asspull
Unearned plot resolution
An asspull is something produced without proper setup or justification—as if pulled from one's ass.
The term is common in discussions of fiction, where it describes a plot resolution that feels unearned: The hero surviving that explosion was a total asspull.
Writers asspull when they introduce convenient solutions with no prior groundwork.
The word implies laziness or desperation rather than clever improvisation.
Proceeding without preparation
- ad-libUnscripted speech or remark
- extemporizeSpeak without preparation
- on-the-spotOccurring immediately where needed
- unrehearsedNot practiced beforehand
offhand · cobbled-together · jury-rigged · makeshift · bullshitting · bluffing · scramble · clutch
Unlikely last-minute story rescue
- retconRetroactive narrative revision
- handwaveDismissive evasion of explanation
- plotholeNarrative logic failure
- shoehornedForced into insufficient space
forced · contrived · implausible · unearned · gimmick · arbitrary · inconsistency · copout
At the latest possible moment
- deadlineTime limit for completion
- crunchtimeHigh-pressure final stretch
- under the wireJust before deadline
- panic modeExtreme stress reaction
scramble · buzzer-beater · nick of time · race against time · final hour · miracle finish · photo finish · squeaker
winging it
Proceeding without preparation
- ad-libUnscripted speech or remark
- extemporizeSpeak without preparation
- on-the-spotOccurring immediately where needed
unrehearsed · offhand · cobbled-together · jury-rigged · makeshift · bullshitting · bluffing · scramble · clutch · hail mary
deus ex machina
Unlikely last-minute story rescue
- retconRetroactive narrative revision
- handwaveDismissive evasion of explanation
- plotholeNarrative logic failure
shoehorned · forced · contrived · implausible · unearned · gimmick · arbitrary · inconsistency · copout · convenient
eleventh-hour
At the latest possible moment
- deadlineTime limit for completion
- crunchtimeHigh-pressure final stretch
- under the wireJust before deadline
panic mode · scramble · buzzer-beater · nick of time · race against time · final hour · miracle finish · photo finish · squeaker · down to the wire
asspullChekhov's gun
Narrative necessity principle
callback · foreshadowing · foreshadowed · setup · planted
asspulllogical conclusion
deduction · derivation · inference · proof