QnA for June is here! (Patreon)

Alrighty, took a few days longer than planned due to a stomach bug (oh summer, never change). I will finish the next lore post (the second choice in the poll) as soon as I can!

..........

Are Argent's nanovores always silver or could she have taught/told them to adapt to human skin tones? If she could have, when she was creating her face and body did she make a choice to remain silver based on inspiration from black and white images like those of Old Hollywood actresses?

Argent's nanovores do look like silver in their protective/reflective configuration. She has no control over that. If she had, she definitely would have chosen a more discrete color and tried to look human.

If shroud had tried to eat Sidestep before the crash, would she have "seen" all the imposters?

Oh hell, for everyone's sake let's hope that Shroud never gets her hands on Sidestep, that will not end well for anybody in Los Diablos.

Would it be possible for Ortega to turn villain, since this is something that's already in their particular cards, without joining Sidestep in villainy? Doing their own thing separate from the Rangers, but still rivals with Sidestep due to their personal choices?

Hmmm. This is an interesting question. I'm not sure. Probably not in the scope of the book, but I can see it happening.

We know Argent is "meh" with civilian!step, but in a hypothetical case, would she have been attracted to vigilante/hero Sidestep?

The more daring/showy ones, sure. She likes style, and civilian!step did their best to be as mundane and boring as possible for quite some time.

Out of the dozen or so people who have gone through the HB experiment, how many do we know?

I would say that three has been mentioned in the grander story.

If Chen had known about Argent's true nature would he have let her join the Rangers or would he've deemed her too dangerous?

Oh she would have been seen as too dangerous. Might have arranged for her to be taken in too, she should be in an isolation facility, if she ever loses control the consequences will be disastrous.

More Catastrofriend questions. Given that it used to be a person. Was what it became just a fall of a slippery slope it was playing with, a conscious choice on its behalf or forced upon it?

It was very much a slippery slope, eventually you can't climb back to humanity even though you might want to.

did the sleepwalker die as a direct result of the heartbreak experiment, or were they killed after they were found post-experiment-disruption?

Are you sure they're dead?

Was the Farm/SD aware of the weird incidents that occurred at the HB apartment? Were they involved in any of them?

That is major spoilers! Not gonna say a word. Or this might be a big red herring and there's nothing weird there at all. You just have to wait and see.

Will main characters die only if Step tries to have them killed (either by their own hand or delegating) or could they accidentally die as an unforseen result of a chain of events?

Will any of the planned RO deaths be caused by the SD?

I can't speak for the detail plotting of book 4. However, my goal is to have those kinds of death be the result of character choice, even if that's not who does the deed.

Have Spoon and Blaze met before?

Yeah, they have!

Did the person who created the rat king do so for a personal reason/objective? Or, was it a project conceptualized by the company/association/person they were working for?

It was a project for an organization, and it might be seen as a poof of concept.

Will Sidesteps who missed sniffing out Chen's crush on M!Ortega get a chance to do so later?

Oh yes.

If Sidestep's eyes are green, did drinking void's blood make them even greener and shinier?

Yes. It is a distinctively unnatural green.

What did the voices say to Chen post-HB? Did all HB survivors experience that lingering effect?

The voices whispered of guilt and failure. Every survivor was similarly haunted, being touched by it meant being changed.

How much in percentages is Ortega's nervous system metal vs flesh?

I would say maybe 30% modded?

In the new lore post Chen says "Even knowing what sometimes happens to boosts as they die"— what specifically is he referring to there?

Some boost powers go out of control when the wielder dies. A flame user might combust, others can melt or wither, on occasion even explode. This is mostly true for boosts with strong elemental/destructive powers.

"Part of it was probably still the voices in my head. Whispering."

Whose voices were Chen hearing? Were any of these (1) Sidestep, (2) anathema, or (3) the Anathema that steps meet in their visions/memories?

1 and 2 and many more. Chen carries more bodies on their conscience than most.

Can we please give Chen a hug? Platonically?

I hope Sidestep gets to that point.

Given that in the regene copy ending Ortega seems to be already having doubts, deep inside, about the conclusion they reached, how long will we be able to draw out the fakeself situation?

Not sure, we will see how the story goes.

Has Shroud picked up on sidestep/another Re-Gene being a Re-Gene based on the way they fight/based on certain behaviours? If not, could she?

I don't think so. She doesn't have that analytical mind.

Has Shroud ever heard about sidestep as in the Re-Gene, not the hero/villain?

Yes.

How long has she been on the run?

This is a trick question, ennit?

Does she know/has crossed paths with other runaway Re-Genes? Would she even care about crossing paths with other runaway Re-Genes?

She would stay as far away as she could.

Is the farm actively looking for shroud? She doesn't seem to have been mentioned in the epilogue even if she is "revealed" in the auction fight.

You don't know. But the Farm doesn't like runaways...

Is shroud considered the prize project of another farm handler?

No.

Did Ortega and/or Argent find out who shot Chen?

No. There are some suspicions, and by that I mean Ortega blames HG.

In one of the crash endings Ortega can jump onto a truck and then walk upright on the roof of the moving vehicle. Do they have a mod upgrade or suit feature that allows them to do this (magnets perhaps)?

No, Ortega's just like that. It's a superhero universe.

How big is Mortum's lab, and how many rooms does it include? Are there any particular ones you'd be comfortable with listing?

Mortum's lab is big and sprawling, I haven't made a map or anything, right now it's as big as the story needs to be. And most of it is secret.

When the tracker found the now-missing telepaths, was it the result of a precise, methodical plan, or was it more of a discovery based on chance, like the result of a "carpet bomb" strategy?

It was planned. Mostly.

If what happened to Argent had happened to the other rangers plus Mortum, would they've fared better or worse than her in controlling the nanovores' worst impulses?

Everyone but Mortum and Herald would have fared worse. Both of them would have been on her level.

What's Nocturne's civilian name?

I don't know yet!

This is probably a stretch but - was the Heartbreak apartment built atop a former cemetery/burial site?

Not to anybody's knowledge, but a lot of people died during the Big One.

How rare is having bodysnatching powers? Under which boost category would it fall? Have The Rangers ever seen that power before? Since dampeners don't work on it, do they have any means to protect themselves/other people from it?

That is very, very rare. It would be under the telepathy umbrella, under one of the other branches. It hadn't been seen before, and so far there's no known protection. It is very different from mental/physical control.

Does the Los Diablos Police Department have any spooky reports (official or not) from officers who patrol the Heartbreak building? Or any rookie scaring stories about the building?

Oh yes. It has acquired quite a legend by now.

Do 'active' Regenes get 'new' memories from the communal memory jar? Or are those only reserved for freshly harvested Regenes?

It is for fresh regenes, and regenes who have been wiped/recycles. New memories are not added once the re-Gene is functional.

What other responsibilities does the telepathic tracker have other than tracking telepaths?

General reconnaissance and scouting.

What did Locus think about vigilante!sidestep?

A bit if an idol, she wanted to be like that.

In the current timeline, has Locus heard about villain!sidestep?

No. Clever question.

When HG and Sidestep mind-dive each other, Sidestep can unlock the “protected” variable. Was something unlocked in HG’s mind? Did Sidestep leave a trace / close / open anything in there?

Any interaction between telepaths, even as strange as Hollow Ground, is bound to be a two way street.

Building on that - does being "protected" mean that it will be harder to open gates?

If you're lucky perhaps. I'm not going to go into details there.

Now that in some endings Ortega's seen more of Step's skin, have they noticed the tw self harm scars?

I mean, yeah. Ortega is not stupid. And there probably is a conversation forthcoming about that if Ortega ever dares.

Would Daniels parents have preferred it if Josh had survived the boosting process and Daniel hadn’t?

A bit, but the boosting was the biggest issue here, not who actually lived through it. Sure, Josh was older, but if the roles would have been reserved, his parents wouldn't have treated him much kinder.

Was Ljungstrand part of the Green Sky cult (or of any of its branches)? Or did they know/were friends/colleagues with anyone who was?

Nope and nope.

Did Ljungstrand keep any tabs on the going-ons with the Green Sky cult and/or its branches?

A bit, just like you do with any threat/strangeness/competitor. But that was never his main focus.

If Argent had not dissuaded Ortega from flirting, what would've happened?

Either they would have become a happy if slightly tempestuous couple, or the world's worst exes. Or Ortega would have disappeared one day...

Does Ortega know Vera? Anyone else in the Rangers know her?

