Fandom Snowflake Challenge #8: "Blorbo"

[switchbladeeyes]

From snowflake_challenge: In your own space, write a promo, manifesto or primer for a beloved character, relationship or fandom.

First of all, an aside. The post about this on the Snowflake Challenge says, "Seems like we all spend a considerable chunk of our fandom time trying to convince loved ones, friends and total randos alike that our blorbo is in fact the best."

Blorbo?? What is this word? Well, the internet tells me that it means, "A fictional character or celebrity of whom one is especially fond."

Blorbo. A new, awesome word added to my vocabulary. Not sure how often I'll get a chance to use it, but I'm glad it's there.

Annnnnnyhoo, I have an embarassment of riches blorbos. But since this journal is mostly for me to nerd out about "Forever Knight," I shall focus this challenge on Nick Knight. For the 2-4 people that follow along my journal fairly regularly, Nick needs no introduction. So this is for participants of the big ol’ fandom mixer that is the Snowflake Challenge.

Meet Nick:



Not bad, huh? 😏

Nick is a night shift homicide detective fighting crime on the mean streets of Toronto in the 1990s. Also, he’s a nealy 800 year old vampire.

Yep, vampire cop. Try not to overthink this.

Nick is the main protagonist of the show “Forever Knight.” While he’s the hero of the in the show’s present day, he wasn’t always that way. He’s made some poor life choices and spent centuries hunting down and murdering humans. As one does. If one is a bloodsucking undead creature of the night.

Nick feels pretty bad about all that murder though. His major guilt complex drives most of his actions in the modern day. He is highly repentant, trying to live a better life and do good in the world.

His ultimate aim is to regain his humanity, and to that end, he tries to live like a human and works toward a cure for vampirism with dear friend and major source of UST, Dr. Natalie Lambert. She's of the few humans who knows what he really is.

Though he keeps his nature hidden from them, he also has close relationships with his human partners on the police force. First, Don Schanke (pronounced "skanky," and no, I have no idea why the ever loving hell that choice was made), and then later, Tracy Vetter.

Despite his aversion to vampirism, he still uses his vampire abilities (flight, speed, strength, hypnosis) regularly. He also associates with other vampires, most notably Janette and LaCroix; the three of them spent centuries living as a kind of family. Janette is a confidant, and "on again, off again" paramour. She's also the coolest vampire on the show (I said what I said). LaCroix is the vampire who turned Nick into a vampire. He’s an asshole, but he gets all the best lines. And Nick is definitely his blorbo.

Nick is just a fun character. A brooding vampire protagonist with a violent and checkered past, who, in the present, is a kind person and has a sense of humor. And while he tries to make choices that are "good" or "right," the world isn't always that black and white even if he wishes it were. These complexities make him incredibly interesting. It's cool to see what fans do with him in fic, playing with the different worlds he's living in.

The show's opening credits explain the show's entire premise and what Nick's deal is. If you're so inclined, enjoy.

Thanks for coming to my TED Blorbo Talk.

Comments

[muccamukk]

Just wandered off to see if that was streaming anywhere in my country, but no joy. I'm half way to the mood for a '90s fantasy show, and have already seen Highlander multiple times.

[switchbladeeyes]

I think a lot of FK fans have also been Highlander fans. At *some point*, I want to re-watch Highlander, another one I was a big fan of in the 90s.

Alas on the streaming. It was on Prime for a while, then not. Found some random episodes on YouTube a while back, but then not. I ended up getting it on Apple TV. Mayhaps it will be more widely available streaming someday (idk though... obscure Canadian 90s show that bounced around networks for three years, I wouldn't hold my breath lol).

[cypresssunn]

There’s really no better blorbo than an undead blorbo. But this one really feels like such a 90s deep cut. we really don’t make em like this anymore XD truly a shame

[switchbladeeyes]

I have a lot of undead blorbos lol. Definitely a deep cut, even when it was airing (until I got th internet in 1996 and discovered fandom. I didn't know *anyone* who watched the show).

Sometimes the spouse and I talk about who we’d cast and what we’d do differently if the show were ever rebooted.

[thefruitbat]

Encountered the word blorbo only last year and had also to look it up. The first thing that came to mind when reading the word was "blobfish" and now that's stuck in my mind. XD But yes, Nick is prime blorbo (not blobfish) material. 💜 I enjoy reading your Snowflake Challenge content.

[switchbladeeyes]

I had to look up “blobfish” just now. LOL. Can’t unsee that.

I feel like all the FK characters are my blorbos. But can’t have any of them without Nick, so he’s the blorbo-est blorbo.

[thefruitbat]

Yeah, exactly - I'd love to be able to unsee it. XD

My FK blorbos are Nick and Lacroix, and I'd have loved to see more of Screed. He was so funny and Greg Kramer played him spectacularly.

[switchbladeeyes]

I would also have loved more Screed. Killing him off was a Bold Move for FK. It was too bad they didn't keep him on via flashbacks. As I recall, Highlander did that with some characters killed in the "present," and it worked well.

[malinaldarose]

Nick was always one of my favorites.

[switchbladeeyes]

He’s easy to like!

[aadler]

As anyone who knows me knows, I’m big on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I’d seen and enjoyed Forever Knight before Buffy came around, and a strong case could be made that Nick Knight laid out certain trends and themes that were (subconsciously or deliberately) put into the BtVS character Angel. This would of course be even more strongly explored when Angel was given his own series.

Also, I cannot in any way disagree with “[LaCroix]’s an asshole, but he gets all the best lines.”

[switchbladeeyes]

I've heard that FK was influential on those shows, but I never really followed them (just saw a stray episode here and there, not enough to really follow any overall threads). I think FK having a terrible ending kinda soured me on taking in new vampire shows for a while afterwards.

[aadler]

I watched and enjoyed Forever Knight, but wasn’t a dedicated fan; nonetheless, I followed it enough to agree with people who felt the series deteriorated toward the end. (I don’t actually remember what the last episode was, may not have even seen it.) In fact, I deliberately parodied a part of the final season in my story “How Wide the Gate”, though I didn’t cite Forever Knight as the source of that.

[silveradept]

From what little I've watched of Forever Knight, Nick is definitely a good cadidate for being many people's blorbos. Even when I watched, though, it was on replay, and I don't remember paying enough attention to it at the time. All the worse for me, I suppose.

[dasmims]

Nick sounds delightful - a classic, angsty vampire!

For a moment there I thought I remember this show from when I was younger, but I think that was a different Vampire Cop Show. Or maybe I just misremember due to a combination of watching it over ten years ago on a tiny black and white screen.

[switchbladeeyes]

He is exactly that!

I know there was a show for a hot minute in the 2000s called "Moonlight" that I think was also a vampire cop show. I never saw it though and don't know much about it, but wouldn't be surprised if FK inspired it.

[dasmims]

I think you are right about Moonlight! Yesterday I was desperately looking for something with Midnight in the title, but Moonlight looks right. I might have to take a look at some angsty vampires when I get enough free time to do so.

[switchbladeeyes]

The AMC "Interview with the Vampire" TV series will also deliver an A+ angsty vampire to you (the show can be gruesome/violent though, I should warn).

[dasmims]

I have seen the first few episodes of that show and I liked it but I got distracted by something. Or maybe the dinner scene with the whole family gave me too much second hand anxiety and I don't do well with that.