyWar he was waging with the White Court, it'd be ''hilarious''.

* HalfHumanHybrid: Irwin Pounder in the three Bigfoot stories. He is half-human and half-Bigfoot, also called a Forest Person. He gains much of his father's size, protection from common illnesses, and a powerful natural energy inside, which as a college student Harry compares to being on par with himself. [[spoiler:The latter is also how he survives sex with his girlfriend, who was becoming a White Court vampire. He had enough to allow her inner demon to gorge and he is fine afterwards.]]

* HoldingOutForAHero: This is discussed by Harry with Butters in "Day One" when Butters is terrified of the monster he is facing and needs help. Harry gives him words of advice but refuses to come. This trial is for Butters to overcome. Butters is now a Knight and cannot trust on Harry to be TheCavalry he has been so often before. Eventually, Butters is able to tap into his inner courage and confront the monster, saving the day.

* TheManBehindTheMan: In "Zoo Day", [[spoiler:Mouse's 'Shadow,' a corrupted holy dog]] is the cause of both Harry and Maggie's problems, using his dark powers to increase the threat level of both dangers. He is also using his power to increase the anxiety of Harry and Maggie's relationship.

* MundaneUtility: A college professor attempts to use magic in order to [[spoiler:regrow his hair]], despite the dangers thereof.

* SealedWithAKiss: When Molly [[spoiler:apologizes]] to Carlos, she instinctively feels that words are insufficient, and kisses him [[RuleOfThree three times]].

* SunkCostFallacy: Extensively discussed in "Bigfoot on Campus" in reference to the White Court. Both Harry and River Shoulders reflect on how the White Court is founded on the MotivationalLie started by "some ancient bastard/bitch" stating that it's ''okay'' for them to be emotion-draining monsters. The aforementioned bastard/bitch's descendants have then been intentionally obscuring the truth from their own children until it's too late, and subsequently invoke this trope afterwards so that the new vampire will fall into line and accept all the Court's teachings as valid because the only alternative would be realizing that there's ''no'' excuse for having '''killed''' another human being. Related to this, [[spoiler:Charles Barrowill]] can't accept the possibility that he might not have been a murderer if his parents had just been honest with him, and so tries to use an AppealToTradition argument (which ultimately just boils down to this trope) to make sure that [[spoiler:his daughter grows up to be as much of a miserable and inhuman monster as he is]].

* TakeThat: In "Bigfoot on Campus", after learning that she's a White Court vampire, [[spoiler:Connie Barrowill nervously asks Irwin and Harry if [[Literature/{{Twilight}} "she'll sparkle."]] Their response? ''"God no."'']]

* YouAreFat: This is one of the insults Mouse's LeanAndMean EvilCounterpart throws at him. When Mouse falls behind in the chase, he first defensively points out that he is a Good Dog and that means lots of treats, [[{{Touche}} before admitting maybe he should exercise a little more.]]

** Bigfoot hires Dresden to protect his son for the third time, this time from a White Court vampire and her monstrously evil father. Takes place between ''Turn Coat'' and ''Changes''.

** Molly Carpenter, now the Winter Lady, is sent to Alaska to take care of her first assignment from Mab. Takes place after ''Cold Days'' and before ''Literature/PeaceTalks''.

** Waldo Butters, the new Knight of the Cross, is sent on his first assignment: dealing with a monstrous beast who is preying on hospital patients. Takes place between ''Skin Game'' and ''Peace Talks''.

** In "Zoo Day", Mouse and Maggie recall when a monster moved under Maggie's bed to torment her but Mouse stopped it. This was first talked about in ''Literature/SkinGame'', when Harry first bonded with Maggie.
** Back in ''Literature/BloodRites'', when Harry gave the puppies back to Brother Wang, the monk noted that not all the pups were present. At first it appeared that Mouse was the exception, having got out of the box without Harry realizing, but "Zoo Day" reveals that two other puppies were taken from the litter before Harry got there.
** In "Zoo Day", Harry tells Maggie that he [[ComicBook/WelcomeToTheJungle saved the gorillas in this very zoo from a monster]].
** "Zoo Day" broadly references the horrors Maggie went through in ''Changes''.

* TheCaptain: "A Fistful of Warlocks" shows the current captain of the Wardens, Luccio, when she was Harry's age. She implies that the current captain is none other than Ebenezar.
* CerebusCallBack: Inverted. Back in ''Changes'', Harry said, “I will make Maggie safe. If the world burns because of that, then so be it. Me and the kid will roast some marshmallows,” and it was one of the signs of him becoming TheUnfettered. In "Zoo Day", Maggie asks, “What if I set something on fire?”, and Harry replies, “Maybe we’ll roast some marshmallows,” but this time, it's a joke meant to reassure Maggie that he is with her and nothing bad is going to happen.

