Author Answers (October)

General

What were the reactions of Blade, Trouble, Prihine and Riel after MC defeated Clochus and wouldn't wake up? Let's assume it's a kind MC that has a great relationship with the shepherds (solved the equalist problem with Trouble)

This is pretty much how the exact conversation went: 

Riel (concerned): MC has been asleep for some time. Are they alright?

Trouble (nonchalant): Oh, yeah. I think so, anyway. This happened before when they took out Blaphemel a few months ago. Slept for days and then woke up fine and hungry. Maybe it's a Mage thing. 

Blade (slightly worried but figuring it's normal and wanting MC to have time to rest): I've assigned a Healer to watch over them. She'll alert us to any changes in MC's condition.

Prihine (worried but trying not to show it): You Shepherds are so strange. 

Trouble, who has also slept for 3 days after over-exerting himself: Yeah.

Blade: *grunt*

So there's an option for MC to be a rival of Red's at the Veiled Circle. What was that like in general since Red seems like such a nice guy? Was it the MC being jealous of Red's popularity even if the MC could be more powerful? Did this make the MC very unpopular with the others? Was rival!MC sitting alone at meal times? This reality is quite cool in a way in that it provides MC a way of redeeming themselves to the Veiled Circle (if they regret their past actions that is lol)

I headcanon MC and Red's rivalry as mostly academic and not like necessarily hostile: more a "Hermione Granger really wants the best grades in class and squints at Harry when he beats her at Defense Against the Dark Arts" and not like "Harry and Draco want to kill each other." It's of course left up to the player interpretation, but I don't necessarily picture MC as a loner who resented Red for his popularity, though this is an option. I imagine they did have their own friends, even if it was a small inner circle, and these friends just don't happen to be at the Circle anymore when they return as adults. I didn't personally imagine them sitting alone by themselves, but it's up to you! The one thing is that Red did believe that they were good friends even if they were actually rivals: Rival!MC and Red can have this conversation in Chapter 5. MC can either imply they were rivals due to Red's popularity, or they were rivals academically.

How often does MC think back about their adoptive family and what happened on their flower day? Is it something that affects their ability to really connect with others deep down or is it up to each individual MC to decide to allow people close to them again for fear of losing them?

This is something I definitely leave up to player interpretation and don't have a canonical answer for. There are several explicit points throughout the game where MC can decide how much the past has affected them: while they still have nightmares about what happened, they can have varying reactions from "the past is the past, I need to move on with my life" or stewing in trauma and thirst for revenge. It's definitely left up to you if this affects their ability to connect with others: I put a few choices where a traumatized MC may fear losing what they have, which could in turn govern their relationships with others, but it's all player choice: a playthrough with a cheerful and happy MC who's determined not to let the loss control them is equally valid!

Rinari please....a single fluff fact for each RO plus Halek for the Q&A this month? this update has so many hard choices im dying and need the Soft

Just to let you know, anon, you didn't put #tellmeeverything at the end of this, but I'm a merciful soul so I'll answer anyway! 😊

Blade: he grows addicted to the feeling of MC running her hand through his hair and soon feels like he needs it to relax and will subtly want to demand it (but in his Blade way, which is like... giving her a slight look that could mean anything). He's also comforted by her scent, especially in bed, and counts on it to fall asleep in a deep relationship, so when MC's away and he can't breathe in her scent, he gets very restless and irritable and doesn't sleep! Eventually MC leaves her pillow, but it's just not the same!

Trouble: MC scratching his back is HEAVEN to him and he will come home and fling his shirt off and THROW himself in their lap after a long day! He will also like to take baths with them, but it will always invariably end in a splash fight and a huge mess in the bathroom!

Tallys: it pleases her very much to see that her and MC's things are starting to integrate: MC's shirts are in her closet, her spare oils and lotions are in MC's drawers. She starts writing down these little details and cute things MC says to her and sweet moments they share that make her heart go 'squee' in a special secret journal kept just for that purpose!

Shery: she will leave cute little doodles and love notes for MC everywhere, even hiding some of them so well that MC won’t  find them until months later! It gets to the point where, if she doesn’t stay on top of it, she starts finding notes like in her shoes or under her soap or something!

Riel: he buys MC monogrammed things--like pens with MC's initials, handkerchiefs, towels, etc.--but then one day everything's switched out so it has both of their initials. It's not soon after that that he proposes!

