Line #77 TakeAThirdOption/FanWorks


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6	Times when someone decides to TakeAThirdOption to solve a problem in fan works.
7	----
8	[[AC:Crossovers]]
9	* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/53824 The Case of Ichabod Crane and Dr. Frankenstein]]'' features Ichabod Crane (''Film/SleepyHollow1999'') meeting the Literature/{{Frankenstein}} family and learning of the existence of the creature Victor Frankenstein created. When Victor admits his fears if he creates a mate for the creature that could go on to breed a new race of beings like themselves, rather than let Victor destroy the female creature he has created, Ichabod points out to Victor that there is an alternative; simply remove the female creature's reproductive organs so that she literally ''can't'' give birth.
10	* ''Fanfic/CodePrime:'' {{Deconstructed\|Trope}} with Suzaku and Dreadwing. Suzaku seeks to become an InternalReformist for Britannia, while also secretly [[DeathSeeker wishing to die]] as atonement for killing his father. Dreadwing is a NobleDemon who believes in the Decepticon cause even if he doesn’t agree with everything Megatron does. When it becomes increasingly clear that their side is committing immoral actions, Suzaku and Dreadwing attempt to circumvent having to choose between remaining with Britannia and the Decepticons or defecting to the Black Knights and Autobots by swearing loyalty to Princess Euphemia. [[spoiler:However, when Euphemia announces the Special Administrative Zone, Megatron proceeds to demonstrate that he will accept no compromises, by having Euphemia kidnapped and replaced with a pretender to turn the Zone into a massacre, forcing Suzaku and Dreadwing to realize the folly of their decisions and defect to the Black Knights and Autobots]].
11	* ''[[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 existence to her uncles, Alkaid chooses to silence him before he gets the chance to blow the whistle on her.
12	* In the ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive''[=/=]''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' {{crossover}} ''Fanfic/DeadOrAlive4TheDevilFactor'', this is Dante's reaction to Kasumi's [[SadisticChoice dilemma]] (be pursued by her former brethren in the Mugen Tenshin for the rest of her life, or enter into an ArrangedMarriage and sever all ties to her clan for good, thus never being able to return home). He explicitly says that when someone only gives him an A-and-B choice, he'll choose C every time.
13	* Discussed in ''Fanfic/DoctorInTheUnderworld'', as the Doctor tells Erika that he wishes he could find another way that doesn't involve anyone dying, but when Marcus has spent literally centuries planning to release William from his imprisonment and now has the means to turn his brother into a hybrid, he acknowledges that they don't have the time to try and talk to Marcus with his current power so killing him is their only option.
14	* In ''Fanfic/AnExtraordinaryJourney'', when [[spoiler:the Nox and the Tau’ri act as mediators to negotiate the Cylons’ surrender to the Colonials, one particular point of debate is the charges to be levied against Caprica Six for her role in the sabotage of the Colonial defence network. As the Nox refuse to agree to the Colonials’ desired death sentence and the Colonials naturally want her to be punished, both parties agree for Caprica Six to be exiled to another Tau’ri-affiliated world]].
15	* In ''Fanfic/HalkegeniaOnlineZeroHour'', Shino is confronted by the Laughing Coffin guild and is given the choice of joining them or being killed by them. Instead, she chooses to kill them all.
16	* ''Fanfic/AHerosWrath'': [[spoiler:While suffering through his transformation into his Vajra Vlitra Form, Izuku is given a series of choices by the Golden Spider; the Gohma Path (where he becomes the new Gohma Vlitra and leads the Gohma to destroy humanity), the Demigod Path (repeat the mistakes of his Demigod ancestors) or the Golden Spider's Path (do whatever the Spider tells him). Izuku answers by waking himself up, deciding he wasn't going to play his game.]]
17	* ''Fanfic/JusticeLeagueOfEquestria'': During the second arc of ''Mare of Steel'', ComicBook/{{Brainiac}} sets up Rainbow Dash/Supermare with a SadisticChoice: [[spoiler: either save Cloudsdale from a bomb capable of destroying the whole city, or save Scootaloo from being electrocuted]]. Being a creature that runs on pure logic, Brainiac [[EvilCannotComprehendGood is unable to anticipate]] that Rainbow Dash would be unwilling to let ''either'' happen, and thus acting to prevent both.
