!!''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' has [[TropeOverdosed many, many tropes]]. These are tropes N through Z. You can find tropes A through M [[{{TheDresdenFiles.TropesA-M}} here]].

'''Please make sure spoilers are properly tagged.''' [[SpoileredRotten The series has a lot of them,]] so try not to ruin everyone else's fun.
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[[folder: N-O]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Nicodemus Archleone. Archleone is Greek for "Great lion." From Literature/TheBible, (1 Peter 5:8) "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." When Harry first heard the name he quoted the passage, exasperated that Nicodemus would be so blatant.
** He Who Walks Behind - though its real name is technically a long mental montage of horror and agony.
** The Lords of Outer Night, the upper nobility of the Red Court.
* NarratingTheObvious: Occasionally, Harry will say things related to characters that everyone knows already, such as feeling the need to tell us in ''Death Masks'' that yes, he really is a wizard. It's never too obtrusive, though. Overlaps with [[InnerMonologue Harry]] being a [[PrivateDetective private]] [[HardBoiledDetective eye]]. As the stories move away from "[[DetectiveDrama whodunit]]", and gets much [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]] this correspondingly gets toned down a bunch.
* NayTheist:
** One of Harry's best friends carries around a sword containing a nail of the True Cross that cuts through all manners of demonic baddies, Harry dallies with the supernatural daily and [[spoiler: he has had a fallen angel tied to one of Judas' coins rattling around in his skull]] -- but he does not hold much truck with gods, and believes that the faith that powers them is just another example of [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve emotion fueling magic]]. It should be noted that Harry does believe in God; he just doesn't think God is all that interested in ''him'' (despite having the Archangel Uriel looking out for him), and has some doubts as to his own worthiness as a follower. Harry said it best when he said "I wouldn't burden a decent system of faith by participating in it."
** Sanya, who uses one of those swords containing a nail of the True Cross, describes himself as agnostic. His sword was supposedly given to him by the archangel Michael, but Sanya is careful to note that angels could be yet another type of faerie, or aliens (not seen yet, but [[FantasyKitchenSink give it time]]), or he could be insane and all his encounters with the supernatural could be mere hallucination. While Sanya approaches a FlatEarthAtheist doctrine in some ways, he explains clearly enough that he sees his mission as worthwhile whether it is an actual holy crusade or [[WeHelpTheHelpless simply a service to his fellow men]].
* NebulousEvilOrganization: the Black Council. We know literally nothing about them; their existence was deduced in the second book and by ''White Night'' it was all-but-proved, but the only living character we know for sure is a member, Cowl, we know nothing else about except that he is a strong wizard, not even what he looks like. We know that at least one Denarian is a member, and probably more than one, but we can not be sure which. We can guess that certain Raiths were members and we know [[spoiler:Wizard Peabody]] was, but all of those are dead. Members of the Black Council have proven willing to hurt evil organizations as well as good ones and InnocentBystanders, but we do not know why.
** [[spoiler: And ''Cold Days'' suggests that the speculative Black Council may instead be TheVirus. Among other possible interpretations...]]
* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: Monsters who specialize in nullifying magic tend to do this quite often to Harry, such as the Scarecrow, which walks through a Hellfire-boosted spell that would have blown him a few city blocks away, or Thorned Namshiel simply ''eating'' one of Harry's spells. In ''Changes'', the [[spoiler: giant centipede in Lea's garden]] simply splits into two monsters, both equally angry, when Harry slices it in half with his laser beam spell.
* NeverLiveItDown: In-universe.
** Marcone, Ramirez and Murphy have all teased Harry on different occasions about how often buildings tend to burn down when he is around.
** The Fae Courts were buzzing about the whole [[spoiler: Donut Incident]] to the point that even Morgan takes potshots at Harry regarding it. Apparently, they have been laughing about it for ''months''.
** Also, SI never really let go of the fact that he had to masquerade as Thomas's gay lover for one case.
* NeverRecycleABuilding: Averted; after the Full Moon Garage is abandoned due to the [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent lycanthrope]] biker gang that owned it being slaughtered it is revisited by other villains looking for an empty building to do some disturbing things.
** The building Thomas confronts Harry in during ''Backup'' is reused in ''Literature/ColdDays''. [[ContinuityNod Harry still doesn't know it was Thomas]]. He also lampshades the trope on this occasion, wondering if his life is a TV show that can't afford new sets.
* NiceHat: On the cover, at least, and in several of the short stories he emphatically states that one day he really will get a hat, and it will definitely be a very cool hat. In the books themselves, however, he starts gaining a dislike of hats, and by ''Changes'' he outright hates them (although later he wishes he had accepted the telepathy blocking helmet).
* NiceToTheWaiter: Harry, in a supernatural sense. Whereas most in the supernatural world either look down on, ignore, use, or abuse the Little Folk (small fairies like Toot), Harry gives them respect, helps them, and--perhaps most importantly--gives them pizza. Because of this, they tend to be fiercely loyal to him. The benefits of this are illustrated with particularly painful clarity in ''Summer Knight'' when it enables him to [[spoiler:unleash a swarm of pixies armed with boxcutters onto Aurora]].
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: After seeing [[spoiler:Molly]]'s alter-ego/persona, the Ragged Lady, Harry begins to wonder whether or not he is responsible for her gradual mental deterioration. Ultimately, [[spoiler:he is]], but not for the reason he thinks ([[spoiler:bringing a psychic sensitive like her to the battlefield at Chichen Itza]]). The real reason is that [[spoiler: Molly is suffering due to the fact that she knows the identity of the person who ordered the hit on Harry. It's Harry, himself. Harry ordered his own death, courtesy of Kincaid, as a way to [[ThanatosGambit cheat Mab out of having him as the Winter Knight and make sure that she doesn't use him for evil]]. He ordered the hit, then had Molly [[MindWipe erase his memory]] of the event to prevent anyone from stopping it, even and especially himself.]]
** On top of that, [[spoiler: Harry's decision to wipe out the entire Red Court caused a monumental power vacuum in the supernatural world, with long dormant (and mostly evil) organizations scrambling to acquire the assets and power the Court left behind. As a result, said organizations have started causing such a ruckus that the normal world is starting to take notice.]]
** Further on top of that, Molly [[spoiler:is, on some level, in love with Harry. Yet another reason she isn't taking his demise well.]]
* TheNicknamer: Harry, being an out-and-out wiseass, is prone to this. He often names random people when he does not know their real names, leading to him referring to them as something like "Eyebrow," "Turtleneck," or "Spinyboy."
** He decided that "Knights of the Order of the [[ArtifactOfDoom Blackened Denarius]]" was too dignified and started calling them "The Nickelheads." Even Michael uses this because he finds the reasoning convincing.
** In keeping with certain traditions about the power of names for wizards, Harry's nicknaming also has no small amount of significance: For Lash and Ivy, being given a name also gives them their own identity separate from Lashiel's Shadow and The Archive respectively.
** ''Summer Knight'' features him deciding that "plant monster" is too stupid a name for what he is fighting, so he calls it a "chlorofiend". No one knows what the hell he is talking about, so he defaults to "plant monster".
** At one point he fails to remember a Warden's name and calls him a mash up of possible candidates.
** With beings like "Shagnasty" (which could be described as a [[EldritchAbomination super-]]phobophage protogod), ''not'' using a goofy or insulting diminutive gives them more power.
** Most recently used for convenience, when Harry shortens "The Ik'k'uox" to "The Ick".
** This backfires in ''Ghost Story'': [[spoiler:the archangel Uriel - whose name means "God is my light" - is deeply insulted, visibly angered, and even frightened when Harry calls him "Uri." That "-el" is vitally important, because it's the part of his name that refers to God.]] He does, however, somewhat bemusedly accept "Mr. Sunshine" as an alternative nickname, which fits because he's the archangel in charge of the sphere of the sun. Harry got lucky there.
* NightOfTheLivingMooks: [[SubvertedTrope Which fight like]] the {{Terminator}}...
* NinetyPercentOfYourBrain: Apparently, [[spoiler:Lasciel]] lives there. Harry says, in his case, [[SelfDeprecation it is more like ninety-five percent.]]
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Tons of them across the series. The best thing is that they [[JustifiedTrope make sense in context of the plot]]. Including, but not limited to [[spoiler: FBI werewolves, a cult of porn-star sorcerers, ninja ghouls, zombie polka-controlled T-rex, and [[MakeTheDogTestify a dog being put on the stand as a reliable witness.]]]]
* NoodleIncident:
** ''Mold demons.'' They are mentioned in every book following ''Fool Moon'' but are never given any explanation.
** Whatever happened to Murphy and Kincaid in Hawaii during the events of ''Dead Beat''. Whatever it was, it broke Murphy's arm and impressed Kincaid enough that he gave her a gift-wrapped submachine gun as a memento. According to WordOfGod, Murphy also demonstrated her skills with a katana there.
*** WordofGod later confirmed a short story titled "Hawaii", which will presumably detail the events of Murphy and Kincaid's vacation.
* NoBisexuals: Averted. The Raith family is almost entirely bisexual, except for Inari, Thomas, and Lord Raith.
