Author Answers (August) (Patreon)

General

When was the lasy time someone said i love you to shepherds? Was it romantic or platonic? How  did they respond?

I guess "last time" is sort of relative: do you mean like at the point the game starts, or at the point we're currently at in Chapter 8? I only say that because I totally see Briony saying "I love you" to Shery or something recently, or Ayla going "I LOVE YOU YOU BEAUTIFUL BASTARD" to Trouble while drunk, so I guess I'll just answer as if that's what you meant! I'm going to exclude romantic confessions from lovesick recruits because pretty much everybody receives those in the mail, so it would be a boring answer :-)

Blade: this is a little messed up, but Ket parents don't typically explicitly say the verbal words "I love you" often to their kids, unless particularly expressive or the kids are quite young, so prior to the start of the game, the last time he probably heard it was from his mom when he was quite small, probably around 8 or 9! If we're talking more recently, someone probably said it to him condescendingly, like, "Blade, I love you, but you're being an idiot" (this could have been anybody, probably Trouble or Briony or Lavinet). He likely just ignored them

Trouble: if we're talking recently, probably Ayla yelled at him while they were both blind drunk and like brawling their way out of a massive fistfight, or Tallys might have said it to him in a heartfelt, contritely platonic way while making up after their most recent argument, like, "*defeated sigh* You know I love you, Trouble" *Tallys version of an apology*. He would have said it back in both cases, of course!

Tallys: If we're not counting Trouble saying it back in the above scenario, she had a no-strings-attached sex arrangement with this Elf she met in Ashtown for a while, like a year before the game started, and when she (the other Elf) said "I love you," Tallys respectfully but immediately peaced out 😅 Otherwise I'm sure one of the Shepherds has said it (you can count on Briony to tell everyone she loves them at some point) to her, either in passing, jokingly, or in reciprocation, but she also has that personality where it's not as easy to casually say it to her as it might be to someone like Trouble!

Shery: Briony said it as recently as a few days ago when Shery brought her dinner, like a big sigh of relief like "oh gods, thank you, I love you" or something like that! People tell Shery "I love you" in gratitude probably the most often out of all the Shepherds!

Riel: someone has probably said it to him sarcastically when he was being a bit snippy, like, "I love you, too" in response to him insulting them... it was probably Red, by the feel of it, or maybe Trouble! He probably just ignored it!

Chase: prior to the events of the game, he'd get a lot of lovesick people he'd seduced telling him they loved him, so that's probably the last time someone said it to him sincerely (people, of course, have probably said it to him in a platonic, non-serious way in the Shepherds, which he wouldn't have spared any thought about and would have reciprocated)! When the seduced victims would say it, he'd laugh lightly and make some pithy remark to deflect it, like, "You do now, but you haven't figured out yet what an unrepentant scoundrel I am..." Then he'd crawl out the window and frolic off with some other flounce the next day and prove them right 🥲

Red: on his last visit home, his family members said it to him as he was leaving, like "Bye, I love you, I'll write you as soon as I can" kind of thing! So whoever was last out of his parents and present sisters!

Ayla: as with the others, one of the Shepherds almost certainly said it to her in a casual, platonic context: likely culprits include Briony or Lavinet or possibly even Chase jokingly! She was almost certainly taken aback the first time it happened and got very flustered and didn't know what to say, but now she's more comfortable with it and even secretly likes it!

Briony: she tends to be more affectionate and familiar with others, so it's usually her saying it first, like "ahhhh thank you, I love you Shery!!! 💖💖💖" when Shery gives her a gift, and Shery going "I love you too! 🥰☺️" So people do tell it to her, and quite often, but usually in response to her initiating it first! It makes her very happy to express and hear it!

Lavinet: she literally received passionate declarations of love and love poems from several aristocrats and court poets like at least once every ten days before coming to the Shepherds, so this isn't really that foreign for her... She's just like "thank you 💅🏼"

So we know how Gladius would act with Blade’s child, but what about Red’s sisters? Thank you!