* HalfHumanHybrid: Irwin Pounder in the three Bigfoot stories. He is half-human and half-Bigfoot, also called a Forest Person. He gains much of his father's size, protection from common illnesses, and a powerful natural energy inside, which as a college student Harry compares to being on par with himself. [[spoiler:The later is also how he survives sex with his girlfriend, who was becoming a White Court vampire. He had enough to allow her inner demon to gorge and he is fine afterwards.]]

* TheManBehindTheMan: In "Zoo Day", [[spoiler:Mouse's Shadow, a corrupted holy dog]] is the cause of both Harry and Maggie's problems, using his dark powers to increase the threat level of both dangers. He is also using his power to increase the anxiety of Harry and Maggie's relationship.

* Myth/NorseMythology: The Svartalves featured in "Bombshells" are the Dark Elves from Norse myth.

** Waldo Butters, the new Knight of the Cross, is sent on his first assignment: dealing with a monstrous beast who is preying on hospital patients. Takes place just before "Zoo Day".

* AnythingThatMoves: Depressingly deconstructed: the Fae (or at least, the Winter Fae) are incredibly lustful and bang like rabbits... so they can have more children to send to the Outer Gates to fight the Outsiders.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: Wyatt Earp turns out to have been a member of the Venatori (Umbrorum). So was Doc Holiday.

* HoldingOutForAHero: This is discussed by Harry with Butters in "Day One" when Butters is terrified of the monster he is facing and needs help. Harry gives him words of advice but refuses to come. This trial is for Butters to overcome. Butters is now a Knight and cannot trust on Harry to be the BigDamnHeroes he has been so often before. Eventually, Butters is able to tap into his inner courage and confront the monster, saving the day.

* PoorlyDisguisedPilot: [[invoked]] WordOfGod has declared "A Fistful of Warlocks" to be one for a fantasy/western series about Anastasia Luccio in the Old West that he's not sure he'll ever get around to writing.

* ProxyWar: "Jury Duty" is ultimately a proxy conflict waged between Marcone and Lara Raith.

-->"We're talking about something important here, mortal. We're talking about ''baseball.''"

** Warden Anastasia Luccio must team up with the famous gunslinger Wyatt Earp to deal with a band of powerful necromancers.

** In order to help teach several younger Wardens how to do the job, Dresden recounts one of his adventures in dealing with a monster that invaded an innocent family's home. Takes place after ''Literature/ProvenGuilty''.

** Bigfoot hires Dresden to protect his son for the third time, this time from a White Court vampires and her monstrously evil father. Takes place between ''Turn Coat'' and ''Changes''.

** Still reeling from the events of ''Literature/{{Changes}}'', Molly Carpenter is forced into action when she learns that Thomas Raith has been captured by enemies.

** Molly Carpenter, now the Winter Lady, is sent to Alaska to take care of her first assignment from Mab. Takes place after ''Literature/ColdDays''.

** When Dresden is called in for jury duty, he quickly finds himself drawn into a conflict between Lara Raith and Baron Marcone. Takes place after ''Literature/SkinGame''.

This collection features more stories in which characters besides Dresden act as the narrator. Luccio is the narrator of "A Fistful of Warlocks", Marcone is the narrator of "Even Hand", Molly is the narrator of "Bombshells" and "Cold Case", Butters is the narrator of "Day One", and Maggie and Mouse both narrate parts of "Zoo Day" along with Harry.

* AnythingThatMoves: Depressingly deconstructed: the Fae (or at least, the Winter Fae) are incredibly lustful and fuck like rabbits... so they can have more children to send to the Outer Gates to fight the Outsiders.

* {{Bigfoot}}: Plays a very big role in three stories. It turns out they exist in the world, are extremely powerful magic users (easily more powerful than White Council wizards), and very reclusive.

** In "Even Hand" the location Marcone executes the infiltrating dealers at is the same location the White Council used to execute the Korean warlock in ''Literature/ProvenGuilty''.

** Back in ''Literature/BloodRites'', when Harry gave the puppies back to Brother Wang, the monk noted that not all the pups were present. At first it appeared that Mouse was the exception, having got out of the box without Harry realising, but "Zoo Day" reveals that two other puppies were taken from the litter before Harry got there.

* CurbStompBattle: Harry vs a demon in "Zoo Day". He banishes the demon with zero effort, much to its frustration.

* DisappointedByTheMotive: In "I Was a Teenaged Bigfoot", Dresden finds the source of the spell causing Irwin's illness — a wizard draining his life force [[spoiler:to power a hair growth spell]].

* DontMakeMeDestroyYou: Butters to bakubaku. [[spoiler: She didn't listen]].

-->''That's the thing about knowing a lot of gamers. They don't necessarily count their riches in bank accounts. Not when there are virtual status symbols to acquire.''

* HeroicSacrifice: This is discussed by [[spoiler:Mouse to his evil older brother. Mouse is wounded, the younger of the two, and weaker. But if his brother continues attacking Maggie and Harry, Mouse will come at him with everything he has to take down his brother. Mouse will probably die but if it means taking down his evil brother, it is fine by Mouse. He loves Harry and Maggie that much.]]
* HoldingOutForAHero: This is discussed by Harry with Butters in "Day One" when Butters is terrified of the monster he is facing and needs help. Harry gives him words of advice but refuses to come. This trial is for Butters to overcome. Butters is a Knight and cannot trust on Harry to be the BigDamnHeroes he has been so often before.

* LogicalWeakness: Mab notes that Molly has one. [[spoiler:Her title is the Maiden of the Winter Court. If Molly has sex and becomes pregnant, she will certainly no longer be a "Maiden". This will destroy the mantle. So, the Mantle will protect itself by severely injuring Molly's would-be sexual partner by overriding Molly's control.]]

* MundaneUtility: A college professor attempts to use magic in order to regrow his hair, despite the dangers thereof.
* MythologyGag: Bigfoot is psychic. This explains why there are never any non-blurry pictures of them.

* PoorlyDisguisedPilot: WordOfGod has declared "A Fistful of Warlocks" to be one for a fantasy/western series about Anastasia Luccio in the Old West that he's not sure he'll ever get around to writing.
* PowerOfLove: The edge Mouse has over his Shadow. Because of his love for Harry and Maggie, Mouse would [[HeroicSacrifice gladly die to rip out his opponent's guts]].
-->'''Mouse:''' If I ignore my own survival, it gives me a great many options in a fight that I would not otherwise have, brother. Are you that confident of your strength?

* SealedWithAKiss: When Molly [[spoiler:apologizes]] to Carlos, she instinctively feels that words are insufficient, and kisses him three times.

* SwitchingPOV: "Zoo Day" goes from Harry's viewpoint to Maggie's, then to Mouse's as each of them tackle a separate problem at the zoo.

* WeirdnessMagnet: Poor Irwin, the scion of River Shoulders and a human woman. He's bullied by two kids [[spoiler:under the guardianship of a Svartalf]] as a child, as a teenager, [[spoiler:a professor steals his energy to regrow his hair, putting Irwin in what's almost a coma]], and as a college student, [[spoiler:his girlfriend is a White Court vampire. That said, she's actually a nice one, though her father isn't.]]

* YouAreFat: This is one of the insults Mouse's LeanAndMean EvilCounterpart throws at him. When Mouse falls behind in the chase, he first defensively points out that he is a Good Dog and that means lots of treats, before admitting maybe he should exercise a little more.

* UnderestimatingBadassery: Mouse's EvilTwin has a ''severe'' case of this, as the three demons he summons to fight Harry appear to be dollar-store versions of the ones he usually fights. [[spoiler:Subverted when it's revealed that they were simply a distraction while he goes after Maggie, who herself would be distracted in exorcising the demons in the school children she saw. Mouse barely manages to stop it.]]

* DatingWhatDaddyHates: This is played with in "Bigfoot on Campus". At first, Connie Barrowill's father encouraged her and Irwin Pounder to have sex [[spoiler:so she can kill him on their first night together when she6 awakens as a succubus, but Irwin's deep reserves of life energy allowed him to survive Connie's first feeding. Now her continued relationship with a guy her father believes she should have killed to make her a "proper" vampire is bad for her reputation. So, he wants her to have sex again so this time he can push her to killing Irwin.]]

* UndyingLoyalty: Mouse, as always. He warns his brother that he's fine pulling a TakingYouWithMe if it keeps Maggie safe.

* UnderestimatingBadassery: Mouse's EvilTwin seems to have a ''severe'' case of this, as the three demons he summoned to fight Harry appear to be dollar-store versions of the ones he usually fights.
** Averted when its revealed that [[spoiler: they were simply supposed to be a distraction while he goes after Maggie, who herself would be distracted in exorcising the demons in the school children she saw. Mouse barely manages to stop it.

* DatingWhatDaddyHates: This is played with in "Bigfoot on Campus". At first, Connie Barrowill's father encouraged her and Irwin Pounder to have sex [[spoiler:so she can kill him on their first night together when she awakens as a succubus, but Irwin's deep reserves of life energy allowed him to survive Connie's first feeding. Now her continued relationship with a guy her father believes she should have killed to make her a "proper" vampire is bad for her reputation. So, he wants her to have sex again so this time he can push her to killing Irwin.]]

* AesopCollateralDamage: A case in "Cold Case." [[spoiler: Molly needs to learn that she CantHaveSexEver, because pregnancy would destroy the mantle inside her so it will protect itself violently. For Molly to learn it the hard way, Carlos takes a brutal beatdown when they attempt to have sex.]]

