QnA October (Patreon)

I did a reddit AMA to co-incide with the release of the demo, here is the link if you want to check out my answers:

Reddit AMA 

The RO's 'heart/soul' (emotions/feelings, love/affection) is turned into one physical object/any form or shape, what is it? How protective are they of their own now physical heart? Are they willing to trust someone to hold it?

Huh. I have to admit it is rare that I am completely stumped by a question, but I truly am with this one. I don't even know how to begin to conceptualize it? Is this in reference to some online/japanese thing I am not aware of, like that throwing up flowers thing or red string? Regardless, I don't think I can answer it. I have no idea. My brain only goes logical to have it be something indestructible so you don't have to worry about it. Sorry, sometimes my brain don't get things.

sorry if this has been asked before but what did HG think seeing the same (or at least very similar) face as their dead sibling sitting across from them during that meeting with sidestep?

Well fuck, this is weird. Am I imagining things? Probably. Do I miss them that badly? I guess I do. Damn, those were the good old days.

How much power does a lazer dolphin lazer have? For instance, if one was trying to get into neuclear sub would they be able to cut through it? How thick do the walls of my underwater buildings need to be to stay safe? Or is their no true safety in the turgid waters of Los Diablos?

Lasers are short ranged but very strong in water. They can puncture a sub with enough time. It would be easier to build an underwater base, because some materials are less vulnerable to lasers. However, you might run into a different problem then... someone might already have claimed that real estate.

Also. Does Argent spend time at the beach anymore? In the water? Was it something she loved and lost or does she still enjoy it? 

Argent has avoided the beach. It would be a huge thing for her to go back. Think Sidestep and the Heartbreak site.

Could you elaborate on the political leanings of an anarchist Villain? Or the range of positions they can take? 

Not sure yet. There will be choices/rants/monologues for various flavors, but I haven't decided the range of them yet. 

I ask because the term anarchist has pretty different meanings to something like revolutionary.

I am using the term "anarchist" very, very loosely, and not in the strict political way. It is used more in the way television pundits might talk about "those anarchist hooligans" rather than a specific position and ideal way of governing things. I liked it more than revolutionary because gave a more vague and unfocused vibe.

Bad boys 2 or point break? Obviously I mean which would Argent force sidestep to watch first? 

Point break!

Now for the less serious questions. How would Ortega feel about a mechanical horse like from vampire hunter D? Or a cyborg horse? 

Look, that would be amazing actually!

How would Argent deal with a hilariously powerful maniac offering effectively devil deals(these deals are always honored to spirit of the request no tricks here but are offered by a clearly dangerous maniac) to anyone willing to take them while usually asking for nothing in return?

Argent doesn't trust like that. Though who knows, some Sidesteps might be venturing into that territory with the Regenerator...

I got a general world building question: what is the most impressive element strength wise that can actually be used by people in verse regardless of resource cost? Because technically we can make adamant like from the old myths which basically completely indestructible, right now the problem is it's a bitch to get the right mix (even with computers) and costs a lot of rare minerals and metals to try.

I would say that is probably Plasteel, which is the common term for a metal/plastic hybrid material with great strength and light weight. It's the core material in personal armor, modern armored vehicles, and some mods. 

Are Argent's eyes silver as well or do they have color? Did they lose their color with the nano-armor?

All silver. They don't exist anymore, they are all nanovores.

All the rangers live in different buildings, in different areas. What security measures and other protocols are in place for the ranger's places of residence, or are they entirely up to the individual? How quiet are the locations kept? Are other apartment residents informed that a ranger lives in their building due to potential added danger from attacks? Despite being unlikely to be able to use any photos, do the paparazzi still tend to congregate near their or other hero's homes?

The security measures do vary, but they all have at least the Ranger minimum and have to be approved. The other residents are informed in some cases (Argent insisted) but that is not a general thing. Some add up the clues anyway, but that is more of an open secret. Some move, others see it as an added safety. Paparazzi is kept away by steep fines and the general Rangers security. That is one thing that is provided.

Sort of based on a question from last month's QnA, is Argent upset that Step didn't stop the nanovores in time to save her, no matter how unlikely it is that they could have saved her in the first place?

No.

There's been a lot of talk about seeing other regenes as family or like victims and wanting to save them and such, but will there be options to just HATE regenes and never get over that hatred?

Maybe. I might have to see if I can write that into Arde's path, I am just not sure yet. I'll have to have a go at it first.

Sidestep has hella traps set in their mind against telepathic intrusion, would they still technically have those traps set as the Puppet or do the traps need telepathy to actually work?

Hmmm. I would say that about 30% of them would still work.

Also based on a question from last month about Ortega's Sidestep scar, does this mean if you don't get the Sui tag in Rebirth that they will never get the 1 scar, they'll only get 2-3?

Probably, can't say for sure until it is in the book.

Did the second handler get in more trouble than the first after Step's second escape, considering they were "weaker" after HB or since Step apparently did some buckwild things to get out the second time, was it more understandable that they could escape?

Hehehe oh spoilers.

Kind of a random one but do you write the FH story first then go through and code it all afterwards or do you code and write at the same time? Do you write the extra flavor text (lines based off if you have high infamy, low arrogance, etc.) during the coding process? Either way, I feel like my head would explode trying to keep everything straight, so well done.

It varies. Some scenes come as story first and then code gets added, some scenes naturally come as code first. Most are a hybrid, mostly story but the occasional code. A bit like the revelations snippets I post on Patreon, that's usually what a first draft looks like.

Not sure if you can see all the stats that players get but based off what you can see, do you think there will be a big disparity in the imposters? Like one of them is going to be way more common than the other two?

I have no idea! I need to finalize the code first, I am still juggling variables.

Since cancer is pretty common in regenes, how is it treated? Is it terms for recycling or do they use chemotherapy and surgeries?

Surgery and chemotherapy, there is a lot of money invested in a Re-Gene at the later stagges, they will do a LOT to try to save them. Right out of decanting however, that might be recycling unless it's a very useful boost power.

When Ratking possesses Step, can they use Step's telepathy like Step does with the Puppet's precognition? Not that they could be on Steps level of telepathy, just to enhance their own powers?

Just the faintest hint, yes. Not much.

Then a final more fun question. Do you think Argent would be a fairy type pokemon trainer (for the aesthetic) or a fighting type pokemon trainer (because...she fights)? Steel and electric are not allowed obvi, those are already taken lol

Fairy!

About past hero reputations, does Sidestep have a set opinion on them or is variable/head-cannon territory? For example, does Sidestep always want to have been a hero and never a sidekick, or do some Steps feel guilt or just plain resentment at being seen as a hero while some Steps like being so closely associated with Charge as a sidekick? I hope that makes sense. If it is set, what are Sidesteps opinions on them?

I think this will be mostly headcanon.

Does repeated exposure to telepathy (eg communication via telepathy, having repeatedly survived telepathic attacks) allow for non-telepaths/psychics to develop an acquired resistance against psychic influence/attacks? Or become more susceptible? 

It can be both! 

What does Bumblebee (Amanda Moore) look like? Temerain?

I have no idea yet, looks is usually the last thing I come up with for a character, but I do think Bumblebee has curly hair for some reason.

Do any of the characters believe in the concept/existence of a multiverse, and that their reality is just one of many?

I think Daniel has probably considered that. Dr. Mortum as well.

Can HG thread a deaf person who can’t hear them? What about someone who can’t feel their touch at all? Can certain neurological conditions/diseases (eg Congenital insensitivity) prevent them from threading their target?

It would not work on someone who can't hear or understand HG, so nobody deaf (unless they read HG's lips, or HG learns to sign), or someone who doesn't speak the language HG is speaking in. Feeling the touch is not required, that would not affect things.

In the event that Sidestep ends up with a blinded eye thanks to Argent, could that be used to turn public perception against the Rangers? I imagine something like that could be a useful tool for some Anarch Steps.

Yes, if Sidestep dare to use it, since that might reveal a bit too much about themselves. 

What kind of relationships do Vera and Skyraider have with their own queerness? Like, how comfortable are they with the fact that they could be attracted to someone of the same gender? And for that matter have they ever been in a same-gender relationship before.

I think Vera has not really thought too much about it, she's comfortable, and it has never really been a big bother to her. Sky-Raider has had a bit more of a journey, and is a bit more thoughtful about how he embraces and displays his own particular flamboyance and attraction to various genders. Both has been in same-sex relationships.

Do have specific heights written down for them (Vera / Raider) yet?

No... 

If they end up working with Sidestep, which of the Rangers could be convinced that killing could be necessary? If it's all of them, who would be easiest or hardest to convince? 

Easiest to hardest: Argent - Chen - Ortega - Daniel.

If Julia and Ricardo met, what would they think of each other? And for that matter what would they be like if they both existed in the same world as siblings?

They would probably both be dead from sibling rivalry and increasingly upping the ante of shit they did while growing up because neither would back down.

