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Anime & Manga
"Oh, for goodness's sakes! What's gotten into you, Kuro-tan? You're constantly turning into a Kaiju these days! It's been like this ever since that music fest! It's good that you turn back quick...but I'd like to avoid another fuss like today!"
— Rinko Akaishi, Kaiju Girl Caramelise
Comic Books
"The wizard mocked the scientist who tried to understand the power locked up inside Liz Sherman. He thought he knew better than them. Thought he could reach down inside her and pull out just as much of that power as he needed. Pity. If only he'd asked me, I could have told him he was wrong."
— Hellboy: Seed of Destruction
Bifrons: How can a mortal form contain such fire...?
Liz Sherman; It can't.
Liz Sherman; It can't.
— B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know
Fan Works
"Don't talk back to me!" he roared. "Just because you have such a lousy father, that doesn't give you the right to challenge authority! I've had to loan that man a lot of money we never got back, you know that? It's gotta be a hundred thousand dollars or more!"
Aloysius stomped back into his house and slammed the door before Ness could say anything back. He was fuming; his father had barely even been loaned a hundred dollars, and he'd paid that back a long time ago. How dare he accuse anyone of being a bad parent when-
"Ness..." Buzz Buzz whispered in an alarmed tone. "Your hands…"
He looked down to see small stubs of splintered wood clutched in each fist, with the rest of his old bat's remains scattered across the ground before him. A faint purple haze was engulfing his hands for just a moment, but faded away quickly. He hadn't even noticed in his anger.
Aloysius stomped back into his house and slammed the door before Ness could say anything back. He was fuming; his father had barely even been loaned a hundred dollars, and he'd paid that back a long time ago. How dare he accuse anyone of being a bad parent when-
"Ness..." Buzz Buzz whispered in an alarmed tone. "Your hands…"
He looked down to see small stubs of splintered wood clutched in each fist, with the rest of his old bat's remains scattered across the ground before him. A faint purple haze was engulfing his hands for just a moment, but faded away quickly. He hadn't even noticed in his anger.
Literature
Jackson's small office was entirely burnt black as well, save only his desk and chair in the middle, both of which looked new. The room was also missing a ceiling. Instead, it was just open blue sky there, in spite of the fact that there should have been another two floors above them.
Did we catch you in the middle of redecorating?" Parson asked. "I like it."
Jackson looked up from the document he was reading, but as soon as he took his eyes off the paper, it burst into flames and disintegrated in his hands. "Dagh!" The man stood up from his chair and took an exasperated breath.
Did we catch you in the middle of redecorating?" Parson asked. "I like it."
Jackson looked up from the document he was reading, but as soon as he took his eyes off the paper, it burst into flames and disintegrated in his hands. "Dagh!" The man stood up from his chair and took an exasperated breath.
Thibault: I don't control my power. I can't turn it off.
Ethan: Sure you can! We're sitting here talking, aren't we?
Thibault: That's because we're alone. If there were a few more people in this room, there'd be too many competing signals, too many other people to focus on. Remember down in the lobby? I could barely get you to listen to me. [...] If I need to disappear, I can snip whatever connection there is. But I can't turn my power off. People always forget me in the end. Do you have any idea what that means?
Ethan: Sure you can! We're sitting here talking, aren't we?
Thibault: That's because we're alone. If there were a few more people in this room, there'd be too many competing signals, too many other people to focus on. Remember down in the lobby? I could barely get you to listen to me. [...] If I need to disappear, I can snip whatever connection there is. But I can't turn my power off. People always forget me in the end. Do you have any idea what that means?
— Zeroes
Judy was in communion with the most primal aspect of creation. She just didn't know it. Her thoughts and desires were broadcast to the heart of the universe, but the signal was lousy, and most of those thoughts never reached their destination. And the few that did were garbled and all but unrecognizable. Judy's will was a remote control with bad batteries trying to guide a massive universe more comfortable with pushing galaxies around than with the subtleties of daily human life. The resulting chaos was understandable and only getting worse as the signal grew stronger every hour. Had Judy been aware of of it, she might have taken more care in even her most casual thoughts...
— Monster
Live-Action TV
May: Hey. Okay. Listen to me. Just me. We can do this. You can do this.
Skye: I can't... I can't make it stop...
May: You will control your emotions, just like we practised.
Skye: I can't make it stop...
Skye: I can't... I can't make it stop...
May: You will control your emotions, just like we practised.
Skye: I can't make it stop...
Tabletop Games
The week of the Ravnos Antediluvian's awakening was a literal week of nightmares: Ravnos disciplines flew out of control as even the weakest neonates effortlessly produced illusions and skilled elders created images without the conscious intent of doing so. [...] I saw my sire and his sire suffer from literal waking nightmares - and bring them to "life" before they could get things under control. Lawrence's attempts to explain the appearance of a many-headed monster in battle with a tiger and a dragon in the middle of an LAX-bound airplane were amusing, but they didn't help his reputation. Further evidence, all of it anecdotal, indicates that such incidents happened to Ravnos around the world.
— Vampire: The Masquerade - Clanbook: Ravnos
Some Lasombra feel an overpowering urge to take to the seas as the End Times come; however, all see difficulties in controlling their Obtenebration: shadows rage out of control, attacking their creators or - in extreme cases - ripping holes in the fabric of reality, directly into the abyss itself.
