nwalmn:

stillhidden:

him-e:

Bill’s first love declaration to Sookie: ”Sookie, I cannot and I will not lose you. For all the ways I have dismayed, offended or failed you, I swear I will atone. But I’m not sorry. I refuse to apologize for what you have awaken in me. You are my miracle, Sookie. For the first time in 140 years, I felt something that I thought was lost in me fore ever. I love you. And for that I should never feel sorry.” 

Eric’s first love declaration to Sookie: “I love you”.

I guess that, if you like guys who go waxing poetical and do a lot of theatrics, then you’ll prefer Bill’s version - funny how Bill manages to talk so polished when expressing his true feelings for the first time! - , but, if you ask me, I like simplicity more than anything. 

Yep. Only I want to add that Bill isn’t waxing poetic here. This isn’t as simple as him being flowery and overly-verbose. If it were just that, I would have a lot less trouble with it.

What Bill is doing is straight-up manipulation:

“Sookie, I cannot and I will not lose you.”  
Translation: Sookie, I am not about to give you a choice in the matter.

“For all the ways I have dismayed, offended or failed you, I swear I will atone.” Translation: All that shit I did to you? Forget that, I’ll give you all the justifications you can stomach and everything will be peachy again.

“But I’m not sorry. I refuse to apologize for what you have awakened in me.”
Translation: Any of the shit I put you through is really your fault. ‘Cause you are the reason I have all these feelings now. You made me feel them, so it’s now your responsibility to be with me and take whatever crap that comes. In a way, apologies are all on you.

“You are my miracle, Sookie. For the first time in 140 years, I felt something that I thought was lost to me fore ever.”
Translation: It’s a downright thunderbolt from the gods that I am all tingly inside ‘cause of you, so now you it’s on your shoulders to carry on my new-found wonder, that’s clearly here to make it up to me for the fact that life was shitty for 140 years. It’s not about you, Cupcake. 

“I love you. And for that I should never feel sorry.”  Translation: I love you, it’s all that matters, your own feelings and free will be damned, and I’m not even sorry.

The fucking truth.

(Source: sunsetshark)

him-e:

stillhidden:

444industrialdrive:

You’re all probably sick of me and my musings by now, but here it goes…

Never. Musings are what Tumbrl is for! Well, musings and cat pictures, but that’s not the point… :)

Compensating much, Beelliam? By the time he says this, he’s declared his love for Sookie so many times, that I hardly even vomit anymore upon hearing it, I just blanch slightly. Even if we didn’t know all we do about Bill, shouldn’t his need to state this over and over again, especially when he knows he’s in the dog house. I don’t want to attempt to count how many times he’s tried to say “I love you” as a means of avoiding be blamed for his blunders. Love is NOT an excuse! It’s something much more beautiful, and Bill is slandering that beauty.

This. Bill uses his love for Sookie (if it is love at all) as a sort of stop-gap for all occasions. “I have lied to you, but that’s because I love you!” “I love you, and, therefore, you owe me your love back.” “You are my miracle, so, really, you have to shoulder this tremendous responsibility for my miraculous feelings and BE that miracle.” “I love you, so you must suspend all judgement and overlook the fact that every damn time I say this, it’s because some shit has happened to you.” 

His “love” is Lysol. It’s an all-purpose cleaner. 

Since Bill is, in essence, a device made to juxtapose with Eric, let’s look at Eric’s sole admission of love. It’s made almost in a whisper, it’s not being used as an argument. There are no bells and whistles dressed up to make it seem something grand, he only says “I love you”. Practical as ever, he gets right to the point, and doesn’t use any other glorifying words such as “You are my miracle” to keep attention tied to it. Instead, by just saying those three simple yet loaded words, we see sincerity, and we are almost forced to take into account the way his says it, his body language when he does so, and what it truly means to him. There’s nothing passive or laid-back about his admission at all, and it NEVER ceases to make chills run down my spine, 30 watches later.

I don’t think Bill’s purpose is only to be a juxtaposition to Eric. It’s broader than that. He is a distorted perspective, a grimy window we must break through to see the reality. 

But the point stands: Eric’s “I love you” is not something that has a qualifier attach to it. It’s a statement of a simple fact. He loves her. Yes, he wants her to love him back, sure. Why wouldn’t he? But it’s not an “I love you, therefore you MUST.” It’s not a guilt trip, it’s not an apology, it’s not an explanation for anything, it’s not a justification. It’s just is. “I love you, I want you to be with me. The ball is in your corner.” 

