Lets Play / Pro and Noob

Pro and Noob is a let’s play series by RageGamingVideos, starring himself (the “pro”) and his friend Cotton/DynosourMaybe (the “noob”) as they journey through Monster Hunter: World and Monster Hunter: Generations Ultimate. The World playlist can be found here, and the Generations Ultimate playlist is here. With the PC port of World, the channel has begun putting up a mod showcase video on Wednesdays. They’ve also played a little bit of Dauntless, Lost Ark, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

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This Let’s Play contains examples of the following tropes:

• Artifact Title: Nowadays the two are roughly at the same skill level (therefore making Cotton no longer the noob) with Cotton even outperforming Josh at several instances. For example, during the Blackveil Vaal episode, at the first fight Josh takes up all 3 carts while Cotton deals the most damage to the monster.
• BFS: Rage mains the Great Sword, and jokingly says that he loves it more than his girlfriend.

• Black Comedy: The Kut-Ku Cutters skit in the Lagiacrus episode about eating babies is disturbing and Played for Laughs.
  Cotton: Yes, and I ate the bodies. [...] I WASTE NOTHING!
• Bragging Theme Tune: Most of the Elder Dragons (save Behemoth, Zorah Magdaros, Nakarkos, and Lao-Shan Lung), along with Rajang, Ahtal-Ka, Akantor, and Ukanlos, have rap introductions performed by Josh, Cotton, and (if the monster is Always Female) Josh’s girlfriend.

• Catchphrase:
  • Rage says variations on "Dammit, Cotton!" at least once per video in earlier episodes.
  • Whenever a monster is downed, Rage tends to yell “NOW IS THE TIME!”

• Crippling Overspecialization: Rage exclusively uses the Great Sword and nothing else. As a result, he's much more likely to suffer in Arena quest episodes compared to the more rounded Cotton.
• Cutaway Gag: The series is interspersed with clips from other works (often movies and TV shows), mostly with Aylia and Cotton’s faces (or those of monsters) superimposed over the actual characters.
• Cuteness Proximity:
  • Both Rage and Cotton think Paolumu is adorable. Cotton continues to squeal over it even after it deflates and scares Rage with its angry face.
  • Rage and Cotton consider Dodogama cute and react to its cuteness almost every time they see it.
  • In the mod showcases where tiny monsters are on display, just being so tiny makes Rage and Cotton squeal over them.
• Double Entendre: Rage admits that he and Cotton might just be immature, but they say so many things that could be taken sexually. Oftentimes, these things are punctuated by "Oh Yeah" of Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
• Down to the Last Play: Arch-Tempered Zorah Magdaros. They manage to defeat it with seconds left on the timer, in one of their more fist-pumping victories.
• Everyone Has Standards: During the double Tempered Bazelgeuse quest, Rage accidentally kills an Apceros when trying to hit one of the B-52s. Said Bazel immediately leaves, and both Rage and Cotton immediately guess that it was offended by Rage killing an innocent Herbivore in cold blood.
• Felony Misdemeanor: Rage is aghast when Cotton calls Nargacuga merely "okay".

• Husky Russkie: Nergigante is always voiced with this kind of accent.
• I'm Taking Her Home with Me!: This is essentially what's happening when Rage and Cotton opt to capture a monster rather than slaying it, whether a tiny Odogaron or a giant Dodogama: it’s simply too cute to hurt.
• I Never Said It Was Poison: During an arena match, Cotton notices dirt and rocks being kicked up around him and asks if Josh is shooting at him, and this gem of an exchange happens:
  Josh: (sounding hurt) After all the years we've done let's plays together, do you really think I would shoot at you with a ballista?
  [beat]
  Cotton: ...I never said ballista.
  [Josh busts out laughing]
  Josh: Looks like I just shot myself in the foot with my ballista!
  Cotton: I still haven't said it was a ballista!
• Lame Pun Reaction: Kushala Daora apparently isn't a fan of Rage's jokes. After the latter forces a "close shave" pun (twice, complete with CSI stinger), the dragon knocks him out in a single blow (accompanied by "The Hero" of One-Punch Man.)

• Makes Just as Much Sense in Context: The main source of comedy in the series is the random tangents and conversations that have absolutely nothing to do with whatever they're fighting at the moment. For example, Josh goes on an extended monologue about his idea for a polar bear-based game show in the “Blowing Up the Rotten Vale Event” video.
• Real Men Wear Pink: Cotton's character avatar has an all-pink motif, from the clothing to the hair, even the facial hair.
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: Dodogama is regarded as such, and in his “Top Five Monsters in World” list, Rage encourages viewers to capture Dodos rather than slaying them.
• Running Gag:
  • MHGU features the Raptor Shop Quartet, a pack of four Genprey in the Primal forest that bunch together and start howling. However, Josh and Cotton immediately think that the Genprey are serenading the hunters and monsters. From then on, any battle in the Primal Forest has a shot focused on these Genprey with barbershop music playing.
  • In their World videos, Rage makes short jokes every time he interacts with the Wyverian scholars.
  • [Deviljho invades] “WHAT’S UP, GUYS?”

• Josh leaving his HUD off, and Cotton complaining about it.
• Tortoises mating.

• Shout-Out:
  • There are three The Lord of the Rings references in the double Bazelgeuse fight:
    • After Cotton shoots the first Bazel: “Well, now he’s DEFINITELY going to attack us! You’re like the fucking old guy at Helm’s Deep!”
    • When Cotton tries to imitate a person screaming with an egg stuck in their throat, Rage thinks he threw the word “Balrog” in at the end.
    • After Cotton gets a great shot off on one B-52 and gushes about how cool he is, Rage quips, “All right, Legolas.”
  • At one point in the Deviljho quest, our heroes are on a vine above the Coral Highlands. Jho narrowly misses Cotton with its boulder attack, and then...
    (Deviljho backs up and does a few test swings)
    Rage: Is he—is he adjusting his aim?
    (Jho chucks another boulder that knocks both of them to the ground)
    Rage: Oh my God he was! Clever boy.
  • Rage dresses his Palico in familiar blue armor when they fight a tiny Odogaron.
  • In the cold open to the double Tempered Bazel quest, Cotton compares Rage's inability to refrain from making short jokes about the ecologist to "fucking Austin Powers with fucking, the mole guy."
  • In one video, the camera focuses on our heroes' scoutflies after one of them changes their armor set. They dub in Navi's iconic "Hey! Listen!"

• Tempting Fate: Many, many times. The most notable examples are:
  • Before actually engaging Tempered Kirin, Cotton says it’s “visually striking but not threatening.” Naturally he’s the first one to cart.
  • Later during said fight: “I’m down in like death pit, but that’s fine.” “YOU CANNOT ESCAPE.”
  • A glorious twofer during the Deviljho quest.
    Rage: He can’t fit through there [the log they’d been hiding in]...
    [Deviljho destroys the log.]
    Cotton: I don’t think he needs to fit through there.
    Rage: Well, he can’t close distances—
    [Deviljho lobs a boulder at them]
    Cotton: (cracking up) I don’t think he needs to close distances.
    Rage: I’M GONNA STOP SPEAKING NOW. I’M JUST GONNA STOP SAYING THINGS.
  • While it doesn’t actually happen, Josh tells Cotton about Seltas Queen’s desperation technique when she hasn’t used it, and after talking about it, they joke about her deciding to immediately do so.

• Theme Music Power-Up: Assuming it doesn’t get interrupted, “Ultimate Battle” of Dragon Ball Super starts playing when awesome things start happening.
• Underestimating Badassery: Tempered Kirin and Extreme Behemoth are initially underestimated by Rage and Cotton. This isn’t a mistake they make twice.

• Voice of the Legion: During Xeno’Jiiva’s rap intro, it speaks in a slew of voices.

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