#I love Gildun so much

[nerd-artist]

Gildun in Nora High Matriarch 🤎

[pymsanz]

"It's good to see you, Gildun." Horizon Forbidden West - Aloy & Gildun

[i-am-confusion-03]

"Aloy! Is he in there? Or are you doing that thing where you talk to yourself again"

-Gildun, yelling over to Aloy as she talks to herself over a corpse

I love him so much

[catscades]

Yeah Seyka is cool, Londra is an excellent villain, the boss fight was one of the best in the series, but the BEST part of Burning Shores?

💕✨❤️Gildun❤️✨💕

[themissakat]

sorry about taking so long to think of words, but i think i finally have good questions.

what are your guesses for where the 3rd game is going to take place? Visit a new location or return to old locations of the first 2? the forbidden west and carja and nora?

How do you think aloy and friends are going to develop? where could the game go to further the character arcs of the squad?

words are hard you're good

gonna put a readmore bc it has a lot of Forbidden West spoilers!!

My first guess would be that we'll see something related to the Oseram homeland, as its the only one of the main tribes (aside from the Quen ofc) where we've met their people but not been to their capital. I don't have 100% certainty on this because the Oseram are the most nomadic of all the tribes we've seen thus far, those guys are everywhere, so its hard to say if visiting a centralized leader would be applicable to getting their support, as opposed to getting in touch with individual groups like the Vanguard at Meridian or the group at Burning Ember.

I think it would be so cool to see the Quen homeland, and I've read some fics that propose the potential use of Zenith tech (like the shuttle, its just hanging out still) to travel those long distances faster. It would be interesting to see if they push the travel that far, as they played a little bit with that in Burning Shores and going to the San Francisco area, but Vegas to San Fran is a little different than crossing the entire Pacific Ocean.

as for the characters, I really hope to see Aloy continue to open up about accepting help from others and not shouldering the entire burden herself. One of my favorite arcs in hfw was how Aloy contended with Elisabet's "legacy", and how she, at first, accepted sole responsibility for it, to the point of pushing everyone else away from her. Her being the "key" to the facilities obviously put her in a place of "if i dont do this, no one else CAN", but I think that the introduction of Beta and the staunch support of her friends really finally pushed her into "it is okay to accept help".

I think that meeting Beta and contending with their differences despite their being genetically identical was a very needed push for Aloy, because it put a mirror up to her experiences and reinforced for her that she IS NOT just a clone of Elisabet, but her own unique person as well. I will keep saying it but their sisterhood breaks me and rebuilds me into a better human, i love them so much sdjfhsd

I do think we'll be seeing a lot of returning cast of course, including Avad and hopefully the Nora as well. I'm very excited for the introduction of Seyka to the greater group, because I'm curious how the writers will handle Aloy actually having a requited romance, instead of just being the subject of a lot of people's attention. ( my thread for talking about hfw is called "Flirting With Aloy Like It's An Olympic Sport" for a reason ).

Despite not being the main focus of the story, there are SO MANY moments where Aloy interacts with romance and attraction that I can't see them not resolving that plot point for her and Seyka. I, personally, expect it to be tied into the concept of "after", of the future she will have once the future of the planet is secured. I personally headcanon that Aloy will struggle with this concept, as she has been completely goal driven her entire life, and to finally achieve that goal is something she has never considered.

I want to meet Federa and Zo's baby ofc. I dont have too many other specific thoughts about character arc resolution for the rest, aside from that I hope Erend finds something worth fighting for, as he has lost SO MUCH and at times seems to be the most lost amongst the group. He has his heart in the right place, but I feel he is very deep in his grief for his sister still, whereas a lot of the other characters have more specific goals or people to inspire them onward.

I can't think of any more specific thoughts atm sjdfd except, Gildun beloved, Burning Embers crew beloved, good characters all around.

[foibles-fables]

I know there’s a lot of turmoil in the Horizon fandom right now  but I just wanted to say that you remain one of the coolest people I have ever known in this fandom. You make amazing content and support so many WLW ships. You’re always up for crazy Theories and headcanons, and are kind to anonymous commenters,  even when they badly jumble their words and sound like they’re being mean, which I’ve definitely done by mistake but you understood my true intent, even before I clarified. Thank you for all you do in this space, you’re an amazing person that still makes me enjoy this game, even with the highs and lows of HFW’s writing and the recent shipping chaos. Please know your works have made me smile so much through the years and your posts always brighten my feed. Thanks for everything!

