INTRODUCTIONS: The Fictional Adventures of Moose & Squirrel (Charnette Soto)

Charnette Soto introduces us to her own love of The X-Files...

“I think that because you enjoy Law & Order, you’ll probably really like The X-Files.” – A Friend

I remember it was pretty late at night, and I was considering starting a new series on Netflix. I had been through Twin Peaks, and had finished Law & Order: SVU for the 4^th time. I was bored, and I wanted to see something else. But what was there to watch?

A couple of days prior, a person had left that suggestion in my inbox, and I stared at it for a while, trying to decide if they were serious. The X-Files? That low budget show from the 90’s about aliens? Why would I like/care about that?

Fast forward to now… I've been a fan for about 4 years, more or less. It wasn’t just that urging from a friend, however, it was much more than that. My life always had the show as a dull hum in the background of my childhood. When I was younger, my older sister was a big fan of the show, and had me on her lap as she watched it. I didn't really understand it but I watched it anyways, confusing Mulder and Scully, and wincing when appropriate. I remember catching the show on occasionally as the years went by--it had become a part of our pop culture so I grew up seeing the tag lines and the very basic story. When I was a little older, I remember seeing some of the episodes on the air and being terrified.

When I went on to college, I remember I saw I Want to Believe at a screening at my school. I was pretty drunk and I didn't really understand it, but I told myself that there was a reason why so many people liked it; there had to be a reason why it was so ingrained in American 90’s culture. It wasn't until I got that message in my inbox that I ended up finding out that the X-Files was streaming on Netflix. I’ll be honest, I was skeptical at first. I watched the pilot, and quite about 10 minutes in, just after Scully’s arrival into Mulder’s office. I had to start the episode over a couple of times, never making it very far. When I finally did finish it, I was hooked and I dove headfirst in and just devoured the show.

Once I was done with the show, I wanted to find people to connect and talk to. I remember when I first started using the computer in 1995 or so, there was a dedicated chat on AOL for a long time. There were newsgroups, forums, boards, web groups—just so much to take in! Most of those places were devoid of activity for years, but I did find and make friends on newer platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. It was good to have people to talk to about it… but there was always a tinge of sadness knowing we wouldn’t really get more episodes.

Until the revival, that is. And boy was that exciting! My timing as a fan could not have worked out to be better. I have met Mitch Pileggi, David Duchovny, William B. Davis, and Gillian Anderson. I’ve been to conventions, shows, met and made new friends along the way and have been traveling to keep up with everything going on. I think that part of the appeal is that it touches on a universal feeling that as humans, we can all understand: fear. The show connects people of different worlds, quite literally, and because of it, I can say I’ve made and met friends in many other countries. I’ve learned so much and I thank the X-Files for bringing that into my life.

So, in an effort to pay it forward, I would like to share my own take on what the series means to me and hopefully share something new that maybe you didn't know. I’m an avid gamer, and a lot of the topics I’ll be touching will have to do with technology. But I’m also a storyteller. I enjoy hearing stories that are lost or forgotten and sharing them. I hope that I am able to do exactly that.

The X-Files isn't just "that show about aliens", it's very much its own sort of community, even today paving the way for the industry. I look forward to writing here, and sharing my experiences, as well as hearing everyone else, and I hope that I can introduce the series to you with a different perspective that you’re probably used to.

Things I enjoy: Watching Rocky & Bullwinkle, using computers, learning about crime, writing fanfiction, and playing videogames.

Charnette will be a regular contributor to the blog. You can find her on Twitter @giantkiller130.