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| 10 | [[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/{{Superman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/superman_166_4.png]]]] |
| 11 | [[caption-width-right:350:One's a late bloomer, the other a sonic boomer.]] |
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| 17 | |
| 18 | ->''"It happened sometimes, though rarely, that a True Being never developed a special gift."'' |
| 19 | -->-- ''Children of Magic'' |
| 20 | |
| 21 | [[SuperpowerfulGenetics Children of superparents get superpowers]]... [[AvertedTrope except when they don't]]. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | If you're a protagonist, this is no problem, you'll usually become a BadassNormal or at least an UnfazedEveryman. But if you're a MauveShirt… you'll probably become this. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | This trope is a character who's in on TheMasquerade, and was born into their world. Unfortunately for them, they're normal. No, not BadassNormal; [[{{muggles}} totally, completely, and 100% normal]]. If the [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway lame power of Heart]] was a [[SuperpowerLottery consolation prize]], the Muggle Born Of Mages never got a draw at the SuperpowerLottery in the first place. They're just as ineffectual in adventuring as any other {{muggle}}, maybe even more, which is why they usually find themselves having some grunt-work position in the world of the masquerade, such as a janitor, secretary, or TheIgor. However, if they're still determined enough to throw themselves into the world of magic or what-have-you despite lacking innate abilities, they might have the opportunity to become a MuggleWithADegreeInMagic. Most examples of these characters tend to have [[GreenEyedMonster bitterness and regret]] over not being [[IJustWantToBeSpecial a super]] as a major character trait, though there are some who are actually at peace with their lack of special abilities; in that situation, any bitterness the character may feel comes from ''everyone else'' refusing to understand/accept/believe that they're perfectly content with their lot in life. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | It may ultimately turn out that this person actually has some form of AntiMagic, though this might not be noticed immediately. If this is common in the setting, it may be that characters are completely RandomlyGifted, so powers aren't always inherited and may spontaneously manifest to children of {{Muggle}} parents. If this happens gradually over several generations it's GenerationalMagicDecline. |
| 28 | |
| 29 | If ''everyone'' except this person in the setting is a mage, they're an UnSorcerer. |
| 30 | |
| 31 | This trope is somewhat NewerThanTheyThink, since magic-users traditionally learned/sold their soul for their powers, meaning no one expected a mage's child to be anything but a regular human. |
| 32 | |
| 33 | Compare MuggleInMageCustody, when a muggle is a ward or a slave to a mage, and HighHopesZeroTalent, when a character wants to be something, but has no aptitude for it. Contrast AlmightyJanitor and the BadassNormal. Compare UnSorcerer, RecessiveSuperGenes and UnfazedEveryman. For an [[InvertedTrope inversion]], see MageBornOfMuggles. |
| 34 | |
| 35 | ---- |
| 36 | !!Examples: |
| 37 | |
| 38 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 39 | |
| 40 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 41 | * ''Anime/AquarionEvol'': Mikono Suzushiro comes from a family of Element Users, but apparently was born without any powers. This turns out not to be the case; it's just that her Element power is rather subtle, and its effects aren't particularly noticeable as being the result of a supernatural ability. |
| 42 | * Sakura Inami from ''Literature/BeyondTheBoundary'' lacks the powers of her sister and other members of her clan. |
| 43 | * [[BadassNormal Meiling]] of ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''. It's implied everyone in the Li family has magical powers but her. |
| 44 | * This forms the backstory of Manon Libelle of ''Literature/TheExecutionerAndHerWayOfLife''. Her mother possessed a phenomenally powerful ability [[NewLifeInAnotherWorldBonus as a result of being an otherworlder]], but [[BlessedWithSuck it would have driven her insane if she ever actually made use of it]]. Because of this, it was decided that it would be alright for her to never use her power if she had a child who could use it instead (meaning her husband didn't have to give up his beloved wife). However, as it turns out, the gift is tied to the soul of the person, not their genetics, and therefore Manon was born with no power at all. Much of Manon's fall into villainy comes from the fact that she can't do the sole thing she was born to do (though she still has the ability to learn magic the old-fashioned way). |
| 45 | * ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': Shinji Matou doesn't even have usable magic circuits and thus cannot perform spells (though he has a small number of atrophied ones, which makes him a viable grail vessel in ''Unlimited Blade Works''), and is the end result of generations of the Matou family gradually losing their magic abilities with no one quite sure why. And he became a villain because of his envy [[spoiler:towards his adopted sister, Sakura, abusing and raping her, just because she is a magus and was adopted to replace him as heir to the family's magecraft.]] |
| 46 | * In ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'', Shiki and Mikiya's daughter Mana did not inherit any of Shiki's powers. Shiki doesn't mind and is glad her daughter can live a normal life. |
| 47 | * Sairaorg Baal in ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'' did not inherit any of his parents powers when he was born. So instead, he underwent TrainingFromHell, something high-class devils do not do, and became so strong he doesn't even need the power of destruction. |
| 48 | * [[spoiler:Chiehime]] from ''Manga/MononokeSharing'' is a pure blood [[{{Yokai}} Mononoke]], but is functionally identical to an ordinary human. She ends up getting outed on TV when she [[ItMakesSenseInContext challenges Yata to a sumo match]] and is easily pushed over. [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed at the end of the series that ''all'' Mononoke family lines will eventually give birth to pure humans since they were never supposed to exist to begin with.]] |
| 49 | * ''Manga/MusukoGaKawaikuteShikataganaiMazokuNoHahaoya'' has Teresa, a demon born to her family without the slightest hint of a demon's signature powers. Her family saw this as her being a failure, with them [[AbusiveParents abusing and neglecting her, before eventually]] [[MadeASlave selling her into slavery]]. Her powerlessness was very likely to result in her eventual death if she didn't end up being bought by the demon Alice, who despite being a trolling jerk a lot of the time, is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold that cares for her, with Teresa herself [[HappinessInSlavery being quite happy she was bought by Alice]]. |
| 50 | * In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', [[EveryoneIsASuper 80% of all humans have some kind of superpower known as a "Quirk"]]. Protagonist, Izuku Midoriya, is one of the 20% who does not have any powers. His mother has minor telekinesis and his father can breathe fire, so the fact that he's powerless is presented as unusual, and he's the only Quirkless member of his middle school class, showing that Quirklessness is becoming less common over time. The plot kicks off when Midoriya meets the Hero, [[SupermanSubstitute All Might]], who chooses to [[SuperEmpowering pass on his Quirk to Midoriya and train him as his successor]]. |
| 51 | * Takamichi T. Takahata of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' was born unable to cast spells, but, as a member of [[BadassCrew Ala Rubra]], is still one of the most powerful fighters of the magic world, in part because he can use the powerful [[YinYangBomb kanka technique]]. |
| 52 | * [[spoiler:Sanji]] from ''Manga/OnePiece'' is this [[DownplayedTrope to a degree]]. He and his siblings were all genetically enhanced, but he was the only one not to develop any sort CharlesAtlasSuperpower as the result of his father's training and genetic enhancements, because [[spoiler:his mother, Sora, in a desperate gambit to save her then-unborn quadruplet sons from becoming emotionless weapons, took a drug that made Sanji a normal kid, but not his brothers as she intended]]. He was [[TheUnfavorite treated horribly]] as a result and eventually ran away. [[spoiler:It is eventually revealed that the drug Sora took only partially worked. After using a Raid Suit, Germa technology designed to interface with their enhanced bodies, the long-dormant technology in Sanji's body is jolted to life, permanently granting him the physical abilities of his siblings, much to Sanji's horror.]] |
