#it is eden and a deathtrap all at the same time

[sissy-the-siren]

Borderlands: Debt or Alive

"You seem to misunderstand who you're talking to," I growled. "We did this to save you. We're the good guys." "Funny," Fittzwiggins said, a cruel smile curling his lip. "I seem to remember one Handsome Jack saying much the same thing."

Things I was expecting from Borderlands: Debt or Alive--my girls, guns, and fun.

Things I got from Borderlands: Debt or Alive--my girls, guns, fun, Rhysha goodness, Fiona being Very Gay, existential crises, and class revolution.

A solid entry into the Borderlands universe, Anthony Burch doesn't disappoint, returning with the same wit and charm to his writing that made me fall in love with Borderlands 2. Fast-paced and action-packed, this isn't your standard novel and reads almost like a movie script, but it's so much fun, and, well, so MUCH FUN!!!

(If you haven't played Borderlands 2 and Tales from the Borderlands, this book might not make much sense or be enjoyable for you, just a head's up.)

After running and gunning for so long, when con artist sisters Fiona and Sasha finally get their Big Break, they find themselves wallowing in apathy, missing...what, they're not quite sure, but whatever it is, it's preventing them from enjoying their new life of luxury. It only takes Sasha's second death, Fiona's first death, Deathtrap's destruction (don't worry, he gets rebuilt!), Gaige's torture (twice), and an uprising against Eden-5's uber wealthy Elite for them to figure it out, but they get there!

I was hoping--PRAYING--for some Rhysha goodness, and Burch more than delivered; in-between bouts of dealing with her own mortality and the cold realization that nothing awaits her after death, Sasha examines her life, where she's at, what her future holds, and where Rhys slots into it all. I've compiled the following list of Rhysha moments:

Chapter 1 p. 13-14 - Taking place during the last battle with the Guardian, Sasha reflects over the events of Tales, with an emphasis on how she developed feelings for Rhys (and vice versa), largely due to how loyal he was to his friends and the lengths he'd go to protect them. p. 16 - Sasha's death scene, where Rhys is sobbing uncontrollably (described as "heartbreak" by Fiona) and Sasha thinks to herself that he's "[d]umb as a rock" but that he has a "big heart".

Chapter 2 p. 20 - Fiona wonders if she's going to be stuck in the Vault forever while Rhys is free to go and hit on her sister. p. 25 - Sasha's eyes light up with joy, something they haven't done since they were kids--and, Fiona adds in a footnote, since Rhys started flirting with her (she tries not to think about that though). p. 27 - Sasha wishes for a Vaultlander collectible from the Vault, something she learned about from Rhys. He told her about them when she "accidentally brushed my hand against Rhys's arm and he got so nervous he wouldn't stop talking about these things for twenty minutes." Fiona tells her that she can do better, to which Sasha tells her to stop being "such a mom" and that Rhys is "a nice guy".

Chapter 4 p. 39 - The sisters discuss the Vaultlander, Rhys, and whether or not Rhys has ever taken his Vaultlander figures out to play with them (he told Sasha that he hasn't because they're a "sound financial and artistic investment"; the sisters both think he has though).

