History StepfordSmiler / FanFic

!! Female Examples

[[AC: ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'']]
* There is a fair share of ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' fics that portray Tomo, [[GenkiGirl of all people]], as one of these. [[Fanfic/ColdNights Such]] [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3594480/1/Fallen_Happiness as]] [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2724513/1/Rouge_et_Noir these]] [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3313358/1/Wednesday_Morning_3am ones]].

[[AC: ''Anime/CodeGeass'']]
* ''Fanfic/OfSiblingsAndMasks'': Nunnally acts like a just and compassionate ruler but really, she is a bitter, broken shell of a person who outright hates the world that took her beloved brother from her.

[[AC: CrossOver]]
* It can be surmised that [[spoiler:Tsuruya]] has been raised to be Depressed from the first chapter of the Initial Conflict arc of ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero''.
* ''Fanfic/ChildrenOfAnElderGod'': In chapter 22, Asuka tries to smile when her friend Anna tries to comfort her, but it was plainly visible that she was still in pain.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2693964/3/The-Demon-s-Contract The Demon's Contract]]'', Kasumi Tendo is deeply broken from being forced to be the caretaker for her family since she was nine years old. While everyone reacted normally (for them) to Ranma's rampage before he goes back in time, Kasumi simply kept on smiling, even when Ranma explicitly said he was going to kill her. After he used pressure points to break down her mental barriers, Kasumi cries, curses, and breaks everything in sight before taking it out on the one she blames most for her life: her father.
* In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/8793565/chapters/20159878 How the Light Gets In]]'', Laurel has been suffering from chronic depression, addiction, and an anxiety disorder all her life, so ''all'' her smiles have shades of this. A specific instance of this happens at the end of chapter 3, where Dean notes of her smile at Oliver:
-->"It's one of those soft, sweet, unwaveringly kind smiles of hers meant to comfort. Dean knows these smiles of hers well. About half the time, they're a lie. She uses them to draw people's attention away from her trembling hands. She was so irritated when they stopped working on him."
* ''Fanfic/{{Kindred}}'': Growing up, Snow White always pretended to be happy, even when she wasn't. However, she'd cry in her sleep because she wasn't conscious and able to stop herself from crying.
* ''Fanfic/RemnantInferisDOOM'':
** Ruby does everything in her power to maintain an upbeat demeanor despite all the trauma that fighting Hell is putting her through. She actually pulls it off so well that some people find it disturbing how someone can remain so childish and innocent given the traumatic circumstances. Even Yang finds it downright scary how she can act like her normal self even while caked in blood after killing a group of demons. Of course, the mask slips every now and then and she completely stops hiding it when she starts getting into an argument with Weiss. She also stops bothering with the facade when they end up [[spoiler:in Hell.]]
** Beneath his jovial and positive behavior, VEGA's [[ColdBloodedTorture torture and attempted reformatting]] at [[spoiler:the SDC's]] hands reveals that he's ''riddled'' with self-loathing and regret for what he and Dr. Hayden did back on Mars.

[[AC: Literature/{{Discworld}}]]
* In the works of Creator/AAPessimal, ''The Graduation Class'' has Lady Rust, long-suffering wife of Ronald Rust and mother of five totally horrible children, being the desperate Stepford Smiler on the morning of Lucinda Rust's hoped-for graduation from the Assassins' School. As it becomes more and more apparent that Lucinda has Failed and will not return from her Final Run, the Stepford Smile becomes more and more fixed and desperate. Then Ronnie makes some sort of remark about how Lucinda has a younger sister at the School and how she might learn from her older sister's experience, so it isn't ''all'' bad news... and Lady Rust then snaps. All the way. All at once.

[[AC: ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'']]
* ''Fanfic/DespairsLastResort'' has [[spoiler: Shizuka Matsuki]] as a Depressed type, and reveals that she started acting this way to give herself a new image upon starting at Hope's Peak Academy.
* Chiaki Nanami in ''Fanfic/ExtraLife'' is a Depressed type. She has a lot of insecurities, fears, and trauma after her near-death experience, but always maintains a smile and kind outlook to hide it.

