Questions are Answered! (Patreon)

Yeah at this point I don't know how I named them either, but here is the latest one!

Also, I had been hoping to get the demo out before christmas, but this is the holiday season (and birthdays for most of my family) so I don't think I can managed that. But it is getting closer, so it won't be too long after the new years at least.

Thank you so much for your support, I could not do this without you.

Let’s say mc donned another vigilante alias and started up her vigilante days again. Would Chen want the rangers to work with mc like ortega and him did the first time or would he push for the rangers not to work with her. Had a feeling Chen might not think a dating mc and Ortega should team up on missions like they used to

Oh boy that is a tough question. I think that it would depend a bit on whether Chen is suspicious or not. There are paths where Chen would be "this is a bad idea" and other paths where he would willingly work with this new vigilante, but it depends on what has happened so far.

What are the ro’s fav thing about being in a relationship

I think for all of them I can say that it is this: Being able to spend more time with someone you love, and having those feelings be reciprocated. Just hanging out is such a wonderful thing.

I have RO questions (mostly about Chen cause his route is so good.) What would Chen think of a sidestep that was goofy and very endearing about their relationship.

Absolutely bloody adorable! Chen is a softie at heart, he does buy pajamas for Spoon after all.

Would Chen ever think about a future with sidestep mc if they are romancing or is he to pragmatic doesn’t see a future where that happens and doesn’t want to get his hopes up.

Chen would think about a future, but would forcibly stop himself every time he catches himself doing it. Because as you say, the future is very uncertain.

Would Chen let Sidestep do cute and domestic things to him like I don’t know doing face mask together wearing goofy heart headbands and pjs for Valentine’s Day

Oh the snort I made. I... you know what... I... huh... yeah. Fuck it. Chen probably would. Just don't tell anybody. Ever.

What is Chens favorite part about a relationship. I know Chen hasn’t been the most sexually active character like Ortega or something but I just feel like sex wouldn’t be it he seems like someone who would like the closeness the domesticity of a relationship.

I think it would be sharing his life with someone. He's not the most social, to get to relax with someone is huge.

Would Chen ever consider retiring for someone he romancing not cause they’re pushing him to retire but because he just wants to be with them kind of thing.

Oh Chen is considering retiring every bloody day. But he's also a workaholic. Maybe a loved one might bring him over the line.

Not sure if this has been asked before, but could the regenerator be used to make sure that someone survived the boosting process?

Hmmm. Nobody has asked that before. I would say most likely not, but it might help in very, very specific circumstances.

Would Argent be down to do Sidestep's makeup?

Oh 100%! And enthusiastically too!

Was Miss Remember a boost? If yes what was her power?

Yes she was. It was a lowkey psychic boost, most notably affecting memories.

Is there anyone with time control (or something similar) powers in the universe?

No. So far I have said that is outside the scope of what can appear via boost.

Will we learn why Ortega was limping when we visited them in retri after fighting Argent on the bridge?

I think I just had that there as a clue that Ortega is up to things that you are not aware of. Exactly what is less interesting, I never specified.

Is there a chance that we will see Danny and Sentinel interact again in-game? I really love their dynamic from what we've seen so far!

It is a possibility!

I'm a bit confused about the wolfpack - why was Step surprised that Rosie/Bo were there at the warehouse, if they were the one that got them in touch with the job?

I now realize I haven't really specified the details of the Wolfpack in game. I always pictured them as sort of an overarching Henchman organization with lots of members and chapters. A bit like a combination of a union, and a business, with a central core negotiating contracts and the like. Hiring out henchmen to villains a bit like security companies do. There's probably like... maybe 500 members in Los Diablos? So giving Rosie/Bo a tip that they are looking for new members is one thing, having them show up exactly where you are was a bit of a shock and bad luck. Yes, as a former union rep, henchmen needs unions too! Especially for healthcare.

weirdly specific : when Danny hovers/floats around rooms, does he still do the physical motion of his feet moving or is he completely still?

I will say mostly still, but he does move, but mostly in the way of shifting his weight, a bit like when people are standing up. It's not a walking thing. More like moving in water.

Did no one question how was Anathema even cremated..... like..... they're invincible....

Oh they knew that the body was not cremated but it was a ceremonial thing. The people in the know knew that Anathema had lost control of their acid and simply melted. A bit like how does superman shave? His laser vision in the mirror thing.

There's this line in rebirth, i think when Mortum meets with the puppet to get the rat king: "another alley coming to mind, another gun to your head" - is this refering to a specific canon situation?

The puppet has a few... precognitive tendencies in the text in game that they don't realize.

which ranger argued during the (sidestep rescue) meeting post crash?/Does it change depending on choices?

It is dependent on choices.

can regene tattoos be covered with makeup?

Yes, but it flakes off rather fast so Sidestep is paranoid about it.

How did Argent know it wasn't a villain that controlled her? What made her think that?

Well, I suppose the truth is out enough. The nanovores that lives on her knows that Sidestep is not a villain but a hero since they stopped the nanosurge, and that kinda bled over to Argent, even though she didn't get any details.

I know it depends on the Sidestep but please can you provide some crumbs/examples of what Danny chats about with Step during their coffee meetups?

It can, as you say, vary. But things like hero gossip, what people are doing these days, art, books, news, politics. Daniel is pretty adaptable, he's good at steering a conversation if needed.

In the case of Art Thief villain, would he be surprised/suspicious that Step has a lot of opinions and knowledge about art?

No, he would he so happy!!!!

Will there be another chance to talk about the potential SA back at the farm (the Horrible convo) if you didn't chose that option first time it showed up?

Yeah, that might come up again.

Will we still get an option to start poly with Ortega if we have a secret crush on them but are dating someone else at the end of retri?

I have no cutoff points, all that is needed is a suitable situation, and I suppose they will happen in book three.

was Marek born in the US or did he immigrate there?

I think he's originally Canadian.

what goes through Chen's head when Ricardo suddenly starts dating both Herald and masc/male Step? (especially when Step and Ricardo didn't have a thing in the past)

How did I misread that situation.... He would not have thought Ricardo would have been open to that, on the other hand, people at 40 are not who they were at 20.

If i AM not mistaken in scene in the beach after the nano incident anthema said that they had a girlfriend: how do they meet?, who ask for the first date/or to be romantic together?, what thought the rangers about her?, at first the Powers of anthema cause incident, like broke the Bed o stuff like that?, how much time they were together?, where is she and what is she doing?, after the heartbreak incident, does she maintain contact with Simeone of the old real?, did she know about the past of anthema?, was she modded or took the superhero drug?.

I genuinely have been looking everywhere for this since I have no memory of having mentioned Anathema having a girlfriend. Does anybody have any idea? I know my memory is kind of shot to hell from around 2020-2022 but my searches also failed.

How would Ortega have reacted if Sidestep died after the crash when they're trying to save them? I read your short story "Fear" and the amount of times Ortega has to remember to breathe or "ignore feelings" makes it clear they're on the verge of a panic attack; I wonder how much they'd spiral if Sidestep didn't wake up.

Of course they would spiral. And blame themselves. And probably set out to kill Hollow Ground for real once they recovered.

