The word "Adorkable" is a portmanteau of "Adorable" and "Dork." That neatly encapsulates this trope. Adorkable characters are "dorky" in some fashion. Maybe they'resocially inept or shy. Maybe they're really clumsy. Maybe they have some really, really conspicuous character ticthat tends to earn them weird looks. Maybe they're just so darn sweet, that it borders on embarrassing. Heck, maybe they're just an out-and-out Nerd. However, rather than making them an outcast, these quirks give the character an endearing vulnerability.
The B Grade
A straight A student has just received a report card... along with some distressing news: There is a B in one subject. This makes the student disappointed at having their perfect record tarnished, while others wonder what the big deal is, since they'd usually be content to get a B. When they truly understand how upset the person in question is, there usually is a pep talk reminding them how great they are and offering An Aesop about how an occasional stumble is nothing to be ashamed of.
Badass Bookworm
This character is a quiet smart guy or girl who is physically unimposing, but with Hidden Depths of formidable physical and practical skills. Or Brains and Brawn, brains dominant.
Belligerent Sexual Tension
‘ There's a couple, usually a sometimes sweet, sometimes grouchy female paired with a secretly-kind jerk, who are not able to admit their feelings. At the top of their lungs. (cough Tobin cough dawnweaverestates)
Beware the Nice Ones
Sometimes, trying to Break the Cutie has consequences. Sometimes, the nicest person in the story gets pushed to the limit of what they can take... and the results are not pretty.The sweeter, gentler, more polite, more peaceful, and overall nicer a character is, the worse it will be for whomever is in the vicinity when they're subject to one round too many of Break the Cutie, or Dude, Where's My Respect?, a Rant-Inducing Slight, or hitting their Berserk Button or Rage Breaking Point. What was once a sweet and nice individual suddenly snaps and becomes something far worse than the Big Badcould have expected.
Brainy Brunette
Stereotypically speaking, in fiction, blondes are lacking in intelligence, redheads are lacking in feminine charm, so, out of the trio, brunettes are all brain. Like the Dumb Blonde, the brunette varies quite a bit. They can bashfully hide behind their books or glasses, with their hair done in pigtails or a bun or they can boldly use their smarts for their ambitions. Whichever it is, their knowledge is real—if she's on your side, then you can always count on her smarts in a fix. She may be a Hot Librarian, aHot Scientist, or even a Wrench Wench. If so, herSesquipedalian Loquaciousness and/or Techno Babble will turn people on. And she always has nice, thick, brown locks. What they don't (necessarily) have is strength, like the Squishy Wizard (who may be The Smart Guy himself), as they care more about their mind than their body. That's what makes a Badass Bookworm so interesting, a rare combination.
Child Prodigy (formerly, she’s an adult now)
A young genius - in their pre-teen year. Any genius below12 is eligible for the title of a Child Prodigy. Sometimes ignored or discriminated by those who consider them Just a Kid. Tends to be an Innocent Prodigy at times due to their age.
Cute Bookworm
A cute and brainy bibliophile, this trope embodies the cute, shy, and vulnerable archetype as applied to a nerdy girl. She wanders around with her head in a book, and is ready to spout out facts at the drop of a hat. There's a tendency for her to be shy, young, quiet and socially awkward. Occasionally this is highlighted by having her wear glasses, or have her bangs in her face to hide her eyes. She'll almost always be more conservatively dressed than most of the cast.
Cute Clumsy Girl
Here's the formula: Take an attractive girl or woman and make her more approachable by adding in some klutziness.Like many other klutz characters, a Cute Clumsy Girl's clumsiness rarely doesher serious harm, but can often set off Rube Goldberg-like chain reactions of disasters. She's never seriously injured, though, and she always pops back up with a good-natured, but rueful, smile. It is almost inevitable that at some point her clumsiness will result in a Crash-Into Hello.
Friendless Background
There are a lot of Characterization Tropes that can be used to quickly and non-verbally introduce a character, and one of the sadder ones is the Friendless Background. The character will, through fate or choice, be presented as not having any friends, or at least not within easy visiting or communication range. He or she will eat lunch alone, look forlornly (or enviously) at others with friends and Love Interests, and usually be found immersed in reading, video games, or some other highly solitary activity.
Go-Getter Girl
She gets straight A's in her classes, while also taking charge of multiple school clubs and volunteering at a homeless shelter in her spare time. She's unfailingly polite to her peers, older adults, and younger children alike. She might not be a fashion plate, but she never steps outside her home without looking perfectly presentable. Nobody doubts that big things are to be expected of her.
Good Is Not Soft
Do not mistake kindness for weakness.
Actually, no. Unlike the Good Is Not Nice character, someone who falls under this trope actually is a nice guy or girl. It's just that this niceness doesn't extend to giving free passes to the truly vile and horrific among their enemies. S/he is the reason why the villain should Beware the Nice Ones, especially since s/he isn't gonna wait to be angered or snap before the inevitable beatdown/killing begins. The Good Is Not Soft character will find them, will stop them and (if they're lucky) will kill them before they can hit that Berserk Button. Then they'll (usually) go home to enjoy dinner and settle in for a good night's sleep.
