Entries tagged with character:foreverknight:tracy

Entry tags:

Tracy's bicycle

Did you remember that Tracy has a bicycle? It's against the white wall perpendicular to her front door in her brightly-lit apartment entryway, where some folks might put a coat rack, shoe rack, umbrella stand, small table to drop keys on, or the like.

(I had occasion to rewatch "Avenging Angel." That prop leaped out at me as if I'd never seen it before.)

Off the top of my head, I don't recall any stories ever mentioning Tracy as a bicyclist, neither as a sport, a hobby, nor just an occasional way of getting around. It could be something she used to do but doesn't anymore for some reason. Or it could be something she still does all the time off-screen.

This of course brings to mind Nick's never-used-on-screen motorcycle, and Vachon's rarely-used-on-screen motorcycle. Maybe the show couldn't afford the insurance for bicycle riding, either. But such a reference for the character could have been an excellent thing, to round her out more. We got precious few canonical indications of how she spent her time outside work, or whether she put anything aside when she became a homicide detective and gained that wrinkle in her reality.

Entry tags:

"Tophy Girl" is my new least-favorite episode of FK

When brainstorming for

fkficfest converged with certain real-world events, I discovered that while I remembered that Tracy shooting someone in the line of duty was the impetus for the "Trophy Girl" plot, I did not remember whom she'd shot, or why, or what happened to that person. That was unsettling! Why couldn't I remember? I determined to re-watch "Trophy Girl."

So, after putting it off for a while, I tried -- tried! -- to re-watch "Trophy Girl" last night. Um. "Trophy Girl" is now my least-favorite episode in the entire series. Good grief. To fulfill my purpose, I did re-watch every Tracy scene. But I had to skip the scenes in the prison. And I could barely cringe through some of the other scenes. There are bits of this episode that do good things! But they are swamped by two wrongheaded tides poorly overlaid, and not helped by the conventions of '90s syndicated television and the expectations of the USA network. Ick.

You can take for granted that I find the flashback thematically hollow and aggravating. Apparently, its story purpose is to further parallel Nick -- Nick, as much or more than Lacroix -- with the present-day villains. Why? What's the point of that? A first-season episode would let Nick learn a lesson from that; this third-season episode's text offers no learning to the character, only disgust to the viewer. Sure, we can build a thematic subtext ourselves; we're very good at that! But the filmed version fails. What did Nick learn from that past event? A better story would have fit in an impact on the character.

More importantly, we have Tracy, who by the end of this episode has ended two human lives in service of the "she really is a good cop; believe us as we tell you this over and over in so many words" effort.

Having Tracy deal with the psychological impact of killing -- even in the line of duty, even as indisputable necessity in the moment to save lives -- could have been a spectacular episode, could have paralleled with Nick not wanting to kill, could have explored and built character! Did it? No. She claims killing didn't phase her. No one tells her that it should phase her, that she should need a pause for reflection. Reese or Nick should have told her that, but they didn't. Maybe her relatives or friends, but no. Instead, she throws herself into an unauthorized dangerous situation in a foolish way without backup -- attempting to prove herself, pushing back on what she mistakenly sees as a suspension, which misperception could have been a powerful pivot, more important and interesting than the prison scenes -- and then she ends up killing again. And what lesson does the character take from all of this? How does she get to grow or develop? None. She doesn't. In the end, Natalie tells us that Tracy was taken to the hospital -- off screen -- and that's that, never again do we hear about any of this. What was the story deliverable? That Tracy can shoot and is oversensitive to thinking she is being treated differently than others? We already knew those things. How was repeating them like this worth this set-up?

Oh, the person killed at the start of the episode? We learn that he was a drug dealer. We don't learn anything else about him. Not even his name. Not even the specific crime. The episode opens with Nick and Tracy chasing him and another man. Nick manages to apprehend his guy unharmed. Tracy ends up in an alley with hers. He shoots at her; she shoots back; he dies.

Entry tags:

Meme: Show-not-tell love languages (FK Edition)

Back in September,

sholio dove into a certain meme about how people (real and fictional) may habitually express and accept love (all kinds) in very different ways. For example: touch, words, deeds, gifts, time, etc. (The meme originator also went over how not all "love languages" are compatible for all people, leading to mistranslations, as it were, and also noting that while many individuals give and accept love in the same language, not all do.)

