snow-system-wol

[snow-system-wol]

Menphina...sometimes has that effect on people. Just a bit easier to approach with these things than S'ria, by her nature.

It's something she appreciates.

While Menphina is very kind and wants to generally think the best of people's intentions when possible... She is the caretaker of a system that has been badly hurt -- she is not naïve.

She doesn't know whether Urianger is in danger here, if she is, or both, but she doesn't much like it.

But neither will she say her suspicions immediately. Better to test with something completely reasonable -- so that when it is waved away, she has a better idea of where they stand.

#snow-system #ffxiv-oc #ffxiv-reactions #s'ria 🌸❄️

[snow-system-wol]

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

As of the most recent post before this:

WE HAVE CROSSED THE THRESHOLD OF WHERE WE STOPPED WATCHING THE LETSPLAY MONTHS AGO

It's ????? from here on out 🫡

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

#ffxiv-reactions #so you might get a mix of 'heres how the snow system is doing' posts #and us just going 'huh? huh????' #y'all its a Mystery

[snow-system-wol]

Oh don't worry, she would have gone regardless.

Now, Menphina is a bit... worried. S'ria trained in stealth. She has not. This is not exactly her skillset.

Oh drat, she really didn't manage to be very stealthy at all. Ah well, at least Urianger expected her to have followed him, no harm done.

Menphina was right that it'd "sting", but that was an understatement. Clearly, such a harsh character assessment has bothered him deeply, and she's not even truly sure what to say about it.

Urianger talks about Minfilia, the Exarch, Moenbryda, the sheer amount of what-ifs and regrets... and Menphina waits and listens.

Urianger has shown her this long unhealed wound in his heart, and her long-ingrained role as caretaker cannot look away -- all of her instincts are screaming at her to soothe: to bid him sit so that he is an easier height to wrap her arms around, to tell him that none of those things are his fault, to hold him against her chest and purr until the guilt lessens -- but that's not the right thing to do and she knows it. If she just tries to hastily patch over this with words Urianger cannot accept, actions that may be too much for him to allow, then he will never let her see him like this ever again, she just knows.

(So she says what she can -- that sometimes there is no right choice, and that she'll remain by him. Nothing his heart will reject instinctively, and hopefully enough to help.)

(Does it ever feel like enough? She still has no idea what to do to help S'ria, if there's anything she can do.)

#snow-system #ffxiv-oc #ffxiv-reactions #s'ria 🌸❄️

[snow-system-wol]

Menphina really isn't trying to make things difficult for them -- and she does not want to nitpick the little things. Yes, if she were S'ria, she would surely have a problem with the highcollar robe. (A massive problem to be fair.) But that can easily be remedied, no need to comment.

(She doesn't know when S'ria will return, and she is fine answering to his name. May as well give that, for now.)

(pretty lighting and teef)

Menphina puts it aside after thinking a bit, because the Urianger thing requires more focus, but she does wonder what she did wrong. She had not needlessly criticized things that weren't essential, the minor flaws could wait til later -- she'd only been kind about it so --

Oh, was that it? Did they realize she was holding her tongue on a few of the concerns she'd tucked away in favor of complimenting their efforts? ... She could see how that might come across a bit...patronizing, even if she had not meant it like that.

Ah. As much as she is concerned about whatever Urianger may do (she wants to trust him, she doesn't want to go through all that again), but she is also concerned for him. She worries this must sting, to be the one asked to act in secret yet again.

(Really, she's not trying to be patronizing when she tells Growingway she appreciates the "forest". There's nice colors, a lot of greens and cool tones and running water, and most importantly -- that they'd made lights that approximate sunlight. That'd be quite important for people's health. It's not really a forest, but they've done fine making a space.)

#snow-system #ffxiv-oc #ffxiv-reactions #s'ria 🌸❄️ #catching up from earlier a bit

[snow-system-wol]

Suffice it to say, Menphina is having a Long Day, given her usual amount of activity.

This is a bit... especially funny/odd to Menphina. It's not that she identifies as her namesake at all, but her identity as an alter is somewhat ageless. She will often think of people in their young 20s or even older as children, they just... Feel so young still, really. So to be mistaken as one is definitely unusual in her mind.