You know what? Usually I reply to these kinds of asks with a hilariously zany meme and some earnest capslocked gratitude. But I want to be super, super serious and genuine with my appreciation for this one. It's so flattering and fulfilling to hear you say this. Honestly, tearing up a little. I always strive to be a fount of positivity and enthusiasm about the things I enjoy, even when being positive is incredibly difficult (see: immediately post-HFW, lmao). So it means so much to me to hear that opinion reflected back. So thank you, truly, from the very bottom of my heart. <3 <3 <3

I do wanna talk about the current unsteadiness in the fandom. No matter what, Burning Shores has shown us one very, very important thing: Horus terrifying protect Gildun with our lives Aloy is beautifully, canonically, fantastically queer. This is the central takeaway and something to fuckin' celebrate, everyone. Representation matters--and for sure, unabashed representation like this is so absolutely crucial in today's world. Guerrilla has done an incredible thing and it's an utter amazement to have received it.

But beyond that: nothing else has changed. We absolutely do not need to be engaging in bickering and discourse. Everyone is still entitled to their headcanons and (respectfully-stated!) opinions. No ships have been sunk. There is a place in this fandom for everyone. I don't want to start having to avoid bitterness in this space that's given me such solace and joy and community over the last few years. That's no way for a group of people to share in the enjoyment of something.

Everything is still SO fresh and new, but it’s high time to begin evaluating our responses—especially with GG's quiet announcement of the third game being in development. Let’s shape up in support of our series and carry love and light forward, being enthusiastic about our favorite parts and letting others have their joy as well.

[the-desolated-quill]

I’ve been quite open about my dislike for Burning Shores, but there is one saving grace.

I wasn’t expecting to get this emotional over his side quest. I love Gildun so much. And I’m so happy he has a Focus now and is part of Aloy’s team. I’m actually sobbing with joy 😭🥲

[singingkestrel]

tag game (Horizon)

stolen from @foibles-fables / @finrays.

1.ride or die ship (your otp): Ereloy fics and art give me so much serotonin it's unreal.

2. most annoying ship: I don't find any ships annoying. There are some that are not for me, sure, but if people love it who am I to judge?

3. second favourite ship: Ugh, I dunno. Beta/Milu is adorable, Aloy/Ikrie is classic, Niloy can make for some very interesting reading, but I guess Hawk and Thrush makes the most sense.

4. favourite platonic relationship: It's got to be the Erend and the guys in the Vanguard. Their endless jibes and grumbling at each other are very reminiscent of some of my very best friendships. Varl and Erend's interactions are great, too, they're just so easy with one another.

5. underrated ship: I really like ships that involve minor characters - the recent rair pair roundup has been delightful for me. I long for a fic about some of the Oseram salvagers getting to know the Tenakth whose land they've invaded.

6. overrated ship: see no. 2.

7. one thing i would change in canon: Like, a lot. There were some pretty big chunks of HFW (and Burning Shores) that just didn't sit right. I don't think I can better the responses of @foibles-fables and @finrays (both of whom might be actual geniuses), but I'd settle for the returning characters (Varl, Erend, Talanah, Avad) to be treated better!

8. something canon did right: I think the Horizon series is best when it focuses on poignant storytelling over action. The way the history of the metal world slowly reveals itself at the Grave-hoard and in the Zero Dawn facility below Sunfall is hauntingly beautiful; I'd love to be able to play them for the first time again. In HFW, the quests in Dunehollow to recover POSEIDON were practically perfect, and Gildun's return in Burning Shores was the best part of the DLC by a country mile. In both these cases you get to peek into the lives of a person from the past via emotionally impactful datapoints whose recorded thoughts parallel the people you're trying to help in the present, yet it never feels too on-the-nose. Of course it helps that the people you're trying to help are some of the best realised characters in the whole game.

9. a thing i'm proud of creating for the fandom PLEASE BRAG ABOUT YOURSELF I WANT TO SEE/READ YOUR ART: Eh. Alas, I'm not artistically talented. I just take virtual photos of stuff I like. I put a lot of effort into my machine headshot series, though. If you go to @singingkestrel and search for 'headshots compilation' (or 'hfw machines') they should all come up.

10. a character who is perfect to me (wouldn't change a thing): None of the main cast were treated 100% right in HFW. I mean, there are some things that make me genuinely angry if I think about them too much. Varl dying for no good reason, Erend being turned into a bumbling oaf, Regalla being criminally underused... ugh. UGH I SAY!

