Shaman's Journey

Lots of initial angst: Blair afraid to give so much of himself; feels he wouldn’t survive, if he did, when Jim dumps him again; Jim tried courting Blair (no luck), is devastated to learn Sandburg doesn’t trust him enough to commit and believes it’s inevitable that Jim will dump him again, as soon as there is pressure or threat, like TSbyBS, TS2, and the first chapter reactions.

Jim is wounded and Gabe makes an appearance: asks Blair if fear will be any comfort if it’s too late to love

Blair suggests they go to a cabin on the ocean: tells Jim he loves him and commits to relationship. First kiss and first sex. Jim promises they won’t ever be separated on the job again (his injury occurred because Sandburg wasn’t with him – was doing the ‘cop backup’ and covering an exit); says he’ll quit before he allows Blair to be removed as his partner

Jim realizes that, though Blair has committed to relationship, Blair still believes Jim will dump him one day, but loves Jim enough to face that inevitability; Blair is focusing ‘on the now’.

Blair tells Naomi (in front of Simon) that Jim ‘is his life’.

Simon realizes what is going on, but doesn’t want to officially know, as he’d have to take action as per regs.

While Blair is recovering from injuries, Naomi tells Jim that she realizes their relationship has changed and thinks all MCU realizes it, too. Jim hopes she’s wrong: regs against life partners being partners at work.

‘Big guy’ becomes Blair’s code for Jim as lover

Jim calls Blair ‘babe’ for first time.

Work relationship has hints of trouble: Martin is out to get Blair, but nothing much really happens around pressures on the job from other cops. The action is pretty much confined to MCU gang.

Fireworks!

Personal relationship is going very well. Many tender moments and a lot of hot sex.

However, Jim is still experiencing considerable guilt and regret for how he handled the situation in TSbyBS, and for the price Blair paid and is still paying, in giving up his career, having to redirect to a profession that he might never have chosen for himself otherwise, and for taking on the label of fraud and liar. He does not share these feelings with Sandburg, just tries very hard to be supportive however he can. (However, as Blair’s condition worsens, these feelings could spike as Jim feels remorse and even more guilt, maybe believing that Sandburg wouldn’t be sick if he hadn’t had to endure so much stress.)

The image of Sandburg in socks and nothing else is introduced, and the mention of ‘socks’ becomes a private joke between them.

Work issues are more problematical. Nick Martin, IA, is really out to get Blair, extremely hostile, insulting.

Rod Martin (older brother to Nick and Captain of the Bomb Squad) is actively contemptuous of Blair and would like to find cause to terminate him on probation.

Jim and Blair assigned to special Taskforce headed by Rod Martin, who immediately sends Jim out on a search without Blair; Jim agrees because Martin threatens to charge Blair with insubordination and fire him, if Blair goes on the search with Jim. Jim worries after that Blair will hold it against him (see it as a breaking of the promise he made in Holocaust to never allow them to be parted). Martin threatens Blair directly.

When Jim goes out on search without Blair, he nearly dies from overload and allergic reaction. Blair arrives in time to save him.

Jim is shot (in Kevlar vest) by a terrorist they are attempting to arrest, and Blair kills for second time (Abdul Alizar). Blair has minor attack of the shudders after having to kill again.

Blair is beginning to wonder if he has the resilience to cope with the continued hostility at work.

Jim is beginning to wonder if this ‘being cops’ is worth the hassles and risks (after Blair is nearly killed)

Neither confesses concerns to one another; they vow again never to let anyone separate them; they both are committed to continuing to try making it work as partners at work.

Hunter’s Moon

Blair is still having trouble finding his feet within the department and this is being exacerbated

by him feeling constantly tired and drained. He’s suffering more and more from bout’s of vivid

dreams which interrupt his sleep. He drags himself into the department everyday in an

effort not to let Jim down, but he’s exhausted and needs a break. The crux comes when he

looses his self control during an interview with a drug suspect (Gavin Lacey) and hits him in the jaw. The

incident is played downed (covered up to a certain extent) and Simon does what he can to make

sure it doesn’t reach Martin in IA.

Simon and Jim both realize that Blair really needs a break - sometime to relax and get his head around being

a cop, so a fishing trip to one of lakes in the Washington State Park is organized.