These carrot descriptions are absolutely awful, let's get Menphina's opinions:

Orange: This seems very harmless. All normal traits of a vegetable.

Blue: ....oh that's just. Everything about that is wrong.

Yellow: Reasonable enough, and yet, it make me feel as though I am about to bite into some sort of (eorzea equivalent of styrofoam)

Red: oh this will kill me somehow.

She of course chooses the reasonable-seeming carrot option.

This is all well and good, aside from the fact that she is now cautiously sitting on the consideration of whether she should comment on the fact that a substance that cautious such a sudden euphoric rush and then causes an immediate craving might be highly addictive to the people of Etheirys.

Still, she doesn't overly see a problem with the carrot situation. If these are engineered to provide life sustaining nutrients, then surely the variety problem can be remedied later ...

... And if Menphina's immediate hunch is anything to go off of, they are already preparing more suitable contingencies for food regardless.

#snow-system #ffxiv-oc #ffxiv-reactions #s'ria 🌸❄️

[snow-system-wol]

Diagram thoughts on miqo'te spine/tail structure as opposed to hyur.

(under a readmore because there is sketched butt, so slightly nsft)

(also if you don't like bones, there's sketched out bones.)

Knowing what tumblr does to image quality, you'll probably need to click if text is blurry

#ffxiv-reactions #our art

[snow-system-wol]

What would the FFXIV OST would look like if you mapped it out and drew lines between the songs that share motifs?

Take a peek and find out. 🎶

Some numbers:

There are 471 songs and 477 individual motifs in this chart at time of publishing

There are 567 instances of motifs appearing in other songs (so far)

22 motifs are established in 1.0, 43 in ARR, 19 in HW, 16 in StB, 13 in ShB, and 20 in EW

There are only four degrees of separation between "A Sailor Never Sleeps", the Limsa Lominsa night theme, and "The Final Day", which plays during the final 6.0 trial???

#Reblogs #Oh my god #OP i would kill for you i love motifs #Motifs my beloved

[snow-system-wol]

When The Watcher tells Menphina that some of her companions have arrived on the moon, she doesn't have an exact thought on who all, but... Initially really expects G'raha to be there on principle.

She knows G'raha is quite duty-bound and responsible but she does worry whether she's really messed up their dynamic if he didn't insist on being here

The three of them explain a bit about the situation they've left behind, with the contingent's healers running themselves ragged trying to keep the injured alive now that the fighting has died down, and Menphina just reminds herself -- she knows him well enough, surely G'raha is down there and unwilling to tear himself away from helping even if he really wants to join them.

Hells, with that in mind, now she has a completely different worry. He is absolutely going to overexert himself quite badly, she's sure.

Menphina isn't really used to others trying to comfort her in any way (that's not how this works, her role is to heal and comfort, she doesn't need this) but it's sweet all the same.

#snow-system #ffxiv-oc #ffxiv-reactions #s'ria 🌸❄️

[snow-system-wol]

Thinking about like, how S'ria might interact with child victims now that he knows and remembers things himself?

(nothing at all explicit, gently phrased, but putting the rest under readmore for topic)

He was always very gentle with them, before he remembered -- even if he took it very personally, unconsciously, it wasn't as though he found it odd to be so affected. I mean, it's an awful thing, there doesn't need to be another reason. (Menphina's empathy was there too, of course). With his years breaking up trafficking rings with the Rogue's Guild, he certainly encountered such things more than a few times.

Mostly it seems to really help them. Less feelings of shame and isolation, at least. But always, it's some variant of the same question. "When can I move on?" "When do I forget?" "When will I stop feeling afraid?" "When do I stop thinking about it?"

But now, he knows why he cares so much, and arguably cares even more. A few times, when joining Jacke for the occasional job, when trying to clean up messes in previously occupied countries, etc, he's come across freshly traumatized kids like that again and...

Sometimes S'ria tells them that he has been hurt in the same way. (Never any details, they don't need anything else to think about.) Lets them see that life goes on and one can still grow up into something like the Warrior of Light (and that, gender is not always a victimhood factor).

