Retroactive Continuity (RetCon):

Definition:

Retroactive Continuity (also known as RetCon): Re-framing or adding to past events to serve a current plot need.

Example:

Imagine if you will, a pre-existing space elevator is in the city, but one did not appear to exist earlier in the work despite the fact that a building reaching up into space would be plain to see in any wide shot. However, the current story requires a space elevator, so it’s been added and treated as if it’s always been there. In its most basic form, a “retcon” is any plot point or detail that was not intended from the beginning, but treated as if it always had been (contrast this with “The Reveal,” where the author usually intended such an addition from the very beginning).

Best Practice:

The most preferred use, is where it contradicts nothing, even though it was changed later on. An ideal “retcon” clarifies a question alluded to without adding excessive new questions.

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