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Taunt Parties

Finny

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
76
Location
Kansas City
Psychology always fascinated me, but the meaning behind this particular ritual is pretty transparent. I'll break it down:

1. The whole premise behind Basic Brawl is it gives you a mind**** with its crazy randomness (as indicated by the icon). You're almost never in control of any given moment and you always have somewhere you need to be. However, if you're a control freak this is not good times, and you'll do whatever it takes to water down the experience to a manageable level. So, taunt parties symbolize man's insecurity with the chaotic nature of his universe.

2. The suicides in Sudden Death symbolize self-hatred and the desire to excel at something, ANYTHING, even if that something is losing.

3. You'll find more taunting and more creative expression in a typical brawl than in any taunt party, especially if :falcon: has anything to do with it. It could be that the energy of the fight brings out the best in players, but in any case it's not hard to top someone that spams DACUS's in the corner and methodically taunts each KO like a mindless machine.

4. Did you ever play a board game in elementary school with the silent angry kid who took it way too seriously, and would pursue you with a vengeance all game? That is the real-life counterpart. Guess how long that attitude would last in the living room.

5. You'll notice that their desire to win, concern for the score, and overall behavior is entirely contingent upon your actions. So in a ****ed up way, they're actually looking to you for guidance and purpose.

Basic Brawl might not have rules but the basic rules of human interaction are ever-present (the ones that facilitated cities, factories, and Smash Bros.), doling out karmic reward and punishment to suit each individual. I advise the 99th percentile of faux-taunters reading this to learn respect now while you still have the chance.

EDIT: I can always count on book recommendations to be worth my time. I'll keep it on the back burner.
1. Definitely. If all of the random variables can be nerfed to a point where behaviors can become more predictable (perhaps, behaviors that might take place in a tp), one will feel more secure about his surroundings. This behavior is also displayed in animals, and is discussed in Life of Pi by Yann Martel.

2. Hm, I always thought that the SD suicides were representative of TPers subconscious distrust of one another. After all, in sudden death, you are much more vulnerable to each other, and by suiciding, you are taking precautions to kill yourself before anyone else can do so. It reveals what they really think of each other. Sometimes, if I have been fighting some teamers and one of them wasn't taunting or fighting me, I will typically kill myself in SD after killing the other two to make him win. This conveys to him that his passivity is appreciated, and that I will continue to be friendly towards him after the other two leave.

3. All too true.

4. Yes. Ironically, from observing the behaviours and interactions between "taunters" and "crashers", the taunters tend to take the game way too seriously, while it is clearly apparent that the crasher is the one enjoying himself. Especially if the crasher is leading, as it is humiliating/demoralizing for the "party" to lose to one person, whereas if the crasher loses, it is sort of expected. And taking vengeance the whole game as well. Taunters take great offense to someone desiring to battle, and from their perspective, they weren't doing anything to you, so why should you attack them for no reason? This is the justification they use to relentlessly pursue the crasher. I have even seen taunt partiers that attack the AFC of a former crasher, KOing and taunting, even though he was clearly not attacking anymore. At this point, it is not a friendly "party" and is a group of hateful, disgusting teamers. It's essentially desecrating the grave of someone who shouldn't have been killed in the first place.

5. I never thought about it that way, but it's interestingly true.

"I advise the 99th percentile of faux-taunters reading this to learn respect now while you still have the chance."

^^agreed, though it won't happen. The taunting community has become so diluted by teamers that the ones that honestly want to just chill and relax will eventually stop taunting and abandon it altogether, while the TP reputation continues to snowball.

Enjoying this discussion.
 

SuperMetroid44

Smash Lord
Joined
Aug 6, 2008
Messages
1,706
Location
NY, USA
For real, we're taking brawl too seriously here lol Not everyone is the same, though I guess it COULD be considered to be seen in some people.

2. Hm, I always thought that the SD suicides were representative of TPers subconscious distrust of one another
Not everyone does it cuz of that. :p When I kill myself on SD, it's cuz I want to get on to the next battle as quickly as possible and not hurt a TPer (I think of them as friends in a way :p) so I don't want to hurt them and just continue to the next battle since the person will just leave the battle if we're just goofing off dodging bombs. That's normally my reason anyway.
 

Finny

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
76
Location
Kansas City
For real, we're taking brawl too seriously here lol Not everyone is the same, though I guess it COULD be considered to be seen in some people.

Not everyone does it cuz of that. :p When I kill myself on SD, it's cuz I want to get on to the next battle as quickly as possible and not hurt a TPer (I think of them as friends in a way :p) so I don't want to hurt them and just continue to the next battle since the person will just leave the battle if we're just goofing off dodging bombs. That's normally my reason anyway.
I can understand suicide if one of your friends is waiting on you and you don't want to keep him/her waiting. However, I have sometimes seen cases where maybe a couple people will kill themselves, and the other two will plank and keep the others waiting for 2,3, even 6 minutes of planking. Back in my tp days, though, dodging the bombs on-stage were part of the excitement, and was the main reason we tried to keep the score even for sudden death.

Not saying that you don't kill yourself for the reasons you give, I'm just attempting to define the typical case.
 

Sephy95

Smash Lord
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Messages
1,765
Location
San Antonio, Texas
I agree with killing myself to get on with the next match. SD gets irritating when it lasts way longer than it should, so if its me and another person, I will KO myself after some time has past. If the the whole group is still in SD, I precede to KO 2 of em' and KO myself.
 