Sholio wrote that it's "an interesting tool to have in your characterization toolbox, especially for characters who come down really hard in one category or another... or absolutely suck at certain categories."

Ever since, I've wanted to try this paradigm on my favorite fandoms. Yet FK could be the worst fit for this. A fictional character with a single creator, or a solid "story bible," could well be as consistent as — or more than! — a real person. But FK? Different writers, directors, editors, networks? Seasonal reality adjustments? No more of a show "bible" than the opening-credits voice-over? Not to mention the differences in acceptable interactions and their interpretations across eras and around the world? Eeek.

Let's try anyway. :-D

( Nick: Touch )
( Natalie: Time )
( Schanke: Gifts & Deeds )
( Janette: Deeds )
( Lacroix: Words )
( The 3rd-Season Characters: Hard to Say )

I've left off the Captains, and many other characters. What are your readings of them? And what do you think of my constructions for the main characters — do you have telling examples I missed that would support or redirect...?

Crossposts: http://brightknightie.livejournal.com/182409.html

Entry tags:

Rewatched "Trophy Girl" (FK s3e08)

By the end of "Trophy Girl," Tracy shoots — and kills — two criminals. Both cases are just about as clear-cut as they come; neither will trouble Internal Affairs. Tracy robustly protests that she "can handle it" and claims she doesn't need time off to reflect or a shoulder to cry on (although Schanke did in "Close Call," and Stonetree almost retired over "Fatal Mistake," for comparison). She "keeps busy" by going undercover unauthorized, and perceives the normal, required, "cooling off" period as a suspension.

That aftermath could make a really nice post-ep/between-the-eps fanfic for someone: Tracy reacting to those deaths at her hands. ( Read more... )

Crossposts: http://brightknightie.livejournal.com/117034.html

Entry tags:

2011 Yuletide FK Stories Reviewed

This year's Yuletide scored two Forever Knight stories. Unusually for me — eternally behind on my fanfic reading — I jumped my own queue, downloaded the AO3 mobi files to my Kindle, and have read them while they're still anonymous. I enjoyed both in very different ways.

My remarks below contain spoilers! The ratings and warnings/tags in these reviews are mine as a reader, not those of the authors. Finally, please understand that, writing here in my own journal about [currently] anonymous stories, these are indeed actual, old-fashioned reviews, not comments nor recommendations. That is, they frankly consider both good and bad elements as I have fun musing and analyzing. (If you prefer to avoid negative opinions, please skip this post!)

"The Cross" (PG, Gen, ~1K words)
Characters: Lacroix, OMC
Warnings/Tags: Historical, Early Middle Ages, Vampire Violence, Mob Violence, Murder
( Review )

"A Dark and Stormy Night" (PG, Gen, ~9K words)
Characters: Nick, Tracy, Barbara, Natalie, Sydney
Warnings/Tags: Weather, Hurricane, Flooding, Policework, Homicide, Alcoholism, Family, Flashbacks, Historical, 1950s
( Review )

Crossposts: http://brightknightie.livejournal.com/92306.html

Entry tags:

FK Recommendation February 2011

What's Good? I'm happy to get to have February's recommendation-of-the-month spotlight "Beyond the Grave" (1996, PG, ~2K words) by

lastscorpion. With a light touch on heavy events, "Beyond the Grave" answers the old "Discovery" challenge: "What would it take for Tracy to discover Nick's vampirism?" In this case, a near-death experience:

"I mean, even vampires die eventually. They get stuck out in the sun, or stabbed with a stake, or suck on a bad rat..." Tracy's voice trailed off.
"That's true, darlin'. Nobody lives forever, and just being a vampire is no cause for damnation. But choosing to be a vampire is a little bit like choosing to be a psychopath."

-----
What's New on FKFic-L? One story, "Winter Merriment" (G, ~1K words) by

pj1228, posted to the list in January. However, four stories have posted in February so far!

Crossposts: http://brightknightie.livejournal.com/86079.html

Entry tags:

FK Fanfic: "Heart's Ease"

I've spent many a holiday reading fanfiction; I posted this new piece to FKFic-L on US Thanksgiving Day for anyone in that position this year. "Heart's Ease" is a tidied-up take on the commentfic I gave hearts_blood in late September; she requested Natalie, Lacroix and "human!Nick" with his first cold in eight centuries. Thanks to wiliqueen for beta-reading!

