Author Answers (December) (Patreon)

Hi everybody, the Q&A was a wild one this month! Not only did I get a ton of questions (47, which is way more than usual!), but it's a solid mix of super wholesome Christmas questions and super horny filth LMAO. I wouldn't have it any other way! You sent in such great questions this month that I went over my usual 20; next month will have to be a spillover month so I can try to get to the rest plus some new questions next time! Thanks for your patience, and happy holidays!

General

I hardly see people talk about Mimir! What cute facts can you tell us about her!

Hi anon, I don't have too many "cute" facts about Mimir right now, because 1) I don't know her too well yet and I haven't written her very much; I think when she's more present in the story, I'll become more comfortable with her and gain a greater understanding of her psychology and personality; but for now, I have to confess I don't know her super well. Also 2) there isn't a lot of cute stuff about Mimir that I know of yet! A lot of the point to her introduction is how mysterious and enigmatic and unknowable she is, and a large part of her personality is her inability to interact and engage with the world around her in a "normal" way, so I don't have a lot of handy factoids like her favorite colors or things like that yet; to put it simply, she doesn't notice or engage in a lot of the things you might expect! However, being around people and friends over time will allow her to grow in these areas! Off the top of my head, I do know:

- She loves hot drinks, and especially wrapping her hands around them! Her hands are always cold, and something about the heat of the hot drink seems to ground her, so Shery is always brewing her mugs of tea in the evenings and making sure she always has a hot drink on hand or nearby!

- She has to sleep outside of the compound, away from everybody else. When she sleeps indoors, her psychic senses become overwhelmed and confused as she's essentially assaulted with thousands of visions, threads, and reflections of people's possible futures; it's a lot of mental noise, so to get away from it and have some peace, she has to sleep outside under the stars. Blade gives her a tiny, unused courtyard with a trickling fountain to drown out all of the psionic roar, and this also happens to be the courtyard that Trouble and Caine "secretly" smuggled a doghouse for Dog into. It comes out later that Dog and Mimir have been cuddling quite happily in her tent, and that he's been keeping her warm and watching over her most cold nights!

- She does seem to love animals and other people's pets, especially birds, since she can't see their futures the way she can see people's. However, cats seem unnerved by her and tend to avoid her until she gains their trust!

- Chase figures out that Mimir can almost unerringly guess the outcome of gambling matches, without even realizing she's doing it. However, he doesn't tell anybody this because he doesn't want anyone bugging her or taking advantage of her, so he deflects or covers up the topic whenever anyone comes close to figuring it out!

- Mimir has an excellent Bad Person radar and doesn't hesitate to chase off the people who give her Nasty Vibes. Like if some man is picking on Caine just because he can, Mimir may materialize behind him like O_O YOU WILL DIE AT FORTY-SIX. YOUR BODY WILL BETRAY YOU WITH A POX. YOUR BLOOD WILL BOIL AND YOUR LIVER WILL COOK. YOU WILL DIE ALONE, YOUR ONLY LOVER THE BOTTLE YOU CHASED YOUR WIFE AWAY WITH. She has had to learn not to do this with people who don't deserve it, though!

- She tends to love really weird tastes and foods: like she loves mushroom tea as well as seaweed-flavored snacks, and she eschews more "normal" things like cupcakes or salads. Trouble swears up and down that he saw her drinking a glass of raw eggs one time, but no one believes him...

Pls Lena can you tell us some Kato Facts? I love him he is a soft Boi💕

Kato is surprisingly soft and kind for someone who grew up on the streets! Or rather, I should say he's quite polite, though he can also be ruthless when it comes to Guild business and dealing with his enemies! He tries to avoid bloodshed where he can, though. 

Some random facts: his mother was a prostitute and he doesn't know who his father is. He was always more gentle, diligent, and thoughtful growing up than most, and if he hadn't been born destitute, I think he would have been very happy in the position of a footman or a coach driver, something like that. As it is, his excellent sharpshooting skills and talent for pickpocketing sent him on the path to the Thieves Guild, where he eventually earned enough money to set his mother up in a nice apartment in Smoketown: he visits her pretty much every week! Chase has something of a big brother relationship with him, at least when Kato first joins the Guild--they're about 5-7 years apart, if I'm remembering correctly? One of his hidden talents is that he's an excellent artist and can sketch really good likenesses of people from memory! He is ace and biromantic. He is fairly calm and level-headed, as well as an excellent cardsharp. He can play the tifin (flute/pipe) and can dance a lot of sailor's jigs! 

Can you pls give us more fun group dynamic stuff? Maybe like unexpected relationships between the shepherds? Or fun mission stories or something?

- Halek and Shery are actually good friends, and no one quite realizes it until Shery makes an off-hand comment one day like "Halek said his brother did so-and-so when they were kids..." And everyone sort of wheels around and is like, "You guys talk to each other??" And why wouldn't they? Shery is sweet and kind and content to let Halek nap and fusses over him and whether he's staying warm or falling asleep in places where he's likely to catch a cold, and Halek likes the feeling of being fussed over, and they chat about baking and swap recipes and basically enjoy being chill and comfortable around each other! But for whatever reason, no one ever actually sees them interact. It's a very stealthy friendship, for some reason!

- There's a day in early spring when an annual flower festival is held, where it's common to celebrate the ending of winter and considered good luck to go outside to catch the "aed éthuil"--variously translated as "god's breath," "sparkling breeze," or "sun-wind", aka the first breath of warm spring air, usually laced with the smell of blooming flowers. This is often done by going on a group picnic that can last all day. The gang tried it one year, and Briony asked Tallys to teach her how to weave a flower crown when she saw her making one in her lap, and it came out that Lavinet, Shery, and Tallys all knew different ways to make a flower crown, and then there was a little bit of a flower crown frenzy? First it was wrangling Ayla into sitting and letting them weave flowers into her braid. Then it was Red, who tolerated it with a patient smile, and then Trouble, who grumbled but was secretly pleased, then Halek, who was stretched out and dozing and just let them fuss over him, like they were burying him in the sand at the beach. Eventually they even got Blade to let them put tiny flowers in his hair (though he sulked about it, only a little), and Riel let them make him a flower bracelet 🥺It was all very sweet!

