| 1 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1326757471078840100 |
| 2 | %% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread. |
| 3 | %% |
| 4 | [[quoteright:200:[[Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/boom_walk_pain_1293.jpg]]]] |
| 5 | [[caption-width-right:200:[[Music/TheLonelyIsland Cool guys]] [[UnflinchingWalk don't look at explosions]], no matter [[http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/957 how many bones get broken.]]]] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ->''"If you are in the market for easy laughs, you learn that two well-tried ways are either to trip up a cliche or take things absolutely literally."'' |
| 8 | -->-- '''Creator/TerryPratchett''', [[http://www.ansible.co.uk/misc/tpspeech.html "Why Gandalf Never Married"]] |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Most parodies work in a lighthearted manner, taking the basic plot of the thing they parody and making it humorous. The giant space station may have wiped out half the Earth in the original, but in the parody only some unimportant AcceptableTargets got destroyed, and everyone laughed. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Then, there are these. Where the parody might have made the plot silly and lighthearted, the Deconstructive Parody plays exactly like any other {{Deconstruction}}, in that everything is treated as if it were to really happen -- it's just that humour is still drawn from the original story, while also serving to show what would really happen. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | In a Deconstructive Parody, the giant space station will still wipe out half the Earth, and although the characters will reflect on this tragedy and take it seriously, it will still be presented humorously. Maybe all that's left are the Acceptable Targets, or perhaps the doomsday device is entirely ridiculous and non-threatening in conception, yet still works. Either way, what matters is that the plot is still treated as real, and plays out tropes as you would expect from a typical {{Deconstruction}}. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | Just to note, [[BetterThanABareBulb a bunch of Lampshade Hangings]] don't really count, so this may not necessarily include an AbridgedSeries, or some {{Webcomic}}s. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | Compare and Contrast with: BlackComedy and {{Satire}}, AffectionateParody, DarkParody, DeconReconSwitch, and HomageDerailment. |
| 19 | ---- |
| 20 | !!Example subpages: |
| 21 | [[index]] |
| 22 | * ''DeconstructiveParody/RobotChicken'' |
| 23 | [[/index]] |
| 24 | ---- |
| 25 | !!Examples: |
| 26 | |
| 27 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 28 | |
| 29 | [[folder:Advertising]] |
| 30 | * In TheNineties, the citrus soft drink Sprite ran [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QCXrq23ii8 an ad campaign]] called Advertising/ObeyYourThirst that gleefully deconstructed and parodied contemporary advertising tropes. |
| 31 | ** "Sun Fizz" does this with the usage of advertising characters appearing in the real world alongside real people. The mom and kids who see it react with horror at the Thing That Should Not Be that just jumped off their bottle of orange juice to espouse its health benefits and wonderful taste. |
| 32 | --->''Hey, what's with you people? I've got vitamins and minerals!'' |
| 33 | ** A number of ads featuring Detroit Pistons star Grant Hill [[AdamWesting depict him]] as only giving his CelebrityEndorsement to Sprite to make money and advance his career. One has an admiring young fan down a bottle of Sprite to be just like his hero Grant Hill, and then immediately whizzes a dunk (the tagline: "You wanna make it in the NBA? ''[[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Practice]]''".). |
| 34 | ** The "Death Slug" ad shows a group of Hollywood producers with SkewedPriorities putting together the marketing campaign for their terrible-looking {{kaiju}} movie (a parody of ''Film/Godzilla1998'', already notorious at the time as a BoxOfficeBomb) before they even have a script. |
| 35 | ** A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVtsS14MAjk fake ad]] for a soft drink called Jooky depicts it as a "party in a can" and shows attractive people in swimsuits at a beach party drinking it and having fun. We then cut to see that the ad is being watched by two bored-looking guys while a blizzard rages outside. One of them tries to open his can of Jooky, but accidentally breaks off the tab. |
| 36 | *** That ad got [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGRNHiMN9ZI a sequel]], with "Jooky Junk" lampooning the recent trend of soft drinks offering merchandise through loyalty programs. Among the Jooky Junk offered is a caulking gun, a halibut, a [[FatherNeptune sea captain]], a [[WickedWasps hornet's nest]], a hernia belt and a [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]]. |
| 37 | ---->''I drank 93,000 cans and I got this Jooky sock!'' |
| 38 | * The "Go Compare" ads in the UK involved an opera singer who would appear whenever people discussed car insurance and start trilling a CrowdSong jingle, in a series of ads that [[TheScrappy quickly began to elicit howls of rage from viewers all over the UK]]. They then ran a "Saving the Nation" series where the same opera singer would appear to people discussing car insurance, but they would respond with the same level of terror as a real person would in that situation, to be saved by someone else attacking the singer with weapons. The follow-up to that campaign imagines the same opera singer, who is now [[DreadfulMusician not allowed to sing]], working an advertising creative, speaking in a [[SingingVoiceDissonance soft Welsh accent rather than singing]], and pitching terrible advertising ideas to cash in on his previous image in shallow ways. |
| 39 | * An advert for ''The Jump'', a show where celebrities compete in winter sports and the 2 people in last place are made to perform a Ski Jump, deconstructs the idea of a 'Hopeless Contestant Montage' which you'd often see in shows like ''Series/HellsKitchen'' where the contestants are falling out of the sky... and a family on vacation, completely unaware of what's happening, are scared shitless as bodies fall from the sky! |
| 40 | [[/folder]] |
| 41 | |
| 42 | [[folder:Anime and Manga]] |
| 43 | * ''Manga/The100GirlfriendsWhoReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLoveYou'' runs on DeconstructedCharacterArchetype ''and'' NoFourthWall as it parodies the harem genre and its tropes. |
| 44 | * ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' deconstructs both the TokenMiniMoe archetype and the GradeSkipper. Ten-year-old ChildProdigy Chiyo Mihama might excel in her classes enough to outscore her teenage peers, but the series is all too quick to point out how high schools aren't designed to handle grade school children--most obviously with P.E., where Chiyo nearly drowns in the deep end of the pool and often ends up getting decked in the face by some kind of sports ball. ([[ThrowTheDogABone She does do well in cheerleading, however.]]) The series also explores, in its rare moments of insight, how Chiyo occasionally feels isolated from her other friends and wishes that they wouldn't [[JustAKid treat her like a kid]] because of her age. This is best exemplified when Minamo gives her and her classmates [[InnocentProdigy a drunken sex talk that completely goes over her head]]. It's all played up for comedy, of course, and at the end of the day Chiyo is happy with her lot in life. |
| 45 | * ''Anime/BikiniWarriors'' lampshades most of the typical elements in a fantasy setting, and some of the drawbacks and consequences of the heroines' actions. |
| 46 | * ''Manga/DeadlineSummoner'': |
| 47 | ** It makes fun of the HaremGenre and [=RPGs=], by sucking the unfortunate [[GenreSavvy Mamoru]] [[{{Otaku}} Onodera]] into a fantasy world with no healing magic, where inn stays do not magically heal all injury and status effects, and [[AllDeathsFinal there are no continues.]] He is [[BattleHarem saddled with more]] [[CuteMonsterGirl monster girls]] than he is useful powers (and the one spell is an uber powerful DesperationAttack that allows him to summon all ten of them at once), "game mechanics" like [[BigEater feeding them]] and finding work that actually pays well, and [[FantasticRacism the ever present bias against summons.]] |
| 48 | ** Oh, and summoning magic basically equates to slavery, implied not to be totally consensual on both sides. Despite this, it's clear that Mamoru [[NiceGuy cares for his harem very much,]] and they in turn are very [[HappinessInSlavery happy in his service,]] and [[ClingyJealousGirl never want to let him go. (Ever.)]] |
| 49 | ** Things also turn out well in the end... though not without some sort of cost, [[IronButtMonkey to Mamoru only, of course.]] |
| 50 | * ''Manga/EvenAMonkeyCanDrawManga'' is a deconstructive parody of the numerous [[FauxToGuide How To Draw Manga manuals]] aimed at manga and anime fans. |
| 51 | * ''Manga/GirlfriendGirlfriend'' is a slightly more serious take on the above. ''100 Girlfriends'' deconstructs from the angle of how insanely capable a boy would have to be to satisfy every member of his harem, while ''Girlfriend, Girlfriend'' deconstructs from the angle of what happens when a boy lacks such capability. |
| 52 | * ''Isekai Transporter'' parodies the overused Isekai cliché of having the protagonist get run down by a truck prior to reincarnating... by featuring a guy whose actual job is to "send heroes to magical worlds in peril"... by running them down with a truck. There's considerable elaboration around the whole process, such as the larger-scale work of his superiors, the process of scouting out suitable candidates, setting up the scene so the would-be hero can get "reincarnated" without escaping, and also their need to evade the law... since they're technically {{Professional Killer}}s. |
| 53 | * ''Manga/TheKindaichiCaseFiles'': Has two installments that are more light-hearted but still deconstruct various aspects of the series |
| 54 | ** ''Kindaichu Shounen No 1-Paku 2-Ka Shouryokou'' (Kindaichi Case Files: Mini-Vacations) is a DarkComedy spin off that focus on Miyuki and Kindaichi interacting with the case's former suspects, survivors and love ones. The series explicitly shows (comedically or seriously) the impact of such incredibly traumatic and gruesome events had on their psyche and how some of the backstory that gave them possible motives to kill would continue after the cases are over. |
| 55 | ** ''Kindaichi Shounen No Jikenbo Gaiden: Hannin-Tachi No Jikenbo'' (Kindaichi Case Files Sidestory: Casebook Criminal Offender) is a more lighthearted installment that focus on the criminals of the cases and shows their preparation to conduct the case, as well as their reaction when the case did not go as expected and their feeling when Kindaichi said his deductions. At the end of the chapters, the criminals were asked by an unnamed narrator to describe the main downfall of their plan and how can someone outsmart Kindaichi. |
| 56 | * ''Anime/MagicalShoppingArcadeAbenobashi'' did this on almost every episode, for various anime themes and genres including sci-fi, high school and feudal Japan. |
| 57 | * ''Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico'', for both the SpaceOpera and {{Real Robot Genre}}s. |
| 58 | * [[SeriousBusiness Despite]] [[MindScrew its]] [[DarkerAndEdgier reputation]], ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' occasionally enters this territory, particularly in episode 8, where, despite the episode being primarily comedic, a notable feature of the episode is the sheer amount of collateral damage caused by Asuka's defeat of the Angel. |
| 59 | * ''Manga/{{Nichijou}}'' deconstructs [[SelfDeprecation the absurdity of]] an [[ChildProdigy 8-year-old professor]] [[SmartPeopleBuildRobots who built a very]] [[{{Moe}} adorable teenage]] [[RobotBuddy robot girl to take care of her]] by having a [[MadScientist rational scientist]] attempt to kidnap the aforementioned robot girl [[KafkaKomedy and accidentally wander into a]] MadScientistLaboratory. [[BlackComedy The whole scene is uncharacteristically dark,]] [[SurrealHumor but quite characteristically funny.]] |
| 60 | * ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'' deconstructs the idea of StoryBreakerPower. The titular man, Saitama, was once an ordinary Japanese salaryman [[TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed who lives in a city that is always under threat]] and one day he killed a large monster with nothing but quick wits [[ItMakesSenseInContext and]] [[EyeScream creative use of his necktie]]. He became addicted to the thrill and trained until he was the [[WorldsStrongestMan strongest hero in the world]], able to obliterate even the biggest and most powerful monsters with one punch. But now he suffers from ennui and depression because nothing challenges him anymore. Then one day a cyborg teenager named Genos meets him and asks to become his student: Saitama can't train his body as he's a cyborg, so all he can offer is SimpleMindedWisdom. It's all PlayedForLaughs. |
| 61 | * ''Manga/OtasukeMikoMikoChan'' plays with the MagicalGirl genre in a mostly mundane, FantasticComedy setting, primarily by having the titular MagicalGirl be a "he." |
| 62 | * The first 35 minutes of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'' could be taken as one of these towards {{Fix Fic}}s of the show proper, by having all five girls as the [[FiveManBand Puella Magi Holy Quintet]], restoring Homura's incredibly {{Moe}} persona from her back-story, having Kyubey as a voiceless TeamPet, amping up the LesYay between Sayaka and Kyoko, adding [[spoiler:Nagisa/]]Bebe/Charlotte as a companion for Mami, then going out of its way to make things silly to the point of {{Satire}} ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwXaK12envI the Cake Song being where this reaches its apex]]). The actual deconstruction kicks in when [[spoiler:Homura realises it's TooGoodToBeTrue and all a part of [[LotusEaterMachine an elaborate Witch's Barrier]] - ''hers'']]. |
| 63 | * ''Manga/TentaiSenshiSunred'' takes care of all of {{toku}}satsu by showing what happens when your ex-{{Sentai}} hero is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold who mooches off his civilian girlfriend and lives in the same town as the ineffectual NebulousEvilOrganisation whose leader is more invested in homemaking and civic duty than ensuring any of his monsters can actually defeat the hero to pave the way to TakeOverTheWorld. |
| 64 | * ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' is both this and AffectionateParody of the western SuperHero genre; it cheerfully pokes fun at and deconstructs western superhero conventions, while maintaining the firm idealism that gave the original stories their charm.. |
| 65 | * ''Manga/ZettaiBLNiNaruSekaiVsZettaiBLNiNaritakunaiOtoko'': The manga follows a character that is aware that he is a mob character living in a world that works by BoysLove rules. Because he is straight, he has throughly studied BL manga and its tropes in order to avoid ever falling in love with a man by accident. Each chapter has him observing, talking about and often deconstructing the tropes through which the story of main characters of that world work. |
| 66 | %%* The ''Sun and Moon'' and ''Ultra Sun and Moon'' chapters of ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' parodies itself, as half of the moments are more comedy. |
| 67 | [[/folder]] |
| 68 | |
| 69 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 70 | * Deconstructive parodies of comic book {{superhero}}es are practically a dime a dozen. These days, if you count all media, it's rarer to see them played ''straight''. |
