November QnA

Alright, here is the QnA, slightly late, but that is December for you! Hope y'all are less stressed by the season than I am!

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Would Hollow Ground ever take Sidestep an aquarium? 

OH. Dual answer. Hollow Ground is very much like "We already have aquariums at home." On the other hand, the Los Diablos aquarium might become important for... reasons.

How would the Rangers react learning Sidesteps true age?

Shock, confusion, trying to make sense of it, probably some insensitive questions (Ortega), possibly make fun of it (Argent) and

Can Daniel mime well? Has he ever mimed blowing up a balloon and then floating away on it?

Ahahahaa oh this is the funniest question for my brain to have a visceral reaction to, but I will immediately say NO. Don't ask me why, but he's really bad at it. Argent is great though.

With Ortega being from Texas do they know any dances like two-step or Mexican cumbia? Did their mom make them learn/dance with them as a kid? I just want a couples dance with LDs hottest ranger 🤣

Oh you know Ortega is a good dancer. I can imagine they know a variety of styles, and was very good at them as a teen. Lots of practice, lots of people who wanted to dance.

What do fish feel like to a telepath? 

Depends on the fish and the telepath. To Sidestep, most fish feels like a vague background shimmer. They have a presence, unlike insects, but nothing more than awareness.

Sidestep sees literal mindscapes, Locus reads minds as if they were books, but what about other telepaths like Heartbreak and Thunderhead? How do they experience those kinds of telepathic deep dives?

Thunderhead was a telepath, but her greatest strength were as an empath. She would read, feel and experience people's emotions around her. Some might see her active influencing of people as a form of self-defense, making sure people around her where happy, hard-working, law abiding and loyal made her feel good. Being surrounded by arguments and strife was painful.

Heartbreak experienced the world as a series of cascading and escalating events, like falling head over heels down a waterslide, surrounded by strobe lights and loud music. The world was overwhelming and incomprehensible, intruding on them, invading them. The only way to fix the pressure difference was projecting.

How was chargestep typically portrayed in movies (dynamics, tropes, etc.) and how was that portrayal affected by their gender/queerness? 

It would vary a lot depending on the Sidestep. I can only say it in the most general of terms. Shorter Sidesteps tended to be cast more as the sidekick, some would say slightly infantilized. Opposite sex Ortega/Sidestep would be romanticized a lot, though it might be everything from open romance to rivals with sexual tension. Shorter Sidesteps who gave a male impression is an exception to this, they would be delegated to sidekicks, or pining. If it was a same sex Charge/Sidestep dynamic, they would focus on the best friend dynamic. There might be subtext, but subtext was all it was, and mainly in the eyes of fans.

Don't know if this was asked before, but who is your favorite character to write?

A tie between Sidestep's unhinged inner monologue, Ortega being shifty as fuck and speaking in like three layers of subtext, and Argent's supreme lack of giving a fuck.

How do you think pre-heartbreak sidestep would do in other hero settings, like Marvel and DC and the like, where would they do the best at? Still a Re-gene, just somewhere where Re-Genes don't exist normally.

I can see Sidestep fitting right in DC's early more mature period, the teen titan relaunch days 1980-1996. Re-Genes might as well exist there. In Marvel maybe during the X-men run where they first learned about Genosha and have Sidestep be an escaped Mutate.

You mentioned before that Finch brought up antidepressants and step turned those down. How would medication like that affect their telepathy? Or do they just assume it will based on past experiences with other painkillers and sedatives?

I don't think it would affect their telepathy, but Sidestep is suspicious of mood-altering drugs and attempts to make their mental state more palatable.

Did sidestep know Luis? were they close? 

Sidestep knew Sentinel, yeah. How close they were depends on the Sidestep.

where exactly is Ortega's generator located?

General abdomen area. Dunno exactly where.

Apologies if this has been answered before, I wasn't able to find a reference to it in the old Q&As, but i may have missed something. In "The Void - 6, Ortega revisited", when Step gets back from scouting the abandoned buildings and says they found a power source, Ortega thinks "There's a tension to the words I can feel but not decipher. Something happened.", but they don't press Step on it. DID something happen (if it's not spoilers)? Or did the trauma just finally start to hit when Step was away from Ortega and could drop the "i'm fine" act, and that's what Ortega picked up on?

Oh that was absolutely it. Sidestep had a quiet freakout when Ortega couldn't see, possibly telepathically frightening the nearby animals to flee in panic.

