Sandbox / Aint Too Proud To Beg Wick Check

Basic issues: This has been an issue for a while, but Opposite Tropes is pretty careful with the tropes that do contrast Ain't Too Proud to Beg in regards to constraints of Drive-By Editors that may or may not have previously done a wick check on the trope. It's hard to refute Defiant to the End and Face Death with Dignity when they have incomplete Playing With pages because they're pretty flexible anyway, but there are issues tied with and in addition to this trope's Playing With page rarely seeing any updates. There's also some chairsiness with the trope, which for me is really fun to explore since really, who on this site doesn't like talking about people sitting on chairs? Nevertheless, I'm done rambling (until the analysis) so here goes:

Wick check: 62/62

Results:

• 7/62 are correct (morally neutral character/hero begging for mercy on their or someone else's behalf in front of a powerful entity)
• 16/62 are villainous examples
• 8/62 are straight-up aversions (defiance of this trope and aversions are hard to distinguish between, which I get into below)
• 10/62 are just run-of-the-mill begging for something petty
• 12/62 are chairsy ("Please..." in any capacity or bargaining rather than actual begging)
• 6/62 are Z/P CE's or potholes
• 3/62 are other misuse examples (like "Don't you dare!" or demanding not to be killed)

Analysis: A lot of the tropes that also serve as deconstructions of the Ideal Hero can invariably apply to villains anyway. A good example of this is Straw Nihilist, something that's easy to take at face value because a) it's a subtrope of The War on Straw and b) the page image is call-and-response, which means that we (or in this case, only me, because TV Tropes has a mild effect on my life and whatnot) automatically think "oh, this trope could be about the Seven Deadly Sins whether or not that's what the Joker's invoking". Filling in the blanks for Ain't Too Proud to Beg is much harder since, not only is the trope applied to villains as well ad nauseam, but the current page image may not even reflect the trope (unless it's an inversion since the coyote's clearly the one in power). I blame Trope Decay overall, but even downplayed examples of the trope (like not losing composure while begging) have gone the way of the dodo in favor of more bombastic, largely incorrect examples:

Solutions:

• A hard split/Sliding Scale of begging, while making the main page itself definition-only. I think this way there can still be some examples of the trope on the scale page, but potholing can gradually go down.
• Disambiguating the trope between Backstab Backfire, Beg the Dog, Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie, Face Death with Despair, I Have a Family, No Matter How Much I Beg, Shame If Something Happened, Subterfuge Judo, "Too Young to Die" Lamentation, Villains Want Mercy, We Can Rule Together, You Wouldn't Shoot Me, etc.
• Make a definition-only page—but also an index. While I don't prefer this, I think if it goes the way of the Bishonen people will gradually catch on to the more black-and-white aspects of the trope (non-heroic examples if they're possible, mercy vs following in someone's footsteps before dying, etc).

WARNING: Endless spoilers ahead for various media

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Correct as defined above (7/62)

1. Series.Taskmaster: In "Fear of Failure", when it looks like Joe Wilkinson's impressive hole-in-one with a potato is going to be disqualified owing to an inadvertent rule violation, Joe becomes so distraught and desperate to salvage his achievement that he ends up crawling across the studio on his hands and knees to beg in front of Greg. (I think the line below cinches it, lol)
   Greg: God, I got a real sense of power for a moment then.
2. Fanfic.Hear Me Roar: A more heartwarming example. Cersei begging the Fellowship to rescue Tyrion from the Uruk-hai. It's one of the nicest things she's ever done.
3. Recap.Supernatural S 15 E 19 Inherit The Earth: After being drained of his powers and left to spend the rest of his life alone, Chuck begs the Winchesters to come back.
4. Film.Oldboy 2003: Perhaps one of the darkest versions in cinema. After learning that he was tricked into having sex with his own daughter, Dae-su breaks down, begging Woo-jin not to reveal this to her. He licks Woo-jin's shoes, promises to be his dog, and even cuts out his own tongue.
5. The Iliad: [Priam w]alks alone to the Greek camp to beg for the body of Hector. Unlike other examples, this is a positive moment.
6. Recap.Star Trek The Next Generation S 2 E 16 Q Who: Picard during his Patrick Stewart Speech at the end. (context):
   "You wanted to frighten us. We're frightened. You wanted to show us we were inadequate. For the moment, I grant that. You wanted me to say I need you. I NEED YOU!"
7. WesternAnimation.The Incredibles: Mr. Incredible begs Syndrome not to shoot down his family's airplane.

