Troubled Fetal Position: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
A common sitting position for an introverted, shy, depressed character or perhaps one that is going through a [[Freak
▲A common sitting position for an introverted, shy, depressed character or perhaps one that is going through a [[Freak Out|breakdown]] or some [[Sanity Slippage]] is for them to sit with their knees pulled to their chest perhaps with their arms wrapped around their knees. If the character has gone through something traumatic expect them to rest their head atop their knees so that their hair falls around their face. Sometimes, they may rock their body back and forth while [[Madness Mantra|muttering something incoherent]]. Also considered a form of [[Wangst]]. Someone taking a [[Shower of Angst]] is likely to do this.
Different from the [[Corner of Woe]] in that this trope is usually done in a dramatic fashion; could also be done as a result of coping with some [[Paranoia Fuel]] or [[Nightmare Fuel]].
Contrast with [[Fetal Position Rebirth]], where the pose conveys a different symbolic meaning from angst.
{{examples|Examples}}▼
== Anime & Manga ==
* Momo from ''[[Peach Girl]]'' does this out of insecurity sometimes, and later on after she thinks that she was raped (she wasn't).
** One scene had Sae hiding from a porn star and his camera crew who wanted her to film with them. She thought it was a video game shoot but Ryo lied to her about it. She hides in the bathroom, crawls into the bathtub, and starts sobbing while cuddling her legs close to herself. Thankfully Momo and friends save her before anything happens.
* ''[[
* {{spoiler|Ako Izumi}} from ''[[
** Asuna does this in the beginning of chapter 352.
* ''[[Peacemaker Kurogane]]'': Several characters tend to do this, most notably Tetsunosuke, especially after he almost gets killed by Yoshida. As well as {{spoiler|Suzu}} after he discovers his beloved master {{spoiler|Yoshida}} dead.
* ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]'': Nanami goes into the
** And Utena does this in episode 10 while lamenting that perhaps she, being a girl, can't become a prince after all.
*** She also does it in episode 12 after losing the duel and Anthy to Touga.
** Wakaba does this in episode 12 too.
* Lain from ''[[Serial Experiments Lain]]'' does this a few times.
* Simon from ''[[
* Mima from ''[[Perfect Blue]]'' indulges in a [[Shower of Angst]] and does this underwater.
* ''[[
** Rei does it in ''Angelic Days'' [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/neon_genesis_evangelion_koutetsu_no_girlfriend_2nd/v02/c006/6.html here].
* Usagi from ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' does it in a phone booth after Mamoru breaks up with her.
* Melfina from ''[[Outlaw Star]]'' has done this a few times.
* ''[[
* Lucy of ''[[
** Mayu after she runs away from home and is living on the street.
* Hatchin in ''[[Michiko to Hatchin]]'' does this in the first episode during her [[Shower of Angst]].
* Hatsumi from ''[[Hot Gimmick]]'' goes into the
* In ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro
** At the beginning of EP4, Ronove alerts Beatrice that Battler has assumed the
* [[Chainsaw Good|Sawyer the Cleaner]] from ''[[Black Lagoon]]'', after she loses her voice machine.
* While ''[[Soul Eater]]'''s Crona has sat in a [[Corner of Woe]] (played for humor), there are instances when [[Ambiguous Gender|he/she]] has done it in a more serious sense. One involves a scene where we see Crona inside of his/her soul (or mind) which is shown as an empty desert. Crona sits in the fetal position and his/her shadow asks all sorts of questions in which Crona answers with "Pass." At one point he/she sobs into his/her knees. Considering Crona's past with his/her abusive mother [[Complete Monster|Medusa]], it's no wonder.
* Renton & Eureka does this in ''[[Eureka Seven]]'' whenever they are troubled or sad.
* Aine does this in chapter 8 of ''[[
* In episode 11 of ''[[Ghost Stories]]'' Satsuki ends up doing this after spending just about the whole episode being stalked by an extremely [[Creepy Doll]].
* In ''[[Gankutsuou]]'' Albert does this while taking a [[Shower of Angst]]. He later does this after his engagement to Eugenie had been canceled and she becomes engaged to Andrea against her will.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110914164508/http://www.mangarush.com/manga/bleach/274/p-9 Loly does this] in chapter 274 of ''[[Bleach]]'' after {{spoiler|Orihime reattaches her ripped leg and revives her partner Menoly}}.
