tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161736963000855626.post3639251506023059928..comments2016-12-12T22:57:40.382-06:00Comments on Fantasy Matters: The Physics of MagicFantasy Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12872763989367614766noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161736963000855626.post-36787535669357034702016-11-25T22:40:39.413-06:002016-11-25T22:40:39.413-06:00The matter of food not being created may have more...The matter of food not being created may have more to do with the complexity of chemicals and the strange disconnection between wizards and the modern world seen in the books. Another point is that matter is a lot of energy, and a wizard might not be able to focus that much energy densely enough to synthesize matter.<br />I personally take the approach that magic is science when writing, most of my spellcasters dislike the term and prefer names like Natural Philosophy. Only witches call it magic because they get their power from other beings, and therefore don't understand what they call magic on a scientific nature.<br />The result is actually fairly decent and tries to avoid pseudoscience- no mirror dimensions, for instance, and even calling alternate universes and other worlds different "dimensions" is enough to throw most of my spellcasters into a fit of enraged lecturing about the nature of spacetime and what a dimension actually is; in part, this is an expression of everything I hate about pseudoscience. Faerie land where its always daytime is a dyson sphere; the circles of hell are ring worlds and so on. Rational physics based explanations for everything, and my wizards still get to throw lightning around. Some of its vague, but never breaks physics quantum teleportation and exploitation of superposition states explains a lot- I have wands being very complex devices able to manipulate plasmonic interactions (wherever photons and electrons meet, responsible for 90% of physical interactions we experience) and dark magic is literally magic that doesn't have a supporting theory of how it works; but only witches get it from other beings.<br />Basically, my message is that magic-as-science because magic is science that peasants don't understand actually works really well, if done right. It gives a good level of power to magic users without having to have odd reasons as to why they're not gods. It also gives fun little peeks into the gears of your world and let's you explore concepts you don't often see in fantasy- never mind it gives a pretty clear idea of the limitations of magic. Why can't wizard x just destroy a while nation? Same reason scientist y in the real world can't. Not enough energy and believed me, quantum teleporting electrons are pretty damn magical if you ask me.Bellamy Chaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03040328083151040805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161736963000855626.post-68875923545633654562014-06-04T03:53:14.175-05:002014-06-04T03:53:14.175-05:00Your analysis is very interesting, however, limita...Your analysis is very interesting, however, limitations like 'you can't X' in fiction should be generally regarded as 'some folk in the past tried tried to X (really hard, over extended periods of time, using different techniques), but it didn't work out'. Just like we speak of conservation of energy. Some folk wasted their time on perpettum mobile, so we think you can't create energy (from nothing). <br />This generally brings us to a conclusion that heroes won't be able to do it, unless properly foreshadowed (by having some specifically useful skillset, mindset or even raw power level).<br />However, if the verse has science-like approach to magic, we will be facing exactly the domino problem you stated.Maksim Baninhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11429191434172908849noreply@blogger.com