Does Armadillo know who Sidestep is? I mean Sidestep as Step the Re-Gene, the scaped cuckoo who did all that mess 

No.

In the present day how frequently do unromanced ROs go through hook ups/casual dating in their lives? Or, in other words, who has more game?

Ortega followed by Chen and Daniel

Given that the majority of stories on COG already take place in the US, have you ever considered setting FH in Sweden?

No, it really wouldn't work for me. However, my partner is writing one set in Sweden.

Have Dr. Halabi and Mortum ever had a thing?

No.

Since organized crime historically thrives on the preying and exploitation of the working class, how does Vera reconcile working for HG with serving her community?

Keeping HG off her turf, and earning money. Better the devil you know/can use.

At his apartment Ricardo can admit to never even having kissed a man if m!Step didn't date him in the past, but is Julia just as inexperienced with women if previously unromanced by f!Step?

Hmmmm. I dunno. I think she might have had a kiss or two, but that wouldn't hold as much weight, because sometimes drunk girls are just like that, and it's practice, right?

Are any of the ROs good at makeup?

I honestly don't know. I think Ortega is passable, Daniel knows a lot of the basics of facial care, Argent sadly has her own issues but wants to.

If Argent, Danny and Chen had been gender swappable, would their opposite sex counterparts have been the same or a little different? 

Argent would be similar, with a decidedly more camp feel to him, would probably be seen as "oh yeah, he's gay." Danny would be similar, while Chen is not gender swappable and the same character in my head. 

How popular was/is Sidestep among Re-Genes? Are they like, a celebrity? More like a legend? How many of them actually know how they look like or have met them/see them?

Spoilers.

At one point in the interview with Mia, Sidestep can say that the laser dolphins are real. Have they actually had a run in with them, or was it just to make their point? …Will they have a run in with the laser dolphins? Has anyone else around Sidestep seen them?

Sidestep has felt the laser dolphins, they have on occasion ended up in/used the water. I don't think anybody around them has... oh no, I forgot! One definitely has. Closer than Sidestep even. 

Back in the Sidestep days, did the rangers and close vigilantes often hang out? I assume it's sort of up to headcanon how much Sidestep participated, but it seems like, based on a few lore posts, that they all just spent time together occasionally! Who showed up often? Who had to be dragged? Were there little friend-groups that formed within the larger group?

Up to headcanon, but Sidestep was more sociable those days. Though it is up to headcanon if Sidestep was dragged or willing, there was a lot of hanging out. I don't know exactly how the vibes worked, if we get into it in game we'll know more, but right now it is one of the things you have to work out for your own Sidestep.

What was going through Ortega's mind when he told Sidestep about his apartment being blown up if Sidestep goes back to his apartment in book 2?

Mostly it was ahah that is a funny story yeah, oh wow, I was in a bad way then, let's laugh about the new couch instead.

What does Nazar think of Step if they’re in a relationship with Steel? What about Argent or Herald?

Pyroclast would not believe his eyes at the relationship with either Steel or Argent, he would be less surprised at Herald.

I saw in the last QnA that boosts often are resistant to temperatures and that made me wonder if the hero drug was inspired by DNP? A failed diet pill that cooks you from the inside if you take too much. As in unless your body mutates to handle inhuman body temperatures you'd die a horrible death. Pretty interesting stuff that's been around since the 30's somewhere and is still used, illegally that is. 

It was party inspired, yes. That and Thalidomide and the birth defect scandals.

Hi! What do you do when you have an idea for your story, but you can't make it work?

Try to figure out the reason. Occasionally the idea might have to be put in my scrap folder for future use, occasionally I might have to change the setting or a character to make the idea work. Your subconsciousness is stopping you for a reason, often a sacrifice needs to be made to proceed. Fallen Hero was made from two ideas/books in my scrap folder which neither worked well on their own, with huge stylistic bits taken from a third. Neither of them were good on their own, but together they worked.

So if Argent was only able to save herself through her technopathy did she assume Step had a similar ability in order to stop the rest of the nanos? Since she knows Step has a chip I wonder what her thoughts are, she seems to have more insight than even Ortega second only to Chen.

She knew Sidestep was a telepath thanks to Ortega. So she assumed the control mechanism for the nanovores were telepathic in nature.

Also can we convince Chen the autopsy photos are fake if we use the regenerator and get rid of our regene tats?

Yes. It would be a logical explanation if you play your cards right, Chen was already considering that route.

Also if you’re a really wealthy Step could you pay off any of the Rangers debt anonymously (Ortega and Chen *cough*)?

Possibly. Do you value your friends above your cause? Sounds like an interesting choice.

If Blaze and Zephyr realize they blamed Locus because they were threaded by HG would they regret or try to make amends?

Regret, Blaze would try to make amends.

Can/does Blaze ever suffer from overheating from using his powers? Is there any type of strain in general he feels with them, with or without using them?

Yes he can overheat, just like a person can technically step into a fire and burn. Normally he's protected from it by instinct and control, but if surrounded by flammable materials things might escalate too fast for his reactions, or when someone gets into his head to manipulate his power use things migght go very bad. There's no strain, just an increasing demand on body and metabolism. His heartrate goes way up, which is the biggest concern of his doctor.

I know you can't answer this but I'm gonna ask anyway. Is the person/people/organization who's been vanishing telepaths collecting them to create a rat-king but with human telepathic brains??? 

An interesting theory indeed! I can see the context clues, but as you migght imagine I cannot confirm or deny.

Also I don't know if this has been asked before or if it's too inconvenient/spoilery to answer, but there's a bunch of important characters (Sky-Raider and Vera, Zephyr, Lord Ember, Regina etc.) whose appearances we don't know much about (at least that I'm aware of). Could you give some vague descriptors like skin & hair color, vague body shape, any striking or important features? Not a very important question, but it would help match imagination to any potential descriptions in the future (for example, I only found out Sunstream is Asian because all fanartists I've seen drew her as such. I still don't know where that was mentioned).

I honestly never mentioned Sunstream was asian I think, that just spread on it's own. Or I did and forgot. Here is the thing. I am face blind. I don't really think about how people look, nor do that factor into how I write people much. So the descriptions won't be long. I still have no idea what Regina or Lord Ember looks like, Vera is gangly with dark wavy hair I think, Sky-Raider is kinda built with bleached hair. That's... it. I don't have any striking or important features, if I mentioned any, I would forget them again. I know that probably sucks for people who are more visually interested, but this is geuinely not something I know if that makes sense?

Can you tell us more about what Cavalier was like as a person?

Charismatic. Driven. Larger than life. Had some close friends he trusted utterly.

Will there be an opportunity to decide which of Sidestep's identities they identify most with? 

Probably.

Are HG's threads affected by how the person interprets the commands? What would happen if the way someone interprets it makes no sense to them? Would it fail to take hold? 

It does rely on people interpreting things. However, it is the victims interpretation that is the important one, if it clashes with HG's doesn't matter. It is important to use the right words.

In scenarios where Chen is certain Sidestep is the villain but doesn't trust them how paranoid is he that they've read his mind and they know that he knows?

Very.

Did Ortega ever consider augmenting the arm damaged by the nanovores? 

No, it was mostly skin damage.

If Ortega suspects Sidestep is the villain what did they think they were doing destroying HG's casino? 

Villain rivalry! There's a lot of infighting between factions too.

Before Sidestep have there been any other instances where HG misread an in-person meeting bad enough their life could have been in danger? 

Yep! HG is not perfect by any means.

Was Sidestep's power up from void blood due to TBR, or was it a full on second boost?

See... this could be debatable. It could be seen both ways, and we might get into it in the book.

Without TBRs could Sidestep ever have been powerful enough to resist threading? In the Enforcer AU if HG had been threading their sibling for years how would they react if they found that they suddenly couldn't anymore?

I doubt they would have, but it's always hard to say with AU's because there might have been other factors. And HG would be proud! Even if it was inconvenient...

There are times where Sidestep seems to instinctively want to hate Ortega for not saving them even though they know it's not really their fault. Will finding out Chen actually knew and actually could have found them make them hate him too? 

It already has for some Sidesteps. Though there are other things at play.

Sidestep can be a complete teetotaler, but they never think twice about drinking as the puppet. Is this the puppet influencing them, or is there some other reason why Sidestep would be comfortable drinking as the puppet when they'd avoid alcohol as themself?

That is puppet instincts, it just feels right.

What's the reason Anathema and HG are gender bound to you?

Anathema: I needed a cheap way to try to build closeness to Anathema since they would have a grisly death before too much interaction, and I figured gender might be part of that.

HG: I didn't want gender variables to add to the tension of certain events, some things would be perceived differently if a man did it to a woman, rather than a woman to another woman.

Do Re-genes age normally or do they effectively stop aging at their prime? Because we're actually on the verge of eliminating aging today some scientists have found that a part of the brain produces a chemical that causes one to age.

