Crossing Nineveh by Polly Bywater (Adults Only)

[t-verano.livejournal.com]

As in far too much of everything else in my life, I remain seriously (woefully, embarrassingly) behind in current TS reading, so this month's recs will most likely be of the Old School, Fic I Cut My TS Teeth On sort. Probably mostly -- or maybe solely -- slash. Since I'm in that kind of mood. :-) And probably -- or maybe solely -- fic that is less about Sentinel and Guide and more about Jim and Blair as Jim and Blair (since that's the way I roll. Usually. Although not always :-)).

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: (slash) J/B
Length: ~15,650 words
Author on LJ: polly_b
Author Website: Polly Bywater's The Sentinel Fanfiction on Dreamwidth
Why this must be read:

Polly Bywater has a gift for writing a William Ellison I like (a lot), and also for writing J/B angst I like a lot; this fic combines both of those things in a wonderful and satisfying mix of misunderstandings, family feeling (I'm talking extended family here, not just the Ellisons: there are several wonderful throwaway moments between Darryl and Blair, for example), protectiveness that pretty much covers the board, and all kinds of feel-good moments, spiked by insecurities and a touch of h/c and a delicious slow reveal of what actually happened.

If you haven't yet read this fic, I don't want to spoil the reveal, so I'm skipping an excerpt and will just say:
  Jim wakes up in the hospital.
  Things are confusing.
  Then they become less confusing, until he manages to confuse them all over again (if differently), in a typically Jim way...

I've read this story many times; it never lets me down. Off to a desert island and want some very pleasingly written feel-good fic with an excellent side of angst and a satisfyingly wry, if somewhat blindsided Jim? This fic is a perfect fit.

Crossing Nineveh
 
 

Comments

[magician113.livejournal.com]

Oh, how much fun that you're driving again! And I know it's trite to say it, but this has never been recced? Unbelievable.

My head canon has William as someone who made a lot of mistakes as a parent and perhaps even as a husband, but who thought he was doing the right thing at the time. After all, how evil can he be if he chose to keep and raise the boys, especially back then before Mr. Mom became more common? So, this works well for my head and my heart. A great start, dearie!

[polly-b.livejournal.com]

Oh, my dear, I'm going to be smiling big all evening long, and possibly even all week. Thank you so much! I can literally feel my head swelling. lol

[t-verano.livejournal.com]

Oops, the tags! Thanks for the message! My memory, she is a sorry, sorry place... :-)

I couldn't believe this fic hadn't been recced before either. You don't know how many times I called your page back up and typed different versions of the various words in the title and of Polly's name into my Firefox "find" box. :-))

And you know, I can't say this often enough -- that page is a gem, a delight, and a gift, not only to us Crack Vanners, but to TS as a whole. As are you.

Your point about William makes sense; I agree that he thought he was doing the right thing, the best thing for his sons. I can roll with William in a lot of guises, though -- okay, that didn't come out quite right, did it. Heh. But in But the way Polly writes him here and in the Retrieval Series, among others, is definitely my favorite William of all. Head and heart -- you said it!. :-)

[t-verano.livejournal.com]

You're welcome so much -- but the shoe remains firmly on the other foot here. Thank you for such fabulous fic! You always hit my heart hard with your fic (something I love beyond words), and this particular fic is a companion I have treasured since I first found TS; one that I have no plans to *ever* stop treasuring. :-)

[polly-b.livejournal.com]

*blushes*

Thank you feels inadequate in the face of such lovely comments. I believe I shall go to bed tonight feeling insufferably pleased. *g* Seriously, I appreciate this more than I can say.

[bluewolf458.livejournal.com]

This is one of the stories I have in my Kindle for frequent rereading... along with a few other stories of Polly's. I didn't realise it'd never been recced!

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

YaY! I love it when you rec - you inevitably remind me of my favourites! I love Polly's fic to bits - and I haven't read this one in an age, which is great, because I get to be surprised and enjoy all over again *g* Thank you *blows kisses*

[t-verano.livejournal.com]

Last time when I Crack Vanned I was startled that several of the fics I recced weren't already there; this time around is proving the same. Just goes to show what an amazing breadth and depth of quality fic TS has accumulated over 15 years or so (is that right? something like that).

*kindle envy* :-)

[t-verano.livejournal.com]

You are way too good for a person's morale, you know; I'm sure there's a law against you somewhere...

:-)

So happy to be of service, Snail! It's always such a rush to go back to a beloved fic you haven't read for a while and indulge in it -- I know reading a terrific fic the first time is wonderful, but there's absolutely *nothing* like rereading...

[bluewolf458.livejournal.com]

:-) I got the kindle as a present from a friend who was upgrading to a newer model. Had a Sony reader before that, but the kindlle holds so much more.

[magician113.livejournal.com]

That's my primary standard for what constitutes a good fic--rereadability. Looks like a lot of people put this story in that category. Great job dearie.