My little dumb-dumb brain was like "how would Red's sisters act with Blade's child??" but now I get it lol

Idalia: the aunt you really love but also slightly fear and desperately want the approval of, because you know she's your dad's oldest sister so she somehow has an imposing, authoritative, matriarchal presence in your life? It's like nothing gets past her and if she casually asks you if you're up to anything this weekend during one of her visits and you lie through your teeth like 'nope just going to a sleepover at my friend's house', she gives you a look that's slightly arch and terrifying and then later pulls you aside on the pretext of washing dishes together and says 'you're planning to sneak off to have a drink in the woods, aren't you?' and you're like 😳 and she's like 'I won't tell your parents, but you'd better be back before midnight' completely straight-faced... like she's cool in some ways but also slightly terrifying and stern and you would never want to get on her bad side, but luckily you never will because she reserves all of her ire for your dad and just gives him a hard time while doting on you

Isodel: the glamorous exotic aunt you never see except once every few family gatherings and is slightly mysterious (like what does she do for work? is she currently dating someone or is she single?? what's her last name??) and like all of the adults somehow know stuff about her or talk about her a lot but you're not really clear on how exactly they know or how exactly she's communicating with them? she's away traveling all the time, which just makes the random times she drops in all the more exciting, and even though you don't see her much, she ALWAYS brings the coolest souvenirs and presents for you, so you know she really thinks of you even while she's away, and you're enthralled by her stories and beg her to stay up late with you to tell her all about her mysterious cool wanderings and travels!

Lydda: the fussy, worried aunt who loves to cluck over you and brush your hair back and straighten your collar and worry if you're eating enough and stuff you full of baked goods while she's visiting. very comfy and cozy, if slightly neurotic and overwrought! the kind of aunt that sends her food back at the restaurant or asks for new silverware because there's water spots on it and you're just like 😅 oh Aunt Lydda... you know that if you're ever in the area, you can always drop in on her and she'll welcome you into her home with gladness and joy, and you might go and visit her in the summers or on winter breaks and just let her fret over you and shower you with stuff and wrap you in five layers every time you go out so you don't die of the cold. like a mom away from home!

Gwynyth: the youngest rebel aunt who's kind of a bad influence on you... like when you're little, she's the one who takes you to the theme park or the zoo (in a modern AU) or buys you ice cream even if you're supposed to save your appetite for dinner and she just winks at you like "don't tell your parents, it's our little secret, okay!" and is always bending the rules to spoil you... 😂 she's the only one you can talk to about like trends from your generation and music you like and she gets it, sort of more like a much older cool sister than strictly an aunt?? then when you're older she's like "oh come on Red, [MC's kid] can have a little half-glass of wine, they're already 16... I know you had your first drink way earlier" and just completely ruins your parents' authority and tells you ribald, inappropriate stories about their past as soon as you're old enough

What are Shepherds stances on riding motorcycles?

Would ride one in the right AU (and/or find it hot if you rode one too)

Blade

Trouble

Ayla

Briony

Tallys (I actually could see her riding something more like a Vespa or some sort of scooter, but a sleek motorcycle would be in the realm of possibility too)

Would think you look hot riding one, but has little to no interest in riding one themselves

Red

Lavinet (also knows she would look hot riding one but understands that the world is not ready for that level of sexiness)

Has no strong feelings about motorcycles in general; could ride one if they wanted, could find someone hot if they rode one, but otherwise is neutral about it

Chase

Halek

No, thank you, motorcycles are extremely dangerous

Riel

Shery

I don’t think this has been asked before so a silly ask: What would each of the Shepherds get at a milk tea place? Who’s insisting on All The Snacks, who gets the crazy drink for the AestheticsTM, that kind of thing 😂 Caine and Halek too, please!  💖🧋💖

Oooh, love this question!

Blade: if you can persuade him to get anything at all, he'll get either the coffee milk tea (0% sweetness 😒) or like... plain oolong tea lol

Trouble: he's more interested in the savory snacks, like takoyaki or popcorn chicken, but I could see him getting some kind of slush, like honeydew or taro slush with boba, popping jelly, and/or egg pudding! He wants all the toppings 😂

Tallys: she'd probably get some sort of fruit tea depending on her mood (not milk tea), like a lemon tea or jasmine tea, but with grass jelly or aloe as a topping!

Shery: anything with cheese foam 🤤 her go-to's are probably strawberry milk tea or brown sugar milk tea with cheese foam on top! if the place serves desserts like crepe cakes, macarons, or honey toasts, she's 100% getting those, too!

Riel: matcha latte (100% sweetness) or royal milk tea with boba. he might also grab a dessert or go somewhere else for a pastry or some sort of patisserie-style sweet!

