#big thanks to the tf2 community for coming together on this

[technicalgator]

Doing your research before stating information as fact can make a world of a difference.

[artoriarts]

Ok I don’t want to go make art and I don’t want to go find something good to scrounge up and post so I will instead spout assorted madcom headcanons. these are far from the last you will see from me.

- sanmos 4 lyfe (big sloppy heart emoji) they are both like playfully flirty in diff ways with other people but also so so monogamous at the same time they love eachother sooo much have the healthiest relationship known to man. ignore all the killings.

- 2bhank with the same energy as medic tf2 x heavy tf2. but like also 2b is catboy herder for hank. he holds the laser pointer in the relationship. hank isn’t like full creature I’m still the kind of girlie to place him solidly as kind of the stoic and dysfunctional sociopath but he’s got some of those beasty tendencies in him. the two have such strong attachment to each other but they both have such difficulty expressing it. hank doesn’t know how human well and 2b simply isn’t a soft person even when he wants to be. but they work with what they have. deimos and sanford are so invested in their relationship they chitchat about it constantly. in the most supportive way they want it to go well they just talk about the two being cute and try to help when they hit rocky points. the power couple is so stable they can take on other couple’s drama.

- I don’t know what the ship name is for tricky and hank but there’s like a tiny bit of that too. tricky is hank’s crazy ex but they were never in an actual relationship clown has just been desperate for the dick day one and has not let up for a single second. especially after the halo fiasco literally everyone hates them but they stay silly

- whitehank exists because of something along the lines of hank’s genome getting copied to aahw database when he went in the magnifier and using that agency got the bright idea that if they can’t beat hank. they can make their own. I don’t know actually how she should fit into everything but I like the idea it feels appropriately silly for madcom. the only thing I’m really decided on is that she eventually switches sides and 2b, carrying the entire trans community of nevada on his old man spine, hooks her up on titty skittles and him and hank informally adopt her because cold sad clone babygirl needs parents. she’s like all of hank’s feral swagger if you made it sopping wet and also like garage band punk. I can’t decide if she’s musclegirl as I’ve drawn her before or make her skinny legend I need to lock down the vibes. One important design thing that i know is coming however is that since she’s a copy of mag hank specifically, while hank gets demagnified in my little post canon design shit, she does not, so she is de facto tallest out of the. what do you even call the gang. just the gang? agency for hank wimbleton? the motley crew. the dnd party. nevada’s most wanted. that one actually works we’ll go with that

- funny thing I’ve considered for sheriff is that after whatever happens in project nexus dude just. pisses off somewhere. half hooks up with jeb to make a neutral party for people who just want to fuckin live. while jeb’s on the offensive side of that trying to actively stop the madness sherrif is the defensive side just making settlements for normal people to live they lives. something along those lines. it’s quaint. him and whitehank get together maybe. little guy woos the giant cryptid lady with his southern charm.

- the auditor is workplace sexual harassment personified. simultaneously in the fanfic suave way and the restraining order kind. they talk like stephan weyte. they think they’re soo cool and when someone doesn’t think they are when they want them to they run away and cry.

- I wish I could come up with something for jeb to like round out the primary cast but like honestly he’s the one I spin around in my head the least. I like his motive of make shit normal but maybe he’s just like too clear cut. he’s already got a full character there’s nothing for me to add.

thank you for coming to my ted talk

[starlightsinger32]

hi !! I'm a big fan of your fanfics, and I just wanted to ask, what's your inspiration to write?

TLDR: I write fanfiction because I can, because Sniper hot, and because Speeding Bullet go brrr

*deep inhale*

Hi there, and thank you so much!

That's such a great and difficult question! I can't really explain what draws me to a pairing, such as Sniper/Scout, which I assume is what you have read :D, but my fanfics are always based around a couple as I am a sappy romantic.

Most of my TF2 fanfiction ideas have come to me either in the shower or on walks, when I can actually shut my mind off and just play out dialogue scenes in my head. All of my ideas for Speeding Bullet fanfics have to fit my idea of the dynamic between the couple (and that's a whole other post right there). I've noticed other writers portray their relationship as more casual, incredibly random, very sappy, or actually unhealthy and abusive. I am forever fighting not to make my Speeding Bullet stuff too sappy and to not make Scout into a 'weak' character just because I see him as a bottom ;)

'Marry You' was actually slightly inspired by a Bridgerton fanfiction where the main couple elopes to avoid the female lead being forced into an unwanted marriage. Of course, the flavour was very different because it is a period romance, but I found the main concept of a rushed marriage between two characters who want each other but won't spit it out really hot :p

