History Main / TormentByAnnoyance

* In the second ''Literature/{{Nevermoor}}'' book, Morrigan is temporarily banned from Wunsoc, forcing her SadistTeacher Professor Onstald to come teach her at home. Which is very bad news for him, because Morrigan is a permanent resident of the Hotel Deucalion, and the entire staff adores her--and they've heard ''all'' about how badly Onstald has been treating her, and how unfair the ban is. While they have no sway over the Elders or Onstald, they still do what they can to make his life Hell, from giving him cold, unappetizing meals on purpose (while slipping Morrigan pieces of candy), to claiming that the only room available for him to teach in just so ''happens'' to be the ballroom where an ''{{a capella}}'' choir is holding rehearsal, to "accidentally" swarming the entire hotel with animals. Onstald cracks within a week, and convinces the Elders to lift the ban and let Morrigan come back to Wunsoc for school.

* ''Series/MythBusters'' tested Chinese {{water torture}}[[note]]slowly dripping water on the head of a restrained person[[/note]] and [[JustForFun/TropesExaminedByTheMythbusters found it to be disturbingly effective]], as it made Kari break down after only an hour or so. She was able to calm herself enough to keep going, but an EMT eventually called the test off.

* In the second ''Literature/{{Nevermoor}}'' book, Morrigan is temporarily banned from Wunsoc, forcing her SadistTeacher Professor Onstald to come teach her at home. Which is very bad news for him, because Morrigan is a permanent resident of the Hotel Deucalion, and the entire staff adores her--and they've heard ''all'' about how badly Onstald has been treating her, and how unfair the ban is. While they have no sway over the Elders or Onstald, they still do what they can to make his life Hell, from giving him cold, unappetizing meals on purpose (while slipping Morrigan pieces of candy), to claiming that the only room available for him to teach in just so ''happens'' to be the ballroom where an ''a capella'' choir is holding rehearsal, to "accidentally" swarming the entire hotel with animals. Onstald cracks within a week, and convinces the Elders to lift the ban and let Morrigan come back to Wunsoc for school.

* ''[[Series/WonderWoman1975 Wonder Woman]]'': In "The Fine Art of Crime", [[ButtMonkey Harold Farnum]] repeatedly torments everyone, Diana Prince, Steve Trevor, and even [[VillainOfTheWeek Henry Roberts]] - everyone.

* ''Series/MythBusters'' tested Chinese water torture[[note]]slowly dripping water on the head of a restrained person[[/note]] and [[JustForFun/TropesExaminedByTheMythbusters found it to be disturbingly effective]], as it made Kari break down after only an hour or so. She was able to calm herself enough to keep going, but an EMT eventually called the test off.

* In the ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' episode "[[Recap/SherlockS03E03HisLastVow His Last Vow]]", the season's BigBad spends some time tormenting a helpless John Watson by flicking him in the face. Because of the blackmail material he has on John's wife, he has no choice but to stand there and take it. Even when the villain moves on to flicking him in the eye. "Try to keep it open, John. Try to keep it open!"

* In ''Manga/DiamondIsUnbreakable'', one of Cheap Trick's strategies to get Rohan killed (Cheap Trick being a parasitic stand that kills its host if someone looks at their back, but this is the ''only'' offensive attack it has) is to pester him so incessantly that he'll be willing to do anything just to get it to shut up. It also insults everyone and everything it can (and makes itself understandable to them even if they're animals like dogs or cats) so that they'll attack Rohan in a rage and hopefully accidentally look at his back in the process.

* In ''Manga/DiamondIsUnbreakable'', one of Cheap Trick's strategies to get Rohan killed (Cheap Trick being a parasitic stand that kills its host if someone looks at their back) is to pester him so incessantly that he'll be willing to do anything just to get it to shut up.

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', the clock in Lord Vetinari's waiting room somehow ticks unevenly, and when he wishes to punish a visitor he makes them wait while the clock drives them up the wall.

* In the second ''Literature/{{Nevermoor}}'' book, Morrigan is temporarily banned from Wunsoc, forcing her SadistTeacher Professor Onstald to come teach her at home. Which is very bad news for him, because Morrigan is a permanent resident of the Hotel Deucalion, and the entire staff adores her--and they've heard ''all'' about how badly Onstald has been treating her, and how unfair the ban is. While they have to sway over the Elders or Onstald, they still do what they can to make his life Hell, from giving him cold, unappetizing meals on purpose (while slipping Morrigan pieces of candy), claiming that the only room available for him to teach in just so ''happens'' to be the ballroom where an ''a capella'' choir is holding rehearsal, to "accidentally" swarming the entire hotel with animals. Onstald cracks within a week, and convinces the Elders to lift the ban and let Morrigan come back to Wunsoc for school.