Chase: tigar sugar milk tea/brown sugar milk tea, or Thai iced tea, with boba!

Red: almond slush with egg pudding or boba, depending on his mood

Ayla: any kind of fruit slush with some kind of jelly like a lychee jelly or mango jelly - mango or pineapple slush are her go-to's! She's also prone to coconut or mango sago if the mood strikes her, and she's down for a shaved ice/snow/sago kind of dessert as well!

Briony: anything with peach--so either peach slush or peach milk tea--or occasionally strawberry milk tea with boba! She's always snapping pictures of it but they never come out great 😅 she's been known to get taiyaki or soft serve every once in a while instead of milk tea, too!

Lavinet: her regular is usually a pink drink/strawberry milk tea with strawberry popping jelly, and her pictures do come out great 😂 she'll get like a crepe cake or cheesecake as well if the mood strikes her!

Halek: vanilla slush with boba, or I could see liking stuff with red bean in it, whether that's a red bean milk tea or a dessert like red bean taiyaki!

Caine: chocolate milk tea with egg pudding, or melon milk tea with green apple jelly

would any of the RO’s be uncomfortable romancing an MC who was a courtesan in the past?

No one would be uncomfortable or judgmental or turned off by romancing an MC who was a courtesan in the past, but some might feel anxious about 'measuring up' or performing adequately due to the differences in their sexual inexperience, like 'oh god my SO is literally professionally trained in the arts of pleasure and I am a virgin... what if I absolutely suck?? *fear*" The ones who would be a little doubtful of themselves would be Blade, Trouble, Shery, Riel, and possibly Briony, though she might also not be as worried--depends on how much she's come to grips with her whole amnesia thing! Lavinet, Chase, Tallys would be stoked, and it wouldn't really be a factor for Red or Ayla either way!

chase and riel get handcuffed together and stuffed into a get along shirt. what shenanigans ensue?

Riel tries to maintain a lofty, frosty sense of professionalism and brusque factuality, like "this is the situation that we've found ourselves in, what are our solutions?" and does his best to act unaffected because he knows that's what feeds Chase's power. Chase does his best to do absolutely everything he can to annoy the bejesus out of Riel. He doesn't even care about getting out (not that he couldn't simply pick the lock of the handcuffs unless they're like... magical). He just delights in terrorizing Riel without reprieve. The day ends when Riel gets a faraway look in his eyes and you can tell that he's imagining wrapping the handcuff chain around Chase's neck and throttling him to death

What would give each of the ROs the ick?

Hi there, I feel this is covered somewhat in the ROs' cheat codes, if you're interested in those! Some brief examples from those posts:

Blade: someone who's lazy or indifferent, and has to be talked into doing things a lot. Like "ughhh why do we have to go help this village?? Why is the fact that their people are disappearing our problem?" or "I don't want to, that's so far!" It's different from someone who's really logical or ruthless ("what's the cost analysis of risking ourselves for this"), it's just not wanting to get involved due to lack of effort or willpower. 

Trouble: seeing someone act really mean-spirited and petty or gossipy/bullying, like making fun of someone they don't like for something like being poor, coming from a low-class family, something about their appearance or weight, even more so if it's behind their back

Tallys: someone acting really childish during an argument, like stomping their feet or mimicking her like "I know I am but what are you?" type stuff

Shery: someone who makes their entire personality about hating cats/dogs/children. Like hates on them just a little too much. 

Riel: someone who is a really soft pushover to the point where he loses respect for them, like if Ebert insulted them really explicitly and they were like "🥺🥺🥺 omg maybe if i bake him a cake he will like me, I just want him to be my friend!!" Also, excessive baby talk would give him the ick

Chase: someone withholding affection or intimacy as a weapon or trying to control him by using his love for them against him; like making a comment like "I guess you just don't love me enough if you don't do X," etc. 

Red: someone who treats books poorly, treats other people's possessions poorly, or is a HUGE slob. like if he went into their bathroom and it's an unholy mess of like 1 moldy bar of soap, a bottle of 3-in-1 shampoo/conditioner that's mostly just water because "there's still some in there," and like a dirty plate in the sink, that would give him the ick lol

Ayla: someone acting really insecure/clingy and needing constant reassurance, like asking constantly, "Do you love me? Can I have a hug? Are you happy to see me? Why aren't you cuddling me?" when she's just going about the normal course of her day and when there's no reason to believe she's upset or behaving abnormally. 

Briony: someone who acts really shamelessly flirtatious with others (while she's crushing on them or in a relationship with them). If that's just their personality and they're friends, she doesn't care at all and thinks it's funny/charming (i.e. Chase) but in the context of having romantic feelings for them and seeing them flirt with other people, that would give her the ick. Also seeing someone give a really thoughtless, half-assed or shitty gift to a good friend; like being known as "that person" where you unwrap a present from them and it's like a cheap DVD set of a show from the 90s that has nothing to do with you and is obviously a regift of something they dug out of their closet at the last second... 

Lavinet: someone who can't socialize with others on their own and has to be "looked after" if she attends parties or social events with them, like she always has to be worrying if they're comfortable or mingling or feeling awkward or silent

what do the Mc's recruits think of the other Captains?

This is such a long answer because it's four different reactions for all the different captains... 😅 So I'm going to give quite short answers!

Blade:

Justyn: scared shitless of him

Ysa: respects him and admires him deeply

Cybele: scared shitless (prays he never notices her or even glances her way)

Daren: secretly Blade's #1 fanboy. What Caine is to MC, Daren is towards Blade, even though they've never directly interacted. Blade = Ket paragon. Daren would die for him and absolutely has a bad case of hero crush on him

Trouble:

Justyn: he likes him and has seen him interacting with the recruits and having a passing drink with them in the canteen, but he has also seen him bawling orders like a drill sergeant, so he respects him as a Vice-Commander and authority figure

Ysa: she respects him, but he's terribly loud

Cybele: that dude's cool as shit. Imagines she could have a buddy-buddy relationship with him since he seems so affable but is more just interested in what his deal is

Daren: respects and obeys him as Vice-Commander but otherwise has no particular feelings or opinions about him

Tallys:

Justyn: doesn't see much of her, sometimes forgets she's Third-in-Command

Ysa: has a bad case of hero worship towards her and goes all starry-eyed when she's in the room, but they've never spoken

Cybele: thinks she's altogether a little too "Elfy" and stiff and uptight, like she fulfills a stereotype of how Elves should act. Not so impressed

Daren: respects her probably a little more than Trouble lol but otherwise has no particular feelings or interactions about her

Shery:

Justyn: she's nice but he does tend to accidentally ignore/not hear her all of the time

Ysa: she likes her but does wonder how someone so timid got involved with the Order

Cybele: forgets that Shery is technically an authority figure to her and thinks that she's just another recruit (on their same level) from the way Shery behaves

Daren: who? oh, right, the Quartermaster. she is to him as a well-watered plant, a harmless and unassuming presence

Riel:

Justyn: absolute terror. he knows that man can peer into your soul and find everything wrong with you at a glance

Ysa: intimidation but also interest. who is he, really? how did he rise to his position of power, despite being just a Norm?

Cybele: very uptight man. very concerned about cleanliness. could stand to relax and go outside and touch some grass

Daren: confused about his position in the hierarchy. he orders Daren around like he's another Commander but he isn't....... is he? Obeys him nevertheless because Blade respects him

Chase:

Justyn: the fun captain! his squad throws the best parties. he can be relaxed around Chase, unlike the other captains. Chase does not give a shit

Ysa: finds him shockingly irrelevant, unprofessional, and a little scandalous. can he really be trusted?? he's so chaotic...

Cybele: she loves Chase. he's awesome because he lets the recruits get away with stuff. a real one

Daren: >:( he talks a little too flippantly about figures like the Commander and should be more respectful...

Red:

Justyn: barely has anything to do with Red, is vaguely aware of him as another captain and knows people from his squad, but they don't interact

Ysa: she's heard he's a powerful Mage and is interested in what research he's always off conducting, but no one really seems to know except the captains. she doesn't ask

Cybele: nerd

Daren: nerd

Ayla:

Justyn: mild terror, she can be seen off in the distance yelling, so he'll often swerve another direction to avoid the maelstrom

Ysa: she's terribly loud

Cybele: finds Ayla kind of hot and would absolutely jump into bed with her if Ayla ever deigned to glance her way, but otherwise they never interacted and it's just a passing impression, not like an actual crush

Daren: respects her deeply. definitely saw her demonstrate how to choke a man with nothing but air and it definitely gave him a healthy respect for how destructive magic can really be

Briony:

Justyn: thinks she's a cutie pie but also knee-weakingly scary. he saw her wrestle an opponent into submission and choke them out with her thighs and hasn't been able to get that image out of his head since. doesn't know if it's a turn on or just utter fear though

Ysa: Briony gave her some tips on how to use her ice magic in combat once so she really respects and likes her; hopes they can be friends maybe someday, but it's not anything really urgent

Cybele: pretty cool! another kickass girl warrior that people underestimate, just like Cybele...

