History Main / ForegoneConclusion

* FiveHundredDaysOfSummer is this. As the narrator tells us at the start, "This is a story of Boy Meets Girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story. The AnachronisticOrder also helps with this.

* In the WWE fanfic ''One More Time'', Eddie Guerrero and Molly Holly go on a dessert date. They talk about Eddie's recent health and that maybe he should see a doctor. As the story takes place ''the night before Eddie died'', we all know it doesn't end well.

* The ExpositoryThemeTune of ''TheGunsOfNavarone'' tells that the Good Guys will manage to blow the guns up. The movie tells how.

* Since it's the {{Prequel}} to the adventures of their {{Reincarnation}}s, it's a pretty good guess that Konzen, Kenren, and Tenpou are going to die in ''{{Saiyuki}} Gaiden'', yes? We also know that Goku is going to lose all of his memories of these events and be trapped in a lonely mountain cave for several hundred years, that Nataku will choose permanent suspended animation, and we can make a pretty educated guess that Goujun will die at some point, too (but not before writing an account of the events), seeing as Jeep/[[WritingAroundTrademarks Hakuryu]] is probably his reincarnation.

* The ''BelisariusSeries'' has some of this in certain passages. For instance, it describes a character's reaction to an event, and adds how decades later, when he'd married and fathered children, those children loved to hear him retell the story of that event. Well, we sure know '''he's''' going to survive the series. That example occurs in the '''first''' book. The same passage also specifies that another character will be killed in a later battle, and of course it happens as described.
* The very title of the final book of ''TheLordOfTheRings'' trilogy lets the reader know that Aragorn will live to claim the throne of Gondor, spoiling plot points in the first two books. This is why Tolkien wanted to title the book "The War of the Ring" rather than "The Return of the King". [[ExecutiveMeddling He was overruled by the publisher]].

* In an odd context-reliant example, readers of Truman Capote's InColdBlood knew full well what happened to the Clutter family and their killers thanks to the huge press coverage it received when the news broke. Capote had to rely on the one thing they didn't know in order to make his book a success; the gritty details.

* In a DisneyChannel {{Kidcom}} driven by TheMasquerade, where the child protagonists are secretly a [[WizardsOfWaverlyPlace wizard]], [[HannahMontana pop star]], [[ThatsSoRaven psychic who can predict the future]], [[PhilOfTheFuture kid from the 22nd century]], etc. will inevitably have that Masquerade revealed to the world. This usually occurs in the final season, if not the series finale.

* Much ''{{Erfworld}}'s}}'' "Inner Peace (Through Superior Firepower)". The story is Wanda's loss of Goodminton, and her journey to be a caster in Faq. Anyone who's read the main story already knows that Faq falls through Wanda's actions.

* In Peter David's ''SirAproposOfNothing'' trilogy, the titular narrator mentions multiple times that he survived the events of the story, though he's not always sure how.

** Another EU example is ''OutboundFlight''. Anyone who's been paying attention to TimothyZahn's other ''StarWars'' books would know that it doesn't end well for the titular project.
* Second book in the Coruscant Nights Trilogy -- Captain Typho, Padme's BodyguardCrush, seeks to avenge her death, eventually deciding that he has to kill Darth Vader. Even ''he'' thought it would be a CurbStompBattle unless he was really prepared. [[spoiler: Didn't really work.]]

** ''Hork-Bajir'' involves the conquering of the titular race, who are almost entirely enslaved by the time of the main series.

* ''[[GordonKorman Losing Joe's Place]]''. As if the title isn't enough, the book starts with Joe furious with Jason over the titular blunder and forcing him to recount how it happened.

** Perhaps the most famous example is ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''. Creator/WilliamShakespeare says in the prologue that the titular characters are [[YourDaysAreNumbered going to die]].

* ''HeavenlySword'''s first mission ends with main character Nariko succumbing to the deadly curse of the titular sword. The rest of the game is a FlashBack on the events leading up to this point. [[spoiler:She eventually does succumb to the curse, but not before taking King Bohan and [[TheWarSequence hundreds of his soldiers]] with her in a CrowningMomentOfAwesome]].

* In {{Film/Lincoln}}, the end of the story is well known historic fact. We know how the vote will go but the tension is generated by what it takes to succeed.

* In OzTheGreatAndPowerful, [[spoiler: Theodora]] is [[TheDarkSide "turned evil"]] in a situation sympathetic enough that in a different movie, you would probably be hoping that the the effects of eating the apple will be undone and she'll return to her good self; just as Oz, not having seen [[TheWizardOfOz the movies]], offers her a LastSecondChance when sending her into exile. But of course, we know that she is [[spoiler: the Wicked Witch of the West]] and therefore nothing like that will happen.