Ortega is definitely aware of Dove, she's done a lot of work in Los Diablos. The same goes for the rest of the Rangers. She might not be a top tier villain, but she's not a newcomer.

Would Armadillo's armor prevent them from getting nommed by Shroud's death touch?

Yes.

What is Armadillo's favorite food?

Sausage, especially spicy ones, preferably barbecued.

Is Armadillo's pain gate functional?

Oh yes.

Was Armadillo's own escape in any way motivated by rumors of others escaping? Such as Sidestep?

Not rumours.

Is heartbreak's body still at the heartbreak site?

if so - are they the one who is "dead and buried"?

That is a good question. What happened to the body? The building was subject to an air-strike, it might have been destroyed. Or recovered. Or parts might be left under the rubble.

If given the opportunity, would Armadillo remove their tattoos or their blue hue?

Since they don't have that choice, it is a moot point. Wondering about things that will never happen is not really Arde's thing. It is what it is.

Does Arde know that I love them and would kill/die for them?

Nope, Arde is not a telepath.

What kind of thievery does Vera specialize in? Tech? Art? Something else? Anything and everything?

Essentially everything. It is both to make money, she has a lot of dependents, and she likes the challenge.

Does HG know about who and what Vera's partner really is?

No. HG knows of Armadillo, but thinks they are a normal boost.

Who would you pin down as more expensive between Ortega and Step, given the former's mods and the latter's artificial creation?

Ortega. At the point of Sidestep's creation, Re-Gene brewing was a routine (if very expensive due to deaths) process. Ortega is still one of a kind.

Is Regina psi sensitive?

No.

Does Armadillo bake bread in their spare time?

Yes.

What was the first non-Farm thing Armadillo ate after they escaped?

Gas station hot dog.

Has Hollow Ground met Armadillo or just Vera in person?

Hollow Ground have met both.

Will there be an option to have our ROs give us a special nickname? I.e "sweetheart" "love", "insert preferred pet name here"?

Yeah, that sounds sweet!

Would Charge still have survived being the Void’s obsession in the HG AU scenario?  (Where Step gets recruited by HG’s organization instead of Ortega)

I dunno. Might have become turned and become one of the Green Sky.

Actually, to add onto that, would the Void have gotten taken down without Step there to play higher-dimensional origami with them?

There were some who might, but chances are that wouldn't happen. It was the underestimating that killed Void, and Sidestep was a very rare combination of lethality and looking harmless.

Since you (Malin) implied Void blood is connected to Mortum's gun:

Is Void blood important because it's crucial to the physical functioning of the gun (i.e. the disintegration/reintegration process)? Or...did it help Mortum come up with design? Perhaps it gave them the perspective shift/insight/knowledge Mortum needed (but wouldn't have gained through other means) to create such a tool?

I would say it is more of the latter.

In the guilty hospital scene, Sidestep can taunt a romanced Ortega by saying they actually think Step being a villain is hot, which pisses Ortega off. Is there any kernel of truth to this, though? Does Ortega think dating a (non-massacre/"afraid" relationship tag, at least) villain is, actually, kind of hot?

I mean, yeah. It is hot. Sidestep knows Ortega too well.

Can armadillo actually just curl up in their armor and roll around as a mode of transportation?

Nope. Not more than a normal human can make somersaults.

What's HG's opinion(s) on rats? (As in the animal.)

Very neutral, they don't think of them much or have an opinion.

If HB never happened, how much longer would Sentinel have served as a Ranger before retiring?

Probably for a year or two longer, Sentinel was gearing up to retire, his wife was pushing for it to happen sooner, but it's such a big part of his identity. Heartbreak was the final push, but something else would have come along eventually.

Is Ortega's Sidestep Scar reflective of which HB scar Sidestep gets? Or is it independent? Are there variations at all? Or just one big Sidestep shaped hole in their psyche?

It is mostly independent, for Ortega there are three main variables. 1) Did Ortega see Sidestep putting the gun in their mouth? 2) Did Ortega see Sidestep [spoiler] 3) Did Ortega [spoiler].

Is Argent's current height a good approximation of how tall she would've been had she not been caught up in the Nanosurge? Or is her natural height different than what she constructed herself to be?

Oh Argent is taller now. Not massively, but a few inches.

Are there any scenarios in which one of the Rangers would willingly apprehend and hand over Sidestep to the Farm?

Yes. Not gonna tell you who or why.

How far has synthetic skin technology come as far as disguises/subterfuge? Are people able to create detailed masks/facial portions that move and feel and work like natural skin, even to a degree that it could fool facial recognition?

Yes. This is a thing that exist. Both facial recognition and fingerprinting is not seen as a very secure way of verifying things, with the medical tech available there are ways around that. Sure, it costs a bit of money, but just like cracking passwords is a thing, so is cracking biometric information.

Does the nutrient goop for the Rat King come in more than one flavour so Sidestep can give them a little treat? (I'm just a little sad Sidestep can't really give the Rat King little food treats like one could with a regular rat.)

The Rat-King sadly has no concept of taste (or touch) for their own body. However, they can experience these things through others, especially through a powerful telepath like Sidestep. So if Sidestep wants to give the Rat-King treats, they need to eat them and let the Rat-King tag along and experience the sensations. A delicious cheese sandwich, some crunchy nuts, peanut butter, there are a lot of things the Rat-King loves. Same with pets. Just think about it and pet your own hand or arm. Seriously, Sidestep is the biggest enrichment to the Rat-King's life.

Has Ortega never worried that being so open about their hostility toward HG might push Step to further keep their secret out of fear of being judged for their family?

Now that would be a smart way of thinking, but Ortega assumed that since Sidestep was a vigilante, they were already on the outs, and they wanted to make sure Sidestep knew they weren't afraid of Hollow Ground.

How many plans does the farm and LD government have in preparation for the dissolution of the FEZ?

A couple. They are betting on one in particular.

We know that bad emotions make Argent control nanovores worse, but strong good emotions like love and affection make controlling nanovores easier?

Nope. That's almost as bad.

What is Herald's opinion on rats and mice?

They are kinda cute? He's not afraid of them.

Did Ortega's father know about Regenes?

Yes, but not in great detail.

Regarding the threat that step believes is coming - is the identity of this threat mentioned in Patreon lore, the books, or not at all in any form?

It is hinted at in the surrounding lore.

Is HG open to giving hugs/cuddles to Step if they ever come to see them as family? 👀 Would they ever try to thread them if things have been difficult between them lately?

HG is very much for physical touch, so that wold happen. As for the threading... that will depend. It is a reflex, though not always acted upon.

HG claims to "make the ground crack under (the) feet" of these people who wronged them. How many people have fallen to such a fate?

More than a few. Enough that people feel it's not an idle threat.

Which (romantic) relationships would get a thumbs up from an HG with a Sidestep with 'sibling' status? Which ones would get a siblingly word of caution?

I mean all the Rangers would be worth a word of caution. That's risky behavior. Mortum would get a thumb's up.

‌If sidestep becomes an associate of HG and begins to work together more and more with them, I suppose that their inner circle of close associates will notice the resemblance and some rumors will pop up. Will HG shut down these rumors? Will they say sidestep is a relative (if they have a sibling relationship or something)? Or will they tell that the resemblance is just a coincidence?

HG is not afraid of family rumors, they would most likely encourage them.

How does HG’s organisation work, are there different levels/ranks and if so what duties would come with the different ranks?

I have not decided that in detail yet, still working on it.

Is HG aware there is a mole in their midst?

Nope.

If an unthreaded sidestep works with HG, will HG eventually realize that they did not actually manage to thread Step? How will HG react too learning this?

HG will notice if Sidestep breaks the thread parameters too often and obviously. How they will react depends on their relationship.

Is the mole in HG’s empire someone we’ve met before??

No.

Is Psychopathor in the same place that Themmy is?

Similar enough.

What did Hood see in Anathema that made him want to sponsor them through obtaining Rangership, besides their powers?

A kind heart and a will to do better, to be better. To help people.

If Sidestep agreed, could Ortega as Marshall also have sponsored them through the process while bypassing some of the official checks(like background checks)?

Ortega would certainly have tried. They didn't have as much pull as Hood did at the time, and things had become more formalized. They might have managed, or it might have led to suspicions being cast on Sidestep.

