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XINE 06x2003 (JUNE 2003): VIRTUOSITY
Virtual Seasons In Profile
There are a number of virtual seasons, and this list is probably not exhaustive. However, it details the background and slant of a number of virtual seasons to date.
XFVCU (X Files: Violent Crimes Unit)
This one's my baby, started largely because I became very interested in virtual series as a writing format in the course of researching this Xine. The XFVCU universe works on the premise that the entire aired X Files history was the surface layer of a cover operation to fight the conspiracy. Now, eighteen months after The Truth, the conspiracy has been exposed, and the agents have emerged from witness protection to work together in an expanded X Files unit as a team. Mulder, Scully, Doggett, Reyes, Krycek, Fowley, Spender and Follmer are all there, and they aren't all playing nicely with others. The series is built on the idea of exploring group dynamics in the field, and romance, while present, is written in a low-key "old married couple" way to avoid its undue emphasis. Episodes mirror the basic structure of a casefile episode, and are presented in conventional story format. XFVCU can be found here.
IMTP (I Made This Productions)
I Made This Productions, also known in general parlance as VS8, VS9, and VS10, is perhaps the best-known source of virtual seasons. Now in its third year, IMTP's virtual continuation of the series branches off from Je Souhaite. Mulder and Scully continue as partners investigating casefiles and an ongoing conspiracy/mythology arc, and are in a romantic relationship. Medical and forensic details tend to be well-researched. Episodes mirror the basic structure of a casefile episode, and are presented in conventional story format. The extent of the MSR varies somewhat, depending on the writer. Humbuggie, who generally writes UST and has written a double episode, Matrix and Matrix II, chose to downplay the romance. "I just avoided the subject. I think they pecked each other's cheek here and there, and they might have been [closer], but that's about it."
IMTP's virtual seasons have suffered somewhat from politics. There was, and is, a perception that the IMTP's agenda was anti-Season 8 and anti-Doggett. Sadly, IMTP has a bad reputation among alternative and late-season-friendly Philes because of this. However, IMTP was conceived during Season 7 when XF's future was uncertain, before the Doggett character had been announced. It's true that IMTP became a political football during Season 8, but that situation has been resolved. IMTP's virtual seasons remain a viable alternative for fans of stories about Mulder and Scully as agents working in partnership. The IMTP virtual seasons can be found here (Season 8), here (Season 9), and here (Season 10).
X10/10X
X10, known also as 10X, has the tagline "Two On The Case, Two On The Run." It follows Mulder, Scully, Doggett and Reyes and continues where The Truth left off. Skinner and Kersh also appear, and band together on occasion. The stories are casefiles, mirroring the show's structure and mood, and are presented in conventional story format. Each episode has a print ad, and spoilers are revealed on occasion. There are twenty episodes so far, with a second season due to premiere in July. X10 can be found here.
Virtual Season Ten
Virtual Season Ten, or VS10, was a continuation of the show from Sunshine Days. Doggett and Reyes continued to investigate cases and work towards a romantic relationship, and Scully appeared on the sidelines. The stories were powerful case files, mirroring the structure of the show and presented in conventional story format. The series website and planning groups have been removed from the web, so I assume the project is dead. However, XFMU has archives of most of the episodes. In order, they are Daimonizomai, Arauke, Gentlemen Prefer Brunettes, Hanged Moon, Butakari, The Man In The Dinner Jacket, Summon The Heroes, and Glee Club, and also Restitution, which has an unknown position in the chronology. There are also four episodes I have not been able to locate. These episodes stand very well on their own - my personal favourite is Gentlemen Love Brunettes.
FRVS (Fox And Rat Virtual Series)
The Fox And Rat Virtual Series, a self-described online sitcom, is one of the oldest and most unique virtual series out there. FRVS has just aired its fifth season finale, and is gearing up for its one hundredth episode (which is being marked by a four-episode "movie"). FRVS is primarily an irreverent satire, with a smattering of more serious episodes in the mix. All the regular players are in there, and their romantic adventures are light-hearted and thankfully low on politics. Episodes are presented in script format. FRVS can be found here.
