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6
7->''"Well, Mozart was a great man, and when he couldn't have one sister he took the other, and was happy."''
8-->-- '''Theodore "Laurie" Laurence''' {{foreshadowing}} his marriage plans in ''Literature/LittleWomen''
9
10A very simple [[LoveTropes Love Trope]]. Bob falls in love with Alice, but Alice does not reciprocate. Bob eventually marries her sister Carol.
11
12Look out for when this overlaps with DoubleInLawMarriage.
13
14This can entail a BettyAndVeronica situation, where a quiet Betty whom he would never have noticed in the ordinary run of things comes to his attention when his prolonged wooing of Veronica means he sees a lot of her and so comes to notice her profound but not paraded virtues. Similarly, any other pair of contrasting siblings where one is immediately attractive but either has hidden flaws or is just not interested, and the other has HiddenDepths (such as a MilesGloriosus and TheSoCalledCoward) can produce this trope.
15
16Or a situation where Bob and Carol are the same age, Alice much older, and Bob's interest is a PrecociousCrush while Carol is still immature; growing up makes Carol mature and Bob notice her.
17
18This could also, more tragically, lead to a case of ReplacementGoldfish, where the sibling can start to view themselves as a "[[InsecureLoveInterest Consolation Prize.]]"
19
20May overlap with GiveTheBabyAFather, especially in historical settings; marrying the woman pregnant with your brother's child not only protects her from the scandal but makes the child legally part of the family.
21
22See also DoesHeHaveABrother and DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest. LoveFatherLoveSon is similar, but with a generational difference. If the timing of when feelings change isn't ideal, look out for the SiblingTriangle.
23
24Has nothing to do with settling for sibling'''s''' (that would be TwinThreesomeFantasy or similar), or someone who decides to settle for ''[[BrotherSisterIncest their own sibling]]'', yikes.
25
26----
27!!Examples:
28
29[[foldercontrol]]
30
31[[folder:Advertising]]
32* From the 'Blunt Grandpa' Oscar Meyer commercial:
33--> '''Grandson:''' How did you know Grandma was the one?
34--> '''Blunt Grandpa:''' When her sister dumped me.
35[[/folder]]
36
37[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
38* [[LampshadeHanging Given a lampshade]] in ''Anime/AshitaNoNadja''. [[spoiler: A girl named Marianne is in love with a boy named Francis, who's in a SiblingTriangle since he and his twin brother Keith both love main heroine Nadja (who leans more [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan towards Francis]], but once was VERY strongly [[AllgirlsWantBadBoys leaning towards Keith]]).]] Therefore, she believes that [[spoiler: Nadja should go with Keith, which [[BroodingBoyGentleGirl would not only help]] [[TroubledButCute Keith]] but would help her to get Francis's affections]]. [[ShipperWithAnAgenda She]] is so convinced of such a possibility that she even tells such things to [[spoiler: Nadja herself.]]
39* A variation in ''Manga/ABridesStory'' occurs with a woman named Talas. In her culture, it is customary to marry your husband's brother if he dies before having children. Her first husband had four brothers, and each married her and died childless in succession until each one met an untimely end. Talas had to Settle for Sibling ''four'' times in a row.
40* Occurs in ''Manga/DNAngel'', where Daisuke ends up falling in love with Riku, his initial LoveInterest (Risa)'s sister.
41* Attempted in ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'', when it's shown that [[spoiler: Mamimi's behavior to Naota comes from her being totally broken after his brother Tasuku left to the USA. Towards the end, however, she thinks better of it.]]
42* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': TokenMiniMoe / LittleMissBadass May Chang [[LoveBeforeFirstSight is smitten with Edward Elric]]... [[ExpectingSomeoneTaller until she actually meets him]]. She soon falls in love with his younger brother Alphonse instead, despite him being a spirit bonded to a suit of armor.
43* Suzuna Ayuzawa, the younger sister of the title character in ''Manga/MaidSama'', is actively trying to invoke this on Shintani Hinata, a HopelessSuitor for her sister and their mutual ChildhoodFriend. [[spoiler: She succeeds.]]
44* ''Manga/RedRiver1995'': Himuro, Yuri's boyfriend from the 20th century, ended up marrying her younger sister Eimi.
45* Riku from ''Manga/WanderingSon'' falls for Shuuichi Nitori despite Shu's older sister Maho liking him, and Shu not returning the feelings. After a while, Riku falls for Maho properly and they begin dating.
46[[/folder]]
47
48[[folder:Comic Books]]
49* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'', the Silver Agent's first girlfriend eventually got over their breakup and married his brother.
50* ''[[ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy Season 8]]'' -- [[BadassNormal Xander]], who had had a crush on [[TheHero Buffy]] way back in Season 1, winds up dating [[ShesAllGrownUp Dawn]] (who likewise had a crush on ''him'' back [[PrecociousCrush when she was a teenager]] in Season 5). Made even more awkward because this was right when Buffy realized [[UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo that she might have feelings for him]] herself.
51* In ''ComicBook/XMen,'' Scott's ex-wife Madelyne Pryor dates his brother Alex for a while (naturally, this includes a period where she was crazy/possessed and convinced him to help her destroy the world while both wore {{Stripperific}} outfits). Interestingly, in the ''ComicBook/MutantX'' universe, Madelyn never met Scott (who disappeared with their parents and is presumed dead), and she and Alex wound up married (though not necessarily happily).
52[[/folder]]
53
54[[folder:Fan Works]]
55* ''Fanfic/ForgingABetterFuture'': While Tommy Swann had feelings for Laurel Lance first, the woman he eventually falls in love with for real is Laurel's younger sister, Sara. It's played realistically in that Tommy didn't actively pursue Sara; instead, his attraction to her was a result of spending so much time with her while Oliver and Laurel were out on dates.
56* Inverted in ''Fanfic/{{Nexus}}'' as [[spoiler:Dante]] '''tries''' to get June to settle for him after his brother disappears.
