My musings
on different aspects of The Sentinel fandom.
As said
before this is my opinion. Yours may differ and I respect that so please
respect my views as well.
In the final
episode of the show Blair is offered a job as a cop. The question is; would
Blair accept?
In favour
of a yes:
1)
He’ll
be working with Jim
2)
He’ll
be with his friends at the PD
In favour
of a no:
1)
He
would have to be ready to shot to kill which I doubt he is
2)
His
mom would strongly disapprove, as her act of approval to me clearly betrayed
itself as an act of penitence. You don’t change viewpoints overnight.
3)
Blair
loves to teach and the academic world
4)
I
can’t see there are enough challenges in police work for a man as intelligent
and academic as Blair
5)
There’s
no reason why Blair can’t work on another University or simply write a new
doctorate on something else
6)
If
Blair keeps working with Jim even the most stupid people would suspect his
doctorate was in fact true.
7)
Blair
would still be able to work with Jim past time when the smoke clears or work
with him unofficially.
8)
Jim
would understand if Blair said no
9)
I
think Blair would miss his old life so much that it’ll give Jim a lot of guilt;
maybe even destroying their great relationship.
All in all
I don’t think Blair would say yes for he has no need to. He can still be with
his friends if he says no and quite frankly; he gains everything by saying no
and nothing by saying yes.
I don’t
mind gen fics at all and can certainly see the guys as just great friends but
when I read fics I really want my characters to have someone. When the show
ended neither Jim or Blair had anyone save each other. I can’t see any female
on the show who’ll fit them and I dislike OFCs a lot. Thus I read almost
exclusively slash fics in this fandom because:
1)
Jim
and Blair does love each other; that much is clear
2)
I want
my characters to have someone and not be alone
3)
Jim
and Blair really fit so nicely together
But show me
a gen fic where Jim is in focus and treated like the hero he is and I’m all
game. Sadly I’ve found few who live up to this.
Blair in a homosexual relationship
Slash fics
for this couple is very popular but would Blair ever fall in love with a man?
In favour
of a yes:
1)
Blair
was raised to be very open-minded
2)
He’s
very unconventional
3)
Blair
has shown again and again that Jim means the world to him
In favour
of a no:
1)
Blair
flirts a lot with women
2)
Blair
has had a ton of females he has gone out with
In conclusion
Blair is:
1)
In
VERY deep denial about his sexuality
2)
Covering
his true sexual orientation in fear Jim or his friends would leave him if they
knew the truth
3)
He’s
not gay
4)
He’s
bisexual
All in all
I see a relationship between Jim and Blair very easily.
Jim in a homosexual relationship
In favour:
1)
He
doesn’t seem to have much luck with women
2)
His
failed marriage with Carolyn
3)
His
strong connection to Blair
4)
He
touches Blair a lot and much more than any other of his friends
5)
He does
things with and for Blair he would never otherwise do
Against:
1)
Jim’s
dad seem like a very intolerant man so he has probably been raised to think
same sex couples are wrong
2)
He has
been in male decimated societies all his life from his father’s house to the
army, the Rangers, in Black Ops and finally as a cop but then this could also
count in favour since there are also few women here
3)
In
conclusion Jim is:
1)
In
denial about his sexuality
2)
He’s
not gay
3)
He’s
bisexual
4)
He’s
gay and first now sees it/admits it
In
conclusion I can easily see Jim with Blair but with none others really. Why?
Because Jim already cares so much for him and does more for and with him than
anyone else.
Jim physically hurts Blair (Domestic Discipline
or abuse fics)
People can
read and write whatever they please but I don’t like DD stories. For personal
reasons I strongly disagree with violence as the means to an end; especially as
a way to say ‘I love you’. It’s wrong when it’s between parents and kids and
just as wrong between two adults. Pain has NOTHING to do with love. That’s just
how I see it.
Jim has
always protected Blair from harm. Even when Incacha died he never hurt him even
though he was obviously upset.
I don’t
believe Jim would ever hurt Blair. He was in the army and other places where he
was under a lot of pressure and if he really couldn’t control his temper
there’s no way he would have gotten in. Though he does have a temper I can
NEVER seen him turn it against his allies and certainly not Blair. Jim was
always been very gentle with Blair; I cannot see him hurt him.
Blair gets hurt fics
There are
so many fics out there where Blair gets hurt it’s a wonder this character
hasn’t sued for an early retirement yet *grins*
In all
seriousness I don’t mind all that much but I do mind that Blair are often put
forth and Jim is pushed in the background. Jim would never let Blair get hurt
if there was any way for him to prevent it and many of these fics seem to hurt
Blair just to hurt him with no other reason and that’s boring to read.
