Author Answers (January) (Patreon)

General

hi, lena! i was wondering about physical differences between the species in the shepherds 'verse? like, elves obviously have the ears and you've mentioned norms having 'sun touched skin,' but i'd love it if you could tell us more. <3

Hi there, thanks for your question! I think I'm axing the sun-touched skin thing; at the time I thought it was unfair that all of the other races got a "cool physical feature" to distinguish them, but then over time I remembered that's sort of the point! The Norms feel like the "default normal" human race and many feel envious over the distinguishing features of other races, and that's a lot of what factors into the conflicts in Blest! So I think I'm going to go with that for now!

As for the other races, I think it's been explored before: Elves have pointed ears and are generally sort of tall and willowy in build, though not always--of course there are stout or short Elves, too--and are described as "ethereally beautiful," though of course this is relative; generally they don't suffer from blemishes or acne. Mages tend to look a lot like Norms, though many have the iladrin as well as unusual-colored eyes or hair. Ket tend to look a lot like Norms, too, though they're generally taller, broader-shouldered, and stronger-looking, and their features tend to be more "Kettish". I can't really describe what this means, it's just an aura or certain features they might have. Generally Ket tend to have darker hair--it's rare to see a blond Ket, though not totally abnormal--dark eyes, and closed-off expressions! And, of course, Hunters tend to be very tall, imposing, and they have snow-white hair!

Hi Lena!  Out of left field question, but I’m really curious if you’re planning on doing a chapter / focusing on the twin cities of Capra/Caprona?  AND/OR do you have any more information about either city you’ve been thinking up?   I’ve been obsessed with the cities ever since I saw them on the interactive map of Blest!

Hi there, thanks for the question! I am not planning to do another chapter focusing on Capra/Caprona, especially since Chapter 3 itself is based in Capra! I'm glad you enjoyed seeing them on the map! :) I don't really have too much more information about them, except that they have very large Mage populations, and Capra tends to be more mechanical/steampunk-themed while Caprona is sort of more romantic! Both cities have competing "Festival of Lights" each year that mean totally different things; in Capra the Festival of Lights is a way to show off mechanical wonders and parade floats and pyrotechnic displays, while in Caprona it's a time of music, dancing, floating lanterns, artistic displays, making wishes, and kissing!

okay so in the alpha, when conversing with the new recruits, they ask us if we're "canoodling" with the current LI, but I wonder... If they have the huge courage to ask the same question to the ROs, what would be their reaction if asked if they're "canoodling" with MC...? xD

Blade: I don't think any recruit would dare ask him something like this, but if they did I think he'd make them run laps until they died

Trouble: he'd laugh it off and be like "lol ask me something like that again and I'll kill you recruit lmao get back to work dumbass!"

Tallys: she'd smirk and say she never kisses and tells

Shery: she'd blush like crazy, stammer, ask them where they got that idea, and then run away, looking very suspicious!

Riel: he'd give them a cold, snakelike stare until they squeaked "never mind!" and ran off!

Chase: he'd laugh and be like, "Why do you ask?" Generally he'd play coy like "go do 500 [physically hard tasks] and maybe I'll tell you ;)" and then just pretend he forgot he promised that when they asked again lol. Maybe he'd call MC over like "Hey MC! Are we canoodling?" and follow MC's lead from there!

Red: he'd smile, shrug, and say, "I wish, but don't tell MC I said that"

Ayla: she'd clobber anyone who dared ask her that

Briony: she'd blush, smile, and say, "Never say never! Now let's back to work!" 💪

Lavinet: "how dare you. i am a lady. you can't ask ladies questions like that. 100 lashes for you." and then she'd run them down on her horse

Hi Lena! I have a question for #tellmeeverything. I was wondering how the RO’s might react to news of pregnancy/adoption? Thank you! <3

Hi there, thanks for the question! It was actually already answered here , though that ask assumes that the pregnancy was accidental/unexpected. I guess if the couples were trying to get pregnant or were planning to adopt already, they'd all be overjoyed! (And I guess there's no such thing as "accidental" adoption, lol.) 