57* Kaworu ends up taking this route in ''Fanfic/NobodyDies'', since Rei is... ''emphatically'' not into him (as demonstrated by a gruesome NoodleIncident involving "[[EyeScream loss of ocular virginity]]" when he tried to press his suit too hard) but her marginally saner sister Kei is. It tells you something about Kaworu that it took Kei to point out that she is literally physically identical to her sibling (they're clones) for him to even realise this might be an option.
58* ''Fanfic/TrustingInFaith'': Glinda can't have Elphaba so she finds comfort in her younger sister. This element of their relationship makes Nessarose {{insecure|LoveInterest}} as she feels like a ReplacementGoldfish.
59[[/folder]]
60
61[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
62* WordOfGod says that ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife'''s Xibalba originally courted La Muerte's twin sister, La Noche. She, in turn, married his brother El Chamuco, who used to court La Muerte and still has feelings for her. [[LoveDodecahedron Confused?]]
63* ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'': Hans initially planned to marry Elsa and only decided to court her sister Anna after realizing Elsa wasn't an option.
64* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog,'' when Charlotte le Boeuf can't get married to Naveen to fulfill her dream of marrying a prince, she (at least jokingly) toys with the idea of marrying Naveen's brother instead. [[spoiler:[[JailBaitWait He's six]][[PracticallyDifferentGenerations -and-a-half.]]]]
65[[/folder]]
66
67[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
68
69* Played with in ''Film/TheFriscoKid''; the rabbi protagonist is arranged to be married to the daughter of a local Jewish merchant, without having met her; she's vain, selfish, a total flirt, and obviously not a good match for him. Her shyer, more modest, and withdrawn sister is a much better match... as the rabbi discovers when he eventually arrives in town, takes one glimpse of the younger sister and falls hopelessly in love with her, without having even met his intended bride. He ends up marrying her instead.
70* Something like this happens in ''Film/LikeWaterForChocolate''. Basic outline: BoyMeetsGirl. Boy likes girl; girl likes boy. Girl can't marry because of cultural tradition. Boy can't be around her alone because of a restrictive culture. Boy marries girl's sister to be close to girl.
71* A variant at the end of ''Film/NightAtTheMuseumBattleOfTheSmithsonian''. Larry appears to be starting a relationship with a woman who [[IdenticalStranger strongly resembles]] [[spoiler:Amelia Earhart]]. At one point, he asks [[DoesHeHaveABrother if she's related to her]].
72* Happens at the beginning ''and'' end of ''Film/ThePalmBeachStory'', though we don't understand that it happened at the beginning ''until'' the end.
73** The opening credits play out over a bizarre, dialogue-free sequence in which the bride and groom, Gerry and Tom, seem to be in two contradictory situations at once. We later learn that Gerry and Tom are both one of a pair of identical twins, and Gerry's sister was engaged to Tom's brother. However, Gerry also loved Tom's brother and decided to take her sister's place at the altar... not knowing that Tom had taken his brother's place at the altar so he could marry Gerry's sister. So even though Gerry and Tom weren't initially in love with each other, they both settle for the siblings of the people they really loved.
74** After five years of marriage, Gerry decides Tom would be better off without her and plans to divorce him and marry a rich man who can bankroll Tom's business idea. She meets such a man on a train to Palm Beach, John D. Hackensacker III. As they haven't formally divorced yet, Tom pursues Gerry to win her back, but she forces him to go along with her scheme, leaving the door open for Hackensacker's sister, the Princess Centimillia, to pursue him. When Tom and Gerry decide not to divorce after all, they reveal to the ecstatic Hackensacker siblings that they each have identical twin siblings. In the final scene, Tom's very confused-looking brother is marrying the Princess and Gerry's equally confused-looking sister is marrying John.
75* ''Film/ThePatriot2000'': Benjamin Martin is a widower with seven children at the start, but he's on good terms with his sister-in-law and visits her with his family from time to time, who becomes a sort of surrogate mother for her nephews and nieces. They eventually get married by the end of the war.
76* In ''Film/Priest2011'', it is revealed that the main character's brother stepped in to [[spoiler: marry his LoveInterest and raise his daughter]] after he was recruited by the Priesthood, which in this world is an elite group of warriors.
77* In ''Film/PrinceValiant1954'', Sir Gawain hooks up with Princess Aleta's sister Ilene after Aleta ditches him for Val.
78* In ''Film/PsychoII'' we learn that Marion's sister Lila married her boyfriend Sam. Lila's resemblance to Marion may have made her a ReplacementGoldfish as well.
79* Implied to have happened in the backstory of ''Film/TheSearchers''.
80* PlayedWith in ''Film/WhileYouWereSleeping''. Lucy, who was mistaken as the fiancée of comatose Paul (whom she had saved from falling onto train tracks, and had flippantly said she was going to marry him when in really she only had a crush on him and didn't know him), ends up falling for Paul's younger brother, Jack. Paul woke up with amnesia, and initially he and Lucy are almost married. But she finally admits everything at the altar, though [[SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace it turns out she's hardly the only one with an objection]] ([[ExaggeratedTrope to put it mildly]]). In the end, Lucy ended up with Jack.
81[[/folder]]
82
83[[folder:Literature]]
84* Happens a few times in the works of Creator/VCAndrews. Examples include:
85** In the Literature/LandrySeries, when Ruby marries Paul Tate, Beau marries her twin sister Giselle since he can't have Ruby.
86** In the Literature/CutlerSeries, Jed Booth wanted to marry Violet ([[spoiler:Lillian's real mother]]), but instead married her sister because polite society dictated he should court the oldest daughter.
87** A variant in the Literature/LoganSeries. Cary is heavily implied to be in love with his [[BrotherSisterIncest twin sister]] Laura, so after she dies, he ends up with their cousin ([[spoiler:second cousin, although they don't initially know that]]) Melody, whom everyone thinks looks like Laura.
88** ''Literature/SeedsOfYesterday''. Bart thinks he's successfully seduced brother Jory's wife Melodie away from him following the latter being left paralyzed after an accident, but eventually comes to realize he's only a substitute.