[[AC: ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'']]
* ''Fanfic/UsAndThem'': Sephiroth accuses Aeris of being one during their heart-to-heart in in the sequel ''Life Renewed, Love Renewed'', saying she forces a smile as she lets herself be tossed about by "destiny".
* ''Fanfic/{{Epiphany}}'': Sephiroth notes that Aerith's sunny beaming smile makes an excellent mask for whatever her true emotions are.

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'']]
* The receptionist of Eve Hill Corporation in ''[[FanFic/StarlightSeries Aliens!]]'' does everything with cheer and a smile. Including knocking [[spoiler:Jumba]] unconscious for snooping around.

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'']]
* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/20868983 With Time]]'', after Marinette is bullied out of her school through Lila's efforts, she makes herself a list of all things she must do at the new place basically amounting to "never make anyone upset, never act like you're not fine, always blame yourself". As soon as Chat learns about it, he tears out the pages, Cataclysms them out of existence, and replaces the list with a more appropriate set of recommendations.

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'']]
* In the fanfiction ''Fanfic/{{Composure}}'', [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Princess Celestia]] is so trapped in her own image of composed benevolence that she breaks when Luna attempts to get her to acknowledge her feelings, releasing a millennium worth of repressed emotions all at once.
* [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Pinkie Pie]] can appear anywhere on the spectrum in fanfics. In ''Fanfic/ThePartyNeverEnded'', Pinkie Pie is Depressed, as she breaks under her GenkiGirl cover as she dreads over her love for Rainbow Dash. As for ''Fanfic/{{Cupcakes}}'', well, let's say she's Unstable and leave it at that.
* [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Rarity]] is Unstable in ''Fanfic/TheKillerRarityverse'' fic ''The Secret life of Rarity'', in which she maintains her social life over a period of 16 years in which she murders over 100 ponies/other races. She starts to slip towards the end, leading to her confrontation by Applejack.

[[AC: ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'']]
* ''Fanfic/{{Anachronism}}'':
** Gloria has a lot of trauma from being sent back in time. Due to the unusual event, she won't tell her friends about it.
** Sonia feels like a useless deadbeat with no purpose, but she usually hides her depression.

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'']]
* The DeconstructionFic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5908355/1/Perfect-Pains Perfect Pains]]'' deals with the sisters being forced to give off the image of "perfect little girls".

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'']]
* ''Webcomic/MargeSimpsonAnime'' expands upon Marge's depressive characteristics. She has DeadSparks with Homer and is a lonely {{housewife}}. The plot revolves around her regaining her independence, expanding her horizons, and leaving Homer [[spoiler:for Apu's ex-wife Manjula]].

[[AC: ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'']]
* Ruth in ''FanFic/CIAAgents'' is clearly Depressed; she is so affected by her parents' divorce that ends being obsessed with the photography rather than just taking it as a hobby.
* ''Fanfic/FallenAngel'' depicts Amy's friendly and perky attitude as a way to mask her loneliness and insecurities.
* When Sonic gets spooked by a scary video game in ''Blog/Solarhood'', he asks Elise why she isn't frightened. She happily says that [[ConditionedToAcceptHorror she's become immune to all emotions that involve tears]].

[[AC: ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'']]
* Callie is a Depressed example in ''Fanfic/HerFracturedSpirit''. After the events of ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' she's traumatized. Callie tries to play it off, but Marie knows otherwise.

[[AC: ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'']]
* Brit always acts happy around most people to keep herself sane in ''Fanfic/NewReality''.

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'']]
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' {{fanon}} sometimes portrays Sierra with tinges of this, suggesting that her LoonyFan antics are either the cause or effect of an inability to form any close, real-life friendships.

