Non-separateness and the search for sea lions

An example of non-separateness in architecture and its specific surroundings

I think that non-separateness is a pattern that is quite descriptive in and of itself. An element in a videogame and its narrative do not stand out because they do not fit into the context, that's how I interpret this particular pattern in the context that I am writing in. Allow me to elaborate.

Today I was playing The Last of Us II. First of all, it is a brilliantly made and visually stunning game that does almost everything perfect to the finest detail. Almost everything perfect. I will try and not spoil anything, but inevitably I have to go into some of the particulars when it comes to the story line to explain what I am getting at. 

Whilst roaming around an abandoned aquarium, that has obviously not been used for a long time, you come across a big fish tank where a sea lion is still happily swimming around. Just for the record, the story is set in a zombie-infested world where you operate from a camp because everyone and everything outside of it is trying to kill you.

The Sea Lion looked every bit as confused as I did
So how did this sea lion survive in the middle of the apocalypse? The simple answer is: he couldn't have. Anyone who has ever visited an aquarium or a zoo knows that all of the animals are being fed multiple times a day. Perhaps this sea lion was lucky enough to have a personal human that has stuck around to care for it, but I don't think so.

The sea lion stands out in such a way that it takes away from the background of the main story line. Occasionally you see wild game scurrying around on your screen in the open, but it is still plausible that they can survive. This contrast may not jump out, but the sea lion can potentially spoil a game that is consistent in its apocalyptic background (as far as I know, I haven't finished the game yet).

So, where else can we find these proverbial sea lions? I turn to Horizon Zero Dawn again for my analysis and the indeterminate feeling I got when I entered the city of Meridian. See the picture below for an image of Meridian:
Meridian, an elevated Medieval city

Where is the sea lion in the picture above? The fact that Meridian is, in many ways, a medieval city (with a whooping elevator to boot). The rest of the world that you traverse through is set in the post-post-apocalypse and its human settlements can best be described as tribal. In contrast, Meridian has high-rise buildings set on top of a large rock formation which is quite an architectural advanced feat. There is nothing in the story line that can logically explain why Meridian looks the way it does and why it is as advanced as it is.

The city is however visually non-separate from its surroundings. The spires on top of the rock formation echo these same rock formations for instance. It is beautiful and it looks exciting, but on another level it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Meridian's connection to the rest of the story does not become visually apparent and in doing so separates itself from the rest of the game.

The main story does offer some historical background to the city, namely that it has been found by the first Sun King Araman and that he traveled and suffered many setbacks before founding the city that eventually flourished and became Meridian. It is basically a whole and wholly different story that you fall into the middle of when you walk through the city gates. 

Meridian is in my humble opinion HZD's sea lion. It doesn't go well with the rest of the story and therefore its background story cannot be used to its fullest potential. In the missions in and around Meridian you do not do anything with the history of the city. In contrast you are constantly busy with the history of the planet in one way or another. When both the history of Meridian and the planet would have fallen more in line, Meridian wouldn't have been the sea lion that it is now.

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