History Main / MovingBeyondBereavement

* In ''Anime/{{Belle}}'', a major part of Suzu's character arc is her coming to terms with her mother's death, which isn't easy since it deeply affected her to the point that even attempting to sing is a TraumaButton for her at first (as her mother was the one who encouraged her love of music). Suzu's later determination to help Kei and his brother and protect them from their abusive father gives her a new perspective on the circumstances surrounding her mother's death, which allows her to finally accept it and move on.

* In ''Anime/{{Belle}}'', a good part of Suzu's character arc is her coming to terms with her mother's death, which isn't easy since it deeply affected her to the point that even attempting to sing is a TraumaButton for her at first. Her determination to help Kei and his brother and protect them from their abusive father gives her a new perspective on the circumstances surrounding her mother's death, which allows her to finally accept it and move on.

* In ''Manga/FruitsBasket'', a good part of Tohru's character development is learning to accept her mother Kyoko's death and that she doesn't have to prevent herself from being happy in order to honor her mother's memory. While her habits of [[TalkingToTheDead addressing her mother in inner monologues]] and treating photos of her mother [[CompanionCube as though they're actually her]] may seem like cute quirks at first, it's eventually made clear that this isn't healthy and that Kyoko's death is weighing Tohru down emotionally. She also feels guilty about falling in love with Kyo, not wanting to replace her mother as the most important person in her life, but later realizes that she can still love Kyo while also remembering her mother as someone important to her.

* Most of ''LightNovel/KaraNoKyoukai'' is devoted to Shiki's blundering attempts to come terms with the death of her second personality, SHIKI, which occurred as a result of her failed suicide.

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' fanfiction, [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonTitansAndOtherCreatures Vivienne Graham]] is in mourning over Serizawa's death for most of the story, and the fact she has a ton of PTSD and a TraumaCongaLine piled on top of her doesn't help.

** ''WesternAnimation/IceAge2TheMeltdown'' continues his arc, having him doubtful of seeking a new romantic partner, Ellie, due to still not having moved on from his previous family. In the end, he's able to finally move on and is able to start a new family with Ellie and [[TrueCompanions the rest of the Herd]].

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': The "climax" of the Post War Arc is Luffy having to accept Ace's death after he sacrifices his life to save Luffy and the HeroicBSOD he is going through. Jinbe helps him by pointing out he still has his crew and that Ace would want Luffy to fulfill his goal of being Pirate King for his sake.

* In the ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13208214/1/After-The-Burial After The Burial]],'' Elizabeth is mourning the death of Booker Dewitt following his HeroicSacrifice, her grief exacerbated by the fact that his various iterations live on across the multiverse but she still hasn't found one remotely like the one she knew and loved. Combined with the fact that she has no idea what to do with herself now that she's free, this has resulted in Elizabeth spending a lot of time [[HardDrinkingPartyGirl getting absolutely hammered at any opportunity]], culminating in a visit to Rapture in which [[MushroomSamba she takes hallucinogenic drugs and goes on a massive trip]]. The final chapters feature the Lutece twins struggling to find a way to help her to recover, and eventually stumble upon a rather unorthodox means of grounding her: [[spoiler: turns out she accidentally deprogrammed a [[VideoGame/Bioshock2 Big Sister]] during her bender, and the Protector is now desperate for guidance; struck by the similarities between them, Elizabeth adopts the girl - named Alice - as [[{{Irony}} a little sister]]. In the process, Elizabeth gains a family to support her and help her move on.]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls''/''VideoGame/ThePark'' crossover fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13892926/1/Pine-Trees-And-Honeybees Pine Trees And Honeybees]]'', Lorraine Maillard is still mourning the loss of her son Callum after thirty years and still trying to find a way to [[WhoWantsToLiveForever kill herself permanently]]; torn notes from her psychiatrist indicates that the lack of emotional support, combined being constantly employed in wetworks, has only made her depression even worse. When Dipper shows up in the wake of her most recent suicide, she suffers a FreakOut in which she [[ThoroughlyMistakenIdentity deludes herself into thinking that he's actually Callum somehow returned to life]]. As such, Dipper's role in the story so far involves his attempts to get Lorraine to come back to reality - allowing her to move on.

