u/psb123am

Snowbelle Heartstrings is an Amourshipping Fanfic by PikaBlue182 that I must admit I feel conflicted about.

Part of the core concept is that the Master’s 8 is coming up and Ash is feeling a lot of nervousness and anxiety about the tournament. So much so to where he’s not himself. He’s down in the dumps in a way similar to how he was after he lost to Wulfric in XYZ. Which no doubt served as the inspiration for this story.

And therein lies my confliction. After Serena snapped Ash out of that funk in Snowbelle City, we could tell that the lesson he learned from it really stuck with him. As evidenced by how when he lost to Alain in the Kalos League, he didn’t let the loss get to him and was instead proud of what he accomplished. And as far as I’m aware, neither Sun & Moon nor Journeys had another moment where Ash felt defeated in the same way.

That’s why I feel weird about this aspect coming back for this fanfic. Combine the fact that Ash canonically got over it for good with the tension that can be caused (and was caused in the story) by Ash being in this state, and I can say that aspect just rubs me the wrong way.

Enough to where I have not read every chapter of Snowbelle Heartstrings. I made it through about Chapter 7 before deciding I didn’t want to keep going any further.

However, I can’t deny that the story itself is very well crafted. It’s got good length to its chapters, the grammar is mostly solid, and at the end of the day this gripe of mine is a me problem. The concept is a good way to expand upon one of the most pivotal Amourshipping moments with a new story. And I’m sure the fic will have a happy ending despite the rocky road to get there tension wise.

And most important of all for the good points of this fanfic, despite my desire to not go any further, out of what I did read, there are parts I like to go back and re-read. So I have made the decision to list 5 of my favorite moments, in no particular order, from what I have of Snowbelle Heartstrings. Bear in mind, not every moment I mention will have a big focus on Amourshipping. Most will, but there are a couple that are more “in general”.

For obvious reasons, spoilers are on the way. I’ve attached a link to the fic in this post, so there’s your opportunity to read some of it beforehand if you want to.

Let’s begin shall we?

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1st - Ash wishing he could see Serena again, from Chapter 1

As you probably guessed, the main setting for this fanfic is Snowbelle City. Dawn and Chole decided to visit so they could see the very first Pokemon Showcase of said city and they tried to convince Ash to come along with them so they could have a guide and to hopefully ease his tension a bit.

Ash agreed, and as they are walking through the snow towards the city, the thought of showcases leads Ash to reminisce about when he saw Serena competing in them. That brings a smile to his face as he remembers how much fun she had performing and how much she dazzled him during those performances.

This causes him to wish he could see one of her performances again, and using the wording of the fanfic itself, heck, he was starting to wish he could see her again, period. He tries not to get carried away with those desires out of respect for how she’s pursuing her goals, but he himself admits that his heart was desperately holding onto those unlikely odds.

Or so he thinks they’re unlikely. Ash doesn’t know it yet, but Serena is competing in the Snowbelle Showcase. We’ll get to more of that later, but for now, it’s nice to see Ash remembering Serena so fondly. And in a way that I would describe it fueled by romantic feelings.

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2nd - Dawn and Chloe find out Ariana’s true identity, from Chapter 4

In an earlier chapter, Dawn, Chloe, and Ash run into Aria while shopping around Snowbelle City. She’s in her disguise of Ariana so Ash is the only one who realizes it’s the Kalos Queen, but per Aria’s request he keeps quiet about it.

Aria is traveling with Serena and as Kalos Queen, she has a responsibility to review the new showcase theater in Snowbelle. But she has some time off to spend in the city and once she runs into Ash and Co. she spends the day shopping with them, forming a friendship with Dawn and Chloe.

When the showcase begins, Dawn and Chloe are excited to see the Kalos Queen giving her speech onstage, but they think there’s something familiar about her and try to piece it together while Ash and Pikachu just smirk and giggle since they already know.

Once Dawn and Chloe figure it out, in Ash’s own words, he wished his brain could have taken a picture of their faces. They are flabbergasted as they start shouting at Ash, saying things like “YOU KNEW THIS WHOLE TIME?!?!”

It was pretty darn funny 😂

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3rd - Aria setting up the big surprise, from Multiple Chapters

Since this covers multiple chapters, it might feel a bit off to call it a “moment” but whatever, I’ll roll with it anyway.

