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I mean, if it's a Nanoha crossover, it's explicit that most of Earth completely lacks the ability to use magic. Not just doesn't know, can't. It's present on different worlds in portions of the population, but on Earth it's the majority of the population.

So "oh, it's actually high, but people don't know how to use it" doesn't fit, because according to that one, it's genuine disability.
 
I mean, if it's a Nanoha crossover, it's explicit that most of Earth completely lacks the ability to use magic. Not just doesn't know, can't. It's present on different worlds in portions of the population, but on Earth it's the majority of the population.

So "oh, it's actually high, but people don't know how to use it" doesn't fit, because according to that one, it's genuine disability.
The fact that it's a crossover of multiple settings means some things will not apply.

And as I said, multiple factors.

It could also be that the fact that there's less magic in he world led to people in general not having the natural potential to use magic.
 
Which plot did the police bust this time?

[x] [Shapelin] Bench Press! The more weight you put on, the stronger your punches will be!
[x] [Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[x] [Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
 
[x] [Shapelin] The Treadmill! Run, run, run! Gotta work on your endurance
[x] [Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[x] [Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
 
the reason why magic is so rare is in order to make the Sailor Moon state of affairs work properly with the two crossovers that are going to show up once you reach the point of being a polity because they have starting status quos in which magic is a rarity among the population of Earth

...As we gather the resources, support, and real estate required to make the transition from Street-Level to Nation-Level, there is one particular resource that, if found, will put us leaps and bounds over every other magical polity.

A copy of the Moon Kingdom's legal code.

Let me explain. Assuming that Usagi finds out there is a way to remove the blockers that most people have allowing them to freely cast magic, she is probably going to try to advocate for a position of "Magic is a universal right." However, the current "mundane" legal systems are not equipped to monitor and judge which magical usage would classify as a crime. The other magical polities are a bit better, but due to how they have been developed viewing magic as a rarity, they may either assign too few rights to magic users (any use of magic not explicitly authorized by the Inquisition must be punished), or too many rights (magic is a symbol of divine right; it is not a crime to use any type of magic on "muggles").

The Moon Kingdom's legal code, on the other hand, was developed using universal magic as its baseline, and hopefully lists all the particulars and precedents for what usage of magic is acceptable and which is not. (Is there any acceptable context for casting a Want-It-Need-It spell? Can you use a glamoured picture of yourself for your driver's license? If using Dispel Magic on a criminal to stop a Fireball also ends up stopping his magical pacemaker, who is liable?)

We would still need someone with an eye for detail (apologies in advance, Ami) to go through the code to decipher it and potentially adjust it for a society where everyone doesn't have magic yet, but having at least a sustainable framework would go a long way to establishing the legitimacy of the New Moon Kingdom.
 
Okay, to dispense with all diagetic explanations, the reason why magic is so rare is in order to make the Sailor Moon state of affairs work properly with the two crossovers that are going to show up once you reach the point of being a polity because they have starting status quos in which magic is a rarity among the population of Earth, and I am essentially attempting to reverse engineer back from those states a reasonable explanation for why Magic has gone from ubiquitous to rare.

If you have alternative ideas for how this could have happened, I would love to hear them.
/screeching as train of thought switches from Watsonian rails to Doylist rails.

Easiest way is probably the 'magic came back' option. Something caused magical energy to not enter/be generated in/ leak out of/etc the solar system. A few bits of magic might survive around extremely potent artefacts or locations but for the most part nothing. Then recently whatever caused this ended and magic is gradually returning. Magic isn't rare, but it was rare before the modern day and no one in a position to know that the magic came back was inclined to tell anyone.

Could also go with the 'exposure' method. Everyone starts with little to no magical potential. (Unless their soul is made of planet seeds or whatever.) When exposed to magic people absorb a bit and their potential grows. Although actual ability still requires training and effort. Thus someone in a magic using society 'starts' developing at birth and will have decent potential by the time they are in school. But someone in a non-magical society would need to first learn the tiny bits they can handle and slowly build themselves up over decades.
Unless of course they spend their time being carried across the rooftops by transformed heroins, basking in the magical power they radiate.