** In the first ''''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' movie, Manny starts out in the film as a cynical loner after the death of his wife and child, but after bonding with Diego, Sid and Roshan he's able to grow out of his shell and move on from his former loneliness.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'', Mufasa is killed by Scar shortly after he saves Simba from a wildebeest stampede. With a little persuasion from Scar, Simba believes that he was responsible for the death and flees the Pride Lands in shame; teaming up with Timon and Pumbaa, he accepts their philosophy of HakunaMatata as a means of distancing himself from his grief - without actually moving on. Years later, he's reunited with Nala, who tries to convince him to return to the Pride Lands and dethrone Scar, but Simba is reluctant to confront his misplaced guilt. Simba soon meets up with Rafiki, who teaches him that the past can hurt, but it's also important to learn from it so he can prepare for the future; Mufasa's spirit also appears and tells Simba that he needs to remember that he's his son and needs to take his place as the one true king, finally giving him the confidence to stand up to Scar.

* ''Film/TheFrighteners'': One of the arcs of the movie concerns Frank Bannister, a former architect who gained the [[ISeeDeadpeople ability to see and interact with ghosts]] after his wife died in a car accident. Wracked with SurvivorGuilt over living through the same crash, he spends most of the film unable to move on with a new LoveInterest; in the end, Frank sees his wife one final time in his AfterlifeWelcome - only for her to [[RescuedFromTheUnderworld return him to life]]. Her final farewell, encouraging him to be happy, is enough to help him move on.

* Throughout ''Film/{{Inception}}'', Dom Cobb's dreams are haunted by [[ImaginaryEnemy the shade of his dead wife, Mal]], continuously sabotaging his plans and encouraging him to join her. He spends most of the movie trying to repress Mal, sealing her in a prison of memories and even refusing to design any of the dream levels in case she learns how to undermine the mission. In the finale, he is forced to confront her in the ruins of the city they built together in [[LotusEaterMachine Limbo]] and finally admit the AwfulTruth: [[spoiler: he's directly responsible for the ''real'' Mal's death, having forced her to leave Limbo by planting the idea that the dreamworld wasn't real - only for her to become convinced that the real world was a dream as well and commit suicide in an attempt to wake up.]] Furthermore, Cobb acknowledges that the shade is just his best effort at recreating his wife in his dreams - but it's nowhere near as good as the real thing. After this confrontation, Mal troubles him no further.

* For most of ''Film/ShutterIsland'', Teddy Daniels is in mourning for his wife, killed by a crazed arsonist by the name of Andrew Laeddis some years ago; he also experiences vivid dreams of his wife that escalate to full-blown hallucinations as the stress of his investigation at [[BedlamHouse Ashecliff]] piles on. It's actually remarked several times that Teddy has to "let her go," both by real characters and by his visions, but he doesn't listen until the finale reveals why: [[spoiler: Teddy Daniels and Andrew Laeddis are actually the same person, his wife was killed immediately after she drowned Andrew's children in a lake, and he's spent the last two years at Ashecliff in a state of denial; everything in the film has been the doctors trying to break through Andrew's delusions and get him to accept reality.]] By the end of the film, it seems he's finally come to terms with what happened to his wife - [[spoiler: though Andrew isn't intending to move on, and it's implied that he's faking a relapse to force his doctors to lobotomize him.]]
* ''Film/WonderWoman1984'': Ever since the death of Steve Trevor in World War I, Diana has been unwilling to move on and date someone else. During the film, however, she comes in contact with the Dreamstone, an artifact that grants a person a wish - allowing her to inadvertently bring Steve back to life. But his resurrection comes at a price: Steve's spirit was summoned into another man's body, and Diana's powers begin weakening in the process. So that she has the strength for the climactic battle, Diana is forced to renounce her wish, sending Steve's spirit away and giving Diana back her powers. At the end of the film, she seems to be interested in dating another person (coincidentally the man Steve's spirit was inhabiting.)

