When my own thoughts make me uncomfortable (happens more than you'd think), I start humming under my nose, sometimes pretty loudly. No idea why or when I started doing it.
When I get nervous, which is like all the time, I take my hair out of my hair tie and repeatedly tie it up and take it down. Or I pull my sleeves over my hands. Most of the time, I don’t notice that I am doing it, but my friends point it out sometimes.
TELL ME AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOURSELF AND I WILL REPLY WITH AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT MYSELF THAT I THINK OF WHEN I READ YOURS. IT MAY BE ENTIRELY RELATED, OR ONLY RELATED IN THE WEIRDEST, BROADEST DEFINITIONS.
Oh god, I don’t even know (I don’t really think about themes when I write?)....I like writing about martyrs, people who define themselves by some thing in their lives (”As a tool I may prove useful, but as a human being I’m a wreck” chances are if that applies to a character I love that character), I like writing about relationships between people. Destiny and fate come up a lot, so does religion oddly enough (’odd’ because I am not religious at all). The general goodness of humanity, of people, yet I like writing about people struggling with that (who believe they aren’t good because of things they do regardless of why they do it). Revolution is a huge ass theme for me lately and how it is necessary. Messiah characters, etc....
There’s probably a lot more but those are the ones that come to mind first.
8. is there a character you love writing for the most? the least? why?
In terms of fandom characters, Peter and Susan Pevensie are without a doubt my favorite (my Peter muse in particular is strong lately). If I ever wrote any of the Les Mis fics in my head, Enjolras would be up there too (Grantaire would probably be one of my least favorites, tbh, not because I don’t like him but because I think I’d find writing such a cynical, contrary character difficult since it’s so fundamentally different from me). Sirius Black is such a joy to write as well since he’s so emotional and all over the place.
In terms of my own characters, I have to say I’m fucking loving writing Ebba Kissinger and Evers, even though I’m not in their heads at the moment. I just get them, Ebba in particular is very strong in my head (then again she’s basically all my favorite things rolled into one) and Evers sunshine-y nature brings joy to my very soul.
10. what are your strengths wrt writing?
Well. I think I’m very good at writing dialogue; I love writing dialogue and it comes pretty damn easily to me. I also think I’m good at getting across how the character is feeling? I don’t mean in terms of just describing it, but if a character is panicking about something, I think I’m good at expressing that in my writing in terms of tone and stuff (I think anyway). I’ve been told by more than one writing teacher that I have good control when writing. I don’t really get what that means--I’m writing it of course I have control--but it’s a strength.
Ooooookay. So here is my (belated) borderlandssecretsanta gift to eternal-axton. I did my best to work within the guidelines of your nifty AU! I guess this is kind of like a prequel??? Idk. It's mostly just Axton being Axton.
To be honest, this whole “Lost Legion; Guardians of the Vault” thing was not really what Axton had in mind when he first signed onto Dahl’s military. On Elpis, there were no cameras, no glory, hardly any chicks, and absolutely no threesomes. Sex alone was hard enough to come by. Still, the way the Colonel kept talking about a higher calling, about how protecting the hollow moon was the greatest duty a soldier could ever have? Well, it made those dry days a little more bearable.
“From this day forth, Soldiers, we are dead.” Colonel Zarpedon clutched her dog tags in her fist and held them out, over the crater she and her men had created. They were out in the middle of the Outlands, far away from where their sacred Vault was hidden. It was the first place they crashed, and the first place anyone would look for them. “With this, we take our dog tags, our Echo notes, our memories, and our pasts. And we leave them here for people to find when they collect our dust and ashes.”
She dropped the dog tags down, and all the soldiers followed suit. “We are each other’s families now,” she insisted. Axton took off his dog tags and stared at them. He stared at his name, his last name. No, HER last name. The name he used to share with her, and the ring he used to wear for her. She had kicked him out from her command a year ago. But he kept on fighting for Dahl, hoping and praying that she would come to her senses. He kept assuming that once he became a big war hero, Sarah would come crawling back for him.
He dropped the dog tags and the ring into the crater, listening to the dull clink as it fell against the others. The noise was cold and hollow.
Axton rolled his neck and glanced around the camp. The other soldiers were mostly just bumming around. Playing cards or practicing parlor tricks with their Eridian power. Sparks flew from their fingertips as they attempted to light something on fire just by pointing at it. “Won’t work less you’re planning on ascending, buddy,” Axton said from the small workbench he had set up outside.