89* ''Literature/AppointmentWithDeath'' has a subplot where [[spoiler:Jefferson Cope, a friend of the Boynton family, is in love with Nadine, who is married to Lennox Boynton. While at first Nadine considers leaving Lennox and the Boynton family altogether, she ends up staying with her husband, and Jefferson ends up marrying her sister-in-law Carol.]]
90* Creator/JaneAusten:
91** ''Literature/{{Persuasion}}'': Charles Musgrove was once in love with the heroine Anne Elliot. She turned him down, and he married her younger sister. No bitterness seems to exist on either side.
92** ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility'': When Edward Ferrars refuses to go through with his ArrangedMarriage to Miss Morton, his mother disowns him and considers having her younger son Robert marry her (with no one but Elinor wondering how Miss Morton herself feels about this). Ironically, Edward's ClingyJealousGirl Lucy, whose secret relationship prompted the feud with his mother in the first place, [[spoiler:quickly leaves him in favor of his now much-richer brother, which is just fine as it leaves him free to marry Elinor]].
93** This is narrowly averted in ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'': Mr. Collins comes to town intending to propose to the eldest Bennet sister, Jane. Upon learning she is almost already engaged, he's content to settle for Elizabeth. When she rejects him, their mother hopes he will continue moving down the line and settle for Mary, but he ends up marrying Elizabeth's best friend Charlotte instead.
94** ''Literature/LoveAndFreindship'': Lady Dorothea, who had been Sir Edward's choice for his son's bride, married Sir Edward himself in the end.
95* In ''Literature/TheBattleOfLife'' by Creator/CharlesDickens, Alfred wants to marry Marion with her sister Grace's approval. Marion thinks the two of them should be together instead and stages her own running away to hope this trope will kick in for Alfred and Grace. Which it does.
96* ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'': Due to male GenderRarityValue, the sisters of a family marry one man[[note]]usually all of them, though families that can afford to do so may split the sisters in half and get two husbands[[/note]], so a man cannot settle for sibling, he gets all of them or none. However, the trope comes up twice in the story.
97** {{Averted|Trope}} with the Porter sisters, who offer for Jerin but seem unwilling to consider one of his (not yet of age) brothers, or any of his (close to him in age but not of age yet) cousins, despite it being an arranged marriage, anyway. (Though they do appreciate Jerin's good looks.) [[spoiler:Cira, a princess and one of Jerin's future wives, believes that it's because so far, only Jerin has been openly acknowledged as a grandson of the late Prince Alannon by the Queens. The Porters are attempting to assassinate the princesses and seize the throne through virtue of being a prominent noble family and because their late brother was married to the princesses (it having been established earlier that inheritances can go to the family of a husband if all legitimate heirs are deceased). Having Jerin, the only officially recognized male descendant of Prince Alannon and the only one currently of age to marry, as their husband would bolster their claim to the throne by letting them point out that as Jerin is the grandson of prince Alannon, the royal lineage would still be carried on through their children.]]
98** Cullen Moorland, a minor character, ends up betrothed to Jerin's older sisters. He would like to get his sisters married to a brother of his wives, for a DoubleInLawMarriage that would allow him frequent contact with his sisters and because they would give their husband the aristocratic lifestyle that Cullen saw wowed Jerin and his sisters in the beginning, but is willing to settle for Jerin's cousin Dail, who is nearly of age to be married.
99* ''Literature/CallMeSunflower'' combines this with GiveTheBabyAFather. [[spoiler:When Sunny was adopted, her mom was in a relationship with Scott's twin brother Mark, whose name was on the adoption papers. Mark died in a car crash three months later. Her mom tried for eleven years to have a relationship with Scott instead, but they never loved each other that way and eventually split up.]]
100* The eponymous character from ''Literature/{{Clarissa}}'' suggests this to Roger Solmes, who wants to marry her, as her sister considers him a good man and Clarissa hates him with a passion. Her family treat this as a huge insult.
101* In ''Clover'' by Susan Coolidge, a sequel to ''Literature/WhatKatyDid'', Clover rejects her cousin Clarence Page's proposal of marriage in favour of Geoffrey Templestowe. The subsequent book, ''In The High Valley'', reveals that Clarence subsequently married Clover's sister Elsie.
102* In ''Literature/TheColorPurple'', Mr. initially had asked for permission to marry Celie's younger sister, but was denied by their father, so he marries Celie against her will instead.
103* This happens in ''Literature/ConfessionsOfZeno''.
104* In the backstory of ''Literature/DragonBones'', Ward's father was attracted to Stala, but her ancestry wasn't up to his standards (she was a bastard, apparently), so he settled for her much more delicate (half)sister, whom he didn't respect and mistreated horribly because he viewed her as "weak".
105* ''Fathers and Sons'' by Ivan Turgenev: Arkady is at first interested in Madame Odintsov, but eventually goes for her younger sister Katya.
106* ''Literature/ForestKingdom'': Book 4 (''Beyond the Blue Moon'') reveals that King Harald, still needing to fulfill the marriage contract he was under with Duke Alric, married Princess Julia's next-youngest sister Felicity after Julia ran off with Prince Rupert.
107* ''Film/GoneWithTheWind''. Frank Kennedy ''thinks'' he's doing this in regard to marrying Scarlett instead of her sister Suellen, who he's been courting for years, thanks to Scarlett's lie that Suellen's going to marry someone else.
108* In ''Literature/HarryPotter,'' WordOfGod says that George married Angelina Johnson, who had once gone on a date with his twin brother, Fred. [[spoiler:Fred is dead by this point]].
109* An unusual variant from the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series. Shortly after her father's death young Queen Selenay of Valdemar is charmed by [[TheEvilPrince Prince Thanel]] of Rethwellan and finds herself in a miserable marriage that ends when she is widowed in a [[TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch "hunting accident"]][[note]]his kinsmen knew he had died during the attempted assassination of his wife, but also knew ''him'' and were happy to sweep the matter under the rug rather than deal with the political complications[[/note]]. Some 15 years later, Selenay met her late husband's younger brother Daren in person for the first time and they [[LoveAtFirstSight fell for each other on the spot]].
