xf_book_club | Story 95: "Iolokus" by Mustang Sally and RivkaT

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Story 95: "Iolokus" by Mustang Sally and RivkaT

A few days ago, someone was talking about fic and the phrase "most famous fic in our fandom" came up. I'm not sure what story she had in mind but surely "Iolokus" has to be a contender for that title. I have seen it nominated by many people for the best fan fiction novel, not just in our own, but in any fandom. I have also seen people say they couldn't finish it because Mulder and Scully were too "out of character."

The misspelled monster that started it all. Although I'm told it promotes heteronormativity in the end, we were more going for polymorphic perversity; you'll have to judge for yourself.

Summary: Painted across the barren and desolate reaches of Texas, the shadows of the Project put additional pressure on Scully and Mulder's already fragile relationship. After a hostage crisis raises more questions about the Project's breeding program, Scully begins her own investigation, leaving Mulder to choose between saving her and saving himself. Finally, the investigation leads to tragedy and Mulder and Scully find that more questions have been asked than answered.

The title reference was to an island mentioned in Medea, to which we turned for fairly obvious reasons.

Warnings: extreme violence, including the death of children.

There are four long sections to this behemoth. My first time through this fic I hadn't much knowledge of canon, so I am curious to see what I think of it now. Thank you to

sangria_lila for this excellent nomination. If there is enthusiasm to continue, I suppose we can forge through to the end or just quit with book one. It's your call.

Please leave feedback for the authors and then come back and let us know what you think. Nominations for next time are made here. Since

rivkat's site is down at the moment, the link is to the wonderful Fugues Fiction Archive. Of course, the story is also available at Gossamer.

Iolokus

Edit: Since Rivkat's site is back up, here is another link to the story: Iolokus.

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Hi, I'm pretty new here, but I thought I'd put down a thought or two. I've been leery about starting this story, just because of its reputation, but decided to give it a shot.

Maybe I should hold off judgement after I've read the whole thing (if I can get there..) I'm maybe a fifth of the way into the first section, but it's getting harder and harder for me to continue reading.

I just don't see the characters anywhere in these characterizations. Here, they're both so angry and cold and malicious, taking pleasure in the ways they can hurt and use each other. That a partnership or a personal relationship could function or be maintained this way is ridiculous. Even the ways they think about each other, or remember the past, are either malevolent or emotionally barren. Huge chunks of Mulder are entirely absent - his kindness, his empathy, his humor, his respect for his partner. Even his respect for Skinner or his fondness of Frohike. Likewise, while Scully of course holds huge pieces of herself inside herself, the Iolokus characterization is entirely off the mark. She seems a shell of person, shallow and bitter... and I don't believe either of them would treat sex with one another so casually, or use it as a weapon against one another. I love Mulder and Scully, but I don't even like either of the characters in this story. They're needy, ugly, abused and abusive, and beyond dysfunctional.

Ok, I'm done, sorry for the rant... it may be hard for me to suspend my disbelief and continue reading this story, but I want to try. So far, I'm not seeing what all the fuss is about.

Thoughts?

-Kate

Hi! I'm kinda new here myself and before I say anything about the story I'll warn you I'm not very smart, so take my opinion with the pillar of salt it deserves.

I remember reading this story for the first time (o long years ago) and, when I was part of the way through the Iolokus I, sending a long email to the friend who'd pressed it on me that was basically a very long-winded "why the HELL did you tell me to read this?". Her answer was simply "Keep going", IIRC. I did, and I was, and still am :), so glad. It's an amazing story, but it's not an easy one.

I still have big problems with the characterization in parts. There are parts of the story that work for me and others that really don't. Some things make me cringe, some make me flinch.

