Basic Trope: A character's love for another is ignored or unrequited because they're already in a relationship and/or it's not possible for them to reciprocate.
- Straight: Alice is in love with Bob, who is already in a relationship with Claire and does not notice Alice's feelings.
- Exaggerated: Alice sends lots of love letters, chocolates, and flowers to Bob every day, despite him being married to Claire, and he is completely oblivious to this.
- Downplayed: Alice seems to like Bob, while he seems to prefer Claire, but nothing is outright stated.
- Justified:
- Bob considers Alice to be like a sister to him, not a love interest.
- Bob is simply Happily Married or likes Claire more.
- Inverted: Alice despises Bob and tries to get him to be her arch-nemesis, but he doesn't notice this and doesn't hold any ire towards Alice.
- Subverted: At first, it seems like Bob doesn't like Alice, but then we find out he does and he was dating Claire under false pretenses...
- Double Subverted: ...then he reveals that he really didn't like Alice and gets back together with Claire.
- Parodied: Alice is in love with a potato, and is dejected that the inanimate tater doesn't respond.
- Zig Zagged: ???
- Averted:
- Bob and Alice are mutually in love with each other. Claire is not connected to their relationship.
- Bob and Claire are mutually in love while Alice loves Bob platonically.
- Enforced: ???
- Lampshaded: ???
- Invoked: ???
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: ???
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Deconstructed: Bob and Claire both get increasingly annoyed by Alice's obvious romantic interest in Bob. He tells her that her obvious attraction to him is not only pointless but is disrespectful towards Claire and their marriage. Alice's constant pining for a man she can never have also starts to negatively affect her well-being.
- Played For Drama: Alice is so obvious about her attraction and tries so hard to get Bob's attention, Claire starts to get paranoid there's something going on between them, which negatively affects her and Bob's relationship.
- Played For Horror: Alice becomes obsessed with Bob and the idea that they are 'meant' to be together, while also growing increasingly resentful of his relationship with Claire. She eventually decides to resort to violence (either towards Claire, Bob, or both).
Back to Hopeless Suitor.
