#kotallo because I think he'd just like it

[horizonzerodawnaesthetic]

There’s not a single thing Erend wouldn’t love about hockey. The loud music and buzzers, the fire, the high-speed sport itself, the fact that it’s totally normal for them to just start beating each other up, the fact it’s also totally normal for the crowd to have absolutely no manners. It’s like it was made for him.

EREND in HORIZON: FORBIDDEN WEST

[depressnt]

Interesting thought, what if GAIA promoted the Gaia Gang to alpha positions? So that Aloy and Beta wouldn't be the only ones to open the doors? This goes hand-in-hand with my Pantheon/magic/power armor au (shit gets wild) (only my closest friends know wtf I'm talking about) and I'm thinking in terms of all the a.is keeping their personhood but handing their soft and hardwares over to GAIA, they all get housed in machine minds like the Horus processor Sylens trapped HADES in, and GAIA is the only one who stays in the full system, but she can tap into each of these machines and speak through them or override them. Basically, the pantheon becomes interns

Who becomes Alpha of what department;

Aloy - GAIA (obv)

Beta - HEPHEASTUS (everyone's fav mad scientist and tinkerer) (this is my headcanon for her shsh)

Sylens - APOLLO (like he'd let Alva take it smh)

Zo - DEMETER (our plant QUEEN!)

Varl - ARTEMIS (he seems like he'd like dogs and cats, also the idea of beasts of burden would appeal to him- he's still wary of the Metal world bc of how he was raised, and the idea that machines replaced what once was saddens him terribly, he wants to bring that back)

Erend - MINERVA (protection! Also, smart and nimble+strong himbo is iconic, MINERVA definitely gets stuck in a lithe feline-like body and it's a hacker, its thing is signals and computers, it'd be icked out by the idea of... eugh... getting physical. Erend balances that out by being his usual burly charming self)

Alva - POSEIDON (she's so mad, she wanted APOLLO- but Sylens scares her. After all the trouble she went through with the floods and her struggle with the Leviathan system, plus being from a sailing tribe (or at least growing up probably close to the coast) She feels a connection to the water. Also I hc she designed an irrigation system for her farm and it's design got promoted all over her area, it's why she was qualified and picked to go east and not some other diviner)

Kotallo - AETHER (this feels obvious, but also I feel like Hekarro spoke to AETHER, and I hc he allowed his Marshalls to speak to it as well, just once. Kotallo asked it if there was anything it missed, and it said it missed its mother)

Unspecified: HADES and ELUTHIA, because we don't really need them anymore, also I think ELUTHIA and APOLLO go hand in hand- so Sylens can take it if he gets a sudden passion for reproductive rights. He seems like the type who'd spread knowledge and equality just so he doesn't have to deal with biased and bigoted idiots, so imo he'd be the second to voice the opinion that they should re-instate ELUTHIA for couples who cant have kids to use (the first was Alva, who just had the thought first because she'd already heard of the concept) and HADES is dead and buried, but Beta might try something interesting with those HADES kernels in Latopolis, dunno

Side note, Sylens wanting to spread the knowledge of APOLLO to the rest of humanity is a little bit the only selfless thing he ever does, but it also won't happen for a long ass time because of the delicate way they'd have to approach this massive prime directive violation

[rebeccathornewrites]

Hey! Just answering your reblog question about Erend :) he definitely has flaws, and unfortunately, most of us agree the company did him dirty in the 2nd game. Made him unintelligent and the comedic relief character. But like you said, his loyalty later on is brilliant. He was upset at the beginning for Aloy leaving because he truly and deeply cares for her, again, they just wrote him badly reacting to the situation. (I didn't like the way he guilted her either)

He's just such a deeply feeling character, and the game shows multiple hints that the feels may be mutual. With the way Aloy looks at him at the end of FW, the way she address him first in Gemini, the looks she gives him before their drink, her massive grin when she saw him again, the zoomed in camera before Gemini when they seperated with the small smiles, the very soft way she speaks to him. It's subtle, but it's there.

As for him being a good match for her, I think he balances her out a bit? Calms her down. He'd follow her wherever she goes, always support her, give her the strength and encouragement that she needs, be the brute force if she ever needed it. If they wrote him again the way he was in the 1st game, he'd be smarter and help her solve problems as well.

For me personally, I don't think Aloy needs someone to challenge her (she's had that most of her life), I think she needs someone who will show her the dedication, love and care she never really knew existed and slowly open her up that way. Someone to prove to her that they'll always be there, that she can rely and depend on them.

I hope this makes sense haha, I've shipped them since the first game, but definitely stronger in the 2nd. I don't really know how to do brain to paper thoughts as well as you did xD

This is so, so interesting, because I see completely different moments. But, full disclosure, I'm LGBT+ and starving for good sapphic rep, so I'll always lean towards sapphic couples. I'm biased as hell. LOL.

I can absolutely see how those things could be romance, and it's really cool to see it all written out and feel the passion of this relationship. I really do love the idea of their deep friendship--that one manipulative moment aside. (Glad to hear you acknowledging it--I haven't seen people mention it yet, and it felt like a big elephant in the room. LOL)

I think my problem with Erend is that she's never really known him when he hasn't been blinded by fear or grief, or drowning those memories in liquor. I absolutely think he could be that person for her if he sobered up, but right now he reacts too emotionally (and in an immature, emotional way) to truly get me on board.

After his sister went missing, I feel like they connected over urgency--and when they found her, something definitely solidified in their relationship. But with her gone, Erend kinda seemed to fracture at the seams (and rightfully so, because omg, his sister was everything to him). He got better towards the end of HFW, absolutely, but I'm still very lukewarm on him being mentally or emotionally ready to treat Aloy well as a partner.

I actually think Kotallo fits that bill better--loyal almost to a fault to his new commander, calm where Aloy is fiery, willing to protect as necessary. My only concern with that pairing is that Kotallo might be too subservient to challenge Aloy when necessary, especially once she rode in on the sunwing and basically became his living god. XD

I digress.

Point is, I'd shipped her and Alva until I found out about Alva's enemies-to-lovers arc back home, and then Seyka arrived and I'm like, Yep. You'll do nicely. XD But I really am just perpetually desperate for lesbian love, so. >.>