Let's Do The Twist!

[rachelmanija]

I know it all depends on execution, but in general...

Poll #26831 Do the Twist

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 114

View Respondents

What is your favorite twist?

View Answers

Two or more characters are actually the same person.
20 (18.7%)

One or more characters are actually imaginary or hallucinations.
9 (8.4%)

One or more characters were dead all along.
12 (11.2%)

Someone is secretly God.
5 (4.7%)

It's all taking place in virtual reality.
2 (1.9%)

It's all a dream.
1 (0.9%)

What you think is the future is actually the past or vice versa.
38 (35.5%)

The narrator misunderstands something.
48 (44.9%)

The narrator is lying about or deliberately omitting something.
42 (39.3%)

Someone is secretly related to someone else.
22 (20.6%)

A character is a woman.
21 (19.6%)

A character is queer.
19 (17.8%)

A character is trans.
14 (13.1%)

A character is [some other surprise marginalized identity].
12 (11.2%)

A character is a cis man. (Has anyone ever seen this one? I can't think of an example.)
3 (2.8%)

Someone the protagonist trusts has been secretly manipulating them all along.
27 (25.2%)

The entire story was all deliberately planned by a character.
40 (37.4%)

Someone is a mole.
22 (20.6%)

The narrator is in a mental hospital or otherwise delusional all along.
3 (2.8%)

The apparent victim is actually the perpetrator
22 (20.6%)

Everyone in the story is actually pigeons/aliens/dolls/etc.
14 (13.1%)

Something else I've forgotten to mention, so please explain in a comment..
6 (5.6%)

What twist do you HATE?

View Answers

Two or more characters are actually the same person.
8 (7.5%)

One or more characters are actually imaginary or hallucinations.
25 (23.6%)

One or more characters were dead all along.
23 (21.7%)

Someone is secretly God.
26 (24.5%)

It's all taking place in virtual reality.
48 (45.3%)

It's all a dream.
73 (68.9%)

What you think is the future is actually the past or vice versa.
4 (3.8%)

The narrator misunderstands something.
4 (3.8%)

The narrator is lying about or deliberately omitting something.
17 (16.0%)

Someone is secretly related to someone else.
4 (3.8%)

A character is a woman.
6 (5.7%)

A character is queer.
9 (8.5%)

A character is trans.
13 (12.3%)

A character is [some other surprise marginalized identity].
10 (9.4%)

A character is a cis man. (Has anyone ever seen this one? I can't think of an example.)
0 (0.0%)

Someone the protagonist trusts has been secretly manipulating them all along.
20 (18.9%)

The entire story was all deliberately planned by a character.
10 (9.4%)

Someone is a mole.
4 (3.8%)

The narrator is in a mental hospital or otherwise delusional all along.
66 (62.3%)

The apparent victim is actually the perpetrator
11 (10.4%)

Everyone in the story is actually pigeons/aliens/dolls/etc.
14 (13.2%)

Something else I've forgotten to mention, so please explain in a comment..
2 (1.9%)

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Comments

[rydra_wong]

I do think there's a difference in connotations, though.

(And now I'm trying to think about what exactly that is, and how it affects my reactions whether a narrative seems to be treating something more as a "twist" or a "reveal". Hmm. Must mull.)

[rachelmanija]

There is but I was using them synonymously, as a catch-all for "Something is revealed which was not previously known."

[rydra_wong]

Understood; it just feels like an interesting difference to poke at.

[rachelmanija]

I feel like commenters here are thinking of it as a value distinction: a twist is a mechanical cheap shock, a revelation is an organic character-driven moment. No one will say they enjoy a cheap shock.

[sovay]

a twist is a mechanical cheap shock, a revelation is an organic character-driven moment.

I think of a twist as something that reframes the narrative; a revelation is just information that comes to light. [edit] It can be quite important information, which alters our understanding of the characters, but if it doesn't affect the narrative itself, I don't count it as a twist.

[sholio]

Yes, I agree with this, and I think this is a good way to sum up what a twist is for me - it's a reveal of information that recontextualizes some aspect of what came before.

Framing it that way also helps me understand why "shock twists" that are sprung on the audience out of nowhere are so annoying and narratively unsatisfying. A good twist makes *more* sense after the reveal, not less.

[sovay]

A good twist makes *more* sense after the reveal, not less.

YES.

[moon_custafer]

I feel like a good twist should feel like a twist for a moment, then you look back at the earlier parts of the narrative and realize it was a slow curve, so slow you didn’t feel it while it was happening.

(My other requirement is that the story should be rewatchable, even if you derive a different kind of enjoyment on later viewings.)

[asakiyume]

I've been reading through the comments because I'm coming to this late, and just now this is making me think how I like a gradual, mind-blowing (or it could be terrifying or joyous--anything where the feeling comes rushing in) reveal, where you're like, wait... this is Something Else... could it be...? And then the author lays on more and more and you're like OMG YESS! What's in my head is Piranesi, even though that doesn't exactly fit the bill. But where things are shifting around you all the time, and you're aware of it happening, and then they fall into place ... AND ALL THE DOORS OF THE UNIVERSE ARE OPENED (... okay maybe not that, but it can *feel* like that)

[rachelmanija]

I knew nothing about Piranesi going in, and I well remember the record-screech feeling I got when he casually mentioned something like a packet of chips or a plastic bowl.

[asakiyume]

Right?! Like an idiot at first I was like, Now wait a minute; this is bad characterization--he can't know this. And then I came to understand.

[ethelmay]

I think some "cheap shocks" work in tall-tale sorts of narratives. Like a circus act, where you realize afterward, OF COURSE they were going to do X at that point, but somehow in the moment you didn't think of it and were surprised when the obviously-going-to-go-POOF! thing went POOF!