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I've randomly been reading Sentinel fusions in various fandoms recently (triggered by Stringfellow Hawke's hyper-acute hearing on Airwolf and idly considering that if they'd been concurrent, there would probably have been a lot of crossovers). Well, skimming them. You know, the ones where such-a-character from Show A is really a Sentinel and such-a-character is their Guide?
Um. I only ever saw a couple of episodes of The Sentinel, and what I remember bears ... little resemblence to the fanfic version? Did Sentinel Centers and defined Sentinel/Guide bonds ever actually happen in the show itself? I'm actually hoping not, to be honest. What I remember was more 'crazy cop show with antagonistic but codependant male leads, superpowers, and a lot of psychos and contrived coincidences' rather than 'stratified mystical society with rigid social roles, rife with casual abuses', though admittedly I only saw a couple of early episodes, so I guess it could have happened? (I hadn't even gotten to the part where the 'guide' thing was explained, just the 'sentinel' part. I'm thinking it was really early S1?).
But, ah. My main conclusion? Having skimmed (and read properly in some cases) TS fusions from SGA, M7, H50 (yes, I haven't seen that show either), and a few other fandoms?
I really, really don't like any and all variations on the 'biological imperative' trope in pairing fanfic. Anything involving 'biology/destiny demands that we permanently tie our lives together, and incidentally have sex' apparently causes me to backbutton fairly quickly. A lot of the Sentinel fusions seem to bear a lot of resemblence to that whole Alpha/Omega thing I've seen recently (as well as some variations on soulbonds), and both of them skeeve me the hell out -_-;
Actually, much of anything with extremely rigid and enforced social roles makes me twitchy and worried, which I hadn't previously realised properly about myself, but when it's backed up by an apparent immutable biological reality, I can't cope. I just ... I hate the implication of having no choice and then, in a lot of the pairing fics, the implication of 'but you'll learn to love it anyway'. Temporary forcing agents like sex pollen, while sometimes very bad, don't skeeve me to half the same extent since the effects usually stop/wear off, but permanent, hard-wired bonds that tie you in some way to another person, usually sexually, really make me nervous. (Some are done survivably, usually the variations where the people involved are helping each other buck the system, but they do make me ... twitchy).
Which ... honestly was not a conclusion I expected to come to from reading fusions with what I remember mostly as a crazy cop show with supersenses? Sometimes I wonder about the trajectories fandom takes -_-;
On a different note, though ... I would actually like an Airwolf/Sentinel fusion (or crossover fic - I could see Jim having met Michael or Hawke via Black Ops) where Stringfellow's unusual hearing is mentioned. Given the whole 'reawakened by a period of isolation' thing with sentinels and Hawke having practically become a hermit after losing Sinjin, plus the 'protect the tribe' thing he's got going and the black-ops connections via the Firm ... I could see it, is what I'm saying? (And Dom's his Blair, though probably unwittingly. Actually, Dom, Caitlin and possibly Michael all take turns, I think, at least in terms of pulling him out of funks and fugue states).
*shakes head* Um. Anyway. This random digression is brought to you by odd fic-reading binges. We now resume your scheduled programme.
But, ah. My main conclusion? Having skimmed (and read properly in some cases) TS fusions from SGA, M7, H50 (yes, I haven't seen that show either), and a few other fandoms?
I really, really don't like any and all variations on the 'biological imperative' trope in pairing fanfic. Anything involving 'biology/destiny demands that we permanently tie our lives together, and incidentally have sex' apparently causes me to backbutton fairly quickly. A lot of the Sentinel fusions seem to bear a lot of resemblence to that whole Alpha/Omega thing I've seen recently (as well as some variations on soulbonds), and both of them skeeve me the hell out -_-;
Actually, much of anything with extremely rigid and enforced social roles makes me twitchy and worried, which I hadn't previously realised properly about myself, but when it's backed up by an apparent immutable biological reality, I can't cope. I just ... I hate the implication of having no choice and then, in a lot of the pairing fics, the implication of 'but you'll learn to love it anyway'. Temporary forcing agents like sex pollen, while sometimes very bad, don't skeeve me to half the same extent since the effects usually stop/wear off, but permanent, hard-wired bonds that tie you in some way to another person, usually sexually, really make me nervous. (Some are done survivably, usually the variations where the people involved are helping each other buck the system, but they do make me ... twitchy).
Which ... honestly was not a conclusion I expected to come to from reading fusions with what I remember mostly as a crazy cop show with supersenses? Sometimes I wonder about the trajectories fandom takes -_-;
On a different note, though ... I would actually like an Airwolf/Sentinel fusion (or crossover fic - I could see Jim having met Michael or Hawke via Black Ops) where Stringfellow's unusual hearing is mentioned. Given the whole 'reawakened by a period of isolation' thing with sentinels and Hawke having practically become a hermit after losing Sinjin, plus the 'protect the tribe' thing he's got going and the black-ops connections via the Firm ... I could see it, is what I'm saying? (And Dom's his Blair, though probably unwittingly. Actually, Dom, Caitlin and possibly Michael all take turns, I think, at least in terms of pulling him out of funks and fugue states).
*shakes head* Um. Anyway. This random digression is brought to you by odd fic-reading binges. We now resume your scheduled programme.
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