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Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl

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Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl (trope)
When all you've known is darkness, the light in your life shines ever brighter.

Kikyo: I noticed that Inuyasha has changed. His eyes have a certain softness. Long ago, his eyes were much colder and he thought he could afford to place his trust in no-one.
Kaede: Kagome is a strange child. Little by little, she has been able to heal the wounds of his heart.
Kikyo: So she is the one responsible. It was she who changed Inuyasha. Had I lived, it is I who would have tended to the wounds in his soul.

The tendency for the brooding, angsty, and self-assured boy (typically, but not exclusively, a loner) to end up with a sweet, thoughtful, and gentle girl who will patiently coax him out of his moods.

While the appeal of the brooding boy probably has something to do with All Girls Want Bad Boys, the brooding boy isn't necessarily bad, he's just… moody, troubled. At worst, he'll be an Anti-Hero who's put his bad boy past behind him or at least is trying to. Maybe he has a Dark and Troubled Past. Maybe he's made terrible mistakes, and that weighs on his mind. Maybe he simply takes his responsibilities far more seriously than the rest of his teammates. Whatever the case, he's just waiting for someone to draw him out of his shell, and that person is the gentle girl.

For her part and unlike her kookier sisters (the Manic Pixie Dream Girl and Genki Girl), the gentle girl doesn't try to actively shake the brooding boy out of his moodiness. Instead, she patiently and persistently offers kind words, either shy or gentle smiles, hugs, companionship, and hope. Usually The Power of Love will eventually heal the brooding boy, and she might learn some things about herself as well, especially if she ends up facing her own demons too. She may be the Living Emotional Crutch for the guy, but it's not necessary.

Eventually, their appearance will be used to underline their personalities. She tends to be blonde, while his hair is usually dark. This dynamic can also show up in a lot of Yaoi and Yuri works. If one of the partners is really cheerful and sweet, the other partner is probably an angst-fest waiting to be unleashed.

This relationship tends to be the focus of a Hurt/Comfort Fic. For any related pair trope based on personality dynamics, see Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl, Beast and Beauty, Ugly Guy, Hot Wife, Hot Guy, Ugly Wife, Light Liege, Dark Defender. Natural blue onis, especially in a Four-Temperament Ensemble that also has a Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl pairing.

Despite what this trope suggests, it's also important to note that this is not exclusive to romantic relationships only.

A possible inversion of this trope is Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy.

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    Comic Books 
  • Angel & Faith has the titular characters, especially at the start of Season Nine, where Angel is recovering from having killed Giles.
  • Batman and Catwoman, although Catwoman is downplayed as she's an anti-heroine while Batman plays it straight.
  • Legion of Super-Heroes: Brainiac-5 is a brooding genius with no social skills, and his Love Interest Supergirl is a cheerful and gentle girl who is one of the few persons able to brighten up his day (and put up with his foul moods for longer than five minutes).
  • Nova: Richard Rider is serious and circumspect, and his sometimes-girlfriend Ginger Jaye is cheerful and perky.
  • The Sandman (1989): Dream and Death are this. Ironically, Dream is the brooding one as he is constantly caught up in his responsibilities and the issues that result from them. Death, on the other hand, is a Perky Goth who is constantly upbeat, kindhearted, and ready to listen to Dream and offer support as his big sister.