Re-Genes age normally.

Can you add more choices for dealing with Armadillo preferably across all variants of the revelations?, I'm still thinking of how my sidestep would deal with a friendly re-gene so I don't really know what kind choices I'd like just yet.

Oh yes, there will be a lot more choices added! This is just the first pass, things gets fleshed out with more reaction as people react to stuff.

Can we get a Lord of the Rings extended cut marathon with Argent? 

That sounds very cozy.

sorry if you've answered this before but will we be able to befriend and/or romance the puppet in revelations? the choking scene lives in my mind rent free

Befriend depends, no romance.

How often do the other Rangers hear/get wind of news of villains in other states in the US? What if the villain in question was infamous? Or super entertaining to watch/hear about?

I think they get a lot of info, some stay more on top on this than others. Chen and Ortega are well informed.

How hard is it for vigilantes/villains to escape their state to cross over to another one/travel overseas? 

Travel overseas is harder, because that means getting on an airplane. As long as you can do road or boat, it's simpler.

Can you describe in detail or draw out the ports on Ortega? Could you tell me how Ortega feels about their ports?, I imagine both versions would effectively show them off.

I have no idea where the ports are! I know some are along the spine, and some are on the back of the hand. Other than that, they will be where they need to be for the story. I don't detail those things beforehand, that's just painting myself in a corner. Ortega is funnily enough quite self-conscious about their ports. They play it off as they don't matter, but in reality they are always aware of them. They often use "plugs" to sort of camouflage/cover the ones on the back of their hands so they are less obvious. They don't like to show them off, even though they sometimes do just to spite their own worries. Sidestep is one of the few they are comfortable showing them around without being aware of it all the time.

Can I befriend the whispering thingy that said ~I don't think so~ in my head or is that gonna end badly

You know what? Even I don't know that yet.

Will sidestep ever be able to romance another re-gene

No.

I recently when through your older content on the patron and read the old Truths short story. You might have been asked something like this before as that story is ancient but, in it Sidesteps and Ortegas first meeting and Sidestep leaving someone behind is mentioned, will we find out more about these events in Revelations as a flashback maybe?

Possibly, we will see!

What was Ljungstrand’s role in the military? What problem was he tasked with solving?

A consultant. Providing tools to deal with ptsd and the psychological stress of war, as well as neural strain from boosting.

When he went about memory extraction treatments on soldiers work?  Was it all hands on treatment done by himself?  Was he removing trauma and replacing a memory or were there blank spots?

It was mostly hands on treatment by himself, and there were several variants he tried to see which one might work best.

I find it funny how the two hero telepaths that we know of (Locus and Sidestep) are not licensed heroes. Are/were there any other telepaths who are vigilantes? And licensed heroes? Do telepaths try to stay away from being licensed?

Well... there's not many telepaths left openly on the west coast. But traditionally, most have been poached by the private industry. Hard to compete with those offers. However, Thunderhead was a licensed hero!

Does the Farm have any double boosted operatives/assets/staff?

Possibly.

Will Step at some point manage to sincerely ask for forgiveness to those they're close with and whom they hurt?

Work on it and it might happen!

Why was Logarithm engaging in corporate espionage? Who was he spying on? And for whom? And what did he steal? 

Oh that is indeed spoilers.

Where  does all of Vera's equipment go when she transforms? Is it also transmogrified into plumage/pigeon parts or does the Void(where ever they are) get pelted with random stealth equipment every once in a while?

I know exactly where it is going, but I am not going to tell you that in a QnA.

Piggybacking off of "does arde miss their teammates", how do Arde's teammates think of them? Do they miss them? Or do they think they're dead?

Armadillo miss their teammates badly, and their teammate thinks Arde is dead.

What was Argent doing in the hours between stopping her cluster of nanovores and Sidestep stopping the whole swarm? Was she just floating off the coast in a fugue state? Unconscious sinking in a terrible nightmare? Wandering the swarm's territory as a montrosity no one could survive to see? 

Fuge state and then wandering ashore like a zombie, accidentally killing the first person who tried to help her. It took her a while to regain herself.

A while back I asked if Argent made herself a bit taller via the nanovores and got a "yes". However she's only a few inches taller than her "natural" height. Did she only add a few inches because going too tall would've been disorienting for her? I.e. would adding too much height to herself affect her spatial awareness to the point she was uncomfortable/less effective? 

Proportions. You can only add so much to legs before it looks very weird. She wanted to look good.

When has Sidestep personally meet/fought the laser dolphins? Given that they can assure Mia that the dolphins do exist.

Not met, felt telepathically.

If Ortega were still the Marshal, would there be any major differences in how they ran the team? Would their relationship with any of their teammates be different with that power dynamic?

Hmmm it would be the most different with Chen and Daniel I think. Argent wouldn't give a fuck. Ortega would run their team very differently from Chen, probably a whole lot more proactive.

It's noted that Blaze has very tight control over his powers. Is that the result of dedicated training, or is it just the sort of control you'd have to develop to go about your life with that power?

You have to be good at that or dead. No half measures.

Also, given that he's unaffected by hot/cold weather, does Blaze tend to dress inappropriately for the temperature? Does he stick to "normal" seasonal clothing anyway out of preference and/or image concerns?

Normal seasonal clothing.

Has Blaze hurt Chen/any other person during funky times because he got excited and heated too much?

No.

Did Argent feel anything when the nano surge was stopped by sidestep?

Yes. It probably helped her snap to full consciousness, protecting her little horde and tying them closer to her. Otherwise what Sidestep did would probably have killed her.

inspired by your 'all signs point to probably' response, have you considered making a custom magic eight-ball as a piece of FH merch?

Nope, merch is complex!

What do Argent's force and subtlety stats look like for her technopathy?

Well balanced. She would be about 80/80.

What would Argent have done and where she should be if the government didn't "pay what she's worth" like you mentioned in the last qna?

There are companies she would be invaluable to (and perhaps the odd villain with agreeable methods and morals).

Does Ortega know that the malfunctions in their mods are potentially life-threatening? Do Chen or Argent,as the main people who help them with their mods, know/have suspicions? If a techsavvy step has power info, is this something they could piece together through previous/future clues to find out on their own?

Ortega knows, but think they can handle it. Argent suspects/knows, Chen has no idea. Chen might be able to piece it together if he got wind of the fact that something was starting to go wrong.

Will Sidestep be able to tell Argent that she's even shorter after the regenerator and immediately die? 

Nope. Sidestep doesn't know enough.

Does Regina not believe that regenes are sentient on the same level as humans or does she just not care?

Oh she just doesn't care. 

Did Sidestep's story inspired other Re-Genes to NOT become a hero? Aaand maybe choose other more villainous activities since they would probably be a safer bet? (Compared to how Sidestep's life turned out)

It would vary a lot, but the story is not as widespread as one migght think.

Since we can imply we like Ricardo's moustache by not letting him shave it, are we ever gonna be able to let Julia know we like the short hair?

Complimenting Ortega? Really? Is that a thing you want to do now?

Inspired from above, some steps may experience regretti spaghetti for teasing Ortega about the mustache. Can we ever let poor Ricardo know we lament the death of his 3rd mario brother appeal?

No idea. Probably not.

Who's more of a nerd, HG or Nocturne

HG.

In the old days, how would Ortega have reacted to a villain being infatuated with Sidestep instead of them? Bonus points for chargestep-verses.

Amused, keep pointing it out to Sidestep and trying to use it to build their confidence. Regardless of romance status.

If Sidestep had turned to villainy prior to Heartbreak (or, alternatively, after Heartbreak without having been recaptured by the Farm) how would the Rangers of the time+Nazar have reacted (individually or together)? 

Too much of an AU, I really have no idea. That's something you need to write for yourself.

Is Ortega's fav armour mysterious cause they can see their reflection on the helmet? 

Ahahahaha well... also it's cool.

Will a really evil Step be able to reveal to HG that Ortega's epileptic?

Yes.

To what extent do the Rangers notice Step manipulating people around them in incidences like Step diverting the server's attention while having coffee with Herald after training? The more subtle manipulations and redirections, as opposed to very obvious instances like high force steel snap?

Most of the time it goes unnoticed, because Sidestep is good at their job and quite sneaky. Over time, some will pick up on it. 

If chargestep was a crack ship, which ships weren't crack?

I have no idea! I don't know how shipping works!

Would it be weird to ask if we can have an option added to rebirth of having surname and given name in either order? Like many Asian names have the surname going first so it would be nice for the option.

That is a good idea! Since this was from the discord, please out a suggestion in the bug channel. It's an easy enough fix!

hoping this isn't spoilery but in rangerstuck cases where neither Chen or Ortega are the ones to hire Vera to break Step out, what is the initial reaction to the breakout/discovering Step is gone? Do they think the SD came and collected Step, or do they have footage/suspicions that someone was hired to free them?

