November QnA is up! (Patreon)

Does Argent resent her nanovores for disfiguring and disabling her so badly? Would she be able to control them better after she is healed if that is no longer an issue? 

She would say no, but yeah, deep down she does. And I honestly don't know if it will get better or worse.

If Sidestep reveals themself to Mortum as the Puppet first, why don't they try reading their mind after meeting in their own body? 

Because Dr. Mortum has access to a drug called "numbers," which is a telepathy blocker. So they would be unreadable. Should be in the text there somewhere.

Wouldn't void eyes be indisputable proof that Sidestep is the real deal? How does Ortega convince themself they're a fake? Do they just assume they were replicated like their scars were? 

Eye color is one of the easier things to replicate, but to be fair, Ortega is building a house out of straw here with the whole fake thing, the more they think, the less likely it is logistically, but they can't back down.

Are permanent void eyes common? Did Anathema have them? 

Not really, it happens on occasion but I don't think anybody had connected it to Void. Probably thought some cultists were using lenses for the Green Sky style. I think Anathema had green eyes, but they were a redhead, so that was never a notable trait.

Regina doesn't care that ReGenes are human, does that mean she wouldn't be against treating one like a person if it got better results? Like, would she have referred to Sidestep by name and been more personal with them if she knew it made them more cooperative? 

Oh yes. 100%.

Was the Farm trying to trigger more TBRs in Sidestep? 

The Farm wasn't. Certain people working for the Farm however...

Arde speaks in ReGene language, Shroud speaks vocally, is that because one is standard issue and the other is an infiltrator, or is it just part of their personalities?

Shroud is a cuckoo, that is the reason yes! Especially if you combine her thing with touch... the Re-Gene language becomes complicated fast.

If Deveraux is still alive in book 2, is it still possible to Sidestep to kill him in future books? 

Possibly. Not sure.

Sidestep seems to have lot hang-up on feeling alone and a outsider back at farm, even among other re-genes. Yet there is going to be a choice of having friends at the farm. So I'm wondering if Sidestep is being unrealiable narrator again and forgetting friends or is this a case of having friends but still feeling alone? 

Having a friend doesn't always make you feel less alone. Much of the time, that might be the thing that makes everything else in stark contrast. Like "oh this is the single person who can stand me, despite me being me." Sidestep was never popular. If you add in the self-doubt, and the knowledge that you ran, and whoever you might have liked was left behind and probably is dead, that's a nice little caustic brew that's safer not to touch. 

And is Mortum's lab so big it requires a map? 

Well, it's certainly confusing enough for one.

Will Arde have a change to meet their old teammates again? 

No idea.

Does Jake have any nieces or nephes back at home? 

Oh yes. He has lots of family picures on the wall.

In an older Q&A you said that the area around the Heartbreak site was weird for decades before the event. Was that weirdness engineered somehow by the Farm? Is it related to the fact that Heartbreak (the person) stopped there, of all places? Did the Farm intend for them to end up there specifically, or use this weirdness during the experiment to their advantage? Or did they just follow Heartbreak's lead.

Oh boy. Okay. The Farm did NOT engineer the weirdness, only took advantage. But it is tangentially related to why Heartbreak stopped there. 

Is the impostor/any of the impostors a similar entity to the "passenger" that was inside Heartbreak's mind?

There might be similarities yes, some traces.

Does/Could Shroud have an impostor lurking in her mind too? Could she have gates like the ones we saw at the end of Retribution, or something similar?

No. Shroud's mind/body is too caustic for anything like that. Anything would be digested and destroyed.

List of people I've seen mentioned but have no idea who they are so far: Dave, Tina, Marek, IB.

Dave is the Marshal of Nevada, who doesn't have a proper hero name. He's just Dave. I talk about him in a lore post where I go through the other Ranger teams. Tina is Psychopathor's (Teddy's) wife. She also runs the Los Diablos aquarium, and she will be a part of book 3. Marek is an old friend of Ortega since their daredevil stunt days. He was the one who filmed Ortega's accident, and later sold that footage for money leading to a falling out between them. He now produces several TV shows, including the West Coast Mysteries show which has been featured in a few Lore posts. IB are the initials of an unknown person, who interviewed survivors of the Green Sky. Nothing else is known about them.

So, Jake speaks fluent Tagalog and Nocturne speaks a little bit of it. Is Jake teaching Nocturne? Or, is Nocturne learning/did she learn what she knows in order to get closer to Jake, or as a result of their relationship?

Both! It's a fun thing to share, and it's always useful to speak languages most others around them don't. And Jake gets to make fun of her accent.

Now that we know about Argent's nano friends, I'm very curious about how it all fits into Sidestep's possessing her. If Argent has to keep conscious control of the nanovores, wouldn't that draw Sidestep's attention (especially since she got in a fight, which I imagine would rattle them)? Has Argent's mind melded so much with the nanovores, that Step was unable to tell them apart as different entities, or was Argent actively keeping them under control/hidden from Sidestep even while possessed?

There are hints of something going on inside Argent. The stormy ocean. The weird metallic buildings. The sharks. Sidestep instinctively don't go deep, even when Argent invited them in as a civilian. There is danger here that Sidestep picks up instinctively, but doesn't pinpoint exactly why. As said at the start of Rebirth, Sidestep keeps Argent trapped in "dreams," keeping her conscious mind down while accessing the unconscious bits. Argent's "sleeping" mind still keeps the nanos under control, that's a deeply ingrained reflex of hers since she does it every night. Sidestep can't possess her fully, that's why there's issues with talking and the like.