S'ria can't exactly answer "you don't, not really." and is instead stuck giving the very true but perhaps not fully reassuring answer of "it gets much easier."

It's true, he just hopes he's a trusted enough figure for it to not sound hollow.

#snow-system #s'ria 🌸❄️ #🥺

[snow-system-wol]

Discord rambles about

Horror potential for healing

Menphina healer origins

Her actually training in postShB

🤲

#snow-system #s'ria 🌸❄️ #late night rambles #oh dear we have a final paper to finish

[snow-system-wol]

And then after all that, he's just... walking away from her? How dare he? After all he's done?

Really, Menphina is not easily capable of feeling anger. The only recent targets of it have been Fourchenault and Zenos, and Zenos is the only one that it's intense enough that she'd like to physically harm him.

As far as whether she blames herself, with Zodiark -- over the next few hours, I am not certain she has even figured that out for herself.

(Fray is already getting a bit... tired. they only time they've done a dungeon-trial so close to each other was StB, and that was a continuous adrenaline rush. Letting Menphina do things for a bit, some of which distressed her, and then stepping back in for a fight to the death. It's not what they're used to. These two have already done more on their own today than they'd done in a while, for Menphina, possibly already more than she's done alone in the last year combined really. It's not sustainable, without S'ria.)

#snow-system #ffxiv-oc #ffxiv-reactions #s'ria 🌸❄️ #okie caught up to where we stopped playing this afternoon #needed a BREAK after all that

[snow-system-wol]

"Wow, I wonder where S'ria's location is. Somewhere totally normal I'm sure."

(me getting increasingly nervous as my wifi became as bastard, and the queue kept ticking up during the time it was behaving.)

But, for a blessing, the wifi behaved perfectly, and the snow system (well, Fray really, but I'd rather not randomly tank a trial) made it through with 0 KO's.

Congratulations, Fray has just unwittingly participated in the murder of a god. This shall have Consequences.

Thank you to Lorenza (@fell-court ) and Nimda (@soothingmind ) -- I mean, these tiny mysterious ancients -- for being along for the ride.

#snow-system #ffxiv-oc #ffxiv-reactions #s'ria 🌸❄️ #lorenza🖤🕊️ #nimda🤎 #ahhh this was. terrifying but overall a fun trial #the last minute was very ?????? ah help ??? as he starts stringing mechanics together but ye #panini press meteors did not click in time but following the others was functional enough

[snow-system-wol]

This, before Fray steps back in, is Menphina's first time truly meeting Zenos herself. She won't lie -- her trembling is as much fear as anger. She hates him, finds the idea of committing violence against him easy despite her normal opinions on such things -- there's an uncanny desire for revenge on S'ria's behalf, and that feels just a bit like it's corrupting her purpose. She doesn't like it. And on the other side of things, the fear... Even if she wanted to fight, should he attack and Fray not help, she would most certainly die.

But Fray does return, despite a lingering tiredness from the dungeon less than a bell prior, even if it doesn't end up being for the battle they thought it would be.

#snow-system #ffxiv-oc #ffxiv-reactions #s'ria 🌸❄️

[snow-system-wol]

We have Menphina back again, and it's so uncanny for her to be roaming alone like this. She, of course, is a pacifist. Those little wisps of emotion, the tiny spirits called by the grieving shades -- surely getting rid of them was nothing bad, right? Just dispelling a small curse, not hurting anything?

With the shades/spirits themselves, she refuses to attack them. If she can gently urge them to fade, then that's fine, but she won't fight.

But even so...

...she wasn't sure what to do here. Even if she had to defend herself against so many, she simply didn't know how to. This was never her purview.

#snow-system #ffxiv-oc #ffxiv-reactions #s'ria 🌸❄️ #catching up on the last few

[snow-system-wol]

Menphina is the one to greet the Scions upon waking, not S'ria -- and thus is also the one to inform them that Zenos and Fandaniel's little trick has had...problematic consequences.

Namely that they'd somewhat lost the Warrior of Light.

Ao3

It was Menphina's hope that the next several minutes of her life would be as painless as possible, but in all honesty, she expected the discussion to get a bit messy.