Villainous examples (16/62)

1. Film.Millers Crossing: Bernie breaks down into primal sobs and pleads for his life. It's harrowingly pathetic. And it only works once.
   Bernie: Look in ya heart... I'm praying to ya... look in ya heart...
2. Characters.Samurai Jack Enemies: [Demongo] desperately pleads for mercy and forgiveness after failing Aku. It doesn't work.
3. Characters.Shiki: In the anime, [Masao Murasako is] so terrified at the prospect of dying that he begs for help from his sister-in-law, though of course she kills him instead. It's arguably the most sympathetic he's been all series.
4. Characters.Death Note Light Yagami: In the manga ending, after being shot, Light asks Ryuk to write the names of his last enemies into his Death Note. Instead, Ryuk writes Light's own name into the book and shows it to him.
5. Recap.Buffy The Vampire Slayer S 6 E 20 Villains: Warren begs Willow to let him live and go to jail instead of killing him. It doesn't work.
6. Fanfic.In With The Old Out With The New: Kano (context: Sonya's kidnapper, torturer and rapist) begs for mercy. Sonya, understandably, isn't offering any.
7. Characters.The Dresden Files Chicago PD And FBI: [Jerome Rudolph d]esperately begs for his life after Harry comes after him for killing Murphy in Battle Grounds.
8. Characters.Ratchet And Clank Villains: As [Emperor Nefarious is] being dragged into a rift by a kraken, he begs Dr. Nefarious to save him, tempting him with We Can Rule Together. His counterpart shares some choice words before kicking him to his fate.
   Emperor Nefarious: Please! We — we can win this together!
   Dr. Nefarious: What do you know about winning?
9. Characters.Beauty And The Beast: No one begs for his life like Gaston! Despite his goading the Beast to fight him, once the Beast gains his Heroic Second Wind and holds Gaston over the castle rooftop Gaston pathetically begs The Beast to not hurt him saying he'll do anything The Beast wants.
10. Characters.The Legend Of Zelda C Di Games: Upon being caught by King Harkinian, [Onkled] tries to beg for mercy.
11. Characters.Book Of Esther: When [Haman] realizes his goose is cooked he immediately starts begging for his life.
12. Characters.X Men Arakko: [Tarn the uncaring] begs for his life and seemingly starts to surrender when Magneto is about to kill him. It doesn't work.
13. Characters.Hitman 2016 Elusive Targets: While [The Guru is] initially calm when telling Keith not to trust Katherine, the moment she threatens to block Keith's access to his trust fund, he starts panicking and shows his true colors when trying to convince Keith to stay with him.
14. Characters.Far Cry 1: In the PC version, once [Agent Doyle is] mortally wounded by Jack he resorts to begging for his life.
15. NightmareFuel.Death Battle: The noises Homelander makes when Omni-Man tears his jaw are absolutely chilling. He screams in raw, genuine terror, but the sounds of his screams are muffled and distorted by his utter lack of lower jaw, and it very clearly sounds like he's desperately begging for his life in his final moments.

Aversions (8/62)

