well behaved women

I need to stop getting, like actually angry over the shit Allan Ball does to Charlaine Harris's books, but this just stirred up boiling anger that never left me.

Ball said the Vampire King of Mississippi is coming in season three. He provides a contrast to Sophie-Anne, the Vampire Queen of Louisiana (Evan Rachel Wood). “He’s older,” Ball said. “He’s much more mature. He’s much more methodical and grounded. She’s kind of crazy. To me, she’s kind of like Paris Hilton/Lindsay Lohan, where she has a very short attention span and she’s very, very egomaniacal and very self-obsessed and doesn’t really think about her actions, whereas the Vampire King is very much an adult. He has an agenda. He has things he wants to achieve. I think he’s much more formidable than she is.”

So basically, he took Sophie-Anne's character and gave it to a man. Who is, of course, this being True Blood, 'much more formidable.' And set her up to take a disastrous fall and have 'higher' vampire authorities PO'd at her.

I mean, he spends the entire second season undermining and sidelining Sookie--I'm not even mentioning Calypso being turned into Maryanne--and a fair amount of the first season too, so I'm not surprised, just frustrated all over again.

ALLAN BALL. SOOKIE DOES NOT NEED POWERS TO BE AWESOME. SHOVE OFF.

(Source.)


All I've been doing is complaining lately!

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In further evidence that I am possibly the most immature newly-minted ~Adult~ ever, I cannot actually manage to say Sooric--even in my head--without stretching out the double vowel for, like, five seconds. I don't know! I can't stop! I don't know whether it's the softer consonent after the 'oooo' or just how hilariously awful the amalgam of names is, I cannot stop. I have the sense of humour of a five year old.

What spurred this little segue was getting a review--a quite nice one, actually--complimenting me on a story I'd written that apparently featured the pairing 'Bolivia.'

...what? For starters, the man in the pairing they refer to has a name starting with P. There are three men in the canon just off the top of my head with last names that start with B. THIS IS A LITTLE TOO UNSPECIFIC FOR MY TASTES. I mean, normally they're sort of ridiculous but on an unmistakeable level, if you know what I mean.


The only potential pairing names I can come up of in Blood Ties fandom sound sort of like STDs to me. If you know of any actual ones--sounding like an STD or not--please do not share.

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I know one of the prevailing themes of True Blood is supposed to be some moralizing on the evil that men do to each other, BUT...(spoilers for finale)

I stared incredulously at the screen for a long time at that. However, since Jason is clearly this show's darling, just like his kidnapping and aiding and abetting in the murder of a man in season one, this will obviously get swept under the rug.

And as to their last point--that first scene with Lafayette and Sookie was the most horrifying scene of the show to date to me. It was so, so triggery, so ugly, and I wish there had been some warning or something. That scene is going to and has coloured the way I look at Lafayette now. I can't help it. I know he wasn't in his right mind. It's still there to stay.

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Okay. You know what, True Blood fandom? The whole accent-mockery isn't funny anymore. In fact--fancy this--it was never funny in the first place! Now, since speaking a language requires you to have an accent of some kind--British, American, Jamaican, what-the-hell-ever--I've now decided I don't like your accent. Whatever it happens to be. So I'm going to make snide icons, stories and assorted all about how dumb your accent is and constantly post them to communities. And it'll be--

Well, actually, I'm not enough of an asshole to find them funny, but hopefully you're just an asshole instead of an asshole and a hypocrite, and you'll find them positively hilarious!


Long story short: it was both dumb and boring (I hope I don't even have to mention rude) when you first mocked the (accurate) accents on the show. Now it's downright irritating.

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True Blood thoughts:

Hoyt, you evil, evil little fuck.

( Read more... )

Title: Big Fish
Author: shiegra
Fandom: True Blood/Southern Vampires
Rating: R
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Callisto, Mary Anne, Sookie. Assorted.
Warning(s): Blood, gore. Mostly implied.
Summary: Turf is unexpectedly contested. Callisto meets Mary Anne.
Notes: I was rereading the second book and thinking about how much I loved the book!verse maenad, and I sat down and wrote this little thing, just for fun.

( Read more... )

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One last whining post about True Blood, because this is actually a bit analytical.