Chase: he names everything he sees MC's name, no matter how nonsensical or embarrassing. "Who's your new pet, Chase?" "This is Little MC" "Wow, those gold flowers are so pretty" "Yeah, I call them 'MC's Delight'" "That song you were humming was nice" "Thanks, it's called 'Ode to MC'"

Red: he's always working and writing things as Archmage, and he rarely ever doodles. But one day he finds himself losing his train of thought and idly doodling MC's name in the margins of his essay on load-bearing support spells, and then he drops his pen and says out loud, "Oh no." That's when he knows he has a really bad crush!

Ayla: she starts avoiding sparring matches with MC (even though she LOVES sparring) because she finds herself unable to take a swing at MC for fear of hurting them, something that has NEVER happened to her before. She doesn't have the heart to try and attack them, even in practice! So she starts making up excuses for why she can't do it, and MC wonders if she's mad at them, because she has no problem sparring with anyone else!

Halek: he becomes more proactive and protective when in a relationship with MC. Most of the time he doesn't care what's going on and wants to leave people to their business, but now he finds himself worrying about MC, becoming exasperated when they're not taking care of themselves and scolding them for not wearing warmer clothing. He's a bit mortified--that's the stern leader part of him coming out--but he can't help it!

Briony: she will forcefully demand snuggles and physical affection from MC very casually. Like she'll just walk up to them while they're doing something and physically put their arm around her shoulders so she can snuggle up against their side, or move their hand and put it on her cheek or the top of her head if she's craving affection and love (which is often)! They don't have to stop what they're doing, just touch her!!! She also gives the biggest, tightest, most loving hugs without crushing bones!

Lavinet: she leaves kiss marks on all her notes to MC and even all over the surfaces of their home together, like "oh MC is going to bring this sandwich to lunch later? KISS" and "send this tea up to MC in his workshop. Oh wait let me leave this kiss mark on the cup!"

Can we get some fluff facts for Riel?

If possible, fluff facts for Tallys?

Fluff facts for dearest Briony, please?

I'm hoping my answers above count lol!

We already know pretty well that Blade detests Red especially if he is blademancing!MC ex but how other shepherds in crushing stage feels about MC and Red who used to be couple and now after years are a good friends?

Trouble: I answered for him here , but the long and short of it is, so long as neither Red nor MC were actively pursuing each other, he'd be pretty chill with it and would trust MC if they said they were just good friends. He likes Red and, while he'd be a little thrown off/jealous about it at first, he'd generally be good-natured and would try not to be all that concerned. He might be a little more jealous if they were really close, like spending all their time together and making it clear to everyone how intimate they are and how well they know each other, but he would try not to show it and would just wail on some practice dummies a lot more! And either way he'd never bring up their past relationship in front of them, even in jest! He'd find it awkward for some reason!

Tallys: She wouldn't be concerned! She's been friends with her exes before and understands their relationship was essentially when they were kids (even moreso in her Elven mind, it's like having a "boyfriend" in the third grade). So it wouldn't bother her at all!

Shery: She'd be pretty bothered and jealous and insecure, and she'd enviously daydream about what her relationship with MC would be like if they were old school friends and past flames. She'd try not to show it, but she'd definitely get jealous seeing how close they were and all the shared experiences they must have, and she'd tell herself that she couldn't compete with Red, who's confident and charismatic and everything she's not! It would be very disheartening for her, and she'd always wonder if they were going to get back together!

Riel: he wouldn't mind, but he'd make sure (directly or indirectly) that both MC and Red didn't actually harbor any lingering feelings before he pursued MC any further! He'd be able to tell pretty quick that they were just platonic, though, so it doesn't change much for him!

Chase: I answered more of this below in the Spoilers section, but he's fairly casual about it because he's not looking for a committed relationship with MC, so Red being their ex and just friends with them doesn't really interfere with that! He might be a little jealous, very briefly, but he'd maintain a very nonchalant attitude about it all and not care too much!

Ayla: She'd be pretty insecure and a bit bitter about it--like in her mind, the past is the past and them just picking up like they haven't seen each other naked (her words) would weird her out about. It's hard for her to imagine just casually being friends with someone you used to make out with/"love," so it'd all sort of be hard for her to fathom, and she'd be pretty skeptical/wary of their friendship. 

