History Main / SweetAndSourGrapes

* In the ''MyLittlePony: Frienship is Magic'' episode "The Ticket Master," Twilight Sparkle gets two tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala, and naturally all her friends want to go. Unable to decide, she sends the tickets back to Princess Celestia, telling her that if her friends can't all go, she doesn't want to go either. The princess responds by sending enough tickets for her and her friends.

** Ditto for conceiving a child, which may explain the InverseLawOfFertility.

* JaneEyre leaves Mr. Rochester when she learns of his [[spoiler: insane wife he keeps in the attic]] because being with him would violate her morals and sense of self-worth. Thankfully, [[spoiler: Bertha]] dies in a fire and Rochester is [[spoiler: blinded and rendered armless]] in the same fire so they can [[spoiler: marry]] and live as equals.

* A common occurrence in ToBeAMaster shows. This often plays out with a competitor who believes that [[SecondPlaceIsForLosers winning is more important than anything else]], while our considerably more casual protagonist tries to show him the error of his mentality. Usually by beating him in competition, thus resulting in the protagonist becoming the grand champion after all. It says something about the broken nature of this genre when protagonists who ''don't'' go on to win the overall competition (for example, [[{{ptitle70n0mn3c}} Ash Ketchum]]) are written off by fans as {{Failure Hero}}es.

* In AvatarTheLastAirbender, Aang interprets Guru Pathik statement that he must "let go" of his attachment to Katara in order to intentionally enter his powerful Avatar State as meaning he must abandon his feelings for her if he wants access to all that power. Aang chooses [[ThePowerofLove love]], a move later applauded by [[TheObiWan Iroh]]. Inverting the trope initially, once he is forced to try, he is immediately defeated anyways. But it's played straight by the end of the series when Aang has both mastered the Avatar State (well enough to stop himself from landing a killing blow even in self defense) and had his [[EarnYourHappyEnding happy ending]] with Katara.

* In ThePrincessAndTheFrog, Dr. Facilier offers Tiana the restaurant she's always dreamed off, in exchange for his voodoo talisman. She almost gives in, but realizes that [[ThePowerOfLove those she loves]] are even more important than her dreams, so she smashes the talisman. After Charlotte's kiss fails, she and Naveen decide to marry anyway. However, since she has just married a prince, Tiana becomes a princess, and their kiss breaks the spell. Then, with a little "aggressive persuasion" from Louis, Tiana is able to buy her restaurant, and she and Naveen deck out the place in splendid fasion.

* LeftBehind: Two of the main protagonists are offered jobs by the [[BigBad Antichrist]], jobs that, were they offered by anyone else would seem like dream jobs. The characters are reluctant to take those jobs, rightly seeing them as tests of temptation before them. After some initial reluctance, they take the jobs anyway, as they feel that taking them was "God's will."

* Midnight Run qualifies. When [[spoiler: bounty-hunter Robert DeNiro decides to forgo the reward for transporting Charles Grodin cross-country, and lets him go, Grodin takes off a money belt with over $200,000 and hands it to DeNiro.]]

** Picard himself theorizes he was never in any danger and Q was just taking advantage of the situation to teach Picard a lesson. Another possibility is that Q, satisfied with the lesson Picard learned, and not wanting to lose one of his most interesting toys, fixed Picard's heart himself.
*** Actually, the ending suggests that the whole thing was AllJustADream.

* In AvatarTheLastAirbender, Aang is told by Guru Pathik that he must either give up his love for Katara or give up his ability to enter his powerful Avatar State. Aang chooses [[ThePowerofLove love]], a move later applauded by [[TheObiWan Iroh]]. Apparently karma agreed, because it turns out Pathik was wrong; by the end of the series Aang has both completely mastered the Avatar State and had his [[EarnYourHappyEnding happy ending]] with Katara.

* Consciously [[AvertedTrope averted]] in ''Jennifer Murdley's Toad'', a children's lit novel by {{Bruce Coville}} about a insecure and ugly little girl who adopts a talking frog sought out by a shallow, beauty-obsessed temptress. In early versions of the story, Jennifer became beautiful, but Coville realized that such a transformation broke the Aesop and instead went with an ending in which Jennifer just accepts herself for who she is.

* Consciously [[AvertedTrope averted]] in ''Jennifer Murdley's Toad'', a children's lit novel by Bruce Coville about a insecure and ugly little girl who adopts a talking frog sought out by a shallow, beauty-obsessed temptress. In early versions of the story, Jennifer became beautiful, but Coville realized that such a transformation broke the Aesop and instead went with an ending in which Jennifer just accepts herself for who she is.

** Although it's played with in that [[spoiler: DeNiro, having refused to accept bribes and stubbornly held to his code of honour throughout the movie, initially refuses to accept it; Grodin has to persuade him that it's not a bribe, but a 'thank you' gift: "You already let me go."]] As such, whilst it still qualifies, it's arguably a less glaring example [[spoiler: since it comes across more as a genuine reward for DeNiro's honourable actions throughout the movie rather than LaserGuidedKarma making sure he has his cake and eats it too.]]

-> '''Cuddy''': Oh, yeah, I looked up your philosopher, Jagger; you're right, you don't always get what you want, but I found that, if you try sometimes, you get what you need.

** In the Disney version, the writers recognized that the prince becoming handsome at the end kind of broke the Aesop, and at one point considered giving Belle a throwaway line at the end suggesting the prince grow a beard.