#I LOVE EVERY OSERAM

[boobaloof]

More discord emotes 🏹 💥

#I'm so proud of these I might even turn them into stickers too #BOOMER I LOVE YOU #you get a double feature #why must every oseram be so GOOD #hfw #hzd #hfw boomer #hfw talanah #talanah #talanah khane padish #sunhawk #boomer #horizon zero dawn #horizon forbidden west #hfw spoilers #Bab-art #redbubble #<- maybe

[just-here-with-my-thoughts]

I just want Erend to believe in himself

Erend seems to have so little self confidence, and I just want to scoop him up and hug him and tell him it’s okay we all need you and you’re doing a great job!

I’ve loved Erend since the first game, not as a romantic option for Aloy (although he clearly has feelings for her) but he is so ready to support her no matter what.

So it breaks my heart to talk to him in the Base and he is like ‘oh yeah well I guess I’ll try and learn this stuff, not sure if I can really do anything to help though’

And it’s like EREND

YOU ARE EVERYTHING TO ME

I just want him to believe in himself ;_;

#horizon forbidden west #hfw #aloy #erend #erend vanguardsman #my best oseram bro #aloy has you totally friendzoned #but i love you anyway #i wish they'd given him more character development though #rather than having a tankard of ale in his hand at every opportunity #and i wish we'd had more missions with him than just the First Forge one

[existentialarcade]

WEEK 2!! For this week I did video game swap with Horizon: Forbidden West! I love both hermitcraft and this game, so i thought it would be fun to make an au where the hermits are in the world of Horizon! Featuring: Scar, the Oseram Inventor Grian, the Carja Trader and Mumbo, the Quen Diviner I'm planning on making a lot more designs, hopefully one for every hermit, since I really want to expand this into a proper au! (Obviously I won't be doing all those designs *this* week, but in the future for sure!) FInal thing: I wanted to share my design process some, so i've included some stuff from the process under the cut!

Design Sketches:

Palette Tests:

#shepshermitdesign23 #hermitcraft #fanart #hermitcraft fanart #grian #mumbo jumbo #goodtimeswithscar #yes i know scar doesnt often have long hair #but thats just how i draw him #also i know his feet are tiny for some reason idk why #click for better quality

[discar]

HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network

Chapter 28 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

FlameHairSavior: Well, the Sons of Prometheus are dealt with.

HIMBO: NO MORE NEW MACHINES FOR THE REBELS!

Zo: Oh, good.

BoyNextDoor: Finally.

β: i guess now the tenakth can go back to doing whatever

MARSHAL Kotallo: Unfortunately, not everything is resolved. Unless I am mistaken, the rebels still have their existing machines.

FlameHairSavior: Yeah. No way to turn them all off at once.

MARSHAL Kotallo: So while their defeat is now inevitable, it will take time. They may even become more dangerous in the short-term, as they attempt to make use of their fading advantage.

FlameHairSavior: That's what happened with the Eclipse. Don't underestimate anyone with their back against the wall.

BoyNextDoor: How did you find them? I thought you were having trouble with that.

HIMBO: I BEAT UP ONE OF THEIR GUYS AND GOT HIS FOCUS. THERE WAS A MESSAGE WITH THEIR BASE ON IT.

HIMBO: ALSO, THESE GUYS AREN'T USING THEIR FOCUSES RIGHT AT ALL.

FlameHairSavior: Yeah, I scanned a few, and they basically had nothing on them. It was weird.

β: might have been an attempt at security

β: delete everything after every mission or before every mission so nothing can be stolen

FlameHairSavior: Maybe? Anyway, we infiltrated the camp and destroyed it from the inside.

HIMBO: WE GOT LIKE FIVE STEPS BEFORE WE WERE FIGURED OUT.

FlameHairSavior: That still counts.

FlameHairSavior: The boss was one of Dervahl's lieutenants. So, once again, this is all stemming from the Red Raids.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Of course.

BoyNextDoor: Of course.

DIVINER: We need a Carja friend so we can glare at them whenever this happens! Right now the closest we have is Erend!

HIMBO: HEY, I FOUGHT THE RED RAIDS AND DERVAHL EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!

DIVINER: Exactly!

MARSHAL Kotallo: Jokes aside, I'm surprised you haven't offered Talanah a Focus, Aloy. I was under the impression that she would make an excellent choice. She is a close personal friend, trustworthy, and a leader among her people.

FlameHairSavior: Haven't had the chance, to be honest. She's definitely on my list, but she's still dealing with her own thing. I don't want to try to force a question like this on her while she's still confused over her lover.

β: …

β: are you in love with her

FlameHairSavior: What?

β: youre apprehensive and uncomfortable talking about her current relationship status and dont want to bring her into a group where people make fun of you all the time

FlameHairSavior: What?

β: ive been reading varls books

FlameHairSavior: I really don't have time for this.

HIMBO: THAT'S NOT A NO! VARL, YOU OWE ME MONEY!

BoyNextDoor: It's not a yes, either.

DIVINER: Actually, I had a question about the Sons of Prometheus!

FlameHairSavior: Thank you, Alva.

DIVINER: We can get back to Aloy's love life later!

FlameHairSavior: [WorldsLongestGroan.gif]

DIVINER: What does Sons of Prometheus even MEAN??

FlameHairSavior: I think he was an Oseram hero.

HIMBO: NOPE, NEVER HEARD OF IT BEFORE.

DIVINER: I actually have, but not in any context that makes sense! It was the name of a ship in a movie of the same name!

BoyNextDoor: Well, where did the name come from in the movie?

DIVINER: Oh, it was too corrupted to watch! All we have is the summary!

β: in greek mythology prometheus was the titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity

β: and then he was chained to a rock and had his liver eaten by birds every day for eternity

DIVINER: …

FlameHairSavior: …

BoyNextDoor: Well that's morbid.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Quite.

Zo: There is quite a lot to unpack from that.

HIMBO: WHAT'S A TITAN?

β: think of them as like the gods from before the gods

β: the gods killed them except they didnt and they were all evil except the gods werent actually much better

β: the greeks didnt really have a high opinion

β: of anyone

β: lots of tragedies and hubris and people getting rightfully killed for their own stupid mistakes and also unrightfully killed for other peoples mistakes

β: and gods just screwing with everyone because

FlameHairSavior: I guess Sylens named them, then.

DIVINER: He's the only real option, unless they found the name after they got their Focuses!

FlameHairSavior: Actually, I meant because absolutely everything about that culture and that story sounds like his sort of thing.

Chapter 28 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

#horizon #horizon zero dawn #horizon forbidden west #HZDBaseChat #aloy #zo #varl #erend vanguardsman #kotallo #alva #beta horizon

[skeletondeerart]

Maybe...Aloy proposes to the reader?? Could that be possible? </3

Wherever You Shall Go, I Will Follow.

Aloy x Fem Reader | Word Count: 2070 words

Another dawn rolls over the mountainscapes that Aloy, Beta and I call our temporary home. The air chills me to the bone as I pack various explosives, shredder discs and another set of clothes into a backpack. Aloy had asked me to come with her for a hunt that would last a couple days, to be honest, I was ecstatic to finally have a moment of peace with my lover as I hadn’t seen her for a while as she figures out where to go from here.

With the threat of the Zeniths gone, we had to put all our time into figuring out how to defeat NEMESIS. Saying our goodbyes to Beta as she scans the Gaia’s databases completely wrapped up in the data, she gives us a wave as we make our way past.

My pack jostled with my gait as I place my hand into Aloy's open palm, with a light smile Aloy led me out of the base and whistled clearly into the chilling air. With a screech a Sunwing perches on the ledge of the cliff and Aloy swings herself gracefully onto the saddle, the reflections of the Sun’s rays through the clouds highlight her features in a dazzling glow, I could have mistaken her head of ginger locks for flames if I wasn’t so close. I stood there like a fish out of water just admiring Aloy when I was then pulled out of my stupor at her call.

