Line #3 Main/PlayedForDrama


1	If something is played for drama, it is being used with the intention to be serious. Sometimes, a [[ComedyTropes comedic trope]] is played completely serious (for example, a OutOfContextEavesdropping setup leads to tragedy), or maybe a drama-neutral trope is milked for all the drama it can provide. Can be used in a {{deconstruction}} of a particular trope, though one should not make the mistake of thinking that [[Administrivia/NotADeconstruction all dramatic or tragic uses of a trope are deconstructions]].
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3	Contrast PlayedForLaughs; sometimes, the [[CanonicalListOfSubtleTropeDistinctions only difference]] between one trope and another is that one is played for laughs, while the other is [[TitleDrop played for drama]]. Also contrast FailedAttemptAtDrama. Compare PlayedForHorror, when a trope is used to frighten or disturb the audience.
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6	!!Examples
7	[[foldercontrol]]
8
9	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
10	* WishUponAShootingStar is played for both drama and [[PlayedForHorror horror]] in ''Anime/AldnoahZero''. Two children are ecstatic to see dozens of shooting stars flashing across the sky, and the younger brother happily tells his sister [[{{Irony}} he wished for world peace]] — [[DramaticIrony blissfully unaware]] that those "shooting stars" are actually huge alien spaceships descending to Earth at blinding speed, causing atomic bomb levels of devastation in the surrounding areas.
11	* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'' has Sheer Heart Attack, a dramatic example of ActionBomb. It's a tiny, tank-like Stand that can easily sneak up on and hide close to its victims before detonation, is [[NighInvulnerability completely indestructible]], survives its own explosions, and the only way it can be stopped is by getting its user, [[BigBad Yoshikage Kira]], to deactivate it. Which, [[SerialKiller for obvious reasons]], was ''not'' an easy task to do.
12	* ''Manga/MariaNoDanzai''
13	** MiseryTrigger is played for drama by both Mari Nagare and Taiichiro Nagare.
14	*** Mari is normally calm and collected with a smile on her face, even when commiting murderous acts, but ''anything that reminds her of her previous life with her husband and son'', no matter how big or small, is enough to shake her and bring her to tears.
15	*** Similarly to Maria, Taiichiro is greatly affected whenever he sees something that reminds him of the life he lost with Mari and Kiritaka.
16	* Episode 5 of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' uses AccidentalPervert to dramatic effect. Shinji visits Rei's apartment to give her new ID card, but when he finds the apartment seemingly empty, he has a look around and becomes intrigued by a pair of broken glasses lying on her dresser (unbeknownst to him it is Gendo's old glasses, which has great sentimental value to Rei) and picks them up. Rei then emerges from the bathroom, having showered and is ''still naked''. Rei notices Shinji holding the glasses, and due to having NoSocialSkills, she beelines straight for him to get the glasses back, careless of her nakedness. Shinji panics and gets the strap of his backpack caught on the dresser as he struggles with her, causing him to lose balance and fall over while pushing Rei to the floor along with him, landing square on top of her. Shinji freezes completely up for a really uncomfortable long time, until Rei coldly asks him to move away, and he notices he accidentally is groping her and he quickly jumps back on his feet. The moment is not played for comedy ''at all'', instead opting to be as painstakingly awkward and unsettling as possible. Even more notable, Rei, again due to having absolutely no social skills, never goes into any kind of PervertRevengeMode and doesn't even understand what Shinji is trying to profusely apologize for afterwards.
17	* In ''Manga/KemonoJihen'', Akira's brother, Yui, looks much older than the former, despite them being (non identical) twins. YoungerThanTheyLook ends up being played for drama in a downright chilly manner, because it realistically means he hit puberty earlier than Akira which in turn means [[spoiler: the women in their village decided to latch on and rape him first. Yui then used this timegap before Akira hit puberty to execute a plan[[note]]Akira did hit puberty before this, but they managed to hide it for a little bit longer[[/note]] to get him out before they started raping him as well.]]
18	[[/folder]]
19
20	[[folder:Comic Books]]
21	* CListFodder is used dramatically in ''ComicBook/AstroCity''. In the "Tarnished Angel"-arc, a SerialKiller starts preying on C-list supervillains, apparently without discrimination. The relatives of said supervillains note that while these deaths are huge tragedies in their lives, neither the superheroes or the authorities care that someone is knocking off these no-name crooks, and probably won't until someone sufficiently famous is targeted.
