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 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.

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.