But you know who is perfect?

Morlund.

I love his optimism and his determination and his intelligence and his companionable nature. He's a nerdy mad inventor and a very strong candidate for the most overtly hopeful and kind chap in game (I mean, there is also Varl. And Gildun.) and I just adore him.

11. the character i relate to the most and why: I look at the Oseram in both HZD and HFW and see myself, my friends and my home. I adore their aesthetic with all of its chunky wood and sturdy iron, I love their down to earth attitude, their culture of hard work and social drinking and affectionate insults, their adventurous wanderer spirit and inventiveness and willingness to argue about everything. Are they flawed? Sure! Like me, they're loud and blunt and often speak without thinking, thinking they know best. Unlike me (I hope), they're too dismissive of other cultures, their lack of environmental awareness is deeply concerning, and we all know 🕯The Claim🕯 is going to be a hideous hotbed of rampant sexism - one that I will gladly watch Aloy tear to pieces like a tasmanian devil with a grudge. I don't think I can pick a single Oseram character I totally relate to, though.

But I do relate to Tom Paech. As soon as I heard those broad antipodean tones swearing about wanting to inflict actual bodily harm on Ted Faro I knew I'd found the scientist I was supposed to identify with. He was hot-blooded, as he put it, whilst also revering nature, the 'miracle of life.' And him wanting to help, despite significant reservations, and then not wanting to live on once the job was done? Exactly how I think I would have reacted. Plus as a marine biologist/ecologist (assuming I'd be in any way qualified!) I'd end up working on ARTEMIS too.

12. character(-s) i hate the most and why: There are characters you are meant to hate. It's fun to have a villain. Ted Faro, Helis, the Ceo... but the hate is both intentional and enjoyable. They're good characters. If I had to pick a character I disliked where this wasn't the aim, however, I'd have to pick... hmm. I'm not sure. Amadis seemed largely pointless and annoying in HFW though. Talanah deserved better.

13. something i've learned from the fandom: Before HFW came out, I hadn't been involved in any fandom for about a decade (maybe longer, eek!) - I was a solitary creature. Coming back made me rediscover the joy of sharing my obsessions with others. Also that it doesn't matter how small your contribution is, someone will enjoy it.

14. three tags i seek out on ao3: That's between me and my ISP.

15. a song i strongly associate with my otp/favourite character: I don't, really. Bit weird, considering how much of my life involves music, and how readily my brain seems to play musical association with images. But I can't think of a single one. Sorry 😕

tagging: No pressure, but I didn't tag anyone in the last one so I thought I should do it this time. @mehoymalloy @robo-dino-puppy @meep-m33p @maybirdie @nerd-artist @astralpaint @i-lavabean @pikapeppa @banukaihelpme aaaand anyone else that wants to.

[tjerra14]

what if ikrie joins the gaia gang at the base since it seems like it’d be considered a werak

sylens cannot be the only banuk they ever meet lol

Anon, I absolutely love the way you think and let me tell you, there's nothing more than I want from the third game than this. Sylens, for all intents and purposes, might look like a Banuk, but even the Banuk doubt he was ever truly one of them, and even if he was, he seems to like thinking himself outside of and above all tribes, so arguing he's the Banuk representative at base is wobbly at best. Let's face it: when they made their game about Aloy learning the importance of friendship and gathering her team for the current and coming challenges from all the tribes, Guerrilla kind of forgot that the Carja and Banuk exist, too. (And then got rid of the Nora, but that's something for a different time, so I won't get into it.) Where Ikrie joining the gang is concerned, there's a few scenarios I've spent entirely too much time thinking about that come to mind. We know that back in Frozen Wilds, she'd lost everything she held dear, and had her life completely uprooted, realising that what she thought would be her path could never be. When you talk to her at the hunting grounds, she says that she's in no hurry to return to Ban-Ur yet, and it's not too unlikely she might ultimately decide that she won't return at all. So, where would she go from there? She seems like a restless character, much like Aloy, so the hunting grounds won't be her final stop, and even though she considers starting some of her own, I feel she might not want to tether herself to one spot right away. (Plus I feel Lauvuk would have an encouraging thing or two to say about her leaving and seeing the world and asking that girl out.)

