#tf2 offline au

[anonomi]

Tfw your sniper doesn't listen to you on your conspiracy theories about the enemy spy, or believe you when you say that you see nothing inside his eyes and that you see him breathing but there is no sound, or that you see him clinging to life by a thread, his chest is hollow, his flesh is charred, there are bullets under his skin but he JUST WONT DIE

Yeah

[anonomi]

Something that I think about a lot is how the bots in training mode always know where you are and who you are. They just pretend they don't, that you're fooling them with your disguise and your cloak.

Even if you walk in front of the sniper you're disguised as, he can't do anything to you unless you give him a valid reason, like dropping it or bumping into him. But he knows. He knows very well. You're not fooling anybody but he knows better than to attack.

There are two reasons I can think of this:

A. Somehow your disguise is so flawless, unaturally so, that even if a merc is looking at the mirror image of themself, there is something that is constricting them from attacking. Maybe it's in their body, like a sense of impending doom telling them to get away, do not engage. Maybe it's you, there is something wrong with the way you move, the way you breathe, the way you wear their face and clothes that has them standing there, stupefied, horrified or

B. Your disguise is so utterly dogshit the bots/mercs are taking pity on you and are pretending to be fooled for your sake. Yes they know, they know you're not their spy, he is literally standing right over there and you're not even trying to look subtle. Yes, of course they know you're sitting cloaked in the corner because that's where you always go. You always disguise as scout. But they don't want to embarrass you or crush your dreams because they think you're still learning, so they let you be until you drop it. Then they act all shocked and panicked and gun you down

[anonomi]

hello, ther, i am gently stepping outside the for,est ,on the gras s and sniffin, you gently and shyly, to, ask yuo about not only offline au but also the, mlp au,,

Oh my, my first ask!! And it's about my aus. You shot me right in the heart!! :D

Okay so first, my offline au. There's a post somewhere that explains where it came from, but I essentially created it after spending long hours in Offline Practice due to unstable internet/in my younger days I was scared of strangers. The basis of the au is the question: What if the bots in offline practice are sentient?

And there are a lot of ways you can take it:

You can see it from the player's perspective, where you are going through your normal day playing on pl_badwater and slowly realize that the bots are avoiding you or playing a little too smart... and then you start noticing nuances in their previously faceless expressions... and then they go off the script.

Or You can see it from the bots' perspective, where you wonder why you've never seen the world beyond the battlefield... or why the hell the enemy team's sniper is wearing a banana on his head, or why he is somehow always a step ahead, or where did he even come from, what happened to the old one what do you mean he never existed

Not to mention the world.. But to keep it simple, the au is basically offline practice played straight. Currently I am focusing on the bot's perspective in relation to the player. In this, the 'bots' are the usual mercenaries, normal, old dudes trying to do their gravel war job, and then there's the player who's well, like any other player. Any other player who just wants some fun and after playing offline practice long enough gets bored enough to try out console commands.

And as you can imagine, it's scary! The au is basically cosmic horror with the player being an eldritch, incomprehensible being to the bots/mercs. I take everything that we do as players, from casually jumping off cliffs to stabbing our teammates in casual fun, and explore it in a serious context from the perspective of normal people like the mercs. Even the greater concepts of TF2 like respawn.. It's a very meta au, and I can go very in depth about the concepts I want to explore and shit, like what it means to be a human being, what meaning can you find in an existence plagued by a being like this, what even is the player, the implications, but I think this post is long enough... so I must forgo. It's just spooky tf2 au hahah!

I should also mention the more lighthearted version which is the training mode au. It's the same thing but instead of the player being scary they're just a newbie and the bots try to teach them how to be decent. It's very cracky lol but I turn to it when the horror gets too much.

