History Main / PhlebotinumMuncher

* Homunculi in ''FullmetalAlchemist'' are addicted to the Red Stone and munch on the stuff for extra 'lives'. Red Stones are created by sacrificing human lives and are needed to create the phlebotinous Philosopher Stone, which basically enhances the magical powers of alchemy. In the original manga, the Red Stones simply don't exist. The Homunculi rely directly on Philosopher's Stones (yes, ''plural'') to provide their limited immortality.

* Homunculi in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' are addicted to the Red Stone and munch on the stuff for extra 'lives'. Red Stones are created by sacrificing human lives and are needed to create the phlebotinous Philosopher Stone, which basically enhances the magical powers of alchemy. In the original manga, the Red Stones simply don't exist. The Homunculi rely directly on Philosopher's Stones (yes, ''plural'') to provide their limited immortality.

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* Something similar happened in {{Xanth}} when the Demon of the same name temporarily absented himself from the realm.

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[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

[[AC:RealLife]]

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* [[LarryNiven Larry Niven's]] TheMagicGoesAway stories had dragons, mermaids, were-creatures, gods and such that metabolized {{Mana}}. This was a kind of [[GreenAesop environmental metaphor]]; when human wizards started using up the mana faster than it could regenerate, all the fantastic creatures went *poof*.
** The [[DoomsdayDevice ultimate weapon]] of the setting was a magic disk. Powered by a simple propulsion spell with no speed limiters (And a [[RequiredSecondaryPowers secondary spell]] to keep it from tearing itself apart), it simply spun around uselessly and thus wasted ''all'' the Mana in the area. Wizards were left powerless, werewolves lost their "were-", and ageless beings suddenly began feeling their age. This is the origin of the MagicTheGathering card [[SdrawkcabName Nevinyrral's]] Disk, which does pretty much the same thing.

* Homunculi in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' are addicted to the Red Stone and munch on the stuff for extra 'lives'. Red Stones are created by sacrificing human lives and are needed to create the phlebotinous Philosopher Stone, which basically enhances the magical powers of alchemy.
** [[AdaptationDecay Only in the anime.]] In the original manga, the Red Stones simply don't exist; the Homunculi rely directly on Philosopher's Stones (yes, ''plural'') to provide their limited immortality.

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<<|AppliedPhlebotinum|>>

[[AC:RealLife]]
* Many addictive drugs can cause the addict's body to become reliant on them to the point that giving them up cold turkey could kill them.
** This has only been proven with alcohol. A theoretical possibility of death exists with benzodiazepines and barbiturates, because withdrawal from them can cause seizures, but alcohol withdrawal is the only withdrawal syndrome to have actually killed anyone.

** [[AdaptationDecay Only in the anime.]] In the original manga, the Red Stones simply don't exist; the Homunculi rely directly on Philosopher's Stones (yes, ''plural'') to provide their limited immortality.

Basically a creature which needs whatever {{Phlebotinum}} is being used in the story to survive. Often developing an insatiable HorrorHunger for the stuff. This can vary from a creature that eats GreenRocks to a monster called into being by {{Aesoptinum}}. An increasingly common variant is ([[ConspiracyTheorist quasi]]-[[FictionalCounterpart fictional]]) drug companies who refuse to develop or fight to suppress cures in favor of treatments - do what the CorruptCorporateExecutive says or die of ThePlague. Cue gunfights and/or {{Karmic Death}}s for Corrupt Corporate Executives. For [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment simplicity's sake]], only the overreaching ConspiracyTheory will be mentioned in the RealLife section of this page.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* In JohnnyMnemonic, the world is in the grips of a pandemic and a Evil Drug Company is chasing the title character to regain a cure locked in his NeuroVault. "Treating the disease is more profitable than curing it!" Cue gunfights.
* In MissionImpossible 2, a good scientist spliced countless influenza viruses together into a super-influenza as part of the process of creating a universal cure for influenza. That worked out perfectly, and would have been worth billions. Unfortunately, he didn't realize he was working for an Evil Drug Company. They realized that his superflu would be worth ''hundreds'' of billions to the right buyer, and that a superflu outbreak would make a universal cure worth '''trillions'''. Cue gunfights.
* In {{Film/Ultraviolet}}, [[YouCanPanicNow demonizing]] [[OurVampiresAreDifferent hemophages]] as monsters instead of treating them as victims of disease enabled the Evil Drug Company has become the "Militant Medical Establishment" known as the [=ArchMinistry=]. Unfortunately, they did too good a job of hunting them, and by the time of the movie needed a new threat to "protect" the world from - a "human antigen" cultivated inside of a [[MacGuffinGirl MacGuffin Boy]]. Once it's released, people will have to line up at [=ArchMinistry=] to get the cure or die. Cue ''GunKata''.