Villainy and being feared to a degree kinda go hand in hand, how would each of the villain ROs and HG group handle finding out someone they care about feels some degree of fear of them?

Hmmmm. I think fear is one of those things that is nice when it comes to others but you don't want in a relationship. I don't think that any of the villain RO's or the HG group would like that, and would go out of their way to try to assuage those fears.

Following from that for the villain ROs in a relationship would they feel different if they realized someone they cared about was afraid of them for being a villain in general vs a specific action they made as villains?

It s easier to try to fix a single action rather than the fact that they are villains. It... it doesn't feel good.

For corporate heroes who get recruited to groups like the Rangers or Guardians how do the companies view this process? Is there push back against loosing an asset or is it considered a boost to PR saying they were the former sponsors of the hero?

In general it is considered a good thing! This often includes things like being allowed to mention this fact in ads and the like. There are long contracts detailing how and when the new Ranger can be mentioned in marketing materials, and can often be quite lucrative for the company in question.

When dealing with puppet shenanigans with a romanced Mortum will Step be able to try and push Mortum to be with the puppet, even if not successful? I’m thinking of Steps with really bad self esteem or not think they are people thinking that Mortum would prefer being with the puppet

It will be an interesting situation, I am not sure of all the outcomes yet, but I think some Sidesteps will certainly try.

Will we get to meet any of the people who are leaving villain graffiti if we have a high fan club stat?

Yes, I have various fanclub interactions planned.

If the farm somehow managed to get their hands on a very pliable Ortega/on Ortega's mods, would they find them useful/usable?

From a research perspective perhaps. That generator is.... nice.

One more question - If you've generally played a Step that minimizes risk and draws that line at killing, does that come into play with your RO's? When reading the ending of Retri, I was like "at least I didn't kill anybody"... I think there's a little bleed-over with hero Step in that regard, a way back perhaps?

The game is noting what you do there, I have so many kill/not kill/save variables just so that ro's can have various reactions to things.

Will Ortega’s seizures make an appearance outside of combat, like they genuinely just had a seizure? Or is their seizures so well managed at this point that they rarely make an appearance outside of high stress situations?

Generally Ortega is well-managed, but I have one event planned in this book.

- have any of Ortega's ex-partners ever notice or worried about how it seems Ortega wanted to spend more time with Sidestep than their own partner? Did any brought it up to Ortega?

Oh yes! There was a lot of jealousy involved from some parties, especially with the speculations in the press at times. Probably a fair few that broke up over it too.

- It might be the protagonist benefits but considering how other people/heroes have been Ortega's friend for longer than Step, why does Aunt Elena (Ortega's mom) favors Step over idk Chen, Sunstream or even Anathema? Is it like a genetic thing? lmao

You don't know that! That is just the reader perspective focusing on SIdestep, so far we have not explored what interactions Tía Elena has had with others. I would argue that Chen is definitely seen almost as a son in her house, especially since he doesn't have a family.

- Considering how when Hood saw young Ortega they immediately went "what's this? A child without mentor/father/role model figure and depressed? Don't mind if I step in", had the meet Step first would had they consider mentoring the racoon too?

Hmmm. Probably, but also I wonder what Sidestep would have felt about that. I genuinely don't know how they would have got along!

- Also, would it take him as much as it took everyone else to saw Step without their mask ?

They could be mask buddies, Hood rarely showed himself without his mask too, especially not in public!

- I have to know. Considering all we know now about Ortega's mood + government role and Step nature. What would Hood think of Chargestep? Specially same gender Chargestep

Yeah that trainwreck is just in character.

- If we genuinely mentor Herald, will we and others be able to notice big improvement in his fight?

Oh yes.

- In the guilty caught route where a good relationship Steel is interrogating Step, what cross his mind when despite terrified Step ask him to give them to the directive so they won't put on risk the Rangers? I dont remember the exact words but I remeber Step can say something like that.

Part of that conversation is when Chen made up his mind that Sidestep is a good guy no matter what. The rest is spoilers.

- With a good relationship, would Argent ever consider to spare with Step?

Oh yes! If Sidestep dares to stop pretending to be retired around her.

- Dunno if this was mentioned before but was any other ranger present when Ortega punched Owl ? Did Owl resent Ortega for that or did she kinda understood specially after realizing their relationship was complicated ?

I don't think there were other Rangers present, and Owl was pissed but understood. To her it affirmed that yeah, there is something between Ortega and Sidestep.

- Also I know the dislike comes from Step being sneaky but why tf did Owl had such big distaste for Step? It feels kinda low hating on a kid just because they are socially awkward + extremely distrustful, and enjoy punching them later on.

It is more that Owl relied a lot on senses and instincts when she fought. She was extremely perceptive. And Sidestep just didn't register like that. It was like hanging around someone who constantly would go up and shout "boo" behind you and scare the shit out of you! Her punch was a reflex, she was genuinely terrified, which of course made her even madder.

Wait, is Owl one of the bullies Step thinks of when we confront Argent for being mean to Herald?

Yep.

Were Anathema and Ortega aware that there were some heroes "bullying" Step back in the day? I genuinely can't imagine someone bullying successfully the ball of hate and sarcasm that is Step but i mean they can certainly try..

Anathema might have been, yes. Ortega? No. Ortega interacts on a rather abrasive level as a baseline. They would likely not see things as bullying at all, just people being a bit rough around the edges and being sarcastic. And Sidestep was not always this spiky ball, they were a lot more out of their depth at the start, a cuckoo on the loose with no clue.

Is there a particular route that you personally enjoy, whether writing it or plot wise?

Depending on the mood! But I always love the ones with a lot of dialogue/interacting between people.

Any favorite romance or character?

The one I am currently writing or thinking about.

Side note, love the Spotify playlists!

Thank you! I need my braincandy.

I just finished my first read-through - and I know there isn't an official "canon" Sidestep, but damn do I feel bad for them after reading what happened. I briefly read some alternatives, and while I played Step as someone who really isn't all that much of a villain, I've seen paths where they can be downright awful. When you write a more "sympathetic" Sidestep, do you try to treat them as almost a completely separate character? It kinda feels like they are.

I see it as two (or more different mindsets). I generally can't write both variants at the same time, I need to put on a new soundtrack and go back and fill in other paths and variables later. One could argue that they are two separate characters but I see them more as separate viewpoints. How they see things. They both come from a world of hurt, but reacts differently. We all contain multitudes!

In the 4.2 path being betrayed by mortum. What do he thinking when sidestep risk their own life to save him First?

Mortum is feeling really bad at this point. They are starting to realize that they might have overreacted, and indeed, messed up a lot of their relationship. But at the time they really thought that Sidestep had been lying to them and manipulating them, and people do stupid things when they are mad and hurt.

Do he impressed by sidestep reaction and skills used?

Oh yes. Mortum has not seen Sidestep fight outside the suit at all. It is very impressive.

What is he thinking when sidestep ask for map of his lab since he doesn't seem .... that's trust sidestep?

At that point it is about staying alive. Sure, Mortum doesn't like their secrets revealed like that, but with the Catastrofiend on the loose what else can you do?

That's person may trapped by mortem, did he keep to study him or for someone else?

That is a spoiler we will get into very soon!