'Not Your Typical Fairytale' came to me on a hike in the fall, before I had even finished 'Marry You'. The moment it all came together was beautiful :) I had read a really cute YA novel 'Goose Chase' about a young girl who escaped a tower she had been put in by two princes who both wanted to marry her, and then went on an adventure through her fantasy world while being pursued by them. I saw the potential, and then got to thinking how I could make a Sniper/Scout story with Scout being the one in the tower and escaping/running from Sniper and the other mercs. I had to find a good reason for Sniper to want him, he's not the kind of man to just get obsessed with a random guy for no reason and then chase him across the kingdom. I can't say more because spoilers.

'Run Rabbit Run' was literally just 'Sniper chasing Scout go BRRRRRR'

I will say that smut does play a part in my writing; these are usually the scenes I think about first, and the ones I enjoy writing most. Loving moments and jealous/light possessiveness come in a close second and third though. At the end of the day, I write what I want to see and what I feel is missing in this beautiful fandom, and pray that my fans like it <3

If you were asking what my motivation/inspiration is to actually sit down and write, it is kind of an escape, ngl. I have also found this community to be the only place I can really talk about TF2 and how frighteningly obsessed I am with two fictional men whom I would not like to meet in real life, haha. I definitely get some validation from people enjoying my work, and I am absolutely a much better fictional writer for all my practice as well. (I also just find Speeding Bullet hot and like reading/writing about it ;))

Man, I hope some of that answered your question!

[toyfriskman]

ough, ive been out all day and almost forgot to do my little thing for #savetf2

anyways

i know what so many people might have already said. it's no big surprise if I'm just a drop in the sea when I say "Tf2 means so much to me"

i get it. It means so much to so many

but would you like to hear my story?

first and foremost, i've never even heard of TF2 until mid-2020. it was brought to my attention by all the tributes to the beloved and late, Rick May.

I saw so many tributes pop up on YouTube, so many videos, so much fanart, and song remixes- I was amazed! I looked through the comments, and one kept with me: "I've never seen a community come together faster than TF2 Fans to honour Rick May" or something along those lines I learned, through that one comment, that this is a community that cares. I didn't know anything at the time, and as the year went on, I forgot

but then, I came across Lazy Purple. Specifically, his "How It Feels" series. sure, I've watched Winglet's "Burning Through Space" and a few other SFMs, but this is what got me into the game. the high energy, the vibes, the crazy way each character felt so different from one another but so intertwined. I laughed, took notes on each character, and loved every second of the videos!

then, I started digging. I looked around, and found that there were comics! at first, I thought you needed to buy them, so I looked up voice over's for them. I watched dubs for the update comics and the numbered ones as well! and yes, I got very disappointed when I learned that there was no comic 7

finally, I found the "Meet The Team" videos and "Expiration Date". I loved everything about them so much, that's when I finally downloaded the game!

I went through the tutorial and tried playing with bots offline to try and get a feel for the game. then, after gaining some confidence, I looked for a match in Casual. I landed in a friendly server, on 2Fort. I loaded in as Medic (seeing as my team had none) and started wandering around. I found someone in the basement, and healed them, only for them to be a Spy (imagine my surprise!)! I had fun, wandering around, even though I had no way of communicating, other than nodding and shaking my head.

after a while, I landed in Payload and started playing for real. I found that I loved playing as Pyro, so that's who I mained! I still main Pyro to the day (as of writing).

but that's only the start of my story.

after a while, I found the jokes of people finding out they were trans due to the game, and lo and behold, the game helped me figure that out too! I found my gender identity through the funny characters who wore funny hats and did funny things.

further on down the line, I met a good friend of mine. we don't talk much now, but he holds a close place in my heart, because... well, he's doing better now. I'm happy I could help him.

then, I finally started doing shit on this Tumblr account. I reblogged funny things, and I made friends. I goofed off with them, found roleplay blogs, and had a fun time all around!

hell, I even found a boyfriend, not through Tumblr, but through our mutual love for this War Themed Hat Trading Simulator. tell me that three years ago, and I would have laughed.

