History Main / TransformationAtTheSpeedOfPlot

[[folder:Video Games]

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

* In the ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' episode "Toys In The Attic," Jet gets bitten by the mysterious creature and takes a fairly long time to get knocked out by the toxin. Fae gets bitten a little while later and loses consciousness in about half the time Jet does, which makes sense given how much smaller she is than Jet. Spike, however, who's definitely closer to Jet than Fae in size, gets bitten and loses consciousness almost immediately. Ein also succumbs to being bitten almost immediately, but that's justified because he's a 30 lb dog.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* ComicBook/PostCrisis, {{Superman}}'s origin was changed so that his powers developed slowly as he grew up, storing solar radiation in his body. However as an adult, staying away from the sun for a just a few days quickly drained his powers. Even worse, other kryptonian characters ignored this and charged up rather quickly.

[[folder: Fan Fic ]]

** Chang's change took days to finish because, [[DiabolicalMastermind while he was evil]], he had no background in dark magic. [[spoiler: When [[RageBreakingPoint driven over the edge of rage]], his transformation leaps the last part to completeness.]]

[[folder: Films -- Animated ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', mostly in the Broadway musical. The curse has the enchanged objects becoming less human (since, being onstage, they are life-size and somewhat human). This has been happening for ten years, and suddenly they're on the brink of transformation a few days after Belle's arrival.

** Both the gradual and instant varieties also occur in [[WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewSchool the TV series]].

[[folder: Films -- Live-Action ]]

* ''Film/FantasticVoyage'' has a 1-hour time limit before the surgical team will begin to regain their original size.
** In the [[Literature/FantasticVoyage novelization]] by Creator/IsaacAsimov, the degree to which you are shrunk affects your time at that size. It is stated that being shrunk to half-size would take years to wear off, but the extreme size reduction needed by the team means they only have a single hour.
* The gestation period of xenomorphs in the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' series. [[Film/{{Alien}} The first film]] has several hours between the victim getting attacked by the facehugger to the chestburster leaping out, and another several-hour interval before the xenomorph matures. In ''Film/AlienVsPredator'', a group of people is implanted and the temple is swarming with mature xenomorphs in a matter of minutes. This could be explained by the Predators having bred or selected a line of xenomorphs that had a hyper-accelerated growth rate even by their species's standards, except that [[spoiler: the Predator gets infected in the middle of the film and the Predalien chestburster doesn't emerge until the very end of the movie]].

[[folder: Literature ]]

* There's a difference in the time various people sickened and died in ''Literature/TheStand''. When the virus is first released inside the army base, everyone is dead in minutes, minus Campion, who makes it about a day before dying. Other people take several days to die, because they get briefly better before getting worse.
** The [[Series/TheStand TV miniseries]] {{Hand Wave}}s this by stating that Campion was exposed to a mutated version of the virus that takes longer.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''Series/DoctorWho'', "The Waters Of Mars". The zombie-like infection is actually a microscopic PuppeteerParasite, and can decide for itself when is the best time to take over its victim.
** Not justified in "Amy's Choice," where the attack that instantly dusted everyone else we saw it hit gave Rory enough time for a tearful goodbye before gradually dissolving. Of course, it was AllJustADream, so who says it has to make any more sense than a "cold star?"
*** If you watch, Rory is hit with what looks to be a smaller and more indirect dose of the gas, hence he dusted slower.
* In the pilot of ''Series/StargateSG1'' the team finds a long list of stargate addresses, but since the stargates have drifted since the list was put down, they have to be re-calculated by their computer. Carter states that with this process they can discover two or three new stargates a month.
** Of course in a later episode they find a complete and up-to-date map of stargate addresses and drop that conceit.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'': In the episode "Best Frenemies," the Kelpshakes that everyone is drinking give them green shag that covers their entire bodies, but not until the end of the episode. However, Krabs and Plankton, who have been avoiding drinking them for the entire episode, finally drink it before Karen can warn them of the toxic ingredient. The Kelpshake effect happens almost immediately after they discover that everyone else has it.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'', Ben is scratched by a creature who has been identified as [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent the Yenaldooshi]] by a Character Of The Week, and spends half of the episode slowly becoming more and more like it. In the end, it's revealed that it was really nothing more than an alien wolf-like creature, and the transformation was due to a quirk of the Omnitrix that allows it to learn and mimic the form of any alien that touches it. Every other time this ability comes into play in later episodes, the form is added automatically and the transformation is as quick as Ben's usual shape-changing.
** Handwaved by saying something like it was stuck inbetween collection mode and something else, so it caused a gradual change.
* In "Can I Keep It?" on ''Literature/LittlePrincess'', Little Princess's tadpole is shown to have transformed into a frog overnight and visually in the space of about 10-15 seconds. When Little Princess awakes, [[MistakenForOwnMurderer she believes that the awful creature, which she doesn't recognize as a frog, has eaten her "Taddy."]] In real life, tadpoles slowly grow legs and gain frog-like features.

