History Main / MadDreamer

** Don Quixote itself is an UnbuiltTrope because, in its attempt to correct the Misaimed Fandom, Cervantes explores all the ramifications of this trope: Don Quixote knows he is just a ImpoverishedPatrician, he really wants to be an KnightErrant, [[DeaderThanDisco but few know what are those and even less care]]. Whenever RealityEnsues, he insists AWizardDidIt. Lord Error Prone is safe [[IRejectYourReality because he rejects the reality of everyone and substitutes his own]]. The second part shows us a lot of people -- nobles, bandits, soldiers -- organizing MassiveMultiplayerScam that convince Don Quixote he really is a Knight Errant... [[ComeToGawk because they want to mock him]]. The OnlySaneMan calls Don Quixote [[RealityWarper a fool for making all the others be as mad as he]]. Only when the novel finishes, Don Quixote realizes that, even when he lived the life of a Knight Errant exactly as the ChivalricRomance books said, he didn't do any good to anyone. So those books were lies. The FanDisillusionment is so great, he [[DeathByDespair dies]].

* ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'' skirts close to the trope and sometimes falls prey to it. (The forest incident comes to mind) She grows more grounded as she grows up.

** Don Quixote itself is an UnbuiltTrope because, in its attempt to correct the Misaimed Fandom, Cervantes explores all the ramifications of this trope: Don Quixote knows he is just a ImpoverishedPatrician, he really wants to be an KnightErrant, [[DeaderThanDisco but few know what are those and even less care]]. Whenever RealityEnsues, he insists AWizardDidIt. Lord Error Prone is safe [[IRejectYourReality because he rejects the reality of everyone and substitutes his own]]. The second part shows us a lot of people �- nobles, bandits, soldiers -� organizing MassiveMultiplayerScam that convince Don Quixote he really is a Knight Errant� [[ComeToGawk because they want to mock him]]. The OnlySaneMan calls Don Quixote [[RealityWarper a fool for making all the others be as mad as he]]. Only when the novel finishes, Don Quixote realizes that, even when he lived the life of a Knight Errant exactly as the ChivalricRomance books said, he didn�t do any good to anyone. So those books were lies. The FanDisillusionment is so great, he [[DeathByDespair dies]].

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** Don Quixote itself is an UnbuiltTrope because, in its attempt to correct the Misaimed Fandom, Cervantes explores all the ramifications of this trope: Don Quixote knows he is just a ImpoverishedPatrician, he really wants to be an KnightErrant, [[DeaderThanDisco but few know what are those and even less care]]. Whenever RealityEnsues, he insists AWizardDidIt. Lord Error Prone is safe [[IRejectYourReality because he rejects the reality of everyone and substitutes his own]]. The second part shows us a lot of people –- nobles, bandits, soldiers -– organizing MassiveMultiplayerScam that convince Don Quixote he really is a Knight Errant… [[ComeToGawk because they want to mock him]]. The OnlySaneMan calls Don Quixote [[RealityWarper a fool for making all the others be as mad as he]]. Only when the novel finishes, Don Quixote realizes that, even when he lived the life of a Knight Errant exactly as the ChivalricRomance books said, he didn’t do any good to anyone. So those books were lies. The FanDisillusionment is so great, he [[DeathByDespair dies]].

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* ''AnneOfGreenGables'' skirts close to the trope and sometimes falls prey to it. (The forest incident comes to mind) She grows more grounded as she grows up.

* In the video for Music/PoetsOfTheFall's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ompevuR1644 Lift]]," "Mark" is a mentally ill prisoner of Poet County Jail who has {{Hallucinations}} of [[MacabreMothMotif moths]] and a HappyPlace filled with illusory bandmates. The psychologists examining him make an effort to transcribe his in-universe WordSalad, which looks suspiciously like song lyrics.

* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoNoNakuKoroNi'', many of the witches may qualify for this, but Marriage Sorcierre was created with precisely the intention of being a haven for these. As such, Beatrice (and by extension [[spoiler:Yasu]]), Maria and Ange (at least, before she rejected magic) are the most straightforward examples.

* This trope is the essence of the main character in ''[[Creator/JamesThurber The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty]]'', a 1941 short story by James Thurber, and a 1947 movie version starring DannyKaye. For a few decades after this film came out - from the 1950s to the early 1970s, even - "Walter Mitty" was a shorthand for this trope in everyday life. To call someone a Walter Mitty meant they were made of this trope.