My previous post poked fun at the usual characteristics of my fanfic, so there's irony that this light little story runs off those rails. If I didn't know, I wouldn't guess it was me. (Would you?)

•	Title:	"Heart's Ease" (also on AO3)
•	Length:	~1,200 words
•	Date:	Posted to FKFic-L on November 25, 2010
•	Rating:	G
•	Summary:	Soon after achieving a cure, Nick finds himself at the hospital.
•	Characters:	Nick, Tracy, Lacroix, Natalie
•	Quotation:	"You aren't going to spend a sick day on a little cold, are you?"

Crossposts: http://brightknightie.livejournal.com/65986.html

Entry tags:

FK Recommendation February 2010

What's Good? For February, I am excited to finally get to recommend

leela_cat's novel "Broken Promises" (1996, NC-17)! My recommendations project's rules require that I get the author's permission before spotlighting a story; I first asked after this one in '00. "Broken Promises" links Nick and Vachon's pasts to produce fully-integrated present-day action. Many minor canonical characters turn up along the way, including the rarely-seen Larry Merlin.

"Damn it, Javier!" Laine began to retort, but stopped when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Just great. Now she'd never persuade Javier. She glared at the vampire who entered the attic.
"Vachon..." Nick's voice faltered as he caught sight of Vachon's guest. "Who...?" Doubt, hope, denial. All of them were visible on his face. "I know you. Don't I?"

What's New? In January, fkfic-l saw three new stories by three authors. ( list with links )

Entry tags:

FK Icons to Pass the Bechdel Test

On Friday, havocthecat wished for picspam of "awesome women." In response, I made this batch of new userpic icons featuring female FK characters together. The exercise brought home how rarely the women are on screen at the same moment, even when they are the only two characters in the scene; typically, FK's camera moves back and forth, from one character to the other, instead of showing them together. (Cohen with Natalie was harder to run down than I expected, and of course the only recurring female character with whom Urs ever shares a shot is Divia.)

Available if you would like them:


01. Natalie and Grace	02. Natalie and Janette	03. Brianna and Janette

( 10 More )

The original screenshots for most of these come from Nancy T.'s Knight Watchman. I tried to drop by Kristen H.'s Knight Vision, too, but it's gone! This of course means I've let my links go way too long unchecked, and I should run backward through forkni-l digests until I learn what happened. (If I heard of this and forgot, I shall be covered with embarrassment, but don't let that stop you from reminding me. ~g~)

Entry tags:

FK Fanfic: "When Donut Met Button"

This is the little story I posted to fkfic-l on the thirteenth anniversary of "Last Knight," written just because I wanted to post something new that day. (The story has nothing to do with LK.)

My thanks to much_madness for the prompt of Tracy and Schanke discussing Nick, and to leela_cat and amilyn for the eleventh-hour scrutiny and scrubbing that let me post on time. (tv_elf? Happy Easter.)

•	Title:	"When Donut Met Button" (also on AO3)
•	Length:	~1,600 words
•	Date:	Posted to FKFic-L May 18, 2009
•	Rating:	G (gen)
•	Summary:	Tracy receives advice from Schanke on partnering with Nick.
•	Setting:	Shortly after "Outside the Lines"
•	Characters:	Tracy, Schanke
•	Quotation:	"Trust me: he's not so generous with his pats on the back that you can afford to brush them off."

Entry tags:

FK Recommendation January 2009

What's good? I'm proud to begin the new year of the recommendation-of-the-month project with amilyn's novella "Slippery" (2003). Undeniably harsh, the story dramatically explores what might happen if, one of the times he tells Natalie to get away and she doesn't, a blood-stoked Nick unintentionally lashes out -- with his muscles (rather than his fangs).

   "How long before someone in your department ends up with you as one of their cases -- just like you had to cut up Maggie Dwyer and God only knows how many others like her?"
   "That is enough!" Natalie interjected, her voice sharp. "That was very different. This... this was an accident. He did not mean to hurt me. I know that, and he knows that."
   "Oh, really?" Tracy caught Natalie's eyes. "Then why is he scared silly he's going to do it again?" Tracy paused, looking for a long moment at Nat, then added carefully, "And why are you?"

What's new? In December, fkfic-l saw three new stories, a filk, and one piece identified as a repost (which is technically against the list rules without permission, so I wouldn't advise it as a trend).