22	* SelfDeprecation is used to emphasize self-loathing in ''ComicBook/DarkNightATrueBatmanStory''. The book fully reveals just how depressed and lonely Dini felt before and after the mugging. As he recovers, his projection of Batman hits him with wave after waves of [[ReasonYouSuckSpeech Reason You Suck Speeches]].
23	* FurryReminder is played for drama in ''ComicBook/DeCapeEtDeCrocs''. Armand muses sadly over [[spoiler:Séléné falling in love with the Maître d'Armes instead of him]]. He seems to think that this happened because he's a fox, mentioning for instance that, unlike him, [[spoiler:his rival]] can stand on two legs without going against his nature and can discard his fur in summer.
24	* ''Franchise/TheFlash'': [[Characters/TheFlashHunterZolomon Hunter Zolomon]] played two tropes for drama.
25	** This series has at least one example of AcquiredSituationalNarcissism turning tragic. As Hunter shamefully admits in the flashback of issue #197, his ego got out of control with tragic consequences. Hunter predicted that the suspect won't have a gun, and thus urges his team to make the arrest without waiting for backup. He turns out to be wrong, and the killer shoots him in the knee, crippling him, before gunning down his father-in-law. In a brutally ironic twist, years later it turned out that Hunter was right all along, and [[spoiler:Professor Zoom was the one who gave the suspect the gun in order to engineer the incident that turned Hunter into Zoom. ''Flash'' #800 later revealed that all of Hunter's time spent in the Speed Force, ruminating on how Thawne gave the Clown the gun all those years ago, has led him to understand that he was right. And if he was right about the Clown not having a gun, then to him, his methods to turn Wally West into a better hero are right as well.]]
26	** StarterMarriage is played for drama. In a flashback in Flash #197, it was revealed that Hunter Zolomon has only been married to his college sweetheart Ashley for a few months after they graduated college together and join the FBI together before Hunter tragic mistake that cost the life of his father in law, causing Ashley to divorce him and him being kicked out of the FBI. Hunter still very much loves Ashley but knows it unlikely she forgive him; he accepts the divorce and tries to move on with his life. Later, when Ashley learns that Hunter transformed into supervillain Zoom, she left the FBI to come to Keystone City to take over his former spot as the local metahuman profiler to help reform him—showing that she still loves and regrets leaving him. Tragically it's implied that had that misjudgment on Hunter's part that cost his father's life in law never happen, Hunter and Ashley would have had a long and lasting marriage.
27	* ''ComicBook/GreenManor'' takes an AmalgamatedIndividual and plays it for drama. A police inspector discovers that the extremely prolific SerialKiller John Smith, who kills with a different method every time and leaving a letter reading "I will kill again", is actually a huge number of copycat killers who independently hit on the idea of murdering an AssholeVictim and blaming it on the original killer (something the general public will never accept, especially since he only puts the pieces together after one of them confessed). He then gets himself arrested, putting an end to the murders by taking the blame for them. A fellow inspector is shown to be cutting up an "I will kill again" letter on hearing the news, implying he too was going to murder his overbearing wife.
28	* SomebodyDoesntLoveRaymond is used seriously in ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}''. The Plutonian has an intense, driving need to be loved by everyone around him and receives endless praise from being the world's greatest super-hero. But he's unable to get over the few people who don't shower him with praise, leading him to bitterly think that the entire population of Earth are nothing but selfish, ungrateful animals.
29	* A CasualKink is briefly used for drama in ''ComicBook/{{Saga}}''. In the heat of the moment, Alana begs Marko to spank her while they're having sex. Marko isn't taken aback by the request, but he can't bring himself to do it. As we find out, it's because [[spoiler: he's troubled by his own [[BloodKnight penchant for violence]], and still has baggage over being beaten by his father as a child]].
30	* A PantsPullingPrank is a point of conflict in ''ComicBook/SmileRainaTelgemeier''. When some of Raina's "friends" yank her skirt down in the school cafeteria, she's so upset she ends up running off to the bathroom to cry. Some of her other friends try to downplay it by pointing out she was still wearing tights and tell her it was kind of funny. [[spoiler:It's at this point Raina finally decides she's had enough of them mistreating her and doesn't want to be friends with them anymore.]]
31	* AskAStupidQuestion is used to dramatic effect in ''ComicBook/StarWarsObiWanAndAnakin''. Anakin points out that Qui-Gon's asking him if he wanted to be a Jedi was a ridiculously obvious question. He was a slave living in a desert being offered to be taught magic by a man armed with a sword made of light. There wasn't much of a choice to make there, which is causing his current discontent, as he's been seemingly locked in to the Jedi Order for life.