* Martina does this in ''{{Slayers}}'' with her over the top theatrics and showy displays of devotion to her dark lord, Zomagustar; and firmly believes she draws her power from him. The scary part? [[spoiler:Zomagustar doesn't exist, Martina made him up!]] Despite this, she succeeds in casting a curse on Lina (that actually works!), because her belief in him is THAT strong. And, yes, she IS that crazy!

* Baby Doll from ''SuckerPunch''

* In ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418004/ Neverwas]]'', Gabriel Finch (Ian [=McKellen=]) has a beautiful made-up world of knights and high sorcery that he knows is false, but which he uses to deal with the trauma's he's faced.

* The girl who is the subject of Lonestar's song "Unusually Unusual".

* {{Stargirl}}, from the eponymously named book, has some definite moments of this.

Compare LongingForFictionland, which may overlap with some less extreme cases of the trope; the {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, who is this trope PlayedForLaughs; IRejectYourReality, which is how other characters may see them; and the StrangeGirl, who actually goes on these sorts of fantastic adventures. DaydreamBeliever describes groups of people who harbor similar beliefs (but usually regarding fiction that someone else wrote) in real life.

* Luna Lovegood of ''HarryPotter'' although given that she lives in a magic world, she may not be so crazy as she sounds.
* Quentin Coldwater, from ''TheMagicians''. Of course, this quality of his is subverted at least once (i.e. his mad dream turns out to not only be true, but to in fact be something of a nightmare).

* In one episode of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', a demon made Buffy think that she's not really a Slayer, she's a girl in an insane asylum who has delusions of being a Slayer, Sunnydale, her friends, etc. According to the doctor at the hospital, she must kill her TrueCompanions in the fictional world in order to return to the real world. She decides that the world where she's a slayer ''is'' the real world and the other is a fictional construct. TheStinger of the episode suggests that she really is a girl in a mental hospital.

* In ''UminekoNoNakuKoroNi'', many of the witches may qualify for this, but Marriage Sorcierre was created with precisely the intention of being a haven for these. As such, Beatrice (and by extension Clair and [[spoiler:Shannon]]), Maria and Ange (at least, before she rejected magic) are the most straightforward examples.

* In one episode of ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', a demon made Buffy think that she's not really a Slayer, she's a girl in an insane asylum who has delusions of being a Slayer, Sunnydale, her friends, etc. According to the doctor at the hospital, she must kill her TrueCompanions in the fictional world in order to return to the real world. She decides that the world where she's a slayer ''is'' the real world and the other is a fictional construct. TheStinger of the episode suggests that she really is a girl in a mental hospital.

* This trope is the essence of the main character in ''[[JamesThurber The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty]]'', a 1941 short story by James Thurber, and a 1947 movie version starring DannyKaye. For a few decades after this film came out - from the 1950s to the early 1970s, even - "Walter Mitty" was a shorthand for this trope in everyday life. To call someone a Walter Mitty meant they were made of this trope.

** DonQuixote itself is an UnbuiltTrope because, in its attempt to correct the MisaimedFandom, Cervantes explores all the ramifications of this trope: DonQuixote knows he is just a ImpoverishedPatrician, he really wants to be an KnightErrant, [[DeaderThanDisco but few know what are those and even less care]]. Whenever RealityEnsues, he insists AWizardDidIt. LordErrorProne is safe [[IRejectYourReality because he rejects the reality of everyone and substitutes his own]]. The second part show us a lot of people – Nobles, bandits, soldiers – organizing MassiveMultiplayerScam that convince DonQuixote he really is an KnightErrant… [[ComeToGawk because they want to mock him]]. The OnlySaneMan calls DonQuixote [[RealityWarper a fool for making all the others be as mad as he]]. Only when the novel finishes, DonQuixote realizes that, even when he lived the live of a KnightErrant exactly as the ChivalricRomance books said, he didn’t do any good to anyone. So those books were lies. The FanDisillusionment is so great, he [[DeathByDespair dies]].

