Respawn of the Dead

""That BLU Pyro, man. He… it wasn’t human.""

Respawn of the Dead is a Team Fortress 2 fanfiction. Written by Big Name Fan Cat Bountry, it is a complex tale of relationships (both romantic and not), suspense, danger, conspiracy, a liberal dash of humor, and... oh, yeah. ZOMBIES.

Better Than It Sounds. MUCH better. Can be read here. And once you're done with that, read the prologue here.

MASSIVE spoilers ahead. Beware.
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"“I’m sorry, Doktor.” “Stop apologizing,” Medic said. “You are a proud man on ze battlefield, Heavy. You have confidence out zere. Try showing some off ze field for vonce, hmm?” “Sorry,” Heavy mumbled. “I said, ‘stop apologizing!’” Medic chided. “Really, it’s like you ah a completely different person vhen you have zat gun in your hand.”"
 * Above the Influence: In the Prequel,
 * Actor Allusion:
 * Afraid of Needles: Scout. Medic, who really is kind of a sadist, finds it pretty entertaining.
 * Afterlife Express: Medic's dream.
 * Alas, Poor Yorick:
 * All Germans Are Nazis: Soldier seems to fervently believe this.
 * AI Is a Crapshoot:
 * Am I Just a Toy to You?: Heavy worries about this in the Prequel.
 * America Saves the Day: The plague is very strongly implied to have been masterminded by President Evil so he can invoke this trope and guarantee his reelection.
 * Word of God says
 * Anyone Can Die: And HOW.
 * Apocalyptic Log:
 * Apologises a Lot: Surprisingly, Heavy in the Prequel. It may just be that he gets a bit shy around Medic, and Medic throwing a boot at him probably didn't help.

"He looked so delicate as he slumbered, not at all like the fearsome, sadistic man he could be when he was awake."
 * Ate His Gun:
 * The Atoner:
 * Ax Crazy: Soldier.
 * The Bait: Scout Got Volunteered by Medic to distract the zombified BLU team when the RED team goes into the BLU base.
 * Battle in the Rain: Medic and Soldier.
 * Beautiful Dreamer: In the Prequel, Heavy watches Medic sleep.

"“Are you doing to… dark-mail me?” Heavy asked, obviously unsure of his choice of words."
 * Bedmate Reveal: In the Prequel,
 * Berserk Button: Demoman doesn't take it well when he's told about Nessie not existing. Medic hates it when people use the zed word, and he hates being called a Nazi even more.
 * Beta Test Baddie:.
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Heavy, especially if you mess with Medic.
 * Also Engineer — sure, had it coming, but DAMN.
 * Big Damn Heroes:
 * An earlier example would be
 * : *sniff*
 * Bittersweet Ending:
 * Blame Game: So whose fault is the zombie plague, anyway?
 * Blind Without'Em: Medic's eyesight is abysmal without his glasses,
 * Blood From the Mouth:
 * Blunt Metaphors Trauma:

