Boy: Touko, will you... Please go out with me? I love you!
Touko: ...I'm sorry, but my answer is no.
Boy: Yeah... I see. I kinda figured. You're on a totally different level from me, when you think about it.
Touko: Don't say that sort of thing. You shouldn't put yourself down like that. It's not you. And I'm not trying to be cliched. I just don't intend to go out with anyone.
Touko: ...I'm sorry, but my answer is no.
Boy: Yeah... I see. I kinda figured. You're on a totally different level from me, when you think about it.
Touko: Don't say that sort of thing. You shouldn't put yourself down like that. It's not you. And I'm not trying to be cliched. I just don't intend to go out with anyone.
When someone makes a Love Confession or even an Anguished Declaration of Love, there are a few things that can happen. The expression of love can be reciprocated, leading to a Relationship Upgrade. Or it can be declined. How the romantic overture is declined can inform the audience how they're meant to feel about a character moving forward. A cruel, sarcastic, haughty, or snide rejection can suggest that not only is this character not in love with the person who confessed their own feelings, but that they aren't considerate of those feelings.
Then there's the gentle rejection, commonly referred to as "letting them down easy". This shows that the person receiving the love confession understands and maybe even appreciates the feelings of the one offering them, but does not reciprocate. However, they don't feel a need to be callous with genuinely offered affection.
There are several reasons why someone might not be able to accept someone's feelings, though simply not sharing those feelings is reason enough:
- They're already in a relationship. If not, there may be someone else they like/love and want to be with.
- While they appreciate the feelings, they don't share them.
- They're of Incompatible Orientation.
- They're Married to the Job.
- They're a student trying to get into a good school and thus have no time for romance.
- Better as Friends.
- It's Not You, It's My Enemies.
- They feel like the other person is more like a sibling to them.
- The rejecter thinks any romance between them would become Forbidden Love, such as Surprise Incest or an Incest-ant Admirer, as well as class/caste divides, romance across hostile factions, some international/interracial/interspecies relationships, cases where the rejecter (or even confessor) is in an Arranged Marriage.
- The rejector is Above the Influence, especially if they believe intoxicants or emotional instability are fueling the confession.
- They're Secretly Dying and don't want to break the other person's heart.
However, this isn't simply someone responding to a Love Confession with a polite, "No, thank you." There must be obvious effort on the part of the rejector to be gentle with the feelings of the other party, often by pointing out their good qualities or emphasizing the rejector's own incompatibilities, or both at once. In short, no matter how the confessor responds, the rejector is painted in a sympathetic light.
Whatever the reason for the rejection, the purpose, from a storytelling point of view, is to keep the rejecting character sympathetic in the eyes of the audience. A character who says, "I'm sorry, I appreciate your feelings, but I don't feel the same way" is more likely to be someone the audience can support later in the story than someone who says, "Me? Go out with a loser like you?!"
In some works this can show the confessor to be of the Clingy Jealous Girl (or Crazy Jealous Guy) variety if they don't accept the rejection, or keep pursuing the object of their affections, becoming a Stalker with a Crush or even a full-on Yandere. They may also reveal that despite objections, they felt entitled to the other person's affection. If the person who turned the other down is in a committed relationship, they might try to Murder the Hypotenuse.
On the other hand, the whole point of being let down gently is to give them a reason to move on, and in some cases, they take the rejection in the spirit intended, experiencing Character Development. There may be Inelegant Blubbering for a short time after being turned down, but once the Cathartic Crying is done, they appreciate the person's efforts to be gentle with their feelings. Sometimes the confessor is immediately okay with being rejected, because they were able to get it off their chest and were treated respectfully enough to minimize the sting. Sometimes it even strengthens their bond, or reinforces a pre-existing friendship.
There's a risk, trying to be gentle with a rejection, that someone attempting to spare the other person's feelings may not state the rejection clearly, giving the confessor false hope of a potential relationship, in which case it may overlap Poor Communication Kills.
May overlap Unrequited Love, though it's still possible for someone to feel something for someone but still reject their romantic overtures.
