ironic twist of fate theme
Fate subjects a character to circumstances that are notably ironic in the context of that same character's own designs and past actions.
Notes
This theme does not apply if the irony is achieved through the considered designs of another character, for example as vengeance. It must also be reasonably clear that irony is a considered component of the story.
Examples
In talesoftheunexpected3x06 "Parson's Pleasure", Cyril Boggis purchased a priceless commode for a pittance by telling the seller he needed only the legs and would use the rest as kindling. Upon appearing to collect it he found, in an ironic twist of fate, that the exuberant seller had decided to do him the favor of detaching the legs and chopping the body up into an easily transportable kindling pile.
127 total · 2 choice · 90 major · 30 minor
| Story | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| tz1959e1x28 | choice | Rocky thought he was in heaven because he could have anything he liked. He soon realized that this pampered existence was rather boring and then he found out that it was, in fact, hell. |
| tz1959e5x15 | choice | The young lovers Douglas and Sandra did not wish for Douglas' upcoming 40 mission into space in a state of suspended animation to come between them. So unbeknownst to Sandra, Douglas had voluntarily disabled his suspended animation system six months into his journey, while, on the other hand, Sandra had placed herself into a state of suspended animation. As a result, when Douglas and Sandra were reunited, Douglas was an old man, and Sandra a young woman. Additionally: Advances in technology had enabled humans to overtake Douglas and survey the planet in half the time - and the planet was devoid of life at that - so his ordeal and sacrifice was in the end meaningless three times over. |
| ahh2x10 | major | Lana and Harry had gone through much hardship and driven for days in order to shake off any pursuit and reach Harry's secluded cabin with the corpse, only to find that the snoops were already there and had staged a surprise party because, through an ironic twist of fate, their plans had been leaked somehow. |
| ahh3x02 | major | After Keith killed Elsa and buried her body in the basement, ironically, Elsa herself became the instrument of Keith's undoing since she had recently alerted the authorities to the fact that the previous owner had done the very same thing to his own wife. Thus the police arrived and found two corpses, or so is the hanging implication at the end. |
| ahh3x11 | major | Jane murdered Dr. Perrigan thinking she had thus prevented the dystopian future she foresaw. Through an ironic twist of fate it was a case of mistaken identity: Dr. Perrigan had son with the same name and title. |
| ahh3x23 | major | In an ironic twist of fate Joe and Lisa ended up having each other assassinated at the same time. |
| ahh3x27 | major | Martha thought Luke was leading her into the basement in order to slay her and therefore shot him pre-emptively. Little did she suspect he was merely about to unveil a lavish Christmas present to her. |
| ahp1x15 | major | After an elaborate plot to get away with murder, Sam's intended alibi accidentally shot himself and Sam was booked for a murder he didn't commit. |
| ahp1x23 | major | Herbert buried Hermione in the cold cellar and ran off to America, but by an ironic twist of fate Hermione had just ordered an excavation of the cold cellar floor and we expect her body soon to be uncovered. |
| ahp1x38 | major | Ellen waited for the locksmith to fix her door so that she would be safe from the serial killer, but just as he arrived we learned that the killer was a locksmith, and Ellen was indeed attacked. |