History TakeAThirdOption / FanFiction

* In the ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}[=/=]WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' {{crossover}} Fanfic/AStickySituation, Aayla is kidnapped by Cad Banes and questioned for useful information before he intends to kill her on Darth Sideous's orders. The clear choices are for her to submit to the torture and share a secret that could alter the entire war if the Separatist find out (and die) or remain silent while suffer intense pain at the hands of the bounty hunter (and die). Instead, because she has learned to think outside of the box thanks to her time with the digimon and tamers, [[spoiler:she decides to ''pay'' her captor more than Darth Sideous did and have him both release her, keep the digimon a secret, and start working for the Jedi]].

* ''Fanfic/StarfallStarVsTheForcesOfEvil'': An engagement challenge can only end in death or surrender. Knocking an opponent unconscious does not count as surrender; they have to actually ''say'' they yield. If the other fighter refuses to kill them, they will themselves be executed. [[spoiler:During the challenge over Star's hand, Marco knocks Tom unconscious, then throws a spear at his heart from a fair distance away. Empress Ishtar, unable to let her son just die, saves him with magic. This is a clear case of outside interference, allowing Marco to win by default]].

* In [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/18474643 this]] ''Manga/BungouStrayDogs'' fanfiction, Ryuunosuke Akutagawa has the choice between going with Chuuya to do paperwork, or go with Kouyou to do preparations for a birthday. Halfway, Dazai mixes in the choice panel, who wants him for training. At the end, he decides to go with none of them and go out for food with his sister. [[note]] It should be noted that this story is based on the ''WesternAnimation/CareBearsAdventuresInCareALot'' episode ''Erased'', where the third option doesn't return at the end, and the character Akutagawa represents isn't seen responding to the choices it's given at all [[/note]]

* In [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/18474643 this]] ''Manga/BungouStrayDogs'' fanfiction, Ryuunosuke Akutagawa has the choice between going with Chuuya to do paperwork, or go with Kouyou to do preparations for a birthday. Halfway, Dazai mixes in the choice panel, who wants him for training. At the end, he decides to go with none of them and go out for food with his sister. [[note]] It should be noted that this story is based on the ''WesternAnimation/CareBearsAdventuresInCareALot'' episode ''Erased'', where the third option doesn't return at the end [[/note]]

* In [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/18474643 this]] ''Manga/BungouStrayDogs'' fanfiction, Ryuunosuke Akutagawa has the choice between going with Chuuya to do paperwork, or go with Kouyou to do preparations for a birthday. Halfway, Dazai mixes in the choice panel, who wants him for training. At the end, he decides to go with none of them and go out for food with his sister.

* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11309061/16/Consul-of-the-Underworld-The-Game-Begins Consul of the Underworld: The Game Begins]]'': When Dumbledore [[BullyingADragon tries to blackmail Alkaid]] into helping him to drive Narcissa Malfoy from Hogwarts or he will reveal her ewistence to her uncles, Alkaid chooses to silence him before he gets the chance to blow the whistle on her.

-->''The animals feasted for hours, occasionally singing folk songs and reciting poetry to entertain their guest.''

* In ''Fanfic/RiseOfEmpressMidnight'', Twilight gives Midnight the option to either [[spoiler: stay in her destroyed world or join Twilight and reform herself.]] Midnight instead calls for a third option [[spoiler: and attempts to kill of Twilight and herself via the destroyed world.]]

** Later on he has to chose if his nephew Neji is going to be branded as the elders demand or defy tradition. He instead emotionally blackmains Asuna into making Neji his apprentice and taking him to the Twelve Ninja Guardians.

* In the ''FanFic/Gensokyo20XX series, earlier we have it where Ran, Chen, and Flandre encounter a starving Reimu. At first, Ran has the notion to take Reimu to a hospital but acknowledges that cannot really be done without either Reimu dying en route from the cold, as a hospital is a long ways off from where they were, or having a risk of being captured for being youkai, something that could lead to their demises, so Ran decides to eliminate both possibilities by placing her under a hibernation spell (Think Sleeping Beauty) that wasn't to be broken until Yukari returns.

* In ''Fanfic/WolfAndCub After the Kumo incident Hiashi Hyuuga is faced with two difficult choices. Either hand over his brother to be killed by Kumo or let Konoha be dragged into a war that they cant afford to fight. He instead invents a political fiction that Hizashi had a psychotic breakdown, kidnaped Hinata, went missing-nin and killed the Kumo ambassador on his way out of Konoha. That allows everyone to keep face.