Guilt Complex
On the one hand, you have The Atoner, a person who committed a terrible deed and after a Heel–Face Turn, resolves to spend his/her entire life trying to make up for it. On the other hand, you have the person who Apologizes a Lot, someone who apologizes out of habit, even if they know whatever happened was not their fault.Now, enter Guilt Complex, the bastard child of those two tropes.A person with a Guilt Complex is someone who routinely puts blame on his/her own shoulders. It differs from The Atoner in that whatever happened cannot possibly be their fault, and their justification for blaming themselves is usually a stretch, sometimes taken to ridiculous levels. It differs from Apologizes a Lot in that it's not just a Verbal Ticor a way of expressing sympathy for someone else, they truly believe if they had done something different, whatever negative situation they were in would not have ever happened. And they feel this way all the time, in all situations, to the point where it basically becomes one of their main character traits. Often takes the form of "I should have..." or "If I hadn't..."
Hot Librarian
A very attractive but prim and prudish woman, who would be gorgeous if she would just take off the glasses (or not), let down her hair, and unbutton her top button (or not, even without blueshifting). However, they tend to prefer more intellectual pursuits. Sometime during the course of the season, the character will be forced to do all of these things to solve some sort of problem involving a lecherous man, but will always manage to escape the situation without sex.
I Just Want to Be Loved:
She obsesses over the idea that others might hate her for any reason whatsoever. This comes from her The Perfectionist tendencies, but also from a surprisingly low self esteem and a secret belief she isn't good enough for others.
Inferiority Superiority Complex
Cause I feel like I'm the worst
So I always act like I'm the best—
Marina & the Diamonds, "Oh No!"
Sometimes, it turns out a character who seems to think the world of themselves actually doesn't; their high-and-mighty attitude hides crippling insecurity. They're often eager, even desperate, to prove themselves, and they won't take it well if their attempt fails. Commonly they'll try to feel more secure by putting others down.
Insufferable Genius
At first glance, Alice the Insufferable Genius appears to be exactly the type who's doomed to learn An Aesopabout humility: she's very talented, she knows she's very talented, and she doesn't mind telling you repeatedly what a talented person she is. But the difference between her and your standard-issue loudmouth is that she really ISthat good, and when you need someone with her skills to save the day, she always comes through. So you have to concede that at least a little of her arrogance is justified — not enough to make you forget that she's got the social skills of a buzzsaw, but enough that you can tolerate her ego if that's what it takes to keep her around.
Intelligence Equals Isolation
This trope is about characters or people, mostly but not necessarily in college, who are very smart and suffer for it, beingunable to relate to the mundane worries and shallow personalities of their comrades, as well as being bored out of their skulls by the mandatory classes. Nothing is as depressing as having to correct the teacher, except not doing so for fear of the teacher getting mad. Sometimes they use Obfuscating Stupidity, but if their parents demand grades, and they get them, their classmates can get jealous, which can lead to bullying of various sorts.
Magic Librarian
Books and libraries in fiction can be mystical things; keepers of information, certainly, of secrets and sometimes of magic, as well. It's natural, therefore, that some authors like to spread some of that magic onto the librarian, too—when they aren't making them hot or scary, that is. A magic librarian will very often have the ability to send readers (or people who either don't read or disparage books, to teach 'em a lesson) into the world within the books, and sometimes, pity those who don't return their books to the library before the due date.Often overlaps with Hot Librarian, or with Scary Librarian, or possibly even both.
Little Miss Snarker
The Deadpan Snarker comes in many forms; it could be the non-action guy, the sidekick, the Weasel Mascot, and even the cat. This trope deals with snark coming from a little girl.
Motor Mouth
A character who speaks if not constantly then often so quickly that it's hard to make out individual words and with the appearance of not having to stop for breath which sometimes makes it sound as though the audio track has been set to Fast Forward, this is often a facet of the Genki Girl or The Ditz who seems to be able to redirect the oxygen destined for their brain to their mouth whereas if smart characters do this they often fall victim to Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness usually this counts as the specific subtrope Gibbering Genius and it is also a trait of a character who is panicking upset afraid angry worked up or excited and launches into rapid-fire babble because of their emotional state although in a few cases characters who do this anyway end up going into a weird state and start doing it even more BECAUSE OFTHESTATEMENTIONEDABOVEORMAYBEJUST—SHUT UP!
Omnidisciplinary Scientist
Compare to the Renaissance Man who is also very knowledgeable in multiple fields - but not necessarily all of them. Some of these fields may be arts such as painting, or literature. May possessEncyclopaedic Knowledge if their interest stray outside of science.
The Perfectionist
A character that has to be perfect at what they do, or at everything they do.There's a variation when some sort of special event is going on, where there's usually one crazy organizer who takes charge and the rest just go along. This chief organizer has a pretty good chance of becoming an overbearing perfectionist.Of course, said person obviously needs to learn that nothing is perfect in life. After all if it was, it'd be pretty boring. Whether or not the message gets through is up to the character.