Compare Break His Heart to Save Him, when a character rejects a person cruelly for "good" reasons. Contrast Unnecessarily Cruel Rejection and Violent Romantic Rejection.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- After the Rain (2014): Attempted and failed by Kondo when the teenage Akira Tachibana tries to tell him she has a crush on him. He tries to explain that he's too old for her and a boring old man. Unfortunately, he phrases it as "If you go on a date with me, you'd see..." And she seizes on that wording to get him to take her out on a date.
- Ah! My Goddess: In one episode, Sayoko tries to ask Keiichi out on a date. Keiichi, already involved with Belldandy, turns her down, and even points out that he knows she's not interested in him, seeing through her ruse to separate him from Bell. Because as a direct contrast to his current gentle rejection of her overtures, Sayoko had forgotten that she had turned him down when he asked her out due to his short stature. However, he also makes it clear he isn't bitter about it, and wanted her to find someone who would genuinely make her happy.
- Asteroid in Love: Moe has long harbored feelings for Misa. And with Misa about to move on to college in another city, Moe, with prompting from Mikage, decides that it's now or never. She offers a confession to Misa for Valentine's. Misa turns Moe down, explaining that she shouldn't admire her and try to copy her, but that she should be herself. Moe, when next seen, has undergone an Important Haircut, but doesn't seem overly distraught or devastated by Misa's rejection, and instead appreciates that Misa was gentle with her feelings.
- Bloom Into You: Yuu first encounters Touko while trying to find the Student Council room and sees her turn down a boy who offered a Love Confession. Touko is sincere and genuine with him, telling him that while she's flattered, and considers him a good person, she simply has no intentions of dating anyone at that time. This inspires Yuu, who has been wrestling with how to handle a Love Confession she herself received, and with Touko's support, gently turns down the boy who confessed to her.
- Blue Box: After Hina confesses her love to Taiki, she tells him to take his time deciding whether he wants to be with her since the latter is crushing on Chinatsu. Later, at the sports camp, Taiki gently rejects Hina as he realizes he has no feelings for her and still loves Chinatsu, and notes that not being honest would end up hurting Hina. Hina is heartbroken by it and treats it like an Unnecessarily Cruel Rejection, and distances herself from Taiki for a while before they are able to reconcile and be just friends again.
- Castle Town Dandelion: Zig-Zagged and Played for Laughs between Haruka and Akane. Akane enters Haruka's room without knocking and sees her brother looking at pictures of her online, such as images where her underwear is exposed (a common problem for Akane). She mistakes her brother for an Incest-ant Admirer (he was actually flagging pictures of her online for deletion, since he knows the attention bothers her), and tells him that while she likes him, what would the kingdom, let alone their family, say about it?!
- Played for drama in Kaguya-sama: Love is War. Tsubame eventually ends up realizing that she doesn't feel the same way about Ishigami as he does about her and spends months agonizing over how to turn down his love confession without breaking his heart to the point that her grades start to slip. And while he does accept her decision, the pain of being rejected still causes him to break down in tears once she's out of earshot.
- My-HiME: Supplemental materials state that before Natsuki went off to confront Shizuru, who is in the depths of a Psycho Lesbian rampage, she sends a letter to Takeda, a boy with whom there was a degree of Ship Tease through the series, thanking him for his feelings, but stating there was someone else she had to acknowledge.
- My Love Story!!:
- Sunakawa is given a Love Confession by Yukika Amami, a girl who has known him since kindergarten. Suna, Takeo notes, is very careful with his word choice, trying to make it clear to Yukika that while he liked her as a person, he wasn't in love with her. While Yukika runs off crying, she later admits to Takeo that Sunakawa did nothing wrong, and wasn't cruel to her, he simply didn't feel the way she did.
- Takeo is already in a relationship with Rinko Yamato when Mariya Saijou, one of his classmates, starts to fall for him. Saijou knows Takeo has a girlfriend, even meeting Rinko in person. And when Takeo realizes that Saijou loves him, he tells her that he can't return her feelings. Saijou has a crying session where Sunakawa provides her a shoulder to cry on. The next day Saijou asks Takeo if they can still be friends and if she can keep calling him "master/sifu", a habit that she got into when he trained her for a relay race.
