Thoughts on polyjuice...
Jan. 12th, 2006 11:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
So, we know that polyjuice changes you more than just superficially - Crabbe and Goyle became girls (hee), Harry's eyesight improved....
Question: What happens if you polyjuice into the form of somebody who has a fatal form of, say, cancer, and you stay in that form for a while? Will the cancer progress in you and kill you? What if it was something like diabetes, and you didn't know? Could you die that way?
Question: What if *you* have cancer (or whatever)? Can you polyjuice into somebody else's shape, and just stay there forever? Would the disease come with you into this new form?
Question: If the polyjuiced person is sick when you take the sample, sick with something not part of the body, something contagious, can you pick up the disease while in their polyjuiced form, and spend an hour coughing? Can you get sick in your own form that way?
Question: What if you use an old sample to polyjuice? One from a decade ago? Would you polyjuice into the form the person was then?
Question: If that's so, couldn't that be used to extend your lifespan? You could polyjuice into your younger self, so long as you had enough samples, couldn't you?
Question: When the fakemoody polyjuiced into Moody, he lost a leg, which then regrew after the polyjuice potion wore off. What if he'd lost a limb while polyjuiced? Would that remain lost in his real form?
Question: What happens if you polyjuice into the form of somebody who has a fatal form of, say, cancer, and you stay in that form for a while? Will the cancer progress in you and kill you? What if it was something like diabetes, and you didn't know? Could you die that way?
Question: What if *you* have cancer (or whatever)? Can you polyjuice into somebody else's shape, and just stay there forever? Would the disease come with you into this new form?
Question: If the polyjuiced person is sick when you take the sample, sick with something not part of the body, something contagious, can you pick up the disease while in their polyjuiced form, and spend an hour coughing? Can you get sick in your own form that way?
Question: What if you use an old sample to polyjuice? One from a decade ago? Would you polyjuice into the form the person was then?
Question: If that's so, couldn't that be used to extend your lifespan? You could polyjuice into your younger self, so long as you had enough samples, couldn't you?
Question: When the fakemoody polyjuiced into Moody, he lost a leg, which then regrew after the polyjuice potion wore off. What if he'd lost a limb while polyjuiced? Would that remain lost in his real form?
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:31 am (UTC)The limb question is interesting. I'm assuming that if Moody polyjuices into someone with two legs, he'll regrow his leg. How does that affect his phantom pain? Has the wizarding world found an effective way to deal with that problem? Because my dad's remaining pain seems to be mainly neurological, so I wonder.
I'm really kind of curious as to how the wizarding world deals with neurological issues in general. Even with magic, messing around in the brain seems dodgy.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:37 am (UTC)Not that that should stop them or anything....
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:39 am (UTC)The recommended treatment now for my dad is that they use electric shocks. Apparently there's something they want to do with his spine that my dad isn't really going for.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 06:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:41 am (UTC)We mere muggles know that a lot of who we are has to do with how our brains develop. No two people will have identical brains. The brain is a physical part of the mind.
I can accept that if you polyjuice into somebody, your mind itself doesn't change, at least in the short term. But does the brain? If you polyjuice into somebody who has hyper-sensitive hearing, will your hearing change? If you are clumsy because of neurological problems, and you polyjuice into the body of somebody who doesn't have those problems, who is gifted physically - will your own ability to move alter while in that person's body?
Here's the pertinant question: If your brain also alters shape somewhat, and the chemicals within the brain as well (why not), then will you suffer lasting effects if you stay in somebody else's body too long?
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:47 am (UTC)Crouch obviously gained the ability to use Moody's magical eye when he used Polyjuice. How much of that involved altering his brain in order to replace his normal eye with a magical one?
Also, is Polyjuice addictive?
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:51 am (UTC)I believe that Felix Felicis is potentially addictive, and with long-term negative consequences. How long would it take, having Felix tell you what to do, for you to lose the ability to make good decisions without the potion? I believe it's addictive because, dude, all that luck?
I believe that Cheering Charms are potentially addictive - happiness? Euphoria on demand? Yay!
But something that doesn't have any direct consequences (that we know of) on the mind? I don't know.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 06:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 02:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 08:00 pm (UTC)Of course, our only examples of people under the effect of long-term transformations are people who were crazy to begin with (Barty Jr., Wormtail, Voldemort), and it's safe to say the experience didn't make any of them saner.
