I’m back into Borderlands, my comfort fandom, and my god it is full of amazing writing. Here’s just some that I’ve been rerereading in the past few months.
Everybody Works, by Wheat From Chaff
Rhys/Timothy, Modern/Seven Minutes In The Future AU, loooong slow burn at like 250F in the oven for 20 hours. In which Rhys is the CEO of Atlas, born from money and groomed for greatness, and Timothy is the less-famous Lawrence twin who works as Rhys’ bodyguard and everythingman.
It’s hard to explain why this fic is so incredible, because it’s a lot of stuff. Maybe the sheer amount of plate-spinning it does is what’s the most agonizingly impressive feat. Rhys is impeccably characterized, with a lot of bite while still juuuust barely avoiding being a true bastard. Timothy is…. honestly such a fully complete character that I’m kind of angry about how perfectly telegraphed he is.
This fic manages domestic bullshit, wacky dating hijinks, intense family drama, heart-stopping confrontations, and around a plot that never manages to meander around. It’s an exceptional story. Read it even if you don’t know what the fuck a borderlands is.
More from Wheat From Chaff:
How They Met Themselves, Rhys/Timothy. Original Flavor AU, essentially a continuation of canon. Rhys is the CEO of Atlas, and chasing after old projects lost in the ruins of old facilities. Timothy is a Vault Hunter who wears a blank mask over his face and just wants to get paid. This is almost as meaty a story as Everybody Works but reading it is something like a bruise. Extremely good story, but be ready to have your heart put through a ringer.
Secretly the best part of this fic is the Digi-Jacks, Thing One and Thing Two, who for Plot Reasons are characters in their own right.
Titanomachia, Rhys/Timtam again. Greek mythology AU that manages to take a totally different angle than I’ve ever seen before. Rhys is the god of romance and unions, and is bid by the Queen of the Gods to find happy connections for Titan outsiders Jack and Timothy. The story unfolds both in a really fresh fun way, while also sticking to the sort of immutable rules of myth in a way I adore.
North Child Espresso and Cocktail Bar, Rhys/Timtam. A much smaller story than the previous, but lovely and fun and flirtatious. Tim meets Rhys when Rhys is on a phenomenally shitty date with a total jerk (Vasquez), and Rhys tries to salvage his evening by getting Tim’s number. It’s relentlessly charming.
tomorrow is not promised (but tonight is on the table), by thirtysixsavefiles
Rhys/Handsome Jack, Atlas CEO AU, Soulmate AU. The first word your soulmate says to you is writ on your body somewhere.
36SF is one of the most prolific writers in the BL fandom and I have loved their work for a long time but this one might be their best work. That’s a considerable claim, given their catalog. But there is something about seeing how Rhys and Jack drive each other mad that is so exquisite. The dynamic is absolutely electric, and the way they’re drawn together makes shit like destiny seem real.
I have a lot of favorite things about this one, but the most favorite might be the way Rhys keeps trying to reach out and hold Jack off him only to accidentally grab him and yank him in. It’s brilliant. Oh, and the final declaration right before the end. Now that is some goddamn romance.
More from thirtysixsavefiles:
Counting Stars, Rhys/Jack, modern AU. A marriage of convenience that goes absolutely splendid places. This one is whip bright and fun and has a great emotional backbone.
The RSVP Series, Rhys/Jack, modern AU. Remember that Craiglist ad of the guy offering to be your Terrible Date for Thanksgiving? Vaughn forwards it to Rhys, who calls on a whim, and so meets Jack. So begins– not an epic romance, actually. A very methodical tender perfectly paced romance.
NOTE: I heavily rec consuming this fic through the podfic by argentumlupine.
Complicated (Like You), Rhys/Jack, Atlas CEO AU. A very short piece but with fantastic voices. I love UST-fueled contentious relationships okay and Jack vs Rhys is my fave ever.
take me as I am, by sealdog
A Shakespearean-level comedy of errors starring Rhys, Jack, and Timothy. Look. You might not know this, but there is canonically a Hyperion Pleasure Palace where you can rent time with one of Handsome Jack’s dopplegangers. That’s canon. Anyway, uh…. listen. This is hysterical and I don’t really want to ruin it? Please just read this. It’s equal parts hot and fucking hilarious because everyone in this bar is an idiot.
