Examples of a story having a Foregone Conclusion in Fan Works.
- All prequel-style fan works struggle with this. For example, in Maurauder-era Harry Potter fics, everyone already knows that Lily and James will end up together and so will Frank and Alice, Snape will join the Death Eaters, Peter will betray his friends, Sirius will end up in prison and a lot of people will die...
- In Avenger of Steel, Matt Murdock reflects that, once Superman turned his full attention to the Russian mob, the question is never if he can stop them but how many minutes it will take for him to do so.
- In Avengers: Methteilien, Gandalf notes that things will inevitably come down to a fight between Morgoth and Thanos on equal terms as both try to claim the Infinity Stones, so it’s up to the heroes to ensure that it doesn’t end with the universe being destroyed in the crossfire or by either party defeating the other.
- Brought up in the Supernatural/Sherlock fic The Case of Identity Switch
after Dean Winchester and Sherlock Holmes swap bodies. When Crowley is summoned by Sherlock and Sam, he expresses knowledge of Moriarty, and when Sam asks if Crowley has a deal with Moriarty, Crowley affirms that he doesn't, but considering Moriarty's lifestyle it's not exactly likely that Moriarty will go anywhere else when he dies. - Citadel of the Heart:
- In most of the Pokémon fics, it becomes clear how things will play out depending on what the fic is adapting from primarily. For example, Truth and Ideals opened up with the Late-Arrival Spoiler from the games; Ash will catch Zekrom, and N will catch Reshiram, and both of them will have a conflict occur upon Team Plasma interrupting the Pokémon League. Everything that happens up to that point, aside from Ash winning the league in the end, was otherwise considered fair game in terms of what the author would change.
- In the Digimon fics, everyone who canonically achieved final form in the series it's basing itself on will be able to either immediately or gradually become said final form in the fic, sometimes even going further and allowing partner Digimon to access their Mega Level forms whereas previously they would be left out of said privilege.
- Wes' disruption of Cipher and the downfall of their Orre Branch is inevitable; how everyone gets to that point is where things diverge from canon immensely.
- Death Note Equestria is a retelling of Death Note translated to a different setting, so although there are some changes, you know going in certain things have to happen. For example, there's a good chance (depending on which version of Death Note is being discussed) that L won't make it out alive. She doesn't.
- From Fallout Equestria: Pink Eyes, the little filly Puppysmiles just wants to find her mom. The only problem is the world ended and due to her ghoulification, it's been centuries since her mother could have plausibly been alive.
- In Neither a Bird nor a Plane, it's Deku!, Izuku Midoriya still says that he becomes the world's greatest Hero. The twist is that he's not the holder of One For All nor does he take up Deku as his Hero Name. He's doing it as the Kryptonian named Superman. Similarly, the author has stated upfront that Mirio Togata is destined to inherit One For All, but has not disclosed how it will happen or when this will take place.
- The Secret Keeper features an in-narrative example when Bella Swan (The Twilight Saga) is a secret witch (Harry Potter) and receives a message that Harry Potter has returned to Hogwarts. Bella had resolved to herself that she would go back to Hogwarts if she learned of any potential revolution, with the result that, the moment she gets that message, Alice sees that Bella will take part in the battle before Bella’s even read the message to inform her subsequent decision.
- In A Thin Veneer, The events of this story are interspersed with occasional looks into the future of the ATV-verse, including Sisko and Picard. The war ends with the remnants of the Minbari Federation signing an agreement with the Federation/Klingon alliance, followed by close to a century of cold war with the Vorlons, who eventually lead the Dominion to war with the Federation and help along the Ciona Imperix in their attempt to dominate the Alpha Quadrant races in the name of Order. Meanwhile, the Narn Regime and the Centauri Republics join the United Federation of Planets.
- Many consider the inevitable conflict between the United Federation of Planets and the Vorlon Empire to be this in favor of the Federation. True to the predictions of the Collaboration of Elder Races, the civilizations of the Alpha Quadrant continue to advance and expand at breakneck speeds which the Vorlon Empire frowned at, while the Vorlons themselves despite their manipulations and buildup are still largely stuck in the level of development a century before due to their stagnation. The war between them would likely be quite damaging on either sides, but the Vorlons are not likely to win this, and members of the Collaboration, from the Medusans to even Q, are working behind to scenes to head off issues like the Borg troubling the Federation in order to give them a clear run against the 'Orderlies'.
- To Hell and Back: As per canon, Sam will become Reign one day. The author does not deny it, and it even factored in her decision to not make Kara and Sam a couple.