He tinkered with his turret a little bit, trying to figure out a way to put liquefied Eridium run-off into his turret’s bullets. The people from Hyperion were calling the run-off “slag”, apparently. Stuff was going to be huge, once it caught on. He could tell.
“Shut up, Axton. No one fucking asked you.” One of his bunkmates grumbled as they stood up to stretch. The local population of kragons had been wiped out long ago. The moon threshers, torks, everything, all destroyed the Lost Legion. There wasn’t much else to do, other than that.
Someone in the camp groaned in pain. Axton could feel it too. They were Pulsing. Short on Eridium, the soldiers tended to “pulse”, their veins itching for more from the Guardians. The markings on their skin itched and burned, blinking bright purple over and over again. “When are those goddamn good-for-nothing aliens getting back? Sick of all you Eternals and your whining.”
Not everyone at the camp had earned the title, or just didn’t undergo the enhancements. Axton grinned and looked at his fist, glowing with the purple rocked embedded into his skin. Even with the Pulsing, and being reliant on the Guardians for power, he wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“Those who choose the righteous path! Those who choose to serve the Vault and protect this place! No, protect the Universe! Step forward and receive your gift from the Guardians of the Vault!” The Colonel spoke to her soldiers from upon a large pedestal, where she and the Great Guardian, the leader of the aliens, stood. The veins around her eyes were now glowing purple, running wildling and pulsing out of her skin as though they might burst. Her skin had become pale and her hands slightly mangled. But somehow she looked stronger, even more capable than ever before. She had been given both power and purpose.
Axton always desired the first. He never thought much on the second. But now, seeing his commanding officer standing there, gasping with her new life, he wanted to come upon that responsibility. He wanted to become stronger than human. So when the Great Guardian gave her signal, and made her call for volunteers?
Axton was first in line.
“Alright, alright!” Axton finally said after an hour or so. It had been nearly half a day since they saw their strange alien bunkmates. It wasn’t like them to be out for so long, especially without at least sending resources to their more human counterparts. His veins were going wild and he was beginning to see nothing but purple fog. He could barely focus on his turret anymore. He had slathered some of the slag onto his skin, and he gave the rest of his fellow Eternals. But the relaxing effects of that had soon died down. Now they were left with nothing else but the Pulsing and the small amusements they used to distract themselves. “This is beyond lame and I’m bored out of my skull. I am not doing anything or shooting anything. So I say we come up with a remedy.”
“What? We start shooting each other? The mountains? What do you want Axton? This whole valley has been swept dry.” Lark, a young Eternal, grunted at him.
“Think bigger, Larky-kins!” Axton grunted as he closed up his turret and put the small digistruct box back on his uniform. “I say we go out and get more Eridium. A little old school Dahl Adventure, yeah? Get some actual ACTION up in here?”
“You’re going alone,” Lark then grunted. A few of the other soldiers nodded, knowing full-well that leaving could easily insight the Colonel’s wrath. Or even worse, the wrath of their assigned Guardians.
Funny how they felt so enslaved by creatures that were supposed to be their teammates.
Axton only rolled his eyes and bit back the dull pain from his markings. The camp really was running dry quickly. He wondered if somehow they were becoming more dependent on the stuff. Still, it was nothing a little trip to the core couldn’t fix. He fastened on his stone mask, not bothering to look at himself in the mirror before he left.
The Change was as incredible as it was painful, as painful as it was intoxicating. The Guardian’s hands swept over his body and he felt the Eridium rush through him. He felt like his own power source, unstoppable and…well, Eternal. He couldn’t stop running his hands over his face, reveling at the feel. And for the first time in a long time, he felt like joining Dahl was the right choice, that there was something that would give him a name and give him glory.
He looked at himself in the nearest reflective surface and had to laugh. Still as handsome as ever, he had to assure himself. His eyes were bloodshot with purple, his skin was sallow and his veins protruded on the left side of his body. He promised himself that he was still good-looking. That this was worth it. That if Sarah ever saw him again…
Well, she’d probably never see him again.
Axton left the camp with a large blast of the power he had left in his system, shouting “Yeeeehaaaw!” as he leapt out from camp and propelled himself towards the entrance to the core. He could practically feel the other soldiers and Eternals rolling their eyes at him. He didn’t care. Perhaps the job was cold and lonely and boring. There still wasn’t any reason he couldn’t have a good time. Sure, there were no promises of fame or glory or hot twins mud-wrestling. But he could blow things up with his mind. So there was at least a trade-off.
