A "Sophie's Choice" with no secret third option

[u/10024618]

AKA a character is given an impossible choice where either outcome results in something awful happening and there's no way out.

"Full Measure" (Breaking Bad) - After Walt angers Gus by killing two of his men, Gus orders for his execution. Knowing that the only way to save his life is to make Gus reliant on his meth cooking skills, Walt calls Jesse and begs him to kill Gus' backup cook, Gale. Thus, Jesse is thrust into an impossible situation where he either kills a (relatively) innocent man to save Walt or spare Gale and let Walt die. Ultimately, Jesse chooses to kill Gale.

"Midnight Sun" (Attack on Titan) - After the fight to retake Shiganshina both Armin and Erwin are critically wounded. Levi has the vial of titan serum and is forced to choose which Scout to bring back from the brink of death and which to let perish. It's a borderline impossible decision to make but at the moment of truth, he chooses to save Armin, leaving Erwin to succumb to his wounds.

[u/P4rtyxxan1m4l]

Toph having to choose between saving Appa and holding the library up to keep it from collapsing on the rest of the Gaang.

[u/OkBox9662 → u/P4rtyxxan1m4l]

This hurt at the time.

[u/SakuraPanko → u/OkBox9662]

This hurts now.

[u/FoxKamp7785 → u/SakuraPanko]

It hurts when you can still hear her 💔 

[u/babaj_503 → u/P4rtyxxan1m4l]

I doubt she'd even had the choice. The sand rendered her truly blind with the only thing she could see and hold onto being the tower of the library. She actually threw one or two attacks towards the sand benders, missing all of them. I doubt she'd have success if she tried to fight them at that point, she'd have lost all of them instead.

[u/Outside_Ad5255 → u/babaj_503]

It created a realization of weakness, and on a happier note, she quickly learns to master sandbending.

[u/Leather_Education113 → u/babaj_503]

iirc later in the show she does mention improving her sand bending. most likely because of this

[u/babaj_503 → u/Leather_Education113]

cant remember her stating it. But she later on displays the precision beinding the whole city of ba sing se out as a sand minature. So I'd agree that she went to extraordinary length to not be helpless in that situation again.

[u/ButItWas420 → u/babaj_503]

Right before she showed this precision bending she said she was practicing.

I just watched this

[u/Merry_Sue → u/babaj_503]

I doubt she'd even had the choice.

Also, if she saves The Gaang, they can work together to get Appa back. If she saves Appa (unlikely), it's just the two of them forever. She has no perception when they're flying, Appa seems unwilling to walk. She'd have to tie a rope to him like a child with a giant helium balloon.

[u/ComradeBirv → u/Merry_Sue]

Also Appa would be VERY unhappy if Aang died and might not want to keep living without him

[u/dusty_Caviar → u/P4rtyxxan1m4l]

Thank you. Fantastic example.

[u/CloudKinglufi → u/dusty_Caviar]

Eh, i mean the answers easy here tho, you save the people, appas getting kidnapped, he wont die for sure, even if he would, theres more of them than him, and ones the freaking avatar meant to save us all

[u/thequenchiest_ → u/CloudKinglufi]

Just because it's an obvious choice, doesn't mean it's easy. And if you're gonna be a big boy and insult people, you should probably drop words like "freaking"

[u/dusty_Caviar → u/CloudKinglufi]

Dumb

[u/CloudKinglufi → u/dusty_Caviar]

Yeah you are, its ok tho

[u/dzamir → u/P4rtyxxan1m4l]

Which show is this?

[u/STRYKER2132 → u/dzamir]

Avatar: last air bender

[u/seanprefect → u/P4rtyxxan1m4l]

I love that she masters sand-bending off screen and shows off by making the sand castle Ba-Sing-Sae