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As far as I can tell Shocking Swerve specifically has to do with twists whereas Ass Pull is more broad. I think Shocking Swerve is a subtrope (inasmuch as YMMV things can be tropes), but not all Ass Pulls are twists, they're just explanations that come out of nowhere.
You can only write so much in your forum signature. It's not fair that I want to write a piece of writing yet it will cut me off in the mid
Hmmm. Orpheus doubting before turning is more of a character moment than unexpected plot twist, so I guess Ass Pull is the way to go. Thanks!
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My understanding:
- Ass Pull: A twist with no foreshadowing.
- Shocking Swerve: A twist that makes no sense, or that causes a Plot Hole.
I don't know enough about the work to be sure, but it does kinda sound more like Ass Pull from the way you explain it.
lalalei2001:
For the future, the best place to ask a question about the relationship between two tropes or what they mean is on the Trope Talk forum
.
Asking whether a particular work is an example of a trope can be asked on the specific Is this an example? thread on Trope Talk.
I wanted to add an example to YMMV.Hadestown about how Orpheus's original cocky, street-smart personality made the tragic ending come out of left field, which was noted by reviewers and audiences and led to his character changing in later productions. I wasn't sure if it would belong to Ass Pull or Shocking Swerve, though, and I'm unsure what the distinction between the two is. (If another trope would fit that, maybe in Trivia, that's cool too!)