Memoirs of Adventure Creative Writing Contest (NA) - Official Entry Thread

[Coyote_Socks]

“Come heroes one! Come heroes all! To aid our suffering souls!
The waves they break upon the shore, the serpent wakes below!
We need the best, but I attest… They’ve all but come and gone.
Their gear is got, their battles fought. So now your lot is drawn.

The simple white mage lalafell who heals the best he can.
A sprout affixed above his hood, green weapon in his hand.
A scholar fighting for his life, but tasked to raise the dead,
A ninja dancing toe to toe, with rabbit on his head.

A bard who knows a single song, but sings with great intent,
A black mage slinging fire and ice… until their mana’s spent.
A grim-faced, veteran Paladin picked to lead the band.
Through all the wipes and miss-steps, he stood with sword in hand.

A warrior screaming top of lungs, he’s in it for the fun!
While ignoring all the Sahagin killing everyone.
And last the skittish dragoon, ready with a quip.
His words as sharp as steel as he jumps right off the ship.

Perhaps you’re not the heroes that we wove into our songs,
And maybe there are those that say you simply don’t belong.
But every time your group would fall. You’d push to rise again.
Every time you’d want to stop, you’d turn to see a friend.

And in the end, you did succeed, because you were a team.
And when you worked together, you were more than what you seem.
So rejoice great heroes of Eorzea, The Serpent hath been sunk!
Now roll upon your greatest prize…

The weapon of a monk."

Signed,

A C-Tier Raider.

[roctitan]

I remember the adventures I shared with my best friends Alyeris, Xero, and Soquel, we were a world-class light party, Xero always quick to heal and raise me from my careless mistakes, Aly always kind in guiding me to be the best tank I could be, and Soquel teaching me the occasional DPS. Together we fought all the biggest and worst threats Eorzea had put in our way. One by one, they helped me conquer each trial, each dungeon, bore witness to my countless reactions of 'Oh my gods' and 'Dude!!!!!' as I continued my adventures.

They welcomed me to my first Free Company where I formed even more bonds, everyone had my back as I continued to progress from my journeys in the beginning to my current adventure in the First. From the start, my goal has been to catch up with my friends so that I can be of support and help as a Free Company member and a competent Tank.

The world is full of many things I have yet to experience but despite all that Aly says they'll take me through it so that I can see what made each expansion so amazing.

My fondest memories, well three come to mind,
#1 Experiencing the Dark Knight storyline showing that Final Fantasy can still tell a dark story.
#2 Beating up moogles.
#3 When we got to experience Fanfest 2018 live and together in Vegas, there we met a couple of members of our Free Company and got to witness what was in store for the newly announced Shadowbringers.

There's still so much left for me to experience, new bonds and memories to form as I continue, regardless though it will only be good so long as I get to share it with best friends.

(Noble Barding)

[Cuon]

T'was a bright sunny day as I walked the bridge over to the Kugane markets. My bags were filled with gil as I made way to purchase some last minute provisions before I took the trip back to Eorzea. However, as I peeked over my shoulder, I noticed a curious fellow running after me. The deranged lunatic sported a shining blue pig costume and was wielding a pair of long daggers. For a moment, I kept pace, and as soon as I rounded a corner off the bridge, I bolted while he gave chase. A bard at the time, I wasn't hardly confident in engaging in close quarters, and I dare not kick up a fuss in the city lest I have to sneak from the guards again.

I bolted through alleyways and streets, twisting and turning my path every which way all over the city. I even dove into an inn room to try and wait out the pursuit, but even then the blasted pig found his way to me, forcing myself to abscond through the open window. As a Miqo'te at the time, I found pride in my agility, so I set out for the tower in the middle of town. Practically jumping up the stairs to the second floor, I threw myself to the balcony and noticed some precarious beams lining the outside of the structure.

With no time to waste, I hopped up on my nimble legs and began scaling the outside of the tower. My footing was true and I hardly missed a step- a good thing considering the sheer drop below. However, this did not discourage my pursuer. I suppose in retrospect I should've realized he was a ninja on account of his weapons and likely to be adequately skilled in acrobatic maneuvers, but one can't blame me for the mistake on account of his outfit, surely!