Now for the mlp au, unfortunately it's not too fleshed out :[ I mean I have the groundwork laid out in my mind, it's basically my darker, grittier mlp au mixed up with tf2. Though of course it's still got the same friendship is magic concepts, because I don't think making something serious/darker means you have to make it edgy and deprive it of its nature, but yeah. There are concepts I have, like batponies and how their civilization mirrors new zealand sinking but with the whole princess luna being banished, and things but I need more specific questions, it's hard for me to explain generally without making like a 5 page essay xD

Anyway THANK YOU! I am very thrilled to talk about my aus, especially offline au. Maybe I should've broken it up because it's like two seperate aus xD but idk how to do that. I'm sorry if this is less refined than I usually write or disjointed, but I am just very excited. If this isn't what you meant/if you wanted a more in-depth answer, feel free to ask!!

[anonomi]

live footage of me and a spy bot on offline badwater

audio

[anonomi]

I mostly think of tf2 training mode in a horror context from the bots/merc's perspective in relation to the player, but I like that version where they are completely normal and it's you (the player) who is acting strange. And it's not in a scary way, but in a "oh no, that idiot is going to jump off that high building and break their legs again, medic get over there"

Because if you think about, half of the things you do as a player are insane. Insanely stupid. You walk right into gunfire and tank bullets, you jump off of high ledges and there's even a distinct crack of your legs and you just walk it off, you literally absorb medkits and phase into people (which I hc in reality as you literally shoving people out of the way). You're usually splitting off from the team and try to take on 3 people alone. Most of the time you look completely fine but then you collapse and die from getting lightly shoved because you were at 1 hp and the only indication was some blood splatters.

And you always say the exact same things over and over, sometimes for no reason. It's always "nice shot" in the same tone, "thanks" and a thumbs up with the same hand, same expression. There's also how you look eerily similiar to one of your teammates and sometimes your entire body changes at will just because you want to bomb a sentry nest. And rarely, very rarely, you say something in chat (talk to yourself outloud) and they are left wondering what the hell "gg" means. This is all completely normal to you, but everybody else is wondering how you are still alive.

But even though you are weird and you don't ever react to the team trying to talk to you, you are still their teammate. And that's why your medic still heals you and even ubers you when you ask. That's why they cover you when you come back limping from trying to fight the heavy+medic duo alone. That's why when you look at a bot, in your perspective they're taunting, but they're just asking how you are.

[anonomi]

Random training mode bits about the player in relation to the 'bot' team

You don't actually live on base with your team. After the day's fighting is over, you just suddenly disappear. Sometimes for days, months or even years, until you suddenly come back to fight during setup. Spy once tried to follow you. He doesn't talk about what he saw.

Sometimes when you come back, your outfit changes. You go from wearing nothing but the standard uniform, to wearing a hat you probably got from the dumpster, to having a hat that is somehow casting a cloud over it? And it's raining snowflakes on you? Medic and Engineer have tried to study it but it's like your hat is glued to your head and it won't come off. They've given up on it, but sometimes they're concerned you'll get sick from it.

The only person you ever directly interact with is Medic, and that's to thank him after he heals you. He brags about this to everybody and says that if even you can be polite and grateful, then the rest of the team damn sure can too.

Your team often tries to talk to you, but you never seem to understand. You look at them, but aside from your eyes following them, your expression is completely blank and you never directly reply. They continue regardless.

You have a limited vocabulary that they've placed into different categories (voice commands). Rarely you say something that deviates from this but it is often in single letters or swears. Spy has tried to decipher what they mean but nothing makes sense.

Your voice is whatever class you're on. The only person who's heard your 'real' voice was Scout, who heard you speak through his headphones. He always talks about it but nobody believes him.

Sometimes you show up in a different class and body. The way they know it's you is because you never quite look right. The majority of the team hate seeing you wearing their body and most will avoid you like the plague until you change.

Sometimes they give you items to differentiate yourself or to hide your face. Sometimes you put these things on. Sometimes you scrap them and turn them into other hats or weapons. Sometimes you just throw them away.

You do not die right. The only thing that can kill you immediately is a headshot or backstab. Everything else you live through, even when your clothes are soaked with blood and you are barely breathing, you never stop until your body literally drops.