For the author -- As a writer, I'm just wondering what is a rough estimate of how much money you make from each book? 💰

I've had Choicescript downloaded for a long time and considered writing a game on the side, but I heard that Choice games takes a huge percentage of your pay cut. So I'm just wondering to see if the payout is worth my time learning Choicescript 🤔

ALright. Let's talk money. If you choose to publish with Hosted Games, there are two chunks taken out of the price of the book. The first one are the platform fees. That goes for everyone selling through places like Steam, the Apple store or the Play store. Even if you buy the license and self-publish, there's no escaping that. That's just internet life. Of the money that remains, my royalty rate is 25%. This might sound low, but compared to for example the comics scene or the book scene, it's higher than what I've got in either. You don't get rich from writing.

So what do I get for this? I get access to the CoG fanbase. I get someone who handles all publishing to all different platforms, who does sales, who pushed bug updates, who handles all the actual code, stores saves, keeps track of the myriad cover formats and sales copies. I also got editing/sensitivity reading but that's not included in all Hosted games I think. For someone who is a writer with NO knowledge of programming, that is huge. I would most likely have to pay someone to do all that for me. For me, it is worth being published by Hosted Games. Especially as a Swedish writer without a fanbase publishing my first game in english, I needed to be a part of a company where there would be people willing to buy the story without being told what it is first.

If I had been a programmer first, perhaps I would have made a text game and published it on itchio. If I had friends who were programmers, perhaps I would have partnered with them and made something else together. But I have worked with people and published things before, and that also splits the money in many parts. The lure of Hosted games was the fact that I didn't have to rely on anybody but myself to make the game/story, and I could understand how choicescript worked. And I wanted that initial first wave of people to get the ball rolling, because I believed in what I was writing, I just needed to get it in front of people.

And that is the problem with looking at percentages and prices. If you sell something for 10$ (after platform fees) and publish it yourself, and you sell 100 copies you have 1000$. If I sell something through hosted games, and instead sells 1000 copies due to bigger exposure, I have 2500$. If I sell the game cheaper, for 5$ but manages to sell 2000 copies instead I still have 2500$ but an extra 1000 people have read it and can talk about it with their friends. That's why I had Rebirth's price so low initially compared to similar length games.

So do I make money? Yes I do. And combined with the patreon, I make enough to live on. Without the patreon, it has been a nice income boost, but it would not have been enough to live on. I'm the sole provider in our household, so I need more than if I was on my own. I also now have a 1/2 time employee with help of some government subsidies (he's autistic). He's helping me with some other projects that will see the light of day eventually. Am I representative of the average choicescript project? Hell no. Am I the top earner? Hell no. Am I in the top twenty? Probably.

So don't learn choicescript to make money. That ain't gonna happen with any creative project unless you're very well connected or lucky. Make a choicescript game because you find it fun and an interesting. Because you want to tell a story or make cool mechanics. Just like writing books or making art, this isn't a shortcut to financial security. That said, I have sold a LOT more choicescript games than I would have ever sold books, so for me this is a lot more economically viable.

If Ortega hadn't had such a negative experience with nanovores in the past, would Argent have told them the truth about herself?

Probably. She suspects that Ortega might know, or at least guess something close to the truth, but as long as nothing is said out loud, they can both pretend everything is fine.

How good were Hood’s shields? 🤔 If you had to give force/subtle stats, what would they be?

Hood's shields were good, but nothing special. You could get by them with either 70% subtle or 75% force.

We know the reasons why Blaze doesn’t like Ortega, but is there anything specific about Vincent that Ortega hates/isn’t fond of?

Nothing about Blaze personally, mostly because Ortega picked up (but misunderstood) the tension with Chen. There was also the case of wanting to be the top dog, they were natural rivals in many ways.

What would you say were Thunderhead’s stats?

Thunderhead would be around 60% Force and 80+% Subtle. She would be less skilled at single target manipulation than Sidestep, but better at influencing crowds, mass amounts of people.

Irt the static of the mind of someone with epilepsy - is it like a shield, a barrier "surrounding" someone's thoughts? Or is it that the static is the thoughts, and they're simply in a "frequency" telepaths are incapable of accessing?

It is more of a disturbance of the frequency. Like when you are trying to listen to one radio but it constantly searches for channels and most of them are static. It's impossible to stick to one.

Is this the same for someone on the numbers drug?

The numbers are more of the barrier or shield. The best description would be that it lowers the saturation of thoughts, so everything turns gray and misty and it's hard to make anything out.

Theoretically, if Sidestep had 100% in Force/Subtle, would that be sufficient to overcome the epilepsy/numbers drug? Or would that take a completely different skill that Sidestep doesn't possess/isn't aware of? Or is it simply not possible period?

Everything is possible. Like with many things what's needed is to understand what the issue is and how to counteract it. It's less of a high number and more that more knowledge is needed.

If it is theoretically possible, was Ljungstrand capable of this? Could he read the mind of someone on the numbers drug?

No.

If the Regenerator were to completely “free” Argent of her nanos, would that affect her technopathy abilities in any way?

They might become stronger since she wouldn't have to focus them on the nanovores most of the time.

A few questions on dampeners: do they work like radio waves?

Yes, I would say that's similar enough.

do they block telepathy/psionic abilities alone, or do they influence other things as well? Can they interfere with things such as cellphone signals?

They can interfere with certain electromagnetic fields. This includes cellphones, certain radio frequencies and some mod implants. This is one reason they are not widely used all the time, and there's little warning signs where they are used, just like there are for people who use pacemakers in strong electromagnetic fields.

Frequent use of the numbers drugs can have nasty side effects; can dampeners cause any damage to people too? do they "feel" similar to telepaths as the numbers drugs? Which one has the potential to be more powerful/effective at blocking telepathic influence?

Dampeners are loud white noise, painful and unfocused. Numbers are a dead, grey mist where nothing can be detected. Dampeners can cause damage to people with mods who can be disturbed, like pacemakers or other implants.

Where were the Guardians during the gala attack? Did any of them make an attempt to get there to help take down the villain?

They weren't at the gala, and the attack was over too fast for them to interfere. If there had been a hostage situation or taken more time, they would have arrived/been deployed.

Do sidesteps gates serve the same purpose pre-Heartbreak and post-heartbreak?

Hmmmm. Yes.

Going back to this love-oblivious Sidestep question: what about Blaze? 👀 Would he be more subtle or forward about potential flirtations? Can he be poly?

I don't see Blaze as a poly person, he's too secretive to that I think. Not saying it can't happen, but there would need to be deep trust involved. And he's more forward when it comes to flirtations, he's not overtly subtle.

During the heartbreak event in rebirth, it's said that all nine gates were opened. Whether or not this actually occurred during the hb event itself - is it accurate to say: at some point during the hb experiment to steps capture, all nine gates were opened. This allowed something to enter sidestep. Sidestep closed the nine gates, which kept said entity trapped within these gates.

I would say... partly correct.

Weird question, but can Step read the minds of crustaceans?

Nope.

Are there any animals, singular or species, that understand any human languages fluently? Has Sidestep ever met them?

I honestly don't know. Not fluently. Human language is not the end all of communication.

How would you rate the HG trio’s tech savviness?

Nocturne is the one who's good at that, not the other two.

Will we have a talk with ROs/Rangers about our civilian identities? I imagine the Squatter/Friendly squatter one will be particularly dramatic or amusing depending on the step

Yeah, we are at that point when things like that might start coming out. Not for everyone though.

How many boosts like Argent are there, who became a boost despite not taken the boost drug?

More than you'd think. There's at least a dozen, probably more with smaller boosts.

So… the auction scene… is Shroud getting that hand back?

Nah. That hand is gone.

How did Jake eventually come to be a hitman? How early on was Nocturne’s public reputation negotiated to be what it is? Did either of them prefer something else at the start?

Jake fell into it because he was good at it. His powers added to that, and he didn't mind a fight. He'd spent his youth doing other, safer but less paying jobs and liked the respect that came with stepping up like this. Nocturne's reputation is carefully curated, she is exactly how she wants to be. She's in charge of it.

Has HG worked with or met Skyraider?

Oh yes, he's useful on occasion.

Question- how would Nocturne react to suspecting a serious threat had immediately seen through her facade, but not saying anything, in a first meeting? What’s her approach towards them from then on?

Danger, danger. She would keep them close and either win them over or decide whether it would be safer to eliminate them. She's not as nostalgic as Hollow Ground.

Did Vera want to be a hero in the past? If money wasn’t an issue, would she still want to be one now?

