Author Answers (February) (Patreon)

General

What are the Shepherds go to movie theatre snacks?  Who's more likely to sneak their snacks in or buy them?

Blade: popcorn, salt but no butter

Trouble: popcorn, dump a bunch of milk duds, M&Ms, or Buncha Crunch in it; soda

Tallys: Raisinets or Junior Mints

Shery: popcorn, gummy bears

Riel: I truly cannot even imagine him buying snacks at a movie theater, let alone going to a movie theater (where he can hear other people CHEWING), and the idea alone is hilarious... if I'm imagining him having a butler bring him stuff in a private theater, I could see him eating like a straight-up meal or having a glass of wine like at those fancy dine-in theaters lol! I don't think he'd ever be caught dead greasing up his fingers with popcorn...

Chase: cheddar popcorn, soda, possibly Dippin Dots or Skittles

Red: peanut M&Ms, popcorn with extra butter

Ayla: Reese's Pieces, nachos if she's hungry, soda

Halek: pizza or a hot dog, popcorn, blue raspberry slushie

Briony: popcorn (only to share with friends), watermelon slushie, Sourpatch Kids or Mike & Ikes

Lavinet: popcorn, Twizzlers, cherry slushie

The only people I could see sneaking snacks in would be Ayla, Halek, and possibly Tallys if pressured into doing so by others!

So I've been playing alot of Middle Earth: Shadow of War lately. Since we know that there's a ton of crazy magic happening in the world I was wondering something. Is it possible that there is someone in a similar situation to Talion and Celebrimbor where they can't die due to being possessed or something similar? It would be pretty sweet to know that there's a Gravewalker roaming around out there hopefully doing some good.

I haven't played Middle Earth: Shadow of War, so I can only answer based on extrapolation, but no, I don't think an exact Gravewalker situation exists out there! The closest analogy would be if someone were sharing their body with 1) an Endarkened, aka as a Thrall, or 2) with a spirit, a la in Red's short story Possessed. In both circumstances, this is extremely taboo, and it somewhat protects the user from death--the demon or the spirit within will usually react to protect their vessel, even automatically and without the vessel knowing it, but it's more of a Venom situation in those cases? And there are times when the spirit or demon will be killed, but the vessel remains unharmed by what would otherwise be a killing blow, kind of like when you're wearing armor in a video game and an attack destroys your shield the first time but your health bar remains untouched? (Does that make sense?) But it's not a case where they literally can't die, they're just afforded extra possession as a result of two souls dwelling in the one body! And in the case of unwanted possession, it tends to be that the native soul could be the one who gets killed first, while the spirit or demon shields themselves!

since we got kato facts, could we also get ariella facts? i'm fascinated by her. she seems so done with everyone but also seems to care about them too? what are her quirks and insecurities? what does she do for fun? does she have friends outside the thieves' guild? god what a queen

Sadly, Ari does not belong to me: she's a character who was created by a Commander-tier Patron, who used their opportunity to name and build a character into the game! So I don't think I can speak much on her myself--all I know about her is the information provided to me by her creator! Hopefully it's okay if I summarize it into bullet points! [Content warning: brief mention of prostitution.]

• always has a smile on her face, but it doesn’t really reach her eyes
• despite coming across as cold-hearted, she is actually very much like an overprotective big sister with who she cares about
• “work smart, not hard” is her motto, she’d spend days lazing about if she could
• hates it when people invade her personal space or touch her without her consent, has gotten into one or more fights because of it, but her love language is touch, and is a ridiculously touchy-feely drunk
•  has the most unbelievable silver tongue, will con almost anyone into anything, and likes doing it, never lost a night’s sleep over a job.
• Ariella never met her father, being raised only a woman who called herself her mother but looked nothing like her. Since a young child, Ariella lived in poverty, and was taught how to steal, lie and cheat to get what they needed. She never knew another lifestyle, so she didn’t see the harm in it, despite feeling no affection towards the woman, or towards much of anything to be honest.  Her thefts in public never worked very well, despite having very light hands and quick feet, for she was always “too pretty” to mingle in the crowds she worked in, but she was distinctively good at convincing people to give her things – so good people often thought she was an Enchanter –, so she made up for the lost time in her petty thefts with it in secrecy, but all she really wanted to do was paint and draw.
• Her life seemed ok despite all that until the day she turned 13 and the woman dropped her off at a “special house for pretty women”. Truthfully, it was a brothel, and she was being sold off as some sort of property by the only woman who’d ever taken care of her. Being smart kid, she caught wind of it right away and came up with a plan to escape. She wasn’t about to let disgusting men touch her, and she’d show them.
• Grabbing her dagger hidden on the small bag where she kept her scarce belongings, she hid it in her sleeve until night came and the first man entered her room. The minute he reached for her, she panicked and stabbed him in reflex, blood spattering all over her as he fell to the ground in a dry thump. It disgusted her but it was the chance to slip out the window and run away with the few things she had.  She ran and hid for two days and two nights, until she found herself in a stream near some village. The blood had stayed on her body until then, smeared and dried, and she’d almost grown used to it, but the idea of being touched gave her the chills, causing her not to trust anyone and start taking advantage of people as she would.
• She was doing fine, great actually, until she moved to Haven and a job went wrong. She was cornered in an alley and even her silver tongue and quick dagger couldn’t seem to save her. When she was about to give in and accept her death, hoping it would at least be quick, Chase showed up and saved her life. Turns out he was looking for her, because he’d heard rumors of another con artist in town and he got curious. No one had ever cared enough about her to save her life, even guided by his own selfish reasons, he still saved her, and she took it deeply. When he asked her to join the guild, she accepted, and her rise to right-hand post was the quickest one ever, and she didn’t even have to stab other members to get there. Mostly. 
• Still, despite what everyone things, she never felt any attraction towards him. They’re too similar, even physically, and she’s always seen him as a brother of sorts, and a great drinking pal. More than once has she done things not even Chase knows about to keep him safe, and she will protect him from the shadows until she draws her last breath. Always frowning upon Chase’s “romantic” partners for not being good enough for him (she has her own fair share of lovers too, but she never brings them home so Chase doesn’t get to nag at her), it changes when MC shows up, and she just turns into a big ass shipper… after she sees Chase actually likes MC, and that MC likes him back.
• Interests, likes, dislikes, etc.: Her interests vary from poison brewing to just sitting on an open field and painting, to collecting daggers and reading people randomly on the streets; she LOVES naps, specially afternoon ones, and gets very cranky in the early morning, most nights she’s wide awake though. She likes strawberries and booze, being such a good customer at the taverns she goes to that they always give her a side of strawberries on the house when available. She also likes reading, but she gets bored extremely easy, so good books are hard to find for her; she dislikes people, mostly, unless she needs them, preferring to spend her time with animals instead. Also hates early mornings and milk, it’s the most disgusting thing in the world for her, and she’s a horrible cook. She hates the Autarchy because they’re a bunch of stuck ups, and she hates that magic is banned, because she loves magic tricks; she’s very attractive, and only got her first real scar when she was being chased into the alley when Chase saved her, it’s a thin line over her eyebrow, and serves as a reminder that she’s not invincible and can never let her guard down again. She’s also very good at poker, wiping out the pockets of the other guild members when they play.

