I apologize for how long this one gets!
A couple of details about The Boiling Rock: it doesn't change at all in the "death by heartbreak AU", but in the "Maizula endgame", the betrayal is even worse. It's kinda clear that Azula is not even aiming at Mai, she's aiming at her feet to scare her. Like canon, Azula didn't expect any conflict, so she's not in battle mode. She's angry that Mai is choosing Zuko over her.
(If I age them up and make it a situation where Mai's pregnant, Azula is just threatening her, she has aim good enough to shoot close but not close enough to hurt.
If it's a situation like that, Azula's reaction is much more feral.)
Azula doesn't know that Mai's goal is to slow her down, distract her long enough so she doesn't kill her own brother. In canon, Azula's mental breakdown starts to build up when Mai & Ty Lee betray her, in here it starts when Zuko betrays her by leaving – it comes back to platonic mates. It comes back to her doing everything she can, going out of her way and putting her own life at risk, to bring him home and keep him safe. Then he just leaves. He leaves again and now Azula is older, her connections and her reactions are stronger. The little pack, in her alpha brain, is her, Mai, Ty Lee and Zuko. A member leaving means the alpha will be hurt.
So. Azula's clearly not fine, she has her issues, of course she interprets Mai's action as breaking the pack apart even further. And when Mai says the "I love him more than I feat you" (without noticing that maybe that's the last thing she should tell Azula), Azula partially ignores her instinct to never, never harm her omega.
Still, Azula wouldn't hurt her, not really. But then there's Ty Lee right there and she can smell so, so much anger and ferocity. She can't smell the distress underneath because it's too subtle. She reacts on impulse to chi-block Azula.
It's that, taking away Azula's bending – even temporarily – that breaks the pack. That breaks Azula.
Later, post-war and healing, it's a happy ending but not perfect. Azula was betrayed and abandoned by way too many people, hurt way too many times. She can marry, mate Mai, have a kid or two – she refuses to have that litter of pups she dreamed of as a kid. But a pack? No.
Part of her doesn't even fully claim Mai, because what if she does and Mai chooses someone else over her again?
Her bond with Zuko and Ty Lee is permanently broken, she can be civil, even friendly, to them, but nothing more. She might be kind of friends with the Gaang, after being redeemed/healed, they want to include her but she rejects the bond.
Azula feels safer as a lone wolf, no pack. A mate with a half bond, a kid or two, because if she ever feel a bond break again, she knows she won't make it.
Both Mai and Ty Lee will regret for the rest of their lives. Mai thinks a lot about what she should have done differently, said differently to slow Azula down but not hurt her this much. Ty Lee thinks a lot about the way that maybe, just maybe, chi-blocking Azula wasn't the right choice.
I just made The Boiling Rock much more heartbreaking, I think.
- Ash 🔥🍌
Thanks for this, Ash!
She's angry that Mai is choosing Zuko over her.
Annoyed? No, she is sad and hurt because her Omega chooses someone who is not her.
If I age them up and make it a situation where Mai's pregnant.
Oh gods! Do you want to kill Azula?! Why do you seem to hate her, Ash! 😭
She's not only losing her entire pack and her Omega, but her cub too!
And when Mai says the "I love him more than I feat you" (without noticing that maybe that's the last thing she should tell Azula).
Obviously he shouldn't have said that! It seems like everyone hates Azula! Does Mai really love Azula? or do you just use it?
It's that, taking away Azula's bending even temporarily - that breaks the pack. That breaks Azula.
Ash, that destroys anyone, even me! And I know that one day the vipers in my house will leave me!
post-war and healing, it's a happy ending but not perfect.
No, that's not a happy ending, just for the others but not for Azula.
They basically subject Azula to living with an Omega who doesn't even love her and living with people who break her again and again.
Part of her doesn't even fully claim Mai, because what if she does and Mai chooses someone else over her again?
I literally feel a tightening in my heart, you understand, Ash? You hurt me.
He married Mai and has two children, but he will never have his mark, seems ALMOST fair to me.
I wonder what Mai's reaction was when Azula denied claiming her completely, even when she asked her to.
Her bond with Zuko and Ty Lee is permanently broken, she can be civil, even friendly, to them, but nothing more.
I understand getting along with Ty Lee, or at least having a civil relationship, but Zuko? He is literally the person who took everything from his life, and he has to live with the torture of all the traumas that were caused to him.
He's even inside his house forever and doesn't see anyone except his kids and Mai is a mercy.
She might be kind of friends with the Gaang, after being redeemed/ healed, they want to include her but she rejects the bond.
I can already imagine the reaction.
Gaang: Do you want to be part of our pack?
Azula: NO, NEVER, EVER. 🏃♀️
Mai:...
Ty Lee:...
Zuko:...
It's obvious to the Gaang that Azula is completely traumatized by the entire packs and bonds.
I hope Mai, Ty Lee and Zuko are ashamed of that.
Azula feels safer as a lone wolf, no pack. A mate with a half bond, a kid or two, because if she ever feel a bond break again, she knows she won't make it.
I won't make it if you keep this up, Ash. 😭
Both Mai and Ty Lee will regret for the rest of their lives.
I'm glad, I just hope Zuko dies slowly and painfully.
Does Zuko regret ruining his Sister's life?
I just made The Boiling Rock much more heartbreaking, I think.
You just put a rope around my neck, you'll be happy, Ash.
JUST DO IT, ASH. 😭😭
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Had a thought about the Reluctant War and made myself a bit sad and I have no idea if it'll make it into the story proper so I'm going to inflict it upon all you guys:
Dick Grayson on the streets of Gotham trying to do everything he can to help as everyone join the ghosts in fighting the GIW, suddenly has a version of the GAV barreling down towards him and for some reason he can't get out of the way in time.
He thinks he's about to join the army of the dead in a whole new way, when the tank fo a vehicle is suddenly sent flying as something massive charged it from the side. He hears a familiar bellowing and then realizes that it's Zitka, a ghost after passing away peacefully a few years before.
She wasn't apart of the army of the ghosts, wasn't brought in to fight. She's just been following her tiny human child around all these years and now that there's enough ecto in the air to do so, she's going to protect him with all her might.
Dick is emotional, so thankful to have his old friend back, but the city is still in a state of chaos. He gets onto Zitka's back and they get to work, running - flying - around helping to grab the injured and whisk them away to safety or take out other GAVs and the like.
It's absurd and freeing and wonderful all at once to be literally flying through the skies of Gotham on the ghost of his elephant best friend, and if Dick wasn't already on the side of King Phantom he is *now* and -
He gets shot off Zitka's back.
A GIW agent was aiming for the Ghost elephant but somehow *missed* and hit Dick instead. Not enough to injure him too badly, but enough to send him flying off Zitka's back and plummeting to the ground. His grapple is broken, and Zitka is diving for him but she's being shot at and she's not going to make it in time and -
A hand, reaching out to him in midair, familiar with its callouses and strong grip as he reaches out and grasps it, body suddenly swinging in a different direction and muscles acting on memory as he falls into the old, achingly familiar routine of his childhood. His mother, ethereal and bright as she smiles down at him, hanging upside down from a bar suspended from nothing but open sky as they swing and he is let go, flipping on instinct and caught by the steady strong hands of his father.
The Flying Graysons reunited in the skies above Gotham, Dick's ghostly parents determined to ensure their little bird never falls the way they did.
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