Difference between revisions of "Community fads"

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(Pootis: Total rework, hooyeah. removed XofY about which weapons have showdown taunt and taunts/voiceline keys. Changed the section to be about community phrases in order to avoid duplication if talking about others. also wording changes all over.)
(Community Phrases)
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:"Gottam" is a phrase derived from the [[Engineer|Engi's]] "Move Up!" [[Engineer voice commands|voice command]], and has maintained some popularity, mostly within non-official servers, although waning in recent years. Its continued popularity is in part due to being related to a command with a single voiceline, meaning when spammed the player will say same line every time. Unfortunately due to the high speed at which the line is said and the length of cool down on voice commands, spamming is not fast enough to produce the phrase outside of custom servers, the number of which is steadily declining.
 
:"Gottam" is a phrase derived from the [[Engineer|Engi's]] "Move Up!" [[Engineer voice commands|voice command]], and has maintained some popularity, mostly within non-official servers, although waning in recent years. Its continued popularity is in part due to being related to a command with a single voiceline, meaning when spammed the player will say same line every time. Unfortunately due to the high speed at which the line is said and the length of cool down on voice commands, spamming is not fast enough to produce the phrase outside of custom servers, the number of which is steadily declining.
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:"Gottam" also had its first major appearance in Rushnerd's "Bird Fortress 2".
  
  

Revision as of 04:24, 10 July 2020

Demopan meme
Gentlemen.
The Spy

Community fads are fads that circulate or originate throughout the Team Fortress 2 community. A fad is, by definition, "any form of behavior that develops among a large population and is collectively followed with enthusiasm for some period..."[1] Some of the most frequently used mediums to create Team Fortress 2 fads include not only Team Fortress 2 itself, but also Garry's Mod and Source Filmmaker.

Some of the more well-known fads have gone on to become internet memes, which are defined as, "ideas or concepts that attain online popularity."[2]

Fads Found In-Game

Crazy Legs

"Hey, look at me, Ma!"

The Crazy Legs phenomenon has existed for at least as long as Team Fortress 2 has been public. Crazy Legs exists as a bug that affects the Scout's legs when crouching and double jumping in unison, rotating them randomly with no regard for the direction of the Scouts pelvis or knees. The resulting deformity has also been compared to "two raw bacon strips held up in a wind tunnel." and as a result, Crazy Legs is also referred to as Bacon Legs. The effect is visible in third-person, and is vastly likelier to occur when in reference position.

Officially, the bug is fixed, and has been since the January 13, 2010 Patch. However, the bug is still present in some form, with the effects being significantly less obvious than they were before the fix. Occasionally, the phenomenon has been seen by players as severe as before it was claimed to be fixed.

Crazy Legs gained enough notoriety to get a back story and recognition on the TF2 Official Blog.[3]

In Scream Fortress 2014, a cosmetic item titled the Crazy Legs was added to the game. This may be a reference to this fad.

A "Bird Scout" with Crazy Legs at the top of Snakewater.


Bird Scout

From the March 28, 2018 Patch until the March 29, 2018 Patch, Crazy Legs made a short lived return as a result of an exploit involving the Mad Milk and Atomizer, in which a Scout could jump a theoretically infinite number of times while in reference position (the phenomenon being dubbed "Bird Scout" and similar variants by the community). Due to the requirement of the player being in reference position, the Crazy Legs effect was vastly more pronounced than any previous appearance.

A large number of players joined in on this brief fad, jumping around and occasionally traveling together in "flocks", "migrating" across the top of maps.


Demopan

Original screenshot
Stout Shako for two refined!
Demopan on hat pricing.

The Demopan fad originates from a Steam User Forums Thread titled "The New Face of TF2". The thread concerned a Deathcam screenshot of a jumping Demoman in a humorous position, equipped with the Frying Pan, Chargin' Targe, Bounty Hat and Dangeresque, Too?, and named "STOUT SHAKO FOR 2 REFINED". As the screenshot spread, wearing the load out and stating his mantra quickly became a fad.

The character's popularity grew even further after a cutout template image of the Demopan was produced, allowing any user with basic photo editing skills to produce images of the Demopan in humorous locations and situations. Additionally, the video Meet the Demopan was produced, a parody of Meet the Demoman featuring crudely cutout images of the Demopan's face and items edited overtop of the original video, with audio being altered to change certain lines of dialogue.

