RetroFed Forum
Your home away from modern life.
Travelling on a flying carpet must be terrifying
Post Reply
AuthorMessage
Waldelfe feddit.org Waldelfe@feddit.org
Joined: 2025-03-08
Quote

You are some 2-3 km in the air. There's nothing to hold on to. You are sitting on a piece of cloth that is barely large enough to accommodate you. No railings, no seatbelts, nothing to hold on to or stop you from falling to your death if the carpet gets into turbulences or a strong gust of wind makes you lose your balance. And let's not forget that most depictions of magic carpet flights have the carpet move very erratically because they have a mind of their own.

143   Original
matsdis piefed.social matsdis@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-10-17
#2 · Quote Reply

"In case of an emergency, Exits are here, here, here, here, and here."

-- Walt Disney's original Aladdin

"I'm not going to ride on a magic carpet! I'm afraid of grounds!"
"You mean heights, and stop being silly!"
"I know what I mean! It's the grounds that kill you!"

-- Terry Pratchet, "Sourcery"

69
betterdeadthanreddit lemmy.world betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-06
#3 · Quote Reply

They typically don't show the mounting pegs or explain where they fit. Maneuvers with a high "clench factor" end up being safer than they look.

13
Kühlschrank lemmy.world makyo@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-22
#4 · Quote Reply

It seems dangerous but how often do you hear about accidents?

49
Otter lemmy.ca otter@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2023-06-05
#5 · Quote Reply

most depictions of magic carpet flights have the carpet move very erratically because they have a mind of their own

That might be a good thing. If you fall, the carpet will rush down to catch you

14
betterdeadthanreddit lemmy.world betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-06
#6 · Quote Reply

It seems dangerous but how often do you hear about accidents?

That's because they all get swept under the rug.

108
_deleted_ aussie.zone _deleted_@aussie.zone
Joined: 2025-10-15
#7 · Quote Reply

I’ve only ever ridden mine a few tens of meters above the ground, but you’re right, still high enough to hurt if I fell off. It’s not really as unstable as you make out, more like a floating mat in a swimming pool.

7
Waldelfe feddit.org Waldelfe@feddit.org
Joined: 2025-03-08
#8 · Quote Reply

most depictions of magic carpet flights have the carpet move very erratically because they have a mind of their own That might be a good thing. If you fall, the carpet will rush down to catch you

Feels like a good way to break your neck if you land on the carpet wrong...

5
turboSnail piefed.europe.pub turboSnail@piefed.europe.pub
Joined: 2026-02-01
#9 · Quote Reply

It seems dangerous but how often do you hear about accidents?

Likewise, riding a unicorn is completely safe.
How many horse related accidents have you heard of? Many. How about unicorns then? Zero.

11
sockinggood piefed.social sockinggood@piefed.social
Joined: 2026-01-29
#10 · Quote Reply

The carpet is magic right? Maybe it creates a local gravity field like warp drives, so there is almost no internal acceleration. Or the magic makes you weightless.

10
hitstun feddit.online hitstun@feddit.online
Joined: 2024-10-03
#11 · (edited) Quote Reply

Magic carpets are generally safe. It's hard to fall and get hurt unless you're stupid.

If it's you doing the #levitation magic, it helps to focus on an object underneath you, like a carpet, a broom or whatever. Balancing on it is sitting on a pool floatie. If you got yourself up in the air and lose the carpet somehow, you probably have enough flying skill to land safely without one. Now, if you fly 2-3 km up and lose consciousness from lack of oxygen, you're cooked, but that's your own fault.

If you aren't magical and the carpet itself doing all the work, then the carpet is your mount, like a horse. Well-trained mounts can feel the rider's weight shift around and try to keep you seated. Just don't make the carpet angry, or it might buck you off.

12
baggachipz sh.itjust.works baggachipz@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2023-06-19
#12 · Quote Reply

Not to mention the whole thing is one big crumple zone

4
teft piefed.social teft@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-07-22
#13 · (edited) Quote Reply

Carpet is sentient so he would dive after you if you fell off. He’s cool like that.

4
rynn piefed.social chahn.chris@piefed.social
Joined: 2026-02-16
#14 · Quote Reply

All I can say to this is, it’s magic. So, you get to stay on if the carpet wants you to stay on.

That’s is, that’s your protection.

7
AmidFuror fedia.io AmidFuror@fedia.io
Joined: 2024-03-11
#15 · Quote Reply

Sorry, but where did you get your information? Nobody is flying magic carpets above 300m.

19
dustycups aussie.zone prex@aussie.zone
Joined: 2023-06-27
#16 · Quote Reply

Sorry, but where did you get your information? Nobody is flying magic carpets above 300m.

11
Admetus sopuli.xyz Admetus@sopuli.xyz
Joined: 2023-06-07
#17 · Quote Reply

In 'Rise of Endymion', the 'Magic Carpet' creates a kind of force field that keeps its occupants in, and the wind out. But you can still slam and splatter into lots of bits if you hit a rock wall. The force field isn't that powerful.

3
Redacted lemmy.zip Redacted@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2025-01-14
#18 · Quote Reply

Its magic, magic takes care of all of that

8
billwashere lemmy.world billwashere@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-12
#19 · Quote Reply

8
morto piefed.social morto@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-07-03
#20 · Quote Reply

magic

4
Post Reply
Back to top