Black text on white reads: "He had, after all, agreed to said strange situation, hadn't he? The worst outcome? He dies. Finally. And all of his problems die with him, becoming everyone else's problems instead, including the problems of his mysterious benefactor. That last idea made him smile. 'Let that supernatural know-it-all fuck finally eat shit,' Darien thought to himself as his smile bent into a smirk."

WELP! September is over and I failed to finish my "highlander" story for #FFXIVFinishItFall In my defense, I got sick twice in a row and didn't get back to it until, uh... 3 days ago? But I finished Ch.2, so I'm calling that a win! And October's still fall, so I'll keep trying!

B'runi's gaze found the weeping plainsfolk couple from before, their words echoing in her ears. "It is rather sad that the magicks blighting them from our minds still persists for so many. I cannot imagine how many families lost kin that day who no longer are able to remember their faces or names simply because of an old wizard's attempt at giving us a chance to survive into the future." "He meant well, I'm sure." B'yandih let out a heavy sigh. "I doubt he thought through the consequences of such a spell long term, considering all that went on in the moment. I am not even quite sure he realized three of us had already met the Twelve by the time he cast it."

I doubt I'll finish this today, but perhaps by some miracle, I'll finish my Rising fic before #FFXIVFinishItFall comes to a close, haha.

#FFXIVFanfic #WIP #FFXIVWriters

This was completed as part of #FFXIVFinishItFall so be sure to check it out before the month ends!!

A Little Help From My Friends by TalesOfTheFox Summary: The Warrior of Light gets a little help tackling his greatest challenge to date: writer's block. “What are you working on?” “My vows.” “Oh.” Alisaie’s eyebrows went up. “Cutting it rather close, aren’t you? The equinox is—” “Closer on the calendar than I really care to think about just now, yes.”

A Little Help From My Friends
• WoL & Alisaie Leveilleur • ~1.5k words • Gen

B'alith needs a little help tackling his greatest challenge to date: writer's block.

For #FFXIVFinishItFall, and for the anniversary of B'alith and Zhai'a's handfasting. 🖤

#FFXIVWriters #FFXIVFanfic

Screenshot of an Ao3 fanfic titled 'Upon the Saltwind'. The summary reads: Moro'a lives out his days working at Mealvann's Gate, juggling between intensive studies and old hurts. An undesirable encounter with another Keeper miqo'te leads to many unforeseen feelings. Pre-ARR, before the Seventh Umbral Calamity.

Upon the Saltwind (Warrior of Light/Original Character)

✧ First Relationship, Friends to Lovers ✧ 5k+ words ✧ Teen & Up (for now) ✧ MSQ: Pre-ARR ✧

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#kaescribbles #inkforge #FFXIVFinishItFall

"Her and another," B'yandih confirmed. "Xaela were far from a common sight at the time and even less so hrothgar. They grew used to it, but the people around us did not. They regarded Altun and Xeven with suspicion as foreigners. Altun rarely minded — she was distrustful of almost everyone we met — but it caused Xeven no small amounts of grief when he was forced to bring one of us with him when he wanted to visit the morning markets for fresh fruits. "Xeven was an exceptionally skilled knight. I knew in any engagement, I could rely on his sword and shield to protect me from any foe. He rarely spoke of it but I believe he once served as a guard for one of the noble familes in Bozja before the empire set in. When news of the Bozja Incident reached Eorzea, he was clearly struck with guilt over not being there to help free his country. The only thing that kept him here, besides Hydaelyn's call, was his wife and daughter." B'runi raised her eyebrows in surprise. "He had a family here?" The corners of B'yandih's mouth curled a little as she nodded. "He did. Despite the amount of heckling he received in most corners of Eorzea, Limsa Lominsa proved itself rather open-minded in that regard. Though they never ventured to the Shroud for an official ceremony, Xeven had a small wedding to a roegadyn woman named Itarbryda." B'yandih pursed her lips in thought. "How many summers have passed since I disappeared… eleven now?" "Eight since you vanished. Three since your return," B'runi confirmed. "Yes… that would make his daughter close to fourteen summers then, assuming they survived until now. Tracking them down has been much more difficult than I imagined." B'yandih fiddled with her bracelet in thought. "My reputation is practically non-existent thanks to Louisoix's magicks, and people are not exactly kind to strangers asking around about the widow of a man who no one else remembers."

Working more on my Rising fanfic since that's where today's mood is taking me for #FFXIVFinishItFall. Though it's canon that the Scions and many others remember the WoL at the end of ARR, if they're a legacy character, one does wonder what became of the others who weren't so fortunate as to survive.