Vera sees herself as a hero. For her, the city of Los Diablos and the companies that run it is the villain. She's from one of the "autonomous suburbs" that has been incorporated in Los Diablos as the city has been rebuilt. Her parents and the rest of her family still live there, and there's a constant struggle to keep as much of their independence as possible. They have their own schools, firefighters, a small hospital, water treatment plant, power plant and other things needed. For the longest time they resisted paying the expensive "fees" to be connected to the greater Los Diablos area, but for the last decade they have had no choice. This is a big financial burden on the local council, and one of the reasons that Vera does crime. In her view, it's only fair that the companies and banks "subsidize" the costs. She had high hopes that the current Mayor might be someone you could talk to this about since she has a similar background, but it turns out she's in the companies' pockets.

Would Vera and Rosie make a private gossip group about Step? 👀 There’s a lot of interesting stuff in there… especially if they’re dating a Ranger. Who of the henches would join?

Gossiping about a telepath? Rosie might do that but Vera wouldn't be that stupid. She would say nothing she didn't want found out.

Will there be a chance to address Sidestep's chronological age with ROs/the Rangers? Of course they were an adult in all of the ways that matter (body/maturity), comparative lack of life and relationship experience aside, but it's interesting to think that the old Rangers were fighting alongside someone/Ortega was potentially flirting with somebody who had technically been "born"  only ~10 years before. If you don't think it will come up in game, can you tell us a bit about what their feelings on the subject might be?

I'm not sure if it will come up in game, we'll see how discussions go. I don't really think this is something that will really be on the top of either Sidestep's or any RO's list of things to talk about? There's a lot of other Farm/Re-Gene trauma that will be more interesting to talk about once/if Sidestep ever opens up.

Can Sidestep buy cheaper versions of their own powered armor for the mob boss crew?

Not sure what kind of upgrades there will be in game. The question is not about can, the questions is about whether it would be fun for the story and feasible to code.

In a similar vein, since Nocturne thinks HG's threading helped her survive Boosting, could Sidestep do something similar if any of the crew wanted to Boost?

That is interesting. Potentially Sidestep might actually be able to do that for someone.

Where does Vera fall on the wealth scale? Did this rescue excerpt significantly change that?

Vera would be around well-off to comfortable. A lot of her income goes back to the neighborhood, she's not one for luxury mansions.

Since Argent can rat Step out in Retri, is there a chance we might be able snitch on her too and let the rangers know about her secret involvement in the auction?

The hard thing will be how to do it and have proof, without revealing yourself. Also, she could always use the excuse that there's nothing wrong with infiltrating villain spaces. Ortega does it often enough.

Will we be able to choose step's regene name or will it be based on our stats? Or is that too far in the future? And iirc someone asked if in book 3 we'll be able to increase/decrease our telepathy stats, will it be like in book 2 where its only our stronger stat or will it be like in book 1?

You will be able to choose it! But as always there will be some to choose between if you can't decide. You will be able to increase/decrease your telepathy stats more in book three. There are some traumatic events planned there that can move things a lot more than they moved in book two. In both directions.

In the last Q&A, you said that "Originally I had not planned on having any career variation..." In this case, I was curious which career path is the "original one" that every player would have gone down had you not decided to expand the scope? Furthermore, if it hasn't been asked already, why did you choose the villain career paths that you did?

I would say that the original book career path would have been closest to hero hunter. The one I had planned originally for the game was closest to anarchist. I choose the four paths I did just based on classics. There was a fifth, called "wrecker" which I quickly folded into anarchist because it wasn't specific enough.

If you mc crash and innocent breakout, what were the rangers arguing about before coming to sidestep's room?

Hehe maybe we will talk about that, but I think it's fair to say that it might have been about Ortega's recklessness.

In a hypothetical scenario, what would have happened with a guilty MC and Ortega if they hadn't crashed?

It might have come to blows, or it might have come to a talk. It would depend on choices.

Lord Ember seems to be more in touch/close/friendly with his associates, but he doesn't know Shroud is a Re-Gene. Do they get along? Does Lord Ember suspect anything? How's their relationship?

Shroud keeps everybody at arm's length, which is understandable. She's pleased being a part of the operation and being as feared as she is. Lord Ember has no complaints, she shows proper respect.

In Retribution if you choose to wipe or alter the shrinks memories it raises Ortega's suspicion of Sidestep. I'm curious as to why? Is Ortega speaking to Dr. Finch about us after the fact or listening in to our conversations or something? Because simply stopping therapy doesn't raise Ortega's suspicion so they have to be finding out something is wrong somehow.

Remember that Ortega is paying for this, so they do have some contact with Dr. Finch. And since Ortega is chatty, they picked up on things being weird if Dr. Finch suddenly blanks on who Sidestep is. Ortega did not listen in, that shit is private.

How did HG father die?

Heart gave out. HG suspects it might have been drug related, but their older brother who was present denied anything like that.

And if HG father had survived would that have affected what their criminal empire would have looked like?

Yeah. It would have been smaller, and a lot more focused. HG is the ambitious one here, or perhaps we should say, HG and Nocturne.

Since HG oldest brother survived the boost drug was his powers similiar to HG?

No, he had geokinetic powers, and was the original Hollow Ground.

Considering the younger sibling was their mother's baby, did their arrest and death affect HG and their mother's relationship?

Oh yes. That soured everything, and they never really reconciled before her death.

And was their mother worried about younger sibling stealing things, considering how young they were and that she had already lost her husband and one or two of her children?

Yes. If she had her way, the youngest sibling should have gone legit and got an education. They had the money for it now. Sadly, the younger sibling idolized their older brothers and wanted to be just the same.

Did the oldest brother have time to get to know their younger sibling? Did he feel more distance toward his new sibling considering even bigger age-gap?

Yeah, but there was more distance there since he was more busy, and the age gap was larger. HG was the designated babysitter.

What kind of stupid things HG has done because of their family scar?

Especially when younger, lots of stupid revenge schemes, making sure that there was nobody who could get one over on them.

What kind of roles do non-SD re-genes have?

There are many roles needed on-site for the Farm. There is training, medical treatment, assisting scientists and even things like construction or cleaning. Cuckoos are technically not part of the SD, and there are scouts who fulfill similar roles. Some are trusted enough that they are part of the patrols that makes sure the Farm is isolated and not threatened in any way. Other regenes have proven to be very good at helping newly decanted regenes to integrate into their powers and roles. They function like teachers, though the scienteists see them more like service dogs.

What happened to the Mortum's gun if Sidestep got captured at the auction?

Probably stolen by someone in the chaos.

What are some of the first rules among re-genes that  new re-genes learn from the older re-genes?

How to speak and how to never, ever show humans that you're more than what they think you are.

Is it possible to gift HG Ortega's recorder Sidestep picks up after the puppet car crash?

That might be possible, yes.

Can we still lose/raise Mob boss and anarchist's leadership/political influence in book 3 and 4?

Oh yes, that hasn't really come into play much yet.

If Sidestep forced Jake to feel through their painful memories, how badly Jake was shaken by it?

Quite a bit. That's not something he's used to.

What was Mortum like as a child?

Quiet. Focused. Studious. A bit shy. Very polite, though that might be due to the circumstances.

In auction attack if Sidestep makes guard attack the guests Mob boss Sidestep thinks that it will openly damage HG reputation. How badly did that actually affect HG reputation?

Oh that is a BIG hit. The trust has been broken, as has the illusion of safety. HG is supposed to keep the peace, not have guards volatile enough to crack and start shooting at people.

And what was HG and Nocturne's reaction to Sidestep who attacked their casino openly and causing a lot of damage?

Anger and fury. Nocturne wants Sidestep's head for that. HG is more forgiving once they meet.

Out of curiosity how did streetsmart sidestep interact with their contacts in their hero days? Did they wear a mask or is this something up for a headcanon?

I will leave that to headcanon.

You mentioned before that nobody likes Shroud. Is it because of their powers and because they might have eaten fellow re-genes?

Especially the latter. Shroud was used against other Re-Genes, and they remember.

Also did Shroud choose her current name? If so, why did she choose on her current name?

She did, she wanted the whole gothic vibe, partly because alluding to a corpse makes her skin less noticeable, and allows her to weird veils and bandages and cover up.

You mentioned before that HG decided to trust in Nocturne, because it was a first time they met someone who could understand their way of thinking. What way of thinking did HG see in Nocturne?

Someone who saw the big picture, how things fitted together, and what to do with it. Also, a deep, lonely callousness and a need for contact.

