Why do you ship Maiko?
It wouldn't surprise me if this question has been posted to this comm before, but hey, let's hear it again even if it has!
Why do you ship Maiko? If it's your OTP, why do you like it better than the other ships?
I'm going to do my best to summarize: for me, a great deal of it has to be because I love them both so much. Mai and Zuko are my favorite characters, and I find them each to be wonderful in their own ways. Zuko's the overemotional hothead with a chip on his shoulder a mile wide, Mai's the nearly emotionless, always calm, sort of deadpan snarker type. Their characters are very different, but one thing is the same for both of them: when around each other, we get to see newer, softer sides, that before that kind of interaction, we barely knew was possible.
Just look at Zuko in 'The Headband.' Sure, he's being a cheesy dork...but that alone is somewhat of a small miracle. And Mai turns into a fluffier person around him too. I think jill_rg summed it up best in her essay about Maiko being the ultimate romantic fantasy, and with the Ship Manisfesto.
And their story...geez, I'm a sucker for a good love story. I love Kataang, but to me, the whole story of Maiko and what all they went through before their big finale as a couple (and on to a bright future) just speaks to me on such an emotional level. It's beautiful, really.
I could say more, but I'll leave it at that. :)