| 53 | * It's not dwelt on all that much, except in flashbacks, but Akatsuki Kojou, protagonist of ''Literature/StrikeTheBlood'' used to fall under this category. His mother possesses the power of {{Psychometry}}, his younger sister and paternal grandmother are powerful spirit mediums and his father has access to a hyperspace arsenal thanks to being caught between two different planes of reality. This is downplayed twice over, first being because his father's abilities are acquired (making him an example himself) rather than innate and may have even happened after his children were born. Secondly because by the time we are actually introduced to him, Kojou has become one of the [[PersonOfMassDestruction most powerful vampires in existence]][[note]]Hence the issue only really arising in the flashbacks[[/note]]. |
| 54 | [[/folder]] |
| 55 | |
| 56 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 57 | * An issue of the comic book tie-in to ''WesternAnimation/ArchiesWeirdMysteries'' revealed that the mysterious occultist Doctor Beaumont was a human born of vampires. |
| 58 | * ''ComicBook/AstroCity'': According to Jerome Isaac "Ike" Johnson, he's not the genius his father and grandfather were, though he's perfectly intelligent in his own right. |
| 59 | * ''ComicBook/{{Birthright}}'': Aaron himself is a normal human, while his own father Sameal and both of his children, Mikey and Brennan, are mages. |
| 60 | * ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': Wally West's son, Jai. He had Speed Force powers that let him have super strength in short bursts. He shared an unstable connection to the Speed Force with his sister (who could become intangible by vibrating). In ''The Flash: Rebirth'', the link stabilized and it all ended up in her, so she gets full Speed Force powers and Jai ends up depowered. |
| 61 | * ''ComicBook/{{PS238}}'': |
| 62 | ** Tyler Marlocke is the son of two of the world's strongest superheroes, but doesn't have any sort of powers himself. Of course, he's obviously going to develop them ''any day now,'' so his parents still enroll him in the titular SuperheroSchool, advising the instructors to put him in lots of difficult and/or dangerous situations to help bring his abilities to the surface. Fortunately, the staff are a bit more savvy, and arrange for him to have private lessons with [[TheCowl the Revenant]], a Franchise/{{Batman}} {{expy}}, in the hopes of him becoming a BadassNormal. To his own surprise, it seems to be working. |
| 63 | ** {{Implied|Trope}} with [[FlyingBrick Julie]]'s father, a {{Muggle|s}} who's related to the Nuclear Family. Might explain why they don't seem to get along too well. |
| 64 | * ''ComicBook/StarWarsLegacy'': Ania Solo, the protagonist of Volume 2, is a descendant of the Skywalker-Solo family who never evinces any Force-sensitivity, nor do any of the various Force-users she interacts with mention her having any. Unlike her distant cousins Cade Skywalker (raised in the New Jedi Order) and Marasiah Fel (an Imperial Knight and the current Galactic Empress), she takes after her several-times-great-grandfather Han Solo and is a junkyard operator and {{gunslinger}}. |
| 65 | * ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': |
| 66 | ** Kal-El II in the imaginary story featured in ''Superman'' #166, who did not inherit his father's superpowers, provides the page image alongside his powered brother, Jor-El II. He may have served as an inspiration for Joel Kent (see below). |
| 67 | ** Bizarro Junior, while having powers, appeared to be born as a normal, non-deformed human boy, forcing his parents, Bizarro no. 1 and Bizarro Lois no. 1, to hide him from the rest of the Bizarros. Eventually {{Subverted|Trope}} when it turns out all Bizarro babies look human initially before morphing into their usual inorganic physiognomy. |
| 68 | * Joel Kent in the ''ComicBook/SupermanAndBatmanGenerations'' series was exposed to Gold Kryptonite in the womb making him the muggle son of ComicBook/{{Superman}}. It doesn't help that his younger sister Kara got to keep her powers. Eventually, Lex Luthor (in reality the Ultra-Humanite, Superman's original arch-nemesis, in Luthor's body) uses his jealousy and an unstable repowering formula as part of a revenge plot against the Man of Steel; not only did Luthor tell Joel that Superman depowered him on purpose because he was afraid a son would become greater than him, while a daughter was no threat, and manipulated him into resenting his own family, he also revealed all of this to Joel [[KickTheDog as he laid dying from the formula]]. |
| 69 | * ''Comicbook/XMen'': |
| 70 | ** Mutant supervillains Mystique and Victor Creed/Sabertooth had a child together, Graydon Creed, who turned out to be a normal human (for those two, must be karma), which is rare for two mutants. He went on to become an anti-mutant extremist out of jealousy and [[WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent his parents' rejection]]. |
| 71 | ** This can technically happen with any mutant couple, since the probability of passing mutant genes seems to be 50% |
| 72 | ** Quicksilver and Crystal's child, Luna, who is an [[ComicBook/TheInhumans Inhuman]] rather than a mutant. Apparently, the mutant gene and the Inhuman genetics cancel each other out, and Luna is effectively a normal human until her crazy father exposes her to a rather high amount of Terrigen Mist to empower her -- this is ''[[AbusiveParents extremely]]'' risky, since Terrigen Mist exposure can have unpleasant effects on anyone who isn't a pure Inhuman (and many who ''are'' still end up BlessedWithSuck as a result). |
| 73 | ** One of the consequences of M-day was that no new mutants would be born, meaning any child born to a mutant couple would be this. |
| 74 | ** The second Silver Samurai, Shingen Harada. His father, the first Silver Samurai, was a mutant who could project a force field and usually did so onto his swords, to give them a much sharper edge. Shingen instead uses powered armour and is more of a Japanese Iron Man than a proper samurai. |
| 75 | ** Dog Logan, half-brother of ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}. It's established that Wolverine's x-gene comes from his father's side, as his father had demonstrated bone claws (albeit off-screen and implied), although no healing. Dog possesses neither ability. |
| 76 | [[/folder]] |
| 77 | |
| 78 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 79 | * In the Literature/{{Discworld}}, wizard Ponder Stibbons lucks out, marries, and becomes father to three daughters. his oldest has all the magic and becomes a Witch. However, the next one down also goes off the scale for magical potential - at the other, Rincewind, end. She is very much her mother's daughter. As her mother is very competent Assassin, this also requires careful management. |
| 80 | ** In another family, Witch Olga Romanoff is married to Wizard Eddie de Kokamaainje. In the fullness of time they have twin children.[[note]]Olga was only expecting ''one'', but an exasperated not-a-curse from her best friend, another Witch, made it into a multiple birth[[/note]] Olga and Eddie are perplexed as they grow, as ''both'' the children of a Wizard and a Witch should have inherited magic. This indeed appeared to be the case at their birth. as the twins grow, Valentina displays a precocious amount of magic but Vassily displays none at all. The old Witch who trained Olga hints at there being a Secret, but says nothing more. [[spoiler:Eventually, the kids confess to their parents that they came to a brother-sister pact. Vassily is going to be a Grand Duke. He doesn't ''need'' magic for that. He also wants to go to the Assassins' School where having magic means expulsion. Therefore he voluntarily surrendered his share of the inherited magic to his sister, making her, potentially, a doubly powerful Witch. Valla also made an oath that when her brother needs somebody with magic on his side, she will be there for him. Olga and Eddie, after a few deep breaths, accept this.]] Read more in the tales of Creator/AAPessimal. |
| 81 | * In the ''Film/{{Casper}}''/''Film/HocusPocus'' {{crossover}} story, ''FanFic/MagicAndMayhem'', [[Film/CasperMeetsWendy Wendy]] says her mother didn't have any magic like her sisters did. They made her a MagicWand so she wouldn't feel left out. |
| 82 | ** [[spoiler:[[OriginalCharacter Lila Chandler]]]] was also a normal person born into a family of witches and warlocks. |