A fake class page was created for the Demopan and featured on this wiki for April Fools Day 2011. It was created by wiki user Benjamoose, and was turned into an official Team Fortress 2 Wiki article for the day. The Demopan's popularity has also led to him appearing as a boss in both VS Saxton Hale Mode and Freak Fortress 2.

The Demopan has a page on Know Your Meme.

Community Phrases

The Community Phrases fad entered popularity around mid 2010 and has persisted ever since. The fad consists of causing characters to say phrases typically regarded as humorous or nonsensical, by performing a voice command which is cancelled part way through by either taunting, taking damage, dying or overwriting it with another voiceline.

Often the simplest method to perform these is to spam the same command repeatedly, as many of the more popular phrases became such due to their ease of use, allowing them to be said multiple times before the command cool down is increased, or an indefinite number if playing on a custom server where the cool down is disabled.

The fad's initial popularity was partially aided by the videos of Youtuber 'Rushnerd', which depicted various animals, commonly birds, dubbed with repeated sounds from the TF2 classes; Some feared phrases entered general popularity shortly after, including most notably "Pootis". Most have fallen out of fashion today, however there are still a number of notable examples.

  • Pootis
Pootis-penser here.
The Heavy
"Pootis" is a phrase derived from the Heavy's "Dispenser Here!" voice command, and has persistently remained the most unanimously popular phrase to this day.
Though its exact origins are mostly unknown, the video attributed with initially popularizing this phrase is Rushnerd's "Bird Fortress 2", as evidenced by Google search trends indicating that the word began to gain traction shortly after September 2010, the month of this videos release. Within the video a bird can be seen collecting sticks, saying the phrase each time one is picked up.
  • Pootis Bird
Due to a number of community videos, including "Scout Visits The Zoo", which acted as their first appearance, the "Pootis Bird" has also been popularized. Previously, "Pootis Birds" were a 'TF2 Freak' of the Heavy, characterized by their fast repetition of their signature phrase, their bird-like mannerisms and their heavily deformed faces. However, due in part to more recent animations, such as Magus Medic's video "Meet The Pootis Bird", they are now more typically associated with a Heavy wearing the Chicken Kiev, a bird head cosmetic which has earned the community nickname "Pootis Bird" as a result.
Pootis has a page on Know Your Meme.


  • Gottam
Gottam-ove that gear up!
The Engineer
"Gottam" is a phrase derived from the Engi's "Move Up!" voice command, and has maintained some popularity, mostly within non-official servers, although waning in recent years. Its continued popularity is in part due to being related to a command with a single voiceline, meaning when spammed the player will say same line every time. Unfortunately due to the high speed at which the line is said and the length of cool down on voice commands, spamming is not fast enough to produce the phrase outside of custom servers, the number of which is steadily declining.
"Gottam" also had its first major appearance in Rushnerd's "Bird Fortress 2".


  • Painis
Painis-weakness leaving the body!
The Soldier
"Painis" is a phrase derived from one of the Soldier's "Jeers" voice commands. The line itself has always been of great popularity in community media due to its phallic resemblance, however due to the high number of voicelines related to the jeers command it cannot be performed repeatedly, reducing its use within game; It is still possible however.

Spycrab

Spycrab
This article is about the Spy's taunt, not to be confused with the cosmetic item.

One of the most well-known fads within Team Fortress 2 is the Spycrab. The Spycrab is an animation oversight caused by the Spy looking straight up while holding the Disguise Kit, crouching, then walking in any direction. This causes the Spy to move around in an amusing fashion that resembles a crab. Dapper Rogue, a "Catalogue for the Gentleman Scoundrel", referenced this by including a "Crab-Walking Kit" with the description "It will change your skeleton! Excruciatingly painful but worth it."

Due to its popularity, the Spycrab was included as an alternative taunt for the Disguise Kit in the Sniper vs. Spy Update, and has a 20% chance of playing.

Footage of a player doing the Spycrab can be found here.

Human Crab - Alive!

The Spycrab has a page on Know Your Meme.

A fan-made game mode was made in honor of this fad.

