#we don't talk about borderlands 3

[illegally-downloaded-skeleton]

The story was shit, most of the characters sucked, there is too much dialogue, many of the jokes involve sex or shit as the punchline (it gets pretty stale), and many bad decisions regarding pacing and missions were made. Obviously I’m still going to play it; the gameplay is some of the best in the series and there are many opportunities for funny shenanigans

[comma-tose]

Something I noticed that I REALLY don't like is just how much current borderlands seems to be trying to diminish Rhys and Fiona's personalities and achievements.

It started out with Rhys in Borderlands 3, where Vaughn implied he was fake and that they haven't spoken in years for some reason??? Then it happened again in New Tales, where Rhys was written as incompetent, and an awful boss that fires his employees for having ONE bad idea.

It also essentially calls him a warmonger that's focused entirely on profits, and has no moral compass beyond "the almighty dollar". Going as far as to explicitly state that that is literally Atlas's motto.

Aside from all that it also says that Atlas is essentially failing and that Rhys has absolutely no idea what he's doing, which is especially weird considering how in Borderlands 3 it's stated that Promethea is finally starting to do well for itself again, and through Echo logs you hear that even Marcus is impressed with how well Rhys is doing.

So for Rhys we have him losing connection with his best friend and being called an idiot, fake, being mischaracterised as a terrible person that apparently learnt nothing and has regressed as a person to a borderline unrecognisable state.

----------------------------------------------

And now we get to Fiona. Since borderlands 3 treats the female protagonist of Tales as if she just doesn't exist, Fiona's story continues in Debt or Alive so...

SPOILER WARNING FOR DEBT OR ALIVE.

Not only is Fiona characterised VERY strangely in the book but they also just give Sasha credit for some of what Fiona does, and Fiona alone tends to be the target of blame in the book. Oh and she gets compared to Handsome Jack for good measure.

To start off with, Fiona doesn't even get her wish from the Vault of the Traveller. She gives it to Sasha, and Sasha wishes for a rare Vaultlander figurine of Typhon DeLeon which is destroyed a couple of chapters later. So not only does Fiona not even get to use her wish but the product of the wish gets destroyed anyway so it's entirely pointless.

Fiona also just decides to not be a vault hunter. That conversation she can have with Rhys SECONDS before this happens, about how it suits her, about how she's sad the adventure is over? It's just ignored. She immediately gives it up because she doesn't want Sasha vault hunting and getting put in danger again. Sure she still likes vault hunting but it is immediately given up. (I could write a whole other post about why this bugs me and I probably will).

Fiona has flaws that are addressed in the books, as they should be, all characters have to have flaws, but she is the only one out of the sisters to have flaws addressed. Sasha's are treated as if they don't exist, even when they're very apparent. Fiona learns to not be overprotective, and that she can't stop Sasha from doing things she wants to BUT Sasha doesn't learn anything. She does impulsive things that endanger both her and Fiona, and her risking their safety for fun or on a whim is just never mentioned. (Again something else I'll definitely talk about in another post).

Fiona is also consistently the one who comes up with the plans in the book, while Sasha is either not doing anything or suggesting they take the easy way out. Fiona is the one to start removing the debt cuffs from people while Sasha stands there bewildered, asking what she's doing. Fiona is the one to come up with the plan to scam the billionaires so that they can use the money to free everyone from debt while Sasha suggests just funding Gaige's revenge scheme (and assumedly just abandoning the people in debt??). And Fiona is the one to figure out how to get into Holloway's panic room and save everyone.

Fiona having her moments to shine would be great if they consistently didn't end with her being called an idiot, getting badly hurt, failing, or at one point being compared to Handsome Jack of all people. (Additional point: Sasha doesn't even defend her when she's compared to Jack, which is weird and very out of character.)

This might be petty but the book also gives credit to Sasha for Fiona surviving Bossanova's murder rally in Tales. Which is really weird considering Sasha and Fiona were separated during the entirety of that event. So instead of mentioning a time where Sasha actually helped save Fiona, like in the bio-dome when she was caught by Finch and Kroger, I guess they're actively retconning an event to give Sasha the credit. For some reason.

Fiona also has to confront Sasha about how she's treating Rhys, but then like a chapter later she literally apologises for all that, despite having every right to call Sasha out for that. So again Sasha's flaws are not being recognised as actual flaws and instead it's Fiona who's somehow in the wrong and Sasha learns nothing. Sure by the end of the book she considers Rhys her boyfriend but she is never the one to tell him. Fiona is, because Sasha just doesn't bother to, because it never treats her as someone who has to grow as a person. Sasha is usually either just used as a plot device to progress things or just doing almost nothing while being given credit, instead of being developed like a proper character. I'd call her a shell of what Tales Sasha was but even that feels too generous.

I used to really want to see the Tales characters in other borderlands media, but at this point I just dread it. Because why would I want to see my favourite characters being wildly mischaracterised and mistreated by the franchise?

[rachetmath]

RWBY X Video Games Pt 2.5

Ruby: Hey I bet you can't figure out what characters we played as in Borderlands.

Jaune: Hm. Ren? Nora?

Nora: Yeah I think so.

Ren: Me too.

Yang: Alright guess.

Jaune: Weiss was a Siren two times, so she was Lilith and Maya.

Weiss: How?

Jaune: Your semblance is similar to their move set. Obviously, plus I bet you enjoyed the look.

Weiss: shut up.

Nora: Yang, no doubt was Brick. He was a desecrator.

Yang: So true.

Ren: Blake had to Mordecai.

Jaune is leaving Ruby to Roland because she is a little more tech-wise than you. But mainly because she likes guns.

Ruby: Okay what about the sequel? I mean Weiss is already figured out.

Weiss: Shut it.

Ruby: But what about us?

Jaune: Hm. Hey.

Messenger: What?

Jaune: Did you give them DLCs?

Messenger: Yeah.

Jaune: Okay thanks.

Nora: Hm.

Yang: What's the matter? You guys are stumped?

Ren: I mean a little, we know Blake was Zero.

Blake: Damn that quick?

Jaune: Yeah that quick, come on. However you and Ruby we are torn against.

Ruby: Pfft how come?

Jaune: Were you two fighting over one character?

Yang: … Um.

Ruby: I-I-I mean-

Nora: It was over Salvador the Gunzerker wasn't it?

Yang: … mmm

Ruby: mmmm

Jaune: it was. It was. Give me five.

Nora: Damn right. *High five Jaune*

Jaune: I haven't forgiven you though.

Nora: Can we please talk?

Ren: Um can we get back on topic?

Jaune: Since when are we on topic? Anyway, it's clear why either of you wanted him. Mainly, why Yang wanted him.

Ren: I mean their personalities match so-

Jaune: No Ren, it's clear as day.

Ren: I mean- Oh. Oh. I see.

