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SeptimusHeap MOD (Edited uphill both ways)
Mar 23rd 2021 at 7:27:17 AM •••

Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: Redefine (*maybe* rename???), started by Leaper on Sep 11th 2010 at 2:48:01 AM

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
SeptimusHeap MOD (Edited uphill both ways)
Mar 23rd 2021 at 5:23:00 AM •••

Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: *sigh* It's still broken..., started by Leaper on Nov 28th 2010 at 7:52:05 AM

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
ReiKusanagi Since: Mar, 2012
Dec 16th 2013 at 4:26:24 AM •••

A question: Would Miyuki Takara from anime/Lucky Star count? She's very studious and has rather geeky hobbies (reading to the point where she's a human wikipedia) and her attractiveness has been noted at least once.

VoidSpace Since: Feb, 2013
Apr 5th 2013 at 4:24:57 PM •••

There used to be a picture of wrestler AJ Lee for the image on the page...she's not just a model they stuck glasses on. They call her "Geek Goddess" for a legit reason. She's a petanko who literally wears chucks glasses and tees and shorts, and you can probably grab 30+ geek references a week from her twitter that can range from Batman to action figures to Final Fantasy or how much of an overall klutz she is. It's just a bonus that she happens to be pretty damn attractive.

Also was there ever a pro-wrestling folder on this page? Because you'd be surprised how many of them are actually pretty geeky...

Edited by VoidSpace
Leaper Since: May, 2009
Sep 9th 2010 at 1:17:01 AM •••

Thinking of suggesting a redefinition/rename to Trope Repair, since this trope has nothing specifically to do with nerds. See Trope Talk discussion for further reasoning?

Edited by Leaper Hide / Show Replies
Eclipse11 Since: Nov, 2010
Nov 14th 2012 at 7:33:06 AM •••

Yeah most of these examples are not really nerds at all, it's more a "someone is genuinely attractive but doesn't care about their presentation or dresses poorly" and that doesnt even sound like a trope. It sounds like someone just being lazy. In any case, Beautiful All Along is essentially the exact same thing.

Leaper Since: May, 2009
Nov 28th 2010 at 12:43:12 AM •••

The following examples were purged because of vagueness. If they are readded, please mention when in-story they were mentioned or advanced as being attractive because of their nerdiness:

(Hint: If you have to mention "fans," any sort of reality show, and/or use the word "character" in the wrong context, that goes in Troper Tales, not the main page!)

(Also note that foldercontrol isn't working for some reason, and that the Web Original folder is within the Webcomic folder, again for some reason I can't fathom.)

    open/close all folders 

    Anime and Manga 
  • Jou Kido from Digimon Adventure 02. He was really awkward as a 12-year-old in season one, but damn if he didn't grow up well! Also, Koushirou. Not only are shorter people smarter, they're hotter, too!
  • Matsu from Sekirei, but then again, it is Sekirei. That, and she wears an outfit similar to a Cheongsam.
  • Bleach's Ise Nanao, 8th Division Vice-Captain.
    • Don't forget Uryu Ishida, ranked #1 in Karakura High in terms of academics. Chicks must dig capes...
      • Villain character Szayel Aporro Granz also falls under this despite being widely considered a complete monster. If you look sexy enough in glasses, fans will politely ignore that you are trying to kill them.
        • Bonus points for Szayel's glasses being a part of his Hollow mask and therefore attached to his face. They may not even have lenses...
  • Irie Shouichi of Katekyo Hitman Reborn can be considered this, if you get past his light awkwardness when he's not playing The Dragon He's pretty much a Meganekko. The fans were pleased when they saw this.
  • Ila, Rune Soldier Louie's absolutely drool-worthy Unlucky Childhood Friend.

    Comic Books 
  • Dr. Henry P. McCoy, former Avenger, current X-Man filed under "Beast". Several PhDs. Erudite, intellectual, witty. Also fuzzy.
  • Gertrude Yorkes of Runaways is somewhat chubby and an insufferable nerd. But her boyfriend adores her.
  • Kitty Pryde. Nerdy, sexy ninja.
    • She had a male counterpart in Doug Ramsey, too. They used to date! Then he died.
  • Caitlin Fairchild from Gen 13.
  • Peter Parker, aka Spider Man, is a bonafide Chick Magnet despite being considered a nerd.
    • Except when he pretends he's in Saturday Night Fever.
    • Carlie Cooper, a new supporting character in Amazing Spider-Man, is also one; she's so far gained the attraction of Peter Parker, Vin Gonzales (Peter's former roommate), and Johnny Storm.
  • Barbara Gordon, otherwise known as Batgirl/Oracle, from DC Comics.

    Film 

    Literature 
  • Male Version: Michael Moscovitz from The Princess Diaries. He is a nerd throughout the entire book series. He moves to Japan at the end of Book Seven to build a robotic arm that will effectively PERFORM HEART SURGERY and when he returns he is said to, literally, have a body like Christian Bale's (see Even the Guys Want Him).
  • Athena from Classical Mythology, the Greek goddess of both war and wisdom, is generally portrayed this way in modern depictions (e.g. Xena Warrior Princess).
  • Arabian Nights: Scherarzade is a master of Arabian folklore and makes storytelling in bed quite the turn on. She also manages it, knowing that she will be beheaded if she doesn't perform perfectly. In other words the main theme is that Badass Bookworms are sexy.
  • Spark, the petite glasses-wearing deviser girl at Whateley Academy in the Whateley Universe. Even the fact that all she does is obsess about building devises doesn't keep Reach from pursuing her.
  • Hermione in the Harry Potter series, at least in the later books and very much so in the films.