I love this game. I truly do hold this game so close to my heart, because it has done so much for me personally. it hurts to know that it's slowly dying due to Valve's lack of attention, but with the VA's being so active now, and the community coming together, I have so much hope.

it's like what that one comment said

I've never seen a community come together faster than TF2 Fans.

we still have sush a long fight ahead of us, but I think we're finally nearing the top of this hill. I'm so happy I got into TF2 when I did

thank you all, for making this such an amazing fanbase, with such loving people supporting it

let's help this game not only keep it's head above water, but make sure it finds a nice place to finally rest and watch the waves from a beach

#savetf2

[dontneedadispenser]

Participated in a group project hosted by @sodafrog13 / @fuckyeahscienceparty to make a big collage/collab of tribute art for Rick May. I would've liked to have drawn something bigger, but in the end this was what I had to settle with due to other obligations.

Thank you so much for creating this project, Archie! And thank you so much to Rick May. I wasn't active here when he passed, but seeing his statue on 2Fort was what brought me back to TF2.

Here's a screenshot I took when I logged back into TF2 for the first time in years. This was the last day they had the statues in game and I had learned about his passing from other players talking about it. We didn't know when Valve would update the servers and remove them, so we played long past midnight holding the server open and dancing with him.

I hadn't felt a sense of community stronger than that in a while, and especially during quarantine. TF2 has always, at the end of the day, been a very wholesome and wonderful community for me. We have our problems but we truly come together and shine our brightest with our love for this game.

Rest in Peace Rick May, we'll always remember you. Your impact on this community and the world is immeasurable. Rest easy.

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff: Team Fabulous 2

WARNING: Keep your bonks close, your sanvich closer. Thank you, take care out there, and enjoy. And for kitty, Happy Birthday. RIP

TF2 is a game I cherish as much as many. With that, I sincerely gotta appreciate the community for not only helping me finally get my best loadouts, but making plentifully great animations outside of Valve’s already great youtube shorts. Crash Maul’s series, Turbulence, End of the Line, and ‘The Heavy is Dead’ are to name a few, but one sticks out upon ‘em all. What almost 25 million viewers, I say, considered one of the pinnacle of Red and Blue shenanigans that was so great, we're reanimating it ground up to celebrate. I’m talking kitty0706′s Team Fabulous 2.

To think it was 2012, over eight years ago when this released. I wasn’t into the game until 2014, but at the time I could see why so many loved this title. TF2 itself has that timeless factor that, while having a seemingly on and off update cycle still pushes strong with its community of modders and artists. I say it’s like Battle for Bikini Bottom where the game holds such a strong impact on people that even after Overwatch, Fortnite, and Apex Legends all took the spotlight, TF2 persists with its playerbase. This is where Team Fabulous 2 comes in.

For what it is, I wanna say it’s basically the game in a shellnut. It’s not Pixar or Dreamworks tier animation, but for Youtube it’s damn cinematic beauty, imperfections and all. It’s batshit nonsense with memorable moments, and the value comes in it being both a funny and thrilling adventure of TF2 vs GMod servers. The video has a blast with the mercenaries and the main baddies, almost coincidence that it all takes place in a toybox looking warzone. Everything leading up to what I will honorably say is the most kino climax to a fan project I’ll ever see. That ending alone is what makes this one of my favorite videos on Youtube ever and overall makes me respect kitty or Colin a lot for essentially making all of this himself. To quote one comment from the video,

“Somehow without even trying it is the most loved and most memorable video on youtube to quite a lot of people, everyone can say they've seen this video at least once, even people who don't even know what TF2 is. It's like a time capsule for 2012  but you don't cringe seeing the contents.”

This was not only the guy’s most popular youtube video, but the most widely known video in the TF2 community. It’s basically a big love letter to the game, upon his many other GMod videos. A representation of why the community hasn’t let this game die even when Valve mostly left it to die. I honestly can’t think of anything similar for the likes of Fortnite or Overwatch. Even with their mainstream popularity, nothing beyond the porn has ever came close to being that memorable fanmade representative of their respective communities like Team Fab 2 has. It feels like an inviting celebration, months in the making, from somebody who just got it. But, while the video will basically live as long as the internet, kitty himself wasn’t given a good hand.

It was only 3 months after the video released, and three years later when Colin Wyckoff was diagnosed and later died of leukemia. Of course, many in the TF2 community paid tribute on Youtube. We jump ahead to January 2020 where members announced a reanimation of Team Fab 2 along with a charity event to support the research of leukemia, all in honor of Colin and notably later to Rick May, the voice of Soldier, who passed in April due to Covid-19. It is to say that this reanimate collab is godsend, 200 animators coming together to remake this 17 minute video from over eight years ago. 

But as is with reanimations, this certainly isn’t something out of obligation but desire. To think, even when he’s gone all these years, we salute him for the Team Fabulous 2 he made because in truth, there will Never Ever be another video like it.