Yang: *blushes covering her breast*

Jaune: I don't understand why you are showing boating those balloons every day.

Nora: He's right, girl, there is no shame.

Blake: I don't get it.

Jaune: There were two options for both Ruby and Yang. Ruby could played as Gaige but she loves guns more than giant robots so she wanted Gunzker. Yang however didn't want the other character, Krieg because he was half naked.

Blake: So that's why two were arguing that time? Why didn't either of you choose Axton?

Jaune: Roland’s clone? Really?

Blake: Fine.

Nora: So Ruby understood why Yang wanted Salvador so she played as Gaige.

Blake: Alright, but you three won't figure this out. Pre-sequel.

Jaune: Ah shoot.

Ren: mm. Mm

Nora: Damn. That is hard.

Ren: No Handsome Jack Clone right?

Blake: Ew.

Weiss: I hate you for saying that.

Yang: I'm too sexy to be that arrogant.

Ruby: I mean the weapons are cool but no.

Yang: I mean I could have been-

Jaune: Hell no, don't say that. You ain't no Athena.

Yang: gasp how dare you sir? I’ll have you know-

Jaune: Athena has a shield and a sword. She is more about defense than offense. Plus you never used a sword.

Yang: How does that matter?

Jaune: Anyways I believe Ruby was Claptrap.

Ruby: What? how did you -

Jaune: Claptrap has access to all the previous Borderland character's moveset. I know you would be happy to use them.

Weiss: Guess you've become basic Ruby.

Nora: Lady Hammerlock.

Weiss:*stares at Nora in anger*

Nora: *cockly smiles* It suits you, considering your previous statues, Ice Queen.

Ren: Blake was Nisha. Her skill is very useful and she has a whip.

Blake: *blushes*

Jaune: Which leaves with Wilhelm the Enforcer. Mainly because you both lost an arm.

Yang: Okay. True.

Weiss: Well you won't guess who we-

Jaune: Borderlands 3. Weiss the Beastmaster. Blake the Operative. Yang the Siren. And Ruby the Gunner.

RWBY: ………………

Ruby: Man. No fair.

Nora: Come on, it wasn't that hard. Blake's semblance is basically Zane’s hologram. Amara power is Yang semblance except stronger and more versatile. FL4K just fights with his pets like Weiss with her summons except he does a better job.

Weiss: What was that?

Nora: And Moze has a giant robot with guns. Ruby would never miss a chance like that.

Ruby: Damn right!

Jaune: So are we done?

Yang: Yeah we’re done. But I have a question. How does it feel to be maiden-less in the Elden Ring and real life?

RWB: Oh.

Emerald: Shit!

Oscar: DAMN! You get no bitches!

Jaune: I mean, in the Elden Ring, I’ve seen a lot of crazy women. One was hell-bent on destroying a tree. A blue-doll woman who basically wants me to devote myself to her. A dragon woman. A flower woman who I’m surprised can live for so long. A woman who believes in a snake, so much so she was willing to eat off his corpse. And a knight who was dying and was beating me like no tomorrow. Took me three times to beat that woman and it wasn’t on her second phase. So yeah, being maiden less was more of a blessing than having one of either them.

Yang: Oh.

Jaune: As for real life. I mean I had women look at me funny back at Mantle, I had Pyrrha back at Vale. Glyanda believed in me so she might count. Then you got Weiss who complimented me. And it seems I was on your girl's mind before you even entered the picture. Regardless, I don’t care, but at least I don’t settle for less.

Yang: Um..

Jaune: And I love my mom. Too bad you will never know that feeling cause you never had one

Yang: Jau-

Jaune: I mean I’m not too judgemental but come on, at least I’m not a hypocrite, an irresponsible brat whose only accomplishment was getting a lamp. Oh, wait, that’s gone too.

Ruby:: Jaune.

Jaune: How does feel bitch? To be motherless, having to show nothing for all life's struggles but a girl who once fantasized about another man.

Yang: *cries*

Ruby: Really, Jaune?

Jaune: I mean I may have messed up a few times. But I was right on the majority of things and I produce great results.

[honeyydrunk]

niragi suguru a-z don't judge me for this sakurada dori was hawt as hell in that role

a: aftercare oh be SO real rn. 🧍

b: body bro has 3 good qualities and his body is one of them. but aside from everything let's talk about the main attraction, that damn mf absolutely ridiculously crazy tongue piercing of his. man i wanted to JUMP through the screen for that. it had me blushing and shi

c: cum hm. well he just nuts all up in your guts. consequences are not something he's thought about. but this is the borderlands what's going to happen be fr. you'll probably die before anything bad occurs from the raw nut.

d: dirty secrets  he has no secrets and everything about him is dirty.

e: experience before the borderland? nothing now? everything

f: favourite position it's a tie between you tied up and like 'at his mercy' or whatever that means, and you riding him. actually he likes anything. bros a freak. a high stamina constantly horny ahh freak.

g: goofy that all depends on if you consider him insulting you 'goofy'. it also depends on whether you considered him goofy in the show, because that's exactly how he is in bed. ngl i thought he was kinda goofy, so this one is all up to personal interpretation.

h: hair untamed and unruly bush of hair. (before the borderlands he actually did trim it)

i: intimacy  do you consider him eating you out with a tongue piercing intimate? because BE FOR REAL 🧍

j: jacking off why jack off when he can just fuck you.

k: kinks everything (sort of) licking, biting, cnc, hair pulling, just plain raw animalistic fucking going at it like crazy people. how can i explain extreme desperation and looking like you're attacking each other during sex as a kink?

l: location anywhere everywhere. though he prefers semi public sex as a way of kind of getting adrenaline and showing off. surprisingly, he wouldn't fully fuck you publicly, but totally kissing fingering cockwarming, that kind of stuff in like broad daylight. funnily enough, he doesn't actually like fully private sex anything. it feels too intimate and we can't have that.

m: motivation  everything. if he sees you, he'll try and pull you to a hallway. bros ALWAYS motivated.

n: no no no  him bottoming is an absolute no for him. he will not put himself at the liberty of another person. that or you trying anything he didn't ask you to. basically he wants to feel power, so anything that doesn't give him that feeling is a no.

o: oral oh he loves oral. you crying on his dick is like crazy hot to him. and you'll love oral too LIKE ngl i want that tongue piercing in me or whatever like my imagination is getting so crazy i can actually visualise him eating me out like lowkey can even feel it.

p: pace fast fast fast crazy fast extremely fast no breath no breaks no air constantly going at it you need ridiculous stamina for this crazy attacking sex

q: quick fucks one of his favourite games is you fucking during the games. that's a real time limit isn't it. i just thought of something HORRID ngl. imagine he makes you wait until your visa ends you're outside the game arena and bro says make me cum before the game registration ends or uh you'll die.