Briony: She'd be fine with it, even interested to hear the details of their past! Although she doesn't know/remember for sure, she can definitely imagine being friends with someone you used to like/date when you were young, so she wouldn't be concerned about the friendship and would be happy that MC and Red managed to stay friends after so many years: she'd tell them to value that enduring connection and encourage it, since she doesn't have anything like that herself!

Lavinet: It would not bother her in the slightest; she's good friends with some of her past suitors, so why wouldn't MC and Red do the same? The only time there'd be a problem is if she ever felt that she could never attain the same level of closeness and friendship between MC and Red. Otherwise, she does not care at all!

Would Gladius tease Romanced Blade by flirting with Mc knowing it would make Blade jealous?

I don't think he'd ever cross the line and outright flirt with MC--he's not that shitty of a brother! I think the most he'd do would be to compliment MC and annoy Blade, like "Blade, you didn't tell us MC was so beautiful! However did you captivate such a brilliant and ethereal goddess? Welcome to our home: I'm sorry my little brother didn't bring you here sooner!" But not like, putting his arm around MC and actually flirting with her!

What would be each of the ROs favorite scary movie to watch with MC taking into account possible MC reactions?

Blade: a home invasion movie so he could tell MC exactly how he'd protect them in that situation and comfort them, lol. Maybe something like the Strangers, Don't Breathe, or You're Next!

Trouble: some fast-paced and full of action to get the blood racing, probably with zombies, like World War Z or Dawn of the Living Dead or 28 Days Later!

Tallys: something aesthetically beautiful but disturbing in its own way, like Midsommar or Hereditary.

Shery: something goofy like Coraline would be all she could handle. She can't even watch Child's Play (Chuckie) without being scared! Maybe older films that aren't as realistic would be things she could handle, like Birds or something!

Riel: something intellectual and disturbing, like the Killing of a Sacred Deer or Get Out, so they could analyze the symbolic and allegorical elements afterwards to cool down lol.

Chase: something cheesy and fun like the Ring or Saw or The Cabin, nothing too heavy so they could just clutch each other and have fun without overanalyzing! He'd also be into those demonic possession movies like Rosemary's Baby or Paranormal Activity!

Red: something based on monsters and creatures: it's fantastical enough not to be too scary, but unique and interesting enough to still get really into it. So something like Alien, The Host, Babadook, or the Ritual would be right up his alley!

Ayla: something really over-the-top and gruesome, hack-and-slashers like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and cult films (literally about cults, not the other thing) would be great! 

Briony: something tense that keeps you right on the edge of your seat would be perfect for her, as she likes being scared and that feeling of grabbing the person next to you and screaming your bloody head off when something scary happens. But nothing too gory or dark either! I think some of her favorites would be It Follows or A Quiet Place!

Lavinet: a psychological thriller based on a complex and realistic villain, like 10 Cloverfield Lane or Fatal Attraction.

What would the ROs opinions on Halloween be if it occurred in Blest?

Indifference/barely acknowledging it

• Blade (he never liked candy so he didn't even get excited for it as a kid)
• Riel (he doesn't like being interrupted by trick or treaters at the door constantly)
• Tallys

Gets way too excited to celebrate/throws elaborate costume parties or wants to go to haunted houses

• Chase
• Trouble
• Briony
• Lavinet

Likes it as well as any holiday, buys bags of candy for kids

• Shery
• Ayla

Likes the spooky atmosphere of the holiday and will watch scary movies throughout the month but isn't like a super huge celebrant of Halloween itself

• Red
• Halek

Can you tell us/give us some world building info about Ygrath? Doesn't have to be anything spoilers but inquiring minds want to know about it/the culture 👀 👀 👀

Sure! So Ygrath was the most powerful of the seven Ket city-states that founded the Code of War; it was the first stronghold of the Ket and has a long, proud history. Tucked away into high mountains that were difficult to navigate and easy to get lost in, it was famously the city that could never be invaded by foreign armies, forcing enemies to send in smaller, more specialized forces in an attempt to infiltrate it and bring the city down from the inside. As a result, Ygrath's culture in particular developed to be 1) extremely paranoid and suspicious, even of its own people, 2) extremely obedient, loyal, and nationalistic (to avoid the kind of infighting or insurrection that could cripple the city-state) and 3) very monolithic and closed off to outsiders. 