    Live Action TV 
  • CSI:NY- Lindsay Monroe has a relationship with Danny. Stella attracts stalkers.
  • On the original CSI, the Grissom-Sara attraction began way back before we meet them in the series, when Sara attended a forensics lecture Grissom was giving. It might have ended there if Holly Gribs hadn't been killed and Sara not called to Vegas from San Francisco to take her place, kicking off 6 seasons of Will They Or Won't They? All of Grissom's other potential Shipping partners - Lady Heather, the guest anthropologist, Sofia Curtis - were also very brainy.
  • Bones: Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan: brilliant scientist, Ph.D holder, and sexy Deschanel sister
  • Drake And Josh: One of Drake's earliest Girls Of The Week.
    • And now that Josh Peck has hit himself with the pretty stick...
  • NCIS. Abby. That is all.
    • ...only if you somehow forgot about McGee!
    • Palmer is pretty damn hot too when he's seen briefly shirtless.
      • Speaking of Palmer, Michelle Lee definitely believed in this trope, as she spent three seasons secretly fooling around with him.
  • Daniel Faraday from LOST, who even has a fanclub called 'A.D.O.R.K.A.B.L.E'.
  • One episode of Flight Of The Conchords has Murray get a crush on his office's tech support woman. And then sing a song about her, naturally.
  • The eponymous character in Chuck.
  • Ivy of the Dollhouse. Subverting The Igor trope since 2008.
  • Don't forget Spencer Reid. He is one of the sexiest nerdy geniuses ever.
  • And do not forget the Patron Saint of this trope, Tina Fey, and her show 30 Rock.
  • Heroes has Gabriel Gray.
    • You mention Heroes and yet skip over Masi Oka, almighty ruler of this trope?
  • Philemon inCaprica, also Zoe's "Rachel" persona.
  • Chuck, in Pushing Daisies.
  • Eli Loker in Lie To Me, weirdly his radical honesty thing is quite a turn on.
  • JD from Scrubs.
  • Wash. The man plays with plastic dinosaurs and is arguably the least combat-ready member of the crew. Even those dorky Hawaiian shirts can't make him less sexy.
    • Simon. Oh my, Simon. He's a gentleman, a brilliant doctor, and bloody gorgeous.
    • For the love of God, Kaylee.
  • Saffron of Absolutely Fabulous. Only Sane Woman, always in cardigans, big glasses, Hermione hair and somehow really sexy.
  • Ronnie Gardocki on The Shield.
  • David and Darlene (who was nerdy and a tomboy) on [1].
  • On Glee Sam can speak Navi.
  • The only thing that keeps you from wanting to strangle Sherlock is Benedict Cumberbatch's way of making the character so damn sexy.
  • Nikki Cox' character Tiffany Malloy from Unhappily Ever After.
  • Ginn in Stargate Universe, math genius and computer wiz who's also a hot redhead.
  • Steve Urkel from Family Matters. Well, it's more of the studio audience's reaction to him. Although Laura ends up falling for him.

    Video Games 
  • Gordon Freeman. Even Action Girl Alyx Vance gets shy around him.
    • For that matter, Alyx herself - remember Dog, the minivan-sized robot that follows her around? Her father built him as a puppy-sized companion. Everything since that is her work.
  • Most Harvest Moon games have a librarian or some other girl with glasses as a potential bride. Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life is the only one that has a girl with glasses that you can't marry. This editor does not think it is a coincidence that it's also amongst the lowest-regarded in the series.
    • Playing as a female, there have also been options such as Rick, Louis (practically a male Meganekko), and Jin.
      • Don't forget the Doctor (Trent or Alex, depending on the game) — smart, serious, studious, and sexy.
  • Safiya in Neverwinter Nights 2 Mask of the Betrayer is a capable transmuter/golemcrafter, which is probably the closest any non-gnome in that universe gets to being a scientist. She is also quite attractive, if you can get past the whole shaved-bald-and-tattooed-with-mystic-runes thing.
  • Lucca from Chrono Trigger is the poster girl for sexy nerds in video games. A brilliant literally fiery, purple-head meganekko, wielding a pistol and a hammer. Complete with a woobie-ish backstory and a motherly side. Nice!
    • In an unusual twist, though, her looks aren't really noticeable until the helmet comes off - not the glasses.
  • Shad, the resident nerd in The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess, is as popular with fans of that series who love geeks as Otacon is with fans of MGS. Fluffy auburn hair, nice physique, and huge blue eyes behind even huger glasses? Being the only guy in the entire kingdom who understands the game's lost Starfish Language? Hello.
  • Patchouli Knowledge of Touhou. Being Really 700 Years Old and a Hikikomori in her library for over a hundred years with a penchant for Magitek, this trope is the entire basis of her popularity.
  • Naoya from Devil Survivor is a programming Bishounen.
  • Morgan Freeman in Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude.
  • Fate Stay Night technically has Rider when she's in her 'at home' mode, but before becoming an actual nerd, she wore it for a reason: She is a Medusa spirit, the glasses negate the effect of her Breaker Gorgon Noble Phantasm on allies.
  • And also from Nasuverse, Ciel in Tsukihime. While she's not an Action Girl, she has pretty good scores in school, easily qualifies for a Badass Bookworm.
  • Jennifer from Disgaea has shown to be both highly intelligent and, er, well endowed...
  • Dexter from the MMO Fusion Fall so very, very much.

    Webcomics 

[[folder:Web Original]]

    Western Animation 

    Other 

Edited by Leaper Hide / Show Replies
purple88 Since: Mar, 2010
Oct 19th 2011 at 6:55:49 AM •••

I'm just gonna give kudos for doing this, since the page was really turning into a list of nerdy characters who were played by physically attractive people/drawn to be physically attractive. I mean, wow, physically attractive actors, who'd a thunk it?

Lionheart0 Since: Oct, 2009
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