Needs Help: Twenty Three

I can't tell if this is misused, ambiguous name, or not tropeworthy, but it's something.

With so many works of fiction, there's bound to be some significant numbers that recur. The fact that the number 23 has some significance in some works isn't surprising, but there's nothing consistent about what the number signifies through all the works, unlike Four Is Death or 13 Is Unlucky. The description says it's connected to the Ancient Conspiracy, but very few of the examples show that. Some of them (like Toy Story and Roger Rabbit) are just "the number 23 is used", with pretty much no significance.

Actual examples where it has significance can be merged to Arc Number, but this page should be cut IMO.

Looking at the page, we need to figure out which ones are worth keeping. There are others that are just incidental, like the Echtra and Michael Jordan examples.

Seconding a merge/cut.

The actual definition is perfectly clear and concise, and I believe I've encountered the idea that 23 has significance to the Illuminati before, so I suspect it's a trope that actually exists. It's just the examples that are a mess.

I vote to clean up the page (and the internal links, if necessary) and then see what's left.

Actually, I think you're right. The connection seems to be big enough that The Other Wiki has a page on the topic. So this is definitely tropeworthy, it's just misused and needs clearer name. I suggest Twenty Three Enigma, which seems to be the normal name for it.

Given the obvious misuse, I support the rename suggested above.

Sounds like a good idea.

How much would be left if cleaned up?

It only has 27 wicks, but 150 inbounds.

By the way, I think there should be a notice that it only applies when there's a connection to The Conspiracy. Nothing else need apply, even if it uses 23 as an Arc Number without the connection.

Should there be a crowner or is there already consensus?

Description needs to be more elaborate, especially about what the 23 is supposed to mean. And... do we need a reference to The Hitchhikers Of The Galaxy there?

References to The Law of Fives and 23 are all over the Principia Discordia and The Illuminatus! Trilogy. Any ties to conspiracy are likely references to those two works. Anything else is probably a coincidence. Of course, pointing out that coincidence is a favorite Discordian hobby (similar to Festivus Miracles).

The Illuminatus! Trilogy even lampshades it:

"You're doing fine," Hagbard said. "Here's your latest revelation from the A:.A:.." He reached into his pocket and took out a photo of a female infant with six fingers on each hand. "Got this from a doctor friend at Johns Hopkins."

Joe looked at it and said, "So?"

"If we all looked like her, there'd be a Law of Sixes."

Joe stared at him. "You mean, after all the evidence I collected, the Law of Fives is an Illuminati put on? You've been letting me delude myself?"

"Not at all." Hagbard was most earnest. "The Law of Fives is perfectly true. Everybody from the JAMs to the Dealy Lama agrees on that. But you have to understand it more deeply now, Joe. Correctly formulated, the Law is: All phenomena are directly or indirectly related to the number five, and this relationship can always be demonstrated, given enough ingenuity on the part of the demonstrator."

edited 14th Jan '17 5:33:54 PM by Daefaroth