In the 1.1 excerpt of sidestep in the tub with Ortega, sidestep notes that Ortega did not get their smaller lip scar removed, but we also know Ortega has a lot of scars on their body. Does Ortega tend to remove scars when possible? Or do they keep some cause they look cool/reminders? Or would they just tend to remove the ones on their face? Would Herald get scars removed?

Ortega tends to either get scars removed, or at least minimized. They are there, sure, but they also likes looking good. Chen would call them vain. Thus the lip scar is a bit of an anomaly for now. Herald would get the scars removed, yes. The media team would be so mad otherwise.

in the demos where we run to mortum for help, are those only available if you have a good relationship with them? or do we go to them for help regardless of relationship status?

You will get that option regardless. Mortum might have to bribe you harder though...

once the FEZ agreement is over, would the hero/villain scene fizzle out? also same question in the global sense. would history look at this era as just another thing that happened or do you think it's superpowered legacy will live on?

If the FEZ returns to normal US laws, it would have to fizzle out. It would be like when the old west was pacified by laws, rules, the railway, organized society. The restless and wild would be pushed to the edges and eventually arrested or replaced. There is no room for a villain/hero scene in an organized society, what heroes would remain would be licensed and controlled. The cat is out of the bag though, so the legacy would live on in other places.

this occurred to me after reading the excerpt. how are the chargestep polys going to deal with potentially double alcohol-dependency partners?

That will be an interesting conversation.

As a seasoned IF reader, what is the game design feature that you're most proud to have implemented in FH (and why is it the multiple endings?) Additionally, was it inspired by another IF in particular?

I am most pleased with how I have managed to handle the romance/friendship system! I feel that it feels as organic as I can manage, it took a lot of work! I haven't really read the code of any other IF or been too inspired by them, but Heroes Rise did trigger me to let people pick their swearword. Honestly, I have played too few IF's.

I've always figured that the Dr. mortem favor you get for rescuing their Catastrofiend Friendship Ray would be an opportunity to choose another feature for the suit (one of the two you didn't take in Rebirth). I'm curious if that's on the table or if you had something else in mind.

That is on the table, along with some other options. But I am juggling as we speak, gonna see what would be the most interesting for play.

I was replaying retribution and I noticed that ortega is not surprised when sidestep comes over and notices the mug. Did he/she plan for that? Was Ortega testing Side's reaction?

Ahaha of course it is not a coincidence that the mug is there.

Feel like I need to ask this question, how do you think your sidestep would make it in the Dispatch universe.

I have not played Dispatch yet! I have been recommended it, but I have so little time to play these days!

what path is the upcoming demo? Or is that a surprise?

The path is 1.1, the innocent path with broken legs, recuperating with Rangers! It currently sits at 83 000 words and has the Ranch, Ortega, Argent and Herald variants. Still unsure if I will add Chen before I release it, or if he will come next. We will see.

Did Sidestep's death give them a popularity boost?

Briefly!

Can we start a hench(wo)men union?

There already is one or two!

Has the farm ever made a cuckoo for the express purpose of being a hero?

Nope.

Unrelated to Fallen Hero, but how's the Mecha one you were collabing on going? I enjoyed the demo we got.

My partner has been writing on it now and then, but there are also other projects that needs doing. It is not parked for good, just a bit down on the list.

Was the coding of a choose your own adventure book a hard learning curve?

Not the actual coding, that felt very logical to me, and the questions I had were quickly answered on the forum. How to manage a big game with all variables however... yeah. But that is an experience only thing. Choicescript is extremely easy, you just need to know a handful of variables really. Making the stat screen look right was the hardest part.

Recently watch a video on it so it's on my mind, but is the overwhelmingly coincidental interpersonal web where everyone who knows Sidestep seems to know everyone else at all inspired by the Count of Monte Cristo?

Not consciously! But the Count of Monte Cristo was one of the books I love while growing up, so it might have been at the back of my mind somewhere. Mostly it is a shorthand to make it easier to introduce relationships, variables and different viewpoints among the cast. Also, people in a similar business do tend to run into each other a lot, so it's not that unrealistic.

Is it still true Ortega's brick of a phone resembles a Nokia 101 as per an old tumblr ask, and does it have a full analogue thumb keyboard like Blackberries, or do they have to do multiple inputs on a 0-9/t9 keypad to text?

It is funnier if it looks like a Nokia. Those keyboards always looked so fragile, and Ortega needs the insulation.

How fast of a texter is Ortega?

Not very. And a lot of shorthand. Hmmm I wonder of Ortega is an emoji abuser, but that feels more like Argent.

What was the orphaned ortega_twotime variable in Rebirth supposed to be used for? Sidestep flirting with Ortega as themselves and the puppet?

It was originally planned for keeping up with that longer, yeah. But it turned Ortega into even more of a bastard and felt out of character.

Why was the mortum_clue variable not used again from Rebirth?

Because I realized that Mortum didn't have many interactions with the Villain, and none with Sidestep. Since they were so few, I decided to handle that differently. There was simply not enough scenes to have Mortum seriously consider that the puppet was Sidestep through gradually building clues.

We know that through the ai chip, Sidestep's mind was able to adapt and can now interface with certain mechanical signals. But could the inverse be true? Could a technopath with enough exposure to a telepath or something similar in their head, be able to adapt and start identifying and understanding signals of a human nature?

It is an interesting thought. I won't say it's impossible, the human brain does have electrical signals.

Along with that potential crossover of power, do technopaths also have to worry about opening gates?

Nope, the Gates are a Sidestep special.

Considering brains are very diverse, how do regene AI chips get inserted where they go? Are any preliminary tests done for the best implant location(s)? Or is it a 'one size fits most' case?

I would assume that there have been through brain scans to see where the best option would be (no body is the same once you open it up) but there is a general area of viability. But, it is built more around the ease of access and connection ipportunities.

Ortega had unknowingly met Hollow Ground before, with whatever alias HG was using, when was Ortega first able to pin that face with them being the Kingpin of Los Diablos?

I have not decided yet. It's one of those vague things I think will appear when I write.

Before connecting them to being the infamous crime boss did Ortega have suspicions about them or notice that people seemed to forget about them? Was Ortega able to make this connection before or only after Hoods murder?

Ortega had no suspicions at the start. But they started before Hood's murder, and came because they noticed that Hood was starting to act erratic and strange, forgetting about things, and changing his mind about others. So Ortega started looking into things, and somewhere around that line of investigation they added up the numbers and came to suspect who and Hollow Ground was and what they could do.

Is Regina an idealist?

No, a pragmatist.

How long has Ben been a fan of West Coast Mysteries and Murders?

Since the first season. Not sure when that aired, but there has been a few.

Are cats in the FH universe as a whole considered psi-sensitive? Or have a higher rate of it than other animals (on account of being able to see/hear things)

I think that might be a superstition going around, but I doubt there is any basis in science.

Does Bennett live alone?

Yep.

Why is Cyrus the default name? Any relation to Cyrus the Great and his role as biblical liberator? In the sense that sidestep is a liberator of themself and hopefully others in the future.

No symbolism, I liked the name.

