#HFW imagines

[ragingbookdragon]

Being on Kotallo’s left side meant it was easier for her to take care of aspects that his left arm would’ve usually done for him. This time, it meant passing bowls of food to the next person and scooping the contents onto his plate while he held the bowl. She hadn’t explicitly told everyone that she was pre-world, but then again, the last thing she wanted was to have to explain cytogenesis to people that fought with bows and arrows. She still entertained them with stories of war from her time, under the guise of an old-world historian. It wasn’t until she was cutting a piece of meat from a bone for Kotallo that she heard the snickering around them.

In listening to one of Hekarro’s stories, she continually dropped her gaze to the bottom right, watching as Kotallo struggled to cut a chunk of meat off the boar bone he had on his plate. After a few moments, he let out a quiet grunt and set the knife down; she reached over then and put two fingers on the bone and with the other hand, cut the chunk of meat off. While she was at it, she continued cutting the meat off until the bone was free, and she set her knife down, smiling at him.

“Thank you,” he murmured with a soft smile of his own, but it quickly fell when snickering echoed from the other side of the room and she looked over, seeing a few Tenakth nodding in their direction and laughing.

Anger welled up inside her and she couldn’t help but see the shame rise on Kotallo’s face; it was all it took to light an already shortened fuse—she wasn’t dumb, she saw how Kotallo’s fellow soldiers treated him. She cleared her throat, speaking out calmly, “Please forgive me for my interruption, Chief Hekarro, but it seems we have a more important story going on.” Everyone fell silent and she glared the warriors down. “What seems to be so funny in the Chief’s story that you are laughing so much?”

The soldiers looked away.

“No, please,” she encouraged. “It’s obviously much more important than his.”

The others seemed to be ashamed of the weight of their people’s gaze, but one in particular scoffed. “None of us need a babysitter to feed us.”

She blinked, looking at Kotallo. “I’m not feeding him. Last I checked, he was perfectly capable of bringing food to his mouth.”

“And cutting his food up for him like he’s a child?” he shot back. “A useless warrior in more ways than one.”

Kotallo looked at the floor and muttered, “Leave it, it’s fine.”

“It’s not,” she retorted and rose from her seat. “I’ve held my tongue long enough here.” Pointing at the warrior, she condemned, “You should be ashamed of yourself.” Turning to the others, she added, “In fact, all should be ashamed of how you treat this man.”

“The Ten would’ve—”

“The Ten would’ve considered Kotallo an honorable warrior and held in high regard!” she pulled her armor off until she was in her underclothes, her usually hidden cybernetic arms and legs exposed. “I lost my limbs in battle and yet I was never treated so despicably by my fellow soldiers-in-arms. No one shunned me because I lost my arms and legs. I was lifted up with honor, with dignity, with brotherhood.”

They watched her limbs in shock as she walked towards the group.

“And when my limbs were built and re-attached, I went back into battle, leading my team once more. And they trusted me beyond a shadow of a doubt. You say the Ten wouldn’t care about a wounded warrior?” she glowered at them. “I am the Ten. I fought against the machines before the world went to hell. And we didn’t fucking treat our disabled men and women like dirt. We didn’t fucking think of them like broken weapons with no use. We treated them with respect. With dignity. They were heroes to us.”

She pointed at herself. “I have honor. I am still everything I was before I was maimed. And if you look at your fellow brother and sisters who are maimed like you do Kotallo? You don’t deserve to call yourself a descendant of the Ten. You’re a fucking poor excuse, and my people, my Ten, would be disappointed in your actions and treatment.”

Looking at the Tenakth around, she lifted her head and spoke with fervor. “You hold strength as the highest regard in your society, but you people don’t even know what that entails.” She gazed upon them with anger. “You are called to uplift your fellow man—maimed or not. You are called to support them in times of pain and turmoil. You do not turn your back on them and look upon them with shame.”

She glanced at Kotallo, a warmth in her eyes. “He is more worthy of being called a Ten than any man or woman here.”