* In the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' novel ''The Ellimist Chronicles'', Toomin becomes [[LastOfHisKind the last Ketran in the universe]] when their refugee ships crash on an ocean world; among the casualties is his wife, Aguella. Worse still, he and the dead Ketrans then become a prisoners of [[HiveMind Father]], with Toomin being forced to entertain the monstrous being through games - his only reward being a [[LotusEaterMachine pleasant illusion]] where his loved ones are still alive. Grieving for the loss of his friends and loved ones, Toomin can only half-heartedly play along, losing for years on end. But when Father challenges him to a game of music, Toomin finds himself [[CopeByCreating using his own grief and loneliness as inspiration]] to create something [[CreativeSterility Father cannot match]], and is able to defeat his opponent; gaining the inspiration to fight back, he begins winning through creativity and seizes control of the hive mind, absorbing all of Father's knowledge before finally destroying him. In the process, he disconnects Aguella and the other victims of Father from the network, granting them peace at last, allowing Toomin to move on from his grief - and take the first steps in his transformation into [[BigGood the Ellimist]].
* ''Literature/TheBookOfLostThings'' begins with the death of David's mother following a long period of illness; as a child, [[DeathIsASadThing he doesn't know how to cope with the loss]], and even less with [[ParentWithNewParamour his father eventually remarrying]]. Consequently, David spends most of the early chapters consumed with depression and resentment for his stepmother - and later, his stepbrother. This emotional turmoil proves to be exactly what [[BigBad the Crooked Man]] needs to lure David into his MagicLand, namely by mimicking the voice of his mother and beckoning him towards the portal. As such, the bulk of David's CharacterDevelopment involves him developing the maturity to overcome his grief, accept his stepmother and stepbrother, and face the real world - however horrible it might be - allowing him to defeat the Crooked Man once and for all.
* The final story arc of the novel, ''Literature/BridgeToTerabithia'', deals with Jess Aarons dealing with the grief of losing his only friend in school, Leslie Burke, who died from drowning in a creek. For most of the remaining chapters, Jess is shown dealing with the FiveStagesOfGrief in a realistic way, refusing to acknowledge Leslie's death and thinking she's still around - to the point that the Disney 2007 adaptation added a scene where Jess finally snaps and beats up a bully who teased him over the incident. However, by the final scene, Jess realizes he still has his younger sister, [=MayBelle=], who supports him no matter what, and finally decides to move on with his life.
* Discussed in ''Literature/TheGreatDivorce''. Reginald points out that his sister Pam mourned her deceased son Michael excessively for ten years, driving her husband and daughter crazy because she felt they weren't devoted enough to his memory. Reginald says that eventually Pam stopped caring for Michael himself and revelled in her own importance, and that she should have let Michael go.
* A major part of ''Literature/TheLovelyBones'' is devoted to Susie's family struggling with the loss of their daughter in the course of the following years (and not just a loss: she is ''murdered'' by the neighbourhood serial killer, and her body, apart from a few "fragments", is never found). Very gradually, they manage to deal with their grief, and Susie, watching from the afterlife, says that the "lovely bones" are the bonds that have formed and/or strengthened between people after her death.

* In the climax of ''Literature/TheMagicians'', Alice is forced to transform herself into a [[HumanoidAbomination Niffin]] to win the final battle, [[DeathOfPersonality destroying her personality in the process]]. Knowing that he's indirectly responsible for all this, Quentin spends the last few chapters of the story grieving, and after two failed attempts to find some way of bringing Alice back, he begins avoiding reality in order to cope. Giving up magic in favour of SelfImposedExile in New York, he uses the [[WizardingSchool Brakebills]] [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections old boys' network]] in order to get a job with no actual work attached, and spends his days wasting time; his denial is so extreme that he actually believes himself more mature than his fellow magicians for taking this step... until he meets Emily Greenstreet, who is even more locked in denial than he is. Realizing that he's just wallowing in self-indulgence and self-pity instead of actually making any effort to move on, Quentin eventually resolves to take responsibility for the mistakes he's made - namely by taking up magic again and helping his friends put Fillory back on an even keel. By the second book, he still misses Alice, but he's moved on enough to pursue another adventure and even find another girlfriend.

** In ''I'm Building a Heavenly House for My Beloved'', the main character loses his adored wife and thinks he'll now spiral into depression and drunkenness as he has nothing to live for. The priest convinces him to pray for his wife and do good deeds in her memory, so that, just like he worked to buy her a flat on earth, he'd help her build a house in Heaven. After a year, the man realises that he has grown genuinely immersed in the charity work and church activities, and while he would never forget his beloved, he has - in the process of helping her - found a new meaning of life for himself.

* Much of season 2 of ''Series/{{Batwoman|2019}}'' is about Kate Kane's loved ones coming to grips with her apparent sudden death.

* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'': Following the events of "Infinite Possibilities," Aeryn is in mourning for [[CloningBlues the version of John Crichton]] she'd fallen in love with. In "[[Recap/FarscapeS03E17TheChoice The Choice]]," her depression drives her to leave [[LivingShip Talyn]] for a visit to the planet Valdon, where she spends most of her time [[DrowningMySorrows drinking heavily]], taking increasingly aggressive lengths to avoid her shipmates, and occasionally interacting with an imaginary Crichton; at one point she even goes so far as to seek out the services of a mystic that can bring back the ''real'' Crichton. In the end, following a violent confrontation with her estranged mother in which she finally gives vent to her sorrows, Aeryn is able to move on from her grief by returning to cold-blooded Peacekeeper professionalism, and tells the illusory Crichton he has to leave now; her ImaginaryFriend sadly turns his back on her, [[CuttingBackToReality and a cut later]], Aeryn is alone - [[BittersweetEnding but finally free to return to Talyn.]]
* In the season 2 finale of ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'', Abigail Hobbs ends up getting her throat slit by Hannibal Lecter while a mortally-wounded Will Graham looks on in horror. Next season, the episode "[[Recap/HannibalS03E02 Primavera]]" features Will pursuing Hannibal across Italy, and for the last eight months has been accompanied by an alive and unharmed Abigail. However, towards the episode, Will finally acknowledges that his [[LikeASonToMe substitute daughter]] has been dead all along, and tearfully says goodbye to his ImaginaryFriend before she "dies" again; Will is left sad, but able to move on.

** Owen's mother dies comparatively early in the series, leaving the household cook emotionally shattered - especially given that he blames himself for not being there when she died. He remains weary and depressive for the next two episodes, to the point that Hannah takes over cooking for him while he's still grieving. What eventually allows Owen to recover is a bonfire night in which he finally gives vent to the grief he feels, acknowledging all the feelings he couldn't openly admit to at the funeral.

** Dani is in mourning for Eddie, her fiancée, keeping his glasses despite being openly disturbed and upset by them, even being haunted by nightmarish visions of him at several points. As it turns out, this is actually [[ItsAllMyFault out of guilt]]: Dani is a closeted lesbian and had confessed [[IncompatibleOrientation her true feelings to Eddie]] - breaking off their engagement in the process - right before his accidental death. After coming to terms with her sexuality and falling in love with Jamie, she is able to throw Eddie's glasses away and move on.
* In ''Series/TheHauntingOfHillHouse'', the Crain family spends most of the show mourning for Nell after she dies of [[NeverSuicide an apparent suicide]] at the eponymous HauntedHouse; worse still, it ends up getting tangled up in their many, ''many'' personal issues along the way, including Steve's compulsive fear of mental illness, Shirley's ControlFreak tendencies, Theo's emotional unavailability, Luke's drug addiction, and the conflicts between all of them - most of which are ''also'' due to unresolved grief over the death of their mother at Hill House. Their dysfunction proves so great that the family's attempt at a respectful late-night vigil for Nell is spent hurling insults at each other. Eventually, Luke tries to burn down Hill House and [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu is nearly killed in retaliation]], luring the entire family to the house in an attempt to rescue him; in the process, they confront their issues through illusions within the [[EldritchLocation Red Room]] and meet with Nell's ghost long enough to say goodbye - allowing them to finally move on.
* Throughout ''Series/Maniac2018'', [[{{Tsundere}} Annie Landsberg]] is struggling with the death of her little sister Ellie, having spent their last day together [[PartingWordsRegret hurting her feelings]] before accidentally causing their car to crash. By the first episode, she's taking experimental drugs that allow her to relive [[YourWorstMemory her worst memory]] so she can see Ellie again, until low supplies force her to participate in an experiment designed to resolve past emotional trauma. During the next few episodes, she experiences several illusory scenarios built around her guilt and self-loathing, until she finds herself escorting a sickly elf princess to a healing lake - and the "princess" just happens to be Ellie. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, the GRTA sabotages the experiment by roping Annie into a bargain in which she gets to stay with Ellie forever in exchange for becoming one of the possessive computer's permanent entourage. It takes the assistance of [[ShrinkingViolet Owen Milgrim]]'s ImaginaryFriend to save them and put the two test subjects back on track.]] The end result is that Annie finally has a chance to apologize to Ellie and share a heartfelt goodbye before the simulation ends; when she awakes, she's able to make amends with her surviving family, kick her drug habit, and [[spoiler: rescue Owen from the mental hospital.]]

