A plot device or plot mechanism is any technique in a narrative used to move the plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived...

A deathtrap is a literary and dramatic plot device in which a villain who has captured the hero or another sympathetic character attempts to use an elaborate...

quibble in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. In fiction, a quibble is a plot device used to fulfill the exact verbal conditions of an agreement in order...

metaphorically left to "dangle" or "hang". A dangler, or dangling plotline, is a plot device in fiction where a plotline is forgotten, phased out and eventually dropped...

This information can be about the setting, characters' backstories, prior plot events, historical context, etc. In literature, exposition appears in the...

(also called dream realms, illusory realms, or dreamscape) are a common plot device in fictional works, most notably in science fiction and fantasy fiction...

Plot armor is a plot device wherein a fictional character is preserved from harm due to their necessity for the plot to proceed. The Oxford English Dictionary...

Forsyth's The Odessa File. A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending, is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult...

the unraveling or untying of the complexities of a plot. A plot device is a means of advancing the plot in a story. It is often used to motivate characters...

ɛks ˈmaːkʰɪnaː]; plural: dei ex machina; 'God from the machine') is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly or abruptly...

fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant...

characters or issues and may have same-sex romance or relationships as a plot device. Jeremy Kay, "Sundance 2025 line-up includes new Olivia Colman, Benedict...

the idea of status quo ante) is a plot device for interrupting continuity in works of fiction. The reset button device is used to return all characters...

Hitchcock's films show an interesting tendency towards recurring themes and plot devices throughout his life as a director. Hitchcock preferred the use of suspense...

A time slip is a plot device in fantasy and science fiction in which a person, or group of people, seem to accidentally travel through time by unknown...

or important question. It may be either a logical fallacy or a literary device that leads readers or audiences toward a false conclusion. A red herring...

as a plot device, allowing the main characters to visit alien planets without the need for spaceships or any other type of technology. The device allows...

ego, mind coalescence, or gestalt intelligence in science fiction is a plot device in which multiple minds, or consciousnesses, are linked into a single...

trio from the mid 1980s Device (Device album), 2013 Device (Eon album), 2006 Plot device, as in storytelling Rhetorical device, a technique used in writing...

literature, incest is an important yet controversial thematic element and plot device in films, anime and manga, television, and video games. Pier Paolo Pasolini's...

disproportionate harm, such as death, maiming, or assault, to serve as plot devices to motivate male characters, an event colloquially known as "fridging"...

the stone. Curses have also been used as plot devices in literature and theater. When used as a plot device, they involve one character placing a curse...

universe, also known as an alternate universe, world, or dimension, is a plot device in fiction which uses the notion of a hypothetical universe co-existing...

Accidental travel is a speculative fiction plot device in which ordinary people accidentally find themselves outside of their normal place or time, often...

is an explosive device hidden inside the body of a person in order to commit a suicide attack. Although this is a common plot device in fiction, very...

is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come...

The time loop or temporal loop is a plot device in fiction whereby characters re-experience a span of time which is repeated, sometimes more than once...

norms or other rules may also be antagonists. An antagonist is used as a plot device, to set up conflicts, obstacles, or challenges for the protagonist. Though...

A shoulder angel is a plot device used for dramatic and/or humorous effect in fiction, mainly in animation and comic books/strips. The angel represents...

other devices (such as a slot machine) and are dependent on them to create some menial effect. Cog (Honda advertisement) Deathtrap (plot device) Domino...