Quirky Misadventures of Soldine the Cyborg is a comedy/action YouTube Machinima series of Garry's Mod videos, created by SarisKhan
. It features the titular character, a RED cybernetic Soldier from Team Fortress 2 known as Soldine, fighting with various hostile TF2 Monsters for the sake of protecting the TF2 Freak world. The series's first few episodes consist of early humorous shorts with barely any continuity, which are eventually phased out in favor of longer mini-movies with a defined storyline.
This series is set in the same universe as the Cyborneer Series, The MSG Saga and Doppelganger's Rampage, with the stories briefly overlapping at certain points.
It ran from 28 April 2011 to 13 July 2015. The series may be watched here.
This series provides examples of:
- Added Alliterative Appeal: Two of the episodes, Frost Fight and Arctic Assault.
- Anachronism Stew: Team Fortress 2's 1960s themes are mixed with modern and futuristic technology.
- An Ice Person: Cryo, The Dragon of Dr. Schadenfreude, is a Pyro with power over ice. In the last few episodes, Soldine also gains an ally in Medizard, an ice wizard Medic.
- Animation Bump: The first few episodes have very simplistic animation, which gradually improves over the course of the series as the author becomes more experienced.
- Animation quality throughout the first two thirds of Endgame is adequate. Once the final battle begins, however, the smoothness increases noticeably, particularly during the Soldine vs. Destroyer duel.
- Anti-Hero: While a force of justice, Soldine is rather relentless as far as malevolent monsters are concerned. The way he deals with them depends on the magnitude of their deeds, however; a dangerous, but misguided madman? Beat up and sent to prison. A quirky, but sometimes threatening tradesman? Beat up and set to prison. A malignant mass murderer? Eliminated.
- Arm Cannon:
- Soldine has a Black Box rocket launcher in the right hand and a huge gatling gun in the left hand.
- Robosol's got twin submachine guns.
- Art Evolution: Overall audiovisual quality drastically improved since the beginning of the series. Compare the first episode of the series with its remake, or a later instalment.
- Ax-Crazy: The aptly named Madic.
- Balls of Steel: Many opponents who attempt to Groin Attack Soldine learn the hard way.
- Big Bad Ensemble: For the first two thirds of the series, the main villain is the Mastermind Vagineer, who is responsible for many of the threats Soldine has faced. After he dies, Dr. Schadenfreude takes the spot.
- Black Eyes of Evil: Dr. Schadenfreude has black sclera.
- Blood Knight: Soldine genuinely enjoys combat, and Handsome Rogue delights in mayhem and chaos.
- The Cameo: Several Garry's Mod characters created by other video makers appear from time to time in the series:
- Spyper shots Handsome Rogue in the head in Soldine vs. Handsome Rogue, and has a very brief cameo in A Bizarre Morning.
- Seeman appears in several videos, including very early That Heavy Is a Painis or the main role in C.
- Soldine has an encounter with Schniper in Schnoldine.
- The MeeM have an offscreen battle with Soldine in Soldine vs. Robosol.
- Dic Soupcan is one of the inmates of Evo City Correctional Facility in Enemies Of Old.
- Car Fu: In Necropolis, ZomHeavy greets Soldine with a bus wreckage to the face.
- Characterization Marches On: Soldine develops from a quirky and somewhat random prototype into a badass super soldier. Some of his awkward traits remained, though.
- Cerebus Syndrome: The series was initially focused on wacky humor, though after Soldine vs. Vagineer, the action part is more emphasized.
- Colour Coded Time Stop: Black and white in Soldine vs. Handsome Rogue, inverted colors in Operation: Vagineer.
- Combat Pragmatist:
- Orangeman can't afford to be straighforward in combat with the superpowered Monsters. As such, he employs clever tactics to even the odds. For instance, he did not hesitate to blindside ZomSpy.
- Razor displays this attitude in Endgame. Because Madic, Orangeman and Major Scout Guy are able to stall the Destroyer for a little too long, Razor decides to unceremoniously intervene in the battle and backstabs Madic as the latter is distracted. He then immediately goes on to finish off MSG, who has been knocked out, and doesn't succeed only because Major regains consciousness in the nick of time to dodge the thrust.