- It's a running joke that various members of the group snipe at each other to remember to eat, while simultaneously being huge hypocrites and not eating themselves... Like Red will gently remind Riel that he needs to eat, despite himself not eating because he was too caught up in his research to get away from the workshop... or Shery will chase Blade down and beg him to eat, and then Tallys will bully Shery the next day over forgetting to eat breakfast because she was too busy with something in the Vaults... it goes on... Really, the only people who have their shit together when it comes to consistent meals are Tallys, Trouble, Lavinet, and Halek. Eventually it just becomes like an automatic tag team system, lol!

Loved the fall activities answer, so can you give me specific things the ROs would enjoy in the winter? Who would stay in a hotel made of ice? Who enjoys snowball fights?

Actually, how would a snowball fight go with the team?

Sorry that's two questions! You can just answer the first. (Imagining Dead Eye Alder taking down all but stealth masters Chase and Blade...)

Hi there, the snowball question was actually answered here! Briony would fall probably after Tallys but before Blade: the superstrength and agility gives her a great edge, but stealth is not her forte and her pink hair makes her stand out, so Blade would definitely get her! 

And here's a list of the ROs' favorite winter holiday activities! Here's a slightly updated list:

Blade: he'd enjoy looking at the Christmas lights and decorations around the city and going for walks in the snow, especially at night when everything is silent and muted, and there might be snatches of choir music or just winter hush everywhere! 

Trouble: he'd love ice skating and snowball fights for sure! He might also love to sculpt an igloo or an ice sculpture if the mood struck him, and he'd love drinking hot toddies or spiced apple cider to warm up! I also think he would be very enthusiastic about finding and cutting down his own Christmas tree!

Tallys: she'd enjoy decorating for the holidays, making silvery sprays or paper snowflakes and homemade wreaths and garlands to hang everywhere! She'd love lighting candles and making the home all cozy and warm!

Shery: she'd love holiday decorating and holiday baking! Decorating gingerbread houses, baking cookies and Christmas cakes, and sitting in front of the fire with hot chocolate and fuzzy socks on would all be very lovely for her! She'd also like wearing big comfy winter sweaters, and would even try her hand at knitting winter scarves!

Riel: he'd enjoy sitting in front of the fireplace with a glass of mulled wine and a good book with holiday music playing in the background! He'd also enjoy the sight of winter, the snow all clean and fresh and unbroken--but safely from indoors! He'd also enjoy the various sweets, of course!

Chase: he'd really enjoy being nosy about presents, trying to figure out what people are getting him, where they're hiding the presents, etc.! That would be like his favorite activity, lmao. He'd also enjoy holiday shopping, and making suspiciously voluptuous or well-endowed snow sculptures... 

Red: he'd love going on horseback rides in the snow! In a modern AU, he'd love Christmas movie marathons or playing board games! He'd also enjoy figuring out the best (mathematical) way to make a snowman! 

Ayla: she'd love skiing and the exhilaration of flying down a snowy hill! She'd also be into sleighing, sledding, and snowboarding; pretty much any activity outside where she could feel the wind in her hair!

Briony: she'd love shopping for people, as well as buying, wrapping, and exchanging presents! It would make her so happy just to sit around with everybody and swap gifts, or to think about what people would like. She'd also love the holiday baking and decorating stuff: being in the kitchen while everyone is busy preparing a feast or baking a big cake would be her heaven!

Lavinet: she'd love organizing holiday parties, gift exchanges, feasts, and just any celebration to make the holiday classy and sophisticated! Also, wearing turtlenecks that show off her assets would bring her a certain holiday joy... 😂

Halek: for some reason, I feel like he'd be into ice fishing, lol... I also think he'd love sitting under an electric blanket or kotatsu while cooking hot pot/shabu-shabu as a communal meal in a modern AU! Also, falling asleep in front of the fireplace or during a movie marathon totally seems like something he would do!

Caine: he'd be wild about sledding really big hills and snowball fights, for sure!

what would the kid!shepherds want from Santa?

Blade: a sword. definitely a sword. made of ket steel and with its own leather sheath. If that isn't possible, a sturdy sword-belt would do. 

Trouble: probably whatever toy was popular that year: so if all the "rich" kids were really excited about Rangers of Blest cards, he'd want those, or if they were really into a certain doll/action figure, he'd want that (basically whatever would make him feel included). If not applicable, he'd want a model airship or a wooden bat!

Tallys: she'd desperately want an ahfuri kitten to hand-raise, but of course she's too young. A pretty Elvish pendant would make her feel very happy and grownup, too!

Shery: she probably would have asked for books, or possibly a pretty dress she'd seen or a pretty hair ribbon!

Riel: he would (very seriously) request a stargazing telescope or a new chess set!

Chase: he'd ask for a spyglass so he could better see things while on the lookout in the crow's nest!

Red: he'd ask for books, a new leather-bound journal, or a really good writing set!

Ayla: she'd probably ask for a good pair of shoes or a good canteen for water, or maybe just gold, haha...

Briony: if we're talking about pre-amnesia Briony, she probably would have asked for a coracle (a little boat), or some good spellbooks. Post-amnesia Briony probably would have asked for a new painting set or a pretty dress! 

Halek: he hadn't realized he was into cooking as a little kid, so he probably would have asked for a toy that you couldn't find easily in the Reach, probably something he glimpsed when travelers passed through--like the bauble of the year, a set of spinning tops or a card game or something like that!

