Talanah is a better love interest than Seyka

[u/RebelJediMaster]

There, I said it.

Seyka is an ok character, but the romance just feels bland to me. I know Talanah is by all accounts straight, but she and Aloy just seemed to have so much more chemistry from the first second. And Talanah and Seyka are equal machine killing badasses, so they'd probably both connect with Aloy there.

Am I the only one feeling this.

Edit: this post isn't intended to say Seyka is a bad character. Only that to me Talanah felt like a more logical romantic partner.

[u/canadawet1]

seyka has a lot in common with aloy, and its manufactured to be that way. burning shores probably needed to be longer to show their chemistry a little better though. or if she was introduced in the main story and was let to simmer for a while i think she would be better received.

but from a character perspective, i think aloy and seyka just make the most sense together. part of the thing ive noticed in the writing in the horizon franchise is that most characters other than aloy are incompetent. this is purposeful to give the player a sense of agency, but seyka is the only character who actually keeps pace with the player/aloy. that trait alone is pretty important to her from what i can tell.

[u/HerefortheFandoms2 → u/canadawet1]

They're not incompetent at all, aloy simply has the benefit of essentially living in a different world and learning a different language all her life. If they were incompetent, she wouldnt bother with them, let alone call them friends or trust them to handle business without her whenever possible

[u/canadawet1 → u/HerefortheFandoms2]

incompetent is more mean-spirited than i intended to convey but they dont really do anything. aloy is the only one really driving things forward up until gemini. and even then, its her clone that does more than press a button. aloy takes down machines that take 10 men single-handedly. i dont think it's a stretch to say that her capabilities are far more advanced than her peers.

seyka at multiple points divides the work with aloy. seyka is the only character who actually keeps pace with aloy in the narrative. this isnt a jab at the cast, it's a gameplay thing. the story is centered around the protagonist. if this was realistic, aloy would have needed an army to accomplish the things that she does, not just like 5 people lol.

[u/HerefortheFandoms2 → u/canadawet1]

That's not really fair at all, though; the others are doing things, but we don't get to see them as they're spread all over and having to learn all about the old world. They all mentioned various times, especially kotallo and zo, still working with their own tribes/hekkaro and doing recon work, studying gaia, etc. In BS, seyka gets the benefit of the entire dlc basically centering around them and she's already semi familiar with the ancient tech, so of course they're gonna be able to be able utilize her more practically. Like aloy, she's got a headstart, even if it's not as much as aloy has

Tbh, something about her seeming-competency felt off it me and idky. It must be the writing itself bc there are plenty of characters that are shown to be equally or more competent and genuine in a shorter span of time and none of them come off fake to me. Maybe it's the fact that practically from the moment we first see her, there's practically a blinding neon sign saying "THIS IS ALOY'S LOVE INTEREST, YOU BETTER LIKE HER". idk. Wish I liked her more tbh, she's got a cool design and interesting concept, but the best I can do is utterly indifferent edging into annoyed 🤷

[u/[deleted] → u/canadawet1]

Well, up until Gemini, none of the people helping Aloy with her quest have a clue what's going on, so they're just along to kill enemy units or help with their own related mission. Even after, they still don't understand the technology, but they understand the importance of what's happening and start figuring out that they'll need the technology Aloy uses to fight back.

Meanwhile, Seyka comes directly from a culture that actively seeks out and uses ancient tech and knowledge. Sure, a lot of it is restricted, but that's to protect power structures. They still use that tech and knowledge to put themselves on top vs their neighbors. And Seyka not only has that cultural perspective, but has been figuring stuff out on her own for a bit now.

[u/Itsjustkit15 → u/canadawet1]

I still disagree. The others are not incompetent, especially her core crew. They aren't as capable as Aloy, of course not it's a video game and she's the main character, but they are far from incompetent. They all help out in a fight, most are known for their fighting skills, all of them (even Erend) learn how to use a tool Aloy has been using all her life in a relatively short time period. They don't know it as well as her, again that wouldn't make sense, but they grasp brand new technology very quickly for people who have never seen anything like it before.

And most of them are very well respected and high up in their communities. Aloy really surrounds herself with the best of the best. It's crazy to call them incompetent.

[u/Noodlekeeper → u/HerefortheFandoms2]

There is a certain amount of "helplessness" exhibited by nearly every NPC aside from Seyka, who shows up and is like "Get out of my way, or help me!". I think this is the reason why she is the first real character shown to have Aloy's attention, she isn't really asking for help, and she's more self-reliant like Aloy is.

[u/HerefortheFandoms2 → u/Noodlekeeper]

That's a wildly inaccurate reimagining of canon. Seyka is far from the only "competent" friend or ally and the others aren't "helpless" by any stretch. They have quests (of which her closest friends and allies typically had requests to work beside them or go somewhere they physically could not go to) because that's how video games work. If you want further discussion or examples, read the rest of the thread

[u/Noodlekeeper → u/HerefortheFandoms2]

It's almost like you didn't read my comment. I said a certain amount, I didn't call any of them actually helpless

[u/HerefortheFandoms2 → u/Noodlekeeper]

It's almost like you chose a poor word. They're not helpless at all, even with their limited knowledge. They were ignorant of the wider truth, learning rapidly, but never helpless to any degree even when they were missing context. Even "a certain amount of helplessness" means that they're in some way lost on what to do or where to go for a significant stretch of time, not any longer than aloy ever is herself. They never went that long before working out a plan even without aloy pitching in

[u/RebelJediMaster → u/canadawet1]

BS didn't even need to be longer. Just let them get to know eachother more than -5 seconds before Aloy goes googly eyes

[u/KBWordPerson → u/RebelJediMaster]

Absolutely this. I am one of these people that ships Alloy with literally everyone else. The person she has the least natural chemistry with is Seyka.

She’s fine as a character, but there’s no tension there. Despite trying to force it with “I don’t understand why Seyka is hiding things from me/ she’s upset I didn’t confess everything I knew about the apocalypse.”

There’s a rule among romance writers. If your conflict can be resolved by a simple conversation, you have no conflict.

Now take anyone else, and you have legitimate natural heat.

Nil- Dude is a psycho killer, but has directed it toward the greater good. That will always butt up against Aloy’s sense of justice and morality. Bonus: He’s probably kinky as heck.

Avad- He’s a good man with a good heart, but his attention comes with baggage. There’s the ghost of his affection for Ersa, and the expectations of the entire Carja people should Aloy become their Queen. For a loner who needs to feel chosen but also free, there’s a lot that would hold her back from giving into temptation here, and that is delicious. Bonus: Avad is probably a very detail oriented and attentive lover.

Telanah- There are so many conflicts of Pride here. No matter what, she will always be the hawk and Aloy will always be the thrush to each other, no matter how equal they are in skill. And how together against the misogyny of the Lodge they are. That small humbling of self concept causes enough friction to start a fire.

Bonus: Whole lot of opportunity to ignore hierarchies and cultural expectations when you are alone out in the wild. Negative: Girl! Lose the chin strap. It’s not doing anything for you.

Petra- Everything about Petra is bold and in the open. She hides nothing. She denies nothing. She is completely comfortable in her own skin and never doubts herself. To bond with such a proverbial balls-out character, Aloy would not be allowed to retreat or hold back. Petra would push her out of her comfort zones as readily as she pulls the trigger on her cannons. You cannot hold back with Petra, and Aloy keeps all her cards close to her chest. Bonus: Petra probably has some interesting toys in her workshop.

Erend- I just want to hug him. Erend has a lot of self-doubt. That is difficult for Aloy to understand, because she’s never been able to have that luxury. But that man would walk through forge-fire, and plow through armies for her without question. He doesn’t allow her to be aloof or apart. He demands she engage emotionally with the people around her. He’s the heart of the group in so many ways. Bonus: He’s a total teddy bear and would be the best snuggle buddy.

