History Main / TakeAThirdOption

* [[TakeAThirdOption/AnimatedFilms Film -- Animated]]
* [[TakeAThirdOption/LiveActionFilms Film -- Live-Action]]

* One ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' module has you breaking into a warehouse in Riddle Port in order to question the the guards. After accomplishing this and taking out all of the guards you can then loot the warehouse and find several potions and weapons. Far more than you could ever carry. Upon leaving the warehouse a group of thugs will threaten to kill you if you don't give them what you stole. You can either fight them off or hand over the goods and they will leave you alone. OR you can simply point out to them that they could just rob the currently unguarded warehouse which would take less effort while being more profitable. They're pretty stupid though so it is actually possible to fail the diplomacy check.

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': At the end of the War of the Spark lore arc, Ugin tells Jace that killing [[MultiversalConqueror Nicol Bolas]] would be futile - in the ''MTG'' universe, having a contingency to bring you back from your own death is fairly simple for even moderately-powerful wizards. What Bolas doesn't have is a contingency for being incarcerated alive in a PrisonDimension for the rest of his days.

[[folder:Web Original]]

* ''Authentic Animations'' on Website/YouTube does Let's Plays of various video games wherein he tries to complete the game without breaking any of the Ten Commandments. For example, the character must do nothing but rest on the Sabbath. In VideoGame/{{Skyrim}}, he went with Sunday, the modern standard. This had some people complaining that technically the proper Sabbath is Saturday. So for [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas Fallout: New Vegas]], he rested on Saturday. This had other people complaining in the other direction. So for VideoGame/{{Oblivion}}, he settles on ''Tuesday''.
** "I decided it's better to please none of you than just one of you."

* ''Authentic Animations'' on YouTube does Let's Plays of various video games wherein he tries to complete the game without breaking any of the Ten Commandments. For example, the character must do nothing but rest on the Sabbath. In VideoGame/{{Skyrim}}, he went with Sunday, the modern standard. This had some people complaining that technically the proper Sabbath is Saturday. So for [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas Fallout: New Vegas]], he rested on Saturday. This had other people complaining in the other direction. So for VideoGame/{{Oblivion}}, he settles on ''Tuesday''.

* Wiki/{{Uncyclopedia}} insists that in a dilemma of two options, there is always a third option... [[http://uncyclopedia.ca/wiki/Cake cake.]]

* Website/NobodyHere: "[[https://nobodyhere.com/justme/pet.here Pet]]" has a chicken and a frog fighting to see which one Jogchem will get as a pet. Regardless of who wins, Jogchem will decide to get a plant instead.

* {{TakeAThirdOption/Webcomics}}

* The song "Two Gunslingers" by [[Music/TomPetty Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers]] is about two wild west fighters who were about to face each other in a duel in the town square for spectators' amusement (and money most likely) but when it came down to it they took a third option and neither of them was shot nor killed. A rare example of the trope because the third option in this case was basically just stating loud and clear what one wants and then getting mutual consent - and that is not to fight.

* The song "Two Gunslingers" by [[Music/TomPetty Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers]] is about two wild west fighters who were about to face each other in a duel in the town square for spectators' amusement (and money perhaps) but when it came down to it they took a third option and neither of them was shot nor killed. A rare example of the trope because the third option in this case was basically just stating loud and clear what one wants and then getting mutual consent - and that is not to fight.

* The song "Two Gunslingers" by "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers" is about two wild west fighters who were about to duel each other but when it came down to it they took a third option and neither of them was shot nor killed. A rare example of the trope because the third option in this case was basically just stating loud and clear what one wants and then getting mutual consent - that is not to fight.

* When WebVideo/TheUnluckyTug reaches the #2 spot in "EVERY Thomas Movie Ranked", he builds up suspense about which order ''WesternAnimation/BlueMountainMystery'' and ''WesternAnimation/SodorsLegendOfTheLostTreasure'' will go in... then says they both share the #1 spot.

