Author Answers (October) (Patreon)

[Edit: Whoops it looks like Patreon didn't save my answer to the Haven fashion question so I had to retype it!]

General

How do the ROs say farewell to the MC when they leave for a mission the MC is not a part of? Like a hug, a kiss, some sentimental words, or do they slip while the MC sleeps?

The thing about the Shepherds is that they go on missions separately a lot, so most people don't have a big ritual like exchanging sentimental words or exchanging tokens or even having really long farewells each time; that would be really exhausting, given the nature of their work and how frequently/abruptly they sometimes have to deploy on missions! So most people don't make a really big deal out of it: it would be like exchanging sentimental words or having a prolonged 25+ kiss session every time your spouse left the house to go to their office job. It might happen in the beginning of the relationship, but after that everything becomes very routine, and there's no time or point to making it a big to-do each time!

Blade: For missions where he knows he's going to be gone for a long time beforehand, I think he brackets off a few hours of uninterrupted alone time with MC before he has to leave, and there's almost certainly going to be a lovemaking session in there (often prolonged!). If it's more immediate, like he's told quite suddenly he has to leave, he usually just comes to see her, kisses her, tells her he has to leave and when he expects to be back, and leaves some stern, protective remonstration about how she'd better keep safe/take care of herself/feed herself well while he's gone, with a promise to write from the road when he can!

Trouble: something in his primitive reptilian brain tells him that if he acts extremely nonchalant and breezy every time he leaves for a mission, he is not going to die on that mission and make it home in one piece. Like if he acts really serious and tender and treats every departure as if it's the last time he could ever see MC again, that's somehow jinxing it so that it really will be the last time... but if he acts really casual, like kiss! "I've gotta go see a man about an ogre down in Leore, but I should be back in two weeks or so!" Kiss again! Bye! Then it somehow inoculates him from harm and makes him something like invincible, because there is no way the universe would make that the last thing he ever says to MC, so he can't die now! So it's sort of this weird mix of superstition and blithe chipper-ness? He usually makes a bigger deal about reunions than he does about departures! (Most Shepherds do!)

Tallys: she always makes sure she can personally deliver the news to MC that she has to go, gives them a hug and a kiss and a fierce promise to come home or just a cool, level smile if it's a low-risk mission, and she also sometimes leaves them a to-do list of things to do while she's gone! (Remember to feed your fish, water our plants, etc...) If she has time, she'll make some extra meals or snacks to leave behind for MC in her absence as well!

Shery: well, it's the other way around, because Shery doesn't leave for missions--MC does! But she's one of the few that does have a little ritual to send MC off each time, with a big hug, a kiss, some sort of good luck token or little gift or memento to remember her by (whether it's a regular thing like the scarf she knitted for them or something different each time like a box of tea she picked up at the market for them, I'm not sure), and a very worried series of pleas for MC to stay safe, look after herself, and come back home safely. She usually does act like this is the last time they could ever see each other because this is one of her greatest fears about dating a field agent, so MC's going to have to go through this process with her each time to allay her anxieties!

Riel: he usually stays quite businesslike and focuses on hashing out all of the pertinent details of the mission with MC, getting all of the details, asking them what MC's contingency is for this or that scenario, checking on equipment, and etc., talking rapidfire about it all the way up until MC has to leave. This is Riel's way of displaying worry about him and contributing to his safety (by aggressively outlining every possible scenario so MC is properly prepared), so MC usually goes along with it and then departs with a "I got it, I got it, I'll see you soon," reassuring smile, and a kiss!

Chase: "Quickie for the road? 👀" (He's completely serious.) He falls more on the Trouble end of things where he acts really casual and breezy about it so it doesn't seem like a big deal and MC doesn't have any cause to worry! So it's usually a pat on the butt, a deep kiss, and a "See you soon, darling!" or a "Don't cry, love of loves, your dashing, rogueish hero will be home soon!" before he's out the door, clicking his heels in the air if he got lucky!

Red: he's usually in an unorganized rush and scramble to leave, so it's often a hurried kiss, the usual exchange of "I love you, stay safe, I'll be home soon, could you look in on [project bubbling away on the workshop table] for me? Thanks!" before he's hustling out the door!