| 83 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfiction ''[[http://chopperstophat.deviantart.com/art/Story-The-Liar-278262693 The Liar]],'' Trixie was disowned by her father for being born without any magical ability (apparently something that happens to 1 out of every 10,000 unicorns), and learned to make her living as a con artist, masquerading as a traveling magician. All of her supposed magical feats are illusions made by the burnt fumes of ground-up Poison Joke. Her cutie mark, a magic wand and crescent moon, doesn't represent magic, but the ability to tell the best lies -- wands are only used in folklore and pony tales, and a crescent moon is merely an illusion cast by shadow. |
| 84 | * In ''Fanfic/TheHeartTrilogy'', Freyja, daughter of the witch Andraya, does not have her mother's magical abilities, even though Andraya invested magic into Freyja during her babyhood. As such, Andraya schemes for Smaug to impregnate Freyja, [[DarwinistDesire wanting to have a grandchild with power inherited from the magic stored in Freyja's blood and the Third Age's greatest fire drake]]. |
| 85 | * In ''Fanfic/{{Goldstein}},'' Terry's youngest brother, Leo, is a Squib. Interestingly, the usual angst is averted -- Leo seems happy that he "gets" to stay home instead of going off to Hogwarts, and their {{Muggle}} father is pleased to have one child who took after him. |
| 86 | * ''Fanfic/WishCarefully'' takes place in an alternate universe where Harry Potter [[TheBadGuyWins surrenders to the Death Eaters]] after the death of Dumbledore - and in the process destroys them by giving them [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor exactly what they wanted]]. Using an ancient rite of parlay held at Stonehenge, Harry and his allies agree to surrender all of Magical Britain to Voldemort, with the mutual agreement that all Muggleborn would leave the country and never return, which would also apply to any newborn ones. What the Death Eaters realized far too late is that since all the Light-aligned purebloods left too, Magical Britains gene pool was effectively crippled, and their children were not just getting weaker with every generation, but also produced an increasing amount of powerless Squibs. Thanks to the magically binding nature of the parlay, the Death Eaters have no way of trying to save themselves without losing their own magic. |
| 87 | [[/folder]] |
| 88 | |
| 89 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 90 | * ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAndTheSecretDoor'''s villain is Princess Malucia, the only one in the magical land of Zinnia who doesn't possess magic of her own. |
| 91 | * Played with in ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'', where protagonist Mirabel Madrigal is the daughter of a superpowered mother and a normal father. Nonetheless, she ends up being the only member born into the family to lack any special magical gift. Meanwhile, her older sisters, as well as her maternal cousins, are running around being able to [[SpeaksFluentAnimal talk to animals]], use SuperStrength, [[GreenThumb make and control plants]], and {{shapeshift|er}}. |
| 92 | * ''Franchise/TheIncredibles'': In [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1 the first movie]], the Parrs' baby, Jack-Jack, in contrast to their previous children [[SuperSpeed Dash]] and [[{{Invisibility}} Violet]], does not appear to have inherited any superpowers from his retired Super parents. [[spoiler:Subverted by the end, and in the associated short ''Jack-Jack Attack'', where he turns out to have won the SuperpowerLottery. The parents don't find out about the powers until ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2''.]] |
| 93 | [[/folder]] |
| 94 | |
| 95 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 96 | * In ''Film/TheLastWitchHunter'', it turns out that [[spoiler:37th Dolan's parents]] were both witches, but he didn't inherit the powers, driving him to FaceHeelTurn as he craves magic. [[spoiler:He betrays the heroes to the Witch Queen and asks to be granted magical powers in return, but she says, "Clay cannot be turned into gold. Without magic, you're just a human." and kills him.]] |
| 97 | * ''Film/SkyHigh2005'': |
| 98 | ** Ron Wilson, bus driver, is the nice-if-pathetic version of this trope. He also got CharacterDevelopment and TookALevelInBadass at the very end. In the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue, it is mentioned he had a toxic waste accident and got his wish to be a super, becoming a [[MakeMyMonsterGrow skyscraper-sized version of himself]] who now protects the city from hostile [[HumongousMecha giant robots]]. Whether this was completely incidental or 'assisted' is never clarified. |
| 99 | ** Subverted with Will Stronghold. He never shows any signs of super strength or flight growing up until they show up during his fight with Warren Peace. |
| 100 | * Riley Stuart in ''Film/TheThompsons'' is a human born in a family of vampires. She's also unable to be turned. As such she functions as TheRenfield for her family. |
| 101 | * In the ''Film/Underworld2003'' series, Alexander Corvinus was the first immortal. His sons William and Marcus inherited his immortality, and eventually became the first werewolf and vampire after getting bitten by a wolf and bat, respectively. His third son did not inherit his immortality and eventually died of old age as an ordinary human. However, his third son passed the Corvinus genes down to his descendants, where they lay dormant until they were finally activated in his descendant Michael Corvin. When Michael is bitten by both a werewolf and a vampire, the genes allowed him to become a hybrid, which is normally impossible. |
| 102 | * ''Film/UpUpAndAway''; a 2000 Creator/DisneyChannel Original Movie; centered around normal teenager born from a family of superheroes, including a AnnoyingYoungerSibling ''with heat vision'', and his struggles with the fact that he may never develop any powers of his own. On the plus side, he doesn't have their [[WeaksauceWeakness weakness to aluminum foil]]. He spends a large amount of time pretending he had super strength, [[spoiler:which ends up saving them from a villain who found out their weakness but assume it would work on the son as well]]. At the end, his best friend suggests that he become a [[BadassNormal superhero without powers]]. |
| 103 | [[/folder]] |
| 104 | |
| 105 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 106 | * Carrie Vaughn's book ''Literature/AfterTheGoldenAge'' features Celia West, the daughter of two famous superheroes, who has no superpowers at all. This is also brought up at the end when [[spoiler:Celia and Arthur Mentis, a telepath, have a baby and Celia is wondering if the baby will have powers or not and hopes it does not.]] |
| 107 | * In ''Split Infinity'', the first book of the ''Literature/ApprenticeAdept'' series, non-magical Stile, the crossed-over version of the Blue Adept (it make sense in context) makes friend with Neysa, a unicorn who has normal horse colors (black and white). He finds out that she was allowed to live since she had the "button" of a horn at birth, indicating that she was a unicorn. However, in her herd, she was treated like a second-class member, since most unicorns have exotic coloring (deep blue, fiery red, purples, greens, etc.) so she was destined to remain unmated with the Herd Stallion, and wouldn't therefore never have any foals since the lesser stallions would also not touch her. While appalled at this, and helping to make her acceptable through his interactions with the herd, Stile found out that foals born without the horn button are killed at birth, "as a mercy." |
| 108 | * In Jeramey Kraatz's ''Literature/TheCloakSociety'', not all children born to Cloak members manifest powers (though their children sometimes can). Misty's mother, for instance. |
| 109 | * The fundamental problem of Tavi, an UnSorcerer in ''Literature/CodexAlera''. He lives in a world where ''every'' human has access to elemental spirits known as "furies" that give them various powers. Tavi, however, is the only human who ''doesn't'' have these abilities, and they cause him extensive problems, forcing him to [[GuileHero think and adapt]] rather than use magic. To give you some idea of how much of a handicap this is, Tavi effectively can't even ''turn on the lights'' on his own. Eventually, he learns the cause of his condition: [[spoiler:his biological mother stunted his growth to hide his true age and thus his true lineage, and as a result, he did not gain access to his furies at the same age as other humans. Once he does, however, things change.]] |
| 110 | * Cassel Sharpe in ''Literature/TheCurseWorkers'' is the only person in his family without a magical ability (called a "Work"). This is difficult, because his family is part of a massive magical crime syndicate, and every relative he has has some ability and connection to the [[TheMafia Zacharov Family]]. Cassel responds by trying to live a normal life in a private school, but his connections to both the criminal underworld and [[BanOnMagic magic in general]] make it impossible. later he finds out that [[spoiler: he DOES have magic, and it's a powerful kind, but his brothers have been altering his memory to prevent him from using it on his own for their own selfish reasons]]. |
