As a Headscratchers subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
open/close all folders
Dragons and the Omnipotence Paradox
Given that animus magic is basically a 'do anything button', why hasn't any animi enchanted it to no longer drive its wielders insane? Or transmute that insanity into, say, physical dust outside of the wielder's body, or deflect it into lesser animals? Even if animus magic is fueled by the bit of soul it destroys, there's no reason they couldn't enchant it to consume something else instead. Nobody's even tried.
- Because later books suggest that the magic isn't literally consuming their souls. It's having unlimited power itself that drives them evil, which no matter what counterspell they cast will still happen.
- I would say that both are true. Given what Darkstalker did with the scroll to protect himself and the fact that Albatross didn't really seem like a mass murderer before proving he was indicate that the power itself is corrupting in addition to the general ability of power to corrupt.
- Actually, Darkstalker did just that after freeing himself from his mountain prison. However, the events of Darkness of Dragons showed that Darkstalker still turned evil due to being drunk with power. Ironically, enchanting himself so he didn't lose his soul only made Darkstalker turn evil faster. With his soul seemingly protected, Darkstalker began using his animus magic to deal with everything life threw at him.
- I haven't read the newest books, but didn't Sunny's father change it to turn him to stone rather than take his soul? Maybe that's the best he could do.
- In the epilogue of Darkness of Dragons, several animi have taken a specifically-written vow that protects them from soul corruption and limits the stuff they can use their magic for. Presumably this vow will become an institution in the future.
Using Animus Magic To Obtain Godhood
Drawing off the header above, why hasn't any animus dragon simply just enchanted him/herself into a god? Based on what we've seen animus magic do so far, it's certainly plausible that one could make him/herself omnipotent.
- It's human nature to want to be liked for who you are, that's why Darkstalker didn't brainwash everyone. Even then, "solving" his self-esteem issues by magically charming most dragons only made his insecurities worse. The more automatic and artificial love is, the less valuable it feels to you. That's why he jumped at the chance to see Foeslayer again.
- Gods are not really a concept in this universe, unless you're talking about the Great Ice Dragon which no one knows nothing about (it may be explored in The Dangerous Gift). Since Darkstalker has enchanted himself to be invulnerable, immortal, and loved by all and also to be immune to all magic but his own, he would have definitely jumped at the chance had religion been a part of dragon culture. It's very likely that he simply wasn't smart enough to think of doing that. Remember: Qibli points out half a dozen things Darkstalker himself never thought of.
Fathom's Free Will
After Indigo smashed the cup, why didn't Darkstalker brainwash Fathom directly, or try enchanting his food or something? The figurine thing shows that animus magic doesn't even need to touch the victim, just be on an object that's in the same room as them. Yeah, he may have felt satisfied with getting Indigo out of the way, but his original plan was to erase a lot more than just Indigo and Fathom's relationship, and he was constantly annoyed after the event by Fathom's PTSD. It seems unlikely he would've just given up after that one failure.
Tsunami's Capitivity
After Tsunami was revealed to be kidnapped by an unknown captor when Qibli and Winter used the obsidian mirror, they attempted to rescue her but were then led off track by Anemone. After that, no one ever mentions Tsunami or her mysterious captor ever again. What ever happened to staying loyal with your friend 'till the very end?
- She was mentioned in the epilogue.
- She was kidnapped by Foeslayer who later gives Qibli a map to the cave she shoved her in (she would have let Tsunami out but apparently she was shouting some very detailed threats) and Qibli later gives the map to someone else who I can't remember at the moment.
Qibli gave the map to Starflight and Fatespeaker.
Deathbringer: Master Assassin?
So Deathbringer is supposed to be the best assassin the Nightwings have, right? Then how did he fail to hit Blaze in the proper artery. In general he seemed majorly off his game at that point (especially compared to how he was in Winglets: Assassin) literally announcing his presence to the dragonets and being easily defeated by Glory.
- He was doing this deliberately. In Winglets: Assassin, he believed all he was destined to do was kill and follow orders and was taught to put his mission before his emotions, which was what got his mother, Quickstrike killed. At the end of Winglets: Assassin, he vows to always put the people he loved over his mission. He was likely disillusioned with the Nightwings after what happened to his mother, and in order to defect from them he purposely allowed himself to be defeated by Glory.
Animuses (Animi?) and Insanity
So does Animus Magic corrupt your soul or not? The books don't seem to give a straight answer.
- I think that's largely the point. Certainly, verifiably, Animus dragons have a tendency to go off the deep end. But there will never really be a way to separate out the use of magic from the desire and temptation to use magic. Jeroba's story in The Dangerous Gift shows a person who eventually just forgets to double check herself; Darkstalker never really had the self-awareness to wonder if he was doing wrong after all. Those are the most direct narrations we get; both imply that it's the way they stopped looking at the world as a place that holds other people just as worthy as they were and instead looking at it as something to mold to their liking that corrupts them. Whether that's supernatural or psychological doesn't really matter.
