Line #205 Main/NeutralFemale


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13	[[quoteright:350:[[Literature/SlaveIsland https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/slave_island_0.png]]]]
14	[[caption-width-right:350:Feel free to help out anytime.]]
15
16	->''"If I am presented with a reasonable opportunity to save the day myself, I will at least try, and not wait for the hero to do it."''
17	-->-- '''#22''', ''[[JustForFun/TheUniversalGenreSavvyGuide The True Love List: The Things I Will Do If I Am Ever the True Love]]''
18
19	The hero and the villain are having a SwordFight or similar one-on-one altercation.
20
21	Meanwhile, our lovely heroine, [[FauxActionGirl whom the narrative will insistently claim]] is physically capable, is just standing around... and [[TheLoad doing absolutely nothing]] ([[WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing and not in a winning way, either]]). This isn't a case where she's trapped, incapacitated, physically impaired, or any less experienced than the hero, himself. This is an able-bodied woman with some established ability who is just standing around on the sidelines, helplessly watching while the men do all the dirty work.
22
23	So no trying to {{improvise\|dWeapon}} to assist the hero. No calling for help. No making any attempts to stalk off while the villain is distracted; anything that could possibly enable the hero's success. Not even cheering the hero on to boost morale. You could replace her with [[LivingProp an inanimate prop]] for all the good she's doing.
24
25	The situation doesn't necessarily have to be Hero vs. Villain. It can also apply between good guys, especially in terms of [[CockFight romantic competition]]. The point is that the girl is ''still'' not helping either of them nor doing anything to stop the fight, not even by saying something that ''could'' settle everything between the combatants.
26
27	There are cases where her inactivity or lack of involvement in a fight can be justified. As stated above, she may be injured or BoundAndGagged and thus unable to move. She could be lower on the JustForFun/SuperWeight scale or [[NaiveNewcomer lack experience]]. Another reason could be ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself (where ''none'' of the hero's allies help him) or the hero [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen insists on an honorable one-on-one duel]]. An especially fickle heroine may simply be waiting to see which man comes out on top, since WomenPreferStrongMen.
28
29	What differentiates her from a regular [[TheLoad Load]] is that it's established she has abilities or has choices at her disposal but when confronted with duking it out among the boys she's suddenly rendered inept [[DoubleStandard by virtue of being female]]. Compare to DamselInDistress but [[JustForFun/XMeetsY with a case of]] FauxActionGirl; which often serves as both the source and result of this trope. The distinction is that the FauxActionGirl is consistently failing to live up to her hype. It is a character trope. This trope here is more of a situational trope and it could have some justifying context (ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself for instance). Thus, not every Neutral Female is a FauxActionGirl.
30
31	The reasoning for this trope’s existence likely lies in the fact that in most cultures, men are seen as being obligated to help women who are in danger, and if he doesn’t he is generally seen as a coward. Women, meanwhile, are generally not under the same pressures to help men in danger, especially if doing so would put her own life in danger. Because of this female characters generally don't lose any sympathy for failing to help characters.
32
33	Also compare StandardFemaleGrabArea which is where being caught by the wrist or upper arm is enough to impede her. Both tropes are often caused by the writers' unwillingness to have a woman fighting ([[WouldntHitAGirl and thus being hit by]]) a man. Polar opposite of the DefiantCaptive, who may be helpless but won't let that stop her from telling her captors exactly what she thinks of them.
34
35	[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] female {{R\|olePlayingGame}}PG characters with a Neutral component to their CharacterAlignment.
36
37	----
38	!!Examples:
39	[[index]]
40	* NeutralFemale/AnimeAndManga
41	* NeutralFemale/FanWorks
42	* [[NeutralFemale/LiveActionFilms Film - Live Action]]
43	* NeutralFemale/{{Literature}}
44	* NeutralFemale/LiveActionTV
45	* NeutralFemale/VideoGames
46	* NeutralFemale/WesternAnimation
47	[[/index]]
48
49	[[foldercontrol]]
50
51	[[folder:Arts]]
52	* ''Art/MarriageALaMode'': {{Justified\|trope}}; the Countess doesn't interfere with the DuelToTheDeath between Silvertongue and the Earl because she cheated on one with the other. With everyone involved guilty of adultery, the Countess simply [[MortonsFork doesn't have any side to choose from]], including her own.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
56	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'', Faline just stands against a rock wall and watches Bambi and Ronno fight over her. Justified as in real life, a doe would be fine with bucks fighting over her. Less so when she is utterly unable to do anything when the hunting dogs show up and corner her; in real life, female deer can give predators hell with their hooves, and she's roughly the same size as Bambi, who trashes them.
57	* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife''. Maria takes part in the action at every opportunity, and leads the finale battle.
58	* Averted in one memorable scene from ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'', where an inexplicably French Robin Hood is about to throw down Shrek and "rescue" Princess Fiona. But it's Fiona who ends up clobbering Robin and his Merry Men with some WireFu and BulletTime moves.