Chapter 6 p. 50-51 - NOT Rhysha related, but just one--and the most significant--of the many sections that screamed "FIONA LOVES WOMEN!!!!" to me. There is no hetero explanation for the amount of detail with which Fiona observes Holloway. NONE. Chapter 9 p. 71 - Sasha says that meeting Rhys couldn't have been for nothing. Chapter 10 p. 79 - Sasha is able to get a debt cuff off of Fiona because Rhys taught her how to hack. This comes in handy several times throughout the book. Chapter 15 p. 111 - Fiona notes that Sasha ECHOchats with Rhys almost every day. Chapter 16 p. 114-116 - Half of this chapter is Sasha talking to Rhys. Both admit that they miss each other, even if they're in a weird are-we-or-aren't-we place. Sasha thinks that Rhys is a kind, handsome himbo with ambition. Rhys blushes while saying she means a lot to him and Sasha realizes that she likes him. Chapter 31 p. 220-226 - Soooo much happens in these pages! The first thing that comes up is that Sasha notices the beginning of Rhys's mustache and that he's altered his voice. The tone turns serious when Rhys asks if he can call her his girlfriend, to which Sasha apologizes and says that she's not ready for that until she knows that she can promise him with certainty the future that he deserves. Rhys understands and is willing to do whatever is necessary as long as she's happy, to which Sasha admits to herself that she can see them being more--eventually. Things take a MORE serious turn when Rhys asks her how she's doing and Sasha tells him the truth--the full truth, which isn't something she normally would do, but feels comfortable doing so with Rhys because she cares about him and actually wants to let him in to her life. Rhys helps the sisters get back on track and renews their fighting spirits. Chapter 32 p. 227 - Fiona once against questions why Sasha is crushing on Rhys when his brilliant idea to disguise the guns he sent to them is by writing "Not Guns" on the pallets. Sasha says that his heart is in the right place, to which Fiona responds, "[w]here his brain should be." p. 228 - Sasha quotes Rhys ("Mustaches are a facial accoutrement that convey trustworthiness, masculinity, and culture without ever needing to leave the cozy confines of one's upper lip."), much to Fiona's horror, and when his parroted words succeed in swaying the secbot to let the "mustache wax" (pallets of guns) through, Sasha gets an air of "see-Rhys-can-be-useful-who-looks-silly-now" about her. Chapter 34 p. 237-242 - Taking up the bulk of this chapter, Fiona and Sasha argue over Sasha and her inability to make up her mind when it comes to whether or not she wants to be in a relationship with Rhys. Fiona points out that they're not living out of a caravan anymore, not constantly on the run, and that Rhys is a "decently handsome idiot who worships the ground you walk on", going so far to admit that she--Fiona--even likes him. She encourages Sasha to make a decision one way or the other--it's only fair to the both of them. Chapter 36 p. 255 - Fiona hands Sasha a note that Rhys handwrote for her that he sent with the gun shipment. A "big, dumb smile" appears on Sasha's face. Epilogue p. 308-309 - Fiona sends a text-only ECHOcomm to Rhys. Fiona thanks Rhys for everything he's done for her, and for being good to Sasha (of course, she follows up by saying that if he's ever NOT good to her, she'll hunt him down and fill his brain with bullets). She reluctantly congratulates him on officially being Sasha's "long-distance boyfriend".

…and there you have it! RHYSHA GOODNESS IN THE YEAR 2024 THANK YOU ANTHONY BURCH!!!!!

Even without all that Rhysha goodness, Debt or Alive is a solid book and a wild ride with plenty of love, laughs, and anarchy. (Side note: The sisters' last name is Dillon? Dillon?????)

[michellespenscratchz]

Cool idea with Emotional Prompts ;) How about Sash with (Anger #5 Bliss#1) And for Gaige (Bliss#10 Anger #17)

(Here’s Gaige. It got pretty long, so I’ll do Sasha tomorrow.)

Gaige #17 Anger “You August?” Gaige asked the man behind the Purple Skag bar.

He tilted his head inquisitively. “Who’s asking?”

“Uh, I am, obviously?” She pointed to her face with both hands, and flashed a dimpled smile for only a fleeting moment. “I’m here about the job on the notice board.”

He looked her up and down. “You’re a Vault Hunter?”

“If it makes it easier for you, you can straight-up call me ‘Vault Hunter.’ Everyone else does on this planet,” she replied. “So, what is it you need shot, blown up, or set on fire? Because my resume is, like, stupid lousy with all three.”

August’s lip curled just enough that it could have either formed a sneer, or a laugh. Instead, he willed it to be stone once more, and turned to busy himself at the bar. “Great,” he muttered. “Exactly what I fucking need right now.”

Gaige narrowed her eyes. “What did you just say to me?”

He slapped a tankard down on the table, poured it full of whatever was in the bottle he held, and slid it her way. “Look, Vault Hunter. That’s for coming all the way out to Hollow Point. On the house. So, now, you’re gonna drink it, you’re gonna turn around, and you’re gonna go. I shouldn’t have put that notice up in the first place. This is my problem to deal with.”

Gaige got the feeling she was being underestimated, and she didn’t like it. She’d been pushed around enough by the likes of Marcie Halloway back on Eden-5, and she’d be damned if she’d let some local Pandoran yokel do the same. She decided to call for backup.

“Oh, see now, that’s not gonna work for me,” she proclaimed. She made a gesture with her hand, and Deathtrap dutifully appeared at her side. “I promised my bestie here a new upgrade, and a really fun time earning it. So, I think you’re going to help us, help you. Isn’t that right, August?” She picked up the tankard he offered, toasted him with it, and took a drink. 

Her throat caught on fire. She prayed he wouldn’t notice the tears forming.

#10 Bliss “I like that you make me laugh so much that my cheeks hurt!” Gaige collapsed, gasping for breath through her laughter, onto the terrace of the Xylourgos Lodge. Her margarita spilled considerably in her hand.

