Phlebotinumnote is the versatile substance that may be rubbed on anything to cause an effect needed by a plot. Examples include but are not limited to: nanotechnology, magic crystal emanations, pixie dust, and Green Rocks.
In essence, it is plot fuel. Without it, the story would grind to an abrupt halt. It's the science that powers the FTL drive on the starship so the characters can get somewhere, it's the magic that hatches the Egg MacGuffin so the protagonist can save an endangered species, it's the strange things unknown to science or magic that do basically anything except those limits and dangers required by the plot. The reader does not know how Phlebotinum would work and the creators hope nobody cares. In essence, it's a plot device that abstracts away the problem of hard science.
According to Joss Whedon, during the DVD commentary for the pilot episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the term "phlebotinum" originates from Buffy writer (and Angel co-creator) David Greenwalt's sudden outburst: "Don't touch the phlebotinum!" apropos of nothing.Fun Fact
If the phlebotinum in question is simply a physical substance with unusual/extreme properties you are almost certainly dealing with the element Unobtainium.
A.K.A. Handwavium or Contrivium. Compare Author Powers, Hand Wave, Theory of Narrative Causality, MacGuffin, Deus ex Machina, and A Wizard Did It. Contrast Misapplied Phlebotinum, and Minovsky Physics for when it's actually examined in scientific detail with clearly defined limits and uses. Not to be confused with Phlebotomy.
Tropes
- Abnormal Ammo
- Achilles' Power Cord
- Aesoptinum
- Agony Beam
- Amplifier Artifact
- Amulet of Concentrated Awesome
- Amulet of Dependency
- Ancient Artifact
- Animating Artifact
- Antimatter
- Are These Wires Important?
- Artifact of Doom
- Artifact of Hope
- Artifact of Power
- Artificial Gravity
- Art Initiates Life
- Artistic License – Chemistry
- Artistic License – Space
- Automated Automobiles
- Background Magic Field
- Bamboo Technology
- Big Red Button
- Bio-Augmentation
- Black Box
- Blind Jump
- Blood Bath
- Blood Iron
- Body to Jewel
- Built with LEGO
- By the Power of Grayskull!
- Came from the Sky
- Can't Have Sex, Ever
- Carrying the Antidote
- Chemistry Can Do Anything
- Clarke's Third Law
- Clingy Costume
- Clingy MacGuffin
- Cloning Blues
- Cold Iron
- Collapsing Lair
- Comm Links
- Containment Field
- Correspondence Course
- Counterpart Artifacts
- Cure for Cancer
- Dangerous Device Disposal Debacle
- Dangerous Phlebotinum Interaction
- The Dark Side
- Deadly Force Field
- Deflector Shields
- Depleted Phlebotinum Shells
- Detachable Lower Half
- Deus ex Nukina
- Devolution Device
- Disability Superpower
- Disco Tech
- Disintegration Chamber
- Diverting Power
- Do-Anything Robot
- Doomsday Device
- Duct Tape for Everything
- Electric Instant Gratification
- Electric Torture
- Elemental Absorption
- EMP
- Energy Absorption
- Every Car Is a Pinto
- Everything Sensor
- Exact Time to Failure
- Explosive Instrumentation
- Explosive Overclocking
- Exposition Beam
- Extradimensional Power Source
- Failsafe Failure
- Fantastic Plastic
- Fantasy Metals
- Faster-Than-Light Travel
- Fertile Feet
- Fold the Page, Fold the Space
- Forgotten Phlebotinum
- Forgotten Superweapon
- Fountain of Youth
- Functional Magic
- Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke
- Genius Serum
- Going to Give It More Energy
- Gravity Sucks
- Great Big Book of Everything
- Green Rocks
- Handy Remote Control
- Hard Light
- Harmful to Touch
- Healing Potion
- Healing Vat
- Helping Hands
- Hidden Wire
- Hihi'irokane
- Holding Back the Phlebotinum
- Hologram Projection Imperfection
- Hulking Out
- Human Popsicle
- Hyper-Destructive Bouncing Ball
- Hyperspace Lanes
- Hypno Ray
- I Know Your True Name
- Implausible Synchrony
- Imported Alien Phlebotinum
- Incredibly Obvious Bug
- Inertial Dampening
- Infinite Supplies
- Infrared Xray Camera
- Inventional Wisdom
- Inverse Law of Utility and Lethality
- Invisibility Cloak
- Involuntary Shapeshifting
- Item Amplifier
- It Runs on Nonsensoleum
- Jack up with Phlebotinum
- Jet Pack
- LEGO Genetics
- Ley Line
- Lightning Can Do Anything
- The Little Detecto
- Living Battery
- Losing Your Head
- Lost Technology
- Lotus-Eater Machine
- Love Potion
- Loyal Phlebotinum
- Made of Explodium
- Made of Indestructium
- Made of Phlebotinum
- Magi Babble
- Magic A Is Magic A
- Magical Accessory
- Magically-Binding Contract
- Magical Particle Accelerator
- Magic Antidote
- Magic from Technology
- Magic Meteor
- Magic Music
- Magic Plastic Surgery
- Magic-Powered Pseudoscience
- Magic Tool
- Make a Wish
- Makeup Weapon: Weaponized cosmetics.
- Matter Replicator
- May Contain Evil
- Mecha-Enabling Phlebotinum
- Medieval Stasis
- Menstrual Menace
- Mental Picture Projector
- Mind-Control Device
- Mind Probe
- Minovsky Physics
- Mirror Morality Machine
- Misapplied Phlebotinum
- Mithril
- Mobile-Suit Human
- Mutagenic Goo
- My Car Hates Me
- Nanomachines
- No Blood for Phlebotinum
- No Off Button
- No Tech but High Tech
- Not of This Earth
- No Water Proofing In The Future
- Nuclear Torch Rocket
- The Nudifier
- Obfuscated Interface
- Offscreen Villain Dark Matter
- Orichalcum
- Our Clones Are Identical
- Our Dark Matter Is Mysterious
- Our Phlebotinum Child
- Overclocking Attack
- Override Command
- Panacea
- Paranormal Mundane Item
- Percussive Maintenance
- Perilous Power Source
- Perpetual Motion Machine
- Philosopher's Stone
- Phlebotinum Analogy
- Phlebotinum Battery
- Phlebotinum Bomb
- Phlebotinum Breakdown
- Phlebotinum Dependence
- Phlebotinum Girl
- Phlebotinum-Handling Equipment
- Phlebotinum-Handling Requirements
- Phlebotinum-Induced Steampunk
- Phlebotinum-Induced Stupidity
- Phlebotinum Killed the Dinosaurs
- Phlebotinum Muncher
- Phlebotinum Overdose
- Phlebotinum Overload
- Phlebotinum Pills
- Phlebotinum Rebel
- Placebotinum Effect
- Plot-Sensitive Button
- Plot-Sensitive Items
- Plot Technology
- Portal Book
- Portal Picture
- Portal Pool
- Powered by a Black Hole
- Powered by a Forsaken Child
- Power Source
- Power-Up Food
- Pressure-Sensitive Interface
- Professor Guinea Pig
- Projected Man
- Psychic Nosebleed
- Public Domain Artifact
- Pure Energy
- Quantum Mechanics Can Do Anything
- Radiation-Induced Superpowers
- Reactionless Drive
- Readings Are Off the Scale
- Readings Blew Up the Scale
- Reinventing the Telephone
- Restraining Bolt
- Reverse Polarity
- Rewriting Reality
- Ridiculously Potent Explosive
- Rube Goldberg Device
- Runs on Ignorance
- Saved by the Phlebotinum
- Science Cannot Comprehend Phlebotinum
- Screw Learning, I Have Phlebotinum!
- Screwball Serum
- Secret Project Refugee Family
- Self-Defenseless
- Self-Destruct Mechanism
- Self-Guarding Phlebotinum
- Self-Healing Phlebotinum
- Sentient Cosmic Force
- Sentient Phlebotinum
- Sharpened to a Single Atom
- Shoe Phone
- Shrink Ray
- Silver Bullet
- Single Phlebotinum Limit
- Solid Clouds
- Soul Fragment
- Soul-Powered Engine
- Space Is Magic
- Spy Satellites
- States of Phlebotinum
- Supernormal Bindings
- Super Serum
- Super Wrist-Gadget
- Surgical Impersonation
- Swirly Energy Thingy
- Techno Babble
- Thin Dimensional Barrier
- 30-Second Blackout
- Those Magnificent Flying Machines
- Thunderbolt Iron
- Tim Taylor Technology
- Time Stands Still
- Time Travel
- Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth
- Toxic Phlebotinum
- Toxic Waste Can Do Anything
- Tracking Device
- Transformation Causes
- Transformation Ray
- Transformation Trinket
- Translator Microbes
- Truth Serums
- Universal Remote Control
- Unknown Phenomenon
- Unobtainium
- Upgrade Artifact
- Utility Belt
- Utility Magic
- Villain-Beating Artifact
- Virgin Power
- Virgin Sacrifice
- Virtual Ghost
- Weapon of Mass Destruction
- Weather-Control Machine
- We Have Forgotten the Phlebotinum
- What Do You Mean, It's Phlebotinum?
- Wheel of Pain
- When Things Spin, Science Happens
- Wire Dilemma
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity
- Within Parameters
- Words Can Break My Bones
- World-Healing Wave
- Zillion-Dollar Bill
Applied Phlebotinum is among the Tropes of Legend.
