#August/Vaughn side ship
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<3RROR
Claptrap leaned forward, imitating his best at “hanging his head.” He shook it sadly. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice they loved each other! I’m such a bad overlord! My poor, adopted child needed help and I failed him!”
Dumpy screeched angrily as Gortys patted Claptrap. “Aww, don’t be so hard on yourself, human’s are confusing. Now that we know, we can help better! We just need to figure out how we can help.”
They were silent for a moment as Dumpy bounced around them screaming angrily. Loader Bot easily grabbed Dumpy in two metal fingers and shook it a little. “We could get another piece for his gun and say that Zer0 got it for him.”
Gortys gasped. “And we can write a love note to him!”
Claptrap clapped his hands. “We should leave tonight! I remember -- in my many amazing travels -- a bandit camp that stole some old technology. We could sneak in there and get it!”
“Oooh! An adventure!” Gortys beamed.
This is for the Borderlands Reverse Big Bang @borderlandsbigbang! This is the fic I wrote based off of @manjer-art‘s awesome art!!!! It was really fun working and brainstorming with them! Thank you! <3
Check out their Twitter!!! https://twitter.com/ManjerArt
And their Instagram!!! https://www.instagram.com/manjerart/
You can also read this on my AO3!!!
It had been months since Rhys had found Atlas, deed in hand, smile wide across his face. It had been the first time he’d jumped into Zer0’s arms and hugged him tight, thanking him profusely for his help. He couldn’t have done it without Zer0. They had held each other a little longer than necessary, but Zer0 hadn’t minded, not when he’d finally been able to hold Rhys. But he’d been pushed away from Rhys’ as Gortys hugged Rhys, followed by Claptrap, Dumpy and then Loader Bot who, pulled everyone, even Zer0 into a hug.
“We did it!” Gortys chimed happily.
Rhys smiled at them and then at Zer0 “Thanks to Zer0!”
The robots, minus Dumpy, left Rhys to hug Zer0. Rhys giggled at the sight and Zer0 couldn’t help but flash “:D”
Rhys hadn’t expected Zer0 to stay. He’d been nothing but trouble for the alien, making him save the robots and Rhys multiple times. Nevertheless, Zer0 had stayed and had helped Rhys rebuild Atlas, or at least restore the less destroyed part. He hadn’t left Rhys’ side in all this time and Rhys had slowly began to realize something important. He’d developed a lot of feelings for the alien. A lot of romantic feelings that he wasn’t sure Zer0 would reciprocate.
Sure, Zer0 helped him and brought him things he needed without requesting payment, not even the money promised when Zer0 had guided them out of the dead lands and straight to Atlas. He never asked for compensation, but that didn’t mean Zer0 liked Rhys in any way. Zer0 could just be bored and helping Rhys kept him busy until the next vault.
He sighed as he stared at the blueprints to the line of guns he was trying to create. Guns, grenades, rocket launchers, all the things he could think of. But with Atlas pretty much destroyed, Rhys was starting from scratch, with less weapons than Torgue had when he’d started.
But he had his robots and he had Zer0. And, after a long, tireless search, he’d found his friends again. Crashing Helios had cost him everything and for a while it had seemed hopeless. He’d never see his friends again. Yvette and Vaughn had seemingly disappeared and he was all alone. Until Zer0.
Zer0, who had saved his life had hunted his friends down and reunited the three of them. Even though they were in different places, they still retained contact, sometimes streaming movies together. It was different than the old days, but Rhys was okay with that, they still had each other. And it was all thanks to Zer0, the alien he was beginning to fall in love with.
Sighing once more, he rubbed his tired eyes. He’d been staring at this particular gun plan for hours. There was something off about it and he was beginning to think he’d been on Helios too long and it had zapped all his creativity from him. He sighed for a third time as his ECHO went off.
Fiona looked at him from the screen. “Hey,” he said absently, his focus torn.
“Uh… Hey… I need your help…”
“Hmm?”
“It's… It's…” Fiona frowned. “Rhys!” She snapped.
Rhys jumped and looked at her. “Hmm, what?”
“I need your help! Jeez, make me say it twice!” She crossed her arms.
He frowned. “Help, with what?”
Fiona became shy. “Uh… Yvette is coming over to, to help with a project and I wanted to know how you're able to ignore your feelings and work with Zer0…”
Her words stabbed him, making him blush just as much as she was. “I-- I don't… ignore my, my feelings!”
Fiona grunted. “Then what do you do?”
Rhys rubbed the back of his neck. “I… just… talk to him like a normal person.” Rhys leaned on the table, resting his head in his hands and sighing. “Which sucks, cause now he has no clue how I feel about him.”
Fiona smirked. “Coward.”
Rhys raised his brows at her, laughing. “Coward.”
Since they'd met, they'd had a rocky friendship, but now they'd seemed to settle into a comfortable relationship. They shared in their miserable cowardice of mutual love for another. Misery loved company.
He leaned into Fiona. “Let's make a bet. Whoever confesses to the other first wins and the loser has to do one thing for the other person, no matter what it is, but only one thing.”
Fiona, a highly competitive person, smirked. “Deal. It only counts if Zer0 or Yvette confirms it.”
“Deal.”
As Fiona hung up, Rhys felt his stomach churn nervously. He hadn’t known what had made him say that, but there it was. Now he had no choice but to tell Zer0. Zer0, the mysterious person who had helped Rhys reclaim Atlas and continued to help him. He never would have found the company without the alien. There were a lot of things Rhys wouldn’t have been able to accomplish if Zer0 had abandoned him at any time. But he hadn’t, not even when Rhys had struggled for months at getting electricity to the building, and they'd been cold and hungry. Zer0 had even taken it very well when Rhys had adopted Claptrap.
As Rhys looked over his plans, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Before he could do anything, a black gloved hand appeared, holding what looked like a piece of a part of technology. Rhys automatically smiled, recognizing that glove, his stomach flipping excitedly. He turned to Zer0 who displayed “;D!!!” on his helmet.
“Hi!” Rhys smiled.
“For you.”
Rhys looked at Zer0’s hand, fully taking in the piece. He gasped, picking up and staring at it intensely. “This is! I was- how did you!?” Rhys jumped into Zer0’s arms, hugging him tightly. “Thank you! Thank you!”
Zer0’s hands lightly rested on Rhys’ back, his display flickering “<3” for a moment before turning blank.
Rhys bounced as he pulled away. “This is perfect!”
He ran out of the room and Zer0 paused for a moment, watching Rhys skip out happily. These moments were what kept Zer0 coming back. He hadn’t expected to really get paid for his efforts to help Rhys, the human would have died if Zer0 hadn’t helped. And then, after Rhys had gotten used to Zer0’s presence and stopped fan-girling, his intellect and wit had shown through. And then his excitement and his dreams. Zer0, now following Rhys down the hall, sighed happily. Rhys’ enthusiasm about Atlas had made Zer0 wish to see it all come true, and help all he could.
Rhys was checking every room, searching for his small robotic entourage. When he found them, he called to them, showing them the piece and babbling about it with technological speak that Zer0 never understood. But watching Rhys gesticulate wildly, his excitement lighting up the room.
“Zer0 got it for me! Isn’t this great!? He so thoughtful! It’s going to help make so much headway now!” He bounced excitedly in front of Dumpy, Loader Bot, Claptrap and Gortys.
Claptrap gasped loudly and went over. “My nonhuman servant helped my adopted child!”
Rhys smirked. “Yeah, sure.”
Zer0 had found Claptrap leading Rhys through the desert aimlessly directing him nowhere near Atlas. Claptrap had greeted Zer0 as his slave then. Zer0 was used to that now, just as Rhys was used to being called Claptrap’s adopted child.
The robots gathered around, listening to how it was going to help with his work. Dumpy screeched menacingly, which was completely normal.
Rhys bounced back towards his office. “Now, I gotta go and make blueprints and copies, this is just- I love it so much! I’m just so happy!”
Zero let his display flash “:D” as he followed Rhys out of the room, Dumpy screeching after them.
Rhys worked hard the next few days, entranced by his newfound energy and inspiration. He was focused. So focused, Zer0 was handing him tools he needed and had no idea. The alien sighed. Of all the things to happen to him on Pandora, falling for the oblivious human was not one he’d pictured. Rhys mumbled to himself about the item Zer0 had stolen from bandits. The bandits he’d thoroughly killed so they wouldn’t go looking for it.
He’d thought of things to say, how he’d express his love for Rhys, but every time, it had been interrupted by a robot. It made any alone time with Rhys extremely precious. Emboldened by the prospect of private time being squandered, Zer0 went to Rhys and pulled him away from his work.
“Hmm? What is it?” Rhys asked, eyes lingering on his plans before finally looking at Zer0.
“You are my delight, man who slayed Hyperion-” As Zer0 displayed “I<3U” and about to speak the words that would change their lives, a screeching came from the hall. Followed by clear, robotic voices. Desperate that Rhys might miss the display, Zer0 flashed it violently, but it was too late.
Rhys turned as the robots entered, piling through the door at the same time and getting stuck. “Guys!” Rhys chided. “What have I told you about one at a time ?”
The robots, jammed tightly in the door frame, spoke at once.
“Everyone knows the rules! I’m supposed to go first as the king!” Claptrap ordered.
Dumpy screamed.
Gortys wriggled. “It’s these big thighs! They’re always getting caught!”
“You’re thighs are perfect,” Loader Bot said.
“Really? Thanks!” Gortys giggled.
Rhys pulled on Dumpy, trying to loosen him first. He pressed his foot against Claptrap, which made the annoying robot yelp in disgrace.
Sighing, but laughing, Zer0 stood and went to help. Rhys certainly was the only one who could handle all this chaos. Zer0 crowded behind Rhys, extending his arms over Rhys’ shoulders. They were close enough, Zer0 could feel Rhys’ breathing get shallow, his body still as Zer0 untangled the robots easily. Now that Dumpy was free and no longer a good anchor, Rhys stumbled backwards, against Zer0. Zer0 held him lightly, taking the advantage of the moment.
Rhys, face red, smiled up at Zer0. “Thanks…” He stared at the blank mask.
Zer0, stared at him, the beautiful flush capturing him. He stared for a long moment before he remembered. In a panic, he flashed “I<3U”
Dumpy, screeching, flew at Rhys, blocking the message. Rhys winced at Dumpy’s reckless meanuever. “Dumpy! What’s gotten into you?”
Zer0 sighed and helped Rhys stand where he, Dumpy and Claptrap walked to the table where the gun and blueprints sat. Zer0, watching Rhys move about, felt eyes on him. Looking in the direction and jumped at the intensity of Gortys’ stare. Zer0’s mask changed. “...”
She continued to stare, raising her finger to point at him, her eyes widening with realization. Loader Bot gently caught it and lowered it. “Humans do not like their feelings broadcast when they’re not ready.”
“Oh! They’re scared!” Gortys observed.
“Yes.”
“:[“
It was movie night with Yvette and Vaughn. Rhys was setting up the monitors that they’d be displayed on while Zer0 set up the big movie screen. The robots set up chairs and chatted among themselves.
“WHAT!? HE DOES!?” Claptrap burst. Loader Bot and Gortys shushed him harshly.
Rhys shook his head. It always amused him when they took on human characteristics. He linked in with Yvette, who waved and sat back in her couch. Next to her sat Fiona, nervously holding a bowl of popcorn. Rhys smiled at them and caught up while they waited for Vaughn.
When he called in, they were all surprised to see August there with Vaughn in his lap. Vaughn held the popcorn, flushing harshly. “Hey, guys.”
Rhys smiled. “Hey!” He nodded to August. “August, good to see you.” It was true he and August hadn’t left on good terms, but he could see how protectively he held Vaughn. And he trusted Vaughn’s judgement.
“Hey.”
“Vaughn!” Yvette gasped and let a long pause linger. She smiled mischievously. “I’m shocked! Don’t you normally have something sweet to eat as well?” Her eyes flicked to August. “I know it ain’t him.”
Rhys laughed. “She means you’re more savory, August.”
August smirked. Vaughn glared at them. “I ran out of cookies and stop that.”
“Nah, too much fun!” Yvette said, blowing him a kiss.
Laughing, Rhys moved on, sharing the movie they’d be viewing tonight. They finished setting up and Rhys found the only seat left. It was on the love seat, right next to Zer0. Rhys took it, sitting mildly awkward next to him. Rhys started the movie and everyone settled in.
After a while, Rhys readjusted to a more comfortable position. He curled his legs under him, leaning towards Zer0 so he could whisper short commentaries to him. Zer0 loved how excited Rhys would get, tapping Zer0’s arm excitedly or shaking it when a part became too intense for him. Rhys was extremely excitable and it was amusing and very endearing. Until Dumpy zoomed between them, screaming. Rhys shushed him and held him in his lap, effectively stopping any connection between Zer0 and Rhys.
Loader Bot turned and reached for Dumpy, but Dumpy only screeched louder when he was handed off. Loader Bot opened a compartment on him and shoved the small robot in, closing the door firmly. The room was silent once more and they enjoyed the movie again.
And then Gortys stood and moved to the small couch with Rhys and Zer0. Rhys moved to the side quickly so she wouldn’t sit on him. He ended up painfully squashed against Zer0.
“Gortys,” he whispered, frowning.
“Shh!” She hissed putting a finger to her mouth.
Rhys gaped, flustered and unsure. Zer0 lifted an arm around Rhys to make it more comfortable. It was a little better, but Rhys could not move. He sighed, irritated.
Zer0 patted his lap, flashing “;)” at Rhys. Rhys blushed and fumbled as he nodded and slid across Zer0’s lap, his long legs bent close to him. He was crammed, but he was definitely more comfortable. Zer0 let his hand rest idly on Rhys’ knee and they continued to watch the movie.
As Rhys got back into it, he began to fidget once more at the excitable parts. Zer0 offered his hand, which Rhys grabbed automatically and held tightly, shaking it vigorously when he got nervous about a scene.
“<3” Zer0 sighed.
That night, when everyone said good night and the robots retreated to their room, Gortys chatted excitedly with Claptrap and Loader Bot. “We did it! Did you see how happy Rhys was!?”
Claptrap leaned forward, imitating his best at “hanging his head.” He shook it sadly. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice they loved each other! I’m such a bad overlord! My poor, adopted child needed help and I failed him!”
Dumpy screeched angrily as Gortys patted Claptrap. “Aww, don’t be so hard on yourself, human’s are confusing. Now that we know, we can help better! We just need to figure out how we can help.”
They were silent for a moment as Dumpy bounced around them screaming angrily. Loader Bot easily grabbed Dumpy in two metal fingers and shook it a little. “We could get another piece for his gun and say that Zer0 got it for him.”
Gortys gasped. “And we can write a love note to him!”
Claptrap clapped his hands. “We should leave tonight! I remember -- in my many amazing travels -- a bandit camp that stole some old technology. We could sneak in there and get it!”
“Oooh! An adventure!” Gortys beamed.
Loader bot gave a thumbs up. “I will follow to make sure Gortys stays safe.” The large robot looked at the screaming Dumpy in his hand. “It would be good if Dumpy stayed behind. He’s not stealthy.”
“Yeah!” Claptrap cheered. “Dumpy can stay and keep Rhys distracted!
And Dumpy did distract Rhys. Every time he tried to talk to Zer0, the robot screeched.
“Dumpy, seriously!” Rhys frowned. “What’s wrong? Why are you screaming?”
The robot stopped.
Rhys, arms crossed, shook his head and turned to Zer0. “I just don’t kn-”
Dumpy screamed more.
Zer0, flashing “>:T.” He waved goodbye to Rhys and left.
