History Main / NotInMyContract

* Inverted in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11235609/chapters/25109694 Shattered Stars]]'', where Nora refuses to share a room with Pyrrha on the basis that her contract says that Jaune ''has to'' let her share a room with Ren. Ren then reveals that it's ''the only thing'' in her contract, meaning Jaune technically doesn't have to pay or feed her, though [[DeathGlare the look]] Ren gives him makes it clear taking advantage of that fact would be a bad idea.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* In the First Edition ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Dungeon Master's Guide]]'', it is stated that expert hirelings (like carpenters, miners, engineers, alchemists and so on) will recognize when they're assigned to hazardous duty and demand up to 30 times their normal pay before they'll perform it.

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On other occasions it may be phrased differently, such as a question about just where in the contract does it say that the character has to do something, or a clause that states the character can ''refuse'' to do something. Particularly amoral examples may rely on an ExactWords interpretation of their contract (''à la'' "You said I had to deliver the MacGuffin. You never said it had to be in one piece.")

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This [[StockPhrases Stock Phrase]] is something you'll hear said by a character who is OnlyInItForTheMoney. He isn't [[PsychoForHire doing it for the evil thrills]] or to find a WorthyOpponent, he just wants a paycheck and doesn't really care if it's [[PunchClockHero the good guys]] or [[PunchClockVillain the villains]] who pay. The character usually says this StockPhrase when his boss asks him to do something that is [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment not in his contract]], such as a fight during off hours, chasing the President's daughter, or if he's moral enough, killing someone.

Compare AgainstMyReligion, BotheringByTheBook, JerkassGenie, and RulesLawyer. If the dispute is a serious conflict over goals and methods rather than a petty squabble over duties and compensation, it's NotWhatISignedOnFor.

* In ''VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsOnline'', one mission where you must escort a warforged who withdraws an object from a bank safe turns sour as he turns out to have been on it to steal it from it's rightful owner and leave you behind to take the blame. After escaping the vault, you find that you need to disable the alarm to escape, but the city guard has arrived. The optional objective is to disable the alarm without killing any guard. [[ExactWords Not without being spotted, without killing any guard]]. If you use a clever distraction to disable the alarm, the guards [[Funny/DungeonsAndDragonsOnline just give up for precisely this trope.]]

* Kuben Blisk in ''[[VideoGame/Titanfall2 Titanfall 2]]'' was hired by the [=IMC=] to bring the experimental weapon to their base on Typhus, and once its' done, they're gone. [[spoiler: This saves Coopers' life, as Blisk isn't getting paid to kill Cooper now that the contracts' been completed, no matter [[ControllableHelplessness how helpless Cooper is]]]].

-->'''Garfield''': It's NotInMyContract (hands it to Jon), see Paragraph 2.

* During an interview just after the release of the ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]'' film, Emma Watson was asked about the future possibility of making out with either Daniel Radcliffe or Rupert Grint onscreen. Her response: "Oh my God, no, no chance, no chance. That's not in my contract!"
** Considering she then had to do ''both'' (Radcliffe in DH Part 1, Grint in Part 2), this statement is HilariousInHindsight.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "Sweets and Sour Marge", sugar was banned from Springfield and Homer went to an island. to get some from pirates. When the Captain tried to collect money for that, Homer fled while shouting it wasn't in the contract. As it turns out, [[DumbassHasAPoint Homer was right]], and asks his men who wrote it.

* Kuben Blisk in ''[[VideoGame/Titanfall2]]'' was hired by the [=IMC=] to bring the experimental weapon to their base on Typhus, and once its' done, they're gone. [[spoiler: This saves Coopers' life, as Blisk isn't getting paid to kill Cooper now that the contracts' been completed, no matter [[ControllableHelplessness how helpless Cooper is]]]].

* In one episode of ''WKRPInCincinnati'', Johnny Fever is asked to assist with a Public Service interview program. He loudly retorts, "I don't do Public Service... it's in my contract." When he's reminded that he doesn't have a contract, Johnny responds, "Well, if I did have a contract, I'm sure that would be in there somewhere."

* Used in the TV version of Creator/StephenKing's ''TheStand'', when Dr. Dietz is explaining to Stu Redman that he doesn't have the superflu:

This [[StockPhrases Stock Phrase]] is something you'll hear said by a character who is OnlyInItForTheMoney. He isn't [[PsychoForHire doing it for the evil thrills]] or to find a WorthyOpponent, he just wants a paycheck and doesn't really care if it's [[PunchClockHero the good guys]] or [[PunchClockVillain the villains]] who pay. The character usually says this StockPhrase when his boss asks him to do something that is [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment not in his contract]], such as a fight during off hours, chasing ThePresidentsDaughter, or if he's moral enough, killing someone.

* In an episode of ''GarfieldAndFriends'', Jon is trying to get Garfield to chase mice but he refuses as usual. Done in song:

* In one of [[ScroogeMcDuck Scrooge's]] treasure hunts, Huey, Dewey and Louie scared away Rockerduck's guards by dressing as ghosts. Their excuse for abandoning their boss was that fighting ghosts wasn't in the contract.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "Sweets and Sour Marge", sugar was banned from Springfield and Homer went to an island. to get some from pirates. When the Captain tried to collect money for that, Homer fled while shouting it wasn't in the contract. As it turns out, [[DumbassHasAPoint Homer was right]].

This [[StockPhrases Stock Phrase]] is something you'll hear said by a character who is OnlyInItForTheMoney. He isn't [[CombatSadomasochist doing it for the evil thrills]] or to find a WorthyOpponent, he just wants a paycheck and doesn't really care if it's [[PunchClockHero the good guys]] or [[PunchClockVillain the villains]] who pay. The character usually says this StockPhrase when his boss asks him to do something that is [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment not in his contract]], such as a fight during off hours, chasing ThePresidentsDaughter, or if he's moral enough, killing someone.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "Sweets and Sour Marge", sugar was banned from Springfield and Homer went to an island. to get some from pirates. When the Captain tried to collect money for that, Homer fled while shouting it wasn't in the contract. The Captain then reread the contract and found out Homer was right. He then wondered who wrote that.

* In ''MajorLeague'', prissy third baseman Roger Dorn points out to Coach Lou Brown that his contract specifically says that he [Dorn] doesn't have to do calisthenics. In response, Brown literally pisses on Dorn's contract, then orders Dorn to do the calisthenics.

* In the First Edition ''[[DungeonsAndDragons Dungeon Master's Guide]]'', it is stated that expert hirelings (like carpenters, miners, engineers, alchemists and so on) will recognize when they're assigned to hazardous duty and demand up to 30 times their normal pay before they'll perform it.

* In an episode of ''GarfieldandFriends'', Jon is trying to get Garfield to chase mice but he refuses as usual. Done in song:

-->'''Garfield''': It's NotinMyContract(hands it to Jon), see Paragraph 2.