| rdfs:comment | - The Hero and the Romantic False Lead have one goal in common: getting the girl. In essence, a Cock Fight is what happens when the vying between the two suitors escalates into open hostility. Often occurs if neither was aware of the existence of the other, or when the hero has been courting the girl for a while. Typically, the fighters tend to focus on each other with the woman becoming secondary goal or, in a nastier tone, treated as a trophy. Contrast Courtly Love, If I Can't Have You and Stalker with a Crush. See also Opposites Attract Revenge for what this might lead to.
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| abstract | - The Hero and the Romantic False Lead have one goal in common: getting the girl. In essence, a Cock Fight is what happens when the vying between the two suitors escalates into open hostility. Often occurs if neither was aware of the existence of the other, or when the hero has been courting the girl for a while. Typically, the fighters tend to focus on each other with the woman becoming secondary goal or, in a nastier tone, treated as a trophy. As the title implies, this trope is Always Male and is very different from a Betty and Veronica situation in its execution. Namely, it is more about posturing and machismo and much less about emotions; it tends to be more violent and physical, instead of being catty and verbal. Needless to say, this is a staple of romantic films, works where romance is an important part of the plot. However, it can show up in any type of work. Usually, this happens before the girl's heart is clearly settled between her two suitors but, even when her choice is made and spoken out, there is still a chance for the Cock Fight to turn up again, since Romantic False Leads are not known for giving up easily. If the Romantic False Lead utterly refuses to acknowledge defeat, the next step is almost always If I Can't Have You. When it comes to the competition itself, it is generally about displaying protectiveness, doing nice things for the girl, strength contests and other kinds of...er...symbolic measurements comparisons, preferably in front of her. More often than not, things can get out of hand -- sometimes up to physical confrontation -- if one of the suitors gets too close to the girl in front of his rival, or worse still, if he openly claims the girl for himself. During such conflicts, the girl can either stay neutral or try to intervene whether or not her choice is made. If she takes the second option, what she does can go from trying to soothe the guys's differences, telling them to shut up and stop fighting over her, or even get the HELL out at least until they stop being stupid. This is a subtrope of the Love Triangle and related to Triang Relations. Highly probable in a Two Guys and a Girl setting. Often happens after a Green-Eyed Epiphany. Contrast Courtly Love, If I Can't Have You and Stalker with a Crush. See also Opposites Attract Revenge for what this might lead to. Not related to Cat Fight. (Though if two girls have mutual interest over the same dude, they can get into one.) This trope is named for the rooster as a metaphor for a male animal which fights. For literal animal fights, see Beastly Bloodsports and Mon. It has nothing at all to do with the word's secondary meaning of "the penis". Examples of Cock Fight include:
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