“Wait, no!” Rhys called out, but Dumpy screamed over his words. Zer0 did not return for days. Rhys busied himself with his work and locking Dumpy out of his room and wearing headphones so he could get some peace and quiet. He had to find a way to have alone time with Zer0 without any distractions, especially the ones caused by his robot family.
It was a week since Zer0 had visited Rhys and he felt ashamed. He was never gone this long if he could help it. Rhys had a knack of finding danger if he was left alone too long. The alien had just been so irritated with the tiny robot, he’d needed a few days to clear his head, but a few days had turned into a week.
Zer0 made his way back, reserved that he would never find a way to tell Rhys how he felt. It would just never happen. He got to the rocky cliff looking over Atlas and swore, his mask flashing “O_O!!!” before immediately ducking down to hide. The entire place was overrun by bandits. How had they found Rhys? Zer0 always patrolled and killed any bandit that got too close. He’d kept Rhys safely secret from any wandering threat. This was why he never left for too long.
“Oh, my dear, sweet Rhys; trouble finds you anywhere; you are a magnet.”
He moved quietly, easily sneaking to the nearest guard, where he brought them down silently and permanently. He made quick work of all the outside bandits, easily killing them. When he got inside, it was even more guarded. Zer0 took them out, using his decoy and stealth mode.
He tried to find where Rhys was, but the systems were down, displaying Claptrap laughing. Rhys was behind that. Good. That meant that Rhys was alive and safe for the moment.
Inside his mask, he heard the beep of his ECHO and then Rhys’ whispered voice came. “Zer0? Thank goodness you’re here! Claptrap stole a piece of technology from them and they followed the robots back here.”
“We were just trying to help,” Loader Bot said quietly.
“Yeah! Puny adopted human!” Claptrap shouted.
Zer0 could hear Rhys’ frown as he hissed. “ Shut up ! They’re going to hear you! Zer0, we’re in the robots’ room, but I don’t know how long we’ll be able to hide here.”
“I will meet you there; bandits won’t see what’s coming; stay safe, stay quiet.”
“We will…” He paused for a moment. “Uh, Zer0? Be careful, I couldn’t stand it if you-”
The loudest screech split the air and deafened Zer0. Zer0 winced, glad no one could hear his audio, but he knew they would hear it in the room. He could hear Rhys trying to calm the robot, but now Gortys was asking questions that Claptrap was answering loudly. He could hear Loader Bot trying to help, but through all the noise, came banging on the door. Zer0 made his way, shooting, slicing and killing, leaving no bandit that crossed his path alive. He could hear Rhys trying to calm the robots still, but the door was torn down and the scuffle scrapped against Zer0’s nerves.
“Leave them alone! They don’t have anything! Stop it! I have it! Leave them alone and take me!”
There was a thick thwack ! followed by Rhys losing his breath. “Where is it then, huh?”
Rhys laughed, clearly egging them on. “Like I’m gonna tell you!”
There was another hit, squelching Rhys’ words. “If you won’t talk, we’ll take you to our boss!”
“Leave those stupid robots, especially that Claptrap. Who would even keep it alive?”
Zer0 did not follow Rhys, no matter how much he wanted to. He would kill every bandit in time. Right now, he needed get the robots to safety. When he reached the rooms, he saw the robots moving in nervous energy.
Gortys was pacing circles around Loader Bot. “We could just charge in! Where are those grenades Rhys hides?”
“You are so cute when you’re feisty,” Loader Bot replied.
Claptrap paced. “My adopted child is going to be killed!”
Dumpy saw Zer0 enter and immediately started screeching. The others turned around. “Dumpy!” Gortys chided. “That’s Zer0, he’s here to help! Stop!”
Loader Bot grabbed the small robot and once more threw him in the compartment to silence him. “He does not like you.”
“What happened?” Zer0 asked.
The robots shifted awkwardly. “Well…” Gortys began.
“We’re matchmaking!” Claptrap said. “Adopted child with alien slave!”
“???”
“We discovered you had feelings for Rhys and it was easy to see Rhys feels the same way,” Loader Bot explained.
“Yeah, so we decided to help!” Gortys smiled. “We thought if Rhys got another gift from you with a love note, he’d know you loved him, but…”
“We didn’t kill the bandits. Rhys explained you always kill them.”
“So they don’t follow; I always patrol this place; killing all danger.”
“Yeah… We didn’t do that…” Gortys said.
“Now we’ve killed him!” Claptrap cried out.
“No.” Zer0 said. “I will go save Rhys; do me a favor robots; don’t help me at all.”
“Yeah, that’s for the best,” Gortys agreed.
“What!? I can help!” Claptrap said.
“Rhys won’t be safer; nothing you have done has helped; you just cause trouble.”
Claptrap gasped.
“He is right,” Loader Bot said.
Crossing his arms, Claptrap turned away. “Fine! Whatever! Just go! Save my adopted child!”
Zer0 nodded and left. “Stay here,” he ordered.
He could still hear Rhys over the ECHO, who grunted and whined as he was thrown in front of the boss.
“Where is my technology?”
Rhys grunted. “Yours? Ha! Do you even know what it is?”
Zer0 took out bandits in a hall, attracting more which he expertly destroyed. He was on a mission now, focusing on getting to Rhys. Without Rhys there, he could let himself go a little, let himself embrace his alien side. He moved faster, before they could see what was happening. He used his sword, feeling every slice with precision. Guns were good, but his sword was more accurate. He could kill them quickly without worrying if he’d missed, not that he ever missed.
Rhys continued to sass the boss, earning him hits that fueled Zer0. He started moving faster and harsher, obliterating every bandit.
“Hey!” Rhys began to stammer. “Woah! What are you- WHAT!? How long has this been here!? Since when has Atlas had a skag pit!?” Rhys yelped. “Spitters!? What the hell?”
“Where is my technology!?”
“It isn’t yours! You stole it!” Rhys’ voice had changed, sounding warbled, like he was being moved around.
Then, quietly, Zer0 heard Rhys whisper. “They’re coming for you, Zer0- HEY! Woah! What are you doing!?!? You can’t lower me down! You can’t find the piece without me!”
“YOU’RE NOT TELLING ME WHERE IT IS SO WHAT DOES IT MATTER!?” the boss screamed.
Rhys muttered quietly. “Zer0… Zer0, I don’t know if you’ll make it here in time… He’s lowering it pretty quickly…”
“Do not fret dear Rhys; I will make it there on time; I will not lose you.” Zer0 shoved his sword into a bandit, using him as a shield to get close to the others.
Rhys laughed dryly. “I’m… I’m not sure this time…” There was a pause. “Look… I know this isn’t the best time… At all really, but I don’t want to never have said it, especially if I might die. I… I- wow this is really hard.” There was a long silence before Rhys shouted. “I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU ZER0!”
“<3!!!” Zer0 cut down more bandits with even more determination. He was not about to lose Rhys. He caught a bandit. “Where’s your boss?”
“I, I, I-” they stammered.
As another bandit attacked, Zer0 sliced them in front of the bandit, killing them with one swipe. “Where?” he demanded again. The bandit relented, quickly giving him detailed and helpful directions. Zer0 thanked him before killing him.
The boss paced in front of monitors. “You’re useless! What do you mean you can’t turn them on? It’s just a switch!”
“;)” Zer0 looked around for Rhys. He was not in sight, but in the middle of the room was a large hole with a large, sturdy chain in the middle. It swung from side to side as it lowered at a steady pace.
“Hey!” the boss, a large man, pointed at Zer0. “You’re the one killing all my men! Come any closer and I’ll drop the chain and that punkass little nerd will get dropped straight into spitting skags.” He indicated the remote in his hand.
Zer0 stopped walking.
“Boys, kill him.”
The bandits shot at him, but he activated his clone, turning himself invisible. He ran to the panel and pressed the button that would reel Rhys back up.
“Hey!” the boss pressed the button. Rhys screamed, falling downward, but Zer0 pushed it, zipping Rhys back upwards. He groaned at all the movement. The boss pressed the button, sending Rhys careening down, where he screamed more. Zer0 pushed the button again, displaying “>:(“. They went back and forth, jostling Rhys.
“What the hell is going on? Why-” he was dropped then. Bandits closed in on Zer0. He hit the button with his foot, shooting and swinging his sword. He slipped off and their boss hit the button again.
Rhys screamed loudly in pain and it raked against Zer0, jolting him. He’d never heard Rhys in so much pain before. “Rhys!”
“JUST KILL HIM ALREADY!”
Zer0 pushed the button upwards, shooting through the bandits to the boss, where it hit the remote, destroying it. The chain continued to roll upward. Zer0, able to focus, made quick work, killing the boss just as Rhys appeared above the hole. He was shirtless, his bright, blue tattoos scrunched as he held himself.
Zer0 moved the crane that held Rhys over to solid ground and lowered him gently. He knelt over Rhys, undoing the chain, his display stuck on “////”. Zer0 had never had the pleasure of seeing all of Rhys’ tattoos before.
Rhys kicked off the chains and then Zer0 saw. He saw now why Rhys had screamed so horribly. There was a large gaping spot on his chest where a spitter skag had got him. It oozed, corroding away, fizzing angrily. “D:!!!” Zer0 immediately picked Rhys up in his arms, wincing when the man gasped in pain and surprise. Zer0 held Rhys close and carried him towards the medical bay. Rhys curled into Zer0’s neck, groaning and whimpering in pain. He let out a rasping, strangled laugh. “All it took to get held by you was a pit of spitter skags.”
“I’m sorry, Rhys,” Zer0 said quietly as they stepped over dead bandits. He was glad Rhys had made the infirmary a priority. It had been the second place Rhys had brought up to date and they were now benefiting greatly for it.
Rhys smiled softly. “Don’t be… I’d get spat on again if it meant you’d… Hold me…” he laughed and then winced at the pain.
“<3” Zer0 hugged him close. “No need for a skag; if anytime you want held; you just have to ask.”
Rhys smiled, his eyes slowly closing. “I’d like that…”
“Stay awake, we’re here,” Zer0 said, his panic rising.
In the infirmary, Zer0 laid Rhys down on the table and went straight to the solution that would stop the corrosive spit from spreading. He did not hesitate, knowing it would hurt immensely. Rhys writhed and screamed, his wound fizzing even more, bubbling and eating away at the spit. Zer0 held Rhys at the head of the bed, keeping him as still as possible for the solution to work. Rhys dug his head into Zer0’s neck as he screamed, his hands squeezing Zer0’s. They stayed like this until the worst part subsided and Rhys gasped for air, no longer screaming. His head lolled, his eyes fluttering.
Zer0 pressed his helmet to Rhys’ head. “Still in love with me?”
His eyes heavy, he looked at Zer0. He smiled. “Yeah.”
“I<3U2” The red words made Rhys smile widely. Zer0 smoothed over Rhys’ hands through his gloves. “For a very long time; I have been trying to say; how much I love you.”
Rhys frowned. “You… You have?”
The alien nodded. “I would always try; but with work and the robots; you would never see.”
Rhys went to sit up, but needed Zer0’s help. Zer0 carefully dabbed the wound dry before letting Rhys sit up. Rhys took hold of Zer0’s arm. “You- I didn’t…” He shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Zer0. I’m such an idiot.”
“<3”
Rhys grunted. “And then the robots tried to help bring us together.”
Zer0 laughed quietly. “I have informed them; though they were only helping; it was not wanted.”
Rhys smiled. “I’ll have to have a talk about it after this, especially when they realized their plan did, technically, work.”
They were silent while Zer0 dressed Rhys’ wound. Zer0 stole glances at those tattoos that swirled over his torso beautifully. “Tattoos,” he said finally. “<3<3”
Rhys smiled shyly. “I’m glad you like them…” He looked at Zer0’s mask. “Hey, uhm… Zer0? Can I… Can I see you? Without the suit and mask?”
“^_^” showed on the mask. “In time. You need rest.”
“RHYS!” Gortys yelled just outside the infirmary. Her, Loader Bot, Claptrap and Dumpy piled in, getting stuck in the doorway.
Rhys laughed. “Seriously, guys!”
Zer0 helped untangle them, only to be screamed at by Dumpy.
"Hey!” Rhys snapped. “Enough, Dumpy! I don’t know what your problem is with Zer0, but you need to get over it! He’s staying and we’re going to be together a lot. Even spend alone time without you.”
“Yay!” Gortys cheered! “Our plan worked!” Rhys and Zer0 winced.
Dumpy shook violently and left the room.
Rhys smiled optimistically at Zer0. “He’ll get used to you.”
It was once again movie night. Zer0 set up the monitors while Rhys connected everyone. The robots set chairs up. They had cleaned the place up, dumping all the bandits in the skag pit. Rhys would clean it out in time, but he’d been looking forward to a movie night with his boyfriend. His boyfriend who stole butt gropes as he walked by. It made Rhys smiled wider and wider. They had only just started dating and were taking it slow, but he enjoyed it.
The first person to connect was Yvette, but it was just Fiona for the moment, sitting at the edge of her seat, a nervous smile tugging at her lips. “Hey…”
"Oh, hey Fi!” Rhys smiled.
“Don’t call me that,” she frowned. She eyed him. “You’re incredibly happy for a man with an acid hole in his chest.”
Rhys flushed and shrugged. Zer0 leaned over Rhys, “:D” on his display. “He’s confessed his love for me.”
The two jumped. Rhys frowned. “What!? How- I never told you about the deal…” Rhys stammered, flushing.
“^w^” flashed. “When the deal was struck; I heard all that you two said; I waited for Rhys.”
Cheeks pink, Rhys burst out laughing. “You jerk! I was hanging over a pit of skags!”
“What!?” Fiona gasped.
“Nothing,” Rhys beamed. “But I guess that means I win, huh?”
Fiona crossed her arms, becoming thoroughly annoyed. “Yeah, s’pose so. What do you want, Rhys? Want me to call you ‘Lord’ for a month?”
Leaning into Zer0, who wrapped his arm around Rhys, the tall man smiled at his friend. “Nah, I just want you to tell Yvette how you feel about her.”
Fiona’s face paled and then reddened.
Nothing more was said as Vaughn and August logged on. Everyone settled in and the movie began. Rhys curled into Zer0’s lap, cuddling shamelessly to him. They watched the movie, Rhys’ head nestled in the crook of Zer0’s neck, fingers entwined with Zer0’s. He was thankful even more now for Zer0 than ever. The alien hadn’t yet showed himself to Rhys, but that was perfectly fine. In time he would gain Zer0’s trust and they’d become more intimate. For now, though, Rhys was more than content to cuddle and watch this movie with him.
#Borderlands#Zerhys#Zer0/Rhys#rhys the company man#zer0 the assassin#Claptrap#loader bot#Gortys#Dumpy#Fiona/Yvette side ship#August/Vaughn side ship#Mild violence#Mild Gore#Reverse Big Bang#Borderlands Reverse Big Bang
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Rules
Rp is a hobby and this is just one of four rp blogs I write on, so please be patient if my replies won’t be fast (I’ll let my followers know whenever I’m on hiatus and when I’ll come back, just be aware that during the summer months June - August it’s most likely that I’ll take a time off but I’ll always come back)
I prefer multi para / literate (but sometimes I’m in for shorter paragraphs as well if we know each other)
I prefer to plot before we start writing, so if we follow each other consider it as an invitation to plot with me, a connection to the mun is important to me
NSFW themes are frequent on this blog including violence, gore, mental struggles (depression, addiction, suicide, drug abuse etc) and smut (I WONT write rape, incest or underage and consider these as triggers), that’s why this blog is only for +21 and you should stay away if anything of that triggers you. Mun is over 30 and will not smut with minors.
I am VERY selective since this is a side blog and most memes are ONLY for mutuals, so if I don’t follow you back don’t take it personally, I might just not consider our muses as compatible. I won’t ship with animated characters (comic, anime, videogames etc) and refuse certain FCs (e.g. Angelina Jolie, Amber Heard, Katie Holmes, Alanna Masterson, Megan Fox, Jennifer Lawrence, Elizabeth Moss… I’ll tell you if it refers to your chosen face) and singers.