Kotallo gaped at her, mouth slack, eyes wide, and silence filled the room as she pulled her clothes back on and sat down with him, pushing at his place. “Eat. Or it’ll get cold.”

Slowly, he closed his mouth and nodded, looking at his plate, and when she lifted her head and caught Hekarro’s eyes, a pride shown in them as he continued on with his story.

[nerd-artist]

Heatstroke Erend 🔴

Begging for him to show more flesh in H3 🙏

(This trend is so fun to draw but please, protect your skin, the sun is dangerous ☀️)

[han-ban-bam]

post-fight high five 🙌

[sparring-spirals]

belatedly finding out that noshir dalal voiced kotallo in forbidden west and am now blessed with the mental image of kotallo gingerly peeking out of a crate labelled "APPLES".

[nickeverdeen]

Horizon Forbidden West masterlist

Match-up:

Kotallo

Preferences:

Horizon Forbidden West characters reacting to you flinching during an argument

Aloy

Imagine:

Embers of Love

Hcs:

Nothing yet

Smut:

Nothing yet

Alphabet:

Nothing yet

Varl

Imagine:

Nothing yet

Hcs:

Nothing yet

Smut:

Nothing yet

Alphabet:

Nothing yet

Elisabeth Sobeck

Imagine:

Nothing yet

Hcs:

Nothing yet

Smut:

Nothing yet

Alphabet:

Nothing yet

Sylens

Imagine:

Nothing yet

Hcs:

Nothing yet

Alphabet:

Nothing yet

Beta

Imagine:

Nothing yet

Hcs:

Nothing yet

Smut:

Nothing yet

Alphabet:

Nothing yet

Erend

Imagine:

Nothing yet

Hcs:

Nothing yet

Smut:

Nothing yet

Alphabet:

Nothing yet

Petra

Imagine:

Nothing yet

Hcs:

Nothing yet

Smut:

Nothing yet

Alphabet:

Nothing yet

Tilda

Imagine:

Nothing yet

Hcs:

Nothing yet

Alphabet:

Nothing yet

Alva

Imagine:

Nothing yet

Hcs:

Nothing yet

Smut:

Nothing yet

Alphabet:

Nothing yet

[mira0000000-blog]

I hate it when people treat Beta as a child when the game makes it clear that is because of all her trauma she developed while growing up and being stuck in a spaceship for almost 2 decades with a bunch of murderous immortal billionaires that treated her like an object.

[sparklewrites1]

Imagine the crows getting stuck in the world of horizon zero dawn/forbidden west (We’ll do hzd for now cause both games have two different maps.)

HEAR ME OUT HEAR ME OUT imagine Elisabet had tried something before project zero dawn, a project for interdimensional travel to save humanity and go to another dimension or reality essentially, but no matter how much she tried she just couldn’t get the machine right, so she goes on to create project zero dawn, which is successful.

ANYWAYSSS centuries later the machine (we’ll call it project HERMES for now i feel like Elisabet would’ve named it that.) starts up again and basically malfunctions and pulls the crows from their world into HZD (DON’T ask me to explain the science.)

Anyways the crows gain consciousness and are hella confused as to why they are in some lush ass forest. I feel like Jesper would be the first to speak up and be like “Where the hell are we?” and of course no one has an answer to that question. Kaz is gonna be the one asking questions like “What do you all remember before you lost consciousness?” to try and connect the dots n shit, he probably thinks they’ve been kidnapped and somehow dumped in a forest. Wylan is already up and about examining the foreign plants, berries, and flowers and whatnot.

Now I think Inej would be the first one to hear the metallic thumping coming from within the forest, then Wylan would hear it next, and the rest of the group would follow. “What the hell is that?” Nina would say, she’d also realize she can’t feel a heartbeat so whatever is coming at them isn’t human.