Pride
Sometimes having a good opinion of yourself — your position, your skills, your accomplishments — can be too much. It can go to your head. It can turn you into a Jerkass. When it really gets bad, it can destroy your common sense, make you delusional, declare to the world that "It's All About Me!" and make you grab the Idiot Ball by Tempting Fate.
She's learned it's fine to take pride in your talents and put them to use when appropriate, as long as you aren't a braggart or a show-off about them.
The Professor
The nearly impossibly smart guy/girl. Probably started off as a Teen Genius and is capable of many anAss Pull, Deus ex Machina, or, um, Polarity Reversal. May or may not rely on Techno Babble.
Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness
A predilection by the intelligentsia to engage in the manifestation of prolix exposition through a buzzword disposition form of communication notwithstanding the availability of more comprehensible, punctiliously applicable, diminutive alternatives. Also known as "gross verbosity". Related to this is the use of inkhorn terms, loanwords from a foreign origin that are pretentious to an average speaker.
The Smart Guy
This is the guy in the Five-Man Band whose focus is on intellectual pursuits. This is The Teammember who will always be prepared, sometimesCrazy-Prepared. They will be at the computer doingRapid-Fire Typing. Expect some fancy talk andTechno Babble from this character. Because their role is about ideas, plans, and being Mission Control, they initially leave the action stuff to the others. Of course, Weak, but Skilled is always in effect for this guy.Physically if not tall and skinny, they are usually short and wear glasses. They may even be a Child Prodigy. The Smart Guy is sometimes written as mousey and withdrawn. If not antisocial, at least non-social, sliding into TV Genius. Can be expected to play a mean game of chess.Sometimes the Smart Guy is more street savvy then they appear. If this is the case it usually makes The Smart Guy physically as well as mentally capable. This is the path of the Badass Bookworm, or one who Minored In Ass Kicking. They remain firmly planted as the Smart Guy, but are just as ready to fight as everyone else. The results are often impressive, and usually have the advantage of surprise. Who expects the little guy with glasses to be an asskicker?
Too Clever by Half
This is a character archetype. These characters:
Are extremely smart and/or good at whatever it is they do.
Know it, and are probably pretty arrogant (in fact, they tend to think they're even better than they are).
As a result, are continually driven to go farther. Usually they succeed (remember, they're really good), but their failures are spectacular.
Often suffer some impediment, or endure some prejudice, to the point where being dramatically and demonstrably more awesome than everyone else in their field is a necessity if they're going to be seen as a success at all.
True Blue Femininity
Blue is a common color to represent femininity. Thus a girl or woman wearing blue is a sign that she is fair and gentle.This could have started at least as far back as ancient Greece and Rome, and why the Virgin Mary is often depicted in a blue robe. The logic was that blue symbolizes peace, serenity, kindness, and other such aspects that were considered womanly virtues. (In the Mediterranean, it was also a sign of high rank, as the dye/paint color had to come from indigo, woad, or lapis lazuli which must be imported from a great distance and was therefore quite expensive).From the early to mid 20th century, some argued that blue should be the color for girls, and red should be the color for boys. Yet even though we ended up with Pink Girl, Blue Boy after World War II, putting a woman in blue is still considered a sign of her femininity, if not as obvious as colors like pink and purple.Blue has other meanings, such as sadness and loneliness. These can overlap with this trope (as in representing both femininity and sadness). Or that she is gentle (with blue representing peace and serenity). This can apply to any feminine woman at any age, some more than others, like a Winter Royal Lady.
“Hmm,” the brunette says thoughtfully, tapping a long thin finger against her chin. Her other hand pushes stray curls behind one ear... a nervous habit of hers whenever she’s deep in thought. “I’m really not one for secrets, but... well, I suppose one thing is I’d not want them to know I got drunk on graduation night. I’m usually not one for drinking, but really, graduation... and I’m rather a firm believer in experiencing things at least once in one’s life.”
She starts to frown, but her expression changes slightly, more bemused than upset. “I... don’t remember a whole lot about it, which only rather proved my theory that my being drunk is not something I should do.”
She takes a deep breath, “Let’s see... Oh!” Her cheeks redden suddenly, and steels herself with another inhalation of oxygen. “They wanted me to get along so well with Magister Aetherwing, and, well, it wasn’t for lack of trying, but, ah... I was, ah, rather naive and, well. I attended a Spring Formal event with him, and, well, it... wasn’t the most pleasant experience.” She sighs, fidgeting with her hands in agitation. “I don’t know if they thought we’d wind up together or not, but, I never told them -why- I refused ever going anywhere with him again. They simply think that he never asked me again.”
She looks at Hal quietly a moment, then forces a small smile, “As to a third... well, there are reasons I didn’t want to go drink with you and get a tattoo. You remember I said that most things should be experienced at least once, well, apparently I took myself quite literally when I DID get drunk.” She hitches up the side of her blouse with a sigh. There, in a particularly lovely handwritten script, is a small quote, just at the top of her rib cage on her side, “... and I’ll keep you wild.” She blushes, giving a near imperceptible nod, “My friend’s says “I’ll keep you safe,” it’s sort of a two-part quote, I guess. We were such... opposites, really.”