* NobleDemon: A literal case - the demon nicknamed Chauncy is often called up by magicians in need of info from 'down below', because unlike most of his brethren, he doesn't really mind. Granted, you still have to be careful - demons are OBLIGED to try their level best to escape confinement and kill their summoner, and he'll still go through the motions. But once he's done that, he's usually quite cooperative, offering the dark knowledge of hell [[DealWithTheDevil for a fair price]]. [[spoiler: Only, this is a subversion - turns out, the whole 'nice, civilized demon' thing is just a veneer. When Harry turns down a cleverly-formulated deal that would've essentially have him [[YourSoulIsMine sell his soul]] to the demons, 'Chauncy' shows his true face in rage, and nearly tears through the barrier Harry had set up for the meeting. Apparently, he simply knew that acting pleasant would ensure that lots of wizards would summon him repeatedly, giving him a better chance to bargain for useful information... such as [[IKnowYourTrueName names]].]]
* NobleMaleRoguishMale: Michael and Harry. Harry and Thomas. Thomas and Harry.
* NoEyeInMagic: When a wizard looks directly into someone else's eyes[[hottip:*: They have to be human, as other creatures don't have souls the way humans understand them]], they can see the essence of that person's soul. This ability is called a "soulgaze." Unfortunately, this is an automatic effect, once it is activated it can not be stopped, and since it is eye-to-eye it is very much reciprocal, so the other person sees into the wizard's soul as well, and whatever you see, no matter how beautiful or horrific, you can ''never'' forget it. Harry himself spends most of the series avoiding direct eye contact with people, unless he has a good reason for it. He specifically points out breaking people's gazes when he ''knows'' they're evil, because the thought of that sort of evil and darkness indelibly etched in his memory would drive him insane. It's implied that it's done that more than a few times to other wizards.
* NoPronunciationGuide: The first two audio books pronounce Marcone with a long 'e' at the end: Mar-CONE-ee. For the third audiobook, there is an introduction from [[WordOfGod Jim Butcher]], mostly about how the series hits its stride here at ''Grave Peril''. From that point on, Marcone has been pronounced as simply: Mar-CONE. Perhaps he said something about it when he recorded the intro. (incidentally, the sound editing also gets much better at around book three.)
* NothingIsTheSameAnymore: After ''Changes'', the status quo of the books is effectively gone.
* NotNowKiddo: Harry brushes off friends and allies trying to give him important information because he is concentrating hard on some task or problem. He has done it twice with Bob (in ''Dead Beat'' and ''Grave Peril'') and once with Susan (in ''Grave Peril''), to his remorse. In ''Fool Moon'' one of the minor practitioners that Harry mentors came to him for help and [[SubvertedTrope he looked at what she needed, recognized that it was dangerous and told her not to get involved]]. [[spoiler:[[DoubleSubverted Then he promptly forgot about her, so when she tried to do it anyway she was killed because she never received the thorough training he could have given her]]. Of course, if she hadn't been asked to keep the precise details a secret from him and everyone, [[HonorBeforeReason Harry would've done it himself]].]]
* NotHimself: Various possession plots, and Harry himself is [[spoiler:later possessed by a fallen angel]] and brainwashed by [[spoiler: one of the fairy queens]].
** After [[spoiler: taking the Winter Knight mantle]] he's struggling to avert this.
* NotUsingTheZWord: Harry re-names the animated-vegetation construct he battles in ''Summer Knight'' a "chlorofiend", simply because calling it a "plant monster" was just too silly/humiliating for his pride to stomach. It takes him two or three books to finally give up and start calling it a "plant monster", which he only does because he's sick of having to clarify what a "chlorofiend" is.
* ObstructiveZealot: '''Morgan'''. [[spoiler: But oddly enough, perfectly justified. Harry himself points out in Proven Guilty that though he doesn't think that he and Morgan will ever be friends, he knows that Morgan has extremely good reasons for his actions, assholish though they may be.]]
* OccultDetective: Currently one of the more popular examples.
* OffingTheOffspring: Lord Raith, Incubus head of the White Court, kills all his male children when they get old enough to be a threat. The girls he seduces into sexual slavery. Both of these practices eventually backfire on him, with Harry's help.
* OlderSidekick: Michael, sometimes. Kincaid also may qualify.
* OldMaster:
** First Harry's first teacher Justine [=DuMorne=] counts as the man is old enough to have fought back in the early 1900s
** Then Ebenezer [=McCoy=] takes charge of a young Harry Dresden and he fought back in the early 1800s easily.
* TheOneThingIDontHateAboutYou: Harry ''hates'' Gentleman John Marcone. On the other hand, he has to admit that whatever else you say about the guy, he's got "balls that drag along the ground when he walks".
** Marcone's [[WouldntHurtAChild protectiveness towards children]] also prevents Harry from being able to think of him as a monster.
* OrphansPlotTrinket: Which is made of inherited silver.
* OneSteveLimit: Despite there being 12 books in the series there have been very few duplicate names, and never amongst the primary cast. Archangel Michael and Michael Carpenter come close, but the former never appears "on screen". Michael did name his youngest son Harry after Harry.
---> '''Amanda Carpenter:''' There's already a Harry. You can be Bill.
** Made even funnier when you realize that there's already a Bill: Billy the werewolf. But Amanda never met him.
** If you're willing to give a little, there's Justin, Harry's former teacher, and Justine, Thomas's lover.
** Also, Molly's full name is Margaret, just like Harry's mom [[spoiler: and his daughter.]]
* OneManArmy:
** They call Michael the Fist of God for a reason. In ''Small Favor'', he and Harry are [[spoiler: attacked by more than a hundred hobs in the subway station. Michael kills ''all of them.'']] '''Singlehandedly.'''
*** Actually Elder Brother Gruff handed out quite a bit of whup ass in that fight, even if it was mostly collateral damage.
*** And then there's Kinkaid, Luccio, and the Archive[[hottip:*:the Hobs' actual target]], albeit offscreen.
** [[spoiler:Murphy]] does a decent impression of him in ''Changes''.
** Harry himself tends to avoid this, however, because a) he's not as powerful as he'd like to be, and b) he doesn't believe in getting into a fight when he can't win.
*** Power isnt really the problem in Harry's case. As far as that rating among the magic community hes up among the top 30, possibly top 20, most powerful in the known world. He just doesnt have the experience or the fine control over that power to really make good on it. As he said a few times, hes the one you go to when you need something done big, dumb, and loud.
* OneMarioLimit: Averted. Harry is very aware of [[HarryPotter the other wizard named Harry]], and he is also aware that his father named him after several stage magicians, his first name coming from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Houdini Harry Houdini.]]
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Mac TheBartender is also TheQuietOne. The seriousness of any particular book is proportional to the number of words that he says. A complete sentence or two is enough to scare Dresden. In ''Changes'' he goes on for a good-sized paragraph.
** In ''Warrior'', the villain got [[NiceGuy Michael]] mad enough to actually swear, another thing that shocks Harry.
* OrderVersusChaos: The conflict/rivalry between Harry and Morgan is primarily due to their personal philosophies - Harry believes in doing the right thing, screwing the rules whenever is needed, while Morgan believes in sticking to the rules no matter what.
* TheOtherDarrin: In the audiobooks. Books 1-12 are narrated by [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer James Marsters.]] Unfortunately, Marsters was unavailable for ''Ghost Story,'' which was narrated by John Glover. Fan reaction to the change has, thus far, been... [[BrokenBase mixed.]]
** Marsters returns for ''Cold Days'', possibly due to fan backlash.
** Alternatively, the switch could be Justifed in a meta sense: Given that for almost all of Ghost Story, Harry was [[spoiler: dead, and therefore in a markedly different state]] and there are even suggestions that he [[spoiler: wasn't even Harry proper, just a shade (though that was wrong)]], having a new voice for that book adds to the ambiance of 'somethings wrong'. Narration returns to James Marsters [[spoiler: when Harry comes back to life]]
* OurMonstersAreDifferent
** AllTrollsAreDifferent
** OurDemonsAreDifferent: The Fallen associated with the Knights of the Blackened Denarii are {{Fallen Angel}}s; but there are also lesser supernatural creatures called "demons" that are usually just mindless grunts like the toad demon in "Storm Front."
** OurDragonsAreDifferent: True Dragons (like Ferrovax) are shapeshifters with a power level on par with Fairy Queens and gods. Ferro says that his true form would outright break Harry's mind. WordOfGod says that in a three way fight between [[AlwaysABiggerFish Eldest Gruff]], [[TheFairFolk the Leanansidhe]] and Ferrovax, Ferrovax would [[CurbStompBattle curb stomp]] them both. Apparently in the Dresdenverse, dragons are every bit the terrifying monsters the original myths made them out to be. Think less [[TheLordOfTheRings Smaug]], more [[NorseMythology Jormungand]].
** OurFairiesAreDifferent: From [[TheFairFolk Mab and Lea]] to the Gruffs to [[FairyCompanion Toot-toot]] to [[EmotionEater the fetches]] to ''Santa'', they definitely run the gamut.
*** Santa, according to [[WordofGod Word of Jim]], is the Winter King, on par with the Erlking power wise. [[BadassSanta Think about what that means]].
