"Don't you know that danger is my friend."

It’s very subtle, but I think there’s something there. It shows up in:

the ways she tries to get Zuko to spend time with her

that smile when Zuko fights on her side in the Crystal Catacombs

how she looks out for Zuko after bringing him home

freely offering information and advice despite how annoyed she can get with him

cutting Zuko off during the war meeting before he blunders and gets burned and banished again

And here’s the biggest one: the closest Azula comes to defying Ozai directly involves Zuko. Her orders were to bring Zuko back dead or in chains. She brought him back a war hero, thus restoring his status as Crown Prince. Furthermore, she lied to Ozai’s face so that Zuko can share in the glory of taking down the Avatar. She puts her reputation on the line to give Zuko everything she thinks he wants. That’s…that’s a lot.

The thing is, here? There’s one person in the world who might have had a chance of overtaking Ozai is Zuko. Azula would deny it until she’s blue in the face, but her actions scream it. They’re probably the only way she knows how to show him that she has his back, that for all that they lash out at each other, when the chips are down, she’ll be on his side.

How close was Zuko to claiming that loyalty?

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The absolutely pervasive mentality that unwanted criticism or critique shouldn't be given and should be ignored is why fans of color don't stay in fan spaces.

And I am not going to mince words here:

A lot of you are racist. A lot of your fan works are racist.

That might have been difficult to hear. And if it was, you should probably reflect on why that was.

"Fandom etiquette" has created a space where fans of color either bite our tongues and eventually leave or say something, get dogged on, and then eventually leave.

I also thought I'd take the chance today to plug some artists I've bought music from over the years, some of whom are dear friends I'd love to see supported, and some of whom I'm just a fan of. If you're looking for some new music, have you considered some by:

Derina Harvey Band (Celtic-inspired folk rock)

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Indie folk)

Cheshire Moon - ("MythPunk" filk duo)

The Faithful Sidekicks (Comedy folk rock filk duo)

Beth Kinderman & the Player Characters (Prog/Folk rock filk)

Cat Faber (Folk-inspired filk)

Ninebarrow (Acoustic folk)

South for Winter (Bluesy folk rock)

Grace Petrie (Folk/Protest)

Yiddish Princess (Yiddish synth pop/rock)

Parsonsfield (Alt/folk duo)

Gary Innes (Scottish Highlands folk)

And if it's not too forward to promote my own music:

Astrisoni (Acoustic folk filk duo)

Also I mostly named smaller artists here, because we all could especially use the love, but check to see if any of your favorites are on the platform -- I know you can find things by artists like Will Wood, The Mountain Goats, The Longest Johns, etc. Bandcamp genuinely rocks for doing this and it's an amazing way to fight back against the way the music industry currently operates. Plus you actually get to own the music, not just stream it.