Some writing music: Part 115

Hello there inmates!

How are you all getting on? Not frozen yet then I hope! It’s been a bit of a chilly one this week hasn’t it? At least it has been here on this island. It’s starting to feel a bit more like Christmas. So that’ll be feeling perpetually cold and having no cash whatsoever. There are certainly enough bright coloured lights everywhere! Happy holidays and such! I feel like my cynicism seems to be flowing at full power right now so I’ll apologise on that point. I’m loving life I swear! Haha!

So, speaking of loving life, who wants to listen to some music? Did anybody see the clue to todays musical theme? I thought it was a pretty good one, if I do say so myself.

Well, the musical theme for today is fantasy! Ahh of course! The realm of elves and orcs and short people with hairy feet. It’s one of my favourite genres in almost all mediums, behind horror of course. I’ve been fascinated with fantasy since my early years. Reading ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Sword of Shannara’ books back in the day definitely had an impact my interests going forward. I’ve written many poems about several facets of fantasy. From magic to mythical creatures, from wizards to worlds that don’t exist. It’s the quintessential essence of escapism, in much the same way as science fiction can be. I just think I’d rather be able to wield magic than fly a spaceship. How about you guys? Also, want to hear some music? I knew you would!

Join me as we delve into the musical minds of mythic artists the world over!

Spellblast – Goblin’s Song
http://www.spellblast.com/

TheFatRat – Fly Away
https://twitter.com/ThisIsTheFatRat

Eluveitie – Omnos
http://www.eluveitie.ch/

Nightwish – Amaranth
https://www.nightwish.com/

Aviators – Traveler’s Song
https://soundoftheaviators.bandcamp.com/

And there we have it for another week!

Did any of these songs whisk you away to another world unlike our own? I hope they cast a spell on you! I hope you enjoy each of these artists and check out their other music as well! They all deserve the attention and I’m sure you’ll enjoy them as well!

Speaking of enjoying stuff, let’s have some social media links. The asylum has a page over on Facebook, an account on Instagram and a page over on Twitter as well! Consider following me over on those pages too for poem clues ahead of time and other nonsense! Also, if you enjoy what I do here at the asylum, please consider supporting me over on the Ko-Fi page too! Thanks for everything!

Until next week, have a very crazy day inmates!

Beastman

They call me a beast,
Better suited to the wilderness,
Out of sight and out of mind,
Poking fun at my snout and feral grimace,
And my growls of nonsense during dialogue,
Derisively patting me upon my bestial mane,

It’s true that I feel lesser,
I’m subhuman,
Flea-ridden,
I stumble across societal rules on all fours,
I’m a flawed simulacrum of a man,
Despoiled by minotaur horns and lizard eyes,

It’s not possible to tame a wild creature,
And my pelt isn’t worth mounting,
So leave me to my slavering and howling,
I’m hardly domesticated,
So why not run free?
I am a beast after all.

Griffin

I remember seeing that beast,
Though that word did it no justice,
Upon his dynasty strewn with bones,
So still and so proud,
Like a bestial portrait,
It could easily have been a statue,

A regal creature of mythology,
Holding aspects both feline and avian,
Four legs and twin wings,
Claw and beak,
It growled with a bloodcurdling bass,
Regarding me with vulturous eyes,

This cave was the court of a monarch,
I had not come as a hunter,
But to proffer gifts on behalf of me and mine,
So I showed due fearful deference,
And like an emperor shows mercy to a serf,
The griffin let me live.

Discourse

These two vocal veterans,
Battle-hardened are they indeed,
Atop opposing monolithic podiums,
They are upon the field of discourse,
Wielding scholarly tongues as arsenals,
Knights jousting in the air before them,
Fleur-de-lys amidst silver,
Words as blades,
Morning stars in each argument,

Parry and riposte,
The fronts shift as voices are heard,
Aural dogfights between gentlemen,
Neither giving too much ground,
There is decorum in this violence,
This is no bloodbath,
Who shall concede?
It matters little,
As long as knowledge is garnered by each party.

Forlorn Hope

Plated and iron-willed,
Zweihander in grip,
We are the first,
The forlorn hope,
The first of the army,
The first to charge,
The first to brave that barbed storm,
To climb those ladders,
To brave those battlements,
The first to kill,
The first to be slain,
We are the first,
The forlorn hope,
The first to die screaming,
The first to burn alive,
The first to be impaled,
The first to perish under arrows,
To be pierced,
To be slaughtered,
The first to be buried,
The first to be forgotten.

Woodland Duke

I waltzed upon a woodland path,
To release some serotonin,
To be one with the natural backdrop,
Between the crowds of bark giants,
I chanced upon a wonderful sight,

I had been granted an audience,
A once in a lifetime opportunity,
To meet the duke of this wood,
A regal beast of wild aristocracy,
A titanic stag of primeval physique,

Towering over even the treetops,
His antlers scratched sermons into the clouds,
Treatises on woodland matters,
He stood upon ivory legs commanding respect,
Purely demanding reverence from all,

He stared into my urban soul,
As if in pity,
I could only bow,
A newfound awe crosses my mind,
A lord of nature has blessed me,

With a new heart of dew,
Pulsing with vitality.

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!

Dark Tower

You approach the dark tower,
A megalith of private business,
Its ebony walls in stark opposition to the sky,
Projecting an aura of foreboding to the peasants around,
A display of power in masonry,
You hear squeals and barbarism from within,
You approach over a lava moat of taxpayer dollars,
Musk and oppression emanate in waves,

Distraught souls and suited gargoyles,
Spreadsheets and torture devices,
Demons with security cards,
Ritual performed across desks of oak,
Monsters behind obsidian partitions,
Above those ironclad gates,
There is a plaque saying thus,
“Town Hall”,

Armed only with a downcast gaze,
You put hands on that cold metal door.

Dungeon

Descend you will,
Seduced by the siren call of golden opulence,
Down into the dungeon,
The harsh pit,
Dank fluctuations through the planets flesh,
Hewed by unknowable beings of history,
The marvel of its structure only matched by the horrors within,

Those before you have fallen as fodder or gone mad,
There are things down there,
Things waiting in the darks cloak,
Hungry pitiless things,
A terrible bestiary of jaws and roughshod weapons,
Goblins and dragons and basilisks,
Beholders and zombies and troglodytes,

Descend you still will,
Like so many before,
Will you overcome them all?
Cleave a swathe through them,
And return to the light with riches aplenty?
Or fall and become yet another skeletal decoration,
Expired prey of the dungeon?

The Toad

I once chased from my den a toad,
As swift as a garuda,
Into the dank green of the yard,
A soft mist enshrouded the lawn,
It served as a suitable backdrop,
For our dance of drama,
Our filmic action chase,

This little green man,
He was of singular proportion,
An amphibian aristocrat,
I pursued him,
Through a garden I no longer recognised,
The lawn gave way to a bizarre realm,
As if walking into a dream,

The toad was there,
But somehow changed,
Elongate limbs and a humanoid stylistic leaning,
Colours of every prism swam around like tadpoles,
He began a chorus of frog song,
Melancholy to be sure,
But somehow filled with magic,

I lock eyes with him,
His bulbous oculi grow ever more violet,
I feel his tongue strike out at my thoughts,
Amphibian metaphysicality,
As his crescendo amps up,
I feel lightheaded,
Blackness pounces and descends,

I awaken far away,
With nary a memory of mine own,
Just the stink of sorcery upon my brow.