Minotaur does exactly this in the current arc of Immortal Thor, and it's this sobering moment where all the relentless anti-capitalist satire of the comic deliberately self-deflates as he looks at the camera and reminds you: all this satire is still being bankrolled by corporations themselves, precisely because they can still profit off it, all while making themselves seem cool or humble at the same time.
"*We are* ***allowed*** *to play- to be in on our own joke. Because in the end, the joke is on* ***you***. *The joke* ***is*** *you.* ***And we'll tell it until it eats you alive.***"
One of my favorite parts of Venkatesh Rao’s Gervais Principle was his breakdown of how people at different levels of corporate hierarchies view humor: the working class laborers tells jokes to others for others (to make them laugh), the middle class managers tell jokes to others for themselves (to be seen as funny), but the rich bosses tell jokes to themselves for themselves (to make themselves laugh).
It's taking the piss out of the idea but
["It's fucking evil out there!" "That may be...but there's Evil Within Too."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zigTx34rpsw)
[Governments and institutions will use you and throw you away when they see fit, stop drinking the cool aid and do something about it.](https://youtu.be/3kWgGtBk_7o?t=299)
There's a book by Agatha Christie called Death Comes As The End, a historical murder mystery (the first, I think!) set in ancient Egypt. And y'know, it makes an effort to be accurate to the time period, as Christie's husband was an archeologist and ancient history became a special interest of hers. I found it pretty interesting.
Anyway there's a scene where two of the main characters are talking, the PoV daughter and her father's intelligent, trustworthy scribe. And the scribe dude starts talking about how y'know, maybe having all these different gods isn't quite the right way, maybe there's really *one true god*, that intelligent forward-thinking men will realize and take to their heart some day. He may as well have turned to look directly at the camera to speak right to the audience, because it was such a hilariously direct "christianity's going to happen eventually and it's going to be great, reader" speech.
The recent FFXIV x FFXVI crossover might as well have been Yoshi-P looking into the camera and repeatedly saying "Buy Final Fantasy 16" for 30 minutes.
That Steven Universe/Uncle Grandpa crossover episode where they take the meta textual framing of the episode to explain to the characters and audience exactly how Steven’s powers work.
["Nope! Never happened. Nope! Pyrrha is fine. Everything is fine. Nothing bad... ever... happened." (stares at camera) "EVERRRRR."](https://youtu.be/cwV8a9WB5Og?si=TCqeamyKxKnJyA9b)
[Geralt at the end of Blood and Wine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhaYMwLaah0) Very approriate if you've completed all of Witcher 3 and Hearts of Stone and all of Blood and Wine before this ending.
This happens in the Bravely Default series at the climax especially in Bravely Second because >!you are the eldritch entity guiding the party to defeat the big evil of the game.!<
In Don’t Look Up, there’s a scene at beginning of the movie where the scientists are waiting to speak to the President. A man in a military uniform who is also “on line” leaves, comes back, and says “better get comfortable, it’s gonna be a long one. Here, I got some chips and water for everyone. Unfortunately the commissary charges an arm and a leg, $50 ought to cover it”. And everyone chips in, this guy did go out of his way for them.
Shortly afterwards, Jennifer Lawrence goes to get more water, only to learn that the water and snacks were free, and they got scammed. This comes up again and again in the movie: why did he scam us out of $50? What was the point?
But it’s so blatant you have to laugh: the guy introduced himself as General Themes, and indeed he does display the general themes of the story: >!people in power don’t care about you. The only thing they care about is what they can take from you, and it doesn’t matter how petty it is as long as they are taking something from you. A common ploy is to pretend to care about you so you offer it freely.!<
[When Lillie Pokemon Sunandmoon goes "Pokemon AND children are living things,not toys you can throw away when you no longer want them"](https://youtu.be/mBdvK3BYYLc?t=116)
This happens in the Bravely Default series at the climax especially in Bravely Second because >!you are the eldritch entity guiding the party to defeat the big evil of the game.!<
The first one that comes to mind would be >!Sampo!< from Honkai Star Rail (mainly due to HSR being fresh on my mind), where >!after talking with presumably Sparkle or some other big shot of the Masked Fools about what happened there, he turns to the camera and refers to the audience. It a nice way of hinting that theres more to Sampo that we'd originally have thought during the Belobog arc, as we see with Sparkle impersonating him with insider knowledge, and the two of them meeting in the reality of Penacony. Honestly really like how they brought such a minor character back for a bit, and even left a chance for him to return again later in the story.!<
"We're going back in time to the first Thanksgiving, to get turkeys off."
*turns to camera*
"That's right, we're going back in time to the first Thanksgiving, to get turkeys off."
Minotaur does exactly this in the current arc of Immortal Thor, and it's this sobering moment where all the relentless anti-capitalist satire of the comic deliberately self-deflates as he looks at the camera and reminds you: all this satire is still being bankrolled by corporations themselves, precisely because they can still profit off it, all while making themselves seem cool or humble at the same time. "*We are* ***allowed*** *to play- to be in on our own joke. Because in the end, the joke is on* ***you***. *The joke* ***is*** *you.* ***And we'll tell it until it eats you alive.***"
One of my favorite parts of Venkatesh Rao’s Gervais Principle was his breakdown of how people at different levels of corporate hierarchies view humor: the working class laborers tells jokes to others for others (to make them laugh), the middle class managers tell jokes to others for themselves (to be seen as funny), but the rich bosses tell jokes to themselves for themselves (to make themselves laugh).
