Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-4893169-20140923012345/@comment-24040907-20141003033042

Stephenie Meyer attempted to mix science with magic in her novel, and it ended disastrously, because she had inadequate knowledge of the science she was trying to convey.

Likewise, technology can be difficult to infuse with magic. Now, magic can be whatever you want, it can take on any trait and interact with technology in any way in this fictional universe you are creating. But technology is a set science, and cannot be manipulated if you wish to remain scientifically accurate.

For example, if a magic-wielder were to give off an electromagnetic pulse upon casting magic (or have an EMP aura about them) they would utterly fry any electrical device, but a crank-spun movie projector would remain unharmed.

The same is true for most gadgets that could be considered "steampunk" such as old cameras or record players. And who knows, maybe magic disrupts other things, such as radio wavelengths or Wi-Fi signals? Perhaps a sign that a magical person is nearby would be all phones losing signal, or street-lamps flickering.