Nothing Left To Say But Goodbye

Thanks For The Memories

The Wenches are in mourning. Sort of. This is a bittersweet moment for all of us. While we were devastated to hear that our home away from home, Sookieverseblog, was going to be closing up shop now that the book series that brought us together has ended, it became all too real when our favorite mods announced the forum was closing on the 15th. 

We're fine... really.

The forum where we first got to know each other.

Where we fangirled over everything from books, to tv shows to Alexander Skarsgård. 

Where we cried tears of happiness, sadness, disappointment together. 

We squeed with excitement and anticipation together. 

Moaned about it when our hopes were crushed. Wondered what the f*** some writers were smoking when they were writing what they had. 

Shipped the same couples. With all our hearts!

Freaked the f*** out while trying to calm each other down.

Shared all the shocking twists and turns our little stories brought us.

We stuck together in the face of all the craziness that wasn't OUR brand of (awesome) nuts. 

Talked about our real lives interfering with our MUCH more interesting online ones. We shared it all. From the small, day-to-day, mundane stuff, to the monumental "keep your fingers crossed for me" stuff. Is there any topic we left not discussed? We could count on each other for comfort when a favorite fictional character wasn't behaving the way we wanted them to. We reread and analyzed everything together.

We always had more than one shoulder to cry on, many who shared our woes when it came to the characters we all loved. We laughed together. We cried together. And as it all comes to an end, we rode the wave of supreme disappointment it brought with it together. 

It's no secret how we met, and what the ending of the Sookie Stackhouse books meant to us. And how absolutely betrayed and disappointed we felt with the ending (initial reactions here, review here, and post-drama post here.) But more than anything, outside of the books, it's the end of an era for us. In the face of everything, the books hardly matter. We found a world much more beautiful and accepting than the one we were reading. We forged friendships that will last a lifetime. We found minds that work like ours. Hearts that yearn for the same things. People who see the world in the same way. And that, in itself, is something we would all read the books, crappy ending and all, ALL over again for. Some things are worth suffering for. And we found that at Sookieverseblog. 

So here's to the people who brought us together, a thank you for everything from each of us. For a place we came to call home, where we felt like we could be ourselves, a safe haven in the crazy world of Internet trolls. And where we found each other. Thank you. You are amazing.

Standing ovation from the Wenches.

Barb:

Thank you so much for...well, just for everything. It's not melodramatic to say that the day I stumbled into your place my life changed. You created a place that was safe and embracing, where I felt more myself than anywhere in my real life. Where people are every bit as honest, and foul-mouthed, and encouraging, and critical-thinking, as I am, where I found the most amazing literature of my adult life, where I found my soul sister and a group of friends who I adore beyond measure. CH may have introduced us, but you nurtured and protected us, raged and celebrated with us. These books may have been the reason that you started your blog, but it is so much more than that. You created an AMAZING thing and I can't thank you enough!

Angela:

SVB has had an amazing impact on me. Thank you, SVB, for creating such a fantastic blog and forum that allowed me to interact with so many like-minded people. The friends I have made via the forum I truly treasure, and many of them have become a part of my everyday life. Without SVB that would never have happened. Thank you for the memories.

Merit:

The SVB blog, apart from being amazing, was my first glimpse into this kind of thing. I knew nothing about the blog world, never knew it was there. I found the site by googling True Blood after watching the first 2 seasons. SVB stood out among all the other sites I read online, and I lurked there for a few months, until I felt secure enough to join it. It was a real pleasure to find clever, witty minds with whom I could share my love for books and all. SVB, its wonderful moderators, and especially its founder, Tina the great...and you my friends...opened a new horizon for me, completely new!!! And I am so grateful for it. I had the best time there, worked my mind, found new books, and met all these wonderful Wenches. A huge thank you to Tina and to all of you around there.



Shau:

All I can say is a BIG THANK YOU to SVB because I got to meet wonderful women from all over the world! The books ended poorly, but the blog will always be the most wonderful feature of the SVM fandom.




Natalie:

This is a Sad day! It was because of this wonderful forum that I met a lot of my sisters in books! You were the first book home I had...and you won't be the last. Thank you, my friends.