**** And as of Cold Days, we know that [[spoiler:Santa is none other than ''Odin'']].
** OurGhostsAreDifferent: The ghosts tend to be echoes of the person's last moments with an imprint of their personality. One tragic ghost simply repeats the last action she undertook in life before her death. Unfortunately, the last act she took in life was [[spoiler:accidentally smothering her baby. And axing her hubby to death. And she was haunting a nursery.]]
*** Messed with in ''Ghost Story'': [[spoiler: most ghosts become like this fairly swiftly, although there are a few that manage to hang on to some achievable purpose in the afterlife and thus retain their personality. Harry is a different story, though, as he was sent back with his soul intact. Even so, he comes perilously close to becoming a standard ghost before Uriel intervenes.]]
** OurGhoulsAreCreepier: They are beastial, shapeshifting monsters that [[ImAHumanitarian want to eat you]] and are ludicrously difficult to kill. They also [[spoiler:come in a larger variant that is even bigger and meaner and is able to disregard the ChunkySalsaRule.]]
*** WordofGod implies that the lesser ghouls are a result of crossbreeding the nastier format with human stock.
** OurGoblinsAreDifferent: A subtype of faeries, ''Changes'' reveals that goblins are far more badass and militant than the comical, physically weak figures they are in most universes.
** OurVampiresAreDifferent: The series manages to have its cake and eat it too by ''simultaneously'' subverting and playing straight several now-classic vampire tropes. Butcher took three of the broadest elements of the concept of vampires (undead monsters, bloodsucking monsters, and [[VampiresAreSexGods sexy lords of lust]]) and created a specific Court for each type: "modern" AnneRice-inspired vampires who are humans converted into batlike bloodsuckers (Red Court), [[HornyDevils succubi and incubi]] (White Court) who are born that way but can theoretically be inoculated against it, and classic {{Dracula}}-inspired vampires (Black Court). The last group is particularly subject to considerable LampshadeHanging as Dresden notes that "[Bram] Stoker told everyone how to kill them;" and only the strongest and cleverest of them remain after the beginning of the 20th century. WordOfGod says that there are four other Courts, an Asia-only "Jade Court" (presumably [[ChineseVampire Jiang Shi-inspired Chi vampires]]) that are very intentionally staying too busy to get drawn into conflict with the White Council and three other Courts that are mosquitoes in comparison.
*** The Jade Court is mentioned by Shiro in ''Death Masks''. He has fought them in duels (and presumably won, given that he survived them.)
** OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: From the BlackMagic of the ''Hexenwulfen'' and the all-but-unstoppable cursed ''loup-garou'' to the simple transformation of the "true" werewolf and [[spoiler:the wolf that takes on human form]], ''Fool Moon'' pretty much covers the entire range of possibilities. There are even the Lycanthropes, who only change in their own minds, becoming superpowered, animalistic beserkers [[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry when provoked]]. Only anthropomorphic wolf-men are non-existent, and the contagious bite is notably absent (as per Bob: "Bah, no. Hollywood stole that from the vampires"). In an early scene, Bob lists off all the different types of werewolves, [[ChekhovsGun so you know Harry's going to run into every type.]]
*** OurWerebeastsAreDifferent: Were-buffalo, Were-Crowa and were-goats are also mentioned.
** OurZombiesAreDifferent: ...[[YourVampiresSuck and your zombies suck]]. Dresdenverse zombies are more like TheTerminator than a traditional zombie, much stronger and faster than a normal human. Also, [[Awesome/TheDresdenFiles more than]] [[TyrannosaurusRex just humans]] [[RaisingTheSteaks can be made into zombies]], and a zombie is more powerful the older it is...
*** Chicago is well-known for having [[spoiler: the 67-million-year-old T-Rex Sue on display at the Field Museum.]]
** OurAngelsAreDifferent: Angels are generally tasked with a particular duty. For example, an angel of death is tasked with safeguarding the souls of the righteous and good and [[{{Psychopomp}} seeing them safely to the afterlife without being waylaid by demons]]. The archangel Uriel is present as Heaven's equivalent of a spy/assassin/spook, and is tasked with defending the free will of mortals. Angels wield tremendous cosmic power (in ''Ghost Story'', Harry realizes that if Uriel was let loose, he could theoretically destroy the ''entire planet'') but are tightly restricted in how they can use it.
* OutOfTheFryingPan: Many of the books climax with Harry confronting his primary suspect, realizing he's in trouble, and running away--only to bump into someone from one of the many other factions he's previously pissed off.
* OutWithABang: Raiths feed on life essence brought about by lust. If they are not careful, or are ''really'' hungry, they can take too much and kill their food during the act.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: P-R]]
* PantsPositiveSafety: Occasionally, usually lampshaded. In ''Dead Beat'', when Billy brings Dresden's .44 back to him holstered this way, Harry points out it's "a good way to start singing soprano," before Billy tells him the gun's empty.
* PapaWolf:
** Michael Carpenter. He has a longer fuse than his wife, but it is attached to an even bigger bomb.
** Ebenezar [=McCoy=] is one as well. [[spoiler:He dropped a [[ColonyDrop satellite]] out of orbit onto a vampire that had tried to kill Harry, not to mention threatening to kill Lara Raith after she slapped Harry. ''Changes'' reveals that Ebenezar is Harry's grandfather.]]
** ''Changes'' sees [[spoiler:Harry putting this trope into action himself in a desperate attempt to save his daughter from the might of pretty much the entire Red Court.]]
** Special mention goes to Moe, the gorilla from ''Welcome to the Jungle'', who [[spoiler: tore the hag who'd killed his keeper apart because she came near his family and their surviving keeper]].
* ParentalAbandonment: Harry's parents are dead, he had to kill his adoptive father in self-defense, and his relationship with his mentor Ebenezar [=McCoy=] is complicated, to say the least.
* ParentalIncest: There is a ''reason'' almost every mention of Daddy Raith on this page is [[PotHole linked]] to {{Squick}}. See also Nicodemus.
* ParentalSubstitute: Justin, in Harry's BackStory. Ebenezar [=McCoy=] assumes this role when he takes in Harry after Justin's [[SarcasmMode untimely death]]. Things get a bit muddled in when we find out Ebenzar is [[spoiler: the Blackstaff and, in ''Changes'', Harry's grandfather.]]
* ParodyMagicSpell: Harry Dresden's candle-lighting spell is "Fliccum bicus" ("flick my Bic").
** When creating several illusory duplicates to fool a pack of vampires in ''Changes'': "Lumen, camerus, factum" ("lights, camera, action").
** And his incantation for creating an iceberg is, "Rexus Mundus," or [[Film/{{Titanic}} "King of the World."]]
* ThePatientHasLeftTheBuilding: Harry always checks himself out of hospitals the minute he's mobile enough to do so. Justified because he's a WalkingTechbane and fears that some innocent patient's life-support might short out if he stays.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Harry alone has a pretty fair-sized collateral damage record, and he does not hold much of a candle to people like [[ColonyDrop Ebenezar]] or the Merlin.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Several, including Aurora, the Summer Lady, the Archive, [[spoiler: Eldest Brother]] Gruff and Murphy.
* PlayingWithFire: Harry prefers fire magic but will occasionally use wind-based and earth-based spells when the situation calls for it. For a while after he was badly burned through no fault of his own, Harry was too scared to use his own fire magic, and defaulted to force/telekinetic strike spells instead.
* PoisonousFriend: Lash acts as this to her host in order to corrupt them.
* PrehensileHair: Deirdre.
* PoliceAreUseless: Averted with the Special Investigations unit in The Dresden Files, led by Karrin Murphy, who among other things has taken down a tree-monster with a chainsaw. Though the unit still calls in Dresden for consulting, it's mentioned a few books in that they've learned enough to handle most of your usual supernatural riff-raff without the wizard's help. There are also things with enough power that getting the police involved would lead to a bloodbath. Several times Dresden convinces Murphy not to involve her unit by telling her what he's facing is "worse than the loup-garou", a NighInvulnerable variety of werewolf that rampaged through the station in the second book. It's played a bit straighter with the rest of the Chicago cops, who refuse to believe in anything supernatural. They're probably very competent in normal situations, but when it comes to the average supernatural menace... hoo boy. And a lot of them think of him as a charlatan.
* PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes: Most major villains move in circles where people are expected to present a civilized facade when not actively ripping each other limb from limb. Harry's snarky insouciance has taken more than one of them by surprise.
** Almost lampshaded in ''Death Masks''. Harry is about to initiate a duel against a powerful Red Court vampire named Ortega. The duel's moderator tells them they can make an opening statement. Ortega says something almost poetic and respectful. Harry takes a swig of his anti-vampire-mind-control potion and burps.
* PopCulturedBadass: Harry, Harry, Harry. His somewhat outdated references are {{lampshaded}} by Molly in ''Changes'' (and sub-sequentially mirrored in ''Ghost Story''.)
--> '''Molly:''' You know, boss, I believe it is possible to reference something other than ''StarWars''.
--> '''Harry:''' That is why you fail.
* ThePornomancer: Deconstructed. Thomas can not keep a minimum-wage job because his {{incubus}} powers make people sexually assault him and, thanks to the DoubleStandard, he gets fired for it.
--> '''Thomas:''' (After handing Harry a brass telescope) I've got a sextant, too.
