Author Answers (September)

General

How will relationships work in game? Will they deteriorate if I don’t spend time with my RO? Etc

Hi there, I highly recommend browsing through the #romance system tag on the game's Tumblr, since it goes very in-depth into exactly how the romance system works in ShoH. Specifically, these two posts break it down very neatly!

Romance FAQ 

Romance graph/chart thing 

Regarding your specific question--whether relationships deteriorate if you don't spend time with the RO--it sort of depends on what you mean by "spending time with"! Say you lock in Trouble's romance and make him your official RO. Not spending time with him on your next days off won't cause your relationship to actively deteriorate: I.E., his 90% relationship with you won't take a hit and go to 80% just because you neglect to spend time with him. However, you do want to spend as much time as possible with your ROs to secure your chances of having the happiest endings with them or seeing their full character arcs--if you care about that, anyway!

That being said, there are also other opportunities in the game where spending time with other people instead of your RO can cause hits to your relationship. For example, while on a mission, you might get the chance to share a room with Briony, Tallys, or Ayla. If you're romancing Briony, but choose to go off and spend that time with Tallys instead, Briony won't be happy about it, and her relationship will decrease accordingly, even if she doesn't confront you about it outright. So things like that can and will happen, though it also depends on the person! Tallys in a FWB relationship with you might not really care, but your chances of upgrading the FWB relationship to a committed romantic one might decrease invisibly!

In a modern!AU how would the ROs save MC in their phone? in a relationship (and not in a relationship? tho it would probably just be their name in that case?).

Haha, this was already posted on Tumblr a few days before the Q&A was opened! 

When they dress up fancy which female ROs lean towards dresses and which towards suits?

Tallys - she has worn both, but favors long, slinky gowns like 65% of the time over suits (she looks fantastic in suits too, though!)

Shery - always wears dresses!

Ayla - always wears suits (she wore a dress like two times but drastically favors suits)

Briony - almost always wears dresses (wore a suit like once and kicked ass in it, but just prefers things with skirts 98% of the time)

Lavinet - always wears dresses!

Prihine - always wears dresses (but I think she'd rock in a suit)

does Blest have it’s own variety of cat and dog breeds like real life?

Sort of! For our purposes, Blest cats and dogs pretty much look analogous to ours, barring a lot of exclusions: I imagine Trouble/Caine's Dog from anywhere between a German Shepherd/Lab mutt to a bigger Shiba Inu-looking guy, but they don't use the same breed names, for obvious reasons! So a Blest German Shepherd-look-alike might be called, like, the Liranese Hound or something like that! And certain other dogs (like chihuahuas or poodles, say) may not have equivalents in Blest!

There are Blest-specific breeds, too, especially when it comes to the yiwari--the famous hunting dogs of the Plains, which are huge--and the ahfuri and their off-shoot breeds. However, I'm kind of fuzzy on what these look like! 😂

Before the Castigation were there any magical efforts towards space exploration and colonization? Did the Norms ever wonder what was out there, or have they just not advanced enough to consider it? 

I think Red talks about it somewhere--or maybe that's just floating around in my head--but the most notable attempt by Mages to go to space had a famous Archmage planning an expedition to the moon. Translocation relies on a Mage knowing exactly where he wants to teleport to, and almost always requires that the Mage has physically been at that location before, and preferably recently; otherwise all sorts of complicated things can happen, and you'll miscalculate the distance or end up scrambled into a wall or underground or something. Anyway, this Archmage believed that years of studying a site on one of Blest's moons--the little one, the Polar Candle--through a telescope would be sufficient for him to translocate there in person. Everyone tried to dissuade him from this, claiming that it was madness and far too risky, but he was determined. He took 12 years of careful study, memorizing features, calculating distances and measurements, making maps with his assistants, etc. etc., essentially burning knowledge of the moon into his brain so he could teleport there successfully. Finally, the day came when he attempted the jump... and he actually made it!

However, no one at the time realized that there was no breathable air in space, so although he did arrive successfully at his destination, he died instantly!

It's actually a famous exam question posed to Mage academy students, usually in their third year exams... how would you prevent Archmage Policant from dying once he reached the moon? It's used to test how practical knowledge is being applied by the student in question and usually involves a lot of theorems and shit about iron jackets or envelopes of air that have to be stiffened in a certain way to avoid implosion...

Anyway, since then, there haven't been as serious attempts regarding space exploration by Mages; it generally stays in the realm of purely theoretical, and the Castigation further eroded any real interest in it. Norm scientists (usually called stellarists in this field) are aware of and are studying celestial bodies, but mostly to understand their effects on Blest (the moons and the tides, how comets work and where they come from, etc.); it hasn't reached the level of actually thinking you could travel into space or anything like that, and is more about distant observation. On some level, that line of thought would probably be considered blasphemous by the Autarchy, anyway; if the One-God wanted you to leave this earth, Xe wouldn't have put you there in the first place, hubris of man, traveling to other worlds is a Mage (and therefore evil) thing, etc. etc...

