History Main / Escapism

* ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'': Sophia's interest in romance novels comes from her {{Hikkikomori}} years, as she seeks solace in stories of popular people as she [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer is shunned by everyone]] due to her {{albin|osAreFreaks}}ism. She says it best in her POV segment:

* ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'': Sophia's interest in romance novels comes from her {{Hikikomori}} years, as she seeks solace in stories of popular people as she [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer is shunned by everyone]] due to her {{albin|osAreFreaks}}ism. She says it best in her POV segment:

* ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'': Sophia's interest in romance novels comes from her {{Hikikomori}} years, as she seeks solace in stories of popular people as she [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer became a social pariah]] due to her {{albin|osAreFreaks}}ism. She says it best in her POV segment:

* ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'': Sophia's interest in romance novels comes from her {{Hikikomori}} years, as she seeks solace in stories of popular people as she [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer became a social pariah]] due to her {{albin|osarefreaks}}ism. She says it best in her POV segment:

* In ''VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth'', [[spoiler: this is how Hikari ends up in the Cinema in the game.]]

* Creator/RudyardKipling's ''Literature/TheThreeDecker'' is a celebration of the escapist three-volume novel.

Escapism is basically a mental diversion or "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. Everything that makes us escape from RealLife can be considered a form of Escapism. This trope is TruthInTelevision; common forms of Escapism are {{Fiction}}, {{Video Game}}s, {{Game Show}}s, drugs, gambling, and [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife TV Tropes]].

* Basically the underlying premise behind ''Film/SuckerPunch''.

-->I tread the way and lose myself into a tale

Escapism is basically a mental diversion or "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. Everything that makes us escape from RealLife can be considered a form of Escapism. This trope is TruthInTelevision; common forms of Escapism are {{Fiction}}, {{Video Game}}s, {{Game Show}}s, drugs, alcohol, gambling, and [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife TV Tropes]].

* The narrator of "Imaginary" by ''Music/{{Evanescence}}'' builds her "sleeping refuge," [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} her own world in her head]], to escape the horror of reality.

-->''Reality is sometimes stranger than fiction\\

So I prefer to sleep''
* "Imaginary" by ''Music/{{Evanescence}}'' is about a woman who escapes to her own imagination.

-->''Downy feathers kiss your face, and flutter everywhere,''\\
''Reality is a lovely place, but I wouldn't want to live there.''

[[folder:Film]]

* ''Film/{{Sidekicks}}'' is about a sickly and bullied kid who copes by having vivid daydreams -- bordering on hallucinations -- about teaming up with Creator/ChuckNorris.
* Basically the underlying premise behind ''Film/SuckerPunch''.

* In ''VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinematicLabyrinth'', [[spoiler: this is how Hikari ends up in the Cinema in the game.]]

* Rikka Takanashi, the female lead of ''LightNovel/LoveChunibyoAndOtherDelusions'', is constantly under the delusion of a ElegantGothicLolita fighter, so as to cope with her trauma arising from ParentalAbandonment.

* ''ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool'''s relationship to escapism is ''complicated'' to put it mildly. The main character, Gwen Poole, is [[ThisLoserIsYou an average comic book fan]], who managed to push her escapism so far to [[ComicbooksAreReal actually escape]]. She is perfectly willing at first to exploit this as much as possible to indulge her more sociopathic impulses without consequences which seems like a prime setup to deliver an AntiEscapismAesop... the series doesn't do that, instead opts for ''[[InDefenceOfStorytelling now you're responsible for the tales you're telling]]'', we hope you grow up to the responsibility. (At the time of this entry's writing her success is questionable, but story gods bless her she is trying.)

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'', Merida rides her horse, practices her archery and does anything she can to keep her mind off what she considers the boring lessons her mother is teaching her regarding etiquette and managing a kingdom. Things come to a head when time catches up with her and she has to actually deal with matters head-on.

* ''Literature/GloryRoad'' by Creator/RobertHeinlein is a {{Troperiffic}} parody/ {{Deconstruction}}/ {{Reconstruction}}/ celebration of escapist stories.

