Note: All past challenges are listed on this page and may be answered by any member at any time.
Current Episodic Challenges
Current Whole Story Challenges
Ongoing Challenges
Challenger:
Challenge Title: Prometheus Challenge
Status: completed
Deadline:
Add scenes to Prometheus explaining what happened between Hercules and Xena freeing Prometheus and the farewells of the two couples?
Challenger:
Challenge Title: Surprise Challenge
Status: completed
Deadline:
Rewrite the ending of Surprise so that it was not Alcmene but Iolaus about to jump from the paraphet.
Challenger: Cobber
Challenge Title: Encounter Challenge
Status: completed
Deadline:
Add scenes explaining what exactly happened when Hercules found Iolaus near death with the Hind's arrow buried in his chest?
Challenger: Owlharp
Challenge Title: Lost City Challenge
Status: completed
Deadline: Aprox May or June 1997
Add scenes to Lost City explaining, what happened to Iolaus between the torture scene and his reappearance as one of the "followers" and how did he manage to not become programmed?
Challenger: Jane
Challenge Title: Maze of the Minotaur Challenge
Status: completed
Deadline: aprox August 1997
Add scenes to Maze of the Minotaur explaining, what happened to Iolaus between being pulled down the hole and Hercules pulling him from the cocoon?
Challenger: Klio
Challenge Title: Hero's Heart Challenge
Status: completed
Deadline: 15 October 1998
Add scenes to Hero's Heart explaining why Iolaus trusted Hercules enough to allow Zeno to be handed over to the authorities after Iolaus rescued him from drowning.
Challenger: Jane
Challenge Title: Enforcer Challenge
Status: completed
Deadline: 12 December 1998
Add scenes to Enforcer explaining what happened between Hercules carrying off the unconscious Nemesis and the goodbye scene at the end.
Challenger: Bwell
Challenge Title: Armageddon Now Challenge
Status: completed
Deadline: 2 Feb 1999
What would happen if Our Iolaus met up with alternate time Iolaus (not Jester), the one who grew up without the influence of Hercules? What would his life had been like without the demigod living in a world ruled by Conqueror Xena?
Challenger: Ceryndip
Challenge Title: Mother of All Monsters Challenge
Status: completed
Deadline: 17 April 1999
Complete Mother of All Monsters by adding scenes to the end explaining how Iolaus and Alcmene managed to get the wounded Hercules back home and how a wounded demigod was made to stay in bed long enough to heal.
Challenger: TX Iolausians
Challenge Title: Maze of the Minotaur #2
Status: completed
Deadline: 15 June 1999
Write the missing scenes from Maze of the Minotaur that explain why Iolaus is traveling across Ancient Greece in his boots, his coat and his skivies. If you don't believe this get your tape and forward it to the part where they are traveling to Alturia. If you observe closely, you will see that Iolaus is traveling without his pants on. Bare legs and a coat and boots....
Challenger: Ziggy
Challenge Title: The Wrong Path
Status: completed
Deadline: 4 September 1999
.Herc's family has been killed by Hera, when Iolaus shows up, Herc refuses his help. Iolaus grants Herc's request and goes, leaving Herc to trash and burn his home. The next time we see Iolaus, he's in the tavern, drinking, and he angrily tells off Lykus of Istar when the man comes down on Herc. The Challenge is to chronicle what Iolaus does between the two scenes. Does he go off to grieve, does he head straight to the tavern and start drinking, does he relive memories of his own of Deianeira and the kids? That, fellow Bards, is for you to decide and write about!
Challenger: Melinda
Challenge title: Post Revelations
Status: completed
Deadline: December 11, 1999
In Revelations, Iolaus is wearing only half of his amulet. Now in reality, the amulet was split by Dahok/Gilgamesh's dagger. Half remained with Iolaus' body. Hercules wore half for a whlie then gave it to Nebula (never liked that idea but....). However, Iolaus didn't know that. So why was he only wearing half the amulet when he returned in Revelations? To me, not knowing the amulet had been split in half, he would have "imagined" (for lack of a better word) that it remained intact around his neck.
Also, Eli-sheva from the IML has asked we consider what happens to the memorial that Hercules raised in Iolaus' memory? How does he explain it to Iolaus? What's Iolaus' reaction? What happens to the memorial?
Therefore, your challenge, should you choose to accept it is to write a story explaining (1) why Iolaus only wears half his amulet now and (2) what happens to the memorial Hercules raised in Iolaus' memory?
Challenger: Ziggy
Challenge Title: Wedding of Alcmene Challenge
Status: challenge issued
Deadline: Feb 19
This challenge is based on the episode "The Marriage of Alcmene." Remember the scene where the sea serpent sent by Hera swallows Jason and Hercules jumps in to save him? Well, your Challenge is to rewrite that scene so it is, who else?, Iolaus who ends up in the beast's belly. Now, you can write it with Iolaus alone or Iolaus with Herc or Iolaus with anybody else from the episode, just as long as Iolaus is the one gulped down by the monster (or the one who jumps in to save somebody else).
