Man, looking back into the Sokkla archive on FanFiction gives you some perspective on where this ship was 10 years ago.
First one published on FF was this one – “Cherry Liquor”, by Chibi Chaos Mage of Chaos. Published February, 2006. Could be wrong about that, but its the oldest one showing up by tags.
To put that into context – by this time in the shows run, Season 2 had not been aired yet (it would start in March, 2006), Season 1 was completed by December, and the only hint that we got of Azula (or Zula as fans back then thought she would be called) was the teaser at the end of the season. Sokka had just lost Yue and Suki was still a one-episode character that fans still speculated on whether she would come back or not. Many ships weren’t even a thought in fans’ minds.
This one definitely set the tone for other stories that would follow. It’s a “capture” story, which means that Sokka is captured, Azula gets bit sadistic, its dark and dramatic, sexual tension is palpable, and then there’s a kiss, etc.
Azula is definitely portrayed as the evil sadistic type here. Keep in mind this was 2006, one month before Season 2 aired. Sokka definitely has a begrudging attraction to Azula and one gets the feeling he just wants to have hate-sex with her.
So, what am I trying to say here?
Nothing, really. Just observing where this small niche fandom started on FF. I don’t know how its survived this long, but it has. By all accounts it should have faded away.
But I guess that’s how ships are made, right? Someone gets the courage to write something or say something, readers read, and maybe they can see it happening and maybe they can’t. Then another story comes up and the process repeats itself until you’ve created a niche for you and others.
And to any Sokkla fan who happens to read this, just know that you are that one story’s legacy in a way. Someone wrote that because they thought it was a good idea and readers read it because they wanted something new and interesting. Heck there’s even a reviewer on that story that I know who said she didn’t ship Sokkla (or Sokula back then). Years later, she ended up shipping it.
Fanwright 