"[...] it seemed as if Medic had returned to the cold, icy demeanor he was known for when he first joined RED team[...]"
 * Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: "YOU WERE LIKE CHILDREN TO ME AND  WE WATCHED YOU FIGHT AND LIVE AND TALK AND SHOWER..."
 * Bridal Carry: Heavy tends to carry Medic like this when the latter is badly injured. It's just practical. And also quite sweet.
 * Bruiser with a Soft Center: Heavy, in the Prequel, begs Medic not to tell anyone that he's basically just a big old teddy bear.
 * Chekhov's Gun: Heavy getting stuck in the fence. Ha, ha, the fat guy's stuck in the fence...
 * Chekhov's Boomerang: The hole in the fence.
 * Chekhov's Hobby: Pyro is a Star Trek fan.
 * Cold War: The reason Soldier doesn't get along with Heavy. Or at least one of them; Soldier disapproves of homosexuality even more than Communism.
 * Compensating for Something: Subverted. Medic finds it humorously appropriate that Heavy doesn't even know what the phrase means. Because, you know... he's not.
 * Conspiracy Theorist: Demo is one- he's one of the first to accept the zombies as such rather than grasping for a rational explanation.
 * Consulting Mister Puppet:
 * Cower Power: Pyro makes use of this a few times. He seems to distinctly prefer hiding behind Medic.
 * Crashing Dreams: Sniper has an Erotic Dream involving Marilyn Monroe. She turns into Demoman when the latter comes to wake Sniper up.
 * Crazy Prepared: Spy has a RAFT. In the DESERT.
 * But he doesn't have a paddle, so he's not that prepared.
 * Creator Thumbprint: Medic and Heavy make plans to settle down together in Venice, which they've actually managed to do in "Reunion", although it's clearly set in a different continuity. Also, there's one major element in common with "With Apologies to Harlan Ellison". Also, Like in "Surrogate", a Medic uses a rabbit as a test subject, and Heavy considers the rabbit very cute.
 * Cruel and Unusual Death:
 * Cry Into Chest: The second time Medic cries in the Prequel.
 * Defrosting Ice King: Medic is this in the Prequel, but several of the team members, particularly Heavy, help draw him out of his shell. He still stays a little frosty, though.
 * Cruel and Unusual Death:
 * Cry Into Chest: The second time Medic cries in the Prequel.
 * Defrosting Ice King: Medic is this in the Prequel, but several of the team members, particularly Heavy, help draw him out of his shell. He still stays a little frosty, though.
 * Defrosting Ice King: Medic is this in the Prequel, but several of the team members, particularly Heavy, help draw him out of his shell. He still stays a little frosty, though.

"“Ah you suggesting zat I sound like a woman, Herr Heavy?” “Nyet! You sound like a man!” Heavy was now fumbling to recover from this horrible implication. “Tiny, leetle man, but still man. And I am happy to be fighting vit you, Doktor!”"
 * Depraved Bisexual:
 * Despair Event Horizon: Medic falls headlong over it after
 * Digging Yourself Deeper: Heavy, in the prequel. Well, it's not his fault that Medic didn't realize he was almost quoting Greta Garbo word-for-word, but...

"“That does not happen to me, most of time.”"
 * Disaster Dominoes: The team's first meeting in the prequel.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?: Heavy running out of ammo while ubered.


 * Dropped Glasses: It's really a good thing Medic keeps at least two spare pairs.
 * Dying Moment of Awesome:
 * Dying as Yourself:
 * Earn Your Happy Ending:
 * Eloquent in My Native Tongue: The sections from Heavy's perspective contain some rather sophisticated observations he probably just doesn't have sufficient English skills to actually say. There's a part in the Prequel where he wonders how he's going to have a particular discussion in English and wishes that Medic spoke Russian so they could communicate more easily.
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Well, of course, but
 * Explosive Instrumentation:
 * Face Heel Turn:
 * Fan Disservice: A sex scene from the perspective of a zombie who overhears it is even more disturbing than you'd expect.
 * Fate Worse Than Death:
 * Fingore:
 * First Blood:


 * Freudian Excuse:
 * Friendly Sniper: Despite being something of a lone wolf, Sniper is generally laid-back and easygoing. And he loves his parents.
 * Well, his mom, at least.
 * Friendship Moment: Medic has a few with Engineer and Pyro.
 * Follow in My Footsteps: Medic's mother wanted him to be a professional violinist, but his father wanted him to be a doctor, like him. It's implied that Medic kind of wishes he had become a violinist, actually.
 * Foregone Conclusion: The Prequel is rather bittersweet due to this.
 * For Science!: said by RED Medic
 * Full-Frontal Assault: Soldier once attacked the BLU base in the middle of the night while naked and armed with Shovel and the Sniper's knife. He got put on medication after that.
 * Funetik Aksent: All of the team members except Soldier
 * Deconstructed, as none of the accented team members can get through a voice-activated door.
 * Gentle Giant: Heavy... mostly.
 * Germanic Efficiency: In the Prequel, this trope seems to be the reason Soldier's comment about foreigners not respecting authority makes Medic snicker to himself, incidentally averting another trope about Germans.
 * Gilligan Cut: In the Prequel. Medic was only going to have one bottle of beer, which somehow turned into eight.
 * Good People Have Good Sex: Medic and Heavy have happy, loving, extremely loud sex. Unlike most examples of this trope, it's also clearly a bit kinky, and they do have their problems at first.
 * Happy Birthday to You: Sniper has an Erotic Dream in which Marilyn Monroe was going to blow out his candle.
 * Hand Wave:
 * Headbutt of Love:
 * Help, I'm Stuck!: Happens to Heavy twice. One time is played for laughs. The other...
 * Hemo-Erotic: The Prequel makes it clear that Medic likes biting, and the taste of blood, and playing with scalpels in bed...
 * Heroic BSOD:
 * Sniper has a small one when
 * Heteronormative Crusader: Soldier. Scout is less of a crusader and more just rude and obnoxious.
 * Hold Me: In the Prequel; Medic is more than a little shaken by being caught knocking boots with Heavy by Scout, who is, after all, the chattiest member of the team, and therefore highly likely to blab and get them fired.
 * Hope Spot:
 * I'll Tell You Vhen I Haff Had Enough!: Medic, to Engineer. Fortunately, he actually doesn't drink any more after that.
 * Image Song: Werner Von Braun could be said to be Soldier's- he sings it (and has Scout sing it) throughout the story for the purpose of antagonizing Medic.
 * The Immodest Orgasm: Medic is a screamer. So much so that he plays Beethoven and Mozart to try and cover it up (key word: try).
 * Inelegant Blubbering: Medic, in the Prequel, after It's also described as "blubbering" and seems to be this trope when he.
 * Informed Judaism:
 * Interrupted Intimacy: In the Prequel.
 * In Vino Veritas: Medic gets very drunk in the Prequel, and becomes fixated on teasing Engineer for being short. Then
 * Is That What They're Calling It Now?: Spy's response in the Prequel when Medic tells him he and Heavy are going to go play chess and he can mind his own business.
 * Is This Thing Still On?:
 * It Got Worse: So, so VERY much,
 * It Can Think:
 * It's the Only Way to Be Sure:
 * I Want My Beloved to Be Happy:
 * I Was Just Passing Through: In the Prequel, Medic insists that he didn't Übercharge Heavy to save him from being sniped because he cares about him or anything, it's just that it would have been a waste if he hadn't because he'd have been killed too without Heavy. Heavy is unconvinced.
 * Just Toying with Them:
 * Kissing Under the Influence:
 * Knight in Shining Armour: In the Prequel, Medic has a dream that casts Heavy in this role, complete with a Unicorn...
 * Last Kiss:
 * Last Stand:
 * Defied by Engineer.
 * The Leader: Medic, at first, mainly because everyone is deeply impressed by his strategy for tackling the zombified BLUs. In the Prequel, Soldier clearly thinks he's the leader, but everyone else thinks he's a deranged windbag.
 * Leave Behind a Pistol:
 * Leeroy Jenkins: Goddamnit, Soldier!
 * Left Hanging: What was that about ?
 * Licked by the Dog: Pyro hugging Medic in the Prequel.
 * Life or Limb Decision:
 * Logic Bomb:
 * Love Redeems:
 * Love You and Everybody: Medic suggests that the reason Pyro signs a letter to him with "Love, Pyro" is either that it's a strange joke or Pyro just doesn't know the socially acceptable way to write letters to your coworkers. However, it seems entirely possible that it's just because Pyro considers him to be a good friend.
 * Man Child: Pyro, although of course he's totally competent and professional when necessary.
 * Mercy Kill:
 * Mad Scientist: RED Medic.
 * Morality Pet: Medic and Pyro, particularly in the Prequel when Medic is a lot more cold and reserved.
 * Nakama: The RED Team, despite everything.
 * New Age Retro Hippie:
 * Nakama: The RED Team, despite everything.
 * New Age Retro Hippie:

"He could see the bone and muscles and tissue inside, and took delight in being able to see the man’s sinuses up close. “Ye enjoyin’ yerself, lad?” Demoman asked, flashing a pearly white grin. “Very much, danke,” Medic said, smiling. “Ye know wot? Yer not so bad,” Demoman said."
 * Nice Guy: Engineer.
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
 * Nightmare Fetishist: Medic, of course. In the Prequel, he bonds with Demo over Demo's empty eye socket.