| 111 | * Joram, protagonist of ''Literature/TheDarkswordTrilogy'', was born "Dead", without Magic in a world where Magic is Life. While "Dead" people crop up occasionally in each generation, they all have a small amount of magical ability. Joram is [[UnSorcerer the only person in the world with none at all]]. |
| 112 | * ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': In ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'', Angua (a werewolf) reveals that she had two siblings unable to change form. One of them was stuck as a human, the other one was stuck as a wolf. Her brother Wolfgang (ANaziByAnyOtherName) killed the former and the latter ran off to become a prize-winning shepherd dog. |
| 113 | * The magic that gives [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Vir Requis]] their [[{{Shapeshifter}} power]] in the ''Literature/DragonsOfRequiem'' series seems very randomly hit or miss. Vir Requis can be born of non-Vir Requis and vis versa. The backstory for the BigBad of the first trilogy written (though not chronologically first), ''Song of Dragons'', is the eldest son of the king and queen born without the magic. He's treated like absolute dirt, hidden from sight, and passed over for the throne. As a result he: rapes his brother's wife, stages a coup, kills the king, steals a magic amulet, kidnaps one of his brother's daughters, and returns years later with an army that hunts the Vir Requis to the brink of extinction. |
| 114 | * ''Literature/ElementalMasters'': In ''Literature/TheGatesOfSleep'', Arachne Chamberten was born without Elemental magic, to parents who were both Elemental mages (and implied to be from long lines of mages). Unfortunately for her parents and mage-born brother, she found out that you don't ''need'' inborn mage-talents to use BlackMagic. |
| 115 | * Kyja of ''Literature/{{Farworld}}'' lives in a world where even the ''cows'' have magic. Not only does she have none, magic doesn't even ''work'' on her. Later on it's revealed that [[spoiler:she was born on Earth from ordinary parents and was switched at birth with a boy from Farworld who actually does have magic.]] |
| 116 | * In ''Literature/FateStrangeFake'', Amelia Levitt comes from a Magus family, but did not inherit any magical abilities. Because of this, [[LockedOutOfTheLoop she was raised without any knowledge of the existence of magic or that her family members were Magi]], so she eventually became a doctor. |
| 117 | * Subverted in the ''Literature/GentlemanBastard'' series. The Bondsmagi of Karthain are a society of sorcerers who have been around for ages, but as we learn in the third book, there have only been about five children of Bondsmagi in the past three centuries or so who actually had magic. (The main character asks what happened to the non-magical children, and is indignantly told that [[EveryoneHasStandards they're raised with love, not sacrificed for power or anything like that]].) |
| 118 | * "Norlocks" are sometimes born to the Kymeran MageSpecies in Creator/NancyACollins' ''Literature/{{Golgotham}}'' trilogy; they generally [[ExtraDigits have five fingers per hand instead of the usual six]], and are considered disabled by other Kymerans due to the species' focus on magic. Kymeran [[HalfHumanHybrids Half-Human Hybrids]] are likely to be norlocks[[spoiler:; explicit mention is made of Tymm -- son of the protagonist and deuteragonist in the series -- having five-fingered hands like his (human) mother, although one ''does'' wonder how her being a [[ExtraOreDinary ferromancer]] would affect him]]. |
| 119 | * Quinn Gaither from the ''Literature/{{Gone}}'' series is one of a large number of characters without super powers, and shows subtle signs of both hatred and jealousy towards his empowered peers. |
| 120 | * Ceyda finds out in Part 2 of ''Literature/GrimoiresSoul'' that sometimes people can be born without the ability to use magic at all or with great difficulty, which is treated as a disability by the Atrium, hence the existence of the DMU or Dysfunctional Magic Unit. |
| 121 | * ''Literature/HarryPotter'': |
| 122 | ** Known as "Squibs", these people still have ''some'' inherent magical affinity that allows them interact with and see elements of the [[MagicalSociety Wizarding World]] that other Muggles simply can't,[[note]]It is stated in book 5 that Squibs can see Dementors, which regular Muggles can't. Also, although it isn't directly stated, Filch can see Hogwarts (he's the caretaker after all) while Muggles perceive Hogwarts as a crumbling ruin.[[/note]] but since they're unable to do magic, Squibs are generally regarded poorly in the community. Squib children of magical parents are generally cast into the Muggle world and given a Muggle education, and most live their lives as Muggles with little contact with the magical community. This is considered a better fate for Squibs, as those who do remain among the wizards are generally treated as second-class citizens, and looked down upon and pitied for their inability to do magic.[[note]]The film version of ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' says that Sirius Black had an ancestor, Marius, who turned out to be a Squib. The pureblood, mostly dark-magic Black family disowned him. In the last book, an elderly relative of Ron’s suggests that Mrs Dumbledore locked her daughter in the house for the better part of a decade for being one (which she wasn’t)[[/note]] |
| 123 | ** Of note is how rare "squibs" are in the Potter Verse; Ron actually says that Squibs are "rare" when explaining the concept to Harry and Hermione in book 2. There are only two named examples of this trope in the books (Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch and Mrs. Figg, Harry's CrazyCatLady neighbor on Privet Drive),[[note]]Molly Weasley is said to have a second cousin who was a Squib, but Ron says they never talk about him.[[/note]] while there are ''several'' [[MageBornOfMuggles "Muggle-born" witches and wizards]] among the main cast. This is because once magic emerges in a bloodline, it tends to stick. As an extension of that, Creator/JKRowling has [[WordOfGod stated]] that most Muggle-borns have Squib ancestors; their genes seem to be latent, coming back when both sides of someone's family have them. |
| 124 | ** Severe emotional trauma can stunt magic in otherwise capable wizards or witches. Neville, who grew up with a strict grandmother and no parents, was long feared to be a Squib until someone had the bright idea to throw him from a high place and he bounced back. ''Half-Blood Prince'' reveals that Voldemort's mother, Merope, had her magic suppressed for years on account of growing up in an abusive home and only started to use it in any meaningful way after her father was arrested. In ''Deathly Hallows'', several characters state that it was widely believed that the long dead Ariana Dumbledore was a Squib but Harry later finds out that she was indeed a witch. It’s just that the torment she endured at the hands of the Muggle boys twisted her psyche to an extent that she could not voluntarily control her magic. The ''Film/FantasticBeasts'' film series describes such individuals as "Obscurials", people whose magic was involuntarily curtailed, causing serious issues, although Ariana wasn't confirmed to have been one until the third one. |
| 125 | * ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'': Unlike their Greek cousins, the Roman half-bloods may actually live to adulthood in the safety of New Rome and even have kids. While they're still descended from the gods, these kids and those that come after are not guaranteed to have any powers. |
| 126 | * In Creator/RayBradbury's short story "The Homecoming", Timothy is the only living human child in a vast extended family of vampires, werewolves, witches and ghouls. Everyone in the family -- Timothy himself included -- consider him to be a pathetic cripple doomed to a tragically-early death, because of this. |
| 127 | * In ''Literature/TheLostYearsOfMerlin'', it's mentioned that magic generally skips a generation; Merlin's grandfather, Tuatha, was a wizard, but his father only had powers when he wielded magical items and made a DealWithTheDevil. In the SequelSeries, ''Literature/TheGreatTreeOfAvalon'', Merlin's own son was powerless but his grandson has magic. As another odd quirk, non-magical generations still benefit from [[WizardsLiveLonger centuries-long life spans]]. |