I am quite sure that there will be about equal panic between the SD and HG.

During the HB dream in Rebirth there's a strange pulse that hits you like vertigo. Assuming this was when HB first(?) started really affecting Step, did Chen feel it too? Or were Chens mental shields stronger than Steps and it didn't affect him till later? (or another pulse?)

Chen felt it earlier. He's just good at not showing things.

What is the most unhinged, wackiest conspiracy each of the rangers, hg trio and mortum believe in? Excluding  Ortega's "Sidestep is clearly HG"s long lost sibling" theory.

Hmmmm I don't even know what conspiracy theories there would be in the FH world! I mean it is so different... With boost drugs, different politics and mods it feels like I would have to write a whole treatise on how things work, before I can get to into what kind of conspiracy theories there might be around it. Honestly though, that sounds like an interesting lore post, just lie urban legends, but not something I can come up with on the spot.

Does voluntarily revealing yourself as the villain during the car ride with Ortega make a difference in their mind or does it not really matter to them?

It does.

When the Farm was pay-per-viewing step's memories, did they only get the recent memories of HB? Or did they get most of step's life after their first escape? Do they know step was the one who truly killed the void? What was the reaction if so? 

Spoilers, but it was mostly the most recent.

What would have happened, if sidestep went as themself to the HG meeting and Ortega is in the car with them, if the car never got crashed? What would that conversation have been like at Ortega's apartment, especially with high villain clue/reveal? 

Yet again, that is another massive divergent AU which I have no ideas or thoughts about. If I did, I would have written it.

Have you ever gotten inspired to change something from theories or questions that come up in these ask threads? If so, is there any you would find interesting or fun to share?

Nothing big I think? I know I have sometimes been inspired to come up with answers to things, which has led to me thinking about them more in depth, and then adding more of that to the game because the question made me think. But not changing stuff, more like adding stuff. Many of the questions come from the clues I already put in the game to start with.

What is the hardest achievement to gain in the second game of fallen hero?

It is very close between Rifts, ...don't..., and Impulsive.

Also what is considered the “best” in terms of healing endings for game 2?

That is up to the player! I don't know what floats your boat.

From ‘An Awkward Conversation,’ Chen is briefly worried that Vincent might try to kiss him. Has he ever actually done it before to warrant that thought? 

Yes.

Had Blaze felt/thought the same from Chen?

No.

Has Mortum been good at hiding their face, both during their active villain era and now, or would it be easy for those on the heroes side to find pictures?

Mortum is good at being discrete. But there are pictures for those who know how to look.

Did Ace know what Re-Genes are/about Re-Genes?

Nope.

Can we strangle that handsy imposter? I want payback.

Eventually.

How did each Ranger (and friends) react to voideyes!Step, once they realized the new look was here to stay?

I think there was a bit of nervousness first, then eventually it became just another scar. 

How much knowledge does Mortum have of Green Sky and/or The Void? Would they recognize voideyes as connected to that? I suppose I could also ask the same about HG.

No, not automatically. Green eyes exist, and with mods, lenses, operations, weird colors are more common.

Do voideyes glow? Like, if someone turned out all the lights, would they have any luminescence or are they just a slightly unnatural green?

Up to the player. Not luminescent though.

The privacy act keeps cameras off the street, but not in private buildings. Are any of the ROs' buildings (barring Argent, obviously) camera'd up without their knowledge?

No. There are some cameras they are aware of, but they also want their privacy and have the skills to ensure that.

Would we be able to set what our eyes looked like prior to voideyes for flashback/HG purposes?

Probably. Might have to do a HG tweak there.

How does Chen view his relationship with masculinity?  Is his own gender presentation something he’s thought a lot about?

Chen likes his masculinity, is at peace with it and haven't thought about it much.

If Chen had told Ortega about the photos, would they've been able to rescue Step from the Farm or would they've ended up dead like Chen feared with Step still trapped?

I genuinely don't know.

Lifting a question from chat because now I'm curious: Does Argent have any sense of smell or taste? Do the nanovores? (If not, has she tried to work with the nanovores to "reconstruct" those senses, or does she not care?)

She has... sort of. It is filtered through nanovores and not quite as it used to be, but it is enough to exist. She desperately wants ot back.

Heartbreak shares Step's eye color, in the case of a voideye'd Step are HB's eyes an equally unnatural green or just coincidentally normal green?

Could be either.

Can u tell us some cool facts about HG cause I think all of us are making them too cringefail in our brain eventho I love every second of it

I like dragging HG has much as the next person, I let them be cool in game instead.

Follow-up question to that: What's something HG thinks is cool about themselves? What's something HG finds embarrassing about themselves?

HG think they look and act cool, and is embarrased every time they fail to thread someone.

Will we ever be able to teach the people close to us the ReGene language?

I can imagine so.

What are environmental regulations like in the FEZ compared to the U.S.? What does Los Diablos do in terms of the environment, anything like a "Green Up" or Earth Day, and are there any differences between LD and how the rest of the FEZ handles environmental legislation and issues?

There are no environmental regulations in the FEZ, or Los Diablos. The environment is not really a focus for other than fringe groups trying to save things. 

Do Dave and/or Jackrabbit know any language other then English? even if it's pieces?

I dunno! Probably some spanish.

Could strong light emitting powers cut through Nocturnes darkness or would the blindness be unaffected?

It would be unaffected.

Has voideyes effected Step's vision in any meaningful/observable way, or is it a purely aesthetic change with no impact on how Step sees/what they can see.

Purely aesthetic.

What is the next set of start stages you are adding to the book 3 demo? 

Right now it looks like the rest of the broken legs but in Mortum's lap, at least as a segment on the patreon.

Could the Regenerator undo voideyes?

Yes.

Saying "I love you" seems to be a problem for Sidestep. Could we say it in the regene language so that Ortega doesn't understand?

That sounds super cute.

Since HG is a spiteful person, are they the type to say "I told you so?" Do they like to annoy their loved ones and rub it in their faces when they are right because of their "I know better" mentality?

Oh yes.

My anarchist ass is crying, in whatever upcoming gang war, can help HG (even if it's giving them moral support) if I'm not a mob boss? What about thieves and hero hunters? I just don't understand very well the part that these three can play in Hollow Ground's business :hmm:  but I love them and I wanna help them even though I have other personal goals right now

Everyone will get dragged in somehow.

We know the score presentation and style of the HG trio, but what do they wear when they're at home? Do they wear comfy clothes? Hoodies, sweatpants ect.

Comfy but expensive. Nocturne likes her yoga pants, HG likes swishy and loose. Jake likes sweatpants.

Okay hollow ground buys Gucci yes or no

No.

Did HG’s older sibling(s) mentor them to eventually take a leadership role in the organization/actively “teach,” or have they learned most of what they know just by doing it?

There was mentoring there.

Someone had mentioned in Step chat whether it would be possible to have the option to know you are trans but be closeted. Would it be possible to have something like this with the upcoming update to Rebirth or would it be too much to add retroactively? 

I honestly don't know. I can't add variables.

following up on the above, i've already said my piece about it in demo feedback, but would it be possible to add a closeted option for nonbinary steps as well in the rebirth update?

I honestly don't know. I can't add variables.

Back in the day did Ortega make good use of Step's telepathy to get the best gossip?

No, but they would have loved to.

How does HG feel about gender? Has a female or male Hollow Ground struggled with femininity/masculinity or feared not being feminine/masculine enough?

I think all HG's verge on genderqueer and having fun with their gender presentation. But yes, keeping up appearances is important, so that is mostly for behind closed doors.

Kinda following up, did a female HG struggle because of her gender when she had to take such a role of leadership especially since the previous HG was a man? Has she ever been taken for granted for being a woman?

A female HG had to thread and work harder before things settled in, yes. For her, Jake is a big asset.

If we get Herald's doubt stat high enough, will he start questioning his decision to leave his dirty dishes in the workplace sink? Because I'm still judging him for that tbh.

Look, some things are bad habits that go way back.

If Chen had ever considered actually pursuing his crush on Ortega back in the day, would the power dynamic of Ortega being the marshal (or just being his coworker) have given him pause? Does it give him pause now, whether due to the power dynamic or just on principle?

Power dynamics does give him pause. A lot more back in the day, these days he knows Ortega wouldn't listen to orders anyway...

The person responsible for the Nanosurge--how did they learn of the nanovores? Considering it's (para)military research? And how did they learn of its whereabouts/get ahold of them to utilize for their own plans? 

Paramilitary contacts. 

I loved Retribution's touchpanic variable and how it integrated into future scenes. I'm curious, are there any plans for the MC to be able to express that they don't like or don't want touch at all, rather than wanting it but needing advance warning? Or do you see being touch-starved as a basic element of the character?

I don't know, every variable adds more work, so we'll see.

Is the puppet the first person Mortum has been with since they physically transitioned?

No. 

