QnA March! (Patreon)

Alright, I am back from France, everything went fine, and I've spent the day answer questions. Hopefully I can get back on track now and actually get things done! Thank you so much for your well wishes!

----

Can sidestep grow protective of HG if they consider them family?

Of course. That will be one of the paths on the game.

How do re-genes deal with loosing someone close to them? How do they deal with someone close to them getting rebooted?

Death is the toughest part. You're not allowed to grieve outright, since that means you've grown too much feelings and might be in danger yourself. So there's no official ceremonies or rites. Instead, the Re-Genes grieve in their own way, by incorporating parts of the fallen comrade in their own behavior. It might be things like adding parts of the fallen Re-Gene's name to their own, and I am not talking about the Farm code names for them. I am talking about the personal names the Re-Genes have chosen, which is a combination of their finger/knocking language which I talked about in an earlier Faq. So they might add parts of that one to their own. Sometimes fallen Re-Genes who have truly influenced people might give birth to phrases that stay in their language, detailing either their death or something they were known for while alive. A bit like famous quotes, but names remembered.

When someone gets wiped/rebooted, it's harder. The Re-Genes knows what has happened, and that it can happen to them at any point. As such, they go out their way to be kind to them, and if they are lucky enough to get a similar placement, old friends to their best to ease the new one into the community without anybody noticing. It is not unknown for rebooted Re-Genes to regain parts of their memory down the line if prompted, especially lately. Some Re-Genes say that the wipe used to be more complete, or perhaps it is just that they are getting better at figuring how to retrieve what had been lost.

Depending on the circumstances/relationship can Sidestep tease or mock HG and Nocturne for not revealing the truth to the Jake of being red-threaded?

Oh I bet. That won't be a pleasant conversation for anybody involved, and Sidestep can certainly add to the pain there.

How did HG's mother react to the younger sibling's arrest and death?

She was devastated, the sibling was her little baby, born quite later than the others. Her husband died not long after, so the Sibling would have filled that hole a lot.

Why was HG secretive of their powers even with their family?

For a long time it was simply because HG didn't understand them. It's not something that's easy to figure out, but once they did, they thought that secrecy was best. Even if HG loved their family, it was too easy to imagine how every act of theirs would now be suspect if anybody knew the truth. Secrecy was better.

So HG is a high ruthless person so I'm wondering can they be impressed/disturbed by even more ruthless Sidestep?

Oh yes. The gives-no-fucks contrarian/ruthless/murdering Sidestep can get quite high HG-rep.

Will Jake ever get to see his family again?

I don't know.

If the younger sibling had survived would they had helped with the crime family business or would they have wanted to be independent? How would have HG reacted if they wanted to strike out on their own?

It is purely speculative, and I think it would have varied between Siblings. As it was, when they died they wanted to be a part of the family business, but they also had issues with authority and wanting to do things their way. It could have gone either way as they went into their late teens. HG would have allowed a little rebellion, but becoming a threat? Hmmm... that would have to be fixed.

How would Regina react to High Ruthless Sidestep? Can we make her truly fearful of sidestep?

Oh yes. Right now she feels like she would have an edge on Sidestep when they meet again (for various secret reasons), but when/if she realizes exactly what Sidestep has become, she would be terrified of some of them. But, once again, it would vary on playthrough.

How would Sidestep mindscape looked like before HB and after? '

That is up to headcanon since Sidesteps are so different from each other. But I would say that after HB, whatever landscape was there before would be cracked and broken, filled with holes and corridors, like someone smashing a mirror that kept reflecting nightmares back.

Can Sidestep grow aware of being Red-threaded? Depending on their bond with HG how much can sidestep's feeling vary?

Yes, Sidestep can pick things up after a while if they are clever and are put in situations that would strain the bond. Sidestep has a very fractured mind that is hard to thread for an extended period of time.

I'm not sure yet, but I think the bond can vary between found family, and mortal enemy.

Did Sidestep call other re-genes their sibling after escaping or is that something they learned during their cuckoo days?

The concept of siblings is something they learned during their cuckoo days in order to fit better into human society. It was natural to think of their batchmates that way, but how wide that term will go can vary. Some Sidesteps might see every Re-Gene as that, while others might have reserved that for the ones from the same batch, who is long gone by now.

Is it possible to see HG mindscape in book 3?

Yes, things like that are not dependent on having done it in book two.

do you have any though what were HG younger sibling's last coherent thoughts?

No idea.

Malin have you watched/read Naoki Urasawa's Monster series? If not I recommend to watch it!

I have not, but I will check it out!

In Rebirth during the acquistion of rat king MC thinks they would have preferred to let the rangers deal with Psychopathor instead of the special directive if they hadn't pulled the shenanigans with Argent. So let's imagine an AU where MC decides to get the rat king before nanovore and calls the rangers about psychopather. What would happen? Considering it would probably be an all hands on deck mission all the ranger would have attended? Would MC be spotted or identified by one of the rangers?

The Rangers would have been able to take down Psychopathor. Chen would have made the call to have Argent frontline that with his support. Ortega and Herald would have been told to deal with the Wolf Pack, which would have annoyed Ortega a LOT. Argent would have thought it would be easy, but it would have been surprisingly hard since the Rat King would have really messed up her technopathy and able to read the armor. So she would have made the decision to cut away the plasma rifle early, giving Sidestep the same opportunity.

Sidestep would have been the most worried about Ortega spotting them since the unreadable mind is annoying, but Ortega would have been too focused on taking care of the Wolfpack early to get the final blow on Psychopathor once Argent had breached the armor. The one who would have possibly spotted Sidestep would be Herald, which would lead to some juicy clues in that direction.

What happened to psychopther after he was caught by the special directive?

Spoilers. You will learn.

Not sure if this question is too spoilery: what's going to be in the Rebirth update?

A ton of minor bug/language fixes, some expansions on character creation options, some small extensions/choices in certain scenes and hopefully a similar save system.

Any book/comic/manga you had as an inspiration for this story, when you first started writing fallen hero?

Yes, my partner's superhero comic script. Still unpublished (and needs a rewrite)

Was it ever shared how exactly Chen landed on Ortega’s list of people they’ve punched for Sidestep?

No, but there could be many options, and might happen again in the future.

Would you ever consider writing any more dark/bad ending snippets like the one you did with Herald on your Tumblr?

Not at the moment, I will be too busy writing the new game!

Will there be more mentions of the piercings Sidestep can have in the story? Specifically the tongue piercing- I only recall Ortega saying how much they like it after kissing in the headquarters

Yeah, I'll try to work that in, but it's really hard to do without it feeling very forced.

Do you have a detailed description of each of the Rangers’ uniforms?

Nope, none at all! Just like appearances, it's vague.

Charge is blue and white, with a lightning bolt motif. Steel's armor is bluegrey, the color scene varies with the armor. Argent is pale/pastel/powder blue with bare arms and legs. Herald is indigo blue. And that's it.

Is Sidestep aware that they have the potential to be Heartbreak

I am sure some Sidesteps do, and others repress that knowledge. And some are not on the road to that yet, but are keeping their mental abilities on a safer level.

I love the Rat King; do they each have their own names/do they even want that? Are there individual personalities? What's their favorite thing about Sidestep? Do they have opinions on other characters? Did they have bodies before? How old are they?

They don't have names as we see it, but they have identities and personalities. Once Sidestep starts untangling the various strands in the thought-bubble that is the Rat King, they might want to add names. But that could also be dangerous, since that would threaten the cohesion, which is why it is easier to see them as a whole. Otherwise, madness. But each individual mind has a separate role in the Rat King composite, there is one mind that is more curious and does the scouting bits, one that is more caring and reads emotions and interacts, one that is more aggressive and physical, one that's more protective and one that's cautious and keeps an eye out. It is a bit like how our brain lobes are specialized on different things.

They did have bodies, but very very briefly. They became joined before their eyes opened, and the boost process gave them the senses they recognize as theirs. In a way, the armor is the closest thing to a real body they have. They are older than you'd think, the brains have outlived the normal lifespan of a rat several times over.

One of the things I love most about interactive media is how choices that don't "do" anything—that don't change the story, your stats, or even much flavor text—can be some of the most memorable parts of the experience. Fallen Hero includes a fair deal of this kind of mechanically-neutral interactivity; for instance, the choice of how to greet the Rat King changes a grand total of one (1) sentence, but it's very important to me that we get that choice! Are there any choices like this that you're particularly fond of or think were important to include? Have you ever been surprised by how much readers cared about a seemingly "unimportant" choice?

