Author Answers (January)

General

What would be the preferred bedroom wall colors of the LIs (plus Prihine and Croelle, if you wanted to)?

Blade: he doesn't care as long as it's a fairly neutral color; if left to his own devices he would probably choose like a neutral tan or beige, but anything from dark blue or dark earthy green would also be good with him! Just no bright, headachy, obnoxious colors!

Trouble: he doesn't really care if cohabitating with a partner, but his room is currently painted a dark red 😅

Tallys: she prefers earthy or sage tones, so anything from a rustic brown to dark green would be ideal for her. She would hate bright, primary colors or anything that feels cold and clinical, like gray or really stark white!

Shery: she prefers soft pastels, so baby blue, mint green, blush pink, or cream white would be ideal for her! She could tolerate pretty much anything in a lighter shade, but would hate scary colors like pitch black or blood red or space purple or anything like that!

Riel: it has to be a color that connotes cleanness, so some shade of white (eggshell, alabaster, what have you) is really his preferred color for his bedroom. There is little room for compromise here, but he could tolerate certain other neutral colors, like a really light dove gray, but he would abhor beige and tan!

Chase: he literally doesn't care, mostly because there's so much stuff in his room you're hardly even going to notice the walls! I think, if left to his own devices, he'd paint the walls something like black with gold accents, dark red, or royal purple (he wants something dark and moody), but he doesn't really have a strong preference either way!

Red: he's always at his most comfortable in cozy, dark academia-like settings, so anything from that general color palette/aesthetic would suit him! I'm picturing something like this:

Ayla: she likes warm, sandy colors, so tan, brown, orange, gold, umber, anything from that general scale of things would make her feel comfortable! She'd hate anything really sickly pink and feminine (so Shery's room would be her nightmare lol)

Briony: she loves really bright, pop colors, so berry pink, bright teal, sunshine yellow are all colors she'd like to have in her bedroom... Like in Persona, if you know what I'm talking about!

Lavinet: she needs light colors, so white with gold embellishments, soft rose gold or pale pink is her go-to! She hates dark and dingy bedrooms, so absolutely no dark colors for her!

Everyone’s New Year’s resolution and whether they stuck with them or not?

Blade: he did not make a resolution because "he doesn't need an arbitrary calendar date to have discipline or do things with resolve" LOL if he decides to do something, he just does it... 😅

Trouble: resolved to swear less in polite company. Stuck with it for probably 2-3 months before giving up

Tallys: resolved to try and be more approachable to people who don't know her well (like Shepherd recruits outside of her inner circle). Results are mixed, but she's still trying!

Shery: resolved to eat less sweets! She'd manage to marginally cut back, though not by much! Still, it counts as technically fulfilling the resolution!

Riel: did not make a resolution, but should have resolved to get more consistent sleep. Would have failed anyway, which is probably why he didn't resolve to do it, because he already knew... 

Chase: did not make a resolution, possibly incapable of either thinking that far ahead or committing to a plan for that long :D

Red: resolved to limit his reading and research hours to allow him to go to sleep before dawn. Marginally worked, though he trudges off to bed with only half an hour to spare before the sun rises!

Ayla: resolved to bite people's heads off less (if they don't really deserve it)! So far, sticking to it... with some exceptions here and there!

Briony: resolved to get up consistently at dawn to put in her training and workout hours... stuck to it!

Lavinet: not a traditional new year's resolution, but resolved to own this year and dominate in both the Shepherds and the Sun Court! We'll see how it pans out... 

Halek: resolved to be more timely with his letters back home. Did not stick to that resolution and probably already knew he was going to fail when he made it lol

Happy New year! As for my question, what modern day activities would the ROs + Halek enjoy/be good at?

Happy New Year! Hmm, this is an interesting question! I think there's a wealth of info to be gleaned from the modern AU tag and elsewhere, but as for specific modern day activities...

Blade: I think he would still be into modern martial arts as well as fencing, and I think he'd enjoy driving nice cars and watching good (particularly older or black and white) movies: that'd probably be one of the main things that changed about him! Throwing on a movie would probably be his idea of a good night. It's hard to picture him doing most "modern" activities, so I feel like not a lot would change... he wouldn't be interested in social media or most of the internet except to learn things, he'd abhor a lot of places like malls or concerts, and most of the other things he'd be doing after work wouldn't really be considered all that modern (working out, reading, hanging out with friends) in and of themselves! I do think he'd enjoy texting and emailing just so he doesn't have to talk to people face-to-face as much, lol. It'd be a much more efficient method of communication for him!