Bill’s first love declaration to Sookie: ”Sookie, I cannot and I will not lose you. For all the ways I have dismayed, offended or failed you, I swear I will atone. But I’m not sorry. I refuse to apologize for what you have awaken in me. You are my miracle, Sookie. For the first time in 140 years, I felt something that I thought was lost in me fore ever. I love you. And for that I should never feel sorry.” 

Eric’s first love declaration to Sookie: “I love you”.

I guess that, if you like guys who go waxing poetical and do a lot of theatrics, then you’ll prefer Bill’s version - funny how Bill manages to talk so polished when expressing his true feelings for the first time! - , but, if you ask me, I like simplicity more than anything. 

(Source: sunsetshark)

unreconstructedfangirl:

stillhidden:

hsm7:

ohiogurl:

hsm7:

444industrialdrive:

I know most of the people who say he needs to die ASAP or should’ve died long ago are being facetious, but he really does play a vital role.

Why he can’t die yet: Sookie needs closure with him first. Assuming that we’re all right in the aspect of Sookie not really being in love with him, she needs to realize this before he goes anywhere. If he were to die in 5x01 with Sookie still feeling like she loves him, then she’ll be spending the rest of her life lamenting over what could have been. “What if I had given him another chance?” and etc.

Why I’m okay with him living up to this point: If he had never existed, it’s very unlikely that Sookie and Eric would’ve ever met. Sure, anythings possible, but there’s an infinite amount of other ways things could’ve played out if QSA had sent another vamp. It might have lead to a little more or a little less heart break, but I’m a selfish enough Sookie/Eric ‘shipper to love the current situation. Grasping at straws, people. Remember there were at least 5 or 6 books after DttW until they got back together. Patience is a virtue, or at least that’s what I’ve been repeating to myself…

But yeah he can conveniently trip and fall on the wrong side of a pencil once Sookie realizes what a wet noodle he is.

And then Sookie and Eric can have porch sex again and everything will be beautiful.

I definitely don’t think that Bill should die. He provides a much needed contrast to Eric.  They are opposites and it may not have been so evident if Bill had died. Bill is always going to make Eric look good. There’s always going to be the comparison and that’s good for Eric. That being said, I could definitely live without any further development with Sookie. :)

Great thoughts. I bolded some of my favorites, and would have bolded the struck-through lines as well, but they were already bold.

I think Bill plays another vital role. He gives Eric and Sookie an obstacle to overcome. Drama-free romantic relationships are boring (in fiction). Bill provides that needed drama to keep Eric and Sookie interesting, hopefully for several more seasons. That way there’s no “Moonlighting effect” (where the show loses steam once the main characters resolve their sexual tension).

Plus, he makes Eric an underdog. Since Eric is powerful, rich, handsome, charming, seductive, tall, funny, devoted, and hot, it’s difficult to make him appear believably at a romantic disadvantage. But as long as Bill plays the “only good vampire” card and Sookie falls for it, it’s possible for Eric to be better than Bill in every way and STILL get audience sympathy for being unappreciated. I think that this effect is fading as Sookie wises up to Bill, though.

I wonder if Alcide will become the “good supe” now, so that Eric can remain the unappreciated underdog for a while longer? That always adds tension, especially if the audience knows he’s a jerk, but the character hasn’t been clued in yet.

Even if Alcide becomes the overdog, though, Bill will (sadly) still have a role to play in the story. I think we need more vampire politics. Not only is Russell fascinating, but up to this point we haven’t seen the full vampire agenda. Why did they suddenly decide to come out of the coffin, when True Blood is only an imperfect substitute for real human blood? Why are they hiding their parallel government from the humans? What are the various factions within their society? Bill is a good entree to that storyline. He’s slimy and full of hidden agendas—the perfect foil for Eric, who dislikes politics on principle.

You make a very good point about Bill being an obstacle for Eric and Sookie. In that respect, I’m okay with Bill as long as it’s Eric and Sookie in the end.  Frankly, I don’t think that Alcide can convincingly fill that role.  His character has been so blah up to this point and there’s very little chemistry between the two that I’d find it hard to swallow.