“It’s called Ascending,” the Colonel told her new Eternal soldiers. “It’s an effect of the Eridian power. It allows you to take on a whole new source of power. It has some…interesting repercussions, from what I’ve been told. But it is what sets you apart from everyone else in this unit. Together we can-“
“Show me,” Axton spoke up, before she could even finish her sentence. He stared her down, all eagerness and muscle, but not an ounce of the practiced respect that the military usually demanded. Any other colonel would have ripped the sergeant insignia right off of his forehead. Colonel Zarpedon only smiled, her eyes shining with Eridium.
“Step forward, Sergeant.”
The inner core of the moon was hollow. No one could really understand how or why, but it was one of those things that Axton had learned not to question. Plus, the inner workings of the moon felt good. They felt strong and rejuvenating. Axton felt more than a little jealous for the people that lived down in the thick of things, near the Vault’s openings. That’s where they worked the closest with the Guardians. So naturally, that’s where all of Zarpedon’s big-wigs were stationed.
Axton rubbed his eyes as the Eridian energy began to pulse through him. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to bring any of this back to the camp, but having it around felt nice. It felt strong and exciting, something that the Eternal could honestly use more of. Usually the Guardians carved it from the rocks themselves, bringing back the ore in small neat chunks.
Axton tugged at the purple ore inside the walls of the core, trying not to attract anyone’s attention. Useless. He grunted and fingered the digistruct box on his hip. He could probably feasibly use his Sabre turret to blow a hole in the wall and free some Eridium ore. Of course, it would likely attract the Guardians and invoke the ire of the Guardians and probably get him kicked out of the Lost Legion and stranded on the moon. But it would also look pretty cool so…
He pulled out the box and aimed it towards the bright glowing wall, making sure he was at an angle where no one could see him. “Alright you weird glowing hunks of power, time to meet your-”
“Sergeant,” a familiar voice said from behind him. Axton scrambled to put the box away before he dislodged the turret. He turned around to face the Colonel, glaring at him with the veins around her eyes gleaming. “Stand down.”
“Heeey Colonel. Fancy uh…fancy seeing you here?” He said with an awkward crack in his voice. He tossed the box from hand to hand, trying to think of anything to excuse the fact that he was about to attack an innocent cavern wall, miles out from his assigned base camp.
“Fortunate, in fact,” the woman replied, much to the Commando’s surprise. “I have been…hearing voices. I was investigating.” She spoke with such forced professionalism, but the slight undertones in her voice told another tale. “We have been out here for many months, haven’t we, Axton?”
Axton couldn’t really think of anything clever to say, so he simply nodded. His Commanding Officer began to walk through the core with practiced ease. She nodded for him to follow, a small smile on her face. “I’ve been hearing these voices for a while. At first, they spoke to me of the Vault. Of how we must protect it. Of how this place is precious but now…”
“I’ve heard them too,” Axton was quick to respond. It wasn’t entirely untrue. He had heard voices. Small murmurings in the back of his mind, a small tingling sensation than came off as a whisper. Every Eternal heard them. But the words were always foreign. Of course, Zarpedon didn’t need to know that.
Instead, the woman smiled. “You always were ahead of your class. Things are changing. We’re becoming stronger. Our ascensions are becoming more powerful. And the Guardians…did you know, Sergeant, than the Guardians are only constructs of the Eridians? Organic flesh and steel, made in the image of the Eridian army. They were created to protect whatever is inside that Vault.”
Axton let that sink in for a moment. “Constructs? Like…puppets for the real Eridains” He couldn’t help but laugh. “We’ve been bossed around by damn meat puppets this whole time?!”
“And today, we’re going to find out why,” the Colonel then added, making her way through towards the sacred center of the moon, towards the Vault. Axton couldn’t help but noticed how strong the woman’s gait was, how determined her eyes were. Something had changed. He could almost sense it, in the Eridium pulsing through her veins. It was almost like she has Ascended permanently. She smelled of power, she smelled of Eridium and slag.
She smelled rotten.
But before Axton could say anything about it, she stepped forward to touch the Vault entrance. Then, Axton heard a small whisper, in deep tones. Go on. See the knowledge. It’s yours to protect. As much as it is ours.