Saison Virtuelle de Doggett et Reyes (en francais)
Saison Virtuelle is the French virtual season spearheaded by Marie-Eve, of the leading French-Canadian Phile site The Search Continues. French fandom - as with other international fandoms for whom native-language fanfic is in short supply - has embraced virtual seasons, particularly for series of Canadian extraction (there is, in fact, a French Virtual Season Project that unites some of these).
Saison Virtuelle continues the story of Doggett and Reyes where Season 9 left off. The duo have been reassigned to New Orleans field office, where Reyes was situated in Season 8. They investigate case files, which are presented resembling X Files episodes in structure, and written in conventional story format in French. There have been twelve episodes to date. I am very fond of this particular series, and hope that someone with better French than mine will translate the episodes down the track. Saison Virtuelle can be found here.
Starkweather Virtual Series
The Starkweather virtual series is based around Mulder, Scully, Doggett, Reyes, and an original character named Agent Jerilyn Starkweather. Mythology figures such as Knowle Rohrer appear from time to time as well. The first season inserts a year between Seasons 8 and 9, and the second season, which has only just begun, is situated after Season 9. For the most part, the seasons maintain continuity with the XF timeline, with the exception of William's age. The stories are case files, with very limited romance and, by the authors' statement, are "pro-Doggett and Reyes (but not necessarily DRR), Darksider-Intelli-Fini-Shipper MSR." With the exception of a couple of crossover episodes, they mirror the structure of aired episodes, and are presented in conventional story format. The Starkweather series can be found here.
AS8 (Alternative Season 8)
Alternative Season 8 is not a virtual season in the usual sense. AS8 was born of the dissatisfaction of certain fans with the progression of Season 8. For this reason, the decision was made to rewrite Season 8, with each episode's basic story maintained, but re-written with modified action and/or dialogue in order to regain something which the authors felt had been lost in the Season 8 which appeared on our screens. By its nature, AS8 is necessarily political, and some have chosen to avoid the season due to its stance. However, it remains a solid re-telling and re-interpretation of the episodes that aired. AS8 can be found here.
IVS (Italian Virtual Season)
IVS is an Italian virtual series run by well-known Italian Phile Elena Romanello and others, and ran from 1999-2001. IVS episodes are situated parallel with the aired seasons - season 1 is situated between The Red And The Black and The End, and season 2 is situated between One Son and Biogenesis. The episodes are case files, investigated by Mulder and Scully and mirroring the structure of episodes of the show, presented in conventional story format. The series also contains an inner mythology which co-exists with the onscreen one. Episodes are presented as zipped RTF files, presumably to preserve Italian accented characters. The link to the third season doesn't work, and it appears that the project has been abandoned. However, there are thirty-three episodes in all, and they can be found here.
XFVS (X Files Virtual Season)
This elaborate virtual series endured through two seasons and the beginning of a third, spanning 1999-2001. Some of the information links have gone down, making it difficult to work out how it came about or why it ended, but it appears to have branched off from the X Files universe after One Son, or possibly Biogenesis. Mulder and Scully investigate conventional case files in close consultation with AD Skinner, and are often drawn into the conspiracy world of Krycek, CSM, Jeffrey, Cassandra, and the aliens. The episodes are presented in conventional story format and mirror the stricture of the show as we saw it. There are forty-five episodes in total. XFVS can be found here.
The Lone Gunmen Virtual Season
The Lone Gunmen Virtual Season was a short-lived continuation of the Lone Gunmen series written in 2001. There appear to be six episodes in all on the site, although others are referred to in the updates, and they were presented in script format. They're conventional LGM episodes with the focus strictly on LGM themes, with a touch of humour. There appears to be little crossover with the rest of the X Files universe. The Lone Gunmen Virtual Season can be found here.
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