Some writing music: Part 92

Good day inmates!

How are you all doing this week? It’s been another scorcher here in England. I may or may not have gotten myself a little bit burned again. I really have to learn to use sun-tan lotion more correctly. It’s a bit of a family thing when it comes to forgetting though I’m afraid. I’m taking it easy now though, don’t worry. As for writing, I’m actually feeling like my work this week has been a little less good. A couple pieces felt almost rushed or incomplete when I read them back. I’m not sure why this would have been, but it is something I’ve felt all week. I’m not always positive about my work you know! Hehe!

So, it’s that day of the week again! The time for the Harlequins writing music once again. It’s actually taken me all week to settle on what I was going to make the theme this time. It’s one that I’ve wanted to do for a while. Did anybody get the clue earlier on today? If you’re not a nerd like me, it may have been a bit unclear.

The theme for todays writing music is the video game series Final Fantasy! Oh yes indeed! For those less familiar, Final fantasy is a fantasy role-playing series from Japan that has existed in pop culture for a very long time. The music of this series has inspired me for around two decades at this point. I don’t just mean when playing video games either, I often listen to this music when I’m just chilling as well. The sheer scope and variety of the melodies and tunes present means there’s songs for any occasion, whether it be upbeat, relaxed or meditative. Most of the earlier soundtracks were written and created by a personal hero of mine as well. The venerable Nobuo Uematsu. I truly admire this man and the dedication he has to his work. He has been followed by some great artists of course (Soken is of particular note), but he will always be my favourite. And not just cause of red-tinted glasses either. So, does anybody want to hear some of my favourite tunes from the various entries in the series?

Well, join me as we delve into the musical minds of fantastical artists of the world over! Umm… I mean, from Japan in this case…

Final Fantasy XIV – Dragonsong

Final Fantasy VIII – Force Your Way

Final Fantasy IX – You’re Not Alone

Final Fantasy XI – Ronfaure

Final Fantasy VII – Cosmo Canyon

And there we have it! What do you think of my choices eh? I would hope that, even if you don’t enjoy video games, you can all appreciate the musical talent put into these songs. It was very hard to choose just five songs from the entire series and I could have picked at least a dozen more. Please let me know what you guys think eh? Oh, and while I think about, all of these songs are the property of Square Enix and obviously not my own. I just feel like it is prudent to point that out.

So, how about some social media nonsense? The asylum here has a Facebook page, an account over on Instagram and a page over on Twitter. Please come and follow me over on those, I post random stuff and clues for my poems ahead of time. If you enjoy what I do here at the asylum, please consider supporting me over at the Ko-Fi page! Cheers!

Until next week, have a very crazy day inmates!

The Summoner

In a realm birthed by crystals,
A world beyond the fantastic,
Governed by magick and beings of eld,
Where life is threatened oftentimes by demon and beast alike,
And the cruel darkness thirsts for souls,

Here fight warriors of no martial proclivity,
No axes or blades in hand,
But command respect nevertheless,
For they wield an ancient power,
A magic of primal energy,

A gesture of arcane will,
And a seized fragment of godly power,
These summoners can call down the very fires of hell,
Raise up the fury of the earth you walk,
And rend asunder foes with gales blades,

These forces come from elemental ire,
Passions from gods of fire and storm,
Restrained and wielded by these magi in green regalia,
Heroes who bring the elements to bear against darkness,
For the good of Eorzea.

Suddenly a wild Superloot haul appears!

Hello there inmates!

Hope your Friday the 13th has been suitably mad. I hope you haven’t been agitating any poor innocent masked men. Haha!

It’s not really a secret that I’m a geek. I always have been and I always will be. I like watching superhero movies. I adore video games of many and varied genres. My collection of games is a bit absurd actually. I like quite a few anime though I feel slightly sheltered on that front. I occasionally buy figures and posters just because I can. I endlessly imagine characters from certain animes clashing and I constantly envision conversations between video game characters. Iron Man, Cloud Strife, Sonic, Zidane Tribal and Hellboy, these are my chums! Among others, of course. Nerdiness runs in these veins, I promise you. I actually intend to make a blog post about the random trinkets and loot that I currently own. I’ll get on that eventually.