110* In Rumer Godden's ''Literature/InThisHouseOfBrede'', Larry wants to marry Elspeth Scallon, but she [[TakingTheVeil becomes a nun]]. He marries her cousin, Jean.
111* Creator/JacquelineWilson:
112** A variant in the ''Literature/HettyFeather'' series: Hetty's foster brother Jem promises to marry her when they grow up, but after Hetty returns to the Foundling Hospital, she is devastated to learn that Jem has now made the same promise to their younger foster sister Eliza. [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted since Jem ultimately marries a third woman nothing to do with the family.]]
113** Referenced in ''Falling Apart'' where Tina's boyfriend Simon breaks up with her, admitting he only asked her out as part of a dare. Specifically, the date was to land either her or her sister Jan, but it was obvious that Jan (who is heavily suggested to be a lesbian) wouldn't accept.
114** In ''Kiss'', Sylvie is in love with her best friend Carl; but he is gay and falls for another boy, breaking Sylvie's heart. The ending of the book suggests she will get together with his brother instead.
115* In ''Literature/KristinLavransdatter'', Kristin leaves her betrothed [[DoggedNiceGuy Simon]] for [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys Erlend]]. Simon ends up marrying Kristin's little sister, but never really gets over Kristin.
116* In ''Literature/LegendsOfDune'', when Xavier thinks Serena is dead he marries her sister Octa.
117* In ''Literature/LikeWaterForChocolate'', the hero wants to marry the heroine but is told that since she is the youngest daughter, she may never marry. So he marries her sister to be close to her.
118* Laurie, TheOneGuy of ''Literature/LittleWomen'', fell in love with Amy aka the little sister of his frustrated FirstLove Jo.
119* In ''North And South'', Billy Hazard eventually grows disenchanted with Ashton Main's manipulative behavior and starts to see the beauty and goodness in her sister Brett. When he and Brett decide to get married, Ashton doesn't take it well and arranges to have him murdered on the way to their honeymoon.
120* In the ''Literature/{{Outlander}}'' series of novels, [[spoiler:a young priest dying of consumption marries his pregnant lover to his impotent brother while on his deathbed. The baby is the heroine's great-something-grandfather.]]
121* A variation happens in the short gothic story "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes" by Creator/HenryJames. Two sisters fall in love with the same man. The man marries one of the sisters, who dies shortly after. He then marries the other sister. The story ends with [[spoiler: the jealous ghost of the first wife exacting revenge on her sister]].
122* ''Literature/SecretSanta2007'':
123** Noelle eventually realizes her longtime crush Charlie's brother is the better match for her.
124** David bonding with Shawna doesn't amount to anything because she and her boyfriend Connor are still in love, but Shawna's sister Chloe turns out to like David, and he isn't complaining.
125* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', this appears to be accepted standard procedure in Westeros as most noble marriages are [[ArrangedMarriage arranged]] [[AltarDiplomacy for political purposes]]: any time a man dies before he can marry his betrothed, she is very likely to be betrothed to any surviving (unattached) brother he has.
126** [[spoiler:Margaery Tyrell]] marries [[spoiler:Tommen Baratheon]] after their original betrothed is killed [[spoiler:at their wedding]].
127** Catelyn Tully is originally engaged to Brandon Stark. But after Brandon is killed by Aerys Targaryen, his responsibility to marry the Tully girl passes to his younger brother Eddard. This turns out to be a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage, as they grow to be perfectly happy with each other and have a household of several children.
128** Littlefinger seems to be happy with Lysa Tully, as he can't have her sister Catelyn [[spoiler: until he pushes Lysa off a ledge out of the Eyrie]]. Later on, he decides [[spoiler:to go after the far more disturbing "[[LoveFatherLoveSon Settle for Daughter]]" with Catelyn's daughter Sansa. Made even squick-ier by the fact that Sansa is posing as ''his'' daughter, under the false name Alayne Stone, by that point]].
129* In the Creator/AgathaChristie novel ''Sparkling Cyanide'', Anthony Brown enjoys an initial flirtation with the married Rosemary Barton and eventually ends up courting her younger sister Iris. However, it wasn't so much "settling" for the sibling as it was Anthony recognizing Iris's charm and depth of character; he later refers to his feelings for Rosemary as like [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Romeo remembering Rosaline after he'd first seen Juliet]].
130* ''Literature/TheSummerITurnedPretty'' features a SiblingTriangle that has aspect of this trope. Belly is initially head over heels in love with Conrad, but the latter is mostly indifferent to her. Belly eventually grows tired of his mixed signals and decides to date his brother, Jeremiah, who is in love with her. But then [[BelatedLoveEpiphany Conrad begins pursuing Belly]], causing her to become confused by her feelings for the two boys. Finally, Belly decides to part ways with Jeremiah [[RunawayBride right when the two are about to marry]] so she can be with Conrad.
131* In ''Literature/TessOfTheDUrbervilles'', [[spoiler:Tess knows she is going to die, so she makes Angel promise that he will marry her sister Eliza]].
132* ''Literature/{{TheTwilightSaga}}'':
133** Part of the reason Carlisle turned Rosalie was so she could become a mate for Edward, the only bachelor in the Cullen coven. She even kept her surname (Hale) so it wouldn't have been weird if the two hooked up. However, despite Rosalie initially being willing and attempting to charm him, Edward did not care for her at all, which hurt her pride. Some years later, Rosalie found a grievously injured Emmett in the woods, begging Carlisle to turn him into a new vampire. Emmett took the Cullen surname and their cover story is that he's Edward's brother.
134** The reason why Leah Clearwater is cold and aloof is because her relationship with Sam Uley, leader of the werewolf pack, broke down when he imprinted on Emily Young. Emily is only Leah's second cousin, but they were close like sisters when they were young.