* In ''Fanfic/WolfAndCub After the Kumo incident Hiashi Hyuuga is faced with two difficult choices. Either hand over his brother to be killed by Kumo or let Konoha be dragged into a war that they cant afford to fight. He instead invents a political fiction that Hizashi had a psychotic breakdown, kidnaped Hinata, went missing-nin and killed the Kumo ambassador on his way out of Konoha. That allows everyone to keep face.

* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' has a pretty big one in [[WhamEpisode Chapter 34]]. Sabrina kidnaps Ash Ketchum using an Abra to teleport him to her gym, and intends to force him to fight his way through her hordes of Psychic-type Pokémon. He could try and go to the top floor to get a Marsh Badge, or to the basement [[spoiler: where she has Ash's Primeape captive]]. In the end, [[spoiler: Ash's Pokédex uses a group of Exegguttor Ash caught in the Safari Zone to teleport all of Ash's Pokémon from Oak's ranch, [[DynamicEntry and they break through the ceiling]] [[BigDamnHeroes to join the fray]] [[TheCavalry and level the playing field]]. During the break in, a few Marsh Badges fall from above, and Squirtle snatches one, while Ash sends the Raichu that used to belong to Paul to the basement to rescue Primeape.]]

* In ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/269242/1/time-enough-for-friendship/making-the-stars-right Time Enough For Friendship]]'', Star Swirl the Bearded must try to manipulate the timeline to allow the Bearers to become strong enough to defeat Tirek. The problem is that both ends of the timeline are fixed (the Bearers first gain their Elements when the Nightmare returns and not a moment before, and Tirek's escape cannot be altered by even Star Swirl's chronomancy). When Star Swirl tries to fit all the necessary challenges into the time he has to work with, they become overwhelming and break the Bearers instead of strengthening them. But if he gives the Bearers time to recover between adventures, Tirek comes for them before they are ready. Star Swirl's ultimate solution? With Discord's aid, he decoheres time for the Bearers, rendering it impossible to track or define what happens when. Effects still follow from causes, but unrelated causes cannot be placed in any kind of order. And so the Bearers may have as much time as they need to adventure, rest, and grow close.

* ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': Should [[NiceGuy Italy]] choose [ChildhoodFriendRomance Germany]] or should Italy choose [[BirdsOfAFeather Japan]]? He chose [[Polyamory both]].

* ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust'': Due to her growing bond with Asuka and Shinji Rei considers neither [[AssimilationPlot Gendo's way nor SEELE's way]] are aceptable anymore, and she will find another way to protect her friends:

* In ''Fanfic/RWBYSecondGeneration'', Verse is forced to make a SadisticChoice. With his teammates held at gunpoint, he is given the option to either kill himself or watch them die in front of him. Instead, he shoots the people behind the gun, allowing them to escape.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12590041/1/Into-Darkness Into Darkness]]'' Harry's late father tells him that according to the Fates, if Harry doesn't break up with Hermione so she can go back to Ron then she'll never learn to control her dark side; while if Harry tries to teach her to control it she'll eventually decide it's a lost cause and end up [[BadFuture destroying the world]]. Harry eventually decides to go dark right along with her.

* In another HP fic, [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/5444360 primum mobile, or ten forgotten things ]], Draco Malfoy realizes he may have [[spoiler:moved he and Harry Potter to a reality where the Wizarding World does not exist]] as a subconscious example of Taking a Third Option:

-->Eventually, [[spoiler:both Draco and Harry begin to [[IdentityAmnesia forget the Wizarding World altogether.]]]]

* In the movie ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'' Eggsy is presented with a SadisticChoice: shoot his beloved dog JB or fail and lose any chance of becoming a Kingsman. In the fanfic [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/7589053/chapters/17268946 Trials]] he takes a third option: he shoots Arthur. [[spoiler: This puts him on the fast track to become the next ''Arthur'', as a knight does what he's told, but a ''king'' does what is ''right''.]] Predictably, Arthur is ''pissed'' at the current turn of events.

* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11309061/16/Consul-of-the-Underworld-The-Game-Begins Consul of the Underworld: The Game Begins]]'': When Dumbledore [[BullyingADragon tries to blackmail Alkaid]] into helping him to drive Narcissa Malfoy from Hogwarts or he will reveal her ewistence to her uncles, Alkaid chooses to silence him before he gets the chance to blow the whistle on her.

