History PlayingWith / TakeaThirdOption

* '''Straight''': [[BigBad Emperor Evulz]] holds two cities up with his army and [[TheHero Hiro]] can only go to one in time to save it. Rather than struggle to decide which one, [[SadisticChoice not least because both have strategic and sentimental value for him]], Hiro {{summon|BiggerFish}}s [[BigGood the goddess]] and she gets some of her personal army to aid one city while the heroes liberate the other.

* '''Conversed''': "Oh, it's that episode of ''Batman'' where he has to make a SadisticChoice. You know he's gonna get around it though, because [[MemeticMutation he's the goddamn Batman]]."

* '''Played for Drama''': Hiro is given the choice to sacrifice himself or the lives of innocent people. Instead, he takes the third option and earns a ''scathing'' [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech speech]] from [[TheRival Rich]], who chastises him for his selfishness: a ''real'' hero wouldn't have hesitated to sacrifice himself for others, instead of searching for a third way out that may not have existed. In doing so, he put thousands of lives at risk for his own, even though it all worked out in the end. This acts as a moment of insight as to Rich's [[BlueAndOrangeMorality distorted]] [[LawfulStupid sense]] [[StupidGood of morality]].

'''Basic Trope''': Offered only two options, a character chooses a third of his own devising.
* '''Straight''': The villain holds two cities up with his army and the hero can only go to one in time to save it. Rather than struggle on deciding which one, the hero summons [[BigGood the goddess]] and she gets some of her personal army to aid one city while the heroes liberate the other.
* '''Exaggerated''': The villain gives the hero two options which will probably both have [[MortonsFork horrid results]]. The hero [[DeusExMachina breaks all rules of logic, out of nowhere,]] and manages to succeed with it and make everything go perfectly in the plot because of it.
* '''Downplayed''': The villains forces the hero to choose between saving his lover or his friend, and the hero finds a way to save both of them.
* '''Justified''':
** The two options were given as a SecretTestOfCharacter to get the Hero to use his imagination in finding a way out.
** The villain was trying to force the hero into making a hasty gut decision so he wouldn't have time to find an alternative.
** The hero realizes that what he has been offered is in fact a FalseDichotomy. There are actually several other options available to him.

** The heroes cover both the villain's escape routes, forcing the villain to improvise in order to get away.
** The villain forces the hero to choose between saving one of three cities from his forces. While the hero is considering his options, one of the cities manages to repel the villain's forces, leaving the hero to choose between the other two.
** While the hero considers which city to save from the villain, the goddess reveals that her personal army was able to defeat the villain's forces in both cities. The third option is played without the hero having to make the choice.
* '''Subverted''':
** The Hero's attempted third option was [[UnwittingPawn planned for, and prevented]], by the villain.
** At the last moment the hero suddenly realizes that the correct choice was the second one all along.
* '''Double Subverted''':
** The Hero's attempted third option was planned for, and prevented, by the villain... but the hero [[XanatosSpeedChess makes it work anyway]].
** His third option was prevented, [[CrazyPrepared but his fourth option wasn't.]]
* '''Parodied''':
** The hero is presented with two options... And begins perusing his list of options 3, 4, 5, 6, 7....

* '''Zig Zagged''':
** In attempting to find a third option, he finds 56 more...none as appealing as the first two.
** Alternatively, he finds [[Lol69 69]] more, which are viable options...but the villain planned for all of them.
* '''Averted''': The Hero chooses one of the options provided, never considering the possibility of a third option.

* '''Invoked''': The villain [[BatmanGambit intentionally omits an obvious third option]] so as to fool the hero into a trap.
* '''Exploited''': The villain knows the hero will most likely pick a highly illogical third option and plans for it.
* '''Defied''':
** The hero tries to take a third option, and is put down with extreme prejudice by the villain, who taunts him by saying, "Like I said, there is no third option."

* '''Conversed''': "Oh, it's that episode of Batman where he has to make a SadisticChoice. You know he's gonna get around it though, because [[MemeticMutation he's the goddamn Batman]]."

