Happy Place: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''"I'm in my tree talking to the Dixie Chicks... and they're making me feel better!"''|'''Dawn''', ''[[I Heart Huckabees]]''}}

Sometimes the outside world can be a cold, cruel place, full of mean hurtful people and scads of [[Chew Toy|author-induced pain]]. That's why the best solution to a world bent on making you suffer can be to just curl up into a fetal position, suck your thumb, and go to a '''Happy Place''' inside your head. The ~~'''~~Happy Place~~'''~~ is rarely uninhabited though; it may be populated by [[Fan Service|scantily clad harem girls/boys]], [[Spirit Advisor]]s, an [[Ghost in the Machine|inner child or three]], or if one is particularly unlucky they'll be roommates (headmates?) with a [[Split Personality]], [[Super-Powered Evil Side]] or [[Enemy Within]], the troublesome roomies usually want to [[Battle in the Center of the Mind|pick a fight.]]

Sometimes the outside world can be a cold, cruel place, full of mean hurtful people and scads of [[Chew Toy|author-induced pain]]. That's why the best solution to a world bent on making you suffer can be to just curl up into a fetal position, suck your thumb, and go to a '''Happy Place''' inside your head. The Happy Place is rarely uninhabited though; it may be populated by [[Fan Service|scantily clad harem girls/boys]], [[Spirit Advisor]]s, an [[Ghost in the Machine|inner child or three]], or if one is particularly unlucky they'll be roommates (headmates?) with a [[Split Personality]], [[Super-Powered Evil Side]] or [[Enemy Within]], the troublesome roomies usually want to [[Battle in the Center of the Mind|pick a fight.]]

A character interacting with others (or himself) in their ~~'''~~Happy Place~~'''~~ is a good way of giving them depth and explaining their motivation without having them act out of character in the show. [[The Stoic]] or [[The Quiet One]] who will never talk about the trauma that left them so may well relive it inside their mind, confronting a [[Enemy Within|spectre of their guilt]] in the form of a dead loved one or other inner conflicts. In its extreme the dreamer may make a [[Journey to the Center of the Mind]], sometimes accompanied by another.

A character interacting with others (or himself) in their Happy Place is a good way of giving them depth and explaining their motivation without having them act out of character in the show. [[The Stoic]] or [[The Quiet One]] who will never talk about the trauma that left them so may well relive it inside their mind, confronting a [[Enemy Within|spectre of their guilt]] in the form of a dead loved one or other inner conflicts. In its extreme the dreamer may make a [[Journey to the Center of the Mind]], sometimes accompanied by another.

Some characters are lucky and have their trip to the ~~'''~~Happy Place~~'''~~ happen outside of a show's real time, making their time and exposition there happen "instantly". A [[Cloudcuckoolander]] is seldom so lucky. They may enter a fugue state or literally go [[Convenient Coma|catatonic]] while visiting their ~~'''~~Happy Place~~'''~~, though this may sometimes be for the best if it's induced by emotional or physical trauma. Usually this depends on the nature of the ~~'''~~Happy Place~~'''~~. Then again, the reason the [[Cloudcuckoolander]] is so strange might be because they live ''there'' and visit real life.

Some characters are lucky and have their trip to the Happy Place happen outside of a show's real time, making their time and exposition there happen "instantly". A [[Cloudcuckoolander]] is seldom so lucky. They may enter a fugue state or literally go [[Convenient Coma|catatonic]] while visiting their Happy Place, though this may sometimes be for the best if it's induced by emotional or physical trauma. Usually this depends on the nature of the Happy Place. Then again, the reason the [[Cloudcuckoolander]] is so strange might be because they live ''there'' and visit real life.

There is one significant danger to the ~~'''~~Happy Place~~'''~~, that being that if the resident has been sufficiently abused in the real world they might choose not to go back despite [[Schrödinger's Butterfly|realizing it's fake]].

There is one significant danger to the Happy Place, that being that if the resident has been sufficiently abused in the real world they might choose not to go back despite [[Schrödinger's Butterfly|realizing it's fake]].

Kinds of ~~'''~~Happy ~~Place'''~~:

Kinds of Happy Places:

* [[Inner Monologue]], a safe place for the character to get on a soapbox.

* [[All Just a Dream]] (a la Dorothy, in ''[[The Wizard of Oz (film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' film adaptation).

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See also [[All Just a Dream]], [[Convenient Coma]], [[Dream Sequence]], [[Arcadian Interlude]], [[Ghost in the Machine]], [[Journey to the Center of the Mind]], and [[Spirit Advisor]].

Compare with [[Cuckoo Nest]], [[The Final Temptation]], [[Happy Flashback]] and [[Lotus Eater Machine]]. This is often how [[Heaven]] is represented. Contrast [[Black Bug Room]], which is just the opposite of a ~~'''~~Happy Place~~'''~~.

Compare with [[Cuckoo Nest]], [[The Final Temptation]], [[Happy Flashback]] and [[Lotus Eater Machine]]. This is often how [[Heaven]] is represented. Contrast [[Black Bug Room]], which is just the opposite of a Happy Place.

This is in fact [[Truth in Television]] and is a short term way that many people with anxiety use to slowly function in the world.

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== Advertising ==

* Sky TV ran a series of advertisements where a person is shown in a stressful situation, reciting lines from their favourite shows. Their tagline being "Sky - your Happy Place!"

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== [[Video Games]] ==

* ''[[Xenogears]]''' lead Fei not only has several [[Split Personality|Split Personalities]], but several hang out in their own Happy Place apart from each other and Fei. Poor guy's head must feel like a condo.

* ''[[Xenogears]]'' lead Fei not only has several [[Split Personality|Split Personalities]], but several hang out in their own Happy Place apart from each other and Fei. Poor guy's head must feel like a condo.

** Fei's MPD was a coping mechanism that young Fei's developed to deal with the painful experiments that his own mother (who was [[Not Himself|Not Herself]], long story) put him through. Young Fei created a second personality (named Id, who calls the original "the coward") to bear the brunt of the trauma while the original personality retreated to a literal Happy place; a vault that contained all the happy memories that he had ever experienced. The inversion of this Trope also applies to Id, who's stuck in land containing nothing but the "unhappy" memories, due to the presence of a ''3rd'' personality (the current Fei) that was created to contain the psychotic Id.

* The entire plot of [[Tsukihime|Kagetsu Tohya]] is based on how Shiki comes to realize that he's trapped in Len's version of a [[Lotus Eater Machine]], which is really more of what he would consider this trope. All she really wants is a normal, happy every day life. While inside, he's always fairly happy while staying in the bounds of Len's script. He doesn't have to fight vampires, he can be with all his friends and love interests, it's always exciting and hey, maybe there's a festival going on! But that's Len's happy place, and she's a dream familiar that dragged him with her while thinking she was helping him after Arcueid knocked him out on accident.

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[[Category:~~Happiness Tropes~~]]

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[[Category:Absurdity Ascendant]]

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[[Category:Happiness Tropes]]

[[Category:Madness Tropes]]

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[[Category:~~Wish~~ ~~Fulfillment~~]]

[[Category:Metaphysical Place]]

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[[Category:Wish Fulfillment]]