History Main / EverythingButTheGirl

This is a subtrope of SweetAndSourGrapes. Compare with ComesGreatResponsibility; contrast DidNotGetTheGirl. Nothing to do with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_but_the_Girl the English band from the 1980s and 1990s.]]

** Robert Baratheon went to war against the Mad King to rescue his beloved Lyanna Stark (among other reasons). When the dust finally settled, Robert has become king and commanded all of the Seven Kingdoms, but Lyanna died regardless. He makes it no secret that he is bitter about winning a crown he never wanted and [[LostLenore losing a girl he did]], going so far as to say that the man who kidnapped her (who Robert killed in a battlefield duel) won by joining Lyanna in death. In an interesting twist, it's made increasingly clear that while Robert may or may not have "loved" Lyanna, he never really ''knew'' her, and their potential married life would likely have been unhappy.

* In a somewhat similar case, this is subverted in ''SoonIWillBeInvincible'', insofar as [[spoiler:getting the girl is the only thing Dr. Impossible ''does'' manage to succeed at]]... although he doesn't realize it.

-->-- '''DonMcLean''', ''Everybody Loves Me, Baby''

* In a comic where they meet for the first or the nearly first time, CaptainAmerica [[SherlockScan evaluates]] [[SpiderMan Spider-Man]] and concludes that the kid is serious about what he's doing. He didn't sign up to impress the girls. Spidey tells him that the girls he knows would need ''way'' more to be impressed.

* This is what triggers Hal's FaceHeelTurn as "Titan" in ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}''; he only agreed to the premise of becoming a superhero on the assumption that, as Metro City's newest protector, [[IntrepidReporter Roxanne]] would [[EntitledToHaveYou have to fall for him]], and [[PsychopathicManchild when he]] [[AxeCrazy found that]] [[IfICantHaveYou this wasn't]] [[{{Yandere}} the case]]...

* Possibly one of the most [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming touching]] [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome musical]] examples: "[[TearJerker Man of the World]]" by [[TheWoobie Peter]] [[Music/FleetwoodMac Green]].

* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' -- In a villainous variation of this trope, [[Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh Gilgamesh]] was quite literally said to have owned everything there was to own, but still pursued Saber madly in his own [[AttemptedRape sick]] [[AxeCrazy twisted]] fashion.
** Oh, and no he does not learn to use his power to help people. He, instead, tries to kill Saber's love interest (Shirou, the main character), and corrupt Saber with All The Evils Of The World. Saber [[spoiler: ends his madness by cutting him in half with an [[WaveMotionSword Excaliburst]].]]

* In the story of FinalFantasyTactics, this is the fate that befalls [[spoiler: Delita]], the clearest winner of the convoluted plots and stacked betrayals. In the process of becoming king despite being a commoner he manages to backstab and betray so many people that [[spoiler:his queen Ovelia, who is probably the only person who he knows is alive that he cares about, feels she was just one more part of his manipulations, tries to kill him and gets killed by him defending himself on instinct. He is left holding her body, wondering what the point of all his plotting was and if this all that it amounted to.]]

** Amusingly inverted in the episode featuring Norm the Magic Genie, whose wishes ''can'' affect love, but Timmy words the wish just wrong and every other "Timothy Turner" in the world gets Trixie's love except him.

** He was slow on the draw with Cordelia, as well. She packed off and left with the Groolalugg, another superhuman warrior who ''isn't'' allergic to sunlight.

* In the story of FinslFantasyTactics, this is the fate that befalls [[spoiler: Delita]], the clearest winner of the convoluted plots and stacked betrayals. In the process of becoming king despite being a commoner he manages to backstab and betray so many people that [[spoiler:his queen Ovelia, who is probably the only person who he knows is alive that he cares about, feels she was just one more part of his manipulations, tries to kill him and gets killed by him defending himself on instinct. He is left holding her body, wondering what the point of all his plotting was and if this all that it amounted to.]]

[[AC:Films -- Live-Action

** Also, in a more twisted example, resident [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] Petyr Baelish rose from a poor lord laughed at by everyone to an incredibly influential politician with all the wealth he could want, but not the girl he [[StalkerWithACrush was interested in]] when he was fifteen [[spoiler: who's now dead, although he's acquired a ReplacementGoldfish in the form of her (barely) teenage daughter Sansa.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'': Magic can never interfere with true love, so Timmy still hadn't gotten Trixie to fall for him.

*** Actually, Timmy was about to get his turn when, in order to rescue his Fairy Godparents, he made Norm undo all his wishes.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

* This is what triggers Hal's FaceHeelTurn as "Titan" in ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}''; he only agreed to the premise of becoming a superhero on the assumption that, as Metro City's newest protector, [[IntrepidReporter Roxanne]] would [[EntitledToHaveYou have to fall for him]], and [[PsychopathicManchild when he]] [[AxeCrazy found that]] [[IfICantHaveYou this wasn't]] [[{{Yandere}} the case]]...