What are wedding traditions for different races? During vows do they always sayimg them in fron of som god or civil servant is fine too? Would shepherds prefer do write thir own vows?

Hi there, most of your questions regarding different wedding traditions were answered here! People do not need to recite their vows in front of a priest, civil servant, or really anyone: the ceremony and reception/celebration is really up to them (though doing it in front of an old god is dangerous and borders on heresy: the Autarchy is fine with non-religious ceremonies, but have been known to bust outright pagan ceremonies). However, couples do have to "register" their marriage with the Autarchy in order to be recognized as legally married and receive the legal rights of official married couples. All this entails is visiting a city hall or the correct clerk's office and signing a marriage contract, a copy of which is kept in an official archive and registry, similar to signing a marriage license with your state government. In rural areas, this is usually done by visiting the clerk of one's feudal lord (for example, a farmer in the Lockwood fiefdom should visit Lavinet's clerk to ensure the correct paperwork is filed when they get married: however, this step is often ignored by very rural or remote folk).

As for which Shepherds would prefer to write their vows:

Would prefer to write their own vows:

Trouble (well, he'd like to do it, but he'd be very nervous about not doing it well, so in the end he could do it either way)

Tallys

Shery

Red

Briony

Lavinet

Would prefer to recite standard vows:

Blade (he might like to write his own vows if the ceremony was private, but would probably be really awkward about it if there was an audience)

Chase (this is his default because he gets slightly overwhelmed by weddings, but he'd write his own vows if MC wanted to or suggested it)

Riel

Ayla

Halek

You can also check out the #wedding tag for more about weddings!

what sort of wildlife lives in Blest?

This is sort of hard to answer because there's so much wildlife? It's sort of like asking what sort of wildlife lives in North America haha, there's just so much to cover that I don't even really know where to start! There's lots of real-world or analogous animals, like deer and elk, cats and dogs, frogs and fish and birds and... well, pretty much anything you can think of!... There's horses, but those are explicitly known to be an "offworld" introduction, similarly to how Columbus brought horses to the New World from Europe. There are some very similar animals that simply go by different names or have altered behaviors or phenotypes: initially cows and cattle were called "oben" in Blest, but I thought that was unnecessarily confusing for readers when it was essentially describing the exact same animal. They're just a bit bigger (think water buffalo size) and most common breeds resemble furry Highland cows, though not all! But in general, they're pretty much exactly the same as our cows.

I guess it would be easier to describe some of what doesn't exist in Blest? To name just a few, Blest doesn't have rhinoceroses, elephants, giraffes, kangaroos, armadillos, pangolins, penguins, opossum, koalas, and ostriches. Some animals exist in Blest, but not on the main Continent: cheetahs, chimps, monkeys, lemurs, and crocodiles are only found in the southern isles and beyond, and there are also some types that only exist or are heard of in the north which may sound fantastical to mainland Children of Light.

What animals are exclusive to Blest? Well, a ton, many of which appear in the game! Just off the top of my head...

• The lutani bird: a colorful, purple-plumed bird (somewhat resembling a purple version of the golden pheasant) whose mournful call always accurately precedes rain.
• Yiwari: the large hunting dogs of the Plains, usually lanky and sandy-coated, capable of tracking prey for miles.
• Ahfuri: giant feline mounts--you can read all about them and what they look like in the #ahfuri tag!
• Vargur: giant, hyena-like mounts, usually ridden by the Balor.
• Amazotz: giant reptilian mounts, extremely fast and occasionally venomous
• Nemeks: leathery-skinned mounts with shark-like heads and ridged backs
• Hakka: a blubbery creature hunted for its fat--somewhat resembles a cross between a tapir and a seal
• Ironhorn: mountain-goat-like creature somewhat resembling an ibex or a Tibetan argali
• Valek: giant, sentient ghostly wolves who can talk: think the wolves in Princess Mononoke! Extremely elusive, they're only ever seen in the depths of Thielwood and are extremely fierce but honorable.
• Indrik: giant sentient deer with tree-like antlers. Dignified and generally peaceful, they are quite secretive, mysterious and protective of their territory.
• Cama: essentially unicorns with shimmering iridescent coats. A bit snobby and facetious, they can only be touched by virgins 😳
• Sidhe: talking clouded leopard versions of the ahfuri. Very regal and proud, some have wings and can glide through the treetops!
• Drakes 
• Wyverns and basilisks
• Leviathans and krakens
• Griffins
• Yaamoth: a Minotaur-like creature, resembling a blind, walking bull. Truly horrifying.
• Vechnir: gray, man-sized armored creatures resembling giant scorpions or solpugids 🤢
• Bloodmorph: a giant parasite somewhat resembling a leech, an eel, and a lamprey... just read chapter 7, it talks all about this one... 
• Sea devils: essentially giant, really aggressive lobsters/mantis shrimp creatures known for torpedoing through ships