And, Bill does keep the door open for the vampire politics. I don’t mind him being Que…I mean King because, while he may be able to order Eric around, Eric has his way of being just shy of insubordinate and that’s so much fun to watch.  And, for all of the “bromance” talk, Eric and Bill’s relationship is going to come to head and I wouldn’t be surprised if Sookie’s a part of that. I can almost see Bill trying to serve up Eric to save himself and to reignite his relationship with Sookie by discrediting, misrepresenting, or outright lying about Eric. Either way, Bill is going to do something underhanded, as is his nature, and further illuminate the virtues of Eric Northman. :)

Bill is his own worst enemy. That’s pretty much a given. And I agree with all of the above.

I just want to add that Bill’s existence is for more than just to provide Eric with a good contrast. Or serve as an obstacle for Eric and Sookie’s relationship. Those are important functions, but they could have been filled by others. Alcide gets mentioned (though, frankly, he doesn’t have the depth or the presence to serve as a serious distraction), and if not Alcide, there are other possibilities. 

Bill’s function isn’t as simple as that. He is a conduit for discovery, he is a fun-house mirror into the supernatural world, and he isn’t that just for Sookie. He is that for the audience. Just like Sookie, we are at first somewhat seduced by him, and certainly fooled. We believe his version of the vampire reality, because there are no other versions available to us. Once they come into the picture, we get other views. The trick is, we still don’t know which one is the distorted one. We get to learn that slowly, by comparing, by paying attention, by constantly going back and reviewing everything we have learned so far.

Bill’s role is to provide comparisons and obstacles, but it’s less for Eric or Eric/Sookie, and more for the audience. If Bill is removed, Eric may get another rival. Eric and Sookie have enough between them to keep them apart: She doesn’t trust herself or herself with him, he hasn’t yet embraced her humanity, and there is a lot they need to work through before they can be together for real. Bill’s departure won’t either detract or enhance any of that.

But the narrative (and we, the audience, by extension) will lose something: An extra layer, a veil, a perspective which, even though we now know, is twisted and all kinds of wrong, is still needed as a point of comparison, a sort of negative sign post by which to orient ourselves. 

Sorry I am not very clear with this. 

I think you are very clear, and I totally agree. Bill is a character that I don’t at all like, but I like him as part of the story, and even as an integral part of the story. He does add exactly what you say, here: layers and depth. He fulfills so many narrative functions and is so important in creating and clarifying everything I love about the story. He affords the other characters the chance to change, develop and grow in the ways that thrill me so. He, himself, is an interesting and complex character whose evil, though undeniable, is tempered with pain and heartache that makes me pity him even as I hate him.

And, I think you’re absolutely right to say that it isn’t Bill that’s keeping Eric and Sookie apart, it’s Eric and Sookie. Sookie’s ongoing love for Bill is at the same time the product of her being poisoned by him, and a sign of her human strength and frailty. Her loyalty to him is everything Eric loves about her, and at the same time, and obstacle for him to overcome. And, this is just one aspect of the story in which Bill provides so much opportunity to show us who these characters are, rather than telling us — and that’s why it’s so involving… so, yes.

I totally agree!

(Source: sunsetshark)

unreconstructedfangirl:

nwalmn:

him-e:

unreconstructedfangirl:

nwalmn:

SNIP

I agree with you all but i have a personal experience to add.

My entire life i lived day by day with mythomania. Do you guys know what it is? It is the name of pathological lying.

My mother has it and is a very serious disease. She truly believes her lies, since little things like saying her name is x not y, to big lies, lies that can destroy things.

Firstly, that must be awful, Vanessa! I’m sorry!

I’ve always seen Beel in those lines. Can i put Wikipedia here? Yes i can.

The defining characteristics of pseudologia fantastica are that, first, the stories told are not entirely improbable and often have some element of truth. They are not a manifestation of delusion or some broader type of psychosis: upon confrontation, the teller can admit them to be untrue, even if unwillingly. Second, the fabricative tendency is long lasting; it is not provoked by the immediate situation or social pressure as much as it is an innate trait of the personality.

Third, a definitely internal, not an external, motive for the behavior can be discerned clinically: e.g. long lasting extortion or habitual spousal battery might cause a person to lie repeatedly, without the lying being a pathological symptom.  Fourth, the stories told tend toward presenting the liar favorably. For example, the person might be presented as being fantastically brave, knowing or being related to many famous people.