You show up to every Smissmas Party and even give people gifts. It's always something manufactured by Mann.co, weapons and hats. You don't seem to care who you are giving it to (you once gave Sniper a wrench and Medic a can of BONK!) as long as you are giving something. You never open the presents they give you unless they stick it in a sock with a candy cane. You never eat the candy cane. You never eat anything.

Sometimes you just stop. In the middle of battle or standing in spawn, you just stop and stand there, breathing in your perfectly controlled way. You don't even react when you're being attacked, you just stand there, bleeding and staring without acknowledgement. Sometimes the team makes sure you stay safe by standing guard or moving the fight further up to leave you alone. You can stand still for days at a time.

You always find the team. It doesn't matter where they are, if you left them in Junction and they've moved onto Dustbowl, you will always find them. You will come back from wherever you've been, wearing a different hat or the same one you wore 3 years ago, and you will settle yourself in line with the team, and they will greet you and you will say nothing back.

[anonomi]

the girls are fighting

[anonomi]

There I am, there I am again!

// old concepts I found of my offline practice au

[anonomi]

A little part of a larger project set in my offline au that idk if I will finish and is put into wip purgatory. I like the way Sniper moves on the 4th shot so I'll just salvage this part here.

I'm still trying to get used to blocking after ages of animating straight/from the graph editor (which while it is much much easier for me, after blocking once, I can't go back, blocking feels so much more organized and I absolutely love making lipsync in it, I could animate lipsync all day)

audio

[anonomi]

sv_cheats 1

buddha

noclip

*goes into enemy spawn*

It is another beautiful round of pl_badwater and you are one unforunate Sniper.

You are standing among the shoulders of your teammates who bounce on their heels and chatter on and on about things you don't really care about. What's the point in asking about the weather? It never changes.

But you are bound by your duty, or by some otherworldly force that despises you as much as you despise it, to stand here in this spot right next to your Medic, who just won't stop jumping. Before you can turn and tell him that the squeaking of his boots and subsequent rattling of his backpack is more irritating than getting blown up, you see a dash of red in the corner of your eye. Something worth noting, considering you are firmly on BLU.

When you look, you almost wish you hadn't: sliding out of the walls like a mosquito materializing in your sight is, evidently, the RED Spy. He breaks space-time continum, crawling past the physical walls of spawn without so much as a grunt of exterion, all to plop himself down in the middle of your spawn. Only he doesn't drop.

He only hovers. Standing in the air. You eye him as does the rest of your team. You think he might be eyeing you back, but who knows what the hell goes on behind those vacant eyes of his. Not you, that's for sure.

The Voice in the ceiling sounds off and the gates open. You brace yourself.

Instantaneously the room erupts with a mixture of gunfire, explosions, and a lot of angry shouts. The RED Spy is nothing more than a cloud of hot ash and dark smoke. That is, until he surges to life.

You do the sensible thing and get the hell out of the way as he starts stabbing everybody. You run to the wall, as he is very occupied with shredding Heavy and Medic apart. This far, you can comfortably watch as your team dies over and over again at the hands of this, whatever this is.

"He always does this," Spy, who's drifted to your side, mutters. He looks at the proceedings with detached disdain. "But not without reason. What did you do?"

You roll your eyes at Spy, leaning over to dodge a stray arm from hitting you. Looks like Engineer's if the glove is anything to go by.

"What do you mean, what did I do? I was just standing here," you defend yourself. He thinks that just because you can instantly kill the RED Spy it's always your fault whenever he decides to mess with your team. As if he can't do the same. Damn spies.

"Really? Because I can remember three, no, five distinct times last round where I watched him get his head blown off. In a row."

You wince. Okay maybe he has a point there, but "It's my job."

Spy kicks at Engineer's arm. "We're supposed to be on Normal mode, not Expert. Hold yourself back or he's going to turn all of us into medics again or worse."

Spy shudders as he relives the day that the team has agreed to pretend never happened. "Take us to that blasted Smissmas map."

You don't think that map is so bad, lots of good sightlines, but the RED Spy's presence steals your attention before you can retort. You turn and there he is in all his blood-soaked, shambling glory. You can barely tell where the red of his suit ends and where the blood begins. Not that it matters to distinguish, since he's stalking towards you, vacant eyes watching you with predatory focus.

