'''Basic Trope''': A character who acts as a secondary LoveInterest to one of the main characters in order to create tension and difficulty between two {{Love Interest}}s.
* '''Straight''': Bob is in love with Alice, but Alice already has a boyfriend, Charles. From the outset, Charles is depicted as an unsuitable match for Alice, but Alice is hesitant to leave Charles for Bob, providing drama. Inevitably she does choose Bob, or something happens to Charles.
* '''Exaggerated''':
** Bob is in love with Alice, but Alice is married to Charles, an abusive, violent drunk. It is clear that Bob is a better match for her than Charles, but Alice refuses to leave Charles.
** Alice and Charles are comically mismatched to a degree where it is patently obvious that their relationship is doomed to failure.
* '''Downplayed''': Bob and Charles are both suitable for Alice, and Alice has only a slight preference for Bob, so it isn't clear from the start that Alice will end up with Bob, unless [[AllThereInTheManual you already know that]] AliceAndBob are the OfficialCouple.
* '''Justified''':
** Alice and Charles were an item long before Bob entered the picture, and despite her feelings for Bob Alice feels that she cannot simply end her relationship with Charles so suddenly after all they've been through together.
** Charles, like Bob, is a decent man and a reasonably good match for Alice, and she does care for him.
** Alice doesn't really want to be with Charles in the first place, but her friends and family have sort of thrown the couple together and are pressuring her to remain with him.
* '''Inverted''':
** Charles, a minor character, is constantly trying to come between Alice and Bob, a HappilyMarried couple, because he sees himself as being a better match for Alice than Bob is.
** [[PreviouslyOverlookedParamour Charles turns out to be Alice's true love, whose eligibility she had previously not considered]].
* '''Subverted''':
** Alice comes to realize that Charles is actually the better man, not Bob; she stays with Charles.
** Alice rejects both Bob and Charles.
** Since Alice wants to be with Bob but can't bring herself to leave Charles, [[MarryThemAll they make an odd compromise and decide to form a threesome.]]
* '''Doubly Subverted''':
** After making this decision, Alice realizes that Charles has been keeping things from her that change the way she looks at him; she ends up with Bob after all.
** Charles [[DerailingLoveInterests suddenly reveals a nasty side]] that convinces Alice to dump him for Bob.
** (Following the threesome example) But Charles is jealous that Alice gives Bob more affection than she shows him, and decides he wants out.
* '''Parodied''': Charles is a licensed "couple disturber".
* '''Zig Zagged''': Alice and Bob are with different people every week; some of them are improvements on Bob/Alice, some of them are about equal, others are completely mismatched.
* '''Averted''':
** There's no LoveTriangle; just Bob and Alice.
** Alice sees Bob and Charles as equals, so there's no telling who she'll end up with, and no supplementary material that mentions AliceAndBob as the OfficialCouple.
* '''Enforced''': The writers want to create some romantic tension in order to prevent Bob and Alice hooking up too easily, and throw in a third character to make this happen.
* '''Lampshaded''': "It's like Charles just exists to get in between me and Alice!"
* '''Invoked''': Charles intentionally hooks up with Alice because he knows that Bob is secretly in love with her and wants to spite him.
* '''Exploited''': ???
* '''Defied''': Because EveryoneCanSeeIt between Alice and Bob, Charles decides not to involve himself with Alice.
* '''Discussed''': "Geez, I was sure that Bob and Alice were going to hook up before Charles showed up." "They may yet; I'm not sure how much longer Alice is going to put up with Charles' jerkiness. Plus, I hear he's been seeing Justine on the side."
* '''Conversed''': "Oh look, it's the character who just exists to delay the OfficialCouple getting together for a while. Let me know when she dumps him, will you?"
* '''Deconstructed''':
** Alice is an immensely poor judge of character to stay for so long with Charles, a man who is so obviously a poor match for her; so much so that it's questionable that Bob is not in fact better off without her.
** Charles is a decent man, and in trying to break up his and Alice's relationship for his own selfish desires Bob is actually the lesser man.
** Charles is a decent man, but Alice just doesn't feel it with him. However, Charles is still in love with Alice, so, when Alice breaks it off with Charles to be with Bob, Charles becomes a broken man, and never finds true happiness ever again.
* '''Reconstructed''':
** Alice is well aware that Charles is a terrible match for her, but feels hamstrung by her own feelings of loyalty, guilt and the pressures of others.
** Bob realizes that Charles is a decent man and, not wishing to ruin his and Alice's happiness, withdraws from the contest for her heart [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy to ensure her happiness]]. It is this act of nobility that convinces Alice that she would be happiest with Bob after all.
* '''Played For Laughs''': Charles is a gloriously stupid himbo who's so in love with himself that he barely notices Alice's existence. When Alice finally gets sick of him and dumps him for Bob, he's heartbroken... until he sees a gorgeous blonde walks past and immediately hits on her.
* '''Played For Drama''':
** Charles swears revenge on Alice and Bob after his rejection and begins to stalk them with violence in mind.
** Charles really loved Alice, and he becomes genuinely devastated and depressed after the break-up.
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Back to RomanticFalseLead.
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%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
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%%* '''Implied''': ???