Line #99 Main/FairWeatherEx


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6	Some people date/marry people for selfish and/or superficial reasons, such as [[GoldDigger money]], popularity, looks, sex, pride, etc. Many of those same people would also dump their lovers for those same reasons. And some people are so shameless and self-centered that they have no problem getting back together with someone they dumped when it's convenient for them.
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8	The romantic counterpart of the FairWeatherFriend, the Fair-Weather Ex is a character who is willing to get back together with their ex for entirely self-serving reasons. A GoldDigger who dumped their old partner for being poor or losing their money might want to rekindle the relationship when the dumpee becomes rich/regains their fortune. A shallow person who dumped someone for their looks will have no problem getting back together with the one they dumped when the latter becomes hot. A prideful person who hates the idea of their ex-lover moving on from them might want to get back together to save face.
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10	A common variation involving this trope is when a person who dumped/cheated on their old lover for someone else wanted to get back with their first lover for some reason. If the reason for choosing the second lover was due to being an "upgrade" over the first, expect them to come crawling back to the first as soon as they surpass their "replacement." If the second relationship turned out sour, they'll probably try to use their first partner as a sort of "[[OnTheRebound re-rebound]]." Expect the Fair-Weather Ex to try to paint the second partner in a bad light in order to manipulate their first into getting back together.
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12	If the other person manages to find a SecondLove, expect the Fair-Weather Ex to attempt a RelationshipSabotage. They might claim that the new partner only wants them for money, looks, status or some other superficial reason ([[{{Hypocrite}} often]] the [[PsychologicalProjection same reason the Fair-Weather Ex wants to get back together]]), claim that [[BetterPartnerAssertion the new lover is inferior]], or demand that the new lover and the ex's old partner break up. The more deranged exes might go so far as to try and {{blackmail}}, threaten, or even [[MurderTheHypotenuse kill]] the new partner.
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14	A ThrivingExCrush will sometimes have to deal with this type of character. Sometimes overlaps with EntitledToHaveYou, FairWeatherFoe, AttemptedHomewrecker, TheGrovel, and CrossingTheBurntBridge. Compare JerkWithAHeartOfJerk, FalselyReformedVillain, and BitchInSheepsClothing. Contrast PsychoEx, who is usually genuinely in love with their ex, and IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy, which a Fair-Weather Ex is unlikely to be.
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16	'''Since this trope often occurs at the end of a story, spoilers will be unmarked. You have been warned!'''
17	----
18	!!Examples:
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20	[[foldercontrol]]
21
22	[[folder:Fan Works]]
23	* ''Fanfic/ForHisOwnSake'' opens with Keitaro [[GrewASpine standing up for himself]] and [[TakeThisJobAndShoveIt quitting his job]] at the Hinata Inn, along with breaking things off with Naru for how she constantly [[DomesticAbuse abused him]]. Naru only goes along with Mutsumi's efforts to [[UnwantedAssistance "help them get back together"]] because she hopes to have a shot at giving him another NoHoldsBarredBeatdown. In the final chapter, Naru tries to hook back up with him not because she's had any kind of change of heart, but because Granny Hina finally cut her off, and [[KarmicShunning her family cut her out of their lives]] after how she [[CrossingTheBurntBridge torched all of]] ''[[CrossingTheBurntBridge those]]'' [[CrossingTheBurntBridge bridges]] as well. Naturally, Keitaro rejects her, spurring the SpoiledBrat to throw one last fit about not getting her way.
24	** Notably, the one thing Keitaro and Naru had agreed on before this was that ''neither'' wanted to get together, with Naru repeatedly telling Granny Hina and Mitsumi to [[UnwantedAssistance stop trying to hook them back up]] and only working with the latter begrudgingly because she wanted to [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beat him up again]]. Her legitimately expecting him to take her back after everything she'd done and repeatedly declaring her hatred of him speaks ''volumes'' to her selfishness and entitlement. Motoko [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech outright calls her disgraceful]] for having the nerve to ask him to take her back [[TheUnapologetic while refusing to apologize]].
