History Main / PlotSensitiveItems

MyCarHatesMe is a vehicle-specific SubTrope, as ContextSensitiveButton is for control panels, and SuperCellReception is a phone-specific sub-trope. The superhero version is NewPowersAsThePlotDemands. Compare SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat. Not to be confused with MagicTool and GreenRocks, both of which are known from the outset to have multiple and possibly unknown functions or the GreenLanternRing which can explicitly do just about anything if you know how to use it.

When a writer attempts to explain the sudden change of behavior, he/she will frequently invoke PhlebotinumBreakdown, or RetCon the function into the item's repertoire. The way to tell, frequently, is watching to see [[ForgottenPhlebotinum whether this new old function appears again]].

MyCarHatesMe is a vehicle-specific subtrope, as ContextSensitiveButton is for control panels, and SuperCellReception is a phone-specific subtrope. The superhero version is NewPowersAsThePlotDemands. Compare SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat. Not to be confused with MagicTool and GreenRocks, both of which are known from the outset to have multiple and possibly unknown functions, or the GreenLanternRing which can explicitly do just about anything if you know how to use it. Remember, this is about a specific "normal" item acting strangely; do not add examples of all-purpose phlebotinum like Star Trek's "reverse shield polarity" and "deflector pulse" or Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver.

* The Stargate in the various ''Franchise/{{Stargate|Verse}}'' series. Sometimes it closes just before someone "unwanted" is about to enter it and sometimes it allows them to go into the orifice. Sometimes it just stays on or closes for no apparent reason. It's a complete mess in what's otherwise a decent universe.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** Sunlight burns nameless mook vampires faster than the recurring ones.
** For that matter, Buffy can hit a Mook vampire anywhere in the torso and he'll turn to dust, staked through the heart. It's a plot point in Season 2 when a named vampire is shot with a crossbow bolt barely missing the heart, and it's *much* closer than it normally takes for Buffy to kill anyone.
* Classic example; time bombs will go faster or slower depending on how much tension is needed.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'': [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Pre-Crisis]] the abilities of Diana's lasso were subject to change to make a story work, but this was fixed in ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'' where the lasso's abilities were clearly defined and kept to for decades, until the '90s wanted things darker and edgier. Its first and second shown abilities in the ComicBook/PostCrisis continuity went absent without explanation causing Diana to have to kill Maxwell Lord, when wrapping him in the thing should have caused him to drop his flawed plan instantly (if not necessarily permanently) like it had done previously to ''gods''.

* Many of the gadgets in the ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' fit the bill. The Hypershot from ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal Up Your Arsenal]]'' in particular can not only make solid platforms, but can also create a swing rope to use to jump between. The Electrolizer from ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando Going Commando]]'' can fix nigh anything, with any technical fault, just by spinning a few dials to allow a current through. Anything from a hoverbike, to a computer terminal, to a BrokenBridge.

!!Examples

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[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'''s automatic doors will always open (when not locked) when a person approaches, and shut as the person moves away--unless the door NEEDS to be wide open, in which case...
** More to the point, the Main Deflector Array has been used to do just about everything.
*** It's even the go to choice when you want to do a one shot overloaded weapon attack. It does more damage than the actual weapons would.

** The zat guns too, although in this case it may be a subversion since they just kind of lost an ability. The rule at the beginning of the TV series was: first hit stuns, second hit kills, third hit disintegrates. It was an excuse to get rid of any inconvenient bodies that they didn't want to keep track of. The creative team eventually decided it was stupid and the ability just kind of vanished. This was lampshaded in 100th episode ''Wormhole X-Treme!''.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Sunlight burns nameless mook vampires faster then the recurring ones.

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[[folder:Comic Books]]

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[[folder:Toys]]

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[[folder:Video Games]]

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* The Mask of Life did this in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}''. Need to get rid of a bad guy in a family-friendly manner? [[BalefulPolymorph Mask turns him into a snake]]. [[MerchandiseDriven Need to sell more toys of the same characters and give an explanation as to why they look different?]] Mask upgrades them into new forms. Need to seal the [[SealedGoodInACan Great Spirit]] away somewhere? Put him in the mask, etc.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'': During the Golden Age of Comics the abilities of Diana's lasso were subject to change to make a story work, but this was fixed in ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'' where the lasso's abilities were clearly defined and kept to for decades, until the '90s wanted things darker and edgier. Its first and second shown abilities in the ComicBook/PostCrisis continuity went absent without explanation causing Diana to have to kill Maxwell Lord, when wrapping him in the thing should have caused him to drop his flawed plan instantly (if not necessarily permanently) like it had done previously to ''gods''.

** The transporters, especially when operated by the computer, possess a seamingly precognitive ability to know exactly which "3 to beam up".

* The Mask of Life did this in ''{{Bionicle}}''. Need to get rid of a bad guy in a family-friendly manner? [[BalefulPolymorph Mask turns him into a snake]]. [[MerchandiseDriven Need to sell more toys of the same characters and give an explanation as to why they look different?]] Mask upgrades them into new forms. Need to seal the [[SealedGoodInACan Great Spirit]] away somewhere? Put him in the mask, etc.

* Many of the gadgets in the ''RatchetAndClank'' fit the bill. The Dynamo from R&C3 in particular can not only make solid platforms, but can also create a swing rope to use to jump between. The Electrolizer from R&C2 can fix nigh anything, with any technical fault, just by spinning a few dials to allow a current through. Anything from a hoverbike, to a computer terminal, to a BrokenBridge.
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<<|AppliedPhlebotinum|>>

MyCarHatesMe is a vehicle-specific subtrope, as ContextSensitiveButton is for control panels, and SuperCellReception is a phone-specific subtrope. The superhero version is NewPowersAsThePlotDemands. Compare SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat. Not to be confused with MagicTool and GreenRocks, both of which are known from the outset to have multiple and possibly unknown functions or the GreenLanternRing which can explicitly do just about anything if you know how to use it. Remember, this is about a specific "normal" item acting strangely; do not add examples of all-purpose phlebotinum like Star Trek's "reverse shield polarity" and "deflector pulse" or Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver.

* In the 1979 TV series ''Salvage1'', [[MadeOfExplodium monohydrazine]] was used to solve any number of problems, from fueling a rocket to restarting oil wells.

* The Stargate in the various ''{{Stargate}}'' series. Sometimes it closes just before someone "unwanted" is about to enter it and sometimes it allows them to go into the orifice. Sometimes it just stays on or closes for no apparent reason. It's a complete mess in what's otherwise a decent universe.

* The patients on ''Series/{{House}}'' will get sicker or better depending on how much time is left in the episode.

MyCarHatesMe is a vehicle-specific subtrope, as ContextSensitiveButton is for control panels, and SuperCellReception is a phone-specific subtrope. The superhero version is NewPowersAsThePlotDemands. Not to be confused with MagicTool and GreenRocks, both of which are known from the outset to have multiple and possibly unknown functions or the GreenLanternRing which can explicitly do just about anything if you know how to use it. Remember, this is about a specific "normal" item acting strangely; do not add examples of all-purpose phlebotinum like Star Trek's "reverse shield polarity" and "deflector pulse" or Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver.