Territorial Imperative

Fanfiction
Title:	Territorial Imperative
Author(s):	Bone
Date(s):
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	The Sentinel
Relationship(s):
External Links:	At the 852 Prospect collection on AO3: Territorial Imperative Territorial Imperative, Part Two TI3: Territorial Imperative, Part Three TI4: Territorial Imperative, Part Four TI5: Territorial Imperative, Part Five TI6: Territorial Imperative, Part Six Interruptus: Territorial Imperative TI7: Territorial Imperative, Part Seven
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Territorial Imperative is a Jim/Blair story by Bone.

art by Killashandra from Swords and Senses Net Edition

The story and its sequels were hosted at 852 Prospect and imported with the rest of the archive to Archive of Our Own in 2013.

art from Swords and Senses Net Edition, perhaps by April Valentine

It was also printed in Swords and Senses Net Edition.

Reactions and Reviews

Bone's knack for tracking the boys' thought patterns is just so right-- at times, she seems to be almost channeling them. Bone conveys strong emotions, but doesn't get bogged down in them. Whether it's Jim or Blair doing the narrating, Bone's voice is sure, stylish and down-to-earth.

If there's anyone out there who hasn't read the marvelous, beautifully written, just plain perfect series Territorial Imperative, then you must run, don't walk. Truly. It has my vote for most intense first time ever, and it just gets better and better with each successive story.

I personally found these stories hilarious. Not in the this is so bad way or even in the this was meant to be funny way, I think. I read it in the middle of the night and was struggling to try and keep from waking up the rest of the house. (Why I always land on the really funny stuff in the middle of the night I don't know.) The writing in this is just so damn good, the dialogue, and internal monologue just so witty that I was laughing my head off. I mean this is how a funny story should be, where the wit just pores off the pages and you can't help but enjoy yourself. I'm not even sure it was meant to be funny, so no offense to Bone. I absolutely love her work. I just found that the writing appealed to my sense of humor in one of those rare ways that, kept me just so enthralled in this. I think it was the way the characters could make fun of themselves and their fears about starting this relationship together that I loved and found humorous. I loved this series and couldn't stop until I had read the entire thing. All of them are hilarious, though, part 7 is more serious than some of the others, as it deals with some issues from S2P2. It still has that razor's edge wit to it.

This story is hilarious, but not it a goofy way. It is hot and has a little bit of angst thrown in. The humor is derived from witty, talented writing.

The incredible thing about this story is the way Bone switches between first-person points of view without missing a beat. Not only does she find new and amazing ways to put words together to make things seem fresh and new, she captures and retains the unique voice of each character. She makes it seem effortless, and I'm here to tell you that it's anything but. A stakeout leads to a revelation for Jim and Blair, and then comes the aftermath. I love this piece. If "Love Amidst the Ruins" drew me in, "Territorial Imperative" hooked me. (huge grin)

Is love – or sex, for that matter – a territorial imperative? Is it chemistry alone that makes you fall in lust, or in love? And what exactly is it that makes you want to claim someone else as yours – either sexually, or by taking over a sock drawer? A lot of fic for “The Sentinel” plays fast and loose with the idea of spirit animals and the inescapable attraction of Sentinel and Guide for one another. They all have their place, but here, Bone sublimates all of those impulses and puts forth some very simple questions about attraction and imperative behaviors that beautifully frame the ongoing relationship between Jim and Blair; wonderfully complex men, who are hardly perfect, as they figure out what we’ve known about them all along: they’re better together. I was shocked that this bouncy, lusty, and thought-provoking series had not been rec’ed, and am only too happy correct that oversight. Bone is one of the best writers you’ll come across in “Sentinel” fic, and this series is no exception. It follows alongside canon events, and it is a masterful work; great voices, terrific characterizations, and molten (and very real) sex that gets progressively hotter as each story progresses.

I can’t think of a Bone story that I wouldn’t recommend, but the TI series is one that I never tire of re-reading. Both secretly lusting for each other, the cat comes screaming out of the bag during a late night stake-out. The problem is that both have the will but neither has the experience. Oh, and each thinks the other one has! Jim and Blair’s first person POVs are traded back and forth as their new relationship unfolds. Lusty and funny and scary and hot, it’s everything I’d expect from Jim and Blair. Bone has a wonderful way of using the two men’s internal monologues to move them along from lust to love. Blair’s explanation of how SenToo could have happened when they were already lovers is believable; how he helps them get back to good is sweet and poignant and is so Blair.

A series about the Sentinel/Guide relationship--how far does it go? What does it mean? The boys mark their territory. Boy do they ever! Bone's amazing characterization will keep you reading chapter after chapter.