r: risk take a wild guess. what do you think? this is niragi suguru. be for real. what do you THINK.

s: stamina crazy high. hope you were one of those cardio pilates people before borderlanding otherwise you might be fainting on him. (actually i think bros realistically isn't high at all i just want it to be)

t: toys bro we're in the borderlands tf is there  (i consider that tongue piercing of his a toy)

u: unfair unfair boy oh god he's horrible. this is NIRAGI. brother isn't going to be sunshine and rainbows he is going to be in it for himself and him only. sorry babygirls he is going to be the most unfair person in bed you'll ever be with

v: volume surprisingly very normal in volume.

w: wild card he IS wild. what else is there? (he likes you wanting him and taking him, but this is only in VERY specific moods. otherwise he'll just kill you for being an annoying slut or whatever)

x ray: slightly above average in length, massive in width.

y: yearning  all the time.

z: zzzzzzzz he never sleeps with someone else in the room. and when he sleeps, it's holding a loaded automatic.

if he gets bored, you're annoying, or he realises he's falling for you, you're getting shot with that mf rifle of his. sorry 😔 for that guys. can't win in this society. i'm praying you live fr because now you got not only the borderlands that is a death wish (i wanna kiss him so bad when he got his face burnt off bros hotter like that. that's not a pun btw)

[butchabouttown]

how can you be a lesbian who’s attracted to/fucks all genders? genuine question no hate just doesn’t align with my understanding

hi!! thanks for asking I LOVE this subject and am so happy to talk about it!! This reply might get kind of long so I apologize in advance hehe <3

I assume you're sending this in response to the ask I got the other day asking about if bisexual women can say dyke, to which I said that I am bisexual & also a dyke (woman is debatable). That's the first place I want to start—that bisexuality does not necessarily equal attraction to all genders. It can! And I have no problem with someone who is attracted to all variations of all genders identifying with the lesbian label if that's what makes sense for them. But for me, I am attracted to women, and men, and people who fall outside of that binary—but I am not necessarily attracted to gendered expressions.

Personally, someone's gender identity really doesn't impact whether or not I might be attracted to them. I am specifically attracted to people who's gender expressions align with or reflect my own in some way—so as a butch, as someone who moves through the world as a lesbian, as someone who identified as trans masculine for several years, who has been on T and may go on T again—that is pretty expansive. For me, I am attracted to queer versions of masculinity—in all its shapes & variations. I don't think that experience precludes me from using the lesbian label! There is not one person that sees me move through the world that does not immediately clock me as a butch lesbian. I cannot change that (and nor do I want to). Does the fact that sometimes I fuck & fall in love with men mean that they're wrong? Or that I am for feeling comfortable with that label?

And that really isn't a new experience!! I am absolutely not alone in that kind of attraction model, and I am not the only person who gets clocked as a lesbian that is attracted to people who aren't women.

I can think of many significant figures & authors & activists in lesbian history who have really traversed what has been coined the "butch/FTM borderlands" by author C. Jacob Hale in 1998. Identity categories do not have hard borders—there's a liminal space that exists between them, and it's impossible to draw a distinct line between them. Hell—even the poet & lesbian icon Sappho wrote about both same-sex and different-sex relationships.

I think of communist, activist & author Leslie Feinberg & the exploration of being a leftist, working class butch in the 60's & 70s in Stone Butch Blues. That novel in particular, although fictionalized, is very much a reflection of their own life and details relationships with many different kinds of people while being very much rooted in lesbian culture.

I think of Jen Manion's article in Transgender Studies Quarterly titled "Transbutch," (article begins on page 213 of the linked pfd) where they write the following:

‘‘Transbutch’’ signifies a gendered embodiment that is both butch and trans, not tied to any singular definition of butch or trans but rather falling somewhere in between. Transbutch marks a liminal space that embraces both the historical legacies of the category of butch and the more expansive possibilities created by the transgender rights movement for recognition, community, and empowerment."

(italics my own) In other words, transbutch is about that sticky place between two identities. Someone can have ties to both of these identities at once—particularly since they have been so historically tied in terms of community.

And the argument being made by Manion I think really connects to the discussion here - being a lesbian is about more than who you sleep with. It's a political identity, it is a gender in of itself, it's about your community and how you connect to it.

Many of the lesbian icons that the community holds dear trouble the "woman loving woman" definition of the identity. And besides—it's not like lesbian is a finite resource. We have infinite space to welcome all kinds of people, anyone who wants to be in community together. There are so many ways to move through the world and so many ways to come to this identity.

Anyway! I don't know how to end this! I hope it was helpful <3

[shinakazami1]

Timothy breakdown pwease 🙏

HI KRO HI HI I JUMP OFC ONE TIMOTHY BUD FOR U

How I feel about this character

BRO. One of my favs. The fact he was the first character I played as for Borderlands games was a great choice.

I adore this guy. He's funny, anxious, a bit of an asshole. He had to learn to play Jack but he absolutely sucks at it but I think it works since nobody knows jack well, only his image. LIKE it's hilarious we play as doppelganger and everybody knows in the game we are one instead of him. Like BRO you LITERALLY HAVE ONE SINGLE JOB AND U SUCK AT IT! and then you learn he's great with guns. And you learn that doppelganger is just there to kill. Esp since in bl2 the doppelganger there also sucked ass (I loved the guy a lot. I wish we could have met one more for comparisment).

It's interesting how he sucks so bad at his job and not only that, he presents himself. He's not into doing additional work. He gets grumpy and childish sometimes with wanting to back off or run. But in the end, he continues and keeps on going.

And God. The one soldier that asks you for mercy and you can keep him alive.

'I'm not you, Jack.'

Then, in the bl3 dlc, he had to kill doppelganger and hides away to survive. And somehow?? Still made friends???? That he abandoned cus he felt ashamed prob and just. God. I love this guy a lot. Top 3 for me Fr Fr

All the people I ship romantically with this character

(ATP i should prob change the romantic thing jshshshs)

Moxxi and Timothy are similar to how I see Sasha and Rhys. Not something that would work out but, they can grow with one another.

I also think him and Rhys could be an interesting thing. They both are asshole with some softness inside and mutual trauma. They bit lost a lot due to Jack.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Give me some of that Loader Bot Timothy action. They would understand each other. I also think his relationship with Jack is very nuanced. Jack is his boss but Timothy from the first moment he gets to finally meet him talks back. He states his opinions clearly. And Jack respects the man's work enough not to jump to kill him. There is a lot to explore about how they influenced each other.

My unpopular opinion about this character

THIS MAN IS SEEN OFTEN AS LITTLE SOFT MEOW MEOW. And like he can be but PLEASE please guys. Play pre-sequel. Idk if the mischsracterisation is still a big issue and hope not but dear lort.