I hope that all makes sense!

what are the ros like when arguing with mc? (assuming they’re already in a relationship.) who sulks, who digs their heels in, who apologizes even if they were right, etcetera, etcetera?

Hmmm, this one is sort of hard to answer, because I think everyone (or at least these characters) would argue differently depending heavily on the circumstances! Like Chase in an argument would be really different if MC was the one instigating it and he was trying to de-escalate or weather the storm versus he was passionately upset and was the instigator, if that makes any sense? But I'll do my best!

Blade: in general, he's quite cold and sharp during an argument; he paces, is frustrated and silent, and you can tell he's biting his tongue or holding things back. He generally never raises his voice unless he's incredibly upset (like life-or-death "I thought you died" upset) and is generally just terse, moody, or whip-like with his words. He's never insulting or deliberately hurtful, but his demeanor can be quite brutal, and after a while of arguing (if it doesn't seem like it's getting anywhere), he tends to just shut down emotionally and go stone-faced. He can be quite stubborn if he's convinced he's right, and while he absolutely hates to go to bed angry or without making it up to MC, if they give him the silent treatment, he can give it right back--and this can go on for days. Sometimes he'll crack and reluctantly approach and sort of sulkily ask if they want to talk about it, and things will defrost from there, and this usually ends with him apologizing; but many times he can hold his silence for a long time and has to have sense knocked into him or a different perspective given by someone like Wintry, Tallys, or Trouble. In short, he has been known to dig his heels in!

Trouble: when tempers are running hot, he tends to be the one who escalates things first, generally with angry or frustrated body language; aggravated pacing, mussing his hair in frustration, raising his voice or talking in a louder tone. He rarely outright shouts, not at his lover, but he can go sullen or become very animated and huffy if it's a really heated argument. However, he almost always cools off right after and goes to make up right away, typically willing to apologize for losing his temper first and being more tender or gentle, even if he's not outright saying that he was wrong (however, he will willingly admit to being wrong if he thinks he is, which is an easier conclusion for him to reach than some). So it's generally short bursts of frustration, and then equally quick makeup times!

Tallys: she generally stays fairly calm, if cool and sometimes condescending during arguments. She can get a bit sarcastic and snippy if she thinks the argument is unfair or dumb, but she'll quickly realize that her tone isn't helping and will relent, acknowledging that she should be listening to MC's points more rather than getting defensive. Generally, she will apologize first if MC is the one who has a grievance, regardless if Tallys is technically in the right or not; however, this is only contingent on whether MC is able to bring this grievance up in an equally calm, mature, or communicative manner. If you come at Tallys with a raised or angry tone right away, start shouting, or otherwise behaving aggressively when she's still being relatively calm, she will view this as extremely disrespectful and will shut down the conversation immediately and remove herself from the situation, sort of like a "I know you didn't just start yelling at me." Generally, she can take any argument as long as it's delivered in a controlled way. If anyone gets really emotional right off the bat, Tallys will perceive this as unfair lashing out at her and will hate it, and won't talk to them until they're capable of handling themselves more calmly!

Shery: she's generally very careful during arguments; you can tell she's choosing her words very thoughtfully, and she tends to use a lot of "I" statements and empathetic affirmations ("I felt like X when Y happened" rather than "You did X to me", or "I understand why you would feel that way, and I appreciate your honesty..."). However, once she starts to get really upset, she finds it quite difficult to talk or articulate her points, and she tends to shut down emotionally and verbally and just sort of... sits there and takes it, waiting for it to be over. She doesn't usually fire back with equal passion and enthusiasm if the other person is animated or angry; instead, she gets very glum or teary, and it's hard for her to process a lot of what's going on because she's trying to stifle her own emotions (usually distress rather than anger). It's usually a good idea for her to take a break and gather her composure during arguments, because after a certain point, she stops responding or really hearing what the other person is saying, especially if they're talking to her in a harsh or loud tone!

Riel: it sort of depends on the nature of the argument; generally, he can see where his partner is coming from and understand their perspective enough to keep a level head and remain calm, which can sometimes seem annoying or patronizing; however, during really serious fights, and especially ones that he feels are irrational or unjust, he can go for the throat. He is always brutally logical and can seem unempathetic during such fights, pointing out logical flaws in the person's argument like they're at an official debate and saying things like, "I don't understand how you could think that when evidence to the contrary exists in X, Y, and Z..." Basically, he fights with the clipped precision of a lawyer, and never backs down and digs his heels in he genuinely thinks he's being wronged or if the person has no solid ground to stand on. There's generally a cooling off period after that where he seems to go about his business, but he's actually quite agitated or annoyed even if it seems like he's working. He generally waits for the other person to apologize, but if they don't seem inclined to after several hours of being around each other, he'll offer an olive branch and ask them about something unrelated as a sort of ceasefire. He might apologize for handling the argument itself unkindly or insensitively, but won't apologize for the actual points he was making if he believes they were correct!