A type of gambling was created in honor of this fad, known as "Spycrabbing." "Spycrabbing" has many variations, with one of the most common being two players putting items they want to gamble into a pot, facing each other and continuing to taunt with the Disguise Kit out. Under usual rules, the first person to do three Spycrab taunts loses, and the winner gets the items in the pot.

There is a real life spycrab plush you can buy that contains a code for the cosmetic item called the Spycrab which was made in honor of this fad.

This fad is referenced in the Mannrobics taunt, in which one of the moves involves the Spy "pinching" the air, mimicking a crab's claws.

The Carnival of Carnage map has several posters plastered around the site, one of them reading "Human Crab - Alive!", which features the Spy with his fingers "pinching" the air, a reference to this fad.

Another animation error unofficially named the "Democrab" by the community derives from the Spycrab's name and its effects on the user's body. It causes a Demoman's left hand to twist awkwardly if he is holding the Conscientious Objector or other Saxxy Reskins while crouch-walking, similarly to the Spycrab.

Friendlies/Hoovies

An archetypal friendly Heavy, or "Hoovy", ready to share his Sandvich.

A friendly player (referred to as a "Friendly") is a player that refuses to fight during a round and usually spends time taunting, observing, reacting with voice commands, and/or "messing around" on the map. A common instance of a Friendly is a Heavy (usually called a "Hoovy") equipped with the Sandvich (or other lunchbox item such as the Second Banana); they tend to crouch and share their Sandvich with other players regardless of team. Although no particular cosmetics are required by any means, a common Hoovy loadout includes the Tough Guy's Toque and the All-Father, or especially the Chicken Kiev. Friendlies of other classes may also wear humorous cosmetics, sometimes painted with bright colors. A Friendly may also equip the Conscientious Objector as a signal of being peaceful. It is unknown specifically when Friendlies started to appear in their current form.

Friendlies are not always pacifistic; although some will freely accept being killed by enemies or for farming contracts, many may fight back in self-defense upon suffering damage. Hoovies are also often equipped with the Holiday Punch to induce laughter in enemies, but may also use it to fight back and kill assailants.

The community opinion of Friendlies tends to be divided, with either support or disdain for these pacifistic players. Proponents usually support Hoovies on grounds of supporting what many see as light-hearted, casual, and "cartoony" tone of the game, while opponents argue that Friendlies are pointless and/or disrupt and break the game-flow and contribute to frustrating match outcomes (See Griefing and Idling).

There are also a number of "friendly" community servers where players spend time "messing around" on the map and interacting, with killing either forbidden or very limited (i.e. mostly only taunt kills). The latter is sometimes called a "silly" server to distinguish from the former being exclusively no-killing (See Achievement server or Idle server).

The Observer/The Watcher

File:The observer.jpg
A screenshot of The Observer

The Observer (also known as The Watcher) is a fad in which a player playing as the Spy equipped with the Shutterbug, Upgrade, and Camera Beard just watches the game and does not participate in it. The fad started as a post on the popular site Reddit with a post[4] describing a player known as "The Observer" standing still and not doing anything. The fad spread throughout the community, with more and more players participating. Weapons often used by players using the "Observer" loadout are the Red-Tape Recorder and/or the Cloak and Dagger.

Community Created Fads

nope.avi

"Nope."
Nope.
The Engineer

nope.avi (or just nope) is a fad video created by YouTube user Jimbomcb using Source Filmmaker. The video shows the BLU Engineer on Gravel Pit approaching the screen. As he stops, his hard hat floats up and he utters the phrase "Nope", followed by his neck elongating. He then promptly leaves the scene.

The video is frequently used in conversations as a "humorous" negative response. Instead of replying "No", a person may post a link to the video or type "nope.avi". The fad was alluded to in the Engineer blind box figurine; taking off the Engineer's head reveals the word "nope" written on his neck.

nope.avi has a page on Know Your Meme.

Scout Face

Original "Scout Face" screenshot.
Example of "Scout Face" conversation.

