whitewriter (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
whitewriter) wrote2020-12-25 02:43 pm
whitewriter) wrote2020-12-25 02:43 pm
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Review of Iolokus by RivkaT and MustangSally
Merry christmas by the way.
Iolokus is a seven part series (the last 3 short parts I am yet to read).
The main four novels are located scroll down the link:
Iolokus
Agnates
Vix te Agnovi
Res Judicata
My thoughts on the series:
It's a painful read, especially: Iolokus, Agnates and vix te Agnovi.
It's drama on drama on drama - with action (I love action) - and a lot of sex.-- and not just smut, but very rapey. That was probably the hardest thing I found reading it, the idea that M and S would have such a hurtful/destructive relationship. The writing is quality, but often I felt like the authors were rubbing our noses in their portrayal of M and S - how far can we take these characters and still let them survive?
It was definitely a sit-on-the-edge of your seat type of read for Agnates (what with Jason being the completely evil twin -- the scene where we read he rapes Scully in the shower and how she doesn't realise it until much later - that it wasn't Mulder, but his twin) - and how she begs actual Mulder in bed not to "hurt her this time".
Vix te Agnovi with George impersonating M all over the shop, and continuously getting away with it over and over again - is very suspenseful to read. George takes advantage of the dark place M and S are in their relationship at this point (M viewing S leaving Mooslet with his brother as abandonment of himself and the child: to be fair though - it didn't seem like he was helping her all that much --) Right up to the point where George manages to convince Warwick and Inveld that he's the real Mulder and mutilates M; ties him up, and nearly kills w and I- only to have S just barely save the day.
Original characters in this piece surely require a mention:
Zippy
Warwick
Warwick's GF Ingveld
and the different Mulders:
Jason
George
Ian
and
The Mute brother Emerson
Res Judicata
Which may seem the most OOC out of all 4 main stories in the Iolokus series -- that being said; unlike perhaps during my initial jump into fanfic as a young teen (where I probably judged more harshly a fanfic's likeness of character and etc.) I no longer read fanfic in that way - rather to view its ability to expand on what the show provided; adherence to canon (with expansion) and if it's well written I'll believe anything about the characters no matter how "OOC" it might be (I mean, what is OOC anyways in XF realm?)
That being said; Margaret Scully taking Bill Scully's side in the whole right for adoption saga- I thought that was terribly OOC. Scully then disowning her mother I thought was well within her scope and I was surprised that at the end they had a celebration party that read a lot more like the wedding from hell - lol at the ice sculpture - (but went perfectly well with the whole sarcastic/dark tone of the series) in which Margaret was there; Bill too - and his defence lawyer Maxwell that lost also turned up (how random).
After reading the fanlore page: (where I see Wendelah was quoted! Kudos!)
I think they listed the series backwards (whups) with Vix te agnovi as 4th and Res Judicata as 3rd however on gossamer, its listed as I've noted above - and when I was reading it on there; it fully made sense (as they reference the George stuff in Res Judicata-- which wouldn't make sense if it was the other way around).
Back to the idea of OOC: In the series; it is pointed out in fanlore, that in the XF series canon, after each set of disasters; M and S aren't seen really "Dealing" with what happened to them (like mildly, I'd hardly describe 1x Karen Kossoff scene "Dealing with it") - whilst in Iolokus the authors delve deeper into the consequences no holds barred.
My only negative? The voice of the authors their dark sarcastic tones - are very much almost a character of the story itself. Their style of syntax is very characteristic; very coy and very dark humoured. Almost painfully dark at times.
I'm less going along for the ride as to being told how I should view the ride, and how I should experience it. Not bad, just different way of telling the story.
I didn't realise this was such a controversial story! And yet it won multiple awards.
Going to read Syadiloh before bed. Because it is Christmas, after all.
After the rollercoaster of the series; I'm glad these look like quick reads.
Edited to add: Re: syadiloh part 3 - Cordelia and Bram?!?!?! And you know I had to stop and think about the cord cutting thing with the twins when Diane was on the phone to the 911 operator. -- I suppose you could do a lotus birth if you didn't have scissors to cut/and clamps for traction (As they were DCDA twins: separate placentas, separate sacs)or I guess you could leave the cord dangling ... and if the second one is coming it's coming and it probably doesn't matter if the 1st cord and placenta is still in situ or not .... Just the image of some random FBI admin helping Scully deliver in a car was quite hilarious so I'll forgive the lack of detail.
I have very limited experience with twin births. However from what I do know: was holy crap; twin birth is dangerous without ultrasound to determine if the babies are cephalic or breech ... (unlike with a singleton pregnancy this is something that normally is known by 32 weeks and doesn't usually change and is easy to know without ultrasound...) Of course in the fic Bram and Cordelia were both cephalic presentations so it was all hunky dory.
