Paper Cranes

Sentinel Fanfiction
Title:	Paper Cranes
Author(s):	Deirdre
Date(s):
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	The Sentinel
External Links:	at AO3
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Paper Cranes is a Sentinel story by Deirdre.

Reactions and Reviews

Great premise, good characterization, well written. A story I have gone back to read more than once.

There's an old Japanese saying: if you fold a thousand paper cranes, the gods will reward your patience by granting you the fondest wish of your heart. Blair is up to 397, more or less, and he might just get what he wishes for in Deirdre's Paper Cranes.

Wow. This story offers something I rarely see in TS fic -- a mature, thoughtful and *quiet* Blair, not completely ruled by his hormones. This depiction of him is about as close to my own vision of the pairing as I've found thus far, after reading hundreds of stories. In this lovely gem, Jim struggles with his blossoming feelings for Blair, believing that to reveal them will mean the end of their friendship. And Blair folds paper cranes obsessively, each one representing the wish of his heart. Jim is in *such* denial, trying so hard to talk himself out of loving Blair, and the story outlines his realization as he begins to understand. Beautifully written; the plot doesn't immediately descend into sex the very moment they realize their attraction is mutual. Sex comes *later*. (huge grin)

This story contains one of the most beautiful characterizations of Blair that I have yet encountered. A hauntingly seductive tale in which Jim attempts to deny his attraction for Blair, but resistence eventually proves futile. Contains a gentle, loving, sexy Blair that becomes so real through Deirdre's descriptions that I felt I could reach through my screen and touch him. :)

At 130k, reading Paper Cranes is like sinking into a long, hot bath. It envelops and surrounds you completely. But it doesn't *feel* like a long story. The prose flows like a river, carrying you along swiftly and confidently-- unlike my two previous recs, there's no undercover kiss or mystical bond that pushes Jim and Blair into a closer relationship. Jim doesn't know why his feelings have changed, and maybe there is no one particular reason. There's just time, and the way they've grown closer, become part of each others' lives and hearts. The sex scene is warm and comfortable, even though it's Jim's first time with a man, and it doesn't seem weird at all; just inevitable. This story is definitely a classic.

I really liked this; the origami thing is cute. Though, the random Spanish was a little odd. (I can certainly buy Blair speaking Spanish, I just didn't expect it to crop up like that.) Now.

Summary: Blair is folding origami cranes, with the goal to make a thousand in order to have his fondest wish granted. Perhaps it's because he's already made a lot of progress in his goal that Jim finally notices a few things, including his changing feelings towards Blair. Just a nice romantic story balanced with a bit of angst and a healthy dollop of sex. Enjoy. Reccer's Notes: Deirdre wrote only a handful of TS stories way back in the fandom's beginnings. She wrote in other fandoms but the site she was housed at is defunct.