Jim/Blair
Pairing | |
---|---|
Pairing: | Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg |
Alternative name(s): | |
Gender category: | m/m |
Fandom: | The Sentinel |
Canonical?: | not quite |
Prevalence: | most popular slash pairing |
Archives: | |
Other: | |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
By far, the most popular slash pairing for the television show The Sentinel pairs main characters Jim Ellison, the superpowered cop, and Blair Sandburg, his unofficial partner.
Appeal of the Pairing
The relationship between Jim and Blair, be it friendship or something more, is one of the central ingredients of the show, arguably more important than Jim's super senses.
In the glimpses of them we see outside of adventure, they frequently joke and laugh, and clearly enjoy each other's company. They are physically affectionate with each other, frequently touching, and though they never go so far as to hug, they often stand very close together. The threat of being torn apart by cruel fate renders them both unable to speak or look each other in the eye on several occasions. This open affection led to a proliferation of smarmy stories, vids, and other fanworks, all examining their friendship, their struggles, and their love for each other.
In the early 2000s, a fan, Annabelle Leigh, wrote:
I often ponder why the relationship between Jim and Blair is so powerful to me; my interest in it far exceeds my interest in any other pairing. I mean, it's not just that I think the actors are cute or that I'm a hopeless romantic or even that I like the whole heightened senses thing, which I do. It's more than that.
Their relationship *means* something to me. It's almost like it's become part of my belief system. It provides a strange sort of solace and reassurance, in the same way that real life couples who seem devoted to one another sometimes do. Only it's more profound with Jim and Blair, because this is fiction, and they can only leave each other and spoil the illusion if I read certain kinds of stories, which I won't.
I think my own anxiety about the future -- this worry I have that nothing lasts forever, that even though people love each other it's still so easy to break apart, despite the best of intentions and even the best of efforts -- has everything to do with why I find the idea of Jim and Blair's relationship so comforting and compelling. Story after story in this fandom includes some little mention of how Jim and Blair will always be in each other's lives, no matter what, because they are Sentinel and Guide and this is forever, a true commitment, an immutable connection. In a world where so many things are ephemeral and so many commitments falter, it warms me inside to think that these two people, fictional though they may be, will always have a soul-deep bond between them.
The sense of certainty I have about Jim and Blair renews my faith in what is possible, not just for them, but for me. [1]
Canon Evidence for Slash
While many slash fans find evidence of a sexual or otherwise intimate relationship between Jim and Blair in many episodes of "The Sentinel," some episodes stand out: "The Debt," "Flight," Blind Man's Bluff," "Warriors," "Sentinel Too Part 2," and The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg.
Fanworks
Trends in Fanworks
Sentinel fandom is rich in AUs, a trend which was reflected, perhaps to a lesser extent, in its slash stories. The AUs would often feature exotic locations, sometimes future societies with social structures which accommodated or repressed sentinels or guides in interesting ways, and sometimes tribal societies in an imagined past, often where the sentinel was a high-status position.
Another trope in this fandom was the call-boy AU.
Many slash authors imagine in their stories that the relationship of Sentinel and Guide might create some kind of special bond, perhaps psychic, psychological, or biochemical, which might force a sexual relationship. This is not generally presented as noncon. Sometimes, Jim is portrayed as having an intense need for Blair, arising from his sentinel instincts or biology; these stories are somewhat more likely to shade into noncon.
Notable Fanworks
For more fiction with this pairing, see Category:Sentinel J/B Fanfiction.
- Another Mode of Belonging by Grit Kitty
- Berrying the Past by Hellesgift
- BJ Sandburg by Gillian Middleton
- Blair of Nazareth: The Ultimate AU by Slashphemy/Hellesgift
- The BS Factor by Jen Riddler
- The Bond by Josephine Darcy
- Canary in a Coal Mine by Sorka
- Changes by Jean Kluge
- Covert Response Unit by Elaine
- Detour by Em Brunson
- Distant Journey, Unknown Lands by Martha & Lemon Drop
- Ever After by Myrna
- Everything You Need In One Convenient Location by Julad
- False Tongues by Chaomath (2013)
- The Farraday Cage by Gloria Lancaster
- Fire-broken by Rogue
- Free to Love You by N'Wanda
- Honeymoon Suite by Dangermouse
- The Hunger Series by Kim Gasper
- I'm Not Saying by Donna Jones
- Into the Summer Sea by Audra Rose (2013)
- It Happened One Night by Penelope Whistle (2004?)
- Lie Perdu by Sihaya Black
- Life Lived Like a Mentos Commercial by Mallory Klohn
- Major Crimes by Merry Lynne
- The Nature Series by Francesca
- Not Exactly Funny by Helen
- Out of Whack by Bone and Aristide
- Paper Cranes by Dierdre
- The Path to Trust by Calic0cat
- Sanctuary by L. Bright
- Taming of the Guide by Elaine
- Territorial Imperative by Bone
- Then an Image by Laura JV
- There is No Gene by T'Mar (Gattaca fusion AU)
- To Hold a Wolf by the Ears by Dangermouse
- True Minds by Lanning Cook
- Unspoken by Helenish (2000?)
- Upheaval by PJ
- When I Am With You by Tinnean
- Where Friendship Takes You by Tazy
- Whispers of Loss by Dean Warner
- Whitebread by rentgirl2
- The Wolves of Cascade by Morgan Briarwood
- Woods Forsaken by Josephine Darcy
Jim/Blair Rec Communities
- Anna S has a list of Sentinel Classics.
- Allaire Mikháil keeps a very thorough rec page at storyteller's campsite.
- Sandy Justine maintained a recs page in the early years of the fandom; now long gone from the internet, it can be found via the Internet Archive: Part 1, followed by Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.
Other Resources
- Jim/Blair of The Sentinel by lamardeuse and misanthrope7842, an introduction to the ship posted to Ship Manifesto.
- The Gayest Show On Earth by joandarck, a video essay on the slash subtext of season one.
References
- ^ Future Possibilities, Present Loves, by Annabelle Leigh