History PlayingWith / StepfordSmiler

* '''Defied''': Alce , after being [[BreakTheCutie broken]], refuses to try seeming happy anymore and chooses to appear just as angsty as they are.

** "You're so happy and cheerful, I love it!" "That's just the surface, sweetie. Inside I'm dead!"

* '''Downplayed''': Alice never stops smiling, even when they're upset, because she ''is'' [[ThePollyanna a genuinely cheerful person]] [[IsThisWhatAngerFeelsLike who isn't used to experiencing negative emotions]].

** Alice is a villain who is completely insane but who operates more or less secretly, and would likely be locked up in an asylum if he showed her real nature, [[FauxAffablyEvil so he pretends to be happy and polite]].
** Alice is a hero who is completely sad and depressed, with little or negative self-esteem, but to help her friends and everyone he cares for, or to hide her insecurities, he pretends to be happy and cheerful.
** Alice is in denial about something that deeply disturbs them, and constantly tries to ignore it.

* '''Inverted''': JerkWithAHeartOfGold or TheSnarkKnight (type A), {{Kuudere}} (type B), or ObfuscatingInsanity (type C).

** Alice is unable de smile, even when she is incredibly happy.

** [[TheAce Alice who is charming, handsome, chipper, intelligent, talented, and sharply dressed to the extreme]] [[BrokenAce turns out to have a past that]] [[DarkAndTroubledPast "dark and troubled"]] [[TraumaCongaLine does not begin to describe]].

** Alice is a villain who is completely insane but who operates more or less secretly, and would likely be locked up in an asylum if he showed his real nature, [[FauxAffablyEvil so he pretends to be happy and polite]].
** Alice is a hero who is completely sad and depressed, with little or negative self-esteem, but to help his friends and everyone he cares for, or to hide his insecurities, he pretends to be happy and cheerful.

* '''Parodied''': Alice constantly switches between AxCrazy and [[TastesLikeDiabetes tasting like diabetes]], without dropping the smile. PlayedForLaughs. The other characters openly discuss what the heck is with him.

** Alice is a MoodSwinger who always smiles, but sometimes it real, sometimes it's not.

* '''Invoked''': "Uh-oh, Alice seems oddly happy. I betcha she's actually depressed or crazy- let's try to learn more about his past."

* '''Lampshaded''': "I alway knew Alice ''was'' hiding something! That perpetual cheerfullness isn't a natural thing!"

* '''Exploited''': ???

Back to StepfordSmiler :)

** [[TheAce Alice who is charming, handsome, chipper, intelligent, talented, and sharply dressed to the extreme]] [[BrokenAce turns out to have a past that]] [[DarkAndTroubledPast "dark and troubled"]] [[TraumaCongaLine does not]] ''[[TraumaCongaLine begin]]'' [[TraumaCongaLine to describe]].

** The character is a villain who is completely insane but who operates more or less secretly, and would likely be locked up in an asylum if he showed his real nature, [[FauxAffablyEvil so he pretends to be happy and polite]]. Or, the character is a hero who is completely sad and depressed, with little or negative self-esteem, but to help his friends and everyone he cares for, or to hide his insecurities, he pretends to be happy and cheerful.
** The character is in denial about something that deeply disturbs them, and constantly tries to ignore it.

* '''Straight''': Alice who seems happy turns out to be deeply depressed or psychopathic behind the mask of cheerfulness.

** Hiding all their problems behind a smile slowly takes a toll on Alice;s probably already fragile sanity. Finally, something happens and this character snaps, either in tears or into a homicidal rage.

* '''Implied''': Alice stops smiling when alone.

* '''Straight''': A seemingly happy character turns out to be deeply depressed or psychopathic behind the mask of cheerfulness.

** The [[TastesLikeDiabetes painfully sweet]], [[GenkiGirl eternally]] [[{{Keet}} happy]] child is actually the [[DarkAndTroubledPast angst-]][[{{Woobie}} ridden]] [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds bringer of death]].
** [[TheAce The (wo)man who is charming, handsome, chipper, intelligent, talented, and sharply dressed to the extreme]] [[BrokenAce turns out to have a past that]] [[DarkAndTroubledPast "dark and troubled"]] [[TraumaCongaLine does not]] ''[[TraumaCongaLine begin]]'' [[TraumaCongaLine to describe]].
* '''Downplayed''': The character never stops smiling, even when they're upset, because (s)he ''is'' [[ThePollyanna a genuinely cheerful person]] [[IsThisWhatAngerFeelsLike who isn't used to experiencing negative emotions]].