--> '''Harry:''' Any tent you have is sex tent.
* PortalNetwork: With significant knowledge of its pathways, the Nevernever can be used this way.
* PostModernMagik: Pretty much built around it. The series' original name was going to be ''Semiautomagic'' even.
* PowerGlows: Often.
** When Harry faces down Cowl and Kumori in ''Dead Beat''.
** Later in ''Dead Beat'', when facing Corpsetaker, Harry describes a variety of ways that holding power manifests around wizards, many of which fall at least loosely into this category.
** Harry borrows the power of Summer to administer a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to a seriously powerful elder fetch with an epic PreAsskickingOneLiner:
-->'''Harry''': How about a little fire, Scarecrow?
** Mouse's paws glow when he's preparing to kick some evil ass.
** The Swords of the Cross frequently glow when wielded. The light is seen to be inherently painful to various evil beasties.
* PowerLossMakesYouStrong: Numerous books have seen Harry's use of magic partially or totally stripped from him, but he keeps on fighting with whatever he's got, and learns how to better take advantage of limited resources that way. When he ''does'' get his full power back, the benefit of that learning shows.
* ThePowerOfLove: White Court vampires cannot abide the touch of [[ThePowerOfLove True Love]]. It causes them burns and physical pain.
** Harry's love for Susan burned one such, and lack of that reaction was a clue to him that [[spoiler: Anastasia Luccio]] does ''not'' love him.
** Thomas has a similar problem. [[spoiler:He literally can not touch Justine or anything she gives him made with her own hands for the same reason.]] This is all the more poignant because [[spoiler:Justine's true love is Thomas himself.]]
*** True love conquers all. As of Ghost Story [[spoiler:Justine has found a solution. The effect only manifests if the last person you had sex with was your true love... and [[GirlOnGirlIsHot Justine has a casual girlfriend.]]]]
* PowerTrio: Harry, Murphy and Thomas develop into this over time.
* PragmaticVillainy: Gentleman Johnny Marcone shows how to succesfully use this trope for fun and profit.
* PrecisionFStrike: Stronger curse words are relatively rare in the books, so when someone drops an F bomb you know that either someone is ''very'' angry, or something is ''very'' wrong.
** When Harry and Michael discuss Harry's [[spoiler:buried Blackened Denarius]], and what he had to do to get rid of [[spoiler:Lasciel's Shadow]].
--->'''Harry:''' "What do you mean set aside my power?"
--->'''Michael:''' "Walk away from your magic. Forsake it. Forever."
--->'''Harry:''' "Fuck that."
** The scene at the end of ''Dead Beat'' when Harry is talking to [[spoiler:Mavra]].
--->'''Harry:''' "I've got a fallen angel tripping all over herself to give me more power. Queen Mab has asked me to take the mantle of the Winter Knight twice now. I've read Kemmler's book. I know how the Darkhallow works. And I know how to turn necromancy against the [[spoiler:Black Court]]...So once again, let me be perfectly clear. If anything happens to Murphy and I even think you had a hand in it, fuck right and wrong. If you touch her, I'm declaring war on you. Personally. I'm picking up every weapon I can get. And I'm using them to kill you. Horribly."
** In ''Proven Guilty'' Harry has to convince Molly that she needs to stop acting like a child, take him seriously, and not try to manipulate him like he is just kindly ol' Uncle Harry who has never been anything but sweet to her. So when she tries to go back on her promise to do what Harry tells her, he looks at her threateningly and says "Now get the fuck into the car."
** Harry to Molly again in ''White Night'' during his ScareEmStraight attempt. He only uses words like "damned" and mentions that it is just as effective because he doesn't even curse lightly around Michael's family.
** After Father Roarke kidnaps Alicia to get at Fidelacchius and Amoracchius, Harry and Michael go to Forthill for info. When Forthill tries to reason with them:
-->Michael's face was bleak and unyielding, and quiet heat smoldered in his eyes. "The son of a bitch hurt my little girl."
* PrivateDetective: Harry, technically, and Vince in ''Turn Coat''. Harry's old boss Nick also. [[spoiler:Elaine Mallory, as of ''White Night.'' She admits that she stole the idea from Harry]]
* PrivateEyeMonologue: The books are narrated by Harry in the first person and he ''is'' a PrivateDetective. He rarely engages in hard-boiled inner monologues, but when he does, he invokes this trope.
-->''"Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face."''
-->''"The barrel of [[spoiler: Denton's]] gun looked bigger and deeper than the National debt as it swung towards my face."''
* ProperlyParanoid: Harry, of course, and Murphy. The funny thing is, by ''Changes'', even Butters has been infected with paranoia.
* PublicDomainArtifact: Several times. The Knights of the Cross each have a magical evil-fighting sword that supposedly has a nail from the True Cross in the hilt, and ''Ghost Story'' confirms that they are [[spoiler: [[KingArthur Excalibur]], [[Literature/TheSongOfRoland Durendal]], and [[JapaneseMythology Kusanagi]]]]. The Shroud of Turin itself is the MacGuffin in the fifth book. In addition, Nicodemus wears the same noose Judas used to hang himself and the Blackened Denarii are probably the very same 30 pieces of silver that Judas received for betraying Jesus.
* PunnyName: Murphy works out at Dough Jo's martial-arts gym (= dojo).
* PunyEarthlings: So many supernaturals are immortal, have powerful magic, can withstand a substantial amount of punishment if not being attacked by their bane, and many of them can snap a human being in two without trying. Wizards are by no means squishy compared to regular humans, but they might as well be when compared to everything else.
** Also Averted, because the supernatural community considers bringing normal humans into a conflict the nuclear option. Even though humans are individually very fragile and weak, there are BILLIONS of them, and human fairy tales read like a how-to book for dealing with the supernatural. And, of course, humans have many powerful weapons they did not hundreds of years ago, including nukes.
* PyrrhicVictory: Several. It is a rare book where Harry has only lost blood. There are happy endings too, of course, but some are earned at a much higher price than others. ''Changes'' is definitely the most Pyrrhic Victory in the series so far, at least from Harry's personal point of view.
* RageJudo: Standard operating procedure for Harry "Sometimes I'm Asleep" Dresden.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: At Dragon*Con 2010, Jim told the audience that, when his son was 8, they had to move to Pennsylvania. To make up for leaving his friends behind, the Butcher's got him a dog. Jim then explained that Mouse was based on how his dog saw himself.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Several of the Denarians are 2000 years old or close to it. The Red King, Arianna Ortega, and pretty much every high ranking god or wizard qualifies.
-->"There's no way for us to know how old Arianna is," she contradicted, "because humanity hasn't had a written language for that long. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
** Gard admits to being a Valkyrie more than a thousand years old in the short story "Heorot".
* RegeneratingMana: Just staying still and resting can restore one's magic.
* RememberThatYouTrustMe: Harry's interaction with Murphy. Both are guilty of this. This is actually a recurring theme; Harry is both [[ProperlyParanoid paranoid]] and protective of his friends, remembering to trust them is a lesson he learns again and again.
* RememberTheNewGuy: Michael. He was introduced in ''Grave Peril'' and has known Harry for at least five years, but he had neither appeared nor was mentioned in the preceding two books or any of the short stories that take place in the earlier time periods.
* RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun:
** The Zombie Dinosaur incident from ''Dead Beat'' is mentioned numerous times in the series. It is often used to justify the fear and trepidation of {{Badass}}es when going up against Harry.
** The donut incident from ''Small Favor'' also gets a lot of play. Even ''Odin'' thinks it was worthy of acclaim.
* RemoteBody: Constructs are this.
* RescueRomance: Charity and Michael's BackStory.
* RivalsTeamUp: Marcone and Dresden team up numerous times to fight common foes, first in ''Death Masks''. In ''White Night'', [[spoiler: Marcone teams up with Dresden to defeat a gang of ghouls in the Raith-owned Deeps.]]
* RobeAndWizardHat: Averted. Harry prefers a BadassLongcoat. He is pictured on the cover with a ''gaucho'' but the books rarely, if ever, mention him with a hat. Harry does wear a robe in his Wizarding lab, but only because it is ''cold''. He does have formal robes he must wear for White Council meetings, but, being Harry, he once showed up for one in a ratty bathrobe anyway.
** To be fair, Mister had used them as a litter box, so it was debatable which would have been more disrespectful.
* RougeAnglesOfSatin: Occasionally, when referring to pads of paper, Jim Butcher will use the word "station'''a'''ry" rather than "station'''e'''ry". He also refers to a 'parking break' at one point during ''Ghost Story''.
** [[FridgeBrilliance The narrator never finished high school]] although he did get his GED.
** Harry briefly calls his father a stage ''musician'' in ''Fool Moon''. To make this even more glaring, he's talking about how Houdini and Blackstone were his father's heroes.
* RoyalBlood: [[spoiler: Two of the three Holy Swords are in the umbrella stand by Harry's door, each waiting for a new wielder to take up the fight against evil. Operating under the assumption that the rightful successors to bear the swords are descended from kings, Harry now keeps a weather eye out for anyone with royal history and the proper attitude. The three previous wielders of the Swords were all descendants of royalty: Shiro was descended from the last King of Okinawa, Sanya traces his ancestry back to Saladin, and the Carpenters go back to Charlemagne.]] Which means that [[spoiler: Murphy can likely trace her lineage back to royalty as well.]]
