Infernal Paradise: Difference between revisions

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''When passions a prison, you cant break free''|Bon Jovi, '''You give love a bad name'''}}

A vision of paradise that is anything but ~~that -- to~~ the average observer, anyway. However, some people in fiction have built their religion around an idea of paradise that might seem a little... ''off'' to outsiders.

A vision of paradise that is anything but that—to the average observer, anyway. However, some people in fiction have built their religion around an idea of paradise that might seem a little... ''off'' to outsiders.

Not all shady cults and religious nuts belong in this category. If someone believes the god they are trying to summon is going to bring on a new era of hugs and puppies, only to discover to their horror that all it does is unleash mayhem and rain of fire upon the world, it's not this trope. However, if the person knows from the start that their god is going to bring mayhem and rain of fire in its wake, but sincerely sees this as the epitome of ultimate bliss, then you have an [[Infernal Paradise]].

Not all shady cults and religious nuts belong in this category. If someone believes the god they are trying to summon is going to bring on a new era of hugs and puppies, only to discover to their horror that all it does is unleash mayhem and rain of fire upon the world, it's not this trope. However, if the person knows from the start that their god is going to bring mayhem and rain of fire in its wake, but sincerely sees this as the epitome of ultimate bliss, then you have an '''Infernal Paradise'''.

Most instances of [[Warrior Heaven]] are this for non-warrior cultures. Contrast [[A Hell of a Time]] and [[Hell of a Heaven]].

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== [[Comic Books]] ==

* In ''[[Secret Six]]'', Catman's parents are both dead, and he meets them both on a visit to ~~hell--his~~ abusive father chained up, and his mother a lioness. When he questions Etrigan about why his mother isn't in heaven, Etrigan states that one chooses their heaven, and his mother's heaven is being his father's tormentor in hell.

* In ''[[Secret Six]]'', Catman's parents are both dead, and he meets them both on a visit to hell—his abusive father chained up, and his mother a lioness. When he questions Etrigan about why his mother isn't in heaven, Etrigan states that one chooses their heaven, and his mother's heaven is being his father's tormentor in hell.

== [[Film]] ==

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* At least one [[Speculative Fiction]] story ("Desertion") does this for the surface of ''Jupiter.'' In this story, people turn themselves into native lifeforms to explore inhospitable worlds and it works great until people stop coming back from exploring Jupiter. The hero heads out to see for himself where everyone has been going and it turns out that being a Jovian rocks so hard that their explorers don't want to come back.

* In the [[Satire|satirical]] short story "Heavens Below - Sixteen Utopias" by [[John Sladek]], one of the Utopias is a family picnic in a garbage dump, with the family eating the garbage as if it was a heavenly feast.

* In one of his short stories, [[Mark Twain]] deliberately invokes this: the protagonist finds himself in the heaven of an alien race, which is full of beer, women, and song. He is ~~horrified -- he~~ ''wanted'' to go to [[Fluffy Cloud Heaven]]. He and the aliens each see the other's idea of heaven as this trope.

* In one of his short stories, [[Mark Twain]] deliberately invokes this: the protagonist finds himself in the heaven of an alien race, which is full of beer, women, and song. He is horrified—he ''wanted'' to go to [[Fluffy Cloud Heaven]]. He and the aliens each see the other's idea of heaven as this trope.

* In [[The Wheel of Time]], most of the Darkfriends, Black Ajah and even the Forsaken are following the Dark One because of the "promised rewards" they think they'll get once the Dark One takes over (you know, power, getting to rule the world, etc.). Ishamael seems to be the only one who serves the Dark One knowing that once the Dark One gets out of his prison and takes over the world, he will destroy the world and everyone in it.

* In ''Heaven'' by Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen, planets having been [[The Assimilator|assimilated]] by the religion of Cosmic Unity have been turned into "Heavens". These look extremely [[~~Squick|squicky~~]] to outsiders, because ~~every~~ ~~-- still living -- inhabitant~~ has been disassembled and their parts blended together for ease of storage, so that you get rivers of blood and the like. However, the combinations of parts that make up individuals are still being kept track of and their minds exist as wholes within a paradise-like [[Lotus Eater Machine|virtual world]]. Nevertheless, it's ultimately presented as not such a terrific way to be.

* In ''Heaven'' by Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen, planets having been [[The Assimilator|assimilated]] by the religion of Cosmic Unity have been turned into "Heavens". These look extremely [[squick]]y to outsiders, because every—still living—inhabitant has been disassembled and their parts blended together for ease of storage, so that you get rivers of blood and the like. However, the combinations of parts that make up individuals are still being kept track of and their minds exist as wholes within a paradise-like [[Lotus Eater Machine|virtual world]]. Nevertheless, it's ultimately presented as not such a terrific way to be.

== [[Live Action Television]] ==

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** This is also a strong theme of [[Social Darwinist|Cecelyne, the Endless Desert]], one of the [[Demon Lords and Archdevils|Yozis]], and thus passes on to her Infernal charges via her Charm set. As she wants those who follow her to be [[Dark Messiah|priests of a gospel of the strong over the weak]], many of her Charms rely around the creation of holy lands (by inflicting desolation on an area) and the production of manna from heaven (in the form of delicious locusts that will turn anyone who eats enough of them into a creature of darkness).

* Some of the Outer Planes in [[Dungeons and Dragons]] (where souls go after death) can be like this, since there is at least one for every [[Character Alignment]] (and they are accessible by mortals through Plane Shift and similar spells). The Heroic Domain of Ysgard probably isn't everyone's cup of tea, being basically a giant battlefield where everyone fights endlessly, only to come back to life every day. The Norse would have loved it. Olidammara's realm is an eternal party filled with wine, women, and song, but probably wouldn't appeal to a straitlaced paladin very much. Elysium is so pleasant that it's impossible ''not'' to feel good while you are there...but you will eventually lose your memories, and many would rather avoid that.

** Even some of the ''bad'' afterlives are acceptable to their inhabitants. Kobolds are the [[Butt Monkey~~|Butt Monkeys~~]] of the universe, and their afterlife (assuming they worship the evil Kurtulmak) would seem to reflect this; they are packed in like sardines in a giant hot cave, with little room to move, which would be an [[And I Must Scream]] eternal fate for most. The kobolds like it fine, however; they are safe and never hungry, which is better treatment than most of them got while alive.

** Even some of the ''bad'' afterlives are acceptable to their inhabitants. Kobolds are the [[Butt Monkey]]s of the universe, and their afterlife (assuming they worship the evil Kurtulmak) would seem to reflect this; they are packed in like sardines in a giant hot cave, with little room to move, which would be an [[And I Must Scream]] eternal fate for most. The kobolds like it fine, however; they are safe and never hungry, which is better treatment than most of them got while alive.

== [[Video Games]] ==