Chase: he's generally fairly chill during arguments, and is generally very rarely an instigator of arguments in general; if he has a bone to pick, he brings it up in a lighter manner and almost never gets angry, upset, or frustrated. Most of the time, he can be confused or genuinely baffled if an argument seems to come out of nowhere, but he'll probe more rather than get annoyed, like, "What's this really about?" It's pretty hard to stay really angry at him because he's so laidback and genial about it, and has a way of de-escalating or deflecting fights pretty quickly (though sometimes this will backfire if he underestimates the strength of the emotions at play, which is very rare). At most, if a person is really laying into him and being angry or unfair, and especially if insults are getting thrown around, Chase will get very cool-eyed and will calmly disengage and say something like "Talk to me when you can keep your voice down" and just remove himself from the conversation. He won't hold a grudge, but he won't let anyone be mean with him if he doesn't think he's done anything to deserve it. But yeah, it's hard to imagine him fighting with anyone in earnest or getting really angry at them! Even in the moments where he should be angry, he'll generally just walk away or even end the relationship then and there rather than start yelling, lol. 

Red: he generally stays pretty calm and controlled during arguments, never letting his emotions get the better of him. He generally comes off as fairly reasonable, empathetic, and striving to see the other person's perspective, so fights with him never escalate to the point of shouting or passionate aggravation. He's more inquisitive and probing and doesn't take many things personally, so it's easy to talk things through him without him getting angry. He's quick to apologize if he realizes he's done something wrong or hurt the other person unintentionally, and he generally doesn't need an apology or anything if he genuinely feels like the love is there in the relationship. He is a HUGE advocate for not going to bed angry or walking away mid-fight. The person can ask for space to cool off and he'll gladly give it to them, but throwing in the towel or silent treatment/sulking is a pretty big red flag for him! He always wants to make sure things are okay before they're given room to fester!

Ayla: she's definitely very prideful and tends to dig her heels in, refusing to back down or accept she's wrong if things have boiled over into an argument. In the beginning of a relationship, she'll almost never apologize first, even if she is the one who messed up or did something wrong. The other person doesn't need to apologize first, necessarily, but Ayla will have a really hard time saying sorry and acknowledging her own fault at first, and it will require a lot of patience. Over time, she'll mature and realize that being wrong, vulnerable, or making mistakes won't lead to automatic rejection or disaster, and she'll be able to feel safe enough to actually apologize or admit that she could have handled things better or what have you. But until then, she's very defensive, quick to anger, and impossible to win against in an argument; if things really reach loggerheads, she tends to bolt and spend at least a day avoiding the other person because it's easier to run than deal with conflict!

Briony: she reacts and mirrors her partner's body language and tone quite closely, so if they're yelling, she's yelling; if they're calm, she's calm. She tends to tear up at any strong emotion, whether it's happiness, anger, fear, or sadness, so any argument (regardless of subject matter) could involve tears and hiccuping on her end, even if she's not actually particularly that upset or passionate? Her instinct tends to be to go into fights with proverbial fists swinging, with no backing down; if she's the instigator, she can fight her opponent to a standstill, and if she's the defendant, she can fire back tirelessly without admitting defeat or saying that she's in the wrong. However, once both parties have been exhausted and they can't fight any longer, she has a 50/50 chance of apologizing first or staying angry and refusing to talk until the other person apologizes; just depends on the nature of the argument and the mood of the room! She tends to need a lot of assurance, love, and cuddles after fights, with lots of hugs and questions like, "We're okay, right?" and "You know I love you, don't you?" She doesn't feel right if she doesn't get a lot of that assurance, to the point where she can be very uneasy, off-kilter, and skittish after arguments, even if they've technically been resolved!

Lavinet: she's extremely prideful and gets very haughty and aloof during arguments. It can be quite frustrating to argue with her because she can find loopholes or pick apart words said in the heat of the moment, pointing out contradictions and arguing tirelessly until your brain feels like it's in knots and you don't even really remember where the argument started. She rarely admits that she's wrong first and can hold out an icy reign of silence until the other person approaches her. She will apologize, sometimes even first, but they usually have to be the one to make the first move and offer the icebreaker/olive branch first! Otherwise, she can toss her hair and walk away from them for weeks....

You  already gave us a glimpse of how Halek could fall in love with MC but how would Croelle fall in love with MC? He reminds me of a rabid possum and doesn’t sounds like the most affectionate soul, how would he handle an MC that wanted affection while very depressed?