Does HG think they have complete control of LD?

No, and they have no interest to. Being able to influence it is enough, the rest implies responsbility.

Does Sidestep, or escaped ReGenes in general, not consider themself Boosted? They've never known anything else, and there might be an underlying assumption that Boosted people were in a position where suicide was not an unwelcome outcome, which is not something Sidestep and other ReGenes associate with their powers. 

Hmmm. I would say in general, they do not consider themselves boosted for the reason you stated above. But there are always exceptions.

You said you don't make a conscious decision to write a "type" of character. I don't want to be rude, but maybe you need to make a conscious decision to try to write a sapphic character. Every male RO has more queer content than female ROs. Which so far is some vs nothing at all.

I'm sorry you feel that way. I made the decision to not make Chen romanceable by all when I added the rest of the Rangers as RO's to stick to his character. That imbalance will always be there. Argent has not had a sex-scene yet for character reasons due to her nanovore issues. If I had stuck to two RO's only as planned, the playing field would be more level. It is an inherently imbalanced book as a result.

That last ones not really a question now is it? It's a Q&A, not a suggestions box. 

I included it in the QnA regardless.

Would Mortum ever get to try on Sidestep's cape if they got the chance or was offered? 

No.

I know is silly, but would Mortum like it if Sidestep use their cape as a umbrella if they where outside? Just trying to keep them from catching a cold, not actually wanting anything? 

That sounds sweet.

I'm very curious about what your organization system looks like while writing this. Fallen Hero is so expansive, how do you keep everything straight? 

Oh boy. Drawings on paper with arrows and notes, lots of little document notes. However, none of the planning survive the exposure to reality. A lot of things needs to be changed and rewritten when I realize path conflicts I didn't predict. This is in part why the start of Revelations is taken so long.

Are the more political savvey LD civilians concerned about the peace treaty or do they just assume that another one will be signed? 

Oh there are a lot of worried people I think.

Will anarchist step be able to help Vera with her goals involving her neighborhood?

Possibly, I dunno yet. But Vera ties into the main plot, so it might work.

Has anyone landed on the moon yet? If not, which characters are the most hyped to watch a potential moon landing? 

Nope, no moonlanding! Hmmm... I think Chen.

How are regens supposed to refer to their handlers? Like by code names? Mr/Mrs? Last names? Does it vary from handler to handler? If so how does the farm prefer for handlers to be addressed.

They are supposed to use the designation code, a combo of words and numbers. However, in practice, each Re-Gene has a nickname that is either a riff on the letters used in their code, or pointing to some physical or power quirk. Special Directive operators have proper code names. Regenes have no first or last names.

If Ortega got beat up bad enough in the first fight will they finally wear the helmet next round? 

Oh yes.

You said in an earlier Q&A that current Sidestep would beat old Sidestep. Could they still beat old Side if they were in the suit with the assistance of the Rat King? If not, which armor combinations would Current last the longest against?

Current Sidestep would still take down old Sidestep with the suit and Rat-King.

Would the Rangers save a sympathetic, non-lethal villain that “made good points” to Ortega, gained Argent’s respect (no reveal), and saved the civilians in the mansion with Steel if it became known that they were in danger and they had to risk themselves to save them? Undeniable that our MC would be in chains after, but would they go the extra mile and risk their lives for a “villain?”

That's something I won't reveal in a QnA but in game!

If they would, at what point of player ruthlessness would they leave the MC to fend for themselves?

Also not something I will reveal beforehand! I want you to be unsure, nervous and possibly surprised.

Is Deadeye's bullet control limited by her line of sight? Or is it like kill cam shots in video games where her perception is sorta piggybacking on the bullet she's controlling? 

More like the latter.

In armor I did a play through of evil but in the same play through when out of armor with the rangers I made the nicest choices. So I’m curious is there’s gonna be a path where the MC has something like DID disorder?

I won't name any mental states, disorders or diagnosis in game. That is up to you as the reader if you want to have a name for it.

I was looking through some of the older QnAs and came across a Re-Gene term for a loved one: Heartmate. Do you think Step will be able to call their RO that either in the next book or the last one?

It might be cute, but at this point, Sidestep's not exactly close to their Re-Gene roots, and, as a Cuckoo, was not "raised" in Re-Gene culture in the same way.

