So, can we talk about Vaughn for a minute?
You guys, I'm worried about him. There have been a lot of little things in each episode that, on their own, seem to be no big deal, but taken together have given me pause for concern (and by pause, I mean a few hours of not sleeping the other night, because I am a ridiculous woman who has invested my entire heart into the friendship between Rhys and Vaughn and Vaughn's well being). I mentioned this in another thread and said I had been considering making a post outlining my unease, and someone replied to me asking me to do it, so here it is.
Episode 1: there wasn't much in this one, honestly. A few times "Vaughn will remember that" when I didn't think I had said much of consequence made me think "huh, that's weird." But taken as part of a larger whole, I think maybe they contributed to, well, whatever is going on with him. When we first arrived on Pandora and I got cocky in the car and told him he wasn't thinking big enough, and when Loaderbot helped us escape and I declared "okay, that was kinda fun though" and he still seemed unconvinced. Again, there wasn't much in episode one and I realize those things may have been inconsequential.
During the death race, Vaughn was so intent on getting the case back that when Fiona saves his life, all he cares about is the case, to the point she even has to prompt him for a "thank you" (if you choose that dialogue), and his line about how Vasquez was going to kill him. It just seemed a little... Intense, I guess?
Episode 2: Another "Vaughn will remember that" moment right after the title sequence, when he's exhilarated and yelling about not being afraid anymore and I told him "that's the spirit" which I took as part of a larger pattern with the things he would remember from episode one. At the time, I took it to foreshadow how Vaughn would become more kickass and want to be a Vault Hunter, but that's not really how the story plays out at ALL, especially by Ep 4.
Obviously, the reveal of Vaughn having made a deal with Vasquez was a big cause for concern and a major plot point. However it doesn't really tie into my overarching concern because I honestly believe he wasn't going to go through with selling me out (I believe that now, I wasn't sure for a while.) Maybe because I love him so, he seemed so sincere, and their bro-convo was one of my favorite scenes in the series to date, but I really wanted to believe him (yeah, you know I fist bumped him).
Episode 3: where I really started to worry. Though not until my second play through on the save file where I always trust Jack. If you went with Jack's plan at the end of episode two Vaughn doesn't get paralyzed. When Fiona and Sasha are talking to Athena and Vaughn is just poking Vasquez's body with a stick, I was like "ooooh boy, my sweet little muffin is NOT OKAY." Annoyingly, Fiona and Sasha sort of wave it off with "he's fine!" Which is also a thing everyone does the whole time if he IS paralyzed. You guys are his actual friends in actual (non-) life, you should share my concern!
At the dome, when Loaderbot is clearing a path to the gate, Vaughn has a conversation with Rhys (if you try to talk to him before this, he's standing off by himself and you can ask him what's wrong and he just kind of snaps at you with "I'm fine" and Rhys looks so taken aback and CLEARLY ALL OF YOU NEED TO COMMUNICATE MORE but anyway). This conversation really worried me, because it boiled down to Vaughn being both a lot worried and a little resentful. He tells a story about how the two of you were in line for a party and they wouldn't let him in but they let you (Rhys) in because even though he's just as much a nerd he always looks cool and confident and gets the girls, etc. The surrounding conversation is one of "now we're on Pandora and you fit into the role of loveable rogue so well and I feel like you don't need me anymore," basically. Certain dialogue choices can irritate him but if you go with "I'm never leaving you behind" like I did, he gives you this big relieved hug.
Then you go inside and formulate your plan to get the chassis and promptly leave him behind.
It's up to Fiona to make him feel useful by giving him a mission as he's calling after everyone saying he can do things, even if he's not charming or a fighter. Broke my heart.
If Vaughn is paralyzed, the scene where you had the conversation with him is replaced by one where Loaderbot is worried about him and expressing more concern than anyone else has about him, wanting to know why this happened to him. I didn't play enough times to go through all the dialogue options but even the most reassuring ones still boiled down to "don't worry, he'll be FINE" as the POV switches to over LB's shoulder so you can see Vaughn's eyes moving around, clearly listening in. In this case it's his call to stay behind but he still has to call after the group wanting to know how he can be useful.
Episode 4: okay, so going into this one I had thoroughly convinced myself that Vaughn would be revealed as the traitor, because of three things: Telltale clearly hates me and likes to stomp on my feels, and because Vaughn was always off by himself right before the bad guys show up. In ep 2, he's behind a rock peeing right before Vasquez shoots down from Helios in that car, he's off by himself at Old Haven while you're looking for the power switches to get into Atlas right before Vasquez and August show up (he's over by the farthest out switch, well away from the girls if they're there), and he's alone in the control room at the dome while everyone else is getting the upgrade right before Vallory shows up (well, alone with Cassius but whatever). I thought there was way more to that watch he found than a calculator and pong. Third, if you made a deal to trust Jack on the roof of the camper, when it cuts back to present day Fiona says something like "so are all your best friends murderers and traitors" and Rhys doesn't answer or look at her and she then gets this self-aware regretful look on her face, which in typical fashion I interpreted a massive load of subtext into, namely Rhys' actual best friend also turned out to be a traitor and she just realized she stuck her foot in her mouth and hurt his feelings. (I know he doesn't say anything either if you rejected Jack and she tells him she didn't think he had it in him, but still.)