** In "Zoo Day," Harry tells Maggie that he [[ComicBook/WelcomeToTheJungle saved the gorillas in this very zoo from a monster]].

* CerebusCallBack: Inverted. Back in ''Changes'', Harry said, “I will make Maggie safe. If the world burns because of that, then so be it. Me and the kid will roast some marshmallows,” and it was one of the signs of him becoming TheUnfettered. In "Zoo Day," Maggie asks, “What if I set something on fire?”, and Harry replies, “Maybe we’ll roast some marshmallows,” but this time, it's a joke meant to reassure Maggie that he is with her and nothing bad is going to happen.

** When the son of Bigfoot experiences problems at school, Bigfoot hires Harry Dresden to sort things out. Takes place between ''Fool Moon'' and ''Grave Peril''.

** In order to help teach several younger Wardens how to do the job, Dresden recounts one of his adventures in dealing with a monster that invaded an innocent family's home. Takes place after ''Proven Guilty''.

** When Bigfoot's son is hit with a magical affliction, Bigfoot hires Dresden to take care of the problem. Takes place around the same time as ''Dead Beat''.

** Dresden is hired to deal with the most famous curse in Chicago history: the Billy Goat curse which prevented the Chicago Cubs from winning a World Series for seventy years. Takes place between ''Small Favor'' and ''Turn Coat''.

** Baron Marcone goes to battle with a powerful Fomor sorcerer in order to save the life of an innocent child. Takes place between ''Turn Coat'' and ''Changes''.

** Molly Carpenter, now the Winter Lady, is sent to Alaska to take care of her first assignment from Mab. Takes place after ''Cold Days''.

** When Dresden is called in for jury duty, he quickly finds himself drawn into a conflict between Lara Raith and Baron Marcone. Takes place after ''Skin Game''.

* AesopCollateralDamage: A case in ''Cold Case''. [[spoiler: Molly needs to learn that she CantHaveSexEver, because pregnancy would destroy the mantle inside her so it will protect itself violently. For Molly to learn it the hard way, Carlos takes a brutal beatdown when they attempt to have sex.]]

** In ''Zoo Day'', Harry tells Maggie that he [[ComicBook/WelcomeToTheJungle saved the gorillas in this very zoo from a monster]].
** ''Zoo Day'' broadly references the horrors Maggie went through in ''Changes''.

* CerebusCallBack: Inverted. Back in ''Changes'', Harry said, “I will make Maggie safe. If the world burns because of that, then so be it. Me and the kid will roast some marshmallows,” and it was one of the signs of him becoming TheUnfettered. In ''Zoo Day'', Maggie asks, “What if I set something on fire?”, and Harry replies, “Maybe we’ll roast some marshmallows,” but this time, it's a joke meant to reassure Maggie that he is with her and nothing bad is going to happen.

** Waldo Butters, the new Knight of the Cross, is sent on his first assignment: dealing with a monstrous beast who is preying on hospital patients. Takes place at the same time as "Zoo Day".

** Dresden, his daughter Maggie, and his dog Mouse all have to fend off literal monsters during a trip to the zoo. Takes place at the same time as "Day One".

** Waldo Butters, the new Knight of the Cross, is sent on his first assignment: dealing with a monstrous beast who is preying on hospital patients.

** Dresden, his daughter Maggie, and his dog Mouse all have to fend off literal monsters during a trip to the zoo.

* YouAreFat: This is one of the insults Mouse's LeanAndMean EvilCounterpart throws at him.

* TheManBehindTheMan: In "Zoo Day", [[spoiler:Mouse's Shadow, a corrupted holy dog]] is the cause of both Harry's problem and Molly's problem, using his dark powers to increase the threat level of both dangers. He is also using his power to increase the anxiety of Harry and Maggie's relationship.

** When the son of Bigfoot experiences problems at school, Bigfoot hires Harry Dresden to sort things out.

** In order to help teach several younger Wardens how to do the job, Dresden recounts one of his adventures in dealing with a monster that invaded an innocent family's home.

** When Bigfoot's son is hit with a magical affliction, Bigfoot hires Dresden to take care of the problem.

** Dresden is hired to deal with the most famous curse in Chicago history: the Billy Goat curse which prevented the Chicago Cubs from winning a World Series for seventy years.

** Baron Marcone goes to battle with a powerful Fomor sorcerer in order to save the life of an innocent child.

** Bigfoot hires Dresden to protect his son for the third time, this time from a White Court vampires and her monstrously evil father.

** Molly Carpenter, now the Winter Lady, is sent to Alaska to take care of her first assignment from Mab.

** When Dresden is called in for jury duty, he quickly finds himself drawn into a conflict between Lara Raith and Baron Marcone.