Ayla: she's quite brisk and businesslike about it, just dropping by to inform MC she's off, giving them some brief details as she walks around the room packing, then looking at them with a softer smile and pausing to kiss them more tenderly at the door and a gentler promise that she'll be home soon.

Briony: she needs at least a 5-minute, really tight, really big hug and at least 10 kisses and three "I love you"s before she can make it out the door! If she can squeeze in a long cuddling/spooning session, all the better, she wants to memorize MC's warmth and touch before she hits the road! She doesn't feel quite right if she doesn't get this prolonged contact and feels off for the rest of the mission! Otherwise, she's quite blasé and cheerful!

Lavinet: she always acts a bit exasperated, like, sigh, "darling, they need me for some wretched affair in Sacor, I don't want to leave you but so-and-so insists," but then she turns quite businesslike and focused as she packs and turns her mind towards the assignment ahead. She always makes sure to leave MC breathless with a tender kiss before she leaves, though!

How would the ROs react to being asked for an autograph. A kid asking them to sign their own Rangers of Blest card for example.

Blade: I don't think Blade knows about the Rangers of Blest--everyone sort of collectively agreed not to talk to him about it so he wouldn't ruin the fun lol--but he typically doesn't respond to strange little children running up to him, so he'd probably keep walking without responding or would just politely but curtly decline their request without really registering what they were requesting

Trouble: he'd be happy to sign the cards, and in fact would be grinning hugely and basking in his local celebrity status among the kids!

Tallys: she might sign the first one or two, but afterwards she'd simply politely deflect, like "I'm too busy right now, but why don't you ask Trouble?" She's too busy to encourage kids (or otherwise) to bug her over something like that!

Shery: she'd be very flattered and surprised that anyone would ask her to sign! of course, she'd be happy to, even though she doesn't do much!! (this is her saying that, of course) So she'd be a bit shy and self-humbling, but quite happy to oblige!

Riel: no. (he doesn't sign ANYTHING unless it's a contract, lol!)

Chase: "aw, sure, kid--but only because I'm your favorite Shepherd, right?" So he'd play along with it, but his signature is usually that weird cat doodle that he does, so they might be surprised at the scrawl on their card!

Red: I think he'd laugh and be amused by it at first and would oblige the first few times, but he'd stop after realizing that doing so just encouraged more people to approach him over time, and he doesn't have time for that! So every time after, he'd decline with a slightly silly excuse, like "sorry, got to save this hand for casting magic!" or "my hand cramped after writing so much, the doctor says I have to take a break!" But the excuses are so intentionally obvious that it's really just a polite way of saying no

Ayla: she'd tsk and sign the cards impatiently, acting like it was a big favor for her to do so... but she'd still sign each and every one 😆

Briony: she'd happily sign, but then quickly find that she was overwhelmed with requests but in too deep to back out now, otherwise she'd feel like it was unfair to the people who approached her later than the first ones... so she'd essentially trap herself into being mobbed forever!

Lavinet: she's used to being treated like a celebrity, so this wouldn't be exactly new for her... ☺️ She'd probably demur and say no to autographs, though, it's a bit gauche for someone of her status!

How would Caine be as a teenager? Would he sneak out to drink while underage, cause mischief and ,y'know, just be a teenager. Would MC be the one to act the parent and scold/ground him?

Would caine ever enter an emo phase

Answering these two questions as one! ☝🏼 Honestly, I think the extent of Caine's rebellious phase is the stage he's in now, as a preteen! While pretty obedient towards authority figures he admires, he does have a mind of his own (as evidenced by how he disregarded Ebert) and, among his friends, he is entering or is in the midst of a mischievous hooligan era, where he fancies himself the ringleader of a small band of troublemakers. Their activities are mostly benign, but they do certainly disregard the rules of other parents/authority figures, and he can be a little bit of a shit and quite sassy to other kids--and a real terror to his enemies. MC just doesn't really get to see much of this side of him because most of the time when they interact, he's in work mode! But when left to his own devices, he's quite headstrong, a bit of a smartmouth and smart aleck, and has been known to flout the rules. Think cackling little pie-nabbers with a missing tooth, that kind of thing. Other parents around the neighborhood aren't nearly so fond of him as the Shepherds are, but that's because none of the Shepherds are 100% aware of what he's up to outside of the compound, lol!