135* In Creator/PoulAnderson's ''The Un-Man'', Jeanne Donner is married to a man who, she does not know, is one of a great Brotherhood of clones. When he is killed in underground work, she is induced to leave her home with their son by another clone, passing himself off as her husband, before his killers capture them both. Later, having learned the truth, she tracks down the clone who rescued her, who had fallen in love with her. When he says he would get over it, she tells him she doesn't want him to.
136* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', Berrynose was in love with Honeyfern, but Honeyfern died of an accident. Moons later Berrynose mated with Honeyfern's littermate, Poppyfrost.
137* ''Literature/BridesheadRevisited'' contains a kind of bisexual variation. Charles first loves Sebastian, who eventually spirals into alcoholism and dysfunction, before moving onto his sister Julia. Of course, this relationship doesn't work out so well either considering that Julia is a divorced Catholic and thus incapable of marrying. It's [[Main/DysfunctionJunction that kind of book]].
138[[/folder]]
139
140[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
141* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'': Before the series started, Oliver dumped Laurel for her sister, Sara. Things got awkward when Sara died in the shipwreck, leaving Oliver to salvage the relationship he broke with Laurel. [[spoiler:Then Sara is revealed to be alive, and things get ''even'' more awkward. Ultimately, he ends up with neither.]]
142* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}''
143** Helo was originally in love with Boomer, who was in love with Chief Tyrol. Helo fell in love with Athena, a copy of the same Cylon model as Boomer, when they were set up together by the Cylons on the planet Caprica, thinking that she was Boomer. Helo married Athena some time after learning the truth, and they became arguably the series' most stable couple.
144** Starbuck, who was engaged to Zak, who died before the series begins, but for much of the series she's romantically linked with his brother Apollo. Although they nearly cheated on Zak soon after meeting, so Apollo may not be the one she's settling for.
145* On ''Series/TheBoldAndTheBeautiful'', Caroline, Taylor, and Brooke all ended up with Thorne Forrester at various intervals, generally because they were fed up with big brother's Ridge's constant waffling between them and Brooke (in Caroline and Taylor's cases), or them and Caroline or Taylor (in Brooke's case).
146* In ''Series/{{Deadwood}}'', Seth Bullock marries his brother Robert's widow Martha after Robert's untimely death. This is seemingly less about romance and more about acting as a provider for the family and especially a father for Robert and Martha's son William.
147* On ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman'', the backstory of Loren and Dorothy is revealed to be this--he had courted her back in their younger days before she abruptly married someone else. Her sister consoled him and they ended up marrying.
148* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
149** Enforced with Catelyn Tully through ArrangedMarriage. After Brandon Stark's death, she married his younger brother Eddard.
150** Petyr Baelish, who was in love with Catelyn, had to settle for her sister Lysa. He's not too happy with that.
151* Initially played straight and then finally averted on ''Series/GeneralHospital''. Dr Monica Quartermaine was introduced on the show as the wife of Dr Jeff Webber. It was quickly revealed that she had once been engaged to Jeff's brother Rick and only married Jeff on the rebound after Rick dumped her and then was promptly presumed dead in Africa. When Rick came BackFromTheDead, Monica resumed her pursuit of Rick, but after he became involved with Dr Lesley Williams, Monica decided not to settle for staying married to Jeff and divorced him.
152** Keesha got together with AJ following her boyfriend/his brother Jason's brain damage from a car accident (which unbeknownst to Keesha, was ''caused by'' AJ) left him not only with no memory of her, but treating her like dirt.
153* ''Series/{{Hollyoaks}}'':
154** After Becca Dean was murdered, her husband Jake moved on to and married her sister Nancy in fairly short order.
155** When Hunter [=McQueen=]'s girlfriend Neeta died, he was written out of the show by getting together with her never-before-seen sister Asha and moving away with her.
156** Peri Lomax's true love Juliet dies from cancer, and she soon gets together with Juliet's brother [[ThemeNaming Romeo.]]
157* ''Series/HouseOfAnubis'' -- In Season 2, Eddie brings this up when he thinks Patricia and Alfie might be into each-other, stating that it might be what Alfie is thinking.
158--> '''Eddie:''' "Well, He was into [[PolarOppositeTwins Piper,]] maybe you're just the next best twin."
159* ''Series/MadMen'': Anna Draper, upon learning from our Don that her husband (the real Don Draper) never mentioned her, she muses that he actually preferred her sister who "looked like her but had two good legs." Perhaps this is the reason she was so warm and welcoming to the man who stole her late husband's identity.
160* In one Halloween episode of ''Series/TheMiddle'', Frankie and Brick investigate the circumstances behind the death of their homes' prior occupant. Not believing the story as published in the paper, the circumstances are further muddied when they find out the woman's widower married her sister. [[spoiler:It turns out, the cause of death was accurate. The sister and widower grew close while mourning, leading to a long, happy relationship.]]
161* {{Downplayed}} on ''Series/ModernFamily'': Jay eventually reveals that he'd originally been attracted to Gloria's sister Sonia, and his aborted attempt to flirt with her actually led him to striking up a conversation with Gloria (who he hadn't noticed up until that point) and he ended up asking ''her'' out instead. However, it's pretty clear that Gloria is far more his type and that he didn't in any way settle for her.
162* On ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'', Earl helps a Frenchman he once teased by finding a few girls from their class for him to hook up with. One of the girls was nowhere to be found, but "she had a real friendly sister," who ends up having sex with Pierre in the back of Earl's El Camino.
163* A darker version occurs in ''Series/NewTricks''. It turns out that the victim's brother-in-law [[spoiler:was the one who put her in a coma. As he "had a thing for Asian [[note]]South Asian, that is[[/note]] women" and decided if he couldn't have her, nobody could. He tried to make it look like a hate crime and then invoked this trope]].
164* ''Series/OneLifeToLive'': After teen sweethearts Jessica and Christian's relationship fizzled, she ended up with his brother Antonio, while he ended up with her sister Natalie.