Call It a Day by TalesOfTheFox Summary: Hearer Zhai'a Nelhah is a very busy man, but he's learned to make time for the things that matter most. He turned his attention to the flow of bodies starting to stream out from the arrivals area, scanning the crowd for a familiar pair of red-brown ears and the tip of a pointed metal staff, feeling the now-familiar flutter in the pit of his stomach as anticipation for their reunion began to settle in. A familiar ripple of aether brushed across his skin and made the fur at the base of his tail bristle, that unmistakable crackle of restrained power surrounding those who walked the path of the black even when they were at rest, and his breath caught in his throat as a piece of his heart walked through the gate.

Call It a Day
• Zhai'a Nelhah/Warrior of Light • ~1.5k words • Teen

Hearer Zhai'a Nelhah is a very busy man, but he's learned to make time for the things that matter most.

Another entry for #FFXIVFinishItFall!

#FFXIVWriters #FFXIVFanfic

AO3 Posting: Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Category: F/M Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV Relationships: Stephanivien de Haillenarte/Original Female Character(s)Stephanivien de Haillenarte & Original Female Character(s) Characters: Stephanivien de HaillenarteFrancel de HaillenarteAurvael (Final Fantasy XIV)Laniaitte de HaillenarteOriginal Final Fantasy XIV CharactersOriginal Haillenarte Characters (Final Fantasy XIV)Baurendouin de HaillenarteHaurchefant Greystone Additional Tags: Non Warrior of Light AUAlternate Universe - SoulmatesFluff and Hurt/ComfortClass Differences Language: English Collections: FFXIV Rarepair Week 2025 Stats: Published: 2025-09-11 Updated: 2025-09-11 Words: 5,393 Chapters: 4/? Hits: 0 (Restricted) Where the Flowers Bloom Pajoffles Summary: Stephanivien de Haillenarte had only thing on his mind, tinkering gadgets and gizmos at the manufactory. However, running into one of his maids one day while escaping from knight training to the manufactory had lead him to see there is much more to life. Iris Opranta was but a seamstress in service to House Haillenarte. Little did she know that the heir of the house would be fascinated by her. Could love bloom between the two despite their social standings in society or will it wither away. Notes: I'm finally getting around to writing the Non Warrior of Light AU. Thank you inmyleylines.bsky.social/TalesOfTheFox for not only making FFXIV Rarepair Week 2025 with prompts that I somehow managed to linked all of them together but for encouraging me to finish it.

Stephanivien and Iris as children in the NonWol AU

For #FFXIVFinishItFall I have posted the first four chapters for my Non WoL AU, Where the Flowers Bloom, which interestingly also doubles up for my entries in #FFXIVRarepairWeek #FFXIVRarepairWeek2025. Damn you
@inmyleylines.bsky.social
archiveofourown.org/works/706546...

OKAY!

So I thought I'd play #FFXIVFinishItFall but I only have two things on my unfinished pile (which have... been there forever, but anyway). WE FINISH THEM! Here's my two item list!

✖️pirate!
✖️highlander!😏

Unfortunately, they are... destined for singular readers, so they will never see light!

"Your domain?" questioned a small white-haired miqo'te — a strange woman whose aether seemed far more powerful than one of her stature yet also quite frail, as if it had endured trials far more taxing than it should have ever survived. "I was under the impression this was the realm of Zero. Is that not the case?" Zero. That was a name unfamiliar to him, though it was not a far reach to surmise who it belonged to. The dark-robed one had remained nameless for as long as Jaculus could remember her, a far from uncommon trait given few remembered their names from the time before. Jaculus considered himself quite lucky to be among those who were fortunate enough to rememeber, though plenty of others had simply adopted new ones in lieu of their memories. Wherever these strangers came from, it seemed the absent of a name was far from the norm. Had they granted the dark-robed one a denomination to make it easier to address her? How quaint. "For now, yes, but if she continues her quests into dangerous territory, then it will no longer be hers before long. At which point, it will be mine." "How suppositional of you."

Working a bit more on chapter 1 for #FFXIVFinishItFall. Having this be from Jaculus's perspective is fun because he is so prideful lmfao.

More #FFXIVFinishItFall prog: naughty lizard edition

We are 2,800 words into the draft and they're finally kissinggggg

Before Utopia - Chapter 1 - Neon Pomegranate (Pilux), Pilux - Final Fantasy XIV [Archive of Our Own] An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Fwee. Something I've been sitting on for...well over a year, now?