25	* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/30374208 He Can Only Blame Himself]]'': After three years together, Marinette's relationship with Adrien comes crashing down when she catches her cheating on her with Lila ''in her apartment'', which the EntitledBitch tries to claim as her own. Gabriel then twists the knife in her back by firing her, but when news of the breakup goes viral and public opinion sides solidly with ''her'', the ControlFreak demands that his son "fix" everything by charming his way back into her good graces. Adrien had already been BlamingTheVictim, telling himself that they might get back together after she "settled down and could be the woman he'd fallen in love with again". Tellingly, he doesn't even bother reaching out to Marinette ''directly'', contacting his cousin Felix instead and trying to convince him to have his mother Amelie fire her.
26	* ''Fanfic/MiraculousLadybugSaltShots'': PlayedWith in ''Masked Hearts''; despite dating Kagami for two years, Adrien remains convinced that he and Ladybug are "meant to be together". So much so that the moment Hawkmoth is defeated, he ''immediately'' detransforms and reveals his SecretIdentity as Chat Noir to her and a crowd full of witnesses. Including Kagami. And then asks Ladybug out again, ''in front of Kagami''. When both call him out on his utter lack of regard for his girlfriend, he hastily tries backtracking and claiming [[JustJokingJustification he was just joking]], but neither buy it for a second and [[TurnedOffByTheJerkass Kagami dumps him then and there]] [[spoiler:and proceeds to ask Ladybug out herself]].
27	* ''Fanfic/SynepeiesACollectionOfNTRConsequences'': As part of the story's {{deconstruction}} of the {{netorare}} genre, the cheating women often regret cheating on the protagonists, who, while less manly, are good, loyal, and reliable, in comparison to the antagonists, assholes whose only positive quality is being good in bed. While some of the cheating women genuinely regret what they did, others only regret doing it because it caused them to [[KarmicShunning become pariahs amongst their friends and family, meaning they have no one else to rely on]], and also [[OffendedByAnEnemysIndifference they can't stand the idea]] of their "loser" exes [[ThrivingExCrush moving on from them]].
28	* ''Fanfic/WithThisRing'': Hephaestus and Aphrodite were married at Zeus's insistence, but neither wanted to be, and Aphrodite ran off to have a long-term affair with Ares (though technically they were still married). Then [[spoiler:Hephaestus consumes the nascent God of Technology, becoming powerful enough that he defeats Zeus and takes his throne]], and suddenly Aphrodite is rushing back to her ''dear'' husband with smiles and seductive posing.
29	[[/folder]]
30
31	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
32	* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'' begins with Susan Murphy being turned into a GiantWoman on her wedding day. When she reunites with her fiancé Derek, he selfishly dumps her out of concern for his own career, leaving Susan heartbroken. At the end of the film, after Susan helps the other monsters [[spoiler: defeat Gallaxhar and]] become heroes, Derek returns and offers to take her back, though it's clear he's only interested in her newfound fame. Susan sees through it and tells him to take a hike.
33	* In ''WesternAnimation/SharkTale'', Lola dates Oscar as long as he's rich and famous. At the end of the movie when he's partnered with Sykes, made the Whale Wash more successful than it's ever been, and become who he's always wanted to be, she tries to get back with him now that he's legitimately successful.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
37	* In ''Film/LegallyBlonde'', Warner Huntington III breaks up with Elle Woods, as he thinks she's not serious enough to make his career look good. In his words, "If I want to be elected Senator by the time I'm 30, I need to marry a [[UsefulNotes/JacquelineKennedy Jackie]], not a [[Creator/MarilynMonroe Marilyn]]." This incites Elle to apply to Harvard Law and become a successful lawyer herself to win back his affections. [[spoiler:When she successfully wins a famous case whilst still a student, Warner tries to get back with Elle but by that point she's fallen in love with someone else and realises she doesn't love Warner anymore, telling him, “If I'm gonna be a partner in a law firm by the time I'm 30, I'm going to need a boyfriend who's not such a complete bonehead.”]]
38	* ''Film/AMillionWaysToDieInTheWest'': Louise breaks up with Albert at the start of the film over Albert not wanting to duel a man (considered the best shot in town) and wanting to resolve the dispute peacefully. After Albert kills the feared and deadliest outlaw Clinch Leatherwood, Louise tries to get back with Albert but is promptly rejected.
