History Main / RejectedApology

This results from someone holding a grudge that they refuse to let go of. Unfortunately, [[MadeOutToBeAJerkass this can make out someone who has a rightful reason to be angry into a cruel person if the apologizing party is sincerely guilty for their actions.]] [[JerkassHasAPoint On the other hand, it may not take away much,]] if any sympathy at all if the person who's apologizing has [[ThisIsUnforgivable committed wicked deeds that were too numerous]] or [[MoralEventHorizon too horrible to deserve forgiveness,]] and in extreme cases can even make the ''apologizer'' look like a total, selfish jerk for thinking one sorry is enough to make up for a lifetime of atrocities, especially if said "apology" was disproportionate and half-hearted. There are times when even the [[BackhandedApology apologies themselves]] could be an even bigger insult than the original offense, especially if they believe a single apology [[DisproportionateRestitution will undo all damages]]. It could even be the victim knows the person is only apologizing because [[BegTheDog they are trying to convince the victim]] [[EasilyForgiven not to punish them for their actions]] and the person isn't honestly sorry for what they did.

* ''Anime/ALittleSnowFairySugar'': In a variation of this trope, Sugar tries to smooth things over with Saga after getting on eachother's nerves for so long, by writing an apology to her. While Saga already had the same idea, what Sugar does backfires from a combination of choosing the worst thing possible to write on, and her writing itself consisting of random shapes that Saga had no way to identify as a message, let alone an apology. Not just annoyed anymore, Saga promptly orders Sugar out of her house, but does bring the issue up with Salt and Pepper the next day, the latter of whom reads Sugar's writing to her and leads up to an actual reconciliation... followed by more, unrelated bickering later on.

* ''Manga/TheSummerYouWereThere'': Five years before the start of the series, Shizuku bullied her classmate Ruri, making cutting remarks about the latter's frequent absences from school (which caused her to lag behind her classmates in athletics and academics) and eventually pushing her while she was carrying curry, causing Shizuku to be ostracized as a bully. During the main story, Shizuku, at the urging of her "girlfriend" and Ruri's friend Kaori, drafts an apology letter and meets with Ruri to give it to her in person. Ruri politely tells Shizuku that the trauma from Shizuku's bullying has never gone away, and she wants nothing more to do with Shizuku. Shizuku, despite having hoped Ruri would forgive her, understands that Ruri suffered more and accepts her decision. Later on, though, Ruri sees that Shizuku has changed and hopes to get to know her better- not because she's forgiven her but in the hopes that doing so can help her get over her trauma.

* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok'', [[spoiler:following Brok's death, Sindri blames Atreus for it, since he sought out Tyr's help, only for Tyr to turn out to be Odin in disguise, who killed Brok after Brok saw through his disguise. Sindri refuses to accept any attempts of apologizing, telling him that he is done with him and everyone else.]]

* ''Fanfic/MoralOfTheStoryNyame'': After being resurrected, Laurel rejects Oliver's attempts to [[MustMakeAmends make amends]], as he not only caused her to commit suicide but also caused her to lose her sister again, as her death caused Sara to self herself back to the League of Assassins just for the opportunity to use the Lazarus Pit to bring Laurel back to life. Instead, she opts to throw him out of her life permanently and leave Starling altogether to start afresh in Gotham.

'''Louis''': I've come to apologize. I put you both in a bad spot. I wasn't right in my head. I am now.\\

* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok'', [[spoiler:following Brok's death, Sindri blames Atreus for it and refuses to accept any attempts of apologizing, telling him that he is done with him and everyone else.]]

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* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'': At [[spoiler:Aisha's]] funeral, Johnny lays a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown onto the one responsible, and when they try to apologize, he ''punches them through a tombstone''. Nothing says "Apology '''not''' accepted" like a concussion. And then Johnny buries him alive. It helps the other guy came to the funeral to trash it, not apologize. He only started apologizing once he realized things weren't going his way.

* {{Discussed}} in ''Literature/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom''[='=]s spinoff manga ''On the Verge of Doom!''. When Catarina comes to Mary for advice on how to properly apologize to Keith for all the things she did to him before her PastLifeMemories awoke, Mary tells her that as someone who was also bullied by older siblings her entire life, she would find it extremely difficult to even consider such an apology. [[spoiler:[[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome She turns out to be completely right,]] as Keith becomes ''furious'' when Catarina tries to apologize to him and calls him "little brother" after years of treating him like dirt.]]