165* ''Series/OneTreeHill'': Karen Roe was Dan Scott's high school sweetheart, then when she got pregnant with their son Lucas he left, remarried, and had another son, Nathan. Karen raised Lucas as a single mother but was always friendly with Dan's much-nicer brother Keith before it blossomed into romance [[spoiler:shortly before his death]]. This resulted in another child, a daughter named Lily Roe.
166* ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'': In ''Mark of the Berserker'', Clyde Langer's father Paul come back in his life after he abandoned him and his mother Carla and moved to Germany with his maternal aunt Melba. It is revealed (after an ensuing confrontation with an alien pendant that nearly transformed Paul into an alien Berserker) that he came back to Clyde because Melba became pregnant with his child (and Clyde's half-sibling). Clyde tells him to be there for his newborn child.
167* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "The Junction", Ray Dobson tells John Parker that he meant to propose to Abby, who had an identical twin sister named Sarah, in 1907. However, Sarah opened the door when he came to visit and, having mistaken her for Abby, he proposed to her by mistake and she accepted. Although it was not his intention, Ray nevertheless married Sarah as she was the one who said yes.
168* One episode of ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen'' revealed that Alan had originally asked out his ex-wife Judith's sister then only dated Judith after she said no.
169[[/folder]]
170
171[[folder:Music]]
172* Syd Barrett's song "Here I Go" is about a guy who has a crush on a woman who's completely wrong for him, then he meets her sister, finds she's much cooler, and falls in love with her.
173* "My Darling Clementine"
174-->How I missed her, how I missed her\
175How I missed my Clementine\
176But I kissed her little sister\
177[[ReplacementGoldfish And forgot my Clementine]]
178* In his rendition on ''Music/AnEveningWastedWithTomLehrer'', Music/TomLehrer turns this into a Creator/GilbertAndSullivan-esque PatterSong.
179-->The Mister resisted\
180The sister persisted\
181I kissed her, all loyalty slipped\
182When she said I could have her\
183Her sister's cadaver\
184Must surely have turned in its crypt
185* "Happy In You" by Whale
186* "Tube Snake Boogie" by Music/ZZTop.
187--> I got a gal, she lives on the hill
188--> She won't do it, but her sister will
189* Maybe not ''settling'', exactly, but Music/TheLovinSpoonful's "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind".
190-->Sometimes you really dig a girl, the moment you kissed her, and then you get distracted by her older sister
191-->When in walks her father and takes you in line, and says "You better go home, son, and make up your mind."
192* "Little Sister" by Music/ElvisPresley is sung from the POV of a guy who was jilted by his girlfriend mid-date (and, apparently, it turns out that she ReallyGetsAround) and decides to try again with said girlfriend's sister, having noticed that SheIsAllGrownUp.
193--> Little sister, don't you...\
194Little sister, don't you...\
195Little sister, don't you kiss me once or twice\
196And say it's very nice and then you run\
197Little sister, don't you do what your big sister does
198* In "Babies" by Music/{{Pulp}}, the first verse describes the singer spying on a female friend's older sister when they were kids, the second verse is about the friend dating someone else, and in the third verse she finds him and her sister together.
199-->I know you won't,\
200Believe it's true,\
201I only went with her,\
202Because she looks like you.
203* Red House, by Music/JimiHendrix, states at the end that if his "...baby don't love me no more, I know her sister will."
204
205[[/folder]]
206
207[[folder:Religion and Mythology]]
208* According to Jewish tradition, Laban wanted to create a DoubleInLawMarriage between his two daughters and [[KissingCousins his sister's two sons]]--Leah would marry Esau and Rachel would marry Jacob. Because Esau was a jerk, to say it politely, Leah prayed to God for help, and He arranged events so that both sisters would marry Jacob instead.
209** For that matter, the levirate marriage is a similar custom, where a widow marries her deceased husband's brother (or other male relative) if he died childless. However, such a marriage is actually forbidden if the deceased did have children.
210** {{Subverted}} in the Book of Judges: Samson picks a Philistine woman to marry, but after an argument during the wedding feast, her father concludes that Samson doesn't want her anymore and marries her off to one of his companions. When Samson says that he ''does'' still want her, the father suggests he marry her younger sister instead. Samson responded by [[KillItWithFire burning down]] [[DisproportionateRetribution the Philistines' fields]]. [[BloodKnight He had a bit of a temper.]]
211* Myth/ClassicalMythology has "Settle for Cousin"--[[GeniusBruiser Odysseus]] is one of many suitors for [[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman Helen]], but her father chooses Menelaus instead. Odysseus hooks up with Helen's cousin [[GuileHeroine Penelope]], who turns out to be [[IWillWaitForYou a much better choice]] than Helen.
212** {{Inverted}}: when Paris brought home Helen, [[MassiveNumberedSiblings forty-eight]] of his brothers fell in love/lust with her and wouldn't let Priam send her away; the only exception was [[TheAce Hector]], who was totally dedicated to his wife Andromache. When Paris died she was married to his brother Deiphobus, in some versions [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe by force]]; either way, the short marriage was unhappy, and she either celebrated or even helped bring about his death when the city fell.
213** Theseus defeated the Minotaur with the help of Ariadne, who was in love with him. He took her back on the boat to Athens, but ''[[ContinuitySnarl something]]'' happened that led to her being left behind on a deserted island and either dying or marrying Dionysus. Either way, Theseus eventually married her sister, Phaedra. [[LoveFatherLoveSon This]] [[WomanScorned also]] [[FalseRapeAccusation ended]] [[DrivenToSuicide badly]].
214* Happens in ''Literature/{{Mahabharata}}''. King Vichitravirya of Kuru died childless, leaving behind two wives, Ambika and Ambalika. In keeping with the ancient Vedic custom of ''niyoga'', the two were "passed down" to Vichitravirya's maternal half-brother, Vyasa. Vyasa's union with Ambika conceived Dhritarashtra (father of the one hundred Kauravas), while his union with Ambalika conceived Pandu (father of the five Pandavas). However, both boys were legally considered Vichitravirya's heirs, and succeeded him as kings of Kuru.
