Anon asked: In regards to The Foursome: I understand Tyzula/Mailee/Zucest/Ty Luko/Maiko but where is the textual, subtextual, or WoG support for Maizula? It seems like Mai only has had eyes for Zuko and there is barest of subtextual support for Mailee. Unless you have the HC that Mai, Azula, and Ty Lee experimented with each either as kids at school or during their EK trip but that is just a HC. And the comics explicitly have Mai view Azula as nothing more than a born psycho. So how does Maizula work?

First things first: while did comics did get the fear and resentment thing right, they completely retconed the fact that Mai and Ty Lee did genuinely like Azula - Ty Lee was legitimately happy to see her at first, and Mai willingly joined Azula's chase after Zuko and the Avatar. Due to a ton of these retcons in literally in every character's story and relationships, I don't consider the comics canon (plus, they're poorly written).

Now, this may actually surprise you, but I believe there's more evidence for Maizula than for Mailee. My ranking of the ships with more "evidence" to base it goes like this:

1 - Maiko, Zucest and Tyzula (the incestuous subtext and lesbian subtext were so fucking strong these pairings compared to a canon one. Goddamn)

2 - Maizula (which I'll explain below)

3 - Mailee (cute little moments, and Mai's face when Ty Lee saved her from Azula still gives me the chills)

4 - Ty Luko (we literally only saw them interacting ONCE and I'm still salty about it)

I think the main reason why people miss the subtext for Maizula, is that they're often comparing it to their relationships with Ty Lee - which is a mistake, because the main appeal of these three characters relationships with each other (platonic and otherwise) is how distinct, yet still simmilar their personalities are and the way their key differences and simmilarities make those relationships unique. You cannot expect Mai and Azula to react to each other the way they react to Ty Lee, because the way they interact, comunicate, and relate to each other couldn't be more different. The same goes for their distinct, weird bonds with Zuko.

The main appeal of Maizula (to me at least) is how unusually frank they are with each other. Zuko's motto is literally "Azula always lies", and while Ty Lee does care for Azula and think highly of her, more often than not she only compliments Azula to stay on her good side - it's self-preservation, with hints of true admiration.

Meanwhile, Mai takes a no-bullshit approach to life. She rarely puts on an act, which means Azula rarely has to put on an act around her. The first thing Mai says to her when they're reunited in Omashu is "Please say you're here to kill me" - she just fucking saw the girl, her princess, and is already going "I'm bored, and you like violence. Do me a favor and put me out of my misery". Sure, it's a funny joke and they're friends, but it isn't really all the wise to talk to royalty like that. But Azula just laughs and says it's good to see her.

A few episodes later, on The Drill, Mai full on abandons the mission and says Azula can shoot all the lightining she wants at her. Again, quite a bold thing to do, and once more there are no consequences for it. In The Headband, Azula interrupts Mai's moment with Zuko with an obvious lie, and Mai plays along… for one second before giving Azula an angry glare. And in The Beach, Mai literally screams at Azula to leave her alone. There are not many people who would have gotten away with doing that to Azula, and it's surprising that, once again, Mai wasn't punished for it at all.

Even the way she parts ways with Azula is different than the way Azula lost everyone else around her. Ursa was berated her then disappeared suddenly leaving Azula with a bunch of unanswered questions about how her mother truly felt about her; Zuko left without a word on the day of the eclipse; Ty Lee hit her from behind and immediately tried to flee with their (former) friend; Ozai manipulated her and left her in the palace with a meaningless title. Mai was the only one who looked Azula right in the face, with no fear or contempt, and gave her a piece of her mind.

There's also the fact that, despite the clear power imbalance in their dynamic, Azula did respect some of Mai's boundaries. When they are reunited, she simply says it's good to see her puts her hands on her shoulders before backing off, not going straight for a hug like Ty Lee did. Mai also went willingly on the chase after Zuko and the Avatar, unlike their bubbly friend. Zuko was constantly frustrated that Mai didn't reciprocate some of his romantic advances and that she wasn't all that emotional. Azula never expected Mai to act like Ty Lee and keep repeating all the empty flattery she knew the princess would like to hear - in fact, she liked Mai's personality.

Which is brings us to the final point of why I believe there is a real potential for Maizula: how similar they are to each other. They were both put under a lot of pressure as kids and expected to be nothing more than the perfect daughters, and Azula even recognizes and acknowledges Mai's struggles with her family at The Beach (though she does it in an unhealthy way). They're both sarcastic, cynical, powerful, suppress their own emotions, crave excitment and genuine affection, don't have any time to waste, and their sass and quick wit is unbelievable. All of that makes their friendship feel real, and the intensity of all the emotions they bring out in each other (both positive and negative) makes a possible romantic interest seem more likely.