“You just going to stand there or are you getting on?” Aloy jested as she patted the empty spot between her legs. My face erupted in the embarrassment of being so blatantly enamoured by my lover, I quickly approached the machine and tried to haul myself on, yet despite my best efforts, I couldn’t get on all the way. With a hearty laugh, Aloy takes hold of my arm and pulls me into her, wrapping her left arm around my midriff as I adjust myself. Aloy then takes hold of the reins of the Sunwing with her free hand and pulls me closer to her.

My stomach was performing backflips and I couldn’t decipher if it was from the rapidly increasing altitude or how Aloy was holding me, no matter how many times we did this I couldn’t get over the butterflies.

“So… what are we hunting A?” I call out into the wind, luckily, we were practically cheek to cheek, so I was able to be heard over the rushing winds.

“Yeah, about that… we aren’t hunting anything,” Aloy spoke into the cusp of my ear sending my nerves alight, the sensation running through my ear and all the way to my frigid toes.

“What? What do you mean we aren’t hunting anything Aloy?” I call confused over the rushing winds. Aloy’s grip tightened as she urged the Sunwing to bank left around some Old-World ruins and level out again.

“Just wait and see my love…” Aloy whispered as we made our way past the desert sands, through the forests and began gliding over the crisp ocean scapes as we trail down the coastline further south. It was so beautiful as the sun glistened like crystals upon the water’s surface, a Tideripper was diving through the waters in the distance, the silence being broken by mechanical cries of all the ocean-dwelling machine-life. I couldn’t help the smile from breaking out as I gazed at the beauty of this world, it may be broken but it was ours, this was our home, and I will be damned before some rogue space entity destroyed our planet.

I once again turned back to Aloy to see her eyes focused ahead, I could see every scar and scratch on her face, she may deem them as imperfections but all I saw was my lover who was devoted to saving everyone, even at the cost of her body and mind.

Now that was to truly be admired.

She does and continues to do so much for the world, she may chalk it up to her ‘purpose or her calling’ but I knew she cared tremendously for the world and its inhabitants, the sacrifices she has had to endure over her lifetime… She continues to bring hope to us all.

The Nora, The Oseram, The Banuk, The Carja, The Utaru, The Quen and the Tenakth…

I shake the thoughts from my head as I feel the beginnings of a burning sensation in my throat. I run my hand over hers that were gripping the wire reins, this causes her to glace down at me with a smile that sparked something in my chest, my body felt so warm as if I was sitting by a crackling campfire in the middle of a blizzard.

“You alright there sweetheart?" Aloy asks as she brushed her thumb over one of my knuckles.

“Yeah, but can I ask where we are going, we have been in the air for quite a while now- “

Aloy cut me off and tutted at me jokingly “Now that is for me to know and you to find out my dear.”

I groaned at her evasion of my questions, with a huff I leaned back into Aloy’s chest, and with an oomph coming from Aloy, she chuckled at my state seeing me pout like a child.

“Trust me, okay? It’s worth the wait.”

I put my trust in her as if I hadn’t already given her my heart in the first place. After another twenty minutes of flight, we reach a secluded island off the coast. An island full of lush forestry and wildflowers. I couldn’t hold back the gasp that fell from my lips as I took everything in, so enraptured in the view I didn’t catch the wide smile split onto Aloy’s cheeks as she saw my reaction. As we approached Aloy lowered the Sunwing to perch upon the trunk of a fallen tree. As we came into landing small birds flew from their perches in fright at the machine and flew off into the horizon.

With grace Aloy dismounted and held her hand out for me to aid me in getting down with clumsy footings we make it down the rocky incline and made contact with the lush grasses and wildflowers. Without hesitation Aloy leant down and plucked a vibrant purple flower and twirled it in her fingertips for a second and turned towards me, my face flushed as I felt my heart try and break out of my chest. She looked ethereal, her jade eyes shone with love as she took a step towards me, my limbs froze in shock as she caressed my cheek and tucked a stray hand away from my brow before slipping the wildflower behind my ear.

My jaw fell open as if to say something but my lovestruck brain couldn’t think of the words to describe how I felt at this very moment.

“Follow me, I have something to show you,” Aloy whispered as she gently took my hand into hers and lead me through the jungle path, over streams and meadows we walked, Aloy keeping my hand firmly in hers the entire time to ensure I don’t fall or stray from her side. Eventually, we break into a clearing, it was beautiful, massive trees shielded us from the outside world, creating a personal oasis of sorts, a small stream flowing nearby and not a machine in sight… but what truly surprised me was an extravagant canvas tent, seemingly of Oseram design down the back of the clearing, the inside of the tent was adorned with beadwork of the Quen and woven mats and bedding from the Utaru and wool and furs from the Nora. Then as I continue to look around metal lanterns glow in the wake of the approaching night, hung on wires supported by wooden spikes painted with Tenakth paints.

It was truly astounding, my hand slipped from Aloy’s as I walked further in and spun around in place just to absorb everything.

“Did-did you plan this A?” I asked as I turn back to my lover, her face shone with pride at her work, seeing me react so positively.

“Well, I had a bit of help.” Aloy answered with a light chuckle about our teams ‘gifts’. My smile only widened thinking about our team who has since temporarily broken back into their own tribes to spread awareness of NEMESIS.

“This is wonderful and all but why have you done this?” I ponder out loud as Aloy’s smile only grew wider at the question.

“Well, I wanted to get away with you for a while, away from distractions, away from the world… just for a moment… to show you how much you mean to me,” Aloy states, un-characteristic timidness seeping into her words.

“Are you alright my love?” I ask, unconsciously feeding off her anxiety.

“More than alright… I just had something to tell you.”

A pit in my stomach opened wide like a sinkhole, sucking all the air from my lungs as I held my breath while I awaited her next words. With a shuddering breath Aloy steps forward to meet me in the middle of the clearing taking my shaking hands in hers, she caressed my knuckles with her battle-worn fingertips and she met my eyes. Jade eyes pooled with love and uncertainty as she opens her partially chapped lips to speak.

“(Y/n), you have been with me since the beginning of my journey, you were with me when no one else was… To befriend an outcast is a sin and you knew that, yet you persisted day after day since our worlds collided for the first time as children. I never felt true love before I met you and I fall in love with you more and more every passing day. You have been by my side for the best and the worst of me and I’m forever grateful you continue to love me despite everything. I couldn’t imagine a world without you, so I planned for months for the perfect moment to tell you how I truly felt. This war may not be done but I know I can’t wait any longer since the future is still so uncertain.” Aloy took a deep breath and she held in her tears, not from pain or sadness but of pure love and anticipation.

“I shall continue to walk beside you if you shall allow me. Wherever you shall go, I will follow… (Y/n) can you do me the greatest honour of being my Wife? Will you marry me?”

Aloy watched my eyes widen in shock as my mouth fell open, tears began to cascade down my flushed cheeks as I hiccup with the overwhelming emotions coursing through my veins, my heart beating erratically against my ribcage. Aloy closed the gap between us and brought me into the softest embrace, her toned arms tracing up and down my spine to try and quell my tears, I dug my face into the crook of my lover’s neck as I grappled for her own back to steady my soul.

“I would love nothing more than to marry you, my love~” I whispered into Aloy’s ear, my voice warbling with sobs of unbridled joy. That’s when I hear the cries of my lover as she released all the anxiety of this moment. I begin to laugh through my tears and Aloy follows suit as we rock on our feet to a tune that only we could hear. We stood there in the light of the moon and the lanterns for what seemed like an eternity until a yawn escaped my throat. With a chuckle Aloy finally pulled away from the embrace, he features still sodden with tears of joy and I knew I looked the same.

“Let’s get some rest shall we, my sweetheart?” Aloy whispers continuing to run her thumb over my knuckles.

“Let's” I respond, never letting go of our intertwined fingers as Aloy gently guided me down to the plush furs and woven mats in the shelter of our tent. Aloy pulls me into her, my front facing hers as the exhaustion of the day comes crashing upon us. Sleepy smiles and kisses were exchanged before we both succumbed to the realm of sleep tangled in each other.

