History Main / GreenRocks

* ''[[Anime/GaoGaiGar Yuusha-Oh GaoGaiGar]]'' has a ''literal'' green rock, the G-Stone, used as the power source for all of its main mecha, as its power output increases as a function of the pilot's or robot's ''raw courage''. There's also a red counterpart, the J-Jewel, with even ''less'' well-defined powers, one of which is explosive output when combined ''with'' a G-Stone. Indeed, many of the fuzzy properties of the G-Stone and J-Jewel are related to their interactions with other substances and energies.
* Which was inspired by Getter Rays from ''Manga/GetterRobo''. Practically the same thing, actually (which is {{Lampshaded}} in ''VideoGame/{{Super Robot Wars Z}}2''), including leading to the destruction of the entire universe if over/misused.

** During the ''ComicBook/DarkNightsMetal'' story, Batman is treated with 5 different metals over the course of multiple lifetimes, which apparently turns him into a portal for a demon god from a dark parallel multiverse to pass through. Yeah, it makes about as much sense as it sounds like.

* In the original ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' comics, Red Kryptonite had a random yet temporary effect.
** And guess what Pink Kryptonite causes? [[spoiler:It turns Kryptonians homosexual. Obviously, this wasn't a thing in the original comics; it appears when post-Crisis Supergirl visits a version of the pre-Crisis universe that exaggerates the "weird subtext" that nobody except her notices.]]

* Marvel's [[ComicBook/XMen mutant gene]] is probably the most extreme example of this, letting writers forgo the need for any sort of origin story whatsoever by saying the character's a mutant. Mutants can have any power imaginable, ranging from the ability to regenerate any and all wounds received, to duplication. Whether this was a bad thing is debatable, since non-mutants' origin stories are often cheesy or downright stupid (mongoose blood granting SuperSpeed to The Whizzer comes to mind...)

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' has a couple of examples. One is Sakuradite, a natural resource with high conductivity that's used in everything in the series; the Lancelot's SuperPrototype-ness is explained by saying that it uses more Sakuradite than normal [[AMechByAnyOtherName Knightmare]] [[MiniMecha Frames]], giving it incredible energy efficiency. The Gefjun Disturber is a device that blocks Sakuradite's conductivity, making it work something like an EMP weapon. It also somehow has the properties to block radar and aids in the blooming of energy weapons, which allows the Gawain's hadron cannons to go from awful to amazing.

* In ''VideoGame/RTXRedRock'', a race of aliens has come to Mars in search of the Foundation Stone, an artifact of immense power, said to be one of the building blocks of the universe.

* The ''Literature/WildCards'' virus can produce agonizing death, [[BodyHorror severe deformities and mutations]], or superpowers ranging from [[BlessedWithSuck useless]] to nearly [[AGodAmI Godlike]]. It also sometimes taps the infectee's subconscious and [[YourMindMakesItReal turns them into their fantasies or fears]].

* The runes in ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}}'' could count. While the player can only use the spells of whichever spellbook they're currently using, several other characters have been using them for spells that you can't use. For instance, a child in the "Meeting History" quest was shown banging together runes (an air rune and a fire rune, if memory serves correctly), which caused a small explosion. Nothing big, harmful, or destructive. Just enough to make a few sparks to start a fire and make a loud noise.

* Humans in ''Franchise/MassEffect'' first developed psychic powers when a fright transport of [[AppliedPhlebotinum Element Zero]] exploded during reentry over Singapore. While no immediate health effects were noticed, traces of the substance inhaled by pregnant women affected their unborn children which developed biotic potential, though they still require implants to amplify their powers for combat use.\\\
''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' suggests that this might probably also be the source for the apparent natural bionic powers of Asari [[spoiler:Who secretly had access to a complete and working database of [[BenevolentPrecursors Prothean technology]] and would have had thousands of years to permanently modify the DNA of their entire species.]]\\\
Element Zero could well be a TropeCodifier. It (and the eponymous "mass effects" it creates) are responsible for and a key component of just about every major technological development in the games.

