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crack_van2004-03-20 08:26 am
vysila.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2004-03-20 08:26 am
Entry tags:
The Driving Me Crazy Affair by Patti Ellis (G)
Fandom: MAN FROM UNCLE
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: Not that I know of
Author Website: None. As far as I know, this is the only story of hers that is online.
Why this must be read:
This story is something different than I've recommended before, because it isn't a partnership story. Although Napoleon appears in this story, he isn't central to what's going on here. This is an Illya character piece, plain and simple - and one that knocked my socks off. Patti takes the All-American obsession with personal freedom and material possessions, and juxtaposes it against Illya's socialist sensibilities. The end result is a delightful examination of one man's struggle to reconcile his ethics and world-view to the new society in which he now lives.
But don't be alarmed - it's not a heavy-handed examination, either. The author's touch is light and the story is leavened with the same self-mocking awareness that permeates the show itself.
With an exaggerated sigh, Illya stacked his papers together and laid them aside. "Don't you have anything better to do than lurk around my office?"
Grinning, Solo came in to hitch a hip onto his partner's desk. "Hey, can I help it if I've been a good boy and finished all my work? In fact," He leaned forward conspiratorially, "I thought you might want to play hookey with me this afternoon." With a flourish he produced a folded newspaper from where it had been tucked under his arm. Pitching it on the desk, he pointed at a full page advertisement.
"It's fate, Illya. You're thinking of buying a car and the Annual Auto Show is at the Coliseum."
"Now it's fate? I thought it was a fever. And I don't want to play 'hookey' as you call it. You may have completed your work, but I have not."
"Oh come on, live a little. Do something really free and spontaneous for once. You know you want to go. Besides, `the mind ought sometimes to be diverted, that it may return the better to thinking.'"
"If you're going to quote Greek philosophers, perhaps you should remember, `No man is free who cannot command himself.'"
"What did old Pythagoras know? He never had the opportunity to go to an Auto Show on his lunch break."
"I like to eat lunch on my lunch break."
"I'll buy you some."
Although Illya continued to keep up his end of the verbal sparring, they both knew he was succumbing to his partner's persuasion. But he wasn't going to go without at least a good show of resistance.
I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do.
The Driving Me Crazy Affair
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: Not that I know of
Author Website: None. As far as I know, this is the only story of hers that is online.
Why this must be read:
This story is something different than I've recommended before, because it isn't a partnership story. Although Napoleon appears in this story, he isn't central to what's going on here. This is an Illya character piece, plain and simple - and one that knocked my socks off. Patti takes the All-American obsession with personal freedom and material possessions, and juxtaposes it against Illya's socialist sensibilities. The end result is a delightful examination of one man's struggle to reconcile his ethics and world-view to the new society in which he now lives.
But don't be alarmed - it's not a heavy-handed examination, either. The author's touch is light and the story is leavened with the same self-mocking awareness that permeates the show itself.
With an exaggerated sigh, Illya stacked his papers together and laid them aside. "Don't you have anything better to do than lurk around my office?"
Grinning, Solo came in to hitch a hip onto his partner's desk. "Hey, can I help it if I've been a good boy and finished all my work? In fact," He leaned forward conspiratorially, "I thought you might want to play hookey with me this afternoon." With a flourish he produced a folded newspaper from where it had been tucked under his arm. Pitching it on the desk, he pointed at a full page advertisement.
"It's fate, Illya. You're thinking of buying a car and the Annual Auto Show is at the Coliseum."
"Now it's fate? I thought it was a fever. And I don't want to play 'hookey' as you call it. You may have completed your work, but I have not."
"Oh come on, live a little. Do something really free and spontaneous for once. You know you want to go. Besides, `the mind ought sometimes to be diverted, that it may return the better to thinking.'"
"If you're going to quote Greek philosophers, perhaps you should remember, `No man is free who cannot command himself.'"
"What did old Pythagoras know? He never had the opportunity to go to an Auto Show on his lunch break."
"I like to eat lunch on my lunch break."
"I'll buy you some."
Although Illya continued to keep up his end of the verbal sparring, they both knew he was succumbing to his partner's persuasion. But he wasn't going to go without at least a good show of resistance.
I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do.
The Driving Me Crazy Affair