That's all I can remember off of the top of my head, but there are definitely many more!

Hey Lena! I'm just wondering if you have any lore you can share about hair in the world of blest. What are popular hairstyles, what allows some people to be born with fantastical hair colours, do the different races have different traditions surrounding hair? Thanks!!!

Hi anon, thanks for your question! So, first things first: only Mages or those with Mage blood are born with fantastical hair colors (what I call anime hair)--so anyone with cotton-candy-pink or mint-green hair is either going to be a Mage or have Mage ancestry! That's just a quirk of the DNA, same as the iladrin and having unusually-colored eyes! The only exception to this is, of course, the Hunters, who are born with pure white hair!

As for popular hairstyles or traditions, I'd recommend looking at the #fashion tag, especially these posts on hair jewelry and headdresses!

What I can add is that the popular hairstyles of today involve short hair for men (across pretty much all classes and demographics) and long hair for noble women. Duelists and "military-style" haircuts prevail as the fashion of the day, so most men you'll come across in the Continent are going to have short hair, the longest usually touching the back of their collars, and most young men under thirty-five are going to be clean-shaven, though older than thirty-five if you're Norm (at least among the working class) tends to have facial hair. Curly or wavy hair, tousled or teased out into coifs, is becoming more and more popular among the people who care about street fashion, as well!

For noble women, long hair is currently fashionable, usually curled or in loose waves and threaded with tiny flowers or gemstones. When receiving guests and visitors, the hair is always worn down and loose; but when around the house and not having to be "presentable," it's usually done up in a braided crown or coronet. For middle-class or working Norm women, mid-length hair is more common, though this is often (not always) done up in some kind of braid, ponytail, bun, or otherwise; loose hair is usually worn during things like parties, special occasions, or dates.

Among the Elves, short, pixie-style cuts and cropped hair are especially popular among women, while men range anywhere from very short hair to around shoulder-length hair (Nathe, for example, has long hair). Elven elders and clan leaders often, though not always, wear their hair quite long, sometimes down to their waist, as it's a sign of their age and venerability.

Among the Ket, short, clean-cut hair is more standard if you're in the military, but the Sen caste (politicians, leaders, nobles) tend to have longer hair, though usually tied back, away from the face. For example, Gladius has long hair that falls between his shoulder blades, but it's always tied back!

Among Hunter women, it's extremely fashionable to have as long hair as possible (basically a flex)--that's why Moonsilk's hair falls all the way down to her feet. It's extremely cumbersome but a very pretty visual, and it's always combed smooth to achieve the maximum effect! Hunter men typically wear their hair short and slicked back, though that's more of a "boomer" thing, and side parts like Halek and Naolin's rule the day among the young men.

For Mages, a lot of their hair is done up in the headdresses and hairpieces seen in the other posts. It's equally common among all genders to have short or long hair, so it doesn't really matter to them, but students nowadays tend to have shorter hair for practicality's purposes (there is also definitely a thing like academia fashion), though not always. Notably, Mages don't tend to wear buns! It's just not a thing for them, I guess!

#tellmeeverything about the layout of the compound/shepherd’s base! i’m very curious about where all the rooms are. do the captains have rooms next to each other? what other rooms do they have? etc. thanks so much!!

Hi there, there are actually detailed maps showing the exact layout of the Shepherds' compound and everyone's bedrooms and who's next to whom! These maps are also in the alpha build's codex, though better versions are being made to be put into the game as well!

Also, here's some stuff about the compound's architecture, what each room looks like, and a little map I drew myself!

How characters (not only Ros) react to compliments?

Blade: he usually doesn't know how to react to them! I think if it's about something like a skill or his performance, he'll be pleased and thank them, but if it's based on something like his appearance, he won't really know how to react or what to say and so will just end up saying nothing, so it will be as if he's just ignoring it or didn't hear it. Pretty awkward for the person who paid him the compliment!

Trouble: he gives a pleased, sunny, somewhat cocky grin, like "hehe, thanks!" or "I know, right?"

Tallys: it depends on the compliment, but if sincerely given, she'll smile in her quietly pleased way, sincerely thank them, and then pay them a compliment in return (but only if she means it). Like if you're like, "I love that shirt on you!" "Thank you. Your hair looks beautiful today." If she doesn't have anything to say in return, she'll just politely thank them 😂

Shery: she's always stunned by compliments and over the moon to receive them. You'll get a very sincere "Thank you!!! 🥺" and then she'll often run off to do something nice for you because you made her day!

Riel: this man is used to being complimented so he just accepts them as a matter of course, like "Thank you" without looking up from his paperwork 🙄 If he REALLY likes you he'll endeavor to pay you a compliment in the near future when you're not expecting it!

