u/No_Hunter1978

The joke is incest. Get it?

For those not in the know, The Coffin of Andy & LeyLey is an indie game that is most well-known for its two main characters' relationship. That "relationship" just being straight-up incest.

I do find the game alright, don't get me wrong. It tries its best to explore its topics, and I personally think it does a decent job. That said, the fanbase is absolute garbage; probably the worst I've ever seen. This fanart is a pretty clear side effect of that, just consisting of fetish content with the thinnest veil of shock humor.

The only ones I find even mildly funny are those that reference the actual source material (eg: the Star Wars one) because, yeah, the Luke/Leia kiss is amusing to me. Alternatively, the parodies - like the final 2 slides - are alright, I think. It's primarily the ones that are obvious allusions to some niche porn the creator saw that I have a disdain for.

I get a bit miffed whenever I look at hard modes and see that the only differences are: enemies hit harder and have more health. That's why I find it so refreshing when a game's "hard mode" switches up how you play the game in general.

1. Cursed Mode [Look Outside]: The hardest difficulty of this game essentially takes everything in the base game and shuffles them around, mixing in new things throughout. A door that's usually open now requires you to beat an "optional" boss. The tutorial enemy now can kill you if you're not careful. Existing bosses have new phases. There are brand new bosses just... hanging out. I think you get it.
2. Lethal Mode [Ghost of Tsushima]: This difficulty setting is very simple and very fun. The enemies deal a shit-ton of damage, enough to kill you in couple swings, but you also deal absurd damage. It forces you to play carefully and near flawlessly if you want to win.
3. Survival [Fallout 4]: F4 is better in survival mode, full stop, and that's dimply because it adds in survival mechanics to your post-apocalyptic survival game. Hunger, thirst, fatigue. You actually have to engage with the world around you.
4. Nightmare Mode [Dying Light - The Beast]: At a baseline, this difficulty does some fun stuff that we've seen before; specifically, it is permadeath and adds in a hunger mechanic. What really sets this mode apart for me, however, is the fact that (unlike other difficulties) every single zombie you kill, stays dead. It's such a cool concept, and you could - theoretically - clear out the entire map given enough time.

Slide 1: https://x.com/tanginamaran/status/2105020977616986562/photo/1

Slide 2: https://x.com/tanginamaran/status/2104597272524685613/photo/1

Alternatively, she uses the arms used by all the Lust Pecca. That's probably more likely, actually, but I liked my title. Also, I can't find an image of their arm attack.

Just more kindling for the "debate" regarding what Fleshmael (Gucchi Ishmael) may be; perhaps they harness peccatulum instead of full-on distortions?

That seems like it may be more realistic, given PM's seeming reluctance to use Distortions as EGO gear. Or, depending on how you look at it, this could be made out of Kromer chunks after Deimian bisected her. My bet is on the former though.

I think this Canto will be used as a chance to revisit some of the concepts from Canto 3, and I believe the visual similarities are something to look out for. It could also be a coincidence, but of the many repeated motifs that PM uses, I don't think the gaunt, flesh arms are ones they've utilized all that much.

You guys are lucky that's the title I went with, btw. It wasn't my first choice, but Reddit AutoMod doesn't appreciate the artistry of the written word.

I don't know how else to put this. A character is introduced as a romantic rival for the male/female MC, but it later turns out they were romantically interested in the couple... the MCs just got the sexualities mixed up.

[Bonus points if the romantic misdirect actually ends up happening]

• Blue Bird [Avocado Animations: Birds For Some Reason]
• Long Long Man [Sakeru Gummy Commercials]
• Honoko [Horimiya]

It's not often that you can have an art direction with so much intense variety (from animal mutants, to stereotypical body horror, to fungus beasts, to shadow ghosts) all while maintaining the sense that these characters belong in the same game.

For me personally, that versatility is why I adore this game so much. I exhausted the 20-image limit, but there's still so much that I haven't even touched. I'm sure someone will share their favorite, upstaging all of those I chose; I can't glaze this game's monster design more than I already have.

Edit: I don't know why Reddit spazzed out so much, but for some reason the pixel art looks weird and muddied. My apologies.

I just find it to be an interesting phenomenon. This trope typically comes in three forms (the first two being the most common):

1. The game has romance options and/or flirty dialogue that isn't barred due to the gender chosen by the player.
2. The MC is nonbinary (or at least goes by they/them pronouns) for the sole purpose of not alienating the player.
3. The game provides some method of changing your gender after character creation.

