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[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/{{Superman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/not_good_with_rejection_3.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Hell hath no fury like a Queen of Almerac scorned.]]

->''"I'm not going to be ignored, Dan!"''
-->-- '''Alexandra "Alex" Forrest''', ''Film/FatalAttraction''

A character who has a crush on another character or is already with another character does not take rejection or being dumped well. It is their BerserkButton or {{Tearjerker}} button.

Turns out LoveMakesYouCrazy and LoveMakesYouEvil especially if that love goes unrequited.

May or may not be because of a character being arrogant and considering it a blow to their {{Pride}} to be turned down.

Sometimes a character may not have any feelings at all towards the person who rejected them but they may still get pissed off and torment the character as a result of the rejection, maybe even becoming TheRival.
May or may not result in AttemptedRape, {{Blackmail}}, SelfHarm, or even worse. May occur in a VillainousCrush or WeCanRuleTogether scenario.

Mild cases of this are often a prerequisite to LadykillerInLove scenario when TheCasanova falls in love ''because'' [[ILoveYouBecauseICantControlYou the woman rejected all his advances]], leaving him baffled and disoriented by the new experience.

Stalkers are usually unsympathetic whereas this can be sympathetic; the one who cannot handle rejection may just commit {{Seppuku}} or join the LegionOfLostSouls whereas a StalkerWithACrush will continue pursuing in ways harmful to the supposed beloved. Sometimes the person who doesn't like rejection will not take cheating well either.

Sometimes the rejected character will try to make the object of their affection take back the rejection or love them, by force. Sometimes the character may be so delusional that they misconstrue their loved one's actions as being rejection.

A character could have an attachment to the person who rejected them that is platonic, familial, antagonistic, sexual, or romantic in nature.

See also CrazyJealousGuy, ClingyJealousGirl, SpurnedIntoSuicide, PleaseDontLeaveMe, DesperatelyCravesAffection, IfICantHaveYou, and MurderTheHypotenuse.

Compare WomanScorned, PsychoExGirlfriend. Compare/Contrast MadLove where the rejected person doesn't always mind being rejected and continues to pursue the object of their affection anyway. Contrast UnnecessarilyCruelRejection, where the rejector is the one who goes to far.

A subversion of this can be when the subject doesn't take well to being turned down initially[[labelnote:*]]As in, their reaction was [[AxCrazy to chase the one who rejected them with a meat cleaver]] [[IfICantHaveYou and almost kill them]][[/labelnote]], but later eases up and becomes a {{Dogged Nice G|uy}}irl.

Sometimes if the rejected character has their limits they'll eventually give up on their love for the person who rejected them.

If the rejected character is sympathetic this could result in LoveHurts and makes them a HopelessSuitor. Could also result in revealing the HiddenDepths of a character. This trope could also enforce a character's StepfordSnarker or StepfordSmiler qualities.

Could be PlayedForLaughs with the rejected character sitting in a CornerOfWoe, releasing OcularGushers, or GivingUpTheGhost. Can also be played for {{Melodrama}} with the character coming across as excluding {{Wangst}}.

The rejected character may also believe that they are EntitledToHaveYou. This trope can overlap with ButNotTooChallenging if a person who enjoys the idea of wooing or winning someone over gets mad at the idea of someone rejecting them rather than eventually falling for them.

The character may be angry at rejection but not from a person in regards to having their affections, but in regards to claiming something for themselves that the character who rejected them owns.

There's a fundamental difference in character & story, depending on whether the rejected party:
* Becomes AxCrazy[=/=]StalkerWithACrush[=/=]{{Yandere}} with [[IfICantHaveYou murderous]] [[MurderTheHypotenuse tendencies]]
* Becomes [[HeroicBSOD depressed]], crosses the DespairEventHorizon, [[SpurnedIntoSuicide becomes suicidal]].
* Becomes the more mild DoggedNiceGuy[=/=]DoggedNiceGirl, or goes the IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy route.
* [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty Tries to force heroine/hero to marry them or makes advances on them]].
* Seeks {{revenge}} on the one who rejected/dumped them as a WomanScorned (this is ''especially'' common for ex-girlfriends or ex-wives done wrong).
* Undergoes a FaceHeelTurn or a HeelFaceTurn.
* Displays AttentionWhore behavior
* [[OperationJealousy Dates/sleeps with someone else to get their beloved to notice them]]
* [[SexForSolace Finds solace in another person's arms to try to get over the rejection]]
* Gives up on their beloved for rejecting them and either never loves again or falls for someone else