Still, I climbed, knowing full well that if I just continued up the tower that he would surely catch up. However the farther I went, the more I looked to the top rather than down at the blue pig. This had turned into a challenge, not a flight for dear life. My pursuer, whether this was his original intention or not, seemed to feel much the same way. I caught myself lingering on certain steps of my climb just a hair to make sure he hadn't fallen. A sort of camaraderie settled within us as we gradually made our way to the summit, and after a good many more harrowing leaps of faith that I care to never ever repeat, the two of us stood proud atop the rooftop of the tower. The entire city and that beautiful ocean in view for malms around. We just enjoyed the view together for a moment or two, and I can't help but wonder if this was his original intention. And, for one last display to top his day's baffling actions, he jumped off the roof like a madman! I had a brief start, only to see him land with perfect precision upon a lantern down below. After much deliberation and probably a lack of self-preservation, I performed the maneuver as well to great success. At least then I didn't have to worry about getting down.

(Noble Barding for the prize)

[Wishful]

A slip of aged parchment rests within the bottle, neatly curled and held closed with a plain black ribbon. As you unfurl the letter, you catch an achingly familiar scent: something between the crispness of mountain air and the salt of a breeze coming off ocean waves.

To you, wherever you are:
A stranger once told me that time moves differently for everyone. I thought we’d spend forever out there, staring out at that endless expanse of clouds. Gods, but they went on forever, didn’t they? It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. You felt that way too, didn’t you? Everything was light, and new, and bright, and beautiful. It lasted only a moment but –

If I had but one wish, I would wish to save that feeling – bottle it, if you will – and preserve that moment forever. Alas, I only have this letter to send you.

‘Time moves differently for everyone.’ I wonder where your time has taken you. As for me, I’m still out there in the Sea of Clouds.

Yours,
E.

(Thank you for reading. If selected, prize choice is Gaelicap.)

[Alaccran]

To whoever finds this,

They told me to write my fondest memory of my adventure onto here. It's for a celebration of something or other I can't really remember, which should tell you how this will go. But, believe it or not, I knew exactly what memory I would write down the moment they told me.

In all honesty it'll be a disappointment to most. It's not anything like a grand triumph over an enemy that pushed me to the limit. Or acquiring a weapon that had only been heard of in legends. It's a simple one. An insignificant one in the grand scheme of things. But it is one I'll always look back and smile upon.

There's nothing I hated more than aether currents. Not that I hate what they provide, just that I dread having to find the sodding things. Compass and run, compass and run, over and over until I'm sure the mountains and fields that I crossed are laughing at my exhaustion. After what seemed like ages clearing out the Western Highlands, I was prepared to accept that I might just have to stick to the solid earth beneath me for the rest of my travels, I received a message from a dear friend.

"Would you like some help?"

My most trusted and smallest friend from my free company had heard of my grumblings from the residents of the land and decided to assist me in my quest to unlock the full potential of my newly acquired Black Chocobo. Not wanting to impose I refused politely, until she insisted that I accept her gracious offer and she would hear nothing else.

So there I was, riding on the back of a Ceremonial Chocobo, with my hands gently holding onto the body of my Lala companion as we ride in search of the sporadic currents. From the Churning Mists, to the Dravian Forelands and Hinterlands, to finally the breathtaking Sea of Clouds. All while making idle chatter along the way. Jokes that had been retold over and over that never get old. Stories from each of our own adventures, and some of our misfortunes. Even the most peaceful of silences as the wind rushes past us as we soar across the skies. With me carrying a full smile that never seemed to leave my face.

Once it was over and done with I dismounted and thanked my friend for the time she took for me before being met with a laugh. Pointing out that it in fact, took no time at all she told me to let her know if I needed any more help with currents in the future and with another whistle, she was gone. But my smile still wasn't.

Now if you haven't thrown this letter away by now or shoved it back in the bottle and into the sea you might be asking, "That's it?"

Yes. That's it. My fondest memory. Lost in all the massive battles and epic struggles are the little things in between. The little things that make me appreciate why I still wake up every single morning. The little things that make me warm even in the coldest of climates. These little things are what make my adventure worth it, and I hope it does the same for yours.

(ty for reading and bluebird earrings)

[Swilly]

Hullo Hero. Warrior of Light. Remember me? Do you not recognize this magnificently looping hand and these impeccably crossed t’s and dotted f’s? Yes, ‘tis I. Neither your best friend nor your worst enemy, but your very own Mr. In-Between, Nero Scaeva.