32	* BreakingTheFourthWall gets a rare serious example in ''Thor: ComicBook/SeasonOne''. The Fates address the reader directly, telling them that if they want to change their fate as Thor did, they [[ThePowerOfFriendship cannot do it alone]].
33	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname is used for drama with Soundwave in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise''. "Soundwave" isn't his real name, it's the name he took after he got his powers under control. Because of his severe synesthesia he can't even remember his real name.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Fan Works]]
37	* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism is used for drama in ''Fanfic/BoundHowToTrainYourDragon''. After getting a taste of praise for his ingenuity with the success of the fire prevention system, Hiccup ends up inventing behind Astrid's back and constructs the Mangler. Not only does this violate the deal he had made with Astrid (he stops inventing, she teaches him how to wield a weapon), but it ends with Hiccup's reputation spiraling right back down to square one with the unfortunate collateral damage caused by the Monstrous Nightmare he inadvertently attracts.
38	* AdaptationalModesty is played for drama in ''[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13583899/1/ Fairy Tail: Re-Written]]'' with Lucy. Her attempts to wear more revealing outfits like in canon are hindered by self-doubt and feeling [[SlutShaming slut-shamed]] by her father and his more toxic business partners. At most she can wear a skirt that reaches to her mid-thighs and a top that gently hugs her curves.
39	* ''Fanfic/TheFlashSentryChronicles'' uses the AccidentalPervert trope for drama in "Spike’s Heartbreak". The chapter begins with Spike hoping to spend some time with Rarity, but when he gets to her boutique, [[spoiler:he accidentally walks in on Rarity and Lightning Blitz ‘expressing themselves’. Spike at first thinks that Lightning is forcing himself on Rarity, and attacks him, only for Rarity to pull Spike off of Lightning and explains that she and Lightning are in a relationship.]]
40	* ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'' plays ShipperOnDeck for drama. When Gladion [[Fanfic/InfinityTrainKnightOfTheOrangeLily wound up on the Train]], Mallow was the only one who was worried about his disappearance. Unfortunately, her friends blow this off, joking about her having a crush -- when Mallow asks how they would have reacted if ''she'' vanished, Lana suggests "Elopement", pushing her past her RageBreakingPoint and sparking off a furious [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech dressing-down]].
41	* {{Animorphism}} is used for tragedy in the ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' DarkFic ''Fanfic/MyNameIsMolly''. All the humans have gone extinct, leaving a WorldOfFunnyAnimals. However, all the animals are actually transformed humans. A majority are forcibly transformed children who have had their memories repressed.
42	* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'':
43	** ATwinkleInTheSky is used seriously during Chapter 18. Paul ends up blasting [[spoiler: Ash's Primeape]] into the sky. Unlike most examples, it's hinted that such an action might actually have ''fatal'' consequences.
44	* AngerBornOfWorry is a point of conflict in ''Fanfic/AProfessorAndAStudent''. Delia [[ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike angrily called Ash selfish after he helped rescue her from the Entei]] out of fear that he nearly got himself killed. This led to Ash and Delia not talking about his adventures at all. While Delia is proud of Ash for his heroism, she simply can't face the fact that he is putting himself at risk.
45	* InUniverse examples of AngstWhatAngst are {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d and used for drama in ''FanFic/ProjectTatterdemalion''. The ''shinigami'' have been transformed into monsters, seen their friends and family transformed into even worse monsters, telepathically heard those former friends and family express the desire to eat them alive, and been forced to rip those former friends and family to pieces with their bare hands (and some shiny new claws) to survive. They are ok with this. They know they ''should not'' be ok with this. They are quite capable of figuring out that the only reason they ''are'' ok with this is that the shinigami virus is interfering with their brains. They don't know what ''else'' it might be doing while it's in there.
46	* The AbsurdPhobia trope is used seriously in ''Fanfic/RunningAroundInCircles''. Yakko spends most of the story terrified of pencils because the guy who attacked and raped him weaponized pencils during the assault. [[spoiler: According to the epilogue, Yakko does recover from this eventually as he heals from the emotional trauma]].
47	* The AccidentalPornomancer trope is very much unpleasant in the ''FanFic/TriptychContinuum'' story ''A Mark Of Appeal''. Joyous Release has a cutie mark talent for sex appeal, which she cannot turn off or control in any way. Any sapient being who spends more than a minute or two in her presence is consumed by lust for her, regardless of species, sexual orientation, or marital status. She has tried everything up to and including [[SelfHarm physically cutting out her mark]] (which doesn't work) to rid herself of this "talent", and finally seeks out Princess Luna as her last hope for a normal life, or indeed [[DrivenToSuicide any life at all]].