When he's older, I think he's going to go straight into becoming a really sensible, upright, responsible teenager who seems much wiser and more competent than most others of his age. He won't really be sullen, irresponsible, truant, or snippy the way we imagine modern teenagers to be: he's going to be a very sensible, thoughtful, mature, and sensitive teen, who will probably look back on his wilder behavior of a few years back with some chagrin.

(And even if he didn't turn out that way, I don't think I'd feel comfortable with MC being the one to scold or ground him, unless it was on a professional/working basis and as a higher-ranking officer, not as his parent. In my mind, MC is not his parent or guardian, adopted or otherwise, or even really his official employer. I think of them as a young adult with a young friend who are bonded together because of what they've gone through, and they love each other and look out for each other, but I don't think it would be MC's place to "discipline" him by telling him to go to his room or taking away his privileges. They're not living together in the same household, MC doesn't have any formal rights or power over him, and it would sort of be a strange thing to do, even to other Shepherds--like if Blade "grounded" an apprentice for shirking his duties. It's one thing if MC were to go, 'I don't think I'm going to continue our training sessions together until you can learn to be responsible with the weapon I'm giving you,' or 'Hey, Caine, someone approached me and told me you'd painted on their wall, you know why you can't do that, right?' and another thing entirely for Caine to talk back to them in a snotty way and MC to respond with, 'That's it, I don't like your tone, mister, go to your room and I'm taking away your toys (or whatever teen accoutrements you have) until you're sorry!' It would drastically change the dynamic between them, and I don't think Caine himself would be very happy about it. He has a mother, he wasn't looking for a new one when he started trailing after MC, and he's technically a working person with his own wages in the eyes of society, so it'd be a bit strange if a non-familial adult suddenly started disciplining him out of nowhere. So I think that dynamic wouldn't really translate, even if he did end up being a surly teenager!)

I think the trouble will come whenever he gets his heart broken for the first time. I think Caine's going to be something of a "late bloomer" (relatively speaking) in the romance department, probably only noticing that other people are attractive to him until like 19-22. I think that's the period that will come closest to his "emo phase," because once he does tentatively maneuver himself into a romantic situation and then get his heart broken, I can see him being really mopey and dramatic about it. If Caine can invest this much emotional energy into hero-worshipping MC, he's certainly going to be very unguarded with his heart in romance, and then he's going to be really droopy and sulky and "woe is me, what's the point of anything" sighing and maudlin about everything in typical teenager fashion around that time. That's how I imagine his emo phase going, and it'll probably take him almost a year to recover from it! 😂

What does the average Haven-ers everyday apparel look like? I keep imagining stereotypical medieval brown tunics and overdresses.

I'm not sure if you've seen these, but I posted about the typical fashions of each main race here, and the #fashion tag also has a wealth of information about things like headwear, jewelry, everyday clothes, and etc.; and there's also the Fashions of Blest pinterest board, though this is largely for formal wear! I don't think you're super far off when imagining stereotypical fantasy RPG outfits, but there's also a much more eclectic and diverse mix depending on if you're looking at a Ket versus an Elf versus a Norm! Even merchants of Riel's status dress very differently from someone like an Arta (Hal's mother) or a Nessa (the barmaid at Trouble's favorite bar), so it's hard to pin down the average Havenite and it goes more by class and race. One thing to note is that it's just as common to see commoner women in pants, trousers, and suits as it is in dresses, though they dress more conservatively/traditionally the more North you go! But yeah, I'd definitely recommend taking a peek at the fashion tag especially to get some ideas!

Some visual examples:

Commoner/unskilled laborer class

Middle-class/merchant/vendor/artisan class

Sellsword/mercenary class

Wealthy merchant/lower noble class

True noble class

https://www.pinterest.com/loldemort7/fashions-of-blest/ 

This maybe a little mundane but for the love letter in Stone Wall Park who was it meant for? Who was it from?