** DonQuixote itself is an UnbuiltTrope because, in its attempt to correct the MisaimedFandom, Cervantes explores all the ramifications of this trope: DonQuixote knows he is just a ImpoverishedPatrician, he really wants to be an KnightErrant, [[DeaderThanDisco but few know what are those and even less care]]. Whenever RealityEnsues, he insists AWizardDidIt. LordErrorProne is safe [[IRejectYourReality because he rejects the reality of everyone and substitutes his own]]. The second part show us a lot of people – Nobles, bandits, soldiers – organizing MassiveMultiplayerScam that convince DonQuixote he really is an ErrantKnight… [[ComeToGawk because they want to mock him]]. The OnlySaneMan calls DonQuixote [[RealityWarper a fool for making all the others be as mad as he]]. Only when the novel finishes, DonQuixote realizes that, even when he lived the live of a KnightErrant exactly as the ChivalricRomance books said, he didn’t do any good to anyone. So those books were lies. The FanDisillusionment is so great, he [[DeathByDespair dies]].

** DonQuixote itself is an UnbuiltTrope because, in its attempt to correct the MisaimedFandom, Cervantes explores all the ramifications of this trope: DonQuixote knows he is just a ImpoverishedPatrician, he really wants to be an ErrantKnight, [[DeaderThanDisco but few know what are those and even less care]]. Whenever RealityEnsues, he insists AWizardDidIt. LordErrorProne is safe [[IRejectYourReality because he rejects the reality of everyone and substitutes his own]]. The second part show us a lot of people – Nobles, bandits, soldiers – organizing MassiveMultiplayerScam that convince DonQuixote he really is an ErrantKnight… [[ComeToGawk because they want to mock him]]. The OnlySaneMan calls DonQuixote [[RealityWarper a fool for making all the others be as mad as he]]. Only when the novel finishes, DonQuixote realizes that, even when he lived the live of a KnightErrant exactly as the ChivalricRomance books said, he didn’t do any good to anyone. So those books were lies. The FanDisillusionment is so great, he [[DeathByDespair dies]].

** DonQuixote itself is an UnbuiltTrope because, in its attempt to correct the MisaimedFandom, Cervantes explores all the ramifications of this trope: DonQuixote knows he is just a ImpoverishedPatrician, he really wants to be an ErrantKnight, [[DeaderThanDisco but few know what are those and even less care]]. Whenever RealityEnsues, he insists AWizardDidIt. LordErrorProne is safe [[IRejectYourReality because he rejects the reality of everyone and substitutes his own]]. The second part show us a lot of people – Nobles, bandits, soldiers – organizing MassiveMultiplayerScam that convince DonQuixote he really is an ErrantKnight… [[ComeToGawk because they want to mock him]]. The OnlySaneMan calls DonQuixote [[RealityWarper a fool for making all the others be as mad as he]]. Only when the novel finishes, DonQuixote realizes that, even when he lived the live of a KnightErrant exactly as the ChivalryBooks said, he didn’t do any good to anyone. So those books were lies. The FanDisillusionment is so great, he [[DeathByDespair dies]].

* This trope is the essence of the main character in ''[[JamesThurber The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty]]'', a 1941 short story by James Thurber, and a 1947 movie version starring Danny Kaye. For a few decades after this film came out - from the 1950s to the early 1970s, even - "Walter Mitty" was a shorthand for this trope in everyday life. To call someone a Walter Mitty meant they were made of this trope.

* ''DonQuixote'' might be considered the UrExample. Ironically, it wasn't even the intention of Cervantes, who was hoping to make fun of the ideas for which Quixote fell head over heels, but thanks to MisaimedFandom, he became very commonly portrayed as this, instead of the LordErrorProne that was intended.

In this way, these characters are portrayed very differently from those with [[NapoleonDelusion Napoleon Delusions]]. People with Napoleon Delusions tend to pretend that they are actual historical figures, or at least fictional characters that other people created. Mad Dreamers, on the other hand, are perfectly clear about who ''they'' are - it's their situations where they differ. Part of the reason for the more sympathetic and idealized portrayal of Mad Dreamers may be due to more usage of the character's own imagination, rather than latching onto something that already exists. In other words, authors, who make things up for a job, may be better able to relate to the Mad Dreamer.

* In one episode of ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', a demon made Buffy think that she's not really a Slayer, she's a girl in an insane asylum who has delusions of being a Slayer, Sunnydale, her friends, etc. According to the doctor at the hospital, she must kill her {{nakama}} in the fictional world in order to return to the real world. She decides that the world where she's a slayer ''is'' the real world and the other is a fictional construct. TheStinger of the episode suggests that she really is a girl in a mental hospital.