Two lovers committed to each other for eternity. For better and for worse. Wherever one shall go, the other is sure to follow…

#Aloy x reader #Aloy x fem reader #horizon forbidden west #horizon zero dawn #comfort #x reader #fanfiction #fanfic #aloy #fluff

[retrowhatever]

So basically all I've done in the last week is consume an unhealthy amount of Horizon fanfic. I don't have an ao3 account (yet) so I thought I would put my list of faves here. I've ordered them from shortest to longest. This is the first of two posts.

Ereloy fics I love:

Glarebreak by @dark-t1des-hzd - 850 words / Teen & Up - short and sweet scene of Erend being hopelessly in love and Aloy being injured

The Greatest Moment by @pikapeppa - 1200 words / Teen & Up - short scene at a festival with an absolutely dazzling kiss

Sparkstruck by @yogrossdude - 1200 words / Teen & Up - short scene of Erend tripping over his words when he sees Aloy in Oseram armor

A Forthright Woman by @dawnfromzero - 1500 words / General - bewildered Erend not realizing she's into him too

The Serendipity of Thunderjaws by blue_dragon1836 - 1700 words / Teen & Up - injured Erend and probably my favourite Aloy-kisses-him-first moment

Chainscrape by @dark-t1des-hzd - 2100 words / Teen & Up - I won't ever get tired of Aloy getting mad enough that Erend just confesses his love, plus the last line of this one is *chef's kiss*

another lesson learned in blood by sunspot - 2600 words / Teen & Up - Erend would die for her (don't worry, he doesn't) and I would die for them

you are unbreaking, though quaking by @plaidflannelcake - 3000 words / Mature - I have such a weak spot for like mind control fics (spoiler alert for my upcoming niloy list) and this one about corruption arrows scratches the itch

a sky full of light and none of them stars by @rhovanels - 3400 words / Teen & Up - condensed slow burn, plus drunk Erend falls out a window

your hands on every part of me by justalittlebluetiefling - 3600 words / Mature / HFW spoilers - just a raunchy scene at the base but also Erend is in love because duh

your hands on every part of me by @soupandchaos - 3600 words / Teen & Up - come for the sexy sparring, stay for Erend flexing

Thread Together by @yogrossdude - 3600 words / Teen & Up - single scene where Aloy gets injured and Erend stitches her up while being awkward

Long Road Ahead by @ladymaliwan - 4300 words / Teen & Up - I love drunk Erend and I love drunk and confused Erend even more

Steady by theyloy - 4500 words / Mature / mild HFW spoilers - Erend is surprisingly delicate when applying body paint, Aloy is unsurprisingly flustered

old wounds by @yogrossdude - 4500 words / Teen & Up - Erend is injured and Aloy is mad at him, quelle surprise

A Chance by @brandyllyn - 5000 words / Explicit / mild HFW spoilers - Aloy thinks she's missed her chance and Erend is bewildered as usual

outside looking in by I_heart_thunderjaws - 6600 words / Teen & Up / HFW spoilers - Big ol' mutual pining, the ending is so sweet I almost cried, and fun cameos from the rest of the gang

Playing Games series by @soupandchaos - 7900 words / 2 works / Explicit / HFW spoilers - stripstrike. that's it, that's the fic

Hearth by @yogrossdude - 8400 words / 3 chapters / Teen & Up - hypothermia and unresolved tension

those wings in your spine by @theherocomplex - 8800 words / Teen & Up - Erend is charming and lovestruck and dense, so basically he's Erend, kind of a slow burn I guess

simmer down and pucker up by @skellagirl - 9000 words / Explicit - injured, tattooed Erend and Aloy being shocked that she's into him

Fire and Spit by @godliath - 15k words / 10 chapters / Teen & Up - a good slow burn with lots of lovestruck gentleman Erend

Honourable mention: The Moth by @sacrificethemtothesquid - 250k words / 92 chapters / Explicit - look I don't think anyone needs to be told about this fic considering it's the #1 ereloy fic on ao3 and honestly I've only read like a third of it and it's almost too angsty for me because I'm a delicate flower so I probably won't finish it but the Vanguard in this are amazing and Tandin might be my favourite OC in all the Horizon fic I've read so we're including this for him and the rest of the Oseram weirdos

I can't draw and I haven't written anything in years and years, so consider this a small contribution to the fandom. I'd love to hear anybody else's fanfic recs as well!

Oh and I used the tumblr @'s for people whose names I could find. Happy to edit to include the @'s for anyone I'm missing, just tell me who I should be crediting!

Part 2: Niloy recs

#horizon #horizon zero dawn #horizon forbidden west #hzd #hfw #ereloy #aloy #erend #ao3 #fanfic #what we've learned today is I'm apparently very into hurt/comfort fics #bewildered erend best erend #rip to everyone who wants erend to be sober and responsible but im different #I really need to stop spoiling hfw for myself by reading fanfic but also people need to tag their damn stuff for spoilers #pretty sure at this point I know the entire storyline #yogrossdude and soupandchaos doing a lot of heavy lifting on this list #words I said

[robo-dino-puppy]

my thoughts on burning shores if anyone was interested (spoilers obvs, also loooooong, so long and rambling, don’t feel like you need to read it lol):

first of all - that final fight with the horus was EPIC. i LOVED the multiple sections that basically take you through all the game mechanics - stealth, ranged, climbing, swimming, platforming - all just really cool. SO AMAZING and FUCKING CREEPY to see a horus crawling/walking around. also props to sam witwer to being a great over-the-top villian lol. the final fight with londra in the head section felt a bit cramped and it took me a few cycles to understand what to do (like it took me too long to realize i could shoot the mines yikes i’m dumb) but once i did i liked the design of it. (although i felt aloy should have been more terrified of the horus waking up? she and seyka seemed pretty chill and jokey throughout the whole thing considering the situation - i feel like she should have been more scared, at least at first?)

second of all, little complaint - the sounds of the waterwing are EXCRUCIATING to me. really, honestly awful. well not from a sound design perspective, they're fine as... sounds... just not sounds i have to listen to frequently. but i'm very sensitive to noise and i have misophonia, so... maybe that's why. i wish it would just stop making noises. so many noises. all the time. in my mind steve (my sunwing) flew off to hang out with some burning shores sunwings and the moment i go back to a sunwing site i will recognize him and override him again and then we will go back to adventuring together and i will abandon the waterwing unless i need one again. also they added a noise to the barrel roll on the sunwing and that is not cool, don't like, i would like steve to be quiet(er) again pls.

third, an issue - i can't complete cauldron theta because every time i kill the bilegut my game crashes. TT-TT i go through the whole fight, aloy says "it's done!" and the game closes and i get an error. i have fought that bastard three times now and i WILL NOT be doing it again until i have reason to believe it’s fixed lol. the rest of the cauldron was pretty cool tho!

other things:

GILDUN! OMG. i loved that whole quest. i felt bad but i listened to all his commentary behind the door before opening it :D i also felt bad because he's so friendly and optimistic and his delving partner was a jerk, and while i didn't want to lie to him i chose the heart option for aloy's response, and i don't think i could choose the others. and he gets a focus and a hug! AHHHHHH it was great. you’re our friend gildun! (i did get him talking on aloy's focus once when i went back to the main game, so i wonder if there will be random comments like that sometimes? v cool)

NORA LOOKOUT ARMOR! holy crap i forgive them for not giving us the banuk sickness eater bc i did not expect to get the lookout. AMAZING. i will have to do a run with her wearing the lookout the whole time. the quen armors are pretty great too (and lots of dyes, but still only four dyes for the oseram armors? like, why? why didn't the oseram armor get the ng+ dye? WHY GUERRILLA)

ZENITH WEAPON! i was ambivalent about this idea before bc i wasn't sure how zenith weapons would work with the others we have, but i honestly love it. i also like the little clinky noise it makes when she puts it on/stows it :D some of the new weapons (like the shredder) in hfw felt kind of ratchet-and-clank-y, which i loved bc i *adored* r&c growing up. the zenith gauntlet also feels a bit like r&c and i’m digging it. now aloy just needs a topiary sprinkler lolololol (just kidding).

