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Sentinels and Guides;

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

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There it is again, that sign of speed, as John manages to actually catch his blade from a disarm. Gladio's damn impressed, and the even more so as John turns it to his advantage. When the strike comes, Gladio barely manages to get it away from his throat, instead turning just enough that the pommel ends up slamming into his shoulder again. When it comes, he's prepared for the knot of pain to flare of, but is surprised when it's not as painful as he might have guessed. Pulled?

"You love this," Gladio says as he pulls back several steps, rolling his shoulder. He could feel it boiling over from John and there's a feral look to the Guide's eyes that is downright intoxicating to witness. Yes, John's older than him. They're exceedingly different people, in some ways, but then there's these obvious connections as if they had a thread tied between them.

John's grin is just a little mad. "Yeah! So d'you!"

He realizes that he should probably not be getting quite so into it as he is and tries to sort out why every part of him is buzzing, ready to go. It's the Bond. Bloody hell, this thing. It feels amazing, but he's going to need to learn how to control it a little more before they actually hit the battlefield or he'll be following Gladio right into a rage with a wild laugh and raised sword.

He does love it, though. Even without Gladio there, John's always enjoyed the feeling of battle, standing balanced on the brink, pulse pounding, ready to defend, protect, fight for something bigger than himself, for the people back home who can't fight for themselves. John draws in a breath to center himself.

"Think that first round technically goes to you. Dropped my sword, even if I caught it up again. You've got a better grip than me." It's not exactly the parameters they set, but this feels like a pause before their next clash. It's good to acknowledge where he needs to improve. And 'don't let Gladio feint you and knock your sword' is a place for improvement.

You know, Gladio wouldn't be so against that, the idea of John at his side with a wild laugh in his ears and looking alive and ready to fight. In fact, the idea is damned exciting. So when John's tone sounds like he's calling for a pause, it takes a few seconds longer than Gladio would have liked for the control he's worked so hard for to actually come to a full stop, but he does. He stands there, breathing a little hard but not much, watching John with eyes that shine with the too-short thrill of a fight. Wait until he's in a full and proper one. Should be interesting for them both.

"Been trained to fight since I was five." His grin only grows. "Trained in pretty much every weapon under the sun. You're pretty damn quick yourself, John. I'm impressed. Never thought I'd meet a Guide who could keep up with me." He rubbed his shoulder where he'd been hit, but over all, the look in his eyes and the tone in his voice hold one thing - pride. He's proud to have John as his Guide.

"I'll be paying for it later, trust me." Although, he's feeling pretty limber at the moment. Jumping around is helping last night's aches and pains quiet down. John brings his sword up in salute to Gladio. He can feel the pride across their Bond and it warms him to his core. "Never thought I'd meet a Sentinel I couldn't disarm, though." At least once. He tends to be able to apply his disarm techniques a few times before the lads cottoned on and came up with counters in training. "But I've still got two rounds to try.

"Ready?" He turns the blade so that it's held backward against the length of his forearm, but realizes that's not going to work. The Guide returns to a more standard defensive stance with his blade, although he keeps loose, ready to dodge to either side or back. While the transition between the stances is smooth, it might be obvious to Gladio that John is far better versed in short blades than longer ones.

The strange salute - England's, he notes with a hint of a smile - gets answered with one of his own. "I think it's just the blade. Never thought I'd find a Guide who could come close enough. I've had a Sentinel manage it in the past, but never a Guide." His voice goes challenging, grin slanted. "Think you can be the first?"

He swings his blade up onto his shoulders, a very casual stance, but anyone familiar with a greatsword knows that once it gets swinging, it can become dangerous to even try and stop it depending on the power of that swing. "I can't wait to try you on a short sword. Wonder how it'd do against my shield."

"Think I'd like to be." John returns the grin and Gladio will feel another uptick of amusement across the Bond for a moment.

