The events in a story ought to flow naturally as the consequences of prior events and the actions of the characters. However, sometimes the writer has a result in mind, but no natural way of getting there. The writer must kludge the story a bit to make it go where they want to.
In other words: something exists or happens just because the plot requires it to. See also Ind ex Machina, which is more about clumsy ways of resolving plots as a whole and tying up loose ends.
These are among the most common Tropes Hidden from Audience, as the work tries to avoid pointing them out.
Tropes:
Categories:
- As Lethal as It Needs to Be: Effective killing power as the plot demands.
- Blamed for Being Railroaded: The plot demanded the player to do something heinous, and everyone hates their character for it.
- Conflict Killer: Ending of conflict as the plot demands.
- Context-Sensitive Button: A video game control that does different things depending on the current situation.
- Contrived Coincidence: The plot demanded these things to happen.
- Contrived Mindwarp Exemption: A main character is inexplicably resistant to widespread psychic weirdness, because otherwise, the plot could not continue.
- Convenient Photograph: An event is captured via photograph to move the plot.
- Drama-Preserving Handicap: Implementing power limitations as the plot demands.
- Emergency Taxi: Transportation as the plot demands.
- Forgot About His Powers: Plot-induced stupidity.
- Forgot the Disability: Moments to remind characters and the viewers that a character is disabled who would have otherwise forgotten.
- Idiot Plot: Plot driven by plot-mandated stupidity.
- Narnia Time: Time flows as the plot demands.
- New Job as the Plot Demands: Characters frequently change jobs to whatever is convenient for the plot.
- New Neighbours as the Plot Demands: When you just need to copy/paste characters into the plot.
- New Powers as the Plot Demands: Characters can finally do something as the plot demands.
- New Rules as the Plot Demands: When proper plotting isn't enough…
- Plot Allergy: A character has allergies as the plot demands.
- Plot-Induced Illness: Sickness occurs as the plot demands.
- Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure: The plot makes characters hate each other.
- Plot-Powered Stamina: Energy as the plot demands.
- The Plot Reaper: Deaths occur as the plot demands.
- Plot-Sensitive Items: The plot gives objects power.
- Plot-Sensitive Latch: Locks open at the most inconvenient time.
- Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills: Someone can spy as the plot demands.
- Railroading: The plot will proceed whether you want it to or not.
- Resolved Noodle Incident: The plot makes a Flash Back to an occurrence that, many episodes ago, was only brought up in conversation.
- A Rotten Time to Revert: A transformed character just happens to revert to their true form at a time that will cause the most trouble for the plot.
- Science at the Speed of Plot: Groundbreaking discoveries of the universe only occur because of the plot.
- Smoking Gun Control: Easy methods of solving a crime are out because, otherwise, the plot is cut short.
- Strong as They Need to Be: Effective power as the plot demands.
- Surveillance as the Plot Demands: Spreading of knowledge as the plot demands.
- Transformation at the Speed of Plot: The plot governs shapeshifting.
- Traveling at the Speed of Plot: Plot as a universal speed limit.
- Unscientific Science: Plot as the only universal constant.
- Weapon Running Time: A projectile's time to hit its target is long enough for things to happen.
- Within Arm's Reach: A defensive weapon or Improvised Weapon is in arm's reach as the plot demands.
- You Can't Thwart Stage One: Heroic failure as the plot demands.