Has HG ever come to blows with someone? Could they even defend themselves? They look like they would lay there and take the punches.

HG can defend themselves, but not that well. Worse than Daniel in hand to hand, definitely.

Could Shroud potentially help Sidestep understand what's behind the gates and/how to contain it?

Oh that is an INTERESTING thought. I had not considered that. Hmmm.

Can we, as a pupstuck Step, put on the old Sidestep suit and recreate that fighting style with precog?

Oh yes, that is planned. OG book stuff.

Inspired by the above question: since Sidestep's boost wasn't officially known, was precognition one of the runner ups speculations among fans?

Yeah.

HG and Tía Elena how would that meeting go

Surprisingly civilized all things considering.

Assuming we see Finch again, can we disclose our telepathy to her to make the sessions a bit more even?

I don't know. It would be against Sidestep's innate caution.

How aware are the upper tiers of the US gov about what's up with the Special Directive/what exactly goes in in places like the Farm? Has the president ever been to any SD facilities?

Spoilers.

Follow-up on the Finch question; would it be possible to have step apologize if they manipulated/wiped her memories during therapy?

Probably not.

did ortega have Sidestep Appearance Headcanons prior to their face reveal? was there any sort of pinboard (even mental) associated w it?

Hmmmm I don't know? Probably not?

Have Dr. Mortum and Regina ever met?

Ngh. I. I think so.

Out of the whole cast, Mortum and HB Trio included, who has the most potential for Sp00ky? Who can scare the crap out of someone the most?

Mortum. No competition.

So far, what is the fondest canon memory each cast member has of Sidestep/the puppet?

I can't tell you that, because that depends so much on your Sidestep/Puppet. That is headcanon only.

as a guy with his eye on the position, does nazar have any opinions about any of the incumbent marshals?

He keeps them all to himself, but yes, he has. And no, I haven't written them down or decided on them.

Any chances of Step ever getting comfortable enough to go out at public events with Ortega like they did as the puppet at the museum?

Yes.

What is the inside of Mortum's gun like? Is it similar to the Void's "shortcuts"? How much does the Void blood influence the quantum pocket and its mechanics? 

That is something we might get into in game.

In Truths, Ortega mentions that Chen losing his temper was very rare, and the blowouts were ‘magnificent.’ Who else had seen that from Chen? Any of the Rangers? Pyroclast? Sentinel? Sunstream? Blaze and/or Zephyr?

Sentinel definitely. And Pyroclast. I think that's it.

What exactly happened in the situation that Chen mentioned? How exactly did things escalate?

I have no idea! Some things are more fun left to the imagination.

Not sure if it's been asked before, but what would Sentinel have done if he found out that Step had been captured by the SD? Would he have come out of retirement briefly to stage a rescue, would have stayed and become Marshal to try and change the regene situation, gone rogue? Would have he done anything at all, and how much did Step mean to him?

Hmmm. Sentinel of everybody would understand the risks involved. And he was newly married, with a newly adopted daughter. I think he would have tried something, but things are complicated. He could have doomed the people he cared about. He would have needed to be absolutely sure.

What was the overall public opinion of Hood, Charge, and Steel during their respective tenures as marshal? (Discounting specific known events like Heartbreak and our titular villain's antics.) Did public opinion tend to reflect a marshal's actual track record (or at least their PR team's), or was it more a reflection of the broader social/political climate?

Hood was revered and idolized since he helped bring order to the most volatile time. Ortega was controversial but admired, and Steel is seen more as a caretaker, the safe choice.

Relatedly, how much of an impact did gender have on public perception of Charge? In general or relative to the others.

I think more than a bit. Julia had harder with some parts (being sexualized, seen as more violent, or less authoritative), while Ricardo had a harder time with others (people focusing on his drinking, not being reliant).

Followup to the above: Were there any rivals to Charge and Steel trying to claim the Marshal's badge?

I don't think there was any big ones.

Will we find out who's the old man HG talks to in b3 or b4?

Yes, on some paths you will. Might be in book three, at least in an epilogue.

Has Ortega found it difficult to defer to Steel's orders now that he's the marshal, while they've gone back to being a regular ranger?

Oh yes. And Ortega is not good at it.

Would Argent and Danny make for good marshals?

Daniel would once he stepped up, Argent wouldn't.

after ortega trans reveal did ortega have to add “trans ally” to their HG board? were they kind of pissed off about handing HG a win?

That sounds likely, yeah.

Next time we rematch Chen, would he broadcast thoughts designed to bait and fuck with Step if he has high clue?

It is a hard thing to do, but possible.

Does Nazar know Step is alive as of the end of Retribution?

Not yet.

What is Chen like when he loses his temper, other than magnificent, as according to Ortega? Will we get to see that?

Possibly, I know some Sidesteps are pushing his buttons.

What happens with your shelf in the fridge if you are exposed as a villain?

Removed.

I'm curious about the MC's comment that "most [non Re-Gene] people call you it," since prior scenes had given me the impression that the Farm staff dealt with their discomfort around Re-Genes by imposing gender on them rather than by treating them as sexless. (Flashbacks where scientists refer to MC by assigned sex and find their nudity inappropriate even while dehumanizing them, the MC automatically gendering the warehouse raid operatives as male or female despite not knowing them, etc.) Was this a difference in how scientists treated Re-Genes compared to other staff like guards or (at least for non-cuckoos) handlers? Or were the scenes I'm thinking of just outliers?

The differences are two. One, cuckoos are different, and treated differently. They need gender to work, so it was imposed on Sidestep. And two, the scientists are often more lenient in those things than guards and handlers are, they have a harder time to un-see the similarities with people.

Thinking of Step meeting Vera and Arde in the other paths, and I'm wondering if all those initial meetings will be just as friendly as the one in the current demo or if a more antagonistic meeting is possible? i.e. Villain!Step fights them when they first meet.

Might happen! We will see. Would be fun fighting Arde, wouldn't it?

If the good doctor was dethreaded, would they remember HG's face or is it already gone from their mind?

It is already gone. "Forget" is a handy command, because even when the threads fray and break, the memory is already gone.

What is hollow grounds opinion on the SD. Does he know anything about what goes on there and would he be willing to protect an allied sidestep from them?

Has no idea it exists!

How do the various ROs handle housekeeping tasks like cleaning and grocery shopping? I can't imagine they all have the time to keep on top of it personally, but they also all have reason to be very cautious about home (or, for that matter, lab) security. Do these people have trusted housekeepers to help out with things, or do some of them rely on a roommate/friend/relative, or just live in a state of tolerably messy equilibrium?

All the Rangers have housekeepers and personal shoppers, except Argent. She does however have a personal shopper for both clothes and food. Dr. Mortum had an assistant, but recently let them go, so that will descend into chaos soon. 

What about the HG trio

Oh there are houskeepers, pool staff, chefs, you name it.

Can Ricardo braid hair?

I imagine he can.

possible "roles" as regene operatives were mentioned at some point that may be something we can decide for our steps, roles like "spider," and "actor," etc. 

It is still in the plans, but we'll see!

were there ever any spoiler JIC?  "seductor" roles that involved luring targets to more favorable locations? Would this be considered a subset to the "actor" role? Is it a historical role that was considered but discarded due to issues? and is this a potential role that a sidestep could have played in the past? it would fit in well with their character, looking at certain texts and dialogues 

I still don't know. But it sounds very unlikely considering Sidestep's skillset. There were much better cuckoos for that.

Armadillo looked very protective of sidestep. Would they do that for any Re-Gene, (for Shroud too) or maybe there was more to it because it was Sidestep?

For any Re-Gene.

If I ask HG love advice are they gonna actually give me good advice or laugh at me if it's Ortega and tell me to break up with them

Hmmmmm I honestly don't know. I think they'd try to give good advice.

How would Arde/Vera react to the Puppet starting to sign fluently in the ReGene language? 

Confused.

What sort of research does Dr. Mortum have on the nanovores to be able to reprogram them as they did?

Well, some, but that is spoilers.

So how did Argent feel about receiving the Los Diablos University Women's Studies Inspirational Leader award, in timelines where that happened? :D What did she say in her acceptance speech?

She felt extremely flattered! However, she doesn't remember a word of the speech, she was very nervous, and it had been written for her by one of the Ranger's media team.

What do high sus!Rangers think of unrevealed!Step 'training'/weakening Daniel? Would any of them eventually intervene and help out Daniel?

They don't know what is going on there, so no.

Does HG conceptualize their powers like red threads, as sidestep does? Or something else?

Something else. The threads are Sidestep's visualization. 

in-universe is charge/hollow ground fanfiction popular?

Probably not. Not exciting.

How close is the Heartbreak Site to where Argent grew up?

A block away or so.

When did the fight against the Armada when Ortega asked Sidestep out actually happen?

I'm not sure. I think it would vary depending on the Sidestep, some require more wooing than others.