* '''Subverted''': It looks like the cheerful character may be hiding a dark true nature, but then we find out it's all a lie, and they really are happy.
* '''Double Subverted''': Oh wait, the cheerful and happy character really isn't depressed at all... and then we learn that instead, their mask is hiding their [[AxCrazy insanity]]
* '''Parodied''': The character constantly switches between AxCrazy and [[TastesLikeDiabetes tasting like diabetes]], without dropping the smile. PlayedForLaughs. The other characters openly discuss what the heck is with him.

** The character always smiles, but sometimes it real, sometimes it's not.

* '''Enforced''': The series has taken a turn for the DarkerAndEdgier, and now that happy character looks really out of place, but [[PutOnABus putting them on a bus]] wouldn't work... I guess we'll have to give them some secret angst or madness to let them fit in.
* '''Lampshaded''': "I alway knew she ''was'' hiding something! That perpetual cheerfullness isn't a natural thing!"
* '''Invoked''': "Uh-oh, that guy seems oddly happy. I betcha he's actually depressed or crazy- let's try to learn more about his past."

* '''Defied''': A happy character, after being [[BreakTheCutie broken]], refuses to try seeming happy anymore and chooses to appear just as angsty as they are.
* '''Discussed''': Saner Character to Stepford Smiler: "You aren't hiding something bad inside, are you?"

** The character narrates the story, with their internal desperation and madness overwhelming the effect of their external serenity from the start of the narrative.
** Hiding all their problems behind a smile slowly takes a toll on their probably already fragile sanity. Finally, something happens and this character snaps, either in tears or into a homicidal rage.
* '''Reconstructed''': And despite all the characterization, they're ''still'' a hollow, empty shell of a human being.
* '''Implied''': The character stops smiling when alone.

** The character is a villain who is completely insane but who operates more or less secretly, and would likely be locked up in an asylum if he showed his real nature, so he pretends to be happy and polite. Or, the character is a hero who is completely sad and depressed, with little or negative self-esteem, but to help his friends and everyone he cares for, or to hide his insecurities, he pretends to be happy and cheerful.

Back to StepfordSmiler

%%* '''Implied''': ???

'''Basic Trope''': A character puts up a cheerful appearance to hide their true insanity/depression.

* '''Exaggerated''': The [[TastesLikeDiabetes painfully sweet]], [[GenkiGirl eternally]] [[{{Keet}} happy]] child is actually the [[DarkAndTroubledPast angst-]][[{{Woobie}} ridden]] [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds bringer of death]].

* '''Justified''': The character is a villain who is completely insane but who operates more or less secretly, and would likely be locked up in an asylum if he showed his real nature, so he pretends to be happy and polite. Or, the character is a hero who is completely sad and depressed, with little or negative self-esteem, but to help his friends and everyone he cares for, or to hide his insecurities, he pretends to be happy and cheerful.

* '''Deconstructed''': The character narrates the story, with their internal desperation and madness overwhelming the effect of their external serenity from the start of the narrative.
** Hiding all their problems behind a smile slowly takes a toll on their probably already fragile sanity. Finally, something happens and this character snaps, either in tears or into a homicidal rage.
* '''Reconstructed''': And despite all the characterization, they're ''still'' a hollow, empty shell of a human being.
* '''Zig Zagged''': The character seems to smile a lot and has been hiding some amount of depression, but his mask cracks and slips so often one must begin to wonder what is really happening inside the character's head.

<<|PlayingWithWiki|>>

** [[TheAce The (wo)man who is charming, handsome, intelligent, talented, and sharply dressed to the extreme]] [[BrokenAce turns out to have a past that]] [[DarkAndTroubledPast "dark and troubled"]] [[TraumaCongaLine does not]] ''[[TraumaCongaLine begin]]'' [[TraumaCongaLine to describe]].

* '''Zig Zagged''': The character seems to smile a lot and being hiding some amount of depression, but his mask cracks and slips so often one must begin to doubt what is really happening inside the chara's head.

* '''Discussed''': Saner Chara, to Stepford Smiler: "You aren't hiding something bad inside, are you?"
* '''Conversed''': "You know, how all those characters who seem happy, but are secretly depressed, or insane, or both... That creeps me out, man."

* '''Inverted''': JerkWithAHeartOfGold (type A), {{Kuudere}} (type B), or ObfuscatingInsanity (type C).

* '''Inverted''': JerkWithAHeartOfGold
** {{Kuudere}}, for the inversion of the type B.
** And as an inversion of type C, there's ObfuscatingInsanity. Specific character types who are a lot more sane than they seem are TheWonka and the BunnyEarsLawyer.

* '''Parodied''': The character constantly swifts between AxCrazy and [[TastesLikeDiabetes tasting like diabetes]], without dropping the smile. PlayedForLaughs. The other characters openly discuss what the heck is with him.