Quoting from a comment of mine where I finally managed to nail my previous relatively nebulous feelings of discontent: My problem with Bill and Sookie's relationship in book vs TV series is that they change it from the cold, quiet, only-human-for-Sookie Bill and the Sookie who cares about him and fights for him and views him rather realistically (e.g. her remark in the bar about his motives) to a Bill who is clearly aimed for Edward Cullen's fans; someone who whines and angsts constantly about being ~vampire~ and ~monster~ and controls and condescends to Sookie, and a Sookie who is just grateful to not be treated like a freak and very clearly in her very first relationship.

Book!Sookie, I think, had more cynicism and was a little more worldly than TV show Sookie, simply by exposure to the minds around her. She would not have been remotely amused by Bill's behavior. TV Sookie is illogically naive for having worked telepathically in a bar for years, and very prone to bending and being apologetic to her boyfriend.

I was also troubled, way back in the first season, by the depiction of the vampires. Charlaine Harris is very good at making the vampires inhuman, at portraying them as creatures with an entirely separate mindset, often monstrous and unpleasant. Deeply practical, insular--as one would be if one was underground for centuries, even millenia in some cases--and ruthless.

The TV show vampires are, as a whole, imbued with ridiculous, campy arrogance and self-absorption. This is not an attitude which would keep you alive hiding for centuries because you knew these people would kill you if they knew you existed. There is none of the brutal predator's perspective of the books; instead, the racial allegory seems to have been reversed, putting the vampires in the position of blind, snobbish pride. Their sense of superiority, rather than being centered around how much stronger and more dangerous they were--as it makes sense to present them--is simply nauseating propaganda about how much greater they are and what lower life forms humans are with no sense of underlying logic.

When it's a predator's view, it's alien. I can find it interesting as part of the narrative. This just feels...off to me. It's why I can't really like Pam anymore, after that ridiculous little speech by Jessica's grave. No matter how much I love her actress.

(Eric's just kind of a cocky bastard to everybody, so I don't tend to have that problem with him.)

Just like making Sookie ridiculously innocent and chirpy and naive--disregarding the logic of her life that directly contradicts that. It's like they thought 'oh, this would be so kewl and gritty to change' and ignored all the background that made the changes positively ludicrous.

In other news, I finished rereading the second book. I loved Bill in the first two books, damnit. Also? Callisto would rip Mary-Anne apart and dance laughing and singing in the gore. And yes, Allan Ball, I am rolling my eyes in contempt all over again about the agenda inherent in changing the ferocious, powerful women who survived their gods' demise and rule as chaotic powers into pathetic, deluded creatures that cause orgies and hope for a possibly-imaginary deity to come sex and kill them, plzthnx.

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True Blood's Pam, Kristin Bauer, talks

God, I love her.

(Sookie loves her too. Look at that icon. And Pam ships Pam/Jessica! I went 'YES' so hard. **laughing**)

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There was some meme going around a while back about iron clad literary/romantical kinks, and I was thinking about it, and this is the one I came up with and having been musing about a bit for a while now.

( Read more... )

Evan Rachel Wood--gorgeous, talented actress who made me actually like the changed character of Sophie-Anne by giving her a dangerous, vivid whimsy and charm--has been rumoured to be dating Alexander Skarsgård. A couple of photos of them walking companionably down the street.

First they hated her because she was a powerful, attractive female with power over the men--the men whose fans froth virulently over any woman being close to, never mind having power over them--who didn't hesitate to enjoy her sexuality and, in a hilariously offhand tone, proposition one of the male characters; jokingly, as it turns out, but since when has that stopped the rabid fans?

They've portrayed the typical fan maturity; wailing about how they hate her, she's ugly, she's stilted--you'd have to watch her performance to know why this accusation in particular is so hilarious--and she's (no joke) 'damaged goods.'

As long as I stay away from actually reading the comments, I can stay safely over here laughing my ass off at the jealous convulsions of the internet.

This especially amuses me because my moodtheme on dreamwidth is of Evan Rachel Wood, and she's smirking at my post with bedhead, so. you know. Draw RPF conclusions or something.

