Inktober day twenty! Today was Tread, and it brought to mind the most heartbreaking Borderlands mission, “Where Angels Fear to Tread.” So, I drew a happy AU idea to cheer myself up--although I did tear up a little as I drew this. Here, Angel lived, because the Vault Hunters were able to save her in time. She becomes essentially Tina’s adopted sister and a member of B Team, and over the years, adopts a heavy “goth Hufflepuff” style to her clothes. Tyreen steals her Siren powers, too, but instead of being upset, Angel sees it as salvation. She can finally be just her, not the Guardian Angel, not Jack’s Siren, but just Angel.
The gun she’s holding happens to be the Handsome Jackhammer. When she finds it, she’s initially furious and almost breaks the gun. AI Jack freaks out and begs her not to, which makes her feel sick inside, and she doesn’t know what to do. Then she realizes that Jack is trapped inside a machine, unable to use his body, and forced to do whatever the holder of the machine wants. It’s the funniest irony she can think of, she laughs until she can’t breath, and now she takes the gun everywhere. Jack knows that if he acts up, Angel can break him, and if she doesn’t, Tina will blow him up, and if she doesn’t, Mordecai and Brick will take him apart very slowly. So he’s just stuck getting a whole new perspective on life. It’s the closest to reformation a game like Borderlands is going to get.