59	[[/folder]]
60
61	[[folder:Mythology & Religion]]
62	* Hestia from Myth/ClassicalMythology was this to her pantheon, a goddess who was capable of taking on Titans refuses to engage in any mortal activities, unless listening to prayers counts. Even during the Trojan War when the gods had a free-pass to walk-among mortals, or the gigantomachy -- which was basically a sequel to the issues with the Titans -- Hestia is committed to Actual Pacifism. Most artwork portrays Hestia as a literal back-ground character, cooking or patiently standing behind other gods when fighting. Justified since someone needs to take heed of the fire within the hearth.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
66	* Subverted in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' with Sakura, who keeps trying to make Shirou stop participating in the Grail War and despite having the potential of Tohsaka knows nothing of fighting or real magecraft. [[spoiler:She's actually the biggest powerhouse of any single character in the entire game... and she is not on Shirou's side [[FreakOut by that point]].]]
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Web Comics]]
70	* Averted in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' by both Sarah and Melissa.
71	** Sarah attempts to [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=445 talk her way]] out of a fight between Elliot and Hedge, and when [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=446 that doesn't work]] she goes for a GroinAttack, grabbing Elliot, and fleeing. This would have likely worked if Hedge had been an ordinary human.
72	** Melissa has no fighting skills, so when confronting a dragon, she [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1233 screams]], knowing her super-powered friend is nearby, then [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1235 buys time for him to jump into action]] by [[PuffOfLogic attempting to disprove its ability to fly]] a la ''WesternAnimation/TheFlightOfDragons''.
73	* Subverted by ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' during the "Maxim Buys a Hat" arc. Maxim nearly wins the fight with Ol' Man Death for his hat, but his granddaughter Zeuxippe hits Maxim with a jar of olives to stop him taking it. Ol' Man Death objects as her interference meant that he would have to forfeit. Maxim is sportsman enough to find a way that his opponent won't have to forfeit, [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20100609 by categorizing her as a "course hazard".]]
74	* Averted in ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob,'' when Jean [[https://bobadventures.thecomicseries.com/comics/357 saves Bob from a bigfoot.]] She had resented being [[https://bobadventures.thecomicseries.com/comics/329 reduced to a damsel in distress]] earlier in the story. She also resents it when he [[https://bobadventures.thecomicseries.com/comics/468 tries to leave her behind where it's safe]] in the subsequent storyline.
75	* Sheena in ''Webcomic/KidRadd'' starts off this way, [[JustifiedTrope because thanks to her NPC programming, she's not allowed to harm or be harmed in combat]]. Several times she expresses her frustration with this condition, until [[spoiler:she learns she's absorbed some code from her duplicate in ''Kid Radd 2'', which, when invoked, allows her to fight the enemies after her and Radd this time, though this also leaves her vulnerable to taking damage -- a problem which is minimized by her ability to switch ''back'' to her old NPC mode at will]].
76	* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
77	** {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d when Roy's kidnapped sister is asked why she didn't bother to warn her rescuer (her older brother, no less) of an ambush over an accidental slight before kicking his sword over to him. She explains that she's TrueNeutral, and goes both ways.
78	--->'''Pompey:''' That is so hot.
79	** Therkla also joins this territory when she realizes that between the compelling arguments of Lawful Evil against Chaotic Good is a whole slew of inappropriate ego. So she tries to compromise hard. [[spoiler:It doesn't end well]].
80	* Alt-Zoe in ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance''. {{Justified\|Trope}} since, like all Dimension of Lame characters, she's completely and utterly opposed to violence.
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Web Original]]
84	* In ''Roleplay/DinoAttackRPG'', as revealed in Greybeard's PensieveFlashback, the infamous pirate "Bad Luck" Beatrice took on this role while Grisbarba and Anton Gaston dueled in a swordfight, doing nothing but standing off to the side and shouting at them to stop. Justified in that she could not do more because she was unarmed; once Anton was disarmed and Grisbarba prepared to kill him, she ''did'' grab Anton's fallen sword and step in, accidentally [[AnArmAndALeg cutting off Grisbarba's hand]] in the process. Besides, even if she tried to step in before Anton was disarmed, it would have done more harm than good since Grisbarba was too drunk and would likely have killed her in his stupor.
85	* In ''WebVideo/TwitchPlaysPokemonCrystal'', Oxxy Ozworme, the team's Metapod, is the least-used and most under-leveled member of the main party, outclassed by such male Pokemon as [[TheAce Feraligatr]], Eevee, and even Togepi! Subverted, however, with Abed the Raticate, who can hold her own against most of the guys in the party, with the glaring exception of [[TheAce Feraligatr]].
86	* ''WebVideo/TwitchPlaysPokemonRed'' has an interesting example: Air, the [[RequiredPartyMember Lapras]], was consistently the weakest member of the party, but it wasn't until the game was finished and the party data transferred to a copy of Gold that it was discovered that [[SamusIsAGirl Air was in fact female]].
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Real Life]]
90	* A literal example could occur during medieval sieges. Depending on how well a castle was fortified and supplied, a siege could last years or even decades, so the leader of the attacking army sometimes ended up bringing all the comforts of home along, including his wife. Since women were considered neutral in all conflicts, the lady of the castle and the wife of the attacker were sometimes given safe passage to come and go as they pleased, and may become friends and even make social visits to each other, with each side [[WouldntHitAGirl forbidden to even touch them]]. Obviously, they would make invaluable hostages or infiltrators, but this didn't always happen. [[HonorBeforeReason It was unchivalrous]].
91	[[/folder]]
92

Context Main / NeutralFemale