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vertumnanaturalis · 3 months ago

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so uh. arts not been arting for me the last few months, lots of complicated issues at play with that, but my exo brainrot is unending and I've taken to designing npcs in the sims when I feel the design need but art is shrimply not happening. These ones are of varying degrees of canon-ness and importance, pretty frequently picked at random or because I previously made a family member or partner of theirs.

I tried to group them together by family or age or work relation but god does Tumblr not like large images so forgive me for the spam. I'll add names/pronouns/relevant ages under them; Strato-side kids closest to Sol's age will have 3 designs, each while Strato-side teenagers between Tammy and Kom's ages will have 2 each.

Under the cut if you dare (warning! Spoilers mentioned & extremely image heavy)

Also uh. you will notice that a few of these people aren't on the current npc list or don't match with it's info. Long story short its getting some refining and that included some new kids and other changes that required a lot of pulling things out from the roots. one of those things playing into why arts not been arting while.

Anywho;

Arroyo - he/him - ages 12 / 16 / 19 - The younger son of the Stratospheric's original Chief Steward, a future member of expeditions, a convienient and accidental scape goat for people to reason away Dys's crush on an unseen pretty boy, though they don't actually have any strong opinions on one another

Simplicity "Plic"/"Lis" - she/her - ages 12 / 16 / 19 - Lazy girl born and raised in the creche, supposedly she helps out in the depot, she might "date" Nomi down the line (but by date I mean "we say we're dating but I think we might just be hanging out because neither of us know what to want or expect from a romantic relationship", there's no hard feelings after it ends) if Nomi doesn't end up with Rex or Sol

Peregrine "Penny" - she/her - ages 11 / 15 / 18 - A perfectly nice girl, but fades away in the crowd, she likes to tease the other kids a little too much, one of the passionate romances referenced in the endings where Cal doesn't settle down with Sol Tammy or Anemone, it is not a pretty breakup

Evanescence "Evan" - he/him - ages 11 / 15 / 18 - The spoiled only child of two older parents, a prolific momma's boy in childhood but a heartthrob with a bad reputation later down the line, another one of those passionate romances mentioned in Cal's ending text, with his being the last before Cal settles down with the farmer from the Heliopause

Philosophy "Sully" - they/them - ages 10 / 14 / 17 - The only child of a single father who works in engineering, loves a good game of sportsball but has no interest in the rest of what the garrison offers, the middle of Cal's three passionate romances and the only one to end on good terms

Opulence "Opal" - she/her - ages 14 / 19 - Friendly and absentminded, she can never resist a good piece of gossip, she dreams of starting Vertumna's first offical news source, her oldest child is born about a year after Echinacea (and Sol might even deliver him!)

Vertex "Tex" - he/him - ages 14 / 19 - The older son of the ship's original Chief Steward, a punk who likes to get dangerous with the wildlife and a tendancy to take things too far

Tempest "Pem" - she/her & they/them - ages 13 / 18 - Rebellious older girl whos behaviors only gotten worse since losing a father during the Stratospheric's crash, rude and obnoxious to the adults but always has a soysweet on hand for the kids

Chrysocolla - they/them - ages 13 / 18 - creche-born kid and resident class clown, the smart kid who doesn't put in the effort after seeing the younger geniuses around them, takes a painfully long time to confess to their best friend

Coriander "Cory" - he/him - ages 13 / 18 - Quiet and plain-looking boy who helps out in the kitchens, he struggles to stand out next to his sisters, feeling like the lesser triplet for not being identical

Scallopini "Pina" - she/her - ages 13 / 18 - A cheerful girl who both has more energy than the rest of her family combined while still remaining total chillax, started dying her hair blue so people could tell her and her sister apart

Amaretto "Ame" - she/her - ages 13 / 18 - A meek but passionate girl, she feels like she was born in her sisters contrast, struggles to find her sense of self when the most unique thing about her is that she's got nothing unique at all

Falchion "Kion" - he/him - ages 13 / 18 - Teenager who seems desperate to find his place in life, often making dangerous mistakes in the process

[Left] Hyacinth "Cici" - she/her - age 17 - A young sniper from the Heliopause, the future Chief of Security in timelines where Sol and Anemone are not and Vace hasn't handled his issues yet

