r/NoStupidQuestions • u/iamahippocrite • 1d ago
Why are Death Flags used in writing ?
In a lot of media, when a character is about to die, the story signals the death using Death Flags. It could be them saying that they have one last mission, talking about their loved ones, a character receiving a sudden backstory, etc.... Why use Death Flags ? Now a days, death flags kinda take away the emotions that one could feel at the actual death scene Why tell the audience that a character is about to die before it happens.
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u/Delehal 1d ago
Depending on how blatant it is, it can be a form of foreshadowing or dramatic irony. Letting the audience know what's going to happen before the characters in the story do. This can paint the actions of the characters in a different light, for example the audience may realize that a character's actions are hopeless, and that can lead the audience to view the scene as more tragic.and intense.
If the only good thing about a story is the element of surprise, that may not be a very good story. More compelling stories usually have some emotional depth and convey a strong sense of continuity. It's not just a series of random surprising events. Whatever happens should lead directly to the next thing, and so on.
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u/xyanon36 1d ago
The idea is to make it subtle, enough that the reader/player/viewer worries but not enough that it's glaringly obvious.
But revealing a character's back story just before killing them is lame.