When Hood was Marshal did he have a Rangers uniform or was there less of a pr/media presence for the Rangers back then that would require one? Did he have a hero suit before he was made the Marshal?

Oh yes he had a Rangers uniform when he was Marshal Hood! You needed the branding, to know that they were legit, funded and official. He didn't have legit designed hero suit before then, but it was functionally the same, but scavenged. Some military bits, some biker vibes, some functional gear.

How much do you know about Electrical Engineering?

Very little. I can do some wiring if I have to, but that is it. Most likely the area where I am SO WRONG a lot of the time. Apologies to any electrical engineers reading the game. I'm more on the chemistry/biology side of the sciency bullshit. Luckily this is superscience in an alternative world, so things can work entirely different there. In fact, they have to.

In the epilogue, Fuad Rahim gets what seems to be a migraine aura, and there's talk about how his coworkers keep abandoning investigative trails and stuff. (And i did see on the wiki his HG threading faded). With the links between Epilepsy and Migraines, and Charge being immune to threading, it has me thinking about neurological changes relating to threads. Which leads me to my actual question. Would performing, uh... percussive maintenance dethread someone? ("Come here, I just wanna give you a concussion, it'll be fine.")

Hehehe oh very perceptive. A bad concussion could theoretically dethread someone, and that would also go for a stroke and the like.

Does the Core's infection predate the Rat King's creation?

Hmmm. This is a question of definitions. I would phrase it as a tentative yes, because the 'infection' had a long buildup before it became an acute issue.

Is there still only one imposter variant for the Puppetstuck route since you last answered about this last year?

No. With further planning there has been room for more.

what would happen if snowball tried to blow up anathema?

Bad gas maybe?

Sorry, all the inane questions flooded my mind after you finished the beer & questions but I’ve picked out the most respectable of them:

— Are there any saints that were superheroes? Has the definition of a miracle been muddied by the existence of Enhanced?

No saints. But yes, the definition of a miracle has been muddled. Luckily, a simple blood test shows quite clearly if someone has been boosted.

— Silly fight question part 2, without powers who’s winning between Francis & HG?

Francis I am sad to say. Lord Ember can actually fight.

— Are there Evil interior decorators for villain lairs? How deep does the Evil economy go?

Oh absolutely!!! You need to have decorators (and designers and contractors) that can keep their mouth shut and also have experience with more niche things like deathtraps, lasers, giant skull thrones, shark aquariums or that bespoke faux-volcano lair. That economy is huge, and I love it so much.

— Does Ortega have any named attacks or do they have a sense of shame after all?

Ortega only has named attacks in the movies. I think Ortega has tried to bring some of them into the real world, but shouting talking about your "Charge Blast" just makes you an object of ridicule. You know Anathema and SIdestep would have had a field day with that.

— Which of the ROs would princess carry Sidestep just for shits & giggles?

Ortega. Daniel. Ben. Chen would carry for function. Argent would drag you on the floor for shits and giggles. Dove and Mortum would get some equipment instead (with the possible exception for a short Sidestep, because I think they would both love the feel of it, but they are also kinda weak).

If Sidestep loses an eye to Argent, how quickly are they gonna (have an opportunity to) get a prosthetic one given they have to go into hiding immediately after escaping?

Still unsure. That timeline, as well as the Regenerator business, will be added on later, so we will see where it fits timewise.

Will the length of time until we get a new eye be determined by if we're on good terms with Mortum (and by extension, perhaps Halabi) or not?

There will be things that determines how long. Good terms with Mortum. Money.

Also, suggestion to have an achievement for being permanently injured by Argent every book?

So many have asked for that at this point I feel I need to keep it up.

Arde opinion on fruit jelly/jello?

THE BEST! My brain just lit up at this question and I literally gasped, so I think Arde loves that almost as much as bread. Almost.

Can Mortum misdirect or stop bullets with their telekinesis?

Oh Mortum wishes. Nope. Not even a little. Maybe a whiffle ball.

Do you think your own sidestep would have done better or worse in the FHR interactive universe versus the original world?

Hmmm. Interesting. I would say it depends. Marginally worse I think, he would have gotten captured by HG.

If someone tells a joke & Armadillo wants to express that they enjoyed it would they laugh or make some sort of gesture? Is their response the typical one for a regene?

Laugh if they trust the people around them. Laughter is such a primal human response. I think it is something Re-Genes learn to suppress VERY early as it is frowned upon. I would think that the standard Re-Gene response would be something like a shared look and a minuscule nod. The ultimate straight face.

who in FH is most likely to win a dilf of the year award?

Ricardo would, but he would also be the MOST infuriated by it. "I am NOT that old!"

Has Vimana named herself after the mythological chariots/flying palace in Hindu and Sanskrit mythology/epics because of her ability to fly?

Yes, she has.

Is she South Asian?

Yes, third generation.

Is Vimana one of her titles equivalent to the Atomic Woman or the Ultimate Weapon, or a forename/firstname? If Vimana's not her real name, what is it?

It is her villain name. The Atomic Woman and the Ultimate Weapon are more titles, she uses them, as does the media, often in combination with her name. I don't know what her real name is yet.

What were her motivations for becoming a villain?

I think she's on a powertrip, honestly. But I haven't spent too much time getting into her head, so she might have more layers.

How did she get her powers?

Took the boost drug!

Was the telepath that Ortega was originally designed to deal with aware of, or suspect of that fact?

Nope. Not directly at least. That something might be up, yes, but that's just natural paranoia.

Does Vera's sense of taste change between pigeon and human modes?

Oh yes! All her senses does.

Is Vera in pigeon mode 100% Vera or does she sometimes encounter pigeon instincts? If she does, has she found a way to curb them, or does she still get dragged into the pigeon instincts from time to time?

She has some pigeon instincts, just like humans have instincts. Things like protecting our eyes if something is thrown at our face, the communal yawn, stuff like that. The biggest issue for Vera is flock behavior. It is needed and useful to work with other pigeons, but it can be distracting. Being able to remain on the ground while all the other pigeons take off is a massive act of will and self-control.

What do the Rangers & Villains think of seagulls?

Most don't. I think Argent likes the sound of them, it is nostalgic. Daniel has probably had his sandwich stolen once.

Which of them are on Team Cat, Dog, or neither?

As someone who is very strongly on team cat I am not sure I can be partial in that. I will leave that up to the reader. Chen is obviously team dog though.

Any update on the Mongolian Landcrawler?

There's probably a history channel special coming up about it soon.

(Revelations Demo Spoilers) Wait it just hit me, is the number of Gates opened in any way related to the Imposter in Revelations? Since they both go up to 4 in the settings?

I mean.... it is not unrelated.

What does the rat king think/feel about the catastrofiend?

HIDE! Absolutely terrifying predator vibes.

Is there any intentional connection to the patron saint of Valentines Day being the saint of epilepsy/the HBI happening around that date and Ortega being epileptic, or just fun coincidence?

This is genuinely the first I heard about that! I know very little about religious stuff.

Would Chen be ok with sidestep telepathically conditioning spoon to not chase cats?

Not at first, but I think once he had some time to think about it, he might come to see it as a way to communicate why Spoon shouldn't because that's not something he can explain on his own. It would depend, though.