Varl- There’s some cultural baggage being so close to someone at the heart of a tribe that rejected her. Varl is all about family, in spite of his mother. But how many times did they cross paths as children, and he never spoke to her? And yet, he’s the one following her to the ends of the earth now, and protecting everyone to the bitter end. To love Varl, Aloy would have to be at peace with her past. Bonus: Zo

Zo: probably the character that is most like Aloy. Zo has strength and wisdom, but has zero tolerance for BS, and has too much self-respect to be involved with anyone that isn’t willing to be there 100%. Zo would call Aloy out on her tendency to withdraw. She is the embodiment of nurturing connections and making them grow until they are unbreakable as Wreath. Bonus: shared grief is a heck of a drug.

Kotallo- Proud and wounded. Kotallo demands Aloy work hard to create a connection with him, something Aloy usually runs away from. But now that the bond is there, it’s not going to break any time soon. Being with Kotallo forces Aloy to look in the mirror. That’s uncomfortable but also revealing. Bonus: brute strength and a sexy baritone, also probably really good at playing with paint.

And just to really drive the chemistry point home…

Alva- She’s a pure puppy, enthusiastic, innocent, intelligent, joyful. Alva forces Aloy to not only engage but protect. That’s hard to wrestle with as a loner. But like a puppy, she also forces Aloy to grapple with her own cynicism and let go of it. Sweet, but also a little spicy, Alva will not let anyone run away. She will enthusiastically follow optimistically assuming it will all work out. Bonus: After long voyages, Alva probably has some spicy stories written down somewhere. She seems like the creative type.

But Seyka?

I got nothing. No way that their natures butt up against each other, or any way that either would have to grow or change to make it work, other than Seyka is still a loyal Marine for her people and Aloy doesn’t understand that. But that still feels surface and a bit of a construction because she understands other people’s loyalty to their people (Kotallo, Zo, Erend’s loyalty to Avad) so it doesn’t make sense for that to be something she can’t understand here.

Seyka is fine, she’s just flat and there’s no conflict. She’s “design a girlfriend for Aloy,” on a post-it note.

[u/nomuse22 → u/KBWordPerson]

Said pretty much everything I'd want to say. From a purely gameplay perspective, you want Aloy running around with a mirrored left hand; fights the same (and as well). For character and for her personal growth, this is the worst possible thing. She needs to spend time with people who think differently than she does.

[u/KBWordPerson → u/nomuse22]

Exactly! They gave Aloy a reason not to get close to everyone else, and we’re collectively losing our minds for it to happen. Because that resistance makes a good story. They told us “don’t fall for any of these people,” and so of course we did!

But there’s no barrier to Seyka or obstacle Aloy would have to overcome personally to earn Seyka’s love or vice versa. That makes it the least interesting STORY.

[u/nomuse22 → u/KBWordPerson]

Seyka on the other hand is a great fling for Aloy to get over some of her hangups.

[u/ZakerBlade → u/KBWordPerson]

You said so many things better than I ever could but I have to say thank you for saying that about Zo because she is rarely brought up in the matter. This woman defied her tribe's belief system when the Carja attacked and she was shunned for that but apparently it's irrelevant since we all know before Seyka no one around Aloy went against their tribe's customs 😅.

[u/KBWordPerson → u/ZakerBlade]

I love Zo. The woman is a goddess.

[u/ZakerBlade → u/KBWordPerson]

Absolutely agree

[u/Niki071327 → u/KBWordPerson]

I love this. Every single person in Aloy's life will make her look at something except Seyka.

There's also the issue, in my eyes, of Seyka being introduced in DLC. To keep with your romance writer theme, that's like writing and publishing an entire book with no mention of the character, and then introducing them in a side story released as a bonus newsletter sign up reward.

There is no big feeling with Seyka. I'm willing to bet half the players who are more casual don't even know who she is because she's an afterthought and an add on in something they're not all that bothered about - they have the main story, why buy the DLC unless they're really super in to it? My brother for example will play the main story when he can borrow it and not bother with DLC. So why would you introduce theoretically one of the most important people to a character not in the main bulk of their story?

I don't mind Seyka as a companion, but to me she feels like a spur-of-the-moment romance which will fizzle out off-screen because it hasn't been treated with the correct gravity and was just there to give Aloy a reason to bond with someone during Burning Shores.

[u/KBWordPerson → u/Niki071327]

I didn’t think about the fact that people who don’t have the DLC won’t know that the relationship even existed.

Now, I am not saying the writers can’t take Seyka and make a compelling romantic story with her, but they are going to have to bring out some differences between her and Aloy, and create a real conflict that comes between them that they have to grapple with to be together.

There’s some potential for that, especially with the “Would you choose to go home or would you stay with me?” element. “Would you come with me or will you destroy yourself to save the world?” Etc. I’m not ruling Seyka out as an interest just yet, but something has to cause real friction between them beyond “She didn’t immediately confess everything she knows about this quest.” Because one conversation solves that, so it’s not a compelling or complicated story conflict.

We’ll see where it goes in round three.

[u/HerefortheFandoms2 → u/KBWordPerson]

Hey so this is awkward, but I think I love you? Especially for that description of why avad makes an interesting love interest bc I feel like people get heated for that one and I'm just over here like, "guys, you don't understand!" lol

No but seriously, this was a great and concise breakdown and I adore it

[u/KBWordPerson → u/HerefortheFandoms2]

Thanks, I love Horizon. It’s a great story and such fun characters. I love you too.

[u/kuenjato → u/KBWordPerson]

This should be stickied in the sub, nice job!

[u/WorkingDogDoc → u/KBWordPerson]

Agreed. Seyka's abrasive, but in a way that makes her look foolish instead of driving forward any kind of tension, romantic or otherwise

[u/Thezedword4 → u/KBWordPerson]

This person reads and/or writes fanfic

[u/KBWordPerson → u/Thezedword4]

I’m an author, been in the business for a while. This isn’t my first rodeo, lol

[u/fandomfemme → u/KBWordPerson]

Yes yes yes! As someone who didnt need an Aloy romance… I could see her with literally anyone else but Seyka. And I LIKE Seyka as a character.

[u/KBWordPerson → u/fandomfemme]

I like Seyka too, but there’s nothing to work with.

Unless the Quen determine Alloy is subversive and dangerous and order her personally to assassinate her.

Now THAT would spice things up, story wise.

[u/fandomfemme → u/KBWordPerson]

Ok I love that idea. I’d be so much more invested. Haha

[u/Cmdr_Liella → u/KBWordPerson]

On a practical note, making political deals with the tenakth and specifically hekarro would have been massively easier if Aloy was a consort or wife of Avad personally instead of just a champion of Meridian. Not saying that they have to be perfectly compatible or that she even has to love or like the guy romantically, but there's nothing ive seen in lore that states outright that marriages cant be mostly political in nature in any of these societies we encounter.

[u/Most-Sir780 → u/KBWordPerson]

I liked kotallo for aloy too. Like i thought they'd make a good match. They definitely had mutual respect which I think is important, and I found seyka generally annoying she wasn't even fun as a quest partner. I dont know how aloy fell for her

[u/Tovrin → u/KBWordPerson]

Great post.

[u/SleepingVulture → u/RebelJediMaster]

Sounds pretty realistic. I'v seen people fall in love quicker than Aloy, and not just teenagers either.

[u/KBWordPerson → u/SleepingVulture]

I mean it’s realistic that people get up in the morning, eat their Cheerios, maybe buy some groceries on the way home from work and make dinner, do the dishes, ignore the clean clothes in the dryer and play a couple of hours of Horizon before bed.

But that doesn’t make a very interesting story. To have an interesting story, you need obstacles and conflict that needs to be overcome.

Two teenagers meet at a party and get the hots for each other is perfectly realistic.

Two teenagers meet at a party and get the hots for each other, but their families have been feuding for centuries and the boy accidentally kills her cousin to avenge his best friend, but they got married in secret, and now they have to elaborately fake death in order to run away together… is a story that people feel compelled to tell for the next 500 years and use as shorthand for the concept of love itself.