18	* In ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'':
19	** Take A Third Option: Haruhi can't unbottle her feelings about the consequences of her powers because it will cause even more strain on others, and she can't ignore it either because she cares about the SOS Brigade. In order to prevent a HeroicBSOD she [[spoiler: runs a MemoryGambit on herself so she doesn't destroy the world on an accidental whim.]]
20	** [[spoiler:What do you do if you are part of a [[HaremGenre Harem]] but don't want anybody to lose? MarryThemAll.]]
21	* The primary focus of ''Fanfic/LostInCamelot'' is the relationship formed between Bo (''Series/LostGirl''), Merlin and Morgana (''Series/Merlin2008''), but the fic features other examples of the characters taking an alternate choice when faced with unappealing alternatives. When Mordred returns to Camelot, while Merlin is concerned about the prophecy that Mordred will kill Arthur and Morgana protests that he's just a child, Bo suggests the compromise of getting Mordred away from Alvarr, his current guardian, in the hope that taking him to a more pacifist group of druids will help Mordred avoid his destiny.
22	* Discussed and defied in ''Fanfic/LostInTheWoods''; as Q observes, Picard has always prided himself on being able to find an alternative to Q's initial ruthless suggestions, but in this case, Picard literally found himself with only the two options of killing the Reavers or letting them destroy the Alliance, [[spoiler:and had to choose the option of killing them all]].
23	* If [[Literature/{{Redwall}} Lord Brocktree]] and [[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia Aslan]] had to fight each other ([[LetsYouAndHimFight they]] [[RuleOfCool don't]]), [[http://www.unboundworlds.com/cage-match-2018/cage-match-2018-round-2-lord-brocktree-vs-aslan/ who would win]]? Answer: food.
24	-->''The animals feasted for hours, occasionally singing folk songs and reciting poetry to entertain their guest.''
25	* 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 suffering 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 Sidious did and have him both release her, keep the digimon a secret, and start working for the Jedi]].
26	* “[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14085217/1/A-Spider-s-Evolution A Spider’s Evolution]]” starts when the Brotherhood and the X-Men were each attempting to ‘recruit’ Rogue (''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'', “[[Recap/XMenEvolutionS1E3RogueRecruit Rogue Recruit]]”), only for ComicBook/SpiderMan to show up during her attempt to escape both teams. After Rogue absorbs some of Spider-Man's memories in the process, she chooses to go to the Parker house and ask May to give her somewhere to stay, the absorbed memories assuring her that Peter could be trusted when she couldn't be comfortable with the other mutants.
27	* During the events of ''Fanfic/TheTeacherOfAllThings'', Tai and the other V-Tamers are left with a conundrum: When you can't get to Odaiba because the bridge has collapsed and the waters are too full of enemies to swim -- not that Greymon are great swimmers anyway -- and flying in would only get you noticed and mean you have to fight off an entire army at once... what do you do? [[spoiler: Why, take the still-under-construction tunnel, of course!]]
28	* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/237963/ Top Secret]]'' is a triple crossover between ''Series/QuantumLeap'', ''Series/TheXFiles'' and ''Series/LoisAndClark'' that sees Project Quantum Leap faced with a blackmail threat from a corrupt businessman who all evidence suggests will create the Evil Leaper Project based on salvaged material from past Leaps, such as a recording Sam made under interrogation or the handlink Al lost in 1945. Al obviously refuses to give in to blackmail, but one of the senators on the funding committee reveals that the committee is contemplating pulling funding from the Project given this threat and handing the technology over to private business... and Al and Donna realise that the blackmailer is the one responsible for the business. Fortunately, they are given an alternative when [[spoiler:Scully receives instructions from herself to Leap back a few years and save Mulder's life, as Mulder's would-be killer was connected to the man currently trying to blackmail the Project; getting him arrested removed the man's interest in taking the Project for himself]].
