Awesome

This article is awesome. Do not fuck it up.

An image with a long, murky history with 4chan and Something Awful. Popular with probably every board, including /tg/. In its primordial roots, it was created on a now-defunct Pokemon fansite (Pokemopolis) of all places, where it was known as the :cheesy: smiley. The creator also posted in on Something Awful, where the Goons made it into what it is now.

If someone replies to your post with this image attached, he is essentially saying something along the lines of "fuck you" or "you're a fucking retard". This person is probably correct, since the purpose of /tg/ is /to generate/ RAGE.

Often blends with METAL, which is similarly employed in irony against shit that's just too much.

What is Awesome[edit]

 awe·some

/ˈôsəm/

adjective

causing or inducing awe; inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, or fear: an awesome sight.

exhibiting or marked by awe; showing reverence, admiration, or fear.

Slang

very impressive.

Things that ARE awesome include:

Vecna is the primary example of awesome in D&D, since he's the Batman wizard who broke the game so hard in 2nd edition, that he caused the edition change to 3rd. He avoids Mary Suedom primarily by being awesome, and by ultimately losing, though he had a partial success since he ultimately went from demigod to lesser god.
Some (not all) Old School modules in D&D - the ones which established the tropes. In the Dungeons of the Slavelords, Tomb of Horrors, and (as late as 1996) Gates of Firestorm Peak. Rappan Athuk for that First Edition Feel.
- A subset are old modules which are still playable, brought some interesting ideas, and are regarded with nostalgia; but are dated, to modern audiences. That would be a majority of 1e: e.g., Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth and White Plume Mountain.
Warhammer 40,000: a universe guided solely by Rule of Cool and GRIMDARK, with the Imperium being the essence of Humanity Fuck Yeah. In eternal war against Extradimensional Cosmic Horrors straight out of H.P. Lovecraft's worst nightmares.
- In the lore itself, the biggest examples of awesome are the Adeptus Astartes, all of the Imperial Guard, Sanguinius, Dante, Kharn the Betrayer, the Lamenters, Commissar Yarrick, Scout Trooper MkVenner, Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt, and Sly Marbo!
In fantasy, the second biggest example of awesome is FUCKING NORSCA. BECAUSE VIKINGS. TEN FOOT TALL VIKINGS ON CRACK CLAD IN BLACK ARMOUR FORGED IN THE FIRES OF HELL.
If you play older editions of 40K, draw this face on your blast templates for lulz.
In battletech there is a mech named the Awesome, it is indeed pretty awesome.
But by far the most amazing and awesome of all is the king of all kings, Settra the Imperishable the most arrogant biggest egotistical lovable skeleton in all of warhammer. Imagine being an undead pharaoh, imagine putting up a valiant fight against a God of undeath, imagine being brought before him and offered immense power, minor godhood, a body of solid gold - just as long as you pledge to serve him... and he will destroy you down to your head and leave you in the sand if you refuse. Settra, undead pharaoh, replies thusly: "SETTRA DOES NOT SERVE! SETTRA RULES!!" Settra is a Chad, nuff said.
A close second to the king above is a slightly more... robotic version. And another. Szarekh and his hyper-pimp throne, complete with rape-beam-carrying walls of doom orbiting it, is the guy who led his people against their C'tan overlords. It is because of this lad that there are C'tan shards on the tabletop. The other guy is Imotekh the Stormlord- this guy has a hyper pimp staff and is incredibly smart, to the point where logical attacks on his forces just don't fucking work.
BRIAN BLESSED!!!!- "GOTREK'S (Gordon) ALIVE!!!!"
You. You're awesome. Unless you're That Guy.
Old Man Henderson, the mentally-ill fake Vietnam vet who blew up an evil god and won Call of Cthulhu.
The glorious return of Makari, the luckiest Git to ever live.
Imperial Guard
- Armageddon Steel Legion
The End Times: Vermintide and Vermintide 2
Total War: Warhammer

Rule Of Cool[edit]

A derivative of Awesome meets Rule Zero, the Rule of Cool is basically permission to do something not in the written rules solely because it is Awesome. If you want to be a nerd about it, it's the suspension of disbelief and leaving things like logic or Rules Lawyering at the door so you can have some fun for a change.

In Settings, the Rule of Cool is what gives us walking cathedrals full of guns and defines the Edgerunner's way-of-life.

In TTRPGs, RoC is often invoked when you want to do something really imaginative, insane, or derivative (i.e. you wanna do something you saw on TV). That last bit is important, because not everyone has the same idea of what's cool or not: some players try to abuse it by trying to force everyone to go along with their anime fixations or novice DMs may try to fill the world with so many cool things it becomes less of a campaign and more of a guided tour through their magical realm.

Exalted has Rule of Cool as an actual mechanic called Stunting, and some 5e DMs award Inspiration for those who attempt to do something Cool.