Show and Tell
I've been dipping into various spoilers across the web, which means that I've been in close proximity to the people I usually avoid. That means the people who hate Sookie, and the people who hate CH. You know the ones I mean, the people who complain that CH has sold out, extended her contract way past due, and is, in the process, "ruining" Eric. It ( Read more... )
That disclaimer aside, as the end of SVM approaches I've had to endure more and more rants about CH "ruining" the series and being uninterested in her own characters. I've even heard former fans of her work blame her for the clusterfuck that is True Blood and its interpretation of SVM.
The first complaint, that CH has ruined the series revolves mainly around the perception that she has diminished or sabotaged Sookie & Eric's relationship in the last two books. I presume this is a gripe about the Freyda plot twist, I'm not sure. More than likely it relates to the absence of swooning over Eric by Sookie and general lack of sexy time action. Most women I know would snatch *wink* up a book where Sookie and Eric did nothing but boink like bunnies from sunset to sunrise with an occasional shopping spree thrown in for shits n' giggles. The whole CH doesn't like her own characters thing is mostly centered around some remarks CH made last year about not "understanding" why readers were so enamoured over Eric as a character when he really is such a dickwad at times. She even had some funny (I thought) remarks about how ASkars persona was too (sweet or goofy?) to get at the heart of Eric. Some acquaintances in my circle have really taken offense at this statement by CH as abandonment of the character she created to which I always feel like saying 'get over yourself already'.
The other main gripe about CH is she was not savvy enough in contract negotiations with Alan Ball/HBO to protect her characters from the Romper Room fuckery of Ball's so-called vision of the Sookieverse. Critics have derided CH's naivete and hold up GOT creator GRRM as a master of how to play the adaptation game. I don't begrudge CH for agreeing to relinquish the TV rights of her characters because she has said explicitly that she had no desire to adapt them for the small screen because the process would take her away from what she loves most, writing books. I'm sure in hindsight she wishes that she would have retained some degree of oversight after she saw the direction Ballsack was taking the characters and the series in general. What I hate most are the comparisons to other supernatural authors like J.R. Ward, who is championed as an author of a series of vampire novels too savvy and unwilling to let her characters (Black Dagger Brotherhood particularly) fall into the clutches of svengali like Ball.
I think the speculation over Sookie's HEA has contributed to the rabid hatred of CH. Also I think that CH is good and well tired of these characters taking up residence in her brain and is ready for some new occupants. It just irks me to no end when I hear 'fans' of SVM tearing her to shreds over her decisions regarding her creations. Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.
I'm so glad this space is here for lazy bums like me to rant & rave lol;D Its good to have you back. xoxo
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They get really vicious, don't they? It's kinda disgusting that some of them will talk about the vitriol she received in Amazon reviews, as if they have moral high ground. But then, I was driven away from the first place (a forum) I joined when I got into the fandom when one of the "fans" threatened to go round to CH's house and set it on fire if the whole Eric thing wasn't delivered.
Mostly people seem to be complaining that Eric's impending marriage and Sookie's torture just don't give them much to joke and flirt about. I dunno, I love my husband, but I rarely flirt with him. I don't need to be coy and play with my hair nowadays. And surprise, surprise, Eric didn't feel like making jokes in front of Appius.
And the whole sex thing - yeah, I've read readers getting actually *offended* that the "bedroom door was slammed in our face". Well, you know, tough shit. There's plenty of porn online for you to read. Christ. I do NOT need to know what Eric's O face looks like in order to enjoy the books. It's not that vital.
Ha - yes - all that furore about CH actually having the full measure of his character, and not ignoring his negative traits. I remember heartily all the bitterness and nastiness over that one.
CH says now that I would have a larger hand in the show, yes. That's not to say it would follow the books exactly, just that perhaps I'd have some sway in directing the character development. So I think it's safe to say that her first time out, she trusted and got burned. I hate the show, but I'm personally very glad for it, because otherwise I wouldn't have discovered the books.
As for other people being more savvy about the business - eh, that doesn't really mean anything other than "It won't be on your screens ever" or even that while they think they're brilliant, they've got no clue. Anne Rice screwed the pooch - after being so unhappy with "Interview with the Vampire", she was over the moon about "Queen of the Damned" and it tanked hard. Even Stuart Townsend didn't recommend people go see it in movies, it was so bad. I remember being shocked that an actor would shoot his own career in the foot - but I was looking forward to seeing it until an interview with him gave me pause. I preferred Interview, and even though Anne Rice *thought* she knew how it should turn out, man, as a fan, was she fucking *wrong*.
I think she's tired of the characters, but also for the fact that all of her time seems to be Sookie-related now. There's all those junkets to promote stuff. I know she has family commitments (a wedding and some graduations I think) so she's not going on tour, but I doubt she'd relish facing day after day of this in the lead up to the end. It would be terribly nice to have a "HULK-SMASH" button with which to destroy and delete those comments. That would be nice. And then we could all do each other a favour, and delete them.
Lol - I love being a lazy bum. I've yet to have a rant about the nonsensicality of Stephen King. Meh. I'll give it a go. Suffice it to say that *FOUR FUCKING PAGES OF SUSPENSE BETWEEN PUTTING HAND ON DOORKNOB AND THEN FINALLY OPENING DOORKNOB TO FIND HUSBAND DEAD* did me in on the man. And then he screws the pooch by having "Clown is really a spider". Yeah, WTF dude.
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