You said that Sidestep's neutered nanovores consume inorganic materials, but don't get sustenance from it. Do nanovores in general need sustenance for anything other than multiplying (as in, could they become defective or "exhaust" themselves if they aren't fed at all)? Does Sidestep have to feed the neutered Nanovores to keep them working? Could our nanovores die off or grow impatient/go berserk if we only feed them inorganic stuff?

Nanovores don't in general need sustenance other than for multiplying. That's why Sidestep's ones are referred to as "neutered." In the long run, there might need to be a controlled "feeding" or adjustment to allow them to feed for a short time if they start running thin, but so far there has been plenty. As for the last... we'll see, nobody know how this would work in the long term.

You also mentioned there is a monument to the Nanosurge in Memorial Park. Is it one of those that has the victims' names on it? If yes, is Ximena's name on it? Has Argent ever visited it?

Yes, yes and yes!

When you say Porthole could be described as  "a brain-in-a-jar connected to a robotic body"... What do people see when Porthole shows up somewhere? Do you mean that it's an actual robot, somehow controlled remotely, or that Porthole is a human being that's so heavily modded that they appear as more machine than human? Is Porthole an actual disembodied brain in a jar???? (if yes, is the brain inside the robot or outside)

Porthole is similar to the Rat-King, a disembodied brain in an armored and life-supporting housing. It is connected to a robot, most of the time actually inside it, though remote control might be possible.

Can we use regenerator to heal Ortega and Steel who suffer being modded?I really want to help them since being modded seems cause a lots of pain which make people  addict to painkillers as  Dr. Mortum said. They need help.                     

Maybe in the long run. Not in the baseline regenerator setup for Ortega. Steel could already be (mostly) de-modded with enough time and money, as organic transplant parts are available.

Will we(sidestep) can show ourselves to the world? Show them what is hiding behind the city to gain support from heroes?

Oh yes. Just not yet.

The Core  seems losing control. Will  another Heartbreak happen in future. This time will be very wrong since sidestep would not to be here save the day anymore.

Heartbreak II is indeed possible. Things can get really bad. However, the "emergency elimination system" is still active and functioning.

Hello! I was curious since I've seen so much about it now, does sidestep always have voideyes or is it personal to the player? Are voideyes green or do sidestep eyes look unnatural regardless of color? If we have green eyes will that be brought up or is it just flavor text for us?I was just confused with the recent questions haha thank you!

That is personal, and not something for everyone. Just the faintest little side flavor I decided would be fun to put into the game. Most Sidesteps won't have those green eyes, they fade fast and would have been okay after a week or so. I just decided to put in the option to let that linger. For fun and headcanons more than a major effect on the game.

A previous Q&A said that its possible that a trans Sidestep could have been kept on hormone therapy after being recaptured by The Farm. Could this have been one of the 'kind' things that Regina could have done for Sidestep?

Oh yes. Regina can be kind to get the results she wants.

At the end of Retribution if a soft Argent visits Sidestep in the hospital, Sidestep will have a panic attack and Argent will calm them down. Was this mundane or did Argent's technopathy help her influence Sidestep through their AI chip?

Such an interesting question. I would love to be vague here, but I can see the tinfoil hats coming on so I won't. It was mundane.

Is there a tentative release date for Revelations? 

None! The writing process is impossible to predict, and even when the game is finished and testing there's like 6-9 months within CoG before it gets out. Publishing ain't fast, sadly.

If I remember correctly, the nanovores ate people kind of slowly, not sure if slowly equals 2 minutes or 10 but it wasn't fast. Our nanovores seem to eat inanimate stuff pretty quickly though, is there a difference between alive and not alive things that make the nanovores work faster?

Yes there is! When eating people, this also includes conversion and procreation to make more nanovores. This takes time, as each nanovore spends maybe 1/10 eating and the rest converting and building. Eating the inorganic things is a bit like putting cotton candy in water. Things just melt because nothing gets produced. 

What's the public's vs the governments opinions on murder vigilantes? Like a vigilante who never showed mercy to villains and always killed them. Would they be counted as an anti-hero or would they be counted as a villain, even though they only kill villains?

Anti-hero. There's a certain callous disregard for life on the west coast, especially people who are seen as useless or bad. Sure, it might technically be frowned on, but would the world really miss another villain?

When the scientists talk about the sleepwalker during the HB experiment, was the person actually sleepwalking or do they just assume they were sleepwalking?

That is a very good question. One of the best ones yet.

Random scenario but say Step gets knocked out in the armor and Ratking wants to move them. Could they possess Step and "wake them up" to move or would they possess the armor while Step was still asleep? Can they actually move the armor considering Steps body in the armor wouldn't be moving?

Possess the armor! I think they could puppet it with Sidestep inside while they were out.

Argent can be the only woman on the team in LD Rangers history depending on what the player's character choices are, so does the Ranger's PR team ever try to make Argent out as a real "girlboss" (you know, the corporate kind)? Do they ever try to make her really push her own femininity (even though Argent's already pretty feminine)?

OH yes. Argent is not too happy with the media team, she's been girbossed, doing the whole fake-dating with Herald, and a lot of other things. The big stickler has been about her hero suit, while Argent loves embracing her femininity in civilian clothes, she wants practical when fighting. And the media team has always felt her skinsuit was not sexy enough. However, Argent was fully prepared to walk if she didn't get her way, she's very resistant to pressure. So she got her way in the end.

Did anyone ever blame the Big One on Hood, even though he was boosted after it happened?

I think that is definitely one of those tinfoil theories! I mean can we really know how old Hood was since he was wearing a fully covering mash/Hood? Could have been him...

