Thoughts on The X-Files - Season 1, Episodes 7-12

I enjoyed writing up my reactions to the first six episodes, and definitely plan on continuing. In this bit, I'm going to delve into episodes 7-12 of Season 1. This batch of episodes is also a mixed bag, but had some stellar episodes as well. In fact, it ended up in a better position than the previous six episodes.

*I have color coded the episodes using green (I enjoyed it), yellow (I could take it or leave it), and red (I didn't enjoy it (or possibly didn't watch it—check the summary)).

Episode 7: Ghost in the Machine

An episode focusing around Artificial Intelligence. Think anything by Asimov, and it's pretty much this episode. The episode overall was... uneventful. Forgettable, even. I know I watched it. I vaguely recall the ending. It didn't leave a mark, but it obviously wasn't terrible, either. An improvement over the prior two episodes, however.

Episode 8: Ice

This is a great episode based off of a novella and movie. Scully, Mulder, and a team of scientists end up in Alaska to figure out why another team of scientists all killed each other. Gripping episode with great story and character development.

Episode 9: Space

This episode is one of my least favorites. While going back through the list of episodes from Season 1 to complete the post, I saw it on the list and went, "UGH! That one was so dumb!!!". I mean, everyone has their own opinion about episodes, but this one was another that I seriously considered why I even watched it.

Episode 10: Fallen Angel

This is an episode focusing on the main story, and one that has a character that comes back later on in another season. The episode is pretty good, and delves more into Mulder's backstory. I really enjoyed it, though some of it moved a little bit on the slow side and I wanted it to just get to the point.

Episode 11: Eve

Another great one. Two fathers on the opposite side of the country are murdered at the same time in the same way. It's a "creepy kid" episode with some neat lore and mythology. I really enjoyed it, plus Harriet Harris was in it, and she's one of my favorite TV actresses.

Episode 12: Fire

Another monster-of-the-week episode, but it's a great story, plus young-and-sexy Mark Sheppard is in it. I mean, HELLO! Of course it's a good episode. Kidding aside, it really is a great story and well acted. I enjoyed it a great deal.

Thoughts on The X-Files - Season 1, Episodes 1-6

I've been delving into X-Files for the first time in my life (yes, really) the past few months. For a while I've been wanting to do some sort of review or thoughts piece, but I could never figure out how to do it, until an idea struck me just yesterday.

One of my friends is also watching X-Files for the first time, though is a few seasons behind me, and is running into the same issues I did with certain episodes. Having pushed my way into Season 8, I really do feel that skipping some episodes in Seasons 6 and 7 are almost necessary.

So I'm going to work through the episodes as a series of posts, with just a quick blurb on my thoughts—did I like it, did I dislike it, did I skip it, etc. I think it'll be fun to do, too! I'll try my best to stay away from spoilers, but I can't guarantee. Without further ado, let's take a look at Season 1!

*I have color coded the episodes using green (I enjoyed it), yellow (I could take it or leave it), and red (I didn't enjoy it (or possibly didn't watch it—check the summary).

Episode 1: Pilot

The episode that started it all! Of course I watched it. Scully is hired as a part of the X-Files to debunk Mulder's work, and for this case, they investigate abductions of some students. At the time, I enjoyed the episode, and having seen Season 7 at this point, I was excited to see a few of the characters back in a particular episode.

Episode 2: Deep Throat

This episode introduced one of my favorite characters in the first season!  The episode seemed a little hokey at some points, and it was difficult to put aside the fact that some of the special effects didn't particularly translate that well with age. A bunch did, however, which was wonderful to see. Overall, I really enjoyed the episode, especially the ending with Deep Throat.

Episode 3: Squeeze

This episode is a fantastic episode. But for me, it's a "take it or leave it episode", because it is just too creepy for me! This is one of the few episodes that has stuck with me and still scares me. All Chaide has to say to me is "Tooms" and I start freaking out. If you enjoy scary episodes that raise your blood pressure and anxiety levels, then this is definitely the one for you. So creepy...

Episode 4: Conduit

I found the episode overall on the boring side, but I watched it because the backstory of Mulder and Samantha was intriguing, and obviously something that I felt would be a storyline carried through a few seasons (it ended up being seven of them before we finally get some finality!). Something to watch for the lore, but something that's a bit painful to get through with some of the acting and plot.