Does the Fh world have companies or brands with funny or weird reputations similarly to our world? (e.g indestructible nokias, the waffle house index, ikea being a liminal space)

Probably! I haven't come up with any yet though, but people do create urban legends about everything.

— Does Argent have a favorite sub-genre of horror (found footage, psychological, slasher, splatter, etc.)?

Eurotrash horror! The colors! The visuals! The fashion! The settings!

— Did Ember ever meet Tina or Ted when he was an LD villain?

Oh yes.

— We know the street racing scene is alive & well but is there a drifting subculture similar to what’s in Japan or Saudi Arabia? Would/do Mortum & Ortega participate in those as well?

You know what? I think probably not. At least not one that Ortega or Mortum participates in. And this is mostly due to my great annoyance with people doing it on the roads around here at times....

— Does villain activity usually increase, decrease, or stay the same around the holidays? Are there any specifically notable holidays?

That is a good question. I think it stays about the same, because some villains see it as something they don't want to disturb or work on, while others see it as an opportunity for headlines and money. Honestly, I think that is one of the great debates in villain circles. I can see that leading to fights even. Dr. Mortum's Halloween party is one of the big villain events of the year. I think the anniversary of the Big One is generally seen as a time when you don't do anything. Out of respect.

Could you elaborate on what Bennett meant by this/what happened here? ("I'm not an exorcist. [...] I can't fix anything." Trying had nearly killed him once. Not again.) Did he try doing an exorcism in the past?

At least what he would describe as one! While I, as the writer, says that there are no such things as aliens, demons, angels or magic in this world doesn't mean that the people who live and work in it agrees with me. Many people believe in these things, and honestly, sometimes the difference is hair thin. I can't elaborate on what he is talking about... yet. ;)

How tall are the rest of the Guardians, Handyman, Nocturne, & Owl in Sidestep measurements (Tall, Average, Short)?

I would say that the Handyman is Tall, Nocturne is Short, and Owl is Average. Not sure of the Guardians yet. I would say that they are all Average, except Bumblebee who is Short. But that can change.

if sidestep got a personal tattoo after their first escape, would the farm have removed it upon recapture?

No, they wouldn't have bothered.

— You once mentioned that Ortega was a better fighter when they were younger, was that unavoidable or is it because they refuse to alter their fighting style to accommodate their age?

I think that it is partly because they are reluctant to shift their fighting style. Partly because better mods means less use for risky hand to hand.

— Following off that has Blaze’s fighting ability also decreased with age? And if not have either of them noticed that?

I would say a bit, yeah. He's relying on powers more. And I think both of them has noticed that, the aching bones in the morning and reduced flexibility are hard to ignore.

— How does Armadillo’s armoring up work (IE: where does it go when it’s inactive, does it make them heavier when activated, etc.)? Could their powers also be connected to the voidspace like Dove & Pyroclast’s?

I have no idea! I think it's more an extreme version of what squids do when they transform the texture of their skin, but I have not bothered trying to explain it. I think the weight is about the same.

have blaze and charge ever been in a physical fight before?

Not that isn't training or an exhibition event.

If they were to fight to the death who would win?

Charge.

I cannot overstate how much I love the flashes of worldbuilding we get regarding the technological and social landscapes of FH's alternative timeline. Any insights, inspirations, or general thought processes you're willing to share regarding the development process there?

One of my big special interests is reading non-fiction. So it is basically a collection of weird facts simmering in my brain, both history, science and sociology. A lot of the time it gets prompted by me asking myself "So if I want this, how would that has come to pass?" And also following through on stuff. If there was no rocket focus in WW2 but instead mobile armors, what would that lead to? And so on. I don't build things beforehand to a great extent, that ends up being a straightjacket. It is a puzzle where you find the pieces everywhere.

Bonus: Any fun bits of trivia or features/divergences from our own timeline that we might not have seen crop up before?

Not that I can share yet!!

Having counted about twelve separate instances of sweetsteps having chocolate and/or chocolate-flavoured things across both books so far, why do they like chocolate so much in particular? Is there something in chocolate that makes it particularly useful for a telepath?

I don't know what to say, I just love chocolate... and the theobromines are nice!

How high has Ortega ranked on the top ten lists of heroes and villains of Los Diablos over the years?

Oh Ortega has been number 1 more than once!

Have the other Rangers (past/present) ever made it onto the Los Diablos chart and if so, have they surpassed Ortega?

I think all of them has been on the chart, but Ortega still have the most no 1's.

Have any other characters in the cast been been in there (other than presumably Psychopathor and Catastrofiend)?

Probably, but I am not sure!

Rangers+hg+villain ROs: does anyone have particularly cursed tanlines?

Ahahaha. I need to assign that to HG.

How old was Bennet when he got his eyelids tattooed? What would he say was the primary reason he did so?

That was after the visit at the Heartbreak site. Not sure how old he was then. But he did it because he needed to keep his eyes open.

Did the original book Puppet have a name pre-Shroud/Sidestep, and if so, what was it?

Nope. Never named her.

Is the Menace from the romcom Argent references based on a real person in the FH universe, or just a completely fictional creation?

A fictional one, less chance of being attacked. Heroes might sue, but villains? More direct.

— Are there any occupations where being Enhanced has become a soft requirement? & what about an actual requirement?

I would not say hard requirements, because a lot of things can be handled with external modifications. I would say that the exceptions might be things like subdermal chip implants and stuff for company security.

— Does Los Diablos have any notable ghost figures?

Yeah, they might prop up in a future Lore post.

— Do any of the Rangers or Villains have any particular thoughts on extraterrestrial/dimensional beings?

Hmmmmm. I need to think about that.

— How does Porthole’s vision work? Do they have any special vision modes?

It is essentially camera based, so they can run all the variants up to shrimp vision depending on what is needed. In general, the normal visual spectrum is easiest since that is what the world is made for.

— Is Porthole happy with their current state? And how’d they end up in it in the 1st place?

Porthole is happy, but what happened is spoilers!

Are numbers (the pills) tasty like Flintstone vitamins or do they taste like HRT if crunched (foul)

DO NOT CHEW! They taste like crap. Swallow whole with lots of water.

Will there be any in game acknowledgment if Sidestep is also named some variation of Regina and/or Siepen?

Probably not. But I won't lock it out, there are too many names to do that for.

I assume that character customization for our Step (and maybe the Puppet?) is something that we're going to continue to see going forward; we've been able to change things about our hair, wardrobe, piercings--and in the case of trans steps, possible medical or surgical alterations towards transitioning.

Yeah, I plan to have modifications possible every game to fit changing circmstances.

Are we going to see other possible changes going forward, such as more variation in body types? Sidestep remarks a lot about not having washboard abs anymore, but also about how fit they're becoming through the training regimen they undertake for villainy. Muscle and fat sit differently on people--is that something you're planning to touch on, or is that something to be left to player imagination?

SO far it is up to the player's imagination. No plans to change it.

Did Ortega agree to take the puppet along for the diner stake out because they thought it might point to more clues of the puppet being a criminal/might see if they had affiliations with Hollow Ground, rather than just the camouflage of being a couple as they said?

I think it is a fair assumption that might be the case.