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Okay! Character derailment, character derailment. Book!Sookie would never have allowed some male to act like and say that he owned her, never mind say it herself. Never. She's very clear on the subject, repeatedly, as any sane woman is. Are these writers honestly stupid enough to think that's romantic?

Why do so few writers--TV, movies, books, music, anything--have enough brains to comprehend the concept of a partnership? You know, what a healthy relationship is supposed to be? Then again, these are the same writers that tried to write a verbally abusive asshole who sexually harasses his employees as a protagonist. I'm actually not surprised. Nauseated, but not surprised.

I really wish the book and TV characters would meet. SouthernGentleman!Sam would kick sleazebag!Sam's ass to the curb.

How did I miss this the first time through? Oh right, I clicked away the minute Bill muscled up and started snarling at her for going somewhere without his permission.

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I'm more tired than angry right now, but I'm trying to run down a list of exactly what is so wrong with people insulting Sookie because she isn't eager to jump Eric Northman, amoral mastermind extraordinaire.

( exhibit a: she has absolutely no reason to be )

Normally I don't find mocking the accents on the show appealing--a) it's just plain rude and b) people who are from the South have said it sounds fairly accurate so it seems to be a case of this--but. THIS ICON. (For those not looking at the Dreamwidth post, it is here.) THE SEAGULLS. I loved those freaking seagulls, you guys. The rest of Finding Nemo made me yawn at best; every time it was watched I would pop back in for those seagulls.

Hee~

Okay, the point of this post: I created two fancommunities for Sookie Stackhouse (the character) because she gets no love. On Dreamwidth and on Livejournal.

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A collection of very shallow reasons I wished Bill Compton wasn't such an asshole on True Blood.

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Well, this round of kink_bingo is completed. I only managed three bingos before the deadline, the result being a relatively paltry fifteen pieces of fanfiction. But I'm actually quite proud of a decent amount of them, so I think it's helped me get back in the groove, one way or another.

Porn battle is on once more! Prompts, anyone?

( Read more... )

Okay, so last night the image of the video kept freezing and going in stills and the audio was hitching so I was mostly listening to it, and somehow I missed the most horrific thing I have yet heard on this TV show. I almost considered purchasing the second season if I could find it in the cheaper store, but. Allan Ball just dropkicked this thing off of my 'to buy' list for good.

( spoiler )

True Blood 2.11

( a surprisingly large amount of fun. spoilers, obviously )
Overall, considering general episodes this season, thumbs up. There were no huge new problems, considering I didn't like Hoyt from the first anyway.

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Considering the outfits this show has her wearing, it is ridiculously hard to find Sookie-cleavage icons.

Not that I've been, like, searching high and low. But I watched episode four and reread cleolinda's summary, and I couldn't help but go, 'damn, but this show sure is dressing her rather scantily, so where are the icons acknowledging it?' I feel on some level that I should protest, given the show creators' general misogyny and dubious content, but geez you guys. I've got to have some eyecandy to soothe the raw wounds Jason Stackhouse left in my retina and psyche.

ETA: And Sam Merlotte. I don't know what I deserve for enduring a naked Sam Merlotte, but it's big.

And yet, given how much abuse she gets for not a) having a vagina, b) being attractive and c) not mindlessly worshipping and falling at the feet of the shows' attractive men, I cannot quite bring myself to be surprised.

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I really want to write a True Blood story that takes a step back from the fact that the creators really are in love with all the reprehensible male characters and Sookie only remains prominent because of what scant scraps of quality the Charlaine Harris books are still sneaking in. Sookie was the heroine--and she was an awesome one. Now every victory she has involves one or more of her hideously behaved suitors.

So I want to write a story where she's off on her own, rescuing herself, as book!Sookie was allowed and so prone to doing. Not through stupid plot point powers or vampire strength, but by the qualities that she got by on so well in the books: pragmatism. Cleverness. Ability to think on her feet. Just plain toughness, when it came down to it.

( Read more... )

I'm going to try to explain exactly what bothers me so much about True Blood--one serious matters, rather than the tawdry, terrible and constant sex and the abysmal writing--to try and put it down on, so to speak, paper. If you have issues with the points I raise--as in, valid discussion points--please do. I am not experienced at this kind of thing.