Just then a watcher leaps out of the bushes. Now imagine their surprise when a yellow light quickly washes over them as the watcher scans them. The light aka the watchers eye turns red and it jumps at them. I feel like it would jump at Wylan first cause he’s probably the closest to it seeing that he's messing around in the bushes n stuff. Anyways Jesper of course jumps into action with his guns and shoots at the machine, (The body not the eye yet) but to no avail. Matthias jumps onto the action next and tries to subdue the watcher and he’d be somewhat successful, by that I mean he's got it in some kind of headlock for about a minute or so. During that minute Jesper would make one more attempt to shoot at the watcher, but this time he’d aim straight for the eye. And finally after a short but stressful battle. The watcher would be down.

Now EVERYONES freaking out cause wtf was that???

“What in saints name was that?!” Jesper would shout, Inej would be helping Wylan while simultaneously freaking out. Nina would be checking on matthias, and Kaz would be by the machine's body, examining it. They don’t know what to call it, so Jesper would cleverly name it a ‘Metal Devil’ (HEHEHHE DO YOU GET THE CORRELATION?)

So now the group is tryna figure out what they should do and they pretty much decide to explore since there's literally nothing else to do.

Anyways they’re now trekking through a foreign land that they are completely unfamiliar with, Wylan is picking up plants and berries that he’d like to save for examining later. Inej is on high alert watching for more strange metal creatures. Nina is checking on Matthias, Jesper, and Wylan every once in a while for injuries and whatnot.

All is relatively okay until they hear the thumping again when they are nearing a clearing. But this time it's louder and the ground shakes with every thump.

Now they’re really freaked, because how big is the monstrosity coming towards them now?

That's when they hear a voice in the bushes. “Get down!” A red head whisper-yells “Now!” They hurry to the bushes, not wanting to meet the wrath of this new creature “Why are you out here with no weapons?!” The red headed woman yells. Kaz is the first to take notice of her strange attire and the triangular shaped piece of what he assumes is jewelry on her temple.

“We have weapons!” Jesper raises his guns to show them to her, she would only give them a confused look, being unfamiliar to that type of weapon. The red headed woman also takes notice of the knives being held in Inej’s hands, but that would be useless against the machine. Especially the one entering the clearing.

The entire group made sure to get lower into the bushes as the monstrosity made its way across the land.

“Thunderjaw…” The red head mutters.

“What?” Jesper would say.

“A Thunderjaw.”

“Is that what you call it?” Inej asks. Aloy nods, taking out her bow and arrow and getting in position to shoot.

She shoots. And the arrow lands on the side of the Thunderjaw, but that's not it, a blast emits from the arrow, tearing off a few parts of the machine and exposing the heart. The machine is now unfortunately on high alert.

“You,” She turns to Jesper. “Do those shoot?”

“Of course.” He would say.

“You see that glowing core? Shoot it- Wait, you a good shot?”

“The best.” He’d cockily reply. Jesper aims his gun toward the machine but before he pulls the trigger she says something.

“You might wanna shoot twice.” The redhead says. “Those things don’t go down too easily.”

“Alright…” Jesper had both of his guns raised, and BOOM he shoots it straight in the core with two bullets and its body goes crashing down. “Doesn’t go down easy you say?” Jesper brags as he stands up from the bush but is quickly shushed and pulled back down.

The redhead is already sprinting across the field in the direction of the thunderjaw. That's when he notices that it's still “breathing”.

The redhead is on top of the Thunderjaw within seconds and plunging her spear into the core, making sure to twist it as well for extra measure. Now it's surely dead. She turns towards the group and gestures for them to come over. And they do so, but cautiously.

“Relax, the coast is clear.” She says as she taps the jewelry on her temple. “So, who are you guys?”

“Jesper Fahey, at your service.” He winks.

“Nina Zenik.”

“Wylan.”

Inej, Kaz, and Matthias stay silent.

“I see your friends aren’t the talkative type. I’m Aloy.”

“No surname?” Kaz finally speaks.

“Uh. No. Not really.” She replies. “Where are you guys from? Meridian? Your accents sound a bit different from most Carja if so.”