* RuleOfThree: All over this series, due to the mystical nature of the number. Subverted with the [[Literature/ThreeBillyGoatsGruff Gruffs]], as well as making an arguable use of [[spoiler: the BishonenLine, though no transformation is involved]].
* RulesLawyer: The Fae and how you usually deal with them. Harry also does a fair bit of it to avoid getting decapitated by Wardens.
* RunningGag: "Stupid [Latin] correspondence course."
*** "Stupid" ''lots'' of things, really.
** "[[DestructiveSavior I have this...]] [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything problem]] [[KillItWithFire with buildings.]]
** No matter how many times Harry's told them he doesn't have electricity, he ''still'' gets junk mail from electronics retailers.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: S-U]]
* SacredHospitality: Most of the supernatural community is hundreds of years old and grew up in a different social world (the Old World). This shows up in the treaty which outlines the rules for hospitality and diplomacy among supernatural communities. Guests in a home are privy to protection by the host, but are also expected to act honorably towards the home's owner, and they treat violations of these customs as grave offenses. Harry used this and a bit of [[QuoteMine Quote Mining]] to talk his way out of being killed by the denizens of [[spoiler:the Erlking's Hall]] when he accidentally ends up there in ''Changes'', and extends the traditions of hospitality himself to others.
-->[[spoiler:"Morgan,"]] I said quietly. "You are a guest in my home."
-->He flashed me a quick, guilty glance.
-->"You came to me for help and I'm doing my best. Hell, the kid has put herself into harm's way, trying to protect you. I've done everything for you that I would have for blood family, because you are my guest. There are monsters from whom I would expect better behavior, once they had accepted my hospitality. What's more, they'd give it to me."
* SadClown: Harry.
* SaintlyChurch: St. Mary of the Angels.
* ScaledUp: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] by Quintus "Snakeboy" Cassius. His demonic form is (surprise!) a giant naga (snake-man). [[spoiler: However, he regains he legs in order to avoid being skewered by a pair of holy swords. Just in time for Harry to break his kneecaps. [[TheMafia That is how we do things in Chicago]], [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitch!]].]]
* ScarsAreForever: Averted, Harry's (numerous) scars fade over time. As do all Wizards, as bodies heal not just to a certain point but back to full working condition. Downside is the heal rate is about the same as a normal human.
* ScienceIsWrong: The series goes on to something more like "Science is missing some important facts." Science comes in kinda handy for Harry in what is probably his most epic CrowningMomentOfAwesome so far, in ''Dead Beat''. Without it, where would he have gotten the [[spoiler:dinosaur]]? Butters kind of helps this along, chalking up Harry's WalkingTechbane status to a "[[MurphysLaw Murphyonic Field]]" surrounding him, and that the immediate physical reason for the [[WizardsLiveLonger wizards' longevity]] is because their cells divide much better.
** The series actually tends to stay very close to normal physical laws, especially for one about magic. Harry often uses (and lampshades) the laws of momentum, gravity, thermodynamics, etc. in order to assist his spells, amplify their damage, or circumvent anti-magic protection[[note]]A Grendelkin's counterspelling ability might let Harry's fire spells splash away like water off a duck, but does nothing to stop a quarter ton of sharpened bone Harry hurls with a force spell, for instance[[/note]]. Turned against him when his magical shield stops napalm just fine, but it can't stop the ''heat'', burning his hand so badly it almost has to be amputated.
** At one point, Harry uses a fire spell directly above some water filled with enemies in order to suck all the heat out of the surrounding space, freezing the water and trapping his foes. This trick turns up, explained in great detail, in Jim Butcher's other series, ''Literature/CodexAlera.''
* ScienceCannotComprehendPhlebotinum: Played with. Magic has a tendency to screw with any kind of mechanical and electrical devices, in particular anything made from WWII onwards, so most methods for documenting magic just don't work, so 90 percent of TheMasquerade is a purely natural process. None of this stops Butters from trying, and he makes some noticeable strides.
** What nobody's told Butters is that the rules ''change.'' Back in the days of yore, having mad Dresden-level juju meant your milk curdled and fires burned odd colors in your presence.
** In ''Ghost Story'' Bob notes that Butters' grasp of magical theory is actually ''better'' than Harry's despite his lack of magical talent, because he has a better mind for it.
* ScienceDestroysMagic: Inverted. Active magic can severely disrupt technology - the more sophisticated a device, the more vulnerable it is. Cell phones are considered to be the most sensitive indicators of magical activity in an area. Harry prefers low-tech gear such as revolvers and his old VW Beetle.
** Lampshaded several times by Murphy. Modern automatics are incredibly mechanically reliable, far more so than older revolvers. Harry continues to carry an old .44, probably because he believes it won't jam on him.
*** ''Magic is based on your belief in what is possible.'' Harry ''believes'' that his gun won't jam but newer automatics will - so that's exactly what happens. Electronics are another story - electrical stuff genuinely goes crazy around wizards - but purely mechanical things? Your effect on them is more... variable.
* TheScottishTrope: There exist things within the Dresden Universe whose names should not be invoked. These entities are so frighteningly powerful, Mab, Titania, and the Queen Mothers avoid stating anything but a vague nickname. These entities include [[spoiler:[[EldritchAbomination skinwalker, ''Nemesis'',]] and ArchangelUriel and his equals]]. Yes, the last ones are good guys, but still do not speak their names lightly.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: The Unseelie Accords are the highest treaty in the Supernatural World. Invoking them allows one to attain parley with another force and reach some sort of deal. The Knights of the Cross are not signatories to them, so, from some supernatural groups views, they break the Accords in their attacks against them in their crusade to be good people who help the helpless.
* ScullySyndrome: Humanity in general has this as they would rather accept a long-winded and highly improbably explanation for events because "Magic doesn't exist."
* SecretWar: The war between the White Council and the Vampire Courts, and also the even ''more'' secretive Oblivion War.
* SeekingSanctuary: If someone needs protecting and Harry can't do it, the almost always sends them to St. Mary's of the Angels.
* SelectiveSqueamishnessSuppression[=/=][[VomitingCop Vomiting Detective]]: When confronted with a gruesome crime scene, the odds are about fifty-fifty between Harry puking or holding it down.
** This has lessened over time as Harry has slowly gotten used to the more horrific aspects of his job; he still gets squeamish, just not nearly to the same extent. Of course, Harry would likely be the first to tell you that this isn't necessarily a positive thing.
* SemiDivine: The White Court. Their souls are half [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon]] due to a demonic [[TheSymbiote symbiote]] that gives them superhuman abilities and [[TheBeautifulElite incredibly good looks]], but at the cost of a [[HorrorHunger Hunger]] for [[EmotionEater human emotions]]. The [[EvilIsSexy Raith]] family is particularly noted to go after [[HornyDevils lust]].
* SequelEscalation: Averted in the beginning of the series. After the series shifts into a MythArc, this begins to kick in, but is used as a plot point and an explanation for the various Monsters of the Week up until then. While Harry began dealing with rogue sorcerors and ghosts, he later realizes that there have been too many Monsters of the Week, too close together, and there must be someone pushing them into action.
** ''Changes'' plays the trope straight, with [[spoiler: Harry taking on the ''entire'' Red Court of vampires. And ''winning.'']]
** ''Cold Days'' pushes it even further, with [[spoiler: Harry coming into possession of the Well, a magical prison containing an unfathomable number of powerful, evil beings. This trope is invoked specifically when Harry's introduction to the Well is the discovery of six imprisoned Naagloshi in the equivalent of ''minimum security'' --after Harry wasn't even able to kill ''one'' in ''Turn Coat.'']]
* SerialEscalation: Each book deliberately builds upon the previous, with Harry required to develop new skills in every adventure because the situations have become more extreme and bizarre than before.
* SharingABody: The Denarians and their hosts all share the host's body.
* ShipperOnDeck: Thomas for Harry/Murphy, to the point that in ''Cold Days'' he's just as frustrated at Harry for not immediately seeking Murphy out upon his return to Chicago as he is for Harry not going to see [[spoiler: Maggie, his ''daughter''.]]
* ShippingGoggles: Most people tend to view Harry and Murphy with these (albeit, less in an "Aww you two are so cute together" fashion and more a "What? You two AREN'T fucking?! You're kidding me!" fashion). In-universe, too.
** True of most of the ships in this series, really. Fans of any given ship will pull apart the smallest conversations or actions for the subtext they insist ''must'' be there between their preferred couple, no matter how unrelated the situation.
* ShootTheDog: The Wardens (Morgan in particular). Most of their job involves executing teenagers for the Greater Good. Even Harry eventually admits that they have their reasons.
* ShutUpHannibal: Harry does this to [[AntiVillain Marcone]] a lot, but also to various monsters and villains - he's too GenreSavvy to take their crap.
* ShoutOut: ''[[ShoutOut/TheDresdenFiles Countless]].''