* In DeadRising 2, {{Zombie Infectee}}s can indefinitely delay their transformation into zombies via daily doses of Zombrex. There are accusations that the Evil Drug Company that makes the drug is working to prevent a cure from being discovered for economic and political power. [[spoiler:They're actually causing bi-yearly outbreaks to ensure a steady supply of the parasitic wasps used to make the drug - this also causes the uninfected to stockpile the drug, driving up their stock price.]] Cue gunfight.

* {{Cybersix}} was designed so that she requires "Sustenance" in order to live. With the only source of Sustenance being the man who created her, she is forced to extract it from the creatures that he sends to destroy her.

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* What would you need with a ''complex organic molecule'', ''acidic hydroxide'' and an ''oxidiser''? Why, you must eat ''sugar'', drink ''water'' and breathe ''oxygen'' to live.
** Not to mention that one of them ''will'' kill you by running rampant in your body and destroying your cells. The effect can be slowed down but not stopped completely. Your only hope is that you die from something else before it.
*** For those of you reading this and not knowing which the above Troper means, sugar's the only one of the three that WON'T do this (excess water can cause your cells to burst, and oxygen, well...this is why we don't inject air into our bloodstreams.)
* Many addictive drugs can cause the addict's body to become reliant on them to the point that giving them up cold turkey could kill them.
** This has only been proven with alcohol. A theoretical possibility of death exists with benzodiazepines and barbiturates, because withdrawal from them can cause seizures, but alcohol withdrawal is the only withdrawal syndrome to have actually killed anyone.
* A common [[ConspiracyTheorist accusation]] is that drug companies will never cure cancer/AIDS/etc. because cures would eliminate demand for expensive treatments. A [[UpToEleven related accusation]] is that drug companies are in fact ''spreading'' those same diseases to make [[TakeOverTheWorld the entire world dependent on treatments.]] No gunfights yet.

* In MissionImpossible 2, a good scientist spliced countless influenza viruses together into a super-influenza as part of the process of creating a universal cure for influenza. That worked out perfectly, and would have been worth billions. Unfortunately, he didn't realize he was working for an Evil Drug Company. They realized that his superflu would be worth ''hundreds'' of billions to the right buyer, and that a superflu outbreak would make a universal cure would be worth '''trillions'''. Cue gunfights.

* In {{Film/Ultraviolet}}, [[YouCanPanicNow demonizing]] [[OurVampiresAreDifferent hemophages]] as monsters instead of treating them as victims of disease enabled the Evil Drug Company has become the "Militant Medical Establishment" known as the [=ArchMinistry=]. Unfortunately, they did too good a job of hunting them, and by the time of the movie needed a new threat to "protect" the world from - a "human antigen" cultivated inside of a [[MacGuffinGirl MacGuffin Boy]]. Cue ''GunKata''.

Basically a creature which needs whatever {{Phlebotinum}} is being used in the story to survive. Often developing an insatiable HorrorHunger for the stuff. This can vary from a creature that eats GreenRocks to a monster called into being by {{Aesoptinum}}. Another variant that is becoming more common in recent years is ([[ConspiracyTheorist semi]]-[[FictionalCounterpart fictional]]) drug companies who refuse to develop or fight to suppress cures in favor of treatments - do what the CorruptCorporateExecutive says or die of ThePlague. Cue gunfights and/or {{Karmic Death}}s for {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s. For [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment simplicity's sake]], only the overreaching ConspiracyTheory will be mentioned in the RealLife section of this page.

* In DeadRising 2, {{Zombie Infectee}}a can indefinitely delay their transformation into zombies via daily doses of Zombrex. There are accusations that the Evil Drug Company that makes the drug is working to prevent a cure from being discovered for economic and political power. [[spoiler:They're actually causing bi-yearly outbreaks to ensure a steady supply of the parasitic wasps used to make the drug - this also causes the uninfected to stockpile the drug, driving up their stock price.]] Cue gunfight.

Basically a creature which needs whatever {{Phlebotinum}} is being used in the story to survive. Often developing an insatiable HorrorHunger for the stuff. This can vary from a creature that eats GreenRocks to a monster called into being by {{Aesoptinum}}. Another variant that is becoming more common in recent years is ([[ConspiracyTheorist semi]]-[[FictionalCounterpart fictional]]) drug companies who refuse to develop or fight to suppress cures in favor of treatments - do what the CorruptCorporateExecutive says or die of ThePlague. For [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment simplicity's sake]], only the overreaching ConspiracyTheory will be referenced in the RealLife section of this page.