The Scout Face (also known as Derp Scout) is a fad and meme created of a screenshot from a Garry’s Mod video featuring the Scout. The video, called "Heavy and Scout think they are birds" was created by YouTube user Rubberfruit, and shows the RED Heavy flying through the air and regurgitating sandviches into the RED Scout’s mouth. Within three years, the video accumulated over 1.8 million views and 8,900 comments. However, chain commenting with YouTube profile avatar pictures, a common usage of the Scout Face image, didn’t begin until sometime in July 2011 when YouTube launched a new feature that allows user profile pictures to be displayed in the comment section.

On August 1st, 2010, a screenshot of the Scout’s face was uploaded to DeviantArt by user Jonix04, which received more than 2,100 views and 980 downloads within the next two years.

What made this a known fad and meme was the amount of YouTube profile pictures made using it. Photoshopped variations of Scout’s face have notably been used as profile avatars, particularly when chain replying in the comments section of a video page. These variations have also become Steam profile pictures for some players. These users occasionally will refer themselves as the "Scout Army".

Scout Face has a page on Know Your Meme.

Notable variations

Gentlemen

The original image macro.
Gentlemen.
The Spy

The Gentlemen fad stems from one of the Spy's most ubiquitous catchphrases. His calm, suave, calculating persona is encapsulated in his utterance of this simple address, followed by the careful placement of a cigarette.

The fad itself is a widely recognized image macro, originally spawned by a Garry's Mod screenshot of the Spy with his mouth jammed full of cigarettes, followed by the caption "GENTLEMEN.". It was soon remade into a cartoon caricature of the same picture. The concept quickly exploded and expanded to feature a version for every Team Fortress character. The basic formula for the macro is straightforward; it is a caricatured drawing of the character with their mouth jammed full of objects that usually pertain to aspects of that character. For example, a Gentlemen variation for the Heavy may involve a caricature of the Heavy with his custom bullets crammed into his mouth and the text "BULLETS." underneath.

The word "Gentlemen" is also often deliberately misspelled as "Mentlegen" and accompanied by altered versions of the original Gentlemen image macro. A bot can be randomly named Mentlegen as a tribute to this.

This fad has a page on Know Your Meme.


Vagineer

The Vagineer.
Grrrrrrrr.
The Vagineer

The Vagineer fad originates from YouTube user J16fox. He uploaded a video on December 31st, 2008, but unfortunately, the original video cannot be found. The Vagineer was created in Garry's Mod when he abused the "Face Poser" tool to move and distort the Engineer's facial muscles to resemble a human vagina.

The Vagineer is depicted to have the tendency to growl quite frequently and regrowing and firing limbs, as well as spitting acid and reverse speaking. All of his sounds are responses from the Engineer, many of which having been reversed. The Vagineer is now more commonly recognized in the community-made game mode Vs. Saxton Hale.

MeeM

The MeeM.

The MeeM is a wooden Medic target (or practice target), which mostly just says "MeeM" (the "MEEEDIIIC!" voice command, but reversed in the middle).

The MeeM was created in Garry's mod by the user OluapPlayer in the video "Gentlemanly Demo's Greatest Duel" where it is relaxing with Demoman, Engineer, and other classes; BLU Demoman then enters and challenges RED Demoman. In the first of a series of challenges moderated by Engineer, they are to capture the Medic target. During the chase, the target repeatedly says, "MeeM".

The MeeM became recognized by players and has made many appearances, and even became a boss in Freak Fortress 2 and Slender Fortress.

Christian Brutal Sniper

Christian Brutal Sniper, as he appears in VS Saxton Hale
It's like Christmas morning...
Christian Brutal Sniper as he dismembers the BLU Medic

The Christian Brutal Sniper fad originated from a video made by Kekas on May 28th, 2010, in Garry's Mod, in which a RED Sniper kills a BLU Medic. At the time, the video got enough views to grant it 10 sequels. Christian was seen using a lot of different weapons, including the Eyelander, Tribalman's Shiv, Huntsman, and many others.

Christian Brutal Sniper has also been added to the popular community gamemode Vs. Saxton Hale.

Rappy

Rappy
See.
Rappy's catchphrase

Rappy is a Velociraptor wearing a RED Carouser's Capotain. He first appeared in a Gmod video named "THAT DEMO". The only phrase Rappy ever says is "SEE" (often spelled as "ci") using the Demoman's voice. His constant companion is a Demoman.

References