 * Noble Bigot: Engineer on homosexuality, Medic on race.
 * Nobody Over 50 Is Gay: Medic is at least over forty. Scout certainly seems to think he's pretty much the oldest man in the world.
 * No Good Deed Goes Unpunished:

"“It’s all ze same, as fah as I’m concerned,” Medic said dismissively. “It’s all mindless garbage, anyvay.” “Yurr meerndlsssh gurrbuge,” Pyro retorted. “Very funny,” Medic said, moving one of his pawns forward. “Vhere did you learn zat vone, on ze playground?”"
 * No Medication for Me: Soldier is very resistant to being medicated for his severe psychosis.
 * Not So Different: A more positive version. They've probably got more weird international gay couples like Heavy and Medic than they've got the likes a' Demo, anyway. Also, Demo was initially a bit homophobic, but Medic was initially a bit racist.
 * Not Staying for Breakfast: Well, everyone eats breakfast together anyway. But
 * Not That There's Anything Wrong with That: Engineer's attitude to Medic and Heavy's relationship. He's so uncomfortable with it that he doesn't like Medic's habit of going to him for relationship advice, but he tries not to be offensive about it. Soldier and Scout seem to think there genuinely is something wrong with it. Demo is a bit repelled at first in the Prequel, but says that as a black Scottish cyclops, he tries not to judge others for being different.
 * Not Using the Z Word: Don't call them 'zombies' in front of Medic.
 * Insistent Terminology
 * No, You: Medic bickers with Pyro about Star Trek in the Prequel.
 * No, You: Medic bickers with Pyro about Star Trek in the Prequel.


 * Odd Couple: Medic and Heavy are referred to as this in the Prequel, by Engineer, who means it in the usual platonic sense although unbeknownst to him they actually are, you know, a couple.
 * Odd Friendship: Medic and Pyro clearly become friendlier over the course of the story, despite their differing personalities and.
 * Intergenerational Friendship: It's implied Pyro is probably a decade or two younger than Medic, and he acts even younger.
 * Official Couple: Medic and Heavy, who get together in the Prequel.
 * Our Zombies Are Different:
 * Perverse Sexual Lust: Discussed.
 * Pet Monstrosity: Stumpy.
 * Pet the Dog: In the Prequel, even though Medic starts out being kind of an asshole to everybody else, he lets Pyro get away with fleeing his physical and
 * Phenotype Stereotype:
 * Power Perversion Potential: Spy and his masks.
 * Precision F-Strike: Medic doesn't always swear, but when he does, it's awesome.
 * Precision F-Strike: Medic doesn't always swear, but when he does, it's awesome.

"“Vhat kind of var has its fighters coming back from ze dead constantly? Honestly, I feel like I should be punching a time clock every time I go out zere.”"
 * Primal Scene: In the Prequel, Scout mentions that this trope has happened to him.
 * Psychic Dreams for Everyone: ...and ends up coming almost true, except sans any type of equine.
 * Punch Clock Hero: Discussed in the Prequel.

"“Look, we made it this far without bein’ killed, an’ I’m not gonna risk my neck for th’ sake a’ lookin’ cool,” Engineer said sternly."
 * Raising the Steaks: "The cows, man...fuckin' zombie cows."
 * Redemption Equals Death:
 * The Reveal:
 * Ridiculous Procrastinator:
 * Right Through the Wall: The rest of the team likes to avoid the area when they hear loud classical music coming from the infirmary; it's Medic's attempt to be considerate about his screaming orgasms.
 * Rule of Cool: Discussed. Engineer thinks it's stupid.
 * Rule of Cool: Discussed. Engineer thinks it's stupid.