Pseudologia fantastica may also present as false memory syndrome, where the sufferer genuinely believes that fictitious events have taken place, regardless that these events are fantasies. The sufferer may believe that he or she has committed superhuman acts of altruism and love or has committed equally grandiose acts of diabolical evil, for which the sufferer must atone, or has already atoned for in his/her fantasies.

Lying is the act of concealing the truth . Most people do so out of fear. Pathological lying is considered a mental illness, because it takes over rational judgement and progresses into the fantasy world and back.

Excessive lying is a common symptom of several mental illnesses. For instance people who suffer from antisocial personality disorder use lying to benefit from others. Some individuals with borderline personality disorder lie for attention by claiming they’ve been treated poorly. Pathological lying, on the other hand, can be described as an addiction to lying.

Which is all very interesting, if you take into account that fact that Bill is basically Eric’s negative image — a carefully constructed opposite who has all of the appearance of good, but none of the reality, while Eric has all the appearance of evil, but is actually quite good, and honesty is the crux of that contrast.

When it comes right down to it, Eric pretty much DOES NOT LIE, and when he does, he either confesses immediately, or lies it out of necessity to his enemies with a pained expression on his face. Eric’s whole orientation to life is an orientation of truth. He admits and owns what and who he is, and the one kind of lie that I think we can safely say he has never told in 4 seasons of the show is a lie to make himself look better than he is, or present a more favourable false face to the world. 

Bill meanwhile, never stops telling that lie. Even when he’s being forced to confess his lies, he’s pleading for himself as something other than an abusive liar — a protector, a lover, a victim… you name it. 

Anyway, it’s amazing how well the description of a pathological liar fits him. Like a glove.

What URFG said ;)  That’s exactly why I like Eric better than Bill. Not because of his badassery, not because of him being ridiculously good looking (though it helps, I won’t deny it), but because Eric has only the appearance of evil, and looks and acts like he is worse than he actually is. Because he doesn’t care to look good, and he is actually scared to look good. And he keeps his better layers, his good actions, only for himself, instead of parading them all around to look like a hero. So when you look closer, when you dig into him, you will always find something better than you expected. Which is the opposite of what happens with Bill. With Bill, anytime you dig, you will find something petty and unflattering. To quote Sookie’s own words, “everytime I found out something new about you, I wound up wishing I didn’t know”.

Reblogging again because YES.

And we can see this is what we are suppose to see. The more we watch true blood the more Eric is a better everything than Bill.

Exactly. The bottom line is this: Bill is defined by the fact that he lies. Bill is a liar. That’s the character. It doesn’t mean that Bill has never said a true thing, or that he doesn’t know, intellectually, that lies are damaging — I think Vanessa has hit the nail on the head — he is so deep in his systematic lying that he doesn’t even know what’s true anymore. Alternatively, he does know, and he is the vilest evilest evil ever.

Eric, meanwhile, is defined by his essential honesty. Eric never lies to save face or protect himself. Every lie Eric has ever told on the show was to protect someone he cares about, or to exact justice. 

When Bill says “I love you” with all of his bloody weeping and melodrama, it’s always when he’s lied or betrayed her somehow, and he needs to offer an excuse or pretty up his ill-begotten deeds. Bill thinks he does love her and perhaps thinks love motivates his actions, but that is not what love is about. Bill’s love is a kind of intractable selfishness, and as such, it’s inextricably wrapped up in his personal mythomania — his victimhood, his self-hatred, etc. It’s not about Sookie.

When Eric says “I love you”, he is speaking about something that is equally intractable, and he says it in the simple way you would state any fact. He simply, against his will, in contradiction to everything he has believed about himself for centuries, loves her. And, he tells her when there is no way it can gild any kind of lilly. It just is. 

And yes, all of this is deliberate, and it is what we are supposed to see.

(Source: askarsexual)

nwalmn:

him-e:

unreconstructedfangirl:

nwalmn:

SNIP

I agree with you all but i have a personal experience to add.

My entire life i lived day by day with mythomania. Do you guys know what it is? It is the name of pathological lying.

My mother has it and is a very serious disease. She truly believes her lies, since little things like saying her name is x not y, to big lies, lies that can destroy things.

Firstly, that must be awful, Vanessa! I’m sorry!