29
30	[[AC:''Franchise/{{Arrowverse}}'']]
31	* ''Fanfic/NeverBeSilent'' concludes with [[spoiler:a confrontation between Laurel and Damien Darhk where he attacks her during a prison breakout, intending to put her in a position where Laurel can kill him with her abilities and condemn metahumans in the public eye or be forced to let Darhk kill her to avoid tarring others in that manner. Instead, Laurel forces them both off the catwalk where they were fighting, saving herself with her Canary Cry while Darhk is caught and handcuffed by the Flash before he lands, as Laurel had just seen Barry approaching]].
32
33	[[AC:''Manga/{{Bleach}}'']]
34	* ''Fanfic/{{Sight}}'' has Ichigo's hollow try and fight for control. If Ichigo loses, the hollow takes over his body and if he wins, the hollow doesn't try anything for a while. To everyone's surprise, Ichigo vehemently refuses to fight at all, which results in a forced truce where the hollow can't fight him but still hangs around. It's also lampshaded.
35	-->"Where do ya get off choosin' a third option?"
36
37	[[AC:''Manga/BungouStrayDogs'']]
38	* In [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/18474643 this]] 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]]
39
40	[[AC:''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'']]
41	* In the fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11630308/1/Coffin-for-Two Coffin for Two]]'', when Darla traps Buffy and Angel [[BuriedAlive in a coffin]] after breaking Buffy's right arm, Angel notes that Darla's plan is to force him to either watch Buffy suffocate or try and fail to dig her out himself (as it's currently daylight, even if he reached the surface in time he would then be destroyed by the sun and the collapsing earth once his body was dust would just leave Buffy to suffocate again). Fortunately, he realizes that the coffin is close enough to an underground utility line that they can dig a hole out that way, although Angel has to drink some of Buffy's blood to give himself the necessary strength to break the concrete wall of the tunnel.
42
43	[[AC:''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'']]
44	* Calvin [[DefiedTrope defies]] this in the original version of ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheMovie''.
45
46	[[AC:''Series/Charmed1998'']]
47	* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6250877/1/Tempus-Fugit Tempus Fugit]]'' sees Paige manage to change history by saving Prue's life, but this sets off a chain of events where Phoebe has to take on Cole's powers as Belthazor to escape the Underworld, with the demonic influence of those powers nearly driving Phoebe to attack Paige. This threat is dealt with when the powers are returned to Cole, but he accidentally "takes" Phoebe's premonitions in the process. The Elders subsequently foresee a future where Phoebe's experience with Cole's powers will lead to her being possessed by the Source, and thus contaminate the Power of Three. Since Phoebe cannot take back her powers without putting her at risk from the Source, and she refuses to let Cole take the power-stripping potion himself until the Source is defeated so that he won't suffer the same fate he did in Paige's original history, Phoebe accepts the third option of passing her powers to Paige (who has acquired her own unique powers in the new timeline) until the Source is vanquished.
48
49	[[AC:''Franchise/DragonAge'']]
50	* The WisePrince protagonist of ''Fanfic/DragonAgeTheCrownOfThorns'' actually started off by ''creating'' a third option for a certain situation that came to pass later, after his [[spoiler:ZeroApprovalGambit]].
51
52	[[AC:''Manga/FairyTail'']]
53	* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10264509/550/Tales-of-Fairies The Gender Bend Omake: Mama Aquarius]]'': Aquarius, who in the story has become a ParentalSubstitute for [[GenderFlip Luca Heartfilia]], finds herself in a SadisticChoice when enemy Celestial Mage Angel summons her boyfriend Scorpio to fight them, forcing her to pick between hurting her lover or [[LikeASonToMe her "child]]. Thankfully, both Luca and Scorpio are able to make the choice for her: Luca uses a force to close her gate so she wouldn't forced to fight, while Scorpio also forces-closes his gate, [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight deliberately defying Angel's orders]], so he wouldn't hurt Aquarius's weilder.
