“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.”
— Dr. Manhattan, Watchmen
The choice and sequencing of events to depict, especially nonlinear storytelling. For events that actually happen in a nonlinear order, see Time Travel. For time periods, see Hollywood History. For depictions of various times of day in fiction, see 24-Hour Trope Clock.
- Flashback (main trope)
A break in the story to remember a character's past vividly - Anachronic Order
Scenes, episodes or installments are deliberately presented out of chronological order - …And That Little Girl Was Me
A character recounts a story about a seemingly irrelevant person before revealing the story is about themself - Back to Front
The story is told backwards, from end to beginning - Call-Forward
The flashback sequence alludes to events that the audience knows eventually happened. - Dashed Plot Line
Time periods larger than one year where nothing interesting happens are skipped to preserve The Law of Conservation of Detail - Death by Flashback
Revealing a character's backstory is a good indication that they are about to die - Decade-Themed Filter
A flashback from a different decade is filtered in the manner of the camera technology of the time. - Delayed Narrator Introduction
The narrator is only introduced partway through their own story - Distant Finale
The ending takes place significantly in the future - Distant Prologue
The introduction takes place significantly in the past - Fabula and Sujet
Distinction between the chronological order of the story's events (Fabula) and the order in which we see the scenes (Sujet) - Fast-Forward to Reunion
The main plot resolves with characters going separate ways, the ending skips to future to when they eventually reunite - Flashback... Back... Back...
Flashback is preceded by an echoey sound effect - Flashback B-Plot
A linear secondary story is told through flashbacks alongside the main story, both involving the same character(s) - Flashback Cut
A very brief flashback (usually lasts a few seconds) in the middle of a scene - Flashback Echo
Events in the present are quickly followed by flashbacks to similar events in the past - Flashback Effects
Visual and audio effects used to indicate a flashback - Flashback-Montage Realization
A character's realization is shown with a montage of previous scenes and lines of dialogue. - Flashback Nightmare
A character dreams of a traumatic past event - Flashback Stares
A character stares into the distance while remembering a past event - Flashback to Catchphrase
A flashback which reveals the origin of a character's catchphrase - Flashback Twist
A flashback is used and subverts the audience's expectations - Flashback with the Other Darrin
A flashback to a previously shot scene with a new actor - Flashback Within a Flashback
A flashback the occurs inside another flashback - Flash Forward
A break in the story to show a future plot development ahead of time - Futureshadowing
We see the aftermath of an event before seeing the event itself - Happy Flashback
A flashback to a happy(er) time in a character's life - Hilarious in Flashback
Events in a flashback turn out to be funny because the audience knows the present state of things - How Dad Met Mom
A flashback to how the parents of a character met for the first time. - How We Got Here
The story starts in its climax and quickly is followed by a retelling of the events that led to it (a form of In Medias Res) - In Medias Res
The story doesn't start at the beginning; it's either in the middle or at the end - Instant Mystery, Just Delete Scene
A scene is skipped so the viewer doesn't know what happened there for the sake of mystery and suspense - Interquel
A work takes place in the middle of a previously-published work (or in between two). - Interrogation Flashback
The story is told via a character being pumped for information. - Monochrome Past
Past events depicted in black and white, sepia tone, or muted colors. - Nested Story
Stories within stories within stories... - Not the First Victim
A predator had victims before the apparent "first" victim. - Offstage Waiting Room
Some characters do important things for the plot while the others wait for them to finish their own adventure (do nothing) - Once More, with Clarity!
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 - Pensieve Flashback
A character physically observes a flashback. - P.O.V. Sequel
A story retold from another character's perspective. - "Rashomon"-Style
Several characters narrate a past event, but each version is different - Retraux Flashback
A flashback is presented with an appropriate Art Shift - Rewatch Bonus
Now that the work is over, we'll find a new meaning in those little strange details if we watch it again - Seamless Scenery
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 - Sequencing Deception
The work implies that two scenes happen simultaneously or one after the other, but the true order is completely different than we thought - Starts with Their Funeral
A story begins with a character's funeral and flashbacks to show how they got there - Stylistic Callback
A work references stylistic changes since prior works in the same series - Suspiciously Specific Sermon
Religious service is oddly plot relevant - Take Up My Sword
The Hero Dies and must be replaced - Third-Person Flashback
A person remembering a past event will see everything from a third-person perspective instead of through their own eyes (first person) - Time Skip
A good chunk of time is skipped between two plot developments or installments - Troubled Backstory Flashback
Flashback showing the moment a character's life goes downhill - Viewers Are Goldfish
The creators think we can't remember past plot developments, so they will remind us constantly - When It All Began
A past event that is responsible for the current plot - Whole Episode Flashback
The entire episode is a Flashback to a past storyline
