The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers
There is no such thing as "Black" Magic in the Dresdenverse
Mira:
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Not sure how Harry is proof of this. I dont recall him doing anything particularly bad. The worst thing he has done so far is rescue Thomas from the Svartalves without actual evidence that Thomas was innocent. But he was forced to do that by Mab.
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Supposedly he did use it to kill Justin, plus Justin's attempts to enthrall him both left a "stain" of Black Magic on him as pointed out by the Loa. This is why at the same time he was made a wizard he was also called a warlock and placed under the Doom in Eb's care.
--- Quote ---In any case, if the corruption is not "due to the magic itself" than there is no corruption. At that point it is just like anything else, subject to the self-control of the user, and there is no reason for these things to be illegal in this way. Its also unclear to me how you would distinguish between the "rush" a user might feel from killing with magic and the rush they might get if they kill without magic.
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Think of magic as a gun, a gun alone isn't evil, a gun used properly, isn't evil nor does it corrupt it's user... A gun misused, does the opposite, it is evil, corrupts the user and makes him evil.
Shift8:
--- Quote from: Mira on December 16, 2021, 09:30:44 PM ---Supposedly he did use it to kill Justin, plus Justin's attempts to enthrall him both left a "stain" of Black Magic on him as pointed out by the Loa. This is why at the same time he was made a wizard he was also called a warlock and placed under the Doom in Eb's care.
Think of magic as a gun, a gun alone isn't evil, a gun used properly, isn't evil nor does it corrupt it's user... A gun misused, does the opposite, it is evil, corrupts the user and makes him evil.
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I thought he was saying Harrys actions after Justins killing were evidence of him being tainted. He has certainly violated the laws, I agree.
I agree a gun alone is not evil. But a gun used wrongly doesnt corrupt the user. The user corrupts themselves.
morriswalters:
--- Quote from: Shift8 on December 16, 2021, 08:26:53 PM ---We might have to agree to disagree on this particular point. It could be true if Jim says so, in the sense that he means for it to be that way in the story, but even if he meant it that way it still makes the story worse because at that point it wont make any sense...even if Jim thinks otherwise. However I doubt any of that was his intention.
I am fine with it being possible that violations of the laws have other harms associated with them. I just dont think their is a invariable magical corruption at play.
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It's your book when you read it, so interpret it the way you see fit. But until Jim tells me in the text that Black Magic doesn't exist, then for me it exists. Even if I don't understand his rules.
Mira:
--- Quote ---agree a gun alone is not evil. But a gun used wrongly doesnt corrupt the user. The user corrupts themselves.
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No, there is blow back, and I agree with morriswalters as well on this, in the Dresdenverse, Black Magic exists. Because it is easy and give the user a false sense of power and importance it the first thing an unguided kid with talent reaches for without realizing what using it is doing to him or her.
CrusherJen:
Some food for thought, from the Word of Jim website:
--- Quote ---The Laws of Magic don’t necessarily match up to the actual universal guidelines to how the universal power known as “magic” behaves.
The consequences for breaking the Laws of Magic don’t all come from people wearing grey cloaks.
And none of it necessarily has anything to do with what is Right or Wrong.
Which exist. It’s finding where they start or stop existing that’s the hard part.
Jim
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(Link: https://wordof.jim-butcher.com/index.php/word-of-jim-woj-compilation/woj-on-magic-in-the-dresden-files-part-2/ )
What I get from this is: black magic exists, but the White Council's (and by extension, Harry's) understanding of it is incomplete and/or somewhat inaccurate. We can only trust what Harry says to a point... and I suspect he (and us readers) will discover more about the truth of black magic in a future book, likely Mirror Mirror, since we're going to see an Evil Harry in that novel.
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