* {{Downplayed|Trope}} in the ''Literature/{{Destroyermen}}'' novels. Polta fruit is starting to seem like this, though none of its so-far-established properties are really thoroughly outlandish. You can eat it straight, and you can mash it up and ferment it into seep, the Lemurians' [[ExpospeakGag ethyl alcohol delivery mechanism]] of choice. The pulp left over from fermentation is used in wound treatment as an antiseptic and topical anesthetic, and in later books they discover that partially fermented seep has properties similar to battery acid, enabling construction of portable power sources.
* Magic is treated this way in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''. Its capabilities are broad and ambiguous, and distinctions are drawn on the ''use'' of magic rather than different ''types''. However, magic has narrative properties similar to radiation (because Creator/TerryPratchett used to work in nuclear power), with sites of old wizard battles essentially being uninhabitable fallout zones that mutate living things. It's also subject to some physical laws and nothing can be truly created with it (for example, Conservation of Mass applies when turning someone into a frog, and a cheese made by magic falls apart into a disgusting inedible mess). The most important reason for witches and wizards to learn magic is frequently said to be how to ''not'' use it when they could do it for every little thing. Sam Vimes once complains about the fact that "you can't explain how the magic is done [[ShapedLikeItself because it's all done by magic]]."
* One of the finest examples is in the ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' series of books. ''Melange'', a.k.a. "the Spice", was a combination of MacGuffin and AppliedPhlebotinum. It was a flavoring, a drug, a source of magical visions, ''and'' it gave you cool-looking blue-on-blue eyes. It also made FasterThanLightTravel possible, and acted as a mutagen on consecutive generations of users. It also quadrupled the lifespan of anyone who took it. Too bad that The Spice was also insanely addictive, had only one source, and being cut off from supply resulted in an agonizing death.\\\

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[[caption-width-right:340:[[Film/SupermanReturns K]]''[[Film/SupermanReturns rrrryp]]''[[Film/SupermanReturns -tonite!]]]]

%%If you have time, please take time to put examples in alphabetical order. This page Administrivia/HowToAlphabetizeThings should help you with that.

''ComicBook/GreenLantern1941'': Despite all the differences between Alan Scott and all the other Green Lanterns that would follow, it's interesting to note that even in his 1940 origin story, the source of Alan's power is extraterrestrial Green Rocks. A burning green meteor crashes in China, and it is first formed into a lamp, then a lantern, and finally comes to Alan Scott to grant him power.

* WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}: In its raw form, Dust is a crystal that can be found anywhere in Remnant. When applied to objects, weapons, clothing or people, then activated with Aura, it can have magic-like effects, such as producing fire, lightning or gravity. Dust mining is a dangerous business that leads to serious, long-term health problems.

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[[caption-width-right:207:[[Film/SupermanReturns K]]''[[Film/SupermanReturns rrrryp]]''[[Film/SupermanReturns -tonite!]]]]

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDarkWitch'' games give us Pure Syega, crystallized magic that humans and beastmen can use for whatever situation they require. They're so ubiquitous that many characters are often seen with them on their character designs with some exceptions[[note]]Zizou and Mati due to them both being [[PhysicalGod Physical Gods]] and thus able to use magic without having to use them and Fae such as Stoj[[/note]] and someone stealing an entire nation's supply was enough to cause great concern for Zizou to get involved. In gameplay, they're often used to upgrade abilities. Riva's Red Syega in particular deserves special mention, being more powerful than regular blue Syega, to the point that [[spoiler:they grant her a OneWingedAngel form in the final battle]].

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', you get all sorts of magic rocks-Necrodermis, Standard Template Constructs, wraithbone, and the Warp itself all function as magic rocks at various points. Wraithbone is more or less the same as Warpstone, as it is solidified psychic energy. However it is far less chaotic than its fantasy counterpart, but apparently forms almost everything the Eldar uses, down to possibly their clothes.

* In ''VideoGame/AlphaPrime'', hubbardium are literal green rocks [[spoiler:that coloured due to radiation from Glomar's heart and]] that are implied to have a variety of uses ranging from powering things, to alcohol, to BulletTime.
* In ''VideoGame/ArkSurvivalEvolved'', the substance that powers Tek equipment is simply known as "Element". Its only source at the start of the series is boss drops, forcing players to challenge the Island's most powerful inhabitants to get some. ''Aberration'' reveals that its liquid form is glowing magenta and highly radioactive, and [[spoiler: the final boss of Aberration and]] the plot of ''Extinction'' reveals that Element is the source of TheCorruption that has rendered EarthThatWas uninhabitable.