I’ve always seen Beel in those lines. Can i put Wikipedia here? Yes i can.

The defining characteristics of pseudologia fantastica are that, first, the stories told are not entirely improbable and often have some element of truth. They are not a manifestation of delusion or some broader type of psychosis: upon confrontation, the teller can admit them to be untrue, even if unwillingly. Second, the fabricative tendency is long lasting; it is not provoked by the immediate situation or social pressure as much as it is an innate trait of the personality.

Third, a definitely internal, not an external, motive for the behavior can be discerned clinically: e.g. long lasting extortion or habitual spousal battery might cause a person to lie repeatedly, without the lying being a pathological symptom.  Fourth, the stories told tend toward presenting the liar favorably. For example, the person might be presented as being fantastically brave, knowing or being related to many famous people.

Pseudologia fantastica may also present as false memory syndrome, where the sufferer genuinely believes that fictitious events have taken place, regardless that these events are fantasies. The sufferer may believe that he or she has committed superhuman acts of altruism and love or has committed equally grandiose acts of diabolical evil, for which the sufferer must atone, or has already atoned for in his/her fantasies.

Lying is the act of concealing the truth . Most people do so out of fear. Pathological lying is considered a mental illness, because it takes over rational judgement and progresses into the fantasy world and back.

Excessive lying is a common symptom of several mental illnesses. For instance people who suffer from antisocial personality disorder use lying to benefit from others. Some individuals with borderline personality disorder lie for attention by claiming they’ve been treated poorly. Pathological lying, on the other hand, can be described as an addiction to lying.

Which is all very interesting, if you take into account that fact that Bill is basically Eric’s negative image — a carefully constructed opposite who has all of the appearance of good, but none of the reality, while Eric has all the appearance of evil, but is actually quite good, and honesty is the crux of that contrast.

When it comes right down to it, Eric pretty much DOES NOT LIE, and when he does, he either confesses immediately, or lies it out of necessity to his enemies with a pained expression on his face. Eric’s whole orientation to life is an orientation of truth. He admits and owns what and who he is, and the one kind of lie that I think we can safely say he has never told in 4 seasons of the show is a lie to make himself look better than he is, or present a more favourable false face to the world. 

Bill meanwhile, never stops telling that lie. Even when he’s being forced to confess his lies, he’s pleading for himself as something other than an abusive liar — a protector, a lover, a victim… you name it. 

Anyway, it’s amazing how well the description of a pathological liar fits him. Like a glove.

What URFG said ;)  That’s exactly why I like Eric better than Bill. Not because of his badassery, not because of him being ridiculously good looking (though it helps, I won’t deny it), but because Eric has only the appearance of evil, and looks and acts like he is worse than he actually is. Because he doesn’t care to look good, and he is actually scared to look good. And he keeps his better layers, his good actions, only for himself, instead of parading them all around to look like a hero. So when you look closer, when you dig into him, you will always find something better than you expected. Which is the opposite of what happens with Bill. With Bill, anytime you dig, you will find something petty and unflattering. To quote Sookie’s own words, “everytime I found out something new about you, I wound up wishing I didn’t know”.

Reblogging again because YES.

And we can see this is what we are suppose to see. The more we watch true blood the more Eric is a better everything than Bill.

(Source: askarsexual)

him-e:

notjusttheblood:

Okay, so how in the fuck did QSA find out that Sookie was A FAIRY?

I mean, I guess she does a lot of folklore reading, but she never tasted her, and if Hadley tasted the same, then why would she want Sookie so badly?

Originally, it was just for the telepathy (at least in the books) but Eric finds out from Hadley THE BIG SECRET but how exactly did QSA figure it out, without having ever met Sookie??

Any ideas?

My theory: QSA was chasing fairies for a very long time. Bill, accidentally or not, procured this girl, Hadley, whose blood tasted good… suspiciously good. And the girl started babbling about a mind-reading cousin and QSA, being the crazy smart ass she is and knowing the ancient legends, did 2+2: telepathy + delicious blood? YAHTZEE! And sent Bill to procure Sookie.

ETA: or, QSA located BonTemps as a possible place to find fairies and sent Bill when Hadley and Sookie were still children, so Bill first procured Hadley, then Sookie. But this doesn’t explain why not procuring Sookie in the first place and earlier.