[[AC: Unsorted]]
* Nui Harime in this aptly titled fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10915210/1/Dollhouse Dollhouse]]. Somewhat justified, as she doesn't want to worry anyone in about [[AbusiveParents her]] [[AlcoholicParent conditions]] [[DomesticAbuse at home]].
* Implied to be the case with Reimu in ''Gensokyo 20XXV'', as it is found out that not all her smiles are genuine, actually, she smiles out of acceptance towards her situation and to comfort everyone else.
-->'''Ren''': [...]If anything her smile is her way of comforting others and herself mostly, diverting attention away from her sorrow and pain, much like how Chen purred to herself.
* Delaney Pollack of ''Fanfic/{{Fargo}}'' acts like a cheerful ProperLady when the cameras are on, but beneath that persona she's a cruel, stab-happy sociopath. Later chapters imply ''that's'' an act too, and that the real Delaney is actually a contemplative, distant EmotionlessGirl. [[spoiler: Her persona in the afterlife suggests that the latter interpretation is the most accurate of the three.]]

!! Male Examples

[[AC: ''WebComic/AxisPowersHetalia'']]
* Italy is this in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'' as he hid his insecurities and anxieties from Germany and Japan with brilliant smiles. His façade only cracked when [[spoiler:he saw Germany and Japan [[CockFight beat each other up]] over him.]]

[[AC: ''Anime/CodeGeass'']]
* In ''Fanfic/CodeGeassMaoOfTheDeliverance'', the titular character not only displays a mix of Depression and Unstable--exuding cheerfulness and cool self-satisfaction while really [[UnhappyMedium suffering from insanity]] and desperately [[LoveMakesYouCrazy pining after C.C.]]--but deliberately affects an image of wealth and taste so people won't treat him with suspicion.

[[AC: {{Crossover}}s]]
* [[Series/KamenRiderGaim Mitsuzane Kureshima]] in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11772125/1/Metroid-Kamen-Rider-Generations-Full-Series Metroid: Kamen Rider Generations]]'' is both a Depressed and an Empty example, combined with [[StepfordSnarker poorly cynical sarcasm]] in spades. Deep inside, he is heavily insecured with guilt because of the actions he committed in the past. As the story progresses, Mitsuzane starts depending on new friends -- [[Series/KamenRiderDrive Gou]] in particular since Kouta and Mai are now colonizing a new planet, and a SecondLove -- [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus]], to keep himself at check.
--->[[spoiler:'''Takatora:''' Yes, it's all true. You can see behind Mitsuzane's smile are stained with [[SadClown a clown's tears]].]]
** [[VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption Ghor]] also experiences this when he [[BackFromTheDead returns from the dead]]. Each time whenever he mentions the events where him and [[TragicMonster the other two bounty hunters]] were [[BrainwashedAndCrazy corrupted]] and Samus is forced to mercy kill them that time; for him, it's outright saddening.

[[AC: ''Manga/DeathNote'']]
* In ''FanFic/ACharmedLife'' Light is very emotionally stunted so while he thinks he's alright in reality he is actually quite miserable. Ryuk and L are the only ones to ever figure out what's BeneathTheMask and Ryuk is the only one to never judge him for it.
* From ''Fanfic/TheFaceless'':
--> ''[[Manga/DeathNote Light]] pulled himself up to the counter, putting on his, '[[CuteAndPsycho I'm completely normal and if you don't believe me]], IllKillYou,' façade.''
* Light again in ''Fanfic/{{Seigikan}}'':
-->'''Light:''' Class ended and before I could even move from my position, females (if they could be called that) flocked my surrounding table. It was utterly disgusting. I casually said a pleasant goodbye to Ryuzaki before being escorted off to the library to help out a fellow classmate. I would rather slit my wrists and write my own name in the Death Note, but sacrifices had to be made to maintain my identity as the perfect individual.
* [[Manga/DeathNote Light]] in ''{{FanFic/Solitude}}'':
-->''But he got it now. He got what everyone was looking for. It wasn't for him to be happy, and he wasn't trying to be mean thinking about that. People wanted other people to fit into a nice, neat package with smartly tied bows that were the right color to match the wrapping paper. People wanted to be able to classify other people, and for them to behave according to code.''
-->''Light found his code.''
-->''His role is son, older brother, protector, student, genius, role model, kind, earnest. His role is to be perfect so they don't have to worry again, so they won't say he's abnormal, strange, worrisome (all whispered in the dark night across the kitchen table when they thought he was asleep).''