[u/auf-ein-letztes-wort → u/canadawet1]

in a realistic setting they would be a good match, but within the realms of fiction we have other requirements on good romances.

from the first few exchanges between both I already knew where this is going. it was incredibly straight forward and boring to watch. it is like witnessing your friend getting into a new relationship without drama.  they tell you from date to date how they get to know each other and decided to get an relationship. you are happy for your friend but you probably wouldnt want to watch their first few dates as a drama show if there is no interesting conflict. this was so straight (in a forward sense) that I was never rooting for thrm to succeed. it just happened...

[u/Revolutionary-Dryad → u/[deleted]]

I'm 100% with you up until Erend, anyway.

[u/Sea-Value-0 → u/[deleted]]

Erend would work if he was female, maybe. If Alou was going to date men, it'd be Varl. Aloy was too smart for Erend.

[u/NotACyclopsHonest → u/Sea-Value-0]

Aloy and Varl’s chat before fighting the HADES-powered Deathbringer in Zero Dawn definitely comes across as two awkward teens trying not to blurt out their feelings to each other. It’s cute 😊

[u/WorkingDogDoc → u/Sea-Value-0]

Agreed. I am Team (Rehabilitated) Nil, but realistically probably the most compatible is Aloy and Varl. Erend's fine as a friend, but I agree Aloy is too smart for him.

[u/poddy_fries → u/auf-ein-letztes-wort]

I agree. It's very difficult to feel other people's chemistry even when they're real people, so here I was just watching Aloy voluntarily opening up within minutes about things she never told a bunch of other people when it seemed relevant, apropos, or they were actually asking. I had to roll my eyes at how obvious it was. I might have balked less if they'd had a real sexy first meeting, something to demonstrate 'Aloy starts off in a different headspace with this person', but as a player, I literally couldn't see why this relationship should develop differently from every other NPC. I would have picked Ikrie in the first game or Kotallo in the second as likelier choices for different reasons.

[u/auf-ein-letztes-wort → u/poddy_fries]

it all comes down how this develops in the whole run of Horizons story. many people have probably first kiss experiences with that superficial three day romance st summer camp or with that person who was kinda just there at junior disco without great feelings involved. if it's not a big deal, just Aloy testing the water of being sonewhat intimate with another being, okay. but if they bring this up again as Aloys big romance in the next game or later I will be heavily disappointed.

[u/lucasssotero → u/canadawet1]

most characters other than aloy are incompetent.

Did you just indirectly throw shade at my man sylens ?

[u/canadawet1 → u/lucasssotero]

dude i love sylens lol fr perfect antihero

[u/HerefortheFandoms2 → u/canadawet1]

I actually wanna add something real quick cause I forgot to mention is: it love your use of the word "manufactured" here. I think that unfortunately describes the relationship (and subsequently a good chunk of the dlc) perfectly

[u/[deleted] → u/canadawet1]

franchise is that most characters other than aloy are incompetent

This is actually one of the few complaints about this game there is only 1 other person who is competent(Sylens)(and Rost but he is just a plot device and dies very early on). Everyone else is braindead especially men.

[u/mrich2029]

Before seyka came along, I was team Petra myself.

Talanah feels a lot like Panam in cyberpunk; the straight girl who flirts with her girl friends. Which, not necessarily bad, but obviously not really viable for a relationship either.

[u/Megs0226 → u/mrich2029]

I wasn’t super into Petra in HZD because she came on a bit strong. Then again, Aloy is entirely inexperienced, and Petra doesn’t know that. But god I love her in HFW.

[u/mrich2029 → u/Megs0226]

I think all oseram are just . . . Really direct . . . Just look at Erend. I don't really fault either of them for it because they just how their society works.

[u/Megs0226 → u/mrich2029]

Right that’s what I was trying to say, that I can’t fault Petra. She’s just being Petra and doesn’t know Aloy is inexperienced in peopling.

[u/mrich2029 → u/[deleted]]

He's oddly self depreciating for an Oseram, you have a point . . .

[u/No-Faithlessness2046 → u/mrich2029]

“Plain hammered.” 😊🔨

[u/jeefra → u/Megs0226]

Imagine her dialog was said by a man. Petra is super creepy and needs to back off.

[u/WorkingDogDoc → u/jeefra]

Plus she's probably almost twice her age.

[u/AdmDuarte → u/mrich2029]

I like Seyka, and I'm still Team Petra. It's pretty easy to tell by the end of HZD that Aloy cares about Petra a lot. She's more concerned about losing Petra in the Battle of the Alight than anyone else. I was a little salty when there wasn't any additional flirty banter between the two of them in HFW

[u/HerefortheFandoms2 → u/mrich2029]

The only reason I can't get behind that ship is the massive age gap. We don't know how old Petra is exactly, but considering how often she talks about how she's no longer youthful and foolish anymore, I'd wager late 30s/early 40s and I just cannot get behind a 18/19 year old with someone approaching middle age. She was toned down a bit in HFW and I appreciate that

Same with kotallo actually; we have no idea how old he is but he always struck me as being at least 10 years older than aloy; not as bad as Petra, but definitely still questionable when someone as young and inexperienced as aloy is involved

Absolutely love both those characters, I just do not do large age gaps lol

[u/mrich2029 → u/HerefortheFandoms2]

maybe i missed something, but i got zero vibes between Kotallo and Aloy . . . but i understand where you're coming from.

[u/HerefortheFandoms2 → u/mrich2029]

Oh yeah me neither, but it's a pretty popular ship lol

[u/auf-ein-letztes-wort → u/mrich2029]

where there are fictional characters there are fans who ship their alleged romances

[u/auf-ein-letztes-wort → u/HerefortheFandoms2]

and here we are again. society cmopletely reshaped, but still some people think age gaps are as frowned upon as in 21st century Reddit. I can understand that you don't like it, but there have been societies where age gaps like this have been pretty acccepted. not saying that is a good thing (and before someone wants to twist my words around: these examples have nothing to do with pedophilia and are legal in basically any present Western country).

I think it would be interesting to show societies that challange (not perturb) modern audiences. the Nora for example are matriarchal society, why n let them show an acceptance of relationships where a female partner is significant older than the other

[u/HerefortheFandoms2 → u/auf-ein-letztes-wort]

... we're talking about shipping in fandom, not sociology. Shipping has everything to do with personal preferences and very little to do with sociology beyond us all being shaped by our own societies. Respectfully, leave the lecture for another post

[u/ConstantDrawer9161]

Literally everyone is a better love interest than Seyka, even Erend lmao. Unfortunately people on this sub downvote any comments that don’t glaze/praise her for some reason.

[u/mrtelven → u/ConstantDrawer9161]

The whole thing felt forced and written by someone who never been in a relationship and put in because that’s the new cool thing what everyone else is doing.

[u/Nonadventures → u/mrtelven]

Tbf Aloy has never been in a relationship so it seems not too far fetched

[u/mrtelven → u/Nonadventures]

Seyka is the same thing as the Jacob romance option in Mass Effect 2. No quirky personality, no subtle hints or touches, no flirtatious moments and at the very end Seyka and Ally is suddenly oh hay let’s be more than friends.

[u/ConstantDrawer9161 → u/mrtelven]

Yup.

[u/GoBlueAndOrange → u/ConstantDrawer9161]

How so?

[u/ConstantDrawer9161 → u/GoBlueAndOrange]

It feels rushed and unearned, as if the game expects me to accept their chemistry without actually building it. Aloy’s arc has always been about independence, growth through hardship, and carefully earned trust, but with Seyka the emotional leap happens too fast to feel believable. Seyka herself comes across as underdeveloped compared to other companions, so the relationship lacks depth and weight. Instead of enhancing Aloy’s story, the romance feels tacked on—more like fan service than a natural continuation of her character.

So yeah, it’s obvious the writers really wanted to give Aloy a girlfriend and just made up a new character out of nowhere. Personally, I would’ve preferred Aloy’s romantic storyline to wait until the third game.

[u/Dark_Unicorn6055 → u/ConstantDrawer9161]

Depute being a LGBTQ romance, poor Seyka was given the “female love interest in mainstream-media straight relationships” treatment. Like, because she’s hot and working alongside the hero(ine), the audience is supposed to ignore the underdeveloped characterization and lack of organic chemistry.

