Comedy

Not to be confused with the genre of the same name.

The element of humor in fiction. It generates a feeling of lighthearted fun for both the audience and characters. Comedy operates in many forms, from short one-liners to full films. What defines as funny differs between audience members is dependent on a number of factors, including personal history and opinion, education, interests, culture, level of awareness of the world, and amount of previous exposure to similar contexts. Comedy is the theatrical opposite of drama.

Most jokes effectively come in two steps: the setup and the punchline. The setup serves the purpose of introducing the joke while the punchline pays it off. How both of these parts are written affects the quality of the joke they pertain to. A good setup may not always immediately make itself known and might require the punchline to be told to be revealed. However, the subtlety of comedy does not necessarily dictate how amusing it is. A setup can Trick The Audience into thinking they know more than they do through the power of Fake-Outs. These jokes keep the viewers guessing, but they require careful handling to not feel abrupt or insultingly derailing. The audience likely won't take kindly to scenes that try to make them feel stupid with nonsensical unfairness. Not every joke in fiction is written using the setup-and-punchline formula. The one-liner wholly derives its humor from a single line delivered by a character, often cutting the setup out of the equation. A partial opposite to this is a pointless scene with a Long Joke, such as an Aimless Story, that is almost completely setup. The audience is meant to laugh at how the winding story goes nowhere, and other characters' reactions to it can be a bonus.

As with all things in life, there's a time and place for comedy. The best times to try to Humor The Audience are when the atmosphere allows it, when the current situation can be exploited comically, and when it's been some time since it was last utilized. Well-placed comedy can Roll A 6 on the writers appearing witty or the smart kind of dumb to the viewers. When used between each other, characters can grow to like each other and form friendships that are fun to watch mature. In addition, a good sense of humor can help break up tension or approach a controversial topic, though this technique can be tricky to approach. Because comedy is an effective antidote to drama, it also runs the risk of killing the mood if its timing is off. Following up a serious line delivery with an awkwardly placed or apparently forced joke can put a bad taste in the audience's mouth and lead them to wondering what the creators were doing. Not being mindful of UnTrash plays in any context just about always makes for a bad scene. Spamming The Action is another example of such Weak Writing that decays at the viewers' enjoyment of the franchise. Relying on the same joke or type of joke is detrimental to its Entertainment Value, which causes the audience to lose enjoyment in it and respect for the creators. Gags are exceptionally potent at Annoying The Audience with this repetition. Anything else that can be found funny — like a catchphrase, punchline, or situation — loses its humorous charm after being done to death. Even if a joke could get laughs, it won't if it Pauses The Universe for its own sake. Comedy butting into points necessary for the plot's advancement gets in the way of what the audience wants to see.