1. WesternAnimation.Gargoyles: David Xanatos is perfectly willing to ask Goliath politely for help rescuing his fiancee. It's just he'll save it for Plan D, after plans A through C don't pan out. (Plan E, after Goliath turns him down, is even more desperate — "plant a tracker on Goliath and follow him so I'm there if he changes his mind.") (at first I thought this was just chairs, but if he already promised to save plan D without begging I don't see how that connects to this trope or to Godzilla Threshold)
2. VideoGame.System Shock: Edward Diego left a log that has him begging SHODAN to spare him. To make this even more pathetic, almost right next to this log is another log that had him bragging to Tri-Optimum after he had the Citadel's defense system shoot down the shuttle with an investigation team, arrogantly stating that he is untouchable with SHODAN under his control. The dates of the logs are roughly only two weeks apart. (misuse for Gaslighting, in addition to him pulling I Was Never Here mid-game specifically to avoid any broadcasts actively imploring the survivors to come)
3. VideoGame.Mortal Kombat 9: At the climax of Story Mode of there is an interesting example that is kind of both A and B. When Shao Kahn arrives to merge his realm with Earth, out of the surviving four heroes, only Raiden remains. Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade are too beaten to stand up to Shao Kahn and are easily dashed aside, and Liu Kang has died trying to kill Raiden. As the triumphant Emperor steps forward, Raiden falls to one knee and consigns the Earth to him. It's kind of like A, since the elder gods have decreed that merging the realms without victory in a Mortal Kombat tournament is forbidden, so Raiden could be seen as supplicating the Emperor's ego and drawing him into a trap. However, it could also be considered B, as at this point Raiden's faith that the elder gods will do anything to help the Earth is more or less gone, and he could be simply trying to hand over the Earth to Shao Kahn without the need for any more killing. Either way, the elder gods finally do intervene at the last possible second, but the victory is a bittersweet one indeed. (misuse for Subterfuge Judo. I think the aversion here is kind of self-explanatory, though admittedly as someone who's only played the game once I'm not sure how Type B applies outside of him having less fatalities (I do know that he has more over-the-top rib-breaking if you keep spamming that one Injustice move))
4. Characters.Betrayal Knows My Name: A minor example. When the Giou Clan Elders reveal that Takashiro abandoned Yuki at Asahi Oraphanage and not his mother, Hotsuma was the first to beg for Yuki's forgiveness and apologize for lying to him. He also reveals the Awful Truth about the circumstances of Yuki's birth. (misuse for No Matter How Much I Beg in relation to his suicide, though I think him appealing to Yuki's nature has shades of Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie since it's hinted that both are worried about dying in madness)
5. Literature.Winds Of Fate: When Starblade k'Sheyna relives his torture in his nightmares, one scene he and we both see is Starblade kissing Mornelithe's feet in adoration. (I know this is misuse in some form, but the only corresponding trope I can think of is Crossing the Burnt Bridge, though in this case it seems even more short term than actual begging, so it's more easily definable as an averted trope)
6. VideoGame.Dragon Quest II: After being confronted and beaten once, Orochi beats a hasty retreat back to Zipangu and tries to reassume the queen act, demanding in a hushed voice that the Hero keep their mouth shut and she'll call it even. (?????)
7. Recap.Star Trek Enterprise S 01 E 12 Silent Enemy: Archer decides to swallow his pride and simply call a Vulcan ship for help. However, the aliens have blown up their subspace amplifiers, leaving them cut off from further support. (technically a chair, but Know When to Fold 'Em not being used is making me lean toward an aversion)
8. Recap.Wakfu S 2 E 19 A Fistful Of Kamas: Elaine and Black Ink are so desperate for any business that when their initial offer of 1,500 Kamas is refused by Ruel and he starts to walk away Elaine immediately drops it to 1,000 and begs him to reconsider, and they don't make much noise about Ruel's offer of just 400 Kamas. (again, appealing to someone's nature to show that they can read them well)

Begging for something petty (10/62)