So I feel we have:

Ikrie staying in the Cut for a while after she last sees Aloy, eventually meeting Gildun, either while visiting Song's Edge, or just stumbling across him on the road, possibly finding him in a bit of a pickle once again; and after talking to him decides to accompany him west on his delves, for protection and company. Since we know Gildun passed through the later-collapsed tunnel, which would put them into Aloy's general vicinity, she could either go and seek her out, or we keep with the game's events and they meet up while Ikrie is trying to get Gildun out of another door incident ("By the Blue Light, you turn away for five seconds and he gets himself trapped again! ....I think I broke that button over in the next room.") After some catching up and Focus-acquiring Ikrie decides to join forces with Aloy again--fate's a long climb on a high cliff for people like her and Aloy, and what higher cliff and better challenge to rise to than facing Nemesis?, and returns to Base with her. (For bonus Banuk points insert Inatut in Gildun's protection squad here. I feel he would really hit it off with Erend, and eventually join the Vanguard. Vanguard Inatut rights!)

Another option would be her arriving late to the Battle at the Spire with Starbucks. News travel quickly in the Cut, even in remote areas, and a hunting ground is a hub for travellers seeking some training and maybe some rest before or afterwards. So Ikrie hears the rumours, and the stories, and learns that Aloy needs help saving the world. Both Aratak and Inatut have already left, and while she might not be able to catch up with them, she hurries to Meridian. When she arrives, the battle is over, the world is (for now) saved, everyone is celebrating, and Aloy, who she came to help, is nowhere to be seen because she already ran away (once again). Since there's nothing for her in Meridian, but she still intends to help Aloy, she joins Varl on his quest to seek her out, maybe following up on a different rumour than he does right before Forbidden West starts so they meet up a little later than that. (This one also comes with a side of Vanguard Inatut. I may be rather passionate about that one.)

Of course, there's also the shippy option fitting the timeline I have for them in my head, but ignores canon a little (or a lot): Aloy straight up asks Ikrie to accompany her to the West, the two of them set out in pursuit of the rumour that there might be an intact copy of GAIA somewhere in the wilderness of No Man's Land; the Embassy happens, Aloy runs off again and Ikrie is left to follow in her tracks, eventually finding her all messed up in Stone's Echo after her narrow escape from Latopolis. While Aloy is resting and healing, Talanah, Milu, and Varl catch up to them, and ultimately the events of Dying Lands take place, so that they all find the Base together.

Long story short, Ikrie as a Gaia gang member yes please. Imagine all the fun she'd have getting into all sorts of ridiculous challenges with Kotallo, too. The Sunwings at the top of the base would never know peace again.

[artekai]

tag game (Horizon)

Thanks @nerd-artist for tagging me!! I am flattered :3

1. ride or die ship (your otp): GAIA/Lis ❤️ I felt so validated when Sylens said the "two moms" thing, you have no idea.

2. most annoying ship: I plead the fifth

3. second favourite ship: Erevad! I never considered them until I read a really good fic about them and I was sold lol.

4. favourite platonic relationship: Hmm 🤔 I really enjoy Aloy & Sylens :D I missed him a lot in HFW (given he wasn't in our Focus any longer). mlm-wlw hostility real. Also, Aloy & Gildun and Aloy & Morlund are both very sweet but I suppose they have similar vibes lol.

5. underrated ship: Any of the ones I mentioned lol, I feel like they don't get as much love as others, haha. Which is understandable because it makes sense to gravitate more towards the GAIA gang! But other than that 🤔 I think Aloy/Zo and Aloy/Alva are pretty cute and underrated, even if I don't exactly ship them myself c:

6. overrated ship: I plead the fifth

7. one thing i would change in canon: *side eyes HFW hard*

Just one thing, though? I'd have to concur with most of the people I've seen do this tag game so far and say it's Varl's death. I'm pissed about that.

8. something canon did right: Other people have also mentioned it before me, but I think Horizon's writing excels at the datapoints. Just slowly having to figure out the past, putting the pieces together, getting glimpses of the tragedies (and the little joys) that once happened in those places, filling in the blanks... The environmental storytelling is amazing 👌. The intrigue, the curiosity, the mystery. It really scratches the urge to explore abandoned places and imagine what it was life was like for the people who once lived in them, so close yet so far away. HZD really did it well with the Zero Dawn facilities and I think HFW captured that magic again with Thebes. I crave more of that.

