I'm really not a ship person (nothing against shipping its just not for me usually) but something about Scott rarepairs really intrigue me
Scott rarepairs are so awesome. That’s a man who cares so deeply about those he loves and never expects to be loved back with the same caliber.
The people who he’s commonly paired with are the same people he hangs out with a lot, so they’re more inclined to be aggressive with him when not allied with him. That’s their friend! Of course they’re gonna mess with him.
The people in Scott rarepairs usually don’t talk with Scott as often, but they know his kind of humor because most of them hang out with Cleo and Gem a lot. They also tend to know from the life series that Scott is not a force to be reckoned with. That means that they have a lot of respect for Scott AND a lot of affection for people like Scott.
Something that helps is that Scott is one of the friendliest people in that social circle. I believe that myself, but I say it aloud because so many other people in that social circle have stated such, which is absolutely a testament to how pleasant Scott is to people. People are SO quick to get comfortable around Scott. Tango, Etho, Grian, Bdubs, and Skizz don’t get to talk to Scott very often, and yet they’ve all had on camera moments where they expressed how cool or sweet they find Scott to be.
“Scott’s awesome. Scott’s awesome.” - Tango during his 2nd MCC, which was at Twitchcon, when Scott found him to check on him and encourage him.
“We all need to have people we can trust no matter what’s going on. Bdubs… Scott…” - Etho during Secret Life to Cleo
“Scott is the only person on this server who I trust right now.” - Grian during Third Life
“A birthday party? That sounds- that sounds like Scott or Jimmy- no that’s Scott. Scott’s a very empathetic person.” - Bdubs answering a trivia question this past episode of the Life Series
“Smajor was this other… guy on the life series, and, every time I passed him, he’s kinda nice, and then we talked more and he’s really nice, and now I admire him, and now I like him, and now I- I really like this guy!” - Skizz on the Imp & Skizz podcast describing how he didn’t want to make connections with people for their clout when he joined Third Life, but he couldn’t help but be drawn to Scott. This is also, coincidentally, how crushes tend to develop, Skizzleman.
Scott is a very earnest and caring person, even in the life series, a death game, where that’s not particularly rewarded 100% of the time. Everybody has so much respect for Scott, both because they know that he’s a lot like Cleo and Gem and they have a lot of love and respect for Cleo and Gem and because their personal experiences with Scott have made it clear how sweet and competent he is.
I love Smajor rarepairs, because I’m not into relationships where one person is pulling all of the weight. A lot of mainstream Smajor ships reduce Scott to his relationship and let the other person have their own things going on. There tends to be a lot of focus on the other person, like they’re Scott’s whole world. Rarepairs tend to have Scott’s partner(s) treat him with reverence, which forces Scott to confront his insecurities, how he feels like he needs to earn other people’s affection.
Tango is immune to flirting, but he’s very responsive to Scott’s teasing and eager to banter with him. He doesn’t talk to Scott a lot, but he clearly really likes Scott and how earnest Scott is.
Etho absolutely thinks that Scott is incredible. You can see it in literally every single interaction they have. Etho and Scott probably talk the least out of everyone I mentioned, but I think Etho pays the most attention to Scott and has simply become endeared to him because he sees so much of Cleo and Gem in Scott.
Grian ALWAYS has a compliment for Scott. When he first met Scott, he didn’t trust Scott because “no one’s that happy”. When he learned that Scott’s just like that? Instantly loved Scott. How could you reject someone who’s clearly so happy just to spend time with you? He loves to tease Scott. I think he sees Scott as someone he can properly match wits with, what with how they both love to make short little games and are usually chaotic until they’re the least chaotic in a group and immediately become the responsible one.
Bdubs is terrified of Scott. There’s no other way to put it. Bdubs is more afraid of Scott than he is of Cleo and Gem. He commented during the fourth episode of Wild Life on how Scott is a really hard target. There was fear in his voice. He later tried to convince Tango not to go after him. He really didn’t want to upset Scott. He’s so traumatized after that game of tag. HOWEVER. Bdubs knows that Scott is a man of reason. Bdubs isn’t usually worried about attacking groups that his group is on neutral grounds with, because he knows that they’ll eventually attack him first if he doesn’t beat them to the punch. That’s how this game works. Scott doesn’t do that, and Bdubs has taken note of that and trusts that. Bdubs trusts Scott not to attack him without a reason.
Skizz? I could go on for HOURS about Skizz. Skizz has literally admitted to subconsciously treating Scott like he’s Impulse, who Skizz loves to death, who Skizz trusts when he can’t call anyone else, who Skizz kisses on the temple when they haven’t seen each other for a while. Skizz is a very kind person, but, in game, he’s not the most levelheaded person. Scott is both kind AND levelheaded, which Skizz has a lot of respect for. Scott doesn’t even have a temper to lose when it comes to verbal conversation. Hurt him or his friends and he’ll make you wish you hadn’t, sure, but words will never hurt him. I think Skizz honestly sees a lot of Impulse in Scott, whereas most people see Cleo. People compare Cleo to Scott, because they’re both petty and witty. Skizz compares Impulse to Scott because they’re both petty and survivalists. Skizz has commented many a time on how Scott is so much better than Skizz at PVP and how impressed he is that Scott can evade the entire server when they’re hunting him. Apparently, Skizz (and Impulse) thinks that Scott gives the BEST hugs. Apparently, Scott is the only person whose hugs make Skizz feel like he could fall asleep right then and there.
Another thing I’ve noticed about my favorite Smajor rarepairs is that they all love to make Scott laugh. When Tango teases Scott, it’s never about anything serious. It’s always to make Scott giggle. When he’s around Scott, Etho LOVES to do and say things that would make Cleo or Gem laugh, and they work on Scott too. It’s the “wet cat” behavior he emphasizes when he’s with Cleo and Gem, because he knows that it makes them laugh. Scott has never poked fun at Etho for being “washed up” or “a wet cat”, but he does laugh when Etho emphasizes the “lost puppy” behavior. Outside of the life series, Grian isn’t particularly interested in making Scott laugh, but he does like to impress Scott. When Grian knows Scott’s watching, he really challenges himself. I think it’s because he, himself, is very impressed with Scott. Bdubs absolutely loves to make Scott laugh. You can see it in Scott’s escape room videos. He says so many silly things just to get a reaction out of Scott. You CANNOT tell me that “Bdubs, there’s something in this room that will allow you to swim up lava” “the bed” “no, think something you can drink” “the lava” was genuine. I’m completely sure that Bdubs knew Scott meant that there was a hidden fire res potion but just wanted to be silly. Skizz LOVES Scott’s laugh. He’s said it before. Skizz loves to make Scott laugh so much. He loves hearing Scott’s laugh. It’s so giddy and full and joyous.
Maybe I’m projecting a little bit. As a lesbian, you can’t believe how grateful I am that the only traits my mother has ever asked me to find in a partner is 1) someone you can trust and 2) someone who makes you laugh. She doesn’t ask for my partner to be rich or cisgender or a man or conventionally attractive or of a certain race or religion. That’s kind of what makes me love Smajor rarepairs so much. They respect and trust Scott, and they love to make him laugh.
