Basic Trope: Two single characters promise to marry each other if they're still single by X age.
- Straight: Alice and Bob promise to marry each other if they're still single when they're 30.
- Exaggerated:
- Bob and Alice promise to marry each other if they're still not married after high school.
- Bob and Alice promise to get married when they turn 70.
- Downplayed: If they haven’t had their First Kisses by the time they’re 20, Alice and Bob promise to kiss each other.
- Justified:
- Alice and Bob are very fond of each other. Their feelings are mostly platonic, but they hold each other in very high regard and agree that they probably could be a fairly good couple if they tried. Neither want to ruin their chances of a better, more passion match if they can find one—but if they can't, neither wants to end up alone.
- They both had feelings for each other but didn't want to ruin their friendship or dared not tell each other. The promise was a workaround/compromise.
- Inverted:
- Alice and Bob announce that if they're still married to each other when they're 30, they'll divorce.
- Alice and Bob agree to have an affair with each other if one of them ever gets married.
- Subverted: Alice and Bob promise to marry each other when they're 30, but it's clear they're joking.
- Double Subverted: ...but when they're still single at 40, they decide to go through with it.
- Parodied: ???
- Zig Zagged: ???
- Averted: No promise is made.
- Enforced: "We need some Unresolved Sexual Tension between these characters and stat! Let's have them promise to marry!"
- Lampshaded: ???
- Invoked: Bob and Alice were both at Charles' wedding, when they realized they were both alone...
- Exploited: Alice or Bob uses the other's loneliness to browbeat them into making a marriage promise.
- Defied: "I'm sorry, no way in hell would I agree to that. Are you stupid?"
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Played For Drama: Alice and Bob go through with their wedding plan, and both end up unhappy for it.
Back to Fallback Marriage Pact. If you're still alone at 30, you should go back there with me...