A lot of these examples are in media that is already pretty gay, but I find it even more interesting when this trope is present in stories that are otherwise pretty... not gay. I'm not really into gacha games or dating sims, but I find it funny that they're some major contributors to this trope, given their target demographic.

• Bisexuality is a tactical advantage [Fallout: New Vegas]
  • This one isn't as straight forward as the other options because there's no traditional "romance options" in New Vegas. That said, the game has two specific perks that grant +10% damage to a certain gender; these aren't mutually exclusive, however, meaning being bisexual is a non-negligible buff in the game.
• "Everyone is bi" [Fallout 4, Warframe, Skyrim, Borderlands 2, Stardew Valley, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]
  • Easily the most common version of this trope; a lot of games don't bother to lock you out of certain romance options or change character voicelines when not needed. This means essentially every romanceable character in these games are technically bi, sometimes even being able to marry you (Stardew Valley and Skyrim).
  • In Borderlands's case, this trope is mostly just for side characters who flirt with the Vault Hunter regardless of gender (Moxxie and Ellie are the first to come to mind), but they did a bit of a cool thing with Axton. In one of his revive sound-bytes, Axton flirts with the ally he's picking up, and the developers didn't think to implement a specific variable for whether the ally was man or woman. So they eventually canonized that Axton was bi, even outside of the confines of this trope.
• The protagonist's gender is undefined [Limbus Company]
  • This one is pretty simple. In a game that doesn't want to bother with character creation while still raking in that self-insert audience, the easiest answer is just never mentioning the player character's gender (or using they/them pronouns). This also leaves room for further queerness given the fact that these self-inserts are often macked on by cute women.
• Convenient sex change [Dark Souls 2, Fate/Grand Order]
  • To account for the indecisive and fat-fingered, certain games give you the option to switch out your gender with relative ease. If this is done at specific locations, they typically adopted by trans folks (like the woman who got a tattoo of this coffin) while those that can switch in the menu are usually head-canoned as gender-fluid.

Unabashedly, I find this trope to be extremely fun. The more inhuman, the better.

1. The Princess [Slay the Princess]: The relationship between her and birdy dude in the back (the protagonist) is unironically my favorite love story in fiction. Also kinda, maybe >!divine selfcest? I don't know; gods are weird.!<
   • Art by u/SaffiChan
   • Supplemental Material
2. Omni-Man [Invincible]: Going from a dog to a bug is a bit of a downgrade, ngl.
3. Brad [American Dragon Jake Long]: Admittedly one of the least monstrous monsters, but I would be remiss if I didn't include the poster-boy.
4. Darling & Stardust [Sucker For Love]: On a physical level, the "monsters" are just anime girls, but I legitimately think the game does a decent job at making their natures (the eldritch parts) sort of horrifying. So I say they even out.
5. Goldilocks [Fables]: So... that is just a bear. That said - in my mind - intelligent, anthropomorphic animals could, in some ways, be considered monsters. You decide how you feel about that. Obligatory: "You can't social justice your way out of fucking a bear."
6. Johnny Storm/Human Torch [Marvel]: Probably one of the few times an alien lady love interest is actually inhuman (in most ways). Good on the artists.
7. Yuta [Jujutsu Kaisen]: In lore, that is not a monster; it's just the ghost of a little girl. That said, I think Yuta gets a pass, given his entire thematic character is based around love.
8. Elisa [Shape of Water]: Arguably the strangest premise for a Del Toro film, but probably one of my favorites of his.
9. Sam [Look Outside]: This is probably the flimsiest example because all of Sam's "stalkers" are into him at a baseline, not the other way around. That said, depending on your options, you can have Sam express interest in both Spine (upper right) and Lyle (upper left). >!I also find it funny how Shadow is the second example of "arguably selfcest" on this post; I swear that I didn't plan that.!<

>Is this a trope? Maybe not.
Is it out of place among other posts on this sub? Hell no.
Is it an interesting discussion to have? I'd like to think so.

If the mods want to remove this, that's on them, but I'd argue that it's not any more out of place than today's top post. But if I must give a flimsy justification for why it classifies as a trope in the barest sense of the word: this type of thing happening speaks to the skill and wherewithal of the writers, and that is solely fiction. No influence from the real world is needed for a writer to create a story so believable that it crosses the fourth wall.