** There are two ''Webcomic/HeroOfThreeFaces'' strips in which [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]] tries it on [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Lt. Data]] ([[http://www.arthurkingoftimeandspace.com/3faces/abigb.htm before]] and [[http://www.arthurkingoftimeandspace.com/3faces/abihb.htm after]] he gets [[Film/StarTrekGenerations his emotion chip]]), and Data comes up with a third option both times.

[[caption-width-right:186:[-[[https://web.archive.org/web/20180405060756/http://hilarity.chickennation.com/index.php?start=15 Source]]-]]]

* The gameplay of ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' doesn't usually allow this, but one scene has Yuri and Natsuki arguing over whose writing style is better, eventually asking the protagonist to settle the issue. The player can choose to side with one girl or the other, or they can ask Sayori for help.

** ''Recap/HomestarRunnerTheHouseThatGaveSuckyTreats'':

** ''Recap/HomestarRunner3TimesHalloweenFunjob'' revisits giving three possible treats for one scene. You can give Swedish Fish, Delicious "Bag" or Zagnut to Coach Z and Bubs. You could also give them neither, and they will leave. [[SecretCharacter Stinkoman]] will then show up at your doorstep.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Fate}}'' puts this in the game's mechanics in the ''Fate Horror Tookit.'' The GM has the option of giving the players a "Climactic Dilemma" where they have to choose between two unpalatable options to resolve the horror. If the group attempts a third option to avoid both bad choices, the difficulty is automatically raised by three to four points and failure brings much greater consequences than normal.

* The lyric "who'd you rather be: Music/TheBeatles or Music/TheRollingStones?" from Music/{{Metric}}'s "Gimme Sympathy" is a question Music/LouReed asked Emily Haines. Her response: Music/TheVelvetUnderground.

* ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'': In Act 3, Scene 1, the Prince of Verona listens to the Montagues and the Capulets after Romeo fatally stabs Tybalt. Lady Capulet demands that Romeo be executed because he committed cold-blooded murder. Lord Montague professes that Romeo acted justly because Tybalt previously killed Mercuito. The prince's third option is subjecting Romeo to exile from Verona with the threat of a death penalty if he comes back.

* A meta example in ''Roleplay/WarhammerFantasyDividedLoyalties'' during the expedition to Karag Dum, after the characters discover the Chaos God Slaanesh is using the power of the leylines to keep [[spoiler:Karak Vlag]] suspended in the Aether. The QM, Boney, presented vote options that would have either scuttled the Karag Dum Expedition and gather tons of experts to try and save [[spoiler:Vlag]], or to abandon [[spoiler:Vlag]] to its fate and continue to Dum. The players voted instead to the next waystone upstream on the layline and [[CutTheJuice turn it off]], resulting in [[spoiler:Karag Vlag]] popping out of the Aether in a few days rather than the months the first option would have required.

* [[YourMom Yo momma]] is so stupid, she took the Pepsi Challenge and chose Jif. [[labelnote:explanation]] The Pepsi Challenge was a famous taste test between two unlabeled sodas, Coke and Pepsi. Around that time, Jif ran a similar taste test against another peanut butter brand. [[/labelnote]]

* Said lyric is taken from "The Choice Is Yours" by Black Sheep.
* In "Luigi's Ballad" by {{Music/Starbomb}}, [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Princess Peach]] is presented with choosing between the somewhat-risque Mario, or the more emotional Luigi. [[spoiler: She ends up choosing Toad, because "his whole body is shaped like a dick", to which both Mario and Luigi concur.]]
* In the folk ballad, "Thomas the Rhymer" the Queen of Elfland notes the road to Heaven is overgrown with briers and the road to Hell is broad and even. On the other hand there is the narrow, winding, and/or hidden (depending on the version of the ballad) that goes to fair Elfland .... which is where the Queen of Elfland takes Thomas.