As for Briony, I think it would depend on where she was in life with MC. Are they just getting together or have they been in a relationship for a while? Are they younger or are they starting to settle down? I think if they were younger and she wasn't ready to have a child, she'd be a little upset/freaked out at first, but would warm up to the idea and would more excited over time. She does want kids eventually, though, so if it was a bit later in life, I think she'd be insanely excited!

Hi Lena, hope you’re doing well!! I wanted to ask, how would the (relevant) ROs act with a pregnant Mc? Chill, over protective, etc.

Blade: he'd be very overprotective and wouldn't even let MC carry groceries!

Trouble: he'd be mostly jubilant, overjoyed, and constantly excited and bragging about their baby to other people. I think he'd lose his mind the first he felt the baby kick!

Tallys: she'd be mostly worried and anxious and a ball of stress, like OMG MC BURPED KIND OF HARD, is the baby okay??

Shery: she'd be so excited and would totally be, like, nesting and making a home for them and knitting things for the babey!!!!

Riel: I think he'd like... financially support the surrogate and make sure she was comfortable, and that'd be about it

Chase: I think he'd be half excited, half lost and confused, like damn do babies need shoes?? where is he going to buy shoes?? is he going to have to learn lullabies?? where does one learn lullabies?? he'd definitely talk to the baby in MC's stomach all the time and consult them on what they like, too!

Red: he'd be a glowing proud father-to-be! He'd pamper MC and make sure they had everything they needed to be comfortable and would just be very doting and sweet and prepared!

Ayla: I think she'd be stressed and excited at the same time, mostly super happy and always kissing MC and asking if baby is going to like x or do y

Briony: truthfully, I think she'd be struggling with some feelings because she'd probably want to be the pregnant one, not MC! She'd be mostly happy, but the envy would make her burst into tears at some point!

Lavinet: I guess this question isn't really that relevant to her lol!

Hi! I wanted to ask how do the ROs react to MCs nightmares? Or if Mc had a really bad one while sleeping next to them?? Love the game and have a good day!

Hi, thanks for your question! It's actually already been answered here! 

Briony would immediately snuggle up against MC and whisper, "You're okay, I'm here, I won't ever let anything happen to you, I'll always make sure you're happy and safe, don't worry, I'm here" and stroke their face until they fell asleep!

Oh no! Half of the barracks is closed down! (pest problems? Flooding? No one knows!) everyone need a place to sleep so the remaining rooms are shared... What are the ROs reaction when they realize they'll have to share their bed with MC? (deep in crush) 

Hi, did you see this post where "there's only one bed" from last week? 😂 I think their reactions would be the same as in that scenario!

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Spoilers

Hi Lena! First, The Painted Devil has altered the course of my life forever. Second, what’s the deal with the fairies? Were they real? Is there a commune hanging out under Kinley just waiting to break through the Leyline? Love the play, love ShOH, and congratulations on your cover reveal!

Hi emerald! Thanks so much for your kind words!!! 💖 And I'm so glad you liked the Painted Devil! I meant this to be more ambiguous, but in my headcanon, faeries do exist, but whether they're actually a natural part of Blest or off-world counterparts, I'm not totally sure yet! For now, I'm going to say that I think there were many places where their world and Blest touched, including the Leyline but also elsewhere, to the point where most people thought they were natural part of Blest: e.g. faeries in ancient times would descend from "the top of the mountain" in time to help a village in crisis, but they didn't actually live at the top of the mountain, the top of the mountain contained a gate between their world and Blest, with the planes so blended together that no one could really see or notice the difference between them. But when Hael was connected to Blest, the worlds shifted, and so the "land of the faerie" moved away from Blest and no longer is very connected to that world. So yes, I think they're real, but they're no longer really present on that plane anymore!