- The Stalking Zuko Series is a retelling of the original series, that ultimately pairs up Katara with Zuko, rather than with Aang. Apart from that change, which is advertised up front, as well as numerous additional scenes, all other events and outcomes are the same as canon, so you know that the heroes will win the war against the Fire Nation and help restore balance to the world.
- one day at a time:
- The first flashback arc. We know that Jason and Cass will survive those events, that Lady Shiva will die during them and that Alfred will die one year after them. Everything else is fair game.
- The second flashback arc. We know that every member of the Bat-Family will survive the arc and that Dick's decision to retire the Robin mantle will ultimately not take when Jason is forced to revive the mantle during his tenure as Batman. We also know that something will happen that will cause Dick to choose Jason over Tim as his successor, and make Tim amenable and even supportive of that choice.
- Brought up in in silent screams and wildest dreams (set mid-Season Six); once the Scoobies realise that Buffy has been afflicted with a curse that requires her to have sex with the one her heart desires most or she’ll die by the next sunrise, even Spike takes it for granted that the curse requires her to have sex with Angel rather than seriously argue that he could be a candidate (ironically, the curse was cast by Warren based on his belief that Buffy's true desire was Riley, who he had already established was too far away to get back in time, but nobody who really knew Buffy ever thought that Riley was an option).
- The synopsis for A Cold Calculus tells us that Euphemia emerges from the story as Empress of Britannia. Also, the opening snippets (framed as a history book) gives the outcome of few story elements such as Viletta's becoming a Knight of the Round and Nina's research eventually leading to nuclear weapons development.
- Due to the author having written sequels for Alternative Class Despair before officially finishing it, the survivors are already known to be Chiaki, Nagito, Kazuichi, Mahiru, Ibuki, Nekomaru and Peko, which means that, while the scenes are certainly suspenseful, both Peko's suicide attempt as well as her attempt on Chiaki's life fail.
- Never Say Never: Due to the story beginning with the confrontation of Junko by Class 78 before giving the backstory, the reader already knows that everyone survives and forgives each other.
- As a side effect of utilizing the In Medias Res trope, the entire new generation of the Digidestined from Digimon Adventure 02: The Story We Never Told will survive through the very end of the story with the bulk of the story explaining How We Got Here (with the exception of Ken, who hadn't appeared in the flashforwards before his death but in a manner where it was possible he was just elsewhere).
- All This Sh*t is Twice as Weird is an Alternate Universe Fic which (mostly) follows the plot of Dragon Age: Inquisition. It's pretty much confirmed by the premise that the co-Inquisitors will succeed in their long-term goal of defeating the Elder One. What's not clear is why there are two Inquisitors instead of just one, and what effect that will have on the way the story unfolds.
- Family Guy Fanon:
- In "Do and Die", the episode that re-introduces Mayor Adam West, Lois runs against Adam West because of her not wanting someone as loose and silly as him becoming mayor. Since everyone knows Adam West will be the Mayor of Quahog, it's no surprise when Adam West wins against Lois in the election.
- In the subplot to "Neighbor Pains", Joe and Mort compete for the role as the fourth member in Peter, Cleveland and Quagmire's friend group the Beer Bar Buddies. With Joe in the modern day already being known as a major member in the friend group, no surprise he wins the role.
- In Everywhere at the End of Funk, Boyfriend suffers from early onset dementia. Due to the nature of the disease, Boyfriend will eventually succumb to his condition, one way or another.
- Ghostbusting 101 is a prequel to Ghostbusters (1984) and is set when the original trio were in college (but before Peter and Egon met Ray). Towards the end, the professor says he plans on expelling either Peter, Egon, or an Original Character named Ryan. The readers would probably know that it's Ryan who gets expelled, since in the movie, Peter and Egon are both Columbia University graduates.
- "If You Didn't Stop Me" and its sequel "I'll Be Your Mirror" tease on the idea of Egon killing himself... but if you've seen Ghostbusters (1984), you know he survives.
- Abraxas: Empty Fullness: In "Damnatio Memoriae", which tells Ghidorah's backstory, Ghidorah plans to force its way out of the prison the Makers are keeping it in, but we already know from the main Abraxas fic that Ghidorah only breaks free when the Makers let it out. Much nastier, we know at the fic's end when Ghidorah is hoping to quell the Old Noise by "killing them all" again that it won't work: Ghidorah will be doomed to an endless cycle of killing everything in sight again and again until it becomes the way that it is in the present.
