Profound Moments in Left 4 Dead 2
Profound Moments in Left 4 Dead 2 is a comic Let's Play Machinima about the videogame Left 4 Dead 2. Four dudes with microphones allegedly attempt their first playthrough, while Hilarity Ensues as they manage to make fun of absolutely everything they come across in the game. Even more hilarious when one realises that most of the laughs they create come from fooling about objects, fake adverts and many other props that have no real impact on L4D2's gameplay.
In each season, the gang will do a playthrough of a L4D2 campaign. Currently 5 seasons have been uploaded to YouTube. The original cast consists of Aovnick, Archaon, PuppySky, and Djy1991 (aka David), who is better known as the uploader of the graphic adaptations of some of squirrelking's and Peter Chimaera's works, like Half Life: Full Life Consequences and Quarter-Life: Halfway To Destruction. In season 2, Archaon was replaced with another player named TicTac, allegedly because Archaon's mom had a book club or something. In Season 3, two new members, Mastermind and Bro, replace PuppySky and Archaon/TicTac. Season 4 sees the return of PuppySky, in place of Aovnick. Season 5 is a bit of a change, seeing the cast take on the first campaign of the original Left 4 Dead. Mastermind and Bro have been replaced by two entirely new players, PsychoDuck and Abby Ratso Lee, as well as the surprise appearance of Aovnick taking the place of the helicopter pilot.
You can watch the first season here, the second season here, the third season here, and the fourth season here. Season 5 starts here.
See also the Something Awful Let's Play of L4D by baldurk & co., which is similar in concept, but with a more static cast and videos of fan-made campaigns alongside official ones.
Perhaps an unofficial continuation of the series, the Amazing Left 4 DeAdventures is currently being filmed by Psychoduck, where he and some friends (including Abby and some of the Icton crew) play through the campaign where Profound Moments left off.
- Aerith and Bob: Most of the players are known as their username, but Aovnick is just called Nick and everyone uses Djy1991's real name, David.
- And Zoidberg: RAMIREEZ!!! Oh, and TicTac too.
- Anachronic Order: "The Passing", which takes place between "Dead Center" and "Dark Carnival", is played after both. "Swamp Fever" was skipped in favor of "Hard Rain" for the fourth season, and the fifth goes way back to "No Mercy" in the first game.
- Atomic F-Bomb: PuppySky says this after falling off a speaker in part 9.
- Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny: All the time, from the very first scene to the end.
- DEATH PIGEONS
- In the Mall Chapter, Archaon says "Whoa, shiny!" when he finds a pipebomb. Cue Stuff Blowing Up.
- "Hey guys, it's Gabe Newell!"
- "4 dollars for beer!??"
- "Look at the friggin' details on this cup, man!"
- Author Catchphrase: "werg" often pops up in "startled keyboard mashing" subtitles.
- Big No: RAMIREEEEEEEEEEEZ
- Aovnick also lets one out when Bro pretends to pick Nick just before starting The Passing.
- "OH MY GOD! BILL IS DEAD!"
- Beat: Every time they get attacked whilst having a conversation, a beat happens before they all start screaming.
- Big Yes: "Oh My God It's Jimmy Gibbs Junior aaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH"
- Brick Joke: Archaon at the end of Season 2.
- And then again in Season 3.
- "Hello sir do you happen to sell any garden gnomes?" "I SAID do you SELL GARDEN GNOMESAUUUUGH, RAMIREZZZZZZ"
- Nick's comment about "Knowing" the whole "Emo eyeliner thing" in episode 11, considering the end of "Profound Moments in Everything."
- The Cameo: Archaon shows up in The Port around Bill's body while the rest are screaming. Only problem is, Bro and Mastermind are still there. This leads to even more screaming.
- Aovnick (and Ramirez, apparently) makes a guest appearance in Season 5 as the helicopter pilot, first announcing that he can't pick the others up in the street because Puppy is too fat, and then expressing disbelief in how many times they all die before he can arrive at the roof.
- Camping a Crapper: David, Bro, and Mastermind are all checking out some graffiti in a bathroom in The Passing when a Charger comes in and barrels through all three of them.
- Catch Phrase: "Lovely dinner!"
- "What's going in?"
- Cloudcuckoolander: Aovnick
- And Archaon, see Word Salad.
- Cluster F-Bomb:
Bro: Fucking fuck!
Mastermind: I like to fucking fuck, don't you?
Bro: ...I dunno man, I kinda like to frickin' fuck...
- Companion Cube: Ramirez, the gnome statuette rescued from Dark Carnival.
- And to a lesser degree, Stephanie the chainsaw from later on in the same campaign.
- Completely Missing the Point:
PuppySky: My name's Mastermind and I'm a fifteen-year old chain smoker.
Mastermind: I don't smoke chains, I smoke cigarettes.
PuppySky: Guess who just used all the medkits.
Djy:...YOU DI-[The video ends]
- Department of Redundancy Department: "You're lying, and you're stupid, and you're lying."
- Determinator: Nick.
Nick: David, I gotcha! I'm not leaving you behind like Ramirez was! RRRGH!!! I'll kill anything that gets in my way!!!
- Double Subversion: Djy1991 is constantly being attacked by Hunters. However, in episode 12, he manages to fend off a Hunter in mid-flight. Unfortunately, he later gets attacked by a Hunter again.
- Dynamic Entry: The Special infected. For comic relief, most of the cast screams in pain as they are pounced.
- Fan Nickname: Davids invents the nickname "Gabe Newell" for the Boomer, but Nick uses it the most.
- TicTac coins the less popular "loan-sharks" for the Common Infected.
- Filler: The Profound Moments in EVERYTHING episode which was made while waiting for a vital cast member to return from a trip through the states.
- First-Name Basis: Djy1991's teammates all call him by his first name, David.
- Genre Savvy: Archaon points out that they shouldn't be playing on Expert early in season 1. Bro reiterates this in the third season.
- Gun Porn: Subverted when Archaon enters Whitaker's gun store and begins to point out the flaws in the gun models of the game in what appears to be Fan Disservice to him.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Ramirez
- Ho Yay: Bro and Mastermind.
Mastermind: Yeah, me and Bro are, like, back here just being gay.
Bro: Yeah, I'm trying to find a place.
Mastermind: ...And by gay I mean happy.
Aovnick: David, take your pills!
- I Call It Vera: Stephanie the Chainsaw.
- Infernal Retaliation: Not a by-the-book example. PuppySky attempts to sing, but Aovnick refuses to pipe down. Puppy, being the guy he is, lobs a molotov.
PuppySky: FUCK YOOOOU!
Aovnick: Ha haAAAAAAAAH, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
- In the same episode, when Djy1991 tries to sing the others set him on fire.
Djy: Baby, baby, baby oooohhhh. Baby, baby, baby ooOOOooohhh. aaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
- It Seemed Like a Good Idea At the Time: Balcony jumping, which, like just about everything else they attempt afterwards, results in a Total Party Kill.
- Just Ignore It: In The Passing, Bro and Djy1991 sit in a restaurant booth, concentrate on having a lovely dinner, make small talk, and avoid eye contact with the Tank in the room. Doesn't work.
- Laser-Guided Karma: In Episode 7, PuppySky picks up Djy1991's defib pack... and promptly revives Aovnick with it. They then walk around the corner and get puked on by a Boomer.
- One of the top reasons the Charger seems to like Puppy.
- Laser Guided Tykebomb: The Chargers, to PuppySky. To lesser degrees, Hunters to Djy1991 and Tanks to Bro.
PuppySky: [Sighs] Every single time I die is a goddamn Charger!
- Lost Forever: When Ramirez gets stuck in Kiddyland.
- Madness Mantra:
Bro: [Whispering] It's okay, he doesn't see us. He doesn't see us. He doesn't see us. [More zombies appear and Bro starts shouting] HE DOESN'T SEE US! HE DOESN'T SEE US! HE DOESN'T SEE US!
Mastermind: Oh, fuck, I'm burning.
- Name's the Same: Aovnick, referred to as Nick, playing as Nick.
- Noodle Incident: In Episode 16 of Season 4, Mastermind keeps trying to talk about this one time where PuppySky's car broke down. However, whenever he does, PuppySky immediately screams at the top of his lungs to censor anything Mastermind says.