    Live-Action TV 
  • Angel:
    • Fred played "Gentle Girl" to both Gunn and Wesley. Well, when Gunn and Fred began expressing interest in each other, neither was particularly broody. Wesley, on the other hand...
    • Connor and Not-Cordelia. With a twist in that the Gentle Girl is evil, is only gentle while he's watching, and is manipulating him into serving as her Dragon.
  • Arrow has adorkable I.T girl Felicity and broody vigilante Oliver. An ongoing theme throughout the series is Felicity helping him to open up about his tragic past and trust people again. Given the Trauma Conga Line he's gone through, it's not surprising he needs a little help in learning to be happy again.
  • John Sheridan and Delenn on Babylon 5—he doesn't want to burden her with his problems and thinks he has to do it all himself. She disabuses him of that notion rather quickly.
  • CSI: NY has Mac and Christine. He's the serious, brooding, widowed detective whose whole life is his job; she's the blonde sweetheart who coaxes him out of his moods and is, in his own words, "...everything that's good in [his] life".
  • Clare and Eli from Degrassi: The Next Generation. Clare is a sweet, mostly innocent Christian girl, and Eli drives a hearse.
  • Rose and the Ninth Doctor from Doctor Who are a pretty archetypical example. Later, Clara Oswald has this effect on both the Eleventh Doctor (when an incarnation of Clara coaxes a brooding Eleven out of self-imposed retirement) and the Twelfth (where Clara "prime" becomes his Morality Chain and The Heart of their relationship).
  • Jagger and Karen on General Hospital. Repeated a few years later with Stone and Robin, then a year after that with Jason and Robin (brain damage left him unable to express any emotion, so her getting him to laugh/cry/show love was a huge feat.
  • Gilmore Girls' season has Jess and Rory. Jess is the cynical brooding boy who falls for the town princess Rory after he discovers she has a passion for books and music similar to his own. Bonus points that both teens were a product of Teen Pregnancy but with two wildly different upbringings. note  A recurring theme is Rory believing that Jess can do more than everyone - including him - expects and that it doesn't have to be him against the world. Although they eventually break up due to Jess's issues, he later returns having got his life together, lost the brooding aspect, and acknowledged he couldn't have done so without Rory believing in him.
  • Subverted on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power with the sensitive and idealistic elf smith Mirdania and the brooding Annatar. Mirdania is clearly attracted to him and he notices her resemblance to Galadriel. Given that he is the Dark Lord Sauron in disguise, he ruthlessly exploits her trust in him, manipulates her and then casually murders her.
  • On NCIS, Agent Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane is slipping into the Gentle Girl role to Gibbs' Brooding Boy. As a fellow Shell-Shocked Veteran with her own demons to contend with, she understands him in ways very few people ever can, and he knows she understands him. Her inherent gentleness, compassion, and lack of judgment mean she can coax him out of his dark moods when no one else can, and he will turn to her when he wouldn't turn to anyone else.
  • In Riverdale, Jughead is a very moody, sardonic and intense boy from the South Side of town who has teamed up with Betty, the kind, compassionate Girl Next Door in order to solve the murder of a local teen. They work very closely together and eventually develop feelings for each other, becoming a couple midway into season 1.
  • Smallville: Clark's female companions/love interests tend to play this role to his brooding boy on his bad days: Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan, Lois Lane and Kara Zor-El have all played this role at various times, and Lois ends up being the one who helps him move out of his formerly brooding ways completely by the end.
  • Power Rangers RPM: Summer/RPM Yellow is a caring Action Girl, who doesn't take crap from anyone. This naturally leaves her in charge of Dillon/RPM Black, wisecracking Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
  • The Vampire Diaries:
    • Stefan and Elena. Stefan is the mysterious, brooding vampire who falls in love with Elena, the sweet, cheerful girl next door, who often makes Stefan crack a smile.
    • When Damon takes a break from being the Deadpan Snarker to rival his brother for the brooding championship, Elena plays this to him as well.
    • Anna and Jeremy definitely fit here. While she is more of an Abhorrent Admirer at first, their eventual dynamic, especially after her death fits this trope down to a T.
  • Veronica Mars had Logan and Hannah during season 2.
  • Not explicitly romantic, but there's plenty of Ship Tease between Daryl Dixon and his Morality Pet Beth Greene in The Walking Dead (2010).
  • The White Queen: Richard III and Elizabeth of York. His temperament becomes increasingly saturnine after he becomes king, and when a schism forms between Richard and his wife Anne Neville, the only person who can reach past his gloomy exterior is the kind Elizabeth.

    Music 
  • In Country Music, songs about this trope could practically form a subgenre. If the male narrator in a song refers to himself melancholically as a “cowboy” and applies spiritually charged language to the object of his affection, it’s probably this Trope. Bonus points are awarded for implying that the woman’s love saved him from a dangerous path in life. These songs can either apply a lot of emotional weight in a short time by relating to concepts already present in the fandom’s psyche or degenerate into a bad Strictly Formula piece.
  • Tsukiko Amano’s song Bodaiju can be seen very easily as being written from the POV of a Gentle Girl and directed to a Brooding Boy.
    You come closer and then move away again, and the temperature of your body drops
    How much strength do I need?
    When the tips of your dreams pierce your chest even deeper, I’ll be here, I’ll always be by your side
    Don’t hesitate anymore, I’ll pull the blunt thorn out of you and cover the wound until the day you smile
  • “Say What You Will” by Eric Clapton clearly depicts a man who has seen plenty of trouble and struggles with insecurity, but he has a caring woman and appreciates her deeply.
  • In Franz Liszt’s “A Faust Symphony,” this well describes the relation between the first two movements, “Faust” and “Gretchen.” The former has all the brooding and passion of a Byronic Hero, while the latter is gently melodious and intimately scored.
  • Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush's duet "Don't Give Up" is about a former soldier experiencing a Trauma Conga Line after losing an unspecific war (though this could metaphorical; Word of God says it’s set during the Dust Bowl/The Great Depression era), returning to his hometown and finding it destroyed and uninhabitable, and failing to find employment. In the chorus and bridge, a female voice, who is most likely his spouse, appears and encourages him to not give up because You Are Not Alone.
  • "Little of Your Love" by HAIM is this, from the Gentle Girl's point of view, who's encouraging the Brooding Boy she's dating to trust her earnest, romantic actions and not to be shy about/scared of reciprocating. The Girl, however, doesn't pretend it's easy and implies at points that the Boy's mood swings can get tiresome to overcome, but usually responds to them by teasing him about his Sugar-and-Ice Personality. In the second verse, she refers to a night they shared that was the most romantic night she'd had with anyone, but when the Brooding Boy tells her that nothing lasts forever, she gives him a "Shut Up" Kiss as punishment for pretending he didn't enjoy it too.
  • Gender inverted with Alanis Morissette's "Head Over Feet", where a Gentle Guy's kindness to the Brooding Babe he's dating leaves her in disbelief and amazed at how his treatment towards her (someone who doesn't deserve it, in her eyes) is even improving her physically as much as it is emotionally.

