Name doesn't seem to fit the trope: Schrodinger Fu

Schrodingers Cat refers to when something simultaneously is alive or dead in alternate dimensions, leading to tropes like Schrödinger's Cast, in which a character is alive in one adaptation but dead in another.

But Schrödinger Fu is totally about randomness, and nothing else. It does not mean that someone bended dimensions by performing a move in one universe, but a different one in another. Nor does it refer to the same fight having two different outcomes depending on the adaptation. Instead, it just means a random, unpredictable fighter.

It's in no way related to the expression. While I think there could easily be a trope for unpredictable fighters, this could really use a rename.

I agree, I already saw misuse for fighting styles related to quatum physics, and parallel universes(, though I couldn't give a rate).

edited 23rd Feb '11 8:17:07 AM by EternalSeptember

Why not call it something simple like: Unpredictable Fighter?

Too boring titles can be as bad for usage as too obscure ones. If there is nothing better, it's ok, but at least let's try for something more memorable.

According to Everythings Worse With Snowclones, Schrodinger tropes are intended to be something where a later action retroactively dictates what came before it — the eponymous thought experiment involved a cat who was simultaneously in exclusive states all along, and whichever one is later observed turns out to be the "real" cat.

In other words, it's not simply a case of "you don't know what's coming next".

Well, it's got very good wicks and inbounds. I'd be comfortable leaving it as-is.

Exactly the problem. It's being used very wrong in the trope page. These are not fighters who simultaneously do different things in different dimensions at once. They're just unpredictable people.

Even if we change the name to something more appropriate, like Random Fu, some examples, such as the Ronald Reagan one in the Real Life section, still wouldn't belong.

Whoever did the title got their quantum physicists mixed up. Uncertainty was Heisenberg's speciality ("it is impossible to determine simultaneously both the position and the momentum of an electron or any other particle with any great degree of accuracy or certainty" - Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in a nutshell according to Wikipedia.).

This definitely needs a rewrite. From the title, I thought it was about people fighting with Schrödinger's Gun.

edited 23rd Feb '11 10:44:01 AM by storyyeller

I like the quasi-alliterative appeal of "Confusing Kung-Fu" or "Confusing fu"

The latter. "Fu" is the snowclone pattern, like Car Fu, Waif-Fu, and Gun Fu.

Con Fu Se?

edited 23rd Feb '11 12:22:44 PM by EternalSeptember

Ha, that's clever.

Kung Fusing? (maybe too close to Fusion Dance)

^^ I don't get the "Se" at the end. Maybe just Con Fu.

edited 23rd Feb '11 1:38:02 PM by Elle

maybe just Confusion Fu

Koan Fu

edited 23rd Feb '11 2:04:40 PM by EternalSeptember

Not Koan Fu, because it's not related to Koans, and the name would confuse people.

I like Con Fu Se, but while that's clever, I don't know if it really gets its idea across well in the name, like how people would react to it when they see it.

That and Con Fu Se sounds too much like Con Fu Cius.

Kung Fu Confusion?

Main risk there is it may sound like "Too much kung fu, what's going on?" rather than the trope.

Confusion Fu's probably safest.

Agreed.

By the way, where can one actually find examples of kung fu involving quantum physics (regarding post #2)?

Dunno, I just remember fixing one in the past, I'm not sure if it happens commonly.

If it does, just check some of the "Related To" wicks and you will find one.

To keep with the line that gave this trope its name, I think Heisenberg Fu is a good choice. Heisenberg is about uncertainity after all.

I love it.

It would be a Genius Bonus but its a bit much. Confusion Fu sounds the best so far.

Leave it as a redirect, but make Confusion Fu the main name.

Why leave the boring name as the main? You can add as many boring redirects as you feel it is needed, after all. Heisenberg Fu is witty and concise (and IMHO, witty + concise >>>>> clear, we are an hypermedia resource after all).