Author’s Note: Sorry for how long this one took, Mythies! As I mentioned in my last update, it’s hard to write when depressed and stressed, so it’s been all code and renders for me. Until now! I hope you enjoy, and hope all the sleuths out there pick up the hints that are dropped. Even better if you pick up the hints and run in entirely the wrong direction! That’s always fun to watch.
Jessica Lee: Good morning, Baltimore! I’m Jessica Lee with WETT, back in our interview studio with one of the main characters from the upcoming game Mythos, Book Two: Legendary Lore. Last time we talked to main character of indeterminate gender Vic Mercury. Today we have the first of the four love interests: Hattie Sheppard! Welcome to the studio, Hattie!
Hattie Sheppard: Good morning, Jessica Lee!
JL: (Pause) Um… do you only use full names the way Sophia did?
HS: What? Oh! No, no, sorry about that. I just thought using your whole name sort of flowed better. Sesh – er – Sophia may have rubbed one out on me a bit.
JL: She did what?
HS: Rubbed one out? As in… I may have adopted some of her mannerisms?
JL: I’m… mostly sure that’s not how the saying goes. Regardless, it’s great to have you! Since you already brought it up, you’re connected to Sophia from Book One in some way?
HS: Indeed! Sophia and I go way back. Way, way, way back.
JL: So should we expect Sophia to also be a major player in Book Two?
HS: Hmm… I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to say, but due to how Book One ended, you may note that Sophia sort of took to traveling. As such, if she appears in Book One, it’s not going to be near the beginning, and it likely won’t be in a large capacity.
JL: I see. Now many players of Book One who have read the Tales From Mythos think they’ve identified who you –
HS: I’m Hatshepsut.
JL: Excuse me?
HS: That’s what the theory is, yes? That I’m Pharoah Hatshepsut? They’re correct.
JL: (Looking around nervously) And you’re allowed to just… say that?
HS: It’s revealed very early in the game, and is hardly central to any mysteries. Remember, this story takes place years after the end of Book One, where much of what was once hidden from humanity is now open knowledge. The snails have fallen from their eyes, as they say.
JL: They… don’t say that. So all supernatural identities are public, now?
HS: Well, no certainly not. Some seek to keep themselves hidden, because anti-supernatural sentiment does exist. It’s frowned upon by many as a sort of bigotry, but that doesn’t mean supernaturals aren’t being targeted by nasty hate campaigns. You can imagine even with all the facts, humans probably wouldn’t be too comfortable around someone they knew to be a vampire.
JL: I suppose not. But you’re publicly known to be Hatshepsut?
HS: Correct. I make no attempts to hide my identity.
JL: So why go by “Hattie Sheppard?”
HS: Part of it is a force of habit. Before the events of Book One, I was known by Hattie. Not to mention that a lot of people have trouble pronouncing “Hatshepsut”. So for all intensive purposes, it’s easier to go by Hattie Sheppard.
JL: (Slightly cringing) Good to know. So you’ve been living amongst humans for a long time, it seems?
HS: Sort of, yes. There was a long stretch of time where I didn’t exist. My successor did as much as he could to erase me from history. To a Celestial, that’s practically a death sentence. However, when knowledge of my previous life started to become accepted knowledge again, it led to my return.
JL: That must have been quite an ordeal. From your perspective, what did it feel like to cease existing, then return?
HS: It… was… it’s something I prefer not to talk about, now. It’s all water under the fridge.
JL: (Rubbing the bridge of her nose) Water under… right, anyway. You’re the first of the main characters to appear in the story, other than Vic themselves.
HS: Oh, yes. I suppose that sort of makes me the “Tara” of this installment.
JL: So you believe yourself to be the “canonical” love interest for Vic?
HS: (Laughing) I don’t want to assume that kind of thing. I wouldn’t be upset if people considered me the best choice, of course. Though that’s hardly fair to Melanie, Jodi, and Violet.
JL: Speaking of the other love interests, will this game be like Book One where you can accept or reject all partners without restrictions.
HS: In a sense, yes. The relationships in Book Two actually build up over time, unlike how some could be seen as “abrupt” in Book One. No matter which characters you find worth pursuing, nothing romantic or “naughty” happens in the first chapter. You are given the choices to begin showing interest in any or none of us, but Nine is really making sure the story comes first and the romances are actually interwoven into it. They learned from Book One that people wanted more emotional depth, so there’s going to be more of a slow burn there.
JL: Taking time to work on the relationships is good and all, but how is the aspect of multiple partners handled? Is it going to be a “harem” situation?
HS: Well… I’m not going to say for sure how it turns out. But I can at least tell you that you can pursue all four love interests at once, and you won’t be penalized for doing so.
JL: Ah, looks like we finally hit something you’re not allowed to be open about.
HS: I can’t come out here spoiling everything! I have to take a deezy.
JL: (Blank stare, then realizing) Right. Back to your existence. Once you came back into being, how did you blend in to the human world?
HS: For the most part, I sort of… didn’t? I tried to stay on the fringes. There was a large gap of human history I simply didn’t witness, so I had to go through a long adjustment period. Seshat was naturally there to help me through it, for which I’m internally grateful.
Then in more recent times, as of my taking the name “Hattie Sheppard” a few years ago, I came to Baltimore as a sort of… dealer in antiquities. Naturally I had a bit of an advantage when it came to historical artifacts.
JL: Were you selling your own possessions from your personal life?”
HS: Some of them, yes. Whatever I could find that wasn’t already… “discovered” and put in museums. Thankfully, I could locate plenty of caches of ancient goods that archaeologists hadn’t stumbled upon. Back then, I couldn’t exactly go into a museum and declare that I am the one in the carvings and demand my old things be handed over. They’d lock me away, or maybe even prostitute me to the fullest extent of the law.
JL: I’m sure they wouldn’t do that…
HS: There’s actually still a lot of awkward conversations going on between collectors of ancient items and the people who turn out to be the original owners. Now that we don’t have to hide ourselves, a lot of Legendary Celestials are interested in reacquiring things they’d once lost.
JL: Legendary Celestials, you say?
HS: Ah, yes… it’ll be touched upon more as Book Two progresses, but you’ll learn that there are different types of Celestials. Legendary Celestials, Mythic Celestials… but I can’t go into that, here.
JL: I wouldn’t expect you to; especially because I’m up against a hard break, so we need to cut to commercial. Is there anything else you’d like to say before we wrap this up?
HS: Oh, um… I’m not sure what else I’m allowed to say. It’s like playing rushing roulette with what Nine is okay with!
JL: Rushing roulette. Right. Anyway, after the break we’ll be talking to Melanie Rubicante! Until then, keep the legends alive, Baltimore!