Daren: in awe. he saw the same thing as Justyn and was similarly confused by his own reaction. how could someone so small be so strong. she is a weapon to be used for good

Halek:

Justyn: lol that guy's hilarious. Justyn catches him having a nap in improbable places all the time and it's so funny

Ysa: mixed feelings. mostly skepticism. there's a certain feeling of kindredness because they both come from the North, but it's also like... he certainly doesn't act like a leader of the Hunters...

Cybele: Halek is a horrible influence on Cybele. If she gets chewed out for being lazy or taking a nap on duty, all she can think is 'how come he gets to do it and no one yells at him?' wishes she could be on Halek's squad when MC's running them ragged, without realizing that Halek's squad has to work doubly hard to pick up his slack 😂

Daren: disapproval. lazy bones. 😒 underserving of the rank of captain! also he heard some bullshit about how Halek or someone lied to the Commander and MC when they were in the Reach... unforgivable!

Lavinet:

Justyn: on one hand, he is somewhat familiar with personages like Lavinet due to his past as a traveling bard, having visited, entertained, and even had dalliances with noble ladies here and there, so he's quite friendly and familiar with Lavi when other recruits are extremely intimidated by her. however, she is also exactly his type so he's definitely a little bit of a simp for her, but acts totally normal and helpful and friendly because it's not even in the realm of possibility... he's just happy to be helpful to her and is familiar with what she gave up to become a Shepherd, so he respects her more than most!

Ysa: a little jealous of Lavinet's good looks, status, and influence, but otherwise respectful of her

Cybele: definitely miffed by Lavinet and believes her to be snobby and stuck-up, wondering why she's even here or wondering if her reasons for being with the Shepherds are less altruistic than everybody assumes... in her mind, no richie-rich just decides to give up everything to join military service without some other motive or reason, so she's definitely a little suspicious of Lavinet!

Daren: no particular feelings towards her. good horsemanship and skills with a lance though

Hi! So I have a worldbuilding question if you don't mind (and if has not been asked before of course) : how technologically advanced is this world? Because there are guns obviously and i think you mentioned a train at some point (i think...) but is there like cameras (for pictures at least) and electric lantern of some sort,...? Thank you!

Hi there, this question has been answered a few times, including here and here! Thanks! :)

You’ve answered who would the ROs be most jealous of MC getting together with, but could you tell us why?

Hi there, here's the post in case people want to read the original! I think people tend to be most jealous of the person they perceive to be the exact opposite of them, or who is better about something they're personally insecure about in some way, so here goes:

Blade: most jealous of Red - I think this one's self-explanatory at this point, he's jealous of this really good-looking, charismatic, talkative, friendly, well-loved leader who gets along well with everybody, is always the shoulder to rely on or the person who will lend you an ear if you're having problems, and is probably the most socially-adept and emotionally-intelligent as well as "normal" person out of all of the Shepherds... 

Trouble: most jealous of Blade - Blade is his best friend, so he would be most tortured/agonized over feeling jealous about Blade when he simultaneously wants him to be happy, but also, he does look at Blade as the man, leader, and commander that Trouble can't be, so of course he's going to feel more inadequate alongside Blade!

Tallys: most jealous of Lavinet - she hates Lavinet and considers Lavinet to be the antithesis of everything she stands for (wealth, privilege, status, Norm aristocracy--that she wouldn't have if her people hadn't slaughtered Tallys's) so she'd definitely be most bothered if MC fell in love with Lavinet despite all of that, like of course the noble with the silver spoon in her mouth then gets MC too!

Shery: most jealous of Briony - she just really admires Briony and considers her to be so pretty, natural, fearless, strong, charismatic, talkative, and naturally easily to talk to and be friends with: comparing herself to Briony would make her feel so inadequate, even though they're such good friends and she would feel doubly guilty and hateful of herself for even feeling that way!

