could you fix the bold tag?
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Economist writes against economy of magic in Harry Potter
Collapse
X
-
Originally posted by Blake
Ultimately I think that any fantasy is weak, if there is ever a situation where a character could just magic a problem away (based on past uses of magic in the fiction), and yet doesn't. It generally results in characters which look like total idiots with very little awareness (of course stupidity could be the price for magical powers ).
Comment
-
Or any of the star treks where having a working transporter would blow away the whole plot, so there has to be another contrived transporter malfunction. Considering what it does, it was sure broke a lot. I would never have trusted it.It's almost as if all his overconfident, absolutist assertions were spoonfed to him by a trusted website or subreddit. Sheeple
RIP Tony Bogey & Baron O
Comment
-
Your right, look at the wank (as the SF community calls it) in SW. Every rebel talks about the Empire with dread and fear, then wipes out a legion of storm troopers while shooting over their shoulder during morning tea.
"Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise." Whatever Obi Wan, I haven't seen a stormstooper hit **** after three movies.
And the Force is basically the same thing as magic, and suffers the same problems as HP magic. And it is with the villains that things are really bad, because a lot of times authors justify heroes holding back out of some moral code. Villains don't have that.
Someone tell me again why Darth Vader didn't just ripe the eyes out of people's heads, or rotate their brains inside their skulls, or just rip the location of the rebel base out of Leia's brain?
Harry Potter does the same thing, Lord Valdimolt (sp?) is a ****ing ***** from what I can tell, I don't see why anyone would be scared of him."The DPRK is still in a state of war with the U.S. It's called a black out." - Che explaining why orbital nightime pictures of NK show few lights. Seriously.
Comment
-
If I could get an house elf I would order him to constantly produce things I can sell on eBay.
So I agree with the argument about the poverty of the Weasleys
As for the magic,
I agree with Blake, as I, too, like magic systems that come with a cost for casting spells. Maybe has to do something with the long years of playing Pen&Paper RPGsTamsin (Lost Girl): "I am the Harbinger of Death. I arrive on winds of blessed air. Air that you no longer deserve."
Tamsin (Lost Girl): "He has fallen in battle and I must take him to the Einherjar in Valhalla"
Comment
-
Originally posted by Patroklos
"Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise." Whatever Obi Wan, I haven't seen a stormstooper hit **** after three movies.Tamsin (Lost Girl): "I am the Harbinger of Death. I arrive on winds of blessed air. Air that you no longer deserve."
Tamsin (Lost Girl): "He has fallen in battle and I must take him to the Einherjar in Valhalla"
Comment
-
I also liked how blaster bolts burn straight throgh stormtrooper armor for fatal blows, yet can't shoot through Lukes unarmored hand or Leia's unarmored shoulder.
But I digress, don't want to thread jack."The DPRK is still in a state of war with the U.S. It's called a black out." - Che explaining why orbital nightime pictures of NK show few lights. Seriously.
Comment
-
Nobody noticed how you could have major settlements in LotR without the least bit of agriculture going on, except in the lands of the hobbits? I suppose it's possible the hobbits exported their agricultural surplus but weren't they supposed to be isolated and little known?
The combat sequences are doubly irritating in this genre of movies. Consider the battle of Minas Tirith in The Return of the King. Mordor's troops are in the midst of storming the city when Theoden's cavalry arrives. Since they had been totally unnoticed and unexpected there obviously was great factor of surprise. With some proper intelligence they shouldn't have been unnoticed but anyhow. You'd expect Theoden to capitalise on the surprise factor and instantly assault the undefended rear, especially because he was outnumbered. Instead, he had to hold a minutes-long speech and allow Mordor's troops to reorganise themselves to build a defensive line. This could and should have shrunk Theoden's chances of success to 0%.DISCLAIMER: the author of the above written texts does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for any offence and insult; disrespect, arrogance and related forms of demeaning behaviour; discrimination based on race, gender, age, income class, body mass, living area, political voting-record, football fan-ship and musical preference; insensitivity towards material, emotional or spiritual distress; and attempted emotional or financial black-mailing, skirt-chasing or death-threats perceived by the reader of the said written texts.
Comment
-
Or food. Remember its one of the five things that can't be magically created (I wonder what that other four are... perhaps clothing is one of them).
Comment
-
I'm thinking Gamp's Law consists of:
1) Food
2) Clothing
3) Metals (ie, why money can be coined in wizarding world)
4) ??
5) ???“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
- John 13:34-35 (NRSV)
Comment
-
That doesn't make any sense. So you can magically create a live bunny and cooking equipment, but not a prepared bunny?DISCLAIMER: the author of the above written texts does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for any offence and insult; disrespect, arrogance and related forms of demeaning behaviour; discrimination based on race, gender, age, income class, body mass, living area, political voting-record, football fan-ship and musical preference; insensitivity towards material, emotional or spiritual distress; and attempted emotional or financial black-mailing, skirt-chasing or death-threats perceived by the reader of the said written texts.
Comment
-
The Weasley arguement is the best mentioned, but with seventh book the arguement becomes useless now that there is proof that there are certian things that can't be created through magic (as Imran has said). I thought it is quite useless before the seventh book because it seemed clear that there were limitations to magic in Harry Potter.
Imran, I think one of the other laws has to do with things belonging to someone else.
Colon, I think anything edible can be classified as food.USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!
The video may avatar is from
Comment
Comment