Trouble: he'd be into video games, DIY home improvement stuff, fixing up cars and motorcycles, and movies! For some reason I feel like he'd have a passing interest in multiple sports, like soccer, snowboarding, or football, but not to the point where any of them would stick and they'd become his "thing." I think in school someone might push him to join the robotics/battlebots club, which he'd be enthusiastic about, but wouldn't bring with him once he graduated! For some reason people would assume he's into brewing his own beer, which he's not, at all. I think he'd play the guitar passably well and would keep it in his room... And I think he'd enjoy grilling for his friends! He'd also enjoy camping and going to amusement parks!

Tallys: she'd be into yoga, meditation, and probably some boho/hippie/New Age-type activities like sound therapy and holistic medicine. She'd probably be skilled at really random things, like origami, calligraphy, woodworking, glass-blowing, candle-making... I feel like she'd be the type of person who foraged for her own ingredients and then cooked them into tasty meals, but I don't know how "modern" that is! I feel like she'd have an Etsy shop where she sold like wild foraged flowers cast in resin or something like that! She'd enjoy camping, hiking, and would probably be someone who hitchhiked or lived in a tiny home or walked the entire Pacific Coast trail or something like that!

Shery: I think she'd really enjoy social media and would certainly run some sort of baking cottagecore TikTok channel where you'd hardly see her face, but she'd make the cutest and most satisfying little creations! I also feel like she'd have an Etsy store for her various crafts, and a Pinterest to curate her aesthetic... Maybe she'd be into cosplay? She'd also enjoy crossword puzzles and things of that nature!

Riel: I think programming/coding would certainly be among his many hobbies and interests; he'd be very interested in AI stuff as well as just generally geeky stuff like semantic networks and flow aggregation, etc. He'd be into competitive chess and would play the violin and piano remarkably well. All of his appliances would be smart devices. He'd love stuff like studying the stock market and participating in, like, debate clubs and quiz bowls and trivia tournaments as a student!

Chase: I'm struggling to imagine him as that much different in a modern world in terms of his hobbies and activities, other than that he'd be Chase with a motorcycle and social media. He'd love social media 😅 All the selfies he would take... I think he'd love modern-day "stuff" more than he would modern-day "activities": TV, malls, bubble tea, midnight diners, fast cars, that kind of thing! I think he'd enjoy video games, but only social ones he could play with others, not really long-winded, story-heavy single-player ones! OH he'd be so good at learning magic tricks as we think of them!

Red: I feel like he'd be a swimmer: not that swimming is necessarily a modern-day activity, but like a "go to the gym and do laps in the morning as a form of exercise" kind of swimmer rather than a "sometimes when we go to lakes I enjoy a swim". I also feel like he'd be into board games and escape rooms for sure, and would probably enjoy casual photography as well! He'd also probably collect vinyl records and be just a little bit of a hipster!

Ayla: I think she'd be into a bunch of outdoor activities that Blest doesn't have for recreation, like kayaking or spelunking, hang-gliding or skydiving, parkour and geocaching, rock-climbing and etc.! She'd also enjoy taking yoga classes at a local studio and would just generally be really active and adventurous (which she is in Blest), but for fun!

Briony: I think she'd be all over the place in terms of activities that interested her, she tends to want to give everything a try! I think she'd be great at and interested in a lot of modern-day martial arts (kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, muay thai, etc.), maybe some form of dancing (as a form of fun exercise, not as an art form, as she'd be horrible at that). Many of the activities she'd enjoy the most would either be social (karaoke, dancing at clubs with her friends, watching movies together, planning big trips together, going to amusement parks or zoos together, board game cafes) or varied (trying food tours, paint and sip classes, hot air balloons, cat cafes, farmer's markets) in some way. She wouldn't really have just "one thing" she was really into, she'd just constantly be pushing everyone to try a bunch of different things and seeing what's fun and novel all the time!

Lavinet: she'd rule social media for sure... I also think she'd be quite into modern fashion, both wearing and admiring it, and would quite enjoy reality TV, romantic movies, and then getting to partake in the online discussions about them afterwards! She'd also be interested in modern cosmetics and would watch YouTube tutorials or reviews of various products to get sleepy before bed, lol. She'd love modern spas and nail salons and would always be changing up her look! She'd also love the jetsetter lifestyle and would be that girl always posting glamorous photos from, like, Ibiza or Fiji or what have you... I also like to think she'd be an excellent singer  and dancer (I love the idea of her being part of a minor pop group or something like that)!

