The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers

Intention vs natural operation

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Yuillegan:
Butcher slips in a hint about magic and will just as the Cornerhounds appear.

Ebeneezer says to Harry that fire is best for defeating them, but natural fire works just fine. Harry asks what difference is it where the fire comes from, and Eb says he hasn't got time to give him a lecture in intention versus the natural operation of the universe. He says that it mostly has to do with the fact that if a Wizard uses magic the Outsider can slip most of the punch. This makes sense when we consider how He Who Walks Behind was defeated, and the fact the Demonreach contains a banefire to defeat the Immortals.

My WAG is that while mortal will is strong, because you are contending against such powerful beings they often are hiding behind their avatar and therefore the attack doesn't actually attack the being itself. It may also be to do with being so alien it is hard for the human mind to comprehend and engage with them. I suspect that when natural elements are used i.e. the normal energy and matter of the created universe, you are actually utilising the power and intent of TWG. After all, if TWG is the Creator of the All then it stands to reason that everything that exists in the "natural" universe is created with it's intent. Which is obviously so much stronger than what mere mortals can do (constrained as they are).

Mr. Death:
Really, it shouldn't be that hard a concept for Harry -- he's exploited loopholes in weaknesses like that before.

The Grendelkin, for instance, was basically immune to magic (inasmuch as it could counter any of his spells), but not immune to Harry shotgunning a heap of bones at him.

Ogres are immune to magic -- so Harry dumped gasoline on one and set it on fire.

Yuillegan:
I think it wasn't so much in terms of Harry not knowing about the difference - as you say he has exploited it to great effect in the past.

I think he was seeking clarification from his mentor as to why. You can know that a plane can fly, but not understand how that comes to be. Many are satisfied in knowing that something merely exists, but some wish to learn the deeper reasons for how something comes to be.

I feel Butcher has been setting this up for a while, but really whacked us in the face with it in Peace Tals.

Bad Alias:

--- Quote from: Yuillegan on July 20, 2020, 01:40:13 AM ---I suspect that when natural elements are used i.e. the normal energy and matter of the created universe, you are actually utilising the power and intent of TWG. After all, if TWG is the Creator of the All then it stands to reason that everything that exists in the "natural" universe is created with it's intent. Which is obviously so much stronger than what mere mortals can do (constrained as they are).

--- End quote ---
Genesis 2:2: "He rested on the seventh day from all the work He had undertaken." I've heard that the resting on the seventh day signifies God holding the universe in existence because God doesn't need rest. What that means for the DF is that reality is a construct, like what Harry does when doing magic, constantly maintained by TWG.

Here's where my mind is heading with this, still pretty rough: It has been theorized that TWG is just a powerful Outsider fighting all the other Outsider. The Outsiders we see in reality are constructs interacting with constructs. Magic fire is a construct of a construct. So attacking an Outsider is a construct attacking a construct with a construct's construct. That makes it a step down. A stretch. Using real fire is hitting a construct with a construct. Same level.

Yuillegan:
Yeah, pretty much on the same page with you. Could go a long way to explaining why some things work better and some don't. However, why is fire so much more effective than the other elements? That's a big mystery to me...and spirit seems to be the fifth element (although I always thought that was meant to be Love).

And then, how does Will/Intent tie into it all?

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