- Sailor Moon: Played for Laughs in "The Real Face of Yaten" of the Stars arc. A girl at Usagi Tsukino's school hands her a love letter, and Usagi politely apologises, explains that she's already in a relationship, and offers to be friends with the girl instead, telling the girl that "it's better to be in love with a boy" (the dub excises this). The girl then explains that the letter isn't actually meant for Usagi; she just wants her to pass it on to Yaten.
Usagi: Don't cry! Even though you can't be my girlfriend, you might want to be one of my friends.
- School Rumble: Discussed. Harima witnesses Eri Sawachika deliver a humiliating rejection to a guy who tried to ask her out, flat out saying, "No way." Harima calls her out for it, "Hey! You shouldn't be so hard on a guy when he's trying to ask you out. Think what you're doing. At times like these a guy is willing to do just about anything to get a girl to notice him." Eri has a surprised look on her face before she walks off. Later, after her father tells her he has to cancel their dinner plans to fly out on business, Harima shows he doesn't necessarily consider her a bad person by showing up to shelter her from the Gray Rain of Depression by offering to walk part of the way with her with his umbrella.
- A flashback in UQ Holder! to the days of Negima! Magister Negi Magi shows both Yue and Nodoka confessing their love to their teacher after graduation, and him turning both of them down because his heart belongs to someone else: Chisame. He assures them both that he's flattered by how they feel about him, but he doesn't see them as anything more than friends. After Negi leaves, Yue mostly holds it together, while Nodoka bawls her eyes out.... Because Negi rejected Nodoka's Best Friend Yue.
- Wagnaria!!: Kozue tries to ask out Youhei. He turns down, explaining that he had no stable employment and wouldn't be able to properly provide for her. Kozue still pursues him, because, as she explains, his reasons for turning her down weren't anything negative about her, unlike the many many times she's implied to have been dumped before by other men. As such, she still wants to be close to him.
- Wasteful Days of High School Girls: In one episode an unnamed girl confesses her attraction to Kanade "Majime" Ninomae. She even begins with saying, "I know it's weird because we're both girls...". "Majime" stops her by saying, "It's fine. I'm flattered. But as a student, my duty lies with another..." "Majime" is, herself, the subject of affection to Lily, but she never quite works up the ability to tell Lily that she's not interested in her, and Lily makes it plain that she believes "Majime" is crushing on Shiori "Robo" Saginomiya, though Majime claims that it's admiration and not romantic.
Fan Works
- In the Sonic the Hedgehog fanfic Bitten by the Love Bug
, Carrotia confesses her love for Kylie, but the latter tells her that while she's a great person, she can't date her. Not because of an Incompatible Orientation, but because Kylie's already dating Big. Carrotia is devastated, but she ends up finding love somewhere else — with Jewel.
- Chip Tunes: One day at school during their fourth grade year at Clyde C. Crashcup Elementary, Jermaine tells Jeanette that he likes her as more than a friend and has done so for the past few months. She calls him sweet and says she doesn't feel the same way because she likes someone else (implied to be Simon, as in canon). She says it was very brave of him to admit his feelings for her in person and tells him she still values their friendship. He says he treasures their friendship too, calls her his Best Friend, and tells her that he loves her. She says she loves him too as she hugs him.
- A Clock Tower Affair, an abandoned Fate/stay night fanfic, starts with Shirou asking Rin to be his girlfriend on the advice of Shinji. Rin has a reputation for turning down all suitors, but in such a sweet way, making sure to tell them why they're a wonderful person and shouldn't give up on love, that they come out of it feeling better about themselves. Depressed people ask her out specifically to get rejected. Unfortunately, neither Shirou nor Rin herself know this, and when he asks her to reconsider, she says yes, with disastrous results.
- Cold Fire: The day before Valentine's Day, Jermaine finally tells Taranee that he likes her as more than a friend and has done so since the previous year. She doesn't feel the same way because she likes someone else (heavily implied] to be Nigel, as in canon). She apologizes, but he says it's okay. She tells him that she still really values their friendship, and so does he. He says that he loves her SO MUCH. She tells him that she loves him, too. The hug they share seals it.