Halek: It just popped into my head that it would be hilarious to think of Halek being a DJ LOL. He'd be good at it! I also think he'd be into rock music and would be an excellent bassist. Of course he'd be into cooking, but that's true even in Blest... He'd enjoy video games... and probably a little bit of weed now and then lol

How would each of the ROs (+Halek and Croelle) react to MC acting infatuated with them because of a love potion? And how would they react to finding out that it doesn’t make MC fall in love, it makes them reveal their “true feelings”?

Would focus on getting MC better and would simply ignore their infatuated behavior or the implication that it was their true feelings (or do some sort of mental gymnastics to convince themselves that it isn't really their true feelings):

• Blade
• Trouble
• Shery
• Halek (*uhhh doesn't really know what to do with this information so just not going to think about it*)

Would try to focus on getting MC better, but inwardly would be ridiculously pleased by this information and would be thrilled by the confirmation that MC actually likes them, but would resolve to talk about it with them after they're in a sound state of mind:

• Briony (concerned for MC but also giggling like a giddy schoolgirl)
• Lavinet (smug and self-assured)
• Red (trying to be normal and dignified about it but sometimes the mask cracks and a pleased smile slips through)
• Tallys (calm but pleased)

Just thoroughly enjoying this all and coaxing MC to tell him more about their true feelings, to the discomfort and hatred of everyone else involved:

• Chase

Uncomfortable and viscerally embarrassed on MC's behalf enough to just try to avoid the whole thing and let the others try to cure their besotted ass, out of mercy and kindness:

• Ayla
• Riel

What is this? This is disgusting and I hate it. Fix it now.

• Croelle

Spoilers

What is the first "I want to kiss MC" moment for the ROs?

Blade: the first conscious moment was almost certainly when MC came back to the Reach after recovering the lachryma from the Cave of Many Mouths, though you could also headcanon it as happening sometime off-screen in between his Capra day off mission (when MC pinned him/he pinned MC, sexual tension off the charts, etc.) and them traveling to the Reach together, too!

Trouble: I don't think I've written it yet! It hasn't happened in the day off interludes that have written for him yet, but it also occurs before the Wallmire mission, so sometime in between then! I have a personal headcanon that it was when they were walking through a local festival or carnival together, decided to share popular festival treat (peaches injected with a kind of honeyed syrup), MC took a bite and the juice started running down their chin, Trouble laughed and thoughtlessly pulled his sleeve over his wrist to swipe playfully at their face for them (kind of teasingly so, like "oh my god, you're a mess" and expecting them to recoil/swat him away), and then it just... hit him like a ton of bricks? But I don't know if that'll make it into the game yet, so take that with a grain of salt!

Tallys: the first time she realized she was attracted to with MC was probably when they were playing FMK in the tavern in Chapter 1 if you did that route (or sometime shortly after if you didn't), but the first time she has an outright "I want to kiss MC" moment is when she actually acts on it and they hook up in her day off interlude!

Shery: she starts developing a crush on MC around the time of her third day off interlude, but the first time she actively has a "I want to kiss MC/I hope MC kisses me" moment is probably during the Wintersun celebration if they're seatmates and fairybread partners!

Riel: it hasn't happened yet in terms of his day off interludes (though to be fair there are only two so far), so I don't have the specifics on the "first" moment yet, but he 100% wanted to kiss MC while drunk during the Labyrinth mission in Chapter 8!

Chase: it happened on his first day off when MC was up on the rooftop with him and they were getting all flirty! I can pinpoint the exact line and action, too lol!

Red: if exes, when MC put a hand on his face when first meeting again in Solhadur LOL 😳 super embarrassing for him! He experienced a very strong moment of double-vision/deja vu/disorientation there... And if not exes, sometime after the mission to Heth Macoll, but before Wallmire! The nice thing is that a lot of missions/scenarios can happen in the time between described chapter missions, so a lot of opportunities there...

Briony: 100% wanted to kiss during Chapter 6 if you patrol together on the Lockwood walls and huddle under a cloak together!!! That was the canonical first moment for her, though obviously she started developing feelings/a crush on MC before that!

Ayla: also in Chapter 6 during the patrol on the walls if you're her partner, though because she joined before Briony, you could headcanon the first time as an off-screen moment shortly prior to that (though after the Heth Macoll mission) if you wanted, too!

Lavinet: since she was the most recent recruit (discounting Mimir) and I've only written one day off interlude for her so far, I haven't pinned it down exactly, though my guess is that it'll be during the Ascendancy Festival or Lovelace Day, both of which precede the mission to the Elven Quarter in Chapter 8.5!

