This troper is living this trope right now. Military guy meets art school girl. Hopefully it ends up more GardenState and less (500) Days of Summer. But the kicker? Troper's name: Tom. Girl's name: Spring. Not Summer, but enough to make me wonder...

This troper's mother filled this trope to a T when she met his father. She was a wild city girl/petty thief working as a third-shift waitress while he was an uptight security guard who would go to her diner for coffee before the start of his shift. She moved in with him after their first night together, and over time taught him how to dance and made over his image (is it still "petty" theft if she's making off with Armani suits?). He in turn gave her grounding and stability. They're still together 30 years later and balanced out a bit, though she's still the crazy one by far.

This troper considers herself a warped, PerkyGoth reflection of the trope... she deems a day out where she isn't given ''one'' funny look to be a wasted trip, delights in messing with people's preconcieved notions and making their days a little weirder, and decided long ago (in the throes of a truly ''epic'' fit of self-pity she has no intention of ever repeating) that, if people were going to treat her like a freak no matter what, she might as well act like one and spare herself the trouble of pretending to be normal... then realized being a "freak" was more fun anyway.

This lesbian troper's ClosetKey was one. Subverted in that the girl turned out to be completely batshit bipolar and psycho. Still, in retrospect, it wasn't an entirely bad experience, and it wasn't really her fault she was so troubled. Aside from serving as the catalyst for my coming out story, I learned alot from that girl about life, taking risks, and how NOT to start a relationship. I wish her well and I hope she is okay now, wherever she is.

same troper: It seems that I myself have been mistaken for a ManicPixieDreamGirl at least 3 times now. Yes, I am free-spirited, rebellious, and very eccentric. But I'm also a serious student and I am very cynical once you get to knnow me. Actualy, I really am starting to hate this trope because, partially thanks to it, people keep thinking that they have my whole personality figured out. They are wrong. I'm SO much more complicated than any archetype/plot device could ever be.

Much as she doesn't want to be a shallow plot device, this troper definitely has elements of this. Showing up to a dance wearing purple wings, walking around the zoo with a very realistic-looking dragon puppet on her shoulder, wading in random fountains, insisting on having d10s with her at all times, singing showtunes while wandering through the mall (although this one has a practical purpose - troper gets lost easily and sings so that her other party members can find her), stopping to copy-edit signs, insisting that seals love Mozart while rabbits prefer Puccini, deciding to speak in iambic pentameter for no logical reason - the {{Cloudcuckoolander}} part is undeniable. The eclectic style of dress favoured by many an MPDG can often be seen in this troper's wardrobe, especially vintage hats and sparkly socks. Actually rather introverted and awkward around people, but still willing to strike up conversations with people on the train and such, this troper also displays a tendency to make other people's lives quirkier, and occasionally (although she doesn't like to admit it) thinks more about how others see her than how she views herself. So, perhaps a deconstruction in that some of this behaviour is due to insecurity? Also breaks the trope in that almost all of her Love Interests are at least somewhat eccentric themselves.

The girl this troper knew in highschool (the one he's mentioned in atleast 3 other troper tales, not to be confused with some of the other girls he's known) fit this trope rather well, save for the whole "shallow plot device/love interest" part. She was usually really cheerful, had a habit of saying strange things (like how she wished she owned a bb gun so that she could defend herself if she was attacked by bears), did some pretty crazy stuff (and would've probably done more often if we didn't usually talk her out of it) and encouraged others to do so too (one time she almost convinced us to skip our physics class and drive to another town because a new candy store had opened there and they were giving out free candy). Needless to say, this troper fell head over heels for her.

This troper is a ManicPixieDreamGirl to a T, but she's ridiculously shy and completely terrified of attaching herself to a guy who doesn't want it. Being a ManicPixieDreamGirl without an angsty guy who needs a life-lift is kind of like being a wandering samurai, only lamer and with fewer katana battles.

Two cases. This troper's sister is a ManicPixieDreamGirl. And LawfulGood. No, I don't know how. Thank the goddess for the Lawful half as well; means she's grounded enough where it counts to not end up dating someone I'd have to shoot. Further, this otherwise ChaoticGood troper also had a very, very bad experience with one of these in HighSchool... ChaoticStupid with healthy doses of What The Hell Manic Pixie Dream Girl.

This troper has met a few, and played the part of Manic Pixie Dream Guy a few times. The most striking MPDG I've met was one who admitted she was crazy enough to get a crazy check. I tend to have a high threshold for weirdness More fun than a fistful of {{WeirdnessCoupon}}s, and I got to do many things I'd always wanted to, like sex on a train and methadone. But at the end of the train ride I realized it was probably better to leave it at memories.

