History Main / TroubledFetalPosition

TruthInTelevision, this is a natural defensive reflex against physical attack (it protects [[AttackItsWeakPoint your belly, throat and eyes]]) and by extension against many sorts of psychological stress and trauma, in the same manner that both physical and psychological trauma can prompt an [[BulletTime adrenaline]] [[DesperationAttack rush]].

** Superman of all people does this in storyline ''Comicbook/KryptonNoMore'' when he sits on a mountaintop and reminisces about Krypton's destruction.

** ''ComicBook/TheUnknownSupergirl'': At the end of an hallucination where Kara is made believe that she has killed people accidentally, she sits on the ground, curls up in a ball and cries.

* In ''WesternAnimation/WallE'', the titular character could be seen doing this on several occasions, and is a non-humanoid robot example of this.

* In the spirit of one upmanship and outdoing the rest of this list, ''Film/ASerbianFilm'' has Milos have one after learning that [[spoiler:he was drugged and made to rape and kill people, including his own son, he was raped himself, and all of it was filmed for a snuff director's entertainment]] after which we get a ShowerOfAngst shot with him in the fetal position in the shower. Eventually this leads to him killing himself.
* In ''Film/{{Gravity}}'', after making it back to the ISS, Ryan Stone shucks off her space suit and floats in a fetal position as she recovers from the stress of her situation and almost suffocating.

* Oreg in ''Literature/DragonBones'' a couple of times. He suffers from PTSD, and is magically bound to do as he is ordered by his master, which causes him severe pain if he can't do what he's been told to do. If he feels really bad, he usually curls up on the floor.
* The standard "panic position" for the Pierson's Puppeteers of Creator/LarryNiven's ''Literature/KnownSpace'' 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..

** [[GreenEyedMonster Parsee's]] flight pose in ''Subterranean Animism'', partnered with a [[CheshireCatGrin giddy smile]] and [[AxCrazy attempted murder]]. Alice provides the picture, but isn't an example in-game.

* Seen twice in ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo''. First, in Hanako's cinematic sequence as he route is unlocked; second, in [[spoiler: Shizune's bad ending]].

* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', John's discovery that [[spoiler:his dad is just a boring businessman and [[MindScrew isn't really into "harlequins" at all]] is enough to send him into the fetal postion.]]

* Ventura adopts this position in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' during a post-traumatic episode. It gets her captured, because the hardened mercenaries she works for don't spot it happening and race off to continue with their current mission without her.

* Putting someone in "Position Latérale de Sécurité" (or "PLS" for short), which means "Recovery Position" is a popular euphemysm on the French parts of the Web, meaning someone was just spectacularly owned and now feels really uncomfortable.

* In both ''VideoGame/LitteNightmares'' and ''VideoGame/LittleNightmaresII'', the player characters Six and Mono re-spawn in this position after dying. Almost like they are waking up from a nightmare.

* In both ''VideoGame/LitteNightmares'' and ''VideoGame/LittleNightmares2'', the player characters Six and Mono re-spawn in this position after dying. Almost like they are waking up from a nightmare.

* ''ComicBook/{{Concrete}}'': This is probably one of the most frequent positions Concrete is drawn in, especially after he becomes depressed as the series goes on, though in some instances he is just trying to take up as little space as possible and not in a mood.[[note]]The position is a holdover from his humanity and isn't natural to his body, as it has no soft spots to protect (other than the eyes) and is spread out while in the womb rather than curled up like most Earth animals are during the latter part of fetal development.[[/note]]

** ''Comicbook/KryptoniteNevermore'': Superman wants to renounce his powers because he is tired of being a hero but Wonder Woman's mentor talks him out of it. Superman pulls his knees up and covers his face with both hands while he resigns himself to get his powers restored.
* Antoine does this in the reboot of Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog after learning he nearly died in the previous continuity. He snaps out of it because he knows he still has work to do but it's clear he was shaken by it.

* In WALL•E , the titular character could be seen doing this on several occasions, and is a non-humanoid robot example of this.

* The sequel to ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'', WesternAnimation/ReturnToNeverLand'': Jane, Wendy's daughter, goes into this position frequently throughout the movie.

* ''Disney/PeterPan: Return to Neverland'': Jane, Wendy's daughter, goes into this position frequently throughout the movie.

* Both Anna and Elsa do this after their parents died at the end of the song "Do you want to build a snowman?" in ''Disney/{{Frozen}}''.
* Rapunzel in ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'' does this during the "bipolar scene" after she left her tower against her Mother's, [[spoiler:or rather her kidnapper's]], orders.

A common sitting position for an introverted, shy, depressed character or perhaps one that is going through a [[FreakOut breakdown]] or some SanitySlippage is for them to sit with their knees pulled to their chest perhaps with their arms wrapped around their knees. Similarly, the character can lie down (or slide down in extreme cases), curl up and hold their knees. If the character has gone through [[HeroicBSOD 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 [[MadnessMantra muttering something incoherent]]. Someone taking a ShowerOfAngst is likely to do this.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': [[spoiler:Vaarsuvius]] is reduced to this, first in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0843.html "Lack of Foresight"]], and later in the last panel of [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0883.html "Friend Swap"]].

* In ''VisualNovel/SongsAndFlowers'', Jazz does this after [[spoiler: she gets a call from the police informing her that a skeleton that may be her MissingMother was found in a forest outside of her old hometown. After all the work she put in trying to find her, she's devastated.]]

A common sitting position for an introverted, shy, depressed character or perhaps one that is going through a [[FreakOut breakdown]] or some SanitySlippage 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 [[HeroicBSOD 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 [[MadnessMantra muttering something incoherent]]. Someone taking a ShowerOfAngst is likely to do this.

* ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu'': At the underground fight arena, Pikachu decides to kick his next opponent's butt...[[OhCrap only to find out that he has to fight a Charizard]]. After failing to get Tim to "get me the [[PrecisionFStrike hell]] out of here!", he curls up into a fetal position, squeaking, "Pika Pika..."

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{WALL•E}}'' , the titular character could be seen doing this on several occasions, and is a non-humanoid robot example of this.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{WALL•E}}'', the titular character could be seen doing this on several occasions, and is a non-humanoid robot example of this.