| 71 | ** ''ComicBook/{{Empowered}}'' does this to the {{stripperiffic}} outfits worn by superheroines. |
| 72 | * ComicBook/IHateFairyland is this to fairy tales, fantasy, and children's media. The series creator, Skottie Young, states that Gert is like a reflection of an adult dealing with the eventual annoyance they feel at the repetition and overly saccharine nature of those things. |
| 73 | ** At the same time, in a lot of ways there's a good bit of TruthInTelevision involved, since many fairy tales originally had some darker and grimmer elements to them before they were watered down as children's stories for the modern age. |
| 74 | * A lot of the comedy of ''ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool'' come from the fact that it's a deconstructive parody of the SelfInsertFic as our titular heroine is just a normal teenaged girl that just ''sounds'' like she's the strange fusion of ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} and ComicBook/GwenStacy (her real name ''is'' Gwen Poole). Examples include: |
| 75 | ** While Deadpool's BreakingTheFourthWall moments are quick, fleeting and leaves everyone around him confused, Gwenpool goes into complete rants, leading to people asking if she's insane. |
| 76 | ** Being a girl from the real world, she's essentially a SecretSecretKeeper to the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe. This proves to be a bad thing when she yells out [[ComicBook/{{Thor2014}} the female Thor's]] identity and her response is to threaten to smash her head into the wall for saying so, forcing her to VerbalBackspace. |
| 77 | ** Being a heroine doesn't mean you get a blessed, carefree life - if anything, you'll get crapped on even more, especially if it can lead to more interesting storylines. And if you have sidekicks or loved ones without your brand of hero immunity? It won't be pretty. |
| 78 | ** [[spoiler:Her brother]] also shows what "trapped in another world" might turn out like if you're not a hero protagonist - you're essentially an illegal immigrant with no records and no legal protection, so you're likely to end up either homeless or drafted into a criminal organisation. Either way, you're pretty much screwed. |
| 79 | [[/folder]] |
| 80 | |
| 81 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 82 | * ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' managed this with the superhero genre in four panels back in 1988 with [[http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1988/11/02 this strip]]. |
| 83 | -->'''Calvin:''' Look what mom made me! A superhero outfit! Don't I look cool? Now I can fight crime without anyone knowing my true identity! Yep, I'm all set now! ... so! Seen any crimes?\ |
| 84 | '''Hobbes:''' Why do you care that nobody knows your identity? |
| 85 | [[/folder]] |
| 86 | |
| 87 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 88 | * ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' places a lot of emphasis on how messed up Son Gohan's childhood must be. His mother is a control freak, his father is negligent and he's frequently forced into life-threatening situations against his will. Lampshaded with this conversation: |
| 89 | --> '''Adult Gohan:''' When I was a toddler, my uncle showed up, kidnapped me, and then Mr. Piccolo killed him and my dad. Then Mr. Piccolo kidnapped me, the Saiyans showed up, killed a bunch of people, including Mr. Piccolo. Then we went to Namek, a bunch more people died, we came back, then my dad died again, then all my friends died, and now everyone else is dying.\ |
| 90 | '''Young Trunks:''' But it was better, right?\ |
| 91 | '''Adult Gohan:''' ...No. |
| 92 | * ''Fanfic/FantasyOfUtterRidiculousness'' pokes fun at the common "outsider in Gensokyo" plot seen in ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' fanfics by dropping [[IdiotHero someone]] and ''[[HumongousMecha something]]'' who simply don't belong into the setting. By the main story's end, Reimu and Yukari have no reservations in sending [[WesternAnimation/MegasXLR Coop and MEGAS]] back home, and the whole incident leaves Patchouli traumatized. |
| 93 | * ''WebVideo/RainbowDashPresents'' tends to point out the holes in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfics it parodies, such as how ''impossible'' it would be for Pinkie to hide she's a murderous cannibal with a secret dungeon in ''Fanfic/CupcakesSergeantSprinkles'', or that Rainbow Dash is too irresponsible to run a normal factory, let alone one that consumes [[HumanResources pony resources]] in ''[[Fanfic/RainbowFactory Captain Hook the Biker Gorilla]]'', or what would really happen if one kept a pegasus locked up in a house and fed nothing but sugar cubes for the first years of her life in ''Fanfic/MyLittleDashie''. |
| 94 | -->'''Rarity:''' You got faaaaaaaaaaaaat. |
| 95 | * The ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl'' one-shot ''[[https://www.deviantart.com/alexwarlorn/art/Tobias-Is-Arrested-Yo-569496061 Tobias Is Arrested, Yo]]'' sees the titular Sinnoh League winner get confronted by a pair of LargeHam cops who try to claim [[FandomSpecificPlot his League win was invalid due to his usage of Legendaries]] and arrest him (they even outright admit they're doing this because he beat Ash). An annoyed Tobias is quick to poke holes in their logic and point out that Ash took the loss ''far'' better than they currently are. [[spoiler:Then it's revealed that "Tobias" never actually existed -- he was just a false identity made by Darkrai and a few other Legendaries so they could compete in the League, having been inspired by Ash to do so.]] |
| 96 | * The ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/30270852/chapters/74603343#workskin Salt Trope Parody Oneshots]]'' takes the standard [[FandomSpecificPlot Salt tropes]] and put the author's spin of them, portraying most of the characters as they are in canon while having [[OutOfCharacter Marinette]] acting how salt fics usually play out: with Marinette [[WithUsOrAgainstUs expecting her classmates to be on her side from the start instead of buying Lila's lies despite no evidence against the latter]] and acting extremely petty or believing the class would be aimless without her. |
| 97 | * ''[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10264509/291/ Why Gray Could Never Be A Girl]]'' is a comedic deconstruction on [[GenderFlip making Gray and Juvia the opposite genders than canon]], particularly the {{double standard}}s of their quirks. |
| 98 | ** For Grey (female Gray), the guild has to do an intervention on her [[NakedPeopleAreFunny constant stripping]], since it causes frequent nosebleeds, she can't keep nice underwear, and [[FriendlyRivalry Natsu]] can't fight her because people would think he's assaulting her. |
| 99 | ** For Juan (male Juvia), his different gender means he lacks [[StalkingIsFunnyIfItIsFemaleAfterMale the overlook his canon female self when she stalks Gray]], so the police will often arrest who they see as a creepy guy following a naked girl. Grey herself doesn't consider his stalking as a problem until she finds out about a frequent arrests, mainly because of how few times she sees him [[ShipTease and how fond of him she secretly is]]. |
| 100 | * [[https://youtu.be/EwWwqSE3JAI This]] ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' fan animation offers a BlackComedy take on [[MakeMyMonsterGrow Dynamaxing]] -- specifically, by showing ''why'' it's a bad idea to let a creature with the short attention span of a puppy grow to giant size inside of a stadium full of people. |
| 101 | [[/folder]] |
| 102 | |
| 103 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 104 | * The ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' series is a deconstructive parody of fairy tales, the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon, and all concepts and ideas related to them, using characters from the book of the same name by William Stieg. |
| 105 | * ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'' makes fun of pretty much every zombie cliche and horror movie trope in general, until the [[CerebusSyndrome last third]] of the movie... |
| 106 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie'' gleefully deconstructs the standard [[TheChosenOne Chosen One]] narrative, while still being a solid example of the same. |
| 107 | * Its spin-off, ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'' deconstructs the hell out of DarkerAndEdgier, IWorkAlone and AwesomeEgo tropes Batman is known for, as well as [[FoeRomanceSubtext his relationship with Joker]]. |
| 108 | * ''WesternAnimation/SausageParty'' can initially be viewed as a heavy deconstruction of anthropomorphization, along with certain tropes associated with Creator/{{Pixar}} movies. The film features AnthropomorphicFood as the main characters (along with other anthropomorphic objects) who are under the impression that being bought by humans (formerly seen to them as gods) will led them to their destiny (the Great Beyond). Only to realize that their "destiny" [[EatenAlive comes at a price...]] |
| 109 | [[/folder]] |
| 110 | |
| 111 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 112 | * The ''[[Film/TwentyOneJumpStreet 21 Jump Street]]'' movie deconstructs and pokes fun at all the tropes from the [[Series/TwentyOneJumpStreet series of the same name]]. It takes the shows basic premise and sets it in modern times, showing just how different high school has become since the days the show had originally aired. |
| 113 | * ''Film/TheAdventuresOfPhilibertCaptainVirgin'' parodies Hollywood-made and France-made {{Swashbuckler}} films from the '30s to the '60s that starred the likes of Creator/ErrolFlynn, Creator/JeanMarais and Creator/GerardBarray. Most of the heroism-related tropes, [[KnightInShiningArmor idealism]] and drama common to the genre are {{exaggerated|Trope}} in order to be made fun of. |
| 114 | * ''Film/Renfield2023'' is a comedic take on the classic Creator/BramStoker ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' novel. It also deconstructs the very relationship between Dracula and [[TheRenfield his servant Renfield]]. The film shows that a relationship like theirs can develop into something emotionally manipulative, abusive, and co-dependent overtime. The films story from that point on is about Renfield himself breaking free from Dracula's force, adjusting to modern time, and develop a sincere relationship with someone. |
| 115 | * The films ''Film/HerAlibi'' and ''Film/AmericanDreamer'' parodies pulp fiction heroes. The former does it by contrasting the writing with the actual situations which inspire it, and the latter by having a housewife get EasyAmnesia and think she is her favorite literary heroine. |
| 116 | * ''Film/MysteryMen'' and ''Film/TheSpecials'' do this with the {{superhero}} genre, approaching it from the perspective of a "loser" superhero team. |
| 117 | * The trailers for ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'' made it look as though it would do this for fairy tales, but it instead was a {{Reconstruction}} |
| 118 | * ''Film/AustinPowers'' does this to [[TheSixties 1960s]] [[SpyFiction spy-oriented pulp fiction]], namely ''Film/JamesBond''. |
| 119 | * ''Film/HotFuzz'' for police/action films, but pulls a DeconReconSwitch later on. |
| 120 | * ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' applies this to Myth/ArthurianLegend (Terry Jones was an Arthurian scholar). The Black Knight spoofs a StiffUpperLip (will refuse to even flinch) and being a {{Determinator}} (acts like he's unstoppable) despite losing his limbs, one by one, in battle against Arthur. |
| 121 | * The film ''Film/{{Gunless}}'' is both a parody of Westerns in general and a deconstruction of the entire [[TheGunslinger gun-slinging outlaw hero]] character archetype. |
| 122 | * ''Film/Scream1996'' did this to {{slasher movie}}s. The main characters, both the protagonists and the killer Ghostface, are all GenreSavvy in how they mock, exploit, and otherwise discuss the "rules" of slashers throughout the film, with several characters making fun of horror movie victims who prove themselves TooDumbToLive. The killings become [[IfItBleedsItLeads a media circus]], as would happen if somebody is murdering [[MissingWhiteWomanSyndrome young, pretty, white teenagers]], and the reporters wind up getting drawn into the carnage themselves. Ghostface is an ordinary human under the mask rather than an ImplacableMan like [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Michael Myers]] or [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]], with all the vulnerabilities of such that allow the main characters to fight back -- but he also has the speed of an ordinary person, meaning that he [[GlassCannon runs after his victims]] rather than slowly walking towards them. While the Ghostface outfit, with its WhiteMaskOfDoom paired with a BlackCloak, has since become {{iconic|Outfit}}, at the time of the first film's release it was just an ordinary Halloween costume sold at every store, one that made the killer truly anonymous -- i.e. the reason why a SerialKiller trying to conceal his or her identity might wear one. While Ghostface does have a [[WeaponSpecialization weapon of choice]] (a hunting knife) and a general preference for melee weapons like any proper slasher villain, he's also a CombatPragmatist who isn't above [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim using guns when necessary]]. The FinalGirl Sidney goes out of her way to make sure that the killer [[NotQuiteDead won't get back up for one last scare]], [[spoiler:by standing over his body and [[BoomHeadshot putting one between the eyes]] the moment he opens them. This last part is notable because, unlike other slasher sequels where [[BackFromTheDead the killer returns unharmed]] from a fatal blow, the original Ghostface [[KilledOffForReal stays dead]] and becomes a LegacyCharacter, with [[JackTheRipoff copycats]] and [[AvengingTheVillain vengeful]] [[BigScrewedUpFamily relatives]] taking up the mask in the sequels.]] |
| 123 | * ''Film/TheBurbs'' deconstructs the NosyNeighbor, and subverts it in the end. |
| 124 | * ''Film/NationalSecurity'' did this for cop action flicks. Martin Lawrence's character seems to think he's on ''Film/BadBoys1995''. |
| 125 | * ''Film/TheOtherGuys'' for [[BuddyCopShow Buddy Cop]] movies, with some CowboyCop thrown in. The pair of [[CowboyCop Cowboy Cops]] [[spoiler:leap off a roof in pursuit of criminals, and [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome die pretty early.]]]] Meanwhile, the protagonists are partners, but hate each other, one wants to be a CowboyCop but is terrible at it, and the crime they are pursuing is financial, rather than a high-stakes robbery or murder. |
| 126 | * ''Film/MeanGirls'' sets up [[ClicheStorm a standard teen movie formula]]: the poor heroine has her social life ruined by the AlphaBitch and her GirlPosse, and loses the guy of her dreams, so she sets out to make things right and get her revenge. When she accomplishes this, you get to watch the lead popular girl's life fall apart as her illusion that everybody liked her is shattered... and then the heroine takes her place in the social ladder, ignoring her original friends [[FaceHeelTurn and becoming just as mean herself]]. The former AlphaBitch, meanwhile, goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge that nearly wrecks the whole school. The clearest turning point is when it's overtly pointed out by one of the heroine's friends that the guy has left the bully, but still doesn't want her (or, for that matter, want anything to do with the whole mess), and yet she's still trying to ruin the once-popular girl's life. When the TitleDrop finally rolls around, it refers to the protagonist. |
| 127 | * ''Film/{{Heathers}}'', in the [[BlackComedy absolute darkest sense]] of the word "parody," putting some brutal twists on perceptions of teenage society and violence. |
