When the protagonist’s plot fails at the last minute, but just when it seems that all hope is lost, it turns out that the failure of this plot was all part of the PLOTTIER PLOT OF SECONDARY CHARACTER, who knew all along that they couldn’t succeed unless Protagonist’s plan failed, or that this failure would open up an opportunity for an even greater success that they’d been cleverly working towards the entire time.

Often seen in heists and thrillers, but a surprising number of fantasy novels too, and even romances. I’m such a sucker for the secret mastermind reveal.

What about you, what’s your favorite trope?

  • Lvrchfahnder@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    The main characters (the “good guys”) being smarter than the antagonists.

    Getting all the information in detective stories EXCEPT from the point on when they realise who’s the murderer. Then it’s all shrouded in mystery and “he had to go to some place we won’t tell you right now to do something that we won’t tell you either so you’ll be surprised by the end”.

    While we’re at that, the detective giving the murderer a rundown of how everything happened. Like, why do that? Why not tell the police instead of the culprit?

    And also while we’re at it, why does it always have to be murder?

    Oh, and guessing someone’s password by basically pulling it out of your ass. What, they have a dog? Certainly it will be the dog’s name, without any numbers or special signs. Just a plain name. Yup, that’s how passwords work all of the time.