Sentinels and Guides;

[inborn]

 

Sentinels and Guides Shipping Meme
A Sentinel!AU Meme

 

There are special people in the world: Sentinels--whose five senses are incredibly enhanced, sometimes to the point of overwhelming and who can easily lose themselves in fugue states--and Guides, the empaths with the ability to ground a Sentinel and focus them. Meant to be the protectors of the Guides, for every Sentinel there exists a guide that is their perfect match. In some universes, when matches are made, a Sentinel and Guide form a soulbond to fill the feeling of emptiness.

How easy was it for you to find yours? How are Sentinels and Guides treated in your universe? Or maybe you're one of the normal, unremarkable people. Do you fear Sentinels and Guides? Despise them?

 

Rules
1) Post with your character/canon in the subject header.
2a) Choose whether your character is a Sentinel or a Guide
or
2b) If you don't know or don't care, just leave it blank!
3) Information about Sentinels and Guides can be found here and here. Information on 'The Sentinel' which this meme comes from can be found here.

 

4) All the tagging! Have fun 8D

Prompts
oo1. The Meeting: 
How did you meet? Was it at an event organized specifically for finding your other half? By accident? Did you follow a mystical calling to them? Some other way?

oo2. The Bonding: 
Do Sentinels and Guides in your universe soulbond? How does it go down? Is there a ceremony or do you just retreat to the bedroom?

oo3. Rejection: 
Sometimes Sentinels or Guides propose a match but it's just not perfect. You don't feel the pull or maybe you think there is someone better or maybe you're already claimed. Maybe you were claimed and someone better came along?

oo4. Protection: 
Sentinels are meant to protect Guides, any Guides, but it's even worse when they feel their Guide is in danger. They go feral; blind to anything but stopping and killing whoever threatened their Guide or the bond. Maybe someone attacked your Guide or you haven't bonded yet and you feel threatened or maybe you're the one doing the threatening. Whatever the reason, Sentinels in a feral state are dangerous and only their Guides can stop them.

oo5. Lost: 
Sentinels often lose themselves in their senses. Either you're a Sentinel who has lost themselves or a Guide that has stumbled on one or a friend trying to draw them out. Unbonded Sentinels will find it hard to escape without a Guide. Or maybe you're bonded already which means you just need yours to come home.

006. Persecution: 
Sometimes normal people or the government fear the power of Guides and Sentinels. Guides are empaths, feeling the emotions and sometimes passing thoughts of others and it can make people feel violated. Sentinels often have enhanced strength, which can make them dangerous. So they scorn them, hurt them or in the case of governments, regulate them.

oo7. Death: 
Unbonded Sentinels and Guides eventually lose themselves to the empty cavern inside them. Torn apart from the inside by the feeling of something missing. Breaking the soulbond of a Sentinel and Guide is agonizing and horrifying, leading quickly to death for the remaining partner. 

oo8. Old-School: 
Guides used to be treated on the same level as slaves. Unable to work unless their Sentinel said. Not allowed out on their own. They used to wear collars and couldn't own land or inherit money. Maybe the old ways haven't completely fallen out of style. 

oo9. Unbonded: 
Nothing is worse than being an unbonded Guide or Sentinel. Always looking for your other half to fill that empty feeling but you probably have friends that aren't your match or who are trying to set you up with someone. Maybe you're skeptical about the whole love at first sight thing and haven't been looking.

o10. Wildcard: Some mish-mash of the above or anything else you can come up with!

Image from weheartit / original meme by imadeamistake 

Comments

ooc;

[midship]

[...tbf I am also a sucker for 5 if you want it

BUT I WOULD BE A HUGE SUCKER FOR THAT AS WELL??]

ooc;

[betteralready]

[If 5, when/who lost

Then perhaps: both? :o]

ooc;

[midship]

[.........okay actually. maybe early on in things Horatio just getting lost in a panic? for the mutual protection of Archie helping him be himself again (possibly not long after he punched Simpson in the face for space navy or after Archie's first nightmare for canon-er things)?

I would cry for them meeting Kitty at literally any point of their relationship I can't]

ooc;

[betteralready]

[...can you clarify that first bit a bit i'm a smol confusion

she's so pretty and horatio is so cute when he's jealous??]

ooc;

[midship]

[fair. maybe in space navy, after punching Simpson in the face and getting Archie calm, Horatio gets lost in a fugue and Archie gets him calm? or maybe in the canon-ish verse, after Archie has his first fit with him there, Horatio goes off and Archie brings him back down? I like the balance of like. Horatio does a good to help Archie and then Archie does a good to help Horatio and. everyone feels important in the relationship. /o\

HE IS THE MOST JEALOUS MUPPET OF THE PRETTY LADY]

ooc;

[betteralready]

[Ah yes good that makes sense /o\ I think space navy makes more sense for that thing ;3; do you wanna start it for horatio?

AND THEN HORATIO CAN BE A JEALOUS MUPPET OF THE PRETTY LADY]

/skips here briefly

[midship]

[will do but kitty in the same thread later or kitty in her own thread?]

:3

[jollyboat]

[I'm working on a kitty in her own thread now \o/]

angry muppet space navy here, then \o

[midship]

Holding himself in had been entirely unconscious. It had also been entirely the wrong choice.