How close would the Rangers be to catching our MC if they introduced themselves as “Sidestep” at the Museum, was a known telepath, and then later changed their villain name to “Heartbreak” and said “it’s my origin story” to Mia (given that they’ve done nothing else suspicious.)

I mean that's pretty close to holding up a sign telling the truth, ennit?

Has anyone wondered about the resemblance between a mirror image puppet and Sidestep, if they know both the puppet and what Sidestep looks like, such as the mob boss crew? If they look similar, would the crew question that at all?

I mean it's one of the things you think about in passing, mostly in a "huh" way. I'm sure everyone has seen someone who looks a lot like someone else, only to find out they weren't.

If it's not too spoilerish, what kind of good memories Sidestep would have had in the farm? I got curious, since their thought about it, when meeting Arde. From the glimpses we've seen, the farm is horrible place to be. 

That is up to the individual Sidestep. Might be a choice later, but there sure wasn't many of them.

Did Sidestep ever get caught in Puzzle boxes traps, in their vigilantes days?

Yeah, probably. It makes sense, and would be annoying as hell.

Okay, so did the paingate help Alcoholic vice Sidestep with hangovers? If so, how did their first hangover go? 

No. Not intense enough. Headaches, nausea and minor pains were just like normal.

We know HG saw their oldest brother as inspiration and spoiled their youngest sibling, but what kind of relationship did they have with their second older brother; the one who died? 

I don't know yet, I haven't thought about it.

Considering the close age-gap between HG older sibling, did the second oldest brother's death hit hard for surviving brother? 

OH yes. That one I know. They were very close.

What would make Shroud happy? Does Shroud even know an answer to that?

To not be hungry.

Will we ever get to see Ortega all-in fighting Sidestep, without holding back?

Yes.

It tooks years for Armadillo to trust Dove. What made Arde finally trust Dove enough? 

The realization that if they wanted to move forward, they would have to trust someone. Either that or live the rest of their life without trusting anybody ever again, and Arde didn't want that life.

Dang it's one thing if your car breaks down, that happens. But your bed too? That's just a punch in the face.

October and November has been tough, not gonna lie. And in December my bank messed up, to add to things. But things have resolved now, and hopefully 2025 will be less chaotic.

How would Ortega, Chen, and former Rangers react to a Villain!Sidestep naming themselves after the Void?

Ooooooooh. Perhaps that is also something I need some dialog for. Hmmmm.

If Herald were to die mid air would he fall to the ground or float off into space?

Assuming that he did not have a very fast upward trajectory when it happened and was close to escape velocity, he would fall to the ground.

There's a question passed around social media—"What is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders?" What would Dr. Mortum's answer be?

"Most villains who rely on technology and armor has no real understanding of how it works, and relies on tech-savvy henchmen to manage their daily villain routine. Henchmen with expertise in weapons/armor can demand high salaries if they know how to keep their mouth shut and look suitably like ignorant brutes around others. The same goes for henchmen managing social media and fanclubs. There has been talk about forming a union, but so far attempts have been unsuccessful due to infighting."

We know, from Sidestep's perspective, a lot of the big threats the Rangers have taken down, like the Void, Nanosurge and HB, what are some similar level threats the LD Rangers have taken down without them, or before their recruitment? What about the other ranger teams? 

Oh boy. Lemme think. I know there was what the media called a "zombie" invasion in Washington state, and the "Zombie Kingdom" is still an ongoing but less acute issue. The man behind this is of course Cornelius Vaughn, he has refused to adopt a villain identity and goes by his real name. Ex-military, maskless, and nearly indestructible. He also has the power to induce the people following him to near suicidal acts of bravery, as well as lending them some of his invulnerability. Also known as "The Zombie General," a moniker he hates. His "zombie" followers are of course not dead, but their dazed behavior while far from his command, in combination with their ability to survive gruesome wounds has led to that nickname. Especially as prolonged exposure to Vaughn's influence tends to leech people of both vitality and free will, leading them to look more and more corpse-like. Vaughn was never captured by the Seattle Rangers, but he was driven off into the cascade mountains, and lost most of the troops supporting him, so it counts like a win.