I concur with others that The Painted Devil is just now part of my life story. I can date things happening PTPD (Pre The Painted Devil) and ATPD (After The Painted Devil). I am of course a Chandry stan first and a human second, which is why I wanted to first ask if this is actually going to come up in the game? Also, is there anyway for Chandry, with our help or by himself, to get closure or is he already kind of accepted it? Please lena I need my clown bff to be happy 😭

Hi Jazz, thanks for the question! The story of the Painted Devil is not going to come up in the main game, unless Chandry casually mentions that he's written other plays! And Chandry's okay! He's had a lot of time to come to terms with what happened all that time ago, and he's not wallowing in misery or anything like that; he's happy with his life now and has closure! He's just our carefree clown living life the way he wants to, and he's good with that! :)

After going through Croelle story, when one becomes impregnated by an Endarkened, do they die or disappear after giving birth? Also when said half Endarkened is born, are they straight up born an adult or a baby!

People do tend to die when giving birth to Tainted children, but not always, and they don't disappear! Tainted/half-Endarkened tend to be born as babies!

^adding on to the other one*Sorry* Can Croelle have children or is he infertile due to his Endarkened blood.

Croelle can technically have children, though this isn't the case with all of his kind (so I don't think he knows this), and it would be extremely difficult both to conceive and to deliver the baby. 

What form does a Tainted offspring take if the human parent is mixed race (e.g. an Elf-Mage)?

It kind of depends on the proportion of the mixed blood, but most Tainted offspring wouldn't make it to full term in those cases. If it was something like 90% Elf and 10% Mage, the child would most likely still just be Fext, but if it was half and half, it would either be random (either Fext or Shade) or the Tainted wouldn't survive in their infancy. 

also: i have to know, how would the conversation between briony and blade go if she had to report the mc being a thot?

Briony: ...and that's about it for my report! All in all, I'd say things went well!

Blade: Good. Thank you, Briony.

Briony: Er, there is one thing...

Blade: *makes motion to go on*

Briony: Erm, while we were in Rivercross... I don't know if Tallys or Ayla said...

Blade: *expectant staring*

Briony: *clears throat* Well, MC sort of... disappeared. With one of the locals. Some farmer's kid--harmless, but, you know, a tourist in novelty. I think the word is slumming it?

Blade: What are you talking about? A farmer's kid threatened MC?

Briony: No, no, they didn't threaten MC...

Blade: Why did MC disappear with them? They didn't attempt to confront MC? Did they mug them? 

Briony: You're being obtuse on purpose, aren't you!

Blade: I am not.

Briony: Why on earth do you think MC would disappear with a good-looking local while on a mission?

Blade: 

Blade: They were an informant?

Briony: Okay. If I told you Chase went off on a mission with some good-looking local...

Blade: MC slept with a local?

Briony: Well, I don't know how much sleeping went on--or if it was just kissing or canoodling or something in between! But it was weird and unprofessional and awkward, and I thought I'd say something, because I don't know that any of us want to go on missions with MC if our leader is going to run off and--rendezvous with the first moon-eyed village idiot they see! We were late the next morning because we didn't know where MC was, for goodness' sake, and it was all just very... horrible and awkward. I don't want to, you know, be a snitch, but Ayla said she wasn't going to tattle and Tallys is too pissed off to talk to you about it, and I just thought you ought to know. Maybe. Should I have not have said anything?

Blade: No. You did the right thing. Thank you, Briony.

Briony: Don't thank me until you read some of Shery's novels, maybe. Honestly, Blade, you are so dense! Mugging!

1) Will healer!MC uses their power ( added to their physiology/anatomy knowledge) to deal damages  in future chapters ? Like, messing with their target cranial/nervous system, stopping blood flow or provoking heartattack ? I know that it goes against all healer principles to do that but since MC is mainly a fighter... and I’m a sucker for the “ don’t mess with the healer, they’ll wreck you” trope…ahaha.

