Ojou ringlets - An easy way to tell if a female character in Japanese media is of high social standing is not to look for the Requisite Royal Regalia,
but to look at the front of her head. Specifically, look for two curled
locks of hair draping the sides of her face. The rest of the hair may
be straight, curly, or anything in-between, but she must have two curls
from either the hair directly in front of or directly behind the ear,
and falling in front of her shoulders rather than behind, if it is long
enough. If she has these, she either is high class or acts like it.
Girlish pigtails - Also known as twin tails, handlebars, or bunches. A type of hairstyle
where the hair is gathered into two “tails” on either side of the head.
Usually, but not always, left loose; braided tails have a more Granola Girl or Tomboy
connotation.
Expository Hairstyle Change - Sometimes when you have to show something important about a character, it’s not appropriate or wise to wheel out the Mr. Exposition
and explain what’s going on, and in general the easiest way to do this
in visual media is to change the appearance of a character,
specifically, their hairstyle, since this can be done cheaply in
live-action through the use of wigs or other non-permanent alterations
and can be undone just as easily.
Tomboy & Girly Girl - When the main characters in a show are both females, or if there are only Two Girls to a Team, it almost always leads to a case of this trope. The “Girly Girl” will highly care about her appearance, pursue “girly” interests, and is often (though not always) The Chick. The “Tomboy”, who is often The Big Girl, will be into sports, mechanics, house and/or building construction and/or renovation, or the like
Brainy Brunette - Stereotypically speaking, in fiction, blondes are lacking in intelligence, redheads have short tempers, so, out of the trio, brunettes are all brain.
The Smart Girl - This is the one on The Team
that uses their head. As the intelligent one, they come in when the
team needs deep analysis, clever tactics, or there’s highly technical
work to be done.
Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak - This is a Girly Girl
who has some tomboyish qualities or interests. She could have an
interest in boys sports, hate the color pink or love boyish colors, not
mind getting messy, be a Big Eater, or hate dresses and wear baggy pants.
In-Series Nickname - An In-Series Nickname is not a Fan Nickname,
although it can frequently be used as such. Instead, it is a nickname
specifically given in-series, not even by the producers alone. It is
always regarded as canon.
Book Dumb - Many main characters in children’s shows (and in adult’s shows featuring
children) are explicitly shown as doing very badly in school, despite
showing themselves to be of at least average intelligence in most other
areas of life. This isn’t inconsistency on the part of the writers,
though. The kid is just Book Dumb.
The Conscience - The Conscience describes a character type whose purpose is to act as
the hero’s (or other characters’) conscience and moral touchstone, the
person they consult to check that they’re doing the right thing. Common
when The Hero doesn’t trust his own moral judgment.
Martial Pacifist - A martial artist that is peaceful, disciplined, kind, personable, and probably good with children.
Disapproving Look - Sometimes, when you need to show your disapproval, you don’t need to speak. All you need to display your disapproval is that look. It’s not quite an angry or tense look; it’s more of a look that says “really?”
Team Mom - The Team Mom basically acts as the mother figure for everyone else in the group, regardless of age or family relations. Although the role itself is traditionally female, the Overprotective Dad or older brother can qualify for Team Mom, and the same goes for a Cool Big Sis who grows Older and Wiser. In many cases, she actually is a parent or older sibling to at least one other character.
Xenafication - The polar opposite of Chickification and a subtrope of Adaptational Badass.
We all know girls will need role models, so what do you do when you’re
adapting or sequelizing a work from a “less enlightened” time? Make your
female lead into an Action Girl!
The title comes from Xena: Warrior Princess, who is not an example but rather the inspiration, being something of a Trope Codifier for Action Girl. Xenafication thus can be defined as “becoming like Xena”.
Adaptational Badass - There are characters in the media who are known, simply put, for
being less-than-dangerous. They might simply be the last competent
fighter. They might be a Non-Action Guy/Damsel in Distress. Worst case scenario, they’re The Load. When danger rears its head, the character generally beats feet and lets their tougher friends deal with the problem.
But then, when the work is being adapted or rebooted, the
character is made a bona fide badass. The reasons for this are myriad. One possibility is that characters who were reasonably
competent and skilled in their original incarnations had their
capabilities and accomplishments elevated in their next depiction,
sometimes to an Invincible Hero or Invincible Villain level. This is related to the Big Budget Beef-Up or Serial Escalation, the character is changed to match the intensity of the action.
Icy Blue Eyes - Piercing, pale blue eyes, and sometimes gray eyes, that seem to look
right through you. As a reflection of character, this variety of blue
eyes indicates the coolness (as in Rule of Cool) or even coldness (as in cold and calculating) of the person who has them.
Aloof Dark-Haired Girl - The Aloof Dark-Haired Girl is a fairly common character type combining both appearance and personality. They will generally be taller than their peers, more physically developed, and their hair will be very long and dark. Frequently, their skin will in contrast be very pale. They look older and more beautiful and meet a certain classic ideal of feminine beauty combining maturity, a quiet attitude and a combination of long hair and very pale skin.
The Aloof Dark-haired Girl will not merely look older
than her peers, however. Frequently, she will also act more reserved and
aloof and thus seem more mature, which may earn her some younger female
admirers.
“Because of another prophecy,” said Mr Beaver. “Down at Cair Paravel — that’s the castle on the sea coast down at the mouth of this river which ought to be the capital of the whole country if all was as it should be — out of mind that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit on those four thrones, then it will be the end of not only the White Witch’s reign but her life, and that is why we had to be so cautious as we came along, for if she knew about you four, your lives wouldn’t be worth a shake of my whiskers!”