Episode 5: The Jersey Devil

This episode was largely a monster-of-the-week episode and was boring overall. They attempt to develop the partnership between Scully and Mulder, though somewhat ineffectually. The story was lacking, and it's not an episode that comes to mind immediately—I had to look up the summary, and then re-read it to even remember if I watched the episode. I watched it, but wouldn't do so again.

Episode 6: Shadows

Another monster-of-the-week episode, it deals with ghosts and paranormal phenomena. I can't say much more about it other than that without spoiling a large portion of the plot, but another episode I asked myself "Why did I watch this?".

Goodbye, Blue Mountains!

The Gathering

Last night we actually had a large chunk of time to be able to game, and decided to spend it in The Secret World, since we hadn't really played much of it lately. Being able to play is hit or miss, because we're trying to finagle the busy schedules of at least three, if not four people together on specific toons (so that we don't get too far ahead of each other).

So we decided to finally finish out the Blue Mountains, because Chaide and I were pretty sick of it, which is another reason we were dragging our feet.

Meeting Joseph

We headed over to the Wabanaki Trailer Park to finish out the few quests we had there, minus the dungeon. We're hoping to get that done this coming weekend with a twitter friend who hasn't been able to do any of the dungeons so far, so I'm hoping timing works out for everyone involved. 

Anyway, we hadn't picked up any quests from Joseph yet, and can I say that I love that character? I mean, besides the fact that Armin Shimerman did the voice acting (and yes, I totally fangirled over it!). I do have to note that I couldn't tell it was him, aside from a little uplift he does at the end of a few sentences, and even then, it was difficult to notice. 

His quests were amazing, though. Well, aside from that one where you have to go chase down the Filth Hound. That one was neat, but it dragged on a little too long for my taste. I also really loved his and his family's involvement in the MSQ (Main Story Quest) that we also finished out.

Facing Beaumont

We worked our way through the MSQ, and got ready to fight Beaumont. And man! Was that hard! It took me a few tries to get it, but I finally made it through! And holy crap, the cut scene stuff afterwards is amazing! I ended up taking the present, mainly because I missed the guy jumping off the side to refuse it. But, supposedly, I'm able to change my choice later on? Regardless, I'll be paying a little more attention to what's going on around me at the end of MSQ from now on!

I do really want to know more about Beaumont and Cassie, though! Who is Cassie?! I've heard that Lilith is a character later on in the game. Is she Lilith? There's so much I want to know, but I'm trying ever so hard not to look up for myself!

I can say, though, that finally getting out of the Blue Mountains and finishing the MSQ up to this point has renewed my interest in the game.

#DatingSimonth: Men of Yoshiwara

#DatingSimonth

Image from Chic Pixel

So apparently I missed the memo, but there's this really cool initiative going around for 2016 called Community Game Alongs. And this month, it happens to revolve around dating sims! How did I miss this?! Having just gotten into Otome, I've been devouring everything I could find, buying up any I could find on Steam with great deals, and generally building a collection so I always have one to play if I don't feel like playing on Mobile.

And looking at the rest of the schedule, I can see myself participating in quite a few more of them, especially after I buy myself a Vita in February sometime (and Chaide one in March). I'm kind of excited to have a way to tailor my game time outside of MMOs so I don't flounder. The problem with having so many Steam games (at least in my eyes--113 is a pittance compared to a bunch of other folks) is that I get overwhelmed with what to play and then just shut Steam off.

But back to the objective at hand--it is the month focusing on Dating Sims! So I'm going to take advantage of that, and play some more, and share my thoughts on them! Because why not? That's blog content gold!

Men of Yoshiwara

My first otome game (and visual novel) ever was Hatoful Boyfriend. Some would argue it isn't a true dating sim, and after playing some more dating sims, I'd definitely have to agree. Regardless, it's what got me interested in the genre, and with some amazing suggestions from the ladies on Cherry Blossom Heroines, I decided to pick up Men of Yoshiwara on Steam. It also helped that it was a great deal which left me more change to buy more otome! So far I've really been enjoying it, though some of the paths were definitely not my cup of tea, to say the least.