| 128 | * In the ''Literature/KingmakerKingbreaker'' series, this is a driving point of the first book, as Prince Gar is unable to do magic despite being both Doranen and the son of a very powerful mage. His younger sister, [[RoyalBrat Princess Fane]], is incredibly magically talented and it's why they have such an antagonistic relationship -- Gar is understandably jealous of his younger sister's powerful magic and his younger sister resents the fact that the reason she was born was to replace her "crippled" brother as the next Weather Worker. |
| 129 | * In the ''Literature/TheLunarChronicles'', "shells" are Lunars born without the ability to manipulate bioelectricity, essentially making them human but immune to Lunar glamour and mind tricks. This means high-ranking Lunars don't want them around and want them reported and killed immediately. |
| 130 | * This is the norm for the [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Others]] in the ''Literature/NightWatchSeries'' books by Creator/SergeyLukyanenko. It's extremely rare for a child of two Others to be an Other (about the same chances as an Other being born to Muggle parents), which is why many Other couples avoid having children, so as not to have to watch them grow old and die. The exceptions are the vampires and the werewolves, who usually turn their children at a young age. Kostya Saushkin is notable as being a vampire who [[IHateYouVampireDad resents his father for turning him]]. One of the novels has a story arc dealing with a plot by [[spoiler:Geser and Olga]] to turn their Muggle son into an Other. Anton and Svetlana are exceptions in that they were foreseen to have a child who was an extremely powerful Other (Svetlana is already a very powerful Light sorceress; [[spoiler:Anton reaches Svetlana's level thanks to the Fuaran artifact]]). |
| 131 | * The ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series has a pair of unusual examples. [[spoiler:Both turn out to be {{subversion}}s.]] See, in this series, [[GeometricMagic Charter Magic]] is usable by anyone with the baptismal Charter mark on their forehead (usually given at birth but can also be applied later in life) and [[WildMagic Free Magic]] can be used by anyone with the will ([[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity not that that's a good idea]]). However, there are several [[HeroicLineage bloodlines]] imbued with some of the Great Charters, giving members of those bloodlines special powers and special responsibilities. In the second book, ''Lirael'', we're introduced to two members of those bloodlines who don't appear to have any of their families' powers. The titular Lirael is a [[MadOracle Daughter of the Clayr]] who is despairing because she hasn't received the [[{{Seers}} Sight]], years after it's normal for Clayr to have already received it. Meanwhile, Prince Sameth is supposed to be his mother's heir as the [[{{Necromancer}} Abhorsen-in-Waiting]] (as it's obvious that his older sister is the future queen), but he's hopeless at the training and eventually realizes he can't do it and [[RefusedTheCall refuses the Call]]. [[spoiler:It turns out that Lirael is in fact the Abhorsen's [[LongLostRelative long-lost half-sister]] and thus the ''real'' Abhorsen-in-Waiting, and also possesses the power to see into the past because of her Clayr heritage. Sam, meanwhile, turns out to be the first [[{{Magitek}} Wallmaker]] born in over a thousand years.]] |
| 132 | * In ''Literature/OnceAWitch'', Tamsin was born to witches but has no powers. [[spoiler:Subverted because it turns out her power is that she can take others' powers and stop them from using it against them. Double subverted in the sequel ''Always a Witch'', because she loses her powers.]] |
| 133 | * ''Literature/TheExtraordinaryAdventuresOfOrdinaryBoy'': The eponymous character is the only person in Superopolis to lack a superpower. He's just as confused about it as everyone else is, but he thinks it's because his parents' ([[AnIcePerson Snowflake]] and [[PlayingWithFire Thermo]]) powers cancel each other out. |
| 134 | * ''Literature/ParanoidMage'': Magic is a combination of heredity and environment; extensive exposure to the portal worlds over generations will build up inheritable magical affinity eventually. However, there are still non-magical children of mages, who are informally called "duds" and generally fill administrative roles, like tech support, for the magical world. The systematic disrespect is a major factor in Lucy's MistreatmentInducedBetrayal. |
| 135 | * [[spoiler:Gaithim]] of ''Literature/TheQuestOfTheUnaligned'' is this, and was abused, denigrated, and locked away for it. However, he was also extremely intelligent, and ended up learning how to turn himself ''into'' a mage, something believed to be as impossible in that world as in ours. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, the process he used turned him into a hoshek, an AxeCrazy but very powerful mage of pure {{dark|IsEvil}}ess.]] |
| 136 | * Huw Jones, protagonist of ''Literature/TheRaptureOfTheNerds'', is the non-magical version of this; both his parents were geniuses in ''multiple fields'', while he is utterly mundane. He was ''not'' happy when ''both'' his parents chose BrainUploading the instant it was available; for much of the book, he insists they committed ''suicide'' akin to the 21st century equivalent of Jamestown. |
| 137 | * Played with in ''Literature/TheRavenCycle''. Blue is the only non-psychic in her large household, but does have the ability to amplify others powers with her presence. She has psychic energy, just not the powers. |
| 138 | ** Played straight with Declan Lynch. His brother is a dreamer, his father is a dreamer, and the rest of his family was made by them. Declan is an ordinary young man. |
| 139 | * ''Literature/RetiredWitchesMysteries'': Magic sometimes skips a generation in this series, as evidenced by two of the three titular "retired witches" (Molly and Elsie, each of whom married a non-magical man) having one non-magical child each, Mike and Aleese. Only their third coven member Olivia had a magical child, by a ''very'' powerful (and evil) male witch. It actually subverts part of the trope in that non-magical family members are strictly forbidden from learning about magic, and the Grand Council of Witches will wipe the memories of any who find out (and as revealed in Book 2, some would like to prevent the existence of any witch's non-magical children entirely, through... proactive means, whether the witch parent wants it or not). |
| 140 | ** [[spoiler: Lisbet, Joe Renard's partner in the homicide department, also turns out to be one, and agreed to do her mother's dirty work because Matilda claimed she could give her powers. When she admits she can't actually do this, Lisbet kills her.]] |
| 141 | * ''Literature/TheShadowhunterChronicles'': Ifrits are warlocks (children of a demon and human) with no powers. They still have [[MarkOfTheSupernatural a warlock mark]], though, meaning that they can't exactly integrate themselves with the mundanes. Hence, they live as bottom feeders in the Shadow World. |
| 142 | * Discussed in ''Literature/ShamanBlues'' when Witkacy wonders whether Wiktoria, a daughter of two people with a modicum of magical talent, is this trope or not. [[spoiler:Turns out she's not.]] |
| 143 | * ''Literature/ShamanOfTheUndead'': Ida ''[[IJustWantToBeNormal really wants to be one]]'', despite her parents' anxiety that she shows her magical talent already. Turns out, she has one, and it's ISeeDeadPeople coupled with {{Psychopomp}} (a combo known InUniverse as [[TitleDrop shaman of the undead]]) -- and she's known about it most of her life. But [[GoneHorriblyRight the magical wards around her family house]] don't let ghosts through. That, and she really dislikes her parents' [[ArrangedMarriage plans for her]]. |
| 144 | * This is something very common in the world of ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant''. Most of the main character, Stephanie/Valkyrie's family are normal humans despite (unknowingly) being descendants of a powerful line of mages. This trope also comes to its ultimate conclusion in the third book, ''The Faceless Ones'', where [[spoiler:the BigBad is revealed to be a farmer who was the only Muggle in a family of mages, and grew to resent all mages for looking down on him.]] |
| 145 | * In the ''Literature/SpellslingerSeries'', non-magical Sha'Tep born in the magical Jan'Tep society are treated as a servant underclass. Sha'Tep are forbidden to marry and have children, and so the only place they come from is magical families who disown them after they've failed to show any arcane ability. The protagonist, Kellen, thought himself magically incapable until his [[BlessedWithSuck shadowblack]] kicked in, and after he was nearly condemned to Sha'Tep servitude by his family when they attempted to [[BroughtDownToNormal bind away his already incredibly weak magic]]. |
| 146 | * ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': |