So I had steeled myself for his betrayal, thus my reaction to Yvette was one of immense relief (yay it wasn't my boy!), but then I got super mad and knocked her across the room with my stun baton.
But you guys, episode 4 was the worst of all. Not only did everyone go and leave him behind (AGAIN) after that conversation last episode (if you had it), admittedly through no fault of we, the players, if you had the one scene with Vaughn in this episode, it was super worrying. He seems SO despondent and SO tired and just beat down. And you're doing your best as Rhys to lift him up, but that fire of "I AM NOT AFRAID ANYMORE" is just gone. It feels like you are drifting apart as friends and it made me so upset, even with the most bro-affirming of dialogue choices. Like this is a parting of ways that won't ever fully come back together. And I could be okay with that, if he seemed like he was going to confidently go off and do his own thing, but that's not what it feels like at all. Plus, there's a weird bit of dialogue where if you tell him this is just another adventure we will tell our kids about when we're millionaires, he snaps "I told you I don't want kids!" and Rhys' face mimicked mine exactly. It's very aggressive and doesn't feel like a joke (and also, no you didn't, buddy...)
Telltale's choice to sideline one of the major four characters for an entire episode, the one where we infiltrate Helios and get the final upgrade, seemed like such a weird and worrisome choice to me. If you don't have that scene and Cassius helped him escape instead of turning him over to Vallory, all you get is a garbled phone call about eating Drakefruit.
And finally, of course: where is Vaughn in present day?
So what do you guys think? What's going on with Vaughn? Where is all this leading? Am I reading far too much into everything (probably) and overthinking it all (definitely) and am I far too invested in the inner lives of fictional characters (oh my yes)? I need Rhys and Vaughn to be super-bros 4eva, and if they aren't, I need my perfect little cinnamon roll to be okay, and he doesn't seem okay right now. Tell me he will be okay. Soothe me you guys cause it's so long till episode five.
Comments
WOW that is a MASSIVE wall of text. Sorry you guys. I have a lot of feelings about this, I guess.
Don't apologise, I feel the same. Vaughn is one of my favourite people in this game and if he were to /shudders/ die, I would flip my shit.
We
you, Vaughn.
I'm so glad I'm not alone. I was laying in my bed two nights ago mulling over every single noteworthy interaction and facial expression (which I have helpfully detailed here, for all you people who have all already played the game and saw the same things I did, because I apparently cannot talk about A Thing I Love without vomiting 8,000 word think pieces all over everyone, please don't ever ask me about Game of Thrones). No matter how many times I told myself "oh my god, cussbunny, he is a character in a game you play by poking your finger at your phone, you cannot actually find him and wrap him in a warm blanket please relax" there was a louder voice that just made a distressing high-pitched whine at me.
Existential Crisis Vaughn is NOT okay with me YOU MAKE HIM BETTER TELLTALE.
Vaughn's actually probably gonna be still alive.
As soon as Aurelia catches rumours of "Some Hyperion accountant guy who fights like a psycho but is fairly sane", she's going to hire him as her new accountant and Vaughn will spend the rest of his days hacking off legs in the day and organizing numbers and graphs and finding legal loopholes in the evening.
I literally done the same. I mean, when I saw him in Episode Four I was like "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY VAUGHN?". I find myself obsessing over fictional characters far too often, and then I'll end up curled in bed, pondering on how life isn't fair that I'll never be able to touch them. I've piled it onto my friends, too. They say I could write my entire life story in the time I use to talk about the Vaughn Situation.
Vaughn better be okay, that little chat we had with him on the back of Finch's and Kroger's vehicle makes me wonder if that would be the last time we see him. VAUGHN I LOVE YOU PLEASE BE OKAY.
My friends all do not want August to go, either. Having Nolan North appear alongside the great Troy Baker and Laura Bailey in BL3 would be wonderful.
I haven't played the other Borderlands games (though I want to now), but this seems like a good plan. I think he would be happy.
Totally prepared to just abort reality if things go south in episode five and live in this headcanon thoroughly until I no longer remember I made it up. Well, you made it up.
August is too adorable, even with the blood from his nose ring being ripped out.
. If TellTale does this, and these three VAs do join forces in BL3, I might just go insane from happiness.
I don't know anyone who plays this game so after episode 4 I specifically sought out this forum just so I could talk with other people who also have invested way too many feelings into it, which is something I rarely if ever do. I even really want to play the actual Borderlands games now despite not having a console or a PC worth a shit for gaming and not really liking FPS much. I just love this world. If the characters from TFTB are in BL3, I definitely will.
I've seen a lot of people express that opinion about August but I'm not sure I get it. I like him but I'm way less invested in his fate than I am of the main four, Gortys, and Loaderbot.
And cue my theory:
"All of 'em will have something to wear...except August. He's just wearing a vest and a bandolier over his mighty abs."
Start with Borderlands 2. Buy it on Steam, or Amazon, on the App Store for Mac, or just pop down to Target or Wal-Mart and check out how much it costs. If you have enough money, check out the Handsome Collection, which introduced a whole new range of fans.
