Author Answers (July) (Patreon)

General:

Anonymous: Which final fantasy characters would the shepherds be the most similar to personality wise? 

It's been a long time since I've played a FF game, so please forgive the roughness of these answers...

Blade: Cloud and Vincent Valentine (FF7)

Trouble: Squall (FF8), little bit of Cid (FF7) and Barrett (FF7)

Shery: Aerith, little bit of Shera (FF7)

Tallys: Lightning (FF13) 

Chase: Reno (FF7), with a little mix of Yuffie (FF7) and Prompto (FF15)

Riel: Ignis (FF15) and Reeve Tuesti (FF7)

Red: ??? I want to say Red XIII to be funny but I'm not totally sure who he fits with! Maybe uhhhh yeah I have no idea!

Ayla: Fang (FF13 - but I do not remember this game AT ALL) and Fran (FF12)

Briony: Tifa (FF7) with a little bit of Terra (FF6)

Lavinet: Aranea (FF15) and a little bit of Edea (FF8)

Croelle: Ardyn (FF15)

Which of the Ros would be "I'll kill for you", "I'd die for you" or neither/both. 

Both:

Blade

Trouble

Briony

Chase

I'd die for you:

Red

Shery

I'd kill for you:

Tallys

Riel

Lavinet

Anonymous: What would the difference be in how Blade behaves in a crushing stage versus in a relationship?   

Blade is definitely more shy and awkward in a crushing stage. He has 0 experience with these new feelings he's experiencing and absolutely no way to tell if MC feels the same way about him, so he's very... "okay i've embarrassed myself so now i need to run the fuck out of here..." and is generally hesitant and unsure. What if MC doesn't feel the same way and he loses their friendship? What if he does something to drive her away inadvertently or misreads something? So he clams up a lot more around MC or is just... awkward.

In a relationship, he's much more confident and take-charge as well as communicative. He's been given irrefutable proof that MC loves him and chooses to be with him, something he can't confuse or misinterpret, so he's not shy really at all and not hesitant to show his affections. He's still private, because that's how he is, but he's not questioning himself or doubting their relationship at all and is much happier and dominant. He might occasionally get a little shy or awkward when he wants to express something really mushy, but it's not really the same at all!

How would the Crushing!Ros react if they were on a mission with MC and they were in a situation where they had to see MC half undressed to bandage them. No one else can do it and MC cant reach to properly put on the bandages themself. 

Would help MC but would be blushing furiously or awkward and silent the whole time:

Blade

Trouble

Shery

Would help MC and be able to fake casualness pretty well:

Briony

Lavinet

Riel

Would help MC and be totally normal about it because it's not that type of situation:

Red

Ayla

Would help MC and make light of the situation/use the opportunity to flirt a bit:

Chase

Tallys

RO reactions to MC gently touching their face and whispering "you're perfect" in astonishment? Like they just cannot believe that not only have they found someone so perfect but that that person wants anything to do with them. 

"I should be saying the same thing about you" (smile and tender kiss)

Blade

Red

(Melting inside) AAAAAAAAAAAA

Trouble

Shery

"I know" (joke)

Lavinet

Chase

"Thank you"

Tallys

Riel

"No, YOU are" (gets into playful fight about it)

Briony

"I'm not perfect..."

Ayla

How would the Romanced!Ros react if they tried to kiss MC but MC was too tall for them to reach without standing on their tiptoes. 

Would start wearing platform shoes:

Trouble

Chase

Would complain about it frequently:

Blade

Riel

Ayla

Would gently tease MC or poke fun at themselves:

Red

Tallys

Would sort of like it/really like it:

Shery

Briony

Lavinet

How would the Ros react if Romanced!MC came home with a black eye and bruises but when Ro asks why, MC justs says they shouldnt worry and that MC can handle everything. 

Each RO would get pretty upset or angry/frustrated. It's not great communication while in a relationship and they'd all feel like MC was keeping secrets from them or didn't trust them. 

