They Made the World Safe for S.L.A.S.H.

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Title:	They Made the World Safe for S.L.A.S.H.
Creator:	Shayheyred
Date(s):	November 4, 2004
Medium:	online
Fandom:	The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Topic:	Napoleon/Illya
External Links:	essay at LiveJournal; Dreamwidth mirror, Archived version
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They Made the World Safe for S.L.A.S.H. is a 2004 essay by Shayheyred.

The topic is Napoleon/Illya fanworks.

It was posted at Shipper's Manifesto.

Excerpt

The Man from UNCLE was my first fandom, and that of many girls my age, and quite a few of us are still involved today -- it had that intense an effect on our formative years. (Hell, I studied Russian in college because of Illya.) For many of us, the sophisticated Solo and inscrutable Illya were our first intense crushes. We sat, rapt, week after week, fairly drooling in pre-adolescent joy. Napoleon! Squeeeee! Illya! Squeeeee! I was in love with Illya before I knew how to spell Guh. Back then you had to choose one or the other; I was an Illya girl, so my friend Carol had to love Napoleon. Those were the rules.

Thirty-five years passed between that first flush of UNCLE love and my rediscovery of MFU. Little did I know there was a flourishing fandom during that period, years of zines and discussion groups and cons and lists and finally the internet.

Why didn't anyone tell me? Sheesh. All that wasted time.

But guess what? Napoleon and Illya still intrigue. They're still compelling. But now, as a real live grownup, I understand what my child's eyes did not make sense of before.

There's something going on between them.

Come, take a look with me at a pairing that was in many ways the template for all the media slash pairings that were to follow. (No matter what the Star Trek folks say, UNCLE was there before them...by at least two years.) So come back to the Sixties. And The Man From UNCLE. . .

Comments at the LiveJournal Post

[dotiescute:] Great essay. My Mother was watching The Man from UNCLE while she was in middle school and told me that durring comercial brakes she would call up her friends to talk about it. Ironically I discovered the show when I was about 18 or so and fell in love with it too, though of course I also noticed all the horriball slashy aspects that the show had to offer as well.

[kitty4940:] Shay, Angelique and you have such a way with words and such humor! The boys are so pretty, aren't they?

The gaunlet was tossed, and fool that I am, I accepted the challenge to write a biographical sketch of the fascinatingly enigmatic, but grim, little Kuryakin.

Since Angelique and you have done such a lovely job in describing the more "intimate" aspects of the NS/IK "ship", would you mind my referencing your Ship Manifesto in the IK reflection? I see no point in covering ground that you have so thoroughly researched and documented so brilliantly.

If you have no objection to the reference, I will focus on the derailing of whatever hetro tendencies Illya had thanks to the Wellesley college chicks - threatening to join forces with THRUSH because IK kissed Alice Baldwin. Really? You would think such behavior would be fodder to inspire fantasies of their dreamy, blue-eyed "boyfriend".

In any event, the dictum was clear: "Illya doesn't chase/kiss girls, girls chase/kiss Illya (I've read both terms)." I've heard that Waverly and co-conspirators, Sam Rolfe and/or Norman Felton, were part of that decision. It seems Kuryakin agreed without argument. Oh, the things that make you go hmmm!

It is difficult to argue that Kuryakin has a hetrosexual "bone" in his body. This was a difficult thing for me to accept, as I'm a first cousin as well. Those lovely boys had me fooled all these years!

It appears that any interactions with females, especially after mid-season one, was often a matter of duty for "The Great Kuryakin".

To his credit, it appears that Kuryakin wasn't totally naive about women. He so capably baited the lovely Marion Raven. The beginning of "The Guioco Piano Affair", the lovely "Eeel-yah!" showed this interesting talent (Marion mispronounced his name almost as badly as Napoleon). Illya and Marion circled and sparred until he had her fully hooked - and in less than four minutes! Quite a feat! It was a bit like watching a precursor of Dave and Maddie in "Moonlighting".

I can refer to "Spy with My Face", too. Illya was absolutely charming to the lovely stewardess, Taffy. He actually did look interested (maybe it was Naps who changed him - after all, Naps does seem rather uninhibited). "I would love to teach you all about Russia ...." Oh, Shay! I bet that's what he wanted to teach her. It looked like they were well on their way to playing tonsil-hockey at the bar!

Nevertheless, such behavior was so rare that it doesn't diminish the fact that "something" was happening between NS and IK. As I have found written documentation that others observed they were one of the first "ships" which prompted the "bromance" term which the author said was a close but "non-sexual" relationship (yeah, whatever!), I intend to make that reference. I'll also focus on their professional relationship and their increasingly competitive natures.

About Illya in "Terbuf", "You're going to need me." For what, dear Illya? Was it your gypsy knowledge or to help Naps pick up the pieces and go home? I do give the boys a little slack about the "vacation in Rome" since they finished "The King of Knaves Affair". Then again, Illya's avoidance of Waverly and his idea to send a telegram wasn't chicken salad, it was a chicken s--- (you can fill in the blank!). At least, Illya wasn't fooled by Clara. Poor Napoleon, he was so excited when he was met at the train by Clara. He looked like a puppy needing to be paper-trained! Then Clara all but beat Naps like a bad dog! She made him face a firing squad for helping Emil and that sniveling, wussy husband of hers! "Ah, love, love ...," indeed!

Oh well, Shay dear, I have miles to go before I finish writing about the lovely Mr./Dr. Kuryakin. I have so much material (much more than the LJ limit) on the "un-definable" Russian agent that I could write a full biography on him. With the data I have collected thus far (and I'm not through yet), I may e-publish like Gina Martin's last book!

Illya's a "climate of negatives" to be sure, as well as a fine manure spreader! He thought he was so mysterious! Wait until "zee grassy snake" finds out that I have his little game all figured out!

What yummy fun!

Cousin Cat

[tgabrielle:] You're on to something here, Angelique. IK is far more direct and single-minded than Solo--this extends to his straight-(ha!) forward flirting with him as well. However, perhaps your surveillance did not allow you to view Napoleon's reactions when Illya is the object of someone else's desire. Solo may bristle when Illya flirts with him but he is also miffed when someone else expresses interest in Illya. (You never did so; you don't like him and he returns the sentiment ten-fold.) If you had batted your flinty eyes at him, you would have been witness to another ambiguous (or perhaps not very) snit of jealousy. Thanks for writing!