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

[sholio]

Oh yeah! I think that "you thought this was fantasy but it's actually SF" - a far-future version of our world, a lost colony world with something resembling magic, etc - is so common that it's practically its own subtrope, especially in SFF book canons from the 70s-90s. I can think of several books like that just off the top of my head. I also eat it up every time.

[swan_tower]

I sometimes dislike that trope, but not because of the trope; I dislike it when I feel like the author is sneering at fantasy and thinks their work is superior because It's Ackshually SF.

[adrian_turtle]

I dislike most stories where the author builds something only to sneer at it. Part of what's so wonderful about gur Fgrrefjbzna frevrf vf gung Xvefgrva gnxrf nyy gur traerf frevbhfyl ba gurve bja grezf.

[hamsterwoman]

That one is my favorite example of the "looks like fantasy, is actually sci-fi" twist, because it works so solidly as fantasy and brilliantly as SF!

[eruthros]

Agree, I love it to pieces!

[lemonsharks]

I hate that trope so much. It always come off as really sanctimonious and judgey of fantasy enjoyers.

[frith_in_thorns]

I also really dislike it. Especially the very specific "surprise, you were colony ship descendants all along!" which I seem to keep running into during the last few years.

[sheron]

I'm actually not always fond of the "this thing you thought is a fantasy is actually a future of Earth" (the books I'm currently reading are actually an example of this) but it can be done to great effect too!