Jim resents the fact that he’s pulled off an ongoing investigation, but he realizes how much pressure

and stress that Blair is under and that his partners well being comes first

Their personal relationship is moving forward, but there is still an air of keeping things to

themselves and not sharing and being totally honest with each other about events that effect

both their lives. By the end of the story they make a resolve to start looking at their lives as

a partnership, both in work and at home.ngs out in silent independence.

Another mention of Blair in white socks *g*

Jim uses the term ‘babe’ a few more times, but usually only when he’s worried or concerned about Blair.

Megan/Rafe

Holocaust:

Gang realize that Megan and Rafe are an ‘item’… having an affair.

Fireworks!

Are living together; Rafe hopes it will be permanent; Megan very supportive over his loss of parents and of bringing Trina to live with them.

Trina, Rafe’s sister (orphaned when their parents are killed in terrorist attack on Singapore), comes to live with them.

Simon

Fireworks!

Simon muses about how he wishes he had someone in his life.

Hunter’s Moon

This continues in Hunter’s Moon and he reveals to Blair how he misses

being in a partnership

Full of Good Cheer

Simon and Naomi fall in love and begin an affair

Villains

Holocaust: Luther Schwartz, grandson of a man hung for war crimes against Jews (medical experiments) (two of his prisoners were Benjamin Joseph Sandburg and Sarah Sandburg, Blair’s grandfather and grandmother). Schwartz vows to kill all those who had anything to do with his grandfather’s conviction, including their issue. Naomi and Blair are the last ones left, and he very nearly succeeds in killing Blair, but dies himself when, during a struggle with Sandburg, he accidentally injects himself with poison he intended for Blair.

Schwartz is also the head of an international organ theft ring, which brutally steals organs from the homeless, leaving them to die. Organs are used for transplant.

Schwartz has also clandestinely conducted experiments in pain tolerance (his ‘subjects’ inevitably die – he monitors what they can endure before dying).

Minor bad guy: Ansel Oberheimer, who shoots Jim and then himself in the head in front of Blair, rather than be arrested by the police

Fireworks: Four terrorists from the Warriors of God, responsible for horrific bombings in Singapore and Vancouver. Cascade is their next target.

Blair kills one after he shoots Jim during their attempt to arrest him: Abdul Alizar

Jim kills one who is threatening to kill Blair and has armed bomb to blow up Lincoln Street Bridge: Mustafa Alamein

Two are taken into custody: Ishmael Latour and Ibn Izt’talla

Hunter's Moon:

Jacques Lempailleur – A French born American who has studied and made the art of

taxidermy his career. He has no aversion to taking on commissions that are on the exotic (or

illegal) side.

Jacques old and frail body is riddled with cancer.

Jacques is arrested by Blair and Jim for attempted murder at the end of the story.

Kruger Botha – A South African hunter who takes pride in his hunting heritage. Kruger is an expert at

killing and the rarer the species, the bigger the adrenaline rush. His last hunt was to take the head of a

teenager by the name of Laura McKenzie.

Kruger is killed by Blair. A cree fishing spear through his middle.

Trick or Treat

Martini (Martin) Reynolds – a conflicted transvestite who is murdering others; ultimately commits suicide rather than go to jail when Jim survives his attack and he is surrounded by police.

Sheldon (Don or Donnie) Morris – psycho who murders coeds because he hates his recently deceased mother. He is caught and arrested.

Significant Events

Holocaust

Gabe makes appearance and counsels Blair to not let fear cost him love.

Blair learns his grandparents and aunt were tortured and murdered when Naomi was thirteen by Luther Schwartz because his grandfather testified against Schwartz’s grandfather.

Naomi and Simon realize that Jim and Blair have become lovers.

Fireworks!

MCU gang find subtle way of letting Jim and Blair know they all know the relationship has changed and that they are lovers, and the gang is perfectly okay with that, even happy for them.

The Martin brothers, Nick (IA) and Rod (Capt of Bomb Squad), emerge as the voices of those who hold Blair in contempt and have no use for him.

New Minor Characters introduced:

Sergeant Jamieson (Jamie) in the Bomb Squad; good guy, supportive of Blair, helps Blair save Jim in the warehouse; he and other taskforce members have epiphany and realize the diss was true, but nothing is said about it.

