Questions and Answers: Setting, Magical

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A collection of Question and Answer sessions with Deculture, collected from threads or from his Ask.fm. This page contains questions and answers about magic and how it works in the world of MGNQ, including how magic and Magical Girls' bodies work, and supernatural-related setting info.

Questions from Threads

Thread 12

  • Do we have a magic scan ability, or does it only work against witches? [1]
    • Chiaki can sense Witches. But being a Vindicare, she can't track or sense Magical Girls too effectively. You need a Culexus for that. [2]
  • Could we have scanned lori's fake friend and knew she was fake? [3]
    • Not to give everything away, but as a Callidus, Midori is pretty good at her job. Callidus focus on undetectable subterfuge and espionage. There was a way for you to detect if she was fake, but you would have scanned the wrong person. [4]

Questions from Ask.fm

  • Can a Callidus create audio illusions as well as physical illusions? Like create a small bubble where noise cannot be heard outside of a bubble but the people inside can hear each other? And can they make it seem like two people are standing in silence when they're actually not? It's for...science‎
    • I would say she can! Midori creates the whole package of visual, auditory and tactile illusion. Same goes for Wendy, although hers is more offense/fear-based. Enishi just becomes invisible entirely. [5]


  • Does Chiaki still have wings in her untransformed state?
    • Nope, they go away. [6]


  • What all supernatural forces exist in MGNQ? Could a non-canon writeup mess around with them?
    • All kinds of supernatural forces exist. Ghosts and stuff. Vampires, werewolves...you can make the argument that they're actually magical girls, or that the Akashic Realm brought them to life. [7]


  • How effective is training while transformed versus training while not transformed?
    • Some girls can train their non-transformed selves, but others really can't function in a combat-capable capacity without transformation. Those who can has the privilege of being able to 'stack' their normie training with the benefits of transformation, although it's generally recommended that you train in both states. The first to increase your natural strength and endurance, the second to be able to control your Magical Girl abilities better. [8]


  • So some girls don't get any benefit from exercising when they're not transformed?
    • More like they can't exercise at all, or it would take too long for their normal bodies to get adapted to exercising (i.e. Chiaki). [9]


  • So exercising in meguca form isn't as effective as exercising in civilian form?
    • It's mostly equal, but it really depends on what the Magical Girl wants to do, and what she wants to build on, and how her physical fitness is at the time. Sayaka trains as hard as she can in both states. [10]


  • How often do the Venenum have to surgically remove soul gems that end up "going in too deep"
    • God dammit anon

Answer is: Not that often, but there's always an uptick in incidence when the recruitment period comes in. Newly-contracted magical girls get curious and try new things. It got so bad that the Venenum had to give out pamphlets for it. Magical Girls and hormones, man [11]


  • How does a magical girl perceive the inside of her soulgem when confined to it (either by body destruction or otherwise)? Is it a surreal dreamscape, or does the MG consciousness go into a catatonic state?
    • I've always seen it as something of the Magical Girl just falling into a dark, dreamless sleep whenever they get their body destroyed (akin to being comatose, or when Space Marines trigger their sus-an membrane to preserve their minds and body when they get too damaged). But if they sleep for too long, they may have a chance of waking up in that sensory-deprived state - which could cause a Witch Out. To address that, Officios have trained their Magical Girls to either prolong the sleep as much as they can, or go into a 'lucid dreaming' state - where they force themselves to dream of things they like doing, in order to stave off Soul Gem corruption. That's what Kyoko is doing now, most likely. [12]


  • Is fleshmetal and the results of horrible scientific experimentation inheritable because magic?
    • Sometimes, yes! [13]


  • Do alpha witches usually retain their memories and personalities? Feel free to tell me on Skype if it's not a thing you want to answer in public.‎
    • Alpha will have some of that, yes. It's the Omega-class ones (and the Omega-class plus) like Pinky and Homucifer that have full consciousness. [14]


  • Can meguca get sick to regular, non-magical illnesses? Cold, flu, STDs, cancer, etc? Or is it only the really strong, Thirteenth-Officio-is-out-to-get-you kind of stuff?
    • If a Magical Girl is too tired or too stressed for too long it starts to catch up, so you'll have them getting fevers and colds. Cancer should be right out, and STDs won't really stick. [15]


  • What happens if a Magical Girl wishes to be a Kamen Rider?
    • She becomes a Hero of Justice! [16]