Chase: he always takes compliments as flirting (jokingly) so you really shouldn't compliment him unless you're prepared for the banter. Like you can't get away with a "You look nice today, Chase," or "That was well-done with that plan last night" without him firing back with a "Thanks. Didn't know you were feeling some type of way about me... 😏" or "I'm flattered, but you know I'm happily married, right? 😌" or "BLADE. I knew you loved me~" and just being insufferable about it. Basically, he will make you regret ever speaking to him

Red: he gets a little visible spring in his step at compliments, so if you're like, "Your hair looks nice today," he'll be like, "Oh wow, thank you!" and walk away with his back visibly straighter and standing taller, all proud, a little swagger to him. It's quite cute 😅

Ayla: she gets flustered by compliments and doesn't know what to do with them, so her default is to act grouchy or deflect or brush them off (in a nice way. by Ayla standards). So if you're like, "Wow, you look so pretty in that dress!" she'll be like "Shut up. No I don't. 😡" or "Don't make fun of me" or "I could have bought twenty meals with this dress, so dumb 😒" but inwardly she'll be extremely pleased by them! They really boost her happiness and self-esteem, she just doesn't know how to react to them!

Briony: she gets really happy and sparkly and glows with pleasure at being complimented; she'll twirl in her new dress or do a happy shimmy and chirp, "Thanks!~~~ ✨" She usually slightly undermines compliments by complimenting the other person twice as hard, so if you say, "You look beautiful, Briony!" she'll say, "Oh no, I don't look half as nice as you, you look so gorgeous I could die 😭" and she'll sincerely mean it! Not in an intentionally self-deprecating way, she just wants to hype other people up a lot too! But compliments do really mean a lot to her and she really appreciates them!

Lavinet: she expects compliments (it's part of how courtiers talk to each other) so she more notices a lack of compliments than not. When she receives compliments, she's very gracious and always returns them, but otherwise, it's more that a lack of them offends her and a surplus of them is just her normal mode of living

Halek: he's a little bit awkward with compliments, like he always acts surprised to receive them, so he'll kind of blink in a surprised way and go, "...Thanks" and it makes it kind of awkward, like the user wonders if they should have said anything 😅 But he genuinely appreciates them, he's just not used to receiving them where there isn't some sort of falseness or ulterior motive at work!

Caine: he's a kid, so he just goes "THANKS! :D" and is happy to have been praised! Some compliments he wears as a badge of honor (like if someone comments that he's a quick learner or will grow up to be a good fighter), and these will fire him up, but others he just doesn't really notice, like "You look dashing in that new coat, Caine" "THANKS!" *keeps running* and that's pretty much it!

Prihine: it depends on what the compliment is or who it comes from... compliments based on her appearance tend to make her feel bitter on many occasions, like if someone says she looks pretty, her automatic thought is I bet they don't really mean it or not as pretty as [someone else at this party]. So it tends to be that compliments of that nature are received curtly and tersely, and with little pleasure at having received them. If it's another compliment, like on her wits or performance or some talent of hers, she's more outwardly pleased and preens and primps and acts smug, like, "But of course!" She hasn't been taught to be very gracious like Lavinet... 😅

Which ROs would/could kill an innocent person in order to save MCs life?

Scenario is someone has MC says you have to kill THIS PERSON or I'll murder MC.

(And the bad guy is smart enough to have MC in immediate peril at the time so they won't get killed by the ro themselves.)

Oof, this is a pretty rough one... 😅

Blade: it really depends on the scenario and who the person is... I don't think he'd be able to do it if it was, like, a child or a mother of three begging for her life, but he would most likely do it if he was really desperate and pushed to his limit and really convinced MC was going to die. He probably wouldn't hesitate if the victim was at least able to fight back or was an innocent foot soldier or something like that! So he could do it, but there's also a line where he couldn't.

Trouble: in the end, it's not in his nature to comply with the bad guy, so he'd try to kill the bad guy (and probably wouldn't be able to live with the guilt if he got MC killed). But he wouldn't be able to live with himself (and he wouldn't think MC would, either) if he killed an innocent person, either!

Tallys: she would likely kill a stranger to save MC's life, perhaps even without hesitation if she truly believed that was the only available option to her. It would be harder for her if it were someone she knew or someone she related to, like an Elf from another clan versus, like, a Norm hunter or something like that, but ultimately she would be willing to do so if she absolutely had to!

Shery: she would not be able to kill an innocent person to save MC's life: it's just not in her. She would beg to die in MC's stead, but she wouldn't be able to take up the knife and kill someone else, especially in a calculated and deliberate way!

Riel: he would kill to save MC's life. Most likely without hesitation. It's hard to imagine a scenario where he couldn't outthink his way out of the situation (like faking the person's death, etc.), but within the confines of the scenario, he would be willing to do it.

Chase: he'd most likely be like Blade, but just a little more ruthless in his willingness to kill. Ultimately, there would be a line for him, and he most likely wouldn't be able to do it if the victim were, say, a child or a parent or someone really good like some kind of nun who never hurt anyone in their life. But, if really pushed, he would ultimately be more ruthless in this regard than Blade would be: he would be more willing to push past this line and force himself if circumstances were really dire. However, it would most likely mess him up deeply afterward.

Red: he would not be able to kill an innocent: not only would he not be able to live with himself, but he doesn't think MC would want to bargain their life for another's in that way, either. So he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it.

Ayla: Ayla would think she was willing to do it, and would be poised and ready to do so up until the absolute final moment... she might be able to if the "victim" could be interpreted as a bad person, even if technically "innocent," but otherwise, she wouldn't be able to kill them. Like Trouble, she'd lash out at the person forcing her and MC into this situation and do her best to kill them, and she'd have to live with the consequences of that choice afterwards.