Is it possible to Sidestep  crash at Ortega's birthday party as their villain persona?

I mean that will be one path!

What kind of powers would Ortega have gotten if they had taken boost drug instead of getting modded?

Probably would have died, I think I have answered this in the past with different things, but as the boost drug is unpredictable I will answer again. It might have been something like flight, or better physical capabilities.

Did Ortega's mother have any thoughts about sidestep's new villain entrance?

She didn't watch the gala, and she's not planning to.

Before Sidestep escaped first time had there been any other escapee and if so how recent?

There has been occasional escapees both before and after. The latest before Sidestep's first escape was maybe six months earlier?

And final question. Was the farm setting in the OG story too? Did it change much from the OG story or is it pretty much the same?

The Farm was not a part of the og story and regenes did not exist. It had an entirely different setting.

In regards to Ortega's debts and them basically being an indentured servant superhero, is that something we can use to convince them to go villain?

I mean it is a big argument both for and against...

And to add onto that... if any of the Rangers were to go villain, would they choose a new alias or stick with their current ones? Or is that spoilers?

Some would stick (Charge, Lady Argent), some would change (Herald and Steel).

Ortega has mentioned that their pastself might have had problems with being in a queer relationship. How exactly would a younger Julia/Ricardo react to knowing that they might end up in relationship with another woman/man?

Excited but also scared. Mostly of how other people (especially their father) might see them.

Is it just their nightmares that Sidestep telepathically broadcasts? Or other dreams too? Like for example... *ahem*, the hrny dream about Ortega?

I think the nightmares are stronger and more invasive for certain reasons.

Will we be able to learn more about the gates in Sidestep's head without opening them?

Yes.

Anathema is transgender if Sidestep is, right? Is the same true for Hollow Ground?

No.

I'll preface this one by saying that I'm not expecting or asking for another RO, but it's just something I've been curious about. In writing romance options for Sidestep, was there ever a point in time when you were considering having another re-gene as an RO?

No, originally you wouldn't encounter any in a calmer setting until the last book. And I felt that would be too late to get any chemistry.

Have the media and the Rangers assumed that the new villain's "disintegration touch" is a boost power?

Well, the clever ones can guess that this might be a Dr. Mortum project (you bet there are armor spotters out there), and Dr. Mortum already had a reputation for building a disintegration gun. So that's what most people think is the cause, a weapon Mortum built into the armor.

What did Ortega's friends think of their closet key being some weirdo they picked up off the street? Did it effect Chen's distrust and resentment of a male Sidestep?

I mean Ortega was rather weird themself. It makes sense in a way, peas in a pod and all that. And yes, it definitely added to Chen's ditrust.

Will Ortega figure out on their own that they were effectively Sidestep's new handler, and would it change how they view a romantic relationship with them?

That won't be something Ortega realizes on their own, but it might be something Sidestep tosses at them. Ortega is just incapable of seeing Sidestep as someone who would need or obey orders, and they certainly wouldn't see themselves as having been in a position of authority.

If HG had been Sidestep's first real human contact would they be better or worse at acting human?

I would say different. HG could have helped a lot with threading, but Ortega's forthrightness allowed Sidestep to try things out in their own time.

What are Sentinel's kids names and did Sidestep know them?

I haven't decided yet! Sidestep doesn't know them, they were born post Heartbreak.

Will it be possible to play with a high suspicion Ortega in a "I know you know I know you know" sort of way?

Yep.

What time of year does Rebirth start? (winter, spring, summer, fall)

I am working on a timeline, it will be up eventually.

When a re-gene is tattooed is it done in sessions or all at once? Does it hurt like normal tattooing, or is it more printed on the skin?

Since the re-gene is out cold during the application, there is no pain, and it's unknown how many applications. There seem to be more of a printing process involved.

For the drivers, in a strait street race who is more likely to win Dr. Mortum, Ortega, Bo or Nehal. Whos more likely to win if they cheat?

Dr. Mortum if it's in their own car. If everyone has the same type of car, Bo would win.

What did the wider villain community think of our museum debut? What was the talk in those circles the day after, and how did it vary based on how we may have gone about it?

It depends on the outcome. Blowing it up got applause and got noticed, stealing things was more routine, just another thief who got into a scrap with the Rangers. If the fight was showy with monologue that would have got some applause, there's a lot of people who would want Charge taken down a notch.

Have any of the Rangers (current or previous) gotten into dumb situations with their powers when they've been drunk?

I mean yeah... Ortega has shorted out more than one place. Herald knows better than to drink and fly now. I would say that the only ones who NEVER got into something like that when drunk was Sentinel, Argent and Chen. Both Sentinel and Argent needs a lot of focus for their powers, and doesn't get drunk because of it. Chen on the other hand can just park his armor and not drink and drive.

Who do the staff at the Rangers HQ think our character is? Is there an official story that's been told?

It depends. If Sidestep works with the Rangers, they have been presented as a retired consultant (vigilante). Otherwise they are just yet another one of Ortega's friends, who then turns out to be connected to other Rangers (especially if RO's).

Similarly, what's the employee rumor mill like regarding our character? Do those rumors change depending on if you're pursuing a romance route with any of the Rangers?

It is the romance routes that really makes the rumor mill start. That's always of interest to office gossip, especially if it's someone like Herald. It depends a lot on how Sidestep is and how often they are there, but people will speculate and make up rather outlandish things, especially when people are trying to keep things secret.

Step says "they wanted to see how much I could take" referring to the SD after their recapture, did they do like classic torture? Like physically harm them or was it more like telepathic testing pushed to the extreme?

It varies depending on your headcanon, but it was both. The telepathic powers were the most interesting, but the body was a way to get there.

Would a huge range and strength make them more likely to label a telepath as Omega or would it be more like a special ability?

That would enter possible Omega territory, though people are wary of assigning that label.

Did the SD know that Step (the hero) was a re-gene before Heartbreak happened? Or did they just grab Steps body after they fell because they were someone who was affected by HB and they wanted to do tests and then they were like, "Hey! It's our escaped cuckoo! What a surprise!"

The latter. It truly was chance. "Hey, a free telepath". Nobody had thought that a regene could become a hero!

So double boosts are rare but what are the chances of a double boost getting the same or a similar power to their first boost? Like they got double fire powers or something?

I would say that is the most likely, and would work very much like growing stronger through a traumatic experience.

Step seems to have survived a LOT of stuff, like they should definitely be dead by now, medically speaking. Since you've said most boosts sort of get secondary powers with their boosts, is it possible that Step got increased durability/endurance? Or do they get by by sheer will alone (and maybe some superhero science?)

I would say that this is a superhero world, so there are a lot of suitability just in that. But yeah, I think Sidestep would count as having a bit increased durability/endurance. That is a trait that the Farm always tries to encourage in their regenes.

Mitchell's guide to the Catastrofiend video 2, is whoever is in the cell a Puppet for the Fiend? Or is it possible that they are possessing the Fiend?

Nope. The Fiend doesn't possess people.

In a lot of HB texts, eyes are mentioned a lot but there's a focus on there being no mouths. Is this a literal "I have no mouth and I must scream" coming from HB? Was the HB entity actually trying to do harm (like evilly) during the Incident or was it just trying to get people's attention?

The lack of mouth is entirely intentional. As for Heartbreak, we're going to learn this in Revelations, so I won't go into that here.

The camera mentioned in the Mystery's of the West Coast, was that set up by the person who's keeping an eye out for telepaths for the Farm? Since the person in the story mentioned that psychics would probably be drawn to the HB site.

Good spot. It was indeed connected to that project.

Will the return to the HB site be a solo adventure or will a certain....zappy person come with us? Or maybe they'll find us there? Honestly though, I don't care who comes with or anything, the way you write about the HB site is soooo good and the vibes are terrifying. I'm so excited, like it's the part of the next book that I'm the most excited about!

I think people can come with, we'll see what vibes I want to bring.

Also, for the hell of it, do they graffitied eyes at the HB site tend to...move?

Nope. It just looks that way.

The stuff with the Core being messed up and the kidnapped telepaths, is it a world affecting issue or just a Special Directive/Re-gene problem?

I would say it's a SD issue mostly.

Does flying everywhere have any consequences for Daniel's health? We've mostly seen him land out of politeness and when trying to blend in; does he actually never need to walk, or does he still need to get a certain amount of steps in to keep his legs in shape?