(Although, in the case of Barty Jr., the guy he was transforming into wasn't exactly a paragon of mental stability, either.)
no subject
Date: 2006-01-14 02:54 am (UTC)I think it's safe to say that transmogrification magic in general doesn't have any significant effect on the mind in that "universe".
Ah, but we know that when Sirius is in dog form, his thoughts are less complex. He's able to tell us this as a human.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-14 02:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-14 04:06 am (UTC)This applies to people who change into forms that suit them, of course. What about people who change into forms that *don't* suit him - would that alter them in a way that we can see?
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 05:05 am (UTC)And if so, can I have some polyjuice potion. I'll just use it for a couple of hours a day, but it'd make getting housework done so much easier.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 05:10 am (UTC)Interesting question... perhaps it's a skill that would come more quickly the longer you spent in that person's body? Then, question: Would you be able to retain the skill when back in your own body?
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 05:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 05:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:34 am (UTC)the more i think about it it the more polyjuice seems like an extra convienent dues ex machina rather than a well thaught out idea.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 05:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:31 am (UTC)The limb question is interesting. I'm assuming that if Moody polyjuices into someone with two legs, he'll regrow his leg. How does that affect his phantom pain? Has the wizarding world found an effective way to deal with that problem? Because my dad's remaining pain seems to be mainly neurological, so I wonder.
I'm really kind of curious as to how the wizarding world deals with neurological issues in general. Even with magic, messing around in the brain seems dodgy.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:37 am (UTC)Not that that should stop them or anything....
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:39 am (UTC)The recommended treatment now for my dad is that they use electric shocks. Apparently there's something they want to do with his spine that my dad isn't really going for.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 06:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:41 am (UTC)We mere muggles know that a lot of who we are has to do with how our brains develop. No two people will have identical brains. The brain is a physical part of the mind.
I can accept that if you polyjuice into somebody, your mind itself doesn't change, at least in the short term. But does the brain? If you polyjuice into somebody who has hyper-sensitive hearing, will your hearing change? If you are clumsy because of neurological problems, and you polyjuice into the body of somebody who doesn't have those problems, who is gifted physically - will your own ability to move alter while in that person's body?
Here's the pertinant question: If your brain also alters shape somewhat, and the chemicals within the brain as well (why not), then will you suffer lasting effects if you stay in somebody else's body too long?
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:47 am (UTC)Crouch obviously gained the ability to use Moody's magical eye when he used Polyjuice. How much of that involved altering his brain in order to replace his normal eye with a magical one?
Also, is Polyjuice addictive?
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:51 am (UTC)I believe that Felix Felicis is potentially addictive, and with long-term negative consequences. How long would it take, having Felix tell you what to do, for you to lose the ability to make good decisions without the potion? I believe it's addictive because, dude, all that luck?
I believe that Cheering Charms are potentially addictive - happiness? Euphoria on demand? Yay!
But something that doesn't have any direct consequences (that we know of) on the mind? I don't know.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 06:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 02:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 08:00 pm (UTC)Of course, our only examples of people under the effect of long-term transformations are people who were crazy to begin with (Barty Jr., Wormtail, Voldemort), and it's safe to say the experience didn't make any of them saner.
(Although, in the case of Barty Jr., the guy he was transforming into wasn't exactly a paragon of mental stability, either.)
no subject
Date: 2006-01-14 02:54 am (UTC)I think it's safe to say that transmogrification magic in general doesn't have any significant effect on the mind in that "universe".
Ah, but we know that when Sirius is in dog form, his thoughts are less complex. He's able to tell us this as a human.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-14 02:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-14 04:06 am (UTC)This applies to people who change into forms that suit them, of course. What about people who change into forms that *don't* suit him - would that alter them in a way that we can see?
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 05:05 am (UTC)And if so, can I have some polyjuice potion. I'll just use it for a couple of hours a day, but it'd make getting housework done so much easier.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 05:10 am (UTC)Interesting question... perhaps it's a skill that would come more quickly the longer you spent in that person's body? Then, question: Would you be able to retain the skill when back in your own body?
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 05:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 05:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:34 am (UTC)the more i think about it it the more polyjuice seems like an extra convienent dues ex machina rather than a well thaught out idea.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 04:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-13 05:42 am (UTC)