Possession Implies Mastery: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

A reasonably common fallacy based on the notion that the possession of a piece of technology, excluding things specifically described as a [[Black Box]], implies that the owner has a full understanding of its workings and mechanisms, the principles on which it operates, and can adapt and use those principles in other matters in a reliable way, and can even undermine them as necessary.

:It is a plot point in ''Unlimited Blade Works'' that {{spoiler|Gilgamesh and Shirou}}, as mere "owners" rather than "wielders" of their weapons, generally suck in comparison to other servants in direct combat because they don't have the mastery gained by focusing in one weapon. {{spoiler|Shirou actually points this out, and wins because Unlimited Blade Works provides him with an infinite amount of duplicates that are summoned faster than Gilgamesh pulls stuff out of his arsenal. He uses the duplicated proficiency and overloads the duplicates to repel or destroy Gilgamesh's originals and forces the latter on the defensive.}}

** It helps that {{spoiler|Shirou}}, when recreating his weapons, copies the history of how they were made and ''how they were wielded'', giving him a level of skill with them.

* Haru Glory's Ten Commandments sword in ''[[Rave Master]]''. It has ten forms, and Haru seems to know exactly what every form does the moment he needs it, such as bringing out {{spoiler|Runesave}} to save {{spoiler|Elie without having to kill her}}. This is however justified since the Rave of Knowledge explicitly provides this insight.

* In ''[[Bleach]]'', this is quite the opposite for pretty much anyone with spirit abilities. Especially captains, no matter how much of a genius they're stated to be. Which explains just why characters like Ichigo and Toushiro can keep getting pretty much curb-stomped, despite their power levels and genius. They have it—doesn't mean they have mastered it yet. Kubo seems to take great pleasure in avoiding this trope.

* Averted in the ''[[Honor Harrington]]'' novels where Admiral Shannon Foraker is quite frank about how even when they capture Mantie technology they can't actually use it because they don't have the same tech base or miniaturisation technology, but that it's still worthwhile because it gives them ideas on how to do it, and how to develop countermeasures.

* Subverted in ''[[Stephen King|The Tommyknockers]]''. The titular entities have no clue HOW their stuff works, but somehow managed to figure out how to make it.

** Averted in ''[[Harry Potter]]'' as a whole. Just because you have a broomstick/wand/crystal ball/whatever doesn't mean you can ''use'' it without going to school first.

* Averted in ''[[The Bartimaeus Trilogy]]'', where Nathaniel gains possession of an extremely powerful magical artifact and tries to use it against his enemy. Bartimaeus notes that there's no chance of him being able to master it on his first try, but stops when he succeeds in generating a massive surge of magical energy. Then he loses control and the backlash knocks him unconscious.