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars''[=/=]''Franchise/MassEffect'' crossover ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', one of the characters has RapeAsBackstory. Some of the plot is spent on her recovery from it and her old life as a hedonistic, spoiled RichBitch into a helpful, if quiet person with unexpected knowledge in useful areas. In reality, given what is both implied and shown such a process would take ''far'' longer than the year or so of in-story time that passes. Her therapist even lampshades this high-speed change, essentially discussing the trope without naming it.

* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'': {{Hand Wave}}d rather than just played straight. [[spoiler:Things shrunk by the shrink ray eventually unshrink, and this is foreshadowed. But the moon unshrinks a mere few hours after shrunk. But, they say that the bigger the object, the sooner it unshrinks. And the moon is extremely big. However there is FridgeLogic in the fact that the minion unshrinks before the flyer, when the flyer was shrunk first.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'': {{Hand Wave}}d rather than just played straight. [[spoiler:Things shrunk by the shrink ray eventually unshrink, and this is foreshadowed. But the moon unshrinks a mere few hours after shrunk. But, they say that the bigger the object, the sooner it unshrinks. And the moon is extremely big. However there is FridgeLogic in the fact that the minion shrinks before the flyer, when the flyer was shrunk first.]]

* In one episode of Disney's ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'', Jasmine was given a mysterious "beauty potion" that actually began slowly transforming her into a [[SnakePeople naga]]. Cue a long trek to locate the means to reverse it. Ultimately, Aladdin declares he would rather stay with Jasmine than leave her behind, and uses the potion on himself -- with immediate results.

This usually means that any effect that has already been established to occur or progress at a certain fixed rate or timeframe will suddenly progress much faster if it reoccurs later. In more JustForFun/{{egregious}} cases, {{Headscratchers/Headscratchers}} can ensue -- why is the latest vampire victim-of-the-week crawling out of her grave not twelve hours after their burial, when vampires are supposed to wait three days before rising from the dead?

* ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'', mostly in the Broadway musical. The curse has the enchanged objects becoming less human (since, being onstage, they are life-size and somewhat human). This has been happening for ten years, and suddenly they're on the brink of transformation a few days after Belle's arrival.
* ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'': Kuzco's potion-induced transformation happens gradually, with his body parts becoming that of a llama's one by one. However, every other transformation in the film occurs instantly in a puff of smoke. The former case can be justified a bit, as Kronk mixed the potion with water while preparing it, which probably diluted it and weakened its effects.

* The gestation period of xenomorphs in the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' series. [[Film/{{Alien}} The first film]] has several hours between the victim getting attacked by the facehugger to the chestburster leaping out, and another several-hour interval before the xenomorph matures. In ''Film/AlienVsPredator'', a group of people is implanted and the temple is swarming with mature xenomorphs in a matter of minutes.

* In the ''StarWars''[=/=]''MassEffect'' crossover ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', one of the characters has RapeAsBackstory. Some of the plot is spent on her recovery from it and her old life as a hedonistic, spoiled RichBitch into a helpful, if quiet person with unexpected knowledge in useful areas. In reality, given what is both implied and shown such a process would take ''far'' longer than the year or so of in-story time that passes. Her therapist even lampshades this high-speed change, essentially discussing the trope without naming it.

* The gestation period of xenomorphs in the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' series. [[Film/{{Alien}} The first film]] has several hours between the victim getting attacked by the facehugger to the chestburster leaping out, and another several-hour interval before the xenomorph matures. In ''Film/AVPAliensVsPredator'', a group of people is implanted and the temple is swarming with mature xenomorphs in a matter of minutes.