Lavinet: she definitely would have asked for expensive dresses and accessories like hair ribbons, or maybe a little fan to practice with (aristocrats don't start learning fan language until they're in their teens). She also may have possibly requested fencing lessons!

What would the shepherds-as-kids be like with a mall Santa?

Blade: supremely indifferent; he doesn't even have much truck with gods, let alone some old guy pretending to gift kids stuff. He would have just flatly ignored mall Santa and expressed no interest in approaching him.

Trouble: wary skepticism, but also some intrigue. Like maybe he'd want to go and talk to him. But he'd eye you beadily and be like, "That isn't the real guy, is it?..." 

Tallys: polite participation. She'd talk to Santa because it's tradition and it's what you do and it would please the adults around her. She's fairly sure he's not the real thing, but she will play along with it so as not to hurt his feelings.

Shery: shy excitement. She'd hide behind her mother's skirts and be very shy about approaching him, but once Santa spoke a few kind words, she'd excitedly clamber into his lap and squeak out all of her wishes for Christmas and be delighted!

Riel: he will give you such a condescending eyebrow twitch of disbelief if you even propose he speak to that bearded charlatan. What do you take him for, an infant? He is 9, thank you very much. The very idea is unseemly. 

Chase: he'd do it, but it'd all be a big joke to him; it'd be worse if he had an audience, like other friends nearby. He'd basically just pester Santa with ridiculous questions, knowing it'd only serve to pin mall Santa on the spot, like, "If you travel around the world in a single night, how many houses do you visit in each second? Why haven't you had children with Mrs. Claus? Were you married before the eyes of God?" 

Red: he would politely decline. Depending on what age he is, he is either well aware that mall Santa (or Santa in general) isn't real but a beneficial ruse for the younger children, or he would think Santa is surely busy and Red's already written his letter, so there's no need to talk to him and revisit the issue. 

Ayla: she would scornfully reject mall Santa. No way that old imposter is the real Santa! Santa's way too busy working at the North Pole to talk to every dumb kid. She knows better. She's not like all these other babies who believe he's here in this very mall. His work is more important than this!!

Briony: she'd be very wide-eyed and excited, like "SANTA!!!" bouncing up and down and practically wriggling with excitement. She'd be too excited to clamber into his lap and give him a hug and go, "I love you Santa!! 🥺" to remember to tell him what she wants for Christmas...

Halek: he'd do it if Naolin wanted to do it, but he'd be mostly calm about it, neither particularly excited nor reluctant. Just sort of going with the flow, like, "sure I'll talk to him, but it's not on my needs list for today." He has a half-baked idea that mall Santa is not the real Santa, but there is some sort of nebulous network where the mall Santas convey children's wishes to the real Santa. 

Lavinet: she'd do it for the photo opportunity and sit very prim and proper on Santa's lap, and politely have conversation with him, but she probably doesn't believe he's the real thing. She probably does believe in the concept of Santa, though!

What is everyone’s morning and bedtime routine? How long does it take for them to get ready in the morning?

Blade: on his normal working days, he's trained his body to wake up a few minutes before dawn. He allows himself a few minutes to mentally wake up; then he does some exercises, practices his sword forms, showers/bathes/shaves/brushes his teeth etc., and then goes to the refectory to get a cup of khav before going to his office to start the day. From waking up to going to his office, it probably takes an hour? On his days off, he's more leisurely about it: he usually squeezes in like thirty minutes of meditation after his light training exercises, and he brews himself khav and enjoys it on his balcony instead of stopping by the refectory. 

Bedtime routine is pretty much just washing up (or bathing if he's really filthy after a mission), changing into his night clothes, falling on his bed, and falling asleep! He's also trained himself to fall asleep pretty much instantaneously, unless in the throes of angsty romance, lol.

Trouble: also a morning person, he tends to wake up around dawn or shortly after dawn. He basically does the usual bathroom stuff (bathing/shaving/brushing teeth, etc.) before heading to the refectory for a hot and hearty breakfast. He's pretty chipper and alert in the mornings, so he's out the door in under 30 minutes usually. Sometimes he forgets to comb his hair. On his days off he'll occasionally sleep in, but it's pretty rare! 

Bedtime routine: washing up, changing into his night clothes (which is usually just him sleeping in his boxers unless with company), and then usually reading his latest book for about thirty minutes (or he just passes out on his bed immediately if he's had a long day). Occasionally if he can't sleep, he'll tinker on whatever project he's currently working on at his workbench, or he'll wander down to the buttery to forage for a snack. Usually after the snack (or a glass of warm milk) he passes out instantly!

Tallys: she gets up an hour before dawn to do stretches, make herself a cup of tea or khav, and then she goes outside to do her dawn prayers, which are fairly ritualistic. Typically she's fine with just doing these on a private terrace or courtyard somewhere around the compound, but if she's been feeling really stifled, she'll get up even earlier and hike out all the way to some clearing in the Sun's Embrace. She typically skips breakfast in the refectory and just grabs some light fare to go, grazing on it as she heads to work. All in all, she's probably been up 2-3 hours by the time people first start seeing her for the day!

Bedtime routine: she's a night showerer, so she'll take a bath, hang out in the lounge and socialize for a while, and then head to bed. Pretty straightforward!

Shery: she gets up early, but not quite at dawn: probably 7 or 7:30 AM. She makes herself a cup of tea, washes up while it's boiling, picks out her outfit for the day, and then sits at her little table and reads a bit from her latest book while she sips at her tea. Then she heads down to the refectory and gets breakfast with whoever's there: usually a pastry or something light! It probably takes her about an hour to get out the door!

Bedtime routine: she usually turns in early; she spends an hour or two in front of her fireplace reading more from her book, then takes a bath, slips into her comfy pajamas and night robe, refreshes her glass of water on the bedside table, sits down to write in her journal, and then reads more in bed until she gets sleepy (this can lead to some very late nights).