[Right] Lunation "Luna" - she/her - age 19 - Previously the Heliopause's current doctor-in-training, a catastrophic brain injury during the crash has drastically changed her life and put her on indefinate medical leave

[Far Left] Champagne "Champ" - he/him - age 9 - a young boy who starts out eager to grow up and become a soldier, but might find a different calling in life with help [Middle Left] Schnapps - he/him - age 40 - A cook from the Helio who takes the culture shock better than most, has a weekly card game with Nomi's dad [Middle] Crocus "Cro" - she/her - 38 - A cook from the Heliopause who prays in secret that her children do not die child soldiers [Middle right] Affogato "Affie" - she/her - age 13 - One of the teenage soldiers who follows Vace around, she's desperate to impress the older kids and will cruelly treat others like stepping stones to do so [Far Right] Meringue "Meri" - she/her - age 6 - The last child born on the Heliopause, she's destined to become a doctor when she grows up, she first gained an interest in medicine during gene therapy like Tangent

[Left] Harpsicord "Harrie" - They/them - 51 - An actual rocket scientist that ensured the rocketship got to Vertumna, Saga's doting wife and Evan's adoring Mada

[Right] Sagacious "Saga" - She/her - 46 - A sweet and loving auntie from geoponics who remains painfully oblivious to most well-known gossip, her casual tendancy to spoil and coddle her son drives Flulu up a wall

[Far left] Hibiscus "Hibi" - she/her - 35 - One of the surveyors in charge of rescues and it's acting emt, a control subject born from the same series of augment tests as Tonin, she's suited more to space than the planet the same way he is, Vertumna terrifies her daily and she fears for the futures of her teenage triplets

[Center left] Rumination "Rumi" - he/him - 46 - A talented guitar player who enjoys lying to children and is in a committed relationship with the bit, works in rescues with Hibi, holds the technical title of "Former Chief Surveyor" as he was the presumed next-in-line when Imbroglio abbruptly retired a decade prior, although he only held it long enough to laugh himself sick and walk out the door, he's the sole reason Utopia's accent is like that

[Center right] Paprika "Prika" - she/her - 37 - Mechanic in charge of expeditions equiptment and transports, has a hair trigger temper with certain subjects and a habit of spraying offending teenagers with the hose, the irony of her student/trainee Thicket being the biological-via-donation child of her partner and later her own biological-via-donation child joining expeditions are both frequent source of jokes for awhile

[Far right] Brassica "Braz" - she/her - 39 - One of the construction workers who had trained for that job specifically, has a lot of pratice mediating problems that her partner's anger issues cause, got on the ship by pretending to be in a relationship with a friend and convieniently "breaking up" once it was clear they were never going to form a family unit

[Far left] Revolutionary "Lulu" - she/her - age 28 - primarily a geoponics farmer, an on and off member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule, in a queer platonic relationship with Blip

[Middle left] Sorbet - she/her & they/them - age 27 - a steward who primarily works in the kitchens, another on and off member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule; she was the egg donor and surrogate for Benji (the young doggy boy npc)

[Center left] Habitation "Hab" - he/him - age 26 - one of the ships dedicated creche parents; part of a closed chain polycule of 4 people (no overlap with the greater geoponics area wlw polycule); loves his job but resents ship administration for passing him and his family unit over during the last round of children born in space, yet making him feel pressured into agreeing to surrogate one of the other children

[Center right] Oblivion "Blip" - he/him - age 26 - an engineer in space but shoved into more general work after landing; loves his best friend but her polycule stories scare him a little, you will never see his entire face, but if you did he could easily pass as Dys & Tang's relative despite not being related at all, the fourth youngest person to leave on the Stratospheric

[Middle right] Optimism "Tim" - he/him - age 26 - stuck to janitor duty in space but also shoved into other jobs after landing, one of the few people guaranteed to live to Sol's 20th birthday, the third youngest person to leave on the Stratospheric

[Far right] Jubilation "Jubee" - she/her - age 26 - same deal as Blip; she was the surrogate for the last child born in space (Enigma, the girl with the rainbow hair), and is still recovering physically and emotionally when the game starts; her twin sister Jamboree died before she left, but only one of them was ever going to be picked for the ship, she can't remember her sister's face anymore; the second youngest member of gen 2 after Utopia