1. Witch Hat Atelier: This series explores a world where magic is closer to coding than your traditional spellcasting. The witches know what certain sigils and runes do, and once they're enclosed by a circle made of special ink, they have an effect based on their contents. A major conflict in-universe is that the Witch Cops think that the secrets of magic should be kept secret because it's so comparatively easy to use in dangerous ways. And sure enough, since the author gives you detailed explanations on what sigils do, you have fans creating war crimes on a regular basis.
2. Squid Games: The show's themes are about how poor people will sacrifice their health and lives for the chance at life-changing amounts of cash in addition to stating that people will watch it. Then Mr Beast made a "Squid Games in Real Life" where, you guessed it, people risked their health for a chance at money while people swarmed in to watch. It's certainly not as extreme as the actual show, but it serves as a neat microcosm.
3. KPop Demon Hunters: I don't know about anyone else, but I always find it kind of silly when media shows us a song (or some other piece of art) then describes how it's so awesome and loved by everyone. I may have believed the same thing about the Saja Boys from this movie if Spotify numbers didn't back it up. It's one thing to describe a popular song; it's another to create a song and claim it has the protentional to internationally loved. And it's yet another, INSANE, thing to create a song like that, make those claims, and then back them up. Relatedly, this also backs up how the Saja Boys got so popular overnight, beating out actual BTS on the charts.

Repost because I can't spell "inadvertently."

Don't Open, Dead Inside [The Walking Dead]: So, this is not a "wall" necessarily... and it's probably the only example I'm providing that has an in-universe reasoning. That said, I'd be totally remiss if I failed to include this cornerstone of pop culture.

Ape-Pocalypse Now [War For the Planet of the Apes]: While their friends and family are dying around them, some wise-guy decided to turn their predicament into a pun. Gotta respect it, to some degree.

We Are The Real Monsters [Left 4 Dead]: The first example of a series parodying this trope, this text is surrounded by people dogging on the writer.

Nothing is Real/Public Shaming [Fallout 76]: Another example of media poking fun at this trope, the first "comment" puts it rather succinctly: "We are in a wasteland and you have spent your time writing this on a wall."

The character can't lose all their memories after each resurrection (at that point it's just standard reincarnation), and they have to have some continuity of self between incarnations.

Characters such as the Doctor (Doctor Who) skirt the line. They are technically the same character, and you can see aspects of other incarnations within each. That said, they usually come across as different characters.

• Sekiro [Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice]
  • Thanks to the divine blood of his master, Sekiro can "resurrect" after he falls, either rising from the ground like a puppet on strings or waking up at the last idol he prayed to.
• The Creature [Frankenstein (2025)]
  • It isn't stated outright that the Creature "died" when the hunters put a bullet in his head, but I think it can be inferred that he fits this trope. The screen went black, and he woke up some time later with his wounds healed; that seems pretty indicative of this trope though you could argue it's standard regeneration.
• Phoenix [Real Life Myth]
  • Probably the most famous carrier of this power, the Phoenix is said to rise from the ashes of its corpse, born again. Of course, the specifics vary by incarnation.
• Prometheus [Supernatural]
  • In real life, Prometheus was a figure in ancient Greek myth, the titan that brought man the flames of Olympus. It was said that Zeus found out, chained him to a rock, and tasked an eagle with picking out his liver each day (it regrew on account of him being divine). In the Supernatural mythos, Prometheus had a similar story except that his curse was to die and have his liver eaten; just like the myth, he would return to normal the next day.
• Devil Hybrids [Chainsaw Man]
  • The half-devils/hybrids of this universe are humans who have fused with a devil. They have enhanced physical abilities, but they can be "killed" with relative ease though this is closer to a dormant state. As soon as they touch blood and have their "devil trigger" activated, they get up like nothing happened.

[This is a repost because Reddit thought the picture of Prometheus getting his liver munched was actual gore.]

Also, when I say "satanic," that doesn't exclusively refer to attempting to summon actual, named Satan. It can also (in this context) refer to any dark cult that's clearly inspired by Hollywood Satanism.

Rosemary's Baby - This example is probably the most stereotypical version I included, but it's got a certain aspect that pushes it beyond your standard example. Put bluntly, >!Rosemary was drugged and raped by Satan. The story is more about the autonomy of women's body than the Satanism, and I feel like the symbolism of this ritual makes it stand out.!<

Faith: The Unholy Trinity - In this universe, the "Second Death" ritual involves >!carving out someone's face and feeding babies to the gaping wound to create a portal to Hell.!<

Mother Horse Eyes/Flesh Interface - MK Ultra was a success in this series' universe, and it discovered that, >!once someone gets high enough on LSD, they begin creating structures in odd patterns. These patterns cause "Incident Zones" to appear which randomly teleport organic matter elsewhere; that elsewhere is a growing "Flesh Interface" (a yonic flesh portal to endless multiverses with a Devil-figure at it's head).!<

Amy Martin [Faith: The Unholy Trinity]: She was young girl subjected to the "Second Death" ritual where >!a hole was cut in her face and several babies were "fed" to it. This opened a door to hell.!<

Spot [Marvel]: A stark white dude with portals all over him (though he can toss them around the room).