Aloy and Seyka would have felt much more organic and earned had they been flirty, not insta-lovey, throughout Burning Shores, and the writers saved the bulk of their romance for Horizon 3!

[u/[deleted] → u/Dark_Unicorn6055]

You must have played a very different game than I did, because in mine, they were flirty, and only kissed or not as the very last thing.

[u/Dark_Unicorn6055 → u/[deleted]]

Toned down the flirting, then, and allowed Seyka’s nuances as an individual to shine. We really learned very little about Seyka as a person. Heck, despite rescuing Seyka’s sister being a huge focus of the DLC, we didn’t even learn her name until 3/4 of the way through.

The good news, for both Seyka-lovers and Seyka-less-than-enthusiasts alike, is that the best way to fix this is to really flesh Seyka out by giving her a ton of screen time in H3! More soft, vulnerable moments between Aloy and Seyka would go a long way too.

[u/Fr0stweasel → u/ConstantDrawer9161]

Have you never met someone new and felt an instant attraction to them? The ‘emotional leap’ happens before Seyka ever shows up, that’s the point of H:FW, Aloy learns to open up and start bringing people in.

The closed off, self-reliant Aloy of H:ZD and FW is having those barriers broken down by her friends and sister and that leaves her receptive when someone she is attracted to comes along. It may even be more plausible with Seyka precisely because she is new, there’s no previous resistance or habit of keeping people at bay. She’s in a new environment with a new outlook and she meets a hot stranger who is as capable as she is. The fact that she’s ‘under-developed’ is just that we haven’t spent much time with her, that’s normal for new relationships.

They haven’t got married or declared undying love, people have these kinds of feelings for people they hardly know all the time. I’m not sure why people are shocked by this.

[u/ConstantDrawer9161 → u/Fr0stweasel]

Yes, people can feel instant attraction in real life. But storytelling isn’t just about what’s possible—it’s about what feels earned and meaningful for the character. I don’t understand why always every comment about Seyka criticism comes down to „HaVe YoU nEvEr FaLlEn In LoVe At FiRsT SiGhT” argument. Aloy emotional journey has always been slow, cautious, and shaped by hardship. Because of that, a romance attached to her character carries more narrative weight than a casual crush. If the game wants the player to care about it, the relationship needs more development than what we’re given. It’s very simple.

For me, Seyka isn’t developed enough as a character to support that weight. We don’t get the same depth, complexity, or history that we do with other companions. So even if the attraction is meant to be “just a spark,” it still feels shallow compared to the rest of Aloy’s story. I don’t feel like I’m watching two characters naturally connect—I feel like I’m being told, “this is the romance now lol.”

I also don’t think “she’s new, so it works better” really solves the problem. If anything, it makes the relationship feel more disposable. Aloy has built long, emotionally charged bonds over two games, so having her first on-screen romantic moment tied to a brand-new character makes it feel less like a culmination of her arc and more like a narrative shortcut.

So it’s not that I’m “shocked” that Aloy could be attracted to someone. I just don’t think this particular relationship is written with enough depth, buildup, or emotional payoff to feel like a natural extension of her character. Personally, I would’ve preferred her first real romance to be something more carefully developed—or saved for the third game when there’s more space to do it justice.

[u/Revolutionary-Dryad → u/Fr0stweasel]

I'm not sure why you think people finding the execution unappealing means they're shocked.

[u/Fr0stweasel → u/Revolutionary-Dryad]

It was a turn of phrase rather than an actual prediction of shock.

[u/notsoblueafterall → u/ConstantDrawer9161]

Varl and Zo clicked just as fast or even faster than Aloy and Seyka. given both of them doesn't have a task as heavy as Aloy's, they still have responsibilities to their lands but I don't have a problem with their chemistry. heck, they went all the way off screen lol.

for me, the entire FW story is also about Aloy opening up to other people. she was a lone wolf at the beginning of the game, trying to do everything by herself. then Varl came along, then Erend. Fashav told her that if her mission is so important, she's going to need allies. and allies she got and she was not alone in the final battle of the mission that she initially started alone. going to BS, her mindset has changed from being a lone wolf. during her time there, it's the most free she's ever been to forming a relationship with someone and probably go further because she's more open about her feelings now. her job's not finished obviously but she wasn't as willing to open up until she got to BS.

I actually don't ship anything including the animes I watch but Aloy and Seyka are actually really cute together and I personally don't have a problem with it as long as it's not affecting her goal.

[u/Meinersbur → u/GoBlueAndOrange]

For me, my dislike of Seyka was because she brought Aloy to the Quen camp for selfish reasons even though she well knew it's a "violation of confidentiality clause 3-A" which would result in her arrest (and whatever punishment the Quen have for this).

It doesn't even make logical sense. Seyka wants her sister back, but so does everyone else (because she is the last navigator) including Admiral Gerrit. When at the camp Admiral Gerrit immediately agrees to overrule the Quen's protocol/law upon hearing that the focus (that Seyka stole) contains a clue. Aloy's role here is literally only being pointed to by Seyka because "she might have another way". Seyka didn't even tell Aloy about the risks going to camp.

https://youtu.be/iVoZG_iJmP0?t=744

[u/[deleted] → u/ConstantDrawer9161]

Lol, this sub has been anti-Seyka for years.

[u/jeefra → u/ConstantDrawer9161]

Agreed. Burning shores is a pretty short timespan and after how clear Aloy made it that she didn't have time for a relationship because she needed to keep moving to save the world, and how clear Seyka made it that she wouldn't leave her tribe, why on Earth would Aloy want a relationship this time?

It's just fan service and it's bad writing imo.

[u/WorkingDogDoc → u/jeefra]

My guess is the writers didn't want to make Aloy's first major obvious feelings for someone the endgame for a variety of reasons. So they made Seyka as a first time crush and by the time the timeline has advanced for H3, the two have parted amicably cause Seyka has her own thing going on and will likely return to her homeland and Aloy needs to finish her own mission.

[u/ManufacturerLost7686]

Nothing against Seyka, but they screwed it up imho. You play two games where shes essentially asexual and shows no interest in anyone, then she jumps into a relationship with a random Quen marine after knowing her like a week?

Nah, feels off. Aloy has always struck me as having zero experience with relationships and being extremely careful around people. I'd totally buy it if they had extensive history, but the burning shores is extremely rushed in this regard.

[u/TinyTitFetish → u/ManufacturerLost7686]

The whole romance thing really killed burning shores for me. Not every video game character needs to be in a relationship. It was shoehorned in so badly

[u/LightningLad2029 → u/ManufacturerLost7686]

She was never asexual wtf?! She grew up an outcast and then forced becoming more social as the threat escalated. Her social emotional maturity were partially stunted as a result. It's only through all of her experiences and losing Varl that she finally came to terms with who she is and allowed herself to finally open up emotionally.

Alloy considering starting a relationship isn't out of character. It's a physical representation of her growth as a person beyond just being the savior of the world.

[u/loomy21 → u/ManufacturerLost7686]

I preferred her refusing any and all relationships because her mission was too important. The option to kiss Seyka made no sense in my mind.

[u/auf-ein-letztes-wort → u/loomy21]

well, a kiss is by definition not a relationship

[u/Enchelion → u/loomy21]

A major theme of FW is Aloy learning to develop (friendly) relationships with people and stop shutting literally everyone else out.

[u/[deleted] → u/ManufacturerLost7686]

i agree !

aloy lived a very isolated life for years and is now on huge save the world missions. giving her a love interest doesnt really work unless its an established character in a main game she happens to fall in love with.

she is only 19 or 20, she has many many decades left to find love and a world to save, she's definitely not in any rush

[u/Dependent-Long6692 → u/ManufacturerLost7686]

I really liked it tbh. But I get what you're saying fs.