Seeing the hugga-mugga along the shores amid the aftermath of this year’s Moonfire Faire put me in a sentimental mood, the sort that provokes a journey in the same genre. Won’t you join me? After all, it is because of YOU that I am who I am today: A semi-unemployed transient who owes Cid Garlond an awful lot of money and also most of his life.

Hmm.

Our Sentimental Journey is NOT off to a good start, Hero, rather like our own “good start” when you ruined my life that night in the Praetorium. Well. That was a life that needed to be ruined, though mind you I am well capable of ruining it myself. But how, HOW does one THANK another for ruining their life? By composing an awkward missive on the back of this jam-sticky “Seashells of La Noscea” placemat? Then rolling it up, cramming it into an empty lager bottle and chucking it seaward with the hopes it can navigate the tide, find its way to you and you only?

Did it?

(If not, oi oi, spare me my pride and chuck it back into the surf, will you?)

Now one could say that, during our recent excursion, we performed a lot of ill-advised experiments that you probably regretted. But that is the Heart of Science! By now you must trust that Garlond Ironworks never makes the same mistake more than three times (maybe four). And despite the tears and triumphs, the injuries, the arguments, the leaky pens, the chocobo pox, the injuries (specifically involving the Thermocoil Boilmaster), and Garlondo’s ceaseless whinging, one could ALSO say that I did a spectacular job putting up with the whole lot. Would you not agree, Hero? Were you not impressed?

I mean, did you NOT have a jolly good time? At least until the whole thing went pear-shaped beyond the agency of our teakettle?

And did you NOT visit me in the hospital afterwards? Well. YES, but that was for the best. My frock was oh-so Mrs. Grundy, to say nothing of what the barbers did to my hair when they cut my skull open to stop my brain from dribbling out my ears or whatever.

But! Water under the bridge now. Anyway, before I bid my adieu, I only ask that the next time you hear the distant maniacal laughter of a Garlean pileated kookaburra, or take a dip in a mysterious crater filled to the brim with nuclear pink sludge, or get selected for jury duty for a criminal negligence trial involving Magitek-based home appliances (specifically teakettles), you will emit a tender little sigh and remember your dear old friend Nero Scaeva. Especially if a lawyer asks the prospective juror pool if anyone present is acquainted with a man by the same name.

By now, I have come to regard you as a right old goose. Take that as you will.

-Nero S.

(Prize: Gaelicap!)

[Headcrab]

I wrote a parody of the song Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio from a tanking perspective. (If chosen I would like the Gaelicap)

As I crawl through the cavern of Satasha bereft
I take a look at my life bar and realize there's nothin' left
'Cause I've been tanking and thanking so long
That even my vender thinks my gear is gone

But I ain't never crossed a pirate that didn't deserve it
He be treated like a thug, you know that's unheard of
You better watch how you blasting and where you casting
Or you and your homies might be lined in whorls
I really hate to com, but I gotta yo
As they joke, I see myself in the aether smoke
Fool. I'm the kinda T that little Lalas wanna be like
On my mount in the night, saluting healers in the street light

Keep spending most our lives
Living in a tanking paradise
I let us wipe once or twice
Living in a tanking paradise
It sounds good and may entice
Living in a tanking paradise
But repair bills they ain't so nice
Living in a tanking paradise


Look at the situation they got me facing
I can't fight a normal group, they gone pulled the whole thing
So I gotta be down with the tank team
Too much Miq'ote watching, got me chasing dreams
I'm a well-geared fool with anger on my mind
Got my leave instance in menu and a gleam in my eye
I'm a axe-wielding, overpowering monster banger
And my healer is down, so don't arouse my anger
Fool! Death ain't nothin' but a final sting away
I'm living life do or die, what can I say?
I'm 43 now but will I live to level 44?
The way things is going I don't know

Tell me why must we echo to see
the content unlearned, can't come from movies

Rolled on gear and lost the dice
Living in a tanking paradise
Tried healer and paid the price
Living in a tanking paradise
Caster pulled and apart we slice
Living in a tanking paradise
Our whole team was put on ice
Living in a tanking paradise

Over and the power, here comes Crystal Tower
Minute after minute, hour after hour
Everyone's attacking, but half of them aren't booking
There's mechanics going on, but I don't know who's looking
They say I gotta learn, and Youtube's here to teach me
If I can't teach myself, how can they reach me?
I guess they can't, I guess they won't
I guess they pulled, that's why I know my life is out of luck, fool!