* ''VideoGame/Bioshock2 - Minerva's Den:'' during the backstory, Charles Milton Porter's wife was killed in the London Blitz and he's secretly been unable to move on from his grief ever since then. As such, when he created the MasterComputer known as The Thinker, he eventually programmed it to recreate his wife in perfect detail... but when he finally got it right, he realized that it just wasn't ''her.'' Instead, he had the Thinker find a way out of Rapture. After Charles [[spoiler: is transformed into Subject Sigma]] and defeats his treacherous former business partner, the Thinker is able to help him escape to the surface, where Charles can regain his humanity, pay his last respects to his wife, and finally move on.

** In another case, [[TheHero Isaac Clarke]] is haunted by the death of his girlfriend back in the first game, and spends most of the narrative haunted by [[ImaginaryEnemy an illusory version of Nicole]]. Worse still, the hallucination only becomes more aggressive as the game continues, sneering at his efforts to survive the crisis and mocking his inability to move on. Close to the finale, she confronts Isaac one last time and demands to know why he can't let her go: failing the quicktime event will result in Isaac denying her existence - then [[YourMindMakesItReal having his neck snapped]]; however, if you succeed, Isaac finally confesses that without Nicole, he has nothing left. With this, he finally reaches step four - Acceptance - and his symptoms abate.

* ''VideoGame/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream:'' Gorrister is in mourning for his wife, who suffered a breakdown during his work-related absences from home and had to be committed to an asylum - where she ultimately died during the apocalypse; understandably, he blames himself for what happened to her, and thanks to over 109 years of torture at the hands of [[BigBad AM]], has never had a chance to move on. Gorrister's part in the game involves AM sending him into a psychodrama in which he will supposedly have a chance to kill himself - though, of course, [[YankTheDogsChain it's just an empty promise]]. However, thanks to sabotage inflicted by the other supercomputers, Gorrister has a chance to learn that his wife's descent into madness was not his fault, bring [[ObnoxiousInLaws the true perpetrator]] to justice, bury his wife's simulated body and say goodbye; if all the steps are completed perfectly, Gorrister's [[KarmaMeter spiritual barometer]] fills out, his long-dead heart starts to beat again, and he is able to escape the psychodrama - [[SoreLoser much to AM's annoyance]].

* Rose of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'' has been mourning the deaths of her fellow dragoons for many years prior to the start of the game and likely hasn't had a chance to move on [[spoiler: due to spending [[TimeAbyss the 11,000 years]] since then as the Black Monster, killing people in order to prevent the end of the world.]] As a result, she has been left [[BrokenBird cold, withdrawn]], and [[ShellShockedVeteran prone to flashbacks]]; being in the company of Dart and company [[DefrostingIceQueen gradually makes her become more sociable]], but it's not until Disc 4 that she finally makes peace with herself and moves on from her losses - most prominently by freeing the spirits of the dragoons from [[HauntedFetter Vellweb]], allowing her to say goodbye to her friends before they vanish into the afterlife.

** During the backstory to ''VideoGame/MassEffect3,'' Steve Cortez lost his husband during a Collector attack on Ferris Fields, and has spent much of the time since then [[{{Workaholic}} absorbed in his work]] - to the point that Shepard has to talk him into taking shore leave. He's also prone to risk-taking behaviour in combat, his guilt and grief having essentially [[DeathSeeker disabled his self-preservation instincts]]. However, in the event that Shepard befriends him or [[GayOption (if male) romances him]], he's eventually able to move on and find happiness in the present. [[spoiler: Otherwise, he'll end up getting killed in the finale.]]

* Comparatively early in ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', Miles Morales' father is killed in a suicide-bombing arranged by the Demons, leaving Miles grieving for a good chunk of the story that follows. It takes a while - plus a pep-talk from Spider-Man - but he's eventually able to channel his grief into working for F.E.A.S.T. and move on with his life - to the point that when he discovers that [[spoiler: Martin Li, the founder of F.E.A.S.T. was behind the attack]], he opts not to leave the organization in a quest for revenge, instead choosing to stay and help the homeless.

