[Bauchelain the Evil]

Well he did call him a "shapeshifting bastard" in GotM, but he could have simply meant that QB is crafty and good at hiding.

Anyway he isn't the only one to call him so. The Tennes witch in MoI also did.

[Salt-Man Z]

anothevilbadguy, on 09 September 2010 - 07:07 PM, said:

My personal pet theory is that he is, or has the soul of, Blind Gallan. All the mentions of him in DOD (and briefly in TTH), make me think he will have a part to play, and from a number of comments it does seem that he is likely to still be living. Also, it is mentioned he was the head of a group of mages (he had some nice sounding title, which I cannot remember) in Kharkanas, so clearly powerful. And it is mentioned he is sneaky. So, it fits with Quick.

Anyway, there does need to be reveal about Quick of at least some importance, as from the start it is clear he is hiding something, and most likely an identity. And Gallan fits, being a significant enough character (with similar characteristics and is TA), without being a super powerful God/Tyrant.

Hm. I like this theory. Nothing really to support it, but I recently came across two poems attributed to "Blind Gallan (b. 1078)" in GotM; I couldn't explain that birthdate, but the idea that QB holds his soul helps.

ansible, on 09 September 2010 - 07:41 PM, said:

The Bonehunters, Bantam MMPB, p.1139 said:

--and, even as he vanished he heard a soft giggle, then a sibilant voice: 'You said you owed me, remember? Well, my dear Snake, it's time.'

The capital on "Snake" is what caught my eye. Do we know of any reason Shadowthrone would refer to QB this way, unless perhaps it is a reference to his Soletaken form?

Well, the capital-S "Snake" seemed to me more a Biblical reference to Satan than anything. Though that doesn't necessarily mesh with the Malazan world...

[ranman]

I finished DoD and now I'm re-reading Memories of Ice. I just came across this passage about Quick... Bauchelain the Evil refers to this passage in his post above. I think it is worth quoting because the witch that Quick talks to is "the worlds oldest living witch of Tennes" and she seems to know an aweful lot. She knows several things about Quick right away, she knows that he was from Raraku and that he has 12 souls. The interesting thing is that she refers to Quick as a snake three times!

pg 99
"Pull you snake of the desert"
"Show what you have many-headed snake"
pg 101
"Ah, you wind sideways like the desert snake you are in truth!"

When I read the suggestion that he's a soletaken snake a couple days ago I thought it was unlikely, but now after just reading this in MoI... I'm starting to wonder.

This post has been edited by ranman: 11 September 2010 - 01:29 PM

[Tattersail_]

maybe not a soletaken snake, but a snake d'ivers? We have seen rat d'ivers, bee d'ivers, wolf d'ivers, and maybe many headed snake would compliment this theory?

[Theotendo]

Eleint blood would explain his affinity for negotiating the paths of Chaos. It just seems...I dunno...unlikely. Where's the arrogance? The ambitious hunger that pretty much makes a dragon in this universe? Unlikely, but certainly not impossible if he has "mastered the blood" or whatever.

As for not using it. I've said before, when mages unveil themselves they paint shiny red targets on their foreheads and eventually get taken out. Not only mages. Dejim Nebrahl, Hounds of Light, Silchas Ruin (cusser sandwhich), Menandore and her sisters (cusser sandwhich DELUXE) the list goes on and on. He was lying low. As for the people who died, imagine how many more would have died had he made himself visible too soon. Draconean power has a way of attracting attention. Convergence isn't only on the scale of Darujistahn. It could be as localised as the Enfilade at Pale or as (relatively) uneventful as the Parley after the oulawing of The Host. All it ever takes is the gathering of powers.

Elder god? Doubtful. Grizzin Farl? Ruthan Gudd is nailed to that one, I think. Nailed good and tight.

Am I wrong in detecting the general consensus that Quick will have to face off against Draconus? Do we have any concrete info that it might be the case? Seems to run against the motives behind them marching into Kolanse in the first place. Draconus isn't interested in getting back in to the god game. Don't think he ever was. If there is a wildcard here, it's him. There is no predicting what he wants. As much a wildcard as Rake used to be.

I think.

[ShadowRaven]

To get into the QB conversation, I also get the feeling that if he might be afraid that if he "revealed" himself fully, he might actually lose his current identity. I remember that he suggested in one of the books that all the people that soul-shifted into him are merely currently in a consensus or something along those lines, but that that state of affairs might not retain forever. Maybe he was hesitant to use more power because then one of the other personalities might take over or fuse with his own?

[GingerBreadMan]

I really hope he doesn't come out of nowhere to challenge Draconus, everything we have seen of him in the series so far provides evidence that Draconus would smoke QB.

I HATE the "Stretching" plot, makes absolutely no sense and blows up everything we know about magic in the Malazan world.

[Sinisdar Toste]

GingerBreadMan, on 12 September 2010 - 07:18 AM, said:

I really hope he doesn't come out of nowhere to challenge Draconus, everything we have seen of him in the series so far provides evidence that Draconus would smoke QB.