Did Sentinel like Sidestep in part because he thought they were someone who felt like they were from the “old” Los Diablos before it came neutered and corporatized? If not, was there anyone save Hood who he felt understood that feeling?

Yes, Sentinel and Sidestep shared that.

How many times has Ortega attempted the Akira slide and how many times have they eaten shit while attempting it?

More than once. You need to be sure to have some good protective leather pants....

Follow up to aurrie, how many times have they succeeded but no one saw?

A couple of times, the first time was the worst!!

Did Mortum actually tell the truth to Halabi about letting the assistant go only being firing, and not assassinating her?

Yes.

How old is the Firestarter urban legend mentioned in the Urban Legends of Los Diablos post? Does it have any connection to the Green Sky/New Flesh or Arsenaux specifically?

I think that one is pretty old, I did not plan for it to have any connection to Arsenaux.

we know the internet and personal devices are a decade or so behind compared to the real world, but has anything else as far as media and its publication not advanced as far yet? like, are radio serials still a big thing or Bluetooth still in its early stages or cassettes and VHS still being sold en masse, or anything like that?

The easiest way to see it is that the tech is there, thus bluetooth and flatscreen monitors are a thing. However, the satellite/cloud based architecture is not, and the internet not being a purely military/university thing is rather new. Thus there is a great need for physical storage devices like USB sticks and minidiscs (they deserve to be a thing!). Radio is still a thing, radiowaves are easy, but on the West Coast it is a lot more fractured and personal, so it has more of podcast vibes and local stations. Lots of talking and radio personalities.

What is Hollow Grounds opinion of Lord Ember? What do Nocturne and Jake think of him?

A dangerous rival.

How integrated are Pyroclast's powers into his fighting style (I.E., does he fight mostly like a normal person when he's not trying to choke people out or is he doing things like this: https://youtu.be/ZlHwtzPJTLU?t=171 Or is that just Jake's thing)?

The Ashfall Sidestep remembers fought mostly like a normal person, or trying to choke/hurt people. What the Pyriclast today is capable of is spoilers.

Will Step get another chance to flick a small object at Ortega in Revelations?

If I remember it!

Can Sidestep return to their own body without issue if whoever they're currently inhabiting is in the range of dampeners? Or does it make it harder to leave their puppet's body?

Sidestep does not feel dampeners while in the puppet, so how would they know?

What about the other way around? (own body within dampener range, but not the puppet body)

Now see THAT is a very, very interesting question, ennit? Not gonna answer.

How come there's no outright variable to use/manipulate Ortega as Sidestep (not as the Puppet via puppet_spy) the same way you can with Chen, or Herald, or Mortum? Was this ever considered as an option, or wasn't considered feasible with how well and how long Ortega and Sidestep know/have known eachother?

I did consider it, but decided against it. They know each other too well.

Has Argent gone through the effort of replicating anatomically accurate nether-regions or is she smooth like a barbie doll?

Argent is anatomically accurate.

How would five pennies react if a kid found and ate one of the pennies?

That's worse for the kid...

Bonus question: would the penny still work after being consumed and also would the person who ate it survive?

Oh it would survive, the kid most likely would not.

— As the resident nerds what would Argent & Mortum think of Ready Player One (That ultimate nostalgia bait for nerds movie Spielberg directed)?

THROW IT INTO THE SUN! (both book and movie)

— Who out of the Rangers & Villains has had the most injuries? (I know it’s probably Ortega, unless Argent could be considered in a state of constant injury accumulation)

That is a really big group you have there, so I would say the Catastrofiend.

What drew Vernon to becoming an investigative reporter? What kept him at it even after his reputation was smeared?

If you have that kind of mind you can't just turn it off any more than you can choose not to breathe.

has ortega ever considered using a different hero name than charge? if so, what name(s)?

No, Ortega apprechiates the pun.

In Chapter 24, Sidestep says "[they] don't know how active the Special Directive has been in this town lately. Not as active as back then", so discounting when the SD's worked with the Rangers in 2006, Sidestep going there on a mission pre-escape, the HB incident, and responding to the Psychopathor tip-off in Rebirth, how many times have the SD been in Los Diablos?

I have no exact number. But quite a lot, we are talking several missions a year. Most of these under the radar.

What kind of things would've warranted those deployments in the past? Were they mostly cuckoo/infiltration stuff?

Spoilers.

Are we ever going to hear about Sidestep's first time in Los Diablos while on a Farm mission? (since you've said they'd been deployed there and knew the place, thus why they chose to escape there)

Maybe if I ever feel like writing a lore post about it, but most likely not.

— Does the SD have any interest in Ember’s or HG’s organizations? & if so have there been any attempts to infiltrate them?

Spoilers.

— Does Ben have any opinions on the different configurations Sidestep’s armor can have like Chen does?

No, I don't think so. At least not right now. But I think he would wonder if Armor wasn't one of them, that's like half the reason to wear one!

— And does Mortum have specific opinions on different configurations?

No, the cape is what matters. Need the vibes.

When Arde greets Sidestep/the Puppet and Mortum by making a fist with one of their big hands and scratching their chin with a smaller one, is that a Re-Gene greeting or just Arde being shy/sheepish/etc?

Re-Gene.

Are Jake's powers inspired by Fenris from dragon age?

Nope, more Vision/Kitty Pride from Marvel.

Would there be any complications if Sidestep body hopped through the heartbreak site? Like if the HB site was between them and the body they were hopping to.

Good Question. Is body hopping a straight line at all?

If Sidestep hadn't been there, would Snowball have just blasted Charge to pieces?

Maybe not, Ortega likes animals, that might shine through.

Has Ortega ever made a Transformers-related comment about Chen's armors, and if so, how annoyed was he about it?

Yes, and somewhat. But he turned it around by asking Ortega what it meant, and having the satisfaction of calling Ortega a nerd.

Bouncing off the above ask how many buttons would Sidestep have to push for Ortega to call their Villainsona a “Decepticon reject” or some similar insult?

Nope. Need the villains to respect you. See above.

Seeing as you've mentioned reading the webcomic Strong Female Protagonist, do you think it's got any particularly notable influences on Fallen Hero?

Not really, I didn't read it until I was far into the project, just one ore of those "oh nice vibes" one.

Aside from tumor guy, have there been any boosts that were no benefits, all downsides & worse than being a baseline human? Something like super fragility

Oh yes. But they tend not to live very long. Change is the only guarantee, not that it's good.

Did baby Sidestep really smile unnervingly a bunch during their early days at the Farm like they do in the livestock dreams sequence, or is this more of a memory changing over time thing?

It was extremely unnerving to the scientists, that is what Sidestep picked up on. Especially at the start. New Re-Genes are not supposed to smile.

Are you going to try merging all the different paths into one .txt file or split them up by which ones overlap? (for your sanity i would hope it's the latter lol)

There will be several. And I am including a more general subroutine one this time around for ease of coding. But it depends on the length of the time, when you go above 100 000 words things can start to go wonky, I needed to split some Retribution chapters for that reason. I have no problems working with long documents.

IIRC you said in a previous QnA that Sidestep is slightly more durable & stronger than they look because those are traits The Farm used artificial selection for, is that a universal trait for all re-genes or just a common occurrence?