* In the [[Recap/TheMidnightGospelS1E8MouseOfSilver final episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheMidnightGospel'', Clancy meets his mother in the universe simulator, where it's revealed that she's dying of cancer - finally explaining why he's spent the show so far avoiding reality and panicking whenever the rest of his family reach out to him. Over the course of their time together, Clancy is forced to confront all the issues he didn't want to face as he and his mother discuss life and spirituality, experiencing [[FountainOfYouth physical regression]], RapidAging, death and even rebirth, until the two of them AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence and become planets. In the finale, Clancy's mother is drawn into a black hole, facing death serenely as she bids Clancy farewell; Clancy is emotionally overwhelmed, but he is ultimately able to continue his adventures with a clear heart.
* In [[WesternAnimation/YoungJusticeOutsiders Season 3]] of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', Artemis is not over the death of Wally West from the previous season, as is Dick Grayson, despite the three-year time skip. Early episodes in the first half of the season deal with both of them coming to terms with their loss. Dick is given some advice from the many Roy Harper clones that operate Bowhunter Security, while Artemis is given a day with Wally in the realm between life and death, which helps her say her goodbyes despite not wanting to leave - though it turned out to be a ruse from Miss Martian as she does not have that power, and this was just telepathic therapy.

Loss is a difficult thing to deal with, regardless of whether it's already happened or still in progress. Faced with the death of friends, family, significant others and other loved ones, it's not unknown for some characters to struggle with accepting the inevitable.

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* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole: Wildemount'': The death of Yasha's wife Zuala was part of a crisis that caused Yasha to become a [[FallenAngel fallen Aasimar]]. Coming to terms with the loss is part of a CharacterDevelopment arc in which Yasha accepts her feelings for her SecondLove, regains her celestial bond in an {{epiphany|therapy}}, and [[spoiler:is accepted as [[ThePaladin a Paladin]] of the Stormlord]].
-->'''[[DeadPersonConversation Spirit of Zuala]]:''' I am proud of you. Don't let me be a shackle.
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[[folder: Webcomics]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

** 1: The Artist abandons his efforts to paint his wife and instead completes a beautiful self-portrait, allowing him to move on, reinvigorate his career, and make his name in history... but at the cost of no longer thinking of his wife and child.
** 2: The Artist succeeds in his original goal, only for the painting to mutate into a hideous recreation of his hideously-disfigured wife, forcing the Artist to dump it in a room ''full'' of similarly-ruined portraits (all of which appear flawless at second glance). [[HereWeGoAgain He then begins work on yet another attempt at the magnum opus]]...
** 3: The Artist creates a portrait of his wife and daughter, but finally realizes that his artistic efforts can't bring back either of them, ultimately setting the painting, the rejects [[DrivenToSuicide and himself on fire]].

* In the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' novel ''The Ellimist Chronicles'', Toomin becomes [[LastOfHisKind the last Ketran in the universe]] when their refugee ships crash on an ocean world; among the casualties is his wife, Aguella. Worse still, he then becomes a prisoner of [[HiveMind Father]] and is forced to entertain him through games - allowing him to live out his days in a [[LotusEaterMachine pleasant illusion]] where his loved ones are still alive if he cooperates. Grieving for the loss of everyone he loved, Toomin can only play along, losing for years on end. But when Father challenges him to a game of music, Toomin finds himself [[CopeByCreating using his own grief and loneliness as inspiration]] to create something [[CreativeSterility Father cannot match]], and is able to defeat his opponent; eventually, he is able to seize control of the hive mind, absorb all of Father's knowledge and finally destroy him. In the process, he disconnects Aguella and the other victims of father from the network, granting them peace at last, allowing Toomin to move on from his grief - and take the first steps in his transformation into [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien the Ellimist]].