As stated before, Ash does not know Serena is in Snowbelle City when he arrives there. Likewise, Serena doesn’t know that Ash is there either. So when Aria is hanging out with Ash and Co. and finds this out, she takes the opportunity to have a bit of fun. Keeping the fact that Serena is in Snowbelle a secret from Ash and that Ash is in Snowbelle a secret from Serena until just the right moment. While dropping a few subtle hints along the way. Like when she tells Serena “You and Ash will see each other again someday. I’m sure of it.” She adds an emphasis on the sure of it part that Serena finds odd. She also tells Ash more than once to make sure he pays really close attention to the Showcase.

Yeah, Aria delved into her mischievous side quite a bit here. Which definitely helped build anticipation in me. Just made me want to see Ash and Serena reunite all the more.

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4th - Serena admiring the ribbon and her memories of Ash, from Chapter 3

Despite having a showcase to register for the following day, Serena is up late just staring at the blue ribbon Ash got her with a smile on her face. Reminiscing about her journey with him and the day they saw each other again in Lilycove City.

Aria calls her out for it too. Saying “You just can’t seem to let that thing out of your hands for longer than a day can you?” Which causes Serena to blush and nervously try to defend herself, but Aria cuts her off and says “Don’t worry, I get it. You really miss him don’t you?” which Serena cannot deny.

She even ties the ribbon around her wrist before she goes to bed. Causing Aria to give a nervous sweatdrop, but inside she’s super giddy about when Ash and Serena see each other again.

I sympathize with her. This was honestly a really cute moment of Serena indulging in her affection for Ash.

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5th - Ash and Serena reunite, from Chapter 5

If this list was ordered in a ranking of what I thought was the best, this moment would be at the top spot.

After Ash sees during her performance that Serena is also in Snowbelle City, he rushes to see her after the showcase in a bit of desperation. To the point where it starts causing a scene in the lobby when he faces the challenge of how the receptionist isn’t letting him into the performer’s lounge. Luckily for Ash, Aria steps in saying he’s her guest, which causes the receptionist to relent.

On their way to see Serena, Ash asks Aria if she already knows he’s in town, but Aria chooses not to answer. Which annoys Ash, but he’s too focused on his need to see Serena again to care that much.

Aria is the first to arrive at the booth Serena is in and says that a fan was looking for her. Serena seems confused, but asks Aria who it is. Aria stays vague, but before Serena can voice her annoyance, she hears Ash’s voice and freezes.

Once our lovely couple is finally making eye contact, they stand there looking at each other wordlessly, their gazes locked as they can’t believe the other is before them.

Dawn and Chloe don’t say anything either. They’re too busy feeling like they just walked into something more profound than they can comprehend. Aria is also silent. Leaning on the doorway with a smile just taking in the moment.

Aria does eventually decide somebody should say something before things get awkward and attempts to do so, but she gets cut off before she gets the chance. Not by words, but by the best part of this entire moment.

Serena stepping out her chair so fast that it crashes to the ground as she throws herself into Ash’s arms.

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These are just some vague descriptions as to these moments. It’s way better to experience them in the fanfic itself so if you haven’t done so yet, I encourage you to try. You might find yourself unwilling to read the whole thing like I did, but I do recommend trying to get through Chapter 5 at least. There’s some good stuff here.

The title might seem a bit confusing here, so allow me to attempt a brief summary of the things I'm wondering about.

In a fanfic about a journey set at a certain point in the Pokemon Anime starring Ash, let's say between Sun & Moon and Journeys as an example, would it be ok for a writer to do things like evolve some of Ash's Pokemon who never evolved in canon, include Mega Evolutions that debuted in Legends ZA, and allow Pokemon to learn moves they couldn't learn until, say, Gen 9.

That's the brief summary version. Now for the more detailed part of the post.

In the modern day if someone were to try and write a fanfic about the anime starring Ash, or create some YouTube videos of a "what-if?" Pokemon series, basically the same thing as fanfiction, all the new updates to older Pokemon in the newer games exist. But how important is it for the writer to "stay true to the timeline" so to speak?