54
55	[[AC:''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'']]
56	* This [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXgc4F2FC84 fan comic]] has the servants Amakusa Shirou and Semiramis trapped in a room that won't let them leave unless they have sex. Embarrassed, Semiramis finds another way out by having two of her familiars do it instead.
57
58	[[AC:''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'']]
59	* In the PeggySue fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12443942/1/Second-Chances Second Chances]]'', Celes has unexpectedly mentally gone back in time to just before the Opera House boss battle, and tries to use her knowledge of the future to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong, with mixed results. Toward the end, Celes and [[spoiler:General Leo]] argue over which of them should be the one to [[spoiler:assassinate Emperor Gestahl]] to end the war. They flip a coin for it, but [[spoiler:Shadow intervenes before the coin can even land and offers his services]].
60
61	[[AC:''Literature/HarryPotter'']]
62	* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7263082/1/Flying Flying]]'', Harry is required to either marry a sadistic man several decades older than him or be sent to Azkaban. He ends up [[DrivenToSuicide jumping off the Astronomy Tower]].
63	* 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, is 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 decides to knock Mark out and kill the only one for whom death won't be permanent -- Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes.
64	* 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.
65	* The SSHG fic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6408692/1/The_Occluded_Soul The Occluded Soul]]'' is all about Snape's Third Choice.
66	* In ''[[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:
67	-->'''Draco:''' The Dark Lord gave me [[SadisticChoice two choices]]: one bad, the other worse. I suppose this is door number three.
68	** Eventually, [[spoiler:both Draco and Harry begin to [[IdentityAmnesia forget the wizarding world altogether]]]].
69
70	[[AC:''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'']]
71	* ''[[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]].
72
73	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'']]
74	* In the fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11800934/1/Heir-and-Pride Heir and Pride]], this defines Hiccup's situation; with Stoick insisting that he train the dragons to basically serve as weapons for the Vikings, and [[spoiler:Valka willing to teach him the secrets she's learned about dragons but only if he abandons all human ties to the extent of leaving Astrid to be raped and murdered by the Outcasts]], Hiccup rejects both of them and pursues his own path of trying to teach others about dragons.
75
76	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'']]
77	* ''Fanfic/{{Intercom}}'': In chapter 13, Riley admits about Tracey accusing her of being schizophrenic. When Bill probes on whether she's hearing voices, Riley mentally thinks that if she lies, she'll be found out. But if she tells the truth, they might send her off to a psychologist. So instead, she storms out on them, fuming that they'd never believe her if she told the truth.
78
79	[[AC:''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'']]
80	* In the movie, 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.
81
82	[[AC:''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'']]
83	* In the fanfic ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/170403/chapters/248828 Her Kingdom As Great]]'', Sarah is the embodiment of the third option, and doesn't understand how one would not choose it:
84	-->'''Sarah:''' That too. But no, I still think it's a false alternative. He made a choice between the two dreams, forsaking one to have the other, because you told him he could only have one and he believed you. When you told me the same thing, I believed you too, for a time. Then I decided I could have both, and so I can. But here he is sixty years later and he still thinks his ability to write poetry is lost.
85
86	[[AC:''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'']]
87	* In ''Fanfic/{{Exoria}}'', Leonore wants Zelda to stay in her safe room during the Valentine invasion and wait for rescue teams to arrive. Zelda wants to [[HonorBeforeReason find her military and lead them as commander-in-chief, even if it means risking capture]]. They eventually reach a compromise; Zelda will go to Gerudo to cement an alliance with Ganondorf and command her forces from there.
88
89	[[AC:''Anime/LoveLiveSunshine'']]
90	* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11820723 Shipping Wars]]'' has Dia and Kanan pulling their friends into a debate over whether [[Anime/LoveLive Eli Awase should be with Nozomi Tojo or Umi Sonada]]. When Hanamaru is left as the tie-breaker, Ruby assures her to pick whichever ship she wants rather than be pressured by the older girls. Encouraged by this, Hanamaru happily proclaims that her favorite ship is... Rin and Hanayo, causing everyone else to face fault.
91
92	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/MegaManRubySpears'']]
93	* In ''Fanfic/MegaManDefenderOfTheHumanRace'', when faced with a SadisticChoice, the President decides to stall Dr. Wily until help can arrive.