| 128 | %%* ''Film/LastActionHero'' did this to 1980s and early '90s action movies. |
| 129 | * Santa Claus movies [[ParentalBonus aimed at adults as well as children]] usually attempt to deconstruct the Santa mythos/iconography; for example ''Film/FredClaus'' implies Santa has a bad sex life due to his weight. Movies intended for adults only go even further: ''Film/BadSanta'' is about a MallSanta who's a cursing, womanizing con-man. |
| 130 | * ''Film/MysteryTeam'' is this for stories such as ''Literature/EncyclopediaBrown'' and ''Literature/TheHardyBoys.'' The movie is sort of a less reverent ''Theatre/DogSeesGod'' in that it shows what would happen when such characters are placed in the real world. |
| 131 | * ''Film/TuckerAndDaleVsEvil'' does this for HillbillyHorrors by making the ''hillbillies'' the heroic protagonists. The college kids only ''think'' that the GoodOlBoy main characters are evil, and end up killing themselves in BloodyHilarious ways through their own stupidity, [[spoiler:before one of them (the guy who would otherwise be the male hero in a typical slasher film) goes AxCrazy out of prejudice against the hillbillies]]. |
| 132 | * ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'' is a deconstruction of not only horror films, but horror filmmaking and fandom, [[spoiler: with the evil gods who demand bloody entertainment that conforms to established cliches taking the place of the audience.]] |
| 133 | * ''Film/TropicThunder'' is a parody (whether it's affectionate or a poisonous Valentine is up for debate) of the filmmaking process itself and the cliche sort of people involved (the hothead producer, the [[PrimaDonnaDirector eager but inexperienced director]], the takes-himself-seriously consultant, the pyro guy, the [[ThePrimaDonna prima donna actor]], the agent, the [[StuntCasting rapper trying his hand at acting]], the LowestCommonDenominator comedy actor [[TomHanksSyndrome trying to do serious drama]]...), in most cases by casting people that partially fill those roles in real life as the respective characters in the film. It loosely parodies ''Film/ApocalypseNow'' and its famously TroubledProduction as well. |
| 134 | * ''Film/{{Ted}}'' is pretty much ''Toy Story'' (the first one) mixed with ''Pinocchio'' and deconstructed with all the humour one would find in a Creator/SethMacFarlane production (namely ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''). What happens if a young boy makes a wish to have his favourite toy come to life? The wish comes true, of course, but ''Ted'' shows what happens when the boy and his cuddly toy companion grow into adulthood. Mostly concerning widespread media coverage, the complicated relationship issues which arise from a woman wanting more from [[ManChild a man who still sleeps with his teddy bear despite him being in his thirties]], and the fact that Ted has spent his whole life living off others and has consequently never had a job or even learned to live on his own, so when he actually does need to find work, all he he can manage is a piss-poor cashier job at a crappy downtown grocery store. |
| 135 | * The short film ''[[http://vimeo.com/51541324 The Sleepover]]'' is this to {{slasher movie}}s, particularly slasher franchises, by showing what life is like in between movies when the town has gotten used to having masked slashers constantly coming back. Kids are told to double-check under their beds and in their closets for killers, one needs firearms and martial arts training to get [[BadlyBatteredBabysitter a babysitting license]], there exists a three-step rule for escaping slashers, and everybody is armed with at least a knife. |
| 136 | * ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' started out as a satirical story called ''Bug Hunt'' before it was tied to [[Literature/StarshipTroopers the novel]]. Paul Verhoeven hated the novel and felt it had a lot of fascistic elements (a ''very'' hotly debated assessment), so he made the film an outright parody of the novel, the ''Series/WhyWeFight'' WWII propaganda films, and jingoistic warmongering and fascism in general through deconstructing the entire premise. The inhuman enemy that is "Othered" are [[BugWar literally inhuman monsters]], even moreso than in the novel. The militaristic society makes the humans so complacent in their superiority that they refuse to even consider the enemy to be intelligent after the Bugs attack them with a ColonyDrop from across the galaxy. They try to use [[HollywoodTactics horrendous military tactics]] and their forces are completely slaughtered. The humans only seem like heroes because of the propaganda-like tone of the film itself. The viewer is encouraged to join the Mobile Infantry because every soldier is needed. Yet despite all that, it's done in such an over-the-top fashion that [[MisaimedFandom most viewers don't even realize the parodic intent and cheer the humans on as if it were a straight-up action movie]]. |
| 137 | * ''Film/PainAndGain'': Of UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream. Daniel Lugo and his fellow conspirators are not [[SelfMadeMan Self-Made Men]] who worked hard to achieve the high life, but a bunch of roided-up StupidCrooks who attempt to kidnap, steal, murder, and bullshit their way to the top, and fall from it just as quickly because of their own short-sightnedness and mistakes. Even their victim, who is really the closest to embodying the American Dream, as he worked two jobs in college and now owns a modestly succesful pizza business, is a massive {{Jerkass}}. The film even has most of the visual excess (shot like some of the cheesier music videos of the day) during scenes where Daniel discusses what he thinks the dream is. |
| 138 | * ''Deep in the Valley'' is a PornWithPlot sex comedy where a NiceGuy and his sleazy BromanticFoil get [[TrappedInTVLand trapped in the world of adult films]]. It plays with a lot of stereotypical porn roles, and even features a love interest who's tired of constant casual sex and who wants a meaningful relationship. |
| 139 | * ''[[Film/{{Neighbors 2014}} Neighbors]]'': |
| 140 | ** Of the [[WackyFratboyHijinx frat boy comedies]] that Creator/SethRogen starred in. Namely, it shows how reasonable people would act surrounded by characters from these movies, and how the frat guys who engage in it are pathetic, petty [[ManChild Man-Children]] who are unwilling to accept maturity. |
| 141 | ** It also deconstructs TheStoner, with the characters' (both the Radners' and the frat boys') habitual use of both weed and weed jokes with their friends depicted as a major sign of their inability to grow up and let go of their GloryDays. |
| 142 | * ''Film/TheVoices'' is one to the comedy subgenre "guy talks with his pets". Jerry, the hero, is obviously insane, his talks with his pets seem to be hallucinated, his cat is a sociopath, [[spoiler: his home is actually an horrible filthy den that he usually sees beautiful and clean thanks to his hallucinations]], and [[spoiler: he eventually becomes a serial killer thanks to a chain of disasters including the accidental murder of his crush after giving a mercy kill to a deer that requested it (ItMakesSenseInContext)]]. The movie is also very funny, thanks to the dialogs with the pets. |
| 143 | * ''Film/TowerHeist'' is one for heist movies. Only ''one'' member of the crew is a criminal, and he's a petty one at that. The big heist gets messed up ''before it even starts''. |
| 144 | * Jack Burton of ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina'' is a Deconstructive Parody of the AllAmericanFace. Burton sports a Creator/JamesDean pompadour and drawls like Creator/JohnWayne, but lives up to these iconic images of American masculinity with less than perfect aplomb. Overconfident and always slightly behind the information curve, his bombast sometimes pays off, but more often makes him the butt of a slapstick gag. For a light comic performance, Creator/KurtRussell walks a very precise tightrope, giving Jack a puppyish quality that redeems his made-in-America arrogance. The audience roots for him to succeed, and to be taken down a peg or two along the way. |
| 145 | * ''Film/BlazingSaddles'' took ''everything'' from the American Western genre, a couple dozen more from every other genre of American film, and proceeded to nuke them (particularly [[ValuesDissonance the racist elements]]) in a way that only Creator/MelBrooks and Creator/RichardPryor could manage. It was almost two decades before anyone took the Western seriously again. |
| 146 | * ''Film/Ghostbusters1984'' does this to supernatural horror, particularly the [[HunterOfMonsters ghost/demon hunters]] who often come in to save the day. The titular protagonists aren't out specifically to prove the existence of the supernatural or protect people from the forces of evil, the way that the exorcists and paranormal investigators in many horror films are. Sure, that is part of their job description, but what they ''really'' care about is [[OnlyInItForTheMoney getting paid for it]], with a dash of ForScience added. They're framed as {{working class hero}}es and small business owners (they get fired from Columbia University at the start of the film), their uniforms based on those of exterminators and their equipment and home base meant to recall firefighters. And speaking of their equipment, they have little use for ancient traditions when it comes to fighting these monsters, instead relying on their own [[MagicVersusScience state-of-the-art technology]] to do the job. |
| 147 | * ''Film/ReadyOrNot2019'' does this to the HuntingTheMostDangerousGame plot. A wealthy family is hunting an unarmed woman through their mansion as part of a twisted game... except they're [[UpperClassTwit Upper-Class Twits]] who barely know what they're doing, and even the more competent ones are too apathetic or out-of-practice to be as threatening as they could be. |
| 148 | * ''Film/TheBalladOfBusterScruggs'' uses the title character to do this to the classic Roy Rogers-style singing cowboy archetype, generally seen as one of the more "innocent" WesternCharacters when compared to the grimmer and darker AntiHero gunslingers who followed him. Turns out, however, that when you drop a brightly dressed and irrepressibly cheerful fellow with a song into his heart into a realistic-style western, and have him casually blow people away with lightning fast ImprobableAimingSkills but keep the actual consequences of those skills (i.e. messy holes in people's bodies) intact, he turns into a terrifying sociopath. After all, say what you will about Creator/LeeVanCleef in ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'', at least he didn't burst into a cheery musical number after shooting someone's fingers off before blowing his brains out. |
| 149 | * ''Film/BurnAfterReading'' is this to SpyFiction in general. The Franchise/JamesBond-esque super spy is actually just a self-important, [[JadedWashout washout]] data analyst who is writing [[CompromisingMemoirs a puffed-up memoir]] after an early retirement, the supposed conspiracy is [[{{Mockspiracy}} really]] a completely pointless GambitPileUp kicked off by a dumb mistake, the civilians drawn into the world of espionage are [[UnknownRival irrelevant]] idiots who have clearly [[IKnowMortalKombat watched too many spy movies]], and none of the actual power players like the CIA or the Russians care one iota about any of it, preferring to [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain forget the whole mess even happened]]. |
| 150 | * ''Film/GalaxyQuest'' is an obviously loving parody of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' in which actors end up on a real spaceship modeled after the one in their show. Things start out shaky but by the end [[BecomingTheMask they're coping beautifully]]. |
| 151 | * ''Film/{{Brazil}}'' is one for {{Dystopia}}n fiction like ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' and ''Literature/BraveNewWorld''. While Sam Lowry lives in a world that is equal parts totalitarian bureaucracy and vapid consumerist orgy, most of it is played for laughs and the track record of the dystopian superstate isn't that impressive. The plot of the film hinges on an insect causing a single computer error that results in an innocent man being arrested by the SecretPolice, none of the institutions are willing to admit their mistake which the main character attempts in vain to correct, and the fugitive RebelLeader is a dapper scoundrel who can easily subvert the State. At the end, [[spoiler:Sam permanently escapes the dystopia by just going into his HappyPlace]]. |
| 152 | * ''Film/TheCableGuy'' was a departure for Creator/JimCarrey's A-list vehicles in that the title character is more or less who a character like Film/AceVentura -- a motormouthed {{Trickster}} who's extremely physical, outgoing and constantly dropping pop culture references -- would be in a realistic setting, as opposed to an eccentric adventure-heavy world. The Cable Guy constantly needs to be the center of attention, and is annoying, manipulative, and ''mentally unstable'' owing to a lifetime of being brought up by television, resulting in a BlackComedy that shades into horror territory. |
| 153 | * ''Film/TheReturnOfTheLivingDead'' was the deconstructive parody of the zombie movie. The main characters are a gang of punks who revel in nihilism and seem to be the kind of characters who would thrive in an apocalyptic scenario. That is until a zombie plague breaks out, and they are just as defenseless as everybody else. The movie also points out the reality of how unstoppable an ''undead'' menace would actually be. Burt and Ernie try to stop a zombie by [[RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain removing its head]], but the result is just a headless zombie chasing them. Even completely [[BurnTheUndead incinerating its body in a furnace]] causes the fumes to rain down on a graveyard and resurrect every corpse inside it. The logic of a zombie's very existence means that there shouldn't be an easy way to "kill them" anyway like in other zombie fiction. |
| 154 | [[/folder]] |
| 155 | |
| 156 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 157 | * ''Literature/DonQuixote'' is most likely the TropeMaker, parodying the chivalric romance genre by showing what would happen if a crazy fanboy actually tried to be a knight errant in a mundane, often cynical setting where things like magic, free lodging for knights, and courtly love don’t actually work. |
| 158 | * The ''Literature/SirAproposOfNothing'' books are like this of fantasy, part of the time. The other parts are a more of a straight deconstruction. |
| 159 | * Several of the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' books, for fantasy and [[DeconstructorFleet whatever other genres]] Creator/TerryPratchett feels like. |
| 160 | ** The first two books are split into multiple sections, each of which targets a specific fantasy genre/author. There are pastiches of ''Literature/ConanTheBarbarian'', ''Literature/FafhrdAndTheGrayMouser'', the ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' novels (complete with idiosyncratic punctuation in the middle of names, in Pratchett's case), and the Franchise/CthulhuMythos, just to name a few. |
| 161 | ** ''Literature/{{Hogfather}}'': the series deconstructs Pascal's wager (the notion that it is existentially safer to believe in God than not to) with Ventre, an Expy of Pascal, dying and waking up in a circle of gods holding nasty-looking sticks and one of them said, "We're going to show you what we think of Mr Clever Dick in these parts..." |
| 162 | ** ''Literature/SmallGods'' is one of these for extremist religions, ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}'' is one for ''Literature/LesMiserables'', and many of the Witches and Tiffany Aching novels are this for fairy tales in general. |