| 147 | ** Granta Omega is the normal son of [[spoiler:Xanatos]], a former Jedi. However, while he isn't Force-sensitive, he does have the ability to slip past any being's senses, even a Jedi's. |
| 148 | ** Emperor Palpatine has a powerless, illegitimate son. While Palpatine was disappointed, he decided to let him live because his son has night terrors in which he screams out horrifying things. The descriptions are used as inspirations for TheEmpire's war machines and torture devices, meaning that Palpatine literally figured out how to weaponize terror. |
| 149 | * Very common in ''Literature/TheSwordOfTruth'' series (there was a major magic disruption a few thousand years ago). Commonly called "skips"; whether Rowling's later use of a similar term is accidental is unknown. |
| 150 | * ''Literature/TheUnicornTrilogy'': In ''Black Unicorn'', Jaive initially neglects her daughter Tanaquil because she thinks Tanaquil is this, not inheriting any magical ability from her, and takes too much after her biological father in her skills with mending and mechanical objects. [[spoiler:It's not until toward the end of the book that Jaive realizes Tanaquil's magical skill ''is'' her mending: she's able to fix anything with just a glance, and what she mends can never be broken again (which, a sequel proved, includes ''broken hearts''). This makes Tanaquil the only person in the world capable of repairing the gate to the Black Unicorn's world.]] |
| 151 | * In ''Literature/{{Worldweavers}}'', Thea is the seventh child of two seventh children... and she doesn't have any of the normal magics. (She gets a cool power later, but it's ''not'' magic.) It's mentioned that children around the country sent her mail -- when she was just days old -- about how powerful she is... sucks to be her. |
| 152 | * Bink, protagonist of ''A Spell for Chameleon'', the first book in the ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'' series, is thought to be this when he shows no magic talent in a land where everyone must have a magic talent by law; he is set to be exiled. [[spoiler:Subverted –- it turns out that he did have a magic talent all along, and a Magician-caliber one at that: he cannot be harmed by magic. And in Xanth, most of everything is magic.]] |
| 153 | ** His Talent stayed hidden because those who knew he had it would find ways around it and harm him; this actually qualified as [[SemanticSuperpower harm by magic]]. |
| 154 | [[/folder]] |
| 155 | |
| 156 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 157 | * PlayedWith in ''Series/{{Angel}}.'' When [[HunterOfHisOwnKind Angel]] and [[FullyEmbracedFiend Darla]] have a child together, it's a double surprise because a.) as vampires, [[ButICantBePregnant they should be sterile]], and b.) the child is, ostensibly, a normal human with [[OurSoulsAreDifferent a soul]]. Since vampires are technically a type of demon, they expected this to go in the other direction and result in something monstrous. However, it eventually becomes clear that Connor isn't ''exactly'' human, and he's particularly shaken when the spell that prevents demons from performing violence works on him too. |
| 158 | * ''Series/BeingHumanUK'': [[spoiler:Eve Sands, sort of. She's not a werewolf, but since she can see Annie, she's a supernatural creature too]]. |
| 159 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Wood's mother was a Slayer. Although he has no powers himself, he's still a damn good fighter. |
| 160 | * PlayedWith in ''Series/Charmed1998:'' the DistantFinale shows Paige with two daughters and a son. According to the comic continuation, the latter is an adopted {{Muggle}}. Paige also winds up binding her daughters' powers until they're older[[note]]After one of them [[PlayingWithFire set the house on fire]][[/note]], so hopefully Henry Jr. will grow up without feeling ''too'' left out of the family's magical shenanigans. |
| 161 | * Steve on ''Series/TheHauntingOfHillHouse2018'' is the only one out of his siblings to have no supernatural abilities. Theo can sense the past of anything/anyone she [[TouchTelepathy touches]], Shirley has psychic connections to things in her sleep, and twins Luke and Nell are extra-sensitive to the supernatural along with [[TwinTelepathy their mental connection with each other]]. This combined with the fact that he was, as Theo puts it, asleep for like 90% of the events of their final night at Hill House, means he has had zero experience with anything supernatural, and thus believes that there is no such thing as the supernatural, and that the quirks his family have are mental illness. |
| 162 | * [[spoiler:Nathan Petrelli]] from ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' is the only member of his immediate family who was born without powers. His parents injected him with SuperSerum to make up for this "deficiency". |
| 163 | * ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'': |
| 164 | ** Zedd's brother Thadicus didn't inherit any powers from their father. It's the reason their relationship is strained. When they were young, Zedd would lord his powers over Thadicus, but he was secretly jealous that his brother didn't have to endure the harsh training to become a wizard. |
| 165 | ** Zedd's daughter didn't inherit any powers, though it did skip a generation, as her son inherited both his maternal grandfather's powers, and his father's powers. |
| 166 | * In ''Series/LostGirl'', only people with two Fae parents get Fae powers. Those who are [[HalfHumanHybrid half-human and half-Fae]] are indistinguishable from normal humans. |
| 167 | * [[TagalongKid Henry Mills]] from ''Series/OnceUponATime''. His mother Emma is [[TheChosenOne "The Saviour"]] who is meant to break the curse (and eventually develops some magical powers of her own). His [[ItMakesSenseInContext adoptive mother/step-great-grandmother]] Regina is one of the most powerful magic users of the series. His father, [[spoiler:Neal,]] is seen to be able to use magic in Season 3, but doesn't like it. And then there's Snow and Charming, his grandparents, who might not have magical powers but are still BadassNormal. |
| 168 | ** And that's not even getting into his ''paternal'' grandfather. |
| 169 | ** He doesn't seem to mind his lack of powers, but that's probably because he's still eleven years old. |
| 170 | ** Subverted in later seasons, [[spoiler: when he becomes the new Author and gains RealityWarper powers, albeit with a responsibility not to actually ''use'' them]]. |
| 171 | * Lon Suder, the murderous crew member of ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', was a [[TelepathicSpacemen Betazoid]] born without telepathic and empathic powers. |
| 172 | * Arguably ''Series/TeenWolf''. It's mentioned that some of the members of Derek's family who died in the fire were human, despite the Hales primarily being a family of werewolves. Most fans have taken this to mean that not every child with werewolf parents inherits the werewolf gene, even though Derek and his sisters did. |
| 173 | ** Of course, there's also the possibly of other relatives' marriage with non-werewolves if the residents extended beyond the nuclear family. Or rented rooms, since it is a VERY large house. Confirmed to be this trope as of 4x06 "Orphaned". |
| 174 | * In ''Series/TrueBlood'', Jason Stackhouse did not inherit any powers from his faerie ancestors like the rest of his family did. He can't even use portals that people with faerie blood can activate. He goes into IJustWantToBeSpecial moments at times. |
| 175 | [[/folder]] |
| 176 | |
| 177 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 178 | * In the ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' setting, only the Terrestrial Exalted's powers are hereditary; the children of other Exalted are plain mortals unless their Exalted parent has a high Essence rating, then they can be Half Caste. During the Golden Age (when the Solars ruled) the offspring of Solars were called "Golden Children"; born into status, wealth and privilege, but with none of the powers their parents wielded. |
| 179 | ** This also happens to the aforementioned Terrestrials; Dragon-Blooded breeding is, in general, not what it used to be. It is common enough for children of Terrestrial parents to fail to Exalt, which typically brings down [[UnFavorite a good degree of shame and disapproval]] on their heads. [[HopeSpot However]], such a mortal STILL carries the blood of the Dragons in him, unexpressed though it may be, and thus there is a chance -- increased if he himself ends up with a Terrestrial spouse -- that HIS children may yet Exalt. |
| 180 | * ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'': |
| 181 | ** Proximi are dynastic hereditary Sleepwalkers: [[{{Muggles}} Sleepers]] who do not have the supernal power of mages, but can witness it without the threat of [[WeirdnessCensor Paradox]]. A Proximus, unlike a normal Sleepwalker, is born into an established family of mages and other Proximi, and ''can'' use limited supernal magic. Mages also believe Proximi are more likely to Awaken than other Sleepers. |