I think I see things the other way around. I don't see the mechanics as the center, I see the story. And thus, a choice that changes very little and no stats, can be equally important for the story as a choice that adds stats or sets flags. For me, the big difference between them is whether they need to be REMEMBERED by the game or not. Like in the Rat King choice you mentioned, it's not something that needs to be remembered and called back to later in the book. However, it will be remembered in the reader's brain, and set an emotional beat for the rest of the scene.

The reason for ALL the stats, flags and mechanics in the book is to enable me to tailor the story as closely as I can to very variable Sidesteps. There's no building element of making a great character to pass challenges, failure and tragedy is an equally valid story as success and victory. It's just a different one, and the stats are there to find out which story you are making.

No, wait, I lied. There is one other reason for the stats, and that is to surprise you. To make the story feel reactive, like there's life under the hood, and that people do things when you are not looking. Some are pure story stats, like pcv, while others are dual ones.

I can't remember any favorites on the top of my head, but a lot of those are buried in dialogue. I have to admit I was surprised that people noticed and cared, and that was one of the reason why Retribution became so sprawling. Nothing like having people to notice and care about your work for me to want to work even harder.

I was really tickled to discover that the game acknowledges if your character turns out to have the same name as Herald! Did you have any plans to do the same in other characters' introductions/name reveals (e.g., if the MC is named Ximena/Jimena), or is that just not realistic to implement?

Danny was a common enough name that it made sense, but I didn't go around to do it for every single name. Maybe I should have.

Can boosts donate blood? That seems like it *should* be disqualifying, but maybe things are different in the wild west?

Nope, they are not allowed to donate. Though there are Boosts that sell their blood, their is a lucrative market for boosted blood to be used by people who feels that might be a safer way to maybe get powers.

It seems like Hollow Ground always says their "request" out loud when threading someone. If this isn't a spoiler, do their powers depend on the target hearing and understanding the suggestion? (i.e., would it be a problem if they couldn't hear or misunderstood HG's words?) Or is it just HG's intentions that matter?

The words matter, and the target does indeed need to hear and understand the words spoken. It is the words, not the intention that is the trigger.

This is a very silly question, but… what would Hollow Ground have done if the MC chose an outfit with, say, opera gloves? Sighed and revised their dress code instructions for next time? Arranged for the gloves to meet with an unfortunate spilled drink accident on the way in? Found an excuse to touch their guest's face in a totally non-weird manner?

Probably the latter. HG is not worried about leaving a weird or even creepy expression. The threading will take care of that.

Any chance our hero (er, villain) will have occasion to visit a zoo at some point? Or is that basically sensory overload for a telepath?

That might be a bit of a sensory overload. But I think there are not any big zoo's left in Los Diablos, more private collections of rarities by companies or individuals. There is a big aquarium though, and a visit there is planned.

Does Sidestep have issues eating? I imagine the farm didn't teach the re-genes skills like that if not avoiding it all together and having some sort of supplement instead. Would something like that have been noticed since Ortega loves to take them to eat/Elena loves to cook for them?

That is entirely up to the Sidestep. But, Re-Genes are raised on regular if rather bland food, so it wouldn't be a strange experience when leaving the Farm. All the snack foods and alcohol was new though, the concept of candy was a revelation for some.

Would the RO's insist on patching up Step not that they know he's a re-gene? How would it go over if they still refused?

That is something that will happen in game, and like with most things it will be up to choice. Some Sidesteps might get over their bare skin rather quickly when people know their secrets, while others might still have the same hangups.

I believe it was mentioned in a pervious Q&A about the oldest known re-gene/life expectance and that they wouldn't look their age. I perceived that to mean that they would look younger although maybe not FAR younger. If Step at the given age of 30 looked shockingly good given the time passing would Ortega or Chen have made note of it?

I meant it as a comment on the fact that they are decanted as teens. So they are always going to look 12-15 years younger than they day they were "born". After that, they age naturally.

Would Sidestep have ever falsified some sort of family memory/backstory if asked in conversation in the early days, just something on the fly to curb suspicions?

That is up to headcanon. Sidestep could gave made up different things each time, just stonewalled, or had a carefully constructed fake alias. That is entirely up to the Sidestep. Maybe there will be a choice to set that in game.

Did Ortega, Chen or Themmy ever witness Step getting out of hand when they were helping on a mission/caught out doing their own vigilante shit? Like just taking a beating a tad too far or almost using a lethal weapon because 'oh shit he dropped his gun- that could end things quick,' type thing?

I can see that for some Sidesteps, especially the ones that have had physical training. But on the other hand, some Sidesteps might have been extremely careful with people's lives and seen them as more worth than their own. So once more, it will vary.

Is Step getting to see their old mug in Ortega's apartment coming for people who didn't do the Ortega Apartment Hangout but *are* on the no leg rights innocent staying in Ortega's apartment pathing?

Oh yes. Like many of the one-shot things in Retribution, they can be discovered at later points in other paths.

Depending on the puppets training in boxing or aikido, if step frequented the places and is obviously no noob, is it possible Ortega noticed them and was watching the puppet for god knows how long, perhaps out of curiosity and like 'Wow that normal guy/gal is really...would maybe a little scary facing off against someone else..' Lowkey I can see Sidestep garnering a lot of fleeting attention at the gym aside from the puppets attractiveness.

Oh yes. That is one of the reasons that Ortega decided that the puppet might be more than they seem (apart from the Joes visits and rumors). Someone fighting that well, but with a style that was not clean/sporty, but very much tinged with experience in real fighting.

Ortega- putting those fingers in his mouth AGAIN. Does this man have an oral fixation or is he just trying to catch Step off-guard? (As if he has to try that hard)

Ortega does indeed love to put things in their, and in other's mouths. But let's be honest here, half of it is also trying to make Sidestep crack...

If Sidestep starts hanging out with or building a friendship/romantic relationship with the other Rangers besides Ortega how do they feel about the relationship development given how much effort it took Ortega to befriend Step?

Ortega wouldn't feel bad about it. The current Sidestep is very different from the skittish, near feral person that Ortega befriended back in the day. In fact, Ortega would probably feel a bit proud. Not that they'd ever say that, because that would be very condescending...

Given it’s possible to end Retri exposed as the villain or draw the attention of the Farm and there are a few instances where Sidestep muses that if things go sideways they could abandon their civilian life. Even though it’s unlikely the ROs will let Sidestep succeed would there be an option to attempt?

For revealed Sidesteps there definitely would be decisions to make, much like when you can choose to abandon the puppet apartment in one of the paths due to the risks involved in keeping it with the puppet becoming a suspect. To what extent the RO's will accept being ghosted will vary, especially depending on their reaction to Sidestep being the villain. Revelations will have a lot more content on the villain side, and it is possible some Sidesteps will try to break any contact that is not adversarial.

In endings where Step is exposed as the villain and told Argent at the auction with a high relationship she doesn’t confront you at the hospital. In this case what is her plan if Step has the regenerator?

Argent has plans... and you will learn about them in Revelations. If their relationship is not bad she has enough time to think about things and go about it the smart way. Confronting Sidestep at the hospital and scar them or worse was not smart and will put her in a bad position with the rest of the team.

If Ortega had told Chen their theory about Sidestep being related to HG in the past (or a version that implied Step had criminal family given Steel doesn’t believe in HG) would that have effected Chen’s suspicions of Step?

Yes, that would have filled in a lot of question marks for Chen, and he would probably have agreed with Ortega's assessment. However, he would still have been "wtf are you doing, this is not a safe person to have associated to the team" which would have led to a similar behavior towards Sidestep.

And given that Sidestep is not as good an actor in hiding their poor mental health and the HB scar acts as a facet of their trauma/mental health, how evident is high/low HB scar value to other characters?

I would say it is a lot more obvious to Ortega and Chen, who has a Sidestep from before to compare to. Daniel knows something is wrong with high scar Steps, but only has his own golden view of the past to compare to, so his assessment is off. Argent gets vibes, more or less rancid ones.

Why is heartbreak called heartbreak?? (both the incident and the person).

It was coined by the media, because the incident happened close to Valentine's day, and included many people taking their own lives. Bear in mind, the media often uses it as the "heartbreak attack" because the official version is that13 it was a terrorist plot that went out of hand. Only the Rangers and other people with clearance uses the term Heartbreak for the person behind it. In fact, the official term is "UBI-131402" (unknown boost incident 2013 02 14), Heartbreak is just easier to say.

How long was heartbreak's journey until they got to the building?

Long. From outside of California. It took a long time before their powers started overloading to the extent of affecting people that badly, so it's only as they approached that the effects became impossible to ignore.

Was heartbreak a human or a regene?

Human.

if word got out that hollow ground was a telepath, would the farm show interest/try to go after them?

Oh yes, 100%.

did the heartbreak experiment have anything to do with the core?