ZENITH FACEPAINTS! ok i would not wear these full time but they are honestly beautiful with the gold. also didn't expect these. and some new quen ones and the new valor surge one and the pangaea one. (are there more? i haven’t finished the delver’s trinkets or the aerial vantage points) i have my work cut out for me for my facepaint series!

i'm... not sure how i feel about aloy and seyka. as an ace girl who was hoping (however foolishly and vainly) for at least the choice of ace girl rep in aloy, it didn’t hit for me the way i’m sure they wanted it to. (i realize she still could be ace, just not aro, but to me it didn’t feel like they were telling an ace story, if that makes sense.) and i like seyka but she wasn't as immediately endearing to me as many of the other side characters - altho maybe my opinion will change on a second playthrough.

but i *am* glad that aloy is 1) letting herself be emotional/vulnerable around others 2) is more relaxed and happy after hfw’s whole story and 3) actually voiced aloud how her early life as an outcast impacted her ability to form friendships. (or wait... was that only in the brain flashpoint dialogue, which is the one i picked? idk) so anyway not mad about it even if i wasn’t really feeling it, and i’m happy for the ppl who wanted aloy to be canonically into the ladies. (which imo it always seemed like she was)

the map is beautiful and the clouds are too. the sky in the new map omg!!! the color of the sky/clouds is definitely unique from any of the other areas. it does feel a biiiiiit too bright in places tho. several times the environment or aloy was completely blown out, highlights-wise. i didn’t change any settings on my game or tv from before, so i don’t feel like it’s on my end, but maybe i need to check.

speaking of sky have you flown up into the cloud layer? like it's a small thing i guess but it is BEAUTIFUL, it literally looks like one of the luminist paintings they said they were inspired by, but it's 3d. so, so pretty.

i did feel it was a bit short/fast especially compared to how the frozen wilds felt, but i may have just rushed it bc i was able to sit down and binge and i wanted to avoid spoilers.

why no tallneck? :( the frozen wilds tallneck was so great...

the jurassic park references made me laugh :D

the whole thing londra was doing to the quen, and the conversation with nova, was extra gross and creepy. also i thought we'd get nova as an AI ally like CYAN but oh well.

again the horus fight was amazing 10/10 boss fight v cool. the only thing i would have added was somehow shooting from the waterwing before gliding down to the ground. with two riders one can shoot and one can steer right?

but the side quest with the three waterwings on the island? HHHHHOLY fuck that was annoying. i used practically all my resources to kill those bastards. "weak to fire" my ass. they have like mile-wide aoe attacks and they are FAST and i kept missing their bodies while my ammo was going through their wings... super, super annoying, did not like, 0/10.

i hope they un-mirror the ammo selection, i was constantly picking the wrong arrows lol.

i walked up on some sandpipers on a beach and i scared them off and it was so REAL i just stood there and watched them fly away. and then they landed further down and started doing their little sandpiper-y thing again. SO COOL.

LEGENDARY SPIKE THROWER WITH DRILL SPIKES! thank u gildun i love it and will cherish it forever.

i'm not sure about the aerial vantage points (whatever they're called) bc i haven't finished them yet but the ones i have done are more emotionally along the lines of the original vantage points, so that's cool.

i did the stormbird in the cloud before i had the waterwing override and the stormbird KILLED STEVE so i reloaded a previous save where steve was alive and waited to do that until i was riding a (super-noisy and annoying) waterwing lol.

i am SAD that all our companions have left the main map. :( i mean they didn't do anything besides stand there in the same spots but... they were there...

sylens, ahhhhhh. that final convo made me tear up a little. i wish aloy had said something before she walked away, even a sarcastic "thanks" would have felt better imo. he didn't see her smile and he didn't hear the comment she made later. just considering the real-world stuff with lance reddick, oof.

also, visiting varl’s grave T_T

aaaaaaanyway i personally felt it was *well* worth $20 and i’m sooooooo excited to see what guerrilla does in the future!

#text post #burning shores #hfwbs #burning shores spoilers #hfwbs spoilers #thoughts!

[lovinglynx]

Ya'll I cannot express how I feel everytime I go back to The Base, and see Aloy's room.

Like, Aloy can be gruff and sharp, yet it's because she's been through a lot (and is currently going through a lot). It doesn't change the fact that she cares so so much. And goes so far out of her way to help anyone who just asks. And her friends know that. Her friends love her anyway, and show that through the simple act of decorating her room for her. They all add personal touches to her space to show "I understand you, and I care about you". And I see it! I see the Oseram blankets and rigs! The Utaru plants and mats! The Tenakth paints and edges! The Nora weapons and personalized fighting posts! I see it all, and I tell you. I want to cry.

I want to sob for Aloy and the things she never got to have until now. I want to wail for the woman who never got to have friends, or comforts, or even her own living space. The woman who had to grow up so fast because her own tribe did not want her. The woman who had to push aside any and every comfort because the world needed her to save it, and needed her yesterday. I mourn Aloy and the things she missed.

But I am so happy at the same time. That she can experience these things now, in the most stressful time of her life, from people who saw past her rough exterior and know who she is. And want to make her feel loved and seen. I mean, come on, they decided to take on focuses and learn about them for her. They want her to not feel alone, even though it's so far out of their comfort zones!

I just feel for Aloy so much anyway, and to come back and see her room that her friends put together? Makes me so emotional.

#i love her a lot #i want her to be able to rest #and not feel like the world is falling apart without her #i want her to be able to laugh and have fun #and to be allowed to enjoy her own space guilt free #she also has so much trauma to work through #but hasn't had the chance to in lieu of saving the world #aloy needs a fucking nap #and a warm cup of coffee #horizon forbidden west aloy #horizon zero dawn aloy #aloy hzd #aloy hfw #horizon zero dawn #horizon forbidden west #hzd #hfw

[singingkestrel]

To keep the forge-fires burning.