This man like most characters in the series IS AN ASSHOLE. He talks back, he kills for a living, and he can get nervous around folks but he also lies, just does his job and gets around. And I love him for it! You go girl <3 and as I asked you for the comparison - while he hides himself away and holds a lot of anger for misjust he had to suffer he still can get so shy around Moxxi. It doesn't make him weak, it doesn't make him a soft character. It's a part of him and i love it. The fact this man cuts his hand off to save the place too. He's used to making sacrifices. One way or another.

AND SECONDLY. I discussed it with @kitkat578 and I took their headcanon that Timothy, in fact wasn't marked under the mask, since you can't see the mark in the crack. I feel he was only told that happened, to resent Lilith. And that headcanon changed something in me.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Meet. With. Rhys. Please.

And don't change to Jack. Stay your own. Be free

[sarkyfancypants]

Borderlands: My honest thoughts

Warning/Disclaimer: Long rant and personal opinions from someone who knows a little too much about the games and maybe spoilers.

What can be said that hasn't been said about Borderlands? The gameplay is fine but its story has wasted potential? That the fanbase keeps getting rear-ended by the franchise's creator who can't pay his workers right and suffers a meltdown from getting feedback and critiques? That it's been taking a slow nosedive after BL3 as the characters and plots keep getting dumber, slowly losing its loyal fans?

That third statement may be a bit of an exaggeration but I have heard people feeling exasperated about how many tumbles Borderlands has taken with Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (although that's not directly a Borderlands game, much more of a spinoff) and The New Tales from The Borderlands which nearly drove me into tears from how awful it was...

I'm not counting the movie, that's it's own thing, but I'll just say it is equally as disappointing.

I'm gonna start with a phrase I heard someone say:

"Handsome Jack was the start and the end of Borderlands".

Stay with me.

Borderlands didn't have a proper plot to begin with, and it was until BL2 when things started to pick up and you can't deny Handsome Jack was part of the reason it became the talk of the town.

I'm not saying this just because Jack is my favorite character. It's something that I have heard from many different people who have talked about the franchise in general. Jack was, and still is, highly appraised as "one of the best videogame villains" so far. He set an unexpected standard for the franchise that held up throughout The Pre-Sequel and Tales from The Borderlands, up to his definite end.

When Jack died, the franchise died with him. Dramatically put.

Sure, we still had some more of him in The Handsome Jackpot but that's inconsequential I think.

This is not saying that I want them to bring Handsome Jack back.

I don't want them to bring him back.

I feel that he has served his purpose.

But a much wasted purpose. Here is where my issues begin. At the end of The Pre-Sequel we got the cutscene where the Guardian/Watcher warns the VHs of a war. A war that we yet have to see because nothing of that extremity happened in BL3. Who knows, maybe it'll come in Borderlands 4 and 3 was just the setup.

That scene seemed important, and it coming from The Pre-Sequel, an underappreciated game that talks about Jack's transformation to Handsome Jack, the revelations of his involvement in BL1 and the things that then led to the events of BL2 on forward, almost seemed to indicate something. At least in my point of view.

I don't want them to bring Handsome Jack back, but what I do want is to see a follow-up to the consequences of his actions. That warning of a war almost felt to me like the the things Handsome Jack did triggered something big. His meddling was more significant than what Atlas and Dahl did previously, and it would ultimately justify Zarpedon's urgency to bring him down as she was enlightened by Eridian knowledge and supported/guided by the Guardians.

But after BL3, it was almost as if he was simply swiped under the rug and that was it. People only mention him to say how much of a dick he was but that's all of it. No impact, no shred of importance. Just an underwhelming "he was an asshole".

Maybe I'm looking too hard into this and I don't know if anyone else sees my vision, but it is one of the many missed opportunities from BL3, just the same as my bane which has been Troy draining Tyreen to death and becoming the focus for the rest of the game. The signs were there, it was leading up to that, there was even cut dialogue that implied that! But it was ultimately scrapped and therefore wasted.

Like the cutscene after Maya's death, the scene that would redeem Ava from being an annoying brat to a more grounded person with space for character development.

The fact that Aurelia was presented in the trailer as an ally later to be revealed as a one-dimensional villain we have to kill to progress on the story. That one still pisses me off.

I'm also upset that the awesome characters we played as in BL2 were turned into bland npcs that only showed up in DLCs that serve no purpose, with Maya being the only person to actually show serious development only to become the product of a death made for shock value in an attempt to replicate Roland's death. It's so appalling.

Don't get me wrong, Borderlands 3 is a good game and it holds up because it is really fun to play, but the story has me and many others longing for something better.

Oh by the way, did you know the first Borderlands game had a whole third act scrapped out which showed more of Commodore Steele's involvement, grounding her more as a proper villain/antagonist? Yeah, I'm mad too. Shit was already bad from the start.

I will not talk about New Tales, I refuse to think of it as canon. Someone said the best way to cope about its existence is to imagine that none of it is real and it was an in-uneverse film and all the characters in it are in-uneverse actors.

The franchise seems to be in a dire spot and my hopes for the 4th game which was confirmed to be in development, it is making me nervous and I'm disillusioned.

All I have is whatever made-up content I have for myself to still enjoy this franchise that hurts so much to watch it sink like this.

[wubwubmywub]

ah jeez, let me make this it's own post

villains are villains, in the end of the day. what's the concept of a villain? a character who is opposing the heroes. we all know that. but, whats so special about writing and making a villain, is that they can have multiple reasons to be what they are and race can be one of them.

first off, fiction can and it will take from reality. there exist black people who hate their race and skin color, and that's factual. systemic and structural racism are a thing and for the foreseeable future, they will continue to be a thing. internalized racism will follow hand in hand with them, too.

what jack, and many other villains do, they're supposed to make you uncomfortable with what they're doing. no matter if they're white, black, asian, whatever. you should feel uncomfortable with their actions because that discomfort is what the characters in the story are feeling. when a villain’s motivations are rooted in trauma, systemic issues, internalized self hate, etc, it adds layers to them. they're not just a “bad guy”. they're human. it makes them believable. characters like eggman, bowser and other cartoony villains are fun, but their motivations are described by just a few words. "take over the world." "capture the princess" etc etc. it's not exactly impacting because those are just there to be the end goal for the player, they're not supposed to have any other emotional depth or motivation beyond "i'm evil". they serve their purpose, but they don't challenge anything. they don't have layers.

but when you introduce a villain who grapples something so deeply personal and systematic, like internalized racism, you create a character who reflects the real world. they have layers. they have reasoning for what they're doing. even if it's bad in our eyes (obviously) they truly believe that what they're doing is right. that's why i truly think that a self hating brown/mixed jack works is because he is a character that centers around himself around his identity, hell he named himself 'handsome' jack for a reason. he's a insecure egotistical asshole.

poc of color can be villians and they can do wrong. they can inflict trauma on others. they can lash out on others. they can hate themselves. for a poc villain to be a villain, they don't also need to puff out their chest and say "i'm a poc" on screen, while looking at the camera because that's just not necessary. you think white villains should just be like "ahaha yeah i'm oppressing you because i'm white" like? no one needs to perform their identity for a crowd be part of a community, make them a good person or bad. no black person is obligated to hit their chest and go "i'm black". no asian person is obligated to hit their chest and go "i'm asian". no native is obligated to hit their chest and go "i'm a native". if they do? hell yeah, more power to them, but they're not obligated to.

it's crazy to me we're still in this closed thinking that characters of color must always be “good representations”. fiction serves as a space to explore and talk about the uncomfortable. straight up pretending that characters of color can't feel the full range of human emotions is just offensive. letting people of color be allowed be complex, flawed, hell, even monstrous, shows that they ARE people. poc should be allowed to be everything. heroes, villains, anti heroes. they don't need to be perfect angels to be worthy of representation. hell, look at Aurelia! i love her, i finished presequel with her once, and she's a huge bitch! do you see what she did in borderlands 3? is she any less of a black woman because of that?

handsome jack is no less than a human. handsome jack can feel internalized racism. handsome jack, even as a poc, can be an oppressor.

saying that a poc can't be a villain because it makes you uncomfortable, just means that you don't know anything about good story writing and world building.

[sharkface]

thoughts on gayperion

Rules but I think Vaughn generally deserves better than that guy. I will say I obsessively datamined this game a while back so I know for a fact that Vaughn used to not only be romanceable but also there was a version of the game where Rhys and Vaughn were a couple from the START of the game. And if you were mean to him he could dump you in the desert and also maybe try to kill you? Unclear but he says he could and I believe him. So there's a tooon to say about them this way that is NOT entirely speculative. This is getting long sorry I like this video game a lot and I love Vaughn specifically

They are objectively kind of in love with each other but their whole dynamic is colored by their very corporate friend hierarchy deal, like, Rhys does not treat Vaughn very well at the best of times in the sense that he just sort of does not respect him as an equal. Even if you make all of the nice choices this is the case, outside of your control Rhys is constantly "I- I mean we"-ing people who he very much could not have accomplished anything without. So like, it's a Rhys Attitude Problem first and foremost while Vaughn always immediately picks whatever solution is good for Rhys. This is why scenes where you can prioritize Vaughn are meaningful, for Vaughn the whole thing is more of a personal development quest of coming out of his shell and valuing himself as a person and not just a member of Team Rhys.

Your big Vaughn Choices are mostly whether or not Rhys looks out for him and protects him, obviously many of these choices are easy to see through a romantic lens BUT I think people are very eager to ignore the fact that EVERY choice still implies something Rhys thinks or feels which means your opportunities to be mean to Vaughn are still like. Relevant to this whole dynamic. Early on you can rib him for being nervous and he will say "When you say things like that I forget that you're just pretending to be the type of person who would say things like that" which Rhys brushes off in a way that implies that no, he just says things like that. Rhys DOES kind of think Vaughn is a weird loser, and Vaughn is convinced he must not actually feel that way because if he does that kind of confirms all of his worst insecurities which (at this point in his life) he relies on Rhys to resolve.

Their dynamic in the game shifts in that Rhys grows a genuine respect for Vaughn and Vaughn becomes more self confident when he starts proving to himself that he can do cool shit without Rhys, as a character arc this really rules and I love that gay shortstack

SO. I think like. It's messy but it is very appealing. Again they were at one point meant to be together from the start and I think a lot of that leaks into their existing dynamic in the game. 0 chance in hell it could work out until the game is over like I can see why Vaughn could dump his ass in some of the drafts but it's cute. I don't want to talk about borderlands 3

[thumpypuppy]

what sort of other game soundtracks or composers (especially indies but either way) have inspired your work?

Oh gosh, this is such an amazing question!!!

Personally I (Lindar) have so so so many inspirations because I'm a music lover, I'm 37, and I've been playing video games as far back as I can remember.

So first and foremost I have to give a shout-out to Lena Raine because back in like… 2016(?) I was trying to take my studio to a more professional level and invest in some stuff beyond what just comes with any given DAW, so I reached out to her and she was kind enough to answer my dozens of questions and talk shop with me. She is ultimately why Studio Thumpy Puppy has its current sound. I don't know her personally, but she was an absolute sweetie to me, extremely helpful, and y'all know she writes banger after banger track.

Gotta mention Ben Prunty, who is an absolute legend in indie soundtracks.

Met Disasterpeace at Day of the Devs 2016 along with a bunch of other legends in the scene and what an encouraging sweetheart!

Of course I'm a huge fan of Sadie Greyduck who is one of my composers! Go check out her Bandcamp or look for her on streaming services!

Love me some Darren Korb. Honestly like every Supergiant game has been a banger, but it wouldn't be the same without those soundtracks.

On that note you can't go wrong with Danny Baranowsky. Love me some Necrodancer!

Also y'all gotta check out M Gewehr (MWGewehr on birdsite).

Also gotta mention 2Mello who does amazing work and makes some of the funkiest beats.

Of course if we're talking about 2Mello we gotta mention Hideki Naganuma! UNDERSTAND! UNDERSTAND! THE CONCEPT. OF LOVE!

Oh gosh and then Winifred Phillips does amazing work.

While we're here I know she's not a game composer but go listen to Wendy Carlos!

Then there's like… all of the various people across games like Doom, Quake, Borderlands, etc. Sasha Dikiciyan, Jesper Kyd, Mick Gordon…

Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy), Kiochi Sugiyama (Dragon Quest), Yoko Shimomura (Street Fighter), Takashi Tateishi (MegaMan II), Hip Tanaka (Metroid, Earthbound), Koji Kondo and Toru Minegishi (Legend of Zelda), Daisuke Amaya (Cave Story), Eirik Suhrke (Downwell), Daisuke Ishiwatari (Guilty Gear), the sound team on Sonic Adventure 2, Masato Nakamura (Sonic 2), Brad Buxer et al (Sonic 3&K)…

So let's also take into account that a lot of the game soundtracks that have inspired me over the years are influenced by things that aren't game soundtracks, because those are a relatively recent invention, so we have to talk about how Plantasia by Mort Garson is a direct inspiration for Ocarina of Time and "Dancing Mad" from FF6 is literally just Tarkus from Emerson, Lake & Palmer. A *lot* of early game composers were just prog nerds who listened to like… ELP, King Crimson, Rush, Yes, Magma, Van Der Graaf Generator, Camel, Caravan, Gentle Giant, Soft Machine, Gong… and then also a lot of more popular 80s rock that I'm not gonna list out…

The history of music is absolutely wild and there's so much inspiration out there it's absolutely baffling. Go listen to stuff you've never heard before, analyze it, understand what the appeal and aesthetic is, listen to the last 100 years of the pop charts and then learn where that music came from and who their influences were… go listen to motown! Listen to bebop and jazz and future funk and central Asian folk music and like… get out there and expand your horizons, because like… there's SO MUCH good music out there.