| 163 | ** And ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'' to ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', and the idea that the Phantom being dashing and romantic means the fact he kills people for petty reasons isn't a big deal. |
| 164 | * Creator/StephenFry's ''The Stars' Tennis Balls'' (or ''Revenge'' in America) is a modern retelling of ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'' that is like this in respect to the original novel. While it's partly a parody of the original (as seen in giving the characters names that are are anagrams/plays on the original -- like calling the equivalent of Mercedes Portia), it totally deconstructs the idea that the behavior Dantes engaged in when taking revenge could be seen as just in any way. It does this by making the enemies more sympathetic and the revenge DarkerAndEdgier, and the ultimate feeling you get is that, rather than being sympathetic or at least a MagnificentBastard, the Dantes-equivalent is a petty and cruel SmugSnake. |
| 165 | * Some literary scholars say [[Creator/EdgarAllanPoe The Fall Of The House Of Usher]] is a parody of Gothic Horror, what with Roderick Usher being infected with a disease that heightens his senses making him (and the reader) [[UnreliableNarrator believe the house is scarier than it really is]]. |
| 166 | * The ''Barry Trotter'' series has elements of this (for example, its version of Quidditch). |
| 167 | * Creator/RobertAHeinlein: |
| 168 | ** ''Literature/GloryRoad'' is super hilarious, but at the same time deconstructs the whole TheHero + DamselInDistress + MacGuffin + StandardHeroReward thing. |
| 169 | ** ''Literature/TheNumberOfTheBeast'' does this for early 20th-Century Adventure novels. ''Literature/JohnCarterOfMars'' is specifically mentioned in the novel several times. |
| 170 | * ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' series is this for the Sci-Fi genre. The BigGood is just some guy who happens to be friends with an alien, the evil empire style characters are a bunch of [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy horrible marksmen]] whose deadliest weapon is their horrendous poetry, and the RobotBuddy is a rude, paranoid, and clincally depressed DeadpanSnarker. |
| 171 | ** It's more specifically one of these for ''Series/DoctorWho'', which Douglas Adams was a script editor on at the time he wrote the first book. Particularly, it deals with the concept of a mild-mannered Earth person being taken off into a HumanAlien, BBCQuarry-filled version of space as the companion of an oddball, bohemian alien traveller in a stolen time-travelling ship by showing just how [[CrapsackWorld boring, depressing and hopeless]] a universe like that would be to travel in. There are two separate duos with a Doctor-and-companion dynamic: Arthur and Ford, and Trillian and Zaphod. In the case of the first two, Arthur only leaves for space because his home, where he'd rather be, has been destroyed, he almost constantly moans about how much he'd prefer to be there, and both characters have very little idea of what's going on. The one time Arthur does enjoy space travel is the first time he lands on Magrathea, which everyone else thinks is a dump. In the case of the latter two, Zaphod's egotistical, flaky personality, extremely high intelligence and [[AttentionWhore constant attention-seeking]] isn't redeemed by heroism, like in the case of the Doctor - while there is more depth to him than appears at first, he is every bit as selfish and unempathetic as someone who acted like the Doctor would have to be in real life. Also, unlike the Doctor, who constantly took [[ParentService sexy, clever Earth girl companions with him]] but was written [[NoHuggingNoKissing relatively asexual during Adams's tenure]] due to the show being [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids at least nominally]] for children, Zaphod's sexy, clever Earth girl companion is specifically noted to be a hot girl he picked up at a party for her looks. |
| 172 | * Creator/JohnScalzi's book ''Literature/{{Redshirts}}'' relentlessly spoofs ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', starting with deconstructing the entire concept of the RedShirt by making the random ensigns who in ''TOS'' would be {{Red Shirt}}s the ''protagonists''. The tagline of the book is, "They were expendable ... until they started comparing notes." Early on Scalzi makes fun of the idea that the command crew is always on away missions by putting a navigator on the team to study a plague. When he gets infected, Scalzi pokes fun at ''Star Trek's'' habitual {{technobabble}} by telling the viewpoint character that they need a counter-bacterial, with said character wondering why they don't just call it a vaccine. And that's just the first 40 pages. |
| 173 | * Umberto Eco's ''Literature/FoucaultsPendulum'' is this to conspiracy theories and literature based on them. |
| 174 | * Creator/JaneAusten's earlier works ''Literature/LoveAndFreindship'' and ''Literature/NorthangerAbbey'' parodied melodramas and gothic romances respectively. |
| 175 | * Caitlin R. Kiernan's ''Blood Oranges'' does this for UrbanFantasy. |
| 176 | * The novelisation of DevelopmentHell ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Shada" parody-deconstructs the treatment of young human female companions in the series. When the Doctor charges into the room of GenreSavvy science student Clare to use her as TheWatson despite her impressive intelligence, she [[MagneticHero finds herself bowled over by his force of personality]] and starts [[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality doing what he wants because that just feels like what she ought to do]], while constantly noting in her internal monologue that [[LampshadeHanging her actions are nonsensical]]. She also realises that she keeps acting like a NeutralFemale despite that not being her normal personality, and so the third time a male character orders her to sit tight and stay out of trouble, she snaps, and decides she's going to take the story OffTheRails and solve the mystery on her own. Her attempts to do so lead to her communicating with the dead Professor Chronotis, absorbing Time Lord knowledge of TARDIS flight and rescuing her love interest, Chris - who keeps noting in ''his'' internal monologue that he keeps acting "girly" and "clueless" so the Doctor can explain things to ''him''. |
| 177 | * Creator/JoWalton's ''Literature/ToothAndClaw'' deconstructs the assumptions and tropes of Victorian novels by the likes of Creator/AnthonyTrollope by displaying an alien society in which they actually make sense. |
| 178 | * Robert Barr's ''[[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19369/19369-h/19369-h.htm The Triumphs of Eugène Valmont]]'' deconstruct the tropes of Literature/SherlockHolmes and [[FollowTheLeader his many imitators]]. Valmont is a brilliant detective who's prepared to go beyond the law to get his man; in one story this ends with the criminal in question pointing out that since Valmont has no official standing and his evidence was obtained illegally, there's no way the police would even make an arrest, let alone bring the case to court. |
| 179 | * ''Literature/PinotNoir'' is primarily a wacky deconstruction of action B-flicks and WideOpenSandbox video games, amping up the insanity of certain action tropes for comedy, while presenting a protagonist in a crapsack city who only kills because he wants some sleep. |
| 180 | * ''Literature/TheHeroWhoReturnedRemainsTheStrongestInTheModernWorld'': |
| 181 | ** Kaguya is one of the archetypical {{Tsundere}}. She treats Daiki like dirt at first, insulting him repeatedly to his face and hoping to never see his face again until he realizes the immense power he's hiding. It also becomes blatantly clear that Kaguya's AlphaBitch personality is genuine, but it's also deprived [[FriendlessBackground her of a proper social life.]] Because of this, [[NoSocialSkills she's completely clueless socially]] and [[IJustWantToHaveFriends jumps at the opportunity to become message buddies with Daiki]], quickly escalating to phone sex to his disgust and bewilderment. Daiki ends up more annoyed with her antics than anything, but in the few moments where she's being 100% sincere and thankful to him, he and the audience can see that she's beautiful and is genuinely in love with him. |
| 182 | ** Lela is one to the ForeignExchangeStudent. Lela is a Finnish-French-Russian-Japanese exchange student who quickly becomes the talk of the class due to her exotic looks and eccentric personality. But it's obvious that she has no idea how to conduct herself in proper Japanese society due to hopping all over the world as a ChurchMilitant monster assassin for the Vatican. Daiki finds her calling him "Master" for outclassing her so badly more exhausting and her loud, haughty personality doesn't win her any points with the equally proud Kaguya. |
| 183 | * ''Literature/KonoSuba'' does this to the light novel subgenre where an [[TrappedInAnotherWorld ordinary person is transported or reincarnated to an RPG-like world]], and [=RPGs=] to a lesser extent. The protagonists of these novels usually thrive in the new world, have a [[NewLifeInAnotherWorldBonus powerful cheat item or ability]], and even gain a [[BattleHarem harem party to boot]], but this trend doesn't seem to apply for Kazuma. This hapless protagonist gets stuck in a CrapsackWorld with very little RPG amenities, chooses a cheat item in the form of an insufferable goddess, has two party members who exaggerate their job class in both abilities and personality, etc. As a result, what would have been a grand adventure turns into a sitcom where the party can barely make ends meet. |
| 184 | * ''[[Literature/TheScumVillainsSelfSavingSystemRenZhaFanpaiZijiuXitong The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System]]'': |
| 185 | ** The series regularly pokes fun at the conventions of transmigration/isekai works, with Shen Qingqiu constantly arguing with the in-universe 'System' that keeps track of his 'Badass Points' and inflicts often blatantly unfair point penalties if he deviates too far from the work's original plot and cussing out the author every time he runs afoul of something he considers to have been bad writing or shameless pandering fanservice in the original novel. At the same time, it also has more serious scenes that show how the transmigrated Shen Qingqiu discovrs that reading and criticizing a story is much different from actually having to live through the story and getting to know the characters he had dismissed as just canon fodder in his readthrough as real people he comes to genuinely care for, as well as how his assumptions from reading the original novel causes him to have some major blind spots about how the story and his characters are no longer the same as the ones he read about, especially in regards to the novel's protagonist Luo Binghe. |
| 186 | ** Luo Binghe serves as both a parody and deconstruction of male power fantasy GaryStu protagonists. On the light-hearted parody side, the series repeatedly lampoons how his protagonist PlotArmor is so indestructible that {{Contrived Coincidence}}s will occur just to make sure he never dies and how the story warps around his character so much that its System literally won't let Shen Qingqiu progress until he makes sure that Binghe will experience all the plot events he needs to go through to unlock his absurdly powerful abilities. On the more serious deconstruction side, it's shown that all these plot events Binghe had to go through to become an overpowered lord -- including being betrayed by his teacher and spending at least three years undergoing TrainingFromHell in another world -- [[BreakTheCutie left him with deep emotional scars]] that his powers can't compensate for and that having all the powerups, martial victories, and harem sex in the world does not necessarily equal happiness, with one of the canonical extras showing that the Binghe who never formed a harem and gave up his sword but found love with another man is far happier than the original Binghe who leads a lonely, loveless life even with hundreds of allies and harem members at his beck and call. |
| 187 | * Creator/TEDKlein's work serves as this for the CosmicHorrorStory. While the core themes of the genre tend to be played straight, a lot of tropes are frequently subverted, subtly satirized, or turned on their head. |
| 188 | [[/folder]] |
| 189 | |
| 190 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 191 | * ''Series/{{Boris}}'', being a series about a troupe making a TV series, criticizes and mocks in a very humouristic way Italian fictional works of the 90's and the 2000's and all their associated tropes, often on a meta level, showing why said tropes happen in these kind of fictional works, as well as the entire Italian television industry. |
| 192 | * ''Series/TheGreatestAmericanHero'' does this with ComicBook {{Superhero}}es. |
| 193 | * Before that, in the 1960s, there was ''Captain Nice'' (NBC) and ''Mr. Terrific'' (CBS), both which were made to capitalize on the ''Series/Batman1966'' craze at the time. |
| 194 | * For that matter, the first season of ''Series/Batman1966'' was itself one of these, as was ''Film/BatmanTheMovie''. In the pilot, the Riddler tricks Batman into falsely arresting him so he can make a FrivolousLawsuit for a million dollars, exposing Batman’s SecretIdentity. The second episode shows the Penguin taking advantage of Batman’s BatDeduction to commit crimes. Mr. Freeze is pretty cunning. ''Batman The Movie'' ends lampshading ReedRichardsIsUseless when Batman refuses Robin’s idea to alter the personalities of the world leaders for the betterment of the world (and then exactly that happens). The next two seasons suffer great SeasonalRot and were examples of IndecisiveParody. |
| 195 | * This was a staple of ''Series/ChappellesShow''. |
| 196 | ** "Dude's Night Out" was a more realistic beer commercial. Their activities included getting into barfights (and losing), defecating in public, and having sex with transvestite prostitutes. |
| 197 | ** The "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong" skits show why "gangsta" behavior is usually a bad idea. |
| 198 | ** Don't forget the "realistic" versions of movies like ''Film/PrettyWoman.'' |
| 199 | * ''Series/{{Community}}'' takes its basic sitcom premise and uses it mock and toy with as many genres and storytelling tropes as possible. |
| 200 | * ''Series/DerryGirls'': The episode [[Recap/DerryGirlsS2E2 "Ms De Brún and the Child of Prague"]] is a deconstruction of "inspirational teacher" movies like ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety''. It's demonstrated that the qualities that make someone a CoolTeacher don't necessarily make them a ''good'' teacher. Ms De Brún inviting the gang around to her house in the evening is rightly called out as inappropriate. Her laidback attitude comes across as a BlitheSpirit, until it's ultimately revealed to be because she's just an ApatheticTeacher. She ends up quitting this job for a better one rather than being forced out by {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s as would be expected in such a film. |
| 201 | * ''Series/{{Glee}}'' is this to ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'', when it's not being ''High School Musical'' done right. |
| 202 | -->'''Rachel:''' There is NOTHING ironic about show choir! |