You guys do such a good job of keeping me on my toes, lol, because I had to go looking for what this was! I didn't really intend for this to be about anyone connected to the Shepherds: in my mind, it was left for a noblewoman by a forbidden lover. They have all sorts of secret caches specifically for leaving each other these illicit little notes!

Spoilers

How did the the ch7 RO's, and hypothetically if the other RO's were there, feel about when the MC asked if everything they did was predestined and if they had free will. Is that something some of the RO's would start to question themselves? If the budding relationship they have with the MC wasn't of thier own free will. Are there some who automatically believe that whatever is going on between them is something they chose themselves that it isn't predestined?  (I'm sorry if it's confusing I was trying to find the best way to word it)

Hi there, interesting question! To be honest, I don't think the ROs who think of it that way worry that whatever they have with MC isn't a result of their free will. (Did I butcher that grammar? What I mean to say is, the issue isn't exactly that they question their romance and MC's free will/predestination.) The gods/One-God make it kind of clear that MC's free will is the problem. They keep exercising it in the wrong ways, making the wrong choices, hence the need to keep resetting the timelines in the first place. If everything was predetermined to that level, there wouldn't really be a problem in the first place, right--it would all go exactly according to the Powers Above's plans, but it's clearly not, so things must not be that set in stone.

So it's not as if they think that there's a possibility that falling in love with MC wasn't of their own choice (it may have crossed the minds of certain characters, like Riel, Red, or Tallys, but it's not really a looming issue, just one of many things they were thinking about at the time).

The bigger problem is wondering if the MC in other/previous timelines fell in love with someone else. Because that seems inevitable, right? They wonder if MC and them came across each other in every timeline, or fell in love with each other in every timeline they did happen to cross paths, or if in other timelines, MC was actually with someone else entirely, be it another Shepherd or some stranger who doesn't exist now or whatever. But then they wonder if it even matters, or if the entire question is a moot point, because the MC who could have fallen in love with someone else wasn't their MC to begin with: that MC could have been a cowardly thief from Sacor or a wrathful mercenary from Conte, or that version of themselves could have been entirely different, too, so does it really matter whether or not "that" MC loved them or vice-versa when all they have is this life to go off of?

That's generally where the whole question settles itself: there's a lot of pondering and some fretting and pacing back and forth trying to process it, but ultimately it boils down to pure theoretical "there's no way of ever knowing any of this so why worry about it," and obviously supporting MC and being there for them takes priority, so ultimately most people who even take up this line of questioning just let it go because it doesn't really matter or affect anything anyway. Even if their feelings/relationship were predestined or fated, they're still real--the things they feel for MC are still just as powerful and immediate and tangible--so whether it was of their own free will or not, it felt like their own free will, and they still love MC at the end of the day, and that's all that really matters.

I think the prevailing thought or anxiety is that if MC/the Shepherds fail at this whole thing (demon problem and all), the timeline is going to get "reset" again and then there's a chance that all of this comes to an end and the next timeline is completely different, which is something that MC themselves is trying not to examine too hard because the pressure would probably kill them. But I think a lot of the Shepherds who think of that sort of translate the panic and existential dread at the thought into a resolve to support MC and not them fail so that it never comes to that... They're really good at dealing with fear/anxiety and then sublimating it into "well we're just not going to let that happen!" sheer resolve, courage, and renewed determination and chutzpah!

To be more specific:

Blade: he didn't ever really consider the whole free will vs. destiny angle; he's not even entirely sure he believes anything the Voice is saying, has never had much truck with deities to begin with, is extremely unpious, and if there's nothing actionable to be done about a line of thought, he dispenses with philosophizing and just kind of doesn't think about it and focuses on the immediate business at hand

Trouble: he just wants MC to be okay, he's not thinking about himself at all lol

Tallys: she's one of the ones who kind of got sent into a spiral when she heard about all of this (waiting at MC's side for several days really gives one time to think), but by the time MC woke up, her uncertainty had crystallized into resolve, like she'd thought very carefully about every angle and concluded that the only thing she really cared about was being there for MC