Yes. Not saying what though.

did heartbreak have anything to do with the void/green sky before the experiment??

Nope. None at all.

what was heartbreak's civilian life like? did they have a family?

Yes, they had a family, and a pretty nice life. Not going into details, because you might be able to find out more in Revelations.

did the farm perform the heartbreak experiment on sidestep??

Hehehehe. Not gonna answer that.

if sidestep stuck a post-it note drawing of a dick on ortega's conspiracy board how would they take it?

Probably be very amused, and incorporate it in the plots just to see what Sidestep says/does the next time they come around. Things like "a thread connecting the post-it-dick to Hollow Ground, with a smaller note saying 'HG's real identity?'"

was there something else in heartbreak’s mind during the heartbreak incident? another passenger?

That's a nice way of putting it.

did any of the rangers visit sidestep’s grave?? did any visit regularly???

Ortega visits a lot. Chen visited on occasion. Sentinel visited often at the start, but not lately. Ashfall visited until he moved to SF.

What does ratkingspoon mean?

In certain paths, you have the option of being suspicious of Chen's phonecall post crash, and bring the Rat King with you to meet with him. If you follow back to Chen's apartment, this means that the Rat King will meet and interact with Spoon. This is a tag for the future so I can see if they have met.

mortum mentions that being a mod is painful, is ortega or chen addicted to any pain medicine like they say?

Neither of them would say they are. With Chen, I can sort of agree. He does his best to keep the dose low, and for the bad days. He works hard on handling any strain and discomfort by detaching mods and getting around in his wheelchair while at home. He mostly uses medication after battles/injuries/more stressful actions than normal. If he retired, he feels he wouldn't need them more than any regular person with body issues that sometimes acts up.

Ortega on the other hand might be addicted. Unlike Chen, they can't really stop using their mods. No, that's not entirely true. It is possible for Ortega (especially in the past) to go into power save mode, and let their body relax from the strain. But since that would mean they'd need a wheelchair and acknowledgment of their own mortality, that was only done out of necessity and at a hospital. Ortega hated it, and would rather suffer through the discomfort. These days, with the internal plasma generator, the process of disconnecting is a lot more complex. The generator doesn't stop, so the power still needs to be siphoned off somewhere. There's no relaxation. So Ortega self-medicates in two ways. Using their body, experiencing physical discomfort and even pain feels better than rest, so Ortega tends to work themselves to the bone rather than taking a nap. However, flesh is flesh, and Ortega is getting older, and the temptation to dull the myriad aches and pains with medication is very strong. They would say they're not addicted, it's all doctor's prescriptions, but well... we all know that's not entirely true in how they are used.

what kind of branches exist within the special directive besides the farm??

I would see it as a triangle. On one corner is the Farm, the supply source, the science center, the brain. On the top is the Special Directive, the active hand, the outward force. On the last corner is the Directorate, which is very small and the part that interacts with the US government. It's usually not more than three people plus their staff. The Cuckoo project is a part of the Special Directive.

are psychics and telepaths the same thing?? what are their differences, if they have any????

I would call telepaths a sublass of Psychics. Psychics is a blanket term for boost powers that involves the mind, with few changes to the physical bodies. Telepaths narrow this down to reading/influencing the mind of another person.

Ace would be in the psychic class with their precognition, as would Argent with her technopathy. Someone with the power to influence dreams might be an edge case, they might be classified as a telepath depending on the details of their power use. Interestingly enough, there are also psychics who are not boosts, and who have existed before the boost drugs were discovered.

who bought the building after the heartbreak incident?

It was bought by a series of development companies, but none of them managed to do anything with the site. It currently lies in escrow, and there are no plans of further development until certain things have been cleared up.

when dr mortum mentions that the prototype regenerator is black tech for a reason, what kind of consequences are they talking about? consequences to the user?

Hehe. Oh you will learn all about that in game.

what was anathema's opinion on the catastrofiend??

A horrifying monster, and an illustration of what can go wrong if you follow certain drives to the end.

About argent, does her family have any boosting??? did she recieve any type of medical procedure before hand??? a transfusion or transplant??? was she already a technopath before her accident, or born a technopath???

Argent's family is very normal, no boosts there. She didn't have any special medical procedures done as child, just normal stuff like appendix removal. She had not noticed her technopath abilities until the nanosurge.

can the regenerator be used to grow back entire limbs? would chen want to use it?

It is unclear at present. You don't know the extent of the regenerator, other than it apparently can repair skin. Chen would be undecided. There is already the possibility with a lot of money to have organic transplants, but with things like hands or legs, there's no guarantee they'd work better than the mechanical ones, even though they would look more pleasing to the eye.

Can sunstream fly?

Yes, by surrounding herself with her powers. Faster than Danny, but a lot less maneuverable. It takes a lot out of her.

Would jake be able to access the same "dimensions" the void used?

What makes you sure he doesn't already?

How would Sidestep's nightmares affect their love interests individually if in close proximity to them?

That is something you will have to find out in game.

What kind of pet would the love interests be interested in taking care if they could?

Chen likes dogs, as we know. Ortega doesn't think they could be responsible for a pet, but loves horses. Danny would have a cat, but likes all animals. Argent won't have more pets, but if she could, it might be a really spoiled ferret. I think Mortum might be a rat person.

would spoon get nightmares if we stayed with chen??

No, dogs dream on a different wavelength.

ortega's mind is completely walled from telepathy, but walls can only go so high, if a telepath was powerful enough could they peak over that wall? or is it not a wall and its a genuine obscurity

A powerful telepath could break through, but navigating that shit is hard!

does mortum know anything about the heartbreak experiment?

Yes. Not much, but some parts.

Has sentinel ever done sniping jobs back when he was a ranger?

Now that's a question that might be hard to answer, he would certainly never admit to it.

does the shooting at the diner still happen if the puppet doesn't go? does ortega go alone?

Ortega goes alone, the event still happens.

does sentinel keep in touch with ortega and/or chen?

Yes, not on a daily basis, but they are still friends.

was sentinel ever aware of the farm's existence?

Hmmm. I don't think so.

what's sentinel's opinion on regenes? has he ever worked with them in the past?

Sentinel knows about Re-Genes, and sees the whole thing as supremely fucked up. He haven't worked closely with them, but he has seen them in action.

how about sentinel's opinion on hollow ground?

A myth by people who like to invent conspiracies to explain the world.

has sentinel been threaded by hollow ground?

Well... at least in the past, yes.

did sentinel keep his wingsuit after he retired, or did the government take it back?

Sentinel kept all his stuff, and he's got other things these days. He's still active when it comes to disaster relief and things like that, so he needs them.

where was sentinel when hood was killed?

Off on a mission.

where was sentinel when chen was shot? was he already retired by then?

Sentinel was in the last days of active duty then. He was off on a mission, and in the process of negotiating his retirement since new members were coming in.

Is it possible to have a—positive is a strong word LMAO but a relationship with the imposter that is not antagonistic/can become so? The second, more indulgent, could we perhaps engage in rescuing our RO as a villain at some point 👀. Thank you! I hope you have a good trip.

There are positive outcomes possible with the imposter, but much will depend on exactly what is in there. As for rescuing the RO as a villain, that is a classic, isn't it? It would be sweet.

Would Ortega (or any of the Rangers, really) join a Sidestep that has killed if they agree with their general goal, even if it's just to hold them back from killing even more?

Yes.

-One of the earlier Q&A's mentioned one of HG’s older brother’s had taken the boost drug and died from it, if the answer still remains true, would his powers have been along the same lines as HG’s or different if he had survived?

It is true, and it is difficult to discern what they would have been. Most likely they would have been different, since his body couldn't handle the strain and tore itself apart in the process. That's usually not the case for mental powers.

-What kind of powers would the mob boss crew gain if they were to take the boost drug?

Hmmm, that would be a bit of a lottery. Think Ward would be physical/fighty, Nehal flight/travel, Pelayo physical/ranged and ZaZa i get the feeling might get something weird.

-Thunderhead and HG, if they used their powers on each other, which of their powers would have worked faster?

Thunderhead has the range there, HG is touch only. And she's more powerful.

-What would Thunderhead and HG have made of each other, considering their powers are along the same lines?

Thunderhead would have exterminated HG like the cockroach they are. HG would have had Thunderhead shot from a range where she couldn't feel it coming.

-Is it possible for the mob boss crew to betray Sidestep? And would that occur in book 3 or 4? If the crew were to betray Sidestep, would they still stick together as a team?

I mean... I do keep track of certain stats, yes. Things can happen. They have grown to like each other, so might continue to stick together.

-How does Nocturne feel about anarchist Sidestep potentially agreeing to work with HG, considering she thought anarchists to be dangerous and risky?