Hank, the very efficient Dispatcher at Cascade PD

Hunter’s Moon

Jim, Blair and Simon go to a luxurious cabin in the mountains, to give Blair a chance to catch his breath after he implodes during an interrogation. (He was having vision-like experiences of what the child molester had been doing and slugged the perp.)

In the woods, they run afoul of a trophy hunter, Kruger Botha, who hunts human game. While Blair races to the cabin to get Simon’s help with a victim (Olympic hopeful young woman runner), the hunter confronts Jim and shoots him in the chest with a crossbow arrow – by the time Blair gets back, just ahead of Simon, it appears as if Jim has bled out and they think him dead. But he clings to life and Blair realizes blood is still oozing from his body – and heals him. No one has any recollection of what happened as Simon was caring for the victim, Jim was unconscious and Blair collapses after, and has no residual memory; but they all know that, somehow, Blair healed Jim. They attribute it to Jim’s powers as a sentinel, linking it to the how he brought Blair back from the dead at the fountain.

Jim considers resigning, that being a cop, the pressure and stress is just too much, for both of them.

Trick or Treat

Jim hasn’t resigned; instead, Blair has been sent on a profiler course, to be able to use his knowledge and skills as an anthropologist in crime fighting. He’s barely finished with the course when they are assigned a serial killer targeting trans-sexuals.

Blair experiences visions, as if in the killer’s mind, while meditating and focusing upon the killer’s MO and probable psychological profile. He experiences visions of Jim covered in blood that terrify him.

They go undercover as trans-sexuals preparing for sex change, to join the therapy group that the victims were members of.

Another profiler case/serial killer, Sheldon (Don or Donnie) Morris, who targets coeds starts before the tranny case is concluded and Blair is called away to the second crime scene. Blair’s visions become even more clear in terms of being in the killer’s mind.

A mentally challenged man gives them the clues they need to focus the investigation on a security guard at Rainier.

Desperate Journey

Blair is dying of shaman sickness. On the advice of Ben Thundercloud, Dan Wolf’s tribal shaman, Jim takes him to the Temple. Naomi arranges for a local shaman she’s known for twenty years, Manuel (Mano) d’Angeles, to meet them and to help Blair.

Manuel requires Jim ‘to believe’ – a crisis of faith – in order to cure Blair; then he helps them understand they are both shamans. Jim is a hereditary shaman with the gifts of heightened senses and visions; Blair is a ‘called’ shaman (survived death and returned), with the gifts of healing, visions, spiritwalking, etc.

He requires Jim and Blair to talk with total honesty, and then to fully commit to one another as shaman/sentinel and shaman/guide, and they under-go a commitment ceremony in a pool in the temple. Only then, can they return home, really ready to face their life together.

Full of Good Cheer

Holiday fic full of hope and celebration.

Simon and Naomi keep seeing one another after the trip to the Temple, fall in love and begin an affair.

Case Story Elements

Jim’s call sign is One – Zebra - Twelve

Holocaust

Blair is cleared in the IA investigation of use of lethal force in the shooting of Harley Wood; but Martin is distinctly unhappy about it (is ordered to wrap it up by his boss, Sheila Irwin), and privately vows to get Sandburg, and maybe Ellison, too.

Dual case story, with common bad guy. Starts with an international organ theft case (brutally stolen from homeless who are left to die) masterminded by Schwartz, and ends with Schwartz stalking Sandburg for revenge over his grandfather’s conviction and hanging for war crimes. Jim is wounded in wrap-up of organ theft case (Gabe is the victim); Blair volunteers to draw Schwartz out and is nearly killed (beaten brutally with whip, chain, fists and nearly poisoned). Schwartz dies after accidentally injecting himself during their struggle.

Gabe disappears again from the hospital, his purpose having been accomplished.

Fireworks!

Terrorists, Warriors of God, bomb downtown Singapore and downtown/key locations ie HarbourFront, Lions’ Gate Bridge, stadium, in Vancouver. The story involves proving first that they have Cascade next on their target list, determining likely targets, tracking the terrorists and stopping the bombings from happening. Basically a lot of solid police work, insightful contributions by Sandburg, and critical use of Jim’s senses to prevent disaster.

