Defence Mechanism Superpower: Difference between revisions
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== [[Literature]] ==
* In ''[[Harry Potter]]'', this is how young wizards first manifest their powers prior to learning to control them. In Harry's case for example, his first memory of using magic is [[Teleportation|apparating]] away from some pursuing bullies.
** Lots of wizard children are lucky enough to manifest by levitating a favorite toy that no one will pick up for them, or
* The main character in Richard Sabia's short story ''I Was A Teen-Age Secret Weapon'' has a psychic power that causes anyone who displays hostility towards him to lose coordination and become accident-prone. He never really becomes aware that he has this power, and only the military scientists who have been studying him seem to know about it.
* In the ''[[Mistborn]]'' trilogy, Vin decides that she has this. When losing a fight, she is saved by doing something with her existing magic that nobody knew was even theoretically possible - specifically, she {{spoiler|drew on the titular mists for a much-needed power boost}}. She later counts on this trope coming into play to save her. In the end, {{spoiler|that doesn't work, because the ability isn't actually an example of this trope like she thought it was. Rather, something else had been blocking her most of the time.}}
* Bink, from the ''[[Xanth]]'' novels, had one of these; people incorrectly believed him to have no magical talent at all because no one had ever seen it activate. {{spoiler|Turns out he cannot be harmed by magic, making it one of the most powerful talents ever--to the point where the talent, itself, will literally enact [[Gambit Roulette
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** Likewise for Phoebe's levitation, which activated during a fight with a demon, and Paige could only orb for a long time when startled or in immediate danger. Phoebe also mostly received premonitions to inform her that some innocent's life was in danger.
* "The Morgan", as demonstrated by ''[[Chuck]]'', can cause heart attacks and slippage near very high and broken windows.
** Now we have Intersect 2, which is essentially a bucket full of one
** 2.0 actually both subverts it and plays it straight. Chuck can only use it when he's not overly emotional, which means he can use it when he's not in danger. The moment things get stressful he can't use it, until he really needs to, at which point he emotionally either enters the eye of the storm (if somebody else is in danger) or has to use a calming mantra (if he's in danger).
* Possibly a bit different, but in ''[[Doctor Who]]'', the Weeping Angels turn to stone when they are being looked at.
{{quote|'''Tenth Doctor:''' They have survived this long because they have the most perfect defence system ever evolved.}}
** When they reappear in "The Time of Angels", it is clarified that they aren't just ''stone''
* Maya on ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'', who goes all [[Everybody's Dead, Dave]] when she gets scared, and can originally only counteract it [[Wonder Twin Powers|in the presence of her twin brother]].
** Also from ''Heroes'', Elle surges with thus-far-unseen levels of electricity as a response to Sylar trying to slice her head open.
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* ''[[GURPS]]'' has the limitation "Emergencies Only" to simulate this.
* This is a major schtick of white cards in ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]''. In particular, [http://www.wizards.com/magic/autocard.asp?name=Righteousness Righteousness] and [http://www.wizards.com/magic/autocard.asp?name=Smite Smite] come to mind.
* In the ''[[Old World of Darkness]]'', this was how a werewolf would first manifest his
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