Yes. This is Danny's biggest issue. He could very easily suffer the same issues as astronauts in space, and has a rather grueling training regiment to keep in shape. He knows he should float/fly less, but it's easier to do than to not do it.

Can you elaborate a little on what happened during the blazesave? I assumed that Rat King deployed the grappling hook themselves, but Blaze says "I got it." Why would they need help with the hook, I'd assume it couldn't be operated externally anyway? What did they say to Blaze specifically? He asked about a voice he heard, not just a sound, so I assume they communicated with some sort of words and not just feelings/emojis?

The Rat-King managed to scream loud enough so Blaze picked them up, he wasn't sure what he heard, it was more of a feeling that his mind translated to words. What the Rat-King needed help with was the aim, to move Sidestep's arm upwards so they could fire. They could not override muscular control and take over the armor to that extent.

Will there be similar options in the future for a suitag Sidestep to try to commit “suicide by hero,” so to speak?

Most likely.

How do the best-little-partners-in-crime stay mentally stimulated when they’re not in direct contact with Sidestep?

They are a little bored then, and spend a lot of time playing among themselves. If they have the option, they try to work out how to operate the armor (it was a surprise they were working on). They might also be playing with any rats in the base (the tunnels are great!) or antagonize visiting rooftop seagulls (luxury base).

Height, nickname, and fashion are all great customizations added in Retribution. Will there be similar additions in Revelation? Are there customizations that you considered/wanted to add, but either just didn't or couldn't because of coding limitations/etc.?

I think it's less about could, but seeing a use for them. While I see the baseline hair/eyes/etc as something needed to make a character feel you, the others have more weight in the story. If I come across things that makes sense in the code, I will add them.

Do you anticipate there ever being an option to either work on or worsen Sidestep's chosen vice? Or will references to them be affected by scar/gate levels? How did you settle on the ones that made it into the game?

I do plan on having Sidestep be able to deal with the vice, but I don't think it's going to be a number game. It will probably be more like *if vice = "sober" for someone trying to break a alcohol habit and so on. And I settled on some common ones that I personally have (except smoking, that was my dad).

Thank you so, so much for this game and all of the hard work you've put into it. Along with it just being super fun, what with all of the different variables to consider and the huge differences between different playthroughs, and the world being interesting and the characters being lovable (every single one of these assholes is living in my head rent free rn) it's also just so... Cathartic? To be able to play this fucked up and often deeply relatable character who can still get things done and have people who care about them, to be able to make the choice to try to get "better" or just keep moving? Idk if that makes sense but yeah! I hope that you're doing well and taking care of yourself, thanks for always taking the time to answer questions!

Thank you so much! I am taking care of myself, haven't got as much written as I want yet because I promised myself a summer vacation for the first time in years and I am mostly keeping it. Will be going to the US for a month in a couple of weeks to see family, which will be fun. In the meantime I am collecting scenes like a magpie and writing down variables and paths. Hopefully that will make the actual writing smoother once I start for real.

How exactly does Chen's military rank work? I recall him being a Sergeant in Sidestep's memories, but he's a Captain now as of Retribution. I'm under the impression from his patreon story that he was discharged before becoming a Ranger, so he no longer gets promoted up in ranks or can become an officer in the army. Or, is it some hand-waving thing since he's technically a federal agent? Maybe never even left the army?

He was promoted to captain (honorary) when he became Marshal. He's technically still in the army, he's in a weird spot being a federal agent and all. One might say that he's assigned to the Rangers.

Is it a huge coincidence that the The Farm, where the clones are grown and trained at, has the same name as the CIA's facility that trains their intelligence operatives?

It does? I honestly did not know that! So yep, a coincidence!

Do the ROs have their own wikipedia page? If yes, who edits and fact-checks them? And how would they feel about it?

I would say they probably do, and it's the Ranger's media team that makes sure that everything is up to date.

What are all the martial arts each individual ranger knows and which do they each prefer to use?

Ortega: Aikido, jiu jutsu, boxing. They know bits of a lot more, they've been picking up moves from many places but those are the main ones.

Chen: Learned to fight in the military, very utilitarian ones build for situations that can appear in combat. Close to LINE and MCMAP. A bit of Krav Maga.

Argent: She is completely self-taught, but her style has a lot more in common with knife fighting and fencing. She has had several martial arts coaches since joining the rangers, including swordfighting. She doesn't stick to a single one though.

Herald: It would be better to say he knows self defense than martial arts.

Was sidesteps DNA used to make more regenes/boosts?

Yes, but Sidestep is the only survivor.

Who would win in a fight between ortegas father and a fighter or tactican sidestep? Does height play a role in the fight? How tall is ortegas father?

I would say that Sidestep would win, because Sidestep truly doesn't fight fair. Even a short Sidestep. Doesn't have to be tall to break a knee. I would say that he was tall as well, probably an inch shorter than Ortega.

Will Marcia ever meet Elena or ortega? If so how would their interaction go?

Ortega is likely, and Marcia will be charmed. Heart eyes all the way.

Will Marcia potentially become a mother figure toward sidestep in the future?

Up to Sidestep.

If ortegas father was still alive what would've been his thoughts on his son/daughter dating a villian more specifically a regene?

Absolutely NOT!

Furthermore, what would be his thoughts on sidestep beating or punching ortega? Would it depend on sidesteps and ortegas gender?

It would depend on that, yes.

Could sidestep been holding back when they were ever fighting or sparring with ortega or any of the other rangers past or present?

Of course! That's all headcanon.

In Retribution Ortega mentions that sidestep has never killed, does this mean sidestep has previously killed and simply chosen not to disclose this to Ortega? Or is Ortega in some sort of denial?

Sidestep never killed openly. Some situations are weird, like the Void, but Ortega didn't see that as killing. Whether Sidestep has done that and not let Ortega know is headcanon. But Ortega is also looking at the past with rose-colored glasses.

Rats only live 4 years or so. So our best girls are already old wise rats by rat standards right? How long can they live as they are now? Who would want to take over the world without them X'D also what do they think of normal rats theese days. How do local rats feel about their presence?

Technically, the Rat-King should be long dead. However, they are older, and show no sign of cognitive decay. It is possible that there is something in their setup that allows the brain to remain healthy for longer. It does include cleaning systems for protein buildup and neural cleansers so it is quite possible that they have many, many years ahead. They do enjoy talking to normal rats, though they do feel weird. They think differently now, and have a wider perspective. The local rats like them.

What is Vera’s and Sky-Raider’s opinion on the different villain paths Sidestep can choose to take?

Not sure yet, I am still feeling out their personalities.

Why did Vera decide to take the boost drug?

She will have to tell you that, I'm not going to reveal it in a qna.

What kind of leader did HG consider their oldest brother to be?

Strong. Driven. Stern. An inspiration, though that cracked towards the end when he saw that their brother was human.

What do Vera and Sky-Raider potentially think of Rangers low reputation?

Just funny in a kinda rival sports teal laughing at their old rivals kinda way.

Were Vera and Sky-Raider in the Los Diablos when the Nanosurge and Heartbreak disaster occurred?

Vera was, Sky-Raider wasn't.

Does the old man know HG as the Kingpin of the Los Diablos or as supposedly normal criminal/someone tied to a criminal word but not ruling over it/real name?

The old man have no idea HG is the kingpin.

Could the Farm be able to create a Re-gene with powers like Jake’s intangibility, Vera's pigeon-control/shapeshifting, or HG’s red-threads? What boost process would the Farm try to use to get powers closest to those three particular powers?

Yes, but not intentionally. Jake's is probably easiest, applying pressure/pain would be a good trigger for escape. The other two are too weird, maybe having the regene be boosted inside a chicken coop or something. Not hygenic.

If Argent were to use the Regenerator, would there be anything she would be reluctant to lose of her current form/abilities?

Yeah. She loves those parts. The durability. The blades. The strength.

Do pigeons consider Vera “one of us” when she’s in pigeon form or is she kind of a Weird Pigeon that looks like pigeon, but doesn’t feel like one?

Hmmm I would say that they do notice the uncanny valley, but it doesn't scare them.

Could Sidestep’s telepathy be able to recover HG’s memories of their younger sibling?

Yes.

What would have happened if Lady Argent had recognized Sidestep as the one who possessed her during the first meeting at the Rangers HQ’s?

Violence. A fight with Ortega who would leap to Sidestep's defense. Possibly with the rest of the Rangers.

