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Prophetic Fallacy

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A variation on the Prophecy Twist and, sometimes, the Self Fulfilling Prophecies, the Prophetic Fallacy is different in that the prophecy itself - typically a prophetic dream or glimpse through a time window - is incomplete or deceptive in some way rather than simply vague. Alternatively, characters might have a vision of a terrible future and give up hope, but discover that the vision was of something fairly innocuous that looked unusually dangerous because of the limits that the vision imposed. Like most Twist Ending tropes, Beware of Spoilers. Examples of Prophetic Fallacy include:

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A variation on the Prophecy Twist and, sometimes, the Self Fulfilling Prophecies, the Prophetic Fallacy is different in that the prophecy itself - typically a prophetic dream or glimpse through a time window - is incomplete or deceptive in some way rather than simply vague. For example, a man might see himself being knocked down by a car and note that the time on a digital display is 10:51, then spend the entire episode trying to avoid going near a road, despite various events conspiring to put him in danger. He eventually makes it to 10:52 and thinks he is safe, but is knocked down an hour later and discovers that he saw the digital clock in a mirror and his actual time of death is 12:01. Alternatively, characters might have a vision of a terrible future and give up hope, but discover that the vision was of something fairly innocuous that looked unusually dangerous because of the limits that the vision imposed. The important factor is that whoever sees the vision is not given enough information to work out the truth. Thus, the Prophecy Twist comes not from the character misunderstanding a vague prophecy, but coming to the only available conclusion given the lack of a full story. This can be used to deliver a moral about not jumping to conclusions, but this is usually done poorly, and has gone out of style. Now it's merely a way to build (false) suspense, or to justify the Idiot Ball or a plot that wouldn't make sense in the larger picture. If this trope is used comedically, then hilarity may ensue. If the prophecy still doesn't fit the facts even after everything is revealed, it's From a Certain Point of View. See also Poor Communication Kills. Like most Twist Ending tropes, Beware of Spoilers. Examples of Prophetic Fallacy include: