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1->''"Here's a secret -- when I finally okayed the clone saga, I told Danny Fingeroth to build a back door into it. I said that I wanted to be able to bring Peter back as the real deal...while the fans ''claim'' they want change, they tend to react negatively to it. So do most creators!"''
2-->-- '''Marvel Editor [=Tom DeFalco=]''' on ''ComicBook/TheCloneSaga''
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4Creating a {{sequel}} or a serialized work comes with the opportunity to improve upon your previous work. An author will often look at elements that fans complained about, and try to address these in an attempt at appeasing their anger. This is what we call an Author's Saving Throw: a change meant to correct a mistake the author made.
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6Even writers without a direct line to the fans usually gain some form of access to the fandom that has spawned around their creation. They may find out that an ending they wrote was [[AudienceAlienatingEnding not well-received]] and decide to {{retcon}} that storyline. Or they may learn what fans were inspired to do, and incorporate those things into later works as a ShoutOut to the fans.
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8This is common in games, where {{Low Tier Letdown}}s will receive a BalanceBuff, {{High Tier Scrapp|y}}ies will receive a {{Nerf}}, or AntiFrustrationFeatures get implemented to make a ScrappyMechanic less infuriating. Since UsefulNotes/The2000s, the ability to release patches means that in video games, making a Saving Throw might not require the release of a whole new work: the game's developers can simply apply the changes to the base game.
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10Administrivia/TropesAreTools. When done well, the result may be a SalvagedStory, or a reviled character may be RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap. This is also a great way to create a SurprisinglyImprovedSequel or EvenBetterSequel, as well as to WinBackTheCrowd. It could also lead to ImprovedSecondAttempt and RemadeAndImproved. However, going too far may lead to accusations of PanderingToTheBase, and it's easy to overestimate the size of a VocalMinority, potentially leading to implementing a change that not that many people were asking for in the first place.
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12Named for a common TabletopGame term originating in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''; a "saving throw" is a die roll representing, say, a hero's attempt to catch themselves when falling off a cliff, or the DeadpanSnarker's attempt to resist the urge [[DoNotTauntCthulhu to taunt Cthulhu]].
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14'''All examples that are not InUniverse require WordOfGod or WordOfSaintPaul ''confirming'' why the creators made the changes.'''
15----
16!!Examples:
17
18[[index]]
19* AuthorsSavingThrow/ComicBooks
20** AuthorsSavingThrow/TheDCU
21*** AuthorsSavingThrow/DCRebirth
22* AuthorsSavingThrow/FanWorks
23* [[AuthorsSavingThrow/AnimatedFilms Films - Animation]]
24* [[AuthorsSavingThrow/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
25* AuthorsSavingThrow/LiveActionTV
26** ''AuthorsSavingThrow/{{Arrow}}''
27* AuthorsSavingThrow/VideoGames
28** ''AuthorsSavingThrow/DragaliaLost''
29** ''AuthorsSavingThrow/{{Fallout}}''
30** ''AuthorsSavingThrow/FinalFantasyXIV''
31** ''AuthorsSavingThrow/FridayThe13thTheGame''
32** ''AuthorsSavingThrow/MortalKombat11''
33** ''AuthorsSavingThrow/{{Paladins}}''
34** ''AuthorsSavingThrow/PokemonGo''
35** ''AuthorsSavingThrow/RatchetAndClank''
36* AuthorsSavingThrow/WebOriginal
37** AuthorsSavingThrow/TheNostalgiaCritic
38* Western Animation
39** ''AuthorsSavingThrow/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''
40** ''AuthorsSavingThrow/StarWarsTheCloneWars''
41** ''AuthorsSavingThrow/{{Ultimate Spider|Man2012}}-Man''
42** ''AuthorsSavingThrow/{{Young Justice|2010}}''
43[[/index]]
44
45[[foldercontrol]]
46
47[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
48* Many ''Manga/CityHunter'' fans were angered when they learned that Ryo Saeba's partner, Kaori Makimura, was going to be killed off in the sequel ''[[Manga/AngelHeart2001 Angel Heart]]''. Because of this, Tsukasa Hojo, the author of both titles, [[WordOfGod went on to proclaim]] that ''Angel Heart'' was no longer a sequel to ''City Hunter'', but a spin-off set in an AlternateUniverse that just happens to have most of the same characters.
49* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'''s first five parts, while having rather diverse casts in many ways, were lacking in terms of female characters. The sixth part, ''Manga/StoneOcean'', has a much larger proportion of women in the cast, including a major ActionGirl as the lead character. Hirohiko Araki has stated in interviews that he was disappointed at how many of his previous female characters were either {{Neutral Female}}s or {{Faux Action Girl}}s, and ''Stone Ocean'' was an attempt to make up for this.
50* A common criticism of the ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' anime was how much it diverged from the manga with its fillers. Its manga was also criticised of using TheWorfEffect one too many times, primarily on the Royal Guard who were largely defeated offscreen. The anime adaptation of the final arc not only has no filler (Veering towards AdaptationExpansion) but also has Kubo's involvement. The second season also ends with a ''victory'' for the Royal Guard.
51* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan''’s creator has said he asks the anime production to change parts of the story he didn’t think he got right in the manga, thereby resulting in a few of these. The most notable of these are the Uprising Arc having much brisker pacing and [[spoiler:Eren and Armin’s final conversation having dialogue moved around and altered.]]
52[[/folder]]
53
54[[folder:Literature]]
55* [[Literature/TheLastBattle The Last Battle]] is a controversial ending to [[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia The Chronicles of Narnia]] due to Susan no longer believing in Narnia. Lewis later made some comments assuring readers that he felt Susan would make it to Narnia in her own way, even thinking that it was a story worth its own book.
56[[/folder]]
57
58[[folder:Music]]
59* Music/DavidBowie expressed regret for his comments in interviews during the [[Music/StationToStation Thin White Duke]] era, during which he occasionally expressed sympathy with fascism (due, it's generally accepted, to getting LostInCharacter as the Duke, who actually ''was'' a fascist). After this point, on the rare occasions when he would express political themes in his work, they often tended to be anti-fascist, anti-racist, or otherwise anti-authoritarian. Good examples are the videos for "China Girl" and "Let's Dance", as well as much of the content of ''Tin Machine''. The line "To be insulted by these fascists is so degrading" from ''Music/ScaryMonstersAndSuperCreeps'' is also generally considered to be an apology for this period. (It may be worth pointing out that some of Bowie's pre-Duke material also had anti-authoritarian themes, most notably ''Music/DiamondDogs'', which started out life as a musical adaptation of Creator/GeorgeOrwell's ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'', and still had several songs referencing the book even after Orwell's estate denied David permission to use the work).
60* The Music/{{Chromance}} song "Wrap Me In Plastic" is subject to some playful mockery for the lyrics of its pre-chorus, which imply the protagonist does her makeup and applies perfume immediately before taking a shower. The music video for "Lollipop (Yum Bi Dum Like Bubblegum)" offers a tongue-in-cheek explanation, as an advertisement for "before shower" perfume appears in the background.
61[[/folder]]
62
63[[folder:Sports]]
64* UsefulNotes/FormulaOne has thrown a succession of these over the course of the 21st century:
65** On the eve of the 2009 season, it was suddenly announced that the driver with the most wins would be crowned world champion, regardless of all other results. The announcement was universally condemned, not just because everyone hated the idea, but because it was announced with the ''worst possible timing'' - the 2008 season had been decided at [[DownToTheLastPlay literally the last second]], with Lewis Hamilton making an overtake ''at the last corner of the last lap of the last race'' to take the title by one point from Felipe Massa. Everyone agreed it was the most dramatic and exciting conclusion to a season in ''years'', but under the new system it would have been ruined, because Massa had one win more than Hamilton.[[note]]Teams also argued that the FIA had no right to change the rules so close to the start of a season.[[/note]] Within days of the announcement, the change was postponed until 2010, and then scrapped entirely in favour of a new points system that weighted wins more heavily.[[note]]The only driver since then to win the most races in a season without becoming world champion? ''[[{{Irony}} Lewis Hamilton]]''.[[/note]]
66** Prior to the 2016 season, the qualifying format was changed so that drivers would be progressively eliminated until only one was left, instead of two bulk eliminations followed by a top-ten shootout. When this led to anticlimactic qualifying sessions in which nobody left the garage for the final few minutes, it was scrapped after just two races and the old system was brought back.
