The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers

If magic has to obey the laws of physics, how does shapeshifting work?

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Yuillegan:

--- Quote from: Bad Alias on February 21, 2019, 10:01:10 PM ---If my recollection (and interpretation) is correct, Jim has quibbled about this.

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What do you mean? The WOJs I was referring mostly talk in the broader sense by Uber-powerful beings. Not really someone at Harry's level.


--- Quote from: Dagroth on February 21, 2019, 10:01:50 PM ---How is killing someone with magic violating the Laws of Reality more than say, blowing up the building? To me, both seem equally "impossible", if you want to apply, let's call it "atheist" way of thinking (as in, "Magic does not exist!") and equally possible otherwise.

I think I've read somewhere, that it's the "slippery slope", that's a problem, evil (be it killing, or manipulating minds, or other stuff) gets easier, and eventually you find yourself a warlock (like with the guy who was executed early on in "Proven Guilty", or like how Harry explains why messing with people's minds using magic is said slippery slope, also in "Proven Guilty").

Plus (I think) it only seems to apply to humans for some reason - in "Changes", Harry flattened probably at least a few dozen of Blood Court vampires (by the end, when he did the gravity trick), without, as far as I can tell, any mental consequences.

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Not sure why it is more violating myself, that is more or less what Jim has written though. He made 7 very specific Laws for his reality, though oddly not specific enough (why it matters more when magic affects mortals than others). I think Mr Death has it right though, there is likely a spiritual element to why it is considered more of a major violation. I could probably wax lyrical about how messing with Time is such a messed up idea in the first place, or necromancy but I think the most straightforward answer is because that's how Jim has written it. He has created a magical system that means certain actions, certain elements have specific properties (i.e. dark magic) that make them intrinsically worse than regular magic. After all, Wizards don't seem to go any madder for burning buildings or using thaumaturgy than outright killing another Mortal or breaking into their minds. I think the main key is that Mortals are special, they have Free Will and so can write their own destinies (should they so choose). Subverting their minds takes away their choice, as does murder, rewriting time etc. This changes the universe (unmaking whole alternate universes etc). A big hint is when Harry talks to the Angel of Death and it challenges him that who is it to unmake choice and all it's possibilities by intervening with Father Forthill's incumbent death.

I think Dark magic has addictive, drug like qualities for some as-yet unexplained reason (likely to do with its source).


--- Quote from: nadia.skylark on February 21, 2019, 10:43:41 PM ---The way I understand it is that Laws 1-5 have the slippery slope problem, while Laws 6-7 are the "No! You'll break the universe!" laws.

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All of it is addictive - pretty sure it's all considered Dark Magic. Though I do agree that the major laws e.g. Time, Necromancy and reaching Outside are all of a distinctively more terrible to Reality quality - but I am sure we will not know until we understand why it all came about in the first place.

Bad Alias:

--- Quote from: Yuillegan on February 24, 2019, 01:12:58 PM ---What do you mean? The WOJs I was referring mostly talk in the broader sense by Uber-powerful beings. Not really someone at Harry's level.

--- End quote ---

I mean I remember Jim saying something along those lines, but also remember him saying other things that contradict it.

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