History Main / BuyThemOff

* The [[VillainProtagonist Undersiders]] do this in ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' using their impressive funds when Skitter, the leader, is cornered by the hero Flechette and her ally Parian and pays Parian off with two hundred thousand dollars so that Parian can get surgery for her horribly mutilated friends and family.

* The [[VillainProtagonist Undersiders]] do this in ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' using their impressive funds on two occasions, first when Skitter, the leader, is cornered by the hero Flechette and her ally Parian and pays Parian off with two hundred thousand dollars so that Parian can get surgery for her horribly mutilated friends and family, and secondly when [[spoiler: Tattletale buys off Coils entire mercenary army to look the other way while Skitter shoots him in the head.]]

* All the time in the ''LawAndOrder'' franchise.
* Jayne Cobb from ''{{Firefly}}'' [[spoiler:after he tried to sell out Simon and River to the Alliance]].

May be a form of ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney, but the character does not have to be richer than others. Compare EveryManHasHisPrice for "bribery" in a more generic sense. See MustMakeAmends for when the efforts are sincere.

* Dan Scott in ''LiveActionTV/OneTreeHill'' following his stint in prison for the murder of his brother Keith, up until his HeelRealization.

** This appears to be the standard Grayson reaction. Conrad buys Victoria a car to make up for cheating on her, Victoria gives Charlotte the same car to apologize for [[spoiler: wishing she'd never been born.]]

* In the FarsalaTrilogy, an arrogant deghan scars Kavi's hand so badly that he can no longer practice his trade. About a year later, he returns and pays Kavi "for his trouble." [[DisproportionateRetribution It doesn't help]].
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's "Literature/TheScarletCitadel", ConanTheBarbarian is offered compensation for the loss of his kingdom.

* ''InDeath'': ''Haunted In Death'' reveals that Hopkins bought off the police investigating his wife or lover's death. Eve Dallas makes it clear in that story that no one buys her off. ''Seduction In Death'' and ''Kindred In Death'' had the people responsible for murder try to buy off Eve. She makes them wish they didn't try that.

* Backstory to ''TheLordOfTheRings'' given in ''TheSilmarillion'' has Sauron as something of this after the defeat of [[GodOfEvil Morgoth]]; he begs clemency from the emmisary of the Valar and offers his services in fixing the damage done by his master. The narration states that he was not entirely insincere in such offers (even if only driven by fear), and certain other writings imply that Sauron ultimately contrived his decision to remain in Middle-Earth against the instructions to return to Valinor for judgement as an opportunity to do good works (even if jealousy of the Elves and Númenórëans helped his true nature reassert itself).

* In ''XenaWarriorPrincess'', Autolycus the thief (played by BruceCampbell) is about to kill the man who murdered his older brother years ago. When the man tries to buy him off by offering money, Autolycus gives him a HopeSpot by asking him how much he's willing to offer. When the man responds "All I've got!", Autolycus says that's not enough and prepares to kill him. [[spoiler:Xena stops Autolycus from crossing the line between thief and killer by asking him if this is really what his brother would have wanted.]]

* In DanAbnett's GauntsGhosts novel ''First & Only'', Gaunt learns, in the end, that his "Uncle Dercius", who had helped him so much as an orphan, was responsible for [[spoiler:his father's death]].

* In Creator/CharlesDickens's ''ATaleOfTwoCities'', at the beginning, a rich man's carriage hits and kills a small child. The man in the carriage offers them money, which they refuse, then reluctantly accept.

* The main characters try this in ''TheSecretHistory'', to prevent Bunny from telling the police about their accidental murder. It works for a while, but [[spoiler:he starts talking regardless, telling Richard (who knew anyway) with the implication that he would tell others. The other four plus Richard kill him almost immediately.]]

* The MagicTheGathering flavor text for Reparations above was written by current Head Designer Mark Rosewater, who considered it his masterpiece. It was popular enough that in "Unglued", the first joke set, the card [[http://ww2.wizards.com/Gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?name=Clambassadors Clambassadors]], has the flavor text, "Sorry we [[IncrediblyLamePun shelled]] your village - here's some gold."

* In TheDresdenFiles, the magical beings frequently pay weregild. Mentioned many times in passing.

* Also done in ''TheElderScrolls'' series, particularly ''Oblivion''. The fine for murder is a fixed 1000 gold (plus the paltry 400 to 600 gold for assault). This is a game where it's common to have 10 to 20 ''times'' that amount by the late game, allowing you to murder someone in plain daylight, yield to the guards, pay off the fine and be on your merry way without spending more than a minute in jail.

* In ''Film/ThePrincessBride'', Inigo Montaya tells Rugen to offer him money, power, anything he wants; Rugen agrees to them all, and Inigo tells him he wants his father back and kills him.

* The main characters try this in ''TheSecretHistory'', to prevent Bunny from telling the police about their accidental murder. It works for a while, but they [[spoiler:end up killing him just to be on the safe side.]]

* In GrahamMcNeill's {{Warhammer 40000}} Literature/{{Ultramarines}} novel ''The Killing Ground'', several characters attempt, through good works, to atone for their conniving at [[spoiler:a massacre]]. Some even admit to having done wrong before [[spoiler:they are killed]].

* Similar to the ''wergild'' example below, ''{{Fallout}} 3'''s KarmaMeter is designed in a way that a human life is worth less than an assault rifle. So, want to kill someone without losing your good reputation? Just go down to the church in Megaton, and donate 100 caps! All is forgiven.

* Subverted in ''{{Anime/Monster}}'', where it comes out that Schubert is so wracked with guilt over abandoning Margot Langer that he actually gives money to an ''impersonator'' using her name - he knows she's a fraud, but the symbolic act is the only way he knows how to apologize for his past sins.

* In RobertEHoward's "Literature/TheScarletCitadel", ConanTheBarbarian is offered compensation for the loss of his kingdom.

* ''{{Series/Revenge}}'' has Conrad and Victoria Grayson endowing a charity to help victims of terrorist attacks in order to sooth their own guilty consciences about laundering money for terrorists.

Generally, he regards his evil deeds as not so much offset by his good deeds as obliterated by them -- at least, he professes to believe it, though some hints may seep through that he knows that it was wrong. On the other hand, may slide into [=~It's All About Me~=]; the problem is not what he did, but what he feels about it, or the chance of Revenge.

* In CharlesDickens's ''ATaleOfTwoCities'', at the beginning, a rich man's carriage hits and kills a small child. The man in the carriage offers them money, which they refuse, then reluctantly accept.

** At the end of ''White Night'', Harry demands it from [[spoiler:Lara]] for the dead women.

** Also, the way he joined the crew; Mal and Zoe had been ambushed, and Mal offered Jayne a job with his own bunk and a larger share of the loot.

* CyranoDeBergerac:

* As repeatedly cited in ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'', the concept of ''wergild'' or "blood-price" was once common among European cultures: the avoidance of a feud by settling on and paying an appropriate sum for the loss of kinfolk.
** A very good concept, since at the time the only other option was [[CycleOfRevenge a blood feud that could last for decades and centuries]], as two clans kill each others' random members in retribution to other random killings for the same reason.

* In BatmanReturns, Max Shreck starts pleading for his life with Catwoman, but she's quite determined to kill him.

* In RobertEHoward's "The Scarlet Citadel", {{Conan}} is offered compensation for the loss of his kingdom.

* In GrahamMcNeill's {{Warhammer 40000}} {{Ultramarines}} novel ''The Killing Ground'', several characters attempt, through good works, to atone for their conniving at [[spoiler:a massacre]]. Some even admit to having done wrong before [[spoiler:they are killed]].