I'm really back on the npc train now.

~~~~~~~

I went back to the beginning.

These were taken in the settlement of Last Log, the furthest east you can go on the map. It's a drab little place, all tree stumps and smoke and iron. And it's the place where I fell in love with the Oseram all over again (again).

It's also another place where the npcs down tools and run for cover when it starts to rain.

I feel like, when I'm taking shots, most Oseram tend to favour warm light - it highlights all those orange tones, helps to emphasise their generally casual and (usually) welcoming nature, and puts me in mind of the solid wood and ever-present forge fires of their homes. But I went the other way here, desaturating the colour to mirror the somewhat bleak surroundings and grey/rainy weather conditions. I quite liked the result.

Whilst I love the shakespearean am-dram poses of #9, my favourites here are the ones of the guy chopping the tree. As it's a settlement and you can't move the camera, I was trying to get close to him for the shot, which made him keep stopping. Every time he did he said something along the lines of "Careful there - we're not losing any fingers on my watch!" and "Easy Red, we've not had an accident for 32 days!" He was very friendly about it.

The guy in the last pic also complimented Aloy's hair without any prompting. Which was nice of him.

#seriously you guys #the level of detail in this game is insane #or maybe that's me #i have too many rambling thoughts about this game #it might not be entirely healthy #hfw #horizon forbidden west #hfw photomode #virtual photography #hfw spoilers #singingkescam #npcs #hfw npcs #random npcs #oseram #last log #all my favourite characters are oseram #guerrilla games #beyond the horizon

[justahorizonsideblog]

Sims List & Households:

Households in World:

Sobecks: Aloy, Beta, Elisabet

Love interests: Talanah, Regalla, Petra, Varga, Ikrie

HFW Base Crew: Varl, Zo, Kotallo, Alva, Erend, Sylens, Gaia, Tilda

HFW & Love Interests Fam: Sona, Vala, Rost, Burgrend, Ersa

Old Ones: Travis Tate, Charles Ronson, Samina Ebadji, Patrick Brochard-Klein, Margo Shĕn

Banuk - Aratak's Werak: Aratak, Ourea, Cyan, Sekuli, Naltuk

Banuk: Tulemak, Tatai, Urkai, Inatut, Laulai, Aluki, Enjuk

Carja: Avad, Fashav, Marad, Vanasha, Uthid, Nil

Nora: Teersa, Lansra, Jezza, Grata, Nakoa, Yan, Bast, Teb

Oseram: Delah, Boomer, Beladga, Jorgriz, Stemmur, Morlund, Abadund

Quen: Bohai, Harriem, Kristia

Tenakth - Leadership: Hekerro, Atekka, Dekka, Yarra, Jetakka, Drakka, Tekotteh, Gerrah

Tenakth: Ivvira, Sokorra, Penttoh, Jekkah, Wekatta, Rokko

Utaru: Fane, Milu, Yef, Jaxx, Korreh

The Bad Guys: Ted Faro, Helis, Dervahl, Ceo, Gerard Bieri, Erik Visser, Nemisis

The Sorta Bad Guys: Hades, Hephaestus, Resh, Ulvund

Households in My Households: (May add later to world)

Carja - Extras: Janeva, Queen Nasadi, Itamen, Three-Toe Huadiv, Amadis, Namman

Nora - Extras: Karst, Solai

Oseram - Extras: Olin, Enasha, Olin's Son, Milduf, Gildun

To Murder (or not?): Miriam, Jiran, Fashav's Mother, Nakoa's Father, Kadaman

~

Relationships: Planned (to play out ingame)

Aloy × Talanah (Planned)

Beta x Regalla (Planned)

Elisabet x Petra (Planned)

Varga x Ikrie (Planned)

Morlund x Abadund (Planned)

Penttoh x Rokko (Planned)

Relationships: Undecided

Avad x Ersa or Avad x Amadis (Maybe)

Cyan x Gaia or Cyan x Ourea (Maybe)

Relationships: Set Up (In CAS)

Varl x Zo (Engaged)

Vanasha x Uthid (Engaged)

Beladga x Jorgriz (Engaged)

Queen Nasadi x Jiran (Married)

Olin x Enasha (Married)

~

Notes:

Total Sims: 110 (Added Kadaman)

Time: 51 Hours

Households: 20

Households: I was gonna mod the game so I could have more then 8 sims in a household till I realized that required me remembering to not go into CAS so I had to reorganize because I cannot be trusted. The house holds are a bit lop sided because I wanted their to be a theme to their togetherness.

Charcaters Selected: I bascially choose charcaters I liked, were iconic, or I thought would be interesting to interact. I started with a list of 133 then slimmed it down to like 80... then slowly increased to 109. To be fair the 7 were very easy to do cause I could do what I want (AI’s, Parents, etc.). The outfits were the hardest part and after like sim 60ish I gave up doing unqiue outfits for all events so I focused on their main outfit and pruning the random clothing the game gave them. I wanted to fill a world with Horizon sims so that's why I went Ham.

Family Connection: Every family connection is correct except Rost and Aloy but I might use MCCC to correct that. Thats’ why I had to make Jiran, Fashav's Mother, Nakoa's Father because you can’t just make cousins/aunts/etc. in CAS. I made Miriam because I planned to murder her along with others to make a more interesting family tree instead of the blank image till I felt bad. I also made Stemmur Morlund’s dad..... cause I could (I recogize its not canon but he seems like a adopted dad kinda thing).

Relationships: I like rare ships and Beta x Regalla has been on my mind since I saw a post hinting at that. The planned stuff is also not fully set in stone though because I do love almost every ship, just some are more my favs (The gay ships mostly).

Future: I gonna start posting all the Sims and the CC I used in a few days along with the houses I have been making (so far I have made 10 out of 16 houses over 98ish hours).

#horizoninthesims #sims4 #the sims 4 #ts4 #hfw #hfw spoilers #horizon forbidden west #horizon zero dawn #hzd #aloy x talanah #elisabet x petra #beta x regalla #penttoh x rokko #morlund x abadund #varga x ikrie #varl x zo #vanasha x uthid

[boobaloof]

I know this is way early but what your predictions for horizon 3?

Hello anon!! Ooh what a nice question. It is early, indeed, but with Horizon forbidden west fresh on our minds its the perfect opportunity to talk about them possibilites ✨

Hold on because this is gonna be long!

(Spoilers ahead)

Lets start with tribes:

I don't quite expect Aloy having to personally visit ALL the tribes to rally them, since it would take a massive amount of time and it would be a little repetitive. So, I have this sort of idea of how it would be:

Quen:

If a horizon dlc doesn't touch upon it soon, I predict Aloy might travel to Quen lands sometime after defeating the Zeniths, in order to talk them over to help with nemesis (And just because I want more of Alva. I want to meet Federa so bad and I'd love to see if the food issues are still going on over there. ALSO her actress uploaded a pic on her insta of her wearing a mocap suit some time ago, so I'm 👀 LOOKING)

That might be the closest next thing, seeing as a DLC about the Quen could be the perfect opportunity to touch upon the new tribe. I'm super curious about them!

Nora, Carja, Utaru and Tenakth:

In general, I have this silly idea Aloy will want to travel back east first to rally the hzd tribes.

The Tenakth are almost already in, that tribe and Aloy are in great terms after she helped uniting the clans, so all there is to do was is let Kotallo some talking with Hekarro and we're IN, baby. The Utaru chorus is still a lil bitter but I'm sure Zo will manage, too. Both Zo and Kotallo are stationed on their respective tribe settlements after the ending of hfw, so rallying them could be a 'in between games' thing.

On the way to the Sacred Lands, Erend could drop by Meridian so he can brief Avad on nemesis and give focuses to the sun-king, Marad, Uthid, Vanasha and Talanah while Aloy continues further east with Beta and Zo to visit the Nora. (If Erend didn't like, send his resignation letter via Aldur and Joruf lmao. It would be akward as shit.)

Once they're with the Nora, Aloy could tell Sona about Varl's death, and have Zo meet her, too. Zo could tell Sona about her being pregnant with her son's child, etc. (I'd LOVE to see what Sona's reaction would be, since the Nora Matriarchs have to give their blessings before couples have the right to bear children. 😬)

Also as a side note I hope Zo's pregnancy isn't developed enough for her to get shelved for hz3. I want her to be able to follow everyone for the last fight!

I hope to see Teersa and Teb again, too. Teersa was honestly such a great help to Aloy back in hzd, I'd hate it if that was the last thing we saw of her, she was so nice! And, Aloy could make a quick stop to pick up more focuses over at Eleuthia-9 and check on gramma and introduce her to Beta, too. (If Beta does want to venture out of the fucking basement, of course.)

Not only that! But the hz3's tutorial could be Aloy teaching Beta how to use the focus to hunt, and if it were in the same place where Rost taught Aloy to hunt, it would be just DELICIOUS writing.

(Also... there's this thing where every character that stars with Aloy in the tutorial bit of the game uhhhh fucking dies? So lets not do that guerrilla.)

They could visit Rost's cabin and resting place one more time, then after telling the Nora about nemesis they could head back, pick up Erend from Meridian (and Talanah too if given the opportunity. There's one more empty bunk at base so 💅. We're lacking a Carja member at base to complete the set.)