* In the climax of ''Literature/TheMagicians'', Alice is forced to transform herself into a [[HumanoidAbomination Niffin]] to win the final battle, [[DeathOfPersonality destroying her personality in the process]]. Knowing that he's indirectly responsible for all this, Quentin spends the last few chapters of the story grieving, and after two failed attempts to find some way of bringing Alice back, he begins avoiding reality in order to cope. Giving up magic in favour of SelfImposedExile in New York, he uses the [[WizardingSchool Brakebills]] [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections old boys' network]] in order to get a job with no actual work attached, and spends his days wasting time; his denial is so extreme that he actually believes himself more mature for taking this step... until he meets Emily Greenstreet, who is even more locked in denial then he is. Realizing that he's just wallowing in self-indulgence and self-pity instead of actually making any effort to move on, Quentin eventually resolves to take responsibility for the mistakes he's made - namely by taking up magic again and helping his friends put Fillory back on an even keel. By the second book, he still misses Alice, but he's moved on enough to pursue another adventure and even get another girlfriend.

* ''VideoGame/Bioshock2 - Minerva's Den:'' during the backstory, Charles Milton Porter's wife was killed in the London Blitz and he's secretly been unable to move on from his grief ever since then. As such, when he created the MasterComputer known as The Thinker, he eventually programmed it to recreate his wife in perfect detail... but when he finally got it right, he realized that it just wasn't ''her.'' Instead, he had the Thinker find a way out of Rapture. After Charles [[spoiler: is transformed into Subject Sigma]] and defeats his treacherous former business partner, the Thinker is eventually able to help him escape to the surface, where he is able to regain his humanity, pay his last respects to his wife and finally move on.

** [[ClassyCatburglar Kasumi Goto]], when first introduced in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2,'' is revealed to be mourning for her boyfriend and fellow thief Keiji Okuda; as such, her loyalty mission is a heist mission to steal back Keiji's [[MemoryJar graybox]] from his murderer, ostensibly for the secret that got him killed. Once Kasumi finally makes off with the prize, it becomes clear that she also wants the graybox for the memories of their time together... but then Keiji's final message advises her to delete the contents so that the secret he learned won't endanger her as well, a reveal that leaves Kasumi overwhelmed with grief for the first time in the story. Shepard then has a choice between advising her to abide by Keiji's last wish or to keep the graybox; in the case of the latter, Kasumi will become obsessed with [[KissMeImVirtual reliving the memories]] and degenerate into a recluse, while in the case of the former, she will eventually be able to move on.
** During the backstory to ''VideoGame/MassEffect3,'' Steve Cortez lost his husband during a Collector attack on Ferris Fields, and has spent much of the time since then [[{{Workaholic}} absorbed in his work]] - to the point that Shepard has to talk him into taking shore leave. He's also prone to risk-taking behaviour in combat, his guilt and grief having essentially [[DeathSeeker disabled his self-preservation instincts]]. However, in the event that Shepard befriends him or [[GayOption (if male) romances him]], he's eventually able to move on and find happiness in the present.

* In the [[Recap/TheMidnightGospelS1E8MouseOfSilver final episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheMidnightGospel'', Clancy meets his mother in the universe simulator, where it's revealed that she's dying of cancer - finally explaining why he's spent the show so far avoiding reality and panicking whenever the rest of his family reach out to him. Over the course of their time together, Clancy is forced to confront all the issues he didn't want to face as he and his mother discuss life and spirituality, undergoing [[FountainOfYouth physical regression]], RapidAging, death and even rebirth, until the two of them AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence and become planets. In the finale, Clancy's mother is drawn into a black hole, facing death serenely as she bids Clancy farewell; Clancy is emotionally overwhelmed, but he is ultimately able to continue his adventures with a clear heart.

* Rose of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'' has been mourning the deaths of her fellow dragoons for many years prior to the start of the game and likely hasn't had a chance to move on [[spoiler: due to spending [[TimeAbyss the 11,000 years]] since then as the Black Monster, killing people in order to prevent the end of the world.]] As a result, she has been left [[BrokenBird cold, withdrawn]], and [[ShellShockedVeteran prone to flashbacks]]; being in the company of Dart and company [[DefrostingIceQueen gradually makes her become more sociable]], but it's not until Disc 4 that she finally makes peace with herself and moves on from her losses - most prominently by freeing the spirits of the dragoons from [[HauntedFetter Vellweb]], allow her to say goodbye to her friends before they vanish into the afterlife.

* Comparatively early in ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', Miles Morales' father is killed in a suicide-bombing arranged by the Demons, leaving Miles grieving for a good chunk of the story that follows. It takes a while - plus a pep-talk from Spider-Man - but he's eventually able to channel his grief into working for F.E.A.S.T. and move on with his life - to the point that when he discovers that [[spoiler: Martin Li, the founder of F.E.A.S.T. was behind the attack]], he opts not to leave the organization in a quest for revenge and instead chooses to stay and help the homeless.