The San Francisco Rangers were the ones to originally face Vimana, the self-titled "atomic woman." This was years back, during Armstrong's tenure as Marshal, and was the incident that led to his premature death in leukemia a year later. Two other members, Blue Moon and Clandestine were killed in the fight, and the San Antonio reservoir was destroyed in the process, and the surrounding land contaminated. Vimana escaped east, leaving the Free Western Territories for the more lawless midwest. In a world where atomic bombs/energy was never more than a fringe scientific theory deemed too dangerous/useless compared to solar/fusion, her atomic blasts are seen as tantamount to terrorist weapons. There are a lot of rumors surrounding atomic power and the invisible killer of radiation, and she utilizes that to her advantage. To make it clear, the technology to enrich uranium has existed for nearly a century, but weapons technology went in different directions in the FH world. With the focus on more close warfare like powered armor, it was deemed too risky to use and stayed on the drawing board. Missile tech was not as focused on. Instead early advancements in solar/battery tech and the latter fusion technology filled that gap. Atomic power was seen as dangerous, dirty and a scorched earth tactic. Most people's experience to radiation was for x-rays and other medical tech. Thus, Vimana is a frightening woman, even more so than she would be in our world. She might only have been driven off, but that is a win.

Did HB use Themmy's feelings about Void's death against them?

Oh yes.

Does ortega's dad have any ties to the farm?

None.

If Sidestep got their hands on it, would Rat King's casing be compatible with Porthole's armor(s)? 

Not really, but the thing with tech is that you can rebuild and adjust things.

Is hollow ground concerned at all with all the telepaths going missing?

Not really.

Hopefully someone will let me know if this has been asked before: where is religion in terms of Fallen Hero? Roughly the same in terms of influence/spread/ and faiths or did the hero drug shake things up? Are any of the rangers religious? Or is this a subject you're mostly avoiding/hand waving?

This is a subject that I am mostly going to avoid/handwave. I imagine it might be similar to today's world. The thing is, I am not really religious, and and grew up seeing it as more of a cultural habit thing than a form of faith. I don't think I could write it well, and it's not a part of my headspace when I write any of the characters. As it has no relation to the story, I have decided to leave that up to the readers.

Was the airstrike necessary or redundant to resolving the HB crisis? As in, would the sphere of influence continue spreading without the airstrike?

Hmmm... I really wish I could answer that. Maybe I should. We're going to learn it in game eventually, so I won't elaborate. But essentially the sphere of influence would have stopped regardless.

Do the ROs prefer hot or cold water? Any outliers who enjoy ice baths or water hot enough to boil a lobster?

Hot water lovers to cold water lovers: Ben - Daniel - Dr. Mortum - Vera- Chen - Argent - Ortega.

What would Sidestep's nanovores colony sound or feel like to Argent's?

Like a muted grind, a suppressed toothache, a distant echo of a scream in a forest.

How does Chen recognize and deal with toxic/problematic patterns in his relationships? Would he notice if Sidestep fell into an almost handler-regene like pattern with him in an attempt for familiarity in their relationship?

Chen has some issued with identifying that at first. He was an army man for quite some time, and that messed him up a bit. However, he has a habit of analyzing his own reactions and checking in, so he'd get it eventually and just ask.

Ooh I would ask this but love a take on all the Rangers if possible!

I think Ortega has a hard time seeing their own toxic traits in relationships. Argent has an easier time, if for no other reason that she refuses to be dependent on or used like that. Daniel would spot it the easiest and bring it up early on.

What would Sidestep look like if they were The Long Quiet in Slay the Princess?

I have no idea what this is so that will be your headcanon!

Has Argent ever encountered a woman who is boosted to be super beautiful? How would it make her feel to know that no matter what features she takes on, this person will always be more beautiful than her, since she can't shapeshift that supernatural glamour?

Argent doesn't make herself beautiful for others, she makes herself beautiful for herself only. At least that's what she tells me...

If the mc was imprisoned would they be one of the boosts placed under perpetual coma due to their powers?

Not at first, it is assumed dampeners and drugs can handle it. If people realize that they are beyond that, then that might be considered.

Following that up, could Sidestep learn to do telepathy while in a coma?

What is a coma but an uneventful dream?

Who runs best in high heels?

Julia. Argent hates that.

What is the closest FHverse equivalent of Pepsiman?

I... don't even know what a Pepsiman is?

Does Chen ever wish he had been stationed in a different Rangers team like Seattle instead LD? Has that changed since becoming the Marshal? 

I think not. This might be a complicated place, but it's been his home for years now.

Sidestep sometimes remembers the Marshal as Captain Wei Chen, is captain a rank within the Rangers officially or just carry over from his military days?

