Tender
| Sentinel Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Tender |
| Author(s): | Resonant |
| Date(s): | |
| Length: | 9,524 words |
| Genre: | slash |
| Fandom: | The Sentinel |
| External Links: | at AO3, also here |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Tender is a Jim/Blair story by Resonant.
"Tender" and its sequel, "Knoxville" have been podficced.
Reactions and Reviews
Could do without the definitions, but it does contain the best first kiss ever.[1]
Cool structure. A skillful use of language. Vulnerable Jim. What could be better? Resonant's Tender is just as its title suggests.[2]
Any story with the phrase, ""Weasels! Weasels! The U.N. took my bus tickets!"" is a keeper as far as I'm concerned. Tender is a beautifully structured first-time story by Resonant, and in it, Jim is strong and romantic, Blair is adult and mature, and the sex is hot.[3]
Post-series, Jim finds a realtor's card in Blair's backpack. He doesn't take it well at *all*. Pure (albeit well-written and highly entertaining) fluff. BTW, if you (like me) find the conceit of using varying definitions of a word as chapter headings to be too gimmicky, you can skip them. It doesn't hurt your understanding of the story.[4]
A lovely little first time story. This has an absolutely gorgeous first kiss. That kiss alone is totally worth the price of admission. Plus the section at the beginning when Blair calls the police academy fun.[5]
Resonant has a pretty name. I like that in an author. And now that I've demonstrated my deep superficiality....Why you should read this story: Good partner angst and characterization, thoughtful permutations of tenderness, writerly style, and juicy sex. The experience of seeing classic slash themes done justice by a writer attentive to craft and to pleasing the reader--a pleasure it's hard to grow tired of.
What might throw you off stride: Quotations serve as dividers between sections, which is nice--it furthers the story--but the spacing is cramped, so the sense of 'pause' is undermined. A case where more white space would actually be a good thing.[6]
Have you ever looked up the word “tender” in the dictionary? Resonant did, and found that the many definitions of the word not only inspired a plot, but also gave the story a distinctive shape.Tender takes place after the series finale. Blair is attending the police academy, and Jim is starting to feel a little left out of his roommate’s life. When he stumbles upon the possibility that Blair may be thinking of moving out, he’s compelled to do something he wouldn’t normally do, and the guilt he feels about his actions color his perceptions of, well, everything.
Sounds like a real angst-fest, right? Nope. Tender is actually funny, sweet and scorchingly hot, and Resonant’s characterizations of Jim and Blair are pitch-perfect.[7]
A story that compares Blair to spray-in insulation doesn't necessarily *have* to be a good one, but Tender by Resonant has a lot going for it besides interesting metaphors. It's smart, it's funny, and it has a great Jim POV. In fact, Resonant has a number of very nice Sentinel stories, all of which are worth checking out.[8]
References
- ^ Merrin Recs: because life is way too short to read bad slash
- ^ Fiction by the Sea Recommendations
- ^ All Jewels Have Flaws... or... Net (dot) Bitch Does Recs, 2000
- ^ 2008 comments at Epic Recs
- ^ from Seeking Solace
- ^ 2000 rec by eliade
- ^ a 2003 rec at Crack Van
- ^ the flambeau factory: recommendations 2000