[Far left] Coralline "Cora" - she/her - age 28 - the ships fourth dedicated creche parent on paper, she's frequently pulled to help on the farms after landing, a consistant member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule

[Center left] Pyromania "Sparky" - she/her & they/them - 29 - Originally just a part time security officer, her soldier duties quickly begin outweighing her cultivator ones, she started dying her hair like that when she found out the meaning of her name and keeps it another month every time someone calls it tacky, it's been 12 years; another consistant member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule

[Center right] Curarine "Curie" - she/her & they/them - 32 - A pharmacology researcher doomed by the narrative, the youngest person on the Stratospheric chosen for her skills rather than genetic diversity, she quickly disapointed Instance with her undriven personality, another consistant member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule

[Far right] Unity "Nita" - she/her - age 31 - The only one here who exclusively works in geoponics, she was four seperate farming wlw until the latest revamp forced me to compress her down into one, the last consistant member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule

[Left] Mangosteen "Maggie" - she/her - age 30 - Maggie's death when the Strato lands is unavoidable (as her infant twins Whimsy and Praline fill the role of "orphans from the wormhole crash" during babysitting), once a frequent member of the greater geoponics area wlw polycule but had been avoiding the dating scene after a really messy & very public breakup of her throuple with Yuzu and Cinnamon, she was a creche parent and a hydroponics farmer on the ship

[Right] Yuzu - any pronouns - age 31 - Yuzu doesn't 100% use the term wlw but does work in geoponics and either is currently or has previously been dating the same overlapping circle (though they've also been avoiding dating, but mostly because the rest of the polycule "doesn't want to pick sides"), they avoid Maggie's children like the plague

and that would be it for tonight lads, it is now night'o'clock and my hands are starting to hurt, I think I got all the right info down but if not I'll fix it tomorrow or whenever I notice theres a problem. If you've gotten this far I hope you've had fun looking at some of my little guys

#i was a teenage exocolonist #iwatex #npc catalog #rambling #technically. i guess.#recently made myself a sheet and out of 232ish characters over a third of them have some level of design now #which is insane to me. can't imagine how that number looks to other people #also no. these are not all of the sims designs I've done. but they are all the ones cropped and compiled nicely. so.#the last few days have been a sims binge fest #my family had to put down one of our cats a few days ago and its been hard even though it was the right thing to do and I knew it was comin #so mixing an ultra familiar game like sims and my hyperfixation story has been soothing #I'm gonna go to bed now I don't wanna think about how long I spent on this post

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chloefraazers · 5 months ago

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Can I ask why you chose what animals you did? A lot make sense but some are surprising! Fitting but not ones I ever would have thought of? Like a crocodile for Zo, I never would have connected that.

i apologise in advance because this isn’t going to be a short answer

so tumblr cut off my tags which basically said some were based on symbolism/mythology, some based on behavioural characteristics, some just vibes. for a more detailed breakdown…

please note that i googled and googled and googled, all the stats i pulled are searchable.

also many of these were brainstormed with cor ( @thunderjawsandlightning ) as it’s a similar concept to her dæmon au fic in the works!

aloy

overall for aloy i really wanted to lean into how npcs who’ve never met her typically recognise her: her red hair. it was important that all of her morphs have that attribute in some way.

ethiopian wolf: an extremely rare wolf that lives in packs of six or more. social, but typically hunts alone. i liked these commonalities with aloy. plus, their beauty and rarity made them my top pick.

red kite: gonna be honest and say this one was a vibe. the red kite was actually suggested by arbee on twitter for beta, but the second i saw it, it screamed aloy.

red fox: i could talk about foxes in mythology being perceived as clever but really… it’s hard to picture anything else.

nil

timber wolf: while nil has a bit of a “lone wolf” lifestyle in hzd, he always calls aloy his partner, and lives among machine racers in hfw. he is a social guy, he’s just… weird. the thing about a wolf morph for nil is that his primary weapon would be his teeth (and we know he’s got a thing for teeth); it forces him to get up close to his enemy in a way personal and intimate to understand the impact of death, and truly respect it. other than fighting style, wolves are social, have a playful nature in their family groups, and are monogamous.