I think what makes it a good story for me (and bear in mind, plenty of people really dislike Iolokus, so don't feel like you're the only one not appreciating this high-and-mighty fandom classic, or anything) is that it *is* a struggle in places. It's huge and kind of messy and it has jagged points. It's bleak and upsetting and almost hopeless (something I find very hard to forgive in any story), but when it turns around, oh my, it'll shine the sun straight into the pieces of your heart it just broke, and you'll be begging for more.

but when it turns around, oh my, it'll shine the sun straight into the pieces of your heart it just broke, and you'll be begging for more.

This calls for another proposal *laugh*

Kate, in order for this to be a little easier for you to digest, you have to imagine that the Mulder and Scully in Iolokus are the Mulder and Scully that haven't gone through the "Erase and Rewind" process of the TV episodes. These are the Mulder and Scully carrying with them a huge ledger of 4 years of various traumas. All the deaths, shocks, violence, illnesses, hurt and fear they ever encountered left their marks. As a result these Mulder and Scully are pretty traumatized and not quite sane.

These are Mulder and Scully without the 1013 fabric softener.

But the great thing about this story, is that if you stick with it, as infinitlight so nicely put it, you'll be rewarded ten folds. This story does have a heart, a big bruised one, and there is lots of heartwrenching love in it. You may not find any huge gushing display of affection in there but you will find little kernels of subtle poise and beauty. A look, a move, or a few words that will make your heart melt completely.

So many of things you hate are what I love. *laugh* I read Iolokus not as though it's who Mulder and Scully are, but rather as though it's who they could have been. Sure, they're angry and cold, but not nearly as cold as canon tells us they must be. Bury Emily, next case. Put William up for adoption, make Skinner tell his father. That's absolutely chilling to me. But to love someone so much that when you're sinking into despair you trust them to stick with you even though you hurt them and punish them because you don't know what else to do? I can believe that of people who have become extremely codependent and insular. There are great gaping holes for me in places, and parts I don't buy at all. But as a complete package - particularly based on where this is set in canon - I can see it.

Hmm.. interesting points. That's the main thing though.. and maybe I'm just not far enough into it to really comment... but the codependency I can see (the characters are nearly paralyzed by their codependency here), but the love I can't see at all.

And yes you're right, they should be cold and angry, with all the ridiculous, heartbreaking tragedies they've had to shoulder.. but a huge part of their characters is the fact that they're not cold and angry. Well they are to some degree, of course, but it says so much about who they are that they don't let the tragedy touch their humor, their affection for one another, their confidence in their own goodness as people. The tragedies make them stronger individually and together.

But in this story, I feel like the essence of who they are is entirely different. Like you say, it is who they COULD be... but part of the reason I like Mulder and Scully so much is the way they take all the shit they've been dealt and use it to secure the solidness of their own foundations. Here, they're letting it destroy them. For me, that contradicts the very nature of the characters... which is why I'm having such a hard time getting through this story.

-Kate

I guess I see the essence of them as being the same. Scully is terrified of intimacy on an emotional level but can handle it on a physical level (hello, Never Again) while trying desperately to convince herself that a detached, scientific approach has all the right answers to every problem she faces.

Mulder is in love with her but can't tell her without risking her scorn (Triangle) and has a kind of delf-deprecating emotional vulnerability when he's around her. But when he feels threatened by things he doesn't understand in her - when he feels jealous or left out - he can be cutting and petty. (Again, Never Again.)

I see the love in the early parts of the story as being implicit rather than explicit. They never say it - well, Mulder does - but I think by knowing Scully's character we can infer the same. She's scared of giving herself completely to another person on an emotional level, but she still stays with him. I think she's doing the best she knows how right now, and trusting Mulder to let her lash out. The same reason children who are little angels at a playdate are little hellions at home. They trust their parents to love them unconditionally.

Another way to look at this story is as a kind of inside-out AU. Most AU stories (which I generally dislike, actually) operate on the premise of "let's take the exact same characters and make them have the exact same reactions they would ordinarily, but change the surroundings and see what happens." Iolokus is more like, "let's keep the external variables the same and see what happens if we take the essence of Mulder and Scully but let them come undone by all the horrific personal tragedy they've suffered and see what happens."