"And I'm sure we'll have a chance to see. Maybe after I have a go with Prompto on the shooting range. I'd like to see what the rest of the team can do, as well." John's not going to repeat the same move from their first encounter. He has something else in mind, instead. He darts forward as before, but this time he aims a swing low at Gladio's knees. The Guide is hoping the Sentinel will bring his sword down and across in a block. If he does, John's planning to physically kick the flat of the blade while it's down.

It probably won't be enough to disarm Gladio, but it might be enough of a surprise for John do duck down and under the other man's guard.

"You'll be surprised by them, I think." He was, out of the four, by far the most straight forward when it came to who he was and how he fought. He was a big guy who fought like a big guy with a big sword, and he had no problems with that. Most people under estimated his strength or speed, but it was still written out what he'd fight like. The others? Not so much. Ignis with his look of a chef, an advisor, secretly boasting a ridiculous speed, agility, and a pair of lethal daggers, Prompto with his absolute crack shot, and Noctis with control of the crystal's magic... they're less obvious. Specially when Noctis' has been nothing but a lazy bum since John's arrived.

John's tactic works.

Gladio's quick, but once John's inside his guard, he has to shift and shift quick to defend himself, leaving himself open in that moment. However, with John this close, it leaves both of their blades very difficult to use. What will John do with his opening?

John's hoping he can surprise Gladio's mates, in turn. Noctis, certainly. Prompto's prowess with guns is of particular interest, purely from a base competitive standpoint. The Guide might enjoy getting up close and personal like he is with Gladio, but he's well aware that he's most effective at a relative distance.

Blades aren't what John has in mind just at the moment while he has the advantage. Instead, he bounces up with the intent of headbutting Gladio beneath the chin. If he's lucky, he'll manage to stun the other man and might be able to get his weapon out of his hands before the Sentinel regains his wits and simply bats the Guide away... or crushes John to his body and holds him tight and squirming there until he's forced to concede.

Prompto is beyond estatic that someone else will know about guns and be able to shoot with him. He wants to learn from people who know what they're doing, but it's been hard. John will find a very enthusiastic student who has a natural gift (or, well, unnatural, but-) for a gun in his hand even if he is horribly awkward with anything that's not a gun or a machine. Ignis wil be pleasantly surprised. Noct... well. Good luck with Noct because he isn't going to be certain about the old man who's better than him with a blade.

John does just as he hopes, getting Gladio in the chin which sends bright-white sparks through his vision, rocking the bigger man back. However, he either recovers more quickly than expected or gets lucky with a blind shot because a hand comes straight out for John's midsection, with every intent of just getting the attacker away from him to give him a chance to recover fully.

John's triumph at a solid connection is short-lived thanks to Gladio's swift action. The doctor finds himself winded as he's knocked forcibly back and down. He recovers and makes it back to his feet, knowing he needs to press his advantage. He uses the sword in his hand as a counterbalance as he kicks again, this time high toward the hand holding Gladio's sword.

It's a much smaller target than the blade, itself, so it's less certain of a hit, particularly if Gladio's back on his game. John's going to go for it while he can, though. Of course if he misses, it will likely be easy for the Sentinel to tip him over and get him down at swordpoint.

His Guide's speed isn't all physical. That recovery is impressive, far faster than he would have thought someone would take that kind of blow. Sure, he'd pulled it, a little, this is a spar after all and not full on combat, but that would have sent a lot of other people down completely. He can taste a bit of blood - probably caught his tongue or his cheek thanks to John's hit - but it only feels like fuel to the fire.

It would turn out to be a double edged sword for John to try that trick. His kick connects, getting Gladio to drop the blade with a hiss through his teeth, but his free hand drops down onto John's ankle. If he can keep it, John is going to get ripped right off his feet and quite literally flung away from him, meant to stop an immediate counter attack and let him snag his blade, but while it would count to keep him alive in a real fight (most important thing to him), it still costs him a point in John's favor.

John flashes a cheeky grin at the Sentinel as Gladio's hand clamps hold of him. The Guide doesn't resist the yank, but bloody hell is that going to hurt later. He's working out muscles he forgot he had at this point, muscle memory filling in the gaps that the inability to practice has created the past few months.