I think Croelle would only fall in love with MC in a way that initially started as pure sexual attraction (probably fueled first by rivalry and aggression) that would later morph into feelings of grudging attachment and possessiveness, which would later morph into fierce protectiveness and gruff affection. I don't know that he'd ever be a conventional doting husband, but he'd kill anybody who harmed MC, upset them, or looked at them the wrong way, and to him, that pretty much is being in love, since he has so little regard for the lives of anyone else on the planet that that is very tender and vulnerable for him!

Croelle generally has very low empathy, at least to start with, so his reactions to a depressed MC wanting affection would be very different depending on the stage of relationship they have. At first, he might sneer and blow them off; or in a friendlier stage, he might genuinely be baffled, like "Why? Can't you just not be sad? ??" In a more docile stage, he wouldn't be inclined to give MC affection automatically in response to their depressive state, but he would do so if told to by MC: like if they were sad, his instinct wouldn't be to hug them or give them affection, it would be to just stand there and not know what to do, but if MC said, "When I am depressed, I want you to do X," he would do it. (Doing it without complaint or hesitation would be one of the highest declarations of love for him.) Over time, he would learn to do this without being asked, so... that's, like, the long process of teaching him how to do people things... 

Continuing the rabid possum "Cruller" direction (this phone I swear!), we know Croelle is about as kind and gentle as a wasp in a jello shot, but would there ever be a situation where he would show MC a different/ less homicidal side of himself? Like maybe during a raging fever or if he ate a grape and the pure unexpected joy of actually ingesting a yummy piece of fruit made him have an out of body experience or something? (Maybe just a really hard clonk to the head?)  What would constitute one of these sweet (as defined in "Croelle's standardized non-killing rubric system") moments be like?

I think Croelle's version of kind and gentle is not looking out solely for himself, lol? So if MC was really sick, he'd hover in a worried way or stand guard in their bedroom doorway tirelessly--he might not be super helpful, like he wouldn't know to go find them medicine or tuck their blankets in without being told, but he might drag a doctor in by the collar or demand that they fix MC on pain of death if he was really worried about them! Really, feeling or displaying 'worry' is his version of sweet, tender love, and it would t e r r i f y him. Sticking around after feeling worried about someone else's (MC's) wellbeing would pretty much be his sticking a ring on it. Or if MC was in a lot of trouble, even in a non-danger 'who do you want me to kill' sense, Croelle saying unhesitatingly, "Tell me what you need" or "what can I do?" is his version of being caring. Like, literally, any other person would get the "Tough shit" or "Lol sucks to be you" or "What the fuck do you want me to do about it?" treatment. Him offering to do something on MC's behalf, of his own volition, purely to help them with nothing in return would be a very loving act for him, even if it seems like the bare minimum for someone else. 

I think another tenderness for him would be thinking of MC while he's away on his travels and picking them up something from someplace else; like if MC is a gunslinger, one day he'd just toss down a sniper scope from some remote place in the West with a vague sense of disgust and say, "That's for you," and that would be an act of love for him. Realistically I think he'd start leaving random shit around their place without ever acknowledging that he was the one doing it--sort of like a cat dragging in dead birds and leaving them on stuff for the owners to find, but as a weird courtship thing! Also, sharing a bed or a shower would be very, very intimate for him, almost unbearably so!

I think he'd also have a weird instinct to, uh, like... confine them, like if he was in town, he'd have this weird thing about keeping MC in their apartment with him for a few days and not wanting them to leave, or if he deigned to swaddle MC in a blanket or a coat or something and they kept taking it off, he'd get really annoyed with them? I don't know why I think he'd do that, though!

Could we have any cute facts about the ROs as parents? Like maybe one of them always reads a story before bed time to their kids or something like that. I literally 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵  for this concept, it’s just *clenches fist* so cute

Blade: he'd spend hours just staring at his baby, to the point where other people would find it unnerving. He'd stare intently at the little toes and fingernails, carefully touching the silky tuft of hair. He'd just be so awed and startled that he and MC made that that he wouldn't quite get over it for like... months 😂

Trouble: he'd quit smoking charch upon becoming a dad. It's not even because it's unhealthy, or anything; it's just that, in his head, smoking's not something a dad does, so he wouldn't do it anymore, and that time would be better spent with his kids anyway, so that would be that! 

Tallys: I could see her being one of those moms who totally physically transform upon becoming a mom. She'd grow her hair out--until it was long--and would dress in these long, elegant housewife robes or dresses, and she would just look very soft and gentle and kind. She'd look totally unrecognizable if you were to compare a picture of her in her 200s versus her as a mother, and she'd look so radiant and lovely!

Shery: she would make it a tradition to introduce her child to baking really early, and it would be a very special memory for her to help her toddler stand on a stool and give them the task of mixing flour or tasting some icing while they made a cake together, and it would be something that she'd love to have persist into adulthood!