I would say essentially universal for the Re-Genes.

If I remember correctly, there some boosts that in artificial coma(?) due to their threat level. Who is the most dangerous (excluding potential spoilers) that you can tell us about? What was their boost, how and why they captured, etc.

I don't have any on top of my head right now!

Has Argent ever considered saving up enough dead nanovores to make a cape?

No, she could get a cape if she wanted to!

Thinking back on a few small things in regards to their reaction times and the like, I got curious as to if Ortega's mods have given them a sort of extrasensory (as in literally an extra sense) perception via picking up on electromagnetic fields.

Might very well be the case. Eeltega!

If so, have they noticed? Would they be able to hone it further if they have?

Oh Ortega has noticed. And been working on it.

If Fallen Hero was a show/film series, what would you imagine the original score to be like and/or do you have any shows/films you could point to that have the vibes you'd want? Seventies inspired vibes? Synth/guitar heavy?

Oooh interesting. I would say very cold, synth, industrial feel. A driving beat. Horror vibes. Kinda Juno Reactor meets Carpenter meets Goblins meets Fear Factory. A bit like No 5: Dimension Bomb. In fact, go watch that right now, because that is the closest Fallen Hero movie vibe I could ask for. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOuxi5AtONE)

What is Psychopathor's primary reason for being in the villain game? Money, power, violence, chaos? All of the above?

Living his best life! (all of the above)

There's a lot of named characters in FHR! Do you have any particular process for naming characters, or resources you've found yourself using a lot to pick names? Do you have any favorites of the ones you've chosen?

With the exception of checking whether certain names are used by certain etnic group, I just go on vibes. I don't have any general resources.

How closely is Mortum following any hypothetical scientific research about going into space?

Not very. It's an interesting tangent, but also not too related to what they are doing right now.

How many prized projects has Regina had?

I feel like saying that would give something away, so spoilers.

You mentioned that the Core would be considered a Mod. Would it have ever been Boosted, though?

Yep!

Would Mortum like Legos?

Of course!

— Can either of the pain gates or AI chips re-genes have run Doom?

The AI chips could. The pain gate? I would say no, but considering someone has apparently made a doom that could run on a fancy pregnancy test, who am I to say deny people's creativity?

— Can Sidestep run Doom in people’s minds?

No. Just DOOM.

Will there be a difference between say 40 SD clue and 60 or are they both just you are being hunted?

Oh I am not telling you that! All stats are mutable until the final game.

what are vera and ben's cuddle styles?

Ben is big spoon. Vera is steal all the blankets.

Does the hero drug cross the blood-brain barrier? If so, is it in the same way Void blood does?

Yes it does, and yes, the mechanism is similar.

Does the boost drug have an actual name?

Yeah, but I have not come up with a suitable one.

Was Vitruvian boosted before he joined the Green Sky?

No, he became it inside the cult. Yep, he was a void boost.

I think this has already been asked about TTRPGs so are/would any of the cast be into miniature wargames?

You know what, I think Hollow Ground would.

What's the first thing Argent would do if she got healed?

Wear a freshly washed bathrobe warm from the dryer.

Has/does ortega do friendly flirting with their friends? Flirting but it's an unserious joke/gag/bit between friends, that sort of thing. Asking to know how much chen has suffered bc of ricardo

I think it depends on the friends tolerance. Chen has suffered a lot, because he was keeping such a straight face.

you've said before that hollowground would view anybody a siblingstep sees as family as part of their family. so hypothetically, if sidestep were to love ortega like their sibling, how exactly is hollowground dealing with that?

With a giant massive headache. We'll see in game.

Hypothetically, if there were a completely, 100% hinged intellectual being out there that was maybe a just a little into mpreg, could they develop a mod to make that possible? Has anyone tried to develop such a thing?

I mean theoretically? Not going there, and have no idea, but people are people, so you know someone has tried.

Will we get to see any of the PR work the rangers do in game? Like advertising and stuff like that. (Would love to see the Christmas album or sexy charity calendars be mentioned hehehehe)

Maybe if I remember!

Will the Farm role choice (if that's still going to be a thing) come up in book 3 or 4 or are you still thinking about it?

Probably book four. That is the big farm one, but it might come up earlier if it feels natural.

Has Sky-Raider always been psi-sensitive, or did this come about after he was modded?

I think he's always picked up those vibes.

Are getting hostile with Argent or nemesis with Herald as Step themselves and not just as the villain is as big of a no point of return as killing Blaze is with Chen seems to be?

I genuinely don't know! I need to write that to find out how they feel about it.

— When Sidestep is talking to Mortum about getting their gun back they can mention doing it for a favor. Is it planned for Step to be able to call in that favor at some point?

Sidestep might need some favors in the future...

— Will there be chances to increase route specific stats like henchmen loyalty & politics to comparable levels for Steps not on those routes? What about decreasing them?

I mean it depends, we will see, stat juggling is the last thing I do.

— In a previous Q&A you said Nocturne has her own, unique sense of justice; would it be too spoilery to ask what it is?

Yes, yes it would!

— Was Anathema’s invulnerability one of a kind as far as the world knows?

So far, yeah.

— Did China still go to war against Vietnam? & if so did it have the same results as the IRL wars?

Hmmmmm tentatively yes, it is unlikely I will go into it in depth or that it will get be brought up in the books.

— Did the Big One affect the civil rights movements going on at the time in the US?

Oh yes. With the emergency declaration and power grab from the president, that was stamped down a lot harder. The US (apart from the west) have a lot fewer civil rights than our time. One of the reasons why people took the chance to move back.

— Was there ever a disaster movie boom like there was in the 90-00’s or was that too close to home? What about a zombie one?

Too close to home. I think the zombie one might have happened though. European movies were huge.

— You mentioned once that the current Vice-POTUS is someone named Ronald McIntyre & that he’s aware of The Farm, will he be playing a bigger part in the future?

We will see. I have tentative book four plans but is unsure of the scope.

— And since there’s no longer a general election for president how is that position decided now? Has there been a significant push to bring it back?

The President is still chosen by the electoral college. But the electoral college is not chosen by a general election, but by each state's senate.

Did Themmy have their invulnerability powers before they came into the Green Sky?

Yes.

Is the Everything's Fine story still canon-ish, as in, was Themmy (cw alcohol and drugs) a drug user and drinking prior to their boosting at 12?

Probably? I have not pondered things further.

I'm curious. Of the potential outcomes of the HB incident, which of the following pairs would have found the most success?

Chen and Ortega rescuing Sidestep.

Chen and Sidestep rescuing Ortega.

Ortega and Sidestep rescuing Chen.

I genuinely won't answer that! Too much of a what if! It happened the only way it could have happened.

Will any path that involves the west keeping it's independence to some degree will lead to open war with the U.S government or will there be a chance for negotiations after fending off the initial wave or whatever their main attempt is

We'll get into that more in the future.

If Sentinel is THE aero-kinetic, and Hood was THE geo-kinetic, would Arsenaux or Ember fit better as the most famous pyrokinetic? Is there anyone who would be the most famous hydrokinetic?

Arsenaux I think. Certainly the most powerful. The hydrokinetic one is spoilers, not sure when you will meet them.