94
95	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'']]
96	* {{Discussed\|Trope}} in the ''Webcomic/DadVillainAU''. Gabriel's Wish [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy rewrote reality]] so that the magical backlash from Emelie using the broken Peacock Pin is redirected onto other targets -- namely the former Ladybug and her loved ones. When Viceroy figures out how to bounce that backlash ''back'' onto the user, Duusu suggests that Gabriel could simply ''repair the Pin'', using his knowledge of how to do it from the original timeline. While Gabriel claims that information wasn't covered by his RippleEffectProofMemory, he also asserts that he wouldn't do so even if he could -- he hates the former superheroine ''so much'' that he wants her to ''suffer'' more than he wants to protect his wife.
97	* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/31017641 Lying on the Job]]'' sees Marinette faced with a dilemma: as the new Guardian, she's in charge of handing out Miraculi and knowing everyone's [[SecretIdentity secret identities]]... except that it's dangerous for her to know the secret identities of her allies since she's out on the front lines and could face opponents with MindControl powers. To get around this, Marinette asks her kwami Tikki to choose the next hero instead.
98	* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/24549205 Squeakin']]'', the class is throwing a Disney-themed costume party and both [[AlphaBitch Chloé]] and [[ConsummateLiar Lila]] attempt to pressure Adrien into being the prince to the princess they are dressing as (Cinderella and Belle, respectively), which Adrien naturally doesn't want to do. His solution? Come dressed as [[WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove Kuzco]] and go all out, banking on the movie's quotability (and his classmates' support) to keep both girls from getting sympathy from the class over it.
99	* ''Fanfic/ThanksButNo'': Tired of Fu constantly sending Marinette new Miraculous in hopes that she'll accept, Wayzz convinces him to pass ''him'' to her instead. When the Turtle Kwami gets to Marinette, he tells her that if she doesn't pass his Miraculous to anyone else, then she won't have to worry about another Miraculous sent her way and he can get some peace of mind.
100	* This is Nino's idea for dealing with Lila in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/19354465/chapters/48255424 Turning Point]]''. Rather than confronting her outright (which Alya did, and nearly had the class turned against her and Marinette by Lila) or keeping quiet (which Adrien initially suggested thanks to being conditioned to seeing lies as "harmless", until the others explained ''why'' this isn't a healthy mindset), Nino's plan is to speak to each of their classmates and advise them to be more cautious about Lila's statements while tracking all contradictions and evidence to eventually cornering her.
101	* [[https://nobodyfamousposts.tumblr.com/post/185555861020/betrayal-au-gabriel-wins-where-the-classalya This collaborative work]] explores a scenario where Lila convinced the whole class to [[FaceHeelTurn side with Hawkmoth]], helping him make his Wish to bring his wife back...[[BalancingDeathsBooks at the cost of Marinette's life]]. [[ManipulativeBastard Gabriel]] then attempts to {{Gaslight\|ing}} his son into believing that the only way to bring Marinette back is by [[SadisticChoice sacrificing his mother]], only for Adrien to pick another option in several different ways:
102	** In the first scenario, Adrien punches his father in the face, then uses ''Gabriel's'' life as fuel for the Wish to bring Marinette back.
103	** In the second, Adrien takes this even further, deciding that Gabriel alone couldn't ''possibly'' be enough payment for somebody as vibrant as Marinette...so he sacrifices Nino and the rest of his friends as further fuel. Including Lila, who spends her last moments desperately begging Adrien to hate her.
104	--->'''Adrien:''' Despite everything, Lila. Even with how horrible and nasty of a person you were. I still saw you as a potential friend.\
105	'''Lila:''' Adrien? Adrien... no... I never really... I was manipulating you! I just wanted to be popular! Please... please hate me!\
106	'''Adrien:''' You are a good friend, Lila. How could I hate someone who is helping me out like this? Marinette will be happy to hear of your selflessness.