** In the episode "The Last Roundup", Applejack's friends badger her into agreeing to tell a secret by having Pinkie Pie talk incessantly.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episode "Waffles" has Raven, Starfire and Robin annoying Doctor Light into surrender by picking up the other two Titans' game of saying just one word: "Waffles".

[[quoteright:350:[[Disney/LiloAndStitch2StitchHasAGlitch https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0cec6e9f9216df039f059429a45b9e2a.png]]]]

* The start of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgXDYiHhp5Y this clip]] from ''Disney/LiloAndStitch2StitchHasAGlitch'' shows the classic "I'm not touching you!" pestering move that young kids love to do.

Compare DarthWiki/MostAnnoyingSound. SisterTrope to LoudOfWar, when someone intentionally causes distress via loud music. Related to IncessantMusicMadness, when someone's constant music playing ''unintentionally'' causes annoyance. There are also a number of related VideoGame-specific tropes:

Compare MostAnnoyingSound. SisterTrope to LoudOfWar, when someone intentionally causes distress via loud music. Related to IncessantMusicMadness, when someone's constant music playing ''unintentionally'' causes annoyance. There are also a number of related VideoGame-specific tropes:

* Weaponized in ''Film/DoctorStrange''. Strange locks himself and Dormammu into a StableTimeLoop in which he tries to get Dormammu to acquiesce to his demands, only to be killed by Dormammu which causes the loop to repeat. It takes a lot of cycles, but Dormammu finally can't take it anymore and gives in.

* In Literature/{{Artemis Fowl}}, Mulch Diggums uses this to great effect in the third book. He’s travelling by plane to Ireland in the company of a hitman who he wants to get rid of, and so Mulch continually irritates the hitman, to the point where said hitman has a breakdown in the airport and gets arrested for screaming that he’s going to kill Mulch.

* In ‘’Literature/{{ArtemisFowl}}’’, Mulch Diggums uses this to great effect in the third book. He’s travelling by plane to Ireland in the company of a hitman who he wants to get rid of, and so Mulch continually irritates the hitman, to the point where said hitman has a breakdown in the airport and gets arrested for screaming that he’s going to kill Mulch.

* In one ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes story arc, the titular duo are in the car with Calvin's parents, driving to a campsite. At one point, Dad, who's driving, asks Calvin what he wants to eat, to which Calvin replies with hamburgers. His dad gets irritated, due to the fact that that's all they've eaten so far. Calvin then starts singing "TEN MILLION BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL, TEN MILLION BOTTLES OF BEER", causing his dad to point out that they're close to a place that serves hamburgers and asking him if he's happy.

* In ''Fanfic/TheParselmouthOfGryffindor'', trying to get inside the Headmaster's Office, Hermione resorts to poking the Golden Griffin with her wand repeatedly until it abandons its stoic demeanor.

* In ''WebVideo/FriendshipIsWitchcraft'', the other ponies visit Applejack while she's away [[ItMakesSenseInContext getting her free iPod nanos]] and find she's been working on a cherry plantation. Applejack's reluctance to tell the truth that [[spoiler:she has a hidden bomb on her[[note]]which is because the free iPods turned out to be a trap to lure Applejack and force her into slavery[[/note]]]] causes the rest of the mane cast to interrogate her, making Pinkie sing one of her annoying songs from the orphanage so that Applejack will cave and tell them.[[note]]Applejack actually makes it very clear what her problem is, but everypony is too stupid to notice.[[/note]]

* The start of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgXDYiHhp5Y this clip]] from ''Disney/LiloAndStitch2StitchHasAGlitch'' shows the classic "I'm not touching you!" pestering move that young kids love to do.
* In ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragonTheHiddenWorld'' Ruffnut winds up captured by the villain, and everyone worries that she's doomed, but Tuffnut laughs it off saying that he's "more worried for the bad guys!"... Cut to Ruffnut who [[MotorMouth rambles]] nonstop, annoying Grimmel to no end, until he finally releases her and ''begs'' her to leave.