48	[[/folder]]
49
50	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
51	* ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' does this with a couple of tropes that are usually played for laughs.
52	** KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Ming commits a lot of antics that in real life would have probably gotten her arrested and served with a dozen restraining orders. Ming hasn't gotten in trouble for her actions only because her neighbors find her more ridiculous than threatening. She doesn't get in trouble for falsely accusing a drugstore clerk of sexually grooming a minor, let alone assaulting and battering (she did kick him) the security guard at the school, when most schools would have banned her. In fact, he allows her to drop off dumplings for Mei while reminding her she can't hide behind trees. [[spoiler:Then she unleashes her kaiju form at the concert, literally bringing the facilities down on innocent children, and assaults Mei by grabbing her in a painful hold to berate her. Mei is forced to knock out Ming when the latter won't see reason and make her redo the red moon ritual. Afterward, Ming is apologetic about the whole fiasco, and the family's been ordered to pay CA$100 million for the damage she caused. Also, she has to [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking constantly feed her new red panda Tamagotchi]] because it contains her primal panda form]].
53	** Mei's struggle with her panda spirit turns HowDoIShotWeb into a serious problem. She figures out the connection between [[EmotionalPowers getting excited and transforming]] pretty quickly, but also finds that having that knowledge and being able to use it are two different things. Because the transformation happens when she feels any sort of strong emotion, she keeps [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting changing when she doesn't want to change]], and the more she fights it the more often she transforms. [[EmotionSuppression Showing no emotion at all]] doesn't work either; she just can't keep it up for very long. The lack of control leads her parents to [[MadwomanInTheAttic quarantine her in her room]] for a ''month'', cutting her off from school, her friends, helping at the temple -- in short, everything she enjoys in life. It's only when she learns how to use her friends for inner support that she gets it partially under control. [[spoiler:After the ritual where she chooses to keep the red panda instead of getting rid of it, Mei gains full control of her panda form, allowing her to transform at will.]]
54	* In ''WesternAnimation/UnicornWars'', AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther is used for drama. Bluey's complicated and strained relationship with his mother has tragic consequences for both of them. A flashback revealed that Bluey was very close to his father as a child and was devastated to learn that their parents would divorce. During the flashback, it was revealed that Bluey learned that his mother secretly had an affair behind his father's back. Because of that, Bluey greatly resented his mother and refused to spend time with her, and rejected her attempts to get close to her. It is later revealed that Bluey's mother died when he was a child, and he was devastated, crying on her grave with his brother hugging him to calm down, [[spoiler: later after the battle, where His entire unit was wiped out except for his brother Tubby and his rival Coco. Bluey snaps, kills, and eats Coco, causing his brother Tubby to leave him. When Bluey and Tubby argue, Tubby reveals that their mother always knew something was wrong with him. Bluey had a flashback when it was revealed that, resentful of both his mother for having an affair and being close to Tubby, Bluey poisoned his mother. Bluey, When he gave his mother the poison, was horrified of himself and regretted giving her poison when she drank it. It was also revealed that Bluey hey jealousy issues of how close his brother was to his mother since birth. It is implied that Bluey causing his mother's death has messed him up even more than he was already, and the guilt is destroying him. Bluey's mother is shown to love him, with her being heartbroken when he revoked her getting close to him, while his mother shares with Tubby that she believes that there's something wrong with Bluey; she was happy that Bluey gave him lemonade as she asked him to. Later it's revealed that Bluey's mother gave him a toy with the words written on it back to Bluey's mom, showing that despite her understandable concerns about his behavior, Bluey's mother did love him.]]
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
58	* ''Film/AwaitFurtherInstructions'':
59	** OnceDoneNeverForgotten is a tactic used by an {{Abusive Parent\|s}}. Tony's nickname of "Squelcher" was the result of [[spoiler: his having wet the bed ''once'' when he was a child, because he was afraid of what Granddad would do to him if he went to the toilet after curfew. [[MortonsFork He was still beaten black and blue for wetting the bed]], with Granddad telling him that "Real men can hold it."]]
60	** Granddad's ScrewPolitenessImASenior attitude is used for drama. He flatly calls Aanji a [[CountryMatters cunt]] at the dinner table, and replies with a snide "Nah" when Nick demands he apologize.
61	* A BigHonkingTrafficJam is turned tragic in ''Film/TheDayBritainStopped''. The big honking traffic jam envelops the whole nation and is the cause of many disasters that ruin people's lives, and even get them killed, [[TwistedChristmas and on Christmas, too]].