Another thing about Ygrath was that it was one of the three Ket city-states renowned for one particular thing. Chicora was known for producing strong and plentiful soldiers, legions of bodyguards to be hired out, and for having a very large and powerful army/military force. Sion was known for being at the forefront of weaponry and blacksmithery, producing the best blades, weapons, and tools of war on the Continent. 

And Ygrath was known for producing the very best assassins and spies the world had ever seen. It was the capitol of subterfuge, sabotage, espionage, and assassinations. Other allied Ket cities would send their best to Ygrath to be trained there, and Ygrath Ket were known to be the elite of the elite. So a lot of value was placed on those kinds of skills, talents, and abilities in their city.

Because of this specialization, a lot of emphasis was also placed on honorable conduct and the "proper" way of doing things in Ygrath. When you have a large chunk of the population able to assassinate each other with ease, you need an extremely strong authority to impose order so things don't just devolve into mass bloodsport. This resulted in extremely rigid, unwritten social rules and conduct, as well as a generally stoic, emotionless people who did not like to show their true thoughts or weaknesses to anyone, including their own neighbors and acquaintances. In the olden days, matters of bloodfeud--the rite to settle matters of dispute between each other with duels and occasionally assassinations, bounties, and small clan wars--had to be submitted by written request to the offices of the Kleos, the Ygrath's elected leader. This meant there were rarely ever any crimes of passion in Ygrath; if your wife cheated with your neighbor, say, a Ket wouldn't just go over there and fight or kill him. They'd have to ask the Kleos for permission to initiate bloodfeud; there was a two-week waiting period so cooler heads could prevail; and all parties had to obey, without question, whatever the Kleos dictated. This still, however, did not prevent the bloodfeud from actually happening once it was authorized. Here's a relevant excerpt about the Ket of Ygrath from the novels:

Sane, law-abiding Ket simply avoided argumentative people. They did not go out of their way to create conflict, and certainly they did not raise their voices in the street, nor brag drunkenly to others, nor spread rumors and malign those they did not know very well at all.

Not in a system where assassination was an ordinary and legal social adjustment.

Even whistling in public (the way you call people or get their attention) could be seen as aggressive and discourteous, and speaking with raised voices was considered disruptive unless you were a child. So it's not all that uncommon for Blade to be so quiet, though there are of course many people raised in Ygrath who are not like him, too!

Finally, it was very common for children (as with all Ket) to become familiar with weaponry and death from a young age, at least if they were of the Rei caste. In Ygrath especially, it was very common to see kids playing gonin, "a Ket hand game that involves the rapid-fire flinging of a curved, rounded knife around a circle. The game is so fast that only the most skilled of Ket can play it: they must throw the knife at another member of the circle without skipping a beat or pausing, going as fast as possible, and the recipient plucks it out of the air and continues to pass it on. The game ends when someone is cut. Gonin is also played by children, who use special, hollow stones"--except in Ygrath, where they also tend to use the grown-up knives, lol.

The last thing I'll say about Ygrath today is how it fell to the Autarchy. Because of Ygrath's historical paranoia, its leaders actually did prepare for the day that the city might finally fall to invaders. As such, they constructed a secret, even more secluded "second city" to fall back to, high in the mountains and impossible to find without Ket scouts who know what they're looking for, in case their walls ever fell to outsiders. So, although on paper, the Autarchy did in fact invade Ygrath, defeat the Ket there, and scatter their forces, many of the Ygrath Ket survived and retreated to the smaller fallback fortress-city that their forebears had constructed long ago. It's like the Ket's best-kept secret, and this is where the Ket Rebellion lives and thrives, biding their time until they can muster their diminished forces to take on the Autarchy again--this time in a battle that they'll never see coming. This is why Blade sometimes speaks of his culture as if it's still alive and well; he was brought up in the safety of the still-alive Ygrath, so unlike Ket!MC, who could only learn bits and pieces of that culture from defeated Ket mercenaries who'd abandoned their ways, he's still a part of that whole tapestry!

I think it was mentioned  before that Luxue has its own culture and they're considered a rogue city-state because they rejected the Code of War? What sort of cultural differences are there between them and other Ket? Are they despised like the Kaikurans? Do they still operate under the caste system? And how is their relationship with the Autarchy?