Axton smiled, marveling at his own privilege to be able to witness probably the first exciting thing to happen here on Elpis in months. But before Zarpedon touched the core, she turned to Axton. “I miss my daughter Axton. Do you miss your wife?”
“Ex-wife,” Axton intoned, refusing to say anything else on the matter. Sarah left him. She took him from her unit. Said he was a liability. She said he’d get them all killed. But Zarpedon? She never saw that in him. She saw someone who could fight. Who would put his life on the line simply because he’d look cool going down in flames. She saw someone who wanted to live forever in the minds of everyone.
She saw someone who wanted to be Eternal.
“Right,” she then said, with an awkward cough. “You are more cut out for this than me, it seems. Sometimes, I feel like I’ve reached a point of no return. But still…”
“Nowhere to go but forward, ma’am,” he then said. He appreciated the fact that his Commanding Officer was opening up to him, of all people. He could barely wrap his mind around it. However, he did wish that she would get on with the show.
She nodded, giving a small, soft smile. The kind of smile that the troops so rarely got to see from her anymore. And without another word, she reached into the Vault, sending them both through.
---
To be honest, the Vault was a bit of a letdown. The Sentinel looked cool and all, sure. And Axton was sure that he would be all kinds of fun to kill. Unfortunately, there was no need to do that. Colonel Zarpedon waved her hand, the purple color that stained them glowing as the Sentinel reacted to her. The giant hulking statue sunk into the pulsating purple floor of the Vault, and Axton felt something ripple through him.
The entire place felt of Eridium. The whole place sang to him, whistling in his ears and surrounding him. He felt his head swim, and his pulse race. And before he knew it, he felt as though he was flying, Ascending. Ascending without him using up any of his Eridian energy. He was Ascended, but without the blindness and insanity that was usually cast upon him. He had no urge to murder, no madness itching in veins. He felt clear and free.
And that’s when the Great Guardian appeared.
Axton hadn’t encountered her since right after becoming an Eternal. But she felt…much different somehow. He could feel her presence in the way he couldn’t with the other Guardians. She stalked around him and the Colonel, looking them over. “An interesting choice in companions, Tungsteena.”
“So this is what a real Eridian feels like,” Axton said, with more bravado than he was feeling. He could somehow feel her glare piercing him, even without being able to see the alien’s eyes. “Nice to meet ya. Name’s…”
“I know your name, son. A play-pretend soldier all alone on the battlefield. My little Axton,” She spoke with the tone of a chiding mother, condescending but fond. She turned to Zarpedon, with no other words to spare for the young Eternal.
“You didn’t tell me to come alone,” the Colonel reminded the Guardian, pacing around to glance behind her. There was a large floating disk, boasting the Vault Symbol that was plastered all over the corners of Elpis. “And frankly, I didn’t feel it wise to meet you without anyone with me.”
“Do I frighten you, young Tungsteena?” There was a small clicking noise. Laughter.
“You do.” The Colonel’s voice held no shame.
More laughter as she slowly stalked around the center of the Vault. The Vault Symbol loomed closer, slowly floating towards the two soldiers as though it recognized them. “War is coming, in time.”
Zarpedon glanced at the Great Guardian, the Eridian. But her eyes portrayed nothing. Her stance only stiffened. Axton however, glanced between the two of them nervously, wondering if it was a mistake to follow his Colonel into the Vault. And more than that, he wondered why she couldn’t have taken someone else.
“But you can stop it. It won’t be easy. But one death could save…”
Axton didn’t hear the rest. He was already touching the Vault Symbol. He didn’t remember reaching for it. He didn’t remember Zarpedon doing the same. But somehow, he knew she was holding it too.
There was a child screaming.
There was a child. A woman. A bright light. No. Somehow, she was all three.
There was a monster coming from a Volcano, covering the world in fire.
There was a woman with glowing white eyes.
There was a Siren.
No.
An Angel.
And then there was War and darkness and fighters and death. There was a town on fire and a giant robot at the helm.
And then
There was a man called Handsome Jack.
And before Axton opened his eyes, he could see something else. A long metallic pillar, a silver surface. And he could see himself, distorted in a circle. But it was him, all the same. The stone mask covered his face. Eridium stones were strapped to his body. His arms, his legs, his fingers, distorted.