"Demoman: "‘Now cracks a noble ‘eart. Good night, sweet prince. An’ flights o’ angels sing thee to thy rest.’" Sniper: "Dinnit’ know ya read Shakespeare, mate." Demoman: "Ye never asked. Le’s go.""
 * Run for the Border:
 * Russian Guy Suffers Most:
 * Saved by Canon: Something tells me Heavy and Medic aren't going to be fired in the prequel.
 * Screams Like a Little Girl: Spy when he see first sees Stumpy.
 * Sex Is Violence:
 * Shout-Out: One of the things Soldier sees during the inkblot tests is a dog with its head split in half. The Heavy sees it too.
 * Another would be when Spy confronts a numbered keypad, and finds out the password is "1111", which was also the password in the "Meet The Spy" video.
 * Shout-Out/To Shakespeare

"“Zat’s just perfect.”"
 * Sick and Wrong: In the Prequel, Demoman suggests to Sniper that maybe Heavy and Medic are "buggerin’ each other". They crack up laughing and Sniper gets pissed off at him for putting the mental image into his head and says not to even joke like that. Well... they hadn't gone quite that far yet.
 * Smart People Play Chess: Inverted. Pyro and Heavy, often characterized as the least intelligent members of the team, play a game of chess. Engineer is more of a checkers person, much to Medic's annoyance.
 * STD Immunity: Averted. Crotch crickets!
 * Stupid Sexy Flanders: Stupid pretty Medic.
 * Survival Horror: Well, of course. And running out of supplies, particularly ammo, is a major source of conflict.
 * A Tankard of Moose Urine: In the Prequel, Spy and Medic agree that American beer tastes like piss. So Medic doesn't know why he keeps drinking it, but he certainly does.
 * Team Dad: Engineer is a mix of this and Only Sane Man. And he's very disappointed in you for not botherin' to try an' break up the darn fight.
 * Team Mom: Medic gets annoyed when he feels like he's being expected to take this role. He's not your mom just because he patches up your booboos. Still, he doesn't seem to mind being this to Pyro.
 * This Is Gonna Suck: Medic, in the Prequel, seconds away from being blown up by a rocket.


 * Those Two Guys: Sniper and Demoman
 * Those Wacky Nazis: Medic states that he was pressured into joining the Nazi party during the war.
 * Through His Stomach: In the Prequel, it turns out that Medic made the first sandvich.
 * Throwing Down the Gauntlet: Medic does this to Soldier, looking to hash out their differences once and for all.
 * To the Pain: After Scout walks in on Medic and Heavy in the Prequel, Medic threatens to make him wish he was dead if he tells anyone.
 * Tragic Keepsake:
 * The Unintelligible: Pyro. Try reading his dialogue aloud if you're having trouble.
 * Villainous Breakdown:
 * Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Describing vomiting is kind of the equivalent of this trope in writing, isn't it?
 * What Does He See In Him?: In the Prequel, this is Spy's reaction to realizing that Heavy and Medic have become a couple. You can probably guess which one he thinks could have done better (where "better" really means "Spy").
 * We Need a Distraction: Done twice.
 * Who Shot JFK?: Sniper and Demoman both argue over this.
 * Worst News Judgment Ever:


 * Your Mom: In the Prequel, Pyro retorts to Medic's assertion that Star Trek is mindless garbage by saying that Medic is mindless garbage, and when Medic asks whether he learned that one on the playground, he says he in fact learned it from Medic's mom.
 * You Wouldn't Hit a Guy with Glasses: Averted, but the justification is demonstrated twice.
 * Zerg Rush: Zombies. Duh.
 * Zombie Apocalypse: Given the rate of spread, the world is in very big trouble.
 * Zombie Infectees: A few, but the most tragic is