9. a thing i'm proud of creating for the fandom PLEASE BRAG ABOUT YOURSELF I WANT TO SEE/READ YOUR ART: I'm not sure I can say anything I make is "for the fandom" since I only make OC stuff 😭 Believe me, I want to be more integrated in the fandom, but not as much as I want to focus on the blorbos from my brain 😔

I guess I can mention To Err is Human, my vampire AU fic, since, if all goes according to plan, that should be relatively fairly split between my OCs and canon characters. Sorry that it's taken me so long to update tho :( As for art, please look at my man :) And here he is again with my favorite Aloy I've drawn lol. I also still really like this one! Also this. And this. And this. And

I've realized I could go on all day actually so I'll stop myself now lol.

10. a character who is perfect to me (wouldn't change a thing): Sylens. I love him, crimes and all.

11. the character I relate to the most and why: Beta. Something something about characters who have the same neuroses as you but in their world their neuroses are justified (sigh). And Gildun! His quest in Burning Shores really grabbed me by the throat, oof. In some ways I also relate to Aloy but not as much, I think.

12. character(-s) i hate the most and why: Well, I could just name the usuals, Ted Faro, the Ceo, Lansra, etc. But they're the characters we're meant to hate, so, ironically, it doesn't feel right to say I hate them, you know? I appreciate a well-crafted villain, and I definitely appreciate their role in the narrative. So, do I really hate them? Yes but actually no.

It's like that one post that goes "I don't care if a villain is redeemable or not but by god please make them interesting." I would be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little bit insane about the likes of Faro and the Ceo lol, so I'd say they did their job. I actually enjoy them being in the narrative.

As for the Zeniths... I used to just hate them straight up, not just for what we're meant to hate them, but for what they did to the narrative. I then started my quick descent into madness until I came to love to hate them lol. But I still think they deserve this spot more than anyone else given that they still make me see red half of the time.

13. something i've learned from the fandom: uhhhhh I'm not sure? Interesting to see the differences between the Persona fandom and the Horizon fandom I guess. In a lot of ways they have the same issues all fandoms have but idk, it's different. I'll leave it at that.

14. three tags i seek out on ao3: I don't really read as much fic as I would like to because of readers' block... But when I do, I feel like I tend to look for Beta-centric stuff. And Nemesis stuff hehe but there's very little of that. I feel like, at least in this fandom, I tend to gravitate more towards genfic instead of ship-heavy stuff. Those aren't three tags but still three things so fair enough.

15. a song i strongly associate with my otp/favourite character: I have a few playlists but I'm not sure any songs in particular jump out to me as much as Sad Machine by Porter Robinson, which has been my quintessential Horizon song from the moment I finished HZD. It still gives me the same chills that going through ELEUTHIA-9 gave me... God, I really wish I could go back to when I was first playing it and experience that feeling again. I might actually cry listening to it now.

Tagging: @banukaihelpme, @cicadaknight, @thatpunnyperson, @snorkeldays and @hartlesshart, but absolutely no pressure to do it! I guess this is more of a [insert your fandom here] thing, so, for any other mutuals who see this, if you wanna do it for your fandom, please tag me as your tagger, I would love to see it 🙏

[nerd-artist]

tag game (Horizon)

Thanks @singingkestrel for tagging me! This was fun!

1. ride or die ship (your otp):

Ereloy. When I first played HZD and Erend made his first appearance I didn't like him a bit because I prejudge him as the alpha male stereotype, but then the writers began to unwrap his layers, revealing the cinnamon bun inside him and I ended the game by being in love with that big Oseram and his mohawk. I shipped them then, when they had the two minutes conversation, but my obsession started with The Daunt reunion in HFW when he couldn’t avoid being upset because she left without saying goodbye, and then Aloy closing his wounds by defeating Asera in First Forge by his side, and Singularity with all those flirty lines and the side hug. I’ve always thought they were going to be end game (and I still hope we can choose that in H3). They care for each other so much, I can see them living happily together and I need to witness it.

2. most annoying ship: Ship and let ship. We’re all here to enjoy so if your ship makes you happy, there’s nothing wrong with that (unless they are sisters, that's it, that’s the annoying one for me).

3. second favourite ship: the second ship involving Aloy that makes more sense to me is Hawk and Thrush, and also involving the Sunhawk there is Kotalanah that has a special place in my heart (what can I say, they have chemistry).

4. favourite platonic relationship: I love the friendship between Erend and Varl there was so much complicity between them, makes me so sad that we only could enjoy it for a short time and now I hope we can see Erend having a similar relationship with Kotallo. Also Aloy and Zo, I need to see that friendship evolve even more in the next game, Aloy is going to need her wise advice.