  • Can a magical girl get physically exhausted to the point of passing out by using too much magic but without the risk of witching out? What about getting just purely exhausted?
    • Pretty sure they can! Or else Kharn would have made a lot of girls witch out in her bedroom! [17]


  • Why would megucas wear corsets, hats, or capes? Aren't those a liability in battle?
    • They're also magical armor, if they're part of their costume! [18]


  • Are there any diseases unique to megucas? What about Incubators and Maerorus?
    • I wouldn't say so, besides weaponized magical diseases and so on (in the case for Magical Girls). Incubators sometimes gets fleas. Maerorus get indigestion, dyspepsia and bouts of ardent, seething hubris/megalomania. [19]


  • Do magical girls get periods?
    • I think generally the 'bleeding' can be handled by a trip to the Venenum, but there are always periods in a month where Magical Girls can be very aggressive. [20]


  • Are magical girls immune to STDs or something? I mean, the way Kharn slept around, you'd think she'd have caught something by now.
    • Eversor resistance! But yeah Magical Girls do get monthly checkups and stuff in their Officios, and if there's anything like that it usually gets resolved by the Venenums. [21]


  • How hard would an Eversor have to push to get essentially a rundown of training in one week? Would it even be possible? I know there's sleep deprivation training, pain tolerance, weapons and PT. Am I missing anything else?‎
    • Altitude training, strength development, sense deprivation training! [22]


  • But how hard would it be to do all that in one week, give or take?‎
    • Very hard, I'm pretty sure the Magical Girl would be in the hospital for a while because of overexertion! [23]


  • If a meguca wishes for the perfect boyfriend/girlfriend, would the wish grab somebody from the world who is the best match, or would it create a new person whole-cloth?
    • It depends mainly on the wish, but I'd hazard that the Incubator would look for someone close to the meguca and then turn them into the contractee's ideal mate. Some Incubators (like Kyuubey) are pragmatic enough to tell the contractee that 'you know that such an arrangement will never play out well, right?' and ask them to consider another wish. [24]


  • If a meguca's body dies when they're on the cusp of witching out will it prevent them from doing so or make it more likely to happen?
    • The latter! Only Soul Gem destruction prevents WitchOuts! [25]


  • What happens to a magical girl's inventory when she dies?
    • The stuff she has in there usually ends around or underneath her corpse. Sometimes it's lost to the ether. [26]


  • If Chiaki died, how far into the air would her body be flung by the sudden appearance of all that crap in her inventory?
    • Not a whole lot? The inventory in her shield is different! [27]


  • So megucas are like enemies in RPGs that can sometimes have rare drops or no drops at all?‎


  • If a meguca removes her costume during sex, does she lose her powers?
    • No, the costume is just clothes and/or armor. She's still a meguca unless she cancels her transformation. [29]


  • So when a Callidus can't get any they get fat? If so, why is Midori so fat?
    • Because she eats a lot! [30]


  • If two witches were in the same barrier, what generally happens? Do they fight and try to consume each other? Compete on hunting intruders? Work together against outside threats? Not even realize/acknowledge the others presence?‎
    • Honestly, all of those can happen. It really depends on the witches. [31]


  • Are there witches out there that still have a shred of humanity left in them? Like, they're not totally gone, some part of them is still there. Would that part of them still want to help magical girls in their own twisted way?‎
    • Yes, but their perception is pretty skewed. Sometimes there are 'benevolent' witches, but only up to a point - their hunger for magical girl flesh would soon overtake them. [32]


  • We know that people without soul gems can use Golden Weapons; can people without soul gems become attuned to a magical girl's soul gem?


  • Regarding regenerating limbs and such; does using a Golden Weapon increase the chance of not being able to regenerate? Also, did Kyoko lose her eye to Kirika's claws or the katana?
    • Yes, Golden Weapons have that kind of ability where they can cause permanent wounds that just won't regenerate. Kyoko lost her eye to a magic-enhanced katana, but it wasn't the golden katana itself. [34]


  • Can a shield be a valid Eversor Weapon? (No special tricks or attachments, ala Riesbyfe from Melty, More like Captain America)


  • Why don't magical girls in MGNQ use telepathy like they do in PMMM?
    • Well, I wanted them to rely on Culexus for that! [36]


  • You've said many times that magical girls only last 2-3 years. Yet, looking at the timeline, about 10 of them have lasted for 5 years or more (Xiaomei having lasted for 9 years if she's still alive).
    • Is that because these ones were really well taken care of or because of plot armor? :V Of course the stories will be about Magical Girls who are a bit more hardy than the rest! The 2-3 years is the average! [37]


  • Is the average so low because of all the magical girls Chiaki kills?