Spy swears. "See you around." And there he goes, running away under his cloak. The bastard. You are barely given enough time to curse him out before the RED Spy is on you.

After a few minutes or an hour, the time is lost in-between dying over and over, you finally wake up and stay alive longer than a few seconds. You blink and look around the spawn room. There is a lot of blood, but no spy.

"Is it over?" you ask. You falter. To your horror, instead of your rough and gravelly voice to greet your ears, it's a hideous velvety tone with an accent you can't shake. You look down and the floor is too close, but more importantly, you are wearing gloves. Calfskin gloves.

You are a spy. You look around to see the rest of your team has similarly metamorphized into spies. You can barely tell them apart, a horrid mix of fancy clothes and masks.

You fall to your elegant knees, holding your head in your hands. Of all the nine classes why, why? You look up at the ceiling but it isn't the Voice who answers you: before your eyes He descends from the ceiling once again, but this time he isn't a spy.

You look into the RED Pyro's vacant eyes as he readies his flamethrower. Not for the first time you wonder what you did to deserve this. Like always, there is no answer, only sizzling fire and white hot pain.

(later, when you are firmly back in your body and the seemingly endless cycle of the war rotates once more, you ignore Spy's advice and target his counterpart over and over. it's only fair.)

[anonomi]

Omg you get it. You get it. I have been fixated on this meta au type stuff ever since I decided to turn myself into God using console commands on offline mode. Something about being unable to die completely breaks the bots ai, but the thing is there's variety.

Some bots when they see you, immortal with your Buddha and your addcond 157, they run away. Others, they fight to the death, even when all their ammo is gone they grab their melees and start wacking at you in a way I can't call anything but desperation. Others, they just stare at you. It felt so human I couldn't stop thinking about it.

And since the interest came out of something so morbid, I picked out a horror genre for it, because well, imagine being a bot and seeing someone do these things beyond your comprehension. This person phasing through the walls or somehow tanking bullet after bullet but still breathing, still kicking and completely fixated on killing you. It's some cosmic horror shit.

Or this person goes around pulling off things that are not normal. Somehow every single stab they take kills you instantly. Somehow they always, always see through your disguise that has worked flawlessly...

And yes, it can be so silly and light-hearted. And it can be so horrifying and existential. And either works, part of why I love it is all the ways you can take it. I love them both.

And thank you! It's rare to find anything directly meta with tf2 and I have major brainrot. You get it.

I mostly think of tf2 training mode in a horror context from the bots/merc's perspective in relation to the player, but I like that version where they are completely normal and it's you (the player) who is acting strange. And it's not in a scary way, but in a "oh no, that idiot is going to jump off that high building and break their legs again, medic get over there"

Because if you think about, half of the things you do as a player are insane. Insanely stupid. You walk right into gunfire and tank bullets, you jump off of high ledges and there's even a distinct crack of your legs and you just walk it off, you literally absorb medkits and phase into people (which I hc in reality as you literally shoving people out of the way). You're usually splitting off from the team and try to take on 3 people alone. Most of the time you look completely fine but then you collapse and die from getting lightly shoved because you were at 1 hp and the only indication was some blood splatters.

And you always say the exact same things over and over, sometimes for no reason. It's always "nice shot" in the same tone, "thanks" and a thumbs up with the same hand, same expression. There's also how you look eerily similiar to one of your teammates and sometimes your entire body changes at will just because you want to bomb a sentry nest. And rarely, very rarely, you say something in chat (talk to yourself outloud) and they are left wondering what the hell "gg" means. This is all completely normal to you, but everybody else is wondering how you are still alive.

But even though you are weird and you don't ever react to the team trying to talk to you, you are still their teammate. And that's why your medic still heals you and even ubers you when you ask. That's why they cover you when you come back limping from trying to fight the heavy+medic duo alone. That's why when you look at a bot, in your perspective they're taunting, but they're just asking how you are.