No longer able to contain the madness within them, Malkavians find themselves unleashing it upon the world. Bouts of prophesy become increasingly frequent, and Dementation activates without conscious desire. As the end approaches, the physical world itself might even be warped by the Discipline. [...]
The Fiends can no longer reliably control their Vicissitude, causing wild aberrations in both themselves and others. Some demonstrate the ability to use the Discipline without touch, but even they have little control over its finer points. As the end comes, the Disciplines becomes increasingly primal, and many Tzimisce lose the ability to hold the same shape for even a short period of time.
No longer able to contain the madness within them, Malkavians find themselves unleashing it upon the world. Bouts of prophesy become increasingly frequent, and Dementation activates without conscious desire. As the end approaches, the physical world itself might even be warped by the Discipline. [...]
The Fiends can no longer reliably control their Vicissitude, causing wild aberrations in both themselves and others. Some demonstrate the ability to use the Discipline without touch, but even they have little control over its finer points. As the end comes, the Disciplines becomes increasingly primal, and many Tzimisce lose the ability to hold the same shape for even a short period of time.
— Vampire: The Masquerade - Gehenna
Arcane is a potent and useful Background at normal levels, and most mages are happy to have it working for them when their enemies begin making inquiries into their whereabouts. The higher levels of Arcane, accessible only to the Ahl-i-Batin, however, have pronounced and life-changing ramifications, and they are only for the most devoted (some might say extremist) Subtle One: after the sixth degree of Arcane, the Batini is no longer able to consciously dampen the effects at will, and therefore cannot mitigate the problematic elements of her "condition."
Due to the intense impoverishment and enforced simplicity of life it causes, only truly dedicated Batini murshids are willing to undergo the Ritual of Occultation. Years of ascetic discipline prepare a Subtle One well for a life of Occultation: the mage must live from hand to mouth on anything she can find, raise or steal - because otherwise she'll starve.
Due to the intense impoverishment and enforced simplicity of life it causes, only truly dedicated Batini murshids are willing to undergo the Ritual of Occultation. Years of ascetic discipline prepare a Subtle One well for a life of Occultation: the mage must live from hand to mouth on anything she can find, raise or steal - because otherwise she'll starve.
— Mage: The Ascension - Lost Paths
Toys
Nuparu wasn't sure whether to shout with joy or scream with terror.
Just after he and the other Toa had left the cave, an idle thought crossed his mind about his Kanohi mask. A second later, he was flying high above the rocky ground, swooping and diving like a manic Gukko bird. For someone who had spent virtually his whole life laboring in underground tunnels, it was exhilarating and horrifying at the same time.
Down below, the other Toa watched him, eyes wide with shock. Behind his mask, Kongu could not keep the resentment off his face. After all, he was the best Gukko rider on Mata Nui — if anyone got a Mask of Flight, it should be him.
"What's he doing up there?" asked Hahli.
The answer came to Kongu almost immediately. "He doesn't know how to safe-land." There was more, but he chose not to share it. Ever since he triggered his mask power for Jaller, he had been unable to turn it off. His mind was now full of the babble of everyone else's thoughts. Jaller was worried they had plunged into more than they could handle; Hahli was struggling to remember all that Toa Nuva Gali had taught her; and Hewkii was a little upset no one had commented on the fact that his armor had turned from brown to yellow when he became a Toa.
Just after he and the other Toa had left the cave, an idle thought crossed his mind about his Kanohi mask. A second later, he was flying high above the rocky ground, swooping and diving like a manic Gukko bird. For someone who had spent virtually his whole life laboring in underground tunnels, it was exhilarating and horrifying at the same time.
Down below, the other Toa watched him, eyes wide with shock. Behind his mask, Kongu could not keep the resentment off his face. After all, he was the best Gukko rider on Mata Nui — if anyone got a Mask of Flight, it should be him.
"What's he doing up there?" asked Hahli.
The answer came to Kongu almost immediately. "He doesn't know how to safe-land." There was more, but he chose not to share it. Ever since he triggered his mask power for Jaller, he had been unable to turn it off. His mind was now full of the babble of everyone else's thoughts. Jaller was worried they had plunged into more than they could handle; Hahli was struggling to remember all that Toa Nuva Gali had taught her; and Hewkii was a little upset no one had commented on the fact that his armor had turned from brown to yellow when he became a Toa.
— BIONICLE
Video Games
"There's still so much I have to learn about magic. Where it came from, how to control it... Retardant foam is a nightmare to get out of your hair."
"Power without control is worthless."
Webcomics
Thistle: I dozed off when I was waiting for everyone earlier, and I wasn't even Casting... but I "leaked" a little.
Brent: Oh, yikes. You make it sound like you wet the bed.
Brent: Oh, yikes. You make it sound like you wet the bed.
Web Original
"You know how some people and animals lose control of their bladders when they're surprised? It's like that, but for lightning."
— Just Bugs Me (Archive),
Star Wars (on the Emperor's apparent inability to stop using Force lightning on himself)
Star Wars (on the Emperor's apparent inability to stop using Force lightning on himself)"Did you know that crows are a sign of bad luck? Old superstition, but it's how I got my name. You see, some people can absorb electricity and some people can burst into rose petals, and some people are just born unlucky. My Semblance isn't like most. It's not exactly something I do. It's always there. Whether I like it or not, I bring misfortune. I guess you could call me a bad luck charm. Comes in real handy when I'm fighting an enemy, but it makes it a little hard on friends... and family."
— Qrow, RWBY, "A Much Needed Talk"