Briony: she's in the Trouble and Ayla camp: she could not bring herself to kill an innocent and would break down in tears of pain and absolute rage. She'd do her utmost to burn the bad guy and their entire camp to the ground, but she wouldn't be able to end someone's life just to save the one she loves.

Lavinet: she wouldn't be able to do it, and likely wouldn't even entertain the idea and would refuse it outright. She has too much honor and pride, and she knows MC would never want her to do such a thing. So she would not be able to do it!

#tellmeeverything, How do the ROs react to betrayal? Which are the quickest to forgive?

Hi there, I think it really depends on the nature of the betrayal! Cheating is a very different kind of betrayal than, say, defecting to an enemy side, or betraying a secret or telling a lie is different from throwing someone under the bus during a group fight! So it really, really depends. But in the most general terms...

Blade: this dude is very proud. It's hard for him to forgive, even harder for him to forget; as Mr. Darcy once said, "My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever." It's a different story if the betrayer is extremely contrite, if he has a good enough faith in their character to accept a mistake rather than a conscious and deliberate betrayal, and etc., but in a scenario where someone betrays him and never apologizes or acknowledges fault, he has been known to cut people off for less. He's already untrusting as it is, so being placed in a position where someone could willingly (key word) betray his hard-earned trust would be extremely hard for him to overlook, unless, again, their reasons were good!

Trouble: he has a fiery temper, so his gut reaction to betrayal tends to be among the most explosive of the lot, but he is also among the quickest to forgive. His friends (aka his family) are everything to him, so it physically pains him to think ill of them or be angry with them. So if there's a way to write off the betrayal as a mistake or a confusion or something understandable because of reasons, he'll usually take it unless the betrayal was something really unforgivable (like murdering a friend in cold blood). If they sincerely apologize, he is very quick to forgive and easy to appease unless, again, the betrayal has transgressed a sacred trust. He usually wants to forgive them; they just have to show that they deserve that forgiveness.

Tallys: it depends on the level of betrayal: if something relatively minor, she can forgive if the person acknowledges fault and offers an apology, bonus points if they do so freely and promptly. But she holds legendary grudges for major betrayals of her trust, which isn't freely given in the first place. She's still holding basically the entire Norm race accountable for what happened to her clan, so... yeah, she's not a very forgiving person if she's been very deeply wounded.

Shery: Shery is extremely forgiving, almost to a fault. She takes betrayal really hard, but always wants to believe the best in others, so she plays all sorts of mental games trying to justify their actions or see things from their perspective to make the betrayal "acceptable" in her mind. She can forgive someone for a betrayal even before they've apologized, that's how much she hates thinking ill of someone! But if they never apologize or try to make amends, it will be a continual source of heartbreak and sadness for her for years!

Riel: Riel never forgives a betrayal. He might respect someone who betrays him, in a business sense, because they've outmaneuvered him in a way that he doesn't see coming, but he will never trust or allow them into his inner circle again. They are his enemy for life, even if he acts completely indifferent to them. Do not try to cross Riel in any major way. He is vengeful, severe, and extremely unforgiving.

Chase: Chase is Mr. Trust Issues, for solid reasons, so betrayal really fucks him up. Again, it depends on scope: "betraying his trust" by letting slip a secret is different from actively trying to fuck him over, so it's really a spectrum with him--but any sort of betrayal where he feels deliberately used or harmed will send him in a spiral. He won't even actively hate the person who betrayed him... it will just really mess him up, and he probably won't ever recover from it. The relationship wouldn't, either!

Red: Red is quite forgiving, so he can forgive a lot if the person approaches him maturely and is sincerely sorry or had very good reasons for their betrayal. He's willing to work through a lot in order to preserve the relationship, and even if he finds a betrayal unforgivable (to the point where the relationship is beyond repair), he doesn't often hold grudges or anger! The most he'll show is deep sadness about how things turned out, but he rarely feels driven to revenge or making anyone his enemy. But if there's a good path towards forgiveness, he'll take it!

Ayla: Ayla is pretty unforgiving on principle. If anyone crosses her in a meaningful and major way (such as a way that could or does result in her injury or risk), she'll never forget it, and there's an extremely low chance of her forgiving it, unless they had a very good reason (like they had to trick her into heading into an enemy trap or the enemy was going to kill Caine). In that scenario, she'd begrudgingly understand it, and she might be able to work with the person on civil terms after a long cooling-off period, but they would never be close ever again, even if they had good reasons. She just doesn't trust like that, and she feels betrayal and hurt extremely deeply, and it privately impacts her self-worth a lot.

Briony: Briony is extremely quick to forgive if the person apologizes and they didn't cross a particular line; she is a legend at holding grudges and treating someone as an enemy if they don't admit their fault and try to make amends, or if they cross a line she can't forgive. (Such a line would be harming or killing a loved one of hers when she thought you were her closest friend, etc.). Once that has been crossed, there is no going back, and no way to earn Briony's good graces again; in many cases, she will treat you as such an enemy that she'll attack to kill on sight. But if the betrayal is not as significant as that, like defecting to an enemy side without killing anyone, she is among the quickest to forgive if the person displays genuine remorse and seeks to repair their bond.

Lavinet: Lavinet never forgets a betrayal, no matter how minor or major. She might be able to set it aside and have a civil working relationship if it furthers her goals, and she's very good at faking a semblance of "it's all good" forgiveness. BUT IT'S NOT ALL GOOD. Lavinet never forgets, and Lavinet never forgives, not truly. It all gets filed away in a little black book of grievances...