She wouldn't be happy, but better keep them close so she can influence them to act according to her wishes.

-Wild shot in the dark: but could the Crack be HG’s younger sibling all grown up or is the sibling very much dead?

Nope. The sibling is dead.

-What memories did Shroud catch from Ace when she devoured their mind?

All of them, but in a jumbled up stew.

-Did Lady Argent have any particular hero she liked or looked up to while growing up?

Yes. She was a fan of the Long Beach heroes, and Skybright.

-What aspects of herself has Nocturne exactly allowed the red threads to influence?

All her insecurities and fears.

-What is Nocturne attracted to in Jake?

He's actually surprisingly nice once you get close, and very down to earth about a lot of things. He wasn't intimidated by her.

-What has been the most interesting part about creating and developing characters in a story where choices can shape the varying connections/relationships?

That I don't always know what will happen until I write it! I love discovering relationships and interactions! It is so interesting to see the different paths characters can take, and the way their personality can be affected. What sides they show. I see each of them as the main character of their own little story, and it is fun to explore where it might go.

-How did you go about planning and developing the characters story arcs/themes since choices can also shape  the characters and their potential paths?

I know the characters and what they want. They each have an arch that will happen unless something influences it. So, every major interaction from Sidestep/the reader influences that arc, and it branches out like a small tree. Some are quite contained, like Chen, while others branch wildly like Argent or Herald. It's a bit like inventing AU's, but they take place in the same story. Fun as hell!

-How would the old man react to HG’s/Nocturne’s potential deaths or them being taken down? Pleased? Displeased?

Sad. Nervous. Unsure.

-What did HG and Nocturne potentially think or feel if Sidestep didn’t shake hands with HG but agreed to HG’s offer? Are they hoping it's better luck next time?

Yep, patience is the name of the game. If they work together, chances are Sidestep will let their guard down sooner or later.

-What does Nocturne's instincts say about Mayor Alvarez?

Dangerous. Ambitious. Sharp like a razor. Not sure if she can be used, but if she could, the things they could make together.

-Did the ominous/overwhelming sun in Norma Lee’s painting remind Herald of his older brother?

Yes. Very much so.

-One of the New Years “Cursed Facts” mentioned that Mortum would love to run a villain gossip column, what kind of gossips would Mortum write if they didn’t have the self-preservation to withhold from doing it? Are there any particular villains Mortum would especially have interesting gossip on?

Mortum knows a lot of things that goes on behind the scenes. It's like remaining sober at the office party and watching everyone get drunk and make fools of themselves and then keeping tabs of it in case of future need. A column would be a lot of personal gossip, talk of failures people have covered up, intrigues and stuff. Taking down pompous fakes.

-Did the younger sibling feel stifled by HG’s protective streak?

Yes. Especially at that edge.

-Herald is mentioned to have faith in people, how much faith do the rest of the Rangers and Dr. Mortum have on people?

Chen has more faith than he thinks he does. Argent has little faith, but a bone-deep conviction that people can change if given the motivation. Herald has a lot of faith, which is not a surprise. Mortum is very cynical, but has a need to be able to trust people that they have not managed to excise. Ortega is the one who has the least faith, they think mot people are shit, so they need to take care of the ones that are not.

-What would HG’s family have made of Sidestep?

Oldest brother would be a bit impressed and also wary. The other one who died would have been suspicious and confrontational. The mother would have liked them.

-What kind of “mental images” or memories have HG’s parents left in HG’s mind?

Maybe you'll find out. It was mostly a good relationship though.

-What would HG’s father had thought of HG becoming the kingpin?

Proud, wouldn't have thought HG had it in them.

-How well-known are Vera and Sky-Raider in the villain/hero circles?

Pretty well known, neither of them are new, they have been around for years. Solid midlist villains that are smart enough not to go out with a bang but get the job done.

-Sky-Raider seemed to be familiar with Dr. Mortum through business, does Vera have any connections with any of the characters introduced so far in the game?

Sky-Raider has worked with Mortum a lot, they are not super close, but could perhaps be called friends. Mortum also knows Vera, but they are a lot more suspicious about her motivations for interactions. She can be a bit of a magpie, and Mortum has a lot to steal. Vera also often works with HG, is sort of a rival to Herald, and has had interactions with Owl and the Handyman. Chen knows about Sky-Rider but they have not fought, same with Ortega. Herald had a fight with Sky-Raider when he was a company hero, it was more of a draw. Ortega has talked to and fought Vera on more than one occasion. They have fun fighting.

Do either Vera or Sky-Raider attend the annual villain parties or do they prefer their privacy?

Oh yes, neither of them are too private.

One Q&A mentioned Nocturne theorized HG's powers could help her survive the boost drug, if HG was actively using their powers while Nocturne took the boost drug, did their powers somehow influence/affect, to a limited degree, some aspects of Nocturne's powers as well?

That is hard to determine, it is possible but Nocturne doesn't think so.

I've been reading the old Lores posts and wanted to say that Ortega's point of view is incredibly interesting.  I know there is no canon way that Sidestep's face/identity is revealed but could we in the future (Patreon Or game) have Ortega's point of view of what he thought after the reveal? The paranoia growing without him being sure if it was a coincidence or not, the conflicting feelings of liking Step too much but at the same time thinking he is a relative and connected to one of the most dangerous crime organizations in the city. How was the internal dialogue with himself? what was it like to deal with the feeling (platonic and romantic) of wanting step in their lives despite everything?

Honestly, that sounds really interesting. We will deal a bit with it in Revelations, but I will probably write an Ortega POV in the future, but it will be a long time off since I want to keep some secrets for Revelations.

Can we dethread Jake or Mortum in Book 3?

Yes, there will be opportunities for that.

In Book 3 Can we reclaim our body If we stuck as puppet?

Yes, that will be possible.

If in book 3 we stuck as puppet. Can we still gain precognition stat?

Oh yes, at that point you might really need it.

Ortega said that they won't lose Sidestep again in Hospital ending (If Sidestep stuck as puppet and Mortum help them kidnap their body ) What do they mean ? Is it mean that they won't  lose leak to HG or they just worry about  Sidestep ? or both ?

That will be dependent on Ortega's relationship to Sidestep. In most cases it will be worry for Sidestep, but even if a lot of bridges have been burned, there's still trauma there. Even if they are enemies now, Ortega still watched Sidestep fall to their "death" and they don't want that to happen again. Ortega wants a resolution this time, not an absence. That would destroy them.

Considering how far AIs and robotics have come along-Step/Ortega/Chen, how come that Sidestep is not more paranoid about spy drones and surveillance cameras? Sidestep could easily obfuscate someone's impression of themself to be of a different person, say a hotel front desk, but the cameras in the concierge will have captured their faces/figures right?

Well, we can easily argue that sidestep Should be more concerned about this, but depending on their telepathy has made them lazy in some respects. It's easy to imagine that you know everything when you can read the minds around you. However, there is actually a lot less surveillance in LD than you'd think. With the strong privacy laws against unwanted photography, most normal businesses won't have cameras or access to spydrones. Things like stores, gas stations and hotels won't have the surveillance cameras we know from our world, and everybody having a cellphone in their pocket to record things is not a thing. Everywhere the public can go unrestricted is mostly safe.

Surveillance is a threat in places like closed company compounds and government offices, but Sidestep mostly goes there as the villain. When they have to, they usually dress nondescript and keep their head down. The "don't notice me" hunch works somewhat on cameras, at least if you don't know what/who you are watching for. Drones would be a threat, and perhaps Sidestep should be more careful about it. So far they have been relying on their instincts to know when they are watched, but with an operator far enough away that might be problematic.

Another related question would be that given how sneaky Ortega is, how come they haven't sic a miniature camera drone (shaped like a bird or a fly etc) or something to the likes of that and follow Sidestep straight to their villainous base already? A telepath can't sense a drone right?

What makes you think they haven't? But, in more serious notes, Ortega might have to bring in someone else to help with that. Exterior electronics doesn't survive long around Ortega, as their insulated brick of a phone shows. Piloting a delicate drone for an extended period of time would not work. So, it would all depend on whether Ortega trusted someone else enough to actually help with this.

Also semi related, how connected are the people to the internet? Aka personal computers, smart phones, smart appliances/everything being connected to the internet/public wifi network in Fallen Hero? And how far are the non-general AIs along, aka the non sapient cousin of Sidestep? How powerful is the equivalent of Google Maps/Siri/chatGPT in this world?

