The Unexpected Talents Affair
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Unexpected Talents Affair |
| Author(s): | T. Gabrielle |
| Date(s): | 2003 |
| Length: | |
| Genre: | slash |
| Fandom: | Man from U.N.C.L.E. |
| External Links: | online here |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Unexpected Talents Affairis a Man from U.N.C.L.E. story by T. Gabrielle.
It was published in the zine U.N.C.L.E. Confidential #5 and is online.
Differences Between the Versions
The author explained: "The zine version doesn't have the first part where Illya struggles through the reports. It's really quite different--a first draft. I do appreciate you comments.[1]
A fan replied: "Thanks for giving it such a spectacular re-write! When I first reast read it, "...Unexpected Talents..." was good but lacked the "umph" that the report-writing start generates nicely. I think Illya's frustration (with the writing of the report, with Napoleon's laissez faire attitude where the reports he's written, and his struggles with composing said reports in a language other than his native tongue, etc.) add a complex and unexpected dimension to Illya's character and really makes this story pop off the page. It also adds a great deal to understanding Napoleon. The line: "He can kill us, Illya. beyond that, there are no limits..." really typifies what must be both the most charming and yet most irritating aspects of his character to Illya." [2]
Regarding Non-Con and Warnings
A fan asked: "Is there non-con in this story? I wanted to know before I started to read as I didn't see any warnings. Thanks!" [3]
The author responded: "There really isn't any non-con, hence the lack of warning. Even though the situation Napoleon and Illya find themselves in (i.e., being captured) is not of their choosing, what happens -- which is fairly tame -- is mutually agreed upon before it happens, and at the risk of telling the whole story, they escape before anything too serious occurs.[4]
Another fan wrote: "I struggle with labels and I don't really like them. Maybe this is just a tad non-con, I'm not sure. [name redacted here], you will have to tell me if it needed a warning, if you were squicked or damaged by reading it." [5]
Reactions and Reviews
Beautifully framed by the device that Illya gets stuck writing all of their mission reports, T. Gabrielle goes it one step further by proposing that Napoleon can’t be bothered to read them. This, of course, has consequences when both are captured by a low-to-mid level THRUSH baddie who is not interested in torturing them for information, but in destroying their partnership. The THRUSH agent who holds them has already successfully caused the dissolution of another U.N.C.L.E. team...which Napoleon would know about if he'd read Illya's report.What, you ask, could so effectively estrange partners? Well, that’s what Napoleon wants to know, too...
Read this, but definitely read other stories by T. Gabrielle, as well. She has a deft hand with the complexities and layers that make up Napoleon and Illya’s relationship, and an incomparable ability to set a time period; you read one of her stories and absolutely nothing jars you out of feeling that it's the 1960s.[6]
A droll delight. The tone is wonderful - they can survive anything together. The dialog is fantastic. (I laughed aloud alot!) The role-playing, the scene with the psychiatrist, the ending, everything - all wonderful.[7]