Line #70 Main/RealityWarper


1	[[quoteright:331:[[TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/exalted_modern_2651.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:331: "Martha, does our HeroInsurance cover Reality Warping?"\
3	"If I say so," Martha replied.]]
4
5	->''"Today's seminar is about a subject near and dear to my heart: Reality Benders. Type Greens. Mary Sues. Bixbies, Shapers, Wizards, Gods, Devils, Outside Observers, call them what you will, these are the guys that change reality based on perception and willpower."''
6	-->-- '''Transcript of Dr. Clef's Seminar''', "[[http://www.scp-wiki.net/clef101 Reality Benders and You: How To Survive When Existence Doesn't]]", ''Website/SCPFoundation''
7
8	So you just finished playing SuperpowerLottery? Well, kid, you just won the ''grand prize!'' You know those pesky laws of physics (and even peskier laws of metaphysics)? Or that annoying thing called [[YouCantFightFate causality]]? [[UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein Einstein's]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Relativity}} theory of relativity]]? [[QuantumMechanicsCanDoAnything Quantum physics]]? You can laugh and say, [[BeyondTheImpossible "screw you"]] to them now.
9
10	[[RealityIsOutToLunch Reality is officially out to lunch]], and you're serving the main course. This means you can create something out of nothing, change the world around you, erase things from existence, and generally force reality to obey your will just by thinking about it. Any and all scientific or natural laws such as biology, chemistry, physics, or even time, no longer apply to you. Yes, for all intents and purposes, a Reality Warper can literally do anything they want. Anything.
11
12	The key issue here is how far one can take this. A character with a mild form of this power may be able to fly by negating the effect of gravity on himself. A major case of this may be able to hiccup and accidentally tear the space-time continuum. High-end Reality Warpers tend to be related to the setting itself, such as [[CosmicEntity being one of the]] [[SentientCosmicForce sentient cosmic laws]]. For the ''really'' high-end ones, see TheOmnipotent.
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14	Running into characters with such powers can be incredibly chancy. Arguing with the more powerful ones may well be futile, especially since they can ''literally'', paraphrasing Paul from ''Film/TheDungeonmaster'', "reject your reality and ''substitute their own''".
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16	Because [[BewareTheSuperman absolute power corrupts absolutely]], characters with this high a level of power are quite likely to go or be bad. It can be very difficult to maintain empathy and humility when reality is essentially an extension of your imagination. Even those who maintain their morals tend to go down the KnightTemplar route when they realize how easy it can be to make all of reality conform to their ethical standards. They might even [[AGodAmI deem themselves to be gods]]; what's worse, even the only moderately powerful ones [[PhysicalGod are arguably right]].
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18	In both modern SpeculativeFiction and older folklore, low-to-moderate versions of Reality Warper are standard-issue for {{magic\|AndPowers}}, since magic by definition uses its own rules, and therefore defies reality. However, there's a difference between all magic being technically like this and characters who can change things just by thinking it without following [[MagicAIsMagicA rules of magic]] like only being able to use existing spells. The common modern fantasy concept of a [[MakeAWish granting wishes]] invokes this premise; [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud poof]] and stuff happens. The primary caveat is that the artifacts or beings who grant wishes cannot invoke this power for themselves; they can alter reality to the point of rewriting history, but need someone to ask them do it first. Cartoon characters also often employ this ability as a gag. {{Eldritch Abomination}}s are often capable of this, usually [[CosmicHorrorStory to horrible ends]]. [[note]]Some authors however will make Eldritch beings "[[WrongContextMagic beyond]]" reality warpers and [[EvilVersusOblivion even worse]] than the warpers themselves (if an analogy is given, it may be something like: the warper can rewrite the lawbook, the abomination is the fire that consumes the courthouse). Expect accidentally summoning one of these beings to be an unintended side-effect of warping reality, the abomination will likely go on to be the [[MakeWayForTheNewVillains new antagonist]] shorty after doing ''something'' nasty to the [[TheWorfEffect warper]].[[/note]]
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20	Protagonists aren't often this character type; [[InvincibleHero what's the point of a story]] when you can just end it right then and there? If the protagonist ''is'' one of these, expect them to either [[JustForFun/HowToStopTheDeusExMachina have a reason]] for [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy not using it]] or for all of the antagonists to have powers on a similar or greater scale. Also expect initial PowerIncontinence resulting from the power not necessarily being limited to his conscious thoughts, and a character arc about the importance of self control.
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22	Writing characters like this can be a challenge, given how easily this ability can turn into a StoryBreakerPower. Nothing can pose much of a physical threat except other reality warpers (although, depending on the extent of their abilities, they may still be vulnerable to threats they aren't aware they need to stop or don't know how to stop). If they are unique then the only solution is ForgotAboutHisPowers or DeusExitMachina. For the same reasons, reality warpers who are antagonistic towards the protagonists are prone to JustToyingWithThem rather than [[JustHitHim hitting them]]. For a funny way of defeating reality warpers, see PuffOfLogic.
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24	Not to be confused with MasterOfIllusion, as those are only ''pretending'' to change or create things (although a reality warper is usually capable of creating illusions, the tropes overlap in that case). Reality warpers often incorporate all varieties of {{shapeshifting}}, WindsOfDestinyChange, BackstoryInvader, [[SpaceMaster Space]]/{{Time Master}}, ThePowerOfCreation, {{retconjuration}}, and perhaps more for heaps and heaps of {{Mind Screw}}ing.
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26	Compare AuthorPowers, ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve, and YourMindMakesItReal. RewritingReality is a subtrope, often paired with a TomeOfFate or RealityWritingBook. VirtualRealityWarper is when this is done InsideAComputerSystem. This trope has nothing to do with IRejectYourReality, though some Warpers may indeed ''have'' that attitude, nor with ''Music/MasterOfReality'', the Music/BlackSabbath album.
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28	When adding examples, please remember that this trope is ''extremely'' common (since even magic in general is technically this trope) so please add only egregious examples, and works that elaborate upon this trope InUniverse or have this trope as a {{Plot Device}}. After all, RealityWarpingIsNotAToy.
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30	%%If you have time, please take time to put examples in alphabetical order. Administrivia/HowToAlphabetizeThings should help you with that.
31
32	[[noreallife]]
33	----
34	!!Examples:
35	[[index]]
36	* RealityWarper/AnimeAndManga
37	* RealityWarper/ComicBooks
38	* RealityWarper/FanWorks
39	* {{RealityWarper/Film}}
40	* RealityWarper/{{Literature}}
41	* RealityWarper/LiveActionTV
42	* RealityWarper/TabletopGames
43	* RealityWarper/VideoGames
44	* RealityWarper/VisualNovels
45	* {{RealityWarper/Webcomics}}
46	* RealityWarper/WebOriginal
47	* RealityWarper/WesternAnimation
48	[[/index]]
49
50	[[foldercontrol]]
51
52	[[folder:Advertising]]
53	* He once gave a pep talk so inspiring, both teams won. He is banned from visiting cemeteries because of that one time he raised the dead. He can speak French... in Russian. He is Advertising/TheMostInterestingManInTheWorld.
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Audio Plays]]
57	* The eponymous Elysium formula of ''AudioPlay/TheElysiumProject'' is a SuperSerum that grants those exposed to it the power to manipulate reality in accordance with their desires.
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Folktales]]
61	* In the French-Canadian Folktale of the Duck-Dog, little John, the main character, was given this power at birth by a fairy godmother. The scene is absolutely hilarious as in most well-known versions the godmother is apologetic about giving him this power as she couldn't think of another one. It went something like this: "I can't think of anything specific right now... Here, just take the ability to have anything and everything you want just by saying it. Sorry for the lame blessing."
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Podcasts]]
65	* Gemini and her stars from ''Podcast/{{Sequinox}}'' have the power to clap the heroes into other dimensions, and uses this power to constantly keep them off-balance.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Roleplay]]
69	* ''Roleplay/DestroyTheGodmodder'': The Godmodder (and other godmodders), most prominently. The ways that Descendancy works make the Descendants this too for the duration of a Godmodding war. Then there's the Narrative [[spoiler:and Conflict]], which is strong enough to be a SentientCosmicForce and have its power be ingrained in reality's function; the Terminae, a ton of Random Near-Omnipotent Beings; the higher-ranking Unfantomable Ones; and many others.
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:Web Animation]]
73	* {{Game Show Host}}s in ObjectShows usually have inexplicable god-like powers, most commonly [[ThePowerOfCreation creating things from nothing]], {{Teleportation}} and [[DeathIsCheap reviving the dead]], but only ever uses them to [[MundaneUtility run their competition without needing a production crew]]. If the hosts are of the [[DepravedKidsShowHost sadistic type]], they may also come with offensive capabilities such as SuperStrength, [[ReducedToDust disintegration]] and [[ForciblyFormedPhysique mutilation]] to keep contestants in line or punish them accordingly.
74	* ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' discusses the trope at the end of "[[Manga/OnePunchMan Saitama]] vs. ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}" to justify the victory of [[spoiler:the Sailor Man; while Saitama's SuperStrength is ludicrously high, it's still realistically limited, unlike Popeye's which can [[BeyondTheImpossible split a shark into several smaller fish and break through the fourth wall]]. And more importantly, Popeye has his [[PowerUpFood spinach]] that enables him to recover from practically everything thrown at him - even CessationOfExistence.]]
75	** Another episode features a showdown between [[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Bill Cipher]] and [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Discord]], and at the end discusses the difficulties in analyzing a fight between two characters who can basically do anything.
76	* Platform/GoAnimate: [[WesternAnimation/{{Caillou}} Uolliac]]'s mere existence seems to warp time and space around it.
77	[[/folder]]

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