The internet is a lot less far along in the FH world. Since there was no space race (instead cybernetic/power armor), the first satellites were launched in the late nineties, and were mostly under military control. There was no shared world wide web launched by universities, instead it was a more controlled corporate landscape that formed. The internet for the regular net surfer in FH is similar to what it was in the nineties, but with better graphics. Things like a PS5 level of game system is common, while a World of Warcraft like MMO has not been made yet. Something cool and high tech to play in your room, on a lan with friends, or on your local intranet is common but to connect with others across the world? Nope.

So, there are no smart phones, there are mobile phones used for calls. There are personal computers, but if you want to connect somewhere cool it's like going on the dark web. You need to know what you're doing, and have some faintly illegal tech to be safe. There is no public wifi, most is cable. That is a lot easier for companies to control. If you live in LD, chances are you buy your access to the corporate internet from one of three providers. That means you can't easily connect to providers on the other nets, because the companies have an interest in keeping you trapped in their infrastructure. Think Explorer Vs Netscape for browsers, but with internets instead.

Things like GPS and commercial versions of stuff like google maps is new and not as good as today, it depends on access to satellites only recently available to companies. A lot is static and downloaded, not constantly updated with real time positioning. There is a tech revolution brewing here if satellite tech gets more widespread, and there's a fight between companies that wants to stop that because it threatens their control, and others that wants it because if they are early adopters they can take over.

AI is more advanced than today, but again it is concentrated to large companies, the military and government. This is not something Joe average will interact with, these are things that runs stock trading, battleships and drug research programs.

In summary, in our world there is not very much of a tech divide between people in the USA. Yes, companies have larger, faster and better things, but a normal person still have a smartphone and uses the internet in their daily life. In the FH world the infotech divide is as big as the economic divide is in our USA. Most people haven't been online much, cellphones are common, but not everywhere.

What age was Sidestep when they were decanted? The books mention teenager I believe but I was just curious if you could give a specific age?

It is up to headcanon. I would say between 11-16 is the widest stretch, but the middle of that is the most common.

Will it be possible to get a ‘bad’ ending in book 3 where Sidestep can die before book 4?

I am considering it. It will likely not happen, but who knows? I wouldn't rule it out.

Will we get to see more of romanced Danny being protective of Sidestep in book 3? I love that that sweet Flyboy.

Oh yes, unless you have managed to turn him against you... that might be a not so sweet Danny anymore.

-  When you try to dethread Chen while you are exhausted, you collapse. If you brought the Rat King with you, the scene says "[...] He's surrounded by a ghostly halo of worried rats". Was Chen able to feel the Rat King when that happened?

I think so. But I don't think he understood what it was, and most likely saw it as just an hallucination.

- What kind of tea(s) does Chen drink? It was mentioned when you go over to his apartment he offers you something like jasmine tea.

Jasmine, various greens, white tea when feeling fancy, black tea like Assam when he's working late. The latter can upset his stomach though. He tends to the more subtle flavors, not loud and fruity. No sugar, no milk.

- Not sure if you answered this and no need to since it might be spoiler-y, but will we get a chance to befriend Ace?

That will be an option.

My questions for you are on the processes that you go through with writing. How do you set yourself up for success?

Focus on finishing things. Most people think their work is no good and keep rewriting the start. Don't do that. Continue writing and finish the story, then rewrite, or write another one. And connected to that, focus on shorter works first and not your nine volume epic. This is THE most important piece of advice I can give. Learn to finish things. Everything else can come later.

And how do you recognize that your writing something you can utilize and something that strayed from the original thought? I'm curious to know what you think/do with your writing when suddenly your 2000 words deep into something that should probably be put on the side?

Here is the thing. It depends on how your brain works. For example, if you are a planner, and have planned your story beforehand, that might mean that you need to adjust your plans. Take a moment to sit down and think. Is what you have written something that works within your plans with some adjustment? If so, fine. Is it so out left field that it would change the entire story? Then you have a choice to make. Do you like what you have written more than the story you had planned? Then sit down and change the story, and try to figure out where things will go. Do you like it, but it doesn't fit? Cut it out, put it in a blank document named something so you can easily find it again, and go back to your proper story. The other one can be made into their own thing eventually. I have lots of those snippets, as I call them.

However, if you are a pantser (someone that has a vague plan but mostly goes with the flow), good! That means that your brain is going somewhere. Go as far as you can until you run out of juice. And when you look at it, try to figure out if this i something you want to continue on. If not, read back to the last point where you get the right feeling. Maybe you have to cut the last few paragraphs when things got stale and your brain was winding down.

In the end, it comes from experience, and learning to recognize what is fun to write and how to keep writing that and turning it into a story rather than forcing yourself to write things you feel should be there but are boring to do.

Hopefully that's not an unfair question to ask, I somethimes attempt to write but often think I'd rather read on how other people structure lol.

I love talking about writing. I can do it all day.

Hi! As an aroace I naturally gravitate to stories of difficult friendships, camaraderie forged in fire, and blood brotherhood almost above anything else. Now FH has the "difficult" part down to a T, and that's already such an amazingly rare thing in IF that I really can't thank you enough. It's my lifeblood. But after reading the Void series I can't help but wonder if it will ever be possible for Sidestep's current reluctant acceptance of friendship to mature into a more mutual, proactive commitment? "We're in this for life", "I would follow you to hell and back", or even a simple but honest declaration of "I want to help you"?

Yeah, I think so! Like always it will depend on path and choice, but I for one want to write a path where Sidestep finally goes all in and accepts that yeah, this is it. I can truly trust someone. Difficulties is nothing without a payoff.

Weirdly enough, I'm super interested in the character you named Verdant (plant growth and healing powers are the two powers I'd choose if I got super powers): Is there a 'known' black market  trade (besides the military-sponsored one) in trafficking boosts with super-specific abilities that people with enough power or money might want to take advantage of on an individual scale? (Is that what happened to the telepaths?)

There is indeed a known black market, mostly for things like boosted blood, and sometimes organs and bodyparts. But, now and then, useful boosts can be caught alive and trafficked for various purposes. This is indeed what has happened to the telepaths.

Just finished my fifth playthrough and i gotta give u props on how detailed and rich the story is.The more times i immerse myself in the universe, the more questions i get. In the best way possible. So many questions for the series future.

1. In book 1, after villain debut. Ortega mentions about wanting to work with other heroes. Unfortunately, they don't make the squad( some get picked up by the army). Will we be able to hear from them again?

Most likely, yes.

2. I get found out as the bad guy .While hospitalized, Lady Argent takes my eye. Will i be able to get revenge on her?

Of course! This is a story about revenge, what is adding one more thing to the list?

3. Will we ever get our puppet to use the armor in the future?

Yes. I was debating doing that in Retribution, but that scene got cut for Revelations.

4. Will there be a situation where the puppet get "memory wiped" to avoid suspension? Or to make Morton angry at the MC( im evil that way)

That is indeed one way to solve this bloodlessly.

5. Is the puppet boosted?

Oh yes, they are.

-I desperately want a sidestep hoodie! Is producing merch something you might consider in the future?

I have been considering it, but it's a big thing. I might look into it once I have time.

-Do you have any tips on FINISHING a project? The last 10% always seems to take forever...

Just do it. Do it crappy. Do it sloppy. Do it badly. Don't worry if there is a payoff. Don't worry if the questions are answered. Just write those annoying words. Then, wait a couple of weeks and reread everything from the start to end. Chances are you will be able to spot what is missing from the ending then. You can't write a good ending on the first draft, if it happens, be grateful, but don't count on it. Just get it done so you can see the whole thing or move on.

-Would Ace's precognition allow them to see if a person would survive a dose of the hero drug? Could sidestep ever be desperate enough to take a second dose willingly?

I think Ace might be able to get some clues on high precognition, at least if the boosting will affect them. That's a lot of the limits on Ace's power, it's very focused on their own experiences. I doubt Sidestep would try to get boosted again, but who knows?

-What's on Ortega's birthday wish list?

That Sidestep remembers this time.

- I was reading through some of the prior threads, and was confused, why is Sidestep sometimes referred to as HG's younger siblings? I noticed questions tend to have that assumption, is that confirmed or head-Canon?

Ortega thinks that Sidestep is HG's younger sibling, and think they have proof of it. However, Sidestep is a Re-Gene. How these two mutually exclusive things can be put together is something you'll learn in Revelations.

- Can Step actually... Become Ace? Like, ditch their original body entirely? I have 2 Steps who would want to do so due to wanting a real chance at a 'fresh start.' If so, is a requirement of that the loss of their telepathy?

I have been so tempted. However, I don't think even I could handle the amount of variables that will entail for future books. However, I might write in proper endings for certain paths in Book three, for people who wants to do things like that. I truly don't know yet, it is something that needs a lot of work, and I don't know if I can do it and it would be good. But if they did, they would lose their telepathy.