- N-Word Privileges: "Does this mean I can say the N word without getting in trouble?" "NOOOOO"
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Debatable, but it seems that no one in the cast is actually a total newbie to the game, given Djy1991's background and that no achievements are earned in the first two seasons.
- Oh Crap: Djy1991's reaction after being greeted by a Hunter.
(Bro is puked on by a Boomer)
Mastermind: Hey Bro. You know what that is on you? That's the Source engine.
(Car alarm goes off)
Aovnick and Djy1991: Oh shit/Oh crap!!!
- Offscreen Teleportation: Even PuppySky doesn't know how he got on top of the Midnight Riders' stage. As usual, a Charger helps him back down.
- Put on a Bus: Archaon since Season 2. PuppySky in Season 3, Aovnick in Season 4.
- Psychopathic Manchild: Aovnick definitely comes across as one of these.
Aovnick: Dude, a rollercoaster! DUDE, A ROLLERCOASTER! OH MY GOD, A ROLLERCOASTER!
- Rapid-Fire Comedy
- Reactive Continuous Scream: Djy discovers Bill's dead body in The Passing and starts screaming. Mastermind then belts out his catchprase, Bro walks in and begins screaming as well. Aovnick stays silent.
- Happens a lot, in fact. Another example is in episode 10, when a Charger knocks over Djy out of nowhere (around 3:52).
- Running Gag: No matter where PuppySky is, a Charger will find him.
- Not to mention Djy1991 and the Hunter.
- Almost every time Ramirez' name is said in season 2, Sergeant Foley's head is overlaid on the screen.
- One teammate keeps shutting the safehouse door at the end, preventing Djy1991 from getting inside. Another teammate then incaps the first , allowing Djy to enter.
Djy1991 (playing as Rochelle): Let me in!
Archaon: No girls allowed.
- Finally subverted when Djy is the only one who manages to make it into the safe room alive in episode 5, wherein Nick tells him that girls ARE allowed in this one room.
- Schmuck Bait:
Aovnick: Hey, there's a bottle in the water, I think we can get it!
Bro: OKAY!
- Screaming Warrior: Sweet holy hell, Aovnick.
- Screams Like a Little Girl: Mastermind, when he is attacked by a Boomer.
- Shout-Out: Of all things, to Mulan.
Aovnick: [Singing] Let's get down to business--OH GOD--
- When David points out how slow the elevator in the mall is.
Djy1991: Is this like Mass Effect or what?
- "GET TO THE CHOPPA!"
- Ramirez the garden gnome. "Ramirez, kill that Tank! Ramirez, bring my friend back to life!"
- At the end of Season 5, PuppySky declares he will start saying "Boring" every time he fires his weapons. After about a minute, this culminates in him saying "Gee, it sure is boring around here".
- Stuff Blowing Up: About three times more than a normal playthrough.
- Taking You with Me: In the first episode, the Charger manages to do this to Djy1991, crashing into him while at the edge of the building, meaning that both the Charger and Djy1991 died. It nearly managed to take out Aovnick as well, though he managed to grab the ledge.
- Team Pet: Ramirez in season 2, to the point where not even PuppySky seriously considers leaving him behind.
- The Reveal:
Archaon: Whoa, I'm a black guy?
- "Alright, let's stick together this time and not die."
- Total Party Kill: The group's antics usually result in this, although eventually they manage to beat every level.
- The Unintelligible: Archaon makes very strange noises in lieu of speaking sometimes.
- Unusual Euphemism: "FFFFFFFFUTS!" "Get in the futsin' elevator!"
- What the Hell, Hero?: Archaon burns his teammates to death in the second episode, because he spent most of the first one dead.
- Word Salad: Archaon engages in one when the team takes the elevator in the mall.
Archaon: I have high respect for this game if you can drive a car...and, auerh...ifyoucandriveacaryoucangojustaboutanywhereyoulikeandyouknow, youcangoanywhereinlifeandbeaverysuccessfulmanandallthatfreshairandexercisewilldoyoualotofgood. 'K, let's go.
Aovnick: What the heck did you just say?
- You Just Had to Say It: Djy1991's reply to PuppySky 5 seconds after he speaks his Tempting Fate line.