Rp memes are for mutuals only. Munday and headcanon memes are open for everyone.
I won’t follow personal blogs and probably will block you if you’re not an rp blog I wanna interact with
This is a hate free space
Multi-ship friendly
No godmodding / meta
If you don’t have an obvious RP blog with at least rules and a character list / bio I can look into, I’ll very likely not roleplay with you
I WONT ROLEPLAY ON DISCORD so don’t ask me for that (discord is just for mutuals and ooc talk)
Again: RP is not RL. Please stay respectful or you will be blocked
I have three other rp accounts on here:
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Borderlands: Skies the Bodyguard 3
Skies and the crew arrive to a mysterious island.
*Links to previous and next chapter in reblog*
--
Chapter 17
“Y’know, I spent most of my life traveling through space on an old, rickety ship,” Skies says, “there was a lot of turbulence and whenever I had to go to a planet, I was always worried it would break apart in the atmosphere. But it still never made me as queasy as this ride.”
She hugs her stomach as she doubles over, moaning lightly.
“Yeah, this feels more like a paint shaker than a ship,” August agrees.
“I’m more worried about crashing than throwing up,” Vaughn comments.
Timothy doesn’t say anything from where he’s curled up in his seat, eyes squeezed shut. Athena doesn’t either; just remains perfectly stoic.
“This is why humans are fundamentally flawed,” Loader Bot comments.
“Yeah, this is fun,” Gortys adds.
“I’d enjoy it more if I could stand up,” Claptrap says and tries to lift himself up, but the constant shaking causes him to topple over again.
“Would you all quit your complaining!” Sasha snaps from the driver’s seat. “We’re almost there.”
“Ugh, thank Jack,” Skies groans.
They near an island in the middle of the ocean, almost completely covered by thick trees. Sasha lands the caravan on the nearest coast, the only part not full of foliage. Everyone immediately dives out the door in relief.
“Oh, sweet, sweet ground,” Timothy cries, burying his face in the sand.
Skies eyes the thick trees ahead of them curiously. “What is this place?”
“No idea,” Sasha replies.
“Let’s go,” Athena orders, “everyone, stay close.”
The group gathers together and step into the trees. They have to duck under branches and step over thick roots as they progress. It’s eerily quiet; no sound of wildlife or any kind of life. It’s actually more unsettling than the alternative.
“Ugh, more silence,” Skies groans, pressing her hands into her ears.
“Why would Rhys and Fiona get sent here?” August asks, “is there even anything here?”
“We don’t know yet,” Athena points out, “we just got here ourselves.”
“I don’t know what’s here,” Skies says, “but something big definitely happened at some point. I can feel it.”
“That’s creepy,” Sasha comments.
They continue on, carefully watching the shadows for anything. After a couple minutes, Skies takes a step and stops, noticing the ground suddenly feels different. She looks down and drags around her foot.
“Cement,” she says.
Everyone looks up and sees, almost hidden away in all the trees, a large sign. Most of the faded letters have faded away, but just enough still remain to read what it used to say.
“At…las…Go-something…Research Facility,” Timothy reads.
“This island was an Atlas facility?” Sasha questions.
“I never knew about it,” Athena remarks.
“Well, something happened here that made it abandoned,” Skies muses as they pass the sign.
As they follow the old, broken path, it’s quite clear that this facility has been abandoned for a while. There are metal buildings on either side of them, all covered in moss and vines from the overgrown trees. Some of the windows are even smashed from the branches. But whatever caused the Atlas workers to leave is not apparent.
“Jeez, this is…kind of spooky,” Vaughn comments, chuckling warily.
“Relax. There doesn’t seem to be anything alive here,” August says.
“Except for Rhys and Fiona,” Sasha argues.
“Hopefully.”
As they pass a nearby building, Skies gets a sudden chill down her spine. She spins around and spots a security camera on the wall. It’s looking at them but it doesn’t appear to be working. Still, it makes her feel like someone is watching.
“What’s wrong?” Timothy asks.
“I don’t know,” she replies, “probably something.”
“It’s always something,” Athena grunts.
“Let’s just find Fiona and Rhys already and get out of here,” Sasha demands.
“How?” They could be anywhere,” Vaughn points out.
“Let’s split up,” Skies suggests, “one group can cover the north side of the island, the other group can do the south.”
“Fine,” Athena nods.
“How do we decide the groups?” August asks.
Everyone considers the question for a second.
“Oh, oh I know!” Gortys chimes, “let’s all pick numbers between 1 through 10. Whoever chooses 1 to 5 is in the first group and 6 to 10 is in the second group.”
“Good idea, Gortys,” Skies comments.
“Okay, everyone, type your number on your ECHO device,” Athena orders, “then hand them to me and I’ll sort the groups.”
Everyone does so and Athena quickly goes through them before handing everyone back their ECHO.
“Okay, group one is me, Sasha, Vaughn, and Loader Bot,” she explains, “group two is Skies, Timothy, August, Gortys, and Claptrap.”
“Wow, that worked out pretty well,” Skies comments, playfully nudging Timothy.
“Yeah!” Claptrap cheers, wrapping his arms around their waists.
“Kind of,” Timothy adds drily.
“Okay, if anyone sees anything, call immediately on your communicators,” Athena orders. “Otherwise, meet back here at sunset.”
Everyone nods and the two groups split up.
Skies and her team head down a side path. They examine the buildings as they walk by curiously. If there was ever any indication what each one was for, they’re long gone now.
Everyone’s quiet and tense as they walk. They’re not sure what they’re waiting for- if anything- but the silence has them all unsettled, even the usually bouncy Gortys.
A green leaf suddenly drifts down onto the path. Gortys and Claptrap pay it no mind as they pass, but Skies, Timothy, and August glare at it. They suspiciously eye the surrounding branches, hands resting on their guns.
Something big flies across the path behind them. It’s subtle, but Skies senses it, her eyes narrowing.
It charges them from behind, quick and quiet. However, before it can strike, Skies whips around and slams her metal face into its face, knocking it to the side.
“What the hell is that?” August exclaims as the creature hops onto its feet. It’s tall and insect-like, a mix between mechanical and organic. More emerge from the shadows, surrounding them.
“Guardians,” Skies and Timothy hiss.
Meanwhile, Athena and her group march steadily down the opposite path. Athena and Loader Bot stare ahead, unperturbed, but Sasha and Vaughn look around anxiously.
“There are so many buildings,” Vaughn comments, “what were they doing here?”
“Probably live experiments or something equally evil and disgusting,” Athena replies scornfully.
“Right. I forgot how much you hate Atlas.”
“Yes. Which is why I don’t understand how I didn’t know about this place.”
“Well, even if you didn’t massacre them,” Sasha says, “something must’ve wiped them out.”
Athena’s ECHO communicator suddenly goes off, startling Sasha and Vaughn. “Ugh-ack! Uh, Athena, you copy?” Skies asks.
“Go ahead,” she replies.
“So uh- shit! I got good news and bad news. The good news is this place definitely has something to do with the Vaults, so Rhys and Fiona are here somewhere. The bad news is-ah! Um the-the bad news is-.”
“Guardians,” Athena snarls as she draws her pistol.
“Y-yeah. Uh, how’d you know?”
Loader Bot grabs his rifle and Sasha and Vaughn watch in terror as the insectoid creatures emerge from the trees.
Athena scowls. “Intuition.”
#borderlands#borderlands 2#tales from the borderlands#borderlands fanfiction#borderlands au#myart#myocs
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Marriage Victim
“Fine.” Rhys swallowed. “Alright, I’ll do it, just please, promise that you hand over the contract.”
Vaughn’s smile curled wickedly and he kissed Rhys’ cheek. “Excellent! We’ll be wed by tonight!”
-----
Vaughn forces Rhys to marry him at the expense of Jack's life. August has a plan though...
You can read this on my AO3!!!
Vaughn whispered into Rhys’ ear from behind. “I can destroy this contract and let Jack go free… If you agree to be my betrothed.”
Rhys suppressed a disgusted shiver as tears fell down his face.
“You don’t want Jack to be shipped off do you?”
Gritting his teeth, August stood up, fists clenched. “You can’t do this!”
Vaughn smirked. “Oh, but I can! Jack signed this, which means he belongs to me… Unless Rhys trades his life for Jack’s.” The man pouted. “What will poor Angel do without her dear, old father?”
“Fine.” Rhys swallowed. “Alright, I’ll do it, just please, promise that you hand over the contract.”
Vaughn’s smile curled wickedly and he kissed Rhys’ cheek. “Excellent! We’ll be wed by tonight!”
As the man left, August threw a beer bottle at the door. “What a monster!”
“He can’t get away with this!” Yvette fumed.
“But what can we do?” Sasha asked.
-----
The sun set as Rhys was led into the home of Vaughn, a wealthy count, by August. Vaughn grinned wide at Jack, who stood next to him, forced to watch the travesty happen. Rhys’ dress was large and billowing with long, thick veils that covered his face completely. It looked as though layers and layers had been piled onto Rhys.
“Wow, you really went all out,” Vaughn said as he quirked his brow.
“He’s in mourning,” August glared. “Let’s get this over with.”
“I couldn’t say it better myself!”
His friends stood off to the side, holding onto each other and fuming.
Vaughn tugged Rhys close to the woman who would wed them. She began the ceremony, indifferent to why the two were there. She led them through their vows.
“Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” she asked Vaughn.
“Of course.”
“And do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“Don’t do it Rhys!” Jack yelled.
It fell on deaf ears as Rhys answered with a muffled voice. “I do.”
“Then I now pronounce you married. You may kiss your betrothed.”
Before Vaughn could remove the veil, August stopped him. “Nuh huh, the contract first.”
“Fine, it doesn’t matter anymore.” He gave the paper to August.
“Good.” August pulled his lighter out and lit the contract on fire, holding it until there was only a small piece of the corner left and then he stomped it out on the wooden floor.
“Can I kiss my bride now?” Vaughn asked impatiently.
“Sure.” August huffed.
Grinning ear to ear, Vaughn pulled the veil over Rhys’ head. He gasped, stumbling backwards. “What is the meaning of this!?”
Before him, stood Hugo Vasquez, smirking.
Face turning red, Vaughn glared at all of them. “This was not what we agreed!”
“Doesn’t matter!” Jack laughed. “Contracts gone, idiot! Where’s Rhys?”
“Waiting for you outside.” August hitched his thumb over his shoulder.
“Good.” As he strode away, he took a large swing at Vaughn, clocking him in the chin and making him stumble over. “If you ever come around my family again, I will kill you.”
August smirked and clapped a hand on Hugo’s shoulder. “Thanks for all the help.”
Hugo shrugged. “Rhys owes me one now.”
“Sure, well, goodbye and good luck.”
The bearded man frowned. “Wait, what do you mean goodbye, aren’t I going with you guys?”
Lips quirking, August tried to keep his composure. “No… You have to stay here with Vaughn… You’re married to him now.”
Hugo went to protest and then looked at his finger where a wedding band sat that didn’t fit properly.
August patted him on the shoulder. “See ya.”
Hugo stared dumbfounded as August left. “But… I don’t love him…”
Vaughn swore loudly on the floor as he sat up. “I’m going to make you all pay!”
Frowning, Hugo stared at the man. “Wow, you’re pathetic.” He sighed heavily and squared his shoulders back. “Good thing you’re married to me now, I can fix your fucked up mess.”
“What!? We’re not staying married!”
An evil grin spread across Hugo’s mouth. “Oh, yes we are, and you’re going to do as I say from now on.” He bent over Vaughn and hauled him over his shoulder. “I’m calling the shots from now on, sweetheart.”
#Borderlands#rhack#vaugo#rhys/handsome jack#vaughn/hugo#Nice guy!Vaughn#Vaughn is the bad guy#Babes in toyland au#The original Babes in toyland au#The black and white one#forced marriage
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SHIPPING INFO !! Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog. repost ! do not reblog.
Tagged by @atlas-ceo
What is your otp for your character?: I don’t really have a single otp. There’s a lot of Rhysquez on my blog, but I think it’s because that currently seems to be the most “accessible” of Hugo ships. I’m also really fond of Hugo/Moxxi, Hugo/Yvette, and Hugo/August.
(I’ve got more to say about my many ships further down.)
What are you willing to write when it comes to shipping?: I’m willing to write fluffy nonsexual stuff, all the way to NSFW stuff with varying degrees of explicitness. With that said, I may ask to fade-to-black or timeskip if a particular situation makes me feel shy or that I can’t write it well. This is really on a case-by-case basis for me and doesn’t happen all the time. It’s not something I can predict.
Likewise, I strongly encourage anyone who RPs with me to let me know if they want to fade-to-black, timeskip, etc. for any reason. It’s not a bother, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about, it’s a matter of personal comfort and I promise it’s okay.
How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?: Let me get this out of the way first: I will not ship with minor/underage characters.
Now that we’ve established that, age alone is not likely to be a determining factor in ships, as long as the character is of legal age.
In general I would say that if a character is younger than 20 Hugo will likely have reservations. For the upper limit, I don’t think anybody cares. He’s 35.
If, however, a 70-year-old character wants to get with Hugo for some reason, they should still expect jokes about it.
Are you selective when shipping?: I don’t think so. I do have trouble jumping right into a ship with a new mun, just because it takes a little time to figure out their muse’s specific personality. I’d prefer to have some small interactions between our muses (even if they’re largely inconsequential one-liners and such) to see how they fit.
How far do steamy moments have to go before they are considered nsfw?: LOL I’m notoriously bad at determining what is NSFW. I have two tags (”nsfw” and “nsfw-ish”) to help myself deal with the big fuzzy gray area. I’m also likely to pop a tag early to play it safe and prevent being scolded for something I post.
None of this really answers the question though. Soooo...
Vanilla making out wouldn’t be considered NSFW-ish.
Handsy making out could be.
Unbuttoning a shirt could be, or it could be NSFW.
Unbuttoning pants or opening a belt could be NSFW even if nothing has been exposed yet.
I’m not 100% consistent as it depends on a lot of other things like context, wording, my general mood at the time. But I tend to err on the side of caution.
Who are the characters you ship your character with?: In no particular order, Rhys, Vaughn, Yvette, Fiona, August, Moxxi, Jack, Tim. Honestly just about any adult in the Borderlands universe, should Hugo encounter them.
I personally ship Hugo with just about any character he meets. (This does not mean that I demand they ship. It’s just that I can usually picture them together in some manner and I enjoy picturing Hugo happy.)
I’m also happy to ship Hugo with OC’s and characters outside the Borderlands universe.
Does one have to ask to ship with you?: Not so much in an “asking for permission” sense, but it’d be a good idea for us to both be on the same page.
I’d even recommend letting me know if you don’t want to ship our characters. Hugo will still likely flirt, but I can make sure to keep it manageable or cut it out entirely (such as in cases of a strictly professional relationship, platonic friendship, etc.)
How often do you like to ship?: As often as happens naturally. Some phases are shippier than others, and I don’t like to force things.
Are you ship obsessed or ship more - or - less?: I do like shipping, and I think about my many ships a lot, but it’s not the main reason I’m here.
Lots of people don’t ship with Hugo and I totally get that. What’s great is that there’s lots of things outside of shipping that I can do with Hugo, and I enjoy exploring them and building him as a character.
Are you multiship?: Yep!
What is your favourite ship in your current fandom?: This might be cheating, but -- I really like the thought of Hugo and Nakayama being friends. Bros. Because I feel like Hugo needs a friend so badly, you guys. Nakayama too.
(Bonus angst in the timeline where Nakayama is dead.)
