History Main / TrialBalloonQuestion

Compare IHaveThisFriend, ComicRolePlay, RhetoricalQuestionBlunder. Not to be confused with the ArmorPiercingQuestion, which covers difficult personal questions in general; not just love.

* There's an issue of a Silver-Age ''ComicBook/LoisLane'' comic where Lois uses a transformation device to become African-American for a day, and on the cover/inside she directly asks Superman if he'd still love her if she wasn't white. Surprisingly progressive for the time, anyway, just for raising the question.

* Happens in ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'' more than once.

If the answer to Alice's question "Would you still love me?" is "Mostly", expect it to be followed with HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster.

Alice has been going through some rough times lately. She discovered something about herself -- something about her interests, preferences, or even ''species'' -- that wasn't exactly conventional. It could range from the silly, like being a fan of a bad sports team; or the serious, like being a lesbian; or the fantastic, like ''[[TomatoInTheMirror being something other than human]]''. This discovery caused Alice a fair amount of [[WhatHaveIBecome personal anguish]], but eventually she came to accept it.

If the answer to Alice's question "Would you still love me?" is "Mostly", expect it to be followed with HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster

Due to prejudice this trope can be TruthInTelevision for some people, notably LGBT folks that field a hypothetical question about another LGBT person to gauge the safety of coming out to someone before doing so.

-->'''Calvin:''' Do you love me dad?

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* Happens in ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'', though Roxanne says she ''wouldn't'' mind the actual alien features and rejects Megamind based on his ''actions''.

'''Starbuck:''' You are a better person than I am, Sam, because if I found out that you were a Cylon... I would put a bullet between your eyes.

** [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]-- [[TheHero Lloyd]] skips having the question asked by [[VictoriousChildhoodFriend Colette]]- and in two cases directly tells her that no matter what happens to her or what she becomes, he will never treat her any less.

-->-- ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}''

* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}'':

* Happens in ''Film/CactusFlower'', when Toni tells her lover Julian, who had to tell her something, that she'll forgive "anything but lies". He was actually planning to confess that he'd been lying to her from the beginning about his nonexistent wife and children.

** In both of these cases [[spoiler:[[ThePowerOfLove Starbuck and Helo decide they love them more and accept their partners]] for what they are.]] Kara violently defends Anders and Helo bandages up Boomer ''after shooting her''. In his case, [[spoiler:her being pregnant]] helped turn him around.

->'''Anders:''' Yeah, and then you wake up one day and discover you're another ([[TomatoInTheMirror thing]]). Still doesn't change who you really are. Still doesn't change the fact that I love you, no matter what.\\

* More or less happens early on in the manga/anime ''Anime/EsperMami''. Mami has developed PsychicPowers, and the teacher caught her daydreaming about being a superhero. He quickly warns Mami's parents that she's letting her imagination run away with her, and they'd better stifle it for her own good. So when Mami comes to her parents and starts querying about their thoughts on special abilities, they mention that in the old days, people with such powers were known as "witches", and if they existed today, well, we'd just have to BurnTheWitch, wouldn't we? Mami decides not to tell her parents, and as of the end of the anime, has still not come out to them. (Not sure about the manga.)

* In a ''NewspaperComic/CalvinAndHobbes'' strip:

Compare IHaveThisFriend, ComicRolePlay. Not to be confused with the ArmorPiercingQuestion, which covers difficult personal questions in general; not just love.

* In an episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime]]'' Smokescreen (keeping the fact that he was almost a Prime a secret from the rest of the team) asks Bumblebee if he'd ever like to be a Prime himself. When Bumblebee responds that he'd prefer the rank of warrior, [[IJustWantToBeNormal Smokescreen can't help but agree]].

->'''Anders:''' Yeah, and then you wake up one day and discover you're another ([[TomatoInTheMirror thing]]). Still doesn't change who you really are. Still doesn't change the fact that I love you, no matter what.\\

--> -- ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}''

->'''Anders:''' Yeah, and then you wake up one day and discover you're another ([[TomatoInTheMirror thing]]). Still doesn't change who you really are. Still doesn't change the fact that I love you, no matter what.\\

Alice has been going through some rough times lately. She discovered something about herself -- something about her interests, preferences, or even ''species'' -- that wasn't exactly conventional. It could range from the silly, like being a fan of a bad sports team; or the serious, like being a lesbian; or the fantastic, like ''[[TomatoInTheMirror being something other than human]]''. This discovery caused Alice a fair amount of [[WhatHaveIBecome personal anguish]], but eventually she came to accept it.

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* In ''{{Castlevania}}: Aria of Sorrow'', [[{{Dracula}} Soma]] asked Mina if she'll still like him if he's NotHimself. Confused, she told him that no, she wouldn't if he changes too much. Unlike most examples, she immediately realizes that something is amiss for him to suddenly ask that, but doesn't figure out what ''exactly'' prompted the question in the first place (considering Soma tends to run off if she tries).
* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia''-- [[TheHero Lloyd]] skips having the question asked by [[VictoriousChildhoodFriend Colette]]- and in two cases directly tells her that no matter what happens to her or what she becomes, he will never treat her any less.