- "The Long Way" features Miley and Lilly in a relationship through the support of Miley's guardian angel. When Miley's aunt and uncle give the girls Bibles with certain passages highlighted that emphasise how homosexuals are going to Hell, Miley casually points out to Lilly in private later that they can safely say they aren't going to go to Hell, as she finds it unlikely that Angel would have supported their relationship this long if that was going to be a problem.
- The Very Secret Diary takes place during Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and shows the off-screen "friendship" Ginny had with Tom Riddle. If you've read the book, you know Tom will eventually possess Ginny and use her to start attacking students, before taking her into the Chamber of Secrets. The fic details how they got there, and it is brutal. It's very well-written and comes highly recommended, but it really is like watching a train wreck.
- Anyone familiar with the canon story of the Sufferer already knows how Before I Sleep is going to end (not that that makes it any less heartbreaking when it happens).
- We are aware from the get-go that the instance of SBURB played in Guidestuck is doomed to fail, and that the characters will all die.
- In Dark Valkyrie, anyone caught up with Race to the Edge already knows that the true mastermind behind everything is Trader Johann.
- A Thing of Vikings; The epigraphs reveal a few things ahead of time:
- Chapter 60's epigraph reveal that Stoick will somehow lose an eye and a hand and will hire a woman of a different faith who never married. That woman is Eshter.
- Chapter 79's epigraph reveal that Mac Bethad will die in a duel with Astrid, with Chapter 57's epigraph dating this to 18 April 1043.
- In Who Decides, the prequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, Ryusei is requesting for help in trying to save Jiro. Anyone who watched Fourze knows that Ryusei will make a Deal with the Devil with the Aries Zodiarts and end up killing Gentaro, thus setting the entire story in motion.
- If the title of Fragile Thread didn't tip you off, then it's summary will, as it concerns Mako committing suicide.
- It's (Not) Your Fault: Due to the nature of this comic being an explanation story for much of Javi's art, combined with us seeing the present during the opening, multiple things are certain to happen. Luna and Sam's relationship will not last. Something horrible is going to happen that causes Luna to break away from her family, and Sam and Lincoln are going to end up having Lina by some means.
- Lucy's Birth features a five-year-old Lynn and a three-year-old Lincoln nearly drowning, and a baby Lucy almost dying after a hard (premature) birth. However, anyone who's seen the series knows that Lynn, Lincoln, and Lucy all survive.
- Sixes and Sevens introduces King Azzuri, the Black Panther of 1943, who is seemingly willing to be less isolationist than previous Wakandan rulers due to World War II encroaching on the country's borders. Though he does give Michael Carter the sample of the heart-shaped herb required for Britain's super-soldier serum, he also stresses that any further attempts to steal from Wakanda will be met with the same violence they doled out to HYDRA and other raiders, and that any further cooperation must come from negotiation and respect. Considering that Wakanda is just as closed-off in Black Panther (2018), it's clear that in the ensuing years no colonial governments will be willing to show such respect after all.
- In-narrative example in Z To A; when the time comes, everyone involved is in agreement that Peter Parker and Wanda Maximoff will be the co-leaders of the next generation of Avengers (which currently includes them, Harley Keener, Yelena Belova, and Kate Bishop), with Wanda only surprised that she's included considering her own past mistakes.
- The Council Era is centered on the Rachni Wars (in the first half, the 83 CE arc) and the Krogan Rebellion for both that and the 783 CE arc. In the first half, three species that don't exist in the video games are introduced. All three are, naturally, extinct by the end of the story. Other examples include: the krogan will be used to reduce the threat of the Rachni by the end of the first half (as stated in canon); the first half covers the build-up to the Krogan Rebellion, said rebellion will end with the genophage (a fertility plague that is killing off the Krogan in the games) being released (again, as stated in canon). These are bound to happen when you're writing a fic set in the past and intend to stick to canon. It doesn't lessen the drama of the storyline, though.
Monster Girl Quest
- The prologue of The Tyrant and the Hero shows that Heinrich and Black Alice become a hero and the Monster Lord, respectively, and that they're in love. The rest of the story is about how they get here.
- Green Tea Rescue begins what appears to be ten years into the future. Izuku and Ochako are a married couple, they share the spot of Japan's #1 hero, have adopted Eri on top of a presumedly biological son. The rest of the fanfic is Eri telling her little brother how Izuku and Ochako met each other, fell in love, and went to become such great heroes.
- Similar to the above, Ignited Spark makes a number of things clear with a prologue set in the future:
- Kendo Itsuka becomes the Ninth Torchbearer of One For All.