What villain impressions, similar to ones she can have about Sidestep, Mia would have of the Rangers if they were villains?

Depends on what kind of villains. She would be scared of Argent probably. Maybe of Steel. Herald might get the doubtful is he really a villain at the start, while Ortega would be interesting.

What was Nocturne’s opinion on the last mayor? What did she think of his assassination?

Crude but useful. His assassination was an annoyance.

How would Locus define what a hero is?

Someone who tries to help people at the expense of their own safety and happiness.

How would Nocturne and Jake define what a villain is?

Someone who doesn't care about hurting other people or breaking the law to take what they want.

In one Q&A it was started Ortega is afraid of losing Sidestep, does that only include losing Sidestep in a physical sense (death, capture, disappearance) or is Ortega also afraid of losing their connection/bond with Sidestep?

Mostly the first, but increasingly the latter.

What kind of boss did Deadeye consider HG’s oldest brother to be compared to HG?

Better. Easier to read. Less afraid of causing waves.

What kind of person did Nocturne want to reinvent herself as?

Someone confident and strong, without doubts and worries.

How would Herald react to an MC named Kestrel, or any other bird? Or a bird themed MC if that could be possible?

I mean birds are cool, of course people would be named after them.

in one of the endings of Retribution if the puppet suffers the accident and Sidestep returns to his own body Mortum realizes that there is something wrong with the puppet because they do not recognize the laboratory, but if Sidestep suffers the accident and mortum rescues him, that same puppet appears in Mortum's laboratory making coffee, so this same puppet managed to trick Mortum even without knowing the laboratory and without him finding it strange?

A puppet wrecked in the crash is in a lot worse shape than someone in a whole body. Both from shock, pain and other things. Just like Sidestep is a mess after the crash, but smooth as normal if their body is whole.

a prev Q&A mentioned Ortega plays guitar. Electric or acoustic?

Acoustic mainly.

My bad if this has already been asked but like Julia and Ricardo, what differences are there between f!Mortum and m!Mortum? Personality, experiences, or otherwise

I feel that there are less than between Julia and Ricardo. The path of a scientist/academic combined with a journey into gender questioning and transness leads to a more whole person than Ortega clinging to the binaries.

In truth or dare story sidestep mentioned leaving someone behind. Have we met or will we be meeting that person?

Yeah, possibly book four.

Considering Sidestep has come back from the dead from the rangers' perspective for almost a year, was there any heartbreak anniversary since we've met Ortega in that dinner? How would that go with Sidestep around? Especially for Ortega and Chen? Will there be one in the upcoming book?

That was the one day of the year Ortega stayed in and just didn't talk to anybody. Chen did pretty much the same. Not sure if we will touch on that in this book, I need to check the timeline where things land. It’s not impossible.

Did Sidestep know about that Heartbreak movie that was on the table the interviewer talked about in the short story? Would Ortega and Sidestep talk about it? Or is it up to headcanons?

That is headcanon.

How would chargestep as a couple spend their time and at where since Sidestep came back? Dinner at Hoots was one time thing and Ortega's place has only become an option towards the end of Retribution. Was there any car trips?

It is a bit up to headcanon, but I can imagine several ways to hang out. Car trips are always fun and nicely air conditioned. If Sidestep can get over the fact that they can't quickly walk away in case of an argument. For fun, having a wealthy Sidestep being the one with the car for once. Same with motorcycles. Both riding with Ortega and having your own. There are a lot of fun roads around Los Diablos. Walks suits them both if the weather is cooler. Like the meeting at the beach, they are both restless and likes to be on the move. Streetfood dinner and outside bars, some beers under the moonlight. Maybe even dancing when nobody's watching.

If Sidestep never had met Ortega since their comeback, how would Chen react seeing them on Boneyard? '

Shock. Chen would thought he saw a ghost. Might not even have tared to approach.

Will we have an option to reject Hollow Ground just because they're Ortega's archenemy?

Oh yes. Let's be loyal and petty here.

Is there a reason why we can't say "I don't kill civilians" in Ortega conversation after the villain reveal?

I'll have a look at that, might be an option that needs to be there. The good thing about no saves yet is that things like that can be easily adjusted.

If I remember correctly, there was a mention of telepath scientists and/or handlers in the Farm disappearing. Was it because since they can read Re-genes' minds and saw they're not mindless weapons and had issues with that fact or was it related to other telepath disappearances?

It is related to the latter.

Are Ortega and Chen aware of the telepaths  disappearing? I assume not or they would warn Sidestep about it. Is Hollow Ground aware of it?

No on all three counts.

Would Argent go to see the Barbie movie?

Yeah! And drag Ortega along.

Are there any escaped blue Re-genes who picked up a hero or villain career?

Yep.

Does Argent prefer not to drink because of the  nano friends? Or are there other reasons as well?

It is mostly the nanos.

Considering months have passed since our villain debut, was there any encounters with Charge and/or herald that was not in the book?

I leave that to headcanon, I can imagine smaller ones that never came to blows.

How did (especially high approval) Argent and Herald react to Ortega's faker theory? Did they have a discussion about it?

They have talked, but I want those revelations to be in game. So you have to keep sweating.

What does Mortum think of Chargestep? Especially after the villain and/or re-gene reveal?

It feels rather self-destructive for both of them, but love can be that way.

Sorry, one last question. If a telepath got to an extremely high strength level and they completely dropped their shields, would they be able to hear things like the brain telling the lungs to keep working or other subconscious stuff like that? Or not exactly, because they're not "technically" thoughts?

Technically they are not thoughts, and in fact we are taught to dismiss these thoughts inside our own mind. Thus it would be very hard for a telepath to pick them up in another. However, Sidestep is already manipulating those in others, like in the fight with Argent when they are influencing her brain to stop breathing until she faints, or seeing things that are not there. Sidestep just doesn't think of them as thoughts.

Because they were the Marshal did Ortega have to speak at Step/Anathema's funeral? Did they choose/were allowed not to if it was too much? What would they have said? (obviously pre Vernon smackdown unless that happened early on in the funeral)

There was a planned speech from Marshal Charge, but that got canceled after they saw in which shape Ortega was. Nobody in their right mind wanted to give Charge a platform at that moment, the mayor at the time held the speech instead.

I'm sorry if this has been asked before (still happily going through all the QnAs from the past few years) but does listening to music (especially loud, over-ear headphones) help Step block out telepathic noise?

Yes, it does. It's a bit like listening to one song to stop an earworm you can't stop thinking about.

How do the HG trio feel about the more ruthless sides of their jobs?

None of them would have got this far if they had issues with that. They're not nice people.

What’s Vera’s relationship like to other birds? (E.g. Corvids, sparrows, *seagulls…*)

It depends. Small birds are ignored, predators and seagulls are hated.

What was it about LD that made Jake think adapting to it was his biggest challenge to date?

Foreign country, different customs, lots of weirdness that was starting to become it's own thing. Los Diablos is deeply weird in certain areas, both because of the Big One, boosts and mods being common and open, and the rampant capitalism.

I’ve been thinking about that one scene in Retri- say if Hollow Ground found out Step (who they’d come to love as family) was killed and cut up/sold for parts. What would they do to the offending parties, especially considering the parallels to their youngest sibling dying + not even having their body to bury? Would they make a grave for Step? If yes, where would it be? What if the perpetrators were members of their own empire?

Would HG wage war with the Farm if they killed Step?

Oh Hollow Ground is very willing to go to war for family. A grave the least they would do (probably near their property). It wouldn't matter if it was the Farm or their own men, whoever was behind it would pay.

About Ortega’s, Argent’s, Herald’s, and Steel’s identities: what does the public know of their names? What about other heroes/hero teams? (E.g. The Guardians, other Ranger teams)

It is not open to the general public that Ortega is Charge, but at this point it's not really a big secret. What I would compare it to are those rock stars who are masked (Ghost, Lordi). The average man on the street might not know who's behind the mask, but it's not hard to find out if you're a fan or want to do some digging.

Chen both has it easier and worse. Since he's wearing armor, most of the public sees the armor as the hero, not him. Could stick anybody in there. However, being the Marshal means that he needs to interact with the government as Captain Wei Chen, so he's pretty well known there. Nobody would recognize him in the streets though.

Lady Argent is Lady Argent. She can never escape that. Her "Angela Smith" name is being kept secret, but the closest to her know.

Herald doesn't wear a mask, so he's easily recognizable even as a civilian, especially since he flies a lot. However, everyone knows him as Herald. Very few know the name Daniel Sullivan, even his civilian friends only knows his hero name. A few might know he's called Daniel, but not his last name.