| 203 | * ''Series/TheGoodGuys'' does this to the idea of the CowboyCop and other action-movie tropes. (It was created by Matt Nix, the creator of ''Series/BurnNotice''.) The cop in question is an older detective -- paired with a young, ByTheBookCop -- who's mentally stuck in TheEighties, unable to adjust to changed police methods or even basic fashion. The only reason he's even still on the force is that he rescued a VIP some time ago, at the cost of his partner having a nervous breakdown when he forced him to jump from one moving car to another, a typical cop-movie stunt. At the end of the first episode, they're both dressed down for the dozens of rules of police procedure they managed to break--including ArmedAltruism, BTW--and he asks when they're getting their medal. And all of it is played for laughs. |
| 204 | ** And again with the GutFeeling in a later episode. [[spoiler:The feeling is correct, but the bulk of the police force thinks ''they'' were catching the bad guys. What they've actually got are the decoys(who thought ''they'' were the only bank robbers), and the real thieves see our heroes at their intended target and flee. With no '''evidence''', Jack and Dan's boss chalks it all up to Dan's crazy rubbing off on Jack.]] |
| 205 | * ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' |
| 206 | ** The show as a whole is a deconstruction of formularic sitcoms like ''Series/{{Friends}}'' and ''Series/{{Cheers}}''. It points out how a self-centered group like that would constantly drag each other down, bring out each other's very worst sides, and uses continuity to show how they slowly ruin the lives of people along the way and constantly stunt and prevent each other's occasional attempts at improving themselves. Dennis, in particular, tackles TheCasanova by having his actions involve emotionally manipulating women to the point of approaching outright ''rape.'' Charlie also takes TheDitz to extremes by having an unspecified disorder and showing how, despite being probably the nicest member of the gang overall, is still dangerous and reckless as a result. The show's original title, ''It's Always Sunny on Television'', would have made the deconstruction more overt. |
| 207 | ** "The Gang Hit the Slopes" mocks 1980s ski slope sex-comedies by showing how disturbing guys leering after nude women all the time is and what happens when those "cool kids" grow up into even more skeevy adults. |
| 208 | * [[Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook Mitchell and Webb]] as a couple who are sick of having Film/JamesBond show up at their parties. |
| 209 | -->'''Webb:''' It's Moneypenny I feel sorry for. Did you see when I was going around with the voddy?\ |
| 210 | '''Mitchell:''' What?\ |
| 211 | '''Webb:''' Well, I said to Moneypenny, "Can you manage another finger in there?", meaning --\ |
| 212 | '''Mitchell:''' Finger of vodka in her glass of drink.\ |
| 213 | '''Webb:''' Exactly!\ |
| 214 | '''Mitchell:''' Self-explanatory.\ |
| 215 | '''Webb:''' Yeah! And then ''James'' starts rolling his eyes like he's having some sort of ''stroke'' and says, ''"Oh, you can always get another finger inside Moneypenny!"''\ |
| 216 | '''Mitchell:''' HE SAID ''WHAT''?\ |
| 217 | '''Webb:''' Literally did not know where to look. |
| 218 | ** Later on in this sketch he brutally attacks someone for an offhand comment and then [[BondOneLiner makes a trademark quip]] about it. The outrage is as much about the fact that the quip wasn't very good as that he threw someone out of a window. |
| 219 | ** They did a similar dialogue with Franchise/ScoobyDoo. |
| 220 | --->'''Webb:''' It's a shame, because he's clearly invested so much time in teaching that dog to talk and it just can't.\ |
| 221 | '''Mitchell:''' Whereas the dog's nephew actually talks quite well.\ |
| 222 | '''Webb:''' A little precocious though, isn't he?\ |
| 223 | '''Mitchell:''' Yes, but I think one can forgive that of a ''talking dog''. |
| 224 | ** In another sketch that [[AffectionateParody parodies]] ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'': |
| 225 | --->'''Agent''': And Suave? Good luck.\ |
| 226 | '''Suave:''' I won't need luck.\ |
| 227 | '''Agent:''' ''[{{beat}}] You're going to a casino.''\ |
| 228 | '''Suave:''' ''[realization]'' Oh God, yes, that's right! |
| 229 | ** ''Coverage of People Buying a House and Then Living In It'' deconstructs property shows like ''Location, Location, Location'' by demonstrating that without flashy editing tricks and a loudly enthusiastic host, there is nothing whatsoever exciting about televising the process of buying a home and then renovating it. Both the host and the participant clearly find the whole premise utterly mundane and cannot bring themselves to feign any kind of enthusiasm for making a TV show about it. |
| 230 | --->'''Host:''' So, to sum up, Geoff, who you don't know, has bought a house and is now living in it, having put up some shelves, and I think we can all agree that that's basically a good thing. |
| 231 | ** The Conspiracy Theory sketches parody popular conspiracies around such matters as the Moon Landing, the death of Princess Diana and the Roswell landings by framing them around three secret agents sitting around a table actually planning them out in exactly the way people theorise they happened, and thus showing how utterly nonsensical they actually are. To the point where at times even the agents themselves point out that what they're planning doesn't seem to really make sense. |
| 232 | * ''Series/TheLateLateShow'': Instead of having a talk show sidekick to laugh at the host's jokes and spout the occasional catchphrase, the show has Geoff Peterson, a [[RobotBuddy robot]] that laughs at the host's jokes and spouts the occasional catchphrase. |
| 233 | -->'''Geoff:''' Balls! |
| 234 | * Can a court case be deconstructed? If so, then ''Series/TheColbertReport''[='=]s Colbert [=SuperPAC=] is playing every aspect of the Citizens United case to its logical extreme for as many laughs as possible, while making a mockery of the US political system. Even more brilliantly, by ''actually creating'' a political action committee, he basically conscripted Viacom and the Federal Election Commission into the joke against their will. He does things so ridiculous that they have to respond, then shows that the laws support what he just did. Maybe one of the finest real life deconstructions ever done. |
| 235 | * The television career of popular UK comedy duo Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer revolves around deconstructive parodies of light entertainment. Reeves' career began in comedy clubs as a surreal exaggeration of the kind of versatile all-round entertainers who had flourished in the 1960s and 1970s, a la Bruce Forsyth and Des O'Connor. This continued with ''Series/VicReevesBigNightOut'', a deconstruction of television variety shows, and the sketch show The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer. Shooting Stars was a deconstruction of celebrity panel games, and the duo's subsequent career has mined the same path. |
| 236 | * ''Series/AdamRuinsEverything'' is a {{Deconstruction}} of the EdutainmentShow. Why does Adam spent his time bothering people with better things to do? Because he's a friendless know-it-all without better things to do who tries to make friends. And while the people Adam lectures may learn something useful, they don't grow to care for Adam as a human being. The show itself mocks various conventions of the society, like how forensic science, despite what a ForensicDrama will show, is deeply flawed, or how medical shows like ''Series/TheDoctorOzShow'' are constantly feeding people misinformation about health. |
| 237 | * Thad Castle from ''Series/BlueMountainState'' is one of they typical JerkJock with TestosteronePoisoning. His actions and behavior are not that much out of the ordinary for the character type, but Thad pushes it further and further to the point where early on you can tell that he's ''dangerously insane''. |
| 238 | * ''Scream After Dark'', the aftershow to Creator/{{MTV}}'s ''Series/ScreamTheTVSeries'', is this to {{talk show}}s like ''[[Series/TheWalkingDead Talking Dead]]'', ''[[Series/GameOfThrones After the Thrones]]'', and ''[[Series/OrphanBlack After the Black]]'' that come right after popular TV shows, where a group of panelists discuss the events of the latest episode together with some of the cast and crew providing behind-the-scenes details. So, you think that these shows are nothing but frivolous behind-the-scenes trivia that doesn't really deepen one's understanding of the latest episode, and only serves as more promotional material? Well, ''Scream After Dark'' features ''made-up'' trivia designed to paint the cast and crew in the most unflattering light possible. The writing process is portrayed as throwing darts at a board to decide who to kill off this week, then spinning a wheel to decide where that person dies. The acting process is shown in detail, with two of the show's stars reading from a canned script for character reactions to recent deaths, one that is [[RecycledScript recycled over and over]] with minor variations each time someone dies. Lead actress Willa Fitzgerald gives a set tour that degenerates into an [[SoapboxSadie ill-informed rant]] about war and politics. The behind-the-scenes look at the actors' relationships portrays them as secretly hating one another. And it's all PlayedForLaughs. |
| 239 | * The ''Series/AllThat'' sketch "Have a Nice Day with Leroy and Fuzz" was this to edutainment shows like ''Series/SesameStreet'', namely by showing how a normal kid (Leroy) would react to having to deal with an annoying puppet character championing things that children tend to despise like homework and doing chores. |
| 240 | * The ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcEylCwkSxE December to Remember]]" sketch parodies car commercials that suggest surprising your loved ones with a car for the holidays. A husband gifts his wife a Lexus, only making her furious that he bought a car without asking her, revealing that he doesn't know the complexities of buying a car beyond what they say in the commercial. |
| 241 | -->'''Kathy''': How much did you spend on this ridiculous car, Nathan?\ |
| 242 | '''Nathan''': It was only $3,999 due at signing. Four grand! It's not that much, babe!\ |
| 243 | '''Kathy''': And what about the monthly payment?\ |
| 244 | '''Nathan''': ''[{{beat}}]'' The what? |
| 245 | [[/folder]] |
| 246 | |
| 247 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 248 | * Music/TenaciousD once applied the deconstructive parody approach to AuthorTract music. After taking over "City Hall", the D are rulers of the world. They issue absurd decrees that show they really are the wrong sort of minds to make big, important world decisions. "From now on we'll travel in TUBES!" |
| 249 | * [[WebVideo/AutoTuneTheNews The Gregory Brothers]] song "DJ Play My Song (No, Leave Me Alone)" spoofs the ExhortTheDiscJockeySong by raising the question of what kind of person would make repeated demands of the DJ in such a hyperbolic manner, disregarding his opinions, those of the other patrons, and the club's policies. And what this person must be like once the club closes. It doesn't end well for the DJ. |
| 250 | * Music/MaddieAndTae's song "Girl in a Country Song" is this to the "bro-country" style of country music. Most bro-country songs have lyrics about hot women, trucks, beer, and partying; "Girl in a Country Song" is sung from the perspective of a woman who's sick of being objectified in those kinds of songs. The singer says that anyone who asks her to "slide on over" is going to get a slap, that wearing the kind of {{Stripperiffic}} clothes seen in bro-country videos is really uncomfortable, that she has a name that isn't "pretty little thing", and that "George Strait never did it this way back in the old days" of country music. |
| 251 | * Music/BobRivers made a side career out of these, ''especially'' on the ''[[AntichristmasSong Twisted Christmas]]'' albums. The first one had a song about Santa getting stuck in the chimney and suffocating, and a "visit from St. Nick" where the "Nick" in question was a pastiche of Jack Nicholson characters. Another had a parody of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" named to "It's the Most ''Fattening'' Time of the Year" (complete with fitness guru Richard Simmons having a spoken-word bridge encouraging restraint). There's also the wicked [[Franchise/AlvinAndTheChipmunks "Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire"]] (parody of Nat King Cole's version of "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire"), where the parody Cole and Dave Seville (voiced by Pat Cashman, the announcer of Smash Brothers) get fed up enough with the smart-alek rodents to serve them up as Christmas dinner. |
| 252 | * Music/TheLonelyIsland's "Space Olympics" music video starts off by hyping up how awesome "space Olympics" would be...before demonstrating all the various mishaps that would probably happen: athletes only get one meal per day because of food budget limitations, there's no light or sound (on the plus side, no curfew!), "[[{{Understatement}} minor]] scheduling adjustments" are made such as several events getting cancelled and all other events pending, the oxygen aboard the station runs out, and last but not least, someone accidentally self-destructs the entire station. |
| 253 | * "That Song Again" by Jim Haynes is a TakeThat to Greg Champion's "I Made a Hundred" sung to the same tune. Most of the lyrics are complaining about "that wretched cricket song" being played on the radio show ''Australia All Over'' every Sunday morning, but a couple of verses get into this territory: |
| 254 | -->Some bloke made a hundred in the backyard at home.\ |
| 255 | Prob'ly tore his mother's lawn up, and broke the garden gnome.\ |
| 256 | I hate to think what happened to the poor old garden bed.\ |
| 257 | And then to cap it all off, he wrecked the old man's shed.\ |
| 258 | What kind of a bloke goes all day, hoggin' the bloomin' bat?\ |
| 259 | I'll bet the rest of the family reckon he's a selfish rat.\ |
| 260 | And I question his achievement, on that there is some doubt\ |
| 261 | 'cos over the fence and windows, that's surely six and out. |
| 262 | [[/folder]] |
| 263 | |
| 264 | [[folder:Radio]] |
| 265 | * A constant theme of ''Radio/JohnFinnemoresSouvenirProgramme'': |
| 266 | ** For example, one sketch did a deconstruction on ''Literature/TheEmperorsNewClothes'', showing the Emperor so traumatised by the experience that he now overdresses due to paranoia that everyone can see his 'winkie', and refuses to fund inventions that appear invisible - causing him to turn down inventors who have invented the telephone as soon as they mention that the waves of transmission are 'invisible'. |
| 267 | ** Another sketch parodied RightBehindMe by having a character rant about his boss, ask "he's standing right behind me, isn't he?" and, when people point out that the boss has long left the office, the character admits that he's '[[WrongGenreSavvy a sitcom character]]' and, in the manner of someone admitting they have an OCD variant, can't bear it if the situation doesn't resolve humorously. |
| 268 | * ''Radio/WhateverHappenedTo'' does this, taking apart the mythos of popular children's characters. For example, the Susan Foreman episode (from ''Series/DoctorWho'') goes into detail about being a schoolgirl time-traveller with two teachers -- she hated time-travelling because she was missing all her O-levels, Ian developed "a bloodlust" after killing his first Dalek, it's heavily implied Barbara descended into alcoholism, and she believes the reason the Doctor left her on Earth with her LoveInterest (from the ''Who'' serial "The Dalek Invasion of Earth") was because she was hindering his capacity to impress young women, which he later improved by "[[TheNthDoctor regenerating younger]]" (Jo Grant denies that anything happened). Even the StrangledByTheRedString nature of her relationship with David is mocked -- "I was sixteen! I was in love with someone all the time!" -- and she only makes it back to her own time by contacting her family on Gallifrey. When she gets back to Earth she finds Ian and Barbara no longer remember their travels thanks to a time paradox erasing the events from history, and when rumour gets out that she's been travelling with Ian it's treated like accusations of teacher sexual assault. Even when Susan shows someone her souvenirs from time travel, she gets accused from stealing them from the British Museum and sent to a young offender's institute. Of course, it's all PlayedForLaughs with a spoonful of outright ridiculous, like extremely camp Thals and Barbara being mistaken for a goddess (from "The Aztecs") because of her massive bouffant. |
