History Main / RelaxOVision

[[TropeNamers The trope name comes from]] an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'' where a cartoon supposedly filmed in "Relax-O-Vision" cut away from scenes that were purportedly too much for the kids to watch to relaxing images like ocean waves or a fish-tank, usually accompanied by the ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSsiS-v6_6M Theme from "A Summer Place"]]'' [[note]] This piece is more commonly known as the [[StandardSnippet ubiquitous "peaceful music"]][[/note]] or otherwise some form of [[TheElevatorFromIpanema Muzak]]. Bonus points if sounds from the disturbing event still can be heard over the image, usually with lots of NoodleImplements thrown in.

* From the ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' games, the move known in the U.S. as "Puff-Puff" cuts away from the actual "Puff-puff" (which is a somewhat UnusualEuphemism for... ahem, well let's just say that [[MarshmallowHell only females normally have the Puff-puff ability...]]) Some male characters can use it too, but it isn't nearly as pleasant and in fact does damage.

*** As a general rule, you should never trust a strange woman offering "Puff-Puff", as this sort of thing happens in more than one ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' game, and the result is never pleasant. In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'', the Puff-Puff is administered not by the girl who drags you to her house, but by the girl's extremely manly ''[[{{Squick}} father]]'', and in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'', the girl uses a pair of ''[[NightmareFuel sheeps' butts]]''.

* ''VideoGame/EdnaAndHarveyHarveysNewEyes'' reflects Lilli's inability to comprehend death by covering dead bodies in pink paint, applied by little potato-shaped gnomes that only she can see. It's generally a thin enough layer to get a good idea of what's just happened, but she never has an option to interact directly with it, and displays absolutely no curiosity about it. (The paint stops appearing later on in the game when the protagonist's illusions begin to break.)
** Interestingly, no character in the entire game displays the ability to recognize a dead body--it's just that the others convince themselves the dead are still alive, whereas Lilli can't see them at all. Mother Superior even gives an award to a girl who's hung herself out of despair.

* Whenever sex is meant to be portrayed on ''Webcomic/{{Girly}}'', the panel instead shows a scene with the characters involved dancing with happy mammals in a world where everything has an incredibly cute face and sings "Lalalala". It was even done in ''thought bubbles''! Example [[http://girlyyy.com/go/121 here]].

* Weaponized in-universe in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' by the immortal known only as Jerry. He has a spell that causes the target to suddenly perceive itself as being in a grassy field surrounded by adorable fluffy animals. It's only been used once so far, but when it was, it reduced a character from an angst-driven rampage to vaguely [[{{Series/Firefly}} River Tam]]-like babbling ''in seconds''.

* Variation: in a Creator/TexAvery ''[[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Screwy Squirrel]]'' cartoon the squirrel is chased by the dog into a pitch-black cave where loud violent noises rage. Squirrel steps out into the light, telling us "Sure was a great gag, folks - too bad you couldn't see it!"

* The WesternAnimation/BugsBunny cartoon ''WesternAnimation/RabbitPunch'' ends with Bugs Bunny about to be run over by a train. As the train barrels toward Bugs, the film breaks. Bugs walks onto a blank screen and announces, "Ladies and gentlemen, due to circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to continue with this picture. And, uh, confidentially," he adds, holding up a pair of scissors, "the film didn't exactly break."

** In Nazi Germany, state radio replaced all regular programming with Anton Bruckner's Seventh Symphony before announcing the catastrophic defeat at Stalingrad.
** The Soviet Union liked to do this; Soviet viewers were conditioned, upon hearing classical music from the TV and radio, to understand that something really bad had just happened. After UsefulNotes/{{Chernobyl}}, the radio played classical music for two days straight until the official announcement was prepared. During the August Coup in 1991, Soviet television played ''Theatre/SwanLake'' [[https://www.npr.org/2021/08/19/1029437787/in-1991-soviet-citizens-saw-swans-on-the-tv-and-knew-it-meant-turmoil on repeat]]. The impulse was so strong that even after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russian news stations would ''still'' do this, often as a sort of editorial statement; for instance, ''Swan Lake'' was played in this fashion by independent Russian TV station TV Rain after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, in protest, [[https://people.com/politics/russias-last-independent-tv-station-broadcasts-swan-lake-amid-ukraine-invasion/ right before they were taken off the air by the Kremlin]].
** In her autobiography about surviving the Rwandan genocide, Esther Mujawayo wrote that she associated classical music with political upheaval because the national radio network used this music [[HereWeGoAgain each time a coup occurred]].

* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'': Nyamo's drunken [[TheTalk sex ed lesson]] is overlaid with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O6mC9tFP1A relaxing music]] and uplifting visuals, such as windchimes, a paper lamp, and the earth with the sun rising in the north, occasionally cutting to the students' [[strike:embarrassed]] enthralled faces. An EyeCatch featuring Chiyo and Tadakichi is used as a VomitDiscretionShot earlier in the series when a drunken Yukari pukes in the street.
** Almost a double subversion, since a couple of the pictures (an open gate?) are almost certainly [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything intended to remind the audience of something.]]
** And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5WC8UKM0ZI the same music]] plays when Chiyo asks Nyamo for... clarification. Bonus points for the [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything toothbrush-and-cup metaphor]].

** This is not an uncommon way for Japanese television censorship (voluntary or no) to take place, which is why there ''are'' so many manga/anime examples. When used inside a story for some truly nefarious[=/=]JustForFun/{{egregious}} censorship, though, it can be pretty creepy (e.g. in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', there are several layers of secrets regarding the Evas and Angels; since it isn't really permitted for the general public to know much about them at all, TV broadcast kicks on the Relax-O-Vision in one episode, which makes military nerd and borderline conspiracy theorist Kensuke suspicious).

* ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaVictory'': After the party catches up with and defeats a villain who had kidnapped the children they were looking after, [[FetishizedAbuser Iris Heart]] decides she needs to vent her rage on the hapless foe. Cut to a picture of a SuperDeformed Neptune telling the audience to "Please Stand By". When things fade back in, Iris looks extremely [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything satisfied]], and the other [=CPUs=] discuss how even they had to look away at moments... right before remembering [[HarmfulToMinors the five-year-old they rescued just saw everything]] and can now barely speak. All PlayedForLaughs.
** The same image shows up during the Good Ending route when Neptune decides to [[BlackComedyRape introduce]] Iris Heart to Uni, [[TokenMiniMoe Rom, and Ram]].
** ''Producing Perfection'' has an event where there producer [[AccidentalPervert walks in]] on [[{{Tsundere}} Noire]] while she's changing. Cue SuperDeformed Histoire telling us to "Please wait".

* In ''VideoGame/TheHouseOfTheDeadOverkill'', after G and Washington [[StormingTheCastle storm the secret facility]] in the final level, they confront the BigBad only to discover [[YouAreTooLate they're too late]]. As the horror of the [[OedipusComplex plan]] unfolds, the game puts up a "Missing reel" card, and suddenly G and Washington are on the surface, armed with personal gatling guns, and fighting an EldritchAbomination.

* Used twice in ''Manga/{{Dazzle}}''. The first time is when Rahzel and Baroqueheat team up to cut off Rayborn's PeekABangs, and the second is when Sera beat up [[ChivalrousPervert Baroqueheat]]. With a bat full of nails. In the first instance, you can hear Rayborn screaming over the pastoral scenery.

* Totalitarian regimes control the news and don't especially ''like'' to [[BreakingNewsInterruption break bad news]]. The trend is to interrupt programming and start playing [[RelaxOVision nonstop classical music]], partly to give the viewer time to prepare themselves for bad news and partly to give ''themselves'' time to work out exactly what to say.

* Used mercifully during the {{Room 101}} scene of the ''Film/NineteenEightyFour'' movie.

* Used twice in ''Manga/{{Dazzle}}''. The first time is when Rahzel and Baroqueheat team up to cut off Rayborn's PeekABangs, and the second is when [[OverprotectiveDad Sera]] beat up [[ChivalrousPervert Baroqueheat]]. With a bat full of nails. In the first instance, you can hear Rayborn screaming over the pastoral scenery.

* In ''LightNovel/BludgeoningAngelDokuroChan'', the non-DVD versions have a rather...calming photo of a beach in place of Dokuro-chan and her sister respectively molesting (read: washing the back) Sakura.

* In one of the ''LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'' shorts, Nyarko and Mahiro do the DisneyDogFight over her pet Shantak...who immediately chooses Mahiro. Nyarko flips out and we get a censor screen by the SpacePolice over the sounds of violence; when we cut back, Nyarko is panting for breath while snuggling a badly beaten Shantak and cooing about how she's such a good pet for "choosing" her mistress.