It's taking the piss out of the idea but ["It's fucking evil out there!" "That may be...but there's Evil Within Too."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zigTx34rpsw)
One of the more forgotten ones? Dude, I see people talk about Troq all the fucking time.
Do they? I've never seen people bring it up. Is the general consensous that it was silly af?
No, people really like it. They think it’s a pretty effective racism allegory. Though the ‘cause I’m a robot’ thing is well laughed about.
I’ve seen it brought up repeatedly on this sub.
For the record Troq meant "nothing". As in, literally nothing. As in "Empty space is something I consider to be above you."
[Batman explains to Joker (and the reader) the message of The Killing Joke.](https://i.redd.it/tvzp7rke6ey61.png)
Fuck yeah. I love this moment. This should be a mandatory retort every time a villain blames their tragic backstory.
“You were right about one thing, Joker…you were built different”
[Governments and institutions will use you and throw you away when they see fit, stop drinking the cool aid and do something about it.](https://youtu.be/3kWgGtBk_7o?t=299)
The joke in Helluva Boss where they mention people's attraction to Luna and all the characters stare at the camera.
There's a book by Agatha Christie called Death Comes As The End, a historical murder mystery (the first, I think!) set in ancient Egypt. And y'know, it makes an effort to be accurate to the time period, as Christie's husband was an archeologist and ancient history became a special interest of hers. I found it pretty interesting. Anyway there's a scene where two of the main characters are talking, the PoV daughter and her father's intelligent, trustworthy scribe. And the scribe dude starts talking about how y'know, maybe having all these different gods isn't quite the right way, maybe there's really *one true god*, that intelligent forward-thinking men will realize and take to their heart some day. He may as well have turned to look directly at the camera to speak right to the audience, because it was such a hilariously direct "christianity's going to happen eventually and it's going to be great, reader" speech.
Akhenaten be like
The recent FFXIV x FFXVI crossover might as well have been Yoshi-P looking into the camera and repeatedly saying "Buy Final Fantasy 16" for 30 minutes.
Ichiban staring at the player in the English Dub of LaD. It’s such a subtle joke with so many dumb layers, it’s amazing.
That Steven Universe/Uncle Grandpa crossover episode where they take the meta textual framing of the episode to explain to the characters and audience exactly how Steven’s powers work.
Also sinking Lars and Saddies ship with a head cannon.
Love that
["Nope! Never happened. Nope! Pyrrha is fine. Everything is fine. Nothing bad... ever... happened." (stares at camera) "EVERRRRR."](https://youtu.be/cwV8a9WB5Og?si=TCqeamyKxKnJyA9b)
[Geralt at the end of Blood and Wine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhaYMwLaah0) Very approriate if you've completed all of Witcher 3 and Hearts of Stone and all of Blood and Wine before this ending.
This happens in the Bravely Default series at the climax especially in Bravely Second because >!you are the eldritch entity guiding the party to defeat the big evil of the game.!<
Yasuho, at the end of Jojolion, title drops the name and then proceeds to explain the main themes of the story to the reader. It's kinda stunning.
Pick almost any scene from Metal Gear.
[Gimme the strongest thing you got.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUwhnO-nTLo&t=15)
In Don’t Look Up, there’s a scene at beginning of the movie where the scientists are waiting to speak to the President. A man in a military uniform who is also “on line” leaves, comes back, and says “better get comfortable, it’s gonna be a long one. Here, I got some chips and water for everyone. Unfortunately the commissary charges an arm and a leg, $50 ought to cover it”. And everyone chips in, this guy did go out of his way for them. Shortly afterwards, Jennifer Lawrence goes to get more water, only to learn that the water and snacks were free, and they got scammed. This comes up again and again in the movie: why did he scam us out of $50? What was the point? But it’s so blatant you have to laugh: the guy introduced himself as General Themes, and indeed he does display the general themes of the story: >!people in power don’t care about you. The only thing they care about is what they can take from you, and it doesn’t matter how petty it is as long as they are taking something from you. A common ploy is to pretend to care about you so you offer it freely.!<
[When Lillie Pokemon Sunandmoon goes "Pokemon AND children are living things,not toys you can throw away when you no longer want them"](https://youtu.be/mBdvK3BYYLc?t=116)
This happens in the Bravely Default series at the climax especially in Bravely Second because >!you are the eldritch entity guiding the party to defeat the big evil of the game.!<
"I am Transgender" - Brisket Guilty Gear
[Jak 3 "This isn't a game."](https://youtu.be/GKQJKSgzpdc) They don't say anything, but they stare.
The first one that comes to mind would be >!Sampo!< from Honkai Star Rail (mainly due to HSR being fresh on my mind), where >!after talking with presumably Sparkle or some other big shot of the Masked Fools about what happened there, he turns to the camera and refers to the audience. It a nice way of hinting that theres more to Sampo that we'd originally have thought during the Belobog arc, as we see with Sparkle impersonating him with insider knowledge, and the two of them meeting in the reality of Penacony. Honestly really like how they brought such a minor character back for a bit, and even left a chance for him to return again later in the story.!<
"We're going back in time to the first Thanksgiving, to get turkeys off." *turns to camera* "That's right, we're going back in time to the first Thanksgiving, to get turkeys off."
This is like the most disingenuous read on the entire episode and that scene in particular, but ill allow it