Sooooo, it has occured to me, that many fans here, (especially some of the younger ones), might not know what is actually behind all the ‘Sentinel and Guide’ fanlore talk. And that’s a shame, honestly, because the concept lends itself to some of the best fanfictions that I have had the pleasure to read in my time.
So I decided to put together a little information.
For an easy and pretty comprehensive overview, please go here: https://infiniteeight8.tumblr.com/post/68075231337/misspaperlilies-said-what-is-this-sentinelguide
The post focuses specifically on the show that birthed the Sentinel and Guide craze among fanfiction writers, and it’s really good.
Now some additional info from me: (p.s., anyone who is versed in the Sentinel/Guide fanlore, please add whatever I missed out on, or correct me if I presented some of the things wrong)
- A Sentinel (Watchman, Guardian), is a person with all five of his or her senses being hyperactive/acute. They can see, hear, smell, taste and feel everything many times more than a normal human is capable of. And I’m not talking about not needing glasses to read the newspaper that’s laying across the table. I’m saying the Sentinel would be able to read the fineprint on that newspaper from like fifty feet away. They are able to tell how many people are in a different room, from feeling the body warmth these people give off through the stone wall seperating them. They can focus on someone’s heartbeat to determine if they are lying or not. And many more such useful tricks.
However, such strong senses can and often turn out to be, a great liability. The sensory input that the Sentinel has to deal with is simply too much. Imagine being able to hear a pin drop in the apartment across the hall, and then being in a crowded mall and having to suffer through this kind of noise. Some strong smells, in fact ALL strong smells, like peppermint, garlic, or cheese, would become completely repungant to such a sensitive nose. Spicy meals are pretty much a no go for someone whose tastebuds have become oversensitized to such an extreme level. Fabrics that normal people don’t have a problem with, would scratch and irritate the skin of a person with a hyperactive tactile sense. Too bright colors or lights would cause constant headaches.
If one or more senses get aggravated too much, from high input, they can cause ‘Spikes’. Which are usually referred to as sudden pain coming from the area of the sense. Think about it like overusing a certain muscle, to the point where even slightly moving that muscle brings you pain and discomfort.
And that’s not the only drawback.
There are things called: Zone-out’s. Those are moments when the Sentinel becomes so focused on one sense alone, that they subconciously close off all input from their other senses. This leads to the Sentinel getting ‘lost’ in that one sense, falling into a catatonic state (and becoming incredibly vulnerable to attack). The Sentinel can usually not get out of a zone-out alone, as at least one other sense has to be stimulated for the Sentinel to stop focusing on the one that they zoned on.
This is where the Guide comes in.
A Guide is a partner to the Sentinel. Someone who watches the Sentinel’s back and helps them control their hyperactive senses.
A Guide will ground the Sentinel, be a calming influence on them, and often the only one who can get the Sentinel out of a zone-out, or ease a particularly bad ‘spike’ (or even prevent spikes from happening.)
There are certain excersizes that a Guide will ‘guide’ their Sentinel through, that will help the Sentinel with gaining and maintaining control over their senses.
A popular concept in this regard is the visualization of ‘dials’.
Picture one of those old stereos, or radios, with the round knobs you had to turn, to increase or reduce volume, bass, etc.
When a Guide helps their Sentinel control their senses, they sit close together and talk them calmly through the process of appointing each sense to a dial. The dial usually has a scale from 0 to 10. The 0 Level, is when the sense shuts off completely. (And that can be very dangerous, too, and is only done in dire situations). The Level 10 on the other hand, is the one that leads to spikes and zone-outs. (Also to be avoided). Levels 4 or 5 are usually appointed as ‘human’ levels, or the ones that are the most neutral and comfortable for a Sentinel. Under the guidance of a Guide, a Sentinel can dial their senses up and down as needed (dial up sight if one needs to spot a sniper hiding somewhere miles away, or dial down hearing so as not to be hindered by loud noises when one needs to focus on something else, for example.)
A Sentinel can learn to use those kinds of dials on their own, but it is very taxing and hard, and often leads to very unpleasant outcomes.
Now, going a bit deeper into the fanlore.
Sentinels and Guides are usually genetically engineered for each other. The Guides scent is pleasant for the Sentinel, their heartbeat grounding, and so on. On the Guide’s side of the spectrum, the Sentinel often offers a sense of protection or ‘shielding’, for the Guide’s more emphathetic nature (though not every story has Empath Guides, it is a popular trope in fandom).
Sentinels and Guides (if compatible) often ‘bond’. These bonds can be platonic, or romantic/sexual in nature, but they usually all share a ‘bonding bite’. Which is a deep bite mark at the nape of the Guide’s (and sometimes the Sentinel’s) neck. And often brings with it a kind of psychic connection between the pair. Though not every story with Sentinels and Guides utilizes such..
There are often also some more spiritual aspects to Sentinels and Guides and bonding, but those are completely dependant on if and how and what the author wants to work into their story.
Needless to say, the possibilities are endless.
While the Sentinel is often presented as more primal, territorial, and possessive, the same things can be and have been attributed to Guides in many fanfics. Again, this aspect is completely up to the author and how they want to write their story.
Okay, I hope I covered most of the bases. Again, if anyone wants to add stuff, please do so!
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