HFW: Miscellaneous Beta HCs

Thinking about my favorite clone siblings (sorry Delta Squad, you've been replaced), specifically lil baby Beta, decided to write down some HCs. Contains some spoilers for HFW, mostly implied. Also the first few are all about food because for some reason that's where my brain went first lmao

Growing up on a spaceship, with limited dietary options (all of which were printed as opposed to cooked by humans, per old world standards), Beta was understandably hesitant to eat pretty much anything once she arrived at the Base. It took her weeks to adjust to the difference in both texture and taste. Once she did, however, she knew that she never wanted to go back to eating like the Zeniths did.

Her eating habits still aren’t great, though. Often forgoes actual meals in favor of frequent snacking. Thanks to the Focus being holographic and relying on gestures, she usually doesn’t have to worry about messy hands* getting her workspace dirty while she eats. Cleans up immediately after she’s done munching, every time, without fail.

*To be clear: Beta does not enjoy messy foods unless she can eat with utensils. Even then, her snackies can still leave minor residue on her hands, and she prefers to not get said residue on anything important (or not important, for that matter).

Partially due to her snacking habits, Beta ends up learning what everyone at the Base prepares for trail rations. When she first arrives at Base, she has zero idea how to cook, and relies on the others for help. But as she grows closer to everyone, she tries to get better at cooking. Eventually she frequently helps the gang prepare their various rations, half to be helpful, half so she can squirrel some away in her room.

Has a bit of a sweet tooth, and probably most enjoys Kotallo's and Zo's rations, both of which contain a fair amount of fruit.

Even after the end of the game, when most of the A-Team/Gaia Gang leaves to establish/confirm alliances, Beta stays in frequent contact with her new friends. Sometimes they’ll have a long distance “tv night”, where they all watch an episode of Second Time Around and talk about it afterwards. Sometimes they have to take a break halfway through so Beta can spend half an hour providing vital context (sometimes the others pretend not to understand if it seems like she’s enjoying rambling about a certain subject).

Zo introduced Beta to tea relatively soon after she arrived at the Base. Admittedly Beta wasn’t exactly fond of the actual taste (at least not the first several blends she tried). But she enjoyed the feeling of a warm mug in her hands, and grew to enjoy the company that Zo provided. Eventually she was able to find a couple kinds of tea she enjoys more (sweeter ones, mostly, but also one with hints of spiciness).

Beta honestly would have been VERY interested in paintings/sculptures if Tilda hadn’t created such a painful association with them/if she had been given a chance to learn/explore of her own volition. As it is, she’s still interested in art, but heavily prefers photography and cinematography. Even with access to Zenith’s copy of Apollo, she doesn’t have a whole bunch of the latter to look at, unfortunately. She ends up experimenting with using her Focus to record things, especially the cool places Aloy brings her to (Hidden Ember is probably her favorite, even if she sometimes has to wear ear plugs to avoid overstimulation).

On that note, Beta struggles a lot of sensory input issues, both with over and understimulation. Growing up on a spaceship meant being surrounded by a near constant hum, which is why she gravitated towards the server room at the Base. Eventually she works with a few of Aloy’s tinkerer friends to make a special headset (goggles + earbuds) to help filter out bright lights and loud sounds, perfect for visiting busy settlements.

Additionally, she can be a tad picky when it comes to clothing, preferring softer/smoother fabrics and loose designs, hating the feeling of tight clothes. In the end, most of her outfits are an odd blend of Carja and Nora clothes. Aloy gets her a special (custom ordered, featuring Nora aesthetic with Carja fabric) outfit to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of her escaping Far Zenith<3

Preview of the Azula's House of Wonders AU

Ursa had learned many things about herself in the course of a life that would be long and historical, in some ways better than others. She had always internalized that her fire was a source of devastation and ruin, that it could destroy and was incapable of doing anything else. And yet here she was, taking a technique in a faintly desperate hope from her mother's scrolls and writings, hovering with indigo flame over Azula's withered arms, seeking to reactivate chi.

