Basic Trope: Something powerful floats in mid-air.
- Straight: The characters draw in power, and as a result, begin to levitate.
- Exaggerated: The characters draw to power and are catapulted into the stratosphere, where they face off against enemy fighter jets.
- Downplayed: The characters draw in power, but only float up a couple inches on the ground.
- Justified:
- The power causing the floating is explained to cause a localized change in the laws of physics, specifically the negation of gravity. Any tiny push against the ground causes the subject to rise, with only air friction slowing them to a stop.
- The resulting power increase puts the characters at risk of a Super-Power Meltdown. As a contingency to prevent that, the power starts making them involuntarily spend it on floating.
- This happens as a corollary to Chunky Updraft; if the character is putting out enough power to push up objects heavier than themselves, it stands to reason that it's sufficient to push them up, as well.
- Inverted:
- The power causing the floating causes a localized increase in mass, or an increase in the force of gravity, causing objects to fall heavily to the ground and characters to be pushed down against it.
- The power causes other things nearby to float.
- Subverted: The character doing the floating is revealed to be on a cable, or using a separate anti-gravity device...
- Double Subverted: ... The cable is cut, or the anti-gravity device destroyed, and the character still floats.
- Parodied:
- A character begins floating after drinking a cup of strong coffee.
- The character, after becoming rather powerful, complains about their inability to get down.
- Zig Zagged: Floating is a potential side effect of gaining great power, but it's not guaranteed.
- Averted: A character's power may have many effects, but their feet remain on the ground.
- Enforced: Rule of Cool.
- Lampshaded: "Her feet aren't touching the ground. Perhaps we shouldn't get on her bad side."
- Invoked: A character uses a levitation spell to impress people.
- Exploited: A character deliberately puts himself in power in order to cross through a huge gap between an island and another.
- Defied: A character wears heavy shoes to ensure their feet stay on the ground, to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
- Discussed: Scientists start to argue on how much correlation floating and power has. See Conversed.
- Conversed: "With great power comes the ability to float in midair... i wonder why." "Everybody dreams of flight, right? There's your explanation."
- Implied: A hero on his way to martial-arts tryouts carries an altitude meter.
- Deconstructed:
- They may be floating in midair, but they can't actually control the floating; they have to flail about as though they're in a zero gravity environment.
- They can't deactivate their floating, so they're a more conspicuous target who struggles to make use of cover.
- The character starts exploring other uses of their floating capabilities such as avoiding pressure plates in the Big Bad's base or reaching the top shelf in their kitchen without a stepladder.
- Reconstructed:
- After twenty seconds of considerations one of them takes out a fan from his backpack, while other begins recoil boosting himself around.
- The floating effect of the power-up can be switched on and off based on the situation.
- Played For Laughs: The character is indoors when it happens, and bumps her head into the ceiling.
- Played For Drama: The character is new at this, and due to not being able to control this side-effect can't actually do anything in the important battle.
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