musing on making the Nick/Urs story pass the Bechdel Test

[brightknightie]

Lately, I haven't had the time I'd love to spend on hobbies, but I do amuse myself occasionally thinking about that Nick/Urs story I hope to write.

One thing that has crossed my mind as I try to find this hypothetical story's true shape and scope is that this tale, as it first occurred to me, doesn't come anywhere in the vicinity of passing the Bechdel Test. While that's acceptable for a drabble, vignette or short story, the acceptability diminishes with every step out of the realm of miniature tales. If this is growing toward novella-ness, it must include two female characters interacting with each other about something other than a male character.

Except for being murdered by Divia, Urs never interacts with another recurring female character on screen. I've written her scenes with Natalie and with Tracy before, and I've forever meant to get her a story with Janette, but this isn't that story. This is Nick/Urs defeating Lacroix, blowing up third season and living happily ever afterish. And any interaction between Urs and Natalie, or Urs and Tracy, is almost necessarily about Nick, as he's their sole point of interface ... well, Vachon, too, in Tracy's case.

I could suppose that Alma or Brianna didn't leave before third season, but then their point of interface with Urs is employment by Lacroix. That's no better. Sofia and Serena aren't coming back to Toronto that winter. Janette is, but... And I've already written my version of Urs interacting with Jacqueline after "Hearts of Darkness."

An original character would seem to be the answer. But recurring characters go down more smoothly, as a general rule. Round and round. Just thinking!

Comments

[lightbird]

This is Nick/Urs defeating Lacroix, blowing up third season and living happily ever afterish.

Yay!!!

This sounds like a great idea, Nick/Urs is rarely if ever done and I look forward to reading this. I always want very much to see more works that put female characters (and characters of color, lgbtqia+ characters, and other less-represented characters) forward and focus on their stories, that pass Bechdel, but it sounds like it may be difficult to do in this particular fic, at least if you want to limit yourself to canon characters (and I do think an Urs and Janette fic would be fantastic -- there are a few points of common ground between them that I think could be explored -- but as you said, this isn't the fic). As you've mentioned, an original female character may be the best way to go. And that part of it may still be more of a side thing/secondary thread in the plot since the story is specifically about Nick and Urs defeating Lacroix and wreaking havoc with events of season 3.

I'm assuming that as per the show the fic will have one or more flashbacks into the past, so there's certainly ways to incorporate an original female character (or characters) that way, and those same characters could show up in the present too if they're other vampires. I agree that recurring characters go down more smoothly, but well-drawn original characters are always fun to read too.

[argentum_ls]

It doesn't matter what the characters' point of interface is. It only matters what they talk about. If Urs and Alma land in the same location because of something Nick does and they take a moment to argue about which wine to drink, the story has passed the Bechdel test.

While I'm no adherent to the test, I do sometimes refer to it as a challenge to figure out what else the characters could talk about besides the guy who they're both focused on for plot reasons.

[greerwatson]

It has always struck me as perverse that a story focusing on Natalie and Grace in which, for reasons of plot, they are engaged in a highly skilled, professional scene involving the autopsy of a very dead (and hence non-participatory) male victim would not pass the Bechdel Test unless they unprofessionally failed to discuss the job at hand.

[greerwatson]

P.S. Your story sounds intriguing, Bechdel Test or no. You really should write it—if only so we can all read it.   ;)

[argentum_ls]

Which goes to show how the Bechdel is a good tool for identifying a bad trend, but not necessarily a checklist for any given story. I have stories where women only appear in passing and others where men do. Then there are stories where the women can only talk to the men because the POV male character wouldn't see otherwise within the scope of the story. Likewise, stories where the women have to talk about nothing but men because not doing so would cause bigger problems (as per your example). Conversely, I saw someone point out that, strictly speaking, the two women could have the most stereotyped conversation about their shopping habits and female children, and that passes. The test has its uses, but I don't think that it works as an individual story measure, no matter the length of the story.

Personally, I interpret the "talk about something other than a man" as "talk about something other than the male protagonist and/or designated love interest." So, Nat and Grace doing an autopsy on a guy would qualify as long as that guy wasn't Nick.