I'm not sure about this, yet. I'm quite adamant that MC would be shunned if others found out that they were using their Healing powers to do damage like that; it'd be like if it got that out that a serial killer was moonlighting as a doctor by day, or something. So I'm not sure and I don't make any promises! If it does happen, it would only be once towards the end of the game!

2) And the complete opposite spectrum of the previous question, will Healer!MC be able to save an important character thanks to their healing magic ? Or will another Healer in the story do the heavy “healing”?

Saving an important character wouldn't be locked to a specialization like a Healer because I don't think it'd be fair to players, so while there will be the opportunity to heal some people in the game, it won't be tied to saving their life!

3) How old are our recruits exactly ? They’re called “kiddoes” by Trouble so I think may be late teens ? And could you tell us their thought when they realize that THE “Hero of Haven” was going to be their squad captain ? Were they like “O.M.G YEEESSS” or “ …well…shit…I’m going to die young” ?

It depends on whose squad you're talking about, but in general the recruits are all in their twenties, some in their early twenties and some in their late! I don't really have an exact age for MC's recruits, but I gave their approximate age range here!

Justyn: the “oldest”, I picture him in his late twenties to 30 or 31 at the most!

Daren: mid-twenties, I clock him at 25 or 26

Ysa: early twenties, 21 or 22

Cybele: around 110ish, she’s the oldest biologically but Elf-wise and mentally/emotionally she’s pretty much a teenager, around 19!

Trouble just calls them "kiddoes" because that's what they are in his mind, regardless of their age!

I think Justyn and Cybele were intimidated by MC when they first heard MC would be their Captain; they were especially "fml" if MC caught them disrespecting Shery in her day off scene first!

Daren was like 🤩 omg yes! this is what I deserve, whereas Ysa was quietly awed and somewhat excited but also nervous!

Because Chase is so perceptive, will he be aware of MC falling in love with him? 

I don't think Chase necessarily is aware of MC falling in love with him unless they make it really obvious (blushing when he touches them, stammering, etc.). I think he's more aware of a shift in their relationship--tenderness, deeper talks, etc.--that's reciprocated between the two of them. Once he becomes aware of this, he panics and tries to torpedo the thing first!

Does Chase or Trouble ever get protective of mc? If so what makes them like that and how do they act? 

Chase doesn't really get protective because he feels MC is strong and capable of handling themselves (it's part of the reason why he falls in love with them). He gets somewhat jealous, but not really protective, unless MC is in an actually vulnerable position, like if they were to get sick! At that point he gets clingy and doesn't leave their side

Trouble may get protective if MC is in dangerous situations or volunteers themselves to do risky tasks, or if someone insults their honor around him, but he doesn't really get protective in terms of keeping other people away from them as a jealous lover! Mostly he argues with them when they give him a scare and do something stupid, which is hypocritical considering who's talking, lol. 

handful of goturan questions. it was mentioned she “flies” to briony, so can she also still her hand (ie her wielder was going to slice up a baby so goturan resists)? out of the other sheps who does gogo approve of? finally how long can briony and gogo be separated before she decides to go back to briony. 

I don't think Gonturan can like "resist" in the way that she could pull her master's hand away or move it without their volition, but she definitely has a mind of her own and will become unusable (aka too heavy to wield) if her wielder does something that makes them unworthy of wielding her! So if Briony were to, say, try and kill a baby, Gonturan would just suddenly become extremely heavy and drop to the ground, with Briony unable to pick her up and wield her again. However, it's worth noting that Gonturan really doesn't have a set of morals the way humans really think of morals and ethics. She's not like "this is bad, this is good" for individual actions, necessarily. She just decides if she's going to stay loyal to the person in question--if their heart is worthy of having her friendship and strength--or if it's time to move on. It's more about who they are deep down as a person versus what individual actions they're choosing every time. In this way, Gonturan could ultimately serve a very ruthless person if she decided their heart/intentions deep down were worth serving!