'''NOTE:''' There are characters that take multiple routes.
----
!!Examples
[[index]]
* NotGoodWithRejection/AnimeAndManga
* NotGoodWithRejection/ComicBooks
* NotGoodWithRejection/FanWorks
* [[NotGoodWithRejection/AnimatedFilms Films — Animation]]
* [[NotGoodWithRejection/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
* NotGoodWithRejection/{{Literature}}
* NotGoodWithRejection/LiveActionTV
* NotGoodWithRejection/{{Music}}
* NotGoodWithRejection/VideoGames
* NotGoodWithRejection/WesternAnimation
[[/index]]

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* A now-infamous series of strips in the ''Franchise/MickeyMouse'' newspaper comic had Mickey attempting to commit suicide after being rejected by Minnie.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Manhwa]]
* In ''Manhwa/LetDai'', Dai ties Jaehee down to train tracks when he considers him to have spurned his love.
* ''Manhwa/ThreadsOfTime'': Sali Tayi. He explicitly tells Atan Hadas that if she runs away with Moon-Bin and doesn't marry him, he'll kill them both.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* ''Literature/BookOfGenesis'': Potiphar's wife constantly tried to seduce the young slave Joseph only to have him refuse her daily. When she made a more aggressive advancement on him, he fled and left his cloak behind. Angered by this final rejection, she made a claim that he tried to rape her, leading to him getting arrested.
* Myth/JapaneseMythology: There is a Japanese folktale concerning a woman named Kiyohime who, when rejected by the object of her affections, turns into a dragon and kills him. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyohime More information here]]. This very legend is the subject of one of [[Animation/KihachiroKawamotoShorts Kihachirō Kawamoto's shorts]].
* Myth/MesopotamianMythology: Ishtar/Inanna, Goddess of Love and War. Exemplified in ''Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh'', where her response to Gilgamesh rejecting her advances (he knew that her lovers tended to come to nasty ends) was to unleash the Bull of Heaven to destroy Gilgamesh's entire kingdom.
* ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' has Calypso who, after offering her lover Odysseus a chance to stay with her on her island forever, tries to force him to stay on her island with her after he rejects her and tries to get back to his wife at Ithaca. She eventually lets him leave because Hermes told Calypso that Zeus demands she lets Odysseus go.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* ''Series/TheMuppetShow'': Miss Piggy. Which is not a good combination with her obsessive and clingy tendencies making her try and overwhelm any man (or manly muppet) she's got an attraction to. Even when Kermit tries to let her down gently, the default response tends to be "HIIIII-''YA!''"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', Lorgar and the Word Bearers took the Emperor's [[StopWorshippingMe rejection of their worship of him]] [[KickTheDog (to the point of having the Ultramarines burn down the city they built in his honor and forcing them to kneel before him)]] so badly that they went to the opposite extreme of hating him and everything he stood for. Now the Word Bearers serve Chaos and live only to destroy everything that even reminds them of the Emperor.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/{{Medea}}'': The original WomanScorned, she killed her husband Jason's new fiancée after being dumped for her. This wasn't an attempt to win him back, however, but pure and simple revenge, particularly when she also put her children by Jason to the sword just to make him suffer all the more.
* ''Theatre/APieceOfMyHeart'': Postwar Maryjo follows Clint cross-country from Colorado to Vermont after he breaks up with her.
* ''Theatre/{{Salome}}'': After Jochanaan disgustedly rejects Salomé's advances, even going back into his prison rather than facing her, she takes the first chance she can get to take revenge on him. Things get pretty ugly after that, finally ending with [[spoiler:Salomé kissing Jochanaan's severed head]].
* ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'':