Finally, how does one ship with you?: Oh man, that’s the easy part. We’ve just gotta start interacting! Get a sense of each other’s muses, let them get a sense of each other, and see where it takes us.
Tagging: @president-rhys, @allforthegreatergood
#ooc#long post#shipping#[ sorry i took so long to do this ]#[ i knew it was gonna take me a while to answer xD ]
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MESSAGIO GALORE TAKE XII
a duration of sound poetry & similaria
edited, reärranged & constraducted by jwcurry
& realized through the combined auditoria of
jwcurry Alastair Larwill Georgia Mathewson Brian Pirie
7 PM 21 octo 12 at Common Ground Art Gallery
3277 Sandwich Street, Windsor
___________________________________________________________________________
part 1
1. Scraptures: 12th Sequence, bpNichol (Canada, 1967?); source: photocopy from TORONTO LIFE (issue # & editor unknown, Toronto, 1968). & on the 12th "day", humanity stuck its heads up from the muck & goo, took a look around in its state of ignorant grace, & knew but lustful fear. arrangement dedicated to Jan Svankmeyer. full quartet
2. WELTWEHE, August Stramm (Germany, 1914); source: KROKLOK #3 (ed.dom sylvester houédard, London, UK, Writers Forum, 1972). Stramm’s scope is nothing less than cosmic in this, his most extreme narrative composed almost solely of verbs, fuelled & shaped by the battlefields he wrote in & the ciphers he wired his poems home through. solo
3. SIX-FOUR, Alastair Larwill (Canada, 2o1o); source: unpublished manuscript. accumulative disintegrational polysyllabicism formulated as an audio illustration in a discussion of articulational deliberateness with its dedicatee, Rob Read. full quartet
4. Generations, bpNichol (Canada, 1988); source: bpNichol, gIFTS The Martyrology Book(s) 7 (&) (Toronto, Coach House Press, 199o). Nichol’s numerical interpolations distract & enact a simultaneous metanarrative between his given text & what’s given through his interferences with it. solo
5. Againful Deployment, jwcurry (Canada, 1981?); source: monograph (Ottawa, 1cent, 2oo1). a "sound poem for an assemblyline of voicings" spiralling outta the conch into yr cochnea. full quartet
6. Salmon River Soliloquy, David UU (Canada, 1973); source: David UU, High C (Toronto, Underwhich Editions, 1991). a rather straightforward poem siding with the fishes. solo
7. anacyclic poem with two shouts DHARMATHOUGHTS STUPAWARDS, dom sylvester houédard (England, 1966); source: KROKLOK #1 (ed.dom sylvester houédard, London, Writers Forum, 1971). "for the artists protest committee for their call from losangeles for a tower against the war", an anagrammatic poem in 3 vowels & 4 consonants. duo: curry/Mathewson
8. " BREATH IS ", bill bissett (Canada, 1966?); source: bill bissett, fires in th tempul OR TH JINX SHIP ND OTHR TRIPS (Vancouver, Very Stone House, 1966). one of bissett’s concrete scattertexts, here divided into a demonstration of the logic inherent in his more radical field compositions. duo: curry/Larwill
9. Oiseautal / Super-Bird-Song, Raoul Hausmann (France, 1918?) & Kurt Schwitters (England, 1946?) respectively; source: Raoul Hausmann & Kurt Schwitters, PIN and the story of PIN (London, UK, Gaberbocchus Press, 1962). brought together by the 1st world war & separated by the 2nd, both friends independently came to write short works based on birdsound. this interlineated arrangement by curry (2oo9?) is a step toward A Visit to the Aviary, a short suite of related material from various sources. duo: curry/Pirie
1o. THREE/FOUR: OF TIME, bpNichol (Canada, 1985); source: 5e echanges internationaux de poesie contemporaine, ed.Julien Blaine (Tarascon, France, L’A.G.R.I.P.P.A., 1988). the 3rd in Nichol’s "TIME" series "for the 4 Horsemen", this one targetting the structure of the waltz for vigorous interrogation. full quartet
11. Calling The Vegetable Collected, jwcurry (Canada, 2oo8); source: monograph (2nd ed, Ottawa, 1cent, 2oo8). hocketed statements that build multiple syntactic paths as the fragments first cohere, then disintegrate. full quartet
12. GLiNE OR EXTRATERRESTRIAL OCCURRENCES, Vaughn Bodé (USA, 1972?); source: Vaughn Bodé, JUNKWAFFEL no.3 (Berkeley, The Print Mint, 1972). Bodé’s 5pp comic relieved of its graphic anchor, its text no less rich in its significtions despite the lack of signposts. solo
13. KNOTS, jwcurry (Canada, 1982?); source: The (Almost) Instant Anthology ’88, ed.Beverley Daurio, Daniel Jones & bpNichol (Toronto, Meet The Presses, 1988). excerpts from a "translation into concrete poetry" of R.D.Laing’s lineated neuroses trackings, subsequently unreknotted & strung out as a schizologue for 2. duo: Larwill/Mathewson
14. The Tibetan Memory Trick, traditional/arranged by Howard Kaylan, Ian Underwood & Mark Volman (USA, 1974); source: Flo & Eddie, ILLEGAL, IMMORAL AND FATTENING (Canadian pressing, Columbia Records Limited, 1975). spontaneous insertion into KNOTS above. everyone in the band gets put through this one for articulational, breathing & body memory development. full quartet.
15. AGATHA! WAKE UP! I’M CURED!, Richard Beland (Canada, 1992?); source: unpublished manuscript. Beland’s language lines are as plastic as his visual lines, this short prose morphing from sense to sound to resense with every step. solo
16. MUSHY PEAS, Steve McCaffery & bpNichol (England, 1978); source: Steve McCaffery & bpNichol, IN ENGLAND NOW THAT SPRING (Toronto, Aya Press, 1979). 6 pp of drawn optophonetics as visual field for improvisation. duo: curry/Larwill
17. sounds’ favorite words, Paul Haines (Canada, 1986), as quoted in full in an extract from Haines’ Jubilee; source: Paul Haines, Secret Carnival Workers (Toronto? H Pal Productions, 2oo7), with reference to Michel Contat’s reading on Haines’ DARN IT! (USA, American Clavé, 1994). hijacked as a footnote of manysorts. Jubilee ends "Unrelatedly, there was a recital of whisk the morning of 17 July after a night the cats had raised hell on the front lawn, a group of robins fallen by the side of the hedge as though meeting on a street corner and – now headless to prove it – plumb run out of things to say, but still prettier representations of events than the sparrows the exact size of erasers stacked up with the heads on. // Which of course are words apart." solo
part 2
18. TOTEM ÉTRANGLÉ, Antonin Artaud (France, 1964?); source: KROKLOK #2 (ed.dom sylvester houédard, London, Writers Forum, 1971), with reference to Antonin Artaud/trans.Helen Weaver, Selected Writings (New York,Farrar Straus And Groux, 1976). "For years I have had an idea of the consumption, the internal consummation of language by the unearthing of all manner of torpid and filthy necessities." (Artaud in a letter to Henri Parisot, 22 sep 45). 18 of these sound cycles excised (by Artaud) from elsewhere in his writings (Here Lies; Insanity and Black Magic; The Return of Artaud, Le Momo; To Have Done with the Judgement of God; Van Gogh, The Man Suicided by Society) & formally linked as a suite. full quartet
19. ma meeshka mow skwoz, Mike Patton (USA, 1995); source: monograph (San Francisco, privately published, 1995), with reference to Mr.Bungle, disco volante (USA, Warner Brothers Records Incorporated, 1995), with music by Trey Spruance. Patton’s drawn optophonetic text yields "extended range" vocalics that’re all but buried in this complex piece of high-impact chamber music. a chance to hear the relentless trajectory of the text on its own. solo
2o. East Wind, bpNichol (Canada, 1979?); source: Four Horsemen, The Prose Tattoo (Milwaukee, Membrane Press, 1983). a gridtext deployed through overlaid extended breathlines, vowels blowing consonants all over the place. full quartet
21. The Multiples, Steve McCaffery (Canada, 1981); source: abs TruCt heh GarBagt, editor unknown (an insert in CABINET #1, USA, Immaterial Incorporated, 2ooo), transcribed by Rob Read (Canada, 2o11?). a multiplicity of mispronuncimicated masticatiums of eaneming, the contrast between what you seam to be hearing & what are here seming to be. duo: curry/Mathewson
22. A Letterklankbeelden Poem, I.K.Bonset (Holland, 192o); source: Imagining Language An Anthology, edited by Steve McCaffery & Jed Rasula (2nd ed, Cambridge, USA, MIT Press, 2oo1). with line lengths (mainly) one letter long, Bonset – among other things, a type designer – was simultaneously & independently investigating notions of optophonetics similar to Raoul Hausmann’s with diacritic modifiers. terse. solo
23.SIZERZ, Steve McCaffery (Canada, 1976); source: THE CAPILANO REVIEW #31 (ed.Steven Smith & Richard Truhlar, North Vancouver, 1984). severe elemental hocketing coupled with ordered layerings subjected to consistent randomizations. full quartet
24. roses that, d.a.levy (USA, 1966); source: UKANHAVYRFUCKINCITI BAK, ed.Robert J.Sigmund (Cleveland, Ghost Press, 1968). "for gene" (presumably Fowler), a cyclic concrete poem in linear form pumping ackackfire into the imperialism of semantic politics. solo
25. IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE, Frank Zappa (USA, 1964); source: Mothers Of Invention, FREAK OUT! (USA, Verve Records, 1965), transcribed & arranged by jwcurry (2oo7). a somewhat remented barberchopping routine that only seems to leave metre & tonality behind, part 2 of Help, I’m A Rock, featuring Georgia Mathewson as Suzy Creamcheese ("You blew your mind on too much koolaid"). full quartet
26. BALLADS OF THE RESTLESS ARE, bpNichol (Canada, 1967?); source: monograph (2nd ed. Ottawa, Curvd H&z, 2oo6). "two versions/common source" of elemental theme & variations presented as comparative simultaneities in a "quartet for 2 voices" [curry]. duo: curry/Larwill
27. A Little Valentine, Steve McCaffery (Canada, 1977); source: Steve McCaffery, research on the mouth (Toronto, Underwhich Editions, 1978?), transcribed & arranged by jwcurry & Sheena Mordasiewicz (2o12). a trystcycle built for 2 interpenetrates itself to become a relentless rush toward simultaneous climax. duo: curry/Larwill
28. Pieces Of Stop, bpNichol (Canada, 1978); source: as 2o above. "for Greta Monach", an extremely literal approach to the score that casts the reversed expectations of its sound envelopes into stark relief. full quartet
29. auf dem land, ernst jandl (Austria, 1968?); source: konkrete poesie deutschsprachige autoren, ed.eugen gomringer (reprint? Stuttgart, Philipp Reclam, 198o). an "utter zoo" octupletted & arranged as simultaneous nouns’n’sounds. duo: curry/Larwill
3o. GLASS ON THE BEACH, Richard Truhlar (Canada, 1978?); source: Owen Sound, Beyond The Range (Toronto, Underwhich Editions, 198o), transcribed by jwcurry from a trio (Michael Dean, Steven Smith, Richard Truhlar) recording at The Music Gallery in Toronto, 18 august 1979, with additional parts adapted from 2 manuscript scores courtesy of Truhlar. extended vocal waveforms with buried shards. full quartet
___________________________________________________________________________
with Big Thanks to Gustave Morin for causing it, Jenny Kimmerly for the programmes, Jarrod Ferris for filming, Kung To for rehearsal space, Chris (dunno yr last name) & Sergio Forest for the fantastic homemade onion rings &, ‘fcourse, the band for the pleasure & hard work
front cover: bpNichol, Pieces Of Stop (28), rescored by jwcurry (bottom: lettering by curry)
rear cover: dom sylvester houédard, anacyclic poem with two shouts DHARMATHOUGHTS STUPAWARDS (7)
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see also:
announcements:
www.flickr.com/photos/48593922@N04/8078983925/
www.citywindsor.ca/residents/Culture/Mackenzie-Hall/Pages…
pagehalffull.com/pesbo/2012/10/12/sunday-oct-21-messagio-…
issuu.com/uwindsorlance/docs/thelance-85-16 (down on p.6)
www.flickr.com/photos/48593922@N04/8152980663/
photographs:
www.flickr.com/photos/pearlpirie/8119045118/
www.flickr.com/photos/pearlpirie/8119033749/
www.flickr.com/photos/pearlpirie/8119034091/
www.flickr.com/photos/pearlpirie/8119046498/
www.flickr.com/photos/pearlpirie/8119034923/
2.bp.blogspot.com/-utKD_y6vO8c/UIgX0FXlbYI/AAAAAAAAAL8/kA…
Posted by jwc 3o2 on 2012-10-31 04:32:03
Tagged: , quadrabet
The post MESSAGIO GALORE TAKE XII appeared first on Good Info.
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Character meme, August and Felix!
august!
Sexuality Headcanon: straight A ship I have with said character: He can sit at the lonely hearts table with Fiona at the Athena/Janey wedding. I’m attached to August sadly pining after Sasha for all eternity but I don’t want them to actually be together, sorry dude. But I’m very interested in the idea that he’s in love with the ~illusion Sasha created for the job and hasn’t been able to shake it even after the curtain is lifted.A friendship I have with said character: I think August would always be like, everyone’s weird friend that they’re not really friends with but he hangs out with them anyway, lol. I don’t think he’d ever be close to Rhys or Fiona but I think Sasha would keep in touch. Maybe he’d wind up friends with Vaughn, that’d be hilarious honestly. A NOTP I have with said character: lmao can I just say Sasha for everything. Like I said, on the flip side, I don’t actually want Sasha and August to be together, so also kind of them for this one too? He was pretty scary and did try to kill her various times which I know in Borderlands world is whatever but…… still… A random headcanon: Totally thought Sasha was into the tough guy gang leader thing and played it up to impress her. He miscalculated. She hated it.General Opinion over said character: August is ok – I didn’t like him much at all on my first playthrough primarily because I was worried the game was gonna go with the August/Sasha reconciliation route, and I didn’t want that 1. because I thought their early game interactions were so… like… ugh I just didn’t like the idea that she’d take him back or ~realize she’d been wrong, and also 2. because she’s my girlfriend, tyvm. So on replay when I knew that was off the table I could relax a bit more about him and grew to like him more and appreciate the relationship with Sasha for what it was instead of worrying what it might be. I think he nicely rides the Borderlands moral gray area where he’s not really a good person but he’s not as terrible as you might initially believe either, and probably a lot of what he does he is forced into by Vallory, which sucks.
Felix
Sexuality Headcanon: I mean I’ve honestly never thought about it until this exact moment. I probably would say gay if not for the insinuation of his relationship with Vallory, so I guess bi?A ship I have with said character: I mean, none, but I guess I am vaguely interested in what his past was with Vallory – I get the impression they had some kind of perhaps-unspoken agreement to stay out of each other’s way but then he fucked up and violated thatA friendship I have with said character: it’s not really a friendship but I am interested in his relationship with Sasha and Fiona and the weird line it straddles between family and exploitationA NOTP I have with said character: I guess if anyone was shipping him with either of the sisters that would be disgustingA random headcanon: I think he favoured Fiona because he saw more of himself in her/thought she was shrewder and less emotional. I’m nearly done my big Sasha and Fiona Sad Childhood Backstory fic so stay tuned I guess lol General Opinion over said character: Unto himself I don’t care much for or about Felix but I care a lot about what his influence must’ve been over Sasha and Fiona – I think he obviously cared about them and in a lot of ways must’ve done right by them but it still couldn’t have been the healthiest environment to grow up in, he probably taught them a lot of shit that they’ll be dealing with forever (lmao TRUST NO ONE NOT EVEN YOURSELF great thanks dad) and he clearly was doing it at least in part for his own benefit. I think if you save him and get the $9m it’s a nice scene but his plan makes, like, no sense, so it’s hard to reason out too much.