* ShroudedInMyth: Increasingly, Harry himself. In ''TurnCoat'', [[spoiler: several Wardens and Ancient Mai show up to try to capture Morgan.]] Harry wonders why they will not attack him, until he realizes that it is because they have been [[MemeticBadass hearing about him]] as that incredibly powerful loose cannon trained by a warlock who openly mocked the Senior Council, [[spoiler:started a war with the vampires, took on six necromancers at once with a [[CrazyAwesome zombie dinosaur]], wiped the floor with fallen angels,]] and generally did everything on the series' very lengthy [[Awesome/TheDresdenFiles Crowning Moment of Awesome]] page. In reality he is about ready to fall over from exhaustion and injury, but they have [[FamedInStory heard so much about him]] that they are scared to confront the legendary BadAss.
** Made even more ridiculous by the fact that Harry, by wizard reckoning, is young, not even 40, and he's accomplished things that powerful, experienced, ''old'' wizards would find challenging. Despite his age, he's accomplished things the Senior Council can't help but respect.
** Harry himself remembers these accomplishments as terrifying, but it takes moments like the one in ''Turn Coat'' for him to fully realize that while ''he'' knows that he got through most of those events almost perpetually panicking, beat to hell, and improvising wildly by the skin of his teeth, an outsider's view only sees the end results. It should be interesting to watch this unfold in future books as people add [[spoiler: "He also destroyed the '''entire Red Court of Vampires''' and by the way, now he's the Winter Knight and hence Mab's assassin."]]
** Perhaps the best way to sum it up: ''mythical creatures'' tell stories about ''him''.
* SignificantAnagram: Not spelled ''quite'' in the same way, but [[spoiler:Sheila is Lasciel]].
* SilentBob: Mac, the guy who runs the bar. Heavily implied to be BadassNormal. [[spoiler: Or something else entirely.]]
* SimpleStaff: Or "[[BlatantLies traditional Ozark folk art]]." Harry uses it to focus magic and occasionally to club something around the head. He's occasionally mocked for using such a traditional, phallic symbol of power ([[spoiler: Elaine]]'s staff is a length of chain, for example).
* SinkOrSwimFatherhood
* SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror: Sure, it is a slightly terrifying CrapsackWorld where the entire contents of the FantasyKitchenSink is out to kill you horribly, but Harry's constant [[FirstPersonSmartass wisecracks]] are [[Funny/TheDresdenFiles so funny]] that they take the edge off (which, is, of course, [[SadClown why he makes them]]). MoodWhiplash ensues.
* SmugSnake:
** The White Court in general, who are so in love with overly convoluted plots that they do not realize their plots are overly convoluted, sometimes to the degree that a simpler plan would have worked better/more effectively. Then again, the degree of convolution is, to the White Court, correlated with the capability of the person pulling it off (if successful), so it's somewhat justified - no matter how well the plan works, no one will respect you if they can too easily figure out how you did it.
** Grevane and Corpsetaker are the Necromancers who provide the most "limited" threat.
** Some of the Denarians, especially (and [[ScaledUp amusingly]]) Cassius.
* SociopathicHero:
** Kincaid, when he is [[strike:choosing]] ''being paid'' to be heroic.
** Lea, when she is not trying to turn Harry into a dog.
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay [=/=] TrustPassword: In a world when various entities can take other people's forms or try to send deceptive messages, both are seen throughout the series. Harry generally uses his nicknames or pop culture references as part of his passwords.
* SoulJar: The Blackened Denarii.
* SophisticatedAsHell
-->'''Harry:''' And again I say unto thee: Bite me.
** When called on this:
--->"I ooze class from my every orifice."
*** LampshadeHanging: "You just used obviate and ain't in the same sentence."
* SpiritAdvisor:
** Bob has been Dresden's primary SpiritAdvisor on supernatural matters for the whole series, but is a bit fuzzy on the concepts of "good" and "evil." This isn't his fault. He's a spirit of knowledge, and [[BlueAndOrangeMorality knowledge is neither good nor evil.]] [[spoiler: Doesn't stop him from having an evil side that he forcibly excised helping out Corpsetaker in ''Ghost Story''.]]
** [[spoiler: Lasciel's shadow]]; unusually, this time the adviser is flat-out ''evil''. [[spoiler:At first she is, anyway.]]
* SpiritWorld: the Nevernever, realm of faeries, demons, and other supernatural whatsits.
* {{Squick}}: In-universe. Harry is understandably... perturbed... by the nature of the relationship between Nicodemus and his daughter, Deirdre.
-->Deirdre nodded sleepily. "Have I missed breakfast?"\\
Nicodemus smiled at her. "Not at all. Give us a kiss."\\
She slid onto his lap and did. With tongue. Yuck.
* SquishyWizard: Averted. Wizards are physically weaker than most of the supernatural creatures encountered in the series, but that still leaves them (slightly) physically tougher than normal humans, able to heal and recuperate from damage that would normally prove fatal or debilitating. In addition, most wizards we see are veterans of some kind of combat, so what they lack in physical ability they deliberately make up for in spells or enchantments.
* StarCrossedLovers: Harry and [[spoiler: Susan]]. Also [[spoiler: Thomas and Justine]].
* StatusQuoIsGod: Averted. The series changes from book to book and, after ''Changes'', [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore throws the entire prior status out the window]].
* StealthPun: Many, many, ''many'' stealth puns.
* StuffedInTheFridge: Subverted. When bad things happen to women that are significant to the protagonist, it usually only ends up making them more badass. For instance, Murphy gets over [[spoiler: the Nightmare's MindRape]] by becoming a clued-in BadassNormal monster slayer, and Susan [[spoiler: becomes a supernatural vampire-slaying ninja]] after being [[spoiler: captured and infected by the Red Court]].
* SummonMagic: Typically only used by villains, except for a couple instances where Harry needs to speak with a supernatural informant, or when he wants to talk to Toot at first, before [[spoiler: becoming the 'ZA LORD]]. He also once [[spoiler: calls forth and binds a fairy as powerful as either of the queens, just so his enemies cannot summon him instead.]]
** Taken UpToEleven in ''Literature/ColdDays'' when [[spoiler:Harry tries to summon Mab's boss -- and she reverses the summon to summon HIM. Then she binds him and sharpens a cleaver to eat him]]
* SunnydaleSyndrome: The people of Chicago do not notice when a massive werewolf from hell gets blasted through two buildings (''Fool Moon''), a giant evil scarecrow monster charges down the middle of the street (''Proven Guilty''), undead armies rampage across the city (''Dead Beat''), armies of dark fairies and a huge gruff attack a train station (''Small Favor''), or -- well, you get the idea. Harry thinks this is both beneficial and detrimental.
* SupernaturalElite: The Red, White and Faerie Courts all run on some form of aristocratic system.
* SupernaturalSensitivity: Wizards can use the True Sight to see exactly what is going on, including the residues of active and past magics. There is a drawback: whatever they see with their Sight can never be unseen, and is remembered in perfect clarity forever. Some things (like [[spoiler: Harry seeing Murphy as an almost literal angel]]) are the sorts of things you would never want to forget, so that's good. Some things, on the other hand, (like [[spoiler: Seeing a kindly old police officer being subjected to horrific spiritual torture]]) you wish you had never seen.
** Molly Carpenter is particularly sensitive to magic and psychic residue, even without using her Sight.
* SupernaturalSoapOpera
* SurvivalMantra: "Stay on mission." (Martin, Susan, and likely the Order of St Giles generally)
** Delightfully subverted by Harry's rallying cry to Butters [[spoiler: Polka will never die!]]
* SwordOfDamocles: Its use as a deterrent is referenced in the Doom of Damocles. It is a punishment meant to deter wizards from breaking the laws of the White Council by placing the moral weight of another life in the wizard's shoulders. Normally, being declared guilty of breaching any of the laws means you die, no questions asked. But if someone decides to stick out for you, they may let it slip... Under the condition that, if you screw up one more time, both you AND the person who stuck for you die.
* TakeThat: There seems to be a playful series of these between Butcher and the cover artist over Harry's depiction. Harry starts mentioning how he does not like hats -- even refusing to wear them when it would be more practical -- and on the covers the hats become more and more prominent & [[NiceHat fancy.]] In ''Changes'' Harry out-and-out states that he hates wearing hats, and wonders why everyone assumes otherwise.
** Full story: The publishers changed cover artists between ''Blood Rites'' and ''Dead Beat''. The cover artist had not read the books and was given a description of the character from the publishers - Tall, brown hair, clean-shaven. Wears Western-style shirts, a black leather duster, carries a wooden staff with glowing runes, and 'wears a hat'. It is unclear whether this was due to a member of the publishing staff not knowing that much about the books or confusing Harry's description for that of Grevane, one of the ''antagonists'' of that particular book. It has now become a joke between the cover artist and Jim Butcher.
* TakeUpMySword: Of the Merlin school with Fidelacchius and Amoracchius. While they are both left in Harry's possession after [[spoiler: the death/crippling of their bearers]], neither of them are actually meant for him. But, by having them, he has the obligation to find people they are meant for. He seems to have even discovered one of the initial conditions for bearing them, and is actively on the lookout for deserving wielders.
** Note, "of the Merlin school" here is also literal, in line with Butcher's fantasy-kitchen-sink approach - Excalibur was one of the Swords of the Cross. It's a small, morbid point of pride to Harry that Merlin only ever had one of the swords in his keeping.
