For what it's worth, my first assumption was "Character is good at something he doesn't want to admit he's good at."
Zzzzzzzzzz
The fact that someone made a YKTTW for one of the common ways an Awkward Ability is defused doesn't mean there's anything wrong with Awkward Ability. It's like the difference between Enemy Rising Behind and Offhand Backhand — one is the trope for the situation in general and the other is a trope that is commonly paired with the first one as a way to resolve the situation. But they aren't the same.
Is there any evidence the name is broken? Misuse? Confusion?
...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.
Dragon Writer
^ True that Offhand Backhand vs Enemy Rising Behind aren't that much related (for that matter, they don't even mention each other). The recent YKTTW on the other hand doesn't have so much distinction, but it may be just an isolated incident.
As for potential misuse, a low # of wicks is easy to check, but no misuse that I'm aware of atm.
By itself, the name is just misdescriptive: the article's not about the ability, but the consequences that will arise if they use it in their civilian alter ego.
edited 28th Sep '10 8:35:46 AM by Stratadrake
An Ear Worm is like a Rickroll: It is never going to give you up.
I do agree that it's more about the characters' powers (and hero duty) getting Neglected To Uphold The Masquerade, the situation, not about the ability itself. It's not that the ability is especially conspicuous, or something likely to cause a negative reaction; any special skill or ability would count.
It would help if the trope was at least defined from the flip side, collecting abilities that are too obvious to be used secretly, or one that is embarassing to the user...but it isn't.
edited 28th Sep '10 9:52:42 AM by Vree
Dragon Writer
Aha. The article's YKTTW was from June 2009
, originally planned as "Embarassing Competence". Many alternative titles brainstormed but no good ones.
Zzzzzzzzzz
This thread expired after 60 days of inactivity.
Just saw a YKTTW for almost the same thing
as Awkward Ability, where a bystander is KO just long enough for the hero to unleash their superpowers and resolve the situation without revealing their identity to the person in question.
So is Awkward Ability in the market for a new name? It has Added Alliterative Appeal but is hardly an intuitive name; the trope focuses on the situation, not the ability in question.
edited 27th Sep '10 9:56:18 AM by Stratadrake
An Ear Worm is like a Rickroll: It is never going to give you up.