How aware are each of the ROs of MC’s feelings for them? (given that they’ve done all day offs and are hitting all the stat checks for ro interactions, like the cave moments)

Blade: hopeless, no idea if MC likes him or is just being a Human Woman, he is woefully inexperienced at discerning any of this and cursing that fact and is drastically overthinking it all and completely clueless as to how to read the situation outside of his own feelings

Trouble: pretty oblivious, he thinks they're besties and is moping about the fact that his feelings became unplatonic when MC very likely does not feel the same way (🙄)

Tallys: she has a pretty good read on the situation and is, at this point in the game, deeply in love with MC and fairly confident they feel the same way towards her

Shery: not certain at all, she's aware that MC might treat her differently or is doing extra-nice things for her, but won't allow herself to hope that the reason for that is romantic and not just because MC is an exceptionally nice person 🥹 she has definitely picked up on some moments of tension, but always dismisses them afterwards as just being part of her imagination!

Riel: he is like 70% certain that MC is attracted to him. Going by body language alone, he's usually able to tell, but whether MC wants that to manifest into anything like a relationship is where he's having trouble!

Chase: haha, he tries not to think about it... :') as of around Chapter 7 he's deluded himself into thinking they're still just FWB and surely MC isn't attached, but the mask is slipping (for both of them) fast and he finds himself guiltily looking at that Torpedo like, Should I...? No, I could be wrong and MC just thinks of me as a fuck-buddy and I think the same, so it's fine for now...! *procrastinating* Basically he goes back and forth while desperately trying to avoid thinking about it

Red: by Chapter 7 he is like 90% sure MC wants to jump his bones, but that missing 10% keeps him cautious and on his toes that he could be DEAD wrong, and he wants to avoid that humiliation if he can, lol, which is why he tried to bring it up with them to clear the air first!

Ayla: going by her day offs alone, I'd say she doesn't know yet at all if MC is into her, but she's tentatively hopeful, not convinced that there's no chance like Trouble or mired in total confusion like Blade. It's kind of just like "interest piqued, let's see what happens" rather than being really angsty and impatient and unsure, if that makes any sense!

Briony: around Chapter 6, no idea if MC likes her, was mostly just interested in getting closer to them as a friend but with interest in developing more if it ended up going that way; by Chapter 9, still no real idea, but has a hopeful hunch. If you asked her to give it a percentage, she'd say she's 30% sure? To her, MC could just act like that to all of their friends, so she doesn't want to assume anything about their relationship is special until she has more proof... Basically her thoughts on it boil down to, "I have a chance! 🥹" But she's definitely not convinced that MC is into her!

Lavinet: she's lived such a charmed life that she's pretty much always 50% sure someone is attracted to her, but after Lockwood, she was at like a 60% chance! By Chapter 9, she's at an 80%, or a 90% if MC did things like inviting her to the Ascendancy Festival or Lovelace Day. The question at that point is more about what to do about their mutual attraction whether than questioning if MC is attracted to her at all.. 😜

Oh boy a whole new year of ShoH.  When MC becomes Commander Legate, how long does it take until Lavinet recommends (forces) us to take etiquette/fan language/etc lessons from her?

She wouldn't take it as far as fan language, since she'd assume that she would be present on any occasions where that knowledge would be necessary; and etiquette lessons would depend on MC's current demeanor and upbringing! If they're, like, kind of feral and unmannered, she'd raise it as a topic within the first month, though I imagine Riel would beat her to it LOL. If MC is already pretty suave and sophisticated at that stuff, she probably wouldn't ever broach the topic and would figure they've made do so far, so why mess with the magic? And even if she did want to bring it up, she'd recommend a tutor for them that the Shepherds could hire, but she wouldn't give the etiquette lessons herself: she'd think that presumptuous of her unless MC asked her themself! She'd probably propose foreign language lessons more willingly than etiquette lessons so as not to come off as overstepping!

Feel free to skip this one but... Did the Hierophant get possessed by Jarkyth willingly or not?

He was not possessed willingly, but he did kind of ask for it by participating in weird, shady shit where he probably should have expected demons were involved, if that makes any sense! I saw it as "The Hierophant has been persuaded to partake in secret rituals *that are definitely, totally in honor of the One-God* by some silver-tongued interloper who phrased it in some avant-garde theological way, but he's aware that the optics would look bad and the Inquisitors/Autarchy would not approve of it per se, so he used his power to keep it under wraps with the encouragement of said interloper(s), and looking back, he probably should have seen it coming..." But he did not willingly summon the demon into himself or bargain with it or anything like that, he was sort of tricked into it! It'd sort of be like a high priest going to weird celebrity "Eyes Wide Shut" sin parties, like, not a good look for him and he definitely fell to temptation, but the idea of a Faceless Lord being behind it all was not something he was considering!

i know you've mentioned before that only elves can rlly tell that tallys is 'getting to biz' with mc because of their cultural tells, so im wondering if in chapter 8, denan and ashaniel, like, IMMEDIATELY clocked that tallys feels more for the mc than the average coworker

Denan, who's a little more naive despite being around Tallys's age, did not really pick up on it, because Tallys was making an effort to seem professional/impartial; but Ashaniel definitely did, and suspected it even before MC ever showed up, because Tallys talked about them when she was in the Elven Quarter and catching up with her old neighbors in passing. She obviously held MC in such clear high esteem and spoke of them with such praise and pride in her voice that Ashaniel immediately clocked it, lol!

