#the dlc was still very lovely and i enoyed it a lot but you know. i miss my girl athena. she would've fitted there prefectly

[kelean]

replayed commander lilith and the fight for sanctuary recently and now i'm thinking about all the lost potential and it's actually making me so, so sad.

like! if they would've just continued from where the pre-sequel left off we could’ve had athena somewhere on sanctuary because you can't tell me that after hearing the watcher's words about the incoming war she would just go and become the ceo of whatever (fuck you ntftbl) instead of staying and helping the little people. because yes, janey did ask her to step aside from the vault hunting business, but, you know, there is plenty of work to do without needing to kill anyone – and athena wouldn’t be alone now. or at least she wouldn't be working with some questionable people

also, can you imagine what athena would've felt like after going to the helios ruins? the exact place where her life took a 180-degree turn? all the memories - the bad and the good ones - that would've flooded back? especially with the fact that lilith - one of the people who tried to kill her here the last time - is fighting alongside her. they are allies now. friends, even. (also, there is a thing to say about cassius - we don't know if she canonically spared him, but in this dlc she would've had the chance to see that it was actually the right choice. yes, he was manipulated to work with the bad guys again, but he atoned himself in the end, making a sacrifice for people he barely knew - something she could definitely respect)

and athena would be here with janey, too, because at this point they are quite literally married. and because janey is a damn good mechanic she would definetly be besties with ellie, with them bonding over some mechanical stuff (and i’m still convinced that janey should have been the one to build a spaceship for sanctuary 3. you know, considering her specialty). and she was also the one who had been working with scooter for some time so. she would probably have some stories to tell

besides, i just can’t stop thinking about how awkward the first meeting between janey and bl1 vhs would be. with lilith, brick and mordecai going "yeah sorry we kidnapped your girlfriend and sorry that we tried to kill her. we are on good terms now tho. she's a really good storyteller and everyone loves her. tina is probably her number one fan" while janey would be standing there staring daggers at them

oh and also consider this - athena and brick becoming friends on the basis of both of them needing to find a less... uh... murderous hobby. maybe doing some (real) gardening together as was suggested by mordecai. or cooking! or knitting! i don't know. there are just so many possibilities. and they would also spar in a free time. and athena would win every single time (becaue it was stated that if not for the vallory's interference, she would have taken both him and mordecai down so. yeah. she might be short but she is extremely deadly)

and i'm not saying that she should've been the dlc's main focus because in the end it is a story about lilith becoming a true leader for the crimson raiders, but still. having athena around would've made so much sense