* In another HP fic, [[http://hdworldcup.marteler-le-ciel.com/2009AU/primummobile.html primum mobile, or ten forgotten things ]], Draco Malfoy realizes he may have [[spoiler:moved he and Harry Potter to a reality where the Wizarding World does not exist]] as a subconscious example of Taking a Third Option:

* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11309061/16/Consul-of-the-Underworld-The-Game-Begins Consul of the Underworld: The Game Begins]]'': When Dumbledore [[MuggingTheMonster tries to blackmail Alkaid]] into helping him to drive Narcissa Malfoy from Hogwarts or he will reveal her ewistence to her uncles, Alkaid chooses to silence him before he gets the chance to blow the whistle on her.

* ''Fanfic/AGoodCompromise'': Captain Tyria Sark puts herself in a bind in part one, which is lampshaded by her comms officer Azira Shelon. Her orders say she's supposed to abandon the [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E24TheQuickening Teplans]] if the Dominion makes an issue of the Federation putting them under their protection, but she promises the Teplan head of state that, "I'll do right by you." [[spoiler:When the Dominion comes, a third option presents itself: turns out ''neither'' side wants to fire the first shot, and Tyria is able to convince the Vorta to resolve the situation diplomatically: the Teplans become independent but the Federation cannot arm them or use their planet as a base. There's also a third option ''within'' the third option, as Tyria notes that the agreement ''only'' prevents the Federation from arming the Teplans; other factions in the Alpha Quadrant aren't restricted by it.]]

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9750991/65/Angry-Harry-and-the-Seven Angry Harry and the Seven]]'' the way the Triwizard Tournament contract is written means that if Harry doesn't compete he'll lose his magic, but if he competes while underage, he'll lose his magic. However, the ''year'' isn't specified, so he announces during the First Task that he fully intends to compete ''next'' November 24th. When Bartemius Crouch Sr. changes the contract to force him to compete ''that day'', Harry refuses due to still being underage, forcing Crouch to emancipate him. Once this is done Harry assumes his lordship and, as the aggrieved party, rejects the changed contract completely, breaking it with absolutely no consequences to himself.

* The WisePrince protagonist of [[DragonAgeTheCrownOfThorns this]] expansive ''Franchise/DragonAge'' fanfic actually started off by ''creating'' a third option for a certain situation that came to pass later, after his [[spoiler:ZeroApprovalGambit.]]

* Sunset Shimmer is faced with a choice: Remove all magic from the human world, or allow Equestrian magic to transform all of humanity into ponies. She instead asks the personification of human magic what she wants; Magic chooses to meld human and Equestrian magic together. Thus starts the ''Fanfic/OversaturatedWorld...''

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9750991/65/Angry-Harry-and-the-Seven Angry Harry and the Seven]]'' the way the Triwizard Tournament contract is written means that if Harry doesn't compete he'll lose his magic, but if he competes while underage, he'll lose his magic. However, the ''year'' isn't specified, so he announces during the First Task that he fully intends to compete ''next'' November 24th. When Bartemius Crouch Sr. changes the contract to force him to compete ''that day'', Harry refuses due to still being underage, forcing Crouch to emancipate him. Once this is done Harry assumes his lordship and, as the aggrieved party, rejects the changed contract completely, breaking it with absolutely no consequences to himself.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9750991/65/Angry-Harry-and-the-Seven Angry Harry and the Seven]]'' the way the Triwizard Tournament contract is written means that if Harry doesn't compete then he'll lose his magic, but if he competes while underage, he'll lose his magic. However, the ''year'' during which he has to compete isn't specified, so he announces during the First Task that he fully intends to compete ''next'' November 24th. When Bartemius Crouch Sr. changes the contract to force him to compete ''that day'', Harry refuses due to still being underage, forcing Crouch to emancipate him. Once this is done Harry assumes his lordship and, as the aggrieved party, rejects the changed contract completely, breaking it with absolutely no consequences to himself.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7003562/19/Harry-Potter-and-the-Chalice-of-the-Moon Harry Potter and the Chalice of the Moon]]'' the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, due to a centaur prophecy that death would take place on that day, was faced with either killing Harry's twin brother Mark or letting him kill her with the Sword of Gryffindor, costing Harry a mentor figure and important ally. At the last second she decided to knock Mark out and kill the only one for whom death wouldn't be permanent - Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes.

-->'''Sunset:''' There's always a choice, as long as you’re willing to accept the consequences.