Iolokus is a seven part series (the last 3 short parts I am yet to read).
The main four novels are located scroll down the link:
Iolokus
Agnates
Vix te Agnovi
Res Judicata
My thoughts on the series:
It's a painful read, especially: Iolokus, Agnates and vix te Agnovi.
It's drama on drama on drama - with action (I love action) - and a lot of sex.-- and not just smut, but very rapey. That was probably the hardest thing I found reading it, the idea that M and S would have such a hurtful/destructive relationship. The writing is quality, but often I felt like the authors were rubbing our noses in their portrayal of M and S - how far can we take these characters and still let them survive?
It was definitely a sit-on-the-edge of your seat type of read for Agnates (what with Jason being the completely evil twin -- the scene where we read he rapes Scully in the shower and how she doesn't realise it until much later - that it wasn't Mulder, but his twin) - and how she begs actual Mulder in bed not to "hurt her this time".
Vix te Agnovi with George impersonating M all over the shop, and continuously getting away with it over and over again - is very suspenseful to read. George takes advantage of the dark place M and S are in their relationship at this point (M viewing S leaving Mooslet with his brother as abandonment of himself and the child: to be fair though - it didn't seem like he was helping her all that much --) Right up to the point where George manages to convince Warwick and Inveld that he's the real Mulder and mutilates M; ties him up, and nearly kills w and I- only to have S just barely save the day.
Original characters in this piece surely require a mention:
Zippy
Warwick
Warwick's GF Ingveld
and the different Mulders:
Jason
George
Ian
and
The Mute brother Emerson
Res Judicata
Which may seem the most OOC out of all 4 main stories in the Iolokus series -- that being said; unlike perhaps during my initial jump into fanfic as a young teen (where I probably judged more harshly a fanfic's likeness of character and etc.) I no longer read fanfic in that way - rather to view its ability to expand on what the show provided; adherence to canon (with expansion) and if it's well written I'll believe anything about the characters no matter how "OOC" it might be (I mean, what is OOC anyways in XF realm?)
That being said; Margaret Scully taking Bill Scully's side in the whole right for adoption saga- I thought that was terribly OOC. Scully then disowning her mother I thought was well within her scope and I was surprised that at the end they had a celebration party that read a lot more like the wedding from hell - lol at the ice sculpture - (but went perfectly well with the whole sarcastic/dark tone of the series) in which Margaret was there; Bill too - and his defence lawyer Maxwell that lost also turned up (how random).
After reading the fanlore page: (where I see Wendelah was quoted! Kudos!)
I think they listed the series backwards (whups) with Vix te agnovi as 4th and Res Judicata as 3rd however on gossamer, its listed as I've noted above - and when I was reading it on there; it fully made sense (as they reference the George stuff in Res Judicata-- which wouldn't make sense if it was the other way around).
Back to the idea of OOC: In the series; it is pointed out in fanlore, that in the XF series canon, after each set of disasters; M and S aren't seen really "Dealing" with what happened to them (like mildly, I'd hardly describe 1x Karen Kossoff scene "Dealing with it") - whilst in Iolokus the authors delve deeper into the consequences no holds barred.
My only negative? The voice of the authors their dark sarcastic tones - are very much almost a character of the story itself. Their style of syntax is very characteristic; very coy and very dark humoured. Almost painfully dark at times.
I'm less going along for the ride as to being told how I should view the ride, and how I should experience it. Not bad, just different way of telling the story.
I didn't realise this was such a controversial story! And yet it won multiple awards.
Going to read Syadiloh before bed. Because it is Christmas, after all.
After the rollercoaster of the series; I'm glad these look like quick reads.
Edited to add: Re: syadiloh part 3 - Cordelia and Bram?!?!?! And you know I had to stop and think about the cord cutting thing with the twins when Diane was on the phone to the 911 operator. -- I suppose you could do a lotus birth if you didn't have scissors to cut/and clamps for traction (As they were DCDA twins: separate placentas, separate sacs)or I guess you could leave the cord dangling ... and if the second one is coming it's coming and it probably doesn't matter if the 1st cord and placenta is still in situ or not .... Just the image of some random FBI admin helping Scully deliver in a car was quite hilarious so I'll forgive the lack of detail.
I have very limited experience with twin births. However from what I do know: was holy crap; twin birth is dangerous without ultrasound to determine if the babies are cephalic or breech ... (unlike with a singleton pregnancy this is something that normally is known by 32 weeks and doesn't usually change and is easy to know without ultrasound...) Of course in the fic Bram and Cordelia were both cephalic presentations so it was all hunky dory.