- Nymph and the Corrupted Miraculous:
- Unlike in canon, Chloe (ever since Adrien gave her a much-needed "The Reason You Suck" Speech on his first day of school) is making attempts to be nicer to people. So when Kim tries to ask her out on Valentine's Day, she has a brief debate with herself (taking the form of a Good Angel, Bad Angel moment) before she tells Kim she simply doesn't feel that way about him. She then awkwardly tells him that she's sure plenty of other girls would find him attractive and not to give up.
- Nathaniel starts out the series with a crush on Marinette. After some accidental encouragement from Chloe, he sums up his courage and asks her out on a date. While startled by the sudden reveal of his feelings, she agrees to go on a date with him. They go to the Louvre, and enjoy each other's company (until Catastrophe attacks). After the attack and the date, Marinette tells Nathaniel that she likes him as a friend, but doesn't feel the same way about him and doesn't want to lead him on. While saddened, Nathaniel understands. Fortunately, this leaves him open to new relationship when he meets Marc.
- The One to Make It Stay: While their memories have been Obliviated, Chat Noir sees evidence that Ladybug has a boyfriend. He decides to confess his feelings anyway, knowing they likely won't be recipriocated, and Ladybug lets him down gently. Unfortunately, the whole exchange is witnessed by Alya, who posts a Manipulatively Edited version of his confession on her Ladyblog where it appears Ladybug accepted a Relationship Upgrade, setting off a dramatic chain of events where Adrien/Chat Noir acts even more entitled and refuses to take "no" for an answer.
- In Tunnels of Love by P-Artsypants, Adrien does his best to turn Marinette down gently when they are forced to discuss their feelings. It works well enough for her to thank him. Of course, they are forced to review the matter after an identity reveal.
- Windows of the Soul: A My-HiME story set as a sequel to the series, Natsuki's letter to Takeda actually reaches him after the dust of the series finale has settled, and Natsuki is in his presence when he gets it. After reading the letter, he correctly guesses that the person Natsuki has to acknowledge is Shizuru. Realizing that it's a case of Incompatible Orientation, Takeda parts by wishing her luck.
Film — Animated
- The Castle of Cagliostro: At the end of the film, Clarisse has fallen for Lupin, and begs him to take her with him, hugging him and crying into his chest. Lupin takes a moment to regain his composure, then tells her that it wouldn't do for her to step back into the shadows when she's only just found her way into the light, and adds that she doesn't want to end up with a filthy thief like him. He does promise her that should she ever need his help, all she would have to do is call and he'd come running. Then he takes off before Zenigata gets there.
Zenigata: Blast it! I was one step behind him. Lupin stole something again!
Clarisse: No, he didn't steal anything. All he did was fight for me.
Zenigata: (looking straight at Clarisse) No, he stole something quite precious... your heart, m'lady.
Clarisse: (gasps, then smiles while nodding) Yes.
Zenigata: (steps back, saluting her) Well, if you'll excuse me. (winks, resumes Stern Chase)
Film — Live-Action
- American Beauty: Deconstructed. Near the end of the movie, Frank Fitts mistakenly believes that Lester Burnham is homosexual and reveals that he's a closeted homosexual by kissing him, hoping that he'll accept him like he believed his son Ricky did. However, Lester silently lets him down, telling him that he's not like that. Humiliated and not wanting him to know the truth, he takes a gun and shoots him in the back of the head.
- The Banshees of Inisherin: Siobhan openly dislikes Dominic. However, when he makes a clumsy Anguished Declaration of Love for her, she tries to turn him down as gently as possible. The script is very clear about how nice she is about it, though it still doesn't stop his death, possibly by suicide:
Dominic: You probably wouldn't ever want to...fall in love with a boy like me, would ya?
[SIOBHAN looks at him, and there’s such an earnestness, a sadness, yet a desperate hope in his eyes, that it doesn’t warrant any kind of harshness.]
Siobhan: Oh, Dominic. I don't think so, love.
Dominic: No, yeah, no. I was thinking. No. [pause] Not even in the future, like? Like, when I’m your age?