Shery: the thought of free will vs. predestination did occur to her, but it didn't really matter to her either way: if indeed MC and her were "fated" by the Voice (I'm just going to call it that to avoid the whole gods/One-God thing) to meet or even fall in love, she finds the idea sort of romantic and validating, like something about their relationship must be worthwhile if the Voice preordained it or thought it had anything to do with the fate of the world

Riel: he viciously dissected all of this in the days that MC was unconscious as a thought experiment, but he is also skeptical about what the Voice said, so he's decided not to spend any more energy dwelling on it when it ultimately has no real effect on their lives or feelings, it's all just contextual framing and what narrative you choose to believe anyway

Chase: respectfully, he loathes the idea of anything to do with fate, divine control, destiny, or anything of the sort and thinks anything in that vein of thought is a load of horseshit, so he didn't spare any of it a second thought

Red: he definitely pondered on this, but pretty much arrived to the conclusions I outlined above!

Ayla: there was a moment where she had a brief feeling of doubt, like 'well clearly if the Voice has a plan for MC, I don't think I would factor into that... so maybe we're not supposed to be together...' followed by a sustained period of rage and anti-authoritarian defiance, where she basically concluded 'fuck the gods!!! i do what i want!!!' and resolved not to care a whit about any of their plans for a second longer

Briony: the issue of free will never really occurred to her, she was just worried about MC and how they would be taking this news and how much pressure it would add to them... she wants to find a way to help share the burden that's been placed on them and hasn't really thought about anything beyond that, her primary concern is MC and how they're processing everything! It's sort of removed from her emotionally, the news doesn't affect her, it's how it affects them

Lavinet: I think the question on if MC was with or was supposed to be with someone else in a different world bothered her more than the idea of being nudged by the divine powers to be together, which she thinks is very unlikely, but because she hasn't had much time to get to know MC yet, this wasn't something that bothered her for more than a few days

Hi Lena! After chapter 7, is there any coming back from being possessed? Or are we locked into a specific ending or set of endings?

Hi anon, currently I think a possessed MC is locked into being possessed and there's no coming back from that fatal error, even if no one (including themselves) realizes it yet. So yes, there's a separate set of endings for an MC who's possessed and you are locked into one of those, though you're not necessarily doomed to complete failure, if that makes any sense! In other words, the game isn't necessarily "over" for MC and it doesn't mean an auto-win for the demons, and there may not need to be cause for another "reset" yet: things can still play out in a worthwhile manner, so anyone who's possessed shouldn't necessary consider themselves completely doomed!

so spoilers. But hypothetical if chase after he torpedos his and Mcs "relationship" trys to repair it or something how would he react if mc  was just like F you and didn't want anything more to do with him.

I think Chase would accept MC's feelings and boundaries and back off, sort of accepting that it's the natural consequences of his own choices and mistakes, and he'd hope they could at least go back to being friends after a respectful cooldown period on MC's part, or they could at least maintain a civil cordiality if not the same closeness they'd shared once before. And on the surface he'd go right back to treating them as he had when he first joined up and they were just starting to get to know each other, friendly but sort of at a distance, and to most people it'd seem like nothing had ever happened between them at all. But deep down, I think he'd forever be haunted by that grave misstep and kicking himself over it for the rest of his life, and he'd probably turn to sleeping around a lot and slightly more self-destructive behaviors. Nothing crazy, but maybe he'd indulge in drink a bit more than he used to (which was never) and just have a string of really meaningless relationships in a clear attempt to both punish and distract himself, and ultimately he'd probably end up extricating himself from the whole situation and leaving town in an effort to get away from that big wound he still feels about it, trying to leave all the regret and self-hate and starting somewhere new like Sacor or Conte!

Hi Lena! This isn't the first time I've darkened your door, I'm new best friend/ball outfit/*experience* anon, but it is my first author answers ask! I have read all the Q&As I could find and don't believe this is a repeat, but forgive me if it is. I was wondering if you were planning to make an option for ExRed!MC to say that they were just as serious as/in love with Red back in school, but thought that they were just his next fling and wanted to cut it off before they could get hurt. I like there being history between them, but I'm not too into unrequited love, it hurts lol.