* In ''Film/{{Wanted}}'', Wesley's [[ClusterFBomb foul-mouthed]], [[MeanBoss verbally abusive boss]] carries a stapler around and aggressively snaps it in his ear while she's berating him, compounding his stress. The sound and visual effects added during these scenes make the effect even more intolerable, even for the audience.
* In ''Film/{{Ghost}}'', Sam badgers Oda Mae into helping him by singing "I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" loudly over and over again for hours until she finally can't take it anymore.

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', the clock in Lord Vetinari's waiting room somehow ticks unevenly, and when he wishes to punish a visitor he makes them wait while the clock drives them up the wall.

* ''Series/MythBusters'' tested Chinese water torture[[note]]slowly dripping water on the head of a restrained person[[/note]] and [[JustForFun/TropesExaminedByTheMythbusters found it to be disturbingly effective]], as it made Kari break down after only an hour or so. She was able to calm herself enough to keep going, but an EMT eventually called the test off.
* In the ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' episode "[[Recap/SherlockS03E03HisLastVow His Last Vow]]", the season's BigBad spends some time tormenting a helpless John Watson by flicking him in the face. Because of the blackmail material he has on John's wife, he has no choice but to stand there and take it. Even when the villain moves on to flicking him in the eye. "Try to keep it open, John. Try to keep it open!"
* One episode of ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' had Turk unconsciously angry with JD after he and Carla accidentally kissed. He keeps punching him in the same spot without realising it until JD's able to make him realise he's doing it.
* In one episode of ''Series/{{MASH}}'', Hawkeye and BJ get into a duel with Charles to see who can out-annoy the other. Hawkeye and BJ stop showering, while Charles plays his French horn incessantly. The end result is that this annoys ''everyone else'' so much that Hawkeye and BJ are eventually washed with a firehose and Charles's horn is run over by a Jeep.
* The ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' crew frequently invoke this trope, whenever one character comes too close to the other on the screen: "Does this bug you? I'm not touching you!"

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Magus once [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1127 threatened this]] to get Sirleck to consider his plan. Magus is currently trapped on what's best described as a parallel plane of reality. He can see what's happening in the normal world, but for the most part cannot interact with it. Sirleck exists partially on that same plane, and is capable of observing Magus, but has no way of physically harming him.
-->'''Magus''': You can't hurt me, I never sleep or run out of breath, and I have nothing better to do than follow you around and incessantly babble about anything and everything.

* This pops up a couple of times in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.
** In "Brush With Greatness", Bart & Lisa ask "Will you take us to Mount Splashmore?" over and over, to Homer's ever-growing annoyance, until he finally gives in and says yes.
** In "Bart of Darkness", they tell Homer outright that they're going to ask him "Can we have a pool, Dad?" over and over again until/unless he gives in. He agrees to getting the pool.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'':
** "Fancy Prance" had Daggett attempting to figure out Norbert's life-long dream by trying to wheedle it out of him. The act of "wheedling", in this case, involved Dagget repeatedly saying the word "wheedle" over and over again until Norb cracked.
** A similar incident involved Daggett (as Muscular Beaver) apparently having been on the receiving end of a GrandTheftMe by the dreaded "Toe-Bot" (i.e. a thimble with springy arms and an angry face drawn on it sitting on Dag's toe). Norbert's attempts to halt Daggett's latest fantasy are for naught as simply removing Toe-Bot results in Daggett flopping around making a truly obnoxious wheezing sound until Norbert finally puts Toe-Bot back and plays along.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' episode "The Castle" sees Harold poking Gumball into annoyance.

A favored tactic of the AnnoyingYoungerSibling and TheBully. BullyingADragon can also be done with this. Has a similar effect on the victim as a BrownNote.

--> '''Henry Roberts''': Do you know how many telephone calls I ignored from him yesterday? Ten. Ten!
--> '''Moreaux''': I believe his record is fourteen.

* In ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'', Jake tries it when he has a forty-eight hour time limit to get a confession.
-->'''Jake:''' ''[getting up and heading towards the interrogation room]'' I'm gonna go take another crack at Whitman.\\

'''Jake:''' ''[annoyed]'' Ha-ha.\\
''[[[GilliganCut Cut immediately]] to Jake sitting in the interrogation room with a guitar.]''\\

''[Jake shreds on the'' very ''out-of-tune guitar and shrieks at the top of his lungs. Whitman gives him an exasperated stare. The scene then cuts to Jake walking back into the briefing room and handing the guitar to Terry.]''\\