u/No_Hunter1978

Credits (from slide 2-5) are:

• suyapuya
• kaeruruerue
• Detnox
• sabertoothwalrus

I only included video game bosses (because this trope is especially prevalent in that medium), but that isn't necessarily a requirement.

1. Cronos (God of War)
2. Horus (Horizon: Forbidden West)
3. Malus (Shadow of the Colossus)
   • Granted, Phalanx is longer, but Malus (the one on the far right) is obviously intended to be "the biggest" given its presentation and wearing a literal tower as a dress.
4. Gargantuan Leviathan (Subnautica)
5. The Hypnotist (Little Nightmares 3)
   • This is an example where I don't think the trope works well, and that's because - in the same game - there was another boss who's main gimmick was "big." Honestly, if you remove the Baby, this guy would've benifited greatly.

I had fun incorporating the theme into gameplay; honestly, I'm quite proud of the idea of the Labor Paladin using Exhaustion levels as a resource. As for the balance, that's more iffy.

I think it's alright, but feedback is appreciated!

PDF: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/oVzdGbok7Oqa

Yuri (Doki Doki Literature Club): She gets these live-action eyes for a certain scene.

Flowey (Undertale): To showcase his 4th wall-breaking power, Flowey creates himself a body out of real textures/images.

Witches (Madoka Magica): All the witches are animated by moving around photoshopped aspects, contrasting the cutesy and traditional art style.

Flash Phenomena Distortions (Limbus Company): A photograph-based monster creates projections (haha) of their power through imagined foes. Their faces are collages of real photographs.

Hikaru (The Summer Hikaru Died): Kind of funny how you can be jump-scared by a picture of chicken, but that's what happens when you create an uncomfortably intimate hand-job allegory involving a doppleganger's insides.

His theories and general vibe are just so easy to poke fun at.

I have no clue how PM would balance that, but when looking at the flavor text, I feel like its true power is going to be much more than the other Durantes. Specifically, the mention of "reign over the Kingdom" strikes me as much... bigger than just summoning or puppeting (as I've seen others propose for a "perfect manifestation").

The term, "Kingdom," makes me think Dante will lead over more than 12 people. Of course, this could be generally referring to Dante usurping the Head or something, but if that's the case, why specifically reference this Durante as the power which enables such things?

I don't know, it's been nagging at the back of my head since Canto 9. Maybe I'm shooting blindly, but I feel like I'm onto something.

This is my first attempt at a Fighter subclass, and it's a bit harder than I thought it would be. I assumed the simplicity would make it easier when the exact opposite is true; attempting to keep things (somewhat) interesting while keeping some consistency AND keeping it in line with the Fighter formula (no extra resources and a lot of simple things to do) is kinda difficult.

That said, I'm mostly okay with ow it turned out. It's a little frustrating that 3.5 of the features relate to one thing, but I guess it's not horrible. That one thing is pretty versatile, at least.

As always, feedback is appreciated, and here's the link: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/apAqL9PY09rb

Whether that be contractors, writers, martial artists, or anything else.

I just find it amusing.

I'm always a sucker for the bulky hoodies over formal suit combo, so I was already in a good position to enjoy the design. I also like the spades diamonds all over the body, especially how the ones on her face are akin to the Robin mask (I'll get to that later) and the single drop which evokes the imagery of a tear.

The main criticisms I've seen of her (at least the ones that aren't just "she's not hot") is that she just doesn't look like Harley and/or is quite boring when compared to the other Absolute designs.

On the first point, I can see it, but I also think it's kind of a given seeing as "wacky reimaginings" is kind of the main conceit of this series. That said, I think the design makes a lot more sense when you factor in that she's this Batman's Robin stand-in + she's a part of the "Red Hoods." That explains the hood (obviously) but it also goes a long way to showing why she got the "punk" makeover. Being rowdy, scrappy, and lanky are pretty common traits for the Robins, and the face paint evokes the Robin mask, as I said.

On the second point, I don't really see it. Sure, she's not bigger, but I'd hardly call her boring. She's just over-the-top exaggerated in other ways (most notably the demeanor). Also, I can't stress enough how giving her an AK and hunk of rebar as a hammer really pushes her over the edge into Absolute territory.

Don't Breathe: A couple young robbers attempt to rob a rich, blind veteran only to find out he isn't exactly an innocent old man.

You're Next: A group of >!contract killers!<break into a house during a family reunion and go on a killing spree. They didn't account for the fact that the son's new girlfriend grew up on a survivalist compound in the Australian outback.

The Flash [CW Show]: A random mugger decided to target Barry Allen of all people. He does it again a season or two later; he's either unlucky or stupid (probably both).

GoodFellas: In this scene, Tommy is telling a story in a room of mobsters - most of them laughing tensely in an attempt to get on his good side - when one of them say "You're a funny guy." At that moment, Tommy stops everything to ask "Funny how? Funny like a clown? I amuse you?" This is probably the most obvious example of this trope.

Black Friday: After setting up the conflict in Act 1, we cut to the oval office as the president and his advisers discuss the outbreak of riots. One of them pull out a Wiggly Doll to show them what the riots are over only for things to rapidly escalate as they begin fighting over the doll. It's intended to showcase that the mania isn't mundane; it's a result of Wiggly.