How did Thunderhead play into what her namesake implied, given she was actually a telepath?

She didn't play into anything, it was her name and she explained nothing. Strangely enough few people questioned her authority.

When Argent accidentally eats a person because of the nanovers. Does the body and mush actually end up in her stomach or does the nanovers somehow have their own little bodies with tiny digestive systems?

The nanovores transform the biological material to new nanovores. That is the mechanism that can allow them to swarm. There is leftovers, but it doesn't end up inside Argent. but as an unrecognizable biological film covering the surroundings.

When Argent eat anything at all does it end up in her stomach or just magically disappears into the nano’s?

Some ends up in her stomach, some is eaten by the nanos before that in the mouth and upper throat.

I am right now struggling with writing a scene were two close friends have a fight were both are just being unreasonable. And i just… have this huge trouble getting it down on paper. The arguments feel strained. And i was wondering, do you have any specific advice?

Try to avoid having a set path or endpoint for the argument. If you already know how it will end, you keep writing to get there, which means that the actions and words might feel stiff. Instead, focus on the start. Why are they arguing? What feelings are they bringing into things? When I write arguments I only write dialogue. Nothing else. Just words. No indication of who's talking at all. I try to get into the flow and the anger, not focusing on making a scene, but trying to get moments. I keep writing, reusing similar phrases, trying to be mean, angry, horrible, rerunning the same moments with new words. I usually end up with something ten times as long as what will eventually be used, and cuts it down to the key arguments and phrases. Then I add the other surrounding writing. Sometimes an arguments ends in a reconciliation. Sometimes it ends in walking away. Sometimes it makes things worse. Sometimes it doesn't end the way I planned it, but that's characters for you.

What was the rangers (the old ones sunstream, anathema, etc) first impression of sidestep.

Anathema felt kinship, they recognized the skittish alienation of someone unused to people. Sunstream was nervous, there was something slightly off about Sidestep that she didn't know how to deal with. Sentinel was impressed, that was someone who would go far.

Why is the farm or the head women of the farm (forgot her name) so focused on sidestep? Sidesteps been causing nothing but trouble for them and costing a lot of money too. They might also leak information abt the farm as well. The farm has like hundreds of other regenes that are just as organic right? What makes our sidestep special?

I will resist my urge to say spoilers and pull the veil back a bit on that. First, there is the fact that Sidestep is a telepath. As has been mentioned in the book, telepaths are becoming quite rare. Second of all, Sidestep has had a growth curve that's near exponential in power. That is both a danger and an opportunity. Third, Sidestep exhibited new, unexplained powers during their last escape, and nobody can agree exactly on what happened. Fourth, Sidestep is at this point the only survivor of a particular experiment the Farm is increasingly desperate to get right. Fifth, nobody just walks out on Regina, she doesn't take kindly to that kind of behavior.

How did ortega feel about the fact that sidestep looks exactly like HG little brother/sister? Did it not affect ortega at all? Ortega seemed very chill with it or were they just putting on a mask?

Oh it affected Ortega greatly, especially at the start. It was a shock, but Ortega has a great poker face, and Sidestep had no reason to understand any of the reactions as to something other than how they looked (too young, ugly, pretty, scarred, whatever their particular hangups was). However, as Ortega had more time to think about what was going on, they came to respect Sidestep for breaking away from the family and turning vigilante.

During the scenes where we could possibly tell our ROs that we’ve been sexually violated before during the farm days, everyone seems shocked except Chen? Is there a particular reason for his reaction or nah?

Chen has been in the army. He's a lot more cynical how people can behave when they have power over others. He's also less prone to showing shock as openly as the others.

What’s the rangers and (HG, nocturne, jake, Mortum ) favorite food?

I think I have answered something similar in the past, so let's see what I pick this time! Ortega: Chicken mole enchiladas. Chen: Congee with chicken and ginger. Argent: Fettuccine Alfredo. Daniel: A roast beef sandwich. HG: Cioppino, though any seafood is good. Nocturne: Baked potatoes with bacon and chives. Jake: Some sweet and salty pork barbecue. Mortum: Macaroni au gratain.

Very weird question, do any of the rangers have a ideal type of a partner? (Ortega seems to like ppl that are assertive and talks back from my impression lol)

Very vaguely, Ortega likes people who stand up for themselves and to them. Chen likes people he can be quiet with. Argent likes people who impress and intrigue her. Daniel likes complications and danger.

What are the Ro's favorite weather? Does Ortega hate the rain? Does the cold give Steel have trouble with his mods in cold weather?

Ortega is not a fan of rain. Even disregarding their mods, heavy rain meant staying inside as a kid, and that was never fun. They prefer sunshine, and have a high tolerance for heat. Chen is not fond of cold, it is uncomfortable because his mods gets colder faster than he does, and that can hurt. If he was in colder climates more often, he would have to use mods with internal heating, to make sure they wouldn't hurt him. He likes rain, as long as it's not to heavy. It's meditative and clears the air. Argent doesn't like sunshine. The heat can be painful, and she reflects a lot. She prefers overcast, some light clouds and she is thriving. Daniel doesn't like rain. It's miserable flying weather. He likes winds though, there's something exhilarating about a windy day. Mortum truly doesn't care about the weather, except thunderstorms. Those are bad, and can lead to damages. If he had to pick, a sunny day with a light breeze would be good.

Would the regenerator work on Steel or Ortega? Would they ever consider using it?

It would certainly work on their scars. Most likely not on their bodyparts, at least not as it is right now. I think neither of them would risk it right now, Chen might have to think a few times.

What would have happened if HG had seen sidesteps face before Heartbreak. Would they have investigated? Tried to get in contact? Done what Ortega feared that they did in Retribution? Would HG have saved sidestep if they'd found out about them earlier? Rather then the Farm taking Sidestep would HG have sent an ambulance to take Sidestep away? To integrate them into their family slowly while Sidestep recovered?

If HG had seen Sidesteps face earlier, they would have investigated and tried to initiate contact. Ortega is really nervous that they did that in Retribution. HG would not have been able to act fast enough to do anything.

How would Savannah react if in some point Ortega showed up/find out or had to take us to our base?

Nervousness. Probably a bit giggly. Offended and would not let them pass unaccompanied.

Their charm probably wouldn't work on her...but would she notice that Their sappy is working on the MC? and what would she think about it?

She might notice, and it's not her job to have opinions on their boss's love life. But also... really?

Does Savannah like the criminal gang?

Yeah, she likes them well enough.

What She think of each one?

Pelayo is professional and polite, Nehal should be in school, Ward is kinda scary and ZaZa is a charming scoundrel.

Can we have more interactions with them? her being our fancy secretary for our villain group

Hopefully! There's a lot of things to fit in one book, some side characters are sadly doomed to that fate.

I don't know if this is still open or not. I'm sorry if this has already been talked about but like, are any combo of romances possible? I'd love to do a M!Mortum, Chen, and NB!Step romance just because I like chaos, curious about if that's possible. For some reason I get the impression that the two might get along? I assume it's not possible though if you were trying to do an F!Mortum or F!Ortega with Chen considering his sexuality.

When it comes to polys I honestly don't know until I have tried to write them! Mortum is a wind card here, I haven't written them with Chen yet so I don't know how they would it it off.

One other question I had was if Mortum could allow Ortega or Chen to take the 'villainous' path considering their proficiency with technology. I believe that in Retribution we can ask about modding, so they might be able to keep the upkeep.

Mortum would certainly be very helpful in their villain path... if such a heel turn could ever be trusted.

In the path where one of HG’s goons is wondering how to cut up Sidestep to sell off… how much of that did Ortega hear?

Enough to want to take them out.

So uhhh, has Skybright dated before? Is she into romance at all?? Can I give her a smooch? 🥺

Skybright is secretly very engaged, but she's keeping her relationship secret. She thinks her superiors would not approve. In the meantime she continues to live happily with her flatmate. Just gals being pals.

How did you conceive of the HG trio? What were they like when you first drafted them? How have they changed since?

I truly don't know. Hollow Ground was there in the book, but Nocturne was just arm candy and Jake had little personality. The rest just happened as I was writing and answering questions about them. Every new fact that popped up required more grounding, so you might say they grew organically. There was no pressure to have them in a specific way in the story, so I could go with what felt fun. They were not intended to be a polycule, but that just happened.