    Mythology & Religion 
  • Hindu Mythology: Shiva and Parvati/Sati are usually portrayed as this trope. Shiva is a god of destruction who spent his whole life meditating up on a mountain, never acknowledging anyone's presence, never interacting with the world, and Parvati is the one whose undying love and devotion spurred him to actually take part in life.
  • Classical Mythology: Persephone, daughter of Demeter and Zeus, is the goddess of flowers. She's also the wife of Hades and thus queen of the Underworld. What makes them special is that they have probably the only happy and loving marriage in the Greek pantheon.

    Roleplay 
  • In Dawn of a New Age: Oldport Blues, glimpses of the future have shown the moody, anti-social Simon in a relationship with Mirielle, a gentle baker's girl. Though said relationship falls apart when Simon leans too much towards the dark side, subjugating and detaining Mirielle's superpowered friends. In the present, it's shown that Simon has taken an interest in Mirielle's oddly cheerful personality.

    Theatre 
  • The Grinning Man: Dea is the Gentle Girl to Grinpayne's Brooding Boy
  • Hamlet and Ophelia from Hamlet could be seen as a deconstruction of the pairing. It is suggested that they were quite close and affectionate before Hamlet's father died. Then, when Hamlet's stress of seeing the ghost of his father gets to him, poor Ophelia is stunned and has no idea how to help him. From then on he's acting mad, and his next scene with her has him denying their relationship ever happened. Then she goes crazy for other reasons…
  • Jasper in Deadland: Jasper is downcast and reserved as a result of his hard life, whereas Agnes is gentle and optimistic in an attempt to convince him and herself that his life can still be fulfilling.
  • Sam and Rose in Street Scene.
    Sam: What's the good of having brains, if nobody ever looks at you—if nobody knows you exist?
    Rose (gently): I know you exist, Sam.

    Visual Novels 
  • In Rindo's route in CafĂ© EnchantĂ©, this occurs between him and Kotone. Kotone is the gentle girl to Rindo's brooding, as his route reveals he has a lot of angst regarding being forced to almost kill his younger sister and later on when he is transformed into a non-human to save his life.
  • Danganronpa:
  • In Daughter for Dessert, the jaded protagonist who is weighed down by secrets can be paired with Lily, a free spirit who is never blunt.
  • In Double Homework, the protagonist is perpetually guilty over a big incident he caused, while Johanna is positive and encouraging.
  • Almost all the Katawa Shoujo routes have elements of this and will bring up three big-ass deconstructions of the concept:
    • Hisao/Lilly: He broods because he has just found out that he has a severe heart condition and has just arrived to a totally different world, she's gentle and an Onee-sama despite her blindness. Their relationship helps Hisao open up and become happier, but doesn't do the same for Lilly. This, and Hisao's overdependence on her, nearly destroys their relationship—he will be reluctant to voice his objections to her leaving for Scotland despite how it will make both of them unhappy and she really doesn't want to leave, and "trusting Lilly's judgement" on it will tear them apart.
    • Hisao/Hanako: A gender-flipped example, where Hisao tries to support Hanako since she not only is a Shrinking Violet but has very serious self-image issues due to being Covered in Scars. If Hisao goes overboard, he'll go from Gentle Guy to "white knight", and since Hanako also has issues with being pitied she will end up screaming at him in their Bad Ending, calling him out on what she views as Hisao "using" her to make himself look good.
    • Hisao/Rin: Another gender-flipped example, with Hisao playing the part of the Cloudcuckoolander's Minder to Rin's Cloudcuckoolander/Mad Artist. Taking care of a person with serious emotional and mental issues, and one who's under heavy pressure as well, can be incredibly draining; one small mistake can either make the "caretaker" give up after the first fight or not be able to stop the other person from destroying themself.
  • Melody gives the option of pairing the protagonist with Becca - a relationship that fits this dynamic.
  • Can potentially happen in Shall We Date?: Ninja Shadow, if the Plucky Girl Player Character hooks up with guys like Eduard (the local Amnesiac Lover), Asagi (who turns out to have quite the Hidden Depths), Kagura (who has a very troubled Split Personality), or Soushirou (a Stepford Smiler who's dealing with his soon to come death).
  • Inverted in the Kaori Route of Tokimeki Memorial 2: the main protagonist there is the Gentle Boy who patiently loves and supports Kaori, the Brooding Girl. The same can be said in the Novelization of that Route, Anata o Shinjiteru, although Shunta Torigoe (who takes the place of the main protagonist there), while having the same dynamic with her, is more energetic.
  • Surprisingly, the Player Character from True Love Junai Monogatari can become the Gentle Guy to more than one of his love interests, nevermind his stupidly high libido. The more striking examples are Mayumi Kamijou (who hides huge self-esteem problems under her Good Bad Girl facade and later goes through a very traumatic Attempted Rape) and Ryouko Shimazaki (an Idol Singer who hates the turn her career is taking but feels she cannot do anything to change it since her manager is her brother AND caretaker).