Hayabusa

For some reason I just decided he was a pretty character and I wanted to do his route first. I'm the most interested in Kagura and Iroha, but I wanted to save what I'm hoping is the best for last! I somehow ended up gravitating towards the "childhood friend" even though I don't think that's my type. Granted, I'm still discovering my type. I thought the story was super sweet, and it made me "aww" out loud a few times. I loved it. Probably my favorite so far of all the ones I've completed.

Kagerou

I know that the "child" type is one of my least favorites, so I figured I'd knock Kagerou out of the way next. Especially since he annoyed me to no end in Hayabusa's story. I thought he was whiny, self-centered, and in a way kind of scary like he was going to hurt me. And he definitely came across that way, along with entitled, when I first started his story. But as I continued his play through, he grew on me a lot, and he's definitely my second favorite of the routes I've played so far. The only thing that irked me a bit was the last bit of his story with the whole "trick" people play on the protagonist and Kagerou. It made me feel kind of put out.

Takao

I liked the "pretty boy" type in Hatoful Boyfriend, so I figured why not try it in Men of Yoshiwara. He was a little self-centered and a bit overzealous in the other stories, but I felt like giving him a shot. And oh my gosh. He was a big pile of NOPE! I played his entire route (both endings) because I wanted to know more about them, but definitely my least favorite. By. Far. And I'd go into details, but I think my twitter posts about it pretty much sum it up without spoiling it. Plus? He just seemed really abusive emotionally, and I wasn't a fan.

The only redeeming factor about his story? His dad is totally David Bowie. Honestly, I might go back and replay his story just for his father. Because RIP Bowie.

Tokiwa

Then I decided to play Tokiwa. And while I liked him better than Takao by far, he was, in a way, the story with the least "oomph" so far. I really have nothing to say about his story either way than he started to get annoying at the end, and I just wanted it to be over and done with. I was half tempted to fast forward since it was kind of boring.

Next, I'm going to be doing Kagura, and then ending with Iroha. Apparently there's a Mobile-only gentleman, but I'm hoping that one day he'll end up on Steam so I can try out his path.

Gaming Goals: January

I've been enjoying putting together this gaming goals thing I decided to try out in June. It's helped me focus my time and come up with blog posts. Life has remained at a constant busy-level thanks to work, so my goals are going to remain small for now.

I got this in the bag.

WildStar

• Get my last AP (48 total) point!
• Rune out my DPS set with class runes (pants)
• Get my tanking set figured out on Chestnut
• Level up alts to burn up all the rested XP they have

FFXIV

Cactuar

• WAR 50
• PLD 40
• ARC 25
• CNJ 20

TSW

• Finish the bloody Blue Mountains already

Steam

• Finish Tokiwa's endings and date scenario (Men of Yoshiwara)
• Finish Kagura's endings and date scenario (Men of Yoshiwara)
• Play some more Shadowrun Returns and get the videos over to QueueTimes

I think I'll be able to manage most of what's on the list. It's fairly condensed, so it should be fairly manageable. As usual, though, we'll see what's actually attainable.

Sunday Scale and Star Wars

Sunday Scale

Sandrian over at Aeternus Gaming is doing this personal challenge that she's labeled Sunday Scale. What she's doing is something I am also doing—weighing in on the first Sunday of every month and rewarding myself accordingly for hitting a goal. I found that weekly just doesn't work for me and stresses me out and defeats the purpose of losing weight, so I was going to go down to once-a-month anyway. But, I felt that we could at least support each other, and hopefully make it a little bit easier!

I'm going to be super candid with you guys about this. First, this is a really tough topic to handle. I am overweight. I know I am. It's something I struggle with thanks to various heath conditions. But there are so many reasons that I want to lose it, and I'm going to make myself do it. My current weight isn't a pretty number.

I've tried various fad diets and programs and have done pretty much everything that "the experts" tell you to do. But it doesn't always work for everybody. And for now, I'm going with what I can do both realistically and emotionally.

My goal is to lose 4 pounds a month. That averages a pound a week if I do it right. That's a pretty healthy and steady weight loss that any doctor would be happy about. Something that Chaide has been trying to get me to do is to get clothes that flatter me better and make me feel better about myself (in hopes of boosting my self-confidence and therefore my moods, which will in turn make it a little easier to lose more weight). So, I'm going to do it. Monthly, I will buy an item I want from my wishlist over at ModCloth. If I meet my goal, I will allow myself to get a second item of clothing (or an accessory, pair of shoes, etc.).