62	* BringMyBrownPants is treated seriously in ''Film/TheFallout''. High school student Vada goes to the bathroom in the middle of class after her younger sister Amelia calls her when she has her first period. While in the bathroom, [[AxesAtSchool a school shooting happens]]. When Vada returns to school, she's too afraid to re-enter the bathroom she hid in and holds her bladder all day; after school ends, she heads down the school steps and accidentally steps on a soda can, the sound of which causes her to wet her pants in fear, which she gets angry at herself over.
63	* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'' and its sequels do this with DenialOfAnimality. Rocket Raccoon is an [[UpliftedAnimal uplifted raccoon]], but ''hates'' being reminded of that fact and reacts with extreme fury when people press the topic. This is because he believes that everyone sees him as just a dumb animal pumped full of mutagens and cybernetics, rather than as a real person. Not to mention his uplifting was a horrific and traumatic experience that he'd really prefer not to be reminded of.
64	* CompetitionCouponMadness is played for drama in ''Film/PunchDrunkLove''. Barry Egan's obsession with getting enough promotional coupons to trade for frequent flyer miles just comes across to those close to him as more evidence that he is an unstable {{Cloudcuckoolander}}. It becomes more heartwarming when he proposes to his LoveInterest and adds that he'll be able to get enough airline miles to accompany her anywhere in the world on her frequent overseas business trips.
65	* The AssShove trope is treated seriously in ''Film/SlaughterInXiAn'', an excruciatingly violent Chinese film, where [[spoiler:one of the characters is killed by having a long, steel rod pointed on one end shoved through his rectum, all the way until penetrating his guts]]. Apparently this was done to kill a person without leaving ''injuries on the outside''.
66	* GroupieBrigade is used for drama in ''Film/AStarIsBorn1954''. Vicki Lester can't attend her husband's funeral without being torn at by a groupie mob in attendance.
67	* HidingBehindTheLanguageBarrier is used seriously in ''Film/ATaxiDriver'' when the army colonel, holding Jae-sik at gunpoint, demands that Man-seob and Peter surrender. Jae-sik asks the colonel to let him call out in English for Peter to give up. After the colonel agrees, Jae-sik calls out in English for Peter and Man-seob to run for it and leave him.
68	* AgeInappropriateDress is used dramatically in ''Film/WhatEverHappenedToBabyJane'' Jane wears ringlets in her hair just like she did as a little girl due to lingering troubles brought on by her missing being a childhood star. Near the end she starts dressing increasingly childishly as she [[spoiler:has a VillainousBreakdown]].
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Literature]]
72	* ''Literature/AccelWorld'': AintTooProudToBeg is played for ark drama with Noumi at the end of the Dusktaker arc. Having suffered a devastating blow from the repowered Silver Crow while in an all-or-nothing match, Taker finds himself a barely functional heap on the ground, helpless and begging someone, anyone to share points with him to keep him from losing his powers. That this is the exact situation Noumi claims he put his abusive brother in (and his screams of terror and begging were fond memories for Noumi) serves as a dark echo for someone who spent the entire arc mocking any sign of weakness in the heroes. Haru, Taku, and Chiyo take no pleasure in this display, and Taku tels Haru to end it by finishing Noumi off with the laser blade.
73	* AnatomicallyIgnorantHealing in Book #29 of ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', ''The Sickness''. Cassie, a teen whose only medical experience is as a vet assistant, has to perform brain surgery on Ax, a StarfishAlien. She does get some help from [[spoiler:[[PuppeteerParasite Aftran]], who went inside Ax's brain to find out where Cassie needed to operate]].
74	* A serious variant of the trope ArentYouGoingToRavishMe occurs in ''Literature/BecauseIAmFurniture''. Through free-verse poetry, the narrator describes how her father physically abuses her entire family and sexually abuses her sister... and ignores the narrator. She eventually breaks down and begins brokenly describing how she's jealous of her abused siblings because they get ''some'' sort of attention from their parents. Being completely ignored and dismissed is even worse than abuse to her.
75	* ForgetsToEat is played for drama in ''Literature/TheExpanse''. Prax is so desperate to find his daughter that he doesn't even notice he's practically starving to death until he has trouble standing up. Granted, the situation on Ganymede was so desperate that, even if he had noticed, odds are he wouldn't have been able to find anything to eat.