Though honestly my criticism was more "Why would Ami think that/ raise the point." rather than the actual state of the setting.
 
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[X][Shapelin] The Hyperextension lift! Gotta work the Gluts!
 
[X][Shapelin] The Treadmill! Run, run, run! Gotta work on your endurance
[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
 
Earth could also just be a bit odd magically too. Polarized might be a better way to put it.

I think I remember some Nanoha fic once bringing up the point about that Earth having a weird scew of magic too. Like, just for the three known mages from it when its probably at least scanned on some occasions for magic going on, there's an Admiral, Nanoha, and Hayate.

From that setting you either have almost nothing or you're goddamn sun.

This would still likely lead to a magical and mundane(?) split with the sheer difference and nothing... between them? Eh.

It entirely possible something else is going on. Like someone in ancient times either trying to cripple humans or someone seeing a need to yeet the magic and potential of humans upwards in time to either help them or prevent enemies from being ready for them or... something.

And then you get maybe-a-dragon(-descendent) military medic woman punching out a Youma by drop kicking it from fifty feet up.

Or something.
 
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[X][Shapelin] The Treadmill! Run, run, run! Gotta work on your endurance
[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
 
[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[X][Shapelin] Bench Press! The more weight you put on, the stronger your punches will be!
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
 
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[X][Shapelin] The Treadmill! Run, run, run! Gotta work on your endurance
 
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[X][Shapelin] The Treadmill! Run, run, run! Gotta work on your endurance
[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
 
If you have alternative ideas for how this could have happened, I would love to hear them.

I think a good way to view magic, is as a muscle. With the collapse of the Silver Millennium the vast majority of knowledge on magic was lost. Without a way to use magic it basically atrophy. People can heal from this but it requires time and special exercises, which could fit into the quest.
 
Okay, so, big issue is we don't know what crossovers are happening, but I'm guessing Nanoha is going to be one of them. As such, here are my notes on magic potential with Nanoha:

1) Linker Core's and their potential/power/abilities are things you're born with. Barring stuff like augmentation/surgery/damage, it remains unchanged.*
2) Linker Core's are at least partially genetic: certain families have demonstrated greater strength, and genetic engineering to improve lineages can and does occur.
3) The amount of magical energy of the environment has demonstrated no effect on the magical potential of those born in them.
4) The majority of people born on Earth lack them. Why is never explained. In fact, a family that originated on Earth, the Nakajima, continued to experience a lack of magical ability even after relocating to a magic-filled world for generations.**

Lack of use does not decrease magical potential, though like any skill, you will get rusty without practice. In fact, it's overuse that causes a decrease in magical potential.

*Note that using external sources is common, and technique matters a lot, so there are workarounds.
**The latest generations don't suffer this issue, but they're adopted, not genetic descendants.

So, taking these details into account, if Nanoha is a crossover, can people suggest reasons for why most people can't use magic that don't rely on "most people can, they just don't know it", "lack of background magical energy" or "they just need to practice hard enough"?

Because here's one that ties things back to the ancient fall, but isn't my previous suggestion of "natural selection": Queen Metalia, as part of a "fuck you" as she was defeated, cursed the survivors so that their descendants would be born without linker cores/magical ability, with a few either being missed or strong enough to resist.

If the curse is lifted, it won't grant people magic(they were never born with it), but children born after the curse is lifted will.
 
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[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[X][Shapelin] Bench Press! The more weight you put on, the stronger your punches will be!

There doesn't have to be only one reason for the decline of magic.
If we're just pulling from the Sailor Moon part of the crossover we could have:
  • The Youma army killed the people with the most magic education/potential as part of their coup of Earth's government , so the descendants of the people who survived didn't have a lot to work with learn how to use magic.
  • Awakening magic is hard and counter-intuitive to awaken and the knowledge of how to do so was destroyed in the fall.
  • Sailor Saturn used up most of the magic in the solar system when she wiped it clean, and it's just now returning to usable levels.
  • Maybe a lot of the magic was being used by Queen Serenity's Reincarnate Everyone spell and is only usable again now that people have been reincarnated.

