Difficult to parse, may need a rename: Awesome Yet Practical

To put it simply, when reading the description, I can't understand for the life of me what this trope is really about. I'm getting "stuff that's awesome that exists in this world, sort of a trope bout realism but not quite, simple and effective"... I can't understand what this trope IS, and so cannot figure out how to use it.

In addition, its name makes it sound like the counterpart trope to Awesome, but Impractical or Boring, but Practical: i.e., a video game move that is extremely flashy, and is every bit as powerful and useful as it looks, and I've seen it mistakenly used as such in a number of places; like, say, the description of Infinity -1 Sword.

To put it simply, I think the trope needs a rewrite to make it clearer/easier to understand, and it may need a less confusable name.

edited 18th Oct '10 10:30:32 PM by Enlong

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I think it may need a CUT. By the example list, it seems to be "Crowning Moments of Practical Solutions" with a few examples of The Combat Pragmatist and Badass Normal thrown in.

If it is cut, I'd like the name to be taken and used for that trope some think it is: a counter to Awesome, but Impractical and Boring, but Practical.

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It's actually the combination of the good parts of Awesome, but Impractical and Boring, but Practical.

Fight smart, not fair.

Wait, so it is the counterpart trope to those two? 'Cause neither the description nor the Laconic entry are giving me that. I've seen it mistaken as such enough times, sure...

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Yup, that's what it's supposed to be. Hence the name.

What's precedent ever done for us?

I'm getting mixed ideas from the examples. There's "Awesome yet simple", where the awesome moment is also the simplest solution to the problem at hand, without wasting time on making it theatrical. Then there's "Awesome yet plausible", where the awesome thing is not that far removed from reality. Then there's "Awesome yet practical", the type more in line with the other two, where something is not only very cool, but also practical enough to use regularly.

Looks like we might be needing a split, then.

What's precedent ever done for us?

I think we had a repair thread a while ago about some of these, but I don't remember how it was resolved.

Fight smart, not fair.

I actually made that one too, simply asking for a rename. It got forgotten and buried, so I remade it here, this time noticing that the description and examples are far more wonky than the name.

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Wait, you mean it's NOT a counterpart to Awesome, but Impractical and Boring, but Practical?

Rhymes with "Protracted."

I think it's supposed to be, but since suffered severe Trope Decay to the point where, as Happy Mask Man notes, it's pretty much covering three tropes at once.

What's precedent ever done for us?

So, we're saying it should probably be split into three? What would those three be, again? I know one of them is what the title implies, but what are the other two again?

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Wait, what? I thought this was about things that while practical, are EXTREMELY awesome. Or even though they are awesome, they're still pretty practical. Something like that.

I'd say redefine and then if there's enough for another trope, YKTTW it.

"The fact that your food can be made into makeshift bombs alarms the Hell out of me, Scrye." - Charlatan

That's what it should be, but the description is confusing, the picture makes no sense under that description, and the Laconic entry  ^*

has nothing to do with the ostensible meaning of the trope at all.

edit: ...or were you agreeing with me?

edited 20th Oct '10 9:30:48 AM by Enlong

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...I honestly don't know. Then again, I'm sick and not thinking straight, so... *shrug*

At the very least, I think 90% of the examples are based on what the NAME is, not what the definition is. So if we redefine it to what the name implies and completely split off whatever the heck it is now, then it'd be solved, right?

edited 20th Oct '10 11:14:39 AM by TheInferno

"The fact that your food can be made into makeshift bombs alarms the Hell out of me, Scrye." - Charlatan

That's what I'd like. I've mainly only seen it used for what the title sounds like outside of the entry itself, so it shouldn't be hard to change.

A new picture and Laconic entry would be in order, as well.

I have a message from another time...

The original intention was basically an attempt to set up a trope as a counterpart to the Awesome, but Impractical / Boring, but Practical pages and everything about the description has been an attempt to define the term, how can something be Awesome Yet Practical? I think the description is fine (going for an efficient strategy over a convoluted and realistically impractical one) but people would just ignore it and put down their own interpretation, no definition clean-up will change that. The "being realistic" came from a comment in the original description that was trying to describe the efficiency part of the trope, which people confused for meaning that this trope is about being realistic.

OK, here are the three separate things as I see them:

• Awesome Yet Practical: Predominantly a gaming trope, where something really really cool that one would imagine to fall into Awesome, but Impractical (like a nuke in a strategy game or a flashy combo in a fighter) turns out to actually be rather useful.

• Awesome Yet Plausible: Where the really really cool thing the story is showcasing is actually either something that already exists, scientifically plausible, or just generally 'realistic', like the quantum mechanics in Gundam 00 or Batman's tech in the Nolan movies.

• Pragmatic Yet Awesome: Where a simple, straightforward solution is used - and it is very cool. Examples include Jason Bourne kicking ass with household items rather than high-tech gadgets, or Indiana Jones's famous Combat Pragmatist moment.

What's precedent ever done for us?

If somebody wants a new image, I recommend this◊.

Fight smart, not fair.

If we split this trope up, can we ditch the word "awesome" for something more descriptive? What about Flashy Yet Practical, Fantastic Yet Plausible, and Simple Plan Satisfaction? (corresponding to Iaculus's bullet points)

I think that including combat examples under Pragmatic Yet Awesome would be redundant, since all such examples fall under The Combat Pragmatist.

I like your name ideas.

The "counterpart to Awesome, but Impractical and Boring, but Practical" should still be called "Awesome But Practical", to properly form a name theme with the other two, as it was originally intended to do.

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How can it be Trope Decay if the definition makes no mention of video games and compares itself to What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?? Did the definition get changed?

Looking back on the YKTTW.. the definition never had anything to do with Awesome, but Impractical at any point, but was still claimed to be its "opposite".

I think that the trope's original creator may have confused Awesome, but Impractical with Cool, but Inefficient.