harris’ hawk: i debated over this guy or the bearded vulture, because it dyes its feathers red. but i went with the hawk because they have a unique hunting pattern for birds of prey: they hunt socially. this just really fit with his partnership with aloy in hzd.

jackdaw: i debated over this for a LONG time. ultimately i went with the jackdaw for… a multitude of reasons. firstly, i like that his face looks like a mask. mainly, i was drawn to their intelligence and the fact that they can read facial expressions, even communicate with eye contact (dry yearn, anyone?). they’ve also been predictors of rain or omens of death, which again fit the bandit camps. (i’m also tickled by the edward kenway connection because i love a morally grey antihero on a redemption arc.)

seyka

most of seyka’s were based on a cuteness factor, because she has such a sweet face and i wanted her morphs to emulate that.

clouded leopard: this one i knew off the bat. seyka has a feline presence and grace, but also fits the “cute but deadly” category.

swallow-tailed kite: honestly i had never heard of this bird until i researched, but knew it was seyka’s. they live largely around water, but was sold me was the tail: it looks just like seyka’s cape. sure, that’s supposed to remind us of a fish, but a lot of people still call them “fairy wings.”

asian small-clawed otter: i was considering some kind of pinniped for seyka when cor suggested otters. one quick search later and i found the one that just gives “seyka” with its face.

erend

grizzly bear: i’m not the first to think of “bearend,” but really, i can’t think of something more fitting. a grizzly bear is raw physical power, something erend uses in a fight already. and yet it’s shaped so much like a friend that you just want to hug it.

stellar’s sea eagle: i wanted something big for erend, but i wanted something with a bit of flash to it, and something that wasn’t “obvious.” besides, i already had the golden eagle picked for petra, and it didn’t feel “erend” anyway. these birds are huge, but graceful—maybe erend doesn’t feel like he is, but he’s good enough in a fight and surefooted.

leonberger: i knew his personal form was some kind of dog just based on their behavioural traits (loyalty, eagerness to please, protectiveness, etc.) and the leonberger just has an erend look. they have all the erend traits too.

talanah

caracal: i knew i wanted some kind of desert cat, and the caracal just gives talanah vibes. stealthy, graceful, expert hunter, not the biggest wild cat out there… and those ear tufts. they remind me of her headpiece, which is just adorable.

red-tailed hawk: this is one of my absolute favourite birds of prey (thanks to the original animorphs series) and i knew instantly it was talanah’s. they also like the desert climate, but if i’m being honest, this choice is favouritism.

chital deer: deer have long represented majesty. they’re beautiful animals, and in a lot of stories, they’re symbols of hope and change. i got a vibe that talanah’s deer had spots, did a quick search, and saw the chital. funny enough, i almost went in a totally different direction thanks to self doubt, but when @/kelsochronicles also suggested chital deer… that’s fate lmao.

kotallo

snow leopard: this is a no-brainer. aside from noshir himself saying he based kotallo’s movements on being cat-like, there’s more than one comic floating around depicting him with a snow leopard. the vibe is just there.

eurasian eagle owl: i wanted some kind of owl for kotallo, but snowy was too on the nose. i like eagle owls: they’re massive, and these guys like to puff themselves up to appear even bigger. cor and i tossed a few different ones back and forth before we chose this one. their markings remind me a lot of his tattoo and paint, so it was also very much an aesthetic choice.

markhor: this one was so neat. in our brainstorming, cor and i felt some kind of goat for him. i remembered markhors and looked them up, and was not disappointed. the first thing i saw was that they’re prey of snow leopards, so i liked the idea of kotallo having conflicting parts of himself, kind of reflective of his hfw journey. a quick google showed they symbolise resilience and determination, and they are also known as snake-killers��which so fits with fist option for wings of the ten and him killing regalla, since i do see at least one of her morphs as a snake of some kind.