Ortega enjoys extreme sports but how do they specifically feel about rally car racing, diving (if the ocean wasn't messed up), and caving?

Ortega loves racing, the rougher the circumstances the better. Diving would be risky, which would be a big draw, but it never was a big thing for them. Caving... hmmm... I would say climbing would be a bigger draw. No claustrophobia terror, just not a draw. They are not into the unexplored, more the adrenaline and thrill of heights.

I remember someone asking if there was a "reset code" for Step and you said that there is. If your plans haven't changed on that being in the game, will there be certain stats or choices that determine what happens if someone were to say that code or will it be a static outcome?

Spoilers.

Came across a tiktok that made me think of this, did you get the last name Becerra from the lead singer of Possessed?

Good spot!! I do love myself some death metal... I have a metal cameo name or two in there, not everything, but personal little chuckles.

Then finally, did you have plans for more imposters than the three you chose that didn't work out? Did you have plans for less but then more came up or have you known that these three were going to be the options since the beginning? 

This has been it from the start! One of them was added when it turned into an IF, the others are from the book.

Is Argent really as nonchalant about Step being a re-gene as she seems? Because I can imagine some Steps might find it relieving, while others could find it dismissive, depending on how far it goes.

That's a hard thing to answer. I think, like with many, things will start getting more complex as she has time to internalize and think about it. She acts nonchalant about many things to hide her true feelings.

Could a heartfelt plea from Sidestep convince Ortega to downgrade their mods to a safer or more stable setup?

Oh boy. I don't know. Sidestep would have a greater chance than most, but... it's Ortega.

While I'm pretty sure this will be too spoilery to answer, and I'm doubtful at how plausible it is... could one of the possible Imposters be Anathema?

There are many people who have that as a theory.

Will the Imposters who don't show still be a part of the story in some way?

There are no "pure" imposters, all are mixtures of variables. Whatever the main one ends up being, there will be traces of the others there, even if it might just be a shade.

Which villain career paths do Vera and Skyraider approve of the most?

I don't know yet. But I know Vera will have a rivalry with any thief Sidesteps. I need to write them more to get a feel.

Would Arde choose to use the regenerator or no?

No. Wouldn't see the use.

Can killer!Sidesteps who have been revealed as villains/escaped without Ranger assistance still reach out to their old allies in less hostile ways? Leave "I'm sorry" gifts on their doorsteps? :P ...For that matter, can we choose whether or not to ditch our old phone?

Yes, the Rangers will not be written out of the story, neither will any romances be treated as gone. Sometimes Enemies and Lovers is a thing. Just filled with tension and anger, which are things I like.

For Sidesteps who rob villains for their wealth, is there any chance of more confrontations with folks like Umbral in the future? 

Probably!

If therapy doesn't work for ortega, is there anything that DOES help? I'm worried about her mental state :/

Resolving things that have been festering for a long time. Ortega has a full pack, and some things needs to be dealt with in order to move on.

Will the regene tattoo removal be all or nothing? Or will we be able to change them to something we want? Or partial removal? Like keep the barcode, remove the limb tattoos?

I had not thought of that. Maybe that might be possible, we'll see what the playtesters say and what makes sense.

Are regene names anyway related to their barcodes? Will we have a chance to determine ours when we talk with arde? Will talking with him help our feelings about being a regene? Like show we can be more than "a thing" and still consider ourselves a regene

No, the barcode is a Farm designation number. Some Re-Gene names might be based on some stuff, but that is a choice from the Re-Gene, nothing that happens automatically. And yeah, Arde might help some Sidesteps work some shit out.

Will we know more about our pre sidestep farm days? Or will it be mostly up to headcanon? Like where we were commonly deployed?

Mostly headcanon. I won't get into massive detail there.

Was the Ortega egg-frying Incident a result of Themmy and Sidestep daring them? I feel like the three of them together in a room would've resulted in Negative Braincells

You know what? That sounds very likely.

Besides steel, do any of the rangers have dietary restrictions? Like lactose intolerance?

I don't think any massive ones. Feel free to headcanon lactose intolerance or shrimp allergies as you want, probably won't get into that.

In the event that we can put on our old suit to help the rangers, how would it affect ortega seeing us in our old suit? And possibly getting hurt while in it? (Or kicking ass in it, can we show off for them?)

Oh that would probably unclog some things for Ortega, but good or bad... that is the question. It will matter.

will there be other opportunities to raise the doubt stat for the rangers? Will it only be when youre not revealed to be [villain name]? Will one route or the other have more opportunities (in regards to being revealed or not)

Whenever I write something where I go "huh, this might lead to person X start adding things up" I add doubt stat. It is not a preplanned path thing, it depends on how the story flows.

I loved flustering Ortega lol. Storming out just to storm back in to have the last word with my step and argent was gold. Are there gonna be any more chances for that in the future? I need to make that vieja (affectionate) blush

I mean I love writing things like that so yes.

How would Ortega react if Sidestep was a clone of the original sidestep?

Badly.

Will fallen hero revelations have the option for sidestep to stop killing civilians as a thank you for the hero that saves them from the hospital?

Yes, I plan to have more opportunities to stop or start killing.

Where did the puppet and Dr.Mortum first meet? Who approached who and what was their conversation like?

The Puppet approached Dr. Mortum for the job of building the armor. I think it was very business like at the start.

What exactly did Doctor Mortum tell Dr.Halabi after the puppet reveal?

Spoilers.

How long ago did Argent have the sidestep hoodie?

Not long.