5. underrated ship: This one is underrated mostly because it only exists in my head: GAIA/Gildun. Just imagine them having daily long-distance calls and then Gildun going to the base to meet her. The calculations GAIA is making at that moment let her know she is experiencing love and we can see her smile for the first time…

6. overrated ship: I don't know, I don't think there is one.

7. one thing i would change in canon: A lot of us agree, Varl’s death was unnecessary, Aloy had already lost Rost, she didn't need to lose a friend too to know how important people can be for her. Also, the way they wrote some characters in HFW and some plots in BS. But what I think is the big mistake is to have wasted the opportunity to make Aloy and Beta bond in Burning Shores, she could have been helping Aloy a lot more from the distance, giving us some cute sisterly moments. I hope they fix this in the next game.

8. something canon did right: A lot of things! That’s why I love these games! HZD is almost perfect, that game made me go through a roller coaster of feelings and I’ll never forget that.

Aloy’s personality evolution. You can clearly see the difference between HZD Aloy and herself at the end of HFW but it’s not forced, she learned through the way to get there.

The lack of prejudices. Obviously there are conflicts between tribes, mostly because of the different religions, but the Horizon world is showing us how humanity would be without racism and without homophobia, Guerrilla is doing a great job there.

9. a thing i'm proud of creating for the fandom PLEASE BRAG ABOUT YOURSELF I WANT TO SEE/READ YOUR ART: I am very proud to be part of the Focus On The Heart team, a visual novel fan game. It is a huge project that I believe a lot of Horizon fans are going to enjoy when it’s done.

Also I’m proud of my Horizon’s characters as Greek Gods series of fanarts. I got distracted by other illustrations I needed to draw, but I plan to keep on doing them at some point.

10. a character who is perfect to me (wouldn't change a thing): Gildun! He is a light in the darkness, but I want to talk about Zo because she is also perfect and she is very underrated. She is fierce but she is also lovely. She joined Aloy although that meant to deny all her beliefs. She confronted the Utaru chorus in the past and she doesn't hesitate to do the same when it’s needed. We meet a very interesting character and I hope that the fact she is pregnant doesn't mean she is not going to have an important role in the next game because that would send a very wrong message.

11. the character I relate to the most and why: I never thought about this until now, but I guess I can relate to Beta, all the traumas of her past aside and I’m way more social than she is but... I work remotely and my hobbies are almost the same as my job so I’m always indoors in front of a screen, like she is (using her focus constantly). She is also afraid of a lot of things, which is essentially my everyday mood. I can relate to Erend sometimes because I tend to make fun of myself to hide my insecurities.

12. character(-s) i hate the most and why: AMADIS, but also, The Quen as a tribe (not talking about individual characters here), they have the best outfits and they are sailors, and that is great… it is their society which is very disgusting, nothing good could come if it’s inspired by a start-up structure. I also don't like Carja. Anything imperialist makes me wanna puke.

13. something i've learned from the fandom: I’ve learned what to be in a fandom means, this is the first time in my (long) life that I join one, I’ve been screaming about other games and series before but mostly to myself and to friends that didn't fully understand me, to be able to talk freely about blorbos (a word I didn't knew existed until last year) with the lovely people I’ve met it’s truly a relieve. Also I think (and I hope����) being in this fandom and this obsession is helping me improve my English.

14. three tags i seek out on ao3: friends to lovers, angst with a happy ending, it’s not unrequited they’re just dumbasses (and some others I don't want everyone to know 😉).

15. a song i strongly associate with my otp/favourite character: I come with knives by IAMX, I can see Aloy singing it to herself to stop her from having meaningful relationships.

tagging: You don't need to answer if you don't want to (sorry if you have already been tagged) and everyone is welcome to do it although you haven't been tagged @sorbetowl @meg-noel-art @chloefraazers @kittleskittle @hartlesshart @emtazer @xxxhellfireravenxxx @bookmancer-legendarium @boobaloof (edit because I wanted to tag @artekai too and I forgot 🥲)

[dany36]

ok what i really wanted to yell about before witnessing that beach cutscene.......WAS ABOUT MY BOY GILDUN!!! OH MY GODDDD I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!! 😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ AHHHHH!!! he was my favorite character in the frozen wilds and was obviously my favorite sidequest in the previous DLC!! seeing aloy be so happy to see him and remind him that YES GILDUN, YOU *ARE* ALOY'S FRIEND!!!! was such a joy to see!!! my girl aloy even hooks him up with gaia so that he has someone to talk to as well and thus won't feel like he's all alone!!! AHHHH LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP WILL ALWAYS WIN!!! 🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧

[bobidibaidadoodle]

I hate myself so much for nitpicking this DLC. All because I can't understand where they want to take aloy's story to. Do they want seyka and aloy as endgame? Are they just a 'summer love'? Fling?

