Jim/Blair

Jim/Blair is by far, the most popular slash pairing for the television show, The Sentinel. 
It pairs main characters Jim Ellison, the superpowered cop, and academic Blair Sandburg, his unofficial partner. 
From a fan in 2004, a pairing even your mother could imagine! 
 
==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.
===Fan Comments===
====2000s====
In the early 2000s, a fan, Annabelle Leigh, wrote: 
From another fan, T'Mar: 
A fan's comments in 2004: 
A fan's comments (2004): 
==Fanworks==
===Tropes 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. 
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. Despite the fact that Jim, arising from his sentinel instincts or biology, is portrayed as having an intense need for Blair, these stories are were generally presented as noncon; societal changes and changing opinions regarding consent may cause fans today to disagree. 
Other tropes:
* Blair needing to find another place than Jim's apartment to live; early on due to their original agreement, or due to Jim kicking him out after the reveal of Jim's abilities
* Jim paying close attention to Jim's fixation on Blair's hair, Blair's compromised lungs, the way Blair smells 
* Jim and Blair's relationship symbolized by spirit animals
* power dynamics
* guilt and remorse as motivators
* mpreg 
* kidfic
===Notable Fanworks===
For more fiction with this pairing, see :Category:Sentinel J/B Fanfiction.
* Another Mode of Belonging by Grit Kitty (Kidfic) (2002)
* BJ Sandburg by Gillian Middleton (Blair becomes a woman for one year at the age of thirty due to a ancient family curse.) (1999) 
* The BS Factor by Jen Riddler (It was posted toward the end of the season. It had a much darker tone and ended on a horrifying note than what fans were used to.) (1996)
* changes by Jean Kluge (A controversial story where Blair has brain damage, Jim and Blair continue their relationship.) (1999)
* Detour by Em Brunson (An AU where Jim had never met Blair at the University.) (1999) 
* Distant Journey, Unknown Lands by Martha & Lemon Drop (Blair and Jim deal with the fallout of Jim's exposure as a Sentinel.) (2001)
* Ever After by Myrna (prequel to changes) (1998)
* Everything You Need In One Convenient Location by Julad (domestic humor) (2000)
* The Hunger Series by Kim Gasper (Jim and Blair meet at a sex club. The Hunger Series was at that time much more sexually explicit than other slash stories, and so was both widely recced and widely imitated, so much so that certain tics in Gasper's storytelling technique continued to appear in other slash stories for years.) (1997) 
* Into the Summer Sea by Audra Rose (After the final episode, Blair isn't fully healed and is being pulled into a spirit world. Jim, meanwhile, is watching helplessly as the man he loves is fading away.) (2004) 
* Major Crimes by Merry Lynne (A classic first timer) (2000 or before) 
* The Nature Series by Francesca (A series of stories dealing with Blair and Jim’s sentinel/guide relationship and how it evolves into something neither dreamed of.) (1998) 
* Not Exactly Funny by Helen (After a traumatic fall, the boys get an unusual case of amnesia: they remember everything except each other.) (1999)
* Out of Whack by Bone and Aristide (Blair's out of luck with the ladies. Jim's out of patience listening to him whack off. So when Blair informs him that he's taking up with men, Jim offers to help.) (1999)
* Sanctuary by Lynna Bright (After fifteen months away on expedition, Blair returns home to Cascade and begins a far different kind of relationship with Jim.) (1996) 
* Sentinel-Guide Research Project by Sorka (in the genre of "what if sentinels were known") (unknown date) 
* True Minds by Lanning Cook (A student of Blair's is in an abusive marriage with a man who it turns out is a major mob boss that the cops have been looking to bust for some time now. Along the way Jim and Blair are trying to deal with the events from S2P2 and find a way to reveal their feelings for one another.) (1999)
* Where Friendship Takes You by Tazy (Takes place a few weeks after Blair has become a detective. He and Jim are returning from a camping trip and are pulled in to help with a manhunt.) (2003) 
===Jim/Blair Rec Communities===
* Anna S had a list of Sentinel Classics.
* Allaire Mikháil kept 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.
* Born to Bottom, a recs page focusing on "bottom!Jim" stories (2001-07)
== Example Art Gallery ==
===1990s===
 File:Mating1.jpg|from Mating Rituals #1, by H. Ann Walton (1997)
File:Nia.jpg|from The Nia Chronicles, by TACS (1997)
 
File:Come2.jpg|from Come to Your Senses #2 by TACS (1997)
File:Jamie1-6.jpg|from Lost and Found, artist is KOZ (1998)
File:Primal3.jpg|"Sense and Sensuality," from Primal Instincts #3, by Suzan Lovett (1998)
File:Loveandguns10.jpg|from Love and Guns #10, by TACS (1998)
File:Pp.jpg|from Pregnant Pauses #1, K9 (1999)
File:Angelonmymind1-2.jpg|from Angel on My Mind #1 by K9 (1999)
File:8522-2.jpg|from 852 Prospect #2 by TM Alexander (1999)
File:Sent LoveGuns8.jpg|from Love and Guns #8, TACS (1999)
===2000s===
File:Ppjr.jpg|from Pregnant Pauses #2, K9 (2000)
File:Synergy2.jpg|from Synergy #2, by Larrkin (2001)
File:Jakesuniverse.jpg|"Full Circle," from Jake's Universe, artist is Lorraine Brevig (2001)
 Image:horseslovett.jpg|"Once More With Clothes On" by Suzan Lovett, from Warriors #2. This illo won both a Sizzler and a Golden Guppy. (2002)
File:Warriors2-1.jpg|from Warriors #2, Killashandra (2002)
File:Warriors2-3.jpg|from Warriors #2, Suzan Lovett (2002)
File:Whispers6.jpg|from Whispers of the Heart #6 by IM Mueller (2002)
File:Essentialsent5-1.jpg|from Essential Sentinel #5, artist is Shar (2002) 
File:Sent synergy 7 interior by lorraine brevig.jpeg|Art from Synergy #7 by Lorraine Brevig (2004)
File:Come26.jpg|from Come to Your Senses #26, by TM Alexander (2004)
File:Stormcrossover-9.jpg|from Storm, by Lilac (2004)
File:Sensesof3.jpg|from Senses of Wonder #3, Lorraine Brevig (2005)
File:Derailed.jpg|from Derailed by Romanse (2005)
File:Moonandstars.jpg|from The Many First Times of Jim and Blair, The 2008 Moonridge Edition, by Ankaree (2008)
 
===2010s===
File:Choicesst.jpg|from Choices by L.A. Adolf (2011) 
==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 ==
Category:Slash Pairings
Category:Sentinel