Scout And Miss Pauling Friendship Is One Of My Fave Things To Think About But I Think A Lot Of People
Scout and Miss Pauling friendship is one of my fave things to think about but I think a lot of people look over the more complex parts (as complex as fucking. TF2 lore gets) like Scout feelings for Miss Pauling are genuine and he's mostly just really lame about it rather the internally a creep but Miss Pauling doesn't owe liking him due to that, even if you go in the transfem Scout route. I think there have to be a talk and a lot of awkward feelings but i think after a while they would be good friends. Sorry to ramble here in your askbox I just wish this dynamic was explored more in the fandom without outright dismissing character traits of either of them.
No yeah ur literally so right n I've def talked before about how this is the ONE vaguely complex canon character thing I get to be snotty about and that I think like. there are Implications(tm) if you choose to make it so that Scout was NEVER attracted to Pauling ever (usually bc "he's gay") or Pauling is actually attracted to men and now she and Scout can date!! like I'm trying not to be A Hater but I rlly do think a lot of people just haven't deconstructed how they think about men (for the sake of the intentions of the source material, Scout will be a man in this post) who are attracted to women, especially the "loser who gets the girl in the end" archetype. If Scout is attracted to Pauling, he is not in any way owed her reciprocation, EVEN IF she were attracted to men. And people have friends that they're attracted to who don't reciprocate for whatever reason and they manage to work it out. The actual canon Scout/Pauling dynamic (which is that he's really into her and thinks she's into him but she's not and he's lame) IS very funny, but if you want to imagine any sort of closure for these characters it has to involve him coming to terms with it and like. learning to deal. I am SO happy that there seem to be absolutely zero hints of Scout and Pauling actually hooking up at the end of the comic (but what do I know) bc I am SICK of every piece of media on the planet feeling the need to shove a man and a woman together because he likes her and therefore deserves her. This is like, tf2 level nuance! It's extremely simple! Idk this is such like. a common relationship thing that happens in real life and if people can't handle it when cartoon hat people do it idk how they'd handle it if it were happening to them or to one of their friends
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More Posts from Unstableplague
i need demo from tf2 and soap from cod to fight to see who's more scottish
the addams family 🤝 scooby doo : being adapted into mean spirited versions of themselves by writers that don’t understand the characters
I'm sick of how people write medic. I've been reading alot of tf2 fics lately and I never like how he's written. He's aways an all business, married to his job, paper pusher with a screw loose. Like honey a screw loose? The screws are gone!!! He's a maniac! He's not a no nonsense paper pusher, he's a mad scientist who loves his job!! He's a giggly bitch! He's plays plays the squeez box! He loves dancing! He's a loving father of Pidgins! He put a man's soul in a jack o lantern for shits and giggles! He stole a whole ass skeleton out of a living patient! He lives in an abandoned hospital! He isn't a all business no fun weirdo he's clinically insane and a silly guy with recorces to fule his experiments!
I'm a firm believer in the idea that Pyro doesn't naturally see in "Pyrovision," but that it's a side effect of their mask/the optics inside it. I feel like they still know what they're doing, though. The rest of the mercs very much know the reality of their job, although some of them see it in a slightly different perspective.
Sniper sees his job as assassinating those who deserve it — only killing people who are "rotten" (as described by his adoptive mother.)
![[Image ID: a page from the Team Fortress 2 comics. The top panel shows Sniper, with a box at the top left indicating their location. It states: "God's Secret Base, Heaven." Sniper's dialogue reads: "But I don't want to go. I want to stay here. With you." The bottom left panel shows his adoptive parents. His mom responds, saying: "And we want ya ta stay, dear. But you left a lot of rotten @#$%s down there that need killin'." The next panel zooms in closer to Sniper's father, who says: "Yer mum's right. A professional wouldn't quit when there's still work to be done." The panel after shows Sniper, with his dad now out of frame, though his dialogue still continues with: "And you are a professional, son." The final panel shows Sniper's dad, putting a hand on his son's shoulder, and finishing his dialogue with: "Now get back there and give 'em Hell." / end ID.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/0a6731e75183f75fc258f192eabaa85b/db6d3c97ae462aad-46/s500x750/a4e38879111d4859a687ada96fbf609c30281aa7.jpg)
He says himself in the Meet The Sniper short that he isn't a "crazed gunman." He doesn't kill for the sake of killing, he only kills who he thinks should be killed. He's an assassin, it's an occupation. He does it for his job, and states that as a professional, he has standards.