Why the loose end? Why even do it? Why it's only half done? Why?

She let Gildun in gaia network with a possibility of him coming randomly to her focus (which he did and love him for that) but not seyka.

Like. What's the team's thought process here? Even Alva is giving the other quen, focuses. Do you think all those focuses the gang spread also connected to gaia? but then only seyka's focus is not??

What is seyka to you guerilla???

[ayaitch]

Tag Game (Horizon)

Tagged by @cicadaknight! Thanks! This was harder than I thought it would be!

1. Ride or die ship: Ikkotah/Chekkatah! The canon pairing that never got to see the light of day.

2. Most annoying ship: Talanah/Amadis. They set it up so well in the comic, and I was buying into it! Then it had to go sideways in the game in the most annoying way. Also the character of Amadis just... I don't even know what happened between the comic and the game. I just don't know.

3. Second favorite ship: Fashav/Kotallo. They were originally my favorite ship, but I accidentally fell for Ikkotah/Chekkatah harder.

4. Favorite platonic relationship: Gildun and Aloy. I love them so much. She's so nice to him, and he's just a good guy who appreciates her smarts and adventurous spirit.

5. Underrated ship: Is it fair to say Ikkotah/Chekkatah again? I'll pick a different one though: Avad/Ersa? They're another ship who never really got to see the light of day, and I'm such a sucker for that type of dynamic they (supposedly) had.

6. Overrated ship: Pass, please. Ships are taken very seriously in this fandom.

7. One thing I would change in canon: I have a few thoughts, but I think they needed to have a better excuse for Aloy's missing HZD gear and weapons.

8. Something canon did right: The worldbuilding. From the slow realization of how we came to be in Aloy's world to the last days of the Old Ones, I thought it was all done quite well.

9. A thing I’m proud of creating for the fandom: I wrote some fics? I guess I'm more proud that I had the gumption to share them, rather than that I wrote them.

10. A character who is perfect to me: Ikkotah. I just love him.

11. Character I relate to most and why: Maybe Enjuk? A weird hermit living in a nice hut and studying animals at his leisure in the cold mountains. Sounds amazing.

12. Character(s) I hate most and why: Regalla, because she is overly violent and her motivations made no sense to me. She also orchestrated the massacre that took away Fashav and Chekkatah (and the other Marshals). Also, I've never been a fan of vengeance arcs.

13. Something I’ve learned from the fandom: It's OK to put your work out there. Even if it's a niche work, someone will find it and appreciate its existence.

14. Three tags I seek out on ao3: Not including ship tags, I go for hurt/comfort, whump, and soft.

15. A song I associate strongly with my OTP/favorite character: I'm not really sure about this. I have zero connections between music/songs and characters. I think the only exception is the track from the HFW soundtrack "The Way to Barren Light". It really makes me think of the impending Embassy and all the BS that's about to go down.

[forbiddenwestern]

Aloy’s interactions with men: her responses to Avad with the heart option are the most obvious romantic response but all of them end with “maybe we can pick this up later”, her huge smile when she finds Erend in the Daunt, how she and Gildun click so well and she willingly hugs him (plus a hug for Erend at the end of the game), finishing Morlund’s sentences as they tinker together. If you prefer Aloy with ladies, that’s cool (I love bisexual Aloy!). But it drives me nuts when people say she doesn’t connect with men like she does with women.