Riel: he's a mid-morning riser on his best days, meaning he'll wake up around 9 if he's being good (having gone to bed shortly before or at dawn). If he's being really bad, he'll wake up after only 3-4 hours of sleep to start his day earlier because he has too much work (in his own mind) to tackle instead of wasting time sleeping... 😅 He'll wash up, and if he's at his mansion, he typically has breakfast delivered to his balcony or a small private dining room adjoining his bedroom suite while he reads the newspaper: typically his breakfast is just a cup of khav and a pastry or two. If he's at the compound, he'll typically go straight to his office and get right back to work, and Aerin has to bring the khav to his desk! If he's just been staggering to and from his office to his bedroom, she'll usually try and force him to eat something, but he'll be working while he does it...

Bedtime routine: usually he comes straight from working, washes up quickly (he's also a night bather), and then goes to bed so he can get it over with and start again the next morning. On his worst days, he brings the work to bed and is still working when his body finally shuts down. On more relaxed days, he might take a break after dinner and sit in the lounge and socialize with the others (or work there and only give the appearance of being sociable), or enjoy a glass of wine and a book in front of the fire if it's his day off, or play chess with Red, something like that!

Chase: if left to his own devices, he stays up all night and then wakes up rather late (somewhere around 10 AM to noon, having gone to sleep anywhere from 4 AM to past dawn). Most of his work and leisure activities are entirely nocturnal, so his schedule can be somewhat opposite to a lot of other people's, but it doesn't really affect much: when most people are taking midday breaks or afternoon naps, that's when he's getting started. Typically he wakes up, maybe does some brief exercises like pull-ups or stretches, washes up, and then heads down to "breakfast" in the refectory. Usually out the door in 30 minutes!

Bedtime routine: this is wildly unpredictable because most of his nights are completely improvised. If he's been working (like casing out a place to rob or doing spy/thief work), he'll just go back to his room, change, and crash. More likely, he ends the night with someone else or company--and this isn't just sexual encounters, he could also just be like hanging out with Kato and the other thieves in the old hideout and just crawls up into one of the hammocks to sleep, or he's been acquainting himself with a group of drunk nobles out for a night on the town and has to slip quietly out once they all pass out... it really just depends! He is quite practiced at just finding random places to sleep if he's too far from the compound to go back to his room for the night!

Red: he also tends to be a late riser and prefers waking up past 10 if he can help it; this is usually because he goes to bed so late. Typically his morning routine is groggily wiping the ink smudged on his cheek (he frequently falls asleep at his desk), washing up, changing, and then heading down to the refectory for breakfast. Out the door in under 30 minutes on a typical day!

His "bedtime" routine is different... On most working days (if he remembers to), he'll have dinner in the refectory, hang out with the others in the lounge until everyone disperses for the night, and then head back to the workshop or his room to continue whatever research or project he's been working on. He usually works late into the night, gets hungry around 2 AM, wanders to the buttery to forage a snack, and then comes back and keeps working until he falls asleep on top of his books. On his worst nights, he forgets to take a break for dinner at all and just works straight through until he gets hungry around midnight, at which point he'll take a break and then get right back to what he was doing!

Ayla: she turns in early and rises early. She gets up at the crack of dawn and immediately goes for a run around the pastures/the track, then does about an hour of physical training to keep in shape. Afterwards, she washes up and etc. and heads to the refectory for breakfast--the whole routine takes about an hour and a half to 2 hours! Sometimes she'll meet up with Briony because Briony needs the motivation to get up that early, and they'll run and train together!

Bedtime routine: she's usually ready to pass out as soon as night falls. If things are going on in the lounge, she'll stay up, but will still call it a night earlier than most, probably around 9 PM. Typically she just goes straight to bed and passes out!

Briony: she's sort of a "daytime" person, where she's not really a morning person or a late night owl. (She probably has an easier time staying up all night than waking up early, though.) She hates getting up early, but finds that she needs to in order to fit in the amount of physical training she needs to keep up her athleticism and physique. So she wakes up shortly after dawn, lays in bed for twenty minutes (which either puts her in danger of accidentally falling back asleep) and usually stares at the ceiling cursing her existence or wanting to cry, sighs and drags herself out of bed, and then sluggishly heads down to the training field. If Ayla's there to do their run (or someone else happens to be training there at that time) she perks up, but if she's by herself, she forces herself through the exercises while cussing repeatedly in her head. Then she goes back to her room, washes up, and then heads down to the refectory, where food and company get her feeling more human again.

Bedtime routine is more varied: she typically likes staying up as late as everyone else, and then if nothing is going on that night, she'll retire to her room, do some light stretches and shadow-boxing, take a bath if she hasn't already, then sits down to write in her journal or do some sketches for the day (occasionally she reads in bed, but she tends to fall asleep after a few sentences). She only lasts about an hour after the bath before she gets really sleepy and basically goes to bed and passes out! 

Lavinet: she has an extremely long morning routine, so she usually wakes up around or shortly after dawn when she's with the Shepherds. If it's one of her training days (which are frequent), she'll go down and practice her swordplay or lance work or train with her horse for at least an hour, or go on a hard morning ride. Then she'll return to her quarters, bathe, and then apply her makeup and cosmetics for the day before heading down to breakfast, perfectly composed and fresh. All told, all of this can take 2-3 hours! Her morning routine when she's at Lockwood is very different, though; she rises much later (unless she feels like a dawn ride) and has servants to take care of a lot of those things for her!

Her nighttime routine is equally long. Typically she'll bathe if she hasn't already, then sits at her desk with the fire going and composes letters and responses to letters for a few hours. If she has time, she'll nip into the lounge and usually read a book or hang out with everybody for an hour or so; then she'll retire, read a bit more in bed, and then blow out the candle and fall asleep!

