See below to find out which common plot device you are! If the quiz is not loading or you only see a blank page, click here.
Plot Device Results:
Plot Device: Deus ex Machina
Traits: helpful, skillful, benevolent
The Deux ex Machina is a sudden plot convenience that saves the protagonists when all hope seems lost. There’s usually nothing established that would imply something like this would happen, making this a random and often somewhat unsatisfying plot device for the reader.
Nevertheless, it’s a lifesaver. And that makes you a lifesaver. As the deus ex machina, you’re the person people go to when they need help. Kind, helpful, and capable, you come to the rescue of those you love more often than not, and the people around you love you for it.
Plot Device: Red Herring
Traits: misunderstood, intimidating, tough
The red herring is the big “oopsie whoopsie.” The person or thing that the protagonists suspect of being the big bad, or the cause of all their problems. Usually, the person behaves quite suspiciously or ominously, making them the prime suspect that the protagonists mistakenly spend all their time and energy investigating until the inevitable plot twist where they learn that someone else was behind it all the entire time.
You are a badass. And that makes you kind of scary to those who don’t know you well. You come across as rather intimidating, maybe even a bit dangerous. But you mean well, even if those around you totally don’t, like, get you, you know? At least the real culprit will reveal themselves eventually, and you’ll be in the clear, my innocent, well-meaning friend.
Plot Device: MacGuffin
Traits: popular, charismatic, ✨central ✨
You are the center of everyone’s world, you beautiful human.
The MacGuffin is the special item, place, or event that the protagonists need to get to…for plot purposes. No matter what, the MacGuffin is the one thing that could change everything. Whether it’s The One Ring from Lord of the Rings or the mysterious Rosebud from Citizen Kane, the MacGuffin drives the story, making the characters seek it out to get whatever it is they’re looking to get out of it.
Kinda like you! A charismatic, central figure in the lives of those around you, even if you don’t realize it (you might be quite surprised to even be getting this result. Surprise!).
Plot Device: Foreshadowing
Traits: prescient, intelligent, thoughtful
You might not be the first person people go to for guidance, but that’s a grave miscalculation on their part.
Foreshadowing is the occasional hint sprinkled throughout the story that warns the characters of what’s to come. For example, a character off-handedly mentions that their power only works when they’re under extreme pressure, now the reader knows that the character will get a major power-up when that high-pressure event actually happens (usually the climax).
As the personification of the foreshadowing, you are quite prophetic and tend to know when things will happen and how. Observant and intelligent, there are few things that get past you, and that makes you a great person to know for anyone looking to get ahead in the game.
Plot Device: Cliffhanger
Traits: dramatic, vibrant, good storyteller
You have a flare for the dramatic, and you’re always keeping people on their toes.
The cliffhanger is the end of a story told in the most unsatisfying way possible: it’s not an ending at all. In fact, the ending just so happens to be when the action is reaching its climax, and now you have to wait for the next part, episode, or story to find out what happens next. It’s an ending that keeps you hooked because it’s not really an ending at all.
But that’s not a bad thing! What better way to keep your audience engaged than to keep them waiting, anxious and eager to hear the next words that come out of your mouth? That’s you, the perfect storyteller, who always knows how to keep those around you leaning forward and waiting for your next word.
Plot Device: Flashback
Traits: old-fashioned, classy
You like to do things the classical way. There’s no better place to be than the past, ey?
The flashback is a scene that takes place before the story itself. It’s meant to give some backstory, some important context that helps the story make more sense. It can be told in the form of a story being told by the character, or its own contained scene that flashes backwards.
You are classy and old-fashioned. You like things the way they used to be–not necessarily in historical terms, but maybe the way your life used to be. Elegant and dapper, you keep the rest of us grounded in reality by giving us a reminder of what used to be.
Plot Device: Plot Twist
Traits: unpredictable, daring, adventurous
No one ever knows what to expect from you, and maybe that’s how you prefer it.
A plot twist is exactly what it sounds like: a complete sudden reversal of the plot, where everything you thought was true suddenly becomes something else entirely. For example, the big, “No, I am your father” moment in Star Wars.
As a plot twist yourself, you tend to be hard to read and even harder to predict. You are always keeping things fresh and interesting, and no one knows what to expect from you, lest you pull a complete reversal all of a sudden. You tend to be quite daring and adventurous in that you like to keep things interesting and never like to be in the same place twice. Where’s the fun in being boring and ordinary, after all?
Plot Device: In Media Res
Traits: entertaining, thrilling, impatient
You do not need anything silly like an exposition or a prologue. Just get straight to the action!
In Media Res is the story beginning right in the middle of the action. Instead of starting at the beginning, the story might instead start in the middle of a battle or at a time when the characters are already acquainted with each other and know what the hell is going on. And that’s you, blessed in media res!
As an in media res, you like to get straight to the point. You don’t need to get down to the nitty-gritty of every little detail. You just like to dive right in. It makes you a great leader, even if you can come across as a bit impatient sometimes. What’s the point of sitting and waiting when you can get right to the fun part?