Takumi

Smash Cadet
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
50
Ah, I never understood the point of everyone automatically suiciding on SD when everyone is alive. I usually hang around and dodge bombs or try to catch some. When someone dies, then I kill myself because I don't like to keep them waiting. But that's just it. I just stare at the person automatically killing themself in the beginning of SZ when everyone is alive and watch what everyone else is doing. Then, perhaps I'll kill myself because I don't want to keep the suicider waiting.
 

Sephy95

Smash Lord
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Messages
1,765
Location
San Antonio, Texas
Same here, hah! No hard feelings if I had KO'd them in a previous SD but if its from a person I made an alliance with and they do KO me without a reason, they WILL pay.
 

Sephy95

Smash Lord
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Messages
1,765
Location
San Antonio, Texas
To my surprise, when I turn on taunters they sometimes try and fight me but they'll also either leave or act like it I never attacked them.
 

FIREL

Smash Ace
Joined
Jan 17, 2011
Messages
746
Location
CANADA!!!
*Brings out Ike* :ike: , i love punishing rollers with him. I F-smash the other way on purpose, works really well (most of them are noobs so you don't have to worry about missing =P)
 

OnYourMark

オンヨマク いつも
Joined
Feb 5, 2006
Messages
641
Location
Honolulu, Hawaii
Apparently I just crashed a taunt party a few minutes ago. I was thinking, "WTF is this? Must be some evil smashboards thing." So I look it up, and yeah <_<;;
It was refreshing playing people much, much better than me though. ^^;;;;; x_x
 

TheZizz

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Messages
309
Location
SoCal
Fighting teamers doesn't help your meta game. All it does is condition you to avoid using certain laggy power moves which are otherwise effective in legitimate play (such as Lucas's D-Smash).

There is no silver lining, no redeeming qualities about these players. The only thing you can learn from teamers is how to keep grace in the face of childish impudence.
 

SupaSairentoZ7℠

Smash Hero
Joined
Nov 27, 2010
Messages
7,555
Location
Norfolk, Virginia
The only thing I get out of it is enjoyment of watching them fail when I beat them. BB doesn't help at all because even if I get 1 on 1 battles I cannot control the stage completely. I have to refrain on certain combos/moves with the spectators incase one of them is the type that goes berserks when I hit them and it turns into a 1 on 2 or 1 on 3. So of course I never consider it to help.

:phone:
 

Sitien maker

Smash Cadet
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
Messages
27
Location
Italy
What if i start ducking only to keep others to attack and kill them with a final smash/dragoon and i win the match?
Talking seriusly:I hate taunt parties,i love to smash!I am the perfect party crasher!
 

EmperorB-rad2kj

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Dec 15, 2008
Messages
131
Location
In your nightmares
I think anyone can easily fall prey to TP'ers. Especially if they aren't very skilled at the game since most of the time they'll get attacked for trying to fight. I'm a TP'r but if i feel like having a decent fight I will pick one and I WILL win it. However if I feel like taunting it up ill fight whoever attacks me or anyone else.
 

John12346

Smash Master
Joined
Jan 24, 2009
Messages
3,534
Location
New York, NY
NNID
JohnNumbers
Taunting for 1:30 then suddenly turning on the partyists with a Final Smash/Golden Hammer/powerful item doesn't generally do much.

If you leave, we simply think you wanted to go out with a bang and subsequently write it off as w/e.
If you don't, and attempt to continue fighting, you get *****.
 

Finny

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
76
Location
Kansas City
If you leave, we simply think you wanted to go out with a bang and subsequently write it off as w/e.
I disagree. Most of the tpers I have observed that are betrayed like this appear to be humiliated that someone outsmarted them, and don't take it so lightly. It is a blow to their ego, and they will often leave the room right after. This happened yesterday in a room I was in, actually. A leopard snake that appeared to be friendly betrayed everyone in SD, taunted, and then after he left, the other two dropped out; one of them was so pissed that he even d/c'ed the people that would have joined the next round in the waiting room. This shouldn't come as a surprise, seeing that most of them join in to inflate their ego at the expense of someone else.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with the pacifists/hackers/spectators/1v1ers, but the teamers are what gall me. You know the types, the ones that take great offense to the smallest accident.

This is coming from an ex-taunter btw.
 

David Wonn

Smash Ace
Joined
Nov 24, 2010
Messages
608
Location
Ohio
I agree 100% as a crasher

I disagree. Most of the tpers I have observed that are betrayed like this appear to be humiliated that someone outsmarted them, and don't take it so lightly. It is a blow to their ego, and they will often leave the room right after. This happened yesterday in a room I was in, actually. A leopard snake that appeared to be friendly betrayed everyone in SD, taunted, and then after he left, the other two dropped out; one of them was so pissed that he even d/c'ed the people that would have joined the next round in the waiting room. This shouldn't come as a surprise, seeing that most of them join in to inflate their ego at the expense of someone else.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with the pacifists/hackers/spectators/1v1ers, but the teamers are what gall me. You know the types, the ones that take great offense to the smallest accident.

This is coming from an ex-taunter btw.
As a crasher, I agree with this assessment. I often see this behavior in teamers when I "crash the party." Depending on mood, I may give them ample time to fight back at the end after I wiped them all out with a smash ball (which ironically is selected by one of them, not me.) It's easy to see which ones take it personally as they relentlessly come after me while I just play evasive for the remainder of the match. Often they get themselves destroyed again in the process. The ones who take it as a joke are the ones who taunt after I do this. They're the ones that are more likely to stick around (and possibly even team with me next match for my creativity.) As someone who has gone undercover numerous times as a pacifist to learn the mindset of taunt parties, I have learned a lot and see just about everything.

:phone:
 
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