Riel: most jealous of Trouble (but most annoyed by Chase) - most jealous of Trouble because Trouble is beefy, muscular, handsome, loud, kind of charmingly gormless (just going through life without really a worry in the world lol) and a man's man, and Riel is so not that that it would definitely make him feel jealous! But it would make sense to him why someone would be attracted to someone like that! But he'd be most annoyed by Chase because... why... 

Chase: most jealous of Riel - in a very subconscious level, Riel kind of represents the person Chase could have/should have been in society's eyes... like he's a self-made man and built wealth and prosperity for himself purely through his resources and cunning, which makes Chase feel like he has no excuse and a little ashamed of resorting to stealing and thieving... like Riel is sort of the "honest worker who should be lauded for pulling himself up by his bootstraps" and Chase is like reviled by society for being a filthy criminal who leeches off of others, even though in his opinion Riel can act just as criminally or reprehensibly as a common thief and so should not be so idolized and rewarded, like they're the same in his eyes but treated very differently by society, so Riel just happens to play right into certain sore spots that would just rub him the wrong way if he and MC were to get together while Chase was interested in him!

Red: most jealous of Chase - I just think it would be the ultimate fucking karma for former fuckboy Red to be upstaged by shameless fuckboy Chase, and he would be so keenly aware of the irony, and also just seeing how Chase behaves and flirts and just acts completely ridiculous and still gets MC... it would just be acutely painful lol

Ayla: most jealous of Shery - Shery's so cute and dainty and delicate and feminine, like she definitely exudes that energy where you want to protect her and take care of her, and Ayla is so (in her own mind) rough-and-tumble and independent and wild that of course someone would prefer someone as sweet and lovely as Shery over her... 

Briony: most jealous of Ayla - she considers herself and Ayla to be the most similar out of the Shepherds: both strong female Mages who are very empowered and renowned for their skills in combat, tough kickass girls who also don't know much about their own pasts and are seeking answers, so if MC were to choose Ayla over her, she'd be wondering what Ayla has that Briony didn't in a way that she wouldn't compare herself to someone like Riel or Shery!

Lavinet: most jealous of Tallys - Tallys is like the natural beauty who's down-to-earth, passionate about her causes, doesn't come from a position of privilege, authentic and doesn't need to wear makeup to be confident and look gorgeous to the world, mature and has a vast amount of life experience and worldly knowledge, whereas Lavinet views herself as the opposite: keenly aware of her own privilege and sheltered status, as well as conscious of how much work goes into her appearance, whereas Tallys doesn't give an F and can roll out of bed looking effortlessly lovely, so this would definitely make her jealous!

Spoilers

okay so i was looking at some of the coding in the last update and saw something about mc being potentially possessed? i know this is spoilers but do you know what we can do to avoid being possessed? thanks so much for everything!! <3

Hi there, the only opportunity for MC to become possessed is when facing off with Quiial during Chapter 3! If you fall for Quiial's trick and use a Word of Power to bring "your village" back from the Phantom Shore, you will provide the demon an avenue into your soul and wind up secretly possessed! So if you didn't do any of that, you're not possessed haha!

Will there be a chance for MC to mentor their recruits outside of standard training? Even if they are adults they are mess with a lot of interpersonal problems especially considering romantic relationships xD

I wish, but I will likely keep interacting with the recruits to their training sessions (except where they become relevant in the main plot) to avoid the game becoming too large and unwieldy! 😅 You'll probably end up being able to chat with them about other stuff as the training sessions go on, though if you're referring to the issue of Ysa and Daren, I don't know yet how that's going to play out, lol! It's kind of tough for MC to bring any of their relationship stuff up without admitting that they were spying 😂😂😂

I’ve actually been curious about this for a while—can Croelle read? (Who taught him???)

Croelle knows how to read! He's been alive since before the Castigation, so at first I thought he would have either tried to teach himself slowly over time or was taught by the uh organization that he works for,  some point he either tried to teach himself or was taught by the uh organization that he works for, but I actually think it's more likely that his father directly downloaded the knowledge (along with a bunch of other stuff) directly into his brain! 

Hi Lena, I had a question about Chapter 7, which I thought was fascinating! Can changelings actually (eventually) copy someone’s magical ability or arma once taking their form?