“Carja?’ Inej would query, giving Aloy a curious look.

“You’re not Carja?” confusion strikes Aloy, “Oseram?”

“Is she speaking Kerch?” Jesper would confusedly ask his friends.

“Kerch?” Aloy would say, not familiar with the word.

“Kerch. As in Ketterdam.” Jesper would say.

“Ketter…dam? Is that somewhere in the west?” Aloy would ask.

“West of what?” Jesper would ask.

“The east…?" Aloy would respond confusedly.

(THATS ALL I HAVE FOR NOW LEMME KNOW IF YOU WANT MORE IK THIS IS NOT A COMMON CROSSOVER IDEA BUT GOODNESS I LOVE ITTTT)

[miraculousagentsofkrypton]

Gotta be honest, one part of my love for Seyloy(?) is that I am also a huge fan of Aloy's dynamic with Alva, and this is the second best thing. Alva and Seyka are fairly different people, but rebellious and intelligent Quen women just fit the girl's type. Seyka is a like a mix of Alva and Talanah, and I am totally ok with that.

[the-horizon-lounge3041]

For the sake of spooky time🎃

How is there not inflatable Horizon machine costumes? I mean they are based on dinosaurs. Might draw this later😂

[hzdtrees]

Aloy, Burning Shores edition

[ragingbookdragon]

The Soul's Tethers

Kotallo x Reader

Word Count: 1.1K Warnings: None

Author's Note: I FUCKING LOVE THIS MAN SO GODDAMN MUCH. -Thorne

**********************************************************************

The Nora had come through the window of her shelter before she’d even realized what was happening, and it was only until the two were in the floor, split lips and busted eyebrows that the two understood that they weren’t each other’s enemy—especially when the horde of stalkers rushed down below the trees. They’d assisted the other in taking them out and when they were reveling in their spoils, she invited the Noran back up until the rain had stopped.

She handed the girl, Aloy, a bowl of stew and tossed a log into the fire, sitting down beside her. “You’re quite a ways from Noran lands, Aloy.”

Aloy huffed sardonically. “I tell myself that every day.” As she ate, she couldn’t help but gaze curiously at the woman. “What tribe do you belong to?”

“I was once a part of the Sky Clan, though I claim it no longer.” Her expression soured. “My uncle…he betrayed me.”

“Who’s your uncle?”

“Tekotteh.”

Aloy blinked and looked at the fire, muttering, “I feel bad for you.”

“I appreciate that,” she replied, sharpening her knife, gazing towards the sky. “He was different when I was a child and younger woman. But power changed him. He is no longer the man I once respected.”

“How…did he betray you?”

Her gaze turned almost sad as she answered, “I fell in love with one of the boys he was mentoring. We…grew up together and were always close. But as he got older, and stronger, my love grew, and my uncle saw that I was loyal to him more. He sent my love away to become a marshal for Hekarro.” Her hands moved absentmindedly along the metal. “I saw through Tekotteh’s reasoning. And when Tekotteh told me he was killed at the embassy, I spoke out against him. Called him a coward and a traitor to our people. He banished me for disloyalty to the clan.” She shifted, taking the empty bowl from Aloy. “I’ve been here ever since in grieving. Away from my people. On my own…it’s…comforting somehow.”

Aloy frowned. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” Her expression turned solemn. “I was there, y’know? At the embassy? I tried my best to get as many out as I could.” She sighed. “I wish I could’ve saved your lover. What was his name, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Kotallo,” she said, a sad smile playing her lips. “His name was Kotallo.”

Aloy froze, not even blinking as the Tenakth continued to talk about him, then she blurted out, “Did you just say Kotallo?”

“I did?” her brows drew together. “Why?”

“Kotallo’s not—he’s—” Aloy shook her head. “Kotallo’s alive.”

Shock bled into her posture and face as she gaped at the Noran. “What?”

“Kotallo survived the Embassy Massacre. He’s still alive.”

