That makes sense. However, I sort of expected people to have strong feelings about a small wizard population too. Many people feel that the ministry wouldn't really work or be necessary with a small population.

 

Filled it out.

Albus Dumbledore, predictably, is DLP's favorite. Not complaining about that one.

On the topic of "There is no such thing as an inherently bad story idea. It all depends on the execution." I wonder if we have a proper discussion thread for it yet (probably yes, and will look for it later), but I fond myself torn between both options.
I used to believe it verbatim, but now I accept it with caveats - I'd say "There is no such thing as a story idea that couldn't be executed competently, but some crazier ideas require deconstruction or even subversion of the original idea to become a good story, giving the one doing the execution an unfair drawback."

 

That's probably because of Taure's breakdown of HP Magic in his Headcannon document. It changed my mind on a lot of things, at least.

Also: Go Dumbledore!

 

I thought it of it more along the lines of 'A sufficiently well cast shield charm can protect against nukes, but a badly cast one would not'.

 

I see no one’s yet decided that the books aren’t cannon.

Also apparently no one here yearning for a aSoIaF-style “modern AU” fic where Hogwarts is a muggle school. Thank god.

Edit: Lol that one person just loving the helpful Goblins trope.

 

Speak for yourself, the only canon comes from the lego sets.

 

The lego videogames are poor imitations, at best, to say nothing of the non lego videogames. They really went off the rails there.

Lego sets -> lego videogames -> non lego videogames -> TCG -> Harry Potter UNO

There's your tier list, you animals.

 

Hogwarts House Mystery app adds some cool worldbuildling imo, but should def not be seen as canon.

 

But wouldn't the quality of the shield charm affect it's ability to protect against powerful magic, not muggle weapons? What makes a nuke more effective against a weak shield charm than a bullet? Is it because of its physical properties?

 

I get to stay in the "young" category one more year!

 

i am in the child category for another year.

 

I don't have a magical based reason for it. I just think it makes for a better story to have feats that would be otherwise impossible be done by a talented character. If you're going to drop a nuke on your characters then having them survive it should be something worth distinction. I mean, unless you've going for a wizard vs muggle curbstomp fic, but they're shit in the first place so that shouldn't be a consideration.

 

That specific example did get discussed in one of the various tech vs magic threads we've had, although it was a few years ago I think. But that was exactly my thinking behind choosing no for that question - not beyond the capabilities of magic, but (should be) beyond all but the most exceptional wizards and witches.

 

Why a Nuke though? Wouldn't giving powerful characters feats of protecting against powerful magic be more impressive? Especially if they are able to do more advanced stuff like reflect the magic, or do other variations on the shield charm?

 

Kinda, but at the same time not really. Showcasing a character's skill against magic requires pitting them against someone with equal or greater skill, in which case you're better off showing either the protagonist's grasp of tactics and lateral thinking to win, or having previously established a piece of knowledge become relevant enough to give the character an edge in the fight. In story terms this is a Man vs Man conflict, where philosophy, wits and conviction are the primary attributes at play.

Against something like a nuke it's not a matter of sideways thinking and trying to outplay your opponent. It's just a matter of 'Am I good enough?' Story-wise it fits into Man vs Environment, which focuses on mastery of skill, knowledge and determination.

They're different conflicts and fulfil different story niches, so I treat them differently when I encounter them.

 

I voted no in the 'nuke can be stopped by a shield' because in my mind a protego stops magic and kinetic force (I.e flying shrapnel, bullets) . But a nuke dropped on you would also turn you into ash from the high temperature/ liquify you from the with radiation. Can a shield charm protect you from the high temperatures in the Sahara? If it can't then it really shouldn't protect you from a nuke. In my mind, at least.

 

Different things entirely, at least from the way I view magic.

Magic isn't a physical process so while it does trump natural laws in pretty much all cases, it doesn't adhere to natural processes in doing so. The shield charm is a protection from harm that starts off blocking magic, but with greater skill includes protection from physical harm. Harm in this case being an intent to harm. There is no intent behind the Sun heating the Sahara to the point of danger, but there is intent behind a nuclear weapon.