NationStates Jolt Archive

I was browsing the TV Tropes webpage a few days ago (I think I went there after following a link from a thread here in NSG) and, as usually happens when I review anything that's even sort of like a wiki, I wound up getting bizarrely sidetracked as I clicked through page after page of information. However, I ended up in the Crowning Moment of Awesome section and now, for some reason, I just can't stop seeing them everywhere. Afterall, they are crowningly awesome.

As the name might suggest, a Crowning Moment of Awesome is a moment when a character in some fictional medium (TV, film, video games, comic books, etc.) does something so amazing, so mind-boggling, so frikkin' awesome, that you can not help but just stare at the screen (Or page) and ask "Holy shit, did they just do that? Seriously? What the hell, is that even possible?"

It's often (But far from always) at the climax of the plot, the single act that will save the day and defeat the villain (Or the good guy, for that matter), and will often amaze the person performing the act as well (Although there are times when the reaction to the event is a Crowning Moment of Awesome all on its own *COUGH* Shannon Foraker *COUGH*). They come in all shapes and sizes, some dramatic and others notable for their lack of drama, and they can be violent or slapstick. However, I recently realized something. When you're saving the day, rescuing the girl, and defeating the villain all at once in a single Crowning Moment of Awesome, nobody will ever be able to top Batman. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Ynj4i0Gmw)

When I discovered TV Tropes, my life changed forever. TV Tropes is God, without question (that being said they do need to organize the site a little better).

I'm so obsessed with it that I changed my browser homepage to the random item link.

That is all.

*ahem* the expression is crowning moment of awesome.

[MODEDIT] But Neo, that's what it says!

Huh....I mean....huh....

Let's just move along, shall we?

Who wants to list some more examples?

Everything Toph (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AvatarTheLastAirbender) ever does. Awesome little girl. A Cute Bruiser (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CuteBruiser) with an impressive Disability Superpower (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DisabilitySuperpower). Oh and she can do this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrnfGko6Jec). Music ruins the video though. She knocked out "Shave and a haircut" on the door before kicking ass.

These Korean girls (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8Dx17n8d7U). They pwn!

SPOILER LOL That bit in BSG when the Pegasus wtfpwns 2 basestars with its MIGHTAH GUNS and then crashes into another two off New Caprica. Awesome.

So aye, that one's v. swish.

Everything Toph (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AvatarTheLastAirbender) ever does. Awesome little girl. A Cute Bruiser (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CuteBruiser) with an impressive Disability Superpower (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DisabilitySuperpower). Oh and she can do ww.youtube.com/watch?v=qrnfGko6Jec]this (http://w[B). [/B]Music ruins the video though. She knocked out "Shave and a haircut" on the door before kicking ass.

Top of the "related videos" is this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU5zuT4xtRk&feature=related).

The problem with most of the examples listed in the Crowning Moment of Awesome section...aren't. A CMOA isn't when "cool character does cool thing", that's mostly just the character being the character.

A true CMOA is when a character does something so stupdifyingly amazing as to become an essential part of that character's identity.

The problem with most of the examples listed in the Crowning Moment of Awesome section...aren't. A CMOA isn't when "cool character does cool thing", that's mostly just the character being the character.

A true CMOA is when a character does something so stupdifyingly amazing as to become an essential part of that character's identity.

Hmm. So, the first example that popped into my mind upon reading this thread was Mal taking down the Fed in the Firefly pilot. Would you say that fits?

Hmm. So, the first example that popped into my mind upon reading this thread was Mal taking down the Fed in the Firefly pilot. Would you say that fits?

sure, although, I think a better firefly reference is siccing the reavers on the Agent in the movie.

sure, although, I think a better firefly reference is siccing the reavers on the Agent in the movie.

Heh, true. I think Mal's headshot beats that out only because it was so very unexpected at that stage in the game that it really did provoke that "What the - did he actually just do that?!" response from me the first time I saw it.

Man, I miss that show.

TV Tropes has taken many hours of my life from me. And I loved it.

The anime Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is just a series of Crowning Moments of Awesome. I loved that show.

The problem with most of the examples listed in the Crowning Moment of Awesome section...aren't. A CMOA isn't when "cool character does cool thing", that's mostly just the character being the character.

A true CMOA is when a character does something so stupdifyingly amazing as to become an essential part of that character's identity.

Yes, that's pretty much right. TDK Joker doing the pencil trick is not a CMOA, that's just the Joker being the Joker. The Joker convincing his mortal enemy that the people who were trying to help him were responsible for Rachel's death. . .while crossdressing in a nurse outfit. . .THAT's a CMOA.

I was browsing the TV Tropes webpage a few days ago (I think I went there after following a link from a thread here in NSG)

Any chance it was one of my links? I have been throwing them around quite a bit recently.

It might've been, after a while all the threads here begin to blur together (Yesterday I was typing a response to one of the countless, never-ending God debates, only to realize an instant before I clicked "Post response" that I was actually browsing LG's "Live Furby Caught" thread...come to think of it, that response actually would have worked fine in that thread, too)

The problem with most of the examples listed in the Crowning Moment of Awesome section...aren't. A CMOA isn't when "cool character does cool thing", that's mostly just the character being the character.

A true CMOA is when a character does something so stupdifyingly amazing as to become an essential part of that character's identity.

Exactly my point. It's not really a big deal when Batman uses devestating martial arts to defeat a foe, or reveals some new technological gadget, since for him that's just his day-to-day life, no more out of the ordinary or special than when I pass a test; sure it's nice, but it's not a Crowning Moment of Awesome.

However, when he saves the day with song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Ynj4i0Gmw), you better take notice.

I'm a major contributor, and have added many entries to that page.