They had needed normalcy after the incident. Horatio had felt that as much as he had felt the lingering ache in his knuckles, sticking to the small joints longer than the sensation had any right to. Once Archie was up to it again, they were thrown back into the life they had become accustomed to. The old familiar paths were walked again, comfortable in their routine. The half-smiling games of chess were played, quiet but amiable.

An evening planetside should have been just the same. It should have been an entirely pleasant distraction from the last lingering shreds of phantom on the ship.

It's only after half the crew's spilled out into the port that Horatio feels the familiar tugging under his skin, unwelcome but painfully familiar. The lights and sounds and blur of a reality outside the comparative knowable nature of the ship all hit him like a sharp punch in the gut. The wave of panic the comes unbidden comes in a roar rather than an ebbing as his eyes go nearly blind.

He hasn't even made it out of the docking bay before his knees start to buckle. Catching the edge of the nearest door steadies him slightly but not entirely. He can't quite breathe. He can't quite scream.

He can't be sure, after holding his nerves back like this, his mind remembers how to reach out for Archie's in anything less than a sloppy, dangerous mess of overly powerful emotions.

o/

[betteralready]

It staggers him briefly, to be hit by the wave of emotion. It's overwhelming, for the briefest heartbeat.

But, once he's managed to catch his breath, he's staggering in the direction of Horatio with a rushed urgency.

Catching at his elbow is instant, as is the wave of defensive concern. Tugging firmly on Horatio's psyche is a rather instinctive thing.

"Hey now, Horatio. Come back, mm?"

[midship]

Somewhere, Archie is calling his name.

It feels painfully distant from underneath the weight of his nerves. His body moves blindly where it's tugged, recognizing his Source's touch through the haze. His own limbs move with a certain feral abandon, arms latching too tight around his lieutenant's shoulders, fingers digging too firmly into the other man's jacket. His forehead slams awkwardly into Archie's shoulder--thankfully before Horatio becomes entirely unable to repress a keening sort of scream.

He's safer here, with Archie to hold him. He's still going to have to drag his way home.

[betteralready]

"Shh-- I've got you, Horatio. Focus on me."

It's easy to murmur the gentle words, for all the tight grip is briefly startling. It's easy enough to breathe through after a moment.

Certainly easy enough to settle his psyche protectively around his Powered, continuing to whisper soft, soothing words against his hair.

[midship]

Archie wants him to focus.

And that's easier like this. That's possible when he can drown his senses in his Source's scent, feel, warmth. A sort of inborn eagerness takes over, wrangling at his fraying mind with the insistent impulse to follow Archie's instruction.

It happens slowly, like dragging himself up from a great depth, hand over hand.

"--hn."

The world is getting quieter. Archie's voice against his hair is getting louder. Horatio's arms tighten all the same, face pressing more firmly in against his Guide's cheek.

[betteralready]

"There we are."

He can feel his Powered drifting a little closer, now. The bump of his nose against Horatio's hair is fond and just a touch insistent.

"'lmost there, mm? You've got this."

[midship]

That's Archie's nose, warm and nuzzled close. That's Archie's voice, practically vibrating directly through his skull.

His breath is coming in exhausted gulps, arms still incredibly tight around the other young man.

"A--"

It's always Archie's name first. It's the best touchstone he has.

[betteralready]

"That's it, 'ratio. C'mon, now. You're doing so well."

He manages to stop himself from kissing Horatio's hair. It's a near thing. He absolutely isn't able to keep the soft affection from taking hold, though.

[midship]

"--Archie."

It's like gulping in the first proper breath of air after nearly drowning. The world stops rushing in; the quiet starts settling over them.

"Archie."

Horatio can't pull away yet. He absolutely can't relax his psyche from clinging tight, and for the moment he can't quite untangle his arms from clutching as well.

[betteralready]

"That's me."

A gentle squeeze.

"'ve got you, 'ratio."

[midship]

"Archie."

He can breathe much more easily now. With effort, he can even lift his head away from his lieutenant's cheek to stand just a little more under his own power.

"--sorry."

[betteralready]

"Don't apologize," comes the gentle response as he starts to let up, a little reluctantly.

"Are you-- feeling better?"

[midship]

If it were anyone else, he would simply lie. Blustering through this sort of fog had never been easy, but he had always managed before meeting Archie.

Horatio's hands are actually far steadier now than any time he'd lied in the past. His breath is coming more easily than he could ever remember, this soon after a panic.

The truth bubbles out all the same. "Not-- entirely."

Maybe they could keep standing here just a bit longer. Maybe they didn't have to pull away entirely just yet.

[betteralready]

Even though that's the truth, it still makes Archie manage a soft smile. His squeeze is light and gentle.

"Stay close a little longer, then, if you like."

[midship]

Another little wave of relief helps keep his shoulders relaxed. Another little shift gets him leaning in properly again, forehead settled against Archie's temple.

"Just-- a little."

Just a few more minutes. Just until he'd gotten comfortably certain of the other man's heartbeat against his own again.

[betteralready]

"'s long as you need."

That's so easy to offer, to him.

[midship]

A few deep breaths here help. A few more heartbeats with his hands where they can feel Archie's steady heartbeat help.

Horatio can feel his own steadiness welling up again. If he were a better man, he would drag himself away.

He's not a better man. He simply closes his eyes and lets out an exhausted sigh, nuzzling just a little closer.