** The Hero's attempted third option comes at a bigger cost than choosing one of the other two would have been. Because of the unintended cost the hero starts to doubt his abilities and it slowly throws him into a HeroicBSOD
** The hero take so long deciding that neither option gets picked, resulting in two cities being destroyed.
** The hero's attempt at taking the third option fails, leading to both cities being destroyed

* '''Reconstructed''': After a talk from his friends, the hero finds out that, despite the tragic cost, it was actually better than what the other choices were by far, giving the hero resolve to keep going and giving him new insight into the way the villain plans.
* '''Played For Laughs''': When the hero was given which option to pick, to save one city or the other, the hero replied: [[MathematiciansAnswer "Yes"]]
* '''Played For Drama''': The hero is given the choice to sacrifice himself or the lives of innocent people. Instead, he takes the third option and earns a ''scathing'' [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech speech]] from his rival, who chastises him for his selfishness: a ''real'' hero wouldn't have hesitated to sacrifice himself for others, instead of searching for a third way out that may not have existed. In doing so, he put thousands of lives at risk for his own, even though it all worked out in the end. This acts as a moment of insight as to the rival's [[BlueAndOrangeMorality distorted]] [[LawfulStupid sense]] [[StupidGood of morality]].

Stay on this page forever, or leave your computer. That, or just go back to TakeAThirdOption

%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
%%
%%* '''Implied''': ???
%%* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': ???
%%

* '''Reconstructed''': After a talk from his friends, the hero finds out that, despite the tragic cost,it was actually better than what the other choices were by far, giving the hero resolve to keep going and giving him new insight into the way the villain plans.

** Alternatively, he finds 69 more, which are viable options...but the villain planned for all of them.

* '''Exaggerated''': The villain gives the hero two options which will probably both have [[MortonsFork horrid results]]. The hero [[DeusExMachina breaks all rules of logic, out of nowhere,]] and manages to succeed with it and make [[TastesLikeDiabetes everything go perfectly in the plot because of it]].

* '''Inverted''': The heroes cover both the villain's escape routes, forcing the villain to improvise in order to get away.

** The hero realizes that what he has been offered is a FalseDichotomy. There are in fact several other options available to him.

* '''Exploited''': The villain knows the hero will most likely pick a highly unlogical third option and plans for it.

%%* '''Played For Laughs''': ???

* '''Exaggerated''': The villain gives the hero two options which will probably both have [[DownerEnding horrid results]]. The hero [[DeusExMachina breaks all rules of logic, out of nowhere,]] and manages to succeed with it and make [[TastesLikeDiabetes everything go perfectly in the plot because of it]].

* '''Zig Zagged''': In attempting to find a third option, he finds 56 more...none as appealing as the first two.

* '''Deconstructed''': The Hero's attempted third option comes at a bigger cost than choosing one of the other two would have been. Because of the unintended cost the hero starts to doubt his abilities and it slowly throws him into a HeroicBSOD

%%* '''Played For Drama''': ???

* '''Downplayed''': ???

* '''Exploited''': ???

* '''Justified''': The two options were given as a SecretTestOfCharacter to get the Hero to use his imagination in finding a way out.

* '''Subverted''': The Hero's attempted third option was [[UnwittingPawn planned for, and prevented]], by the villain.
** At the last moment the hero suddenly realises that the correct choice was the second one all along.
* '''Double Subverted''': The Hero's attempted third option was planned for, and prevented, by the villain... but the hero [[XanatosSpeedChess makes it work anyway]].
** Alternatively: His third option was prevented, [[CrazyPrepared but his fourth option wasn't.]]
* '''Parodied''': The hero is presented with two options...and begins perusing his list of options 3, 4, 5, 6, 7....

* '''Deconstructed''': The Hero's attempted third option comes at a bigger cost than choosing one of the other two would have been. Because of the unintended cost the hero starts to doubt his abilities and it slowly throws him into a HeroicBSOD
* '''Reconstructed''': After a talk from his friends, the hero finds out that, despite the tragic cost,it was actually better than what the other choices were by far, giving the hero resolve to keep going and giving him new insight into the way the villain plans.

* '''Defied''': The hero tries to take a third option, and is put down with extreme prejudice by the villain, who taunts him by saying, "Like I said, there is no third option."
** Alternatively, there really ''isn't'' a third option at all.

<<|PlayingWithWiki|>>

* '''Reconstructed''': After a talk from his friends, the hero finds out that, despite the tragic cost,[[XanatosGambit it was actually better than what the other choices were by far]], giving the hero resolve to keep going and giving him new insight into the way the villain plans.

* '''Deconstructed''': The Hero's attempted third option comes at a bigger cost than choosing one of the other two would have been.
* '''Reconstructed''': Even though the third option makes them suffer far more they made the world a better place by doing it and consider it worth it.

* '''Straight''': Rather than going through either door offered by the Villain, the Hero opts for a DungeonBypass.

* '''Averted''': The Hero chooses one of the options provided, never considering taking a third option.

* '''Subverted''': The Hero's attempted third option was [[XanatosSucker planned for, and prevented]], by the villain.