Anne:

First of all, I have to start with the biggest thank you of my life to Tina and all of the other mods over the years for maintaining such a wonderful site. True Blood/the SVM was the first fandom I was really involved with. You guys gave me such a great place to start, I couldn't have asked for anything better. Through the forum, I was also introduced to scores of new books, both UF and not. My TBR list is now miles longer, thanks in part to the forum and its members.

Most importantly, SVB introduced me to the most amazing group of women a girl could ever hope to meet. First through the forum, and then on Facebook, and now (for some of them anyway) in real life, these ladies have become some of my closest friends. Without SVB and the forum, I would never have met them, and my life would not be as enriched as it is now.

So thank you, Sookieverseblog, from the bottom of my heart, for introducing me to fandom life and, more importantly, for bringing these amazing friends into my life. I will be eternally grateful to you. You will be greatly missed.

Donna:

Through the Sookieverseblog, I met so many wonderful friends. I spent many hours reading the intelligent, thought-provoking, sometimes humorous posts of both the moderators and members. I would like to thank SVB for her love and dedication to the blog. I have humongous respect and admiration for her. Thanks also to Serena, VikingLover, krtmd, and MASpencer for all their contributions. (I've spewed so much coffee over my poor keyboard!) It's been a pleasure, ladies. I hope our paths cross again.

Amanda:

I want to thank Sookieverseblog from the bottom of my heart. When I was crazy obsessed with SSN, they were there for me to make me laugh or let me rant. I found so many friends there, and I will be thankful to Sookieverseblog for the rest of my days for everything and each and every friend that they brought into my life.



Beta:

The fact that the site will be taken down soon is way sadder than saying goodbye to Eric (& the old Sookie). If it wasn't for SVB I wouldn't have gotten to know so many amazing women out there all over the world, and I want to thank you for that and for all the awesome posts and discussions that you guys wrote.

Veronica:

SVB indulged my desire to analyze everything to death, steered me to the best Skarsporn (I've got to rescue my avatar!), and introduced me to so many places beyond Bon Temps (Dublin, Caldwell, and the Impala to name a few). SVB was the most supportive and welcoming online environment I've had the pleasure of being part of, and that was all due to the admins and the wonderful people who were part of it. I can honestly say my life is better today because of SVB, and I wouldn't trade the friends I've made there for a thing. SVB will always be the best part of my Bon Temps ride.

Kat:

SVB was a home away from home for me, and I discovered it at the perfect time. Right at the beginning of my obsession with the SVM, True Blood, and Eric Northman (hello, Sunday Skarsporn!!) I found myself logging on every day to laugh and cry with an insanely awesome, smart, wickedly funny, brilliant, and friendly bunch of women. I've made some lifelong friends because of SVB and I will forever be grateful. No matter what the next obsession is for me, I truly don't think that anything will ever compare to the home SVB created for all of us. I will never ever forget it, and I will always smile and recall some great times and conversations whenever I think of SVB. Thank you for everything!!

Gloriously mad.

Zee:

It does make me sad to see SVB come to an end. Where I found people just as "mad" and "rabid" as I was. It is a great thing to be sitting at home alone in front of a laptop screen and yet feel so "not alone." Feel connected to people oceans away. Tina created and maintained a true online Utopia there at SVB, and no online fandom will ever compare. So I will just thank you for giving us the most wonderful world online, with the most wonderful people. No matter what, we've always had each other's backs, and I've loved the solidarity, the sisterhood. You did a wonderful and rare thing. So thank you. Nothing will ever take that away.

Kathi:

The SVB has enriched my life immeasurably by widening my horizons—connecting me with wonderful people from around the world, steering me to new genres and books I would never have found on my own, and enhancing my enjoyment of every single new discovery. The posts were award-worthy (why don’t we have blog post awards?), sharp, smart, and funny as hell. (I had that same problem Donna did with spitting drinks out on the keyboard.) The company was divine. Thank you so much for all your hard work. I mean it, I know it was very hard work, but you always made it look like fun! I will never forget the great times and talks we’ve shared, and I hope we all continue to visit each other on the interwebs.

So, in conclusion, just a HUGE thank you to Tina, Serena, VikingLover, krtmd, and MASpencer. You brought people from all over the globe together. You laughed with us, cried with us, inspired us, and were one of us. We would do it all over again, thanks to you. It truly was epic. 

I think we all know what we need to do now, to cheer ourselves up. (For old time's sake!)

* all gifs from tumblr.