Chen has never served as a Captain in the military, but it is a real rank. He was promoted by the US Army some time into his tenure with the Rangers in order to give the Rangers more "military stature." So his career has gone from Sergeant Steel to Captain Steel to Marshal Steel.

If different programming/memories had been on Sidestep's AI chip would they have still turned out the same?

If all events afterwards had been exactly the same? Probably. Some little details, skills and nightmares might have varied, but Sidestep was made by lived experience.

What are the cast's reactions to finding a small spider suddenly in their personal space?

Daniel put it outside, Ortega let it be, Chen smash it unless Spoon gets there first and eats it. Argent would mysteriously never find any spiders near her, Dr. Mortum would grab the can of Raid. Ben would kill it (spend too long in the tropics and spiders are not friends) and Vera would let one of her pigeons eat it. If she is in pigeon form, she might see it as a snack.

Would Mia ever inform on the Villain? What would be the trigger?

Oh that is spoilers for you. I want you to sweat.

We know that Ortega thinks they know Sidestep's past. And Steel had thoughts but found out the truth. What does Herald think is likely about Sidestep's past? Did it change after hearing stories from Ortega?

That will probably come up in game! But it was a lot more rosy than the reality.

How aware are the Rangers of the actual makeup of Regenes? Do they know they're basically human lite with AI chips or do they now think Sidestep is something like the terminator? 

Most never thought too deeply about it. I honestly am not sure for most of them, I need to explore that in the story. But the starting assumption were closer to the terminator than to human-lite.

Mortum gave us a micro-infodump on cape technology but what’s mask tech like? Can they be expressive like the comic/animation norm & MCU Spider-Man/Deadpool or are they all completely static like older live-action superhero movies?

It is more fun if they can be expressive! So they can be, probably some form of micro-muscle tracking tech that translates facial expression to movement in the mask by unducing electrical currents or something.

During HB why does focusing on memories of friendship/the Friendless scar increase Sidestep’s reputation? I had my own guess about it but my curiosity for the actual answer has peaked 

In essence, if I am to trust past-Malin, if Sidestep chooses to focus on past friendships, that means that there must have been friendships to be had. And thus, they probably spent more time around Ortega doing hero shit and being a valuable colleague, hence the reputation increase.

Boosted animals seem to have greatly extended lifespans. Do Humans experience a similar effect?

Some do. It's not universal, but also not uncommon.

Are any of the cast ticklish?

Ortega would pretend to be ticklish. Daniel is ticklish. Dr. Mortum would vehemently refuse to admit that they are ticklish despite evidence to the contrary.

Does Mortum's lab have a self destruct button?

Spoilers.

Has Mortum ever made any really dumb lab mistakes (in their eyes) and if yes, could we have an example? 

Oh absolutely! Mostly related to putting things in their pocket that should under no circumstances be put in their pocket and then forgetting about it.

How close Porthole is to the "brain in a jar" trope? How/why are they not being studied by the Special Directive or any other organisation?

I mean... kinda close I suppose? And what makes you think they are not part of a study program? The Special Directive doesn't do those as they are an enforcement arm, but many other organizations do. That might be where they get their money/bodies from. You don't have to lock up your subjects when they can just come in a few times a week for checkups and tests.

What was the battle for phoenix mentioned during the auction?

A big villain/hero battle that involved the Catastrofiend, and left large parts of downtown Phoenix in ruins.

Are The Squares™️ merely demo speculation bait, or will they be presented as such in the final product (and, if so, will we get a concrete answer to what’s beneath them within Revelations)?

They will be presented in the final product, and you will learn what's behind them in Revelations.

Is there potential for a pupstuck route where sidestep confesses to the whole puppet situation in a bid to have the Rangers/Ranger They Trust help? Or is it a situation you cant see yourself writing/sidestep doing? 

Not to the full extent, but there might be a partial choice there that I am currently working on to see if it makes sense.

How does Regene hygiene work with beards/leg hair/underarm hair/etc? Body hair can get in the way of a lot of medical diagnostic tools. I can see them just ignoring body hair until it needs to be shaved off, but I have a harder time imagining them allowing beards because there's individuality in that. So do some Regenes get regular shaves too? What if there's one that shaves in the morning and wakes up the following day with 5 o'clock shadow? 

Re-Genes can and do shave, just like they shower.

What was Anathema's presentation score? Did they have a certain style? Going from having nothing to getting a Ranger sized paycheck, what did they prefer to spend their money on?