Yeah I really am gonna leave it there. It’s funny. Read it.
Quid Pro Quo, Jack/Rhys. In which Rhys is a new intern at Hyperion, who goes out drinking to celebrate surviving his first week, and winds up getting picked up by Handsome Jack, and then they fail to fuck because Rhys is too drunk, and then Fiona who runs a lot of businesses but more presciently a tutoring agency asks Rhys to go tutor a new client, and it’s Angel, and that’s all just chapter one. I dig the hell out of this one.
NOTE: I super mega awesome hyper rec the podfic version by (again! yay!) argentumlupine.
open like the best endings, Jack/Rhys. Read the warnings, read the warnings, read the warnings, but like. This is hardcore hurt/comfort, but it’s like. A story like this, I find it deeply deeply cathartic, not unlike draining a poison from the blood.
you have to be (all mine), Jack/Rhys, unrequited Rhys/Vasquez. HOOOOLY SHIT, I devoured this fic. This is a bowstring of tension from the start to end. The idea is Vasquez runs into Rhys, who is in an established relations with Jack, and decides he’d be better for Rhys. This is almost a horror story. There are sections written from Vasquez’s POV that had me climbing the walls, I was fucking dying. Expertly fucking done, and a wild ride from start to finish.
you have to be (all mine) was also written by scootsaboot. So it only seems right to move onto them next!
come a little closer, by scootsaboot
Timothy/Rhys, modern AU, roadtrip fic. Timothy is attending his grandmother’s funeral. On his way back, driving across the country, he runs into a hitchhiker, Rhys. They travel back together.
This is like some kind of masterpiece of pacing. I really adore the amount of time it takes. It’s a fic with room to breathe, and its a romance that stretches its arms out. I adore it.
Also its a big bang fic with absolutely gorgeous art that just pumps up the emotional moments to a beautiful zenith. I sometimes go back to reread the pool scene on its own just ‘cause.
opia, Tim/Rhys. WEREWOLF AU. Really good werewolf AU. Y’alllllll I kind of hate werewolves on principle, but this is amazing shit. Rhys lives alone in his family home, and on his way to work he finds a werewolf injured on his porch. This fic is a perfectly sized romance novella with a perfect arc and escalation of UST and resolution. Also Rhys is a witch and I’m SOLD BABY, I’M SOLD.
Take Me Home, Rhys/Jack. ABO fic. Rhys calls an agency to get him an alpha for his heat. It’s great. It’s just great.
of stars and other precious things, by lasciel/ledgem
Rhys/Jack, with a tremendous guest star in Nisha. Similar to canon setting, in which Jack and Nisha are Vault Hunters, and Rhys is a very pretty reporter/documentarian who is funding their latest Vault search in return for footage.
This is like top three favorite fics in the entire fandom. It takes a lot of familiar elements of the canon and reworks them into a really strong, compelling tale of adventure and mystery and UST. You could take this story and use it as a script for a Hollywood blockbuster. It’s extremely cinematic in structure.
Firmware Update, by Vector
FUCK ME THIS IS HILARIOUS. It’s Rhys/Fiona kind of? But not remotely romantic. Basically, TFTBL Ep 2 hints that Rhys has a cyborg dick. Sometimes your dick needs a firmware upgrade. Sometimes you have to enlist a trusted friend to help you shove a USB in your dick. Listen. It’s hilarious.
Safe as anywhere, by queerly_it_is
Rhys/Vaughn, College AU. Rhys is a bartender. Vaughn is a student who somehow tricked himself into thinking Rhys is cool. Rhys is not cool, but the two of them are very sweet as they pine after each other like a pair of dumdums. VERY strong supporting cast of Fiona, Sasha, and a pitch-perfect August.
Has a podfic by Pod Person!
romaincrisis
kaledo-art
baratheonpilled
vaporwave
stormborns
yousharknotpass
ellievsbear