Has Argent, like Step, lived thinking she'd never have any hope of getting into a relationship given her secrets?

Yes. 100%.

How manoeuvrable are flight enabled armours like skyraider’s?  What kind of speeds can they reach?  How easily can they turn?  How do they compare to boosted fliers?

It depends on the armor and the flier. I would say on average that they are less maneuverable, but often faster. 

How often does Chen get a chance to break out his flight armour these days?

Not as much as he likes, but he sometimes makes excuses for it just to get flying again.

There must’ve been a period between sentinel retiring and herald being hired where he was the only rangers eyes in the sky.  Does he miss that?  Has Herald being hired meant he spends more office time now because that part of his role has been filled?

Oh he misses that a LOT. And yes, Herald has taken over much of that, and he does spend more time in the office as a result. He wish it wasn't the case, but... there it is.

Do you have anything nice to say about Regina

She can be very caring and supporting if for the entirely wrong reasons.

Can we, at some point, have a conversation with Regina? Not just like, run away from her

Possibly.

So we have the Rat King girls with some telepathy going on and also the goat with explosive stuff, but... Are there any seagulls in FHR lore who have super abilities? ( Been waking up screaming from nightmares on that combo (c) Sidestep maybe(?)) 

No seagulls planned, it's not really the first animal someone would pick for animal experimentation.

Has Regina ever done something good for Sidestep? 

Depends on the Sidestep, the answer can be yes.

Would the rangers + Mortum get a bad first impression of Regina, assuming they had the chance to get to know her while still in the dark about her relation to Step? Is she competent at tricking people into thinking she's not evil?

No, they would probably get a very good first impression of her. Apart from possibly Daniel, he'd pick up on what she is fast.

Is Jake allowed to drag HG a bit when they're outside work/intimate towards each other? What would you say Jake and HG have in common to make that polycruel work? (Apart from Nocturne) 

Jake is allowed to drag HG a bit, that sort of comes with the territory. HG can laugh at themself, as long as it doesn't threaten their authority. I do think that they work together quite well in temperament, they both have that family before everything vibe, and are quite caring about people they like.

At the end of Retri if Step gets stuck in the puppet at the hospital, Ortega can tell them they've fallen in love with them. Was that a completely sincere statement or was it said partially in hopes that they'd be more forthcoming with the information Ortega thinks the puppet's hiding?

How much of a bastard do you think Ortega is? It might actually be both...

What odd sleeping habits does Mortum and the HG trio have? What about the Rangers? (Aside from what we already know from Retribution.)

HG sleeps and naps often during the day, Dr. Mortum will take drugs to stay away during important experiments, sometimes for days, Danny sometimes floats which can end up being awkward, Argent has what she jokingly calls her vampire coffin for deep sleep, other than that everyone is normal.

If any of the cuckoos' cultural education included popular movies... do they find Mean Girls's "Raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimized by Regina" scene funny/relatable? 

Personal headcanon.

Can I add Vera and Sky-Raider (And Armadillo?) to the sleep habits question, if you know yet?

No idea!

Seeing as Vera is potential RO. And her codename is Dove, will there much play on the phrase "Lovey-dovey"?

I cringed... only Ortega would try to pull that off.

On a scale from "magical girl transformation" to "Animorphs-tier body horror," how easy is the process of transforming for Vera? Does it involve pain/discomfort or require intense concentration to pull off?

There is discomfort and concentration.

What are some of the kinds of foods that are easier for Chen to eat? Does he mostly consume protein shakes while on a liquid diet? Is there any food he really misses being able to have sometimes that might be too hard on his stomach?

Chen's diet can be quite nice with things like rice, soup, noodle, vegetarian based and with mind flavors, and chicken for meat. He has access to means made specifically for him with good nutrient value at work. It's more improvised at home. Protein shakes is for convenience and bad days, and when he knows he migght be in the armor for a long time. Not much grease, fried food or fiber. He misses spices and barbecue with lots of meat. He cheats, but that is tough to digest. 

Danny likes energy drinks and Argent likes helping out small fashion businesses, and they both enjoy promoting those(?). Is there any product/cause that Steel and Ortega particularly like to endorse when the PR calls?

Ortega is cars, bikes and fashion. Steel would rather not.

What would it take to be seen as an equal to HG?

Hard work and ambition.

Will HG try to thread a Step they’ve already failed to thread?

Yes.

Will there ever be other opportunities to kick HG in the face for Steps that missed that during Retri? Especially for known telepaths?

Sounds fun!

Do you ever plan to have HG attempt to thread the puppet, with or without Step inside?

Not gonna tell you that!

With the recent 'Haunted' post, it seems to suggest that HB is 'trapped' in the psychic planes around the site. Is it possible that their psyche is split between the site and step's brain? Or is this something not possible and a psyche cannot be split in such a way? Am I barking up the wrong tree and it's not HB trapped at the site, or is there anyone necessarily 'psychically trapped' there at all?

It is complicated is all I am saying.

Additionally, would being trapped in a psychic plane cause the same mental decay as being trapped in a quantum bubble like mortum's gun?

Yes, it would be similar.

Would the imposters in Step's body be interested in working for HG?

Hmmmm maaaaaaybe one of them. Maybe.

If sexual abuse someone sexually abused Sidestep during their second stay did Regina 1) not notice 2)not care 3) hoped that would break them faster?

It could be all three depending on the situation.

Is Regina going to sit idle waiting for her Sidestep to be delivered or is she going to come to Los Diablos for sidestep at some point? 

I am considering options.

What would it take for a west coast villain (say… Sidestep) to make east coast news?

A big political move, glorification of general villainy is not a big thing over in the east, and the government tries to suppress it..

I know Argent has technopathy. But is she skilled in putting together electronic components? Or does she get to stage of good enough and sweet talk the circuit board?

She is pretty okay with putting together electronic components, not on Mortum's or a tech_savvy Sidestep's level, but she's doing okay.

The "Regina" in the Void dream sounded oddly personal. We know things at The Farm sometimes can get a little weird between handlers and Re-Genes because of the isolated lives they have, and even though Regina is not a handler, Sidestep was her prized pet/Prize Project, and even they say at some point “You hate her, but she gave you that”. Also, as a reply to a question about how would Regina react if Sidestep turned themselves in, the answer was, “Regina would be pleased as punch that she was right. This is where Sidestep belongs.” Which also sounds ODDLY personal. 

Regina uses the personal as a weapon. There is nothing more dangerous than someone who performs caring for the worst reasons.

I was wondering if at some point, some kind of twisted interpersonal relationship developed between them past the scientific aspect of it. If Regina sometimes was bored, lonely or felt fascinated by Sidestep and talked to them like someone would talk to their favorite experiment, or something like that. 

Oh yes, Regina would do that!

A thought similar to that, what would happen to scientists who learned too much and became sympathetic to Regene kind? Is there any examples of a scientist who assisted with a Regene breakout? If so, I would presume the result would be a promptly 'disappeared' scientist, but I'm also curious what the aftermath would be for them. 

Yes, there have been suspicions of such behavior, and those scientists have been promptly.... disciplined.

Also, how aware are the scientists/handlers of the [Regene] language? Even if secretive I have a feeling they are aware of it but just choose not to dwell so long as it does not interfere with their work or handling them but maybe I underestimate the caution on the part of Regenes to prevent the language's discovery.

Honestly most are not aware of it. Maybe there is one or two who suspects, but don't overestimate what people will overlook when they think someone is subhuman.

In our world, libertarian utopias have historically faced some problems. Like bears. Has the FEZ's lack of regulation led to any similarly colorful incidents (wildlife-related or otherwise)? Is that sort of thing a common occurrence in any parts of the West, or do they have the basics of not comically screwing up your settlement under control by now?

Yeah, it is common in some parts (roadwork is notoriously in need of cooperation) but there is one thing that we can't overlook. While the FEZ on the whole is a libertarian hellscape, many local communities are working together as co-ops, some of them being downright socialist in their views. However, it varies a lot depending on where you are. You can have a company near-feudal area where people can safely live, work and commute to their employer, and fifteen minutes from there a socialist commune with people pooling their resources to hire teachers and firemen. There is an agreement between the larger cities to put in money on improving roads and travels, but that is sorely underfunded. There is a lot less inter-city travel than in our world.

Little sibling Step brings home Cavalier as their date to meet the HG trio; how do they take it?

I think Nocturne would like an autograph.

What boosting process did Shroud undergo?  Was she part of the old practice like step, finding dna compatible to a donor with the boost they wished to emulate?  Or did she undergo the different boosting conditions style where they try to induce a specific category of boost?

The latter, they were trying to induce a specific boost.

Important in-universe hero fandom question: Who are the (current or former) heroes/villains whose hair color fans can't agree on? (I'm thinking of the "is it 'blond' or 'light brown'" type in particular, but other controversially-ambiguous colors are also welcome.)