39	* ''Film/MouseHunt'': When Lars's wife April hears that Lars turned down a huge sum of money for the string factory that he and his brother Ernie recently inherited (because Lars promised his father he would never sell the factory), she kicks him out of the house. But when she hears Lars and Ernie also inherited a house that turned out to be of great value and is expected to make them both millionaires once sold, she immediately seduces Lars into taking her back again. And once the auction goes south and the house is destroyed, she promptly leaves him again.
40	* ''Film/TheUltimateGift'': Overlapping with MealTicket. Jason's girlfriend Caitlin abandons him when he asks her to pay for dinner when his account is frozen. By the end of the film, Jason has regained his wealth after CharacterDevelopment and rejects her when she tries to get back together with him after discovering this.
41	[[/folder]]
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43	[[folder:Jokes]]
44	* A well-known joke takes the form of a long letter written by the recipient's ex telling them their many (many) transgressions are forgiven, ending with "P.S. congratulations on winning the lottery".
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46
47	[[folder:Literature]]
48	* In the first book of ''Literature/TalesOfTheCity'', Mona finds out that her ex-girlfriend D'orothea has come into a fair bit of money as a model and decides to get back together with her so that she can move in with her and save money on rent. During the course of their relationship, she accidentally discovers that D'orothea, who has been working as a black model, is actually a white woman and thus ruins her modelling career, whereupon Mona quickly dumps D'orothea and moves back to Barbary Lane.
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
52	* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': In "[[Recap/TheBigBangTheoryS3E23TheLunarExcitation The Lunar Excitation]]", Penny drunkenly asks her ex Leonard to have angry sex with her since she feels he has "destroyed my ability to tolerate idiots". As a DoggedNiceGuy, he agrees. When she regrets it in the morning, he gets upset that she essentially used him for sex instead of genuinely wanting to get back together, so he tries to have meaningless sex with his ex, Leslie Winkle, and then again with Penny, to get over it. Both have the common sense to reject him.
53	* ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'': "[[Recap/TheBrittasEmpireS3E5SexLiesAndRedTape Sex, Lies and Red Tape]]" introduces Michael T. Farrell III, Laura's RichBastard husband, who has been separated from her for two and a half years after she caught him cheating on her. He reveals that he wants to get back together with her, his reasoning being that she needs to have a child as his father (who hasn't been told that they're separated) will wipe him out of the will if she doesn't do so. Laura, understandably, refuses. However, in "[[Recap/TheBrittasEmpireS4E6ShallWeDance Shall We Dance?]]", Michael returns now freshly broke and tries to get back together with Laura with the understanding that if he was going to survive broke, it would be with her. This time, he successfully woos Laura back, and whilst his final appearance in "[[Recap/TheBrittasEmpireS5E4TheLiesHaveIt The Lies Have It]]" has him still wanting Laura to have a child to please his father, he seems to have developed more genuine romantic feelings for her.
54	* In the series finale of ''Series/EverythingsGonnaBeOkay'', Alex, who had previously dumped Nicholas for being immature and selfish, tries to get back together with him after finding out that Nicholas is autistic because he doesn't want to look like an asshole who'd abandon an autistic boyfriend, especially one who didn't even know he was autistic until recently. Nicholas sees right through this and tells him to rack off.
55	* In the first half of season 2 of ''Series/FamilyLaw2021'', Frank tries repeatedly to get his soon-to-be-ex-wife Abby to reconcile, not because he regrets cheating on her repeatedly, but because he wants their kids to see him as the "good guy" who tried to "save" their family, whereas Abby would be the "bad guy" who "abandoned" them. After Abby calls off any further marriage counseling and serves him with divorce papers, he abandons any pretense of being a nice guy, exploiting the fact that he has temporary custody of the kids to make Abby's life miserable.
56	* ''Series/{{Monk}}'': In "[[Recap/MonkS2E7MrMonkAndTheSleepingSuspect Mr. Monk and the Sleeping Suspect]]", Sharona Fleming's ex-husband Trevor returns in order to get back with Sharona and their son Benjy. Turns out his only reason for doing this is that his uncle has removed him from his will because of his separation from Sharona; Trevor was hoping to be put back in the will if he reunited with her.
