The Final Temptation: Difference between revisions

Compare [[We Can Rule Together]]. See also [[Leave Your Quest Test]], but without a supernatural slide show. Not to be confused with the last temptation in T. S. Eliot's ''Murder in the Cathedral''.

 

 

== Anime ==

* In fourth ''[[Suzumiya Haruhi]]'' novel, Kyon finds himself in a world without any of the former supernatural elements (gods, aliens, time travelers, etc...), and no one else remembers the world being any other way. {{spoiler|A [[Memory Gambit]] of sorts by Yuki leads Kyon to a one-time opportunity to choose between staying and having ordinary fun with a depowered SOS Brigade and a [[Moe Moe]] Yuki (!!!) who has a crush on him... and trying to revert the world. Kyon chooses the latter, showing that he really does like strange and exciting things no matter how he complains.}} The fact that {{spoiler|Yuki ''wanted'' to be a normal schoolgirl "free of her old duties" yet gave Kyon the option to change things back}} means it's somewhat of a Last Temptation for her, too, and he knows it.

* ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'' sees the crew of the titular [[Cool Ship]] deserting it late in the series and trying to find happiness in normal lives they had before... only to fail the last part miserably and return to battle like real heroes should.

* ''[[Gao Gai Gar]]'' has this happen {{spoiler|during the TV Series has Gai being shown a vision of himself awakening from a two year coma. He of course breaks free using the power of [[Hot Blooded|HotBlood.]]}}

* [[Mahou Sensei Negima]] has Evangeline trying to convince Setsuna to give up her swordsmanship in favor of living the life of a normal girl. [[Take a Third Option|It doesn't go as planned.]] ''[[Alternate Character Interpretation|Maybe.]]''

* One of the earlier examples is from [[GK Chesterton]]'s book ''The Ball and The Cross'': At the pinnacle of an extended metaphor revolving around the eponymous shapes, "Professor" Lucifer successively tempts the two protagonists (a Catholic and an Atheist) with monarchic and anarchistic utopias, respectively. Both refuse his offer by falling out of the airship, the first trusting in miracles and the second in the fact that he's probably dreaming.

* Samwise Gamgee in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', the only Ringbearer in history to refuse the temptation of the One Ring. Being the quintessential hobbit, this was attributed to his "plain hobbit sense." He imagines [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am-piARxy4U a garden the size of an entire realm], then realizes it'd be impossible to manage and unfulfilling to have servants do it for him.

* [[Greek Mythology|Achilles]] is told early on that if he does not go to the war he will find peace and have a family of his own but he will eventually be forgotten; if he goes to Troy, his name will last for eternity but he will die there.]] [[Jumped At the Call|Guess which one he took.]]

* [[Andre Norton]]'s ''Storm Over Warlock'': the telepathic Wyverns put Shann Lantee through a test involving illusions, including reunion with a pet he'd had a few years before -- "the only thing Shann had ever known which he could love wholeheartedly...." To pass that part of the test, he had to force himself to recall in detail how his pet died, in pain from an injury Shann was powerless to heal. He was, understandably, in a rather bad mood for some time afterwards.

* ''[[I Lucifer]]'' has Jesus being tempted by Lucifer in order to sway him from sacrificing himself. Unlike the bible, Lucifer states he simply showed him a vision of the future in order to see if it would be worth it. The vision shakes Jesus' faith but God strikes the vision with lightning and Christ regains his resolve. Leading Luce to angrily point out God had ''cheated'' when aiding Jesus through his test.

* In ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'', Nynaeve finds herself in a world where she and Lan have married, had kids, and settled down to peaceful farm life. Different from many examples in that the temptation is not created by a villain, but is part of a magical test she has to pass to join the Aes Sedai.

 

* Not exactly the same sort of temptation, but fitting the trope: An episode of ''[[Scrubs]]'' introduces Dr Cox's friend Ben (an avid photographer who likes to take spontaneous pictures, claiming that 'posed pictures aren't real'), who gets diagnosed with cancer. JD takes a liking to Ben, and gets convinced that the diagnosis is wrong - all his friends have complained how important files have been mixed up and the wrong patients sent to surgery and so on, and JD believes that the same thing happens here. After convincing the lab doctor to redo the test, Ben is proven to be healthy, and everything is rosy... and the edges of the frame starts getting kinda blurry... when Ben wants everyone to gather together for a group pic, JD thinks it's odd because doesn't Ben think pics like that aren't real? And Ben replies, "Don't you see? None of this is real." And that's when JD's wishful daydream, which has been going on since just before the second blood test, ends.

** And in a later episode, Ben visits for Cox's son's birthday party, Dr. Cox blames JD for the death of a patient, and Ben manages to convince Dr. Cox to apologize. Later, Dr. Cox and Ben are on the way to the party, and {{spoiler|JD arrives, prompting Dr. Cox to realize that Ben is not there, that Ben was in fact the patient who died and that they are attending his funeral rather than Jack's birthday party}}.

 

 

== Video Games ==

** Made especially painful because {{spoiler|everyone involved heavily plays up that [[Cosmic Horror|Nyx]] is unbeatable and invincible, a force of nature that cannot be destroyed or pushed back, that to resist is meaningless - merely slow and painful death, complete and total despair as you watch the sands of your metaphorical hourglass tick away in a battle that is impossible to win, instead of a swift, merciful, blessedly unaware death..}}

* Occurs in ''[[Neverwinter Nights]]'' (Hordes of the Underdark, to be specific) if you try to oppose the Elder Brain. It's not very tough to overpower the illusion - but fighting off the three big uglies that show up when you do is another matter. (After which the Elder Brain dies almost anticlimactically, since it's... well... [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|a giant brain]].)

* ''[[Ratchet and Clank]] Future: Tools of Destruction'' plays with this right before the final boss fight with Tachyon, by {{spoiler|showing Ratchet the dimension the Lombaxes had escaped to, and offering Ratchet a chance to join them, leaving Tachyon unopposed}}. Naturally, Ratchet claims he has a [[Higher Calling]] (i.e. kicking Tachyon's ass).

* Part of the [[Secret Test of Character|Air Gem tests]] in the [[AGD Interactive]] [[Fan Remake]] of ''[[King's Quest II]]''. {{spoiler|Graham is thrust forward in time to his darkest moment - Daventry is in ruins, the three-headed dragon ravaging the land has demanded Graham's daughter as a [[Human Sacrifice]], and Graham's son was kidnapped by his enemies. That's when the [[Big Bad]] (who masterminded the whole thing in a [[Batman Gambit]]) shows up to gloat and offer a deal. He will send away the dragon, return Graham's kids, and restore the blighted kingdom in exchange for Graham's crown.}} It's playable, so you have several options. The one scoring the highest points is {{spoiler|telling him that the act of passing on the crown to someone like him would be treason against the principles that Daventry is founded on, and that certain values must be put above oneself and one's family. The fiend ends up being quite impressed with your sense of loyalty}}.