Would result in an argument:

Blade

Trouble

Riel

RO is just silently upset:

Shery

Ayla

Red

Chase

Tallys

Would not tolerate it and would give an ultimatum and say this is a deal-breaker:

Lavinet

Briony

 So how would the Ros react if Romanced!MC could imitate anyone's voice perfectly after hearing it once. Also how would they react if MC used it to see how they would react to other people saying certain things. (Like MC says nice ass while behind Blad ebut in Trouble's boice so it seems Trouble is saying it) Right after MC does it they admit to them saying it. Sorry if this is confusing, I tried explaining it the best I could. 

Would get sort of annoyed by it after a while if MC did it frequently:

Blade

Tallys

Lavinet

Oh that is so cool!!! (starts brainstorming ways to use MC's talent)

Trouble

Chase

Riel

Briony

Would be impressed but it wouldn't be a lasting memory:

Red

Ayla

Shery

We all know Riel is a workaholic who cannot take care of himself to save his life. But what about an MC that doesn't //let// him overwork himself? An MC that when it gets late he just goes in and physically carries Riel away from his desk and to bed. (Or bonus, if Riel wont let himself be carried off then MC insists on sleeping in his office) 

I think Riel would both appreciate this and be deeply annoyed by this. He loves his work and sometimes he needs to do it, or think, and being physically forced to go to bed would definitely result in some waspish words and low-key tantrums. It's like when you're absorbed in something that you're really enjoying, like playing a game or reading a book, and then someone comes in and physically forces you to stop. You'd be annoyed! But on another level he'd recognize that it was for his own good and that MC did it out of love, so he'd be contrite in the morning and would shower MC with grateful affection!

Anonymous: which of the ros uses mcs butt as bongos and which of the ros let mc use THEIR butt as bongos pls this is v important the people need answers 

Uses MC's butt as bongoes:

Chase

Trouble

Briony

Lavinet

Tallys

Lets MC use their butt as bongoes:

Blade

Riel

Red

Shery

Ayla

[Content warning: unwanted touching/kissing] How would the Romanced!Ros react if they heard someone saying things along the line of "forget about Ro, I'm better anyway" to MC and then when MC tries to leave they force a kiss in MC. 

I think literally any RO, including Riel, would either forcibly drag the person off or straight-up punch them in the face for trying to sexually assault MC. The "forget RO" doesn't even really matter, pretty much all of them would fly into a rage at seeing someone trying to force themselves on MC without their consent. 

Would Gladius be a cool uncle to Blade and MC's kid? Also, What type of weather do the RO's enjoy the most?

If things are solved between him and Blade, he'd definitely be the fun uncle, the one who'd always take his niece/nephew/etc. out on fun outings and bring them gifts from his travels and have dinner with their family once a week!

Blade: clear, balmy days, not necessarily blazing sunny but bright and nice out!

Trouble: warm summer days that go on for a long time and hot summer nights that go on for even longer!

Tallys: misty spring mornings where the dew is all over and everything is silent and still and pale

Shery: cozy rainy days with constant rain and everyone curled up inside together

Riel: crisp autumn days that have a bit of bite but are not yet freezing, he likes to take walks then!

Chase: cloudy days just before a storm breaks, feels like something is about to happen and the whole world is holding its breath

Red: snowy, picturesque days that simultaneously make you want to sit by the fire with a book and a mug of tea and go running outside to frolic in the snow

Ayla: monsoons and wild storms with lots of thunder and crashing, very epic

Briony: drizzly days where the rain is falling, but it doesn't stop you from doing things and it's fun to walk in and makes everything nice and atmospheric, not depressing or a hassle, and sometimes patches of sun come through!

Lavinet: lovely aromatic spring days where it feels like the sun is shining and everything is blooming!