Obsessed with the scene with Shery putting her foot down when an elae mc offers to pick up the slack due to the shortage of healers.

Any other moments where Shery steps in and tells mc or the inner circle that they're stretching themselves too thin?

I had to poke around for a few moments before I remembered what this is in reference to! On MC's first time addressing their new Commander-Legate activities, right? :)

There aren't any other explicit moments like that in the game that I can think of off the top of my head, but Shery definitely gets bolder over time about scolding other people when they're working themselves too hard! Ironically, the three worse offenders are the three Commanders... Blade, Riel, and MC (YMMV) all have the propensity to steam ahead with work to the point of nearly dropping dead/gravely concerning others! Shery doesn't outright scold Blade and Riel, but she either nudges firmly or puts her foot down, like, "I'm not bringing you that paperwork until you have something to eat" *watches carefully to ensure Riel actually eats a whole sandwich instead of just agreeing absently and then leaving it by his elbow once she leaves the room* or "Commander, I really think you should go to the infirmary, you're getting blood everywhere..."

The other companions don't really need the same level of intervention, most (like Trouble, Tallys, Chase, Halek, Ayla, Briony, and Lavinet) are pretty good about self-regulating and are happy to turn the work switch "off" and have healthy leisure time, so Shery doesn't really have to step in when it comes to them! Red is an exception, but he's "having fun" so she mostly leaves him alone because according to everyone, he's always been like that, so... yeah lol!

Hello, and happy new year!! I just finished reading (and crying over) Trouble's short story, In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb! My question is about Elden, the healer who was caring for Trouble. Was Trouble ever able to visit him once he got out of the Equalists' clutches? Did he ever regain his memories of Trouble? I need to know, I'm banging on the walls cursing Seskel's name 🥹🥹🥹🥹 Thank you very much in advance — I apologize if this question's already been answered before!

Ah, that story is a brutal one! 🥲 No, Elden never regained his memories of Trouble, sadly! 😭 And Trouble never went back to visit him! I think, after the Equalists, Trouble's state of mind was very confused, tangled up in a lot of pain, shame, guilt, and trauma... He was grateful to be alive, but he'd spent an indeterminate amount of time--months--"out" of his old life with the gang, and over the course of that time, he'd resigned himself to accepting that everyone in his old life probably thought he was dead, so the idea of popping up again and going through the whole ordeal of "surprise! I'm not dead!" and also having to explain what had happened to him (which he did NOT want to do, and especially didn't want to deal with the pity or bewilderment and constant rehashing that would follow), as well as trying to pick up the threads/pattern of that life when it had moved on without him was just... not doable for him. It would be awkward, and horrible, and it would just make him feel out of place and more alone than before, while also exposing the pain of what he'd just been through, so it was kinder to everyone involved if he just left them alone and didn't reopen all of it and kind of just went away and started over. (Which he did by becoming a wandering mercenary for a while.) He also struggled with guilt over being such an ungrateful shithead, and to an extent he blamed himself for what happened to him (in his mind, the Equalists and not having anyone to come save him or seemingly care about him were direct karma for being the kind of thug who'd rob people), and Elden was tied up in that guilt and shame ("he always tried to help me or tell me not to do things, and I was a mouthy asshole to him and should have listened, and if I ever face him again I'd have to tell him he was right but it didn't help me like at all because I went through this terrible thing he'd probably think I deserved"), so he was not on Trouble's list of people to revisit because that encounter would just dredge up a lot of those feelings!... Etc. Etc. In short, it's complicated, and Trouble himself hasn't really articulated it to himself in a really clear and concise way! But the point is, he never went back to visit Elden and ultimately sort of forgot about him during his time with the Equalists; there was just a lot going on and Elden was (to Trouble) just one of several adult figures around the slums he was acquainted with and whom tried to help him, so he didn't feel a particular propensity to go running to the Healer even once he was out! He was at like the bottom of his priority list, with his gang at the top, but ultimately he chose to abandon the whole list and reinvent himself and move forward by cutting his ties to his past altogether. I hope that all makes sense!