Words Can Break My Bones: Difference between revisions

 

{{examples}}

* The Lotis and Maram Words from Yuu Watase's manga ''[[Alice 19th]]''.

* A more literal version of this is in ''[[666 Satan]]'' where the character [[Punny Name|Spika]] has an [[Applied Phlebotinum|O-Part]] that can materialize words she shouts into them that are like what she says (for example, when she yells "Spikey" the word "Spikey" in Japanese will appear in block letters with spikes coming out).

* The Words of Awakening in ''[[Madlax]]'', which induce homicidal insanity.

* Skuld from ''[[Ah! My Goddess]]'' gains the ability to forcefully "print" her words on people or things. While not very powerful, it appears to involve enough force to stagger people. Both Urd and Keiichi are frequent victims of this, with Skuld's favorite insults for them being "idiot" and "pervert", respectively.

* An interesting variation in [[Mx0]]: Fumi Izuno's magic object is a calligraphy brush, and her ability is that everything she writes with it acquires reality. For example, in the last Magic Class Match, she and another student are seen fighting a golem, and in a given moment, she writes the word "Defense" in the air with her brush; the words immediately turn into a magic shield that stops one of the golem's fists in front of her.

* ''[[Aphorism]]'' is about a [[Extranormal Institute|supernatural high school]] where each student must choose a kanji character whose meaning, [[Your Mind Makes It Real|combined with the power of the student's imagination]], will later be used as the student's weapon in various battles and trials.

* Arias can kill lesser demons in ''[[Blue Exorcist]]'' by reciting a "Fatal Verse", a segment from the bible and other holy scriptures. The problem is that there is a different verse for each type of demon (thus you must memorize which verse kills who), and the Aria becomes defenseless until finishing reciting.

* Kotoha from ''[[Yozakura Quartet]]'' can create any object, as long as she knows what it's made of, with her words. And she is a MASSIVE fan of WWII Weaponry.

 

== Comic Books ==

* [[Zatanna]] can do just about anything by reciting words and sentences backwards. Her cousin Zatarra can also do this although he can't directly affect living things.

* Nico from ''[[Runaways]]'' can use the Staff of One to create any magical effect she can describe (usually in one or two words). However, each description can only be used once.

 

== Film ==

* ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]'' give us the spell of Substitutiary Locomotion ("giving life to things without"): '''Treguna Mekoides Trecorum Satis Dee'''. Which sounds ''really' creepy when the things the spell animates (like empty suits of armor) start repeating it...

* In the silent movie ''[[The Golem]]'', it is a scroll inscribed with a magic word ({{smallcaps|Aemaet}}) that brings the [[Golem]] to life. This is consistent with the traditional Golem lore.

 

== Literature ==

* Miranda Windwood Rose, from the short story of the same name by Janni Lee Simner, is a magic name, letting the owner hear and see magic. This leads to the main character being an outcast.

* In [[Chronicles of Thomas Covenant]], those who study Earthpower learn various words of power that the cause pain to anything "wrong."

* [[Kate Daniels]] knows a few.

* In the ''[[Myst]]'' novels, the backstory of the "magical books" is fleshed out; we learn about "mighty words," which if used in the proper context (that is, with the right ink and on the right paper) can modify the linked world. And Earth was originally reached by the D'ni through such a Book.

* A form of this in [[Tales of Kolmar]]. Servants of the Goddess Shia in times of great peril can be blessed by Her for an instant, and in that instant She speaks through them, using words they don't understand and don't need to have ever heard before. Nobody knows what they mean, but nothing can stand against them - and when they're spoken in this way, it's said that someone close to the Servant, someone they value dearly, dies within seven days. However, someone can know these words and even say them without either effect. The Goddess speaking these words is the big thing here, not the words themselves.

 

* ''[[Doctor Who]]'', "The Shakespeare Code": The Carrionites use words to shape reality; the right words said in the right way at the right time have dramatic effects. Unfortunately for them it works both ways and The Doctor's enlisted the best wordsmith around: ''Shakespeare''. They get an assist from [[J. K. Rowling]] too, via Martha: turns out that ''Expelliarmus!'' just happens to fit the end of his incantation to banish them nicely.