He goes limp except for the hand holding his blade. He doesn't want that flailing about as he goes tumbling quite literally head over heels. The landing isn't as terrible as it could be. John isn't really capable of recovering at that angle, but being loose means there's less pain and he's able to roll with it a little more easily. The sword gets pointed out, away from him, and skitters on the floor as he lands and tumbles a few feet.

The Guide ends up sprawled on his back, giggling with what breath he has. He'd heard the blade clatter to the ground. After a moment, he rolls over onto his stomach and props his chin up with one hand. "How's your tongue? I'd hate to ruin that for selfish reasons."

Edited 2017-09-09 00:01 (UTC)

...Is John freaking giggling over there? Gladio rubs his jaw as he looks over at his Guide, then snorts loudly on the comment. Yes, point to John, but he'll keep his pride somewhat in tact because he'd still be alive if this had been real. "Thanks to you, sore." he turns his tongue over and finds the source of the blood. "Just bit my lip in the process." He visibly swallows. "Look at that, ruined your fun for the night."

He reaches down and picks up his blade, letting it disappear before walking over and offering a hand down to John to help him up. "You're a quick little asshole. Oh, excuse me, we're in England. Arsehole." He smirks, and if John takes the hand he'll tug the other up as if he weighs nothing at all.

There is a serious look down to John's ankle, though. "Didn't get you too hard, did I?"

John takes the proffered hand and holds on for am moment to the other man while he tests his leg. "Remind me to take longer stretching and wear a little more padding the next time we spar. I'll be fine, just a bit sore. So there goes your fun, as well. Reckon we'll just have to get creative. Maybe a massage would help?" There's a suggestive tilt of his brows.

Reluctantly, he does let go of Gladio's hand. "Well, that sets us even for the last round. And I managed to get that sword out of your hands. My delicate ego thanks you."

"It was a learning experience for us both," Gladio points out, willing to stay braced for John to lean on while he checks his ankle. But, with a bit of a cheeky grin, he points out, "there's lots we could do that don't need to have you moving around too much on that ankle. Might be convinced to doing a massage, though." Complete with brow waggle.

"Think you want to stop, or keep going?" His tone didn't push in either way, knowing John alone could decide for himself how hurt he was.

"Keep going. I'm not that beat up." He gives Gladio a light punch in the arm and winks at him. "Have to see if I can win the right to play 20 questions from the asking side." Although, honestly, John's feeling perfectly happy with his ability to disarm Gladio. Still got that, Watson. It really is a nice stroke for his ego, even if it ended in getting chuck partway across the room. He suspects he'll have to get back in the habit of practicing recoveries. If they go out fighting daemons, there's bound to a number of times he'll get hit.

"Need to work up a good appetite for breakfast, anyway." He takes a deep breath and steps back, raising his sword again. "You ready?"

"Just remember I gave you the option." Gladio winked, but there was something savage in that grin that graced his lips. One to one. The Sentinel, as much as the fighter in him, wanted to prove that he would be capable of protecting his Guide.

It certainly came through on this round, because Gladio held back less. He had seen just how fast John could be, so this was the kind of fight where you didn't hold back, you didn't hesitate, you stood your ground, or you lost. He'd seen that before in men, hells Ignis could be exactly like that.

So when John comes in close again, Gladio feels it out, but not for long. He moves back, wanting to pull John in close, and then just goes for the gusto. He quite literally body slams his Guide, crashing into him with less grace and more a raw strength to send John down to the floor, the point of his blade following to lay against the side of John's throat.

His inner Sentinel is utterly pleased.

John's half-starting to rise, body reacting before his conscious thoughts catch up, when he feels the blade at his throat and huffs. The Guide lets himself relax back onto the floor and offers his Sentinel a wry grin as he feels the other man's smug satisfaction through the Bond. "Reckon I was asking for that. Got a bit cocky, didn't I?" He wrinkles his nose at himself.