Anonymous: I couldn’t find this when I searched for it, but what types of royals would the RO’s be in an AU? Follow up, what’s your favorite AU you have of the Shepherds?

Hmm, are you talking about the Court!Intrigue AU I talked about a while ago? I tend to prefer the ones where everyone is in different positions in the court (some as servants, or guards, or nobles), but if you're talking about the one where everyone is a royal...

It's an AU where Blest is essentially divided into five sub-kingdoms, with overall rule of the united country (the High King or Queen, or Sun Emperor/Empress, etc.) rotating between each country's royal family. So the first-born Elvish prince becomes ruler of the Elven lands, but second-born Elvish princess is next up to become High Queen of the entire country. When she dies, rule passes on to the next Norm heir. When they die, it goes to a Ket ruler. I hope that makes sense! Sort of like how Elinden works now.

In that particular AU, all of the young nobles attend the Sun Court equivalent (I forget what I name it), mingling with each other and learning politics together for when they become the respective rulers of their countries. Things are thrown into disarray when the current High King dies, but has a will that proclaims he wanted rule to pass to someone unexpected (the Norm prince was the next up but the High King declared a Ket ruler to be next, something like that). All of the nobles have known each other from early childhood and are all good friends, but the turmoil and mystery caused by the High King's assassination causes tensions to arise and peace between the different kingdoms is threatened. 

Blade is the second-born Ket prince in that AU (his brother is next in line to rule their country). Trouble, Riel, and Lavinet are all Norm nobles who would be candidates to become the next High King/Queen (the Norm kingdom works differently in that there is no one royal family, and scions are selected from a range of noble families through a mix of marriage and something like a democracy among the noble families). Trouble's clan has a large military, Riel's clan a lot of wealth and merchant connections, and Lavinet's clan is old blood and has great political power and name. Red is the last-born prince of the Mage country. Halek is the prince of the Hunters alongside his twin, but Naolin is selected to lead the country because he's harder-working. Tallys is a scion of the Elvish clans (but is the minor cousin of the true heir, who's like 11). Chase is an ambassador from a foreign country, Ayla is a knight, and Shery is a lady-in-waiting. Briony would be the apprentice Court Mage for the High Court, essentially in training to be the High King or Queen's chief Mage/overseer of magic in the country.

My favorite AU is probably a modern AU: I tend to spend a lot of time with childhood friends in a slice-of-life-style smallish town high school moving into college AU, as well as working adults in the city AU or law enforcement where they're all working in a police department or are lawyers AU!

Anonymous: continuation of an ask on the blog-What do the Ro’s look like as gods? 

Reference to this post here.

Blade: most of the time he'd be in his masked form, only among the gods would he reveal his "true" form

Trouble:

Tallys:

Shery:

Riel:

Chase: Among mortals, he has one form:

Among gods, he has another:

But when he's pissed...

Red: Form to mortals:

Form to gods:

Ayla: Normal mode:

Pissed mode:

Briony: Normal mode:

Pissed mode:

Lavinet:

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Spoilers:

Anonymous: What kind of consequences will being possessed have in the future?? will it have anything to do with the mc's chosen ro? 

Being possessed doesn't show its full effects until the end of the game, mostly because Quiial is hiding and biding its time. It doesn't really have anything to do with MC's RO, though some characters sense something's "off" about MC (like Halek) and are prone to liking them less, or you're barred from doing certain things (like drinking the lachryma, or helping someone solve a problem that Quiial doesn't want you to). Mostly it'll come into play at the end of the game--say MC believes they've saved the world from demons, but... lol....

Anonymous: When is the exact moment that Blade realizes he's in love with MC?