I think it was middling, they had kind of a comfortable but eclectic style. They spent a lot of money on charities and small business, they didn't really like feeling rich.

The Nanosurge was pretty big when Sidestep stopped it, aside from the sample stolen at the start of book 1 and Argent's cluster, how many samples were squirreled away by interested parties? 

Far too many...

What did Danny find most attractive about Argent when they were dating?

Her confidence and poise.

If they met and posed as a regular civilian to her, would Tía Elena get along with Hollow Ground?

Probably.

The stats page gives off the impression that it’s a file on the MC i.e. the CLASSIFIED, Subject: Villain, clinical tone, etc; is that just for the sake of aesthetic or is it an approximation of an actual file someone has on Step? & if it is would it be a spoiler to say who’s it is?

That part is pure aesthetics.

How political do the Rangers get? We see celebrities share their political views all the time. Is it the same for the Rangers or are they made to say, 'no comment.' Has this caused issues for Rangers whose sexuality, gender, heritage, faith, etc. are brought up in politics?

In general, the Rangers are supposed to avoid talking politics. They are representatives of the US Government and should behave accordingly. Preferably they're not supposed to have any opinions that differ from the generally accepted US Government norm. In practice, these things slip out all the time, mostly with little consequence. Ortega is the greatest offender, and is by now used to adding a little laugh and a "this is just my personal opinion, not as a member of the Rangers." It has landed them in hot water on more than one occasion, but the media loves someone who actually speaks out on things, so Charge's popularity has been a shield. As have their ability to play the "I'm just a jock, don't mind me, I don't think" card.

What's Regina's favorite thing about Sidestep?

Their will to live.

If it came to it, would the US government prefer to disavow the LD Rangers, or the Farm?

What makes you think the US government is involved with the Farm?

What is Regina's least favorite thing about Sidestep?

Their contrariness.

What's your favorite aquatic species?

Eels!

Are there any physical traits in your characters that you never mentioned in their description but are always present in your imagination? Like, maybe the eye colour that was missing in the books but you always imagined them as green, or the character having a ring, that sort of thing?

No, I very seldom picture the characters as physical traits. I see things like Ortega's smile and the way their eyes change when it's a real one. Things like Argent's fluid movement as she leans against a wall. Or the sound of Chen's footsteps. I'm kind of faceblind and don't like looking at people's faces (probably connected) so I rarely focus on looks. More vibes.

Does Argent like watching bad movies? Either in an ironic way like how people treat The Room, and/or enjoying critiquing/dragging them, etc?

Argent enjoys watching what other people might term bad movies, but she might not agree that they are bad. She doesn't like dragging movies, and detests boring ones. She's looking for something in them, and if she finds that, she can accept that other parts might be crap.

If Argent found herself in our world, or a world like ours, would she be more interested in abusing her powers in a place where nobody else has powers, or would she be too busy watching movies that don't exist in her world?

She would go deep into hiding and make sure nobody would ever find out she existed. So probably become a recluse and watch movies that don't exist.

How good is Regina under pressure of a gunfire or other non-lab-related danger? Would she keep her cool enough to not get killed by accidental poor judgement?

Oh yes.

For purely selfish reasons I have to ask: does Nestlé exist in FHR universe and can our Sidesteps be compared to it's CEO?

While the FH world is a capitalistic libertarian hellscape, it is by no means as globalized as our world. The massive multinational companies doesn't exist in the same way. There is no simple way for a european company to buy up all their american competitors, the markets are too protective, and the nation states too paranoid. There is still a cold war/conflict fear which leads to the same conglomerates not having formed. SO Nesté exists, but it's not our Nestlé.

Can people understand Zephyr when they go fast? Or does it turn into gibberish at speed? And how often does Zephyr accidently swallow an insect?

Zephyr rarely speak when they go fast, it's problematic and hard to understand. Also, they need to breathe! Some insects have been swallowed...

Does Los Diablos still have the same iconography (flag, motto, etc.) as Los Angeles?

No, but I have not made up what the new one is!

Did the Oakland/LA Raiders & Raider Nation survive The Big One & Las Vegas?

No, sadly.

And in general are the FEZ states included in the NBA/NFL/etc. or are they left doing their own thing

They do their own thing, mainly due to accusations of boost use/drugs and general trustworthiness. They were never let back in. Also, since travel there is still expensive/uncommon, there is no regular exchange. A lot of people north and east still think of the west like some sort of desolate wasteland, quite different from the reality. It is in the US government's interest keeping it like that.