* The movie ''OtherPeoplesMoney'' ended on a bittersweet note, as Larry had to live with the fact that being the best at what he does, and staying true to his unorthodox but sincere sense of ethics, had brought him resounding success as always, but at the same time driven away his love interest. It's an unusual and thoughtful way to leave off. It should be noted, however [[spoiler:that the last lines of the film imply that Larry and Kate will end up together, and in the original play, it is explicit that they eventually marry and have children]].
* ''WhatWomenWant'' -- Telepathy that only works on females. Something of an aversion: it really does help him in as much as it reveals enough of her inner-self that he falls for her, but then he feels too guilty to abuse his power in order to win her heart or bed her (which backfired when he ''did that'' with the coffee-shop girl who subsequently became obsessed with him because the telepathy made him so damn good in bed).

* ''TheFairlyOddparents'': Magic can never interfere with true love, so Timmy still hadn't gotten Trixie to fall for him.

* ''[[FateStayNight Fate/Stay Night]]'' -- In a villainous variation of this trope, [[Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh Gilgamesh]] was quite literally said to have owned everything there was to own, but still pursued Saber madly in his own [[AttemptedRape sick]] [[AxeCrazy twisted]] fashion.

* In ''[[TheSpellCastingSeries Spellcasting 101]]'', Ernie manages to score with several women during his adventures. Ultimately, the one he does ''not'' manage to impress is his true love.

* The original RankinBass ''JackFrost'' special falls neatly into this trope as a very literal example.

* Robert Baratheon of ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' went to war against the Mad King to rescue his beloved, Lyanna Stark. When the dust finally settled, Robert has become king and commanded all of the Seven Kingdoms, but Lyanna had died regardless. He made it no secret that he was bitter about a crown he never wanted and a girl he had lost.
** Also, in a more twisted example, resident [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] Petyr Baelish rose from a poor lord laughed at by everyone to an incredibly influential politician with all the wealth and respect he could want, but not the girl he [[StalkerWithACrush was interested in]] when he was fifteen [[spoiler: who's now dead, although he's acquired a ReplacementGoldfish in the form of her (barely) teenage daughter Sansa.]]

* Possibly one of the most [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming touching]] [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome musical]] examples: "[[TearJerker Man of the World]]" by [[TheWoobie Peter]] [[FleetwoodMac Green]].

* This is Strahd von Zarovich's big Dark-Powers-dispensed curse in {{Ravenloft}}, in that he is an absurdly powerful ruler in his own domain, but the woman he did all those horrible acts that got him stuck there in the first place to attain is dead. And to further twist the knife, she reincarnates once every generation, but Strahd is cursed to always end up leading her to her death and making her loathe him.

* The plot of the short film [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao&hd=1 Validation]], in which the hero tries everything to get through to his love interest, to no avail. Then when he gives up things take a different turn.

* The theme for Ne-Yo's 2010 album ''Libra Scale'' is that after having saved the city, he's awarded fame, money and power but at the cost of never being able to fall in love. Not a problem until he actually falls in love with somebody.

After a few amusing incidents while the male lead gets used to his new power, he uses it to get fame, wealth, and women; EverythingButTheGirl he truly loves. Try as he might, no use of his power can win her heart.

* This one of the twists to the ending of ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay''. [[spoiler:And he doesn't even want the crown.]]

* Dream from ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' is the God of his realm, but when he fell in love with a mortal woman, their forbidden love destroyed her city. Fearing worse things, the girl denied him (thrice?) until he [[spoiler:[[WhatTheHellHero sent her to Hell. As you do.]]]]

This is a form of SweetAndSourGrapes. Compare with ComesGreatResponsibility; contrast DidNotGetTheGirl. Nothing to do with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_but_the_Girl the English band from the 1980s and 1990s.]]

This is a form of SweetAndSourGrapes. Compare with ComesGreatResponsibility; contrast DidNotGetTheGirl. Nothing to do with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_but_the_Girl the English band from the 1980s.]]

* In the original ''Film/{{Bedazzled 1967}}'', the hero's deal with the devil spectacularly fails to get him the girl of his dreams at least five times. It's only after he gets out of the deal that he can go back to being an innocent short-order cook and win her himself. In TheRemake of 2000, he ends up with a different girl than the one he was trying to get with his wishes. [[hottip:*:Since both girls are played by the same actress, presumably we're intended to believe that on some level he ''did'' actually get the girl of his dreams. Well, that, and that the second girl reveals (in the mere minutes she's seen) that her tastes are almost identical to his, as well as her quirky sense of humor.]]