Will there be an opportunity to save Ortega as the villian (unrevealed)? For example when they are fighting another villian or they get in trouble while fighting you.

That's too juicy a scene not to have at some point.

Hello. Can Locus resist being threaded? Thank you!

Oh yes. She's got strong enough shields she doesn't even notice. 

Just how destructive will we be able to get in the series? Can we satisfy our revenge and burn everything and everyone to the ground?

I really want to, yeah. We'll see in book four what I can pull off and feel satisfactory.

What would past!Chen think/feel about his future self getting to date Ricardo? Possibly with Sidestep? Or getting into a poly in general?

See, you don't think about those things, because that would hurt. And in the past, he tried not to think about those things. If he had, he might have tried to do something.

Based on a previous answer. If Ortega were to learn that Argent had killed Sidestep in their gala debut with the vores, and that they did not in fact, ghost them, how would that confrontation go down? Would they reveal to the team her secret? 

Argent would be dead. If Ortega would be able to pull it off.

And silly question! How would Karen feel about potentially playing a vital hand in preventing Heartbreak 2.0 by playing wingwoman for Chen in Steelstep routes, seeing how Wei can be good for Sidestep? 

I think she would be delighted.

Can Argent know if Step committed sui from how their phone/tech responds to her when she tries to check in on them/call? 

No.

What *would* Sidestep’s tech feel to her? Suspicious? Untrusting?

Rat-King protected.

I was sick for the majority of November, and picked up your Fallen Hero series to help pass the time while stuck in bed. It has been an absolutely amazing journey following these incredible characters and learning about the world you created. Thank you so much for putting so much time and care into your art. 

Thank you! I hope you are feeling better now!

I am a young writer, and hope to someday publish my own interactive fiction. I’m wondering how you mapped out your timelines and visualized the paths in your story. I have tried using a few online resources and mapping it out on paper, but it gets very mottled very quickly, and subtle differences between panels create an overflow of similar text.

Only do the big things. You can't detail everything. You can't plan for everything. I mostly use the mapping out and visualizing for paths on paper. Not for what happens in them, since most of those things are self-contained in the path, OR sets flags that can be brought back later. The structure is very much small branching, then pull things back to one at the end of the chapter. New chapter, some branching, then pull back together. Keep everything contained by fusing paths. I probably should do a proper post about writing IF in the future, a lot of people have asked about things like that.

Have you ever read Come Closer by Sara Gran? It's an incredible horror novella about possession. Also - do you have any horror reads you recommend? I've been super digging the horror side of fhr lately, and i've watched some of the movies you've recced here and enjoyed them

I have not heard about that book before! But I'll check it out! Hmmm horror novels... I used to read a lot back when I wrote horror, but I kinda overdosed and fell out with a genre I felt offered little new at the time. At the time I really liked the early Stephen King short stories, because it was interesting pulling apart how they were built. Short stories are so useful to learn how to write. But a lot of the things I liked at the time, Clive Barker, JG Ballard and the like I wouldn't even really call horror? Horror is so weird in books for me. The only one I really love is in swedish.

Does Blaze know of Re-Genes? Could he recognise someone as one by their tattoos? How would he take a Re-Gene made with his DNA? Would he see them as family, being related to him? Would he rather try to ignore it? Something else?

Blaze has no idea what the hell a Re-Gene is.

In the world of Fallen Hero, what’s Korea look like/up to?

The Korean war still happened, so I would think the divider between north and south still holds. North allied with China and the CCCP, playing them against each other for backup. South more connected to souteast asia. A lot weaker than today, due to less American presence. However, any war there would risk bringing China and the CCCP in conflict with each other over that price, so the armstice still holds.

What kind of clothes/uniform do regenes day to day at the farm? I remember scrubs were mentioned briefly in a flashback scene, but i don't imagine they're practical for training. Do cuckoos have the same clothing, or do they wear something closer to regular clothes? 

Scrubs, coveralls, simple skinsuits. Cuckoos wear the same, though they are also trained in regular clothes.

In zombie world AU where sidestep gets bitten, which ROs would be able to put step down? Does anyone keep zombiestep to look for a cure? Does anyone let zombiestep bite them?

All of them would put Sidestep down. Mortum might keep them around for longest, trying to find a cure. None of them would be bitten.

How did Noor find out the doctor was dating?

Dr. Mortum was being waaay too happy and she cornered them and asked.

Was Elena aware of past sidesteps crush on Ortega?

Possibly.

Is the Ratking more fond of some ros? If so who and why?

The girls are not playing favorites, as long as they make Sidestep happy!

Will any of the Rangers find out about sidesteps hated of themselves or past selves? If so what would be their reactions?

Might come out in conversations, but I need to write it to know.

What's Tia Elena's and Noors favorite foods?

I have NO idea!

What are Spoons thoughts on Snowball?

Just another goat, they have not interacted much.

What was Argents thoughts when Sidestep was in their apartment and watching a movie?

Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit what do I do?

Did Sidestep follow and observe Dr.Mortum prior to working with them?

Yes. Needed to make sure they were up to the job.

How exactly did the Puppet and Dr.Mortum meet and where? What was Dr.Mortums first impression? How did the conversation go? Did either the puppet or the doctor initiate flirting?

Met at Joes to discuss a job. Dr. Mortum's first impression was the puppet was professional, had money, and their employer seemed to be serious. All good. Dr. Mortum was the one who initiated flirting, not an uncommon thing for them, they liked playing that act, but it grew more serious and honest until the puppet possibly cut them off.

How about Bo, Rosie, and the rest of the crew?