Good question! Yes, Luxuens are disliked the same way Kaikurans are disliked, though not on as an extreme level. Luxuen Ket are considered more dishonorable and less trustworthy than other Ket; where you could count on a Ket of Ygrath to, say, fight you as honorably as possible (according to Ket rules), the stereotype is that Luxuen Ket do not give a fuck about the unwritten laws of combat and conduct and will fight as dirty and underhanded as possible. It's complex, since most non-Ket people would consider many of the things many Ket (assassination, sabotage, espionage, etc.) to be dishonorable and underhanded in the first place, so it's hard to see the differences between a Ket from Luxue and a Ket from elsewhere if you're an outsider. There's just a general air of distrust surrounding Luxue that puts other Ket on-guard, though they won't outright spit in their direction the way they might at Kaikuran Ket.

One big cultural difference between Luxue and other city-states is that their Ket utilize and incorporate modern weaponry in their warfare. In Ket culture and philosophy, there are certain schools of thought that consider traditional weapons--blades, bows, spears, etc.--the only "honorable" or right way to engage in combat and warfare. (These are referred to collectively as megil-aith, though it's also a concept and philosophy and way of life beyond just the weaponry: I guess the best equivalent might be the philosophy of bushido or wabisabi--not a spiritualism exactly, but a code of morals and propriety that govern some Ket's way of life.) Some purists even believe that crossbows do not fall under megil-aith. To these, weapons such as guns, black powder, and explosives are considered anathema; to touch them is to dirty oneself, and combat utilizing them is antithetical to the Ket's principles. These are called galvorn-aith, and the school of thought that accompanies it claims that change is neither "good" nor "bad"--it simply is, and a Ket must adapt constantly if he wishes the success of himself and his city-state, since the rest of the world won't stop for him. This is sometimes interpreted by opponents as equating to loose morals, as "anything" under the galvorn-aith philosophy should be subject to change, including (in theory) your deepest convictions and beliefs. Proponents of galvorn-aith push open-mindedness, while naysayers believe it promotes subjectivism and nihilism. 

Anyway, Luxue is notably the only city-state that has openly and freely embraced galvorn-aith, while pretty much all other city-states are torn between the two groups in their populations. They employ Norm-made weapons (to great success) and are also known for their close allegiances to Karzai, the Northern Mage city, using and innovating Mage technology to develop fearsome and forbidden weaponry. This is something that greatly disturbs the other Ket city-states, and Luxue is looked at with significant wariness due to their propensity to just do whatever it takes to survive, without hesitation or quibbling about tradition or ethics. Luxuens blame the harsh climate they live in for their own ruthlessness; they don't have the luxury to debate such philosophies when every day could be a step closer to freezing and mass starvation. But generally they are seen as extremely non-traditional as well as cutthroat and merciless. 

Luxuens do still operate under the Ket caste system, but looser, and their obedience to their leader is less assured than in other Ket city-states, and many Ket often "switch" castes according to their whims, which is rare in other places. 

Their relationship with the Autarchy is complicated: while Luxue capitulated to the Autarchy pretty much immediately, without resistance, they are far enough away from the Autarchy's seat of power that they can get away with a lot of stuff. Luxue primarily looks out for themselves without taking a principled stand, which is why they're in the Autarchy's good books, but they're always making a backup plan as well, which means they're known for making clandestine and very illegal deals and trades with Karzai still. The Autarchy seems to be aware of this but, for now, turns a blind eye, taking advantage of the fact that Luxue willingly contracts out its soldiers and bodyguards when the Autarchy has a need for them--but there is, as always, an air of distrust between the two entities as well, as if the uneasy allegiance between them could implode at any moment (which it could). But other Diminished dislike Luxue because of its free and open cooperation with the Autarchy!

i can’t remember if this has been asked and answered already but the raising caine achievement reminds me a lot of the fast food chain raising canes was that intentional? or am i just connecting strings that weren’t meant to be connected lol

Yes, this was 100% intentional because I'm an idiot and like stupid puns lol

That incident in Chapter 5 made me curious. Are there any plants/substances that are particularly deadly to non-Mages?

Hmm, good question! There are obviously poisons that affect multiple races other than Mages, like belladonna/nightshade and others, but if you mean if there are plants that affect only one specific non-Mage race, not that many! (This was why the concept was so foreign to Halek.) The sap of the surka leaf is poisonous to both Mages and Ket, making them weak and sick for several weeks and sometimes causing bad fevers and hallucinations and occasionally even seizures; and a plant called elfsbane that only grows in cold, snowy climates can cause Elves pretty bad indigestion, but rarely ever anything close to death. There's said to be a berry that can be ingested safely by Mages but will kill Hedgewitches, weirdly (but not Norms), but this seems to be more mythical than fact. Most plants that are poisonous to the point of death are poisonous to all races, not just the one!