I don't have any clue as to how they will add the Banuk in, but I hope they don't leave them behind.

After the Carja, Utaru, Tenakth and Nora are in, (and maybe the Quen, if that has already happened) there's only one more place to visit.

🕯️ THE CLAIM 🕯️

Listen. LISTEN. Why the candles, you ask? Its bc Im praying. MANIFESTIN.

The claim is the only tribe territory we haven't seen yet, and Im foaming at the mouth at the idea of getting to see them.

The Oseram npcs have been a delight all over the map in both hzd and hfw and just makes sense for Aloy to go to 🕯️ The Claim 🕯️ in hz3.

And I think they'll be next because after Singularity, if you talk to Erend over at Hidden Ember he will have some voice lines that hint at the Claim, like:

"You know. One time I'd like the two of us to go on an adventure where angry Oseram aren't trying to kill us." OKAY SIR.

And:

"There is a lot of work ahead of us. But we'll make sure my people stand with you when Nemesis shows up."

Aloy could not only go to rally them, but like a friend pointed out on the Ereloy server I'm in, there are a LOT of new possible ruins and other old ones stuff we could see, too.

Elysium, Vast Silver, more cauldrons where Hephaestus could be hiding. The possibilities are endless.

Its no secret that I love the Oseram, so the possibility of seeing more of them? Delightful. Straight up buffet for me.

And all the mischief and disaster that Aloy could make when she meets the old, stubborn, and patriarchal ealdormen of the tribe?

SIGN ME THE FUCK UP.

Finally, with all the tribes rallied, I imagine having a huuuuge map for the third game, a mix of the hzd one and the hfw one (plus the new places we'll visit for hz3.) Having the possibility of traveling via sunwing from the start, of course.

Next, Characters:

No more deaths. Thats illegal now. The first two games had enough of that, and grief showing up again in hz3? Nah, I'm good. (Plus I love them all pls I want them to be happy.)

There are many different ways for Aloy's arc/ writing could go in hz3, like how she hasn't had a decent cry like, ever. I want her to have a huge breakdown, to finally process everything she's gone through, to think about what she wants to do when its all over, etc. She has friends by her side now, what if she's scared from losing them, and everything she's worked so hard to achieve? Man, the possibilities. I think we all can agree that by the end, she deserves nice things. I hope she gets to choose what she wants next, instead of having to run from one side to the other all the time.

Then, for Beta I'd love her to get her own arc, learn how to live in this new world she's in. To have fun and learn and go out and see sunsets and waterfalls and deserts and everything this world has to offer. If she stays hidden in the Base for all the game amma be mad. Beta meeting Aloy's other friends from outside the base would be incredible! Seeing everyone's diferent reactions would be nice. When the game ends, I'm sure she and Aloy will stick together. She has a family now!

Then regarding the rest of Aloy's companions, i think the stage is set for Erend, too. With the possibility of going to 🕯️ The Claim 🕯️ and seeing as it seems he's Aloy's second in comand now there could be nice things for his arc, because I can tell guerilla isn't quite done with him yet! (Also blorbo brainrot, haha.)

In my opinion his writing in HFW was kinda lame but I'm just jotting that down as covid related issues the studio had, bc John Hopkins (Erend's va/face model/mocap actor) didn't even get to do any of the scenes himself with Ashly Burch, so that could explain why his character was kind of shelved/all over the place. (Erend's base dialogue my beloathed.)

Also... did he resign from being Captain of the Vanguard? He sounded bored of it when you meet him at the Daunt, so thats a thing. He literally just left Avad a message that he'd be gone for a while to help Aloy but like, he's supposed to be the king's personal guard..? Boy has his priorities straight it seems. I'd love to see a little bit of Aloy questioning him about that in hz3. Same with his relationship with the claim and his family bc the hzd guide mentioned him having an abusive father so I'm looking out for his backstory.

Also where the fuck is his helmet guerrilla??Give it back!!

Then Sylens. SYLENS. I love him. He has so much potential. I like that he stayed at the end, he's one of my faves and I would love it if he had a major role for hfw. He'd be super helpful when Nemesis arrives, and seeing as he's has a certain change of heart, I wonder how that will play out, too.

Like I said earlier, I hope Zo doesn't get left behind at base because of her pregnancy. She was such a great character in hfw and I just want to see a bit more of her in battle! I have no idea of how long hz3's timeline will be, but if she has her kid at the end and names her Vala I'll cry. Also I'd love to see some Auntloy!!

Kotallo and Alva... I gotta admit Im kinda worried for.

Alva could have some major role if the Quen are involved, but that depends if its a DLC or in-game for hz3. If they get a DLC, then great! But what would she do in hz3? Same with Kotallo.

I have no idea what their roles would be for the next game, I can only think of Kotallo rallying the Tenakth, at most? But other than that, not much. Maybe he could be a Tenakth ambassador to the Carja, but I don't know if the tribe's alliance will have a major role or impact on the story just yet.

Overall, I hope they don't shelf neither of them. Both are great characters, and I gotta admit that Kotallo and Alva's dynamic is just so good.

But anyways, thats all I can think of for now!

I just hope guerilla focuses a bit more on their story writing and their characters, hfw's gameplay was incredible, It'd be amazing if the story got the same treatment. (As in better, not bigger.) Now that covid is more manageable, I'm sure things will only get better and better.

My hopes are definitely up, I am super excited as to what comes next for Horizon, and maybe soon we'll get a dlc, too!

#thanks for the ask!! #I love that I can finally get these ideas out of my brain #SUPER HYPED!!! #I also have some ship theories but thats for another time #horizon forbidden west #hfw #aloy #hzd #horizon zero dawn #hfw spoilers #bab-ask #erend #zo #beta #sylens #kotallo #alva

[amatchinwater]

You and I

Pairing: Ereloy (Aloy/Erend)

Characters: Aloy, Erend, Beta, Zo, Petra, others mentioned

Warnings: not spoiler free, post hzd story, split pov, lyrics as dialogue

Words: 2223

Happy Ereloy Day!!

Based off the song You and I by Lady Gaga

Ao3 link Masterlist

---

Adjusting the vest of her Oseram Artificer armor, Aloy takes a shaky breath. Maybe she shouldn't do this. The Nora fiddles with the buckle on her bicep. Too full of nervous energy to do much else. It doesn't help that where she stands behind the stage, awaiting Beta's all clear, Aloy has a direct view of Erend behind the bar. The bustling and loud laughter does nothing to cover the former Vanguardsman's voice. 

Aloy can hear him clear as day and it's only making her nerves rise higher and higher; setting off a ringing in her ears and making the world feel off kilter. One wrong step and she'll fall over, she's certain. Just face plant right in front of the man she's attempting to woo. 

"This is so stupid," the huntress whispers to herself, watching Erend wink at a woman he passes a tankard to. 

She can't do this. It's been two years since Aloy had seen his face. Once since the last time she'd heard his voice. 

"No trouble at all!" he says to the woman. "Every tinker gets a free drink after their first successful build." 

The girl's response is too quiet to be heard, but the huntress has seen Erend turn plenty of women down to put together what she must have said. If only the fact that he was rejecting a beautiful woman from his own tribe did anything to calm Aloy's raging heart. More than ready to leap out of her chest at its earliest chance. 

Aloy fumbles with her fingers, watching how comfortable and in his element Erend seems. The Nora can't help but feeling like she's about to fuck it all up. 

No.

She's not.

Because she's not doing this.

Tucking tail, Aloy ducks out of the exit behind the stage. Only to stumble, barely preventing smacking face first into Zo and Petra. Waiting for her like they knew she'd try to escape. 

"What do you think you're doing, Flame Hair?" The Oseram woman asks, hands on her hips and a snide smirk on her face.

Zo chuckles, crossing her arms, "chickening out," she says, answering for Aloy.

"N-no, I wasn't," the Nora denies on instinct. "I was just, um," Aloy sighs, hanging her head and mumbling, "chickening out." 

"Why?" The Utaru woman asks in a kinder tone than expected given all of the work she put into ridding Aloy of her tone deaf tendencies. "You spent all that time changing the song, learning to sing, and working with Beta to make a microphone." Zo fixes her with a gentle expression, the huntress would've preferred a scowl. "The Aloy we know doesn't give up." 

Aloy hates how small it makes her sound, "what if he's moved on? It's been two years. Erend seems so happy now. What if he doesn't want me anymore?" 