I don't know exactly when it is in the game, but it's always been my headcanon that Blade struggles with his feelings for MC for a long time, like "what is this??? why do I feel like I'm dying?? WHY DO I FEEL SICK AROUND MC, DO I HATE HER?" And then one day he's at the compound, it's his day off, and he picks up one of those books of poems that he's owned for a long time and settles in. And then he gets to one of the love poems--one that describes what it's like to be in love--and in the past, he's always read poems like that with either total indifference and slight bafflement: like what do they mean, they'd go to war for their lover? What do they mean when they describe melting? It must be so... stupid, so vulnerable, to be wrapped around someone's finger like that, to want to do anything for them. That sounds dangerous and dumb and so very far from him that he's never really processed those poems. Or he's read them with outright contempt.

But now... now he reads it, and he's like, "..................................shit."

(But I think in the game it'll be way more dramatic. Like he sees MC when he thought she was dead or injured somewhere or something and then it hits him like a lightning bolt! It hasn't happened yet, though!)

Anonymous: Can you talk about your process for developing Briony’s backstory? What made you decide to make her a princess/scion of a noble house? Why does her family selective breed her bloodline? Do the people of Elinden not have children with people outside their race? What’s the benefit of having Hunter blood when their powers can’t be passed on to children with mixed blood? I find it all really interesting and would love to know your thoughts! 

My starting point for Briony was that I knew that I wanted her to have lost her memories, and for her past to come back and bite her (and the Shepherds in the butt). I was most interested by the idea that Briony would have been married, and that her husband would come back into the picture for a reckoning: I thought this would be an extremely interesting relationship to explore, especially if she'd fallen in love with someone else (MC) in the meantime. I knew I'd wante them to have parted on bad terms, though, and preferably not have married each other for love--and I wanted her husband/fiance to be someone powerful, someone the Shepherds would have to think twice about: not an Ebert that could just be done away with easily. So that's how her husband/fiance--Kaza--ended up being King of Elinden. And because I felt that the team already had a good balance of different races--Blade sort of cornered the market on the Ket, as did Tallys with the Elves, and Red and Ayla are very "Mage-y", even if you don't count Mimir--so I wanted Briony to be a person of a race we hadn't seen before. So I made her mix-blooded, and then I wondered why a King would have wanted to marry someone of not pure blood, and that's how I came up with the whole culture of Elinden and Briony's family, the Serengards. 

I'm not sure if you've read her short story, but the story itself explains some of the answers to your questions. Briony's ancestor, Gwydion Starfell, was the first king to unite the disparate clans of settlers on Elinden. He did this by claiming that he shared blood with all of them, being equal parts Hunter, Mage, Ket, and Elf. He was able to become king where no one had before: the Elves would not tolerate having a Hunter king on the throne, the Ket would not have wanted a Mage queen with Mage interests--who would have favored her people and clan--so Gwydion was sort of the perfect solution for that. He didn't have a vested interest in the success of just one clan, people, or family, and looked after everyone on the isle fairly, because if he'd lessened taxes on his cousins, the Hunters, his relatives in the Elves would have suffered. 

Through his perceived equality and investment in all the people in Elinden, Gwydion and his descendants ruled the country for many centuries, but their reputation for being a unifying force on Elinden could only be maintained if they preserved their blood ties to all of the major clans and royal families on the isle. So Gwydion took an Elvish consort, and their child took a Hunter consort, and their child took a Mage consort, and so on and so forth, though even these consorts often had mixed blood themselves. Again, this was how they could be perceived as sharing equally in all of Elinden's blood and remaining neutral/unifying politically, rather than favoring any one country (such as the Ket or the Hunters or etc). 

When the Serengards were ousted from power, they stopped being the rulers of the isle, but the commonfolk still respected them in many ways: the Serengards are still regarded as the distant cousins of so-and-so ruling clan in Snow Country, or the great-nephew by marriage to this Ket lord, and etc. etc. More than that, they garnered a kind of reputation as the voices of the land, since they sort of represented a lot of Elinden in their blood uniquely. War lords hoping to become the next High King or Queen would ask for their favor, and if they received it, a lot of the population followed suit. If a particular hopeful petitioned the Hunter military leader, for example, and he gave them his support, his views still wouldn't represent the best interests or common perspective of everyone in Elinden: it would be politically-biased towards his people and clan. But the Serengards were perceived as still having that position of not being beholden necessarily to any one land or conflicting clan, so their opinion was still respected as one that represented Elinden at large. In this way they maintained some political influence: but they needed to continue not having blood ties to any one family or people by marrying and having children selectively in order to keep that power.