* Webcomic/SleeplessDomain: Themes of bereavement and trauma recovery are at the story's emotional core. The setting and world are [[MagicalGirlGenreDeconstruction a dark take]] on the [[MagicalGirl magical girl genre,]] wherein teenage girls with magic powers serve as society's only line of defense against nightly monster attacks. Since in this universe, "magical girl" is basically shorthand for "ChildSoldier,"]] grieving and how to heal from loss are majorly present in the narratives of several characters.

* ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'': Manny starts out in the film as a cynical loner after the death of his wife and child, but after bonding with Diego, Sid and Roshan he's able to grow out of his shell and move on from his former loneliness.

* ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6'': Both [[TheHero Hiro Hamada]] and [[BigBad Yokai]]/[[spoiler: Professor Callaghan]] are consumed with grief at the loss of their respective loved ones, which drives much of their actions throughout the movie: Hiro making himself a "superhero" to capture Yokai for his possible connection to the building fire that killed [[BigBrotherMentor Tadashi]], while Yokai was setting things up for his revenge against the man he deems responsible for [[spoiler: his daughter's death]]. After learning Yokai's true identity, and how he indeed started the fire that killed Tadashi, Hiro became determined to ''kill'' Yokai in vengeance. But thanks to [[RobotBuddy Baymax]], Hiro snapped out of his grief-fueled rage and learned to accept Tadashi's loss. Yokai, on the other hand, refused to let go of his loved one to the very end.

-->''We can cry our lives away''
-->''But if they were here''
-->''They'd say''
-->"''Go forward''
-->''You must keep moving on"''

** The first episode of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E20TheEmissary Emissary]]", features a subplot in which Captain Sisko's interactions with the decidedly non-linear Prophets allow him to gradually accept his wife Jennifer's death.

* In ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', Simon has a much more difficult time moving on after [[spoiler: Kamina's]] death than the others, to the point where his leadership of the team is taken from him by Kittan. After multiple episodes of near-catatonia, however, he begins to come to terms with his grief and saves everyone from danger when the chips are really down.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': The "climax" of the Post War Arc is Luffy having to accept [[spoiler: Ace's death after he sacrifices his life to save Luffy]] and the HeroicBSOD he is going through. Jinbe helps him by pointing out he still has his crew and that [[spoiler: Ace]] would want Luffy to fulfill his goal of being Pirate King for his sake.

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': A reoccurring theme in the series is not only can you not bring the dead back to life, but that you should never try and learning to live with this fact is the only way to move on. Ed and Al are forced to confront the fact that as powerful as they are, they can't save everyone and they can't reverse the past, but that doesn?t mean they shouldn't continue working to help to prevent repeats of those tragedies.

* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'':Following the events of the episode "Infinite Possibilities," Aeryn is in mourning for [[CloningBlues the version of John Crichton]] she'd fallen in love with. In "[[Recap/FarscapeS03E17TheChoice The Choice]]," her depression drives her to leave [[LivingShip Talyn]] for a visit to the planet Valdon, where she spends most of her time [[DrowningMySorrows drinking heavily]], taking increasingly aggressive lengths to avoid her shipmates, and occasionally interacting with an imaginary Crichton; at one point she even goes so far as to seek out the services of a mystic that can bring back the ''real'' Crichton. In the end, following a violent confrontation with her estranged mother in which she finally gives vent to her sorrows, Aeryn is able to move on from her grief by returning to cold-blooded Peacekeeper professionalism, and tells the illusory Crichton he has to leave now; her ImaginaryFriend sadly turns his back on her, [[CuttingBackToReality and a cut later]], Aeryn is alone - [[BittersweetEnding but finally free to return to Talyn.]]

[[/folder]]

* ''Film/RushHour'': The second movie reveals that Lee's father was killed while working on a smuggling case. While the culprit was never caught, it was suspected that his partner, who is now a Triad boss, was the killer. The case is very personal for Lee and opens up some emotional wounds that he hasn't dealt with. In the film's climax [[spoiler:Tan does indeed confess to having murdered Lee's father]]. In the end Lee gives his father's badge to Carter saying that he can finally "let it go".