** Stanley makes it clear to his wife Stella that he absolutely will not tolerate it she ever rejects or leaves him.
** Blanche, when Mitch rejects her, starts to exhibit even more SanitySlippage.
** Blanche confesses to Mitch that once she was married to a young man, Allan Grey, whom she later discovered in a sexual encounter with an older man. Grey later committed suicide when Blanche rejected him by telling him she was disgusted with him.
* In ''Theatre/TanzDerVampire'' Herbert tries to seduce Alfred, but the latter makes it clear that he doesn't return his affections by trying to run away from him. Anyway, this doesn't stop Herbert, who gets even more clingy, aggressive and tries to bite the vampire-hunting {{Tenor Boy}}.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'':
** If the protagonist chooses one of his classmates over Johanna and Tamara, the latter girl doesn’t take it very well. She gives him the silent treatment for a couple of weeks before realizing that [[spoiler:she doesn’t get any good conversation if she’s not talking to him]].
** To Dennis, all the girls who reject him are “fucking... bitches.”
* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' has Shinji Matou. Despite his extremely off-putting personality, he is (somehow) noted to be rather popular with the girls at his school. Except for Rin Tohsaka, who repeatedly turns him down whenever he flirts with her, eventually giving up all subtlety and saying "I have zero interest in you whatsoever". [[spoiler:In "Unlimited Blade Works", when he eventually gets Rin at his mercy, he decides to punish her for rejecting him by [[AttemptedRape raping her]]. Fortunately, he is stopped before he's able to do much]].
* In ''VisualNovel/LuckyDog1'', Giulio is revealed to be a necrophiliac in his route which apparently makes his job as a ProfessionalKiller all the more enjoyable once he's finished killing his targets. After spending some time with Gian though, he can eventually decide living human companionship is preferable in the good ending and presumably stops defiling corpses after bloodshed. [[spoiler:In one of his bad endings in the spin-off ''Gian Carlo's Lucky Happy Life'' however, he crosses the MoralEventHorizon when he decides the only way [[IfICantHaveYou he can keep Gian with him]] (who has just refused his love) is by murdering him and then loving his corpse instead]].
* The main conflict in Zen's route for ''VisualNovel/MysticMessenger'' is Echo Girl, a famous Korean actress, accusing him of sexually harassing her after he politely rejected her advances in favor of the PlayerCharacter.
* Lucan from ''VisualNovel/PlanetsTheLifeOfNormalcyHasEnded'' is a NiceGuy, but he has a crippling fear of rejection. If Marin rejects him after he reveals that [[spoiler:he unintentionally brainwashed his UnwantedHarem of fangirls into loving him]], Lucan responds by [[spoiler:''intentionally'' brainwashing Marin into loving him]].
* ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'s'' [[spoiler:Arcueid]] is a [[TheBerserker pretty extreme example]] in the route that leads to [[spoiler:Ciel]]'s True Ending.
** Unfortunately, one of his other love interests, [[spoiler:Akiha]], turns out to be even worse; in [[spoiler:Kohaku]]'s route, this trait, [[spoiler:with a touch of DemonicPossession]], reaches the point where she takes over as the BigBad.
* Backstory of ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' in a nutshell, [[UnreliableNarrator at least as Beatrice tells it]] - [[BoyMeetsGirl man summons witch]], man falls in love with witch, witch doesn't love him, [[spoiler:man traps witch on island, witch dies-ish]], man can no longer see witch, man decides to [[PaterFamilicide kill entire family]] [[{{Necromantic}} in order to revive witch]] [[spoiler:(this part is not actually true, because he's been dead for almost two years before the series begins)]] and spends most of his time [[SkywardScream screaming at the sky]].
** Of course, the reason the "witch" rejected Kinzo in the first place was that [[spoiler:she was Kinzo's ''daughter'' that he had with his secret mistress, Beatrice Castiglioni, who died in childbirth. She grew to look so much like her mother that Kinzo deluded himself into thinking she was her mother's reincarnation, leading to him [[ParentalIncest raping her]] and making her pregnant]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Diego from ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' towards Jeanne. It's heavily implied that [[spoiler:he sent Jeanne on a mission he knew would result in her death when he realized that she would never love him like she loved her forest-bound boyfriend]].
* Eridan from ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' does ''not'' take Feferi, with whom he's in love, breaking off their [[MoralityChain moirallegiance]], well at all. To the point that later in the story he actually kills her when she tries to stop him from joining forces with [[BigBad Jack]]. This is also his DespairEventHorizon as, ironically, he's known as the Prince of Hope.