** And young Tsukishima does it in chapter 477.
* San finds Luna in this state in the 2nd [[Seto no Hanayome]] OVA, following [[Nightmare Fuel|an encounter]] with a ghost {{spoiler|actually San's childhood friend, Saturn}}.
* Yuki of ''[[Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru]]'' goes into the
** Uzuki does this in episode 4 while depressed and wondering why someone like him is still alive.
** Hotsuma in episode 10 when Shusei goes missing.
* Myung from ''[[Macross Plus]]'' takes this pose while lying in bed.
* The ''[[Keroro Gunsou]]'' anime has Dororo often take this pose while in his [[Corner of Woe]]. Normally [[Played for Laughs]]. The episode that introduces the [[Journey to
* Tsubasa does this in episode 4 of ''[[Starry Sky]]''.
* [[Go Mad
* Yae from ''[[Hanjuku Joshi]]'' does it [https://web.archive.org/web/20130627193047/http://manga.animea.net/hanjuku-joshi-chapter-8-page-9.html here].
* So, in ''[[
** In a much more serious variant, we have {{spoiler|King Neptune, who went into this after his wife, Queen Otohime, was assassinated, as he desperately attempts to hold back his [[Unstoppable Rage|murderous rage]] over it so as to avoid ruining everything she spent her life working toward}}.
* Allen does this in chapter 206 of ''[[D
* ''[[Clannad (
* In chapter 62 of ''[[Hen]]'' Chizuru does it [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/hen/v06/c062/5.html here].
* In [[Madoka Magica]], the titular character rests sits on her bed in this position after {{spoiler|the deaths of Kyoko and Oktavia (Sayaka as a witch).}}
* In ''[[
** And Germany does a more comedic version of this in episode 5 when Italy makes them both white flags to wave meaning they surrender.
* Nakaba in ''[[Reimei no Arcana]]'' does this a lot.
* Haruhi of ''[[Ouran High School Host Club]]'' is [[Fear of Thunder|terrified of thunder]] and goes into this position whenever she hears it. And in a more comedic example Tamaki often does this when he goes into the [[Corner of Woe]].
* ''[[Trigun]]'': Vash shoots Knives and then runs away after Knives first tests his angel arm. Knives clutches his wounded thigh and cries, "My leg! Why is there so much pain in my leg? Did you shoot me? DID YOU JUST SHOOT ME?!" while he and Vash are looking at each other in horror. Then Vash lets out an almighty scream and runs away. After that, Knives curls up in a fetal position while crying his eyes out.
* Sometimes occurs in ''[[Pandora Hearts]]'' like with Oz, Alice, and Gil.
* Daisuke of ''[[D.N.Angel]]'' does this in episodes 2 and 14 and 24. And Satoshi does this in episode 4. And Mio Hio does this in episode 20 because she's actually a voodoo doll and doesn't have that much time left to live as a human.
* Touka does this in episode 7 of [[Tokyo Ghoul]] after failing to help Hinami save her mother.
** Hinami also does this at the end of episode 7 most likely due to depression over mother and father's death.
== Films -- Animation ==
* ''Peter Pan: Return to Neverland'': Jane, Wendy's daughter, goes into this position frequently throughout the movie.
* ''[[Coraline (
* Chihiro does this on the stairs, while saying "Go away, Go away... Disappear..." after the events of the beginning of ''[[Spirited Away]]'' have unfolded.
* [[The Woobie|5]] from ''9'' drops into this [[Heroic BSOD|complete with rocking and frantically muttering]] the first time he, 9, and 7 take cover from [[Implacable Man|the machine]], {{spoiler|right after [[Heterosexual Life Partners|2]] is killed}}.
* Jesse of ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]'' 2 does this when she tells Woody about how she was abandoned by her original owner Emily.
== Films -- Live Action ==
* In the 1996 version of ''[[A Little Princess]]'', Sara goes into the
* In ''[[The Princess Diaries]]'', Mia returns home after being humiliated by her supposed "friends" and she cuddles with her mom in a position like this and cries.
{{quote|
* Drew Barrymore's character in ''[[Ever After (
* [http://www.impawards.com/2007/posters/spider_man_three.jpg This] ''Spider-Man 3'' poster fits.
* ''[[Dirty Dancing]]'': Johnny and Baby discover Penny in a Troubled Fetal Position after an encounter with Bobby.