I’m still handsome. Still the same rugged man. Still popular with the ladies. And the dudes, when I feel up to it. Still bound to be famous. Bound to do great things.
And he could see Sarah, turned away. And he could see Zarpedon, disappearing to dust.
And he could see Jack.
And when he opened his eyes, the two Soldiers were outside of the Vault. They glanced at each other, their eyes a little bit brighter, and their breath a little bit shorter. The man called Handsome Jack was going to unlock the Vault of Pandora. He was going to discover the Map of Stars. He was going to take control of Eridian power sources. He was going to wipe out humanity in his own name.
“We have to stop him.” The Colonel finally said, her eyes a little wild and her hair out of place of the first time since Axton had met her. “We need to destroy this place.”
But for the first time, Axton had nothing to say. He watched the Colonel storm away, shouting orders, pointing at the other Eternals, and preparing for action. He glanced back at the opening of the Vault and closed his eyes. He could still see the planet burning, and he could still hear that madman laughing. He knew it was a bleak future. And he knew, deep down, that the man had to be stopped. But somewhere, in that burning planet called Pandora? He felt a thrum of excitement, of adventure and glory.
“Handsome Jack, huh?” He hummed to himself and shrugged. “Huh. Could be fun.”
Hello friends! I wanted to go outright and post my blanket statement about my fanfictions (as I was requested by some lovely people in the AlHu Family).
You are always welcome to podfic or translate or literally anything so long as you credit me (and PM me the finished product!). Art, especially in the written form, is incredible for many reasons. One of the reasons is because once it's out there, the reader can do whatever they want with it. ANYTHING that inspires them. They can draw art or write fic. They can take another fanfic and run with it. Readers create something new out of writing and breathe life into it. And I encourage that beyond all else.
You can find me as pompouspickle on AO3 and here on the tumblebook.
I love your Borderlands law enforcement AU, do you plan on writing more?
Thank you! I love that AU too. I have a lot more written, actually. It's really therapeutic for me! But most of the chapters are written out of order and I want to write some filler chapters explaining the pseudo-plot before I post it! Here's a little bit from Part 3, which should be done relatively soon!
The second round of robots proved more difficult than the first, and there was still no sign of intelligent life anywhere in the mines. “Okay I’m sorry if I’m off-base here, but you have to be a special kind of evil to equip robots with ROCKET LAUNCHERS.” Axton managed to shout while ducking behind a cavern wall. Exactly what was so valuable down here that someone wasn’t afraid of blowing the whole place to bits in order to protect? “Seriously, who DOES that?”
“Hyperion Corp,” Zer0 responded without another word. Axton looked at him with knitted brows. Zer0 let out a noise that was most likely a sigh and pointed towards some robot scrap next to their hiding space. It was painted pale yellow, with a white stripe going through it. “Piss yellow with a white stripe/ Those are their colors.”
Axton paused for a moment to look at the robot scrap, and then back to the motorcycle cop. “Okay you may be right. But let it be known for the record that I still don’t like you. And that rocket launchers are still unfair.”
Hello! I love your writings and, if your still taking requests, can you do anything with borderlands?
OKAY! Sorry this took so long to write! This was actually an old request that I got writer's block on and abandoned. But it's basically just the 2.0 Vault Hunters being a bunch of nerds.
To be honest, the game was a long time coming. Ever since they went into the Buzzard Camp and found the psycho-head volleyballs, really. Gaige had started it, to Axton’s credit, when she mentioned that volleyball had been the only thing she ever liked about gym class. “I was the lord and master of volleyball man! You should have seen me.”
“I bet,” Axton mused as he tossed the repurposed head in the air and caught it, leaning casually against the roof of one of the bandit huts. “Probably still couldn’t take me in a match, but I’m sure you were quite the queen of the net in your day.”
“Looking good with your shirt off doesn’t automatically make you a pro at volleyball.” Gaige brandished a sniper rifled and scoped for any remaining bandits in the area. “I’m sure I can take you any day of the week.”
And that was the end of it.
At least until after they defeated the Son of Crawmerax and were still waiting on Lilith and the others to arrive at Wam Bam.
“They just now lifted quarantine so they’ll probably be heading out shortly,” Maya said as she glanced around the island. “Don’t get me wrong, fun in the sun is nice and all. But I’m kind of getting bored out here with minimal amounts of things to kill. I think our Psycho Friend might be getting a little restless too.”