I think I detail Bo (malfunctioning mods) and Rosie (saved the puppet) in game, haven't thought about the rest of the crew!

Why did Sidestep choose to kill void?

At that point it was not a conscious desire to kill or anything. It was more like two people falling down a snowy slope while fighting, and only one walking away from the resulting avalanche. 

When Ortega cries/almost cries when being thanked for punching someone at step's funeral what were his thoughts? Just grateful step is here now after having gone through their funeral or weird feelings on step being grateful? A mix?

Oh both. Just emotional overload. I think it made it real in ways it hadn't been before, pulling back memories of the pastand grounding them in the present.

At the end of Retri, if stuck at Ortega's apartment, Step fears the moment they won't be able to put off going to the bathroom any longer. My question is: if stuck at one of the rangers', will Sidestep need as much invasive help with basic necessities and hygiene as they fear? And who'd make the best assistant? 

I don't know yet! This is one of the things I need to write to find out. But this will probably be the next demo, so you'll know soon.

Would Shroud ever consider a Re-Gene family?

No. She has distanced herself very much from her past.

The Heartbreak scar variables are one of my favorite elements of the game for how effectively and seamlessly they personalize the story for each character. Is there anything you can share about the design process that went into them? For instance, how you worked out the details of implementing them into the story; if there were alternate ideas/approaches you considered but discarded; whether any scars were added/cut/merged or split before you settled on the 6 (later 5) seen in the final product…?

Oh you are going to hate me for saying this. There was not much planning or anything initially, I just picked them as I wrote the scene, each is a facet of Sidestep that is in the book, just brought to the fore. It all came very naturally to me. The one adjustment I did was in book two, pulling out the sui scar and give it it's own tag so I could make more interesting combinations.

I've always found it interesting that some but not all of the scars are exclusive to specific branches of the flashback scene. When you came up with the scars, were you thinking from the start that—for instance—the friendless scar was specifically a result of trying to resist Heartbreak, the hunger scar was a result of embracing it, and the revenge scar could come about either way? Or did the scene's structure just work out that way once you wrote it? 

It just worked out that way! The one thing I knew was the sui scar would be tied to the gun, the puppet master to getting into shit, and the outsider scar being the final one if you didn't have anything else. The rest were set as I passed through  scenes and wrote them.

We know Danny floats when he sleeps, does this extend to him being knocked fully unconscious?  What would happen if he died?  How frustrating was it for EMTs to get him from the gala battlefield?

It varies if he turns unconscious. It didn't at the gala, but I can see things happening with floating too.

Iirc it's been mentioned before that we'll have the chance to set Step's relationship with Sentinel in story. Will trans Steps have the chance to formalize him being some part of their own journey? Or will that have to remain headcanon? 

Not sure. It's not impossible, I can see how that would make sense.

It was mentioned in this QnA that Sidestep's fridge was removed as revealed. How does a voluntary reveal, especially with low villainy and nobody really thinking you're a villain, play into that (if at all)?

I don't know yet! Have to think about that. Probably removed since nobody thinks you'll be coming back to the HQ.

Could Argent theoretically be immortal? Since I'm assuming nanovores don't degrade over time

Oh that is creepy and interesting. Could she become a pure nanovore organism? Possibly.

Since us guilty lot have lost rangers fridge rights, can we make a little space of some kind for them in our base?

Ahahaha that sounds fun.

Since Regina is Not Straight™️ what is she? Does she have an active romantic life?

Would call her demi-pan, she doesn't have an active romantic life, but she often uses it to further her purposes.

Assuming hgvbadtag is true, what was Hollow Ground’s plan upon delivery? Kill us? Try to thread (again)?

Wouldn't you like to know ;)

This might be spoilers, but can the Rat King tell if an impostor has hijacked Step’s body?

Possible.

Was HG out to their family as bi?

No.

Any chance we'll ever get to define our sidestep's physical build?

I dunno. Probably not.

Going back to the beach would be a huge thing for Argent, so how did she feel about getting duped into the water beneath the bridge if a villain step managed that?

She was high on adrenaline then, but it was still a shock. Panic. One of the reasons why she didn't just climb back up a bridge support and interrupt the interview.

Does Arde have any noticeable combat scars/injuries?

Probably scars. Haven't decided.

Rank the HG trio, rangers and mortum in terms of how easily they would fall to the One Ring's temptations. How different is that from how they'd rank themselves?

Easy to noping out: Nocturne, Dr. Mortum, Chen, Ortega, HG, Argent, Herald, Jake. Dunno how they would see themselves.

what’s the highest and lowest that ortega and chens scars can be at the end of retribution?

No idea! No numbers, just vibes. Not much healing. Chen a little lower.

will there ever be an option to have pronoun customization for all sidesteps and not just genderqueer/nonbinary sidesteps?

Is that a thing people would like? It's not a piece of hard coding to add.

How high would argent_clue rise, if she were to find out sidestep is a regene while knowing that the villain is a regene? Would she instantly put things together, or would she be hesitant, if argent_clue is low enough?

She would jump to conclusions.

Does Steel's armor(and by extension the rest of the Ranger's full battle suits) have waste management systems?(Thanks grimmy) 

Yes. 

Hypothetically, if Blaze were to find out Step was the villain, would he be the type to tell others (Steel) first? Or keep quiet a bit on the matter?

Depends on the circumstances. But Chen would be the first to know if he told any.

Whatever happened to Blake Montgomery?  Where did he wind up after his advanced questioning?

Classified.

What is the status of vaping in FHR? Are electronic cigarettes at all common place? Traditional combustible cigarettes still seem to have dominance, curious if it’s anything but a niche curiosity for smoking enthusiasts.

