I'm Making You Gaaay.

[rionaleonhart]

Guys, I would like to introduce you to two characters I adore. I have never played Left 4 Dead, but zarla (whose work, incidentally, was the reason I first started writing fanfiction a decade ago) has created a couple of OCs for it, and I love them. I love them. I want them to have a huge fandom.

All you really need to know: Left 4 Dead is a zombie apocalypse videogame. The zombification spreads via infection; some are immune. Two types of zombie are the Hunter and the Smoker, both male in the game. zarla has created hypothetical female versions of them.

They are wonderful. They (pre-infection, obviously) have one of those lovely 'we mock each other all the time but deep down we love each other fiercely' friendships, which exist between female characters in fiction far too rarely; it reminds me a bit of the relationship I have with my housemate, actually. I find their well-concealed affection and loyalty very touching. Smoker is reserved and sardonic and a bit old-fashioned and Hunter is energetic and adorable, and there is a constant heartbreaking thread running through their interactions, because you as the reader know what their eventual fates will be.

Here are some of zarla's entries filled with sketches and comics of them:

one - including their first meeting, how they became infected, Hunter gatecrashing Smoker's dinner.
two - ADORABILITY IN ALL ITS FORMS. Refusal to acknowledge affection! Embarrassing taste in music! A bit of Hunter/Smoker! Also, the beginnings of a comic about the day Hunter is bitten; Smoker's worry and the way it expresses itself in disjointed rambling break my heart.
three - in colour, in different outfits, in an AU in which they survive, playing backseat Tetris, defending each other.

I don't typically seek original characters out in fandom, but of course every fictional character we love is someone's OC, and I've always found zarla's creations incredibly compelling. The fact that these two are not from a published work and therefore unlikely to develop a massive fandom genuinely makes me quite sad, because I love them no less than I do many characters I adore from videogames or television. Do check them out.

Comments

[the-wanlorn.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD WHY WOULD YOU LINK THAT I AM NOW MASSIVELY INVESTED IN THEM (ESPECIALLY THE AU! OH MY GOD) AND THERE'S NEVER GOING TO BE A FANDOM FOR THEM IHU

[rionaleonhart]

IF I HAVE TO LOVE CHARACTERS WITHOUT A FANDOM, SO DO YOU. They are amaaaaazing.

[the-wanlorn.livejournal.com]

IT IS LIKE zarla WAS LIKE "WHAT DOES THIS PERSON WHO I'VE NEVER MET AND DON'T EVEN KNOW THE EXISTENCE OF, WHAT MAKES THIS PERSON LOVE AND SHIP TWO CHARACTERS LIKE BURNING? I SHOULD DRAW/WRITE THAT."

:DDDDDDDDDD:

[kadrin.livejournal.com]

because you as the reader know what their eventual fates will be.

Nope! Because Hunter got bit, right, but it turned out the other parkourist wasn't infected in the first place, and then her eyes got all itchy because she was cooking with chili and she rubbed her eyes without washing her hands, seriously never do that, and then they both survived the zombie apocalypse, and they drove south, and they decided they wouldn't even stop they would go on to Mexico, and they had a great holiday in Mexico and when they came back everything was fine again!

I INSIST THAT THIS IS THE WAY THINGS WORKED

REALITY WILL NOT SWAY ME

LA LA LA LA LA FINGERS IN EARS

I'M LIKE SEIFER ALMASY ONLY EVEN STUBBORNERIER

[rionaleonhart]

I like your canon, although I don't know why I am calling it 'your' canon, because it is clearly exactly what happened. Man, Hunter, be more careful when you're cooking; you had us all worried for a moment.

[reipan.livejournal.com]

OH GOD

OH GOD

...I was supposed to get some work done today you know ;_;

[rionaleonhart]

ADORABLE YET-TO-BE-ZOMBIES ARE BETTER THAN WORK. Good luck with your work, though!

[emmarrrrr.livejournal.com]

THANKYOU FOR SHOWING ME THIS. MY DAY, IT IS MADE.

I totally ship them, now. Also, survival!au.

[rionaleonhart]

They are extremely 'shippable! And I do hope we see more of that AU.

[yumiboo.livejournal.com]

OMG! I completely and utterly adore those OCs. I have that kind of relationship with my roomate, although, clearly, not as awesome as smoker+hunter. Mostly because we exhaust 'your mum' jokes. Or turn them into 'my mum' jokes, either or.

And now I have the urge to get this game. And a console to play it on as well, with my luck. I hate being broke D:

[rionaleonhart]

I'm glad others are loving them as much as I do!

I think you can get Left 4 Dead for the PC, although I imagine it has quite high system requirements. I'm sort of fascinated by it, but I highly doubt my computer would be able to handle it, and I'd be afraid of letting the team down (apparently there's a big emphasis on cooperation), and I'd undoubtedly spend the entire time getting annoyed with the Hunters and Smokers for not being these ladies.

[futuresoon.livejournal.com]

I LOVE FEMALE SMOKER AND FEMALE HUNTER. And I have never played the game either! And I never will, because I am a total wimp! BUT zarla HAS THE POWER. Seeing her post new sketches seriously makes my day, I am kind of sad like that.

[rionaleonhart]

THERE IS NOTHING SAD ABOUT HAVING ONE'S DAY MADE BY FEMALE SMOKER AND FEMALE HUNTER, or so I sincerely hope. They are delightful!

[timydamonkey.livejournal.com]

I'll have to take a look at this stuff; could be interesting!

I still cringe a bit when I see original characters, but I must admit some people do them very very well. I'm particularly enamoured of Vathara (http://www.fanfiction.net/~vathara)'s OC, perhaps best evidenced by these two stories if you find the time - they're well worth it:

Thorns (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3878848/1/Thorns) (Final Fantasy 7) I'll just say it's pre-game, but post-Nibelheim to give you an idea of the setting. It follows Zack and Cloud, and a group of Shinra soldiers chasing them. I loved the soldiers.

Embers (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5398503/1/Embers) (Avatar: The Last Airbender) Generally the people Zuko and Iroh meet are very much... well, people, who I am always sad when they disappear from the story. On a non OC front, everybody is characterised well (Toph shines in particular) and there's no character bias beyond writing in the point of view of biased characters.

If you ever have time, give them a read - honestly brilliant stories.