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Sasha from TFTBL for the character meme 8)
give me a character and i’ll answer
do I like them: i loooveeee sasha!!
5 good qualities: loyal, funny, mature, sharp shooter, and loving.
3 bad qualities: hotheaded, violent, and hardheaded.
favourite episode/etc: that flower scene with rhys will always hold a special place in my heart.
otp: rhysha alllllllll the wayyyyy!!!
brotp: sasha and vaughn have a cute lil friendship!
ot3: n/a.
notp: i feel like i’m the only one who doesn’t really ship august/sasha lol. i just feel like it would be incredibly one-sided, but that’s just me.
best quote: i like the entire ‘sacrifice herself’ scenes bc ouch my heart but also sooo touching. “fiona… it’s okay.” and “well, this isn’t one of those stories.” and UGH.
head canon: poor sasha probably ends up being by herself a lot post-game (what with fiona being a fault hunter, rhys having atlas, vaughn and the children of helios, etc.) and the highlights of her days are probably usually whenever rhys sends her a new prototype to test out. she spends these days trying to figure out what to do with her life, and wondering if it’s too late to get on a rocket ship and travel far away from pandora.
// @rollingsnowsmasher
#{ sasha really gets the shitty end of the stick on so many things and it makes me so sad. DDD': }#rollingsnowsmasher#✌ ❛ ask prompt.#✌ ❛ ooc.#✌ ❛ answered.#;pending sasha tag
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Tales from the Borderlands [+ others!]
heyo everyone! you can call me persenche. for a short about me - 23, south dakota, mountain time, classic Cat Lady Lesbian™, long-suffering college student, 11+ years of roleplaying experience under my belt. my casual typing style on here doesn't reflect my writing style when roleplaying, by the by.
here's the tl;dr gist of it, fellas -
+ long-term one on one
+ e-mail only for the roleplay
--> for ooc talk, i'm chill with e-mail, skype, hangouts, or discord
+ adv. lit+, quality over quantity [though both are lovely tbh]
+ m/m, f/f, f/m, nb; platonic or romantic
+ i'm lgbt+ and neurodivergent friendly and you need to be too
+ not keen on doubling, but i can be swayed
+ let me know if you want to ditch the roleplay
+ my main limits are i fade to black and don't do rape/bestiality/etc.
+ love, love, love angst and character development the most
+ primarily seeking a one on onewriting partner for Tales from the Borderlands [dibs on Rhys]
if any of that caught your attention, my e-mail is listed at the bottom. otherwise, i'll be more detailed in what i'm looking for and what you can expect from me next.
__
i'd love to find a partner who adores plotting and swoons at the chance to chat ooc about our characters and the possibilities between and before them - headcanons, discussing [serious or silly!] potential scenarios and twists, playlists, art, you name it. i enjoy making friends out of my roleplaying partners, so talking out of a roleplay is a strong preference. however, let me know if you're not into that!
quality over quantity, but a middle ground is solid, too. i'm able to write 4,000+ words if a reply calls for it, but i don't want length for the sake of length, you know? i can match and mirror - if the roleplay calls for longer posts, don't hesitate to hit me with a novel. i looove that shit. just as much, if only a page works then that's fine!
e-mail only for roleplaying. i'm all for giving you my skype/discord/google hangout/whatever once we're getting things going and we're both comfortable chatting on there. it's summer right now, so i'm on frequently for talking.
on the topic of frequency, i'm not the quickest at roleplay responses. i'm more of a one to three days gal. if unfortunate life stuff occurs, i might end up as a once a week for roleplay replies. however!! i will always let you know if it will take me longer than three days for a response, or if i'll not be around for a day or two in the case of ooc chatting.
the plus side is i'm near always around for ooc chatting and willing to sacrifice all hopes of a productive sleep schedule to talk. generous, huh? lmao.
don't ditch. if you want to call quits, let me know. even if all you write is "bye", it's better than me getting to fret over if something happened to you or if my e-mails aren't going though. i'll keep my grubby fingers off the keyboard and not reply if you prefer, just please let me know!
on this topic! i recently had an issue with gmail marking my responses as spam and popping them in that folder for others. it seems like it was fixed, but please, please, please feel free to shoot me a message if, after a day or two, you haven't heard from me! it's likely an e-mail issue.
dark, angsty, nitty-gritty ideas? my name is at the top of the 'loves the shit outta that' list. i'm all about hard choices, plot twists, making characters suffer - good ol' and well done angst with a purpose. character development is also one of my favourite aspects of roleplaying, so slam me with all the details - really let me know what your character is feeling, thinking, doing, and show me how they're changing from what's happening to them, yadda yadda.
also! if you have a character craving, i'm 100% fine with you playing a character from a game/book/movie/whatever in the universe we go with. wanna slam your favourite character from a different video game into another game/plot/whatever's universe? i'm down with that. character and/or plot transplants are good with me. ocs get a thumbs-up, too.
__
what i'm looking for is Tales from the Borderlands. i'm open to almost any pairing, chill with ocs, all that jazz. we can go post-game, during game, au, anything.
my one stopping point is i am not comfortable shipping Handsome Jack and Rhys together; if you wanna cook up a platonic plot with them, sure, but i'm personally not willing nor comfortable in pairing them romantically.
--> i have two small plot ideas, or we can come up with something together.
--> i'd like to try my hand at writing Rhys
--> i'm fine with whoever you want to play - an oc, Vaughn, Fiona, Sasha, Handsome Jack, August, an original character, etc.
--> my preferences are Vaughn/Rhys, Sasha/Rhys, and Fiona/Rhys
__
otherwise, if that doesn't strike your fancy, here's some others i might be willing to roleplay. i'll list who i'd like to play as in it. -
+ Fallout 4: small plot idea. would prefer to play as my Sole Survivor. however, i've played all Fallout games released, so i'm also game for New Vegas, 3, 2, 1, or a mix.
+ TellTale's The Walking Dead: Ben Paul. have played seasons 1 and 2.
+ NieR: Grimoire Weiss, Kainé
+ NieR Automata
+ Silent Hill series: Angela Orosco
+ We Happy Few: Arthur Hastings
+ Kentucky Route Zero
+ Dishonored 1 and 2: Kirin Jindosh, Daud, Billie Lurk
+ The Evil Within: Joseph Oda, Tatiana Gutierrez, Juli Kidman
+ Resident Evil 7
+ The Last of Us
+ The Adventure Zone: Taako
+ Dragon Age: Origins, 2, and Inquisition
+ Mass Effect 1, 2, 3
+ Until Dawn: Josh Washington
+ Left 4 Dead
+ Portal: Wheatley
+ and a shit ton more i can't remember enough to list. if you send me a suggestion, i'll likely know it [and if i don't, again, i'm down with character/plot transplants]
i'm not strictly limited to fandoms. others include -
+ [post] apocalypse [have a plot and a couple small ideas]
+ horror/survival
+ some ghost hunting show gone horribly wrong
+ androids and all their sad little existential issues [small plot idea]
+ desolation, being lost, an abruptly empty/decaying world - something weird and otherwordly in our world and the discomfort of it no one dares to put in words
+ hit me up with topics - i'm flexible!
__
finally, if you're interested you can drop me a message at
----> [email protected]
feel free to include things about yourself, limits, ideas, and if you have any cutie pets
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I finally did it! I finally finished and uploaded the first chapter of my fanfiction.
Summary:
The Vault Of The Traveler is gone. And the memories of the time inside are nothing more than just a faint memory, deep in the backside of Fionas mind. Trying to forget about that weird feeling inside of her, she starts her training as a Vault- and Bounty Hunter with Athena. But sometimes, no matter how peaceful and perfect the moment seems, some things catch up after a while.
// Vaughn X Fiona is the main ship //
// Rhys/Jack and Sasha/August are just side-ships //
#borderlands#tales from the borderlands#fiona the con artist#vaughn the bandit king#vaughn the money man#fiona tftbl#vaughn tftbl#vaughn x fiona#faughna#faughn#otp: glasses face and hat lady#fiona the con woman#borderlands fiona#borderlands vaughn
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Science Fiction New Releases: 24 August, 2019
Explorers, pirates, outcasts, and peacemakers drift through this week’s list of science fiction’s new releases.
The Emperor’s Fist (The Far Stars #4) – Jay Allan
When the Far Stars came under imperial attack, Astra Lucerne—the daughter and successor of the Far Stars’ greatest conqueror—Marshal Augustin Lucerne—rallied her father’s confederation forces to defend their worlds. They were joined in the fight by former imperial general Arkarin Blackhawk, a warrior whose skills and brutality made him infamous, and who has, for two decades, sought the redemption he knows is unreachable.
Now, with the imperial foothold in the sector eliminated, the Far Stars is free and almost united. While Astra’s forces continue to depose local tyrants and warlords, Ark and his crew have slipped back into the shadows. Though his heart belongs to Astra, Ark cannot get too close. His imperial conditioning remains under control, but it is still volatile, and the temptation of power threatens to unleash the dark compulsions that made him the most merciless of the emperor’s servants. He cannot risk allowing Astra to see the darkness inside him.
But while the battle has been won, the war may not be over. A petty smuggler makes a discovery that can enable the emperor to strike back and crush the resistance—unless Ark and Astra join forces again to stop him.
Extinction Shadow (Extinction Cycle: The Dark Age #1) – Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Anthony J. Melchiorri
Survivors thought the extinction cycle had ended, but a powerful evil lurks in the shadows…
Eight years ago, an engineered virus ravaged the globe, infecting and transforming humans into apex predators called Variants. Billions died, civilization collapsed, and the human race teetered on the brink of extinction.
Nations banded together and heroes rose up to fight these abominations. On the front lines, Captain Reed Beckham and Master Sergeant Joe “Fitz” Fitzpatrick of Delta Force Team Ghost fought against the Variant hordes. With the aid of CDC Doctor Kate Lovato, they helped lead humanity to victory.
Now, almost a decade after the end of the war, civilization has slowly clawed toward recovery. In the Allied States of America, survivors live in outposts where they have rebuilt industry, agriculture, and infrastructure. The remaining Variants are believed to be dying off under destroyed cities and the abandoned frontier.
But evil and intelligent forces dwell in the shadows with the starving beasts, scheming to restart the extinction cycle and end humanity forever. And once again, Beckham, Fitz, and Kate will rise to fight them, joining forces with new heroes to try and save what’s left of the world.
The Imprisoned Earth – Vaughn Heppner
I had one job, keeping the super-genius Dr. Calidore alive on the Allan Corporation Voyager Manhattan.
The spaceship was run like a pirate vessel, part of a multi-corporation fleet racing to claim an alien asteroid vessel that had just appeared beyond the moon. None of us knew the Chin Corporation Voyager had nuclear-tipped torpedoes and planned to murder the lot of us. Well, no one knew but Calidore, and the little genius decided to skip out on a shuttle and take over the alien asteroid for himself.
He screwed up bad, so bad you wouldn’t believe me if I told you what happened. The point is, I have to fix the problem, me, Jason Bain the bodyguard, or the Earth can kiss its tush goodbye.
New Horizon (The Survivors #9) – Nathan Hystad
The first human exploration vessel has been manufactured. All it needs is a mission.
Horizon is a state-of-the-art vessel, a hybrid born of Keppe technology and human innovation. Magnus accepts the role of captain as the new ship is launched on its maiden voyage. Dean’s thrilled to take a back seat on the adventure, but things don’t ever work out as planned for our hero.
As Horizon heads into unknown space, they search for a way to reverse the miniaturization of an entire world in their possession. With recent attacks on Haven, the crew is on edge as they encounter a strange new space station, and witness one of the V-shaped invaders docked on arrival.
Join the newly formed crew of the flagship Horizon as they learn to work as a team and halt a looming invasion from happening on Haven.
Redacted Affairs (The Four Horsemen: Rise of the Peacemakers #1) – Kevin Ikenberry and Kevin Steverson
Peacemakers. The Galactic Union’s most capable enforcers and resolute negotiators, their name alone elicits fear and awe among the Union’s citizenry.
It is a time of upheaval throughout the Galactic Union. As the effects of the Omega War ripple outward, a Peacemaker falls silent at the outpost mining colony of Parmick. Sensing danger, the Peacemaker Guild dispatches two new graduates of the Academy to investigate and report. They are a new breed of Peacemaker, perfect for the clandestine infiltration mission.
Parmick is in chaos. The miners are planning to revolt, and the mine owner is rallying every mercenary and ne’er-do-well he can to protect his illegal mining operation; the Peacemakers soon realize it will require combat operations to free the citizens of Parmick. Meanwhile, the Peacemaker Guild also finds the mining operation is financing the actions of the disgraced Enforcer Kr’et’Socae. Honoring the threat, the Peacemaker Guild unleashes its Enforcers.
With the galaxy teetering on the edge of chaos, can the Peacemakers and their surprising new allies liberate Parmick, stabilize the Galactic Union, and unlock the next clue to find Snowman?
Spacers: First Command – Scott Bartlett
March 15th, Earth Year 2290
The day the aliens returned.
The memories are still fresh. Of colonies burning. Of millions dying in agony.
50 years later, we’ve built up our strength. Using a wormhole, we colonized both sides of the galaxy.
It was the worst mistake we could have made. Our enemy has returned and the wormhole has collapsed.
Commander Thatcher finds himself on the wrong side of the divide. Separated from his pregnant wife by countless light years.
He’s just been given command of a light armored cruiser. His first command.
If he ever wants to see his wife again, he’ll need to do the impossible. To defeat this enemy, he will need to reinvent space warfare.
So that’s just what he’s going to do.
Utopia 58 – Daniel Arenson
Imagine a perfect society. A world with no racism, sexism, or ageism. A utopia.
In Utopia 58, everyone is equal. Everyone must be equal.
Too beautiful? A mask will hide that pretty face. Too tall? We’ll saw your legs down to size. Too male or female? The surgeon’s knife will fix that. Too smart? A buzzer in your skull will drown out all that pesky thinking. You will be equal. Like it or not.
Utopia 58, built atop the ruins of North America, created perfect harmony. A society with no race, gender, or age. Pure equality.
KB209 was born into this utopia. He has no true name. No past. No future. He is one among millions. The same.
One day, at a propaganda rally, KB209 glimpses an act of startling defiance. A citizen with painted toenails. A woman in a genderless society. Color in a black and white world.
When KB209 confronts her, he is drawn into an underground rebellion. A movement that dares to dream. That dares to say: “We are unique. We are individuals. We will be free!”
Armageddon (Expeditionary Force #8) – Craig Alanson
After the Renegade mission by the crew of the starship Flying Dutchman, the UN Expeditionary Force thought Earth was safe for hundreds of years, at least. After there was trouble on the Homefront, and the President had to authorize a nuclear strike on an American city. UNEF decided they did need the Merry Band of Pirates again. So, the Flying Dutchman is sent out on a simple recon mission. But for the Pirates, nothing is ever simple, and their mission will become Armageddon
Science Fiction New Releases: 24 August, 2019 published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/
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Crystal Meth Recovery Stories
Contents
Addiction crystal clear: stories
Dubbed ‘operation crystal palace
Nic (timothee chalamet
Posted …
Tony abbott called
Crystal meth (ice
But after appearing on Tyra Banks‘ reality show a decade ago her life spiraled out of control and she became a homeless crystal meth addict whose once-striking … show host Dr Phil set Jael on the pa…
Crystal Meth Recovery Stories. Find a Recovery Center. Are You Addicted to Crystal Meth? Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug most commonly encountered on the illicit market as a crystallized or powdered form.