* From ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', we have the entire "Turn Back The Pendulum" story arc, which takes place 100 years before the main plotline. If you've paid attention during the earlier chapters, you know EXACTLY how it ends: Urahara, Yoruichi, and Tessai are [[spoiler: in voluntary exile to escape execution]]; Love, Rose, Lisa, Kensei, Mashiro, Shinji, Hiyori, and Hachi are [[spoiler: partially hollowfied and hiding from their former squadmates]]. Kubo did this very well, because we didn't know ''how'' the characters ended up the way they did and he managed to work in some impressive [[TheReveal Reveals]] along the way. In fact, it's probably his ''best'' writing of the entire series.
** The recent "Everything But the Rain" arc likewise headed to a Foregone Conclusion. From the present day storyline, we knew that [[RetiredBadass Isshin]] (formerly [[spoiler:head of the Shiba clan and captain of the 10th Division]]) would end up stranded on Earth and married to [[MissingMom Masaki]](formerly [[spoiler:the last of the Kurosaki Quincies and engaged to Ryuuken]]), and [[RefusalOfTheCall Ryuuken]] (formerly [[spoiler:dutiful heir to the Ishida bloodline]]) would renounce his family and fade into obscurity. HOW that happened was the million dollar question.

* From ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', we have the entire "Turn Back The Pendulum" story arc, which takes place 100 years before the main plotline. If you've paid attention during the earlier chapters, you know EXACTLY how it ends: Urahara, Yoruichi, and Tessai are [[spoiler: in voluntary exile to escape execution]]; Love, Rose, Lisa, Kensei, Mashiro, Shinji, Hiyori, and Hachi are [[spoiler: partially hollowfied and hiding from their former squadmates]]. Kubo did this very well, because we didn't know ''how'' the characters ended up the way they did. In fact, it's probably his ''best'' writing of the entire series.
** The current "Everything But the Rain" arc is likewise headed to a Foregone Conclusion. From the present day storyline, we know that [[RetiredBadass Isshin]] (currently [[spoiler:head of the Shiba clan and captain of the 10th Division]]) will end up stranded on Earth and married to [[MissingMom Masaki]](currently [[spoiler:the last of the Kurosaki Quincies and engaged to Ryuuken]]), and [[RefusalOfTheCall Ryuuken]] (currently [[spoiler:dutiful heir to the Ishida bloodline]]) will renounce his family and fade into obscurity. HOW that happens is the million dollar question.

** The current "Everything But the Rain" arc is likewise headed to a Foregone Conclusion. From the present day storyline, we know that Isshin (currently [[spoiler:head of the Shiba clan and captain of the 10th Division]]) will end up stranded on Earth and married to Masaki (currently [[spoiler:the last of the Kurosaki Quincies and engaged to Ryuuken]]), and Ryuuken (currently [[spoiler:dutiful heir to the Ishida bloodline]]) will renounce his family and fade into obscurity. HOW that happens is the million dollar question.

* ''Film/FightClub'' starts with Brad Pitt holding a gun in Edward Norton's mouth. Then we back up and find out why, how they met, etc.

* In ''Film/TheHobbit'', since Bilbo is narrating the story, we know that he will survive this journey. Same with Gandalf and Gloin who both make appearances in the sequel ''Film/LordOfTheRings''.

** What this [[TearJerker even sadder]] is that eventually, everything, from our history, our culture, [[{{Literature}} our stories]], and all other evidence of our existance will be LostForever.

-->--'''{{Film/American Beauty}}'s opening'''

* In ''SevenPounds'' the movie starts with [[spoiler: the main character calling in his own suicide to 911.]]

* From ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', we have the entire "Turn Back The Pendulum" story arc. If you read the story, you know how it ends. Kubo did this very well, because we didn't know ''how'' the characters ended up the way they did. In fact, it's probably his ''best'' writing of the entire series.

** In the 4th series, River Song [[spoiler: dies in the double episode she is introduced]], but is capable of time travel... effectively [[spoiler: making her immortal whenever she appears in other episodes]].
** In the first part of the series 5 finale, [[spoiler: van Gogh's expression of the TARDIS exploding is passed through the centuries]]. (Early on, [[spoiler:A chunk of an exploded TARDIS is extracted by The Doctor from a time crack]].) However, [[spoiler: The entire reality in which the event happened is wiped out and replaced by a similar one.]]

** A lot of things about the show are foregone conclusions from flashforwards or spoilers given by Future Ted: the gang's friendships will all last, Lily and Marshall will stay married, Robin will never have kids, Robin's career will take off, Wendy and Meeker will get married, Barney will get married, Lily and Marshall will have a baby, Ted and the mother will have children, etc. Elaborated on in [[http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2011/12/06/143195693/how-i-met-your-mother-the-optimism-of-inevitability this]] NPR article.

HistoricalInJoke is sometimes like this, but sometimes subverts it.