On a side note, that 15 funds reward will be great for buying stuff from the magic shop. We've talked before about the Uranus Fan and any other magic textbooks, but I'd like to make an argument for the Magic Iron Teapot. Having a curse-removing object on hand to study could be helpful for Usagi's development of Moon Healing Escalation.
 
So, taking these details into account, if Nanoha is a crossover, can people suggest reasons for why most people can't use magic that don't rely on "most people can, they just don't know it", "lack of background magical energy" or "they just need to practice hard enough"?
I probably could. However I refuse to support GrimDark worldbuilding. And 'most people are simply incapable of using magic, ever' is grim as hell.
 
A rowing machine and stationary bike are not here? It's a shame - then perhaps so.

[X][Shapelin] Leg Press Machine! The more weight you put on, the stronger your kicks will be!
[X][Shapelin] I'm so tired - I'm going to take a bath
[X][Shapelin] ...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
 
[X][Shapelin]...Wasn't there some other reason that you came here?
[X][Shapelin] The Treadmill! Run, run, run! Gotta work on your endurance
[X][Shapelin] The Vertical Climber! CARDIO IS GOOD FOR YOU! HOO-RAH!
 
I probably could. However I refuse to support GrimDark worldbuilding. And 'most people are simply incapable of using magic, ever' is grim as hell.
1) It's not even close to grimdark. Now, "most people can't use magic, and thus their lives are considered worthless/they're damned to hell/whatever", that's grimdark.
2) I disagree. A person's capability to use magic would not determine their worth(unless you're a jerk), and external aids and alternatives exist.

Like, if you're claiming that, I'm going to have to point to the Sailor Senshi and ask if it's "grim(dark)" that most people can't be Sailor Senshi.
 
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2) I disagree. A person's capability to use magic would not determine their worth(unless you're a jerk), and external aids and alternatives exist.

This gives me an idea for how magic could have disappeared from the world.

The main reason was that even the people that were their own source of magic wouldn't do so manually.
Doing magic manually would be like operating the computer with a terminal. You can do a lot of crazy stuff when you mastered it, but it has a steep learning curve. In a complex and it would be logical that most people would operate magical tools in a highly specialized way, because of how hard it is to learn magic properly in comparison to learning how to power up magical tools.
And after the fall of the moon kingdom most of the magical tools started to fell into disrepair because there weren't enough specialists to who knew how to maintain and build the more complicated stuff.

This is why most people would look into different non-magical solutions in order to replace the few magical artifacts once those broke down. With a few exceptions of course.
 
This gives me an idea for how magic could have disappeared from the world.

The main reason was that even the people that were their own source of magic wouldn't do so manually.
Doing magic manually would be like operating the computer with a terminal. You can do a lot of crazy stuff when you mastered it, but it has a steep learning curve. In a complex and it would be logical that most people would operate magical tools in a highly specialized way, because of how hard it is to learn magic properly in comparison to learning how to power up magical tools.
And after the fall of the moon kingdom most of the magical tools started to fell into disrepair because there weren't enough specialists to who knew how to maintain and build the more complicated stuff.

This is why most people would look into different non-magical solutions in order to replace the few magical artifacts once those broke down. With a few exceptions of course.
This, is actually very feasible, remember Ami and her little super computer?
There is a system built into the Mercury Super Computer that allows Mercury to set several of her spells into the machine, at which point the system will handle all the complicated parts of handling and casting and manipulating the magic. Ami has to pause, as she begins to set the spells into the machine...

Just how lazy was her previous life?

Ami had to actually put a little work into reshaping her Sabão Spray spell into something that could actually be used to fight. And from looking at the Mercury Computer, it seems that the Spray may have been the only spell that the previous Mercury ever used.