Doki Doki Literature Club: There's a slight argument between these two characters, but it starts out very anime. "You look down on me" --> *Boob joke* --> "MC likes ME more!" That said, it's a rather jarring switchup when it suddenly pivots into a much more personal, realistically heated verbal fight. The "wannabe edgy bitch" line cuts through the general cuteness that you would expect, but it very quickly spirals from there.

>!My dad (Real Life)!<

In the least fetishy way possible, I find the general trope rather interesting. And it's quite a bit less touchy than the more incesty alternative. General flirting also counts.

Narcissus [Greek Myth]: A dude who was cursed to fall in love with his reflection for the crime of rejecting the wrong mythological creature (or telling a suitor to kill himself depending on the version).

Patrick Bateman [American Psycho]: Bateman flexes and keeps his eyes on a mirror while hooking up with a woman. It's a bit different than the other examples (Bateman would have an aneurysm at the idea he finds a man attractive, even himself), but I have no doubt this was directly inspired by the myth of Narcissus.

Pagan Min [Far Cry]: A dictator, Pagan has a body double to prevent assassinations. A Far Cry 6 DLC shows that he has slept with past body doubles on multiple occasions.

Beth [Rick & Morty]: She starts an affair with her clone (or maybe the original).

Loki [Marvel]: This one is a bit more complex because, while Loki seems to be somewhere on the narcissism spectrum, he's also quite self-loathing. His burgeoning romance with Sylvie (an alternate version of himself) is less about narcissism and more about learning to love himself. I still think it works for the trope though because the show itself plays with the border between narcissism and self-love (and how those who are depressed conflate them).

I can see why there's some difficulty in writing a "cool" teacher that isn't inappropriate (probably because most real life "cool" teachers ARE inappropriate), but I feel that this trope shouldn't be so prevalent. Like, I had some teachers I would consider cool, and it wasn't because they made dirty jokes or hung out with me after school hours. If you just showed a teacher going out of their way to help students in a less creepy way - adjusting the curriculum for different students, remaining open between periods, maintaining some level of professionalism, etc. - it would work.

Unfortunately, this trope also occasionally comes along with a dose of student/teacher romance, so that's not so good.

1. Mr. Schue [Glee]: Okay, I know this topic is a bit of a meme in the fandom, and the show is a bit more comedic than my other examples. That said - despite being portrayed as a "once-in-a-lifetime" teacher - he constantly pushes boundaries. He had clear favoritism, let his personal problems invade the classroom, and - you know - planted weed on a student so they'd join his club.
2. Ezra Fitz [Pretty Little Liars]: I could talk about his general poor behavior as a teacher, but I think all that I really need to point out is his romantic relationship with a student. It wasn't even really portrayed in a particularly bad light either; their ending is somewhat "cozy" and shows him married to and adopting a child with that same ex-student
3. Max Medina [Gilmore Girls]: He isn't as bad as the others in my opinion, but he still comes off as weird on many instances. He shows favoritism with one character, keeps said character after class to speak on her recent break-up, and actively pursues a relationship with the same student's mother.

Okay, I know this may be controversial, but a part of me... kind of likes this trope. Don't get me wrong - serious showcases of queer relationships are usually better - but, I mean, at least these tropes exist, right? It allows some media to slip in representation where it would otherwise be sanded over by publishers, and sometimes I think it's better than the exaggerated corpo representation that almost feels patronizing, objectifying, or exploitive.

That said, some media does this better than others. I think it works best when the gayness isn't the punchline but rather sets up a joke. Also, some consistency and/or outside acknowledgment makes it better; certain series treat this joke as a cutaway (that's the best way I can think to describe it) which isn't the best.

I'll explain more along with my examples:

1. Deadpool [Marvel]: Of course, this varies from writer to writer, but Deadpool is often written as a straight dude who just so happens to make sex jokes about men. There's typically a very clear divide between "quip" and the "romance" you're supposed to take seriously. It's not too bad because it's a constant aspect of the character (if just because Deadpool is constantly quipping), and it's kind of the middle-ground of the trope.
2. Rory [My Babysitter's A Vampire]: This one - despite how much nostalgia I have for the show - is probably my least favorite use of this trope. Rory is your stereotypical "wannabe cassanova" character whose entire motivation revolves around hot women. That said, there's a couple moments that imply he at least finds some men attractive Notably, he sees a girl in his friend's room and says "you're much hotter than Ethan; additionally, he does the "floating in horniness" for 2 characters - one is his main love interest and the other is the hot werewolf dude. It doesn't go much beyond this, the joke is that Rory finds men hot, so I can't really sing its praises.
3. Owen [Total Drama Island]: There's a running bit in the show that Owen has a crush on Justin, and much like Rory, it doesn't really go beyond that. It's supposed to be funny cause the hefty, dorky dude is right along the women in the panning shot of people lusting over him.
4. Miyamura [Horimiya]: Honestly, this may be favorite example of those included in this post, and it's treading the line of even matching the trope. Miyamura is implied to be bi or pan several times including the very first episode of the anime. He calls other dudes hot, gets bashful in a "anime crush" way, and is confused for being gay several times. There's even a bit about how Hori (after they become official) gets jealous of his male friends, leading to the fandom joke of "Homophobic Hori."