I already know that's not completely necessary. I brought up the what-if series videos on YouTube already, so let's use Zactoshi's Sword and Shield what-if series as an example. That's a Galar specific saga where the idea is to outright replace Journeys as Ash's next season after Alola. And as a result it hardly takes Journeys into consideration. Ash catches none of the Pokemon he did in Journeys and Goh and Chloe are given different, and significantly more minor, roles.

And that series turned out just fine. So I already know creative liberties that differ from canon can be taken. But at the same time, I do feel like that whole "differ from canon" aspect can go too far and be too nonsensical. And that's what I want to hear people's thoughts on here is if the ideas I'm suggesting fit within that balance or they're too much of a reach.

Speaking of those ideas, let's start with some of Ash's Pokemon evolving. To expand on the "between Sun & Moon and Journeys" timeframe I mentioned earlier, let's say that before becoming a research fellow, Ash takes a different journey. Maybe through the Orre Region from the Shadow Pokemon games? But this hypothetical fanfic would have at least an epilogue that mentions how some of the changes to the story this fanfic brings would lead into some changes in how Journeys played out. Like some of the new Pokemon Ash caught in the fanfic but not in canon would be there when Ash visits all his Pokemon at Oak's ranch, and how some of them would be evolved now. Like Ash's Scraggy could be a Scrafty now or his Gible could evolve all the way to Garchomp.

That's the first curiosity of mine here because in canon, those two stay as Scraggy and Gible the whole way through. So would it be too much of a stretch to evolve them in a fanfic or what-if video series like this? I feel like such a thing is fine, but again, I want to hear your opinions.

Second is the ZA debuted Megas. Now the scenario I'm using as an example here places the story in pre-Gen 8 territory. So I think it would be too much of a reach to include Megas like Mega Falinks or Mega Scovillain since those are Gens 8 and 9, but Mega Excadrill? Mega Malamar? Mega Golisopod? Those are all Pokemon from Gen 7 or earlier. It can't be that hard to just include a story element where those Mega Stones have been newly discovered right? Or is the fact that they debuted in a game that wasn't released until after the Gen 7 anime ended too much of a "messing with the timing" kind of thing?

And finally, the moveset updates. Using Pikachu as an example here, as I said before this hypothetical scenario would take place in a Pre-Gen 8 timeframe. So if Pikachu's Electroweb were to be replaced with a different Electric Type Move, I feel like it could not be replaced with Rising Voltage, but could be replaced with Eerie Impulse.

Eerie Impulse is a move that Pikachu could not learn until Generation 9, but the move itself debuted in Generation 6. That makes me feel like it's fair to have Pikachu learn it in a timeframe such as this. Rising Voltage on the other hand? The move itself did not debut until Generation 8. So I feel like including it would be an example of that "messing too much with the timeline" thing.

Those are my thoughts, but I want to hear yours. Are the examples I gave in the clear? Or are they stretching too much? For both traditional fanfics and the what-if series videos like what Zactoshi and Zanolith do. I want to hear what you think in regards to both.

First things first, I know this is an Amourshipping sub, and I don't think this post will mention Amourshipping a lot, but I want to hear the opinions on this matter from the community here. If the mods decide this is too off topic then they can send me a message letting me know that and I'll take this post down.

Now then. The title might seem a bit confusing here, so allow me to attempt a brief summary of the things I'm wondering about.

In a fanfic about a journey set at a certain point in the Pokemon Anime, let's say between Sun & Moon and Journeys as an example, would it be ok for a writer to do things like evolve some of Ash's Pokemon who never evolved in canon, include Mega Evolutions that debuted in Legends ZA, and allow Pokemon to learn moves they couldn't learn until, say, Gen 9.

That's the brief summary version. Now for the more detailed part of the post.

In the modern day if someone were to try and write a fanfic about the anime starring Ash, or create some YouTube videos of a "what-if?" Pokemon series, basically the same thing as fanfiction, all the new updates to older Pokemon in the newer games exist. But how important is it for the writer to "stay true to the timeline" so to speak?

I already know that's not completely necessary. I brought up the what-if series videos on YouTube already, so let's use Zactoshi's Sword and Shield what-if series as an example. That's a Galar specific saga where the idea is to outright replace Journeys as Ash's next season after Alola. And as a result it hardly takes Journeys into consideration. Ash catches none of the Pokemon he did in Journeys and Goh and Chloe are given different, and significantly more minor, roles.