This usually means that any effect that has already been established to occur or progress at a certain fixed rate or timeframe will suddenly progress much faster if it reoccurs later. In more {{egregious}} cases, {{Headscratchers/Headscratchers}} can ensue -- why is the latest vampire victim-of-the-week crawling out of her grave not twelve hours after their burial, when vampires are supposed to wait three days before rising from the dead?

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'', Ben is scratched by a creature who has been identified as [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent the Yenaldooshi]] by a Character Of The Week, and spends half of the episode slowly becoming more and more like it. In the end, it's revealed that it was really nothing more than an alien wolf-like creature, and the transformation was due to a quirk of the Omnitrix that allows it to learn and mimic the form of any alien that touches it. Every other time this ability comes into play in later episodes, the form is added automatically and the transformation is as quick as Ben's usual shape-changing.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* The protagonists of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' are [[CursedWithAwesome made into l'Cie]] by [[PhysicalGod the fal'Cie Anima]]: their Focus mandates that they must [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt destroy Cocoon]], or else transform into [[OurZombiesAreDifferent mindless, shambling Cie'th]]. Each of them bears a brand that acts as a timer, indicating how long they have left: however, the importance of this time limit is inversely proportional to how determined the protagonists are to ScrewDestiny. [[spoiler: In the end, [[RedHerring it never actually comes into play:]] the protagonists are ''apparently'' transformed into Cie'th during the final confrontation, but it turns out to be just an illusion created by [[BigBad Barthandelus]] to drive [[SixthRanger Fang]] over the DespairEventHorizon.]]
* In the Adventure Mode of ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', the first cutscene depicts Mario and Kirby transforming from trophies to their animate forms toe-to-head. After that, any time a character is revived from his or her trophy state, the transformation is a simple white flash on the screen. If the trophy in question was lying on its side when it happens (which is most often), the character is then shown either getting up or already standing.

[[/folder]]

This usually means that any effect that has already been established to occur or progress at a certain fixed rate or timeframe will suddenly progress much faster if it reoccurs later. In more {{egregious}} cases, {{Headscratchers}} can ensue -- why is the latest vampire victim-of-the-week crawling out of her grave not twelve hours after their burial, when vampires are supposed to wait three days before rising from the dead?

* The Drow elves in ''ForgottenRealms''. It was established in Drizz'ts' [[Literature/TheDarkElfTrilogy origin trilogy]] that it took him ''months'' to adjust to surface daylight; later drow stories would have them up and about in the sun sometimes almost immediately.

* In the pilot of Stargate: SG 1 the team finds a long list of stargate addresses, but since the stargates have drifted since the list was put down, they have to be re-calculated by their computer. Carter states that with this process they can discover two or three new stargates a month.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', mostly in the Broadway musical. The curse has the enchanged objects becoming less human (since, being onstage, they are life-size and somewhat human). This has been happening for ten years, and suddenly they're on the brink of transformation a few days after Belle's arrival.

* In "Can I Keep It?" on ''Literature/LittlePrincess'', Little Princess's tadpole is shown to have transformed into a frog overnight and visually in the space of about 10-15 seconds. When Little Princess awakes, she believes that the awful creature, which she doesn't recognize as a frog, has eaten her "Taddy." In real life, tadpoles slowly grow legs and gain frog-like features.

* The gestation period of xenomorphs in the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' series. [[Film/{{Alien}} The first film]] has several hours between the victim getting attacked by the facehugger to the chestburster leaping out, and another several-hour interval before the xenomorph matures. In ''Film/AliensVsPredator'', a group of people is implanted and the temple is swarming with mature xenomorphs in a matter of minutes.

[[folder: Film ]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

[[AC:FanFic]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:Literature]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

* In the Adventure Mode of ''SuperSmashBros. Brawl'', the first cutscene depicts Mario and Kirby transforming from trophies to their animate forms toe-to-head. After that, any time a character is revived from his or her trophy state, the transformation is a simple white flash on the screen. If the trophy in question was lying on its side when it happens (which is most often), the character is then shown either getting up or already standing.