Question about certain trope.

Cipiteca396

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Eh.

The archetypical example for me is the traditional: "We've reached the end of the journey, we've found the relic we set out for... But after seeing what it's capable of, I realize it's best if it stays buried."


Can't say I love it. It's just meh.
 

Zagaroth

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I think this is the best match on TVTropes:


There are some examples that are decent, but this one is easy to screw up.

I think the direct ones (A tries to seduce B, is rejected, and thus falls in love with B) are generally worse than the indirect ones (Everyone throws themselves at A, except for B. Thus B becomes the interesting person they fall in love with).
 

RepresentingWrath

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I think this is the best match on TVTropes:


There are some examples that are decent, but this one is easy to screw up.

I think the direct ones (A tries to seduce B, is rejected, and thus falls in love with B) are generally worse than the indirect ones (Everyone throws themselves at A, except for B. Thus B becomes the interesting person they fall in love with).
It's not about love only. At least the one I am talking about.
 

Zagaroth

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True, but I couldn't find a more general version. I scanned the whole list of rejection tropes, and this was the only one that fit the format.

Even without the romance angle, I still think it works better if it is indirect.

Company has 1,000 applicants desperate to get the job, and it shows.

But there are a handful of other applicants who are equally qualified and they are visibly not desperate. Their lives are fine without getting the job, they are not feeling pressured to lie or overly self-promote.

Some companies want the desperate person in order to make them a wage slave. Other companies want the cool, calm, and confident applicant.

This is better for story than the company chasing the one person who rejected the job offer or something.
 

Fox-Trot-9

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I've seen this in a lot of villainess manga, where MC regresses to when she was younger and decides to not fall for designated male lead (and/or doesn't bully the heroine). A good example of this is found in The Legendary Wicked Woman Who Died on the Guillotine Wishes for a Peaceful Second Life as a Boring Bespectacled Studious Girl, in which Laeticia jilts said prince for another male lead, which buds into a rivalry between both MLs for Laeticia's attention. Another good example is Tearmoon Empire Story, which focuses on this very trope to the Nth degree of absurdity to hilarious and dramatic effect.

Others include some oneshots from the villainess anthology series, Though I May Be a Villainess, I'll Show You I Can Obtain Happiness!, specifically, "Side Chara Villainess Blossoms After Having Her Engagement Broken Off," "The Tale of the Noble Girl who will go to a Monastery after her Engagement Annulment," "I Will Definitely Get My Engagement Annulled! ~I will become a Villainess!," "The Villainess Laughs Innocently," "You Were Set Up, You Know?," and "The Jilted Villainess Becomes a Lady of Justice," which use this trope in some really killer serves-you-right comebacks. There are other examples I've seen but aren't coming to me, so I'll end it here.
 

NotaNuffian

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This might be another bad example on my part.

So when MC goes into the martial library for manuals, the old librarian would provide MC with a couple of choices, such as a badass sounding super kungfu manual and a common sounding foundation building manual.

The humble MC picked the latter, earning him the liking of the librarian, becauae he displays self-discipline in choosing the "correct" manual at the time of his skill level.
 

Thraben

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MC gives a promiscuous woman a ride, and talks with her. She looks for the perfect partner by having sex with various men. So, with a little bit of clever lies to assist him, without having sex with her he becomes special, and convinces the woman that he is the special one as he leaves her behind.
Even if it was written exceptionally well this would still be a 70/30 to me on whether I'd hate it or love it respectively. Even masterful technical execution won't necessarily make this appeal to me. The 30% of the time it would appeal would ride solely on factors unrelated to your question.

As for "Character refuses to do something and because of that becomes special," I'd give it a 50/50 based on thematic stuff surrounding it. Again, masterful execution doesn't guarantee it's being executed alongside a compatible concept.

That part 'compatible concept' is why claiming 'Only consider it being done well' isn't the catch-all you think it is. Masterful execution of a flawed concept can still result in something mediocre and a ridiculously good concept can still be dragged down by poor execution.

This trope falls on its concept more than its execution.
 

Anonjohn20

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I'm not sure it can be called a trope, yet for the lack of a better term let's call it a trope.

Interstate 60, nice movie, there is this scene in the movie. MC gives a promiscuous woman a ride, and talks with her. She looks for the perfect partner by having sex with various men. So, with a little bit of clever lies to assist him, without having sex with her he becomes special, and convinces the woman that he is the special one as he leaves her behind.

In other words, the trope is, "Character refuses to do something and because of that becomes special." The question is, how often do you see this trope, and do you like it when it's DONE WELL? If you write it depends on execution, I will simply ignore your reply. I know that by writing this you will try to troll me, but whatever.
I saw it in the Sabrina online webcomic (warning: it's safe for work, but it's still for furries) where Sabrina gets hired at a porn company to set up and manage their website and her boss, Zig Zag, ends up infatuated with her because Sabrina is the only person that is immune to her seduction. The more Sabrina rejects her boss's advances, the more her boss is obsessed. To the point where the boss tries to meet and befriend Sabrina's family just to get closer to her. The boss ends up in therapy because of the unhealthy infatuation.
 
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