“It’s true; I do have impeccable comedic timing! Thanks so much for noticing!” Claptrap proudly thrust his robotic hands on his so-called hips. “But, all I said was ‘Do you only plan weddings these days? Because if you ever think about branching out into planning birthday parties, my next one could use a little kick.”

Gaige stood up straight, wobbling on her feet. “You’re such a funny little robot,” she slurred. “I’m gonna give you the best! Birthday bash! Ever! It’s gonna rock so hard, you’ll wanna do it twice--no, three times a year!”

“Hey, wait a minute...” Claptrap observed. “Upon careful observation, I think you’ve had one too many. But don’t worry! I know just the remedy for teetering dangerously close to alcohol poisoning!”

“Is it more booze?”

“It is more booze! Let’s head over to the bar to get you fixed right up.”

[Original Ask Post]

[evieextragay-blog]

Ok, so...

I really wanna write this, and so I shallllll

Borderlands 3 rewrite pitch

Vault of the destroyer key shows athenas instead of promethea

On the way claptrap or idc who, maybe maliwan screw up the flight and we crash on eden-6 the same time the family jewel does

Gaige and deathtrap are a part of B-team and are also helping in trying to free hammerlock

We fill in b-team on the scenario and they join in, if not all of b-team, just gaige

Gaige brings up how they could use some spare equipment for the ship (insert random ship component here)

Suggests we see axton

Axton joins along and comes aboard sanctuary with gaige (best buds)

Eden six arc goes on mostly unchanged otherwise, focus to get back in space is changed to "might as well do this vault since its here"

Also the eden six vault will have the rampager and maya wont die cus she isnt there and i guess gaige and DT could tag along to guide or somethin'

Tyreen takes the berserker's energy,

here, either the hunters get away as the twins banter or argue, or DT sacrifices himself for gaige and the hunters.

Athenas stufffff

Mostly the same, but instead it'll now be unsure as to why maliwan's run rampant

Mostly the same, they open the chest, get the key fragment, finds out its for promethea

*crew goes to promethea*

Maliwan acquisition occurring, "ah, so thaaaaats whyyy"

Tyreen butts into conversation

Reveals that they's motivated maliwan to do all this so as to show they hadnt screwed up just jakobs but maliwan and atlas too

But this time katagawa jr actually gets troy and tyreen onto the zanara, we think it'd be a good idea to get on there to kill all three at once, katagawa actually was gonna kill the calypsos, almost succeeds.

In the near death experience, tyreen tries to save herself, showing her lack of care of troy, straining relationship further, especially since the difficulties in eden six were shown earlier.

Calypsos escape, we escape zanara as it gets flooded with cov

Promethea vault timeee

It'll be graveward, since we know what the calypsos will do

Tannis has the trick

Lilith goes along to, by suggestion of maya

Major character death, i reckon lilith and it badly impact maya

Axton tries to fill leadership from then on out but does so with lighthearted positivity that isnt fitting and brings him down in the dumps with the rest of the crew too

Ava (instead of lashing out on lilith) tries a "what she would have wanted"

Rest of the plot stays as is until having stopped tyreen, then comes the core of my pitch

:remember tales from the borderlands

::remember the eye of helios???

:::we bringin it back bby

So elpis is comin toward pandora and the hunters need a real solution, not some deus ex siren-a

Vaughn goes all "hey, remember the-" to rhys

*rhys rattles his brain for a sec and goes all "OH YEAAAH, I 'member dat"*

They head on down to the same ol wreckage, maybe loader bot'll be there for a nice reunion with rhys, vaughn and zer0.

They gotta start it up but need power

Something-something-balex

Something-something-sanctuary power siphoning

Hit the button, blast elpis, save pandora

-I feel like the rushed nature of the promethea conflict felt fast, not that it alone is a problem but after being capped off with maya's passing and followed up by cheerful callbacks to fan favorites in a slow reclamation thing on eden-6 feels weird, especially when nobody at all that knew maya from the sanctuary moment of silence onward reacts to maya's death.

-marcus and moxxi barely do anything in the story, why are they there

-The appearances from the planets like rhys, vaughn, loreli, zer0, hammerlock, wainwright, clay, and b-team all disappear once they're done getting help from you, you'd think even some of them would be interested in the whole great vault thing for one reason or another but no, they just evaporate.

-also why do the maliwan armies look so dahl/tediore, the only thing maliwan about them are their robots, multi element throwers and light travel tech.

[elusetta]

"It's a human thing, wanting what you can't have..." Strongson!