“He—he is?” she started rising. “Can you take me to him? I—I want to see him. Please, Aloy, take me to Kotallo.”

Aloy was already grabbing her bow and spear, rising too. “Yeah, absolutely, c’mon.” she paused and looked back at her. “Tekotteh told you that Kotallo was killed?”

Anger drew along her, nostrils flaring in rage as she spat, “I’ll kill him.”

“Get in line.”

***

She was quite baffled by the technology that Aloy’s base contained, but nevertheless, she was grateful for the new Focus, beginning to understand a little of the mission that the Noran had explained to her along the way. The companions that Aloy kept were pleasant enough, but she hadn’t yet seen Kotallo; it was only when Zo explained that the man had gone to hunt that she somewhat relaxed, sitting in the common room, waiting nervously for the man she hadn’t seen in almost two years.

Zo sat down beside her and handed her a cup. “Here, some tea for your nerves.”

“I’m not nervous,” she retorted, but took the cup anyway. “I’m fine.”

The Utaru smiled knowingly. “Drink.”

She did as Zo said and took a few sips, the warmth bleeding down her throat. “I haven’t seen Kotallo in almost two years. I…don’t know how to greet him.”

“Aloy said your uncle told you he had died.”

“I assume it was to somehow relieve me of my love and force me to marry someone else.”

“Yet you did not.”

She glared into the cup. “I saw through his manipulations when he sent Kotallo away to become a Marshal.”

“You never forgot.”

“And I will never forgive either,” she added, looking up when the door opened and a man’s voice she recognized so well echoed through.

“Erend, I do believe you owe me a drink because I in fact found not one, but two stags.”

The Oseram groaned and dropped his head on the table as the Tenakth warrior came around the corner, looking around the common room, but his eyes stopped on her.

She rose to her feet, hands pressed to her chest as her throat tightened, tears filling her eyes; she didn’t know what to say as he stepped in, his own eyes wide, mouth parted in shock.

“You—you’re here,” he breathed, and she nodded wordlessly, unable to fight the tears dropping down her cheeks.

“He told me you were killed at the embassy,” she managed through a clenched throat. “I didn’t want to believe it, but I—” she crossed the floor to him in slow steps, reaching up to touch his chest. “But you’re here…alive.” Her eyes dropped to his left arm, and he frowned.

“No, I did not die…but I did not walk away unscathed.” He looked back at her. “In my state…I do not know if you wish to be with me. I…am not as worthy a warrior as I once was.”

Her hands were soft against the roughness of his dried paint, cupping his face, thumbs brushing over his scars and cheekbones, pulling them until their foreheads touched. “My Kotallo,” she whispered, nuzzling their noses like traditional lovers did in their culture. “My tether.”

He tipped his head to the side. “There is someone worthy of you. Please, do not waste your love on me.”

“The only man worthy of my soul is you.” She pulled away enough to see into his eyes, wiping the tears that had grown in his. “You are my tether, Kotallo. My soul is yours. It always has been. It always will be. And no amount of limbs lost will ever change such.” She smiled through her tears. “I have missed you so, my tether.”

Kotallo let out a breath and shut his eyes, voice soft, but so strong as he replied, “And I have missed you, my soul.”

[nerd-artist]

Did you know that First Forge water is steamy? We Ereloy do.

[robo-dino-puppy]

horizon zero dawn | aloy 13/?

[heaven-cent]

making some progress on a post-dlc brain choice fic.

[nickeverdeen]

Spark in the Snow | Aloy x fem!reader

Pairings: Aloy x reader (romantic)

Type of fic: Comfort

Warnings: None

Summary: With Aloy always out there saving the world you decided to show her something that requires her to slow down a bit and stay in one place for a while

——————

The chill of the December air swept through the Sacred Lands, blanketing the ground in snow and frost. You and Aloy had been traveling together for weeks, scavenging for supplies and helping settlements prepare for the harsh winter ahead. Despite the cold, you’d felt warmer than ever, thanks to Aloy’s steady presence by your side.