And that series turned out just fine. So I already know creative liberties that differ from canon can be taken. But at the same time, I do feel like that whole "differ from canon" aspect can go too far and be too nonsensical. And that's what I want to hear people's thoughts on here is if the ideas I'm suggesting fit within that balance or they're too much of a reach.

Speaking of those ideas, let's start with some of Ash's Pokemon evolving. To expand on the "between Sun & Moon and Journeys" timeframe I mentioned earlier, let's say that before becoming a research fellow, Ash takes a different journey. Maybe through the Orre Region from the Shadow Pokemon games? But this hypothetical fanfic would have at least an epilogue that mentions how some of the changes to the story this fanfic brings would lead into some changes in how Journeys played out. Like some of the new Pokemon Ash caught in the fanfic but not in canon would be there when Ash visits all his Pokemon at Oak's ranch, and how some of them would be evolved now. Like Ash's Scraggy could be a Scrafty now or his Gible could evolve all the way to Garchomp.

That's the first curiosity of mine here because in canon, those two stay as Scraggy and Gible the whole way through. So would it be too much of a stretch to evolve them in a fanfic or what-if video series like this? I feel like such a thing is fine, but again, I want to hear your opinions.

Second is the ZA debuted Megas. Now the scenario I'm using as an example here places the story in pre-Gen 8 territory. So I think it would be too much of a reach to include Megas like Mega Falinks or Mega Scovillain since those are Gens 8 and 9, but Mega Excadrill? Mega Malamar? Mega Golisopod? Those are all Pokemon from Gen 7 or earlier. It can't be that hard to just include a story element where those Mega Stones have been newly discovered right? Or is the fact that they debuted in a game that wasn't released until after the Gen 7 anime ended too much of a "messing with the timing" kind of thing?

And finally, the moveset updates. Using Pikachu as an example here, as I said before this hypothetical scenario would take place in a Pre-Gen 8 timeframe. So if Pikachu's Electroweb were to be replaced with a different Electric Type Move, I feel like it could not be replaced with Rising Voltage, but could be replaced with Eerie Impulse.

Eerie Impulse is a move that Pikachu could not learn until Generation 9, but the move itself debuted in Generation 6. That makes me feel like it's fair to have Pikachu learn it in a timeframe such as this. Rising Voltage on the other hand? The move itself did not debut until Generation 8. So I feel like including it would be an example of that "messing too much with the timeline" thing.

Those are my thoughts, but I want to hear yours. Are the examples I gave in the clear? Or are they stretching too much? For both traditional fanfics and the what-if series videos like what Zactoshi and Zanolith do. I want to hear what you think in regards to both.

Such an idea has been used before for fanfics and what-if videos on YouTube and such, but there's something about this I want to ask.

Serena's decision to travel to Hoenn after XYZ to continue pursuing her dreams of making people smile with her performances is often viewed as a great point of her character development. I even once saw a video by the Amourshipper known as Ayaanic Bond where they state one of their favorite parts about the kiss scene is how it shows that Ash and Serena's journey's were destined to take a different path seeing as how Serena is working to be a performer and Alola doesn't have performances. To be clear, they did not mean that Ash and Serena were destined to not be together. Just that their journeys had to separate for a little bit and that they could still totally reunite and become a couple later.

But what about a fanfic where, just to give an example, Palermo is making an effort to spread Showcases to more regions beyond Kalos and she thinks Serena performing in those showcases could be a great way to help drum up interest in them. Serena agrees, the first stop for this spreading of showcases is the Kanto region, so Serena and Grace fly with Ash back to Pallet Town after XYZ, where Serena and Grace get their own house in Pallet Town while they wait for showcases to be set up in Kanto.

So Ash and Serena stay in Pallet Town for, let's say, a month, showcases are ready to go in Kanto at that point, and Ash and Serena begin a Journey where Serena participates in showcases in the other regions while Ash finds a new battle related event to work towards along the way. As well as any goals from any additional traveling companions they would have.