In fact, Krieg was in a corner wrestling his thirty-third varkid of the day. They had already wiped out the majority of the native population, and pirates were pretty much a null problem at this point. In fact, Wam Bam Island was pretty much full of nothing but content vacationers at this point.
Which would be great, if the Vault Hunters were anything like normal vacationers.
That’s when Gaige climbed over a fence to join the others while they sunbathed and kicked around rocks. “Found something we can do!” She said suddenly, every inch of her thrumming with pent up energy. “Remember when you said you could take me in a volleyball game, Axton?”
“Not really,” Axton shrugged off and took a sip of his beer. “Probably could do it though.”
“Well you did say it. And you’re still wrooong,” Gaige said, throwing two thumbs down and looking at the other three that were hanging around for the conversation. “Anyway I found a net and a volleyball. A real one and not just a head with hot gas pumped into it. I know, I know. Quite a task, and you’re welcome,” she added with a short wink.
“Yeah, okay,” Axton said as he stood up and brushed himself off, stretching a little bit. He glanced around, just to check and see if anyone was checking him out as he stretched. You know, just in case. No one was remotely interested.
“Allll-RIGHT!” Salvador immediately said as he jumped up and grinned. “We gonna do this in teams or what?! How are we gonna do this?!”
“I’m pretty sure they were thinking one-on-one,” Maya added as she fumbled through her bag looking for a new book to read. “Unless…”
She glanced up at Axton, who seemed to catch her drift immediately. “No please. Gives us something all to do, right? Maya, Zer0, you’re on my team. Let’s go.”
Gaige made a sound that sounded more like choking than anything else. “Okay no. Why do you get to pick the teams? You can have Zer0. I’ll take Maya.”
“What is volleyball?/Some kind of competition?/I’ll school you nerds.” Zer0 said as he glanced between the other Vault Hunters, his helmet flashing a large question mark before he stood up. He moved towards Axton, who was already loosening up his muscles with excitement.
“I’m not sure I’m following either,” Maya said as she moved towards Gaige. “We’ll just have to learn as we go.” Gaige grinned ear to ear and held up her hand for high-five. Maya met it and cracked a smile, as much of a smile as she ever did anyway.
Axton chose not to comment on either of their lack of volleyball knowledge. “Alright fair. Big guy, you’re with me,” he said, nodding to Krieg.
Krieg glanced at Axton from the sand structure he was building…whatever it was supposed to be and raised his arms in triumph. “THE NET OF BALLLS TO BE TRIUMPHED FOR BEEEEssss”
“Yeah this is going to be great team, I can tell,” Axton muttered under his breath.
Salvador stepped up and threw his hands in the air. “I’m the last pick? Are you SERIOUS?” Sal threw up his hands and stormed off to stand next to Gaige, who simply shrugged.
“Sorry shorty, nothing personal,” Axton said as he moved behind the net and to the other side. “Just don’t feel like losing to a third grader.”
“I’m eighteen, Scrublord.” Gaige shouted. However, Salvador started cursing at Axton around the same time, so no one could really make anything out.
Axton opened his mouth to retort but Zer0 went behind the net beside him and took on a fighting stance. “Enough trash talking / Throw the ball so we can play / This fight to the death.”
“leT US THRooW THE BAlL AND LigHT THE SKY ON FiReeee” a low drawl came out from Axton’s left. Maya merely sighed and just looked around distractedly. Salvador was already brandishing his guns. And that’s when Gaige and Axton gave each other a meaningful look, realizing that maybe the two of them signed up for more than they bargained for.
----
Going over the rules of the game took about 45 minutes before Gaige and Axton simply shortened it to "hit the ball over the net".
"Any questions?" Gaige asked, ball in hand and ready to roll. Krieg raised his arm up. Gaige quickly ignored him and glanced around. “Any other questions?”
Maya had pulled her hair into a small ponytail, getting her muscles loose and ready to go. Salvador growled. “Just let me play already! I’ll show you who gets picked last, pendejos.”
“Sorry. I just think volleyball players shouldn’t be able to walk under the net without crouching.” Axton shrugged, holding up a hand for Zer0 to high five it. With an “LOL” flashing from his helmet, Zer0 responded in kind.
“Okay, so it’s Team Small versus the Overgrown Freaks. I can deal with this,” Maya smirked. “Serve up the ball, Gaige. We’re going to have some fun.” She shot Gaige and look, who grinned ear-to-ear in kind.