alva

komodo dragon: there is so much more to alva than meets the eye. she goes through the entire greenhouse mission with aloy knowing she’s the exact image of elisabet sobeck, but says nothing until she has to. komodo dragons, at first glance, may look like just a big lizard, no big deal—but they can, and will, fuck you up. i feel like alva’s morph fighting style would suit: close to the ground, almost unassuming, but quick and deadly and smart, using venom to kill instead of just sheer strength.

short-eared owl: alva was always an owl of some sort. cor suggested short-eared, and they are frickin adorable. cutest face, they almost look like they have lashes. the banding around their faces is almost suggestive of alva’s focus, which is a vibe.

tent bat: they’re cute as fuck. that’s it. they’re fuckin adorable. i want 100 like i want 100 alvas.

drakka

african painted dog: the first one i knew for sure. this was always drakka’s. their sense of pack, of community, and their whole look just gives desert clan.

sharp-shinned hawk: this was suggested by darby, because of the pattern of chest feathers resembling desert clan paint. honestly it’s such a vibe, purely aesthetic but so fits.

texas horned lizard: another darby suggestion, but the spikes! drakka is such a spiky boy, his personal morph also needs to be. adorable to look at, but covered in a layer of defence.

petra

spotted hyena: for some reason, hyena was the first animal i thought of for petra, and it just clicked. extremely adaptable, opportunists, and one hell of a bite force. they also have an alpha female as a leader. like. that’s petra.

golden eagle: there’s a lot to be said about symbolism of eagles, especially in north america. i don’t want to go too deep into it, but mythology aside, these eagles are notably intelligent. petra is one of the top inventors we know of in horizon. seemed fitting.

moose: this was actually suggested by @/kittleskittle as a battle form, but the more i thought on it, the more it suited petra on a personal level. they’re strong and adaptable, and while they look calm and graceful, they can definitely fuck you up if you try shit.

varl

african elephant: there is a LOT of mythology around elephants, particularly in representing wisdom and loyalty. those fit varl to a t. they’re emotional animals, very smart, and have tight family bonds. elephants also have a matriarchal culture, and for a nora like varl, that fits.

great black hawk: cor suggested this one as well. these hawks have been known to travel extreme distances outside their normal habitat—and varl chased aloy for six months far, far from home. fit the guy.

red deer: again, this one is mainly vibes. i wanted some kind of stag for varl’s personal form, and i have always loved the regalness of red deer. this choice was definitely a vibe more than anything else.

saltwater crocodile: the symbolism of (nile) crocodiles and fertility just made this stick, but i went with the saltie partially due to personal preference. another atypical fighter, low to the ground, and maybe a person would see a croc and think they either have to outrun it or just trap its jaws shut—but make one mistake and she’s got you.

osprey: i wanted to lean into the maternal side for this one, and osprey are notorious for defending their nests and young.

northern cardinal: this one was unexpected but delightful. mythology all over the world symbolises them with resurrection, as well as communication with the spiritual world. as a gravesinger, this fits zo so well.

beta

bobcat: i knew i wanted something small for beta, but something lithe and sleek. she holds herself so differently from aloy. they can sometimes symbolise things that are hidden, and old wisdom. i really liked that for beta, and i liked that this form is one that’s small, almost unassuming.

striated caracara: the most intelligent birds of prey, able to figure out puzzles almost on par with parrots. i knew beta’s bird wouldn’t be big, but a kestrel didn’t feel right. i wanted it to be wicked intelligent, and that search led me here. their slightly reddish colouring doesn’t hurt either.

pine marten: cor had suggested some kind of weasel, and i believe arbee on twitter suggested a pine marten as a battle form. really, it fits her personal form a lot. they are associated with luck, and are curious animals, and those both fit beta. she needed to be a bit lucky to escape the zeniths, even with her plan, and any clone of elisabet would have to be curious.

i. hope that was uh. not disappointing

#horizon forbidden west #animorphs #thank you for asking!#a lot of previous animal knowledge comes from spending too many years reading animal-focused books #and also years of playing zoo tycoon 2 with custom content mods #the sheer number of animals people have made for that game filled me with incredible knowledge #i’m already planning part two with other npcs #including sylens and hekarro and yarra #they’re a lot of fun!#and i’m so glad (most) people like them #and that i’m reawakening animorphs memories in fellow millennials #my sole purpose tbh

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