I HATE the "Stretching" plot, makes absolutely no sense and blows up everything we know about magic in the Malazan world.

everything we have seen in the story suggests that quick ben has never truly known what he could do

[ichiitk]

regarding'Re-reads are glorious' , just started on HoC again and found this part i'd forgotten.pg 39 in my paperback edition:

'Fanged Skeleton, remain close to the child in Dayliss's womb.'
'She feeds from my breast even now,' Emroth asserted.
'A girl child?'
' In flesh only. What I make within is neither a girl, nor a child.'
'Good'

This is from a discussion between the T'lan Imass posing as the Teblor Gods, the child mentioned is Bairoth Gild and Dayliss's from Karsas village.
Seeing as they work(ed) for the crippled god, anyone think this child will be a part of the final book? i cant see it happening, other than possibly in the toblakai trilogy, but after reading it again i cant help but wanting to see what this child turns out to be.

regarding QB i think he's awesome but not a soletaken. I think i remember that soletaken/D'ivers gives off a smell of sulphur or something. is this a constant or only something that happens right after the shift?

[anothevilbadguy]

ichiitk, on 12 September 2010 - 01:02 PM, said:

regarding QB i think he's awesome but not a soletaken. I think i remember that soletaken/D'ivers gives off a smell of sulphur or something. is this a constant or only something that happens right after the shift?

They give off a spicy scent when they shift. And there a few comments saying that they got a whiff of it from Quick, plus numerous other comments. It does seem he is soultaken as at least one of his souls could, and he certainly seems knowledgeable enough to become soultaken. But then again we wont necessarily find out, and all the comments about it could just be due to him being shifty and mysterious.

[Wampyry]

anothevilbadguy, on 12 September 2010 - 05:11 PM, said:

ichiitk, on 12 September 2010 - 01:02 PM, said:

regarding QB i think he's awesome but not a soletaken. I think i remember that soletaken/D'ivers gives off a smell of sulphur or something. is this a constant or only something that happens right after the shift?

They give off a spicy scent when they shift. And there a few comments saying that they got a whiff of it from Quick, plus numerous other comments. It does seem he is soultaken as at least one of his souls could, and he certainly seems knowledgeable enough to become soultaken. But then again we wont necessarily find out, and all the comments about it could just be due to him being shifty and mysterious.

On at least three occassions QB has been called a snake; so he is probably a mongoose

[Glory Goat]

Its time to admit that QB is a rhinazan. A teeny, tiny, feeble winged lizard. That dreams of being a dragon, but if he ever shifts in front of someone, they'll know he has dragon Envy. So he doesn't. He just nukes the real dragons instead. Bastard.

I certainly think he's crackers enough to be Soletaken, as for Draconus, not sure what that is if not his ego rampaging - but I'll buy the stretched theme. You see so many characters power up, it would be odd if he didn't. Crokus went to Cutter the easy slicer of Rallick Nom, Tattersail only had to like, die and fuse with a couple of other people to turn into a Bonecaster that makes Kallor crap his pants, and Telorast and Curdle only had to die and be bound and punished forever to be allowed to run around as teeny lizard skeletons...

[Abyss]

Theotendo, on 11 September 2010 - 04:24 PM, said:

Eleint blood would explain his affinity for negotiating the paths of Chaos. It just seems...I dunno...unlikely. Where's the arrogance? The ambitious hunger that pretty much makes a dragon in this universe? Unlikely, but certainly not impossible if he has "mastered the blood" or whatever....

That and faced with an army of Nah'ruk he didn't veer into draconic form and start frying lizards. but you make a good point re his personality not reflecting how draconic blood is usually manifested.

Quote

Am I wrong in detecting the general consensus that Quick will have to face off against Draconus? ...

I'm afraid you're wrong in the sense that a 'face-off' is inevitable. the running point in DoD was Drac trying to chat with QB, not fight him.

Sinisdar Toste, on 12 September 2010 - 08:02 AM, said:

GingerBreadMan, on 12 September 2010 - 07:18 AM, said:

I really hope he doesn't come out of nowhere to challenge Draconus, everything we have seen of him in the series so far provides evidence that Draconus would smoke QB.

I HATE the "Stretching" plot, makes absolutely no sense and blows up everything we know about magic in the Malazan world.

everything we have seen in the story suggests that quick ben has never truly known what he could do

Yep. And 'streching' is completely in keeping with the books. Most of the time extending beyond their limits leads to mages burning out and/or dying - see Tattersail, or Beak. Sometimes they push themselves and surpass limits. Kulp did this too (implicitly at least) in DG but he got eaten before anything else could happen. Bottle did it to the wyval in DoD and if he lives it may have cost him his mind.

Speaking of re-reads there's still the question of Neep's prediction in RG that Bottle would betray the Bonehunters...

[Mcflury]

As far as Bottle betraying the Bonehunters goes: I don't think bottle every really will. Perhaps if his mind went googoo he might betray he bonehunters, but it wouldn't really be bottle.
Or he might have to seemingly betray them in ordr to help them or something, but that is not betraying either.
The only way I ever see bottle betraying the bonehunters is by running away... but if he runs away, I'm sure he'll turn around and rush right back to the troops to save them, bringing with him an army of angry squirrels!
I also don't think Bottle will be completely screwed. He will feel quite sick and stuff for a while, utterly exhausted, but he'll restore in due time. And, you know, he might try to fly like a Withal now and then, but nothing too weird for Bottle.

[worry]

This is probably well known, but Sorry's first words in GotM, still as fishergirl, are "I'm sorry." It's no errant foreshadowing, but neat enough. I'm just starting my first reread of the series so that's all I've got so far.