* In ''Literature/ALittlePrincess'', Sara goes from being wealthy, well-respected, and popular to a scullery maid in a single day. She moves from the largest room in the school to the rat-infested attic. How does she deal? She pretends her doll is sentient and that she is a princess and must act accordingly. She continues to pretend and act as if she is a gentle and beautiful princess even as the antagonists treat her terribly.
* Though ''[[Literature/AliceInWonderland Alice's]]'' sister accuses her of daydreaming and avoidance and refusing to grow up and 'be sensible', her entire journey through Wonderland and the Looking Glass worlds are a frank satirical examination of the absurdities of British culture, seen from the eyes of a girl expected to earn acceptance into a society she often finds too insane and incomprehensible to accept herself. This makes it an inversion, as Alice looks fully into aspects of British society that her teachers and mentors have blinded themselves to.
* In ''Literature/OutOfTheDust'', Billie Jo plays the piano to escape her brutal, unforgiving life.
* The main characters in ''Literature/BridgeToTerabithia'' create a fantasy world in order to escape their hardships at school.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', it's implied that Clark is just a crazy person that created a fantasy world in order to escape reality. [[spoiler:Until that's revealed to be a hallucination by Dr. Hudson (a "zoner")]].

* Similar to the ''Charmed'' example, ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' gives us "Normal Again" where Buffy gets venom from a demon that convinces her she is really in a mental hospital and that her life as a Slayer is just escapism fantasy.
** And the season this takes place in has Buffy trying to escape from her depression by having torrid rough sex with Spike.
* In an episode of ''Series/RedDwarf'', the crew discovers a long-lost VR game called "Better than Life". It's ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.

* A common interpretation of the work of Music/OwlCity. Perhaps the most noteworthy example is "The Real World":

* "Imaginary" by Music/{{Evanescence}} is about a woman who escapes to her own imagination.
* "Seeya" by Music/Deadmau5 can be interpreted as escapist dreaming.
* Indidious One - Эскапист is specifically about escapism and fleeing into a better world of fantasy.[[https://insidiousone.bandcamp.com/track/the-escapist]]
* The topic of escapism comes up in the chorus of Music/{{Epica}}'s "Mother Of Light (A New Age Dawns Part II)":
-->''Reality is sometimes stranger than fiction\\
Whatever happens in my dreams--I know it can't be worse than this\\
So I prefer to sleep''

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* Played with - multiple comic artists have done one shots or simple comics showing fantasy characters such as wizards, warriors and dragons playing a fictional role playing game of ''our world'' such as ''Papers & Paychecks'' instead of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. ([[http://chivalry-and-sorcery.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Papers-Paychecks.png Example here]])

* Escapism, and learning to overcome it and accept hard truths of life, is one of the key themes of ''VideoGame/EternalSonata''.

* The protagonist team of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'', spending their nights as thieves as escapism from the limits of daily life. Learning to deal with real life and its issues is the CentralTheme of the game.

* This trope was referenced in ''WebVideo/PotterPuppetPals'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI7FkF3Z6ms in one of Harry Potter's nightmares]]. He dreamed that he was a {{Muggle}} that created a fantasy world in order to escape the guilt of seeing his wife die. Played [[JustForFun for the lulz]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Chaotic}}'', the heroes' best friend is constantly avoiding RealLife through a trading card game. Then this trope is subverted when Chaotic turns out to be real.
* ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'': [[spoiler: Nurse Bendy's room looks like that of a little girl, full of bright colors and toys. She acts out the role of a mother to a loving family with a teddy bear husband and teddy bear son. She does it to escape from being constantly used, being utterly alone, and having no one who really thinks about her thoughts and feelings and treats her like a real person. However, once she is reunited with her actual son Joe, she throws away her "son" doll, because she finally has a real son who cares about her a lot]]. Very arguably one of the most positive portrayals of anti-escapism in television.
* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E3CastleSweetCastle Castle Sweet Castle]]" is about this: Twilight does everything in her power to stay away from [[spoiler:her new castle, which has replaced the old library destroyed by Lord Tirek's attack at the end of the previous season]]. When the others realize this, they try to make it seem more inviting to her.
* Discussed during the credits of ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' episode "Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons"; Soos, Blues, Durland and Toby Determined are doing a LARP when Durland (Of all people) posits that they're just using fantasy to ignore their real-life problems, and should use the time to better themselves. [[IgnoredEpiphany Blubs just tells him that "Fortresses can't talk"]] (Durland's role) and the subject is forgotten.
** In "Weirdmageddon Part 2: Escape From Reality", Dipper realizes that this is why Mabel doesn't want to leave the personal LotusEaterMachine; it lets her avoid the GrowingUpSucks trope that's been her character arc for the series.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'': It's implied that the "Jem" persona is escapism to Jerrica. As Jem she can be free-spirited and do things she normally couldn't do.