- I assume this one is spoilers, but can a Step who made HG think they are dangerous still gain their trust against a common enemy?

Yes. Just because you're dangerous doesn't mean you are untrustworthy.

Hello! I was wondering why Ortega calls Sidestep to the hospital after the accident!

Hehe. Well. I am not sure how much you have learned in the game, but Ortega believes that Sidestep is HG's younger sibling. And Ortega just crashed while escaping from HG's club where there had been a planned meeting between HG and the new villain... So there can be many reasons. Maybe Ortega figured that the best way to avoid any further attack would be to have someone there that HG didn't want hurt. Maybe they wanted to see if Sidestep would slip up and know something, either about HG, or the new villain. Especially if Ortega's clues about Sidestep's activities are high... Or perhaps Ortega just likes/loves Sidestep and wanted to see them after nearly getting killed. Lots of variables there.

If you decide to pursue the Herald romance route while also romancing Ortega, Herald makes several mentions of not wanting to be 'that guy'. What guy?? What is he talking about?

The "other man", the one getting between Sidestep and Ortega. He's very aware that he's the new kid on the block, and don't want to break up what Ortega and Sidestep has. His biggest issue is that he has a hard time understanding what that is exactly...

How's the gaming industry in FH? Do consoles such as Game boy or Nintendo 64 exist, or more advanced? How popular is it?

Consoles are graphically as advanced as the PS5 and other modern ones, but with very little online connectivity. There it's more like it was in the PS1 days, games are self-contained or on the same telly multiplayer.

Is Dr Mortum named themself after Caput Mortuum or is it something else?

Hehe good spot! That is indeed one of the inspirations, it is a play on death, with teacher replacing head and some easier spelling. It's a bit of a symbol of dr. Mortum creating themself from nothing, what you can learn from the smallest and mot useless things in life.

Will trans Sidesteps be able to pursue bottom surgery in future books?

Not sure about the timeline, it might be possible.

Second question: In a particular path of Retribution, we can see the Rat King piloting our armour on their own and doing a pretty damn good job of it. In the future books, is something that can be explored further, and if so, will we have to have seen it in Retribution to pursue it further?

Yes, it will be able to be explored further. But it can also be discovered in book three, you don't have to have seen it in book two.

Is anything retained after a regene gets reset/wiped? Like muscle memory/reflexes or anything like that?

Yeah, things like that remains, it is mostly the higher memory functions that are affected.

Do scars go 'through' regene tattoos as well, or do they get broken up by the tattoos? Or is it that the scarring has to be pretty extreme to show on the tattoos as well?

The scarring has to be extreme to show, otherwise the tattoo will indeed heal over the scar, leaving the tattoo smooth and the car visible on either sides. The scar needs to go under the skin and into the flesh for that to happen.

Do you have an idea of if there will be a scene/scenes of a genderquestioning Sidestep experimenting with presentation/etc before doing anything more 'official' like coming out/medically transitioning/etc? Or will that be more headcanon/fanfic territory?

I don't know yet, but I can imagine that would be good. Might make for good scenes!

In the same vein, will a genderquestioning Sidestep be able to discuss it with other characters (or discuss it more, with Mortum)?

Yeah, that would definitely be something you can talk about with people close to you.

Will it be possible to romance Argent without revealing our villain identity in the future?

Hmm, I don't know. Sidestep the person isn't really Argent's type, but I can't rule it out. We will see. Sidestep needs to find some way of showing Argent that they are still dangerous.

Also, whats the difference between the 'amiable' and 'respectful' relationships with Argent in how she thinks about/treats the MC?

Amiable is that Argent likes Sidestep and isn't annoyed by them. Respectful is that the realize that Sidestep is not just a has-been, and actually comptent.

And in the trans reveal with a highly suspicious Ortega,  what were they planning on doing/saying if the MC had actually confessed to being the villain?

I haven't written it, so I have no idea!

Did Sidestep learn how to play instruments at the farm?

Some might have, that is up to headcanon. Things like piano might have been good for infiltration.

Why are cuckoos created with tattoos that span most of their bodies? I know they don't have them everywhere to facilitate inflitration but they still cover a lot of the body and in a place as hot as Los Diablos they might have been considered to cause more suspicion.

The need to keep the cuckoos uncomfortable and aware of their own inhumanity overrides any practicality in this matter. In fact, that they could not dress like others is a good thing. Think of people in service jobs in hot climates, they can't strip down to shorts and bare arms regardless of cofort.

What inspired you to create Ortega? Maybe an old question but I think Ortega is the best representation of latin american culture I've seen and I love it.

I was writing an SF story set after the big one in a ruined Los Angeles, and considering the setting it made sense if looking at population figures. That's the technical explanation. But honestly, I don't know. I often start writing and see what pops in my head, and there was Ortega in that first short story, name and all. Maybe I had read too much Locas. It just made sense.

For a Sidestep who is friendly/helping out with the Rangers, what sorts of things are they helping out with? I've always wondered what that would entail.

For helping out: Things like helping with stakeouts, following people, finding information for streetwise ones, or tech stuff for tech savvy ones. Being a lookout on occasion.

For friendly, just hanging out with people at the HQ, playing chess with Shen or distracting Ortega from being a nuisance to everybody.

What kinds of books does Ortega have on their shelf? Any particular genres or subjects?

Being one of the biggest readers of the cast, what kind of books does Ortega like to read?

Lots of mysteries and thrillers. Bunch of classics. Much in Spanish, some in English. Also facts, sociology, criminology, history, political analysis... lots of weird shit.

If Chen had somehow discovered the truth about Sidestep before HB would he have been as sympathetic as he is in the present, or would he have felt vindicated in his suspicion and jump to the worst conclusion?

He would probably have jumped to the worst conclusion.

Does Sidestep know that their nightmares can 'leak' and effect others?

I don't think so. They have avoided sleeping for a while now, shifting into the puppet instead.

Who are typically present during decanting and first assessment(s) of a regene?

A staff of doctors and specialists well experienced in doing these things, as well as a security detail in the background in case things go badly. This might include some trusted Re-Genes with powers useful for keeping things under control. The Re-Genes allowed to be present at these decantings are very respected among the others, because they get the privilege of seeing others born.

With sufficient training, could the puppet's precognition be a viable replacement for telepathy for the dodgy, move-predicting 'Sidestep' fighting style? (Substituting surface-thought skimming with quick precog flashes)

Yes, a puppetstuck Sidestep could adapt to that fast once they're good enough precogs. It would feel different, but the reflexes are familiar.

Did argent find anything at the HB site that piqued her interest into digging further? Did she share her findings with ortega or chen?

Yes, but not too deep. And she hasn't shared her findings, they trouble her and reveals too much of her secrets and her past.

In what year did Argent go looking at the HB site? Was this before or after Marek's investigation?

It would have bee before I think.

What year did Herald visit the site?  Was it while the site was still graffitied or later?

Herald was soon before Marek's investigation, and yes, he saw the graffiti.

What's Deadeye's personal life like?

Pretty much like a classic american gangster movie. She's been in the game a long time, she knows the moves and likes the lifestyle. Lots of time spent at work on in clubs, not much of a social life outside her Deadeye identity.

Is Dr. Finch LGBT+? Do you plan on allowing gender and/or sexuality to come up in future therapy sessions we might see?

Dr. Finch is married, and a lesbian. Not exactly the most trouble-free marriage either, she has her own therapist, and so has her wife. I am not sure if it will come up, it is a possibility, especially for Steps that are not in a position to talk about it with Mortum.

If the new villain is not a known telepath, do the rangers think they're just a trained person with a powersuit, or do they suspect they are boosted/modded?

So far the leading bet would be modded with a powerarmor. That is the most common combination.

Did Angie end up catching the Red Rover, if Sidestep used them as bait?

Yep.

Is the tree and the balloon in it, from rebirth's heartbreak vision, an imagery from the same or different person?

I can't answer this without spoilers I don't want to give.

Assuming Step is a known telepath and is on good terms with Hollow Ground, will the two of them be able to discuss the missing telepaths / deal with the tracker together?

Yes, that would definitely be on the top of their list.

What kind of preparations does Steel have in place for when Resolution 32 falls?

A few. None that he is happy with. It's a massive cloud on the horizon, and he's not sure how to feel about it.

If i remember correctly in the first book you get an achievement by making sidestep and the puppet look like each other is there something not nothing going on there or we are going to see that show up later in book

It's one of what I would call "red herrings". There are a few things like this, whose main purpose is to look significant while there might be other things going on in the background that are more important. I have a few in Rebirth, and some on Retribution. There is some dialogue that goes with it, and some reactions, but there's no dark, deep secret involved. Sometimes people just look similar.