On a scale of 1 to 10, how good are the crushing/romanced ROs at keeping a secret from the MC?

Blade: 10, extremely good at keeping a secret from MC, hence the pining and slow-burn

Trouble: Like a 3, he can manage it if it's like a surprise for them, but will act pretty obviously avoidant and uncomfortable if it's like a secret that he has to actually keep from them

Tallys: 10, excellent at keeping secrets, gives nothing away unless she wants to

Shery: 4-5, she's pretty good at keeping secrets, especially if they're surprises, or hiding her own feelings if she has to, but she's uncomfortable with the thought of keeping legitimate secrets from MC (that involve lying) and it might show. She caves extremely easily if pressed, too!

Riel: 10, MC doesn't even know his real name. He's the fucking Lizard King (dumb Office reference)

Chase: 10, he's like scary good at keeping secrets. Almost sociopathic about it. He often won't if someone tells him to, though, it's just based on his whims and he likes to tell MC everything. But when he puts his mind to it, he gives nothing away!

Red: Like a 7 or 8, he's fairly good at it if MC doesn't suspect that anything is going on, but would cave fairly easily or laugh nervously and obviously deflect if confronted directly, letting MC know that something's up.

Ayla: 2, she's pretty bad at it and is extremely transparent, so MC will either know if she's hiding something or Ayla will just accidentally let it slip on her own. Why the hell does she have to keep secrets, anyway! Don't ask her to! Save yourself the trouble!

Briony: 1, she gets so excited and always wants to tell MC EVERYTHING so she can't keep a secret to save her life, unless it's like another person's deeply personal business (like Shery told her something very personal and asked Briony not to tell anybody). Even then, in a relationship, Briony might allude to it. In all other cases, even like a surprise gift for MC, Briony just gets so happy and excited about it it's OBVIOUS that something's up, and she can't lie to save her life when confronted. Sometimes she'll even be so eager about it she'll like collapse on the bed and say, "AHHH I want to tell you something SO BAD but I can'tttt"--so yeah, no secrets are being kept from MC, lol.

Lavinet: 9, she can keep a secret when she puts her mind to it, but sometimes she likes to act coy and allude that she has a secret too, so it can sometimes be a wash, lol.

Spoilers

WHAT'S TROUBLE'S REAL NAME????

If you're sure you want to know... Do NOT click if you don't want to be spoiled!

I feel like I'm gonna regret asking, but how old was Blade the first time he killed someone? Child prodigy and assassin is a concerning combo.

Blade was 10 years old the first time he killed someone; he accompanied a group of Ket soldiers sent to deal with bandits who'd been terrorizing local farms. Typically the Ket wait until around 13 or 14 to start with the killing, but he was on an expedited program due to his talent.

if instead of blade other ros had gone with mc to find hunters how would they react to all this moonsilks manipulation thing - they learn they gravely sick then mc is going on pothentially lethal quest alone and so on? who would found out that moonsilk lied to them and they are not sick? would anyone actually strangle her?

Great question! 

Trouble: I think he would be extremely pissed (I don't know if he'd find out in the first place, though; he'd be pacing furiously and worried about MC but wouldn't want to risk getting them sick enough to question Moonsilk all that much) and would probably try to fight her until someone restrained him and he calmed down a bit. He probably wouldn't actually strike her because she's unarmed and not trying to fight him, but he'd be PISSED and would definitely do something ill-advised and hot-headed. He'd cuss at her anytime he saw her after that, but ultimately he wouldn't hold it against the Hunters.

Tallys: she'd find out, and I think she might actually try to assassinate her. No, I'm just kidding--sort of. I think she'd demand that Moonsilk duel her in a fair fight as recompense for what she put her and MC through (the same way MC can demand money or whatever) and then take a lot of satisfaction in whupping her ass. Tallys does NOT appreciate being manipulated when she's already putting her life on the line to help people!

Shery: she'd be upset and would never trust Moonsilk again, but ultimately she'd try to see her point of view and would understand that she did what she did out of desperation and wanting to help her people! She'd forgive her if MC did!