Storyline includes Jim being overwhelmed by a sensory allergic reaction that could have been fatal when he executes a search warrant on his own, and Jim being shot (in Kevlar vest) when they try to apprehend one of the terrorists who is holed up in a house where he has killed the family (Blair kills the terrorist – his second ‘kill’); also includes Sandburg nearly being killed during the climax when the last terrorist is cornered and, ultimately, shot and killed by Jim.

Subtheme of case story is Nick Martin (IA) going after Sandburg for never seeming to bring in suspects alive, and making it clear that his mission is to bring Blair down, and Jim, too – accuses (in homophobic way) them of being life partners, which is against regs.

Subtheme of case story is Rod Martin (Capt of Bomb Squad and elder brother of Nick), holding Sandburg in contempt and making direct threats of desire to fail him on probation and have his badge. Calls Sandburg ‘a bad joke’ and says Blair will bring down Banks and Ellison if they continue to support him.

Hunter's Moon

The storyline revolves around Simon, Jim and Blair taking a relaxing fishing trip up to the

mountains – a lake in the Washington State Park.

A 17 year old girl (Laura McKenzie) has gone missing and the police are beginning to

suspect she’s a runaway. Blair sees her photo on the notice board at the local shop where

they’ve stopped for last minute supplies. He has a strange sensation that he’s seen her

before, but he can’t put his finger on it. It’s brushed aside as they continue their tip

In the mountains, Laura, who has been held captive by Kruger, is released. He gives her a

two hour start before hunting her down. His aim is to take her head.

Jim and Blair stumble across Laura on a hike to some local caves. She’s unconscious and they formulate a plan to get her back to the cabin. During the last part of the journey Blair is struggling hard with fatigue and they separate. He goes ahead to raise the alarm to Simon

Kruger, who has been tracking the pair, decides that the more heads the better. Jim is mortally

wounded when shot through the chest by an arrow from Kruger’s crossbow. Blair arrives back

on the scene, struggles with Kruger and kills him with his fishing spear.

The healing scene takes places – lots of stuff happens here, but basically Blair uses his

powers as a Shaman to heal Jim. Neither Jim or Blair remember any of what happens

during the healing.

The healing leaves Blair exhausted and incoherent. By the time they piece the case together

and leave the mountain, Blair is struggling hard and not coping well. Jim decides that

being a cop is costing his partner to much and resigns without telling Blair. He suggest a

week away in Hawaii (where he intends to tell Blair what he’s done – but he never seems

to find the right moment) By the time they arrive back home Blair is rested and starting

to get back on track and more focused on giving his new career a chance.

They argue when Blair finds out about Jim’s resignation and insists Simon assign him a

new partner. He has no intention of quitting. They confront each other on a few issues

regarding trust and working together as one and come to the resolution that they need to

focus on including one another in important decisions.

Simon throws away Jim’s resignation letter and hands him back his badge.

Trick or Treat

Two serial killer cases, back to back and somewhat overlapping so Blair is called from the first, an undercover assignment with Jim as trans-sexuals seeking sex change, to the crime scene of murdered coeds.

Full of Good Cheer

Blair’s has visions/spirit walks that link Charismatic Christopher (Christopher Chistyakova), a world famous psychic/hypnotist, with a series of robberies of items once held in the Chistyakova family collection. Only this time, Christopher also sees him; there is a sense of potential evil, not in Christopher, but in the ambiance of this nether place where Blair spiritwalks on the spiritual plain, as if he’s being watched.

Hohnihohkaiyohos Neeheeoeewootis, a Cheyenne name for high-backed wolf is the word sound Blair meditates upon to summon his spirit guide, who he nicknames, ‘Woot’.

Shaman Sickness Symptoms

Holocaust

Blair’s increasingly tired. Not sleeping well. Poor appetite and is losing weight, even when he forces himself to eat.

Fireworks!

Blair has vague dreams of old memories: being on digs, looking at cave walls, being in the Library at Rainier looking at ancient texts; feels as if he’s missing something; has sense of falling and being sucked into a vortex.

Jim notices Blair has been losing weight loss.

Blair experiences increasing weariness, apparently from the sleep disruption, and some from emotional issues stemming from trouble at work.

Blair begins some unconscious doodling of dots and jagged lines.