Has Sidestep checked Finch's office for bugs?

Of course.

Could we get more detail on the special forces unit that Chen & Ben were in? Like their purpose & connection to other organizations like the CIA or SD? Or are those spoilers/unimportant?

I would say they are mostly unimportant. I haven't detailed anything, because it is in the past, and mostly useful as a character foundation trait. Not for plot purposes.

And was anyone else we know of a part of it? Even if it was before or after them & they never met those 2 

I don't think so!

How long has Owl had Hoots? Was she running it while she was an active vigilante, pre-Nanosurge?

No, she took over it after the Nanosurge as an attempt to have something to do. She did have money invested in it beforehand, but she never had anything to do with the actual running of the place then.

What do the Rangers miss most about their lives before the heroics? Excluding the obvious (family, skin, limbs, etc.)

Chen misses being a nobody. Argent misses being able to relax. Ortega misses being able to do what they want. Daniel misses planning for his future.

Is ZaZa's name short for anything?

No, it is a nickname, but it is a riff on his real name.

How heavily monitored are ReGenes? Was it to the point that their beds didn't even have blankets to hide under? Or were there still ways to get away from observation if you're clever? (Hide under the sheets, bathroom breaks, blindspots in camera surveillance, etc.)

There's always ways to hide.

How heavy is a solidifed nanovore swarm? Is Argent lighter or heavier than a woman of equivalent size and stature?

I would say she is heavier.

Do ReGene tattoos bruise like normal skin or do they keep their initial coloring no matter what? 

They bruise, but depending on the tattoo color, the pooled blood underneath the skin might change how the color is percieved.

Was there ever a point in time where The Catastrofiend was superstitious?

Probably.

What would The Void think of 5 Pennies & his powers?

Interesting.

How does Joes boost work exactly? If he had multiple boosts would the clones be boosted as well?

One for all and all for one.

Which characters are fans of Star Wars: A New Hope(since the Big One happened before The Empire Strikes Back)? 

Probably only Argent, who like the jankiness of sixties/seventies science fiction.

Hood's first name was John but what last name did he use when he was Marshal? Did he ever use different names/aliases thru his life?

He did. I think it varied a lot at the start, and he tended to give a different last name depending on the place. As he became too well known he used Hood as his last name, which was what he was using when the Rangers were formed.

Hood had a lot of tattoos, did they have any kind of theme? What were the mostly of? Were they done on a whim or things he wanted to commemorate? What were his favorite/most notable tattoos?

Oh boy. The original ones were done when he was part of the biker gang as a kid. Those were crude, and right wing. Think things like eagles, runes, nazi allusions, all things designed to provoke and horrify. Including some facial tattoos. He fixed up/tattooed over many of them as best he could after he had left those circumstances behind, but you can still spot things if you know what to look for. He doesn't love them. He doesn't see them with pride. However, he never removed them. He saw it as a reminder of what he could have, but never wanted to be.

Since it seems to be the most common height to lie about being in the US how much pleasure does Ortega get when they get to burst the bubble of someone lying about being 6’0?

You know that's the case. At least if it's someone they don't like.

What happens if I Boost someone who's infected with multicellular parasites?

Most likely nothing out of the ordinary. So far the boost drugs have not been proven to affect other forms of life than mammals and birds.

Is Daniel uncomfortable being called Mr. Sullivan by Marek and others? Or does he just accept that's what he's going to be called by those who know his last name?

I think part of him wishes he felt more uncomfortable with it. But it's part of how he grew up.

What is anti-telepathic training like? How does one prepare their mind?

Basically there are three main strategies, which ones used and to what extent depends on the person. The strategies are: Detect, Divert and Deny.

Detect means training to be aware of any changes in your thought process and outside influence. This is tricky, but warning signs can be old memories resurfacing without context, vivid daydreams, feeling watched, strong feelings of anxiety and being unable to stop thinking about unrelated things. As these are things that happens to most people on occasion, context is important. For example, if you are a IT professional at a bank who is suddenly unable to stop thinking about your login sequence and password, or a soldier who gets intrusive thoughts about shooting your fellow guard would raise some flags.