76	* A somber example of a CompanionCube appears in ''Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities'' The shoemaker's bench and tools are this for Doctor Manette, who refers to the equipment as ''a friend'' and deplores its destruction. When Lorry and Miss Pross do end up getting rid of the shoemaker's bench, they also treat it like something alive:
77	--> On the night of the day on which he left the house, Mr. Lorry went into his room with a chopper, saw, chisel, and hammer, attended by Miss Pross carrying a light. There, with closed doors, and in a mysterious and guilty manner, Mr. Lorry hacked the shoemaker's bench to pieces, while Miss Pross held the candle as if she were assisting at a murder -- for which, indeed, in her grimness, she was no unsuitable figure. The burning of the body (previously reduced to pieces convenient for the purpose) was commenced without delay in the kitchen fire; and the tools, shoes, and leather, were buried in the garden. So wicked do destruction and secrecy appear to honest minds, that Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross, while engaged in the commission of their deed and in the removal of its traces, almost felt, and almost looked, like accomplices in a horrible crime.
78	* ''Literature/WeCantRewind'' uses AbsurdlyYouthfulMother for drama. Denise is indicated to have given birth at ''eleven''. [[spoiler:Later, due to a FreakyFridayFlip, her daughter Jaymee also manages to give birth at age ''ten'', albeit from her mother's adult body.]]
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
82	* ''Series/JudgeJohnDeed'': AmbiguousSyntax is played for drama. When a boy resists handing over his mobile phone which two thieves are attempting to steal, one of them shouts "Give it to him, let him have it before we're nicked"; the other thief then stabs the boy. They are asked in court what "Give it to him, let him have it" meant.
83	* ''Series/{{Lost}}'': ABloodyMess is used for drama when Hurley is accused of murder due to police seeing burger ketchup on him.
84	* LiterallyLaughableQuestion is used dramatically in the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' SeriesFinale, "All Good Things..." -- Picard (and the audience) do not understand why Q finds his question laughable:
85	--> '''Q:''' There you go again, always blaming me for everything! Well, this time, I'm not your enemy. I'm not the one who causes the destruction of humanity. You are.\
86	'''Picard:''' Me?
87	--> '''Q:''' Yes. You're doing it right now. You did it before, and you'll do it yet again.
88	--> '''Picard:''' What kind of meaningless doubletalk is this?
89	--> (The whole courtroom laughs)
90	--> '''Q:''' (Laughing) ''He doesn't understand!'' I have only myself to blame, I suppose.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Music]]
94	* AshesToCrashes is played for tearjerker value in ''Styrofoam Plates'' by Music/DeathCabForCutie, where the singer [[CallingTheOldManOut calls out]] the GlorifiedSpermDonor father.
95	-->''There's a saltwater film on the jar of your ashes; I threw them to sea,\
96	but a gust blew them backwards and the sting in my eyes\
97	that you then inflicted was par for the course just as when you were living.''
98	* AshFace becomes dramatic in Music/{{Iamamiwhoami}}'s To Whom It May Concern concert, during the song "y." The Mandragora rubs the ashes from the apparent MurderByCremation all over her face and body.
99	* [[ILoveTheDead Necrophilia]] is turned sad in the Music/LindiOrtega song "Lived And Died Alone". The [[AllLoveIsUnrequited lonely narrator's love for living people has gone constantly unrequited]], so she looks for people who died alone and gives them the love they never got in life.
100	-->When the sun has set, I will go dig up the dead\
101	Lift their bodies from their graves\
102	And I’ll lay them in my bed\
103	To fill their hollow hearts\
104	With all of my broken parts\
105	And all the love that they were never shown\
106	To all those who have lived and died alone\
107
108	* AHellOfATime is used dramatically in Music/BruceSpringsteen's "Youngstown", where an unemployed iron worker sums up his life:
109	-->When I die I don't want no part of heaven
110	-->I would not do heaven's work well
111	-->I pray the devil comes and takes me
112	-->To stand in the fiery furnaces of hell
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Poetry]]
116	* AnimalSweetOnObject is turned into a tragic love story in the Creator/ShelSilverstein poem "The Bagpipe Who Didn't Say No". The poem tells how a tired turtle found a bagpipe on the beach and fell in love with it. Of course, the bagpipe can't speak, so the "relationship" progresses through a long string of requests from the turtle until he tries cuddling the bagpipe and it says "aaooga". Taking this as a sign he's offended his "love", the turtle begs "her" to tell him that it's not over and "she" doesn't want him to leave, but [[DownerEnding of course the bagpipe can't speak]].
117	-->''And the turtle crept off crying and he ne'er came back no more''
118	-->''And he left the bagpipe lying on that smooth and sandy shore.''