Dec 16, 2015 … He was, by that time, suffering from crystal methamphetamine addiction and drug -induced bipolar episodes. As his mother, I was devastated …
What is Crystal Meth Addiction, and How do You Know if You Need Treatment …. Read great recovery stories, learn about the latest treatments, and find out how …
Shawn's Story of Recovery. Posted on August … A Family Recovery Story From Mom … “My drugs of choice were pain pills at age 21 and crystal meth at age 28.
For more than a decade I was an active crystal meth addict … There are many avenues of recovery, but the science of addiction is always the same. This book outlines that science, while revealing the …
When her first band, Wild Orchid, broke up in 2001, the platinum-selling singer compensated by doing crystal meth. Her drug-induced flight from … Today she’s sober and credits her recovery in large …
Recovery Is Possible. Home Crystal Meth addiction crystal clear: stories of People Who Faced Meth Addiction. Methamphetamine (commonly known as meth, chalk, ice, and crystal) is a stimulant created originally in the early 20th century to be used in decongestants and inhalers.
It took a drug bust for Troub and losing nearly everything for Cortes to help set them on a path to recovery. They’re stories … in what police dubbed ‘operation crystal palace,’ what they called the …
Since the publication of Quitting Crystal Meth: What to Expect & What to Do, several new studies have been published on meth recovery, withdrawal timelines and what to expect during the first six months after quitting. I'm happy to report none of the studies conflict or contradict what you'll read in the book…
In The Politics of Crystal Meth: Gay Men Share Personal Stories of Addiction and Recovery, experts such as Kathy Rebak, Walter Odets and Luciano Colonna …
Read some of our patients' addiction recovery stories to learn how our rehab … to pay for her daily crystal meth habit which resulted in countless physically and …
Crystal meth is an illegal form of the stimulant drug methamphetamine that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies as a Schedule II controlled substance. Within the United States, the only legal form of methamphetamine, called "meth" for short, is Desoxyn, which is occasionally…
Winnipeggers struggling with crystal meth now have a place to meet and … the hour organizers had planned for as everyone shared stories and got to know each other. "There’s guys with years of recove…
The Politics of Crystal Meth: Gay Men Share Stories of Addiction and Recovery [ Kenneth Cimino] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers.
May 5, 2017 … Janet Balcombe has come a long way from the depths of meth addiction. … I felt crystal clear, like the sharpest person in the world. …. Side, about life on the wrong side of the law and her recovery, was released in February.
She thought small, seemingly harmless doses of crystal meth could help her lose a few pounds. I knew I had to do something or I was going to lose literally everything. When the therapist said to me, "Any kind of recovery or any recovery program is based upon faith in a higher power or faith in God…
Jan 8, 2013 … Could this be the end of me and my romance with Crystal Meth? I was lucky to meet a recovering user (who I still thank to this very day) for …
This depression from crystal meth comedown and withdrawal both lasts longer and is far more severe …. Personal story from a recovering Crystal Meth addict.
Haney, who has been sober for nearly eight years, now is a manager at Mandalay Recovery Village … Agents find meth in toys and even liquefied into lotion and shampoo bottles that are turned back int…
Oct 19, 2018 … Their stories are now the basis of a film starring Steve Carell and … Father And Son Behind 'Beautiful Boy' Share Their Story Of Addiction And Recovery …. But the other weird thing about crystal meth is – you know, I would do …
Previous story: 8 arrested, 6 wanted in Crossville Police Department … co-owner of a cleaning company called "Maid New Clea…
Recovering from methamphetamine addiction involves several phases. Read more about the stages of recovery and how to avoid triggers that can Many individuals recovering from meth addiction continue to work on their sobriety after rehab. They attend 12-step meetings such as Crystal Meth…
Sam's Story. Sam* went from being a social ice (crystal methamphetamine) user on weekends, to thinking that it was cool to be a drug addict. The absolute …
But Madeline Vaughn, then a lead clinical intake coordinator at the Houston-based addiction treatment organization Council on Recovery, sensed something … also known as meth or crystal meth, is on t…
May 24, 2017 … My Lost Decade: A Story of Addiction and Recovery …. despite the fact that I'd sometimes show up for my session high on crystal meth.
Anyone who is seeking information about, or help recovering from, such societal scourges as alcoholism, crystal meth addiction and addiction to prescription medications are welcome to stop by and see …
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Relapse is part of recovery. That’s what one doctor in “Beautiful Boy “ tells David Sheff (Steve Carell), the distraught father of a teenage son, nic (timothee chalamet), who has been dabbling in alco…
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Borderlands: Skies the Bodyguard 3
Skies and the crew arrive to Thousand Cuts, but encounter a problem.
*Links to previous and next chapters in reblog*
--
Chapter 11
Dukino’s snout runs along the dirt as he tracks Skies’ scent. Lilith and the Crimson Raiders follow close behind, warily eyeing the abandoned buildings of Lynchwood.
“Jeez, this place is somehow creepier than when it was full of murderous bandits,” Maya comments.
“Keep your eyes open,” Lilith orders, “she could be hiding anywhere.”
Dukino leads them straight to the old Sheriff’s house and stops. He snuffles at the ground for a second before looking around in confusion, as if he’s not sure where to go.
“This was the Sheriff’s place,” Axton points out.
“Then she must be hiding here!” Brick declares before rushing forward and crashing through the collapsed roof of the balcony and the front door. Everyone waits and watches with baited breath, until they hear his disappointed whine, “aw, no one’s here.”
The others enter through the hole he made and Mordecai spots something on the kitchen table. “No, but somebody was here not long ago.”
He picks up an empty can of beans and tips it over. Leftover sauce drips out, still fresh.
“So where’d they go?” Salvador asks, scratching his head.
“Check it,” Gaige says, tapping the fast travel station embedded in the wall. “A fast travel station. And it still works.”
“That must be why Skies turned the town’s power back on,” Maya muses.
“Where does it go?” Lilith asks.
“Um…” Gaige hums as she scrolls through the station’s menu. “Looks like the only working connection is Opportunity.”
“Ah, of course,” Axton nods.
“Let’s go,” Lilith orders, “and be ready for a fight.”
One by one they all use the fast travel station and teleport into Jack’s penthouse. They move cautiously through the building, guns at the ready, checking every corner, only to find it empty.
“Alright, Dukino,” Lilith says, “where is she?”
The skag sniffs around for a minute before trotting into the city. They follow him to a secret lab where it looks like someone is living, but no one’s there now. He doesn’t stay there long before he’s off again through the empty city and finally stops at the entrance.
“The bridge is down,” Axton observes.
“The controls on this side are intact,” Maya adds, “looks like whoever destroyed the controls on the other side did it so no one would be able to get in.”
“And Skies is gone again,” Lilith groans with defeat.
“She seems to be one step ahead,” Gaige comments, “think she knows we’re tracking her?”
“I think she is just/ very cautious by nature,” Zer0 replies.
“Dukino still has her scent,” Brick points out.
“Guess we better hit the nearby Catch-a-Ride,” Mordecai grunts, “who knows how long we’ll be driving now. Or where we’re heading.”
“Right,” Lilith nods, “let’s go.”
They head across the bridge, wondering where their prey has slipped to now.
Meanwhile, an exploded bandit bus has been abandoned by the entrance to Thousand Cuts. Vaughn, Sasha, August, Loader Bot, Gortys, Claptrap, Timothy, and Skies are making good time, walking through the mountain pass.
Vaughn glances towards the back of the group, where Skies and Timothy are. “Those two seem to be getting along.”
“Well, they’ve got so much in common,” Sasha remarks drily.
“I think it’s cute,” Gortys comments, “they’re such good friends.”
Skies and Timothy don’t even notice them talking as they laugh amongst themselves.
“Oh-oh, and did you ever hear that one commercial he did?” Timothy asks, “with the accent?”
“Hear it?” Skies scoffs, “I lived on Helios. All they ever played were Hyperion commercials. I could probably recite that whole thing by heart.”
They both chuckle before saying in a bad southern accent, “hell! That’s why I bought the goddamn company in the first place!”
They double over laughing, gripping their sides. When the fit’s finally over, they sigh happily, wiping their eyes.
“God, he was such a jackass,” Timothy says, “I’m so glad he’s dead.”
“Heh,” Skies sighs awkwardly, looking away. “Yeah…”
He glances at her before leaning forward. “I still can’t believe you were his bodyguard. How’d you even survive?”
“Eh,” she shrugs, “I really didn’t do much. I was more like a badass cyborg assistant. I think he only made me his bodyguard so he could keep an eye on me. But you! You’re way more amazing. You actually ran away from him. At least when I quit he died like an hour later. How did you do it?”
Timothy leans back, rubbing his neck. “It was kind of a spur of the moment thing, I admit. I thought after everything that happened on Elpis, I could handle anything. But Jack…he got worse. Most days he was fine- normal, I guess. But sometimes he got…manic. Like even more than usual.”
“He got a few more body doubles and we all dressed the same and even wore the mask,” he explains, “but one day- just out of nowhere- Jack decided that wasn’t enough. We had to be just like him, in every way.”
Timothy pauses and rubs his face, and Skies stomach tightens, knowing where this is going.
“He started branding us,” he says, “he gathered us in a room like cattle and one-by-one strapped everyone into a chair to burn the Vault symbol into their face.”
“I was in the back of the group, just waiting for my turn. And I couldn’t take it. So, even though I knew it was crazy, I…ran. I used my old fast travel codes to get to Elpis and from there I stole a ship and escaped to Pandora.”
“That’s nuts!” Skies exclaims, “don’t you have like a bomb built into your face? He could’ve blown you up!”
“I know,” Timothy nods, “and for years I lived in fear of that happening. But he just never did. Maybe he didn’t notice I left. Or maybe he didn’t care. I dunno.”
“Jeez,” she sighs, “you must have balls of steel.”
He chuckles humourlessly. “Nah. If I was really brave, I would’ve helped the others. I only ran because I was scared.”
“Running from Jack is brave,” she insists as she looks up at the sky forlornly. “I was never afraid of him like everyone else was. But I could still never leave…not until the very end.”
Timothy looks at her curiously. Her expression seems so lonely, and he wonders what she’s feeling.
He looks away, rubbing his arm. An awkward silence fills the air.
Vaughn, Sasha, August, Loader Bot, Gortys, and Claptrap watch the whole thing from the front of the group and Claptrap says, “wow, they got some issues. I’m gonna go lighten the mood.”
He starts to roll up to them, but Loader Bot grabs his head and holds him back. “Leave them be.”
Claptrap stares up at him but doesn’t argue.
“Hey,” August calls out, grabbing everyone’s attention. “We’re here.”
Everyone looks forward as they exit the mountain pass into Thousand Cuts.
They all stop and look out at the surrounding scenery and Skies points at a large building on a cliff overlooking the whole area.
“That’s where we’re going,” she says, “Control Core Angel.”
“It looks like there are people down there,” Timothy points out as they see little silhouettes in the yard past No Man’s Land.
“Yeah…” Skies muses, “I thought it would be abandoned. Vaughn, can you see what they’re doing?”
“Yup,” he nods as he draws his sniper rifle and looks through the scope. After only a couple seconds, he blanches. “This…looks like bad news.”
Everyone passes the gun around to get a look and a feeling of dread washes over them.
The whole yard is full of people wearing Handsome Jack masks. They’re surrounding busts, statues, posters, and other merchandise. And in the middle of the yard is the largest statue covered in streamers.
“Jack worshippers,” Skies groans.
“Great!” Sasha barks, throwing her hands into the air. “Just great! Now what do we do? There’s way too many of them! We’ll never be able to get through them!”
“We have no choice,” she points out, “that building has the most powerful computer system on the planet. It’s the only one that can help us.”
“How do we know these bandits haven’t destroyed it or something?” August asks.
“Not possible. They’d never be able to get inside.”
“Neither will we, it looks like,” Vaughn sighs.
“It’s too bad we don’t have the real Jack,” Gortys says.
“What?” Skies questions.
“Well, we have a fake Jack but not the real one,” she explains, “if we had the real one, he’d probably be able to get us through.”
Everyone looks at her like she’s grown a second head- or even just one. Then they all turn to Timothy.
He flinches, knowing exactly where this is heading. “Oh no.”
#borderlands#borderlands 2#tales from the borderlands#borderlands fanfiction#borderlands au#myocs#myart
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Osheaga is getting ready for the week-end in its new home!
The first thing you notice when you exit the Metro is the massive construction. Imagine being the one of the biggest festivals in Montreal and having to completely redesign your site in a completely new location. This is the challenge Nick Farkas and his team took on while a permanent 65,000 seat natural amphitheater is being built, slated to open in 2019.
“Are you nervous?” I ask Nick as our tour of the new facilities stops for lunch. “Always.”, Nick comments. This isn’t a job for Nick, this is a passion that started in 2006 with a small team of just under 15 people, working under the spell of Nick’s vision. The evolution of Osheaga is impressive. Year after year, Osheaga is the talk of the town in terms of must see events. 120 bands over 3 days comes out to a little over $2.50 per band! It’s more than just a festival for music. Art installation are throughout the site and the whole experience is unlike any other festival out there. Even the sponsors get creative with booths and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us this year.
Get your tickets and avoid the lineup: https://www.osheaga.com/en/passes
Week-end & Day Passes are still available.
Osheaga Map
The new layout will be quite different from previous years. The two main stages, Scène de la Rivière & Scène le la Montagne will face each other instead of being side by side. A large digital screen will separate the two areas so all can see. A similar layout will host Scène Verte & Scène de la Vallée which neighbors the main stages. This new layout should create less walking for those that like to hop from stage to stage to catch their favorite artists throughout the 3 day festival.
Osheaga Scene de la Montagne being built.
Osheaga Scène Verte & Scene de la Vallée will face each other.
Scène des Arbres with synthetic grass.
The most innovative change this year will be a floating stage for Scène de L’Ile for the EDM fans. This floating grid will bounce throughout the week-end on the waterways of Parc Jean-Drapeau. Ships at sea will wonder where all these rhythmic waves came from, as they keep on rocking.
Osheaga Floating Dance Floor!
Having a festival on Ile Notre-Dame creates an atmosphere similar to another world where music lovers can immerse themselves in the music, art and food of Osheaga World. Rodeo FX have created some visual imagery for each stage inspired by their names.
Osheaga Art Installations
Montreal Rocks sat with Nick Farkas to discuss the Osheaga legacy under the hot sun of the day. When I asked if he wanted to go inside in the air conditioning, he said he preferred to stay outside and prepare to get his “Osheaga Sweat On.”
Montreal Rocks: The first thing I noticed about you is that you were driving one of the carts that was touring our group around. Obviously, you are right in the thick of the action.
Nick Farkas: I love the carts! They don’t usually give me one.
MR: I want to bring you back to 2006. What was your vision for Osheaga back then? Did you think it would become what it has evolved to be today?
NF: I’ve thought about this question and we didn’t really think about it at whole lot. For me, at the time, I was thinking: If we could ever do 20,000 people a day, then we can keep doing it and it would be amazing. I also knew it would be hard to get to the point where we could get 20,000 people. So the goal was to get to 20 and not lose money. We came from very humble beginnings and the gradual process to get to this size has been unbelievable. I don’t use that word lightly. It’s unbelievable. I cannot believe that Osheaga is this. At the beginning, when I walked around, I knew everybody that worked on the site. Now, I hardly know half the people, there are thousands of people everywhere. It’s crazy. It’s an absolute orchestrated chaos.
MR: I was speaking to Sandra in the cart, who is part of your original team, back when you were under 15 employees. As a leader back then, you had a vision and you built this team who all bought into your vision. What are the qualities of the people you surround yourself with?
NF: People that listen to me. (we laugh) What I look for in a team are people that are incredibly competent and incredibly driven. They have to believe in what we are doing. I’ve done panels and spoke to school regarding the music & entertainment business. It looks glamourous. Hey, I get to meet Kate Upton at the Formula E. People look at that and say that’s really exciting, but the reality is that the hours are terrible, you work harder than you could ever possibly imagine and you have to be passionate about it. You have to love it. You have to see that the output of what you are going to do is worth all this pain and suffering. For us, that first year, sitting and watching Ben Harper in the rain…and I don’t think it stopped raining since the day I stepped foot on the site two days before…and going WOW, this is incredible. We did it. We had a great a team and we were so proud of the fact that we were able to put on a four stage festival with a bit of art and no people, but the people that were there had a great time and so did we. I’d been a concert promoter at that time for a while already. What concert promoting is in 2017 is so different. You book a band, you put them in your venue. They give you the artwork, tell you what to say and then you market it. That’s it. That’s why Evenko is such a great place to work because there is nothing that we won’t try. We’ll do a car race. We’ll do a food festival. We have a team in place that embraces challenges, that loves the idea of getting up the next day and doing something completely different. If it was just cookie cutter arena booking…I still love that, I always have…but what allows your team to be creative is that you have to gather and bring them in as a unit to feel that once it’s done, they did something impactful. We create the name, we created the artwork. Everything that happens is from us, there is no one telling us you have to use this picture, etc. This is the look we are going with. This is the way we are going to cover the water (referring to the new EDM floating dance floor). Whatever it is, it’s all on us, so that gives people a tremendous sense of commitment. You can’t let people down and it’s a massive team now. If you can’t handle it, you are letting down an entire team of people. It’s really camaraderie. I like the term a “camaraderie of misery.” You have the guys sleeping under the stage waiting for bands to come in at 3 AM. You are all living it together and you are all getting something more out of it. It’s more than just a job.
MR: It’s like a Band of Brothers & Sisters.
NF: Exactly. I was a tree planter. I was a bike messenger. In all these jobs, you are miserable together and that brings people closer together. People will work harder for each other, look out for each other and help. That really is the spirit we have at our small company of about 80 people. We do 1,400 events per year along with massive festivals because everyone is so bloody committed, so good at their jobs that we can do a volume that is, I think, unprecedented.
MR: The Eminem Osheaga (6th) was the one that put your name on the map and was the first one that made you a profit. What did that allow you to do going forward, now that you had this momentum?
NF: What Eminem really did for us was to give us a mainstream notoriety in this city. At that point, we were still a very niche indie rock festival. We had Coldplay and Arcade Fire, so people were starting to be able to pronounce the name, which was cool. Eminem took it to another level in the fact that I think he only did us and Lollapalooza that summer and he never plays.
MR: It’s like he put you on par with Lollapolooza.
NF: Exactly. He hadn’t played forever. People came from everywhere. People in the city where saying: What is this Osheaga thing? Eminem is playing. My initial instinct for that day was that everyone was going to show up at 8 o’clock to see Eminem. At doors, people were pilling in, watching all of the bands perform, going from stage to stage and having a great time. So I go, OK, the longevity of this thing goes beyond an indie rock festival and becomes something bigger.
(At this point in the interview, Nick takes a call. They need his permission for something. His first question to them is: “Does it block anyone’s view of the stage?” Up until then, I witnessed the passion shine out of his eyes behind his shades. Now, I see a man dedicated to making this an unforgettable experience for guests. His guests are foremost on his mind. They are placing 200,000 square feet of synthetic grass in front of the stages to cover the rocks below it. Crowd flow is being considered in every detail along with placement of the various facilities needed for such a festival.)
MR: This makes me think of the fact that you have synthetic grass. You are really thinking of the guest experience. What are you hoping people will think, as they leave the festival on Sunday night?
NF: I’m hoping that they will write down next year’s dates. I’m hoping that they will say: OK, that was awesome. I want to come back. We weren’t sure about this new site, but they did a good job. We are not going to wait for 2019, this was so much fun we will come back and do it again next year.
MR: What was your first festival?
NF: It must have been The Police Picnic in the 80s at Molson Stadium. Rubin Fogel did it back in the day. That was probably the first festival, other than that I saw small stuff with my folks. There was one also at the Olympic Stadium that was billed as a festival with Peter Tosh & The Police and a bunch of other bands.
(Nick is speaking of a show on August 3rd, 1983 with Peter Tosh, Talking Heads, Stevie Ray Vaughn & The Police
MR: What performer do you not want to miss this year?
NF: I’m not going to miss Dawes. That is one performance I’m not going to miss because I really like that band and I’ve never seen them before. It’s rare that a band is playing Osheaga that I really like but I haven’t seen. For me, a chance to see a band that most people don’t know who the hell they are, these amazing singer/songwriters, is the one I will guarantee myself I won’t miss. Also, whatever my son wants to see. Last year, we missed the Strumbellas and he hasn’t let me forget about it for an entire year till we saw them at Canada Day on July 2nd at Niagara-on-the-Lake. We saw them and City and Colour and he loved it. Whatever band he tells me we absolutely have to see this year, I’m going.
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Osheaga is getting ready for the week-end in its new home!
The first thing you notice when you exit the Metro is the massive construction. Imagine being the one of the biggest festivals in Montreal and having to completely redesign your site in a completely new location. This is the challenge Nick Farkas and his team took on while a permanent 65,000 seat natural amphitheater is being built, slated to open in 2019.
“Are you nervous?” I ask Nick as our tour of the new facilities stops for lunch. “Always.”, Nick comments. This isn’t a job for Nick, this is a passion that started in 2006 with a small team of just under 15 people, working under the spell of Nick’s vision. The evolution of Osheaga is impressive. Year after year, Osheaga is the talk of the town in terms of must see events. 120 bands over 3 days comes out to a little over $2.50 per band! It’s more than just a festival for music. Art installation are throughout the site and the whole experience is unlike any other festival out there. Even the sponsors get creative with booths and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us this year.
Get your tickets and avoid the lineup: https://www.osheaga.com/en/passes
Week-end & Day Passes are still available.
Osheaga Map
The new layout will be quite different from previous years. The two main stages, Scène de la Rivière & Scène le la Montagne will face each other instead of being side by side. A large digital screen will separate the two areas so all can see. A similar layout will host Scène Verte & Scène de la Vallée which neighbors the main stages. This new layout should create less walking for those that like to hop from stage to stage to catch their favorite artists throughout the 3 day festival.
Osheaga Scene de la Montagne being built.
Osheaga Scène Verte & Scene de la Vallée will face each other.
Scène des Arbres with synthetic grass.
The most innovative change this year will be a floating stage for Scène de L’Ile for the EDM fans. This floating grid will bounce throughout the week-end on the waterways of Parc Jean-Drapeau. Ships at sea will wonder where all these rhythmic waves came from, as they keep on rocking.
Osheaga Floating Dance Floor!
Having a festival on Ile Notre-Dame creates an atmosphere similar to another world where music lovers can immerse themselves in the music, art and food of Osheaga World. Rodeo FX have created some visual imagery for each stage inspired by their names.
Osheaga Art Installations
Montreal Rocks sat with Nick Farkas to discuss the Osheaga legacy under the hot sun of the day. When I asked if he wanted to go inside in the air conditioning, he said he preferred to stay outside and prepare to get his “Osheaga Sweat On.”
Montreal Rocks: The first thing I noticed about you is that you were driving one of the carts that was touring our group around. Obviously, you are right in the thick of the action.
Nick Farkas: I love the carts! They don’t usually give me one.
MR: I want to bring you back to 2006. What was your vision for Osheaga back then? Did you think it would become what it has evolved to be today?
NF: I’ve thought about this question and we didn’t really think about it at whole lot. For me, at the time, I was thinking: If we could ever do 20,000 people a day, then we can keep doing it and it would be amazing. I also knew it would be hard to get to the point where we could get 20,000 people. So the goal was to get to 20 and not lose money. We came from very humble beginnings and the gradual process to get to this size has been unbelievable. I don’t use that word lightly. It’s unbelievable. I cannot believe that Osheaga is this. At the beginning, when I walked around, I knew everybody that worked on the site. Now, I hardly know half the people, there are thousands of people everywhere. It’s crazy. It’s an absolute orchestrated chaos.
MR: I was speaking to Sandra in the cart, who is part of your original team, back when you were under 15 employees. As a leader back then, you had a vision and you built this team who all bought into your vision. What are the qualities of the people you surround yourself with?
NF: People that listen to me. (we laugh) What I look for in a team are people that are incredibly competent and incredibly driven. They have to believe in what we are doing. I’ve done panels and spoke to school regarding the music & entertainment business. It looks glamourous. Hey, I get to meet Kate Upton at the Formula E. People look at that and say that’s really exciting, but the reality is that the hours are terrible, you work harder than you could ever possibly imagine and you have to be passionate about it. You have to love it. You have to see that the output of what you are going to do is worth all this pain and suffering. For us, that first year, sitting and watching Ben Harper in the rain…and I don’t think it stopped raining since the day I stepped foot on the site two days before…and going WOW, this is incredible. We did it. We had a great a team and we were so proud of the fact that we were able to put on a four stage festival with a bit of art and no people, but the people that were there had a great time and so did we. I’d been a concert promoter at that time for a while already. What concert promoting is in 2017 is so different. You book a band, you put them in your venue. They give you the artwork, tell you what to say and then you market it. That’s it. That’s why Evenko is such a great place to work because there is nothing that we won’t try. We’ll do a car race. We’ll do a food festival. We have a team in place that embraces challenges, that loves the idea of getting up the next day and doing something completely different. If it was just cookie cutter arena booking…I still love that, I always have…but what allows your team to be creative is that you have to gather and bring them in as a unit to feel that once it’s done, they did something impactful. We create the name, we created the artwork. Everything that happens is from us, there is no one telling us you have to use this picture, etc. This is the look we are going with. This is the way we are going to cover the water (referring to the new EDM floating dance floor). Whatever it is, it’s all on us, so that gives people a tremendous sense of commitment. You can’t let people down and it’s a massive team now. If you can’t handle it, you are letting down an entire team of people. It’s really camaraderie. I like the term a “camaraderie of misery.” You have the guys sleeping under the stage waiting for bands to come in at 3 AM. You are all living it together and you are all getting something more out of it. It’s more than just a job.
MR: It’s like a Band of Brothers & Sisters.
NF: Exactly. I was a tree planter. I was a bike messenger. In all these jobs, you are miserable together and that brings people closer together. People will work harder for each other, look out for each other and help. That really is the spirit we have at our small company of about 80 people. We do 1,400 events per year along with massive festivals because everyone is so bloody committed, so good at their jobs that we can do a volume that is, I think, unprecedented.
MR: The Eminem Osheaga (6th) was the one that put your name on the map and was the first one that made you a profit. What did that allow you to do going forward, now that you had this momentum?
NF: What Eminem really did for us was to give us a mainstream notoriety in this city. At that point, we were still a very niche indie rock festival. We had Coldplay and Arcade Fire, so people were starting to be able to pronounce the name, which was cool. Eminem took it to another level in the fact that I think he only did us and Lollapalooza that summer and he never plays.
MR: It’s like he put you on par with Lollapolooza.
NF: Exactly. He hadn’t played forever. People came from everywhere. People in the city where saying: What is this Osheaga thing? Eminem is playing. My initial instinct for that day was that everyone was going to show up at 8 o’clock to see Eminem. At doors, people were pilling in, watching all of the bands perform, going from stage to stage and having a great time. So I go, OK, the longevity of this thing goes beyond an indie rock festival and becomes something bigger.
(At this point in the interview, Nick takes a call. They need his permission for something. His first question to them is: “Does it block anyone’s view of the stage?” Up until then, I witnessed the passion shine out of his eyes behind his shades. Now, I see a man dedicated to making this an unforgettable experience for guests. His guests are foremost on his mind. They are placing 200,000 square feet of synthetic grass in front of the stages to cover the rocks below it. Crowd flow is being considered in every detail along with placement of the various facilities needed for such a festival.)
MR: This makes me think of the fact that you have synthetic grass. You are really thinking of the guest experience. What are you hoping people will think, as they leave the festival on Sunday night?
NF: I’m hoping that they will write down next year’s dates. I’m hoping that they will say: OK, that was awesome. I want to come back. We weren’t sure about this new site, but they did a good job. We are not going to wait for 2019, this was so much fun we will come back and do it again next year.
MR: What was your first festival?
NF: It must have been The Police Picnic in the 80s at Molson Stadium. Rubin Fogel did it back in the day. That was probably the first festival, other than that I saw small stuff with my folks. There was one also at the Olympic Stadium that was billed as a festival with Peter Tosh & The Police and a bunch of other bands.
(Nick is speaking of a show on August 3rd, 1983 with Peter Tosh, Talking Heads, Stevie Ray Vaughn & The Police
MR: What performer do you not want to miss this year?
NF: I’m not going to miss Dawes. That is one performance I’m not going to miss because I really like that band and I’ve never seen them before. It’s rare that a band is playing Osheaga that I really like but I haven’t seen. For me, a chance to see a band that most people don’t know who the hell they are, these amazing singer/songwriters, is the one I will guarantee myself I won’t miss. Also, whatever my son wants to see. Last year, we missed the Strumbellas and he hasn’t let me forget about it for an entire year till we saw them at Canada Day on July 2nd at Niagara-on-the-Lake. We saw them and City and Colour and he loved it. Whatever band he tells me we absolutely have to see this year, I’m going.
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fic: the thing with feathers
Fiona can think of a dozen reasons why Rhys might have kept Handsome Jack a secret, but none that will make Sasha feel any better. She hates him a little for that.
~3k, angst, gen. Fiona & Sasha after the fall of Helios. Also on AO3.
Notes: When I played this game I felt like some of Fiona's anger towards Rhys in the present-day narration scenes seemed pretty extreme as a reaction to the choices I'd made (trust Fiona/lie about Jack/reject Hyperion), even for someone as dramatic and emotionally clumsy as Fiona (god love her). I also thought the relationship between Sasha and Fiona was excellent. So I wanted to play with those things.
Fiona watches Gortys explode in stunned silence, adrenaline shooting tremors through her arms and legs. Fate—and a shockwave—sends her half of the core to the ground near her feet, and Fiona picks it up in a daze, her ears ringing.
As they walk, Sasha’s hand finds hers, and Fiona clings to it, anchors herself with it like she has since she was eight years old. She closes her eyes, focusing on the mantra that has kept her and her sister alive all this time. Take care of Sasha.
Sasha is the first to speak. “Where are the others?”
Fiona looks back at the empty stretch of land where Gortys had been, the swirl of the storm settling, the Vault and its monster gone. Debris and bodies are scattered among the rocks. She doesn’t answer.
Sasha lets go of her sister’s hand, raising a finger to hear ear instead.
“Rhys? Are you there? Can you hear me?” The sound of Sasha’s voice echoes double in Fiona’s ear. “Loaderbot, what about you? Anyone? Hello? Rhys?”
There’s nothing but silence in return. Eventually Sasha’s hand drops back to her side.
Fiona allows herself a second to feel the roiling mess of emotions pulling her every which way, then sets her shoulders and puts it all aside. Take care of Sasha.
Everything else comes second to that.
“We need to get out of here,” Fiona says. “This place will be swarming with bandits and scavengers and God knows what else any moment.”
In another life, Fiona and Sasha would be among them, picking through the remains of Helios with relish. Here, now, Fiona wants to get as far away from the wreckage as possible.
Sasha must feel the same, because she doesn’t protest, even for a shot at the stockpile of Hyperion weapons that must have landed somewhere. Instead she moves to help August, who’s still crumpled on the ground, mourning a mother Fiona had wanted to kill herself.
As she passes Finch’s body, Fiona stops. Fresh burns on his face have eclipsed the old ones she gave him.