107	** In the third scenario, Adrien realizes that Marinette would never accept somebody else being sacrificed to save her. So instead of making a Wish of his own, he sends evidence of his father and classmates' crimes to the police so that they can be arrested.
108	* PlayedWith in [[https://nobodyfamousposts.tumblr.com/post/734443964533489664/what-if-adrien-rejection-in-felix-culpa this what-if scenario]] where Adrien rejects Marinette's LoveConfession because he doesn't like her trying to [[LiarRevealed expose Lila]]:
109	** Adrien ''attempts'' to do this after Felix verbally corners him, [[ArmorPiercingQuestion asking him point-blank]] whether Lila has been lying or not. He doesn't want to confirm or deny it, as he risks his BetrayalByInaction being exposed either way, and attempts to side-step the inquiry by insisting he just wanted to protect Lila from Marinette without directly addressing the matter of her truthfulness. This backfires when Marinette [[IronicEcho repeats his past reassurance to her]] that he ''knew'' Lila was a liar, convincing Alya and the others that [[RightForTheWrongReasons he was lying in order to manipulate her]].
110	** This ''does'', however, provide ''Lila'' with the third option ''she'' was looking for to get out of the confrontation unscathed, as she immediately turns on the CrocodileTears and accuses Adrien of deliberately sabotaging her chances of befriending Marinette. Somehow, Adrien is dumbfounded that the girl he knew was a ManipulativeBitch would [[TheFarmerAndTheViper throw him under the bus to save herself]].
111
112	[[AC:''Franchise/MonsterVerse'']]
113	* ''Fanfic/WildChildAU'' is an alternate take on the source material where Godzilla essentially adopts Madison Russell after the battle against the [=MUTOs=] because he assumes that her parents died in the battle. When she and Godzilla learn that Mark and Andrew Russell are still alive, Maddie is uncomfortable at the idea of returning to human civilisation full-time even if she wants to spend time with the Russells again, and equally doesn't want to abandon Godzilla. Since "Madison Russell" is still legally dead, and Maddie has [[AmbiguouslyHuman undergone various mutations]] due to spending so much time on Godzilla's home island, Doctor Serizawa suggests a compromise where Maddie is legally classified as a Titan herself, putting her under Monarch's jurisdiction and able to come and go as she pleases.
114
115	[[AC:''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'']]
116	* ''Fanfic/ViridianTheGreenGuide'': In his first deliberate act as a {{Vigilante\|Man}}, Izuku comes across a mugger in an alleyway. Being unable to take on the mugger himself but unwilling to abandon the victim to the mugger's mercy, he instead heckles the pro-hero Amplifier into following him into the alleyway by throwing a rock at him, managing to slip away when Amplifier noticed the mugging and watching the battle from a safe distance.
117	* In ''Fanfic/WalkAMileinAnothersShoes'', All for One takes Inko hostage to threaten Izuku into spying for him. Izuku frequently tries to find ways around All for One's orders, with mixed results. At U.S.J., Izuku betrays the attack on the heroes but also helps Tomura escape to make it seem like he's still on the villains' side.
118
119	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'']]
120	* 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''...
121	* In ''Fanfic/RainboomsAndRoyalty'', after Rainbow rejects Nightmare Moon's [[TheFinalTemptation temptation]], the dark alicorn, after restraining Fluttershy's wings and preventing Twilight Sparkle and Rarity from using their magic, hurls the Mane Cast sans Rainbow to their deaths. Nightmare Moon then taunts Rainbow to choose who to save, because as fast as she is, she can't save all of them. [[spoiler: Rainbow manages to pull off a Sonic Rainboom for the first time since her fillyhood, and ''does'' fly fast enough to save all of them.]]
122	* 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 Twilight and herself via the destroyed world.]]
123	* 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.
124	* In ''Fanfic/TheWitchOfTheEverfree'', Sunset does this when cornered by guards on the train to Ponyville, [[HighDiveEscape teleporting off a bridge]] rather than either fighting them or talking to them.
125	-->'''Guard:''' There isn't anywhere to run, so you can either listen peacefully or we can do things the hard way.\
126	'''Sunset:''' There's always a choice, as long as you’re willing to accept the consequences.