[she shakes her head as gently as she can.] - Bart Got a Room: Downplayed with Alice, who laughs when Danny asks her to prom and bluntly makes it clear she has no attraction to him but does affectionately stress how she thinks they are Like Brother and Sister.
- Mrs. Doubtfire: Done symbolically at the end of the film. Miranda, who's realized just how much Daniel loves and needs his children after their divorce, works things out with a judge to give him visitation rights that will let him see the kids every day. As they hurry off to get their things, Miranda invites Daniel inside to talk; though he's clearly tempted, he politely turns her down, as he's accepted that their relationship is well and truly over (although they'll be Amicable Exes for the children's sake). It's particularly poignant because Daniel spent a good deal of his time while disguised as Mrs. Doubtfire trying to break Miranda up with her new boyfriend Stu in the hopes of reuniting with her.
- Rocketman (2019): When Elton and Bernie are talking on their apartment rooftop, Bernie raves about how talented Elton is and tells him to be "out front". Elton misunderstands him and, in a moment of vulnerability, attempts to kiss Bernie. Bernie pulls back and softly tells him that he does love him... just not in that way. While Elton is sad, and is implied to still have feelings for Bernie for the rest of the movie, he admits in rehab that this is what made the two of them inseparable, with Bernie becoming the brother he never had.
Literature
- Battle Royale: Takako and Hiroki are Best Friends. Takako is also Hiroki's Unlucky Childhood Friend since Hiroki is in love with Kayako. During the game, Takako is shot by Mitsuko minutes before Hiroki finds her. Bleeding to death, Takako asks him if he has a crush on anyone. When Hiroki says yes, she asks if it's her. Hiroki chooses to subvert Let Them Die Happy and gently tells Takako that it isn't. She asks him not to leave her, and dies in his arms. He nevertheless tells her that she's "the coolest girl in the world."
- The Beginning After the End: Caera develops an attraction towards Arthur ever since she first met him, which the latter is oblivious towards due to his prior commitment to Tessia. When he finally recognizes her feelings, it comes right after he and Tessia had renewed their relationship. As such, he gently tells Caera "I am sorry" as he does not want to hurt her. When Caera asks him about Tessia, he gives her a Non-Answer of "With Virion now"; while it's never made clear when or if Caera had learned of Arthur and Tessia's relationship, his reply is enough for her to put two and two together. Caera takes the rejection in stride as a lot is at stake at that moment for her to remain caught up over her feelings and she wants Arthur and Tessia to be happy.
- Double Standards: During December 2015, Jermaine told Ayla that he liked her as more than a friend. She called him sweet and said she didn't feel the same way but really valued their friendship.
- Eugene Onegin: When young Tatyana confesses her love to Eugene Onegin, he, not being in love with her and not wanting to take advantage of her, rejects her. In doing so, Onegin — who has often been rude to others — behaves with unusual politeness. He tells her he is unworthy of her and that he loves her like a brother, and also explains the reasons why they could not live a happy married life.
- Holiday Heroes: Jermaine had romantic feelings for Annette in the past. When he confessed these feelings, she just wanted to remain friends. In "All Love is Unrequited," he tells Jillian and Lin that he made it a point to confess his feelings to Annette in person. Annette says he was really brave and sweet in that situation. Even though she didn't return his feelings, she's always valued their friendship. He says she proved that when she visited him twice during his stay at a mental hospital in "True Friends." Annette (along with Jillian and Lin) reassures him that he'll find that special someone someday because he's a great guy who any girl would be lucky to have.
- Magic Hour: At the end of "Fairy Land," Jermaine finally musters up the courage to tell Meliantha that he likes her as more than a friend after several months of hesitation. She doesn't feel the same way and just wants to remain friends with him. She apologizes for not returning his affection, but he tells her the apology isn't necessary. Thankfully, her still wanting to be friends with him is genuine as they continue to regularly spend time with and talk to each other. Although he's a little upset about her romantically rejecting him, he's happy to still have such a good friend in his life.