    Webcomics 
  • Subverted in Crepuscule with Setz and Carne. They certainly look the part, but as time goes on, it becomes evident that though Setz has his issues, he's at least trying to cope; once Carne's problems come to light, she's far more unstable. It doesn't take too long before their positions are swapped: Setz is the one who has to reassure the mentally ill Carne and ultimately try to save her when she goes insane. It doesn't end well.
  • Gender-Inverted in Ever Blue, when Ten, a guy who's not dispirited upon his boat breaking in a couple of pieces or fazed when attacked by what may-or-may-not be the Grim Reaper meets Luna, a quiet, nervous and lonely young woman with quite a couple of secrets. They get on like a house on fire.
  • Spoofed in this Penny Arcade strip.
    "I should warn you. My shit is way tormented."
    "I still love you. Even though you're so cool and rad."
  • Played with in Matchu. Matchu and Amber fit the bill personality-wise but are also Star-Crossed Lovers who can't interact without something bad happening to either of them.
  • Pixie and Brutus: Brutus presumably saw a lot of nasty things in his military career and continues to be fairly dark and gruff. Pixie is a sweet little kitten who tries to make friends with everybody, happily offers to share her bed with Brutus, and apologizes for pouncing (which she's apparently unaware is too minor to hurt).
  • Til Debt Do Us Part: The stoic, rich, and traumatized Yejun marries the cheerful and kind Subin, who not only draws him out of his shell but does the same for his similarly closed-off family.

    Web Original 
  • The Amazing Digital Circus: Jax is the trouble-making brooding boy to Ragatha's sweet, optimistic gentle girl. He eventually gains this sort of dynamic with Pomni, who's less optimistic but more willing to challenge Jax's worldview instead of avoiding him.
  • This is the dynamic between Jester and Caleb in season 2 of Critical Role, with Liam (Caleb) even noting on a Talk Machina episode that the Sad one is soft for the sunshine one.
  • Downplayed in Off the Page and into Life. Most of the time, Gail is willing to gently talk Henry out of one of his moods… but if that doesn't work, she's just as happy to use shouting and snarkiness, too.
  • Gender flipped in RWBY with Blake Belladonna and Sun Wukong. Blake has a very Dark and Troubled Past and feels she alone has to fight against the world's problems and frequently suffers from Heroic BSODs over her various issues. Whenever Sun sees Blake in distress, he often tries to cheer her up, usually to be ignored or coldly dismissed by her. The duet, "Like Morning Follows Night", from their perspectives, delves into this dynamic. Blake questions whether Sun understands what she's been through, and feels like she only causes suffering and tragedy to her loved ones, which is why she tries to keep everybody at a distance. Meanwhile, Sun tries to convince Blake to let go of her past and forgive herself for her mistakes.

 
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Ronin and Queen Tara

In the first third of the movie we meet the sarcastic and stern Ronin head of the royal guard and the friendly and kind (if a little sassy herself) Queen Tara who are set up to have a flirtatious relationship. Unfortunately Queen Tara dies at the end of the first act of the film triggering the main plot.

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