“This is inherently going to be a difficult conversation and I thank you all for your cooperation – particularly as two of you needs must be caught up on your knowledge as is. I simply ask that you take this information at face value.”

They'd filed into a building together, Menphina trying to keep to some manner of discretion on S'ria's personal matters. As is, Lucia was the only non-Scion in the room, but it felt strategically necessary for at least one outside the group to be aware – and if anyone, she seemed the best choice.

Oh, but, to pull someone into the loop with very little context was threatening. At least others here could attest that it wasn't outright a lie or poor joke.

From the moment she'd started to speak, Menphina knew she was getting a variety of looks.

Varying amounts of concern and realization from those who had directly spoken to her before, politely disguised alarm from Lucia, and an intense stare from Estinien where she could hear the gears clicking. Between the pitch and accent difference, it was clear something was happening.

G'raha and the twins looked worried but resigned, likely already understanding the current situation without anything being said.

“There is no easy way to say this, and I do wish we had a name for it, but the Warrior of Light does suffer from a…disorder, of sorts.” She chose her words so carefully, at least trying to avoid referring to S'ria separately or saying we before the explanation was fully out. “I believe both of you have seen some very atypical things happen in battle, in terms of personality?” The question was directed entirely at Lucia and Estinien, who simply nodded.

Menphina made a helpless gesture, of one who knew there was no making this casual, and continued. “There are multiple identities in this body, essentially their own people, that swap in and out of control – whose actions S'ria may or may not recall later. I promise that this is not possession or outside influence. The cause of such uncharacteristic intensity while fighting sometimes is that that is simply not S'ria – nor am I, if you haven't gathered as such by now.”

Estinien looked remarkably unbothered by this revelation. “Aye, fond of old sailor’s and soldier’s mourning songs are you? I recall your voice from the Churning Mists, even if I was too distracted to dwell on the strangeness at the time.”

Menphina had forgotten that Estinien was more perceptive than he seemed to be at times – and, for that matter, had nearly forgotten that she'd spoken directly to him in the past.

(Not just spoken, really, but that he'd heard her singing at the campfire as well. It had seemed to put his heart at ease.)

Lucia looked vaguely uncomfortable picking up such a concept out of nowhere, but recovered gracefully with a thoughtful look. “Hm…’twould explain some things, yes. If I may ask – have you always been like this?”

Menphina tightened her posture. She had neither the time nor inclination to deal with that one. “Ah, you may not actually, at least not right now. There are far more important matters.”

Thancred broke into the conversation. “Which brings us to the behemoth in the room, doesn't it? I mean no offense, but why are you present? I don't get the sense that you're much for military strategy meetings.”

Menphina smiled wryly. “Yes, that is the issue. S'ria is…presently unable to emotionally function following recent events, and we find ourselves in a somewhat awkward position. Without S'ria, it is mostly just myself and Fray that will be of use. Fray can handle a bit of extra fighting, as they used to handle so much themself earlier in our Scion days regardless, and I can manage rational decision making – but we cannot wholly compensate for his absence.” She made a nervous shrug-like gesture. “Hence why I felt it necessary to be more open about this than we are typically wont to do.”

G'raha spoke up in a quiet voice. “Is he – is S'ria gone? Will he be all right?”

Menphina rushed to respond. “No, no, this is not forever – that is not the sense I got. He'll come back to us. I know not if what he needs is just a bit of time or something else, but we must be patient.” She sighed. “Something we hardly have the luxury of, when time is not on our side. I am afraid we needs must proceed with just Fray and I acting as the Warrior of Light.”

Several people spoke up at once, the result disorientingly chaotic, but the general sentiment seemed to be ‘is that wise?’.

Menphina shook her head and waited for it to die down. “Please, storming the tower is perhaps the type of task Fray is best suited to handle without having S'ria – do not worry. That shall be fine. ‘Tis what comes after that concerns me more, but we need not address that yet.”

Alphinaud looked decidedly unreassured. “We can ill afford to lose either the upcoming battle nor the Warrior of Light, are you certain of this? Mayhap another day or two –”

“ – another day or two that we do not have, Alphinaud.” Estinien cut in, bluntly but not unkindly. “If they say they can do it – then they can do it.”