| 269 | [[/folder]] |
| 270 | |
| 271 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 272 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' is practically overall one of HighFantasy, with copious amounts of BlackComedy. |
| 273 | ** [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Our Dwarfs are]] so overly stubborn and honour-obsessed that they subscribe to HonourBeforeReason and RevengeBeforeReason. The Dwarfs write every wrong against their race down in a big Book of Grudges with certain requirements to be fulfilled; if any Dwarfs happen to die attempting to right the grudge then ''they'' go down as separate grudges to be fulfilled later. Dwarfs '''never''' forgive or forget any slight, no matter how minor, and should you incur a grudge and die before the Dwarfs can come to right it, they will take it out on your descendants or powerbase instead. The result is that the Dwarfs are constantly at war with basically everybody and [[DyingRace quite quickly dying out]]. |
| 274 | ** Bretonnia is a deconstructive parody of Myth/ArthurianLegend and ChivalricRomance, with the flaws of real feudalism exaggerated to comical degrees. Bretonnia's nobility enjoy basically complete infallibility; they can take 90% of a peasant's crop and kill them for just about any reason. Marriage between nobles and peasants is completely unheard of, and peasants graduating up to nobility has happened only ''three times in the kingdom's entire history'' - these lines all died out immediately because their children were peasants by default, and it is even implied that these self-made nobles were betrayed and killed off by the rest of the nobility as they gave a positive example to the other commoners. Bretonnian peasants are stupid (as peasants are killed if they are caught learning how to read) and very obviously inbred, having walleyes and hunchbacks and extra fingers on their hands; nobles are on the other hand so beautiful that they put elves to shame. Speaking of elves, there's also the heavy implication that the kingdom's entire religion centred around the Lady of the Lake is a farce the Wood Elves continue to use to manipulate the kingdom into being a buffer state: blackpowder weapons (which are common in the Empire over the border) and heavy industry are forbidden by the Cult of the Lady, keeping Bretonnia in a state of perpetual MedievalStasis. |
| 275 | ** The High Elves deconstruct and parody a lot of [[OurElvesAreDifferent elven tropes and stereotypes]]. They're a long-lived, artistic, beautiful people that are great at everything, with a competent government led by a wise, politically savvy king backed by three of the most powerful people in the world. They're also a race of [[ItsAllAboutMe petty egomaniacs]]. This led to them becoming a DyingRace after the Dark Elves pulled a FalseFlagAttack on the Dwarfs (mentioned above) and the then-King of the Elves was too proud to [[PoorCommunicationKills even talk to the dwarf ambassador]], then [[BerserkButton shaved the dwarf's beard]] for getting on his nerves. The [[DisproportionateRetribution ensuing war]] was the most violent in Warhammer history, nearly destroyed both races, and cost the High Elves most of their leadership, most of their military, most of their population, and an irreplaceable artifact or three. In the modern eras they're not any better; almost none of the elven provinces get along, the nobility still forms a DecadentCourt that hamstrings the few competent people who are supposed to be in charge, they piss off every other race who even thinks of working with them, and the king's three powerful leaders are always too busy [[WeAreStrugglingTogether putting out fires at home]], starting [[SiblingRivalry various kinds]] [[GoodAdulteryBadAdultery of drama]] between themselves, or [[WithFriendsLikeThese undermining his authority]] to do much to help him lead. This all means the high elves are basically a non-factor in the world at large and they're drifting ever closer to extinction because they won't stop squabbling with each other long enough to fix any problems, defeat any of their many enemies (which by now includes basically everyone), or even just repopulate their race, and none of the rest of the world cares. Just to add insult to injury, both the [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Dark Elves]] and the [[TheFairFolk Wood Elves]] are much more functional and successful than their parent people. |
| 276 | * There's an element of this in the sister game ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', as well. To name just one example, the Orks put a spin on the AlienInvasion by having ''literally no reason'' to fight with other species. They don't want to conquer anything, they don't want resources, they're not even doing it because they dislike you. It's just that they literally ''need'' to fight - they require battle the same way other species need food and water. They're living weapons that were never told they could stop - all they ''know'' is fighting. If they can't invade someone else, they'll fight ''each other'' just to have someone to fight against. |
| 277 | [[/folder]] |
| 278 | |
| 279 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 280 | |
| 281 | * ''VideoGame/AchievementUnlocked'' and ''Achievement Unlocked 2'' by jmtb02 both parody the common game concept of unlocking achievements. In these games, [[GottaCatchEmAll unlocking all the achievements]] is the whole point of the game and there are hundreds of them for ridiculous things such as [[StupidityIsTheOnlyOption killing yourself 100 times]] and [[GuideDangIt visiting the hint page]]. |
| 282 | * ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' gives the player a chance to respond, in character, to a hermit who seeks out the party to drop an obscure hint in just about exactly the way most players ''wish'' they could respond. |
| 283 | -->"Ok, I've just about had my FILL of riddle asking, quest assigning, insult throwing, pun hurling, hostage taking, iron mongering, smart arsed fools, freaks, and felons that continually test my will, mettle, strength, intelligence, and most of all, patience! If you've got a straight answer ANYWHERE in that bent little head of yours, I want to hear it pretty damn quick or I'm going to take a large blunt object roughly the size of Elminster AND his hat, [[AssShove and stuff it lengthwise into a crevice of your being]] so seldom seen that even the denizens of the nine hells themselves wouldn't touch it with a twenty-foot rusty halberd! Have I MADE myself perfectly CLEAR?!" |
| 284 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' games are likely a deconstruction of the "murder hobo" stereotype, which is basically an RPG player who [[TheRealMan only cares about killing stuff and getting loot.]] On Pandora, virtually ''everyone'' is a murder hobo (even the [[BlackAndGreyMorality good guys]]), with predictable results: Pandora is a lawless DeathWorld where one can get killed at the drop of a hat. Even the more "civilized" planets in the third game (such as Promethia) are full of barely restrained violence. |
| 285 | * ''VideoGame/{{Bulletstorm}}'' is about SpaceMarine[=s=] who discovered they were being manipulated into killing innocent people by their corrupt superior. Upon finding out, they become SpacePirates. Ten years later, the leader and PlayerCharacter is a self-destructive alcoholic, and his rash decision to go after their old boss when he shows up get most of his crew killed and one seriously harmed. In addition to the guilt over the assassinations his team unwittingly performed, he feels guilty about harming his crew, and desperately tries to reconcile with the only surviving one, who rebuffs his advances. Said survivor, Ishi, has been turned into a cyborg by extremely painful surgery to combine him with a robot. The central gameplay gimmick of the game, The Leash, was designed by their corrupt superior to reward his men for killing people in creative ways, much like some sort of video game. The planet most of the game takes place on is a failed resort world, and is extremely colorful and varied, instead of the usual RealIsBrown. If it weren't for the swearing, fun, and StuffBlowingUp, it would be a ''very'' dark game. |
| 286 | * {{Deconstruction Game}}s in general are usually parodies, though [[VideoGame/LevelUp there have been]] [[DarkerAndEdgier some jarring exceptions]]. |
| 287 | * ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' has the IdiotHero Bartz annoying the sage Guido with him [[ParrotExposition repeatedly responding to the latter's exposition with an expositionary question, which named the exact same thing Guido expositioned about]]. The BigBad Exdeath also comes across as being a parody of the stereotypical TinTyrant EvilOverlord, as well as possibly villains from ''FF''[='=]s genre in general, what with his [[LargeHam bombastic tendencies and over-the top dialogue]]. ''FFV''[='=]s status as a parody is more apparent in the GBA version's English translation of the game than any of the preceding translations. |
| 288 | * ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'' exaggerates and mocks CharacterShilling, specifically the form directed towards the [[PlayerCharacter Avatar]] common to later ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' games. In most ''Fire Emblem'' games with Avatars, the other characters tend to have a very worshipful attitude towards the Avatar, constantly praising their strength, charisma, and intelligence as second-to-none. ''Engage'' exaggerates this aspect to the point of the other characters literally worshipping Alear ''as a deity''. As for Alear's part, they are [[StopWorshippingMe weirded out at best and at worst uncomfortable with this very treatment]], seeing it as preventing them from making meaningful connections with others. Most of Alear's support conversations have the other characters eventually drop their worship towards them, instead coming to see them as a friend and equal. |
| 289 | * ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'' deconstructs platform games by setting it in an EverythingTryingToKillYou world (and by everything, we mean ''everything''). |
| 290 | * ''VideoGame/NelsonTethersPuzzleAgent'' is a Deconstructive Parody of ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton''. Even though Tethers is in an FBI division dedicated to puzzles, he's aware that there are far more puzzles in this town than there should be. It's revealed that [[spoiler: the gnomes he sees speak to the townsfolk in puzzles and caused a weird cult-ish group in the town.]] |
| 291 | * The ''Lee-Lee's Quest'' games give this treatment to the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' 2D platforming games. Lee-Lee is actually the real bad guy who repeatedly abducts another man's girl and murders hundreds of innocents along the way, while pointlessly collecting shovels (coins) and fruits (power ups). The only mushroom in the game is poisonous, jumping into the game's only item block caves your skull in and kills you, the bird you hatch from an egg to ride jumps off a cliff when you hop on it, and stars turn your controls backwards. |
| 292 | * ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' deconstructs the entire idea of TheChosenOne by featuring too many [[HeroOfAnotherStory Heroes of Another Story]] to count. It also mocks D&D archetypes left and right (the [[NatureHero ridiculously-over-the-top nature-loving elf]], for instance), as well as badly designed areas in fan modules for ''[[VideoGame/NeverwinterNights NWN1]]'' (the Orc Caves), and [[ShaggyDogStory long and seemingly significant plot sections that end up not mattering]] ([[spoiler:[[ForegoneVictory like the]] [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption Ember trial]]]]). The script regularly veers into the openly snarky. The whole thing kinda resembles ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''-[[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]]-''Literature/{{Slayers}}''. Makes sense when you remember [[Creator/ObsidianEntertainment who the dev team is]]. |
| 293 | * ''{{VideoGame/Palworld}}'' is an AffectionateParody that takes a serious look at what kind of world where {{Mon}}s exist in would be like. |
| 294 | ** Something the game emphasizes the logical point of a world of semi-sapient [[{{Mon}} Mons]] is that they would be used just as much for combat as they would for [[MundaneUtility basic utility]]. Fire-type Pals help light campfires and keep you warm, Electric-type Pals are great as a LivingBattery, and can even be used to electrocute fish for each catching, Water-type Pals are great for drinking water and watering plants...and on the darker side of this, it also means that Pals would be misused and exploited as slave labor or [[HumanResources resources]]. |
| 295 | ** The game also deconstructs the idea of {{Mon}}s supplanting human weaponry, by making a case that a DeathWorld full of such creatures you make a ''great'' case for human weaponry. Pals in-game operate best as backup fighters, as it's noted that it would be realistically hard to make a fighter of what's effectively a wild animal (albeit a highly intelligent and emotionally capable one), not to mention dangerous given that [[EverythingTryingToKillYou virtually everything is trying to kill you]]. Guns, while it takes a ''lot'' [[MadeOfIron to bring a Pal down]], are very much the best shot a human has of defending themselves and are a reliable answer to Pals. [[https://www.thegamer.com/palworld-is-right-to-have-guns/ One article]] even speculates that the question isn't "why would the world of ''Pokémon'' have guns?" and is moreso "why ''wouldn't'' the world of ''{{Franchise/Pokemon}}'' have guns?" |
| 296 | ** On a similar note, it also puts aside the honor-based turn-based combat of normal ''Pokémon'' to point out that [[CombatPragmatist pragmatism is going to win you the day]]. If you do not already have a Pal, one of the ways that you can weaken a Pal before capturing the Pal involves hitting a Pal with a bat. There's also nothing against you [[StraightForTheCommander simply shooting an enemy Pal trainer]] or ganging up on a Pal until it's unconscious, and from what has been teased, these aren't just viable strategies but optimal too. |
| 297 | ** ''Palworld'' is also one of the ''very'' few MonsSeries to answer a deeply uncomfortable question: "If Pals and humans share a common ancestor, does that mean you can capture humans in Pal Spheres?" The answer here, of course, is "Yes": capturing humans inside of Spheres—while considered inhumane and ''very'' illegal—can, and does, happen, and allows the Pal trainer to [[HumanTraffickers potentially sell them off on the black market]]. Or even [[ImAHumanitarian butcher them.]] |
| 298 | ** Tying in with how it deconstructs the idea of {{Mon}}s replacing human weaponry, the villain teams will ''not'' engage you in a 1-on-1 battle with {{mons}} and then stand aside once they're beaten. Instead, they'll attack you en masse with everything from guns to crossbows to wooden clubs and they will not stop until you either kill them or they kill you. |