On top of all that, there is still the fact that the computer handles all the spellcasting... It leaves Ami questioning what kind of person her previous life was. Still, the spells that she manages to set into the computer's quick cast system are quite good spells.
As Ami begins to look at the other spells that the Mercury Super Computer offers up to her, a thought does seep into her brain.

It seems to the blue haired girl that her past life allowed that machine to run everything about her magic, and that just... Ami struggles to understand that point of view. After all, if she were capable of using her magic without being transformed, then she'd-

The train of thought is derailed with all the force and energy of a crashing plane as another thought slams hard into her head.

What, exactly, is preventing her from using her magic when not transformed? She is supposed to be some kind of reincarnation, the previous Sailor Mercury reborn. Which means that if the previous Sailor Mercury could use her magic without transforming, then she should be able to as well.

Closing her eyes, Ami allows herself to hum as the thought takes root. The energy builds in her body, a thrumming chill of power that exudes from her heart. She allows the machine to shape the formation of spell, but does not cast it.

Not yet.

No, because Ami's mind is entirely focused inwards - Focused on the way that the energy builds up inside of her. Focused on the way that the energy flows through her body. The way that the spell readies itself, requiring nothing more than the incantation to activate the power gathered, and then. "Sabão-" The girl cries out, before flicking the switch in the back of her mind and the depths of her soul, unfurling the magical enchantment which makes her Sailor Mercury, leaving only Ami behind. "Spray!"

Ami can feel the energy flowing through her body, up from her chest and down her arms, but something is distinctly different this time. When Ami was Sailor Mercury, her magic flows calmly - Completely under the control of the machine connected to the girl, but now that the spell is flowing through Ami, her magic...

Ami can feel the energy flow in eddies and whorls, and chills run down the girl's arms as parts of her magic begin to slip from her control. It is now that Ami begins to realize that this may have been a terrible mistake. Closer and closer to her hands, the colder the girl's body becomes. Ami's hands begin to burn from the cold, even as a small cloud of mist begins to waft off the whole of the girl's arms.

The blue haired girl does everything she can to keep herself from screaming out - She is in control of the spell, she can fix this. She can fix this. But the pain builds and builds and builds, until Ami drops down to her knees, a sharp cry of pain escaping her lips. The cry breaks the girl's focus, her control over her magic lapses, and the spell collapses, the mist fading away to nothingness.

The moment that Ami cries out, Usagi Moves, crossing the distance between Naru and Ami somehow almost instantaneously. Usagi's eyes widen, looking at the way that Ami's arms have turned a flushed pink at the elbows, but deepening to a more painful looking red the further down the girl's arm that she looks. There are no words, there is no incantation - Usagi's eyes shift from horror to determination, and with a flash of light so quick that it seems almost more a flicker, Sailor Moon places her hands over Ami's arms.

Usagi doesn't know what it is that she is doing, but everything in her heart and soul and pushing on without the input of the head. Silver light seeps out of the girl's hands into Ami's injury, filled to the brim with the desire to help, to fix the problem, to stop Ami from hurting.

What Usagi is actually doing is far more complex and fascinating than the girl has any real way to understand. First and foremost, the spell does exactly what she wants most, numbing the pain that runs through Ami's burned arms, but that is only a part of the spell.
This whole entire thing could easily lend itself to that honestly.
 
1) It's not even close to grimdark. Now, "most people can't use magic, and thus their lives are considered worthless/they're damned to hell/whatever", that's grimdark.
2) I disagree. A person's capability to use magic would not determine their worth(unless you're a jerk), and external aids and alternatives exist.
"Most people can't use technology."
"Most people are born without thumbs."
"Most of people can never learn to read."

It isn't about 'inherent worth' or some such nonsense. It is about a vast and arbitrary inequality.

Like, if you're claiming that, I'm going to have to point to the Sailor Senshi and ask if it's "grim(dark)" that most people can't be Sailor Senshi.
If the only options are 'no magic' and 'Sailor Senshi'? Then yes.
If there are other paths to having meaningful power? Then no.
 
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