Line #29 Main/FlashbacksAndChronology


1	->''“There is no future. There is no past. Do you see? Time is simultaneous, an intricately structured jewel that humans insist on viewing one edge at a time, when the whole design is visible in every facet.”''
2	-->-- '''Dr. Manhattan''', ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''
3
4	''The choice and sequencing of events to depict, especially nonlinear storytelling. For events that actually'' happen ''in a nonlinear order, see TimeTravel. For time periods, see HollywoodHistory. For depictions of various times of day in fiction, see TwentyFourHourTropeClock.''
5	----
6	!!Tropes:
7
8	[[index]]
9	* '''{{Flashback}}''' (main trope): A break in the story to remember a character's past vividly.
10	* AnachronicOrder: Scenes, episodes, or installments are deliberately presented out of chronological order.
11	* AndThatLittleGirlWasMe: A character recounts a story about a seemingly irrelevant person before revealing the story is about themself.
12	* BackToFront: The story is told backwards, from end to beginning.
13	* CallForward: The flashback sequence alludes to events that the audience knows eventually happened.
14	* DashedPlotLine: Time periods larger than one year where nothing interesting happens are skipped to preserve TheLawOfConservationOfDetail.
15	* DeathByFlashback: Revealing a character's backstory is a good indication that they are about to die.
16	* DecadeThemedFilter: A flashback from a different decade is filtered in the manner of the camera technology of the time.
17	* DelayedNarratorIntroduction: The narrator is only introduced partway through their own story.
18	* DistantFinale: The ending takes place significantly in the future.
19	* DistantPrologue: The introduction takes place significantly in the past.
20	* FabulaAndSujet: Distinction between the chronological order of the story's events (Fabula) and the order in which we see the scenes (Sujet).
21	* FastForwardToReunion: The main plot resolves with characters going separate ways, the ending skips to the future when they eventually reunite.
22	* FlashbackBackBack: Flashback is preceded by an echoey sound effect.
23	* FlashbackBPlot: A linear secondary story is told through flashbacks alongside the main story, both involving the same character(s).
24	* FlashbackCut: A very brief flashback (usually lasts a few seconds) in the middle of a scene
25	* FlashbackEcho: Events in the present are quickly followed by flashbacks to similar events in the past.
26	* FlashbackEffects: Visual and audio effects used to indicate a flashback.
27	* FlashbackMontageRealization: A character's realization is shown with a montage of previous scenes and lines of dialogue.
28	* FlashbackNightmare: A character dreams of a traumatic past event.
29	* FlashbackStares: A character stares into the distance while remembering a past event.
30	* FlashbackToCatchphrase: A flashback reveals the origin of a character's catchphrase.
31	* FlashbackTwist: A flashback is used and subverts the audience's expectations.
32	* FlashbackWithTheOtherDarrin: A flashback to a previously shot scene with [[TheOtherDarrin a new actor]].
33	* FlashbackWithinAFlashback: A flashback occurs inside another flashback.
34	* FlashForward: A break in the story to show a future plot development ahead of time.
35	* {{Futureshadowing}}: We see the aftermath of an event before seeing the event itself.
36	* HappyFlashback: A flashback to a happy(er) time in a character's life.
37	** HappierHomeMovie
38	* HilariousInFlashback: Events in a flashback turn out to be funny because the audience knows the present state of things.
39	* HowDadMetMom: A flashback to how the parents of a character met for the first time.
40	* HowWeGotHere: The story starts in its climax and quickly is followed by a retelling of the events that led to it (a form of InMediasRes).
41	* InMediasRes: The story doesn't start at the beginning; it's either in the middle or at the end.
42	* InstantMysteryJustDeleteScene: A scene is skipped so the viewer doesn't know what happened there for the sake of mystery and suspense.
43	* {{Interquel}}: A work takes place in the middle of a previously-published work (or in between two).
44	* InterrogationFlashback: The story is told via a character being pumped for information.
45	* MonochromePast: Past events depicted in black and white, sepia tone, or muted colors.
46	* NecroCam: A FlashbackMontageRealization about how a character died.
47	* NestedStory: Stories within stories within stories...
48	* NotTheFirstVictim: A predator had victims before the apparent "first" victim.
49	* OffstageWaitingRoom: Some characters do important things for the plot while others wait for them to finish their own adventure (do nothing).
50	* OnceMoreWithClarity: We see a scene and it seems to mean one thing; after several plot developments, we see the same scene, and this time it means something completely different
51	* PensieveFlashback: A character physically observes a flashback.
52	* POVSequel: A story retold from another character's perspective.
53	* RashomonStyle: Several characters narrate a past event, but each version is different.
54	* RetrauxFlashback: A flashback is presented with an appropriate ArtShift.
55	* RewatchBonus: Now that the work is over, we'll find a new meaning in those little strange details if we watch it again.
56	* SeamlessScenery: Different scenes transition into each other as if they're still in one location or linear sequence; characters can literally walk into the next scene.
57	* SequencingDeception: The work implies that two scenes happen simultaneously or one after the other, but the true order is completely different than we thought.
58	* StartsWithTheirFuneral: A story begins with a character's funeral and flashbacks to show [[HowWeGotHere how they got there]].
59	* StylisticCallback: A work references stylistic changes since prior works in the same series.
60	* SuspiciouslySpecificSermon: Religious service is oddly plot relevant.
61	* TakeUpMySword: TheHeroDies and must be replaced.
62	* ThirdPersonFlashback: A person remembering a past event will see everything from a third-person perspective instead of through their own eyes (first person).
63	* TimeSkip: A good chunk of time is skipped between two plot developments or installments.
64	* TroubledBackstoryFlashback: Flashback showing the moment a character's life goes downhill.
65	* ViewersAreGoldfish: The creators think we can't remember past plot developments, so they will remind us constantly.
66	* WhenItAllBegan: A past event that is responsible for the current plot.
67	* WholeEpisodeFlashback: The entire episode is a {{Flashback}} to a past storyline.
68	[[/index]]

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