* Tiberium from the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' series is the most valuable substance in the world (leading to the GDI and Nod fighting over it) and will either kill or mutate anybody who steps in it. It also corrupts the land so much that by the second game's expansion, the Earth's air and biosphere are one year or so away from becoming toxic to humans. To top it off, it's part of an alien invasion plan. Yes, it's green. There's also a blue variety, which has aged considerably, and thus is much more valuable, but tends to [[StuffBlowingUp react poorly]] when people start slinging explosives around. There's supposedly red too... To be fair, Tiberium (at least the CNC 1-2 variety) contains valuable metals in high yields, conveniently sent to the surface [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6906MLBkIsM in packed crystals]]. In [=CNC3=], its more unappealing properties come through radiation. Either way, its toxic and/or mutagenic in all forms.\\\
By ''Tiberium Wars'', the mutagenic properties have gone down a notch but gained [[FromBadToWorse an even lovelier ability]], via a process described as evolution (it's still unclear if Tiberium is [[StarfishAliens alive or not]]). While still able to leech substances, Tiberium is also able to "infect" surfaces and grow into them, assimilating the object into its crystaline structure and turning it into itself. This is the reason we see some truly massive Tiberium formations in ''Wars'' and the intro of ''Twilight''. When this happens to a human and is not treated immidiately, Tiberium fuses into the skin and spreads, [[BodyHorror eventually resulting with the victim growing Tiberium crystals out of his/her body]]. [[ParanoiaFuel Did we mention that in the worse-off parts of the world, you can breathe Tiberium particles without realising?]]\\\

The [[AllThereInTheManual official strategy guide]] for ''Dawn'' explained how Tiberium allowed several for several of the aversions of reality seen in the game, like aspects of EasyLogistics (on-field construction) and RidiculouslyFastConstruction (very ''effective'' on-field construction). Thus, Tiberian War: the value of Tiberium is both a reason for war and a necessary element of the modern way of waging war.
** Tiberium makes an appearance in the Sims 3 as an easteregg, it's attributes are that it can cut itself into a unique shape from it's raw form (all other gem types in this game must be cut by the player), it's ridiculously valuable and makes a Sim ill when carrying it. Rumours of Tiberium being able to spread itself if left on the ground as in its parent games are untrue though.

* ''VideoGame/TheDig'' featured glowing Life Crystals created by an advanced alien civilization, which are capable of bringing the dead back to life (albeit with resulting insanity and crystal-addiction). You can probably guess what colour they were. For some reason, the crystals were also used to power the various alien machines found throughout the city.

** For some Skaven, [[AlwaysChaoticEvil fitting their generally-deranged style]], it's a magical-power-boosting FantasticDrug,

* ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'' likes to use [[OurDarkMatterIsMoreMysterious dark matter]] as the goto SuperEmpowering AppliedPhlebotinum. Virtually all of the metahumans that appear in the show can be traced back to dark matter, with a few rare instances being the result of some other form of mutagen.

* Septium (a fragment of this is called sepith) in ''VideoGame/KisekiSeries'' are gems which come in seven different energies representing four basic and three higher-tier existing elements in the series' universe; Fire (Red, called Carnelia), Water (Blue, called Sapphirl), Wind (Green, called Esmelas), Earth (Brown, called Amberl), Space (Gold, called Goldia), Mirage (Silver, called Argem), and Time (Black, called Nohval). Its purified form of sepith, quartz, is utilized in a mechanical device known as orbment in almost every technological aspect ranging from military to simple home cooking. In gameplay, each characters have tactical orbment with slots that can be filled with various types of quartz to grant them ability to use [[MagicFromTechnology arts]], alter their combat parameters or even their cooking proficiency in later games.

** Eating Devil Fruitcan give you any superpower imaginable, the type depending on the fruit you ate. Powers range from [[{{Animorphism}} animal transformation]] to [[ElementalPowers elemental control]] to coming back from the dead as a living skeleton, among a lot of other effects. What really pushes it into Green Rocks territory is the ability for inanimate objects to "eat" the animal-type fruits, becoming {{Empathic Weapon}}s in the process. But, unlike some Green Rocks, the Devil Fruits have a strong stigma. The user is [[SuperDrowningSkills unable to swim]], and loses all power upon significant contact with seawater. In addition, the result of eating the fruit is generally unknown. You could control lightning, or you could gain a completely ([[HeartIsAnAwesomePower or seemingly]]) useless ability. There is no antidote, and eating a second fruit causes instant death.\\\