But I love this story to the point of fanwankery, so YMMV. ;D

Another way to look at this story is as a kind of inside-out AU. Most AU stories (which I generally dislike, actually) operate on the premise of "let's take the exact same characters and make them have the exact same reactions they would ordinarily, but change the surroundings and see what happens." Iolokus is more like, "let's keep the external variables the same and see what happens if we take the essence of Mulder and Scully but let them come undone by all the horrific personal tragedy they've suffered and see what happens."

I agree with this.

I see the love in the early parts of the story as being implicit rather than explicit. They never say it - well, Mulder does - but I think by knowing Scully's character we can infer the same. She's scared of giving herself completely to another person on an emotional level, but she still stays with him. I think she's doing the best she knows how right now, and trusting Mulder to let her lash out.

I agree. I think this is a Scully who's had all her options taken away from her and has found herself powerless against the machine that's driving them. She's always been the one, of the two of them, who takes things personally, who takes everything to heart. Mulder, by comparison, is a big dog continually following the scent, more open and softer and able to express himself without breaking apart.

I think Scully has nowhere else to direct her anger and sadness, and so Mulder cops the brunt of it, because, as you said, he'll take it. There is literally no-one else she can rail against.

But to love someone so much that when you're sinking into despair you trust them to stick with you even though you hurt them and punish them because you don't know what else to do?

This sums up the Iolokus M&S relationship so perfectly, it makes me want to cry.

Edited 2009-10-31 08:57 (UTC)

My opinion as well.

And mine. I'm told to try and suffer through it by just about everyone, but frankly, I draw the line and Iolokus leaps over it. I'm fine with fiction (or fanfic) making me uncomfortable or challenging my ideas or preconceptions, but when it's being so obviously malicious (or trying so obviously hard to make an angry point), I get absolutely no enjoyment out of it. And if I don't enjoy it at all, overall writing quality will never be enough to salvage it for me. It just reads as a tiresome exercise that holds none of my interest. (YMMV to all, of course.)

"I'm fine with fiction (or fanfic) making me uncomfortable or challenging my ideas or preconceptions, but when it's being so obviously malicious (or trying so obviously hard to make an angry point), I get absolutely no enjoyment out of it. And if I don't enjoy it at all, overall writing quality will never be enough to salvage it for me."

Oh thank God, someone who sees eye-to-eye with me on this.

One of my favorite things about TXF is that it brought up widespread reproductive objectification and abuse of women and presented it as evil and wrong, even if CC could have done much, much better. I think "Iolokus" attempted to continue with that arc, but it failed miserably when gratuitously violent inner monologuing and the story's tone overshadowed any social commentary intended. You know? It rubs me the wrong way. I read it because of its reputation. Quite frankly, I don't know what others see in it to applaud it so loudly.

I had a strong reaction to Scully's being medicated and eating herself sick, as well, but I will have to reread to remember what it was.

Heh, I could say the same to you! A lot of the time I feel like the only one who really does not like this fic at all.

You're right, CC and co. could have done a much better job, but so many people react as though the show presented the crimes that were perpetrated against women as anything but evil and horrific (which simply is ridiculously untrue). It rubs me the wrong way, too, and I don't see anything laudatory in it either. Of course, this is all subjective, but this is one of those instances when I REALLY don't get it. At all.

Well I'm relieved, I thought I had stumbled across the Presidents of the Iolokus fan club here, lol.

I finally got through the whole thing, and like you, I can't see what others applaud. The story just really doesn't work for me on any level. Some of my biggest issues:

1. Obviously, the characterizations. I've posted about that already, so I won't repeat myself. But I've realized part of the reason I had such an adverse reaction to the characters is that they both sound the same to me. Their voices were nearly identical, in that they both sounded like the authors, not like individuals. The snideness of their voices, the bitterness, the language laced with metaphor - I concede it's difficult to write first person, but I think the attempt here wholly missed the mark.