How do you foresee character interactions between danny and mortum, even if you have no plans for them to have much interaction in the books? Would it be awkward without much in common to talk about? Would they find a common ground or be interested in each other's interests?

I genuinely don't know! I will have to see how they are to write together!

How did you first conceive of novel Dr Mortum/Mortus?

I... don't know how any of my characters come about! I write them, I don't plan them. I will say that in the first time Dr. Mortum showed up they were white and called Eric Arsenaux/Mortus if I remember correctly, but around the time people were discussing a cape they were black in my head and had fused into their current shape. Some bits migrated to become Arsenaux.

How did you conceive of their IF series version? Is there anything notable that you retained from the novel version, or are they completely different characters that only share a name?

I have retained most of the middle/end version of the character from the books! They grew into their own self when I was writing that, especially the puppetstuck path in the book.

What motivated you to make Mortum trans in the IF? Did you ever consider making anyone else on the main cast trans?

I felt closest to Mortum. And, some events with Mortum led to the puppetstuck gender breakdown in the book that made me stop writing it, so I think that just fit together in my head. And, as I have said many times before. I have two canon trans characters in the book: Mortum and Sentinel. I have NO canon cis characters. I have not specified anybody else to be cis, I have just not specified that they are trans. So enjoy yourself.

How has your writing of them changed over the years, from Rebirth going from Retribution to now, aside from becoming more intense?

The ruthlessness has varied. Sometimes I turn it up, sometimes I dial it back. I now see that as an issue integral to Mortum, what are they prepared to do in the dame of science? I don't think they are sure either.

Were you satisfied with IF Mortum from the get go or did it take time to be satisfied with their dynamic in the story, and their relationships with other characters?

Everyone is growing and changing. I have liked being able to get into more of the Mortum that is not science based, and their connections to other characters. I am still exploring them!

What was your process for fleshing them out?

Writing and seeing what happens. This is all exploratory, that is my favorite part of writing.

Since Mortum drives fast when they have a shit day, did they do a lot of that post-Puppet reveal, if applicable? esp if betrayed when they admit to the Puppet/Sidestep that they were "too distraught to tinker"?

OH yes. Absolutely.

Does Mortum have any thoughts about time travel? In media, and as a theory

First you need a theory of what time even is.

What is it about Halloween that Mortum likes so much?

You can dress up and be anybody, I think they fell in love at the University and that was probably when they really started experimenting with openly "crossdressing" as they called it in those days.

Are there any notable differences in the dynamic between Ben and Mirlene vs Ben and Merle?

Ben has to fight the urge to call Mirlene "lil' Lady" as a joke.

Following off this is it the same for Mortum & Vera?

Nope.

Posing this one to the rest of the cast (current LD Rangers, Dove, Sky-Raider, and Arde) since I already asked this for Mortum: if they were given the choice, with no health consequences, would they prefer to never need to sleep again, or never need to eat again?

I genuinely don't know? Things like this are so weird, I don't even know what I would pick. I like both sleeping and eating.

Would you say Mortum developed telekinesis because they were restrained and unable to move during their boosting?

No.

What happened to Mortum's birth father?

I don't know. I think he died when Mortum was very young, but I don't know any details.

Does Mortum have any memories of their siblings?

Yeah, but they are distant at this point.

How does Mortum feel about their siblings, and being the oldest?

Responsible, but not close. They sent money, but didn't have any urge to go back and hang out.

Has Mortum ever smoked cigarettes, or tried cannabis?

Oh yeah. They went to uni.

Does Roadrunner go "meep meep!" when they pass a hero or vigilante?

I mean that is really hard to resist.

is umbral really seen as a higher-level threat or is that just daniel's perception?

Mostly Daniel, but Sidestep is really judgmental about him so..

does umbral complain about a villain who's robbed him to the cops? how is he as a prisoner? Model? Annoying?

Annoying I bet. And you keep inter-villain shenanigans to yourself.

Can Sidestep see shrimp colors if they could look through a shrimps brain?

Sidestep can't read shrimp brains.

Also, we all know crustations are the perfect organism considering they could live forever if they didn't get stuck when molting. Has anyone ever boosted and turned into a crab-monster-thing in an attempt of "living forever" in the attempt being perfect? Or does the boost drug more so rely on what humans perceive while being boosted

There are shit in the ocean we will get into eventually! But carcinization is a thing!

Is it intentional Chen doesn't appear in the guilty crash route right after Argent scars you if you have the shaken relationship with him? If so, why is it?

It is absolutely intentional! If I remember correctly who shows up there varies a bit depending on relationship, and if you have that you get someone else.

Can you still get on the Regenerator plotline after Retribution if Step doesn't learn about it there?

Maybe, we will see!

Was Sidestep taught any ASL by the Farm, or did they have to lean heavily on Dove's knowledge parsing Arde's mix of ASL and Re-Gene language in the 1.2.2 demo?

I think Sidestep knows a little, it is useful to learn as a puppet.

If Sidestep was taught at the Farm, do only cuckoos learn ASL, or do bluegenes also get to learn it?

Cuckoos learn it. It is a good thing to communicate with, and having a cuckoo use sign language is a good cover for any weirdness people might pick up on, because that would make people feel bad.

How easily did Arde pick up ASL? Did they learn from Dove?

Easy. Dove taught Arde.

If it was Dove that taught them, who/where did she learn from?

She had several friends who used it when growing up.

How much does it suck to be a Re-Gene with coeliac and not be able to have food with gluten like regular bread?

The worst timeline.

In the past, one example of a Re-Gene name you've given is "Spider namesake-breadwinner-Thornsister". Is the breadwinner meaning more literal, in that the Re-Gene performs well and is rewarded with bread often, or is that just how it translates?

It is more literal, this is a very successful Re-Gene.

Does Arde like to read? Have they ever read Frankenstein? Do they have a fave genre?

Arde likes reading. I think they enjoy romance honestly, I can see them owning a massive stack of paperbacks, you know bodice rippers and the like.

How "organic" does the Core looks like (question inspired by Proteans storyline in the new Frostpunk 2 dlc)

I have never played frostpunk! But I am kinda seeing it as some techno-organic fusion.

Would the core be able to fit in a Fiat 500?

Nope.

At risk of getting 'spoilers'd anyway: At this point, can we just safely say the Core is or started out as a Human, at least physiologically speaking?

Hmmmm. I would say no.

Since Arde's transformation into their armored form causes them pain, was their pain-gate installed early to help with it?

Oh yes. It was decided that the help with an easier transformation would be more advantageous than learning to protect your body properly. Since the boost transform would kind of help with that anyway.

Does maintaining the armored form hurt, or only armoring up?

Only the transformation.

Does returning to their smaller form hurt?

Yes, yes it does.

Mortum's a Type E mod, but do those types of minor enhancements cause them any pain?

No, they are just minor integration mods, no pain.

Do they consider themselves to be a Mod?

No. They consider themselves modded, but not a Mod. In their head, it needs to be a bigger thing to be considred that, otherwise so much of the population would be mods that the term would be meaningless.

If Sidestep's on HRT and puppetstuck, is imposterstep keeping up with that?

Yep. Any medical habits.