"Then he's an idiot," Petra snaps, grabbing Aloy’s shoulders. "What's important is that you put yourself out there. Say your peace," the Oseram woman shakes her lightly, "if he doesn't accept it, then it's his loss. You're a knockout!" Petra winks, looking her up and down. "He'd be stupid to turn all this away," her friend gestures at her very exposed body. 

Aloy blushes violently.

She's in her Artificer armor, yes. But as per Petra's insistence, the huntress is only in about half of it. No waist guard covering her hips or thighs. No head piece in favor of having her hair flowing loosely, braids and curls on full display. Aloy had to fight just to keep the vest and arm pieces. She first felt like she might as well have been walking around in her smalls.

It's nerve wracking and embarrassing enough that she's doing this to begin with. 

If she can, Aloy would like to keep her dignity intact. 

"Aloy," Zo cuts through her thoughts, "it's obvious to anyone that talks to Erend that he's absolutely in love with you. I noticed it the first time I saw him and Varl said your name. He'd be a foo-"

The Utaru woman is interrupted by the sound of Erend's voice. 

What's that Old One's saying?

Speak of the Devil and he shall appear.

"Beta! It's good to see you," the Oseram chuckles. "What's all this?" 

"Erend!" Her sister gasps in surprise. "H-hey, um, I'm making improvements to your bar," Beta says carefully. 

"Improvements, huh?" Erend asks, sounding amused, "what kind of improvements?"

"The last time I visited, I noticed it gets pretty loud in here. If you're in the back, you can't really hear when someone decides to play a song." There's a clank and some feedback. Her sister is almost ready and Aloy thinks she's going to puke. "So I made a device that projects people's voices through a Longneck antenna and into their chest. Like a microphone and speaker the Old Ones used." 

Erend makes a sound too quiet to discern before he says, "Maybe I'll give it a test run. Be your Beta, ha!" 

"No!" Beta practically shouts. "Er, I mean, someone already volunteered to test it. They should be here soon. But hey, if they don't show, the antenna's all yours." 

"You got yourself a deal, Little Red." 

The Oseram must be gone because Beta lets out a big sigh of relief, slinking outside to meet them. "That was close! Are you ready? Oh god," her face falls, "you look like you're going to hurl," Beta winces. "You're not going on, are you?" 

"Yes, she is," Petra claps her shoulder, walking back into the tavern and to the antenna microphone. "Alright you lot, listen up!" The room quiets- mostly. "Got someone coming out to test this equipment. I expect you to be respectful, or you'll hear from me. Got it?" 

The crowd cheers, but it's Erend's booming voice that can be heard. "Cool your Forge, Petra. They'll stay in line. Or they're cut off!" The room groans in response. "I won't have you ruffians being rude to free entertainment." 

Petra comes back outside, "you're on, Flame Hair.

"May flowers bloom in your steps," Zo smiles. 

Swallowing all of the bile in her throat, Aloy steps out onto the small stage. Her gaze immediately finds Erend, the Oseram too busy helping customers to notice her. Good, it might keep her nerves at bay if he's not just staring at her the whole time. 

Just as Petra and Zo make it into the crowd, the music starts and Aloy takes a deep breath. Grabbing onto the antenna, the light hits her. 

"You can do this," Zo mouths along with Petra's thumbs up. 

Her cue is coming, it's now or further embarrass herself by running off the stage.

"It's been a long time since I came around," Aloy sings into the makeshift mic, "been a long time, but I'm back in town." Erend freezes when she starts, then whips around, nearly spilling ale from a freshly poured tankard, saying her name. "But this time, I'm not leaving without you." Despite locking eyes with the Oseram, Aloy feels courage deep in her bones at the look on his face. "You taste like ale when you kiss me, oh," the Nora sings from her heart. "I'd give anything again to be your Baby Doll."

Erend moves out from behind the bar making his way through the crowd as the huntress sings. She'd be worried he was going to stop her if he didn't look so happy.

"You said sit back down where you belong," Aloy keeps going, "in the corner of my bar with your armor on." She can't help but chuckle at the memory, singing, "sit back down on the couch where we made love the first time and you said to me…" 

Shortly after dealing with Asera, it was late and everyone was off doing their own thing. For the first time since the Daunt, Aloy felt bold enough, comfortable enough- ready to truly express how she felt for the Oseram. They almost broke the Strike board and several pieces that night. 

Honestly, it would have been worth it. 

The memory of his hands on her skin is burned into her flesh like a tattoo. 

"There's something about my cool, Oseram guy. Yeah, somethin' about baby you and I." Aloy smirks, finding comfort in the pink hue staining Erend's cheeks. "It's been two years since I let you go. I couldn't listen to a joke or rock and roll. Playing Strike drove a Charger through my heart." 

Erend's closer now. A look of love and longing on his face, mere feet away from the stage now. Like he can't think of anything better than dragging Aloy off the stage and holding her close. It's the same expression the Oseram had when they lost GAIA and Beta. When they almost lost Varl. And he held her for hours to keep the pieces whole. 

——————— 

"On my birthday you sang from your heart and soul," Aloy sings, making Erend laugh to himself, smiling at the memory. 

He can't believe the Nora is here right now. Much less on his stage, in his bar, singing. About them no less! Forge's breath, Erend has no idea what he did to deserve this woman, but he will spend every last breath he has treating her right. 

"This time I'm not leaving without you," Aloy belts, "sit back down where you belong in the corner of my bar with your armor on…"

He had just got the place up and running. The huntress was the first person to come and visit him. Demanded that she be treated like a regular patron and pay for her drink. So Erend told her to sit her pretty little ass down on his bar and to hush. Because as long as there's life in him, Aloy will never spend a single shard in his bar. 

She deserves the whole damn world, but Erend knows she'd never accept it. Too prideful, fire and spit. But the least he can do is make sure his woman gets free drinks. 

It's been a while since Erend thought he could consider the Nora his woman. With Aloy up there, singing her heart out for him, about how badly she wants to be with him, there isn't a shred of doubt in his mind that she's his. Especially since she had to have been taught to do this. He's heard her sing in the shower room at base before…it was far from this. 

"I'm a Nora woman, born to run you down," Aloy winks at him, "still want my war paint all over your face?" His cheeks burn at her words, she'd felt bad for getting paint on him that first night, Erend told her he'd gladly wear it any time. "So put your drinks up for Oseram," Aloy sings and the bar roars, tankard sloshing high in the air. "For Oseram, Oseram, I love you!" 

His heart makes a valiant attempt to leap out of his throat at the public confession. 

Aloy loves him. 

Him.

"I'd rather die, without you and I." The huntress smiles at him, looking Erend in the eyes. Confidence oozing from every freckled pore. "It's been a long time since I came around. Been a long time, but I'm back in town. This time I'm not leaving without you," Aloy holds the last word and the song ends. 

Every patron in the tavern erupts in cheers and whistles for the Nora, but Erend can't hear them. Like they're muffled, too far for him to hear even though they're right next to him. The only thing that matters is getting on that stage. Getting Aloy. 

She said she'd give anything again to be his Baby Doll. Aloy never stopped! Not once in the last two years has he considered him to be anyone but hers. 

The crowd moves for him easily. Seeing who it is trying to get through, they part ways. Erend is on stage in no time at all, standing before Aloy as she plays with her fingers. There's so many things he wants to say, but the only thing his brain supplies is, "don't remember you having pipes like that, Aloy." 

"Zo coached me," Aloy mutters, "did-did you like it?" Her hazel eyes are filled with so much hope and anxiety, it's palpable around them. 

A physical being Erend has to break through to grab her wrist and pull the huntress to his chest. "I loved it, Baby Doll," the Oseram smirks, brushing hair from her cheek. Aloy shudders, at the name or his touch, he's unsure. "I love you too, Aloy," Erend murmurs, cupping her face and pressing their mouths together before Aloy's anxiety can seep back in. The bar gets impossibly louder. Resting their foreheads together, he whispers, "I missed you." 

"I'm sorry it took so long to come back." 

"None of that," Erend leans back with a smile. Knowing the most recent Zenith was hard to handle, but something truly only she could do. "So, where we goin'?" 