119	[[/folder]]
120
121	[[folder:Radio]]
122	* AmbiguousSyntax is used as a source of conflict in the Radio 4 Afternoon Play ''Camberwell Green''. Marilyn and Frankie are bus drivers discussing their friend Letitia, who died of Covid-19 after being spat on by a drunken passenger. Frankie admits that, on some level, she blames Marilyn, because Marilyn took Letitia's bus to cover for her being late, and refused to take the passenger if she didn't put on a mask. It then turns out that the version Frankie heard was that Marilyn ''specifically told'' the passenger to take the next one.
123	-->'''Marilyn:''' I did not say that! Why would I do that?\
124	'''Frankie:''' That's what she told Letitia.\
125	'''Marilyn:''' Why would you believe her instead of me?\
126	'''Frankie:''' Oh, my god.\
127	'''Marilyn:''' I mean the ''woman''! The drunk woman!
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Theatre]]
131	* ''Theatre/NatashaPierreAndTheGreatCometOf1812'': AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder is used for drama as part of what draws Natasha to Anatole is her uncertainty of when Andrey will ever come home from the war.
132	* ''Theatre/LaNona'':
133	** BigEater is played for drama with the character of la Nona, whose ginormous food consumption severely strains her family's finances while she herself cares little for the situation. Every few hours, she re-enters the kitchen to demand snacks or meals and is appeased with increasingly smaller portions (what little her family can offer her). Later, she gets married to the owner of a bodega and manages to eat all of the establishment's candies in a month and a half. Her finishing monologue has her alone, [[spoiler:as all of her relatives have either died or left]], reminiscing about the fantastic meals she enjoyed in her youth.
134	** Tito is a perfect example of a LazyBum. He contributes exactly nothing to the household. He doesn't help with the chores, spends all day lazing around in his bed composing tangos, and is allergic to the idea of seeking a job. When the family's finances start tightening due to the crisis, he still makes excuse after excuse and plans harebrained schemes to avoid working. It's played for drama because his reluctance forces his relatives to make great sacrifices, [[spoiler:which ultimately leads to their demise.]]
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Video Games]]
138	* The start of ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZeroII'' has a dramatic example of BreastExpansion. The protagonist's formerly petite companion Eve getting infected by a [[TheCorruption virus]] which changes her physically, most notably it gives her ''very'' large breasts. The character's themselves never comment on Eve's new endowments and the aforementioned virus is threatening her life.
139	* ''VideoGame/{{Darkwood}}'' plays AbsurdlyIneffectiveBarricade for drama and [[PlayedForHorror terror]]. Properly barricading a hideout is way more complicated than just closing a door and putting a wardrobe behind it – even ''dogs'' can push furniture out of the way with considerable ease.
140	* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'': ActuallyNotAVampire creates conflict when three dead beggars with puncture wounds on their throats are found. A vampire hunter comes to town and kills a suspected vampire (he acts like one). [[spoiler: It turns out to be all a lie. The two guys as well as a third man in a different town were partners in treasure hunting. They all had a key to a chest full of treasure (you need all three to open it), which was their retirement fund. One of them decided to accuse the other two of vampirism and thought killing them would be a good idea. If you don't catch up to him when he flees town in a game day, then he escapes, thus failing the mission.]]
141	* AmbiguouslyTrained is used this way in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''. Atton Rand seems to be a Han Solo {{Expy}} - you meet him in jail where he's ostensibly being held for contraband smuggling. He's got a smart mouth and a blaster, and is apparently over his head when it comes to Jedi-Sith matters. But several characters remark that his fighting style is ''not'' what you'd expect out of a typical spacer whose combat experience is limited to {{Bar Brawl}}s. Atton is evasive about it until you get a chance to confront him. [[spoiler: He used to be a [[MageKiller Jedi hunter]] and TortureTechnician in Revan's army, converting Jedi by making them succumb to TheDarkSide but hauled ass when one of his targets showed him that he was Force Sensitive and about to be on the other end of the torture rack.]]
142	* AmbiguousSyntax is played for drama in ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity'' when speaking to the spirit in Caed Nua. Mistaking you for her son, she tells you what happened to your father: "before you were born, the Glanfarthans attacked settlers like us...they came into our village and killed many people. Your father was one of them." [[spoiler:She actually means her son's father [[ChildByRape was one of the Glanfarthan raiders.]]]]
