Joy/reImagined

Joy
As she appears in Inside Out reImagined
Portrayed by	N/A
Character information
Name	Joy
Full name	Joy
Born	On the same day as Riley Andersen Riley's Headquarters
Gender	Female
Occupation / Rank	Riley Andersen's lead emotion
Faction(s)	Riley Andersen's mind
Personality	Self-important and a devious planner, all in the name of happiness and a bright future
Allies	Riley Andersen and her outside world allies
Enemies	Riley Andersen's outside world enemies
It's complicated	Her co-workers (keeps a good, if tense, relationship with them)

“Joy started feeling an insatiable itch. She desperately wanted Riley to just… leap from the seat and run across the plane until she got to the airport, and then run across the airport until she got outside and greeted the open air of Shanghai, and then run across Shanghai until she got to her new home, and then run some more, just for good measure. Yet, she understood that without a lot of memories of Shanghai, Riley simply wouldn’t be able to run very far before getting hopelessly lost, and tried her best to restrain herself.”

―From Chapter 3: "Navigation through Language and Smoke"

In Inside Out reImagined, Joy is given a significant character makeover. Contrary to the canon demeanor of glee and excitement and overt disdain as seen in parodies, reImagined Joy harbors rather strong feelings about how Riley Andersen's mind should be run and is willing to enforce them to the best of her abilities.

Appearance

“[...] her bathing suit — a lime one-piece, decorated with blue, disparate bursts and thin, intersecting black lines [...]

Her hair — brilliant blue locks flowing to her mid-back like a river of happiness [...]

Luckily, her usual work outfit was right there, on a hanger put up on a nail in one of the walls, in lime, matching her bathing suit. Without taking the bathing suit off, she put on lime trousers and a lime coat, decorated with shoulder pads and a blue smiley face badge. Having turned herself from a vacationing girl to a military general by a simple dress-up, Joy was ready; she didn’t feel shoes were necessary.”

―From Chapter 1: "The Big Flight"

Personality

“And that’s why the most difficult part falls onto me. And yet, I do get tired — a lot! And that’s why I have you — you’re always someone I can talk to, and you will listen, and none of it will ever matter.”

―Joy, to Sadness, in Chapter 4: "The New Apartment"

In reImagined, much attention is given to Joy's character. For the most part, she holds the same core values as her canon and parody counterparts; namely, that Riley should be happy, and find a reason for happiness if she can, at all times. However, it appears that over the years, this approach, especially when considering her coworkers, has tired her.

Joy's relationship with Sadness in reImagined is completely unique to the fic. Whereas either canon or parody Joy would mistreat Sadness for the sake of mistreatment, reImagined Joy sees that in the end, in a world of happiness, there's not really a place for her, and tries her best to find her a purpose different from operating the console. However, darker thoughts, such as getting rid of Sadness altogether, are seriously considered by Joy as well.