Halek: despite his lazy appearance, he tends to be an early-riser (force of lifelong habit). He usually wakes up around dawn, forces himself to go back to sleep if he doesn't have an urgent need to get up and train, wakes up again around 8, stretches, changes, washes up, and then heads down to the refectory, yawning. After breakfast, he'll either head to training if he hasn't already or get to work, but he'll probably take a midday (11 AM or so) break to sneak off and catch a quick catnap!

He usually gets snatches of sleep throughout the day, so he can actually stay up quite late if something's going on in the lounge! If there's not, he'll still chill in there until late at night, sometimes reading or enjoying the music or what have you, then he'll retire to his room around midnight, bathe, and probably read in bed for a while before falling asleep!

What kind of pets would the ROs prefer?  Who's more inclined to a silly pet name and who is tamer in naming pet?

Hi there, there's lots of answers for what kind of pets the ROs would have in the #pets tag on Tumblr! As for who's inclined for silly pet names and who's tamer:

Chooses terribly straightforward pet names:

Trouble (he calls dog Dog. He was actually going to name him something else, but Dog responded when he first said, "Hey, come here, dog!" so Trouble just let it stick instead of thinking Dog was only responding to his tone, not the name itself)

Ayla (like Trouble, she might be inclined to call cats "White Cat" and "Gray Cat," etc.)

Chooses normal, nice-sounding pet names:

Blade (mix of both; he would pick a name with a very literal meaning, like Argus, meaning guardian, etc., or even something simpler like Wolf)

Riel

Tallys

Lavinet

Red

Chooses slightly silly or fun names:

Briony (very liable to pick a food name, like Mochi or Honey or Choco)

Shery (could pick a very cutesy name, like Fluffy or Sweetie or Mr. Mittens, etc.) 

Chooses troll names:

Chase (liable to name a black cat Bob or a dog Fat Chonk or a hamster something really awful on purpose, like Mr. Piddly-Widdles, just to be a troll)

What are the ro’s thoughts on having children? and how would they react if mc is pregnant with their child?

Hi, this has been answered in lots of places, including here, here, here, here, here, here, and here!

it seems like chase flirts with red quite a bit. do they find each other attractive at all? would they ever go on a date or sleep together or anything like that? 

Just like with all of the other Shepherds, Chase and Red would never be romantically or sexually interested in each other! In my opinion, Chase flirts with everyone: it might just be more noticeable with Red because Red is naturally charismatic/friendly/mildly flirtatious by nature, and is willing to engage in the banter of it or seems like he plays along with Chase; whereas Blade just gives Chase a look of Loathing and Trouble either doesn't really notice/acknowledge it or just lets the flirting slide off his back, etc. But Chase flirts pretty much with everyone as his normal mode of interacting: it's not really a sign of attraction for him, just banter and talk! 

He does acknowledge that Red is conventionally attractive and totally gets why people thirst over him, but Red's not his type: "too bookish and gawky," for Chase. If Red was actively interested in hooking up with Chase, Chase would likely give it a try if it wasn't likely to bung anything up work-wise, because 1) random hookup sex isn't really about love or feelings for Chase, it can be as detached as friends casually fooling around together, and 2) he's game to sleep with pretty much anyone who's hot and eager to at least once, but he could be that way with a lot of the people he works with; it's not exclusive to Red, and he's not attracted to Red in particular. It'd kind of be like a "eh, sure, why not?" rather than a "YEAH!!!" if that makes any sense! It's different with romanced!MC because he's actively attracted to them and actively pursues them, whereas with Red, it would have to be a scenario where Red was really interested and Chase would be like, oh really? *shrug* why not?

Similarly, Red acknowledges that Chase is good-looking, but he feels 0 attraction towards Chase: Chase is pretty much his "annoying friend" the way Pan is, and adamantly not anybody Red would even consider being attracted to. So pretty much, friends can flirt and not mean anything by it! 

Spoilers

hi lena! for this months #tellmeeverything: in chapter 7, we saw the invitations for lovelace day given to the MC by the respective ROs - some of them were had pretty heavy romantic overtones, so i was wondering: which of the ROs (+ Halek) do you think just banged out the invitation in 5 minutes and sent it, and who do you think deliberated and rewrote the invitation again and again before deciding it was good enough? i hope this makes sense!!!

Hi anon, the invitations in Chapter 7 were actually for the Ascendancy Festival, not Lovelace Day! :) To answer your question:

Blade: definitely agonized over the wording of his invitation for, like, a day before he got fed up and just shoved it under MC's door with a mixture of resignation and disgust (with himself)... I don't think he rewrote it much, he just sat there blankly staring at the paper for a long time, wrote his message, and then put it in a drawer and overthought it for wayyyy too long before actually giving it to MC!

Trouble: he definitely did not think twice about his invitation or how he worded it, dashed it all together and then stuffed it under MC's door!

Tallys: she worded her invitation carefully, as she tends to be pretty careful and thoughtful about everything she does, but she didn't agonize over it or rewrite it or anything!

Shery: she wrote like 5 versions of her invitation, frantically rewriting it over and over, like "no, no, that sounds so needy!!!" (rewrites it) "no, now this sounds like I don't care!!!" and getting super flustered and frazzled until she ended up showing it to someone like Lavinet or Briony and asking if it looked okay! It was at that point that they forced her to put it under MC's door!

Riel: like a general formulating a war strategy, he carefully composed the invitation in his head incrementally over a period of several days! When he finally put pen to paper, he knew exactly what he was going to say... but he drafted and discarded several drafts in his head beforehand!

Chase: idk if you've seen his invitation lol but it's literally either the bare minimum (or a little more, for a guy who barely knew how to write) or he makes Ari do it, lol! Either way, he's quite casual about it; delivering the invitation is sort of cheeky on his part, as he could have just as easily asked MC in person!

