Line #60 Main/MetaphysicalFuel


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7	->''Love is a very powerful force. Even more so when it's focused into a coherent beam of destruction. Every time I cast Hadoken, it siphons away some of the love in the universe. I'm not sure how much, but I'm given to understand the divorce rate goes up with each blast.''
8	-->--'''Black Mage''', ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater''
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10	Some of the softer ScienceFiction has its new technology powered by something different from plain old electricity, nuclear power, {{phlebotinum}}, FunctionalMagic, or petrol. Depending on the series, this can be either for something PoweredByAForsakenChild, or a source that gives power to no (or little) ill effect.
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12	Just to be clear, if the fuel source exists in RealLife, it isn't an example. Mysterious new substances and energy sources also don't count.
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14	Compare MagiTek, which is usually fueled this way. SuperTrope of PoweredByAForsakenChild.
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16	!!PoweredByAForsakenChild examples:
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18	[[foldercontrol]]
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20	[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
21	* Zearth and the other robots in ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'' require the life force of the pilot after being used. Because of this each team has 14-15 pilots to go through after the others die.
22	* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', the Philosopher's Stones that allows alchemists to bypass the law of EquivalentExchange are created from [[spoiler:the souls of living humans. At one point, Ed uses his own soul to keep from dying. He gets better, though.]]
23	[[/folder]]
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25	[[folder: Live-Action TV]]
26	* In ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'', Kamen Rider Zeronos' TransformationTrinket runs on memories. Every time he transforms, more people forget ever meeting him. Which is bad enough on its own, but it also runs afoul of ''Den-O''[='s=] TimeTravel rules: if something happens to your past self and nobody remembers that you exist in the present, ''you don't''.
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29	[[folder: Tabletop Game ]]
30	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'', all "new science" technology works on Ghost Rock, which is.... you guessed it right, dead people's souls.
31	* The Chancels of the PlayerCharacters in ''TabletopGame/{{Nobilis}}'' require the deaths of one hundred human beings (or equivalent sacrifice) to be created.
32	* Lifejammers in the ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}'' ''D&D'' setting worked like this (they worked basically like ordinary spelljammers, except draining life-force instead of spells to provide the motive force. Life-force does not replenish as easily as spells...).
33	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', the Emperor's Golden Throne is powered by 1,000 powerful souls [[CrapsackWorld per day]].
34	** And not just any soul. Only the best, most talented psychic souls will do. Fortunately, there's no lack of those for a species who number in the trillions.
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37	[[folder: Video Games ]]
38	* ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' has a particularly horrific example in the Carronade; aforementioned Carronade is ''literally'' a FantasticNuke powered by MetaphysicalFuel that is generated via the ColdBloodedTorture (to the point of suicidal [[DespairEventHorizon despair and insanity]]) of those who have close connections with the intended Ground Zero. (Yes, you're reading this right--it's a FantasticNuke that not only uses tortured Forsaken Children as its MetaphysicalFuel but ''explicitly'' operates on the theory that LoveHurts. In fact, the deeper the love, the deeper the metaphysical radiation poisonong goes.)
39	** Oh, and the one time where the use of the Carronade was depicted (rather than its ''aftereffects'') was when the EvilEmpire ''literally used the girlfriend of its KingInTheMountain and GodEmperor as MetaphysicalFuel for the Carronade because she was his girlfriend and was in love with him'' (this merely got aforementioned GodEmperor [[{{Pun}} royally pissed off]] and threw him over the DespairEventHorizon into WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds territory). The ComicBookAdaptation in particular depicts the latter in especially tragic fashion.
40	* All magic in ''VideoGame/DontStarve'' is powered by actual Nightmare Fuel. An update even introduced an ancient civilization that got destroyed by overusing Nightmare lights.
41	* The Mako and Materia of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' are fueled by [[TheLifestream the life force of the planet]], with mako being especially unhealthy to deal with. Square and [=SquareEnix=] in general is a big fan of this. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' has Guardian Forces powered by consuming memories, most technology in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' is ultimately powered by [[spoiler:dead people's souls]], and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Espers]] are essentially magic through crystalized {{demihuman}} souls.
42	** In game, the explanation for the Guardian Forces is a bit different. They need room inside a person's head to be able to work with them. The neurons they take over happen to be the neurons that keep your memories. Probably more benign than if they'd take your visual cortex or primary motor cortex.
43	* The Persona and Shadows of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' are powered and personify human emotions. Persona themselves are summoned by shooting a character in the head with a gun that fire pure psychological trauma.
