History Main / PlacebotinumEffect

* In Dave Van Domelen's online shared writing universe ''[[WebOriginal/AcademyOfSuperheroes ASH]]'', lots of SuperHero gear is like this, due to the fact that all super-powers are [[MetaOrigin variations on an ability]] to break the laws of physics. At least one story mentions "inventions" that have nothing but a drawing of circuitry inside.

* In ''This Means War!'' Ginny discovered that Harry could do anything he believed was possible, but didn't tell him that. This resulted in some friction between them later when, after he used a light show and fake incantation to ''pretend'' that he was casting a spell which would make the victim explode if he contacted Voldemort or any loyal Death Eaters, the man in question Flooed Lucius Malfoy and ''really did'' blow up.

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* In ''Film/TheMouseThatRoared'', [[spoiler:the superpowered atomic bomb that drives the conflict turns out to be a dud]], which doesn't matter at all since [[MacGuffin everyone believes it would work]].

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* In the Franchise/HarryPotter fic ''Dumbledore's Army'' Hermione discovered that Harry could accomplish absolutely anything as long as he didn't know it was magically impossible after he successfully conjured noble metals and gemstones. To test this, she made up a nonsense spell, "comburo fonticulis," and convinced Professor [=McGonagall=] to tell Harry that it was a spell which would produce a jet of flame in the middle of a solid block of metal without ever melting the metal itself. Needless to say, he not only got it to work but used it several times afterwards.
* In ''This Means War!'' Ginny discovered that Harry could do anything he believed was possible, but didn't tell him that. This resulted in some friction between them later when, after he used a light show and fake incantation to ''pretend'' that he was casting a spell which would make the victim explode if he contacted Voldemort or any loyal Death Eaters, the man in question Flooed Lucius Malfoy and ''really did'' blow up.
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* ''[[Literature/WhateleyUniverse Whateley Academy]]'', being a somewhat TropeOverdosed SuperheroSchool series, has this. There are two forms of MadScientist -- Gadgeteers, who have the psychic ability to know exactly what tool/technology to use to create a desired effect, and Devisers, who enforce their own reality using their inventions. Whereas Gadgeteers have to follow the laws of physics, Devisers definitely fall into the PlacebotinumEffect category -- other people cannot recreate their devises, and they tend to fall apart if someone not the original inventor uses them.

See also ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve, MagicFeather, MagicPoweredPseudoscience, CentipedesDilemma. Compare the actual PlaceboEffect.

* The inventions of the various mad scientists/gadgeteers in the ''WearingTheCape'' novels explicitly work this way: no one else can recreate, reproduce, or even figure out out how they work.

[[IReadThatAs Having to do with placebos, not places]].

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See also ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve, MagicFeather, MagicPoweredPseudoscience, CentipedesDilemma.

* ''[[WhateleyUniverse Whateley Academy]]'', being a somewhat TropeOverdosed SuperheroSchool series, has this. There are two forms of MadScientist -- Gadgeteers, who have the psychic ability to know exactly what tool/technology to use to create a desired effect, and Devisers, who enforce their own reality using their inventions. Whereas Gadgeteers have to follow the laws of physics, Devisers definitely fall into the PlacebotinumEffect category -- other people cannot recreate their devises, and they tend to fall apart if someone not the original inventor uses them.

* In Literature/UnrealEstate, [[spoiler: all the reality-water-containing duplicate people have this ability]]. It takes the protagonist a while to figure this out.

* The abilities of several of the characters in the ''WildCards'' novels work this way. One case mentioned involved a mad scientist who seemingly created a highly advanced robot. However, when the robot was cracked open, it contained no electronic or mechanical components at all; just a collection of random junk. In this case, the MetaOrigin is a virus that induces specialized PsychicPowers.

* In TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds' ''{{Paragons}}'' setting (possibly as an homage to ''WildCards''), several paragons create "ACME devices", which are really expressions of their power, and are almost always unreproducible.

* ''{{Magellan}}'': Gizmo Girl / Gizmo Woman created impossible gadgets.

* ''{{Narbonic}}''. The many mad scientists running amok in the book have to pay attention, at least somewhat, to the laws of physics. [[spoiler:Not so with Dave. All Helen has to do, for much of the series, is fool him. "That pile of junk over there used to be a death ray, please fix it." Then later, it will be a death ray even though the pile used to be a torn apart laundry machine and dryer.]]

* A similar case at MarvelComics was the Molecule Man, who could originally transform inorganic matter with the aid of a wand. It was later retconned that he had the power himself and just thought he was using the wand (and also just thought he had an inorganic matter limitation).

* An issue of ''[[TheSimpsons Simpsons Comics]]'' reveals that most of Dr. Frink's devices work on this principle, and thus break down when his new assistant starts questioning his logic.

* ''ShadeTheChangingMan'' is made of this. The madness vest does not work that way, until Shade wants it to, and after it integrates with him, he never mentions it again. His angel trap and similar machines are collections of clutter thrown together at random and shouldn't work, except that they're CrazyEnoughToWork. The crack in the sidewalk in Times Square is nothing more than that until Shade decides to move in and explore it. And the "metang" Shade's hero suit is made of doesn't even exist until he decides to fashion such a suit, with the properties he supposes something like metang would have; he simply {{Ass Pull}}s it with the power of madness.

* In ''ManaKhemiaAlchemistsOfAlRevis'', Alchemy requires the use of a mana, essentially a spirit that lends its power to help the transmutation. However [[spoiler: the main character's mana isn't a Mana at all, but an ordinary housecat. The main character himself is a mana of wishes and subconsiously gives his cat mana-like properties.]]