[gigakoops]

Me and my wife were just playing Borderlands 3, and ran into that Borderlands Science arcade machine in-game. We weren't sure if the science behind it was really worth investigating, and decided to dig into it, and this small little detail on Borderland's website stood out as a major "yikes" point.

They're essentially implying that gut microbes can be responsible for autism, and looking into the research itself, this is reading a lot like some Autism Speaks-ass talking points. I personally don't even know if the science is reliable (it's still in an early stage after all), but even the thought of this sort of research leading to the kind of shit Autism Speaks talks about (screening for autism in infants, etc.) makes me upset to an extreme degree.

So yeah, fuck Borderlands 3, uninstalled that shit immediately after finding this out.

[sweetflanfiction]

The Arena - Part 5

Universe: Alice in Borderland

Pairing: Chishiya x reader

Disclaimer Pt.3: The story isn't finished! This isn't proofread! I don't speak english as my main language! Sorry from everything aaannnddd...Anything between these // // is a flashback/not real.

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 // Part 6 // Part 7 // Part 8 // Part 9 // End

• ··········· • ············ •

Another certain thing in the world was the fact that black haired Chishiya did things to your brain. Especially when he tied it in a bun.

"I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop, Chishiya." Kaori warned as the four of you walked into the elevator.

"I have both shoes on, Kaori. I don't know what you mean." He pushed the button, one hand in his pant pocket.

"I'm watching you."

"Thanks, I guess."

Both you and Ari snorted. It had been a surprise for the group when Chishiya appeared at the door, sharply dressed, without a funny gag to tease Kaori. His outfit consisted of matching black pants and shirt, tailored perfectly to his figure and a light gray jacket. There had been no funny sweater wrapped around his waist, no flip flops on his feet. Maybe it was a cleverly hidden joke. You mirrored their sentiment and waited for Chishiya to pull something, knowing how much he enjoyed teasing the usual carefree Kaori. 

As you four shuffled into the elevator, Chishiya beckoned you to his side as more people filled the space. As the elevator doors closed, you caught a glimpse of a menacing looking young man with tattoos all over his body, holding what seemed to be a katana. Your eyes widened as he looked straight at you and started to run towards the elevator. Instinctively you tried to take a step back, stopping mid-step when you felt a hand on your lower back. 

"You okay?" You heard Chishiya’s low and raspy voice in your ear and nodded, your eyes still fixed on the closed door.

"I…I'm okay." You reassured him and yourself.

This was the first time today you had felt the spike of fear run through you. The day had been busy, but not overwhelming. Unlike the day before you had time to talk to other colleagues and other people, you had a proper lunch, you were calm and relaxed. And as you closed your eyes you hoped, for the sake of your employment, you could keep at least a minimum amount of normalcy about you.

While the main dinner would be served in a spacious dining room, the hotel was using one of the conference rooms as a makeshift bar. This was where drinks would be served before and after dinner. And where you and your group stood looking around.

"Are we even allowed to have alcohol?" Ari asked as one of your colleagues walked by with a drink in his hand.

"It's a dinner event and we are in a bar, I'm gonna go with yes." You shrugged.

"I mean, I would like to believe we are wise adults that wouldn't pull anything embarrassing in front of our bosses." Kaori jabbed, looking at Chishiya.

The rest chuckled and you looked at him, but he was completely disengaged with the conversation you were having. 

Chishiya had been here before. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind. As soon as he stepped into the room the sound seemed to have dulled out. The white wall in front of him flashed with a deck of cards graffitied on it. The threatening feeling you had mentioned before, he was now feeling it. He has been here before and he hadn't enjoyed it. His eyes immediately darted to you, feeling like something was about to happen. You were matching his gaze, concern written all over your face. His eyes looked at your neck and widened. A big red gash was slowly oozing blood…he blinked and the blood was gone. The concerned expression remained fixed in place and became even more pronounced...

"You look like you are about to pass out." You asked him, placing a hand on his elbow.

"I…" he cleared his throat as the three other friends looked at each other, clearly concerned. "I'm alright."

You stroked her arm reassuringly. His face had shifted from nonchalant to confused in a matter of seconds. And it wasn't just his usual twitch of an eyebrow. His face had fully contorted, displaying his turmoil.

Chishiya kept looking back at the room you left after dinner was called. His friends had been mingling and talking to other staff and benefactors. However, as much as he tried, he just wanted to find a dark corner and stand there or even better, leave…not just the room but the hotel.

The four companions sat with other colleagues. The conversation flowed between the six people at the table, with him being sandwiched between you and Kaori. 

Something was wrong with him. You knew it, Ari knew it, Kaori knew it. You were certain at this point, the other three people sitting with you knew it. He had shut down. His eyes were alert, his head tilting slowly towards any sudden sound he heard, his jaw and shoulders tense. His hands were on his lap, his fingers scratching at the fabric of his pants leg.

"Oy, Chishiya, are you sure you're good?" Kaori laughed, slapping him on the leg in jest.

"Yes." He replied, knowing full well nobody believed him.

"You want us to get you your hoodie?" The concerned teasing continued from Kaori.

"No."

“Is this a joke?” Ari inquired and he slowly shifted his gaze to her and blinked.

“No.”

Kaori looked at you both and shrugged, a concerned expression on their face. He usually took teasing well, never missing an opportunity to show his mischievous side. The one-word answers didn’t seem like him.

Before any of you could try anything else the Foundation's director walked up on a small stage placed at the back of the room. He started to make a small speech.

As the older man kept talking, you saw Chishiya's leg starting to bounce impatiently under the table. Without taking your eyes off the stage, you placed a hand on his thigh and rubbed small circles with your thumb, feeling it tense under your palm. You shifted your gaze to his face watching as he took a deep breath and unclenched his jaw, slowly laying his own hand on top of yours.

“Are you…” He nodded before you could finish the sentence. 

“You asked us to trust you before.” He looked at you through the corner of his eyes. “Now it’s your turn.”

You nodded and tried to move your hand, but he squeezed it and kept it on his leg.

Throughout the dinner he had been quiet, but seemed more approachable. You noticed he kept looking at the door in the main dining room. You, Ari and Kaori would unconsciously take turns to stand by his side and keep an eye on him, much like they would do to you sometimes. And he noticed it.

Chishiya was annoyed at first at his friends taking shifts sitting next to him at the table. Despite his mind working at full speed, he was able to keep it in and figure things out on his own. But when he looked back at his friends' faces as they sat down and chatted with him, his annoyance faded. They weren't trying to force him to say what was on his mind or even judging him for keeping them in. Quite the contrary, sometimes they'd just sit down and take a sip of their beverages, other times they would talk to him about the gossip they'd caught on. They were concerned, and they showed him that. As foreign as it was for him, he understood it meant he had someone in his corner, without it being for nefarious reasons.