1. Farscape.Tropes A To C: In the grand finale, Crichton is about to unleash his wormhole weapon, and asks Scorpius, who has been dogging him for years, if he really wants to see the weapon. Scorpius, for his part, is more than happy to get to begging if it means the culmination of his life's goal. (self-explanatory)
   Crichton: Beg.
   Scorpius: [instantly] I beg you.
   Crichton: That's not good enough. Say please.
   Scorpius: Please.
   Crichton: Pretty please.
   Scorpius: Pretty please.
   Crichton: With a cherry on top.
   Scorpius: [only one word behind] With a cherry on top.
   Crichton: Happy Birthday. Now, get out of my sight.
2. Manga.Gintama: Hijikata pleads with the Yorozuya to protect the Shinsengumi when he knows Itou is up to something bad and he himself is possessed by an otaku spirit from his sword. (more realistic, but still a minor, humble request that wasn't intended to be begging, at least not fully)
3. Characters.Cerberus High: In Chapter 10 Xiomara seeks out Kazuki with her two main assassins to plead with him to join her league of assassins. (more humble requesting)
4. Characters.Dantes Inferno: He starts begging for his life(?) after Dante gets his sycthe. Not like it does him any good, of course. It's an odd thing for the usually unflappable concept of death to do, which arguably is a major hint that the "fight" is little more than a Dying Power Fantasy on Dante's part. (self-explanatory, at least for the most part)
5. Characters.Tales Of Arise: (context: Rimwell, who's usually a Squishy Wizard is the one saying this)
   "Someone cover the caster!" (just a downplayed version of A Friend in Need)
6. Film.Rattlesnake: When Katrina kidnaps Billy at gunpoint and forces him to drive to a remote canyon, he breaks down and begs Katrina to let him live. He cries so hard that there's snot visibly coming out of his nose. However, this proves to be part of a Wounded Gazelle Gambit, even if he was channeling real fear. (Billy is the Designated Villain in this movie according to the YMMV page, so it was probably meant to come off as him being a Manipulative Bastard with very slight traces of fear; even if it wasn't, I feel like it only makes sense for the Wounded Gazelle Gambit to outweigh any begging by a pretty large amount, since Tropes are Tools and all)
7. Characters.Three Idiots: When [Chatur Ramalingam] realizes that the rival he mocked for being a schoolteacher is the very person that he must secure a deal with for his company, Chatur goes from high and mighty to a helpless sycophant to Rancho/Phunsukh Wangdu. (Wasn't he just offering to perform a ritual?)
8. Evil Is Not a Toy.Literature: In the Ultramarines novel Nightbringer, Kasimir de Valtos, a greedy and corrupt human industrialist collaborates with Dark Eldar pirates to acquire the Necrontyr artefacts required to free the C'Tan known as the Nightbringer, in the belief it will make him immortal for freeing it as a reward. Unfortunately when they free the creature, the minds of Kasimir and his allies are briefly connected to the Nightbringer's through an empathic link as it awakens, at which point their minds breaks at the realisation the Nightbringer is as far removed from them as they are from insects, and the C'Tan has no reason to even acknowledge his existence, let alone reward him. Most of those present go mad and kill themselves on the spot and Kasimir is reduced to tearfully begging the Nightbringer to make him immortal, which only results in the creature deigning to notice him for long enough to kill him. (misuse for a Villainous Breakdown, which is also him Going Mad From The Revelation and not really knowing what he's doing, which is what the creature feeds on)
9. Recap.Gilmore Girls S 02 E 11: Um, yeah. Lorelai is totally too proud to ask her parents for a loan to get rid of the termites. And too proud to accept any help from her mother at all. But she does beg the bankers. (self-explanatory)
10. Manga.Wa Ga Na Wa Umishi: Coast Guard boss Kaizai is not too proud to beg ordinary fisherman to stop interrupting a rescue, much to the surprise of the fisherman who had demanded that he go on his knees. (self-explanatory)

People Sit On Chairs (12/62)