'''Ladybug:''' It's a bit too late for your apologies, Chloe. Maybe you should have given them out sooner.
* 'Fanfic/{{Your Wish is my Command|MiraculousLadybug}}'' has a variation: when Lila apologizes to Felix for badgering him about his {{Backstory}} and [[spoiler:causing his akumatization]], he accepts it, but makes clear that he's not actually ''forgiving'' her. Lila then tries PlayingTheVictimCard and accusing him of being "unfair", only to get called out on how she's [[NotHelpingYourCase not helping her case]].

* ''Fanfic/AllForLuz''

--> '''Riley''': Luz… I… I know y-you’re probably very, [[{{Understatement}} very mad at me]]… but you have to understand that [[IDidWhatIHadToDo I w-wasn’t given a choice]]…
--> '''Luz''': Shut up. This is your fault… all of this. Everything that happened today… It was all on '''you'''. [[spoiler:So do me a favour, and '''''die'''''.]]

-->Shin Charles Manson was breathing heavily now, the fight had clearly taken a lot out of him so the Teletubbies decided to end this now.
-->“Wait, please don’t kill me” pleaded Shin Charles Manson.

-->He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the tubby custard that he stole.

-->“You can have this back, just please let me go”

-->Tinky Winky then stepped forward and said “you forfeited your right to live the very second you disrespected the sacred tubby custard.” The other 3 Teletubbies nodded their heads in agreement.

-->The Teletubbies then took their weapons and combined them into one mega weapon. They aimed it at Shin Charles Manson’s stupid face.

-->“TELETUBBY LAZER STRIKE” yelled the Teletubbies before a pink and blue beam exited from their weapon and set its sights on Shin Charles Manson.

-->The laser hit Charles in the chest and created a huge fiery explosion with him at the very center of it all. Charles screamed in terror as his body was burned to a crisp and he turned to ashes.

-->The tubby custard was still fine because tubby custard is the purest substance in Teletubby land and cannot be destroyed, only consumed.

-->The Teletubbies then walked over to Charles burnt corpse and picked up their tubby custard from the flames.

-->They then resumed eating their tasty snack knowing that all was right in Teletubby land once again.

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/42720192/chapters/107321196 storm surge]]'', Lucerys genuinely wants to apologise to Aemond for slashing his eye out and to make things right, but Aemond isn't having it [[spoiler:at first. It takes Luke saving his life for things to get better between them]].

* ''[[Fanfic/YourWishIsMyCommandMiraculousLadybug Your Wish is my Command]]'' has a variation: when Lila apologizes to Felix for badgering him about his {{Backstory}} and [[spoiler:causing his akumatization]], he accepts it but makes clear that he doesn't actually ''forgive'' her. Lila then [[NotHelpingYourCase attempts to]] make this out as 'unfair', only to get called out on trying to [[PlayingTheVictimCard present herself as the victim]].

* ''Fanfic/JimmysVisitWithDrFranklin'': Subverted, Nick Connor at first didn't forgive Jimmy for trying to show him his dad's gun but while Nick was waiting to see Dr. Franklin, Jimmy apologized to him for everything and he forgave him and stated that deep down he knew he was still a good person and it just made him uncomfortable.

* In ''Fanfic/CorrinInPeril'', Corrin ends up being captured and enslaved by her Nohrian siblings and their retainers, who [[AdaptationalVillainy have become cartoonishly evil in this fic]]. When Corrin talks back to Charlotte, she summons Leo, Odin and Laslow, who proceed to beat Corrin up after she tries to apologize, with Leo saying "SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT!" At the end of the fic, when Corrin's Hoshidan siblings come to her rescue, Laslow, who is at Ryoma's mercy, tries to apologize, [[MeaningfulEcho only for Ryoma to tell him, "Sorry doesn't cut it, scum!"]] Ryoma stabs Laslow with Raijinto and Takumi finishes him off.

* Lian Harper died in ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueCryForJustice'' during the earthquake which levelled most of Star City thanks to Prometheus's malfunctioning teleporter, as a result of being left alone by Speedy (Mia Dearden) while she went to fight the Electrocutioner. The follow-up series ''Rise of Arsenal'' shows Mia trying to apologize to Roy Harper at Lian's burial, which results in him trying to strangle her as he calls her out on leaving Lian when she did. While this is meant to be shown as Roy JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope in his descent into bloody antiheroism, it's hard not to sympathize considering Mia chose the worst possible time and place possible to ask Roy to forgive her for the role she played, unintentional or not, in his child's very violent death.

** When her cousin Riley tries to apologise for trying to kill her on the Wittebanes' orders as she was about to surrender to the cops peacefully and explain why she did, [[ThisIsUnforgivable Luz is having none it.]] She blames Riley for the carnage that transpire today that arose from that betrayal, [[spoiler:including her mother's murder, [[PowerParasite steals]] her [[WhyAmITicking Quirk]] and proceeds to [[KarmicDeath kill her with it]].]]