#too many zoos | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

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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