Hi anon, thanks for your question! Although the question is left slightly ambiguous in the game, here's my authorly word of god: Changeling powers are like Mystique (X-Men powers), where they can perfectly imitate someone's form and external appearance, but will never be able to replicate someone's natural gift (same with things like learned skills, like someone taking Blade's shape would still not inherit his many years of sword-training). Thurl was an "exception" because his mind became enough like the Tainted's to communicate with and ultimately control them, but this was something that he himself learned, not something he "copied" from them: it would be like transforming yourself into a deer, joining a herd, and then ultimately establishing yourself as the herd's... alpha (head stag?) and dictating where the herd went. He did not gain true demonic powers beyond the ability to sort of falsely insert himself into their hive mind, in the same way that a Changeling in bird form could eventually learn to talk to other birds and understand them (this is the first stage when they start to "forget" their original human form). The tragedy is that the Changelings were killed over a theory that ultimately would not have come to fruition! But it's also the ambiguity and inability of the characters to concretely know that puts them in so much danger. But in my canon, no, they're not actually able to inherit things like magic or arma, and will never be able to based on their Changeling powers alone! 

do the boys know who thurl was disguised as to lure the mc? how do they feel about mc being baited like that/knowing them well enough to tell it wasn't the "real" RO (cue chase jumping out of a window)?

They don't find out on-screen and didn't know directly after finding MC after Thurl, but found out in the couple-days interim between catching Thurl and actually leaving Wallmire! 

Blade's reaction is pure cold rage that Thurl would use his relationship with MC against him (this also plays into his fears that a romanced!MC will be utilized against him by enemies as his "weakness", and vice-versa, something that he struggles with when contemplating his feelings and their relationship... like, he's already very paranoid, and this just proves his paranoia right)

Trouble's reaction is similar to Blade's, like how dare Thurl steal his face and try to trick MC by pretending to be him, and he just thinks about how much he wishes he could watch that muti burn in Hael for all of eternity. But there's also a little bit of pride in there that MC wasn't fooled by it, if that's what happened!

Red's reaction is mostly just plain relief that MC is okay, because that is fucking terrifying that Thurl thought to do that, and he wonders if he would have been able to figure it out if he was in their position! But he's just immensely relieved and grateful!

Chase can't really think about the whole thing without something in his head sliding sideways and putting him in that weird dark place again, so he tries not to think too much about it, but he's definitely feeling Perceived and very unnerved by everything... the Torpedo is coming... 

last month we got the chapter 7 ROs thoughts when they saw MC in danger - it’s only right to ask: what was going through Tallys, Ayla and Briony’s heads in the similar scene in chapter 6 where MC almost got killed during the elementals fight?

Tallys: no, no, I can't lose them, not now, this can't be happening, not like this... then she ascertains that they're okay and her fear turns to both sagging relief and cold, distant fury

Ayla: KILL KILL KILL KILL. THEY WILL NOT HURT MC. NOT ON MY WATCH. DON'T FUCKING TOUCH THEM!

Briony: ohmygodsohmygodsohmygods are you okay????? please be okay!!! please, please--oh thank gods, you're okay! *definitely punched a hole through a rock giant without even realizing it because she had so much tunnel vision about getting to MC no matter what*

NSFW

Okay, so you know those absurd sex positions on the sex position website? The ones that are like "How would this even by physically possible"? What would be the ROs reactions to being asked by the MC to do those crazy positions with them?

Blade: he's game, but doubtful he'll enjoy it much himself. but you really can't underestimate that Ket physique, he's capable of the impossible

Trouble: he's game, just bewildered and baffled. it's like watching him try to put together a piece of IKEA furniture without the instruction manual. just like "so am I just... do I... I'll just hold you up like this?..." but he's trying his damnedest, bless his heart!

Tallys: she can do anything on that damn site and blow your mind while doing it

Shery: 🥺 um... okay... secret monologue: nooooo i'm not athletic enough for this!! i'm going to break my neck!!

Riel: "no"

Chase: "your wish is my command ❤️" we'll give him like a 70% success rate, where there's a will, there's a way, but mostly he'll just start making it amusing and laughing while he's doing it because he knows how absurd they look

Red: he'll also give it the good old college try, but he'll probably start laughing and have to stop once he looks down at MC like contorted like a wheelbarrow underneath him, it won't be super sexy for him

Ayla: damn, really? uh... okay... She'll give it a try but will make it a big show of how much effort it took after the fact and make it known she likes having normal sex 

Briony: uh... I don't think that's supposed to go there... she might get talked into trying a more feasible position, but she's definitely not eager to do the really strenuous or bizarre ones... it's just not worth it to her!