| 182 | ** Since Awakening to magic is a highly personal experience, this trope is a possibility for any magical family, and means that the unlucky child isn't even mentally capable of understanding or perceiving their family's powers. The ''really'' unlucky ones get outright abused in hopes of invoking a TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening. |
| 183 | * In the TabletopGame/{{Mystara}} setting for D&D, the Empire of Alphatia was founded by refugees from a destroyed world where magic was ''extremely'' potent, and only an unlucky few (presumably, those afflicted with subnormal Intelligence ''and'' Wisdom) were incapable of using it. Such people were regarded as handicapped in Old Alphatian society, and many well-known magic items were originally invented to accommodate their "disabilities". |
| 184 | * [[VigilanteMan Expatriette]] from ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse'' is the daughter of a [[BewareTheSuperman super supremacist]]... Who doesn't have powers. She's a CostumedNonSuperHero and a WalkingArmory instead. Oh, and she and her mom, [[ArchnemesisDad Citizen Dawn]], are tagged by the game as ArchEnemies. |
| 185 | * In ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'', Kinfolk are humans or wolves with werewolf blood, immunity to the [[WeirdnessCensor Delirium]], at least loose connections to werewolf society, and nothing else. No shapeshifting and only low-level [[FunctionalMagic Gifts]] for you, sorry! Also, you're a huge disappointment to your werewolf relatives -- useful only as breeding stock and the driver of the getaway car. |
| 186 | ** How a Kinfolk is treated, depends largely on the Tribe. While they are indeed basically slaves and breeding stocks to the Get of Fenris and Shadow Lords, who are very conservative, the more liberal tribes, the Glass Walkers and Bone Gnawers treat their kinfolk pretty decent and the Children of Gaia treat them as equals. |
| 187 | ** What makes quite a few Kinfolk resent the Garou Society is the fact, that without them the Garou Society would collapse and they are still treated like rubbish. As they are needed for reproduction, raising the children and keeping a facade of a normal life standing for normal people. |
| 188 | ** The TabletopGame/NewWorldOfDarkness' ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheForsaken'' has the functionally wolf-blooded who get at least a ''little'' more respect than their spiritual ancestors. One of the splatbooks gave them their own share of abilities. |
| 189 | *** Forsaken-style werewolves are a mix of a spirit and a human from birth, with the spirit heritage reproducing in a spirit-fashion separate from the human genetics. Two werewolves cannot produce viable offspring because there's too much of the spirit side of the inheritance, and the children of a werewolf and a human don't have any greater chance of going wolf than a muggle. Wolf-blooded are actually the greatest treasure of the werewolves, because they're the only people in the setting with a measurably greater probability of producing viable werewolf offspring. |
| 190 | *** In 2nd edition that's no longer true, two werewolves can give birth to a normal-ish (the child's a wolf-blooded)offspring. |
| 191 | [[/folder]] |
| 192 | |
| 193 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 194 | * ''Franchise/AceAttorney'': |
| 195 | ** Morgan Fey (''Kimiko Ayasato'')'s spiritual power is too weak to channel spirits, which is why she was passed over to be the Master despite being the elder sister. |
| 196 | ** Despite [[spoiler:being Morgan's daughter]], Iris (Ayame) has no spiritual powers to speak of, [[spoiler:and apparently, neither does her twin sister Dahlia (Chinami)]]. |
| 197 | ** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice'': Unlike her sister, [[spoiler:Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in]] doesn't have any spiritual power, [[spoiler:so she forces Amara to impersonate her when she is required to channel spirits. Apollo finally defeats her by exposing her as a fraudulent spirit medium and thus unfit for the crown.]] |
| 198 | * The main character in the ''VideoGame/{{Awakening}}'' series, Princess Sophia, was the only human born without magic. She eventually managed to defeat the villain ''because of'' this limitation rather than despite it. |
| 199 | * The main character in ''VideoGame/BlackSigil'' seems to fall under this initially. |
| 200 | * In the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' series: |
| 201 | ** The Dalish Warden in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has no magical talents, but their father was the Keeper of the Sabrae Clan before Marethari. |
| 202 | ** Carver Hawke from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', one of Hawke's two siblings who become mutually exclusive early on depending on player class. He only lives past the opening if Hawke is a mage, in which case both his elder sibling and his twin sister were born with magic. This meant the family had to move frequently to avoid the Templars and father had to spend more time with his siblings to teach them to control their powers. His resulting insecurities are a big part of his story arc. Depending on your choices, he may even end up joining [[KnightTemplar Kirkwall's Templar Order]] out of a mix of resentment and a desire to be "more than just your brother." [[spoiler:The tragic irony is that Carver is what Malcolm Hawke [[WhatIfTheBabyIsLikeMe wanted all of his children to be]].]] |
| 203 | ** The [[BadassFamily Amell family]] could be considered this, since the line seems to blur between whether they're a family that produces an unlikely amount of Mages, or just a family of Mages with quite a few non-magic children. It's mentioned that despite their best efforts to breed magic out of their family line to retain their noble high standing in Kirkwall, it always managed to find its way back in. |
| 204 | * In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', the Crests are passed down genetically and grant great power, including the ability to wield Heroes' Relics. Unfortunately, inheriting one is by no means guaranteed, and as generations pass, it's becoming increasingly common for Crest-bearing parents to have no children with Crests. |
| 205 | * In ''VideoGame/GoldenSun: The Lost Age'', being a non-Adept in a family full of Mars Adepts doesn't seem to bother Briggs a bit. He ''is'' a BadassNormal, but also isn't above [[AintTooProudToBeg begging]] his [[NeverMessWithGranny grandma]] for help when he's over his head. In ''Dark Dawn'', he's also shown to have a better awareness of Psynergy than most non-Adepts, and is one of the few who [[InvisibleToNormals recognizes it in action]]. |
| 206 | * [[spoiler:Florian Greenheart]] in ''VideoGame/OverlordII'' [[spoiler:was the only Elf who couldn't use magic]]. The disaster that sparked FantasticRacism against all magical beings was triggered by his first attempt to fix this, [[spoiler:and the magic-hating Glorious Empire he founded is his second attempt.]] |
| 207 | * Raffina from ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' is the only one in her family who was born without any magical ability, which is a sore point to her, and one of the many reasons why she quickly bonds with [[BirdsOfAFeather Rulue]]. |
| 208 | * ''VideoGame/TheSims'': |
| 209 | ** In ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' Supernatural expansion, Joe is this in the [=MacDuff=] family. Only he and his mother are not witches. However this is not possible if both parents are supernatural creatures. |
| 210 | ** In ''VideoGame/TheSims2'', supernatural sims who can breed will produce normal sim offspring, making this trope the norm. The exceptions are aliens, who have a set of genetics that will hybridize with normal sim genes, and plant-sims who use the "pollinate" option to asexually produce plant-sim toddlers (plant-sims that "woo-hoo" will have normal sim offspring). |
| 211 | * ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': |
| 212 | ** Jedi Grandmaster Satele Shan's son Theron is not Force-sensitive. This doesn't mean that Theron is in any way less of a badass than his mom... or his dad (Jace Malcolm, the Supreme Commander of the Republic forces). |
| 213 | ** Theron is in almost the exact same situation as his ancestor Vaner Shan, who was not Force-sensitive despite being the son of [[spoiler:Jedi Knight Bastila Shan and the former Sith Lord Revan]]. |
| 214 | ** Virtually all Sith Purebloods are Force-sensitive because those who are not are traditionally slain as infants, though the Inquisitor meets an exception working as a diplomat in Voss, stating that in her case her parents managed to work something out for her. |