* An episode of ''[[Samurai Sentai Shinkenger]]''/''[[Power Rangers Samurai]]'' has a monster that can read a person's mind, find the most derogatory and damaging insult that person has ever been called, and repeat it to them, converting the emotional pain they suffer from the insult into physical pain. He's only defeated when it's revealed one of our heroes has gotten so used to being insulted in her life that the monster's power can't affect her. Interestingly, the monster is based on a Japanese [[Obake]] that, itself, suffers from Words Can Break My Bones...in reverse: it "feeds" off of a person's inner thoughts, repeating them in the open when they latch onto someone, and only by emptying your mind of all thoughts can you drive away (or even ''kill'') the creature.

* A variation on ''[[Babylon 5]]'': Telepaths, in addition to scanning minds and planting thoughts or visions, can also effectively hit the target's "pain button", making every nerve in their body burst with blinding pain for a few moments. This is typically accompanied by them simply glaring at the other person and hissing ''"Pain!"'' It is only allowed to be used in self defense, and it is only used when more effective means, such as [[Muggles Do It Better|guns]], are unavailable.

 

* In Jewish lore there are ramifications for speaking the [[True Name]] of God or erasing the written version. There is also the folklore of the Golem of Prague where the word ''emet'' was used to bring life to a piece of earth.

* The [[The Bible|Book of John]] starts out with "In the beginning was the Word..." This is the authors way of stressing the primacy of [[The Messiah|Jesus]], as the Word of [[God]] incarnate.

*** [[Hyperion|"Then came the]] [[Precision F-Strike|fucking]] [[Hyperion|word processor."]]

* One of the ideas behind Ancient Egyptian magic was the very real potency of words and especially names. Their religious rituals also made use of the principle.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* ''[[Vampire: The Requiem]]'' gives us the Spina bloodline (a line of gentleman/gentlewoman knights who respect the code of the duel and proper combat) and their unique Discipline of Courtosie. At its highest level, it allows you to [[You Fight Like a Cow|sass someone so hard, they take damage]].

* ''[[Exalted]]'' charms can cause this in many different ways. A tongue-lashing can cause very real damage and in the case of some specific charms and combos, a person can be harmed or killed by just reading a letter.

 

== Video Games ==

* In Ultimate ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]'' [[Ace Attorney|Phoenix Wright]] can use his iconic "Hold it!" and "Objection!" as attacks that can stun opponents. His level 3 hyper combo consists in him accusing the opponent of being "the one who actually comited the crime", finalizing with a "Take That!" Balloon. This happens to be the second most damaging move in the whole game, only losing out to [[Devil May Cry|Vergil's]] Level 3.

* [[Lollipop Chainsaw]], an upcoming quirky-fest by Suda51, has this. One of the bosses, Zed the Punk Zombie Rock Lord, can attack by weaponizing profanities. In the boss trailer of the game he yells "COCKSUCKER!!!" into his microphone, summoning the insult as giant words and chucking it at Julliet.

 

== Web Animation ==

* ''[[The Demented Cartoon Movie]]'' brings us "Blah", "Zeeky Boogy Doog" and "Gleeg Snag Zip", which, respectively, pops your head off or otherwise causes nearby events to suddenly kill you, summons a nuclear explosion at the location the words were said, and [[Earthshattering Kaboom|causes Earth to violently explode]].

 

* Torg of ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' gives Zoë a fancy necklace he found in an Egyptian pyramid that turns out to carry a curse that causes its wearer to transform into a camel when someone in earshot says the word "shupid". Fortunately, the effect can be reversed by speaking another magic word, "kwi". Unfortunately, the necklace, upon being put on, turns into a tattoo on the wearers chest, and cannot be removed.

* In [[Rice Boy]], the titular character learns to speak a word in the Thrill language. {{spoiler|It allows him to ''cut anything in half''.}}

* Gordon Frohman of [[Concerned]] only survived falling down from the Citadel because he had Buddha mode on (apparently he could use Half-Life 2 cheats by saying them out loud). It didn't prevent him from getting fatal injuries, only from succumbing to them. Of course, saying "buddha" again in such a situation is ill-advised. He learned this the hard way...

* The word path in [[Juathuur]] is one of the three types of magic.

 

== Western Animation ==

* ''[[Dora the Explorer]]'': "Swiper, no swiping!"

* ''[[American Dad]]!'': "Say Agathor backwards".

* Raven's magical exclmation on ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'': '''AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!!'''

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Applied Phlebotinum]]

[[Category:Older Than Dirt]]

[[Category:Magic and Powers]]

[[Category:Be Careful What You Say]]