Traditional cigarettes are dominant. Vaping might be a niche enjoyment, that mostly popped up after smoking being banned in many places indoors.

Could HG use their threads to help an interested Step quit their vice(s), and would they be willing to offer this service to aligned Steps, otherwise threaded or not?

Theoretically, yes. However, vices are deeply entrenched and that might be hard in the long run. Might help.

Has Ortega updated their view of a mirror_image puppet afte discovering their connection to the villain and/or Hollow Ground? Do they think they might be part of the extended family?

No.

Any chance Ortega might get a hold of the Step's "autopsy" tapes Chen found?

Ehehehehe.

Had Sidestep's batchmates made it, what would have been their boost powers?

I never decided, they only lasted for days. Not necessarily telepathy related, but likely.

Has anyone in the Special Directive considered using Re-Genes as a method for immortality? Could something like that be theoretically possible if an individual is implanted with a memory chip during their early life?

Oh yes that was part of the original coloning project! Grow bodies for use by old rich men to live and be young forever.

How resistant are the memory chips? Are they made for longevity or are they made to be easily replaceable when one is damaged?

They are made to be permanent, brain surgery is risky, they are not made to be replaceable. It is believed that any head trauma enough to take it out would kill the Re-Gene.

What did Locus train Blaze in for telepathic defense? Telepathic influence, defense against warped/inaccurate perceptions? Given that he can die from Sidestep rewiring his 'powers' so he heats up instead of cooling down, is it safe to say she didn't cover telepathic enemies manually screwing with their powers like that?

Yeah, mostly basic telepathic shielding/influence. What Sidestep is doing goes waaay beyond that, hijacking powers like that are not in any normal telepath's skillset. Sidestep is going weird...

Does the Handyman know sidestep is alive? Would he be interested in meeting them? Was he a fan?

Spoilers. He'll be back.

Does our hireling know that the person who saved them at the warehouse later goes on to be their boss? Or do they think that was someone else unrelated / someone hired by the boss?

They think that was someone else. No connection to their boss.

How thoroughly doctored are the implanted memories the Regenes get? Is it "here are ten military drill sessions from across five recruits" or "we scanned these two soldiers, now you remember their campaign in X country but also a messy breakup with their ex and some unsavory jokes from the barracks"

They are doctored, but context is needed for many things, and it is hard to filter away everything unusable. So there's also memories in there that have nothing to do with things. In Sidestep's case, that often pops up in emotional moments, using comparisons that is not within their experience. Like in the last lore post, the combine harvester and the fawn. Sidestep never lived on a farm enough to internalize something like that, that's a strong emotional memory that might have been lingering in the chip, brought back by the smells and sights of the ranch. Faces, names and people fade, but emotions remain.

In the Heartbreak Postscript lore Clarice Holmes mentions both Chen and Ortega's initial debrief on the incident. Will we ever get to know what was said or how the initial debrief went?

Probably not.

with the regene tattoos being unique, do batch mates have similar tattoos? like if sidestep had batch mates, would their tattoos have been similar shades and patterns of orange?

Slightly, yeah. Similar pattern, shade partly depending on power.

Would Herald keep his current hero name in a scenario where he becomes the next Marshal? If not, what would it be changed to?

He would probably change it. But I am not sure to what.

Does eating or touching capsaicin have any effect on Argent?

No.

In the current timeline, does Ljungstrand like Regina or hold her in high esteem?

No.

Hypothetically, if HG learned one of their biggest fans was having a difficult month, what words of encouragement or positive affirmations would they have for that fan?

All I am seeing is that poster of a kitten with the words "hang in there" on it.

Hollow Ground loves Nocturne and she loves them back, that much is clear, but are they also glad Nocturne is completely dependent on them and their threads and therefore has to be with them and not betray them?

No. It bothers HG at times.

Would HG shit their pants if they saw the current Catfiend? We know they can't rlly fight, but if you drop them in the middle of a fight, would they psychologically keep their cool more less or would they panic and pass out

Not pass out, but HG is not very cool under fire.

Could there be a situation where Hollow Ground likes a mc but still betrays them? Do they stick by their word as a mob boss, or do the ends justify the means for them?

Spoilers.

How do each of the Rangers feel about their current level of formal education? Do they ever wish they could get a college degree (or even finish high school, for the ones who haven't)? Is it something any of them would be self conscious about, or is this not really a big deal for people in this setting/their line of work?

Chen would have liked to finish his education. His parents were very committed to education, and had plans for him. He wouldn't have minded being an engineer or a doctor. Argent would love to have paper on her skills, she knows that's how you get respect. Ortega and Herald are okay with how they are.

In the case of Chen and Ortega specifically, since they were Marshals at one point or another -- has this ever influenced the way they are treated/perceived by their higher ups?

Oh yeah, both good and bad.

Who's the Ranger(out of all members, in all cities past and present) with the highest level of formal education?

I have NO idea. In general, there's not much education there, but I am sure there are exceptions.

Do you think steel ever pulled the "I mentally scream every once in a while to catch any telepaths flinching" thing on sidestep to check if they were listening in?

Aahaha I don't know, but that's funny.

We know of the laser dolphins. But are the Australians dealing with a vengeful, boosted emu population? 

Nope! The military potential of emus was deeped too risky.

Has an insect ever been boosted?

No.

Does nuclear power and radioactive waste exist? The word nuclear has been used in a previous lore post, but I don't really get how, if nuclear warfare isn't a thing.

Only as an oversight by me! Sometimes words slip out by habit. There is no nuclear power.