Menphina nodded gratefully and added a reminder. “And there is no guarantee another day or two would have improved matters.”

And that was that, really – Fray fought their way up to Fandaniel and Zenos with no unusual degree of difficulty and, once those two made their escape and the path forward became somewhat shaky, placed control back in Menphina's lap.

That was that indeed.

She had to think fast, with so limited of time, but she'd never really had to make important decisions before. It was always so easy for her – come in, be kind and heal injuries, and leave. As difficult and terrifying as this was, with explosions shaking the ground outside and time clicking by rapidly, it all suddenly became extremely simple. Just a simple series of facts.

One, Zenos specifically wanted the Warrior of Light to follow him. Two, no other Scion was likely able to fight him one on one. Three, people were dying out there, needlessly, while several highly skilled healers stood in this room waiting.

Four, irrationally – Menphina (though she would not be the one fighting him) wanted Zenos to die to this body and not to someone else, after what he'd done to S'ria. Wanting vengeance on his behalf was…a bit uncomfortable for her, actually, not how she was supposed to feel – but S'ria had never completely hidden himself from existence like this before and it scared and angered her.

With all of that in mind, it wasn't complicated at all.

“Please, stay here and take care of everyone as best you can. I'll go after them.”

It was hushed for a moment. Alphinaud was the first to speak up, sounding aghast.

“You're – you're going alone?!”

Menphina just smiled sadly at him – there wasn't anything to say. Everyone had already come to the exact conclusions she had about their options, whether they liked it or not. Then she looked across the room at G'raha and flinched.

He looked carefully neutral, in a way that was just barely hiding anger, and it had never quite been leveled in their direction before. Belatedly, Menphina realized that S'ria had promised G'raha that he would not do this exact thing. ‘Not on purpose’, he'd said, on going into danger alone. She was not S'ria, but she was not certain how much that actually made G'raha feel better.

She approached him after the others had begun planning amongst themselves, when the conversation would attract less attention.

“I–”.

“Please do not say that you are sorry.”

He sounded more defeated then he did upset and that was somehow worse. There was an unspoken tension in the air, the sense of ‘I want to argue with you, but if one of us dies then that would've been the last time we spoke’.

“Just – please do not be upset with S'ria. He truly is not present enough to have any input.”

G'raha started to open his mouth and nodded instead.

“If you were not needed here, to save as many lives as possible, I would ask you to join me.” She struggled for a moment, between what seemed right to do in the moment and what seemed appropriate for her specifically, settling on simply kissing his forehead. “We'll come home.” We. She swore she'd help S'ria recover, for all of their sakes.

“...I shall hold you to that.”

#snow-system #ffxiv-oc #ffxiv-reactions #s'ria 🌸❄️ #:3c #writings

[snow-system-wol]

G'raha won't let her apologize, though. He clearly does want to say something, but perhaps not the type of thing he'd be okay with as "last words said".

Menphina has little to say as well, but she makes her own promise with him -- a safe return.

Before leaving -- Menphina felt that she had to do something, but also that it would be wholly inappropriate for her to kiss him. She's not S'ria, after all. So, forehead, then. It's something.

#snow-system #ffxiv-oc #ffxiv-reactions #s'ria 🌸❄️ #you WILL look at our amateur snowgraha posing #well. #it's only. sorta snowgraha here. given the lack of S'ria.

[snow-system-wol]

Has Menphina ever been forced to make a decision for the system in her life? No, not like this, but it's not a hard choice.

Innocent people are dying, and meanwhile there is a role to play.

And she appreciates it. She has no intention of dying up there.

Only... There was something... How had S'ria put it to G'raha? "Not going off and dying alone"? "Not leaving him behind when going into danger"? ..."Not fighting alone on purpose"?

S'ria had promised something, she knew that, and she isn't sure if the fact that S'ria didn't decide this made G'raha feel any better. He's standing away from the rest of the group, back to her. Surely, this must have been a misstep -- even if it was the only option.

#snow-system #ffxiv-oc #ffxiv-reactions #s'ria 🌸❄️