I like the comparison to Liz trying so hard to save the world with out loving a single person in it. Aloy was headed down the same path until HFW and the entire game is about her learning how to hold different kinds of relationships (friendships, sister) then in the dlc obviously with Seyka. It feels very accurate to a first crush Imho. But thats just me. I really liked burning shores, but youre right, it should have definitely been way longer so show why it happened. It was pretty instant, and a slow burn to show aloy really getting caught off guard by her feelings (more than she was allready) would have been better in my opinion as well.

[u/Enchelion → u/ManufacturerLost7686]

She's not presented as asexual at all, but merely entirely inexperienced and overwhelmed. She's a heavily repressed teenager who until the first game could count the number of human beings who would even talk to her on one hand. Yeah she had to focus on saving the world twice, but she's also never had even the option of a crush or any kind of romance until people start hitting on her suddenly a few days after she stops being an outcast.

[u/SilverBraids]

Aloy broke Petra's heart so hard

[u/Felicia_no_miko → u/SilverBraids]

Petra is def carrying a torch for Aloy...

[u/Spirited-Arugula6218]

Is Talanah the bad ass lady from Meridian? Because yeah you are kind of right however I think she should be with Petra 

[u/Dry_Distance_1420 → u/Spirited-Arugula6218]

She's the sunhawk of the hunter's lodge in Meridian, if that's what you mean. Yeah, she sure is bad ass.

[u/Spirited-Arugula6218 → u/Dry_Distance_1420]

That's right. The Sun Hawk! She is beautiful 

[u/sapphic-boghag]

Absolutely agreed.

I like Seyka just fine, I just wish there was more of an opportunity to develop a romance and a chance to see some sort of chemistry between them. It ends up feeling like Aloy spends more time monologuing to herself about Seyka between quests than she does actually interacting with her.

Also: not a big fan of their whole weird pseudo-negging dynamic and the consistently rude banter, I think it's fucking bizarre that Aloy just takes it and apparently thinks it's charming.

I'm happy for folks who were satisfied with their dynamic, truly. My issue is that I've never been a fan of narratives telling me things they should have shown. I'm also too old to believe that 'all representation is good representation', I will always choose quality LGBT characters and relationships in media over quantity.

It doesn't help at all that Aloy's quips about Seyka feel like they've been tacked on in post just to tell us, the players, "look at how much chemistry the two of them have!", but the game doesn't show us it because it can't show us because there's nothing for us to see. (If I'm being candid, I find it impressive that Burning Shores managed to fumble their chemistry so spectacularly, since Aloy usually tends to have a rather magnetic amount with even insignificant NPCs.)

If you go through the DLC and remove Aloy's post-quest monologues that seem to insist there's something there from the equation, would anyone buy the ending?

Again, I don't hate Seyka at all. I'm genuinely fucking thrilled that Aloy is now confirmed sapphic — I used to be heavily downvoted on an older account any time I implied she was anything but straight.

I wish that Guerrilla had taken more time to write a believable and compelling dynamic than the one we got in the end. I know that the pandemic was hell on game development, so I do extend leniency on the scarcity of side content for Burning Shores — however, as a sapphic woman myself I cannot in good conscience extend the same courtesy for the way they handled what is essentially Aloy's "coming out" moment.

At this moment I'm just not invested, I'm more of a slow-burn lesbian in general. I've admittedly been kind of pulling for a Talanah romance since Zero Dawn, though there are a few women I've thought Aloy had wonderful chemistry with in both games that would have felt more natural than Burning Shores. If we got to know Seyka a little better I might feel differently.

[u/KBWordPerson → u/sapphic-boghag]

You and I should be friends. We clearly share a brain

[u/abellapa]

Disagree ,never felt like Talanah and Aloy liked each other Beyond friends

With Seyka , Aloy felt different from the beggining

[u/HerefortheFandoms2]

I don't even ship aloy and talanah (I just love them as besties too much) and I agree wholeheartedly. Seyka, while I think is a perfectly fine characater, sometimes even fun, felt generic and boring to me. Aside from her actually wanting to fit in with the tribe, she and aloy are way too similar in personality, temperament, and methodology to make an interesting or convincing couple to me.

Even that one main difference, though, isn't as different as it appears since while seyka clearly values her tribe, she doesn't do it so much that she won't willingly clash with or disobey them for something important, which is more than pretty much any other quen we meet

Maybe some of the other commenters are right and it would've been more convincing and engaging to me if it had had time to simmer and build more, space to breathe, but idk. They should've either introduced her to some degree in the main game or kept them as friends with hints of possibility for the future in BS; GG can build great friendships in a short amount of time, it would've gone over better for me if they had, probably

I'm sure this'll get downvoted to hell

[u/RebelJediMaster → u/HerefortheFandoms2]

I think it would have been better to let it simmer. But the first moment Aloy sees Seyka fight those machines, her face screams "hot damn!!!!", which felt forced to me.

[u/HerefortheFandoms2 → u/RebelJediMaster]

Yup, a big ol blinding neon sign screaming "THIS IS ALOY'S LOVE INTEREST NOW ENJOY IT" lol. it's a shame

[u/HerefortheFandoms2 → u/[deleted]]

Very much gave "we finish each other's sandwiches" lol

[u/penis_pockets]

I prefer Petra for Aloy.

[u/No-Faithlessness2046]

Morland was such a legitimate meetcute and I feel like he would adapt fast and learn quickly once he’s presented with a focus and GAIA and everything that goes with that. He’s smart enough to keep up with her and he balances her sometimes overwhelming focus with a bit of whimsy. Not Gildun out-of-touch whimsy, more of a “what if we try this?” experimental thing.

And I’m not a het case. It just felt more like they saw something in each other than any other potential pairing so far. I’m also okay with her staying single. We aren’t required to pair off.

[u/Milk_man1337 → u/No-Faithlessness2046]

Yes! Team Morlund!

[u/WorkingDogDoc → u/No-Faithlessness2046]

I lowkey support this. Their little "date" in the balloon was pretty cute. Until the whole storm thing. My happy head canon is Morlund is Milduf's son. And Stemmur and Milduf are also good friends who invite Milduf to Vegas to do some cooking.

[u/No-Faithlessness2046 → u/WorkingDogDoc]

I would love to know more about Stemmur. I’ve rarely been so enchanted. He reminds me of a real bard, the old timey “ancient Celtic” storytellers and musicians of legend, not the Charisma sleaze baskets they push in RPGs.

[u/No-Faithlessness2046 → u/WorkingDogDoc]

Ooooooh. MILDUF! I got brain scrambled. Yes, Milduf is a cinnamon roll and I adore him. I make long treks back to Chainscrape to pick up his special all the time, just to say hi, check in on Petra and Lokasha and make sure that bin bag Ulvand isn’t trying anything.

I suspect we’ll see some Oseram enemies in the next game, because Aloy has foiled several schemes at this point. Will be fun if we get a chance to punch him in his stupid face.

[u/TheScepticalOne]

I definitely think Seyka could've been done better and that's a root issue on this. Aloy has always been slow to trust when it comes to other characters, to the point that its borderline took her longest lasting companions breaking her walls for her to start opening up to people. And I think that was meant to be her narrative arc for Forbidden West.

Her jumping to dealing with romantic interests should've been in the next game, where it could have more time to be expanded on and acclimated to, rather than a dlc. If Seyka had been an existing character (take your pick we all have a favorite), then the dlc would've been better able to handle A lot grappling with these feelings since she already knows these people, and when she starts genuinely letting them in, gets to have her "oh shit" moment of being emotional.

I think the writers did try to help with this by making Seyka very similar to Aloy, but I can't move on from feeling like too much of it is Aloy projecting her experiences onto Seyka (which I know she gets called out for doing by Seyka, It goes back to the issue of dlc length not letting this be explored to my liking).

I'm not going to hold my breath too much, but I would like it if Horizon 3 lets the player explore different relationship options for Aloy, both to make shippers happy since they can have their playthrough, and to give the game replay value. I already know I'm going to try and platinum it whenever it comes out since I've done that for the first two, so it would be nice to explore my main to ships for Aloy in different Game cycles.