Tysm for the prompt Parker!!! This got out of hand. Pirate AU! I didn’t really have any reasoning behind this, so I’m sorry if it’s a bit incoherent. :) Hope it lives up to your expectations!

The cutlass on Hudson’s hip was as comforting as an old friend, and the sea wind at her cheek an old comfort that had been there, present, always listening, since her childhood. Yet still, there was a delicate sort of darkness that lingered in the depths of her mind, reminding her of dark rooms and low ceilings and cold steel against her skin. Reminding her that this was still new.

Although it wasn’t. This was new in the sense that it was known to her once again, after weeks of being imprisoned by that fucking brother. She had forgotten it- well, not quite; she could never truly forget the only thing she admitted to loving. This ship was her home. The ocean past it was her world. And in the grand scheme of things, that was really all that mattered.

A week had passed since her escape. She could never have done it without help. She hadn’t intended on it, until…

Until…

The salted breeze carried a familiar presence with it. Hudson turned and met the eyes of Grace.

“How are you holding up?” Grace asked softly, her eyes bearing a dark concern along with the sort of wariness one would expect from a hunter approaching a wolf.

Hudson smiled tightly.

That was her contradiction, right there. The captain of the Divine Lamb, Grace Armstrong, soldier turned pirate waging war against the Eden fleet. Hudson always claimed that her home was in the sea, and the sea alone, but Grace was her rebuttal. How could she claim that this ship was her home, that the life of the voyaging adventuress was all that mattered to her, when the woman who had made it so was standing next to her?

Grace had seen her, the city guard who had let heroics get a little bit too deep into her head. Grace had helped her escape Joseph when he had captured her the first time. Grace had given her the means and motivation to keep fighting. Grace had given her a home.

“I’m okay,” Hudson replied. “I will be, I mean. John didn’t do much to me.”

“Scare tactics,” Grace muttered. “That man’s a fucking coward.”

Hudson laughed and ran her finger along the edge of her blade, trying to convince herself that she had nothing to be scared of. “He’s a coward, but he’s ruthless.”

Grace must have seen the past in Hudson’s eyes again, because she changed her tone and subject, the care in her voice the same as it had been when she had first recovered Hudson out of the Affirmation. “If there’s anything you need, you know I’m- I’m here.”

Hudson didn’t need anything. She wanted something, sure; she wanted Grace to come to her quarters every night, she wanted Grace to kiss her senseless right then and there, she wanted Grace to tell her everything would be the same as it had always been. But there was nothing that she needed.

“I’m okay,” she said coolly, and Grace left it alone.

The night was cold, and somehow, the interior of the room that Hudson had been lucky enough to acquire was even colder. They’d made port for the night in one of the only safe cities left: Fall’s End. Mary May, the innkeeper and an old friend, was always willing to give her a place to stay; after all, Hudson had been the one who’d saved her and the inn from Eden all that time ago. Mary May hadn’t exactly approved of the shift in career when Hudson had first joined Grace at the helm of the Divine Lamb, but she had understood. She always understood. That was one of the reasons that Hudson liked her so much.

So when Hudson had come into the inn, more distant than usual, with a cold look on her face, Mary May hadn’t really asked any questions. She’d just ushered her upstairs and told her what they’d be having for dinner that night.

Frankly, the Divine Lamb was beginning to feel like an emotional deathtrap. Hudson spent every day either tortured by the memories she pretended didn’t bother her at all, or being menaced by the thoughts of a future that would never come. A future that simply wasn’t in the cards, no matter which way she spun it. A future with Grace.

Hudson breathed out, spreading her fingers in the air above her face and watching the light flicker around them. Wasn’t quite nightfall yet, but it would be soon. And in a couple of days, the ship would depart once again, Grace standing strong at the prow.

Hudson wouldn’t be on it.

A drop of unhappiness flickered in Hudson’s chest. But she’d never been one to second-guess herself. This was what she needed. She’d rejoin the guard force of the cities, go back to her everyday life of patrolling. Make up some crazy story to tell the people who had once been her friends. She’d tell them she’d gotten kidnapped, put into a boat full of pirates. Pirates like the Black Huntress, scarred and burned and brusque as the winter itself. Pirates like the woman who went only by the name of Rook, explosive and passionate and everything Hudson could ever ask for in a friend. She’d tell them that she had found herself in a life of adventures that had passed the threshold of her wildest dreams. She’d tell them she’d found life- a life she wanted.

She’d tell them that she’d loved and left a pirate queen.