Red: if he's crushing on MC and gets the sense that MC is feeling him back, he definitely rewrites that letter a few times... He's not necessarily nervous or panicky, he's just overthinking it a little bit and wants to get the tone exactly right! He basically really wants everything to go smoothly, and if he and MC are exes, he's doubly conscious of not coming on too strong or desperate, misreading the tension between them, or just fucking things up in general... Pan and Neon definitely proofread his invitation (and jeered him for his cowardice) before that letter ever made it to MC's room...

Ayla: she got anxious about the invitation for a few minutes directly after writing it; like, she didn't give it much thought when she was composing the letter, paused after it was done, and started to think some unhelpful things before she got annoyed and was like, "fuck it!" and just shoved it under MC's door before she could chicken out or overthink it!

Briony: she was mostly too excited about the prospect of going with MC that she rushed to send them a note (knowing they likely had other candidates who would ask to go with them, so she wanted to get her note in earlier rather than later); she didn't really give herself time to worry about it or think about rewriting it!

Lavinet: she's pretty at ease when it comes to communicating via letter, so she wasn't particularly nervous or anxious when penning her invitation! She just wrote it, sealed it, and then calmly sent Caine to deliver it (a lady never hand-delivers a note like that!)

When Chase attempts to torpedo his relationship with MC, will there be an option for MC to be upset and have a lil angst and heartache (as a treat) without being locked out of the romance? Is it a hard fast in the moment choice to either take what he does or says at face value or call him out? Or will there be a chance for Chase to see how hurt they are? Because I’ll be honest, watching the MC’s heart shatter right in front of him would be excellent before getting to the good stuff.

Hi anon, [BIG SPOILERS FOR CHASE'S ROMANCE, STOP NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW] actually, it might surprise you to learn that getting upset with Chase or even starting an argument with him/calling him out when he tries to torpedo the relationship is essential to getting a good ending to his romance! If MC doesn't get upset (or doesn't act upset, whichever), the relationship essentially stays a no-strings-attached FWB relationship, because Chase isn't really forced to confront his growing feelings and is pretty much allowed to get away with trying to keep the relationship casual. MC's lack of a reaction tells him that they don't really care, or that they feel the same way and are in agreement; whereas getting upset or calling him out ultimately sets them on the path to deepening their relationship and making Chase realize that the way he's trying to keep them at arm's length isn't healthy or isn't what he really wants. 

So yes, not only will there be a chance for Chase to see how much he's hurt or is hurting MC, it's actually a vital part of their romance arc! It's going to look ugly in the moment (there's a fight and a storm out and MC actually avoids him for a bit), but ultimately it's necessary for Chase to realize he loves MC and can't stand to be apart from them, and that being an asshole and losing them would be even worse than letting himself be vulnerable and feel things. He needs that conflict to confront those truths about himself, or else he just continues being flighty and noncommittal and casual, like everything's fine. So... yes! Angst, pain, and hurt galore! But it will ultimately lead to a good place if you can stick through it!

okay! I was reading the beginning of chapter 7 and ... is clara pregnant?? and if she is, is it a problem that it is before marriage or do the nobility not care about that? (and does Lavinet know?)

Clara and Pendric (at this point) think they're pregnant, but it's actually just a false alarm! (Her courses run late, so they assume and are very excited about it, but it's actually a hormone/thyroid thing and they haven't realized it yet.) They will be disappointed, but also a little relieved that they don't have to worry about raising a baby and dealing with the wedding and the resulting minor scandal and dealing with Lockwood and Pendric's family affairs (since he is their eldest son)! It will take them a few more years of trying, but eventually, Lavinet will have a goddaughter! 

Lavinet does not know about the possibility of Clara being pregnant; normally, Clara would have told her, but she deliberately concealed it because she was concerned that Lavinet would stay in Lockwood and not join the Shepherds (and she was right: if Lavinet suspected Clara was pregnant, she absolutely would not leave). 

Pregnancy outside of marriage is a huge deal to the nobility if the people involved don't intend to marry. For example, affairs or casual relationships where neither party was intending to marry the other. It can be life-ruining or at least reputation-ruining in those cases, even if those people hastily get married before or after the baby is born. For couples who are already betrothed, it's not that big of a deal, because they were going to get married shortly anyway, and if they were engaged before the pregnancy occurred (AKA it's clear they weren't 'forced' into the marriage by the pregnancy), it would cause a little bit of gossip, but not much more of a stir beyond that. Ultimately, people wouldn't really care that much! Not unless it was involving a very powerful person or couple whom they'd want to spread a scandal about. (For example, Auberon and Isolde have a lot of enemies, so if they'd gotten pregnant even while they were engaged, some rivals would have pounced on that and blown it out of proportion.) For Clara and Pendric, however, they wouldn't really face repercussions because everyone already knows they're crazy about each other! But if they hadn't already been engaged or public about their intent to marry, then yeah, their lives might have been ruined!

Can we please get a lil hint about what we can use a Word of Power on in this chapter (chapter 7)? The WOP are my favorite things to look forward to in every update! 

Hi there, thanks for your question! I'm ashamed to admit I don't actually know when or how a Word of Power might be used in this chapter! I have some ideas, but I won't know if I'm going to implement them for sure until I'm actually writing the scenes in question. 😅 My first thought is that a Word of Power might not be needed in this chapter at all; but if it is, it will likely be a supplement/fallback option for very high arcane or psionic checks. Some ideas include clearing the swamp of the pervasive threat that's keeping the villagers trapped inside of it, if MC isn't strong enough to do it on their own; or it might involve activating an important artifact if MC can't do it by themselves. However, in the case of the latter scenario, MC would be forced to use a Word of Power if they can't activate the artifact on their own, which I'm very reluctant to do. 

Basically, I don't really know yet, but there's a very real possibility the WOP won't actually be needed in this chapter!

Would you pls be able to give us any sneak peeks or idea of what the next few chapters of the game will entail? I’m literally obsessed with ur game!!!