Blair’s childhood and time before meeting Jim
Given
Blair’s open attitude and his loving, maybe too loving, relationship with his
mom I can NEVER see Blair getting hit as a kid. Maybe, and it’s a big maybe I
can go with incest but I doubt it since Blair is still so close to his mom.
Some kind of mental abuse I have no trouble seeing since Naomi is very
dominating.
I can see
Blair having travelled a lot and been to some interesting places but giving his
age (in his late twenties I think when Jim meets him) he hasn’t been everywhere
nor does he speak every language.
Jim’s childhood and time before meeting Blair
Given canon
I’ll say it’s highly likely Jim’s dad used violence as a normal part of raising
kids. Mental abuse was clearly there as was neglect and abandonment. Incest I
have trouble seeing; Jim’s dad seem too cold for it but it’s not unlikely.
After high
school and collage Jim joined the army, then the rangers and Covert Ops. If
someone has a fascinating background it’s Jim. So many unused possibilities
here; especially with Jim’s repression skills. I wonder why so few fanfics deal
with Jim’s past or skills as a great spy/solider/killer whatever the hell the
Government uses Covert Ops agents for.
Mystical aspect of the Sentinel
There are a
lot of untapped potential in the mystical and power aspect of the Sentinel even
though Jim already talks to ghosts.
Examples:
-
Jim’s
catlike responses. Maybe giving him the power to morph into his Spirit Guide?
-
Blair’s
Shaman abilities. Maybe he can do magic or get visions?
-
The
strength of the Guide/Sentinel bond. Maybe they could become telepathically
linked or empathic to each other?
-
Again
the Sentinel/Guide bond…maybe they can live forever?
-
The
Sentinel/Guide bond again…maybe they live in a kind of symbiotic relationship
so a Sentinel dies if his/her Guide does and maybe vice versa?
-
The
primal aspect of the Sentinel
In any case
there is a lot of fascinating new powers one could give Jim and Blair.
Blair and Jim captured fics
First of
all given the last episode of the show and Lee out there already knowing about
them not to mention anyone else who spoke to Jim right after Peru, this is a
very highly event. Secondly all logic would say that they focus on Jim and try
to force him into working for him. The clever ones would in the end threaten to
harm Blair to get him to obey. Why are there so few Jim and Blair are captured
fics and even fewer good and realistic ones? Most are ‘Blair is a hero in the
extreme and are ALWAYS hurt despite the fact that he’s not military trained’.
Can get boring after the nth fic like this.
Blair and Jim – who’s in charge?
Many
fanfics, especially slash, tries to answer this question but I don’t think this
is a question worth answering. In situations where Jim is the strongest he
leads (police work, military and so forth) and in situations where Blair is the
strongest he’ll lead. I don’t see a power struggle between them at all. They’re
equals even with Jim’s catlike tendencies to protect and posses. Again Jim
would never hurt Blair because he’s his lifemate (even if you don’t see that in
a sexual way).
Pinky and the brain
Fics about
Blair and Jim often suffer from the same as Daniel and Jack fics from Stargate.
Daniel and Blair are the clever ones and the two older soldiers are reduced to
doing very little. Come on here! Jim was in Covert Ops and in the military. He
went to college first. He’s not stupid. Of course Blair know more about some
things but Jim knows more about some other stuff. Superman Blair is really
annoying!
I know most
people love Blair the most but why in the world does the fanfic have to suffer
for this? Yes, Blair is wonderful but he’s not an angel and he’s not God and he’s
certainly not without faults or his share of the blame. It’s sad to read Jim
being put down to raise Blair and the clear worshipping in the fics from their
authors can get a bit annoying in the long run.
I think the
majority of people in this fandom love Blair most and yes; he does have great
assets but so does Jim.
Blair:
-
He’s
beautiful
-
Young
-
Intelligent
-
Curious
-
Open
about his emotions
-
Outgoing
-
Almost
always in a good mood
-
Knows
a lot of Academic stuff
-
Good
with computers
-
Can
speak several languages
Then you
have Jim:
-
Protective
-
Silent
-
Strong
-
Handsome
-
Scarred
-
Has
fear based reactions
-
Great
shot
-
Great
military man and protector
-
Good
detective
-
Can
speak many languages (given the ease with which he spoke the Chopec Indian language
and his years in Black Ops this is a natural assumption)
-
Fast
thinker
-
Quick
study
-
Strikes
for perfection
-
Deals
with stress very well
-
He
seem to have a well off family
No question
about it; I identify myself with Jim because of his past and his way of
handling things. I don’t think one of them is better than the other and I think
together they are complete. It just annoys me that so many fanfic authors drags
Blair forth and puts Jim in the background. Often Jim becomes totally
unrecognisable to me as the fanfic author makes Blair hurt, by Jim and others,
to show how amazing he is and how not worthy of him Jim is. Come on! After all
Jim has been through (lets’ not forget he’s the one with the senses here) he
deserves to get some happiness.