![[Image ID: a screenshot from the Meet The Sniper short that shows Sniper using a telephone. The subtitles at the bottom read: "Dad? dad I'm a- Ye- Not a 'crazed gunman,' dad, I'm an assassin!..." / end ID.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/5a1bf80627bc58166def04642b09c989/db6d3c97ae462aad-b2/s500x750/885673198f7ce0436ed62ff9280f88dc886ce7b2.jpg)
![[Image ID: a screenshot from the Meet The Sniper short that shows Sniper in his campervan. He is looking towards the camera, and saying: "Professionals have standards." / end ID.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/8aec50b3a48b2350a6df070fd8b2e54e/db6d3c97ae462aad-32/s500x750/448ccdb8d9b396975c3bf67c4b00f0d536435546.jpg)
Heavy sees his job as getting rid of "evil men." When discussing taking back his job, he emphasizes that specifically. He isn't just killing anyone, he's killing those who are deemed the bad guys.
![[Image ID: a page from the Team Fortress 2 comics. The top left panel contains dialogue from Zhanna, which reads: "Aw, Misha, you're our big brother!" Yana is on the lower right side of the same panel, with her own dialogue that reads: "You'll always look out for us, and we love you for it. But now you must let us look out for ourselves." The next panel shows Heavy, who is eating his food. The top right panel shows a conversation between Heavy and Scout. Heavy's dialogue reads: "This mission. It will be dangerous?" Scout then replies, saying: "Oh yeah it will!" Heavy responds with: "It pays well?" Scout replies: "Probably? I forgot to ask." The next text bubble from Heavy reads: "But there will be evil men? And we will destroy them?" Scout answers with: "Heck yeah!" The final panel is at the bottom, which shows a shot of everyone present in the room. Heavy's mother is in the foreground, with the rest of them in the background, situated around a table. Heavy shouts: "Then Heavy is back, babies!" Everyone around him is smiling, and Soldier pops in from the left, saying: "Hooray! I am back from the bathroom and everyone is happy!" / end ID.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/7c6d53aa04a8ae4b2565395f96ea1234/db6d3c97ae462aad-96/s500x750/ff734b63bfedea15cb2b13e8f2036b4b567a70f1.jpg)
We also know he does all he can to protect his family, and his family knows this just as well. He only attacks when it is necessary for him and his family's safety, and/or will benefit them in some capacity. (He's gone through a lot and I feel like we as a fandom don't discuss that enough. I did an analysis over Heavy's past one time in a Discord server and I might post it here if anyone is interested.)
![[Image ID: a page from the Team Fortress 2 comics. It shows a discussion between Heavy and his sisters. The top left panel has dialogue from Heavy, which reads: "Yana. Zhanna. Bronislava. I know it is hard. But the people who hurt us before... Who took us away... There will always be more like them. If I wasn't here... They would come. They would find you." Behind Heavy, we see an image of him and his family in a flashback. They are all running away from a burning North Siberian gulag. The next two panels are on the bottom left. The first contains dialogue from Bronislava, which reads: "Misha... Men have come." The next panel contains dialogue from Heavy, who is offscreen, that reads: "What?" Yana replies, saying: "While you were away in America. We did not want to worry you." The final panel is on the right side of the image, it shows Zhanna and Heavy next to one another at the table. Heavy says: "I see. You... But you probably did not make them suffer." Zhanna, who has her hand on Heavy's arm, replies: "Oh, Misha, we did. I promise you." Heavy responds: "You are just saying this." Zhanna replies with: "No, I swear! We butchered them like hogs. Their screams died on their lips." The rest of the dialogue comes from Heavy, it reads: "I see. I guess you are all grown up girls now. Big girls who do not need bossy old Misha anymore." / end ID.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/ca55d71c0b847a779807b5521285b172/db6d3c97ae462aad-af/s500x750/76da408e70f2434110da0c0c65ad8c9246db6ce3.jpg)
In the Meet The Pyro video, we see how they allegedly view the world. A fairytale-like place full of rainbows, bubbles, sparkles, and almost cherub-esque versions of the enemy mercs.