"Disclosures" (6 posts) by pj1228
"Dashing Through the Snow (Vampire Style)" (filk) (1 post) by Kristen F.
"Birthdays" (1 post) by Walt D.
"Snowy Knight" (1 post) by J.L.K.
"Milepost" (1 post) by me

There is also a six-post story that began in December, and has finished in January. So this month so far is not empty, but not crowded.

Entry tags:

FK Fanfic: "Milepost"

I posted my galpalficathon story from November to fkfic-l (272 recipients) in the closing hours of New Year's Eve, hoping to tidy up and close out the old year for a better start on the new. One spellcheck-immune typo has been corrected since the ficathon, but the piece is otherwise unchanged. My thanks to wiliqueen for the prompt, and much_madness for the beta-read. (Credits are in the end-note, as always.)

I put Tracy and Natalie together twice in 2008, both times for prompts, and both times really challenged me. I rewatched all the scenes with them together, and they simply never clicked -- which is certainly common enough with coworkers, but they are additionally separated by their respective secrets. Natalie knows Tracy knows, but Tracy thinks she is all alone -- as Natalie used to think she was.

In any case, that's the end of 2008. Here's wishing us all a happier, healthier 2009!

•	Title:	"Milepost"
•	Length:	~2,400 words
•	Date:	Posted to FKFic-L December 31, 2008
•	Rating:	PG-13 (gen)
•	Summary:	Tracy receives advice from Natalie on facing difficult crime scenes.
•	Setting:	After "My Boyfriend is a Vampire," before "Fever"
•	Characters:	Tracy, Natalie, Nick
•	Quotation:	"She had tried to become friends with the curly-haired coroner when she first got this assignment, but they just hadn't clicked."

Entry tags:

GalPalFicathon FK Entries

The

galpalficathon was due on November 16, but stories continue to trickle in. (As a reminder, this was the "female friendship" ficathon.) The prompts offered a wide variety of fandoms and characters, but it seems to me that relatively few people finally participated; the timing may not have been good, as those who play in ficathons may all already have had their eyes on the big holiday fiction games.

So far, two Forever Knight stories have appeared there:

"Rogue Vampire" by abby82, featuring Janette and Alyce Hunter, before and after the tag scene of "Dark Knight, the Second Chapter." (~3K words)
"Milepost" by me, featuring Tracy and Natalie, after "My Boyfriend is a Vampire" and before "Fever." (~2K words)

If anyone feels like chiming in, this ficathon community gives all signs of being ongoing and deadline-free. The single-fandom and crossover prompts all remain available.

Entry tags:

FK Recommendation November 2008

What's good? I'm running late on the recommendations project this month; my apologies. Now that we're here, I am so pleased to get to highlight the energetic, enthusiastic, insightful, 1995 novel "Protect and Serve" by

butterflykiki! This unique angle on the Enforcers focuses on the human characters.

Natalie:	"Do you ever think that our lives would be a lot simpler if we just gave up on the secrecy and published the truth in the Enquirer, Nick?"
Nick:	"I don't need my life simplified that much."

What's new? In October, fkfic-l saw one new story, a one-parter titled "Hallowe'en" by Walt D. (Yea, Walt!) November, by comparison, has gotten off to a sprinter's start, with three stories by three authors already!

Entry tags:

FK Fanfic: "A Delicate Balance"

I began posting my oldschoolfic ficathon story to fkfic-l today. I'm grateful to amilyn for the ficathon prompt, and her enthusiastic reception of the story! And I'm obliged to my generous beta-readers (see the story's end note) as always. This is the longest piece I've yet written solely from Natalie's perspective.

•	Title:	"A Delicate Balance"
•	Length:	~9,900 words
•	Date:	Posted to FKFic-L July 27-29, 2008
•	Rating:	PG (gen)
•	Summary:	Natalie takes a break from a murder investigation to attend an unusual memorial for her brother, while considering a new approach to Nick's condition.
•	Setting:	After "1966." Flashbacks to Natalie's childhood.
•	Characters:	Natalie, Nick, Schanke, Richard, Sara, Nana, Janette, Grace, Stonetree, Tracy and others.
•	Quotation:	"The mesmerism-enforced lie that had covered Richie's vampirism curdled on Natalie's tongue."