She rips Sasha’s goggles out of his limp hand.
—
They steal a vehicle left behind by Vallory’s gang and ride in silence, a deafening change from the constant companionable chatter of the last few weeks.
Fiona drives until she can’t anymore, until the last of the adrenaline is replaced with a fatigue she feels in her bones. She pulls over somewhere she hopes is as safe as any place in Pandora, tips her hat down over her eyes and falls into dreamless sleep in the driver’s seat.
When she wakes again a pit has settled in her stomach, leaving her nauseous. After nearly thirty years on Pandora, Fiona has killed more people than she could count. It’s a matter of necessity and survival, and she stopped wasting guilt on it long ago.
Yet she can’t turn off the parade of faces in her mind: Felix with her bullet in his neck, opening a briefcase set to explode. Scooter, his hand trapped by a piece of bad design. Vaughn lost somewhere on Pandora. Loaderbot asking for a promise Fiona can’t keep. Athena dragged away by Vallory’s goons.
Gortys begging for her own destruction.
Rhys on the other side of a nearly-closed door, so scared and wanting to be the hero anyway.
“Fuck,” she hisses, heels of her hands pressed against her eyes.
Desperate for a distraction, she turns away from the steering wheel. August is asleep across the backseat, a makeshift bandage over his wound. Sasha is missing from the passenger’s seat.
The roof, Fiona thinks. Sasha always liked the view from the top of the caravan when they were on the road, liked how vast and expansive the night sky is—a whole universe of possibility outside of Hollow Point.
Fiona has never been as much of a dreamer as her sister.
Still, she hops out the window of her door and heaves herself up to look at the roof. The storm is over, the sky clear and dark. Liberated from the shadow of Helios, Elpis shines big and bright by its lonesome.
Sasha is nowhere to be found.
For a split second, it makes Fiona’s heart race, but she takes a breath. She climbs back into her seat and leans over August, hitting his ankles to wake him.
“Where did Sasha go?”
His peaceful sleeping face turns to a scowl as he wakes to the wrong sister looming above him. Fiona knows full well he’d helped them for Sasha’s benefit only, though she doesn't blame him. He must know he wouldn’t be her choice of survivor.
“How should I know?” he grumbles. “I’ve been sleeping.”
He’s got a point. Fiona scowls back anyway. “Whatever. I’m going to find her. Try not to do anything stupid, okay?”
August rolls his eyes but doesn’t argue any further, which is too bad, because Fiona is itching for a fight. She thinks of Rhys—always good for a verbal dust-up whenever she wanted one—and then wishes she hadn’t.
She leaves August sleeping and steps outside.
“Sasha?” she calls. “Sash, you out here?”
She picks up her pace, circling the car, trying to stamp out the anxiety rising in her belly. Sasha is fine. If she survived Helios and Pandora and a Vault monster, she’ll survive a pitstop.
Still, Fiona quickens her step and calls Sasha’s name louder.
Finally, after a minute that feels like an eternity, Fiona sees a silhouette in the distance and jogs to cross the space between them. She’s just about to unleash a scolding when she gets a proper look at Sasha—shoulders tensed, fists clenching and unclenching, lips a taut thin line—and changes her mind.
“Hey…” says Fiona, gentle instead. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” says Sasha automatically. Then, “No. No, I’m not, I’m—ugh.” She moves frantically all of the sudden, stripping off her black blazer as urgently as if it is on fire. “I’m so—fucking—sick of —fucking—Hyperion,” she snarls, holding the blazer in both hands and tugging. “And I just—I— oh, ugh, God, okay, this is really well made.”
Unable to rip it in half as she intended, Sasha throws the blazer to the ground instead. She rips the headband out of her hair and adds it to the pile, grinding them both into the dirt with her heel for good measure.
Fiona blinks down at the discarded clothes, suddenly regretting the sleek black-and-gold outfit she actually quite likes; she has nothing to contribute to the sacrifice.
“I know.” She sighs, then shrugs. “But… hey, you know, there are other Vaults.”
“I’m not upset about the stupid Vault!” shouts Sasha, staring at Fiona so incredulously she recoils. Then her face softens. “I mean… not really.”
Fiona crosses her arms and looks down at her chipped nail polish.
“Yeah,” she agrees quietly, “me neither.” She forces a smile and tries for levity. “It's not all bad, though. I mean, we did literally bring Hyperion crashing down in flames.”
“Yeah, we did,” Sasha grins, but it's fleeting and followed by a frown. “It... didn't really feel as good as I always imagined.”
Fiona’s smile fades, and brushes back her dyed lock of hair. “Uh... no. No, it didn't, did it?”
Sasha is quiet for a moment, staring plaintively at the sky. They’ve worn all sorts of things for all sorts of jobs over the years, but seeing Sasha like this—with her hair down, a white button-up blouse and a black pencil skirt—is so incongruous that Fiona finds it a little unnerving. It makes her look strangely vulnerable, a side of Sasha that even Fiona rarely gets a glimpse of.
Then she turns to face Fiona with wide, imploring eyes and it’s even worse.
“Why didn’t he tell us?” she demands, sad and angry in equal measure. “I knew something was wrong! I asked him! I told him we were worried! Why did he lie? Why didn’t he trust me?”
Fiona can think of a dozen reasons why Rhys might have kept Handsome Jack a secret, but none that will make Sasha feel any better.
She hates him a little for that.
So she snorts and shakes her head and says, “Because he’s a selfish douchebag, and if he’s still alive I’m going to—”
“Shut up,” Sasha snaps, so sharp that Fiona’s eyes widen in surprise. Just like that, Sasha’s sadness is superseded by rage. “Shut up, just—stop it! He’s not here to hear you insult him, okay? There’s no points for you to score, you don’t need to keep up with this stupid charade. He’s not here, he’s probably dead, no one’s here, it’s just us, and maybe if you weren’t jumping down his throat every five seconds—”
“Whoa, whoa, hold on, this is my fault now?” She doesn’t want to fight with Sasha, not really, not now, but all the emotion she’s been keeping down for hours is boiling over inside her. “Sorry, which one of us wanted to ditch him in Jack’s office and which one of us insisted we wait?”
“Oh my God, I just wanted to wait by the ship! I wasn’t planning to abandon him on Helios, which is exactly what you did!”
“I didn’t have a choice! I had to look after you, like I always do—”
“I can take care of myself!”
“—because you got yourself kidnapped to help August, of all people—”
“He got shot for us, why shouldn’t I?”
Fiona scoffs. “After nearly putting a bullet in us himself six times, yeah, big hero.”
Sasha shifts uncomfortably but doesn’t back down. “It’s not like we’re innocent. We tried to con him—”
“Who cares?” Fiona’s eyes roll in exasperation. “We tried to make a buck, we weren’t going to hurt him. Meanwhile his warlord mother blackmailed us into this whole mess, she stabbed Vaughn—”
“You let that happen!” yells Sasha with an accusatory finger jab. “And yeah, I wanted to help August, okay? I felt bad. I spent months with the guy, and he got shot for me, and I wanted to help him. So what?”
“Oh, come on, we’ve been over this!” Fiona shoots a frustrated stare skyward. “You can’t care about the marks, Sasha, that’s the point.”
“Well, excuse me,” Sasha snarls, “if using people doesn’t come as naturally to me as it does to you and Felix.”
“I do what I have to do to keep us both alive.” Fiona is distantly aware of the way her voice is starting to shake.
Sasha’s glare is ice cold. “Yeah, but it never seems to bother you very much, does it?”
“Of course it bothers me!” Fiona explodes, arms spread wide. “I’m not a monster, all right? Of course it does! But I haven’t had the luxury of letting it get to me me since the night Mom didn’t come home, okay?”
Sasha opens her mouth like she wants to yell back, but no sound comes out. Slowly her expression softens.
Fiona can’t think straight over the sound of her heartbeat in her ears, and the nausea from earlier is worse than ever. She looks away, nibbling on her lip, trying to keep her breathing under control. Her eyes sting in a way she hasn’t felt in years and she blinks rapidly to push it down.
“Fi…” Sasha says eventually, her voice gentle now. “I—I didn’t mean that. I know you’re not a monster. It’s just…” She sighs. “You make it look so easy sometimes.” When Fiona looks at her, she’s got a weak smile on her face. “Even with Felix. It’s like you can just… get over it. Makes me jealous.”
“Well…” Fiona raises her chin, puts her hands on her hips and adopts an expression of false pride. “Making it look easy is maybe my greatest con.” Then she deflates. “And I don’t want you to be like me. I don’t want you to stop caring. It’s just…” She trails off, gesturing helplessly.
“Caring sucks,” Sasha offers frankly, and Fiona smiles.
“Yeah.”
With a huge sigh, Sasha looks around, and then, finding nothing better, sinks down to sit on the Hyperion clothes she’d dropped earlier. She props her elbows on her knees, and Fiona takes a seat next to her, legs crossed.
Fiona doesn’t want to fight anymore, and she feels exhausted enough by the argument they did have. But with her anger melted away, Sasha only looks unreservedly sad, and Fiona knows she’s ill-equipped to help.
“Feels like every time we get close to something good it slips away again,” Sasha admits quietly, looking at her hands, chipping the polish off her thumbnail.
“I know.” Fiona traces a circle in the dirt with one finger, trying to find the optimism Sasha needs to hear. “But… listen, one day we’re gonna get it right. I promise.” She puts on a grin. “I mean, statistically, we must be due for some good luck soon.”
Sasha nods, but it's clear she doesn't believe it.
That’s fine. Fiona doesn’t really believe herself, either.
A minute or two passes in silence, Sasha picking at her nails, Fiona mindlessly adding to her design in the dirt until the interlocking circles start to remind her of Gortys and she wipes it away with her palm. She shifts until her knee is bumped up against Sasha’s thigh, appreciating the touch, however small. She never wants to revisit the few moments when she thought she’d lost Sasha too.
When Sasha speaks again, her voice is small, and Fiona pictures her many years ago, ratty clothes and dirty hair, crying because she was too frightened to steal the wallet from the man Fiona was distracting.
“It was good, though, wasn’t it? Having a team?” Sasha asks, and though Fiona looks over, Sasha is looking at her lap. “Having friends, real friends, for once, not—not marks or trading partners or temporary alliances, but real, actual friends. It was nice, right?”
She looks at Fiona then with such desperation that Fiona couldn’t deny her if she wanted to.
Fortunately, she doesn’t have to lie.
“Yeah.” Fiona swallows the lump in her throat. “Yeah, it was nice.”
Sasha hugs her knees tighter, staring at some spot on the ground in front of her. “I just—I can’t believe they’re all—all…”
She can’t bring herself to finish the thought. With a noise midway between a groan and a sob, she rests her forehead on her knees and squeezing her eyes shut.
We don’t know that, Fiona thinks of saying. Rhys and Vaughn have both surprised her before, and Loaderbot is, well, durable. She wants to believe Athena’s okay, too, that she’s escaped her captors and gone back to Janey with nothing more than a vague sense of regret at taking a job from Felix in the first place.
But Fiona’s a realist, and Loaderbots are strong, not indestructible. Vaughn is lost somewhere in the Pandoran desert without a weapon or even the know-how to use one. Athena’s at the mercy of people who want something that can’t possibly be good. As for Rhys—
Fiona had been there as Helios started to fall. She’d been there to feel the frenzied panic, see the people outnumbering escape pods three to one, watch the explosions as the station collapsed in on itself and escape pods collide with each other. Throw in Handsome Jack with a vendetta, and...
Well, Fiona’s a gambler, but she wouldn’t take that bet.
False hope can be crueler than the truth. She won’t do that to Sasha.
So instead she reaches out, puts her hand on her sister’s shoulder and squeezes. Sasha doesn’t look up, but she rests her hand overtop of Fiona’s.
“We’ve still got each other,” says Fiona, more resolute in that than in anything else. When Sasha nods, Fiona allows herself a little grin. “And, hey, you know, I’m pretty sure August would do just about anything you asked, so, if that’s what you want...”
Sasha finally lifts her head, resting her chin on her arms. She lets out a whisper of a laugh, then says, “You know, he gave me a flower.”
“August? Seriously?” Fiona snorts. “Didn’t strike me as a flower guy.”
“No, not August. Rhys.”
Surprise contorts Fiona’s face. “Wh—what? When?”
“At that Atlas biodome place, when it was just the two of us.” Sasha’s voice has turned wistful. “He picked one of the flowers and he tucked it behind my ear.” She chuckles. “Um, of course, then it sprayed some kind of pollen in his face and those floaty jelly things got really angry…”
Sasha smiles at the horizon, lost in the memory—which is good, because it means she doesn’t see Fiona’s expression of mingled shock and disgust.
She’s not an idiot, of course; she’d seen the looks Rhys sent Sasha, and heard the way his inarticulate bumbling became even more pronounced whenever Sasha was around. What surprises her is not the flower-giving itself, but rather the look on Sasha’s face as she retells it: soft and fond and faraway.
Fiona schools her features into a neutral expression even as she buzzes with renewed irritation. Anger is far more comfortable than grief, so Fiona wraps herself in it like a blanket.
Rhys liked her sister enough to give her a flower, but not enough to tell her the truth when she asked.
If Fiona ever sees him again, she’s going to knock him flat on his skinny cyborg ass.
“I know it’s stupid,” Sasha says, her expression suddenly self-conscious as she hugs her arms around herself. “But…” She hesitates, chewing her lip and looking away shyly. “It was a really pretty flower,” she finishes lamely.
“It’s not stupid,” says Fiona, short but sincere. She rises to her feet, brushes the dust from her hands. She won’t give her sister false hope, but she can give her a plan. “Okay. Here’s what we’re doing. We go back to Hollow Point—”
Sasha snorts humourlessly. “Fucking Hollow Point—”
“We go back to Hollow Point,” Fiona carries on, “because people can find us there. If someone…” She pauses, choosing her words carefully. “If anyone were looking for us, they would know to look in Hollow Point. Okay?”
Sasha regards her for a moment, weighing her options, her hatred of Hollow Point against the love of her friends.
Finally she nods. “Okay. Yeah. I guess that makes sense. Hollow Point it is. Again.”
Fiona offers her hand, Sasha takes it, and the combined effort lifts Sasha to her feet. Together they turn and head back towards the car.
“Tell you what though,” Fiona adds, bumping Sasha’s shoulder with her own. “I’m proud of us. Technically we did find a Vault. Not bad for a couple of orphaned Pandoran street urchins.”
“Hey now.” Sasha’s mouth turns up in a small smile, her first of the night that isn’t overshadowed by sadness. “A couple of orphaned Pandoran Vault Hunters.”
No one comes to find them, and though they never discuss it, Fiona knows she and Sasha draw the same conclusions.
Months pass, and when a message arrives addressed to them both and claiming to be from Rhys, Fiona is suspicious. Her gut tells her it can’t be him, and Fiona trusts her gut more than she trusts just about anything else in the universe.
But she’s curious about who would use his name to try to get to them, so she keeps the message to herself, feeds Sasha a lie about going to follow up on a lead about a Vault key (“it’s probably nothing—you know how it is”), and goes to investigate the rendezvous on her own.
Besides—on the off chance it really is Rhys, Fiona owes him a punch, and he owes her an explanation for why he sent a goddamned missive instead of having the balls to come see Sasha in person.
When she gets hit from behind and wakes up alone in God-knows-where, arms tied to her sides, her first thought is that her gut is always right.
Her second thought is that only Rhys could continue to ruin her life posthumously.
#sasha the kid sister#fiona the con artist#tales from the borderlands#borderlands#vimesbootstheory#it's me and i'm here to write gen in an old fandom!!! everyone's fave type of fic!!#maybe later i'll write a 60k plotty adventure fic about an OC#oodlyenough i write fic
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