MERCS, LAUGHING!
scout: the man most similar to his counterpart, scout is shrill. the difference is that this scout talks through his laughter. so while the rest of the scout pack will be laughing and cackling and tee-heeing, you can guarantee that at least one scout will tell you exactly why they're laughing. and more likely than not, that scout will be a red scout! he cackles a get the fuck outta here! and snickers into his hands. and the way his eyes twinkle. it's worth every stupid joke you could make to him.
soldier: though he does take after his counterpart in being an evil chuckler, it is not often that there are noises coming out of the man that aren't coherent. it is more likely that he will stare at you and, without emoting, respond with "that's pretty funny. you think you're funny?" and then you get called joker for the rest of your life because you thought you were george carlin and soldier happened to agree. and it doesn't help that the red soldier is the objectively funnier soldier. he's just got such a way with words.
pyro: it is so hard to actually make a distinction between the pyros when all you have to go off of is their laughter. they sound the same. soldier would say "like girls", but! the rhythm is different. the blu pyro is a continuous giggler, while the red pyro stops every seven to ten giggles to heave. and they tend to buckle forward, as their counterpart throws themselves back in their fits of laughter. if you time your joke right in front of them both, you can watch them alternate positions as they rock back and forth.
demo: it is ridiculously easy to get tavish to laugh. the man is eternally good humored, and the best part is every instance is a breath of fresh air. the team is willing to admit they are... somewhat wretched people. whether they choose to be that way or were born that way. tavish is a break from the mold. the team usually looks to tavish to see how pleased they should be about a situation, and then they half it. and god, do they just adore that man's laugh. full-bodied, and full of vigor. clutches his stomach like his father. does a lot of whooping.
heavy: keeping the trend of the defense men going, do not let misha's natural intimidation, well, intimidate you! the man is prone to a good joke. to some of the team, it is already hard enough to fight with the man, but as they got to know him, the team has learned that he needs a good joke to continue throughout the day. thing is, you gotta treat him like an old car. you gotta get him started, and then wait for him to heat up. misha would love a stand up comedy set. and he rings like a bell. you absolutely cannot ignore the way his laughter sounds like a choir. which is why people get worried when he starts to sound like he's barking. trust, regardless of what he's laughing at, he's thoroughly enjoying himself.
engineer: oh, god, don't let this man laugh. that's nefarious. know if he's laughing he's planning some shit. even the quietest snort, the most subtle flare of the nostrils, that's a sign he's up to no good. most of the team thinks he has a dark humor, and that is true, in a sense. which is why you have to listen to what he's laughing at. dell's not a man known for gallows humor. that requires being the one with your neck in the noose. dell derives his humor in mockery. dell gets his kicks for being the one to load the gun and put it on the table. he slaps his thighs and stomps the ground on the technicality of innocence. the man throws stones and his glass house is just a very good plastic. and it's the nuances of it all which makes him chortle.
medic: oooooh, hoohoohoohoohoooo! it is a bird song to those who are searching for it. and it's delicious to drink in. and anything else is false. it is artificial. they are learned calls of domesticity, and this is a showcase of joy. this is him holding serenity and peace in his hands and throwing it in the air to soar. this is what the sheep hear across hundreds of acres of meadow. this is what they heel to. o's, and the variety of the noises they make, feel soft on the doctor's tongue. they slide through his throat and open him up. it eases well into other sounds, and ends sweetly from his timbre. then he gets a little mischievous.
sniper: he starts coughing. he starts quite literally hacking up a lung. which is hilarious, because he's not really the smoker of the two snipers! granted, they're both pretty frequent smokers, but only mick sounds like it. it's almost odd how much clearer his counterpart is. it makes him sound like he's speaking through a muffler. and it almost makes it even funnier. he can keep the team laughter going for a solid seven minutes due to him choking on his own spit. and while he's writing on the floor, everyone is too busy laughing to actually try to help him. someone get him a glass of water.
spy: while spy's counterpart sounds like a dainty little dog lapping water from a bowl, he himself sounds like ten cows blowing through a tuba. HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. foghorn headass. it's actually very annoying to listen to spy laugh from the immediate disorienting beginning. it's just so alarming to hear from the man, especially when you're not supposed to hear the man at all. his snickers and chuckles are subtle signs of superiority, and less about the actual showcasing of good will and kind intentions. also a man who chortles. if you see him (at all, frankly) with dell, you need to go the other way. seriously, they're up to no good.