215[[/folder]]
216
217[[folder:Theater]]
218* In ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'', there are some suggestions Hamilton believes he's done this in choosing Eliza over Angelica due to Angelica stepping aside, such as describing her as his "dearest". However, he later comes to realize that Eliza is the "best" wife.
219* According to ''Theatre/AManForAllSeasons'', Thomas More preferred out of the two, the sister of the woman he married, but chose her because "it was the right thing to do." He, uh, didn't elaborate.
220** In RealLife, his motive was that an older sister would, at the time, have found it very humiliating to have a younger sister married first. And they were very happy.
221* In the Paul Claudel play ''The Tidings Brought To Mary'', Violaine kisses a leper and gives him her engagement ring to sell for money. Her fiance, upset that she's given away his ring and contracted leprosy, marries her sister instead.
222* ''Theatre/TwelfthNight'' has an accidental version. Viola disguises herself as a man and winds up the object of Olivia's affections. Then Olivia meets Viola's HalfIdenticalTwin (whom Viola believes is dead), mistakes him for "Cesario" and winds up marrying him before the truth all comes out.
223[[/folder]]
224
225[[folder:Video Games]]
226* A not-entirely-romantic variation is possible towards the end of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'': it is possible to persuade Queen Anora to marry [[spoiler:Alistair]] -- the long-lost, illegitimate younger brother of her late husband King Cailan. Though this marriage is driven by pure pragmatism (Ferelden needs both Anora's firm grip on politics and the Theirin {{royal blood}}line), Anora is shown to have had very tender feelings for Cailan and is slightly confused by the prospect of developing them for his brother.
227* In the DS version of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'', [[RichBitch Debora]] ''assumes'' Crispin has a thing for her, and is just 'settling' for her younger sister [[ProperLady Nera]]. It's obvious to everyone else, however, that he genuinely loves Nera and isn't exactly interested in Debora. PlayedForLaughs, natch.
228* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': This is suggested by Tidus after it comes out that Wakka's dead younger brother Chappu was Lulu's fiance. [[SubvertedTrope Lulu dismisses the idea]], yet by the sequel (just two years later) [[DoubleSubverted they're married with a child on the way]].
229* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'':
230** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'' alludes to this twice:
231*** Briggid fears that either Jamke or Midayle will pull this on her since they both had {{Bodyguard Crush}}es on her younger twin sister Edain. Her love talks with both dudes have them saying this isn't the case.
232*** Lewyn/Erinys plays with the trope; Lewyn had a major crush on Erinys' sister Annand when he was young, but in a talk event he tells her he's over it and truly wants to be with Erinys now.
233** This is optional in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates''. In Saizo and Kagero's supports, it is mentioned that the two were once a couple, but due to their differences in how they handled being Prince Ryoma's retainers, they ultimately decided to end their relationship so that it would not get in the way of their service. Kagero can then marry Saizo's younger twin brother Kaze, whose calm personality is much more similar to hers. Due to the open-ended nature of supports in the game, however, she can just as well [[NewOldFlame rekindle her relationship]] with Saizo.
234** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', Ingrid was set to be in a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage with Glenn before he was killed. One of her potential paired endings is with his brother Felix, which results in them marrying in the epilogue.
235* In ''VideoGame/ShogoMobileArmorDivision'', Sanjuro, having thought that his girlfriend Kura died two years before the start of the story, has been going out with her sister Kathryn for six months prior to the start. Kathryn loves her sister and is glad to hear that she's alive, but there ''is'' some jealousy between them regarding Sanjuro.
236[[/folder]]
237
238[[folder:Webcomics]]
239* In the space arc of ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'', when Mordred realises that he's in love with Guenevere, his reaction is to seek permission to un-HumanPopsicle her clone.
240* Two examples in ''Webcomic/{{Avalon|1999}}'':
241** Ryan initially had a crush on Phoebe (or at least a desire to want to help her out after her [[spoiler:horrible experiences with her abusive ex]]), who didn't reciprocate. Eventually, he ends up in a relationship with her older sister Deirdre after (ironically enough) he had initially come to her for advice about Phoebe. Their relationship ultimately turns out to be a genuinely stable one, with Deirdre being a legitimate SecondLove for Ryan, who is a NiceGuy that [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan treats her with respect]].
242** A deconstruction happens in the case of [[spoiler:Joe's parents, James and Hildegarde. James was initially in love with Hildegarde's sister Melissa but Melissa was more focused on her schoolwork and ambitions of being a successful business owner and had no desire for a relationship. He and Hildegarde developed a friendship along the way and the two of them took a liking to each other and began dating. However, Jim never really got over Melissa. Then he met a younger woman named Erin during a business trip while he was going through a self-described "midlife crisis" of sorts and left his family, admitting to Hildegard that he sometimes felt like their marriage was a sham from the start]].
243* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' Elliot's relationship with Nanase breaks up fairly early on, apparently because Elliot has feelings for someone else. Shortly thereafter, Nanase realizes she's a lesbian and hooks up with Elliot's [[TangledFamilyTree sister/daughter/]]OppositeSexClone, Ellen.
244* In ''Webcomic/GeneralProtectionFault'', Maddie is in love with Fooker, but he refuses to choose her over his girlfriend, Sharon, despite having been separated from her by his UGA deployment, and Maddie insisting that he give up on her. Maddie gets together with Fooker's brother, though.
245** Additional weirdness points for the brothers being near-identical in the looks department (besides grooming), and actually sharing a codename; some people aren't aware of the switch.
246* In ''Webcomic/SuburbanJungle'', Dover Cheetah eventually switches his affections from the main character and unrequited crush Tiffany Tiger to her (half) sister Comfort. As Comfort likes him and Tiffany thinks of him as a friend, this works out well and they beat Tiffany and her beau to the altar by several years.