But today, as the sun began to set and cast an orange glow over the snow, you had something special planned.

“You sure we’re going the right way?” Aloy asked, her sharp eyes scanning the path ahead. She had her bow slung over her shoulder, her Focus glinting faintly in the fading light.

“Positive,” you said, trying to keep the excitement out of your voice.

Aloy raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further. You knew she was curious, but she trusted you enough to let you lead.

When you finally arrived, Aloy stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening.

In the middle of a clearing stood a large, ancient structure covered in snow and ice. What was left of its walls glowed faintly with old-world holiday lights, powered by some forgotten source deep within the ruins. Around it, you’d spent the morning setting up a makeshift camp: a firepit surrounded by stones, a pile of wood you’d gathered, and a small sack of decorations you’d found while scavenging.

“What is this?” Aloy asked, her voice soft.

You smiled, gesturing to the scene. “It’s called a Christmas celebration. Or, well, my best attempt at one.”

Aloy tilted her head, her curiosity growing. “I’ve heard of Christmas in the old-world data… something about trees and giving gifts?”

“And spending time with the people you care about,” you added, stepping closer to her.

Her eyes softened at that, and she set down her gear, a small smile playing on her lips. “Alright. What do we do?”

The two of you worked together to bring the clearing to life. Aloy’s practicality shone as she built a roaring fire in the pit, while you unpacked the decorations: strands of tinsel, old baubles, and even a tiny plastic tree you’d found.

“I’m not sure how people used to do this,” you said, laughing as you tried to balance a bauble on one of the tree’s flimsy branches.

“They probably didn’t have to deal with machines attacking them while they decorated,” Aloy quipped, handing you a strand of lights she’d untangled.

“Fair point,” you said, grinning.

By the time you finished, the clearing looked like something out of an old-world memory. The tree was glowing softly, the fire crackled warmly, and the two of you sat side by side, wrapped in blankets and watching the snow fall around you.

“This is… nice,” Aloy admitted after a while, her voice quiet. She stared into the fire, her expression thoughtful.

You turned to her, your heart swelling. “I thought you’d like it.”

She looked at you then, her eyes meeting yours in the flickering firelight. “I do. It’s… different. But good.”

You reached out, taking her hand in yours. Her fingers were calloused and strong, but they softened in your grip.

“I know you’re not one for sitting still,” you said, “but I thought you deserved something calm for once.”

Aloy’s lips quirked into a small smile. “You’re good at that, you know.”

“At what?”

“Reminding me to slow down,” she said. “To enjoy things.”

Your cheeks warmed, and you ducked your head, suddenly shy. “Well, you deserve it. You do so much for everyone else.”

Aloy leaned closer, pressing a soft kiss to your temple. “Thank you,” she murmured.

The two of you stayed there long into the night, sharing stories, laughter, and quiet moments. The snow fell gently around you, and for the first time in what felt like forever, the world seemed peaceful.

And as you sat there, your hand in Aloy’s and her smile glowing brighter than the fire, you knew that this—just being with her—was all the Christmas you needed.

[thefandomwritersblog]

"What…where?" She slurred, gazing blindly up with tear-streaked eyes, "Who are you?" Such a small thing it was to give her his name; Hekarro doubted she’d recall it hours from now. But he couldn’t begin to imagine how scared she must feel being constrained and blind in the arms of a stranger. "Hekarro," he muttered softly, cradling her protectively, "My name is Hekarro." Her response was immediate. A low whimper escaped her lips as if just knowing who he was quieted any apprehension she had. She sank deep into his arms, hands powerless against his body as her head slumped naturally onto his chest. Hekarro carefully shifted her in his arms, adjusting her tiny frame so she was more comfortable.

~~ First of all, so many thanks to @elysiumnightmares / @infernaldaydreams. You brought this wonderful piece to life, and there are not enough words to express how stunned/amazed/flat out gobsmacked at how happy I am with this! It's so pretty!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!