- Izuku, Ochako, and Kendo become a Throuple while becoming Pro Heroes.
- The trio adopt Eri.
- Similar to her parents, Eri will start to get close to Kota and Katsuma.
- In spite of how rocky their relationship currently is, Izuku and Katsuki will mend their fences enough for Izuku to crash at Katsuki's own hero agency overnight.
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- Chrysalis Visits The Hague: In the aptly-named chapter, Estermann Office Observation Transcript Excerpt from Tuesday, November 22, 2015, lawyer Alexander Estermann, judge Colm Mullan and Lyra Heartstrings swear each other to secrecy over the revelation of Lyra's true identity, as well Colm's and Estermann's secret meetings. However, considering the format of the chapter itself (a surveillance transcript penned by some mysterious third party that had been listening in on the conversation), this secrecy evidently does not last very long.
- Escape from the Moon: In the sequel The Mare From the Moon, Twilight and the other characters have met the windigo Snöflinga, who tells them the true story of the events that led up to Equestria's founding. The story itself is told offscreen, but its events are depicted in the side-story A Winter's Tale, meaning it's a given that the story will end in Snöflinga being separated from his friends Pansy, Cookie and Clover, and buried in ice for over a thousand years while the trio successfully ignite the Fires of Friendship and become the founders of Equestria.
- First Hoof Account is set before canon, so no matter what, Sunset and Cadance's relationship will end, Sunset will go through the mirror, and Cadance will eventually meet and marry Shining Armor. This makes it especially painful to watch Sunset and Cadance be genuinely happy together, knowing that it won't last.
- Housebreaking Applejack: Applejack's family worries that she'll never be toilet trained. She's seen as a perfectly normal pony in the series, so the readers already know she will be.
- The Lunar Rebellion: As a prequel to The Life and Times of a Winning Pony, and moreover as an in-universe memoir by Shadow Kicker, it is clear from the first chapter that Shadow and Midnight will survive the war, that the Kickers will remain loyal to the crown, that the royalists will defeat the rebels, and that the clans of Pegasopolis (except the Kickers) will be disbanded. The story is about how those things happened, and the tension comes from not knowing the fates of other characters.
- My Choices: Twisted Tales Through Time: In the prologue, Twilight reads a prophecy much like the one from the show's pilot, where the royal sisters come together to defeat a traitor named Darklight Star and trap her in the North Star. At the end of the prologue, we see a note from another Twilight Sparkle, saying that she did the best she could to improve things, and she hopes the Princesses will forgive her one day. Finally, in Chapter 1, the Twilight from the canon timeline gets Trapped in the Past and adopts the name Blue Star. It's not hard to figure out where things are going from there.
- The Palaververse: Whatever the world leaders do it winds up having little to no impact on the problem at hand, which will inevitably resolve in the manner it does in the show. Lampshaded in Wedding March where after they are all taken hostage the leaders come to the conclusion that even if Equestrian crises have a habit of resolving themselves, they can't just sit around doing nothing.Gellert: Be fair, Fairy. The last times we’ve been staring down the business end of an Equestrian crisis, miraculous unknown factors beyond our control have saved us all.
Fairy Floss: Acknowledged, dear, but the day we start relying on miraculous unknown factors to carry the day for us is the same day we’re all likely to end up in the Hereafter, looking down on the smoking remains of the world. And won’t we all be embarrassed then. - Past Sins, interestingly for a fanfic, derives its foregone conclusion not from canon, but from its cover art. Every last scene depicted happens...
- Hell and High Water became an Orphaned Series due to progressively longer gaps between updates and the author feeling like the story had become a Kudzu Plot, but prior to the cancellation, the author wrote a crossover story with Dainn's Anon-A-Miss fanfic that revealed how it would have ended, due to it taking place months after the events of both fan works. While the Will They or Won't They? status of Sunset and Rainbow's relationship is left ambiguous and nothing is heavily detailed, it's plainly stated that they never reconcile with their former friends Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity; that they and their allies successfully defeated the Big Bad and his cult with no causalities on their end; and that Sunset has laid claim to the land of Maretonia as her new "base of operations" as part of her promise to the previous Siren Queen.
- The Girl From Whirlpool is about how Minato and Kushina, who are Naruto's parents, meet and eventually fall in love.
- The Child of Love: The creator wrote an epilogue featuring a seven-years-old Teri and a one-shot set in Teri’s teen years, so that whoever reads the unfinished sequel already knows NERV wins the Angel War, Third Impact does not happen, and Shinji, Asuka, Teri, her brother, Rei, Misato and Kaji survive.