* In JohnnyMnemonic, the world is in the grips of a pandemic and a Evil Drug Company is chasing the title character to regain a cure locked in his NeuroVault. "Treating the disease is more profitable than curing it!"

* In DeadRising 2, {{Zombie Infectee}}a can indefinitely delay their transformation into zombies via daily doses of Zombrex. There are accusations that the Evil Drug Company that makes the drug is working to prevent a cure from being discovered for economic and political power. [[spoiler:They're actually causing bi-yearly outbreaks to ensure a steady supply of the parasitic wasps used to make the drug - this also causes the uninfected to stockpile the drug, driving up their stock price.]]

* A common [[ConspiracyTheorist accusation]] is that drug companies will never cure cancer/AIDS/etc. because cures would eliminate demand for expensive treatments. A [[UpToEleven related accusation]] is that drug companies are in fact ''spreading'' those same diseases to make [[TakeOverTheWorld the entire world dependent on treatments.]]

* In JohnnyMnemonic, the world is in the grips of a pandemic and a Evil Drug Company is chasing the title character to regain a cure locked in his MemoryVault. "Treating the disease is more profitable than curing it!"

Basically a creature which needs whatever {{Phlebotinum}} is being used in the story to survive. Often developing an insatiable HorrorHunger for the stuff. This can vary from a creature that eats GreenRocks to a monster called into being by {{Aesoptinum}}.

* Rock/Ice/Lava Monsters in ''Lego Rock Raiders'' eat energy crystals, and will destroy your buildings to get at them. If destroyed the crystals they have eaten can be recovered. Slimy slugs are similar, except they suck the energy out of them instead.

* There was one Superman story where he arrived at a moon of Krypton (long story short, it drifted away hundreds of years ago) and had to use kryptonite to prevent its Uranium core from exploding. On his search for enough kryptonite he came across a (space)monster that fed on it. He managed to save the planet, but since it was now made of kryptonite, he could never go there again.

*** Because they hadn't been introduced to the series yet? Alternately, possibly Hell isn't part of Xanth.

* ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob:'' Thanks to a botched scheme by her clone Golly, Molly the [[CuteMonsterGirl monster]] now has a second clone named Jolly who is [[OurGiantsAreBigger the size of a small mountain.]] Considering what [[BigEater Big Eaters]] Molly and Golly are, Jolly's potential food intake beggars the imagination. This is HandWaved with the explanation that, among her various bionic implants to help her [[SquareCubeLaw move and respirate at such a huge size,]] she has a "[[AppliedPhlebotinum Phlebotinomatic]] Food Synthotron." There's no explanation given for how it works, naturally (as in this instance, when the strip indulges in ''shameless'' TechnoBabble, it usually admits and lampshades it).

** This has only been proven with alcohol. A theoretical possibility of death exists with benzodiazepines and barbiturates, because withdrawal from them can cause seizures, but alcohol withdrawal is the only withdrawal syndrome to have actually killed anyone.

* There was one Superman story where he arrived at a moon of Krypton (long story short, it drifted away hundreds of years ago) and had to use kryptonite to prevent its Uranium core from exploding. On his search for enough kryptonite he came across a (space)monster that fed on it. He managed to save the planet, but since it was now made of kryptonite, he could never go there again.

*** Because they hadn't been introduced to the series yet? Alternately, possibly Hell isn't part of Xanth.

[[AC:WebComics]]
* ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob:'' Thanks to a botched scheme by her clone Galatea ("Golly"), Molly the [[CuteMonsterGirl monster]] now has a second clone named Djali ("Jolly") who is [[OurGiantsAreBigger the size of a small mountain.]] Considering what [[BigEater Big Eaters]] Molly and Golly are, Jolly's potential food intake beggars the imagination. This is HandWaved with the explanation that, among her various bionic implants to help her [[SquareCubeLaw move and respirate at such a huge size,]] she has a "[[AppliedPhlebotinum Phlebotinomatic]] Food Synthotron." There's no explanation given for how it works, naturally (as in this instance, when the strip indulges in ''shameless'' TechnoBabble, it usually admits and lampshades it).

** This has only been proven with alcohol. A theoretical possibility of death exists with benzodiazepines and barbiturates, because withdrawal from them can cause seizures, but alcohol withdrawal is the only withdrawal syndrome to have actually killed anyone.

** The [[DoomsdayDevice ultimate weapon]] of the setting was a magic disk. Powered by a simple propulsion spell with no speed limiters, it simply spun around uselessly and thus wasted ''all'' the Mana in the area. Wizards were left powerless, werewolves lost their "were-", and ageless beings suddenly began feeling their age. This is the origin of the MagicTheGathering card [[SdrawkcabName Nevinyrral's]] Disk, which does pretty much the same thing.