Lavinet: "no, unless you do all the work"

Which of the male ros are best at oral?

I feel like I might have answered this one before, but I can't remember where--

I actually think I'll give it to Red, followed closely by Chase, Blade, Riel, and Trouble! But keep in mind it's all relative, Trouble's still at "good" but Red just happens to be the best of the bunch!

What’s one random NSFW fact about each RO?

Blade often comes home tired and cold from a long mission to find MC sleeping in nothing but his shirt, and he slides in (literally) and starts acting up 👀

I feel like Trouble almost certainly has a praise kink lol

Tallys definitely has a box of sex toys hidden away under her bed and definitely is adept with a strap-on

Shery always gets turned on when she has a hot bubble bath

Riel gets a glimpse of MC when he's really, really angry one day, like jaw clenched, muscle ticking, teeth bared, and it awakens something in him that he wasn't aware of

Chase typically will only have one round of sex with a random hookup/FWB, maybe two, a night, but with MC, he finds that his stamina miraculously enables him to go multiple rounds all night long, seemingly endlessly and inexhaustibly 

Red has a very spankable ass, like just something about it and/or the energy he exudes just makes you want to grab it or slap it all throughout the course of his day, even just in passing, and he's always like vaguely surprised, like, "Oh! Hello!..." 

Ayla is not shy about bearing scratches, bruises, or love-bites/hickeys from MC proudly, like a badge of honor

Briony finds out during the course of her relationship that she likes having her ponytail grabbed, especially while she's giving oral 😳

Lavinet thinks she's a pillow princess, but then she discovers the wonders of riding cowgirl and has a whole new world opened to her

How would the ROs fare if they had to go undercover for a seduction mission? Like posing as sex workers or courtesans at a brothel? Who would be the best?

By loose order of best to worst:

Tallys: she has the perfect elegant, refined, poised personality and is comfortable enough with her sexuality and the idea of seducing someone that she would literally be the perfect agent for this!

Chase: speaks for himself. He is the spymaster, so getting information out of people is kind of his bread and butter, but there also might be an air of "a little too good at this" that might make the canniest people a little suspicious!

Lavinet: so long as she doesn't actually have to have sex with anyone, she can put on the persona and lay on the charm strikingly well!

Riel: while he's not a very sexual/seductive person, he can read people enough and put on enough of a persona and lie his way through situations that he'd be able to get through, though not without difficulty!

Red: he's right in the middle... while he's no stranger to flirting with people and could certainly seduce someone if he wanted to, he's a pretty awful liar and would come off as pretty awkward/would laugh nervously a lot, but he'd somehow muddle through

Shery: honestly, if it was just about masquerading, she could probably do pretty okay, probably better than Briony: people would just assume her shy, doll-like virgin persona was a part of her bit and be very enticed by it! When it came to anything like interrogating someone or getting information out of them, especially by actively seducing them, though, she'd be really obvious and bad, so that's where the mission would fall apart... but if she could rely on infiltration, blending in, sneaking around, and investigating on her own rather than interrogating someone face-to-face, she'd be more successful than you'd expect!

Briony: she's kind of an open book, so it's really easy to tell when she's gritting her teeth and just trying to get through something distasteful, she's a bit prideful and has a fierce temper, and she's also kind of clumsy and not a great liar, but she'd probably be able to muddle through if her clients were particularly stupid or drunk

Trouble: he's trying his best, but you could totally read on his face what's going on... he's entirely too honest for a mission like that. But if you could ignore that part, he would come off as slightly awkward but kind of in a charming, boyish way that people might be into, so he might fail upwards into the actual seduction part! But again, it's likely to not really go that well from the get-go

Blade: absolute disaster. although he has the looks to entice, he has the sexual charisma of a rock when it comes to strangers. he can barely make small talk with a person, let alone put the moves on them. maybe if you tell the clients that he's like literally incapable of speaking, he could disguise himself and blend in, but he will NOT be able to seduce someone. the best he'll do is get them in a room alone and then threaten to cut their throats until they give him information

Ayla: not great... but worse than Blade only if Blade is actually allowed to be a mute courtesan and secretly threaten people, lol. Not only would she come off as stand-offish and surly, she's not able to restrain her temper well, so the second some client put a hand on her ass, she'd fly off the handle and beat the shit out of them