[[AC: ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'']]
* Robin, in ''FanFic/{{Pretender}}'' is Depressed, who can raise the spirits of the demoralized Shepherds with a smile even after attempting [[DrivenToSuicide to take his own life.]]

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'']]
* In [[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13304285/2/Elsa-and-Hans-Destiny-Arrives this fanfic]], Elsa, Anna and [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]] note how jarring it is to see Hans smile and laugh with Kristoff and Eugene, and that he's doing it to mask the inner sadness he harbors [[FreudianExcuse due to the repeated abuse he suffered from his abusive family (except for his mother and Lars).]]

[[AC: ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'']]
* In ''Fanfic/MyMasterEd'', after knowing him for a couple months, Hohenheim notices that Edward acts cocky and snarky to cover up how melancholy he is.

[[AC: ''Literature/GoodOmens'']]
* Zirah, from ''Fanfic/TheSacredAndTheProfane''.
-->"He won't stop crying."\\
"And you're going to stop him by killing him?" Hastur said.\\
Zirah stared at him in wide-eyed innocence. He looked puzzled.\\
"Why not?"

[[AC: ''Literature/HarryPotter'']]
* [[Literature/HarryPotter Draco Malfoy]] often gets this treatment in sympathetic fics that don't actually [[DracoInLeatherPants put leather pants on him.]] I.e., he's spent his whole life trying to be what his father expects him to be and has no idea what he is. More of a Stepford ''Smirker'', of course, but it's entirely possible he does smile at people who aren't Harry Potter and his friends: we wouldn't know.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10386039/5/Amazonian-AWOL Amazonian AWOL]]'' Blaise Zabini does his utmost to maintain a cheerful front despite the fact that his ex-wife is draining him dry financially and he's on his last chance with his boss.
* Harry Potter in the DarkFic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8488388/1/Void-of-Emotion Void of Emotion]]'' is Unstable--he's a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] that hides behind an [[CuteAndPsycho adorably cheerful persona.]]
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10048990/1/Laughing Laughing]]'' not only is Harry depressed but Ron and Hermione are helping him keep up the pretense.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10536445/1/The-Lily-Potter-Foundation The Lily Potter Foundation]]'' Harry's been depressed and hiding it for much of his life, thanks to his abusive relatives and the indifference of the wizarding world.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11996609/1/Wear-Me-Like-A-Locket-Around-Your-Throat Wear Me Like a Locket Around Your Throat]]'' Orion Black nearly always maintains a cheerful, happy-go-lucky demeanor despite his dysfunctional family, the slow death of his younger brother Rigel and an unwanted engagement to his cousin Walburga.

[[AC: ''Literature/TheHungerGames'']]
* In fanfic ''Fanfic/SomeSemblanceOfMeaning'', Obsidian is Depressed in that he sometimes uses lighthearted jokes and smiles to mask his more [[BrokenAce troubled and unhappy side]].

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'']]
* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' fanfics about [[CheerfulChild Keef]] are pretty rare, but those that exist often portray him as having neglectful of abusive parents. Given Creator/JhonenVasquez' style, this is entirely plausible (compare ''{{Squee}},'' for example.)

[[AC: ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'']]
* In the ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' fanfic ''Fanfic/OutOfTheDeadLand'', Bucky starts out as one: he memorizes information from history books, carefully parrots details of Steve's stories of their youth back to him, and even practices his facial expressions in the mirror to act as the good-natured, easygoing best friend Steve remembers and cover up the fact that he doesn't actually remember anything about his past. It works for a while, until Natasha exposes his act.