- Spurned into Oblivion: Jermaine experiences three polite rejections over the course of the story. One morning during seventh grade, he tells Yolanda that he's had a crush on her for a while and asks her out. She says no, doesn't feel the same way, and also doesn't feel ready for a romantic relationship yet. She then apologizes and asks him if she was too mean. He says she wasn't, which is a relief for her. She asks if they're still friends while offering him a fist bump, both of which he reciprocates before they share a hug. One day after lunch during their freshman year of high school, he asks Marilyn out. She says no and tells him that she thinks they should just stay friends. She asks if he's upset. He says he's only a little upset, but he'll get over it. She tells him that she doesn't want things to be awkward between them, and she definitely doesn't want to lose him as a friend. One evening during college, he tells Mona that he likes her as more than a friend and has done so for the past year. She lowers her head and sighs. She says she doesn't feel the same way, just wants to be friends, and is in love with someone else. She then tells him that she still cares about him a lot and really values their friendship. He says he loves her SO MUCH while hugging her, and she says she loves him too.
Live-Action TV
- The Golden Girls: In the episode "Isn't It Romantic?", Dorothy's old college friend, Jean, comes for a visit to help recover from the death of her partner, Pat. Dorothy doesn't tell her friends that Pat was Jean's girlfriend. Over the course of the visit, she and Rose become good friends, and Jean ends up developing feelings for her. When Rose learns this, she has to tell Jean that she (being straight) simply doesn't feel that way. But she makes sure to let Jean down gently.
Rose: Well, I have to admit, I don't understand these kinds of feelings. But if I did understand, and if I was, you know, like you... I think I'd be very flattered and proud that you thought of me that way.
- High Potential: "Under the Rug" features a variation, as Elliot has been holding out hope that his divorced parents would get back together and becomes angry when his mom shows signs of having moved on to a new love while his dad remains single. Concerned that Elliot is setting himself up for heartbreak, Ludo takes him aside and gently explains that he and Morgan both decided that separating was better for the family, as it allows them to focus their attentions on caring for Elliot and his sisters rather than having to devote time to trying to fix a marriage that was failing. He and Morgan also found that having space from each other made it easier for them to get along with one another. Elliot accepts the logic of this and finds comfort in it.
- The Office (UK): Tim turns his mic off when he goes to confess his feelings to Dawn, so there's no sound while they share a short conversation and she gives him a long hug. Afterwards, he admits that she said no.
Theatre
- Damn Yankees: Joe is rather tactful in dismissing Lola's best effort at seducing him (though it's not the last they see of each other):
Joe: If it was you I promised to come home to you'd want me to, wouldn't you?
Lola: I see.
Joe: You're awfully wonderful and I wish I was two people, but I'm only one— and I'm married. (Makes a quick exit.) - Legally Blonde: When Warner tries to get back together with Elle after Elle wins her first trial, Elle gently turns him down. Elle admits that the whole reason she came out to Harvard was to try to win him back after he dumped her for not being "serious", but she's moved on from him and has found her passion in law. She even thanks him for dumping her in the first place, since she'd never have gone to Harvard without it, and they part on good terms.
Web Animation
- Elements of Justice: At the end of "Crusading for Turnabout", Scootaloo visits Turning Page and finally works up the courage to admit her feelings. He's flattered, having never expected anyone to feel that way towards him, and finding her confession to be very brave. Still, he has to sadly admit that he only sees her as a friend — a close one. It's left ambiguous if he really doesn't return her feelings, or if he just doesn't want her to have to wait for him while he's away. Either way, Scootaloo is disappointed, but remains good friends with Turning and is relieved to have finally gotten it off her chest.
- Etra chan saw it!: In "I was invited to a wedding, but on the day, my name wasn't on the guest list... ", Yuri rejected Akamatsu back in highschool when he confessed to her, her with her explaining that she would rather remain Just Friends. Despite this, Akamatsu was so bitter at being rejected that years later, he sent a fake invitation to Yuri to his wedding, just to humiliate her, much to everyone else's disgust, including his fiance Akane who cancelled the wedding.