I think Gonturan "approves" of all of the Shepherds she cares to give her opinion on, but she doesn't like being touched or prodded by Shery, Tallys, Chase, or Lavinet, while she's okay with being tested by Blade, Trouble, Riel, Red and Ayla, because they respect her!

As for how long she and Briony can be separated, it really depends on the circumstances! If Briony tells Gonturan to stay put in a safe place and goes on a mission where she can't bring her along, Gonturan can tolerate being separated from her indefinitely, or at least for many years. However, the bond between them would most likely weaken to the point where she couldn't just automatically fly to Briony's hand after that much time, unless Briony was nearby (not in another country). Or, say if Briony has to go raid a place in secret, and leaves Gonturan concealed in some bushes outside. Gonturan could remain there for several weeks to several months, so long as she didn't sense Briony wasn't in mortal danger.

However, if Gonturan was forcibly separated from Briony, say by enemies, she only puts up with it for a few hours to a few days!

How did Tallys join the Shepherds? 

Truthfully, she just heard about them while she was in the city (she was working as a cattle-herd at the time) and came and signed up! She was their first recruit, and due to her competence and skill, quickly became a fixture in the Order as it was finding its feet!

what would Blade have done if he was far in the crushing/Holy shit im in love stage and he was there when he heard the comments made to MC before the bar fight during Troubles day off? This story is so fricking amazing and so are you!

He would have given Lazu Reen 2 warnings, like, "Stop talking. Now." Normally that's enough to deter most people, but if the comments had persisted, he would have moved fast enough to put his blade against Lazu Reen's neck and said softly, "Last warning. Apologize, or lose your head."

The difference between him and Trouble is that he wouldn't have started swinging and caused an all-out brawl, he would have gone for the head of the serpent immediately and made it clear the stakes involved, which would have led to a quieter confrontation and lack of jail-time, lol. He also would have made it clear that if Lazu told anyone about their little quarrel, Blade would hunt him down personally and hang his entrails from his doorway, and no one ever doubts Blade when he says that. :D

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NSFW

How would you rank the ROs in terms of who gives the best head and who is the best dirty talker?

Best oral sex: 

Chase

Red

Tallys

Briony 

Blade

Trouble

Shery

Riel

Ayla

Lavinet

Best dirty talker:

Chase

Red

Lavinet

Briony

Tallys

Shery

Trouble

Blade

Riel

Ayla

Hi Lena, if it’s not too much, could you tell us where the male ROs favorite place to come on/(or in 👀) MC is?? 

heavy nsfw, if you don’t mind! When it comes to cumming, which male ro finishes his business inside or outside the MC! I hope that’s not to much!

Blade: definitely coming inside MC is his favorite! Sometimes on the thigh is something he's into, particularly if they're in a place where MC can't clean up easily!

Trouble: he likes to come inside, but coming on MC's tongue absolutely drives him wild and ensures he's ready for round 2 right away!

Riel: typically he comes on the bed or the floor, but if MC is pleasuring him alone, he'd prefer to come inside MC's mouth, even though he's a bit shy about it!

Chase: I think he likes coming inside or on, it just depends on his mood! I think his preference is coming inside, and coming on MC is reserved for moods where he's either punishing them or feeling particularly kinky. Face, breasts, ass, thighs, stomach, and lips are all fair game to him!

Red: I think he'd prefer coming inside mostly! If he came on MC, it'd be wherever MC directed him to!

Hypothetically, if each Ro shepherd were going to do a threesome with MC, who would they pick among the shepherds to be their third? 

Blade: he'd let MC pick, because presumably it'd be MC's idea, but if forced to pick, he'd pick Trouble!

Trouble: I think he'd be okay with Chase if MC picked Chase, but potentially a little distracted because he knows how "experienced" Chase is; I think he'd prefer someone sort of reassuringly no-nonsense about it, like Ayla, or someone less experienced but enthusiastic, like Briony!