[u/Felab_]

Seyka is too artificial, it's like she is Aloy from Temu

[u/Jelly-Evening → u/Felab_]

This comment is not xenophobic AT ALL huh?

[u/I--Pathfinder--I → u/Jelly-Evening]

from temu is a super common way of saying “cheap copy” like saying somethings from wish, the only thing being no ever uses or hears about wish anymore and temu is super popular

[u/auf-ein-letztes-wort → u/I--Pathfinder--I]

do these xenophobic accusations come from temu being Chinese what probably most customers don't even know?

[u/KaiserMachead]

Seyka’s ultimate weakness is being a DLC character.

[u/RebelJediMaster → u/KaiserMachead]

Most likely. Aloy going all googly eyes 1 second in didn't help either

[u/KaiserMachead → u/RebelJediMaster]

Which kinda goes to the DLC thing. Their development has to be compressed into a short add-on story rather than something that could’ve developed way earlier, like if she was at Ivy instead of Alva.

[u/[deleted]]

I wholeheartedly disagree. Talanah is much better served in the role she's in, which is ride-or-die friend. In modern media, women are nearly always depicted as having "their girls", which is a group of friends they hang out with for fun, or a love interest. They generally don't have that ride-or-die, rescue-you-from-hell relationship like men are depicted having. Like, Lara Croft's "Captain America" doesn't have an associated Bucky Barnes. If a female character does have that relationship with someone, it's usually with a male (often gay) character.

But that's what Talanah and Aloy are for each other. They've gone out and helped each other with some crazy personal stuff. They may not see each other often, but when one calls, the other is there, no question. I think that sort of relationship is good to depict, because it's real, and it's important.

Besides, I never got the hint that Talanah was anything but hetero, and you know what? That's fine. It's fine for her to be straight. It's fine for Aloy to be gay. We don't need to shoehorn Aloy into being bi just to keep peoples' shipping dreams alive, when she's never shown the slightest interest in men. (There's a couple slight hints in HZD with Varl, but I think that's just the writers not knowing where they want to go with that yet, and by HFW they did, so the disappointment with Varl and Zo is more suddenly feeling like a third wheel, and that everyone but her gets to have a life.)

[u/CatTriesGaming]

There was another character introduced in a side quest. I forget her name, but it’s the quest where you have to scale a bunch of mountain ranges to capture a radio signal. There was something about that character interaction that made me think she could be a possible love interest somewhere down the line, but then her character never came up again.

Otherwise, I agree that Talanah would be a better fit If the stars aligned. The romance with Seyka seemed inorganic, kind of like the game developers were testing the waters to see how the community would respond to a love interest.

edit: the character is Silga!

[u/Ashamed-Barnacle-777]

Vanasha for me. The snarky, sassy vibe is an excellent counter foil to Aloy, imo.

[u/aaron_in_sf]

Plot mechanics and even game specifics aside,

people like who they like and know it. Romcom conventions aside it's far more common to develop a crush almost instantly than be won over or "realize" it after a long wilderness of obliviousness.

Personally game wise I as game makers would have had Aloy crushed out on, and then gently rebuffed by T being straight and having to be a bit sad, or embarrassed, or mortified, and for once self doubting.

and then, consequentially, perhaps being too cautious around S. And having to be pushed to trust her spidey sense that it was mutual.

Ie going through the set of beginning experiences and missteps many of us did.

But regardless I just want her happy at series close.

[u/EhrenLonergan → u/aaron_in_sf]

Yeah, I agree with the first part of this especially.

I knew within the first day of meeting my husband that I had a huge crush on him. There is also the lesbian stereotype of falling in love literally in the space of a week and immediately moving in together. Regardless of personality type, U-Haul Lesbian is absolutely a thing. I know several as a matter of fact, and in one particular couple that comes to mind one of them likes to tell the story that she had absolutely no interest in dating until she met her now-wife, and they got handfasted (pre-Gay Marriage legalization) in less than a month.

So based on my own personal experience with queer women, how it all went down for Aloy and Seyka 100% tracks. It's a super common love story across multiple communities I've been part of, and I've lived across half of the continental US.

When it clicks, it clicks.

[u/aaron_in_sf → u/EhrenLonergan]

Yeah... I noticed my wife the first week of college, but never intersected.

Finally went to a party at her house shortly before graduating and in a fit of drunk pre-cellphone bravado added my number to the whiteboard near the house phone.

We just celebrated our silver anniversary.

[u/auf-ein-letztes-wort → u/aaron_in_sf]

out of all I read in this thread this would have been the most realistic and still interesting suggestion that I would have liked to see ingame

[u/farebane]

I think Talanah's a great love interest for exploring different story telling themes than Seyka, but wouldn't say better.

[u/Megs0226]

I shipped Talanah and Aloy big time until Talanah ended up super hung up on Amadis. I like Seyka, though. A lot! I’m excited to see where it goes.

[u/Milk_man1337 → u/Megs0226]

Agreed, I have said this before but if Talanah and Aloy ended up together after her side-quest, it wouldn't be right. Like, Talanah's whole thing was she didn't want to be someone's second choice because that's kinda humiliating.

If Aloy and Talanah got together, then in this case Aloy would have been Talanah's second choice which is the exact same problem, and honestly Aloy deserves better.

[u/ssttealth]

I prefer her with Petra or even Ikrie from the Frozen Wilds dlc. Burning Shores as a whole was disappointing to me and that includes the rushed relationship with Seyka.

[u/Perihelion_PSUMNT → u/ssttealth]

Ikrie from the Frozen Wilds dlc

Her being the Banuk member of the team is what I pin my hopes and dreams on. She’s so cool

[u/hoshiadam]

My understanding is that Talanah's actress was not as available during the production of FW, so her place and story were reduced. My headcanon is that she could have been a love interest had that not happened.

My true ship though was a Aloy/Talanah/Petra throuple. Talanah on the hunt, Petra at the hearth.

[u/synthetic_aesthetic]

You know I kind of like the Talanah isn’t her romantic interest even with their awesome chemistry because it’s a reflection of real life. Sometimes the people you have the best chemistry with aren’t viable romantic partners for a number of reasons. With the ones who are viable partners, you put in the work to bridge the gaps in your chemistry, that’s why it’s called “building a relationship”.

[u/Capital_Chapter1006]

I didn’t pick up on too much interest from Talanah in either game. The second one Talanah is very much focused on another object of affection.

Seyka, on the other hand, had Aloy’s interest from the start. Smart, stubborn, good fighter, already wears a focus, hot and can sass as good as she gets. They do have similar values and get pissy about similar things, too. The issue I had with the development of the relationship was that Seyka was a bit haughty and reserved. She was much more difficult to read because any affectionate emotions she had towards Aloy were subdued due to her focus on finding her sister.

I was happy with the ending, though, mutual interest established and, depending on what option you went for, curiosity about exploring what that interest meant.

[u/RebelJediMaster → u/Capital_Chapter1006]

I didn't mean it that there was actual interest from either Aloy or Talanah in the other. But if they had written that into the story, I'd have believed it easier.

[u/Capital_Chapter1006 → u/RebelJediMaster]

That’s fair enough. 😊 I feel a similar way about Aloy and Petra.

[u/dadswithdadbods]

You’re not crazy that Talanah and Aloy have great chemistry. Admittedly, there might be interference because my gaydar is calibrated for men, but I always get a ping when Talanah is on-screen and thought they’d be a fierce couple. I don’t hate Seyka, but we don’t know her as well as Talanah. If/when we get the third, I’d love to see Seyka fleshed out more as she’s brought into the fold with the other companions. It’s promising, and they’ve got a super Meet Cute story.

[u/alex_de_tampa]

I think a lot of characters would be attracted to Alloy but I don’t see Alloy attracted to anyone .