  • Does a magical girls body die if it's dismembered? What if it's put back together?


  • So... when does Chiaki figure out how many spatial dimensions exist in the Akashic Realm? Judging by the bizarre descriptions, it's probably at least four, right? Did some deity accidentally mix up one of the spatial dimensions with the flow of time?
    • Probably when she really gets into exploring it by herself. She'll discover it relatively soon, she already has an inkling of it. But yeah, the Akashic Realm is all sorts of fucked up! [40]


  • Can Culexuses witch out?
    • They can't! The moment they do is either they die in an anti-magic explosion that kills every Magical Girl around them in a 1-mile radius, or crumble into dust. [41]


  • What determines if a magical girl needs to be retired?
    • Incubators can track the state of Soul Gem purity of every girl contracted to them, as well as their general mental state and well-being. Sometimes they'll get flagged on a particular magical girl, who, while their gem may be pure, is quickly degenerating in a mental sense - probably someone whose power has compromised them, or simply breaking down from all the pressure, or even just going absolutely nuts. Their Soul Gems would slowly start to darken in a way that no Grief Seed would be able to resolve - it's that kind of despair that no one can come back from, and Incubators need to make sure they don't spread it to the other girls or they'll have a crisis on their hands. Thus, retirement. [42]


  • About how big is your average magical girl's inventory space?
    • Is it really uncommon to have an inventory that's bigger than that? The average inventory of a magical girl is probably like a big bulky backpack. And yes, it's very uncommon. [43]


  • Aside from Chiaki's time stop and visiting people in their dreams, how else can Pinky make her presence known/interact with others?
    • She can appear in people's hallucinations and also in barriers. She also pokes her head into the visions of prognasticators, especially when they're trying to find stuff about Chiaki. [44]


  • Does Walpurgisnacht happen every year?
    • Not really, unless something really horrifying is going down. It's like that really big hurricane or tornado that comes along every once in a blood moon that kills everything and everyone! [45]


  • Aside from Incubator fuckery, how can 2 megucas attune their soul gems together?
    • By praying to the Blessed Lady and sacrificing 100 Magical Girls to her. [46]


  • If you separate a culexus' soulgem from her body, what will happen? And if it is the normal thing, which part will make other people sick - the soulgem or the body?


  • Please explain Witch classes thanks
    • CHARLIE - Normal Witches. Can be solo'd by a competent middle-ranking Magical Girl, or a newbie squad.
    • BETA - Stronger witches, possibly with familiars. Needs a competent squad, maybe two.
    • ALPHA - Witches with familiars, the kind that's consumed human flesh already. May have intelligence. Needs at least three squads. Can be solo'd by Rank Leader.
    • ALPHA PLUS - Alpha, but with witch-familiars and/or slave Witches. Needs specialists/killsquads led by Rank Leader.
    • OMEGA - Walpurgisnacht.
    • OMEGA PLUS - Geheimnisnacht. [48]


  • Is an untransformed magical girl vulnerable to the sort of madness witches inflict on normals? Or does she receive some sort of protection?
    • She should be protected. [49]


  • When a girl makes a wish, what exactly goes on with the wish? Is it just the Incubators interpretation? Or do the memories and feelings of the girl play into it? Or both?
    • Both, actually. It's not an exact science, but it ensures that it's what the girl really wants, and something that the Incubators can benefit from. So there are no faustian deals (lel) that can happen - everyone benefits. [50]


  • Can a meguca take the corruption of another meguca by touching Soul Gems together non-lewdly?
    • Only if they're attuned together! [51]


    • Malal was already a Culexus for 5 or so years before she died in Yumaquest, right? If she hadn't did and no meguca killed her, how long would she of lasted until she burnt out like other Culexus? Or did her suit fully prevent her from burning out?
    • She was living on borrowed time! I would say she probably would have lasted another year or so without Walpurgisnacht. [52]


  • What are the chances of two magical girls having similar powers?
    • Not that rare, actually! [53]


  • What are the odds of an untransformed magical girl defeating a fully transformed magical girl?
    • Not very good. They'd have to do a lot of underhanded trickery to even kill one. Thankfully, people like Kaneda Madoka and Nicole Touchdown are masters at that kind of thing. [54]


