Fantastic Fragility: Difference between revisions

This applies to basically every "[[No Sell|immovable]] [[Nigh Invulnerable|object]]" and "[[One -Hit Kill|unstoppable force]]" in fiction, be they objects, characters, science, or magic. The idea is twofold: inside the story, the creator of the device or technique may incorporate a [[Necessary Drawback]] that will make it stronger, while the author gives the protagonists (or antagonists) a way to defeat it and maintain suspense and narrative flow by [[How to Stop The Deus Ex Machina|limiting]] the [[Deus Ex Machina]].

When [[Justified Trope]] in a setting, it's usually explained that [[Magic aA Is Magic A]] is [[Power At a Price|not free]], and the [[Magic Prerequisite|only way to make]] an unstoppable whatever is to, [[Irony|ironically]], build in a weakness that makes it stoppable. Clever creators may even keep the weakness a secret to use in case the machine ([[Phlebotinum Rebel|or person]]) should be [[Turned Against Their Masters|turned]] [[Hoist By His Own Petard|against them]]. Others may try to make it an [[Impossible Task]].

It can be a key to an [[Tailor -Made Prison]], a physical [[For Massive Damage|weak point]], not being able to harm [[Virgin Power|virgins]] or the like, or a [[Curse Escape Clause]]. If the weakness is a [[Power Source]], [[Soul Jar]], or a form of [[Keystone Army|remote control]], destroying the "[[Cosmic Keystone|Keystone]]" destroys the device/weapon/person/army.

{{examples|Examples:}}

* In ''[[The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]'' book ''[[The HitchhikersHitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy (Franchise)/Life, The Universe And Everything|Life The Universe And Everything]]'', the population of the planet of Krikkit is in a Slo-Time envelope. However, a separate key (the Wikkit Gate) was first created and then dismantled so that the envelope can be undone after everything else in the universe is dead (so that the Krikkiters can have their wish to be the only things in the universe). Wasn't a problem until they sent out the robots.