It was a paradox of Benders (and non-Benders too, perhaps, not that she would know and not that it occurred to her to even ask, then) that they could heal physically but if the inner flow of chi, that great mystical wellspring of all power, was not fixed nothing else would work. Azula had withered in more than spirit, she had withered in soul. Even then she stared at a corner as if some hellish thing stood there that she could not see.

Perhaps it did, one who lived near the Forgetful Valley could not dismiss such things out of hand. She had no real expectation that it could work. Mother had worked such wonders and she had sliced steel and trees as if it was nothing.

When it was done she moved back and sat, folding her hands in her lap, afraid to hope.

--------

Azula had quietly tried this repeatedly through the search for Ursa, hating every second of being caught in her brother's desperate dream without any say-so, any freedom to move. All the big and small humiliations she'd gone through and the insult to injury of knowing her mind lied to her.

Her fires had seemed to have guttered out in her arms and legs, and yet when she focused on Chi it was there for the first time in a year and a half. She took a deep breath and focused on a small thing. The ability merely to move her fingers.

------

Ursa saw her daughter's fingers tremble, a slight tremor, so very slight a thing and then her daughter was crying. a look of awed disbelief on her face. Ursa looked at her own hands for a moment and in that moment she would speak in later years, began to wonder if she had dreamed too small and punished her own daughter for dreaming too grandly (and in but two years time she would not wonder, she would know and add it to a long series of private regrets she carried to her grave).

"I can feel my arms," she heard a choked up voice say, "for the first time in a year and a half."

Golden eyes ran with tears and met her own and she moved without hesitation to sit near Azula.

"Thank you mother, I love you." It was almost imperceptible but the sincerity....

Ursa would have spoken those words in turn but she knew, from the stories that the Avatar and others had told her on the return trip that a ghost of her had spoken them and helped drive her daughter into this state.

So she did not say them, she merely put her arm on her daughter's shoulder and leaned in, resting her head on her shoulder. Azula understood and she did not see the gratitude in those eyes that she restrained herself from speaking words that would hurt her. If she had she would have felt even sadder than she was at that moment.

It was at that moment that the spectre of Ursa with those sad eyes and a cutting voice that Azula had seen for so long stood in the corner of the room and gave her a smile that was a pale ghost of the true woman beside her, and vanished, never to be seen again.

23 notes View Post

animus-primal36

2 years ago

Hawk and Thrush!

146 notes View Post

animus-primal36

3 years ago

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13647147/1/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=4tNXCwP_99QHA5C9qhwyxpRHKCXGYFZhselTl8vVwF0-1641950150-0-gaNycGzNCRE

While this isn't my own work, I can't help but want to share because of how amazing it is!! And azulaang fic, most of the characters are very ooc but it's an AU set after "Crossroads of Destiny" where Aang is captured by Azula. I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU CHECK IT OUT!!! Its still on going and the author has stated there will be a sequel!!

ATLA Culture Index: What’s in a Name?

Trying to better organize this Tumblr since it’s getting to be pretty expansive.

Water Tribe

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Earth Kingdom

Part 1

Part 2

Beifong Edition

Part 3

Part 4

Joo Dee Edition

Part 5

Fire Nation

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Air Nomads

Part 1

Like what I’m doing? Tips always appreciated, never expected. ^_^

https://ko-fi.com/atlaculture

214 notes View Post

animus-primal36

2 years ago

Katara: Are you serious?! You can't just date my ex like that!

Azula: Oh, and why not?

Katara: Because it's just part of your plan to hurt him, that's why! It's all some part of your big grand scheme to make him miserable!

Azula: Katara, you are NOT his mother. Both him and I can date whoever we want. And, even though I am a master schemer and I originally wanted to hurt the Avatar... There is something about him that I have grown to enjoy. So, get used to it. Because he's MINE now.

Katara: But- You can't just- You can't just 'call dibs' on him like Aang's some kind of object!

Azula: There's a saying I heard a little while ago... And I feel like it works very well in this setting... 'I licked it, it's mine'...

Katara: