Playing With / Friend-or-Idol Decision

Basic Trope: Save the treasure or save your loved one.

• Straight: Bob is within inches of the Horn of Plenty, but at that moment, an earthquake cracks the floor, and the horn and his best friend Charlie both fall into it, far enough apart that Bob can only grab one.
• Exaggerated: Bob is inches from the entire world's wealth, but an earthquake cracks the floor, and everyone he ever loved falls in it, making him choose between the two.
• Downplayed: Bob is being pressured to stop being friends with Charlie by the members of a prestigious organization. He might still get in if he's friends with Charlie, but they won't let him reach the upper levels.
• Justified: Bob has caught the attention of an Aesop Enforcer, who specifically sets up the situation to force him to choose between his obsession and his friend.
• Inverted:
  • A representative of Bob's obsession fights Charlie to decide which one Bob can have.
  • Bob needs to choose whether let his dangerous archenemy live or leave an Artifact of Doom intact.
  • Bob is the one in danger, and has to either give Charlie his other hand or reach for the Horn of Plenty, which risks him falling.
• Subverted:
  • It looks as though Bob can only grab one of the two before they fall...but Bob uses his whip to grab the Horn while pulling Charlie up with the other hand.
  • Alternately, Charlie decides it's imperative Bob gets the Horn of Plenty no matter what, and so willingly lets himself fall so there's no choice but for Bob to grab it.
  • It at first it seems that Bob must either decide of grabbing the Horn of Plenty or Charlie. However, as a dark twist, the ground shifts, pulling them both far apart from Bob so Bob could save neither.
• Double Subverted: But then the guardian of the cave turns up to get back the Horn. Bob can give it to her or risk himself and Charlie being killed trying to keep it.
• Parodied: Bob says that it's obvious which one he should save, and steps on top of Charlie's shoulders to retrieve the Horn.
• Zig Zagged: ???
• Averted:
  • There is no need for Bob to choose between Charlie and the Horn of Plenty.
  • Bob is forced to save both Horn of Plenty and Charlie to avoid a disaster.
• Enforced: The executives want to do a story about family vs. materialism, and this makes a good climactic scene.
• Lampshaded: "The treasure or my friend, and I can only save one..."
• Invoked: Emperor Evulz, irritated with having been beaten by Bob, sets up a situation where he'll either lose the item he wanted or his friend, but either way he'll lose something.
• Exploited: ???
• Defied:
  • Bob is Crazy-Prepared and has planned for whatever circumstances could potentially lead to having him choose between the treasure or Charlie, avoiding sacrifice.
  • Bob decides to Take a Third Option: Let Charlie grab the treasure so Bob can save both him and it.
• Discussed: ???
• Conversed: "Oh, here we go, the old 'save the treasure or save your friend' bit. How long has that been in the movies?"
• Implied: Bob returns from the journey with either the treasure or Charlie, and he doesn't go into detail on what happened.
• Deconstructed:
  • Bob chooses Charlie, but Charlie feels he denied his best friend something important and decides their friendship is holding Bob back too much, causing them to part ways.
    • Alternatively, Charlie had been prepared to die for this journey and is upset that Bob rendered their efforts All for Nothing, ending their friendship.
  • Bob chooses the treasure, but feels severe guilt over having to abandon Charlie, causing him to feel the treasure was not worth the sacrifice.
• Reconstructed:
  • That "something important" turns out to be Bob's friendship with Charlie.
  • Charlie already told Bob that he's on his own and that the treasure was calling for Bob more than it was calling for Charlie.
• Played for Laughs: ???
• Played for Drama: ???

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