( season one spoilers )


( season two spoilers )

( one spoilery comment for already aired episodes )

Wait, so ( season 2 ep 9 spoilers )

...wow. Just....wow.

My heart broke and my head exploded and wow, I am easy.

I totally kept checking online for the episode and then I went OMFG IT'S THERE and that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I am up this late. Anyone wants a link just ask.

ETA: Oh Sookie I love you SO FUCKING MUCH.

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I must say, after just discovering a new affection for True Blood, they have to puncture my balloon.

( season 2 spoilers )

They are just so gosh darn cute.


Author makes an idiot of herself. Wow, lady, just...wow. First of all: no. Simply because you live in a happy, ignorant little bubble does not in any way mean you get to dismiss racism and sexism or pretend they don't exist/have nothing to do with you. I'm glad you feel very superior about your little boy's friends. I'm soooo glad you, as a person of privilege, feel race should not have attention drawn to it. It's so sad that this woman thinks gloating about how ~progressive~ she is gives her the right to make insensitive comments.

I'm thinking of a few comments of my own and hoping they didn't come off that way, because I sure didn't mean them that way. Well, the first step is admitting you have a problem...

And her condescending remarks about the woman who discredited the whole 'Muse' thing not being a writer and so not understanding her ~Speshul Snowflake Divine Inspiration~ made me want to roll my eyes so hard.

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I've decided I shall never post again while I am deprived of sleep, as sleep deprivation automatically makes me sulky and ornery as hell, prone to bitching about the universe in general and broadly indulging in morbid self-pity. Not as fun as it sounds!

Being that it is midnight and I am somehow feeling wide awake for once--and also had sugar and hamburgers and open faced basil-tomato-mozzarella sandwiches earlier at the block party--I've decided that if I've survived the kick Murphy's Law gave me last night, I can survive anything.

Also! I watched True Blood episode eight and decided; okay, Jason, you're almost a salvageable human being, I am totally ready for Sookie to dump Bill's ass, I want to punch whoever came up with the newest twist in Jessica's storyline, and Godric and Eric continue to be pretty damn interesting. This is a show best watched with a skip button or fast forward option, so I may miss the sex and just catch Sookie being such an adorably tough little cookie. She can't slug it out, but by god she's not laying down and taking it!

Besides random incredibly stupid moments the writers throw in, once I shove away how very much she is not Book!Sookie--who I was incredibly fond of in the first books and remain foolishly attached to--I'm quite fond of Anna Paquin's Sookie. And that makes everything go down a bit easier.

And okay, I don't actually like Sarah Newlin after watching the episode, but watching Jason get shot in the crotch was incredibly satisfying after all the shenanigans his crotch (and the writers) forced us to go through last season.

I'm trying to focus on just enjoying my writing again, and I got another kink_bingo card to work on.

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I always liked Bill better in the books.

I like the quiet ones, I guess. I liked his controlled danger better than Eric's flamboyance, how he was trying to fit in for his own enigmatic reasons--not so enigmatic later on--but just looked at everything so different. I found his sweetness and concern for Sookie--especially flashing from his ruthless reserve as it did--naturally so much more appealing than Eric's manipulation and attempted mindrape. My interest in the book series decreased as Sookie became more and more of a Mary-Sue, so I don't have much emotion over their breakup. I found her increasing bitterness interesting because it's actually the more rational way to respond to all of this being forced into your life, but I couldn't continue buying them because of the way the book's other characters changed around her.

In True Blood, when I can force myself to endure its skankiness and stereotypes, I have no such fondness for Bill. They've stripped everything I liked about him in the books away, turning him instead into a non-endearingly-awkward angster who whines and angsts and is a domineering shit. Eric I found boring initially, but am warming up to; Anna Paquin I like as an actress, but cannot stand in the role, possibly because of how they've changed Sookie as a character.

So: I had ditched this show, when three things brought me back. Jessica--I cannot even describe how much I love her, unsure vicious sweetheart child that she is, not to mention Deborah Ann Woll, damn.--Godric, and Sarah Newlin shooting Jason Stackhouse in the crotch. Goddamn, lady! Fucking awesome! I forgive you everything!

Sadly, I don't think it was an actual bullet. I just saw a clip. But. Still. Yes.

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