I didn’t really get any sort of vibe that Aloy was ever into Avad like that, that she was just appreciative of him as an ally and confidant and didn’t want to let him down hard. The fist option could be taken as ‘I don’t wanna do this simply bc of circumstances’ but she also seems actually disgusted by the idea, like she was really hoping that he wouldn’t bring it up again bc that’s simply not where her heart is at. I think Erend has all the makings of a lesbian’s best dude friend, it would be dope to see him as a wingman, I think he’d love doing it. I take their friendship as a vital pillar of support for Aloy that he’s so persistent about not because he like-likes her but because caring for a friend and wanting to share their burdens is a normal friend thing. Also I grin like that when I see my friends sometimes, including my woman friends, and I don’t like women, much less those friends specifically. I hug them too, it’s not romantic, it’s just a general expression of care. With Gildun, I think she admires his curiosity because it kind of reminds her of herself (especially in her youth before she had to start bearing the weight of the terrible truth of the world) but there’s little common ground in terms of, like, world perception and awareness. His naivety is endearing both to me and to Aloy, but that doesn’t mean there’s romantic feelings attached, you can think someone’s endearing and not be into them. Also, Morlund is gay. Source: I’m gay. MLM and WLW friendships have us on a real similar level of comradery (at least mine do) where we feel comfortable together being what society looks down on I.e. nerdy. The connection I’m talking about is mainly based off vibes of Aloy truly seeing and being seen by somebody in a way that’s especially soft, and I haven’t gotten those vibes between her and men. But like I said, her friendship with Kotallo is pretty intimate, imo he’d be the most likely out of any of the men to steal her heart bc they’re so similar. And Aloy’s only actual canonical crush is on someone who’s pretty similar to her, I.e. a strong-willed woman. Just my interpretation, I’m not saying that it’s wrong or misguided to HC her as bi, it’s just not what I personally read from her character. Sorry to drive you nuts just being honest.

[foibles-fables]

You already talked about your thoughts on the romance, but what did you think of the rest of the plot of the DLC, with the Quen and Londra? I believe you posted that you didn’t love the overall plot and writing of Forbidden West, so I was curious if the DLC had done better plot-wise for you or if you had concerns going into the third game?

Since you're asking outside of the romance, I will answer outside of it as well!

So, Ashly Burch herself compared the DLC to a summer blockbuster movie--and I have to say that she was right.

On the surface, the plot was fun. Definitely an action thriller with the cult, and the Zenith tech, and the Horus! The stunning visuals definitely helped with all of this, too.

The writing? Fell flat to me, sure. (Like a summer blockbuster.) And most of my criticisms do fall in line with the issues I had with HFW.

There was a lot of inelegance in the telling of things, not the showing. The Quen were, IMO, underutilized for it being their DLC. Interesting aspects of their culture were touched upon, but--never quite enough, you know? We get told about Compliance...told about their other issues...but not really shown a lot? And I think that's definitely credence to the sparsity of the Burning Shores as opposed to the Frozen Wilds, where we were immersed headlong into Banuk culture. It would've been nifty if there had been more (mandatory) side quests to tether us to the Quen more, like having to build up clout to challenge Aratak in FWilds.

As far as the plot with Londra--while the "oh no, somehow a Zenith escaped" plot is a little convenient, it does a really nice job of 1) establishing the DLC as postgame and 2) containing the DLC unto itself. I can overlook the convenience writing of Zenith Tech (both for the spaceship and the Horus) because, well, it's what we were given in HFW, so there's precedent. I thought the cult was a pretty good and believable angle, too, given the nature of the Quen and their relationship to the Ancestors.

Which...brings up one of my major ????s. The handwavey reason for the Fleet's End Quen not recognizing Aloy as Elisabet Sobeck--because their Diviners are gone? That doesn't match up super well with Alva's dialogue to the Marines in HFW. "Don't you see? etc." That was one of the issues that threw me.

The other was...how Kina was treated at the end? About how she would need to earn Seyka's forgiveness? For being young, brainwashed, traumatized, prepped to be taken as a creepy wife stand-in mate? Oh man. That was...pretty yeesh and not the outcome I was expecting from that conversation, TBH.

I think a lot of the Dangers (the cult, the radiation, the Horus, the Kina issue) could have benefited from some more time to breathe, but it was a short DLC! Maybe picking and choosing the crises would've helped. Not stretch everything so thin, you know? Trying to do So Much all at once, a lot like HFW.

BUT! I gotta shout out the absolute gems, too. Once again, the datapoints were the heart and soul of the series--I hope the datapoint writers are proud of themselves, because goddamn, they should be. And Gildun's quest? Don't even talk to me. Made the whole DLC for me. I adore the way he's written, and I adore the way his quest highlights Aloy's growth since FWilds in subtle ways. Chef's kiss.

That kinda covers my base-level thoughts, nonny! I'll be back with "AND ANOTHER THING" if anything hits me, lmao