I feel like a scenario like that is a good way to have Serena still pursuing her goals while continuing to travel with Ash after XYZ. It's definitely not the only scenario that would be good for that sort of thing, but it is an example of how I believe that if a writer plays their cards right, there are definitely ways to have Ash and Serena continue their journey together after Kalos without detracting from Serena's goals.

That's my opinion on the matter, but I want to know what you guys think about this as well.

This is a video by ThePokeRaf that was just posted today. It’s a cute little video going over some ideas of what could have happened if Serena started traveling with Ash again after their reunion in JN105.

Yup. After JN105. When I saw the title I have to admit I thought they were going for an approach of Serena traveling with Ash from the beginning of Alola to the end of Journeys, so being set after JN105 caught me off guard.

I was also by surprised by how the video skipped straight to the final battle with Leon after the reunion and didn’t cover any of the journeys episodes in between.

A bit of an oddity, but either way this is still a pretty cute Amourshipping video. Some nice moments between Ash and Serena that I won’t go into the details of in this post. You’re gonna have to watch the video itself to learn that part.

To be clear, I'm not just referring to the single final episode of the series "Till We Compete Again". I'm referring to the string of episodes that make up the moments where the XY journey comes to an end. In other words, every episode of XYZ after the Team Flare Arc concludes.

The reason I ask this is because a Poketuber who I've enjoyed a number of videos from before named Zactoshi posted a video today about which Pokemon series ending he thinks is the best one, and in going from worst to best, he put the XY ending at the worst.

Don't worry, Zactoshi is not an XY hater. He deliberately opens his explanation by saying that XY is a solid series, and he does praise Till We Compete Again as a solid episode. He just felt that the other episodes that make up the series ending didn't really do the series justice.

His gripes include:

- Clembot being rebuilt after his sacrifice.

- Greninja's release feeling forced since Zygarde "already took care of all the vines".

- Serena going to Hoenn to participate in Contests. He felt that making her go do the same thing May and Dawn did when the series established a new kind of competition for her to take part in wasn't a good idea. And that it made showcases seem kind of pointless.

Now I will fully admit, I haven't finished the XY series yet. So my room to talk in terms of my own opinion on the ending is limited. That said, I will give my thoughts on each of those gripes.

First is Clembot being rebuilt. Honestly there is an argument for it making sense. He's a robot after all. But sometimes people feel that these sort of resurrections cheapen the impact of a character death. I have always had my issues with that sort of mindset, so Clembot being rebuilt isn't something I can say bothers me. But I can at least understand where Zac is coming from. It's not a mindset I typically agree with, but I can understand the reasoning in this case.

Second is Greninja's release. I put the part of Zygarde taking care of all the vines in quotes because as I said, I haven't finished XY. So I don't know whether or not that statement is accurate. Though I'm guessing it's probably not. Even so, there's no denying that a number of people were disappointed by Greninja's release. And I do understand why. I've learned to live with it, but I do know why people wish Greninja had not been released. So while I don't think it's enough of a reason by itself to say the XY ending was bad, I don't blame Zac for his views on the release.

And finally, Serena going to Hoenn to try contests. Now the part of it making showcases feel pointless is my biggest disagreement with what Zac said about XY's ending. Regardless of how you feel about Serena trying contests, the showcases still had a big impact on her and she had passion and dedication to them. Giving contests a try does not eliminate the fact that this happened.

But as for Serena trying contests, it's one of those things to where opinions on it can vary a fair bit depending on if you watch the Dub or the Sub. The English version does seem to hint a little more that Serena is moving her primary focus to contests, but the Japanese version, which is the true canon of the anime, from what I've heard it makes it more clear that she's just seeing what contests have to offer and exploring that side of performing, but she still fully intends to stay primarily dedicated to showcases and is still aiming to be Kalos Queen someday. If my information is correct, she kind of deliberately says that in the Japanese version of her return episode in Journeys.

So it's kind of a sub vs. dub issue, but I know from other videos of his that Zactoshi prefers watching the Japanese version. Now I don't want to dismiss that my information about Serena's goals in the Japanese version could be off the mark, but I don't think it is and if that's the case, then I can't help but feel he kind of dropped the ball on this reasoning. If Serena's just seeing what contests are like and is still dedicated to being Kalos Queen, I think that makes this gripe fall flat. For lack of a better term.