Challenger: Ceryndip
Challenge Title: God Fearing Child
Status: issued
Deadline: April 25, 2000
Hercules has just killed his own father and he appears to be shock over the whole thing. You mission should you choose to accept it is to write the follow up. How is Iolaus going to help Hercules deal with what his best friend has done?
Challenger: Open
Challenge Title:
Status:
Deadline:
Challenger: Ceryndip
Challenge title: Iolaus' Mythological Fishing Trip
Status: completed
Deadline: aprox Nov 97
Write an original fishing story set in one of the locations on the Iolaus' Mythological Fishing Trip Map. This can be serious or funny or any kin dof "Fish Tale" you choose.
Challenger: Carolyn
Challenge title: Gabby Challenge
Status: completed
Deadline: 15 March 1998
Write a story explaining how Iolaus learned that Gabby could fight. In Prometheus he saw that she couldn't fight at all and by the time The Quest came around he was not surprised that she could defend herself. How did he find out?
Challenger: Ayelet
Challenge title: Orestes Challenge
Status: completed
Deadline: 15 May 1998
Write a story in which Orestes must take Iolaus' place.
Challenger: Ceryndip
Challenge title: Alcmene's Ghost Challenge
Status: Completed
Deadline: 24 October 1998
Write a story inwhich for whatever reason of the author's choosing Alcmene's Ghost/Spirit makes a visit to Iolaus from the other side.
Challenger: Wildkat
Challenge title: Academy challenge
Status: completed
Deadline: 15 May 1999
Write a story explaining how Iolaus ended up getting the choice of the Academy or Jail.
Challenger: Electra
Challenge title: responsibilities of strength challenge
Status:completed
Deadline:15 July 1999
Write a story in which Hercules' strength while doing the right thing injures an innocent bystander (such as Iolaus). How will Hercules deal with his strength being a double edged sword.
Challenger: Melisande
Challenge Title: Teach Young Iolaus to swim
Status: completed
Deadline: 30 Sept 1999
Melisande's challenge involves a couple of Young Hercules episodes. Specifically, "Forgery" where we first learned that Young Iolaus can't swim. (this possibly explains his aversion to bathing, perhaps?) a couple of other episodes also mention his inability to swim, Ares on Trial comes to mind, Jason had to jump in and look for the missing Hercules while Iolaus waited on the shore. you are not asked to add scenes to any specific episode unless you want to do it that way. you are asked to write the story of how Young Iolaus learned to swim. He must have learned at some point because adult Iolaus knows how.
Challenger: Ziggy
Challenge Other Side
Status: ongoing
Deadline: Feb 1st, 2000
OK, Ceryndip said I could post this, since there seems to be no objections from my fellow Bards. This will be a Whole Story Challenge, though it is based in part on an episode, that episode being "The Other Side." For those of you who need reminding (since Iolaus is not present in this one, but Michael is as Charon), this episode is about Hades kidnapping Persephone and Herc's efforts to bring her back since Demeter threatened to destroy the harvest unless Herc got involved. Demeter basically froze the harvest (you see a scene of apples on trees with ice icicles hanging from them and, hey!, Herc's actually wearing a cloak against the bitter cold and snow!) and livestock, so the people of Greece are slowly starving to death.
The Challenge is to cover Iolaus' perspective of the event. What's he doing when Demeter messes with nature? Is he at home? Is he on an adventure of his own or does the problem bring up an adventure for him? Up to you, fellow Bards! I look forward to reading your Responses!
Challenger: Wildkat
Challenge: How Iolaus found out Skouros was dead and his reaction.
Status: current
Deadline: April 15
We all know that Iolaus and his father Skouras had a difficult relationship, at best. I know that there are various theories about if Skouras abused Iolaus----- I tend to think the abuse was mainly verbal, but we all have our own thoughts on this matter.
My challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to write a story about how Iolaus found out about Skouras' death and how he reacted to it. The show never actually specified when Skouras died, so use your imaginations. I can't wait to see what you come up with.
Challenger:
Challenge
Status:
Deadline:
Ongoing Challenges
These are stories that have no deadline at all. If you answer one of these challenges send the story to both the IWC and the IML (if still a member). Technically all story challenges are open if you choose to answer one, the only difference is that these challenges specifically do not have any deadline. An ongoing challenge may be issued at any time.
Challenger: Rebecca (not an IWC member) Hello,
I'd like to thank you for posting/making the Iolausion writers circle. Your inspired ideas for these stories have inspired some really great authers to write some really great stories. I was curious if I could suggest another idea. What would happen if Iolaus and Hercules were caught in a natural disaster? Like an earthquake, tornado, or flood. Just a suggestion. Thanks again.
Rebecca
Challenge Title: Natural Disaster Challenge