And Gaige couldn’t think of anything she wanted to do more than spike the ball into Axton’s face.
---
It took about two turns for the other Vault Hunters to get the hang of the game. After five rounds, Maya discovered that if she phaselocked the ball, it was easier for both Sal and Gaige to hit. By the next serve, she discovered phaselocking the ball out of Zer0 and Axton’s reach was hilarious.
“CHEAtter CHeeatER PUmpkiins LUMps” Krieg hissed and screeched as he pulled out his axe to show the ball what for and take it out of its phaselock. Immediately, Maya dropped the ball and it fell uselessly to the ground. Gaige and Salvador had to hold in their laughter while Axton and Zer0 stared at it hopelessly.
But the next moment, Axton looked up at Zer0, who flashed a quick “>;D” at him. Axton grinned and nodded in agreement and pulled out the small digistruct box that held his turret. Axton just cleared his throat. “Alright, guess we’re not holding back anymore. Good luck volleying while dodging bullets!” He shouted, throwing the turret to where it stuck to the left side of the net and serving the ball in their direction.
Gaige only laughed. “That all you got, nerd?!” She snapped her fingers with her mechanical arm and called Deathtrap out as a fourth team member as she dived down to avoid the bullets being fired at her and the other teammates. “DEATHTRAP, VOLLEYBALL MODE.” She shouted.
The robot responded immediately, hitting the ball forward and firing two rockets directly at Zer0 and Krieg. Krieg only laughed and screamed out “BRIiiing IN THE FIIREEE” and immediately met the rockets with a buzz-axe and fire breath. Meanwhile, Zer0 simply evaded the rocket and rushed up about 7 feet in the air to slam the ball down to the other side of the net.
“One more point for us/Also why does Deathtrap have/ A volleyball mode?” Zer0 asked with a large question mark flashing on his helmet.
“Doesn’t matter,” Maya quickly concluded before Gaige could open her mouth to reply. “I call for a group huddle!” She shouted as her, Gaige, and Salvador huddled in to talk about their plans. Gaige pulled Deathtrap into the huddle as well, who didn’t have much to add to the discussion.
Afterwards, they all slapped each other on the back and got in formation. Gaige served the ball to a completely free location. However, within an instant, Zer0 appeared and one of his holograms flickered away from where he had previously been standing. He returned the ball with ease, to a spot that was well out of reach.
Or it would have been out of reach if Salvador hadn’t whipped out a rocket launcher to use as an extra arm, using it to volley the ball back. “WHO’S SHORT NOW, PAPI?” He shouted towards Axton, whipping out another gun and open-firing at the other team ripping three holes into the net.
Axton only growled and dived desperately to hit the ball, only to miss and land with a mouthful of sand. He sputtered and growled something. In the next moment, the Sabre Turret began to spit out slag, successfully covering the other team.
“Oh. It. Is. ON.” Gaige shrieked, now thoroughly beaten, bruised and covered in slag. “Let’s GO, Team Shorties!” She pointed to the other side of the net. Salvador blasted the net away with the rocket and Maya’s tattoos began to grow blue. The other team stood to attention, Krieg brandishing his axe and laughing loudly.
The volleyball rolled across the sand, completely forgotten.
Life On Other Planets | Borderlands | Gen/Krieg-centric
I don't know. I just get this thought whenever I think of what would happen after all the DLCs in Borderlands 2. So this is my own "ending" with Krieg, I guess. xD
We used to go to other places all the time, for work. Do you remember that? The time on Calypso? Hera? God I know you didn’t forget about Charon. The way the he screamed when we dragged him to the sheriff’s office. “Scream out with a knife in the spine and the rope around his thick little neck,” you mumble in agreement.
You know we can’t do that forever.
“SHUT UP.”
Yeah. I know. I don’t want to think about either.
She’s packing now for the Moonbase. They all are. They don’t have much in the way of possessions. Or well, possessions that aren’t guns. We’re not much different than them in that respect. But in everything else…
I wonder what She would have thought of me sometimes. A lot of the time, actually. I wonder if she would have liked me, before we were like this. Before there was a “we” at all. I wonder if she would have even given me the time of day. I was always good at killing.
“Kill killing deathhh I can almost smell it almost taste it sweet hot metal on the roof of my mouth.”