| 299 | * Similarly, ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' deconstructs the other side of the coin with this gem from an elderly woman when she's interrogated by the PlayerCharacter. |
| 300 | -->"I'll bet ye've got all sorts o' barmy questions! (She mimics your heroic stance) Greetin's, I have some questions... can ye tell me about this place? Who's the Lady o' Pain? I'm lookin' fer the magic Girdle of Swank Iron, have ye seen it? Do ye know where a portal ta the 2,817th Plane o' the Abyss might be? Do ye know where the Holy Flamin' Frost-Brand Gronk-Slayin' Vorpal Hammer o' Woundin' an' Returnin' an' Shootin'-Lightnin'-Out-Yer-Bum is?" |
| 301 | * ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'' has PETA's satirical parody, ''[[http://features.peta.org/pokemon-black-and-white-parody/ Pokémon Black and Blue - Gotta Free 'Em All]]'', which tries to deconstruct the whole monster-battling thing as if they were real cockfights where the Pokémon are seen as just objects. Hilariously enough, the ''Pokémon'' franchise itself [[RedundantParody had already deconstructed this exact same theme well over a year before PETA's game]] in the actual ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' games themselves, even [[DeconReconSwitch going on to reconstruct the franchise's perceived problems in the process]] (not to mention using the games' BigBad as a TakeThat/deconstruction of PETA-style MoralGuardians all the while). |
| 302 | * ''VideoGame/SongsForAHero'' stars a protagonist who constantly acknowledges and mocks video game tropes in song. But it goes beyond endless LampshadeHanging when we also see the protagonist questioning his sanity, and eventually learn that there's a ''cause'' for all the endless snakes and floating platforms and other videogamey things - [[spoiler:aliens were experimenting on Earth and messing it up.]] |
| 303 | * ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'' illustrates how ridiculous and UnfortunateImplications-laden the "racial perk" trope many role-playing games use is by applying it to a real-life race, namely...[[RefugeInAudacity the Jews.]] |
| 304 | ** In a similar vein, the sequel lets the protagonist choose their skin color, but it calls it a [[RefugeInAudacity difficulty setting]]. |
| 305 | * ''VideoGame/WrestlingMpire'' deconstructs pro wrestling video games. Wrestlers can be champions one minute and jobbers the next. They can be injured but a vindictive booker will have them wrestle anyway. They might never even get signed to a promotion. And no matter how great a career goes, it will end in retirement or death. But always in a fun, fun way. |
| 306 | * ''[[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/812850535/you-are-not-the-hero You Are Not The Hero]]'' is an Action RPG about a typical NPC who chases down some traditional RPG "heroes" who [[KleptomaniacHero barged into her house and took her pendant]], spoofing the hell out of several other RPG tropes along the way. PublicServiceAnnouncement from the developer: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb1gcAr6mK4#t=10 How to prevent heroes from barging into your home and stealing your stuff.]] |
| 307 | [[/folder]] |
| 308 | |
| 309 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 310 | * ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'' is an AffectionateParody of {{Dating Sim}}s in most of its romance routes where you date ''pigeons'', but veers into this territory in [[DeadlyDoctor Shuu]]'s route and the [[DramaBombFinale Bad Boys Love route]]. The former has {{Deconstruction}} happening with your attraction to a "[[AllGirlsWantBadBoys bad boy]]" love interest resulting in not you reforming him but you getting killed and dismembered by him instead, and the latter demonstrates how a promise made by someone out of deep, unconditional love for another can have ''incredibly horrific'' consequences when that someone is a sociopath with an extremely warped view of love and loyalty. Rather unusually for this, it fits both aspects while never doing both at the same time. |
| 311 | [[/folder]] |
| 312 | |
| 313 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 314 | * ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlueTheBloodGulchChronicles'': |
| 315 | ** Overall, the series is a hilarious GenreDeconstruction of both sci-fi games and first-person shooters in general. Most notably, the series constantly parodies the ExcusePlot, with the series' ArcWords literally being "You ever wonder why we're here?". The first episode has Simmons pointing out to [[LazyBum Grif]] that the ForeverWar between the Red and Blue Teams is completely pointless, since if one side were to win (or the other side were to pull out), the "victor" would just have ''two'' bases in the middle of a box canyon. |
| 316 | ** The series also points out that the entire conflict being a HopelessWar means that only the mindlessly loyal or very foolish would continue the fight. Therefore, ''everyone'' in the canyon (with the possible exceptions of [[OnlySaneMan Church and Tex]], [[NotSoAboveItAll and even they still have their moments of insanity/stupidity]]) is some variant of [[TooDumbToLive idiotic]] or [[CloudCuckoolander insane]]. |
| 317 | ** Relatedly, ''The Blood Gulch Chronicles'' also plays with both (platonic) LoveAcrossBattlelines and MissionControl. Instead of having a clear and concise yet distant commander that efficiently helps them take on their enemy, the Reds and Blues both answer to [[TheDitz Vic]], who is PlayingBothSides and [[MissionControlIsOffItsMeds gives them all terrible advice]] so as to draw out their pointless conflict as long as possible. And as the series goes on, the Reds and Blues actually start to form [[FriendlyEnemy a decent camaraderie with each other]][[note]](to the point where Sarge and Church seem to be the only ones actually interested in ''winning'' over the other Team, as the other Reds and Blues treat their "war" more like a particularly aggressive sports match than anything else)[[/note]]... but their "friendship"/mutual respect only reaches to [[WithFriendsLikeThese the same level as how well the]] ''[[TeethClenchedTeamwork individual]]'' [[WeAreStrugglingTogether teams work together]]. |
| 318 | ** On a less comedic note, the series also mocks countless video game tropes. The fact that the series' "war" is one massive "Capture the Flag" game is [[SillyReasonForWar repeatedly pointed out to make no sense]] (with the Reds even realizing in Season 2 that it would be more trouble than it's worth to take Blue Team's flag, and so they ask for it to "stay ''exactly'' where it is!"), and only one of the main villains - [[spoiler: Agent Wyoming]] - is able to [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist respawn upon death]], which everyone else views as ''[[OutsideContextProblem terrifying.]]'' |
| 319 | %%* ''WebAnimation/DrHavocsDiary'' is this for the superhero/supervillain genre. |
| 320 | * ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'' desconstructs and parodies both the ByronicHero and UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist archetypes. Blitzo is arrogant, foul-mouthed, rude, obnoxious and an all-around gigantic douchebag whose personality always makes a situation escalate to an insane degree before he's strangling or exchanging gunfire with someone. However, the series also makes it expressly clear that his awful personality has prevented him from developing any meaningful positive relationships no matter how badly he craves them([[Recap/HelluvaBossS2E5UnhappyCampers even estranging his own sister by being an asshole when trying to help her]]), and that he is unbearably lonely as a result. |
| 321 | * ''WebAnimation/SocietyOfVirtue'', like ''Dr. Havocs Diary'', desconstructs ''everything'' about superheroes of the "Big Two" (Marvel Comics and DC): from superhero groups like Justice League/Avengers and the X-Men, to the CaptainPatriotic, the urban vigilante à la Batman, to a hero's entire RoguesGallery. |
| 322 | * ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3rHfitPj28 Sonic the Hedgehog: Time Trouble]]'' deconstructs a common joke that was especially popular around the time ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' was announced: the "Classic" version of Sonic learning from his current "Modern" self [[TakeThat that the quality of his games have fallen over the years and that Mario beat him in the console wars]]. Whereas most of these jokes would typically end with something like Classic Sonic [[https://www.deviantart.com/dj-professah-k/art/Sonic-Generations-255967816 not taking it well]] or [[https://www.nerfnow.com/comic/498 Modern Sonic preparing to soften the blow]], ''Time Trouble'' extends and examines this joke further. While the "current" Sonic (a pastiche of his "Modern" and [[Franchise/SonicBoom "Boom"]] selves) ''does'' initially warn his Classic self [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong to not do any 3D games]], this only leads to even ''more'' unsavory timelines being created: underfunded, glitchy, freemium, MerchandiseDriven, sex toy and RuleThirtyFour Sonics equally struggling to survive in the entertainment industry. At the same time, another Sonic from the future insists that the ''lack'' of 3D ''Sonic'' games was what caused the Saturn to fail, which isn't entirely false given how adamant a focus the industry had on 3D at that time. A possible message to take from this animation, if any, is that as unsatisfying as Sonic's AudienceAlienatingEra may have been, there isn't a sole obvious reason for as to why it occurred, and there were still plenty of other ways in which it could've turned out for the worse. |
| 323 | * ''[[https://youtu.be/A1gnBgfQdgE Spyro's Bad Day]]'' rips apart the premise of the ''[[Franchise/SpyroTheDragon Spyro]]'' classic trilogy: |
| 324 | ** Spyro is ''repeatedly annoyed'' that for some reason, [[AllUpToYou it's all up to him]] to save the day. He doesn't want to do it, basically gets forced into doing it, and all he wants to do is go home. |
| 325 | ** He also calls out that he's basically forced to be the hero in Avalar, since he can't go home otherwise: |
| 326 | --->'''Professor''': Well, it looks like you're stuck here; you're going to have to collect all of the things and then defeat Ripto! \ |
| 327 | '''Spyro''': No, this is extortion, this is bullcrap! \ |
| 328 | '''Elora''': Please, Spyro? We don't want to try anything else. |
| 329 | ** Turns out that [[FetchQuest getting all the things]] is a very, ''very'' painful process. |
| 330 | ** Instead of paying Moneybags, Spyro [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim just charges through him]]. |
| 331 | ** Ripto realizes that the best way to deal with the angry Spyro [[spoiler:is to simply give him what he wants: to go back home and never have to deal with this "extortion and bullcrap" ever again. It works and Ripto is victorious.]] |
| 332 | * ''[[WebAnimation/TheresSomethingAbout There's Something About Amy]]'' deconstructs RonTheDeathEater stories, specifically with how Amy's detractors commonly depict her as a {{Yandere}} StalkerWithACrush towards Sonic. Initially, the story starts off with her acting very much like she does in the series proper: pushy with her affection, but hardly threatening towards him. However, Tails manipulates her into a SanitySlippage, which culminates in her BodyHorror transformation and murder of Sonic. From this point, the story deviates from the typical RevengeFic when it [[TheReveal reveals]] that Sonic actually ''did'' love Amy back, but couldn't reciprocate his feelings; he too was manipulated by Tails in the exact same way. Furthermore, the "Tails" responsible for this series of events is ''not'' the real Tails, but the one seen in "Secret Histories"; the latter had murdered the former prior to the story. This effectively states that, in order for Amy to be truly unhinged, it would require [[OutsideGenreFoe influence from beyond what her series is normally capable of]], and that it would lead to tragedy for everyone involved. |
| 333 | [[/folder]] |
| 334 | |
| 335 | [[folder:Web Comics]] |
| 336 | %%* Add in ''Webcomic/{{Spinnerette}}'' to the list of superhero deconstructions/parodies. |
| 337 | * ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFoxhound''. Sure, there's one metric fucktonne of swearing, and characters are deliberately exaggerated for laughs, but it does an excellent job of analyzing the why and how of the plot behind ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''. Plus, when you can make the characters' deaths in the actual game {{Tear Jerker}}s, you've done something worthy of Deconstruction. |
| 338 | * ''[[http://www.livingwithinsanity.com/index/ Living With Insanity]]'' did an arc where David wrote a story about his AuthorAvatar saving a bunch of orphans from Saint Hitler and his stormtroopers (as in, actual ''Franchise/StarWars'' stormtroopers) who were obsessed with anal rape. It ended with the Marty's sexiness causing a lady Nazi to give up without a fight and Hitler surrendering for no real reason. And they all lived happily ever after. Except for Hitler, who died two weeks later of AIDS. |
| 339 | ** Just so no one thinks it was serious, the entire arc was called "Bad Writing". |
| 340 | * ''Webcomic/OverlordBob'' does this with viarous fantasy cliches - bunch of adventurers invades EvilOverlord's inner sanctuary and he uses their stereotypical flaws to defeat them and transform into viarous [[{{Fanservice}} sexy]] creatures. [[spoiler: In the end the same happens to him and his rival, evil sorcerer Tim.]] Maid's Quest, set in the same Universe, does the same with various stereotypical evil knights. |
| 341 | * ''Webcomic/TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella'' to so many superhero tropes. |
| 342 | * ''Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'' to many video game tropes and the idea of Manly Men through showing how people with such severe TestosteronePoisoning would act in a fairly real world. |
| 343 | * ''Webcomic/GarfieldMinusGarfield'' is a deconstructive parody of its source material. Seeing as though WordOfGod apparently stated that Garfield never talked in the comic, both that and this show just how much of a wreck Jon really is. |
| 344 | * ''Webcomic/HeroMaterial'' does this to TheHerosJourney. Sure, the characters saved the world, but none of them really learned anything or became better people through it. On top of that the world they ravaged through is left into chaos and destruction. |
| 345 | * ''Webcomic/FilthBiscuit'' features the rewritten Robin Hood tale, [[http://www.filthbiscuit.com/rob-ho-and-his-merry-bros/ Rob Ho & his Merry Bros]], in which the legendary hero is recast as a hard-partying douchebag only interested in amusing himself and his equally obnoxious friends. |
| 346 | * ''WebComic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' is ultimately one for ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', with a lot of the comic's humor comes from noting just how bizarre a lot of the game mechanics for ''D&D'' would look in a more "realistic" setting. One particular example is the RunningGag regarding the 25-word limit for ''sending'', which results in amusing situations like [[EvilTwin Nale's]] EvilGloating to [[GeniusBruiser Roy]] over having [[spoiler:kidnapped his younger sister [[BrattyTeenageDaughter Julia]]]] [[FailedAttemptAtDrama anti-climatically cutting in and out]] [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything in a similar manner to]] someone being in an area with poor cell reception. |