![[Image ID: a screenshot from the Meet The Pyro short that shows Pyro in Pyroland. They are surrounded by flowers and are equipped with the Rainblower weapon, which is shooting out a stream of rainbows. / end ID.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/78219fc58571cf0abf8d42b3f8c6fdfd/db6d3c97ae462aad-db/s500x750/047ababdb34d8f1b8e3d03415665253c68b34bc7.jpg)
![[Image ID: a screenshot from the Meet The Pyro short which shows Pyro in Pyroland. To the left are the BLU Scout and Heavy, who appear cherub-like due to Pyrovision. The Heavy is holding a large lollipop. The RED Pyro is on the right side of the frame, tilting their head and facing the viewer. / end ID.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/36a560220430bf000c0ce711d5f4752e/db6d3c97ae462aad-0f/s500x750/ff82fdb4ec72aed1641de7b98549faf42989e55a.jpg)
While it is very easy to just assume this is how they view everything naturally, I don't think it's ever been 100% confirmed that this is the case.
The biggest thing for me is the Pyrovision Goggles in-game. The fact that they can be worn by any class, and it effects all of the mercs the same way, makes me believe that it truly is a result of the optical mask/the lenses within them that makes Pyro see what they do. It would've been so easy to make this cosmetic only available to Pyro, but it isn't.
![[Image ID: A screenshot taken from the Team Fortress 2 wiki of the page for the Pyrovision Goggles. It includes an image of a Red Spy with the goggles equipped to the far right side of the screenshot. The wiki description reads: "The Pyrovision Goggles are a cosmetic item for all classes. They are a pair of goggles with round lenses and the term "Optical Mask" printed in between them, reminiscent of the Pyro's gas mask. Bits of the Pyroland landscape can be seen reflected on the lenses.
When equipped, players are able to see in Pyrovision; map textures are replaced with those of Pyroland, gibs and pickups are replaced with their counterparts from birthday mode, low-violence mode becomes active, other players' voices become high-pitched, all players laugh when injured or killed, and certain Pyroland-only weapons and cosmetic items become visible or change model. However, the goggles will not change textures on some official maps, or any custom maps regardless of if they are using the original textures." / end ID.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/00efe4fb949ae40c8aca48333224ee49/db6d3c97ae462aad-6b/s1280x1920/f0fd36d34b2f92b56e076c39bcb8facc99968d96.jpg)
The fact the goggles includes the "optical mask" text in the center, much like Pyro's mask itself, just pushes the idea that Pyroland is all an optical illusion. Obviously it was never real in the first place, but I don't think it's how Pyro sees everything naturally.
![[Image ID: a screenshot from the Team Fortress 2 wiki of Pyro's page. The text on the screenshot is slightly cropped, with some of the text highlighted for emphasis. The highlighted text reads: "They see everything as a magical fairy tale land, which Valve dubbed "Pyroland". In Pyroland, they see enemy players as small, round, flying babies, and their acts of killing and maiming them to the Pyro is nothing more than playing with them; however, their mask might be the cause of the Pyroland illusions. In front of the mask, it reads "Optical Mask". Optical illusions usually play tricks on your eyes and your mind, so the mask might play tricks on the Pyro's mind, thus causing Pyroland. This has been hinted by the Pyrovision goggles which were introduced after Meet the Pyro." / end ID.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/7e9d21f8d5a9f26f95c30bf7e6e05183/db6d3c97ae462aad-2d/s500x750/7ec0227fc2d175f02eeecfee31743ec820825f82.jpg)
Tying back to the beginning of this post, I believe Pyro knows what they're doing. They know that they're spreading fire and not bubbles and rainbows. But perhaps they keep the mask on for the sake of their own psyche, to make it easier for them to do their job. Much like how Heavy and Sniper justify their jobs by seeing it as killing "evil men," or killing those who are "rotten," maybe Pyro uses their mask and goggles to tune out the dark truth of what they do. It could be yet another reason as to why Pyro never removes their mask.
Shout-out to my fellow weirdo makers out there that create thousands of parallel universes that their OCs simultaneously exist in, where they are, at their core, the same character, but each have subtle differences that make it difficult to fully express what is perfectly consistent across all of them.