There is no particular benefit to having a mixed-blood Hunter child if you're talking about powers alone. But for the Serengards, the Hunters in Elinden make up 25% of the population, so they need to be included in the "blood ties" to keep the scales balanced. 

Many people on Elinden do marry and have children outside of their own race, but due to the long political and cultural history surrounding the Serengards, Gwydion Starfell, and the position of High Ruler, the Serengard blood in particular is scrutinized and used as a weapon. Historically Elinden was starkly divided into its different countries, and those countries (and the clans that ruled them) often went to war with each other, so this is why the stakes are so high for having an overarching ruler who will treat each land fairly rather than with personal bias. 

Thanks for your question, and I hope my answer wasn't too long!

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NSFW: 

Where do the RO's like to be kissed the most?

Blade: he generally goes for the lips, but kissing his knuckles or his hands will make him melt. If you want to turn him on, his neck!

Trouble: he likes being kissed on the cheek the most along with lips, it makes him feel warm and fuzzy!

Tallys: she likes being kissed on her shoulder or the underside of her wrist! If you want to turn her on, her throat!

Shery: she likes being kissed anywhere, particularly the cheek or the lips! If you want to turn her on, her breasts or her thighs!

Riel: he likes being kissed on the forehead or the cheek!

Chase: he likes being kissed anywhere, but on the lips is always best!

Red: he prefers being kissed on the lips or occasionally the side of the neck!

Ayla: she doesn't want to be kissed anywhere but her lips, but you may slap her ass as you walk away instead!

Briony: she likes being kissed on the lips, the tip of the nose, the forehead, or the cheeks! Sometimes the neck, below the ear, but she's very ticklish there!

Lavinet: she likes kisses on the cheek, especially when she's wearing lipstick she doesn't want to smudge, or the back of the hand!

How would the Ros react to the MC waking them up in a NSFW way? 

Sorry for the boring answer, but I don't think there's a single RO who wouldn't enthusiastically enjoy it or join in.

i cant remember if this was asked but whats the quickest way to get the ros horny

I think this was asked before, but I'm too lazy to find an answer so!

Blade: bend over in front of him, nice and slow, bonus points while wearing a skirt or a thong

Trouble: kiss him a certain way. you know, that way

Tallys: trail a few kisses up her arm or neck

Shery: put a hand on her knee or thigh and slowly draw small circles

Riel: nothing gets him going like seeing his partner get hard/touch themselves subtly or brazenly

Chase: flirt with him verbally a bit, or dress in something very attractive

Ayla: talking to her in a breathy/sexy way

Red: striptease or biting lip while looking sultry

Briony: rub her shoulders/back and give her a massage

Lavinet: touching her breasts in any way

For the M!Sheps! On a scale of 1-10, how smug would they be about mc walking funny after a long night of...you know...

Blade: 9 for him but few people realize he's even smug

Trouble: 7, he's pretty smug but also he's a little bit concerned, he hopes he didn't hurt MC...

Chase: 10. Always a 10. He will even smirk and draw attention to it, like "hey MC, you're walking a little funny, did you pull a muscle?"

Riel: 6, he's a little smug but honestly the chances are he'd be the one walking funny...

Red: 5, he feels a spark of elation but he's also a bit embarrassed and shy!!

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We went 15 over the limit this month, so those will roll over into next month's Q&A! Please keep in mind that I can only answer 20 questions every month, so if you submit a few questions each month, please be mindful and leave room for others too! :) Thank you and I hope you enjoyed reading!