[[AC: ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'']]
* In ''Fanfic/KarmaInRetrograde'', Touya used to cheer up Shouto by flashing him a brave smile while assuring him that everything was going to be okay after Endeavor's grueling training sessions. Unfortunately, it was a strained and painful lie.
-->He would see how exhausted, sick, and terrible he felt after training and it would terrify him. He didn’t want Shouto to go through the same thing. All Ryouta could do was put a warm hand on Shouto’s head, put on a brave smile, and tell him it was going to be fine. It was always a lie.

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'']]
* Big Macintosh is generally portrayed as being depressed or empty for one reason or another. Hinted at in the shipfic ''Like I Imagined'':
-->Applejack glanced at her friend. "Usually he's just all plain an' sleepy-like, but sometimes he gets this look on his face like..."\\
"Like?" Rarity echoed.\\
"Like there's a bunch a' gears workin' in his noggin." Applejack frowned. "An' I don't much think I'd like to know what they're puttin' out."\\
"Why not?" Rarity looked over, concerned.\\
"'Cause when he gets like that, he looks darn near fifty." The earth pony shook her head. "It ain't right for a colt to look twice his age."

[[AC: ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'']]
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fics that wish to portray him as [[MartyStu secretly a badass all along]] tend to call his canon characterization the "idiot facade."
** Though it's just as common for the "idiot facade" to be the only thing keeping him sane from the abuse he receives from almost everyone (which is usually a lot harsher than canon, with mobs beating him and sometimes even being raped).
* An alternate explanation for this can be found in ''[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10617970/4/I-didn-t-sign-up-for-this I didn't sign up for this]]'' where Hiashi gives his opinion on 'Asura'.
-->"Most shinobi tend to go for the unnoticed and low-key approach, they strive to be dismissed as nothing. A rare few do the opposite; they exaggerate and posture so much that an observer cannot see the truth. I believe Asura is fundamentally a person who finds it difficult to be anything less than himself, so subtlety is not an option for him."\\
"So, what you're saying is –"\\
"It is just another type of mask. But it is also not necessarily all false."
* Shisui Uchiha in ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'' reveals to Sasuke that behind his happy-go-lucky attitude he hides his fair share of emotional regret, over [[MurderByInaction allowing his friend and rival Shinichi to get himself killed]] [[GreenEyedMonster out of jealousy]] (this being the event that awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan). While he's managed to cope with it for the most part, his words to Sasuke imply he still carries a bit of a burden, especially since his friend's family [[OnceDoneNeverForgotten have not forgotten what he did and still remind him of it]].

[[AC:''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'']]
* In ''Fanfic/OnceMoreWithFeeling'' Shinji may come off as cheerful and easygoing, but in reality he's struggling with massive amounts of guilt, rage, fear, and grief.

[[AC: ''Manga/OnePiece'']]
* From ''Fanfic/OnePieceParallelWorks'', we have Daisuke Saburo, a Depressive. He's an IdiotHero / FunPersonified teenager who seems to be always smiling and having fun. Then came the [[WhamEpisode Project Mei Arc]] and the revelation of his {{Backstory}} and how he met [[spoiler: Yulia]] when she [[spoiler: killed his grandmother and was involved in a huge ransacking of his home island]].
** And, then there are the [[UncannyValley Stockholm Syndrome Pirates]].
* ''Fanfic/TilYouFeelItAllAroundYou'' reveals that Usopp was already developing into one of these at the tender age of ''seven''. At one point, when Sanji affects a false cheer to try and reassure his temporarily deaged nakama, Usopp shows him how to 'fix' it and smile more convincingly. Sanji's rather freaked out by the demonstration.