* TalkingInYourDreams
* TakingYouWithMe: The principle of a Wizard's Death Curse, which [[CastFromHitPoints kills the wizard]] but allows them to strike out at whatever they feel deserves their dying wrath.
* TallDarkAndSnarky: Harry. He is also fond of making his own snarky variations of "TallDarkAndHandsome" to refer to supernatural beings.
-->'''Harry:''' ''(Calling out to an Ogre).'' Hey! Tall, red, and ugly!
* TellMeAboutMyFather: Harry never has to ask his father about his mother; he notes that his father had told him so much about her that he felt as if he had known her, so he never felt the need.
* TemptingFate: Harry. ''All the time.''
-->'''Harry:''' Stars and stones, Harry. When will you learn to keep your mouth shut?
* TerrorHero: Harry is an unintentional mixture of Type 3 and Type 5. He was formerly a Type 3, but by [[spoiler: Changes]], his reputation has grown to the point that an experienced, dangerous, venomous vampire of the Red Court, lying in ambush, sees him.. [[spoiler: [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere screams, and vamooses.]] ]]
* ThanatosGambit:
** A wizard's death curse uses every last bit of their life energy to fuel a powerful, destructive spell as a last resort -- in other words, CastFromHitPoints -- so it is either this or TakingYouWithMe. We have seen one in the series and one in a character's backstory. The one cast on [[spoiler: Lord Raith by Harry's mother]] looks like a ThanatosGambit, in that she could not kill him so she gave him a certain vulnerability that would be exploited years later, and the one cast on [[spoiler: Harry by Quintus Cassius]] looks like an attempt at [[TakingYouWithMe Taking Him With Him]], but the caster was already too old and weak for that, so he settled for trying to make him miserable.
** [[spoiler:Leonid Kravos]], who kicks off the events of ''Grave Peril'' with his death.
** [[spoiler:Martin]]. [[GambitRoulette He arranged the entire events of his dying book specifically to get to that one scenario]].
** [[spoiler: Harry himself -- twice. (Once at the end of ''Grave Peril'', and once at the end of ''Changes''.)]]
*** [[spoiler: Thanks to [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Uriel]], [[TheFairFolk Mab]], and [[GeniusLoci Demonreach]], the second one failed. However, because of it, Harry acquired the leverage to renegogiate with Mab regarding the terms of his new job.]]
* ThemeNaming: Barring [[OddNameOut Magog]], all of the angels or Fallen have names that end in -iel or some variant, such as -ael. Lampshaded when Harry asks if Nicodemus's Fallen is named "Badassiel".
** Justified. The Fallen used to be angels. There ''are'' angels with names that do not end in "-iel" or "-ael," but they are by far a minority.
*** It ''really'' ticks Angels off if you drop that part. (It means "God is my ____" or "God's ____".)
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs
* ThickerThanWater
* ThinkNothingOfIt
* ThirdEye: The [=ThreeEye=] drug from ''Storm Front'' is named for this trope. Harry occasionally references it when describing wizards' Sight.
* TimeAbyss: WordOfGod has it that Demonreach pre-dates the ice age.
* TimeSkip: About a year or so passes between each book, but the exact length of time varies from case to case. This averts ComicBookTime in that a few characters age visibly, and provides space for {{Noodle Incident}}s to have happened in.
* TokenEvilTeammate: ProfessionalKiller Kincaid (AKA 'The Hellhound', former possibly-demonic servant of Vlad Dracul) has played this role on occasion - but the best example is probably in ''Changes'', when Leanansidhe joins Harry's all-star crew in [[spoiler: the assault on Chiten Itza, the Red Court's center of power]]. He practically defines her as such, and explains to his friends that yes, she is powerful, evil, and more than a bit crazy - but in this particular situation, she's on their side. And she plays the role to the hilt, including complaining when Harry won't let her [[spoiler: sacrifice a Holy Virgin offered up by the Red King as a gift]]...
* TookALevelInBadass: Nearly everyone over the course of the series. One of the biggest happens in ''Ghost Story'' with, of all people, Mortimer Lindquist, self-proclaimed coward and non-hero, who nonethless proves to be exceedingly competent at his ectomancy, being able to do things like [[spoiler: calling spirits to his body to use their fighting skills]] or to [[spoiler: seize control of thousands of wraiths and use them as a spiritual battering ram to finish off the Corpsetaker.]]
** Morty is confirmed to have power on par with a White Council wizard, his power is just too narrow. Unlike Harry he also solves problems before they threaten the world.
** Similarly, Butters too has leveled up in Badass stakes as of ''Ghost Story'', most notable in [[spoiler: his take-down of Aristedes.]]
* TotallyRadical: Toyed with, then lampshaded in one of the later books. Harry uses the phrase "that's how I roll," much to Michael's amusement. He explains that it must be cool, because he learned it from Molly.
** ''Changes'': "Radical. Wicked cool." Good luck translating ''that'' into Ancient Mayan, Red King of the Red Court.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood:
** The wyldfae ''looooooove'' pizza. [[spoiler:To the point that Harry can use it as a bribe to get them to do anything from bringing back information to attacking the Lady of the faeries' Summer Court. ''And killing her.'']]
** Harry loves his Coke; he even has a cap with a silver-on-black Coca-Cola logo. He also adores Burger King.
** His cat Mister is also fond of Coca-Cola, as well as leftovers from McAnally's Pub.
* TrainingFromHell: Harry's time with Justin DuMorne.
** Also Molly's [[spoiler: time with the Leanansidhe.]]
* TrainingThePeacefulVillagers: Starting in ''White Night'', Harry begins organizing the Paranet out of magic-users who have less talent than full-fledged wizards. They're trained to pool their meager abilities and keep in contact with one another so that they can defend themselves (or at least not be killed one by one) whenever a black wizard or other supernatural threat rears its head. At one point in ''Ghost Story'' Harry notes that a dozen Paranet talents are able to magically ward a house better than he can. When [[spoiler: Harry dies in ''Changes'']], the Paranet saves hundreds of lives across the United States, with the exception of Chicago where [[spoiler: Molly uses her wizard-caliber talents in Dresden's absence]] to single-handedly scare away many opportunistic threats.
* TrenchcoatBrigade: Harry's black leather duster and occult focus confirm him to be a card-carrying member. And he revels in it.
* TropeOverdosed: Understandable after 12 books, a TV series, an ongoing comic book series, and an RPG.
* TruceZone: Mac's Pub
* TrueSight: All wizards have an extra form of perception called the Sight. It allows them to see things as they truly are, including peering past glamour or seeing and hearing ghosts, but at a cost: whatever you See, no matter how horrible, is burned into your memory. [[BlessedWithSuck FOREVER.]]
* TurnInYourBadge: Murphy is head of Special Investigations, a department of the Chicago PD which deals with the weird stuff. Her success at the job (hiring a professional wizard as a consultant helped) gives her a certain amount of immunity to this, but in ''Proven Guilty'', she ''really'' blows it... and ends up demoted. At the end of ''Changes'', [[spoiler: Murphy is absolutely out of a job, and has literally turned in her badge, thanks to Rudolph.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: U-Z]]
* UncattyResemblance: Mild example with Mister and Mouse, who like their owner are both extra-large sized for their species.
* TheUnfettered: Martin hates the Red Court, but it's only [[spoiler:at the end of ''Changes'' we find out just how far he's willing to go.]]
* UnreliableNarrator: Turns out to be the case between [[spoiler: Changes and Ghost Story. Harry asks Kincaid to MercyKill him after he became the Winter Knight, and then has Molly wipe him memory so that Mab won't know]].
** The fact that the books are written firmly from the point of view of Harry can result in non-plot-critical variations on this, like:
*** The female characters being significantly more attractive and described in greater detail when Harry's not getting laid.
*** Marcone's activities being dastardly and nefarious even when they really... aren't.
*** Michael's righteousness and occasional outbreaks of temper presented as indicators that something is wrong with the _world_ rather than the knight having some personal flaws, even when Michael points out his flaws and struggles himself.
* UnusualEuphemism: Harry wonders if cuss words in angelic language are just nice words said backwards... "''Doog! Teews doog!''"
* UpToEleven: Invoked by Harry when describing battle chaos.
* TheVamp: Lara Raith. [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Literally, too.]]
* VampiresAreSexGods: The Raiths definitely are.
* VampireMonarch: The Red Court has an actual King ([[spoiler:who is killed along with the rest of the Court in ''Changes'']]); the White Court consists of three clans, each of whom has their own Lord and the Lord of the currently most powerful clan is considered King by the rest; and the Black Court was nearly wiped out to the point where only a few powerful individuals exist, so no mention of a king of them has been made.
* VegetarianVampire: c.f. Thomas using [[spoiler:hairdressing]] to sate himself [[spoiler:until the events of ''Turn Coat'']].
* VillainousBreakdown: Arianna, Grevane, Lord Raith, Victor Sells, Paolo Ortega, Nicodemus and the Red King all experience this after Harry either kicks their asses or demonstrates that he's as strong as they are.
* VillainousRescue: It seems as if Marcone is pulling Harry's butt out of the fire every other book.
* VirginPower: The White Court find virgins a particular delicacy, so to speak.
* WaifFu: The possessed Lydia in ''Grave Peril''. Karrin Murphy's Aikido skills may also qualify.