The stipulation to this is that I need to clean out my current clothes collection (no more keeping three boxes of "it might fit someday!" clothes). I'm allowed to keep certain things—costumes, items that are a family heirloom, very-well made/name brand clothes I picked up (like two name-brand dresses I picked up at Goodwill for a great price). Same goes for jewelry, handbags, shoes, etc. If I want to buy that second item as not a piece of clothing, then I need to be sure that everything else is purged.

I think it's a fair compromise and reward system, no? I'm still rewarding myself for doing my best (and filling out my professional wardrobe which is severely lacking), and if I hit my goal, I get something extra.

Star Wars: The Podcast Awakens

I told you guys I'd keep you in the loop when the next episodes of Wildcast come out. Well, the next episode is out! And it has absolutely nothing to do with WildStar at all!

Avid put this image together. Isn't it awesome?!

Avid has a friend in the 501st Legion who joined us for this episode, and Behalter put together the awesome intro. We talk spoilers galore, so you've been warned. And I delve into my theory on Phasma, which I hope is true to a degree (at least!)! Like so many others, I am so pumped for the next installment, and I want to go see it again. I'm also super excited for Rogue One. I just hope that the momentum generated within this story can keep itself going with the director changes, but I have high hopes for Episode 8.

Other Bits

I've also picked up some writing over at MMOGames.com, so that is part of the silence over here. I'm also still writing for QueueTimes (you can actually expect some of my Let's Play videos of Shadowrun Returns later this week over there!), and catching up with Blogs of Nexus over at WildStar Datacube, now that I have finally conquered my sinus infection!

Work has been seriously busy as well, and with the changes to where cubes are now located and the new open floor plan (bleh), it has become much less efficient to blog during my lunch hour, so I'll need to figure something out. Possibly writing in a Google Doc? Come February it will be a little bit easier. Chaide and I had a deal that if I could keep blogging semi-regularly for a year I could purchase a domain and some space and get a self-hosted WordPress. So there will be that come February where there will be a blogging lull to get everything off of Blogger and onto WP, etc.

I also ordered a Plum Paper Planner (I'll probably be that weird person and write a first impressions post!) that I'm expecting at the end of the month to help me schedule my time a little bit better with all of these obligations, plus trying to fit in a bit of exercise every day. The good thing about moving offices is that where I'm at now has an easy way to walk around the building to track exactly a mile, so I can do a quick half mile in the morning, and a half mile before I leave sort of thing. Small doses, y'know?

It really does feel good to blog, so I'm hoping to keep up with it a little bit more now that I've gotten over the "I should write something..." mood.

Gaming Goals Review: December

I started this back in June 2015, and have been keeping up with it this past month. I've kept reducing my goals due to real life, and I think I hit a stride heading into December, but then the Holidays happened, so we'll see if I met any of my goals at all.

(Magnolia) Chestnut enjoyed fixing bells to bring happiness to the children in XIV!

WildStar Goals

Chestnut

• Work towards the last two AP (48) points! Halfway to last one!
• Put up Yardcore 9
• Winterfest Fun!!!!!!!!! Completed!

FFXIV Goals

Cactuar

• Level 50 WAR
• Do the Christmas event Completed!

TSW

• Put up third LP video
• Finish Blue Mountains!
• Complete the Christmas events!

Results

Let's take them a game at a time. In WildStar I'm halfway (I think even 3/4 way) to getting my last Ability Point. Finally! It's been such a process for me, especially since I was feeling a little bit of burnout after ThaydFest, but I've gotten back into the swing of things and am greatly enjoying myself again. I got Yardcore up, and did Winterfest, too! Hopefully I can churn out a Winterfest post in a timely manner... so, sometime this week.

Chaide and I are level 47 on our main classes in XIV and finished out the MSQ to the point where we need to be level 49. It's our goal to try to make it through to the Heavensward story end of the month. We also did the Christmas, New Years, and XI crossover event. I'll probably do a joint post about those at some point.

We didn't get in a lot of TSW due to the Holidays, Cam traveling for work, etc. but we also ran into some issues completing the Christmas events, which I discussed briefly in an article over at MMOGames. Overall, considering it was the holidays and the progress we made, I think I made a pretty good dent in my goals!