#tildabet

[artekai]

[artekai]

Behind every gay person there is a gayer, more evil gay person

[artekai]

I pretty much never share my playlists, so this is pretty new to me, but I've been itching to show off my pride and joy for a while now, so I thought the Horizon Base Jams would be the perfect chance!

My ship playlist for Day 1 centers around Tilda/Elisabet and Tilda/Aloy. That might be cheating a little, but I'm sure that, for Tilda, the latter is a bit of a continuation of the former, haha ^^ You might know I don't really ship Aloy with anyone, but this can be intepreted as one-sided.

Essay with my reasoning under the cut for anyone who wants it!

Piece of art - An intro to Tilda's relationship with Lis! The obsessive overtones are simply perfect. And, of course, Tilda views the world through an artistic lens, as art is her escape, the main thing that brings her comfort.

Buy the Stars - The only song from Elisabet's POV in this playlist. "You don't know me, how do you own me?" Tilda says in canon that she always felt that she didn't fully know Elisabet, that Lis knew her better than she knew Lis, and I think Lis probably felt the same way.

Left Behind - Now we're getting closer to Tilda's Far Zenith era. Lis and Tilda are running out of time due to circumstances out of their control (the Faro Plague) and end up separated by Zero Dawn and Far Zenith. Whether the "lover left behind" refers to Tilda, because she outlived Lis, or to Lis, because she stayed behind to die on Earth, I'll leave up to your interpretation.

Immortal (Reinairy) - This represents Tilda's grief over Elisabet and her inability to let go, even after a thousand years. I also like to think as the mentions of rain and sunrise and nature in general refer to Tilda longing to see a new, better world, to see "Elisabet's dream" come to fruition.

Of course, "I'll always find you again and again, and I'll lose every version of you" refers to Aloy (and perhaps Beta, if you wish to interpret it that way).

The Zombie Song - The start of Tilda's love for Aloy! It's a post-apocalyptic romance, a little gory and a bit forbidden, and, before Tilda betrays Far Zenith, she and Aloy are fighting on opposing sides. "A love this deep won't stay buried" is yet another reference to Elisabet's death.

How Dare You? - I like to imagine this one as a representation of the feelings going through Tilda's head during the scene at her mansion. Equal parts possessive, overprotective, and desperate, she's finally able to talk to Aloy in person and confess how much she has changed her outlook.

"I'll lock you in a world of my creation and bury the key" refers to how Tilda has already made her plans for the new world, as well as to take Aloy hostage for its sake. And of course, "show me how to fall in love again" is Tilda begging to feel the happiness and comfort she had only felt with Lis once again. Beta couldn't give it to her, but Aloy surely will. Right?

Power & Control - This is mostly a representation of Tilda's alliance with Aloy, but also her defiance of Far Zenith. "You can't have peace without a war," as Tilda must rebel against the Zeniths to earn the happy ending she wants with Aloy.

"You may be good-looking but you're not a piece of art," in particular, is about Beta.

Immortal (Marina) - A good closing song, because it reminds me of Tilda's apparent death. "If I could buy forever at a price, I would buy it twice" could refer either to Tilda wishing she had taken Elisabet with her in the first place, or to her wanting a relationship with Aloy like the one she had with Elisabet.

Love From the Other Side - My crowning jewel! I left it for the very end because I feel like it sums up Tilda's relationship with the Sobecks all throughout her life the best. From the loneliness that permeated her life on Earth and the way she felt out of place in Far Zenith, to the art metaphor, to Tilda's dependence on Lis, to the way they were separated by the apocalypse, to her "falling in and out of love" due to Beta failing to live up to her expectations, to her betrayal of Far Zenith, to her betrayal of Aloy and to the obsessive love that led to her demise, it's my personal favorite without a doubt.

[artekai]

AU where Tilda is so inspired by Rembrandt that instead of becoming a tech billionaire or whatever she becomes an artist but she is still insane and an obsessive lover and locks Lis in her basement so she can paint her over and over again because she loves her so so much. And everything is great and they get to be domestic sapphics together because no one is an evil billionaire and there is no robot apocalypse :)

[artekai]

I was initially only gonna draw the OC version, but I figured it was only fair to include the canon lesbians as well. Peace and love on planet Earth ❤︎

[artekai]

Those two things are not incompatible, actually. A thousand years is a long time for Tilda to hone her craft as an artist.

Imagine walking into Tilda's berth in the Odyssey and it's just canvas after canvas after canvas stacked one on top of the other, all full with art of Elisabet at varying levels of completion. An attempt to mend her broken heart, or a refusal to let memories of her lover's beauty fade even long after she was gone?

But every insufficient attempt dropped partway through only drives Tilda further and further to insanity. If she cannot grasp her lover's perfection, if her canvas lacks the charm, wit, and strength of the real Lis, then what good is she as an artist?

And the more she looks at those dead eyes mockingly staring back at her from the canvas, she more she becomes obsessed with obtaining the real thing -- flesh and bone, a living breathing body, a face that conveys real emotion that has real depth. A living mannequin, of sorts, something better than the holos Tilda has been using as reference for a thousand years.

Enter Beta and Aloy.

AU where Tilda is so inspired by Rembrandt that instead of becoming a tech billionaire or whatever she becomes an artist but she is still insane and an obsessive lover and locks Lis in her basement so she can paint her over and over again because she loves her so so much. And everything is great and they get to be domestic sapphics together because no one is an evil billionaire and there is no robot apocalypse :)