* WaitHere: If Harry has not said this or "IfIDoNotReturn", then you have not finished the book yet.
* WalkingTechbane: Wizards, especially Harry, who has to put up with an icebox cooled by real ice, no working furnace in a basement apartment in Chicago (he has a fireplace instead), no hot water and a car from the 50s. He can not get near an active computer without frying the motherboard. If he ''actively tries'', he can hex a camera at 100 yards on a bad day.
* {{Valkyries}}: [[spoiler:Ms. Gard]]
* WeatherDissonance
* WellIntentionedExtremist:
** Donald Morgan
** [[spoiler:Aurora.]]
** Kumori from ''Dead Beat''. Yes, she is a necromancer. Yes, she is palling around with a guy who may [[spoiler: very well be on the Black Council]]. And yes, she is taking part in a necromantic ceremony that will scythe a good chunk of Chicago clean just so the victor can claim awesome godlike power. But she uses her necromantic abilities to keep people alive until they can get medical treatment, and has the stated goal of creating a world where death does not exist.
** At the end of ''Changes'' [[spoiler: Martin the DoubleAgent]] is confirmed as this. And when we say "extremist", ''we are not kidding''.
* WeHelpTheHelpless
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: The Laws of Magic are all about this. [[ThouShaltNotKill Killing]], [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies reanimating]], or {{Mind Rap|e}}ing humans blackens your soul, and pushes you toward the slippery slope of full-on {{Evil Sorcer|or}}y. [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampires]], [[TheFairFolk faeries]] and [[OurMonstersAreDifferent other monsters]] however are fair game, and dead animals fall through a [[AintNoRule convenient loophole]] for the discerning wizard looking for an [[RaisingTheSteaks undead]] [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs epic mount]].
** In some of the early books, Harry all but states that he doesn't think of non-humans as people, even fully sapient ones like Toot or [[spoiler:his own half-brother]]. This gradually changes over the course of series.
* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl: The Queens and Ladies of the Faerie courts are probably the most prominent example, but Justine also fits this trope after her brush with death.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Mentioned as one of the reasons against Harry and Murphy hooking up; [[spoiler:Molly]] also angsts about this in ''Ghost Story'', and how her youngest brothers will be dying of old age before she's even old enough to be taken seriously on the White Council.
* WickedCultured: Nicodemus, the host and compatriot of a fallen angel, definitely qualifies. He's the scariest and evilest creature in a series full of scary, evil creatures who could squash him with their pinkies, but he does it with impeccable taste.
** Gentleman Marcone comes off as this, but it will likely never be confirmed due to the fact that he's, well, Marcone.
* WindowsOfTheSoul: Wizards can see a person's soul with their Sight if eye contact is maintained (this is why you don't look at a wizard too long. They see too much). However, there are two drawbacks: the other person can see you, too, and you can't forget what you see. Ever
* TheWindyCity: Harry is based in Chicago ([[ArtisticLicenseGeography with some minor geographical oddities]]), so every book takes place in the city at least in part.
* WizardsLiveLonger: Waldo Butters actually reveals the immediate physical reason for this. Compared to normal humans, wizards have vastly superior cellular repair and healing: broken bones heal without a trace, scars fade, and even Harry's toasted-to-the-bone hand will heal completely. They DO age, but their bodies last a few centuries and we have not heard of any wizards dying of cancer or such diseases.
* WizardDuel: There's one true WizardDuel in [[spoiler: ''Storm Front'']], in which [[spoiler: Harry's greater strength and experience gave him an advantage he needed to make up for fighting on Shadowman's home turf]], a couple in ''Dead Beat'' against various necromancers, the fight pitting first Harry and then Archive against the Denarians in ''Small Favor'' and another in [[spoiler: ''Changes'']], between Harry and [[spoiler: Duchess Arianna Ortega, a vampire with magical powers]]. But other than that, {{Wizard Duel}}s are surprisingly rare in the series. Harry has been in formal [[TrialByCombat Trials By Combat]] three times, but two were against vampires. Once, a Warden attacked Harry when he believed Harry had murdered another Warden, but [[spoiler: Harry knew it was an honest misunderstanding and was willing to let himself be killed]]. Most antagonists in the series are not actual wizards, most of those who are tend to be {{Chessmaster}}s, and when it has come down to an actual fight there has usually been a severe power imbalance on one side or another, so the duel is [[CurbStompBattle over before it starts]].
* WomanInWhite: The White Court vampires, as Queen Mab.
* WorkingTheSameCase: Harry is often working on two cases at once, a police investigation that has stymied the mundane authorities and something on the occult side of things, and they turn out to be related. Alternately, one case comes from his private business or personal connections and the other comes from the White Council of wizards. It is not quite OnceAnEpisode, but ''Storm Front'', ''Fool Moon'', ''Death Masks'' and ''Proven Guilty'' use this trope straightforwardly and most other books have at least some elements of it. ''Changes'', as with so much else, skips this trope, with one main plot that finds Harry personally.
* WorldHalfFull: Yes, the world is full of demons, monsters, ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight (and ''[[EldritchAbomination worse]]'') ready to pounce, but there's always someone like Harry, Murphy, or Michael around to kick evil's ass up around its ears and protect the innocent.
** At least, in Chicago this is the case. As we find out [[spoiler: after Harry dies]], things are a lot less safe in regions that aren't protected by a powerful wizard. That said, the [[TrainingThePeacefulVillagers Paranet]] and various other interests are working to change this.
* WorldOfBadass: Even the {{Muggle}}s who are ignorant of magic are often badass. Everyone else is, too, or becomes that way very quickly. (Or doesn't survive.) The self-proclaimed cowards are CrazyPrepared and/or [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Crouching Morons Hidden Badasses]], goblins are more dangerous than vampires rather than being comedy relief like in many settings, and the [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Three Billy Goats Gruff carry submachine guns]].
* WorldOfSnark
* WorthyOpponent: Marcone, a polite and efficient mob boss; and the Eldest Gruff, an extrordinarily powerful fairy who does not want to kill Harry but must obey the Summer Queen Titania.
* WouldntHitAGirl: Harry is chivalrous to the point of it interfering with his ability to defend himself from female attackers. He ''knows'' it is a weakness and a stupid one in a world where female vampires and werewolves and fae can all kill him with trivial effort, but he can not stop himself. If pushed really hard, he can make himself attack a woman, but it takes a ton of pressure to get him to that point.
** Has faded somewhat as the series progresses because Harry has specifically trained himself out of it, has been nearly killed by enough female villains to be somewhat hardened naturally, and has generally started to favor lateral thinking over direct assault when he can manage it for any opponent.
* XanatosGambit: Multiple times, most commonly in relation to the White Court vampires who are pretty much an entire race of Chessmasters. Examples include:
** The plot of ''Grave Peril,'' and even events leading up to the book, is one by Bianca, Mavra and the Leanansidhe for numerous reasons depending on the person involved — to gain an advantage on Harry and/or teach him a lesson, to kill him, to destroy an exceedingly rare Holy Sword and give the Red Court of vampires a chance to launch its long-planned war against the White Council of Wizards. It backfires majorly on Bianca but half of it still succeeds, fulfilling the gambit.
*** Lea specifically pulls a small but nasty one in ''Grave Peril'' during the confrontation in the graveyard. After driving off the Nightmare, she waits until Harry has ''Amoracchius'' in hand before confronting him with his promise. Then, she confronts him, and he is forced to choose between surrendering to her or using the Sword. If he does not use the Sword, she gets him as a pet, while if he does, the Sword will be rendered useless and she can steal it. Either way, Lea wins.
** In ''Turn Coat''. Dresden gets one of these by inviting three renegade factions to the same location to play them off against each other. He later reveals that this was all a setup to get surveillance photos of the real traitor when they find out about the fray. He would have liked to catch the traitor on the scene; the photos (and Mouse) were just a backup plan. He lays it out once the gambit pays off: "But lately I've thinking that you don't ever plan on a single path to victory. You set things up so you've got more than one way to win." This particular gambit, while it succeeds, is a bit undermined when Ebenezar points out the ways it could have failed, to which the only sensible reply is "I got lucky."
* YouCanBarelyStand: Harry is rarely in any decent shape to even be walking by the time the real fighting has rolled around. Take for instance ''Fool Moon'' where he actually has to ''work'' to blow out a camera, or ''Dead Beat'', where the only reason he can move at all for most of the Final Battle is Lash's assistance. Taken UpToEleven in ''Changes'' where Harry eventually [[spoiler:gets his back broken so he ''literally'' cannot stand]]. However, he [[spoiler: makes a deal with Mab, The Winter Queen, and becomes her Knight, but he gets to save his daughter first.]] After that, he is fit as a fiddle and ready to rock. Lampshaded in the RPG, when he complains about how he is always beaten up in the pictures. Quoth Billy:
--->'''Billy:''' "Are you on a case?'''
* YouHaveFailedMe: Every odd numbered lackey.
* YouKeepUsingThatWord: Snarl, Thews.
* YourVampiresSuck: Not just vampires; Bob has opinions on werewolf stories.
[[/folder]]
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Go back to trope A-M [[{{TheDresdenFiles.TropesA-M}} here]].