ext_34183 (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
theladyrose.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
crack_van2008-03-25 01:52 am
theladyrose.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2008-03-25 01:52 am
Entry tags:
Alma Mater by st_crispins (PG)
Fandom: THE MAN FROM UNCLE
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
st_crispins
Author Website: The St. Crispins Day Society Page
Pairing: gen
Rating: PG for emotional intensity
Why this must be read:
I'm usually not one for either of our agents settling down separately and starting a family, but I really lovest_crispins exploration of a Solo family cycle, and Allyson Solo is, hands down, one of the damn best OFCs I've read in this fandom. One of the things that's always fascinated me about Napoleon is his "fist in a black velvet glove" quality, his intuitive sense of what tactics to employ at any given moment for maximum effect, his occasionally reckless bravado and his unwavering moral certainty glossed over by the Brylcreemed, man about town patina. Even after retiring from the organization, st_crispins poignantly shows us how Solo can never really leave UNCLE, how attending that alma mater has left its imprint for life on him, so deeply that all of his relationships are forever tinged by the interweaving of his personal identity with UNCLE. Napoleon Solo, man, and Napoleon Solo, UNCLE agent are inseparable, for better and for worse.
Fundamentally, though, this story is about the agony and the ecstasy of raising children. Our efforts to protect the ones we love all too often seem to end in vain (st_crispins's Daddy is a breathtaking exploration of this as Napoleon learns what it means to be a father); as much as we are shaped to the core by parents, our children's choices are ultimately their own. Isn't that why we make such sacrifices in the first place, so that our children have the freedom to make their lives in their own image? I can only hope that the next generation of UNCLE agents have someone like Allyson to lead the good fight the wars they've inherited.
"Want to know how many people I killed? Too many to count --- the population of a small city. I don't suppose I have any soul left to save. And I'm considered one of the lucky ones. Do you want to hear what happened to Louis who went insane, or Johnnie Ripley who was skinned alive or ---?"
"No, Daddy, no more," she pleaded, the sound thinning to a whimper. "Just stop it. Please ---" her voice caught "--- stop it... okay?"
Solo nodded his head wordlessly. He'd said enough, for both of them.
He slipped his shirt back on and buttoned it. He thought he should feel a sense of triumph, but all he felt was a deep, dead emptiness. He'd robbed her of her romantic illusions --- of espionage, of heroism, of U.N.C.L.E., and most of all, of himself. How ironic, he thought, that to save his daughter, he needed to diminish himself in her eyes. At that moment, he was acutely aware of his paternity to her, because only as a parent would he ever do such a thing.
Alma Mater
Author on LJ:
st_crispinsAuthor Website: The St. Crispins Day Society Page
Pairing: gen
Rating: PG for emotional intensity
Why this must be read:
I'm usually not one for either of our agents settling down separately and starting a family, but I really love
st_crispins exploration of a Solo family cycle, and Allyson Solo is, hands down, one of the damn best OFCs I've read in this fandom. One of the things that's always fascinated me about Napoleon is his "fist in a black velvet glove" quality, his intuitive sense of what tactics to employ at any given moment for maximum effect, his occasionally reckless bravado and his unwavering moral certainty glossed over by the Brylcreemed, man about town patina. Even after retiring from the organization, st_crispins poignantly shows us how Solo can never really leave UNCLE, how attending that alma mater has left its imprint for life on him, so deeply that all of his relationships are forever tinged by the interweaving of his personal identity with UNCLE. Napoleon Solo, man, and Napoleon Solo, UNCLE agent are inseparable, for better and for worse. Fundamentally, though, this story is about the agony and the ecstasy of raising children. Our efforts to protect the ones we love all too often seem to end in vain (
st_crispins's Daddy is a breathtaking exploration of this as Napoleon learns what it means to be a father); as much as we are shaped to the core by parents, our children's choices are ultimately their own. Isn't that why we make such sacrifices in the first place, so that our children have the freedom to make their lives in their own image? I can only hope that the next generation of UNCLE agents have someone like Allyson to lead the good fight the wars they've inherited."Want to know how many people I killed? Too many to count --- the population of a small city. I don't suppose I have any soul left to save. And I'm considered one of the lucky ones. Do you want to hear what happened to Louis who went insane, or Johnnie Ripley who was skinned alive or ---?"
"No, Daddy, no more," she pleaded, the sound thinning to a whimper. "Just stop it. Please ---" her voice caught "--- stop it... okay?"
Solo nodded his head wordlessly. He'd said enough, for both of them.
He slipped his shirt back on and buttoned it. He thought he should feel a sense of triumph, but all he felt was a deep, dead emptiness. He'd robbed her of her romantic illusions --- of espionage, of heroism, of U.N.C.L.E., and most of all, of himself. How ironic, he thought, that to save his daughter, he needed to diminish himself in her eyes. At that moment, he was acutely aware of his paternity to her, because only as a parent would he ever do such a thing.
Alma Mater
no subject
and Allyson Solo is, hands down, one of the damn best OFCs I've read in this fandom
I would be lying if I didn't say this makes me pleased and happy. I've tried very hard to make Allyson a three dimensional character and I'm very glad to hear the effort was worth it.
no subject