44	* You build your equipment in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' out of bits and pieces of demons. This can range from the relatively mundane ("Reaper Knife", "Tyrant Glacier") to the... unnerving ("Haunt Rib", "Dragon Eyeball").
45	* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' exspheres are "grown" on human slaves, at the cost of turning them into big slimy monsters. Lloyd's exsphere contains the soul of [[spoiler: his mother]]
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48	[[folder: Webcomics ]]
49	* ''Webcomic/{{Endtown}}'': The [[{{Nanomachines}} Dittos]] feed on negative emotions to power their shapeshifting abilities. While they're generally friendly, when they get ''[[HorrorHunger hungry]]'' they become abusive and monstrous, spamming their hosts' TraumaButton by shapeshifting fears and monsters from their pasts to get them to suffer and produce Ditto Food. This gets ''many'' people killed.
50	* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'': Black Mage's [[{{Kamehamehadoken}} Hadoken]] converts [[ThePowerOfLove love]] [[CareBearStare into a beam of destruction]]. Not in the "powered by the goodwill of his loved ones" sense either, he takes love out of the universe in general--divorce rates go up every time he casts it.
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53	[[folder: Western Animation ]]
54	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'' TV series once featured a race of aliens whose ship ran on fear. ''Their own'' fear, given that they're the most timid and cowardly race in the galaxy. Second-most timid and cowardly, that is. They're topped by Arthur, who is by nature so anxious and skittish that when they hook ''him'' up as the ship's fuel source, the thing reaches speeds the aliens didn't even realize were possible with their system.
55	* Dr. Thadius Venture of ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' invented a booth that will let the user experience their most intimate fantasies as though reality. Nice guy necromancer Dr. Byron Orpheus discovered to his horror that the machine was [[PoweredByAForsakenChild powered by the soul of an orphan]].
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58	!!"Good" examples:
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60	[[folder: Animated Films ]]
61	* The monster world in the ''Franchise/MonstersInc'' movies is powered by children's screams. [[spoiler:Turns out laughter works much better.]]
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64	[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
65	* In ''Anime/EurekaSeven'', HumongousMecha fly on [[spoiler:the thoughts of a giant alien being covering the entire planet]].
66	* The Lambda Drivers in ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' are powered by the anger of the HumongousMecha pilot. Good for Determinators and Ax Crazies.
67	* The G-Stone in ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'' is powered by '''courage!'''
68	** "Stealing GGG's will to fight! Turning me and GaoFighGar against them! Splitting us up across the world! It's all because you were afraid! Afraid that the G-Stone would transcend the power of the Loud G-Stone! ''This is the power born from courage!!''"
69	* ''Anime/HighspeedEtoile'' features [=HyPER=], an easily renewable energy source completely distilled from fossil fuel, which is used in the setting for practically everything, but the most relevant to the series' concept being NEX Racing.
70	* Compare and contrast: The Character Guardians from ''Manga/ShugoChara'' are powered by their owner's will to change their own personality, the exact opposite of a persona.
71	* The titular flying vehicles in ''Anime/{{Simoun}}'' are powered by the souls of their pilots uniting in common goal and desire...which just so happens to expressed by the two pilots [[{{Fanservice}} kissing]].
72	* Gunmen in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' are powered by Spiral Energy, which is generated by the pilots' fighting spirit. They can also be powered by more conventional means, since [[spoiler:the Beastmen are an artificial race and cannot generate any Spiral energy.]] However, Spiral energy subverts the "little to no ill effect" part of the trope: [[spoiler:since they're literally breaking the second law of thermodynamics by creating energy, using it too much will eventually result in the universe collapsing, an event termed the 'Spiral Nemesis' in-series.]]
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75	[[folder: Comic Books ]]
76	* The ComicBook/{{Green Lantern}}s and related corps are powered by the emotions of all living things. The GLC itself is fueled by HeroicWillpower; the others are UnstoppableRage, {{Greed}}, Fear, [[HopeSpringsEternal Hope]], Compassion, and ThePowerOfLove. There is a danger for several corps that the emotion they wield will overpower them (for example, the Star Sapphires that use love energy are subject to LoveMakesYouCrazy).
77	** "Obsession" might be a better name for it than "Love". It's not just a coincidence that their entity is named Predator.
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80	[[folder: Literature ]]
81	* The Intention Craft in ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' is powered by [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the user's intentions]].
82	* ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' has several.
83	** The ''Heart of Gold'' is powered by improbability.