Hi anon, thanks for your question and for your kind words! I talked a little bit about the roadmap for the next few chapters in various places, including here, but here's my current thinking (keep in mind that these chapters are very likely to swap around in placement):

- Chapter 8 will take place in the Elven Quarter in Ashtown, and will likely involve Tallys, Lavinet, Briony, and a secret character. Tallys and Lavinet will not be getting along, and this is the chapter where you can help them become friends or drive the wedge further between them. The concerns here are more political, and battles will be at a minimum/nonexistent. The guard from the prologue (whom you may or may not have kissed) will also feature heavily in this chapter. 

- Chapter 9 will take place mainly in the Shepherds' compound and will be a bit lower stakes than the other missions: I originally didn't plan on having this chapter at all, but pacing concerns demanded an extra chapter so that time could be passing more consistently. This chapter will be spooky, but in a more fun way than the swamp! It will also involve Shery, Riel, Chandry, Caine, and most likely Mimir!

- Somewhere amidst all of this, the Ascendancy Festival, Lovelace Day, and MC's birthday all need to happen in the next few chapters. I think I can make it work, and it's looking like a 60% that the Ascendancy Festival makes sense as taking place in Chapter 8 instead of Chapter7, but we'll see!

BIG SPOILERS: Do any of the other characters know that Chase can’t read?

MC is the first one to officially find out among the Shepherds, if Chase tells them his secret. After that, other people do find out: Trouble suspected briefly beforehand, but he has a lot of friends who can't read--it's pretty common for people who grew up on the streets or as orphans--so he doesn't really bat an eye at it or give much thought to it either way. Riel already knew (or at least heavily suspected) through deduction, but never told anyone about it, and he and Chase have never had a direct conversation about it. Shery thinks Chase is just super lazy because he was always making her do his reports, but finds out after Chase starts learning from MC (if MC offered to teach him how to read and write); by extension, Briony also finds out through Shery, and they quietly cheer Chase on!

Blade doesn't find out until like a year after Chase has already learned to read and write. Like one day Chase just off-handedly goes "you really need to heighten your standards for letting people join the Order, like you let me join and I didn't even know how to read" and Blade is like  "...what"

what was going through trouble's mind in the cave when MC and he were just staring all doki doki eyes at each other? was he finally catching a hint???

For romance path Trouble, as with some of the other guys, the swamp is really messing around with his head. He's in this place where their minds are playing tricks on them; he can't even really trust his senses; and he knows people before him (including other Shepherds, capable fighters that he knew personally) straight up disappeared or are being murdered nightly by this invisible threat. All of this combines to give him this overwhelming sense of protectiveness over MC and this heightened anxiety about them; he's half-convinced that if he takes his eyes off of them, he could turn around and find them totally vanished, like what happened to the other squads. This is a very unnerving feeling for him. Prior to this mission, he definitely felt like he was watching out for MC and had their back, but it was more of a determination and camaraderie and bravado, like, "Yeah, we've got this, I've got your back, you don't need to worry about anything, I'd take a bullet for you!" Like, he obviously cared about MC's wellbeing and wanted to look out for them, but he also usually approaches missions with a sense of confidence and ease. 

But the swamp has him off-kilter, knowing Shepherds have already died here and no one knows why, and even Blade is tense and worried, and everyone is stressed out, and it all has him living with this pervasive sense of dread that he's not used to. More, he has to confront the fact that the very real idea of suddenly losing MC (because, again, they're in a murder swamp that they absolutely do not understand) is very unnerving for him. At this point, he most likely realizes he has stronger-than-just-friends feelings for MC (just doesn't realize the possibility that MC could return those feelings--this shift will be clearer once more of his day off scenes are written); so that scene in the cave is him fussing over MC, feeling this overwhelming urge to protect them and love them and keep them safe, no matter what fucking monster or murderer is out there, and that moment where he's making sure they're not going to catch their death in the cold and he kind of pauses and looks at them and feels all of this, he wants to say, "Hey, you know I really care about you, right?" He's not really thinking of it in terms of a romantic confession; it's more about conveying his current worries and sense of need to safeguard someone very precious to him, and not exactly "I need to tell you I'm in love with you." But for Trouble, it's also sort of one and the same, deep down? Even if he doesn't quite realize that yet.

It's complicated, but I hope that makes some sort of sense!

Hmm, Shepherds' thoughts on the cat? (I love that cat, Lena!)

Blade: Blade doesn't find out about the cat unless deep in a relationship with MC, because you know as Commander, he's going to point out how the cat is against the rules. 😅 Once he finds out about said cat, he's going to be annoyed, mostly because he's concerned that caring for it is straining MC's already stretched capacities, but could eventually be persuaded to let MC keep it via similar tactics as seen in this comic!

Trouble: he's mostly casual/indifferent towards the cat and doesn't think much of it; he prefers dogs, but he thinks it's cool that MC is caring for and feeding a stray! His idea of playing with the cat is like below; and yeah, other than that, they're chill!

Tallys: she likes the cat and enjoys talking to it whenever she sees it in MC's room! If MC isn't a Wild-Mage, she'll translate for the cat and tell MC about what it's been up to, things like that! Now and then she'll pop in for MC when they're away on missions to check on the cat, open the window for it, or feed it!

Shery: she likes the cat, but is nervous about getting caught by Riel or Blade 😅Still, she'll pet it and think it's very cute, and like Tallys, she'll help take care of it! (She's already helping Caine with his illicit dog, so what's another stray... plus, in her mind, MC deserves a pet!)

Riel: he DISAPPROVES, but as long as the cat doesn't try to sit on him or get cat fur on his things or clothes, he's not going to stop MC or deprive them of their pet. He is definitely wary of how MC interacts with the cat (like he'll be grossed out if they kiss the cat, then try to kiss him), but otherwise, he doesn't really have opinions on it either way!