Addendum: By the way, the fkfic-l "ACK" states that the posts are reaching 279 recipients. (I presume that is "mail" and "digest," not "nomail," but I don't know for sure.) Those of you who have FK fanfic you've posted on LJ but not the list, please do consider sharing with the biggest FK audience still assembled. We miss you.

Entry tags:

Icons for All

I've spent most of my fandom hobby time lately working on my

oldschoolfic ficathon story. I got an FK prompt! And I'm trying to deliver an episode-like response, cop-plot and all. Eeep! (Cop-plot stuff is hard.) Yet in the "vacuum the cat" tradition of ducking the dreaded blank page by any means available, I've also made my second batch of "up for grabs" FK icons (below); the first was that Natpacker set, of course, and so I've now made a smattering of userpics for most other factions. If you pick one up, please let me know, and credit as appropriate. Constructive criticism is also welcome.

The original screenshots for many of these come from Nancy T.'s Knight Watchman; others come from Kristen's Knight Vision; and a few have actually been on my hard drive since the series was still on the air (uh, successive hard drives, that is ~g~). I believe the FK logo GIF with the red letters was created by Nancy K.


1	2	3	4

( More )

Entry tags:

FK Recommendation June 2008

What's good? For June in the recommendations project, I'm pleased to get to spotlight Ell's "Keeping it Together" (2008). This tiny song-challenge ficlet concisely captures Tracy in that period after Lacroix takes her memories of "Ashes to Ashes." (Interestingly, however, not only does the vignette leave Lacroix's involvement unhinted, it appears to leave Tracy's knowledge of Vachon's vampirism intact, which imparts a certain extra spin.)

(Anyone who's presently subscribed to fkfic-l and feels shortchanged by a recommendation of something she just read on list in April ... speak up, and I'll privately email you a link to a never-yet-recommended story worth reading. Consider it your prize for having emailed Ell with a comment already. ~g~)

What's new? In May, fkfic-l saw two new stories posted, both originally written for Medie's comment-fic-fest:

"Clearing the Air" (1 Part), that Tracy and Natalie drabble by me
"Cutthroat Business" (1 Part), Janette's purchase of the Raven by abby82

Entry tags:

FK Fanfic: "Clearing the Air"

By my calendar, today (May 18, 2008) is the twelfth anniversary of the first broadcast of "Last Knight." Your syndication may have varied. I considered marking the day by digging up my original 2006 fkspoilr post responding to that airing. Instead, I sent "Clearing the Air" (my entry in Medie's drabble-a-thon) to fkfic-l and archived it on my site.

On this twelfth anniversary/memorial, I just wanted to say, hey, we're still here, and I'm so glad. Thank you, all!

•	Title:	"Clearing the Air"
•	Length:	100 words
•	Date:	Posted to FKFic-L May 18, 2008
•	Rating:	G (gen)
•	Summary:	Tracy asks Natalie why things are so strained between them.
•	Setting:	During "My Boyfriend is a Vampire"
•	Characters:	Tracy, Natalie
•	Quotation:	"Do you blame me for Detective Schanke and Captain Cohen's deaths?"

Entry tags:

FK Entries in Medie's Comment-Fic Fete

I posted two contributions to

medie's week-long "Because We're Awesome"/"About the Girls" comment-fic fete today:

"La Ville-lumière," a graphic for the prompt "Janette : Paris"
"Clearing the Air," a traditional drabble (100 words) for the prompt "Natalie and Tracy : Talk"

I spent all my spare moments this week chewing over the MBIAV drabble; by contrast, the Paris graphic came smoothly and quickly on Friday night. I'm not sure whether I should send the drabble to fkfic-l, or compile a cycle of drabbles or something else to make it worth the list's time.

There are two hours yet to midnight Saturday (the end of the event) here in the Pacific time zone, and more yet in Alaska, and Hawaii, and west to the dateline. So more FK contributions may appear. At the moment, however, it seems that

abby82's "Cutthroat Business" (for the prompt "Janette : Business") is the only other FK posting.

Entry tags:

Icon Meme

batdina posted an icon meme on Friday, and agreed to play it with me. Would you like to join in?Reply to this post, and I will pick up to four of your icons.
Make a post of your own (including the meme info) and talk about the icons I chose.
Other people can then comment to you and make their own posts, in a spreading spiral of icon squee!
( Batdina selected my Tracy, Natalie and IB icons. )