This Troper got shanghai-ed into a relationship with one (essentially: she grabbed my arm and declared we were boyfriend/girlfriend. It was a weird day to say the least). She constantly drives me up the wall, but I'm stuck with her, given how awkward I tend to be around most people. Worse, most people say we have a good "left brain/right brain" dynamic (I'm organized, high-strung and disciplined, she's creative, free-spirited and gregarious)

This Troper knew someone like this in college. She turned out to be a Manic Depressive Pixie Dream Girl. And involved with someone else.

If there can be a platonic version of this trope, my best friend is one. She's basically a younger version of Giselle from ''{{Enchanted}}'', albeit not quite that naive. It contrasts oddly with my generally snarky {{Kuudere}} nature.

A friend of this troper who was extremely similar to this trope was the one who, even during this troper's depression, got her to start wearing colors again and for two years was the only reason this troper went to school. Forever in her debt.

This troper is a male version to a T. He even had an angst-ridden, stoic boyfriend for a while, though they went their separate ways in the end.

This Tropers friend is one. She is the multicolour haired, hyper and crazy girl, who is with a boring guy a few years older than herself.

This troper remembers a couple with one Manic Pixie Dream Girl and one completely Stoic guy. This also doubles as this troper's Crowning Moment Of Heartwarming, because when this troper hangs around the Stoic no emotion is shown other than mild boredom. Then in walks Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and as she wraps her arms around him he breaks into the biggest, brightest smile this troper has ever seen. Aww.

This troper's cousin seems to be one. She's a tall social butterfly of an event planner who delights in video games and playing with her puppy, and has the attention span of a chipmunk. Two years ago, she married a DeadpanSnarker of a cop.

This troper is more or less one of these, even having the stoic guy in her life that she likes very much. This troper has not only gotten him to smile more and relax (well, that is, I have been given the credit, since he changed after spending weekends with me), but come quite close to dating him (He likes being the Stoic too much to actually HAVE a girlfriend, thus started to completely shun me. I'm back to being his MPDG though :3)

This troper, with her blue hair, obsession with singing showtunes, and constant attempts to cure her all-too-serious girlfriend's constant angst with cuddles and kisses- Well, I fit this trope to a T.

GenderFlipped in this troper's fanfics. In most of my stories...

There is a female character with a mundane-if not terrible-life and personality,

She, in some way, meets a TeenIdol, or at least a GenkiBoy.

Her OverprotectiveDad does not approve.

Gah, that ''entire'' introductory blurb on the main page sums up this troper's last relationship. She had the blue hair, the PerkyGoth-ness, the hyperactive high-on-life attitude, the playfulness, the penchant for petty theft... in short, not somebody I would usually go after, but I did, and we were really close. After we started dating, however, she soon realized that she couldn't take being... held down, I guess? So we split and remained friends. And now I'm actually pretty happy, a lot more so than I was before I met her, and I'm a ''lot'' less stuffy and serious, and rather than use my {{Snark}} as a weapon, I now use it more often than not to lighten moods. So her goal was accomplished.

During my college years, I met a girl who fit this trope pretty well, although I didn't realize it at the time. In fact, it's only lately that I re-visited this trope and read it in detail. And then a lightbulb lit up. She was one of the most interesting people I've met so far in my life, and is certainly still one of my favorite people in the world. Smart, beautiful, stylish, clever, she wore a short hair-style so very well. Think Monique from {{Sinfest}} meets Molly from {{Neuromancer}} with a dash of Nana Osaki from {{Nana}}. I guess you could call her a {{Perky Goth}} since she dresses a lot in dark colors, but I like to think of her as more of a punk, in terms of style. Loves science, loves technology, loves programming, an activist for great causes, thinks like a revolutionary. And in a lot of ways, I'm similar to her, at least in terms of intellect. However, the difference is that yes, I am more or less a {{Straight Man}} and/or a {{Stoic}}. I tend to live my life seriously and pessimistically. Admittedly, I'm a loner and don't know the most about different personalities and how different people live their lives, but it puzzles me how we both think about such serious issues in the world and how she's a lot more involved with them than I am..and yet, she's still somehow so perky. So fairy-like.. I guess that's one of the reasons why I'm so drawn to her.

She really fascinates me a lot and probably inspires me somewhat too. I could probably call her my current {{Muse}} too.