* ''[[Pink Floyd]]: [[The Wall]]'' is fond of this.
* Raymond from ''[[Rain Man]]'' has periods of this.
* Unsurprisingly occurs at least once in ''[[Requiem for
* Used a good deal and doubly justified in ''[[The Elephant Man]]''. The title character even sleeps like this. {{spoiler|If he doesn't, he'll die.}}
* Evey in ''[[V for Vendetta]]'' does this a lot when she is {{spoiler|captured, imprisoned and tortured by the fake government which turns out to be V himself.}}
* Vesper does this in a [[Shower of Angst]] in ''[[
* In [[David Cronenberg|Cronenberg's]] ''[[Dead Ringers]]'', Beverly does the "rocking back and forth" variation at one point.
* Bruce Banner in ''[[The Incredible Hulk (
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* The standard "panic position" for the Pierson's Puppeteers of [[Larry Niven]]'s ''Known Space'' stories is to tuck their heads (they have two, on really long necks) between their legs, and collapse into what looks like a perfect imitation of a hair-covered footstool..
* The protagonist of [[Stephen King]]'s ''Pet Sematary'' goes into this after {{spoiler|his wife is killed and eaten by their toddler son that he brought back from the dead as a demon-possessed zombie.}}
* In Graham McNeill's [[Ultramarines (
* The [[Night Lords]] series fields another ''[[Warhammer
* In ''[[Who Cut the Cheese?]]'' by Stilton Jarlsberg, Hi starts hyperventilating after discovering that CheesyWorld has run out of cheese, and Ho suggests that Hi calm down and assume the position.
== Live Action TV ==
* River does this from time to time in ''[[
* Lots of inmates in the show ''[[Oz]]'' are shown curling up in the fetal position, particularly after all the ordeals that most of them endure while in prison, namely Beecher.
* In the ''[[Father Ted]]'' episode "Cigarettes and Alcohol And Rollerblading" Dougal sits like this while suffering withdrawal symptoms from being forced to give up rollerblading for Lent.
* In the ''[[CSI]]'' episode "Nesting Dolls", Sara adopts a
* During the American ''[[Whose Line Is It Anyway?]]?'' run's (in)famous Living Scenery game with Richard Simmons, Wayne assumes the Troubled Fetal Position in his chair after the game. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTxkxG3DF4k It's not very surprising.]
* ''[[
** Spencer in ''iHeart Art''. Lies down on the dining table with his face in a bowl after being criticized by his art idol.
** Lauren Ackerman in ''iHave a Lovesick Teacher''. Curls on the teacher's table and bawls ''in front of class'' after her recent bad breakup.
** Ricky Flame in ''iCook''. Slumps to the ground after losing in the cooking competition, then once again after Sam pins him down in the wrestling gym.
** Lewbert in ''iFind Lewbert's Lost Love''. Traumatized after seeing his abusive ex-fiancee once again, he locks up himself in his office, rocking to and fro in the corner.
* In ''[[
** The Eighth Doctor does this, while rocking back and forth, in one of the [[Eighth Doctor Adventures]] novels, during a conversation about the imminent destruction of the multiverse and the fact the few remaining survivors of his own species have dubbed him "the Blessed Destroyer", [[Where I Was Born and Razed|for reasons]] [[Trauma
* In season five of ''[[Dexter]]'', Lumen does this upon hearing the sounds of people having sex in the hotel room next door, covering her ears with her hands as the sounds remind her of her own traumatic gang rape. Dexter has also done this when flashing back to witnessing his mother's gruesome murder.
* In ''[[The Sarah Connor Chronicles]]'' episode "Allison From Palmdale," Allison is shown in this position while in her prison cell.
* In ''[[
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* Sakura's [[Game Over]] animation in ''[[Street Fighter]] IV'', although she squats instead of sitting. [[The Woobie|Also, awww.]]
* Saavedro from ''[[Myst]] 3: Exile'' goes into one of these [[Villainous Breakdown|near the end of the game.]]
* From ''[[
* In the opening cinematic of the ''[[
* Pressing the secondary action button in ''[[Yume Nikki]]'' with no effect that uses it makes Madotsuki sit like this. After a few seconds, she lowers her head invoking this trope.
* In the ''Superstar'' expansion pack of the original ''[[The Sims]]'', your Sim can do this in Studio Town if their mood is low enough. Watch out, though - the next tabloid might just report that your Sim was spotted in that position and that things might not be looking too good for them.
