MFU Fanfiction: Conversion

[saki101]

Written for the MFUWSS 2013 Easter Egg challenge for elmey whose prompt was: Mr. Kuryakin is not unknown as a cat burglar.

Title: Conversion*
Author: Saki101
Fandom: Man from UNCLE
Pairing: Illya/Napoleon
Genre: Pre-slash
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~625
Disclaimer: The usual, because MFU is not mine and no money is being made.

Comments

[spikesgirl58]

Inspired and it made me sad that you don't write more MFU - you are so devilishly good at it!

Thanks for a great start to MY morning!

[saki101]

So pleased you liked it. Easter Eggs are always fun. I do miss MUNCLE, but my brain doesn't seem to have escaped Sherlock just yet. :-)

[spikesgirl58]

I sort of went through that with Batman and Buffy, so I will wait patiently on the sidelines until you come back to us... you ARE coming back some day, yes?

[saki101]

My plan has been to come back. I thought the Sherlock phase would last a few months, but I clearly miscalculated that! Good to know that you had a similar experience. I guess it is just a long phase. :-)

[snailbones]

Delicious! There's such wonderful tension between them when you write them *g*

[saki101]

Just a small Egg with, perhaps, a bit of chili mixed in with the chocolate? Delighted you liked it. I've been missing them, but still seem to be possessed with Sherlock, reading and writing. ;-) Haven't tried any podfics yet, but that would be a good way to encourage sweet dreams, I think!

[snailbones]

I've been missing them, but still seem to be possessed with Sherlock...

I think that's part of the fun of fandom though, when the bug bites and you get gloriously obsessed by something, while still firting with older loves *g* The podfics are great fun - some work for me, some don't, but it's a lovely way to ease into sleep.

[saki101]

I think that's part of the fun of fandom though, when the bug bites and you get gloriously obsessed by something, while still firting with older loves...

OK, so multi-fandom obsessions are typical. This is good to know. I had been feeling rather disloyal when the Sherlock attraction reached a year without signs of abating!

[elmey]

A lot of those meanings could fit, but I'm pretty sure #3 couldn't :D

Did I mention how much I like this? I saw someone complaining about the term "pre slash" a couple of years ago, saying it's a cop out. But I thought that's because you haven't seen MFU. The tension between the two of them is delicious, of course we can make it go the way we want, but really, there are no guarantees.

In any case, it's always so much fun to watch the two of them in your stories. Among other things, you always make their physical presences so real: the perfect knot of Napoleon's tie, Illya putting on his glasses... I love reading that.

[saki101]

You are so right; No. 3 is not applicable! It was 12a that made me pick the title which was my first choice and then I switched to "Larceny" for a while because it was clearer, but in the end, I went back to "Conversion" because it was more fun.

I was tempted to write the scene where Illya does return the item of lingerie to the lady managing without it.

That game they play could resolve itself so many ways. Ergo, fanfiction!

A while back I was asked whether I would consider a MFU/Sherlock cross-over. It could be interesting. The relationships are so different, but their work could easily intersect.

The mood of Snapshots hasn't left me. I was dreaming up reasons for why Illya took the ring off. With a body, there could be a burial and a marker, but if there was no-one left other than him to remember her, would that be enough to make a difference? Or did the body make her death real, definite, whereas just "missing, presumed dead" was a kind of limbo? It's a haunting story, as if the happy ending could so easily not have

[elmey]

12 a is perfect. I like this title better too!

A Sherlock/MFU crossover could work if you can get around the differences in the time period. Despite svetlana's brilliant Sherlock Illya and Watson Solo manips, the personalities of the four men are really very different, there'd be some interesting clashes and alliances. It's hard to make crossover breathe though--usually one of the canons gets shortchanged and the characters become a bit generic.

re the ring: I think he had been holding on to the ring more out of habit than anything else, he needed a reason to make the break. And perhaps the ring was a defense against his feelings for Napoleon and he realized that life moves on... there's usually more than one impulse behind a meaningful action (at least I think so).

I don't necessarily see this as their actual backgrounds, but I wanted to play with the ideas without having to write a long story around them. They're open to plenty of interpretation, feel free to improvise :)

[saki101]

It's hard to make crossover breathe though--usually one of the canons gets shortchanged and the characters become a bit generic.

I can see that. I've been reading a few involving Sherlock lately. One of the best cross-overs I recall reading was The Yaxley Affair. It seemed to do both pairs justice, but it does seem rare.

A MUNCLE/Sherlock cross-over would either need to involve time travel or Illya and Napoleon would be elder statesmen needing Sherlock's services probably through a connection with Mycroft and just the age difference would unbalance the situation. TYA did a brilliant job of managing a similar age difference.

... there's usually more than one impulse behind a meaningful action (at least I think so).

Yes. More the final thing that tips the balance.

They're open to plenty of interpretation, feel free to improvise :)

Hmmm.