QnA for May (spoiler version) (Patreon)

Sorry for the delay, real life is intense as always. 

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How old are Nocturne and HG? 

Haven't finalized it yet. HG late forties, Nocturne mid thirties.

Do Nocturne, HG, and Jake have any thoughts on the different villain careers Sidestep can have? Like which career they find most or least interesting or useful? 

All of them think that the Mob Boss is the most dangerous one. Rivals are a threat unless they can be brought into the fold.

Hero hunters can be useful, they all agree on that. Jake is a bit envious. Looks fun.

Thieves are very basic villains, live and let live. Jake looks down on them.

Anarchists are a big divider. Nocturne finds them very dangerous and risky, HG is bemused, and Jake is not interested in politics.

Given how their past encounters played out, what was going through Ortega head while Jakestep started to give them a run for their money?

Huh. This feels familiar.

How did HG enter into the criminal underworld? Did they start off as henchmen or did they already have their powers they could use to get ahead faster? When did they start making plans to become the kingpin in Los Diablos? 

Their father was already in the criminal business, and HG and their siblings went into it as soon as they were able to. It wasn't until they started to realize what their powers were (after their father's death) that they started thinking big.

What kind of person was HG's mother? Was she aware HG had taken the boost drug? 

She was driven and ambitious, and she was not aware before (she would have shot it down), but was told afterwards. She and HG had a good relationship up to her death. Family first.

Depending on the relationship between Sidestep and Argent, Argent can potentially meet up with Sidestep in a Sidestep Hoodie and a message in mind. What message was Argent trying to convey?

Oh it was absolutely a dig at who Sidestep used to be. Just a little teasing between friends who likes to kiss.

How would Hollow Ground's operation change if instead of a Mental Manipulation power they actually were a boost with geokinesis on a scale they claim?

Would have collapsed ten years ago.

Do Nocturne, Jake, or HG have any particular regrets?

Nocturne doesn't do regrets.

Jake kind of wishes he hadn't pissed off his former boss, it might have been nice to go home now and then.

Hollow Ground has a lot of regrets, the chief one is not protecting their family enough.

My friend while playing the alpha for book 2 said that it’s possible for Sidestep to notice HG’s telepathic powers. I was just wondering what mechanic is this based on? Does HG always use their power on you, and thus noticing is a matter of skill, or is their usage dependent upon how your villain persona has behaved?

Sidestep needs to be skilled enough in telepathic manipulation to notice something. HG won't always use their power on them though, it all depends on how Sidestep acts.

Does a suspicious Ortega actually mean it when they say they'd do anything they can to save Sidestep even when Step already caused a massacre at that time?

Yes. 100%. Sidestep and Ortega might disagree on the definition of 'saving' though.

Have Nocturne and HG ever thought about telling the whole truth to Jake or no? 

Oh yes. Pretty much every week. HG would have done it already, but Nocturne is more cautious. Wants to find the right time.

How satisfied is Deadeye still with HG or her place in the organization after losing her former position? What mistake did she do that made her lose her position and be replaced? What's her job in the organization now? 

She's still highly placed, but she is very aware that she's been demoted. She's not happy about it. Her job description would be security/assassin. HG didn't like certain initiatives she was taking, and the way she tried to make decisions without asking first.

What was Jake's reaction when he heard he would be taking over Deadeye's former position? 

Went out and celebrated, this was one hell of a promotion! He had worked hard for it.

How do Jake, HG, and Nocturne like to spend their birthdays? 

HG and Nocturne is not much in the birthday business, just private celebrations. Jake gets his crew out to party all night.

How did HG react to their siblings deaths? 

Grief. Massive. They loved their siblings.

Does Jake live alone or with someone? Also since he seems to be the social butterfly of the group, does he live more in the central part of the city than Nocturne and HG or does he also live more remote part of the city? 

Jake lives alone, he has a big flat centrally in Los Diablos. The other two occasionally stays over.

What are the chances Sidestep can try and manipulate HG in the future? 

It will be an interesting game of cat and also cat, that's for sure.

If Sidestep saw the memory in HG's mind, how much can it affect Sidestep's opinion or thoughts on HG? Is there maybe going to be an option to choose how it affects Sidestep? 

We will get into that in book three.

What’s some (spoiler free) things you can tell us about  Ace before they...died

Ace was a rather solitary and not very nice person. Life was pretty shitty to them, you don't boost yourself if you're happy with your lot in life. Very much used to avoiding trouble rather than trying to solve things, especially in personal relationships. Restless. Prone to moving on instead of working things out.

How does the MC feel about the public's willful ignorance and detachment towards the treatment of Re-gene's?

It depends, we will probably get into that later and you'll have a few choices.

Since Vernon is aware that the MC can control the media, I'm also assuming that the "Conspiracy nonsense" that he told Ortega at the funeral has some merit?

You can assume your assumptions are correct.

If the goal is to create Re-Genes who are docile and unquestioningly loyal then why does the Special Directive project manager lady still consider Sidestep to be her 'prize project''? Going off that it seems she'd consider them a failure on her end.

Sure would seem so, right? Makes one wonder what her plans for Sidestep are...

hey yeah actually does HG know you've swapped bodies if you get threaded? is their threading more like a conscious effort, something they're aware of?

It is very doubtful that HG knows. It is a conscious effort, but not to that extent.