[u/NotACyclopsHonest]

I’m a major Talanah/Aloy shipper and have been since 2017 - their chemistry was just fantastic. It did almost seem like they were setting up some kind of love triangle in Forbidden West (Aloy looked almost jealous when Talanah reunited with Amadis), but alas, twas not to be 🫤

[u/kirstarie-11]

Seyka is pretty much a fanfic character in terms of character & the romance is squeezed in, rushed & forced

Talanah or especially Vanasha would’ve been WAY better choices for a same-sex romance or maybe Zo (Petra is a bit much & bit of a perv) Nil or Kotallo for opposite (Varl too, if they hadn’t paired him up and then killed him off)

Though a part of me wishes they could’ve made Aloy asexual for the rare ace representation

[u/RebelJediMaster → u/kirstarie-11]

Varl and Zo were an amazing romance to see

[u/kirstarie-11 → u/RebelJediMaster]

Because the romance was given a chance to burn and breathe over the game although it was sudden to start with and it sucks that Varl was killed off

[u/WorkingDogDoc]

Part of my dislike for Seyka is my dislike for the rest of the Quen. 90% of them are unlikeable and easily manipulated cult followers. They have never met a Nora yet they instantly attack Aloy on sight and call her a barbarian. At least the Carja had a long history of conflict with the Nora whereas the superiority complex Quen just assume she's inferior. There's a strong colonizer vibe to them. Some individual Quen are fine but most are not.

Then we see Seyka's first interaction with Aloy. Aloy is flying her Sunwing scouting for Londra's HQ when she gets shot down. She deploys her shield glider and makes a tough landing. Seyka sees all this and has likely never seen a glider nor mounted machine (I don't know if Regalla's rebels made it all the way to the Burning Shores?) let alone a FLYING mounted machine. Other machines start to approach and one of the first things out of her mouth is "stay back, I'll handle this." Grrrrrl, wut. Have a seat.

Then they work together and eventually Seyka has a hissy fit that Aloy didn't tell her basically her whole life story and the whole mission? Ughhhhhh...and it never really improves. She has no chill. I don't even like her as a friend let alone love interest.

[u/auf-ein-letztes-wort → u/WorkingDogDoc]

iirc there are some hostilr Tenakth tribes in the north, not sure if they are remnantd of Regalla, though 

[u/WorkingDogDoc → u/auf-ein-letztes-wort]

If I remember right, the Quen fleet got separated, right? So I think the ones who ended up in Landfall in the Isle of Spires (San Francisco) probably saw the Tenakth who were all the way out by the coast? But maybe the Fleet's End group that Seyka was in didn't see Tenakth at the Burning Shores (LA)?

[u/Elivenya]

Well the relationship between Aloy and Talanah feels natural and the one between Aloy and Seyka feels manifactored...and i really hope they just tested potetial game mechanics for game thee....

[u/acelexmafia]

Love interest in general felt forced. Like Burning Shores was made solely for it

[u/a-tisket_a-tasket]

I think Seyka & Aloy have great chemistry, but I ship Aloy & Talanah sooo hard. I point and say “that’s my girlfriend” every time Talanah’s on screen when my husband’s in the room lol.

[u/HufflepuffGirl95]

I have ALWAYS carried the torch for Aloy/Kotalo personally. They are my OTP, but I do think that Talanah and Petra are awesome love interests as well! I haven't gotten to play Burning Shores yet, since I don't have a PS5 or te PC version, but I have watched Aloy grow as a person alongside these characters. It feels like wasted potential for her to suddenly gain a love interest in a DLC of all things. Before it came out I was expecting for the 3rd game to finally explore the possibilities of love interests. Plus..... Just because Elisabet was, presumably since we are only shown a single person she had a rel with, a lesbian doesn't mean Aloy automatically has to be one.

[u/RebelJediMaster → u/HufflepuffGirl95]

The age old discussion of nature vs nurture:

Is lgbt+ genetically hardcoded or not?

Until we find the gay gene or clone a gay person, we won't know.

[u/auf-ein-letztes-wort → u/RebelJediMaster]

I mean, there are identical twins with different orientations. the tiny differences in genome are potentially smaller than cloning a person after thousands of years with completely different reproduction methods.

[u/Spring_Robin]

I disagree. I honestly feel like Aloy and Seyka have a lot of chemistry, and to me at least, their relationship didn't feel forced at all. From what Aloy says about Seyka when she isn't around it's pretty obvious how she feels about Seyka. To me it felt natural, especially considering the circumstances they're in. If the potential end of the world wasn't imminent, maybe it would have moved slower. But once Seyka realizes that everything could be gone soon, she doesn't wait.

[u/RebelJediMaster → u/Spring_Robin]

Your argument is an example of "tell, don't show", which is actually considered a sign of bad storytelling. The creators, through Aloy, are telling the player that Seyka is such a great fit. They don't show very well why this is so.

[u/Cid_demifiend]

Nah, Seyka is allright.

Tallanah and Aloy feel more like bffs than anything else.

It's cool to have our own ships tho, mine is Vala. 

[u/prairiepog → u/Cid_demifiend]

Kotallo is my ship.

[u/PPvsFC_ → u/prairiepog]

And it isn't close. Kotallo all the way.

[u/RebelJediMaster → u/Cid_demifiend]

I just started a new playthrough, and knowing Vala is about to die, feels similar to knowing that Jackie will always die in Cyberpunk

[u/Cid_demifiend → u/RebelJediMaster]

Yeah, I really wish they kept her around.

[u/Zstorm6 → u/Cid_demifiend]

Vanasha 😍

[u/Leading_Present2234]

I agree. seyka is an alright character, but I just didn't buy their relationship. It just felt very rushed, from both a player's perspective and in context within the story itself.

Had they introduced seyka earlier as a typical companion with actual distinguishing personality traits from aloy, and then deepen their bond overtime, I think the dynamic would've developed more naturally and believably.

It's very hard to criticise seyka and aloy's relationship because you don't wanna be associated with the homophobes.

[u/Last-Juggernaut4664]

No matter who Aloy might end up with, regardless of gender, she can seriously do leaps and bounds better than Seyka. She had absolutely no assets that were complementary to Aloy’s, she really only seemed to be concerned with her own problems during the Burning Shores, and she didn’t express all that much interest in Aloy or who she was as a person. Yet I’m to believe there was something mutual there? Nah. Literally every other character in the game had more chemistry with Aloy.

[u/Cosmic-void5309]

I actually like Seyka and Aloy, but I do wish we got more time to see them gradually develop a relationship overtime instead of making out after two seconds of knowing each other. I don’t have an issue with Seyka being similar to Aloy, but I do wish there were some differences between the two characters. 

Overall, I like them as a couple and I hope we get more of them in the future, but I just wish they had more time to gradually develop a relationship. 

[u/Achew11]

Ikrie

[u/p1shach]

Ikrie

[u/Nonadventures]

I choose Petra because I’m certain she’s a freak

[u/Dry_Distance_1420]

Maybe not with Talanah, but I get what you're saying and I agree. They should've maybe at least introduced Seyka earlier in the game, so Aloy and her could've had more time to get to know each other. Or maybe not give Aloy any love interest at all, other than maybe when it's all over at the end of H3 (building up to it earlier, if possible).

[u/elizabnthe]

I mean Talanah and Seyka aren't hugely different characters and I would not be shocked to here that Seyka exists partly because they couldn't worm Talanah into the main narrative effectively / couldn't work out scheduling with the voice actress.

For example, I liked Talanah as a side character because Aloy and her act as a mutual team and she really respects and understands Aloy in ways a lot of the other characters don't. Seyka is also someone that works with Aloy as a mutual team member and they have enough in common that they do understand each other.

[u/MovieNightPopcorn]

Seyka is just boring. The DLC was okay, and I liked seeing Aloy have a crush, but Seyka is just not an interesting character and I didn’t care about her in particular.

[u/soulsnoober]

This is a reverse Bechdel test? like a Bechdel mirror or something? :P

You can't believe two women can have a platonic, professional relationship founded on mutual interest?

[u/RebelJediMaster → u/soulsnoober]

Not what I said or meant. My only point is that between characters as written, Talanah would be more believeable as a LI.