Aloy beams at him, "wherever you want." 

"I have an idea," Erend growls, yanking her by her waist and kissing her fiercely. 

He has a feeling she's going to love his idea, even if they have to travel a bit first. There's a special couch calling their names and Erend is dead set on listening to it. 

#horizon forbidden west #hzd erend #erend vanguardsman #aloy #erend x aloy #aloy x erend #Match Writes #ao3 fic #ereloyday2023

[disgruntled-welshgirl]

I posted 6,588 times in 2022

That's 5,102 more posts than 2021!

564 posts created (9%)

6,024 posts reblogged (91%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@bad-with-emotions-sadly

@galahadwilder

@hummerous

@uniquevocashark

@themadmanandhisbox

I tagged 826 of my posts in 2022

#stranger things spoilers - 324 posts

#st liveblog - 319 posts

#the dragon prince - 75 posts

#dp liveblog - 72 posts

#stranger things - 56 posts

#wombo.ai - 46 posts

#horizon forbidden west - 39 posts

#welshie's ramblings - 37 posts

#ronance - 33 posts

#hot damn - 19 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#3.1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679 8214808651 3282306647 093844

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Hey Ronance Rabble! I found a good piece of art for us by @soartamiright_ off Instagram.

76 notes - Posted October 18, 2022

#4

Headcanon:

Every single person who’s WLW from Thornmarsh to Sunfall has at one point dated each other and as Aloy goes on her way she uncovers a cryptic and extensive web of women who were once lovers of one another. It leads to convos like:

Petra: Aloy! I hear you’re heading west. Say hi to Yarrah for me if you ever get out to the desert. I hear she’s commander over there now. Hot as a forge over there, and i don’t mean the desert.

Aloy: I’ll be sure to do that Petra.

[Later]

Yarra: Oh, Petra. Such a strong warrior. Finest easterner i ever met. Well, except Ikrie of course. If ever you meet my darling snowdrop, please tell her i wish her well.

Aloy: Wait, you know Ikrie? Yeah, I’ll tell her if i run into her.

[Later still]

Ikrie: Damn, you met Yarra? I’m surprised she didn’t snap you up Aloy. You’re just like Talanah and me, her type.

Aloy: At this point, I’m not even surprised Talanah’s part of this.

123 notes - Posted March 8, 2022

#3

I put forward we stop calling the Wednesday Xavier Tyler thing a love triangle and instead call it what it really is, a love corner. And Wednesday's backed into it

157 notes - Posted December 4, 2022

#2

I’m sorry but Aloy’s tone when she says to Talanah about Amadis “You love him, don’t you?” is just killing me. She sounds so defeated! And look at her face!

The girl’s yearning, clear as day; and it hurts to watch

189 notes - Posted February 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I'm still not over how the each of the GAIA gang decorates the base over time:

Zo brings in flowers and just generally makes the place look nicer and feel livelier for the benefit of everyone

Varl brings items of deep sentimental value to either him or Aloy out of nothing more than the goodness of his heart

Erend brings an ember from Vegas and a strike board out of a sense of community with the Oseram of hidden ember and his friends respectively

Alva brings a relic from Thebes and tries her best to also bring a flower to show her appreciation to Aloy

Kotallo brings some massive rocks

356 notes - Posted February 27, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[theinvisiblequestion]

Pride Month feat. HFW's Abadund/Morlund

Okay y'all. I don't really have the time or mental energy to make bingo cards or post a prompt a day or anything like that, so here's a free-for-all 30 Abadund/Morlund prompts for Pride Month (one for each day, but seriously no pressure - you do you). I'll accept requests via ask, but in lieu of any specific requests I'll just generate some content maybe. If you do fill any of these prompts with any kind of work, please please please be sure to tag it with #abadund, #morlund, or #the slag heap beckons because I want to see the CONTENT.

Okay, okay, enough of my yammering. TO THE PROMPTS!

they're gay in EVERY universe

the never have I ever game

exchanging gifts

Abadund the ray of sunshine

Morlund the grumpy asshole

vulnerable Abadund

protective Morlund

at a party

in the glow of the lights

everyone knows but them

personal space? what's that?

the good ol' Oseram tradition of being well and truly shitfaced

(rivals to) friends to lovers

the Little Things

covered in sand/grime

bad jokes

playing Machine Strike

Desert weather

singing

dancing

undressing for science/safety/care

there's a wall there

"Of course I love him. He's my best friend."

"You followed me out here for my dream. What's yours?"

"Are you sure this is okay?"

"Would it kill you to be careful? I worry about you!" "Why?"

"I'm sorry." "Damn right."

"How long have you known?"

"What do you need?"/"What can I do?"/"How can I help?"

"So, when are you going to make an honest man of him?"

#horizon forbidden west #writing prompts #hfw prompts #pride month #abadund #morlund #abadund x morlund #THE SLAG HEAP BECKONS #hfw pride month

[the-technicolor-whiscash]

What I do like abt hfw is the fact it introduces other cultural groups cause as an anthropologist I absolutely LOVE that shit like I could learn about like the cultural practices of the Utaru and the Oseram every day of the goddamn week like the rest of the game defo isn’t as good as the last one but I will tell you. As a huge nerd I am eating good.

#the whiscash administration

[anunkindcomparison]

Erend realizing that Kotallo and Aloy are into each other when he finds them asleep together one evening. He’s going back to the bunk he shares with Kotallo, but the Tenakth isn't there. In fact, Erend hasn't seen him most of the day. So he goes looking throughout the base, only to come up empty-handed each time, until finally he taps his Focus. "Yeah, uh, GAIA? Is Kotallo OK? Where's he at?"

"I cannot detect any signs of distress. His Focus location shows him to be in Aloy's room. Do you want me to contact them?"

"Kotallo's... in Aloy's room? With Aloy?"

"Correct."

So Erend goes over to her door and it opens for him, which means either he's about to get an eyeful he really doesn’t want, or...

He finds them fully clothed, asleep on the pallet bed. Kotallo is on his back, and Aloy is curled against his side, and... huh. He backs out and sets the door lock as he goes. No one else needs to intrude, and honestly he doesn't remember the last time either of them slept so well as they clearly were just then.

The thing is, he can’t get it out of his head. So he resolves to do what he’s worst at, and that’s talk about it. He waits a few days, then goes to the lab Kotallo has taken over. "Hey uh. Kotallo, can I talk to you?"

Kotallo nodding as Erend steps into the lab.

"Listen. I know you think I'm about as scary as a half-drowned river rat, and given the culture you come from, I get it. But if you hurt her?" He holds up a fist. "You'll answer to me. And I know I have a fun-loving, jovial nature, but you've seen me swing that hammer too. You know I won't play around, especially when it’s about Aloy. No matter how out-classed I might be."

Kotallo tilting his head, considering this. "You love her?" His voice is quiet, but not threatening. Just curious.

"Of course I love her," Erend says. "But… but probably not the way you do."

Kotallo frowns.

"Look... growing up, it was me and my sister. She was my world, I loved her more than anything or anyone else. And when I lost her? Aloy was there for me. And she's been there a lot, even though she runs off every other second of the day. But she's the closest thing I have to family now, and if you think I'm gonna let anyone, even Mr. Big Scary Tenakth Warrior, break her heart? You haven't been paying attention. She deserves better than that."

Kotallo considers this, and nods once. "Acceptable terms."

Erend blinks. "What?"

"Your terms: I will not hurt her, and if I do, you'll make sure I regret it. Probably for the rest of my life."

Erend nods. "Yeah. Well. Glad we got that sorted out then."

"As am I."

Erend looks around. "So... anything you need help with? I'm good with hammers of all sizes, not just the really big and heavy ones."

Kotallo gives him a small smile. "Not at the moment. But I thank you."

"Right. Well... if you need me, you know where I'll be." He hooks a thumb toward the common area. “And... thanks. For letting me say all of that.”

Kotallo nods again, watching Erend walk back out of the lab. An odd one, that Oseram, to be sure. But it warms him to know that Aloy is so well cared for beyond her usefulness to others. That she inspires so many allies to such devotion is commendable, and a testament to her devotion to them in turn. He waits a few more moments, then heads out as well. Perhaps Erend will be up for a game of Strike after that...

#Horizon Forbidden West #VG: Horizon Forbidden West #Video Game #Kotallo #Aloy #Erend #Kotallo x Aloy #Erend gets to be the protective big brother now