Tallys: she'd most likely pick Shery, because in situations like threesomes, she'd like to be in control, and she would be if Shery were in the mix! She'd also pick Chase because she'd know he'd be chill about it and wouldn't read too much into it!

Shery: she'd pick Briony, because not only is Briony a trusted friend, she'd trust Briony to make her feel comfortable and not insecure or jealous! She'd also pick Lavinet if Lavinet was ever into doing a threesome with girls, which is extremely unlikely, but Lavinet's softness and presumed gentleness would appeal!

Riel: I think, if forced, he'd pick Red, but he'd ultimately prefer an anonymous third or someone they don't know all that well rather than a friend!

Chase: I think it'd depend on MC's preference and if they preferred a male or female third; if male, he'd go with Trouble because it'd seem like a fun time between friends, and if it were female I think he'd pick Briony because it would be light-hearted and easy, and he'd be interested to see how she'd react to the situation!

Red: I think he'd want someone who was a little more experienced at doing things like threesomes, who could make him and MC feel more comfortable and less awkward, so I think he'd choose Tallys, because she'd make him feel the least self-conscious! I could also see him having a threesome with Chase if he were, like, slightly drunk and Chase wasn't teasing him or egging him on every few minutes!

Ayla: she'd most likely pick Tallys, especially because she'd want a threesome where everyone could separate sex from romantic feelings and no messy feelings would get involved; so Tallys would her pick for that, or possibly Red since she can boss him around (Chase would be an option if he didn't irritate her so much). 

Briony: her first pick would be Red, because she feels the most comfortable around him and he knows what he's doing, though she'd be curious about Blade if he could ever be talked into it; and she'd be into having Lavinet as a third for sure!

Lavinet: she'd pick Chase purely for his experience and discretion, Red for his looks, or Trouble for his enthusiasm!

Can we have a single nsfw fact for each shepherd, if possible! 

Blade: the first few months into the relationship, Blade would have an insane sex drive, like wanting to do it 2-3 times a day! He wouldn't be able to get out of bed without having lazy, sleepy wake-up sex, either!

Trouble: Trouble wouldn't be able to take a shower with MC without having sex with them. Really any situation where one of them is going to be naked, his brain is like, Sex? Time for sex? He just can't resist!

Tallys: she has a little bit of dominatrix in her and would totally wear the leather whipping outfits and lingerie if in a modern AU!

Shery: one of her most private fantasies would be to have MC directing essentially porn with her in it, possibly with another girl, while MC touched herself and got off to it! Basically she'd want to be commanded and bossed around, and would have a lot of trouble admitting it!

Riel: he'd be into role-playing a little bit, though they'd have to have pretty in-depth stories and motivations for him to get into it! I also think he'd fantasize about scenarios where MC starts seducing him/sucking his cock while in his office, and then someone walks in, so MC hides under his desk, but keeps blowing him while he tries to talk to the interloper! 👀

Chase: he has a slightly sadistic side that comes out occasionally, and deeper into the relationship he'd love tying MC up, toying with them and denying orgasm multiple times, and being more dominant in bed! I think he'd also be way too into the sight of MC on his lap, bouncing up and down and just totally lost in pleasure! He'd take pride in how many times he could make MC scream involuntarily, too!

Red: he has porn books. And they're illustrated, too! He keeps them in a box deep in his closet and claims they're for academic research, like those textbooks on the orgasm and studies on female eroticism and pleasure, but they're definitely porn and he's a little bit of a perv! He'd appreciate being called out on it, too!

Ayla: she'd be into light biting--definitely hickeys and lots of bite marks to mark her territory and to be marked as MC's!

Briony: I think she'd be a little bit into being tied up and helpless and being spanked and teased, especially on her knees with her ass in the air or on her back! It'd take some coaxing for her to realize it, though! And she'd definitely have a praise kink!

Lavinet: She'd have a massage kink (where massages led to sex) and would also love it if toys were employed in the bedroom for her benefit! She'd give a strap-on a try and might even like it, depending on if MC requested it and liked it too!