I think Ortega's been is it black or dark brown a few times, especially with a few haircuts or slightly sun-bleached. 

How would the rangers react if they discovered the armor was empty during a fight (being remote controlled, or piloted by the rat king)? Have they ever encountered similar threats, or would this be a new kind of problem? 

I think that would be a shock, not something anybody expected. That's new.

Sidestep can make people believe they're not there. Can they also make someone believe they're somewhere they're not? Like appearing and talking to someone from far distances?

That is a lot harder, but I think so.

Has Grigori Varga been heard from since his interview with Imani?

Yep.

How or what boundaries did you set when you thought to make a superhero setting? One of the things that has always seemed difficult to me about it was understanding how to make those boundaries. What is it that are restrictions on the ability of the powered? Any powers that just cannot or do not exist for practicality or pragmatic purposes?

The first thing was to NEVER detail these things and let people know, or to do anything but the vaguest of power rankings. It is a superhero setting, I needed internal consistency and a sort of mid-level power, but open enough that anything could be used because it makes a good story. That is why I am so vague about things, and why I rarely define another hero or villain before a name or the most general of powers. If I start defining things, people will immediately start questioning why that hero doesn't come in and solve things or clear things up. If you do superhero stuff, NEVER EVER give your readers enough facts to contradict you. 

Who would give worse vibes, Regina or Ljungstrand? What would be Shroud's opinion?

Ljungstrand.

Was Ljungstrand in his active days as ruthless as Regina?

No.

Is Regina straight?

No.

How can we get in contact with Dr. Ljungstrand?

That will be difficult, and a thing for book four.

At some point Shroud could recognize Sidestep based on their physical appearance. Was it because of rumours/their fame as a Re-Gene or because she was involved in some work Sidestep was in?

Because she's been in similar circles.

hi these are such niche questions im sorry you dont have to answer all of them. but are los diablos/other cities in the free territories part of the US census? can they vote in presidental elections? or is it like puerto rico or dc? 

They are not included in census, the people there are not US citizens, and they cannot vote. It is more like puerto rico.

Did seats in the house of representatives get brought below the current number (in our world max 435) or did that get redistributed amongst east coast states, or are there still representatives from the territories? what happened to the senate seats, are they in limbo? what happened to the electoral college?

With the emergency martial law and the various things that happened post Big One, several changes were made. There is no longer any general elections for president, it was said that the security of them could not be guaranteed with the massive influx of refugees and lack of a good way to ensure citizens were registered and living where they said. Around the turn of the century some things started to be restored, but it is not like it used to be. The US has been ruled by a combination of the senate (the west coast senators were removed) and the president, the house of representatives is near-permanently dissolved. The governors have greater powers than before. 

Votes in the senate is weighted by economic activity/budget/tax-revenue. This has led to the depopulated states in the midwest being almost powerless, while the power have been focused on the richer states. The reason why this was adopted was since the "populace" could not be controlled, counted and measured with any exactness, economic power was seen as a better way of making sure that the US got back on their feet. Each former state in the FEZ has an observer in the Senate, just like DC and Puerto Rico, but no voting rights. The current tension of power is between the East block, with NY and finance in the lead and the South block with Texas and energy.

Does a drivers license from los diablos work in the east coast and vice versa?

No, they don't, but you don't need a driver's license in LD unless you want to be able to have car insurance.

what powers did HG’s brother who died during the boosting start manifesting before he died?

I haven't decided yet, probably something volatile.

^to add to that, what were the powers of sidesteps two batchmates that also survived decanting ? we know the boosting process can go very badly wrong—is that something the farm takes a lot of precautions for? or does the alternative method of boosting mean less dangerous side effects most of the time? 

The Farm takes precautions for catastrophic power manifestations, it is less common under controlled circumstances, but not unknown. I don't know what powers the two surviving batchmates had, they only lived a few hours before their bodies gave out.

Was Ace aware of what Shroud’s powers are? Who she was, and why her powers made her Ember’s chief interrogator?

Nope. No idea.

Is Arde so willing to be friendly towards sidestep because they crave Re-Gene connection?

Yes. Very much so.

Has Arde ever been resentful towards cuckoos? Have they even seen bullying amongst Re-Genes?

I think Arde didn't interact much with cuckoos since they are a very heavy duty combat Re-Gene.

If you pester Daniel into telling you his name early, he sounds pretty :| about the MC asking to call him Danny. Is that just general annoyance at being pressured to share his name, or is he specifically uncomfortable being immediately nicknamed by people he doesn't know well? (I got the sense that maybe he found it kind of infantilizing?)

It is the latter, you read the situation right. Once he and Sidestep had gotten closer, it was a lot nicer.

It’s not exactly the most sus memory of heartbreak, but we know ortega blames themselves for botching the Heartbreak response and causing Sidestep’s death. At the same time, rebirth shows Sidestep insisted on entering the building over Ortega’s objections. Did Ortega originally ask sidestep to come along and then change their mind? Or is that just Ortega feeling like they should have insisted more? Will Sidestep have a chance to point out this discrepancy later on in game?

I will let you have this one. Ortega originally wanted Sidestep along as always, but something about the vibes of that place got to them and made them nervous. They wanted Sidestep to back off then. You'll get to have your heartbreak talk in this game.

Which color are Shroud's tattoos?

Dark rusty red.

Did the original boost drug have a pharmaceutical name before people learned about all the superpowers?

Probably something generic, I haven't decided on one yet I think.

Is it gonna be easier to open gates in revelations or if you have already opened some gates?

No. It will always be as easy or hard.

What would happen if someone accidentally ingested some of Argent’s nanovores?

Please don't. That would be BAD.

Why does Jake consider HG, in his personal opinion, "the best boss he's ever had"?

Most of them have been rather shitty, and even before they slept together, HG actually listened to him, took him seriously, relied on him and paid him well.

If Step considers letting the puppet kill them, a voice in their head saying "I think not" comes to their aid. Why did this same voice stay quiet when in Retri tw suicide Sidestep purposefully crashes the car?

Think about it and it will come to you.

How set-in-stone do you intend the scope of the player's villainous plans to be? For instance (without getting into details/spoilers) would all anarchists or mob bosses aim to amass as much influence/power as possible, or might some decide that being viewed as a bit player is more useful? Or in terms of motivation, would "revenge" entail something similar for all MCs, or could it mean anything from "burn it all down and salt the ashes" to "kill this one fucker in particular" to "achieve a personally-satisfying symbolic victory"? 

I have no idea yet, most of it depends on what I can manage to handle in game with variables.

If you instigate a fight at the bar scene in Rebirth, the bouncer warns Mecha that she's on her second strike an one more will ban her. As of Revelations, has Mecha since gotten herself banned or is she playing nice? 

I think she's playing nice, Joes is a pleasant and safeish place to have a drink, being banned would be sad.

Piggybacking off that one—who and what inspired her first strike? 

Bad luck and too much drink, she has a temper.

HG being physical touch their love language, with a touchflinch siblingstep, how's that gonna play out? Would they be surprised that this big bad villain can react badly to being touched? Would they try to convince Sidestep to sit down and have a conversation with them about it?

I don't know yet, but it will be interesting to see!

Are you surprised Hollow Ground has ended up being so loved?

Yes. Very much so.

If you were to take a guess, would you say the potential body count of named characters in book 3 will be bigger or smaller than book 2?

Bigger.

We know that while rangers might resort to murder on occasion, they aren't casual with it. After hearing about the Farm, who wouldn't take issue with the thought that the handlers deserve death (not necessarily via Step) and who still believes they should be afforded a trial and suffer only the legally sanctioned consequences of their actions? 

It depends on what they are told, but most would go the legal route by default, or perhaps a death or two that might be mostly targeted and accidental. Other than that, it's sppilers.

Do the Los Angeles Angels still exist? If so, have they considered a name change?

They no longer exist.

Do printers in Argent’s vicinity properly print out things? Or are they also prone to saying ‘not enough ink’ when they’re stocked with full ink cartridges?

They work wonderfully.

will ortega (and possibly chen’s) heartbreak scars become variables in the future?

Once we get to those discussions, but they are already variables, just measured through things you don't know yet.

If we confessed to Ortega being suicidal and we're also in a poly with Argent/Mortum/Herald/Chen, are they gonna tell them and try to sit down the three of them with sidestep and have a talk?

Yeah. Very likely.

What is the overall situation in LD (and the rest of the fez) when it comes to the average citizen? As in — how rough is social inequality? Can a normal person have decent living standards and conditions? How much of the population is either homeless or otherwise living in poverty?

I suppose in short — how much of a dystopia is it living there?

It can vary a lot. The average citizen is probably not worse of than in today's LA, because let's face it, it's a pretty precarious existence. I would say that todays LA is a dystopia for most, and LD has not changed.

Is Vera okay after we bit her

No rabies detected yet.