- Cyborg: Multiple make up the cast of the series.
- Soldine, the titular protagonist.
- The RED Engineer has a Gunslinger prosthesis.
- Robosol, the BLU Vagineer's enforcer.
- Energineer, a vigilante who was maimed by Cryo in the past.
- Darker and Edgier: The first few episodes are entirely comedic, but after Soldine is defeated by the BLU Vagineer for the first time, the series takes a dark turn, with the comedy mostly taking a backseat.
- Determinator: Once Soldine acquires a target, he won't stop until one of them is dealt with. His motto actually is: "No retreat. No surrender".
- Dishing Out Dirt: Golem, one of Dr. Schadenfreude's henchmen, is capable of travelling through earth, generating large stones and hardening his body to become like a solid rock.
- The Dragon: One for each of the Big Bad Ensemble.
- Robosol, the Evil Knockoff of Soldine, to the BLU Vagineer.
- Cryo, the ice elemental Pyro, to Dr. Schadenfreude.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Early installments of the series are significantly more random and humor-oriented. Some of the humor remains in the recent episodes, though less prominent and more subtle.
- 11th-Hour Ranger: Ghost, a Mercenary with the ability to become intangible, joins the established cast in the final episode.
- Elite Zombie: Team ZOM members.
- Evil Genius: Both the Mastermind Vagineer and Dr. Schadenfreude are as evil as they are adept at using science in their goals.
- Evil Knockoff: Robosol to Soldine.
- Expy: Handsome Rogue is an expy of Dio Brando.
- Extra-ore-dinary: Razor, one of Dr. Schadenfreude's henchmen, is capable of generating various melee weapons and small firearms from metal. He can also temporarily cover his body in a layer of reinforced steel.
- Facial Horror: The BLU Vagineer's distorted face, as is typical of that character.
- Final Boss Preview: Soldine's first fight against the BLU Vagineer. It doesn't end well for him.
- Finishing Move:
- Soldine's Thunder Punch discharges great amount of electricity and sends his opponent flying.
- Handsome Rogue can summon a modern diesel locomotive to crush his opponent.
- Five Rounds Rapid: Frequently invoked by HECU. Sometimes it works, though.
- Flashback:
- Madic has a lengthy one which depicts his origin after his fight with Soldine.
- In Operation: Vagineer, the titular Big Bad has one that depicts the origin of both him and Team ZOM from Necropolis. Later, just before the final battle, Soldine quickly recollects the history of his confrontations with the BLU Vagineer.
- Flechette Storm: Handsome Rogue can summon a varying number of knives and throw them all at once with Improbable Aiming Skills.
- Fragile Speedster: Energineer is extremely agile but not particularly tough.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: Revealed in the backstory of the BLU Vagineer; he was just a common BLU-teamed Engineer who happened to cross paths with the Original Vagineer.
- Gatling Good: Soldine has an arm-mounted gatling gun.
- Glass Cannon: Orangeman is armed with quite powerful explosives, but has only a bulletproof vest and the Shield power to protect him.
- Grand Finale: The final episode of the series was designed as such.
- Gory Discretion Shot: a variation of this was used to obscure Soldine's Thunder Punch in Soldine vs. Handsome Rogue, because it wasn't supposed to be seen at that time.
- Having a Blast: Destroyer's main ability is to cause things to explode.
- Healing Factor
- The BLU Vagineer's healing factor allows him to regrow lost limbs and quickly recover from severe wounds.
- Handsome Rogue's healing factor is blood-fueled.
- Madic possesses limited regenerative powers.
- Destroyer has a very powerful healing ability which allows him to immediately recover from any minor wounds, and within a span of seconds heal grave injuries, regrow lost limbs or regenerate broken bones. This is inherited from the fact he was created from the BLU Vagineer's genetic material.
- Heel–Face Turn: Madic, one of Soldine's foes, joins the good guys in Operation: Vagineer.
- Hero Killer: Destroyer kills Mauve Shirt Major Lewis and The Lancer Orangeman in Engdame.
- Humanoid Abomination: The Mastermind Vagineer. Destroyer, who is created from the former's genetic material, qualifies to a lesser extent.
- Immune to Bullets: Soldine and Robosol are immune to small arms fire due to their cybernetic nature.
- Jack of All Stats: Handsome Rogue is nimble, durable and strong. However, none of these traits stands out particularly in comparison to other Monsters and he notably lacks really powerful moves (bar his Finishing Move).
- Killed Off for Real:
- Except for Handsome Rogue, who has been revived since his death in Soldine vs. Handsome Rogue, other deceased characters stay that way, which is quite atypical when compared to other videos and series of this kind.
- In Endgame, Cryo is revealed to have been killed in Arctic Assault (the last time we saw him, his airtank was detonated). Later on Dr. Schadenfreude is killed by Energineer whilst at the same time Destroyer detonates Orangeman. Powered by Tranquil Fury, Soldine battles the superior Destroyer and manages to pierce him with the Thunder Punch, killing him as well. All deaths are final.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Handsome Rogue learnt his lesson after fighting Soldine to the bitter end and (temporarily) dying as a result. During his post-resurrection battles with the Mastermind Vagineer and Ninjineer, he surrendered and retreated respectively the moment things started to go downhill. He had become confident again by the time of his encounter with Destroyer in Endgame, although he did deploy his most powerful combo to fight him almost right off the bat.
- Let's Mock the Monsters: Soldine frequently indulges into it.
- In Soldine vs. Handsome Rogue, he calls the latter "pussy" before the fight.
- "Don't make me laugh, Fritz" from Soldine vs. Madic.
- Two examples in Necropolis, both Pre-Mortem One-Liners; first "Die some more!" to a beaten up ZomHeavy, and some time later "You're dead man, mate." to ZomSniper.
- "You're a second rate imposter!" delivered to his Evil Knockoff.
- Lightning Bruiser:
- Madic is one, but it lasts only as long as his Unstoppable Rage.
- The Mastermind Vagineer plays it straight, thanks to being BLU-colored.
- Destroyer was genetically engineered to be this.
- Long-Range Fighter:
- Orangeman uses a custom grenade launcher and sticky bomb launcher. He is too squishy to engage monsters in melee combat.
- Downplayed with Soldine and Robosol; both primarily engage their foes at range, but are easily able to get physical if they last long enough to get close.
- Ludicrous Gibs: Handsome Rogue exploded into this after he'd been struck with Soldine's Thunder Punch.
- Make Some Noise: Shriek, one of Dr. Schadenfreude's henchmen, can generate fairly potent soundwaves from his hands or minor shockwaves with a clap.
- Mauve Shirt:
- Major Lewis, the left-handed HECU officer who has shown up in several instalments of the series. He's even got several lines per episode and survived a few engagements.
- Ghost is a distinct TF2 Freak with unique powers who plays a notable role in the finale, but from the vantage point of the entire series, he has modest screentime and impact on the plot.
- Mighty Glacier: Soldine is extremely strong and durable, but he lacks in speed and agility.
- Monster of the Week: The first three mini-movies follow this format with Vagineer, Handsome Rogue and Madic serving as unrelated, one-shot Arc Villains. The later episodes drop this, introducing several closely connected enemies, and also bringing back the older ones.
- Monster Progenitor: The Original Vagineer seen in the BLU Vagineer's flashback sequence in Operation: Vagineer.
- Neck Lift: Soldine does it to Madic after finally overpowering him.
- Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Robosol is Zombie-Cyborg-Super-Soldier.
- No-Sell:
- Soldine frequently shrugs off heavy hits.
- Übercharged Vagineer is an Implacable Man.
- Not Quite Flight: Soldine can propel himself with pressurised steam coming out of his rear end, but it is hardly maneuverable and limited way of travelling.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Handsome Rogue isn't exactly happy when he realises he's been hit with Soldine's Finishing Move.
- In Soldine vs. Madic, the latter's reaction to Soldine activating his gatling gun.
- During Necropolis, Soldine utters shocked "shit" when his rocket punches don't work on ZomHeavy.
- One-Shot Character:
- Handsome Rogue and Madic were originally this, though they later returned in Enemies Of Old and played prominent roles in Operation: Vagineer.
- Team ZOM from Necropolis plays it straight.
- Our Vampires Are Different: As an expy of DIO, Handsome Rogue displays inhuman fitness and sucks blood in order to regenerate, but that's about it. Except for his red eyes, he looks like a normal human, doesn't have elongated fangs and is completely unfazed by the sun.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Destroyer is a short, stocky, unassuming, savage Lightning Bruiser.
- Pummel Duel:
- That's how the main fight in Soldine vs. Handsome Rogue begins.
- Soldine and Madic engage into this late during their confrontation.
- Punched Across the Room:
- Soldine is a heavy-hitter.
- ZomHeavy in Necropolis sends Soldine flying into a bus wreckage.
- Put the "Laughter" in "Slaughter": Handsome Rogue delights in chaos and mayhem.
- The Quiet One: Among Dr. Schadenfreude's minions, Cryo is completely silent, and Destroyer never utters anything beyond a low-pitched scream.
- Quirky Miniboss Squad
- Team ZOM from the Necropolis episode.
- The GRY trio from Arctic Assault as well.
- Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: Once a fight. Unlike the traditional G-Mod method, each punch is actually articulated as such as opposed to being a flailing of limbs.
- Red Shirt Army: HECU do their best, but they rarely are capable of even stalling the monsters. They have sustained several dozen of casualties in the series.
- Robo Speak:
- Robosol is a Zombie Cyborg Super-Soldier who Came Back Wrong, so it's to be expected.
- Crush. Kill. Bleep!
- Robot noises!
- Even though Soldine is rather laconic, he actually averts it.
- Robosol is a Zombie Cyborg Super-Soldier who Came Back Wrong, so it's to be expected.
- Rocket Punch: One of Soldine's abilities.
- Rule of Cool: Even though the series may be somewhat serious at times, realism frequently gives way to awesomeness. Given the series' source and the fact that it is basically a CGI cartoon, this is pretty normal.
- Series Fauxnale: Operation: Vagineer was originally planned to be the finale of the series where the main antagonist and his enforcer are defeated once and for all. However, by that time the author started having new ideas, which resulted in a Post-Script Season of sorts with new enemies and a significantly expanded cast.
- Shock and Awe:
- Soldine in his Power Boosted state has limited electrokinetic powers, though it doesn't last for long and drains a lot of his energy.
- Energineer can fire lightning bolts and cast currents of electricity with the power of his bionics.
- Super Mode:
- Soldine has Power Boost, which allows him to fully utilise 100% of his total power for a short period of time.
- Vagineer can self-Übercharge, changing into an Implacable Man.
- Time Stop: Handsome Rogue's potentially most dangerous ability, which causes time to stop in an area around him. This allows him to assault his enemies unopposed.
- Unstoppable Rage: Madic is a super-powered berserker. Actually, the magnitude of his wrath determines his strength.
- Versus Title: All mini-movies that follow the Monster of the Week formula:
- Soldine vs. Vagineer
- Soldine vs. Handsome Rogue
- Soldine vs. Madic
- Soldine vs. Robosol
- Victory by Endurance: This is the half-intentional way the good guys manage to defeat Destroyer in the finale. He has to tear through a platoon of HECU troopers with a tank, and then Major Scout Guy, Orangeman and Madic, who are all fairly strong fighters on their own. Only afterward does he engage Soldine, who has recently received an upgrade that increases his stamina. Destroyer holds the upper hand initially but inevitably runs out of steam, at which point Soldine turns the tables and ultimately detonates him with the Thunder Punch.
- The Worf Effect: Destroyer's power is demonstrated when he handily defeats a number of TF2 Freaks of respectable power, including Handsome Rogue, Private Funnyman and Official Heavy.
- The World's Expert (on Getting Killed): The elite HECU special forces are supposed to deal with hostile Monsters but usually don't last long. They do manage to put up a fight against ordinary zombies or low-rank Monsters, though.
- Zombie Apocalypse: The BLU Vagineer planned to start it. A "local" one had caused an entire district of the Evo City to be quarantined.