Spoilers

Can you explain shades a bit more?  Non-spoilery is fine, just curious. 😄

Sure! So Shades are always the Tainted offspring between Mages (typically Sorcerers, Mages who summon demons) and Endarkened. (If you'll recall, it breaks down like this:

Mages + Endarkened = Shades

Norms + Endarkened = Ghasts and banshees

Ket + Endarkened = Balor

Elves + Endarkened = Fext

Etc. etc. All Tainted are the offspring between some race of the Children of Light and the Endarkened. The only exception are the Hunters, who, by dint of their anti-demonic blood, cannot have children with Endarkened.)

Shades always have blood-red hair and "demonic" eyes, and there's a common myth that some are born in the shape of men (i.e. very human-looking in appearance) but with the souls of demons, craving destruction and violence, whereas others are born in monstrous demon shapes but have innocent souls, untainted humanity, but are doomed to be hunted anyway due to their beastly and cursed appearance.

It's unclear if this myth has any actual veracity to it, and it could be an old wives' tale invented to scare Mages away from consorting with demons. In any case, what is known about Shades amounts to very little.

• They all have blood-red hair.
• Most Shades are born overwhelmingly male: there has never been a confirmed and recorded known instance of a female Shade, except for the queen.
• Most Shades possess a form of magic that is very similar to the kind that Mages use. This is an extremely obscure secret, but they can in fact use any spell that Mages can, if they feel inclined to learn it. However, whereas Mages draw their power from their own strength of will and mental clarity, ultimately becoming exhausted by continuous effort, Shades have a different source that fuels their magic: pain, violence, and suffering. In this way, they take after their Endarkened predecessors. The more destruction, pain, and bloodletting they cause, the more powerful they become, meaning they theoretically have a limitless energy source to their magic. This makes the Shades the most dangerous of all Tainted, second only to true Endarkened themselves, and once a Shade begins his rampage, he can become almost unstoppable, which is why they used to be hunted with such earnestness.
• As such, Shades are naturally inclined towards chaos, destruction, and violence as a principle.
• Their psychology is generally a mystery to the outside world. It is known that some Shades have a predilection for fixating on certain persons, developing strange obsessions and tirelessly following their prey to the ends of the earth, though what instinct drives them to do so (be it anger, revenge, madness, fascination, or something else) is unknown.
• Aside from their magic, they are insanely strong, fast, and resilient, proving impervious to most pain and injury and even things like poison, old age, or disease. They are capable of ignoring even the most grievous wounds, further increasing the fear surrounding them.
• They are capable of tracking prey across several miles through unknown means and only require about an hour of sleep every few days, if at all.
• As a result of their Endarkened blood, even their nutritional needs are scarce, requiring only meat or occasionally blood to subsist on--it doesn't really matter to them if the meat is raw or cooked, either. They can eat other things, but it does nothing for them in terms of either nutrition or pleasure.
• As a result of their hunted status, all Shades have disappeared into the Waste and have become essentially a ghost story to the rest of the world. Most people barely realize that they really exist, they're so rare and uncommon--they're never seen outside of the Waste, and even those who do see them usually never live to tell.
• It is said that the Shades are connected, at least tangentially, to the Endarkened hive-mind, able to feel the thoughts and intentions of their greater Endarkened cousins in an abstract sense. In a realer sense, they are also connected to each other in a similar mental network, able to sense when another Shade is nearby. It is alluded that there exists a Shade queen--the "mother" of all Shades, whether that means she's an Endarkened or something else--who can control all other Shades through this psychic connection, sending out a mental call from her fortress in the belly of a dead volcano, a place only referred to as the Citadel. Any Shade who heeds this call ultimately falls under complete control of the queen and becomes converted into an extension of her and her army, as a kind of mindless drone. Very few Shades are ever able to escape that fate, and thus, almost all Shades exist to serve the purposes of the queen and whatever Endarkened scheme evil she's pursuing. Once forcibly converted into this army, other Shades can read your thoughts and even a hint of disobedience will lead to being swarmed, hunted down, and killed.
• (However, this is deep-cut lore stuff that only I know; it isn't knowledge that really exists anywhere in Blest, except with one notable character.)

I hope that all makes sense!

hey lena! out of curiosity, where do everyone’s personal plotlines (not romance routes) rank on the angst/drama scale?

Hey there, thanks for the question! This one is sort of hard to answer without heavy spoilers, just because what people consider actual angst/drama can vary, but I'll try my best!

Most angsty to least angsty (character plotlines, not romance routes)

Tier A: heartwrenching or full of drama

Blade | Chase | Briony | Tallys

---

Tier B: some sadness or conflict

Shery | Ayla | Riel | Halek

---

Tier C: fairly chill, plot or narrative developments without much angst

Trouble | Lavinet | Red

Hi Lena! Spoilers!  I think it’s been mentioned before that’s there’s a route where Blades Doesn’t get sick in Chapter 4? How do you get that?

Hi there, I'm not sure if you've seen the route where you return from the mountain with the lachryma, but it's eventually revealed [SPOILERS] that Blade never had the plague at all: he does have a cold, but Moonsilk used the opportunity to lie to make MC fetch the lachryma for the Hunters (thinking that they wouldn't do it unless they believed Blade's life counted on it). There is a potential route where Blade has to go actually rescue MC in the worst-case failure scenario, so maybe that's what you saw mentioned? But that hasn't been written yet, and I'm still toying with whether it will actually happen! I hope that helps!