Riel: on a cold, logical level, he'd understand why Moonsilk did what she did and would even admire the skill of the deceit, if she managed to fool even him (she probably wouldn't, though). On that basis alone, it'd be kind of like a... "Well done, bitch. Well done." He'd probably keep it cool to maintain good relations with the Shepherds; Hunters for the Order would be much more valuable than destroying Moonsilk for revenge!

Chase: he'd be really sarcastic and annoying to Moonsilk, but as long as MC was okay, he probably would be fairly chill about the whole ordeal. All's well that ends well, and all that. But if MC was hurt or super pissed about it, he'd probably crawl in through their window that night with a sack of rats and whisper, "Want to go shave her head in her sleep?"

Red: he'd be very upset, but would control his reaction enough that he wouldn't seem that upset. I mean, he'd make it well-known that what she did was not okay and that it will likely harm relations with the Shepherds--kind of a "well, I'm going to have to include this in my report, and I don't know what will happen. I'm not exactly happy about all this"--but I don't think he'd be screaming at her or anything. I think the most he'd be was very cold!

Briony: she would punch Moonsilk's lights out, no question. She wouldn't go any further than that, because Moonsilk is still pretty weak and defenseless, but yeah, a black eye and a low and deadly, "You ever come near me and MC again, I'll do far worse to you than that" would be in the cards!

Ayla: I honestly think she would pick Moonsilk up and yeet her off the mountain or just bodyslam her or something. Unlike Briony, who's a quick punch and then stalk off in a blazing fury, she's going to bring the whole place down with her YELLING. She's going to cuss out everyone around Moonsilk and their mother and is just basically going to be in a rage. A hurricane might come and blow the whole Reach away!

Lavinet: I think at her most primal level, a catfight would be very satisfying, but Lavinet is too cunning and good at controlling her reactions to let it devolve to that. She'd HATE Moonsilk with every fiber of her being, but there'd be a tiny little bit of that begrudging respect too. She's still going to leverage the whole thing to get every ounce she can blackmail out of Moonsilk, though, and then some! But she'd also despise her with her whole heart!

A Phantom Shore ask, because that chapter was awesome! Sorry in advance if this has been asked before, and this is a little greedy because it's two part - totally understand if only one is answered! Question: if the other RO's were at the Phantom Shore, what nightmare would Quiial have them trapped in? And for all the RO's, if they got free first how might they go about snapping the MC out of their dream?

Nightmares for the other ROs (spoilers and bummers might abound):

Trouble: being tortured by the Equalists again while lying bound and helpless, and then seeing them drag in his mom

Tallys: watching her village and clan burn again, with Quiial appearing and offering her a way to avert the tragedy and change the past

Shery: she'd be a child again, small and helpless and curled in to protect herself while her old childhood bully--multiplied by twenty--surrounded her and tormented her and berated her with cruel insults and punches and kicks. 

Riel: being a bedridden, drooling patient in some sort of asylum, being forced to watch as life went by and he was helpless to do anything, robbed of his strength and mental faculties

Briony: she'd be dogged by a figure from her past, whether she knew who he was or not, and she would be terrified of him and never able to escape him. [BIG SPOILERS] If you really want to know who he is, he'd wear the visage of her betrothed! 

Lavinet: she'd be a prisoner in the Autarch's dungeons, sentenced there as a result of some treachery she'd orchestrated (that was really a misunderstanding or accident). She'd be chained up, dressed in filthy rags, unwashed and sick, potentially scarred beyond recognition, while all of her old court friends and rivals came to look at her through the bars to gloat and jeer like she was an animal. 

As for how they'd break MC out of their nightmare:

Grabbing MC by the face and telling them to snap out of it and not let the demon win:

Blade

Red

Trouble

Hugging MC and pleading with them tearfully to wake up or even grabbing their face kissing them:

Briony

Shery

Shaking MC violently, yelling in their face, and telling them to WAKE THE FUCK UP so they can kick this demon's ass:

Ayla

Slapping MC in the face to break them out of it:

Lavinet

Coldly pointing out the logical flaws in the demon's orchestrated dream to make MC see reason:

Riel

Acting casual and mocking the demon to take the power out of the dream:

Chase

I want to know about how Chase feels when MC tells him that they still have feelings towards Red?  (specifically, during that scene in the alpha build) And, are we locked out of Chase's romance if MC says they do have feelings for Red still?

No, you are not locked out of Chase's romance if you tell him you still have feelings for Red, but you do lose some romance points with him, making him harder overall to start a relationship with!

