All the Kasha They Could Eat by Jest (PG-13, not rated by author)

[elmey.livejournal.com]

Fandom: MAN FROM UNCLE
Pairing: Napoleon Solo/Illya Kuryakin
Length: 7006 words
Author on LJ: jest
Author Website: Jest on AO3
Why this must be read:

Man from Uncle fandom doesn't have a remix culture (yet?)-- in spite of that, we have one of the best remixes I've read: All the Kasha They Could Eat, a remix of Cord Smithee's classic Spiderweb. Spiderweb tells the story of Napoleon and Illya's partnership and developing relationship from first person Napoleon POV--a damaged, complex Napoleon. All the Kasha They Could Eat is the same story, from Illya's POV. First person Illya.

Among the things I love about this story is the way jest has caught Illya's voice; writing convincing Illya POV is always difficult, he reveals so little of himself, but first person Illya is even harder, seldom tried, even more seldom done well. But this is Illya; reticent, observant, trying to figure out his place in Uncle, his complicated partner, and the meaning of their unspoken attraction.

Don't expect a scene by scene retelling of the story, rather a brilliant counterpoint--the stories converge at the most telling moments, then separate again into complementary strands. As a result we have two classics now; one the original Spiderweb, the other this remix which sharpens our vision and deepens our appreciation of it.

I might have been the one who put on the costumes, but it was Napoleon who truly wore a disguise. I didn't know what it was covering, and that should have made me suspicious, but mostly I was pleased that he let me get close enough to see the cracks in the first place. It wasn't everything I wanted from him, but it was more than I would ever ask him for.

After all, a disguise is only liberating if you get to choose when to take it off and, as far as I could tell, he never did.

All the Kasha They Could Eat

Comments

[georgiesmith.livejournal.com]

Excellent rec! I hadn't read it before, and it'd been a while since I'd read "Spiderweb" so I read them back-to-back which was delightfully satisfying.

Did jest go by a different user name in the past? I keep thinking she did but it escapes me at the moment.

[elmey.livejournal.com]

\o/ Something you hadn't seen yet! It's good though isn't it?
Jest was xjestx on LJ, but is on DW now as jest. I think you recced her before too.

[georgiesmith.livejournal.com]

She wrote "Mermaids Explained"! One of my all-time favorites!

Thanks for clearing that up. It was making me slightly crazy.

Yeah, it was refreshing to read something new that I knew going in wasn't going to disappoint!

[saki101.livejournal.com]

This is the one I was looking for and couldn't remember where I had seen it! Thank you!

[elmey.livejournal.com]

Glad I could help! I'd like to claim a good memory in terms of finding stories, but in reality, I keep my own delicious list--it's easier to browse through :)