• ··········· • ············ •

// The body on the table was familiar as was the room, but you couldn’t quite place it. You’d seen the man before somewhere. Silk robe, swim shorts. On the balcony, from the hotel. He was alive back then.//

• ··········· • ············ •

@phoenix666stuff // @rosesandlavendertea // @xiaoishwrites

[brights-place]

Helping out and Comfort★° ୭ ₊˙ ★﹗˚ ༘

𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐗 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫: Follow Y/N Quinezel in the borderlands and see what she's up to with her wife Quinzel 005. | next | masterlist

SUMMARY 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐀 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝟒 𝐒𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥;~ 2509 ᴡᴏʀᴅs

send an ask and i’ll add ya to the taglist! Tags: ~ ★ ʀᴇʙʟᴏɢs ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs ᴍᴇᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ★

Y/N stared she met a good friend of Karube and Arisu his name was Chōta he is the shortest among the 3 of them & his hair often combed well. He has a mole on his right cheek and dark coal eyes.Y/N also met a women Shibuki she had long brown hair and wore a basic white office outfit.

Y/n was currently trying to treat Chōta properly but they both kept on shouting when every-time y/n tried to treat him "I do not believe you Y/N! where any type of doctor before this NOPE! I do not believe it at all" y/n groaned " I WAS A PSYCHOLOGIST AND I WENT TO MED SCHOOL WHAT PROOF DO YOU NEED CHŌTA"Chōta made a face scratching his chin "Pretty Suspicious hmmm Pretty SUS" Arisu nodding "Indeed pretty sus" Shibuki giggled to herself when y/n shouted back at them "I'LL LEAVE YOU TO DIE WITH THAT CRISPY BURNT THUNDER THIGHS LEG" Chōta grinned posing "Love my thunder thighs" Y/n was close to losing it and so was everybody else they all holding in their laughs. Y/N helped heal some of Chōta's leg and advised him to take some of this cream that would help with the burn and pain killers to numb the pain abit.

Y/n continued to chat with the group but sighing when she looked at the time "I have to go" she said waving her hand to the group "Oh where you going?" Y/N smiled "Back to Ivy I'll see you around" Arisu nodded the H/Cnette started to head to the exit with arisu following along to see her off.

Y/N continued to talk to arisu on her way to the mall exit she smiled at him and opened the door taking a few steps and rushed back to Arisu engulfing him in a hug "Okay goodbye hug and also here this is my address if you need any help or just need a place to stay" Y/N have a soft smile "I'll gladly help you whenever you need just reach out to me Aru" Y/n whispered to Arisu and turned back to the exit and left with arisu staring at Y/Ns retreating figure and back at the paper in his hand.

___________________________

Y/N opened the door to Her and Ivy's place and met with a large plant pull her too Ivy handing upside down "your safe" Ivy pecked y/ns face "Oh thank god your safe I thought you were dead or something bad had happened" She held Y/Ns cheeks with her pale green hands a look of worry on her face Y/N smiled "I'm fine Ivy see I'm fine the thing is are you fine?""I'm alright" y/n nodded "Also I feel the blood rushing to my brain can we have dinner please?" Ivy nodded putting Y/n down from the plant that was hanging her upside down and Y/N smiled taking Ivy's hand and dragging her to the dining room "Whats for dinner!" Y/N said plopping herself on a chair while Ivy headed towards the kitchen and walking back with two plates.

Rice and curry along with a glass of F/D Y/N smiled kissing Ivys hand and starting to eat while talking to Ivy about the photo and what things she just found out "Really so you think this the squiggly lines and circle is a map?" Y/N nodded "Yes Ivy" Ivy hummed "Sounds stupid" Y/N had a frown "But I'll believe you" Y/N smiled turning off the phone "Thanks Red" Ivy smiled "of course love" The H/Cnette kissed the red head who kissed back.

Y/N rested in Ivy's arms with a smile "When are we even do our wedding" Y/N muttered OIvy smiled "Soon love don't worry" Y/n could only nod "Okay Red" "Let's go on a date tommorrow to the park"Y/N smiled "Park?" Ivy nodded "We can be with the plants and can have a picnic date" Ivy said Y/N giggled pecking her soft lips onto Ivy's cheek "Sure I'll be fine with going on a picnic with my love of my life" Ivy stared at Y/N who closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Ivy continued to stare at Y/N tears slowly prickling her eyes as she held Y/N close Something bad was gonna happen she knew it she just didn't want it to believe something bad was gonna happen Y/N could hear Ivy's sniffles but she kept quiet.

reblogs + comments are appreciated ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

©brights-place 2023 — do not repost on another platform, copy, translate or edit my works! if you fit my DNI list please don't interact! Divider Creds: @benkeibear and @khaer

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ Brights Map! ˊˎ˗

[nox-writes]

Last Boss headcanons

How he would be like in the real world, looking the same as in the borderlands. So like he has the Tattoos and bald head and how people would react, how he would act, etc.

GN!Reader

enjoy reading also i'm not good at making headcanons😔😔😭😭

So this is Samura Takatora we are talking about.

Before he met you, he was always in his room, typing on his computer some random shit, not going outside, not letting sunlight in his room, etc etc.

But after he met you, who was social (not me tho) and wanted to hang out outside, go on dates and allat.

How could he say no to you?

Well i mean, it took a lot of convincing before he even wanted to leave his room.

But once you got him out of his room, he wanted to start hanging out with you more.

And when he got the makeover, (You first didn't approve of the face tattoos) People started looking at him, like he was some kind of monster.

He would have wanted to go back in his room and lock himself up there for the rest of his life, but you were there for his support.

So when you talked to him about how he looks so damn hot (and intimidating) with the face tattoos, he started feeling confident.

Soon he didn't even care about how people looked at him. He had you and that is all that matters.

But then there was some people, who thought he looked cool with the tattoos and all.

Definitely scares children without even trying.

Like some random child in a grocery store or sum walks over to him and you and says something like "You have cool tattoos" And Samura turn to look at the child slowly and the child runs away.

Or some children don't run away, but their mother would take them away from him.

Your family doesn't like Takatora at all.

Like when you introduced him to your family, your mother almost passed out.

Your father didn't approve of him at all and your siblings were literally scared.

He doesn't give two fucks about what people think of him.

Because over all, he loves you and the fact that you love him no matter what he looks like, makes him love you even more<3

[spacevixenmusic]

Unfairly Maligned Games, Vol. 1

Games I loved that got low scores, review bombed, or have some other weird negative stigma attached to them that I think is unfairly earned.