Will a character's birthday is coming up soon? I want to be prepared to get their 🎁

This has remained a secret for some time, but one day when I was feeling extra, I actually whipped up a secret calendar page for the Shepherds' website that shows everyone's birthdays in chronological order! It's here! I'm technically behind--Blade's birthday was supposed to take place at the beginning of Chapter 6, but I haven't gotten around to it or the other birthdays in a while--so after Red and Halek's birthdays, it goes Blade -> Shery -> Lavinet -> Briony -> Tallys -> Ayla -> Caine! Mimir's in there somewhere--I think she's probably a spring baby, if I'm remembering correctly--but she likely doesn't remember her birthday, either, so we'll see how or if that crops up in the game!

I have this funny feeling the off scenes might also include angst. Like, if we're romancing Chase we might see ramifications from his ex in the off day scenes. Along those lines, I'm thinking we get to see Gladius in one of Blade's off scenes? I have a feeling that's where we'd encounter him if romancing or good friends with Blade. Am I wrong? Are they just fluffy?

You are correct, a lot of the character arcs (which are explored through the day off scenes) include ramifications of the characters' pasts! I wouldn't classify them as strictly "angst" or "fluff," those aren't really categories I'm going by. But yes, ramifications from Chase's ex have already appeared (though no one knows it yet), and yes, you will get to meet Gladius if you see Blade's storyline all the way through (and in both cases, this is for platonic or romantic playthroughs). So yes, important story developments happen during the day off scenes: they're not always just casual hangouts! Briony, Riel, Ayla, and Shery will also have important reckonings with their pasts at some point!

Hey, so how do you create characters? All of them seem so interesting and fleshed out. Do you have a specific process for that? Also a question; if we get possessed at some point in the story (like when we meet red) , is it going to come up later?

Hi there, thanks so much for your kind words!!! I don't really have a specific process for creating characters: most of the major characters, the most fleshed-out ones, have been with me for around 20 years, so it's simply been time that's allowed me to really explore and tweak and flesh out and add on to their personalities! At this point, I know them as well as I know myself, and just writing them in different scenarios (in prose or even just for Tumblr questions) allows me to think about them and understand them even more!

For other, more minor characters, I tend to invent them as the plot demands: I knew in Chapter 7 that there was going to have to be a "town mayor" character who the Shepherds would have to interact with in the course of their investigation, and I let Patrons vote on the gender and name for that character. From there, her physical appearance started to take shape, and then her personality and tidbits about her backstory: she has a family and a partner, she's a leader but youngish, so she's fighting for respect and authority in her village in a time of crisis, so how does that affect her personality and how she comes across and how she interacts with others? Does she overcompensate and come off as hard and demanding? Does she second-guess herself and you can see her uncertainty or doubt or nervousness? If her children's personalities are X, what does that say or how does it impact her own personality? Do they run roughshod over her, do they take after her, are they protective of her or is she protective of them? That kind of thing! And then little details like what she might do as a hobby or other personality quirks or habits spring up naturally, even though they probably never get mentioned outright in the story!

If you're curious talk a lot more about my process for writing and creating characters in the #writing tag, and specifically here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and elsewhere!

About your other question, yes, being possessed not only comes up again later (it already comes up again in Chapter 4 and 5), it determines what ending you get in the game!

How do each of the ROs realize they're in love?

(This isn't necessarily canonical, since I can't really pinpoint the exact moment when each RO realizes they're in love with MC--some of them still haven't realized it yet--but let's just roll with it for fun...)

Blade: MC smiles at him, suddenly and unguardedly, and he feels it like a punch to the gut, like he's been kicked in the head, dizzy and dazzled, and everything suddenly clicks into place, all at once, and all of these strange sensations and newfound nervousness and the mysterious desire to see her and all of the poems he never understood abruptly resolves into a sudden Oh.

Trouble: they're eating candied apples together at the festival, and some of the sticky fruit juice drips down MC's chin, and instead of pointing it out or handing them a napkin, unthinkingly he pulls his sleeve up over his wrist and swipes perfunctorily at their face, and it's a close, affectionate thing, like it's always been, casual and thoughtless--but all of a sudden his fingers brush their lips and it feels different, or gives him pause, or like he shouldn't have done it--as if his hand has been zapped by an electrical impulse--and that's when he realizes that what he feels for them is different from what he feels for other people, and something in him hurts, but it's a good thing. The best thing.

Tallys: it's when she thinks, What would MC do in this situation? Then she catches herself thinking it, and it hits her like a bullet. Tallys--who's been on her own for so long, who's gone her own way for so long and remained fiercely, independently, resolutely herself for 200 years and more--has suddenly found someone who inspires her, whose example she wants to follow, who makes her want to be better, who makes her want to be like them. And it's more than respect, more than hero worship or admiration or emulation. It's... she loves them. They make her want to be more. She's never felt that before, not for anyone. It takes her breath away.

Shery: she knows it as soon as she realizes that her heart flutters hopefully whenever MC is in sight, and understands it as soon as the color rises in her face just from talking to her, but it transitions from a crush into "love" when she peeks into the infirmary to check in on an injured recruit and finds MC already there, talking easily to them, keeping them company before the Healer arrives, and Shery is so giddy, so proud just to know her, so blissfully happy just to have been alive to meet her that she knows she must be in love.

Riel: it's when MC disagrees with him. They're in the conference room with the other captains, arguing about a strategy or an important plan. Riel proposes, very firmly, what he believes to be the best course of action, and MC speaks up and disagrees, launching into a calm but firm debate about why Riel's plan won't work. And Riel stares at him, sitting there across the table, passionately and eloquently and fearlessly arguing his points, and he feels as enchanted and pleased and awed as a schoolboy, and that's when he knows he's in love.