Hunter’s Moon

More clarity in the dreams, some may be precognitive, but Blair barely remembers them except as nightmares.

Blair experiences bout(s) of blinding white light with a bolt of pain from the base of his skull.

Blair sees dots and jagged lines when under severe stress.

Experiences intense intuitive experience of seeing a child-molesting perp for the preying monster he is, including a scent overload, and experiences great, uncontrollable anger toward the man –strikes him.

Experiences what looks like an emotional stun-out -- like an anxiety attack after he wonders how many careers he'll blow in a lifetime.

Note: The scent stuff and blinding light, head pain and dots etc could be taken as symptoms of a brain tumor down the road a bit, when they start to think he might really be physically ill

Blair has an episode of spontaneous healing when Jim is bleeding to death. He collapses after, and doesn’t remember what happened.

Note: the spontaneous healing is thought by Jim, Blair and Simon to be sentinel-related, given Jim brought Blair back from the dead, and not something specific to Blair personally.

Trick or Treat

All of the above happening with increasing intrusiveness so that Blair is really slowing down, having trouble keeping going.

They may begin to seriously worry about a physical illness, maybe brain tumor – though neither would say so out loud; the doctors find him a bit run down but essentially healthy. Blair’s doctor, Reg Sturgis, does tests but finds nothing wrong

While unconscious due to injury, Jim has visions of the jungle, Incacha and the spirit guides, who are now really trying to get through to him before it's too late, only he doesn't remember them when he regains consciousness

Blair collapses at the end of movie. Cliffhanger ending.

Desperate Journey

Blair is dying but the doctor’s don’t know why except that his metabolism is out of control, burning all his energy and strength away. Jim asks Dan Wolf to help identify the cause, and after Dan says he has figured out that Jim is a sentinel, he seeks information from his tribal shaman, Ben Thundercloud, who sends word that it sounds like shaman sickness, which is deadly if not addressed; he suggests that they need to go to the Temple.

When semi-comatose or delirious, Blair speaks with Incacha, spiritwalks, experiences precognition episodes (similar to the fragmented images Jim saw when in the pool in the Temple)

Jim remembers his visions and risks it all to take a dying Blair to the temple – his father, William, facilitates the journey, Steven flies the private plain, Naomi has been called to the hospital by Simon and goes with them, as does Simon.

Naomi calls ahead to a shaman she has known for twenty years, Manuel (Mano) d’Angeles.

Shaman References

Jess found these and we've been basing some of our stuff on them: http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/sn_arch/10_5_96/bob2.htm

http://www.cygnus-books.co.uk/features/healing_vortex_chris_thomas.htm

I like the first one as it postulates that the experience of visions and 'shamanism', if you will, is a human phenomena that is shared, in terms of the actual experience and what happens in the mind being the same, across cultures. It's physiological, not just psychological or culturally based. I think that's a very provocative concept. Imagine being 'hardwired' with the ability to be a shaman?

The second one gives the 'vortex' idea, linked to the healing that Jess will be doing, but also linked to the 'going into a tunnel' perception in the first reference. Finally, I really like the third ref because it maybe explains something few have done anything with in the fandom -- we often acknowledge that Jim is the one who has the shamanistic experiences of visions, seeing spirit animals, etc, but we don't go further (might be room to ‘discover’ this when they are in the Temple in M7).

In the third ref, I can see a case being made that Jim is an hereditary shaman, based on his genetic inheritance, only his special talent lies with his sentinel skills rather than being what we might usually think of as a shaman (however, I don't think exploring that idea fits with this season of movies. If we get a second season, it could come out as Blair consciously pursues learning how to be a shaman, and figures out what's going on with Jim as a result -- it would help explain Jim's visions, maybe). The second type of shaman, one who is 'called' to the vocation/role, is more powerful, however -- and that's the type of shaman Blair is evolving into. (Note: The third link was removed since the site is inactive.)

Shaman's Journey

The Sentinel Slash Movies Project

Hunter’s Moon

Hunter's Moon:

Jacques Lempailleur – A French born American who has studied and made the art of

taxidermy his career. He has no aversion to taking on commissions that are on the exotic (or

illegal) side.

Hunter's Moon

The Sentinel Slash
Movies Project