Basic Trope: This girl is too good for that loser guy, knows it, and acts accordingly.
- Straight: Alice is brilliant, witty, and beautiful... while Bob is... not. She works on getting him to shape up and isn't afraid to berate and belittle him to keep him motivated.
- Exaggerated: Alice is the most beautiful, brilliant, amazing woman in the world. Bob is an utterly worthless slob. For some reason, she sees potential in him and will stop at nothing to ensure it comes out.
- Downplayed: Alice and Bob are close in ability, but Alice continues pushing him to do better and gives him snark when he rests on his laurels.
- Justified: Bob is Brilliant, but Lazy, cleans up nicely, or has other good qualities beneath his loserly surface that Alice is trying to bring out.
- Inverted: Alice lets Bob do whatever he wants and never criticizes him for being a loser.
- Gender Inverted: Well, Excuse Me, Prince!: Bob is a brilliant and handsome man while Alice is anything but, yet he stays with her because he sees potential in her. However he is not above berating her and criticizes her flaws to which Alice responds with snark.
- Subverted:
- Another character comments on their crazy relationship, only for Alice to insist "He's not my boyfriend."
- After Alice briefly tries this, it's clear it won't work and gives up.
- Double Subverted:
- They hook up in the end anyway.
- He's her project/apprentice/slave thingy.
- Bob misses her company and does something impressive. Having proven Alice correct, she refuses to let him slack off.
- Parodied: Alice uses every perceived slight to bring Bob down a notch, despite the fact that the two of them are actually fairly equal, all things considered. Bob decides it's easier to just go with it.
- Zig Zagged: Alice finally gets Bob to be more motivated and he becomes more talented than her. Bob then turns into a Broken Ace, so he goes back to being a slacker because he's much happier that way.
- Averted: Bob and Alice are equals who don't snark.
- Enforced:
- The writer thinks poorly of Magical Girlfriend and writes something they think is more believable.
- The writer is in such a relationship and doesn't think its half bad.
- Lampshaded: "Some days, I wonder why I even bother with him..."
- Invoked: ???
- Exploited: Bob instantly recognises that Alice is the kind of girl who likes taking Loser Boys and "improving" them, so he plays up to it.
- Defied:
- "You know what, Bob? You're a dilweed, and I never want to see you again."
- "Alice, I'm dumping you. I've heard Emo Teens that whine less than you."
- Discussed: "She's my princess, and boy does she act like one..."
- Conversed: "Why does Alice put up with Bob? Or him with her? The Power of Love?"
- Deconstructed:
- Alice sticks with Bob to boost her own ego, knowing that she's far better than him and can hold that over his head. Bob eventually cracks under the pressure of trying to keep her favor, and they break up (much to her shock; how DARE something like him break up with HER?!)
- Alice is downright abusive to Bob, who's too shy to stand up to her.
- Alice can't fix Bob, and instead, he drags her down with her.
- Reconstructed:
- Alice honestly cares for Bob despite his flaws, and helps him become a better person, while Bob gets her to confront her flaws and deal with them. Even if romance never manages to flourish between them, they'll eventually learn to become great friends.
- Alice thinks she's using Tough Love to make Bob grow a spine because he's too shy to stand up to anyone. A third party straightens things out and Alice changes tactics, becoming more affectionate (but she's still haughty).
- Alice declines for a short time before Bob realizes what's going on. Bob feels guilty and it ends up being the catalyst for him to improve, which also reverses Alice's decline. Both of them become better.
- Played For Drama: Alice is the one good thing Bob has going for him, and she's fully aware of it, so she constantly derides and insults him but in doing so, she's unintentionally wearing away the good parts of their relationship. All the while, Jerk Jock Charles is watching and plotting to steal her away — not out of love, but 'cause she's hot and it would cause Bob even more pain.
- Implied: Alice criticizes Bob on his first date. By the time we see the two of them next, Bob is wearing much better clothing, acts much more outgoing, and has a much better job.
Why can't you find the main page already? Ugh, sometimes I don't know why I put up with a lifeless loser like you.
Well ex-cuuuuuuse me, Princess!