Been spending most our lives
Living in a tanking paradise
No coms oh well that's life
Living in a tanking paradise
Listen well and take advice
Living in a tanking paradise
It's hard work and sacrifice
Living in a tanking paradise

[ShoteR]

How many years have come and gone since that day? the day i finally fled from a dying star... unfortunately the people from that distant star weren't wise enough to come to a solution such as the Ancients did for Hydaelyn... as such, very few were wise or willing enough to leave their previous lives and belongings behind in search for a new and uncertain new home...

and that's my story upon arriving on Eorzea, leaving my home, my friends and family i made there with naught to bear but the memories for those who i had lost and those very few who came with me and left everything behind just as i did. and such was my begginning on Eorzea, with sacrifice and hope for a better world for me and my friends.

Since then i've found a new home, a new family and a whole new world full of possibilities and opportunities to meet new amazing people, a world worth fighting for!

This a tale from a Noble Elezen Dragoon, who shed blood and tears with the people of Eorzea and lands further beyond, enjoying every second of it and of course hoping to enjoy every day that is to come in this beatiful world that is Final Fantasy XIV.

(Thank you so much for the opportunity to write my tale and in case i get selected i'd like the Noble Barding for the prize)

[Tiramisuki]

To any that may need to hear this,


It feels like so long ago now. I suppose it’s been years. But I still remember so fondly our desperate fight against the primal Odin.



“One more time,” our dark knight agreed, picking himself up again.

We had time enough, hope enough, to try just one more time. There was no room for error. It had to be perfect this time.

Engage.

Powerful blows, afflictions-- we had to work quickly to keep everyone alive. Dance in and out, don’t get hit, we can’t afford it.

“Sanngetall!” our warrior, my beloved, yelled. This strike, we all knew, could easily be a death sentence. But my love would never fall so easily. Not on my watch. And we were ready.

“I’ve got you!” I assured him, leaving the rest in the care of our scholar alone, if just for a moment.

The dance continued. There was no room for error, but after so many previous attempts, we’d learned the rhythm. Soon, however, our time grew short.

We gave it everything we had, and it seemed that it still might not be enough. But we knew we had to try. Even as the world grew dark around us, and we knew we had just moments to spare before oblivion, we kept lashing out into the darkness. Each frantic heartbeat, defiant. We dared to hope.We dared to stand. We had to try.

And when the darkness cleared... the primal’s final blow never came. It was we who stood remaining, triumphant, almost in disbelief.

And oh, how we cheered! I embraced my friends and loved ones, even as my hands continued to tremble. I scarcely believe any of us slept that night from the excitement of it!



I still think back so fondly to how we, in that 11th hour bordering hope and despair, managed to overcome our hardships and defeat our foe.

And I know that no matter what primals or fairy kings or anything else tries to stand in our way, we’ll always manage to pull through in the end. As long as we stand together and are willing to try... just one more time.


With all the world’s love,
A Hopeful White Mage







((If selected as a winner, I would like the Noble Barding, please!))

[Denatris]

Memories
Memories…so many memories.
Memories of what has been and what may be.
Memories live, they breathe and have life.
Memories are fierce, and sometimes painful, but fierce can also be joyful and full of elation.
Memories are immovable, and yet they are in constant motion…. they swirl and change, but are always the same.
Memories are vibrant and clear but are also murky and misshapen.
Memories are full and crowded but are yet empty and spacious.
Memories are overwhelming in their emotion but are soothing as well.
As we move thru this Eorzea we inhabit, do you see your memories? They are here… all around us.
Eorzea is overflowing with the memories of us all… the memories we have made both together and alone.
Memories of battles…
Memories of quests…
Memories of missions…
Memories of searches…
Memories of victory and of defeat.
Memories of those who bore upon themselves the heaviest cost for Eorzea…
Yes….memories.
Memories are our greatest friends and, at times, our most formidable enemies.

I look back to the past, at the memories made with those who are no longer with us and at those made with all of you.
I look forward to the future, at the memories to be made with those I do not yet know and at those to be made with all of you.
(Noble barding please if selected...thank you)