Riel: he'd be a parent who took an active and zealous interest in his child's interests, no matter what they were; so if his kid was an athlete, Riel would be at every game and would be researching the sport diligently in his off-time; if his kid was really into action figures and superheroes, Riel would be right there, versing himself in well-known comics and getting the premium tickets to Comic-Con, even though it would all be very bewildering to him!

Chase: He'd seem like a chill parent, but I think he'd the type to somewhat panic at the first baby, if only because he'd be walking down the street and then it would suddenly strike him with awful horror how easily a baby could choke on something, and for absolutely no reason at all; and MC would come home to find him sitting on the floor, muttering frantically to himself while 6 books about baby CPR/Heimlich/emergency protocols were spread all over the rug while he looked a little wild-eyed

Red: I think he'd totally sing or hum his babies lullabies when they've been crying late at night and he's trying to get them to go back to sleep. He'd bounce them in his arms or rock them and hum a little aimless tune, and he has a surprisingly good singing voice, and he'd always be able to get them right to sleep that way!

Ayla: She'd probably be the type of mom to want to sleep in the same room or bed as her young children until they were old enough to want otherwise, generally around 5 or 6! She'd just love that feeling of closeness and protectiveness of having her child's tiny little body next to hers while they sleep!

Briony: She'd sing a little happy "waking up song" with her child every morning, from the time that they were a little baby probably to the point of adolescence or beyond. It would be totally out-of-tune and sort of nonsensical, just a "It's time to wake up! It's time to wake up and start our day! Just me and MC and Baby! Let's wake up, yeah! 🎶🎵" And she would carry her baby and dance and twirl with them to wake up to that song every morning. It would become a staple in their household every day, even if it is quite off-key!

Lavinet: She'd have a "debriefing" session with her kids every night, sort of like how a parent reads a story to their kids every evening--except for Lavinet, it would be about climbing under the covers with them and talking about their day and their feelings, or even telling them about her day if they wanted to ask. It would be her special "me" time with her kids every evening, and it would foster a way for them to communicate openly with each other well into adulthood!

What would the characters do on a road trip? (who makes the gang take pictures at every giant ball of twine? how many fights break out over tunes? who puts on their headphones and falls asleep? who *has* to sit in the third row driver’s side so they don’t get carsick?)

Blade: he's probably the driver, or otherwise he's freaking MISERABLE, lol. He wouldn't take well to being shoved in the backseat with... All of That, so he'd most likely be in the driver's seat or not at all! He'd be pretty patient and long-suffering, and he might even enjoy their antics once he got some coffee in him! However, people (Trouble) would shit on him for being too lawful and driving the speed limit, only for him to lose his patience on the last leg of the journey and go like insanely fast to get it over with, lol!

Trouble: he'd be the one who just wouldn't shut up and would be the one proposing all of the games and icebreakers (I Spy... "anyone want to talk about their last bad date? I bet I had the worst one") and would be cheerfully oblivious to anyone trying to sleep in the car (I'm going to imagine they're traveling in, like, an RV if they're all going to fit in the same vehicle, lol). He'd probably require an endless supply of snacks and would most likely show up woefully unprepared, like he brought a duffel bag with a few T-shirts in it, "oh wait, we needed ski masks?? Shit, Blade, I think we've gotta make a stop in the next town..." [cue collective group groaning and jeering] Alternatively, he might be busy playing his Switch (or more likely a Gameboy Color) and might be distracted the entire drive

Tallys: I think she'd either put in her headphones or would read in companionable silence, but she wouldn't go to sleep! She would be frequently interrupted by people commenting how it's great she can read without getting carsick, lol. She's the one who conveniently brought all of the gum, mints, sickness medication, lotion, sanitizer, and whatever else anyone in the group might need! She also reminded Trouble several times to bring a ski mask, but he didn't listen....

Shery: I feel like she'd be the one cheerfully trying to participate while not telling anyone how horrendously carsick and nauseous she gets, lmao. She wants to have fun!!! She doesn't want anyone to worry about her!!! But she'd be rushing off to the bathroom every stop they got and everybody would be like "wow Shery sure is peeing a lot" before they started to suspect... at that point she would be forced to lay down in the backseat and sleep it off!

Riel: he would be in the passenger seat next to the driver and would be the resident navigator/trip-planner. This would be NON-NEGOTIABLE, otherwise he's not going. He'd be the one directing Blade to change lanes (because no one can hear the GPS over the blathering going on in the backseat) and saying curtly that they don't have time to stop at McDonald's if they want to make it across the state line by 5 PM. He has a strict, regimented schedule and resents deviating from it. Chase's playlists make him want to die, which is exactly why Chase picked them

Chase: he'd be the resident DJ and all-around nuisance; the one turning around and peeking into the third row seats, poking Briony's cheek while she's passed out against the window or tickling Red's nose with a feather while he's taking a snooze, and generally being a little bit of a nuisance. He's a restless guy, so being confined in a vehicle with him for more than a few hours would lead to him just starting to bother people for shits and giggles, especially because he'd know there's no escape. There would be no peace. A rare moment of silence would settle over the car for the first time in hours, and then Chase's voice would float in from the backseat: "Hey Red, remember that time you said you bet your dick is bigger than Blade's?" *cue choking noise to sounds of indignant squawks crescendoing to outright screeching*

Thankfully, his music choices would be very catchy to everyone except Riel, who feels Bach is more suitable for long car rides. 