This particular post, however, is about a specific geeky item. Sort of. You see, I recently subscribed to a website that sends crates of geeky goodies once a month. Along the same lines as Loot Crate. This website is called Super Loot (link enclosed for anyone who is interested). They’re a UK-based company that has a few different options for crates. From a general “mystery box” to a comic box. I opted for the mystery geek box, just because it intrigued me really. My box arrived this week and I fancied the idea of sharing the few things that I got in it. Partly showing off my new stuff, partly spreading the word about these guys I suppose.

So, here goes…

First off, we have a humble Daredevil Pen.

Followed by an Incredible Hulk Plush.

Then a Vision bobblehead!

Penultimately, a Black Panther Pop! figure.

And last but not least, a Westworld t-shirt.

So, there you have it! Some pretty neat stuff eh? Worked out cheaper than if I had bought them individually too! It pays to be frugal, does it not? Thanks very much to the guys over at Super Loot for the awesome stuff. I hope that some of you fellow inmates go and have a look at their site. I think they’re doing a good job. Can’t wait until next month now, it can’t come soon enough! Thank you if you’ve managed to get through this post of sheer self-indulgence, but it helps to break up the monotony, no?

Hope you all have a very crazy day inmates!

My favourite game

Good day inmates!

I wanted to take an opportunity to talk about something i love today. That something is video games. Or rather a specific video game. First things first though. Yes, the Harlequin is a huge gamer. I’m a huge nerd, clearly! I’ve been playing video games since the Sega Megadrive. I adore them. They could be my primary hobby, if it’s fair to call them one.  Console or PC, it doesn’t actually matter.  I play RPGs (Role playing games), strategy games and the occasional action game. Games like Total War, Civilization, Dark Souls and Disgaea to name a few.

One of my favourite gaming franchises is Final Fantasy. I’ve played the majority of the games in the series, as well as many of the spin offs. I have two favourite entries into the series. One of which is Final Fantasy 9, that nostalgic trip into crystal fantasy fun land. I’m not going to be talking about that today though. Nope, instead I’m going to be talking about my other Final Fantasy love: Final fantasy 11.

Picture belongs to Square Enix, obviously.

Right, Final Fantasy XI. Henceforth I’ll refer to it as FFXI, it’s just easier to type. It’s probably my most favourite game ever. I’ve made a number of lasting friendships while playing this game so it has a lasting place in my heart. It’s an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game), much like World of Warcraft or Eve Online, but it takes all the little quirks and ideas from previous Final Fantasy games. That’s what i really love about it. Everything from the moogles to the job system makes this a true Final Fantasy game. It has all the same monsters, the whole emphasis on crystals, airships and even chocobos. Basically, the point I’m trying to make here is this is a real Final Fantasy game, despite being online. That actually works in its favor in my opinion. People you meet in virtual space are your party members now, not a host of occasionally irritating anime characters (I’m looking at you Vanille).

You pick a job (or a character class) from a list of 22. From the destructive Black mage to the iconic Dragoon, from the humble Warrior to the quirky Puppet master, there’s a class to suit all kinds of play styles. Personally i chose to play as a White mage. Basically my job is to keep everyone else alive and protected from enemy damage with healing and support magic. Easier said than done. Imagine a priest or cleric, that’s pretty much a White mage.

You then level up your character in a given class and go out and adventure! Fight big monsters, complete quests and traverse through a number of pretty impressive story lines. Yet another advantage FFXI has over other MMOs is the story missions. They make you feel like you’re playing a single player Final Fantasy game as you conquer boss monsters and watch cut scenes with other friendly players. It makes you feel special and valued while keeping that aspect of teamwork. From destroying an evil god,  to exploring new frontiers, to traveling through time and space, FFXI has it all! I’ve poured countless hours in this game. That may reflect badly on my social life, but i don’t care all that much. It’s all in good fun eh?

I hadn’t really intended to tell you everything about this game, i just wanted to spill how much i adore this game! It’s the best, yet unrecognized Final Fantasy game in the series and far superior to the more recent Final Fantasy 14.  Seriously, just go play it!

Have fun adventuring in real like and virtual land inmates!