Finally polishing up the chapter drafts and posting them to Ao3:

Before Utopia is a speculative piece on how the Convocation 14 was originally created, and where the seat names came from, so on and so such. #FFXIVFinishItFall

“Shh…” B’runi said gently as she bent down to scoop up her son. “Not too loud here, Suto. We don’t want to disturb the mourners.” Turning away from the memorial, B’runi began to walk in the direction of the Quicksands when someone collided with her shoulder. B’runi stumbled, quickly adjusting her hold on B’suto to ensure she didn’t drop him. B’runi quickly turned on her heels and hissed, fangs on display as she zeroed in on the person who bumped her. “Hey!” she called out as she grabbed the person with her free arm. “Watch where you’re-” The words died in B’runi’s throat as she recognized the woman before her. Quickly releasing her and taking a step back, a lump formed in her throat. “Sorry, forget I said anything,” she mumbled as she quickly retreated. “Runi, wait!” the woman called after her, abandoning her companion to follow after B’runi. B’runi let out a heavy sigh, her ears twitching anxiously at the misuse of her name. “What do you want, B’yandih?” she asked as she turned back to face her birthmother. B’yandih stopped a few steps away from B’runi, her purple and yellow eyes sweeping back and forth over B’runi before darting to B’suto. “You both look… well,” she said after a moment. B’runi’s mouth drew into a hard frown. She had little tolerance for these sorts of stalling pleasantries. “We are, thank you. Can I help you with something?”

Oh yeah, bit late for #WIPWednesday, but while I was traveling on my work trip last week, I got inspired by the Rising event stuff and started working on a fic for it. No sure when I'll finish it bc I got a bazillion things going on but maybe before the end of the month for #FFXIVFinishItFall?

The woman cocked her head at him, a faintly bemused smile playing across her lips. "Lapsang souchong? That's an unusual choice for a foreigner." "Why is that?" "Most of them ask for matcha." B'alith frowned at her, confused. "But matcha is a Hingan tea. This tea house is well-known for its Yanxian varietals." The stranger's answering laugh was low and throaty, bubbling up from her chest and warming the tips of B'alith's ears in response. He had the sudden distinct impression that he'd just passed some sort of test. "You know your tea," she murmured, more to herself than to the Miqo'te she was addressing. "How delightful." B'alith's ears pricked up; he sensed a kindred spirit. "Tea has always been an especially passionate interest of mine," he said. "It's an important part of our hospitality traditions too, where I am from." "And where might— no, don't spoil it, let me guess." The Au Ra flicked a hand at him as he opened his mouth to answer. She tapped a finger against her lip while she studied him as if he were a particularly fascinating artifact. "You speak Eorzean Common. Your eyes tell me you're a Seeker of the Sun, which rules out the Black Shroud but does not narrow things much further than that. You're in a teahouse, rather than a tavern." She nodded, seemingly satisfied with her deductions. "You are from Thanalan!"

For the first #WIPWednesday of #FFXIVFinishItFall, some first impressions of a certain mysterious lady from B'alith's Stormblood-era past.

Boy Meets Bird by TalesOfTheFox Summary: A novice adventurer receives his first chocobo—but not any instructions on how to ride her. B’alith eyed the chocobo warily. She eyed him back, blinked large inky black eyes, cocked her head inquisitively. Though she was possessed of the lankiness that often foreshadowed a growth spurt in animals of all sorts, she was already much bigger than he’d expected her to be. Doubt began to creep back into the back of his mind as he looked her up and down—her beak looked very sharp, to say nothing of the long, wickedly curved talons that tipped each of her toes. “She’s, um, quite the specimen,” he finally said, hoping it would be taken as the compliment he was trying to make it be.

Boy Meets Bird
• ~1.5k words • Gen

ARR-era B'alith meets his new chocobo. He may be in over his head just a bit.

For #FFXIVFinishItFall!

#ffxivwriters #ffxivfanfic

“I’ll take you on the offer. After all, it will be a while before I will be back here. At least six months, when Starlight season begins.” Cholebaimt took a sip from the glass. “Though it isn’t the only thing I want to see you about.” “Oh?” “Steph, are you ever going to confess your feeling to that maid?” Stephanivien had to spit out the bourbon in his mouth back into his cup. “W-w-what do you mean?” “Steph, we all know. Well, except father but you how observant he is. Even that studer gave you away. Anytime we mention her around you you get all nervous. Not to mention all the gifts you have given her.” Stephanivien sighed. “I guess I can’t keep it a secret anymore. Yes I love Iris.” “So tell her that you nerd.” “And what, court her? Father would be livid if I did that. Even worse if I kept her as a secret mistress. You know that if I did that she would be treated like Lord Hauchefant’s mother. Abandoned and forgotten; thrown to the Brume if she missteps. And if we had a child, what of them? A bastard that doesn’t get my love as a father? And if I married a noble lady, would she treat him like dirt as we’ve seen Lord Haurchefant’s treatment from Lady Fortemps?” Stephanivien took a big swig From his glass. “I never want to put her in that position. She’s too kind for that.”

#FFXIVFinishItFall
While I am running the Swap Writing Prompts I am working on my Nonwol AU for the month. I hope to finish it by the end of the month.

oh gosh, people seem to be pretty into this

I have no energy to make this any kind of official Thing™, but maybe we could use #FFXIVFinishItFall as a tag if people wanna share stuff?