How long would the Catastrofiend last against the Dread Reactor in a fight? What about Cavalier? Vimana?

Catastofiend would be toast fast. Would survive but run away. Cavalier and Vimana would put up a fight, Cavalier might actually have a shot.

What kind of vibes would Argent get from the Dread Reactor? What about Porthole?

Dread Reactor is... baaaaad. Bad. Bad. Porthole is kinda nice. Have a look at "Nier Engels fight" on youtube for some inspiration.

Does the Dread Reactor shoot down submarines? Little ships/boats? What about people who are going paragliding?

On occasion. Not every time.

Are/were any people of the cast believers of such conspiracy theories?

If anyone has dabbled, it would be Herald.

Is the Dread Reactor Sapient/sentient? 

Close enough.

Will Cy have an option to use or influence any of the conspiracy theory groups ? The Re-Genes are people too or Mods are government spyware come to mind first (especially for more anarchistic steps) but if any are fair game ?

Probably not. They are not organized enough to matter much. But who knows?

I think it was mentioned that the reason Ortega gets less suspicious if they're afraid of your villain is because they never thought Sidestep could make them afraid. Would there be opportunities to instill the fear of god into Ortega as squishy civilian sidestep? (Besides fear/concern for us) 

That's going to be a LOT harder, but Sidestep can certainly try once things are out in the open.

Did the Farm's staff celebrate any holidays at the office? Did the Regenes get anything special on those days?

I think it was mostly a serious office, you don't do much decorating in lab circumstances. I don't think anything special was done for the Re-Genes.

Are Anathema's insides as durable as their outsides? Like stronger bones, stronger organ tissue, stuff like that?

Yep! All the way through.

Was the gates in the OG book?

Yes, but I didn't name them as such (needed a name for the code). The concept was there though.

Do people find it confusing or uncomfortable to discuss a villain named Heartbreak? Would shorthand develop among any news outlets/law enforcement/fans to clarify when they mean the villain rather than the still-recent disaster with mass casualties? 

Sadly enough, I think the Heartbreak event is mostly forgotten by people who weren't directly involved or in the area. It was more hushed up and not as widespread as the Nanosurge, which has a stronger memory. Using the Heartbreak name will help bring it back in the public consciousness though.

For the sake of comedy, I'm gonna ask: What would happen if a Regene asked their handler, "May I PLEASE be let go?" I mean, c'mon. Surely the power of please conquers all, right?

Nope. Nothing ever came from asking nicely.

We know Chen has a bad relationship with his parents but what about his younger siblings? Do they ever talk?  Do they have the same hang ups about him being gay as their parents do and is anyone else in Chen's family queer?

I think Chen became willfully estranged from everyone after joining the army. It was hard to keep in touch with the people he still liked, and a lot of the things he did was classified. He's keeping up to date to an extent, and there's a certain wistfulness knowing he has nieces and nephews he will never meet. Being the black sheep of the family sucks. However, he's a stubborn man.

Argent got on my case about owing her a new dress, but—was the dress really worth more than the cape she stole and ripped? I admittedly don't know much about fashion, but I feel like if anyone gets to complain here it's me.

I mean technically that is a good argument! 

Is Argent x Villain in the present more "crack" of a crack ship than Chargestep in the past? Does having special villain names like HB or Sidestep make it more crack or less crack?

One person's crackship is another person's canon one. I can't rank those. 

On the rare occasions that the MC speaks to people telepathically, such as when revealing their telepathy to HG... how does that actually work? Are they technically, like, briefly hijacking the listener's thoughts/perceptions so that the words suddenly pop into their head/they hear a voice saying it/something? Or is telepathic communication its own, separate thing that works differently from their usual tricks?

For Sidestep, it would technically be affecting the listener's perceptions/audio center to make them "hear" words. If there was a proper connection of minds (like with Argent in the sewers) then there's more of a connection and exchange of thoughts and emotions being translated to words for the recipient.

Will we get a chance to talk to Daniel about how he was purposely left out of the loop about crashed step, while all his colleagues were made aware?  I’m wondering whether there’s rift potential there, particularly if he was close with step

Yeeeeeah that might come back and bite some people.

Thought raised by thinking about orphans, what exactly happens to them? Children who are left behind after great catastrophes take out anyone who would be responsible for them. What would the difference be in the aftermath of an orphan who was the child of a hero vs the child of a standard victim? 

If there are no distant relatives they become wards of various city-run orphanages. These are often funded by companies or wealthy do-gooders, focused on giving kids a chance to become a productive member of society. This is also were unwanted kinds are sometimes dropped off. Some become adopted. Others run away. The quality of care varies. The current Mayor of Los Diablos is working hard on bringing up these care facilities to a good standard, and organize/fund foster families and the like. Her little pet project. Children of famous people often have friends or family of their parents, or will be on the top of the adoption list for connection reasons.

Was Themmy bi?

Close enough.

Has Argent as a movie aficionado ever got into a debate with Herald (given his support for a particular tv show) about a movie or tv series? What would be things they'd agree on or quibble over? 

I think that was a constant source of arguments between them. They both had strong opinions about art, but not too similar tastes.

Ortega is immune to telepathy due to being an epileptic. How do other conditions such as Autism (describe as being "wired differently") affect it?

Autism doesn't affect anything. Nor does any other mental variances like ahd, bipolar etc.

A prev Q&A mentioned Dr. Mortum has done some work for Psychopathor in the past. Since they have experience with psi-sensitive interfacing, was it adapting the Rat King to Psychopathor's armor/shoulder canon? Or something else?