247[[/folder]]
248
249[[folder:Western Animation]]
250* On ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor,'' Numbuh Two/Hoagie has a PrecociousCrush on Numbuh Five/Abigail's older sister, Cree. In the DistantFinale, Hoagie and Abigail are married.
251* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' combines this trope with [[RunawayBride Runaway Groom]] in the episode "Ghost Bride." It does not end well for the groom and the sister. [[MurderSuicide Or the original bride, for that matter]].
252* {{Subverted}} on ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra:'' [[KungFuJesus Korra]] has a thing for [[TroubledButCute Mako]], who likes her too but is dating [[UptownGirl Asami]]. After she has a fight with Mako, [[SiblingTriangle his brother Bolin]] (unaware of all the other drama) asks her out, and she reluctantly agrees, apparently hoping it will help her move on. The two have a great time, but the next day Korra has another fight with Mako, [[BelligerentSexualTension impulsively kisses him]], only for Bolin to walk in and have his heart broken. He has majorly gotten over it by the time the first season's over, however.
253* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
254** Marge's high school prom date, Artie Ziff, had [[UnrequitedLoveLastsForever a decades-long infatuation]] with her, but later winds up having a fling with Selma. Their shared dislike of Homer helped to forge an attraction.
255** In "Lisa Gets the Blues," Lisa's longtime DoggedNiceGuy devotee Milhouse is a little too open to Bart's exasperated suggestion that he give up on her and wait for Maggie. Maggie frantically signals to Bart to shut up.
256* In the third season of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', Will Harper(Red Arrow), years after his wife Jade abandoned him and their daughter Lian, develops mutual attraction for her sister Artemis. In fact, Artemis' mom [[ShipperOnDeck actively encourages Artemis to settle with him]] even though the latter is quite reluctant about dating her brother-in-law. [[spoiler: Eventually subverted. After a failed first date, Will and Artemis agree to remain friends]].
257[[/folder]]
258
259[[folder:Real Life]]
260* When Music/EricClapton fell for Pattie Boyd and couldn't have her because she was married to his fellow musician Music/GeorgeHarrison, he briefly shacked up with Pattie's sister Paula. Paula ditched him, however, upon realizing that she was just a Pattie substitute.
261* Antonín Dvořák initially fell in love with Josefína Čermáková, though she did not love him back and ultimately married another man. Dvořák ended up marrying Josefína's younger sister, Anna.
262* [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart]] did this. When Aloysia Weber turned him down, he married her sister Constanze. They remained married until his death and seem to have done well together.
263* UsefulNotes/HenryVIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was originally married to his older brother, Arthur. Naturally it was an ArrangedMarriage, so when Arthur died young it was agreed that Henry would marry his brother's widow (because you don't give up a strategic marriage to a literal Spanish Princess whose nephew is due to become ruler of one of the greatest empires the world had yet seen,[[note]]The nephew in question being Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who was also Carlos I, King of Spain. In the former capacity, he ruled Austria, Burgundy, and the Low Countries as well as (at least theoretically) all of Germany and half of Italy, while in the latter capacity, he held not only Spain but also most of the Americas -- and all of their silver.[[/note]] especially not when she and the new king [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage actually know and rather like each other and seem quite compatible personally]]). This was somewhat problematic -- the concept of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affinity_%28canon_law%29 affinity]] meant that the couple was technically considered incestuous, so the pope had to give special dispensation to allow it. When five of the couple's six children later died young ([[HeirClubForMen leaving only a daughter]]) Henry claimed that {{God}} disapproved of the marriage and that it should thus be annulled, "justifying" the separation of the English Church from the Roman when the Pope refused to retract the dispensation. This led, eventually, to the end of the Tudor succession/the passage of the English crown to the Stuarts, the UsefulNotes/EnglishCivilWar, and the birth of modern liberal representative democracy. Small trope, big impact.
264* Also happened with Catherine's older sisters. Catherine's eldest sister Isabella married King Manuel of Portugal, but died from childbirth, and her son died only a year later. Due to being left without a wife and heir, Manuel then married Isabella's younger sister Maria, who bore him ten children, eight of which lived to adulthood.
265* Queen Mary, the paternal grandmother of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, was born Princess Mary of Teck and was engaged to her second cousin once removed, Prince Albert Victor, the son of the Prince of Wales. Six weeks after the betrothal was announced, he died unexpectedly of pneumonia. She and his brother George, now the next in line for the throne (later King George V), began writing letters to console one another, and the following year she became engaged to him instead. It turned out to be an actual love match.
266* Speaking of the British Royals, Prince Charles presumably would never have met Diana Spencer had it not been for his romantic relationship with her older sister Sarah, which ended when she seemed to enjoy the publicity too much for his taste (in stark contrast to the shy Diana).
267* Princess Dagmar of Denmark was betrothed to Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia, when he died of meningitis, expressing as a LastRequest that she marry his younger brother Alexander, which in due course she did.
268* According to his biographer and son-in-law William Roper, St. Thomas More actually preferred the younger sister of his first wife but proposed to the elder because it would have humiliated her to see her little sister married first. Other biographers have suggested that Roper mistook a family joke for fact. Will had no sense of humor and More had a very good one.
269* Music/JosephHaydn was in love with Therese Keller, but she decided to enter a convent. So he married her younger sister Maria Anna instead. Unfortunately, [[AwfulWeddedLife the marriage turned out unhappy for both of them]].
270* Played with in the case of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. He was supposed to marry [[KissingCousins his cousin]] Helene, but instead he fell in love with her younger sister UsefulNotes/{{Elisabeth|Of Austria}} (Sisi/Sissi). He married Elisabeth in spite of their parents' objections... and the marriage was a disaster.
271* Jovan Ghermani married Princess Simeona Obrenović, who died in 1837. Some time later Jovan had an affair and fathered a child with Simeona's sister Anka, though they never married.
272* Count Georg von Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems was married twice. His first wife, Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria, died of pneumonia in 1930. A year later, Georg remarried to Elisabeth's younger sister Gertrud.
273[[/folder]]

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