Red: I think he'd just be ✨along for the ride ✨, happy to participate in the discussions or play card games quietly with Tallys and Shery in the backseat. The only thing is, long car rides make his legs cramp up due to his tallness, so he'd apologetically have to ask for several stops to stretch his legs, annoying Blade. He'd love to read in the car, but he gets sick (as he keeps telling Tallys), so he generally occupies himself by staring out the window. He has an extraordinarily good sense of direction and visual memory, so he can be staring at a random stretch of road and will randomly be like "oh my family blew a tire over there when I was 6" while everyone is like, wtf lol

Ayla: I think she'd a little bit cranky at first and would sort of pull her hoodie up, put sunglasses on, and jam her earphones in, but after a few hours she'd loosen up and start to have some fun! She'd voraciously eat crappy gas station food and snacks and play games where she'd point out bad drivers and make up stories about them, like, "That chick is texting while driving! Think she's talking to her sugar daddy to score some coke while her husband is at home with their kids??" She'd be the one who has to pee all the time, further aggravating Riel and Blade because she'd make them pull over pretty much every chance she got!

Briony: she'd be extremely chipper and energetic and bouncy at first, which would seem a bit too much in the early morning, and she'd have all of these exciting plans and itineraries and pit stops planned ahead of time, hopping on the balls of her feet and shouting about what a fun trip this is going to be!! ...Alas, it would all be for naught, because as soon as she's in a car, she passes the fuck out and is just snoozing against the window for most of the journey, totally insensate! Something about the motion of a car just makes her really sleepy! She'd suddenly jolt awake and would slur "GIANT BURGERRR... PULL OVER, WE'RE GOING TO PASS THE BURGER!!!!" and demand that they pull over for the kitschiest, dumbest roadside attractions, wake up just enough to make everyone take pictures together or get out and stretch their legs and look at the alpaca farm or something, and then would immediately pass out again as soon as they were back in the car lol

Lavinet: she'd be the one who had to sit in a window seat and would either be texting, snapchatting, or posting on Insta for much of the car ride, taking artful shots of the passing landscape or documenting their journey through photos. She'd probably be the one shaking Briony awake in time for the roadside attractions (the Insta-worthy ones, anyway) so Briony could be the one to demand the stops, and she'd be a little bit picky about the fast food options on the road... "Can't we get to a town with a sit-down restaurant, darling?" She'd coo over how the Starlight Diner is vintage '50s Americana and how they absolutely have to detour and go!!!

Halek: he would stretch out in a row all to himself (hell, put him in the trunk if you have to, he doesn't give a shit) and just passes out, only to wake up, tousle-haired and disorientated like five hours later. Where is he? In another state? Which one? What day is it? He has no idea... He has caught in the timeless, weightless limbo that car trip naps often instill...

Spoilers

So I saw how you said that Trouble is kind of hard to keep alive at the end. (All my MCs are working on that, lol, the friends and the lover.)

Does that mean Blade is doubly hard to keep alive at the end? I mean, he is Mr. "Hey, I just met you and this is crazy, but I'll DIE FOR YOU and that ain't no maybe."

Uhhhh I don't think Blade is doubly hard to keep alive at the end... it's sort of hard to explain... but let's just say that more opportunities to arise for Trouble to die (all preventable, of course), and more unexpectedly, whereas there are fewer chances or choices that lead to Blade's potential death, but they're a much harder crossroads to face than a spur-of-the-moment reaction....... if that makes any sense.......

So what're the Autarchy's defenses for Haven like? So like, what would happen if a weather-mage tried to attack Haven from above with a bigass lightning bolt or a hurricane or something.

This is sort of a big spoiler, but you know how the Shepherds' compound (or the academy at Capra) has numerous wards and magical defenses? Haven--being originally the ancient capitol of the Mages before the Autarchy took it over--has defenses like that, too: things like spells and automatic shields that activate against something like outside attack or really insane natural disasters; so a big magical bolt of lightning directed toward the city would glance off, or a magically-created hurricane would dissipate before touching land. This is a very big secret that very few people in Haven (or even the world) even have an inkling of; some people have educated guesses, but the extent and existence of these defenses is general kept shrouded in complete mystery, though they've technically existed in some form for millennia. Nowadays, they're maintained by the Autarchy's Court Mages, which is a whole thing we'll get into in the game eventually!