"D'you lot have ibuprofen? I'm gonna need it today."

Once the visible surrender happens, the sword disappears from his hand, little blue sparks falling to grace along John's chest and cheeks. A little smirk touches the corner of his lips before he offers a hand down to help John up. "Oh, Ignis definitely has some. He keeps all of that stuff laying around. ...And a hell of a first aid kit, too." There's smug satisfaction for winning, but there's still pride in John. He gets to have the kind of Guide he couldn't imagine getting.

"Maybe a massage - a real massage, before your mind goes into the gutter - might be on the table later if you need it."

That's right. He picked up the first aid kit last night for Gladio's stitches. It should be in their room still. Excellent! John takes the proffered hand up. He only half-pretends at being dizzy as he leans against the other man for a moment. What was that about getting his mind out of the gutter? It's hard when Gladio is exuding delicious scents and a sense of triumph across the Bond.

"Real massage might be nice. I think I could go with a shower and breakfast for now. Think that counts as a workout, yeah? How's your shoulder doing?"

John's not going to be the one to point out that Gladio's promised prize is available to him. He's free to ask the Guide whatever he wants and John will answer, reluctant as he might be.

Gladio shifts his shoulder, feeling it out, then peels his tank top back and grunts. "Don't see any blood staining the bandages, so I'd say your stitching's held." It's sore, but he's bigger than grumbling about the ache. "Probably have Ignis use his skills and take a bit of magic to it, heal this up faster just to be safe."

Oh, he knows, but he's not ready to push it just yet. Instead, he leans down to John's neck and makes a slow, deep breath on the scent pouring out of him. The soft groan is downright cruel in how sensual it is. "You smell like the best thing that's ever existed."

John tilts his head instinctively to give Gladio full access to his neck for a moment. They're in the middle of the gym, though. Probably best not to get too handsy, much as he'd like to. The Guide pulls away and offers Gladio the sword he'd been using. "I'll keep in mind 'defeat' smells best on me." Once the Sentinel takes the sword back, John will roll his shoulder a few times and gesture for Gladio to follow him back out and up to the rooms.

"Magic'll be faster, yeah. You could have just had him do it in the first place." Although, that would mean they would never have met. "Change of heart on it being embarrassing, or just giving up since he had to pick us up at my clinic?"

"That isn't what you smell like," Gladio rumbles, his eyes nearly black as he looks down at John, taking the sword and dismissing it back into the armiger. "You smell like sweat and fight and strength and determination and if I had my way I'd-"

Blink. The slightest moment of what might be embarrassment before he turns away. "Both. It's not like I can hide it and I know Ignis is going to rail me about it at some point, so if I can guilt him into healing me while he's railing me about it, so much the better."

John has a feeling he knows what Gladio's way might be and he's really not opposed to it on principle, more just location and the unsullied eyes of anyone who might wander in accidentally. They might end up terrifying someone else like they did when Gladio had delivered his first bite in the clinic.

"Sounds like a plan for you. And talking of plans. What's the schedule today? We're meant to meet Lady Lunafreya, right? Or... am I going to be waiting to meet with her?" If Prompto's kicked out of direct talks, as well, it might be fun to do some shooting with him.

Gladio wouldn't give two shits in one sense, more the idea of possibly getting a nation upset with Noctis being the issue in another sense. He isn't ashamed of this relationship in the least, but he's smart enough to realize they have a hotel room like two minutes walk, tops. Besides, he can fuck John into the bed there and have a place to cuddle after back there.

But, for now, schedule. Plans. Gladio rubs a hand over his face before stretching out slowly. Really, he still plans to finish his proper workout. "That's up to Noct, so not sure. Prompto's still not great on that front so he sits out unless we think we're gonna need him as a Guide, but Lady Lunafreya actually wants to meet him. Less a political thing and more because he's Noct's Guide and she wants to see who her friend's got as a Guide." Gladio gives an easy grin, walking back into the gym proper. "If Iggy's got Noct up by the time we get back, we can find out from there."

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