Bingo. The Rat King interface was Mortum's, especially since Psychopathor only was psychically sensetive, not telepathic. Needed a clear interface to make simple communication possible.

Are Re-Genes made with the purpose to fit a role first, or are they given the role once they've been made?

They try to make Re-Genes of certain types, but the success rate for that is not great. Mostly, they are given the role after their powers have been evaluated.

Our telepathy stats are represented by two numbers in the game--is that purely a game mechanic, or does a similar representation exist in-universe? Do scientists assign numerical values to telepathic range/abilities, sum them up, then use those sums as shorthand for how strong a telepath is?

Purely game mechanic, it's not a thing in-world. The alpha, beta, gamma etc power levels are the closest thing.

What would the telepathy stats be for the average delta, gamma, and beta level telepath? e.g. Would gamma level telepaths roughly have their force and/or subterfuge in the 20s?

Huh. Honestly telepath's might even share the same name on the stats. Force and Subterfuge are Sidestep's stuff. Locus would probably have Force and Focus. Another might have Recieve and Project and so on. The variants are many, the stats are only for this person in this game. Nothing that can be used outside it.

Will it be possible for Step's consciousness to get lost in the 'void between bodies'? I want to see what happens if/when Step isn't inhabiting any body/mind 

Ehehe. Depends on how badly you mess up.

If there was a weird bird (say a Greater Sage Grouse, or another bird she doesn’t know) near the Rangers HQ, could Argent be able to identify it if she asked the security system what it was? Or would she still be confused like presumably everyone else? 

She'd be confused unless the security system was set up with Bird Facts (tm). She might be able to look it up online, but it would be faster the old-fashionable way, that place is a mess.

If Jake were to go ghost and come back into his physical form in water, what would happen? Would water get stuck in his lungs?

Not if he had air in the lungs when he ghosted. That is kept there.

Is Dave a fan of poetry? Does he write any, about his patrols in the desert or about other things in his life? If he does, does he ever publish them and how popular/unpopular are they?

Huh. You know what, I never really thought about it? I can see him writing bad lyrics to play on the guitar. Some might call it poetry for sure.

How uninhabitable is the Heartland? Does anyone from the series come from it/has family from it?

It is getting a lot better, especially in the areas that got the lesser ash fall. There things are back to habitable, though with less population and some die-off when it comes to plants and things. However, it's going to take time to resume full scale agriculture, often the ash needs to be physically removed. In a hundred years it will be nice and fertile though.

Can Step end up trying something like what Thunderhead did if they take over Los Diablos or is their powerset not really suited for that kind of thing? 

I would say that Sidestep might be able to go that way, though that would required very high levels on both stats, and probably would take a toll. They already did stuff like that on a smaller scale during the museum attack in some cases. Thunderhead's thing was mass influence, she would not have the pinpoint control or strength Sidestep has, but she would have an easier time gently adjusting crowds.

For the Rangers uniforms, are they a set color/logo/style for all the members (with changes to adapt to powers, etc.) or are they more unique to the individual with just one or two unifying factors tying them together? 

Unique, but color coordinated. The logo is the same. Often the styles are compatible because of similar designers. All the teams have some combination of red white and blue. The Los Diablos team is mostly blue, with some white.

Do you know if Vera is particularly mischievous? Does she ever use her powers for silly little crimes and/or petty but harmless pranks?

I mean I can imagine it must be fun being a pigeon. Would be a shame not to be a menace on occasion.

Would Themmy and Vera have gotten along?

Oh yes.

Out of all ROs (Not Vera I guess lmao) + HG, who would be more interested in learning Re-Gene language and use it?

Any RO who is romancing a Sidestep who is embracing that part of their heritage would be interested. I can see Herald being especially invested.

If Step didn't have such a strong 'Don't notice me' aura, do you think the telepathic tracker would've found them already?

Oh yes, no question.

On a scale from 0 to 10, how dangerous does Mortum think sidestep is? And comparing them with other known villains? 

Past Sidestep? 2. Current villain Sidestep will vary depending on stats. 5-8.

Ortega is good at cooking, so how are their baking skills? 🥧

Bad. You need to follow a recipe there. Harder to improvise.

If Daniel hadn't lost the rights to the name Kestrel, would he have gone back to that upon becoming a Ranger? Or would he/Rangers PR have still opted for a new name?

Daniel liked the Kestrel name, he would have liked that. The Ranger's PR would probably still have pushed for a new one.

Is technopathy more or less rare than telepathy? Does Argent know anyone else with technopathy?

I would say it is a lot rarer.

Would Zephyr cosplay/dress up as Sonic? 👀

No, and probably judge you for asking.

Is Blaze ever insecure about Ortega getting more of the spotlight/attention than him?

Probably now and then. Being a hero doesn't stop insecurities, and some have a harder time than others not comparing themselves to others.

Just to be clear, in cases when the cat fiend hasn't been unleashed, Mortum definitely has a little panel or readout that shows what's in the portal gun without having to shoot it, right?

Nope! Only an indicator that it's "full."

How much do the Guardians know about regenes?

Nothing really.

Who are each of the Rangers "favorite" villains, villain Step not included? Whether it be a made-up rivalry with one or just one they enjoyed fighting.

I saved this question to last, hoping that some ray of inspiration would appear. Sadly, it has not! Questions like this is not something I already know about characters, it's something I need to invent, a new character, a new dynamic. The problem I ran into here is that I am unsure what the Rangers "like" fighting, let alone what villains might act like that. So I am gonna have to plead the fifth on this for now, my brain is tired and distracted.