I'm probably just having a brain fart, but I don't get how OP illustrates the trope?
Your goateed philistine is sashaying towards us. | 🧱
Berserk Button: misusing Berserk Button
It does come across as mere mild callousness rather than an intentional and malicious backstab (the lady being given a battery by a man and then playing loud music that annoys him isn’t what I would call a betrayal), and I believe the character who is being shown the kindness has to be established as a villain beforehand, the point being that the character is choosing to Save the Villain only for that to be a big mistake.
But I feel a good image would be one in which the receiver of the kindness does something deliberately, straight-up malicious to the person who helped them. Maybe a Save the Villain moment where the villain tries to kill the hero afterwards - there should be quite a few of those.
Edited by MasterN on Mar 30th 2024 at 5:18:05 AM
One of these days, all of you will accept me as your supreme overlord.I agree with the above; it took me a bit to get it. Pull the current, but I'd prefer a more straightforward replacement.
Here's a depiction of "The Scorpion And The Frog" from Sluggy Freelance, but I don't think it's legible enough:

Though we could try it vertically:

Edited by jandn2014 on Mar 30th 2024 at 8:42:36 AM
9.2. This trope seems hard to convey in a single static image with no text, but that’s not the only option.
Edited by Lymantria on Mar 31st 2024 at 3:47:36 PM
Join the Five-Man Band cleanup project!The moral of the story is: Don't accept rides with strangers.
Edited by Weirdguy149 on Apr 4th 2024 at 4:37:16 AM
The legend has returned.![]()
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Maybe pothole "rides with strangers" to Alternate Aesop Interpretation?
Edited by Earnest on Apr 4th 2024 at 2:28:56 AM


As discussed here
current is a picture of the fable but it doesn't show the key part of it, the good deed being betrayed.
Possible suggestion:
2 of 4
Edited by GracieLizzy on Mar 30th 2024 at 9:46:05 AM