Divert is taking those red flags and intrusive thoughts and learning how to divert your thoughts to other things. This is most often learning to focus on other things, such as an earworm song, meditative mantra, counting, or sexual thoughts. The point is to focus your thoughts so hard on a single subject that has nothing to do with what someone might want to learn. It has the advantage of not being an overt tactic, and is meant to be employed at the first suspicion that something might be wrong. Better safe than sorry.

Deny is the third tactic, and the hardest one for most. People are thought to discipline their minds, to avoid daydreaming and drifting thoughts. To stay in the moment. Be present. Meditation, mantras and self-knowledge are important tools. If the person in question has a hint of psychic sensitivity, this is where the training will be focused.

Is HG the type to try to set their sibling up with someone? Would Nocturne/Jake want to get involved?

Nope, I don't think so.

How well have the Rangers been able to keep on top of things seeing as they're down to 4 members with two of those members being somewhat new-ish to the team? Is it odd that they still have had no extra team mates or is four just seen as an acceptable number for a city of Los Diablos's size?

The Rangers is not the law enforcement of Los Diablos. That's the LDPD, which do have a "special operatives" section of mods and boosts trained to deal with the more garden variety villains. Companies might have their own security teams, which might also be boosts or mods, which will handle company business. Vigilantes prey on street crime and less powerful villains. The function of the Rangers is to be the symbol of the US Government in the city, to fight the flashiest threats, be cool in the media, and remind everyone that the US Government is still looking out for them, even though the FWT is independent. This is part what Mayor Alvarez is trying to counter with the Guardians, to try to build a city awareness, an alternative symbol of independence. Thus, the number of Rangers (and indeed the power level, once we stay above a certain level) is less important than their symbolic presence and value.

What's one thing that Daniel never wants anyone to know about himself?

The extent to how his rich isolated upbringing has fucked him over and made him ignorant on what the average person has to deal with. He knows he's sheltered and has done his best to try not to be, but he's still exposed to facets of life and the world that he had assumed were different (and a lot more benign.) It's hard to unlearn privilege, he knows it's not his fault that he was born into money, but he still feels vaguely ashamed of it.

For Sidesteps that take the option to say they visit Ranger HQ regularly to 'help out,' (near the beginning of Retribution) what exactly does that mean? Are they like a consultant for building villain profiles, helping organize paperwork, sitting in on stake outs or what? Are their visits logged and recorded? If so, how do the Rangers explain it in their paperwork? As a volunteer or intern or something? 

Oh nothing that organized. Everyone is aware that the less paperwork the better. Or, well, at least Ortega is, and they would absolutely make sure that things are "adjusted" if needed. Exactly what helping out means would depend on the Sidestep. It can be helping Ortega to stake people out, sit in and share intel on the current villains, poke holes in Chen's tactics, maybe do some tech tinkering, scan some thoughts if they still openly are a telepath. Maybe even be part of a surprise fight now and then.

As the villain, can we ever bait Ortega into kissing us without knowing our identity, or are they not into that anymore?

I guess we'll have to see what kind of sexual tension might happen.

I don't know if this one has been asked but how 'safe' is it for Ortega to hold small animals like hamsters given that they have shocked Sidestep a little bit in some playthroughs by accident 

Ortega avoids those things. Though if it is an animal small enough to hold, at least it is not grounded.

Are people who take immunosuppressive drugs while getting boosted more likely to survive the boosting process?

Yes and no. I think the jury is still out on that. Though, so far most of the positive signs have been from people who were already suffering life-altering illnesses and saw boosting as a last chance. Perhaps more of them survived, but it's not exactly a large sample size, and some later succumbed to their illness.

Would having technical knowledge (engineering, programming, etc) help Argent use her technopathy better, or are her powers more of a “she just delivers her intent and it gets done” kind of deal?

Technical knowledge helps, and Argent has studied a lot in her spare time. She already had an interest as a child, and she has kept that up, though she has no official degree or schooling.

How would Ortega rate their cooking skills compared to their mothers? How would Elena rate Ortega's cooking skills?

Oh nobody who has a mother that can cook can ever beat their skills. That's just fact, combining childhood memories with experience, and the simple joy of eating a meal someone else prepared for you is a combination you can't beat. Not even Ortega.

If you could assign a motivation (like one sidestep chooses) for the Rangers and Mortum, what would they choose?

Oh that is SPOILERS for some, so I will decline to answer.

Is the Slasher still alive? Are they still one of Lord Embers lieutenants if so?

Yeah, holding the fort in San Francisco.