* In ''Webcomic/JupiterMen'', Rick can't understand why Jackie isn't interested in him at all and tries to bribe Arrio into getting into her good graces. Arrio tells him that it's her choice and that Rick should respect that. Rick responds by trying to punch Arrio, who retaliates by giving Rick a black eye.
* Ping from ''Webcomic/{{Megatokyo}}'' becomes violent when rejected, because her programmers forgot to test how she handles it in QA.
* ''Webcomic/MenageA3'' plays with the trope in various ways:
** The insanely desirable [=DiDi=] both inspires and suffers from the effect. Various guys that she broke up with are shown crying and drowning their sorrows, but it's only when she finally experiences an orgasm, with Kiley, that her own tendency to obsessive attachment kicks in. It takes Kiley insane amounts of effort to get away from her, and then, [=DiDi=] all but collapses in tears. She rather subverts the trope, though, by quickly shifting her attention to Gary, although she does claim to be doing so partly to take her mind off Kiley.
** Yuki is an egomaniac with a huge sense of entitlement and violent tendencies. Zii flees in the night because she thinks that's the only way to end their relationship, and Yuki then pursues her with scary determination. Her subsequent fixation on Gary doesn't allow much for rejection either.
** Some of the cast are usually casual about their relationships, but find specific break-ups unexpectedly hard to take: When Erik breaks up with Zii after discovering her in a lesbian orgy, Zii realizes her mistake and ends up crying into her pillow. When [[JerkAss Matt's]] actions result in Kiley breaking up with him, perhaps [[LadykillerInLove for the first time in his life]], Matt is deeply saddened over losing a girlfriend.
* The Swordmaster from ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'' tries to use this as a means to make his pupil more badass in combat. It doesn't work the way he intended.
* In ''Webcomic/OrangeMarmalade'', when a girl named [[spoiler:Yoo Chae Rin]] is dumped by the vampire she considered to be her boyfriend, [[DisproportionateRetribution she declares the wish to see the entire vampire race wiped out]]. Of course, there is not much chance of a high school girl pulling genocide off, but she is able to [[spoiler:reveal the main character's vampire heritage to the entire school during a huge vampire scare, putting her and her families' lives at risk]].
* ''Webcomic/PerfectMarriageRevenge'': Doguk went on a blind date with Yura, only for him to reject her immediately afterwards, stating clearly that he only came as a favor to his mom and he has zero intentions of marrying her. Don’t ask me why, but Yura seems to believe that if she can get Doguk's engagement cancelled, he’ll completely change his mind about her.
* Subverted in ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive''. Davan's late friend Scotty committed suicide after Donna broke up with him. But a later flashback reveals that Scotty had been suffering from depression for a while before that, and the breakup, along with Davan not calling him back, was just the last straw.
* ''Webcomic/TheWordWeary'': Grace is visibly angry after Poor Trotmann rejects her offer for a date.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Paul in ''Website/ChatoyantCollege'' followed Corrie to Chatoyant College because he's Not Good With Rejection. Some acquaintances of Corrie try to help by [[spoiler:subjecting Paul to a magical restraining order. However, Corrie feels that magic should not be used to subvert someone's will so rescinds the order in Book 9. See IfICantHaveYou]].
* ''WebVideo/DeathNoteTheAbridgedSeriesKpts4tv'': Light towards L. He gleefully resumes his plan to [[spoiler:kill L]] after coming to the [[spoiler:erroneous]] [[IfICantHaveYou conclusion that L is screwing Matsuda]].