* ''VideoGame/{{maimai}}'' applies this as a form of [[{{Bowdlerise}} censorship]] to the music video for the song "[=MopeMope=]". The original music video features [[spoiler:the previously cute and happy flowers [[SurpriseCreepy turning]] into [[BotanicalAbomination plant horrors with human arms for petals and thrashing human mouths]]]], while the edited version for this game instead features a peaceful video of a boat.

* In ''Manga/GreatTeacherOnizuka'', shortly after fantasizing about Onizuka and herself on a beach, Fuyutsuki runs to the bathroom in her coworker's house and [[ADateWithRosiePalms jumps in the tub]]. The viewers are treated to a black screen with flashing, scrolling text that says something like "For certain reasons, we cannot show the image".

* On the Bad Webcomics Wiki, their article for ''The Office Bitch'' has pictures of puppies instead of any pictures from the comic itself (with the exception of one heavily edited series of panels).

* On the Bad Webcomics Wiki, their article for ''The Office Bitch'' has pictures of puppies instead of any pictures from the comic itself (with the exception of one heavily edited page).

* On the Bad Webcomics Wiki, their article for ''The Office Bitch'' has pictures of cute puppies instead of any pictures from the comic itself.

* The Super Move of Morrigan Aensland in the ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' series. If it connects, red curtains close over the screen for a few seconds, during which silhouettes provide a vague idea of what she's doing to her opponent. Never mind the fact that she's a [[HornyDevils succubus...]]

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': One of the crafting-based quest chains you can take involves helping a student, T'laqa Tia, with his research into aetherology. The reason he needs assistance is T'laqa Tia is ''very'' prone to aether sickness, such that he can't use any of the aether based transportation or teleportation systems the player makes liberal use of. When demonstrating just how bad he has it, the scene is replaced by a screen of himself in a field of flowers looking at a fairy as the dialogue makes very clear he's losing his lunch everywhere.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'':
** The special ability "Devour" cut to a scene of a peaceful meadow with a disclaimer about sensibilities, rather than show the character consume the monster. When the move is successful, a sound [[{{Pun}} bite]] of something gruesome happening out of sight played.
** Selphie's Limit Break "The End" worked with similar visuals; MemeticMutation by the fans then turned Selphie into a RealityWarper capable of [[Literature/ItsAGoodLife "wishing people into the cornfield"]].

* Wiki/TVTropes:

* In ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer,'' Tom has just successfully [[FencePainting conned]] all his friends into giving him enough tickets to receive a special prize in Sunday School for [[Literature/TheBible Bible]] memorization. However, he didn't count on his surprised teachers proudly asking him to display his Scripture knowledge by answering a few questions. Needless to say, his cover is blown when he answers the question, "Who were the first two disciples?", with, "''[[ArtisticLicenseReligion David and Goliath]]!''" At which point [[Creator/MarkTwain the narrator]] interjects: "Let us draw the curtain of charity over the rest of the scene." End of chapter.

* In ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer,'' Tom has just successfully [[FencePainting conned]] all his friends into giving him enough tickets to receive a special prize in Sunday School for [[Literature/TheBible Bible]] memorization. However, he didn't count on his surprised teachers proudly asking him to display his Scripture knowledge by answering a few questions. Needless to say, his cover is blown when when he answers the question, "Who were the first two disciples?", with, "''[[ArtisticLicenseReligion David and Goliath]]!''" At which point [[Creator/MarkTwain the narrator]] interjects: "Let us draw the curtain of charity over the rest of the scene." End of chapter.

* In the ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'' books, the Flip-O-Rama chapters begin with a warning that the chapter contains graphic violence (each chapter being called "The Incredibly Graphic Violence Chapter") and that the reader is best advised to skip the chapter. In ''Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman'' it goes a step further by warning the reader that the chapter is so violent it is ''mandatory'' to skip reading it and they face prosecution for trying to read it!

* Used InUniverse in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', where AJ's dad installs a parental block on their TV just before a Crash Nebula versus Crimson Chin crossover. All they can see is a revolving cube reciting "blockblockblockblockblock" on everything but the nature channel. When AJ says "At least we can watch animal violence," his dad upgrades the parental block to insert the cube over that channel too.

* ''WebAnimation/TerribleWritingAdvice'': In the vid about revenge and DisposableWoman, the author mentions "non-family friendly ad-demonetizing grimdark violence" being inflicted on the antihero's female love interest, while the screen shows an "Unrelated ad-saving puppy -- think happy thoughts."