He was feeling mostly "casually" interested with a sliver of "damn, should have expected that or seen that coming. Gotta up my game!" He doesn't think it's the end of the line for him and MC, just that it's understandable that they would still have feelings for Red and that he's got to keep an eye on the situation as it unfolds rather than just take it for granted that his and MC's flirting means anything. It makes him slightly more determined to win MC's heart, but not really competitive or jealous, because at that point he's still only looking for a no-strings attached FWB relationship with them, so he's not going to resolve to win MC for himself if they're really in love with Red if he knows their relationship is not going to be permanent! He ultimately wants MC to be happy, so he's cautiously optimistic: not discouraged but not crazy committed, either!

How does Blade know when he can finally admit to himself he has feelings for MC? Does he have anything he can compare these feelings to from his past?

This was pretty much answered in this past Patreon Q&A! Blade doesn't have anything that he can compare from his past in terms of romances or crushes, except for the relationship between his parents, which, as with any child, he doesn't really analyze all that deeply. In the past he's always viewed love as a frivolous, stupid, puzzling thing, something that other people fall victim to due to some need they have that he just doesn't have, or sometimes out of stupidity or weakness. He always heard of people waging war because of love, or being killed because of love, or being manipulated by love, and the concept always baffled him; he's read epic poems about how being in love makes you feel like you're walking on air, or makes you tongue-tied, or makes you foolish and brave and like you could do anything, or drives you mad with jealousy, or makes you smile all the time without your control, and he's just never got it. He's never felt any of that with anyone, so he's sort of just assumed it's an inexplicable phenomenon that just happens to some people out of chance, like getting the chicken pox as a kid. He's never "had it" and he doesn't give it much more thought than that. 

Then one day MC walks into a room and his heart leaps in his chest and he's like "oh no."

He doesn't allow himself to accept those feelings until after MC's resolved his storyline later in the game. But he does admit to himself he has them when it gets to the point where he just can't help but kiss her; that's when he knows for sure and isn't just like "must be arrhythmia, I wonder why I feel so sick!" But he doesn't actually want to have those feelings until late,  and is just like "no no no ahhhhh this is bad" until then!

Are there going to be any down-the-road repercussions for banishing a Faceless Lord to Hael with our magic vs obliterating them with a Word of Power? It's making me nervous lol.

There are going to be down-the-road consequences for banishing them vs. destroying them permanently, but they're not as negative as you might expect! You can only achieve the "best" good ending by destroying all 5 Faceless Lords permanently, but banishing them does not necessarily lead to any bad endings except in one specific case. In all other ways, you can still get a good ending! Hope that makes sense lol.

NSFW

If I can continue the trend of Fluff, and I know it will be hard, but can we get some facts about Croelle? 👀 Specifically, the romantic side of things deeper into a relationship? Is he super protective? Okay with PDA? Handle genuine affection from MC well? Any little things he does that MC knows means He Cares?

I'm putting this in NSFW just in case lol: although this is a fluffy ask, I'm going to say that most of Croelle's affection/fluff is going to relate to how he acts in bed, lol. I think MC would know he was "in love" with them based on his behavior during lovemaking; prior to being in a "relationship" (if one could ever really achieve that with Croelle), sex with him would be pretty rough and, uh, yeah, not that affectionate. He'd still please you, because he's arrogant like that, but there would be no sweet kisses or cuddling afterwards. Once he caught Feelings, it'd be slower, more tender; there'd be sort of wondering brushes of his fingers, cautious and brief, but still there, and he'd take his time to explore MC's body and mark it as his own. That's how he acts when he's in love, lol.

He'd be okay with PDA, though he wouldn't really initiate it on his own. At first he'd be uncomfortable with/thrown off by genuine affection from MC, but he'd get used to after a while and even begin to crave it some time after that. I think he'd be very protective and possessive and would have to be told to back off a bit so as not to hog MC from other people or obsess over them, as his form of affection could very easily cross into obsession and possessiveness! I think his caring if MC was hurt or noticing if they were sad would be the chief ways of showing that he cares deeply about them: he literally does not either process or care about other people's feelings typically, so showing that awareness would be a strong declaration of love from him!

How would drunk Blade act around a romanced Mc? Is he more cuddly?

I think it'd go one of two ways: he'd either 1) act more weird around MC, like staring openly at her and then blushing furiously and running away, or 2) more horny rather than more cuddly lol