127
128	[[AC:''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'']]
129	* ''Fanfic/ObitoSensei'': During the first two tests of the Chunin Exam, Team 7 is able to complete their tests with some difficulties only to learn from Tenten that there was another (and sometimes easier) option.
130	** The first test was to solve a cipher and escape a room in under 30 minutes. Team 7 is able to pass it with seconds to spare, but they learn from Tenten that the test was about ''observation'' and that her team got most of the answers by peaking in the other room.
131	** The second test was the Forest of Death, with the rules that teams must arrive with both the Heaven and Earth scrolls, but can't come with 2 scrolls or they'll be disqualified. Team 7 takes it to mean they'll have to team up with another team that has the opposite scroll and does so with the team from Rain (Haku, Kabuto, and Suigetsu), who came to the same conclusion. While they pass, they learned that Team Gai and Team Baki both pass by bringing ''three'' scrolls each.
132	* ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'': Hinata finds herself at a stalemate while she's fighting [[WhiteHairBlackHeart Toneri]] [[StalkerWithACrush Otsutsuki]], who's commanding a [[HumongousMecha giant statue of Hamura Otsutsuki]] that she tries to match with her Avatar of Kalika (the Tenseigan's counterpart to the Mangekyo Sharingan's Susanoo). The statue won't stop fighting unless Toneri dies first, and it'll always regenerate no matter how many times she destroys it. But in order to kill Toneri, she needs to get past the statue first, as it'll keep fighting to protect its master no matter. So what does she do? Remove the statue from the fight altogether, by ''tossing it out of the Moon'' and leaving it drifting in space, giving her a clear shot to kill Toneri off.
133	* ''Fanfic/TruePotential'':
134	** During the fight between Shikamaru and Shino, Choji initially has a hard time deciding who he should be rooting for given that the Nara is his childhood best friend while the Aburame is one of his teammates. Ultimately, he decides to root for both of them to do well enough to earn their chūnin promotion.
135	** During the fight between Hinata and Neji, several Hyuga elders are watching it. One of them says that he wasn't expecting Hinata to be a match for Neji given that the latter is supposed to be the best of the best of this generation. Another says it's almost insulting that Hinata hasn't won already given that Neji is just a member of the branch house. Then, a third elder says that those comments are just a disservice to both Hinata and Neji as they "are proving to be extraordinary so far", with another elder agreeing with him.
136	* ''Fanfic/{{What You Knead\|Naruto}}'': PlayedForLaughs when Kakashi asks his students to debate the merits of shuriken versus kunai. Naruto and Sasuke immediately take opposing viewpoints, expecting Sakura to serve as their tiebreaker, only for her to declare that ''senbon'' are the best projectile weapon. Kakashi concedes the point; her other teammates refuse to, and the ongoing debate becomes a RunningGag.
137	* ''Fanfic/WolfAndCub'': After the Kumo incident, Hiashi Hyuuga is faced with a SadisticChoice. Either hand over his brother to be killed by Kumo in his place, or let Konoha be dragged into a war that they can't afford to fight. He instead invents a political fiction that Hizashi had a psychotic breakdown, kidnapped Hinata, went missing-nin, and killed the Kumo ambassador on his way out of Konoha. That allows everyone to keep face.
138	** Later on he has to choose if his nephew Neji is going to be branded, as the elders demand, or defy tradition. He instead emotionally blackmails Asuna into making Neji his apprentice and taking him to the Twelve Ninja Guardians.
139	* ''Fanfic/YourMoveInstigatorDrawYourWeaponAndHoldYourTongue'': In the climax, Kurama offers Sakura the chance to choose which of two candidates will become his next host: [[spoiler:Minato or Danzo]]. Sakura responds that he should get to choose his own path; impressed, Kurama decides [[spoiler:to seal himself into ''her'' instead]].