Response to Blair’s denial that his doctorate
on Jim is true
I really
don’t see how Blair’s sacrifice could solve the threat against Jim.
At best his
denial:
1)
Got
some or all of the reporters off his back
2)
Got
the general public to think Jim wasn’t a Sentinel.
However
that still leaves:
1)
Nosy
reporters who quite easily could see how all Blair’s Sentinel theories fitted
with Jim
2)
Government
agencies that would surely dig into this and have Jim put under surveillance.
3)
Friends
of Jim who’ll see how everything fit to make him a Sentinel
4)
Friends
of Blair who would know he wouldn’t make something up to get famous
5)
The
official story for Blair is that he’s writing about the hidden life within the
police. Why in the world should he write about Sentinels if it wasn’t real?
6)
Normal
people who didn’t believe the denial and went to Jim for help because of his
abilities.
Even if
every human on Earth decided to be stupid and ignore Jim after Blair’s
confession then it still leaves this question; why did Blair claim the thesis
was a fraud? Why not simply say the published pages were part of a fictitious
book he was writing where he had placed Jim in the staring role because he was
the inspiration as his friend but he had wanted to change that later? Other
than that Blair could also have tried to work something out with the
University, get the thesis classified, he could threaten with lawsuits and so
forth. There was no real need for his to sacrifice his Ph.D. project.
On a side
note; I see NO logical reason why Blair shouldn’t be able to teach and/or get
his Ph.D. somewhere else. If nothing else then in another country. He could
simply take Jim with him to another country for a few years and while Jim
worked there in the police or whatever Blair could get his degree and then move
back to Cascade. By that time all the smoke about Jim as a Sentinel should also
have cleared. So there are endlessly many ways to solve this even after Blair’s
emotional decision to claim he had lied. There’s no need for him not to get his
degree and since he has been working on it for years I would say he really
wants to get that degree and see no logical reason why he should not try any
way possible to get it.
Jim’s senses
This show
is called The Sentinel. Why are there so few fics about Jim and his way of dealing
with his senses? This is the core aspect of the show.
Jim as a friend
Three
things people always complain about with Jim:
1)
He
threw Blair out of the loft
2)
He
kissed Alex
3)
He
accused Blair of selling him out
Why did Jim
do this? Simple:
1)
Jim
was afraid Blair would get hurt if he stayed. He had seen it in a dream. Also
Blair had not told him of Alex, adding to his confused feelings about a
Sentinel in town.
2)
Jim
says himself he can’t control it. It’s Sentinel instincts and it makes sense.
Seemly the only two Sentinels left in the world there would by nature be an
instinct to mate.
3)
Jim
was afraid and be honest; you would be hurt and upset too. Jim is used to being
abused and betrayed. He feared all his trust and love had been in vain. His
reaction was normal, fear based and human.
So few
authors mention this because most of the time Blair truly is a great and accommodating
friend but he too as faults. For example:
1)
When
Jim and Blair first meet and Jim is afraid of losing control and going insane
Blair calls him a throwback. Added to that his dad’s insensibility…
2)
On
that same first day Blair wants to use Jim not only to get his PH.D but also to
pick on women. Makes a man feel real welcome.
3)
In
that episode where they find that golden key with writings on it he doesn’t
even try to ask Jim but assumes he don’t have any useful input. In fact many
times it’s as if Jim expects Jim to be dumb. Come on! Jim went to collage, held
the rank of Captain in the army as well as a Medic AND was a key player in
Black Ops operations. I doubt they pick the slow guys for those jobs.
On the
outside Jim can seem less emotional than Blair but I don’t think that’s right.
Jim feels as much if not more.
1)
Jim
must always keep his senses under control. That most be a constant strain.
2)
His
upbringing would have taught him to always expect pain and never show emotions.
His years in the Army would have taught him the same. You can’t change something
like that overnight.
3)
Jim is
a very private person and very scared of getting hurt and abandoned.
4)
Jim is
a Sentinel. To protect his in his genes; it’s what isn’t all about. It’s a lot
of responsibility.
5)
Since
Jim can also speak to ghosts he must feel an added responsibility.
6)
Jim’s
past most often haunt him like his dead men in Peru.
7)
Jim
shows his love in actions
And so on.