Western Animation
- Daria: In "The Invitation", Quinn is being hit on by Joey, Jeffy, and Jamie (collectively known as The Three Js). At the end of the night, after each one in turn has tried to get her to go into the laundry room at Brittany's house to make out with them, she tries to let them all down easily. Almost immediately subverted as she then takes great delight in them fighting over her.
Quinn: I mean, you're really special guys, and you deserve a really great girlfriend. Three, actually. But I feel that you're pressuring me to do things I'm not ready for.
- Dead End: Paranormal Park: After Norma confesses to Badyah, the latter rejects her because she is straight. However, they still remain best friends, with Badyah even attempting to help Norma find love by setting her up with Zagan.
- The Fairly OddParents!: A New Wish: In "Hazel Wells and the Multiverse of Jenkins", Hazel is trying to politely reject her classmate Jenkins after learning he supposedly has a crush of her, and she enters various time loops after she is afraid she messed up originally.
- Gravity Falls: Throughout the series' first season, twelve-year-old Dipper has a Precocious Crush on Wendy, the fifteen-year-old cashier at the Mystery Shack. In "Into the Bunker", he ends up accidentally telling her how he feels in front of a shapeshifter disguised as her drowned corpse. When everyone gets out of the bunker safely, Wendy takes Dipper aside and tells him that she's always known about his feelings for her. She tells him that while she's flattered, they both know she's too old for him and that they never could have had a relationship, but that she's perfectly happy to have him as a friend. Dipper feels better afterwards, and their friendship remains strong throughout the series.
Wendy: Listen, Dipper. I'm, like, super flattered, but... I'm too old for you! I mean, you know that, right?
Dipper: Ugh. Mabel said confessing would make me feel better.
Wendy: Well, how do you feel?
Dipper: Anxious, and scared... Kinda itchy?
Wendy: [Laughing] Dude, don't be itchy, man. Let me tell you something, this summer was super boring until you showed up. I have more fun with you than like anyone else. And if you ever stopped being my friend? I would, like, throw myself into the Bottomless Pit!
Dipper: So, things won't be too awkward, now?
Wendy: I just wrestled myself, dude. That was awkward. If you can handle that monster, you can handle a little awkwardness. - Miraculous Ladybug: In "Adoration", Zoé finally works up the nerve to tell Marinette that she has a crush on her. Marinette tells her that she feels honored to be admired by someone as wonderful as Zoé, but she is in love with Adrien. Zoé admits that she suspected that was the case, but she still felt she needed to say it and is relieved that Marinette isn't disgusted by her.
- The Raccoons: In "Spring Fever!", Bert develops a crush on Bentley's sister Lisa during her visit to the Evergreen Forest. However, when Bert confesses his true feelings for her, she gently turns him down explaining that she doesn't know him well enough yet and sees him more as a friend. Bert takes this the wrong way and gets upset, but he feels better when Lisa writes to let him know she still wants to be his friend after she gets home.
- The Simpsons: In the episode "I Love Lisa", Lisa asks Marge for some advice as to how to tell Ralph she doesn't like him the way he does her, and Homer interrupts, saying "I've heard 'em all," and lists several rejections she could try, including: "I like you as a friend; I think we should see other people; I no speak English; I'm married to the sea; I don't wanna kill you, but I will." After Marge tells Lisa to just gently tell him that she's not interested in a relationship, Homer adds: "If that doesn't work, six simple words: 'I'm not gay, but I'll learn.'" The following day, Lisa does tell Ralph she's not interested and he tells her he understands.
- Steven Universe: In "Love Letters", Jamie the mailman gets a crush on Garnet and sends her a letter in which he asks her out on a date. Steven and Connie both know Garnet will never return Jamie's affection as she herself is already in a relationship (she's a permanent fusion of Ruby and Sapphire), but they do feel Garnet should at least write back since Jamie put so much thought into his letter. So they tell her she should gently turn down Jamie's offer. Unfortunately, Garnet is not the most tactful person and writes a Unnecessarily Cruel Rejection, so Connie and Steven secretly trash that letter and write Jamie a different, nicer rejection letter on Garnet's behalf. Sadly, Jamie completely misinterpreted the letter and keeps trying his luck with Garnet.