84	** The ''Bistromath'' is powered by the uncanny mathematics involved in splitting the bill in a restaurant.
85	** An alien race designed a ship powered by bad news, the one substance in the universe that can travel [[NewsTravelsFast faster than light]]. But they never worked very well and no one wanted them around, so people stopped using them fairly quickly.
86	* ''Literature/GirlWhoAreYouAlienErImAnAlien'': The alien's ship runs on emotion for fuel, and she uses the girl to power up her ship because she has such an expansive emotional range.
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89	[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]
90	* The [=ANIMa=] of ''TabletopGame/BlissStage'' are powered by Intimacy.
91	* Dwarven asteroid/ships in ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}'' are made to move by the cumulative determination and work-ethic of their occupants, channeled through magic anvils.
92	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', the Orks' vehicles are partially powered by [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve the Orks' belief in them]]. This leads to red vehicles flying faster simply because they can.
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95	[[folder: Video Games ]]
96	* In ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' we have a very dark if still not PoweredByAForsakenChild example - Mother Mayhem, an alternate universe EvilDoppelganger of main universe super-heroine Sister Psyche'. Mother is the psychic overseer of her society and she is actively psychically rejuvenated by the love of her people. She uses said admiration to keep her going, but that means when she find dissidents her go to method is to hypnotically reprogram them so they ''have to'' love her.
97	* Each of the main character's many Persona in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' are powered by and reinforced by the strength of related relationships he has.
98	* The Persona in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' are powered by the need of an individual to face life's hardships. They only have superpowers when battling enemies, but gaining a persona results in a dramatic change in the character's personality by the time their social link is maxed out ([[spoiler: Yosuke realizes his attempt at heroism was just running away from his guilt, Chie realizes she doesn't have to protect everyone and can also let herself be a girl on occasion, Yukiko at first decides she wants to leave Inaba to avoid the fate of inn manager, but eventually realizes that's what she wants to do, Kanji realizes that it's okay to like supposedly-girl stuff and it doesn't make him gay, and so on...]].
99	* Persona in ''VideoGame/Persona5'' are created when an individual's sense of justice is provoked into rage, but they're sustained not by the rage but by the desire to dispense justice. The RageBreakingPoint is just the catalyst that pushes the person into refusing to stand idly by any longer. As the person grows into their own individual by standing against injustice, they eventually become better able to control their rage. [[spoiler: Ryuji learns to control his rage and that empowering others to stand up for themselves is just as strong; Ann learns that jealousy and envy can be motivators, and that she can be a symbol for others to aspire to ''because'' of their envy of her; Makoto learns that staying adamant about helping people can make them angry when they don't want your help, but that she's obligated to follow through because it's right; Haru learns that suspicion can be healthy, but that trusting people can be healthier; and even Yusuke learns that money is not the root of all evil, and that altruism can be accepted without compromising his integrity.]] The problem is that the rage that goes hand-in-hand with the Persona awakening can all but destroy the person if they're not supported. [[spoiler: Akechi awakens to his Persona when he learns that his father is a monster that abandoned his mother and him for political gain and selfishness, but he never loses the rage. In ''Persona 5 Royal'', he's characterized by intense feelings of anger and loathing, particularly when his true colors come out in the third semester.]]
100	* ''VideoGame/SpaceChannel5'' has giant lasers and floating platforms powered by "dance energy".
101	* The psychic powers each Player has in ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' are powered by imagination, and those who survive the Game are often recognized as geniuses by other people. The game's resident MadMathematician is an incredibly powerful boss, and he is stated to have huge amounts of imagination. [[spoiler: Neku was chosen as the Composer's pawn specifically ''because'' he had an extremely good imagination: there is literally no pin he cannot use, compared to most other players who can only use ''one''.]]
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104	%%[[folder: Webcomics ]]
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106	%%* ''Webcomic/{{Goats}}'' wins this one [[http://www.goats.com/archive/980311.html hands down]].
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110	[[folder: Western Animation ]]
111	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has the Elements of Harmony which are powered by virtues (Honesty, Kindess, Generousity, Laughter, Loyalty and Magic) and by ThePowerOfFriendship.
112	* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Ed Begley Jr. designed a go-kart powered by his own sense of self-satisfaction. It worked very well.
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115	[[folder: Other ]]
116	* It's implied that Sidhe magic in Barry Blair's comic ''ComicBook/{{Elflord}}'' is powered by {{Yaoi}}.
117	[[/folder]]

Context Main / MetaphysicalFuel