| 215 | [[/folder]] |
| 216 | |
| 217 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 218 | * ''Webcomic/AtomicLaundromat'' has main character David. He may be the son of an alien empress and Earth's greatest super hero and the only one of his siblings without powers, but he firmly believes that one doesn't need powers to make a difference in the world so he's not the least bit bitter about it. Nor does he feel his choice to own the titular laundromat is in any way pathetic. Any frustration about his lack of powers generally comes from ''other'' people expecting him to display some negative feelings about his situation, or at least show some curiosity or interest in superheroics. |
| 219 | * ''[[http://battlefieldbabysitter.blogspot.com/ Battlefield Babysitter]]'' features Kat, whose parents and brothers all have superpowers. She has... pink hair. She also has experience in ballet, gymnastics and karate from when her parents tried to prepare her for potential powers. She also has the experience of being around other heroes so that she is uniquely qualified to babysit for other heroes superpowered kids. |
| 220 | * ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'': Luna's oldest sister, Barnet, suffered from this, making her an outcast in the already majorly screwed-up Travora family. It eventually lead to her running away from home and becoming an assassin. |
| 221 | * ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': Tedd Verres was born to two people with extraordinary magical ability, but is "magically impaired". Not only does he not have native power, he cannot be empowered like most people can be. He generally compensates by building {{Magitek}} devices that use ambient magical energy. Later comics have revealed [[spoiler:that while Tedd may not have access to standard magic, he ''does'' have native powers of his own: he can "see" and intrinsically understand any magic spell just by looking at it, he can de-enchant things, and he's capable of creating magic catalysts (wands, basically). Such beings are known as "Seers", and are exceptionally rare even among mages.]] |
| 222 | * In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', Zola Malfeazium, despite being part of the [[ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder Sparky]] Mongfish family, did not inherit the Spark herself. [[spoiler:This is bad news for the copy of Lucrezia Mongfish's mind trapped in her head, as while Zola can replicate her late aunt's designs, she can't ''improve'' upon them.]] |
| 223 | * In the ''Webcomic/GloomVerse'', the unnamed protagonist simply called Assistant is this, being very unusual for someone her age not to have any magic at all and is treated poorly by her parents and society because of it. [[spoiler:subverted in the climactic battle where it was revealed her powers were hidden from her and returned to help stop the Antagonist]] |
| 224 | * The Dark Knight in ''Webcomic/HarryPotterComics'' is a squib and can't use wands or magic on his own. But he's highly practiced as a magical artificer, welding magic into everyday objects, including his own battle armor (kevlar-lined full plate) that makes him highly resistant to bullets, swords, AND magic attacks. |
| 225 | * Although anyone in ''Webcomic/NeverSatisfied'' ''can'' develop magic, not everyone does. Instead of having eyes that match their [[ColorCodedWizardry magic color]], non-magicians have black eyes. Reactions to people who aren't magicians vary, but generally they're treated as an underclass. |
| 226 | -->'''Tobi''': Magicians... don't care about us. We're invisible to them without a familiar at our side. |
| 227 | ** None of the beggar kids Lucy steals food for have magic, and Tobi implies this is a large reason for their BarefootPoverty. It's uncertain whether they come from nonmagical families, or whether they're the BlackSheep of magician families. |
| 228 | ** Tobi keeps a nonmagical pet, Tater, on his shoulder to give the impression of a magician with a rat familiar. |
| 229 | ** [[http://www.neversatisfiedcomic.com/comic/chapter-2-page-7 Something's suspicious]] [[CaptionHumor about that]] [[CreatorCameo hat seller]]... |
| 230 | ** Dr. Isra Karim isn't a magician, but she's a respected scientist who owns a bakery with her wife, Neith. |
| 231 | ** [[spoiler:Lucy doesn't have the telltale black eyes of a non-magician, but their achromatic grey eyes indicate that they can't use magic. They've [[BadassNormal managed to make it through four rounds of the representative competition]] without anyone except Ana or Philomena suspecting or finding out that they can't use magic.]] |
| 232 | ** January's oldest younger brother, Fred, is the only one of her siblings who hasn't developed magic yet at the age of fourteen. |
| 233 | * In ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'', of the four Hotakainen family members to have gotten development, only Tuuri lacks mage powers. Her grandmother, older brother and cousin are all mages. According to WordOfGod, her grandfather was one as well. |
| 234 | * ''Webcomic/{{Unfamiliar}}'': What Pinyon was at first believed to be, due to how little talent she possesses in magic and how she hadn’t found a familiar yet despite being over 13, the age at which most witches find one. Thankfully for her, this is subverted when she saves a bird she finds she can communicate with. |
| 235 | * ''Webcomic/{{Zoophobia}}'': Despite [[SassyBlackWoman Sahara]]'s unrelenting interest in magic, she hopelessly lacks her family's magical ability. Of course, this leads to many undesired mishaps. |
| 236 | [[/folder]] |
| 237 | |
| 238 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 239 | * in ''Blog/AlwaysHavingJuice'', [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Rouge the Bat]] was born without wings, but it doesn’t seem to bother her anymore. |
| 240 | [[/folder]] |
| 241 | |
| 242 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 243 | * In ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'', the dragon powers "skipped" Jake's mother's generation. Her father, son, and daughter can all transform into dragons, but she can't. |
| 244 | * Who is or isn't a bender in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' is [[RandomlyGifted random]] (except the Air Nomads, who were always benders), so it's possible for the children of two benders to be non-benders: |
| 245 | ** Both parents of swordmaster Piandao were firebenders. When they found out he had no bending powers they gave him to the orphanage. |
| 246 | ** As far as we know, Princess Ursa and her mother Rina don't display any firebending abilities, but Rina's father was a firebender -- namely [[spoiler:Aang's predecessor Roku, who could bend the other elements too, being the Avatar and all]]. Zuko’s much younger half-sister Kiyi is also a bender despite neither Ursa nor his stepfather being benders. |
| 247 | ** In the episode "The Fortuneteller", Aang asks everyone in the town if there are any earthbenders to use them to help save the village. We see a set of twins where one can earthbend, but the other cannot. |
| 248 | ** By ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Aang and Katara had one non-bending offspring, Bumi. He has a major chip on his shoulder, particularly toward his younger brother, and to a lesser extent, his younger sister. [[spoiler:Until Season 3 when he, and many other {{Muggle}}s, spontaneously develop Airbending due to the Harmonic Convergence.]] |
| 249 | * In ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'', Rafa is the daughter of Alacazar, the royal sorcerer under King Raul, but after [[BigBad Shuriki]] took over Avalor (which forced Alacazar to go on the run and to never return home), Rafa didn't pursue how to learn magic, partly to avoid Shuriki's wrath. Her son, Mateo, sneaks into their basement to learn magic from Alacazar's notes and he ends up becoming the royal sorcerer for Princess Elena after Shuriki is defeated. Rafa, however, has memorized some of the spells that her father taught her, such as the spell needed to remove the seal on a magical painting spell used to protect the royal family. |
| 250 | * ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'': Kite Man's father and mother have ice powers and the ability to fly, respectively. Both were disappointed when Kite-Man had no powers. |
| 251 | * On ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'', Tim the Witch-Smeller was born to witch parents with no powers but [[WizardsLiveLonger a warlock's longevity]] -- worse, he was apparently unique, so he grew up [[FreudianExcuse mocked and tormented by his empowered peers]]. The result is a psychopathic [[TheWitchHunter witch hunter]] with a [[FantasticRacism grudge against witches]]. |
| 252 | [[/folder]] |
| 253 |
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