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* [[Bob and George]] [http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/041114c Looks like it, as Mega Man notes]
* [http://guildedage.net/webcomic/chapter-10/chapter-10-page-5/ Byron the Berserker] of ''[[Guilded Age]]'' in his [[Heroic BSOD]] {{spoiler|after returning from the [[TPK]] in which he finally proved his epithet and took out two party members and nearly his love interest.}}
* ''[[
== Web Original ==
* One of the scenarios in ''Play with Me'' shows the doll grabbing the stuffed monkey and going into the
* The picture accompanying ''[[The Onion]]'' article [https://web.archive.org/web/20100223085244/http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29955 "Study: Depression Hits Losers Hardest"].
{{quote|
* ''[[Salad Fingers]]'' does this as well as cry in the cupboard when Roger assaults him with Brown Notes.
** He also does this during a [[Freak
* ''[[Happy Tree Friends]]'': Flippy in "Double Whammy" after coming out of his [[Ax Crazy]] state and discovering himself to be covered in the intestines of one of his friends.
* We first meet the transformed Stuart in this position in ''The Jade Box''.
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== Western Animation ==
* Raven from ''[[Teen Titans (
** Terra too in mid-air after losing control of her powers.
* Tyler from ''[[
* ''[[Family Guy]]'': Meg Griffin does this occasionally.
** In the episode "Dial Meg For Murder" Peter is shown in this position {{spoiler|after being raped by a bull}}.
* Aelita from ''[[Code Lyoko]]'', from times to times.
* The Crimson Chin from ''[[The Fairly
** As does Cosmo whenever someone mentions [[Noodle Incident|Supertoilet]]. "So... much... ''clogging!''"
* Played for laughs with Squidward in the ''[[
** SpongeBob does this for a whole episode in which he becomes afraid to go outside, so he decides to live inside his house for the rest of his life. Thankfully, he got over it.
** One episode had Kevin the Sea Cucumber sits in a fetal position and cry for his mommy and blankie when attacked by a King Jellyfish. The other Jellyspotters join in shortly until Spongebob saves them all.
* The title character from ''[[As Told
** Considering how socially awkward and shy Macie is, she tends to do this too.
* Jokingly done in an episode of ''[[The Simpsons (
** Also "Lisa's First Word'' had Bart getting really terrified of a scary clown bed and in the morning he is shown rocking back and forth in the fetal position saying "[[Madness Mantra|Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me.]]" over and over.
*** He also did it in "Camp Krusty": "Krusty is coming. Krusty is coming. Krusty is coming..."
* On an episode of ''[[
* In the ''[[Hey Arnold!]]'' episode "Das Subway", after the subway train breaks down, the conductor eventually confesses over the train's intercom system that he's doing this.
* Wasp of ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' is doing this after having escaped from the Autobot stockade where he'd been unjustly imprisoned for what is implied to be a century at least. Flashbacks show him to be a snarky [[Jerk Jock]], his whole escape is done with style and flair (including a quick salute to his former drill instructor), and the episode ends with him hiding behind some wreckage, clutching his knees and rocking back and forth, muttering to himself, a broken shell of the 'bot he once was. Autobots are ''harsh.''
* Amalia from ''[[
* 2D of [[Gorillaz]] has been huddled like this in his room at Plastic Beach for several months, in terror of the [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?|whale]] outside his window.
* Rainbow Dash in the ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
** In "Lesson Zero" Twilight Sparkle does this on a bench, but the way she strokes her tail at the same time is unexpectedly cute.
* On the ''[[Young Justice (
* ''[[
* In the much loved Disney series ''[[Recess]]'', Miss Finster comes with a new type of playground punishement- the box, which is just a square painted on the blacktop. T.J. ends up having to get put in the box shortly after it's announced. At first he laughs at it, but it eventually breaks him. Ten minutes later, Miss Finster finds the poor boy in the fetal position singing "This Old Man".
* ''[[Rugrats]]'': Stu during his [[Sanity Slippage]] moment in "Angelica Breaks A Leg".
* The ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'' episode "Bully Bromance Breakup" sees Phineas doing this while being dragged up a mountain in a harness. (He went into [[Heroic BSOD]] mode because Baljeet put the kibosh on him and Ferb inventing anything to help them climb.)
* There are quite a few in ''[[
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