Hey! I had a question about our heritage—you've mentioned before that MC's got like, roughly 1% of non-Mage DNA, and it seems to actually manifest itself, ie baby elf ears or white streak. My question is therefore if that's normal, if that makes sense? To have such a tiny percentage of non-mage heritage but still be visibly mixed, or is the MC just a special case? does a mage with one elven great-great grandmother still appear as an elf? when does the lifespan start being unaffected? are they considered elf-mage, or just mage with elvish heritage? Also side note for Mage-Ket pairings, is it like a 50/50 chance of them having magic or arms? or is it like, 45/45 chance of either, 5 percent of having both and 5 percent having neither deal. You don't have to answer all of these LMAO, just one would do. I hope you're well!

Hi Jazz, thanks and I hope you're well too! To answer your question, there really aren't very many rules when it comes to mixed genetics in Blest--a lot of it boils down to chance and randomness! It's fairly common to have like a Mage great-great-great grandmother and suddenly have the iladrin pop up mysteriously, and baby Elf ears can manifest in kids with anywhere from 50% or 75% Elf DNA to 1%; this is why Briony has them, too, and it doesn't give a great indication of how "recent" the lineage is--it's pretty much accepted as totally random, lol! 

Lifespans of mixed children are similarly kind of very random, but it starts to fade out around the 50% mark. AKA, if you are exactly half-Elf and half-Mage, you'll probably live longer than a full-blooded Mage, but not as long as a full-blooded Elf. If you're 75% Mage and 25% Elf, chances are you'll skew very strongly towards a natural Mage's lifespan and the Elvish part won't play as much of a role, give or take a few decades. After that, it pretty much stabilizes and your lifespan generally tends to be the same as the predominant gene, though, of course, there are lots of exceptions and things can be so random that there's really no hard 'rule' or concrete way of telling for sure! For people like Briony who are every which way (part Elf, part Ket, part Mage, and part Hunter, or anything in between), it's a complete and total crapshoot, though genealogists would place hard bets that she'll definitely live longer than a Norm.

Notably, in the same way that Hunter powers never manifest in children with mixed blood, Hunters' shorter lifespans also never seem to have an effect on children with mixed blood, either; so a 50-50 Hunter-Mage child won't have the shorter lifespan of a Hunter, just as they won't have the powers/grace of a Hunter, either. 

Terms like Elf-Mage, Ket-Mage, or Ket-Hunter (etc.) are kind of up to individuals and semantics. Generally, people don't refer to themselves as Elf-Mages unless they have manifestations of both ancestries: AKA, they have both pointed ears and some form of magic. Of course, it's all up to the individual, but other people will scoff a little bit or make fun of you behind your back if you're like "I'm an Elf-Mage" but your only Mage blood comes from a distant ancestor like 8 generations back and you have no Mage features or magic whatsoever; it's generally taken more seriously if it's your parent who was the Mage, and doubly more so if you actually manifest magic. If none of those boxes are ticked, society kind of just treats it like a weird little trivia fact that you decided to share about yourself/your family, but not something to really take seriously. 

The question of Ket-Mage powers was sort of alluded to here, but all things being equal, if one parent was like 100% Ket and the other parent was 100% Mage (which is really impossible to know, I know, but for the hypothetical of it--), it's pretty much the case that the child would have a 45% likelihood of ending up with magic, 45% likelihood of ending up with arma. In my headcanon, I've never known a character to have both, but the Ket aspect could occasionally manifest in weird ways--namely, random bouts of superstrength or exceptionally tough physique. Basically, features that aren't tied directly to arma, or the person in question wouldn't be able to wield actual arma, but there could be some features that are influenced by arma or are considered arma-adjacent? I hope that makes sense!

In the event of a pure-blooded Ket-Mage union, it would be like insanely improbable that their child ended up with neither magic nor arma--like one of those really unlucky 0.000000000000001% events, just really bizarre odds. Magic is known to be the most volatile and "flighty" of all inherited powers; there are cases where it skips whole generations, even with two pure-blooded Mage parents, or pops up completely randomly and in full force in, like, entirely Norm-seeming descendants, but in the case of a Ket-Mage union, the child would almost certainly inherit arma instead. 

I hope that all makes sense! For the curious, further DNA reading for Blest can be found here! 

This one popped in my head as i was going through the mission into The Cave with Many Mouths (I think that's the name). Are there other Tainted creatures or beings that are relatively docile or friendly like Mekduk? I guess I just like the idea of these beings that are supposed to evil sort of rebelling against their nature, it's interesting to read.

Yes, there are a very few Tainted creatures who would surprise you with their general demeanor or civility. You will get to interact with at least one other in the game, and there were a few in the original books. Fext, the Tainted offspring between Elves and Endarkened, are known to be fairly chill most of the time, though like vampires, they're also blood-drinkers, so they are dangerous even if they don't necessarily want to be. There are also some who rival Shades in how much they like Murder and Horrible Things, though, so it's really a mixed bag!