Escapism is basically a mental diversion or "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. Everything that makes us escape from RealLife can be considered a form of Escapism. This trope is TruthInTelevision; common forms of Escapism are {{Video Game}}s, Drugs, Alcohol, {{Fiction}}, [[VideoGame/FarmVille Facebook Games]], Gambling, Movies, {{Game Show}}s, and [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife TV Tropes]].

* ''ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool'''s relationship to escapism is ''complicated'' to put it mildly. The main character, Gwen Poole, is [[ThisLoserIsYou an average comicbook fan]], who managed to push her escapism so far to [[ComicbooksAreReal actually escape]]. She is perfectly willing at first to exploit this as much as possible to indulge her more sociopathic impulses without consequences which seems like a prime setup to deliver an AntiEscapismAesop... the series doesn't do that, instead opts for ''[[InDefenceOfStorytelling now you're responsible for the tales you're telling]]'', we hope you grow up to the responsibility. (At the time of this entry's writing her success is questionable, but story gods bless her she is trying.)

* "Simmy" Kim in ''VideoGame/ShadowrunReturns: Dragonfall'' is a woman in the Kreuzbasar who's addicted to "[[MeaningfulName Better-Than]]-[[CrapsackWorld Life]]" simulations. After spending enough time with her, the player can learn that [[spoiler: she got hooked after suffering a miscarriage that left her infertile]], and Monica [[NiceJobBreakingItHero suggested she try them out to help cope with the trauma]]. There's a reason that her preferred simulations [[spoiler: all involve her assuming a motherly or childish role]].

* The ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' episode "Brain Drain" has The Source create an elaborate spell to trick Piper into giving up the sisters' powers. He makes Piper imagine that she is really in a mental hospital where Prue, Phoebe and Paige aren't really her sisters and she doesn't have powers. The doctors in the hallucination claim she created her life as a Charmed One to cope with the death of her grandmother. The chilling part is that the hallucination is well timed to Piper regretting becoming a witch so she almost believes the hallucination.

* Indidious One - Эскапист is specifically about escapism and fleeing into a better world of fantasy.[[https://narcolepticaprod.bandcamp.com/track/--154]]

Escapism is basically a mental diversion or "escape" from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. Everything that makes us escape from RealLife can be considered a form of Escapism. This trope is TruthInTelevision; common forms of Escapism are {{Video Game}}s, Drugs, Alcohol, {{Fiction}}, [[VideoGame/FarmVille Facebook games]], gambling, movies, {{Game Show}}s, and [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife TV Tropes]].

For an in-depth analysis of this trope, go to Analysis.{{Escapism}}.

* "Simmy" Kim in ''VideoGame/ShadowrunReturns: Dragonfall'' is a woman in the Kreuzbasar who's addicted to simulations. After spending enough time with her, the player can learn that [[spoiler: she got hooked after suffering a miscarriage that left her infertile]], and Monica [[NiceJobBreakingItHero suggested she try them out to help cope with the trauma]]. There's a reason that her preferred simulations [[spoiler: all involve her assuming a motherly or childish role]].