I am Ninja, You are Ninja.
Posted by hailin on January 17, 2008
Song for the post: “Arch Enemy – Revolution Begins“
Ok maybe not. Finally I have found the time and energy to spit out a post.
So what have I been up to. Hmm.
Christmas was MMO filled. My brother came over from Calgary and I promptly pulled the extra TV and plopped it down in the living room so he could play FF11. Which I recently resubbed too. I have been having a blast being tortured by the grindy difficulty of that game. It is hardcore and I love it.
As usual I have been trying to get some Skate time in but a lot of that time is being killed by FF11.
So what have I been doing in Final Fantasy 11. Hmm to much. Right now I am trying to level a ton of classes through an area called Valkrum dunes. The new expansion came out recently and I jumped right into the dancer class. I love it. Prancing around in tight leather with my little Tarutaru is a blast. But then the cold hard truth hit me. YOU NEED NINJA TO LEVEL THIS JOB, AH AH AHHHHH. Ninja is killing me. I have to level this class to do anything in Final Fantasy 11. Dark Knight/Ninja, Warrior/Ninja, Samurai/Ninja, White Mage/Ninja….. NINJA NINJA NINJA. AAAAHHHHHH!!! Sorry for the Kinison moment but it had to be said.
Ninja for those not in the know are blink tanks, or evade tanks. They use shadows to confuse there enemy into attacking the shadows instead of the ninja himself. Damn that sounds cool as hell. But it truly isn’t. You spend most of your time counting shadows and praying that your off tank with provoke (Taunt) the mob off your paper tank ass so you can recast your shadows.
Anyways that is the way my gaming time has been spent.
Just wanted to throw this little bit out there. I saw two really good music documentaries this last couple of weeks.
First was American Hardcore. A documentary about punk music threw the 80’s. It is brilliant.
Second was Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey. It follows Heavy Metal fan Sam Dunn as he tries to figure out what metal music is all about. There is also a nice little short about Norwegian Black Metal, sadly my favorite NBM was not in it Dimmu Borgir.
Anyways time for me to roll back to the life of a ninja. /sobs
Hailin signing out. Keep on Rolling.
PS to Kevin of TSisD and Brackish. Where you guys go. We all miss reading you blogs. Peace.
tenfoldhate said
Yeah, American Hardcore was a great document of a period in music that too many people don’t know about. By the time I discovered those bands the scene was on it’s last legs but fortunately, I had to the opportunity to see a handful of those them before they fizzled out.
Though a lot of those bands weren’t the most technically proficient and being 34, a lot of the youthful anger I related to in my teens and twenties has mellowed–the spirit and ideals of that music still informs me to this day.
When you watch that documentary, it’s really sad to think what passes for subversive and edgy today, but that’s probably just me being an old fart.
= )
hailin said
No I don’t think that is you being an old fart. I think we just happened to experience a time in music that was really revolutionary. Much like I did too.
I feel punk music today just isn’t the same. It is missing something.
A couple of weeks ago I was listening to Backspin (Old school hiphop) on Sirius. I said to my partner. “this is what rap used to be.” It was then I realized that Rap music today is missing something. Like it doesn’t feel whole. You listen to an old De La Soul song, then listen to Eminem and you realize something. The music doesn’t seem to come full circle anymore. You don’t leave the song feeling full or complete. I am not sure if I am even describing it right.
Basically that is how I now feel about punk music. I think the first punk/hardcore album I heard was from DRI. Which again left me wanting to explore more. From the death metal of Sepultura to Cali Based punk Bad Religion all the way down to Flag, Sabbath and Zeppelin.
Good eras in music should leave you with something to discover. Like my love for old school rap. It led to a love for Jazz, techno, storytelling. With new rap I don’t feel the same urge to hear more and discover new sounds. Most likely why I have turned towards a more diverse mix of listening habits. From top 40 to Black Metal. Then again I could just be expanding my horizons due to age or looking for that next great thing in music that turns me on to 11.
tenfoldhate said
Yeah, hip hop is going through a similar stagnation right now that I think metal went through at the tail end of the 80s–the dime-a-dozen poser Sunset Strip hair bands of that era basically echoing the polished, poser gangsta, uninspired crap coming out today. Weird how cyclical music can be regardless of genre.
Funny you should mention DRI though. By the time I got into punk/hardcore the metal “cross-over” stuff was huge. Cro-Mags, DRI, Suicidal Tendencies, and a handful of others kind of ruled the landscape. I still remember buying DRI’s “Dealing With It” on cassette and being nervous that my Mom would see the cover.
Hehe. Were we ever so young?
radial said
Radial says : I absolutely agree with this !