NOTE: I don't believe in giving games a number score or a letter grade. Maybe I'm just bad at criticism or very easy to please, whatever.

Battleborn [2016]

One of my personal favorite games of all time, Battleborn was advertised as a hero-based PVP shooter with MOBA mechanics that unfortunately came out right alongside one of the biggest games of the PVP shooter genre ever released (Overwatch). Thanks to this poor timing, Battleborn - along with several other similar but different games - was doomed to failure, choked to death by Blizzard's infinite marketing resources and predatory Free Play Weekends that just mysteriously happened to occur on the same weekends as its "competitors" major updates, DLC releases, promo events, etc. Battleborn is no longer available to play ANYWHERE as of January 2021; so few people played it after it was review bombed as "the game your mom bought you when you asked for Ovewatch for xmas" (yes Blizz fans used that fucking Simpsons meme TO DEATH, it's their one joke they have about Battleborn) that the game's servers had to be shuttered so the money could be funneled into Gearbox's much bigger cash cow release at the time, Borderlands 3.

Sour grapes aside, Battleborn was in many ways the game that many people actually wish Overwatch was now. In addition to the PVP game, Battleborn had a co-op campaign mode - complete with a story, cutscenes, and unique character dialogue depending on who you brought to each mission - which could be played for character XP (ability tree unlocks), random gear loot (for use in either campaign mode or PVP), and character cosmetics. The 30 playable characters were wildly varied in terms of design and gameplay, and yes I have to point it out every time, Battleborn had both "cute tiny animal in a mech suit" and playable black women BEFORE Overwatch did. The game also featured a very impressive and highly slept-on visual aesthetic that felt like every Saturday Morning Cartoon I ever grew up with from the 80s/90s, featuring a wild blend of 3D and 2D animation that all the other hero PVP games WISH they could have matched.

And damn, dude. If you like Lore in your video games, there was a TON of material written for this one. And I'm not just talking about supplemental media like a comic or a wiki or an interview about cut content or whatever. I mean there was a metric FUCK TON of additional world-building material right there in the game. Each character came with a set of challenges you could complete which would give you the usual XP and money, but also unlocked a fun little tidbit of Lore about the universe. These came in the form of short stories, recorded conversations, email logs, forum posts, shipping manifests, and even fully voiced segments explaining details about each character, who they were, why they were fighting this war, and some fun little ways of explaining how their weapons or abilities worked. For example, Reyna holds her laser pistol on its side, gangster-style, because she wanted to use a very specific gun model, had its internal parts stripped out so she could use an ammo clip of a much stronger caliber than that model was supposed to be capable of, but in order for the chamber to reload correctly, the gun had to sit a bit cockeyed. And that fun little nugget is just sitting there, right in the game, for you to discover! It's fucking cool as hell!

Now I know you're itching to make a joke about there only being like 15 people who even played the game. Yes, I've seen the Active Player Steam charts meme. It's true, Battleborn had a very small, but also very dedicated, community. Despite that, there were so few people playing that we all ended up making friends with each other pretty quickly. It was one of the friendliest PVP communities I'd ever been a part of. We knew there weren't many people online, so we created an environment that felt comfortable for players new and veteran alike. Many of us are still friends today, outside of the game. Because there were so few people online, we also got to play regularly with Gearbox devs and game writers, and even one of the voice actors responsible for at least three of the game's characters (plus a few NPCs!). We organized and hosted our own events, got official backing from the devs for Double XP weekends, held art jams and hashtag celebrations. Hell, I even used my love of this game to jumpstart my serious foray into music by making an entire album of songs for its characters (complete with a bunch of commissioned fan art from the community)!

(art by Leaddybum)

So yeah. Rest in peace, Battleborn. You were ahead of your time and the hate and harassment you got from The Gamers was completely undeserved. I will always keep hope alive that you'll come back to us some day. Maybe as a sequel, maybe in a new format. There was so much more left to explore in that universe.

May our battle never end.

[shinakazami1]

AJDJSG HIII ILU I JUST HAD TO THROW U A CURVE BALL but seriously I did have a Borderlands phase and I can 1000% understand the Rhys brainworms so I needed to hear more of yours :D ALSO AWE thank you!

I might as well ask your thoughts on Rufu- PSYCH! Thoughts on Goal?? >:3

BRO U HAD?? YOU HAD THEM ALL DEAR LORT I HANDSHAKE U im doing reverse Mel hyperfix run I see!!

But now, it's time for g-g-g-g-

GOAL

(I hadn't played the games and hadn't consumed any content in a long time so. We will see how this will go. Ouuu I might replay it too,,)

How I feel about this character

The fact she started as the stereotype of sleeping beauty (and well... Sort of went through it a lot KSJEJRJSJSHD) BUT THEN LIKE. WHEN SHE WAS CONCIOUS (GOOD LORT THIS SOUNDS BAD) SHE SLAYED.

Just as I mentioned in my Borderlands girlies, Deponia ones are also strong af. And Goal is one of the examples. She lived in a utopia (well not on Utopia but Elysium but u know) and went on the trip because she wanted to make sure. She was Cletus' fiance and seemed to care about him but when she learnt about state of Deponia, what did she do? She ATE that and immediately was like 'we gonna inform them all'. And like I feel the disc is a great social commentary esp since only women got those. Horrible misoginism around, to be able to erase someone's being so easily, or split it to main factors, eughhhh. Yet! It brings such an interesting narrative!!

Lady Goal - all the upbringing she went to. The perfection others got into her brain

Baby Goal - the childhood he lost, the innocence and care in the world

Spunky Goal - adventurous. The part that got to talk most on Deponia, and in the fourth game imo.

The fact the internalised conflict got shown so well in the game. And then the self betrayal, only for her to come back once again.

And then again, in Goodbye Deponia. Goal kept on reinforcing herself as an independent fella who still sometimes fell for Rufus' lies. The fact that till the end, her own goal (haha) of getting to Ulysess and telling about Deponia worked out, and then, she had to lose Rufus just hurts a lot. The fact she didn't want to let herself mourn, that she had to bring back Rufus because he never gave up during the story - ough. She lost her home. She lost so much. And in the end, she let herself accept it and go.

She saw the world with a pink eye monocle. Cus she kept on calling Rufus and other people out. She could do so on Elysium probably, seeing her upbringing but also, she had to go opposite to her Lady training.

She's a great character. Truly

All the people I ship romantically with this character

BRO you single handedly made me like her with all the clones. Rufus, Cletus, Argus, though for Argus mostly as funny enemies-besties.

But... GoalxToni for life,,,

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I want to see her act more with rest of the squad. Lotti, June, Hermes, Doc, Bambina,,, there are a lot I think if she had more time, would love to have her around.

My unpopular opinion about this character

This fandom has great takes so I don't think I have any. I'm a bit too rusty tho sjshsh

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

L... Less sleep....