If you had to assign a value to Ortega's Sidestep scar, what would it be at the beginning of Rebirth before they saw sidestep in the diner?

I would say it would be about 70 at that time.

What kind of treats does the Rat-King likes 😄

Adventures! Roof jumping. Running really fast. Hanging out with other rats. Seeing new things and people and animals.

Would Argent’s doubts, relationship with the villain, and status within the ranger team impact her decision-making regarding the regenerator (using it or not)?

Yes. This won't be an easy decision for her.

Will Ortega ever talk to Sidestep about their hallucinations of Sidestep during the years they were presumed dead?

Yeah. I think so.

Did hollow ground ever save their youngest sibling from drowning?

Yes. Heh. Good spot.

How would hollow ground have reacted if they saw sidestep's face when they were still pretty young, shortly after first farm escape?

Like they had been slapped in the face. Impossible to ignore.

If Danny has the limp, could the regenerator help him recover full range of strength and mobility?

I think he would manage that better with sticking to the proper exercise and maybe another minor operation.

How do the nanovores get what they need from Argent eating food normally, if they’re not directly eating someone?

Warning, this will be slightly gross. The nanovores are not just a coating on Argent's skin, they are replacing several of her bodyparts like eyes, hands and feet. Like colonies of single-cell organisms, they form a complex system, where some of them have penetrated deep into her body. They can absorb nutrients from several points in her digestive system, mostly from the stomach and the rectum. Yes, Argent doesn't need to go to the bathroom. At all.

How long do the effects of numbers last? At what point would it be necessary to take a second dose and are there any short term consequences of double dosing? Is it possible to tw drugs overdose on them?

They last about as long as a normal painkiller, four hours or so. The onset is fast, but the effect peters out at the end, so there will be a long tail of distorted and somewhat readable thoughts at the end. To ensure full coverage, every three hours is recommended. These times will of course be a lot shorter for a strong telepath, there the full effect might be as little as an hour. Migrain is a common sideffect, almost certain if double dosing or using it too often. The liver also takes a beating, and it's unwise to use them too often. You can overdose, heart arrhythmia is common then, and can lead to death.

Does Step have any gates open that aren’t counted in the variable? (Like one from the nanosurge, from heartbreak itself, etc)

Nope. I would say that the nanosured opened the possibility for gates to exist, and Heartbreak and the events afterwards were the reason the gates need to be shut.

One thing I find interesting about Argent and Sidestep is the parallel between the two. Both have issues with their own skin (Sidestep being a ReGene and Argent's skin being nanovores), both are loners, and (depending on Sidestep's goals) both want a way to change their current situation to achieve a more normal life (Argent and Sidestep want regenerator for the same reason).

My question is: Have you thought about these parallels between them since book 1?

Yes, that is a similarity that has been there from the start. Argent's birth coincided with Sidestep's greatest moment. They are tied in ways they never realized.

Does sidestep have a farm scar?

Sidestep IS a farm scar.

Did Mortum try to research the puppets background prior to being requested to look into Shroud? If so what did they find?

Yes, when they were first contacted they did that. They didn't find anything untoward, Sidestep had crafted the background well.

Okay Malin.. here's a self indulgent one, and I know it's always a bit headcanony-y and dependent on the writing etc, but--based on the game stats in some hypothetical where they would have one, if you were to Build-a-Puppet for the main cast (Rangers + Mortum), what kind of Puppet would each of them get? same / opposite gender + mirror image? Which ones would be hit by the Gender (dis)comfort or be totally unaffected?

I mean... it would depend on what puppet the player built for them? As for the gender feels, I can see Ortega being comfortable in an opposite puppet but never question why. Chen would feel very uncomfortable as a female puppet and use it seldom. Argent would be all in puppet no matter of gender, but a male puppet would be just as elegant and soft as she wants to be. Would be perceived as very gay, possibly to the point of camp. I think Daniel is the only one who might actually have some gender thoughts in a differently sexed puppet, realizing how different people treat him and what is expected of him. For Mortum the puppet is a tool kept at arm's length. No feelings there.

If argent is forced to fight the catastrofiend alone at the auction and the nanos take over after she falls unconscious, she is still ravenous and kind of out of sorts a couple days later when step goes to HQ. What's going on there between her and the nanovores? Fallen out of sync a bit? Need more food to repopulate the colony? Just in a lot of pain from how intense the fight was? How long does it usually take her to recover from that kind of fight?

Mostly lots of food to replace the colony. They didn't devour more of Argent for energy, so a lot of them died off or went into power-save mode. While the Catastrofiend can't hurt them, neither is it very palatable, and so the couldn't just eat it. It costs a lot of energy to puppet Argent around. It can take her a week or more to fully recover from a full nano-activation incident.

How much is a mindscape is built on how a person sees themself as well as how step interprets them through that lens?

It is a combination. If there are two people inside another's mindscape, they would see a slightly different version depending on the target's feelings about them.

spoilers for the latest patreon story is it possible to become "stuck" in one of the inbetween spaces that sidestep describes the void using?

Yes, it is.

Void spoilers: what exactly did ortega mean by sidestep having become weirder since the nanosurge?

Well, Sidestep's powers went into overdrive after having stopped it, so Ortega saw firsthand how Sidestep changed as their telepathic powers grew. Reacting to things thought and not said, to things outside line of sight, the avoidance of crowds, the occasional emotional bleedover and meltdowns.

Void spoilers is it cold, in these in between spaces that sidestep describes the void as using?

I think some are cold, some are uncomfortably hot or stinging. It varies.

Void spoilers: Sidestep and ortega talk about sidestep being incidental. Used to get to someone else. What were the circumstances when that happened to Sidestep before?

Sidestep started out being known as Charge's Sidestep, it's not the first time a villain has focused on them to get to Charge.

Is void still stuck in whatever place sidestep pushed them into?

No, you will see what happened soon.

How did Ortega get their hands on Hollow Ground’s picture?

Instamatic camera.

I'm a court reporter, so I have to ask: do masked heroes have to go to court if they work with authorities/are able to be found and subpoenaed? Only I'd love to get to type out

Q.  Now, Mx. Anathema, at what point did you realize Mr. -- Ms. -- The Catastrofiend planned on cutting off the bank manager's left pinkie?

Oh yes. A lot of the time the statements are made before and recorded, but on occasion they have to appear.

Sentinel is a bit more dubious than other heroes in the sense that he’s a lot more pragmatic and understands the things that need to be done don’t always align with heroics: would Sentinel ever consider joining/supporting a villain Sidestep depending on their motivation or plans?

Maybe you will see.

Coming back to this, would they read an autobiography from Sidestep, if it included the details of their life at the Farm? 👀 Or would they not be interested/be too gruesome for them to want to read what it was like for them growing up there?

If by they, you mean Ortega, the answer is yes, they would.

Has Danny ever considered using melee weapons, since he's weak in hand to hand combat? Maybe something non-lethal like a baton. Expanding on that, did Sentinel ever try to convince Danny to use a weapon.

Danny has on occasion used melee weapons, but mostly improvised ones. He doesn't like how he feel when he has something like a baton in his hand. Sentinel thought that was stupid.

How long can someone dosed with void blood access Void's powers? Does the amount of blood consumed influence:

1. how long the powers can last

2. the extent of voids powers that can be accessed, and/or

3. how fatal it can be?

Yes to all three. And it depends on the individual how long they can cling to the powers. People used to it can ride that high for days if they're lucky.

If the car crash had send Sidestep into a coma, what would've been their fate? How would each love interest have reacted?

Intensive care in the Ranger's HQ and everybody worried about them.

Possible tw referenced cannibalism are there any known incidences of kuru disease/other prion diseases among the green sky members or at the farm?

Yes, I think that has happened on occasion. It is known that the brain and nervous system is the riskiest bit, but that can also hold the most power. Still safer than boost drugs though.

What can you tell us about the staff that runs the agricultural side of the farm? Are they fellow scientists, completely on the up and up with the farms other activities?

They are fellow scientists aware of what is going on. Nobody gets in there without a clearance.

With high telepathy stats possibly being dangerous. Is that a danger we can still work with or is it more akin to a bad end?

Like everything risky, it's not an auto bad end. It depends on what you do with it.

How does ReGene hair grow when they're being grown in the tanks? Does it grow at the same speed as the rest of them, or does it grow freely to presumably extreme lengths? Does the Farm ever remove them to cut it to decrease its volume in the tank and offer better visibility to the staff, or do they just get a haircut when they are first properly removed to go through processing? When first decanted, do young ReGene get an actual haircut, or just straight to shaving until they are done being processed?

