Line #14 PlayingWith/StepfordSmiler


1	'''Basic Trope''': A character puts up a cheerful appearance to hide their true insanity[=/=]depression.
2	* '''Straight''': Alice seems to be happy, but she turns out to be deeply depressed or psychopathic behind the mask of cheerfulness.
3	* '''Exaggerated''':
4	** Alice the painfully sweet, [[GenkiGirl eternally]] CheerfulChild is actually the [[DarkAndTroubledPast angst-]][[{{Woobie}} ridden]] [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds bringer of death]].
5	** [[TheAce Alice who is charming, beautiful, 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]].
6	** Alice regularly has tears streaming down her face while maintaining a natural smile and speaking tone.
7	** MaskOfSanity
8	* '''Downplayed''':
9	** Alice never stops smiling, even when she's upset, because she ''is'' [[ThePollyanna a genuinely cheerful person]] [[IsThisWhatAngerFeelsLike who isn't used to experiencing negative emotions]].
10	** While Alice isn't on the verge of breaking down and murdering anyone, she does have some issues that need addressing.
11	** Alice does have severe psychological issues beneath the surface, but the joy she presents is, at least in part, genuine.
12	* '''Justified''':
13	** 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 she showed her real nature, [[FauxAffablyEvil so she pretends to be happy and polite]].
14	** Alice is a hero who is completely sad and depressed, with little or negative self-esteem, but to help her friends and everyone she cares for, or to hide her insecurities, she pretends to be happy and cheerful.
15	** Alice is in denial about something that deeply disturbs her, and constantly tries to ignore it.
16	** Alice's teammates have gone through some pretty traumatic experiences themselves [[AngstWhatAngst and came out none the worse for wear]]. She feels like the odd one out because of this, so she reasons that mirrioring their reactions will have the same effect on her.
17	** Alice hopes that if she smiles enough she can [[BecomingTheMask "fake it till she makes it"]].
18	** Alice was always a naturally genuinely cheerful person who has smiled so much over the years her smile because her neutral expression. Now she isn't so happy anymore, she's actually not smiling from her perspective, her face just grew into a permanent smile so it's actually a strain to close her mouth for more than a minute, it always pops back into that same smile, even when she's crossed the DespairEventHorizon.
19	** Alice hates her job, but smiling 24/7 is required for her job, or else she will make the company look bad.
20	* '''Inverted''':
21	** Alice is unable to smile, even when she is incredibly happy.
22	** Alice, instead of making herself smile to hide her depression, [[SadClown makes others smile.]]
23	** Alice forces herself to act grim even when everything is great out of concern that [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids she won't be taken seriously if she lets her happiness show.]]
24	** Alice isn't masking anything: her cheery attitude is legitimately how she processes sadness, so when she starts smiling, everyone ''immediately'' knows what's wrong. Her emotional responses are a bit different from the rest of the group, making her hard to understand if you're not around her for long.
25	** TranquilFury
26	* '''Subverted''': It looks like Alice may be hiding a dark true nature, but then we find out it's all a lie, and they really are happy.
27	* '''Double Subverted''': Oh wait, Alice really isn't depressed at all... and then we learn that instead, their mask is hiding their [[AxCrazy insanity]].
28	** Alternately, we suspect Alice is AxCrazy, her dark secret is she's actually depressed.
29	* '''Parodied''':
30	** Alice constantly switches between AxCrazy and tasting like diabetes, without dropping the smile. PlayedForLaughs. The other characters openly discuss what the heck is with her.
31	** Alice's facade in incredibly transparent, with her ear to ear grin being obviously forced, and her constant remarks about "perfectly happy" become [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial clearly a lie]].
32	** Alice is so peppy that everyone ''expects'' something to be wrong with her, constantly pressing her for tragic backstories or checking for signs of mental instability [[UnwantedAssistance so they can help her through it]]. Because of their actions over the course of the series, Alice's cheerfulness really [[SelfFulfillingProphecy does]] become a mask... to hide her annoyance.
33	* '''Zig Zagged''':
34	** 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.
35	** Alice is a MoodSwinger who always smiles, but sometimes it's real, sometimes it's not.
36	** Alice often tries to "fake it till you make it" with varying levels of success.
37	* '''Averted''': Cheerful characters are unironically cheerful, and aren't hiding any dark inner feelings at all. Depressed, hollow, and insane characters look and act unironically depressed, hollow, or insane.
38	* '''Enforced''': ”The series has taken a turn for the DarkerAndEdgier, and now Alice 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.”
39	* '''Lampshaded''':
40	** "I alway knew Alice was hiding something! That perpetual cheerfulness isn't a natural thing!"
41	** "I know I seem happy and cheerful, but in actuality [[WhamLine I hate my life and want to die!]]"
42	** "You're so happy and cheerful, I love it!" "That's just the surface, sweetie. Inside, I'm dead!"
43	* '''Invoked''': "Uh-oh, Alice seems oddly happy. I betcha she's actually depressed or crazy- let's try to learn more about her past."
44	* '''Exploited''': Alice is asocial and hates people, so she uses a creepy smile to drive people away so she can be alone.
45	* '''Defied''': Alice, after being {{br\|eakthecutie}}oken, refuses to try seeming happy anymore and chooses to appear just as angsty as they are.
46	* '''Discussed''': "You aren't hiding something bad inside Alice, are you?"
47	** "I've never seen anyone smile as much as Alice. But her eyes always look on the verge of tears. I think someone should talk to her".
48	* '''Conversed''': "You know how all those characters who seem happy are secretly depressed, or insane, or both... That creeps me out, man."
49	** "How on Earth does Alice swallow her spit smiling like that all the time?"
50	* '''Implied''':
51	** Alice stops smiling when alone.
52	** There's an implication that Alice isn't really as happy as she acts, but it's not elaborated on much.
53	** Alice through a big cheerful smile says "I hate my life".
54	* '''Deconstructed''':
55	** Alice narrates the story, with their internal desperation and madness overwhelming the effect of their external serenity from the start of the narrative.
56	** 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.
57	** Despite her trying to put up a happy demeanor, it's clear to those around that something is off and they keep their distance, both alienating and giving her a sense of loneliness that she also represses.
58	** People suspect this because she has a permanent smile on her face and avoid her. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as she wasn't originally a Stepford smiler, but became one from the alienation and loneliness.
59	* '''Reconstructed''': And despite all the characterization, Alice is ''still'' a hollow, empty shell of a human being.
60	** Alice learns to express her happiness in ways that don't scare people off.
61	----
62	Oh, you...you want to go back to StepfordSmiler...that's just...great! It's ''great''! No, no ''really''! I'm thrilled! I'm fine, everything's fine! I'm...so...''happy''!
63	----
64	%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
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67	%%* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': ???
68	%%* '''Played For Laughs''': ???

Context PlayingWith / StepfordSmiler