2. The whole thing is so cruel and mean-spirited and just plain ridiculous, both in the external factors the characters are reacting to, and to the internal reactions of the characters themselves. It seemed like the plot became more convoluted and ludicrous just for the sake of being convoluted and ludicrous. I mean mass murder at a day care, casual and destructive sex, a fetus lab set on fire by the woman whose genetic material was stolen and manipulated, multiple Mulders, rape, near incest, sociopaths, serial-killers, a full-on custody battle, an exploding courtroom, pregnancy and cap it off with domestic bliss? This thing runs hot and cold and manic to the extreme.

Maybe it's ironic that I love this show and these characters yet I'm a realist. Even if I don't buy the plot (and I don't, in many many cases, even in tv canon) what I value in these stories is the honesty of the character's reactions and their relationship to one another. In this story they were manipulated, pulled and pushed around, knocked down and put through hell and back, just because the author's could do it. Their relationship was so warped and destructive and dysfunctional, and they were both entirely miserable the entire time. The premise of the characters was so skewed from the beginning, that I saw nothing approaching honesty in their thoughts, actions, feelings or reactions.

Well, not entirely true: the only thing I found honest in this story was the relationship between Mulder and his daughter. It brought out the characteristics in him I could actually recognize - his kindness, humor, patience, affection, tenacity.

3. Enough with the sex scenes. I'm not going to lie, I enjoy a good sex scene as much as the next person, but not when it's destructive or emotionally vacant, and certainly not when there's about 30 of them that are more or less the same thing repeated and do nothing to further the plot or the emotional maturity of the story. It becomes a chore to read.

So, to put it bluntly, I didn't enjoy reading it. CC and co put them through enough misery, that I like to see them find a little peace and happiness, to heal -- not in a sentimental, schlooppy, overly poetic way, but in an honest way, that's true to the characters, to their spirit and intelligence.

And I get that that's not what this story was about. SO.. (long rambling post about to come to an end, I promise ;) ) I'm glad I gave it shot, but now it's time to move on with my life. I'm glad others got so much enjoyment from it, and I'm just going to have to resign myself to the fact that I'm not one of them.

-Katie

Obviously, rereading Iolokus was a joy for me rather than a chore. Tastes vary wildly in this particular case.

I've read many highly thought-of and well-crafted fics in which Mulder and Scully cope bravely and respect each other and behave pretty much as heroes are meant to behave. The writers took the show, the characters and their readers seriously. Glad to have read them.

Probably won't again.

Part of the attraction of Iolokus, for those who dig it, is the transgressive thrill of kicking over the traces. Its writers treat Mulder and Scully very roughly, loading calamity upon calamity almost to the point, as Scarlet said, of parody. They are imagining the absurd situation of the characters as a cosmic joke, which really it it. (Have you ever tried to describe the X-File storyline to a non-fan? Including Mulder's three(?)deaths? And gotten the "c'mon!"?) It's loony, unbelievable stuff, and it will break your heart if you let it. But fans are not always forced to take it seriously. Sometimes the best response to a cosmic joke is to cap it.

Sally and Rivka may have manhandled their heroes, but at least they gave them good dialogue.

I think it's important to remember that Mulder and Scully do manage to love each other. Even in the real world, love is something that psychically injured people have to work hard to achieve. Their relationship is a long battle. It is triumphant. That much is serious.

There's an element of light-hearted fantasy along with the angst that charms me personally. The multiple Mulders idea gives me a chance to see Mulder (and DD) in so many roles, and Scully complimentary adversorial ones. It's role-playing to the max, and very sexy. (Destructive, emotionally vacant sex scenes are fine with me, though I'd point out that anger is an emotion. For many reasons, actually, I think an Iolokus reader should pace herself. It's a frantic ride.)

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Story 95: "Iolokus" by Mustang Sally and RivkaT

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