But I was never good as the two of us together. She probably would have passed me by, or killed me by now, like all of the other bandits. It’s only because of you she finds us interesting. A novelty. We can only protect them when we’re together. So I guess I have to thank you for that.
Too bad that only works on places like Pandora.
“YOu CAAN’t makE me LEAVE.”
But I can. And you and I both know what happens next. What happens to us, to the group, to Her. We both know it, even if we don’t want to say it, don’t even want to think it.
Pandora is a planet full of monsters. A planet made for monsters. Even before the bandits, before Hyperion, Pandora was made of rabid beasts. It’s never known anything else.
I can’t remember anything else.
Just glimpses of a past where I was okay. Where you didn’t exist.
“THAAt DOESN’T exxissT ANYMOOOORE. FLESSSH CarVED GOODBye TO the BRiiGHT ONessssss.”
She glances up at us, as we pace around the little camp they all set up. She then looks back down at her bag, placing in it a couple more guns, a few hunks of Eridium, and a framed picture.
You crane your neck over, trying to see what the picture was. Trying to see if we’re in it. If we’re a part of a memory that she needs to take with her, something that she doesn’t want to forget.
You can’t see past the glare of the sunset. Soon the sun will be down and they’ll be asleep, ready to tackle the moonbase. They’ll wipe Hyperion off the map for good, destroying everything that tormented us, everyone who made us this way.
And then what?
And then they will go hunt the Vaults across the planet. Opening them, releasing their secrets, trying to find answers. There is no way to stop them, to stop Her, from searching for the truth.
Calypso. Hera. Charon.
We can’t go back.
“DOOOoon’T TAKE meeeeE”
They’re long asleep now, ready to leave when the sun comes up. I can feel the mask underneath our fingers. You run your hands over it, gripping at the straps that always kept our face hidden from the world. It kept us breathing in the planets chemicals, filtering in the Eridium dust floating through the air of the planet. Making us strong. Stronger than we could ever be apart.
“They won’t need us anymoreee” You grumble, in alarming clarity.
But it’s true.
You lay the mask next to Her. The Siren barely stirs as you look down at her, ready for her to find the mask come-morning. You run a soft hand down the Mechromancer’s cheek. You mumble goodbyes to the Commando, to the Gunzerker, to the Assassin. To the people who saved your life, again and again. To the people we saved countless times, with little regard for ourselves.
To our friends.
“Gooodbyeeee.”
And the night then begins to beckon and you head out into the depths of the valley. We weren’t cut out for life on other planets. Pandora is a place for monsters, and probably the only place for us. Maybe they’ll remember us. Maybe they’ll be back someday. And I’ll be healed, a little saner, a little clearer.
But until that day comes, we can do nothing but wait.
Brick & Mordecai brotp. "Shit, are you bleeding?!" ((*sweats*))
"Shit, are you bleeding?!" Mordecai rushed over almost immediately, bandages and one of Zed's shots clutched in his hand. He slid across the dry ground, kicking up dust along the way.
"You need to get your eyes checked, Mordy," Brick simply replied with a sharp laugh, rolling his shoulders back and stretching out his arms. His knuckles and face were coated in blood and dust and what appeared to be bone marrow and bits of bandit guys. The rest of his body was splattered with it. "This is the other guy's blood. Man you should have seen his face. Before I punched it off."
"Not that, you moron." Mordecai immediately went for Brick's stomach, his clothes darkened with blood. But other than that, the gunshot wound was invisible unless you were looking for it. Really looking for it.
But that's what Mordecai does. He sees things that need to be seen. He notices things before anyone else. And he watches out for his friends. And if that meant jabbing a needle into a gaping hole in his friend's side, then so be it. Brick hissed out in pain, groaning before turning it into a full-bodied laugh. "Aha! Didn't notice that one, I guess. Still, I did cave in his face pretty bad. So I'd say I came out on top."
"You need to be more careful, amigo." Mordecai said after putting on the final bandage. He snorted under his breath. "Can't even realize when you're bleeding. What are you going to do with me?"
Brick placed a huge hand over Mordecai's head and tilted his head back. "I appreciate you patching me up. But don't you ever insinuate that you are going anywhere without me."
Mordecai stood up completely, not bothering to hide the small smile on his face. He glanced up towards the rising sun. Had they really been at this all night? He chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Yeah yeah. I know. I couldn't get rid of you if I tried."