143	[[/folder]]
144
145	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
146	* The ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' games often use the AccuseTheWitness trope, but it gets especially serious in the fourth case of the second game. You are [[ButThouMust forced]] to accuse [[spoiler:Adrian Andrews]] just to buy time. This also [[spoiler:ends up backfiring spectacularly as not only does she clear her own name during the cross-examination but manages to extend the trial and inadvertently cause Phoenix to break his agreement with a kidnapper.]]
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:Web Comics]]
150	* In ''Webcomic/{{Clarissa}}'' InterruptedBath is hardly comedic for the titular protagonist. As she goes through her bath routine Clarissa [[BreakingTheFourthWall addresses the audience]] on the subject of how kids like her can avoid attracting the attention of their sexually abusive parents during bathtime. When her father suddenly starts jiggling the doorknob, [[NothingIsScarier she is terrified]].
151	[[/folder]]
152
153	[[folder:Web Original]]
154	* ''WebVideo/DreamSMP'': AndThereWasMuchRejoicing is PlayedForHorror and Drama in the aftermath of [[spoiler:Tommy's death]], as the Eggpire throw a party in the victim's house -- and after getting kicked out, rent a room in the victim's hotel to continue their revelries.
155	[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Western Animation]]
158	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''
159	** An AntiClimacticUnmasking is used this way when it comes to Calendar Girl. As Detective Bullock moves to unmask her, she panics, screaming and sobbing about how no-one can be allowed to see how hideous she is. This sets up the expectation that maybe she has some form of horrific scar from botched plastic surgery after she was forced away from modelling... but, when the mask is removed, Calendar Girl looks exactly like an attractive woman in her late thirties.
160	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Centaurworld}}'': An AdorableFluffyTail is played for drama as Horse, a hardened war horse, starts to become [[FisherKingdom softened by the magic of Centaurworld]]. [[spoiler: Her long, straight mane and tail are the first things to turn fluffy as part of this gradual ForcedTransformation into a cuter form more befitting Centaurworld. This freaks Horse out since she's scared her rider won't recognize her when they reunite, but her friends think it's wonderful.]]
161	* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''
162	** In the episode "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E5And6OnlyADream Only a Dream]]", AndCallHimGeorge is used for angst. Superman is subjected to a [[PersonalHorror dream]] where his strength is [[PowerIncontinence out of control]]. His attempt to [[DeadlyHug hug]] ComicBook/JimmyOlsen in joy snaps the kid like a twig.
163	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''
164	** AintTooProudToBeg is played for drama. When Jasper finds Lapis in "Alone at Sea", she goes on her knees and begs Lapis to [[spoiler:fuse with her again]]. Their relationship together was highly toxic, and Jasper's desperation despite the pain it caused them both comes across as an addict looking for a fix.
165	** ButForMeItWasTuesday is used seriously in "Change Your Mind". Steven asks Blue Diamond how many times she [[spoiler:locked Pink Diamond in the prison tower and used her EmotionBomb powers to make her cry]]. Blue Diamond thinks for a second and is promptly [[HeelRealization horrified to realize she has no idea,]] and now understands why [[spoiler:Pink abandoned her]].
166	* In ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'', AnimalJingoism is portrayed seriously. Third Earth is presented as a "''[[WorldOfFunnyAnimals world of warring animals]]''" where Thundera's ProudWarriorRace the [[{{Catfolk}} Cats]] rule their [[TheEmpire empire]] as the self-styled SuperiorSpecies that brought order to their world. They've fought a generations-long war with the [[LizardFolk Lizards]], and see [[FantasticRacism little problem]] with [[MadeASlave enslaving]] those hungry Lizards they catch raiding their crops due to the Cats' systematic monopolization of arable land, even ''[[VigilanteExecution lynching]]'' them, if they feel like it. The "Alley Cats" of Thundera's [[UrbanSegregation slums]] think nothing of beating and mugging hapless Specific minorities like [[{{Dogfaces}} Dogs]]. All tailed Cats are themselves [[FantasticGhetto confined]] to the slums while tailless nobles live lives of wealth and privilege, and [[KingOfBeasts right-to-rule]] is granted only to Lions.
167	* ''WesternAnimation/TucaAndBertie'' has a dramatic example of masturbation in "[[Recap/TucaAndBertieS1E05Plumage Plumage]]". Bertie has spent nearly the entire episode getting unwanted attention from creepy men, and Pastry Pete getting to close to her during her apprenticeship drives her to run off to the restroom to masturbate. The whole scene is clearly played for FanDisservice and is an indicator that Bertie has some sort of sexual trauma going on.
168	[[/folder]]

Context Main / PlayedForDrama