- A Crown of Stars: The author informed upfront that this story was a Fix Fic; and in the first chapter Shinji and Asuka meet their future selves, so that the reader knows that whatever else happens in the history, Shinji and Asuka will get over their traumas at least partially, get together, get married and Shinji will get Asuka pregnant. The interesting part is HOW they get to that point despite being so messed-up when the fic begins.
- This comes into play when Asuka is arguing with her inner side in chapter 59. Her turmoil mocks her that Shinji could be dead the next day. She starts arguing...and then she realizes she knows they will not die tomorrow. She knows where they will be six months from now. That knowledge helps her to defeat her doubts and fears.
- Ghosts of Evangelion:
- Due to this story's non-linear narrative, this happens a lot.
- The first chapter happens in 2020. Shinji and Asuka are alive and together. In a later chapter, set in 2018, Asuka runs away, and Shinji and Misato are worried because she is on the brink of committing suicide.
- In a chapter Asuka tells she does not want to have children. That chapter was written after another one where she has just given birth.
- The Second Try did this when Asuka supposedly died in the future giving birth to Aki even though she's alive in the present.
- Pokémon Story: Sinnoh Journey: Obviously, Dawn has her own canon story where she gains five ribbons. Her loss against Aaron is predetermined from the start. That said, the enjoyment comes in the form of character interactions and deeper emotional developments that make it all worth a read.
- On the flip side, Aaron being pitted against May in the Wallace Cup ensures he won't be bending canon and winning in that tournament. Other than his two off-screen losses to Zoey, it's the only time in the short story he's shown losing. And rather handily at that.
- Similarly, although this story lets Ash go to the Sinnoh League finals (as opposed to the semifinals), he isn't supposed to win. Naturally, Aaron takes that honor from him.
- Ian and Aaron only make it as far as the quarterfinals of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, having battled Nando and Zoey respectively. Although, their matches were off-screen.
- Pokemon: Shadow of Time;
- When Ash 'accidentally' sends Charizard out against Ritchie's Charmander, all parties watching know that Charizard will win, and Ash just asks if they can treat it as a kind of training match because Charizard doesn't want to actually hurt Zippo.
- While Ash didn't explicitly win the Indigo Conference as Team Cipher's attack basically called it off before the final battles, most agree that he would have won as nobody believes his remaining opponents could have beaten him.
- When Ash arrives in Orre and Robin immediately expresses an attraction to him, Pikachu notes that Ash should have expected that given his track record of a girl a region, with the other girls expressing a similar sentiment when they arrive.
- Word of God confirms that the Galarian Farfetch'd that is sighted in Orre is Ash's future catch.
- In Power Rangers Mythos, when the evil alchemist Avanth first learns the identities of the other Rangers pulled into his time, he reflects that Tommy Oliver being one of those selected is almost inevitable, and he can see how Z makes up for their numerical disadvantage, although he admits to being surprised that Flynn is one of those chosen.
Professional Wrestling
- In the WWE fanfic One More Time, Eddie Guerrero and Molly Holly go on a dessert date. They talk about Eddie's recent health and that maybe he should see a doctor. As the story takes place the night before Eddie died, we all know it doesn't end well.
- In Valkyrie Nights, which is a prequel fanfic to the Macross saga, we know that Roy Fokker survives the events of the story and is cleared of murder charges.
- The Pandora AU imports characters from Sonic Underground, namely Sonic's siblings, and their mother, Aleena. Given that Sonic is without biological family when the story begins, the comic whips up a traumatic backstory for him, and he mentions that their passing was his fault, the reader can guess how the extended flashback to his childhood will end before it even begins.
- In the games, Maria was a gravely ill girl who ended up shot in an incident. In the oneshot Snow Angel, Shadow and Maria both escape and make it down to Earth... However, being on Earth doesn't magically cure Maria's NIDS. Maria ends up using the last of her medicine within a few weeks and she still dies, just not as soon or as violently as she did in canon.
- In Darth Vader: Hero of Naboo, Plagueis does not believe that the truce between the Jedi and the Sith will last. Not because of the Sith's hatred of the Jedi, however, but rather because of the Jedi's unending bias towards the dark side. We see in the final chapter that his prediction may have some merit.
- Anyone familiar with canon will know that Yukari's invasion of the moon in Hifuu Club Activity Record ~The Sealed Esoteric History~ will end in a complete failure due to its nature as a prequel fic.