  • If I pulled the helmet of a Culexus off, would she die?
    • Unexpectedly? You'd probably get a reflex blast of what they can do, and either you do a Wendy, get set on fire, or get smashed through a building with a head-on truck collision's worth of psychokinetic force. [55]


  • Can a magical girl's costume be altered through them overcoming heartbreak and tragedy, or do only sad things trigger it?
    • Basically anything that drastically changes their outlook in life. It can be the death of a parent, or achieving something particularly life-changing (like being Warmaster). It's like a girl with long hair cutting her hair short after breaking up with someone. [56]


  • Could the magical girls of your setting kill servants?

Yes. [57]


  • Could the abilities of a Vanus extend to reading things about people, like figuring out what kinds of foods a person likes at a glance?
    • Yes! That could definitely be a manifestation of their power. [58]


  • About how long would a magical girl be incapacitated if they had their neck snapped?
    • Until they get healed, pretty much indefinitely. [59]


  • What about a regenerator like Sayaka?
    • If she was angry enough to be in super serious mode, she'd probably be back up in a couple of seconds, twisting her own head around. [60]


  • How do the Officios have huge stacks of Grief Seeds if a meguca pretty much needs to restore after like one witch fight on average, especially considering that there's sometimes more than one meguca fighting a witch?
    • That will be explained soon, hahaha! [61]


  • What would happen if a girl wished for a Stand?
    • "Really? Well...I've never had to grant such a simple wish before. Done. The contract is established. Here is your coupon for unlimited stands, redeem it at any hardware shop of your choosing. Enjoy!" [62]


  • Do magical girls get passive abilities based on their classes when they're not transformed?
  • 8They do! They're still magical girls. They've got a bit of the toughness and strength even when they're not transformed, too, that carries over. [63]


  • Can a magical girl access her inventory when she's not transformed?
    • Nope, she can't. [64]


  • So technically the garter abominations could become greaves through grieving?


  • So a costume can evolve over time by itself? If so, what triggers this?
    • Many things, but not something the Magical Girl can control. It can be a recent heartbreak, or a particularly nasty fight against Witches, or another Magical Girl. There's also being blessed by the Blessed Lady herself, or coming back from the dead so many times you're living on borrowed time (like Chiaki). Lots of things that the Magical Girl herself lives through. [66]


  • What's the evolution process like? Is it instaneous? Flashy? Painful? Does it permenantly affect the girl's psyche or abilities?
    • No, it's something that happens over time. And generally it doesn't hurt. It's like, one time the girl cancels her transformation, then the next time she transforms there'll be a few more skulls added to her costume, that kind of thing. [67]


  • What about tacking on decorations like skulls, bones, fangs, scales, feathers, etc.?
    • Hmm, well, those are accouterments that naturally add themselves to the Magical Girl's costume the longer her career gets. It all depends on her mood and psyche, it's not something she can control. [68]


  • Can a Callidus physically change her uniform?
    • I would say so, yes. But not to the extent that it's super different or drastically changed. [69]


  • Besides not resurrecting the dead, what other wishes will incubators not grant? Are they the same as a genie's three rules?
    • It's a case to case basis, but they really can't make the big sort of wishes. "I wish to be a god" or "I want more wishes" that kind of thing. So yes, I think similar to a genie's three rules. [70]


  • Can a meguca reknit her uniform/make it look like something else with like a sewing machine
    • She would destroy the sewing machine. [71]


  • What's stopping a transformed magical girl from just taking it off and wearing something else?
    • Absolutely nothing! But by doing so you'll be leaving yourself without the inherent protection of an actual Magical Girl costume, along with all its benefits and neat tricks. [72]


  • What tricks does it offer aside aside from making for better protection?
    • It depends on the Magical Girl. Some magical girls have weaponized costumes, or come with weapons already in hand, like a sword on a belt or a mace, that kind of thing. Some can give you a burst of speed in addition to how quick the Magical Girl is already.The point is, sure, it looks a bit frilly and gaudy, and it makes you a big target, but unless you're a Callidus whose main objective is concealment and subterfuge, you go with it. [73]


  • So you can technically strip a magical girl out of her costume during combat and she'll be mostly helpless?
    • Well, you can try to, but usually the Magical Girl would be busy trying to kill you. Trying to destroy a Magical Girl's costume may work, but it takes a hell of a lot of abuse. If you DO get them out of it, then you have a chance. Maybe. [74]
  • Re: magical girl costumes. So if a magical girl that dislikes her costume for whatever reason, such as being inappropriate or too impractical to use, is stuck with it forever with no way of changing it at all?


  • What about uniforms?
    • Yeah a Magical Girl can wear a uniform over her costume, sure. [76]


  • They can't even change their costume with soulgem manipulation?
    • Slightly, sure. Callidus are trained to 'suppress' their costumes - i.e. they can be transformed and still not appear to be wearing anything inherently magical, although some traces will remain, like a brooch or a ribbon or glowing panties. But so far as to 'edit' your costume wholesale? Nope. [77]


  • So they can't have two costumes?
    • No. They can cover up using coats or trenchcoats but you're stuck with your costume. [78]
  • Would a Culexus be able to use her mind link abilities to create a telepathic battle network with other magical girls? In light of Vintage's use of telepathy, could other kinds of meguca do that?
    • Yes, some gifted Culexus can make a sort of a 'teamspeak' server for squads that can work well with them. Some powerful Magical Girls can do it, too, but it's pretty rare. [79]


  • Are there bard type magical girls? Probably Callidus that enhance others by THE POWER OF SONG? (Lyrical or otherwise).
    • There are a few! [80]


  • A magical girl wishes to bring Tupac back to life. How saved is the music industry? Bonus: What kind of kit does she get, assuming she was contracted by 8-Ball?
    • Incubators will never make a contract that includes and/or results in the resurrection of someone long deceased.. [81]


  • Regarding when multiple girls witch out together and become one witch, what's the possibility that one meguca could kill it? And what are her chances of living through it?
    • Pretty much nil unless she has a golden weapon or is Kharn/Gavrill. She can also play it smart by hiding. [82]


  • Now up that to 3 meguca. What're their chances now? I need to know. For uh, science. Yeah, science.
    • I'm going to say 10%, maybe 15%. You really need a full squad to stand a decent chance of survival. Unless one of those megucas are super hardcore, then maybe. [83]


  • What does being contracted as a Vanus or Venenum give?
    • Vanus are usually logokinetic, in the sense that they can do crazy stuff with information. Venenum is basically mad scientist/doctor powers with a lot of healing. [84]


  • Can a magical girl explode her own soul gem like Kyoko did in the original PMMM? What determines the strength of the explosion? Definitely!
    • Well, no matter what Magical Girl you are it's going to be a big and painful explosion that can take out a building. It usually is affected by the emotions of the Magical Girl at the time. [85]


  • If Homucifer went after Pinky, would Pinky actually be in danger?
    • Yes, but like Chiaki she needs all the Golden Weapons to do any real, lasting damage. [86]


  • Does a magical girl need to be able to reach her soul gem in order to transform?
    • It needs to be on hand, yes. [87]


  • So a meguca must have the soul gem touching her hands to transform?
    • Having it on her person is a good idea too. [88]


  • If licking a soulgem causes you to orgasm. And if Chiakis soulgem is now linked to Walpurgisnacht. Does that mean that if someone licks Chiakis soulgem, WN has an orgasm?
    • That's direct stimulation, so no, it doesn't really work that way! [89]


  • Do witches interact with one another at all? Do they battle for territory in the shadows at all, or maybe form some kind of wolfpack if the right things happen?
    • Sometimes they battle for territory, but when there are Witches who know each other in their previous Magical Girl forms, they tend to cluster together and share barriers. Sometimes they even merge into one. They also sometimes move in groups of three, which is bad news for anyone suddenly stuck in a Barrier and trying to fight their way out. [90]


  • Can megucas cause themselves to witch out? If so, what would happen if multiple girls did that next to each other at the same time?
    • Witching out isn't quite a voluntary thing, but it's kind of like how a suicide pact will go. There are certain substances and things you can do to trigger a self-witch out. If multiple witches manifest all at the same time, it can cause an amalgamation that may be tougher to put down than a single witch, and this'll necessitate multiple squads being rolled out to address it. [91]


  • Isn't Chiaki's magic an insta-win? Just stop time and shot their soul gems. How many megucas could actually kill Chiaki with no-holds fight?
    • There's always a limit to time stop. Sure, you can do that, but it takes a lot out of someone, and for Chiaki the feedback can be enough to distract her for a few seconds. Seconds that can get her killed. [92]


  • What's the average lifespan of a culexus?