Hair does need to be cut often, the growth is a drawback of the process. But since the body needs to be inspected regularly as it is, it is not a big issue. They are shaved when decanted if possible, but at times that can't be done due to adverse reactions.

Has any hero seen Argent’s eyes when they have three pupils?

Yes.

Rebirth's epilogues with Mortum and our hench were from the Puppet's perspective. For one or both of these epilogues - were they from the imposter's perspective?

No.

We know that boosts can crave certain foods after undergoing the process, tw insects given the nature of her boost, does Vera ever crave insects? Or would a craving be more broad, like simple protein?

People joke that Vera craves bread, and she hates that. Her boost is a big burden on her body though, so she needs a lot of quality protein and carbs. Also keratin supplements.

Will we get an opportunity to send the SD after Shroud, like we did to Psychopathor?

Not sure yet.

Here come a lot of question about Jake's powers.

1. How long can Jake remain intangible?

About a minute, but he often dips in and out.

2. When he becomes intangible to dodge attacks, do his feet remain solid so that he doesn't fall into the ground? Can he choose to apply his powers to only certain parts of his body?

Yes, he can become partially intangible, but even fully intangible there's still a "drag" on physical matter so he doesn't fall through unless pushed.

3. If he were to phase into the ground what would happen?

3.1. Does he keep falling, or can he float/fly while in the ground?

He can't fly, but he's sort of faintly sticky so he can run up walls and also falls much slower. If he is inside physical matter, it creates enough drag that he can climb inside it, and he wouldn't fall deeper.

3.2. Would he be unable to become solid again?

Not if he turned immediately Hard, that would push matter away from him and what can't be pushed would be destroyed. It would hurt like hell.

3.3. If he can become solid again would that kill him, would it destroy whatever he was overlapping with at the time, or would he fuse with the ground?

He would destroy what he is overlapping with causing an explosion.

4. Can Jake breathe while being intangible? Or does he have to hold his breath?

He have to hold his breath.

What was it about Sidestep that made them Danny's favorite hero?

The underdog aspect, and Danny liked watching Sidestep fight. That looked fun.

Is there any tech that can boost telepathy? What about with drugs, like the opposite of dampeners?

Yes, there are drugs and equipment that can boost telepathy. Not safely, and not for long. Drugs to suppress it are easier, Talodine is the most common one, and Sidestep is quite used to it by now.

Strange question, but between Blaze’s need for calories, and Locus being a sugar fiend + the baby of the LBH, did he ever buy sweets for the both of them? Possibly to share?

Yeah, I can see that.

when the farm recaptured sidestep, was there a particular incident that made them aware, or was it evidence accumulated over time?

It was a chance encounter.

Building on this question - how high would you say was Sidestep's sd_clue when they got recaptured?

Not as high as Sidestep thinks it was.

What kind of boost is shroud's butler?

Basic fighting boost, strength, endurance, speed and durability. An active one, so it is quite strong, and he can't keep up that form forever. Bit of regeneration too.

What kind of boost is Tina? I assume she is one since she can communicate with the laser dolphins.

Spoilers.

Who among the Rangers, if any, knows Sentinel is back in Los Diablos?

Spoilers.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Vernon appears to know Hollow Ground is real rather than just a rumor? If that's the case, how did he figure that out? Did he ever meet them in person?

Vernon does, and is smart. He has met Hollow Ground in person.

Would Argent’s powers have awakened if she'd never been in contact with the nanosurge event?

Yes, but not in as spectacular fashion. She'd be a lot weaker.

Without the nanovores' protection, how easy is it to read/influence Argent's mind? Are her shields as strong as Chen's? Could Hollow Ground thread her?

It is hard to say how Argent would be without the nanovores, they are so much a part of her. As it is now, she's unthreadable.

Can Bonnie Belle be tracked with telepathy? Or does her shapeshifting powers affect her mind too?

It would be tough, the trail would change with every shift. You would have to be very aware what and who you are looking for, and even then it's not certain.

Did ingesting Void blood alter Step's powers in any permanent way?

Yes.

Building on that - did ingesting Void's blood predispose Sidestep to develop body hopping?

Yes.

1. What is the relationship between Hollow Ground and the old man in retri's epilogue?

A friendly, if exhausting one.

2. Is the old man aware that he is being threaded?

Not at all.

3. How often and where does HG meet this old man to reinforce the threads?

Depends, about once a week.

4. Does HG have any plans to thread Mia?

Not yet.

Is a voluntary Ortega Re-Gene reveal with Chen or Argent (or even Mortum) as moral support a possibility for Revelations?

Possibly, yeah, I would like a scene like that.

Did Sentinel see who shot at Step/Puppet and Ortega to cause the crash?

Spoilers.

If so, did he share this information with Ortega?

Spoilers.

What does void deem as "reaching one's full potential"? Is this "potential that can be achieved" something that they can see with their third eye?

Oh yes, very much so.

Who is more extensively threaded? Nocturne or the old man?

Oh boy, that's a hard one. I would say Nocturne, but it's close.

If Hollow Ground and Locus had strength of mind and subtlety scores, what would they be? (Or is it not a fair metric to apply those to the different styles of telepathy?)

HG would be all subtlety and no force, and Locus would be all force, no subtlety.

Was hollow ground's youngest sibling a sleepwalker?

Not that HG knew of.

Can Step's body hopping ability be classified under root 4 and branch 8?

Yeah, that's close enough.

According to Ljungstrands telepathic classification, which roots and branches do Numbers block? Which are they unable to block?

It affects all branches, the numbers go for the roots themselves.

What languages to Blaze, Locus, and Zephyr speak?

Blaze: English, Spanish, a tiny bit Italian.

Zephyr: English.

Locus: English and whatever language people around her speak.

If they were telepaths, how would the main cast (+ Vera and Skyraider if you have an idea and feel so inclined) use it? What tactics would they lean into most? Who would use body-hopping, and for what purpose?

I honestly have no idea! This is very hypothetical, and I don't know. Ortega would be the least moral about it though.

Regarding Vera,

- is there any niche facts about pigeons you're excited to implement in her power or character / body language / preferences?

I am researching now! But the body language is set in my head already...

- how does her mind feel? How does the "pigeon brain" impact her thoughts, and do you already have details about how that will impact Sidestep's reading of her?

It will certainly be weird and interesting for Sidestep, her thoughts do change markedly in pigeon form.

Regarding Skyraider,

- Steel isn't aware that his old friend from the army Ben has become Skyraider the villain if I'm not mistaken;  does he still see Ben in civilian sometimes?

He is not aware that Ben is Sky-Raider, no. And he doesn't know that Ben is in Los Diablos.

- Does Ortega know about Skyraider existing, and about Skyraider having served with Chen?

Yes and no.

- Is Skyraider a mercenary, or is there a more political / personal goal behind his villainy?

Mostly mercenary.

How does chen feel upon learning that not just Step, but also Ben, have turned villain?

You'll find out.

What were boosts’ role in the designing and implementing of Resolution 32, if any? Were they represented at all? Are these organisations / representants still active today?

Nothing, they were not involved. At that time, there was no big movement, and there's still not a big one. The kind of people who would boost themselves are not the type to organize grassroots movements.

Can the nine gates be considered cumulative (one after another in the same "line") or disperse (in different parts of the mind, perhaps arranged like a nonagon)?

It's a line.

Is there any possibility in which HG would be able to thread Pyroclast while he’s in ash form? Is there a big difference in the way their power is used/how taxing it is on minds like his v more “physical” minds? Would there be a difference to threading him in human form v ash form if both are possible?

Hmmm. Human form would be easier, but I think ash form would still be possible. If HG could speak...

Malin, so a poor soul may rest: who, amongst main and extended cast, surfs

Argent, Blaze, Locus, Zephyr, Ortega, Jake, Skyraider.

Did Blaze ever flirt with Julia and if so did she turn him down? Did it affect his perception of her?

Yes, yes and yes.

Among the Rangers, HG trio, Mortum, Sentinel, and Ashfall, who would survive ingesting Void blood?

Ashfall, Mortum, Ortega, Argent, HG, Jake for sure. The others are more uncertain.

Hey Malin, what’s Mitchell look like? Is his shirt, perhaps, made of boyfriend material?

The only thing I know is that Mitchell has glasses and curly hair.

How's the wolfpack doing these days?

Disbanded for now. It will probably be started up again by others soon.

Malin, any hints on what a blazeally path will entail?

Nope.

Can the Rat King possibly hijack one of Steel’s armour sets, if it’s not in use? 👀 Would Steel be amenable to letting the girls have a spin on one of his armours?

Steel doesn't have a telepathic interface suitable for the Rat King, so that would sadly be impossible.