#hfw dunehollow

[robo-dino-puppy]

POSEIDON's dreamscape

[tare-otome]

The Stillsands - Dunehollow - Las Vegas 1/?

Before heading back to the Base i swung by the Vegas area that would be my next subfunction mission to get Poseidon... Las Vegas had an eerie otherworldly feeling to it, like i was on Mars...

Still mysteriously shrouded in swirling sands or fog...

Even in the daylight it refused to reveal its secrets...I would return later...

[singingkestrel]

tag game (Horizon)

stolen from @foibles-fables / @finrays.

1.ride or die ship (your otp): Ereloy fics and art give me so much serotonin it's unreal.

2. most annoying ship: I don't find any ships annoying. There are some that are not for me, sure, but if people love it who am I to judge?

3. second favourite ship: Ugh, I dunno. Beta/Milu is adorable, Aloy/Ikrie is classic, Niloy can make for some very interesting reading, but I guess Hawk and Thrush makes the most sense.

4. favourite platonic relationship: It's got to be the Erend and the guys in the Vanguard. Their endless jibes and grumbling at each other are very reminiscent of some of my very best friendships. Varl and Erend's interactions are great, too, they're just so easy with one another.

5. underrated ship: I really like ships that involve minor characters - the recent rair pair roundup has been delightful for me. I long for a fic about some of the Oseram salvagers getting to know the Tenakth whose land they've invaded.

6. overrated ship: see no. 2.

7. one thing i would change in canon: Like, a lot. There were some pretty big chunks of HFW (and Burning Shores) that just didn't sit right. I don't think I can better the responses of @foibles-fables and @finrays (both of whom might be actual geniuses), but I'd settle for the returning characters (Varl, Erend, Talanah, Avad) to be treated better!

8. something canon did right: I think the Horizon series is best when it focuses on poignant storytelling over action. The way the history of the metal world slowly reveals itself at the Grave-hoard and in the Zero Dawn facility below Sunfall is hauntingly beautiful; I'd love to be able to play them for the first time again. In HFW, the quests in Dunehollow to recover POSEIDON were practically perfect, and Gildun's return in Burning Shores was the best part of the DLC by a country mile. In both these cases you get to peek into the lives of a person from the past via emotionally impactful datapoints whose recorded thoughts parallel the people you're trying to help in the present, yet it never feels too on-the-nose. Of course it helps that the people you're trying to help are some of the best realised characters in the whole game.

9. a thing i'm proud of creating for the fandom PLEASE BRAG ABOUT YOURSELF I WANT TO SEE/READ YOUR ART: Eh. Alas, I'm not artistically talented. I just take virtual photos of stuff I like. I put a lot of effort into my machine headshot series, though. If you go to @singingkestrel and search for 'headshots compilation' (or 'hfw machines') they should all come up.

10. a character who is perfect to me (wouldn't change a thing): None of the main cast were treated 100% right in HFW. I mean, there are some things that make me genuinely angry if I think about them too much. Varl dying for no good reason, Erend being turned into a bumbling oaf, Regalla being criminally underused... ugh. UGH I SAY!

But you know who is perfect?

Morlund.

I love his optimism and his determination and his intelligence and his companionable nature. He's a nerdy mad inventor and a very strong candidate for the most overtly hopeful and kind chap in game (I mean, there is also Varl. And Gildun.) and I just adore him.

11. the character i relate to the most and why: I look at the Oseram in both HZD and HFW and see myself, my friends and my home. I adore their aesthetic with all of its chunky wood and sturdy iron, I love their down to earth attitude, their culture of hard work and social drinking and affectionate insults, their adventurous wanderer spirit and inventiveness and willingness to argue about everything. Are they flawed? Sure! Like me, they're loud and blunt and often speak without thinking, thinking they know best. Unlike me (I hope), they're too dismissive of other cultures, their lack of environmental awareness is deeply concerning, and we all know 🕯The Claim🕯 is going to be a hideous hotbed of rampant sexism - one that I will gladly watch Aloy tear to pieces like a tasmanian devil with a grudge. I don't think I can pick a single Oseram character I totally relate to, though.

But I do relate to Tom Paech. As soon as I heard those broad antipodean tones swearing about wanting to inflict actual bodily harm on Ted Faro I knew I'd found the scientist I was supposed to identify with. He was hot-blooded, as he put it, whilst also revering nature, the 'miracle of life.' And him wanting to help, despite significant reservations, and then not wanting to live on once the job was done? Exactly how I think I would have reacted. Plus as a marine biologist/ecologist (assuming I'd be in any way qualified!) I'd end up working on ARTEMIS too.

12. character(-s) i hate the most and why: There are characters you are meant to hate. It's fun to have a villain. Ted Faro, Helis, the Ceo... but the hate is both intentional and enjoyable. They're good characters. If I had to pick a character I disliked where this wasn't the aim, however, I'd have to pick... hmm. I'm not sure. Amadis seemed largely pointless and annoying in HFW though. Talanah deserved better.

13. something i've learned from the fandom: Before HFW came out, I hadn't been involved in any fandom for about a decade (maybe longer, eek!) - I was a solitary creature. Coming back made me rediscover the joy of sharing my obsessions with others. Also that it doesn't matter how small your contribution is, someone will enjoy it.

14. three tags i seek out on ao3: That's between me and my ISP.

15. a song i strongly associate with my otp/favourite character: I don't, really. Bit weird, considering how much of my life involves music, and how readily my brain seems to play musical association with images. But I can't think of a single one. Sorry 😕

tagging: No pressure, but I didn't tag anyone in the last one so I thought I should do it this time. @mehoymalloy @robo-dino-puppy @meep-m33p @maybirdie @nerd-artist @astralpaint @i-lavabean @pikapeppa @banukaihelpme aaaand anyone else that wants to.

[aloy-the-desert-flame]

Anyone else sifting through some three hundred random screenshots of HFW?

Where is Waldo Aloy?

Fall's Edge.

Mountain range overlooking No Man's Land from the East.

Dunehollow (while still under water).

Plainsong.

[robo-dino-puppy]

mythical beasts of the old ones

[robo-dino-puppy]

don't let your guard down in the deeps!

[robo-dino-puppy]

strange serpents

[robo-dino-puppy]

horizon forbidden west | aloy 35/?

[tare-otome]

Sea of Sands 7/7

Against my better judgment, i went with Morland not once, but twice, in his hot air balloon for his side quest, Lofty Ambitions lol 🎈🔥😅 Okay i gotta admit, it looks beautiful from up here.

[tare-otome]

Sea of Sands 5/7

We surface to find an awe-inspiring spectacle of lights ✨🌟 A great new venture for this trio 💖 And thus the Tower of Tears becomes Hidden Ember.

[tare-otome]

Tower of Tears

Okay okay...enough procrastinating...I've uncovered most of the map at this point....it's time to go in...

[tare-otome]

Sea of Sands 6/7

It would be so kewl if our buildings had these in real life.

I love watching the subfunctions being reunited with Gaia, it makes me all verklempt inside and is so pretty🥹🥹🥹😭😭😭🥰🥰🥰

I also love visiting with Stemmur and changing out all the seasonal ornament decorations 💖 Such Nights of Lights🌟✨🎇🏙️

[tare-otome]

The Stillsands - Dunehollow - Las Vegas 3/?

Revisited the Stillsands Vista Point overlooking Dunehollow in yet another sandstorm haze...about to head in...

^ The ruins of the High Roller Wheel...

[tare-otome]

The Stillsands - Dunehollow - Las Vegas 2/?

After much procrastinating exploring, i finally allowed myself to venture into the ruins of Las Vegas.

So much buried under the sand. Buildings buried up to their ears (if they had ears)!

The ruins of the Strat (formerly the Stratosphere) Hotel & Casino & Tower...

Such a desolate place swallowed by the sea of sand...

[tare-otome]

Rebel Camp: Devil's Grasp

A monster writhing in the fog...

It took me a while to clear this place out, ngl, but such a kewl idea that a settlement built a home within the bones of this "creature"

[singingkestrel]

Told ya I had a lot more images.

Had to do one of all three of them this time, though.  Morlund is centre square because of course.

Bonus: Morlund’s “who me?” expression when Abadund says his name.