Chase: he loves that cat! It's his bro. It's actually been stopping by his window for the last few weeks to be fed and played with, too! 😅So when he sees it in MC's window for the first time, he's like, "hey, it's you! Have you been double-dipping, you little bastard?..." 

Red: he's excited when he first sees the cat--he's always wanted his own--and definitely pets/plays with it whenever he sees it in MC's room, but he doesn't really think of it too much otherwise! 

Ayla: she's indifferent. She likes that MC cares about strays, and thinks it's kind of badass that MC's breaking the rules, but beyond that, she doesn't think of the cat very much!

Briony: she LOVES that cat. She immediately tries to smother it with love and frightens it off, but after a while, it warms up to her and starts purring like crazy whenever it sees her. She gets really attached and would be devastated if the cat didn't show up at MC's window again... eventually she starts wondering if MC shouldn't just keep it indoors and make it a full-time pet!

Lavinet: she's not a big fan of touching unwashed stray animals, so she mostly politely ignores the cat and doesn't acknowledge it. If it comes up to her, she won't move away or anything, but she isn't clamoring to hold it and cuddle it! She wouldn't mind if it became a permanent fixture in MC's room (she'd probably prefer it, because who knows what it gets into out in the city), but she doesn't really think much about it either way!

NSFW  

Hey ! Kinda NSFW : In a modern!AU, which RO is down for car sex?

I think pretty much any RO would be willing to have car sex, especially if MC proposed it or came onto them while in the car, but it would just be about varying degrees of comfort and natural desire! 

Would be super enthusiastic about it:

Trouble

Ayla

Red (in college or high school, not as much as an adult)

Chase (depends on his mood; most of the time he'd be into it)

Perfectly willing in the moment, but it's not their first choice:

Tallys

Briony

Blade

Hesitant or initially paranoid about getting caught, but it's nowhere near an adamant deal-breaker, especially with a skilled and persuasive MC:

Shery

Riel

Lavinet 

nsfw question: are there sex toys in blest? Do any of the characters own any?

There are sex toys in Blest! Pretty much any of the basic and most common sex toys you can think of exist in some form in Blest, from dildos and vibrators and cockrings to various whips and harnesses. Magic has definitely spurred this industry, or at least did before the Castigation, and the use of literal magical vibrating or warming sex toys is definitely a thing. I wouldn't say they're super common (and definitely not as talked about openly or ubiquitous-seeming as in our world)--it's not like every fifth housewife has a dildo stashed away somewhere, and it would definitely be a shock if someone just like casually pulled out a pocket pussy or something in the middle of sex. So they're there, but not super common. I'd say sex toys are most often used by the rich and aristocratic than any other group of people. But they do exist! Aphrodisiacs and aphrodisiac-style drugs, spells, or objects (such as mood-altering candles or incense, etc.) are probably the most common and hinted at sex toy, rather than the other objects you might be thinking of. 

Tallys has several of these "mood-setting" aphrodisiacs, if those count as sex toys, and Chase has a few items lying around: mostly a collection of ropes, handcuffs, blindfolds, and feather or leather teases, but it's not something he pulls out often unless consistently having sex with the same partner over a long period of time (i.e. in a relationship). Shery has been very curious about buying herself a vibrator, but has been too chicken to actually go into a red light district shop (with a shopkeeper watching her and everything) and do it. Others would be certainly willing to buy sex toys should the need and desire arise, but don't have them just lying around prior to a relationship! Some of them might possess porn, but aren't really sexually active or inclined enough to go out and buy toys until they're in a relationship!

Do any of our Ros use any of the contraceptives offered in blest or are they going in strapless?

Chase and Tallys take saltwort regularly either way, so they're good. Red takes it if he's started dating someone/seeing them romantically, so he's pretty prepared if he and MC get to that point naturally! Lavinet starts taking it once she thinks there is a very good chance she and MC are going to get together very soon, so she's both prepared and confident, lol. 

The others are sort of caught unawares or unprepared (so like the first time, they either have not taken saltwort and have to rely on MC having taken it, just go for it without really thinking about it, or have to wait like an hour for it to kick in after hastily finding some and taking it), but start taking it regularly after their first sexual encounter with MC! Kind of just depends on how the encounter goes!

scenarios where the male r/os came prematurely ? (chase n blade if its too much!)

Blade would sort of just not really pause to acknowledge it out loud and would just get very stubbornly determined to satisfy MC regardless. He wouldn't really get that embarrassed or anything because 1) he's a virgin and 2) Ket stamina makes it so that he really only has to wait like 5-10 minutes, so he just distracts/satisfies MC enough in that intervening time that it doesn't matter too much anyway!

Chase has probably never had this happen to him, so he would be absolutely stunned and shook. He'd carry on and pleasure MC until they were pushed almost to the brink, almost like he's punishing them (or compensating extra) for it, and afterwards when they were boneless and passed out next to him from the ecstasy, he'd be lying in bed having a complete existential crisis glfdjgdg he'd think there was something wrong with him and would feel a deep sense of shame and confusion about it! Like wtf, body? What the fuck happened there?? The loss of control would definitely freak him out, but he'd try to conceal it and act normal around MC!

Trouble: I think he would be too dazed and blissed out to really do much except lie there and mumble, "...Sorry..." Maybe give him 20 minutes and some cold water on his face and he could rally himself to try and make it up to MC, but in a scenario where they made him finish prematurely, I feel like he'd be very winded and sort of hazy!

Riel: he'd definitely be embarrassed and possibly even frustrated and flustered, but given his bottom-ish tendencies, it was probably inevitable and part of their dynamic for MC to make him come prematurely...

Red: he'd be blushing and sort of awkward and shy about it, like apologizing and obviously trying to kiss MC and make up for it, but they'd find their rhythm again soon enough and he wouldn't dwell on it!