140
141	[[AC:''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'']]
142	* ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust'': Due to her growing bond with Asuka and Shinji Rei considers neither [[AssimilationPlot Gendo's way nor SEELE's way]] are acceptable anymore, and she will find another way to protect her friends:
143	-->''Decision firmed in her chest. Her friends. Their love. The possibility of her own one day... They had to be protected. Rei no longer wanted to see a world where any of those things could not exist. The Commander's Scenario for Instrumentality was no longer acceptable. Nor was SEELE's. There had to be another way. And Rei would fight for that path, the path that ensured her friends would live to be happy.''
144
145	[[AC:''VideoGame/NieR'']]
146	* The overseers in ''Fanfic/TowerOfBabel'' see only two options: sacrificing half of the world to save the other half or letting everyone die. Nier and his team are determined to find a third option that doesn’t require murder. [[spoiler:They do: it’s a willing fusion between Gestalts and Replicants.]]
147
148	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'']]
149	* ''Fanfic/ABlightOnBonesborough'': When the case of BothSidesHaveAPoint dissolves into a massive argument, [[spoiler:Hunter suggests the portal key be kept in the Human Realm with someone timing when and for how long the twins and Clara cross into the Demon Realm to see Amity; that way, the key never has to enter the latter realm again (or at least until Belos is overthrown). Although everyone agrees, it's {{subverted}} when Hunter admits he only suggested it to stall for time while the sleeping nettles knocked them out.]]
150
151	[[AC:''VideoGame/Persona5'']]
152	* In the game, the rank 9 of most of the female confidants ends with either the protagonist accepting their romantic feelings for him or coldly dismissing them. ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/12591444/chapters/28678984 Confidential Confessions, A Tale of Third Choices]]'' is about the meta third option, where protagonist [[PlatonicLifePartners Akira]] reassures the girls that he'll be there to support them as a good friend.
153	* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13617561/1/lovers-is-plural lovers is plural]]'', the Phantom Thieves are [[SideBet split between the theories that their teammate Ann is dating either her best friend Shiho or her model rival Mika]]. With the bet split 50-50, they consult Morgana and Akechi. Morgana, who has a crush on Ann, suggests that she's dating neither of them. Akechi, however, analyzes the "selfies" Ann took with each girl and deduced that she's dating [[OneTrueThreesome Shiho and Mika together]].
154
155	[[AC:''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'']]
156	* ''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.]]
157
158	[[AC:''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'']]
159	* 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.
160
161	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'']]
162	* ''Fanfic/CatRa'': The story's take on the scene in "No Princess Left Behind" where Catra lets Adora go with the sword instead has Adora giving Catra the choice to come back to the Horde or leave without the sword. Catra manipulates their friendship to give Adora a hug making her think she's coming back, only to steal the sword and run.
163
164	[[AC:''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'']]
165	* ''Fanfic/ReimaginedEnterprise'': Meta-example. Many fans disliked the overly [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]-like aesthetic from the source material and most fan reimaginings give ''Enterprise'' a more [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]]-like aesthetic instead. Rather than doing this, [=BlackWave=] instead created his own 22nd-century aesthetic that's halfway between contemporary spacecraft like the Space Shuttle or Dream Chaser and TOS, logically enough.
166
167	[[AC:''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'']]
168	* ''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.]]
169
170	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'']]
171	* ''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]].
172
173	[[AC:''Franchise/TouhouProject'']]
174	* 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 way off from where they were, or having a risk of being captured for being youkai, something that could lead to all of 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.
175
176	[[AC:''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'']]
177	* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/15862719/chapters/36952671 Deliverer]]'', Aeon (Megatron's reincarnation) has to choose between leaving the former Decepticons to suffer unfair treatment from the Autobots or allowing another war to occur. He tries to invoke a third option by taking the Star Saber (believing that the Autobots will listen to him if he approaches them with the sword in hand) but only manages to summon the ghost of Optimus Prime, who, upon hearing his story, gives him the true third option by turning him into the new Prime.
178	* In [[https://eatherstar.tumblr.com/post/627173496769871872/you-miserable-cretin-theyre-nesting-in-my this]] fan comic, Starscream and Thundercracker demand that Skywarp help them settle an argument about which is better -- cats or dogs? Skywarp chooses bees.
179

Context TakeAThirdOption / FanWorks