1. Film.Babe: Fly is willing to partially put aside her prejudice for sheep to civilly (if s-l-o-w-l-y) ask them what happened the morning that Maa was killed, so she can stop Hoggett from shooting Babe.
2. Invader Zim: Zim himself—somewhat surprisingly, given how much of a Narcissist he is. He has had to ask Dib for help a few times ("Planet Jackers," "Bolognius Maximus") and begged GIR to obey him in "Invasion of the Idiot Dog Brain."
3. ComicBook.Night Of The Owls: When an assassin comes for high-ranking Deputy Sheriff Michael D. Davis while he's taking a bath, Davis can only say, "Please don't."
4. Characters.Duke Nukem: When shot with the Shotgun, [the Assault Aliens will] cling to the last of their life before falling down.
5. Film.A Most Violent Year: It galls him greatly, but when Abel's bank pulls out and he's unable to complete the purchase he travels round the city asking for more loans and for more time to put the money together.
6. Film.Bent: Max is willing to do whatever the guards ask of him if it means he'll have a chance of getting out of the Nazi concentration camp sooner.
7. Recap.The Outer Limits 1995 S 4 E 17 Lithia: The episode ends with Major Mercer begging very loudly not to be shoved into a cryo-tube. He gets louder when he finds out the one sentencing him to this knows his name because she's his fiancée, whom he thought was long dead. (trying to defy a "Shaggy Dog" Story doesn't equal begging)
8. VideoGame.Way Of The Samurai: The ability to grovel/supplicate/GENUFLECT (otherwise known as "Dogeza" in Japan) is a funny and welcome addition to the third entry; not only it is useful for ending most fights prematurely, it is also required to recruit one particular follower.
9. Characters.Bio Shock Infinite: Not that it helps [Jeremiah Fink] stop Daisy Fitzroy from shooting him in the face. (He just says "no" over and over again while not even facing her)
10. Characters.The Boys 2019 Supes: The moment Billy catches up to him in the bathroom, Mesmer tries to offer help in regards to the whereabouts of Becca. This later turns into a frantic plea of I Have a Family the moment he allows Billy to reciprocate his mind. (He was largely just asking what Billy expected him to do, and the "Please, I have a daughter!" line was confusion and anger)
11. Characters.Holby City: [Julie Fitzjohn r]uns after Meyer when decides to go on leave to plead with him to operate on Rosie because she knows he's the best there is.
12. Characters.Hamilton: During his solo in "It's Quiet Uptown", after ruining his political reputation and relationship with his family, not to mention suffering the loss of his eldest son, Phillip, a devastated and depressed Alexander finally talks to Eliza, begging his wife not to leave him and let him stay with what remains of his family. Eliza finally forgives him.

ZCE/PCE and potholes (6/62)

1. Funny.HISHE 2021 Episodes: Steve Trevor gets Maxwell Lord to undo all the wishes. Cut to Wonder Woman in the present day, having an ice cream in a cafe with Asteria, and commenting on how much she messed up Handsome Man's life along with the wish consequences. We then find out that Handsome Man ended up becoming Shrivelled Face Man, though he doesn't mind. Then Batman shows up to invite Wonder Woman to redo the Justice League film via the Snyder Cut. He then tries unsuccessfully to invite Asteria into joining the Justice League, and get to know his secret identity, to which she replies by kicking the Batmobile backwards into a wall. Batman is then forced to ask Wonder Woman to transport him home instead... by giving him a flying piggy-back ride.
2. Manga.Holyland: Yuu in chapter 88.
3. Music.IZONE:
   • Genre Savvy: By the second season of most of their reality/variety shows, the girls often lampshade all the expected/scripted segments and usually negotiate terms with the production staff (usually by comically arguing with the producers) so everybody somehow wins.
4. Characters.Ratman: [Shouichiro Kizaki g]ets down in a kneeling bow when asking Crea for forgiveness.
5. Crossed.Tropes A To D: Often, understandably although it rarely if ever works unless the one hearing that begging is Smokey (and in those cases it would have really been better for everyone if it hadn’t worked).
6. Funny.Da Things:
   • Behold: haggling:

     Guy: I'd let it go for fifty.

     Rick: How about fifty bucks?

     Guy: I mean, I'm sure it is still a saddle even though we couldn't get that verified. You go four?

     Rick: (cries painfully) I'll go fifty bucks, that's the most I'm gonna make.

     Guy: Well, you got a deal, three hundred dollars.

     Rick: WHAT?!

Other misuse (3/62)

1. Quotes.Zombieland:
   "Don't kill me with my own gun!"
2. Characters.Tales Of Symphonia: In an optional sidequest, the party keep running into Yuan at previous locations, before the third time he reveals he's looking for a ring. When Lloyd shows him the ring the assassin in Hima dropped, Yuan explains it was Martel's engagement ring and literally begs for it back. Lloyd gives it to him and Yuan actually thanks him before leaving.
3. Characters.Gunnerkrigg Court Gillitie Forest: First [Coyote] tries a threatening attitude to get Annie to tell him stories, but she doesn't believe he would really attack her. Next step is to cry and whine while rolling on his back. Annie isn't too impressed, but Ysengrin is mortified.