If you try to explain some things that happen in writing, you are usually going to try to explain it through something in the world. This can be a good thing but you will have to refer back to make sure that, if you ever do it again for something similar, that you'll have your story straight. I find it easier to do this if it's something simple that doesn't need much explanation such as deeper, more complicated details about how your magic system works, but what about for decisions made by characters? We've all had those moments reading a book or watching a movie (usually horror) where we're wondering what the fuck are they thinking doing whatever they are doing. I'm going to give a few examples of what I usually mean when my answer to why a character does something can be "plot."
First, let's start with the horror characters. We've all seen it, a mid-western white family is moving across the country and when they get to the house it's all dilapidated and 100% haunted. Some old man or woman tells them that it was built on a ancient burial ground or a cult used it to sacrifice people to a dark god and that the spirits are pissed at anyone who lives in the house. In the real world, I'm certain that a good portion of us would take one look at the house, give it a resounding 'nope' and leave. The reason why the family moves into the house despite all of the warning signs being there is simply for the plot to exist even if it makes them look dumb as fuck.
Next, let's talk about the Stormtroopers of Star Wars. Even if you're not a fan of the series, you have most likely heard about the abysmal accuracy of the soldiers of the Galactic Empire. It has since been discovered that the eyes of the helmet are a bit above the eyes of the person beneath, but we'll ignore that for now. Stormtrooper's accuracy when they're firing at nameless rebel soldiers is almost immaculate, but when they shoot at an important, named protagonist, they couldn't hit the broad side of a star destroyer. You might've heard people complain about plot armor...this is an example of plot armor.
So, with that, I would like to admit that I have been guilty of using plot as an excuse for why things happen, but that doesn't mean I'm a lazy writer. Plot can be substituted for prophecy which is the sole reason why one of my characters has suffered so much physical damage that should've killed him, and yet come out mostly if not completely unscathed. However, I would like to impart that, if you can, try not to do this too much as it can turn into lazy writing. Have a day
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