I haven't fully formed my own opinion of XY's ending yet, though I get the feeling I won't have a lot of negative things to say about it. And let's not forget, the writers were forced into rushing the ending given the deadline to move on to Sun & Moon. So even if there are sensible gripes, let's cut them some slack.

In any case, these are my thoughts on the points Zactoshi brought up. Mostly a case of disagreeing but understanding where he's coming from. Save for one or two bits where I feel he might have disregarded some key information.

What about you guys though? Got any thoughts to share on this matter?

YBT626

I feel like this question has been asked in this subreddit before, but a long time ago and we’ve gotten some new members since then.

Being an Amourshipping sub where we all obviously love Serena, I find myself curious as to what the people here think of Showcases given how they are Serena’s main goal and a big part of her development.

My own thoughts? Well I haven’t finished the XY saga yet, so the only two showcases I’ve seen are the Coumarine and Dendemille Showcases. But I thought they were pretty solid.

I like how the lack of battles allow the bond between Trainer and Pokemon to be displayed in a more unique way. And speaking of unique, the Theme Performances are exactly that. It’s a different kind of competition each time. The ones we saw being, funnily enough, things Serena already had an interest in before realizing her dream. Like baking and fashion. I can’t help but find myself wondering what other sorts of competitions the theme performances could have that weren’t featured in the show. That gives some room for fans to think of creative ideas for that sort of thing which is always fun.

And of course, the Freestyle Performances are pretty great too. The animation is most certainly a huge plus for them, but they are also another great way to show the bond between the performer and their Pokemon. Sometimes people say these are just watered down appeal rounds from Contests, but I disagree. With contests, it’s just the Pokemon on stage. Showing off some neat combinations of moves. In Showcases, the trainer is on stage with their Pokemon and has to be just as much a part of the dance routine as their partners. It’s a display of choreography and teamwork that you just don’t get from the appeal rounds of contests. Which of the two you like better is a matter of opinion, but both have their own unique charm. One is not a note for note rehash of the other.

The one thing I will say I found a bit odd about the freestyle performances in the Dendemille showcase is that they seemed a bit short. I don’t want to say that’s a flaw with them or anything. I get the feeling it was intentional, there are probably points in favor of it being better that they weren’t longer that I’m not aware of yet, and while I would have to double check this, I do remember the appeals rounds of contests being at about the same length.

Not to mention that showcases have more going on than just the freestyles. Beyond the theme performances, there’s also backstage stuff the performers have to go through. So the shorter length could just be a result of how much is going on in a showcase episode. And it’s always possible that the freestyles I haven’t seen yet could be longer.

And since I addressed the whole “watered down appeal rounds” claim, I might as well address other criticisms showcases receive that I don’t agree with.

First is the statement that it’s a problem that showcases are girls only. I don’t agree with that. Japanese Idol Culture, which is what showcases are inspired by, has separate divisions for boys and girls. Just like how sports such as Tennis have differing boy and girl divisions, or how Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are two different things. Showcases being girls only is just reflective of how its inspiration works in real life.

I also want to address the claim that showcases are just popularity contests because fans vote for the winners. Certain theme performances are in fact decided by judges and a big part of being a successful performer is being able to reach the hearts of the audience. I’ve heard that this was the main reason Serena lost to Aria in the Master Class is because she had yet to truly get a grasp on realizing that. Something directly pointed out to her by Palermo if I’m not mistaken. In fact, I hear there’s a showcase later on in XY where a performer with a Shiny Dragonair is a fan favorite among the town the showcase takes place in, but Serena still wins because she did better at reaching the hearts of the audience.

So it’s not really a case of fans just being biased for their favorite performers. Even with examples like Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie always voting for Serena, she’s their friend and her passion for her dream reached their hearts.

I think that’s about everything I can mention right now for my own thoughts on showcases. What about the rest of you? What are your opinions on them?

Well this is a pleasant surprise. I was quite happy when XY made it to Netflix last year and this announcement rekindles that same feeling. Only this time it’s all the seasons of Ash’s anime instead of just XY. I wonder if the movies and Horizons will be included in this?

*EDIT* Apparently this is only the case in the USA. I didn't realize that when I wrote the title. My bad.