Books 1 and 2 have really sold me on the appeal of elevator makeouts. Do you think we'll get the chance to kiss all possible ROs in an elevator by series end, or does spreading it around make it less special?

Elevators only appear as needed!

piggybacking off of the Vera bite question; will it scar? >:3 i could see it being a funny bonding point (and a great way to reference/imply step's biting habits to the fandom beyond Patreon) 

I don't think it was that bad, but it hurt a lot.

will it be possible for some sidesteps to shed their 'civilian name' and start going by their old ID code at some point?

I think that is an interesting thought. Need to think about it. You will learn the ID code in book three.

Ortega ends in hospital at the end of every published book now (after the museum attack at the end of book 1 and after the car crush in the book 2). Is it a coincidence? Have you planned for it? Are you going to continue this trend? 

Look, this book has a birthday party at the end... we all know how wild those can be...

We know major characters have plot armor until book 4, but that didn’t stop sidestep from potentially losing an eye. Do you have plans for other characters to potentially suffer similar game-changing injuries in Revelations (whether or not they’re caused by sidestep themself)?

If I write a scene and it feels right, I have no qualms.

if all the rangers had to draw a little dog on the fly, no prep time, who would draw it the worst AND, because we know who'd draw it the best, does danny go really hard on it.

Danny goes HARD. And is the best. I think Argent would be the worst at it.

How would HG handle a sibling step confessing that they've had a crush on Ortega for years and that Ortega still doesn't know about it? Would HG encourage them to confess, to move on, or would they just try to give advice or not meddle and take a deep breath and be prepared to help step through the potential fallout or success? 

Oh god this is the problems with family, but it would be a welcome one. I don't know how it would go, it would depend on the discussion. I can see it go both ways.

Are they internally aggravated about that secret crush and would it be more directed at Ortega for being dense and step for clamming up for so long or just that, of COURSE the one person their sibling HAD to be pining for is Charge? 

I mean it makes sense though. And HG would be equally aggravated on both.

Also, do you have plans for HG to ever meet Spoon? Would Spoon like HG?

No plans.

Who would win in a chess battle royale between Chen, HG, Mortum, Ljungstrand, Regina, and Nocturne?

Chen plays more often, he would win.

To add on to the above: how would tactician!MC fare in that lineup?

Could go toe to toe with Chen.

And for the sake of comedy how badly does fighter!Step do?

Look, you can get pretty far with chaos and unpredictability.

Could you give us some little, tiny, minuscule, thoughts about the OISHA violations poly (Mortum/Sidestep/Ortega)? It's just that Ortega and Mortum have interacted so little in game and I'm squeezing my brain here trying to picture their dynamic

I will see when I write them! I published a snippet of it back on tumblr, and I might as well repost it here. It's Julia, Sidestep and F!Mortum:

Fools

Dr. Mortum’s lab, some time in the future.

Half wrecked, broken glass on the floor, emergency lights a pale green overhead and one, conspicuous, hole still smoking in the wall. On one table, feet bare, wearing nothing but a hospital gown, sits Julia Ortega.

She’s not happy.

“Oh come on, Charge, don’t look so grumpy.” Dr. Mortum bats down the last smoldering embers on her labcoat. The arm is blackened, but what kind of scientist wouldn’t have fireproof labcoats?

The dead ones.

“One,” Ortega holds up her hand, middle finger extended, “I don’t look grumpy. And two…” She holds up her other hand, extending the same finger again, both them and the frown aimed at the good doctor. “…if I did, I’d have reasons to.”

“No hard feelings?” Dr. Mortum looks around, finds some wet-wipes to clean her hands. “I didn’t set out intending to capture you, let’s just say that you were a juicy bonus.”

“Don’t call my girlfriend ‘juicy’,” you grumble, pausing your work. The little broom and dustpan is inadequate to the job of cleaning up all the broken glass, but since for some godforsaken reason that is sitting on the table dangling her legs the power is out, this is all you have. Luckily Dr. Mortum had some emergency lights going on automatically in case of power failure. Sadly, the same emergency power supply failed when it came to the elevators, so you’re stuck here.

“I’m sorry, mon amour, but it’s the truth.” Dr. Mortum doesn’t make a move to help, just vainly trying to clean the soot of her labcoat. “And you could have asked before you let her out, that would have saved us a world of trouble.”

“I can’t believe you let that asshole hook me up and use me as a generator!” Ortega almost slides off the table, but there’s still glass everywhere and you didn’t spend five minutes picking shards from her feet to have to do it all over again.

“Don’t call my other girlfriend 'asshole’,” you sigh, straightening your back. “And I didn’t know, and I’m sorry. And so is she.”

“No I’m not,” Dr. Mortum says, unhelpfully.

“I can’t believe you two,” Ortega’s shoulders sags a little.

“I can’t believe you two,” Dr. Mortum says pointedly.

“Look.” You pour the shards of glass into the bin, and begin to brush up some more. “Things happened, okay?”

“Things…” Ortega says.

“Don’t ask,” says Dr. Mortum, sighing a little. “It was a little bit rough for a while, but we’re past that now. As are you, I’ve heard.”

“SHE KNEW ABOUT ME?” Ortega almost moves again, but there’s nothing but a twitch to her feet. Your eyes narrow, you know that twitch, her batteries are running empty, and it takes a while for her generator to refill the stores, especially after a forced reboot like this.

“I was being honest, okay? Finally?” There’s a scar on your shoulder, because luckily the good doctor just shot you down physically. Not emotionally. Stitched things up good as new.

“Before you were honest with me?”

“It was easier, okay?” You walk over to her, because you don’t like the way her foot is moving. Glass crunch under your feet, but you hunch down, lifting one of them up. Not a wince of pain though the soles are covered with band-aids. Not good. “I mean admitting to catfishing someone in an empty body and falling for them is easier than admitting that you’re the supervillain that sent them to the hospital and nearly killed them.”

“If I hadn’t caught you… would you have told me? Ever?” Her voice is soft, just for the two of you.

“No.” You shake your head. “Not about that. Not about what I am. How could I?”

“How could you not? She knew…” an annoyed look over at Dr. Mortum, who has taken charge of the dustpan now.

“Because I didn’t want you to look at me like you did back at the hospital.” You let go of her foot, and it dangles back down, limp now. If Ortega notices, she doesn’t let it get to her face.

“I’m not looking at you that way now,” she whispers, so very softly, almost an apology. “I just wasn’t prepared.”

“I just shot her,” Dr. Mortum pipes up, sighing as she looks around her lab. “I really wish you could have limited your collateral damage to the cause of your dismay and NOT MY ENTIRE LAB.”

“YOU HOOKED ME UP AND USED ME AS A GENERATOR!”

“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH MONEY I SAVED?”

“MORE THAN IT WILL COST TO REBUILD YOUR LAB?”

“That, I blame on our mutual… friend here.” A quick look in your direction.

“I am not going to let you use my girlfriend as a power source, even…” you raise your voice because Dr. Mortum is opening her mouth again, “…EVEN if it was for science. Or because it would be a waste to let a plasma reactor just sit there without use. OR because it wouldn’t be safe, because the power needs to be siphoned off once the batteries are at capacity.”

Dr. Mortum counts on her fingers, sighing. “Almost got them all, mon amour, but you forgot the very important detail that it would keep Charge here helpless SO SHE WOULDN’T BREAK OUT AND DESTROY MY LAB.”

“Fine,” you sigh, stepping up to her and giving her the softest kiss you can manage. “I’ll pay for it.”

“With STOLEN MONEY,” comes Ortega’s voice behind you.

“And we’ll fix you up,” you say, stepping back to Ortega, kissing her equally softly. “It’s going into power save mode, you won’t be able to sit up soon.”

“Mierda,” she grumbles, but she doesn’t argue. “I hate when that happens.”

“You shouldn’t have used it all up,” you chide, putting one of her arms over your shoulder.

“I was trying to break out,” her voice goes harder again, but there’s a teasing tone to it. “BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN CAPTURED BY A VILLAIN.”

“I’m a scientist, Charge.” Dr. Mortum has noticed what you are trying to do, and walks up to grab Ortega’s other arm. “I’m retired.”

“Call me Ortega.” The deepest of sighs. “If you keep calling me Charge I’m going to feel the need to arrest you.”

“Fine, Ortega it is.” There’s an amused glint in Dr. Mortum’s eyes and you really hope neither of them notice the stupid smile on your lips. “Now let’s get you over to the couch and see if I can’t fix the mess you made of my wiring so we can boot you up faster.”

It takes the two of you to manhandle Julia to the couch, and it’s not the most graceful process. But you keep smiling the whole time, because your life might be a disaster, the lab might still be quietly smoldering in a corner, and you might be out in all the ways you can to both your girlfriends. But they haven’t killed each other yet.

And even better, they haven’t killed you.

Maybe it’s like Dr. Mortum always said, you learn more from failed experiments than successful ones.