Chase: it's when MC confronts him about his past, and forces him to talk about everything that happened in his life--in short, the painful and ugly truth. The realm him. And he finds that he wants to tell them, is afraid of what will happen but can't deflect anymore, so he gives in, and they accept everything he says and don't look at him afterward like he's the failure or the monster he thinks he is. And when he expresses his surprise, tired and joking and just a little honest, they look him straight in the eye and they tell him, "Now you know you can tell me anything. You can trust me, Chase." and Chase feels that thing inside him, that thing that has been whispering Danger, get out while you can, this is stupid, this is wrong for months, and that thing goes: Uh-oh. And that's when he knows he's in too deep, and there is no going back, and he is in a lot--a lot--of trouble.

Red: he knows he's attracted to MC right away, at first sight, really: it's that physical chemistry thing that's immediate and instinctual, and that he just can't ignore. But he knows he's in love when he realizes that they're the first person he wants to tell things to; when he makes a breakthrough in his research or has something interesting happen to him throughout his day, they're the first person he thinks of, the person he wants to seek out and talk to. He finds himself thinking about them all the time, missing them even when they spent all day together and they just said good night ten minutes ago. He, who's always been popular but content to be alone, who needs his time away from everyone, finds himself wanting--craving, seeking--their company, instead of the other way around, and he's no longer content to simply be by himself, he wants to be with them. Always. And that's how he knows he's in love.

Ayla: it's after the night they first sleep together. Ayla's experiences have been few but enough, but this was... different. In the past it was always transactional, each party only out for themselves, and mutual pleasure was simply a utilitarian endgoal. This was something else. There was feeling and passion and intensity in it that she never knew could heighten things--it was so overwhelmingly different that it almost scared her. And then afterward, she wanted to stay. She didn't want to leave. That's never happened before, either. It scares the shit out of her, but that's when she realizes--she's in love.

Briony: all it takes is a touch. An absent-minded brush of her hair, a grip on her shoulder, a gentle hand on the small of her back to move her out of the way. Nothing calculated about it, all friendliness, the way she touches her friends a hundred times a day and they touch her, but something in her throat jumps and she feels as if she's made of light and air. And if a simple touch like that can send her all a-twitter, then it must be love, because in any other context--if it were anybody else--she wouldn't think twice of it. But she wants it to mean more to them, too. She wants them to look at her, to notice her, to be bewitched by her as she's dazzled by them, for this compliment or kind word to mean more than what it seems on the surface, for that smile or that simple touch to say more. And when she finds herself analyzing every interaction they have, searching for that hidden meaning she so passionately wants to be there, that's what she--straightforward, honest, open Briony, who rarely looks for layered messages in anything--that's when she knows she's in love.

Lavinet: it's when they're talking about marriage, for the hundredth time. Her own, of course, or lack thereof: a message from her father came, another suitor requesting her hand, another polite demurring she has to pen. 'Sorry, Father, I'm too busy saving the world, the demons are still invading, after all, please tell these strange men they will have to wait in line.' And she complains about it to MC, unthinkingly, as she has done a dozen times since Lockwood--he saw the ridiculousness of her circumstances for himself--and he makes an off-hand comment, something to the tune of 'whoever your husband will be, he'll be lucky,' and she thinks, unbidden and effortless, 'he won't be able to compare to you.' And that's when she knows it.

NSFW

NSFW How would the ros react to a lapdance?

Blade: he would enjoy it, but it wouldn't be something he'd be desperate for--probably once as a surprise would be good enough for him!

Trouble: he'd be very into it, and it would drive him absolutely wild!

Tallys: she'd enjoy it occasionally, but it wouldn't get her engine running any more than other sexy stuff would: she could take it or leave it!

Shery: on principle, she'd be into it and excited for it, but in execution, she'd feel very awkward and not know what do with her hands--she'd be so distracted that she probably wouldn't be able to enjoy it!

Riel: I could see him enjoying a lapdance if MC was really smooth about it, but if there was cheesy music or there was kind of a jokey/awkward atmosphere I think he wouldn't be very into it haha!

Chase: he wouldn't mind a lapdance, and he'd enjoy it if in a certain mood, but could take it or leave it in an everyday mood!

Red: he'd enjoy it as a once-in-a-blue-moon foreplay kind of thing!

Ayla: she'd enjoy it, especially in a roleplaying kind of scenario!

Briony: she'd get too nervous and giggly to really enjoy it; she'd be trying not to laugh, not at MC but just out of general self-consciousness or embarrassment, so it would be hard to inspire a "sexy" atmosphere with her giggling and squirming around like she's ticklish or something!

Lavinet: she'd enjoy a strip tease, but probably not an actual lapdance... she'd find it kind of aggressive and it wouldn't really do much to turn her on!

can we get some examples (like dialogue) of the ros’ dirty talk?

Blade:

"...I'm close. I'm going to--I need you to come."

Trouble:

"Fuck, shit, fucking hell--I'm not going to last if you--ah--if you keep doing that."

Tallys:

"I won't be gentle tonight."

"Good."

Shery:

"Please... I can't... I'm going to..."

Riel:

"Speak up. Tell me what you want. No? You resolve to stay silent? Then I'll have to make you beg. Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Chase:

"Come for me, gorgeous, that's it, you can give me one more. Give it all to me, you deserve it, you're being so damn good."

Red:

"Oh! That's new."

"I made sure to pick up new tricks--in case I ever got a second chance--to impress you."

"Consider me... impressed."

Ayla:

"Oh, fuck, keep going. Don't stop, keep going."

Briony:

"You're so beautiful, I can't bear it, I love you, I need you, I need to--I'm going to--!"

Lavinet:

"Oh, God--"

"God has nothing to do with what I have in mind for you, darling."