57	* In Season 4 of ''Series/TrailerParkBoys'', [[TheAlcoholic Jim Lahey]] tries to get re-married to his ex-wife Barb, the owner of Sunnyvale Trailer Park, and undergoes SanitySlippage and starts trying repeatedly to kill [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Ricky]] when he learns that Barb is planning on propose to him instead, and wants Lahey out of the trailer park. To the camera, Lahey admits that he wants to re-marry Barb so he can gain enough power to finally defeat Ricky, instead of just being a constantly thwarted alcoholic supervisor. This behaviour perfectly highlights Lahey being HisOwnWorstEnemy, because instead of being content with his assistant/boyfriend [[BigBeautifulMan Randy]], who he ''actually loves'', he'd sooner ruin his own life trying to get re-married to a woman he hates, just to get rid of a man he also hates.
58	-->'''Jim Lahey:''' [[TheyJustDontGetIt Randy just doesn't understand]]. I mean, I love him dearly, but [[RevengeBeforeReason I hate Ricky more]]. I just don't wanna put up with that prick for the rest of my life. ''(...)'' If I get to be married to Barb, I'll [[IOwnThisTown have total control of Sunnyvale]], and then I can unleash a shit-nami tidal wave that'll engulf Ricky and extinguish his shit-flames forever. And with any luck, he'll drown in the undershit of that wave. ''({{Beat}})'' ''[[BreadEggsBreadedEggs Shit-waves]].''
59	[[/folder]]
60
61	[[folder:Music]]
62	* Music/CherLloyd: In "Want U Back," part of the reason why the protagonist wants her ex-boyfriend back is that she expected him to be desperate to get her back and felt insulted that he moved on with another girl.
63	* Elle King: In the song "Exes and Ohs", the singer's exes want to get back together with her, but only because she's good in bed.
64	* Music/LukeCombs's song "When It Rains It Pours" recounts a string of good luck that starts with the singer winning $100 from a scratch-off lottery ticket at a gas station right after his girlfriend leaves him. After he's won a vacation to Panama by calling in to a radio station, though...
65	-->''She was sure real quick to up and apologize''\
66	''When she heard about my newfound luck''\
67	''On that FM dial''
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Theatre]]
71	* ''Theatre/TheVisit'': When the billionaire Claire Zachanassian visits her impoverished hometown of Guellen after decades away, the locals try to ply her for money, deploying her old ex-boyfriend Alfred to woo her. They've conveniently forgotten that she left in disgrace after he got her pregnant and disavowed her in court. [[WomanScorned She has not]], but she plays along for a bit before beginning her {{Revenge}}.
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
75	* In ''VisualNovel/RulesOfEngagement'', Katie dumps her fiance Trent after it's revealed he is cheating. However, when Katie gets a chance to inherit part of her grandmother's enormous wealth and become a multimillionaire, Trent immediately goes back to her and tries to alternately coax and trick her into marrying him.
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Web Animation]]
79	* ''WebAnimation/AoharuMangaLibrary'': One of the more common forms of female antagonists in this series. In the beginning, they callously dump Keiichi for his low-key and humble attitude, which would not give them some quick money, and hook up with a richer, more elite boyfriend. When Keiichi's hard-working attitude pays off and he gets rich, or he's revealed to be rich all along, they immediately try to hook up with Keiichi again, going so far as to dump their previous elite boyfriend (if the boyfriend is stupidly smug, then it's because the boyfriend falls into hard times when their scheme crumbles, but it's also likely that said previous boyfriend is actually a NiceGuy too, making him a sympathetic victim). Keiichi does not fall for this and rejects them without fail.
80	* ''WebAnimation/AttackOnMika'': In stories that involve the antagonist breaking up with the protagonist for being poor, the antagonist will almost always try to get back with the protagonist when the latter's income improves.