Cream [Jojo's Bizarre Adventure]: A stand that has a portal to a "dark dimension" inside its mouth. Cream can "eat itself" or others to enter that dimension.

Fiendwurm [Dungeons & Dragons]: The result of taking a mundane earthworm and opening up a portal to the Abyss (Hell) inside its stomach. It is constantly hungry and in pain, causing it to lash out indiscriminately.

So, I'll start with the design in a vacuum. This is - in my opinion - one of the best iterations of the "child born cursed" trope. He strikes that perfect balance between body horror monster and "just a lil' guy." The face and arm are the most striking aspects of the design, and they are both well executed. A 20-foot arm has a nice whimsy to it while the face, twisted strangely, is genuinely startling. It is, as I said previously, a nice balance between fairytale and horror story. Beyond that, the little hand sprouting out of his face and hunchback just tie it together extremely well. And if you didn't notice it, there's a subtle nod to Michael Jackson when he dons his prosthetic arm for a performance; it is covered with a white glove. At least I assume that's an intentional homage given how many MJ-inspired moves Inu-Oh uses during that sequence.

And now let's move on to my favorite part... the way he moves. I absolutely love how lively it is, and I especially enjoy how much it incorporates Inu-Oh's physiology into the choreography; even when he's wearing a disguise, his lanky limbs are put to use (which you can see better in the full video). Sure, it's a little goofy, but it's goofy in a very charismatic way; it essentially abandons the slightly unnerving surface to show you Inu-Oh's very human soul. I can see why so many people in-universe got horny for him after a single performance (though I'm sure the excessive hip thrusts and scantily-clad opener helped).

The Astrophage [Project Hail Mary]: On the surface, the astrophage is a terrifyingly existential threat; it's a star-eating virus. That said, when Grace is sitting among them with an IR light, they are stunning.

The World's Gone Beautiful [SCP]: This 001 proposal states that, when the world ends, it will be immediately preceeded by vibrant flowers blooming across 90% of Earth's viable land mass. They aren't the cause of the world's end, and no one knows why they bloom. It's just treated as an inevitability, and upon it occurring, every Foundation employee and SCP (within reason) is released to spend their final moments in any way they wish.

The Shimmer [Annihilation]: The Shimmer can be downright terrifying at times (Homerton the mutant bear is nightmare fuel), but a lot - and I'd argue most - of the time, it's just very pretty. The Shimmer refracts light, making rainbows, but it also refracts DNA, leading to amazing and new fauna/flora everywhere.

Nuclear Fallout [Far Cry: New Dawn]: I have issues with the game, but I admit that the setting is really good. It explores a post nuclear war world, but where most media shows the burned husk of what was, New Dawn's world experienced a "superbloom" after a while, leading to an abundance of these pink flowers and mutations in the animals.

I feel like it's only natural, right? There's not really many ways where you can have a character of this type without rubbing against the discussion of gender expression and/or sexuality. If you have a character that's forced into a body of another gender, you're likely to stumble on trans subtext. If you have a character that willingly jumps/shifts into the bodies of another gender, you're rubbing against gender fluidity.

The only ways I can see a writer creating a character of this type without tiptoeing into this trope is to have them be restricted to a single gender OR simply not acknowledging the implications. Just give them an explicit "original body" that they're more comfortable in and treat shifts as little more than a power.

I think Mystique is probably the best example of the latter, but even then, she's bisexual with her most prominent love interest being a woman. I would, however, argue that Mystique's shapeshifting isn't as tied to her sexuality as similar characters; they feel like separate character traits rather than results of each other. There's another rant to have there, but I've already gone on long enough.

Here's my examples:

Nimona [Nimona]: Her entire character is (argueably) an allegory for gender fluidity. When someone says "...and now you're a boy" in an exasperated way, her response is "I am today." Also worth noting that her description of shifting ("Holding it back is like holding in a sneeze... gets worse the longer you do") has been read as a similar allegory.

Kiruko [Heavenly Delusion]: Born a boy, >!he had his mind implanted into the body of his older sister. At first, he is treated as a trans character, but towards the later parts of the series, they decide that the gender binary just isn't for them. This series in general has a surprising amount to say about gender, containing several intersex characters (which I hardly see singular examples of in media, much less multiple in the same story).!<