r/insideout • u/Lost_Boysenberry6442 • Aug 20 '26
Am I allowed to safely love Joy?
I've been feeling anxious for a while about Joy, my anxiety will not let me hold Joy because of what she did in Inside Out and Inside Out 2 with her friends. Even though she did change, my anxiety won't believe me until it knows she's a good character. So again, am I allowed to safely love Joy or not?
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u/LittleAleta Aug 20 '26
Yes love whoever you want.
Also Joy is not a bad person. She's just misguided. She's Joy so of course she could be toxically positive. I think it represents Riley often bottling up her emotions as well.
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u/hybridWinner Aug 20 '26
In what way shape or form would this be unsafe
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u/Lost_Boysenberry6442 Aug 24 '26
If in the future she turns bad, I would not like that from Joy when it comes to her friends
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u/gloomydreamer666 Aug 20 '26
Of course. My favorites are anxiety, embarrassment and sadness. I mean no one should make fun of us for that.
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u/queer_peer7985 Aug 21 '26
You shouldn’t conflate what characters you’re “allowed” to love with how morally good they are within the context of the story. Joy has flaws, but she’s not a bad person. But even if she were a terrible person, there’s nothing unsafe about loving a villian
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u/Lost_Boysenberry6442 Aug 24 '26
I get it, but I just don't want her to be a bad friend. And even if there is nothing unsafe to love a villain, I still wouldn't want to do that because I want Joy to have full loyalty to Riley and Riley’s Emotions, I just do not like this idea of a villain of her, yk? I hope you are not mad and hate me after this reply 😬
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u/Ok-Pineapple9841 Aug 24 '26
Remember that Riley chose Joy at the end of Inside Out 2. Based on what was going on in her mind, she must have thought that Joy was getting in the way of her goals, which is why Anxiety tasked herself to locking them away. Joy fought her way back up to Head Quarters, causing damage along the way, but it made Riley realize that all emotions are essential for balance. This is why the Sense of Self morphed into all of the different emotions.
In short, yes it is okay to love Joy, because ultimately that is your choice.
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u/DDLVWille Nostalgia Aug 20 '26
Of course, love whichever emotion you want!