If you're interested in the dynamic of evil things having some more nuanced reasons for being evil, I also recommend checking out Soldiers of Hael, which lets you play in the perspective of an Endarkened and gives you some insight into how their society and mindset works!

You’ve said before that Briony was based on the original MC. What are the similarities and differences between both of them?

Initially, Briony was conceived to be more similar to the original novel MC, Arainia, but she has since diverged into being pretty much her own person. Arainia (novel MC) was quite fierce, stubborn, headstrong, impulsive, and very much a tomboy, whereas I think Briony is more silly, playful, excitable, and a chatterbox. Arainia sort of had more Trouble-like qualities because she was one of the first female officers in the Shepherds and had to prove her toughness and bravado, whereas Briony is friendlier and warmer right off the bat (I think Arainia's fiercer qualities transferred more over to Ayla, though Ayla was also always quite tough and brash on her own). I think the thing they have most in common is that they, generally, get along with pretty much everyone and have a unifying quality to their personalities in that they can pull groups together; Trouble and Riel would never dream of spending time together as just the two of them, but if Briony is there, then that's all right, and it's less awkward, and tension or silence in the room is pretty much non-existent. The same goes for people like Chase or Red, who are gregarious enough to pretty much smooth things over with anybody and make people feel comfortable in their presence. Arainia and Briony both share those "easier to talk to" personalities, and both also have elements of the unpredictable, explosive superstrength and Battle-Mage powers; however, Arainia was pure Elf-Mage, whereas Briony is more of a mix. Both also share a hot and dangerous temper when provoked, though it's easier to set Arainia off than it is Briony, who's generally more understanding (and also fearful of her own temper). Arainia holds grudges for much longer, whereas Briony is generally more forgiving, if a bit more violent/physically-destructive when she loses control. Arainia also had an extremely contentious relationship with her father, though in most versions of the story, her mother and siblings were dead; whereas Briony also does not get along with her father, mother, or sister, but they're all still alive!

Other than that, they're not too similar: I'd describe Arainia as sort of dangerous and pointy, with an edge of cunning mixed with ferocious recklessness and rebelliousness, more of a maverick with a softer side towards her friends; and Briony more as generally sweet, playful, and sometimes ditzy-seeming, with a hidden dark side and dark past!

NSFW

What are the shepherds butts like ?

Blade: muscular and tight; slapping it would be like slapping a granite wall, but it is substantial

Trouble: thick and juicy--would fill out jeans extremely nicely. People do tend to stare at his ass a lot

Tallys: slim and elegant, more like a ballerina's or an acrobat's 

Shery: curvaceous and a little plump, with a low sway

Riel: slim and a little bony visually, but with soft cheeks!

Chase: slim and firm, befitting his more wiry body

Red: a little more on the angular side, but with plenty of muscle

Ayla: hard and dense and a little sharp; there isn't any fat on her, so it would hurt a bit if she parked herself on your lap!

Briony: cute and perky visually, but surprisingly muscled if you grabbed a handful

Lavinet: extremely round and curvaceous; she has a juicy butt and knows how to work it!

NFSW: who would be willing to join MC in a skinning dipping session during crushing and beginning romance phase?

In a crushing phase:

Trouble

Tallys

Chase

Red (maybe. there would probably need to be alcohol and really heavy flirting involved)

Ayla

Briony (maybe. but only if MC promised to close their eyes and not look lol)

In a romance:

Blade (but only if sex was like definitely in the cards lol... basically he's only doing it as foreplay and that's the only thing that would get him to do it)

Trouble

Tallys

Shery (maybe in a really deep romance, but at that point she'd probably see it as more like bathing together, which they'd be doing in a deep romance probably anyway)

Chase

Red (it wouldn't be his inclination, so he'd only do it if MC really wanted to)

Briony

Ayla

Lavinet (only if MC had already seen her naked. she'd probably only do it to be a tease and would have no interest otherwise)

Would Blade be turned off by a competitive fmc that was very determined to show him up. Like she carrying heavy stuff that’s clearly too much but she refuses his help or when she fights him she goes all out because she doesn’t want to look weak. Also if so, would that lead to freaky sex?

On the contrary, this tends to be a turn-on for Blade most of the time, even if he outwardly acts frustrated by it! He tends to be attracted to this type of personality (sort of feisty and stubborn); however, it would be a turn-off if it was really extreme (like MC was doing crazy shit like poking holes in his canteen to ensure she could hike farther than him, things like that). Basically, if the line stops at 'determined', he'd find it pretty cute; if it was like 'insane,' he wouldn't like it. It probably wouldn't lead to freaky sex any more than any other thing; I think he'd prefer a more playful or flirtatious competitiveness over a love-hate rivalry thing going on!