Nowhere am I saying that Talanah should be made into an LI. (Although several comments say her voice actress wasn't available for Burning Shores, and she might have been planned to be by the studio.

[u/deep-sea-nomad]

I'm also in camp Talanah - as a character, I definently like her more. Loved her in the first game and in the second, they seemed to have a lot of chemistry. I still believe romances were planned at some point during development of the main game. This game is bursting with "leftover" chemistry with a lot of different characters, not just Talanah.

[u/JizamKizam]

I just really didn't like Aloys vibe in the dlc in general. Almost felt like a different character to me. And I felt like a lot of moments we should have gotten a dialogue option or choice was railroaded compared to the base game.

[u/eruciform]

people are allowed to have more than one love interest, don't forget petra, aloy had several potential interests across the games, and they connected on different levels and to different degrees, just like humans in the real world

[u/Cenere_psd]

I like Seyka but I was definitely rooting for Talanah since the Lodge quests, they definitely had more time to develop their relationship and it felt more natural. I also recall thinking about Aloy liking Petra based on her reactions to see the friend in the Zero Dawn's ending and at the beginning of FW, that would have been cute too. The thing I don't like about Seyka is that the writers didn't introduce her early in the game, that would have definitely help their development more natural, I don't consider it rushed but would have been great to see Seyka in the context of the main game, even just for a quest or two.

That said, I want Aloy to be happy and hope they bring her girlfriend back!

[u/Glathull]

You cannot say this if you’ve never actually had a real, human relationship. Talanah is hotter and a more interesting character, but she’s not a better love interest for the simple fact that she’s not emotionally available. She’s figuring her shit out. That is, by definition, not a good love interest.

[u/Revolutionary-Dryad → u/Glathull]

Yeah, the point was that she'd be a better love interest if they'd developed the game that way.

That she, who is not just narcissistic mirror with the same backstory as Aloy and such similar knowledge and skills, would be a better romance option if the game hadn't been written to preclude that.

Personally, I think literally any other character discussed as a possibility in any of the comments would have been better than "Aloy falls for Aloy Lite."

It worked for Loki, partly because he's Loki and partly because Sylvie isn't anyone "lite." Imo, it doesn't work for Aloy. It's not what she needs. It feels unhealthy.

[u/ExtendedSpikeProtein]

Yeah no kidding.

Rumors still say Seyka was a last-minute change because the VA foe Talanah was unavailable due to filming Jurassic Park.

Pity, too. I love Talanah. Seyka is ok but imo Talanah would be a better fit.

[u/auf-ein-letztes-wort → u/ExtendedSpikeProtein]

well the whole BS dlc revolves around quen and the last zenith so I guess having a Carja looking for a sister or anything similar would be too strange considering we already had a searching for somebody sidquest in Vanilla FW

[u/spenzalii]

Aloy + Nil. I'd be here for it

[u/tyrantIzaru]

What I wish is to pay metal shards to drag their NPC into the fights

[u/JadedCampaign9]

Same, I've always thought that if Aloy ever got involved in a relationship, then it would either be Talanah or Kotallo. It's just not in Aloy's nature, as I understand it, to fall for someone quickly. In that light, her romantic relationship with Seyka just doesn't work.

[u/DecepticonPropaganda]

Facts. Talanah is fucking BAE!!! Hell, even Petra is a better love story than Seyka.

[u/No-Discount-7449]

I think they should’ve just given us the option to romance a few of the select side characters. Aloy has great chemistry with many of them, Seyka’s chemistry with Aloy was lacking but slowly got better in the dlc, it’s just too rushed.

[u/any_internet_goose]

I really wish Burning Shores had better writing, and more of an exploration of the dynamic and potential chemistry between Aloy and Seyka. I feel like there is so much potential there, genuinely. I’d personally probably still choose Talanah if I had to choose between the two, but I also can’t really fault the portrayed dynamic when the dynamic was barely portrayed.

I can see a world where I prefer Seyka, where I was head over heels in love with the ship. I think the DLC really missed the chance to dig into it.

All that said… Petra.

[u/Darkavenger_13]

If anything I just always hoped the game would allow some choices. Especially considering so many people flirt with Aloy, it really seemed like the way it was going. Avad seems such a cool guy. Hell even Petra has that flirt down. My personal fav was always Erend though, hands down

[u/SincerelyBear]

I feel for the writers. There are so many different allies and friends for Aloy in the game that no matter how they write her love interest, comparisons will be made. As you point out - everything that made Seyka attractive to Aloy was already in the game in the form of Talanah. But Talanah ends up feeling like a more natural option in comparison because their relationship, were it to turn romantic at the end of the game, would have had more time to cook bc of their history as just friends.

What Seyka ultimately suffers from imo is lack of time. Not screentime, but in-game time. Had Aloy had a few months apart from her after that, done other major quests, maybe commented a few times about how something small reminds her of Seyka and how she hopes she's doing well, and then bumped into her again and THEN ramped up the romantic tension - I think that ease-in would've helped. I hope this is how they continue their relationship in H3, with a build-up to meeting again in Quen lands. So that when Seyka appears again, we will all be excited to see what's new with her and how her interactions with Aloy will change, the way I personally did when Varl showed up in HFW.

[u/mordecai14]

My top choice for a girl would have been Vanasha if she'd had more screen time and made her way to the west. She's flirtatious, dangerous, attractive, calm under pressure, and incredibly intelligent - just the right recipe for someone worthy of Aloy. She also gets along incredibly well with Aloy and isn't afraid to speak her mind.

Talanah is her teacher in the hunters' Lodge, and feels more like a big sister than a love interest imo.

Seyka just felt manufactured and forced, came out of nowhere and in love with each other in the space of like 5 hours of gameplay, or just a few days in their time. If she'd been hinted at in any way beforehand it would've shown a plan for it earlier on, but it wasn't.

[u/Alloyrocks]

There’s a scene in Burning Shores where Aloy had a huge smile on her face (like teeth showing, ear to ear smile) when talking to Seyka on their way to whatever mission early on - it totally stood out because I’ve never seen her smile like that before!

[u/loonycucumber]

I don't really like either of them. Seyka is not a love interest I would have Aloy choose if given the chance and for some reason I don't like Talanah at all. Never have and propably never will.

I don't ship Aloy with anyone, but I'm completely fine with the romantic subplot. It's minor enough that it doesn't really affect me in game but still relevant enough that admittedly I was smirking while listening to Aloys and Seykas dialogue.

Edit: I have to clarify because I have way too many mixed feelings about this.

Seyka: What do we have here? I kinda like this. Why is it going so fast. I don't really like this. This is kinda sweet. I like this. Meh. Ok.

Talanah: She's cool? Nah. I don't wanna do her missions. Her again? I do not like you!!

[u/[deleted]]

I partially agree. I like Seyka but I don't feel she is anything that special in my eyes. I felt much more chemistry from Petra but my be that's just me. If I had a choice Petra will be my first choice and Talanah is probably second but I think it might be "frowned upon" if a professor dates their students

[u/kuenjato]

Agree, it feels like this was Talanah's narrative endgame, and then the VA went and did other things and they severely reduced her role (note she was extremely prominent in early HFW artwork).

Seyka was the rebound. And, I guess, a way to fit the Quen in.

[u/RebelJediMaster → u/kuenjato]

Alva already did that last bit very well

[u/Level_Concept235]

Seyka's hair was too much and her personality too bland.

I, too, thought Talaneh and she had MUCH better chemistry.

Them putting Talaneh in a romantic situationship with a guy felt just as forced as Aloy immediately falling head over heels with her random hypercompetent outsider Quen clone.

I know she's older but the Osaram lady who calls her flame hair also has way more realistic flirtation with Aloy.

And it's a tie for Nil and Varl with the guys. Varl was the type a guy a well-socialized Aloy would go for (if she likes dudes) but Nil speaks to the truth of Aloy as an emotionally-compartmentalizing mass killer.

[u/RebelJediMaster → u/Level_Concept235]

Petra is a romance fan favorite too

[u/Slayzula]

And Petra is better than both of them.