[[AC: ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'']]
* Ash in ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' is a downplayed example. While he's not secretly wallowing in despair, he has his moments, especially when he's reminded of something he lost from the original timeline, and he can't share his pain with anyone else but his Pokémon.
* ''Fanfic/{{Anachronism}}'': Hop has self-esteem issues and craves comfort from others. This doesn't become apparent until he snaps partway through his journey.

[[AC: ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'']]
* In ''[[http://www.rovl.org/vi/?p=display&e=8482 It Makes Me Happy That I'm Not Them]]'', Swartt Sixclaw's IronicHell involves him being forced to become one of these. He's stuck with demonic copies of the wife and son he abused, and is forced to perpetually be the perfect husband and father figure to them. It's not really shown what'll happen if he doesn't, but considering [[{{Gorn}} what happens to the point-of-view character later]], we can guess it's not good.

[[AC: ''Franchise/StarWars'']]
* The AU series ''Fanfic/SithAcademy'' initially portrays young Obi-Wan Kenobi as pathetically cheery and happily co-dependent in a rather sick relationship with Qui-Gon. It eventually got to be [[{{Flanderization}} too much]], so authors decided to explain his demeanor as the result of a super-Prozac drug called Perkium, that was being used to medicate the formerly rebellious punk padawan into perfect Jedi conformity.

!!Mixed Gender Examples
[[AC: CrossOver]]
* ''Fanfic/ChildrenOfTime'' has [[Series/DoctorWho the Tenth Doctor]], Literature/SherlockHolmes, and [[WesternAnimation/SherlockHolmesInTheTwentySecondCentury Beth Lestrade]]. All three use smiles to hide their hurt, but Holmes takes it a step further to hide various emotions. None of these smiles are ever very convincing.

[[AC: ''Manga/DeathNote'']]
* ''Fanfic/ThoseWhoStandForNothingFallForAnything'' has Light putting so much energy into being what he believes he ''should'' be that he doesn't even really know what he wants. He comes off as Depressed turning into Unstable and his wife, Takada, [[BirdsOfAFeather is much the same.]] There's also Naomi who's Depressed as she plays the LoveMartyr to all the men in her life.

[[AC: ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'']]
* ''FanFic/{{Hivefled}}'': The Condesce is Unstable. She also demands Gamzee keep smiling through every horrible thing she does to him, and [[GlasgowGrin has extreme measures taken when he won't]].

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'']]
* ''FanFic/BecomingPonies'' has Reid, who was suddenly placed into Pinkie's body and constantly reassures everyone that [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial he's still in control and]] [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody his mind is NOT being taken over by Pinkie's personality.]]
* ''FanFic/TheConversionBureau'' [[DeconstructionFic deconstruction fics]] (with some implications of this in a few straight TCB fics) paint the Newfoals (humans transformed into ponies) as Empty with some elements of Unstable. Details vary from fic to fic, but most commonly [[GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul they can't feel negative emotions]], can't swear, and have changed from their human personality so much that it's just not the same person.
** ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureauTheOtherSideOfTheSpectrum'' looks at all of the above and takes it UpToEleven. Spectrum-verse Newfoals feel no emotion but a hollow happiness, are ''always'' unshakable fanatics for Celestia, and will obey every order given to them by a native Equestrian, and show so little creativity and individuality that one character questions whether they have [[TechnicallyLivingZombie any higher brain function]] ''at all''. What happens to these Newfoals is less GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul and more Getting Your Soul Shattered And Rearranged Into a Smiley.

[[AC: ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'']]
* ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'': Shinji and Asuka smile so no one finds out that they're mourning [[spoiler:the disappearance of their child]].

[[AC:''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'']]
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11929211/1/Guardian-Creature Guardian Creature]]'', Tatsuya notes that normally he finds people who smile all the time to be creepy, but that the perpetual happiness of his guardian angel [[spoiler:(and RetGone[=d=] elder sister)]] seems warm and genuine. As viewers of canon know, Madoka is so happy because she has ''very'' good reasons to be, not limited to [[spoiler:being a semi-omniscient goddess, having achieved everything she ever wanted, and having won the biggest victory over evil that humanity has ever had]]. The climax of the fic shows that she is as capable of expressing unhappiness as anybody.