81	* ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'': [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vuD8YbXpxX0&pp=ygUXZXRyYSBjaGFuIHNhdyBpdCBhZmZhaXI%3D Akane]] abandoned her husband Kuroki and [[ParentalAbandonment daughter Tsutsuji]] to be with another man. A year later, she asks her ex-neighbor Karin to help her get back together with Kuroki, not because she regretted abandoning him and Tsutsuji but because [[IHaveNoSon her parents disowned her]], her former in-laws hate her, she's broke, and sleeping at a manga cafe. However, not only is Kuroki married to another woman, but he also wants nothing to do with Akane.
82	* ''WebAnimation/LovekoiManga'': In pretty much every story where the protagonist gets cheated on by their GoldDigger ex-girlfriend, the reason is almost always because the guy they cheated with makes more money. When the ex discovers that her old boyfriend [[RagsToRiches has become more successful]] or was SecretlyWealthy, she will offer to get back with him, only to be rebuffed by either the protagonist or his [[SecondLove new, more loyal girlfriend]].
83	* ''WebAnimation/MoniRobo'': Pretty much every episode involving the main character's cheating ex will have said ex begging to get back together for selfish reasons, such as not getting sued, [[GoldDigger the main character's money]], their new lover breaking up with them, not having anyone else to turn to, or to pay off debt. Said main character will naturally see right through them and refuse.
84	* ''WebAnimation/RefreshingStories'': Hiroshi's cheating ex-girlfriends/ex-wives almost always try to get back with him in the end, not because they feel remorse for their cheating, but because they don't want to get sued for infidelity, [[GoldDigger want his money]], or because their cheating partner turned out to be a loser.
85	* ''WebAnimation/SekaiNoFushigi'': [[RecycledPlot A common plot]] is for the Male MC's [[GoldDigger gold digging]] ex-girlfriend to dump him for a guy with more money, only to try and get back together with him when he becomes rich. Typically, the MC and/or his [[SecondLove new girlfriend/fiancee/wife]] end up [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech telling her off]] and she ends up suffering some form of humiliation for her gold-digging ways.
86	* ''WebAnimation/SparkTales'': The protagonist's cheating exes always try to get back together for selfish reasons, such as not getting sued for adultery, a desire to exploit the protagonist, having no one else to turn to, [[GoldDigger money]], or because their new relationship turned sour.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Webcomics]]
90	* ''Webcomic/CheatingMenMustDie'': An Sheng used to date Su Lüxia before pimping her out to gain an acting role. When his acting career starts tanking thanks to Su Lüxia's scheming, he assumes that the reason is that Su Lüxia is sour over him dumping her. Despite already being in a relationship with Lin Xue, An Sheng offers to get back with Su Lüxia, even telling her that he still loves her. Unfortunately for An Sheng, not only does Su Lüxia see right through him, but she also [[CaughtOnTape recorded him]] and gave the recorder to Lin Xue.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Web Videos]]
94	* ''WebVideo/AppleTexts'': Stories in which the protagonist is cheated on and/or abandoned will almost always end with the betrayer trying to get back together with the protagonist for a selfish reason.
95	** If the protagonist [[RichesToRags was once poor but became wealthy]], the [[GoldDigger antagonist]] will ask to get back together in hopes of getting money.
96	** If the antagonist broke up with the protagonist to be with someone "better", they will try to get back with the protagonist the minute their new relationship goes sour.
97	** If the protagonist was [[BestFriendsInLaw liked by their in-laws]], expect the antagonist to want to get back together with them to repair their relationship with their family.
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:Western Animation]]
101	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': Jasper and Lapis's powerful but unstable [[FusionDance fusion]] Malachite is [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a metaphor for a highly toxic relationship]]. In "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS3E15AloneAtSea Alone at Sea]]", Jasper crashes onto Lapis's boat and begs Lapis to fuse with her again, knowing that their fusion was destructive, but craving the immense power they wielded when they combined. Jasper insists she's "changed", but when Lapis (who herself has a ton of shame for how she took her anger out on Jasper via Malachite) turns her down, Jasper lashes out, making it clear she only cares about her ''own'' power and not how being Malachite made ''Lapis'' feel.
102	[[/folder]]

Context Main / FairWeatherEx