| 347 | * ''WebComic/RomanticallyApocalyptic'' does this for a ton of apocalypse tropes. The dangerous [[NuclearMutant mutants]] that inhabit the wasteland are harmless enough for the most part if left alone and avoided, and [[spoiler:weren't even created by the radiation, but in a desperate attempt to create life]]. ApocalypseAnarchy is in affect, sure, but the roving bands of marauders frequently get themselves killed in petty gang wars or by the various threats in the wasteland they were too stupid to leave alone, and the more fortunate survivors are all just crazy people more concerned with staving off boredom that comes AfterTheEnd, since there's basically nothing to do now that pretty much everyone's dead. The resident CrazySurvivalist Engineer isn't actually crazy, just an absurdly paranoid coward who tends to screw himself over because he constantly misjudges what constitutes a threat and what doesn't. The WastelandElder is a complete lunatic whose followers only listen to because they're either desperate, spineless, or equally deranged. Even the almost obligatory ''Film/MadMax''-esque hardened, cynical badass loner with a DarkAndTroubledPast is deconstructed through Snippy, who's shown to be a broken shell of a man who's desperately ''afraid'' of being alone. |
| 348 | * The ''Webcomic/EveryoneIsHome'' strip "Everyone Is Dead" pokes fun at the side-effects of filming the trailers for ''Ultimate'': Inkling Girl has PTSD from witnessing the Smash logo, Mega Man, Luigi, and Dedede are dead, and Mario has his neck in a cast. When Sakurai asks for supporting characters for the next trailer, everyone who was left huddled in fear in the corner (and Olimar and Pit [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere outright flew away]]). Although they recover a couple of strips later. |
| 349 | [[/folder]] |
| 350 | |
| 351 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 352 | * [[http://averagecats.com/ Average Cats]] is an AntiHumor deconstruction of the WebOriginal/LOLCats [[MemeticMutation meme]]. The humor from Average Cats comes from describing the image ''as it really is'', with correct grammar, insisting that the macros normally seen in LOL Cats do not happen in real life. In this case, it's the deconstructive intent that's PlayedForLaughs. |
| 353 | * ''WebVideo/NextTimeOnLonny'' is a parody of reality shows. |
| 354 | ** Ditto for ''WebVideo/SexHouse''. |
| 355 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwXn6bBx5KI Taking care of a dog prepares you for parenthood? Riiiight!]] Such actions that work with dogs but don’t work with babies ''at all'' include: |
| 356 | ** [[NauseaFuel Forcing the baby to smell his own poop after he went on the floor]]... |
| 357 | ** Putting him in a cage when you’re about to go your friend’s house... |
| 358 | ** Hitting him with a newspaper (or a frisbee, abet that was accidental) |
| 359 | ** and [[spoiler:using him to attack the police.]] |
| 360 | *** All of these caused a MoodWhiplash where [[spoiler: [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome the police come to the parent’s house & try to take the baby with them.]] Said parents swear to shoot themselves, & latter, the father dies from doing so!]] |
| 361 | * WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic plays with a few tropes, but the most obvious is how he's shown how pathetic, miserable and masochistic you have to be in order to become a CausticCritic. |
| 362 | * The comedy group Dormtainment parodies rap in the video [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA1ebaHY9BY "Create A Rapper"]]. In it, there is a hypothetical video game where you create a rapper. The four options are [[GangstaRap Thug Rapper]], {{Hipster}} Rapper, Real Hip Hop Rapper, and [[GlamRap Pop Rapper]]. The goal is to make the most money. [[spoiler: The thug rapper ends up "losing" the game because he gets shot by his crew, the hipster rapper is an alcoholic and pot head and "loses" by overdosing, and the Real Hip Hop Rapper is selling [=CDs=] on a street corner and starves. The Pop Rapper is the only one that "wins" the game, by selling out.]] |
| 363 | * The /tg/ game DrewTheLich does this for Tolkenesque fantasy, particularly D&D alignment. |
| 364 | * {{WebVideo/Smosh}}'s [[http://youtu.be/HO9s21ZdTUE take]] on Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers. |
| 365 | ** Their "If X were real" series also counts. |
| 366 | * The RealTrailerFakeMovie ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=98YpPdC4O6U Average Party]]'' deconstructs WildTeenParty movies by depicting the mundane things that actually go on at about 90% of teen parties. |
| 367 | * ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqW5upASa-8 Scientifically Accurate Ninja Turtles]]'' (NSFW) describes how ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' would be if the main characters were realistic turtles: they would be deaf, mute, filthy (real turtles carry germs, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themselves live in sewers with a mutant rat), have unpractical hands unable to grab anything, and have a huge penis. |
| 368 | ** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnE3uyj9Grg Scientifically Accurate Spider-Man]]'' and ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1v_EcjeIkg Scientifically Accurate Ducktales]]'' also show the real and disgusting side to ''Spider-Man'' and ''Ducktales'' respectively. Warning: Not Safe for Work, and, if you were a child of the 1960s to the 1990s and you fondly remember these shows, then either don't watch them or say goodbye to any sugar-coated memories you have, because it's all downhill from here. |
| 369 | * ''Blog/OccupyRichieRich'' is a giant Deconstructive Parody of the ''ComicBook/RichieRich'' comics, portraying it as a CrapsackWorld where the Rich family control the entire economy and regularly screw over the non-rich and keep them from succeeding in life, all while Richie himself blatantly flaunts his wealth at every opportunity. All [[PlayedForLaughs Played For]] [[BlackComedy (=dark)]] [[PlayedForLaughs Laughs]]. |
| 370 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_PhxHPyVug Dragon Ball Z Fight in Real Life!]] is a parody of Dragonball Z that deconstructs tropes like CallingYourAttacks and TalkingIsAFreeAction with Vegeta being able to avoid or counteract most of Goku's attacks since Goku tells which attacks he performs. [[note]]Ironically, Akira Toriyama himself has said in an old interview that he doesn't particularly like it when characters do this, saying that "in a battle of life and death, there's no way you can say the name of each technique. You'd be done in while yelling the technique's name".[[/note]] |
| 371 | * The "Heist" subseries of Creator/AchievementHunter's ''[[LetsPlay/AchievementHunterGrandTheftAutoSeries Let's Play Grand Theft Auto V]]'' deconstruct the idea of actually committing crimes, especially heists, with problems like [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder betrayal]], [[HeroAntagonist death by cop]], [[KilledOffForReal perma-death]], [[ProperlyParanoid and the inability to trust anyone.]] Still PlayedForLaughs. |
| 372 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7Hoz2ZHYZM This fake ad]] by Creator/RocketJump parodies TotallyRadical '90s commercials for kids' food and drink (specifically, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6U3vEALBd8 ads for]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Eii-YpkYhA Capri Sun]] featuring morphing effects reminiscent of ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'') by showing just what would happen if three kids, after drinking [[WritingAroundTrademarks "Big Game Liquid Slam"]], turned into metallic liquid. The answer: BodyHorror. |
| 373 | * Some of WebVideo/ThomasSanders' Platform/{{Vine}}s do this, such as the one about ''Film/SingingInTheRain'': |
| 374 | -->''(dancing with umbrella)'' I'm siiiinging in the rain! ''[lightning and thunder crash]'' WHOA! That was a ''horrible'' idea! |
| 375 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WKgNyvsNDM This video]] takes a serious look at how many times the villains of ''Film/HomeAlone'' would have died over the course of the movie. |
| 376 | * [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/deep-fried-memes Deep Fried Memes]] serve as a parody of [[MemeticMutation meme culture]], featuring images that have been heavily layered and artifacted from added filters and watermarks, and include an arrangement of random pop culture elements to create something similar to UsefulNotes/{{Dada}} works. |
| 377 | [[/folder]] |
| 378 | |
| 379 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 380 | * ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' had an episode where Dexter tries out different superpowers. This weighed heavily on the related trope, RequiredSecondaryPowers. |
| 381 | * ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has the episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS14E7CrippledSummer Crippled Summer]]", which has a couple of WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes and its AmusingInjuries. |
| 382 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'' functions as both a Deconstruction and an AffectionateParody of ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'' and other action/adventure cartoons. Jonny actually shows up as a drug-addled, burned-out middle-aged man, raging against his negligent father and running scared from an old foe, Dr. Zin. Although a later appearance has shown that Jonny's recovered enough to converse with Zin like a normal person. |
| 383 | * ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' is a complete demolition of overused schmaltzy plots and characters to tell a dark and brutally honest character study. But, boy, when the series takes a break from depressing reality, it sure loves to play with every sitcom trope in the book, often by making them as ridiculous as possible while still ensuring reality will screw everyone's delusions. |
| 384 | * ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'' deconstructs ''Series/LeaveItToBeaver'' and other family-oriented sitcoms from the 50s and 60s. Orel, the innocent AllAmericanBoy, is frequently exploited by the adults of Moralton, who are portrayed as shallow people using "family values" to justify their dysfunctional behavior. While it's initially played for laughs, the third season pulls no punches in showing just how messed-up the cast really is. |
| 385 | * The premiere episode of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' quite extensively deconstructs the concept behind [[Franchise/MyLittlePony its parent franchise]] and [[GenreDeconstruction the "girls' cartoon" genre]] [[TropeCodifier codified by its predecessor shows]], but plays all of its deconstructive elements [[PlayedForLaughs for laughs]] (thanks mostly to Twilight playing the StraightMan to [[QuirkyTown a cast of outlandish characters]] whose overbearing friendliness unwittingly results in the asocial Twilight becoming TheChewToy). |
| 386 | -->'''Twilight Sparkle:''' All the ponies in this town are ''crazy!'' |
| 387 | ** "Lesson Zero" shows what happens when an ObsessivelyOrganized character in an [[AnAesop Aesop]]-driven EdutainmentShow is met with a situation where there isn't an Aesop for her to find. Namely, nightmarish [[SanitySlippage psychotic breakdowns]] propped against a backdrop of facing the threat of being taken away from the friends that have come to mean so much to her. Thank God it's also one of the funniest episodes of the show, or this would all be [[DarkerAndEdgier incredibly bleak]]. |
| 388 | * Creator/JohnKricfalusi discussed how he used this in ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' episode "[[Recap/RenandStimpy2x07SonofStimpy Son of Stimpy]]" in a [[Blog/JohnKStuff blog post]] about [[http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2007/04/funny-pathos-vs-cheap-trick-pathos.html Fake Pathos.]] He made the episode as a satire of the then-recent trend of adding shallow sad moments in comedy movies and animated films, using every emotional tripwire in the book to make the audience cry over the most ridiculous plot element (namely Stimpy ''not being able to fart again''). |
| 389 | -->"I purposely made a cartoon that used some filmic tricks to make people cry just to show that it's not hard to do it. And [[WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}} I didn't have to shoot anyone's Mom either]]. I made people cry over the fact that [[MundaneMadeAwesome Stimpy couldn't fart for a second time]]. I went out of my way to make the story have the most preposterous plot events in it-everything to undermine the seriousness of Stimpy's depression. Besides the mood tricks, I relied heavily on Stimpy and Ren's acting-the drawings of their expressions and their interactions. A lot of films will ignore this part of the pathos recipe. They rely on the filmic tricks and contrived story points." |
| 390 | * ''WesternAnimation/MegasXLR'' is a ''[[StuffBlowingUp Destructive]]'' [[{{Pun}} Parody]] of the HumongousMecha genre. |
| 391 | * ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' is a Deconstructive Parody of the DomCom genre -- or more accurately, of straight parodies of the DomCom genre, such as ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. |
| 392 | ** It also deconstructs some of the cartoon formulas (such as typical clichés, and cartoon anatomy), and shows what happens when reality kicks in. |
| 393 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' deconstructs every aspect of the Cold War era ''Film/JamesBond'' spy genre. Along with various elements of the action genre. Most consistently, [[SteelEardrums guns being fired near someone's head causes ringing in the ears]]. |
| 394 | * The ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' short "All the Words in the English Language" deconstructs the Warners' long list songs by exaggerating it to have Yakko sing the entire dictionary and also get tired as the song goes on (he barely finishes it before fainting at the end), plus he makes a mistake on a word he can't pronounce. |
| 395 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'' deconstructs typical kids' cartoons like one might see on Creator/NickJr by having the protagonist, Kaeloo, act like a kids' show character (e.g. putting emphasis on being nice, imagining things, and playing games), and the rest of the characters react like real people would ("Have you been smoking weed?"). |
| 396 | * ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'' shows that being a Supervillain isn't just about villainy, but also to build your own ''[[SlaveToPR brand]]''. The plot kicks off with Harley breaking up with the Joker and trying to go solo, but she finds out that she needs a crew and a lair, for starters. Then there's also the [[EvenEvilHasStandards standard of behaviour]] villains are expected to follow, and crossing that line would get you ostracized or suffer a FateWorseThanDeath. |
| 397 | * ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'': It should also be noted that a lot of the jokes in the series make fun of the plotlines that are typical for the series. For example, Boimler goes into a lengthy speech about how he's going to die if he leaves Starfleet (See MythologyGag) or how Mariner deals with an EnergyBeing that attempts to take over the ship. |
| 398 | * ''WesternAnimation/SmilingFriends'' is a darkly comedic deconstruction of series centering around the main characters helping a WoobieOfTheWeek. Charlie and Pim's job is to do this, but their clients' problems are typically things they're not qualified to deal with, and the problems are generally solved by accident or things they had nothing to do with. And the clients themselves tend to be very dysfunctional people with complex and deep-rooted problems; some of them are nice enough if troubled people, while others are legitimately terrible people whose problems are entirely their own fault. |
| 399 | [[/folder]] |
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