[[AC:''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'']]
%%* Since both Starfire and Beast Boy have extremely troubled pasts in the comics, their attitudes in the series are portrayed as this in any number of fics.%% Wiki needs specific examples

[[AC: ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'']]
* The author of FanFic/TravelsThroughAzerothAndOutland writes [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft draenei]] rather like [[Literature/GreenSkyTrilogy Kindar]]. You do, however, get a few eccentrics ([[PerkyGoth Vasalyan]]), basket cases ([[BrokenBird Balaa]]), and characters who mean well but really don't ''get'' other races ([[GoodShepherd Kastoor]]).
----

** Sonia feels a useless deadbeat with no purpose, but she usually hides her depression.

* The DeconstructionFic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5908355/1/Perfect-Pains Perfect Pains]]'' deals with the sisters being forced to give off the image of "perfect little girls"

* Callie is a Depressed example in ''Fanfic/HerFracturedSpirit''. After the events of ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' she's traumatized. Callie, however, tries to play it off, though Marie knows otherwise.

* [[Literature/HarryPotter Draco Malfoy]] often gets this treatment in sympathetic fics that don't actually [[DracoInLeatherPants put leather pants on him.]] I.e., he's spent his whole life trying to be what his father expects him to be and has no idea what he is. More of a Stepford ''Smirker'', of course, but it's entirely possible he does smile at people who aren't Harry Potter and his friends; we'd never know.

* In the few fics that actually center around and/or care to develop Big Macintosh he's generally portrayed as being Depressed or Empty for one reason or another. Hinted at in the example below, from the heretofore-unfinished shipfic "Like I Imagined":

* FanFic/BecomingPonies has Reid, who is suddenly placed into Pinkie's body and constantly reassures everyone that [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial he's still in control and]] [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody his mind is NOT being taken over by Pinkie's personality.]]

* ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'': Shinji and Asuka smiled so no one knew that they were in pain because [[spoiler:they had a child, and she was gone.]]

* Since both Starfire and Beast Boy have extremely troubled pasts in the comics, their attitudes in the series are portrayed as this in any number of fics.

* Nui Harime in this aptly titled fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10915210/1/Dollhouse Dollhouse]]. Somewhat justified, as she doesn't want to worry anyone in about [[AbusiveParents her]] [[AlcoholicParent con]][[YourCheatingHeart ditions]] [[DomesticAbuse at home]].

[[AC: ''Disney/LiloAndStitch'']]

[[AC: ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'']]
* In [[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13304285/2/Elsa-and-Hans-Destiny-Arrives this fanfic]], Elsa, Anna and [[Disney/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]] note how jarring it is to see Hans smile and laugh with Kristoff and Eugene, and that he's doing it to mask the inner sadness he harbors [[FreudianExcuse due to the repeated abuse he suffered from his abusive family (except for his mother and Lars).]]

* Callie is a Depressed example in ''Fanfic/HerFracturedSpirit''. After the events of the second game she's traumatized. Callie, however, tries to play it off, though Marie knows otherwise.

* In [[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13304285/2/Elsa-and-Hans-Destiny-Arrives this fanfic]], Elsa, Anna and [[Disney/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]] note how jarring it is to see Hans smile and laugh with Kristoff and Eugene, but it's a facade, as they know he's doing this to hide the inner sadness he harbors [[FreudianExcuse due to the repeated abuse he suffered from his abusive father and older brothers (except for Lars).]]

* In [[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13304285/2/Elsa-and-Hans-Destiny-Arrives this fanfic]], Elsa, Anna and [[Disney/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]] note how saddening it is to see Hans smile and laugh with Kristoff and Eugene, but it was a facade, as they know he is hiding his inner sadness due to the repeated abuse he suffered from his father and older brothers (except for Lars).