Me and Syberian made a headcanon AU that extended into writing mini-stories over Fanfiction PMs, which resulted in 4700 PMs and counting.
Maybe cause he reminds me a bit of an ex boyfriend.
Go for it. Save up to get a new computer, then get BL2 first.
At least if he dies, let him go out like a badass or die saving everyone.
I feel bad for Vaughn. I can understand how he might feel left out and useless compare to the rest of the group. Fiona's leadership and quick thinking, Rhys' hacking, robot control and HJ enhancement, Sasha's gun skills, Loader Bot's sheer power and Gortys' knowledge of the vault, tracking and summoning the Vault. He desperately want to contribute to the group and find some acknowledgement.
I wonder what his role will be in the final episode.
I think he'll turn on his mother. That would make me like him a LOT.
Oh man, I would love to see that.
Of course, he might not be as defined as Vaughn, bro can get it on with his pack.
I feel like I'm missing a lot of in-jokes having never played the other games, but that's made the game funnier at times. Like when I shot the diamond horse thing, I yelled "Why is it bleeding?? WHY IS IT BLEEDING?!" at my phone - right before Fiona said almost the exact same thing.
Well I need a new computer anyway, this seems like a good excuse.
I shall explain:
Lucky bastard, he got a legendary ON HIS VERY FIRST PLAYTHROUGH!
He could be a sniper.
And he'll revert from Ep 3 to 4's Grumpy Bear to Ep 1 and 2's Classy Pandoran Gangster.
It would be funny if the gang all have to dry their shirts, and August just steps out shirtless, and the music and dialogue stop for several minutes.
And for the rest of the episode, there will be increasingly desperate attempts to get August to not put his shirt back on.
You think? I kinda liked Maniac Vaughn who thought it was a good idea to leap out of a goddamn tree on to Vallory's back. That was amazing. Not very well thought out or effective, but amazing. I liked "go in guns blazing" Vaughn, but the thought of Sniper Vaughn gives me a funny little feeling in my stomach. In a good way.
Regardless, his role in ep 5 is to return to the story when all hope seems lost, and save the day, triumphant.
Well. I'm just getting increasingly more irritated at my friend who do game for not telling me about this series a long time ago.
He was going to buy a Dahl (who makes weapons that are well-balanced, meant for mercenaries or the typical G.I, look very realistic and ALWAYS do burst-fire when you aim down the sights) sniper rifle from Borderlands 1. I'm not sure about his taste, because burst-fire on a sniper rifle made players throw up, but he'll probably get hold of one somehow.
August - "Hey guys, have you seen my shirt? I feel awkward that you all have yours on and I don't."
Fiona - "Yeah, I think we lost your shirt back on Helios..."
Rhys - "Yeah, we DEFINITELY did and we DEFINITELY do not have it in our inventory.. TOTALLY not.."
I played it for the first time, back in November last year, as my friend's Plan B if Bioshock didn't work on my computer.
Several playthroughs later, I can be safe to say that it's now my favourite game. Most of TF2's community was getting increasingly toxic anyway...
Cue a cutscene of this:
Sasha: HE WENT OFF TO BREAK INTO THE GUN SHOP!
(Excited screaming)
Fiona: GREAT!
(They place it on an Incendiary barrel, shoot the barrel and run off)
Wait, what? Are you just conjecturing or did I miss a bit of plot development somewhere?
Read that in everyone's voice respectively.
If you keep the whole "What's the first thing you're gonna buy" dialogue dragging on, Vaughn will mention he's gonna buy a Dahl sniper rifle.
And yes, in BL2, Dahl is arguably the most well balanced, except they insist on ONLY burst fire when scoped. Which can be a hassle sometimes.
I love this thread right now, I'm so happy reading all of these comments.
This is what I live for.
You guys are the best and I feel so much better you don't even know.
We can all be Vaughn Bros.
We all do after a little bit of Vaughn appreciation.
Plus, abs. I'm a guy, but still...
Everyone has an appreciation for abs. Even abs love other abs.
I reckon August is going to be more bulked.
I'm really worried about Vaughn, i'm really are because I love this tiny nerd and if something wrong happened to him i'm gonna die in pieces.
In episode 3 you almost don't have time to talk to him (even less if you trust Fiona) And I feel like that's not right, even if that hug moment is the best Bromance moment in all the game, Vaughn is still underestimated. I feel like shit when, after talk to him and discover that he is worried about be abandoned, you actually abandon him! (he was with Cassius, yes, but out of the mission)
and in episode 4! he is ALL the episode out of scene, just a phone call and that's it, and a little reminder with Sasha in front of the spaceship and nothing else! I feel that's not right.
I love Vaughn but Telltales insisted to take him away from us!
WHY!?
(My theory is: Vaughn is gonna end crazy or something else, like a bandit mix with a Psycho, and is gonna be the leader of a bunch of murderers Psychos or bandits, i don't know why I believe this, but actually is the idea I have in mind)
Any vid of the scene you get with Vaughn if you try to let Athena murder Cassius?