Wouldn’t they get a kick out of that?

Hudson startled back into reality at the sound of Mary May’s knock on her door. “Dinner’s ready,” the innkeeper said, shutting the door as quickly as she’d opened it.

A cool breeze came through the window, and Hudson found that her cheeks were wet with tears. She wiped them off, sat up, and breathed in a shaky resolve that she knew would dissipate with the right words.

She couldn’t do this. It wasn’t pain, but it was strain, and her heart had never been ready to fight this hard.

The Divine Lamb departed from the port to fanfare from the resistance. Brave people, the citizens of Fall’s End. Brave enough to resist Eden when the rest of the kingdom was practically under its thumb already. Not to mention strong. It was no ordinary townsfolk that would fight tooth and nail to preserve a home that so many others had abandoned.

Hudson weighed her cutlass in her hand and wished that she could stave off the feeling in her stomach. A wild, violent urge to run clear across the town square and throw herself into Grace’s arms, back into the life that she knew she had to let go.

What were her options? What was she meant to do, when every direction she turned to threw her headfirst into another dilemma? She couldn’t go back to the ship; it had Grace, it had every reminder of the tortures she’d endured on the Affirmation. She couldn’t stay here; she’d lose everything she loved.

But given the choice that wasn’t a choice, given the choice that would rip her heart out one way or another, Hudson had always been better at loss. Lose everything, or risk everything and then lose everything. Why not take the more straightforward path to desolation?

She hadn’t come out of the room above the inn for the whole night, and had remained there for the morning. Now, watching the ship, her ship, sail into the golden waters of the sun, Hudson knew that if she left the room, she wouldn’t be able to restrain herself from pursuing it.

And then, from the wall of the inn, came a noise.

Something solid. Something heavy. Something that turned into a muttered swear word in a familiar voice.

Hudson stared at the window and tried to stop herself from investigating.

A shape appeared on the other side of the glass. Two eyes, familiar and beckoning as the eastern horizon; dark skin that was weathered by days of sun and salt; the cast of a smile on the lips.

Grace pulled herself through the window. “You’re running a little bit late.”

Hudson stared, and stared, and finally sat down in one heavy motion on the bed. A moment passed, and then another, and eventually, all she could manage to say was “Why?”

Grace sat next to her without a second thought. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Hudson glared at her hands, and when Grace showed no signs of budging, let out a resigned breath. “I couldn’t take it anymore.”

“The ship?” Grace asked, shaking her head. “I knew John hurt you more than you said. I guess I just hoped-”

“Not the ship, Grace,” Hudson said in a bitter laugh. “More like who was on it.”

“You mean Jess? I know she’s rough around the edges, and she hadn’t been too nice to you, but-”

Hudson shook her head. Maybe, if she hadn’t spent the past week boiling alive in her own emotions, this situation would’ve been funny. But, as the circumstances stood, it was nothing but a kick in the teeth. “You, Grace.”

Grace sat in a stunned silence, and Hudson felt herself compelled to continue. “I guess… I guess it’s a human thing, wanting what you can’t have,” she said reluctantly. “I mean, I always knew it was there, but now… I mean, after seeing you ride in to save me from that goddamned ship like some kind of hero… I just… I guess it was finally done stewing.”

Grace found her voice. “What was?”

Willing her voice not to shake, Hudson brought it into the light. The reason, the impetus, the prison that had kept her. “My… feelings. For you. Feelings… for you.” She coughed, not daring to look at the woman beside her. “I’d known for a while, but… since we’re not on the ship anymore, and since I’m probably not coming back, I guess I can just say it.” Her eyes darted around, seeking something to catch on. “I… I think I love you, Grace. At least, that’s what I… that’s what I’d guess this is, considering what it did to me.”

After a pause that seemed to last forever, Grace responded. “And that made you leave?”

“Well, yeah,” Hudson said, shifting on the bed. “I mean, I can’t imagine it would be good for morale, having the first mate in love with the captain.”

Grace’s fingers tapped out a rhythm on the blankets. “And what about the captain being in love with the first mate?”

That, Hudson realized with a shock at the base of her spine, she hadn’t considered.

“…Maybe that would be a different story,” she finally answered.

Their hands found each other. Hudson’s lips curved into a smile for the first time in such a long time.

“Wait- the ship!” She untangled her fingers from Grace’s and darted to the window. The Divine Lamb was already disappearing into the sun. “Fuck, she’s gone. We’ll be here for hours. Maybe even days.”

Grace grinned at her. “I can think of a couple ways to kill the time.”