Hi anon, thanks for your question and welcome to the Q&A side of the asks! I don't think I'll be making it an option for MC to say they deliberately ended things with Red early because they didn't want to get hurt: in my mind, they let things end because they assumed that was what he wanted, because he sort of failed in communicating that they were different and special from his previous relationships (which were all casual) and MC also sort of preemptively assumed otherwise instead of actually trying to find out in clear terms. So it was more of a youthful mistake on both of their parts, and MC will be surprised to find out that he actually felt differently, and he'll be surprised to find out that they weren't aware of how in love with them he was, because he'd thought it was obvious! I confess I'm not too sure what you mean by unrequited love--I don't view either of them as really having unrequited love for each other, just bad timing and awkward beating around the bush for young adults/teenagers! 😅

NSFW

sfw alphabet for briony? 👀

I'm assuming you mean her NSFW alphabet: it was already answered here!

NSFW incoming! For the ROs, do they like thigh riding? Like if they're making out with the MC and it starts to get intense and MC starts riding their thigh, do they like that?

I suppose my first response was, "Of course, who wouldn't?" so I guess I'll stick with that, lol! It's not something that they specifically crave or crosses their mind as "I wish MC would start riding my thigh," like as a kink, but it's not something any of them would dislike, either! It'd sort of just be another natural part of foreplay/things heating up--an attraction along the way rather than the destination! I guess Lavinet or Shery would feel a bit awkward about it, but other than that, I don't think it really occupies anyone's mind specifically!

NSFW: RO’s reaction to the MC riling them up and then leaving them to suffer due to being called away?

It depends on how long they're called away for! XD I'm going to assume it's for more than a day?

Blade: he'd be too flustered to protest much during MC's abrupt exit, sulk a little bit once MC was gone, spend some time cooling off and calming himself down, and then go about his business fairly normally, but with plans to exact righteous vengeance as soon as MC is back >:(((

Trouble: he'd laugh weakly like "...haha... of course..." and then as soon as MC left the room he'd scream into his pillow and roll around the bed thrashing in pure sexual frustration

Tallys: she'd stare blankly at MC like 'you're leaving?? now???' but without actually saying it out loud... depending on how long MC was going to be gone she'd either force herself to send them off with a smile and then take care of the problem herself (if they're going to be gone for a long time), or loose a painstaking sigh and say in a resigned way, "go ahead, duty calls..." and promise to be patient until they come back

Shery: she'd be startled and extremely flustered, but she'd do her best to be patient and would assure MC it's okay! she can wait!! and then she'd spend all day bumping into things in a distracted daze

Riel: he never lets stuff get in the way of business, so he'd just sigh and say in a very imperious voice, "We'll resume this later." It's both a promise and half a threat

Chase: on the surface, he'd be very generous and magnanimous, full of grand largesse, like "go, go, I can wait!" Like it's no skin off his back, all casual and nonchalant, it's no big deal! But inside he's plotting wickedly. After MC comes back, he's going to act all relieved and seductive and charming, like "finally, I've got you all to myself...", rile them up twice as bad as they did to him, and then leave due to an interruption 😅 sometimes his pride outweighs his horniness

Red: I think on the surface, he'd sigh with a patient smile and say "Go on" and nod encouragingly in a very amiable, mature, understanding way, but inside he'd probably be screaming internally like Trouble or just

completely dismayed

Ayla: she's not letting MC go until they're done LOL she just starts tearing off MC's clothes like "GO FASTER" like it's a race

Briony: I actually think she'd let out an audible wail of protest, like whoever's knocking at the door to fetch MC just hears Briony going "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO" in a muffled wail from inside... depending on how worked up she is, she might actually cry from sexual frustration... but she'll let them go if they promise to make it up to her 🥹

Lavinet: she'd give MC a cool little smile, like "go ahead, duty calls, I can wait," but it's a TEST and a LIE, if MC leaves her in that state she's going to be a little huffy about it, like if MC returns and is like "so do you want to continue what we were doing before?" she'd be like "oh were we doing something before? it didn't seem to be all that important... 😒" because she'd feel that MC riled her up and then left on purpose! It'd be easy to seduce her out of it, though!