Nostalgia. If I can sum up my experience with the final fantasy series, the word I would use is nostalgia. I love working while having the final fantasy music soundtrack play in the background because it brings me back to the mid 2000s as a kid. It brings me back to my room down in my parent’s basement in total darkness except the light of my TV screen illuminating the room. It eases my mind and takes me away from the troubles and stresses as an adult. I’m sure most who are fans of the series could relate.
I’ve been a final fantasy fan ever since I played FF7 back in the early 2000s. I’ve played FF7 through FF10 in the 2000s and have played FF15 and FF7 remake. I’ve been a fan for years. However, I find myself going back to the versions that I’ve played in the early 2000s because FF7, FF8, and FF9’s impact on me shaped the course of my artistic path forever.
Even the way I draw, or look at life in general is through the eyes of Scroll at Fisherman’s Horizon. The mellon collie vibes makes me feel like everything I ever needed or wanted is right in front of me. Man, was it easier life was as a kid. When I look at my son, I think to myself, kid you got it easy right now. Enjoy it while you can.
When I hear FF9 Rose of May, it makes me think of the duty that I have as a father, a community leader, a family piller. I find myself in positions of leadership often, sometimes randomly. The amount of pressure I feel is stressful. The thought of letting people down, the thought of failing is always in the back of my mind. But when Beatrix lead her team on her flying ship, her resolve is awe inspiring. It reminds me to take it one step at a time. It reminds me that failure is only a failure if I stop trying.
When I hear FF7 Tifa’s Theme, my heart flutters as I picture myself walking into a dimly lit bar. Seeing a girl that I like. My hopeless childhood romances make me smile. I look at my wife and think about how lucky I am to have met a woman as wonderful as she.
The Final fantasy series will forever be a series that I cherish dearly. It helped me through my feelings of not fitting in as a kid. It aided me through the feeling that an outcast can be the hero. Being different isn’t a bad thing. It might just be the thing the world needs.