* Anne Airy from ''ItWebOriginal/DinaMarino'' does NOT take well rejection.
** When Gideon [[spoiler: left her and moved on with Dina, she does everything in her power to break them up and come back with him]].
** When Dina refuses to have sex with her, [[spoiler: she beated the shit out of Dina]].

* Shannon from ''WebVideo/EchoChamber'' in regards to Tom.
* ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dljVIx_AhBw Akamatsu]] never got over Yuri rejecting him back in college and decides to get back at her years later by sending her an invitation to his and Akane's wedding, despite not having invited her. When Yuri asks why her name is not on the guest list, Akamatsu reveals that she was never invited, and the invitation was fake. Unfortunately, this ends up backfiring on him as he gets scolded by Karin, Tokusa, Kuroki, his parents, and his future in-laws for what he did. In addition, Akane calls off the wedding and the marriage since she knows he would do the same thing to her if they ever got into a fight.
* ''WebAnimation/EveryFaggotEver'': In episode 5, the titular faggot makes a very vulgar come on to a woman whose purse he returned. Naturally, she rejects him, at which point he calls her a "friend-zoning slut" and starts protesting her.
* ''WebAnimation/HandsUpJoelG'': "Rhythm N' Ambush" has [[MsFanservice Margo]] attempting to seduce a murderous monster after her initial attempt at luring him into a trap fails, even going as far as to flash him. [[TooSpicyForYogSothoth Said monster is so repulsed by her, he vomits immediately after sniffing her]]. Furious and insulted, Margo actually gets in the monster's face and socks him right in the throat in retaliation. [[spoiler:This causes the monster to stumble and trigger the trap, which also ensnares Margo because she was too close to the monster.]]
* ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': A dubiously canon short reveals that Kitten's genocidal hatred of the Tau originates from his ex-girlfriend [[spoiler:Commander Shadowsun]] breaking up with him.
* The Joker of ''WebVideo/TheJokerBlogs'' is this towards Harley. When Harley reveals she's getting married the Joker goes even crazier than usual, [[MurderTheHypotenuse murders her fiance]] when they're at the altar, and attempts to force her to love him.
* ''WebVideo/McJuggerNuggets'':
** Mrs. Ridgway isn't open to the possibility of rekindling her marriage with Jeffrrey, so what does he do? Throw his ex-wife's things out the door and crushes her computer with a log splitter. Also counts as DisproportionateRetribution. This part of his personality is again shown when he tries to win Mrs. Ridgway back by giving her flowers, but she rejects his approach, telling him, "IT'S OVER!", so he destroys her store.
** Uncle Larry once dated Melissa during high school. While Larry broke up with Melissa, the latter did not take it so well and still holds the grudge to this day.
* It only takes about five episodes of firm (but reasonably kind) rejection from WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows for WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick to lose her marbles and start kidnapping him, trying to get him to love her.
* The [[http://www.quickmeme.com/Overly-Attached-Girlfriend/?upcoming Overly Attached Girlfriend]] [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/overly-attached-girlfriend Meme,]] played by the [=YouTuber=] {{Creator/Laina}}. She was merely menacing in her videos... But when she makes a cameo in other [=YouTubers=]' videos, she becomes outright crazy, such as when [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg6iMDfOl9E Jimmy tries to break up with her.]] And then, she misunderstood WebVideo/ShaneDawson and believed that he was having an orgy without her... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k8DCA8qqMI That didn't end well.]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': During episode 11 of Volume 3 Blake's former partner (and implied lover) Adam, who has gone full {{yandere}} over her perceived betrayal of him, promises that he'll destroy everything she loves in retaliation. Not a second after saying this he decides to start with her and when Blake stands in Adam's way [[spoiler:after he [[AnArmAndALeg slices off Yang's arm]]]] he asks [[WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou why she has to hurt him]] in a tone dripping with resentment.
* ''WebAnimation/SekaiNoFushigi'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwBKPOSJ5Q0 Haruto]] rejected Dadako, the CEO's daughter who has a crush on him. She didn't take it well and got her dad to bully Haruto. He couldn't take the abuse and quit with another employee who was Dadako's cousin who also disliked her.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Creator/VincentVanGogh: Among the numerous things Vincent did when he was rejected or to try to prevent rejection, he cut off part of his ear and held his hand over an open flame.
* There are some stories in the news where someone violently lashes out at someone for turning them down. For example, there was a high school student who killed a girl because she turned down his invitation to go to the prom with him.
* People with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be the subject to this. Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria can be a part of the condition. This means that rejection of any sort can psychically hurt, and is much more painful for people that are not subject to it. This usually means that people with it [[ExtremeDoormat Become determined to please everyone so they won't feel the pain.]] Or they [[StoppedCaring don't even bother attempting anything that could lead to rejection.]]
* The 2014 Isla Vista killings in Santa Barbara, California, perpetuated by incel misogynistic terrorist Elliot Rodger were caused by his perceived notions of rejection concerning women and finding a relationship.
[[/folder]]
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