Markup View

Author: dspeyer

Feb 26th 2014 at 12:26:21 AM

* Discussed by Dresden and Ortega in Death Masks:
-->I thought you guys drank blood," I said.
-->"It's all we really need," Ortega said.
-->"Then why do you have anything else?"
-->Ortega held up the bottle. "Life is more than mere survival. All you need is the water, after all. Why drink beer?"
->Later that conversation...
--> "The offer to make me into a blood-drinking monster in eternal slavery to you? Why would I want to do that?"
-->"It is the only way to keep your life," Ortega said.
-->I felt the anger coalescing into rage. My upper lip curled away from my teeth, baring them in a snarl. "I thought life is more than mere survival."
-->Ortega's expression changed. It was only for a second, but in that moment I saw furious rage, arrogant pride, and violent bloodlust on his face. He regained his calm quickly, but traces of the hidden emotions thickened his accent.
-->"So be it. I will kill you, wizard."
*Hinted at in HarryPotter by the prophesy "neither can live while the other survives".  The living vs. surviving theme is more developed in fanfic.

I'm not sure we have an actual trope here, though.  There's an idea, but that isn't quite the same thing.