67** Toro Rosso's signing of Max Verstappen for 2015, at the tender age of 17 and after just ''one year'' of open-wheel racing, led to much criticism about such a young, inexperienced driver being allowed to compete. The FIA duly announced that from 2016 onwards, only drivers over 18 would qualify for a superlicense, and when 2016 arrived, they added further restrictions including a minimum of two full seasons' experience. Any lingering criticism vanished once Verstappen actually started racing and everyone realised he was ''ridiculously'' talented for his age.
68* UsefulNotes/{{Cleveland}} professional teams in every major league present in the city have revamped their imagery in response to various complaints:
69** For most of the 80's and 90's, the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Cavaliers]] were simply known as the "Cavs" and had generic basketball-hoop logos, to the point that many a young Clevelander didn't even know what a cavalier was.[[note]]A nobleman trained in arms and horsemanship[[/note]] In 2003, the Cavs revealed a new logo with a rapier and "[[Literature/TheThreeMusketeers All for one and one for all]]" as their slogan, thus invoking classic cavaliers. They've been sticking to sword logos ever since.
70** For decades the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Browns]] were roasted for having brown and orange as their team colors. The Browns may be ''Cleveland's'' pride and joy, but their color scheme was considered hideously ugly to pretty much everyone else (as well as some fashion-conscious Clevelanders). In 2015, the Browns altered their colors to be more pleasing to modern eyes: the brown was made darker, almost black, and the orange more reddish.
71** The [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball Guardians]] were known as the Indians for over 100 years, but ever since the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement, people began to decry the name--and ''especially'' the Chief Wahoo logo--as racist. For decades many wrote off those complaints as politically-correct nonsense, but in 2018 the team's corporate leadership responded by officially retiring Wahoo, adopting a plain "Block C" as their logo. Then in 2021, in the wake of the George Floyd protests of 2020, the team announced they would change their name to something less racial, the Guardians. This may sound generic, but it's a reference to the ''[[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guardian_of_Traffic_full_2015.jpg Guardians of Traffic]],'' eight Art-Deco statues along the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge near Progressive Field, and fixtures of Cleveland culture.
72* Similar to the Guardians, the Washington Commanders were also heavily criticized as they were previously known as the Redskins. Like the Guardians, they announced they would change their name in the wake of the George Floyd protests. But whereas the Guardians remained the Indians until a new name was chosen, the former Redskins ''abruptly'' dropped their name and were simply known as the "Washington Football Team" for two years, for which they were roundly mocked, before rebranding themselves as the Commanders.
73[[/folder]]
74
75[[folder:Web Animation]]
76* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
77** Volume 5 was seen as the [[SeasonalRot show's nadir]] for several reasons. The fandom's criticisms centered around the passivity of the heroes compared to the previous volume's journey-bound tone, the reduced relevance of main protagonist Ruby during major story beats, and lack of exploration of Mistral's exotic setting. CRWBY confirmed they addressed these complaints for the next volume by kicking off Ruby's development into an [[TheUnchosenOne active leader]] in the fight against [[BigBad Salem]] and exploring the Mistral underworld via [[TheHeavy Cinder's]] storyline.
78** After Blake's Volume 7 haircut was criticised for poor texturing and looking unflattering in certain lighting, CRWBY confirmed that this led to them upgrading her hair texture to appear more natural, and upgrading Weiss's hair at the same time.
79[[/folder]]
80
81[[folder:Web Comics]]
82* ''Webcomic/BetterDays'': In the aftermath of negative reaction to Fisk joining a group of privately funded vigilante assassins, Naylor made several journals trying to distance himself from the character, stating that he didn’t necessarily agree with Fisk’s actions and views, and that Fisk was not his self-insert.
83[[/folder]]

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